cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High‐Throughput Pretreatment and Hydrolysis Systems for Screening Biomass Species in Aqueous Pretreatment of Plant Biomass

The primary barrier to low-cost biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to renewable fuels and chemicals is plant recalcitrance, that is to say, resistance of cell walls to deconstruction by enzymes or microbes [1,2]. However, the discovery and use of biomass species with reduced recalcitrance, when combined with optimized pretreatment processes and enzyme mixtures, could potentially improve the commercial viability of fuels and chemicals production from lignocellulosic biomass [3,4]. Unfortunately, the current understanding of biomass recalcitrance is limited, making it difficult to rationally select superior plant species without prior sugar release testing. As a result, there is a need to generate and screen a large variety of plants to identify those that exhibit both superior and sub-par sugar release. To this end, there are two central methodologies in generating and screening plants: (1) generation of mutants to see what effect targeted modifications have and (2) evaluation of natural variants to identify outliers for further characterization, in order to relate observed differences in behavior to structural features and biomass characteristics.
Plagues--what's past is present: thoughts on the origin and history of new infectious diseases

Medical science has made tremendous strides in overcoming infectious diseases in the 20th century. Despite this, several epidemics of previously unrecognized diseases have occurred during the last 15 years. These diseases include Lyme disease, Legionnaires' disease, toxic shock syndrome, and AIDS. Examination of past epidemics, including the plague of Athens, the black death, syphilis, and influenza, suggests that the sudden occurrence of diseases that were previously unrecognized is not unusual. Analysis of the new infectious disease indicates that while all four appeared suddenly, isolated cases of the disease occurred before the actual epidemic. Further, all four new diseases were found to be due to agents or toxins that were not previously recognized. Epidemics due to new infectious diseases may arise by several mechanisms, including mutation of the pathogen to a virulent form and introduction of an infectious agent into a nonimmune population. Environmental and behavioral factors may play an important role, as illustrated by toxic shock syndrome, Legionnaires' disease, and AIDS. On the other hand, epidemic diseases tend to abate over time because of changes in the infecting pathogen and in the host. Hence, epidemics can be seen as cycles; new diseases will arise periodically, occasionally with a devastating outcome. With time the effects of these diseases on the population will ameliorate. The cycle will begin again when a new disease emerges.
Signaling Mechanisms That Mediate Nitric Oxide Production Induced by Acetylcholine Exposure and Withdrawal in Cat Atrial Myocytes

Fluorescence microscopy and the NO-sensitive indicator 4,5-diaminofluorescein were used to determine the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on intracellular NO (NOi) in cat atrial myocytes. Field stimulation (1 Hz) of cells or exposure of quiescent cells to ACh (1 to 10 μmol/L) had no effect on NOi. However, in field-stimulated cells, ACh exposure increased NOi, and ACh withdrawal elicited an additional, prominent increase in NOi production. During ACh exposure, addition of 1 μmol/L atropine increased NOi production similar to ACh withdrawal. ACh-induced increases in NOi were reduced by prior exposure to 1 mmol/L extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) and prevented by 0.5 mmol/L [Ca2+]o, 1 μmol/L verapamil, 1 μmol/L atropine, 10 μmol/L L-N5-(1-iminoethyl)ornithine, 10 μmol/L W-7, or incubating cells in pertussis toxin or 10 μmol/L LY294002 (inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). Switching to 0.5 mmol/L [Ca2+]o during ACh withdrawal prevented the additional increase in NOi. ACh exposure increased phosphorylation (Ser4...
A paleoclimatic perspective on the 21st-century glacier loss on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Assessing the significance of current glacier loss on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, demands a well- constrained temporal perspective. That context is provided by direct measurements, ancillary observations of the ice fields and the analyses of the ice cores collected from them. Ice retreat mechanisms observed there today are consistent with the preservation of the oldest ice, 11.7 ka, in the central deepest part of the Northern Ice Field (NIF). This ice-core derived paleoclimate history published by Thompson and others (2002) is further confirmed by more recent paleoclimate records from tropical East Africa. Mounting evidence suggests that the (anticipated) loss of the entire NIF will be unprecedented within the past 10 000 years. New evidence bears directly on the mechanisms driving the current ice loss. Measurements made in 2000 on the NIF document that air temperature at 0.5 and 1.5 m above the surface remained below -58C, while a surface temperature of 0.08C was sustained for up to 8 hours d -1 under clear conditions, consistent with observations of melting on all Kilimanjaro summit ice fields. The linear relationship between oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios for all six ice cores drilled in 2000 lies very close to the global meteoric waterline and does not support sublimation (evaporation) as a major driver of ice loss today or in the past on Kilimanjaro.
Lymphocytes in the lung: should we continue to exalt only BALT?

Few lymphocytes are found in the normal human lung. Those cells that are present are found in four locations: (1) the pulmonary and hilar lymph nodes; (2) lymphoreticular aggregates in the parenchymal interstitium; (3) in the airway mucosa; and (4) within the airways (1). In certain disease states, such as influenza virus infection, sarcoidosis, or transplantation rejection, the number of lymphocytes in airways and lung increases dramatically. This influx of cells may be partly mediated by clonal expansion of resident lymphocytes, but it may also result from recruitment of lymphocytes from the blood. The mode of entry oflymphocytes into the lung has not been established, but it is thought to be similar to other tissues, involving the adherence of blood lymphocytes to specialized endothelium known as high endothelial venules (HEV). HEV express defined adhesion molecules known as addressins which bind to complementary adhesion molecules on lymphocytes. HEV are found only in defined sites in organized lymphoid tissue such as the lymph nodes and Peyer's patches in the gut (reviewed in reference 2). Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue, or BALT, is a term coined by Bienenstock and associates (reviewed in references 3 and 4) to describe organized lymphoid tissue found in the submucosal region of large airways, which appeared analogous to that seen in other mucosal tissues, especially Peyer's patches (gut-associated lymphoid tissue, GALT). Like GALT, BALT contains HEV and is the site of homing for IgA-committed B cells, though both T and B cells have been found in BALT. In addition to containing a meshwork of lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells, BALT is covered with a specialized epithelium which facilitates transport and processing of antigen from the airway lumen. Because of the presence of HEV, and because of studies showing translocation of blood lymphocytes into BALT (3), BALT is assumed to be important in the immune response to inhaled antigens and has been proposed to be the normal pathway for lymphocyte movement from blood to lung. BALThas been found in many mammalian species. BALT has been observed in normal human airways (1) and has been reported to be hyperplastic in patients with chronic respira-
Low voltage techniques for sub 100nm CMOS, RF transceivers

Sub 100 nm CMOS provides high f/sub T/ and f/sub max/ devices that offer many advantages for RFIC design. However, these benefits come with the necessity of using low supply voltages (/spl sim/1.2 V) and low resistivity substrates. In this paper, we describe circuit techniques for WLAN components (LNAs, synthesizers, filters and ADC front ends) that overcome these constraints while fully realizing the advantages of scaled CMOS.
Urban and rural traumatic brain injuries in Colorado.

Abstract PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury among urban and rural residents of Colorado. METHODS: Cases of traumatic brain injury (ICD 800, 801, 803, 804, 850–854) for 1991 and 1992 from the Colorado surveillance system of hospitalized and fatal traumatic brain injuries were used. Urban cases resided in counties designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as metropolitan statistical areas (MSA). Rural cases were divided into two groups: “rural, nonremote,” if the country of residence was adjacent to an MSA county or if it had a population of 2500, and “rural, remote,” if not. RESULTS: Average annual age-adjusted rates of hospitalized and fatal traumatic brain injury varied significantly from 97.8 per 100,000 population for the most urban group to 172.1 per 100,000 population for the residents of rural, remote counties. Similarly, total mortality ranged from 18.1 per 100,000 population among residents of the most urban counties to 33.8 among residents of rural, remote counties. Prehospital mortality ranged from 10.0 to 27.7 traumatic brain injuries per 100,000 population. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide justification for expanding efforts to prevent traumatic brain injury to include the small, but high-risk group of residents in rural areas.
Surface tension of random copolymer melts

A mean-field theory is presented to describe the surface tension and interfacial profile of random A-B multiblock copolymer melts in contact with air or a solid substrate. The copolymer model accounts for variations in average composition and block sequence distribution, and reduces to a model for statistical copolymers as the block size approaches that of a monomer. Ideal copolymers lacking chemical correlations between successive segments are predicted to have a larger surface tension than «blocky» copolymers with a tendency for repeated segments of A or B
Intracellular mediators of c-fos induction.

Transcription of the c-fos proto-oncogene is rapidly and transiently induced in cells exposed to a remarkably wide range of external stimuli, including growth and differentiation factors, neurotransmitters, drugs, and mechanical stimuli (for review, see Curran 1988). These diverse agents act on cells through a series of divergent signal transduction pathways. Activation of many of these pathways triggers c-fos transcription. These pathways include those involving protein kinase C, calcium, and cAMP. Our work concerns the molecular mechanisms through which extracellular signals are communicated to the c-fos gene. Here, we report on our efforts to identify cis-acting c-fos sequences responsive to distinct intracellular signaling pathways, the identification of cellular DNA-binding proteins that interact with these sequences, and the use of microinjection to dissect and block individual signaling pathways that act on the c-fos gene.
Ventilation time scales of the North Atlantic subtropical cell revealed by coral radiocarbon from the Cape Verde Islands

We present coral- and sclerosponge-based reconstructions of the 14C content in North Atlantic dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) during the last ~100 years from the subtropical cells (STCs). These waters are sensitive to the dynamics of the shallow overturning meridional circulation that transports heat and water masses from the subtropics to the tropics. We use these records to investigate the circulation patterns of the off-equatorial upwelling regions of the STCs, which are not well understood. Coral and sclerosponge skeletons provide long time series of ocean DIC 14C content, a tracer of oceanic circulation, effectively extending the observational record back in time. Sclerosponge data from the Bahamas were used to extend the existing subtropical 14C time series to the 21st century. Coral 14C data from the Cape Verde Islands (1890–2002) captured the 14C signature of water brought to the surface in the off-equatorial regions of the STC present near the West African coast. We observe a unique postbomb trend at Cape Verde that is similar to the upwelling regions in the Pacific, and we interpret this trend as the result of the slow penetration of bomb 14C into the interior ocean as part of the STC circulation. Using a multibox mixing model we constrain the time history of bomb 14C in the eastern tropical Atlantic, and we estimate a 20 year time scale for ventilation of the thermocline in this area of the ocean. The similarity between the Atlantic and Pacific 14C-based records of upwelling suggests that both are caused by bomb 14C penetration rather than more complex explanations that invoke changes in thermocline depth (e.g., related to El Nino–Southern Oscillation variability) or changes in the strength of the subtropical cells. Our results offer constraints for models of tropical ocean circulation and anthropogenic CO2 uptake that attempt to reproduce the characteristics of the shallow wind-driven circulation in the Atlantic.
A tale of two hands: children's early gesture use in narrative production predicts later narrative structure in speech

Speakers of all ages spontaneously gesture as they talk. These gestures predict children's milestones in vocabulary and sentence structure. We ask whether gesture serves a similar role in the development of narrative skill. Children were asked to retell a story conveyed in a wordless cartoon at age five and then again at six, seven, and eight. Children's narrative structure in speech improved across these ages. At age five, many of the children expressed a character's viewpoint in gesture, and these children were more likely to tell better-structured stories at the later ages than children who did not produce character-viewpoint gestures at age five. In contrast, framing narratives from a character's perspective in speech at age five did not predict later narrative structure in speech. Gesture thus continues to act as a harbinger of change even as it assumes new roles in relation to discourse.
Identification of Mutations in Caenorhabditis Elegans That Cause Resistance to High Levels of Dietary Zinc and Analysis Using a Genomewide Map of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Scored by Pyrosequencing

Zinc plays many critical roles in biological systems: zinc bound to proteins has structural and catalytic functions, and zinc is proposed to act as a signaling molecule. Because zinc deficiency and excess result in toxicity, animals have evolved sophisticated mechanisms for zinc metabolism and homeostasis. However, these mechanisms remain poorly defined. To identify genes involved in zinc metabolism, we conducted a forward genetic screen for chemically induced mutations that cause Caenorhabditis elegans to be resistant to high levels of dietary zinc. Nineteen mutations that confer significant resistance to supplemental dietary zinc were identified. To determine the map positions of these mutations, we developed a genomewide map of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that can be scored by the high-throughput method of DNA pyrosequencing. This map was used to determine the approximate chromosomal position of each mutation, and the accuracy of this approach was verified by conducting three-factor mapping experiments with mutations that cause visible phenotypes. This is a generally applicable mapping approach that can be used to position a wide variety of C. elegans mutations. The mapping experiments demonstrate that the 19 mutations identify at least three genes that, when mutated, confer resistance to toxicity caused by supplemental dietary zinc. These genes are likely to be involved in zinc metabolism, and the analysis of these genes will provide insights into mechanisms of excess zinc toxicity.
Film Pedagogy in the History Classroom: Desktop Documentary-Making Skills for History Teachers and Students

The emergence of digital technology provides new opportunities for teaching and learning in the history classroom. However, these new opportunities often require new skills to be learned by teachers and students alike. This article focuses on one such digitally oriented strategy, desktop documentary making, which empowers students to easily make historical documentaries as a classroom project. Included in this article is an explanation of the benefits of desktop documentary making in the history classroom, the necessary cinematic skills required for students to make quality films, and examples of classroom strategies that teachers may effectively incorporate desktop documentary making into the classroom.
Nonlinear stochastic filtering using global transformations

A new approach for solving the nonlinear filtering problem is introduced. This approach is based on the concept of exact linearization using global transformation techniques. Using this concept, a nonlinear stochastic system can be transformed, using a suitable mapping, to an equivalent linear stochastic system for which well developed linear filtering techniques can be applied. Sufficient conditions for the existence of such a mapping are derived and the benefits of the work are illustrated via an example.
Connecting Youth Violence Prevention, Positive Youth Development, and Community Mobilization

Several disconnects serve to weaken the use of evidence based programming in community settings. Communities face the need to address the challenges of multiple risk behaviors faced by adolescents in their communities, but must also work to support successful transitions to adulthood and the broader positive development of their youth. The stronger integration of positive youth development and prevention of youth risk at the community level may offer an opportunity to support the implementation and ongoing development of evidence-based practices (EBPs). This article provides an overview of the VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development Institute's community mobilization effort in Richmond, Virginia and reports preliminary findings from our integrated mobilization efforts. First, we review the role of our Community Advisory Council in their collaborative work to support positive youth development and reduce risk for youth violence. Next, we present examples of institute efforts in providing technical assistance relevant to supporting the use and development of EBPs. We then discuss the adaptation of an evidence-based program to target positive youth development. We also present overviews from qualitative investigations examining barriers and supports that inform and are relevant to the implementation of EBPs. Finally, we consider ways in which community efforts inform and shape institute efforts to develop EPBs. Taken together, these activities provide examples of how community-based mobilization efforts can integrate and inform the implementation of EBPs and the role and use of prevention science as a tool in supporting effective programming to promote positive youth development and prevent youth violence.
Culture Warrior: Scalia’s Fight for (Selective) Religious Rights

America, according to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, is a Christian nation. Our history, traditions, and culture embrace acknowledgment of the existence of a monotheistic higher power. However, these venerated traditions have come under attack from a group of activist judges looking to secularize the American public realm, or so Scalia would have us believe. For Scalia, the rights associated with American citizenship are part of a system of ordered liberty, and thus first require self-discipline on the part of the potential rights-bearer. Religion, when fully acknowledged and respected in the public realm, is crucial to maintaining this self-discipline. Scalia believes that the loss of religion in the public sphere is the loss of a key institution for fostering self-discipline that allows for a system based on ordered liberty to flourish. Thus, Scalia’s Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause jurisprudence embody Scalia’s attempts to maintain religion’s role in the public realm, and in so doing, concretize his vision of American identity. However, in that rights are intractably linked to national identity, Scalia’s vision involves defending “proper” forms of religion, while expelling inappropriate forms of religion — and worse, secularism - from the public realm. For Scalia, the appropriateness of religion and public religious expression depends on its ability to foster the conditions of self-discipline necessary to support a conception of America as a nation premised upon ordered liberty. In this essay, I examine Scalia’s Free Exercise and Establishment Clause jurisprudence to better understand Scalia’s view of the proper role of religion in society. More importantly, I connect his view of religion to his take on rights and the construction of American identity. Scalia’s vision regarding proper American identity further shapes which religious groups should be granted accommodations, and which ones should be regulated to force compliance with his vision. When Scalia’s religion-clause jurisprudence is compared with his take on rights for other minority groups, his articulation of a fully-formed conception of the American nation is revealed. This conception enables a robust comprehension of Scalia’s rights jurisprudence, as well as the seeming contradictions in his approach to rights for various minority groups and for religious groups (or individuals) claiming persecution. I engage in textual analysis of Scalia’s religion-clause jurisprudence, finding what themes he uses in rights-based cases, and how these themes vary in cases based on religious claims for accommodation. I argue that Scalia’s conception of ordered liberty, and America as a nation that needs to acknowledge religion in the public realm, explains his religion-clause jurisprudence and is consistent with his rejection of rights claims in other areas of the law, albeit in non-obvious ways.
The Archival and Library Viewpoints of a Collection in a Digital Environment: Is There Any Room for Compromise?.

This article explores the archivists' and librarians' definition of a collection, and how they respectively arrange their collections in the context of collection development and collection management issues in a digital library. It centers on possible cooperative solutions and highlights, as a case study, the efforts of the Auburn University Digital Projects Committee to meet these challenging collection issues.
Forest seral stage and large woody debris abundance in an Allegheny High Plateau foreststream system.

ABSTRACT: Large woody debris (LWD) in the form of standing dead trees and down logs is an important structural and functional component of forest ecosystems and is a key factor linking riparian forests and streams. We examined the influence of forest seral stage (old-growth vs. second-growth forest) on terrestrial (snags and down logs) and in-stream LWD abundance in a riparian forest-stream system in Cook Forest State Park, Pennsylvania. Snag density, but not basal area, was significantly greater in second-growth forest due to elevated mortality of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.). Abundance of both terrestrial and in-stream LWD was significantly greater in the old-growth forest-stream system than in second-growth. Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr., strongly dominated the volume of both terrestrial and in-stream LWD in the old-growth stand and adjacent stream reaches. Terrestrial and in-stream LWD loadings that we recorded are similar to loadings occurring in forest-stream systems elsewher...
Socrates: an environment for high performance computing

This paper describes the Socrates system under development in the Computer Sciences Department at Purdue University. Socrates is a generic problem solving environment for high performance computing. It allows consistent management of hardware and software resources in a heterogeneous computing environment. An instance of the Socrates environment for structural biology applications is presented.
A Novel Wave Equation Solver to Increase the Efficiency of Full Waveform Inversion

Summary Full waveform inversion (FWI) is a computationally demanding procedure to estimate the velocity model for seismic imaging. We develop a new method to reduce computational cost of FWI by approximating the gradient vector and Hessian matrix with the help of a new forward solver. The proposed solver is based on special interface conditions that facilitate sequential solution of the wavefield, which is a good approximation of that from full wave equation. The proposed approximation, when incorporated into FWI framework, does not affect the convergence and improves FWI efficiency.
Polarographic Behavior of Osmium (VIII) in Several Supporting Electrolytes

The Polarographic behavior of osmium tetroxide in several electrolytes and buffers has been studied. Osmium(VIII) yields three waves in some media, the second step being less irreversible than the third. The irreversible character is supported by current-time curves and single sweep cyclic voltammograms. Rate constants are reported.
Oral flecainide acetate for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias

The antiarrhythmic efficacy and safety of oral flecainide acetate were assessed during a controlled, short-term dosage-maintenance study. Thirteen patients with chronic ventricular ectopy entered a placebo control period, and 11 with persistent, frequent (greater than 600 per 12 hours) premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) advanced to drug therapy. Of 10 patients completing a trial of different doses, nine responded completely, with a mean PVC suppression of 98,3 per cent. Repetitive PVCs were eliminated. The mean effective dose was 189 mg per 12 hours, and the effective plasma concentration before administration of a dose averaged 635 ng per milliliter. One patient responded partially (68 per cent of PVCs suppressed). Flecainide continued to be effective and well tolerated at the end of a two-week outpatient trial in the nine complete responders, maintaining an average PVC suppression of 94.6 per cent. The PR and QRS intervals were mildly prolonged. The echocardiographic ejection fraction was unchanged during treatment. The elimination half-life was long - 18.8 +/- 3.8 hours. Flecainide thus appears to be a highly effective and well-tolerated antiarrhythmic agent with favorable pharmacokinetics.
Reply to Gangestad’s (2016) Comment on Wood, Kressel, Joshi, and Louie (2014)

Wood, Kressel, Joshi, and Louie’s (2014) meta-analysis of menstrual cycle influences on mate preferences identified three artifacts that influenced study findings: imprecise estimates of the fertile phase, decline over time, and publication effects. These artifacts also were evident in another recent meta-analysis by Gildersleeve, Haselton, and Fales (2014a). This consistent evidence of artifacts is not challenged by Gildersleeve et al.’s (2014b) failure to find another artifact–chasing significance levels. In addition, Wood et al. correctly coded the findings of Gangestad and colleagues’ research, given the variation in their reporting formats and inclusion criteria, which in some studies included only 54% of the sample. The controversy over menstrual cycle effects could be beneficial in increasing interest in publishing null results as well as in identifying evolutionary models that build on women’s capacity to regulate reproduction according to societal roles.
Determination of boron in flour food by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy

Objective:To establish a method for Determination of Boron in fLour food by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy.Methods: The Boron in fLour food was detected by ETAAS with Pd coated tube after wasinvestigated.Results: The detection limit of the method was15.4 μg,the recoveries of 74%～95% when dopant concentration was from 12.4 μg/g to 71.4 μg/g,RSD was1.1%～9.1%,and the linearity of this methhod was 0.9992.Conclusion: The method of determination of Boron in fLour food by ETAAS was low disturb,easy to operated and accurate.It can be used in research of the Boron in fLour food,especially to be used in the detectation of Borax in foodstuff indirect.
Perineal transpubic repair: a technique for treating post-traumatic prostatomembranous urethral strictures.

AbstractA perineal, 1-stage, end-to-end anastomotic repair is the preferred method to treat short (2cm. or less) prostatomembranous urethral strictures. For longer strictures a combined perineal and abdominal transpubic approach is required. We describe a technique that has allowed a 1-stage perineal repair of such strictures, up to 5cm. long, by wedge excision of the inferior portion of the pubis. This technique has been used in 4 patients with prostatomembranous strictures 2 to 5cm. long. The results were uniformly good in all of these patients.
Kinetics of continuous fermentation and stripping of ethanol

A pilot plant consisting of a 30-liter fermenter, and a 10-cm packed column with a blower and condenser to recover ethanol vapors was operated continuously for 185 days. On-line washing of the packing in the column twice weekly with condensed ethanol from the process (approximately 45% v/v) controlled fouling by attached yeast cells. Steady-state glucose consumption rates of up to 800 gh-1, condensed ethanol production rates of up to 26 l/day, and consistently high ethanol yield of approximately 0.50 gg-1 glucose were observed. Data from the pilot plant showed that the primary inhibitory effect of ethanol on the steady-state fermenter performance was to decrease the cell yield, while the specific glucose consumption rate was almost unaffected by ethanol concentrations up to 65 gl-1. A new kinetic model is introduced to represent these effects.
Historical context and insights for criticisms of the 21st century business school

ABSTRACTMany 21st century writers have articulated serious criticisms of the university-based business school. To have a complete understanding of the roots of these concerns and the viability of potential responses, we must see the business school in the context of the greater university—an institution with over 800 years of traditions and values. Seeing the 21st century university-based business school in this context informs us that many of the current-day criticisms are neither new nor unique to business schools. Without seeing the business school in this broader context, solutions offered by some critics are unlikely to gain sufficient traction to be successful. Fortunately, however, the lessons of history also provide the criteria for a solution that will succeed.
The Surface of Protein λ6-85 Can Act as a Template for Recurring Poly(ethylene glycol) Structure.

PEGylated proteins play an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical drug delivery. We recently showed that short poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains can affect protein structure, even when they are not making extensive contact with the protein surface. In contrast, PEG is generally thought to form a relatively unstructured coil, and its compactness depends on solvent conditions. Here we test whether a host protein could allow PEG to form recurrent structural motifs while the PEG chain is in contact with the protein surface. We link a PEG oligomer (n = 45) to one of two nearly opposite locations on the small α-helical protein λ6–85 to investigate this question. We first demonstrate experimentally that in these particular positions, PEG does not significantly affect the thermodynamic stability or folding kinetics of λ6–85. We then use several all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations 1 μs in duration to show how PEG equilibrates between states extending into the solvent and states packed onto the pro...
Multimicrometer Noncovalent Monolayer Domains on Layered Materials through Thermally Controlled Langmuir–Schaefer Conversion for Noncovalent 2D Functionalization

As functionalized 2D materials are incorporated into hybrid materials, ensuring large-area structural control in noncovalently adsorbed films becomes increasingly important. Noncovalent functionalization avoids disrupting electronic structure in 2D materials; however, relatively weak molecular interactions in such monolayers typically reduce stability toward solution processing and other common material handling conditions. Here, we find that controlling substrate temperature during Langmuir–Schaefer conversion of a standing phase monolayer of diynoic amphiphiles on water to a horizontally oriented monolayer on a 2D substrate routinely produces multimicrometer domains, at least an order of magnitude larger than those typically achieved through drop-casting. Following polymerization, these highly ordered monolayers retain their structures during vigorous washing with solvents including water, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, and toluene. These findings point to a convenient and broadly applicable strategy for non...
A Home-Based Orientation and Mobility Program for Infants and Toddlers.

This article describes the development and implementation of a home-based orientation and mobility (O&M) program for blind and visually impaired infants and toddlers. A model for the attainment of ...
Application of remote sensing to monitoring and studying dispersion in ocean dumping

Experiments conducted in the coastal waters of the United States indicate that plumes resulting from ocean dumping of sewage sludge and industrial wastes have distinguishable spectral characteristics. Remotely sensed wide area synoptic coverage provides information on these pollution features that is not readily available from other sources. Results indicate that qualitative analysis techniques may be used for the location, identification, and mapping of plumes resulting from ocean dumping of waste materials. An in-scene background elimination technique was developed that “normalizes” atmospheric and other environmental effects, thereby potentially providing a means of plume identification that is independent of the specific scene and the multispectral scanner used. Application of this technique to data from several experiments demonstrates that plumes resulting from sewage sludge and several industrial wastes have distinctive spectral characteristics over a range of environmental conditions and for two multispectral scanners flown on aircraft at altitudes of 3.0 and 19.7 kilometers.
Scope and Markets For Medical Implants

Medical devices are used routinely in the practice of medicine not only in the United States but throughout the world. The use of polymers, metals, ceramics and composite materials in the formulation of medical devices dates back centuries to the use of plant and animal skins for the amelioration of pathological conditions that resulted from mechanical, chemical or pathogenic trauma to tissues and organs. The word ‘device’ as defined by the US Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA) includes any instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or a combination of these elements that is intended for diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a disease (Phelps and Dormer, 1986). Materials such as synthetic and natural polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites of these materials are by themselves not considered devices and are approved by the FDA when formulated into an end-use device. Prior to 1976, the use of medical devices was unregulated in the US. In 1976, the US Congress enacted the Medical Device Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which called for the regulation of three classes of devices. Class I devices are those that present little or no risk to the user. Class II devices present some risk and are subject to performance standards while class III devices are the most dangerous and require pre-market approval prior to their widespread distribution.
Survival benefit of obesity in stage IV colorectal cancer: Better tolerability of chemotherapy?

e15629Background: Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) and has long been associated with increased mortality of CRC. However, recent studies have shown that...
Comparative pathogenicity of different subtypes of duck hepatitis A virus in Pekin ducklings

Duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV) is a major pathogen of viral hepatitis in ducks, which is a fatal and contagious disease of young ducklings. Despite the identification of numerous DHAV strains (e.g. DHAV-3, DHAV-2, DHAV-1 and DHAV-1a), the pathogenic differences among the different subtypes have not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare the pathogenic properties of three epidemic strains DHAV-3, DHAV-1, and DHAV-1a in mainland China, in a Pekin duckling infection model. We evaluated the pathogenicity of these different subtypes by investigating clinical signs, macroscopic and microscopic lesions, immunohistochemical examination, and viral RNA detection after experimental inoculation of Pekin ducklings with the three different DHAV strains. There was no significant difference in pathogenicity between DHAV-3 and DHAV-1. Pathogenicity of DHAV-1a differed significantly from that of classical duck hepatitis A (DHAV-3 or DHAV-1), in that there were no clinical signs of opisthotonos. More importantly, pancreatic bleeding or yellowing, and spleen swelling and bleeding were the predominant lesions in the DHAV-1a group, while liver and spleen lesions were the main signs in classical hepatitis (DHAV-1/3). Our findings indicate that there are differences in the pathogenicity of different subtypes of DHAV in ducklings, which may be useful for understanding the biological characteristics of the different subtypes of DHAV in ducks.
From Assessment to Activism: Utilizing a Justice-Informed Framework to Guide Spiritual and Religious Clinical Interventions

It is well documented that spirituality and religion can both positively and negatively impact mental health and couple and family relationships. Yet integrating spiritual and religious interventions into clinical training programs and addressing the impact of clinician values and beliefs on this therapeutic process remain a significant challenge. A case is made for the necessity of a post-oppositional approach to these contextual challenges. Toward this end, a justice-informed framework for spiritual and religious resilience is presented with specific assessment questions and clinical interventions. Interventions draw on ethically utilizing therapeutic power to collaborate or counter clients’ oppressive or empowering spiritual and religious coping, beliefs, and community engagement. A supervision case example is utilized to expand upon the framework and illustrate how clinicians can ethically navigate a post-oppositional stance to provide therapeutic interventions that support more hopeful and empowering religious or spiritual practices and beliefs.
Left Ventricular Assist Device Outflow Graft Compression: Incidence, Clinical Associations and Potential Etiologies

ABSTRACT Background Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have revolutionized the treatment of advanced heart failure, but proliferation of device therapy has unmasked potential complications. Reports have emerged of outflow graft narrowing due to extrinsic compression. Methods and Results The records of patients with LVADs that had been implanted at our institution were reviewed. Those who had postimplantation computed tomography angiographies sufficient to analyze the outflow graft lumen were identified, and the studies were analyzed to characterize the outflow graft lumen. We identified 241 patients; 110 (46%) had suitable computed tomography angiographies. Of those, 15 (14%) had evidence of outflow graft lumen narrowing, all in HeartMate devices and all within the portion covered by the bend relief. Of the 15, 3 underwent invasive examination, all without intraluminal thrombus but, rather, with biodebris between the bend relief and the outflow graft. Patients with HeartWare devices had a wide range of biodebris accumulation surrounding the outflow graft but no cases of lumen narrowing. On multivariable analysis, 1) time from device implant to scan, 2) nonischemic cardiomyopathy and 3) age at implant were significantly associated with higher risk of graft narrowing. Conclusion Outflow graft narrowing can be seen in a number of patients with HeartMate LVADs within the portion covered by the bend relief. In the limited number of patients who underwent invasive evaluation, the narrowing was found to arise from extrinsic compression rather than intraluminal thrombus. The clinical significance of this requires further investigation.
Economic Theory to Visualize the Value of Design: a Case Study on The User’s Perception of Value

Following John Heskett (2017), this paper posits that economic value cannot be defined without transcending and acknowledging the user as its source. His research presents economic theory linked to the value creation process applicable to study the value of design. This paper proposes that economic theory can be used to evaluate the impact of design when understanding and interpreting the subjective perception of value. A plan for a cross-sectional case study is explained to collect and analyze qualitative data in two stages with a means-end theory approach. This research aims to: (1) Understand the user’s perception of value, (2) Evaluate the impact of design by reflecting on economic theory and (3) Analyze the relationship between design and economics regarding economic value to contribute to the business of design. It may lead to the development of an evaluation model to guide organizations towards the creation or improvement of products, services or systems with a better understanding and a more measured perception of how users perceive value for decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Clinical Utility of Next-Generation Sequencing in Molecular Diagnosis of Human Genetic Diseases

Before the advent of next-generation massively parallel sequencing (MPS), Sanger sequencing for many years has been the gold standard for the identification of unknown mutations in candidate genes. However, since the introduction of high-throughput massively parallel sequencing for clinical diagnostics, the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has revolutionized the molecular diagnosis of human inherited disorders. This new technology provides a broad spectrum of clinically relevant features at different levels of mutation detection, cost, and turnaround time. Nevertheless, the complex technologies involved, novel analytical and bioinformatics pipelines, and the challenges of nucleotide variant interpretation are difficult topics for general clinicians to understand fully. Yet, a better grasp of these subjects is needed in order to choose the most effective diagnostic approach and to convey the complex results to their patients appropriately. This chapter describes the frequently asked questions and answers related to the clinical utility of NGS-based molecular diagnostic tests in the hope that clinicians in all medical specialties better understand what NGS technology can deliver for the molecular diagnosis of human genetic disorders.
P53 and The Immune Response: 40 Years of Exploration—A Plan for the Future

The p53 field was born from a marriage of the techniques of cancer virus research and immunology. Over the past 40 years, it has followed the path of cancer research. Now cancer treatments are turning to immunotherapy, and there are many hints of the role of the p53 protein in both the regulation of the innate immune system and as an antigen in adaptive immune responses. The p53 gene and protein are part of the innate immune system, and play an important role in infectious diseases, senescence, aging, and the surveillance of repetitive DNA and RNAs. The mutant form of the p53 protein in cancers elicits both a B-cell antibody response (a tumor antigen) and a CD-8 killer T-cell response (a tumor-specific transplantation antigen). The future will take the p53-immune response field of research into cancer immunotherapy, autoimmunity, inflammatory responses, neuro-degeneration, aging, and life span, and the regulation of epigenetic stability and tissue regeneration. The next 40 years will bring the p53 gene and its proteins out of a cancer focus and into an organismic and environmental focus.
Combination therapy with sorafenib and celecoxib for pediatric patients with desmoid tumor.

To the editorDesmoid tumors, also known as aggressive fibromatosis, are local tumors of mesenchymal origin that may cause significant morbidity due to their infiltrative nature.1,2 Risk factors for...
A canine thermal model for simulating temperature responses of military working dogs

Military working dogs (MWDs) are often required to operate in dangerous or extreme environments, to include hot and humid climate conditions. These scenarios can put MWD at significant risk of heat injury. To address this concern, a two-compartment (core, skin) rational thermophysiological model was developed to predict the temperature of a MWD during rest, exercise, and recovery. The Canine Thermal Model (CTM) uses inputs of MWD mass and length to determine a basal metabolic rate and body surface area. These calculations are used along with time series inputs of environmental conditions (air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation and wind velocity) and level of metabolic intensity (MET) to predict MWD thermoregulatory responses. Default initial values of core and skin temperatures are set at neutral values representative of an average MWD; however, these can be adjusted to match known or expected individual temperatures. The rational principles of the CTM describe the heat exchange from the metabolic energy of the core compartment to the skin compartment by passive conduction as well as the application of an active control for skin blood flow and to tongue and lingual tissues. The CTM also mathematically describes heat loss directly to the environment via respiration, including panting. Thermal insulation properties of MWD fur are also used to influence heat loss from skin and gain from the environment. This paper describes the CTM in detail, outlining the equations used to calculate avenues of heat transfer (convective, conductive, radiative and evaporative), overall heat storage, and predicted responses of the MWD. Additionally, this paper outlines examples of how the CTM can be used to predict recovery from exertional heat strain, plan work/rest cycles, and estimate work duration to avoid overheating.