cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intellectuals in liberal democracies : political influence and social involvement

Preface Introduction The Role of Intellectuals in Liberal Democracies: Political Influence and Social Involvement by Alain G. Gagnon Case Studies Social Scientists and Politics in Canada by Stephen Brooks and Alain G. Gagnon The Decline of the Left Intellectual in Modern France by George Ross Intellectuals: Producers and consumers of Social Criticism by Paul Hollander Intellectuals and the Construction of Consensus in Post-War England by Alan Swingewood Intellectuals and the Transformation of Political Culture in Post-War Italy by Carl Boggs The Intellectual in Mandarin Country: The West German Case by Hauke Brunkhorst Intellectuals and the Open Society in Israel by Michael Keren Perspectives for Comparative Analysis Intellectuals and Political Elites by S.N. Eisenstadt The Influence of Intellectuals on the Production of culture in France and the United States since World War II by Michele Lamont Jewish Intellectuals in Liberal Democracies by William D. Rubinstein The Political Sociology of Intellectuals: A Critique and a Proposal by Robert J. Brym Bibliography Index About the Contributors
Noncoherent Data Transition Tracking Loops for Symbol Synchronization in Digital Communications Receivers

Starting with the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation approach, this paper derives the optimum (in the MAP estimation sense) means for performing symbol timing recovery in the absence of carrier phase information (i.e., prior to carrier phase recovery). Specifically, we examine the necessary modification of a well-known form of coherent symbol synchronizer, namely, the data transition tracking loop (DTTL) to allow its operation in the absence of carrier phase information, i.e., as a so-called noncoherent symbol sync loop. By employing such a noncoherent scheme, one can eliminate the need for iteration between the carrier and symbol sync functions, as typically takes place in receivers that more commonly perform carrier tracking and acquisition prior to symbol timing. The performance of both the linear and nonlinear versions of this noncoherent DTTL is obtained by a combination of analysis and simulation, and compared with that of the corresponding coherent DDTLs.
Race, Class, and Conflict in a Custodial Setting: Toward the Development of a Theory of Minority-Group Politicalization

This paper proposes a theory of minority-group politicalization in an attempt to link the politicalization process to conflict with authority in prison. Using path-analytic procedures, moderate-to-high support was provided the proposed theory of politicalization. It was determined that the “best” model of politicalization was the one using “importation” variables as exogenous and “race consciousness” as the endogenous politicalization variable. It was suggested that not only is politicalization a determinant of conflict with authority in prison, this attitude set may be related to various indices of conflict with authority in society such as crime rates and assaults on whites and police. With respect to the amount of variance explained in the two politicalization variables, race consciousness and class consciousness, importation variables again emerge as most important, collectively explaining over twice the amount of variance in both types of consciousness as the set of deprivation variables. Finally, ra...
Motivation, Change, and Stability: Findings From an Urban Police Department

Although public-sector motivation is conceived of as dynamic, and responsive to organizational stimuli, few empirical works have treated it as such. As a result, we have little understanding about how bureaucrats’ motivations change over time or about the relative impacts of intra- and extraorganizational influences. This study contributes by examining an entering group of police officers during the first 2 years of their employment. Its findings show modest change across a variety of motives over the course of the study. At each time they were contacted, the strongest predictors of an entrant’s motivations were his or her entering motivations. However, formal and informal organization influences were also associated with entrants’ motives and the amount of change appeared to increase over time. The article concludes by considering the implications of these findings for public management research and practice.
Direct Cell Adhesion to the Angiopoietins Mediated by Integrins

Genetic ablation of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) or of its cognate receptor, Tie2, disrupts angiogenesis in mouse embryos. The endothelial cells in growing blood vessels of Ang-1 knockout mice have a rounded appearance and are poorly associated with one another and their underlying basement membranes (Dumont, D. J., Gradwohl, G., Fong, G. H., Puri, M. C., Gertsenstein, M., Auerbach, A., and Breitman, M. L. (1994) Genes Dev. 8, 1897--1909; Sato, T. N., Tozawa, Y., Deutsch, U., Wolburg-Buchholz, K., Fujiwara, Y., Gendron-Maguire, M., Gridley, T., Wolburg, H., Risau, W., and Qin, Y. (1995) Nature 376, 70--74; Suri, C., Jones, P. F., Patan, S., Bartunkova, S., Maisonpierre, P. C., Davis, S., Sato, T. N., and Yancopoulos, G. D. (1996) Cell 87, 1171--1180). It is therefore possible that Ang-1 regulates endothelial cell adhesion. In this study we asked whether Ang-1 might act as a direct substrate for cell adhesion. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) plated for a brief period on different substrates were found to adhere and spread well on Ang-1. Similar results were seen on angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2)-coated surfaces, although cells did not spread well on Ang-2. Ang-1, but not Ang-2, supported HUVEC migration, and this was independent of growth factor activity. When the same experiments were done with fibroblasts that either lacked, or stably expressed, Tie2, results similar to those with HUVECs were seen, suggesting that adhesion to the angiopoietins was independent of Tie2 and not limited to endothelial cells. Interestingly, when integrin-blocking agents were included in these assays, adhesion to either angiopoietin was significantly reduced. Moreover, Chinese hamster ovary-B2 cells lacking the alpha(5) integrin subunit did not adhere to Ang-1, but they did adhere to Ang-2. Stable expression of the human alpha(5) integrin subunit in these cells rescued adhesion to Ang-1 and promoted an increase in adhesion to Ang-2. We also found that Ang-1 and Ang-2 bind rather selectively to vitronectin. These results suggest that, beyond their role in modulating Tie2 signaling, Ang-1 and Ang-2 can directly support cell adhesion mediated by integrins.
The Use of Biological Concepts in the Writing of History

Much of the controversy over the question whether historiography is an “art” or a “science” is derived from the encounter of nineteenth-century historians with biologists and with the popularizers of the Darwinian hypothesis. That it was a two-way encounter, with profit on both sides, there is no doubt. It should be possible, therefore, to assess the impact of the “grand style” of the historian’s vision on the development of biological theory, to show how the ways in which historians took for granted such concepts as “growth,” “development,” “rise and fall,” “emergence,” and produced theories which accorded well with mid-Victorian optimism in a world becoming increasingly Europeanized. It would be fascinating to explore the fact that historical writings in the nineteenth century, with its frequent emphasis on the growth and development of institutions, races, and nations, was a considerable part of the air which biologists breathed, and that the impact of historical thought on biological reasoning was not inconsiderable.
Environmental controls on daytime net community calcification on a Red Sea reef flat

Coral growth and carbonate accumulation form the foundation of the coral reef ecosystem. Changes in environmental conditions due to coastal development, climate change, and ocean acidification may pose a threat to net carbonate production in the near future. Controlled laboratory studies demonstrate that calcification by corals and coralline algae is sensitive to changes in aragonite saturation state (Ωa), as well as temperature, light, and nutrition. Studies also show that the dissolution rate of carbonate substrates is impacted by changes in carbonate chemistry. The sensitivity of coral reefs to these parameters must be confirmed and quantified in the natural environment in order to predict how coral reefs will respond to local and global changes, particularly ocean acidification. We estimated the daytime hourly net community metabolic rates, both net community calcification (NCC) and net community productivity (NCP), at Sheltered Reef, an offshore platform reef in the central Red Sea. Average NCC was 8 ± 3 mmol m−2 h−1 in December 2010 and 11 ± 1 mmol m−2 h−1 in May 2011, and NCP was 21 ± 7 mmol m−2 h−1 in December 2010 and 44 ± 4 mmol m−2 h−1 in May 2011. We also monitored a suite of physical and chemical properties to help relate the rates at Sheltered Reef to published rates from other sites. While previous research shows that short-term field studies investigating the NCC–Ωa relationship have differing results due to confounding factors, it is important to continue estimating NCC in different places, seasons, and years, in order to monitor changes in NCC versus Ω in space and time, and to ultimately resolve a broader understanding of this relationship.
Legislatures: Rational Systems or Rational Myths?

This article addresses a gap in the literature on legislatures as organizations. Organization theory has focused on private firms. Theories of public organization have focused on bureaucracies. Political scientists use formal, rational choice models to study legislative institutions but are primarily interested in explaining individual, not organizational behavior. I suggest that organization theory, applied to legislatures, can provide some useful insights beyond the rational choice approaches predominant in political science. I apply an organization theory perspective, which I call interpretive theory, to engage the current debate among rational choice theorists over whether legislative organization is driven by member interest in policy outcomes or in political positioning-an argument most elaborately presented by Keith Krehbiel's information theory. I present an empirical analysis of information use by congressional committees from 1985 to 1994 to challenge Krehbiel's view and to suggest the utility of the organization theory perspective.
Numerical Simulation of Wake Passing on Turbine Cascades

The numerical simulations for two sets of unsteady wake/blade interaction experiments are performed. The first experiment considered was conducted by Kaszeta et al. (2001) to study the effects of periodically passing wakes on transition and separation in a low pressure turbine passage. The second set of experiments considered are the linear turbine cascade experiments of Schobeiri and Pappu (1997) which were conducted to investigate the unsteady boundary layer behavior on a NASA Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) turbine blade cascade. In both experiments, moving cylindrical rods are used to mimic the periodically passing wakes upstream of the flows. The numerical simulations are performed for both sets of experiments using a recently developed multi-block Navier-Stokes solver which is capable of handling complex geometries, overset, and moving grids while featuring MPI. Results of fully turbulent computations are presented along with the experimental data. Although comparison with experiment indicates that the general features of unsteady wake/blade interactions are captured with a fully turbulent simulation, it is evident that without taking flow transition into consideration, the flow separation near the trailing edge of the blade can not be predicted.
A Therapeutic Role for Survivin in Mitigating the Harmful Effects of Ionizing Radiation

Background. Radiation therapy is a form of adjuvant care used in many oncological treatment protocols. However, nonmalignant neighboring tissues are harmed as a result of this treatment. Therefore, the goal of this study was to induce the production of survivin, an antiapoptotic protein, to determine if this protein could provide protection to noncancerous cells during radiation exposure. Methods. Using a murine model, a recombinant adenoassociated virus (rAAV) was used to deliver survivin to the treatment group and yellow fluorescence protein (YFP) to the control group. Both groups received targeted radiation. Visual inspection, gait analysis, and tissue histology were used to determine the extent of damage caused by the radiation. Results. The YFP group demonstrated ulceration of the irradiated area while the survivin treated mice exhibited only hair loss. Histology showed that the YFP treated mice experienced dermal thickening, as well as an increase in collagen that was not present in the survivin treated mice. Gait analysis demonstrated a difference between the two groups, with the YFP mice averaging a lower speed. Conclusions. The use of gene-modification to induce survivin expression in normal tissues allows for the protection of nontarget areas from the negative side effects normally associated with ionizing radiation.
The Penetration of Ultraviolet Light Through Transparent Dressings

Ultraviolet light (UVL) is frequently used in treating open wounds to retard the growth of bacteria.1–3 Use of transparent dressings is also commonly used to retard the growth of bacteria in open lesions. Transparent dressings, such as Op-Site™* and Tegaderm,™† are thin, film backings coated with adhesive that allow an open area to be seen and that permit oxygen and moisture vapor to permeate. The dressings, however, protect the area from water and bacteria.4 PROBLEM At Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, NC, both UVL and transparent dressings are used to retard the growth of bacteria in open wounds, such as skin-graft donor sites or superficial decubiti. We raised the question of whether UVL would penetrate the transparent dressings and permit both forms of treatment to be used simultaneously. A review of the literature on UVL and transparent dressing did not answer the question.…
Review of environmental-friendly public health insecticides

With the social progress and economic development,people's awareness of health and environmental protection consciousness strengthens gradually,which causes more and more need of highly hygienic insecticide.Meanwhile,the shortcoming of chemical compounds becomes increasingly critical.Botanical insecticide,microbial insecticide and insect regulators have become dominant research directions.According to the latest achievements of the 3 kinds of insecticides in vector control field,we introduced systematically their active ingredients,target pests,mode of action,the public health insecticides registered in China and their research status.The developing direction of hygienic insecticides in China was suggested as well.
The role of volitional effort in the Bielschowsky head tilt test: a clinical and oculographic assessment.

PURPOSE To determine whether volitional effort on the part of the subject can influence the results of the Bielschowsky Head Tilt Test. PATIENTS AND METHODS Bielschowsky Head Tilt testing was performed in five normal subjects. Vertical amplitudes were measured with prism alternate cover testing when the head tilt was voluntary (volitionally maintained in a tilted position by the subject), forced (restrained in the tilted position by the examiner while the patient actively resisted) and active (restrained in a tilted position by the examiner with the subject actively trying to increase the tilt). Three-dimensional scleral search coil recordings were performed in three additional normal subjects using the same paradigm to determine the effect of volition on the torsional positions of the eyes. RESULTS No vertical deviation of the eyes was detectable with prism alternate cover testing in any position of tilt, regardless of whether the tilt was voluntary, forced, or active. Volitional attempts to tilt the head were preceded by a transient ipsiversive torsional movement of the measured eye, which was quickly followed by a normal ocular counterroll. Following completion of the counterroll, the position of the eyes was constant for any position of head tilt, regardless of whether the tilt was forced, active, or voluntary. CONCLUSION Anticipatory torsional movements of the eyes are evoked by an attempted volitional head movement in the roll plane and its associated innervation to the cervical musculature. However, these volitional movements do not alter the final torsional position of the eyes, which is a function of the degree of head tilt and the normal ocular counterroll. These anticipatory torsional movements do not influence the results of the Bielschowsky Head Tilt Test clinically by prism alternate cover testing.
"Hummingbird" floral traits interact synergistically to discourage visitation by bumble bee foragers.

Pollination syndromes are suites of floral traits presumed to reflect adaptations to attract and utilize a ‘primary’ type of animal pollinator. However, syndrome traits may also function to deter ‘secondary’ flower visitors that reduce plant fitness through their foraging activities. Here we use the hummingbird-pollinated plant species Mimulus cardinalis as a model to investigate the potential deterrent effects of classic bird syndrome traits on bumblebee foragers. To establish that M. cardinalis flowers elicit an avoidance response in bees, we assessed the choice behavior of individual foragers on a mixed experimental array of M. cardinalis and its bee-pollinated sister species M. lewisii. As expected, bees showed a strong preference against M. cardinalis flowers (only 22% of total bee visits were to M. cardinalis), but surprisingly also showed a high degree of individual specialization (95.2% of total plant transitions were between conspecifics). To determine M. cardinalis floral traits that discourage bee visitation, we then assessed foraging responses of individuals to M. cardinalis-like and M. lewisii-like floral models differing in color, orientation, reward, and combinations thereof. Across experiments, M. cardinalis-like trait combinations consistently produced a higher degree of flower avoidance behavior and individual specialization than expected based on bee responses to each trait in isolation. We then conducted a series of flower discrimination experiments to assess the ability of bees to utilize traits and trait combinations associated with each species. Relative to M. lewisii-like alternatives, M. cardinalis-like traits alone had a minimal effect on bee foraging proficiency but together increased the time bees spent searching for rewarding flowers from 1.49 to 2.65 seconds per visit. Collectively, our results show that M. cardinalis flowers impose foraging costs on bumblebees sufficient to discourage visitation and remarkably, generate such costs through synergistic color-orientation and color-reward trait interactions. Floral syndromes therefore represent complex adaptations to multiple pollinator groups, rather than simply the primary pollinator. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Neurologic care ... anytime

The demand for neurologic care is increasing, and the need for timely neurologic evaluation is high. As the population ages, the demand for timely neurologic care will only increase. Long wait times are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, perhaps due to delays in diagnosis and treatment.1,2 In addition, delays in care lead to decreased patient satisfaction and increased emergency department (ED) visits for nonurgent conditions. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) targeted timely access to health care as essential to improving the quality of our health care system.3 Last year, the IOM issued a report on increasing access to care and transforming patient scheduling. This report highlights the importance of national initiatives to address this issue and calls for a multifaceted approach in evaluating and researching the problem including continuous health care supply and demand assessments.4
Thrombin Contributes to the Tumor Promalignant Phenotype by Upregulation of Cathepsin D Which Stimulates Angiogenesis.

Although the association of thrombosis and occult cancer has been recognized for >40 years, the role of thrombin in enhancing the malignant phenotype has only been recently appreciated. To better understand the mechanisms involved we performed an Affymetrix gene display on 2 tumor cell lines, B16F10 and UMCL to look for genes which could be activated by thrombin and contribute to the promalignant phenotype. Cathepsin D (CD) was upregulated 2–4 fold, confirmed by mRNA and protein analysis. We focused on CD because its upregulation has been associated with human malignancy and poor prognosis, particularly with breast CA as well ovarian, prostate, bladder and melanoma. Thrombin (0.5 u/ml for 24 hrs) upregulated mRNA 1.5 – 2.3 fold and protein 1.5 – 4.2 fold in 8 different cell lines: human breast MCF7 and MDAMB-231, cervical HeLa, prostate PC3, primary HUVEC and brain microvascular endothelial cells as well as murine melanoma B16F10 and mammary 4T1. Thrombin also increased secretion of CD 3.1 – 8.2 fold in MCF7, HeLa and PC3 cell lines. We next examined the effect of CD (shRNA) knock down (KD) and thrombin in 4T1 cells. Thrombin (0.5 u/ml, 24 hrs) enhanced chemotaxis ∼2 fold in 4T1 cells. This was completely inhibited when CD was knocked down with siRNA but not with empty vector (EV) or scrambled vector (SV). We next tested the effect of secreted tumor cell CD (4T1 conditioned media) on angiogenesis (neoangiogenesis branching) following addition to a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). The angiogenesis index from 24 hr conditioned media of wild type (WT) and KD cells was 46 ± 4 and 19 ± 3 respectively, n=4, p=0.03. A 2.1 fold inhibition was also obtained with anti-CD Ab vs irrelevant IgG, n=3, p=0.001. This prompted testing for the effect of pure enzymatically-active CD (2 ng) on the CAM. This resulted in a 2.1 fold increase in angiogenesis which was completely inhibited by the proteolytic inhibitor, Pepstatin A (Pep A), n=10, p 5 4T1 cells were injected into the flank of syngeneic mice. CD KD revealed a 3–4 fold inhibition of tumor growth on days 19 and 25 respectively, n=5. Hirudin, a specific thrombin inhibitor significantly inhibited WT and EV cells 2–3 fold on days 19 and 25 respectively (n=5), which is compatible with thrombin upregulation of CD. Both CD and thrombin also contributed to spontaneous metastasis with CD KD vs EV vs (EV + hirudin) of 6.4 ± 0.9, 1.6 ± 0.5 and 1.4 ± 0.4 nodules respectively on day 27, n=5, p
Responses of terrestrial ecosystem phosphorus cycling to nitrogen addition: A meta-analysis

Aim Anthropogenic additions of nitrogen (N) are expected to drive terrestrial ecosystems toward greater phosphorus (P) limitation. However, a comprehensive understanding of how an ecosystem's P cycle responds to external N inputs remains elusive, making model predictions of the anthropogenic P limitation and its impacts largely uncertain. Location Global. Time period 1986-2015. Major taxa studied Terrestrial ecosystems. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis including 288 independent study sites from 192 articles to evaluate global patterns and controls of 10 variables associated with ecosystem P cycling under N addition. Results Overall, N addition increased biomass in plants (+34%) and litter (+15%) as well as plant P content (+17%), while decreasing P concentrations in plants and litter (−8% and −11%, respectively). N addition did not change soil labile P or microbial P, but enhanced phosphatase activity (+24%). The effects of N addition on the litter P pool and soil total P remained unclear due to significant publication biases. The response of P cycling to N addition in tropical forests was different from that in other ecosystem types. N addition did not change plant biomass or phosphatase activity in tropical forests but significantly reduced plant P and soil labile P concentrations. The shift in plant P concentration under N addition was negatively correlated with the N application rate or total N load. N-induced change in soil labile P was strongly regulated by soil pH value at the control sites, with a significant decrease of 14% only in acidic soils (pH < 5.5). Main conclusions Our results suggest that as anthropogenic N enhancement continues in the future it could induce P limitation in terrestrial ecosystems while accelerating P cycling, particularly in tropical forests. A quantitative framework generated on the basis of this meta-analysis is useful for our understanding of ecosystem P cycling with N addition, and for incorporating the anthropogenic P limitation into ecosystem models used to analyse effects of future climate change.
Examining the health status of homeless adults entering permanent supportive housing

Background Permanent supportive housing (PSH) has been recognized as an effective intervention and the national policy for addressing chronic homelessness in the United States. Due to an aging cohort of homeless adults and prioritizing those who are most vulnerable for housing, the health status of those entering PSH is likely worse than those previously reported in the literature. Methods This report examined the self-reported health and health conditions of a sample of 421 homeless adults entering PSH between 2014 and 2016. The average age of our sample was 54 years old. Results Overall, 90% reported two or more chronic conditions (either physical or mental), 68% reported at least two chronic physical health conditions and 56% indicated at least two chronic mental health conditions. Describing their health status, 57% reported fair, poor or very poor health. Conclusions These findings suggest that access to housing will not easily remedy the well-documented premature mortality among chronically homeless adults.
Political Affiliation, Spirituality, and Religiosity: Links to Emerging Adults’ Life Satisfaction and Optimism

The goal of this study was to extend the existing literature regarding the intersection between belief systems shaping psychological processes and subjective well-being among emerging adults. A nationwide sample of 3966 college students reported on their political affiliation, spirituality, and religiosity in relation to their subjective well-being. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that politically conservative participants were significantly more optimistic and satisfied with life than their liberal counterparts and Republican emerging adults reported significantly higher life satisfaction than Democrats. Republican emerging adults also reported significantly higher rates of religiosity and spirituality than Democratic and Independent politically affiliated emerging adults. Our findings corroborate and expand upon existing literature regarding belief systems and political identity as determinants of subjective well-being in emerging adults.
Official Frames and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921: The Struggle for Reparations:

Movements that seek reparations against racial injustices must confront historic narratives of events and patterns of repression. These injustices are often legitimated through official narratives ...
Autophagy and Proteases: Basic Study of the Autophagic Flux by Western Blot

Autophagy is a catabolic process triggered in the cell by a wide range of stress stimuli, both external (including nutrient deprivation) and internal (like the presence of protein aggregates or damaged organelles). First described in yeast, this pathway has recently gained major importance due to its role in several pathologies, from inflammatory processes to cancer or aging. However, its analysis can be easily misinterpreted if it is not done properly, leading to conflicting results. Here, the classical autophagy flux study by Western blot is described, as a first and basic analysis of the status of autophagy in a given system.
Evaluation of biological and technical variations in low-input RNA-Seq and single-cell RNA-Seq

Copyright © 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Background: Low-input or single-cell RNA-Seq are widely used today, but two technical questions remain: 1) in technical replicates, what proportion of noises comes from input RNA quantity rather than variation of bioinformatics tools?; 2) In single neurons, whether variation in gene expression is attributable to biological heterogeneity or just random noise? To examine the sources of variability, we have generated RNA-Seq data from low-input (10/100/1000pg) reference RNA samples and 38 single neurons from human brains. Results: For technical replicates, the quantity of input RNA is negatively correlated with expression variation. For genes in the medium- and high-expression groups, input RNA amount explains most of the variation, whereas bioinformatic pipelines explain some variation for the low-expression group. The t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding (t-SNE) method reveals data-inherent aggregation of low-input replicate data, and suggests heterogeneity of single pyramidal neuron transcriptome. Interestingly, expression variation in single neurons is biologically relevant. Conclusions: We found that differences in bioinformatics pipelines do not present a major source of variation.
Role of vitamin D, its metabolites, and analogs in the management of osteoporosis

Vitamin D and its metabolites are well-established regulators of bone mineral homeostasis. Their clearest role is in the prevention and treatment of rickets and osteomalacia, bone diseases characterized by inadequate bone formation, and mineralization. Much of the effectiveness of vitamin D and its active metabolite 1,25(OH)2D in treating such disorders rests with their ability to increase serum levels of calcium and phosphate principally by stimulating intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption. Osteoporosis is not a disease resulting from obvious deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate. More subtle deficiencies, however, may be found, especially among the elderly with decreased intake of dairy products, reduced sunlight exposure, and less efficient intestinal absorption of bone minerals. Such subtle deficiencies may account for the ability of vitamin D and calcium supplementation to have a beneficial effect on bone mineral density in this population. Estrogen administration to postmenopausal females raises 1,25(OH)2D levels, presumably through increased renal production, and this increase is associated with increased intestinal calcium transport. Serum measurements of the vitamin D metabolites in general, however, and 1,25(OH)2D in particular do not consistently show evidence of a decrease at the time of menopause. Although most studies show a fall in intestinal calcium transport with age, which can be reversed with 1,25(OH)2D or estrogen, even these observations have not been found consistently. Thus, some investigators have addressed the issue of tissue resistance to 1,25(OH)2D and have noted decreased VDR in the intestine and reduced 1,25(OH)2D accumulation by bone with age. Despite no obvious deficiency of vitamin D in most patients with osteoporosis, clinical trials with vitamin D or 1,25(OH)2D show promise. Vitamin D treatment will probably prove most efficacious in populations with marginal vitamin D intake and/or limited sunlight exposure; high doses would not be required, and the treatment would be safe. This would be a physiologic and not a pharmacologic use of vitamin D. The use of 1,25(OH)2D for treatment of osteoporosis in individuals with adequate nutrition and sunlight exposure may require somewhat higher than physiologic doses to be effective. Perhaps such doses are necessary to stimulate osteoblast activity and/or differentiation; by raising the serum calcium level, such doses of 1,25(OH)2D might block its otherwise stimulatory effect on osteoclast number and activity. Such doses run the risk of hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria, leading to nephrolithiasis and/or nephrocalcinosis. These undesirable side effects appear to be less common with the use of 1 alpha OHD compared with 1,25(OH)2D, but this may be because of the lower levels of calcium consumption in Japan where 1 alpha OHD is widely prescribed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Trends and Scope of Dermatology Procedures Billed by Advanced Practice Professionals From 2012 Through 2015

Importance Advanced practice professionals (APPs) such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants independently perform a large number and variety of dermatologic procedures, but little is known about how the number and scope of these procedures have changed over time. Objective To examine the trends in scope and volume of dermatology procedures billed by APPs over time. Design, Setting, and Participants A longitudinal study was conducted using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File from 2012 through 2015. The data encompass nearly all outpatient procedures paid by Medicare Part B in the United States and include the type of clinician under which procedures were billed. Main Outcomes and Measures For each type of dermatology procedure, the total number performed by APPs and the total number performed by dermatologists each year. Results The total number (and percentage) of all dermatologic procedures performed by APPs increased from 2.69 million of 30.7 million (8.8%) in 2012 to 4.54 million of 33.9 million (13.4%) in 2015. The most common procedures performed by APPs in 2015 were destructions of benign neoplasms (3.6 million), biopsies (788 834), and destructions of malignant neoplasms (48 982). The numbers of patch tests, removals of benign and malignant neoplasms, intermediate and complex repairs, flaps, and surgical pathologic specimen examinations by APPs also increased each year from 2012 through 2015. Conclusions and Relevance The number and scope of dermatologic procedures performed by APPs appear to be increasing over time. These procedures can be difficult and invasive. This study suggests that further studies are needed to determine what association these procedures have with patient outcomes and the potential need for more formal training.
How Pinteresting: An Analysis of Social Media Resources for Internalizing Disorders:

Many efforts have been made to understand social media and the resources existing online. However, prior studies have not thoroughly assessed specific platforms and the content being shared. The pr...
Shallow Netroots: Hypertext Links to Advocacy Organizations in Political Blogs

In 2002, a Weblog author coined the term ―netroots‖ — a combination of the words ―Internet‖ and ―grassroots‖ — to describe the use of political blogs as a tool to spur political activism and political organization.This study gathered data to determine how frequently the top three progressive and the top three conservative blogs use hypertext links to direct their readers to the Web sites of political advocacy organizations.The study coded 2,087 hypertext links on these six influential political blogs for seven consecutive days in January 2008, during the presidential primaries, to determine what percentage of hypertext links took readers to advocacy organizations.Only 5.7% (n = 119) of links on these blogs directed readers to political advocacy Web sites.Although there may be a netroots phenomenon, it has manifested itself not in political blogs, but in the Web sites and mass e-mail and texting lists of the candidates and their campaign operations.
Increased fecal primary bile acids in multiple myeloma with engraftment syndrome diarrhea after stem cell transplant.

Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM) is associated with diarrhea during the peri-transplant period. We aimed to appraise mechanisms of peri-ASCT diarrhea in a prospective, longitudinal study of patients with MM. We compared by repeated measures (RM)-ANOVA daily bowel movements (BMs) and consistency [7-point Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS)], fecal calprotectin (intestinal inflammation), 13C-mannitol excretion in urine 0-2 h (small intestinal permeability), fasting serum C4 (bile acid synthesis) and total and primary bile acid in stool samples during baseline, peri-transplant period (Days 5-7 after stem cell infusion), and after hematological recovery post-ASCT. The 12 (5F, 7M) patients' median age was 61 y (IQR 54.8-63.3). All participants reported increased BMs (increase of 2 and 1 per day with and without engraftment syndrome, respectively). There were no significant increases in serum C4, total fecal bile acids, or intestinal permeability. Relative to patients without engraftment syndrome, four participants with engraftment syndrome had looser stool consistency (mean 2.6 points higher BSFS compared to without engraftment syndrome), increased primary fecal bile acids relative to baseline (>33 µmol/L vs. 6 µmol/L without engraftment syndrome), and increased fecal calprotectin compared to baseline (313 μg/mL vs. 35.6 μg/mL without engraftment syndrome; p = 0.06). Engraftment syndrome post-ASCT is associated with increased fecal primary bile acids.
On the Generalization of Habituation: How Discrete Biological Systems Respond to Repetitive Stimuli

Habituation, a form of non-associative learning, isno longer studied exclusively within the fields of psychology and neuroscience. Indeed, the same stimulus-response pattern is observed at the molecular, cellular, and organismal scales and is not dependent upon the presence of neurons. Hence, a more inclusive theory is required to accommodate aneural forms of habituation. Here an abstraction of the habituation process that does not rely upon particular biological pathways or substrates is presented. Instead, five generalizable elements that define the habituation process are operationalized. The formulation can be applied to interrogate systems as they respond to several stimulation paradigms, providing new insights and supporting existing behavioral data. The model can be used to deduce the relative contribution of elements that contribute to the measurable output of the system. The results suggest that habituation serves as a general biological strategy that any system can implement to adaptively respond to harmless, repetitive stimuli.
Tunneling Spectroscopy of Novel Superconductors

Recent discoveries of exciting new superconductors have led to further exciting speculations about novel mechanisms and/or pairing. Tunneling spectroscopy can again play an important role in establishing the applicability of these ideas to specific superconductors. In addition to the traditional role of verifying in detail the electron-phonon coupling o through α2F, in many cases the magnitude of the gap compared to the BCS prediction or the crystalline gap anisotropy can reveal direct information about novel mechanisms and/or pairing.
Physical and emulsion stabilizing properties of maltodextrin fatty acid polymers produced by lipase-catalyzed reactions in ethanol.

Abstract Maltodextrin (MD) fatty acid esters (MFAs) have amphiphilic properties and the enzymatic synthesis of these molecules has gained growing interest. Here, MFAs were synthesized in a food-grade ethanol system and the properties of the products were analyzed. A total of 6 different MFAs were produced with 2 different MD sources and 3 combinations of fatty acids (lauric, palmitic, and both) with yields ranging from 72.7 to 83.4%. With an increase in fatty acid carbon length, degree of substitution (0.026 to 0.016) and solubility (100.9% to 93.1%) were significantly decreased. The stability of emulsions formulated with MFAs was investigated and all emulsions formulated were stable except those containing the lowest concentration of MFAs esterified with palmitate. Notably, MD esterified with laurate showed an enhanced emulsion stabilizing ability as compared to commercial emulsifiers. In conclusion, the emulsion stabilizing ability of MFAs may have applications in the food industry.
Adapting to climate change: guidance for the management of inland glacial lake fisheries

AbstractTingley RW III, Paukert CP, Sass GG, Jacobson PC, Hansen GJA, Lynch AJ, Shannon PD. 2019. Adapting to climate change: Guidance for the management of inland glacial lake fisheries. Lake Rese...
Registration of 24-hour accelerometric rest-activity profiles and its application to human chronotypes

By collecting data continuously over 24 hours, accelerometers and other wearable devices can provide novel insights into circadian rhythms and their relationship to human health. Existing approache...
SHP2 Potentiates the Oncogenic Activity of β-Catenin to Promote Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Previous studies have reported dysregulated cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of the β-catenin protein in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in the absence of Wnt signaling pathway dysregulation. However, the mechanism that sustains β-catenin protein dysregulation independent of Wnt signaling is not understood. In this study, we show that Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is essential for β-catenin protein stability and for sustaining the cytoplasmic and nuclear pools in TNBC cells. The first evidence for this possibility came from immunofluorescence (IF) and immunoblotting (IB) studies that showed that inhibition of SHP2 induces E-cadherin expression and depletion of cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin, which in turn confers adherence junction mediated cell–cell adhesion. We further show that SHP2 promotes β-catenin protein stability by mediating the inactivation of GSK3β through its positive effect on Akt and ERK1/2 activation, which was confirmed by direct pharmacologic inhibition of the PI3K-Akt and the MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Finally, we show that SHP2-stabilized β-catenin contributes to TNBC cell growth, transformation, cancer stem cell (CSC) properties, and tumorigenesis and metastasis. Overall, the findings in this report show that SHP2 mediates β-catenin protein stability to promote TNBC. Implications: Data presented in this article demonstrates that SHP2 positively regulates β-catenin protein stability, which in turn promotes triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell transformation, tumorigenesis, and metastasis.
Microbiota’s Role in Diet-Driven Alterations in Food Intake: Satiety, Energy Balance, and Reward

The gut microbiota plays a key role in modulating host physiology and behavior, particularly feeding behavior and energy homeostasis. There is accumulating evidence demonstrating a role for gut microbiota in the etiology of obesity. In human and rodent studies, obesity and high-energy feeding are most consistently found to be associated with decreased bacterial diversity, changes in main phyla relative abundances and increased presence of pro-inflammatory products. Diet-associated alterations in microbiome composition are linked with weight gain, adiposity, and changes in ingestive behavior. There are multiple pathways through which the microbiome influences food intake. This review discusses these pathways, including peripheral mechanisms such as the regulation of gut satiety peptide release and alterations in leptin and cholecystokinin signaling along the vagus nerve, as well as central mechanisms, such as the modulation of hypothalamic neuroinflammation and alterations in reward signaling. Most research currently focuses on determining the role of the microbiome in the development of obesity and using microbiome manipulation to prevent diet-induced increase in food intake. More studies are necessary to determine whether microbiome manipulation after prolonged energy-dense diet exposure and obesity can reduce intake and promote meaningful weight loss.
Common Metabolites in Two Different Hypertensive Mouse Models: A Serum and Urine Metabolome Study

Recent metabolomics studies have identified a wide array of microbial metabolites and metabolite pathways that are significantly altered in hypertension. However, whether these metabolites play an active role in pathogenesis of hypertension or are altered because of this has yet to be determined. In the current study, we hypothesized that metabolite changes common between hypertension models may unify hypertension’s pathophysiology with respect to metabolites. We utilized two common mouse models of experimental hypertension: L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME)/high-salt-diet-induced hypertension (LSHTN) and angiotensin II induced hypertension (AHTN). To identify common metabolites that were altered across both models, we performed untargeted global metabolomics analysis in serum and urine and the resulting data were analyzed using MetaboAnalyst software and compared to control mice. A total of 41 serum metabolites were identified as being significantly altered in any hypertensive model compared to the controls. Of these compounds, 14 were commonly changed in both hypertensive groups, with 4 significantly increased and 10 significantly decreased. In the urine, six metabolites were significantly altered in any hypertensive group with respect to the control; however, none of them were common between the hypertensive groups. These findings demonstrate that a modest, but potentially important, number of serum metabolites are commonly altered between experimental hypertension models. Further studies of the newly identified metabolites from this untargeted metabolomics analysis may lead to a greater understanding of the association between gut dysbiosis and hypertension.
Deciphering the mechanism of the Ni-photocatalyzed C‒O cross-coupling reaction using a tridentate pyridinophane ligand

Photoredox nickel catalysis has emerged as a powerful strategy for cross-coupling reactions. Although the involvement of paramagnetic Ni(I)/Ni(III) species as active intermediates in the catalytic cycle has been proposed, a thorough spectroscopic investigation of these species is lacking. Herein, we report a new class of tridentate pyridinophane ligands RN3 that allow for detailed mechanistic studies of the photocatalytic C–O coupling reaction. The derived (RN3)Ni complexes are active catalysts under mild conditions and without an additional photocatalyst. We also provide direct evidence for the key steps involving paramagnetic Ni species in the proposed catalytic cycle: the oxidative addition of an aryl halide to a Ni(I) species, the ligand exchange/transmetalation at a Ni(III) center, and the C–O reductive elimination from a Ni(III) species. Overall, the present work suggests the RN3 ligands are a practical platform for mechanistic studies of Ni-catalyzed reactions and for the development of new catalytic applications.
Excited States of Skin-Sensitizing Psoralens and Their Reactions with Nucleic Acids

Electronic excited states and structural specificity of skin-sensitizing psoralens and related derivatives are reviewed from various points of view in order to establish the photochemically meaningful structure-activity correlation. In addition, photodynamic effects of various psoralens and coumarins in Bacillus subtilis mutants are investigated as a model system in order to ascertain the biological consequence of photochemical modifications of nucleic acids.
DISCRIMINATION IN FOREIGN BANKRUPTCY LAWS AGAINST NON-DOMESTIC CLAIMS

In the field of international trade, when things do not go according to plan, baffling complications may arise. What goes under the name of international bankruptcies, furnishes an illustration. When a debtor with assets and creditors in more than one country becomes insolvent, however high the profession of adherence to the principle of equal treatment for all creditors, at some places in some way the local assets land in the hands of local creditors. The fact is no secret. When an English enterprise of world-renown developed financial difficulties recently, the run on assets outside the United Kingdom started promptly. Had the situation not been straightened out,1 the world would have watched a financial as well as a legal disaster, a demonstration of the breakdown of international legal cooperation in an important field.