cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Artificial Selection for Whole Animal Low Intrinsic Aerobic Capacity Co-Segregates with Hypoxia-Induced Cardiac Pump Failure

Oxygen metabolism is a strong predictor of the general health and fitness of an organism. In this study, we hypothesized that a divergence in intrinsic aerobic fitness would co-segregate with susceptibility for cardiovascular dysfunction. To test this hypothesis, cardiac function was assessed in rats specifically selected over nineteen generations for their low (LCR) and high (HCR) intrinsic aerobic running capacity. As an integrative marker of native aerobic capacity, run time to exhaustion between LCR and HCR rats had markedly diverged by 436% at generation nineteen of artificial selection. In vivo assessment of baseline cardiac function by echocardiography and catheter-based conductance micromanometry showed no marked difference in cardiac performance. However, when challenged by exposure to acute hypoxia, cardiac pump failure occurred significantly earlier in LCR rats compared to HCR animals. Acute cardiac decompensation in LCR rats was exclusively due to the development of intractable irregular ventricular contractions. Analysis of isolated cardiac myocytes showed significantly slower sarcomeric relaxation and delayed kinetics of calcium cycling in LCR myocytes compared to HCR myocytes. This study also revealed that artificial selection for low native aerobic capacity is a novel pathologic stimulus that results in myosin heavy chain isoform switching in the heart as shown by increased levels of β-MHC in LCR rats. Together, these results provide evidence that alterations in sub-cellular calcium handling and MHC isoform composition are associated with susceptibility to compensatory cardiac remodeling and hypoxia induced pump failure in animals with low intrinsic aerobic capacity.
IgG-Immune Complexes Promote B Cell Memory by Inducing BAFF

Memory B cell responses are vital for protection against infections but must also be regulated to prevent autoimmunity. Cognate T cell help, somatic hypermutation, and affinity maturation within germinal centers (GCs) are required for high-affinity memory B cell formation; however, the signals that commit GC B cells to the memory pool remain unclear. In this study, we identify a role for IgG-immune complexes (ICs), FcγRs, and BAFF during the formation of memory B cells in mice. We found that early secretion of IgG in response to immunization with a T-dependent Ag leads to IC-FcγR interactions that induce dendritic cells to secrete BAFF, which acts at or upstream of Bcl-6 in activated B cells. Loss of CD16, hematopoietic cell-derived BAFF, or blocking IC:FcγR regions in vivo diminished the expression of Bcl-6, the frequency of GC and memory B cells, and secondary Ab responses. BAFF also contributed to the maintenance and/or expansion of the follicular helper T cell population, although it was dispensable for their formation. Thus, early Ab responses contribute to the optimal formation of B cell memory through IgG-ICs and BAFF. Our work defines a new role for FcγRs in GC and memory B cell responses.
Bionomics of Three Nearctic Species, One New, of Hypera (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and Their Parasites

The distribution habitat preference, host-plant specificity, and seasonal cycle of 3 Nearctic species of Hypera, H. compta (Say), H. eximia (LeConte), and H. paludicola Warner, n. sp., are discussed, and H. paludicola, n. sp., is described. Parasites reared from various stages of the weevils were: egg, Anaphes behmani Girault (Mymaridae); pupa, Necremnus breviramulus Gahan (Eulophidae), Spilochalcis albifrons (Walsh), S. sanguiniventris (Cresson) (Chalcididae), and Gambrus ultimus (Cresson) (Ichneumonidae); larva, an undescribed Bathyplectes, n. sp. (Ichneumonidae), and a mermithid nematode. The Spilochalcis spp. also occurred as hyperparasites of the Bathyplectes, n. sp., as did 3 species of Pteromalidae. Biological data for A. behmani, N. breviramulus, and Bathyplectes, n. sp., are presented, and their relationship with the introduced economic Hypera species is discussed.
Wild-type and mutant AvrA− Salmonella induce broadly similar immune pathways in the chicken ceca with key differences in signaling intermediates and inflammation

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) is a serious infectious disease throughout the world, and a major reservoir for Salmonella is chicken. Chicken infected with Salmonella do not develop clinical disease, this may be the result of important host interactions with key virulence proteins. To study this, we inoculated chicken with mutant Salmonella Typhimurium that lacked the virulence protein AvrA (AvrA(-)). AvrA is referred to as an avirulence factor, as it moderates the host immune response. The lack of the AvrA virulence gene in ST resulted in reduced weight gain, enhanced persistence and greater extraintestinal organ invasion in chickens, as compared to wild-type (WT) ST. Kinome analysis was performed on inoculated cecal tissue. The majority of the signal transduction pathways induced by AvrA(-) and WT ST were similar; however, we observed alterations in innate immune system signaling. In addition, a leukocyte migration pathway was altered by AvrA(-) ST that may allow greater gut barrier permeability and invasion by the mutant. Cytokine expression did not appear significantly altered at 7 d post-inoculation; at 14 d post-inoculation, there was an observed increase in the expression of anti-inflammatory IL-10 in the WT inoculated ceca. This study is the first to describe mutant AvrA(-) ST infection of chicken and provides further insight into the Salmonella responses observed in chicken relative to other species such as humans and cattle.
Prospects and Solutions for the Internet of Things

To scale the development of the Internet of things (LoT), converging the industrial chain is necessary. Operators need to construct public LoT infrastructure and provide value-added services by opening LoT smart pipes. To open up the LoT environment and long-tail industrial applications, chances have to be taken with new technology, government projects, and business models. The focus should also be on individual and family services. We propose LoT E2E solutions for operators.
Effect of protein intake during gestation and lactation on the lactational performance of primiparous sows.

The effect of protein intake during gestation and lactation on the lactational performance of primiparous sows was evaluated using 35 Yorkshire x Landrace gilts, allocated to six dietary treatments in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of three protein levels during gestation, providing approximately 4, 8, and 16 g of lysine/d, and two protein levels (low [L] and high [HI), providing approximately 15 and 45 g of lysine/d, during lactation, respectively. Diets provided similar amounts of ME and all other nutrients. As dietary protein increased during gestation, sows gained more weight and tended to decrease their backfat thickness. There was no gestation x lactation treatment interaction for lactational performance of sows. Feed intake by sows during lactation was usually low but increased (P .05). Pig weight gain increased (P < .05) from wk 1 to 2 of lactation and decreased thereafter. Simple linear regression analysis detected few important relationships between yield of milk components and metabolites or metabolic hormone concentrations. The R2 values for these relationships were < or = .30, except for some relationships between milk component yields and blood urea nitrogen (the range was between .17 and .55). Covariate adjustment for metabolite and metabolic hormone concentrations did not eliminate treatment effects in most cases. This suggests that effects of increased protein intake on milk yield are not fully mediated through metabolite and metabolic hormone concentrations.
The Cost of Majority-Party Bias: Amending Activity under Structured Rules

All major legislation in the House necessitates a special rule from the Rules Committee before it can be brought to the chamber floor. These rules often strictly limit floor amendments to bills considered by the House. Scholars of political parties have argued that the House majority party can bias policy output away from the floor median through its usage of restrictive rules. In this article, we argue that in order to secure the passage of restrictive rules, the majority often makes concessions to centrist legislators through the amending process. We examine this theory using a newly collected data set that includes all amendments considered by the Rules Committee during the construction of structured rules in the 109th, 110th, and 111th Congresses (2005–2010). Our results are mixed, but they do suggest that moderate members of the majority party often receive concessions via amendments for their support of the majority party's agenda-setting regime.
Relationships between duration of practice, educational level, and perception of barriers to implement evidence-based practice among critical care nurses.

Aims Globally, a greater emphasis has been placed on the delivery of safe, patient-centered, evidence-based nursing care. As point-of-care providers, critical care nurses play a key role in ensuring that patients receive the safest, most effective treatment available. In order to deliver scientific-based care, critical care nurses must stay abreast of the current trends, as well as engage in the evidence-based practice process. This study aimed to describe research activities, to identify barriers to implement evidence-based practice and to explore professional factors related to the use of evidence-based practice among critical care nurses at three teaching hospitals in south-eastern United States. Methods A survey design and convenience sampling method was used. A sample of 30 critical care staff nurses participated in the study. A 61-item online questionnaire composed of a demographic survey - BARRIERS scale - and Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire was used. Simple descriptive statistics, Pearson's product moment correlations, and independent-sample t test procedures were used to analyze the data. Results Critical care nurses' reported positive attitudes, but viewed knowledge and use of evidence-based practice less favorably. These results may indicate that having a positive attitude towards evidence-based practice does not necessarily translate to knowledge and use of the evidence-based practice process in clinical practice. An unwillingness to change and time constraints were identified as the top barriers to use evidence-based practice in this study. Perceptions of barriers to use evidence-based practice were higher in those critical care nurses who had less practical experience and educational preparation. Conclusion The results suggest that critical care nurses possess the foundation to engage in the evidence-based practice process; however, their knowledge, practice, and attitudes just need to be cultivated and strengthened. Understanding the nurses' professional factors, current use and barriers to implement evidence-based practice is an essential step to ensuring competency and value for engaging in the evidence-based practice process. The results of this study support the need for future research to address barriers that impact critical care nurses' ability to deliver state-of-the-science care.
The human immunodeficiency virus.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a complex retrovirus that infects human cells, especially those bearing a CD4 receptor, for life. It has an elaborate genetic regulatory system that enables it to remain relatively dormant, replicating slowly but steadily, but on appropriate stimulation it is capable of explosive up-regulation, with the consequent release of high numbers of new infectious virions. HIV is cytotoxic to CD4 lymphocytes, eventually eliminating them from the host. The virus's genetic replicator is extremely error prone, constantly changing its structure to improve its infectivity and avoid an effective host immune response.
States, Ideologies, and Social Revolutions: Coalitions, challengers, and political outcomes

The emergence of a revolutionary situation depends at a minimum on the formation of broad coalitions against the state and the rise of new contenders, or a coalition of contenders, who advance exclusive competing claims to control the state (Tilly 1994:10). Such coalitions emerge only infrequently, despite the fact that social conflicts are prevalent throughout developing countries, and that, from time to time, revolutionary challengers rise to transform the social order. In the absence of prior state breakdown or military victory by insurgents, broad coalitions increase the likelihood of a transfer of power and a revolution for four reasons. First, broad coalitions tend to isolate the government and reduce or eliminate the social basis of support of the regime. Second, such coalitions increase the likelihood that factionalism, defection, or paralysis will beset the armed forces. Third, broad coalitions are essential to initiate large-scale disruptive activities, such as general strikes, in order to dislodge the power holders. Finally, in the case of government intransigence, broad coalitions may encourage greater social support for armed struggle, as the last resort, to defeat military forces. Although structural factors such as exclusive rule, levels of state intervention and economic crises affect the likelihood of coalition formation, so too do political factors and processes. The probability that broad coalitions will be formed depends, in part, on the strength of the alternative challengers, the extent of class conflict, and the available mobilization options.
Pulse Duplicator Hydrodynamic Testing of Bioengineered Biological Heart Valves

There are many heart valve replacements currently available on the market; however, these devices are not ideal for pediatric patients with congenital heart valve defects. Decellularized valve substitutes offer potential for improved clinical outcomes and require pre-clinical testing guidelines and testing systems suitable for non-crosslinked, biological heart valves. The objective of this study was to assess the hydrodynamic performance of intact, bioengineered pulmonary valves using a custom pulse duplicator capable of testing intact biological valved conduits. The mechanical behavior of valve associated sinus and arterial tissue was also evaluated under biaxial loading. Cryopreserved, decellularized, extracellular matrix (ECM) conditioned and glutaraldehyde fixed valves showed reduced pressure gradients and increased effective orifice area for decellularized and ECM conditioned valves. ECM conditioning resulted in increased elastic modulus but decreased stretch in circumferential and longitudinal directions under biaxial loading. Overall, decellularization and ECM conditioning did not compromise the scaffolds, which exhibited satisfactory bench top performance.
Clinical Genome Sequencing

Advances in technology have enabled genome sequencing (GS), resulting in high profile and exciting research and clinical research studies. However, transitioning a technology from the research or clinical research environment into the clinical environment can be challenging, especially in the case of GS where the technology and science have outpaced regulations and professional guidelines. This chapter discusses the process of bringing GS into a CLIA/CAP environment and supporting that service, including physician support, analytical validity, bioinformatics, variant interpretation, reporting, and updating burdens.
The Fallacy of the Ticking Time Bomb: Resilience of Children Formerly Recruited into Armed Forces and Groups

Media campaigns and advocacy platforms have frequently perpetuated images of formerly recruited children as “a lost generation”—a cadre of young people who have committed unspeakable atrocities during war and who are beyond rehabilitation. One NGO declared recently that “failure to act will create a ticking time bomb of angry, alienated and traumatized youth whose only skills they have to rely on are those they learned at war” (Child Soldiers, 2008). In many conflict and post-conflict settings, this emphasis on the trauma of formerly recruited children has dominated response efforts. Many responders have perceived these children as suffering a form of pathology that needs to be addressed through a medical model via treatments such as counseling.
Transient induction of phenotypic resistance in human lymphoblastoid cells following sequential use of two antifolates.

This paper demonstrates an unexpected antagonism of cytoxicity with the use of two antifolates. Cell killing depended on the order of administration, as sequential in vitro exposures, to a lipid-soluble antifolate, metoprine (DDMP), and methotrexate (MTX). This was manifested in greatly increased survival of cultures following a program of 4 days of exposure of human lymphoblastoid (WIL-2) cells to 5 µM DDMP, 2 days of recovery in medium without drug, then 4 days of exposure to either 5 µM DDMP or 1 µM MTX. By contrast, 1 µM MTX in the first cycle, regardless of the drug used in the second cycle, gave no survivors. Serial measurement of dihydrofolate reductase levels showed that DDMP led to increased levels of free dihydrofolate reductase during the recovery period which were not inhibited by a second exposure to drug. These results emphasize the importance of sequence and timing when drugs are used in multiagent protocols, even when the drugs have a common enzyme target.
Towards a more proactive approach to brand protection: development of the Organisational Risk Assessment for Product Counterfeiting (ORAPC)

ABSTRACTThrough an adaptation of a terrorism risk assessment model, this article develops an initial proactive product counterfeiting risk assessment that is designed to focus upon a specific product’s risk for being counterfeited. The goal of developing this risk assessment is to help corporations identify the products that are most at risk for counterfeiting, thereby giving them the ability to focus their resources in the areas where the greatest opportunities for crime are present. This risk assessment is intended to serve as the first line of defence in a comprehensive and proactive brand owner strategy centred on identifying product-specific counterfeiting risk. The assessment comprises three factors that, together, capture a product’s counterfeiting risk level: the threat of product counterfeiting, the brand owner’s vulnerability to product counterfeiting and the potential consequences of a counterfeit product entering the market and reaching consumers.
Behavioral economic substitution between conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes differs as a function of the frequency of e-cigarette use

Abstract Background Models measuring the interactions between consumption of conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the marketplace are becoming vital forecast tools as the popularity of e-cigarettes increases and policy on tobacco products changes. Behavioral economics, which involves the integration of psychology and consumer demand, can be used to measure individuals’ purchase behavior under different marketplace conditions. Our goal was to measure hypothetical conventional cigarette and e-cigarette purchasing among smokers with varying e-cigarette use patterns. Methods Daily cigarette smokers were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk, an online crowdsourcing tool. Participants were asked about their frequency of e-cigarette use and to complete hypothetical single and cross-commodity purchase tasks. Results Frequency of e-cigarette use differentially affected how individuals consumed both conventional and e- cigarettes in different hypothetical marketplace conditions. The present study demonstrates four main findings: 1) the demand for conventional cigarettes was the lowest in those with greater frequency of e-cigarette use, 2) the demand for e-cigarettes was the highest in those with greater frequency of e-cigarette use, 3) when both products were available together, daily e-cigarette users purchased more e-cigarettes, but e-cigarettes served as a substitute for cigarettes in all groups regardless of frequency of use, and 4) the demand for conventional cigarette demand was lower in frequent e-cigarette users when e-cigarettes were concurrently available. Conclusions Together, these data suggest that price and marketplace conditions will impact purchasing behavior of conventional and e-cigarettes users heterogeneously. Therefore, frequency of use patterns should be considered when implementing novel policies and/or marketplace changes.
La concepción radical de la fe en Lutero: Cristo y la subjetividad en la era post-metafísica

En su comentario a la epistola de Pablo a los Galatas publicado en 1535, Lutero expone su teologia como un lenguaje marcado por el arte de las distinciones (dos justicias, obras y gracia, actividad y pasividad, ley y evangelio, sociedad y religion). Estas distinciones no son un reflejo de un dualismo ontologico, sino la confrontacion de la situacion dual y traumatizada de la existencia humana inscripta en dos tipos de entornos simbolicos: uno representado por el resultado de un proceso evolutivo que tiene como perspectiva al ego(s) y su construccion social, y otro que surge como una perspectiva ‘virtual’ diferente en disputa con este ego–lo que Lutero identifica como Cristo y la fe. No se trata de la clasica grieta entre mente y cuerpo, conciencia y obras, sino de la brecha que atraviesa al sujeto que lidia con dos tipos de ‘objetividades’, interpelaciones, inscripciones, perspectivas y simbolizaciones. En dialogo con las ciencias neurocognitivas y fi losofias de la mente contemporaneas, las clasicas distinciones de Lutero adquieren una nueva luminosidad, reubicando de lleno al discurso teologico en el debate actual en torno a la consciencia y la subjetividad.
Microbiota, cirrhosis, and the emerging oral-gut-liver axis

Cirrhosis is a prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality, especially for those at an advanced decompensated stage. Cirrhosis development and progression involves several important interorgan communications, and recently, the gut microbiome has been implicated in pathophysiology of the disease. Dysbiosis, defined as a pathological change in the microbiome, has a variable effect on the compensated versus decompensated stage of cirrhosis. Adverse microbial changes, both in composition and function, can act at several levels within the gut (stool and mucosal) and have also been described in the blood and oral cavity. While dysbiosis in the oral cavity could be a source of systemic inflammation, current cirrhosis treatment modalities are targeted toward the gut-liver axis and do not address the oral microbiome. As interventions designed to modulate oral dysbiosis may delay progression of cirrhosis, a better understanding of this process is of the utmost importance. The concept of oral microbiota dysbiosis in cirrhosis is relatively new; therefore, this review will highlight the emerging role of the oral-gut-liver axis and introduce perspectives for future research.
Principal component reconstruction (PCR) for cine CBCT with motion learning from 2D fluoroscopy.

Purpose This work aims to generate cine CT images (i.e., 4D images with high temporal resolution) based on a novel principal component reconstruction (PCR) technique with motion learning from 2D fluoroscopic training images. Methods In the proposed PCR method, the matrix factorization is utilized as an explicit low-rank regularization of 4D images that are represented as a product of spatial principal components and temporal motion coefficients. The key hypothesis of PCR is that temporal coefficients from 4D images can be reasonably approximated by temporal coefficients learned from 2D fluoroscopic training projections. For this purpose, we can acquire fluoroscopic training projections for a few breathing periods at fixed gantry angles that are free from geometric distortion due to gantry rotation, i.e., fluoroscopy based motion learning. Such training projections can provide an effective characterization of the breathing motion. The temporal coefficients can be extracted from these training projections and used as priors for PCR, even though principal components from training projections are certainly not the same these from 4D images to be reconstructed. For this purpose, training data are synchronized with reconstruction data using identical real-time breathing position intervals for projection binning. In terms of image reconstruction, with a priori temporal coefficients, the data fidelity for PCR changes from nonlinear to linear, and consequently the PCR method is robust and can be solved efficiently. PCR is formulated as a convex optimization problem with the sum of linear data fidelity with respect to spatial principal components and spatiotemporal total variation regularization imposed on 4D image phases. The solution algorithm of PCR is developed based on alternating direction method of multipliers. Results The implementation is fully parallelized on GPU with NVIDIA CUDA toolbox and each reconstruction takes about a few minutes. The proposed PCR method is validated and compared with a state-of-art method, i.e., PICCS, using both simulation and experimental data with the on-board cone-beam CT setting. The results demonstrated the feasibility of PCR for cine CBCT and significantly improved reconstruction quality of PCR from PICCS for cine CBCT. Conclusion With a priori estimated temporal motion coefficients using fluoroscopic training projections, the PCR method can accurately reconstruct spatial principal components, and then generate cine CT images as a product of temporal motion coefficients and spatial principal components. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Circuits and Applications

Single-electronics needs applications which make good use of inherent properties of the Coulomb blockade, tunnel junctions, and quantum dots. Many problems that plague single-electronics today can be removed or alleviated by intelligent circuit design. In order to capture the status quo of single-electronic circuit design a fairly complete list of devices and circuits is presented. We will look at fundamental building blocks, such as the ubiquitous single-electron transistor, pump, and turnstile, we will analyze metrological applications like supersensitive electrometers and primary thermometers, and we will study single-electron memories and logic applications. Finally we will assess the merits of neuronal networks, Boltzmann machines, and other specialized circuits.
The hemodialysis membranes: a historical perspective, current state and future prospect

Transport and biocompatibility characteristics are two important considerations when choosing hemodialysis membranes. Dialyzer performance depends on clearances of small solutes, middle molecules, and oncotically active proteins. Although complement and neutrophil activation have become the gold standards for biocompatibility testing of dialysis membranes, alterations of other cellular and noncellular blood elements as a result of blood-membrane interactions are also important. Because of concerns about middle molecule transport and biocompatibility, the original cellophane membrane has been gradually replaced by modified cellulosic membranes and synthetic membranes for clinical use. Recent studies suggest that the choice of dialysis membrane influences the clinical outcome of patients in several areas, including intradialytic acute anaphylactoid reactions, beta 2-microglobulin associated amyloidosis, recovery from acute renal failure, and mortality of chronic hemodialysis patients. However, the relative contributions of middle molecule transport, biocompatibility, and other factors in determining these differences in outcome are unclear. Future development of hemodialysis membranes should focus on improving biocompatibility and enhancing clearances of small solutes and middle molecules, while minimizing the loss of larger plasma proteins.
Inhibitory circuitry in relation to the functional organization of somatosensory cortex

Inhibition plays an important role in control of receptive field size in the somatosensory cortex (SI). In the present studies, the distributions of GABA-immunoreactive neurons and GABAA receptors were determined in relation to the reported functional properties of inhibition. In each of the cytoarchitectonic areas of SI, densities of GABA neurons and receptors were highest in layer II. Approximately 26% of the neurons in SI were GABAergic. The distributions of these GABA elements did not parallel the functional effects of inhibition in controlling receptive field size. Instead, preliminary experiments suggest that the extent of intrinsic, horizontal connections is more closely correlated with the extent of receptive field expansion when inhibition is blocked. In other experiments, the role of afferent activity in regulating receptive field size was examined. Such regulation begins as early as the dorsal column nuclei, and involves activity of capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents. These afferents may act in the DCN through substance P receptors, which were localized to the cell nest regions of the nuclei. Thus, receptive field size appears to be regulated at multiple levels of the somatosensory system by local inhibitory mechanisms.
Neuroplasticity, Aging, and Cognitive Function

Publisher Summary This chapter addresses the evidence that indicates that cognitive interventions change neural function or structure of the brain. It also highlights that other excellent and recent comprehensive reviews of training effects in older adults are available. It also provides a brief overview of neural changes that occur in the brain with age, a theoretical model for understanding the relationship between neural changes with age and the role that interventions might play in heightening plasticity. Following this, it reviews extant evidence that addresses the relationship between neurocognitive function and cognitive interventions. The fitness research provides convincing evidence that there are modest gains to be realized in cognitive function by maintaining a moderate to high level of fitness at older ages. The evidence with respect to training and engagement studies is less clear, and the absolute number of studies available is very limited. Training studies that yield evidence for task-specific changes as a result of sustained experience with the training task provide a great deal of important evidence about the neural processes that underlie behavioral change, but do not necessarily demonstrate brain plasticity. The chapter concludes with unresolved questions and recommendations for future research in this important domain that has clearly captivated the interest of scientists and the public, as well as marketing executives and software companies.
Long-term leaching of arsenic from pressure-treated playground structures in the northeastern United States.

Abstract Wood used in playground structures built prior to 2004 was pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) which has been associated with negative health and environmental impacts. Given the prevalence and lack of maintenance of these aging play structures in rural northeastern US, the aim of this study was to determine the distribution of As (total, speciated and bioaccessible) in surface soil collected near and underneath four CCA-treated playground structures 16- and 26-years following installation. Note that one playground in southeastern MA was studied where surface soil samples were collected at various distances from the structures (0, 5, 15, and 30 cm). Total As in surface soil was measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, whereas As speciation and bioaccessible As were determined by HPLC-ICPMS and in vitro SBRC-gastric assay, respectively. Near (≤5 cm) and underneath CCA-treated structures total As concentration in surface soil ranged from 143.4–213.5 mg/kg after 26 years of installation compared to 101.3–166.6 mg/kg ten years earlier. These concentrations exceeded the Massachusetts Residential Risk-Based Soil Standard by 5–10 times. In comparison, total As in background soil samples ranged from 4.6–6.6 mg/kg during the two study periods. While most of the As in surface soil were in the form of As(V), ≤ 29% was bioaccessible. Overall, our findings demonstrated that arsenic accumulation in soil surrounding aging playground structures continues to be a source of elevated exposure to children through contact with contaminated soil.
Fiber properties of several species of agavaceae from the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico

Hard fibers are tissues obtained by decorticating leaves of various monocots, including sisal and abaca. These fibers have traditionally been used in cordage applications (rope, burlap, etc.), but they are also pulped and used in the paper industry for making specialty papers including currency, tea bags, and other products requiring high tensile strength. We examined fiber properties of several genera of Agavaceae from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico to determine their potential for paper making. Leaf samples of species ofAgave, Dasylirion, Hesperaloe, Nolina, and Yucca were macerated and fiber cell length, width, and wall thickness were measured. Several species ofHesperaloe andYucca have fibers that are as long or longer (>3 mm) and narrower (<20 µ) than those of sisal. Species ofAgave, Dasylirion, and,Nolina have shorter fibers (mostly 1.5 mm). Species ofHesperaloe andYucca would appear to be most suitable for paper making.
The Michael addition of 1,2-cyclohexanedione to β-nitrostyrenes (I): the synthesis of 3-aryl-5,6-dihydrobenzofuran-7(4H)-ones

Abstract The reaction of β-nitrostyrenes with 1,2-cyclohexanedione using K2CO3 as a base results in the formation of 3-aryl-5,6-dihydrobenzofuran-7(4H)-ones in good yields. A putative reaction mechanism involves an initial Michael addition of the dione C-enolate to the β-nitro-styrene, followed by intramolecular cyclization of the resulting O-enolate anion, elimination of nitrite ion, and air oxidation. Product formation is highly dependent on base stoichiometry.
Debunking Rumors in Social Networks: A Timely Approach

Social networks have been instrumental in spreading rumor such as fake news and false rumors. Research in rumor intervention to date has concentrated on launching an intervening campaign to limit the number of infectees. However, many emerging and important tasks focus more onearly intervention. Social and psychological studies have revealed that rumors might evolve 70% of its original content after 6 transmissions. Therefore, ignoring earliness of intervention makes the intervening campaign downgrade rapidly due to the evolved content. In real social networks, the number of social actors is usuallylarge, while the budget for an intervening campaign is relativelysmall. The limited budget makes early intervention particularly challenging. Nonetheless, we present an efficient containment method that promptly terminates the diffusion with least cost. To our knowledge, this work is the first to study the earliness of rumor intervention in a large real-world social network. Evaluations on a network of $3$ million users show that the key social actors who earliest terminate the spread are not necessarily the most influential users or friends of rumor initiators, and the proposed method effectively reduces the life span of rumors.
Combined kidney and hematopoeitic cell transplantation to induce mixed chimerism and tolerance

Based on preclinical studies, combined kidney and hematopoietic cell transplantation was performed on fully HLA matched and haplotype matched patients at the Stanford University Medical Center. The object of the studies was to induce mixed chimerism, immune tolerance, and complete immunosuppressive drug withdrawal. Tolerance, persistent mixed chimerism, and complete withdrawal was achieved in the majority of fully matched patients. Persistent mixed chimerism and partial withdrawal has been achieved in the haplotype matched patients at present.
Sex-related differences in the progressive retinal degeneration of the rd10 mouse

The retinal degeneration 10 (rd10) mouse is a model of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease that causes blindness through the progressive loss of photoreceptors. This study shows evidence of sex-related differences in RP onset and progression in rd10 retinas. The disease onset was considerably earlier in the female rd10 mice than in the male rd10 mice, as evidenced by a loss of PDE6β proteins and rod-dominated electroretinogram (ERG) responses at an early age. Single photopic flash and flicker ERG responses and immunolabeling of opsin molecules were analyzed in both genders to assess the sex differences in the degeneration of cones in the RP retinas. The averaged amplitudes of cone-mediated ERG responses obtained from the females were significantly smaller than the amplitudes of the responses from the age-matched males in the late stages of the RP, suggesting that cones might degenerate faster in the female retinas as the disease progressed. The rapid degeneration of cones caused a more substantial decrease in the ERG responses derived from the On-pathway than the Off-pathway in the females. In addition, the male rd10 mice had heavier body weights than their female counterparts aged between postnatal (P)18 and P50 days. In summary, female rd10 mice were more susceptible to retinal degeneration, suggesting that the female sex might be a risk factor for RP. The results have important implications for future studies exploring potential sex-related differences in RP development and progression in the clinic.
Afro-Asian Solidarities to Afrasian Spaces and Identities: Exploring the Limits of Afrasia

Renewed conceptualisations of Afrasia and Afrasian spaces, as used in this chapter, are meant to highlight emerging transregional spaces of interaction and challenge notions of China’s neo-colonisation of Africa and South–South solidarities. I attempt to problematise these new conceptualisations by exploring the history of African–Asian engagements between African and Asian unfree labourers, Bandung-era Third-World solidarity movements, and the treatment of different Asian migrant communities in two African countries, specifically Uganda and South Africa. I argue that it is important to view episodes of Afro-Asian solidarities in the context of Western colonial efforts to privilege Whiteness. Current constructions of Africa-Asian spaces must (1) render the West and Whiteness visible, and (2) address China’s increasing power on the global stage. If Afrasian spaces emerge, we will likely find them in the intimate relationships between African and Asian people. Further, if the concept of Afrasia is to become more widely relevant, it must be embraced by both African and Asians.
User Interface Design Considerations for Next GenerationLearning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are an essential part of the teaching and learning environmenttoday. In this study we evaluateda number of existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) based on their user-centered heuristics. Ranked by their priority we compared the most commonly used tasks that students and instructorsperform via an LMS. Weoutlinedan interface design paradigm that is naturally integrated with the five core features of the Next Generation Digital Learning Environment standard for future LMS.
Education and Employment Transitions among Young Adults with Disabilities: Comparisons by Disability Status, Type and Severity

It is well established that successful transitions into adulthood vary greatly by numerous factors (e.g., race, gender); yet, understanding of ways that disability-related factors shape transitions...
Tropical fruits: Pineapples

Abstract Pineapple fruits are harvested when they have reach full-size, have some degree of skin yellowing and a good balance of sugars to acids. For Smooth Cayenne varieties flatness of eyes is also a criteria. Mechanical injury, translucency, chilling injury, and postharvest disease are the main causes of postharvest losses. As a nonclimacteric fruit response to CA and MA are small and frequently do not warrant the expense and this is borne out by the numerous trials carried out by the large growers and shippers. Fruit bagging and selected fruit coatings have shown considerable ability in reducing chilling injury symptom development with coating being most commonly used. In this chapter the published data on use of CA/MA for pineapple postharvest is discussed.
California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act – From the Back Seat to the Driver Seat in the (Inter)National Groundwater Sustainability Movement

California’s geography and Mediterranean, semi-arid climate has attracted both a burgeoning population and one of the largest irrigated agricultural developments in the world. Water resources are important to the livelihood of the state. With dry summers and highly variable annual winter precipitation, groundwater is a critical resource, drought buffer, and long-term storage reservoir for the state. Only during the most recent five-year drought, California adopted statutory control of groundwater resources: in 2014, the legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The law is the most significant California water law reform since the legislature took statutory control of surface water rights in 1914 and of water quality in 1969. This chapter provides an overview of groundwater management during the state’s 150-year history, with often uncontrolled groundwater development, with conflict resolution and groundwater adjudications through the courts in some areas, and continued groundwater overdraft in others. Where courts have set limits on groundwater extraction, the objective has been to ensure stable and reliable groundwater level dynamics to avoid well outages, land subsidence, and seawater intrusion. Shortages are shared in sometimes complicated arrangements among overlying users and prior appropriators of groundwater. Under SGMA, groundwater management decisions will be made at the local level, with state oversight, to achieve long-term sustainability. We explore SGMA’s vision for sustainability, stakeholder engagement, technical-scientific assessment, planning, and infrastructure practices. We also describe the role of state enforcement as a key driver for successful implementation of local groundwater sustainability plans. Importantly, local groundwater management, for the first time, will also need to consider groundwater pumping effects on surface water, on groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and on water quality. Hence, key challenges facing local groundwater management agencies also arise from needing to address overlapping and potentially competing and less well-defined legal doctrines and federal and state laws pertaining surface water rights, ecosystems, and water quality.
Parental Educational Attainment and Social Environment of Urban Public Schools in the U.S.: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

Background: Recent research has documented marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) of socioeconomic status (SES), defined as weaker effects of SES indicators, such as parental educational attainment, on securing tangible outcomes for the members of socially marginalized (e.g., racial and ethnic minority) groups, compared to privileged social groups (e.g., non-Hispanic Whites). Aims: To explore race/ethnic differences between non-Hispanic Blacks vs. non-Hispanic Whites who attend urban public schools on the effect of parental education on lower school environmental risk among American high schoolers. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we borrowed the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS-2002) baseline data, a nationally representative study that enrolled 1706 10th grade youths who were attending urban public schools. From this number, 805 (47.2%) were non-Hispanic Black and 901 (52.8%) were non-Hispanic White youths. The dependent variable was the level of school social environmental risk measured using 18 items as self-reported, and was treated as a continuous variable. The independent variable was parental educational attainment, treated as a continuous measure. Gender, region, and parental marital status were the covariates. Race/ethnicity was the moderating variable. Linear regressions were applied to perform our data analysis. Results: Black students were found to attend schools with higher levels of social environmental risk. Youths with parents with a higher educational attainment were found to attend schools with a lower social environmental risk. We found a significant interaction between race (non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic White) and parental educational attainment on the level of school social environmental risk, suggesting that the protective effect of high parental education on reducing the school social environmental risk was smaller for non-Hispanic Black than for non-Hispanic White youths. Conclusions: Although high parental educational attainment is protective against social environmental risk for American youths, this protective effect is weaker for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths. The diminished returns of parental education in reducing school social environmental risk may explain why the effects of parental education on educational outcomes are smaller for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths (i.e., MDRs). The social environment indirectly generates racial youth educational disparities through deteriorating non-Hispanic Black youth educational outcomes across all SES levels. To prevent the confounding effects of private, suburban, rural, and Catholic schools, we limited this analysis to public urban schools. More research is needed on other settings.
Litigating Land Use Cases in Federal Court: A Substantive Due Process Primer

Editor’s Synopsis: This Article argues that land use plaintiffs should have access to federal courts when they can claim that abusive governmental decisions violate their substantive due process rights. Traditionally, land use plaintiffs have faced many hurdles in getting their cases into federal court. This Article shows how courts can provide effective constitutional relief in land use cases involving governmental abuse. This Article discusses major hurdles that land use plaintiffs traditionally face when bringing a case in federal court, including the entitlement rule, the ripeness barrier, and Graham preemption. The entitlement rule means that a plaintiff must have an entitlement to property before she can bring a substantive due process claim. The ripeness barrier requires a plaintiff in a takings case to obtain a final decision from the local government before bringing a takings claim in federal court. Graham preemption prevents a court from hearing a substantive due process case if the case could have been brought under a more specific constitutional clause, such as the takings clause. This Article concludes with a discussion of the appropriate standard of review that should be applied in land use substantive due process cases. The Article rejects the shocks the conscious standard applied by the Supreme Court in influential Fourth Amendment cases as the appropriate standard and goes on to discuss the inconsistency of standards applied within circuits to other substantive due process cases. The Article ends with an analysis of the “arbitrary conduct” standard of judicial review applied when municipalities engaged in abusive conduct in land use cases.
Primary Care Interventions for Prevention and Cessation of Tobacco Use in Children and Adolescents.

J.P., a 13-year-old girl, presents to your clinic for a routine well-child visit. She has no acute concerns, is doing well in school, plays sports, and is generally healthy. J.P. reports that she has never used tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes or vaping.