cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Invasion ecology of wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) in Florida, USA: the role of humans in the expansion and colonization of an invasive wild ungulate

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are the most widely distributed invasive wild ungulate in the United States, yet the factors that influence wild pig dispersal and colonization at the regional level are poorly understood. Our objective was to use a population genetic approach to describe patterns of dispersal and colonization among populations to gain a greater understanding of the invasion process contributing to the expansion of this species. We used 52 microsatellite loci to produce individual genotypes for 482 swine sampled at 39 locations between 2014 and 2016. Our data revealed the existence of genetically distinct subpopulations (F ST = 0.1170, p < 0.05). We found evidence of both fine-scale subdivision among the sampling locations, as well as evidence of long term genetic isolation. Several locations exhibited significant admixture (interbreeding) suggesting frequent mixing of individuals among locations; up to 14% of animals were immigrants from other populations. This pattern of admixture suggested successive rounds of human-assisted translocation and subsequent expansion across Florida. We also found evidence of genetically distinct populations that were isolated from nearby populations, suggesting recent introduction by humans. In addition, proximity to wild pig holding facilities was associated with higher migration rates and admixture, likely due to the escape or release of animals. Taken together, these results suggest that human-assisted movement plays a major role in the ecology and rapid population growth of wild pigs in Florida.
Evidence for an Overweight Paradox in Cancer: Insights from Body Composition-Reply to Counterpoint.

See Counterpoint by Caan, et al., [p. 1906][1] Dr. Caan and colleagues state that the overweight paradox does in fact exist and that overweight cancer patients have better survival than normal weight cancer patients because of muscle mass and a potential role of subcutaneous fat as nutritional
TMCI with Resonator Wakes

Transverse mode-coupling instability (TMCI) with a high-frequency resonator wake is examined by the Nested Head-Tail Vlasov solver (NHT), where a Gaussian bunch in a parabolic potential (GP model) is represented by concentric rings in the longitudinal phase space. It is shown that multiple mode couplings and decouplings make impossible an unambiguous definition of the threshold, unless Landau damping is taken into account. To address this problem, instead of a single instability threshold, an interval of thresholds is suggested, bounded by the low and high intensity ones. For the broadband impedance model, the high intensity threshold is shown to follow Zotter's scaling, but smaller by about a factor of two. The same scaling, this time smaller than Zotter's by a factor of four, is found for the ABS model (Air Bag Square well).
“My House is a Very Very Very Fine House” —But it is Not the Only House

Publisher Summary This chapter stresses that Arthur Jensen has amply validated the conjecture that there is a general factor of intelligence, and examines the general factor of intelligence. The major problem confronting intelligence research is the focus on individual differences—both conceptually and methodologically. Therefore, the chapter proposes an alternative componential analysis to analyze performance on test items of the kinds found on intelligence tests through information-processing components rather than psychometric factors. Each component corresponds to one of the constituents underlying general cognitive ability, g. The ultimate goal is to identify all such components underlying the general factor, as well as group and possibly even specific factors. The chapter suggests that underlying the solution of analogies and related problems are three qualitative principles of cognition, which are explained in the chapter. The data from research points out that information-processing techniques can be used to rediscover g.
Role of Class-II Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-Antigen–Positive Donor Leukocytes in Transfusion-Induced Alloimmunization to Donor Class-I MHC Antigens

It has been shown that peripheral-blood mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) are responsible for transfusion-induced alloimmunization to donor major histocompatability complex (MHC) antigens. However, it is not known which subset of MNL is responsible for this immune response. Because elimination of class-II MHC antigen-positive passenger leukocytes effectively prolongs the survival of allografts, it has been hypothesized that class-II positive MNL are responsible for immunizing transfusion recipients to donor MHC antigens. To test this hypothesis, two different approaches were used. First, we compared the alloantigenicity of BALB/c mice (H-2(d)) peripheral blood MNL before and after depletion of class-II positive cells. CBA mice (H-2(k)) were used as transfusion recipients. Antibody development to donor class-I H-2 antigens was determined by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunoassay. After four weekly transfusions of MNL depleted for class-II positive cells, only 25% of recipient mice developed antibodies to donor H-2(d) antigens. In contrast, all mice transfused with control MNL became immunized. Second, we studied the alloantigenicity of peripheral MNL from C57BL/6 mice (H-2(b)) with homozygous deficiency of class-II MHC molecules in H-2 disparate recipient mice. After transfusions with class-II MHC molecule-deficient MNL, 0% of BALB/c, 40% of C57BR, and 25% of CBA-recipient mice developed antibodies to donor H-2(b) antigen. All control recipient mice were immunized. The antibody activities of the controls were also higher than those in the treatment group who became immunized. Thus, our study shows that class-II MHC antigen-positive MNL play a significant role in transfusion-induced alloimmunization to donor class-I MHC antigens. The results also support the hypothesis that direct antigen presentation by donor class-II positive MNL to the immune system of transfusion recipients is critical for the initiation of humoral immune response to donor MHC antigens.
Warriors and Worriers

Evolution has maintained certain common polymorphisms on the basis that the two different forms of the gene have advantages that counterbalance each other in different situations. Illustrating this principle is a common polymorphism of COMT, a gene involved in neurotransmitter metabolism. The “warrior” variant leads to better stress resiliency, whereas the “worrier” variant is associated with cognitive flexibility.
Vertebral Osteomyelitis Secondary to Pneumococcal Infection

Vertebral osteomyelitis secondary to pneumococcal infection is an uncommon condition caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Fever, back pain, and raised ESR are common features in the clinical setting. We report a 62-year-old female patient who presented with an unusual presentation. Later on, vertebral osteomyelitis secondary to pneumococcal infection was confirmed at T8, 9 by CT scan, MRI, and cytology. The patient was treated successfully with high-dose ceftriaxone.
Increased overdose mortality during the first week of the month: Revisiting the “check effect” through a spatial lens

Abstract Background The timing of social service benefit issuance is thought to be associated with increased drug overdose fatalities. However, the extent to which this excess mortality is concentrated in communities with higher levels of benefit receipt has not been studied. We sought to examine if benefit receipt at the neighborhood level was associated with spatiotemporal patterns of overdose fatalities. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all accidental overdose deaths recorded in Rhode Island from 2014 to 2016 (n = 838). Overdose incident locations were geocoded to the census block group level. Clusters of census block groups with excess overdose mortality at the beginning of a month were identified using spatial scan methods. Logistic regression models were fit to identify characteristics associated with the inclusion of a census block group within a cluster. Results Increased rates of overdose fatalities at the beginning of a month were observed relative to the end of a preceding month (Ratio: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.38). The proportions of residents receiving cash public assistance or Supplemental Security Income were not associated with excess mortality at the beginning of a month; however, the proportion of residents living in unaffordable housing was (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.91). Conclusion Despite previous research on benefit check issuance and overdose, welfare receipt was not associated with excess overdose mortality at the beginning of a month at the neighborhood level. Future research on housing cost burden and its influence on overdose death risk at the individual level is needed.
Abstract B080: Improved neoantigen vaccine selection by combining prediction of pMHC presentation and T-cell epitopes

The OpenVax group has helped initiate two neoantigen vaccine clinical trials (NCT02721043, NCT02721043) at Mount Sinai based on a simple multiplicative ranking criterion which assigns equal weight to expression and predicted Class I MHC binding affinity of mutated peptides (1). This poster seeks to better ground our ranking method for selecting the contents of neoantigen vaccines in several sources of immunological data. We built a better model of MHC-I presentation on the cell surface by relating RNA expression and MHC affinity to pMHC ligands identified with mass spectrometry (2). Secondly, we trained a model of overall T-cell immunogenicity whose primary input is the predicted pMHC presentation score of any peptide-MHC combination, alongside other features such as similarity to the self proteome. This model is trained on T-cell response data deposited in the Immune Epitope Database (3). Lastly, we assembled a small dataset of peptide sequences used in neoantigen vaccine trials (1,4,5), which are labeled by whether they achieved a CD8+ or CD4+ T-cell response. This dataset allows us to explore several hypotheses about the relationship between immunogenic response and sequence similarity to both the self proteome and pathogenic proteomes. References: 1. Rubinsteyn A, Kodysh J, …, Hammerbacher J. Computational pipeline for the PGV-001 Neoantigen Vaccine Trial. Frontiers in Immunology 2018. 2. Abelin JG, Keskin DB,..., Wu CJ. Mass spectrometry profiling of HLA-associated peptidomes in mono-allelic cells enables more accurate epitope prediction. Immunity 2017. 3. Vita R, Overton JA, …, Peters B. The immune epitope database (IEDB) 3.0. Nucleic Acids Res 2014. [4. Sahin U, Derhovanessian E, …, Tureci O. Personalized RNA mutanome vaccines mobilize poly-specific therapeutic immunity against cancer. Nature 2017. 5. Ott P, Hu Z, …, Wu CJ. An immunogenic personal neoantigen vaccine for patients with melanoma. Nature 2017. Citation Format: Julia Kodysh, Tim O9Donnell, Ana B. Blazquez, John Finnigan, Nina Bhardwaj, Alex Rubinsteyn. Improved neoantigen vaccine selection by combining prediction of pMHC presentation and T-cell epitopes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B080.
Gender Attitudes in Adolescence: Evaluating the Girl Rising Gender-sensitization Program in India

Despite the gains India has made over the past 20 years, it remains a country with significant gender inequalities. Gender sensitization and empowerment programs during adolescence, when gender att...
The whole internet: User's guide & catalog Ed Kroll: Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.

T HOUSANDS OF NEW USERS each month are joining their colleagues, peers, and associates in exploring a new world of electronic communication. The Internet, a wide-area network, transports information to their desktops from all corners of the globe across high speed telecommunications networks. By tapping the Internet's resources, scholars have immediate access to databases, library catalogs and other library resources, and to the work of colleagues anywhere in the world. The Internet has changed the way we perceive academic exchange and collaboration, libraries and information, and teaching and learning from something that often is time and location specific to something that can happen at any time in any place. The Intemet was once viewed as the province of scientists and engineers, who, in the past, were the principal beneficiaries of funding for information services. With access to several hundred online public access catalogs and other library resources, researchers in the humanities are finding the Internet as important to them as to their colleagues in the sciences. Yet, for the new traveller, getting around the Internet is not without some difficulties. Navigating the Internet often frustrates unsophisticated or nontechnical users making them feel lost and intimidated in an unknown cyberspace of information. "Historically, one of the biggest problems on the Internet has been finding what you know exists" (Kroll, p. 155). To address some of these problems, Ed Kroll, Assistant Director for LAN deployment at the University of Illinois, turned his internet manual into a book called
The CFTR Corrector, VX-809 (Lumacaftor), Rescues ABCA4 Trafficking Mutants: a Potential Treatment for Stargardt Disease

Background/aims Mutations in ABCA4 cause Stargardt macular degeneration, which invariably ends in legal blindness. We studied two common mutants, A1038V (in NBD1) and G1961E (in NBD2), with the purpose of exploring how they interact with the cell's quality control mechanism. The study was designed to determine how these mutants can be rescued. Methods We expressed wt and mutant ABCA4 in HEK293 cells and studied the effect of the mutations on trafficking and processing and the ability of correctors to rescue them. We used a combination of western blotting, confocal microscopy and surface biotinylation coupled with pulldown of plasma membrane proteins. Results G1961E is sensitive to inhibitors of the aggresome, tubacin and the lysosome, bafilomycin A. Both mutants cause a reduction in heat shock protein, Hsp27. Incubation of HEK293 cells expressing the mutants with VX-809, an FDA approved drug for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, increased the levels of A1038V and G1961E by 2- to 3-fold. Importantly, VX-809 increased the levels of both mutants at the plasma membrane suggesting that trafficking had been restored. Transfecting additional Hsp27 to the cells also increased the steady state levels of both mutants. However, in combination with VX-809 the addition of Hsp27 caused a dramatic increase in the protein expression particularly in the G1961 mutant which increased approximately 5-fold. Conclusion Our results provide a new mechanism for the rescue of ABCA4 trafficking mutants based on the restoration of Hsp27. Our results provide a pathway for the treatment of Stargardt disease.
A Genetic Approach to the Association Between PCSK9 and Sepsis

Importance Whether thePCSK9gene is associated with the progress from infection to sepsis is unknown to date. Objective To test the associations betweenPCSK9genetic variants, aPCSK9genetic risk score (GRS), or genetically estimatedPCSK9expression levels and the risk of sepsis among patients admitted to a hospital with infection. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used deidentified electronic health records to identify patients admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, with infection. Patients were white adults, had a code indicating infection from theInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, or theInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification, and received an antibiotic within 1 day of hospital admission (N = 61 502). Data were collected from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 2017, and analyzed from April 1, 2018, to March 16, 2019. Exposures Four knownPCSK9functional variants, a GRS forPCSK9, and genetically estimatedPCSK9expression. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was sepsis; secondary outcomes included cardiovascular failure and in-hospital death. Results Of patients with infection, genotype information was available in 10 922 white patients forPCSK9functional variants (5628 men [51.5%]; mean [SD] age, 60.1 [15.7] years), including 7624 patients withPCSK9GRS and 6033 patients with estimatedPCSK9expression. Of these, 3391 developed sepsis, 835 developed cardiovascular failure, and 366 died during hospitalization. None of the 4 functionalPCSK9variants were significantly associated with sepsis, cardiovascular failure, or in-hospital death, with or without adjustment for (1) age and sex or (2) age, sex, and Charlson-Deyo comorbidities (in model adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities, odds ratios for any loss-of function variant were 0.96 [95% CI, 0.88-1.04] for sepsis, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.90-1.22] for cardiovascular failure, and 0.89 [95% CI, 0.72-1.11] for death). Similarly, neither thePCSK9GRS nor genetically estimatedPCSK9expression were significantly associated with sepsis, cardiovascular failure, or in-hospital death in any of the analysis models. For GRS, in the full model adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities, the odds ratios were 1.01 for sepsis (95% CI, 0.96-1.06;P = .70), 1.03 for cardiovascular failure (95% CI, 0.95-1.12;P = .48), and 1.05 for in-hospital death (95% CI, 0.92-1.19;P = .50). For genetically estimatedPCSK9expression, in the full model adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities, the odds ratios were 1.01 for sepsis (95% CI, 0.95-1.06;P = .86), 0.96 for cardiovascular failure (95% CI, 0.88-1.05;P = .41), and 0.99 for in-hospital death (95% CI, 0.87-1.14;P = .94). Conclusions and Relevance In this study,PCSK9genetic variants were not significantly associated with risk of sepsis or the outcomes of sepsis in patients hospitalized with infection.
Beyond resilience to thriving: Optimizing child wellbeing

Research in child wellbeing often assesses the effects of particular disadvantages or focuses on children’s resilience in adverse circumstances. In contrast, considering developmental optimization in early childhood, and what is necessary to foster it, informs the study of child wellbeing in the socioemotional domain. In the program of research reviewed here, we consider the kinds of early experiences that promote wellbeing, defined as optimal physiological and emotional regulation that enables a flexible sociomoral orientation to others. This work suggests that practices consistent with the evolved developmental niche (EDN), or the developmental system that likely characterized human caregiving over the course of evolution, facilitate development of the physiological and psychological systems of regulation that enable optimal wellbeing in the domain of sociomoral functioning. Aspects of EDN-consistent care provide a cohesive environmental context for development, but different facets of such care correspond to different outcomes related to socioemotional development. Overall, parental positive attitudes toward and provision of EDN-consistent care are associated with an orientation toward others that is prosocial, flexible, and engaged. These findings have emerged in samples in the US, Europe, and China, and suggest that the EDN might provide a useful framework for conceptualizing developmental optimization, for consideration of the important facets of early childhood care and education, and for fostering child wellbeing.
Walker Evans’s Emotions

Twentieth-century American photographer Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975) also working for the FSA went down to Hale County, Alabama, to photograph rural poverty for Fortune. In so doing he created a group of images that arguably redefine, or define as type, documentary realism in photography. But Evans’ realism is infused with an uncanny coldness and melancholy. It is not straight realism but rather documentary through the lens of the loss of stable home and solidity of home’s meaning and materiality. Evans’ images of Hale County sharecroppers reveal the violence of the social terrain, showing the poverty of his white sitters, and also suggesting the deeper violence of racism in the area, a place that was once a stronghold for western Georgia and Alabama Indigenous American tribes. The dispossession at the heart of the American “dream” is the uncanny subject of Evans’ Hale County photographs. This chapter focuses on Evans’s photographs of the Burroughs family, and particularly his work photographing Allie Mae Burroughs and the exterior and interior of her home, as well as his less well-known photographs of the Tingle family.
Work-Hour Trajectories and Associated Socioeconomic Characteristics among Single-Mother Families

Author(s): Wu, CF; Chang, YL; Rhodes, E; Musaad, S; Jung, W | Abstract: Although social work research has paid substantial attention to employment patterns among low-income single mothers after welfare reform, little is known about their work-hour trajectories over time. This study uses group-based trajectory modeling to analyze the work-hour trajectories among low-income single mothers in the United States (N = 870). Only approximately two-fifths (41.9 percent) of participants in the sample had stable employment. About 18 percent did not work throughout the study period. Yet several groups experienced changes in working patterns over time: Increasing hours (20.7 percent), decreasing then increasing hours (11.3 percent), and decreasing hours (8.4 percent). This study uses a generalized linear mixed model to determine the factors associated with change in work hours over time. Significant factors include marital status, high school completion, race, citizenship, homeownership, child care arrangement, income support program participation, work disability, age of youngest child, age of the mother, state unemployment rate, and state minimum wage. These findings have important policy implications for targeting supports to diverse needs of low-income single-mother families to promote employment stability and economic improvement.
Resolving nanoscale strains in whole joints.

Nanoscale strains in the intact whole joints of young, old and osteoarthritic mice can be resolved ex vivo via synchrotron X-ray tomography when combined with nanometrically precise mechanical loading.
Dental Care and Oral Health under the Clouds of COVID-19.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: This commentary provides a timely evidence-based overview on the impact of COVID-19 on dental care and oral health and identifies gaps in protection of patients and staff in dental settings. Oral symptoms are prominent before fever and cough occur. Dental professionals may play an important role in early identification and diagnosis of patients with COVID-19.
On structure and mechanics of biomimetic meta-biomaterials fabricated via metal additive manufacturing

Abstract Additively manufactured (AM) metamaterials with unparallel mechanical and biological properties have been of interest for many biomedical, aerospace, and defense applications. In this study, new findings on the structure-property relationships of a specific class of AM meta-biomaterials based on minimal surfaces which have not been well understood previously (i.e., Primitive and Schoen-IWP (IWP)) are presented. Biocompatible Ti-6Al-4V meta-biomaterials based on Primitive and IWP topologies, with three different morphological properties for each, were designed and fabricated via laser powder bed fusion technique. The microstructure, morphological, quasi-static compressive, flexural properties, and fracture mechanisms of the designed meta-biomaterials are thoroughly evaluated. Studied meta-biomaterials exhibited distinct fracture mechanisms under flexural loading depending on their topology; crack growth path was either zigzag (i.e., deflected) or straight. Additionally, Primitive meta-biomaterials exhibited ductile material behavior, under both compressive and flexural loading conditions, with pore size, porosity, and elastic gradient similar to the trabecular bone (850–1020 μm, 40–64%, and 3200–6000 MPa). However, IWP meta-biomaterials showed brittle behavior with porosity and elastic gradient closer to cortical bone (20–42% and 7000–13,000 MPa). These outcomes indicate that both mechanical behavior and fracture mechanisms of meta-biomaterials can be controlled based on topology and morphology.
Examining STEM Teaching at the Intersection of Informal and Formal Spaces: Exploring Science Pre-service Elementary Teacher Preparation

There is a growing emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education focused learning spaces vis-a-vis science education in the US public schools. These STEM learning s...
Symmetries of migration‐related segments of all [001] coincidence site lattice tilt boundaries in (001) projection for all holohedral cubic materials

Utilizing bicrystallography in two dimensions (2D), the symmetries of migration related segments of Coincidence Site Lattice (CSL) boundaries are derived for projections along their [001] tilt axis in grain boundaries of crystalline materials that possess the holohedral point symmetry of the cubic system (i.e. m3m). These kinds of “edge-on” projections are typical for atomic resolution imaging of such tilt boundaries with Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM). This fact facilitates the visual confirmation of our predictions by recently published Zcontrast scanning TEM investigations [H. Yang et al., Phil. Mag. 93 (2013) 1219] and many other TEM studies.
Strategies to increase web accessibility and usability in higher education

This chapter addresses the current status of Web accessibility and usability in higher education. As post secondary institutions strive to expand their online services and still maintain inclusive classrooms, attention must be given to the design of Web resources. Over 20 percent of Internet users have disabilities including vision, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments that affect their use of the Internet. In addition, many users have inefficient operating systems and/or slow connections. The World Wide Web Consortium's Accessibility Initiative guidelines for accessibility are reviewed for the following areas: (1) page organization, (2) images, (3) image maps, (4) graphs and charts, (5) tables, (6) multi-media components, (7) scripts, applets, and plug-ins, (8) frames, (9) use of color, and (10) default font settings. Examples and strategies are presented for creating dynamic Web pages that are accessible and usable without jeopardizing the goals and creativity of the designer. Developing accessible Web resources will benefit all users, as well as comply with federal accessibility regulations for electronic and information technology.
Automatic Feature Generation for Problem Solving Systems

Existing methods for constructive induction usually isolate feature generation from problem solving, and do not exploit information about the purpose for which features are created. This paper describes a theory of feature generation that creates features using both domain theory and feedback from a concept learner. An evaluation function can then be learned using these features that is able to direct a problem-solver. The theory has been implemented in a system called Zenith, which has been applied to two domains. Zenith is able to generate useful features for each domain, given only a domain theory and the ability to solve problems in the domain.
The Phenomenon of Ground Looping

IN the following notes the phenomenon of ground looping (which may be defined as an uncontrollable fast turn on the ground) is briefly analysed by semi‐technical methods. The analysis has been restricted to a condition which in the opinion of experienced pilots causes trouble most frequently: namely, a landing with dead stick, when there is no slipstream available to make the rudder more effective. The equations of lateral motion for an aeroplane in contact with the ground have been written clown as an introduction to more thorough study. Finally, certain tentative conclusions have been drawn for application in aeroplane design with a view to eliminating or at least reducing ground loop tendencies.
Influence of the Gas-Water Interface on Transport of Microorganisms through Unsaturated Porous Media

In this article, a new mechanism influencing the transport of microorganisms through unsaturated porous media is examined, and a new method for directly visualizing bacterial behavior within a porous medium under controlled chemical and flow conditions is introduced. Resting cells of hydrophilic and relatively hydrophobic bacterial strains isolated from groundwater were used as model microorganisms. The degree of hydrophobicity was determined by contact-angle measurements. Glass micromodels allowed the direct observation of bacterial behavior on a pore scale, and three types of sand columns with different gas saturations provided quantitative measurements of the observed phenomena on a porous medium scale. The reproducibility of each break-through curve was established in three to five repeated experiments. The data collected from the column experiments can be explained by phenomena directly observed in the micromodel experiments. The retention rate of bacteria is proportional to the gas saturation in porous media because of the preferential sorption of bacteria onto the gas-water interface over the solid-water interface. The degree of sorption is controlled mainly by cell surface hydrophobicity under the simulated groundwater conditions because of hydrophobic forces between the organisms and the interfaces. The sorption onto the gas-water interface is essentially irreversible because of capillary forces. This preferential and irreversible sorption at the gas-water interface strongly influences the movement and spatial distribution of microorganisms. Images
Blood Volume Error Detector

The addition of a simple transistor amplifier stage to an inexpensive gamma radiation detector has permitted its routine use in detecting small losses of radioactive iodinated serum albumin, thus increasing the reliability of routine blood volume measurements under clinical conditions.
Three-dimensional finite element modeling of pericellular matrix and cell mechanics in the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disk based on in situ morphology.

Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells of the intervertebral disk (IVD) have unique morphological characteristics and biologic responses to mechanical stimuli that may regulate maintenance and health of the IVD. NP cells reside as single cell, paired or multiple cells in a contiguous pericellular matrix (PCM), whose structure and properties may significantly influence cell and extracellular matrix mechanics. In this study, a computational model was developed to predict the stress–strain, fluid pressure and flow fields for cells and their surrounding PCM in the NP using three-dimensional (3D) finite element models based on the in situ morphology of cell–PCM regions of the mature rat NP, measured using confocal microscopy. Three-dimensional geometries of the extracellular matrix and representative cell–matrix units were used to construct 3D finite element models of the structures as isotropic and biphasic materials. In response to compressive strain of the extracellular matrix, NP cells and PCM regions were predicted to experience volumetric strains that were 1.9–3.7 and 1.4–2.1 times greater than the extracellular matrix, respectively. Volumetric and deviatoric strain concentrations were generally found at the cell/PCM interface, while von Mises stress concentrations were associated with the PCM/extracellular matrix interface. Cell–matrix units containing greater cell numbers were associated with higher peak cell strains and lower rates of fluid pressurization upon loading. These studies provide new model predictions for micromechanics of NP cells that can contribute to an understanding of mechanotransduction in the IVD and its changes with aging and degeneration.
Evaluation of human milk fortification from the time of the first feeding: effects on infants of less than 31 weeks gestational age

Evaluation of human milk fortification from the time of the first feeding: effects on infants of less than 31 weeks gestational age
Effectiveness of participation as a defendant: the attorney-juvenile client relationship.

Recent changes in the processing of juveniles in the justice system place greater significance on children's capacities to participate in legal contexts. Effective participation as a defendant encompasses abilities beyond those legally required for adjudicative competence, which may nevertheless influence the quality and nature of a defendant's participation in the trial process. Based in developmental judgment theory, the current study compares 203 juveniles and 110 adults detained pre-trial using a hypothetical attorney–client vignette to examine how psychosocial factors are reflected in decision-making processes and link to decision outcomes and effective participation within the attorney–client relationship. Age-related differences in legally relevant decision-making processes and outcomes are identified, and implications for policy are made. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanical Properties of DU-xMo Alloys with x = 7 to 12 Weight Percent

Mechanical properties of six depleted uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) alloys have been obtained using microhardness, quasistatic tensile tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) failure analysis. U-Mo alloy foils are currently under investigation for potential conversion of high power research reactors to low enriched uranium fuel. Although mechanical properties take on a secondary effect during irradiation, an understanding of the alloy behavior during fabrication and the effects of irradiation on the integrity of the fuel is essential. In general, the microhardness, yield strength, Young’s modulus, and ultimate tensile strength improved with increasing Mo content. Microhardness measurements were very sensitive to local composition, while the failure mode was significantly controlled by the impurity concentration of the alloy, especially carbon. Values obtained from literature are also provided with reasonable agreement, even though processing conditions and applications were quite different in some instances.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Spectroscopy of cis-Dichlorotetrakis(2,6-Dimethylphenyl Isocyanide)Iron(II)

The compound cis-FeCl2(DMPI)4 (DMPI = 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide) was synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy, and 1H-NMR. The structure of the hexanes solvate was solved in space group C2/c with a = 16.4160(2), b = 15.8028(2), c = 14.1263(2) A, β = 92.345(1), V = 3661.56(8) A3, Z = 4, with R = 0.0385. The coordination geometry about the Fe(II) center was octahedral with the two chlorides cis disposed. This is the first crystal structure of a cis-dihalotetrakis(isocyanide)iron(II) complex, and the isocyanide ligands trans to the chlorides are shown to participate in π-backbonding while those cis to the chlorides do not. IR spectroscopy confirms these observations, and 1H-NMR is consistent with the presence of two different types of isocyanide ligands. The structure and spectroscopy of cis-dichlorotetrakis(2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide)iron(II) revealed a complex with two types of isocyanide ligands: those trans to chloride which participate in π-backbonding from iron, and those cis to chloride which do not participate in π-backbonding.
Dissemination of disease following transurethral resection for locally advanced prostate cancer

Abstract Between 1974 and 1978, 258 patients with clinical Stage C adenocarcinoma of the prostate were treated at the U. T. M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston. Of these, 208 were considered evaluable for a review of the impact of transurethral resection (TUR) on the dissemination of disease. After TUR, the incidence of disease progression was 38.9 per cent, compared with 36.4 per cent for patients who did not undergo TUR. There were significant differences in both incidence of progression (31.2 % versus 55.6 %, p = 0.002) and time to progression (p
The Average Number of Sites Separating DNA Sequences Drawn from a Subdivided Population

The "infinite sites" model in the absence of recombination is examined in a subdivided population in which there is arbitrary migration among demes. It is shown that, if the migration matrix is symmetric and irreducible, the average number of sites that differ in two alleles chosen from the same deme depends only on an effective size of the whole population and not on either the elements of the migration matrix or the size of each deme separately. If there are n demes all of size N, the average number of sites that differ in two alleles chosen from the same deme is 4nN mu, where mu is the average mutation rate per site. This is the same value as for two alleles drawn from a panmictic population of size nN. The average number of sites that differ in alleles drawn from the same and from different demes can provide some information about the degree of population subdivision, as is illustrated by using the data of Kreitman and Aquade (1986, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 83, 3562) on Drosophila melanogaster.
The railroads can do their job

Most of us have seen trains, but there are many, many people in the world who have never really seen a railroad, who have never seen it with their mind's eye, never caught the meaning of the thing, and never understood just what it is and does and means in the lives of all of us on this American continent. A curious sort of blind spot afflicts us toward things to which we are accustomed. We see them around us with our physical eye, but those that were here before we were, we are pretty likely to take as a matter of course — to take them for granted as we take water and air and other indispensables of life.
The Ebola Virus Matrix Protein Penetrates into the Plasma Membrane A KEY STEP IN VIRAL PROTEIN 40 (VP40) OLIGOMERIZATION AND VIRAL EGRESS

Ebola, a fatal virus in humans and non-human primates, has no Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines or therapeutics. The virus from the Filoviridae family causes hemorrhagic fever, which rapidly progresses and in some cases has a fatality rate near 90%. The Ebola genome encodes seven genes, the most abundantly expressed of which is viral protein 40 (VP40), the major Ebola matrix protein that regulates assembly and egress of the virus. It is well established that VP40 assembles on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane; however, the mechanistic details of plasma membrane association by VP40 are not well understood. In this study, we used an array of biophysical experiments and cellular assays along with mutagenesis of VP40 to investigate the role of membrane penetration in VP40 assembly and egress. Here we demonstrate that VP40 is able to penetrate specifically into the plasma membrane through an interface enriched in hydrophobic residues in its C-terminal domain. Mutagenesis of this hydrophobic region consisting of Leu213, Ile293, Leu295, and Val298 demonstrated that membrane penetration is critical to plasma membrane localization, VP40 oligomerization, and viral particle egress. Taken together, VP40 membrane penetration is an important step in the plasma membrane localization of the matrix protein where oligomerization and budding are defective in the absence of key hydrophobic interactions with the membrane. Background: The Ebola virus matrix protein (VP40) regulates the plasma membrane assembly and egress of the Ebola virus. Results: The plasma membrane induces membrane penetration of the VP40 C-terminal domain. Conclusion: Membrane penetration by VP40 is important for VP40 cellular localization, oligomerization, and viral budding. Significance: A better understanding of VP40-membrane interactions will help us to understand Ebola virus assembly and budding.
Relevant Anatomic Landmarks and Measurements for Biceps Tenodesis

Background:Biceps tenodesis around the pectoralis major insertion may alter resting tension on the biceps, leading to unfavorable clinical outcomes.Hypothesis:The anatomic relationship between the musculotendinous junction (MTJ) of the biceps and the pectoralis major tendon will provide guidelines for anatomic location to perform biceps tenodesis with the goal of re-establishing biceps tension.Study Design:Descriptive laboratory study.Methods:Cadaveric dissections were performed that reflected the pectoralis major tendon and exposed the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT). Calipers were used to measure the longitudinal width of the pectoralis major tendon at the humerus, 2 cm away from the humerus, and at its proximal expansion on the humerus. The distance from the proximal extent of the pectoralis major tendon footprint to the beginning of the MTJ of the biceps and the length of the MTJ of the biceps were recorded. The location of the distal end of the MTJ of the biceps relevant to the inferior border ...
Soluble T cell receptors: detection and quantitative assay in fluid phase via ELISA or immuno-PCR

Abstract To establish the concentration range in which soluble murine T cell receptors (sTCR), derived from the Th2 clone D10, exhibited biological activity, and to follow production and purification of D10 sTCR, we devised four quantitative immunoassays: three ELISA systems, and an immuno-PCR assay. The direct ELISA, employed hamster anti-TCRβ monoclonal antibody (H57), which detects all types of αβ TCR, regardless of their variable regions, and had a detection limit of about 6 ng/ml sTCR. The indirect sandwich ELISA employed anti-Vβ8 as capture antibody, and had a detection limit of 600 pg/ml. With the direct sandwich ELISA, that also employed anti-Vβ8, TCR concentrations as low as 100 pg/ml could be detected. The ELISA assays were specific for soluble αβ TCR, and showed no cross-reactivity when employing two control hamster anti-γδ TCR mAbs (GL3 and UC7), or with anti-TCRβ and monoclonal hamster IgG as a control antigen. Further, we demonstrated that in some assays where use of passive binding ELISA plates resulted in a high background, replacement with covalent binding ELISA plates resulted in an acceptable low background value. With the immuno-PCR assay, concentrations of sTCR as little as 0.8 pg/ml could be detected. In summary, the assays described here may prove valuable in investigating the occurrence and amount of sTCR in vitro and in vivo.
Survey of Thermal-Neutron Damage in Pure Metals

Data are presented on the production and subsequent isochronal annealing behavior of thermal-neutron damage in 14 high-purity metallic elements. Values are obtained for the specific resistivity $\ensuremath{\delta}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{D}$ associated with the damage produced by neutron capture at 3.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Comparison between experimental damage-production results and simple displacement theory is made for some elements. Comparisons are made between the recovery behavior of the various metals, as well as comparisons with other damage-production methods.
A Portable Fast-Response Transient-Voltage Counter

A battery-powered solid-state 6-channel transient-voltage counter was developed which can detect transient voltages with durations as short as 20ns. This counter is sensitive to transient voltages of both polarities and has threshold levels from 50 to 300 volts, which can be altered by either internal biasing or external attenuators. It weighs about 13.5 pounds, and its dimensions are 15 by 6 by 7 inches. The counter has been extensively used wherever it has been possible to reproduce the switching of locomotive and rapid transit car control systems. It has also been utilized in detecting transients generated in the rapid transit systems in New York.
A direct fusion drive for rocket propulsion

Abstract The Direct Fusion Drive (DFD), a compact, anuetronic fusion engine, will enable more challenging exploration missions in the solar system. The engine proposed here uses a deuterium–helium-3 reaction to produce fusion energy by employing a novel field-reversed configuration (FRC) for magnetic confinement. The FRC has a simple linear solenoid coil geometry yet generates higher plasma pressure, hence higher fusion power density, for a given magnetic field strength than other magnetic-confinement plasma devices. Waste heat generated from the plasma׳s Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation is recycled to maintain the fusion temperature. The charged reaction products, augmented by additional propellant, are exhausted through a magnetic nozzle. A 1 MW DFD is presented in the context of a mission to deploy the James Webb Space Telescope (6200 kg) from GPS orbit to a Sun–Earth L2 halo orbit in 37 days using just 353 kg of propellant and about half a kilogram of 3He. The engine is designed to produce 40 N of thrust with an exhaust velocity of 56.5 km/s and has a specific power of 0.18 kW/kg.
Advances in the pharmacotherapy of stimulant dependence: From alcohol antagonists to Xenova vaccines

Abstract Several widely varying pharmacotherapies, which help ‘re-normalize’ documented stimulant-induced brain dysfunction in DA, GABA and glutamate receptors and metabolism, are promising for stimulant dependence. Disulfiram has significantly reduced cocaine abuse in six independent clinical trials. It inhibits dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH), which converts dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE), and thereby reduces NE, which may reduce cocaine withdrawal symptoms, and increases DA, which may ‘re-normalize’ depleted DA and compensate for down-regulated DA receptors that are associated with chronic cocaine dependence. Low DBH activity, which is determined by a functional genetic polymorphism, appears critical to disulfiram's efficacy in cocaine dependence. Amantadine, which is also an indirect DA agonist, is only effective in patients with severe withdrawal symptoms, a subgroup of patients who also respond to the adrenergic blocker propranolol. The GABA enhancers including tiagabine, baclofen and topiramate have shown some efficacy in clinical trials and in reducing cue-induced cocaine craving. Glutamate enhancers like modafinil show efficacy, perhaps by enhancing learning of new relapse prevention behaviors. Finally, a cocaine vaccine, which prevents cocaine from getting out of the blood stream and into the brain, shows a dose-response in reducing cocaine use.
Acoustic localization of triggered lightning

[1] We use acoustic (3.3–500 Hz) arrays to locate local ( 6 km) the error increases to 800 m for the nearest neighbors and 650 m for the Monte Carlo analysis. This work shows that thunder sources can be accurately located using acoustic signals.
Does Patient Sex Affect the Rate of Mortality and Complications After Spine Surgery? A Systematic Review.

Background Available studies disagree regarding the influence of patient sex on mortality and complications after spine surgery. We sought to conduct a systematic review and pool the results of existing research to better understand this issue.
Sex differences in symbol-digit substitution and speeded matching

Abstract Sex differences in digit-symbol substitution and speeded matching tests have not been adequately explained. Recent attempts have suggested the importance of the comparison processes, associative memory, and a possible difference in processing verbal and spatial information. Four experiments, two on speeded matching and two on symbol-digit substitution, supported the hypothesis that both tests involve comparison processes and that the sex difference in these processes depends upon the type of information. A female advantage is clearest with verbal material on both matching and symbol-digit substitution tasks. A male advantage was found on a symbol-digit substitution test only after training on the symbol-digit associations and when symbol discrimination involved spatial orientation. These results question previous interpretations of the clerical speed and symbol-digit substitution tests in terms of perceptual encoding speed, attentional shifts or sex differences in motor skills.