cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two new species of Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae) from southern Africa

Two new annual species of Nemesia Vent, are described from southern Africa. N. williamsonii is characterized by bright orange flowers with an inflated yellow palate. It differs from the related N. maxii Hiern by having a spur that projects backwards, not downwards, and bracts that are lanceolate with a truncate base, not triangular or cordate. It is unusual for the genus in having dimorphic seeds. N. williamsonii occurs almost exclusively in the Richtersveld. but has been collected in a few localities across the Orange River in southern Namibia. N. hemiptera is a delicate, wiry-stemmed annual with small white flowers. The flowers are characterized by a tiny nipple-like spur and a seed that is winged on onlv one side. N. hemiptera isendemic to the Kamiesberg from near Garies to Kamieskroon.
The Mechanism and Phenomena of Adaptive Human Behavior During an Epidemic and the Role of Information

Disease transmission can be described phenomenologically at the population level or mechanistically as the aggregate result of individual behaviors. To explain why epidemics evolve as they do in response to information, a mechanistic approach is required. However, taking a mechanistic approach reveals that information can be parsed in terms of forecasting models or the approach to forming expectations, timeliness or quality of information, and information processing and how the information is used to make trade-offs. We develop a mechanistic model that uses microeconomic theory to describe adaptive or strategic human behavior. We show that phenomenological forecasting models and forecasting models based on classical epidemiological theory guide human behavior towards similar biological results, but different social well-being results. Moreover, we find that assumptions about information processing method, i.e., the utility function of individuals, may have a substantial influence on an epidemic.
Electrosorption at functional interfaces: from molecular-level interactions to electrochemical cell design

Adsorption at charged interfaces plays an important role across all aspects of physical chemistry, from biological interactions within living organisms to chemical processes such as catalysis and separations. With recent advances in materials chemistry, there are a host of modified electrodes being investigated for electrosorption, especially in separations science. In this perspective, we provide an overview of functional interfaces being used for electrosorption, ranging from electrochemical separations such as deionization and selective product recovery to biological applications. We cover the various molecular mechanisms which can be used to enhance ion capacity, and in some cases, provide selectivity; as well as discuss the parasitic Faradaic reactions which often impair electrosorption performance. Finally, we point to the importance of electrochemical configurations, in particular the advantages of asymmetric cell design, and highlight the opportunities for selective electrosorption brought about by redox-mediated systems.
A Qualitative Evaluation of Mental Health Clinic Staff Perceptions of Barriers and Facilitators to Treating Tobacco Use.

Introduction Veterans with mental health disorders smoke at high rates, but encounter low rates of tobacco treatment. We sought to understand barriers and facilitators to treating tobacco use in VA mental health clinics. Methods This qualitative study was part of a trial evaluating a telephone care coordination program for smokers using mental health services at six VA facilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 staff: 12 mental health clinic staff working at the parent study's intervention sites (n = 6 psychiatrists, three psychologists, two social workers, one NP), as well as one psychiatrist and one psychologist on the VA's national tobacco advisory committee. Interviews were transcribed and inductively coded to identify themes. Results Five "barriers" themes emerged: (1) competing priorities, (2) patient challenges/resistance, (3) complex staffing/challenging cross-discipline coordination, (4) mixed perceptions about whether tobacco is a mental health care responsibility, and (5) limited staff training/comfort in treating tobacco. Five "facilitators" themes emerged: (1) reminding mental health staff about tobacco, (2) staff belief in the importance of addressing tobacco, (3) designating a cessation medication prescriber, (4) linking tobacco to mental health outcomes and norms, and (5) limiting mental health staff burden. Conclusions VA mental health staff struggle with knowing that tobacco use is important, but they face competing priorities, encounter patient resistance, are conflicted on their role in addressing tobacco, and lack tobacco training. They suggested strategies at multiple levels that would help overcome those barriers that can be used to design interventions that improve tobacco treatment delivery for mental health patients. Implications This study builds upon the existing literature on the high rates of smoking, but low rates of treatment, in people with mental health diagnoses. This study is one of the few qualitative evaluations of mental health clinic staff perceptions of barriers and facilitators to treating tobacco. The study results provide a multi-level framework for developing strategies to improve the implementation of tobacco treatment programs in mental health clinics.
Intrinsic limitations on quantification accuracy of dual energy CT at low dose levels

Radiation dose is still a topic of concern in current computed tomography (CT) clinical practice. While dose reduction strategies have been developed and proven to provide acceptable imaging performance, a recent work1 have demonstrated that filtered-backprojection based CT will lead to inaccurate CT numbers at low dose levels. This conclusion suggest that dual energy CT (DECT) material decomposition at low dose levels may also be strongly biased. The purpose of this work was to systematically investigate the relationship between image-based DECT decomposition accuracy and the mA level. To achieve this goal, a Catphan phantom with different material inserts of known composition was scanned in a benchtop CT system with two different x-ray spectra (60 and 100 kV). Different tube current levels, ranging from 0.5 to 10 mAs were used, and 50 realizations per data set were acquired. Image domain material decomposition was performed with the acquired data, using acrylic and Teflon as material basis. The resulting decompositions were compared to reference values, obtained from the decomposition of averaged scans at a reference dose level. It was observed that both phantom composition and mA levels strongly impact the decomposition accuracy. Particularly, when either the low- or high- energy scan was acquired with a high mA level, a low mA level for the conjugate measurement led to biased decomposition estimates. Fundamentally different trends were identified when comparing decomposition -accuracy and -precision as function of the mA level. Our results also suggest that certain tube current combinations may be optimal in terms of accuracy.
Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us about Policing and Race

Suspect Citizens offers the most comprehensive look to date at the most common form of police-citizen interactions, the routine traffic stop. Throughout the war on crime, police agencies have used traffic stops to search drivers suspected of carrying contraband. From the beginning, police agencies made it clear that very large numbers of police stops would have to occur before an officer might interdict a significant drug shipment. Unstated in that calculation was that many Americans would be subjected to police investigations so that a small number of high-level offenders might be found. The key element in this strategy, which kept it hidden from widespread public scrutiny, was that middle-class white Americans were largely exempt from its consequences. Tracking these police practices down to the officer level, Suspect Citizens documents the extreme rarity of drug busts and reveals sustained and troubling disparities in how racial groups are treated.
Biocontainment Principles for Pediatric Patients

The need for medical communities to prepare for highly hazardous communicable disease outbreaks was perhaps best exemplified in the 2014–2016 Ebola virus outbreak. To date, most efforts of preparedness have focused on adult medical providers, though it is critical that pediatric institutions achieve the same level of preparedness for children who may present with these illnesses. Care of pediatric patients exposed and/or infected with these unique pathogens requires advanced planning and training in order to offer the highest level of care while at the same time being able to ensure the safety of both the hospital staff and the community. In this chapter, we will discuss the basic principles of biocontainment and care in a unique pediatric setting and offer guidelines on how to navigate the identification, isolation, family-centered care, and clinical care of children with highly hazardous communicable diseases.
Rating of the Effectiveness of 26 Psychiatric and Seizure Medications for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a National Survey.

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to provide an evaluation of the benefits and adverse effects (AEs) of psychiatric and seizure medications commonly used for individuals with auti...
Recent Glacial History of an Alpine Area in the Colorado Front Range, U.S.A.: II. Dating the Glacial Deposits

Recent glacial deposits in the Indian Peaks area of the Colorado Front Range have been dated lichenometricaily, using a growth curve developed locally for Rhizocarpon geographicum. Radiocarbon dates, where available, tend to support the lichen chronology. Three distinct intervals of glaciation, each consisting of several minor pulsations, have occurred in the area during the past 4500 years. The earliest advance (Temple Lake Stade) is dated at 2500–700 b.c. A later advance (Arikaree Stade) began in about a.d. 100 and ended in a.d. 1000. The most recent advance (Gannett Peak Stade) is dated at a.d. 1650–1850. It remains to be seen whether the Arikaree Stade was purely a local development or whether glaciers were advancing elsewhere in the cordilleran region during this interval. Alluviation on the plains east of the Colorado Front Range seems to have occurred during the waning stages of mountain glaciation.
Trauma and Resilience in the Lives and Education of Hmong American Students: Forging Pedagogies of Remembrance with Critical Refugee Discourse.

Since 1975, over 3 million refugees have entered the United States, yet schools are unequipped to recognize and comprehend refugee communities’ life circumstances as shaped by structural and symbol...
Introduction: Violence and Mental Illness in Context

This chapter discusses and challenges the perceived relationship between mental illness and violence. Overall rates of violence have decreased globally, as well as locally in the USA. Despite this fact, reports of serious and lethal violence still elicit fears with respect to public safety. Violence, therefore, is not only a topic for criminal justice agencies, but is clearly a general public health concern. In many violent incidents, mental illness is used as a way of explaining the horrific outcomes. Mass shootings in particular are considered a consequence of mental illness, and authorities have tried to prevent these types of incidents by focusing on restrictions to gun acquisition for mentally ill people. The relationship between mental illness and violence, however, is debatable, based on empirical evidence. Consequently, there is a need to support research that does not solely utilize mental health as an explanatory model for violence, but instead redirects the focus to social and environmental factors. To accomplish this, it will be critical to adopt a cross-disciplinary approach that includes the broader context of mental health problems and social interactions.
"A PCMH mind and a PCMH heart": Patient, faculty, and learner perspectives on collaborative care in an interprofessional team-based training programme.

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES Providing high-quality primary care in patient-centred medical homes (PCMHa) requires competencies that can only be provided by interprofessional (IP) education. The benefits of collaborative training have been documented for learners, but less is known about the perceptions of the clinical professionals who train the learners or the patients receiving IP primary care. This investigation compared stakeholder attitudes about IP education, training, and providing collaborative care prior to developing a new IP training programme. METHODS We conducted five focus groups at a large general internal medicine training practice. Learner and faculty groups included participants from medicine, psychology, pharmacy, and physician assistant professions; three patient groups were held to obtain perspectives on receiving health care from IP trainees. We used inductive analysis to identify themes across the three stakeholder groups. RESULTS We identified seven convergent themes across all three stakeholder groups: (a) team engagement, (b) technology in care delivery, (c) cost of care, (d) involving patients in learning, (e) time constraints, (f) scope of practice, and (g) autonomy/interdependence. Each group emphasized the need to define and communicate team members' roles. Learners anticipated high-quality IP interactions, and patients noted the benefits of receiving care from well-supervised trainees. Faculty struggled to navigate the training needs of diverse learner groups and to integrate PCMH mandates focused on documentation with authentic patient-centred care. CONCLUSIONS This is the first reported data comparing perceptions about IP training and care across these three stakeholder groups. Results suggest the need to clarify scope of practice, define professional roles, and bridge gaps between teaching PCMH principles and subsequently providing high-quality health care. Results inform faculty development needs in learning ways to train learners across professions and outline ways to structure interactions with patients.
Single-site umbilical laparoscopic pyloromyotomy for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in infants less than 3 weeks

Objective To report our initial experiences and the potential benefits of this technique in 13 cases.Methods A retrospective review of single-site umbilical laparoscopic pyloromyotomy was performed for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis less than 3 weeks between January 2010 and January 2013.Of the 13 patients,12 were males and 1 was female,aged 11 to 21 d (average 17.3 d).After the diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasound and upper gastrointestinal study,single-site umbilical laparoscopic pyloromyotomy was performed.Results One hundred and twenty-one cases underwent a laparoscopic pyloromyotomy for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis,13 cases were less than 3 weeks with pyloric length of (15.8 ± 2.8) mm and thickness of (3.6 ± 0.35) mm.The operative time was 15-30 min(mean 26 min).There was no conversion to open operation or standard laparoscopy.The cases were followed up for 3 38 months (mean 16.5 months),and all the cases were doing well.Conclusions Our experience suggests that the routine sonographic diagnostic criteria are not always precise in the infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis less than 3 weeks,because they have shorter and thinner pylorus than their older counterparts.The single-site umbilical laparoscopic pyloromyotomy is simple,with better cosmetic results,and similar operative time compared to the standard laparoscopic surgery. Key words: Laparoscopy; Pyloric stenosis; Neonate
Behavioral Mimicry as a Strategy to Increase Drinking Behaviors in Older Adults

Purpose Individuals with dysphagia, particularly in the presence of dementia, are at high risk for decreased nutrition and hydration. Unfortunately, current treatment options are not without limita...
Technical Note: Plan-delivery-time constrained inverse optimization method with minimum-MU-per-energy-layer (MMPEL) for efficient pencil beam scanning proton therapy

PURPOSE This work aims to reduce dose delivery time of pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton plans, which is the dominant factor of total plan delivery time. A proton PBS system, such as Varian ProBeam proton therapy system, can be equipped with the proton dose rate that is linearly proportional to the minimum monitor unit (MU) (i.e., number of protons) of PBS spots before saturation. Thus dose delivery time can be potentially reduced by increasing the MU threshold. However, commercially available treatment planning systems and current methods only allow for a single MU threshold globally for all PBS spots (i.e., all energy layers), and consequently the room to increase this minimum-MU for reducing dose delivery time is very limited since higher minimum-MU can greatly degrade treatment plan quality. METHODS Two major innovations of this work are the proposal of using variable MU thresholds locally adaptive to each energy layer, that is, minimum-MU-per-energy-layer (MMPEL), for reducing dose delivery time, and the joint optimization of plan delivery time and plan quality. Minimum-MU-per-energy-layer is formulated as a constrained optimization problem with objectives of dose-volume-histogram based planning constraints and plan delivery time, and minimum-MU constraints per energy layer for deliverable PBS spots. Minimum-MU-per-energy-layer is solved by iterative convex relaxations via alternating direction method of multipliers. RESULTS Representative prostate, lung, brain, head-and-neck, breast, liver and pancreas cases were used to validate MMPEL. Minimum-MU-per-energy-layer reduced dose delivery time to 53%, 67%, 67%, 53%, 54%, 32%, and 14% respectively while maintaining a similar plan quality. Accepting a slightly degraded plan quality that still met all physician planning constraints, the treatment time could be further reduced to 26%, 35%, 41%, 34%, 32%, 16%, and 11% respectively, or in another word MMPEL accelerated the PBS plan delivery by 2-10 fold. CONCLUSIONS A new proton PBS treatment planning method MMPEL with variable energy-adaptive MU thresholds is developed to optimize dose delivery time jointly with plan quality. The preliminary results suggest that MMPEL could substantially reduce dose delivery time.
Bicycle Longitudinal Motion Modeling.

This research effort uses vehicular traffic flow techniques to model bicyclist longitudinal motion while accounting for bicycle interactions. Specifically, an existing car-following model, the Fadhloun-Rakha (FR) model is re-parametrized to model bicyclists. Initially, the study evaluates the performance of the proposed model formulation using experimental datasets collected from two ring-road bicycle experiments; one conducted in Germany in 2012, and the second in China in 2016. The validation of the model is achieved through investigating and comparing the proposed model outputs against those obtained from two state-of-the-art models, namely: the Necessary Deceleration Model (NDM), which is a model specifically designed to capture the longitudinal motion of bicyclists; and the Intelligent Driver Model, which is a car-following model that was demonstrated to be suitable for single-file bicycle traffic. Through a quantitative and qualitative evaluation, the proposed model formulation is demonstrated to produce modeling errors that are consistent with the other two models. While all three models generate trajectories that are consistent with empirically observed bicycle-following behavior, only the proposed model allows for an explicit and straightforward tuning of the bicyclist physical characteristics and the road environment. A sensitivity analysis, demonstrates the effect of varying the different model parameters on the produced trajectories, highlighting the robustness and generality of the proposed model.
The native speaker fallacy in a U.S. university Japanese and Chinese program

Informed by concepts of native speakers, racial nativism, and language socialization theory, this study documented the existence of the native speaker fallacy (Phillipson, 1992, Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press) in a university‐level Japanese and Chinese program in the United States. Specifically, the researcher collected survey responses from language teachers and students, conducted interviews, and observed the teacher training process, one‐on‐one teaching sessions, and classroom teaching over the course of 2 academic years. A regression analysis showed how the perception of native and non‐native speakers was significantly influenced by students’ language level, native language, and race, and by the language program itself. The cases of a dialectal speaker and biracial Japanese teachers illustrated the effects of the bifurcated categorizations on teachers who do not fit in the dichotomy. Implications derived from this study call for critical analysis of the valorization of standard dialect and investigation into ways that will make more room for diversity in the language classroom. This study also underscores the importance of debriefing meetings that allow language professionals and students to reflect their teaching and learning experiences in relation to their identities and to examine unquestioned assumptions about language and racial identities and language standardization in increasingly globalized and diverse communities.
Evaluating IDENTITY, an Automated Data Sharing Platform to Improve Health Outcomes for Youth in Protective Custody

Purpose Integrated Data Environment to eNhance outcomes in cusTody Youth (IDENTITY) is a web-based portal designed to share linked electronic health record (EHR) and child welfare information in near-real time for children in protective custody. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and utilization of IDENTITY by child protective services workers and clinicians. Methods IDENTITY links records between the State Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) and the EHR using deterministic matching and non-deterministic matching algorithms (Dexheimer et al., 2018), updated twice daily and displayed in a …
Quadratic Formula: Revisiting a Proof Through the Lens of Transformations

In this paper, we derive the quadratic formula as a consequence of constructively proving the existence of standard and factored forms for general form real quadratic functions. Emphasis is put on connections to graphing of corresponding parabolas through function transformation perspectives of scaling and translation.
Effect of Crohn's Disease on Villous Length and CYP3A4 Expression in the Pediatric Small Intestine.

Changes in absorptive capacity and first-pass metabolism in the small intestine affect oral drug bioavailability. Characterization of such changes as a consequence of inflammation is important for developing physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for inflammatory bowel disease. We sought to elucidate the impact of small intestinal Crohn's disease (CD) on villous length and CYP3A4 expression in children. Freshly frozen duodenal and terminal ileum (TI) biopsies from 107 children (1-19 years) with and without CD were evaluated for active inflammation. Villous length and CYP3A4 mRNA/protein expression were compared among regions of active and inactive inflammation in CD and controls. A twofold reduction in villous length was observed in inflamed duodena and ilia of children with CD, but in the absence of regional inflammation, villi in CD were comparable in length to controls. Expression of CYP3A4 mRNA correlated significantly with villous length in the TI (P = 0.0003), with a trend observed in the duodenum that did not reach statistical significance. In the presence of active inflammation, a significant decrease in CYP3A protein expression was confirmed in the duodenum, where protein expression also correlated significantly with villous length across diagnoses (P < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that previous observations of decreased CYP3A4 expression and function in inflamed intestine may not be due solely to downregulation by inflammatory cytokines, but also to villous blunting and subsequent loss of surface area for protein expression. This information is relevant for PBPK model development and could aid with dose adjustment decisions for oral CYP3A4 substrates administered during CD flare (e.g., budesonide).
Anastrozole Improves Final Adult Height in Severe Hypothyroidism With Rapid Pubertal Progression.

Severe prolonged hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto thyroiditis may lead to rapid pubertal progression and compromised adult height after initiation of levothyroxine (LT4) therapy. There are no reports of aromatase inhibitor use to augment height in these patients. We describe a patient with severe hypothyroidism and growth failure who experienced rapid pubertal and bone age maturation on initiation of LT4 therapy. Anastrozole was added after 2 years to delay epiphyseal fusion. A boy aged 12 years and 1 month presented to the endocrine clinic with short stature and a markedly delayed bone age of 6 years. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.5 × 1.0 × 1.2-cm enlarged lobular anterior pituitary. On examination, his height was -3.5 SD score (SDS) and weight was -2.87 SDS. Laboratory studies showed elevated thyrotropin (TSH) 850.6 μIU/mL, low free thyroxine 0.25 ng/dL, and elevated antithyroid antibodies. LT4 was initiated with normalization of TSH after 6 months. After 2 years of treatment he demonstrated catch-up growth with rapid bone age maturation, and his predicted adult height was compromised at 164.6 cm vs a midparental target height of 175.4 cm. Anastrozole 1 mg once daily was initiated. After 1.5 years of anastrozole treatment, the rate of his bone age advancement had slowed and his linear growth remained robust. The patient's near-final height (167 cm) was 2.4 cm taller than his height prediction prior to starting anastrozole. Anastrozole slowed the rate of bone age advancement in a patient with severe hypothyroidism and rapidly progressive puberty during treatment with LT4, leading to improvement in near-final height.
Challenges for NK cell-based therapies: What can we learn from lymph nodes?

Abstract NK cells are innate lymphoid cells identified in the 1970s for their ability to kill various tumor cells. NK cells originate and differentiate in the bone marrow, migrate to secondary lymphoid organs, namely the lymph node, where they terminate their maturation, and interact with myeloid immune cells, including dendritic cells and macrophages. Developing programs on the NK cell immuno-surveillance of tumors (melanoma and breast cancers), we focus our interest on NK cells from the lymph nodes, a crucial relay for the immuno-surveillance of several solid tumors. We summarized our original data on lymph node NK cells and their involvement in the immune response in the tumor-draining lymph node, a first site of metastatic invasion. We discuss different options aiming at the manipulation of these immune populations in new immunotherapeutic strategies.
Analysis and Countermeasures of Harmonic Instability in a Practical HVDC System with Fixed Series Compensation and STATCOM

In a practical ±500 kV/3000 MW line commutated converter based high voltage DC (LCC-HVDC) transmission system, a sustained 5.5/105.5 Hz harmonic was observed in the voltage of the AC bus of inverter station. HVDC power limit function was triggered because of the action of AC filter resistance harmonic overload protection caused by the harmonic. To study the phenomenon, the real-time digital and physical closed-loop simulation platform based on real time digital simulator (RTDS) is first built and the harmonic instability phenomenon is reproduced. Then, its mechanism and impact factors are analyzed based on real-time simulation. Analyses results show that series resonance and core saturation are the main reasons of harmonic. AC/DC harmonic transfer characteristic through converter leads to the interaction of AC and DC network, and inappropriate AC/DC impedance results in the sustained harmonic. Bypassing the series capacitor is proposed as a temporary countermeasure and verified by on-site test. To solve the problem thoroughly, supplementary harmonic controller (SHDC) based on STATCOM is designed, whose validity is verified by simulation tests.
Faith Communities Today:: In Service of a Comparative Practical Ecclesiology

The Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership is the sponsor of the Faith Communities Today series of national surveys of American congregations. It started out as a conversation about “church...
'Your Hospitals Are not Our Hospitals': The Modern General Hospital as a Standard for Judging Psychiatric Care

A well-known attack on asylum psychiatry by neurologist S. Weir Mitchell is reviewed to examine how the standards used to judge psychiatry reflect emerging practices in the modern general hospital, including technologies, social relations, and power structures. While never explicitly advocating a shift to the general hospital for psychiatry, this address prepares the way for general hospital psychiatry by creating a facilitating discursive formation.
Abstract PO-127: A uPA/uPAR axis in both the tumor cell and stromal compartment drives PDAC disease progression

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal solid tumor malignancy with a 5-year survival rate of 9%. In both patients and animal models of disease, PDAC is associated with robust coagulation system activity. Intriguingly, in addition to being a rich source of procoagulant factors, PDAC tumors highly express fibrinolytic system components. Supporting this concept, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and uPA receptor (uPAR) expression positively correlates with reduced overall patient survival. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the expression and activity of plasminogen activation (PA) system components are functionally linked to PDAC tumor growth and disease progression. We generated C57Bl/6-derived KPC (i.e., KRasG12D, TRP53R172H) PDAC cell lines in which uPA and uPAR were knocked out using CRISPR-Cas9. We then analyzed orthotopic tumor growth and experimental metastasis in mice carrying null or functional mutations in uPA, uPAR, or plasminogen to evaluate the interplay of PA components derived from tumor cells and/or stromal cells in mediating PDAC progression. Although both KPC cell CRISPR variants retained procoagulant function, elimination of tumor cell uPA or uPAR yielded significantly smaller tumors when compared to Cas9 control tumor cells in wildtype mice. Similarly, the growth of WT KPC tumor cells in C57Bl/6 background uPA-KO or uPAR-KO mice also resulted in reduced tumor growth. To our surprise, the metastasis potential of WT KPC tumor cells in uPA-KO or uPAR-KO mice did not change when compared to wildtype mice. Regarding to the uPA/uPAR axis downstream effector plasminogen, the growth of WT KPC tumors in plasminogen-KO mice was also significantly reduced, but not to the same extent as when eliminating uPA or uPAR. In addition, eliminating plasminogen drastically reduced WT KPC tumor cells metastasis potential. In conclusion, our data suggest a mechanism whereby uPA functions through uPAR in both the tumor cell and stromal cell compartments to promote PDAC progression through plasminogen-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Citation Format: Yi Yang, Sara R. Abrahams, Aditi Kothari, Harshi Matada, Keely Davey, Alisa S. Wolberg, Matthew J. Flick. A uPA/uPAR axis in both the tumor cell and stromal compartment drives PDAC disease progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2021 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(22 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-127.
ARGININE METABOLISM IN PLEUROPNEUMONIA-LIKE ORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE

Schimke, Robert T. (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.) and Michael F. Barile. Arginine metabolism in pleuropneumonia-like organisms isolated from mammalian cell culture. J. Bacteriol. 86:195–206. 1963.—Arginine degradation is a significant metabolic process for pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO; Mycoplasma) isolated from cell culture. The conversion of arginine to ornithine in PPLO-contaminated cell culture was rapid, and occurred by the arginine dihydrolase pathway involving arginine deiminase, ornithine transcarbamylase, and carbamyl phosphokinase. In the absence of PPLO contamination, arginine conversion to ornithine was minimal and took place by an arginase activity present in the cell culture, but not in the PPLO. All five PPLO strains isolated from cell culture accomplished the conversion of arginine to ornithine, and contained the requisite enzyme of the arginine dihydrolase system, whereas PPLO-free cell cultures did not. Supplementation of PPLO culture broth with arginine increased the extent of PPLO growth. When the arginine content of the culture limited growth, arginine was completely converted to ornithine. When growth was limited in the presence of excess arginine, citrulline was the major breakdown product. It is suggested that the conversion of arginine to ornithing constitutes a significant, and possibly major, source of adenosine triphosphate for this class of organisms.
The Role of Christian Ethics, Religious Leaders, and People of Faith at a Time of Ecological and Climate Crisis

In light of new data presented in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which emphasizes the increasingly important and urgent need for a global response to the ecological and climate crisis, what role can Christian ethics, religious leaders, and people of faith play in responding to the climate challenge? While understanding scientific data on climate change is incredibly important for interpreting the “signs of the times,” most people approach everyday life in terms of the deeply held values and beliefs—the stories that orient and guide human decision-making. This article notes both the value and limits of scientific literacy, while highlighting the importance of narratives, worldviews, and religion in motivating communities to take action on climate change.
What Managers from the Class I Freight-Carrying Railroad Industry Say Students Need from the Managerial Accounting Course

Individual interviews were conducted with top-level marketing, operations, and costing managers in two Class I freight-carrying railroads. This study focuses on the following research question: Which accounting concepts and information do managers use in decision making? From a list of accounting concepts from a popular Managerial Accounting textbook, managers assessed the level of importance for each accounting concept. This study helps accounting educators design the Managerial Accounting course by providing them with the most essential accounting concepts used by managers in decision making. The study concludes that the most critically important accounting concepts for managers include: understanding cost terminology, cost behavior, cost-volume-profit relationships, customer profitability analysis, and the use of non-financial measures.
Rates of Adsorption of Wetting Agents and Detergents at ‘Graphon’ Solution Interface

THE sodium salts of α-sulpho fatty esters (R CH(SO3Na)-COOR′) behave as either wetting agents or as detergents depending on the length of the acid and alcohol chains (R and R′). In practice, if either R or R′ is long and the other chain short, then the surfactant behaves as a detergent; if both R and R′ are of the same medium chain length, then the surfactant functions as a wetting agent. The ability of a compound to act as a detergent was rated on the basis of ‘Terg-O-Tometer’ tests and wetting ability was assessed using the Draves test1,2.
The mystery of "b := (b = false)"

This paper describes some unusual patterns that emerged from a statistical analysis of the 1988 Advanced Placement Exam in Computer Science. Most multiple-choice questions on the exam had few significant correlations with other parts of the exam. But a small set of five questions had a nontrivial correlation with many parts of the test. One question in particular demonstrated such correlations. It asked about the effect of the assignment statement "b := (b = false)" for a boolean variable b. One interpretation of this data is that these questions are testing general programming aptitude. The paper presents the analysis along with a discussion of the possible implications.
Allele-Dependent Differences in Quorum-Sensing Dynamics Result in Variant Expression of Virulence Genes in Staphylococcus aureus

Agr is an autoinducing, quorum-sensing system that functions in many Gram-positive species and is best characterized in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, in which it is a global regulator of virulence gene expression. Allelic variations in the agr genes have resulted in the emergence of four quorum-sensing specificity groups in S. aureus, which correlate with different strain pathotypes. The basis for these predilections is unclear but is hypothesized to involve the phenomenon of quorum-sensing interference between strains of different agr groups, which may drive S. aureus strain isolation and divergence. Whether properties intrinsic to each agr allele directly influence virulence phenotypes within S. aureus is unknown. In this study, we examined group-specific differences in agr autoinduction and virulence gene regulation by utilizing congenic strains, each harboring a unique S. aureus agr allele, enabling a dissection of agr locus-dependent versus genotype-dependent effects on quorum-sensing dynamics and virulence factor production. Employing a reporter fusion to the principal agr promoter, P3, we observed allele-dependent differences in the timing and magnitude of agr activation. These differences were mediated by polymorphisms within the agrBDCA genes and translated to significant variations in the expression of a key transcriptional regulator, Rot, and of several important exoproteins and surface factors involved in pathogenesis. This work uncovers the contribution of divergent quorum-sensing alleles to variant expression of virulence determinants within a bacterial species.
Nitrogen and phosphorus interact to control tropical symbiotic N2 fixation: A test in inga punctata

Summary Symbiotic di-nitrogen (N2) fixation is a critical biogeochemical process in tropical forests, yet it remains unresolved how fixation is controlled by the availability of soil nitrogen and phosphorus, two nutrients often considered limiting in terrestrial ecosystems. We examine whether individual N2-fixing trees can overcome nitrogen and phosphorus constraints by employing different strategies of nutrient acquisition and use: N2 fixation, phosphatase exudation, mycorrhizal symbiosis and changes in root–shoot ratio or tissue stoichiometry. We grew a common and widespread N2 fixer, Inga punctata, in a full factorial nitrogen and phosphorus addition experiment (each nutrient at three levels) and evaluated whether trees adjusted their strategies of nutrient acquisition to overcome limitation. N2 fixation was controlled by nitrogen availability in phosphorus-sufficient soils, but both fixation and plant growth were constrained by phosphorus in the unamended native phosphorus-poor soils. Despite the investment in both extracellular phosphatases and mycorrhizal symbionts, plants were unable to overcome phosphorus limitation. Our findings support the hypotheses that: (i) N2 fixation is proximately controlled by nitrogen availability, consistent with a facultative fixation strategy, and (ii) N2 fixation and N2 fixer biomass growth are ultimately constrained by soil phosphorus. We found no support for the hypothesis that fixers can overcome phosphorus limitation by trading fixed N2 for soil phosphorus. Synthesis. This study provides new knowledge about how nitrogen and phosphorus interact to regulate tropical N2 fixation by examining a suite of strategies that plants may employ to overcome nutrient limitation. These findings, focused at the organismal level, have broader implications for biogeochemical controls at the ecosystem level in tropical forests.
Protection of human cerebral neurons from neurodegenerative insults by gene delivery of soluble tumor necrosis factor p75 receptor

Apoptosis plays an important role in neuronal cell death in both chronic and acute human neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, cerebral ischemia, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) encephalopathy. We evaluated the ability of the extracellular binding domain of a dimeric tumor necrosis factor receptor (p75TNFR) to prevent neurotoxicity and death of human fetal cerebral neurons that were exposed in vitro to toxic agents known to be implicated in human neurological disorders, including tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha) and the HIV proteins Tat and gp120. The extracellular domain of p75TNFR is capable of binding and neutralizing both soluble and transmembrane-anchored TNFalpha. We efficiently transduced human neurons using adenoviral vectors expressing p75TNFR (Ad.p75TNFR) or a control gene (lacZ). Treatment of control cultures with the toxic agents TNFalpha, TNFalpha plus actinomycin D, or Tat and gp120, induced neurotoxic alterations and apoptotic death of neurons. By contrast, transduction of neurons with Ad.p75TNFR prevented apoptosis and cell death due to these agents. We conclude that viral vector transfer of the p75TNFR gene efficiently protects human neurons from TNFalpha-, Tat- or gp120-induced apoptosis and cell death. These results suggest that p75TNFR transduction of neurons by viral vectors could be therapeutically useful in the treatment of many human neurodegenerative diseases.
DISTRIBUTION AND OPENING OF FIBRILLATED POLYPROPYLENE FIBERS IN CONCRETE

Abstract The paper reports on the effect of fibre type, matrix workability, and mixer type on the distribution and opening of collated fibrillated polypropylene fibers used as concrete reinforcement. By means of the wash-out test method and within the limitations of the experimental program, it is demonstrated that: twisted fibers ere more likely to open than straight fibers in a zero-slump matrix, fiber distribution and opening is easier in a slumpable matrix than in a zero-slump matrix, and high-intensity mixers are more efficient than low-intensity ones even if they tend to shear a larger number of fibers. The investigation was limited to laboratory-type equipment.
Association Between Coping With Anger and Feelings of Depression Among Youths

Objectives. I examined the association, among youths, between coping behavior when angry and depression.Methods. Data were drawn from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children in the United States survey (n=9938). Factor analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between self-reported coping behavior when angry and depression. Gender-specific models were run.Results. Factor analysis of 11 coping behaviors indicated a 4-factor solution: substance use, physical activity, emotional coping behavior, and aggressive behavior. Substance use, emotional coping, and aggressive behavior coping were associated with increased likelihood of depression, whereas physical activity was associated with decreased likelihood of depression. Male youths were more likely to engage in physical activity and were less likely to feel depressed.Conclusions. These data provide preliminary evidence of a link between specific coping behavior when angry and the likelihood of depression...
Potential flow model of cavitation-induced interfacial fracture in a confined ductile layer

Abstract Fracture of a thin ductile layer sandwiched between stiff substrates often results from growth and coalescence of microscopic cavities ahead of an extending crack. Cavitation induced by plastic flow in a confined, ductile layer is analyzed here to evaluate the interfacial fracture toughness of such sandwich structures. For rigid–plastic materials, a new method is proposed in which the potential flow field of a fluid is used to approximate the plastic deformation. The principle of virtual work rate is applied to determine the equivalent traction–separation law. The method is demonstrated and validated for spherically symmetric cavity growth, for which an exact solution exists. We then study in detail the growth of an initially spherical cavity in a cylindrical bar of finite length subject to uniform traction at its ends. The results show that the stress–separation curves depend strongly on initial cavity size and the strain-hardening exponent, and weakly on the nominal strain. The method has clear advantages over numerical methods, such as finite-element analysis, for parametric study of cavity growth with large plastic deformation.
Numerical simulations of a tanker collision with a bergy bit incorporating hydrodynamics, a validated ice model and damage to the vessel

Abstract Numerical simulations of a collision between a loaded tanker and a bergy bit have been conducted using LS-Dyna™ software. The simulations incorporated hydrodynamics, via LS-Dyna's ALE formulation, and a validated crushable foam ice model. The major portion of the vessel was treated as a rigid body and a section of the hull, located on the starboard side of the forward bow where the ice contact occurred, was modeled as typical ship grillage that could deform and sustain damage as a result of the collision. Strategies for dealing with the highly varying mesh densities needed for the simulations are discussed as well as load and pressure distribution on the grillage throughout the course of the collision. Realistic movement of the bergy bit due to the vessel's bow wave prior to contact with the ice was observed and the damage to the grillage resembled published results from actual grillage damage tests in the lab. A load measurement from the lab tests compared reasonably well with a rough estimate from the simulation. The collision eventually ruptured the hull in a ripping fashion resembling documented incidents of vessel impacts with ice masses.
SU-GG-T-557: Optimal Energy for Partial Breast Irradiation Using a 360° Coronal Plane Rotation Technique

Purpose: To determine the optimal energy for treating partial breast irradiation in the prone position with a novel treatment technique. This method would rotate 360 degrees around the patient's breast on a coronal plane compared to the standard transverse plane. Method and Materials: Partial prone breast patients were planned using a simulated helical tomotherapy with a rotated delivery plane. 17 evenly spaced IMRT fields were place around the breast in the coronal plane. Fields were setup to cover the entire PTV. Plans using energies of 6MV, 4MV and Cs‐137 (simulating ∼2MV) were created. The dose was prescribed according to RTOG protocol 0413 such that 95% of the PTV received 38.5 Gy. Optimization was performed to achieve target coverage and minimize normal breast tissue such that <60% of the normal breast tissue received <50% Rx dose and <35% received the full Rx dose. Optimization was not required on the lungs,heart or contralateral breast since no beams intersected them. Results: Coverage of the target was not affected by the choice of energy. All energies easily covered the PTV. The dose to the skin and normal tissue depended on both the size of the breast and energy of the fields. For the average case 4 MV proved to be the optimal energy for minimizing the dose to the normal breast tissue and skin.Conclusion: Due to the smaller size of the breast, exit dose plays an important role in the dose the normal breast tissue and skin. For a standard breast size optimal ratio of the surface dose to the exit dose was a 4 MV beam. The dose differences however were small enough that optimal energy maybe be determined by cost or shielding requirements.