cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonnative SOD1 trimer is toxic to motor neurons in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Since the linking of mutations in the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase gene (sod1) to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1993, researchers have sought the connection between SOD1 and motor neuron death. Disease-linked mutations tend to destabilize the native dimeric structure of SOD1, and plaques containing misfolded and aggregated SOD1 have been found in the motor neurons of patients with ALS. Despite advances in understanding of ALS disease progression and SOD1 folding and stability, cytotoxic species and mechanisms remain unknown, greatly impeding the search for and design of therapeutic interventions. Here, we definitively link cytotoxicity associated with SOD1 aggregation in ALS to a nonnative trimeric SOD1 species. We develop methodology for the incorporation of low-resolution experimental data into simulations toward the structural modeling of metastable, multidomain aggregation intermediates. We apply this methodology to derive the structure of a SOD1 trimer, which we validate in vitro and in hybridized motor neurons. We show that SOD1 mutants designed to promote trimerization increase cell death. Further, we demonstrate that the cytotoxicity of the designed mutants correlates with trimer stability, providing a direct link between the presence of misfolded oligomers and neuron death. Identification of cytotoxic species is the first and critical step in elucidating the molecular etiology of ALS, and the ability to manipulate formation of these species will provide an avenue for the development of future therapeutic strategies.
Overview: Models of HIV-1 Infection and Neurotoxicity in the Human Fetal Nervous System

HIV infection of the nervous system is responsible for the clinical subcortical dementia in adult AIDS patients1 and for the analogous progressive encephalopathy in children with AIDS.2 Neuropathological studies have described inflammatory cell infiltrates composed largely of HIV-infected macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, white matter damage (edema), and neuronal loss or damage to the dendritic processes of neurons in the neocortex.3–7
Distribution of vascular resistance in terminal arteriolar networks of cat sartorius muscle.

Morphometric information on the terminal arteriolar networks (n = 10) in cat sartorius muscle [Koller et al., Am. J. Physiol. 253 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 22): H154-H164, 1987] is utilized in the calculations of distribution of vascular hindrance throughout the networks. These networks have tree-type geometry, i.e., they do not contain closed loops. The results are discussed in terms of simulated flow distribution. The flow calculations are based on the exact geometry of the arteriolar networks (the control and dilated diameter and the length of each vascular segment) and on assumed values of postarteriolar resistances. Three cases of postarteriolar resistances are considered: zero, constant, and randomly distributed. With zero postarteriolar resistances, the distribution of flow in the terminal arteriolar segments would be highly heterogenous. The simulated flow in each terminal segment is determined primarily by the number of bifurcations on the pathway leading to the terminal segment, with a slight compensation for the length of the pathways. The coefficient of variation of flow in the control state, CV(Qc), would be close to the value in the dilated state, CV(Qd). When each of the terminal segments is connected to a constant postarteriolar resistance, the CV's in both states decrease. The coefficient of variation in the dilated state becomes significantly smaller than in the control state. When postarteriolar resistances are randomly distributed, both CV's increase, and their values become closer to each other. These results suggest that postarteriolar resistances may play a very important role in distribution of flow in the microvascular network. This study formulates a framework for the quantification of the effect of arteriolar dilation on flow redistribution in the network.
Trade‐offs between savanna woody plant diversity and carbon storage in the Brazilian Cerrado

Incentivizing carbon storage can be a win-win pathway to conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. In savannas, however, the situation is more complex. Promoting carbon storage through woody encroachment may reduce plant diversity of savanna endemics, even as the diversity of encroaching forest species increases. This trade-off has important implications for the management of biodiversity and carbon in savanna habitats, but has rarely been evaluated empirically. We quantified the nature of carbon-diversity relationships in the Brazilian Cerrado by analyzing how woody plant species richness changed with carbon storage in 206 sites across the 2.2 million km(2) region at two spatial scales. We show that total woody plant species diversity increases with carbon storage, as expected, but that the richness of endemic savanna woody plant species declines with carbon storage both at the local scale, as woody biomass accumulates within plots, and at the landscape scale, as forest replaces savanna. The sharpest trade-offs between carbon storage and savanna diversity occurred at the early stages of carbon accumulation at the local scale but the final stages of forest encroachment at the landscape scale. Furthermore, the loss of savanna species quickens in the final stages of forest encroachment, and beyond a point, savanna species losses outpace forest species gains with increasing carbon accumulation. Our results suggest that although woody encroachment in savanna ecosystems may provide substantial carbon benefits, it comes at the rapidly accruing cost of woody plant species adapted to the open savanna environment. Moreover, the dependence of carbon-diversity trade-offs on the amount of savanna area remaining requires land managers to carefully consider local conditions. Widespread woody encroachment in both Australian and African savannas and grasslands may present similar threats to biodiversity.
Intersection of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease: atrial fibrillation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in patients with kidney disease. The purpose of this review is to describe the burden of atrial fibrillation in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), postulate possible mechanisms to explain this burden of disease, understand the clinical consequences of atrial fibrillation and review the treatment options for atrial fibrillation specific to patients with kidney disease. RECENT FINDINGS Recent literature has revealed that the clinical multiorgan impact of atrial fibrillation in patients with CKD and ESRD is substantial. Although novel oral anticoagulants to treat atrial fibrillation and prevent associated complications have been tested in large trials in the general population, there is a paucity of data on the efficacy and safety of these agents in patients with advanced CKD and ESRD. SUMMARY Atrial fibrillation is a significant comorbidity in patients with CKD and ESRD with important prognostic implications. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that contribute to the disproportionate burden of this arrhythmia in patients with kidney disease and in to treatment options specific to this population of high-risk patients.
Theory Matters: Articulating a Theoretical Framework for Civic Engagement

In May 2011, the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) awarded its first Certificates in Civic Engagement. The time is ripe to reflect on the development of the certificate program and on directions for improvement and growth.
Study of the Corona Aging Effect to TSC and SEM of Silicone Rubber Materials

Through the corona aging experiment on silicone rubber samples with the corona aging platform,then the materials have been tested with TSC and SEM method, and the test results are analysed. Based on the results of the tests, the paper indicates that the corona aging would cause the current of TSC increasing and surface crack phenomenon, and resulting in the deterioration of the materials.
Physical Activity as a Nonpharmacological Symptom Management Approach in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Recommendations for Future Research

Purpose: Essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis are rare chronic hematological malignancies known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and are characterized by deregulate...
Distributed unknown input observers for interconnected nonlinear systems

Nonlinear interconnected systems such as complex biological processes and power networks operate using local state information. This is because global network states are generally unavailable, arrive with time-delays, or require expensive infrastructure. Coupled with nonlinear interconnections, state disturbances, and sensor noise/attacks, distributed state estimation is an extremely challenging problem. In this paper, distributed unknown input observers are proposed for estimating the internal states of the nonlinear subsystems using local measurement outputs. For each subsystem, the network configuration is exploited to formulate sufficient conditions for the estimation of the unknown input to arbitrary accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated on the synthetic repressilator network in Escherichia coli.
Principles of Network Architecture Emerging from Comparisons of the Cerebral Cortex in Large and Small Brains

The cerebral cortex retains its fundamental organization, layering, and input–output relations as it scales in volume over many orders of magnitude in mammals. How is its network architecture affected by size scaling? By comparing network organization of the mouse and rhesus macaque cortical connectome derived from complete neuroanatomical tracing studies, a recent study in PLOS Biology shows that an exponential distance rule emerges that reveals the falloff in connection probability with distance in the two brains that in turn determines common organizational features.
Wnt5a promotes Frizzled-4 signalosome assembly by stabilizing cysteine-rich domain dimerization

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated when extracellular Wnt ligands bind Frizzled (FZD) receptors at the cell membrane. Wnts bind FZD cysteine-rich domains (CRDs) with high affinity through a palmitoylated N-terminal "thumb" and a disulfide-stabilized C-terminal "index finger," yet how these binding events trigger receptor activation and intracellular signaling remains unclear. Here we report the crystal structure of the Frizzled-4 (FZD4) CRD in complex with palmitoleic acid, which reveals a CRD tetramer consisting of two cross-braced CRD dimers. Each dimer is stabilized by interactions of one hydrophobic palmitoleic acid tail with two CRD palmitoleoyl-binding grooves oriented end to end, suggesting that the Wnt palmitoleoyl group stimulates CRD-CRD interaction. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) in live cells, we show that WNT5A stimulates dimerization of membrane-anchored FZD4 CRDs and oligomerization of full-length FZD4, which requires the integrity of CRD palmitoleoyl-binding residues. These results suggest that FZD receptors may form signalosomes in response to Wnt binding through the CRDs and that the Wnt palmitoleoyl group is important in promoting these interactions. These results complement our understanding of lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6), Dishevelled, and Axin signalosome assembly and provide a more complete model for Wnt signalosome assembly both intracellularly and at the membrane.
Healthy competition to support healthy eating? An investigation of fruit and vegetable pricing in UK supermarkets.

Governments and public health officials are urging the public to eat more fruits and vegetables to contribute to a healthy diet. However, there is concern that a lack of effective competition amongst supermarket retailers has resulted in inflated prices for these products which are deterring consumers from eating more of these healthy foods. We investigate this by examining the nature and extent of price competition for fresh fruits and vegetables amongst UK supermarket retailers, drawing on a panel of weekly retail and corresponding wholesale market prices over a seven-year period. We find that the extent of supermarket competition varies across the products, being quite intense on some but much weaker on others, where the retailers do not fully respond to each other's prices and where the extent of their competitive interaction varies significantly with each other.
How to Solve Prichard's Dilemma:

T. M. Scanlon’s contractualist account of morality is articulated alongside and built upon groundbreaking work on moral motivation. According to Scanlon, the central challenge of providing an account of moral motivation is navigating “Prichard’s Dilemma,” which requires that an account be both (a) helpfully explanatory and (b) morally relevant. Scanlon’s own solution is that one has a reason to act rightly because doing so is an aspect of living with others on terms they could accept. There is much to like about this account, and so, in this paper, I begin with many of Scanlon’s assumptions. I then argue that Scanlon’s own account of moral motivation fails to navigate Prichard’s Dilemma, as does another solution that I derive from his broader view. I then close by suggesting that an account of moral motivation must be “complex,” involving different reasons to satisfy the competing desiderata of Prichard’s Dilemma.
Treatment of Subclinical Hypothyroidism Ineffective in Older Adults

Treatment of patients with a minimally elevated thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level did not result in any improvement in symptoms. If patients present with a thyrotropin level between 4.6 and 10 mIU per L, repeat the test because the levels often normalize (this occurred in 60% of the patients initially referred for the study).
Affect and/as collective resistance in a post-truth moment

In this piece, we call upon the value of coalitional politics as a strategy of resistance in the face of an increasingly powerful post-truth regime. Reflecting on the insidious effects of fact-deny...
Three-Dimensional Printing Antimicrobial and Radiopaque Constructs.

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) printing holds tremendous potential as a tool for patient-specific devices. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated the feasibility, antimicrobial properties, and computed tomography (CT) imaging characteristics of iodine/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 3D meshes and stents. Under scanning electron microscopy, cross-linked PVA displays smoother and more compacted filament arrangements. X-ray and transaxial CT images of iodized PVA vascular stents show excellent visibility and significantly higher Hounsfield units of radiopacity than control prints. Three-dimensional PVA prints stabilized by glutaraldehyde cross-linking and loaded with iodine through sublimation significantly suppressed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus growth in human blood agar disk diffusion assays. It is suggested that PVA 3D printing with iodine represents an important new synthetic platform for generating a wide variety of antimicrobial and high-visibility devices.
Expandable proppants to moderate production drop in hydraulically fractured wells

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing is recognized as the primary technique to achieve economic oil and gas production from low permeability reservoirs like shale and tight-sand formations. One of the main challenges facing the oil and gas industry is maintaining the proppant functionality in the subsurface to guarantee a sustainable production rate and higher ultimate recovery. Proppant crushing and proppant embedment may diminish production from stimulated wells especially when bottomhole pressure is reaching low flowing pressures in soft and deep formations like Haynesville or Tuscaloosa Marine Shales. Experimental measurements and field observations have shown the strong impact of proppant stress and proppant embedment on reducing fracture conductivity. In this work, we introduce a novel material developed in order to achieve higher fracture conductivities at a minimum cost. The new type of proppants, so called "Expandable Proppants" (EP), is able to remotely control the expanding force and maintain the functionality of placed proppants. The presented proppants are made out of thermoset shape memory polymers which are activated by formation's in situ temperature to effectively maintain or even increase fracture's width. A fully coupled numerical model is developed to study the effectiveness of expandable proppants and evaluate fracture conductivity enhancement for different combinations and distributions of EP. In addition, a series of experiments were conducted in a modified API conductivity cell to verify the increase in fracture conductivity. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate that proppant expansion can increase the permeability up to 100%. Different conditions of confining stress and proppant sizes are studied to verify the optimum proppant design. This product can extend the lifetime of the fracture and ensure lasting production.
Sapiencialismo, espiritualidad claustral y heterodoxias en el Libro de Alexandre

Este articulo estudia la naturaleza de la representacion del conocimiento en el Libro de Alexandre como una respuesta sapiencial por parte de los grupos claustrales frente a un aristotelismo heterodoxo de cuno hispanico, representado en el quadrivium del primer tercio del siglo XIII en Castilla. Este habria estado representado por los grupos disidentes de Palencia y Burgos, pero, sobre todo, de Leon segun el testimonio de Lucas de Tuy en De altera vita. El Alexandre se enmarca en una reaccion a partir de las disposiciones del Concilio IV Lateranense de 1215 para la educacion del clero y de los fieles. Bajo esta perspectiva, se puede comprender mejor la razon de ser del manuscrito O con claros rasgos leoneses y reforzar la hipotesis planteada por la critica de dos redacciones del poema: una para Castilla y otra para Leon.
Cu-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative N-N Coupling of Carbazoles and Diarylamines Including Selective Cross-Coupling.

A Cu-catalyzed method has been identified for aerobic oxidative dimerization of carbazoles and diarylamines to the corresponding N–N coupled bicarbazoles and tetraarylhydrazines. The reactions proceed under mild conditions (1 atm O2, 60–80 °C) with a catalyst composed of CuBr·dimethylsulfide and N,N-dimethylaminopyridine. Reactions between carbazole and diarylamines show unusually selective cross-coupling, even with a 1:1 ratio of the two substrates. This behavior was found to arise from reversible formation of the tetraarylhydrazine. Formation of this species is kinetically favored, but cleavage of the N–N bond under the reaction conditions leads to selective formation of the thermodynamically favored cross-coupling product.
Numerical Modeling of Dual Polarization Interferometric Gyros and Sensors

In the research and development of fiber gyros there is a need for a capability to analyze and simulate the optical system. In order to predict performance, sensitivity, and the effect of changing parameters and imperfect components, some form of quantitative calculations would be very useful. Analytical methods quickly become intractable as the complexity of the system increases. For even the simplest fiber gyro configuration, for several optical paths, and for a few optical components, it is practically impossible to reduce a complete analytical description to a useful form. An accurate numerical simulation would be invaluable for low cost exploration of different designs, sensitivity calculations, and performance predictions.
Patient-controlled analgesia pain management for children with sickle cell disease.

Painful episodes account for approximately 60% of all hospitalizations of children and adults with sickle cell disease. Limited information is available on managing pain in these individuals. Increasing attention is being focused on new ways to promote pain control. A new, safe, and effective way to achieve pain relief and control is through patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). This report describes our experiences using PCA in children with sickle cell disease. Over an 18-month period, 61 children considered to have severe or intolerable pain (unassociated with infection or organ-related disease) were treated with PCA. The records of 10 children selected randomly from the 61 were examined and compared with those of 10 children also randomly selected who had been treated using a conventional, fixed-schedule approach. Time in the hospital, time until tapering of narcotic, time until pain relief, and duration of parenteral narcotic therapy were similar between the two groups. Total dose of intravenous narcotic therapy (meperidine equivalent in mg/kg) was greater in the PCA group. Five of 10 children using PCA, however, experienced relief within 6 hours compared with 1 of 10 children in the non-PCA group (P = .052). Patients, families, and hospital staff expressed satisfaction and preferred PCA to conventional management when offered a choice.
Positive Organization Scholarship: What Does It Achieve?

Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) is a relatively new development in organization studies, having formally begun with a 2003 edited collection of the same name (Cameron, et al., 2003b). Since that time, it has attracted considerable attention (e.g., George, 2004; Caza and Roberts, 2006; Fineman, 2006; Caza, 2008). The theoretical basis and scope of POS have been addressed quite recently (Dutton and Glynn, 2007; Dutton and Sonenshein, 2007), so this chapter only summarizes these issues, in favor of concentrating on the research and practice of POS. After discussing the domain and precursors of POS, primary attention is given to what POS has accomplished to date. These accomplishments have two facets, as POS involves a research perspective and an approach to managing organizations. This chapter considers the accomplishments of POS in both areas.
Results of Cord Blood Transplantation in Children with Nonmalignant Hematologic Conditions

The application of cord blood transplantation to children with a variety of life-threatening nonmalignant conditions, including hemoglobinopathies, congenital and acquired bone marrow failure syndromes, and congenital immunodeficiencies will be reviewed. Recent clinical trials utilizing double cord blood transplantation and cell engineering to enhance cord blood engraftment will also be reviewed. Guidelines for donor selection for pediatric recipients vary based on diagnosis, performance status, type of conditioning, and host-related comorbidities. These criteria differ from those traditionally used for adults and will be discussed.
The Key Role of Ozone-Depleting Substances in Weakening the Walker Circulation in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

AbstractIt is widely appreciated that ozone-depleting substances (ODS), which have led to the formation of the Antarctic ozone hole, are also powerful greenhouse gases. In this study, we explore th...
Photocarcinogenesis and Molecular Mechanism

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) reaches to the earth surface through sunlight, and every living organism gets exposed to it multiple times during their life span. Excessive exposure to UVR has adverse effects and could lead to skin aging, eye damage, and skin cancer. UVA and UVB components of UVR, both can penetrate the skin and have the potential of causing skin damage. UVR exposure causes DNA damage leading to somatic mutations either directly or through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). UVR plays a role in initiation, promotion, and progression of cancer via affecting the oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, inflammation, immunosuppression, signaling pathways, and mitochondrial DNA damage. Although exposure to sunlight is almost unavoidable, appropriate precautions should be taken while outside either for pleasure or work. This chapter comprehensively summarizes the aspects about photocarcinogenesis, factors and molecular mechanisms involved in photo-induced skin cancer, treatments available, and photoprotection.
Public opinion of capital punishment: an intersectional analysis of race, gender, and class effects

Extant research on the demographic correlates of capital punishment opinion has separately analyzed race, gender, and class. Intersectionality has shown a flaw of this approach is that these charac...
Prostatic adenocarcinoma CNS parenchymal and dural metastases: alterations in ERG, CHD1 and MAP3K7 expression

Prostatic carcinoma metastatic to dura is commonly encountered at autopsy, but presenting as a dural or, especially parenchymal, brain metastasis during life is far less common. Our group has been interested in two immunohistochemical (IHC) markers previously shown to be downregulated in particularly aggressive primary prostatic carcinomas: CHD1 and MAP3K7. Here we assess protein expression in clinically-relevant CNS metastases. We also assessed how these two markers correlated with the most common genetic alteration in prostate cancer: TMPRSS2 fusion to ERG (40–60% of carcinomas at the primary site), which places ERG expression under the control of the androgen-regulated TMPRSS2 gene, increasing expression. Database query, 2000–2016, identified 16 metastases to dura, 5 to brain parenchyma. Four of five intraparenchymal metastases and 15/16 informative dural-based metastases were ERG-negative (90.5% overall). There was reduced expression of CHD1 in 8/21 and reduced MAP3K7 in 17/21 cases; 7/19 (37%) ERG-negative metastases had dual low expression of CHD1/MAP3K7. ERG-positive cases had high expression of one or both markers. Metastatic prostatic carcinoma to CNS demonstrates expression patterns consistent with particularly aggressive behavior. Lower ERG expression in dural and intraparenchymal metastases suggests a possibility that ERG-negative tumors with loss of MAP3K7 may become resistant to standard therapies and diffusely metastasize.
Income of the Elderly Population, Age 65 and Over, 2004

The U.S. retirement income system - including employment-based retirement plans, Social Security, individual saving, and post-retirement employment - can be assessed in part by examining the income of the current elderly population (age 65 and older). This paper reviews the latest available data on the older population's income (from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2005 Current Population Survey) and how it has changed over time, as well as how the elderly's reliance on these sources varies across various demographic characteristics. The PDF for the above title, published in the January 2006 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the full text of another January 2006 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "IRA and Keogh Assets and Contributions."
Cross-sectional volumes and trajectories of the human brain, gray matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid in 9,473 typically aging adults

Abstract Accurate knowledge of adult human brain volume (BV) is critical for studies of aging- and disease-related brain alterations, and for monitoring the trajectories of neural and cognitive functions in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury. This scoping meta-analysis aggregates normative reference values for BV and three related volumetrics—gray matter volume (GMV), white matter volume (WMV) and cerebrospinal fluid volume (CSFV)—from typically-aging adults studied cross-sectionally using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Drawing from an aggregate sample of 9,473 adults, this study provides (A) regression coefficients β describing the age-dependent trajectories of volumetric measures by sex within the range from 20 to 70 years based on both linear and quadratic models, and (B) average values for BV, GMV, WMV and CSFV at the representative ages of 20 (young age), 45 (middle age) and 70 (old age). The results provided synthesize ∼20 years of brain volumetrics research and allow one to estimate BV at any age between 20 and 70. Importantly, however, such estimates should be used and interpreted with caution because they depend on MRI hardware specifications (e.g. scanner manufacturer, magnetic field strength), data acquisition parameters (e.g. spatial resolution, weighting), and brain segmentation algorithms. Guidelines are proposed to facilitate future meta- and mega-analyses of brain volumetrics. Disclosure statement The author declares that he has no actual or potential conflicts of interest.
Surviving in the Capital: How Teachers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Turn Social Capital into Economic Capital

This chapter examines how teachers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, overcome economic adversity owing to the high cost of living in urban areas and low official compensation for teachers. Focusing on ten schools in Bishkek, this study investigates the mechanisms employed by teachers, principals, and school administrators across the city to counter a single teacher salary reform introduced in 2011 and maintain the status quo. The study illustrates the endurance of long-standing norms and social hierarchies within the teaching workforce in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. It identifies a number of mechanisms employed by teachers and administrators to overcome their disadvantaged position in the labor market. This includes utilizing agency and drawing on social capital to forge ties between teachers and principals (as well as policymakers) in order to maximize formal earnings and to normalize the practice of unofficial school fee collection from parents. The goal of this chapter is to illustrate an example of the ways in which teachers and schools have the capacity to ignore, modify, and altogether undo education reforms.
Functional Abnormalities of Cerebellum and Motor Cortex in Spinal Muscular Atrophy Mice

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating genetic neuromuscular disease. Diffuse neuropathology has been reported in SMA patients and mouse models, however, functional changes in brain regions have not been studied. In the SMNΔ7 mouse model, we identified three types of differences in neuronal function in the cerebellum and motor cortex from two age groups: P7-9 (P7) and P11-14 (P11). Microelectrode array studies revealed significantly lower spontaneous firing and network activity in the cerebellum of SMA mice in both age groups, but it was more profound in the P11 group. In the motor cortex, however, neural activity was not different in either age group. Whole-cell patch-clamp was used to study the function of output neurons in both brain regions. In cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) of SMA mice, the input resistance was larger at P7, while capacitance was smaller at P11. In the motor cortex, no difference was observed in the passive membrane properties of layer V pyramidal neurons (PN5s). The action potential threshold of both types of output neurons was depolarized in the P11 group. We also observed lower spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity in PN5s and PCs respectively from P11 SMA mice. Overall, these differences suggest functional alterations in the neural network in these motor regions that change during development. Our results also suggest that neuronal dysfunction in these brain regions may contribute to the pathology of SMA. Comprehensive treatment strategies may consider motor regions outside of the spinal cord for better outcomes.
Publications of Israel M. Kirzner

In this curriculum vitae, we provide a comprehensive list of the published academic works of economist Israel M. Kirzner. These include solo-authored books, edited volumes, journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews, including reprints and translations.
Youth sport participation and physical activity in rural communities

Physical activity, a high-frequency health behavior, varies by where children live, learn, and play. Children accumulate physical activity in adult-led in-school and out-of-school settings. Youth sport is a potential setting for physical activity, but there are differences in youth sport participation based on age, sex, and socioeconomic status. There is a gap in understanding demographic influences on youth sport participation and how these factors interact to influence physical activity. This study examines influences of grade, sex, and family income on youth sport participation and these factors and youth sport participation on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of children in rural communities. Children (n = 418 3rd–6th graders) living in two rural communities completed the online Youth Activity Profile as part of Wellscapes, a type 3 hybrid implementation-effectiveness community randomized trial. Mixed models with community as a random effect examined main effects and interactions of grade, sex, and family income on youth sport participation and these factors and youth sport participation on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. About 80% of children engaged in youth sport, and full-pay lunch students were almost four times more likely to have youth sport participation than students with free/reduced lunch (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.95, 7.8). Females and 6th graders (p < 0.05) had lower physical activity than comparison groups. Males with higher family income had greater physical activity; females with higher family income had less physical activity. For 6th graders, high family income had less effect on physical activity than similar 3rd-5th graders (p < 0.01). While a fairly high percentage of children participate in youth sports, there are disparities in rural communities on youth sport participation and physical activity outcomes based on age, sex, and family income.
Crises of Legitimacy and Social Nullification Theory

This chapter will articulate social nullification as theory. Legal theorist Paul Butler’s reading of “jury nullification” in the context of African-American racial critique is foundational to my conception of social nullification level. Butler argues that African-American jurors critically interrogate of the US criminal justice system, viewing it as an inherently racist system, and based on this analysis, they create alternative systems of value by which they implement their ideas of justice. They thereby subvert the dominant (white supremacist) values of the criminal justice system as they are imposed upon African-American defendants. This chapter argues this space of critical engagement reveals that the US state has a legitimacy crisis in the eyes of the African-American population and that social nullification theory demonstrates that US civil culture, which is inherently white supremacist, suggests that nullification, on a societal scale, provides a new way forward.
Burning Graph Classes.

The Burning Number Conjecture, that a graph on $n$ vertices can be burned in at most $\lceil \sqrt{n} \ \rceil$ rounds, has been of central interest for the past several years. Much of the literature toward its resolution focuses on two directions: tightening a general upper bound for the burning number, and proving the conjecture for specific graph classes. In the latter, most of the developments work within a specific graph class and exploit the intricacies particular to it. In this article, we broaden this approach by developing systematic machinery that can be used as test beds for asserting that graph classes satisfy the conjecture. We show how to use these to resolve the conjecture for several classes of graphs including triangle-free graphs with degree lower bounds, graphs with certain linear lower bounds on $r$-neighborhood sizes, all trees whose non-leaf vertices have degree at least $4$, trees whose non-leaf vertices have degree at least $3$ (on at least $81$ vertices), trees whose non-leaf vertices are less than $\frac{2}{3}$ concentrated in degree $2$, and trees with a low concentration of high degree non-leaf vertices (the last two results holding for sufficiently many non-leaf vertices).
Business Cycles... without Productivity Shocks

In contrast with well known theoretical and empirical results, this model shows that no externalities, no (even mild) increasing returns, no variable capacity utilization, no variable effort, no consumption habit formation are needed for demand shocks to explain the main aspects of actual fluctuations. In particular, it is showed that demand shocks are able to explain fairly well the main aspects of actual fluctuations for the US economy into a two-sector general equilibrium model aggregate. This model, moreover, is not subject to crowding out effect, which is a problem peculiar of a one-sector general equilibrium model with where fluctuations are demand driven. This analysis, thus, brings together real business cycle theory into closer conformity not only with the prediction of Keynesian theory, but also with actual data.
Quickest changepoint detection in distributed multisensor systems under unknown parameters

The problem of decentralized changepoint detection in a distributed multisensor setting with binary quantization (BQ) is addressed. Attention is drawn to the case of composite post-change hypotheses when the post-change parameter is unknown. A multichart CUSUM detection procedure with binary quantization, called the M-BQ-CUSUM test, is proposed. The methodology is based on using Mges2 putative values of the parameter as ldquoreferencerdquo points. The data are optimally quantized at these points and then sent to the fusion center for making a final decision by running M BQ-CUSUM statistics in parallel. The M-BQ-CUSUM procedure is shown to be asymptotically optimal at the reference points and rather efficient elsewhere.
Utility pole decay

Air-dried and kiln-dried southern pine sticks, representing a number of different trees, were individually inoculated with one of the nine basidiomycetes most often associated with southern pine utility pole decay. Where available, four different strains of each fungus were used to prepare decayed wood for testing. The partially decayed sticks were then tested with 53 chemicals, or combinations of chemicals (indicators), to determine their efficacy in detection of decay through color changes wrought in the affected wood. Nine indicators, or combination of indicators, showed promise in detection of some of the included decay. Of these, three were subjected to further testing on decayed lodgepole and ponderosa pine woods. The three—butter yellow+methylene blue followed by bromcresol green+methyl orange; chrome azural-S; and methyl orange+indigo carmine—were considered suitable for use in detection of internal decay in pine poles.
ICE CORE METHODS | Microparticle and Trace Element Studies

Mountain glaciers, small ice caps, and the two large ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica arguably contain the highest temporal resolution and most direct paleoenvironmental archives available for the Quaternary. Atmospheric aerosols – which are deposited in snow and ice in these remote regions – are an important part of the Earth system, influencing critical environmental processes such as biogeochemical cycling and climate forcing. Chemical, elemental, and isotopic records developed from analyses of soluble and insoluble microparticles in ice cores show how sources, concentrations, and transport of atmospheric aerosols have varied in the past, leading to improved understanding of the Earth system and assessment of the impacts of human activities.
Dispositions and the Infectious Disease Ontology

This paper addresses the use of dispositions in the Infectious Disease Ontology (IDO). IDO is an ontology constructed according to the principles of the Open Biomedical Ontology (OBO) Foundry and uses the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) as an upper ontology. After providing a brief introduction to disposition types in BFO and IDO, we discuss three general techniques for representing combinations of dispositions under the headings blocking dispositions, complementary dispositions, and collective dispositions. Motivating examples for each combination of dispositions is given along with a specific use case in IDO. Description logic restrictions are used to formalize statements relating to these combinations.
A Great Medium for Understanding

(1960). A Great Medium for Understanding. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 31, No. 9, pp. 22-22.
Volatile Fatty Acids and the Inhibition of Escherichia coli Growth by Rumen Fluid

Concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) normally found in bovine rumen fluid inhibited growth of Escherichia coli in Antibiotic Medium 3. Acetic, propionic, and butyric acids each produced growth inhibition which was markedly pH-dependent. Little inhibition was observed at pH 7.0, and inhibition increased with decreasing pH. A combination of 60 mumoles of acetate, 20 mumoles of propionate, and 15 mumoles of butyrate per ml gave 96, 69, and 2% inhibition at pH 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0, respectively. Rumen fluid (50%) gave 89 and 48% inhibition at pH 6.0 and 6.5, respectively, and growth stimulation (22%) at pH 7.0. Rumen fluid inhibitory activity was heat-stable, was not precipitated by 63% ethyl alcohol, and was lost by dialysis and by treatment with anion-exchange resins but not with cation-exchange resins. These results are consistent with the idea that VFA are the inhibitory substances in rumen fluid. Previous results which indicated that rumen fluid VFA did not inhibit E. coli growth were due to lack of careful control of the final pH of the growth medium. The E. coli strain used does not grow in rumen fluid alone at pH 7.0.
Intentional Discrimination that Produces Economic Inequality: Taking Piketty and Hsu One Step Further

Professor Hsu demonstrates how law can operate to exacerbate the growth of capital over general economic growth. The point of this essay is to show that sometimes those laws are the result of intentional discrimination because of race.
Interaction between chemical reaction and natural convection in porous media

Abstract Natural convection in porous media has received much attention in the last decades. Most of the work, however, has been devoted to the case of a global driving force resulting from thermal or concentration gradients applied to the boundaries of the system. As changes in the density lead to natural convection, chemical reactions can provide a distributed driving force for secondary flows. The conditions for the onset of natural convection are represented by the critical value of the thermal Rayleigh number. The critical value is found by performing a linear stability analysis of the basic reaction regime. Results are reported for the onset of both oscillatory and monotonic instabilities. The stability of the convective modes is studied by using a variational approach and deriving a set of spectral equations by means of a truncated mode interaction. The initial-value problem is analyzed by continuation routines and bifurcation diagrams are drawn. These diagrams constitute a valuable tool in the design of heterogeneous reacting systems. The numerical solution of the full governing equations serves to corroborate the predictions of the simplified model as well as to illustrate the effects of natural-convection phenomena on systems with chemical reaction.
Experimental Methods to Determine the Constitutive Properties of Fabric Inflatable Structures

In an effort to reduce deployment cost and time, the military is taking a closer look at how to more efficiently deploy and construct their shelters. In support of this effort, one current research topic is lightweight inflatable structures used for maintenance and shelter. While inflatable fabric structures are not new, recent developments have vastly improved the load-carrying capability and durability of these structures, allowing them to replace traditional framed tent structures. This is due in large part to the development of inflated structural members called airbeams, which are essentially pressurized fabric tubes with an impermeable internal bladder. The working pressures of the structural airbeams are upwards of 592 kPa. There are two major types of airbeams; woven and braided. The woven beams generally operate at lower pressures (69-296 kPa), while the more recently developed braided beams operate at much higher pressures (296-592 kPa). Since the technology of airbeams is relatively new, there are few standard material tests for determining the fabric constitutive properties necessary for airbeam design. This represents a significant barrier to their efficient implementation. This paper will present the current state of the art in relevant areas of textile testing and describe test practices useful for identifying the constitutive properties of the airbeam fabrics. In addition, preliminary testing of inflated airbeams will also be presented, and the results discussed.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Trade Unionism: Purposes and Forms

Part 1 The purposes of trade unions - a study in modern political ideas: the problems of purpose the pluralists - trade unions as industrial regulators the syndicalists - trade unions as social emancipators the Marxist-Leninists - trade unions as party instruments the organicists - trade unions as moral forces the authoritarians - trade unions as state instruments - Italian Fascism, German National Socialism, Argentine Peronism, African Socialism, English Fabian Socialism, Russian Communism. Part 2 The forms of trade unionism - a theory in comparative politics: of trade unions and their types party-ancillary movements state-ancillary movements party-surrogate movements the state-surrogate category autonomous movements the theory.
Regulation, Local Monopolies and Spatial Competition

Many regulated industries involve an oligopoly market structure. We examine optimal incentive regulation for a duopoly model of spatial competition when firms have private cost information. Market structure is endogenous as regulation determines market segments for firms and output distribution across consumers in each firm's market. By varying the assignment of consumers to firms, a relatively more efficient firm can be rewarded with a larger market, thus reducing quantity incentive distortions. We derive the optimal policy, assess the impact of asymmetric information relative to full information, and examine extensions to allow for ex ante asymmetries in firm structure.
Special issue dedicated to the 2011 Humboldt–Princeton Workshop on mathematical finance

The 3rd Humboldt–PrincetonWorkshopwas held in Berlin on October 28–29th, 2011, bringing together Mathematicians, Economists and Statisticians for a lively and stimulating meeting. The four papers in this special issue reflect some of the diversity and interesting problems presented and discussed at the workshop. The first paper, byReneCarmona and Francois Delarue, analyzes the connections between Mean Field Games and the McKean–Vlasov equation, motivated by application to cap-andtrade models for greenhouse gas emissions, and using techniques of backward stochastic differential equations. The second paper, by Rene Carmona, Michael Coulon and Daniel Schwarz, is on the topic of electricity markets and understanding how their dynamics arises from the order in which energy is supplied from different fuel sources. The structural model developed here is used to provide tractable formulas for electricity forward contracts and spread options. The third paper, by Zorana Grbac and Antonis Papapantoleon, constructs an analytically tractable gramework for modeling the LIBOR interest rates while incorporating default risk. This is based on the theory of affine processes, and the authors highlight the application to valuing CDS spreads and counterparty risk. The final paper, by Andreas Hamel, Birgit Rudloff and Mihaela Yankova, studies construction and computation of a family of set-valued riskmeasures, that can be used to quantify the risk of portfolios that contain assets in different currencies, for instance. In this paper, the mathematics and numerical issues are illustrated with the set-valued average value at risk measure. The papers cover a wide range of topics in Mathematical Finance and were a pleasure for us, as guest editors, to read.We thank the participants of the Humboldt–PrincetonWorkshop,