cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Finnish university students' knowledge of the health impacts of postponing childbearing, Finland 2011

Introduction: Aging motherhood is an individual but also a public health issue. In Western countries, postponing parenthood is common especially among the highly educated.Objective: The objective was to assess Finnish university students’ knowledge of the effect of age on fertility and age-related health risks for pregnancy and children. The second objective was to examine students’ own estimation of their knowledge about age-related fertility and pregnancy risks.Methods: Data were collected by anonymous questionnaires among university students with a consecutive sampling method in Finnish universities in 2011. Of the 2057 invited students, 67% (n = 1368) participated. Raw and age-stratified cross-tabulations by sex were calculated. Logistic regressions to analyze the relation between knowledge and students’ background characteristics were made, adjusting for other characteristics.Results: 14% of female and 29% of male students did not know that it is more difficult for women aged 35 years to become pregn...
Family Formation and Religious Service Attendance: Untangling Marital and Parental Effects

The positive relationship between family formation and regular weekly religious service attendance is well established, but cross-sectional data make it difficult to be confident that this relationship is causal. Moreover, if the relationship is causal, cross-sectional data make it difficult to disentangle the effects of three distinct family-formation events: marrying, having a child, and having a child who reaches school age. We use three waves of the new General Social Survey panel data to disentangle these separate potential effects. Using random-, fixed-, and hybrid-effect models, we show that, although in cross-section marriage and children predict attendance across individuals, neither leads to increased attendance when looking at individuals who change over time. Having a child who becomes school aged is the only family-formation event that remains associated with increased attendance among individuals who change over time. This suggests that the relationships between marriage and attending and be...
PPU: A Control Error-Tolerant Processor for Streaming Applications with Formal Guarantees

With increasing technology scaling and design complexity there are increasing threats from device and circuit failures. This is expected to worsen with post-CMOS devices. Current error-resilient solutions ensure reliability of circuits through protection mechanisms such as redundancy, error correction, and recovery. However, the costs of these solutions may be high, rendering them impractical. In contrast, error-tolerant solutions allow errors in the computation and are positioned to be suitable for error-tolerant applications such as media applications. For such programmable error-tolerant processors, the Instruction-Set-Architecture (ISA) no longer serves as a specification since it is acceptable for the processor to allow for errors during the execution of instructions. In this work, we address this specification gap by defining the basic requirements needed for an error-tolerant processor to provide acceptable results. Furthermore, we formally define properties that capture these requirements. Based on this, we propose the Partially Protected Uniprocessor (PPU), an error-tolerant processor that aims to meet these requirements with low-cost microarchitectural support. These protection mechanisms convert potentially fatal control errors to potentially tolerable data errors instead of ensuring instruction-level or byte-level correctness. The protection mechanisms in PPU protect the system against crashes, unresponsiveness, and external device corruption. In addition, they also provide support for achieving acceptable result quality. Additionally, we provide a methodology that formally proves the specification properties on PPU using model checking. This methodology uses models for the hardware and software that are integrated with the fault and recovery models. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the results of model checking and the application-level quality of results for PPU.
Malignant external otitis: The shifting treatment paradigm

Abstract Importance Malignant external otitis (MEO) is an aggressive infection occurring in immunocompromised hosts. Increasing antimicrobial resistance is making the disease more difficult to treat. Objective Determine if there has been a shift in the microbiology and outcomes of MEO. Design A retrospective case series at a tertiary care institution. Setting Inpatient and outpatient tertiary care hospital. Participants 12 cases of recent MEO were reviewed. Main Outcomes and measures The primary outcome was progression of disease. Secondary outcomes were drug resistance and complications of MEO. Results Only 4 patients were cured of MEO. Four patients expired during the study period and at least one of these deaths was a direct result of the MEO. 7 patients developed Cranial nerve palsies, and 3 patients developed abscesses. Conclusions Select cases of MEO now require multi-drug and long-term parenteral antibiotic therapy with extended hospital stays.
Why "Some" Like It Hot Too: Thermal Attack on Data Centers

A trend in modern data centers is to raise the temperature and maintain all servers in a relatively hot environment. While this can save on cooling costs given benign workloads running in servers, the hot environment increases the risk of cooling failure. In this work, we introduce the security concept of thermal attack on a data center that exploits thermal-intensive workloads to severely worsen the thermal conditions in the data center. To unveil the vulnerability of a data center to thermal attacks, we conduct thermal measurements and propose effective thermal attack vectors. To evaluate the impacts of thermal attacks inside a data center, we simulate datacenter-level thermal attacks using a real-world data center trace. Our evaluation demonstrates that thermal attacks can cause local hotspots, and even worse lead to cooling failures.
Maximal operation time estimation for modular and self-reconfigurable robots with output current constraints

A key problem in modular and self-reconfigurable robot power sharing research is that of estimating the globally maximal operation time (MOT) of a system of connected modules that share power with one another, as this information is vital to determining resource allocation in power sharing schemes. Existing MOT estimation algorithms do not consider the effect that output current constraints at each module — i.e., the fact that each module can only share a certain amount of power with other modules — have on the estimation of MOT information. This paper proposes both centralized and distributed algorithms for estimating the MOT of systems of connected modular and/or self-reconfigurable robots in which each robot module is subject to constraints on the amount of electrical current it can output. These algorithms are based on a transformation of the power sharing problem (with output current limits) to a minimum-cost flow problem, for which efficient algorithms exist. The proposed algorithms are validated in large-scale simulations to demonstrate their correctness, feasibility, and scalability.
Anesthetic Considerations with Robotic Surgery

A robot-assisted urologic procedure requires the patient to be anesthetized and then placed in a specific position that enables the particular operation. After this, an internal working space is created inside the patient by insufflating carbon dioxide. In addition, the patient is physically tethered to the robot via the docking sites and then the actual procedure takes place. This scenario creates expected and occasionally unexpected physiologic challenges that inform the anesthetic approach above and beyond the usual considerations. This chapter tackles the unique intersection of the patient, the anesthetic and robot-assisted urologic procedures.
Verbal Context and Retrieval from Children’s Memory for Words

School children in Grades 6 and 9 were required to provide words in prose passages to complete short sentences. A day later the Ss attempted to recall the words they had provided. Accuracy of recall was increased by provision of the original passages, apparently because the passages functioned as retrial cues. There was little difference in accuracy of recall between Ss in the different grades.
Phenology of brown marmorated stink bug described using female reproductive development.

Temperature-based degree-day models describe insect seasonality and to predict key phenological events. We expand on the use of a temperature-based process defining timing of reproduction through the incorporation of female reproductive physiology for the invasive pentatomid species Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug. A five-stage ranking system based on ovary development was able to distinguish between the reproductive statuses of field-collected females. Application of this ranking method described aspects of H. halys' seasonality, overwintering biology, and phenology across geographic locations. Female H. halys were collected in the US from NJ, WV, NC, OR, and two sites in PA in 2006-2008 (Allentown, PA only) and 2012-2014. Results identify that H. halys enters reproductive diapause in temperate locations in the fall and that a delay occurs in developmental maturity after diapause termination in the spring. Modification of the Snyder method to identify biofix determined 12.7-hr photoperiod as the best fit to define initiation of reproduction in the spring. Applying the biofix, we demonstrated significant differences between locations for the rate at which the overwintering generation transition into reproductive status and the factors contributing to this difference require further study. For example, after including abiotic variables influencing development such as temperature and photoperiod (critical diapause cue), reproduction occurred earlier in OR and for an extended period in NJ. This data describe a method to investigate insect seasonality by incorporating physiological development across multiple regions that can clarify phenology for insects with overlapping generations.
Commercially available gluten-free pastas elevate postprandial glycemia in comparison to conventional wheat pasta in healthy adults: a double-blind randomized crossover trial

Given the popularity of gluten-free diets, research regarding the health implications of gluten-free (GF) products is necessary. This study compared the postprandial glycemic responses to three GF pastas commonly available in the U.S. market to that of wheat pasta in healthy adults. Thirteen healthy non-smoking men and women from a university campus population were enrolled in this randomized 4 × 4 block crossover study and completed all four treatments. Participants followed a standardized diet and activity protocol the day prior to testing, and one week separated testing periods. The test meal (a macaroni and cheese dish prepared with conventional wheat pasta or with GF pasta composed of either brown rice, rice and corn, or corn and quinoa flours) was consumed under observation, and blood was sampled in the fasted state and at one-half hour intervals for the first 2 hours following meal ingestion. A significant pasta × time interaction was observed for the incremental postprandial glycemia curves (p = 0.036, repeated measures ANOVA; effect size [partial eta squared], 0.943). Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant difference for the 30-minute postprandial blood glucose concentrations: the plasma glucose concentration was 57% higher for the GF rice and corn pasta compared to traditional wheat pasta (p = 0.011). Since postprandial glycemia was higher for GF pasta composed of rice and corn flours compared to wheat pasta, more research is needed to understand how the substitute ingredients for GF pastas impact health parameters and disease risk.
Binding energies of hydrated cobalt hydroxide ion complexes: A guided ion beam and theoretical investigation

The sequential bond energies of CoOH+(H2O)x complexes, where x = 1-4, are measured by threshold collision-induced dissociation using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. The primary dissociation pathway for all reactants consists of loss of a single water molecule. This is followed by the sequential loss of additional water molecules at higher collision energies for the x = 2-4 complexes, whereas the x = 1 reactant loses the OH ligand competitively with the H2O ligand. The kinetic energy dependent cross sections for dissociation of CoOH+(H2O)x complexes are modeled to obtain 0 and 298 K binding energies. Our experimental results agree well with theoretically determined bond dissociation energies (BDEs) at the B3LYP, B3LYP-GD3BJ, B3P86, and MP2(full) levels of theory with a 6-311+G(2d,2p) basis set using geometries and vibrational frequencies determined at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. Thermochemical information for the loss of OH from CoOH+(H2O)x where x = 0-4 is also derived by combining the present experimental HO-Co+(H2O) and water loss BDEs from CoOH+(H2O)x with those for Co+(H2O)y from the literature. These BDEs are also compared to theory with mixed results.
Smartphone-Based Vehicular Tire Pressure and Condition Monitoring

Proper tire maintenance is key to the safe and efficient operation of vehicles. Without frequent inspection, pressure can drop and tread can wear down, increasing drag and reducing traction. While modern cars make use of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), these systems may only identify differential changes in pressure and older vehicles lack sensing entirely. To address this problem, we applied mobile phone accelerometer and GPS data to calculate predicted and true wheel rotational frequencies, and therefore infer tire circumference and related pressure or tread depth. Through tree-based classification, we were able to identify from among five tire states with 20% increases or decreases in tire pressure with 80% accuracy using only a mobile phone. The models demonstrated are robust to road surface and the main differentiating element, the GPS/accelerometer velocity ratio, has proven generalizable across vehicle makes, models, and tire sizes.
The Use of Electron-Microscopy in the Controversy of Renal Adenoma Versus Carcinoma

The debate as to whether or not renal adenomas are benign or malignant tumors is of great academic and epidemiological importance. Within Bennington and Beckwith’s Tumor Fascicle on Kidney, Renal Pelvis, and Ureter (1), it is stated (and these authors concur) that the so-called renal adenomas are more frequent than renal adenocarcinomas. They believe, as we do, that renal adenoma is a small carcinoma and that whatever the etiological agents, it is through this evolutionary stage that renal adenocarcinomas develop. Unfortunately, in terms of time sequence, the surgical pathologists see these tumors as slow-growing. One may expect that with increased longevity in our growing geriatric age group, the incidence of clinically apparent renal adenocarcinomas will increase and the earlier diagnosis of these small cortical glandular tumors will become more important.
Role of retinal vascular endothelial cells in development of CMV retinitis.

Abstract PURPOSE: Although cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is known to occur in association with retinal microangiopathy in individuals with marked immunodeficiency, glial cells are believed to be the initial target cells in the development of retinitis. Moreover, it has been hypothesized that CMV gains access to the retinal glia because of altered vascular permeability. In an attempt to address the hypothesis, we studied 30 autopsy eyes of AIDS patients with systemic CMV infection, with or without clinically apparent CMV retinitis. METHODS: The autopsy eyes were processed in three ways. First, dual immunohistochemical studies were done by using anti-CMV antibodies for immediate early, early, and late antigens. The retinal cell types infected with the virus were then determined by using anti-GFAP, anti-VonWillebrand's factor, neuronal specific enolase, and leukocyte marker CD68. Second, selected eyes were processed for in situ hybridization with DNA probe specific to CMV. Third, an eye with clinically apparent CMV retinitis was submitted for electron microscopic examination. RESULTS: At the site of retinal necrosis in those eyes with a clinical diagnosis of CMV retinitis, the immunohistochemical, in situ hybridization, and ultrastructural examinations revealed that CMV was present primarily in the Muller cells and in perivascular glial cells. Adjacent to these infected cells, focal areas of positive staining for CMV antigen were seen in the glial cells, neuronal cells, and retinal pigment epithelial cells. At these sites most of the retinal capillaries were devoid of endothelial cells. Few vessels located at the advancing margin of retinal necrosis showed the presence of viral proteins in the endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that retinal vascular endothelial cells could be the initial target in the development of viral retinitis, with subsequent spread of the infection to perivascular glia, Muller cells, and other retinal cells, including the retinal pigment epithelium.
Safety-net institutions in the US grapple with new cholesterol treatment guidelines: a qualitative analysis from the PHoENIX Network.

Background Clinical performance measures, such as for cholesterol control targets, have played an integral role in assessing the value of care and translating evidence into clinical practice. New guidelines often require development of corresponding performance metrics and systems changes that can be especially challenging in safety-net health care institutions. Understanding how public health care institutions respond to changing practice guidelines may be critical to informing how we adopt evolving evidence in clinical settings that care for the most vulnerable populations. Methods We conducted six focus groups with representatives of California's 21 public hospital systems to examine their reactions to the recent 2013 cholesterol treatment guideline. Results Participants reported a sense of confusion and lack of direction in implementing the new guideline. They cited organizational and data infrastructural inadequacies that made implementation of the new guidelines impractical in their clinical settings. Conclusion Adopting new performance measures to align with evolving cholesterol guidelines is a complex process that may work at odds with existing quality improvement priorities. Current efforts to translate evidence into practice may rely too much on performance measures and not enough on building capacity or support for innovative efforts to meet the goals of guidelines.
Infectious Mechanisms Regulating Susceptibility to Acute Exacerbations of COPD

Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) are defined by clinical criteria, outlined in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines [1]. These include an acute increase in one or more of the following cardinal symptoms, beyond day to day variability: dyspnea, increased frequency or severity of cough and increased volume or change in character of sputum, which represent an acute increase in airway inflammation. The role of infection in the pathogenesis of COPD, acute exacerbation and disease progression has been a clinical and research question for many years, and the pendulum has swung from infection as a major cause of acute exacerbation and COPD (British Hypothesis) [2], to infection as an unrelated epiphomenon in acute exacerbation [3–5], and back again to infection as integral in the development of AECOPD and likely an important contributor to COPD progression [6–19]. Upwards of 80 % of AECOPD are driven by infectious stimuli, with 40–50 % associated with bacterial infection and 30–50 % associated with acute viral infection, with some exacerbations having dual bacterial and viral causation [20]. Much of the advancement in our understanding of the role of infection is AECOPD is due to the advancement of clinical and research tools that have allowed researchers to accurately characterize the microbial pathogens, and better understand the host-pathogen interactions (Table 1).
Grounded in the Reality of their Lives: Listening to Teens Who Made the Abortion Decision Without Involving their Parents

Interdisciplinary in nature, this article presents the findings of a research study focusing on the decision making process of young women who choose to have an abortion without involving their parents. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, the article allows teens to be heard within the context of their own life circumstances. The stories they tell reflect the complexity of their lives, and the depth of their feelings about becoming pregnant, the decision to abort, and their families. The article examines the complex and multi-dimensional reasoning abilities of these young women, and the weight and meaning of their decision not to disclose their pregnancy and abortion plans to a parent. The interviews are situated within a broader legal context, and provide a rich counter-narrative to the Court's limited representation of adolescent reality in the minors' abortion rights cases. The article questions the Court's construction of this reality, and challenges its assumption that young women facing an unplanned pregnancy are incapable of making their own reproductive decisions. Raising further questions about the Court's insistence upon the need for adult involvement in the decision-making process, the article also examines the medical decision-making rights of teens, most notably with respect to pregnancy, and research on the cognitive decision making abilities of adolescents.
Dynamics of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production in Aqueous Dispersions of Monolayer-Rich Tungsten Disulfide

Two-dimensional tungsten disulfide (WS2) is an emerging semiconducting photocatalyst featuring high optical absorption, carrier mobility, and catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution. While characterization of its optical and electrocatalytic properties has advanced, less is known about its ultrafast carrier dynamics and intrinsic photocatalytic activity in aqueous systems producing hydrogen. This work removed extraneous variables often found in photoelectrochemical systems, thereby allowing the intrinsic proton reduction rate for monolayer-rich WS2 nanosheets to be estimated via transient absorption lifetimes and a developed kinetic scheme. Addition of a hole scavenger, ascorbic acid (AA), resulted in a 3-fold increase in carrier lifetimes following photoexcitation. Longer electron lifetimes with AA yielded a 14-fold increase in hydrogen production. An intrinsic proton reduction rate constant was extracted that may be extended to any photoelectrochemical or electrochemical hydrogen evolution scheme i...
Friedman on suspended judgment

In a recent series of papers, Jane Friedman argues that suspended judgment is a sui generis first-order attitude, with a question (rather than a proposition) as its content. In this paper, I offer a critique of Friedman’s project. I begin by responding to her arguments against reductive higher-order propositional accounts of suspended judgment, and thus undercut the negative case for her own view. Further, I raise worries about the details of her positive account, and in particular about her claim that one suspends judgment about some matter if and only if one inquires into this matter. Subsequently, I use conclusions drawn from the preceding discussion to offer a tentative account: S suspends judgment about p iff (i) S believes that she neither believes nor disbelieves that p, (ii) S neither believes nor disbelieves that p, and (iii) S intends to judge that p or not-p.
$4 \times 600$ Gb/s Photonic IC Transmitter and Receiver Modules

InP-based $4\times 600$ Gb/s capable coherent transmitter and receiver assemblies with hybrid integrated SiGe drivers operate at 66GBd, 64QAM over a 200km link. Additionally, a fully packaged pair of modules with real-time DSP ASIC operates error free at 600Gb/s with 69GBd, DP-64QAM.
Life-cycle energy and climate benefits of energy recovery from wastes and biomass residues in the United States

Agricultural and forestry residues, animal manure and municipal solid waste are replenishable and widely available. However, harnessing these heterogeneous and diffuse resources for energy requires a holistic assessment of alternative conversion pathways, taking into account spatial factors. Here, we analyse, from a life-cycle assessment perspective, the potential renewable energy production, net energy gain and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction for each distinct type of waste feedstock under different conversion technology pathways. The utilization of all available wastes and residues in the contiguous United States can generate 3.1–3.8 exajoules (EJ) of renewable energy, but only deliver 2.4–3.2 EJ of net energy gain, and displace 103–178 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent GHG emissions. For any given waste feedstock, looking across all US counties where it is available, except in rare instances, no single conversion pathway simultaneously maximizes renewable energy production, net energy gain and GHG mitigation. Maximizing energy gain and minimizing life-cycle emissions from wastes and biomass residues requires a holistic assessment of alternative energy recovery pathways. Liu and Rajagopal estimate that the United States can generate up to 3.2 EJ of net energy and reduce up to 178 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent GHG emissions from 29 different waste streams combined.
Discussion III: The Diffuse Interstellar Bands — Are They Carried by PAH’s?

Jura: Yesterday, we heard from van der Zwet arguments that the diffuse interstellar bands are carried by PAH’s. Today, I would like to express some reservations about this idea. First, with the excellent CCD optical obsrevations of the diffuse interstellar bands presented here by the Leiden group, it seems that there is a moderately good correlation between the equivalent width of the feature at 5780 A and the amount of dust measured by E(B-V). That is, while there is a scatter by about a factor of 2 in this ratio, the results from Leiden indicate that for reddened stars with E(B-V) up to 3.0, Wλ(5780 A)/E(B-V) ∼ 200 mA/mag. In a very different sample of stars, those with E(B-V) < 0.1 mag, a factor of 30 less dust, both Meyer (1983, Ap. J. Letters, 266, L51) and Federman, Kumar and van den Bout (1984, Ap. J., 282, 485) find that Wλ(5780 A)/E(B-V) = 300 mA/mag. Therefore, over a very wide range of physical conditions, there is probably better than a factor of two correlation between the amount of dust and the concentration of the carrier of the diffuse band. This is empirical evidence against the idea that the bands are carried either by a netural or ionized PAH, because we would might expect a fairly wide variation in the amount of any relatively minor molecule within the interstellar medium.
Efficient engraftment of pluripotent stem cell-derived myogenic progenitors in a novel immunodeficient mouse model of limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2I

Defects in α-dystroglycan (DG) glycosylation characterize a group of muscular dystrophies known as dystroglycanopathies. One of the key effectors in the α-DG glycosylation pathway is the glycosyltransferase fukutin-related protein (FKRP). Mutations in FKRP lead to a large spectrum of muscular dystrophies, including limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2I (LGMD2I). It remains unknown whether stem cell transplantation can promote muscle regeneration and ameliorate the muscle wasting phenotype associated with FKRP mutations. Here we transplanted murine and human pluripotent stem cell-derived myogenic progenitors into a novel immunodeficient FKRP-mutant mouse model by intra-muscular injection. Upon both mouse and human cell transplantation, we observe the presence of donor-derived myofibers even in absence of pre-injury, and the rescue of α-DG functional glycosylation, as shown by IIH6 immunoreactivity. The presence of donor-derived cells expressing Pax7 under the basal lamina is indicative of satellite cell engraftment, and therefore, long-term repopulation potential. Functional assays performed in the mouse-to-mouse cohort revealed enhanced specific force in transplanted muscles compared to PBS-injected controls. Altogether, our data demonstrate for the first time the suitability of a cell-based therapeutic approach to improve the muscle phenotype of dystrophic FKRP-mutant mice.
Using the social justice scale with business students: Findings and recommendations

Incorporating social justice (SJ) in business education is gaining attention amid criticism arguing that business school curricula remain too narrowly focused on maximizing profits and shareholder ...
CoachMS, an innovative closed-loop, interdisciplinary platform to monitor and proactively treat MS symptoms: A pilot study.

BackgroundThere are numerous challenges to treating co-occurring symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS).ObjectiveTo pilot the feasibility of a novel symptom management platform, CoachMS, to monitor MS...
Rotavirus as an Expression Platform of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein

Abstract Rotavirus, a segmented double-stranded RNA virus, is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in young children. The introduction of live oral rotavirus vaccines has reduced the incidence of rotavirus disease in many countries. To explore the possibility of establishing a combined rotavirus-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we generated recombinant (r)SA11 rotaviruses with modified segment 7 RNAs that contained coding sequences for NSP3 and FLAG-tagged portions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. A 2A translational element was used to drive separate expression of NSP3 and the S product. rSA11 viruses were recovered that encoded the S-protein S1 fragment, N-terminal domain (NTD), receptor-binding domain (RBD), extended receptor-binding domain (ExRBD), and S2 core (CR) domain (rSA11/NSP3-fS1, -fNTD, -fRBD, -fExRBD, and -fCR, respectively). Generation of rSA11/fS1 required a foreign-sequence insertion of 2.2-kbp, the largest such insertion yet made into the rotavirus genome. Based on isopycnic centrifugation, rSA11 containing S sequences were denser than wildtype virus, confirming the capacity of the rotavirus to accommodate larger genomes. Immunoblotting showed that rSA11/-fNTD, -fRBD, -fExRBD, and -fCR viruses expressed S products of expected size, with fExRBD expressed at highest levels. These rSA11 viruses were genetically stable during serial passage. In contrast, rSA11/NSP3-fS1 failed to express its expected 80-kDa fS1 product, for unexplained reasons. Moreover, rSA11/NSP3-fS1 was genetically unstable, with variants lacking the S1 insertion appearing during serial passage. Nonetheless, these results emphasize the potential usefulness of rotavirus vaccines as expression vectors of portions of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein (e.g., NTD, RBD, ExRBD, and CR) with sizes smaller than the S1 fragment. Importance Among the vaccines administered to children in the US and many other countries are those targeting rotavirus, a segmented double-stranded RNA virus that is a major cause of severe gastroenteritis. In this study, we have examined the feasibility of modifying the rotavirus genome by reverse genetics, such that the virus could serve as an expression vector of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Results were obtained showing that recombinant rotaviruses can be generated that express domains of the SARS CoV-2 spike protein, including the receptor-binding domain (RBD), a common target of neutralizing antibodies produced in individuals infected by the virus. Our findings raise the possibility of creating a combined rotavirus-COVID-19 vaccine that could be used in place of current rotavirus vaccines.
Distal Iliotibial Band Z-lengthening for Iliotibial Band Syndrome:

Background:This technique video reviews an iliotibial band Z-lengthening procedure for iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome using a patient case example.Indications:Indications for considering surgical i...
How Washington Uses the Power of the Purse to Bribe and Control State and Local Governments

Through over 1,100 programs, the federal government provides one-fourth of all revenue spent by state and local governments. This creates a dependency upon the federal government, requires local and state governments to conform with federal policies and priorities, and perpetuates demands for continued deficit spending. Although state and local governments typically have balanced budget requirements, they expand their programs and spending by taking advantage of the lack of a federal balanced budget requirement.
Fluorescence imaging preparation methods for tissue scaffolds implanted into a green fluorescent protein porcine model

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) animal models have become increasingly popular due to their potential to enhance in vivo imaging and their application to many fields of study. We have developed a technique to observe host tissue integration into scaffolds using GFP expressing swine and fluorescence imaging. Current fluorescence imaging preparation methods cannot be translated to a full GFP animal model due to several challenges and limitations that are investigated here. We have implanted tissue scaffolds into GFP expressing swine and have prepared explanted scaffolds for fluorescence imaging using four different methods including formalin fixation and paraffin embedding, vapor fixation, freshly prepared paraformaldehyde fixation, and fresh frozen tissue. Explanted scaffolds and tissue were imaged using confocal microscopy with spectral separation to evaluate the GFP animal model for visualization of host tissue integration into explanted scaffolds. All methods except fresh frozen tissue induced autofluorescence of the scaffold, preventing visualization of detail between host tissue and scaffold fibers. Fresh frozen tissue preparation allowed for the most reliable visualization of fluorescent host tissue integration into non-fluorescent scaffolds. It was concluded that fresh frozen tissue preparation is the best method for fluorescence imaging preparation when using scaffolds implanted into GFP whole animal models.
The mechanism of replication of phi X174 single-stranded DNA. 3. An enzymic study of the structure of the replicative form II DNA.

Abstract There are two well-characterized varieties of the intracellular double-stranded φX replicative form (RF) DNA: RFI, a superhelix, and RFII, a circular duplex at least one strand of which is not covalently continuous. During normal φX replication similar amounts of RFI and RFII are usually found. RFII isolated from φX-infected cells is not efficiently converted to RFI by polynucleotide ligase unless the RF is isolated at the restrictive temperature from an Escherichia coli mutant which has a temperature-sensitive ligase (Pauling & Hamm, 1969a; Modrich & Lehman, personal communication). Newly synthesized RFII and RFII isolated from a bacterial mutant deficient for the in vitro activity of DNA polymerase (De Lucia & Cairns, 1969) can be efficiently converted to RFI by the combined action of ligase and T4 DNA polymerase; RFII isolated according to other regimes is not so effectively converted to RFI. RFII isolated under any conditions tested is readily converted to RFI by ligase plus E. coli DNA polymerase. These observations, together with others, suggest that RFII is first synthesized as a molecule with a gap in one strand bounded by a 5′-phosphate and a 3′-hydroxyl. Intracellularly, it may be converted to RFI by the action first of E. coli DNA polymerase then of polynucleotide ligase. However, the action of the polymerase on the RFII leaves part in a form that cannot be converted in vitro to RFI by ligase, by ligase plus T4 DNA polymerase, or by ligase plus polynucleotide kinase. This form probably has a short tail because simultaneous exposure to E. coli exonuclease III and ligase will enhance the amount of RFII converted to RFI by ligase.
Improving Soil Quality

Abstract Future advancements in crop production will rely on increased understanding of ecological principles that control interactions among cropping system components. Our interest in linking soil quality and weed management derives from the belief that greater understanding of key processes and properties that define soil-weed relationships will lead to the design of agroecosystems with greater capacity and opportunity to suppress weeds. We identified seed-bank persistence, seedling establishment, and interspecific interference as key processes that affect annual weed population dynamics. We then examined how soil processes and properties can affect each of these factors and how, in turn, soil-improving management practices and cropping system design may affect weed dynamics. We established weed-related soil management objectives as: (i) reducing the persistence of seeds in the soil; (ii) reducing the abundance of safe-sites for weed establishment and the filling of available sites; and (iii) reducing ...
The spatial biology of transcription and translation in rapidly growing Escherichia coli

Single-molecule fluorescence provides high resolution spatial distributions of ribosomes and RNA polymerase (RNAP) in live, rapidly growing Escherichia coli. Ribosomes are more strongly segregated from the nucleoids (chromosomal DNA) than previous widefield fluorescence studies suggested. While most transcription may be co-translational, the evidence indicates that most translation occurs on free mRNA copies that have diffused from the nucleoids to a ribosome-rich region. Analysis of time-resolved images of the nucleoid spatial distribution after treatment with the transcription-halting drug rifampicin and the translation-halting drug chloramphenicol shows that both drugs cause nucleoid contraction on the 0-3 min timescale. This is consistent with the transertion hypothesis. We suggest that the longer-term (20-30 min) nucleoid expansion after Rif treatment arises from conversion of 70S-polysomes to 30S and 50S subunits, which readily penetrate the nucleoids. Monte Carlo simulations of a polymer bead model built to mimic the chromosomal DNA and ribosomes (either 70S-polysomes or 30S and 50S subunits) explain spatial segregation or mixing of ribosomes and nucleoids in terms of excluded volume and entropic effects alone. A comprehensive model of the transcription-translation-transertion system incorporates this new information about the spatial organization of the E. coli cytoplasm. We propose that transertion, which radially expands the nucleoids, is essential for recycling of 30S and 50S subunits from ribosome-rich regions back into the nucleoids. There they initiate co-transcriptional translation, which is an important mechanism for maintaining RNAP forward progress and protecting the nascent mRNA chain. Segregation of 70S-polysomes from the nucleoid may facilitate rapid growth by shortening the search time for ribosomes to find free mRNA concentrated outside the nucleoid and the search time for RNAP concentrated within the nucleoid to find transcription initiation sites.
MINNESOTA DAKOTA DIASPORA

In the early Nineteenth Century, the Sioux had divided into three sub-divisions– the Dakota, the Nakota, and the Lakota. The Dakota occupied most of the territory now known as the state of Minnesota. During that century, through a variety of legal and illegal means, the Dakota lost the overwhelming majority of their land and were legally banished from Minnesota by federal law. This manuscript describes the process by which they lost not only their land but their right to live in Minnesota.
Association of transcription factor IIA with TATA binding protein is required for transcriptional activation of a subset of promoters and cell cycle progression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The general transcription factor IIA (TFIIA) interacts with the TATA binding protein (TBP) and promoter DNA to mediate transcription activation in vitro. To determine if this interaction is generally required for activation of all class II genes in vivo, we have constructed substitution mutations in yeast TFIIA which compromise its ability to bind TBP. Substitution mutations in the small subunit of TFIIA (Toa2) at residue Y69 or W76 significantly impaired the ability of TFIIA to stimulate TBP-promoter binding in vitro. Gene replacement of wild-type TOA2 with a W76E or Y69A/W76A mutant was lethal in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while the Y69F/W76F mutant exhibited extremely slow growth at 30°C. Both the Y69A and W76A mutants were conditionally lethal at higher temperatures. Light microscopy indicated that viable toa2 mutant strains accumulate as equal-size dumbbells and multibudded clumps. Transcription of the cell cycle-regulatory genes CLB1, CLB2, CLN1, and CTS1 was significantly reduced in the toa2 mutant strains, while the noncycling genes PMA1 and ENO2 were only modestly affected, suggesting that these toa2 mutant alleles disrupt cell cycle progression. The differential effect of these toa2 mutants on gene transcription was examined for a number of other genes. toa2 mutant strains supported high levels of CUP1, PHO5, TRP3, and GAL1 gene activation, but the constitutive expression of DED1 was significantly reduced. Activator-induced start site expression for HIS3, GAL80, URA1, and URA3 promoters was defective in toa2 mutant strains, suggesting that the TFIIA-TBP complex is important for promoters which require an activator-dependent start site selection from constitutive to regulated expression. We present evidence to indicate that transcription defects in toa2 mutants can be both activator and promoter dependent. These results suggest that the association of TFIIA with TBP regulates activator-induced start site selection and cell cycle progression in S. cerevisiae.
Predicting Bird Community Changes to Invasion of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Kentucky

Abstract Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid [HWA]) is rapidly spreading across Kentucky, yet the potential effects on bird communities of the region are not known. We surveyed birds in Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) and other forest types across the Appalachian mountain region of Kentucky during the early stages of infestation when HWA was absent from most sites. Based on associations between birds and forest types, we identified 4 bird species likely to be negatively affected by Eastern Hemlock decline. For one of these species, Setophaga virens (Black-throated Green Warbler), we used landscape metrics of forest composition to make predictions about the density of Eastern Hemlock necessary for persistence. This type of information can help managers establish control strategies for HWA.
Wicked Wisdoms: Illuminations of Conceptual Capacities among Local Leaders of the Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states. Traveling unfettered for more than 600 before its confluence with the Missouri River, the river and its basin support wide ranging natural resource based economic activities, including mining, oil and gas production, extensive wildlife habitat, ranching, farming and tourism. In 1997, various state and federal entities began an initiative to develop and implement holistic management plans for the river corridor. This study, which analyses data gathered from 68 interviews with civic leaders working in jurisdictions all along the river corridor, endeavors to understand how these officials comprehend the complex interaction of scientific, technical, political, social and economic variables, the wicked problems that characterize management efforts along the river. The study also seeks to develop a clearer understanding of how these leaders conceptualize their roles amid such complexities. Using a phenomenological interpretation, the findings reveal that local leaders have and recognize their own capacity to understand and deal with wicked problems. The article concludes with preliminary suggestions of how this capacity might contribute to capacity of these officials and their communities' to engage in collaborative or participatory management efforts. Key words: Yellowstone River; holistic management plans; river corridor
Self-reported abuse history and adolescent problem behaviors. II. Alcohol and drug use.

Abstract Purpose: We examined the associations of self-reported abuse and sexual molestation with self-reported alcohol and drug use in a general population of adolescents. Methods: We used a stratified cluster sampling procedure with replacement to sample 4790 students in Washington State public schools in Grades 8, 10, and 12. Students were asked whether they had ever been abused by an adult and whether they had ever been sexually molested. They were also asked about their levels of alcohol and drug use and about early initiation of substance use. We conducted polytomous logistic regressions, controlling for gender and grade, using Software for the Statistical Analysis of Correlated Data (SUDAAN). Results: We identified associations between reported abuse history and alcohol and drug use in adolescence and early initiation of substance use. The associations between reported abuse history and alcohol use were stronger at younger ages. The strongest association was between combined abuse and molestation, and relatively severe (heavy) drinking by eighth graders (odds ratio, 7.9; 95% confidence interval, 2.6–17.4). For drug use, the associations with reported abuse history were slightly stronger at higher levels of severity and for combined abuse and molestation compared to nonsexual abuse. For early initiation, the associations with abuse history were stronger for combined abuse and molestation than for nonsexual abuse or molestation alone, and stronger for marijuana use/regular drinking than for alcohol/cigarette experimentation. For example, adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (in parentheses) for combined abuse and molestation were 3.5 (2.8–4.5) for alcohol/cigarette experimentation and 12.2 (6.3–23.6) for marijuana use/regular drinking by age 10. For abuse alone, these figures were 2.5 (2.0–3.1) and 4.7 (3.0–7.3), respectively. Conclusion: Efforts to reduce substance use and abuse in adolescence, particularly heavy use and use early in adolescence, should consider the possible role of a history of maltreatment.
The Cargo Cult and the Protestant Ethic as Conflicting Ideologies: Implications for Education.

As a prolonged endeavor, education has been ideologically justified in American society by the certainty of the Protestant ethic, in terms of rewards for adherence and punishment for deviation. That certainty is increasingly challenged by contemporary culture's numerous celebrations of cataclysmic reward of inherent endowment, cunning, speculative choice, and fortuitous circumstances. In essence, a nascent cargo cult ideology posits as an alternative to the certainty of the Protestant ethic, the indetermination of good fortune. This paper seeks to distinguish the Protestant ethic and cargo oult as competing ideologies, how each articulates to the organization of formal education and its presumptions, and some implications of their contention for education.
REFLECTIONS ON METHOD

This essay is written by one who has traveled a little distance along pedagogical highways and is intended for those who have just set out on the same journey. It is hoped that the few guide-posts established will help direct younger wayfarers. Others more advanced on the route will agree with the conclusions here set forth or at least with some of them. Teachers whose aim in the classroom is to cover the ground outlined in a textbook may find some profit in the point of view here presented. I am sure all will attest the fact that Pascal is right when he says: “Il y a bien des gens qui voient le vrai et qui n'y peuvent atteindre.”