cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Miniature magnetic resonance system for point-of-care diagnostics

We have developed a next generation, miniaturized platform to diagnose disease at the point-of-care using diagnostic magnetic resonance (DMR-3). Utilizing a rapidly growing library of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles, DMR has previously been demonstrated as a versatile tool to quantitatively and rapidly detect disease biomarkers in unprocessed biological samples. A major hurdle for bringing DMR to the point-of-care has been its sensitivity to temperature variation. As an alternative to costly and bulky mechanisms to control temperature, we have implemented an automated feedback system to track and compensate for the temperature drift, which enables reliable and robust DMR measurements in realistic clinical environments (4–50 °C). Furthermore, the new system interfaces with a mobile device to facilitate system control and data sharing over wireless networks. With such features, the DMR-3 platform can function as a self-contained laboratory even in resource-limited, remote settings. The clinical potential of the new system is demonstrated by detecting trace amounts of proteins and as few as 10 bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) in a short time frame (<30 min).
Challenges raised by long on-chip wiring for CMOS microprocessor applications

The unique characteristics of long on-chip interconnections in terms of modelling, simulation and design practices are investigated for representative five-layer structures. Experimental results are shown for a specially designed test vehicle with lines as long as 1.6 cm and line resistance of R=35 to 500 /spl Omega//cm.
TSUGA CANADENSIS (L.) CARR. MORTALITY WILL IMPACT HYDROLOGIC PROCESSES IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) is one of the principal riparian and cove canopy species in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Throughout its range, eastern hemlock is facing potential widespread mortality from the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). If HWA-induced eastern hemlock mortality alters hydrologic function, land managers will be challenged to develop management strategies that restore function or mitigate impacts. To estimate the impact that the loss of this forest species will have on the hydrologic budget, we quantified and modeled transpiration over a range of tree sizes and environmental conditions. We used heat dissipation probes, leaf-level gas-exchange measurements, allometric scaling, and time series modeling techniques to quantify whole- tree and leaf-level transpiration (EL) of eastern hemlock. We monitored trees ranging from 9.5 to 67.5 cm in diameter along a riparian corridor in western North Carolina, USA during 2004 and 2005. Maximum rates of daily tree water use varied by diameter and height, with large trees transpiring a maximum of 178-186 kg H2Otree � 1 � d � 1 . Values of EL could be predicted from current and lagged environmental variables. We forecasted eastern hemlock EL for inventoried stands and estimated a mean annual transpiration rate of 63.3 mm/yr for the hemlock component, with 50% being transpired in the winter and spring. In typical southern Appalachian stands, eastern hemlock mortality would thus reduce annual stand-level transpiration by ;10% and reduce winter and spring stand-level transpiration by ;30%. Eastern hemlock in the southern Appalachians has two distinct ecohydrological roles: an evergreen tree that maintains year-round transpiration rates and a riparian tree that has high transpiration rates in the spring. No other native evergreen in the southern Appalachians will likely fill the ecohydrological role of eastern hemlock if widespread mortality occurs. With the loss of this species, we predict persistent increases in discharge, decreases in the diurnal amplitude of streamflow, and increases in the width of the variable source area.
Geographic perspectives on elderly population growth.

"The proportion of a region's population that is elderly may change over time for many different reasons. The proportion may grow because of the net in-migration of elderly individuals, or it may grow because of the net out-migration of nonelderly residents. Furthermore, the proportion may grow if the number of nonmovers in the 'pre-elderly' cohort is relatively high. This paper discusses in detail the ways in which this proportion may change over time. This is complemented by a state-level empirical study of elderly population growth in the United States during the late 1980s. The spatial pattern of the rate of new entry into the elderly cohort among nonmovers is found to be particularly influential in determining changes in the proportion of a state's population that is elderly."
New gap solitons in two-dimensional photonic lattices

We theoretically predict and experimentally demonstrate new types of gap solitons in 2D photonic lattices such as dipole-array gap solitons. These solitons bifurcate from a superposition of Bloch modes at edges of higher Bloch bands.
Transient Blindness Following Mild Head Trauma Criteria for a Benign Outcome

A series of seven children in Hawaii experienced transient cortical blindness following mild head trauma. All children, ages 3 through 8, recovered fully. The most prominent clinical feature was initial restlessness and agitation following relatively mild head trauma without significant loss of consciousness (LOC). One child may have experienced this several times.The clinical features associated with a benign outcome in this syndrome include: pediatric age group, mild head trauma, brief or no LOC, onset of blindness occurring within hours of the head injury, absent optokinetic nystagmus, duration of blindness less than 24 hours, agitation and restlessness, absence of skull fracture or visible cerebral injury on CT scan, absence of other neurological deficits, and EEG findings that initially show posterior slowing with subsequent normalization. Transiently fixed and dilated pupils have been described in these patients but should be viewed cautiously by clinicians in making this diagnosis, since cortical b...
Use of cross correlations in the search for teleconnections

The search for teleconnections usually involves the calculation of sample cross correlation functions for pairs of atmospheric/oceanic time series. Properties of the theoretical cross correlation function are derived by means of analytical techniques, and properties of the sample cross correlation function are obtained by means of simulations. In particular, the effect of autocorrelation of the individual time series is to ‘smear out’ any contemporaneous cross correlation that might be present, producing nonzero cross correlations at nonzero lags. To combat this problem, the advantages of ‘prewhitening’ before computing cross correlations are demonstrated. Moreover, the operation of smoothing individual time series has the effect of inflating the values of the cross correlation coefficients at nonzero lags. Finally, the behaviour of running cross correlation coefficients is somewhat counterintuitive, making this technique potentially very misleading for detecting changes in relationships over time. For illustrative purposes, these calculations are also performed for Darwin and Tahiti time series of monthly sea level pressure.
Energy dissipation of highly charged ions on Al oxide films

Slow highly charged ions (HCIs) carry a large amount of potential energy that can be dissipated within femtoseconds upon interaction with a surface. HCI–insulator collisions result in high sputter yields and surface nanofeature creation due to strong coupling between the solid's electronic system and lattice. For HCIs interacting with Al oxide, combined experiments and theory indicate that defect mediated desorption can explain reasonably well preferential O atom removal and an observed threshold for sputtering due to potential energy. These studies have relied on measuring mass loss on the target substrate or probing craters left after desorption. Our approach is to extract highly charged ions onto the Al oxide barriers of metal–insulator–metal tunnel junctions and measure the increased conductance in a finished device after the irradiated interface is buried under the top metal layer. Such transport measurements constrain dynamic surface processes and provide large sets of statistics concerning the way individual HCI projectiles dissipate their potential energy. Results for Xeq + for q = 32, 40, 44 extracted onto Al oxide films are discussed in terms of postirradiation electrical device characteristics. Future work will elucidate the relationship between potential energy dissipation and tunneling phenomena through HCI modified oxides.
Long Tail or Steep Tail? A Field Investigation into How Online Popularity Information Affects the Distribution of Customer Choices

The internet has made it easier for customers to find and buy a wide variety of products. This may lead to a "long tail" effect as more customers buy low-volume products. However, the internet has also made it easier for customers to find out which products are most popular. This could lead to a "steep tail" effect as customers flock towards the most popular products. Using data from a field experiment with a website that lists wedding service vendors, we find empirical evidence that a steep tail exists. The most popular vendors become more popular when customers can easily observe previous customers' click-through behavior. Then, we ask whether this steep tail effect "complements" the long tail, by attracting customers who would otherwise have chosen nothing, or "competes with" the long tail, by shifting customers from less popular vendors to popular ones. We find evidence of a complementary effect, where the steep tail indicates new interest in the most popular vendors from outside, with negligible cannibalization of interest for less popular vendors. The findings suggest that popularity information can serve as a powerful marketing tool that facilitates product category growth. They also explain the prevalence of firm practices to highlight bestsellers.
Effect of intrarenal arterial infusion of magnesium on renin release in dogs.

SummaryMagnesium chloride was infused into the renal artery of anesthetized dogs in order to determine its effect on renal function. Natriuresis and diuresis were observed during MgCl2 infusion, but there appeared to be no effect on glomerular filtration rate (GFR), or plasma sodium or potassium concentrations. Although mean arterial blood pressure and renal plasma flow (RPF) decreased throughout the experiment, the fall was not significant until after stopping MgCl2 infusion. A significant stimulation of renin secretion occurred during magnesium administration.
Uniform foam production by turbulent mixing: new results on free drainage vs. liquid content

An apparatus is described for rapidly producing large quantities of foam via turbulent mixing of gas with a narrow jet of a surfactant solution inside a delivery tube. By controlling relative flow rates, the gas volume fraction in the resulting foam may be easily varied across \(0.3 < \phi < 0.99\). Using such foams, we present a comprehensive set of data for free drainage as a systematic function of gas fraction and sample geometry. The qualitative behavior can be understood in terms of simple theoretical considerations, emphasizing the importance of controlling the initial foam conditions. Quantitative features are compared with two approximate versions of the drainage equation, highlighting the crucial role of capillarity for very dry foams and small samples.
Comparison of Methods to Bias Fully Depleted SOI-Based MOSFET Nanoribbon pH Sensors

The potential and electric field boundary conditions for the Gouy-Chapman model of the electrolyte diffuse layer are used to properly couple the potentials in the silicon-on-insulator-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor to the electrolyte. This analysis is possible because the active silicon channel is fully depleted. Both the subthreshold and linear regimes are simulated. An operation with electrolyte floating and bias applied to the substrate is compared with the other methods of biasing the sensor.
Neural responses to ambiguity involve domain-general and domain-specific emotion processing systems

Extant research has examined the process of decision making under uncertainty, specifically in situations of ambiguity. However, much of this work has been conducted in the context of semantic and low-level visual processing. An open question is whether ambiguity in social signals e.g., emotional facial expressions is processed similarly or whether a unique set of processors come on-line to resolve ambiguity in a social context. Our work has examined ambiguity using surprised facial expressions, as they have predicted both positive and negative outcomes in the past. Specifically, whereas some people tended to interpret surprise as negatively valenced, others tended toward a more positive interpretation. Here, we examined neural responses to social ambiguity using faces surprise and nonface emotional scenes International Affective Picture System. Moreover, we examined whether these effects are specific to ambiguity resolution i.e., judgments about the ambiguity or whether similar effects would be demonstrated for incidental judgments e.g., nonvalence judgments about ambiguously valenced stimuli. We found that a distinct task control i.e., cingulo-opercular network was more active when resolving ambiguity. We also found that activity in the ventral amygdala was greater to faces and scenes that were rated explicitly along the dimension of valence, consistent with findings that the ventral amygdala tracks valence. Taken together, there is a complex neural architecture that supports decision making in the presence of ambiguity: a a core set of cortical structures engaged for explicit ambiguity processing across stimulus boundaries and b other dedicated circuits for biologically relevant learning situations involving faces.
ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS, ECOGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION, AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF Gracilinanus emiliae (DIDELPHIMORPHIA: DIDELPHIDAE: THYLAMYINI)

Gracilinanus emiliae is a species of gracile mouse opossum that is currently known from fewer than a dozen specimens. The material we examined exhibits a distinc- tive suite of external and craniodental characters that are unlike those of any other con- generic species. We review all published records for G. emiliae, several of which are based on misidentifications or lost material, and we report a new specimen from northeast- ern Peru, the first to be recorded from that country, and the first to be unequivocally associated with primary lowland rain forest. The available distributional data suggest that G. emiliae (or a complex of cryptic taxa with the same morphological characters) is very widely distributed in Amazonia and perhaps also in Venezuelan coastal rain forests. Phy- logenetic analyses of morphological and molecular data suggest that G. emiliae is the sister taxon to other analyzed species of Gracilinanus, the biogeographic history of which is likely to be complex. RESUMEN: Sobre los caracteres diagnosticos, distribucion ecogeografica y relaciones filogeneticas de Gracilinanus emiliae (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae: Thylamyini). Gracilinanus emiliae es una especie de marsupial conocida a partir de menos de una docena de especimenes. El material examinado presenta rasgos externos y craniodentales distintivos, que difieren de los correspondientes a las restantes especies congenericas. Revisamos todos los registros publicados de G. emiliae, algunos de los cuales son basados en identificaciones erroneas o material actualmente perdido, y reportamos un nuevo especimen del noroeste de Peru, el primero registrado para este pais, y el primero asociado inequivocamente con bosque humedo primario de tierra baja. Los datos geograficos disponibles sugieren que G. emiliae (o un complejo de especies cripticas) tiene una distribucion muy amplia en Amazonia y quizas tambien en los bosques humedos de la costa de Venezuela. Los analisis filogeneticos de caracteres morfologicos y moleculares sugieren que G. emiliae es el grupo hermano de las restantes especies de Gracilinanus. La historia biogeografica de este genero es probablamente compleja.
Characterization of clusters in rare earth-doped fibers by transmission measurements

We show theoretically that the absorption saturation behavior of clustered rare earth-doped fibers depends strongly on the percentage and/or the size of the clusters, which can form the basis for a simple diagnostic tool. When applied to published transmission measurements in Er-Al-P-doped fibers, this technique indicates low percentages of clusters in fibers co-doped with P and/or Al. In Nd-doped fibers with no co-dopants, it shows the presence of a high percentage of large clusters. Estimates of the time constant and strength of the cross relaxation process in Nd and Er clusters are inferred from these measurements. >
Prototypical Recombinant Multi-Protease-Inhibitor-Resistant Infectious Molecular Clones of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

ABSTRACT The many genetic manifestations of HIV-1 protease inhibitor (PI) resistance present challenges to research into the mechanisms of PI resistance and the assessment of new PIs. To address these challenges, we created a panel of recombinant multi-PI-resistant infectious molecular clones designed to represent the spectrum of clinically relevant multi-PI-resistant viruses. To assess the representativeness of this panel, we examined the sequences of the panel9s viruses in the context of a correlation network of PI resistance amino acid substitutions in sequences from more than 10,000 patients. The panel of recombinant infectious molecular clones comprised 29 of 41 study-defined PI resistance amino acid substitutions and 23 of the 27 tightest amino acid substitution clusters. Based on their phenotypic properties, the clones were classified into four groups with increasing cross-resistance to the PIs most commonly used for salvage therapy: lopinavir (LPV), tipranavir (TPV), and darunavir (DRV). The panel of recombinant infectious molecular clones has been made available without restriction through the NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program. The public availability of the panel makes it possible to compare the inhibitory activities of different PIs with one another. The diversity of the panel and the high-level PI resistance of its clones suggest that investigational PIs active against the clones in this panel will retain antiviral activity against most if not all clinically relevant PI-resistant viruses.
Surgical glove lubricants: From toxicity to opportunity

Abstract In most emergency departments, surgical gloves are coated with surface powders that act as lubricants to facilitate donning. Cornstarch powder is an absorbable powder employed as a donning agent on most powdered gloves. Talcum powder, a nonabsorbable powder, is used as a moid release agent in glove manufacture and is still commonly found on the surfaces of modern surgical gloves. These powders are foreign bodies that elicit inflammatory responses, leading to a wide number of symptoms and complications. The best method of preventing clinical complications from glove powder is to use powder-free gloves.
Techniques of Endovascular Revascularization for Acute Mesenteric Ischemia

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) remains a lethal disease. The most common etiology is in situ thrombosis from progressive arterial occlusive disease, followed by embolism, nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia, mesenteric venous thrombosis, and thoracoabdominal aortic dissection. Over the past decade, similar to percutaneous angioplasty and stenting for chronic mesenteric ischemia, endovascular therapies have been used more frequently, with improved mortality and morbidity rates.
A framework for assessing the uncertainty in wave energy delivery to targeted subsurface formations

Abstract Stress wave stimulation of geological formations has potential applications in petroleum engineering, hydro-geology, and environmental engineering. The stimulation can be applied using wave sources whose spatio-temporal characteristics are designed to focus the emitted wave energy into the target region. Typically, the design process involves numerical simulations of the underlying wave physics, and assumes a perfect knowledge of the material properties and the overall geometry of the geostructure. In practice, however, precise knowledge of the properties of the geological formations is elusive, and quantification of the reliability of a deterministic approach is crucial for evaluating the technical and economical feasibility of the design. In this article, we discuss a methodology that could be used to quantify the uncertainty in the wave energy delivery. We formulate the wave propagation problem for a two-dimensional, layered, isotropic, elastic solid truncated using hybrid perfectly-matched-layers (PMLs), and containing a target elastic or poroelastic inclusion. We define a wave motion metric to quantify the amount of the delivered wave energy. We, then, treat the material properties of the layers as random variables, and perform a first-order uncertainty analysis of the formation to compute the probabilities of failure to achieve threshold values of the motion metric. We illustrate the uncertainty quantification procedure using synthetic data.
(Un)Reasonable Suspicion: Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement After Arizona v. United States

On June 25, 2012, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Arizona v. United States, striking down three of the four provisions of Arizona’s notorious S.B. 1070 challenged by the United States Department of Justice as preempted by federal immigration law. Despite agreeing with the government that the majority of Arizona’s attempt to regulate immigration at the state level through S.B. 1070 was impermissible, the Supreme Court let stand the most controversial section of the law, Section 2(B) – the so-called “show me your papers” provision. Under Section 2(B), state and local law enforcement officials in Arizona are required to check the immigration status of persons whom they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe are undocumented. It is the meaning of “reasonable suspicion” in the context of immigration enforcement – and how state and local law enforcement will apply this requirement – that has given rise to concerns of racial profiling once the law goes into effect. This Article examines the “reasonable suspicion” requirement of S.B. 1070’s Section 2(B), and argues that enforcement of this provision will give rise to stops, detentions, and arrests based on constitutionally impermissible factors such as race, color, and ethnicity that will ultimately stymie the efforts of Arizona and other jurisdictions to enact state-level immigration enforcement laws. Part I discusses the enactment of S.B. 1070 in 2010, and the decisions by lower federal courts enjoining major provisions of the law. Part II analyzes the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. United States striking down the majority of S.B. 1070 as preempted by federal immigration law. Part III discusses Section 2(B) and the “reasonable suspicion” standard that permits state and local law enforcement to inquire as to the immigration status of persons they believe may be undocumented. The Article concludes with Part IV, which argues that Section 2(B) will ultimately be deemed unconstitutional due to the inability to enforce it in a manner that does not impermissibly rely on racial profiling, and that its demise will lead to more state reliance on cooperative immigration enforcement with federal authorities – such as the Secure Communities program – and bring about the end of attempts to pass state-level immigration enforcement regulations.
Humanoid full-body manipulation planning with multiple initial guesses and key postures

We present an optimization method to solve coupled redundant inverse kinematics problems and generate trajectories for humanoid robot full-body manipulation. The basic idea of our algorithm is to divide a manipulation task into a series of key postures, generate multiple diverse initial guesses for each key posture, and use optimization to find inverse kinematics solutions based on these initial guesses. We then find an optimal series of key postures and form a continuous trajectory. Our approach is implemented in a Gazebo simulation using the Atlas humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics.
Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus (Meadow vole)

The specimens (2♂♂,1♀) were collected by Mr. Larry L. Deaven from Center County, Pennsylvania, USA. Bone marrow and lung cultures were used for karyological studies.
Association of Prostate Cancer Risk Variants with TMPRSS2:ERG Status: Evidence for Distinct Molecular Subtypes

Background: Numerous genetic variants have been confirmed as prostate cancer risk factors. These variants may confer susceptibility to the development of specific molecular alterations during tumor initiation and progression. The TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion occurs in roughly 50% of prostate cancers. Genetic risk variants may influence the development of this fusion. We sought to determine whether prostate cancer risk variants are differentially associated with TMPRSS2:ERG fusion–positive and negative cancer. Methods: In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Physicians' Health Study Tumor Cohort, we evaluated the associations of 39 prostate cancer risk SNPs with TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status, measured by ERG protein expression. Logistic regression was performed to generate OR and 95% confidence intervals. The primary outcome was ERG+ ( n = 227) versus ERG− ( n = 260) prostate cancer. A secondary outcome was ERG+ or ERG− cancer versus controls without cancer. Results: Six of 39 SNPs were significantly associated ( P < 0.05) with ERG+ versus ERG− disease. Three SNPs were exclusively associated with the risk of ERG+, one with risk of ERG−, and two with associations trending in opposite directions for ERG+ and ERG−. Only two significant SNPs would be expected by chance. Conclusions: Prostate cancer genetic risk variants are differentially associated with the development of ERG+ and ERG− prostate cancer. Impact: Our findings suggest the molecular process of prostate carcinogenesis may be distinct for men with different underlying genetic predisposition. When examining risk factors for prostate cancer, the integration of molecular subtypes may enhance understanding of the etiology of this disease. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(5); 745–9. ©2016 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 725][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/25/725?iss=5
Decreased myocardial extracellular and muscle lipoprotein lipase activities in endotoxin-treated rats.

AbstractThese studies were initiated to determine if skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities are decreased as is the case in the myocardium following endotoxin and to compare the distribution of LPL activities between intracellular and extracellular compartments of the heart in endotoxemic and normal rats. Rats were sacrificed 7 hr after an intravenous injection of saline (control) or 2 mg Escherichia coli endotoxin per 100 g. LPL activities were measured on homogenates of acetone—ether powders of heart ventricles, epididymal fat pads, and selected skeletal muscles including diaphragm, red gastrocnemius, white gastrocnemius, and soleus. The myocardium from endotoxin-treated rats contained 22% of the LPL activity measured in saline-treated rats. Likewise, red gastrocnemius, soleus and diaphragm muscles from endotoxemic rats had significantly less (P < 0.05) enzyme activity than was present in normal rats (42, 57, and 41% of control activity, respectively). Hearts from endotoxin- and saline-trea...
CAUSE ANALYSIS OF RUPTURE FAILURE OCCURRED ON WELD JOINTS OF DISSIMILAR STEELS USED ON REHEATERS

Through macroscopic inspection,tensile test,and metallographic microstructure analysis,the causes leading to leakage on weld joints of dissimilar steels,i.e.12Cr1MoV steel and TP304H austenitic steel,have been analysed.The results show that the fussion zone at 12Cr1MoV steel side is the weak zone for enbrittlement and rupture of the weld joints,the carbon-enriched layer and the wedge-shaped defects on the fussion line lead to crack in the weld joints,resulting in leakage.In addition,the linear expansion coefficient of two said steels in the weld joints has very large difference,the obvious thermal stress appeared in the vicinity of interface in the weld joints has promoting effect for cracking.
The Study of Aggregated Combat Modeling

The paper firstly analyzes the importance of aggregated combat modeling. Then it represents the characteristics, a general abstract structure of aggregated combat models and its components modeling methods. Finally, it gives a discussion about the consistency problem in the aggregated combat model. Through the study, the authors propose the framework, methods and questions that are the foundation for modeling and developing aggregated combat models.
Analysis of Supply and Demand of Water Resources in the Study Area

Analysis of supply and demand of water resources is to analyze and study the relationship between supply and demand of water resources in the study area. Through the analysis of supply and demand of water resources, the contradiction between the supply and the demand can be revealed; thus, the measures to solve the problems can be put forward. In this chapter, surface water, groundwater, mine water, and accumulated water in gob are taken as organic components of water resources system, and the total water resources are calculated and analyzed. At the same time, on the basis of the current status of the development and utilization of water resources in the area, the future water demand is predicted. This will provide scientific basis for rational allocation, optimal regulation, and control of water resources.
The Transcription Factor AP4 Mediates Resolution of Chronic Viral Infection through Amplification of Germinal Center B Cell Responses.

B cells diversify and affinity mature their antigen receptor repertoire in germinal centers (GCs). GC B cells receive help signals during transient interaction with T cells, yet it remains unknown how these transient T-B interactions in the light zone sustain the subsequent proliferative program of selected B cells that occurs in the anatomically distant dark zone. Here, we show that the transcription factor AP4 was required for sustained GC B cell proliferation and subsequent establishment of a diverse and protective antibody repertoire. AP4 was induced by c-MYC during the T-B interactions, was maintained by T-cell-derived interleukin-21 (IL-21), and promoted repeated rounds of divisions of selected GC B cells. B-cell-specific deletion of AP4 resulted in reduced GC sizes and reduced somatic hypermutation coupled with a failure to control chronic viral infection. These results indicate that AP4 integrates T-cell-mediated selection and sustained expansion of GC B cells for humoral immunity.
Evolution of Concepts and Technologies in Ophthalmic Laser Therapy

Ophthalmology was the first medical specialty to adopt lasers right after their invention more than 50 years ago, and they gradually revolutionized ocular imaging, diagnostics, therapy, and surgery. Challenging precision, safety, and selectivity requirements for ocular therapeutic and surgical procedures keep advancing the laser technologies, which in turn continue enabling novel applications for the preservation and restoration of sight. Modern lasers can provide single-cell-layer selectivity in therapy, submicrometer precision in three-dimensional image-guided surgery, and nondamaging retinal therapy under optoacoustic temperature control. This article reviews the evolution of laser technologies; progress in understanding of the laser-tissue interactions; and concepts, misconceptions, and accidental discoveries that led to modern therapeutic and surgical applications of lasers in ophthalmology. It begins with a brief historical overview, followed by a description of the laser-tissue interactions and corresponding ophthalmic applications.
Temporal change in headache and its contribution to the risk of developing first-onset temporomandibular disorder in the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study

While cross-sectional studies have demonstrated an association between headache and temporomandibular disorder (TMD), whether headache can predict the onset of TMD is unknown. The aims of this study were to evaluate the contribution of headache to the risk of developing TMD and describe patterns of change in headache types over time. An initially TMD-free cohort of 2410 persons with low frequency of headache completed quarterly questionnaires assessing TMD and headache symptoms over a median 3.0-year follow-up period. First-onset TMD was confirmed by clinical examination in 199 participants. Baseline reports of migraine (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-2.62) or mixed headache types (HR = 4.11, 95% CI: 1.47-11.46), or headache frequency (HR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.31-3.48) predicted increased risk of developing TMD. In addition, headache dynamics across the follow-up period before the TMD onset were evaluated in a nested case-control study where 248 incident TMD cases were matched to 191 TMD-free controls. Both headache prevalence and frequency increased across the observation period among those who developed TMD but not among controls. Patients with TMD were more likely to experience worsening in the headache type compared with that by controls, eg, prevalence of definite migraine among TMD cases increased 10-fold. Among all headache types experienced by patients with TMD before the TMD onset, migraine had the highest odds of progression relative to remission (odds ratio = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.6-4.8), whereas for controls this ratio was significant only for the tension-type headache (odds ratio = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2-3.9). The important clinical implication of these findings is that adequate treatment of migraine may reduce the risk for developing TMD.
Body Mass Index and Intensive Care Unit Outcomes in African American Patients

Purpose: We sought to determine whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with worse intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes among Black patients. Methods: Patients admitted to the medical ICU during 2012 were categorized into six BMI groups based on the World Health Organization criteria. ICU mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), need for and duration of mechanical ventilation and organ failure rate were assessed. Results: A total of 605 patients with mean age 58.9 ± 16.0 years were studied. Compared with those with normal BMI, obese patients had significant higher rates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obstructive sleep apnea diagnoses (P<.001 for all). A total of 100 (16.5%) patients died during their ICU stay. Obesity was not associated with increased odds of ICU mortality (OR=.58; 95% CI, .16-2.20). Moreover, improved survival was observed for class II obese patients (OR, .031; 95% CI, .001–.863). There were no differences in the need for and duration of mechanical ventilation between the BMI groups. How­ever, ICU and hospital LOS were significant­ly longer in patients with obesity. Conclusion: Obesity was not associated with increased ICU mortality; however, obesity was associated with increased comorbid illness and with significant longer ICU and hospital length of stay. Ethn Dis. 2017;27(2):161-168; doi:10.18865/ed.27.2.161
The Value of Urodynamics in an Academic Specialty Referral Practice.

Objective To describe and evaluate the use of urodynamics (UDS) studies for all indications in an academic specialty referral urology practice. Materials and Methods This is a prospective questionnaire-based study wherein clinicians completed a pre- and post-UDS questionnaire on each UDS that they ordered for all clinical indications between May 2013 and August 2014. Questions pertained to patient demographics and history, the clinical indication for the UDS, the clinician's pre- and post-UDS clinical impressions, and changes in post-UDS management plans. Pre- and post-UDS diagnoses were compared using the McNemar test. Results Clinicians evaluated a total of 285 UDS studies during the study period. The average age of study participants was 56.0 (±16.4) years, 59.5% were female, and 29.3% had a neurologic diagnosis. The most common indication for performing UDS was to discern the predominant type of urinary incontinence (stress vs urgency) in patients with mixed incontinence symptoms (38.5%) and to assess the safety of the bladder during filling (38.2%). UDS statistically significantly changed the ordering clinician's clinical impression of the patient's lower urinary tract diagnosis for stress urinary incontinence and for urgency and urgency urinary incontinence (both had P values of <.05). Fluoroscopy was found to be helpful in 29.5% of urodynamic studies, and clinicians reported that UDS changed their treatment plans in 42.5% of the studies, most commonly pertaining to changes related to surgery (35.0%). Conclusion Overall, UDS was a clinically useful tool that altered the clinical impression and treatment plan in a large percentage of carefully selected patients.
Tornado community-level spatial damage prediction including pressure deficit modeling

AbstractBased on the observation of damage from past tornadoes, tornado intensity is frequently the highest at the center and gradually decreases outward, which is consistent with a Rankine vortex model. In this study, the Rankine vortex model was applied to model the pressure deficit resulting from a tornado, and then combined with pressures resulting from wind velocity to develop fragility surfaces for buildings representative of the typical residential building stock in a community. In the absence of data, an additional coefficient is used herein to consider different amount of pressure deficit participating in wind loads on buildings to enable community resilience studies. However, it is duly noted that at the individual building level the internal pressure coefficient used in ASCE-7 should be adjusted based on data to be consistent with current wind engineering methods in the United States. Moreover, a scenario tornado path was modeled based on historical statistics of U.S. tornadoes over almost four...
High-frequency percussive ventilation in cardiac surgery patients failing mechanical conventional ventilation.

OBJECTIVES Failure of mechanical conventional ventilation (MCV) after cardiac surgery portends a dismal prognosis, with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation frequently utilized as a salvage therapy. We describe our experience with high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) as a rescue therapy for hypoxaemia refractory to MCV after cardiac surgery. METHODS In a 6-year retrospective analysis from 2009 to 2015, we identified 16 subjects who required HFPV after cardiac surgery. Data regarding demographics, intraoperative details, postoperative ventilatory settings including length of time on HFPV and postoperative outcomes were collected. The primary outcome was improvement in oxygenation as measured by pre- and post-HFPV partial pressures of oxygen (pO2) and ratio of pO2 to fraction of inspired oxygen (P/F ratio). RESULTS Sixteen patients required HFPV after cardiac surgery. Operative procedures included coronary artery bypass surgery (n = 6), aortic aneurysm or dissection repair (n = 5), valve with bypass surgery (n = 2), aortic valve replacement (n = 2) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (n = 1). Median pO2 increased from 61 to 149.5 mmHg (P < 0.001) and the median P/F ratio improved from 62 to 169 (P < 0.001). The improvement in pO2 and P/F ratio was durable at 24 h whether the patient was returned to MCV (n = 4) or remained on HFPV (n = 12) with pO2 and P/F ratio increasing from 61 to 104 mmHg (P < 0.001) and from 62 to 193.5 (P < 0.001), respectively. Survival to discharge was 81%. CONCLUSIONS In our cohort of cardiac surgical patients, HFPV was successfully utilized as a rescue therapy, obviating the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Although further studies are warranted, HFPV should be considered in cardiac surgical patients failing MCV.
IR Spectroscopy of Protonated Acetylacetone and Its Water Clusters: Enol–Keto Tautomers and Ion→Solvent Proton Transfer

Protonated ions of acetylacetone, H+(Hacac), and their argon-tagged analogues are produced via a pulsed discharge and cooled in a supersonic expansion. These ions are mass analyzed, selected in a time-of-flight spectrometer, and studied with infrared laser photodissociation spectroscopy using the method of rare-gas atom tagging. Computational studies at the DFT/B3LYP level are employed to elucidate the structures and spectra of these ions, which are expected to exist as either enol- or keto-based tautomers. The protonated acetylacetone ion is found to form a single enol-based isomer. Adding one or two water molecules to this ion, for example, H+(Hacac)(H2O)1,2, produces primarily enol-based structures, although a small concentration of keto structures also contribute to the spectra. The vibrational patterns resulting from hydrogen bonding in these systems are not well-described by theory. Addition of a third water molecule to form the H+(Hacac)(H2O)3 ion causes a significant change in the spectroscopy, at...
Mistiming of thought and perception predicts delusionality

The timing of thoughts and perceptions plays an essential role in belief formation. Just as people can experience in-the-moment perceptual illusions, however, they can also be deceived about how events unfold in time. Here, we consider how a particular type of temporal distortion, in which the apparent future influences “earlier” events in conscious awareness, might affect people’s most fundamental beliefs about themselves and the world. Making use of a task that has been shown to elicit such reversals in the temporal experience of prediction and observation, we find that people who are more prone to think that they predicted an event that they actually already observed are also more likely to report holding delusion-like beliefs. Moreover, this relationship appears to be specific to how people experience prediction and is not explained by domain-general deficits in temporal discrimination. These findings may help uncover low-level perceptual mechanisms underlying delusional belief or schizotypy more broadly and may ultimately prove useful as a tool for identifying those at risk for psychotic illness.
Rare paleopathological insights into vitamin D deficiency rickets, co-occurring illnesses, and documented cause of death in mid-19th century London, UK

Growing evidence suggests that vitamin D supports immune responses to infections, autoimmune conditions and cancers, although evidence from large-scale studies is limited. There is scope to better understand how vitamin D deficiency interacted with other diseases to affect health in past groups. This study investigated paleopathological evidence and documentary records of individual cause of death to examine disease co-occurrence in a group of mid-19th century child burials from London, UK. Twenty-one percent of children had vitamin D deficiency rickets (138/642) and 36 children with rickets had an identified cause of death. Cyclical episodes of metabolic and nutritional deficiencies (rickets and scurvy) had occurred during childhood. Active rickets co-occurred with respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in a small number of children, likely reflecting vitamin D's role in supporting immune function. Consideration of the stage of the vitamin D deficiency showed that the majority of children were affected by chronic disease loads indicative of multiple episodes of illness. Reconstructions of the wider health consequences of vitamin D deficiency in past groups are dependent on recognising whether the deficiency was active or healed. The variability of diseases identified illustrates the high disease burden that affected children in this socially disadvantaged group.
Artificial Insemination with Donor Semen Mixed with Semen of the Infertile Husband

Mixing an oligoasthenospermic husband's semen with that of a donor prior to insemination (AIM) has been criticized, since such semen may contain antibodies which could interfere with normal sperm function. The efficacy of AIM was reviewed in 227 patients who underwent AI with frozen donor semen. Thirty-four patients requested AIM and thirteen conceived (38.2%). Seven who failed to conceive after AIM changed to donor insemination (AID), and two conceived. One hundred and ninety-three patients had AID alone, and eighty conceived. Thus, 200 patients had AID, with 82 pregnancies (41%). There were no significant differences between the AIM and AID groups with regard to age, prior fertility, and additional infertility factors. The conception rates between groups were not significantly different. Pregnancy rates per cycle of AI and dropout rates were also similar. Postinsemination testing after AIM did not reveal any effect of husband's semen upon donor spermatozoa. This study failed to show a deleterious effect of semen from azoospermic or oligoasthenospermic, infertile men upon normal semen, as used in AIM.
B and T Cell Development

Hematopoiesis is the ordered development of the different blood cell populations from stem cells. One early branch point in hematopoietic development is the lymphoid pathway which gives rise to B and T lymphocytes and NK cells. B and T lymphocytes express antigen-specific receptors that are generated by the genetic joining of segments randomly selected from multiple loci. The cells expressing the resulting antigen receptors are subjected to a selection process for receptors with appropriate binding properties. Following the selection process, the naive cells enter the circulation and respond when they encounter antigen able to be bound by the receptor. Once stimulated, the cells mature into functional lymphocytes in a process that is dictated by the factors and signals that are present in the environment. While NK cells can develop in the thymus, NK cells do not express antigen-specific receptors, but instead express a variety of activating and inhibitory receptors. The integration of responses from these receptors determines if the NK cell will respond. The developmental process from stem cells into mature functional cells can be interrupted at any step by genetic mutations which cause uncontrolled proliferation. Thus, an understanding of the changes important for the development of leukemias and lymphomas facilitates generation of new treatments for these ­diseases and also enhances our understanding of lymphocyte differentiation pathways.
Analysis of USDA Food Classifications Using Neural Network Classifier

Neural networks have the potential to analyze many possible situations and learn the correct information through training, learning, and validation. The development of a neural network that is capable of replicating the food groupings in the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database will be analyzed. This database contains 7,906 food items that are grouped into several different categories such as fats and oils, breakfast cereals, and pork products. A single-layer perceptron network is then created to analyze this data and train the network to classify the food items correctly. The neural network data is divided into three categories. Seventy-five percent of the data is used for training the neural network, 15 % is used for validation, and 10 % is used for testing. The results of the network show that certain food groups were harder to classify correctly than others, but overall, the entire testing data set had a misclassification of approximately 10 %. There is still much potential for this network to become better. Expanding the data set in certain categories should help the classification error to decrease even more.