cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A joint model of species interaction dynamics for multistate processes incorporating imperfect detection

The dynamics of species interactions are critical to understanding community ecology. Although species co-occurrence models have long been available, recent methodological advances support extensions to incorporate temporal population dynamics with variation in the observation process. Contemporary dynamic co-occurrence models often focus on simple presence/absence despite evidence that the influence of interactions may extend beyond species presence to behaviors influencing fitness such as mating success or recruitment. Here, we propose a joint model of species interaction dynamics that extends to multistate processes for each species, while limiting the attendant combinatorial expansion in the number of parameters. In our model, one or more states of a subordinate species are assumed to depend on the state of a dominant species, but a reciprocal dependency does not exist. This model results in a more concise representation of dominant-subordinate species interactions compared with other approaches, which should aid in model setup, fitting, and interpretation. The basic framework we outline can be fit in either Bayesian or maximum-likelihood modes of inference, can include interaction lag effects, and deals efficiently with cases where data are missing for one species but not the other. We evaluate interactions between the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) and barred owl (Strix varia)—the latter species is considered to be dominant—using long-term empirical data collected in Oregon, USA. Our results suggest state-specific interactions between the two species where barred owls are associated with declines in spotted owl pairings, but not necessarily occupancy.
Validity and utility of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) among prostate cancer patients: Data from E2Z02: Symptom Outcomes and Practice Patterns (SOAPP).

e15173 Background: Optimal treatment outcomes for patients (pts) with prostate cancer are dependent upon rigorous symptom assessment. The MDSAI, a patient-reported outcome measure of symptoms (sxs)...
A penalized regression approach to haplotype reconstruction of viral populations arising in early HIV/SIV infection.

Motivation Next generation sequencing (NGS) has been increasingly applied to characterize viral evolution during HIV and SIV infections. In particular, NGS datasets sampled during the initial months of infection are characterized by relatively low levels of diversity as well as convergent evolution at multiple loci dispersed across the viral genome. Consequently, fully characterizing viral evolution from NGS datasets requires haplotype reconstruction across large regions of the viral genome. Existing haplotype reconstruction algorithms have not been developed with the particular characteristics of early HIV/SIV infection in mind, raising the possibility that better performance could be achieved through a specifically designed algorithm. Results Here, we introduce a haplotype reconstruction algorithm, RegressHaplo, specifically designed for low diversity and convergent evolution regimes. The algorithm uses a penalized regression that balances a data fitting term with a penalty term that encourages solutions with few haplotypes. The regression covariates are a large set of potential haplotypes and fitting the regression is made computationally feasible by the low diversity setting. Using simulated and in vivo datasets, we compare RegressHaplo to PredictHaplo and QuRe, two existing haplotype reconstruction algorithms. RegressHaplo performs better than these algorithms on simulated datasets with relatively low diversity levels. We suggest RegressHaplo as a novel tool for the investigation of early infection HIV/SIV datasets and, more generally, low diversity viral NGS datasets. Contact sr286@georgetown.edu. Availability and implementation https://github.com/SLeviyang/RegressHaplo.
Correlation of cytologic and histopathologic findings with perinodal echogenicity of abdominal lymph nodes in dogs and cats

Abdominal lymphadenopathy in dogs and cats is routinely investigated with ultrasound. As the determination between benign and neoplastic etiologies of lymphadenopathy affects patient management, specific sonographic characteristics associated with both benign and neoplastic lymph nodes have been suggested. However, a significant overlap between these characteristics exists, necessitating a cytologic or histopathologic diagnosis in most instances. The objectives of this retrospective, cross-sectional study were to evaluate whether echogenicity of perinodal fat could be a discriminator between benign and neoplastic abdominal lymphadenopathy and to assess if additional sonographic features associated with malignancy could be identified in lymph nodes with hyperechoic perinodal fat. Small animal patients (257 dogs and 117 cats) with sonographic evidence of abdominal lymphadenopathy and a cytological or histopathological diagnosis were evaluated for differences in the proportions of sonographic features between benign and neoplastic groups. Greater maximum long axis diameter (in dogs and cats) and a greater number of abnormal lymph nodes (in cats) were associated with malignancy in lymph nodes with hyperechoic perinodal fat. Canine lymph nodes with round cell neoplasia were significantly more likely to have hyperechoic perinodal fat. Lymph nodes affected with other neoplasia or with lymphadenitis were equally likely to have normal or hyperechoic perinodal fat. Reactive lymph nodes were significantly less likely to have hyperechoic perinodal fat in both species. These results suggest that though echogenicity of perinodal fat is a nonspecific finding, abdominal lymph nodes with hyperechoic perinodal fat are less likely to be reactive and sampling of these lymph nodes may be indicated.
Implications of plan-based generalization in sensorimotor adaptation

The pattern of generalization is thought to reveal how the motor system represents learned actions. Recent work has made the intriguing suggestion that maximum generalization in sensorimotor adapta...
Targeting Alanines in the Hydrophobic and Cross-Linking Domains of Native Elastin with Isotopic Enrichment and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Details of elastin’s complex conformational and dynamic heterogeneity were acquired from one- and two-dimensional solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) experiments on hydrated elastin that is isotopically enriched at its alanines. Elastin’s abundant alanines are useful probes of the structural and dynamical microenvironments in its cross-linking and hydrophobic domains. High isotopic enrichment of alanines in neonatal rat smooth muscle cells (NRSMC) elastin was obtained with the inhibition of alanine transaminase, combined with an excess of [U–13C]alanine in the culture media. Due to the fast, large-amplitude motions, R-TOBSY was utilized with selective homonuclear decoupling schemes to resolve 13C-Ala peaks and confirm assignments. A data-driven approach is applied, as the interpretation of chemical shifts is based on the distribution of conformation-dependent 13C-Ala chemical shifts in proteins in multiple databases. Alanine populations in elastin’s hydrophobic domains are primarily random coil...
KAPTEYN'S (M, LOG R) TABLE AND COSMOLOGY

The (m, log r) table is a useful tool in solving the fundamental equation of stellar statistics. We discuss Kapteyn’s use of the table in 1902 in studying the distribution of stars. Recently, the table has been adapted to serve in cosmological studies, where the role of distance is taken over by the redshift. We address the bin size used in the table and show that it might as well be made vanishly small, leading to the concepts of V max and V/V max for individual objects of an observed sample. We discuss some applications of the V/V max test for quasars and for gamma-ray bursts.
Controller Verification Under Non-Parametric Uncertainty

Abstract This paper describes two methodologies for the verification of controllers for nonlinear processes with incompletely known parameters and functions (parametric and non-parametric uncertainty), one using symbolic manipulation to build bounding equations (NSIM) and one using a non-parametric Monte-Carlo method. NSIM builds and simulates semi-quantitative models and determines bounds on the state variables that are guaranteed to include all of the solutions to the uncertain model, but are conservative. A Monte-Carlo technique is introduced to handle non-parametric uncertainty: functions (rather man parameters) are randomly generated for simulation. The method produces bounds that are not conservative, but it is computationally expensive and its results are guaranteed to include all solutions only in the limit. This is illustrated for a CSTR with a reversible exothermic reaction and a heterogeneous (gain scheduling) controller.
Caregiver Perceptions about their Decision to Pursue Tracheostomy for Children with Medical Complexity.

Objective To describe the perceptions of caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMC) about their decision to pursue tracheostomy for their children, in particular the satisfaction with their decision. Study design In this qualitative study conducted in western North Carolina between 2013 and 2014, we interviewed 56 caregivers of 41 CMC who had received tracheostomies in the past 5 years. Three of the CMC were deceased at the time of the interview; 8 were decannulated. In-depth interviews (35 English, 6 Spanish) were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. We used ATLAS.ti software to manage data and identified themes related to caregiver perceptions about tracheostomy decision. Results We found that caregivers often chose tracheostomy because extending the lives of their children and being able to care for them at home were important. Caregivers reported the many benefits of tracheostomy including improvement in respiratory symptoms, physical and developmental health, quality of life, and means to provide medical care quickly when needed. There were negative effects of tracheostomy such as mucous plugs, excessive secretions, accidental decannulation necessitating emergency tracheostomy tube change, and the increased infection risk. Providing medical care for CMC with tracheostomy at home was difficult, but improved over time. Caregivers were generally satisfied with their decision to pursue tracheostomy for their CMC. Conclusions Decisional satisfaction with tracheostomy for CMC is high. In counseling caregivers about tracheostomy, clinicians should present both the benefits and risks. Future studies should quantify the outcomes described in this study.
Toward data-driven identification of kingdom-specific protein sequence motifs

Biological researchers have proposed the existence of protein domains specific to individual taxonomic kingdoms of organism that do not participate directly in catalytic activity and yet are essential to genetic complementation of loss-of-function mutations [1]. Under the scope of this project, we design and implement a computational algorithm for unsupervised identification of new kingdom-specific sequence motifs to distinguish protein domains warranting empirical investigation. We execute this algorithm on sequences for a protein with empirically documented kingdom-specific domain, and validate the results with respect to biological realism by mapping to a 3-D protein structure and comparing against existing protein annotations.
Incidence and predictive factors for additional opioid prescription after endoscopic sinus surgery.

BACKGROUND Excessive postoperative opioid prescription is a source of prescription diversion in the United States opioid crisis and may contribute to chronic opioid use. Efficient prescription by the surgeon can mitigate opioid abuse and improve postoperative pain control. In this study we sought to better characterize the incidence and predictive baseline characteristics associated with the need for additional opioid prescription after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis. METHODS A retrospective review was performed on subjects undergoing ambulatory ESS between November 2016 and August 2017. The medical and Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) records were reviewed. Uni- and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to evaluate factors associated with additional opioid prescription within 60 days of surgery. RESULTS A total of 121 patients were included. Additional prescriptions were seen in 22 patients (18%). Surgical factors, including sinuses operated, septoplasty, revision, or extended procedure (Draf IIB/III), were not associated with additional prescription. On multivariate logistic regression, preoperative opioid use (odds ratio [OR], 23.45; 95% CI, 1.52-362.63), greater number of prescribed tablets (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26), and lower preoperative health status (ASA score) (OR, 11.21; 95% CI, 1.49-84.30) were associated with additional prescription (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION A need for extension of postoperative opioid pain control is not uncommon after ESS. Patient baseline clinical characteristics are predictive of a need for re-prescription of opioids. Surgical extent is not associated with need for prolonged postoperative opioid pain management.
Full recovery from extreme hypernatremia in an elderly woman with hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome and abnormal electroencephalogram

Background:Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state is a life-threatening endocrine disorder that most commonly affects adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The condition results from an osmotic diuresis-...
Seamless Utilization of Heterogeneous XSede Resources to Accelerate Processing of a High Value Functional Neuroimaging Dataset

We describe the technical effort used to process a voluminous high value human neuroimaging dataset on the Open Science Grid with opportunistic use of idle HPC resources to boost computing capacity more than 5-fold. With minimal software development effort and no discernable competitive interference with other HPC users, this effort delivered 15,000,000 core hours over 7 months.The CamCAN Lifespan Neuroimaging Dataset [1,2], Cambridge (UK) Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience, was acquired and processed beginning in December 2016. The referee consensus solver deployed to the Open Science Grid [3,4] was used for this task. The dataset includes demographic and screening measures, a high-resolution MRI scan of the brain, and whole-head magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings during eyes closed rest (560 sec), a simple task (540 sec), and passive listening/viewing (140 sec). The data were collected from 619 neurologically normal individuals, ages 18-87. The processed results from both resting and task recordings are completed and available for download at http://stash.osgconnect.net/+krieger/. These constitute ≈3.0 TBytes of data including the location within the brain (1 mm resolution), time stamp (1 msec resolution), and 80 msec time course for each of 3.7 billion validated neuroelectric events, i.e. mean 6.1 million events for each of the 619 participants.Primary processing utilized the referee consensus solver deployed on the Open Science Grid (OSG). The pool of computing elements used by the solver was boosted using XSede allocations on Bridges (Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center) and Comet (San Diego Supercomputing Center). Computing elements were added directly to the OSG's HTcondor pool. This required no changes to the solver and only minor changes to the workflow management software which was fully operational in two days.HTcondor's glidein mechanism was used to add the booster computing elements to the HTcondor pool. A script was deployed on each machine which queues Glidein's only when there are idle computing elements. Each Glidein's lifetime is limited to two hours, insuring that these jobs do not significantly delay other users of these important supercomputing resources. This opportunistic use of Brides and Comet delivered more than a 3-fold increase in the number of core hours available for this effort.
Nighttime Application of UV-C to Control Cucumber Powdery Mildew

Nonionizing, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is effective for mitigating powdery mildew associated with a variety of crops including strawberry, grapes, rosemary, tomato, rose, and cucumber. The effecti...
TREAT AF (Transcutaneous Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Atrial Fibrillation): A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract Objectives This study was a sham-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial to examine the effect of chronic low level tragus stimulation (LLTS) in patients with paroxysmal AF. Background Low-level transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve at the tragus (LLTS) acutely suppresses atrial fibrillation (AF) in humans, but the chronic effect remains unknown. Methods LLTS (20 Hz, 1 mA below the discomfort threshold) was delivered using an ear clip attached to the tragus (active arm) (n = 26) or the ear lobe (sham control arm) (n = 27) for 1 h daily over 6 months. AF burden over 2-week periods was assessed by noninvasive continuous electrocardiogram monitoring at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Five-minute electrocardiography and serum were obtained at each visit to measure heart rate variability and inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Results Baseline characteristics were balanced between the 2 groups. Adherence to the stimulation protocol (≤4 sessions lost per month) was 75% in the active arm and 83% in the control arm (p > 0.05). At 6 months, the median AF burden was 85% lower in the active arm compared with the control arm (ratio of medians: 0.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.03 to 0.65; p = 0.011). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha was significantly decreased by 23% in the active group relative to the control group (ratio of medians: 0.77; 95% confidence interval: 0.63 to 0.94; p = 0.0093). Frequency domain indices of heart rate variability were significantly altered with active versus control stimulation (p Conclusions Chronic, intermittent LLTS resulted in lower AF burden than did sham control stimulation, supporting its use to treat paroxysmal AF in selected patients. (Transcutaneous Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Atrial Fibrillation [TREAT-AF]; NCT02548754)
Criterion-Related Validity of Spectroscopy-Based Skin Carotenoid Measurements as a Proxy for Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Systematic Review

Carotenoids are a category of health-promoting phytonutrients that are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables and have been used as a biomarker to approximate dietary fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake. Carotenoids are consumed, metabolized, and deposited in blood, skin, and other tissues. Emerging evidence suggests spectroscopy-based skin carotenoid measurement is a noninvasive method to approximate F/V intake. Spectroscopy-based skin carotenoid measurement overcomes bias and error inherent in self-reported dietary recall methods, and the challenges in obtaining, storing, and processing invasive blood samples. The objective of this systematic review was to examine criterion-related validity of spectroscopy-based skin carotenoid measurement as a proxy for F/V intake. The 3 methods examined were resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS), pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy (RS), and spectrophotometers. A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ProQuest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed in December 2018, yielding 7931 citations. Studies that examined associations between spectroscopy, blood carotenoids, and/or dietary intake were identified and reviewed independently by ≥2 reviewers to determine eligibility for inclusion. Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and all 29 studies found significant correlations or associations between spectroscopy-based skin carotenoids and plasma or serum carotenoids and/or dietary F/V intake. A majority of the studies evaluated carotenoid concentration in adults; however, 4 studies were conducted in infants and 6 studies evaluated children. Twenty studies specified the racial/ethnic groups from which the samples were drawn, with 6 including ≥20% of the sample from a minority, nonwhite population. The findings of this systematic review support the use of spectroscopy for estimating F/V intake in diverse human populations, although additional validation is needed, particularly among racially/ethnically diverse populations and populations of varying ages.
Improving compliance with diabetes care using a novel mnemonic: A quality improvement project in an urban primary care clinic.

Abstract Aim The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve compliance with the delivery of multidimensional patient-centered diabetes care using a streamlined mnemonic based on established diabetes guidelines. Methods Using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) model for improvement, four rapid plan-do-study-act cycles primarily implemented different tests of change over eight weeks using a streamlined mnemonic – the LLaVES (lifestyle, laboratory tests, vaccination, examination, social/psychosocial) bundle for screening and case management of patients with diabetes. Secondary to the LLaVES bundle, tests of change were also conducted for clinic team members and patients. Team member engagement utilized a best-practice toolkit for effective communication. Patient engagement implemented validated models to evaluate knowledge of diabetes and stage of change. Data were analyzed using run charts to evaluate the impact of interventions on outcomes. Overall compliance was measured as the diabetes management compliance rate (DMCR), composed of LLaVES implementation, team engagement, and patient engagement scores. Results The diabetes management compliance rate increased by 72.2%, from a baseline of 49% to 84.4% in eight weeks. Team engagement increased from 76.6% to 92% while patient engagement increased from 70.4% to 87.4%. Conclusions Diabetes management is complex and requires team and patient engagement to implement a structured and multidimensional process. Composed of established, high-level evidence interventions, the LLaVES bundle is one approach to systematize complex care while taking into account the specific and unique challenges of a health care organization.
Early British animation: from page and stage to cinema screens: by Malcolm Cook, Germany, Springer International, 2018, xv + 282 pp., $139.99 (hardback ), $99.99 (paperback), $79.99 (eBook ), ISBN 9783319734293, 3319734296

In his book Early British Animation Malcolm Cook seeks to highlight the development of the British Animation industry as an entity in its own right. Up until now, Cook feels that British animation ...
IgG 4 Autoimmune hepatitis presenting as idiopathic hypereosinophilia syndrome.

Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Idiopathic Hypereosinophilia Syndrome (HES) are viewed as distinct diseases. Our patient presented with hepatic and serum IgG4+ plasma cell infiltration, in addition to a marked bone marrow and peripheral eosinophilia with colonic involvement, raising the diagnosis of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and HES. This is the first reported case of IgG4 - AIH presenting with HES, both of which resolved with immune suppressive therapy.
Fetal and early postnatal lead exposure measured in teeth associates with infant gut microbiota.

Abstract Background Lead (Pb) is an environmentally ubiquitous heavy metal associated with a wide range of adverse health effects in children. Both lead exposure and the early life microbiome— which plays a critical role in human development—have been linked to similar health outcomes, but it is unclear if the adverse effects of lead are partially driven by early life gut microbiota dysbiosis. The objective of this study was to examine the association between in utero and postnatal lead levels (measured in deciduous baby teeth) and early life bacterial and fungal gut microbiota in the first year of life. Methods Data from the Wayne County Health, Environment, Allergy and Asthma Longitudinal Study (WHEALS) birth cohort were analyzed. Tooth lead levels during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and postnatally ( Results In utero tooth lead levels were significantly associated with gut fungal community composition at 1-month of age, where higher levels of 2nd trimester tooth lead was associated with lower abundances of Candida and Aspergillus and higher abundances of Malassezia and Saccharomyces; 3rd trimester lead was also associated with lower abundances of Candida. Though lead did not significantly associate with the overall structure of the infant gut bacterial community, it associated with the abundance of some specific bacterial taxa, including the increased abundance of Collinsella and Bilophila and a decreased abundance of Bacteroides taxa. Conclusions The observed associations between lead exposure and infant gut microbiota could play a role in the impact of lead on childhood development. Given the paucity of research examining these associations in humans—particularly for fungal microbiota—further investigation is needed.
The impact of highly compact algorithmic redistricting on the rural-versus-urban balance

It is commonly believed that, in congressional and state legislature elections in the United States, rural voters have an inherent political advantage over urban voters. We study this hypothesis using an idealized redistricting method, balanced centroidal power diagrams, that achieves essentially perfect population balance while optimizing a principled measure of compactness. We find that, using this method, the degree to which rural or urban voters have a political advantage depends on the number of districts and the population density of urban areas. Moreover, we find that the political advantage in any case tends to be dramatically less than that afforded by district plans used in the real world, including district plans drawn by presumably neutral parties such as the courts. One possible explanation is suggested by the following discovery: modifying centroidal power diagrams to prefer placing boundaries along city boundaries significantly increases the advantage rural voters have over urban voters.
Chronic Granulomatous Disease

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited primary immunodeficiency due to mutations in any of the critical subunits of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase complex, resulting in impaired oxidase activity of neutrophils, monocytes, and tissue macrophages. It is characterized by increased susceptibility to recurrent and severe infections with a narrow pathognomonic spectrum of bacteria and fungi, granuloma formation, and inflammatory disease, primarily of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and liver. Inflammatory disease in CGD is difficult to predict and often refractory to therapy. Patients with CGD also have increased incidence of autoimmune disease, including lupus-like symptoms, sarcoidosis, IgA nephropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune manifestations. With increasing awareness of disease, widespread use of antimicrobial prophylaxis, and advancements in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), outcomes have improved dramatically and many patients now live well into adulthood. HSCT is the only widely available definitive treatment for CGD with the potential for resolution of both infectious and inflammatory complications. Overall survival rates are now consistently near or >90% for pediatric patients less than 14 years regardless of donor source, and survival rates are improving for adolescents and young adults, including those with severe infection and/or uncontrolled inflammatory disease at time of transplantation. Early results from gene therapy trials have also demonstrated resolution of the CGD phenotype, although long-term outcomes with gene therapy are unknown.
When Silence is Golden: Audit Risk Disclosure, Information Acquisition and Investment Efficiency

Conventional wisdom suggests that audit risk disclosure improves the overall efficiency because investors are more informed of a client's financial performance. This view, while intuitive, ignores a potential externality of audit risk disclosure on auditor competence. We consider a two-period model wherein an auditor exerts costly effort to acquire private information of the client-specific audit risk to avoid audit failure and induce more efficient investment decisions. Despite conveying more information to investors, mandatory audit risk disclosure reduces the incumbent auditor's information advantage over other entrant auditors, thus discouraging the auditor's information acquisition effort in the first period. As a result, mandatory disclosure may impair audit quality, escalate total audit fees, and reduce investment efficiency, making the client worse off ex-ante. We further offer regulatory and empirical implications to the recent audit reform.
Syntactic and lexical features of adolescent L2 students’ academic writing

Abstract With a premium placed on academic writing in the U.S. secondary education context, adolescent L2 students are expected to develop advanced skills to analyze, interpret, and produce complex texts in a variety of content areas, which require proficiency in academic language. To enhance the academic literacy of developing L2 writers and to meet their linguistic needs, it is crucial to identify the unique language features of their academic writing. This study seeks to examine syntactic and lexical features of the text-based analytical essays written by Spanish-speaking L2 students (7th–12th grades) from a public school in a western state of the United States. Employing manual sentence coding and quantitative measures of selected linguistic variables from Coh- Metrix, we analyzed student texts (N = 86) to identify common linguistic patterns and to examine how these linguistic features predict writing quality. Our findings reveal that sentence boundary issues, lack of syntactic variety, the underuse of sophisticated subordination to show connections between ideas, and low use of advanced vocabulary are common in adolescent L2 students’ writing. The results of regression analyses show that syntactic complexity and lexical sophistication predict human-judged writing quality. Implications for pedagogy to address the linguistic needs of adolescent L2 students are discussed.
A simple, efficient, and reliable endoderm differentiation protocol for human embryonic stem cells using crotonate

Summary Training and experiences are usually required to successfully culture and differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Here, we describe a simple but highly efficient protocol to induce endoderm differentiation of hESCs with crotonate, a precursor of crotonyl-CoA for histone crotonylation deposition on endodermal genes. In this protocol, adding crotonate in different endoderm differentiation media significantly increases the differentiation efficiency and substantially reduces the amount of required reagents. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Fang et al. (2021) .
Intellectuals, Citizens, and Digital Technologies in a New Era of Struggle

In Chap. 5, I discuss “Intellectuals and Digital Technologies in a New Era of Struggle,” focusing on the political challenges of a high-tech world and how individuals can be active participants in the great adventures of the digital revolution. I discuss some challenges to the classical conceptions of the critical intellectual and some of the ways that digital technologies and new public spheres offer new possibilities for democratic discussion and intervention, which call for a redefinition of the intellectual in the ever-proliferating technological matrix. Consequently, I will discuss some changes in the concepts of intellectuals and the public sphere, and how digital technologies and new spheres of public debate and conflict suggest some new possibilities for redefining intellectuals in the present era and the ways that digital technologies and social media can be used as instruments of progressive social change. I argue that the demands of democracy require that intellectuals today master and use digital technology and social media to fight for a more just, egalitarian, and democratic society in an era in which democracy is under attack on a global scale.
The Metabolic Syndrome, Thiazolidinediones, and Implications for Intersection of Chronic and Inflammatory Disease

Summary Chronic disease appears connected to obesity. However, evidence suggests that chronic metabolic diseases are more specifically related to adipose dysfunction rather than to body weight itself. Further study of the first generation “insulin sensitizer” pioglitazone and molecules based on its structure suggests that is possible to decouple body weight from the metabolic dysfunction that drives adverse outcomes. The growing understanding of the mechanism of action of these agents together with advances in the pathophysiology of chronic metabolic disease offers a new approach to treat chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and their common organ and vascular sequelae. We hypothesize that this understanding could also be significant with respect to the newly appreciated interface between infectious disease and chronic metabolic disease.
An Experiment in Program Composition and Proof

This paper explores a compositional approach to program specification, development and proof. We apply a theory of composition to a problem in distributed computing with the goal of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this compositional approach. First, we describe the theory briefly. Then we give a specification of a desired system. Next, we propose a design of the desired system as a composition of components and prove its correctness. Finally, we show how the proof can be reused for a slightly different compositional structure by using the concept of observation.
Sharing in Typed Module Assembly Language

There is a growing need to provide low-overhead software-based protection mechanisms to protect against malicious or untrusted code. Type-based approaches such as proof-carrying code and typed assembly language provide this protection by relying on untrusted compilers to certify the safety properties of machine language programs. Typed Module Assembly Language (TMAL) is an extension of typed assembly language with support for the type-safe manipulation of dynamically linked libraries. A particularly important aspect of TMAL is its support for shared libraries.
Insomnia and cow's milk allergy in infants.

To the Editor.— Recently, Needham described a method of tick removal involving grasping the head of the tick with a blunt curved forceps or tweezers and applying steady traction (Pediatrics 1985;75:997-1002). In a letter (Pediatrics 1986;77:261), Cochran mentioned pulling the tick out vigorously, skin and all, to the accompaniment of an "eech" sound. Some of us might prefer not to elicit such sounds from our smaller subjects. During the past few years, I have removed ticks relatively easily in the following way. The point of a suture needle (FS-2 cutting) is positioned in the face of the tick just above the attachment to the skin.
Reputable mix networks

We define a new type of mix network that offers a reduced form of robustness: the mixnet can prove that every message it outputs corresponds to an input submitted by a player without revealing which input (for honest players). We call mixnets with this property reputable mixnets. Reputable mixnets are not fully robust, because they offer no guarantee that distinct outputs correspond to distinct inputs. In particular, a reputable mix may duplicate or erase messages. A reputable mixnet, however, can defend itself against charges of having authored the output messages it produces. This ability is very useful in practice, as it shields the mixnet from liability in the event that an output message is objectionable or illegal. We propose three very efficient protocols for reputable mixnets, all synchronous. The first protocol is based on blind signatures. It works both with Chaumian decryption mixnets or re-encryption mixnets based on ElGamal, but guarantees a slightly weaker form of reputability which we call near-reputability. The other two protocols are based on ElGamal re-encryption over a composite group and offer true reputability. One requires interaction between the mixnet and the players before players submit their inputs. The other assumes no interaction prior to input submission.
Enhanced detection of host response antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi using immuno-PCR.

Lyme disease is the fastest-growing zoonotic disease in North America. Current methods for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infection are challenged by analysis subjectivity and standardization of antigen source. In the present study, we developed an immuno-PCR (iPCR)-based approach employing recombinant in vivo-expressed B. burgdorferi antigens for objective detection of a host immune response to B. burgdorferi infection. iPCR is a liquid-phase protein detection method that combines the sensitivity of PCR with the specificity and versatility of immunoassay-based protocols. Use of magnetic beads coated with intact spirochetes provided effective antigen presentation and allowed detection of host-generated antibodies in experimentally infected mice at day 11 postinoculation, whereas host-generated antibodies were detected at day 14 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and day 21 by immunoblotting. Furthermore, magnetic beads coated with recombinant B. burgdorferi in vivo-expressed antigen OspC or BmpA demonstrated positive detection of host-generated antibodies in mice at day 7 postinoculation with markedly increased iPCR signals above the background, with the quantification cycle (Cq) value for each sample minus the mean background Cq plus 3 standard deviations (ΔCq) being 4 to 10, whereas ΔCq was 2.5 for intact spirochete-coated beads. iPCR demonstrated a strong correlation (Spearman rank correlation = 0.895, P < 0.0001) with a commercial ELISA for detection of host antibodies in human Lyme disease patient sera using the B. burgdorferi VlsE C6 peptide. In addition, iPCR showed potential applicability for direct detection of spirochetes in blood. The results presented here indicate that our iPCR assay has the potential to provide an objective format that can be used for sensitive detection of multiple host response antibodies and isotypes to B. burgdorferi infection.
In vivo photoacoustic imaging of tumor using gold nanoparticles as contrast agent

In this study, we demonstrate that following intravenous administration of PEGylayted gold nanoparticles to tumor bearing mice, accumulation of gold nanoparticles in tumors can be effectively imaged with photoacoustic tomography.
Research on the preseparation space in hydrocyclones

Abstract The preseparation space in a conventional hydrocyclone, i.e., the space between vortex finder and column wall, has little effect on the separation process, thus it is presented in this paper to minimize the space by increasing the outer diameter of the vortex finder. As a result, the advantages of the improved hydrocyclone over the conventional one have been discovered as follows: 1. (1) cutting down the short-circuit flow significantly; 2. (2) increasing the energy contributed to the main separation space; 3. (3) diminishing the internal pressure loss in the hydrocyclone; 4. (4) changing the conventional zero vertical velocity locus into a wedge zone and making the separation more effective. By laboratory experiments, it is justified that the hydrocyclone with a narrow preseparation space not only improves the separation performance but also reduces the internal loss.
The Incompetent Student Raises a Problem for the Language Teacher

Author's Summary.— The performance of many students is poorest in foreign language because it is here that their inability to use and comprehend words as instruments of thought is most felt. The effect on the other college courses of a large number of linguistic defectives is such that concerted action seems to be necessary in order to maintain academic standards.
The Effects of Parathyroid Hormone, Calcitonin, and Vitamin D Metabolites on Calcium Transport in the Secretory Rat Enamel Organ

The effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), 1,25(OH)2D3, and 24,25(OH) 2D3 on calcium transport through the secretory stage enamel organ were studied on developing rat molars in vitro. 24,25(OH)2D 3 increased 45Ca uptake by the explants. 24,25(OH)2 D3 plus PTH further enhanced 45Ca uptake and resulted in an increase in net calcium uptake by the developing enamel.
Sexual dysfunction, HIV, and AIDS in men who have sex with men.

Abstract HIV infection is associated with sexual dysfunction. Using validated instruments, we investigated the relationship between HIV/AIDS and sexual function in a contemporary cohort of men who have sex with men (MSM). An anonymous Internet-based survey was disseminated to MSM via organizations and social networking sites that cater to this population. Information on ethnodemographic variables, health status (including HIV status, disease stage, and other health conditions), and sexual behavior was collected. Men were categorized as HIV-negative, HIV-positive/AIDS-negative, or HIV-positive /AIDS-positive. A modified validated version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) for use in MSM and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) were used to stratify risk of sexual dysfunction. The study cohort included 1361 men (236 of whom were HIV-positive) who provided complete data on HIV status, IIEF, and PEDT. There was a significant trend toward greater prevalence of erectile dysfuncti...
Effects of a thermal effluent on the incidence and abundance of the gill and intestinal metazoan parasites of the black bullhead

Effects of thermal effluent on the incidence and abundance of gill and intestinal metazoan parasites of the black bullhead, Ictalurus melas , were investigated. A total of 472 bullheads from a thermal outfall area and an unaltered area of Lake Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin were examined. All parasites underwent a seasonal cycle in abundance with peak infections occurring in summer, except for the acanthocephalan, Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli , which underwent a seasonal cycle in abundance in the reference area but not in the outfall area. Thermal effluent had little effect on the incidence of the parasites. Differences in abundance between the outfall and reference areas were observed for all parasites but these differences were not always consistent nor statistically significant. P. bulbocolli was more abundant in the reference area than in the outfall area in summer ( P ≤ 0·05). The monogenean, Cleidodiscus sp. was more abundant in the reference area than in the outfall area in August ( P ≤ 0·05). The infections of the gill copepod, Achtheres ambloplitis , were higher in the reference area than in the outfall area in spring, June, August, and September ( P ≤ 0·05). Availability of infective larvae and variability in host feeding patterns were suggested as the controlling factors of the patterns of abundance observed.
PRL, Placental Lactogen, and GH Induce Na+/Taurocholate-Cotransporting Polypeptide Gene Expression by Activating Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-5 in Liver Cells

We investigated the transcriptional regulation of the Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide gene by PRL, placental lactogen, and GH. In primary hepatocytes, ovine PRL induced a dose-dependent phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of signal transducers and activators of transcription-5a and -5b, but not -1 or -3, whereas mouse placental lactogen I and rat GH activated -5a, -5b, and -1. In EMSAs, ovine PRL, mouse placental lactogen I, and rat GH increased the specific DNA binding of nuclear signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 to its consensus element in both transfected HepG2 cells and primary hepatocytes. PRL, placental lactogen I, and GH also increased Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide mRNA expression in hepatocytes from control and pregnant (mouse placental lactogen I) rats. Genistein, a phosphotyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibited PRL-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 activation and Na+/taurocholate-cotransporting polypeptide mRNA. In HepG2 cell...
Optical cavity characterization in nanowires via self-generated broad-band emission

Broadband white light is of great spectroscopic value and would be a powerful tool for nanoscale spectroscopy, however, generation and direction of white light on this length scale remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the generation of broadband white light in sub-wavelength diameter Gallium Nitride (GaN) wires by coincident one- and two-photon absorption mediated via defect states. This generation of broadband, “white” light enables single-nanowire interferometric measurements of the nanowires themselves via analysis of the Fabry-Perot fringes that overlay the entirety of the emission spectrum. The quality factor and finesse of individual nanowire cavities were measured and calculated to be 186 ± 88 and 3.05 ±0.6 respectively, averaged over 20 individual wires. This work presents a new, simple approach for the generation and direction of broad band white light at sub-diffraction limit length scales, ideal for translating classical white light spectroscopies to higher spatial resolutions then previously achieved.
Probabilistic modeling and analysis of high-speed rough-terrain mobile robots

Mobile robots have important applications in high speed, rough-terrain scenarios. It would be desirable to construct accurate models of these systems. However, due to the system complexity, accurate modeling is difficult. In This work a high-speed rough-terrain robot model is presented. Experiments show that this model can accurately predict robot performance in simple, well-known terrain. However in unstructured, rough terrain, performance prediction is less accurate. A stochastic method for analyzing system performance in spite of model parameter uncertainty is presented. A method for studying model sensitivity to parameter uncertainty is also presented. It is shown that stochastic analysis can be used effectively for model-based analysis of real-world rough-terrain robotic systems.