cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What systems can and can't do.

This commentary discusses a paper in this issue by Dr Jillian Baker on the antagonism of histamine H2 receptors. It is an excellent example of the use of pharmacological principles to determine what systems can and can't do from the point of view of agonist-dependent antagonism. The most common model of antagonism, namely orthosteric, cannot discern agonist type; i.e. all agonists are blocked equally by a given orthosteric antagonist. Therefore, if quantitative assessment of antagonism unveils agonist dependence, then this is something an orthosteric mechanism cannot do and another mechanism must be considered. A simple alternative is a permissive allosteric model whereby the agonist and antagonist interact through conformational changes in the receptor protein. Under these circumstances, an agonist–antagonist dialogue can ensue whereby the nature of the agonist determines the magnitude of antagonist effect. Jillian Baker contrasts antagonist systems with historical data obtained for β-adrenoceptors and the present data for histamine H2 receptors where the simpler model of orthosteric antagonism suffices and thus shows how quantitative receptor pharmacology can be used to determine the molecular mechanism of antagonism.
Functional Genomic Annotation of Genetic Risk Loci Highlights Inflammation and Epithelial Biology Networks in CKD

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified multiple loci associated with the risk of CKD. Almost all risk variants are localized to the noncoding region of the genome; therefore, the role of these variants in CKD development is largely unknown. We hypothesized that polymorphisms alter transcription factor binding, thereby influencing the expression of nearby genes. Here, we examined the regulation of transcripts in the vicinity of CKD-associated polymorphisms in control and diseased human kidney samples and used systems biology approaches to identify potentially causal genes for prioritization. We interrogated the expression and regulation of 226 transcripts in the vicinity of 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms using RNA sequencing and gene expression arrays from 95 microdissected control and diseased tubule samples and 51 glomerular samples. Gene expression analysis from 41 tubule samples served for external validation. 92 transcripts in the tubule compartment and 34 transcripts in glomeruli showed statistically significant correlation with eGFR. Many novel genes, including ACSM2A/2B , FAM47E , and PLXDC1 , were identified. We observed that the expression of multiple genes in the vicinity of any single CKD risk allele correlated with renal function, potentially indicating that genetic variants influence multiple transcripts. Network analysis of GFR-correlating transcripts highlighted two major clusters; a positive correlation with epithelial and vascular functions and an inverse correlation with inflammatory gene cluster. In summary, our functional genomics analysis highlighted novel genes and critical pathways associated with kidney function for future analysis.
Political Science and Public Administration: A Note on the State of the Union.

By tradition public administration is regarded as a division of political science. Woodrow Wilson set the stage for this concept in his original essay identifying public administration as a subject worthy of special study, and spokesmen for both political science and public administration have accepted it since. Thus Leonard White, in his 1930 article on the subject in the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, recognizes public administration as “a branch of the field of political science.” Luther Gulick follows suit, observing in 1937 that “Public administration is thus a division of political science ….” So generally has this word got around that it has come to the notice of the sociologists, as is indicated in a 1950 report of the Russell Sage Foundation which refers to “political science, including public administration….” “Pure” political scientists and political scientists with a public administration slant therefore are not alone in accepting this doctrine, which obviously enjoys a wide and authoritative currency.But if public administration is reckoned generally to be a child of political science, it is in some respects a strange and unnatural child; for there is a feeling among political scientists, substantial still if mayhap not so widespread as formerly, that academicians who profess public administration spend their time fooling with trifles. It was a sad day when the first professor of political science learned what a manhole cover is! On their part, those who work in public administration are likely to find themselves vaguely resentful of the lack of cordiality in the house of their youth.
Prostate cancer: The optimal number and location of cores for repeat biopsy.

A repeat biopsy procedure is performed in patients with suspicion of prostate cancer after initial biopsy. However, the optimal strategy for repeat biopsy is not known. A new study now elucidates the ideal number and location of cores according to each patient's tumor characteristics. Further validation will be required.
Musculoskeletal disorders among clerical workers in Los Angeles: a labor management approach.

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) persist among clerical workers despite ergonomic advances. Methods A cross-sectional survey among2,310 clerical workers investigated MSD cases, defined as musculoskeletal discomfort and seeking treatment for that discomfort in the past 12 months. A modified Poisson regression model was adopted to assess the association between work and individual factors and the risk of MSDs. Results Over half of respondents reported musculoskeletal discomfort. The prevalence of MSD cases was: 37.2% neck/shoulders, 21.7% upper extremities, 18% lower extremities, and 34.3% back region. Elevated risk of MSDs was associated with less workstation adjustability; work schedule, gender, age, and BMI were also significant. Positive trends wereobservedbetweencomputeruseandMSDsfortheneck/shoulderregionandtheeffect was amplified among those reporting insufficient workstation adjustability and lacking computer ergonomics training. Conclusions Results demonstrate the need to limit continuous computer use and to improve the human–machine interface through adjustable workstations and worker training to enhance use of adjustable features. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:1072–1081, 2013. 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
P38 MAPK, microglial signaling, and neuropathic pain

Accumulating evidence over last several years indicates an important role of microglial cells in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Signal transduction in microglia under chronic pain states has begun to be revealed. We will review the evidence that p38 MAPK is activated in spinal microglia after nerve injury and contributes importantly to neuropathic pain development and maintenance. We will discuss the upstream mechanisms causing p38 activation in spinal microglia after nerve injury. We will also discuss the downstream mechanisms by which p38 produces inflammatory mediators. Taken together, current data suggest that p38 plays a critical role in microglial signaling under neuropathic pain conditions and represents a valuable therapeutic target for neuropathic pain management.
1/f noise in etched groove surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators

Measurements of 1/f (or flicker) frequency fluctuations in SAW resonators fabricated with etched groove reflectors on single crystal quartz have shown that the observed noise levels vary inversely with device size. These measurements were made on sixteen 450 MHz resonators of four different sizes. The 1/f noise levels were also evaluated on twenty-eight other SAW resonators ranging in frequency from 401 to 915 MHz. This additional data provides valuable information on the dependence of the flicker noise levels on resonator frequency. A model based an localized, independent velocity fluctuations in the quartz is proposed which correctly fits the observed size and frequency dependence of the measured 1/f noise levels. This model suggests that the velocity fluctuations originate in small regions (much less than /spl sim/5 /spl mu/m in diameter) randomly distributed throughout the quartz with an average separation of about 5 /spl mu/m between independent (incoherent) sources. The magnitude of the localized fractional velocity fluctuations, /spl Delta/v/v, averaged over a 5 micron cube is on the order of 1/spl times/10/sup -9/. >
Interhemispheric Temperature Asymmetry over the Twentieth Century and in Future Projections

The temperature contrast between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres—the interhemispheric temperature asymmetry (ITA)—is an emerging indicator of global climate change, potentially relevant to the Hadley circulation and tropical rainfall. The authors examine the ITA in historical observations and in phases 3 and 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5) simulations. The observed annual-mean ITA (northminussouth)hasvariedwithina0.88Crangeandfeaturesasignificantpositivetrendsince1980.TheCMIP multimodel ensembles simulate this trend, with a stronger and more realistic signal in CMIP5. Both ensembles project a continued increase in the ITA over the twenty-first century, well outside the twentieth-century range. The authors mainly attribute this increase to the uneven spatial impacts of greenhouse forcing, which result in amplified warming in the Arctic and northern landmasses. The CMIP5 specific-forcing simulations indicate that, before 1980, the greenhouse-forced ITA trend was primarily countered by anthropogenic aerosols. The authors also identifyan abrupt decrease in theobserved ITA in the late1960s, which is generally not present in the CMIP simulations; it suggests that the observed drop was caused by internal variability. The difference in the strengths of the northern and southern Hadley cells covaries with the ITA in the CMIP5 simulations, in accordance with previous findings; the authors also find an association with the hemispheric asymmetry in tropical rainfall. These relationships imply a northward shift in tropical rainfall with increasing ITA in the twenty-first century, though this result is difficult to separate from the response to global-mean temperature change.
Methionine, Choline, Fish Solubles and Milk in Rations for Growing Turkeys in Confinement

Abstract REARING of turkeys in confinement necessitates that dietary requirements be met without the aid of supplementary pasture grass which is provided under range conditions. It is obvious that a diet intended for confinement rearing should be more complete in both known and unknown nutrients than one intended for range rearing. It has been demonstrated that milk, choline, methionine, and fish solubles are beneficial supplements when added to certain diets fed to chickens or turkeys. This investigation was initiated to study the role of these nutritional ingredients in a practical ration for growing turkeys. The value of choline in promoting growth and preventing perosis of young turkeys has been amply demonstrated by Jukes (1940a, 1940b, 1941), Evans (1943), Patrick, Boucher, Dutcher and Knandel (1943), McGinnis (1946), and Slinger, MacIlraith and Evans (1946). Dried milk has been a popular ingredient in turkey mashes for years. Many poultrymen feel that milk is an . . .
Upper Bound on Error Exponents with Delay for Lossless Source Coding with Side-Information

The traditional view of source coding with side information is in the block coding context in which all the source symbols are known in advance by the encoder. We instead consider a sequential setting in which source symbols are revealed to the encoder in real time and need to be reconstructed at the decoder within a certain fixed delay. We derive an upper bound on the reliability function with delay that considers the errors induced by atypically strange side-information. It is shown to be tight for certain "symmetric" sources in low rate regime.
Liver enzymes and lipid levels in patients with lipodermatosclerosis and venous ulcers treated with a prototypic anabolic steroid (stanozolol): a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Anabolic steroids have been used to treat lower extremity ulcerations, including venous and cryofibrinogenemic ulcers and lipodermatosclerosis (LDS). Yet there have been no studies to determine the...
Effect of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation on inflammatory cytokine levels in infants at high genetic risk for type 1 diabetes

Objective Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the inflammatory destruction of pancreatic β-cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on stimulated inflammatory cytokine production in white blood cells (WBC) from infants with a high genetic risk for T1D. Research design and methods This was a multicenter, two-arm, randomized, double-blind pilot trial of DHA supplementation, beginning either in the last trimester of pregnancy (41 infants) or in the first 5 months after birth (57 infants). Levels of DHA in infant and maternal red blood cell (RBC) membranes and in breast milk were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Inflammatory cytokines were assayed from whole blood culture supernatants using the Luminex multiplex assay after stimulation with high dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 1 µg/mL. Results The levels of RBC DHA were increased by 61–100% in treated compared to control infants at ages 6–36 months. There were no statistically significant reductions in production of the inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, TNFα, or IL-12p40 at any of the six timepoints measured. The inflammatory marker, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), was significantly lower in breast-fed DHA-treated infants compared to all formula-fed infants at the age of 12 months. Three infants (two received DHA) were removed from the study as a result of developing ≥two persistently positive biochemical islet autoantibodies. Conclusions This pilot trial showed that supplementation of infant diets with DHA is safe and fulfilled the pre-study goal of increasing infant RBC DHA levels by at least 20%. Inflammatory cytokine production was not consistently reduced.
Nutrition Support for Lung Transplant Patients

Lung transplantation has emerged as an established and accepted therapy for patients with endstage pulmonary disease. Very little information has been published about the nutrition management of these patients during the period after transplantation. We conducted a retrospective review of the nutrition support records of 52 adult patients who had undergone lung transplantation at our institution. In addition to patient demographics, data were collected on baseline nutritional status, energy and protein goals, type of specialized nutrition support therapy, length of therapy, and incidence of metabolic complications. More than 50% of the patients receiving lung transplants had a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Compared with patients having other diagnoses, this group of patients had a greater incidence of malnutrition. The mean energy goal was 127 +/- 0.07% of basal energy expenditure, and the protein goal was 1.37% +/- 0.25 g/kg/d. All patients received parenteral nutrition therapy, which was begun by postoperative day 2 for more than 70% of the patients. Therapy was short-term (mean, 9 days), and patients then received oral diet. The most common metabolic complications were azotemia, hyperglycemia, and hypomagnesemia. Our experience should provide assistance to other health care professionals who are involved in the nutrition and metabolic management of patients undergoing lung transplantation.
Reducing the impact of model scale on simulated, gridded switchgrass yields

Results of gridded ecosystem simulations of bioenergy crops are used for estimating economic viability, environmental impacts, and potential land use change. Gridded model uncertainty propagates through these uses, thus we propose a simple method for estimating regional, spatial model error from sparse field data. We apply this method to the Agricultural-BioGeochemical Cycles (Agro-BGC) model to examine and reduce the model uncertainty associated with grid scale for simulated switchgrass yields in a 6^o latitude x 5^o longitude (~300,000 km^2) region covering Illinois, United States of America. Based on three evaluation sites, changes in yield with scale result from complex intra-model interactions driven by a combination of meteorological rather than soil or terrain variables. Spatial bias of the regional mean significantly increases with increasing cell size for 11 of 15 measurement dates. This bias is primarily due to grid scale, thus bias correction of output yield reduces the model uncertainty associated with grid scale. The corresponding Root Mean Squared Error and Bias-Corrected RMSE (RMSE"B"C) have effectively negligible trends with inconsistent signs. The range of RMSE"B"C for 2-year Average Mature August Yield (AMAY) is 267-285 g C m^-^2 across 3- to 3600-arcsec resolution (~90 m-~100 km) with biases from 9 to 61 g C m^-^2. AMAY bias significantly increases with increasing cell size. Spatial bias of the regional mean is relatively consistent for resolutions @?1200 arcsec (~33 km) (AMAY bias <3%), and larger AMAY biases (4-13%) at coarse resolutions indicate poorly characterized spatial heterogeneity. Including the 68% confidence interval around bias-corrected values, AMAY ranges from 0 to 1116 g C m^-^2 across a 150-arsec grid, which is similar to the range reported for 24 eastern United States field sites. Spatial bias of the regional mean yield can vary across grid resolution by as much as 31% of the observed regional mean and can dramatically affect calculations dependent on the resolution of the estimate. We conclude that grid scale profoundly affects model accuracy such that regional studies must match evaluation and simulation scales and should utilize multi-scale analyses to determine robustness of results.
Basement Membranes in the Worm: A Dynamic Scaffolding that Instructs Cellular Behaviors and Shapes Tissues

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has all the major basement membrane proteins found in vertebrates, usually with a smaller gene family encoding each component. With its powerful forward genetics, optical clarity, simple tissue organization, and the capability to functionally tag most basement membrane components with fluorescent proteins, C. elegans has facilitated novel insights into the assembly and function of basement membranes. Although basement membranes are generally thought of as static structures, studies in C. elegans have revealed their active properties and essential functions in tissue formation and maintenance. Here, we review discoveries from C. elegans development that highlight dynamic aspects of basement membrane assembly, function, and regulation during organ growth, tissue polarity, cell migration, cell invasion, and tissue attachment. These studies have helped transform our view of basement membranes from static support structures to dynamic scaffoldings that play broad roles in regulating tissue organization and cellular behavior that are essential for development and have important implications in human diseases.
Enhancing object-oriented programming education using static and dynamic visualization

While Object-Oriented programming in Java has been widely adopted as an introductory programming course in Computer Science, it is considered difficult to teach and learn. Studies have identified that the difficulty is from the underlying Object-Oriented concepts and principles. To help student programmers better understand the structure of a program and the concepts of Object-Oriented design, visualizations in various formats have been applied to programming environments. This paper presents a web-based interactive educational programming environment, JavlinaCode, and its unique design principles. JavlinaCode is designed for teaching object-oriented programming in Java. It aims to enhance student programmers' programming skill and to help them understand object-oriented design concepts. It provides integrated static and dynamic visualizations: the static state of a Java program in an UML class diagram and the dynamic run-time state of the program execution. With the synchronized multi-view real time visualization along with source code, JavelinaCode is highly expected to reduce student programmers' cognitive workload in Java programming and to enhance comprehension of the objectoriented programming and design concepts.
Urinary tract infections

During the past 15 years, new imaging techniques and biologic probes have given further insight into the natural history and pathogenesis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children. UTIs are one of the common causes of fever in infants and young children. These infections are probably the most common cause for renal parenchymal loss in children. Thus, the goal of managing UTIs in children is based on the early identification of factors that may increase the risk of renal parenchymal and functional loss.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Development of Childhood Antisocial Behavior: Current Evidence and Directions for Future Research

During the past couple of decades, there has been a tremendous amount of empirical research examining the genetic foundation to antisocial behaviors at various stages of the life course. The results of these studies have consistently revealed that about 50% of the variance in antisocial behaviors is the result of genetic factors, with most of the remaining variance being attributable to nonshared environmental influences. More recently, there has been a significant focus on trying to identify the specific genes that might be involved in the etiology of these types of behaviors. Although the findings have been relatively inconsistent and mixed, there is an emerging body of research indicating that genes have their most consistent and powerful effects when they are paired to environmental risk factors. Unfortunately, most of this genetic research has yet to be integrated into life-course criminology. The purpose of the current chapter is to review some of the research bearing on the genetic underpinnings to antisocial behaviors and discuss the various ways that it has application to criminological theory and research and to offer avenues for future research.
Abkommensrechtliche Behandlung der Sondervergütungen (Guaranteed Payments) bei übereinstimmender transparenter Besteuerung der Personengesellschaft in beiden Vertragsstaaten

Wie bereits erwahnt, erkennen die USA im Gegensatz zu Deutschland vertragliche Beziehungen zwischen einer Personengesellschaft und ihrem Gesellschafter steuerlich an1. Eine solche Vorgehensweise steht den USA als Betriebstattenstaat (Sitzstaat der Personengesellschaft) frei2. Dies hat zur Folge, das Entgelte, die die Personengesellschaft fur Leistungen ihres Gesellschafters zahlt, in den USA fur die Gesellschaft als gewinnmindernder Aufwand anerkannt werden. Hieraus ergeben sich jedoch in der Abkommensanwendung in erster Linie aus deutscher Sicht Probleme. Nach Art. 7 DBA-USA steht den USA das Besteuerungsrecht fur die anteilig auf einen deutschen Gesellschafter entfallenden Gewinnanteile aus der Beteiligung an einer US-amerikanischen Personengesellschaft zu. Hat dieser Gesellschafter der Gesellschaft Wirtschaftsguter zum Gebrauch uberlassen (Kapital, Rechte, etc.) oder leistet er uber seine Gesellschafterpflichten hinausgehende Dienste fur die Gesellschaft und erhalt er dafur Entgelte von der Gesellschaft, so sind diese Entgelte aus US-amerikanischer Sicht bei der Gesellschaft abzugsfahiger Aufwand. Dieser Aufwand mindert den Gewinnanteil, den der Gesellschafter von der Gesellschaft bezieht. Abkommensrechtlich haben die USA das Besteuerungsrecht fur den Gewinnanteil nach Art. 7 DBA-USA, wahrend Deutschland nach Art. 23 Abs. 2 lit. a DBA-USA diese Einkunfte des Gesellschafters freistellt. Hinsichtlich der besonderen Entgelte, die der Gesellschafter fur Leistungen an diese erhalt, sind die USA, basierend auf der Situation nach nationalem Recht der Ansicht, das diese Entgelte entsprechend ihrem Charakter unter die einzelnen Einkunftsarten des Abkommens zu subsumieren sind.
SOME POSSIBLE QUANTITATIVE ASPECTS OF A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MODEL OF SCHIZOPHRENIAS.

In continuation of a previous paper (Bull. Math. Biophysics,26, 167–185, 1964) simple equations are derived for the rate of development of schizophrenia as a function of some psychobiological parameters of the individual and of an index which characterizes the frequency of traumatic experiences of the individual. A clue to the understanding of why schizophrenia is more likely to develop at an early adult age is thus provided.
Trajectories of life satisfaction five years after medical discharge for traumatically acquired disability.

OBJECTIVES: We studied the predictive impact of family satisfaction, marital status, and functional impairment on the trajectories of life satisfaction over the first 5 years following medical treatment for traumatic spinal cord injury, burns, or interarticular fractures (total N = 662). It was anticipated that fewer functional impairments, being married, and greater family satisfaction would predict higher life satisfaction trajectories. METHOD: The Functional Independence Measure, the Family Satisfaction Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Index were administered 12, 24, 48, and 60 months postdischarge. RESULTS: Trajectory modeling revealed that greater functional impairment significantly predicted lower life satisfaction, regardless of injury type. However, this association diminished when marital status and family satisfaction were entered into the models. Greater family satisfaction and being married predicted greater life satisfaction across time. Moreover, there was no evidence for increases in life satisfaction trajectories over time: Trajectories were stable across time for all injury groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that being married and greater family satisfaction promote life satisfaction among those who traumatically acquire disability, and these beneficial effects may be more salient than the degree of functional impairment imposed by the condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Structural Basis for Noncanonical Substrate Recognition of Cofilin/ADF Proteins by LIM Kinases.

Cofilin/actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) proteins are critical nodes that relay signals from protein kinase cascades to the actin cytoskeleton, in particular through site-specific phosphorylation at residue Ser3. This is important for regulation of the roles of cofilin in severing and stabilizing actin filaments. Consequently, cofilin/ADF Ser3 phosphorylation is tightly controlled as an almost exclusive substrate for LIM kinases. Here we determine the LIMK1:cofilin-1 co-crystal structure. We find an interface that is distinct from canonical kinase-substrate interactions. We validate this previously unobserved mechanism for high-fidelity kinase-substrate recognition by in vitro kinase assays, examination of cofilin phosphorylation in mammalian cells, and functional analysis in S. cerevisiae. The interface is conserved across all LIM kinases. Remarkably, we also observe both pre- and postphosphotransfer states in the same crystal lattice. This study therefore provides a molecular understanding of how kinase-substrate recognition acts as a gatekeeper to regulate actin cytoskeletal dynamics.
Screening for rice genotypes tolerant to low nitrogen

Totally 1107 accessions of rice germplasms were evaluated for plant height and tiller number at different development stages,and dry matter weight at maximum tillering period with two treatments of applied N and unapplied N in a pot experiment in screenhouse under rain-shelter.Relative growth rate was used for N use efficiency.The result indicated that relative dry matter weight (RDMW) at maximum tillering period was significantly and positively correlated with the relative plant height (RPH) and relative tiller number (RTN).Significant positive correlation existed between RPH and RTN at different development stages.Significant differences in rice germplasm were found for RPH and RTN at different development stages,and RDMW at maximum tillering period. Tiller number might be used as selection index for screening rice germplasm with high N use efficiency.Forteen rice germplasm accessions with high N use efficiency were selected with 11 indices including RPH,RTN and RDMW.
Arbitrator Excluding Evidence as a Sanction

The rules of many arbitration administrators (for example JAMS and FINRA) permit arbitral sanctioning by excluding evidence. There is a tension between these rules and Section 10(a)(3) of the Federal Arbitration Act. The Act provides for vacatur where "the arbitrators were guilty of misconduct in ... refusing to hear evidence pertinent and material to the controversy..." Courts have drawn a line that arbitrators must respect. If excluding evidence prejudices the party against whom the sanction is imposed, the arbitrator is "guilty of misconduct" and any resulting award is likely to be vacated. The tension creates a dilemma for an arbitrator confronted with a disruptive behavior. Two recent decision by the same federal judge in the Southern District for New York suggest that prejudice trumps the desire of an arbitrator to rein in misbehavior. This article examines the two cases in depth and suggests that while well intended, the rulings unfortunately fail to consider the prejudice that misbehavior has on the other parties involved in the arbitral process. These two cases involved spoliation. The destruction of evidence can cause the inability of a party to prove a case, a result that is unquestionably absolute and prejudicial. The article suggests room for a rule allowing an arbitrator (and eventually a court) to weigh the respective rights of all parties when considering the impact of disruptive misbehavior of any kind. The judge’s rulings in both cases missed an opportunity to fashion such a rule.
A size-gradient hypothesis for alpine treeline ecotones

Research on the stress gradient hypothesis recognizes that positive (i.e. facilitative) and negative (i.e. competitive) plant interactions change in intensity and effect relative to abiotic stress experienced on a gradient. Motivated by observations of alpine treeline ecotones, we suggest that this switch in interaction could operate along a gradient of relative size of individual plants. We propose that as neighbors increase in size relative to a focal plant they improve the environment for that plant up to a critical point. After this critical point is surpassed, however, increasing relative size of neighbors will degrade the environment such that the net interaction intensity becomes negative. We developed a conceptual (not site or species specific) individual based model to simulate a single species with recruitment, growth, and mortality dependent on the environment mediated by the relative size of neighbors. Growth and size form a feedback. Simulation results show that the size gradient model produces metrics similar to that of a stress gradient model. Visualizations reveal that the size gradient model produces spatial patterns that are similar to the complex ones observed at alpine treelines. Size-mediated interaction could be a mechanism of the stress gradient hypothesis or it could operate independent of abiotic stress.
Enhancing Thermal Fatigue Reliability of Large CLCC Package

The solder joint reliability under thermomechanical fatigue is a very strong function of package size and thermal expansion mismatch for a large ceramic leadless chip carrier package (CLCC) with perimeter I/O. If these factors cannot be adjusted, the design space for successful implementation of such a package becomes drastically small. We discuss the reliability improvement methodology where the estimated field failure rate was reduced by factor of 80x. The impact of the various improvement options was assessed using nonlinear finite elements. The soldering process, underfill properties, and properties of the printed circuit board (PCB) such as thickness, CTE (Coefficient of thermal expansion), and stack-up were tdesigned to effectively improve the solder joint fatigue performance. The improvements in reliability were validated by accelerated thermal fatigue cycling test on test vehicles. The reliability improvement methodology demonstrated illustrates how a mechanistic, predictive model of solder deformation can be used to tailor the reliability performance in conjunction with process optimization and an understanding of the design space.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV Activity and Neuropeptide Y in the Mouth: The Relationship with Body Composition and the Impact of Carbohydrates

Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) is an enzyme present in the saliva, and its interaction with satiety related hormones is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine possible relationships between salivary DPP-IV activity and body composition. Further, the response of salivary DPP-IV activity to carbohydrates was investigated. We tested 111 people for plasma and saliva DPP-IV activity using a fluorometric assay and Neuropeptide Y (NPY) protein using an EIA. Body composition was determined via a DEXA scan. Relationships were determined using regression analysis. In the second part, we tested 35 people on four separate occasions, where the participants either swished and spit or ingested a commercially available sucrose or aspartame sweetened beverage. Saliva and plasma were collected before and after each condition and were processed as described above. Blood glucose was also measured. No relationship was found between salivary DPP-IV activity or NPY and any body composition measurement. For Part 2, no change in plasma DPP-IV occurred with any of the conditions, despite an increase in blood glucose with the sucrose-beverage ingestion condition (p<0.05). However, salivary DPP-IV activity was attenuated with all conditions, except aspartame-beverage swish and spit. Salivary NPY was not altered by the conditions. The unique finding from this study was that salivary DPP-IV activity was attenuated with sucrose or aspartame beverage, but plasma DPP-IV was unchanged. This result implies that satiety may be reduced when drinking sucrose or aspartame beverages.
Exercise and lifestyle predictors of resting heart rate in healthy young adults

Physical exercise is well-understood to provide significant health benefits, through physiological adaptations induced by the repeated exertion stress exercise imposes on our systems. Chief among these are cardiovascular adaptations to exercise, including adjustments of cardiac parameters such as stroke volume, heart rate, and maximal cardiac output. It is commonly assumed that aerobic forms of exercise provide greater cardiovascular benefits than do non-aerobic forms of exercise. To test this assumption, exercise habits and resting heart rate were examined in a large population of healthy young adults. 90% of subjects reported regular physical exercise, with aerobic exercise constituting 64% of all exercise hours. Subjects with a history of smoking exhibited higher resting heart rates than those with no smoking history, an effect which was due primarily to a reduction in exercise hours by smokers than due to a smoking habit itself. While both total exercise amount and aerobic exercise amount were significantly and negatively related to resting heart rate, total exercise amount was a better overall predictor of resting heart rate than was aerobic exercise amount. All forms of exercise were associated with cardiovascular health, with cardiovascular benefits accruing according to the amount of exercise performed, even in optimally healthy young adults.
Linking job loss, inequality, mental health, and education

National politics in the United States, Great Britain, France, and elsewhere have focused attention on the struggles of people in regions where jobs have been destroyed by globalization and technology. Many residents of these areas report anger and frustration, whether or not they have actually suffered job loss, fearing that their children will not do as well as they have. When researchers began to identify these forces increasing economic inequality ( 1 ), labor economists argued that intergenerational upward mobility should increase hand-in-hand with increasing inequality. This claim was predicated on the notion that working-class youth, rather than following their parents' footsteps to the now-closed factory, would pursue higher education and join the “knowledge economy.” Our work integrating economics and developmental psychology, however, suggests that local job losses can both worsen adolescent mental health and lower academic performance and, thus, can increase income inequality in college attendance, particularly among African-American students and those from the poorest families.
Cellular responses to human cytomegalovirus infection: Induction of a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) phenotype

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the prototypical human β-herpes virus. Here we perform a systems analysis of the HCMV host-cell transcriptome, using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) as an engine to globally map the host-pathogen interaction across two cell types. Our analysis identified several previously unknown signatures of infection, such as induction of potassium channels and amino acid transporters, derepression of genes marked with histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), and inhibition of genes related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The repression of EMT genes was dependent on early viral gene expression and correlated with induction E-cadherin (CDH1) and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) genes. Infection of transformed breast carcinoma and glioma stem cells similarly inhibited EMT and induced MET, arguing that HCMV induces an epithelium-like cellular environment during infection.
Core Competencies in VA Compensation and Pension Exams for PTSD and Other Mental Disorders

The concept of core competencies has in recent years seen a rising interest as the mental health field has increasingly focused on empirically validated approaches to assessment and intervention. VA compensation and pension (CP Ridgeway in Psychological Injury and Law, 5: 72–87, 2012; Worthen & Moering in Psychological Injury and Law, 4: 187–216, 2011). It does, however, attempt to describe the core competencies required by those clinicians who perform posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders C&P evaluations on behalf of the VA.
Cerebral function in hepatic encephalopathy.

Hepatic encephalopathy in patients may result from the surgical formation of a portacaval shunt, or chronic liver disease, often accompanied by portal systemic shunting (1, 2, 3). Whether the development of encephalopathy is caused by diversion of blood past the liver, decreased liver function, or both, is unknown. The symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy caused by portacaval shunting (pcs) or chronic liver dysfunction in man range from very subtle subclinical abnormalities of intellectual and motor function to coma. The apparent reversibility of these symptoms suggests that the encephalopathy has a metabolic etiology. Even in the absence of serious symptoms brain function is compromised and is more sensitive to a variety of metabolic disturbances which in normal individuals would cause no serious alterations in cerebral function (1,2).
Detection of Damage and Failure Events of Road Infrastructure Using Social Media

We study the problem of estimating the state of road infrastructure, which is the backbone of transportation system. Road infrastructure can suffer from various issues, including structural failures, such as potholes, and non-structural issues, such as broken traffic lights. However, it is infeasible to cover all roads with physical sensors for monitoring purposes. Instead, we propose to use social sensor big data to detect and estimate these issues based on the public’s activity. As a demonstration, we generate a map of detected road problems based on tweets. The map displays the currently detected hotspots, where for each hotspot we compute the overall sentiment provided by the public. In addition, we identify the peak of public activity during the evaluation period and investigate the key drivers of that peak. Finally, we analyze the most influential users using an extension of PageRank. The proposed approach adds a novel perspective on the state of road infrastructure and may be used to help guide decisions related to road infrastructure funding.
Quantum molecular dynamics simulations of dense matter

Quantum molecular dynamics simulations of pure samples and of mixtures of various species yield important structural, dynamical, and electronic properties that characterize matter at high compressions and moderate temperatures. A fully quantum mechanical treatment of the electrons, contained in a periodically replicated reference cell of Na atoms, by density functional and semi-empirical methods provides an accurate representation of the force on the nuclei and of the electronic structure of the medium. The nuclei move according to the classical equations of motion in response to this quantal force. Detailed comparisons of the models with other calculations are presented together with a comprehensive description of the techniques.
Off-the-Shelf CAR-NK Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

CAR-T therapy has shown great success treating blood cancers, but drawbacks include high manufacturing costs and potentially fatal toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Li et al. (2018) describe how engineered iPSC-derived NK cells armed with NK-tailored CAR constructs (CAR-iPSC-NK cells) provide better options for anti-cancer immunotherapy.
Screening for Cervical Cancer With High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Testing: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force

Importance Cervical cancer can be prevented with detection and treatment of precancerous cell changes caused primarily by high-risk types of human papillomavirus (hrHPV), the causative agents in more than 90% of cervical cancers. Objective To systematically review benefits and harms of cervical cancer screening for hrHPV to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force. Data Sources MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Collaboration Registry of Controlled Trials from January 2011 through February 15, 2017; surveillance through May 25, 2018. Study Selection Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and cohort studies comparing primary hrHPV screening alone or hrHPV cotesting (both hrHPV testing and cytology) with cytology (Papanicolaou [Pap] test) screening alone. Data Extraction and Synthesis Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles and quality rated included studies; data were qualitatively synthesized. Main Outcomes and Measures Invasive cervical cancer; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN); false-positive, colposcopy, and biopsy rates; psychological harms. Results Eight RCTs (n = 410 556), 5 cohort studies (n = 402 615), and 1 individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis (n = 176 464) were included. Trials were heterogeneous for screening interval, number of rounds, and protocol. For primary hrHPV screening, evidence was consistent across 4 trials demonstrating increased detection of CIN 3 or worse (CIN 3+) in round 1 (relative risk [RR] range, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.09-2.37] to 7.46 [95% CI, 1.02-54.66]). Among 4 hrHPV cotesting trials, first-round CIN 3+ detection was not significantly different between screening groups; RRs for cumulative CIN 3+ detection over 2 screening rounds ranged from 0.91 to 1.13. In first-round screening, false-positive rates for primary hrHPV screening ranged from 6.6% to 7.4%, compared with 2.6% to 6.5% for cytology. For cotesting, false-positives ranged from 5.8% to 19.9% in the first round of screening, compared with 2.6% to 10.9% for cytology. First-round colposcopy rates were also higher, ranging 1.2% to 7.9% for primary hrHPV testing, compared with 1.1% to 3.1% for cytology alone; colposcopy rates for cotesting ranged from 6.8% to 10.9%, compared with 3.3% to 5.2% for cytology alone. The IPD meta-analysis of data from 4 cotesting trials and 1 primary hrHPV screening trial found lower risk of invasive cervical cancer with any hrHPV screening compared with cytology alone (pooled RR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.40-0.89]). Conclusions and Relevance Primary hrHPV screening detected higher rates of CIN 3+ at first-round screening compared with cytology. Cotesting trials did not show initial increased CIN 3+ detection. Both hrHPV screening strategies had higher false-positive and colposcopy rates than cytology, which could lead to more treatments with potential harms.
Attention in the Anthropocene: On the Spiritual Exercises of Any Future Science

Without a doubt, the most remarkable consequence of the recent proposal to name our current geological epoch the Anthropocene is the philosophical inquiry it has yielded. For what is at stake in the ‘epoch of the human’ is not, as would first appear, the task of exposing the scandal of human exploitation of planetary resources over the past century (though it is this too) but to expose, as scandalous, the very nature of human agency as such (Latour in New Literary Hist. 45: 71–81, 2014). The Anthropocene tells a story about causality, of how human beings have caused the earth’s atmospheric composition to change. That human beings have been instrumental in causing climate change few would now deny, yet attempts to account for how this causality is distributed repeatedly fail. As critics are beginning to realise, to claim that the guilt is collective, applying to humanity as a species, is absurd, for in developing nations many are without substantial carbon footprints, and even in the developed world the day-to-day activities of the average citizen will have a vanishingly small effect on the planet as such (Malm and Hornborg in The Anthropocene Rev. 20: 4, 2014). Yet it would be absurd, equally, to claim that the responsibility rests only with the few, for the situation is now more complex than that, and perhaps has always been so (Morton in Being Ecological. Penguin, London, pp. 3–35, 2018). Whether or not an individual is materially responsible for the increase of carbon-emissions they are, today, implicated in a planetary situation and contribute to its acceleration simply by being alive and so put a strain on the planet’s resources. This is bad news, since it means that everyone is, after all, part of the problem. But it is also good news, since by the same reasoning everyone is part of the solution. It is this general solution—its structure and logic—that I want to think through in what follows.
Amino Acids in Life: A Prebiotic Division of Labor.

There are more than 20 amino acids used in Biology, and their utilization is enigmatic. Here, I propose that there was a prebiotic division of labor between two subsets of amino acids. The first set is the alpha-l set, which includes all the genetically encoded amino acids. These convey heritable information. The second set is all the remaining types, which includes the d-enantiomers incorporated in non-ribosomally encoded peptides and those used in signaling. These convey proximally mediated information about the environment. This division of labor became fixed early in the evolutionary history of life on the Earth.
Pancake Evolution: A Novel & Engaging Illustration of Natural Selection

Understanding the theory of natural selection is crucial for any student of biology, but many secondary and postsecondary students struggle with the concepts. We present a novel, engaging exercise to illustrate natural selection through making pancakes. After students make pancakes (representing offspring) with various ingredients (illustrating genetic diversity and allelic variation), other students (representing the environment) judge the pancakes on the basis of taste. Only the highest-ranking pancakes are made in a second generation (illustrating population change over time), and new ingredients are added. After several generations of pancakes, with each generation exposed to ever-changing “environments,” students understand the fundamental concepts associated with the theory of natural selection.