cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solid-Angle Error in the Magnetic-Field Integral Equation for Perfectly Electric Conducting Objects

For perfectly electric conducting (PEC) objects, one difference between the electric-field integral equation (EFIE) and the magnetic-field integral equation (MFIE) is related to the solid angle, which only exists in the latter. In this communication, the correct computation of solid-angle contribution in MFIE is first summarized and clarified. Through testing strictly inside triangles (TSIT) and testing on edges (TOE) with or without the correct limit value (CLV) for the solid-angle integral, six versions of MFIE are then implemented by utilizing Rao–Wilton–Glisson (RWG) functions for expansion and utilizing RWG or rotated Buffa–Christiansen (BC) functions for testing. Based on the simulations of typical sharp-edged targets and a sphere by the EFIE and six MFIEs, it is found that using CLVs for the solid-angle integral will improve the simulation accuracy substantially in comparison to that with incorrect limit values (ILVs). Moreover, if the singularities are properly handled, the MFIE implemented by TSIT can achieve the same accuracy with the MFIE implemented by TOE with CLVs.
Neoliberal Globalization and Heightened Perceptions of Class Division in Iceland

This article uses the case of Iceland to study how neoliberal globalization impacts class discourse in the political field and broader perceptions of class division. Analyzing a leading newspaper and parliamentary debates from 1986–2012, I show how neoliberal globalization—especially by increasing economic inequality—created a disjuncture between an increasingly differentiated social space and a national habitus cultivated in a small, homogeneous, and egalitarian society. This undermined taken-for-granted assumptions of relative classlessness and heightened perceptions of class division during a neoliberal ascendancy period from 1995 to Iceland's economic collapse in September 2008.
Oral and perioral manifestations of leprosy. Report of a case.

Abstract The oral and perioral manifestations, both clinical and radiographic, of leprosy have been reviewed. In tuberculoid leprosy, sensory and motor nerve involvement of the trigeminal and facial nerves is not uncommon, although involvement of all nerves supplying the oral and related structures occurs. In lepromatous leprosy, facial and oral involvement with ulceration, scarring, and typical lepromas occurs, resulting in numerous esthetic and functional deformities. Nerve involvement may become manifest if the disease progresses. There may be transition and overlap of signs and symptoms between these two types. The case of lepromatous leprosy described here involved rather typical facial changes; however, there was no intraoral pathosis other than gingivitis and periodontitis. Perhaps most notable, in this patient there were maxillary and mandibular radiographic changes which have not been described previously.
Resistance: Jews and Christians Who Defied the Nazi Terror

Gaps in the Holocaust bookshelf continue to get filled, as when in the 1980s breakthrough scholarship by exasperated female academics ended the neglect of the experience from 1933 through to 1945 o...
Exposing Laboratory-Reared Fleas to Soil and Wild Flea Feces Increases Transmission of Yersinia pestis

Laboratory-reared Oropsylla montana were exposed to soil and wild-caught Oropsylla montana feces for 1 week. Fleas from these two treatments and a control group of laboratory-reared fleas were infected with Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague. Fleas exposed to soil transmitted Y. pestis to mice at a significantly greater rate (50.0% of mice were infected) than control fleas (23.3% of mice were infected). Although the concentration of Y. pestis in fleas did not differ among treatments, the minimum transmission efficiency of fleas from the soil and wild flea feces treatments (6.9% and 7.6%, respectively) were more than three times higher than in control fleas (2.2%). Our results suggest that exposing laboratory-reared fleas to diverse microbes alters transmission of Y. pestis.
Abstract 3429: Mesenchymal hepatocellular carcinoma cells acquire cancer stem cell characteristics through Snail1

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality and the incidence of HCC is rising in the United States. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subset of neoplastic cells that possess distinct survival mechanisms and plasticity crucial for tumor maintenance and propagation. The induction of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) by Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) has been linked to the acquisition of CSC characteristics in breast cancer. In patients with HCC, either a CSC or EMT phenotype correlates with a worse prognosis. In this report, we aim to link EMT to CSCs and to further elucidate the mechanism by which cells acquire CSC characteristics during EMT. We utilized human (Huh7, MHCC97-L) and murine (P2E, P2M; Ding et al Hepatology. 2010) liver cancer cell lines, and analysis included gene and protein expression, FACS, migration and invasion assays, and chemotherapy resistance assay. Human mesenchymal MHCC97 cells demonstrate decreased E-cadherin, increased Snail1, and enhanced migration and invasion compared to epithelial Huh7 cells. MHCC97 cells demonstrate significant upregulation of stem cell markers (Oct4, Nanog, BMI-1, and CD44; p<0.01), increased CD44high population (95% vs. 2% Huh7, p<0.01), resistance to chemotherapy, resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, increased tumor-sphere formation and slower cell cycle compared to epithelial Huh7 cells. We recently reported EMT in murine epithelial liver cell lines, P2E and P2M (post EMT). Mesenchymal P2M cells demonstrate loss of E-cadherin, gain of Snail1, increased tumor-sphere formation, and increased expression of stem cell markers (Nanog, Oct4, CD44, and EpCam; p<0.001). As TGF-β induces EMT through Snail1, we hypothesize that Snail1 signaling plays a role in the induction of an EMT and CSC phenotype in HCC. TGF-β treatment, epithelial P2E cells demonstrate fibroblastic-like morphology, 14-fold increase in Snail1 (p<0.01) and 8 fold increase in Nanog expression (p<0.01), increased tumor-sphere formation and migration. siRNA knockdown of Snail1 in mesenchymal P2M cells resulted in significant decrease in EMT and CSC characteristics, with decreased tumor-sphere formation, decreased migration, and decreased stem cell gene expression (Nanog and CD44, p<0.01). In conclusion, both murine and human mesenchymal HCC cells possess multiple CSC characteristics compared to epithelial counterparts. The transient knockdown of Snail1 in mesenchymal HCC cells results in the reversal of EMT as well as loss of CSC characteristics. We propose that Snail1 may play an important role in the regulation of EMT and CSC phenotypes. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3429. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3429
Factors associated with flight patterns of the peach twig borer (Lepidoptera: Gelichiidae) observed using pheromone traps

Sixty-three season-long pheromone trapping data sets of peach twig borer, Anarsia lineatella Zeller, were collected in California almond and stonefruit orchards during 1975-1985. The data sets were analyzed with corresponding weather data to determine potential causal factors associated with the occurrence of a commonly observed bimodal flight pattern. The factor best fitting the twin-peaks phenomenon was temperatures below a threshold of 14-16 degrees C during the nightly flight period (2400-0400 hours PDT). Results indicate the generation time of 600 degree-days (DD) currently recommended is correct and does not vary by flight pattern (e.g., unimodal or bimodal), generation, or location. This conclusion was confirmed with observations of spring larval emergence.
473 INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION Affects Hepatic Androgen Receptor Expression and TestostERone Levels in Juvenile Rats.

Background Uteroplacental insufficiency and subsequent IUGR results in multiple postnatal morbidities, the extent of which is often affected by gender. Similarly, we have previously demonstrated that gender impacts upon the extent to which IUGR affects hepatic gene expression and epigenetic determinants of chromatin structure. One mechanism through which epigenetic determinants can be altered is through signaling via the androgen and estrogen receptors, which are likely to be different in male and female rats. Objective We therefore hypothesized that IUGR would (1) affect testosterone and estrogen levels in 21-day-old rats (d21) and (2) alter hepatic mRNA levels of the androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor 1 (ER1), and estrogen receptor 2β (ER2β) in day 0 (d0) and d21 IUGR rats. Methods We rendered rats IUGR via bilateral uterine artery ligation at day 19 of gestation (term-21.5 d), a well-characterized model of IUGR. D0 pups were delivered by cesarean section at d21 of gestation. D21 pups were allowed to delivery, litters were culled to 6, and pups were killed at d21 of life. Liver was harvested at d0 and d21 for mRNA measurements. Serum was harvested at d21 for hormone levels. Results We found that IUGR significantly increased testosterone levels in the IUGR female rats (16.5 ± 1* vs 14 ± 0.3 pg/mL) and moderately increased testosterone levels in the IUGR male rats (26.3 ± 6.5 vs 19.3 ± 1.7 pg/mL). Estrogen levels were not significantly affected by IUGR. mRNA data expressed as percent of control ± SEM. IUGR significantly increased AR mRNA levels in d0 male livers (146 ±±18%*) without affect AR mRNA levels in d0 female livers. ER1 mRNA levels were significantly increased in d0 female livers (208 ± 37%*), and ER2B mRNA levels were significantly increased in d0 male (289 ± 33%*) and female livers (123 ± 8%*). In contrast, at d21 of life, IUGR decreased hepatic AR mRNA levels only in the male livers (36.3 ± 2.8%**). AR, ER1, and ER2B mRNA levels were otherwise not statistically affected. (* p Conclusion IUGR increases postnatal androgen levels in juvenile female pups, while decreasing AR mRNA levels only in the male IUGR livers. AR signaling affects gene expression through multiple mechanisms, including epigenetics. We speculate that the failure of the IUGR female to down-regulate its AR contributes to the gender-specific characteristics of the IUGR rat.
Anti-My-28, an antigranulocyte mouse monoclonal antibody, binds to a sugar sequence in lacto-N-neotetraose

Anti-My-28 is an IgM kappa monoclonal antibody produced by a hybridoma prepared from spleen cells of a mouse immunized with normal human granulocytes. By immunofluorescence it binds to human granulocytes but not to monocytes and lymphocytes. However, after treating cells with neuraminidase, the antibody also binds to lymphocytes and monocytes and to many leukemic cell lines and patient leukemic blast cells. Anti-My- 28 binds to several neutral glycolipids and desialylated gangliosides of leukocytes and erythrocytes as detected by radioimmunoassay and immunostaining of thin-layer chromatograms. It recognizes a sugar sequence in lacto-N-neotetraose, Gal beta 1–4GlcNAc beta 1–3Gal beta 1–4Glc. This tetrasaccharide occurs in the glycolipids paragloboside and sialosylparagloboside, and its distal trisaccharide sequence is found in higher glycolipids and in glycoproteins.
Management of early-stage Hodgkin's disease: a continuing evolution

The management of early-stage Hodgkin's disease (HD) has evolved during the past 25 years from exacting discovery of sites of disease using both clinical and surgical staging to treat with a specific radiation therapy field to determining disease parameters and treating with systemic chemotherapy. This evolution has occurred because of the increasing awareness of both early and late complications of radiation therapy, as well as because of data showing comparable results with combination chemotherapy without comparable morbidity. The final answer rests with ongoing, controlled clinical trials to determine whether chemotherapy alone will be the treatment of choice for early-stage HD.
Tracking the Kaibab Deer into Western History

In the 1920s, an overpopulation of deer on Arizona's Kaibab Plateau helped inspire scientific and popular stories about the balance of nature. This essay examines other stories about the deer—ones told by Southern Paiutes, Mormon settlers, and national tourists—to understand the cultural creation of innocence in the West.
Renegade Revolutionary: The Life of General Charles Lee. By Phillip Papas. (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2014. Pp. xii, 403. $40.00.)

This skillfully crafted biography of Charles Lee restores to vivid life the career of a very different founding father. Lee was among the handful of serving British army officers who committed to f...
Disentangling opposing effects of motivational states on pain perception.

AbstractIntroduction: Although the motivation to avoid injury and pain is central to human and animal behavior, this goal compete priority with other homeostatic goals. Animal studies have shown that competing motivational states, such as thirst, reduce pain. However, such states may also induce neg
Light extraction from light-emitting diodes: effect of die geometries

Comparison study is performed for the first time for the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of GaN-based LED of four different basic geometries (square, circular or cylindrical, pentagonal and hexagonal cubic structures) with and without texturing die top surface by employing ray tracing simulation technique. It is found that the chip with highly negative deformed angles (HNDA-chips) has the highest LEE among all studied chip structures. For the HNDA chips, the circular-base chips have the highest LEE, i.e., significantly higher than that of square-, pentagonal- and hexagonal-base cubic chips. The industry often used surface texturing only improves the LEE over the conventional LED structure. The LEE of GaN chips with the textured surface is found to be always smaller than that of the HNDA-chips with un-textured surfaces
Colloidal atomic layer deposition growth of PbS/CdS core/shell quantum dots

Traditionally, PbS/CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized via a cation exchange method, making fine control over shell growth challenging. We show here that colloidal atomic layer deposition (c-ALD) allows for the sequential growth of single monolayers of the shell, thus creating a ‘true’ CdS shell on PbS QDs.
Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Conversion and Reconversion Reactions in FeF2 Nanoparticles

The reconversion reaction in an FeF2 nanoparticle is studied using reactive molecular dynamics simulations. The full atomistic reaction pattern is revealed, and the simulated charging curve shows three different regions consistent with experimental observation under the limitations of dynamic simulations. A possible phase, Li1–xFex/2F, is observed to form during charging which leads to expansion of the host LiF lattice. Furthermore, the effect of electronic transport is also studied, and it is found that the manner in which electrons leave the system during charging significantly affects the reaction pattern.
Type 1 Interferons Potentiate Human CD8+ T Cell Cytotoxicity Through a STAT4 and Granzyme B Dependent Pathway

Events defining the progression to human type 1 diabetes (T1D) have remained elusive owing to the complex interaction between genetics, the immune system, and the environment. Type 1 Interferons (T1-IFN) are known to be a constituent of the auto-inflammatory milieu within the pancreas of patients with T1D. However, the capacity of IFNα/β to modulate human activated auto-reactive CD8 + T cell (CTL) responses within the islets of patients with T1D have not been investigated. Here, we engineer human beta cell specific CTLs and demonstrate that T1-IFN augments cytotoxicity by inducing rapid phosphorylation of STAT4, resulting in direct binding at the granzyme B (GZMB) promoter within 2 hours of exposure. The current findings provide novel insights concerning the regulation of effector function by T1-IFN in human antigen-experienced CD8 + T cells and provide a mechanism by which the presence of T1-IFN potentiates diabetogenicity within the autoimmune islet.
Physical activity participation among families of children with visual impairments and blindness.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) provides multiple benefits to children with visual impairments (VI) and their families. However, the empirical literature base is underdeveloped on how family PA exp...
Clinically impactful differences in variant interpretation between clinicians and testing laboratories: a single-center experience

To describe the frequency and nature of differences in variant classifications between clinicians and genetic testing laboratories. Retrospective review of variants identified through genetic testing ordered in routine clinical care by clinicians in the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease. We compared classifications made by clinicians, the testing laboratory, and other laboratories in ClinVar. Of 688 laboratory classifications, 124 (18%) differed from the clinicians’ classifications. Most differences in classification would probably affect clinical care of the patient and/or family (83%, 103/124). The frequency of discordant classifications differed depending on the testing laboratory (P < 0.0001) and the testing laboratory’s classification (P < 0.00001). For the majority (82/124, 66%) of discordant classifications, clinicians were more conservative (less likely to classify a variant pathogenic or likely pathogenic). The clinicians’ classification was discordant with one or more submitter in ClinVar in 49.1% (28/57) of cases, while the testing laboratory’s classification was discordant with a ClinVar submitter in 82.5% of cases (47/57, P = 0.0002). The clinical team disagreed with the laboratory’s classification at a rate similar to that of reported disagreements between laboratories. Most of this discordance was clinically significant, with clinicians tending to be more conservative than laboratories in their classifications.
Antecedents of bullshitting

Abstract Although it appears to be a common social behavior, very little is known about the nature of bullshitting (i.e., communicating with little to no regard for evidence, established knowledge, or truth; Frankfurt, 1986) and the social conditions under which it is most likely to occur. The current investigation examines specific antecedents of bullshitting, particularly examining topic knowledge, evidence for or against an obligation to provide an opinion hypothesis, and an ease of passing bullshit hypothesis. Experiment 1 suggests that bullshitting is augmented only when both the social expectations to have an opinion, and the cues to show concern for evidence, are weak. Experiment 2 demonstrates that bullshitting can also be attenuated under conditions of social accountability. Results are discussed in light of social perception, attitude change, and new directions aimed at reducing the unwanted effects of bullshitting.
Ethical Issues in the Neurointensive Care Unit

Patients present daily in neurosurgical intensive care units with illnesses that require physicians to consider not only diagnostic and therapeutic questions but ethical issues as well. While these ethical concerns are often asked and answered only at an intuitive level, physicians in the intensive care unit face an increasingly complex set of ethical and legal concerns, such as allocation of resources, medical futility, withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (LST), and palliative sedation, among others. Adequate answers to such complex issues require critical analysis of issues rather than a merely intuitive approach.
The neuron specific enolase (NSE) ratio offers benefits over absolute value thresholds in post-cardiac arrest coma prognosis.

Abstract Introduction Serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels have been shown to correlate with neurologic outcome in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest but use of absolute NSE thresholds is limited. This study describes and evaluates a novel approach to analyzing NSE, the NSE ratio, and evaluates the prognostic utility of NSE absolute value thresholds and trends over time. Methods 100 consecutive adult comatose cardiac arrest survivors were prospectively enrolled. NSE levels were assessed at 24, 48, and 72 h post-arrest. Primary outcome was the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) at 6 months post-arrest; good outcome was defined as GOS 3–5. Absolute and relative NSE values (i.e. the NSE ratio), peak values, and the trend in NSE over 72 h were analyzed. Results 98 patients were included. 42 (43%) had a good outcome. Five good outcome patients had peak NSE >33 µg/L (34.9–46.4 µg/L). NSE trends between 24 and 48 h differed between outcome groups (decrease by 3.0 µg/L (0.9–7.0 µg/L) vs. increase by 13.4 µg/L (−3.7 to 69.4 µg/L), good vs. poor, p = 0.004). The 48:24 h NSE ratio differed between the good and poor outcome groups (0.8 (0.6–0.9) vs. 1.4 (0.8–2.5), p = 0.001), and a 48:24 h ratio of ≥1.7 was 100% specific for poor outcome. Conclusions The NSE ratio is a unique method to quantify NSE changes over time. Values greater than 1.0 indicate increasing NSE and may be reflective of ongoing neuronal injury. The NSE ratio obviates the need for an absolute value cut-off.
Day-of-week and seasonal patterns of PM2.5 concentrations over the United States: Time-series analyses using the Prophet procedure

Abstract Fluctuations of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentrations show clear yearly and weekly patterns, which has been revealed by previous studies. However, reliability of those studies may be affected by their small research areas, short observation periods, and/or the lack of using specialized statistical approaches for time series. The current study applies a recently developed time-series analysis procedure, Prophet, to investigate seasonality of daily PM 2.5 concentrations over nine years (2007–2015) measured at 220 monitoring stations across the United States. Prophet is a new tool for producing high quality forecasts from time series data that have characteristics of multiple temporal patterns with either linear or non-linear growth/decline. Through decomposing each PM 2.5 time series into three major components (i.e., trend, seasonality, and holidays), we observed periodically changing patterns of PM 2.5 concentrations weekly and yearly consistent with previous findings. Specifically, relatively high PM 2.5 concentrations tend to appear in the month of January and on Fridays, and PM 2.5 concentrations on Sunday are generally lower than those on most other days of the week. However, we discovered that high PM 2.5 concentrations are also likely to appear in July. Additionally, compared to Fridays in most studies, the highest PM 2.5 concentrations are found to more likely occur on Saturdays, while the lowest concentrations are found on Monday as universally as on Sunday. Beyond understanding the seasonality of PM 2.5 concentrations, this study revealed the potential use of Prophet, originally designed for business time series, for detecting periodicities of environmental phenomena.
DISCORDANT TRICUSPID ANNULAR PLANE SYSTOLIC EXCURSION AND GLOBAL RIGHT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION IN PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION: IMPACT OF RIGHT VENTRICULAR GEOMETRY AND TRICUSPID REGURGITATION

Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in pulmonary arterial (PA) hypertension (PAH) is associated with adverse outcomes. TAPSE is a commonly used marker of RVD in PAH. However, in some patients, TAPSE appears discordant with qualitative and other quantitative measures of RV function. We sought to
Racial Comparisons in Timeliness of Colon Cancer Treatment in an Equal-Access Health System.

BACKGROUND Non-Hispanic black (NHB) adults with cancer may have longer time-to-treatment than non-Hispanic whites (NHW) in the United States. Unequal access to medical care may partially account for this racial disparity. This study aimed to investigate whether there were racial differences in time-to-treatment and in treatment delays for patients diagnosed with colon cancer in the equal-access Military Health System (MHS). METHODS Patients age 18-79 years diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2014, were identified in the Department of Defense Central Cancer Registry and the MHS Data Repository-linked databases. Median time-to-treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) and 95% confidence intervals were compared between NHBs and NHWs in multivariable quantile regression models. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of receiving delayed treatment defined by guidelines for NHBs relative to NHWs were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Patients (n = 3067) had a mean age at diagnosis of 58.4 (12.2) years and the racial distribution was 76.7% NHW and 23.3% NHB. Median adjusted time-to-treatment was similar for NHB compared to NHW patients. The likelihood of receiving delayed treatment was similar between NHB and NHW patients. CONCLUSIONS In the MHS, there was no evidence of treatment delays for NHBs compared to NHWs, suggesting the role of equal access to medical care and insurance coverage in reducing racial disparities in colon cancer treatment.
The Effect of Microplastic Ingestion on Survival of the Grass Shrimp Palaemonetes pugio (Holthuis, 1949) Challenged with Vibrio campbellii.

Recent research indicates that microplastic (<5 mm) ingestion may impact the immune function of marine and aquatic organisms at the tissue and cellular levels; however, their susceptibility to disease following exposure has not been directly investigated. The objective of the present study was to directly evaluate the impact of microplastic ingestion on the susceptibility of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio to bacterial infection with Vibrio campbellii. Grass shrimp were exposed to one of several particle treatments (natural sediment, polyethylene spheres, polypropylene fragments, tire fragments, and polyester fibers) or particle-free water for 96 h at a nominal concentration of 50 000 particles/L prior to a bacterial challenge with V. campbellii. No significant mortality was observed among any of the particle types during the 96-h particle exposure. The survival of grass shrimp following V. campbellii challenge did not vary significantly among shrimp exposed to particle-free water, sediment, polyethylene spheres, polypropylene fragments, tire fragments, and polyester fibers. Grass shrimp cleared the majority of ingested particles and all the ventilated particles within 48 h. The present study shows that microplastic ingestion did not alter the susceptibility of grass shrimp to bacterial infection, and also provides depuration rates for a variety of microplastic shapes and polymer types that were previously lacking. This information increases our understanding of the size- and shape-dependent effects of microplastic ingestion. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2233-2242. © 2019 SETAC.
A standardized, incremental protocol to increase human tolerance to the cross-coupled illusion

BACKGROUND Humans can adapt to the "Coriolis" cross-coupled illusion with repeated exposure, improving the tolerability of faster spin rates and enabling short-radius, intermittent centrifugation for artificial gravity implementation. OBJECTIVE This investigation assesses the criticality of personalization in acclimation to the cross-coupled illusion. METHODS We used the median stimulus sequence of our previous effective and tolerable personalized, threshold-based protocol to develop a standardized (non-personalized) approach. During each of 10, 25-minute sessions, the spin rate was incremented independent of whether each subject reported experiencing the cross-coupled illusion. RESULTS In comparison to the previous personalized protocol, the standardized protocol resulted in significantly reduced acclimation to the cross-coupled illusion (17.7 RPM threshold for the personalized protocol versus 11.8 RPM threshold for the standardized) and generally increased motion sickness reports (average reporting of 1.08/20 (personalized) versus 1.98/20 (standardized)), on average. However, the lack of individualization also leads to significantly less variance in subjects' acclimation. CONCLUSIONS These findings are critical for future missions that may require several astronauts to be acclimated concurrently, due to resource and time constraints. Assessing feasibility of fast spin rate, short-radius centrifugation is crucial for the future of artificial gravity implementation during spaceflight.
Isotopic Composition of Lead White Pigments on Qeros: Implications for the Chronology and Production of Andean Ritual Drinking Vessels During the Colonial Era

For millennia, qeros have been a primary component of ceremonially and politically important toasting rituals in the Andes and retain their cultural significance to this day. These wooden drinking vessels underwent a stylistic and technical revolution in the colonial period (1532–1821 AD). Among an array of features that distinguish colonial qeros from their Inka predecessors is the presence of lead white, a pigment that was introduced to the Andes by the Spanish. Here, we present lead (Pb) isotope measurements of lead white pigments from 20 colonial qeros from the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in a private collection. Although most of the vessels are not known to be associated with one another, their lead white pigments fall into three distinct and internally consistent groupings in Pb isotope space. We interpret the isotopic signatures of two of the groups to indicate that the lead white was imported from Europe. We suggest that the largest grouping (comprising pigments sampled from 12 qeros) is decorated with lead white of Andean origin. These isotopic signatures may have a chronological component, and strongly suggest some form of centralization in pigment acquisition, manufacture, and/or distribution in the colonial period.
“No money exchanged hands, no bartering took place. But it's still local produce”: Understanding local food systems in rural areas in the U.S. Heartland

Abstract Local food systems are frequently endorsed as an economic development strategy by local economic development practitioners serving rural communities and regions. However, from the limited data available, local food systems are more apparent and more fully developed in urban or peri-urban areas, while scholarship on rural food systems in and of themselves is lacking. What scholarship and data does exist suggests that people in rural places may participate in local food systems in different ways than what has been documented or observed in urban food systems, and that these systems may develop and spread in unique ways requiring new conceptions of intricate flows of locally produced foods, the social, ecological and economic benefits they may have, and the barriers and opportunities they present. We draw from three interrelated literatures – sustainable development, community capitals and rural wealth to conceptualize how the flow of locally produced foods through informal or undocumented channels can contribute to the sustainable development of rural places in the U.S. Through a series of 10 focus groups in the Midwest, we found that rural consumers participate in locally based food systems in distinctive ways that may bypass formal economic channels, such as self-provisioning; sharing and reciprocity; or informal cash or barter transactions. However, many of these forms of food system participation depend upon inclusion in social networks. We conclude that development of local food systems in rural areas will require renewed efforts to consider flows of community capitals from both informal and formal channels in the food system and investment in local food systems, not just in markets and regular economic exchanges. Moreover, as scholars we need to refine our understanding of the nature of food systems in rural areas, and develop new ways of thinking about how informal production-consumption arrangements can potentially contribute to rural development.
Cellular Migration Assay: An In Vitro Technique to Simulate the Wound Repair Mechanism

Wound regeneration is a complex process, which necessitates proper coordination among the inflammatory response, vascularization, matrix formation, and reformation of epithelial tissue. It is a unique process, where healing and regeneration take place simultaneously. Matrix formation is the first critical stage that starts the communication between the keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and integrins. This, in turn, stimulates the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages, to produce cytokines for fibroblasts. This phenomenon is the crucial part for the keratinocyte migration and epithelialization to fill the wound. To understand the complex procedure of wound regeneration, there is a need for easy, convenient, and low-cost approaches that will simulate the wound-repairing process. Scratch assay or cellular migration assay is one of the most convenient and affordable approaches, commonly used by the scientific community. In this chapter, we present the fundamental principles of the experimental procedures required for the Scratch assay.
The Simulation of Quantum Systems

I am deeply honored that the committee has chosen me to receive the Feenberg Medal. I was quite taken aback when I was informed of the award, I suppose because I always felt that I am privileged enough to to be involved in the discovery of new scientific knowledge, knowledge that will soon be of significant practical importance. Of course there are many benefits to being a physicist, not the least of which is the opportunity to travel to Schloss Seggau and rendezvous with the many-body community. I would like to thank the Professor Schachinger for his hospitality, and for organizing such a wonderful meeting.
Indole C6 Functionalization of Tryprostatin B Using Prenyltransferase CdpNPT

Tryprostatin A and B are prenylated, tryptophan-containing, diketopiperazine natural products, displaying cytotoxic activity through different mechanisms of action. The presence of the 6-methoxy substituent on the indole moiety of tryprostatin A was shown to be essential for the dual inhibition of topoisomerase II and tubulin polymerization. However, the inability to perform late-stage modification of the indole ring has limited the structure-activity relationship studies of this class of natural products. Herein, we describe an efficient chemoenzymatic approach for the late-stage modification of tryprostatin B using a cyclic dipeptide N-prenyltransferase (CdpNPT) from Aspergillus fumigatus, which generates novel analogs functionalized with allylic, benzylic, heterocyclic, and diene moieties. Notably, this biocatalytic functionalizational study revealed high selectivity for the indole C6 position. Seven of the 11 structurally characterized analogs were exclusively C6-alkylated, and the remaining four contained predominant C6-regioisomers. Of the 24 accepted substrates, 10 provided >50% conversion and eight provided 20-50% conversion, with the remaining six giving <20% conversion under standard conditions. This study demonstrates that prenyltransferase-based late-stage diversification enables direct access to previously inaccessible natural product analogs.
A decade of sexual selection studies reveals patterns and processes of fitness variation in male collared lizards

Territory defence is widely assumed to be adaptive because it enhances reproductive success. However, empirical evidence for such a benefit is scarce or nonexistent for many types of territorial organisms. The roles of intraspecific aggression versus interactions with females in successful breeding by territorial males are also still poorly understood in lower tetrapods, including lizards. We address both of these important issues using 10 years of data on genetic parentage combined with field behavioural studies in collared lizards, Crotaphytus collaris. As predicted, territorial males (T-males) had more mates, sired markedly more total offspring and sired more surviving offspring with more females than did nonterritorial (NT) males. Territorial males in structurally simpler habitats sired a higher proportion of each female's offspring than their counterparts in complex habitats, indicating that the ability of T-males to accrue mating benefits is highest where topography maximizes contact with multiple females. All measures of T-male reproductive success increased with travel rate but decreased with the time spent courting individual females, suggesting a fitness trade-off between these behaviours. We found no evidence that aggressive behaviour was linked to any component of male fitness. Hence, activities of territory owners appear to be shaped by sexual selection to enhance mating opportunities rather than to aggressively dominate same-sex rivals. Our study illustrates the value of long-term research documenting behaviour and fitness of free-ranging individuals over multiple reproductive cycles in evaluating fundamental questions about the adaptive significance of social tactics.
Clinical application of genomics in Waldenström macroglobulinemia

Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM) is an incurable hematologic malignancy characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the bone marrow and the presence of monoclonal immunoglobulin (IgM). Although a portion of WM patients may experience a relatively indolent course, patients may experience IgM-related morbidity and/or disease-related mortality. This underscores the need for novel approaches to improve response and survival rates. Significant progress had been made in our understanding of the genomics and biology of WM. The discovery of the highly recurrent somatic mutations in the MYD88 gene detected in 90-95% and the CXCR4 gene detected in 30-40% of WM patients has provided an opportunity to develop novel targeted approaches. Mutational status has important implications in predicting response to therapies such as BTK inhibitors. Treatment of WM should be guided by many factors including performance status, comorbidities, goals of therapy, and toxicities. In this review, we describe how current genomics may be utilized to optimize WM treatment selection. As the therapeutic landscape of WM continues to expand with more targeted approaches, the genomics in WM will likely play a greater role in individualizing treatment.
Elasticity Solution of Torsion of Sandwich Plates

A rigorous analysis of the torsion of rectangular sandwich plates, to determine the limits for which the St. Venant theory is satisfactory is presented. Two analyses are given. In one, the torque to which the plate is subjected is produced by loads applied normal to the facings at or near the two corners of one end, and similar but resisting loads applied at or near the other two corners. All other surfaces, including the edge of the core and facings, are free of boundary stress. This type of setup is often used in the laboratories for the experimental determination of the shear modulii of the sandwich constructions. In the other analysis, the St. Venant theory is used; it does not satisfy the detailed boundary conditions in regard to the applied load.
Environmentally Just Technology

Abstract This article argues that technology should be considered to be among the structures of environmental injustice. Explaining that technology can be inherently just or unjust—that is, that the material artifacts that comprise technological infrastructures can be more or less compatible with environmentally just social arrangements—it suggests that most existing technology is relatively incompatible with environmental justice. It then offers a list of design features that would help make technology inherently more compatible with fair distribution of environmental risks and benefits, equitable enforcement of protective environmental regulations, the ability of marginalized communities to build social and economic capacity, and meaningful public participation in environmental decision making. Recognizing the role that technological design plays in structuring environmental injustice should help environmental justice practitioners recognize and advocate for technology compatible with a just world.
Purification and Properties of Seryl Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase from Escherichia coli

Abstract Seryl-tRNA synthetase (EC 6.1.1.11, l-serine:tRNA ligase (AMP)) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from Escherichia coli K12. The protein has a molecular weight of 95,000 to 100,000 and appears to be a dimer of identical subunits. It is suggested that there is a single seryl-tRNA synthetase in E. coli.
Properties of the normset relating to the class group

In a recent paper by the author the normset and its multiplicative structure was studied. In that paper it was shown that under certain conditions (including Galois) that a normset has unique factorization if and only if its corresponding ring of integers has unique factorization. In this paper we shall examine some of the properties of a normset and describe what it says about the class group of the corresponding ring of integers.
Institutions and Corporate Governance

The last decades have witnessed a growing interest in the corporate governance and authority structures in organizations, a field that spans several disciplines, including economics, management, finance, accounting, and sociology. Much of the theoretical and empirical work in this field relies on institutional arguments, suggesting that corporate governance systems are embedded in larger institutional and legal frameworks, and that effective practices are highly contingent on the institutional environment in which corporations and their stakeholders operate. In this chapter, I trace the role of institutional arguments in the current literature on corporate governance both at the firm-level and the level of the economy, pointing out linkages and ongoing debates as well as promising avenues for future research.
Working class formation in Taiwan: fractured solidarity in state-owned enterprises, 1945–2012

A systematic analysis of Taiwan's labor movements is rare in the fields of comparative politics, political sociology, labor studies, and social movements. Working Class Formation in Taiwan fills th...
Supervised Learning of Complete Morphological Paradigms

We describe a supervised approach to predicting the set of all inflected forms of a lexical item. Our system automatically acquires the orthographic transformation rules of morphological paradigms from labeled examples, and then learns the contexts in which those transformations apply using a discriminative sequence model. Because our approach is completely data-driven and the model is trained on examples extracted from Wiktionary, our method can extend to new languages without change. Our end-to-end system is able to predict complete paradigms with 86.1% accuracy and individual inflected forms with 94.9% accuracy, averaged across three languages and two parts of speech.
Experimental Protein Structure Verification by Scoring with a Single, Unassigned NMR Spectrum.

Standard methods for de novo protein structure determination by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) require time-consuming data collection and interpretation efforts. Here we present a qualitatively distinct and novel approach, called Comparative, Objective Measurement of Protein Architectures by Scoring Shifts (COMPASS), which identifies the best structures from a set of structural models by numerical comparison with a single, unassigned 2D (13)C-(13)C NMR spectrum containing backbone and side-chain aliphatic signals. COMPASS does not require resonance assignments. It is particularly well suited for interpretation of magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR spectra, but also applicable to solution NMR spectra. We demonstrate COMPASS with experimental data from four proteins--GB1, ubiquitin, DsbA, and the extracellular domain of human tissue factor--and with reconstructed spectra from 11 additional proteins. For all these proteins, with molecular mass up to 25 kDa, COMPASS distinguished the correct fold, most often within 1.5 A root-mean-square deviation of the reference structure.
Photoswitchable anticancer activity via trans–cis isomerization of a combretastatin A-4 analog

Combretastatin A-4 (CA4) is highly potent anticancer drug that acts as an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization. The core of the CA4 structure contains a cis-stilbene, and it is known that the trans isomer is significantly less potent. We prepared an azobenzene analog of CA4 (Azo-CA4) that shows 13-35 fold enhancement in potency upon illumination. EC50 values in the light were in the mid nM range. Due to its ability to thermally revert to less toxic trans form, Azo-CA4 also has the ability to automatically turn its activity off with time. Azo-CA4 is less potent than CA-4 because it degrades in the presence of glutathione as evidenced by UV-Vis spectroscopy and ESI-MS. Nevertheless, Azo-CA4 represents a promising strategy for switchable potency for treatment of cancer.
Studies of internal sputtering in a 30-cm ion thruster

Initial studies have been made of the sputtering and deposition phenomena in a 30-cm thruster. Sputtering rates, of the cathode baffle, one of the main sources of sputtered material in a thruster, have beem measured by weight loss as a function of several thruster parameters. Sputtering rates were found to increase with both cathode flow rate and beam current when constant discharge voltage of 37 volts and power losses of 185 ev/ion were maintained. Sputtering rates were reduced 24% as discharge voltage was decreased from 37 to 33 volts while keeping discharge power constant. Qualitative agreement was found between sputtering rates obtained by the weight loss and those implied by spectroscopically observed line intensities of the excited iron sputtered atoms. After the completion of the sputtering tests, deposition and sputtering sites inside the thruster were identified.
Strategic information dissemination and link formation in social networks

In this paper, we propose a novel game-theoretic framework for analyzing and understanding how strategic networks are formed endogenously, driven by the self-interested decisions of individual agents aiming to maximize their own utilities by trading-off the costs and benefits of forming links with other agents. We explicitly model and analyze the scenario in which agents benefit from disseminating their own information to other agents. We rigorously prove that the equilibria of strategic networks frequently exhibit a core-periphery structure, where there are only few agents at the center (core) of the network while the majority of agents are at the periphery of the network and communicate with other agents via links maintained by the “core” agents, who play the role of “connectors” in the network. Also, we are able to determine under what conditions the strategic networks operating in equilibrium are minimally connected (i.e. there is a unique path between any two agents) and have short network diameters. These properties are commonly observed on the Internet and important because they ensure the efficiency and robustness of the resulting equilibrium networks. However, none of these has been rigorously proven in a formal framework before.