cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age-associated changes in electrophysiologic remodeling: a potential contributor to initiation of atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Although the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with age, the cellular electrophysiological changes that render the atria of aged individuals more susceptible to AF remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that dispersion of atrial repolarization increases with aging, creating a substrate for initiation of AF. Methods: Four groups of dogs were studied: adult and old dogs in normal sinus rhythm (SR) and adult and old dogs with chronic AF (CAF) induced by rapid atrial pacing. In each dog, action potentials (AP) were recorded with microelectrodes from isolated endocardial preparations of four regions of right atrium and three regions of left atrium. Two indices of AP duration (APD) heterogeneity were obtained in each dog by calculating standard deviation (SD) and the coefficient of variation (COV=[SD/mean]100%). Results: In SR groups, APD averaged across all regions was significantly longer in old than in adult tissues. Both indices of APD heterogeneity were higher in old dogs in comparison to adult. At both ages, CAF was associated with significant APD shortening and a decrease in APD adaptationto rate. While CAF significantly increased both indicesofAPD heterogeneity inadult dogs, itsignificantly decreased them in old dogs. Conclusions: The increase of spatial variability in repolarization in old atria may contribute to the initiation of AF in the aged. CAF-induced APD shortening and a decrease in APD adaptation appear to be important for the maintenance of sustained AF in both adult and old atria. The CAF-induced increase in dispersion of repolarization may be important for AF stabilization in adults, while previously reported fibrosis and slowed conduction of premature beats may be important in the old for both AF initiation during SR and subsequent stabilization of AF.
Glibenclamide Is Superior to Decompressive Craniectomy in a Rat Model of Malignant Stroke

Background and Purpose— Treating patients with malignant cerebral infarctions remains a major unsolved problem in medicine. Decompressive craniectomy (DC) improves the bleak outlook but is suboptimal. Using a rat model of severe ischemia/reperfusion with very high mortality due to malignant cerebral edema, we tested the hypothesis that blocking of sulfonylurea receptor 1–regulated NCCa-ATP channels with glibenclamide would compare favorably to DC when reperfusion and treatment were begun 6 hours after onset of ischemia. Methods— Male Wistar rats underwent filament occlusion of the middle cerebral artery to reduce laser Doppler flowmetry perfusion signals by >75%, with filament removal plus treatment 6 hours later. In rats treated with vehicle versus glibenclamide (10 μg/kg IP plus 200 ng/h SC), we compared mortality, neurologic function, and brain swelling at 24 hours. In rats treated with DC versus glibenclamide, we compared neurologic function for 2 weeks and histologic outcomes. Results— Compared with ...
The Care Economy in Africa: Subsistence Production and Unpaid Care

What do we know about the extent and value of the care economy in Africa, and why does this matter? This paper outlines a theoretical framework for analysing the care economy, including both the paid and unpaid work of caring for dependents and the flow of financial resources through the family, the community, the state and the market. A brief review of research on care work and economic development is followed by more specific consideration of empirical research on African countries, with a particular focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS. The paper concludes with a brief summary of policy implications and an agenda for future research.
Consideration of Culture and Context in School-Wide Positive Behavior Support: A Review of Current Literature

A review of the literature related to culture and student behavior reveals a number of interesting observations that are not surprising. First, culture is a difficult construct to define and has be...
Clinical Intervention Framework for a Sexual Complaint of the Perimenopause

Integrative systems therapy, a sexual therapy model, can be used by the nurse-midwife in evaluating and managing symptomatic complaints that may lead to sexual problems. Vaginal dryness, commonly experienced by many perimenopausal women, is one of many presenting complaints that will benefit from such a systemic approach to investigation and treatment.
Personal communications services and cable TV

Unlike cellular mobile radio systems, microcell based personal communications networks (PCN) have high initial, fixed costs, that do not scale with number of subscribers. Given these high fixed costs, and expected lower monthly subscriber fees, it is difficult to make a profitable business case for a conventional approach to implementation of a PCN system. However, cable TV systems already exist in many of the same areas that are attractive candidates for new PCN systems. These cable TV systems are already rich with spare optical fiber capacity and have the additional ability to transport fully modulated RF signals. The paper discusses how cable TV systems fit with emerging PCN systems and what advantages the use of such cable systems provides. >
Update on the epidemiology and management of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Purpose of reviewStaphylococcus aureus is one of the first and most common pathogens to be isolated from the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis. The prevalence of respiratory tract colonization/infection with both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus has increa
Control of Listeria monocytogenes in vacuum-packaged pre-peeled potatoes

Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of fresh peeled potatoes, treated with sulfite or a commercial browning inhibitor (CBl), packaged under vacuum and stored at 4, 15 and 28°C was determined. At 4°C, L. monocytogenes did not grow in all treated potatoes even after 21 days. At 15°C, L. monocytogenes grew to 7 log 10 CFU/g within 12 days in the potatoes treated with sulfite or CBI. At 28°C, L. monocytogenes population was greater than 3 log 10 CFU/g by 24 h in all samples regardless of treatment. Sulfites or a CBI appeared to provide a measure of safety in pre-peeled potatoes packaged under vacuum when kept at proper refrigeration temperatures.
Characterizing Phospholamban to Sarco(endo)plasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) Protein Binding Interactions in Human Cardiac Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Vesicles Using Chemical Cross-linking

Chemical cross-linking was used to study protein binding interactions between native phospholamban (PLB) and SERCA2a in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles prepared from normal and failed human hearts. Lys27 of PLB was cross-linked to the Ca2+ pump at the cytoplasmic extension of M4 (at or near Lys328) with the homobifunctional cross-linker, disuccinimidyl glutarate (7.7 Å). Cross-linking was augmented by ATP but abolished by Ca2+ or thapsigargin, confirming in native SR vesicles that PLB binds preferentially to E2 (low Ca2+ affinity conformation of the Ca2+-ATPase) stabilized by ATP. To assess the functional effects of PLB binding on SERCA2a activity, the anti-PLB antibody, 2D12, was used to disrupt the physical interactions between PLB and SERCA2a in SR vesicles. We observed a tight correlation between 2D12-induced inhibition of PLB cross-linking to SERCA2a and 2D12 stimulation of Ca2+-ATPase activity and Ca2+ transport. The results suggest that the inhibitory effect of PLB on Ca2+-ATPase activity in SR vesicles results from mutually exclusive binding of PLB and Ca2+ to the Ca2+ pump, requiring PLB dissociation for catalytic activation. Importantly, the same result was obtained with SR vesicles prepared from normal and failed human hearts; therefore, we conclude that PLB binding interactions with the Ca2+ pump are largely unchanged in failing myocardium.
In the Working Memory of the Beholder: Art Appreciation Is Enhanced When Visual Complexity Is Compatible With Working Memory

What shapes art appreciation? Much research has focused on the importance of visual features themselves (e.g., symmetry, natural scene statistics) and of the viewer’s experience and expertise with specific artworks. However, even after taking these factors into account, there are considerable individual differences in art preferences. Our new result suggests that art preference is also influenced by the compatibility between visual properties and the characteristics of the viewer’s visual system. Specifically, we have demonstrated, using 120 artworks from diverse periods, cultures, genres and styles, that art appreciation is increased when the level of visual complexity within an artwork is compatible with the viewer’s visual working memory capacity. The result highlights the importance of the interaction between visual features and the beholder’s general visual capacity in shaping art appreciation.
Decentralized slew maneuver control of large flexible spacecrafts

The control problem of slewing maneuvers of a class of large flexible spacecrafts is developed. The example of the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment is used to design control systems for the combined problem of rigid-body slew maneuver and vibration suppression of a flexible appendage. The control problem is formulated based on a nonlinear dynamical model of an arbitrary large-angle slew maneuver. This formulation is expressed in terms of a two-point boundary-value problem utilizing a quadratic type of performance index. The two-point boundary-value problem is solved as a decentralized control problem with the overall system being split in terms of two subsystems, namely, the slewing of the entire assembly and the vibration suppression of the flexible antenna. The coupling variables between the two dynamical subsystems are treated independently in parallel at one level for control purposes. The state-space trajectory of the combined problem is then optimized at the second level. >
Church as Sacrament: Gutiérrez and Sobrino as Interpreters of Lumen Gentium

Vatican II's Gaudium et Spes (GS) has had an unmistakable and demonstrable impact on Latin American liberation theology. Likewise, any sufficient account of the impact of GS on the wider church would need to attend to liberation theology. This article affirms this basic point, then explores the often-underappreciated relationship between liberation theology and Lumen Gentium (LG). In particular, it investigates how Gustavo Gutierrez and Jon Sobrino interpret a fundamental ecclesiological affirmation of LG: the church as a sacrament of salvation and unity. Gutierrez's early work provides, and Sobrino deepens, the basic point that the church's work as a sacrament inherently demands an option for the poor. Rather than being simply part of its social teaching, this option is at the heart of the church qua church. It is essential both for an adequate interpretation of LG and for a church seeking to be a credible sign and effective instrument of salvation and unity in the world.
Update to Food, Farming, and Sustainability

This article provides updated information, links to new resources, and suggestions for teaching an agricultural law survey class using the book, Food, Farming and Sustainability: Readings in Agricultural Law.
Bayesian Uncertainty Integration for Model Calibration, Validation, and Prediction

This paper proposes a comprehensive approach to prediction under uncertainty by application to the Sandia National Laboratories verification and validation challenge problem. In this problem, legacy data and experimental measurements of different levels of fidelity and complexity (e.g., coupon tests, material and fluid characterizations, and full system tests/measurements) compose a hierarchy of information where fewer observations are available at higher levels of system complexity. This paper applies a Bayesian methodology in order to incorporate information at different levels of the hierarchy and include the impact of sparse data in the prediction uncertainty for the system of interest. Since separation of aleatory and epistemic uncertainty sources is a pervasive issue in calibration and validation, maintaining this separation in order to perform these activities correctly is the primary focus of this paper. Toward this goal, a Johnson distribution family approach to calibration is proposed in order to enable epistemic and aleatory uncertainty to be separated in the posterior parameter distributions. The model reliability metric approach to validation is then applied, and a novel method of handling combined aleatory and epistemic uncertainty is introduced. The quality of the validation assessment is used to modify the parameter uncertainty and add conservatism to the prediction of interest. Finally, this prediction with its associated uncertainty is used to assess system-level reliability (a prediction goal for the challenge problem).
Private Environmental Governance (Encyclopedia Chapter)

In the last two decades, private environmental governance has emerged as an important component of environmental law and policy. Private environmental governance occurs when private organizations perform the environmental functions typically assigned to governments, such as management of common pool resources and reduction of negative environmental externalities. Private initiatives include standard-setting bilaterally through contract and collectively through industry associations or multi-stakeholder processes, as well as unilateral actions in response to pressure by non-governmental third parties. Private initiatives exist in parallel to many public environmental laws in subject-matter areas, including laws on fisheries, forests, toxics, and disclosure of facility-, project-, and firm-specific environmental effects. Private governance instruments also often parallel the instruments that government actors employ to achieve environmental objectives (such as prescriptive rules, property rights or entitlements, market instruments and informational governance). The emergence of private governance has generated important research questions regarding the drivers of consumer and corporate behavior, spillover effects, comparative institutional analysis, private administrative law, and the ability of private governance to address important unresolved environmental issues in areas such as climate change, hydraulic fracturing, and non-point source water pollution from agricultural runoff.
RELATION OF ADULT SUPERVISION TO ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADERS

While there has long been an awareness of latchkey children, there has been little research on the nature and effects of this arrangement (Rodman, Pratto, & ~efson, 1985). As research has focused on the effects of the lack of supervision on preschool and young elementary-age children's development, ignoring children in the preadolescent stage, this study was designed to investigate the effects of adult supervision upon academic, behavioral, and social development of 149 fifth and sixth graders from an urban, white, middle-class area. Fifty-four of the participants had mothers not employed outside the home, 38 had mothers who worked part time (less than 30 hours), 52 had mothers who worked full time, four had mothers who were deceased, and one child lived with her grandparents. The ctuldren completed specially designed diaries for two weeks which detailed where they were, what they did, with whom, who was at home, and their mood. Also completed was an especially designed questionnaire, the Problem-solving Measure-Conflict, the Self-perception Profile for Children, the Child and Adolescent Profile, and a modified version of the Family Environment Scale-Revised.
Weak Governance by Informed Large Shareholders

A commonly held belief is that better informed large shareholders with greater voting power improve corporate governance. We argue that this may not be true in general and demonstrate our argument in a model of corporate takeovers. We show that a large shareholder’s ability to collect information and trade ex post may cause him to vote ex ante in favor of pursuing takeovers, even if such takeovers generate a negative expected return. We test the model’s main predictions regarding how institutional investors trade around corporate takeovers. Consistent with the model, we find that institutional investors increase their holdings in firms that subsequently pursue acquisitions with greater performance variability and that following takeover initiation, institutional trading positively correlates with long-run deal performance. We further document that these trading patterns are more pronounced when the institutional investor has larger initial holdings of acquirer shares, when the acquirer accounts for a larger fraction of the institution’s portfolio, and when the institutional investor demonstrates better trading ability prior to acquisitions. Overall, our study sheds light on the limits of relying on better informed large shareholders to improve corporate governance.
Angiotensin II type 2 receptor-modulated changes in potassium currents in cultured neurons

We have previously shown that angiotensin II (ANG II) stimulates an increase in net outward ionic current (Ino) in neurons cocultured from neonate rat hypothalamus and brain stem, an effect mediated by ANG II type 2 (AT2) receptors. Ino consists mainly of K+ and Ca2+ currents, and in the present study we used whole cell voltage clamp procedures to define which of these currents are modulated by AT2 receptors. We determined that ANG II (50-100 nM) stimulated both transient K+ current (IA) and delayed-rectifier K+ current (IK) in cultured neurons. The effects were mediated by AT2 receptors (blocked by 1 microM PD-123177 but not by 1 microM losartan). For both IA and IK, ANG II elicited an increase in maximal conductance. By contrast, ANG II altered neither Ca(2+)-activated K+ current nor Ca2+ current. Our data demonstrate discrete AT2 receptor-mediated effects of ANG II on IA and IK in cultured neonate neurons. Importantly, these data provide an electrophysiological basis for behavioral or physiological effects (as yet undefined) mediated by this ANG II receptor subtype in the brain.
Characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATP-Interactome using the iTRAQ-SPROX Technique

The stability of proteins from rates of oxidation (SPROX) technique was used in combination with an isobaric mass tagging strategy to identify adenosine triphosphate (ATP) interacting proteins in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome. The SPROX methodology utilized in this work enabled 373 proteins in a yeast cell lysate to be assayed for ATP interactions (both direct and indirect) using the non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, adenylyl imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP). A total of 28 proteins were identified with AMP-PNP-induced thermodynamic stability changes. These protein hits included 14 proteins that were previously annotated as ATP-binding proteins in the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD). The 14 non-annotated ATP-binding proteins included nine proteins that were previously found to be ATP-sensitive in an earlier SPROX study using a stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based approach. A bioinformatics analysis of the protein hits identified here and in the earlier SILAC-SPROX experiments revealed that many of the previously annotated ATP-binding protein hits were kinases, ligases, and chaperones. In contrast, many of the newly discovered ATP-sensitive proteins were not from these protein classes, but rather were hydrolases, oxidoreductases, and nucleic acid-binding proteins. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
Phenolic recovery and bioaccessibility from milled and finished whole grain oat products.

While much is known about the benefits of oat fiber, the relevance of phenolics from oat based food products remains unclear. To gain insight into the relevance of phenolics from consumer oat products, the content of phenolics and avenanthramides (AVEs) was followed in 10 oat cultivars as well as milled oat ingredients and ready to eat (RTE) consumer products (puffed cereals and snack bars). Free phenolic content ranged from 17.2 to 228.1 μg g−1 DW with AVEs accounting for 57.3–90.6% of the total free phenolics. Bound phenolic content ranged from 141.4 to 680.9 μg g−1 DW with ferulic acid accounting for 62–94% of the bound phenolics. Select oat groats were ground to flour and prepared as wet cooked porridges (∼20% oat flour in boiling water) or introduced as RTE products into a three stage in vitro digestion to determine phenolic bioaccessibility. The relative bioaccessibility for wet cooked porridges ranged from 0.3–2.6% and from 2.9–28.8% for individual phenolic acids and AVEs, respectively. Puffed oat cereal had significantly higher bioaccessibility compared to matching wet-cook porridge made from the same oat flour (e.g. 83.8% versus 19.1% for AVE A; p < 0.05). Intestinal uptake of bioaccessible oat phenolics from digesta was confirmed by experiments with Caco-2 human intestinal cells. The overall intestinal uptake of oat phenolics was low, ranging between 0.16% and 2.71% across digesta from all oat products. In conclusion, these experiments demonstrate that phenolics naturally present in whole grain oats are recovered well through traditional grain processing, milling and food processing. Furthermore, processing of oat cultivars into a RTE cereal may have a positive impact on the digestive release and bioaccessibility of oat phenolics in the upper GI tract.
In Working Order

The foregoing chapters sketch a system of natural resource balance, management, and movement across the Ottoman Empire that emphasizes the centrality of grains and wood. This was a massively complex system built around irrigation and coordinated through the extreme localism of Egyptian peasant knowledge and experience as filtered through the administration of an Ottoman imperial system of rule. The motor force that powered the entire system was the caloric energy output of human and animal labor. For the Ottoman bureaucracy of Egypt, labor was the answer to the question of how best to maximize and marshal the cultivation potentials of the Egyptian countryside. As I argue in this chapter, shifts in labor on irrigation works and other construction projects over the course of the long eighteenth century ushered in new conceptions of the Ottoman state, of the Egyptian social body, and of the relationship between the two. The single most important factor affecting this transition in the forms and practices of labor over the period was an increase in the relative size of repair projects to irrigation works and other structures at the beginning of the nineteenth century as compared to the end of the seventeenth. Irrigation works became larger over the course of the long eighteenth century to keep up with increases in the demand for irrigated land and agricultural production necessitated by Egypt's move toward a centralized bureaucracy disconnected from the rest of the Ottoman imperial system.
Limited Functional Redundancy and Lack of Resilience in Coral Reefs to Human Stressors

Coral reefs worldwide are failing to cope with the challenges of increasing human pressures and are thus facing shifts from coral dominance to less desirable and less productive states. The incredible diversity of species in coral reefs will intuitively suggest that they will have a great functional redundancy and thus it will be easy for them to cope with human disturbances. But they do not. I suggest that the incredible diversity of species in coral reefs has actually led to a great degree of specialization, making almost every species unique and thus the entire ecosystem vulnerable to the loss of a few species. Coral reefs do not conform to the expectation that their great diversity will confer them with great resilience. Clearly, the capacity of this ecosystem to withstand human assaults can no longer be assumed and thus considerable management interventions are needed to afford this ecosystem some slack.
Introduction. Objects of consciousness in Conrad's impressionist world

“The unwearied self-forgetful attention to every phase of the living universe reflected in our consciousness may be our appointed task on this earth.” A Personal Record In this book, I investigate the far-reaching effects of impressionism in the works of Joseph Conrad. In particular, I look at the sources and implications of his impressionism in order to argue for a consistent link between his literary technique, philosophical presuppositions, and sociopolitical views. The same core ideas concerning the nature of human existence and human experience run throughout his works. In the process of investigating these issues, I present a generally unified Conrad that contrasts with the fragmented Conrad popular in some circles. Furthermore, I posit a much-needed definition of literary impressionism based upon philosophical groundings rather than upon the visual arts. In this way, I hope to demonstrate literary impressionism's broad power and significant influence and by so doing argue for a much more important role for this movement in literary history than is generally accorded it. Running in the background of this study will be an attempt to show that Conrad's narrative techniques and philosophical inquiries result in part from the intellectual environment in which he wrote. Nevertheless, it would be misleading to suggest that my reading of Conrad is either an attempt at cultural studies or intellectual history.
Sense and Sensibility and Feminine Authority

For almost two hundred years, readers of Sense and Sensibility have been occupied in discussions about Jane Austen’s allegiances or ambivalences regarding the value of proper conduct versus inner-directed behaviour, but such discussions have tended to obscure another ideological issue in the novel — the issue of feminine authority and power.’ While readers debate whether the narrator is drawing rigid lines between sense and feeling, they may overlook the book’s attitude towards female power, an attitude which is negative, cautionary, devaluating. I want to argue that Sense and Sensibility is a text that reveals Austen’s anxieties about female authority, and that seen from such a perspective it is descriptive of struggles and tensions rather than of ideological serenity.
Shoulder Injuries and Conditions in Swimmers

Shoulder pain is the most common musculoskeletal complaint in swimming athletes, affecting a majority of participants over their competitive lifetimes. Muscle fatigue and imbalance associated with upper extremity endurance training, as well as unique biomechanical demands and related changes in range of motion, are all thought to be contributors to the development of shoulder pathology in the swimmer. The commonly used term of “swimmer’s shoulder” encompasses a complex spectrum of interrelated pathologies involving scapular dyskinesis, impingement, rotator cuff tendinopathy, labral injury, and changes in glenohumeral motion and stability. Multiple risk factors have been characterized in the literature regarding the development of these conditions in swimmers, including years of experience, level of competition, increased training intensity, and faulty stroke mechanics. Treatment includes an emphasis on early recognition and rest, as well as physical therapy to specifically address muscular weakness and imbalances, particularly of the scapular stabilizers and rotator cuff.
Linking Sierra Nevada, California, uplift to subsidence of the Tulare basin using a seismically derived density model

Seismic tomography has previously imaged the high-velocity “Isabella anomaly” southwest of the Sierra Nevada beneath the Tulare basin, a region of ~1 km of anomalous Pliocene subsidence. Additionally, it has been proposed that the eastern Sierra has risen 1–2 km since the Miocene in response to removal of dense lithospheric material. The Isabella anomaly has been variably interpreted as either this lithospheric material or a neutrally buoyant stalled fragment of the Farallon slab. To discriminate between these two, we estimate upper mantle density variations from seismic velocities and show that the estimated mass anomaly accords with 60 km of cold lithospheric material removed from beneath the southern Sierra, sufficient for 1.3 km of range uplift. A flexural model of the surface response to mantle loads predicts 1.3–1.7 km of anomalous subsidence of the Tulare basin, several hundred meters more than is observed. Nevertheless, beam-formed receiver functions show up to 10 km of crustal thickening beneath the basin, which we attribute to viscous response of the crust to mantle loading. This anomalous crustal thickness, the post-Miocene subsidence of the Tulare basin, and the uplift of the Sierra can all be explained by redistribution of cold continental mantle lithosphere; therefore, the Isabella anomaly is more plausibly such continental material than a stalled Farallon slab fragment.
The Role of Gender in Enhancing the Development Agenda of Any Country

As actors engage in supporting the Agenda 2030, it is important that they borrow from lessons from the efforts on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which included among others, the need to promote broad-based ownership of the agenda; the need to ensure coordination across development policies and strategies, and coherence and capacities to deliver on this agenda within government. Additionally, effective resource mobilization has been highlighted as critical.Gender and development is important because it focuses on connections between gender and development initiatives and feminists’ perspectives, and deals with issues such as health and education, decision making and leadership, peace building, violence against women and economic empowerment. Development cannot be realized without the very significant component of gender. Countries the world over have proved that exclusion of women in development has rendered their development efforts futile.
Fly Stampede 2.0: A Next Generation Optomotor Assay for Walking Behavior in Drosophila Melanogaster.

Optomotor behavior represents a stereotyped locomotor response to visual motion that is found in both vertebrate and invertebrate models. The Fly Stampede assay was developed to study an optomotor response in freely walking populations of Drosophila. Here we share optimized assay designs and software for production of a modified stampede assay that can be used for geneti screens, and improved tracking outputs for understanding behavioral parameters of visual-motion responses and arousal state of individual animals. Arousal state influences behavioral performance in the stampede assay. As proof of principle experiments we show parametric modulation of visual stimuli and startle stimuli in both wildtype and mutant flies for the type I family dopamine receptor Dop1R1 (DopR). DopR mutants are hyperactive and perform poorly in the stampede assay, suggesting a potential role in visual perception and/or arousal. The stampede assay creates an efficient platform for rapid screening of mutant animals or circuit manipulations for investigating attentional processes in Drosophila.
Structure and Expression of Genes Encoding IgA Heavy Chains

Quantitative analysis of rabbit secretory IgA with anti-allotype antibodies directed against the VH or Cα regions revealed the presence of recombinant IgA molecules in which the VH allotype was encoded by one chromosome and the Cα region was encoded by the homologous chromosome. Similar studies with IgG and IgM showed that IgA contained the greatest number of recombinant molecules and that the probable order is V---Cµ---Cγ---Cα [1]for genes that encode Ig heavy chains. In an effort to establish the order of the heavy-chain genes in rabbit and to determine the gene rearrangements which result in the recombinant Ig heavy chains, we have begun to clone the rabbit heavy-chain genes.
Are Oligotypes Meaningful Ecological and Phylogenetic Units? A Case Study of Microcystis in Freshwater Lakes.

Oligotyping is a computational method used to increase the resolution of marker gene microbiome studies. Although oligotyping can distinguish highly similar sequence variants, the resulting units are not necessarily phylogenetically and ecologically informative due to limitations of the selected marker gene. In this perspective, we examine how oligotyping data is interpreted in recent literature, and we illustrate some of the method’s constraints with a case study of the harmful bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis. We identified three Microcystis oligotypes from a western Lake Erie bacterial community 16S rRNA gene (V4 region) survey that had previously clustered into one OTU. We found the same three oligotypes and two additional sequence variants in 46 Microcystis cultures isolated from Michigan inland lakes spanning a trophic gradient. In Lake Erie, shifts in Microcystis oligotypes corresponded to spatial nutrient gradients and temporal transitions in bloom toxicity. In the cultures, Microcystis oligotypes showed preferential distributions for different trophic states, but genomic data revealed that the oligotypes identified in Lake Erie did not correspond to toxin gene presence. Thus, oligotypes could not be used for inferring toxic ecotypes. Most strikingly, Microcystis oligotypes were not monophyletic. Our study supports the utility of oligotyping for distinguishing sequence types along certain ecological features, while it stresses that 16S rRNA gene sequence types may not reflect ecologically or phylogenetically cohesive populations. Therefore, we recommend that studies employing oligotyping or related tools consider these caveats during data interpretation.
Determination of Earthquake Magnitude for Early Warning from the Time Dependence of P‐Wave Amplitudes

Abstract We propose a method that utilizes the time dependence of P ‐wave displacement amplitudes to estimate the final magnitude ( M ) for earthquake early warning (EEW) before the arrival of the peak amplitude. A relation between M and P ‐wave displacement amplitude is employed for the method. Its value is set as a function of time from the P arrival, and is determined using a K‐NET dataset recorded in Japan from a scaling relation between M and the time dependence of P ‐wave displacement. A test to check the performance of the proposed equation demonstrates in a statistical sense that this technique enables us to estimate M more rapidly than conventional methods without loss of accuracy. We conclude that the approach proposed in this article effectively gains a longer lead time as well as reduces the blind zone for EEW.
Brain infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes in lupus-prone mice

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems including the skin, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and brain. Severe SLE often manifests with multiple psychiatric and neurological sequelae, and may be accompanied by CNS vasculitis. However, the cellular contributors to CNS disease in lupus patients remain poorly defined. Our data demonstrate a unique lymphocyte bias in the CNS of mice expressing multiple copies of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7[Tg], FcgRIIB-Yaa), which present with a lupus-like disease. Lupus-prone mice have a substantial population of infiltrating CD8+ T cells in the CNS, a bias that is not present in other peripheral lymphoid or non-lymphoid tissues. These animals exhibit blood-brain barrier damage and neuropathology in the presence of the infiltrating lymphocytes. However, genetic ablation of CD8+ T cells in lupus-prone mice by removal of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) adaptor protein b2m results in aggravation of disease, suggesting the removal of a protective population. Circulating CD8+ T cells in lupus-prone mice display an activated phenotype, express a number of surface trafficking and adhesion molecules, and can home to the CNS. The endothelium of the brain, but not of other peripheral organs in these mice is activated, expressing adhesion markers complementary to those found on infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Our ongoing studies aim to elucidate specifically how these CD8+ T cells enter the CNS and further clarify their role in neuropathology. Our findings suggest a possible mechanism regulating CNS pathology that could have applicability to human neuropsychiatric manifestations of SLE.
Effects of Fuel Unsaturation on Transient Ignition and Flame Development in Sprays

Fundamental studies using homogeneous mixtures in shock tube and rapid compression machine (RCM) have shown that the fuel reactivity and ignition characteristics are significantly affected by the p...
A randomized phase II trial of carboplatin with or without nivolumab in first- or second-line metastatic TNBC.

TPS1118Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has an aggressive clinical course with higher relapse rates and shorter overall survival compared to patients with hormone receptor-positive ...
MANDATORY EXERCISE AND HEART DISEASE RISK IN FIRE FIGHTERS : A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

After undergoing initial assessments of percentage of body fat (% fat), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2Max), a group of 24 paid male fire fighters (mean age, 30.1 ± 7.7 years) began a mandatory exercise program. The physiological variables mentioned above were assessed once a year for the subsequent 5 years. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance followed by univariate post hoc techniques showed a minimal but statistically significant improvement in % fat (−1.43% ± 0.66%) and TG (−27.54 ± 10.44 mg/dl) over the 5-year period. Significant differences in TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and VO2Max were noted over the years, but their magnitudes were small and no pattern was demonstrated. Each of the 5-year means for TC, LDL-C, % fat, and VO2Max were outside the desirable ranges. We concluded that mandatory exercise programs do not significantly alter the risk factor status or the aerobic fitness levels of fire fighters and that a significant number of the latter demonstrate a higher than average risk for cardiovascular disease.
Validation of recent analytical dilatational models for porous polycrystals using crystal plasticity finite element models with Schmid and non-Schmid activation laws

Abstract Recent analytic criteria for isotropic porous materials developed by Cazacu et al. (2013) revealed the importance of considering specificities of plastic behavior in the matrix. On one hand it was shown that if the matrix material is governed by the von Mises criterion, the yield surface of the porous material should be centrosymmetric and, with the exception of hydrostatic and purely deviatoric loadings, there are combined effects of the mean stress and third-invariant of the stress deviator on void growth or collapse; but on the other hand if the matrix plastic deformation displays strength differential (SD) effects, the response is also sensitive to third-invariant and there is a lack of symmetry of the yield surface of the porous material. In this paper, we use a unit cell modeling approach in conjunction with a crystal plasticity finite element model to verify these theoretical predictions. It is assumed that each porous polycrystal contains a regular array of initially spherical voids and a random initial texture. At the grain-level, we consider that plastic deformation is governed by Schmid law and a recent non-Schmid formulation by Savage et al. (2017a) that intrinsically accounts for tension–compression asymmetry in a physical sense. Unit cell FE calculations are performed for axisymmetric tensile and compressive loadings corresponding to a fixed value of the stress triaxiality and the two possible values of the Lode parameter. The resulting numerical points representing the homogenized yield surfaces and void growth/collapse curves are found to be in agreement with the analytical model's predictions.
A Photoresponsive Hyaluronan Hydrogel Nanocomposite for Dynamic Macrophage Immunomodulation.

Macrophages are a predominant immune cell population that drive inflammatory responses and exhibit transitions in phenotype and function during tissue remodeling in disease and repair. Thus, engineering an immunomodulatory biomaterial has significant implications for resolving inflammation. In this work, we engineered a biomimetic and photoresponsive hyaluronan (HA) hydrogel nanocomposite with tunable 3-D ECM adhesion sites for dynamic macrophage immunomodulation. We exploited photo-degradative APP (alkoxylphenacyl-based polycarbonate) nanocomposites to permit user-controlled RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) adhesive peptide release and conjugation to a HA-based extracellular matrix (ECM) for real-time integrin activation of macrophages encapsulated in 3-D HA-APP nanocomposite hydrogels. We demonstrate that photo-controlled 3-D ECM-RGD peptide conjugation can activate αvβ3 integrin of macrophages, and periodic αvβ3 integrin activation can enhance anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage polarization. Altogether, we highlight an emerging use of biomimetic, photo-responsive, and bioactive HA-APP nanocomposite hydrogel to command 3-D cell-ECM interactions for modulating macrophage polarization, which may shed light on cell-ECM interactions in innate immunity and inspire new biomaterials-based immunomodulatory therapies.
Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Cycling Versus Swapping Medications in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis After Failure to Respond to Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors.

Objective To systematically review the modeling approaches and quality of economic analyses comparing cycling tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) to swapping to a therapy with a different mode of action in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose initial TNFi failed. Methods We searched electronic databases, gray literature, and references of included publications until July 2017. Two reviewers independently screened citations. Reporting quality was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement. Data regarding modeling methodology were extracted. Results We included 7 articles comprising 19 comparisons. Three studies scored ≥16 of 24 on the CHEERS checklist. Most models used a lifetime horizon, took a payer perspective, employed a 6-month cycle length, and measured treatment efficacy in terms of the American College of Rheumatology improvement criteria. We noted possible sources of bias in terms of transparency and study sponsorship. In the cost-utility comparisons, the median incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was US $70,332 per quality-adjusted life-year for swapping versus cycling strategies. Rituximab was more effective and less expensive than TNFi in 7 of 11 comparisons. Abatacept (intravenous) compared to TNFi was less cost-effective than rituximab. Common influential parameters in sensitivity analyses were the rituximab dosing schedule, assumptions regarding disease progression, and the estimation of utilities. Conclusion Differences in the design, key assumptions, and model structure chosen had a major impact on the individual study conclusions. Despite the existence of multiple reporting standards, there continues to be a need for more uniformity in the methodology reported in economic evaluations of cycling versus swapping strategies after TNFi in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Million Query Track 2008 Overview

Abstract : The Million Query (1MQ) track ran for the second time in TREC 2008. The track is designed to serve two purposes: first, it is an exploration of ad-hoc retrieval over a large set of queries and a large collection of documents; second, it investigates questions of system evaluation, in particular whether it is better to evaluate using many shallow judgments or fewer thorough judgments. As with the 2007 track [ACA+07], participants ran 10,000 queries against a collection of 25 million documents. The 2008 track differed in the following ways: 1. Queries were assigned to one of four categories. 2. Each query was assigned a target of 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 judgments. 3. Assessors could judge documents \not relevant but reasonable". Section 1 describes how the corpus and queries were selected, the query classes, details of the submission formats, and a brief description of each submitted run. Section 2 provides an overview of the judging process, including a sketch of how it alternated between two methods for selecting the small set of documents to be judged. Sections 3.1 and 3.2 provide an overview of those two selection methods, developed at UMass and NEU, respectively. In Section 4 we present statistics collected during the judging process, including the total number of queries judged, how many judgments were served by each approach, and so on, along with the overall results of the track. We present additional results and analysis in Section 5.
The strings on David’s Harp: religious ritual as a container for spirituality

Religion and spirituality have often been defined over against each other. The spontaneous, emotional and experiential nature of the spirit has been seen as preferential to the structured, fixed, a...
Pseudoholomorphic punctured spheres in $\mathbb{R}{\times}(S^{1}{\times}S^{2})$: Properties and existence

This is the first of at least two articles that describe the moduli spaces of pseudoholomorphic, multiply punctured spheres in ℝ×(S1×S2) as defined by a certain natural pair of almost complex structure and symplectic form. This article proves that all moduli space components are smooth manifolds. Necessary and sufficient conditions are also given for a collection of closed curves in S1×S2 to appear as the set of |s|→∞ limits of the constant s∈ℝ slices of a pseudoholomorphic, multiply punctured sphere.
The Nuclear Configuration Interations Method

This contribution consists of several connected parts: a brief introduction to nuclear physics and nuclear theory; the evidence for magic numbers in nuclear properties, and their interpretation in terms of the single-particle nuclear shell model; the construction of many-body wave functions for configuration mixing calculations; model space truncations of the many-body basis; types of configuration interaction codes and the Lanczos method; types of effective Hamiltonians for specific model spaces; and an introduction to the NuShellX code for calculating, wavefunctions, energies and observables for a given model space and Hamiltonian.
Spatio-temporal heterogeneity in extracellular enzyme activities tracks variation in saprotrophic fungal biomass in a temperate hardwood forest

Abstract Saprotrophic fungi are the dominant producers of organic matter-degrading extracellular enzymes in forest soils, but the extent to which they drive spatio-temporal variation in enzyme activities is unclear. We quantified the relationships between saprotrophic fungal biomass and enzyme activities in a mature temperate hardwood forest by placing soil-filled ingrowth bags inside trenches. Trenches were located in replicate stands (n = 7) dominated by either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)- or ectomycorrhizal (ECM)-associated tree species, which reflect differences in soil substrate quality and nutrient availability. Additionally, we assessed the extent to which the relationships between saprotrophic fungal biomass and enzyme activities varied across seasons and were altered by experimental nitrogen (N) addition. Overall, both fungal production and enzyme activities differed between mycorrhizal types and across seasons, but were unaffected by N addition. Additionally, enzyme activities exhibited strong, positive relationships with saprotrophic fungal biomass. However, the relative production of carbon (C)-degrading enzymes was greater in stands dominated by AM-associated trees in the late growing season, and the relative production of N-degrading enzymes was greater in the late growing season across both AM- and ECM-dominated forest stands. These patterns reflected tree- and season-driven changes in microbial C and N limitation. As such, while the common assumption that microbial biomass and enzyme activities are positively correlated is robust for saprotrophic fungi, enzyme produced per unit biomass may not be consistent among stands and across seasons.