cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural and genetic basis for development of broadly neutralizing influenza antibodies

Influenza viruses take a yearly toll on human life despite efforts to contain them with seasonal vaccines. These viruses evade human immunity through the evolution of variants that resist neutralization. The identification of antibodies that recognize invariant structures on the influenza haemagglutinin (HA) protein have invigorated efforts to develop universal influenza vaccines. Specifically, antibodies to the highly conserved stem region of HA neutralize diverse viral subtypes. These antibodies largely derive from a specific antibody gene, heavy-chain variable region IGHV1-69, after limited affinity maturation from their germline ancestors, but how HA stimulates naive B cells to mature and induce protective immunity is unknown. To address this question, we analysed the structural and genetic basis for their engagement and maturation into broadly neutralizing antibodies. Here we show that the germline-encoded precursors of these antibodies act as functional B-cell antigen receptors (BCRs) that initiate subsequent affinity maturation. Neither the germline precursor of a prototypic antibody, CR6261 (ref. 3), nor those of two other natural human IGHV1-69 antibodies, bound HA as soluble immunoglobulin-G (IgG). However, all three IGHV1-69 precursors engaged HA when the antibody was expressed as cell surface IgM. HA triggered BCR-associated tyrosine kinase signalling by germline transmembrane IgM. Recognition and virus neutralization was dependent solely on the heavy chain, and affinity maturation of CR6261 required only seven amino acids in the complementarity-determining region (CDR) H1 and framework region 3 (FR3) to restore full activity. These findings provide insight into the initial events that lead to the generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies to influenza, informing the rational design of vaccines to elicit such antibodies and providing a model relevant to other infectious diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS. The data further suggest that selected immunoglobulin genes recognize specific protein structural 'patterns' that provide a substrate for further affinity maturation.
Mutation Spectra of S-(2-Hydroxy-3,4-epoxybutyl)glutathione: Comparison with 1,3-Butadiene and Its Metabolites in the Escherichia coli rpoB gene

S-(2-Hydroxy-3,4-epoxybutyl)glutathione (DEB-GSH conjugate) is formed from the reaction of 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB) with glutathione (GSH), and the conjugate is considerably more mutagenic than several other butadiene-derived epoxides—including DEB—in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535 [Cho, S.-H., (2010) Chem. Res. Toxicol.23, 1544−1546]. We previously identified six DNA adducts in the reaction of the DEB-GSH conjugate with nucleosides and calf thymus DNA and two DNA adducts in livers of mice and rats treated with DEB [Cho, S.-H. and Guengerich, F. P. (2012) Chem. Res. Toxicol.25, 706−712]. To define the role of GSH conjugation in 1,3-butadiene (BD) metabolism and characterize the mechanism of GSH transferase (GST)-enhanced mutagenicity of DEB, mutation spectra of BD and its metabolites in the absence and presence of GST/GSH and mouse liver microsomes were compared in the rpoB gene of Escherichia coli TRG8. The presence of GST considerably enhanced mutations. The mutation spectra derived from the DEB-GSH c...
Afferent Responses During Experimentally Induced Semicircular Canalithiasis

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common vestibular disorder that results in brief periods of vertigo and nystagmus, when the head is tipped relative to gravity. Symptoms are commonly attributed to the pathological presence of heavy calcium carbonate particles within the lumen of the semicircular canal(s)-a condition termed canalithiasis. In the present work, we induced canalithiasis in an animal model (oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau) by introducing heavy glass microbeads into the lumen of the lateral semicircular canal. Bead movement under the action of gravity and canal afferent nerve discharge were recorded in vivo. When the head was oriented nose-down, beads moved toward the nose and the lateral canal afferent discharge rate increased. Afferents that normally encoded angular velocity during oscillatory head rotations responded with tonic increases in the discharge rate during gravity-dependent bead movement. Other afferents, such as the units that rapidly adapt to a step increase in angular head velocity, responded with an initial increase in discharge rate followed by a period of adaptation. Afferent responses occurred in the complete absence of head movement and quantify the pathological inputs to the brain that arise from canalithiasis. The magnitude and time course of the responses reported here are sufficient to explain the symptoms of BPPV.
Structures of wild-type and mutant human spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase, a potential therapeutic drug target

Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) is a key enzyme in the control of polyamine levels in human cells, as acetylation of spermidine and spermine triggers export or degradation. Increased intracellular polyamine levels accompany several types of cancers as well as other human diseases, and compounds that affect the expression, activity, or stability of SSAT are being explored as potential therapeutic drugs. We have expressed human SSAT from the cloned cDNA in Escherichia coli and have determined high-resolution structures of wild-type and mutant SSAT, as the free dimer and in binary and ternary complexes with CoA, acetyl-CoA (AcCoA), spermine, and the inhibitor N1,N11-bis-(ethyl)-norspermine (BE-3-3-3). These structures show details of binding sites for cofactor, substrates, and inhibitor and provide a framework to understand enzymatic activity, mutations, and the action of potential drugs. Two dimer conformations were observed: a symmetric form with two open surface channels capable of binding substrate or cofactor, and an asymmetric form in which only one of the surface channels appears capable of binding and acetylating polyamines. SSAT was found to self-acetylate lysine-26 in the presence of AcCoA and absence of substrate, a reaction apparently catalzyed by AcCoA bound in the second channel of the asymmetric dimer. These unexpected and intriguing complexities seem likely to have some as yet undefined role in regulating SSAT activity or stability as a part of polyamine homeostasis. Sequence signatures group SSAT with proteins that appear to have thialysine Ne-acetyltransferase activity.
COMPARISON OF CONSTANT VOLTAGE AND FIELD INVERSION GEL ELECTROPHORESIS METHODS FOR MEASURING DNA STRAND BREAKAGE IN FRESHWATER BIVALVES

To compare constant voltage and field inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE) methods for detecting DNA strand breakage, two sets of DNA samples from freshwater bivalves were electrophoresed on both gel types. The first sample group contained DNA from mapleleaf mussels (Quadrula quadrula) exposed to lead; the second sample group contained DNA from Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) that was passed through a syringe to physically induce strand breakage. A series of comparisons revealed that FIGE separated DNA into a greater number of bands, had less DNA in the band with the highest relative quantity of DNA, and resulted in a higher calculated average DNA strand length. The periodic inversion of the electric field on FIGE gels resulted in more complete separation of DNA fragments of different sizes, making FIGE the better of the two methods. Thorough separation of DNA fragments is a very important factor in the accurate calculation of average DNA strand lengths. Correctly determined DNA strand lengths are inte...
Control of Constrained Discrete-Time Systems With Bounded $\ell_{2}$ Gain

We consider the problem of designing a control law for a constrained linear system with bounded disturbances that ensures constraint satisfaction over an infinite horizon, while also guaranteeing that the closed-loop system has bounded lscr2 gain. To this end, we propose a receding horizon control strategy based on the repeated calculation of optimal finite horizon feedback policies. We parameterize these policies such that the input at each time is an affine function of current and prior states, and minimize a worst-case quadratic cost where the disturbance energy is negatively weighted as in H infin control. We show that the resulting receding horizon controller has two advantages over previous results for this problem. First, the policy optimization problem to be solved at each time step can be rendered convex-concave, with a number of decision variables and constraints that grows polynomially with the problem size, thereby making its solution amenable to standard techniques in convex optimization. Second, the achievable lscr2 gain of the resulting closed-loop system is bounded and non-increasing with increasing control horizon. A numerical example is included to demonstrate the improvement in achievable lscr2 gain relative to existing methods.
Plumage Coloration in Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) At a Mercury-contaminated River

Abstract. Because Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) eat a diet comprised primarily of fish they are a useful indicator species for aquatic contaminants such as mercury. Monitoring efforts generally compare nesting success or tissue contaminant concentrations from contaminated sites with reference sites. In contrast, this study examined subtler potential effects of mercury accumulation by quantifying plumage coloration (structural and melanin based) of nesting adult Belted Kingfishers and relating it to individual mercury concentrations. Mercury exposure was associated with increased brightness of plumage color consistent with the hypothesis that mercury slows the production of melanin. Clear sex differences in the chroma and hue of blue body feathers identified during this study suggest that Belted Kingfishers possesses cryptic dimorphism beyond the rufous “belt,” and thus mercury-induced alterations in blue plumage could reduce fitness.
Cultural racism and structural violence : Implications for african americans

Abstract This article discusses why it is important to consider how cultural racism contributes to the construction of motives and justifications among individuals who have committed acts of structural violence, including, lynching, hate crime and police violence against African Americans. Cultural racism is also discussed as a factor that contributes to interpersonal structural violence in situations involving black offenders and victims.
Excited electronic states of carotenoids: Time-dependent density-matrix-response algorithm

The response of the single-electron density matrix of a many-electron . system to an external field is calculated using the time-dependent Hartree)Fock TDHF technique. A procedure for inverting the resulting nonlinear response functions to obtain an effective quantum multilevel system that has the same response is developed. The number of effective states is gradually increased as higher-order nonlinearities are computed. The complete set of intrastate and interstate density matrices and excited-state energies can be calculated. A favorable N-scaling of computational effort with size can be obtained making use of the localization of the optical transitions in real space. Q 1998
Short versus standard duration antibiotic treatment for UTIs: a comparison of two meta-analyses

Having recently published a meta-analysis on the same clinical question,1 it was with great interest that we read Michael et al ’s systematic review of short versus standard duration antibiotics for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children.2 Given the publication (in close succession) of two meta-analyses on the same question with (on the surface) strikingly different results, we thought a comment was in order. First, we applaud the authors on their methodologically sound review. The literature search was explicitly described and exhaustive. In fact, the authors identified a few studies that we had missed.3–6 The study outcomes for meta-analysis (frequency of positive urine cultures at 0–7 days after treatment and at 10 days to 15 months after treatment, and development of resistant organisms and recurrent UTI) were relevant and clearly defined. The authors provided appropriate and important meta-analysis measures including summary relative risks (RRs) and a quasi-NNT calculation with varying risk of treatment failure in the standard treatment group and confidence intervals corresponding to “best” and “worst” case scenarios. For their primary outcome, frequency of positive urine cultures 0–7 days after treatment, the authors found no significant difference between short (2–4 days) and standard (7–14 days) treatment (RR 1.06; 95% CI 0.64 to 1.76). This is in contrast to our finding of a 94 % increased pooled risk of treatment failure with short course treatment (≤3 days) compared to standard treatment (7–14 days) (RR 1.94, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.15; NNT=13, 95% CI 100 to 7). Why the discrepancy? We postulate a few possible explanations and conclude that the two meta-analyses, on closer inspection, actually have very similar results. Our omission of certain studies identified by Michael and colleagues may have biased our results. However, of the three …
FRACTIONAL ORDER FLIGHT CONTROL OF A SMALL FIXED-WING UAV: CONTROLLER DESIGN AND SIMULATION STUDY

This paper focuses on designing and implementation of fractional order proportional integral (PI a ) flight controller on a small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It describes mainly the controller design and simulation studies. The basics of UAV flight control are introduced first with a special emphasis on small UAV platforms. Time domain system identification methods are tried on the UAV roll channel. A new fractional order PI controller design method is then provided based on the identified first order model. The fractional order PI a controller can outperform the traditional integer order PID controller because it has a larger memory and more candidate solutions to choose. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller design strategy and the robustness of fractional order controller under conditions of wind gusts and various payloads.
Meaningful Physician Payment Reform in Oncology

The authors describe various new models of physician payment that can serve as a foundation for a shift away from the current reimbursement system for cancer care to support better outcomes and avoid preventable costs, as well as how these reforms can be supported in a blended payment model that transitions away from but still contains elements of fee-for-service payments.
Drug abuse and responsible fathering: a comparative study of men enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment.

Aim Because very little is known about the parenting of drug-abusing men, this study was designed to document ways that drug abuse contributes to compromise of responsible fathering. Design, setting, participants Generalized linear models and data representing different dimensions of responsible fathering were used to clarify ways that the fathering of 106 men receiving methadone maintenance treatment differed from that of 118 men living in the same community with no history of alcohol or drug abuse. Measurement Men who enrolled in the study completed two structured interviews and a battery of five self-report measures selected to document current and historical dimensions of responsible fathering. Findings When the opioid-dependent fathers were compared to the other fathers, there were significant differences in: (i) economic resources to support family formation; (ii) patterns of pair-bonding; (iii) patterns of procreation; and (iv) parenting behavior. When fathering of the youngest biological child was examined, the opioid-dependent fathers confirmed few differences in historical dimensions of fathering, but they reported significant differences in current dimensions reflecting: (i) constricted personal definitions of the fathering role; (ii) poorer relationships with biological mothers; (iii) less frequent residence with the child; (iv) less frequent provision of financial support; (v) less involvement in positive parenting; (vi) poorer appraisal of self as a father; and (vii) less satisfaction as a father. Conclusions The findings highlight ways that drug abuse contributes to compromise of responsible fathering, and they raise questions about ways that the drug abuse treatment system might better address parenting as a treatment issue for men.
The Realities of Extended Homoaromaticity

Homoaromaticity has been the subject of many investigations and continues to remain an extraordinarily rich area of chemistry. Quantitative experimental evaluation of the level of long range delocalization and assessment of interactions in molecules having two or more insulating atoms, together with various theoretical estimates of energies and geometries, are areas currently being examined. The primary intention of this review is to provide a critical up-to-date survey of relevant spectral and structural data, as well as an analysis of the many reactions believed to involve generation of homoaromatic ions. Extensively discussed are mono-,bis-, and trishomoaromatic systems arranged on the basis of their cationic, anionic, or uncharged nature. Presentation of these individualized segments is preceded by a brief analysis of homoaromatic overlap.
A randomised trial of re-feeding gastric residuals in preterm infants

Objective To determine whether re-feeding of gastric residual volumes reduces the time needed to achieve full enteral feeding in preterm infants. Design Parallel-group randomised controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Setting Regional referral neonatal intensive care unit. Patients 72 infants of gestational age 23 0/7 to 28 6/7 weeks receiving minimal enteral nutrition ( Interventions Infants were randomised to either be re-fed with gastric residual volumes (Re-feeding group) or receive fresh formula/human milk (Fresh-feeding group) whenever large gastric residual volumes were noted. Main outcome measure The primary efficacy end point was time to achieve full enteral feeding (≥120 mL/kg/day) after randomisation. Results The mean time to full enteral feeding was 10.0 days in the Re-feeding group and 11.3 days in the Fresh-feeding group (mean difference favouring re-feeding: −1.3 days; 95% CI −2.9 to 0.3; p=0.11). The composite safety end point of spontaneous intestinal perforation, surgical necrotising enterocolitis, or death occurred in 6 of 36 infants (17%) in the Re-feeding group versus 10 of 36 infants (28%) in the Fresh-feeding group (p=0.26). Conclusions Re-feeding gastric residual volumes in extremely preterm infants does not reduce time to achieve full enteral feeding. This trial suggests that re-feeding might be as safe as fresh feeding, but further research is needed, due to lack of sufficient statistical power in this study for safety analysis. Trial registration number NCT01420263NCT01420263.
Cohort Study of Structured Reporting Compared with Conventional Dictation

Standardization through structuring of reports is a laudable goal at many levels, but our study results suggest that the effect of such systems on the intrinsic quality of reports cannot be presumed to be positive.
Ongoing eye movements constrain visual perception

Eye movements markedly change the pattern of retinal stimulation. To maintain stable vision, the brain possesses a variety of mechanisms that compensate for the retinal consequences of eye movements. However, eye movements may also be important for resolving the ambiguities often posed by visual inputs, because motor commands contain additional spatial information that is necessarily absent from retinal signals. To test this possibility, we used a perceptually ambiguous stimulus composed of four line segments, consistent with a shape whose vertices were occluded. In a passive condition, subjects fixated a spot while the shape translated along a certain trajectory. In several active conditions, the spot, occluder and shape translated such that when subjects tracked the spot, they experienced the same retinal stimulus as during fixation. We found that eye movements significantly promoted perceptual coherence compared to fixation. These results indicate that eye movement information constrains the perceptual interpretation of visual inputs.
Predicting the Proficiency Level of Language Learners Using Lexical Indices.

This study explores how second language (L2) texts written by learners at various proficiency levels can be classified using computational indices that characterize lexical competence. For this stu...
Novel Swine Virulence Determinant in the Left Variable Region of the African Swine Fever Virus Genome

Previously we have shown that the African swine fever virus (ASFV) NL gene deletion mutant E70NL is attenuated in pigs. Our recent observations that NL gene deletion mutants of two additional pathogenic ASFV isolates, Malawi Lil-20/1 and Pr4, remained highly virulent in swine (100% mortality) suggested that these isolates encoded an additional virulence determinant(s) that was absent from E70. To map this putative virulence determinant, in vivo marker rescue experiments were performed by inoculating swine with infectiontransfection lysates containing E70 NL deletion mutant virus (E70NL) and cosmid DNA clones from the Malawi NL gene deletion mutant (MalNL). A cosmid clone representing the left-hand 38-kb region (map units 0.05 to 0.26) of the MalNL genome was capable of restoring full virulence to E70NL. Southern blot analysis of recovered virulent viruses confirmed that they were recombinant E70NL genomes containing a 23to 28-kb DNA fragment of the Malawi genome. These recombinants exhibited an unaltered MalNL disease and virulence phenotype when inoculated into swine. Additional in vivo marker rescue experiments identified a 20-kb fragment, encoding members of multigene families (MGF) 360 and 530, as being capable of fully restoring virulence to E70NL. Comparative nucleotide sequence analysis of the left variable region of the E70NL and Malawi Lil-20/1 genomes identified an 8-kb deletion in the E70NL isolate which resulted in the deletion and/or truncation of three MGF 360 genes and four MGF 530 genes. A recombinant MalNL deletion mutant lacking three members of each MGF gene family was constructed and evaluated for virulence in swine. The mutant virus replicated normally in macrophage cell culture but was avirulent in swine. Together, these results indicate that a region within the left variable region of the ASFV genome containing the MGF 360 and 530 genes represents a previously unrecognized virulence determinant for domestic swine.
Dynamic Policy Conflict Analysis in Operational Intensive Trust Services for Cross-Domain Federations

Management of trust for federation activities requires intensive monitoring and reconfiguration services to accommodate dynamic trust behaviors across trust domains. To detect and control potential conflicts between these behaviors, trust services in federation systems need to be able to perform dynamic conflict analysis. Policy analysis provides a way to detect potential conflicts in system behaviors. We introduce Event Calculus (EC) into policy analysis to provide dynamic policy conflict analysis for detection and control of dynamic conflicts in trust services for federations. An application of this dynamic analysis to a web-service-based healthcare system is also described.
Leader–Member Exchange Theory

Leader–member exchange (LMX) theory is a relationship-based, dyadic theory of leadership. According to this theory, leadership resides in the quality of the exchange relationship developed between leaders and their followers. High quality exchanges are characterized by trust, liking, and mutual respect, and the nature of the relationship quality has implications for job-related well-being and effectiveness of employees. This article summarizes what LMX is, how it is measured, and the best practices in the study of LMX. Studies conducted on its antecedents, and past research related to its consequences in organizational settings are reviewed. In addition, we review issues related to multiple relationships such as differentiation and relative LMX. Finally, we conclude the article by identifying and summarizing key themes and questions for future research.
SINGLE BOOK REVIEWS

Forsaken Females: The Global Brutalization of Women. Andrea Parrot and Nina Cummings. Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006. 253 pp.
Transferable Stress ? Are We Too Close To Our Students?

The pressure on many university law schools is to recruit more students to compensate for the difficulties some other subjects have to recruit students. With this increased student population there has not been the increase in resources so that class sizes have grown and more demands are made on law tutors. These demands do not just affect teaching but also activities of a pastoral function such as personal tutoring. Other pressures such as the Research Assessment Exercise have added to the demands on academic staff. The pressures on students seem more acute. The study by Professor Phil Thomas on Welsh Law Schools and the current Law Student 2000 Project in England, indicate increased debt and the need for students to obtain paid employment during term time are now common problems for students. With the expansion in student numbers the performance of universities has become more focused on a variety of performance indicators, including non-completion or 'wastage' rates amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students. Therefore we have within the university sector a stressful environment for both students and tutors. A study by Gail Kinman for the Association of University Teachers in 1998 pointed to the stress in higher education amongst academics, with all the implications it has for the individual and their employing university. Many of these universities had already or were in the process of obtaining Investors in People Quality recognition and yet they did not seem to have a policy of dealing with stress or the health and safety issues it raised. The response of many university law schools has been to encourage law tutors to be more supportive to students, as indicated above. But is this the right policy for them to pursue? Research in 1999 and 2000 by the British Medical Association indicated that doctors can be 'stressed by their patients'-a type of transferable stress. Could this be happening to tutors in law schools? This paper seeks to review these issues and to propose possible strategies to cope with the changing environment in which students and law tutors find themselves.
The effect of preprocessing pipelines in subject classification and detection of abnormal resting state functional network connectivity using group ICA

Resting state functional network connectivity (rsFNC) derived from functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging is emerging as a possible biomarker to identify several brain disorders. Recently it has been pointed out that methods used to preprocess head motion variance might not fully remove all unwanted effects in the data. Proposed processing pipelines locate the treatment of head motion effects either close to the beginning or as one of the final steps. In this work, we assess several preprocessing pipelines applied in group independent component analysis (gICA) methods to study the rsFNC of the brain. The evaluation method utilizes patient/control classification performance based on linear support vector machines and leave-one-out cross validation. In addition, we explored group tests and correlation with severity measures in the patient population. We also tested the effect of removing high frequencies via filtering. Two real data cohorts were used: one consisting of 48 mTBI and one composed of 21 smokers, both with their corresponding matched controls. A simulation procedure was designed to test the classification power of each pipeline. Results show that data preprocessing can change the classification performance. In real data, regressing motion variance before gICA produced clearer group differences and stronger correlation with nicotine dependence.
State Fiscal Strategies for the 1990s: Balancing Budgets in a Recession

The fiscal crunch facing many states in FY 1991 has its roots in the recession, federal mandates, election-year politics, and rapid growth in spending for Medicaid and corrections. Southern and midwestern states that made drastic cuts in response to the 1981-1982 recession have fared relatively well, but states in the Northeast havefaced tax increases, layoffs, cuts in services, and prolonged conflict over state budgets. Although the tax revolt has not led to appreciably lower taxes, it has made raising taxes more difficult, and has heralded a shift to "boutique government, " which may create furtherfiscal problems in the long run. State tax increases and spending cutbacks may also delay recovery from the recession.
Estimated Energy Budget for a Population of Eastern Tent Caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) in Maryland

Stage-specific growth rates, mortality rates, energy intake, and energy expenditures are incorporated into an empirical model of energy budgeting for a population of eastern tent caterpillars, Malacosoma americanum (F.), Maryland. Of the 3,460 kJ of energy ingested by a hypothetical population of 1,000 larvae, 50.2% was egested, 34.5% was respired, 1.2%was lost as exuviae, 12.5%went into biomass production, 1.5%was used for silk production, and 0.3% went into egg production. Mortality losses at each stage were incorporated into the model. Population assimilation and growth efficiencies based on energy were as follows: assimilation (100 × assimilation/ingestion) = 49.8%, gross growth (100 × production/ingestion) = 15.3%, and net growth (100 × production/assimilation) = 30.7%.
Medication Safety + Mobile Health = Patient Engagement in CKD

Traditional health care has often meant a focus on quality, the encounter with the patient, and over the last 20 years, evidence-based care. As a whole, these features represented key foundational pieces for care models. Today, a variety of new themes or trends is coming to bear simultaneously on top of that foundation, including patient centeredness, optimal use of technology, safety, and patient self-management.
Down Syndrome: Prenatal Risk Assessment and Diagnosis

Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is the most commonly recognized genetic cause of mental retardation. The risk of trisomy 21 is directly related to maternal age. All forms of prenatal testing for Down syndrome must be voluntary. A nondirective approach should be used when presenting patients with options for prenatal screening and diagnostic testing. Patients who will be 35 years or older on their due date should be offered chorionic villus sampling or second-trimester amniocentesis. Women younger than 35 years should be offered maternal serum screening at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation. The maternal serum markers used to screen for trisomy 21 are alpha-fetoprotein, unconjugated estriol and human chorionic gonadotropin. The use of ultrasound to estimate gestational age improves the sensitivity and specificity of maternal serum screening.
Self-Diffusiophoresis of Janus Catalytic Micromotors in Confined Geometries

The self-diffusiophoresis of Janus catalytic micromotors (JCMs) in confined environment is studied using direct numerical simulations. The simulations revealed that, on average, the translocation of a JCM through a short pore is moderately slowed down by the confinement. This slowdown is far weaker compared to the transport of particles through similar pores driven by forces induced by external means or passive diffusiophoresis. Pairing of two JCMs facilitates the translocation of the one JCM entering the pore first but slows down the second JCM. Depending on its initial orientation, a JCM near the entrance of a pore can exhibit different rotational motion, which determines whether it can enter the pore. Once a JCM enters a narrow pore, it can execute a self-alignment process after which it becomes fully aligned with the pore axis and moves to the center line of the pore. Analysis of these results showed that, in addition to hydrodynamic effect, the translation and rotation of JCM is also affected by the ...
Bacterial interference by Streptococcus salivarius.

A strain of Streptococcus salivarius , recognized in a throat culture because of its inhibition of the growth of a species of Corynebacterium, was studied in vitro to determine its antagonistic effects against various other bacteria. It was found to be inhibitory to anaerobic Gram-positive cocci, streptococci belonging to Lancefield’s groups A, C, F, and G, and Corynebacterium diphtherial, C. hofmanii , and C. xerosis .
Social Status and the Non-human Primate Brain

Social status hierarchies are a central facet of life for numerous species. Much is known about the effects of social rank on the behavior and physiology of these species, yet the neurobiological effects have not been studied in great detail across species. In humans, low socioeconomic status is associated with poor health-related outcomes across the life span, yet understanding the neurobiological components has proven challenging. Thus, animal studies have focused on the influence of social hierarchy-related stress, most commonly using social conflict to induce a subordinate state or depressive-like behavior. The degree to which stress responses in rodents actually reflect subordination in naturally formed social hierarchies, and not simply stress or even depression, is debatable. Studies of the brain in social species with natural hierarchies resulting from multiple factors will increase our understanding of the neurobiology of social status. Non-human primates form hierarchies, in which either the dominant and/or the subordinate animals can experience stress, depending upon the species. In addition, the non-human primate is very similar to the human brain with regard to neocortical complexity, a key characteristic that distinguishes the highly social primate from other species. In this chapter, we review what is known about the brain with regard to social status in primates, beginning with a brief discussion of the applicability of animal models to understanding social status. We will then discuss in detail what has been reported with regard to the neurobiology of social status in non-human primates, while relating these findings to what is known in humans.
Microwave resonance phenomena in magnitite

The microwave resonance technique of L. R. Bickford, Jr.1 of this laboratory is being used in a further study of single crystals of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ). His measurements were made using 1.25 and 3.3 cm microwaves on both natural and synthetic single crystals from room temperature to −190°C. These measurements are being extended to lower temperatures using, synthetic crystals and 1.25 cm microwaves. Magnetite is known to undergo a transition at approximately #x2212;160°C characterized by anomalous effects in the specific heat, electrical conductivity, and magnetization.
Stent-Based Mechanical Thrombectomy in Left Main Coronary Artery Thrombus Presenting as ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

The left main coronary artery (LMCA) as an infract-related artery in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is rare, with rates ranging from 0.8% to 1.7% of all STEMI cases [(1)][1]. Aspiration thrombectomy and AngioJet (Medrad Interventional/Possis, Minneapolis, Minnesota) have
Exploring dielectric elastomers as actuators for hand tremor suppression

Pathological tremor results in undesired motion of body parts, with the greatest effect typically occurring in the hands. Since common treatment methods are ineffective in some patients or have risks associated with surgery or side effects, researchers are investigating mechanical means of tremor suppression. This work explores the viability of dielectric elastomers as the actuators in a tremor suppression control system. Dielectric elastomers have many properties similar to human muscle, making them a natural fit for integration into the human biomechanical system. This investigation develops a model of the integrated wrist-actuator system to determine actuator parameters that produce the necessary control authority without significantly affecting voluntary motion. Furthermore, this paper develops a control law for the actuator voltage to increase the effective viscous damping of the system. Simulations show excellent theoretical tremor suppression, demonstrating the potential for dielectric elastomers to suppress tremor while maximizing compatibility between the actuator and the human body.
Automatic Steering Control of Tractor Semi-Trailer Using Controller Designed for Passenger Vehicles

Abstract An identical linear lane-keeping controller designed for a passenger car was successfully implemented on a tractor semi-trailer. With the same control parameters, similar error dynamics were observed under two very different truck configurations: tractor with and without trailer. The results demonstrate that “rail-like” performance can be achieved through a relatively simple “look-ahead” controller. This paper describes the process of transfering the engineering intuition of “it is generally easier to steer a tractor semi-trailer than a passenger car,” to the design concept of “a well-designed look-ahead steering controller for passenger car is a good candidate for controlling tractor semi-trailer.”
Child Sexual Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization in Adulthood: Sex-Differences in the Mediating Influence of Age of Sexual Initiation.

Child sexual abuse is a major public health concern in the United States with devastating sequelae. Although the relationship between child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence victimization ...
Some Aspects of the Qualitative Theory of Differential Equations

This chapter discusses a few aspects of the qualitative theory of differential equations. It presents some problems of a qualitative nature. A salient feature of these problems is that they do not require any difficult computations. All the examples presented in the chapter concern the existence of orbits that are situated in some special way; in a general sense they are boundary-value problems. The chapter illustrates a picture of a tube with square cross section. There is a differential equation whose solutions behave in the following way: on the top, bottom, and left end they cross into the tube; on the sides and the right end they cross out of the tube. In the case discussed in the chapter, it is assumed that there is no invariant set in the tube; thus, every point is mapped both to the exit set and the entrance set under the mentioned mappings. An orbit segment is said to cross the tube if it runs from the left end to the right end without leaving the tube.
CITY-LEVEL ADULT STROKE PREVALENCE IN RELATION TO REMOTE SENSING DERIVED PM2.5 ADJUSTING FOR UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS AND MEDICAL RISK FACTORS

Abstract. This research explores the use of PM2.5 gird derived from remote sensing for assessing the effect of long-term exposure to PM2.5 (ambient air pollution of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less) on stroke, adjusting for unhealthy behaviors and medical risk factors. Health data was obtained from the newly published CDC “500 Cities Project” which provides city- and census tract-level small area estimates for chronic disease risk factors, and clinical preventive service use for the largest 500 cities in the United States. PM2.5 data was acquired from the “The Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR and SeaWiFS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), V1 (1998–2012)” datasets. Average PM2.5 were calculated for each city using a GIS zonal statistics function. Map data visualization and pattern comparison, univariate linear regression, and a multivariate linear regression model fitted using a generalized linear model via penalized maximum likelihood found that long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 may increase the risk of stroke. Increasing physical activity, reducing smoking and body weight, enough sleeping, controlling diseases such as blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol, may mitigate the effect. PM2.5 grids derived from moderate resolution satellite remote sensing imagery may offer a unique opportunity to fill the data gap due to limited ground monitoring at broader scales. The evidence of raised stroke prevalence risk in high PM2.5 areas would support targeting of policy interventions on such areas to reduce pollution levels and protect human health.
Growth Factor Delivery Matrices for Cardiovascular Regeneration

Growth factors (GFs) are critical biomolecules associated with the maintenance of homeostasis within cardiovascular tissues. They act in a complex time-, concentration-, and microenvironment-determined manner, often in conjunction with each other, to control multiple cellular functions and repair processes at the tissue level. However, exogenous GFs may not be sensed by the target tissue in a time-frame suitable for tissue regeneration, due to their rapid degradation that shortens their half-lives, thereby entailing the need for multiple infusions and/or high dosage. Moreover, excessive GF concentrations and systemic GF delivery can lead to undesirable system-wide pathological responses, highlighting the critical need for their localized delivery to the target tissue site and precise control over GF dosing, activation, and spatiotemporal bioavailability taking into account the specific cardiovascular (CV) tissue microenvironment.
Utilisation of sewage sludge in the United States for mine land reclamation

Millions of hectares of marginal and barren land exist throughout the United States as a result of some types of mining activity. These lands are a source of acid mine drainage, surface runoff, erosion, and sedimentation, all of which have created serious water pollution and land degradation problems. During the past decade, a considerable amount of research has been conducted that has shown that stabilised municipal sludge from secondary wastewater treatment plants is an excellent soil amendment and chemical fertiliser substitute. In general, the results of that research has shown that municipal sludges can be used to revegetate mined lands in an environmentally safe manner with no adverse effects on vegetation, soil, or groundwater quality and with little risk to animal or human health.
Contributions of specific foods to absolute intake and between-person variation of nutrient consumption.

Contributions of specific foods and supplements to absolute intake and between-person variance in consumption of 19 macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals were examined using dietary records of all foods consumed over 4 weeks by 194 US nurses aged 34 to 59 years. To measure their contribution to absolute nutrient intake, we ranked foods by the percentage of the population’s total nutrient intake that they provided. To assess the degree to which differences in consumption of specific foods explain between-person variability in nutrient intake, we re-ranked the 20 foods contributing most to absolute intake of each nutrient as independent variables in stepwise multiple regression analyses predicting total intake of that nutrient. The increase in percentage of the variance in nutrient intake explained by the addition of a food to the progressively larger list of food items (expressed as the cumulative R2) served as the measure of contribution to variation in intake. Some nutrients had only a few major sources and were assessed relatively well by a small number of foods. For preformed vitamin A without supplements, 10 foods accounted for 82% of the absolute intake and 98% of total variance. The corresponding percentages for absolute intake and total variance, respectively, were 66% and 94% for beta-carotene; 77% and 92% for cholesterol; and 71% and 95% for vitamin C without supplements. In contrast, 20 foods accounted for only 54% of the absolute intake and 73% of the variance for total energy intake; 58% and 89%, respectively, for total carbohydrates; and 59% and 84%, respectively, for potassium. The proportions of absolute intake and variance, respectively, contributed by supplements alone were 50% and 99% for vitamin C, 43% and 88% for preformed vitamin A, and 2% and 44% for calcium. These findings indicate that the contribution of supplements and the number of foods necessary to account for the variation in nutrient intake among persons differ considerably by nutrient; such information may be helpful in the design and use of dietary questionnaires.
Subaortic stenosis and sudden death

An obese white boy, 16 years old, collapsed and suddenly died while walking with friends. Since early childhood he had been known to have mild subaortic stenosis. At age 6 he exhibited first-degree heart block during an electrocardiographic exercise test. Neither then nor thereafter was he known to have any unusual symptoms until his death. Postmortem examination revealed marked cardiac enlargement without asymmetry or much dilatation. There was mild subaortic stenosis, but the heart was otherwise grossly normal. Special studies of his cardiac conduction system demonstrated fibrotic obliteration of the His bundle and proximal portions of both bundle branches. The same region had a much thickened central fibrous body from which the subaortic stenosis ridge protruded. Small arteries in the vicinity of the atrioventricular node were markedly narrowed. Because those vessels provide some of the blood supply to the His bundle region, their narrowing may have contributed to the fibrotic abnormalities observed. The extent of destruction of the His bundle makes a lethal failure of atrioventricular conduction the most likely terminal event.
Handbook of Nanophysics : Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots

In the 1990s, nanoparticles and quantum dots began to be used in optical, electronic, and biological applications. Now they are being studied for use in solid-state quantum computation, tumor imaging, and photovoltaics. Handbook of Nanophysics: Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots focuses on the fundamental physics of these nanoscale materials and struct
Preliminary Evidence for Limbic-Frontal Hyperexcitability in Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizure Patients.

Objectives. The goal of the current pilot project was to probe the resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) in individuals with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and ascertain if there is ...
SNIP1 enhances the transactivation activity of the c-Myc oncogene

961 SNIP1(Smad nuclear interacting protein 1) is a nuclear protein which was originally cloned and characterized based on its inhibition of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway. SNIP1 is expressed in various tissues and is developmentally regulated. The protein harbors a nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a Forkhead-associated (FHA) domain and interacts with Smad4 via its amino terminal domain. Overexpression of the SNIP1 amino terminal domain is sufficient to inhibit the formation of Smad4/p300 complexes, suppressing multiple gene responses to TGF-β and CBP/p300. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we showed that SNIP1 also binds the c-myc oncogene, which is a regulator of several important cellular processes including the control of normal cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Myc is known to be activated in various animal and human tumors, and amplification of c-myc has been described in ∼15% of all human tumors. Initial results in mammalian 293 cells show that both overexpressed and endogeneous SNIP1 and c-Myc interact. Although the inhibitory effect of SNIP1 on TGF-β signaling was localized to its N terminal domain, SNIP1 interacts with c-Myc through its C terminal domain which includes the FHA motif, a modular phosphopeptide recognition domain with striking specificity for phosphothreonine (pT)-containing epitopes. These data suggest that SNIP1 might have important roles in carcinogenesis by simultaneously suppressing the TGF-β pathway and amplifying the c-Myc pathway.