cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INTERVIEW WITH ROGER E. STODDARD

Roger E. Stoddard will retire in December 2004 as Curator of Rare Books in the Harvard College Library after four decades of service in the Houghton Library. To commemorate this event, Stoddard curated an exhibition in Spring 2004 titled “RES Gestae: Libri Manent: A Curator’s Choice of Books Purchased for the Houghton Library from 1965 to 2003,” which explored many of the collecting areas he pursued at Harvard. Acquisitions for Historical Collections, a symposium in the curator’s honor, was also held at Harvard in March 2004. 1 Born and raised in New England, Stoddard attended Brown University and received his bachelor’s . . .
The idea of tiandao in Lu Jia's XinYu

Lu Jia,a scholar who lived in the early period of Han Dynasty,proposed his idea of "tianrenheyi" in his book Xinyu,which derived from the study of materialism by Xunzi.Simultaniously,he introduced the thought of "tianrenzaiyi",which obviously demostrates the trace of transition to new Confucianism.The idea of tiandao is the foundation of the theory of universe in his book.Lu's book enhances the spirit of rationalism of respecting one's youwei which belong to original Confucianism;on the other hand,it absorbs the points of view of Daoism.Jia made youwei on the road of following the objective rules of Daoism and put youwei into the universal system of yin and yang,which shows the thoughts of tianrenganying.
SU-F-R-29: The Influence of Four Dimensional Diffusion-Weighted MRI (4D-DWI) On Feature Analysis of Time-Resolved Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Measurement: Initial Evaluation

Purpose: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been shown to have superior tumor-to-tissue contrast for cancer detection compared to other MRI sequences and CT. This study aims at developing and evaluating the effects of the four dimensional DWI (4D-DWI) technique on the feature analysis of time-resolved Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) measurement. Methods: Image acquisition was performed by repeatedly imaging a volume of interest using a multi-slice single-shot 2D-DWI sequence in the axial planes. Each 2D-DWI image was acquired sequentially in the x, y, and z-diffusion-directions (b=500s/mm2). Respiratory motion was simultaneously recorded using bellows. Retrospective sorting was conducted to reconstruct 4D-DWI. As a comparison, free breathing DWI (FB-DWI) was also reconstructed using the same dataset. Subsequently, ADC maps were measured for 4D-DWI and FB-DWI data. The technique was implemented on a digital human phantom (XCAT). It was programmed to simulate regular motion. Motion trajectories of tumor were extracted from 4D-DWI and compared with average input breathing curve. The mean amplitude difference(D) was calculated. To quantitatively analyze the effect of 4D-DWI on time-resolved ADC maps, feature analysis was conducted on tumor region for the time-resolved ADC maps and the free breathing ADC maps. 3D XCAT images were served as the reference. The following features were calculated: mean tumor ADC value, entropy, energy, kurtosis, skewness, homogeneity, sphericity, tumor surface area and tumor contrast. Results: 4D-DWI of XCAT digital phantom demonstrated the respiratory motion clearly. The values of D were 1.9mm, 1.7mm and 2.0mm, respectively. The feature analysis shows that the texture of tumor demonstrated on time-resolved ADC maps was significantly closer to the reference than the free breathing ADC maps. Conclusion: The influence of 4D-DWI technique on feature analysis of time-resolved ADC measurement was initially evaluated on a digital human phantom. Comparing to free breathing DWI, 4D-DWI can lead to more accurate measurement of ADC. NIH (1R21CA165384-01A1)
Unique Effects of Long-term Clozapine, but not Haloperidol, on Dopamine Transmission in the Amygdaloid Complex

Amygdaloid neurons are more responsive to clozapine, a dibenzodiazepine neuroleptic, than to haloperidol and other neuroleptics commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia (Rebec and Anderson, 1986). This difference has not been observed in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens, which like the amygdaloid complex receive dopamine input from brainstem nuclei. To determine if clozapine exerts a unique action on dopamine transmission in the amygdala, we compared the effects of acute and long-term treatment with clozapine and haloperidol on pre- and postsynaptic dopamine activity.
Applications of Photoinductive Imaging

Photoinductive imaging is a unique dual-mode NDE technique that combines eddy current and thermal wave methods. The photoinductive effect, upon which this method is based, is the thermally induced change in the impedance of an eddy current probe in proximity to a conducting surface that is illuminated with a modulated light source. The change in probe impedance is caused by the temperature-induced change in the conductivity of the specimen. Typical changes in probe impedance are small, on the order of a few ppm, but because they are synchronous with the light-beam modulation, lock-in techniques can be used to detect the signals, which can then be used to image surface or near-surface defects, voids, inclusions, or other thermal or structural inhomogeneities.
Psychoanalysis and jazz1

(2004). Psychoanalysis and jazz. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis: Vol. 85, No. 4, pp. 995-997.
A new framework for UAV-based remote sensing data processing and its application in almond water stress quantification

With the rapid development of small imaging sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remote sensing is undergoing a revolution with greatly increased spatial and and temporal resolutions. While more relevant detail becomes available, it is a challenge to analyze the large number of images to extract useful information. This research introduces a new general framework to process high-resolution multi- spectral images based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) for crop stress quantification. As a case study, this framework is applied in almond water stress quantification using UAV-based remote sensing images. First, crop distributions of pixel value of sample trees are obtained as histograms consisted of 255 bins, assuming the stress information lies in the overall canopy pixels and ignoring the spatial relations among pixels. Second, PCA is applied to extract principle components out of histograms of 255 dimensions. This approach is advantageous in that it makes no assumption about the underlying canopy distribution of pixel values. It is shown that the first principle component has a significant correlation with stem water potential. This method is also compared with the traditional method of using the mean values of canopy Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a baseline, and it shows improved performance in predicting the water stress.
Building A Cloud-based Onboarding Guide for New Academic Librarians

The authors evaluate the onboarding process at their academic library by testing a new onboarding manual that emphasizes building connections with colleagues at the institution and professional development. As a cloud-based document, all Library colleagues could comment and make suggestions, creating buy-in. Through further interviews and focus groups the authors discovered the some of the most difficult challenges of starting a new job in a new library. The study reveals what new Librarians want to see in an onboarding manual, and how they would like their introductions to their new institution to be structured.
Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Plasma Etching Processes

The etching of semiconductors and other materials has progressed largely through empirical studies. In such efforts, a given semiconductor is etched in a given reactor type with a particular etch gas or etch gas mixture. This system, comprised of semiconductor, reactor, and etch gas, is then studied as the conditions of the etch environment are indirectly altered by external control variables. The resulting etch rates and etch profiles are then mapped as a function of total pressure, plasma excitation source power, substrate or semiconductor temperature, substrate bias or “ion energy”, and inlet gas composition. Such “parameter marches” have been exercised many times and have proven adequately effective in advancing the state-of-the-art in semiconductor device processing. These “marches” are quite time-consuming as they require a fairly large number of etches and each etch must be evaluated via etch rate measurements and etched feature profile measurements. Despite the time consumption involved in such efforts, much has been learned about the interactions of the multiple control variables of modern etching reactors and the general understanding of plasma etch processing has been advanced.
Intragranular Phase Proton Conduction in Crystalline Sn1–xInxP2O7 (x = 0 and 0.1)

Materials that exhibit fast ionic conduction in the intermediate temperature range are highly sought after for applications in fuel cells, electrolyzers, and sensors. Initial reports on tin pyrophosphate indicted that this material exhibited excellent protonic conductivity at 100–300 °C and that transport occurred via proton hopping through the bulk crystalline lattice. In this work, we conclusively show that the high conductivity reported by other research groups is not attributable to the bulk crystalline phase. The proton conduction mechanism of well-characterized Sn1–xInxP2O7 (x = 0 and 0.1) was investigated using ac impedance spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering. The crystalline MP2O7 phase possesses negligible bulk conductivity below 600 °C. Above 600 °C, the total conductivity exhibits Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy of ∼1 eV, with an increase in conductivity observed for the In-doped sample. Inelastic neutron scattering data indicates that no appreciable changes in proton con...
Abstract 15530: SMC-specific Impairment of PLA2g6-dependent SOCE as a New Mechanism of Protection Against Arterial Stiffening

Introduction: Aging or high fat high sucrose (HFHS) diet-induced arterial stiffening is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanism or specific role of vascular smo...
Staphylococcus aureus: Master Manipulator of the Skin

Skin colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is associated with severity of atopic dermatitis (AD). Two papers in this issue of Cell Host & Microbe by Nakagawa et al. (2017) and Liu et al. (2017) define a pathway by which epicutaneous Staphylococcus aureus promotes skin inflammation and may contribute to AD.
Too Liberal to Win? Race and Voter Perceptions of Candidate Ideology:

Experimental research has long indicated that minority candidates are perceived as being more liberal than Whites. These expectations may hinder the electoral prospects of minority candidates campaigning for office who need the support of independents to win. Drawing upon a unique dataset of 933 informants (party delegates) and survey data from the 2006 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we investigate the accuracy and implications of these race-based stereotypes for voting in the U.S. House of Representatives. Our analysis indicates that ethnic and racial minority candidates for Congress are typically viewed by voters as being far more liberal than objective indicators would suggest. Moreover, we find that these misperceptions of ideological extremity may harm minorities’ electoral chances at the ballot box, limiting their support among White voters, particularly independents. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for candidates campaigning for office.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor: review of heterogeneous spectrum of CT appearance

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are uncommon pancreatic neoplasms and can be a diagnostic challenge with heterogeneous spectrum of CT appearance. We review CT findings of PanNETs and other mimics. PanNETs are typically hypervascular and have avid enhancement on arterial and venous phase images. However, dedicated pancreas protocol may be needed due to their sometimes atypical appearance including transient enhancement. Careful evaluation of CT findings will help differentiate PanNETs from their mimics, and can be used to establish the diagnosis of a PanNETs. Although an accurate diagnosis can be based on serological, urine, and CT scan findings, confirmation is made via pathological examination.
Distribution of Creativity

This article describes the nature of the Distribution of Creativity and the causes for this statistical phenomenon. Almost by definition, creativity is uncommon because it implies originality. In using the term, people often want to suggest something rare, perhaps one of a kind or something done for the first time. In art, athletics, science, and other fields, perhaps one in a thousand, or one in ten million people exhibit top creative performance, and the number of their creative acts or breakthroughs are severely limited.
Residency program solutions: Making a difference in quality residency education

BACKGROUND Residency Program Solutions (RPS) consultants assist family medicine residency programs in solving issues perceived as limiting quality resident education. Residencies ask RPS to assist in preparing for accreditation site visits by the Residency Review Committee-Family Medicine (RC-FM). The RPS Criteria for Excellence in Family Medicine Education (RPS Criteria) may have influenced the accreditation standards of the RC-FM. RPS consultations also may affect accreditation visit cycle length and number of RC-FM citations. METHODS The authors reviewed the RC-FM Program Requirements for Family Medicine Residency Education and the RPS Criteria from 1978 to 2007, comparing statements between the two documents for "nearly verbatim" and equivalent "must" or "should" requirements. The average number of citations and cycle length for programs seeking a Comprehensive Accreditation Program (CAP) Consultation from 2004--2010 were compared to cohort programs evaluated at the same RC-FM meeting using an independent samples t test. RESULTS The strongest relationship between the RC-FM requirements and the RPS criteria occurred in 1983--1984. Nine "nearly verbatim" statements, 15 "must-should" or "must-must" statements, and 11 "should-should" statements existed. Over time, additional concurrences between organizational statements occurred. Residency programs with CAP consultations benefited significantly by both a decrease in number of citations and an increase in the length of accreditation cycle. CONCLUSIONS The RPS Criteria have positively impacted iterations of RC-FM requirements. Family medicine residency programs concerned about successful accreditation by the RC-FM will likely benefit from RPS CAP consultations by increased length of accreditation cycle and/or a decreased number of citations.
Performance portability of a fluidized bed solver

Performance portability is a challenge for application developers as the source code needs to be executed and performant on various hybrid computing architectures. The linear iterative solvers implemented in most applications consume more than 70% of the runtime. This paper presents the results of a linear solver in Trilinos for fluidized bed applications. The linear solver implemented in our code is based on the Kokkos programming model in Trilinos, which uses a library approach to provide performance portability across diverse devices with different memory models. For large scale problems, the numerical experiments on Xeon Phi and Kepler GPU architectures show good performance over the results on Xeon (Haswell) computing architectures.
Marshallese Beliefs, Perceptions, and Practices Related to Child Feeding Among Marshallese in the United States: Implications for Childhood Obesity.

Introduction:Obesity affects more than 40 million children globally. Efforts to promote proper nutrition in an attempt to reduce childhood obesity should consider maternal beliefs and cultural cust...
Solving the Pro Bono Mismatch

The pro bono interests of law firm lawyers tend to differ from the actual legal needs of the poor. This difference results in the mismatch problem or the incongruence between the interests of firm lawyers and the needs of the poor. Today, the mismatch problem has resulted in law firm lawyers' increased demand of immigration matters while legal needs are greatest in housing and family law. This leaves nonprofit legal services organizations scrambling to find pro bono representation for poor clients or otherwise relying on very limited resources to represent poor clients. The literature on the mismatch problem is lacking in important ways. First, there is a lack of understanding about how the interests of individual lawyers factor into the selection of pro bono matters. Second, there is no understanding about how law firm culture impacts the choice of pro bono work for firms and individual lawyers. Third, the literature does not include how the political climate impacts the choice of pro bono work within firms. Finally, the literature is devoid of normative suggestions to remedy the problem. Through an interview-based empirical exploration, this research explains how individual lawyers impact the choice of pro bono work, how law firm culture impacts pro bono choices, and how the political climate directly shapes what lawyers choose to do for pro bono legal representation. To solve the pro bono mismatch, I make three proposals: (1) modification of the language of the American Bar Association's Model Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1, which provides that lawyers have a professional responsibility to provide pro bono legal services; (2) creation and implementation of macro-level "pay for preference;" and (3) creation and implementation of micro-level 'ay for preference" regimes in law firms to nudge lawyers to consider the greatest legal needs in their choices of pro bono legal representation.
TAK1/Map3k7 enhances differentiation of cardiogenic endoderm from mouse embryonic stem cells

Specification of the primary heart field in mouse embryos requires signaling from the anterior visceral endoderm (AVE). The nature of these signals is not known. We hypothesized that the TGFβ-activated kinase (TAK1/Map3k7) may act as a cardiogenic factor, based on its expression in heart-inducing endoderm and its requirement for cardiac differentiation of p19 cells. To test this, mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells overexpressing Map3k7 were isolated and differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs). Map3k7-overexpressing EBs showed increased expression of AVE markers but interestingly, showed little effect on mesoderm formation and had no impact on overall cardiomyocyte formation. To test whether the pronounced expansion of endoderm masks an expansion of cardiac lineages, chimeric EBs were made consisting of Map3k7-overexpressing ES and wild type ES cells harboring a cardiac reporter transgene, MHCα::GFP, allowing cardiac differentiation to be assessed specifically in wild type ES cells. Wild type ES cells co-cultured with Map3k7-overexpressing cells had a 4-fold increase in expression of the cardiac reporter, supporting the hypothesis that Map3k7 increases the formation of cardiogenic endoderm. To further examine the role of Map3k7 in early lineage specification, other endodermal markers were examined. Interestingly, markers that are expressed in both the VE and later in gut development were expanded, whereas transcripts that specifically mark the early definitive (streak-derived) endoderm (DE) were not. To determine if Map3k7 is necessary for endoderm differentiation, EBs were grown in the presence of the Map3k7 specific inhibitor 5Z-7-oxozeaenol. Endoderm differentiation was dramatically decreased in these cells. Western blot analysis showed that known downstream targets of Map3k7 (Jnk, Nemo-like kinase (NLK) and p38 MAPK) were all inhibited. By contrast, transcripts for another TGFβ target, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) were markedly upregulated, as were transcripts for Gli2 (but not Gli1 and Gli3). Together these data support the hypothesis that Map3k7 governs the formation, or proliferation of cardiogenic endoderm.
A Literature Review of Human Capital and Economic Growth

This work aims to examine the relationship between human capital and economic growth. The study analyzes datasets from previous works, reviews previous literature, and draws some conclusions on human capital and economic growth. The paper summarizes articles on human capital in terms of (i) the theoretical framework of economic growth theory, (ii) the neo-classical growth model, (iii) the Solow growth production-function, (iv) the new endogenous theory, and (v) empirical evidence on the relationship and causal link between human capital and economic growth. Assessing the literature on human capital and economic growth will serve as a comprehensive literature guide to policy formulation and implementation in the short-run and long-run of creating developmental goals for any region.
Evaluating the climate sensitivity of coupled electricity-natural gas demand using a multivariate framework

Abstract Projected climate change will significantly influence the shape of the end-use energy demand profiles for space conditioning—leading to a likely increase in cooling needs and a subsequent decrease in heating needs. This shift will put pressure on existing infrastructure and utility companies to meet a demand that was not accounted for in the initial design of the systems. Furthermore, the traditional linear models typically used to predict energy demand focus on isolating either the electricity or natural gas demand, even though the two demands are highly interconnected. This practice often leads to less accurate predictions for both demand profiles. Here, we propose a multivariate, multi-sector (i.e., residential, commercial, industrial) framework to model the climate sensitivity of the coupled electricity and natural gas demand simultaneously, leveraging advanced statistical learning algorithms. Our results indicate that the season-to-date heating and cooling degree-days, as well as the dew point temperature are the key predictors for both the electricity and natural gas demand. We also found that the energy sector is most sensitive to climate during the autumn and spring (intermediate) seasons, followed by the summer and winter seasons. Moreover, the proposed model outperforms a similar univariate model in terms of predictive accuracy, indicating the importance of accounting for the interdependence within the energy sectors. By providing accurate predictions of the electricity and natural gas demand, the proposed framework can help infrastructure planners and operators make informed decisions towards ensuring balanced energy delivery and minimizing supply inadequacy risks under future climate variability and change.
Z hu Xi and the Han–Tang Confucians

Despite embracing his calling as a philosopher, who—as did all others, regardless of cultural context—sought to convey a timeless message, Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200), like the exemplary Kongzi 孔子 (551–479 BCE) (hereafter Confucius) before him, was profoundly cognizant of his own times as well as those that had preceded them. To be sure, Zhu Xi differed markedly from Confucius in his relatively high regard, at least in intellectual terms, for his own immediately preceding age. Confucius had considered himself to be living in times of abject decline or even fallenness, and—despite his sacral veneration for the first centuries of the Zhou dynasty (c. 1045–221 BCE) as a golden age—he believed the successive centuries leading up to his own to have hardly at all been virtuous (Slingerland 2009: 115–17). As a subscriber to the conventional Confucian interpretation of the past, Zhu Xi, of course, also dutifully exalted the era of Zhou dynastic antiquity. Among all prior epochs, Zhu regarded especially that of the Zhou founding and the immediate centuries thereafter with genuine awe. Like countless other Confucians who had preceded him, he credited that halcyon era—largely because of the paragons who established and lived during it—with the genesis of his beliefs (Chan 1987: 65, 67, 121–22, 127).
Genetic Basis of Endocrine Regulation of Spermatogenesis

Hormonal regulation contributes significantly to spermatogenesis through interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, testosterone synthesis, Sertoli cell function, androgen receptor, and other hormonal influences, such as estrogen. Congenital or acquired causes of endocrine dysfunction can affect spermatogenesis and male fertility. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the endocrine regulation of spermatogenesis with consideration of its genetic basis.
Clostridioides difficile proline fermentation in response to commensal clostridia

Abstract Clostridioides difficile colonizes the intestines of susceptible individuals and releases toxins that mediate disease. To replicate and expand in the intestines, C. difficile ferments proline, and this activity is influenced by the availability of proline and trace nutrients. C. difficile must also compete with the commensal microbiota for these limited nutrients. The specific microbes present in the intestines that may shape the ability of C. difficile to benefit from proline fermentation are unknown. In this study we developed a panel of commensal Clostridia to test the hypothesis that the microbiota influences C. difficile growth through proline fermentation. The experimental panel of Clostridia was composed of murine and human isolates that ranged in their capacity to ferment proline in different media. Competition between wild type C. difficile and a mutant strain unable to ferment proline (prdB:CT) in the presence of these Clostridia revealed that bacteria closely related to Paraclostridium benzoelyticum and Paeniclostridium spp. decreased the benefit to C. difficile provided by proline fermentation. Conversely, Clostridium xylanolyticum drove C. difficile towards an increased reliance on proline fermentation for growth. Overall, the ability of C. difficile to benefit from proline fermentation is contextual and in part dependent on the microbiota.
Are they reading Schelling in Beijing? The dimensions, drivers, and risks of nuclear-conventional entanglement in China

Experts increasingly highlight the dangers of nuclear-conventional entanglement, particularly in the U.S.-China context. This article develops a framework for assessing entanglement and its risks. ...
Thermal Conductivities and Interfacial Thermal Conductance of 2D WSe 2

Atomically thin materials like graphene and semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have drawn broad interest in recent years, provoking investigation into multiple properties. In this work, we used the Raman optothermal technique to measure the thermal transport properties of a popular TMDC material WSe2, in the single-atomic layer (1L) form in both suspended and supported form. We implemented more direct measurements of the 1L WSe2 under study, and discovered WSe2’s absorption coefficient from the measurements. In addition, by comparing the response of 1L WSe2 using several kinds of laser spot sizes, we are able to obtain the lateral thermal conductivity of 1L WSe2 and the interfacial thermal conductance to the substrate. For 1L WSe2, the room-temperature thermal conductivity is 36 ± 12 W/(m•K) in supported form and 43 ± 13 W/(m•K) in suspended form. Significantly, the interfacial thermal conductance of 1L WSe2 is determined to be 2.89 ± 0.45 W/(m2•K), a parameter important for thermal management design and modeling of electronic devices.
Creating Online Teaching Resources and Suggesting Mobile Apps in the Time of COVID 19

Libraries and librarians are face many challenges remaining open and providing services during natural disasters and pandemics. Although remote access is now becoming commonplace, that doesn’t guar...
Analysis of the Influential Factors of Students' Understanding of Professional Ethics

The Research to Practice Full Paper focuses on the professional code of ethics which sets a standard for which each member of the profession can be expected to meet. It is a promise to act in a manner that protects the public's well-being. In the workplace, if we use shoddy materials or workmanship on the job, we can jeopardize the safety of others. Therefore, it is essential that all students shall fully understand the professional and ethical responsibility before they graduate for career development.Unfortunately, there is a consistent lack of data measuring students’ capabilities to understand their professional ethics due to the unmeasurable nature of moral reasoning. To address this issue and equip faculty with more tools to enhance students’ comprehension of ethical engineering practice, the present research proposes a quantitative approach to measuring ethical behavior and exploring its contributing factors based on a somewhat long duration (years 2013-2019) of senior exit survey data consisting of more than 1000 survey responses. The senior exit survey questionnaire is made up of a set of questions to gauge the students' self-rated capabilities of student outcomes (e.g., ethical responsibility, communication skills, life-long learning, etc.), collect background information (e.g., admission year, transfer or first-time freshman, etc.) and quantity the level of extracurricular participation (e.g., number of student clubs participated, the amount of engagement for part-time work, etc.).There is a broad range of statistical tools to deal with the multiple categorical responses (1- Poor; 2 – Fair; 3 – Average; 4– Good; 5 – Excellent) to the understanding of professional ethics as implemented in the survey, which includes nominal, ordinal, logit, and probit, and so on. Given the strengths and weaknesses associated with various modeling techniques, the study uses different combinations containing multinomial logit, ordinal logit, and ordinal probit. The multiple combinations are employed for two reasons: First, the comparison of these models is rarely conducted based on the educational data. Second, the common results identified from the different models would lead to reliable findings with more confidence. Distinct data preparation tasks such as data-centering, scaling, outlier identification, and covariate correlation analysis, were used prior to modeling development to ensure result accuracy. The findings illustrate various statically influential factors to enhance students’ professional ethics and therefore shed more insight into faculty who aims at improving student outcomes especially from the fact of ethics and morals.
Host defense mechanisms induce genome instability in an opportunistic fungal pathogen

The ability to generate genetic variation facilitates rapid adaptation in stressful environments. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans frequently undergoes large-scale genomic changes, including aneuploidy and loss-of heterozygosity (LOH), following exposure to physiological stressors and host environments. However, the specific host factors that induce C. albicans genome instability remains largely unknown. Here, we leveraged genetically-tractable nematode hosts to specifically investigate the innate immune components driving host-associated C. albicans genome instability, which include host production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). C. albicans associated with wildtype, immunocompetent hosts carried multiple large-scale genomic changes including LOH, whole chromosome, and segmental aneuploidies. In contrast, C. albicans associated with immunocompromised hosts deficient in AMPs or ROS production had reduced LOH frequencies and fewer, if any, additional genomic changes. We also found that C. albicans cap1{Delta}/{Delta} strains deficient in ROS detoxification, were more susceptible to host-produced ROS genome instability compared to wildtype C. albicans. Further, genomic perturbations resulting from host-produced ROS are mitigated by the addition of antioxidants. Taken together, this work suggests that host-produced ROS and AMPs induces genotypic plasticity in C. albicans which may facilitate rapid adaptation and lead to phenotypic changes.
Heterogeneity in farmers’ willingness to produce bioenergy crops in the Midwest USA

Previous studies indicate that “hesitation” and “skepticism” are important barriers to the development of renewable energy industries in the United States. We examine whether key pecuniary and nonpecuniary characteristics of bioenergy crops underlie the hesitation argument. Based on a stated choice experiment, we find that Midwestern producers appreciate certain crop attributes that are found in switchgrass, but not in conventional crops. We also find that producers would be willing to grow switchgrass-like crops for net margins between 247/acre/year in marginal counties. We argue that farmers’ hesitation and skepticism toward bioenergy crops can be overcome.
Repair of Isolated Native Mitral Valve Endocarditis: A Propensity Matched Study.

In the setting of chronic primary mitral regurgitation, the benefit of mitral valve repair over replacement is well established. However, data comparing outcomes for mitral valve surgery for endocarditis is limited. We sought to determine whether mitral valve repair offers traditional advantages over replacement in the endocarditis population. Retrospective review of our institutional mitral valve database (N = 8,181) was performed between 1998 and 2019 for all adult patients undergoing isolated mitral valve surgery for endocarditis. Patients were stratified by mitral valve repair or replacement and propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics and degree of valve damage. Overall, 267 surgeries (124 repair, 153 replacement) met inclusion criteria during the study period. Following propensity matching, the repair cohort was associated with shorter initial ventilator times (5.6 vs 7.9 hours, p = 0.05), shorter ICU (28 vs 52 hours, p = 0.03), and hospital lengths of stays (7 vs 11 days, p
Anaerobic digestion of corn silage on a commercial scale: differential utilization of its chemical constituents and characterization of the solid digestate.

Abstract The utilization of different chemical constituents of corn silage during industrial-scale anaerobic digestion was determined. Corn silage together with the resulting solid digestate generated during biogas production were collected from an industrial plant during a regular operating period. Moisture, water and ethanol extractives, ash, total nitrogen, starch, cellulose, the monomeric composition of hemicellulose, acid soluble and acid insoluble lignin were measured in both corn silage and corn silage solid digestate. The relative consumption of each component of corn silage during its anaerobic digestion was estimated with reference to acid insoluble lignin. It was assumed that lignin was not digested throughout the process. Starch and large fractions of extractives and acid soluble lignin were digested. In contrast, the digestion of cellulose and particularly hemicellulose were limited (40% and 29% respectively). Of the hemicellulose monomers, xylose was the least digested (20%). The present work shows that the digestate produced by commercial corn-silage anaerobic digestion contains a notable quantity of cell wall polymers. These could potentially be used in biorefinery processes, e.g. ethanol and xylo-oligosaccharide production.
Red blood cell storage in additive solution-7 preserves energy and redox metabolism: a metabolomics approach

BACKGROUND Storage and transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) has a huge medical and economic impact. Routine storage practices can be ameliorated through the implementation of novel additive solutions (ASs) that tackle the accumulation of biochemical and morphologic lesion during routine cold liquid storage in the blood bank, such as the recently introduced alkaline solution AS-7. Here we hypothesize that AS-7 might exert its beneficial effects through metabolic modulation during routine storage. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Apheresis RBCs were resuspended either in control AS-3 or experimental AS-7, before ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis. RESULTS Unambiguous assignment and relative quantitation was achieved for 229 metabolites. AS-3 and AS-7 results in many similar metabolic trends over storage, with AS-7 RBCs being more metabolically active in the first storage week. AS-7 units had faster fueling of the pentose phosphate pathway, higher total glutathione pools, and increased flux through glycolysis as indicated by higher levels of pathway intermediates. Metabolite differences are especially observed at 7 days of storage, but were still maintained throughout 42 days. CONCLUSION AS-7 formulation (chloride free and bicarbonate loading) appears to improve energy and redox metabolism in stored RBCs in the early storage period, and the differences, though diminished, are still appreciable by Day 42. Energy metabolism and free fatty acids should be investigated as potentially important determinants for preservation of RBC structure and function. Future studies will be aimed at identifying metabolites that correlate with in vitro and in vivo circulation times.
Diabetic microangiopathy in KK mice. VI. Effect of glycemic control on renal glycoprotein metabolism and established glomerulosclerosis.

Abstract Twenty-three nonobese KK mice with abnormal tolerance to glucose, hyperinsulinemia with insulin resistance and human diabetic-like nephropathy were treated with either saline (12 mice) or glipizide, an oral hypoglycemic compound, 1 mg/kg, (11 mice) from 120 to 360 days of age. These mice develop significant increases in mesangial volume and matrix by 40 days of age. Oral glucose tolerance (OGTT), glucosyltransferase and N -acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (enzymes involved in synthesis and degradation of kidney glycoproteins, respectively) in the kidney and serum, 24-hr proteinuria, and light microscopy studies of the kidney were performed. Glipizide-treated mice improved their OGTT. There was no difference in body weight; however, a 16% decrease ( P
Chapter 12 mRNA Interferases, Sequence‐Specific Endoribonucleases from the Toxin–Antitoxin Systems

Escherichia coli contains a large number of suicide or toxin genes, whose expression leads to cell growth arrest and eventual cell death. One such toxin, MazF, is an ACA‐specific endoribonuclease, termed “mRNA interferase.” E. coli contains other mRNA interferases with different sequence specificities, which are considered to play important roles in growth regulation under stress conditions, and also in eliminating stress‐damaged cells from a population. Recently, MazF homologues with 5‐base recognition sequences have been identified, for example, those from Mycobacterium tuberculosis . These sequences are significantly underrepresented in the genes for protein families playing a role in the immunity and pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis . An mRNA interferase in Myxococcus xanthus is essential for programmed cell death during fruiting body formation. We propose that mRNA interferases play roles not only in cell growth regulation and programmed cell death, but also in regulation of specific gene expression (either positively or negatively) in bacteria.
ENGINE AND FIELD TEST EVALUATION OF METHANOL AS AN AUTOMOTIVE FUEL

A nine-car fleet test was conducted over a one year period to evaluate liquid and vaporized methanol as internal-combustion engine fuels in retrofitted 2.3-liter L4 gasoline engines. In addition, modified ASTM Sequence V-D engine tests were conducted on selected oil formulations of SF and SF/CC quality to determine their overall performance with methanol. It was found that severe engine upper-cylinder bore wear is likely to occur with current SF and SF/CC-type formulations in vehicles driven in short-trip, stop-and-go urban cycles. Normal engine wear was observed in vehicles driven mostly at highway speeds. The idle time following a cold start, appeared to have a direct effect on engine wear. Liquid and vaporized methanol showed similar results. Engine varnish with either liquid or vaporized methanol, was significantly better than with gasoline.
DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE DISSIPATION FUNCTION OF THE FLOWING SATURATED He II FILM.

We describe here experiments to measure the profile of the chemical potential µ of the saturated liquid He II film as it flows into or out from a cylindrical beaker and show how the results provide a direct measurement of the dissipation function of the system in quantitative agreement with predictions of the thermal fluctuation model of intrinsic dissipation.†
Kinetics and Immunoglobulin Nature of the Antibody Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antibody production after injection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was studied by use of the single cell plaque assay technique. Maximal numbers of antibody-forming cells were found 9 days after a single injection of M. tuberculosis , about 1 day before the appearance of maximal circulating antibody. Immunoelectrophoretic studies and 2-ME studies on 19 S and 7 S globulin fractions obtained by gel filtration show that the hemagglutination and hemagglutination-lysis antibody activity is associated with 19 S immunoglobulin. Images
Analysis of 30 Day Unexpected Readmission Rates in Stroke Patients at an Academic Acute-care Hospital (P5.151)

OBJECTIVE:To analyze etiologies, rates and original discharge-disposition sources of 30 day unexpected hospital readmissions in stroke patients at an academic acute-care hospital. BACKGROUND:A section of the Affordable Care Act established the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program which requires Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services to reduce Medicare payments to hospitals with excess readmissions for certain diagnoses including stroke. This rule could result in financial penalties of up to 3[percnt] for every Medicare beneficiary treated at hospitals including top academic medical centers to small regional ones, thus this study on unexpected stroke readmissions that occur within 30 days of original discharge. DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective study involving 30 (13[percnt]) stroke patients readmitted unexpectedly within 30 days of 230 total stroke discharges over fiscal-year (FY) 2014. Main outcome measure involved comparison of readmission etiologies and readmission rates from all original dispositions. RESULTS:Number/(percent) stroke patients unexpectedly readmitted within 30 days of 230 total discharges in FY 2013, categorized by original discharge disposition: Against-medical-advice 1 of 5/(20[percnt]), home without Home-Health-Care (HHC) 5 of 116/(4.3[percnt]), home with HHC 6 of 30/(20[percnt]), Skilled Nursing Facility(SNF) 16 of 51/(31.3[percnt]), Inpatient Rehabilitation (IR) 0 of 5/(0[percnt]), Long-term care 2 of 7/(28.5[percnt]). Reasons for readmissions: 10/30(33.3[percnt]) cerebrovascular, 7/30(23.3[percnt]) cardiovascular, 6/30(20[percnt]) infections, 2/30(6.7[percnt]) dehydration, other 7/30(23.3[percnt]). Geriatric (>75 years) accounted for 21/30(70[percnt]) of stroke readmissions. CONCLUSIONS:SNFs accounted for the greatest percentage of unexpected stroke patient readmissions occurring within 30 days, while IR accounted for none. Main readmitting causes included cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, infections, and dehydration. 70[percnt] of readmissions were geriatric patients. Study Supported by: None. Disclosure: Dr. Kushner has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kelly has nothing to disclose. Dr. Morrison has nothing to disclose. Dr. Camfield has nothing to disclose.
Brief report: accelerated aging influences cardiovascular disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective To determine whether the impact of aging on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) differs from that in the general population (as estimated by the Framingham Risk Score [FRS]). Methods A population-based inception cohort of Olmsted County, Minnesota residents ages ≥30 years who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria for RA in 1988–2008 was assembled and followed up until death, migration, or July 1, 2012. Data on CVD events were collected by medical records review. The 10-year FRS for CVD was calculated. Cox models adjusted for FRS were used to examine the influence of age on CVD risk. Results The study included 563 patients with RA without prior CVD (mean age 55 years, 72% women, and 69% seropositive [i.e., rheumatoid factor and/or anti–citrullinated protein antibody positive]). During a mean followup of 8.2 years, 98 patients developed CVD (74 seropositive and 24 seronegative), but the FRS predicted only 59.7 events (35.4 seropositive and 24.3 seronegative). The gap between observed and predicted CVD risk increased exponentially across age, and the effect of age on CVD risk in seropositive RA was nearly double its effect in the general population, with additional log(age) coefficients of 2.91 for women (P = 0.002) and 2.06 for men (P = 0.027). Conclusion Our findings indicate that age exerts an exponentially increasing effect on CVD risk in seropositive RA, but no increased effect among seronegative patients. The causes of accelerated aging in patients with seropositive RA deserve further investigation.
Author's Response: Developmental structure in brain evolution

First, we clarify the central nature of our argument: our attempt is to apportion variation in brain size between developmental constraint, system-specific change, and “mosaic” change, underlining the unexpectedly large role of developmental constraint, but making no case for exclusivity. We consider the special cases of unusual hypertrophy of single structures in single species, regressive nervous systems, and the unusually variable cerebellum raised by the commentators. We defend the description of the cortex (or any developmentally-constrained structure) as a potential spandrel, and weigh the implications of the spandrel concept for the course of human evolution. The empirical and statistical objections raised in the commentary of Barton are discussed at length. Finally, we catalogue and comment on the suggestions of new ways to study brain evolution, and new aspects of brain evolution to study.
Functional reconstitution of influenza A M2(22-62).

Amantadine-sensitive selective proton uptake by liposomes is currently the ideal method of demonstrating M2 functionality after reconstitution, validating structural determination of the reconstituted protein such as that carried out using solid state NMR (e.g. with M2 22-62, Sharma et al, this meeting). Under pH and Vm gradients, the truncated construct (which lacked 21 residues at the N-terminus and 35 at the C-terminus) was shown to transport protons at the same rate (21 H+/s at pH 6.5) as a similar construct, M2 (18-60), which elsewhere had been shown to transport similarly to other variants, including the full length protein. 100 μM amantadine was found to reduce transport by ∼80%, and 10 μM amantadine or cyclooctylamine reduced transport by 50%. Transport was optimal at protein densities of 0.05-1.0% (weight peptide of weight protein and lipid). At 10%, transport was reduced, presumably due to density-dependent ion leakage. Reduction of pH to 5.0 increased transport. Rundown of total proton uptake after addition of valinomycin and CCCP, as detected by delaying application of valinomycin, indicate M2-induced K+ flux of <1 K+/s and that permeability (flux/concentration) of M2 22-62 to K+, relative to H+, is <10-7. Transport rate, amantadine and cyclooctylamine sensitivity, acid activation, and H+ selectivity are all consistent with full functionality of the reconstituted protein construct.