cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
E-cadherin is the major mediator of human melanocyte adhesion to keratinocytes in vitro

E- and P-cadherin are calcium (Ca2+)-dependent cell adhesion molecules important in the morphogenesis and maintenance of skin structure. By use of flow cytometry and specific antibodies, we now show that cultured human melanocytes express E- and P-cadherin on their surfaces, and that these molecules have the same characteristics as reported for other cell types. Specifically, melanocyte cadherins are sensitive to trypsin digestion in the absence of Ca2+ and are protected from trypsin degradation by Ca2+, and are functional at 37 degrees C but not at 4 degrees C. We further show that melanocytes contain mRNA transcripts encoding both E- and P-cadherin. Adhesion of cultured melanocytes to keratinocyte monolayers is abolished by pre-treatment of the melanocytes with trypsin/EDTA, which degrades E- and P-cadherins, is greatly reduced by anti-E-cadherin antibodies and is slightly reduced by antibodies to P-cadherin, alpha 2, alpha 3 and beta 1 integrins. In contrast to normal melanocytes, eight of nine melanoma cell lines lacked E-cadherin (or expressed markedly reduced levels) and five were negative for P-cadherin. Melanoma cells also failed to adhere to keratinocyte monolayers. These results demonstrate that normal human melanocytes express functional E- and P-cadherin and that E-cadherin is primarily responsible for adhesion of human melanocytes to keratinocytes in vitro. In addition, transformed melanocytes express markedly reduced levels of E- and P-cadherin, and exhibit decreased affinity for normal keratinocytes in vitro, suggesting that loss of cadherins may play a role in melanoma metastasis.
Meniscus tissue engineering

Abstract Once thought to be vestigial tissue and routinely resected, the menisci of the knee are crucial components to joint protection, shock absorption, stabilization, and lubrication. Even today, partial meniscectomies are one of the most commonly performed orthopedic surgeries, with an estimated 1.7 million carried out each year worldwide. As a result of the menisci's reduced healing potential, removal of damaged tissue is often the only possible course of action to offer symptomatic relief. However, removal of significant portions of the meniscus has been shown to alter the transmission loads across the knee joint, induce joint space narrowing, and cause progressive alterations in the articular cartilage that lead to osteoarthritis. Those with severe meniscal deficiencies do not have many options other than allowing these degenerative changes in the joint to occur. Unfortunately, these changes can become extremely painful, debilitating, and, in some cases, severe enough to warrant total knee replacement. While current research into meniscal replacement with allograft tissue or engineered designs have shown promising short-term results, there are still significant issues that need to be addressed before a long-term solution can become clinically relevant. Thus, no “gold-standard” meniscus replacement currently exists.
Responding to :20HUH?”: answering vaguely articulated follow-up questions

Expert and advice-giving systems produce complex multi-sentential responses to user's queries. Results from analyses of novice/expert dialogues indicate that novices often do not understand an expert's response and rarely ask a well-formulated follow-up question. Thus systems must be able to provide further information in response to vaguely articulated questions. However, current systems cannot clarify misunderstood explanations or elaborate on previous explanations. In this paper we describe an approach to explanation generation that expands a system's explanatory capabilities and enables the production of clarifying or elaborating explanations in response to follow-up questions or indication that the explanation was not understood.
Mechanisms of the cardioprotective actions of WEB-2170, bepafant, a platelet activating factor antagonist, in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.

The cardioprotective effects of WEB-2170, a specific platelet activating factor (PAF) receptor antagonist, were investigated in a feline model of myocardial ischemia (MI) and reperfusion. Either WEB-2170 (1-mg/kg bolus plus 2 mg/kg/hr) or its vehicle (0.9% NaCl) was administered 1 hr after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (i.e., 30 min before reperfusion). The cardiac area-at-risk (AAR) was similar in MI-reperfused (MI + R) cats given either WEB-2170 (31.5 +/- 3.6%) or vehicle (27.8 +/- 2.8%). However, in cats receiving only the vehicle, 1.5 hr of ischemia plus 4.5 hr of reperfusion resulted in significant myocardial injury (necrotic tissue/AAR, 37.7 +/- 4.5%), high plasma creatine kinase activity (29.4 +/- 4.1 I.U./micrograms of protein) and a marked decrease in endothelium-dependent relaxation in isolated left anterior descending coronary arteries to acetylcholine (33 +/- 4% of U-46619-induced vasocontraction) with no change in endothelium-independent relaxation to NaNO2 (91 +/- 1%). In contrast, MI + R cats treated with WEB-2170 developed significantly less myocardial necrosis (necrotic tissue/AAR, 12.0 +/- 2.8%, P less than .001), lower plasma creatine kinase activity (16.5 +/- 4.1 I.U./micrograms of protein, P less than .01) and enhanced vascular relaxation to acetylcholine (53 +/- 4.1%, P less than .01) compared to MI + R cats given only the vehicle. Furthermore, the addition of WEB-2170 to PMN suspensions in vitro significantly inhibited (P less than .01) PAF-induced polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adherence to endothelial cells (12 +/- 2.4 cells/field vs. 27 +/- 2.6 in the control group).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Overt and covert contrast in L2 phonology.

This paper reports results on the acquisition of the English /p/–/b/ contrast by native speakers of Arabic. This contrast does not exist in the participants’ native language (NL). The central finding of this study is that some of the research participants exhibited a covert contrast between these segments in their interlanguage productions. That is, two of the five Arabic-speaking participants who were transcribed as having no contrast between [p] and [b] did, in fact, produce a statistically reliable distinction in voice onset time lags between the two target segments. The existence of such an intermediate stage of covert contrast in the learning of L2 phonology is eminently plausible, in view of the progressive nature of phonological acquisition. Our results help bring the learning of second-language contrasts into conformity with findings of the same phenomenon in the areas of L1 acquisition and phonologically disordered speech.
The Role of Networks in International Trade with Uncertain Product Quality

Networks, primarily common language and colonial ties, are known to help foster trade. I propose that a channel though which common language acts to foster trade is through distinguishing the quality of a variety. When the quality of a variety has a higher level of uncertainty, sharing a common language helps to foster more trade for these varieties as it reduces uncertainty. Also using sharing a common language increases the likelihood of an exporter staying in the market.
RESPONDING TO A RISING TIDE: ENHANCING COASTAL FLOOD WARNINGS FOR THE NEW ENGLAND COAST

More and more, communities are looking for place-based solutions to threats to their economies and infrastructure. NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Team is supporting several place-based efforts that are tailored to the vulnerabilities of the Eastern seaboard. This paper will discuss specific enhancements to the coastal flood warning process that have been undertaken in southern New England. The enhancements have fallen into three broad categories: preparedness, data collection, and the forecast process. StormSmart Coasts, a comprehensive web resource for coastal managers and homeowners, was developed to increase local preparedness. The production of a reference library of maps to visualize coastal inundation constitutes an especially promising tool for informed decision-making in advance of coastal events. Data collection, essential for a better understanding of coastal impacts from storms, has been improved through the participation of citizen volunteers using a new software program, called StormReporter. Scituate, MA, a coastal inundation pilot community, received a new tide gage that utilizes radar technology, which demonstrates high accuracy for approximately one tenth the cost of legacy systems. Additional reference markers on land have also been established in Scituate to facilitate quantitative event reports during inundation events. Finally, routine tide forecasts and non-routine coastal flood warnings have been improved through a gridded forecast editor to determine areas at risk and produce information services useful for decision-makers.
Crystallographic and Computational Studies of Luminescent, Binuclear Gold(I) Complexes, AuI2(Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2)2I2 (n = 3–6)

Four crystalline dimers of the type, AuI2(μ-PnP)2I2, where PnP is PPh2(CH2)nPPh2 with n = 3, 4, 5, and 6 have been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and by 31P NMR and ...
Human erythrocytes transport dehydroascorbic acid and sugars using the same transporter complex.

GLUT1, the primary glucose transport protein in human erythrocytes [red blood cells (RBCs)], also transports oxidized vitamin C [dehydroascorbic acid (DHA)]. A recent study suggests that RBC GLUT1 ...
The Applications of MapEngine,Micromine,MapGIS in the Establishment of the Liaoning Provincial Management of Mineral Resources in the Database Space

Application of MapEngine,Micromine and MapGIS software which are used by the land resources information center of liaoning province,has reserves of mineral resources in the dynamic space spatial database management.These software have been widely used,embodies a lot of advantages.
Total radioactive residues and clenbuterol residues in edible tissues, and the stereochemical composition of clenbuterol in livers of broilers after exposure to three levels of dietary [14C]clenbuterol HCl and three preslaughter withdrawal periods

Thirty-six broiler chickens were randomly assigned to .5, 1.0, or 2.0 ppm dietary [ 14 C]clenbuterol HCl for a 2-wk period starting at 5 wk of age. Four birds from each treatment were slaughtered after withdrawal periods of 0, 7, or 14 d. Total radioactive residues (TRR; clenbuterol HCl equivalents) were measured in adipose tissue, kidney, liver, skin with adhering adipose tissue, bile, blood, brain, gastrointestinal tract, heart, lung, spleen, and testes; parent clenbuterol was measured in liver and kidney. In edible tissues, TRR were roughly proportional to dietary [ 14 C]clenbuterol level and inversely proportional to duration of the withdrawal period; kidney TRR ranged from nondetectable (14 d of withdrawal,.5 and 1.0 ppm treatments) to 211.5 ppb for the 2.0 ppm treatment at zero withdrawal. Liver TRR were detectable for all treatment and withdrawal periods. Rapid depletion of TRR from edible tissues occurred during the first 7 d of the withdrawal period, but depletion of TRR was much slower thereafter. Parent clenbuterol was below the limit of detection (1 ppb) or was undetectable in liver and kidney for all dietary levels after 7 and 14 d of withdrawal, but it represented 22 to 48% of the total radioactive residues at 0 withdrawal. The inactive S (+) stereoisomer constituted approximately 73% of the total clenbuterol residue in livers of chickens slaughtered with no withdrawal period, and the active R (-) stereoisomer accounted for the remainder. These data indicate that radioactive residues of clenbuterol were present well after parent clenbuterol had depleted from edible tissues in chickens, and the predominant stereoisomer remaining in livers at slaughter was the inactive isomer.
NEW AZASTEROIDAL ANTIFUNGAL ANTIBIOTICS FROM GEOTRICHU FLAVO-BRUNNEUM

Although Geotrichum species occur ubiquitously, antibiotic production by members of this genus has not previously been reported. The antibiotic complex designated A25822, consisting of one major and six minor structurally-related components active primarily against Candida and Trichophyton, represents a new family of naturally-occurring compounds. Approximately 90% of the antibiotic activity synthesized remained associated with the fungal cell mass, from which it was recovered by multiple methanolic extractions for quantitation. Antibiotic production was enhanced by tryptophan, iron, zinc, and high levels of dextrin.
A Networked Response to Maritime Threats: Interagency Coordination

Maritime security challenges have grown in frequency and complexity, thereby increasing the number of government agencies tasked with, or responsible for, identifying threats and responding. Governments have generally not sought to consolidate authorities within a single agency. Instead, some governments in the past decade have created frameworks that integrate agencies with separate chains of command, authorities, capabilities, and capacities. This “Whole-of-Government” approach in response to maritime security threats or incidents is a relatively new development in homeland/national security and is redefining how governments share information, collaborate, and respond to maritime threats. In this Chapter, we discuss the National-Level Maritime Threat Response Framework of the United States, reviewing the organizational structure and processes involved in coordination and information sharing, all to yield a single, networked response. We highlight the events of the US response to the hijacking of the M/V MAERSK ALABAMA to demonstrate the functioning of this Whole-of-Government approach. Likewise, we also discuss briefly the National-Level Maritime Threat Response Frameworks of several other governments.
A randomized controlled trial of a community health worker intervention in a population of patients with multiple chronic diseases: Study design and protocol

Abstract Upstream interventions – e.g. housing programs and community health worker interventions– address socioeconomic and behavioral factors that influence health outcomes across diseases. Studying these types of interventions in clinical trials raises a methodological challenge: how should researchers measure the effect of an upstream intervention in a sample of patients with different diseases? This paper addresses this question using an illustrative protocol of a randomized controlled trial of collaborative-goal setting versus goal-setting plus community health worker support among patients multiple chronic diseases: diabetes, obesity, hypertension and tobacco dependence. At study enrollment, patients met with their primary care providers to select one of their chronic diseases to focus on during the study, and to collaboratively set a goal for that disease. Patients randomly assigned to a community health worker also received six months of support to address socioeconomic and behavioral barriers to chronic disease control. The primary hypothesis was that there would be differences in patients' selected chronic disease control as measured by HbA1c, body mass index, systolic blood pressure and cigarettes per day, between the goal-setting alone and community health worker support arms. To test this hypothesis, we will conduct a stratum specific multivariate analysis of variance which allows all patients (regardless of their selected chronic disease) to be included in a single model for the primary outcome. Population health researchers can use this approach to measure clinical outcomes across diseases. Clinical trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01900470 .
Demilitarizing Haunted Genealogies as Transgenerational Affective Work of the Holy Ghost

This chapter provides a literary analysis of the genealogical recitation in Matthew 1 to see how this pericope works to relate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to each other within a militarized context. Provided is a pneumatological lens to metabolize the hurt memories attached to the militarized figures of the yanggongju, US soldier, and Korean War orphan, which circulate and affect the material conditions of Korean sex workers, Korean adoptees, and US military personnel.
How to Improve Quality Education for Indigenous Children in Latin America

This chapter focuses on constitutional and political changes that advance linguistically and culturally inclusive education in Latin America. Based on a 2013 survey of the region’s ministries of education facilitated by the Organization of American States, the chapter compares education policies focusing on pre-service and in-service teacher education, and on the teaching and learning of Indigenous languages. One finding is that nine countries in the region amended their constitutions to guarantee intercultural and bilingual education as a right of Indigenous children. Five additional countries protect this right through education legislation. In all the countries reviewed in the study, legislation has updated policies and formed new institutions to make quality education for Indigenous children a reality. This comparative study of education policy highlights the importance of expanding Indigenous languages to promote multilingualism and appreciation of the sociocultural diversity of schools and communities.
Solvent Selection for Carbon Capture from Emissions of Coal Fired Power Plants

Approximately 41% of electric power across the globe is generated by the combustion of coal.1 Over the past 40 years many countries have passed legislation that define legally acceptable rates of pollution. Emission rates of sulfurous oxides and nitrous oxides have been hindered, but large amounts of carbon dioxide are still being released into the atmosphere. It is possible to chemically absorb the carbon dioxide gas into a liquid solvent but an effective and economical solvent must be selected.
The StageTools Package for Creating Geometry for the Web

A number of commercial software packages for generating three-dimensional graphics are available, but some useful features are missing from most of these products. The StageTools modules for Geomview try to fill this gap by including such features as interactive controls (sliders, type-in areas, check-boxes, etc.), an object-oriented approach to geometry allowing one object to be based on another (e.g., a tube around a curve), hierarchical grouped objects, objects in arbitrary dimensions with easily specified projections and transformations, and sophisticated scripting capabilities for creating electronic movie clips.
Application of forward models to crystal orientation refinement

Two approaches are proposed for the refinement of electron diffraction pattern indexing. The approaches require two basic ingredients: an accurate physics-based forward model and an algorithm to search the local orientation neighborhood. Forward models for electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electron channeling pattern (ECP) modalities are coupled with either a multi-resolution brute-force search algorithm or a bound optimization by quadratic approximation algorithm. The efficacy of the methods is evaluated for varying levels of error in the pattern projection center. The EBSD modality shows an orientation improvement when the projection center error is within ±1% of the full detector width, whereas the ECP modality shows improvement up to a ±5% error. The algorithms are applied to an experimental EBSD scan for partially recrystallized 90/10 brass; the results show that the refinement is necessary to remove the artifacts introduced by the discrete sampling nature of the dictionary indexing method. Finally, a pattern center correction factor is derived for orientations obtained from dictionary indexing for large-area EBSD scans.
Improving Variational Data Assimilation through Background and Observation Error Adjustments

AbstractA procedure to objectively adjust the error covariance matrices of a variational data assimilation system is presented. It is based on popular diagnostics that utilize differences between observations and prior and posterior model solutions at the observation locations. In the application to a data assimilation system that combines a three-dimensional, physical–biogeochemical ocean model with large datasets of physical and chlorophyll a observations, the tuning procedure leads to a decrease in the posterior model-observation misfit and small improvements in short-term forecasting skill. It also increases the consistency of the data assimilation system with respect to diagnostics, based on linear estimation theory, and reduces signs of overfitting. The tuning procedure is easy to implement and only relies on information that is either prescribed to the data assimilation system or can be obtained from a series of short data assimilation experiments. The implementation includes a lognormal representa...
Techno-Economic Evaluation of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Based on Pilot Biorefinery Data: a Case Study of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse Processed via L+SScF

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable fuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass can contribute to the mitigation of global warming and the economic development of rural communities. This will require lignocellulosic biofuels to become price competitive with fossil fuels. Techno-economic analyses can provide insights into which parts of the biofuel production process need to be optimized to reduce cost or energy use. We used data obtained from a pilot biorefinery to model a commercial-scale biorefinery that processes lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol, with a focus on the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP). The process utilizes a phosphoric acid-catalyzed pre-treatment of sweet sorghum bagasse followed by liquefaction and simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (L+SScF) of hexose and pentose sugars by an engineered Escherichia coli strain. After validating a techno-economic model developed with the SuperPro Designer software for the conversion of sugarcane bagasse to ethanol by comparing it to a published Aspen Plus model, six different scenarios were modeled for sweet sorghum bagasse Under the most optimistic scenario, the ethanol can be produced at a cost close to the energy-equivalent price of gasoline. Aside from an increase in the price of gasoline, the gap between ethanol and gasoline prices could also be bridged by either a decrease in the cost of cellulolytic enzymes or development of value-added products from lignin.
Towards Chemical Engineering Student Diversity: The Case of International Students Experiences at Tuskegee University

Cultural integration of students and student population diversity play an important role in training college students, due to growing demand for diversity to solutions to human needs, the advancement of global economy and cultural understanding. This type of cultural integration has resulted in the new normal known as the multicultural classroom. However, studies have shown that multicultural classrooms are associated with low academic achievement due to cultural differences and trust problems within the new culture. As an HBCU, Tuskegee University is a multicultural environment and so is the Chemical Engineering Department. This study combines survey and focus group discussion to access the experiences of international students in the Chemical Engineering Department. The results suggest that while the issues of multicultural classrooms are experienced by internationals, such experiences are different for different students. Also, the students consider such experiences as part of the learning that makes them stronger upon graduation than when they enrolled.
Post-acute Care for Rheumatologists

Post-acute care encompasses a wide range of health care services that share the goal of restoring recently hospitalized patients to the highest level of functioning possible. Post-acute care can be provided in a long-term acute care hospital, inpatient rehabilitation facility, skilled nursing facility, or home using home health care. While a range of similar nursing and rehabilitation services can be provided in all settings, admission criteria and payment sources differ. Determining the most appropriate setting for care following hospitalization is an important decision that should be made with input from the patients, their family, the physician, nurses, and rehabilitation therapists.
Embryonic Nutrition and Placentation

Embryonic growth and differentiation can involve considerable costs associated with the production and maintenance of new tissues. Across the vertebrates, a wide variety of strategies have evolved for providing embryos with the energies required during development. Energy substrates can be sequestered prior to fertilization and constitute the entire energy reserve for development, or the substrates provided prior to fertilization may be supplemented by additional materials that are provided during the course of embryonic development.
Before there Is a Table: Small Wins to Build a Movement against Sexual and Relationship Violence in a University Context

Addressing sexual and relationship violence (SRV) on campuses requires coordinated engagement from all members of the campus-community; however, many campuses do not yet have the infrastructure or institutional commitment to build an all-campus action plan. In such cases, campuses lack the metaphorical table around which collaboration happens. This paper presents tensions and lessons learned so far from a faculty-staff-student partnership to build a movement toward university-wide collaborative practice. Through iterative, collaborative reflection on our context, practice, and intermediate outcomes, we identified recommendations for improving praxis in campus-based, intersectional anti-SRV organizing. Our analysis explores how our individual positionalities both open up and limit our potential to move this work forward. We share our guiding values and frameworks, including intersectional feminist attention to power and oppression; centering survivors and students; strategic collaboration within systems; and integrating self-care and other supportive practices for building a sustainable movement. Our emergent strategy, illustrated through ten lessons/tensions and four case examples, focuses on finding close collaborators with shared SRV analysis; making the best use of resources and spaces we control; identifying meaningful “small wins;” and pursuing opportunities to connect to others through positive collaborations. Efforts to intentionally raise awareness and grow strategic institutional connections build momentum toward institutionally-supported campus-wide evaluation and reimagining of prevention and survivor-support efforts. While feminist collaborative social change is challenging, we celebrate and learn from our “two steps forward” to sustain us through the inevitable steps back. We write to stir a conversation where we help each other interpret and learn across our varied contexts.
Wilfred Bion, Thinking, and Emotional Experience with Moving Images: Being Embedded

Wilfred Bion’s theories of dreaming, of the analytic situation, of reality and everyday life, and even of the contact between the body and the mind offer very different, and highly fruitful, perspectives on lived experience. Yet very little of his work has entered the field of visual culture, especially film and media studies. Kelli Fuery offers an engaging overview of Bion’s most significant contribution to psychoanalysis- his theory of thinking- and demonstrates its relevance for why we watch moving images. Bion’s theory of thinking is presented as an alternative model for the examination of how we experience moving images and how they work as tools which we use to help us ‘think’ emotional experience. ‘Being Embedded’ is a term used to identify and acknowledge the link between thinking and emotional experience within the lived reception of cinema. It is a concept that everyone can speak to as already knowing, already having felt it - being embedded is at the core of lived and thinking experience. This book offers a return to psychoanalytic theory within moving image studies, contributing to the recent works that have explored object relations psychoanalysis within visual culture (specifically the writings of Klein and Winnicott), but differs in its reference and examination of previously overlooked, but highly pivotal, thinkers such as Bion, Bollas and Ogden. A theorization of thinking as an affective structure within moving image experience provides a fresh avenue for psychoanalytic theory within visual culture. Wilfred Bion, Thinking, and Emotional Experience with Moving Images will appeal to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists, as well as scholars and students of film and media studies, cultural studies and cultural sociology and anthropology, visual culture, media theory, philosophy, and psychosocial studies.
The “Wiser” oncoplastic reduction mammaplasty — An approach to challenging medial defects

Medial defects created by breast-conservation surgery pose a significant challenge to oncoplastic reduction mammaplasty, especially with superficial tumors that necessitate resection of overlying skin. These tumors lie outside of the standard breast reduction excision pattern, and require modifications to the routine Wise approach. We present one modification - the "Wiser" oncoplastic reduction mammaplasty technique - that utilizes spared tissue along the lower pole, and a medial dermoglandular pedicle to address both skin and parenchymal defects created by the tumor resection.
A correlation between GALEX FUV magnitude and chromospheric activity among red giant stars

It is shown that upon combining GALEX far-ultraviolet and Johnson B magnitudes a resultant FUV–B colour can be obtained that for red giant stars of luminosity classes III and II correlates well with chromospheric emission in the cores of the Mg iih and k lines. Giant stars throughout the colour range 0.8 ≤ B – V ≤ 1.6 exhibit such a phenomenon. The main result of this paper is to show that GALEX far-ultraviolet photometry can provide information about the degree of chromospheric activity among red giant stars, and as such may offer a tool for surveying the evolution of chromospheric activity from the main sequence into the red giant phases of stellar evolution.
Regulatory T cells facilitate Th17 responses to Bordetella pertussis and aid in resolution of whooping cough in mice.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis ( Bp ). The prolonged nature of whooping cough has been associated with delayed Th17 responses, which are essential to resolve the infection. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are historically immunosuppressive, but have recently been demonstrated to facilitate proper immune responses during certain infections and to occasionally adapt proinflammatory phenotypes. Because Treg and Th17 cells are considered “brothers in arms,” we evaluated the role of Tregs during immune response to B. pertussis . Here, we test the hypothesis that Tregs are crucial for generating a proinflammatory response that resolves whooping cough. We show that homeostatic lung Tregs acquire a highly proliferative Th17 phenotype during Bp infection in mice and that the frequency of this Th17-like Tresg (T17reg) population raises in parallel with Th17 influx and expansion at late phases of infection. Our data suggests that the frequency of lung T17reg may be modulated by levels of IFNa and IL-2 in the lung. Depleting Foxp3+ cells throughout Bp infection resulted in decreased MHC class II expression on dendritic and endothelial cells, suggesting reduced APC maturation. Additionally, Treg knockout lead to increased lung IL-2 levels (which may diminish Th17 differentiation/accumulation) and compromised IL-17 secretion. Moreover, infected mice lacking Treg had an increased Bp load in the lungs. Our data support Tregs facilitating and assisting Th17 immune responses to Bp to help resolve the infection.
The role of work schedules and the macroeconomy on labor effort

Abstract We investigate determinants of work effort using novel data from compressed air powered machinery in a large automotive plant. Work effort decreases monotonically across shifts, as industry-standard shift differentials do not fully compensate for the disutility of irregular shift times. Workers reduce their effective labor supply by exerting less effort rather than resorting to separation/renegotiation. Additionally, workers are found to respond to declining macroeconomic conditions by increasing work effort, presumably to avoid plant closure/layoff. Further support for this is seen by examining shift interactions with economic conditions which show the strongest effort effects for third, then second shift workers, in line with layoff risks.
Robust optimization of a quartic multimodal nonlinear function - Methods and results

Mathematical functions are often used to define an engineering design problem and these models are also used to find an optimal solution for the problem. The optimal solutions thus achieved are det...
Indications for Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Posterior Segment Intraocular Tumors

PURPOSE To define 4 indication categories of fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) of solid intraocular tumors and describe the differences among the patients, tumors, and results of biopsy in these 4 indication categories. METHODS Retrospective descriptive analysis of 880 FNABs of a solid intraocular tumor of the posterior ocular segment performed by in the authors' ocular oncology practice during the period July 1980 through July 2014. RESULTS FNABs were performed as a separate procedure in 372 cases (42.3%), at plaque implantation in 279 (31.7%), post-enucleation in 225 (25.6%), and post-resection/pre-laser in 4 (0.4%). FNABs were categorized as diagnostic in 292 (33.2%), confirmatory in 121 (13.8%), investigational in 187 (21.3%), and prognostic in 280 (31.8%). Prior to the biopsy, all patients who underwent diagnostic FNAB had a tumor of uncertain pathologic type, while all patients who underwent confirmatory FNAB had a clinically diagnosed malignant intraocular neoplasm. In contrast, all patients who underwent a prognostic FNAB had an unequivocal primary posterior uveal melanoma clinically, while patients who underwent an investigational biopsy all had an unequivocal or probable malignant intraocular tumor of a specific type. Most diagnostic FNABs were performed transvitreously (n = 255, 87.3%) compared to prognostic FNABs (n = 143, 51.1%) (P < .001). Overall, 733 FNABs (83.3%) yielded a sufficient specimen for cytologic diagnosis. Diagnostic and confirmatory FNABs were the most likely to yield an insufficient aspirate (28.4% and 20.7%, respectively), while investigational and prognostic FNABs were most likely to yield sufficient specimens (94.7% and 90.0%, respectively) (P < .001). Mean post-FNAB follow-up of the entire group was 62.7 months (standard deviation [SD] = 59.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 58.7-66.6). Mean posttreatment follow-up or total follow-up of untreated patients was 53.7 months (SD = 58.7, 95% CI = 49.8-57.6). CONCLUSIONS Because of the substantial differences shown among FNAB cases performed for different indications, it seems appropriate to report results of FNAB or other biopsy methods according to the category (indication) of the biopsy. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.
“My Mom Said You Can’t Use My Face, But My Voice Is Alright”: Children As Active Agents in Research Utilizing Video Data

Video data is a construction of a social reality shared by both the researcher and the participants. In research, how might the process of constructing this social reality contribute both to inquiry as well as positioning children in agentic ways? Drawing upon video data from a 4 week ethnographic case study of children’s’ processes while making film, this chapter seeks to explore the ways the young filmmakers engaged in a variety of strategies with research cameras, particularly in the ways they went to great lengths to avoid the cameras, were highly selective in what elements of themselves they allowed to be captured on the research cameras, and actively cultivated their presence in the data set. Such engagement strengthened the project by supporting the articulation of the boundaries of the context of the video data in addition to supporting data navigation.
Reflection on teaching linear algebra: examining one instructor’s movements between the three worlds of mathematical thinking

Reflection is an important part of teaching and needs to be considered carefully. In this study, we examined a mathematics instructor’s reflections on teaching linear algebra. The research team employed Tall’s (How humans learn to think mathematically: exploring the three worlds of mathematics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2013) framework to track the instructor’s movements between the three worlds of mathematical thinking. The instructor emphasized the importance of symbolic and embodied thinking and made sure the students were ready before entering the formal world. It became evident that moving the class between the worlds appropriately at certain moments was critical to students’ understanding of the concept, however at times required much anticipation and careful preparation in advance as well as creating appropriate teaching resources. The instructor’s dual role as a researcher and participant resulted a model of instructional decision making which was used to give further insights during his movements between Tall’s worlds and afforded him unique opportunities for reflection and subsequent carefully calculated class interventions.
Time Value of Money, or What Is the Real Financial Value of an Opportunity?

The time value of money is the most fundamental concept in business and attests that money is worth more in the present than in the future as current money can be used immediately to fund opportunities that may not be available in the future. Additionally, because money earns interest, and because interest compounds over time, the present value of money is greater than the future value. This chapter will discuss the time value of money as it applies to financing a medical education.
IFC-Based BIM-to-BEM Model Transformation

AbstractBuilding information modeling (BIM) can facilitate evaluation of the energy performance of a building from the early stages of a project. However, due to differences in how information is r...
Skin deep: Callout strategies, influencers, and racism in the online beauty community:

In recent years, the Western online beauty community has been embroiled in multiple racist scandals that have resulted in callout campaigns against various influencers and cosmetic companies. Throu...
Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Glutathione Biosynthesis in Lung and Soft Tissue Infection

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. To survive in both the environment and the host, P. aeruginosa must cope with redox stress. In P. aeruginosa, a primary mechanism for protection from redox stress is the antioxidant glutathione (GSH). GSH is a low-molecular-weight thiol-containing tripeptide (l-γ-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine) that can function as a reversible reducing agent. GSH plays an important role in P. aeruginosa physiology and is known to modulate several cellular and social processes that are likely important during infection. However, the role of GSH biosynthesis during mammalian infection is not well understood. In this study, we created a P. aeruginosa mutant defective in GSH biosynthesis to examine how loss of GSH biosynthesis affects P. aeruginosa virulence. We found that GSH is critical for normal growth in vitro and provides protection against hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and ciprofloxacin. We also studied the role of P. aeruginosa GSH biosynthesis in four mouse infection models, including the surgical wound, abscess, burn wound, and acute pneumonia models. We discovered that the GSH biosynthesis mutant was slightly less virulent in the acute pneumonia infection model but was equally virulent in the three other models. This work provides new and complementary data regarding the role of GSH in P. aeruginosa during mammalian infection.
Wave Propagation on Thin-Walled Elastic Cylindrical Shells

Equations governing the dynamics of thin-walled cylindrical shells are written in a form that is analogous to those governing wave propagation in a two-dimensional homogeneous anisotropic medium. With the understanding that excitation forces are periodic in one coordinate, the displacement field can be represented as a superposition of waves propagating out from localized sources into an unbounded medium. The types of waves that are excited are discussed in regards to their dependence on frequency and propagation direction.
Genetic testing experiences and genetics knowledge among families with inherited metabolic diseases.

Abstract We surveyed individuals with inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) or their caregivers to explore experiences with genetic testing. Pursuit of knowledge, benefit to science, clinician recommendations, cascade testing, and cost were important considerations for pursuing genetic testing. Knowledge about inheritance patterns was limited, even for those who had received genetic testing. Future studies should further examine knowledge of IMDs and genetic testing among families, and factors that impact clinicians' decisions to offer genetic testing for IMDs.
Self-assembling nanoparticles presenting receptor binding domain and stabilized spike as next-generation COVID-19 vaccines

ABSTRACT We present a comprehensive vaccine strategy for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by combining antigen optimization and nanoparticle display. We first developed a receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific antibody column for purification and displayed the RBD on self-assembling protein nanoparticles (SApNPs) using the SpyTag/SpyCatcher system. We then identified the heptad repeat 2 (HR2) stalk as a major cause of spike metastability, designed an HR2-deleted glycine-capped spike (S2GΔHR2), and displayed S2GΔHR2 on three SApNPs with high yield, purity, and antigenicity. Compared to the RBD, the RBD-ferritin SApNP elicited a more potent murine neutralizing antibody (NAb) response on par with the spike. S2GΔHR2 elicited two-fold-higher NAb titers than the proline-capped spike (S2P), while S2GΔHR2 SApNPs derived from multilayered E2p and I3-01v9 60-mers elicited up to 10-fold higher NAb titers. The S2GΔHR2-presenting I3-01v9 SApNP also induced critically needed T-cell immunity, thereby providing a next-generation vaccine candidate to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY The receptor binding domain and stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike were displayed on nanoparticles as vaccine antigens and elicited potent immune responses.
Recommendations and outcomes from a geriatric assessment guided multidisciplinary clinic prior to autologous stem cell transplant in older patients.

Abstract Background Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (autoHCT) is a mainstay of treatment for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma but is underutilized in older adults. We investigated the association of vulnerabilities identified by a geriatric assessment (GA)-guided multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) on the receipt of autoHCT and evaluated its ability to predict outcomes in older autoHCT candidates. Methods Patients 50+ years received GA-informed optimization recommendations: ‘decline’ if unlikely to realize benefits of autoHCT, ‘defer’ if optimization necessary before autoHCT, and ‘proceed’ if autoHCT could proceed without delay. We compared characteristics and outcomes of autoHCT recipients (n = 62) to non-autoHCT patients (n = 29) and evaluated GA deficits on outcomes. Results 91 patients were evaluated; the MDC recommendation was ‘decline’ for 5 (6%), ‘defer’ for 25 (27%), and ‘proceed’ for 61 (67%). AutoHCT recipients had fewer GA-rated impairments relative to non-autoHCT patients, as did patients with a ‘proceed’ recommendation relative to ‘defer’. Among autoHCT recipients, 1-year and 3-year non-relapse morality (NRM) was 0% and 5%, and there was no difference in length of hospitalization, readmission rate, or mortality after transplant by MDC recommendation. Frail grip strength and poor performance status were associated with inferior post-autoHCT progression-free survival and overall survival. Conclusions Patients pursuing autoHCT after MDC-directed optimization achieved excellent outcomes, including patients deferred but ultimately receiving autoHCT. GA-identified functional deficits, especially frail grip strength, may improve risk stratification in older autoHCT candidates. Employing a GA earlier in the disease trajectory to inform early referral to an MDC may increase autoHCT safety and utilization in older patients.
Privacy, Plaintiffs, and Pseudonyms: The Anonymous Doe Plaintiff in the Information Age

As a result of modern technology, many plaintiffs today must give up their privacy to seek justice. Before court records were available online and Internet search engines such as "Google" made personal information readily available, courts, citing the historical emphasis on judicial openness, were reluctant to permit plaintiffs to bring their actions pseudonymously. In this Article I argue that a more liberal approach to plaintiff anonymity is now needed. This is necessary to prevent a chilling effect on plaintiffs, who are compelled to forgo their claims for fear of having their private information made public. I examine the current methods courts use to evaluate whether, and which, plaintiffs' privacy interests deserve protection through use of a pseudonym, and I propose criteria for courts to use when making such decisions. I conclude the Article with a pair of recommendations: (1) that, when evaluating plaintiff pseudonymity requests, courts respond to the role that technology plays in diminishing privacy in modern society; and (2) that the responsibility for considering plaintiffs' privacy concerns and requests for pseudonymity be delegated to specialized judges or magistrates. The goal of these changes is to provide plaintiffs with freer access to pseudonymity protection in the face of technological encroachment upon their privacy, and to standardize a process that is currently ad hoc and unpredictable.
Different threats, same response

Plants can experience a range of challenges, from osmotic stress to pathogen attack, requiring different types of responses. Despite this variety, two recent studies of plant transcriptomes reveal a surprising commonality in the genes induced by stress.
Highly Efficient Wireless Power Transfer Systems for Wearable and Implantable Devices

The effects of the human body on wearable and implantable Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems, which are based on the Conformal Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonance (CSCMR) method, are studied. Specifically, a CSCMR system’s efficiency in free space is compared to its efficiency at several locations on and inside the human body. Simulations were performed using the EM SIM4LIFE software and a detailed human body model (i.e., Duke). The effects of the head, chest, and lower back are examined for wearable applications.
Modernity in the Theology of Karen Kilby

Modernity has few champions in today’s western theology. It is a near truism these days to speak of the precursors and children of the Enlightenment as embarked on a “project,” the “Enlightenment p...