cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiplicative neural noise can favor an independent components representation of sensory input.

Arguments have been advanced to support the role of principal components (e.g., Karhunen-Loeve, eigenvector) and independent components transformations in early sensory processing, particularly for color and spatial vision. Although the concept of redundancy reduction has been used to justify a principal components transformation, these transformations per se do not necessarily confer benefits with respect to information transmission in information channels with additive independent identically distributed Gaussian noise. Here, it is shown that when a more realistic source of multiplicative neural noise is present in the information channel, there are quantitative benefits to a principal components or independent components representation for Gaussian and non-Gaussian inputs, respectively. Such a representation can convey a larger quantity of information despite the use of fewer spikes. The nature and extent of this benefit depend primarily on the probability distribution of the inputs and the relative power of the inputs. In the case of Gaussian input, the greater the disparity in power between dimensions, the greater the advantage of a principal components representation. For non-Gaussian input distributions with a kurtosis that is super-Gaussian, an independent components representation is similarly advantageous. This advantage holds even for input distributions with equal power since the resulting density is still rotationally asymmetric. However, sub-Gaussian input distributions can lead to situations where maximally correlated inputs are the most advantageous with respect to transmitting the greatest quantity of information with the fewest number of spikes.
Intrinsic Tone as Potential Vascular Reserve in Conductance and Resistance Vessels

Background The purpose of this study was to define the degree of intrinsic tone in conductance and resistance vessels, to define the calcium dependency of intrinsic tone in these vascular preparations, and to investigate the efficacy of vasodilatory agents on the level of intrinsic tone in these vascular preparations. Methods and Results All vessels were deendothelialized. Isometric force was recorded from strips of ferret aorta, ferret pulmonary artery, and human coronary artery. Vessel diameter was recorded from the ferret epicardial coronary artery and from ferret coronary microvessel in a pressurized no-flow state. Intrinsic tone was defined as the active increase in force or decrease in diameter with warming from 6°C to 37°C. Changes in force or diameter with various pharmacological agents were expressed as a percentage of intrinsic tone. Our results indicate that intrinsic tone accounts for ≈35% to 40% of total tone in all vascular preparations studied and is not dependent on extracellular calcium. ...
Abstract B40: PALB2-KEAP1 interaction links oxidative stress to cancer and Fanconi anemia

PALB2/FANCN is mutated or silenced in breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers and Fanconi anemia. It was initially discovered as a major binding protein for BRCA2 and controls the function of BRCA2 in homologous recombination, DNA double strand break repair and tumor suppression (Xia et al 2006). Nowadays, PALB2 itself has been also identified as a BRCA2-like breast cancer susceptibility protein and links BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the DNA damage response (Zhang and Ma et al 2009, Sy et al 2009). Therefore, PALB2 has been thought as an integral component of BRCA complex required for maintaining genomic stability via DNA recombinational repair. In order to explore what other functions PALB2 protein may have, we performed a comprehensive search of PALB2-binding partners using the tandem affinity purification (TAP) assay combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. We show that PALB2 directly interacts with KEAP1, an oxidative stress sensor that binds and represses the anti-oxidant transcription factor NRF2. NRF2-KEAP1 pathway has been characterized as an important endogenous mechanism for combating oxidative stress. Oxidative stress-induced damage can lead to a variety of pathologies such as cancer, Parkinson9s diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer9s diseases and the aging process (Valko et al 2007). We demonstrate that PALB2 shares a conserved “ETGE” motif with NRF2 and competes with NRF2 for KEAP1 binding, thereby relieving NRF2 from KEAP1-mediated repression. As such, PALB2 promotes NRF2 nuclear accumulation, protects cells against oxidative stress and reduces cellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our findings establish a new function for PALB2 and provide a direct link between oxidative stress and the predisposition of cancer and Fanconi anemia. References: 1. Xia B et al. Mol Cell. 2006;22:719. 2. Zhang F et al. Curr Biol. 2009;19:524. 3. Sy S et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009;106:7155. 4. Valko M et al. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2006;39:44. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(14 Suppl):B40.
Norms appropriacy of achievement tests: Spanish-speaking children and English children's norms:

Appropriacy of a nationally standardized test normed on English speakers but used with non-English speaking students is examined. Data from the 1988-89 school year in Illinois are analysed via reli...
Studies of the role of ischemia/reperfusion and superoxide anion radical production in the teratogenicity of cocaine.

The administration of multiple doses of cocaine on a single day during late gestation is teratogenic in rats in which hind limb ectrodactyly is a major finding (Webster and Brown-Woodman,'90). We have previously hypothesized that these limb malformations result from the generation of reactive oxygen species during the process of ischemia/reperfusion in vivo. In order to study the direct effects of cocaine versus the aberrant oxygenation it may induce, we have developed a system for culturing rat embryos between days 14 and 15 of gestation. Growth and development of cultured embryos are comparable to that of in vivo controls
POPULATION GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MOUNTAIN PLOVER USING MITOCHONDRIAL DNA SEQUENCE DATA

Abstract Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) distribution and abundance have been reduced drastically in the past 30 years and the conversion of shortgrass prairie to agriculture has caused breeding populations to become geographically isolated. This, coupled with the fact that Mountain Plovers are thought to show fidelity to breeding grounds, leads to the prediction that the isolated breeding populations would be genetically distinct. This pattern, if observed, would have important management implications for a species at risk of extinction. Our study examined genetic variation at two mitochondrial regions for 20–30 individuals from each of four breeding sites. We found no evidence of significant population differentiation in the data from the control region or the ATPase 6/8 region. Nested-clade analysis revealed no relationship between haplotype phylogeny, and geography among the 47 control region haplotypes. In the ATPase 6/8 region, however, one of the two clades provided information suggesting tha...
HORNS: A homomorphic encryption scheme for Cloud Computing using Residue Number System

In this paper, we propose a homomorphic encryption scheme using Residue Number System (RNS). In this scheme, a secret is split into multiple shares on which computations can be performed independently. Security is enhanced by not allowing the independent clouds to collude. Efficiency is achieved through the use of smaller shares.
An overview of security issues in cluster interconnects

Widespread use of cluster systems in diverse set of applications has spurred significant interest in providing high performance cluster interconnects. A major inefficiency in utilizing such interconnects has been the send/receive communication overheads at the sender/receiver hosts. Various techniques such as user-level communication (ULC) have been proposed to mitigate this communication inefficiency. However, due to recent security breaches, focus on cluster communication security research has spurred. Such research is non-trivial due to the high-speed nature of the cluster interconnect. This paper surveys the four most popular cluster interconnects used in Top500 supercomputers and explores possible schemes to ensure secure cluster intra-communication encompassing the host processor, secure coprocessor and the network interface card (NIC) by illustrating its challenges in doing so. We then compare these schemes in terms of host processor offload, end-to-end latency, security transparency and cryptographic processing performance. Then we give an overview of security issues for those cluster interconnects designs.
Vestibular toxic effects induced by once-daily aminoglycoside therapy.

Aminoglycosides have been traditionally used for treatment of a broad range of bacterial infections. Use of systemic aminoglycoside therapy has declined in recent years because of associated drug-induced toxic effects, including nephrotoxic and ototoxic effects (both vestibular and sensorineural hearing loss) and neuromuscular blockade. Most health care providers are familiar with the nephrotoxic effects of aminoglycosides and follow established guidelines for prevention. However, 1 of the least recognized and most debilitating category of adverse effects of systemic aminoglycoside therapy are vestibular toxic effects (VTEs). The threshold at which aminoglycosides induce VTEs may vary between individuals; therefore this adverse effect may be difficult to predict.
The Use of Antifungal Therapy in Neonatal Intensive Care

Invasive fungal infections remain a significant cause of infection-related mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Central nervous system involvement is the hallmark of neonatal candidiasis, differentiating the disease's impact on young infants from that among all other patient populations. Over the past decade, the number of antifungal agents in development has grown, but most are not labeled for use in newborns. We summarize the findings of several antifungal studies that have been completed to date, emphasizing those including infant populations. We conclude that more studies are required for antifungals to be used safely and effectively in infants.
BCI competition 2003-data set Ia: combining gamma-band power with slow cortical potentials to improve single-trial classification of electroencephalographic signals

In one type of brain-computer interface (BCI), users self-modulate brain activity as detected by electroencephalography (EEG). To infer user intent, EEG signals are classified by algorithms which typically use only one of the several types of information available in these signals. One such BCI uses slow cortical potential (SCP) measures to classify single trials. We complemented these measures with estimates of high-frequency (gamma-band) activity, which has been associated with attentional and intentional states. Using a simple linear classifier, we obtained significantly greater classification accuracy using both types of information from the same recording epochs compared to using SCPs alone.
Genetic Algorithms for Hunting Snakes in Hypercubes: Fitness Function Analysis and Open Questions

Hunting for snakes of maximum length in hypercubes has been addressed with non-heuristic methods for hypercubes of dimension less than eight. Above that dimension the problem is intractable because the search grows exponentially with the dimension, which make it an NP-hard problem. Heuristic methods, like genetic algorithms, have been used to solve this kind of problem. We propose different fitness functions to find snakes in hypercubes of dimension greater than three and pose some open questions regarding the number of maximum length snakes in a hypercube of dimension d.
QoS measures and implementations based on various models for real-time communications

Quality of service (QoS) is a set of service requirements to be met by the network while transporting a data flow in real-time communication systems. Many real-time sources generate traffic with variable rates. We studied a class of soft real-time applications whose bandwidth requirements are random variables. We defined two models for soft real-time communications: the dropping model and the keeping model. We measure the QoS of the whole system, not individual applications. We defined three measures for the system's performance: system feasibility, packet transferability, and weighted packet transferability. Different scheduling algorithms are studied. Some related issues were also studied, such as queue size and gain functions. Finally we implemented a simulator and some typical simulation results and conclusions are presented.
Resilience of mutual exclusion algorithms to transient memory faults

We study the behavior of mutual exclusion algorithms in the presence of unreliable shared memory subject to transient memory faults. It is well-known that classical 2-process mutual exclusion algorithms, such as Dekker and Peterson's algorithms, are not fault-tolerant; in this paper we ask what degree of fault tolerance can be achieved using the same restricted resources as Dekker and Peterson's algorithms, namely, three binary read/write registers.We show that if one memory fault can occur, it is not possible to guarantee both mutual exclusion and deadlock-freedom using three binary registers; this holds in general when fewer than 2f+1 binary registers are used and f may be faulty. Hence we focus on algorithms that guarantee (a) mutual exclusion and starvation-freedom in fault-free executions, and (b) only mutual exclusion in faulty executions. We show that using only three binary registers it is possible to design an 2-process mutual exclusion algorithm which tolerates a single memory fault in this manner. Further, by replacing one read/write register with a test&set register, we can guarantee mutual exclusion in executions where one variable experiences unboundedly many faults.In the more general setting where up to f registers may be faulty, we show that it is not possible to guarantee mutual exclusion using 2f + 1 binary read/write registers if each faulty register can exhibit unboundedly many faults. On the positive side, we show that an n-variable single-fault tolerant algorithm satisfying certain conditions can be transformed into an ((n-1)f + 1)-variable f-fault tolerant algorithm with the same progress guarantee as the original. In combination with our three-variable algorithm, this implies that there is a (2f+1)-variable mutual exclusion algorithm tolerating a single fault in up to f variables without violating mutual exclusion.
Influenza vaccination in the elderly: seeking new correlates of protection and improved vaccines.

Influenza is foremost among all infectious diseases for an age-related increase in risk for serious complications and death. Determining the benefit of current influenza vaccines is largely limited to epidemiologic studies, since placebo-controlled trials of influenza vaccines are no longer considered ethical in the older adult population. Vaccine effectiveness is calculated from the relative reduction in influenza outcomes in individuals who elect to be vaccinated compared with those who do not, the assumptions for which are diverse and have led to considerable controversy as to the exact benefit of influenza vaccination in older adults. In spite of this controversy, there is no doubt that new influenza vaccine technologies are needed to improve protection and reverse the trend of rising hospitalization and death rates related to influenza in older adults despite widespread influenza vaccination programs. This article will review the challenges to new vaccine development, explore the potential correlates...
Investigation of self-heating phenomenon in small geometry vias using scanning Joule expansion microscopy

This paper reports the use of a novel thermometry technique, scanning Joule expansion microscopy (SJEM), to study the steady state and dynamic thermal behaviour of small geometry W-plug vias under sinusoidal and pulsed current stress for the first time. The spatial distribution of the temperature rise surrounding a sub-micron via has been determined and the corresponding temperature contour image has been extracted. The thermal time constant of the via structure has been determined from the measured AC frequency dependence of the temperature rise. Furthermore, the average (DC) and peak temperature rise under pulsed stress condition has been estimated from the measured first harmonic temperature rise.
Generating vegetation leaf area index earth system data record from multiple sensors. Part 1: Theory

The generation of multi-decade long Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation (FPAR) from remote sensing measurements of multiple sensors is key to monitoring long-term changes in vegetation due to natural and anthropogenic influences. Challenges in developing such ESDRs include problems in remote sensing science (modeling of variability in global vegetation, scaling, atmospheric correction) and sensor hardware (differences in spatial resolution, spectral bands, calibration, and information content). In this paper, we develop a physically based approach for deriving LAI and FPAR products from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data that are of comparable quality to the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LAI and FPAR products, thus realizing the objective of producing a long (multi-decadal) time series of these products. The approach is based on the radiative transfer theory of canopy spectral invariants which facilitates parameterization of the canopy spectral bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF). The methodology permits decoupling of the structural and radiometric components and obeys the energy conservation law. The approach is applicable to any optical sensor, however, it requires selection of sensor-specific values of configurable parameters, namely, the single scattering albedo and data uncertainty. According to the theory of spectral invariants, the single scattering albedo is a function of the spatial scale, and thus, accounts for the variation in BRF with sensor spatial resolution. Likewise, the single scattering albedo accounts for the variation in spectral BRF with sensor bandwidths. The second adjustable parameter is data uncertainty, which accounts for varying information content of the remote sensing measurements, i.e., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, low information content), vs. spectral BRF (higher information content). Implementation of this approach indicates good consistency in LAI values retrieved from NDVI (AVHRR-mode) and spectral BRF (MODIS-mode). Specific details of the implementation and evaluation of the derived products are detailed in the second part of this two-paper series.
Sequential metabolism is responsible for diltiazem-induced time-dependent loss of CYP3A.

Kinetic parameters ( k inact and K I ) obtained in microsomes are often used to predict time-dependent inactivation. We previously reported that microsomal inactivation kinetic parameters of diltiazem underpredicted CYP3A inactivation in hepatocytes. In this study, we evaluated the contributions of inactivation and reversible inhibition of CYP3A by diltiazem and its N -desmethyl (MA) and N , N -didesmethyl (MD) metabolites. In human liver microsomes, MA was a more potent time-dependent inactivator of CYP3A than its parent drug, with apparent k inact approximately 4-fold higher than that of diltiazem at a microsomal protein concentration of 0.2 mg/ml. MD did not inactivate CYP3A. Inactivation of CYP3A by diltiazem was dependent on microsomal protein concentration (25, 36, and 41% decrease in CYP3A activity at 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg/ml microsomal protein, respectively, incubated with 10 μM diltiazem over 20 min), whereas inactivation by MA did not seem to be protein concentration-dependent. MA and MD were reversible inhibitors of CYP3A with competitive K i values of 2.7 and 0.2 μM, respectively. In cryopreserved hepatocytes incubated with diltiazem, time-dependent loss of CYP3A was accompanied by increased formation of MA and MD, with the MA level similar to its K I at higher diltiazem concentrations. In addition, the metabolites appeared to be accumulated inside the cells. In summary, time-dependent CYP3A inactivation by MA seems to be the major contributor responsible for the loss of CYP3A in human liver microsomes and human hepatocytes incubated with diltiazem. These findings suggest that prediction of CYP3A loss based solely on microsomal inactivation parameters of parent drug may be inadequate.
The Domestication of AIDS: Stigma, Gender, and the Body Politic in Japan

In this article, I examine the processes by which AIDS has been "domesticated," and Japanese women stigmatized as vectors of HIV/AIDS, once regarded as a "foreign" disease in Japan. Women are associated with ritual pollution and impurity in the Shinto tradition. At the same time, Japanese women are blamed for eschewing marriage and motherhood in favor of material pursuits. As a sequel to the "AIDS panic" of the 1980s, which centered on "foreign women" and women who dated foreigners, in the late 1990s, the Japanese media incited widespread anxiety over a phenomenon known as enjo kosai, or "compensated dating," in which Japanese teenage girls are said to exchange favors (sometimes sexual) for money with older Japanese men. After describing the social and political conditions making the link between young girls, consumption, and AIDS appear natural in late 1990s Japan, I draw on material from some interviews with HIV-positive women to show how these women are marginalized by narratives that fail to take the particularity and the heterogeneity of their experiences into account. While these women resist the stigma that goes along with being labeled a "sex worker," their stories are drowned out by larger stories that speak of the body politic and national concerns over generation divides, demographic shifts, and gender relations in times of rapid social change.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement 2016: A Modern-Day “Through the Looking-Glass” Adventure

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a safe and effective therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). In recent trials, the hemodynamic performance and clinical outcomes of the latest generation of TAVR devices demonstrated at least parity with surgical outcomes in patients of similar risk. Many initial obstacles with TAVR have largely been overcome, including frequent access site complications and concerns about strokes and paravalvular leaks. Using a multidisciplinary heart team approach, patient selection, procedural planning, and device implantation have been refined and optimized such that clinical outcomes are generally predictable and reproducible. Future research will focus on the durability of TAVR devices, further enhancements in clinical outcomes, and adjunctive therapies. On the basis of initial results from ongoing clinical trials, the indication for TAVR will likely expand to lower-risk patients. This review provides an overview of recent progress in this field, and highlights future opportunities and directions.
Molecular recognition of ketamine by a subset of olfactory G protein–coupled receptors

Ketamine elicits various neuropharmacological effects, including sedation, analgesia, general anesthesia, and antidepressant activity. Through an in vitro screen, we identified four mouse olfactory receptors (ORs) that responded to ketamine. In addition to their presence in the olfactory epithelium, these G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are distributed throughout the central nervous system. To better understand the molecular basis of the interactions between ketamine and ORs, we used sequence comparison and molecular modeling to design mutations that (i) increased, reduced, or abolished ketamine responsiveness in responding receptors, and (ii) rendered nonresponding receptors responsive to ketamine. We showed that olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that expressed distinct ORs responded to ketamine in vivo, suggesting that ORs may serve as functional targets for ketamine. The ability to both abolish and introduce responsiveness to ketamine in GPCRs enabled us to identify and confirm distinct interaction loci in the binding site, which suggested a signature ketamine-binding pocket that may guide exploration of additional receptors for this general anesthetic drug.
Source of amino acids for tRNA acylation. Implications for measurement of protein synthesis

Estimates of protein-synthesis rates using radioisotopes require accurate measurement of the specific radioactivity of the label in protein and in the precursor pool over time. Although the extracellular and intracellular pools of amino acids are easiest to sample, the tRNA pool is the direct precursor and is the appropriate pool for sampling. To test if the intracellular or extracellular pools reflect the tRNA specific radioactivity, a chicken macrophage cell line was incubated in medium containing either 0.23 mM-leucine and 14.5 microCi of [3H]leucine (tracer dose) or 2.3 microM-leucine plus 145.0 microCi of [3H]leucine (flooding dose). At both leucine levels, the tRNA specific radioactivity reached a plateau quickly, but did not equilibrate with either the extracellular or intracellular specific radioactivity within 30 min, and remained closer to that of protein. In a second experiment, proteins in chicken macrophages were labelled with [3H]leucine for 2 days. Labelling medium was removed, and the cells were washed free of residual free [3H]leucine and incubated with medium containing either 0.23 mM- or 2.3 mM-leucine (unlabelled). The specific radioactivity of leucyl-tRNA leucine reached a plateau within 2 min and remained considerably closer to that in the protein than that in intracellular or extracellular pools for at least 60 min. These results suggest that amino acids from protein degradation are a primary source for charging tRNA. When protein-synthesis rates are estimated by label incorporation, use of extracellular or intracellular specific-radioactivity values result in a marked underestimation.
Equilibrium of agricultural input-output under risk expected and impact on income stability:Based on Lyaponof stability theorem

This paper divided different kinds of agricultural risk into pre-production risk,production risk and postproduction risk according to the time sequence,which were introduced into the comparative statics profit function,and qualitatively analyzed agricultural input-output equilibrium changes.Taking into consideration of the increasing production risk,the author compared and analyzed changes and differences in the optimal equilibrium input-output by rational producer,and developed dynamic agricultural income function and also used Lyaponof stability theorem to discuss and analyze risk mechanism and influencing factors in stabilizing agricultural income.The results showed that:1)When the producing risk expectation was increased,production curve "jumped"downward which means yields decrease;2)The optimal input-output scale was smaller than the equilibrium status,and it was difficult to achieve"tight constraints"condition of income stability.
A Reflection on the Enacting patterns of Accounting Postulates

From the imputation of the enacting power for accounting postulations,the leading patterns of accounting postulates are:the leading patterns of the government and the leading patterns of the privates,the basic patterns of regulations and the basic patterns of principles.The selected goals for the enacting patterns of accounting postulates should be at the guideline of the high quality of accounting postulates,which can makes the postulates have operability and authority.The accounting postulates in China is supposed to change and the operational enviornment is supposed to perfect.
Hemophilia A persistence and gene mutational vulnerability.

A half century ago, J. B. S. Haldane puzzled as to why hemophilia had not been eliminated from the gene pool by natural selection. Thanks to modern molecular genetics, we now know that the persistence relates to the multiplicity of gene mutations involved and that this in turn is a result of high mutational vulnerability of particular nucleotide sequences in the large factor VIII gene.
Horned lark damage to pre-emerged canola seedlings

Abstract Winter canola (Brassica napus L.) is considered the most promising domestically-produced oilseed feedstock for biodiesel production and for diversifying wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based cropping systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA. Winter canola field experiments conducted in east-central Washington were completely destroyed, and commercial fields were damaged or destroyed, over several years by large flocks of horned larks (Eremophilia alperestis L.) that ate the cotyledon leaves of pre-emerged and newly-emerged seedlings. Numerous control methods were attempted in field experiments, including laying bird netting over the entire experiment, placement of a life-size predator decoy in a field experiment, loud propane-powered cannon blasts, and mixing garlic with canola seed before planting followed by spraying garlic water on the soil surface. None of the attempted control methods were successful. This is the first report in the literature of horned lark damage to pre-emerged and newly-emerged canola seedlings. We discuss questions relevant to our novel account as well as potential abatement using falcons and non-toxic chemical repellents for the protection of industrial canola crops associated with horned lark depredation.
Recognition of Dental Caries

The appearance of caries varies considerably, depending on the tooth surface affected, the speed of the process of decay, and the stage of destruction. This article describes the clinical appearance of dental caries from earliest to most advanced stages according to location and in the context of the dynamics of its progression. Problems of diagnosis and the significance of the lesion in regard to pulpal pathology are discussed, and treatment possibilities are examined.
South Puget Planning Unit, Washington, United States of America

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages 146,000 acres (about 59,085 hectares) of state trust lands in the South Puget Habitat Conservation Plan Planning Unit in northwest Washington. State trust lands are lands held in trust to produce revenue for trust beneficiaries including schools, universities, and hospitals. This forestland planning effort involved balancing the production of revenue (primarily through timber harvesting) with objectives for ecological and social values. Although 23% of state trust lands in this unit are deferred from harvest for ecological reasons, 77% are not and must support all of these objectives to varying degrees. Finding the right balance was a complex task, made more difficult by the planning unit’s proximity to a large and growing urban population. Success came from public outreach and close cooperation between the DNR’s planning team at agency headquarters and the DNR region that is responsible for managing this unit.
Preparing Social Work Doctoral Students for Teaching: Report of a Survey

The results of a national survey of 51 social work doctoral program directors indicate that, although the majority of doctoral programs include preparation for teaching as a program objective, they offer limited formal course work and few opportunities for supervised teaching experiences. The authors discuss the results of this survey and make recommendations for better preparing social work doctoral students for their roles as teachers.
Treatment of Graft-versus-Host Disease by Echinomycin in a New Humanized Mouse Model

Drug development effort against GVHD is hampered by the lack of clinically relevant humanized animal models for preclinical testing. Current humanized GVHD models rely on adoptive transfer of a high number of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into immunodeficient mice. Here we report a novel humanized GVHD model by transplanting a small number of human BM cells into newborn NOD.SCID IL2rγ0 (NSG) mice. Transplantation of human BM cells (BMT) causes acute GVHD, with lethality between 15 to 60 days. Pervasive human T-cell infiltration into multiple organs, including lung, intestine, skin, kidney, liver, and stomach, was observed in all mice analyzed. Surprisingly, the human T cells express high levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) protein even under normoxic environment. Administration of Echinomycin, a potent inhibitor for HIF1α, rapidly ablated HIF1α protein in T cells and gradually reduced the frequency of human cells in the peripheral blood and target organs. Echinomycin provides a sustained therapeutic effect, as demonstrated by dramatic reduction of clinical symptoms, pathology score and by doubling of the median life span of the chimeric mice. Our results reveal a critical role of HIF1α in GVHD and demonstrate that HIF1α inhibitors such as Echinomycin should be explored for clinical drug development against GVHD.
A Football Field Lost Every 45 Minutes: Evaluating Local Capacity to Implement Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan

ABSTRACTAs Louisiana continues to experience substantial coastal wetland loss—at the rate of a football field every 45 min—and multiple disasters, state and federal officials struggle with implementing restoration plans in this highly productive ecosystem. The 2007 Louisiana Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast is the first large-scale restoration plan in the United States to incorporate hazard mitigation. However, there is no mandate for local governments to adhere to this plan. Building upon the planning quality and evaluation literature, this study analyzes comprehensive land use plans in Louisiana's coastal zone to systematically assess the quality of the plans within the context of a non-mandated, $50 billion large-scale state restoration plan. Results indicate a great disparity in plan quality; a majority of the local governments lack the capacity to implement the nonstructural programmatic elements of the state's plan. The study concludes with a discussion and recommendations for prac...
Académie Nationale de Médecine - Une Tradition Bicentenaire de Modernité

C'est sous le signe de la modernite, qu’est fondee l'Academie nationale de medecine, au debut du XIXeme siecle, alors que notre discipline emerge d'une longue periode d'obscurantisme.Apres Bichat, mort prematurement, les pionniers, Laennec, dont le stethoscope permet pour la premiere fois d'ecouter ce qui se passe a l'interieur du corps humain , Larrey, le premier chirurgien des temps modernes , Pinel, le premier psychiatre... sont appeles a sieger dans la jeune academie fondee par Louis XVIII en 1820.Toujours sous le signe de la modernite, c'est a l'Academie de medecine que presentent leurs travaux revolutionnaires Pasteur et Marie Curie, deux figures emblematiques de la science, des decouvreurs comme Laveran, prix Nobel de medecine, des novateurs comme Robert Debre, pediatre eminent mais aussi inventeur des CHU. Alexander Fleming y fit connaitre au monde sa decouverte de la penicilline....
Susceptibility of Prepupae of the Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to Entomopathogenic Nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae, Heterorhabditidae)

This research investigated the ability of five species or strains of parasitic nematodes to control the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), when beetle prepupae were released on potting soil containing the nematodes. The nematodes tested were: Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser (All strain); S. carpocapsae (Mexican strain); S. feltiae (= bibionis) (Filipjev) (strain #27); S. feltiae (strain #980) and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar. Six dosage levels ranging from 10.3 to 329.2 nematodes/cm2, in addition to the water-only controls, were used in these laboratory tests. Each dosage-strain combination was replicated four times with 20 prepupae exposed to each individual treatment. The five strains demonstrated 100% kill at 164.6 nematodes/cm2. Except for the Mexican strain of S. carpocapsae, every strain produced over 98% mortality at 82.3 nematodes/cm2. Dosage response regression equations were calculated for each strain. Although field applications probably would require higher rates t...
Toxoplasma gondii Requires Glycogen Phosphorylase for Balancing Amylopectin Storage and for Efficient Production of Brain Cysts.

In immunocompromised hosts, latent infection with Toxoplasma gondii can reactivate from tissue cysts, leading to encephalitis. A characteristic of T. gondii bradyzoites in tissue cysts is the presence of amylopectin granules. The regulatory mechanisms and role of amylopectin accumulation in this organism are not fully understood. The T. gondii genome encodes a putative glycogen phosphorylase (TgGP), and mutants were constructed to manipulate the activity of TgGP and to evaluate the function of TgGP in amylopectin storage. Both a stop codon mutant (Pru/TgGPS25stop [expressing a Ser-to-stop codon change at position 25 in TgGP]) and a phosphorylation null mutant (Pru/TgGPS25A [expressing a Ser-to-Ala change at position 25 in TgGp]) mutated at Ser25 displayed amylopectin accumulation, while the phosphorylation-mimetic mutant (Pru/TgGPS25E [expressing a Ser-to-Glu change at position 25 in TgGp]) had minimal amylopectin accumulation under both tachyzoite and bradyzoite growth conditions. The expression of active TgGPS25S or TgGPS25E restored amylopectin catabolism in Pru/TgGPS25A To understand the relation between GP and calcium-dependent protein kinase 2 (CDPK2), which was recently reported to regulate amylopectin consumption, we knocked out CDPK2 in these mutants. PruΔcdpk2/TgGPS25E had minimal amylopectin accumulation, whereas the Δcdpk2 phenotype in the other GP mutants and parental lines displayed amylopectin accumulation. Both the inactive S25A and hyperactive S25E mutant produced brain cysts in infected mice, but the numbers of cysts produced were significantly less than the number produced by the S25S wild-type GP parasite. Complementation that restored amylopectin regulation restored brain cyst production to the control levels seen in infected mice. These data suggest that T. gondii requires tight regulation of amylopectin expression for efficient production of cysts and persistent infections and that GP phosphorylation is a regulatory mechanism involved in amylopectin storage and utilization.IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes disease in immune-suppressed individuals, as well as a fetopathy in pregnant women who acquire infection for the first time during pregnancy. This parasite can differentiate between tachyzoites (seen in acute infection) and bradyzoites (seen in latent infection), and this differentiation is associated with disease relapse. A characteristic of bradyzoites is that they contain cytoplasmic amylopectin granules. The regulatory mechanisms and the roles of amylopectin granules during latent infection remain to be elucidated. We have identified a role of T. gondii glycogen phosphorylase (TgGP) in the regulation of starch digestion and a role of posttranslational modification of TgGP, i.e., phosphorylation of Ser25, in the regulation of amylopectin digestion. By manipulating TgGP activity in the parasite with genome editing, we found that the digestion and storage of amylopectin due to TgGP activity are both important for latency in the brain.
Case of a Girl with Heavy, Prolonged Periods and Anemia

Shelby is an 11-year-3-month-old girl with heavy menstrual bleeding for the past 25 days, fatigue, and moderate anemia. She had her first menstrual period 9 months ago and has had six menses at irregular intervals. Her physical exam is normal as are laboratory tests for hormone dysfunction and bleeding disorders. Her abnormal uterine bleeding is likely related to ovulatory dysfunction from HPO axis immaturity. A combined (estrogen/progestin) oral contraceptive (COC) pill will stabilize the endometrium and prevent further bleeding. An appropriate plan is to administer a COC pill two times per day for 2 or 3 days to stop the bleeding and then once daily to prevent further bleeding. Shelby should also begin a therapeutic dose of oral iron with a stool softener. Once anemia is corrected, it is reasonable to discontinue the COC pills. Thereafter, Shelby should track her menses on a menstrual calendar and see her clinician frequently to monitor for recurrence.
How Proton Transfer Equilibria Influence Ionic Liquid Properties: Molecular Simulations of Alkylammonium Acetates.

Protic ionic liquids (PILs) form through proton transfer from a Bronsted acid to a Bronsted base. In this work we use molecular dynamics simulation to study how PIL properties vary with χ, the extent of the proton transfer reaction. Three PILs are considered: N-propylammonium acetate, [N3][Ac], N-butylammonium acetate, [N4][Ac], and N,N-dimethylbutylammonium acetate, [N114][Ac]. In all cases density and viscosity increase with increasing χ, while diffusivities of all species decrease with increasing χ. In each PIL the ionic conductivity exhibits a maximum at intermediate χ due to competition between increasing ion concentration and decreasing ion mobility. Ionicity analysis suggests that strongly correlated behavior is present at all χ. Finally, we determine the χ for which the properties of each simulated PIL best agree with experimental data; these are χ = 0.86, 0.80, and 0.18 for [N3][Ac], [N4][Ac], and [N114][Ac], respectively. These results suggest that proton transfer is nearly complete in the prima...
High resolution modeling of chromatin interactions

Sprout is a novel generative model for ChIA-PET data that characterizes physical chromatin interactions and points of contact at high spatial resolution. Sprout improves upon other methods by learning empirical distributions for pairs of reads that reflect ligation events between genomic locations that are bound by a protein of interest. Using these learned empirical distributions Sprout is able to accurately position interaction anchors, infer whether read pairs were created by self-ligation or inter-ligation, and accurately assign read pairs to anchors which allows for the identification of high confidence interactions. When Sprout is run on CTCF ChIA-PET data it identifies more interaction anchors that are supported by CTCF motif matches than other approaches with competitive positional accuracy. Sprout rejects interaction events that are not supported by pairs of reads that fit the empirical model for inter-ligation read pairs, producing a set of interactions that are more consistent across CTCF biological replicates than established methods.
A VARIATION OF RAZUMIKHIN'S METHOD FOR RETARDED FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a variation of Razumikhin's method for retarded functional differential equations. Although Liapunov functionals are theoretically perhaps the natural way to study various stability properties of functional differential equations, Liapunov functions have played a prominent role in such investigations. The idea of employing Liapunov functions to functional differential equations was apparently first conceived by Razumikhin in 1960. In 1962, Driver helped to clarify some of the ideas of the Razumikhin method and introduced them to the non-Russian reader. One of the basic techniques involved in this classical method has been to examine inequalities in connection with the derivative of a Liapunov function. This derivative is often examined with respect to a certain subset C0 of the general solution space C. This chapter presents a variation of the Razumikhin method to gain information concerning the behavior of solutions of functional differential equations.
Attrition and HIV Risk Behaviors: A Comparison of Young Men Who Have Sex with Men Recruited from Online and Offline Venues for an Online HIV Prevention Program

In addition to offline venue-based and time–space sampling, recruitment of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) into HIV surveillance and prevention studies has expanded over time to include Internet-based approaches. Despite broadening recruitment strategies, enrolling racially and ethnically diverse YMSM who are disproportionately impacted by HIV continues to be challenging. Additionally, there is little literature on the impact of recruitment venue on participant characteristics and likelihood to enroll YMSM into online randomized control trials (RCT). This study used data from the multisite RCT, Keep It Up! 2.0, to examine the impact of recruitment venue on participant demographics, behavioral HIV risks, and enrollment. A total of 2984 participants were screened for eligibility from community-based organizations, Facebook, dating apps, and outreach events. There were significant differences by venue in age (χ2[3] = 54.38, p < .001), race/ethnicity (χ2[9] = 110.78, p < .001), sexual orientation (χ2[3] = 7.85, p < .05), relationship status (χ2[6] = 27.71, p < .001), and region of recruitment (χ2[6] = 1480.51, p < .001). There were no significant differences by venue in attrition during the enrollment process. The only difference in attrition was by race/ethnicity. Compared to White participants, eligible Black (OR: 0.35, p < .01) and Latino (OR: 0.46, p < .05) participants were significantly less likely to enroll in the intervention. There were also no significant differences by recruitment venue in sexual risk behaviors among enrolled participants. These findings suggest that recruitment into online HIV interventions from a variety of venues is feasible for diverse YMSM who are at similar risk for HIV infection.
Estimation of Effective Elastic Properties of General Multifunctional Honeycomb Structures Using a Unit Cell Method

Sandwich composite structures are ideal configurations in which to incorporate additional functionality beyond load carrying capabilities. The inner core can be layered to facilitate other functions such as power storage for a battery. In this work we investigate an assemblage of analytical tools to compute effective properties that allow complex layered core architectures to be homogenized into a single continuum layer. This provides a great increase in computational efficiency to numerically simulate the structural response of multifunctional sandwich structures under applied loads.
Critical Care Management: Sepsis and Disseminated and Local Infections

Local and systemic infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised children, including but not limited to patients with hematologic and solid malignancies, congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies, or hematopoietic cell or solid organ transplantation patients. Progression to septic shock can be rapid and profound and thus requires specific diagnostic and treatment approaches. This chapter will discuss the diagnosis and the initial hemodynamic management strategies of septic shock in immunocompromised children, including strategies to improve oxygen delivery, reduce metabolic demand, and monitor hemodynamic response to resuscitation. This chapter also discusses strategies to reverse septic shock pathobiology, including the use of both empiric and targeted anti-infective strategies and pharmacologic and cell therapy-based immunomodulation. Specific consideration is also paid to the management of high-risk subpopulations and the care of septic shock patients with resolving injury.