cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of 2-Bromo-5,6-Dichloro-1-β-d-Ribofuranosyl Benzimidazole Riboside and Inhibitors of DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis on Human Cytomegalovirus Genome Maturation

Herpesvirus genome maturation is a complex process in which concatemeric DNA molecules are translocated into capsids and cleaved at specific sequences to produce encapsidated-unit genomes. Bacteriophage studies further suggest that important ancillary processes, such as RNA transcription and DNA synthesis, concerned with repeat duplication, recombination, branch resolution, or damage repair may also be involved with the genome maturation process. To gain insight into the biochemical activities needed for herpesvirus genome maturation, 2-bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole riboside (BDCRB) was used to allow the accumulation of human cytomegalovirus concatemeric DNA while the formation of new genomes was being blocked. Genome formation was restored upon BDCRB removal, and addition of various inhibitors during this time window permitted evaluation of their effects on genome maturation. Inhibitors of protein synthesis, RNA transcription, and the viral DNA polymerase only modestly reduced genome formation, demonstrating that these activities are not required for genome maturation. In contrast, drugs that inhibit both viral and host DNA polymerases potently blocked genome formation. Radioisotope incorporation in the presence of a viral DNA polymerase inhibitor further suggested that significant host-mediated DNA synthesis occurs throughout the viral genome. These results indicate a role for host DNA polymerases in genome maturation and are consistent with a need for terminal repeat duplication, debranching, or damage repair concomitant with DNA packaging or cleavage. Similarities to previously reported effects of BDCRB on guinea pig cytomegalovirus were also noted; however, BDCRB induced low-level formation of a supergenomic species called monomer+ DNA that is unique to human cytomegalovirus. Analysis of monomer+ DNA suggested a model for its formation in which BDCRB permits limited packaging of concatemeric DNA but induces skipping of cleavage sites.
Improved performance of the greedy algorithm for partial cover

We prove that the classical bounds on the performance of the greedy algorithm for approximating MINIMUM COVER with costs are valid for PARTIAL COVER as well, thus lowering, by more than a factor of two, the previously known estimate. In order to do so, we introduce a new simple technique that might be useful for attacking other similar problems.
Temporary clipping for unruptured aneurysms.

The stakes are often higher when operating on unruptured aneurysms compared with ruptured aneurysms because the patients are usually neurologically normal or minimally symptomatic. These are either incidental aneurysms discovered during screening for other symptoms or additional aneurysms in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Unruptured aneurysms are being discovered and treated at an increasing rate, primarily as a result of the availability and improved quality of diagnostic imaging as well as a better understanding of the natural history. When operating on these aneurysms, the neurosurgeon generally has had adequate time to consider every possible scenario and plan ahead with the anesthesia team. Depending on the size, location, and morphology of the aneurysm and the surrounding vasculature, the neurosurgeon has the option of using temporary artery occlusion (TAO) or one of the cardiac standstill methods to facilitate dissection.
An overview of hardware requirements for UWB systems: interference issues and transceiver design implications

The widespread adoption of UWB systems will require some fundamental rethinking of issues of dynamic range and frequency planning in the design of both the transmitters and receivers. In particular, the deployment of a robust receiver, capable of high performance in a multiuser/multistandard environment, remains a real challenge. A summary of UWB transceiver radio frequency interference mitigation techniques is presented.
Altered expression of the developmentally regulated NFI gene family during phorbol ester-induced differentiation of human leukemic cells.

The nuclear factor I (NFl) family of transcnptionlreplication proteins is required for the cell type-specific expression of a number of cellular and viral genes. There are four evolutionarily conserved NFl genes (NFl-A, -B, -C, and -X) that encode DNA-binding proteins of similar or identical DNA-binding specificity. To address the role of this family of highly conserved transcription/replication proteins in cell differentiation and development, we have assessed the expression of NFl proteins (by DNA binding) and mRNAs of each of the four NFl genes during the in vitro differentiation of several human leukemic cell lines. These cell lines differ in their pattern of differentiation upon exposure to the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13acetate (TPA). In K562 and OCI/AML-3 cells, the levels of the four NFl mRNAs and the mobility of NFl-DNA complexes present in nuclear extracts changed during treatment with TPA. The TPA-induced change in mobility of NFl-DNA complexes in OCI/AML-3 cells was blocked by an inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide. These changes in NFl protein and mRNA expression appear to be cell type- or lineagespecific since no changes were seen during the TPAinduced differentiation of HL-60 or U937 cells. These studies indicate that although their DNA-binding specificities are similar, the proteins encoded by the four NFl genes may differ in their biological functions and play distinct roles in hematopoietic development.
How we used two social media tools to enhance aspects of active learning during lectures

Background: Medical education is evolving to include active learning approaches, yet some courses will remain lecture-based. Social media tools used by students may foster collaborative learning during lectures.Aim: We present preliminary results from a pilot study that integrated two ‘social’ technologies, Google Docs and SurveyMonkey, into 22 hour-long lectures for a course called “Social Influences on Health” attended by 154 students.Methods: At the conclusion of the semester, we reviewed student usage patterns with both technologies and collected data from students via course evaluations that included a standard Likert Scale. We used thematic analysis to identify emergent themes from evaluations.Results: On average, students contributed 6 comments/questions to the Google Doc in each lecture, and 35 students participated in SurveyMonkey. Engagement with both technologies increased throughout the semester and no unprofessional incidents were observed. The mean student rating for integration of Google Do...
Girls' Use of Defense Mechanisms Following Peer Rejection

This study explores the relation between girls' social adjustment and their use of defense mechanisms. We recruited girls representing four sociometric status classifications (rejected, neglected, average, and popular), and assessed their use of defense mechanisms both before and after encountering a peer rejection experience in the laboratory. We hypothesized that increasing degrees of social maladjustment would be associated with higher levels of defense use, particularly after encountering a rejection experience. Our results supported these hypotheses. There was a significant negative relationship between social adjustment and defense use, both prior to and immediately following the rejection experience. Categorical analyses revealed that rejected and neglected girls used more defenses following the rejection experience than did popular and average girls.
The Effect of Curcumin on Intracellular pH (pHi), Membrane Hyperpolarization and Sperm Motility.

Background: Curcumin has shown to affect sperm motility and function in vitro and fertility in vivo. The molecular mechanism(s) by which curcumin affects sperm motility has not been delineated. Since modulation of intracellular pH (pHi) and plasma membrane polarization is involved in sperm motility, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of curcumin on these sperm (human and murine) parameters. Methods: The effect of curcumin on sperm forward motility was examined by counting percentages of forward moving sperm. The effect of curcumin on intracellular pH (pHi) was measured by the fluorescent pH indicator 2,7-bicarboxyethyl-5,6carboxyfluorescein-acetoxymethyl ester (BCECF-AM). The effect of curcumin on plasma membrane polarization was examined using the fluorescence sensitive dye bis (1,3-dibarbituric acid)-trimethine oxanol [DiBAC4(3)]. Results: Curcumin caused a concentration-dependent (p<0.05) decrease in forward motility of both human and mouse sperm. It also caused a concentration-dependent decrease in intracellular pH (pHi) in both human and mouse sperm. Curcumin induced significant (p<0.05) hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane in both human and mouse sperm. Conclusion: These findings indicate that curcumin inhibits sperm forward motility by intracellular acidification and hyperpolarization of sperm plasma membrane. This is the first study to our knowledge which examined the effect of curcumin on sperm pHi and membrane polarization that affect sperm forward motility. These exciting findings will have application in deciphering the signal transduction pathway involved in sperm motility and function and in development of a novel non-steroidal contraceptive for infertility.
Response to Paul Nimmo

I am grateful to the Scottish Journal of Theology for offering me the opportunity to respond to Paul Nimmo's article review of the The Analogy of Grace, and I am especially grateful to Dr Nimmo for his lucid and accurate overview of the book, his generous comments, and his thoughtful and challenging criticisms. It is an honour to receive this careful and critical attention from the author of Being in Action, a study of Barth's ethics for which I have the highest regard.
Frictional Matching Models

This article reviews the developments in frictional matching models from 1990 to 2010, exploring how search frictions skew the matches that occur. This research succeeded by exploiting new tools from monotone methods under uncertainty. Seeing how this journey plays out is instructive in itself for economic theory. The article also describes in detail the different attacks on the existence of equilibrium required for these search and matching models.
The Complex Inhibiting Role of Surface Oxide in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Advances in Pt-based oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) fuel cell catalysts will continue to lead to remarkably more efficient fuel cells. However, more efficient Pt-based cathode catalysts will be required to deliver higher currents at lower overpotential, which will result in them becoming oxidized over periods of prolonged use. In this manuscript, a comprehensive analysis of the ORR on Pt-oxide films of varying thickness is presented. Oxides were grown for various times with various oxidizing potentials in pH 1 and pH 13 media, and the ORR process was probed on these surfaces during a negative-going voltammetry sweep. The oxide layer was found to be stronger bound in alkaline media, but acidic conditions seem to favor growth of thicker oxides. Product selectivity is also altered by the oxide layer to favor undesirable peroxide formation. A novel analysis shows how chemisorbed oxide led to alterations in Tafel slope that could be mistaken for a changing rate-determining step. This study provides strong evi...
Impact Fracture of Ceramics at High Temperature

Samples of hot-pressed silicon nitride were tested in 3-point bend impact loading at ambient temperature, 1100°C, 1250°C, and 1400°C under isothermal conditions. Dynamic stress intensity factors (KIC) were calculated from the fracture load and the dimensions of an induced surface flaw, produced by a Knoop hardness indenter. Dynamic stress intensities of about 5.25 MN/m3/2 were determined for all temperatures up to 1250°C. A 20% drop in KIC was found at 1400°C. This drop in KIC coincides with a change in the fracture surface at the same temperature, indicating a change in the micromechanics of fracture at 1400°C.
Does inactivation of USP14 enhance degradation of proteasomal substrates that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases

A common pathological hallmark of age-related neurodegenerative diseases is the intracellular accumulation of protein aggregates such as α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease, TDP-43 in ALS, and tau in Alzheimer’s disease. Enhancing intracellular clearance of aggregation-prone proteins is a plausible strategy for slowing progression of neurodegenerative diseases and there is great interest in identifying molecular targets that control protein turnover. One of the main routes for protein degradation is through the proteasome, a multisubunit protease that degrades proteins that have been tagged with a polyubiquitin chain by ubiquitin activating and conjugating enzymes. Published data from cellular models indicate that Ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14), a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB), slows the degradation of tau and TDP-43 by the proteasome and that an inhibitor of USP14 increases the degradation of these substrates. We conducted similar experiments designed to evaluate tau, TDP-43, or α-synuclein levels in cells after overexpressing USP14 or knocking down endogenous expression by siRNA.
The Future of Information Literacy: Transforming the World

Les bibliothecaires des universites sont appeles a jouer un role dans la mise en forme de la culture de l'information de demain. Au-dela de l'enseignement traditionnel et theorique, il faut impliquer les etudiants en leur soumettant des problemes lies au monde reel et a leurs centres d'interet, encourager leur engagement actif dans le monde et les inciter a remettre en question ce qui semble aller de soi afin de l'ameliorer.
American Society of Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire 2015: Glomerular Diseases

The Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire remains an extremely popular session for attendees of the annual Kidney Week meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. Once again, the conference hall was overflowing with audience members and eager quiz participants. Topics covered by the expert discussants included electrolyte and acid-base disorders, glomerular disease, ESRD/dialysis, and kidney transplantation. Complex cases representing each of these categories, along with single-best-answer questions, were prepared and submitted by the panel of experts. Before the meeting, training program directors of United States nephrology fellowship programs and nephrology fellows answered the questions through an Internet-based questionnaire. During the live session, members of the audience tested their knowledge and judgment on a series of case-oriented questions prepared and discussed by the experts. They compared their answers in real time using their cell phones with a special app with the answers of the nephrology fellows and training program directors. The correct and incorrect answers were then discussed after the results of the questionnaire were displayed. As always, the audience, lecturers, and moderators enjoyed this educational session. This article recapitulates the session and reproduces its educational value for Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology readers. Enjoy the clinical cases and expert discussions.
History of Mycological Collectors in Colorado

have collected in this region. I am excluding all workers in the Myxomycetes on account of the rather debatable taxonomic position occupied by this group of organisms. There have appeared in recognized scientific journals several articles on Colorado fungi based on the collections made by one or more men over a period of one or two summers. Three of these articles are of importance, representing at least the beginning in the compilation of a check-list of Colorado fungi. Other papers are of minor importance, containing but scattered reports on a dozen or more fungi. The first paper to appear dealing with fungi from this region was prepared by T. C. Porter and J. M. Coulter, 1874 (1). In their "Synopsis of the Flora of Colorado," they list, in addition to many hundred flowering plants, eleven fungi all of which were described by Peck. Another early paper was by Charles H. Peck, 1878 (2), in which he describes eleven new species of fungi from Colorado. Evidently, Peck never was in Colorado. Fungi collected in this state by T. S. Brandegee in 1877 were sent to E. S. Rau, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for identification. These fungi were, in turn, sent by Rau to Peck in New York. The third paper to appear in the literature was written by Ellis and Everhart in 1893. In their article entitled, "New west American fungi" (3), they describe ten new fungi collected in the vicinity of Fort Collins by C. F. Baker during the years 1892-1893. Baker was then with the Colorado Agricultural
Fractures in the men of a Veterans Administration Nursing Home: relation to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.

One hundred fifty-three men, age 48-96, 86% white, had resided in this Nursing Home for an average of 6.3 years (range 1.3-36) as of August 1984. At that time, we reviewed their medical charts to record the numbers and sites of fractures which had been diagnosed during the preceding 1 to 5 years of Nursing Home residence, the duration of this period depending on the duration of institutionalization. In addition, a clinical database was compiled comprising 70 attributes, including diagnoses, drugs, plasma (serum) chemistries, and measures of hematologic, nutritional, and functional status. Fractures during the studied period of Nursing Home residence had occurred in 24 of 153 men; six residents had experienced two or more fractures. Fracture rates in hip, spine, and wrist were 2564, 366, and 549 per 100,000 patient years, respectively. The total fracture rate, hip fracture rate, and limb fracture rate were five to 11 times higher than in the age-matched general population of white men in the United States;...
Investigation of Rotor Models for Wind Turbine Simulations

In this paper, air flow around a model wind turbine and the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine is simulated using different rotor modeling techniques/methodologies. The actuator line (AL) method of modeling the rotor is compared with the fully resolved rotor simulation. The aerodynamic forces for the AL method are computed using an open source code, FAST, from NREL. An in-house code, Tenasi, is used to carry out the CFD simulations. Validation of the computational methodology is carried out by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data for the model wind turbine. Since the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine is notional, experimental data is not available for validation. The simulation results are verified using the results from other studies.
The economy of sixteenth century England: A test of rival interpretations

That the sixteenth century marked the beginning of a watershed in English economic history has long been recognized by both economists and historians. Characterized by a variety of economic revolut...
Ligand Effects on Optical Properties of Small Gold Clusters: A TDDFT Study

Ligand influence on the excited state structure of small neutral gold clusters (Au2 and Au4) has been investigated using Time Dependent Density Functional Theory. We study in detail the absorption ...
A model for predicting prolonged length of stay in patients undergoing anatomical lung resection: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database study.

OBJECTIVES There are currently no studies that have specifically delineated the risk factors for a prolonged length of hospitalization in patients undergoing anatomical lung resection. Knowing these risk factors is important in terms of risk stratification and improving outcomes in the high-risk population. The goal of this study was to identify risk factors associated with a prolonged length of stay (≥14 days) in patients undergoing an anatomical lung resection and to further create a model for predicting the probability of a prolonged length of stay in these patients. METHODS The NSQIP database (2005-2013) was culled for data on 45 distinct preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative variables among patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary resections. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine variables that contributed to a prolonged length of stay. A scoring system was created based on these results and applied to internal and external (a single institution database) validation groups to test for the adequacy of the model through the comparison of receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS Fifteen factors were found to be significant for prolonged length of stay; six were preoperative (age >70 years [P < 0.0001], functional status-dependent [P = 0.0020], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [P < 0.0001], serum sodium <135 mmol/l [P = 0.0200], ASA Class 3 [P = 0.0070] and ASA Class 4 or 5 [P = 0.0010]), one was intraoperative (open thoracotomy [P < 0.0001]) and eight were postoperative (pneumonia [P < 0.0001], unplanned reintubation [P < 0.0001], prolonged mechanical ventilation [P < 0.0001], urinary tract infection [P < 0.0001], stroke [P = 0.0020], transfusion [P = 0.0010], deep vein thrombosis/thrombophlebitis [P < 0.0001] and return to the operating room [P < 0.0001]). CONCLUSIONS A simple model for predicting the probability of a prolonged length of stay in patients undergoing anatomical lung resection has been successfully created. This model can allow for better risk stratification of patients preoperatively based on certain existing comorbidities, and can help to predict the impact the development of various postoperative complications will have on overall patient outcomes.
New techniques in the study of local brain activity in animal and man.

Publisher Summary The brain is a complex, heterogeneous organ composed of many anatomical and functional components with markedly different levels of functional activity that vary independently with time and function. Other tissues are generally far more homogeneous, with most of their cells functioning similarly and synchronously in response to a common stimulus or regulatory influence. The central nervous system, however, consists of innumerable sub-units, each integrated into its own set of functional pathways and networks and subserving only one or a few of the many activities in which the nervous system participates. Understanding how the nervous system functions requires knowledge not only of the mechanisms of excitation and inhibition, but also the precise localization of the activity in the nervous system and the relationships of neural sub-units to specific functions. Historically, studies of the central nervous system have concentrated heavily on localization of function and mapping of pathways related to specific functions. The recently developed [ 14 C] deoxyglucose method has provided the last link needed to study the relationships among local functional activity, energy metabolism, and blood flow in the brain. This method can be used to measure quantitatively the local rates of glucose utilization simultaneously in all the macroscopically visible structures of the brain. It can be applied to normal conscious animals, as well as those in experimentally altered states of cerebral activity.
The extended shift model as a mechanistic-empirical approach to simulating confined permanent deformation of asphalt concrete in compression

Abstract The extended shift model is presented as a convenient and effective mechanistic-empirical approach to simulating the densification induced permanent deformation of asphalt concrete under repeated loading. The model is composed of an incremental function that provides a reference deformation curve, and a shift factor function expressed in terms of three variables: reduced pulse time, confining pressure, and vertical stress. The model can be characterized by four triaxial stress sweep tests, and it fits in the state-of-practice frameworks to predict pavement rutting with improved reliability.
Will Computers Put Us Out of Work

Labor markets have adapted to past disruptions caused by technological change. Will they continue to do so?
Determination of Pyrethroid Pesticides in Vegetables by GC-MS Detection

[Objective]To apply gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) method in detection of various pyrethroid pesticides in vegetables.[Methods]Shaker and sample concentrator were used to optimize sample pre-extraction.Pyrethroid was analyzed by GC-MS.[Results]The relative standard deviations were 2.77%～5.35% and the recoveries ranged from 80.4%～93.6%.Linear correlation coefficient was more than 0.9989.[Conclusion]This method is accurate and reliable,can be used for detection of various pyrethroid pesticides in vegetables.
Limestone flora of the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, Rockport, Maine, USA

Abstract Limestone is a distinctive substrate that has significant effects on soils and plants. The present study characterizes the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens at the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, an abandoned limestone quarry in Rockport, Maine, USA, which was in operation in the late 1800s. We document vascular plant diversity and associated edaphic features (i.e., soil pH and elemental chemistry) using 30 5×5 meter plots spread throughout the site. For vascular plants, 114 species in 96 genera and 50 families were observed; few of these species are known to prefer calcareous environments, and 38% are nonnative. Conversely, the soil- and rock-dwelling cryptogam biota, which comprises 21 moss species in 13 families and eight lichen species in three families, contains many calciphilic species. The bryoflora conspicuously lacks liverworts, whereas the lichen biota is dominated by cyanolichens. This study will inform future conservation and reclamation work at this and other hum...
Surveillance Strategies for Sarcoma: Results of a Survey of Members of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.

Background. Surveillance is crucial to oncology, yet there is scant evidence to guide strategies. Purpose. This survey identified sarcoma surveillance strategies for Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) members and rationales behind them. Understanding current practice should facilitate studies to generate evidence-based surveillance protocols. Methods. Permission was granted by the Research and Executive Committee of the MSTS to survey members on surveillance strategies. First, the questionnaire requested demographic and clinical practice information. Second, the survey focused on clinicians’ specific surveillance soft tissue and bone sarcoma protocols. Results. 20 percent of MSTS members completed the survey. The primary rationale for protocols was training continuation, followed by published guidelines, and finally personal interpretation of the literature. 95% of the respondents believe that additional studies regarding appropriate surveillance protocols are needed. 87% reported patient concerns regarding radiation exposure from surveillance imaging. For soft tissue and bone sarcoma local recurrence, responders identified surgical margin, histologic grade, and tumor size as the most important factors. For metastases, important risk factors identified included histologic grade, tumor size, and histologic type. Protocols demonstrated wide variation. Conclusion. This survey demonstrates that surveillance strategies utilized by MSTS members are not evidence-based, providing rationale for multi-institutional studies. It also confirms the public health issue of excessive radiation exposure.
NATURAL SOURCES OF RADIATION

The detailed structure of lightning discharges and the probability distributions of return-stroke currents are reviewed. The time variations of typical currents are used to calculate the frequency spectra of individual atmospherics. The received noise is considered as the result of integrating several atmospherics during the response time of the receiver. The probability distributions of this noise and of current in lightning flashes are formally related by a twofold Hankel transform. Measured amplitude distributions are satisfactorily related by the theoretical model if sources are considered at various distances from the receiver or if noise from low amplitude sources is added to the noise from return strokes.
Evaluating the Role of Polysemous Word Knowledge in Reading Comprehension among Bilingual Adolescents.

This study reports on the development of an assessment to measure bilingual adolescents’ knowledge of polysemous vocabulary and explores the contribution of polysemous word knowledge to reading comprehension among those students. Spanish–English bilingual students in seventh grade (n = 107) completed a battery of standardized reading and language measures along with a researcher-designed measure of their knowledge of the academic senses of words that also have casual, everyday meanings. Item-response theory analyses and correlational analyses provided validity evidence for the assessment. Regression analyses indicated that students’ knowledge of academic senses of polysemous words predicted their reading comprehension, even after controlling for their knowledge of the casual sense of the same words, vocabulary breadth, and decoding skills. Findings suggest that comprehension of grade-level texts is uniquely predicted by the ability to recognize the meanings of familiar words when they appear in academic contexts.
Economic Risk of Bee Pollination in Maine Wild Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium.

Recent pollinator declines highlight the importance of evaluating economic risk of agricultural systems heavily dependent on rented honey bees or native pollinators. Our study analyzed variability of native bees and honey bees, and the risks these pose to profitability of Maine's wild blueberry industry. We used cross-sectional data from organic, low-, medium-, and high-input wild blueberry producers in 1993, 1997-1998, 2005-2007, and from 2011 to 2015 (n = 162 fields). Data included native and honey bee densities (count/m2/min) and honey bee stocking densities (hives/ha). Blueberry fruit set, yield, and honey bee hive stocking density models were estimated. Fruit set is impacted about 1.6 times more by native bees than honey bees on a per bee basis. Fruit set significantly explained blueberry yield. Honey bee stocking density in fields predicted honey bee foraging densities. These three models were used in enterprise budgets for all four systems from on-farm surveys of 23 conventional and 12 organic producers (2012-2013). These budgets formed the basis of Monte Carlo simulations of production and profit. Stochastic dominance of net farm income (NFI) cumulative distribution functions revealed that if organic yields are high enough (2,345 kg/ha), organic systems are economically preferable to conventional systems. However, if organic yields are lower (724 kg/ha), it is riskier with higher variability of crop yield and NFI. Although medium-input systems are stochastically dominant with lower NFI variability compared with other conventional systems, the high-input system breaks even with the low-input system if honey bee hive rental prices triple in the future.
Cerebral ischemia comes in waves

Subarachnoid blood induces spreading depolarizations, which are associated with cortical infractions.
Cognitive processes in spatial mapping: Evidence from a developmental spatial deficit.

We report a case study of an adolescent girl (N.K.Y.) with a developmental deficit affecting spatial processing. In a simple spatial mapping task, N.K.Y. shows a striking dissociation: She succeeds...
Differential Expression of MicroRNAs in Embryos and Larvae of Mahi-Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) Exposed to Deepwater Horizon Oil

Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil causes developmental cardiotoxicity in fish species, but the molecular mechanisms are still not well understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in a number of biological processes, including heart development. Therefore, the expression of miRNAs in mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) exposed to weathered slick oil and nonweathered source oil was analyzed. miRNAs were sequenced and annotated using the Fugu rubripes genome (termed the Fugu-guided approach) or aligned with known mature animal miRNAs using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method (termed the phylogenetically guided approach). Exposure of embryos to slick oil resulted in more differentially expressed miRNAs than exposure to source oil at all developmental stages. Gene ontology analysis on the target mRNAs was consistent with pathway analysis of miRNAs, predicting disruption of cardiovascular system development after oil exposure, and specific miRNA–mRNA interactions identified by ingenuity pathway analysi...
Friction at the nano-scale

IN THE scramble to revolutionize the world with nanotechnology we must not ignore friction. Nano-scale devices based on moving molecular components have the potential to radically alter technologies such as energy storage, drug delivery, computing, communications and chemical manufacture. But getting these devices from the laboratory to the marketplace is far from guaranteed.
Last Millennium Meridional Shifts in Hydroclimate in the Central Tropical Pacific

Reconstructing past changes in the spatial structure of tropical Pacific hydroclimate requires archives of past moisture balance across spatial gradients of precipitation. To date, only one, 600-year, terrestrial record of hydroclimate is available for the central tropical Pacific (CTP) from Washington Lake, Washington Island, limiting the ability to test hypotheses regarding the location of the CTP Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the last millennium. A new lake sediment record from Lake 30, Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati, 3° south of Washington Island, provides additional constraints on past CTP ITCZ position. Lake 30 geochemical and sedimentological data indicate an episode of increased microbial mat development and gypsum precipitation from 900 to 1200 C.E., coincident with the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). We infer drier conditions during the MCA at Kiritimati as the Washington Lake proxy record indicates wetter conditions, suggesting the CTP ITCZ was displaced northward during the MCA relative to its position today. At the transition between the MCA and the Little Ice Age (LIA), Lake 30 sediment becomes predominantly carbonate, suggesting a transition to wetter conditions and a southward shift of the ITCZ relative to its MCA position. However, a tropical Pacific synthesis of hydroclimate-sensitive proxy records does not point to a consistent spatial or temporal pattern of variability in the MCA and LIA, suggesting multiple influences on centennial-scale tropical Pacific hydroclimate during the last millennium.
Ritual, Bid‘ah, and the Negotiation of the Public Sphere in Contemporary Indonesia

The politicisation of ritual has been common in Indonesia over centuries. In the 18th century, the Padri people in West Sumatra introduced a puritan Islam creating a long-standing conflict between the Padris and the local Muslim groups in the region. In the early 20th century, the modernists criticized the religious practices of the traditionalist Muslims. In the 1980s, a new group of Salafi people bring back the issues of bid‘ah into the Islamic discourses of Indonesian Islam. Adhering to literal interpretations of Islamic teachings, Salafi groups question the validity of rituals associated with traditionalist Muslims, thereby exerting their power over Muslim believers. In response, traditionalists defend their opinions by expanding the definition of bid‘ah. Mosques, one of the most strategic institutions in Islam, have provided sites of contestation between traditionalists and Salafis. This has resulted in the politicisation of mosques over the last decades. Having different understandings of rituals, traditionalists and Salafis have used different methods to facilitate social engagement and organizational capacity. DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v25i1.5308
KLRD1-expressing natural killer cells predict influenza susceptibility

Influenza infects tens of millions of people every year in the USA. Other than notable risk groups, such as children and the elderly, it is difficult to predict what subpopulations are at higher risk of infection. Viral challenge studies, where healthy human volunteers are inoculated with live influenza virus, provide a unique opportunity to study infection susceptibility. Biomarkers predicting influenza susceptibility would be useful for identifying risk groups and designing vaccines. We applied cell mixture deconvolution to estimate immune cell proportions from whole blood transcriptome data in four independent influenza challenge studies. We compared immune cell proportions in the blood between symptomatic shedders and asymptomatic nonshedders across three discovery cohorts prior to influenza inoculation and tested results in a held-out validation challenge cohort. Natural killer (NK) cells were significantly lower in symptomatic shedders at baseline in both discovery and validation cohorts. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) were higher in symptomatic shedders at baseline in discovery cohorts. Although the HSPCs were higher in symptomatic shedders in the validation cohort, the increase was statistically nonsignificant. We observed that a gene associated with NK cells, KLRD1, which encodes CD94, was expressed at lower levels in symptomatic shedders at baseline in discovery and validation cohorts. KLRD1 expression in the blood at baseline negatively correlated with influenza infection symptom severity. KLRD1 expression 8 h post-infection in the nasal epithelium from a rhinovirus challenge study also negatively correlated with symptom severity. We identified KLRD1-expressing NK cells as a potential biomarker for influenza susceptibility. Expression of KLRD1 was inversely correlated with symptom severity. Our results support a model where an early response by KLRD1-expressing NK cells may control influenza infection.
Tobacco product initiation is correlated with cross-product changes in tobacco harm perception and susceptibility: Longitudinal analysis of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health youth cohort.

Abstract Youth initiation with one tobacco product is associated with risk of using additional tobacco types. How use of one product potentially encourages use of others could result from changing tobacco-related perceptions. This study aimed to evaluate how tobacco product initiation correlates with changes in susceptibility (curiosity and willingness) and perceived harm of other tobacco products. For each of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, and smokeless tobacco, youth (ages 12–16; N = 8005) rated perceived harm, curiosity, and willingness to try in Waves 1 and 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (United States, 2013–2015). For each product, we estimated associations between decreased harm rating, increased curiosity, or increased willingness with initiation (from never- to ever-use) of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, smokeless tobacco, or other combustible products using multivariate (multiple outcomes) regression, adjusting for other tobacco risk factors. Tobacco product initiation was associated with decreased perceived harm for that product and with decreased perceived harm, increased curiosity, and increased willingness in some, but not all, cross-product combinations. Most cross-product combinations of initiation and susceptibility yielded positive associations. For example, trying e-cigarettes was associated with concomitant increases in curiosity about cigarettes (OR: 5.69; 95% CI: 3.68, 8.79) and hookah (OR: 4.19; 95% CI: 2.55, 6.88) and with increased willingness to try cigarettes (OR: 9.61; 95% CI: 5.67, 16.3), hookah (OR: 8.46; 95% CI: 4.76, 15.0), and smokeless tobacco (OR: 3.48; 95% CI: 1.75, 6.94). New use of one tobacco product may catalyze subsequent use of others through cross-product changes in perceptions and susceptibility.
Impasses to innovation in the development and design of new media curriculum

The purpose of this study is to examine discourse as a way to identify evidence of impasses to innovation in the development and design of new media curriculum within an in school/ out of school digital arts program. Using data collected in a 3-year ethnographic study, we use qualitative coding and conversational analysis methods to provide examples of diverse discourses competing in the development of a new media curriculum.
The Imperial End: How Empire Overtakes Refugees in Jeremiah

Refugee studies, postcolonial studies, as well as political theory is used to argue that the portrayal of the Judeans who flee to Egypt, rather than those deported to Babylon, occupy the social spa...
“We Desire Everything Illustrating the History of Methodism That We Can Procure”: Examining the Methodist Collections at Drew University

The Methodist Collections at Drew University (Madison, NJ) are among the largest and most influential anywhere. The present essay provides a thoroughly-documented overview of the genesis and ongoing development of these collections, from the mid-nineteenth century until the present. Particular attention is given to three major expansions (The George Osborn Collection, The Ezra Squire Tipple Collection, the incorporation of the General Commission on Archives and History Collection) which together have helped make the collections at Drew as important to researchers as they are today.
The Datacenter as a Computer: Designing Warehouse-Scale Machines, Third Edition

This book describes warehouse-scale computers (WSCs), the computing platforms that power cloud computing and all the great web services we use every day. It discusses how these new systems treat the datacenter itself as one massive computer designed at warehouse scale, with hardware and software working in concert to deliver good levels of internet service performance. The book details the architecture of WSCs and covers the main factors influencing their design, operation, and cost structure, and the characteristics of their software base. Each chapter contains multiple real-world examples, including detailed case studies and previously unpublished details of the infrastructure used to power Google's online services. Targeted at the architects and programmers of today's WSCs, this book provides a great foundation for those looking to innovate in this fascinating and important area, but the material will also be broadly interesting to those who just want to understand the infrastructure powering the internet. The third edition reflects four years of advancements since the previous edition and nearly doubles the number of pictures and figures. New topics range from additional workloads like video streaming, machine learning, and public cloud to specialized silicon accelerators, storage and network building blocks, and a revised discussion of data center power and cooling, and uptime. Further discussions of emerging trends and opportunities ensure that this revised edition will remain an essential resource for educators and professionals working on the next generation of WSCs.
Record of Early Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events in Adriatic Platform, Croatia

The long (700 m) Hauterivian to Albian Adriatic Platform section mainly from Mljet Island, Croatia underwent little post-Mesozoic burial or little later diagenesis. Consequently its smoothed δ13C and δ18O record from calcite lime mudstone matrix provides one of the most continuous stable-isotope curves from an Early Cretaceous platform. This record captures the carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) and oceanic anoxic events (OAE1a, b, c) evident in published hemipelagic sections, with the added advantage of providing information on the shallow platform response to the OAEs. The platform facies appear to have been little affected by the OAEs, except for OAE1a when deposition of organic-rich laminated limestones occurred in local downwarps.
Focus Introduction: Swarms, herds, and peoples—Examinations of Interspecies Dynamics in China

As its title suggests, this Focus draws our attention to the shift in perspective brought about by environmental history, compared to the more traditional approaches of history of science. Here human knowledge of and interaction with animals are understood as part of a historically variable system that encompasses both the human realm and its environment, a system in which the various components interact and shape each other dynamically.
Molecular characterization of tumors meeting diagnostic criteria for the non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP).

“Follicular variant” papillary thyroid carcinomas (FV-PTC) that do not histologically invade have a miniscule risk of metastasis, and thus been reclassified as a tumor of low malignant potential, the non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). There are few molecular studies of this tumor type. We performed gene expression analysis, by RNA sequencing, on a series of FV-PTCs, NIFTPs, and follicular adenomas. A training set comprised tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) repository (n = 46), digital slides from which were reviewed and classified as invasive or non-invasive FV-PTC. A validation set comprised in-house NIFTPs, invasive FV-PTCs, and follicular adenomas (n = 26). In the training set, unsupervised clustering separated tumors into three distinct expression subtypes, which associated with invasion and characteristic molecular alterations. Specifically, the “BRAF-like” subtype was enriched in invasive FV-PTCs and tumors with BRAF V600E mutations. The “THADA-like” subtype was enriched in non-invasive tumors and those with rearrangements involving THADA. The “RAS-family-like” subtype included many invasive and non-invasive FV-PTCs and was enriched in tumors with mutations in RAS family genes. In the validation set, nearest centroid analysis classified all invasive FV-PTCs as “BRAF-like” and all follicular adenomas as either “RAS-like” or “THADA-like.” NIFTPs were the most molecularly diverse histologic type, with cases classified as “BRAF-like,” “THADA-like,” and “RAS-family-like.” In conclusion, tumors fitting criteria for NIFTP are molecularly diverse, making it difficult to diagnose them with molecular studies, likely including matrial from cytopathology samples.
Living kidney donation in individuals with hepatitis C and HIV infection: rationale and emerging evidence.

HIV-infected (HIV+) and hepatitis C virus-infected (HCV+) individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have decreased access to kidney transplantation. With new opportunities provided by the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act and direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for HCV, we explore the potential risks and benefits of living-donor kidney transplantation from HIV+ or HCV+ donors from the perspective of both donor health and recipient outcomes. The HOPE Act permits organ donation from both deceased and living HIV+ persons to HIV+ recipients; however, there is only a clinical experience with HIV+ deceased donors to date. Empirical evidence demonstrates a low but acceptable risk of ESRD in potential HIV+ living donors without comorbidities who have well-controlled infection in the absence of donation. With the availability of potent DAAs for eradication of HCV infection, growing evidence shows good outcomes with HCV-seropositive and/or -viremic deceased kidney donors providing rationale to consider HCV+ living donors. HIV+ and HCV+ living-donor kidney transplantations may improve access to transplant for vulnerable ESRD populations. Careful evaluation and monitoring are warranted to mitigate potential risks to donors and recipients.