cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular risk moderates associations between hippocampal subfield volumes and memory

Advanced age and vascular risk negatively affect episodic memory. The hippocampus (HC) is a complex structure, and little is known about the roles of different HC regions in age-related memory declines. Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study, we investigated whether memory functions are related to volumes of specific HC subregions (CA1-2, CA3-4/dentate gyrus, and subiculum). Furthermore, we inquired if arterial hypertension, a common age-related vascular risk factor, modifies age-related differences in HC regional volumes, concurrent memory performance, and improvement in memory over multiple administrations. Healthy adults (n = 49, 52-82 years old) completed associative recognition and free recall tasks. In grouped path models, covariance structures differed between hypertensive and normotensive participants. Whereas larger CA3-4/dentate gyrus volumes predicted greater improvement in associative memory over repeated tests regardless of vascular risk, CA1-2 volumes were associated with improvement in noun recall only in hypertensive participants. Only among hypertensive participants, CA1-2 volumes negatively related to age and CA3-4/dentate gyrus and CA1-2 volumes were associated with performance at the last measurement occasion. These findings suggest that relatively small regions of the HC may play a role in age-related memory declines and that vascular risk factors associated with advanced age may modify that relationship.
Specialized Production in the Southwest: a Case from Arroyo Hondo (LA-12)

The Pueblo IV period in the northern Rio Grande valley of New Mexico (AD 1200–1540) was one of increasing climatic and demographic variability. Analysis of certain chipped stone tools from Arroyo H...
Radiation‐Induced Mobility of Substitutional Hydrogen in MgO

The distribution of hydrogen between substitutional sites and Mg(OH)/sub 2/ precipitates in MgO single crystals depends on the thermal treatment of the crystal. Isochronal annealing studies of quenched and slow-cooled crystals indicate that the substitutional H, as monitored by the O-H stretching frequency at 3296 cm-/sup 1/, is not mobile at <800/sup 0/K. However, under the influence of electron irradiation, H is mobile below room temperature. The net result of the irradiations is the appearance of the paramagnetic vacancy left behind by the H and an enhancement of the amplitude of the Mg(OH)/sub 2/ absorption band. The mobility of the substitutional H, which was found to be a strong function of the irradiation temperature, was greater at 290/sup 0/K than at 85/sup 0/K. A mechanism for the displacement of the substitutional H is proposed.
Short-term vegetable intake by young children classified by 6-n-propylthoiuracil bitter-taste phenotype

Background: Genetic variation in sensitivity to the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is thought to play a role in the acceptance and rejection of bitter-tasting vegetables by young children. Objectives: We investigated the relation between the PROP bitter-taste phenotype and acceptance and consumption of vegetables by young children. We hypothesized that nontasters of PROP would give higher hedonic ratings to bitter-tasting vegetables and would consume more bitter vegetables than would tasters of PROP. Design: Sixty-five preschool children were identified as tasters (n = 24) or nontasters (n = 41) of PROP. Children were allowed to select from among 5 types of vegetables (black olives, cucumbers, carrots, red pepper, and raw broccoli) to consume in a free-choice intake test and to give hedonic ratings to the vegetables. Results: The nontaster children consumed more vegetables than did the taster children during the free-choice test (0.91 servings compared with 0.48 servings; P < 0.05). This difference reflected the higher consumption of the more bitter-tasting vegetables (olives, cucumber, and broccoli) by the nontaster children (P < 0.05). Only 8% of the nontaster children consumed no vegetables in the free-choice test compared with 32% of taster children (P < 0.03). The nontaster children also liked raw broccoli more than did the taster children in the hedonic test (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The nontaster children consumed more vegetables, particularly the vegetables that were bitter tasting, than did the taster children during a free-choice intake test. These novel findings suggest that the PROP bitter-taste phenotype contributes to the development of vegetable acceptance and consumption patterns during early childhood.
MEAD: support for Real‐Time Fault‐Tolerant CORBA

SUMMARY The OMG’s Real-Time CORBA (RT-CORBA) and Fault-Tolerant CORBA (FT-CORBA) specifications make it possible for today’s CORBA implementations to exhibit either real-time or fault tolerance in isolation. While real-time requires ap rioriknowledge of the system’s temporal operation, fault tolerance necessarily deals with faults that occur unexpectedly, and with possibly unpredictable fault recovery times. The MEAD (Middleware for Embedded Adaptive Dependability) system attempts to identify and to reconcile the conflicts between real-time and fault tolerance, in a resource-aware manner, for distributed CORBA applications. MEAD supports transparent yet tunable fault tolerance in real-time, proactive dependability, resource-aware system adaptation to crash, communication and timing faults with bounded fault detection and fault recovery. Copyright c � 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Qué hemos aprendido del diseño de mercados

El presente articulo analiza algunas cosas que hemos aprendido acerca de los mercados durante el proceso de disenar mercados para subsanar sus fallas. Para poder funcionar bien los mercados deben ofrecer densidad, es decir, necesitan atraer una proporcion suficientemente grande de los participantes potenciales en el mercado; tienen que superar la congestion que la densidad puede traer consigo, al hacer posible que se consideren suficientes transacciones distintas para llegar a las mas atinadas, y necesitan hacer que participar en el mercado sea algo seguro y suficientemente sencillo, comparado con realizar transacciones fuera del mercado o tener que implicarse en comportamientos estrategicos costosos y riesgosos. Me basare en ejemplos recientes del diseno de mercados que van desde los mercados laborales para medicos y economistas recien egresados, hasta el intercambio de donantes de rinon y la eleccion de escuelas en Nueva York y Boston.
Genetic mapping at 3-kilobase resolution reveals inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor 3 as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes in Sweden.

We mapped the genetic influences for type 1 diabetes (T1D), using 2,360 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in the 4.4-Mb human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus and the adjacent 493 kb centromeric to the MHC, initially in a survey of 363 Swedish T1D cases and controls. We confirmed prior studies showing association with T1D in the MHC, most significantly near HLA-DR/DQ. In the region centromeric to the MHC, we identified a peak of association within the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor 3 gene (ITPR3; formerly IP3R3). The most significant single SNP in this region was at the center of the ITPR3 peak of association (P=1.7×10−4 for the survey study). For validation, we typed an additional 761 Swedish individuals. The P value for association computed from all 1,124 individuals was 1.30×10−6 (recessive odds ratio 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–3.9). The estimated population-attributable risk of 21.6% (95% CI 10.0%–31.0%) suggests that variation within ITPR3 reflects an important contribution to T1D in Sweden. Two-locus regression analysis supports an influence of ITPR3 variation on T1D that is distinct from that of any MHC class II gene.
Apathy following cerebrovascular lesions.

Although apathy has been reported to constitute a frequent sequela of stroke lesions, there have been no prospective studies on the frequency and correlates of apathy after stroke lesions. In the present study, we examined the frequency and correlates of apathy in a consecutive series of 80 patients with cerebrovascular lesions.We included patients within the first 10 days after a stroke lesion. Patients were examined with a comprehensive neuropsychiatric battery that included the Apathy Scale.Eighteen patients (22.5%) showed apathy, nine of whom were also depressed. On the other hand, 18 patients (22.5%) showed depression in the absence of apathy. Although depression and apathy may exist independent of one another, major depression (but not minor depression) was associated with an increased frequency of apathy. Apathy was also significantly associated with older age, cognitive impairments, and deficits in activities of daily living. Finally, apathy was significantly associated with lesions in the posteri...
Spiritual influences on ability to engage in self-care activities among older African Americans.

The influence of spiritual factors on the ability of African-American elders to carry out instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) independent of age, gender, education, and self-rated health...
Prepubescent Gonococcal Vulvovaginitis: A Call for Examination of All Household Members

Investigation of a five-year-old girl with gonor rheal vulvovaginitis revealed four other cases in the household. This illustrates the importance of investigation of all family members in such cases.
First-trimester nuchal translucency measurement and echocardiography at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation in prenatal detection for trisomy 18.

Background Trisomy 18, the second most common autosomal trisomy, has the highest incidence of congenital heart disease of all chromosomal abnormalities. This study assessed the use of nuchal translucency (NT) measurement and fetal echocardiography at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation in prenatal detection for trisomy 18. Methods Screening for chromosomal aneuploidy using fetal NT measurement was performed at 10 to 14 weeks of gestation. Detailed fetal echocardiography was performed at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation immediately before genetic amniocentesis for fetal karyotyping in singleton pregnancies with increased fetal NT thickness. Results Of the 3151 singleton pregnancies included in our study, 171 cases (5.4%) of increased (≥3.0 mm) NT were noted. Fetal chromosomal abnormalities were identified in 22 (12.9%) of these pregnancies, including 9 with trisomy 21, 5 with trisomy 18, 4 with 45,X and 4 with unbalanced structural abnormalities. Major defects of the heart and the great arteries were identified in 13 (7.6%) of these pregnancies with increased NT. These included eight pregnancies that also had the diagnosis of chromosomal aneuploidy. Among the 22 fetuses with confirmed aneuploidy, all 5 fetuses with trisomy 18, 1 of the 4 fetuses with 45,X and 2 of the 9 fetuses with trisomy 21 had increased fetal NT thickness associated with abnormal fetal echocardiography findings. Conclusions Screening for Down syndrome and cardiac defects using first-trimester fetal NT measurement in combination with fetal echocardiography at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation is a feasible and sensitive procedure for the prenatal detection of trisomy 18. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inappropriate use of D-dimer assay and pulmonary CT angiography in the evaluation of suspected acute pulmonary embolism.

The authors question whether the d-dimer assay and pulmonary computed tomography angiography (CTA) are being used appropriately to evaluate suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) at their hospital. To answer this question, a retrospective review was performed on all emergency department (ED) patients who underwent d-dimer assay and/or CTA from August 15, 2008, to August 14, 2009. The authors’ algorithm for diagnosing PE requires that patients with low or intermediate probability of acute PE undergo a d-dimer assay, followed by CTA if the d-dimer is positive. Patients with high probability of PE should have CTA performed without a d-dimer assay. This result suggests that d-dimer assay and CTA are used inappropriately to evaluate patients with suspected acute PE in our ED. The low threshold for initiating an evaluation for PE decreases the prevalence of PE in this population.
Rapid pannus formation: a rare cause of mitral stenosis following successful mitral valve repair.

A 70-year-old female with symptomatic severe functional mitral valve regurgitation ( Panel A ) underwent successful mitral valve repair utilizing a Carbomedics 34-mm flexible annuloplasty ring with trivial residual regurgitation postoperative ( Panel B ). Pre-discharge transthoracic echocardiogram showed a mean gradient of 3 mmHg at 60 bpm ( Panel C ). The patient presented with recurrent exertional dyspnoea 7 months …
Human βA3/A1-crystallin splicing mutation causes cataracts by activating the unfolded protein response and inducing apoptosis in differentiating lens fiber cells

βγ-Crystallins, having a uniquely stable two domain four Greek key structure, are crucial for transparency of the eye lens,. Mutations in lens crystallins have been proposed to cause cataract formation by a variety of mechanisms most of which involve destabilization of the protein fold. The underlying molecular mechanism for autosomal dominant zonular cataracts with sutural opacities in an Indian family caused by a c.215+1G>A splice mutation in the βA3/A1-crystallin gene CRYBA1 was elucidated using three transgenic mice models. This mutation causes a splice defect in which the mutant mRNA escapes nonsense mediated decay by skipping both exons 3 and 4. Skipping these exons results in an in-frame deletion of the mRNA and synthesis of an unstable p.Ile33_Ala119del mutant βA3/A1-crystallin protein. Transgenic expression of mutant βA3/A1-crystallin but not the wild type protein results in toxicity and abnormalities in the maturation and orientation of differentiating lens fibers in c.97_357del CRYBA1 transgenic mice, leading to a small spherical lens, cataract, and often lens capsule rupture. On a cellular level, the lenses accumulated p.Ile33_Ala119del βA3/A1-crystallin with resultant activation of the stress signaling pathway - unfolded protein response (UPR) and inhibition of normal protein synthesis, culminating in apoptosis. This highlights the mechanistic contrast between mild mutations that destabilize crystallins and other proteins, resulting in their being bound by the α-crystallins that buffer lens cells against damage by denatured proteins, and severely misfolded proteins that are not bound by α-crystallin but accumulate and have a direct toxic effect on lens cells, resulting in early onset cataracts.
Cherry Fruit Fly in Oregon: A Nomenclature Problem

The cherry fruit fly in Oregon was first recorded at Stayton in 1908, almost 50 years after the planting of the first cherry trees at Milwaukee. One year later, in 1909, a cherry sample from Salem was found to be infested with the same insect species. Since then, the infestation spread rapidly from its original sites, and by 1930 most of the cherry-growing areas of the State both in the Willamette Valley and northeastern Oregon were infested. Originally it was thought to be an introduced species from the eastern United States (where the pest has been a problem for a long time), and hence it was called the cherry fruit fly, Rhagolelis cingulala (Loew) (Lovett 1923, Newcomer 1950), although no introduction records were traced. Later workers both in Washington and Oregon (Frick et al. 1954; Jones 1937, 1938) also called this insect the cherry fruit fly, R. cingulata.
A Spatial Probit Econometric Model of Land Change: The Case of Infrastructure Development in Western Amazonia, Peru.

Tropical forests are now at the center stage of climate mitigation policies worldwide given their roles as sources of carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation. Although the international community has created mechanisms such as REDD+ to reduce those emissions, developing tropical countries continue to invest in infrastructure development in an effort to spur economic growth. Construction of roads in particular is known to be an important driver of deforestation. This article simulates the impact of road construction on deforestation in Western Amazonia, Peru, and quantifies the amount of carbon emissions associated with projected deforestation. To accomplish this objective, the article adopts a Bayesian probit land change model in which spatial dependencies are defined between regions or groups of pixels instead of between individual pixels, thereby reducing computational requirements. It also compares and contrasts the patterns of deforestation predicted by both spatial and non-spatial probit models. The spatial model replicates complex patterns of deforestation whereas the non-spatial model fails to do so. In terms of policy, both models suggest that road construction will increase deforestation by a modest amount, between 200–300 km2. This translates into aboveground carbon emissions of 1.36 and 1.85 x 106 tons. However, recent introduction of palm oil in the region serves as a cautionary example that the models may be underestimating the impact of roads.
Analyzing Consumer Image Data Using the Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance by Ranks:

Since consumers' images reflect to some extent actions taken by marketers in dealing with many marketing variables, it is frequently desirable to determine if these images have patterns. For this purpose, the Friedman two-way analysis of variance by ranks may be useful, especially when the data are ordinal and when each respondent answers questions on a variety of products, product attributes, or brands. The ordinal nature of the data precludes the use of parametric statistical tools such as analysis of variance, and the need to compare a variety of data generated by each respondent precludes the use of certain nonparametric statistical tools, such as chi-square, since the requirement of independent samples is not met.
Increasing the Efficiency of Catching Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Males in Trimedlure-Baited Traps with Ammonia

The use of ammonia to increase the efficiency of Jackson traps baited with trimedlure in trapping males of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), was investigated. The ammonia vapor (1 × 10-6 g/s) was added in the trap using a plastic vial containing a cotton wick with 2 ml of saturated ammonium carbonate solution. Tests using laboratory-reared flies showed that Jackson traps with trimedlure + ammonia caught 23% more males than those with only trimedlure. A 17% increase in number of wild males caught in Jackson traps with trimedlure was observed when ammonia was added. Laboratory-reared males that were attracted to either trimedlure or trimedlure + ammonia exhibited lekking behavior on the underside of the foliage surrounding the traps and on the outside and inside walls of the traps. A relatively small number of laboratory-reared females caught in Jackson traps containing trimedlure and trimedlure + ammonia were probably virgins that responded to the cues elicited by the lekking males. During the observation periods, no lekking wild males were observed, and not a single wild female was observed to respond to Jackson traps with either trimedlure or trimedlure + ammonia.
Abstract P3-06-30: Predictors of Pathologic Complete Response to Chemotherapy and Antiangiotherapy in Breast Cancer.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a central mediator of angiogenesis in breast cancer. We have conducted a clinical trial using bevacizumab (B) in breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting and showed improved pathologic complete response (pCR) when B was added to chemotherapy (CT). 41% of patients (Pts) who received B+CT achieved pCR. Blood and tumor samples were collected at baseline and serially on treatment from 39 patients who participated in the study. The correlative study was approved by the IRB and consent forms were obtained at the time of enrollment. Since patients do not equally benefit from B, it has become necessary to define the profile of patients who will benefit and those who are more likely to have major side effects from the drug. This study was conducted to evaluate for the presence of specific SNPs and CNV in the germ line and a serum protein profile that might be predictive of pCR in the neoadjuvant setting in breast cancer patients receiving B and CT. Methods: To test for the presence of functional germ line SNPs and CNVs that may influence pCR, DNA was extracted from buffy coats of study participants and SNPs/CNVs were determined using Illumina technology. To test the hypothesis that individuals who achieved pCR were those with differential expression of selected proteins in their blood, custom multiplex was performed for the following serum proteins: ANG-1, ANG-2, bFGF, IL-1a, MMP-9, PDGF-BB, PECAM-1, Tie-2, VEGF, and VEGFR2. Statistical test: The association between genotype and CNV of each SNP vs. pCR status were analyzed using Cochran-Armitage Trend Test. Differences in serum protein levels between pCR and non-pCR groups were examined by Wilcoxon rank sum test. Significance of association was evaluated in two settings of α (i) α=0.05 (ii) α=0.00001. Results: Genotype and CNV vs. pCR (n = 38). In genotype vs. pCR status by SNPs tests, 131618 (∼13%) SNPs with allele frequency −5 ), a number of SNPs were significant at the level of individual tests in these comparisons. Four SNPs at a p value Analysis of baseline serum protein data (n = 34). The results of pCR vs. serum protein data analysis suggest that there is a statistically significant difference between the concentration of bFGF and Tie-2 in the pCR group (higher baseline values) and those in the non-pCR group (p-values Conclusion: Elevated serum baseline Tie-2 and bFGF and special SNP in the promoter of H(+)-myo-inositol co-transporter gene are candidate predictors for pCR in response to B/CT and need to be validated in a larger clinical study. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-06-30.
Relativistic many-body calculations of excitation energies, oscillator strengths, transition rates, and lifetimes in samariumlike ions

The unique atomic properties of samariumlike ions, not yet measured experimentally, are theoretically predicted and studied in this paper. Excitation energies, oscillator strengths, transition probabilities, and lifetimes are calculated for $(5{s}^{2}+5{p}^{2}+5{d}^{2}+5s5d+5s5g+5p5f)$--$(5s5p+5s5f+5p5d+5p5g)$ electric dipole transitions in Sm-like ions with nuclear charge $Z$ ranging from 74 to 100. Relativistic many-body perturbation theory (RMBPT), including the Breit interaction, is used to evaluate retarded $E1$ matrix elements in length and velocity forms. The calculations start from a $1{s}^{2}2{s}^{2}2{p}^{6}3{s}^{2}3{p}^{6}3{d}^{10}4{s}^{2}4{p}^{6}4{d}^{10}4{f}^{14}$ Dirac-Fock potential. First-order perturbation theory is used to obtain intermediate coupling coefficients, and the second-order RMBPT is used to determine the matrix elements. The contributions from negative-energy states are included in the second-order $E1$ matrix elements to achieve agreement between length-form and velocity-form amplitudes. The resulting transition energies and transition probabilities, and lifetimes for Sm-like W${}^{12+}$ are compared with results obtained by the relativistic Hartree-Fock approximation (cowan code) to estimate contributions of the $4f$-core-excited states. Trends of excitation energies and oscillator strengths as the function of nuclear charge $Z$ are shown graphically for selected states and transitions. This work provides a number of yet unmeasured atomic properties of these samariumlike ions for various applications and as a benchmark for testing theory.
Staging of prostate cancer: value of ultrasonography

Clinical staging is the attempt to determine the pathologic extent of a cancer by clinical tests (Whitmore). Traditionally, staging of prostate cancer has relied on the digital rectal examination, but ultrasonography, which provides an unprecedented picture of the gland, has become a valuable adjunct. The overall sonographic pattern helps to classify a tumor as "localized" or "extensive." A more detailed analysis yields information about the volume and location of the primary tumor; the presence, location, and extent of extracapsular extension; and the presence of seminal vesicle invasion. Comparison of sonograms with corresponding sections of radical prostatectomy specimens demonstrates that ultrasound complements the digital examination in determining by clinical tests the pathologic extent of a cancer.
Is “Bow” for an Arrow or for Hair? A Classroom Demonstration on Gender Differences in Interpreting Ambiguous Information:

This article details a classroom demonstration of how gender differences in cognitive schemas can result in men and women differentially interpreting the same information. Students heard a series of six homonyms (e.g., bow and nail) spoken aloud and wrote down the first word with which they free-associated each homonym. When hearing the words (e.g., bow), men were more likely to respond with a male-gendered word (e.g., arrow), whereas women were more likely to respond with a female-gendered word (e.g., hair). The demonstration is easy to administer, takes approximately 10 min, results in strong differences, and improves students’ understanding of gender differences in cognitive schemas.
OR12 Integrin β1 partners with HLA class II molecules to mediate endothelial cell (EC) functions

Aim Engagement of cell surface HLA class II (HLA-II) regulates multiple cell functions through activating signal transduction pathways. Class II molecules are heterodimers consisting of two transmembrane glycoproteins with short cytoplasmic domains of 12–15 amino acids that lack kinase activity. We hypothesized that ligation of class II molecules by antibodies (Ab) recruits integrin β1 (ITGB1) into a complex with HLA-II to regulate signal transduction and cell function. Methods Class II expression was induced by adenoviral transfection of EC with CIITA. Western blots were used to quantitate protein phosphorylation and protein expression. The interactions between ITGB1 and class II were determined by coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP). BrdU assay was used to measure cell proliferation. Wound healing assay and transmigration assays were applied to determine class II-induced cell migration. Results Class II ligation-activated phosphorylation of Src, Erk and Akt was inhibited by siRNA depletion of ITGB1, but not by ITGB3, B4 and B5 siRNA. Class II-induced EC proliferation and migration were also attenuated by ITGB1 siRNA. Co-IP of class II molecules demonstrated that HLA-II Ab increased ITGB1 expression in the complex. Reverse IP showed that HLA-II was recruited into ITGB1 complex. ITGB1 siRNA decreased complex formation between HLA-II and ITGB1. Inhibiting Src and ERK kinases with PP2 and U0126, respectively, decreased class II-induced ITGB1 phosphorylation at Y783 (Fig). Treatment of EC with PP2 or U0126 reduced complex formation between HLA-II and ITGB1 (Fig) and Talin. Conclusion These results show that HLA-II and ITGB1 cooperate to trigger intracellular signaling in EC and stimulate the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells, which may be important in promoting antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and transplant vasculopathy. These results provide a mechanistic understanding of the role of ITGB1 and HLA class II in AMR and may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to prevent AMR. Download : Download high-res image (401KB) Download : Download full-size image
eBird records show substantial growth of the Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin sedentarius) population in urban Southern California

ABSTRACT The sedentary subspecies of Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin sedentarius) was originally endemic to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California, but it colonized the mainland at the Palos Verdes Peninsula sometime before 1966. In the decades since, its population has expanded in Southern California. I tracked its growth using eBird checklists. The mainland range of S. s. sedentarius has grown from ∼70 km2 in 1970 to ∼13,000 km2 today, representing an increase of ≤23% in the total range of the species as a whole. Its main habitat within Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and western Riverside counties is urban parks, gardens, and campuses. The range expansion of S. s. sedentarius seems to be driven by food availability—although, given that it is found in urban habitats that the other subspecies, S. s. sasin, does not seem to utilize, a subtle change in the ecology of the 2 subspecies is also implied. Analysis of eBird data suggests that breeding S. s. sedentarius met S. s. sasin ne...
Translating the Language of Soils: Developing a Soil Classification System for International Engineering Projects

Soil classification systems are used to help predict soil behavior and provide information to farmers, engineers, builders, agricultural extension agents, homeowners, community planners, and government agencies. Engineers use soil classification systems to characterize soils, determine potential behavior, and understand limitations of the soils encountered in constructions projects. This knowledge is critical when designing airfields, roads, buildings, dams, bridges, and other infrastructure.
A mechanistic model for stochastic rebound of solid particles with application to erosion predictions

Abstract Erosive wear due to solid particle impacts is a significant challenge in process industries, especially for oil and gas industries where multiphase flow with the presence of solid particles conveyed by the fluid is very common. Solid particle erosion is a complex phenomenon with multiple factors contributing to its severity. Based on available studies in the literature, mechanistic and empirical erosion models are available that are being used by investigators to predict erosion in complex geometries. The erosion models require particle impact speed and angle to be determined for predicting solid particle erosion. Thus, in many applications, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes are used to track the trajectories of solid particles to model erosion in complex geometries. However, the problem of predicting erosion in complex geometries where rebounded particles can have a significant effect on erosion pattern has been addressed only by a few investigators in the literature. The complexity results from the fact that trajectories of rebounded particles and their resulting velocities must be determined. The current investigation uses experimental data and modelling to determine the effects of particle rebounds on erosion patterns. The experimental setup is composed of two stainless steel and aluminum specimens at a right angle to each other, and the angle between the nozzle and first specimen is 45 degrees. The second specimen is painted to determine the erosion pattern caused by rebounding particles from the first. The effects of material composition and surface roughness on the rebounding particles are presented. Additionally, a mechanistic rebound model describing the erosion pattern, erosion intensity and location of maximum erosion is presented, and the predictions are compared with experimental data. It is found that the rebound model has a great influence on erosion prediction especially where subsequent particle impacts are expected. It is also shown that the existing empirical rebound correlations in the literature are not effective for erosion calculation purposes.
Genome instability and aging: Cause or effect?

Abstract Genome instability, i.e., the tendency of the genome to undergo alterations in DNA information content through mutation, is considered a hallmark of aging. While mutations can be analyzed in clonal lineages, such as tumors, normal tissues have thus far not been amenable to mutation analysis except for the largest type of mutations: chromosomal aberrations. This is because mutations are random events and, therefore, unique to a single cell. New, single-cell sequencing-based methods are now emerging and may soon provide quantitative assays for estimating the possible functional effects of mutations accumulating during aging in various tissues and organs. Here we briefly review the mechanisms of genome instability in normal cells, the accumulation of various types of genome instability with age and their possible physiological consequences.
Multi-task Multi-modal Models for Collective Anomaly Detection

This paper proposes a new framework for anomaly detection when collectively monitoring many complex systems. The prerequisite for condition-based monitoring in industrial applications is the capability of (1) capturing multiple operational states, (2) managing many similar but different assets, and (3) providing insights into the internal relationship of the variables. To meet these criteria, we propose a multi-task learning approach based on a sparse mixture of sparse Gaussian graphical models (GGMs). Unlike existing fused- and group-lasso-based approaches, each task is represented by a sparse mixture of sparse GGMs, and can handle multi-modalities. We develop a variational inference algorithm combined with a novel sparse mixture weight selection algorithm. To handle issues in the conventional automatic relevance determination (ARD) approach, we propose a new l0-regularized formulation that has guaranteed sparsity in mixture weights. We show that our framework eliminates well-known issues of numerical instability in the iterative procedure of mixture model learning. We also show better performance in anomaly detection tasks on real-world data sets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proposal of multi-task GGM learning allowing multi-modal distributions.
Physical possibilities: pedagogical presence in Chaucer

With interest in body studies increasing, scholars are reconsidering the bodies of teachers, especially as online learning gains prominence in the realm of educational innovation. They question the lessening role and even complete disappearance of teachers’ physical presence, while acknowledging that the teacher’s body constitutes a force that guides and transforms the educational experience of students. Teachers’ bodies have always served as a pedagogical force – potentially useful or detrimental – in classrooms. Medieval thinkers, especially poets, also recognized the powers of teachers’ bodies. Chaucer, for one, portrays a spectrum of possibilities regarding the effects of a teacher’s physical presence, particularly in Fragments VIII and IX of the Canterbury Tales, depicting the morally ambiguous auctoritee and limitations of the physical presence of a teacher. The contemporary classroom, the physical world inhabited by both students and teachers, can perhaps be better navigated by the map provided by Chaucer, which illustrates the possibilities of presence.
Altered Patterns of Secretion of IgA and IgG Subclasses by Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease Intestinal Mononuclear Cells

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) due to unknown etiologic and potentiating factors resulting in immune responses of a chronic inflammatory nature (1). There is an increase in cytoplasmic, surface, and secreted antibodies from IBD intestinal lymphocytes, due mainly to enhanced expression and production of IgG (2–4). In previous studies (5,6) we have found that immunoglobulin secretion patterns by peripheral blood and intestinal mononuclear cells (MNC) from inflammatory bowel disease patients is altered. IBD peripheral blood MNC reveal a markedly increased spontaneous secretion of IgA which is partially suppressed by PWM (5,6). Intestinal MNC from control specimens also spontaneously secrete large amounts of IgA, which is suppressed by PWM (5,6). In IBD patients, intestinal MNC exhibit decreased spontaneous IgA secretion, but have increased IgG secretion compared with control intestinal MNC (5–7). The changes in antibody secretion observed in IBD could be due to: (a) preferential proliferation of subpopulations of cells due to immunoregulatory alteration; (b) switching of the isotype and/or subclass of antibody secreted by the lymphocytes themselves; or (c) changes in the homing and trafficking patterns of the lymphocytes due to the inflammatory process.
176. Ergebnisse und Prognose nach Resektion von Lungen- und Lebermetastasen

Die Prognose war nach Resektion von Lungenmetastasen bei 131 Patienten besser als nach Entfernung von Lebermetastasen bei 85 Patienten. Dagegen spielte die Zahl der entfernten Lungen- oder Lebermetastasen fur die uberlebenschance keine entscheidende Rolle. Wurden Lungenmetastasen durch Lappenresektionen entfernt, erreichten wir doppelt so hohe uberlebensraten wie nach Keilexcisionen. Ebenfalls deutlich bessere uberlebensraten erzielten wir mit der Hemihepatektomie gegenuber der lokalen Excision bei der Entfernung von Lebermetastasen. 26 Patienten musten wegen erneuter Metastasierung in Lunge oder Leber mehrmals operiert werden. Dabei war die 5-Jahres-uberlebensrate 22 %.
Regulation of Stem Cell Therapy Travel

Stem cell therapies (hereinafter: SCT) hold tremendous promise for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Yet, alongside the medical potential, they pose significant risks. This article focuses on the phenomenon of “SCT travel” and the regulatory challenges associated with it. Internet websites for clinics all around the world offer SCT for different medical conditions, such as degenerative and immunological conditions, as well as cosmetic indications. The demand for SCT is growing, despite their experimental nature, and an effective regulatory framework is urgently needed at both national and international levels. A new regulatory framework aimed at reducing the risks associated with SCT travel and the provision of unproven SCT should be implemented. It should include professional guidelines, an accreditation system that would evaluate SCT being offered by clinics, enforcement mechanisms against fraud, reimbursement by insurers for approved SCT, and residency requirements.
Machine learning in human movement biomechanics: Best practices, common pitfalls, and new opportunities

Traditional laboratory experiments, rehabilitation clinics, and wearable sensors offer biomechanists a wealth of data on healthy and pathological movement. To harness the power of these data and make research more efficient, modern machine learning techniques are starting to complement traditional statistical tools. This survey summarizes the current usage of machine learning methods in human movement biomechanics and highlights best practices that will enable critical evaluation of the literature. We carried out a PubMed/Medline database search for original research articles that used machine learning to study movement biomechanics in patients with musculoskeletal and neuromuscular diseases. Most studies that met our inclusion criteria focused on classifying pathological movement, predicting risk of developing a disease, estimating the effect of an intervention, or automatically recognizing activities to facilitate out-of-clinic patient monitoring. We found that research studies build and evaluate models inconsistently, which motivated our discussion of best practices. We provide recommendations for training and evaluating machine learning models and discuss the potential of several underutilized approaches, such as deep learning, to generate new knowledge about human movement. We believe that cross-training biomechanists in data science and a cultural shift toward sharing of data and tools are essential to maximize the impact of biomechanics research.
Ablation of amyloid precursor protein increases insulin-degrading enzyme levels and activity in brain and peripheral tissues.

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein widely studied for its role as the source of β-amyloid peptide, accumulation of which is causal in at least some cases of ...
On the Landmark Survival Model for Dynamic Prediction of Event Occurrence Using Longitudinal Data

In longitudinal cohort studies, participants are often monitored through periodic clinical visits until the occurrence of a terminal clinical event. A question of interest to both scientific research and clinical practice is to predict the risk of the terminal event at each visit, using the longitudinal prognostic information collected up to the visit. This problem is called the dynamic prediction: a real-time, personalized prediction of the risk of a future adverse clinical event with longitudinally measured biomarkers and other prognostic information. An important method for dynamic prediction is the landmark Cox model and variants. A fundamental difficulty in the current methodological research of this kind of models is that it is unclear whether there exists a joint distribution of the longitudinal and time-to-event data that satisfies the model assumptions. As a result, this model is often viewed as a working model instead of a probability distribution, and its statistical properties are often studied using data simulated from shared random effect models, where the landmark model works under misspecification. In this paper, we demonstrate that a joint distribution of longitudinal and survival data exists that satisfy the modeling assumptions without additional restrictions, and propose an algorithm to generate data from this joint distribution. We further generalize the results to the more flexible landmark linear transformation models that include the landmark Cox model as a special case. These results facilitate future theoretical and numerical research on landmark survival models for dynamic prediction.
Connected automated vehicle design among human-driven vehicles

Abstract In this extended abstract, we discuss results regarding the experimental validation of connected automated vehicle design. We demonstrate experimentally that a connected automated vehicle can improve human-dominated traffic flow while being integral part of the flow. Our experiments emphasize the benefits of V2V-based control for driving automation without the support of an automated platoon. In fact, we show that benefits can also be gained even in scenarios where not all neighboring human-driven vehicles are equipped with V2V devices.
Role of π–π Stacking and Halogen Bonding by 1,4-Diiodoperchlorobenzene To Organize the Solid State To Achieve a [2 + 2] Cycloaddition Reaction

The formation of a series of polymeric isostructural solids that utilize 1,4-diiodoperchlorobenzene (C6I2Cl4) as a halogen bond donor has been achieved. These cocrystals are based upon C6I2Cl4 alon...
Typologies of Peer Victimization, Depression, and Alcohol Use among High School Youth in the United States: Measuring Gender Differences.

Using the data from 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, our study explored gender differences in the typologies of peer victimization and alcohol use mediated by depression among adolesce...
Can the fourth restatement of foreign relations law foster legal stability

This Essay makes two key points. First, it argues that in the current political climate, the objective of using the Restatement to foster legal stability in foreign relations law may no longer be as feasible as it once was. The drafters of both the Third Restatement in 1987 and the Second Restatement in 1965 might have hoped that the product of their efforts would help stabilize the rule of law in foreign policy. However, today, the conditions that produced that moderate bipartisan consensus no longer hold, and thus the quest to foster stability in foreign relations law is likely to face even more of an uphill battle. Throughout this paper, I will illustrate these claims by looking at the ebb and flow in efforts to use the Restatement to nail down a rule regarding the self-execution of treaties. Second, and more speculatively, it suggests that while the Restatement may occasionally foster stability in foreign relations law, there is also the possibility that it may do so in undesirable circumstances. This point assumes that whereas too little legal stability can sometimes be disruptive, too much of it could be inhibiting. In circumstances where there is too little political conflict, and thus less of an incentive for parties to challenge or reexamine outdated and redundant legal understandings, there is a risk that judges and practitioners may over-rely on the Restatement. Thus, it is plausible that under certain circumstances, the Restatement may actually contribute to the unwelcome ossification of foreign relations law.
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus

Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) saw a marked reduction in calf survival (< 50%), adult calving (< 60%), twinning rate (< 5%) and complete loss of yearling productivity. We conducted population viability analysis using VORTEX ver. 10.2 to model this moose population for 40 years using mean demographics from both time periods, including environmental variation measured in the field during winter tick epizootic (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016) and non-epizootic (2003, 2004, 2005, 2017) years. This exercise highlights the influence of winter tick infestation on the trajectory of the population with the potential for rapid population growth or decline depending on the frequency of epizootics. We suggest a shift in moose management strategy focused on lowering moose density, assuming continued influence of climate change on the host–parasite relationship.
Selective Entry in Highway Procurement Auctions

When participating in an auction is costly, a potential bidder has to decide whether to enter the auction or not. The extent to which the potential bidders know their private cost before making their entry decisions determines how selective the entry process is. Endogenous selective entry is common in many auctions and it has important implications for designing auctions, in particular, choosing the bid discount policy that is frequently used in public procurements to achieve distributional goals of the government. Prior empirical studies of the bid preferences were based on frameworks that either did not explicitly model endogenous participation or assumed endogenous, but non-selective participation. This study empirically investigated whether the entry process is selective in the highway procurement auctions run by the California Department of Transportation. To this end, the asymmetric affiliated-signal model was adapted to permit endogenous selective entry. Model parameters, including entry costs and distributions of construction costs for regular and fringe companies, were estimated nonparametrically. The results show evidence favoring selective entry of the fringe firms and imply that the level of bid discount required to achieve the procurement buyer’s policy objective may be lower than what is previously found in the literature under the assumption of non-selective entry.