cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-natal induction of PGC-1α protects against severe muscle dystrophy independently of utrophin

Duchenne muscle dystrophy (DMD) afflicts 1 million boys in the US and has few effective treatments. Constitutive transgenic expression of the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α improves skeletal muscle function in the murine “mdx” model of DMD, but how this occurs, or whether it can occur post-natally, is not known. The leading mechanistic hypotheses for the benefits conferred by PGC-1α include the induction of utrophin, a dystrophin homolog, and/or induction and stabilization of the neuromuscular junction. The effects of transgenic overexpression of PGC-1β, a homolog of PGC-1α in mdx mice was examined using different assays of skeletal muscle structure and function. To formally test the hypothesis that PGC-1α confers benefit in mdx mice by induction of utrophin and stabilization of neuromuscular junction, PGC-1α transgenic animals were crossed with the dystrophin utrophin double knock out (mdx/utrn-/-) mice, a more severe dystrophic model. Finally, we also examined the effect of post-natal induction of skeletal muscle-specific PGC-1α overexpression on muscle structure and function in mdx mice. We show here that PGC-1β does not induce utrophin or other neuromuscular genes when transgenically expressed in mouse skeletal muscle. Surprisingly, however, PGC-1β transgenesis protects as efficaciously as PGC-1α against muscle degeneration in dystrophin-deficient (mdx) mice, suggesting that alternate mechanisms of protection exist. When PGC-1α is overexpressed in mdx/utrn-/- mice, we find that PGC-1α dramatically ameliorates muscle damage even in the absence of utrophin. Finally, we also used inducible skeletal muscle-specific PGC-1α overexpression to show that PGC-1α can protect against dystrophy even if activated post-natally, a more plausible therapeutic option. These data demonstrate that PGC-1α can improve muscle dystrophy post-natally, highlighting its therapeutic potential. The data also show that PGC-1α is equally protective in the more severely affected mdx/utrn-/- mice, which more closely recapitulates the aggressive progression of muscle damage seen in DMD patients. The data also identify PGC-1β as a novel potential target, equally efficacious in protecting against muscle dystrophy. Finally, the data also show that PGC-1α and PGC-1β protect against dystrophy independently of utrophin or of induction of the neuromuscular junction, indicating the existence of other mechanisms.
Laboratory Performance Testing of Open-Graded Friction Course Mixtures

Several lab tests were used in this study to evaluate mixture properties. A draindown test, Cantabro stone loss test, a permeability test, and a modified version of AASHTO T-283 were used to evaluate laboratory performance of open-graded friction course (OGFC) mixes. Some of the more pertinent conclusions were as follows. The CoreLok procedure appears to be a more accurate method of determining bulk specific gravity of compacted specimens than the dimensional method. The minimum air voids content for new-generation OGFC mixtures should be 18% on the basis of the dimensional method and 16% on the basis of the CoreLok method. The addition of fiber stabilizers significantly reduced the potential for draindown. Superpaver; gyratory compactor (SGC)-compacted samples can be used for the Cantabro stone loss procedure. Unconditioned SGC samples should have stone loss of no more than 20%. If an aging process is used, the maximum amount of stone loss should be limited to 24%. Because there is not a significant diff...
Polygonal finite elements for finite elasticity

SUMMARY Nonlinear elastic materials are of great engineering interest, but challenging to model with standard finite elements. The challenges arise because nonlinear elastic materials are characterized by non-convex storedenergy functions as a result of their ability to undergo large reversible deformations, are incompressible or nearly incompressible, and often times possess complex microstructures. In this work, we propose and explore an alternative approach to model finite elasticity problems in two dimensions by using polygonal discretizations. We present both lower order displacement-based and mixed polygonal finite element approximations, the latter of which consist of a piecewise constant pressure field and a linearly-complete displacement field at the element level. Through numerical studies, the mixed polygonal finite elements are shown to be stable and convergent. For demonstration purposes, we deploy the proposed polygonal discretization to study the nonlinear elastic response of rubber filled with random and periodic distributions of rigid particles, as well as the development of cavitation instabilities in elastomers containing vacuous defects. These physically-based examples illustrate the potential of polygonal finite elements in studying and modeling nonlinear elastic materials with complex microstructures under finite deformations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development and application of elemental fingerprinting to track the dispersal of marine invertebrate larvae

The early life history of many marine benthic invertebrate and fish species involves a planktonic larval stage that allows exchange of individuals among separated adult populations. Here, we demonstrate how natural and anthropogenic trace elements can be used to determine larval origins and assess bay‐ocean exchange of invertebrate larvae. Trace elements can be effective site markers for estuaries because run-off and pollutant loading often impart distinct elemental signatures to bay habitats relative to nearshore coastal environments. Crab larvae originating from San Diego Bay (SDB) were distinguished from those originating in neighboring embayments and exposed coastal habitats by comparing multiple trace-element concentrations (‘‘fingerprints’’) in individuals. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to characterize stage I zoeae of the striped shore crab, Pachygrapsus crassipes,of known origin (reference larvae) via trace-elemental composition (i.e., Cu, Zn, Mn, Sr, Ca). Linear discriminant functions were used to identify the origin and characterize the exchange of stage I P. crassipes zoeae between SDB and the nearshore coastal environment during one spring tidal cycle. Elemental fingerprinting revealed that most (87%) of the stage I larvae collected at the bay entrance during the flood tide were larvae of SDB origin that were reentering the bay. Nearly one third of zoeae sampled (32%) at the entrance during ebb tide were coastal larvae leaving the bay and returning to open water. The observed bidirectional exchange contrasts with the unidirectional transport of zoeae out of the bay predicted from stage I vertical migratory behavior. Because P. crassipes zoeal survivorship is lower in SDB than in coastal waters, bay‐ocean exchange has significant implications for the dynamics of P. crassipes populations. Trace-elemental fingerprinting of invertebrate larvae promises to facilitate investigations of many previously intractable questions about larval transport and dynamics.
Combining abstract interpreters

We present a methodology for automatically combining abstract interpreters over given lattices to construct an abstract interpreter for the combination of those lattices. This lends modularity to the process of design and implementation of abstract interpreters.We define the notion of logical product of lattices. This kind of combination is more precise than the reduced product combination. We give algorithms to obtain the join operator and the existential quantification operator for the combined lattice from the corresponding operators of the individual lattices. We also give a bound on the number of steps required to reach a fixed point across loops during analysis over the combined lattice in terms of the corresponding bounds for the individual lattices. We prove that our combination methodology yields the most precise abstract interpretation operators over the logical product of lattices when the individual lattices are over theories that are convex, stably infinite, and disjoint.We also present an interesting application of logical product wherein some lattices can be reduced to combination of other (unrelated) lattices with known abstract interpreters.
The “Shukla–Gutzler” Method for Estimating Potential Seasonal Predictability

AbstractThis paper reexamines a procedure proposed by Shukla and Gutzler for estimating potential seasonal predictability. Certain subtle and unverified assumptions required for the method to work are clarified, and Monte Carlo experiments are used to demonstrate that these assumptions are adequate even for autocorrelated processes in typical applications, provided the effective time scale T0 of the stochastic process is known. This paper highlights the fact that the time scale T0 is difficult to estimate reliably (as noted in other papers) and can be biased by an order of magnitude. This bias can seriously compromise the reliability of the Shukla–Gutzler method.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A GENERAL CONSTITUTIVE MODEL FOR GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

A new generalized constitutive model, developed within the framework of the theory of plasticity, is considered, particularly with respect to determination of material constants. A comprehensive series of tests using a truly triaxial device for an artificial soil is used to illustrate the model and derivation of constants. The model is verified by using the constants for back-predicting the laboratory test data. It is also implemented in a three-dimensional non-linear finite element procedure, which is used for predicting the laboratory behaviour of a model strip footing on the artificial soil. The proposed model can be used for soils as well as other materials such as rocks and concrete. It possesses a number of advantages over other two-or multi-surface models. For example, it involves only one surface and the determination of constants is significantly simpler. (TRRL)
Homologs of plant PsbP and PsbQ proteins are necessary for regulation of photosystem ii activity in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803.

The mechanism of oxygen evolution by photosystem II (PSII) has remained highly conserved during the course of evolution from ancestral cyanobacteria to green plants. A cluster of manganese, calcium, and chloride ions, whose binding environment is optimized by PSII extrinsic proteins, catalyzes this water-splitting reaction. The accepted view is that in plants and green algae, the three extrinsic proteins are PsbO, PsbP, and PsbQ, whereas in cyanobacteria, they are PsbO, PsbV, and PsbU. Our previous proteomic analysis established the presence of a PsbQ homolog in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. The current study additionally demonstrates the presence of a PsbP homolog in cyanobacterial PSII. Both psbP and psbQ inactivation mutants exhibited reduced photoautotrophic growth as well as decreased water oxidation activity under CaCl2-depleted conditions. Moreover, purified PSII complexes from each mutant had significantly reduced activity. In cyanobacteria, one PsbQ is present per PSII complex, whereas PsbP is significantly substoichiometric. These findings indicate that both PsbP and PsbQ proteins are regulators that are necessary for the biogenesis of optimally active PSII in Synechocystis 6803. The new picture emerging from these data is that five extrinsic PSII proteins, PsbO, PsbP, PsbQ, PsbU, and PsbV, are present in cyanobacteria, two of which, PsbU and PsbV, have been lost during the evolution of green plants.
Differential Word Knowledge and Reading Comprehension

This study examined the effects of vocabulary pre-instruction on reading comprehension. Two vocabulary training treatments, chosen on the basis of a theoretical framework for vocabulary instruction, and a control were used with 28 average fifth-grade readers. For two of three order groups, both training treatments produced significantly higher scores on passage tests, and, for all children, both training treatments produced significantly higher scores on two sentence comprehension measures and a multiple-choice synonym test, indicating that pre-instruction had a significant effect on both comprehension and vocabulary learning. In addition, a mixed method of vocabulary instruction, or one which provided both definitional and contextual information about the taught words, produced significantly higher comprehension scores than did a definitional method.
The Immortality of Ms Jones

When I began my medical student clinical rotations, I quickly became overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy. While the doctors around me conjured appropriate diagnoses and treatment approaches, I fumbled with the only tools I possessed: my time and a smile. It was only when I met the patient Ms Jones that I came to understand the potential impact of these simple tools. My encouragement became part of her recovery process. She gave me the confidence to construct this ability of comforting patients into a small platform of confidence from which I could safely venture to educate patients or suggest treatments to residents. It could be something that I could reliably fall back on in times of doubt and something I could pass along to other people I met.
A 44-year-old man with eye, kidney, and brain dysfunction.

Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukodystrophy (RVCL) is a rare, autosomal dominant condition caused by mutations of TREX1 (3-prime repair exonuclease-1). The phenotypic expressions range from isolated retinal involvement to varying degrees of retinopathy, cerebral infarction with calcium depositions, nephropathy, and hepatopathy. We report a case of RVCL caused by a novel TREX1 mutation. This patient's multisystem presentation, retinal involvement interpreted as "retinal vasculitis," and improvement of neuroimaging abnormalities with dexamethasone led to the accepted diagnosis of a rheumatologic disorder resembling Behcet disease. Clinicians should consider RVCL in any patient with retinal capillary obliterations associated with tumefactive brain lesions or nephropathy.
‘Hands’ and ‘voices’

Not long ago, I was editing the penultimate draft of the doctoral thesis of a very smart Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) student (a DMA is a doctorate in performance, usually given in the candidate’s ...
Accessibility, mobility, and realized travel behavior: Assessing transport disadvantage from a policy perspective

Limited accessibility and mobility can result in decreased quality of life and well-being, as well as social exclusion. In the United States (U.S.), rural and small urban communities suffer from transport disadvantage due to a lack of transit and a low density of employment, education, recreation, and other opportunities. While the international literature has produced a number of methods and frameworks to assess transport disadvantage and its impacts, the U.S. has lagged behind in providing pertinent studies. The objective of this paper is to establish comprehensive measures that can support the identification, evaluation, and quantification of transport disadvantage in U.S. rural and small urban communities, considering both data availability and the unique characteristics of the U.S. The concept of transport disadvantage in this paper denotes the disadvantage of a specific population group or area that results from a difficulty accessing transportation and/or opportunities. To achieve this objective, this paper develops a spatial multi-perspective approach to account for the three essential elements of transport disadvantage: accessibility, mobility, and realized travel behavior. The developed approach provides an assessment of transport needs and need gaps that can be of benefit to small urban and rural communities and their planning practices, as well as to transport providers. The analysis in this paper suggests that--from a policy perspective--a combination of measures that account for all three essential elements of transport disadvantage should be considered, because the results of each measure complement those of the others. This paper illustrates the proposed approach using a case study of Indiana. The findings suggest that a great part of rural and small urban Indiana presents a low density of opportunities and that transport-disadvantaged residents of such areas might experience the impacts of low transit supply as well. In addition, the findings suggest that residents of rural and small urban areas travel longer distances on their day-to-day activities. This paper attempts to advance the national research pertaining to transport disadvantage and provide a framework that can support planning and policy decisions at the community as well as at the state level. Language: en
Claudin 4 Protein Expression in Primary and Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

We performed a comprehensive immunohistochemical evaluation of claudin 4 protein expression in paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 72 patients with primary infiltrating pancreatic cancer, 38 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, and a panel of normal control tissue samples from various organs. In 11 samples of primary infiltrating pancreatic cancer, foci of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) were present and also were analyzed for claudin 4 protein expression. Intense positive claudin 4 immunolabeling was noted within virtually all primary (71/72 [99%]) and metastatic (49/49 [100%]) pancreatic cancer tissue samples analyzed and in 10 of 11 samples of PanIN. In all cases, immunolabeling was noted in a membranous distribution. Claudin 4 protein also was detectable in normal breast, prostate, bladder, and gastrointestinal mucosa, although expression was substantially less intense than that seen in pancreatic cancer tissue samples. Our findings support the use of claudin 4 as a target for novel therapeutics or radioimaging of infiltrating pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, the finding of claudin 4 overexpression within pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, the precursor lesion of pancreatic cancer, suggests a potential benefit of imaging claudin 4 before the development of an invasive carcinoma.
Development of a Parallel Lagrangian Particle Tracking Code for 3D Multi-Block Curvilinear Grids.

This work focuses on the development of a complete particle tracking code, capable of coupling with the existing CFD code REACTMB, developed at NCSU and used for a variety of flow simulations using both LES and RANS methods. A complete framework has been developed, capable of finding the location of particles in multi-block curvilinear grids, interpolating solution values to exact particle location and advecting the particles under the influence of drag and other forces. The code has been parallelized using OpenMPI, and the algorithm accounts for particle information exchanged between various blocks and processors to successfully track a large number of particles. The drag forces are calculated based on the solution data generated by the REACTMB code, at every time step. To account for turbulence, the code uses a Discrete Random Walk (DRW) model, allowing for stochastic particle tracking to account for turbulent effects. The code is highly modular and flexible, thereby allowing addition of modules to account for higher complexities, in terms of force models and stochastic particle tracking.
The dumbest experiment in space

A simple conceptual experiment is used to illustrate (1) the fundamentals of performing an experiment, including the theoretical concept, the experiment design, the performance of the experiment, and the recording of observations; (2) the increasing challenges posed by performance of the same experiment in a location remote from the experimenter, such as additional planning and equipment and their associated cost increases; and (3) the significant growth of difficulties to be overcome when the simple experiment is performed in a highly restrictive environment, such as a spacecraft in orbit, with someone else remotely operating the experiment. It is shown that performing an experiment in the remote, hostile environment of space will pose difficulties equaling or exceeding those of the experiment itself, entailing mastery of a widening range of disciplines.
Dendritic calcium spikes in layer 5 pyramidal neurons amplify and limit transmission of ligand-gated dendritic current to soma.

Long-lasting, dendritic, Ca2+-dependent action potentials (plateaus) were investigated in layer 5 pyramidal neurons from rat neocortical slices visualized by infrared-differential interference cont...
EL ABANDONO DEL FONEMA /λ/ EN EL ESPAÑOL DE BUCARAMANGA

En Bucaramanga, como en el resto del mundo hispano se observa la tendencia a la desaparicion de la distincion entre el fonema palatal lateral sonoro /λ/ y el fonema palatal fricativo sonoro /y/ representados ortograficamente con los grafemas ll y y. Aunque esta distincion aun se observa entre los hablantes adultos y con mayor regularidad entre las mujeres, esta no se observa entre los hablantes jovenes quienes favorecen la neutralizacion de los sonidos en un alofono africado sonoro [dƷ] para todas las palabras ortograficamente representadas con ll y y. Debido a la tendencia observada entre el grupo de los jovenes, este estudio hipotetiza que el fonema /λ/ esta desapareciendo del espanol de este dialecto y que la perdida de la distincion entre /λ/ y /y/ da como resultado la simplificacion del sistema fonologico de esta variedad de habla. Este articulo muestra con detalle los pasos de la investigacion que llevaron a esta hipotesis.
Syntagms in development and evolution.

The genetic analysis of segmentation, neurogenesis, appendage formation and other developmental processes has revealed that the development of Drosophila can be broken down into discrete elementary operations. Thus development can be viewed as a stepwise process where each step is driven by a small group of genes working interactively. Garcia-Bellido proposed that each of these groups be called a "syntagm". In this review, we will describe a series of developmental syntagms, and explore the consequences of this discontinuous organization of the developmental program on evolution.
Perspectives on what's new in plastic surgery : The new millennium

The next millennium will witness the most exciting advances in the field of plastic surgery. Some of these advances are already here today whereas others are just starting to surface. These include soft-tissue and bone reconstruction, tissue engineering, gene therapy, microsurgery, and fetal surgery to name just a few. Fetal wound healing may become a major part of intervention for correction of certain birth defects. Plastic surgery will continue to work with other specialities to solve clinical problems. Innovative techniques and other modalities will continue to rise in plastic surgery.
A Biomarker Harvest from One Thousand Cancer Cell Lines

Identifying molecular biomarkers that predict cancer drug efficacy is crucial for the advancement of precision medicine. In this issue of Cell, Iorio et al. nominate hundreds of potential genetic and epigenetic biomarkers through high-throughput drug screening in ∼1,000 molecularly annotated cancer cell lines.
AI-14 Autoantibody production in an inducible model of cutaneous lupus

Background Despite the numerous murine models of SLE, models that accurately reflect the central features of CLE are much more limited. The MRL/lpr line is commonly studied in this context, but the onset of cutaneous disease in MRL/lpr mice is highly variable, colony dependent, and takes 6 months or more to develop. Endosomal TLRs play a key role in the development of murine models of SLE and mice lacking all endosomal TLR function have markedly attenuated disease. However autoimmune-prone mice deficient for only TLR9 invariably develop more severe SLE. Materials and methods We have generated TLR9WT and TLR9KO mice that express a membrane-bound OVA fusion protein on MHC class II+ cells under the control of a doxycycline (DOX) inducible promoter. These mice were given DOX chow, sublethally irradiated and injected with activated OVA-specific DO11 T cells and then monitored for indications of systemic autoimmune disease. Results 3–4 weeks following T cell transfer, the TLR9KO recipients develop cutaneous manifestation of SLE characterised by a mononuclear interface dermatitis associated with mucin deposition, absence of skin-associated Tregs, accumulation of IFNγ-producing DO11 T cells, elevated MHC class II expression by LCs and keratinocytes, and excessive keratinocyte death. Many more DO11 T cells are found in the epidermis of the TLR9KO recipients compared to the TLR9WT recipients, and the TLR9WT recipients have a higher frequency of DO11 Tregs. Importantly, the TLR9KO recipients have more germinal centre B cells in the spleen and more ELIspot+ cells in the bone marrow, and make autoantibodies specific for Ro52, a self-reactivity commonly detected in human CLE patients. An additional key feature of the model is our ability to turn disease on and then off, simply by providing, or not providing, DOX. In mice on DOX for 4 wks and then off DOX for 2 wks, autoantibody titers markedly decrease and skin lesions resolve with minimal if any residual scarring. Subsequent DOX re-administration, without the transfer of additional T cells or any additional irradiation, leads to the rapid recurrence of autoantibody production and skin disease, thereby recapitulating lupus flares. Conclusions We have now leveraged the hyperactivity of TLR9-deficient mice to develop a novel T cell dependent model of cutaneous inflammation that is strikingly similar to human CLE. This model provides a means for characterising both T and B cell memory responses elicited by autoantigens, and determining to what extent the primary vs secondary responses can be limited by TLR antagonists.
Perceived not actual overweight is associated with excessive school absenteeism among U.S. adolescents.

Summary Background Excess body weight has been reported to be associated with excessive school absenteeism (ESA), but less is known about the association with perceived body weight. The study objective was to weigh the relative influence of perceived and measured weight status on school attendance. Methods We used the data from 3113 adolescents age 12–19 years who were interviewed as a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 2003–2008. Body weight and height were measured during the physical examination, while self-perceived body weight and the number of school days missed was assessed using questionnaires. Missing one or more days per school month (nine days per school year) was defined as, and indicative of, experiencing ESA. Results ESA was reported from 12.31 (SE = 0.89) % of adolescents. The highest prevalence occurred among healthy weight adolescents who erroneously self-perceived as overweight [21.6 (4.77) %], two times higher than adolescents with obesity who self-perceived as “just right weight” [10.3 (2.87) %]. The adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) of ESA for healthy weight adolescents who erroneously self-perceived as “overweight” was 1.91 (95%CI = 1.10–3.32) compared to healthy weight peers who correctly self-perceived as “just right” (reference group). The PRs were 0.99 (0.48–2.06) and 1.41 (0.86–2.32) respectively for adolescents with obesity who believed that their body weight was “just right” or “overweight”. No significant differences were observed between boys and girls, young (12–15 years) and older adolescents (16–19 years). Conclusions Perceived overweight rather than actual overweight is significantly associated ESA among adolescents.
Legislative policy-making authority, party system size, and party system nationalization

How does the internal organization of legislatures shape the legislative party system? We argue that the size and nationalization of the national legislative party system is related to the size of the legislative prize—namely, to how the legislature's internal rules and structures concentrate policy-making authority in the hands of the largest party. To test this argument, we draw on studies of legislative organization to develop a measure of the concentration of legislative policy-making authority. Using two time series cross sectional data sets of post-war elections, one of advanced industrial democracies with pure parliamentary systems and one of all advanced industrial democracies, we find support for our argument and note that the effect of internal legislative structures is larger than that of the electoral system. We also show that the incentives to aggregate and consolidate the legislative party system are generally stronger where there are few external constraints on the legislature.
A Potential Biomarker Panel of Multiple Myeloma Identified Using Label-Free Mass Spectrometry-Based Quantitative Proteomics

Abstract Abstract 2890 Background: Multiple myeloma is an incurable and fatal hematologic malignancy. Recent gene microarray studies showed distinct gene expression profiles defining MM subgroups and their association with cytogenetic abnormalities and treatment outcome. However, aside from transcriptional control, a variety of post-transcriptional/post-translational modifications likely play an important role in regulating protein expression and function, and ultimately may prove informative for predicting tumor behavior. Objectives: We hypothesize that the protein profile in MM cells is different than normal plasma cells. Methodology: Normal plasma cells and myeloma cells were isolated using CD138 immune magnetic beads from bone marrow aspirates from healthy volunteers or patients with newly diagnosed MM, respectively. CD138+ cells were frozen and subsequently analyzed in one batch. Proteins were digested by trypsin. Tryptic peptides were injected onto an HPLC system and analyzed on a Thermo-Fisher LTQ mass spectrometer. Peptide identification and quantification were carried out using proprietary algorithms. Identified proteins were categorized into priority groups based on the quality of the peptide identification by tandem mass spectrometry. Proteins with significant changes in expression level were further analyzed by bioinformatics tools for the determination of the biological significance. Results: In the discovery phase of this study, 433 proteins were identified and their expression levels were quantitatively compared. 169 of these proteins demonstrated a significant difference between normal plasma cells and MM cells. Among the significantly changed proteins, 18 were identified and quantified with high confidence, and were therefore chosen for further validation. The identified proteins are known to be involved in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway, the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, cysteine metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway. None of these proteins are known to be of prognostic value or being currently targeted for therapy in MM. A high-throughput LC/MS-based multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) assay for quantitative validation of these candidates with clinical samples is ongoing. To date, using the MRM assay, we were able to detect MRM peptides for 13 of the 18 targeted proteins in clinical samples. The quantification of these peptides will be further confirmed using a separate set of clinical samples. Conclusion: Significant differences in protein expression were observed between MM and normal plasma cells. The study presents an important step toward using proteomics as a tool to develop diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers in the clinical setting. However, both follow-up analytical and clinical validations are required before they can serve as disease-specific biomarkers. Disclosures: Abonour: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Bringing Human Rights Education Home

Human rights education (HRE) is marginalized in U. S. schools. This review explores the reasons why, and the reviewed book shows a way forward.Let us begin by noting that human rights and human rig...
Proteins with Site-Specific Lysine Methylation.

As important epigenetic marks, lysine methylations play critical roles in the regulation of both chromatin and non-chromatin proteins. There are three levels of lysine methylation, mono-, di-, and trimethylation. Each one has turned out to be biologically distinctive. For the biochemical characterization of proteins with lysine methylation, multiple chemical biology methods have been developed. This concept article will highlight these developments and their applications in epigenetic investigation of protein functions.
Social Effects of Health Care Reform: Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act and Changes in Volunteering

Do public health policy interventions result in pro-social behaviors? The Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s Medicaid expansions were responsible for the largest gains in public insurance coverage since its inception in 1965. These gains were concentrated in states that opted to expand Medicaid eligibility and provide a unique opportunity to study not just medical but also social consequences of increased public health coverage. This article examines the association between Medicaid and volunteer work. Volunteerism is implicated in individuals' health and well-being yet it is highly correlated with a person's existing socioeconomic resources. Medicaid expansions improved financial security and a sense of health-two factors that predict volunteer work-for a socioeconomic group that has had low levels of volunteerism. Difference-in-difference analyses of the Volunteer Supplement of the Current Population Survey (2010-2015) find increased reports of formal volunteering for organizations as well as informal helping behaviors between neighbors for low-income non-elderly adults who would have likely benefited from expansions. Furthermore, increased volunteer work associated with Medicaid was greater among minority groups and narrowed existing ethnic differences in volunteerism in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility.
Impact of County Rurality and Urologist Density on the Practice of Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection and Mortality in Patients Diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Penis.

Inguinal lymphadenectomy (LND) is influential in reducing the mortality of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis (SCCP). We investigated the impact of urologic workforce density (UD) and rural residence (RR) on the practice of LND and mortality of SCCP (SCCP-RM). UD was determined from the 2014 to 2015 Area Health Resource File data, while RR was determined using the 2003 rural–urban continuum codes. All cases of SCCP within the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results 18 registry with known county codes were used for analysis (n = 2863). Overall, 48.69% of cases lived in a county with less than the mean UD, 8.38% lived in counties with no urologists, 14.60% lived in a rural county, and 19.2% (n = 550) had LND performed. UD and RR had no impact on the prevalence of LND, number of lymph nodes examined, or the mean number of lymph nodes positive for SCCP (all p > 0.05). Adjusted analysis indicated that older patients and patients with regional stage of cancer were at a greater risk for post-LND SCCP-RM (hazard ratio [HR] 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–2.21, and HR 4.32, 95% CI 3.09–6.06, respectively). There was no difference in the HR of SCCP-RM dependent on race, marital status, education, RR, UD, or LND. While demand on the urologist workforce has increased in rural demographics, no impact of limited access to urologists on the practice of LND in SCCP could be identified in this study. In addition, there was no significant difference in the risk of SCCP-specific mortality related to lower UD or RR.
Performance of Nonlinear Modal Model in Predicting Complex Bilinear Stiffness

Several recent studies (Mayes, R.L., Pacini, B.R., Roettgen, D.R.: A modal model to simulate typical structural dynamics nonlinearity. In: Proceedings of the 34th International Modal Analysis Conference. Orlando, FL, (2016); Pacini, B.R., Mayes, R.L., Owens, B.C., Schultz, R.: Nonlinear finite element model updating, part I: experimental techniques and nonlinear modal model parameter extraction. In: Proceedings of the 35th international modal analysis conference, Garden Grove, CA, (2017)) have investigated predicting nonlinear structural vibration responses using modified modal models. In such models, a nonlinear element is added in parallel to the traditional linear spring and damping elements. This assumes that the mode shapes do not change with amplitude and there are no interactions between modal degrees of freedom. Previous studies have predominantly applied this method to idealistic structures. In this work, the nonlinear modal modeling technique is applied to a more realistic industrial aerospace structure which exhibits complex bilinear behavior. Linear natural frequencies, damping values, and mode shapes are first extracted from low level shaker testing. Subsequently, the structure is excited using high level tailored shaker inputs. The resulting response data are modally filtered and used to empirically derive the nonlinear elements which, together with their linear counterparts, comprise the nonlinear modal model. This model is then used in both modal and physical domain simulations. Comparisons to measured data are made and the performance of the nonlinear modal model to predict this complex bilinear behavior is discussed.
Methods of Recording Dermatoglyphics

Dermatoglyphics offer at least two major advantages as an aid to the diagnosis of medical disorders: (1) the epidermal ridge patterns on the hands and soles are fully developed at birth and, thereafter, remain unchanged for life; (2) scanning of the ridge patterns or recording their permanent impressions (i.e., prints) can be accomplished rapidly, inexpensively, and without any trauma to the patient.
Modeling requirements for intelligent training systems

A complete content plan for an intelligent training system must include details of expert knowledge that enables effective teaching of the domain as well as that knowledge needed for correct job performance. When modeling expert knowledge, for the purpose of being a good teacher, an intelligent training system must be prepared to address situations where the trainee’s initial knowledge is extremely situated and concrete by representing problem situations concretely, so that there can be effective interaction with the novice. However, the expert model must have whatever additional knowledge is needed to help the novice begin to abstract from concrete experiences, thereby aiding the transfer of skills and knowledge to new problem situations. Additionally, the experts often employ domain specific simplifying assumptions in order to make a problem situation more manageable. Effective instruction must be capable of modeling and utilizing these expert strategies.
Potential implications of step loading in impression creep testing

The small sample impression creep test method has recently been of interest, as it can give a good indication of expected creep rates in uniaxial creep testing with minimal use of material. The compressively loaded test has also been shown to provide accurate results under multi-step loading conditions for a low alloy steel (½Cr½Mo¼V) to further extract value from a single test specimen. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has conducted step tests (step temperature and step loading changes) on another low alloy steel (Grade 22), as well as a tempered martensitic 9 Cr steel (Grade 91). Results have shown that there may be potential problematic areas when conducting step-up and step-down steps in these materials. Additional posttest evaluations have shown that material effects, such as strain hardening and strain softening, may add additional complexities when comparing strain rates of multi-stepped loaded stain rates. Hardness testing on posttest impression creep specimens have confirmed strain softening of tempered martensitic Grade 91 and no observed effect for an ex-service Grade 22 alloy. These findings have shown that careful considerations must be made before using creep rates obtained from multi-stepped loaded tests in situ of single loaded tests.
Unraveling Key Players of Humoral Immunity: Advanced and Optimized Lymphocyte Isolation Protocol from Murine Peyer's Patches

In the gut mucosa, immune cells constitute a unique immunological entity, which promotes immune tolerance while concurrently conferring immune defense against pathogens. It is well established that Peyer's patches (PPs) have an essential role in the mucosal immune network by hosting several effector T and B cell subsets. A certain fraction of these effector cells, follicular T helper (TFH) and germinal center (GC) B cells are professionalized in the regulation of humoral immunity. Hence, the characterization of these cell subsets within PPs in terms of their differentiation program and functional properties can provide important information about mucosal immunity. To this end, an easily applicable, efficient and reproducible method of lymphocyte isolation from PPs would be valuable to researchers. In this study, we aimed to generate an effective method to isolate lymphocytes from mouse PPs with high cell yield. Our approach revealed that initial tissue processing such as the use of digestive reagents and tissue agitation, as well as cell staining conditions and selection of antibody panels, have great influence on the quality and identity of the isolated lymphocytes and on experimental outcomes. Here, we describe a protocol enabling researchers to efficiently isolate lymphocyte populations from PPs allowing reproducible flow cytometry-based assessment of T and B cell subsets primarily focusing on TFH and GC B cell subsets.
Utilization-Focused Evaluation of a Family Preservation Program:

The Federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 requires states to maintain children at risk in the least restrictive environment possible. Accordingly, practitioners try to keep thes...
Age-typical changes in neural reward response are moderated by maternal anhedonia.

Reward response and mood disorders both increase during adolescence. Here, we investigate whether age and gonadal hormone levels relate to neural response to win and loss feedback in 9- to 14-year-old girls and whether such relations are moderated by maternal anhedonia, a factor linked to psychopathology risk and reward response. Psychiatrically healthy daughters of mothers who did not meet criteria for any current DSM-5 disorder or past anxiety/depression diagnosis (N = 69) completed a monetary fMRI guessing task and provided saliva samples for gonadal hormone assay. Voxelwise regressions revealed unique quadratic effects of age and linear effects of gonadal hormones; neither effect was explained by reported puberty. Striatal/insular responses to win/loss feedback peaked between 12 and 13 years, whereas estradiol predicted greater response to wins versus losses within the medial prefrontal cortex, concurrently. Maternal anhedonia specifically moderated the quadratic effect of age within dorsolateral striatum and insula. Daughters of mothers reporting greater anhedonia showed an earlier peak in striatal/insular response to reward and loss feedback. As such, maternal anhedonia predicted blunted striatal/insular response to feedback only in older daughters. A similar pattern was observed for daughters of mothers with lifetime depression in exploratory analyses. These cross-sectional findings suggest that familial anhedonia may relate to altered trajectories of reward responding during adolescence and that these effects are specific to age.
Animal source foods: Sustainability problem or malnutrition and sustainability solution? Perspective matters

Abstract: Globally, two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, 151 million children under five suffer from stunting, and millions more have impaired cognitive development related to poor nutrition. This is partly due to insufficient consumption of animal-sourced foods (ASF), which supply multiple bioavailable nutrients that are lacking in the cereal-based diets of the poor. Yet, reports like the one recently published by the EAT-Lancet Commission, solely focus on the threat of ASF consumption on sustainability and human health, overestimate and ignore the tremendous variability in the environmental impact of livestock production, and fail to adequately include the experience of marginalized women and children in low- and middle-income countries whose diets regularly lack the necessary nutrients. Yet animal-source foods have been described by the World Health Organization as the best source of high-quality nutrient-rich food for children aged 6–23 months. Livestock and ASF are vital to sustainability as they play a critical role in improving nutrition, reducing poverty, improving gender equity, improving livelihoods, increasing food security, and improving health. The nutritional needs of the world's poor, particularly women and children, must be considered in sustainability debates.
Noncountable Tuberculosis Case Reporting, National Tuberculosis Surveillance System, United States, 2010-2014.

Objectives:Supplemental federal funding is allocated to state and local tuberculosis (TB) programs using a formula that considers only countable cases reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveill...
Determination of Yield and Agronomic Characteristics of Some Soybean Genotypes Suitable for Double Crop Agriculture in Mediterranean Climate Conditions

As a source of oil, protein, biodiesel, etc., soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is the fourth widely grown crop in the world. In Mediterranean climate conditions, soybean can be produced as a double crop. This study was conducted at the experimental area of Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University in Turkey (2016) to determine yield and important agronomic traits of some soybean varieties and lines under double crop conditions. Ten advanced soybean lines and four registered varieties (KASM-03, KASM-02, KANA, KAMA, BDUS-04, BATEM 207, BATEM 223, BATEM 306, BATEM 317, BDSA 05 and ARISOY, ATAEM-7, BRAVO, NOVA) were used as a plant material. Field trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Results from the analysis of variance for all traits (grain yield, plant height, first pod height, pods per plant, days for maturity, days for flowering, 1000-seed weight) indicated large variations among the genotypes. Although the lines KASM-02 (3519.5 kg ha−1), BATEM 207 (3456.7 kg ha−1) and BATEM 223 (3414.2 kg ha−1) provided the best result for grain yield, according to earliness, ARISOY, ATAEM-7 and BRAVO registered varieties were showed better performance rather than advanced lines used in the study. As a result, genotypes with high grain yields but with late maturing times are tested under the main product conditions.
Flexible and Stretchable Photonics: The Next Stretch of Opportunities

Conventional electronic and photonic devices are inherently 2D and rigid because of the substrates on which they are fabricated. However, the world is not flat and stiff: There are many application...