cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allocation of above-ground growth is related to light in temperate deciduous saplings

Summary 1 Allocational shifts in response to light may be an important factor in allowing plants to survive in shade, while increasing their extension rates and competitive ability in sun. To investigate this response, the allocation of above-ground growth between leaves, branches and stems was studied in saplings of Acer pensylvanicum L. and Castenea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. in the Appalachian mountains of western Virginia, USA. Measurements of current leaf biomass, current and past year leaf numbers and the growth ring widths of branches and stem were used to estimate biomass partitioning for saplings growing in locations ranging from forest understorey to large openings. 2 Both species showed higher leaf area per unit leaf biomass (SLA) and higher allocation of above-ground growth to leaves in shade than in sun. 3 There were no differences between species in the slopes of the relationships of allocation and SLA vs estimated irradiance, but SLA was significantly greater in A. pensylvanicum than in C. dentata at a given light level. Hence, somewhat lower production per unit leaf area is required to maintain the canopy in A. pensylvanicum, consistent with foresters’ ratings of greater shade tolerance for this species. 4 Greater foliar allocation in shade than sun has also been observed in broad-leaved evergreen saplings, but generally not in seedlings. This difference is probably related to differences in size and age between seedlings and saplings. Young seedlings typically show exponential growth with no immediate foliar losses, while shaded saplings lie closer to the steady state where new leaves replace old ones with little additional stem growth. 5 Thus trees shift their allocation patterns in an acclimatory fashion, depending on their size and light environment, with the costs of replacing senesced leaves becoming of consequence as juveniles age.
Delayed Rupture of a Splenic Artery Pseudoaneurysm After Biliopancreatic Diversion

Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm (SAP) is a known but rare complication of pancreatitis and blunt abdominal trauma. SAP caused by operative trauma has been rarely reported. We present a patient who presented with massive upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleed in shock. On exploratory laparotomy, a SAP was diagnosed. He must have sustained injury to his splenic artery while undergoing reinforcement of sleeve gastrectomy during an open biliary pancreatic diversion procedure 2 years back. Alternatively, the prolene suture might have eroded into the splenic artery to cause the SAP. Literature on iatrogenic SAP is reviewed. SAP should be considered in patients with history of foregut surgery with GI bleed and equivocal endoscopic findings.
Vertically aligned VO2(B) nanobelt forest and its three-dimensional structure on oriented graphene for energy storage

Assembling two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials into an ordered forest structure that provides an easily accessible large surface area and/or chemically active 2D edges will present numerous opportunities, including as electrodes for energy storage. We report a densely packed vertically aligned VO2(B) nanobelt (NB) based forest structure synthesized by a solvothermal method using a vertically oriented graphene (VOG) network as the underlying support. We further expanded this forest structure into a folded three-dimensional (3D) forest structure using VOG-covered metallic foam as the scaffold. To demonstrate its potential, this free-standing 3D ordered structure built from 2D nanomaterials was directly used as the electrode for lithium-ion batteries. Excellent performance was confirmed by a stable discharge capacity of 178 mA h g−1 at a current density of 10 A g−1 (or a rate of 59 C) and 100 mA h g−1 at 27 A g−1 (300 C), contributed by both lithium ion intercalation into the crystal lattice and surface-related pseudocapacitance. A high cycling stability over 2000 cycles under a high current density was also demonstrated. We expect that our method can be expanded to synthesize 2D sheet based forest structures of other layered oxides and hydroxides by using VOG as a versatile platform for numerous applications such as energy storage and catalytic energy conversion.
Cerebrovascular Changes in Patients With Headache During Antiserotoninergic Treatment

SYNOPSISCBF and cerebral vasomotor responses to 5% CO2 and 100%O2 inhalation were evaluated in 88 patients with headache (56 migraineurs, 17 cluster, 15 non-vascular) before and during acute versus chronic administration of (1) methysergide (single dose 0.047 mg/kg for acute and 0.071 mg/kg/day for chronic) or (2) cyproheptadine (single dose 0.092 mg/kg for acute and 0.139 mg/kg/day for chronic). Acute treatment with methysergide produced decreases [−4.5%] in F1 values (fast or gray matter flow). Chronic treatment (3–12 weeks) produced increases (%7.9%). These CBF changes only occurred among migraineurs and were not seen in cluster and non-vascular headache patients. In migraineurs methysergide induced F1 increases were asymmetric between hemispheres. This asymmetry was not seen in patients with non-vascular headache. Methysergide induced biphasic F1 changes specific for migraineurs, implies rapid and excessive stimulation of cerebrovascular serotoninergic receptors, followed by excessive and asymmetric blockade. Acute treatment with cyproheptadine produced increases (+3.9%) in F1 values. Chronic treatment (3–12 weeks) produced decreases (−8.6%) Since cyproheptadine is Known to alter cholinergic, histaminergic and serotonergic receptors, it is concluded that acute cyproheptadine treatment may stimulate and chronic treatment may block both cholinergic and histaminergic receptors so that any serotonergic effects in the opposite direction are masked. Vasomotor responses were not altered in any of the headache groups by either methysergide or cyproheptadine, so that serotoninergic receptors do not appear to participate in excessive cerebral vasodilator CO2 responses seen in migraineurs.
Lunar Surface Magnetometer

The lunar surface magnetometer is one of five instruments in the Apollo lunar surface experiments package (ALSEP). It measures three components of the vector magnetic field in the range 0 to 400? with a resolution of 0.2? and a frequency response from dc to 3 Hz. This instrument also has a gradient measuring capability, making it an automatic magnetic observatory on the lunar surface. The magnetometer experiment deployed by Astronauts Conrad and Bean on Apollo 12 has measured a steady magnetic field of approximately 36? on the lunar surface. During each lunar day-night period the magnetic fields in the geomagnetic tail, transition zone, and interplanetary region are superimposed upon this steady field. Measurements of the induced lunar magnetic field will permit the interior electrical conductivity and temperature to be calculated.
Embedding the diamond in the σ 2 enumeration degrees

Lachlan [5] has shown that it is not possible to embed the diamond lattice in the r.e. Turing degrees while preserving least and greatest elements; that is, there do not exist incomparable r.e. Turing degrees a and b such that a ∧ b = 0 and a ∨ b = 0′ . Cooper [3] has compared the r.e. Turing degrees to the enumeration degrees below 0 e ′ and has asked if the two structures are elementarily equivalent. In this paper we show that such an embedding is possible in the Σ 2 enumeration degrees , which implies a negative answer to Cooper's question. Theorem. There are low enumeration degrees a and b such that a ∧ b = 0 e and a ∨ b = 0 e ′. Lower case italic letters denote elements of ω while upper case italic letters denote subsets of ω . D, E and F are reserved for finite sets, and K for ′. If D = { x 0 , x 1 , …, x n } then the canonical index of D is , and the canonical index of is ∅. D x denotes the set with canonical index x . { W i } i∈ω is any fixed standard listing of the r.e. sets, and is any fixed recursive bijection from ω × ω to ω . Intuitively, A is enumeration reducible to B if there is an effective algorithm for producing an enumeration of A from any enumeration of B . There is a natural one-to-one correspondence between all such algorithms and the r.e. sets.
Alterations in chromosomal proteins in C3H/HeN mice with spontaneous primary hepatocellular carcinomas.

The chromosomal proteins from chromatins of normal and background liver and spontaneous primary hepatocellular carcinomas (PHC) of C3H/HeN mice were examined by high resolution acid-urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis. Before gel analysis, the histone and non-histone chromosomal proteins (NHCP) from the various tissues studied were separated by affinity chromatography. No qualitative or quantitative differences in histone content were detected in any of the chromatins studied. Tumor and background chromatins did, however, exhibit higher NHCP content than normal tissues. When NHCP were fractionated on SDS polyacrylamide gels, the appearance of 10 new unique NHCP, many of which were of high molecular weight, was found to accompany the manifestation of malignancy in these C3H/HeN mice. Conversely, the abundance of a number of individual NHCP decreased precipitiously in PHC chromatin; and, additionally, two high-molecular-weight NHCP present in normal chromatins were not detectable in background and PHC chromatin. A number of NHCP were found to be unique to each of the chromatins studied. The progressive increase in total number of NHCP in background and PHC chromatin when compared to normal chromatin suggested that such changes in NHCP might indicate progression towards malignancy. The acquisition of new high-molecular-weight NHCP, the loss of some high-molecular-weight NHCP, and the decrease in individual NHCP found for mouse PHC correlate well with findings of previous studies in other systems in which malignant transformation was induced with some agent. It appears then that changes in NHCP accompany both spontaneous and induced malignant transformation, and that such changes may reflect alterations in gene expression known to accompany malignancy.
Lee Braver: A thing of this world: A history of continental anti-realism

It was in 1963 that Michael Dummett first formulated the jointly epistemological and semantic terminology of ‘‘realism’’ and ‘‘anti-realism.’’ With it, he sought to bring into focus the issue of whether truths in a particular domain are to be understood as exceeding, and in principle independent of, the means actually used to establish or demonstrate them (the ‘‘realist’’ position) or whether such truths could only be conceived as correlative to, and extending no further than, those means (the ‘‘anti-realist’’ one). Although Dummett had in mind the application of the framework only to specific problems and regions, analytic philosophers such as Devitt, Davidson, and Putnam subsequently expanded the terminology to larger and more domain-independent questions of general ontology, epistemology, and truth. This provided for a rich, if inconclusive, discussion during the last decades of the twentieth century among certain recognizably ‘‘analytic’’ philosophers of largescale positional and metaphysical issues of a kind more usually associated with ‘‘continental’’ texts and thinkers. Lee Braver’s book A Thing of This World argues, on the whole convincingly, that this ‘‘analytic’’ framework of realism and anti-realism can usefully be applied to several of the thinkers usually discussed under the heading of ‘‘continental’’ philosophy, and indeed that many, if not all, of these thinkers can indeed be characterized as anti-realists. If Braver’s book finds its intended audience, by far its most salutary benefit will be to show that the ‘‘continental’’ figures can indeed be usefully read as participating in a dispute familiar to, and worked out among, analytic philosophers. In the context of the contemporary practice of academic philosophy, where the ‘‘divide’’ between analytic and continental thinkers, methods, and languages continues to vitiate the pursuit of unified problems and helpful
Michael Tenzer and John Roeder, eds., Analytical and Cross-Cultural Studies in World Music

This volume spans musical traditions as ostensibly disparate as Japanese court music, fourteenth-century French court song, contemporary Korean p’ungmul (folk drumming), and Native American song. In juxtaposing these musics, points of convergence emerge, particularly in the common temporal processes experienced by performers and audience within a cultural context. Detailed analysis highlights both the individuality of a piece as well as similarities to other musics.
Supporting Ambitious Instruction by Beginning Teachers with Specialized Tools and Practices

One challenge facing science teacher preparation is the lack of consensus about what constitutes instructional excellence. We propose that a growing movement to characterize rigorous and equitable teaching as “ambitious instruction” in other subject matter areas, such as mathematics and literacy education, can serve as a guide for the science education community to develop a vision of effective pedagogy.
Likelihood Based Finite Sample Inference for Singly Imputed Synthetic Data Under the Multivariate Normal and Multiple Linear Regression Models

In this paper we develop likelihood-based finite sample inference based on singly imputed partially synthetic data, when the original data follow either a multivariate normal or a multiple linear regression model. We assume that the synthetic data are generated by using the plug-in sampling method, where unknown parameters in the data model are set equal to observed values of their point estimators based on the original data, and synthetic data are drawn from this estimated version of the model. Empirical studies are presented to show that the proposed methods do indeed perform as the theory predicts, and to compare the proposed methods for singly imputed synthetic data with the combining rules that are used to analyze multiply imputed partially synthetic data. Some theoretical comparisons between singly and multiply imputed partially synthetic data inference are also provided. A data analysis example and disclosure risk evaluation of singly and multiply imputed partially synthetic data is presented based on public use data from the Current Population Survey. We discuss the specific conditions under which the proposed methodology will yield valid inference, and evaluate the performance of the methodology when certain conditions do not hold. We outline some ways to extend the proposed methodology for certain scenarios where the required set of conditions do not hold.
Effect of Crude and Purified Interferons on the Growth of Uninfected Cells in Culture.

SummaryThe antiviral activity of crude interferon preparations was not always correlated with inhibition of cell growth suggesting the presence of a noninterferon growth inhibitor in many preparations of interferon. This interpretation is consistent with the further observations that: 1) growth inhibition was not increased as was the antiviral action of interferon in a second preparation of crude mouse interferon, and 2) purified chicken interferons did not inhibit cell growth.
Microbial Sterility of the Intestinal Content of the Immature Honey Bee, Apis mellifera,,

White (1921) stated that the intestinal content of freshly emerged honey bees, Apis mellifera L., was microbially sterile. However, he gave no data to support this conclusion. Kluge (1963) attributed this sterility to the antibiotic properties of larval food. Moreover, when she liberated young bees from their cells shortly before emergence and placed them in a sterile environment, they were microbially sterile for the remainder of their lives. Haisig and Kamburov (1966) found yeasts and molds in a small percentage of larvae which were at least 3 days old. However, Lotmar (1946) stated that prior to emergence the entire intestinal tract of bees was sterile, but her observations were based solely on histological examination of the alimentary tract.
Anhedonia, but not irritability, is associated with illness severity outcomes in adolescent major depression.

Abstract Objectives: Unlike adult major depressive disorder (MDD) which requires anhedonia or depressed mood for diagnosis, adolescent MDD can be sufficiently diagnosed with irritability in the absence of the former symptoms. In addition, the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) schema does not account for the interindividual variability of symptom severity among depressed adolescents. This practice has contributed to the high heterogeneity and diagnostic complexity of adolescent MDD. Here, we sought to examine relationships between two core symptoms of adolescent MDD – irritability and anhedonia, assessed both quantitatively and categorically – and other clinical correlates among depressed adolescents. Methods: Ninety adolescents with MDD (51 females), ages 12–20, were enrolled. Anhedonia and irritability scores were quantified by summing related items on the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised and the Beck Depression Inventory. Extremes of score distribution were de...
ANTIGEN-INDUCED LONG-TERM POTENTIATION OF NICOTINIC SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN THE SUPERIOR CERVICAL GANGLION OF THE GUINEA PIG

1. Recordings of evoked postganglionic compound action potentials (CAPs) evoked by preganglionic stimulation were obtained from guinea pig superior cervical ganglia (SCGs) in vitro to study the effects of specific antigen challenge on ganglionic synaptic transmission. SCGs were removed from guinea pigs actively sensitized to ovalbumin. 2. Exposing SCGs from sensitized animals to the sensitizing antigen (0.01-10 micrograms/ml) for 5 min produced a sustained increase in the magnitude of the evoked CAP unaccompanied by a change in the preganglionic volley. Nonsensitizing antigens were ineffective. Also ineffective were antigens applied to nonsensitized SCG. This persistent antigen-induced increase in synaptic transmission was designated antigen-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) (A-LTP) because its duration (> 30 min) greatly outlasted posttetanic potentiation (PTP) in this ganglion. 3. A-LTP and neurogenic LTP (N-LTP) were observed to coexist in the same ganglion; the presence of one form of synaptic plasticity did not preclude the development of the other. Both phenomena were influenced by presynaptic factors: prolonged (2 h, 40 Hz) repetitive presynaptic stimulation abolished A-LTP or N-LTP but did not affect PTP. 4. By contrast to N-LTP, which requires a brief presynaptic tetanus, A-LTP could be triggered over a wide range of presynaptic stimulation (0.016-3 Hz) or even in the absence of presynaptic stimulation. 5. The amplitude and duration of A-LTP were not significantly affected by 1) H1, H2, or H3 histamine receptor antagonists added before or after antigen challenge; 2) the presence of saturating concentrations of histamine (100-300 microM); 3) the presence of specific or nonspecific lipoxygenase inhibitors or a selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor; or 4) blockade of alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptors, 5-HT3 receptors, muscarinic receptors, or glutamate receptors, or inhibition of acetylcholinesterase or protein synthesis. 6. Our results indicate that specific antigen challenge of isolated sympathetic ganglia activates resident mast cells to release substances that initiate a novel form of synaptic plasticity, an activity-independent and long-lasting increase in synaptic efficacy.
Chin reconstruction with pectoralis myocutaneous flap

Chin reconstruction after radical surgery for carcinoma of the oral cavity is a complex and controversial problem. We have developed a simple, single-stage, primary procedure for chin reconstruction. It is easily mastered and is based on a simple modification of the pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. Our experience includes seven cases, including two with total chin reconstructions. The number and type of complication is low and consistent with the magnitude of the surgical procedure. This operation provides acceptable aesthetic and functional results to patients undergoing partial or total resection of the chin.
General Care of the Liver Patient

The chapter focuses on general care of the liver patient. People with underlying liver disease should avoid various hepatotoxic drugs, alcohol, and excess intake of sodium. Vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, maintenance of a healthy diet with active lifestyle, screening for hepatocellular carcinoma and esophageal varices, and treatment of hepatitis, if present, are recommended. Severity of liver disease can be assessed by different methods like clinical examination, various laboratory tests, imaging, portal pressure measurement, liver biopsy, and use of different prognostic models like Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score.
Simplified point-of-care ultrasound protocol to confirm central venous catheter placement: A prospective study.

Author(s): Wilson, Sean P; Assaf, Samer; Lahham, Shadi; Subeh, Mohammad; Chiem, Alan; Anderson, Craig; Shwe, Samantha; Nguyen, Ryan; Fox, John C | Abstract: BackgroundThe current standard for confirmation of correct supra-diaphragmatic central venous catheter (CVC) placement is with plain film chest radiography (CXR). We hypothesized that a simple point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) protocol could effectively confirm placement and reduce time to confirmation.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled a convenience sample of patients in the emergency department and intensive care unit who required CVC placement. Correct positioning was considered if turbulent flow was visualized in the right atrium on sub-xiphoid, parasternal or apical cardiac ultrasound after injecting 5 cc of sterile, non-agitated, normal saline through the CVC.ResultsSeventy-eight patients were enrolled. POCUS had a sensitivity of 86.8% (95%CI 77.1%-93.5%) and specificity of 100% (95%CI 15.8%-100.0%) for identifying correct central venous catheter placement. Median POCUS and CXR completion were 16 minutes (IQR 10-29) and 32 minutes (IQR 19-45), respectively.ConclusionUltrasound may be an effective tool to confirm central venous catheter placement in instances where there is a delay in obtaining a confirmatory CXR.
CHAPTER 235 – Molecular and Structural Organization of Rab GTPase Trafficking Networks

Rab GTPases comprise a large gene family that dictates the organization of the exocytic and endocytic pathways of eukaryotic cells. Without Rabs, the subcellular organization typically found in eukaryotes would not exist. Thus, they provide a critical foundation for cell development and differentiation through their ability to organize divergent membrane trafficking complexes that dictate specificity to membrane interactions. The fact that the number of Rab proteins is correlated with the complexity of the organism underlines their biolgoical importance in membrane traffic. Rab proteins play a crucial role in regulating the intracellular protein and lipid trafficking between the different specialized organelles of a eukaryotic cell. They are important in a myriad of vesicle-mediated transport pathways where they are found to be crucial in recruiting molecular motors, tethering factors, and SNAREs (SNAp REceptors) that guide, dock, and fuse the transport vesicle with target membrane compartments
Fostering Independence: Project Work for Student Technicians

Helpdesk student training and management at Carleton has focused largely on providing topical training to develop competency in customer support and Carleton's technical infrastructure so that our student techs (CarlTechs) are prepared to answer calls and support clients. However, there is always "bigger-picture'' project work that can be done beyond basic ticketing and phone support. In recent years, leveraging student hours to help complete larger-scale projects at the helpdesk has become a useful tool for increasing CarlTechs' competence and engagement in all aspects of helpdesk work. This paper outlines the structures used at Carleton to support our student technicians in this work and how those structures developed, using a few past projects as examples.
Facial emotion processing in patients with seizure disorders

Studies of emotion processing are needed to better understand the pathophysiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). We examined the differences in facial emotion processing between 12 patients with PNES, 12 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and 24 matched healthy controls (HCs) using fMRI with emotional faces task (EFT) (happy/sad/fearful/neutral) and resting state connectivity. Compared with TLE, patients with PNES exhibited increased fMRI response to happy, neutral, and fearful faces in visual, temporal, and/or parietal regions and decreased fMRI response to sad faces in the putamen bilaterally. Regions showing significant differences between PNES and TLE were used as functional seed regions of interest (ROIs), in addition to amygdala structural seed ROIs for resting state functional connectivity analyses. Whole brain analyses showed that compared with TLE and HCs, patients with PNES exhibited increased functional connectivity of the functional seed ROIs to several brain regions, particularly to cerebellar, visual, motor, and frontotemporal regions. Connectograms showed increased functional connections between left parahippocampal gyrus/uncus ROIs and right temporal ROIs in PNES compared with both the TLE and HC groups. Resting state functional connectivity of the left and right amygdala to various brain regions including emotion regulation and motor control circuits was increased in PNES when compared with those with TLE. This study provides preliminary evidence that patients with PNES exhibit altered facial emotion processing compared with patients with TLE and HCs and increased amygdala functional connectivity compared with TLE. These findings identify potential key differences in facial emotion processing reflective of neurophysiologic markers of neural circuitry alterations that can be used to generate further hypotheses for developing studies that examine the contributions of emotion processing to the development and maintenance of PNES.
Cigarette Smoking and Extracranial Carotid Atherosclerosis

Chronic cigarette smoking has been associated with increased risk for atherosclerotic diseases of extracranial carotid arteries in several studies. Angiography was the first method used to image in vivo stenosis — narrowing of the arterial lumen — both in the intracranial and extracranial carotid circulation. Stenosis is usually expressed as percent narrowing of the lumen diameter, and is often used as a measure of arterial disease caused by atherosclerotic plaque lesions. Although angiography has been an important tool studying the relation between various risk factors and atherosclerotic disease, the invasive nature of the procedure limits its application to symptomatic subjects and raises ethical concerns for studies in healthy volunteers.
Disparities in surgical resection for pancreatic cancer stratified by insurance coverage.

451Background: Roughly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer yearly (Howlader, N, Noone, A, Krapcho, M. Cancer Stat Facts: Pancreas Cancer. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/pan...
The impact of the ‘open’ workspace on human collaboration

Organizations’ pursuit of increased workplace collaboration has led managers to transform traditional office spaces into ‘open’, transparency-enhancing architectures with fewer walls, doors and oth...
Agent Uncertainty Model and Quantum Mechanics Representation: Non-locality Modeling

This work presents the Agent–based Uncertainty Theory (AUT) and its connection with quantum mechanics where agents are interpreted in terms of the particles. This connection serves a dual goal to justify AUT operations as physically meaningful and to provide a new explanatory mechanism for contradictory issues in quantum mechanics. The AUT is described in agent terms and then is interpreted in quantum mechanics terms. The AUT uses complex aggregations of crisp (non-fuzzy) conflicting judgments of agents. It gives a uniform representation and an operational empirical interpretation for several uncertainty theories such as rough set theory, fuzzy sets theory, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, evidence theory, and probability theory. To build such uniformity the AUT exploits the fact that agents as independent entities can give conflicting evaluations of the same attribute. The AUT many-valued logic is a derived from classical logic with local and global evaluations of proposition p. The evaluation by an individual agent is called a local evaluation and evaluation by a set of agents is called a global evaluation of p. The local operations AND, OR, NOT are classical logic operations, but global operations differ from them. Here a set of agents generates the vectors of logic values. In the AUT local evaluations of proposition p by different agents can be in conflict in contrast with the classical logic. In quantum mechanics, non-locality is related to the superposition of different positions of the particles and to representation of two particles in different positions as a single non-local particle with correlation or entanglement. The logic operations between vectors are the base of AUT many-valued logic combined with the superposition of agents’ evaluations.
Lamniform and Carcharhiniform Sharks from the Pungo River and Yorktown Formations (Miocene–Pliocene) of the Submerged Continental Shelf, Onslow Bay, North Carolina, USA

The submerged continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, preserves hardbottom limestone scarps with underlying clays as small isolated exposures in progressively deeper water seaward from the modern-day shoreline. These scarps formed as a result of wave- and current-driven erosion, transport, and redeposition of bottom sediments due to glacioeustactic sea level cyclicity and the migration of the ancestral shoreline since the Pliocene. Fossiliferous lag deposits containing an abundance of lamniform and carcharhiniform teeth, including those belonging to megatoothed sharks, occur adjacent to these scarps. These specimens include teeth from: Alopias grandis, Carcharhinus falciformis, Carcharhinus priscus, Carcharias cf. C. taurus, Carcharodon carcharias, Carcharodon hastalis, Galeocerdo aduncus, Galeocerdo cuvier, Hemipristis serra, Isurus oxyrinchus, Negaprion brevirostris, Otodus chubutensis, Otodus megalodon, Parotodus benedinii, Physogaleus contortus, and Rhizoprionodon sp. Comparison of biostratig...
Biochemical and Mechanical Gradients Synergize To Enhance Cartilage Zonal Organization in 3D.

Articular cartilage is characterized by zonal organizations containing dual gradients of biochemical cues and mechanical cues. However, how biochemical gradient interacts with the mechanical gradient to drive the cartilage zonal development remains largely unknown. Here, we report the development of a dual-gradient hydrogel platform as a 3D niche to elucidate the relative contributions of biochemical and mechanical niche gradients in modulating zonal-specific chondrocyte responses and cartilage zonal organization. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), a major constituent of cartilage extracellular matrix, was chosen as the biochemical cue. Poly(ethylene glycol), a bioinert polymer, was used to create the stiffness gradient. Dual-gradient hydrogels upregulated cartilage marker expressions and increased chondrocyte proliferation and collagen deposition in a zonal-dependent manner. Hydrogels with CS gradient alone exhibited poor mechanical strength and degraded prematurely after 1 week of culture. While CS gradient alon...
Abstract 2091: Quantitative compositional and spatial analysis of tumor microenvironment (TME) in primary melanoma

Background: Stratifying melanoma patients for adjuvant immunotherapy trials has quickly become an urgent need. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) analysis is predictive but insufficiently precise for clinical application. A novel pathology method, quantitative multiplex immunofluorescence (qmIF), allows for complex analysis of the tumor microenvironment (TME) for development of new biomarkers. Given that CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) promote antitumor immunity while CD68+ macrophages (Mφ) impair immunity, we hypothesized that precise quantification and spatial analysis of Mφ and CTLs would correlate with survival in melanoma. Methods: We applied qmIF to 104 stage II/III primary melanomas from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC); known cause of death is available for 64 patients. 5-µm slides were stained using qmIF for DAPI, CD3, CD8, CD68, SOX10, HLA-DR and Ki67. Tumor areas were preselected by a dermatopathologist and visualized using Mantra. Tissue and cell segmentation, multiparameter immune phenotyping, and quantitative spatial analysis (qSA) were performed using inForm. Local spatial analysis was implemented by partitioning images into 100-µm square windows. The interquartile range of cellular ratios among windows was used as the measure of dispersion. Results: We find high CTL and low Mφ density in stroma (p=0.0038, p=0.0006) correlate with disease-specific survival (DSS). Correlation was strongest for stromal HLA-DR+ CTLs (p=0.0005). CTL distance to HLA-DR- Mφ associates with poor DSS (p=0.0016), while distance to Ki67- tumor cells associates inversely with DSS (p=0.0006). Low CTL/ Mφ ratio in stroma confers a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.719 for death from melanoma and correlates with shortened overall survival (OS) in the complete 104-patient cohort by Cox analysis (p=0.009). HLA-DR- Mφ are more evenly dispersed throughout the stroma of survivors (n=42) than patients known to have died of melanoma (n=22) (p=0.0036), while conversely, HLA-DR+ CTLs are less evenly dispersed in survivors (p=0.023). Conclusions: CTL/ Mφ ratio is prognostically superior to conventional clinical biomarkers in nonmetastatic melanoma. Local spatial features such as leukocyte dispersion and intercellular distances also associate with survival, highlighting the importance of microenvironmental structure. Future efforts will further parse the large output of data from qmIF to generate biomarkers that are increasingly precise, spatially informed, and quantitatively robust. Citation Format: Robyn D. Gartrell, Andrew Chen, Douglas K. Marks, Thomas D. Hart, Gen Li, Alan Wu, Yan Lu, Camden Esancy, Zoe Blake, Bret Taback, Raul Rabadan, Howard L. Kaufman, Charles G. Drake, Basil Horst, Anthea Monod, Yvonne Saenger. Quantitative compositional and spatial analysis of tumor microenvironment (TME) in primary melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2091.
Speech-based identification of L-DOPA ON/OFF state in Parkinson\'s Disease subjects

Abstract Background Parkinson’s disease patients (PDP) are evaluated using the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UP-DRS) to follow the longitudinal course of the disease. UP-DRS evaluation is performed by a neurologist, and hence its use is limited in the evaluation of short-term (daily) fluctuations. Subjects taking L-DOPA as part of treatment to reduce symptoms exhibit motor fluctuations as a common complication. Objectives The aim of the study is to assess the use of speech analysis as a proxy to continuously monitor PDP medication state. Methods We combine acoustic, prosody, and semantic features to characterize three speech tasks (picture description, reverse counting and diadochokinetic rate) of 25 PDP evaluated under different medication states: “ON” and “OFF” L-DOPA. Results Classification of medication states using features extracted from audio recordings results in cross-validated accuracy rates of 0.88, 0.84 and 0.71 for the picture description, reverse counting and diadochokinetic rate tasks, respectively. When adding feature selection and semantic features, the accuracy rates increase to 1.00, 0.96 and 0.83 respectively; thus reaching very high classification accuracy on 3 different tasks. Conclusions We show that speech-based features are highly predictive of medication state. Given that the highest performance was obtained with a very naturalistic task (picture description), our results suggest the feasibility of accurate, non-burdensome and high-frequency monitoring of medication effects.
tRNA-DL: A Deep Learning Approach to Improve tRNAscan-SE Prediction Results.

Background tRNAscan-SE is the leading tool for transfer RNA (tRNA) annotation, which has been widely used in the field. However, tRNAscan-SE can return a significant number of false positives when applied to large sequences. Recently, conventional machine learning methods have been proposed to address this issue, but their efficiency can be still limited due to their dependency on handcrafted features. With the growing availability of large-scale genomic data-sets, deep learning methods, especially convolutional neural networks, have demonstrated excellent power in characterizing sequence patterns in genomic sequences. Thus, we hypothesize that deep learning may bring further improvement for tRNA prediction. Methods We proposed a new computational approach based on deep neural networks to predict tRNA gene sequences. We designed and investigated various deep neural network architectures. We used the tRNA sequences as positive samples, and the false-positive tRNA sequences predicted by tRNAscan-SE in coding sequences as negative samples, to train and evaluate the proposed models by comparison with the conventional machine learning methods and popular tRNA prediction tools. Results Using the one-hot encoding method, our proposed models can extract features without involving extensive manual feature engineering. Our proposed best model outperformed the existing methods under different performance metrics. Conclusion The proposed deep learning methods can substantially reduce the false positive output by the state-of-the-art tool tRNAscan-SE. Coupled with tRNAscan-SE, it can serve as a useful complementary tool for tRNA annotation. The application to tRNA prediction demonstrates the superiority of deep learning in automatic feature generation for characterizing sequence patterns.
Social capital and resilience to drought among smallholding farmers in Sri Lanka

Pressure of freshwater resources has intensified in recent decades, stressing agricultural communities worldwide. Research is needed to advance our understanding of the factors that support resilience. Past research suggests that social capital positively predicts health and well-being; yet, we know surprisingly little about the relationship between social capital and resilience to environmental stress. Some scholars have cautioned that tight-knit social relationships can also constrain behavior and undermine flexibility, which could undermine adaptive responses to environmental stress. In this analysis, we use survey data from 225 smallholding rice farmers in Sri Lanka to examine the relationship between individual-level measures of cognitive and structural social capital measured before a drought-affected season, and livelihood outcomes (rice yields and income loss) measured after the season. We also examined if membership in less powerful groups (landless, female, and poor farmers) moderated the relationship between social capital and livelihood outcomes. Higher levels of perceived social cohesion (a measure of cognitive social capital) were associated with poorer yields for both female and landless farmers; yet, the yields of male and landowning farmers were unrelated to perceived social cohesion. Likewise, landless farmers with higher levels of community participation (a form of structural social capital) experienced a marginally higher rate of lost income due to the drought. These data suggest that the relationship between social capital and resilience operates differently for different members of the community. Importantly, some community members may face a difficult tradeoff between agricultural productivity and maintaining social relationships.
Lewis Acid-Controlled Regioselectivity in Reactions of Styrenyl Systems with Benzoquinone Monoimides: New Regioselective Syntheses of Substituted 2-Aryl-2,3-dihydrobenzofurans, 2-Aryl-2,3-dihydroindoles, and 2-Arylindoles

Reactions of 4-(N-phenylsulfonyl)-2-alkoxy-1,4-benzoquinone monoimines 2−4 with electron-rich propenylbenzenes promoted by BF3 yield 7-alkoxy-2-aryl-3-methyl-5-[(N-phenylsulfonyl)amino]-2,3-dihydrobenzofurans 5−7 nearly exclusively, whereas promotion of the reactions by Ti4+ gives mixtures of the dihydrobenzofurans and their N-(phenylsulfonyl)-6-alkoxy-2-aryl-5-hydroxy-3-methyl-2,3-dihydroindole isomers 8−10, depending upon substituents present on the propenylbenzene. However, reactions promoted with excess Ti4+, as mixtures of TiCl4:Ti(OiPr)4, give the dihydroindoles as nearly the exclusive products. Evidence for a mechanism involving initial 5 + 2 cycloaddition of the Lewis acid-bound quinone monoimide with the propenylbenzene is found in reactions of styrenes 1f/g with monoimide 3 in which 7-aryl-3-hydroxy-6-methylbicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-ene-2,8-diones 33 (5 + 2 adducts) are isolated. These reactions have been applied to stereoselective syntheses of pterocarpans bearing N-phenylsulfonyl groups, azapterocar...
Phosphoproteome of activated FLT3 in leukemia

3134 Activating mutations of FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) are found in approximately one third of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are an attractive drug target. Recently, FLT3 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of infant and childhood ALL. There is substantial experimental evidence, both in vitro and in vivo, to support the notion that these mutations play an important role in the initiation and/or maintenance of AML in a subset of patients. However, the molecular mechanisms by which FLT3 mutations lead to transformation of hematopoietic stem cells remain unclear. To develop a better understanding of FLT3 signaling as well as its downstream mediators, we performed detailed phoshoproteomic analysis of FLT3 signaling in leukemia cells. Using immunoaffinity purification of phospho-tyrosine peptides (PhosphoScan®) followed by tandem mass spectrometry, we identified over 1000 tyrosine phosphorylation sites from approximately 20 AML (FLT3-ITD and wild type) and B-ALL (normal and amplification of FLT3) cell lines. Not only did we identify novel tyrosine phosphorylation sites in FLT3, but also we identified many phosphosites unique to FLT3-ITD AML cell lines. In addition, we investigated which of these phosphosites were responsive to FLT3 inhibitors. To further investigate the FLT3 signaling pathway, we employed stable isotopic amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) to differentially label proteins in FLT3 inhibited versus uninhibited leukemia cell lines. Quantitative SILAC experiment identified over 200 phosphorylation sites, whose tyrosine phosphorylation status is regulated by FLT3. Finally, for the first time, we performed phosphoproteomic analysis from AML patient samples. This study provided the most comprehensive tyrosine phosphorylation signaling profile reported for activated FLT3 to date These studies have important implications for the design of novel therapeutic approaches and for the identification of biomarkers for leukemia with activated FLT3.
Certification of Ochratoxin A Reference Materials: Calibration Solutions OTAN-1 and OTAL-1 and a Mycotoxin-Contaminated Rye Flour MYCO-1.

Background: Among the regulated mycotoxins that contaminate global food supplies, ochratoxin A is particularly harmful as a nephrotoxin and suspected carcinogen. Objective: To support global measurement comparability, certified calibration solutions for ochratoxin A and [13C6]-ochratoxin A (OTAN-1 and OTAL-1, respectively) as well as a mycotoxin-contaminated rye flour certified reference material (CRM) known as MYCO-1 were developed. Methods: Quantitative proton NMR was used along with maleic acid as an external standard traceable to the Systeme international (SI) to measure the concentration of ochratoxin A and [13C6]-ochratoxin A for the calibration solutions. OTAN-1 and OTAL-1 were then used as a pair in double isotope dilution MS to certify the mass fraction of ochratoxin A in MYCO-1. The natural ochratoxin A CRM served as the primary standard for traceable quantitation, while the synthetic [13C6]-ochratoxin A CRM served as the internal standard. Results: The certified mass fraction of ochratoxin A or [13C6]-ochratoxin A in the two mycotoxin calibration solution standards was established to be 11.03 ± 0.32 µg/g (k = 2) for OTAN-1 and 4.89 ± 0.18 µg/g (k = 2) for OTAL-1. The mass fraction of ochratoxin A in the rye flour standard MYCO-1 was certified at 4.05 ± 0.88 µg/kg (k = 2). Conclusions: These CRMs will support regulatory testing as they can be used in the method development, validation, calibration, and QC analysis of ochratoxin A. Highlights: This report highlights the methods used to certify OTAN-1, OTAL-1, and MYCO-1 as well as the challenges associated with producing such materials, which can be applied to a wide variety of other CRMs.
A longitudinal examination of the relationship between eating disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation

Objective Cross-sectional research demonstrates significant correlations between eating disorders (EDs) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Although suicide ideation (SI) is a risk factor for suicidal behavior, longitudinal research investigating SI among EDs is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to offer insight into the dynamic relationship between EDs and SI by investigating if these variables predicted one another at weekly time points. Method Autoregressive cross-lagged modeling was used to test bidirectional relationships between ED symptoms and suicidal ideation among an ED patient sample (n = 92). Participants completed a measure of suicidal ideation and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) weekly for 5 weeks. Results SI and ED symptoms were correlated with each other at each time point. Unexpectedly, the majority of cross-lagged pathways were nonsignificant. However, SI at Week 4 predicted ED symptoms at Week 5, while controlling for Week 4 ED symptoms. This pattern of results was found when the shape concerns, weight concerns, and eating concerns subscales of the EDE-Q were entered into the model. Moreover, Week 2 shape concerns predicted Week 3 SI and Week 3 eating concerns predicted Week 4 SI. No significant cross-lagged pathways were found with the dietary restraint subscale. Discussion Nonsignificant cross-lagged pathways may indicate that third variables better explain the relations between certain ED symptoms and SI over time. However, there were instances where ED symptoms and SI predicted one another. Given this, targeting suicidal thoughts in therapy may help to reduce eating pathology and vice versa.