cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inbreeding influences herbivory in Cucurbita pepo ssp. texana (Cucurbitaceae).

In a series of field experiments Diabrotica beetle herbivory was found to influence the magnitude of inbreeding depression in Cucurbita pepo ssp. texana, an annual monoecious vine. Beetles damage flowers and fruits and chew dime-sized holes in leaf tissue between major veins. Inbred plants were found to be more likely to be damaged by beetles and to have more leaves damaged per plant than outcrossed plants. A positive linear association was found between the coefficient of inbreeding and the magnitude of leaf damage, whereas a negative association was found between coefficient of inbreeding and several male and female fitness traits. When pesticides were used to control beetle herbivory, the interaction between coefficient of inbreeding and pesticide treatment was significant for fruit production and marginally significant for pollen quantity per anther. Therefore, the magnitude of inbreeding depression in C. pepo ssp . texana varies depending on the severity of beetle herbivory.
Effect of grain morphology on gas bubble swelling in UMo fuels – A 3D microstructure dependent Booth model

Abstract A three dimensional microstructure dependent swelling model is developed for studying the fission gas swelling kinetics in irradiated nuclear fuels. The model is extended from the Booth model [1] in order to investigate the effect of heterogeneous microstructures on gas bubble swelling kinetics. As an application of the model, the effect of grain morphology, fission gas diffusivity, and spatially dependent fission rate on swelling kinetics are simulated in UMo fuels. It is found that the decrease of grain size, the increase of grain aspect ratio for the grain having the same volume, and the increase of fission gas diffusivity (fission rate) cause the increase of swelling kinetics. Other heterogeneities such as second phases and spatially dependent thermodynamic properties including diffusivity of fission gas, sink and source strength of defects could be naturally integrated into the model to enhance the model capability.
Influence of casein peptide conformations on textural properties of cheese.

An important relationship exists between casein proteolysis and the development of texture in cheese (Fox, 1989). Breakdown of caseins may begin as the curd is formed and continues through the ripening stage; it also occurs during refrigerated storage of non-ripened cheeses such as low-fat, high-moisture Mozzarella (Tunick et al., 1991; Malin et al., 1993). Renneting enzymes and plasmin provide casein fragments that eventually become substrates for internal proteases and peptidases that starter culture microorganisms use for metabolic benefit (Kok, 1990). Earlier investigations of proteolysis focused on ripened cheeses such as Cheddar or Gouda because the resulting peptides are necessary for texture and flavor attributes. Casein proteolysis has now proved to be a significant factor in development of texture and meltability in low-fat, high-moisture Mozzarella cheese (<10% fat) because of the correlation of these characteristics with breakdown of α s1-casein (Tunick et al., 1993a, 1993b; Malin et al., 1994; see also Chapters 2 and 14).
Constrained Stochastic Estimation Algorithms for a Class of Hybrid Stock Market Models

This paper is concerned with a class of hybrid stock market models, in which both the return rate and the volatility depend on a hidden, continuous-time Markov chain with a finite state space. One of the crucial issues is to estimate the generator of the underlying Markov chain. We develop a stochastic optimization procedure for this task, prove its convergence, and establish the rate of convergence. Numerical tests are carried out via simulation as well as using real market data. In addition, we demonstrate how to use the estimated generator in making stock liquidation decisions.
Evaluation of Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients With Cancer.

Purpose:To evaluate the use of direct-acting oral anticoagulants in patients with cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE) treated at Ochsner Medical Center with the intent of determining the effica...
Chapter 7 – Medical Care Quality: Double-Track Thinking and Action1

Publisher Summary Two procedural processes to ensure medical quality are at the whole organization level, track 1, as a strategic means to quality improvement; and at the project level, track 2, for an operational path to quality improvement work at the team level. It is suggested that successful efforts follow this double-track effort already and that further identification and elaboration of the pathways will speed diffusion of quality improvement efforts. Total quality management has clearly excited the private-sector industrial world. Planning is a preventive approach that eliminates quality problems at the process creation stage. Building on an organization perspective regarding teams and systems thinking, the chapter describes a double-track procedure for the application of continuous quality improvement programs. A review of existing procedural presentations indicated that common elements are present in many of the models. An integrationist effort resulted in the double-track model that offers both a strategic-level process and a set of steps for guiding the work of project-level teams. The strategic process, track 1, consists of five steps that enable the organization's leaders to make strategic decisions to support quality. Track 2, the project-level procedure, offers 10 steps to guide the groups' individual problem-solving work. Organizations seeking to improve quality must first begin to perceive the task in two-level terms. The need for a double-track approach is then a sensible follow up.
Nanotechnology: review of concepts and potential application of sensing platforms in food safety.

In recent years a number of new nanotechnology based platforms have been developed for detection of wide variety of targets including infectious agents, protein biomarkers, nucleic acids, drugs, and cancer cells. Nanomaterials such as magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, nanowires, and nanosensors like giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensors are used to quantitatively detect biomolecules with, experimentally, relatively good accuracy. There has been a growing interest in the use of magnetic fields in biosensing applications. Because biological samples have no ferromagnetic property and therefore there is no interference with complex sample matrix, detection of infectious agents from minimally processed samples is possible. Here, we provide a brief overview of the recent emergence of nanotechnology-based techniques for the detection and monitoring of foodborne diseases. In addition, the potential applications and future perspectives of nanotechnology on food safety are discussed. Ultimately, the review is expected to stimulate and provide directions to the development and application of nanotechnology-based tests for the early detection, and eventual control of foodborne diseases.
The Truck Driver's Straw Problem and Cantor Sets.

When my colleague Kendra Killpatrick was moving to California to join the faculty at Pepperdine University, she was asked an interesting math question by her mover, John. While waiting for their meals to be served, John and his fellow mover Bill were passing the time by moving water from one glass to another using a straw. A straw move (or just a move) consists of placing a straw vertically in one glass, covering the top of the straw with a finger, thereby trapping water in it, and then transferring that water to the other glass (see Figure 1).
Regulation of the Sodium Pump in Hyperoxic Lung Injury

A major component of the early lesion in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is alveolar edema. Considerable data suggests that decreasing alveolar flooding improves the outcome from acute lung injury (ALI). Studies in humans with ARDS demonstrate that prognosis correlates with the capacity to resorb fluid (Matthay 1990). Retrospective studies indicate that patients with fluid balance out>in, lesser weight gain, lower pulmonary capillary wedge pressures or diuretic treatment have greater survival rates. It is not surprising that decreasing the degree of early alveolar flood could decrease the subsequent need for high pressure ventilation or high levels of oxygen — thus avoiding amplification of the injury.
Knowledge Resources: Finding Answers to Primary Care Questions

9:00 a.m. Your clinic day starts with a teenage girl whose blood sugars are elevated and insulin requirements are increased. She reports that her weight is down. You probe and discover that she has been taking Ma-huang for weight control. You believe that the weight loss may not be worth the risk and recommend that she stop taking Ma-huang until a follow-up visit in two weeks. Before her next visit you will review the evidence on the safety of this herbal supplement for adolescent diabetics.
Corticosteroids in the Management of Severe Coccidioidomycosis.

Abstract Background There is limited data suggesting that recovery from severe pulmonary infection with Coccidioides may be hastened by the addition of systemic corticosteroids. Methods We present a case report of 2 patients with persistent and progressive coccidioidomycosis who demonstrated a dramatic response to adjunctive corticosteroid therapy. Results Both patients had Coccidioides immitis cultured from respiratory samples. One was a 69-year-old man who had been treated with combination fluconazole and liposomal amphotericin for over 6 weeks, with persistent fever and pneumonia. The other was a 61-year-old man treated with fluconazole and then amphotericin for 3 weeks, with progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock. Both received short courses of intravenous methylprednisolone and recovered to be discharged home. Conclusions As opposed to associated hypersensitivity, corticosteroid treatment in these cases was directed at modulating the ongoing destructive effects of unchecked inflammation. Rapid improvement was noted in both cases and raises the possibility that the addition of systemic corticosteroids may hasten recovery in patients with severe coccidioidomycosis.
Antimonide Based Infrared Detectors for Remote Sensing

Infrared imaging (3–25 microns) has been an important technological tool for the past 60 years since the first report of infrared detectors in 1950s. There has been a dramatic progress in the development of antimonide based detectors and low power electronic devices in the past decade with new materials like InAsSb, InAs/GaSb superlattices and InAs/lnAsSb superlattices demonstrating very good performance. Fig. 1)[1]. One of the unique aspects of the 6.1A family of semiconductors (InAs, GaSb and AISb) is the ability to engineer the bandstructure to obtain designer band-offsets. [2] Our group investigates fundamental challenges in antimonide based infrared detectors and explores new avenues for next generation infrared detectors, arrays and imagers.
Entanglements in multispecies voluntourism: conservation and Utila's affect economy

Through a case study of conservation voluntourism this article brings together critical political ecology, multispecies ethnography, and studies of humanitarian tourism to advance a political ecolo...
Cervical fractures with associated spinal cord injury in children and adolescents: epidemiology, costs, and in-hospital mortality rates in 4418 patients.

Abstract Background Cervical spine fractures with spinal cord injury (CFSCI) can be devastating. We describe the epidemiology of children and adolescents with CFSCI. Methods Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, we identified 4418 patients (≤18 years old) who had CFSCI from 2000 through 2010. Outcomes of interest were patient characteristics (age, sex), injury characteristics [fracture location, spinal cord injury (SCI) pattern], economic variables (duration of hospital stay, total hospital charges), and mortality. Results Upper cervical fractures (UCFs) occurred half as often (31.4 %) as lower cervical fractures (LCFs; 68.8 %). Among patients <8 years old, 73.6 % had UCFs; among patients ≥8 years old, 72.3 % had LCFs. Overall, 68.7 % had incomplete SCI, 22.4 % had complete SCI, 6.6 % had central cord syndrome, and 2.3 % had anterior cord syndrome. Patients with complete SCI had the longest hospital stays and highest hospital charges. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 7.3 %, with ...
Synthesis of chemically edited derivatives of the endogenous regulator of inflammation 9-PAHSA

Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are a growing class of natural products found in organisms ranging from plants to humans. The roles these endogenous derivatives of fatty acids play in biology and their novel pathways for controlling inflammation have increased our understanding of basic human physiology. FAHFAs incorporate diverse fatty acids into their structures, however, given their recent discovery non-natural derivatives have not been a focus and as a result structure-activity relationships remain unknown. The importance of the long chain hydrocarbons extending from the ester linkage as they relate to anti-inflammatory activity is unknown. Herein the systematic removal of carbons from either the hydroxy fatty acid or fatty acid regions of the most studied FAHFA, palmitic acid ester of 9-hydroxystearic acid (9-PAHSA), was achieved and these synthetic, abridged analogs were tested for their ability to attenuate IL-6 production. Reduction of the carbon chain lengths of the 9-hydroxystearic acid portion or palmitic acid hydrocarbon chain resulted in lower molecular weight analogs that maintained anti-inflammatory activity or in one case enhanced activity.
No fly zone? Spatializing regimes of perceptibility, uncertainty, and the ontological fight over quarantine pests in California

Abstract For nearly 40 years, California has been periodically gripped by controversies over government efforts to protect agricultural trade by eradicating invasive insects in cities. The analysis focuses on one thread that has linked and stabilized these controversies: disagreement over whether or not the local population of invasive insects is already established and thus ineradicable. Examining the controversies over programs to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly in the Los Angeles basin (1980 to present), light brown apple moth on California’s north coast (2007–2010) and the Japanese beetle in the Sacramento Area (2011–2016), I describe two competing models for understanding invasive insect populations. Through a comparison of these regimes of perceptibility, to borrow Michelle Murphy’s term, I demonstrate the importance of temporal and spatial scales in determining pest presence and absence. Further, I argue that the dominant regulatory regime of perceptibility, the Multiple and Recent Incursion (MRI) model, constructs certainty in trade relationships by re-establishing production areas as pest-free through the insistence that the insects are invasive, out of the ordinary, and temporary. The competing regime of perceptibility, the Sub-Detectable Established Local Population (SELP) model, challenges the construction of certainty on which the MRI both relies and helps produce. In doing so, I show that the SELP model threatens California’s position with trade partners but also opens up possibilities for new agro-ecological and political arrangements.
Group 4 Diarylmetallocenes as Bespoke Aryne Precursors for Titanium-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition of Arynes and Alkynes.

Despite the ubiquity of reports describing titanium (Ti)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cyclotrimerization of alkynes, the incorporation of arynes into this potent manifold has never been reported. The in s...
Quantification of Total Glucosinolates and Isothiocyanates for Common Brassicaceous Vegetables Consumed in the US Market Using Cyclocondensation and Thiocyanate Ion Measurement Methods

Glucosinolates are a group of important sulfur and nitrogen containing plant secondary metabolites found in Brassicaceous vegetables that are associated with many health benefits. There is a growing interest in assessing dietary glucosinolates and their degradation products’ isothiocyanates exposure to humans. Determination of glucosinolates in plants is a very challenging task. In this study, the total glucosinolates from 22 commonly consumed Brassicaceous vegetables in the US market were determined by employing 1,2-benzenedithiol cyclocondensation for the determination of isothiocyanates (ITCs) from non-indole glucosinolates and a colorimetric method for the determination of thiocyanate ion (SCN−) from indole glucosinolates. The total glucosinolates were determined from the sum of these two methods. In the 22 investigated vegetables, the highest level of total ITCs was found in horse radish (5189.0 ± 544.8 nmol/g dry weight) and the highest level of total SCN− level was found in brussel sprouts (1294.0 ± 141.6 nmol/g dry weight). The total glucosinolates ranged from 18.6 ± 3.2 to 2271.2 ± 215.3 nmol/g dry weight. The total glucosinolate and ITC data are necessary for the USDA glucosinolates database and important for establishing the relationship of glucosinolates to human nutrition.
Who’s the boss? Arbitrating control authority between a human driver and automation system

Abstract Progress toward the fully automated highway will first require that manual and automatic control be successfully combined. Determining a combination that preserves the best performance features of human and automatic control yet allows either driver to cover for the faults of the other is a challenging problem. In this study, we invited 11 participants to drive a simulated vehicle through a course with obstacles to investigate the ability of human-automation teams to cover for human and automation faults. We developed the automation system using model predictive control and implemented three schemes under which the human would share control with the automation. In Autopilot, the human driver initiated a takeover with a button press whereas in Active Safety the automation initiated a takeover when it anticipated an obstacle collision. In Haptic Shared Control the human was free to invoke a transition by activating or relaxing muscles. In addition, we included two baseline conditions in which control was given in whole to either the human or the automation. We compared performance in the five conditions by analyzing obstacle hits and metrics related to driving maneuvers around the obstacles that were avoided. Relative to individual human or automatic driver performance, we found that control sharing reduced obstacle hits under fault conditions but also occasionally resulted in obstacle hits under no-fault conditions. Our findings further indicated that team performance suffered most under Autopilot for automation faults and suffered most under Active Safety for human faults. Haptic Shared Control supported the best overall team performance.
Sensing volume and bandwidth characteristics of a multi-function sensor for eddy correlation measurements of benthic flux

Eddy Correlation (EC) is a method for measuring the transport of substances between bottom sediments and their overlying waters (benthic fluxes). Based on rapid, simultaneous, and co-located measurements of water velocity and chemical concentration, it has been successfully used in various freshwater and marine habitats to measure benthic fluxes of dissolved oxygen. However, extension to other substances of interest has been limited, as EC requires chemical sensors that meet demanding requirements of speed, resolution, and sensitivity. New chemical sensors are needed to expand the range of fluxes that can be measured by EC; in addition, new sensors can enable further exploration of certain aspects of the technique, such as the impact of sensor bandwidth and sensing volume on measured fluxes. FACT (Fluorescence and Conductivity / Temperature) is a prototype multi-function sensor designed for use in EC applications, comprising an optical fiber spectrofluorometer combined with a conductivity cell and thermistor. It enables EC measurements of benthic fluxes of fluorescing compounds (e.g. fluorescent dissolved organic matter), as well as heat and salinity, which can be used as tracers for submarine groundwater discharge. The ability of FACT to measure fluorescence, temperature, and conductivity simultaneously and in approximately the same sensing volume was demonstrated in tests in a flume. All three sensors were able to detect similar features from a combined tracer of warm, salty, fluorescent dye injected in front of their sensing volumes. Differences in the signals, combined with video imagery, demonstrate the importance of sensing volume size, shape, and location on sensor performance, with likely consequences for eddy flux measurement in natural waters.
HID-SMART: Hybrid Intrusion Detection Model for Smart Home

Smart homes become part of people's daily life. Many people happily attempt to monitor and control their smart homes by using a smartphone, tablet, or computer because smart home systems make residential living areas more comfortable and convenient. Many devices in home are now being connected to the Internet; these devices can easily become a target of attack and can cause serious problems that could affect a user's life. Some of these attacks are difficult to detect because attackers can be intelligent or they use the same protocols that are employed by users to do legitimate requests. An intrusion detection system (IDS) is designed to detect, and mitigate attacks on the network. However, various constraints on the smart home sensors and device manufacturers are not able to ensure the security and privacy of the wireless sensor networks by using one tier standard intrusion detection. Therefore, we propose a Hybrid Intrusion Detection (HID) system using a random forest algorithm and misuse detection.
Devascularization of a Hemorrhagic Pineocytoma by Laser Thermal Ablation Followed by Endoscopic Resection: A Proof-of-Principle Case Report.

Background Thermal coagulation is a central principle in surgery, particularly regarding hemostasis, as well as being an integral part of intracranial tumor removal. Traditionally, surgical hemostasis is achieved through application of unipolar or bipolar electrocautery. This method has been contemporized and specialized to treat intracranial tumors through a technique called stereotactic laser ablation (SLA), also known as laser interstitial thermal therapy. Case Description In this article, we present this technique as an additional option in the treatment of difficult intracranial tumors. Specifically, we report here a highly vascular and hemorrhagic pineocytoma found in a fragile, elderly patient who underwent a novel combination of procedures: SLA mediated devascularization followed by resection via an endoscopic approach. Conclusions SLA-mediated thermal-coagulation is a potential strategy for minimizing hemorrhagic risks in brain tumor resection and may be used in conjunction with other approaches tailored to the patient and their disease.
Anesthesiologists' and intensive care providers' exposure to COVID-19 infection in a New York City academic center: a prospective cohort study assessing symptoms and COVID-19 antibody testing.

Background Protecting first-line health care providers against work-related coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection at the onset of the pandemic has been a crucial challenge in the United States. Anesthesiologists in particular are considered at risk, since aerosol-generating procedures, such as intubation and extubation, have been shown to significantly increase the odds for respiratory infections during severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks. This study assessed the incidence of COVID-19-like symptoms and the presence of COVID-19 antibodies after work-related COVID-19 exposures, among physicians working in a large academic hospital in New York City (NYC). Methods An e-mail survey was addressed to anesthesiologists and affiliated intensive care providers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center on April 15, 2020. The survey assessed 4 domains: (1) demographics and medical history, (2) community exposure to COVID-19 (eg, use of NYC subway), (3) work-related exposure to COVID-19, and (4) development of COVID-19-like symptoms after work exposure. The first 100 survey responders were invited to undergo a blood test to assess antibody status (presence of immunoglobulin M [IgM]/immunoglobulin G [IgG] specific to COVID-19). Work-related exposure was defined as any episode where the provider was not wearing adequate personal protective equipment (airborne or droplet/contact protection depending on the exposure type). Based on the clinical scenario, work exposure was categorized as high risk (eg, exposure during intubation) or low risk (eg, exposure during doffing). Results Two hundred and five health care providers were contacted and 105 completed the survey (51%); 91 completed the serological test. Sixty-one of the respondents (58%) reported at least 1 work-related exposure and 54% of the exposures were high risk. Among respondents reporting a work-related exposure, 16 (26.2%) reported postexposure COVID-19-like symptoms. The most frequent symptoms were myalgia (9 cases), diarrhea (8 cases), fever (7 cases), and sore throat (7 cases). COVID-19 antibodies were detected in 11 of the 91 tested respondents (12.1%), with no difference between respondents with (11.8%) or without (12.5%) a work-related exposure, including high-risk exposure. Compared with antibody-negative respondents, antibody-positive respondents were more likely to use NYC subway to commute to work and report COVID-19-like symptoms in the past 90 days. Conclusions In the epicenter of the United States' pandemic and within 6-8 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak, a small proportion of anesthesiologists and affiliated intensive care providers reported COVID-19-like symptoms after a work-related exposure and even fewer had detectable COVID-19 antibodies. The presence of COVID-19 antibodies appeared to be associated with community/environmental transmission rather than secondary to work-related exposures involving high-risk procedures.
Missed acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department-standardizing measurement of misdiagnosis-related harms using the SPADE method.

Objectives Diagnostic error is a serious public health problem. Measuring diagnostic performance remains elusive. We sought to measure misdiagnosis-related harms following missed acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) in the emergency department (ED) using the symptom-disease pair analysis of diagnostic error (SPADE) method. Methods Retrospective administrative data analysis (2009-2017) from a single, integrated health system using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coded discharge diagnoses. We looked back 30 days from AMI hospitalizations for antecedent ED treat-and-release visits to identify symptoms linked to probable missed AMI (observed > expected). We then looked forward from these ED discharge diagnoses to identify symptom-disease pair misdiagnosis-related harms (AMI hospitalizations within 30-days, representing diagnostic adverse events). Results A total of 44,473 AMI hospitalizations were associated with 2,874 treat-and-release ED visits in the prior 30 days. The top plausibly-related ED discharge diagnoses were "chest pain" and "dyspnea" with excess treat-and-release visit rates of 9.8% (95% CI 8.5-11.2%) and 3.4% (95% CI 2.7-4.2%), respectively. These represented 574 probable missed AMIs resulting in hospitalization (adverse event rate per AMI 1.3%, 95% CI 1.2-1.4%). Looking forward, 325,088 chest pain or dyspnea ED discharges were followed by 508 AMI hospitalizations (adverse event rate per symptom discharge 0.2%, 95% CI 0.1-0.2%). Conclusions The SPADE method precisely quantifies misdiagnosis-related harms from missed AMIs using administrative data. This approach could facilitate future assessment of diagnostic performance across health systems. These results correspond to ∼10,000 potentially-preventable harms annually in the US. However, relatively low error and adverse event rates may pose challenges to reducing harms for this ED symptom-disease pair.
Effects of multijet coupling on propulsive performance in underwater pulsed jets

Experiments show that when two submerged jets are pulsed together, vortex formation is perturbed and the total thrust generated by the jet pair is reduced. A physical model of the interaction reveals strategies to control the vortex dynamics and mitigate performance loss in multi-jet systems.
Ring artifact and non-uniformity correction method for improving XACT imaging

X-ray induced acoustic computed tomography (XACT) as a novel imaging modality has shown great potential in applications ranging from biomedical imaging to nondestructive testing. Improve the signal to noise ratio and removing the artifacts are major challenges in XACT imaging. We introduce an efficient non-uniformity correction method for the ultrasound ring transducer. Non-uniformity appears as ring artifacts in the reconstructed image when all sensor elements have a simultaneous time-variant response during the acquisition. Also, non-uniformity causes a contrast change effect in the reconstructed image when some defective sensor elements have a different response than the neighbors over the whole scan time. These two types of non-uniformity appear as horizontal or vertical strip patterns in sinogram domain based on the reason. The proposed method is a sinogram-based-algorithm, which is based on estimating a correction vector and localizing the abnormalities to compensate for the non-uniformity response. We applied the proposed algorithm on simulation data. The results have shown that the proposed method can greatly reduce the ring artifacts and also correct the distortion comes from sensor elements non-uniform response. Despite the great reduction of artifacts, the proposed method does not compromise the original spatial resolution and contrast after using the interpolation. The quantitative analysis has shown a great improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), while the normalized absolute error (NAE) has been reduced by 77–80 %.
Biopolymer-Based Filtration Materials

Biobased materials such as cellulose, chitin, silk, soy, and keratin are attractive alternatives to conventional synthetic materials for filtration applications. They are cheap, naturally abundant, and easily fabricated with tunable surface chemistry and functionality. With the planet's increasing crisis due to pollution, the need for proper filtration of air and water is undeniably urgent. Additionally, fibers that are antibacterial and antiviral are critical for public health and in medical environments. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the necessity for cheap, easily mass-produced antiviral fiber materials. Biopolymers can fill these roles very well by utilizing their intrinsic material properties, surface chemistry, and hierarchical fiber morphologies for efficient and eco-friendly filtration of physical, chemical, and biological pollutants. Further, they are biodegradable, making them attractive as sustainable, biocompatible green filters. This review presents various biopolymeric materials generated from proteins and polysaccharides, their synthesis and fabrication methods, and notable uses in filtration applications.
DNA repair defects and genome instability in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

The integrity of the nuclear lamina has emerged as an important factor in the maintenance of genome stability. In particular, mutations in the LMNA gene, encoding A-type lamins (lamin A/C), alter nuclear morphology and function, and cause genomic instability. LMNA gene mutations are associated with a variety of degenerative diseases and devastating premature aging syndromes such as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) and Restrictive Dermopathy (RD). HGPS is a severe laminopathy, with patients dying in their teens from myocardial infarction or stroke. HGPS patient-derived cells exhibit nuclear shape abnormalities, changes in epigenetic regulation and gene expression, telomere shortening, genome instability, and premature senescence. This review highlights recent advances in identifying molecular mechanisms that contribute to the pathophysiology of HGPS, with a special emphasis on DNA repair defects and genome instability.
Deterring America: Rogue States and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Part I: 1. Deterrence in a modern era 2. Deterrence theory and its flaws Part II: 3. Crisis and conflict with Iraq 4. Deterrence and compellence with North Korea Part III: 5. Counterproliferation strategies 6. Preemptive and preventive war 7. Establishing a global quarantine against WMD Conclusion.
Krüppel-like Factor 4 Inhibits Tumorigenic Progression and Metastasis in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer

Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc finger transcription factor that functions as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in a highly tissue-specific cell-dependent manner. However, its precise role in breast cancer and metastasis remains unclear. Here, we show that transient adenoviral expression of KLF4 in the 4T1 orthotopic mammary cancer model significantly attenuated primary tumor growth as well as micrometastases to the lungs and liver. These results can be attributed, in part, to decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis. Further supporting a tumor-suppressive role for KLF4 in the breast, we found that KLF4 expression is lost in a mouse model of HER2/NEU/ERBB2-positive breast cancer. To determine whether enforced KLF4 expression could alter tumor latency in these mice, we used a doxycycline-inducible expression model in the context of the MMTV-Neu transgene. Surprisingly, tumors that developed in this model also lost KLF4 expression, suggesting negative selection for sustained expression. We have previously reported that KLF4 inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a preliminary step in metastatic progression. Overexpression of KLF4 in 4T1 cells led to a significant reduction in the expression of Snail, a key mediator of EMT and metastasis. Conversely, KLF4 silencing increased Snail expression in the nontransformed MCF-10A cell line. Collectively, these data demonstrate the first functional, in vivo evidence for KLF4 as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, our findings suggest an inhibitory role for KLF4 during breast cancer metastases that functions, in part, through repression of Snail.
What Can We Learn About Investment and Capital Structure with a Better Measure of Q

This paper takes an integrated approach to examining the link between stock prices, investment, and capital structure decisions using data on a unique type of firm: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). By using REITs, we are able to obtain high quality estimates of the net asset value of the firm, that can be used to create relatively accurate measures of Tobin's q. In addition, REITs have institutional features that allow us to abstract from other factors that have complicated previous studies. We have three main findings. First, while REIT investment is weakly related to the traditional measure of q, it is quite responsive to an alternative measure of q based on NAV. A REIT whose NAV-based q ratio rises from 1.0 to 1.1 will increase its assets by ten percent in the next year. Second, the debt-to-value ratio responds to deviations in price-to-NAV ratio as well, but more sluggishly. A 0.1 increase in price-to-NAV ratio leads to a relatively modest 0.52 percentage point decrease in the following year's debt-to-market-value ratio. Overall, REITs appear to finance marginal projects with a mix of debt and equity that is similar to their average debt-equity mix. Third, we find evidence that these relationships are nonlinear. Firms invest aggressively when q exceeds one, but do not dis-invest when q is below one. The investment results support traditional theories of firm investment with adjustment costs and imply that past difficulties in validating q theory are likely due to problems in adequately measuring q. The nonlinear relationship between investment and q is consistent with relatively high costs of disinvestment, but also agency models in which managers are reluctant to shrink the size of the firm. Finally, the evidence is weakly consistent with REIT managers attempting a limited amount of financial market timing based on quasi-public information on NAV.
Tarasoff Duties after Newtown

The public was not prepared for the brutal and cold-blooded murder of twenty first-grade school children and six teachers and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. Following the all-too-familiar emotional stages of shock, grief, and anger, many members of the public and elected officials turned to the issue of how to prevent such tragedies in the future. This article is concerned with one aspect of the mental health issue, whether a mental health professional has a duty to protect threatened victims. After reviewing the inconsistent and confusing interpretations of the Tarasoff doctrine and related principles the article proposes a strategy for developing and implementing a unitary, national standard for health care providers’ privilege to disclose confidential information and their duty to protect individuals threatened by potentially violent mental health patients.
Russian Voting and the Initial Economic Shock of Hyperinflation

This paper addresses the issue of economicvoting in transitional democracies using data from the Russianfederal elections. It argues that the shock of inflation thatfollowed the fundamental economic reform has a lastinginfluence on voters. Specifically, it shows that in Russia,where inflationary policy led to hyperinflation and thewidespread loss of personal savings, the magnitude of savingslost at that time continues to explain a significant portionof the variation in the regional support for the Communistparty in parliamentary and presidential elections.
HEAVY TAILED PRIORS: AN ALTERNATIVE TO NON-INFORMATIVE PRIORS IN THE ESTIMATION OF PROPORTIONS ON SMALL AREAS

We explore the Cauchy and a new heavy tailed Fuquene, Perez and Pericchi (2011) priors to estimate proportions on small areas. Hierarchical models and the Binomial likelihood in the exponential family form are used. We believe that the heavy tailed priors in survey sampling settings could be more efiective than the choice of noninformative priors to eliminate antipathy towards methods that involve subjective elements or assumptions. To illustrate the robust Bayesian approach, we apply this methodology in a popular example: \the clemente problem". Finally, we recommend to use the Cauchy prior in absence or presence of outliers within the small areas and the Fuquene, Perez and Pericchi (2011) prior when the outlier is a particular small area.
Role of Oxidants in NF-κB Activation and TNF-α Gene Transcription Induced by Hypoxia and Endotoxin

The transcription factor NF-kappa B stimulates the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha. LPS (endotoxin) and hypoxia both induce NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha gene transcription. Furthermore, hypoxia augments LPS induction of TNF-alpha mRNA. Previous reports have indicated that antioxidants abolish NF-kappa B activation in response to LPS or hypoxia, which suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in NF-kappa B activation. This study tested whether mitochondrial ROS are required for both NF-kappaB activation and the increase in TNF-alpha mRNA levels during hypoxia and LPS. Our results indicate that hypoxia (1.5% O2) stimulates NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription and increases ROS generation as measured by the oxidant sensitive dye 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate in murine macrophage J774.1 cells. The antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid abolished the hypoxic activation of NF-kappa B, TNF-alpha gene transcription, and increases in ROS levels. Rotenone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, abolished the increase in ROS signal, the activation of NF-kappa B, and TNF-alpha gene transcription during hypoxia. LPS stimulated NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription but not ROS generation in J774.1 cells. Rotenone, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid, and N-acetylcysteine had no effect on the LPS stimulation of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription, indicating that LPS activates NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription through a ROS-independent mechanism. These results indicate that mitochondrial ROS are required for the hypoxic activation of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription, but not for the LPS activation of NF-kappa B.
Characterization of the Simulated Regional Snow Albedo Feedback Using a Regional Climate Model over Complex Terrain

AbstractMidlatitude mountain regions are particularly sensitive to climate change because of an active snow albedo feedback (SAF). Here, the SAF is characterized and quantified over the complex terrain of the Colorado Headwaters region using high-resolution regional climate model simulations. A pair of 7-yr control and pseudo-global warming simulations is used to study the regional climate response to a large-scale thermodynamic climate perturbation. Warming is strongly enhanced in regions of snow loss by as much as 5°C. Linear feedback analysis is used to quantify the strength of the SAF within the Headwaters region. The strength of the SAF reaches a maximum value of 4 W m−2 K−1 during April when snow loss coincides with strong incoming solar radiation. Simulations using 4- and 12-km horizontal grid spacing show good agreement in the strength and timing of the SAF, whereas a 36-km simulation shows discrepancies that are tied to differences in snow accumulation and ablation caused by smoother terrain. Ene...
The Fine Structure and Morphological Organization of the Peripheral Nerve-fibres and Trunks of the Cockroach (Periplaneta americana)

Sections of the peripheral nerve-trunks of the metathoracic leg of the cockroach ( Periplaneta americana ) were studied with the electron microscope. Paraffin sections were also prepared and stained. Protargol succeeds in staining the nerve-fibres. Osmium tetroxide, a modified Weigert procedure, and Luxol fast blue stain the myelin sheaths, as does mercuric bromphenol blue, a protein stain. The axoplasm is relatively free of formed elements; it contains mitochondria. The myelin sheath, when present on the largest and also some smaller fibres, consists of about two or three loose over lapping processes of Schwann cells, covered by their plasma membranes, enclosing lipid-like droplets and having a beaded appearance. Between the nerve-fibres in the nerve-trunk is Schwann-cell cytoplasm, which arises from Schwann cells that surround the whole nerve-trunk. The same fold of Schwann-cell membrane may enter into the formation of the myelin sheath around more than one nerve-fibre. Several small non-myelinated fibres, which may be as small as 0.3 µ in diameter or less, may be enclosed in the same fold of Schwann-cell membrane. Outside of the Schwann-cell layer and surrounding the nerve-trunk is a thin layer of connective tissue, which does not send trabeculae into the interior of the nerve. Tracheae and tracheoles accompany the nerve but are not included within the sheaths surrounding a nerve-trunk, even near the termination of the nerve-fibres in muscle. The structure of the cockroach peripheral nerve is compared with that described by previous investigators, with that of other insects, and with invertebrate and vertebrate nerve.
Hole Transport in Pure and Doped GaAs

We have used a two‐band model (heavy and light holes) to calculate the transport properties of p‐type GaAs. The scattering mechanisms included are acoustic‐mode deformation potential, acoustic‐mode piezoelectric potential, polar‐ and nonpolar‐mode deformation potential, ionized impurity, and space charge. Interband scattering is included explicitly for the optical phonons and phenomenologically for the acoustic phonons. The intraband polar optical‐mode scattering, for which a relaxation time cannot be defined, was calculated by using the numerical method of Fletcher and Butcher. The acoustic deformation‐potential parameter and the coupling coefficient for interband scattering were calculated by fitting the theory to Hall‐mobility data for both pure and doped samples. We have determined ionized‐impurity and space‐charge contributions for two of our samples, one doped with Cr and exhibiting an 0.33‐eV activation energy (Cr4+/Cr3+), and the other heat‐treated and exhibiting an 0.14‐eV activation energy. The ...
Adrenomedullin is upregulated in the heart and aorta during the early and late stages of sepsis

Although circulating levels of adrenomedullin (ADM), a newly reported vasodilatory peptide with 52 amino acid residues in the human and 50 amino acid residues in the rat, are elevated during the early and late stages of sepsis, ADM levels in cardiovascular tissues and its precise localization remain to be determined. To study this, rats were subjected to sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), followed by administration of 3 ml/100 g b.wt. normal saline to these and sham-operated animals. The heart and thoracic aorta were harvested at 5 h (i.e. the early stage of sepsis) and 20 h (late sepsis) after CLP. Tissue levels of ADM were determined by radioimmunoassay. The localization of ADM in the left ventricle and thoracic aorta was examined by using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy techniques. The results indicated that ADM levels in the heart and thoracic aorta increased significantly at 5 h after CLP and remained elevated at 20 h after the onset of sepsis. Immunohistochemistry findings showed that ADM immunoreaction products were localized in the cytoplasm of the cardiac myocytes and aortic endothelial cells. Using electron microscopy, ADM immunoreaction products were found in the cytoplasmic matrixes. The immunostainings were also associated with the outer membranes of mitochondria and vesicles of the myocytes as well as vascular endothelial cells. It appears that the cardiovascular tissues, among other organ systems, contribute to the increased levels of plasma ADM under those conditions. Since ADM is localized in different cell populations in the heart and the large blood vessel (i.e. myocytes versus vascular endothelial cells), this peptide may play a differential role in regulating cardiac and vascular functions during sepsis as an autocrine and/or paracrine mediator.
The Measurement and Structural Modeling of the Reasonableness of Workplace Accommodations

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) guarantees protection from discrimination for persons with a disability. The ADA requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for persons with physical and mental disabilities unless doing so would produce undue hardship on the organization. Fifteen years after the passage of the ADA, the question as to what is a reasonable accommodation remains controversial, especially for some types of disabilities. In this study, a reasonable accommodation scale is proposed and tested using structural equation modeling in hopes that such a scale will aid the courts and organizations in determining what is reasonable. Individuals’ level of awareness of disability issues is also examined in the model to examine the relationship between awareness and willingness to accommodate. Results indicate acceptable fit of the model to the data and provide support for the proposed scale. Furthermore, the relationship between awareness of disability issues and willingness to accommodate was significant. Implications for research and practice are discussed.