cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of aerial insecticide spraying on West Nile virus disease--north-central Texas, 2012.

Abstract. During 2012, four north-central Texas counties experienced high West Nile virus (WNV) disease incidence. Aerial insecticide spraying was conducted in two counties. To evaluate the effect of spraying on WNV disease, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) in treated and untreated areas by comparing incidence before and after spraying; for unsprayed areas, before and after periods were defined by using dates from a corresponding sprayed area. In treated areas, WNV neuroinvasive disease incidence before and after spraying was 7.31/100,000 persons and 0.28/100,000 persons, respectively; the IRR was 26.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.42–56.20). In untreated areas, the before and after incidence was 4.80/100,000 persons and 0.45/100,000 persons, respectively; the IRR was 10.57 (95% CI: 6.11–18.28). The ratio of IRRs was 2.50 (95% CI: 0.98–6.35). Disease incidence decreased in both areas, but the relative change was greater in aerial-sprayed areas.
Tetragonal alkali metal tungsten bronze and hexagonal tungstate nanorods synthesized by alkalide reduction

Tetragonal alkali metal tungsten bronze and hexagonal alkali metaltungstate nanorods have been synthesized by sub-ambient reduction by alkalide solutions and subsequent oxidation. Tetragonal potassium tungsten bronze, K0.4WO3, nanorods result after post-reduction annealing at 250 °C for 3 h followed by 600 °C for 4 h in vacuum if the alkalide reduction is performed using K+(15-crown-5)2Na− and a mixed sodium/potassium tungsten bronze, Na0.3K0.2WO3, if K+(18-crown-6)2Na− is used. The rods are generally ∼40 nm wide and 400–500 nm long single crystals, their principal axis being in the [001] crystallographic direction. Annealing in air at 500 °C changes the material to a bronze-like hexagonal alkali metal tungstate, without substantial effect on its nanorod morphology. The hexagonal alkali metal tungstate, K0.3W0.95O3, nanorods can be made directly by heating to 400 °C rather than 600 °C in the 2-step annealing process, consistent with the tungstate being the first phase formed, transforming to the bronze at higher temperature.
Bond energy effects on strength, cooperativity and robustness of molecular structures

A fundamental challenge in engineering biologically inspired materials and systems is the identification of molecular structures that define fundamental building blocks. Here, we report a systematic study of the effect of the energy of chemical bonds on the mechanical properties of molecular structures, specifically, their strength and robustness. By considering a simple model system of an assembly of bonds in a cluster, we demonstrate that weak bonding, as found for example in H-bonds, results in a highly cooperative behaviour where clusters of bonds operate synergistically to form relatively strong molecular clusters. The cooperative effect of bonding results in an enhanced robustness since the drop of strength owing to the loss of a bond in a larger cluster only results in a marginal reduction of the strength. Strong bonding, as found in covalent interactions such as disulphide bonds or in the backbone of proteins, results in a larger mechanical strength. However, the ability for bonds to interact cooperatively is lost, and, as a result, the overall robustness is lower since the mechanical strength hinges on individual bonds rather than a cluster of bonds. The systematic analysis presented here provides general insight into the interplay of bond energy, robustness and other geometric parameters such as bond spacing. We conclude our analysis with a correlation of structural data of natural protein structures, which confirms the conclusions derived from our study.
Scalable Deep Poisson Factor Analysis for Topic Modeling

A new framework for topic modeling is developed, based on deep graphical models, where interactions between topics are inferred through deep latent binary hierarchies. The proposed multi-layer model employs a deep sigmoid belief network or restricted Boltzmann machine, the bottom binary layer of which selects topics for use in a Poisson factor analysis model. Under this setting, topics live on the bottom layer of the model, while the deep specification serves as a flexible prior for revealing topic structure. Scalable inference algorithms are derived by applying Bayesian conditional density filtering algorithm, in addition to extending recently proposed work on stochastic gradient thermostats. Experimental results on several corpora show that the proposed approach readily handles very large collections of text documents, infers structured topic representations, and obtains superior test perplexities when compared with related models.
Genotypic Differences in Dengue Virus Neutralization Are Explained by a Single Amino Acid Mutation That Modulates Virus Breathing

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses sample an ensemble of virion conformations resulting from the conformational flexibility of their structural proteins. To investigate how sequence variation among strains impacts virus breathing, we performed studies with the monoclonal antibody (MAb) E111, which binds an inaccessible domain III envelope (E) protein epitope of dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV1). Prior studies indicated that an observed ~200-fold difference in neutralization between the DENV1 strains Western Pacific-74 (West Pac-74) and 16007 could not be explained by differences in the affinity of MAb E111 for each strain. Through neutralization studies with wild-type and variant viruses carrying genes encoding reciprocal mutations at all 13 amino acid differences between the E proteins of West Pac-74 and 16007, we found that E111 neutralization susceptibility mapped solely to the presence of a lysine or arginine at E domain II residue 204, located distally from the E111 epitope. This same residue correlated with neutralization differences observed for MAbs specific for epitopes distinct from E111, suggesting that this amino acid dictates changes in the conformational ensembles sampled by the virus. Furthermore, an observed twofold difference in the stability of infectious West Pac-74 versus 16007 in solution also mapped to E residue 204. Our results demonstrate that neutralization susceptibility can be altered in an epitope-independent manner by natural strain variation that influences the structures sampled by DENV. That different conformational ensembles of flaviviruses may affect the landscape available for antibody binding, as well as virus stability, has important implications for functional studies of antibody potency, a critical aspect of vaccine development. IMPORTANCE The global burden of dengue virus (DENV) is growing, with recent estimates of ~390 million human infections each year. Antibodies play a crucial role in protection from DENV infection, and vaccines that elicit a robust antibody response are being actively pursued. We report here the identification of a single amino acid residue in the envelope protein of DENV serotype 1 that results in global changes to virus structure and stability when it is changed. Our results indicate that naturally occurring variation at this particular site among virus strains impacts the ensemble of structures sampled by the virus, a process referred to as virus breathing. The finding that such limited and conservative sequence changes can modulate the landscape available for antibody binding has important implications for both vaccine development and the study of DENV-reactive antibodies.
Attitudes and Beliefs of Prekindergarten Teachers Toward Teaching Science to Young Children

This study explored infield prekindergarten teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward teaching science to young children. In addition, prekindergarten teachers’ previous and future interests in science-related professional development were assessed. Data were collected through a self-report measure, the preschool teacher attitudes and beliefs toward science. The sample consisted of 112 prekindergarten teachers. Findings suggest prekindergarten teachers may be more comfortable with conducting and integrating science activities and understanding the benefits of science for young children’s global development than previously thought. However, teachers continue to indicate feelings of inadequacy and anxiety toward their own science knowledge and ability to support children’s scientific learning. Future research should examine additional methods of assessing science teaching in prekindergarten classrooms, such as direct observation, as well as the impact of professional development on attitudes, beliefs, and practices of prekindergarten teachers when teaching science.
Behavior of the cryptobiotic predaceous ant Eurhopalothrix heliscata, n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Basicerotini)

1. Eurhopalothrix heliscata n. sp. is an Asiatic representative of the little known ant tribe Basicerotini and the first member of the group to be studied intensively. We report evidence that it preys on a variety of termites, but also takes at least some other kinds of insects. Overall, the social behavior is simple relative to that of many other myrmicine ants. 2. Prey are hunted and retrieved singly. But foraging workers are also able to recruit nestmates to the vicinity of groups of prey and as a result accelerate retrieval of termites to the brood chambers. A prolonged exploration of the surrounding area also ensues. 3. With the aid of chemical cues, workers are able to recognize material from the vicinity of their nest. 4. The workers are notably thigmotactic. They use their wedge-shaped heads, hard bodies, and short legs to press into tight spaces. They seize the appendages of termites with their short, sharp-toothed mandibles, clasping these body parts of the prey even more tightly with the aid of their projecting, heavily sclerotized labra. 5. E. heliscata tend to gather in large, broodless groups away from the main part of the colony. This bivouacing behavior, which effectively dispenses the foragers over a wider area, may improve the efficiency of the predation on termites. 6. The workers appear not to practice food exchange, worker oviposition, or alarmdefense behavior, nor do they recruit during colony emigration. 7. Prolonged fighting and dominance-subordinance relations among queens have been observed under laboratory conditions. 8. Other details of nesting behavior and social interactions are described (see,e.g., table I).
Quantitative assessment of placental perfusion by contrast-enhanced ultrasound in macaques and human subjects

Background The uteroplacental vascular supply is a critical determinant of placental function and fetal growth. Current methods for the in vivo assessment of placental blood flow are limited. Objective We demonstrate the feasibility of the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging to visualize and quantify perfusion kinetics in the intervillous space of the primate placenta. Study Design Pregnant Japanese macaques were studied at mid second trimester and in the early third trimester. Markers of injury were assessed in placenta samples from animals with or without contrast-enhanced ultrasound exposure (n = 6/group). Human subjects were recruited immediately before scheduled first-trimester pregnancy termination. All studies were performed with maternal intravenous infusion of lipid-shelled octofluoropropane microbubbles with image acquisition with a multipulse contrast-specific algorithm with destruction-replenishment analysis of signal intensity for assessment of perfusion. Results In macaques, the rate of perfusion in the intervillous space was increased with advancing gestation. No evidence of microvascular hemorrhage or acute inflammation was found in placental villous tissue and expression levels of caspase-3, nitrotyrosine and heat shock protein 70 as markers of apoptosis, nitrative, and oxidative stress, respectively, were unchanged by contrast-enhanced ultrasound exposure. In humans, placental perfusion was visualized at 11 weeks gestation, and preliminary data reveal regional differences in intervillous space perfusion within an individual placenta. By electron microscopy, we demonstrate no evidence of ultrastructure damage to the microvilli on the syncytiotrophoblast after first-trimester ultrasound studies. Conclusions Use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound did not result in placental structural damage and was able to identify intervillous space perfusion rate differences within a placenta. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging may offer a safe clinical tool for the identification of pregnancies that are at risk for vascular insufficiency; early recognition may facilitate intervention and improved pregnancy outcomes.
Regional susceptibilities to mitochondrial dysfunctions in the CNS.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions are very common features of age-related neurological diseases such as Parkinson ’ s, Alzheimer ’ s and Huntington ’ s disease. Several studies have shown that bioenergetic impairments have a major role in the degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS) in these patients. Accordingly, one of the main symptoms in many mitochondrial diseases is severe encephalopathy. The heterogeneity of the brain in terms of anatomic structures, cell composition, regional functions and biochemical properties makes the analysis on this organ very complex and diffi cult to interpret. Humans, in addition to animal models, exposed to toxins that affect mitochondrial function, in particular oxidative phosphorylation, exhibit degeneration of specifi c regions within the brain. Moreover, mutations in ubiquitously expressed genes that are involved in mitochondrial function also induce regional-specifi c cell death in the CNS. In this review, we will discuss some current hypotheses to explain the regional susceptibilities to mitochondrial dysfunctions in the CNS.
A Contribution to the Prophylaxis of Lobar Pneumonia

While the earliest investigations in the bacteriology of pneumonia have shown the presence of pneumococci in the mouth secretions of healthy persons as well as those suffering with lobar pneumonia, recent investigations show that the disease is frequently acquired by transmission of specific virulent types of pneumococci from a recovered person who still harbors in the mouth-secretions the organisms responsible for the disease, or from a healthy carrier of pathogenic pneumococci. Dochez and Avery1 found about 40% of. healthy persons intimately associated with cases of lobar pneumonia harboring the same types of pneumococci as those producing the disease; these carriers included physicians, nurses, and members of the patients' families as wives, mothers, brothers and sisters. Convalescents from pneumonia were found to carry the type of pneumococcus with which they have been infected, for a considerable length of time in one instance as long as 90 days, counting from the first day of illness. Stillman2 found pneumococci in the mouths of 172 normal persons of 398 studied; in 8 of these persons Types I and II pneumococci were present, while 26 persons harbored typical Type II organisms and 44 Type III. Of 84 persons studied who had been in contact with cases of pneumonia, 5, or 5.95%, showed either pneumococci of Type I or Type II in their sputum; the shortest period of carrying was 7 days, the longest 85 days. Sydenstricker and Suttons found from 6-22% of healthy persons harboring pneumococci of the fixed types in the sputum and about 32% harboring the ordinary saprophytic Type IV organisms. In a more recent summary of studies of a large number of healthy individuals in contact with cases of lobar pneumonia due to Type I and
The influence of volcanic eruptions on the climate of tropical South America during the last millennium in an isotope-enabled general circulation model

Abstract. Currently, little is known on how volcanic eruptions impact large-scale climate phenomena such as South American paleo-Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) position and summer monsoon behavior. In this paper, an analysis of observations and model simulations is employed to assess the influence of large volcanic eruptions on the climate of tropical South America. This problem is first considered for historically recent volcanic episodes for which more observations are available but where fewer events exist and the confounding effects of El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) lead to inconclusive interpretation of the impact of volcanic eruptions at the continental scale. Therefore, we also examine a greater number of reconstructed volcanic events for the period 850 CE to present that are incorporated into the NASA GISS ModelE2-R simulation of the last millennium. An advantage of this model is its ability to explicitly track water isotopologues throughout the hydrologic cycle and simulating the isotopic imprint following a large eruption. This effectively removes a degree of uncertainty associated with error-prone conversion of isotopic signals into climate variables, and allows for a direct comparison between GISS simulations and paleoclimate proxy records. Our analysis reveals that both precipitation and oxygen isotope variability respond with a distinct seasonal and spatial structure across tropical South America following an eruption. During austral winter, the heavy oxygen isotope in precipitation is enriched, likely due to reduced moisture convergence in the ITCZ domain and reduced rainfall over northern South America. During austral summer, however, more negative values of the precipitation isotopic composition are simulated over Amazonia, despite reductions in rainfall, suggesting that the isotopic response is not a simple function of the "amount effect". During the South American monsoon season, the amplitude of the temperature response to volcanic forcing is larger than the rather weak and spatially less coherent precipitation signal, complicating the isotopic response to changes in the hydrologic cycle.
Heads in the Game: A STEM high school concussion outreach and research program

Participation in youth sports has a demonstrable impact on a young person's health, virtues, and educational success. Growing concerns about the impact of concussions on student athletes has driven a decrease in sports participation. Mississippi faces unique challenges in providing access to education and health care in impoverished and medically underserved communities. The Heads in the Game outreach and research program was developed to motivate STEM education and empower students through their love of sports. Sixteen rising junior and senior scholars participated in a month-long program where they attended seminars on coding methodologies, biomedical and computer engineering, health and sports performance, concussion protocols and impact detection devices, applications in telemedicine, and principles and practices of scientific research methods. Heads in the Game scholars used the skills gained in order to perform research in student athlete healthcare. Scholars conducted interviews with athletic trainers, medical professionals, and coaches, and applied the skills learned in the seminars towards the development of a program for an improved athletics digital health information infrastructure. We objectively report the results of the student outreach process, seminars, research methods, research accomplishments, and how the scholars have applied what they learned in their communities. We also describe future plans for augmenting the developed curriculum with rural telemedicine and NASA's Human Research Program.
ASH1L Links Histone H3 Lysine 36 Dimethylation to MLL Leukemia.

Numerous studies in multiple systems support that histone H3 lysine 36 dimethylation (H3K36me2) is associated with transcriptional activation; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well defined. Here, we show that the H3K36me2 chromatin mark written by the ASH1L histone methyltransferase is preferentially bound in vivo by LEDGF, a mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL)–associated protein that colocalizes with MLL, ASH1L, and H3K36me2 on chromatin genome wide. Furthermore, ASH1L facilitates recruitment of LEDGF and wild-type MLL proteins to chromatin at key leukemia target genes and is a crucial regulator of MLL-dependent transcription and leukemic transformation. Conversely, KDM2A, an H3K36me2 demethylase and Polycomb group silencing protein, antagonizes MLL-associated leukemogenesis. Our studies are the first to provide a basic mechanistic insight into epigenetic interactions wherein placement, interpretation, and removal of H3K36me2 contribute to the regulation of gene expression and MLL leukemia, and suggest ASH1L as a novel target for therapeutic intervention. Significance: Epigenetic regulators play vital roles in cancer pathogenesis and represent a new frontier in therapeutic targeting. Our studies provide basic mechanistic insight into the role of H3K36me2 in transcription activation and MLL leukemia pathogenesis and implicate ASH1L histone methyltransferase as a promising target for novel molecular therapy. Cancer Discov; 6(7); 770–83. ©2016 AACR. See related commentary by Balbach and Orkin, [p. 700][1] . This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, [p. 681][2] [1]: /lookup/volpage/6/700?iss=7 [2]: /lookup/volpage/6/681?iss=7
Metatheory and Family Studies

In the course of a field’s development, some of its practitioners periodically step back and reflect on key issues, progress presumably being made, obstacles to progress, and directions for the future. This reflective search for self-understanding is a natural response to changing circumstances within any intellectual enterprise and has several distinct manifestations.1
Internalizing new norms: Attitudes toward sexual minorities

Changing society required a revolution in thought. – Angelo Pezzana, 2011 When the Berlin Wall fell, CEE societies had unprecedented exposure to norms concerning LGBT people, which were developing more rapidly in other parts of the continent. Pathways for the exchange of ideas opened tremendously as the continent again re-examined its understanding of “Europe,” and as increased transnational channels supplemented the internal dynamics that led to such striking changes in CEE. While political scientists generally analyze the diffusion of policies across states, the abruptness and rapidity of European integration in the 1990s also exhibits value internalization among and across societies. Indeed, international norm diffusion theory suggests that accepted ideas spread from areas of high concentration (usually powerful states) to areas of low concentration; at its essence, this theory describes how social entities change their behavior (Florini 1996). Change in attitudes toward sexual minorities is thus a measure of norm internalization that goes beyond state compliance. Surely, for most LGBT movements, legal recognition is deeply intertwined with the objective of sociocultural recognition. A “revolution in thought,” as the Italian transnational activist Angelo Pezzana called it, is about fundamental shifts in behaviors, practices, and understandings that change lived experiences for sexual minorities. Activists like Pezzana understood that for minorities – who are so often deemed radical in their own domestic contexts – such changes have both domestic and transnational sources. In this chapter, I focus on international norm diffusion pertaining to changing attitudes and perceptions of sexual minorities in an integrating Europe. Attitudes toward homosexuality are still largely negative in most countries around the world, including much of Europe, and only recently has there been a more rapid shift toward internalizing the norm of accepting homosexuality. In their “return to Europe,” newly admitted member states were exposed to similar EU norms and regulation, yet their societies display stark variations in value shifts (see Figure 5.1). For example, between the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991 and accession to the EU in 2004, nearly 60 percent of Slovaks positively shifted their opinion on homosexuality, while Hungarians saw no positive change at all. This chapter returns to several core questions: why have societal attitudes toward lesbian and gay people been different across states?
Authority and Freedom to Avow

It is, I believe, a little-noticed fact that all psychological knowledge is erected upon a foundation of first-person, present-tense self-descriptions, felicitously named ‘avowals’ by Gilbert Ryle. The word ‘avowals’ is extremely apt because such assertions are not ordinary descriptions of states of affairs; they are semi-performative in nature,1 falling somewhere in between the pure performatives brought to light by Austin, such as ‘I promise’, ‘I do thee wed’ and ‘I dub thee Sir Lancelot’, and physical self-descriptions such as ‘I weigh 150 pounds’. I intend to show that psychology cannot be a theoretical science like biology because its data are ‘subjective reports’ or avowals, and all apparently more objective psychological knowledge is built upon these data, thus sharing their subjectivity. Secondarily, I hope to shed new light on how and why the human animal has free will, despite the correct Hegelian-Marxist claim that the individual is a nexus of social relationships.
Agonistic character displacement in social cognition of advertisement signals.

Interspecific aggression between sibling species may enhance discrimination of competitors when recognition errors are costly, but proximate mechanisms mediating increased discriminative ability are unclear. We studied behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying responses to conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations in Alston’s singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina), a species in which males sing to repel rivals. We performed playback experiments using males in allopatry and sympatry with a dominant heterospecific (Scotinomys xerampelinus) and examined song-evoked induction of egr-1 in the auditory system to examine how neural tuning modulates species-specific responses. Heterospecific songs elicited stronger neural responses in sympatry than in allopatry, despite eliciting less singing in sympatry. Our results refute the traditional neuroethological concept of a matched filter and instead suggest expansion of sensory sensitivity to mediate competitor recognition in sympatry.
Industry competition and fundamental analysis

Economic theory suggests that profits of firms in industries with higher competition are less persistent and more volatile than in industries with lower competition (Stigler, 1963; Mueller, 1977). Extending this reasoning, I hypothesize that accounting-based fundamentals are more effective in predicting performance in industries with lower competition. I find that a measure of fundamentals (Piotroski’s F-score) has greater ability to identify potentially mispriced securities in industries with lower competition. The results are robust to using a variety of competition measures and imply that industry competition is an important consideration in the application of fundamental analysis.
An approach to help select trustworthy Web services

The emerging paradigm of Web services opens a new way of Web application design and development to quickly develop and deploy Web applications by integrating independently published Web services components to conduct new business transactions. However, how to choose the most appropriate Web services components remains a challenge. In this paper we propose a user-centered, mobile agent-based, fault injection-equipped, and assertion-oriented approach to assist Web services requesters to select trustworthy Web services components. Our approach can largely enhance the efficiency of Web services components selection process, and provide a more cost-efficient method to help service requesters make better decisions
Caveat Emptor: Two Case Reports of Adverse Inflammatory Soft Tissue Reactions in Total Hip Arthroplasty With Modular Femoral Necks

Introduction Modular femoral necks have shown promising clinical results in total hip arthroplasty (THA) to optimize offset, rotation, and leg length. Given the wide variety of proximal femoral morphology, fine-tuning these kinematic parameters can help decrease femoroacetabular impingement, decrease wear rates and help prevent dislocations. Yet, additional implant junctions introduce additional mechanisms of failure. We present two patients who developed an abnormal soft tissue reaction consistent with a metal hypersensitivity reaction at a modular femoral neck/stem junction requiring revision arthroplasty. Methods Two patients underwent THA for primary osteoarthritis with the same series of components: 50 mm shell, a 36 mm highly-crosslinked polyethylene liner, uncemented titanium alloy modular stem with a 130 degree Cobalt Chromium (CoCr) modular femoral neck, and 36 mm CoCr head with a +5-mm offset. Patient 1 was a 63 year-old female who had an uneventful post-operative course but presented seven months later with progressive pain in the left hip. Patient 2 was an 80 year-old female who did well post-operatively, but presented with limp and persistent pain at 10 months post-op. An initial evaluation of a painful THA to rule out aseptic loosening, infection, mal-positioning, loosening and osteolysis included radiographs, lab work (CBC, ESR, CRP, Cobalt & Chromium levels) and Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence (MARS) MRI. Results Elevated ion levels (Table 1) and Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence (MARS) MRI were consistent with an abnormal soft tissue reaction. A histological analysis of operative specimens displayed extensive necrosis and lymphocytosis, consistent with the diagnosis of metal hypersensitivity reactions (MHSR). Both patients underwent debridement and revision femoral arthroplasty with non-modular counterparts of the original femoral implant and have been asymptomatic post-operatively at greater than 1 year follow-up. Discussion MHSR reactions are primarily described in the setting of metal on metal articulations of the head and acetabulum in THA and hip resurfacing. These reactions have not been reported at the modular neck/stem junction. Although modular necks show promise in THA, the advantages of increased component modularity must be carefully weighed against the risks of mechanical wear and subsequent MHSR and/or component failure.
Truncated Human EpoR Causes Polycythemia in Fetal Erythropoiesis through Stat5 Hyperactivation.

Gain-of-function mutations causing truncations of the cytoplasmic domain of the human erythropoietin receptor ( EPOR ) result in a dominantly inherited disorder-primary familiar congenital polycythemia. The consequence of EpoR truncation is polycythemia and in vitro hypersensitivity of erythroid precursors to erythropoietin (Epo). We have replaced the murine EpoR gene with a wild-type human EPOR (wh EPOR) gene or a mutant human EPOR gene (mth EPOR) that we initially identified in a family with polycythemia. This mutation produces a truncated EpoR mutant with deleted cytoplasmic C-terminal domain after the first tyrosine residue of the intracellular domain. We reported that the mice containing mth EPOR allele have polycythemia and the adult wh EPOR mice have anemia. To study the effects of these genotypes on fetal erythropoiesis, we examined fetuses E14.5 homozygotes wild type mouse EpoR , and human EPOR alleles. Hematocrit results show: Mth EPOR fetuses were polycythemic compared to mouse EpoR (mth EPOR vs mouse EpoR ; 34.58 ± 1.24 % vs 27.49 ± 0.90 %, P EPOR were anemic (wh EPOR vs mouse EpoR ; 18.61 ± 0.79 % vs 27.49 ± 0.89 %, P mthEPOR homozygote had increased population on early and late basophilic erythroblast stage compared to mouse EpoR , but the populations of differentiated erythroid progenitors from mthEPOR homozygote were significantly lower than mouse EpoR and whEPOR homozygotes. We proposed that the erythroid progenitors from mthEPOR exit fetal liver to fetal blood circulation prematurely. The peripheral blood from mthEPOR and mouse EpoR s was analyzed by morphology and FACS. We show that the majority of population in peripheral blood from mthEPOR homozygote were earlier erythroid progenitors (high CD71/low TER119 population in mthEPOR 47.53 %, vs 13.14 % mouse EpoR; high CD71/high TER119 population from mthEPOR 11.49 % vs 65.00 % mouse EpoR ). To evaluate the Epo signal transduction we tested the kinetics and dose responses of Epo at Stat5 phosphorylation level. The mthEPOR expressing FLs showed a markedly increased and sustained Epo sensitivity compared to mouse EpoR expressing FLs. In contrast, in whEPOR expressing FLs, Stat5 phosphorylation was significantly lower even at the highest concentration of Epo. We conclude that mthEPOR causes fetal polycythemia and is associated with premature exit of early erythroid progenitors from fetal liver to fetal circulation. In contrast whEPOR is associated with more severe anemia than we observed in adult erythropoiesis. The degree of Epo induced Stat5 activation plays an important role in generation of anemic and polycythemic phenotypes.
The Future of the Urban Forest

The future of the urban forest is a relevant issue to ponder. Much speculation was generated at the close of the twentieth century concerning how cities and urban life would evolve over the next 100 years. Changes in world economics, communication, international politics, migration, and lifestyles in the 1990s suggest that the twenty-first century will be as different from the twentieth century as the twentieth century was from the nineteenth century. How these changes will effect the world’s urban forests are difficult to predict, but an examination of recent trends in the characteristics of the urban forest, management of urban trees, current research, and the evolving nature of cities allows for some fertile speculation.
An analysis of labor and multifactor productivity in air transportation: 1990 - 2001

The analysis has two main objectives: 1) to examine labor productivity and multifactor productivity (MFP) in U.S. air transportation during the 1990 to 2001 period and to compare these measures to those of two other transportation subsectors and of the U.S. business sector; and 2) to assess the factors that have affected changes of labor productivity and MFP in air transportation over time. The assessment fi nds that labor productivity and multifactor productivity in air transportation both increased over the analysis period. However, both measures grew at lower rates during the second half of the 1990s. Factors affecting increases in labor productivity include increases in capital intensity and technological advances. Factors affecting multifactor productivity include improvements in the capital input, measures that increase the utilization of air carrier resources, measures that speed up maintenance work and the marketing of air services, and changes in industry structure through mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcies. An Analysis of Labor and Multifactor Productivity in Air Transportation: 1990–2001 ANTHONY D. APOSTOLIDES U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics Offi ce of Advanced Studies Washington, DC 20590 anthony.apostolides@dot.gov
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Management With Trifluridine/Tipiracil .

BACKGROUND Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) are common in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving chemotherapy. These AEs may affect patient adherence, particularly with completely oral regimens, such as trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102, Lonsurf®), an antimetabolite agent for patients with mCRC refractory or intolerant to standard therapies. . OBJECTIVES This article reviews strategies for promoting adherence and educating patients and caregivers about oral therapy with trifluridine/tipiracil. . METHODS Recommended strategies for managing AEs are reviewed, with a focus on the most common AEs reported in patients with mCRC receiving trifluridine/tipiracil in clinical trials. . FINDINGS Oncology nurses play an important role in educating and counseling patients regarding treatment and its potential side effects. Among patients with mCRC refractory or intolerant to standard therapies, trifluridine/tipiracil was found to have a favorable safety profile. It is associated with hematologic AEs as well as a low incidence of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, and fatigue.
A Methodology to Compare Insulin Dosing Recommendations in Real-Life Settings.

Background:We propose a methodology to analyze complex real-life glucose data in insulin pump users.Methods:Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) on insulin pumps were recruited from an academic endo...
A Dynamic Mathematical Model of a Glass Tank, Refiner and Forehearth

Abstract A dynamic mathematical model of a glass melting and conditioning system has been developed based on the conservation of energy and mass. Emphasis has been placed on the dynamic interactions between the gas, batch, glass, and refractory temperatures and glass flow rates in the tank, refiner and forehearth. Models of the composition, glass levels and flow rates, and forehearth centerline drawdown have also been developed, as have design studies of model approximations, parameters and sensitivity coefficients. A digital computer program simulates the dynamic models and design studies. Operating data from a tank, refiner and forehearth have been taken for comparison with the energy and mass flow model.
Archives and Inference: Documentary Evidence in Case Study Research and the Debate over U.S. Entry into World War II

Did Franklin Delano Roosevelt escalate confliict with Japan and Germany before Pearl Harbor, or did he attempt to avoid war? To what extent did U.S. public opinion influence these decisions? And, c...
Analysis of flexural strength and contact pressure after simulated chairside adjustment of pressed lithium disilicate glass-ceramic.

Abstract Statement of problem Research evaluating load-to-failure of pressed lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (LDGC) with a clinically validated test after adjustment and repair procedures is scarce. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of the simulated chairside adjustment of the intaglio surface of monolithic pressed LDGC and procedures intended to repair damage. Material and methods A total of 423 IPS e.max Press (Ivoclar Vivadent AG) disks (15 mm diameter, 1 mm height) were used in the study. The material was tested by using an equibiaxial loading arrangement (n≥30/group) and a contact pressure test (n≥20/group). Specimens were assigned to 1 of 14 groups. One-half was assigned to the equibiaxial load test and the other half underwent contact pressure testing. Testing was performed in 2 parts, before glazing and after glazing. Before-glazing specimens were devested and entered in the test protocol, while after-glazing specimens were devested and glazed before entering the test protocol. Equibiaxial flexure test specimens were placed on a ring-on-ring apparatus and loaded until failure. Contact pressure specimens were cemented to epoxy resin blocks with a resin cement and loaded with a 50-mm diameter hemisphere until failure. Tests were performed on a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Weibull statistics and likelihood ratio contour plots determined intergroup differences (95% confidence bounds). Results Before glazing, the equibiaxial flexural strength test and the Weibull and likelihood ratio contour plots demonstrated a significantly higher failure strength for 1EC (188 MPa) than that of the damaged and/or repaired groups. Glazing following diamond-adjustment (1EGG) was the most beneficial post-damage procedure (176 MPa). Regarding the contact pressure test, the Weibull and likelihood ratio contour plots revealed no significant difference between the 1PC (98 MPa) and 1PGG (98 MPa) groups. Diamond-adjustment, without glazing (1EG and 1PG), resulted in the next-to-lowest equibiaxial flexure strength and the lowest contact pressure. After glazing, the strength of all the groups, when subjected to glazing following devesting, increased in comparison with corresponding groups in the before-glazing part of the study. Conclusions A glazing treatment improved the mechanical properties of diamond-adjusted IPS e.max Press disks when evaluated by equibiaxial flexure and contact pressure tests.
Quantum steganography over noiseless channels: Achievability and bounds

Quantum steganography is the study of hiding secret quantum information by encoding it into what an eavesdropper would perceive as an innocent-looking message. Here we study an explicit steganographic encoding for Alice to hide her secret message in the syndromes of an error-correcting code, so that the encoding simulates a given noisy quantum channel. We calculate achievable rates of steganographic communication over noiseless quantum channels using this encoding. We give definitions of secrecy and reliability for the communication process, and with these assumptions derive upper bounds on the amount of steganographic communication possible and show that these bounds match the communication rates achieved with our encoding. This gives a steganographic capacity for a noiseless channel emulating a given noisy channel.
On-Board Battery Monitoring and Prognostics for Electric-Propulsion Aircraft

The reliability of the propulsion system of an aircraft is paramount for the aircraft safety and hence the aircraft health must be monitored continuously. In contrast to fuel-operated aircraft, electric battery-operated propulsion system poses specific problems, such as, the remaining battery power does not linearly decrease and cannot be measured directly. In this paper, we describe a combined monitoring and prognostics architecture that can continuously monitor all components of the electric propulsion system with respect to safety and performance properties as well as state of charge and rest of useful life for the battery. Our system combines a detailed electrochemical battery model for Li-ion batteries with a powerful prognostics engine based upon an Unscented Kalman Filter with the R2U2 monitoring device, which provides efficient observers for metric temporal logic and Bayesian reasoning. R2U2 is a real-time, REALIZABLE, RESPONSIVE, UNOBTRUSIVE UNIT, which continuously monitors sensor readings, outputs of the prognostics engine, as well as the flight software status for safety, performance, and security properties. We illustrate our architecture with two case studies, one reporting actual flight tests with an X8+ octo-copter and the other a software-in-the-loop simulation with an unmanned Edge 540 electric aircraft model.
Sustainable Activism, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy and Experimental Learning

This article builds on, and incorporates, an earlier one, in which I used four examples of doctoral theses at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy to show the advantages of experiential learning in dealing with real-world problems of sustainable development. The purpose of the present paper is to expand that message, offering the Center as a model of the way a sustainable development program could be patterned, not only within the United States but worldwide. What this paper adds is nine more examples of doctoral theses, based on or eventuating in, real-world solutions in locales throughout the world, where experiential learning is once again the key.
Software Metrics and Measurements

The previous chapters have provided many details concerning software development and design. They have shown design principles, practices and tools for the development of the best software possible. However, what makes software good or correct and how does one even go about measuring such subjective qualities? Furthermore, why and when do these things need to be measured? This chapter will cover the fundamentals of measuring a project’s success as well explain when metrics and measures may not be appropriate.
Tractional force generation by porcine Müller cells: Development and differential stimulation by growth factors

PURPOSE To assess the ability of retinal Muller cells to generate tractional forces during dedifferentiation in culture and to assess their responsiveness to contraction-stimulating growth factors. METHODS Muller cells were isolated from papain-DNase-digested porcine retina. The identity of the isolated cells was confirmed by immunodetection of carbonic anhydrase II (CA-II), cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, and alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha SMA). Tractional force generation was assessed as a function of Muller cell contraction of collagenous extracellular matrices in vitro. The effects of potential promoters were assessed by addition directly to culture medium. The contributions of specific promoting to the contraction-promoting activity in serum were assessed by adding neutralizing antibodies and measuring loss of stimulatory activity. RESULTS Freshly isolated Muller cells did not generate substantial matrix contraction. However, this activity increased 150-fold within 12 days in culture and continued to increase during the next 21 days. Development of the capacity for extracellular matrix contraction coincided with the acquisition of immunodetectable alpha SMA and loss of GFAP. Matrix contraction by Muller cells was stimulated in a dose-dependent fashion by human serum, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Muller cells were not stimulated by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1), transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF beta 2), or endothelin-1 (E1). Neutralizing antibodies against PDGF and IGF-I reduced the activity in human serum by 37% and 58%, respectively, and 87% when added together. CONCLUSIONS Porcine Muller cells in culture acquire the ability to contract extracellular matrices and thus generate tractional forces. Acquisition of this activity coincides with alpha SMA expression and loss of GFAP. Further, this activity is dependent on the presence of exogenous promoters, including PDGF or IGF-I.
STDP Based Unsupervised Multimodal Learning With Cross-Modal Processing in Spiking Neural Networks

Spiking neural networks perform reasonably well in recognition applications for single modality (e.g., images, audio, or text). In this paper, we propose a multimodal spiking neural network that combines two modalities (image and audio). The two unimodal ensembles are connected with cross-modal connections and the entire network is trained with unsupervised learning. The network receives inputs in both modalities for the same class and predicts the class label. The excitatory connections in the unimodal ensemble and the cross-modal connections are trained with power-law weight-dependent spike timing dependent plasticity learning rule. The cross-modal connections capture the correlation between neurons of different modalities. The multimodal network learns features of both modalities and improves the classification accuracy compared to unimodal topology, even when one of the modality is distorted by noise. The cross-modal connections suppress the effect of noise on classification accuracy. The well-learned cross-modal connections invoke additional spiking activity in neurons of the correct label. The cross-modal connections are only excitatory and do not inhibit the normal activity of the unimodal ensembles. We evaluated our multimodal network on images from MNIST dataset and utterances of digits from TI46 speech corpus. The multimodal network achieved a classification accuracy of 98% on the combined MNIST and TI46 dataset.
Single-mode, high-power, mid-infrared, quantum cascade laser phased arrays.

We demonstrate single-mode, 16-channel, optical phased arrays based on quantum cascade laser technology, with emission wavelengths around 4.8 µm. The integrated device consists of a distributed feedback seed section, a highly-efficient tree array multi-mode interferometer power splitter, and a 16-channel amplifier array with a 4° angled facet termination. With a single layer Y2O3 coating, the angled facet reflectivity is estimated to be less than 0.1% for suppressing amplifier self-lasing. A peak output power of 30 W is achieved with an emission spectrum narrower than 11 nm and a side mode suppression ratio over 25 dB. Far field distribution measurement result indicates a uniform phase distribution across the array output. Using the same phased array architecture, we also demonstrate single-mode 3.8 µm QCL amplifier arrays with up to 20 W output power.