cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Race-related differences in antibody responses to the inactivated influenza vaccine are linked to distinct pre-vaccination gene expression profiles in blood.

// Raj Kurupati 1,* , Andrew Kossenkov 1,* , Larissa Haut 1 , Senthil Kannan 1,2 , Zhiquan Xiang 1 , Yan Li 1 , Susan Doyle 3 , Qin Liu 1 , Kenneth Schmader 3 , Louise Showe 1 and Hildegund Ertl 1 1 The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA 2 Biomedical Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA 3 Development and Division of Geriatrics, GRECC, Durham VA Medical Center and Center for the Study of Aging and Human, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Hildegund Ertl, email: // Keywords : B cell responses, inactivated influenza vaccine, race, Immunology and Microbiology Section, Immune response, Immunity Received : June 17, 2016 Accepted : August 25, 2016 Published :August 30, 2016 Abstract We conducted a 5-year study analyzing antibody and B cell responses to the influenza A virus components of the inactivated influenza vaccine, trivalent (IIV3) or quadrivalent (IIV4) in younger (aged 35-45) and aged (≥65 years of age) Caucasian and African American individuals. Antibody titers to the two influenza A virus strains, distribution of circulating B cell subsets and the blood transcriptome were tested at baseline and after vaccination while expression of immunoregulatory markers on B cells were analyzed at baseline. African Americans mounted higher virus neutralizing and IgG antibody responses to the H1N1 component of IIV3 or 4 compared to Caucasians. African Americans had higher levels of circulating B cell subsets compared to Caucasians. Expression of two co-regulators, i.e., programmed death (PD)-1 and the B and T cell attenuator (BTLA) were differentially expressed in the two cohorts. Race-related differences were caused by samples from younger African Americans, while results obtained with samples of aged African Americans were similar to those of aged Caucasians. Gene expression profiling by Illumina arrays revealed highly significant differences in 1368 probes at baseline between Caucasians and African Americans although samples from both cohorts showed comparable changes in transcriptome following vaccination. Genes differently expressed between samples from African Americans and Caucasians regardless of age were enriched for myeloid genes, while the transcripts that differed in expression between younger African Americans and younger Caucasians were enriched for those specific for B-cells.
Out-of-Plane Buckling of Ductile Reinforced Structural Walls due to In-Plane Loads

AbstractReinforced structural walls are often implemented as a lateral force resisting system in multistory buildings, designed to deform elastically under wind loads and form plastic hinges at their base under seismic excitation. Past research suggests plastic tensile demands and subsequent load reversals can cause a plastic, localized lateral instability in walls. Although lateral stability is addressed by some building codes, plastic buckling is rarely directly addressed. In 2010 and 2011, New Zealand experienced earthquakes that damaged many structural wall buildings, and plastic buckling was observed. This paper re-examines two existing local buckling models using a range of data sources. A review of prior experimental work assesses the models’ accuracy at predicting plastic buckling capacities. A parametric study on a range of walls examines the variables most influential to affect plastic buckling capacities. Additionally, three nonlinear time history analyses of buildings subjected to the 2010 and...
Platelet Senescence and Phosphatidylserine Exposure.

Abstract Abstract 2117 Poster Board II-94 The transbilayer movement of phosphatidylserine from the inner to the outer leaflet of membrane bilayer occurs during platelet activation and is essential for platelet procoagulant activity. Expression of phosphatidylserine also occurs in platelets stored more than 5 days in the blood bank. We have examined the role of mitochondrial pathways in activation-induced platelet procoagulant activity and during in vitro senescence. Collagen and thrombin-induced exposure of phosphatidylserine is associated with a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Cyclosporin A, a known inhibitor of cyclophilin D, inhibited phosphatidylserine exposure and the loss of MMP. Consistent with this, platelets from CypD deficient mice had decreased loss of MMP and impaired phosphatidylserine exposure when treated with a combination of thrombin and collagen. However, there is no release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Also there is no activation of caspase-3 or Rho associated kinase I (ROCK1). In sharp contrast to this, in platelets stored for more than 5 days, phosphatidylserine exposure is found to be associated with caspase-3 and ROCK1 activation. To delineate the mechanism we used ABT737, a BH3 mimetic that induces mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis via Bcl-2 family of proteins. ABT737-induced phosphatidylserine exposure was also associated with cytochrome c release, caspase-3 and ROCKI activation and it is unaffected in platelets isolated from CypD knock out mice or in platelets treated with cyclosporine A prior to activation. Caspase-3 inhibitor (z-DVED-fmk and ROCK1 inhibitor Y-27632 reduced ABT-737 induced phosphatidylserine expression. Our results also show that activation-induced phosphatidylserine exposure is dependent on mitochondrial membrane depolarization and CypD but is independent of cytochrome c release or caspase-3 or ROCK1 activation. In contrast, the phosphatidylserine exposure in stored platelets occurs via mitochondrial cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation and ROCKI activation and does not depend on mitochondrial membrane depolarization or CypD. Download : Download high-res image (297KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Meeting Recommended Levels of Physical Activity in Relation to Preventive Health Behavior and Health Status Among Adults

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of meeting the recommended levels of physical activity (PA) with health status and preventive health behavior in adults. Methods A total of 5630 adults 18 years of age or older were included in this study. PA was assessed using a series of questions that categorized activities based on their metabolic equivalent values and then categorized individuals based on the reported frequency and duration of such activities. Participants reporting 150 minutes or more of moderate-intensity PA per week were considered to have met the PA guidelines. Multiple logistic regression was used to model the relationships between meeting PA guidelines and health status and preventive health behavior, while controlling for confounding variables. Results Overall, 53.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.9 to 55.9%) of adults reported meeting the recommended levels of PA. Among adults with good general health, 56.9% (95% CI, 54.7 to 59.1%) reported meeting the recommended levels of PA versus 43.1% (95% CI, 40.9 to 45.3%) who did not. Adults who met the PA guidelines were significantly more likely not to report high cholesterol, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, asthma, depression, or overweight. Furthermore, adults meeting the PA guidelines were significantly more likely to report having health insurance, consuming fruits daily, consuming vegetables daily, and not being a current cigarette smoker. Conclusions In this study, we found meeting the current guidelines for PA to have a protective relationship with both health status and health behavior in adults. Health promotion programs should focus on strategies that help individuals meet the current guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity PA.
Seeing and Knowing the Womb: A Technofeminist Reframing of Fetal Ultrasound toward a Decolonization of Our Bodies

Abstract This article demonstrates that our relationships with body-monitoring technologies often prescribed for our health benefits may also problematically prescribe our bodies and identities. Specifically, we look at the fetal ultrasound machine and interrogate the complex tensions between: the importance of it in Western pregnancy and infertility cultures; the ubiquity of sonogram images in Western visual culture; the diverse audiences for the technology and its visual artifacts; and the potential for hegemonic uptakes to undermine our agency. To do so, we employ a technofeminist methodology informed by decolonial, poststructuralist, rhetorical, visual culture, and embodiment theories. Our framework reveals that, despite the medical intentions of fetal ultrasound technology, colonial effects and rhetorics can emerge from our interfacing with it. Specifically, we aim to prove that decades of uncritical relationships with fetal ultrasound technologies have sponsored rhetorics and practices that contribute to colonial desires to position feminine bodies as new and open frontiers to explore and exploit—thereby positioning pregnant and potentially pregnant bodies as vulnerable to surveillance and fragmentation. Finally, we offer tactics for negotiating more empowering individual and community relationships with fetal ultrasound technology, the ultrasound procedure, and its visible artifacts.
Diamond cleavage: importance to high pressure research

ABSTRACTThe extraordinary properties of diamond make it the number-one choice for anvils in high pressure experiments involving anvil cells. In much of the literature on the properties of diamond the only cleavage mentioned is {111}. However, experience has shown that diamond anvils made with their [001] axis oriented in line with the principal stress axis of the anvil or at a small angle to it often failed with flat faces having {110} orientations; a cleavage plane is reported in some publications. Analysis of the anisotropy of strength and Poisson ratio in diamond has shown that such orientations do, indeed, favor initial failure on {110} cleavage planes. This analysis, in conjunction with stereographic projections of the {111} and {110} cleavage planes, suggests that a 27° tilt of the [001] axis with respect to the linear stress axis by rotation around the [100] or [010] axis should provide significantly greater resistance to failure by cleaving.
Eat or Be Eaten: A Revenge Fantasy

Fred Cummings is an ABD working on his dissertation at a land grant institution in the Midwest. Unfortunately, four of the five members on his dissertation committee are making it difficult for him to complete it. Feeling powerless and vengeful, he plots four distinct plans to get back at each one of his faculty tormentors. His schemes have some unexpected results.
On the Construction of N-th Order Functions for Complete Interpolation

Abstract A general methodology for constructing n-th order shape functions over 2-d and 3-d elements is presented. These shape functions are capable of accurately representing the physical phenomena modeled by the finite element analysis. The development of this methodology and the demonstration of its application are given.
Design of Dual-Loaded RFID Tag for Higher Order Modulations

A touchstone for selecting two scattering states for scalar differential backscattering in passive scatterers was introduced by Green in 1963. According to this model, a scatterer has one global minimum and one global maximum scattering states on its $\Gamma $ plane. The variation of radar cross section (RCS) of the scatterer between these two states is monotonic. Thus, to achieve to the highest differential backscattering the scatterer should switch between these two states. In this paper, we verify, by measurements and simulations, that a linear half-wave dipole antenna behaves as predicted by the Green model. However, we show that the RCS of a T-match bow tie antenna over its $\Gamma $ plane cannot be modeled by the Green model and instead the antenna has two maximum scattering states on its $\Gamma $ plane. In the next step, we use dual loading on the T-match bowtie antenna structure. By appropriate selection of the loads, the antenna can provide various scattering states with various magnitudes in 360° phase span in its in-phase and quadrature plane. This feature of the proposed antenna can be used to increase the modulation depth up to 170%, provide a quasi-32-quasi-quadrature amplitude shift keying, and increase the coverage range in backscattering links.
Fitting Data Containing Multiple Exponentials Using Functionals Derived from Finite Laplace Transforms of Time Moments of the Data

AbstractFunctionals derived from the finite Laplace transforms of time moments of experimental data are used to fit these data to exponential functions. The functionals provide linear relationships for individually determining parameter values successively. This new and unique fitting method is first derived and then applied to data containing up to four exponentials to demonstrate its capabilities. Advantages of this fitting procedure include the following. (1) Parameters of the fit can be determined from the data region where they are most important by a wide verity of methods, including conventional ones. (2) Fitting algorithms are available that are simple to program; use conventional “stripping techniques”; are quite robust; and have been tested for a wide range in the number of data points, statistical errors, data ranges, and parameter values. (3) Fitting algorithms are included that use the conventional correlation coefficient of two expressions to fit data with even or uneven time intervals. (4) ...
The role of GSK3β in rapamycin-mediated cell cycle regulation

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 1506 The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase that regulates cell cycle progression. Rapamycin and its analogues inhibit mTOR and are being actively investigated in clinical trials as novel targeted anticancer agents. Although cyclin D1 is downregulated by rapamycin, the role of this downregulation in rapamycin-mediated growth inhibition and the mechanism of cyclin D1 downregulation are not well understood. Here we show that overexpression of cyclin D1 partially overcomes rapamycin-induced cell cycle arrest and inhibition of anchorage-dependent growth in breast cancer cells. Rapamycin not only decreases endogenous cyclin D1 levels, but also decreases the expression of transfected cyclin D1, suggesting that this is at least in part caused by accelerated proteolysis. Indeed, rapamycin decreases the half-life of cyclin D1 protein, and the rapamycin-induced decrease in cyclin D1 levels is partially abrogated by proteosome inhibitor N -acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-norleucinal. Rapamycin treatment leads to an increase in the kinase activity of glycogen synthase kinase3β (GSK3β), a known regulator of cyclin D1 proteolysis. Rapamycin-induced downregulation of cyclin D1 is inhibited by GSK3β inhibitors lithium chloride (LiCl), SB216763 and SB415286. Rapamycin-induced G1 arrest is abrogated by nonspecific GSK3β inhibitor LiCl, but not by selective inhibitor SB216763; thus GSK3β is not essential for rapamycin-mediated G1 arrest. However, rapamycin inhibits cell growth significantly more in GSK3β wild-type cells than in GSK3β-null cells, suggesting that GSK3β significantly enhances rapamycin-mediated growth inhibition. Taken together, these results demonstrate that GSK3β plays an important role in rapamycin-mediated cell cycle regulation and growth inhibition.
Neurologic-Based Injuries and Scapula Winging

The scapula serves as a foundation for upper extremity function and strength. Like a crane on a construction site, the scapula must be secured to its foundation in order for the arm to lift and move heavy objects. If the cab of the crane does not have the footings secure, it will tip. If the scapula is not secured to the chest wall, it too will tip. Of the 17 muscles that have their origin or insertion on the scapula, those that serve like feet on a crane and secure the scapula to the torso include the pectoralis minor, omohyoid, levator scapulae, serratus anterior, trapezius, and rhomboideus major and minor (Table 12.1).
Automated Collision Avoidance Developed Within a Mixed Reality System

As the use of unmanned systems becomes more prevalent in both commercial and military applications, increasing performance requirements have led to a greater demand for automation. The ability for an autonomous unmanned system to perform basic tasks reliably reduces the operator’s cognitive tasks and workload, which could facilitate the control of multiple systems by a single operator. A key component for autonomous systems in many applications is the ability to perform reliable collision avoidance. A critical part of collision avoidance, often overlooked in existing algorithms, is that only a small set of velocities are actually reachable by the platform due to physical limitations or environmental factors. This paper presents the 3D Automated Velocity Obstacle Collision Avoidance (AVOCA) algorithm; a velocity obstacle based collision avoidance system that uses Kinematic Velocity Constraints (KVCs) to bind the velocity selection process. Results for AVOCA are presented from both simulation and experimentation using physical and virtual platforms in a Mixed Reality (MR) environment.
Cognition: Neurons couple up to make decisions

The use of state-of-the-art techniques to study neuronal activity during a navigational task involving sound stimuli broadens our understanding of how neuronal populations produce complex behaviours. See Letter p.92 Information must be represented at many timescales in the cortex, from precise millisecond tracking of rapidly fluctuating inputs to seconds-long representation of behavioural choice variables. Using calcium imaging data from mice performing a virtual reality auditory decision-making task, Christopher Harvey and colleagues analyse the population codes in the primary auditory and posterior parietal cortex that support choice behaviour. Parietal cortex neurons have stronger activity correlations and carry information over longer timescales than neurons in the auditory cortex, revealing that correlation is a cortical property that enables information coding by populations over different timescales.
The genealogy of major depression: symptoms and signs of melancholia from 1880 to 1900

How deep are the historical roots of our concept of major depression (MD)? I showed previously that psychiatric textbooks published in 1900-1960 commonly described 18 characteristic depressive symptoms/signs that substantially but incompletely overlapped with the current DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) MD criteria. I here expand that inquiry to the key years of 1880-1900 during which our major diagnostic categories of manic-depressive illness (MDI) and dementia praecox were developed. I review the symptoms of depression/melancholia in 28 psychiatric textbooks and 8 other relevant documents from this period including monographs, reviews and the first portrayal of melancholia Kraepelin in 1883. Descriptions of melancholia in the late nineteenth and twentieth century textbooks closely resembled each other, both reporting a mean of 12.4 characteristic symptoms, and emphasizing core features of mood change and alterations in cognitive content and psychomotor behavior. The detailed monographs, reviews and the early description of Kraepelin were more thorough, reporting a mean of 16.6 of these characteristic symptoms. These nineteenth century texts often contained phenomenologically rich descriptions of changes in mood and cognition, loss of interest and anhedonia and emphasized several features not in DSM including changes in volition/motivation, posture/facial expression and derealization/depersonalization. In the early nineteenth century, melancholia was often defined primarily by delusions or as the initial phase of a unitary psychosis transitioning to mania and then dementia. By 1880, the concept of depression as an independent mood disorder with characteristic symptoms/signs and a good prognosis had stabilized. Kraepelin incorporated this syndrome into his diagnostic concept of MDI, changing its name to 'Depressive States', but did not alter its underlying nature or clinical description.
EFFECT OF PARTICIPATIVE GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN CAPITAL ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF DAIRY CO-OPERATIVES IN KENYA

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of participative governance and human capital on the organizational performance of dairy co-operatives in Kenya. Methodology: The study adopted the positivist research philosophy and descriptive correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of 198 executive directors/managers of active dairy co-operatives in eight counties in the Mt. Kenya region. A sample size of 184 was drawn using stratified random sampling, and data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency, mean, and standard deviation. Additionally, inferential data analysis methods of Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were used to test the hypotheses. Results : The results of multiple regression showed that market orientation significantly predicted revenue per customer, b = 1.64, t (141) = 7.66, p < .05; ROA, b = 2.14, t (141) = 5.9, p < .05; and product innovation, b =1.89, t (141) = 5.77, p < .05. Participative governance was not significant in explaining revenue per customer, return on assets, and product innovation. Although the results of multiple regression analysis showed that human capital was not significant in explaining revenue per customer or ROA, it significantly affected product innovation, b = .94, t (141) = 2.01, p <.05. In addition, the regression indicated that revenue per customer explained 49.7% of the variance, ( R 2 = .497, F (5, 125) = 20.10, p < .05, while ROA explained 29.4 %, ( R 2 = .294, F (5, 123) = 9.06, p < .05, and product innovation explained 41.2%, ( R 2 = 0.412, F (5, 124) = 15.18, p < .05. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study contributes to theory of corporate governance by using stewardship theory to underpin research into organizational performance of a member-based agricultural enterprise. The study contributes to practice by suggesting that participation of members and shareholders in organizations may have other benefits, including non-economic ones, but enhancing organizational performance may not be one of them. In terms of policy, the study suggests that dairy co-operatives should put emphasis on acquiring employees with requisite knowledge and skills or their performance may be hamstrung by inadequate intellectual capital to facilitate their innovation and performance.
City membership in climate change adaptation networks

Abstract By sharing best practices and lessons learned among member cities, professional and learning networks have become prominent actors in supporting and shaping local climate change adaptation. I analyze the membership of 18 highly visible adaptation learning networks to determine what cities participate and if networks attract similar cities. I find that the formation of adaptation networks is driven by large, high-capacity cities. Adaptation networks include members of diverse sizes and planning capacity, however, cities with similar levels of social vulnerability and concern with climate change tend to participate in the same networks. Global and regional networks have different patterns of membership. These patterns of membership have important implications for diffusing climate change adaptation between cities.
The Dance of Presence: Mindfulness and Movement

It is tempting to conceive of mindfulness as taking place in the mind alone, but mindfulness is both a state of mind and an embodied way of being in the world. Though a growing body of research focuses on formal mindfulness practice as integrated into mindfulness-based interventions, preliminary research offers insight into the benefits of mindful movement as an informal practice. This chapter seeks to explore these benefits with particular attention to the physiological and interpersonal dimensions of mindfulness that are enhanced by mindful movement and dance. We present mindful dance as a potential nonclinical intervention for clients to increase mindfulness, positive affect, and social connectedness and as a tool for therapists to develop deeper levels of presence and awareness in their “dance” with clients.
Upper Ocean Variability Associated with Fronts

In January to June 1986 the cooperative Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (FASINEX) was conducted in the subtropical convergence zone in the North Atlantic southwest of Bermuda. Velocity, temperature, and conductivity variability associated with ocean fronts characteristics of the region was observed. The fronts maintained a southwest to northeast orientation and propagated to the northwest through the experiment site. The temporal and spatial variability of the upper ocean associated with the fronts and also with energetic sub-mesoscale features found in association with the fronts is described.
Elastic Properties of Thin Film Silicon: Final Report; 1 June 1999--23 August 2002

The original purpose of this research, as stated in the annual reports, was the study of the role of hydrogen in thin (polycrystalline) silicon films. We quote from the 2001 Annual Report:''Thin-film silicon holds great promise as a semiconductor that can be produced economically on a large scale. Its exceptional properties for photovoltaic energy conversion have already been demonstrated and are the subject of intensive study worldwide. Yet the entire field of heterogeneous thin-film silicon (often referred to as polycrystalline silicon) is remarkably poorly understood. This is not too surprising, given our limited understanding of one of its constituents, amorphous silicon, in particular in its hydrogenated form. In the thin-film silicon, the interfaces between crystalline grains and between crystalline and amorphous regions appear to be of particular importance, because they are likely to lead to the exceptionally large optical absorption observed in these films, which exceeds that of both c-Si and a-Si:H. The understanding of the interfacial regions is, however, entirely lacking. What is their fractional volume, and how can it be controlled? Where is the hydrogen located in these films, and what is its role in their electronic properties? A better understanding of these fundamental questions is crucial formore » the development of better photovoltaic devices and for any other technological application, as well. This is the objective of the present study.« less
Anoxia and corporal smooth muscle dysfunction: a model for ischemic priapism.

AbstractThe hemodynamics of penile flaccidity, erection and detumescence requires corporal smooth muscle to function across a wide variation in pO2. The present study describes the effect of anoxia on corporal smooth muscle response to field stimulation and pharmacologic agonists and antagonists of erection.The response of isolated strips of rabbit corpus cavernosal tissue to field stimulation, phenylephrine, bethanechol, ATP and KCL was determined under oxygenated and anoxic conditions. The results can be summarized as follows: 1) Anoxia eliminated spontaneous contractile activity and reduced basal tissue tension to a minimum. 2) Neither field stimulation nor pharmacological agents (ATP, bethanechol, isoproterenol) could relax basal tension below that induced by anoxia alone. 3)Under anoxic conditions alpha-adrenergic agonists produced poorly sustained phasic contractile responses; anoxia eliminated tonic contractile responses to phenylephrine. 4) In normoxic conditions field stimulation of smooth muscle...
Management of Acne Scarring, Part II A Comparative Review of Non-Laser-Based, Minimally Invasive Approaches

Acne scarring is a commonly encountered yet extremely challenging problem to treat for the dermatologist. As acne scarring can lead to significant psychological distress and low self-esteem, it is of utmost importance to have effective and satisfying treatments in the physician’s armamentarium. However, many treatments are unsatisfying, leading to patient disappointment and frustration.
Complex Strategies: Interventions and the Management of Civil Conflicts

To adequate evaluate the effectiveness of interventions into civil conflicts we need to account for the complex combination of conditions and strategies that can utilized by the intervener. I argue that an effective strategy should incorporate the initial conditions that lead to the conflict, as well as the type of actions taken by the intervener. That is, an intervener can attempt to influence the course of a conflict through discrete forms of interventions, or can use the options available in combinations. Using a duration model I demonstrate the combinations of military or economic interventions with diplomacy significantly reduce the duration of a conflict considerably beyond what any individual strategy might do. Further, particular strategies for intervening have different outcomes depending on whether they are initiated into ethno-religious or ideological conflicts. The results have theoretical implications involving the role of third party influence in domestic conflict, and policy implications in terms of how to best effectively articulate a method of conflict management in civil conflicts.
The Need for Policy Legitimacy

The two requirements for achieving domestic support for an ambitious foreign policy identified by Henry Kissinger encouraged me to develop the concept of “policy legitimacy,” the focus of this chapter. I develop an analytical framework for this purpose, which I use to analyze Franklin D. Roosevelt’s failed effort to develop the kind of policy legitimacy necessary to support his plan for a cooperative U.S.-Soviet relationship after the end of World War II.
CMV Reactivation in Myeloma Patients

Reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been considered a rare consequence of autologous stem cell transplants (ASCTs). However, the recent introduction of novel chemotherapy agents has been associated with an increased incidence of viral infections. We present a case of CMV reactivation in a patient with multiple myeloma who received novel chemotherapy agents for induction prior to ASCT. The authors make suggestions aimed at decreasing mortality in similar patients. Clin Infect Immun. 2018;3(3-4):87-88 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/cii68w
Musical identities of older adults are not easily changed: an exploratory study

ABSTRACTWe explored the role of self-efficacy in participatory music-making, and whether a single such music-making activity could make non-musician adults more open to seeing themselves as musical. Past research has suggested that even recipients of multiple years of school music education do not consider being musical as a part of their identity, and they do not exit adolescence with an independent musicianship that would facilitate their making music as adults. In our study, we invited older adults to participate in an informal music-making experience designed to be participatory and enjoyable. A questionnaire measured musical beliefs and self-perceptions before and after the music activity. The posttest version included items through which participants indicated their self-efficacy during the activity. Data analysis revealed that across the entire sample, the average rating of how musical they considered themselves to be did not change significantly, but there was a significant jump in their reported ...
NASA Microgravity Solidification Experiments for the International Space Station

MMaJIC (Microgravity Materials Joining Investigation Chamber) is a modular experiment environment for performing materials science investigations. MMaJIC provides a controlled and sealed test environment for a wide variety of soldering and brazing experiment to examine porosity in microgravity. MMaJICâ€™s modular cartridge design includes a tray for housing the solder experiments demonstrates simplicity to astronauts. SoLIDD (Solid Liquid Interface Directional Device) is a device that is used to test samples for directional solidification experiments. Directional solidification is the method of controlling the microstructure of materials. Solidification is useful for creating higher strength materials for space casting. SoLIDD has the capability for varying temperature gradient and growth velocity. These quantities utilize heaters, coolers, and a directional drive unit. Two high-resolution cameras capture high-resolution video of both experiments and thermocouples record live-stream temperature data. Both devices are approved by NASA Headquarters to be contracted to the International Space Station for further investigation.
Developing Blight-Tolerant American Chestnut Trees

An invasive fungal pathogen has reduced the American chestnut (Castanea dentata), once a keystone tree species within its natural range in the eastern United States and Canada, to functional extinction. To help restore this important canopy tree, blight-tolerant American chestnut trees have been developed using an oxalate oxidase-encoding gene from wheat. This enzyme breaks down oxalate, which is produced by the pathogen and forms killing cankers. Expressing oxalate oxidase results in blight tolerance, where the tree and the fungus can coexist, which is a more evolutionarily stable relationship than direct pathogen resistance. Genetic engineering (GE) typically makes a very small change in the tree's genome, potentially avoiding incompatible gene interactions that have been detected in some chestnut hybrids. The GE American chestnut also retains all the wild American chestnut's alleles for habitat adaptation, which are important for a forest ecosystem restoration program.
Extended decision field theory with social-learning for long-term decision-making processes in social networks

Abstract Modeling and analysis of human behaviors in social networks are essential in fields such as online business, marketing, and finance. However, the establishment of a generalized decision-making framework for human behavior is challenging due to different decision structures among individuals. Thus, we propose a new decision-making framework, Decision Field Theory with Learning (DFT-L), which combines the DFT model and the DeGroot model. We investigated three factors influencing preference evolution: previous experiences, current evaluations, and neighbors’ preferences. The equilibrium status of social networks within this framework is obtained as an explicit formula under the independent and identically distributed (IID) conditions on weight values. This facilitates the identification of limiting expected preference values and covariance matrices. A simulation analysis using simulated and real networks is performed to validate the DFT-L framework and to demonstrate its efficiency compared with the original DFT. Our finding confirms that the diffusion process within DFT-L propagates fastest in the random network and slowest in the ring-lattice network. We also show that interactions among people affect the agent's decision within DFT-L and intensify embedded society characteristics, which helps to analyze irregular behaviors such as information cascades in social networks.
Brief Communication: An Electrifying Atmospheric River: Understanding the Thunderstorm Event in Santa Barbara County during March 2019

Abstract. On 5 March 2019 12:00 UTC, an atmospheric river (AR) made landfall in Santa Barbara, CA, and lasted approximately 30 h . While ARs are typical winter storms in the area, the extraordinary number of lightning strikes observed near coastal Santa Barbara made this event unique. The Earth Networks Global Lightning Network (ENGLN) detected 8811 lightning flashes around southern California (30 to 37 ∘ N and 130 to 115 ∘ W) in 24 h , which is roughly 2500 times the climatological flash rate in this region. The AR-related thunderstorm resulted in approximately 23.18 mm accumulated precipitation in 30 h in Santa Barbara. This article examines synoptic and mesoscale features conducive to this electrifying AR event, characterizing its uniqueness in the context of previous March events that made landfall in the region. We show that this AR was characterized by an unusual deep moist layer extending from the low to mid-troposphere in an environment with potential instability and low-elevation freezing level. Despite the negligible convective available potential energy (CAPE) during the peak of the thunderstorm near Santa Barbara, the lifting of layers with high water vapor content in the AR via warm conveyor belt and orographic forcing in a convectively unstable atmosphere resulted in the formation of hail and enhanced electrification.
Surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Objective: Recent studies of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) have found a positive association between cytoreductive surgery and survival, challenging the traditional notion that su...
Ecological causes of uneven speciation and species richness in mammals

ABSTRACT Biodiversity is distributed unevenly from the poles to the equator, and among branches of the tree of life, yet how those enigmatic patterns are related is unclear. We investigated global speciation-rate variation across crown Mammalia using a novel time-scaled phylogeny (N=5,911 species, ~70% with DNA), finding that trait- and latitude-associated speciation has caused uneven species richness among groups. We identify 24 branch-specific shifts in net diversification rates linked to ecological traits. Using time-slices to define clades, we show that speciation rates are a stronger predictor of clade richness than age. Speciation is slower in tropical than extra-tropical lineages, but only at the level of clades not species tips, consistent with fossil evidence that the latitudinal diversity gradient may be a relatively young phenomenon in mammals. In contrast, species tip rates are fastest in mammals that are low dispersal or diurnal, consistent with models of ephemeral speciation and ecological opportunity, respectively. These findings juxtapose nested levels of diversification, suggesting a central role of species turnover gradients in generating uneven patterns of modern biodiversity.
New Technologies and Language Learning by Li Li

New Technologies and Language Learning by Li Li London, England: Palgrave US $39.99 ISBN 9781137517678 (Paperback) 256 pages 2017
Curriculum as a Discursive and Performative Space for Subjectivity and Learning: Understanding Immigrant Adolescents’ Language Use in Classroom Discourse

This article examines the relationship between language curriculum and learners? subjectivity through a poststructuralist perspective. I use performativity theory to highlight the constituting power of language and integrate it with critical race theory to understand the relationships among curriculum, classroom interaction, and subjectivity negotiation of 3 immigrant adolescents in one U.S. secondary multilingual classroom. Drawing on data from a critical ethnography, this classroom discourse study analyzes instructional materials, classroom interactions, and interviews to understand how the teacher-designed curriculum for one routinized vocabulary activity?namely, the sentence-starter language practice?constructed subjectivity for students and how the immigrant youths negotiated their racialized, gendered, and schooled subjectivities in relation to the curriculum content. This analysis shows that the sentence starters, designed as scaffolding tools, served an implicit goal of constituting students to become ?good learners.? The focal students often appropriated the sentence starters to challenge, subvert, or conform to the prevailing discourses constructed in the curriculum and classroom discourses. This analysis illustrates how curriculum can constitute a discursive and performative space in which students negotiate subjectivity and meaning in relation to power within and beyond classroom discourses. This article concludes with discussions of implications of this poststructuralist theorization of curriculum for research and practice.
Two-phase flow simulations of fixed 3D oscillating water columns using OpenFOAM: A comparison of two methods for modeling quadratic power takeoff

Abstract This study examines the performance of a numerical method that introduces an artificial sink term to the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations to simulate the flow through an orifice used as a quadratic Power Takeoff (PTO) for Oscillating Water Columns (OWCs). The method replaces the quadratic PTO by an artificial Forchheimer-flow region (referred to as the artificial Forchheimer-flow method). The performance of this method was evaluated by making comparisons with the existing experimental results for two OWCs and the numerical results obtained by using air-water two-phase flow simulations of the air flow through an orifice (referred to as the orifice-flow method). The surface elevations, velocity fields and pressure fields obtained by the orifice-flow and artificial Forchheimer-flow methods are compared. To use the artificial Forchheimer-flow method, an equation for specifying the Forchheimer coefficient is provided and the sensitivity of the pneumatic efficiency to the Forchheimer coefficient is discussed. It can be concluded that the artificial Forchheimer-flow method can satisfactorily reproduce the measured pneumatic efficiency, pressure field in the air, the velocity field in the water and the cross-sectional average velocity of the air. Compared to the orifice-flow method, the artificial Forchheimer-flow method can speed up the simulation by at least 25 times.
Intramedullary Unicortical Button and All-Suture Anchors Provide Similar Maximum Strength for Onlay Distal Biceps Tendon Repair.

Purpose To evaluate the biomechanical profile of onlay distal biceps repair with an intramedullary unicortical button versus all-suture anchors under cyclic loading and maximal load to failure. Methods Twenty paired fresh-frozen human cadaveric elbows were randomized to onlay distal biceps repair with either a single intramedullary button or with two 1.35-mm all-suture anchors. A 1.3-mm high tensile strength tape was used in a Krackow stitch to suture the tendons in both groups. Specimens and repair constructs were loaded for 3,000 cycles and then loaded to failure. Maximum load to failure, mode of failure, and construct elongation were recorded. Results Mean (± standard deviation) maximum load to failure for the unicortical intramedullary button and all-suture anchor repairs were 503.23 ± 141.77 N and 537.33 ± 262.13 N (P = .696), respectively. Mean maximum displacement after 3,000 cycles (± standard deviation) was 4.17 ± 2.05 mm in the button group and 2.06 ± 1.05 mm in the suture anchor group (P = .014). Mode of failure in the button group was suture tape rupture in 7 specimens, failure at the tendon–suture interface in 2 specimens, and button pullout in 1 specimen. Anchor pullout was the mode of failure in all suture anchor specimens. There were no tendon ruptures or radial tuberosity fractures in either group. Conclusions This study demonstrates that onlay distal biceps repair with 2 all-suture anchors has similar maximum strength to repair with an intramedullary button and that both are viable options for fixation. Clinical Relevance All-suture anchors and unicortical intramedullary button have similar maximum strength at time zero. Both constructs provide suitable fixation for onlay distal biceps repair.
Is There Discrimination in Property Taxation? Evidence from Atlanta, Georgia, 2010-2016

In the past, some localities have taxed blacks at higher real rates than whites by over-assessing property values in predominately blacks neighborhoods while taxing those properties at the same nominal rates. In 1974, the NAACP sued Fulton County, Georgia – the principal county of the Atlanta metro area – over this very issue. In 1991, a mass reappraisal intended to remedy this discrimination incited a tax revolt in Fulton. However, there are few recent studies of whether discrimination is still taking place. Using assessment data from Fulton County 2010-2016, I find little to no evidence of any racial or socioeconomic discrimination in ratios of property assessment to sale prices. This suggests that (1) the assessment process is uniform and non-discriminatory, and/or (2) the process and fee for appealing one's assessment is not inaccessible to a degree that would allow any disparities to persist.
Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality.

Multisectoral investments over the past decade have accelerated the growth of Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) programs across the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and ...
Quantitative imaging of radiation from soot and carbon dioxide in a turbulent ethylene jet diffusion flame

Abstract Quantitative imaging of mid-infrared radiation provides a unique capability to investigate temporally and spatially resolved radiation from gas species and particulates in turbulent flames. The current study reports and analyzes quantitative images of radiation intensity from a turbulent ethylene jet diffusion flame that matches the Reynolds number (15,200) of a non-sooting flame (DLR-A) from the International Workshop on Measurement and Computation of Turbulent Non-premixed Flames. A calibrated high-speed mid-infrared camera with two band-pass filters was used to acquire images of radiation intensity in wavelengths corresponding to soot and carbon dioxide. The measurements, in the wavelength band corresponding to radiation emissions from soot, show thin radiating structures corresponding to soot layers. The normalized probability density functions (PDFs) of soot radiation are skewed by intermittent high intensities while the PDFs of carbon dioxide radiation are more symmetric about the mean. The temporal and spatial integral scales of radiation from soot are up to 30% shorter than the corresponding scales of radiation from carbon dioxide for image centerline locations downstream of initial soot radiation detection. The images and analyses in this work will be compared with results of large eddy simulations rendered in the form of quantitative images of the mid-infrared radiation intensity. Such comparisons support the evaluation of models used in turbulent combustion and radiation simulations.
Orthorhombic Sulfur (α-S)

Publisher Summary The cyclo-S8 molecules constitute a large fraction of the melt throughout the liquid phase. Cyclo octasulfur is frequently referred to as λ-sulfur (λ-S). From λ-S, strongly birefringent orthorhombic crystals or weakly birefringent monoclinic crystals can be assimilated. These two crystallographic allotropes are known as “α-S” and “β-S,” respectively. At the room temperature, α-S is the only thermodynamically stable modification of the element. The morphology of both natural and synthetic specimens of α-S range from cryptocrystalline masses or fine-grained, aggregates to large crystals of well-formed basal pinachoidal or dipyramidal habits. Crystalline sulfur is a soft, brittle material, and is difficult to polish. The crystals display poor cleavage and tend to fracture conchoidally. Sulfur is a poor conductor of heat, and thermal expansion from handling can result in fracturing or spallation of a specimen. This chapter discusses the optical properties of α-S and liquid sulfur. The primary crystal data is restricted torefractive-index measurements with polarization components along the a and b-axes, and thus exclude polarization with components along the c-axis of the α-S crystal.