cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for multiple epinephrine doses in food-triggered anaphylaxis in children.

Abstract Background Food-related anaphylactic reactions may require treatment with more than one dose of epinephrine. Current guidelines advise patients at risk of anaphylaxis to carry two epinephrine autoinjectors. Objective The objective of this study was to determine risk factors of multiple dose epinephrine treatment in pediatric food-related anaphylaxis. Methods Parents of children with physician-confirmed diagnosis of food allergy were administered a standardized questionnaire at the time of their clinic visit. These patients were then followed-up prospectively by phone. Results Six hundred forty-two subjects had allergic reactions. Twentysix percent of patients reported at least one reaction treated with epinephrine for a total of 221 reactions. Among reactions treated with epinephrine, twenty-four reactions (11%) received two or more doses of epinephrine. The most common triggers were milk (30%) and peanut (18%). Milk-triggered allergic reactions (odds ratio (OR) 3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-8.4) and treatment with oxygen (OR 5.0, 95% CI 2.0- 12.4) were significant risk factors for requiring multiple doses of epinephrine to treat an allergic reaction. Conclusion This study demonstrates that treatment of anaphylaxis may require more than one epinephrine injection. Reactions triggered by milk or requiring treatment with oxygen are at higher risk for needing more than one dose of epinephrine. Families of food-allergic children should be counseled on the importance of carrying two epinephrine auto-injectors.
Role of Polyamines in Somatic Embryogenesis

The aliphatic amines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are present in all living organisms. Since the demonstration of “an essential nutritional function” for putrescine in the bacterium Hemophilus parainfluenzae (Herbst and Snell 1948), polyamines have attracted a great deal of attention from workers in diverse fields of the life sciences. The first reports of the existence of putrescine in plants date back to 1911 (see Smith 1991 for a historical summary).
Deforestation in a Complex Landscape: La Amistad Biosphere Reserve

Deforestation is often the primary threat to conservation goals in tropical countries. However, accessing the remote locations in which most remaining forests of conservation value occur makes it difficult to quantify deforestation trends and to galvanize preventive action. Using remotely sensed images we were able to quantify rates of forest loss in La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, Panama. Annual deforestation rates were low between 1987 and 1998 at 0.05% but increased nearly 12-fold between 1998 and 2001 to 0.6%. Net forest loss was 0.56% between 1987 and 1998 and 2.34% between 1998 and 2001. Deforestation rates differed significantly between protected areas. Protected areas on the Caribbean side of the Biosphere Reserve experienced greater levels of deforestation than those on the Pacific, even though both absolute and percent forest cover are higher on the Caribbean. Most forest conversion was for cattle pasture and an area of industrial cattle ranching was identified within the Palo Seco and PI...
Association Between Temporal Changes in Neonatal Mortality and Spontaneous and Clinician-Initiated Deliveries in the United States, 2006-2013.

Importance Preterm and postterm deliveries have declined since 2005 in the United States, but the association between these changes and neonatal mortality remains unknown. Objective To estimate changes in the gestational age distribution among spontaneous and clinician-initiated deliveries between 2006 and 2013 and associated changes in neonatal mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted of 22 million singleton live births without major malformations in the United States from 2006 to 2013. Data analysis was performed from August to October 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Changes in gestational age distribution among spontaneous and clinician-initiated deliveries at extremely preterm (20-27 weeks), very preterm (28-31 weeks), moderately preterm (32-33 weeks), late preterm (34-36 weeks), early term (37-38 weeks), term (39-40), late term (41 weeks), and postterm (42-44 weeks) gestations and changes in neonatal mortality rates at less than 28 days between 2006 and 2013. These changes were estimated from log-linear Poisson regression models with robust variance, adjusted for confounders. Results Among 22 million births, 12 493 531 (56.7%) were spontaneous and 9 557 815 (43.3%) were clinician-initiated deliveries. Among spontaneous deliveries, the proportion of births at 20 to 27, 28 to 31, 32 to 33, 34 to 36, and 37 to 38 weeks declined. Among clinician-initiated deliveries, the proportion of births at 34 to 36 and 37 to 38 weeks declined and the proportion at 39 to 40 weeks increased. Among spontaneous deliveries, overall neonatal mortality rates declined from 1.8 to 1.3 per 1000 live births, mainly at 20 to 27 weeks (adjusted annual decline, 1%; 95% CI, −2% to −1%) and 28 to 31 weeks (adjusted annual decline, 6%; 95% CI, −8% to −5%). Among clinician-initiated deliveries, overall mortality rates remained unchanged (2.1 to 2.2 per 1000 live births). However, mortality rates declined (0.6 to 0.5 per 1000 live births) at 39 to 40 weeks by 1% (95% CI, −3% to −0.4%) annually, adjusted for confounders. Conclusions and Relevance In the United States, there was a decline in spontaneous deliveries associated with an overall decline in neonatal mortality. Although clinician-initiated deliveries increased at 39 to 40 weeks, neonatal mortality at that gestation declined.
Telepractice Treatment of Stuttering: A Systematic Review

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the current systematic review is to (1) guide and inform speech language pathologists involved in the treatment of persons who stutter in the development and implem...
Modeling $$\hbox {CO}_2$$-Induced Alterations in Mt. Simon Sandstone via Nanomechanics

The objective of this work is to formulate a novel and physics-based nanomechanics framework to connect geochemical reactions in host rock to the resulting morphological changes at the microscopic lengthscale and to the resulting geomechanical changes at the macroscopic lengthscale. The key idea is to monitor the fraction of minerals based on their mechanical signature. We illustrate this procedure on the Mt. Simon sandstone from the Illinois Basin. To this end, various acidic fluid systems were applied to Mt. Simon sandstone specimens. The chemistry, morphology, microstructure, and mechanical characteristics were investigated across multiple lengthscales. Grid indentation was carried out with a total of 6900 individual indentation tests performed on 24 specimens. A good agreement was observed between the composition computed using statistical nanoindentation and measurements employing independent methods such as scanning electron microscopy, electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analyses, mercury intrusion porosimetry, flow perporometry, and helium pycnometry. An increase in porosity and a decrease in K-feldspar content were observed following the incubation in $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ -saturated brine, suggesting dissolution reactions involving feldspar. Thus, a rigorous methodology is presented to connect geochemical reactions and related compositional changes at the nano- and microscopic scales to alterations of the constitutive behavior at the macroscopic level.
Deception-Enhanced Threat Sensing for Resilient Intrusion Detection

Enhancing standard web services with deceptive responses to cyberattacks can be a powerful and practical strategy for improved intrusion detection. Such deceptions are particularly helpful for addressing and overcoming barriers to effective machine learning-based intrusion detection encountered in many practical deployments. For example, they can provide a rich source of training data when training data is scarce, they avoid imposing a labeling burden on operators in the context of (semi-)supervised learning, they can be deployed post-decryption on encrypted data streams, and they learn concept differences between honeypot attacks and attacks against genuine assets.
How macrophages deal with death.

Tissue macrophages rapidly recognize and engulf apoptotic cells. These events require the display of so-called eat-me signals on the apoptotic cell surface, the most fundamental of which is phosphatidylserine (PtdSer). Externalization of this phospholipid is catalysed by scramblase enzymes, several of which are activated by caspase cleavage. PtdSer is detected both by macrophage receptors that bind to this phospholipid directly and by receptors that bind to a soluble bridging protein that is independently bound to PtdSer. Prominent among the latter receptors are the MER and AXL receptor tyrosine kinases. Eat-me signals also trigger macrophages to engulf virus-infected or metabolically traumatized, but still living, cells, and this ‘murder by phagocytosis’ may be a common phenomenon. Finally, the localized presentation of PtdSer and other eat-me signals on delimited cell surface domains may enable the phagocytic pruning of these ‘locally dead’ domains by macrophages, most notably by microglia of the central nervous system. In this Review, Greg Lemke explains how macrophages are able to sense and respond to dead and dying cells. The author discusses the physiological implications of such macrophage activity.
Ablation of All Synaptobrevin vSNAREs Blocks Evoked But Not Spontaneous Neurotransmitter Release at Neuromuscular Synapses

Synaptic transmission occurs when an action potential triggers neurotransmitter release via the fusion of synaptic vesicles with the pre-synaptic membrane, driven by the formation of SNARE complexes composed of the vesicular (v)-SNARE synaptobrevin and the target (t)-SNAREs Snap-25 and syntaxin-1. Neurotransmitters are also released spontaneously, independent of an action potential, through the fusion of synaptic vesicles with the pre-synaptic membrane. The major neuronal vSNAREs, synaptobrevin-1 and synaptobrevin-2, are expressed at the developing neuromuscular junction (NMJ) in mice, but their specific roles in NMJ formation and function remain unclear. Here, we examine the NMJs in mutant mouse embryos lacking either synaptobrevin 1 ( Syb1 lew/lew ) or synaptobrevin 2 ( Syb2 —/— ), and those lacking both ( Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— ). We found that compared with controls: (1) the number and size of NMJs was markedly increased in Syb2 —/— and Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— mice, but not in Syb1 lew/lew mice; (2) synaptic vesicle density was markedly reduced in Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— NMJs, and (3) evoked neurotransmission was markedly reduced in Syb2 —/— NMJs and completely abolished in Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— NMJs. Surprisingly, however, spontaneous neurotransmission persists in the absence of both Syb1 and Syb2. Furthermore, spontaneous neurotransmission remains constant in Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— NMJs despite changing Ca 2+ levels. These findings reveal an overlapping role for Syb1 and Syb2 (with Syb2 being dominant) in developing NMJs in mice. Moreover, because spontaneous release becomes Ca 2+ insensitive in Syb1 lew/lew Syb2 —/— NMJs, our findings suggest that synaptobrevin-based SNARE complexes play a critical role in conferring Ca 2+ sensitivity during spontaneous release. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurotransmitters can be released at synapses with (evoked) or without (spontaneous) the influence of action potentials. Whereas evoked neurotransmission requires Ca 2+ influx, those underlying the spontaneous neurotransmission may occur with or without Ca 2+ . Our findings show that, in the absence neuronal vSNARE synaptobrevin-1 and synaptobrevin-2, evoked neurotransmission is completely abolished; however, spontaneous synaptic transmission not only persists but even increased. Furthermore, spontaneous synaptic transmission that is normally highly Ca 2+ -sensitive became Ca 2+ -independent upon deletion of vSNARE synaptobrevin-1 and synaptobrevin-2. These findings reveal distinct mechanisms for evoked and spontaneous neurotransmitter release. Moreover, these findings suggest that synaptobrevin-based SNARE complexes play critical roles in conferring Ca 2+ sensitivity during spontaneous neurotransmission at developing neuromuscular synapses in mice.
Motor speech patterns in Huntington disease.

Objective Dysarthric speech of persons with Huntington disease (HD) is typically described as hyperkinetic; however, studies suggest that dysarthria can vary and resemble patterns in other neurologic conditions. To test the hypothesis that distinct motor speech subgroups can be identified within a larger cohort of patients with HD, we performed a cluster analysis on speech perceptual characteristics of patient audio recordings. Methods Audio recordings of 48 patients with mild to moderate dysarthria due to HD were presented to 6 trained raters. Raters provided scores for various speech features (e.g., voice, articulation, prosody) of audio recordings using the classic Mayo Clinic dysarthria rating scale. Scores were submitted to an unsupervised k-means cluster analysis to determine the most salient speech features of subgroups based on motor speech patterns. Results Four unique subgroups emerged from the cohort of patients with HD. Subgroup 1 was characterized by an abnormally fast speaking rate among other unique speech features, whereas subgroups 2 and 3 were defined by an abnormally slow speaking rate. Salient speech features for subgroup 2 overlapped with subgroup 3; however, the severity of dysarthria differed. Subgroup 4 was characterized by mild deviations of speech features with typical speech rate. Length of CAG repeats, Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale total motor score, and percent intelligibility were significantly different for pairwise comparisons of subgroups. Conclusion This study supports the existence of distinct presentations of dysarthria in patients with HD, which may be due to divergent pathologic processes. The findings are discussed in relation to previous literature and clinical implications.
The Crisis in Psychiatric Hospital Care: Changing the Model to Continuous, Integrative Behavioral Health Care

Inpatient psychiatric hospital services, as they currently exist, have little to no evidence base. Deficits in the current system represent a critical missed opportunity to improve the trajectory o...
The Exploration of Mercury, the Asteroids, the Major Planets and Their Satellite Systems, and Pluto

Publisher Summary Popular scientific interest in the exploration of the Solar System has centred upon the Moon, Mars, and Venus because these three bodies are most accessible for study by unmanned space probes and manned spaceships. However, the focusing of attention on the Earth's nearer neighbors does not indicate a lack of interest in the remote planets of the Solar System. Although the Moon, Mars, and Venus are easily accessible to man and the research instruments, all the efforts are not solely concerned with them, even during the relatively early phases of interplanetary probings. For an understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System and of the origin, distribution, and adaptability of life within it, the knowledge of the members of the solar family is important. This chapter discusses the nature and history of the Solar System. These bodies are not so inaccessible to study as is sometimes believed, especially for unmanned spacecraft.
Fiscal and monetary response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India

This article examines the preliminary impact of the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic on India's economic and budgetary landscape – the most affected developing country from the first wave of the pandemic. It also includes a discussion of the monetary and fiscal responses adopted and the challenges faced in formulating the response to the pandemic.,Using high-frequency economic and fiscal indicators, this article evaluates the economic impact of the pandemic on the Indian economy. Further, it uses data from government sources and news to highlight the measures adopted at the national and subnational level in response to the pandemic.,The difficult economic conditions prior to the pandemic limited the fiscal space available to the government. As a result, the national and subnational governments have been cautious of accumulating excessive debt and have primarily responded with liquidity-enhancing measures, in addition to some fiscal measures for the most vulnerable. Overdependence on consumption taxes has led to unprecedented revenue shortfalls prompting the exploration of new avenues for revenue generation and implementation of austerity measures – some of which may be counterproductive in the long run.,The paper highlights the policy response of the largest democracy that has been hit hard by the pandemic. It also highlights various institutional and resource constraints that influenced the policies adopted. India's experience in responding to the virus could provide lessons for other developing countries.
Base Wretches and Black Wenches: A Story of Sex and Race, Violence and Compassion, During Slavery Times

This Article examines in detail the local and trial records of a nineteenth-century Texas case to tell the story of a white slave master who had a thirty-year relationship with a female slave. This is a story of complexities and contradictions, and it is a story designed to add depth and detail to our current assumptions about the content of sex between the races during slavery times. Indeed, through these local records - a source traditionally underused by legal historians - the Article provides us with a pathway into the consciousness of ordinary people, and suggests a world with much more flexibility and fluidity along the lines of race and slavery than traditional accounts allow. The amount of sexual exploitation that took place under slavery will surprise no one; but, to hear the former slaves who lived on this plantation talk about it, this couple, at least, lived together as man and wife. It is this story - the story of the everyday life of slavery - that this Article seeks to tell, illuminating in the process a social order that was predicated on racial domination yet where men and women, white and black, often defied those ideologies. Ultimately, this Article concludes that the master narrative of rape so familiar to students of the subject is inadequate to account for a case like this, and urges us instead to focus on the fissures and blind spots created in the logic of slavery to further our understanding of the South and the relations between the races.
Association between lymphopenia at one month post-transplant and infectious outcomes or death in heart transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Cell-mediated immunity is a specific target of several medications used to prevent or treat rejection in orthotopic heart transplantation. Low absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) has potential to be a useful and accessible clinical indicator of overall infection risk. Though some studies have demonstrated this association in other transplant populations, it has not been assessed in heart transplant recipients. METHODS A single-center retrospective cohort study examined adult heart transplant recipients transplanted between 2000 and 2018. The exposure of interest was ALC less than 0.75 x10 3cells/µL at one month post-transplant and the primary endpoint was a composite outcome of infection (including cytomegalovirus [CMV], herpes simplex I/II or varicella zoster virus [HSV/VZV], blood stream infection [BSI], invasive fungal infection [IFI]) or death occurring after one month and before one year post-transplant. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was created to control for confounders identified using clinical judgment and statistical criteria. RESULTS Of 375 subjects analyzed, 101 (27%) developed the composite outcome (61 CMV, 3 HSV/VZV, 19 BSI, 10 IFI, 8 deaths). Lymphopenia (ALC<0.75 x10 3cells/µL) at one month was associated with a greater than two fold higher rate of the composite outcome (hazard ratio 2.26, 95% confidence interval 1.47-3.46, p-value <0.001) compared to patients without lymphopenia at one month. After adjustment for confounding variables, the presence of lymphopenia remained statistically significantly associated with the composite outcome (HR 1.72 95% CI 1.08-2.75, p=0.02). Conclusion: ALC measured at one month post-heart transplant is associated with an increased risk of infectious outcomes or death in the ensuing 11months. This is a simple, accessible laboratory measure.
TripleNegativeBreastCancer on Instagram

Little is known about how triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is discussed on the visual social media platform, Instagram. A greater understanding of the experiences of TNBC survivors that are documented on this platform may inform us of how this group of survivors cope with this rare, but aggressive form of breast cancer. This study analyzed a random sample (N = 501) of Instagram posts using the hashtag #triplenegativebreastcancer. Using a quantitative content analysis, posts were coded for the presence of health belief model constructs as well as the presence of treatment-related experiences, social support, and hereditary breast cancer genetic mutations (BRCA 1/2). Our findings suggest that health organizations and agencies are not utilizing Instagram as a conduit of health communications about TNBC to reach individuals worldwide. This article provides insights into potential strategies that can be used by these entities to promote user engagement with posts about TNBC, such as utilizing health messaging that is episodic in nature, uses supportive and encouraging words, and provides information about chemotherapy.
Platelet-Rich Plasma for Vocal Fold Scar: A Preliminary Report of Concept.

Summary Introduction Vocal fold atrophy and scar can lead to loss of normal superficial lamina propria, negatively affecting the vibratory function of the vocal fold. These changes can lead to dysphonia, vocal fatigue, decreased volume, and altered pitch. Treatment options for these conditions are limited. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) consists of platelets, growth factors, and cytokines derived from the patient's own blood and is believed to activate tissue regeneration. The purpose of this study was to review the technical aspects of collecting PRP and injecting it into the vocal fold injection – based on our initial experience with this procedure. Case A patient with vocal fold scar was identified and enrolled in an ongoing prospective clinical trial study of a series of 4 monthly subepithelial vocal fold PRP injections, which was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient underwent a single injection of autologous PRP into the left vocal fold. There were no adverse events during the study period. Subjective improvement in voice was noted at 1 month after injection with subsequent return to baseline over the next 4 months. Videostroboscopy performed on postinjection day 1 and day 7 and demonstrated no concerning exam changes. Compared to the preinjection baseline, the patient-reported voice-handicap index-10 (VHI-10) and voice catastrophization index were similar at 4 months following injection (20 to 20 and 4 to 3, respectively). Independent perceptual analysis of voice showed improvement at 4 months postinjection, compared to baseline consensus auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice 60 to 44. Conclusions This preliminary report was part of a prospective trial investigating the use of PRP to treat vocal fold atrophy and scar. This work highlights the technical considerations for injecting PRP into the vocal fold. Planned prospective enrollment in this study will help to validate the safety and efficacy of PRP injections.
A phase I trial of pembrolizumab plus vemurafenib and cobimetinib in patients with advanced melanoma.

e21506Background: Management of patients (pts) with advanced melanoma includes anti-PD1 with or without anti-CTLA4, and for pts with a BRAF mutation, the additional option of targeted therapy. Prec...
Equilibria in Interdependent Natural-gas and Electric Power Markets: an Analytical Approach

Natural-gas and electric power systems and their corresponding markets have evolved over time independently. However, both systems are increasingly interdependent since combined cycle gas turbines that use natural gas to produce electricity increasingly couple them together. Therefore, suitable analysis techniques are most needed to comprehend the consequences on market outcomes of an increasing level of integration of both systems. There is a vast literature on integrated natural-gas and electric power markets assuming that the two markets are operated centrally by a single operator. This assumption is often untrue in the real world, which necessitates developing models for these interdependent yet independent markets. In this vein, this paper addresses the gap in the literature and provides analytical Nash-Cournot equilibrium models to represent the joint operation of natural-gas and electric power markets with the assumption that the market participants in each market make their own decisions independently seeking the maximum profits, as often is the case in the real world. We develop an analytical equilibrium model and apply the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) approach to obtain Nash-Cournot equilibria for the interdependent natural-gas and electric power markets. We use a double-duopoly case to study the interaction of both markets and to derive insightful analytical results. Moreover, we derive closed-form analytical expressions for spot-market equilibria in both natural-gas and electric power markets, which are relevant and of practical significance for decision makers. We complement the double-duopoly study with a detailed sensitivity analysis.
An Impirical Investigation of Health Teacher Credibility

Abstract This study identified the low-inference teacher behaviors and characteristics that students perceive best describe their most believable health teachers. Students in 15 randomly selected public high school health classes responded to an open-ended questionnaire asking what their most believable health teachers had done that made them so believable More than 1,000 student perception statements were analyzed by a data reduction process emphasizing Source Credibility Theory and the judgments of a panel of health educators and a panel of experts in credibility research. Analysis resulted in a set of 32 descriptors which present an operational definition and establish construct validity for the variable Health Teacher Credibility
The Despoliation of Egypt: Origen and Augustine—From Stolen Treasures to Saved Texts

Few passages have evoked such embarrassment, both to Jewish and Christian expositors, as the despoliation of Egypt (Gen 15:14; Exod 3:21–22, 11:2–3, and 12:35–36). This chapter examines key allegorical “text therapies” by which Jews and Christians sought to heal the text of its improprieties. This allegory warranted the appropriation of their classical heritage into the realm of the spirit—thus despoiling Egypt’s treasures again. Philo finds in plundered Egyptian vessels an emblem of the pedagogical provisions necessary for the soul to make its journey to its heavenly home. He thus transforms the Greek educational curriculum from a path for social advancement into a highway for the soul’s transformation and elevation. Origen similarly saw in Egyptian plunder a reflection of spiritual treasures necessary for true knowledge of God. Beginning with Philo, this liberal posture was adopted first in the east by Origen and later in the west by Augustine. They sought to provide justification for those who wished to have the best of both the biblical and classical worlds and to balance the faith of scriptures with the reason of Greek philosophy.
Representative voter or bureaucratic manipulation: An examination of public finances in California before and after Proposition 13: Comments on Perry Shapiro and Jon Sonstelie

After Proposition 13 the size of California's localities' budgets was essentially determined at the state level. Shapiro and Sonstelie (S&S) argue that one effect of this constraint on local governments was to alter the preferred budgetary mix of whoever decides on that mix. If we believe that the local fiscal-choice process of voters and local bureaucrats is approximated by S&S's bureaucratic manipulation model, we could find their econometric results reassuring. Even if we entertained a less precise modeling of the decision-making process and of the source of bureaucratic power, we could still be reassured, since their econometric results indicate that an alteration in budgetary mix did occur between the years just prior to and just after implementation of Proposition 13. Though reassuring, the results are insufficient in themselves to warrant the very strong conclusion that the representative-voter hypothesis is to be rejected. The authors require stringent assumptions to ensure that the representative-voter model does not also predict a change in the value of Equation (5.4)'s parameters between the preand post-Proposition 13 periods. They assume that voters' preferences for private and public goods are separable and that the expansion paths in Z space are linear. Although these assumptions make it simpler to distinguish econometrically between the representativevoter and bureaucratic-manipulation models, if the true budget expansion path were not linear the parameter values would in general differ between the two periods, even if the representative-voter model were otherwise appropriate. Thus, if Equation (5.4) were misspecified because of nonlinearities or because voter-residents' tastes were changing over time or for any other reason, then a test of equality would lead S&S to reject the representative-voter hypothesis. The authors carefully note the foregoing and consequently test for the temporal stability of the parameters in (5.4), utilizing data for the two years just prior to implementation of Proposition 13. Given the calculated value of the test statistic, which falls about midway between the 5% and 1% significance levels, I find it very difficult to
Stellar Photon and Blazar Archaeology with Gamma-rays

Ongoing deep surveys of galaxy luminosity functions, spectral energy distributions and backwards evolution models of star formation rates can be used to calculate the past history of intergalactic photon densities and, from them, the present and past optical depth of the universe. This procedure can be reversed by looking for sharp cutoffs in the spectra of extragalactic gamma-ray sources at high redshifts in the multi-GeV energy range with GLAST. Determining the cutoff energies of sources with known redshifts and little intrinsic absorption can enable a more precise determination of the past intergalactic photon density and thus allow a better determination of the past history of the total star formation rate, including that from galaxies too faint to be observed. Conversely, observations of sharp high energy cutoffs in the gamma-ray spectra of blazars at unknown redshifts can be used instead of spectral lines to give a measure of their redshifts. Also, given a knowledge photon densities, one can derive the intrinsic gamma-ray spectra and luminosities of blazars over a range of redshifts and look for possible trends in blazar evolution. I present some evidence hinting that TeV blazars with flatter spectra have higher intrinsic TeV gamma-ray luminosities and that there may be a correlation of flatness and luminosity with redshift. (abridged)
Decidable Controller Synthesis for Classes of Linear Systems

A problem of great interest in the control of hybrid systems is the design of least restrictive controllers for reachability specifications. Controller design typically uses game theoretic methods which compute the region of the state space for which there exists a control such that for all disturbances, an unsafe set is not reached. In general, the computation of the controllers requires the steady state solution of a Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs partial differential equation which is very difficult to compute, if it exists. In this paper, we show that for classes of linear systems, the controller synthesis problem is decidable: There exists a computational algorithm which, after a finite number of steps, will exactly compute the least restrictive controller. This result is achieved by a very interesting interaction of results from mathematical logic and optimal control.
Carbohydrate-binding protein 35. Levels of transcription and mRNA accumulation in quiescent and proliferating cells.

In previous studies, we observed proliferation-dependent expression and nuclear localization of the lectin, designated carbohydrate-binding protein 35 (CBP35), in 3T3 fibroblasts at the polypeptide level by Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. In the present study, we have compared the expression of the CBP35 gene in quiescent and proliferative 3T3 cells at the levels of (a) accumulated mRNA by Northern blotting and (b) nuclear transcription by run-off assays. When serum-starved, quiescent cultures of 3T3 cells were stimulated by the addition of serum, there was an increase in the nuclear transcription of the CBP35 gene and in the accumulation of its mRNA early (1–3 h) in the activation process, well before the first wave of DNA synthesis. These increases were not dependent on de novo protein synthesis inasmuch as they occurred even in the presence of cycloheximide. There was also an elevated transcription rate and mRNA level in transformed cells when compared to their normal counterparts. Finally, the expression of CBP35 was compared between sparse, proliferating cultures of 3T3 cells and density-inhibited confluent monolayers of the same cells. Although the rate of transcription of the CBP35 gene was approximately the same in the two cultures, there was a higher level of CBP35 mRNA in the dense cells. Thus, it appears that posttranscriptional mechanisms may be involved in the accumulation of mRNA.
Myths of the Archaic State: NEW RULES OF THE GAME

Blessed be the Lord, our God, who introduces variety amongst His creatures. old hebrew prayer to be uttered when seeing a monster, according to isaiah berlin The old rules of social evolutionary theory that were used to explain the rise of the earliest states haven't worked – as I have argued in the preceding chapters. Indeed, the neo-evolutionist model developed by social anthropologists in the 1950s and 1960s and then operationalized and employed by archaeologists in subsequent decades now hinders research or, more often, is simply ignored by contemporary archaeologists. The old neo-evolutionist game was played on the central assumption that modern “traditional” societies represent stages in the development of the earliest states. These old rules were developed within American departments of anthropology as archaeologists, seeking respect from their social anthropological colleagues (as well as jobs, promotions, grants, and status), attempted to model prehistoric societies via analogies to cases described by ethnographers. These archaeologists, who thus claimed to be genuine anthropologists, were surprised when their colleagues insisted that “traditional” societies had histories of their own and could not be inserted as “models” into a prehistoric, neo-evolutionary trajectory. In the 1980s and 1990s the whole edifice of social evolutionary theory was abandoned by non-American archaeologists, who were never part of an academic anthropological establishment. The remaining neo-evolutionists were disquieted further when many archaeologists turned to evidence provided by ancient historical sources, from Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets to New World relaciones and visitas , new decipherments of Maya glyphs and Chinese oracle bones, and art historical evidence from Egypt to Teotihuacan, evidence of particulars that confounded facile analogies.
Optimal number of terms in QED series and its consequence in condensed matter implementations of QED

In 1952 Dyson put forward a simple and powerful argument indicating that the perturbative expansions of QED are asymptotic. His argument can be related to Chandrasekhar's limit on the mass of a star for stability against gravitational collapse. Combining these two arguments, we estimate the optimal number of terms of the QED series to be $3.1{(137)}^{3/2}\ensuremath{\approx}5000$. For condensed-matter manifestations of QED in narrow-band-gap semiconductors and Weyl semimetals the optimal number of terms is around 80, while in graphene the utility of the perturbation theory is severely limited.
SPG7 Is an Essential and Conserved Component of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore.

Mitochondrial permeability transition is a phenomenon in which the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) abruptly opens, resulting in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) dissipation, loss of ATP production, and cell death. Several genetic candidates have been proposed to form the PTP complex, however, the core component is unknown. We identified a necessary and conserved role for spastic paraplegia 7 (SPG7) in Ca(2+)- and ROS-induced PTP opening using RNAi-based screening. Loss of SPG7 resulted in higher mitochondrial Ca(2+) retention, similar to cyclophilin D (CypD, PPIF) knockdown with sustained ΔΨm during both Ca(2+) and ROS stress. Biochemical analyses revealed that the PTP is a heterooligomeric complex composed of VDAC, SPG7, and CypD. Silencing or disruption of SPG7-CypD binding prevented Ca(2+)- and ROS-induced ΔΨm depolarization and cell death. This study identifies an ubiquitously expressed IMM integral protein, SPG7, as a core component of the PTP at the OMM and IMM contact site.
Essential Functional Interactions of SAGA, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Complex of Spt, Ada, and Gcn5 Proteins, With the Snf/Swi and Srb/Mediator Complexes

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcription factor Spt20/Ada5 was originally identified by mutations that suppress Ty insertion alleles and by mutations that suppress the toxicity caused by Gal4-VP16 overexpression. Here we present evidence for physical associations between Spt20/Ada5 and three other Spt proteins, suggesting that they exist in a complex. A related study demonstrates that this complex also contains the histone acetyltransferase, Gcn5, and Ada2. This complex has been named SAGA (Spt/Ada/Gcn5 acetyltransferase). To identify functions that genetically interact with SAGA, we have screened for mutations that cause lethality in an spt20 delta/ada5 delta mutant. Our screen identified mutations in SNF2, SIN4, and GAL11. These mutations affect two known transcription complexes: Snf/Swi, which functions in nucleosome remodeling, and Srb/mediator, which is required for regulated transcription by RNA polymerase II. Systematic analysis has demonstrated that spt20 delta/ada5 delta and spt7 delta mutations cause lethality with every snf/swi and srb/mediator mutation tested. Furthermore, a gcn5 delta mutation causes severe sickness with snf/swi mutations, but not with srb/mediator mutations. These findings suggest that SAGA has multiple activities and plays critical roles in transcription by RNA polymerase II.
Using Principal Components of Genetic Variation for Robust and Powerful Detection of Gene-Gene Interactions in Case-Control and Case-Only Studies

Many popular methods for exploring gene-gene interactions, including the case-only approach, rely on the key assumption that physically distant loci are in linkage equilibrium in the underlying population. These methods utilize the presence of correlation between unlinked loci in a disease-enriched sample as evidence of interactions among the loci in the etiology of the disease. We use data from the CGEMS case-control genome-wide association study of breast cancer to demonstrate empirically that the case-only and related methods have the potential to create large-scale false positives because of the presence of population stratification (PS) that creates long-range linkage disequilibrium in the genome. We show that the bias can be removed by considering parametric and nonparametric methods that assume gene-gene independence between unlinked loci, not in the entire population, but only conditional on population substructure that can be uncovered based on the principal components of a suitably large panel of PS markers. Applications in the CGEMS study as well as simulated data show that the proposed methods are robust to the presence of population stratification and are yet much more powerful, relative to standard logistic regression methods that are also commonly used as robust alternatives to the case-only type methods.
The digestibility of honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) for yearling dairy bulls.

Summary Three 10-day digestion trials were conducted with one set of identical twin dairy bulls to determine the digestibility of fresh green honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ). The average digestion coefficients were as follows: fat, 22.1; crude protein, 66.8; crude fiber, 42.6; NFE, 69.5. The per cent TDN on a fresh basis was 23.0.
Factors related to host recognition of bacterial antigens which cause urinary infection

Some gram-negative bacteria isolated from the urinary tract have on their surfaces antigens identical to or similar to those of human blood groups A, B, or (H) O. Human isoantibodies to these antigens appear to play some part in the immunologic response to urinary infections. It is postulated from this observation that human isoantibodies A and B persist because they are important segments in resistance to infections rather than reactions to other human tissues (as in transfusions or transplantation). To further assess the relationship between bacterial antigens similar to those of blood groups A or B and host isoantibody response we performed an in-depth study of this relationship in 13 patients with urinary infection of upper or lower tracts. Isoantibody of the immunoglobulin M class appeared to be the antibody which reacted with both bacteria and human erythrocytes. Patients with infections of the upper tracts had proportionately more cross-reacting anti-B antibody than those with lower tract infections, but the amounts of anti-A antibody were roughly equivalent in both types of infection. Response of a given host was genetically predetermined. Some deficiency in host recognition of bacterial antigens was noted since only 4 of 13 patients recognized bacterial A or B antigens while all normals did so. Study of the defined crossreactions between bacterial and blood group antigens offers further opportunities for definition of the genetic components of immunity to urinary infections.
Comparative Performance of Caged Normal and Dwarf White Leghorn Layers as Affected by Bird Density and Perches

Abstract Normal (N) and dwarf (D) White Leghorn pullets hatched from stock selected at the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station were reared in open-type floor pens with 1589 and 1841 sq. cm. of floor space per pullet for D and N, respectively. Mortality was 8.7 and 9.3% and consumption of identical starter and grower feeds per surviving pullet was 6672 and 8850 grains to 21 and 20 weeks of age for D and N, respectively. Age at 50% production was 175 and 168 days and body weight at this time was 1345 and 1640 grams for D and N, respectively. The layer feed used contained 15.8% protein, with 0.1% methionine added for the D feed. Four N per 30.5 x 45.7 cm. cage with perches had significantly higher hen-day egg production and hen-housed egg production than did 4 N with no perches. Conversely, hen-day and hen-housed production were lower, but not significantly, for 3 N with perches than for 3 N with no perches. There was no significant bird density x perch interaction with dwarfs. Housing 3 N vs. 4 N and 4 D vs. 5 D, with or without perches, significantly affected only the incidence of cracked eggs, which was higher for cages with than for those without perches in both D and N, and was higher for 3 N than for 4 N. Percent hen-day production for N and D and (D x 100)/N, respectively, was 65.0 and 58.5 (90%), hen-housed production was 62.7 and 53.5 (85%), mortality was 5.3 and 16.5% (306%), grams of feed per hen-day were 112 and 91 (81%), grams of feed required per gram of egg produced were 2.95 and 2.72 (92%). The percent of all eggs laid in each size classification for N and D, respectively, was 2.3 and 3.7 for small, 25.0 and 28.9 for medium, 38.5 and 46.6 for large, 27.2 and 18.1 for extra large and 7.0 and 2.7 for jumbo.
Transfer learning for dynamic RF environments

This paper presents transfer learning algorithms for adapting the radio-frequency (RF) propagation model to changing environments. RF variations are modeled using a Gaussian process (GP) whose hyperparameters capture how the propagation of communication signals varies spatially and temporally. These characteristics of the environment and radio hardware are transferred from one task to another by reusing the hyperparameters. The three transfer learning algorithms presented here have different tradeoffs between model efficiency and training cost amortizations. 12 sets of flight data from different days and using diverse emitter hardware are used to compare the performance of the algorithms. Results show that reusing the hyperparameters can give reasonable performance in terms of root mean square error over a set of validation measurements from the transferred tasks.
Developmental transitions between chromatin-bound and soluble RNA polymerase subspecies in the soybean hypocotyl.

Abstract RNA polymerase enzymes isolated from soybean hypocotyl tissue during successive developmental stages (2–8 days old) have been fractionated by Sephadex column isoelectric focusing. Both the enzymes bound to chromatin and those enzymes free in the soluble phase were investigated during development with respect to their distribution within these two pools. All observed activities were classified according to their α-amanitin sensitivity and isoelectric points. Two Class I subspecies (Ia, Ib) and two Class III subspecies (IIIa, IIIb) were continually present bound to chromatin throughout the developmental sequences except the IIIb form which was absent at the latest stage. However, a great multiplicity (9 total) of Class II activities (totally inhibited by α-amanitin) were observed to be bound to chromatin at the 2nd day stage. These forms were first released from the chromatin complex and recovered in a soluble pool (4th day stage). Subsequent hypocotyl development was accompanied by the gradual disappearance of these Class II subspecies from this pool (6th day) until only two soluble species and one chromatin-bound Class II activity remained (8th day). These observations indicate that the early development of this tissue is accompanied by a dramatic alteration in the complexity of chromatin-bound RNA polymerase subspecies. Such events may in part determine the domain of RNA species synthesized at successive developmental stages.
Epidemiology and Natural History of Nephrolithiasis

The epidemiology and natural history of nephrolithiasis comprise its incidence and prevalence; role of age, gender, and race; risk factors, comorbidities, and course. As such, epidemiology verges into clinical features, pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis. Although it is well known that associations derived from epidemiological studies do not prove causal relationships, lessons from epidemiology and natural history have been readily applied to pathogenesis and treatment. Conversely, knowledge derived from experiment and interventional trials has furnished models for understanding epidemiological data. Hence, it is not easy to divide epidemiology from other aspects of nephrolithiasis. While my primary emphasis in this review will be on epidemiological studies, I will consider other kinds of studies that help us to understand the epidemiology and natural history of nephrolithiasis.