cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in Natural Soil by Electroosmosis

Contamination in low permeability soils poses a significant technical challenge to in situ remediation, primarily due to low mobilization of the contaminants and difficulty in uniform delivery of treatment reagents. An alternative approach using electroosmosis (EO) is used to mobilize Trichloroethylene (TCE) in soil. However, the EO approach causes significant chemical changes in the soil which may affect transport and/or chemical transformation of TCE. Laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling were used to characterize the transport and chemical transformation of TCE in undisturbed soil cores during EO. A contamination zone (CZ) were located 1 cm below the anode. Electroosmotic fluid flow was vertically downwards from anode to cathode. A voltage gradient of 1.4 V/cm was applied to the soil for 4 weeks. More than 95% of the TCE was mobilized toward the cathode in the soil over a period of 672 hrs. The advective velocity of TCE was approximately 1.3×10−5 cm/sec and the dispersion coefficient is two times the diffusion coefficient of 6.9×10−6 cm2/sec We observed dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE) indicating dechlorination of TCE. Dechlorination occurred in parts of the soil column where reducing conditions (Eh-pH conditions) are dominant. The most significant reductive dechlorination of TCE occurred near the cathode, a source of electrons during electroosmosis. Results show the need to include a decay term in the transport equations. The results show that potential chemical transformation of chlorinated organic compounds could enhance the remediation efficiency during EO.
Feasibility of quantitative ultrashort echo time (UTE)-based methods for MRI of peripheral nerve.

Peripheral nerves are a composite tissue consisting of neurovascular elements packaged within a well-organized extracellular matrix. Their composition, size, and anatomy render nerves a challenging medical imaging target. In contrast to morphological MRI, which represents the predominant approach to nerve imaging, quantitative MRI sequences can provide information regarding tissue composition. Here, we applied standard clinical Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) and experimental three-dimensional (3D) ultrashort echo time (UTE) Cones sequences for quantitative nerve imaging including T2 measurement with single-component analysis, T2 * measurement with single-component and bi-component analyses, and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) analysis. We demonstrated the feasibility and the high quality of single-component T2 *, bi-component T2 *, and MTR approaches to analyze nerves imaged with clinically deployed 3D UTE Cones pulse sequences. For 24 single fascicles from eight nerves, we measured a mean single-component T2 * of 22.6 ±8.9 ms, and a short T2 * component (STC) with a mean T2 * of 1.7 ±1.0 ms and a mean fraction of (6.74 ±4.31)% in bi-component analysis. For eight whole nerves, we measured a mean single-component T2 * of 16.7 ±2.2 ms, and an STC with a mean T2 * of 3.0 ±1.0 ms and a mean fraction of (15.56 ±7.07)% in bi-component analysis. For nine fascicles from three healthy nerves, we measured a mean MTR of (25.2 ±1.9)% for single fascicles and a mean MTR of (23.6 ±0.9)% for whole nerves. No statistically significant correlation was observed between any MRI parameter and routine histological outcomes, perhaps due to the small sample size and lack of apparent sample pathology. Overall, we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of measuring quantitative MR outcomes ex vivo, which might reflect features of nerve structure and macromolecular content. These methods should be validated comprehensively on a larger and more diverse set of nerve samples, towards the interpretation of in vivo outcomes. These approaches have new and broad implications for the management of nerve disease, injury, and repair.
Pathogens and Patterns: Does the Internet Contain Your Next Biomarker?

When it comes to fighting infectious disease, knowledge is power. Throughout recorded human history—all the way from Biblical law codes through recent efforts to contain Ebola outbreaks—information about the status of infected populations has been used to contain the spread of disease, as well as to target resources that promote treatment. In the modern era of online “Big Data,” when so many aspects of human behavior have been quantified and tracked at population-scale, it is no surprise that these new sources of information would be exploited to assist in the age-old battle of humans against our most aggressive pathogens. An overview of recent attempts to predict the spread of disease agents, including influenza virus, has been provided in a recent article by Michael Eisenstein published in Nature (1 …
PI3K oncogenic mutations mediate resistance to afatinib in HER2/neu overexpressing gynecological cancers.

Abstract Objective Aberrant expression of HER2/neu and PIK3CA gene products secondary to amplification/mutations are common in high-grade-serous-endometrial (USC) and ovarian-cancers (HGSOC). Because scant information is currently available in the literature on the potential negative effect of PIK3CA mutations on the activity of afatinib, in this study we evaluate for the first time the role of oncogenic PIK3CA mutations as a potential mechanism of resistance to afatinib in HGSOC and USC overexpressing HER2/neu. Methods We used six whole-exome-sequenced primary HGSOC/USC cell-lines and three xenografts overexpressing HER2/neu and harboring mutated or wild-type PIK3CA/PIK3R1 genes to evaluate the role of PI3K-mutations as potential mechanism of resistance to afatinib, an FDA-approved pan-c-erb-inhibitor in clinical trials in USC. Primary-USC harboring wild-type-PIK3CA gene was transfected with plasmids encoding oncogenic PIK3CA-mutations (H1047R/E545K). The effect of afatinib on HER2/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was evaluated by immunoblotting. Results We found PI3K wild-type cell-lines to be significantly more sensitive (lower IC50) than PI3K-mutated cell-lines p = 0.004). In vivo, xenografts of primary cell-line USC-ARK2, transfected with the PIK3CA-H1047R or E545K hotspot-mutations, exhibited significantly more rapid tumor growth when treated with afatinib, compared to mice harboring ARK2-tumors transfected with wild-type-PIK3CA (p = 0.041 and 0.001, respectively). By western-blot, afatinib effectively reduced total and phospho-HER2 proteins in all cell-lines. However, H1047R/E545K-PIK3CA-transfected-ARK2-cells demonstrated a greater compensatory increase in phosphorylated-AKT proteins after afatinib exposure when compared to controls ARK2. Conclusions Oncogenic PI3K mutations may represent a major mechanism of resistance to afatinib. Combinations of c-erb with PIK3CA, AKT or mTOR inhibitors may be necessary to more efficiently block the PIK3CA/AKT/mTOR pathway.
Trauma-Informed Practice: The Future of Child Welfare?

For nearly two decades, trauma-informed practice has been an increasingly prevalent approach to child welfare practice which has influenced children and youth agency casework, legal representation of children and parents, and judicial style. Acknowledging that many families who come to the attention of the child welfare system have had complex and emotionally painful life experiences, trauma-informed practice puts a client’s history of trauma at the forefront. The basic concept behind trauma-informed practice asks clients not ‘What is wrong with you?’, but instead ‘What happened to you?’ Trauma-informed practice is meant to be not just an individualized, but also a systemic approach to addressing the needs of families. Arguably applying a trauma lens to child welfare practice is the best practice. Yet as well-recognized as trauma-informed practice is as an effective approach to child welfare intervention, there is not sufficient attention paid to the trauma which is inflicted by the child welfare system. This article argues that this infliction of trauma is encoded in federal law primarily through the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), and thus the goals and promise of trauma-informed practice are incongruent with the current state of child welfare law. This article will identify the goals and relevance of trauma-informed practice, and then evaluate child welfare law through this lens. Ultimately the article will make recommendations for legal reform which would be more in line with trauma-informed principles.
Open Biceps Tenodesis Associated With Slightly Greater Rate of 30-Day Complications Than Arthroscopic: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

Purpose To compare the early complication risk associated with open biceps tenodesis (OBT) and arthroscopic biceps tenodesis (ABT) and determine which preoperative factors may influence complication rate. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was retrospectively queried from 2008 to 2016 for all procedures with CPT codes for ABT (29828) and OBT (23430). Patients were excluded if they received concomitant rotator cuff repair or shoulder arthroplasty. Patients undergoing OBT and ABT were matched by propensity scores based on age, body mass index, operative time, proportion of smokers, and proportion of concomitant subacromial decompression, distal clavicle excision, SLAP, and debridement. The incidence of adverse events in the 30-day postoperative period was compared. Results A total of 8,032 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Prior to propensity match, patients receiving OBT and ABT, respectively, differed with respect to age (49.4 ± 13.8 vs 51.4 ± 13.2; P Conclusions Both procedures were found to have a low rate of complications, although OBT had a slightly greater (1.58% vs 0.95%) rate of 30-day complications than ABT. Early complication rate should not serve as impetus to direct surgical technique as number needed to treat is high, although ABT may be considered in more high-risk individuals. Level of Evidence Level III, retrospective comparative database study.
The Epidemiology of Vitamin C

A review is presented of the epidemiology of vitamin C. This review summarizes the epidemiologic relationship of vitamin C intake to mortality from all causes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases and the results of randomized controlled trials involving vitamin C supplements and mortality. Many studies show an inverse relationship between mortality and vitamin C intake, particularly for levels close to the current U.S. recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 75–90 mg per day for adults. The inverse relationship is particularly strong for serum vitamin C. However, several studies show no relationship at all or no significant relationship after controlling for confounding variables. There is little evidence of a relationship at high or low levels of vitamin C supplement intake. The results of randomized intervention trials assessing the impact of supplemental vitamin C on mortality and cancer survival are largely negative, but there are selective instances of benefits. There have been very few intervention trials focusing on vitamin C. Most of the available prospective cohort data on vitamin C and mortality have not been analyzed. Additional cohort analyses and new intervention trials would substantially refine the evidence. Vitamin C is an essential human nutrient and there is substantial epidemiologic evidence that regular intake of at least the RDA of vitamin C is beneficial for optimum health.
Maximizing Resources: Ensuring Standard of Care for a Transgender Child in a Rural Setting.

The ethics consultation team was contacted for guidance about a decision to provide puberty-suppressing medication to a minor. The child is under the care of an endocrinologist with limited experie...
P375 Risk factors for incident bacterial vaginosis among heterosexual women

Background The exact etiology of bacterial vaginosis (BV) is unknown and it is controversial whether BV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Gardnerella vaginalis is present in 95–100% of BV cases. However, it is also found in women with normal vaginal flora and colonization is not sufficient for BV development. We investigated risk factors for incident BV (iBV) in a longitudinal study of heterosexual women. Methods Women ages 18–45 with no Amsel criteria, Nugent score 0-3, no recent antibiotic use, and no evidence of STI were followed for iBV (Nugent score 7-10 on 3 consecutive days) with daily self-collected vaginal swabs for 8 weeks. Vaginal swabs were also obtained at enrollment for G. vaginalisquantitative PCR. Time to iBV was estimated and baseline participant characteristics were compared according to development of iBV or not. All analyses were conducted using SAS v9.4. Results Between January 2015-May 2018, 164 eligible heterosexual women were enrolled, of which the majority were African American (73%). Of those enrolled, 29 (17.7%) developed iBV at a median time of 21 (range 6–50) days. Women with iBV were significantly more likely to be older (33±7 years vs 30±7 years; p=0.02), African American (93% vs 69%; p=0.02), have a BV history (72.4% vs 48.2%; p=0.02), and have a pregnancy history (78% vs 54%; p=0.02). They were also significantly more likely to have detectable G. vaginalis by quantitative PCR at enrollment (81% vs 60%; p=0.04) with a higher median number of copies/µL (4,850 [1,890–30,100] vs 1,340 [217–9,550]; p=0.03). No significant difference was found between women with iBV and those without regarding current tobacco use, history of bacterial STI, and lifetime number of sexual partners. Conclusion This study confirms previous cross-sectional findings of risk factors for iBV among heterosexual women and examines the potential role of G. vaginalis in iBV pathogenesis. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Pseudo-nitzschia bloom dynamics in the Gulf of Maine: 2012–2016

The toxic diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia is a growing presence in the Gulf of Maine (GOM), where regionally unprecedented levels of domoic acid (DA) in 2016 led to the first Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning closures in the region. However, factors driving GOM Pseudo-nitzschia dynamics, DA concentrations, and the 2016 event are unclear. Water samples were collected at the surface and at depth in offshore transects in summer 2012, 2014, and 2015, and fall 2016, and a weekly time series of surface water samples was collected in 2013. Temperature and salinity data were obtained from NERACOOS buoys and measurements during sample collection. Samples were processed for particulate DA (pDA), dissolved nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, silicic acid, and phosphate), and cellular abundance. Species composition was estimated via Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA), a semi-quantitative DNA finger-printing tool. Pseudo-nitzschia biogeography was consistent in the years 2012, 2014, and 2015, with greater Pseudo-nitzschia cell abundance and P. plurisecta dominance in low-salinity inshore samples, and lower Pseudo-nitzschia cell abundance and P. delicatissima and P. seriata dominance in high-salinity offshore samples. During the 2016 event, pDA concentrations were an order of magnitude higher than in previous years, and inshore-offshore contrasts in biogeography were weak, with P. australis present in every sample. Patterns in temporal and spatial variability confirm that pDA increases with the abundance and the cellular DA of Pseudo-nitzschia species, but was not correlated with any one environmental factor. The greater pDA in 2016 was caused by P. australis - the observation of which is unprecedented in the region - and may have been exacerbated by low residual silicic acid. The novel presence of P. australis may be due to local growth conditions, the introduction of a population with an anomalous water mass, or both factors. A definitive cause of the 2016 bloom remains unknown, and continued DA monitoring in the GOM is warranted.
Local management in a regional context: Simulations with process-based species distribution models

Abstract Ecological models often strive to inform conservation and management decisions. Occurrence-based distribution models may aid regional management strategies, though many management decisions require information beyond the likely presence of a species provided by such models. Process-based distribution models predict geographic distributions using environmental relationships with biological processes, providing more detailed predictions and a key opportunity for data-driven management. Here, we develop and characterize a novel demography-based regional distribution model and illustrate its use by comparing four management strategies for glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus), a bird-dispersed shrub invasive throughout the northeastern United States. On a gridded landscape in southern New Hampshire and Maine, this population-level simulation includes fruiting, seed dispersal, seed bank dynamics, germination and establishment, and annual survival, with land cover as the dominant environmental driver. We parameterize the model with field and lab studies, supplementing with published data, expert knowledge, and pattern-oriented parameterization with historical records. In a comprehensive sensitivity analysis, we found that the age at which individuals are capable of reproduction and the frequency of long distance dispersal had the strongest influence on the distribution. In our management simulations, we found that immigration prevents total eradication within any property regardless of management frequency or coordination, though management impacts are detectable in nearby un-managed cells via reduced seed deposition. The flexible model structure combines multiple disparate data sources similar to those available for many species into a synthetic framework of local and regional biological processes, allows the incorporation of specific management actions targeting particular processes and life stages into the regional context of a process-based species distribution model, and provides a robust method for evaluating potential management strategies.
Diagnosis Behaviors of Physicians and Non-Physicians When Supported by an Electronic Differential Diagnosis Aid:

The present study examined a diagnostic medical decision aid developed to help inexperienced operators to diagnose and treat a simulated patient. Diagnosis and treatment accuracy using the tool wer...
Control of Stimulus-Dependent Responses in Macrophages by SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complexes

Epigenetic regulation plays an important role in controlling the activation, timing, and resolution of innate immune responses in macrophages. Previously, SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling was found to define the kinetics and selectivity of gene activation in response to microbial ligands; however, these studies do not reflect a comprehensive understanding of SWI/SNF complex regulation. In 2018, a new variant of the SWI/SNF complex was identified with unknown function in inflammatory gene regulation. Here, we summarize the biochemical and genomic properties of SWI/SNF complex variants and the potential for increased regulatory control of innate immune transcriptional programs in light of such biochemical diversity. Finally, we review the development of SWI/SNF complex chemical inhibitors and degraders that could be used to modulate immune responses.
Reversible Symmetry-Breaking Charge Separation in a Series of Perylenediimide Cyclophanes

Excited-state symmetry-breaking charge separation (SB-CS) can offer an efficient pathway to solar energy capture and conversion. We synthesized a series of 1,6,7,12-tetrakis(4-t-butylphenoxy)peryle...
Elevated energy requirement of cone photoreceptors

We have used recent measurements of mammalian cone light responses and voltage-gated currents to calculate cone ATP utilization and compare it to that of rods. The largest expenditure of ATP results from ion transport, particularly from removal of Na+ entering outer segment light-dependent channels and inner segment hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, and from ATP-dependent pumping of Ca2+ entering voltage-gated channels at the synaptic terminal. Single cones expend nearly twice as much energy as single rods in darkness, largely because they make more synapses with second-order retinal cells and thus must extrude more Ca2+. In daylight, cone ATP utilization per cell remains high because cones never remain saturated and must continue to export Na+ and synaptic Ca2+ even in bright illumination. In mouse and human retina, rods greatly outnumber cones and consume more energy overall even in background light. In primates, however, the high density of cones in the fovea produces a pronounced peak of ATP utilization, which becomes particularly prominent in daylight and may make this part of the retina especially sensitive to changes in energy availability.
Keyless Covert Communication in the Presence of Channel State Information

We consider the problem of covert communication when Channel State Information (CSI) is available non-causally, causally, and strictly causally at both transmitter and receiver, as well as the case when channel state information is only available at the transmitter. Covert communication with respect to an adversary referred to as the "warden", is one in which the distribution induced during communication at the channel output observed by the warden is identical to the output distribution conditioned on an innocent channel-input symbol. In contrast to previous work, we do not assume the availability of a shared key at the transmitter and legitimate receiver; instead shared randomness is extracted from the channel state, in a manner that keeps it secret from the warden despite the influence of the channel state on the warden’s output. When CSI is available at both transmitter and receiver, we derive the covert capacity region; when CSI is only available at the transmitter, we derive inner and outer bounds on the covert capacity. We also derive the covert capacity when the warden’s channel is less noisy with respect to the legitimate receiver. We provide examples for which covert capacity is zero without channel state information, but is positive in the presence of channel state information.
Drinking Motives as Moderators of In-the-Moment Drinking Risks in Response to Trauma-Related Distress.

BACKGROUND Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology are linked to increased risk for problematic drinking, yet the factors that increase such risk remain largely unknown. Theoretical models suggest that affectively oriented drinking motives may be central to trauma-related drinking. Specifically, individual-level motivations to drink to regulate affect may be important for moderating drinking urges that occur acutely in response to trauma cues. Further, elevated distress associated with PTSD symptomatology may increase any affectively motivated, momentary drinking risks. However, research has yet to examine these dynamic affective processes. In a large experimental sample, the current study tested whether affective (i.e., coping and enhancement) drinking motives and PTSD symptomatology moderated individuals' drinking urge in response to a trauma cue in a laboratory cue reactivity paradigm. METHODS College drinkers (n = 611, 53% female) were recruited and selected across levels of trauma exposure and PTSD symptomatology by a structured clinical interview. Participants were randomized to a personalized trauma or neutral cue, reporting on their urge to drink alcohol before and after cue exposure. Drinking motives were assessed at the end of the experimental session. RESULTS Trauma cue associations with drinking urge were moderated by coping, but not enhancement, motives. Specifically, stronger coping motives were associated with increases in urge to drink alcohol following exposure to a trauma but not neutral cue. PTSD classification did not significantly moderate these associations. CONCLUSIONS Coping motives may increase drinking urge immediately following exposure to trauma cues and may differentiate individuals most at risk for problematic drinking during trauma-associated distress. Findings support momentary negative affect processes driving dynamic, immediate trauma-related drinking risks.
Impact of physical activity, diet quality and stress on cardiometabolic health in school employees.

Abstract Among school employees, it has been reported that poor physical and mental health, as well as high stress and large workloads, have resulted in high absenteeism and low retention. The consequences of unhealthy behaviors and stress can extend to students, impacting academic achievement and school costs. Our objective was to examine the impact of school employees’ physical activity (PA), diet quality and perceived occupational stress on cardiometabolic health, and explore how stress may influence the impact of PA and diet on health. In this cross-sectional study, employees from lower-income Massachusetts schools participated in Wellness Assessments (2015–2016), including measured height, weight, and lipids [total (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C)]. Self-administered surveys were used to collect demographic, stress, PA and 24-hour food intake data. Linear regression models were used to examine the relationship among health behaviors (PA and diet), stress and cardiometabolic health. An interaction between stress and health behaviors was also explored. Seventy-four employees (66% teachers) participated. Overweight/obesity (mean BMI: 25.6 kg/m2), high TC and LDL-C were observed in 47%, 4%, and 34%, respectively, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was low (median: 17 min/day). Positive associations were identified between MVPA and cardiometabolic health, but not diet. The effect of MVPA on BMI was modified by stress (p-for-interaction = 0.001), with higher levels of stress associated with a diminished protective association between MVPA and BMI. Higher levels of PA were associated with more favorable cardiometabolic health, with increasing levels of stress minimizing the beneficial effect of PA on BMI.
The Point of E(8) in F-theory GUTs

We show that in F-theory GUTs, a natural explanation of flavor hierarchies in the quark and lepton sector requires a single point of E8 enhancement in the internal geometry, from which all Yukawa couplings originate. The monodromy group acting on the seven-brane configuration plays a key role in this analysis. Moreover, the E8 structure automatically leads to the existence of the additional fields and interactions needed for minimal gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking, and almost nothing else. Surprisingly, we find that in all but one Dirac neutrino scenario the messenger fields in the gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking sector transform as vector-like pairs in the \( 10 \oplus \overline {10} \) of SU(5). We also classify dark matter candidates available from this enhancement point, and rule out both annihilating and decaying dark matter scenarios as explanations for the recent experiments PAMELA, ATIC and FERMI. In F-theory GUT models, a 10–100 MeV mass gravitino remains as the prime candidate for dark matter, thus suggesting an astrophysical origin for recent experimental signals.
The (better than expected) consequences of asking sensitive questions

Abstract Within a conversation, individuals balance competing objectives, such as the motive to gather information and the motive to create a favorable impression. Across five experimental studies (N = 1427), we show that individuals avoid asking sensitive questions because they believe that asking sensitive questions will make their conversational partners uncomfortable and cause them to form negative perceptions. We introduce the Communication Motives and Expectations Model and we demonstrate that the aversion to asking sensitive questions is often misguided. Question askers systematically overestimate the impression management and interpersonal costs of asking sensitive questions. In conversations with friends and with strangers and in both face-to-face and computer-mediated conversations, respondents formed similarly favorable impressions of conversational partners who asked sensitive questions (e.g., “How much is your salary?”) as they did of conversational partners who asked non-sensitive questions (e.g., “How do you get to work?”). We assert that individuals make a potentially costly mistake when they avoid asking sensitive questions, as they overestimate the interpersonal costs of asking sensitive questions.
Quantifying the enhancement mechanisms of surface-enhanced Raman scattering using a Raman bond model

In this work, a Raman bond model that partitions the Raman intensity to interatomic charge flow modulations or Raman bonds is extended from the static limit to frequency dependent cases. This model is based on damped response theory and, thus, enables a consistent treatment of off-resonance and resonance cases. Model systems consisting of pyridines and silver clusters are studied using time dependent density functional theory to understand the enhancement mechanisms of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The Raman bonds in the molecule, the inter-fragment bond, and the cluster are mapped to the enhancement contributions of the molecular resonance mechanism, the charge transfer mechanism, and the electromagnetic mechanism. The mapping quantifies the interference among the coupled mechanisms and interprets the electromagnetic mechanism as charge flow modulations in the metal. The dependence of the enhancement on the incident frequency, the molecule–metal bonding, and the applied electric field is interpreted and quantified. The Raman bond framework offers an intuitive and quantitative interpretation of SERS mechanisms.
Manufacturing accuracy and volumetric changes of stereolithography additively manufactured zirconia with different porosities.

Abstract Statement of problem When compared with subtractive fabricating methods, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are capable of fabricating complex geometries with different material porosities. However, the manufacturing accuracy and shrinkage of the stereolithography (SLA) AM zirconia with different porosities are unclear. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to measure the manufacturing accuracy and volumetric changes of AM zirconia specimens with porosities of 0%, 20%, and 40%. Material and methods A digital design of a bar (25×4×3 mm) was obtained by using an open-source software program (Blender, version 2.77a; The Blender Foundation). The standard tessellation language (STL) file was exported. Three groups were created based on the material porosity: 0% porosity (0% group), 20% porosity (20% group), and 40% porosity (40% group). The STL was used to manufacture all the specimens by using an SLA ceramic printer (CeraMaker 900; 3DCeram Co) and zirconia material (3DMix ZrO2 paste; 3DCeram Co) (n=20). After manufacturing, the specimens were cleaned of the green parts by using a semiautomated cleaning station. Subsequently, debinding procedures was completed in a furnace at 600 °C. The sintering procedures varied among the groups to achieve different porosities. For the 0% group, the ZrO2 was sintered in a furnace at 1450 °C, and for the 20% and 40% groups, the sintering temperature varied between 1450 °C and 1225 °C. The specimen dimensions (length, width, and height) were measured 3 times with digital calipers, and the mean value was determined. The manufacturing volume shrinkage (%) was calculated by using the digital design of the bar and the achieved AM dimensions of the specimens. The Shapiro-Wilk test revealed that the data were not normally distributed. Therefore, the data were analyzed by using the Kruskal-Wallis followed by pairwise Mann-Whitney U tests (α=.05). Results The Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated significant differences among the groups in length, width, and height (P Conclusions The 40%-porosity group obtained the highest manufacturing accuracy and the lowest manufacturing volume change, followed by the 20%-porosity and the 0%-porosity groups. An uneven manufacturing volume change in the x-, y-, and z-axis was observed. However, none of the groups tested were able to perfectly match the virtual design of the specimens.
The diadenylate cyclase, CdaA, is critical for Borrelia turicatae virulence and physiology.

R elapsing f ever (RF), caused by spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, is a globally distributed, vector-borne disease with high prevalence in developing countries. To date, signaling pathways required for infection and virulence of RF Borrelia spirochetes are unknown. C yclic di - AMP (c-di-AMP), synthesized by d i a denylate c yclases (DACs), is a second messenger predominantly found in Gram-positive organisms that is linked to virulence and essential physiological processes. Although Borrelia is Gram-negative, it encodes one DAC (CdaA), and its importance remains undefined. To investigate the contribution of c-di-AMP signaling in the RF bacterium, Borrelia turicatae, a cdaA mutant was generated. The mutant was significantly attenuated during murine infection, and genetic complementation reversed this phenotype. Because c-di-AMP is essential for viability in many bacteria, whole genome sequencing was performed on cdaA mutants, and single nucleotide polymorphisms identified potential suppressor mutations. Additionally, conditional mutation of cdaA confirmed that CdaA is important for normal growth and physiology. Interestingly, mutation of cdaA did not affect expression of homologs of virulence regulators whose levels are impacted by c-di-AMP signaling in the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi Finally, the cdaA mutant had a significant growth defect when grown with salts, at decreased osmolarity, and without pyruvate. While the salt treatment phenotype was not reversed by genetic complementation, possibly due to suppressor mutations, growth defects at decreased osmolarity and in media lacking pyruvate could be attributed directly to cdaA inactivation. Overall, these results indicate CdaA is critical for B. turicatae pathogenesis and link c-di-AMP to osmoregulation and central metabolism in RF spirochetes.
Seeing Through Clouds in Satellite Images.

This paper presents a neural-network-based solution to recover pixels occluded by clouds in satellite images. We leverage radio frequency (RF) signals in the ultra/super-high frequency band that penetrate clouds to help reconstruct the occluded regions in multispectral images. We introduce the first multi-modal multi-temporal cloud removal model. Our model uses publicly available satellite observations and produces daily cloud-free images. Experimental results show that our system significantly outperforms baselines by 8dB in PSNR. We also demonstrate use cases of our system in digital agriculture, flood monitoring, and wildfire detection. We will release the processed dataset to facilitate future research.
We get by with a little help from our friends: diversity begets diversity through shared adaptive genetic variation

Adaptive radiations involve astounding bursts of phenotypic, ecological, and species diversity. However, the microevolutionary processes that underlie the origins of these bursts are still poorly understood. We report the discovery of a cryptic wide-mouth intermediate scale-eating ecomorph in a sympatric radiation of Cyprinodon pupfishes which provides crucial information about the evolutionary and ecological transition from a widespread algae-eating generalist to a novel microendemic scale-eating specialist. We first show that this ecomorph occurs in sympatry with generalist C. variegatus and scale-eating specialist C. desquamator across several hypersaline lakes on San Salvador Island, Bahamas, but is genetically differentiated, morphologically distinct when reared in a common garden, and sometimes consumes scales. We then compared the timing of selective sweeps on shared and unique adaptive variants in both scale-eating species to characterize the evolutionary path to scale-eating. We predicted that adaptation to the intermediate C. sp. wide-mouth scale-eating niche aided in the rapid divergence of the more specialized scale-eater C. desquamator. Therefore, selection for shared adaptive variants should occur first in wide-mouth. Contrary to our prediction, four of the six sets of shared adaptive alleles in both scale-eating species swept significantly earlier in C. desquamator. Adaptive introgression from desquamator into the wide-mouth ancestor may have resulted in parallel evolution of their dietary niche. Conversely, no adaptive alleles for scale-eating were reused in a third sympatric molluscivore specialist C. brontotheriodes, despite sharing 9% of hard selective sweeps. Our work provides a microevolutionary framework for investigating how diversity begets diversity during adaptive radiation.
Utilizing unsupervised learning, multi-view imaging, and CNN-based attention facilitates cost-effective wetland mapping

Abstract The combination of Unmanned/Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) data and deep learning, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), offers robust new tools for precision land cover mapping. However, its successful application is highly dependent on local experiences that are rarely documented, resulting in practical limitations during implementation. Cost-effective deep learning frameworks for fast deployment are required. This study presents a deep learning adaptation framework, named Auto-UNet++, trying to streamline wetland mapping tasks (including training data labeling and organizing). The framework treats mapping tasks as an intact semantic segmentation pipeline and then integrates automatic strategies into each step to reduce human intervention. These automatic strategies are achieved by standard computer vision techniques, including multi-view (MV) imaging—highly overlapped UAV images over an area (for labeling/voting), unsupervised clustering (for labeling), multi-scale CNN (for feature extraction), and attention mechanism—a CNN design used to select informative features from input (for feature exploration/selection). The framework was tested on playa wetland mapping in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska, USA, with multispectral UAV datasets. Generally, the multi-scale CNN mapping task achieved a high of 87% overall accuracy and over 90% accuracy in water delineation. The results indicate that the multi-view and attention strategies have the potential to improve segmentation performance, and together with unsupervised learning, save considerable labor/expertise. Interestingly, evidence shows that the band/scale attention (weight) is adaptively associated with the land cover percentages per input image, indicating spatial contexts captured. This finding highlights the potential usages of the attention rule in automatic feature exploration, selection, and model interpretation. The framework illustrating a highly automated deep learning deployment on small MV datasets facilitates cost-effective wetland cover mapping. Although limitations exist, the study demonstrated the possibility of where/how conventional segmentation pipelines can be improved in typical UAV wetland mapping tasks. The framework and findings are useful for similar applications (including non-UAV studies) that only have limited time, labor, and expertise to implement sophisticated semantic segmentation models.
Introduction of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and time impact in an inpatient hematology/oncology service: Serial time and motion studies

e17507 Background: The impact of CPOE on inpatient hematology/oncology care is not well studied. CPOE has many benefits, but concerns exist about increased time required to enter electronic orders compared to handwritten orders. We hypothesized that CPOE would require more order-related time from caregivers, and reduce the amount of time for direct patient care. Methods: Physician assistants (PAs) enter all patient orders (except those for chemotherapy) and are the dedicated and exclusive care providers on this non-house staff service at the main Hospital of the University of Michigan Health System. We chose the PA service for observation as we could eliminate potential biases introduced by rotating house staff we observed in earlier studies. PAs were directly observed at -1, +3 and +8 months post implementation of a CPOE system (Sunrise Clinical Manager, Eclypsis, Atlanta GA). Dedicated observers used a data entry tool with a modified database (available on the Health IT Tools section at healthit.ahrq.go...
What Should Turkish Economists Do and How Should They Do It

This paper argues that the research Turkish economi sts do helps Turkey far less than it should, and too often it is done merel y to get published and not to most effectively solve the problems that Turkey fac es. It suggests two ways of dealing with such problems: one is for Turkish univ ersities to develop a new journal-ranking method focusing on a particular res earch niche, and to use that ranking to evaluate research; the second is a voucher system that would give Turkish demanders of Turkish economic research more direct control over what research is done. Each proposal would cha nge the incentive structure confronting Turkish economists, making what they want to do much more consistent with what Turkish society wants the m to do.
Oxygen delivery and uptake by peripheral tissues: physiology and pathophysiology.

During states of constant metabolic activity, normal tissues respond to changes in the delivery of O2 by adjusting their O2 extraction ratio. Patients with sepsis and MSOF are unable to adjust their peripheral O2 extraction, and so their O2 uptake varies with oxygen delivery even when delivery is high. By causing supply limitation of O2 uptake, this O2extraction disorder may promote further tissue injury. Data suggest that a peripheral O2 extraction defect may result from injury to the endothelial cell, leading to the loss of local vascular control of blood flow distribution. Until the mechanisms are fully understood, a rational clinical approach should seek to maximize systemic O2 delivery without jeopardizing cardiopulmonary management of the organ system failure.
Probabilistic noise identification and data cleaning

Real world data is never as perfect as we would like it to be and can often suffer from corruptions that may impact interpretations of the data, models created from the data, and decisions made based on the data. One approach to this problem is to identify and remove records that contain corruptions. Unfortunately, if only certain fields in a record have been corrupted then usable, uncorrupted data will be lost. We present LENS, an approach for identifying corrupted fields and using the remaining noncorrupted fields for subsequent modeling and analysis. Our approach uses the data to learn a probabilistic model containing three components: a generative model of the clean records, a generative model of the noise values, and a probabilistic model of the corruption process. We provide an algorithm for the unsupervised discovery of such models and empirically evaluate both its performance at detecting corrupted fields and, as one example application, the resulting improvement this gives to a classifier.
Mutants of the bacteriophage f2. 8. Control mechanisms for phage-specific syntheses.

Amber mutations in the coat protein cistron of the RNA phage f2 alter the normal process of control of synthesis both of viral RNA and of viral RNA polymerase. These effects depend on the position of the amber mutation and on the suppressor properties of the host bacterium. When infecting Su − bacteria, which lack a suppressor gene, mutants (sus-3) carrying an amber codon near the N-terminus of the virus coat protein cistron are pleiotropic. For initially little single- or double-stranded viral RNA or viral RNA polymerase is made, although the parental phage RNA is converted into a double-stranded form. Infection of bacterial hosts such as Su -II, which partially suppress the amber mutation, with the sus-3 mutant results in normal synthesis of single-stranded and 14 to 18 s double-stranded viral RNA. As in f2 wild-type infected cells, all enzymes needed for this synthesis are made very early in infection. However, late in infection, all available single-stranded viral RNA (including RNA from superinfecting wild-type phage) is converted to small (7 s) double-stranded RNA; this transformation is not merely the consequence of lack of viral coat protein to encapsulate the RNA, but is dependent on protein synthesis late in infection. These results provide support for the existence of a phage-induced enzyme (enzyme I) which converts single-stranded viral RNA into a double-stranded form. An amber mutant (sus-11) carrying a mutation near the middle of the virus coat protein cistron, makes, on both non-permissive hosts ( Su -II and Su − ), normal amounts of single-stranded RNA, but excess amounts of viral polymerase (enzyme I) and 7 s double-stranded RNA. These results are interpreted in terms of a model coupling genetic translation and transcription. Viral RNA is translated in two distinct states: as free (parental) RNA, which makes RNA polymerase(s); and as nascent messenger still bound to its double-stranded RNA template, which makes coat and other phage proteins synthesized late in infection. The translation into protein of the N-terminal region of the coat cistron is necessary for continued synthesis of the nascent messenger RNA. When RNA is synthesized, under conditions where insufficient coat protein is made, as in mutant-infected cells, single-stranded progeny RNA molecules appear analogous to parental RNA molecules and synthesize enzyme I.
Magnetic resonance studies of the interaction of spin-labeled creatine kinase with paramagnetic manganese-substrate complexes.

Abstract The interaction of paramagnetic Mn(II) with free radical covalently bound to the essential sulfhydryl group at the active site of creatine kinase from rabbit muscle has been investigated in the presence of ADP or ATP. The magnetic interaction is manifested by a decrease in the amplitude of the EPR spectrum of the spin label. By titration of this effect with MnADP and MnATP, respectively, the dissociation constants for the ternary enzyme-metal-nucleotide complexes were found to be unchanged from values previously determined for the unmodified enzyme: 0.064 ± 0.004 mm for MnADP and 0.13 ± 0.05 mm for MnATP. The amplitude of the EPR spectrum of the spin-labeled enzyme was suppressed to 6% and 19% of its initial value in the MnADP and MnATP complex, respectively. The enhancement of the proton relaxation rate of water due to the manganese in the ternary enzyme-manganese-nucleotide complexes were found to be 13 ± 2 for the ADP complex and 11 ± 2 for the ATP complexes, 38% and 15%, respectively, lower than the values for the complexes with unmodified enzyme. The distance between the Mn(II) and the nitroxide spin on the enzyme determined by the dipolar interaction between the two paramagnetic species could be estimated from the residual amplitudes of the EPR spectra and the correlation times (electron spin relaxation time of Mn(II) obtained from the enhancement of the proton relaxation rates. The distances were estimated to be 7.5 ± 1.5 A for the ADP complex and 11.5 ± 0.6 A for the ATP complex.
Chapter 13 - Interaction of sulphur with bimetallic surfaces: Effects of structural, electronic and chemical properties

This chapter discusses the interaction of sulphur with bimetallic surfaces and illustrates that several new interesting phenomena have been discovered about studying the interaction of sulphur with bimetallic surfaces using the modem techniques of surface science. Very small amounts of sulphur can induce dramatic changes in the morphology of bimetallic surfaces. The electronic perturbations associated with the formation of a heteronuclear metal–metal bond affect the reactivity of the bonded metals toward sulphur. This can be a very important issue to consider when trying to minimize the negative effects of sulphur poisoning or dealing with the design of desulphurization catalysts. There can be bimetallic systems in which alloy formation decreases the affinity for sulphur of both metals. This is a particularly interesting situation, useful for the design of catalysts with a high tolerance toward sulphur poisoning. This chapter presents an overview of all of these different phenomena.