cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Limitations on Salmonella typhi Entry into Cultured Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Kinetic studies of Salmonella typhi invasion of INT407 cells at different multiplicities of infection (MOIs) have revealed a strict physical limitation on S. typhi entry at MOIs of >/=40. Staining of infected monolayers to distinguish intracellular from extracellular bacteria revealed that all monolayer cells are susceptible to infection and that internalized bacteria are typically contained in one to three separate clusters per cell during the first 60 min. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic analyses of time course-infected monolayers showed that at early times postinfection, bacteria bind to shortened, coalesced microvilli in one to three focal aggregate structures per host cell surface. As reported previously for S. typhimurium, focal aggregates progress to conical membrane ruffles that appear to engulf one or a few centrally contained S. typhi cells by a macropinocytic process, which enhanced the entry of simultaneously added Escherichia coli HB101 about 30-fold. Additionally, kinetic studies showed that at an MOI of approximately 400, maximal S. typhi entry is virtually completed within 30 to 35 min. Monolayers pretreated with S. typhi for 30 min to saturate the entry process were severely reduced in the ability to internalize subsequently added kanamycin-resistant strains of S. typhi or S. typhimurium, but E. coli HB101(pRI203) expressing the cloned Yersinia inv gene was not reduced in entry. In invasion inhibition assays, anti-beta1 integrin antibodies markedly reduced E. coli HB101(pRI203) invasion efficiency but did not reduce S. typhi entry. Collectively, these data provide direct physical and visual evidence which indicates that S. typhi organisms are internalized at a limited number (i.e., two to four) of sites on host cells. S. typhi and S. typhimurium likely share INT407 cell entry receptors which do not appear to be members of the beta1 integrin superfamily.
Experimental insights on crystal chemistry of high-Ti garnets from garnet-melt partitioning of rare-earth and high-field-strength elements

High-temperature experiments were performed from 3.0 to 7.0 GPa to investigate the effect of composition on near-liquidus garnet-melt trace-element partition coefficients ( D -values) in a Ti- and Fe-rich lunar bulk composition. Starting compositions were doped with Sc, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Nd, Sm, Dy, Yb, Hf, and Th. D -values were measured by ion-microprobe analysis. The lattice strain model of Blundy and Wood (1994) was applied to measured D -values, and then compared with the predictive garnet-melt trace-element partitioning model of van Westrenen et al. (2001b). Although the lattice-strain model describes our data adequately, there is a substantial mismatch between the prediction of the van Westrenen et al. (2001b) model and the actual measured D -values. We suggest crystal-chemical effects associated with the high Ti content of our experimental garnets may be responsible for this mismatch. Titanium alone does not appear to control partitioning; we infer that Fe 2+ and/or Mg 2+ are required to partition into octahedral coordination on the Y-site, which may further necessitate Si 4+ to also partition on the Y-site for charge balance. This combination of effects influences trace-element partitioning in the garnet. Observed changes in D -values correlate with the integration of Ti on the Y-site in a majorite-like exchange, yet our garnets incorporate little or no majorite. Garnets grown have some of the lowest apparent Young’s modulus values (274–528 GPa) yet documented for the garnet X-site indicating higher compressiblities than previously inferred.
Salinity and Inundation Influence Productivity of the Halophytic Plant Sarcocornia pacifica

Salinity and inundation influence both wetland plant species diversity and productivity and are likely to change with predicted climate change. We investigated the degree to which these factors affect aboveground annual net primary production (ANPP) of pickleweed, Sarcocornia pacifica, at three tidal marshes spanning a salinity gradient in the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California, USA, including two natural marshes and one restored marsh. We collected S. pacifica biomass four times throughout the growing season, with roughly half of the collections in well-drained areas near channels and half away from channels, in areas of poor drainage. We examined the effects of site, channel drainage, and pore-water salinity on ANPP. Plots in well-drained areas had significantly greater biomass than those in poorly-drained areas. Most striking was the interaction between soil salinity and marsh drainage on aboveground productivity; salinity had a strong negative impact on ANPP in poorly-drained plots but had no effect in well-drained plots. In a recently-restored brackish marsh, productivity decreased with increasing distance to the nearest channel. These results suggest that within site hydrological dynamics have a strong influence over S. pacifica ANPP, with potential implications for the likely effects of shifts in salinity and inundation associated with climate change.
Heartbreak at Hilbert's Hotel

William Lane Craig's defence of the kalam cosmological argument rests heavily on two philosophical arguments against a past-eternal universe. In this article I take issue with one of these arguments, what I call the ‘Hilbert's Hotel Argument’ – namely, that the metaphysical absurdity of an actually infinite number of things existing precludes the possibility of a beginningless past. After explaining this argument, I proceed to raise some initial doubts. After setting those aside, I show that the argument is ineffective against proponents of presentism. The remainder of the article considers and rejects possible replies on Craig's behalf.
Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper outgassing effects

A periodic 3% to 5% variation in detector response affecting both image and internal calibrator (IC) data has been observed in bands 5 and 7 of the Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper. The source for this variation is thought to be an interference effect due to buildup of an ice-like contaminant film on a ZnSe window, covered with an antireflective coating (ARC), of the cooled Dewar containing these detectors. Periodic warming of the dewar is required in order to remove the contaminant and restore detector response to an uncontaminated level. These effects in the IC data have been characterized over four individual outgassing cycles using thin-film models to estimate transmittance of the window/ARC and ARC/contaminant film stack throughout the instrument lifetime. Based on the results obtained from this modeling, a lookup table procedure has been implemented that provides correction factors to improve the calibration accuracy of bands 5 and 7 by approximately 5%.
Wading Bird Nestling Diet as a Measure of Food Availability in the Everglades

Lack’s Brood Reduction Hypothesis asserts that hatching asynchrony in most altricial birds is a reproductive strategy in which sibling competition for resources, such as food, works to reduce brood size in times of limited resources. Wading birds in the Florida Everglades are considered to be indicators of the overall ecosystem health and function, since their populations are limited by the amount of food available in the land-scape. As such, knowledge of food availability has great implications toward Everglades landscape management and wading bird population monitoring. To determine if wading birds were food limited during the 2013 nesting season, we collected and analyzed the mass of regurgitated boluses collected from little blue heron, snowy egret, tricolored heron, and wood stork nestlings. Our results suggest that food was not limited during the 2013 nesting season. We also discuss the importance of long-term studies in order to ob-tain data from both “good” and “bad” years in terms of prey availability, thus providing valuable information on Everglades ecosystem health and functioning for management and restoration efforts.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma presenting as an intracranial abscess.

BACKGROUND There are many conditions related to brain abscess. Brain abscesses resulting from nasopharyngeal carcinoma is rare. It is unusual for an intracranial abscess to appear as the initial clinical presentation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. CASE REPORT A 43-year-old male patient suffering from nasopharyngeal carcinoma with the initial manifestation of an intracranial abscess without symptoms and signs suggestive of the primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma is reported. The diagnosis was particularly elusive and was not made until the third admission. CONCLUSION Although it is rare, intracranial abscess should be considered as one of the possible manifestations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Electrochemically monitoring the antibiotic susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

The condition of cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms was monitored via the electrochemical detection of the electro-active virulence factor pyocyanin in a fabricated microfluidic growth chamber coupled with a disposable three electrode cell. Cells were exposed to 4, 16, and 100 mg L(-1) colistin sulfate after overnight growth. At the end of testing, the measured maximum peak current (and therefore pyocyanin concentration) was reduced by approximately 68% and 82% in P. aeruginosa exposed to 16 and 100 mg L(-1) colistin sulfate, respectively. Samples were removed from the microfluidic chamber, analyzed for viability using staining, and streaked onto culture plates to confirm that the P. aeruginosa cells were affected by the antibiotics. The correlation between electrical signal drop and the viability of P. aeruginosa cells after antibiotic exposure highlights the usefulness of this approach for future low cost antibiotic screening applications.
Using System-Wide Trust Theory to Reveal the Contagion Effects of Automation False Alarms and Misses on Compliance and Reliance in a Simulated Aviation Task

System-wide trust theory (Keller & Rice, 2010) suggests that automated aids associated with multiple independent gauges tend to be treated as one system. Meyer's (2001, 2004) compliance–reliance model indicates that false-alarm-prone and miss-prone automated aids affect operator behavior differently. This study integrates system-wide trust theory with Meyer's compliance–reliance model. Participants monitored 8 gauges, each augmented by an automated aid. Aid 1 was either 100% or 70% reliable (either false alarm- or miss-prone), whereas the other aids were perfectly reliable. Participants generally employed a system-wide trust strategy, but this effect was stronger for false alarms compared to misses.
Optimal spectrum allocation in Gaussian interference networks

We consider a wireless network in which multiple users share a common spectrum band, modeled as a Gaussian interference network. Our objective is to choose the transmit power spectral density of each user to maximize the sum rate, subject to individual power constraints at each transmitter. This includes frequency-orthogonal transmissions and full-spreading with power control as special cases. Assuming single-user receivers and treating interference as noise, the resulting optimization problem is non-convex. Nevertheless, for a two-user model with flat-fading we completely characterize the optimal solution. In particular, we show that the optimal power allocation consists of each user using a piecewise constant power allocation over at most 3 frequency bands, where at most one band is shared by the two users. Extensions to more than two users and a distributed algorithm to implement the optimal allocation are also presented.
The dehubbing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG): A spatiotemporal panorama

Abstract At its peak, in 2005, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) was Delta Airline's second largest hub, offering more than 600 flights per day to nearly 150 destinations in the United States and Europe. In 2005, CVG processed over 22.7 million passengers. By 2013, CVG provided fewer than 180 daily departures to 77 destinations and processed fewer than 6 million passengers per year. The purpose of this paper is to explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of CVG's dehubbing process. We highlight the operational, market and geographic factors that contributed to CVG's decline and use basic exploratory data analysis to provide perspective and deepen our understanding of this process. Results suggest that a combination of commercial carrier strategies, operational efficiencies, hub structures, network topologies and regional competition contributed to the deterioration of CVG. We conclude with a brief discussion of the empirical insights generated and highlight their implications for mid-sized air transport markets.
Use of Interferon-α in Patients with West Nile Encephalitis: Report of 2 Cases

We describe 2 patients with West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis who were treated experimentally with interferon (IFN)-alpha. Both patients demonstrated substantial improvement in mentation and speech on the second day of experimental therapy, and neither required endotracheal intubation or admission to the intensive care unit during hospitalization. Moreover, during the 9-month follow-up period, one patient achieved complete recovery, and the other nearly achieved complete resolution of sequelae. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of the use of IFN-alpha to treat WNV encephalitis. Clinical trials are underway to further define the role of this therapy in persons with WNV encephalitis.
Monkey median nerve repaired by nerve graft or collagen nerve guide tube

Nerve regeneration was followed in 15 median and 1 ulnar nerve of eight Macaca fascicularis monkeys by serial electrophysiological assessments over a period of three and a half years. Nerve gaps of 5 mm at the wrist were bridged by collagen-based nerve guides, nerve autografts, or direct suture repairs. Thenar muscle reinnervation occurred between 50 and 70 d for all groups, indicating axonal elongation rates of approximately 1 mm/d. The recovery rates of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and the compound sensory action potential (CSAP) amplitudes were significantly slower after direct suture repair compared to the other two procedures, although the final levels of recovery were all comparable. Similar results were achieved in one median and one ulnar nerve following nerve guide repair of a 15 mm nerve gap. The functional reinnervation of Pacinian corpuscles was detected in all cases following either nerve graft or nerve guide repair, with similar amplitudes and latencies of the tactile evoked CSAP for both types of repair. Histological analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the number of myelinated axons in the median nerve distal to the nerve lesions following both nerve graft and nerve guide repairs compared to proximal and normal controls, with significant reductions of fiber diameter and corresponding increases in g-ratio. The return of a bimodal frequency distribution of myelinated axon fiber diameter was confirmed by three-dimensional surface plots which illustrate the frequency distribution of the relationship between fiber diameter and g-ratio. These combined results demonstrate that nerve regeneration after repair of a 5 mm nerve gap with a collagen nerve guide in the nonhuman primate is similar to that after graft repair, and the final level of physiological recovery for both repair procedures is comparable to direct suture repair of the median nerve.
Parametric study of high energy plasmas for electrothermal-chemical propulsion applications

Theoretical calculations are performed with a one-dimensional (1-D), steady state, isothermal computer plasma model to define plasma output parameters for various input electrical energies and capillary radii of relevance to the electrothermal-chemical (ETC) propulsion concept. Three capillaries of 1.92, 4.75, and 7.0 mm radius, and a fixed length of 11.84 cm, were chosen for this study with input currents between 30 and 350 kA. Plasmas are categorized according to their total power and energy levels (based on a 3-ms pulse width) and are compared with respect to their resistance, exit pressure, and core plasma temperature. The input power ranges from 0.17 to 1.89 GW, for input energies from 0.49 to 5.80 MJ, which is considered suitable coverage for ETC ignition through ETC enhanced propulsion concepts. The study shows that the range of resistance, pressure, and temperature are 12.8-195 m/spl Omega/, 19.8-2000 MPa, and 2.9-13.5 eV, respectively, for the chosen capillary geometry. Flow conditions for plasma calculations include choked (no pressure boundary) and unchoked (450-MPa pressure boundary) for some calculations. Results from the computational model and interpretations from the perspective of capillary implementation into ETC propulsion concepts are also included.
On sundials, springs, and atoms

The orderly behavior that occurs when animals are required to deal with time requirements suggests the possibility that they have an internal clock that provides information about the duration of events. After discussing questions inherent in the concept of an internal clock and suggesting criteria that such a device should meet if it exists, data are reviewed involving several different types of experimental procedures. Every procedure produced different conclusions about the nature of timing. Such results, together with observations of behavior outside of the laboratory, suggest that an internal clock has not evolved and, furthermore, is not even necessary for animals to display temporal regularities in their behavior or to respond to temporal demands.
Radiofrequency Ablation of Accessory Pathways Associated with Congenital Heart Disease

The coexistence of significant congenital cardiac disease with accessory pathways is not uncommon, and presents a number of issues for clinical management. These issues include the propensity of such patients to have poorly tolerated tachycardia; the difficulties in choosing appropriate medical management given potential problems with preexisting sinus node disease, poor contractility, and the possibility of proarrhythmia; the need to seriously consider ablation prior to, or at the time of, intracar-diac repair of congenital cardiac defects; and finally, the difficulties that complex anatomy may pose to the interventional electrophysiologist. Definitive management requires expertise both in electrophysiology and in pediatric cardiology. Success can usually be achieved with a careful, anatomically precise approach, combined with imagination and persistence. Because of the difficulties with medical management, catheter ablation may be the most attractive modality for control of accessory pathway tachycardia in this patient population.
Effects of Hypercapnic Hypoxia on Inactivation and Elimination of Vibrio campbellii in the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica

The Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, inhabits shallow coastal waters that frequently experience periods of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) and elevated CO(2) (hypercapnia) levels. Bacteria are extremely abundant in these environments and accumulate in large numbers in filter-feeding oysters, which can act as passive carriers of human pathogens. Although hypercapnic hypoxia (HH) can affect certain specific immune mechanisms, its direct effect on the inactivation, degradation and elimination of bacteria in oysters is unknown. This research was conducted to determine whether exposure to HH reduces the ability of C. virginica to inactivate and eliminate Vibrio campbellii following its injection into the adductor muscle. Oysters were held in fully air-saturated (normoxic; partial O(2) pressure [P(O2)] = 20.7 kPa, CO(2) < 0.06 kPa, pH 7.8 to 8.0) or HH (P(O2) = 4 kPa, CO(2) = 1.8 kPa, pH 6.5 to 6.8) seawater at 25 degrees C for 4 h before being injected in the adductor muscle with 10(5) live Vibrio campbellii bacteria and remained under these conditions for the remainder of the experiment (up to 24 h postinjection). Real-time PCR was used to quantify the number of intact V. campbellii bacteria, while selective plating was used to quantify the number of injected bacteria remaining culturable in whole-oyster tissues, seawater, and feces/pseudofeces at 0, 1, 4, and 24 h postinjection. We found that oysters maintained under normoxic conditions were very efficient at inactivating and degrading large numbers of injected bacteria within their tissues. Moreover, a small percentage ( approximately 10%) of injected bacteria were passed into the surrounding seawater, while less than 1% were recovered in the feces/pseudofeces. In contrast, HH increased the percentage of culturable bacteria recovered from the tissues of oysters, suggesting an overall decrease in bacteriostasis. We suggest that poor water quality may increase the risk that oysters will harbor and transmit bacterial pathogens hazardous to human and ecosystem health.
Etiology of esophageal disease in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients who fail antifungal therapy

Purpose To determine the etiologies of esophageal symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients failing antifungal treatment. Methods Between August 1, 1990 and December 31, 1994, all HIV-infected patients seen at a large inner-city hospital who had esophageal complaints despite being on antifungal therapy were prospectively evaluated for the cause of symptoms. Thus, the population studied included patients given empiric antifungal therapy for esophageal symptoms and patients who developed symptoms while on long-term antifungal therapy. Endoscopy was performed in all patients. The cause of symptoms was determined by the clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic findings, and follow-up after treatment. Results Over the 53-month study period, 74 patients failing empiric antifungal therapy were identified. The majority (77%) of these patients had esophageal ulcers; 25 patients had idiopathic ulcers and 24 had cytomegalovirus. In 2 patients, Candida was present with other causes of ulcerative esophagitis. Candida esophagitis alone was diagnosed in only 3 patients. No endoscopic abnormalities were observed in 14 patients (19%). An additional 24 patients developed esophageal symptoms while receiving antifungal therapy; endoscopic findings in these patients included ulceration in 16 (67%), Candida esophagitis alone in 2, and normal in 6. Empirically treated patients in whom odynophagia was not the only symptom, those with dysphagia alone, and those with a CD4 count >100/mm3 were less likely to have an endoscopic diagnosis. Conclusions Esophageal ulceration is the most common cause of esophageal symptoms in HIV-infected patients failing empiric antifungal therapy and those developing symptoms while receiving antifungal agents. Given these findings, endoscopy should be the test of choice for these nonresponders, rather than escalating the dose of antifungal agent, adding other empiric treatments, or performing barium esophagography.
Using the Anthropocene as a teaching, communication and community engagement opportunity

Environmental challenges of the Anthropocene are synergistic and interdisciplinary, complicating the ability of scientists to effectively communicate to the public. This complexity illuminates the ...
A Disease-Based Approach to the Vertical and Horizontal Integration of a Medical Curriculum

As medical disciplines have become increasingly interdisciplinary and evidenced-based medicine is widely practiced, there is a need for curricula that reflect these changes. The newly revised Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) standards 1.1 Strategic Planning and Continuous Quality Improvement and 8.3 Curricular Design, Review, Revision/Content Monitoring require ongoing curricular review to assure accreditation compliancy. We have completed a comprehensive review of our curriculum and have moved from a discipline-based curriculum to that of one that focuses on a systems/disease-based model. The approach allows for a more horizontally integrated curriculum in the preclinical years, while the use of 115 distinct diseases and 8 themes creates a quality assurance mechanism that allows for tracking of vertical integration across the entire curriculum. The first step in the development of this quality assurance model was to establish and empower a newly formed integration subcommittee. This subcommittee was tasked with developing a model to review, track, and improve the horizontal and vertical integration of the curriculum. Our integrated curriculum is now in its second year having completed the initial identification of gaps and redundancies through a process that relies on the mapping of diseases and themes throughout the courses. This ongoing review and evaluation mechanism has created a dynamic quality assurance process that allows our faculty to address issues of both horizontal and vertical integration of our curriculum at the course level.
La regioselettività della nitrazione elettrofila degli α, α, α-trialogenometossibenzeni

La nitrazione degli α, α, α-trialogenometossibenzeni con nitronio tetra-fluoroborato o nitrato di metile/trifluoruro di boro in nitrometano e stata studiata e paragonata a quella degli alogenobenzeni. E stata osservata principalmente la para-sostituzione, senza formazione delľisomero meta. La reattivita dei substrati relativa alla reattivita del benzene e k(C6H5OCX3)/k(C6H6) = 0.1-0.3.
Comparison of bolus and constant infusion methods of gadolinium administration in MR angiography.

PURPOSE To determine whether the method of delivery of gadolinium can alter optimal small-vessel detail in MR angiography. METHODS Six healthy volunteers were studied with MR angiography using both a constant infusion and a bolus method of contrast administration to a total dose of 0.1 mmol/kg. Both three-dimensional time-of-flight and 3-D phase-contrast techniques were used. RESULTS Constant infusion did not prove superior to bolus administration of contrast. With both techniques, gadolinium enhancement uniformly improved visualization of small vessels. Delay from the time of contrast administration to scan acquisition decreased vessel enhancement. CONCLUSIONS Bolus administration of gadolinium is sufficient to improve small vessel visualization with MR angiography. When a series of contrast-enhanced images is to be obtained, MR angiographic sequences should be obtained first.
Compatibility of enterocystoplasty and the artificial urinary sphincter.

AbstractPlacement of the artificial urinary sphincter during augmentation enterocystoplasty may lead to infection, erosion and eventual removal of the device. To assess compatibility of artificial urinary sphincter implantation and enterocystoplasty we reviewed the records of 30 patients who had undergone enterocystoplasty and artificial urinary sphincter placement simultaneously (11), enterocystoplasty before artificial urinary sphincter placement (12) and artificial urinary sphincter placement before enterocystoplasty (7). The 19 male and 11 female patients were between 4 and 42 years old (median age 13.5 years). Followup in 28 patients ranged from 6 months to 8 years (average 17 months). Incontinence resulted from myelodysplasia in 16 patients, sacral agenesis in 3, spinal cord injury in 6, posterior urethral valves in 1, bilateral ectopic ureters in 1 and epispadias-exstrophy in 3.Erosion occurred in 2 patients (7 per cent): 1 female patient who underwent simultaneous sphincter implantation and entero...
Belief in Race as Biological: Early Life Influences, Intergroup Outcomes, and the Process of “Unlearning”

This paper reports on three studies examining people’s belief about race as biological. Study 1 (N = 155) found that the relationship between early exposure to diversity as a child and belief in race as biological was moderated by socioeconomic status. Study 2 (N = 210) found that belief in race as biological was related to greater social distance toward out-group members, and this relationship was mediated by out-group discomfort. Study 3 found that participants (N = 31) had significant decreases in belief in race as biological immediately following a daylong race relations workshop and in a 6-week follow-up, and this “unlearning” trajectory was particularly prominent among students who experienced greater social distance from out-groups. Results are interpreted and discussed in relation to reconceptualizing beliefs about race as rationalizing rather than proactive ideologies and for promoting positive race relations through education aimed at deessentializing race.
Trembling on the Precipice of Possibility: A Story About Becoming a Teacher Educator for Social Justice

Abstract This article describes the strategy of creating an illustrated story book as an attempt to invite teacher education candidates to engage in deeper reflection and critical analysis common sense which shapes their teaching. In the process of describing how to teach preservice teachers to teach for social justice the author uses examples from her own development as a teacher educator for social justice. The author suggests four elements that may be critical to teaching teacher candidates to persevere in rigorous critique of their own common sense. They are imagery and intensifying metaphor; foolishness; a dialectic of criticality and joy; and communal sharing. Keywords: teacher education, critical analysis, preservice teachers, social justice
DNA modifications in models of alcohol use disorders

Chronic alcohol use and abuse result in widespread changes to gene expression, some of which contribute to the development of alcohol-use disorders (AUD). Gene expression is controlled, in part, by a group of regulatory systems often referred to as epigenetic factors, which includes, among other mechanisms, chemical marks made on the histone proteins around which genomic DNA is wound to form chromatin, and on nucleotides of the DNA itself. In particular, alcohol has been shown to perturb the epigenetic machinery, leading to changes in gene expression and cellular functions characteristic of AUD and, ultimately, to altered behavior. DNA modifications in particular are seeing increasing research in the context of alcohol use and abuse. To date, studies of DNA modifications in AUD have primarily looked at global methylation profiles in human brain and blood, gene-specific methylation profiles in animal models, methylation changes associated with prenatal ethanol exposure, and the potential therapeutic abilities of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. Future studies may be aimed at identifying changes to more recently discovered DNA modifications, utilizing new methods to discriminate methylation profiles between cell types, thus clarifying how alcohol influences the methylomes of cell-type populations and how this may affect downstream processes. These studies and more in-depth probing of DNA methylation will be key to determining whether DNA-level epigenetic regulation plays a causative role in AUD and can thus be targeted for treatment of the disorder.
Hill number as a bacterial diversity measure framework with high-throughput sequence data

Bacterial diversity is an important parameter for measuring bacterial contributions to the global ecosystem. However, even the task of describing bacterial diversity is challenging due to biological and technological difficulties. One of the challenges in bacterial diversity estimation is the appropriate measure of rare taxa, but the uncertainty of the size of rare biosphere is yet to be experimentally determined. One approach is using the generalized diversity, Hill number (Na), to control the variability associated with rare taxa by differentially weighing them. Here, we investigated Hill number as a framework for microbial diversity measure using a taxa-accmulation curve (TAC) with soil bacterial community data from two distinct studies by 454 pyrosequencing. The reliable biodiversity estimation was obtained when an increase in Hill number arose as the coverage became stable in TACs for a ≥ 1. In silico analysis also indicated that a certain level of sampling depth was desirable for reliable biodiversity estimation. Thus, in order to attain bacterial diversity from second generation sequencing, Hill number can be a good diversity framework with given sequencing depth, that is, until technology is further advanced and able to overcome the under- and random-sampling issues of the current sequencing approaches.
Steven Koltai with Matthew Muspratt (2016) “Peace through Entrepreneurship: Investing in a Startup Culture for Security and Development”

Koltai argues that the current US approach to managing terrorism is primarily military in nature. Further, he argues that this approach will not be successful in the long run because the supply of recruits from terrorist organizations is drawn primarily from large unemployed youth cohorts in developing countries and in particular from Muslim-dominated countries. In Koltai’s view and argument, a long-run policy is needed to provide alternative future pathways for members of these cohorts. Entrepreneurship programs that create growth companies, and thus jobs, are the prescribed solution. Koltai provides not only a well-documented argument that undergirds his proposal but also draws on his experience in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries that demonstrate how such programs can be successful.
A Caenorhabditis elegans model of adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency reveals neuromuscular and reproductive phenotypes of distinct etiology

Inborn errors of purine metabolism are rare syndromes with an array of complex phenotypes in humans. One such disorder, adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency (ASLD), is caused by a decrease in the activity of the bi-functional purine biosynthetic enzyme, adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL). Mutations in human ADSL cause epilepsy, muscle ataxia, and autistic-like symptoms. Although the genetic basis of ASLD syndrome is known, the molecular mechanisms driving phenotypic outcome are not. Here, we characterize neuromuscular and reproductive phenotypes associated with a deficiency of adsl-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Characterization of the neuromuscular phenotype reveals a disruption of cholinergic transmission affecting muscular contraction. Using genetics, pharmacological supplementation, and metabolite measurements, we correlate phenotypes with distinct metabolic perturbations. The neuromuscular defect is associated with a toxic accumulation of a purine biosynthetic intermediate whereas the reproductive defect can be ameliorated by purine supplementation, indicating differing molecular mechanisms behind the phenotypes of ASLD. Because purine metabolism is highly conserved in metazoans, we suggest that similar separable metabolic perturbations result in the varied symptoms in the human disorder and that a dual-approach therapeutic strategy may be beneficial.
Design and simulation of nano plasmonic biosensors

A Nano plasmonic biosensor is composed of metallic nanoparticles on a dielectric substrate. In a certain wavelength of the incident light, these metallic nanoparticles create a strong localized electric field that is extremely sensitive to an adjacent material, creating a highly sensitive sensor. Producing a higher electric field results in a more sensitive sensor for detection of biomolecules. In this work, two different nano structures were studied to find the structure producing a stronger electric field with a narrower linewidth, which results in a more sensitive sensor for detection. In addition, a bowtie nanoantenna with the optimum size was studied and was able to produce an enhanced electric field of 90 times the incident electric field.
The Rock Art Of Western Montana

Western Montana rock art comprises 29 pictograph sites scattered throughout the mountainousPacific-drained portion of the state. The sites, composed of panels of simple red, yellow or black pictogr...
On the Intelligibility of Bad Acts

Do desires provide reasons and intelligibility or are desires intelligible only if had for, based on, reasons? To be intelligible, must a desire or act be had or done for a reason? Many classical ethicists, joined by Joseph Raz and many others, argue that reasons are necessary for intelligibility, that intelligibility requires desiring and acting under the aspect of the good, sub specie boni. I agree with Raz, Anscombe, and others that not all desires make for intelligibility, only those with desirability characterizations that answer Anscombe’s question, ‘What’s the good of that?’ But I argue, against Raz, that such characterizations, as well as intelligible desires and acts, need not be sub specie boni. I use Foot’s neo-Aristotelian teleology to argue that Raz may be right about people who have good second natures, good desires and good acts. But he is wrong about people whose second nature is not so good. Their desires and acts may be deformations of the desires and acts of good people. This suggests a position somewhat like Raz’s: the intelligibility of bad desires and acts may be ‘borrowed’ from the good desires and acts that they are deformations of.
Geography and Routing in the Internet

The Internet is a network of networks consisting of tens of thousands of Autonomous Systems (ASes). These ASes connect to each other in different forms to enable the “global” Internet communication. In this study, we investigate the geographical characteristics of the visible Internet as well as examine the relation between geography and intra-AS and inter-AS routing policies. We show that the ingress-to-egress subpaths have lower circuitousness compared to the end-to-end paths. Our findings not only demonstrate the efficient backbone infrastructures and routing schemes deployed by ASes but also show the consequences of economical incentives on the adoption of inter-AS paths. We present and examine the existence of a strong correlation between the geographical distance and round trip delay time as well as the lack of a correlation between the geographical distance and hop length in the Internet. We investigate the relation between the geographical distance and intra-AS routing policies by employing cross-AS (X-AS) Internet topology maps. Our results show that more than two thirds of the intra-AS subpaths are congruent with the shortest geographical distance whether or not geographical distance is employed as a custom parameter in routing decisions. Our results provide new insights into the relations between geography and Internet routing, which allow the network researchers and practitioners to improve their networking infrastructures, reevaluate their routing policies, deploy geography-aware network overlays, and develop more realistic network simulation processes.
Who Are the Beneficiaries When Insiders Trade? An Examination of Piggybacking in the Brokerage Industry

We study the impact of brokerage relations with company insiders on insider-affiliated market makers’ quoting behavior and the possibility of information leakage via piggybacking when insiders trade. We find that market makers affiliated with the brokers used by insiders post more aggressive ask quotes vis-a-vis their peers during periods when insiders trade. This aggressiveness is partially attributable to the pressure to complete sell orders for their company insider clients. However, we also find that this behavior is dependent on the management role of the insider and the degree of information asymmetry as measured by a) the number of analysts following the company, b) analyst forecast dispersion, c) bid-ask spread of the stock and d) postevent stock return. In addition, piggybacking diminishes when the firm of the broker-dealer making markets has had a prior investment banking business relationship with the company. The findings suggest that in addition to the volume of insider trades, the potential information content of insider trades also affects insider-affiliated market makers’ abnormal quoting behavior. We find that this information leakage through insiders’ brokers results in trading based on information signaled by those insiders.
Treatment for anxiety: Mindfulness meditation versus escitalopram (TAME): Design of a randomized, controlled non-inferiority trial.

Abstract Anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia) are common, distressing, and impairing. While pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are first-line treatment strategies for anxiety disorders, many patients are reluctant to take psychiatric medication, and many prefer to avoid any kind of mental health treatment due to stigma or distrust of traditional medical care. We present the trial protocol for the first study comparing first-line medication treatment with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a popular mindfulness meditation training program, for the treatment of anxiety disorders. We will use a non-inferiority, comparative effectiveness trial design, in which individuals with diagnosed anxiety disorders will be randomized to either pharmacotherapy with escitalopram or MBSR for 8 weeks of treatment. Treatment outcome will be based on gold standard symptom severity measures assessed by trained independent evaluators blind to treatment allocation. Secondary outcomes will include key symptom and function measures, as well as tolerability and satisfaction with treatment. Findings will provide crucial information to inform decision making about the relative benefits of MBSR versus a first line medication for anxiety disorders by patients, medical care providers, healthcare insurers and other stakeholders.
Sexual Consent: How Relationships, Gender, and Sexual Self-Disclosure Affect Signaling and Interpreting Cues for Sexual Consent in a Hypothetical Heterosexual Sexual Situation

Sexual communication is critical to establishing sexual encounters. Sexual script theory has been used to explore how individuals communicate sexual consent and perceive sexual consent cues. Gender differences appear to dictate how consent cues are expressed and interpreted. Using a sample of 309 U.S. heterosexual participants (Mage = 34.6 years, range = 19.3–72.2), we explore how single and partnered women and men interpret and perceive cues for consenting to sexual behaviors in a hypothetical situation. Results revealed that relationship length and sexual self-disclosure did not affect how individuals would communicate sexual consent; gender differences were identified as women reported being more likely to interpret their use of direct forms of communication as consent indications whereas men reported they were more likely to interpret their use of indirect communication strategies as consent indications. Within-subjects analyses suggest that some forms of communication would be interpreted differently depending on if they were to be used by the participant or used by the participant’s partner. Although there is considerable agreement across genders on what classes of behaviors are indicative of consent, differences in the sexual scripts of men and women may contribute to gender differences in consent. Given these gender and within-subjects’ differences, further research is needed to explore the nuances of sexual communication.
The Practical Value of Knowing Required Returns

An investor who knows the required return will know the discount rate that determines present value, and will know the "equilibrium" return that may help forecast future cash flows. Thus managers, scholars and students expend considerable effort estimating required returns. Curiously, the value of this knowledge has never been measured. Simulating the investor's decision reveals that a crude fixed investment hurdle delivers more than 99% of the theoretical maximum expected present value that could be obtained with perfect knowledge of required returns. This surprising result can also be demonstrated with a simple experiment using CRSP returns, and seems to hold in almost any plausible investment scenario. Knowing required returns is nearly valueless for two slightly subtle reasons: because the hurdle rate's required precision varies inversely with the expected abnormal return, and because exploiting the forecasting power of the equilibrium return (or its proxy, Beta) results in moving the predicted return closer to the hurdle, which cannot change the accept/reject decision. Thus a crude fixed investment hurdle is nearly optimal, and the formulation, testing, estimation and teaching of required return models such as the CAPM and APT, as well as more detailed refinement of cost-of-capital estimation, seems to have little prospect of materially improving investment decisions.
Predictors of Adoption and Guardianship Dissolution: The Role of Race, Age, and Gender Among Children in Foster Care

Adoption and guardianship are meant to provide permanency to foster children when reunification is not a viable option. Unfortunately, sometimes adoption and guardianship placements dissolve resulting in children returning to care. Currently, there is limited research on the prevalence and predictors of adoption and guardianship dissolutions. This study investigated rates of guardianship and adoption dissolution using a complete entry cohort from a large state foster care system and the associations between child characteristics and risk factors with dissolution. Drawing on a complete entry cohort of foster children in Texas that exited to either adoption or guardianship placements, results demonstrated that over 2% of adoptive placements and 7% of guardianship placements were dissolved. Compared with White and Hispanic children, Black children had a higher risk of guardianship, but not adoption, dissolution. Older age was associated with a higher risk of adoption dissolution, and females had a higher risk of guardianship dissolution than males. Behavior problems, cognitive disability status, and mental health issues were all associated with a higher risk of dissolution. These findings have important implications for caseworkers and policymakers on permanency for children in adoptive or guardianship placements.
Erroneous Reporting of Deaths Attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza at 2 New York City Teaching Hospitals, 2013-2014.

ObjectivesCause-of-death information, reported by frontline clinicians after a patient’s death, is an irreplaceable source of public health data. However, systematic bias in cause-of-death reportin...
Macaque monkey trigeminal blink reflex circuits targeting levator palpebrae superioris motoneurons

For normal viewing, the eyes are held open by the tonic actions of the levator palpebrae superioris (levator) muscle raising the upper eyelid. This activity is interrupted during blinks, when the eyelid sweeps down to spread the tear film or protect the cornea. We examined the circuit connecting the principal trigeminal nucleus to the levator motoneurons by use of both anterograde and retrograde tracers in macaque monkeys. Injections of anterograde tracer were made into the principal trigeminal nucleus using either a stereotaxic approach or localization following physiological characterization of trigeminal second order neurons. Anterogradely labeled axonal arbors were located both within the caudal central subdivision, which contains levator motoneurons, and in the adjacent supraoculomotor area. Labeled boutons made synaptic contacts on retrogradely labeled levator motoneurons indicating a monosynaptic connection. As the eye is also retracted through the actions of the rectus muscles during a blink, we examined whether these trigeminal injections labeled boutons contacting rectus motoneurons within the oculomotor nucleus. These were not found when the injection sites were confined to the principal trigeminal nucleus region. To identify the source of the projection to the levator motoneurons, we injected retrograde tracer into the oculomotor complex. Retrogradely labeled cells were confined to a narrow, dorsoventrally oriented cell population that lined the rostral edge of the principal trigeminal nucleus. Presumably these cells inhibit levator motoneurons, while other parts of the trigeminal sensory complex are activating orbicularis oculi motoneurons, when a blink is initiated by sensory stimuli contacting the face.