cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cell Cycle Arrest in G2/M Promotes Early Steps of Infection by Human Immunodeficiency Virus

We have identified four small molecules that boost transduction of cells by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and investigated their mechanism of action. These molecules include etoposide and camptothecin, which induce DNA damage by inhibiting religation of cleaved topoisomerase-DNA complexes, taxol, which interferes with the function of microtubules, and aphidicolin, which inhibits DNA polymerases. All four compounds arrest the cell cycle at G2/M, though in addition high concentrations of aphidicolin arrest in G1. We find that early events of HIV replication, including synthesis of late reverse transcription products, two-long terminal repeat circles, and integrated proviruses, were increased after treatment of cells with concentrations of each compound that arrested in G2/M. Stimulation was seen for both transformed cell lines (293T and HeLa cells) and primary cells (IMR90 lung fibroblasts). Arrest in G1 with high concentrations of aphidicolin boosted transduction, though not much as with lower concentrations that arrested in G2/M. Arrest of IMR90 cells in G1 by serum starvation and contact inhibition reduced transduction. Previously, the proteasome inhibitor MG132 was reported to increase HIV infection-here we investigated the effects of combinations of the cell cycle inhibitors with MG132 and obtained data suggesting that MG132 may also boost transduction by causing G2/M cell cycle arrest. These data document that cell cycle arrest in G2/M boosts the early steps of HIV infection and suggests methods for increasing transduction with HIV-based vectors.
Predictors of Mortality, Morbidity, and Disability in a Cohort of Infants ≤ 28 Weeks' Gestation

This study attempted to identify predictors for mortality, morbidity, disability, and educational handicap at age 4 years in a cohort of 194 infants born at 23 to 28 weeks' gestation at one regionalized tertiary center from 1983 to 1986. Forty-one infants died (21%); standardized neurodevelopmental and functional assessments were conducted on 149 of 153 (97%) survivors at a mean age of 52 months. Five significant predictors of death were identified with logistic regression analysis: gestational age 23 to 26 weeks, intraventricular hemorrhage grades 3 or 4, male gender, five-minute Apgar ≤3, and absence of prophylactic calf lung surfactant extract. Significant predictors of neurodevelopmental morbidity included sepsis, male gender, and nonwhite race. Significant predictors of disability at age four included neurodevelopmental impairment and severe retinopathy of prematurity. Low socioeconomic status, nonwhite race and male gender were predictive of educational handicap. These findings suggest that outcomes...
A linear constrained distance-based discriminant analysis for hyperspectral image classification

Abstract Fisher's linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a widely used technique for pattern classification problems. It employs Fisher's ratio, ratio of between-class scatter matrix to within-class scatter matrix to derive a set of feature vectors by which high-dimensional data can be projected onto a low-dimensional feature space in the sense of maximizing class separability. This paper presents a linear constrained distance-based discriminant analysis (LCDA) that uses a criterion for optimality derived from Fisher's ratio criterion. It not only maximizes the ratio of inter-distance between classes to intra-distance within classes but also imposes a constraint that all class centers must be aligned along predetermined directions. When these desired directions are orthogonal, the resulting classifier turns out to have the same operation form as the classifier derived by the orthogonal subspace projection (OSP) approach recently developed for hyperspectral image classification. Because of that, LCDA can be viewed as a constrained version of OSP. In order to demonstrate its performance in hyperspectral image classification, Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and HYperspectral Digital Imagery Collection Experiment (HYDICE) data are used for experiments.
World's carbon budget: Sinks and sources

Interest in natural and man-made carbon dioxide production is stirred because it resides after formation in critical atmospheric zones. To determine the oncoming “greenhouse” effect, indeed to determine whether there will be a greenhouse effect, investigators have tried to sum up the global carbon cycle. In accounting for the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide produced at the earth's surface, it has been postulated that most of the unbalanced sources can be identified with the earth's biomass and not so much with man's combustion of fossil fuels (Ecol. Monogr., 53, 235, 1983). New figures on the calculated areas of tropical forests suggest otherwise.
A battery-powered 8-channel wireless FM IC for biopotential recording applications

An 8-channel microsystem for transmission of 7 input biopotentials using wireless FM in the band of 94 to 98 MHz requires only 3 off-chip components. The 4.84 mm/sup 2/ IC is fabricated using a 1.5 /spl mu/m 2P2M CMOS process, dissipates /spl sim/2.05 mW at 3 V, and wirelessly reconstructs an 800 /spl mu/V neural spike over a distance of /spl sim/13 cm with an I/O correlation coefficient of /spl sim/96%.
Green Infrastructure, Ecosystem Services, and Human Health.

Contemporary ecological models of health prominently feature the natural environment as fundamental to the ecosystem services that support human life, health, and well-being. The natural environment encompasses and permeates all other spheres of influence on health. Reviews of the natural environment and health literature have tended, at times intentionally, to focus on a limited subset of ecosystem services as well as health benefits stemming from the presence, and access and exposure to, green infrastructure. The sweeping influence of green infrastructure on the myriad ecosystem services essential to health has therefore often been underrepresented. This survey of the literature aims to provide a more comprehensive picture—in the form of a primer—of the many simultaneously acting health co-benefits of green infrastructure. It is hoped that a more accurately exhaustive list of benefits will not only instigate further research into the health co-benefits of green infrastructure but also promote consilience in the many fields, including public health, that must be involved in the landscape conservation necessary to protect and improve health and well-being.
Cell bioprinting as a potential high-throughput method for fabricating cell-based biosensors (CBBs)

Cell-based biosensors (CBBs) are becoming an important tool for biosecurity applications and rapid diagnostics. For current CBBs technology, cell immobilization and high throughput fabrication are the main challenges. To address these in this study, the feasibility of bioprinting cell-laden hydrogel to fabricate CBBs at high throughput was investigated and cell response was tracked by using lensless charge-coupled device (CCD) technology. This study indicated that (i) a cell-laden collagen printing platform was capable of immobilizing cells (smooth muscle cells) in collagen droplets with precise spatial control and pattern them onto surfaces, (ii) high post-printing cell viability was achieved (≫94%) and the immobilized cells proliferated over five days, (iii) the immobilized cells maintain their biological and physiological sensitivity to environmental stimuli (e.g. environmental temperature change and lysis by adding of de-ionized water), as quantified by change in cell spread size (decreasing from ∼3000 µm2 at t=0 hour to ∼600 µm2 at t=16 hours), and (iv) our developed lensless CCD technology is capable detecting the cell morphology change under environmental stimuli, which is essential for the portability of the CBBs. These results show that printing cells encapsulated inbiocompatible hydrogels could lead to fabrication of CBBs in a high throughput manner. Also, the lensless CCD systems can be used to monitor the morphological cell responses over a wide field of view (as large as 37.25 mm × 25.70 mm).
Are 2π rotations observable

Abstract Two beams of indistinguishable fermions from independent sources cannot produce an interference pattern that changes when the wavefunction of each single-fermion state for one beam is multiplied by — 1; they cannot produce interference the way photons from independent sources can. This means the changes in neutron interference caused by a magnetic field applied to one of the beams cannot be interpreted as equivalent to changes that could be made by rotating the source of one beam by 2π radians. If it is assumed that rotation by 2π radians cannot be observed, the argument made here becomes a simple proof that particles with half-integral spin cannot be bosons.
Fractal Properties Of The Sea Surface Manifested In Microwave Remote Sensing Signatures

The wave spectrum of a well developed sea is discussed. It includes a broad range of wavenumbers where the spectral density is governed by a power law of the form k sup-p. When p is less than or = 4, the surface exhibits properties, such as an increased surface number density of steep and breaking wavelet events and an increased number of specular points for vertical incidence, due to the cascade (fractal) pattern in its geometry. These properties manifest themselves in error trends in wind speed measurements by scatterometer and altimeter.
Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training☆

Although research has found that long-term mindfulness meditation practice promotes executive functioning and the ability to sustain attention, the effects of brief mindfulness meditation training have not been fully explored. We examined whether brief meditation training affects cognition and mood when compared to an active control group. After four sessions of either meditation training or listening to a recorded book, participants with no prior meditation experience were assessed with measures of mood, verbal fluency, visual coding, and working memory. Both interventions were effective at improving mood but only brief meditation training reduced fatigue, anxiety, and increased mindfulness. Moreover, brief mindfulness training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning. Our findings suggest that 4 days of meditation training can enhance the ability to sustain attention; benefits that have previously been reported with long-term meditators.
5-Azacytidine, a possible new inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase (R2), and its combined biological effect with GTI 2040 in chronic and acute myeloid leukemia cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 2614 Purpose: 5-Azacytidine appears to exert its anticancer activity not only through DNA incorporation after conversion to its deoxynucleotide, but also by direct incorporation into RNA, thereby leading to disruption of RNA enlongation. In order to mechanistically enhance the incorporation of 5-azacytidine into RNA, we combined 5-azacytidine with GTI 2040, an antisense to the R2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which catalyzes conversion of ribonucleotides into deoxyribonucleotides. Methods: MTS cytotoxicity assay was used to determine the synergistic/additive cytotoxic effects of GTI 2040 and 5-azacytidine. GTI 2040 was introduced into cells by electroporation. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the transcriptional level of the R2 subunit of RNR and DNA methyltransferase I (DNMT1); Western blot assay was used to evaluate the corresponding protein levels. In vivo studies were conducted by inoculating Nu/Nu mice with MV4-11 acute myeloid leukemia cells. Tumor size and weight of the xenografted implants were measured following treatments with the combination and compared with those of animals treated with the single drugs or vehicle alone. GTI 2040 levels were measured by a hybridization ELISA method; 5-azacytidine levels were quantified by a LC-MS/MS method. A non-radioactive, sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS method was used to quantify nucleotides (NTP) and deoxynucleotides (dNTP) pools before and after drug treatments. Results: 5-Azacytidine showed significant cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 7.5µM in K562 cells and GTI-2040 transfection displayed slight cytotoxicity at higher (>5μM) than achievable concentration in human studies. Combination of the two compounds, 0.5 μM GTI plus variable 5-azacytidine, showed a synergistic effect based on the combination index. Treatment with GTI 2040 induced down-regulates R2 RNR mRNA and RNR protein after 24 hrs exposure. At 24 hrs, 5-azacytidine depleted DMNT1 levels, but most surprisingly also down-regulated R2 RNR mRNA expression, which was further down-regulates at both mRNA and protein levels in cell treated with the combination. GTI 2040 also depleted the dNTP pool particularly dCTP with no change in the NTP pools, supporting functional inhibition of RNR. All drug treatment but control decreased tumor size and weight after 32 days with suggestion of higher effect for the combination. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate that GTI 2040 induced imbalance of endogenous NTP and dNTP pools as results of antisense activity on RNR. Unexpectedly, we showed that 5-azacytidine down-regulates R2 RNR mRNA but not the protein and this may relate to its RNA effect. The combination of low doses of GTI 2040 and 5-azacytidine seems to potentiate the antileukemic activity of the two compounds and will be explored in the clinic. Supported by NIH-UO1CA076576.
Partitionig of VLSI circuits using a reduced connectivity matrix

A heuristic algorithm for partitioning of VLSI circuits which attempts to minimize the number of branches cut between partitions is presented in this thesis. The algorithm uses a reduced connectivity matrix and the concept of cut index. The first phase of the algorithm, which is called the partitioning phase, finds the cut lines of the graph, and the second phase of the algorithm, which is called the optimization phase, optimize the branches cut by the partitions. The required computation time is shown to be bounded by O( n2 ), where n is the number of nodes in a graph. The proposed algorithm is currently implemented using X ·Window System. The program is called Reduced Connectivity Matrix Partitioning, abbreviated as rcmp. A universal netlist format used in the Tcmp allows it to interface to most existing VLSI CAD tools. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm yields optimal solutions in most cases and near optimal solutions in some cases.
The Reagan Administration's Proposals for a New U.S. Immigration Policy: An Assessment of Potential Effects

The Reagan Administration's attempt to grapple with the complex and emotional issues surrounding the immigration policy of the United States has yielded a set of proposals which essentially reaffirm policies advocated by the Ford and Carter Administrations, while adding some new elements tailored to the concerns of various groups within the Reagan Administration's support base. Staunch "law-and-order" advocates, many of whom see un? documented immigrants as just another criminal class whose lawbreaking behavior must not be condoned nor rewarded, have been given an "amnesty" proposal that is so restrictive and punitive in its details that it could not possibly be embraced by any of the major groups concerned with immigrants' rights that have advocated amnesty for undocumented aliens who are long-term residents of the United States.
Factors That Affect Reproduction of the Garden Symphylan, Scutigerella immaculata

The garden symphylan, Scutigeralla immaculala (Newport), was reared in jars of soil in the laboratory. No reproduction occurred when the food provided was compressed yeast, cow manure, green rye plants buried in the soil, or a leaf litter-humus mixture. Reproduction was greater on fresh carrot than on that which was first boiled or frozen. Carrot root or lettuce leaf produced larger populations than bean, alfalfa, barley, or rye roots. Reproduction did not occur unless carrot was provided for food regardless of the organic matter content of the soil. Adding limestone, calcium oxide, or sulfur to the soil had no effect on symphylan reproduction. Urea and calcium nitrate (75 ppm N) did not effect, superphosphate (32.8–131.1 ppm P) slightly increased and muriate of potash (24.9–83 ppm K) decreased reproduction. There was no reproduction at 0.5% soil moisture (soil moisture equivalent was 21%) but it was equally good at 10–30%. Reproduction was nil at 39 or 55° but good at 60–80°F. It was about the same in total darkness or 16-hr photoperiod. The rate of increase declined as the initial population increased from 10 to 80 symphylans per jar. Drying and storing soil after collection from the field and before use in the laboratory had no effect on symphylan reproduction.
Effect of Ta on the Structure and Dynamics of γ/α2 Interfaces in Tial

The structure of γ/α2 interfaces in binary and Ta-containing TiAl alloys were analyzed by HRTEM and image simulations. Growth of α2 was found to be due to a ledge mechanism, consisting of Shockley partial dislocations on alternate (111)y planes. The interface is atomically flat between the ledges and addition of Ta was found to transform arrays of growth ledges in the binary alloy into islands on the plate faces in the Ta containing alloy. These islands of α2 on the γ/α2 interfaces were 4-7nm wide and increased in size with decreasing ageing temperature. The height of the ledges and islands were always a multiple of the c-parameter (0.46nm) of the α2 phase. The islands were bounded by 90° (edge) and 300 (screw) Shockley partial dislocations. The 30° partial dislocation cores were localized whereas the 90° partial dislocation cores appeared to be highly delocalized due to presence of a high density of kinks, which in one case was found to be about 0.65nm-1 These results are interpreted in terms of the growth mechanisms an morphology of the α2 phase.
On the Accuracy of RANS Simulations of 2D Boundary Layers with OpenFOAM

OpenFOAM is an attractive Computational Fluid Dynamics solver for evaluating new turbulence models due to the open-source nature and the suite of existing standard model implementations. Before interpreting results obtained with a new turbulence model, a baseline for performance of the OpenFOAM solver and existing models is required. In the current study, we assess the accuracy of simulation results obtained with standard models for the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations implemented in the OpenFOAM incompressible solver. Two planar (two-dimensional mean flow) benchmark cases generated by the AIAA turbulence Model Benchmarking Working Group are considered: the boundary layer on a zero-pressure-gradient flat plate and a bump-in-channel flow. OpenFOAM results are compared with the NASA CFD codes CFL3D and FUN3D. Sensitivity of simulation results to the grid refinement, linear pressure solvers, compressibility effects, and model implementation are analyzed. Testing is conducted using standard Spalart-Allmaras one-equation, Wilcox’s 2006 version of the two-equation k-ω, and SST 1994 turbulence models. Simulations using wall-resolved (low Reynolds number) formulations are considered.
One-Stage Reconstruction of Moderately Severe Hypospadias

AbstractSingle stage repair of moderately severe degrees of hypospadias with correction of chordee and reconstruction of the neourethra presents a difficult challenge for the surgeon. Traditionally, a 2-stage approach to correct these defects has been used. However, more recently a 1-stage repair with correction of chordee and creation of a neourethra has increased in popularity.From 1978 to 1985 we treated 86 patients with moderately severe hypospadias and chordee with a 1-stage technique using either a transverse island pedicle flap, a Hodgson III hypospadias repair or a free preputial skin graft. Despite an over-all complication rate of 50 per cent, our final results based on cosmesis and function were deemed excellent in 90 per cent of the cases. Of the 44 complications 23 were strictures, most frequently at the proximal anastomosis. Two-thirds of these strictures responded to a single dilation with the patient under anesthesia. Our fistula rate was 10 per cent and flap necrosis, meatal stenosis or pr...
Cooperativity in the regulation of force and the kinetics of force development in heart and skeletal muscles: cross-bridge activation of force.

Twitches are the unitary contractile events in both heart and skeletal muscles, but twitch plasticity in terms of force and the kinetics of force development differs considerably in the two muscle types. In skeletal muscle, twitch contractions are relatively invariant as long as temperature is constant and the muscle is well rested. In contrast, twitches in heart muscle exhibit much greater dynamic range, such that both force and the kinetics of force development can vary tremendously on a beat-to-beat basis. These differences are in part due to muscle-specific differences in the delivery of Ca2+ to the myoplasm during excitation-contraction coupling. In skeletal muscle, a single action potential elicits a transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ sufficient to saturate thin filament regulatory sites on troponin-C. Because of this, force development and the ability to do work depend upon the duration of the Ca2+ transient and therefore the time available for cross-bridge binding to actin, which in skeletal muscles can be prolonged by tetanic stimulation. In heart muscle, the increase in intracellular Ca2+ during a twitch is typically insufficient to saturate thin filament sites, so that twitch force and work production are sub-maximal. In contrast to skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle cannot be tetanized under physiological conditions, but twitch force and power can be varied by regulating the delivery of Ca2+ to the myoplasm and also by agonist-induced regulation of cross-bridge cycling kinetics.
On the E‐Optimality of Regular Graph Designs

SUMMARY This paper is an investigation into the E-optimality of regular graph designs within various classes of proper block designs. Several sufficient conditions are given for the existence of an E-optimal regular graph design within the classes considered. It is shown that when a regular graph design exists whose minimum non-zero eigenvalue is large enough, then an E-optimal regular graph design exists. Several examples are given to show how the derived sufficient conditions can be applied. LET 9 denote the class of all connected block designs having v treatments arranged in b blocks of size k. The designs in 9 are called proper because all blocks contain the same number of experimental units. It is assumed throughout this paper that bk/v = r is an integer. We will be considering the determination of E-optimal designs within various classes and subclasses of ?. Suppose d E -9. The structure of d is completely determined by its v x b incidence matrix Nd whose entries ndij give the number of times treatment i occurs in block j. When the entries of Nd assume only the values zero and one, the design is called binary. The ith row sum of Nd is denoted by rdi and represents the number of times treatment i is replicated in the design. If all row sums of Nd are equal, the design is said to be equireplicated. The matrix Nd N' is referred to as the concurrence matrix of the design and its entries are denoted by idij. If Nd N' has all of its diagonal elements equal and all of its off-diagonal elements differing by at most one, then d is called a regular graph design (RGD). If d is an RGD and its concurrence matrix has the additional property that all of its off-diagonal elements are equal, then d is called a balanced block design (BBD). Assuming the usual additive two-way classification model, it is well known that the coefficient matrix of the reduced normal equations for estimating the treatment effects is
Methods for Detecting Critical Residues in Proteins

In proteins, certain amino acids may play a critical role in determining their structure and function. Examples include flexible regions, which allow domain motions, and highly conserved residues on functional interfaces, which play a role in binding and interaction with other proteins. Detecting these regions facilitates the analysis and simulation of protein rigidity and conformational changes, and aids in characterizing protein-protein binding. We present a protocol that combines graph-theory rigidity analysis and machine-learning-based methods for predicting critical residues in proteins. Our approach combines amino-acid specific information and data obtained by two complementary methods. One method, KINARI, performs graph-based analysis to find rigid clusters of amino acids in a protein, while the other method relies on evolutionary conservation scores to find functional interfaces in proteins. Our machine learning model combines both methods, in addition to amino acid type and solvent-accessible surface area.
Polarization image sensors: Learning from biology to make the invisible visible

Some animals, such as crustaceans, arthropods, insects and aquatic creatures can detect a characteristic of light - polarization, that is invisible to humans. Different approaches of polarization imaging in the visual region have been proposed in the literature that employ precise but bulky optical devices. In recent years, taking advantage of nano-fabrication, researchers began integrating polarization films at the focal plane of standard image sensors. In addition, the development of nano-scale CMOS technology enables the integration of a standard pixel array with metallic wire-grid at the scale of the wavelength of visible light. Monolithic wire-grid polarization image sensor designs have been reported in the last few years, which is promising to be employed as a compact, portable, smart polarization detection device to extend the human visual ability.
Wittgenstein’s Hut

This is a reflection on Wittgenstein’s life by way of a journey to find Wittgenstein’s hut in Norway in 2004. The journey weaves together Wittgenstein’s notebooks, his biographical relationships with others, and the journey toward, across, and away from the physical terrain around the hut. I try to recover the connection between the two central injunctions of a philosophical life: the Delphic maxim that we should know ourselves, and the Socratic advice that we should take care of ourselves. I consider implicitly how these two philosophical injunctions played out in Wittgenstein’s life, the ways he tried to answer them, the ways in which he failed, succeeded, and above all learned about this relationship, and what can be recovered from this experience for us today.
Designing look-and-feel using generalized crosshatching

In this work, we have developed an approach to include any cross-hatching technique into any rendering system with global illumination effects (see Figure 1). Our new approach provide a robust computation to obtain hand-drawn effects for a wide variety of diffuse and specular materials. Our contributions can be summarized as follows: (1) A Barycentric shader that can provide generalized cross-hatching with multi-textures; and (2) A texture synthesis method that can automatically produce crosshatching textures from any given image.
Continuing heparin beyond 24 hours after rt-PA was not better than oral aspirin-dipyridamole for acute myocardial infarction

Source Citation Thompson PL, Aylward PE, Federman J, et al., for the National Heart Foundation of Australia Coronary Thrombolysis Group. A randomized comparison of intravenous heparin with oral asp...
Diskursforschung in der Kultursoziologie

Begreift man „Kultur“ als Bedeutungsgewebe und je spezifische, relativ stabile und veranderliche Verflechtung von Deutungs- und Handlungspraxis in sozialen Kollektiven, und betreibt man Diskursforschung als Erkundung gesellschaftlicher Konflikte, Stabilisierungen und Transformationen symbolischer Ordnungen, dann ist unmittelbar einsichtig, dass Diskursforschung als eine Form der Kulturanalyse verstanden werden kann. Allerdings muss von unterschiedlichen Ansatzen und Gebrauchsweisen des Diskursbegriffs ausgegangen werden, die mit unterschiedlichen Erkenntnisinteressen und methodischen Umsetzungen einhergehen. Der Beitrag stellt dazu die fur die Kultursoziologie wichtigsten Positionen vor, erlautert die jeweiligen Diskursverstandnisse sowie Analyseinteressen und diskutiert methodische Vorgehensweisen.
ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Over 1.2 million patients suffer from new or recurrent ischemic events annually. This includes an estimated 565,000 cases of first and 300,000 cases of recurrent myocardial infarction. Although mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has declined in recent years, it still remains high at 25–30%. The most common cause of ST elevation AMI (STEMI) is acute plaque rupture with the resultant thrombosis leading to acute closure of coronary arteries.
Unbiased Molecular Dynamics of 11 min Timescale Drug Unbinding Reveals Transition State Stabilizing Interactions

Ligand (un)binding kinetics is being recognized as a determinant of drug specificity and efficacy in an increasing number of systems. However, the calculation of kinetics and the simulation of drug unbinding is more difficult than computing thermodynamic quantities, such as binding free energies. Here we present the first full simulations of an unbinding process at pharmacologically relevant time scales (11 min), without the use of biasing forces, detailed prior knowledge, or specialized processors using the weighted ensemble based algorithm, WExplore. These simulations show the inhibitor TPPU unbinding from its enzyme target soluble epoxide hydrolase, which is a clinically relevant target that has attracted interest in kinetics optimization in order to increase efficacy. We make use of conformation space networks that allow us to conceptualize unbinding not just as a linear process, but as a network of interconnected states that connect the bound and unbound states. This allows us to visualize patterns i...
Stability of Lattice Structures Under Combined Loads

The stability of elastic structures under multiple independent loads is considered. Interaction effects of the independent loading parameters are examined in terms of stability boundaries, which separate regions of stable and unstable load combinations in the load space. The convexity properties of these stability boundaries are discussed in general, both for linear and nonlinear systems. A reticulated dome subjected to vertical loads is then analyzed numerically. The dome exhibits nonlinear prebuckling deformations. Static perturbation and nonlinear programming methods are utilized to compute buckling loads. Results are presented for two and three independent load configurations, and the characteristics of the stability boundaries are discussed. Finally, the interactions for the reticulated dome are compared to those for shallow arches.
Optimizing the Study

Comprehensive guidelines for good urodynamic practices have been developed and reviewed by experts within the International Continence Society (Schafer et al., Neurourol Urodyn 21:261–74, 2002). These expert guidelines are best translated into a clinically effective study when combined with practical clinical knowledge that helps identify and resolve any barriers to performing a high quality study. Pressure-flow urodynamics are, in general, a nonphysiological test: the study involves rapid filling, with room temperature fluid, which is NOT urine, conducted in a clinical setting without privacy. Advance planning and real time trouble-shooting of issues such as patient factors, laboratory environment, and other challenges in performing this test can improve the patient experience and clinical utility, as well as the resultant treatment outcomes of urodynamics. This chapter will outline some methods to optimize this study under these difficult conditions.
The Long Program for Ethics in Ethnobiology

Ethics is a core interest of practicing ethnobiologists and a function of healthy relationships between individuals, cultures, researchers, and the foci of study. Changing times and cultural identities require clear reflections among scientists and responsive interactions with the individuals and cultures who work with ethnobiologists. This Ethnobiology Letters special issue, “Ethics in Ethnobiology,” explores the diverse ways in which intentional conversations about ethics guide us as we encounter unforeseen circumstances and witness changing values in ourselves as well as our collaborators. Moreover, by integrating the ethics of diverse interlocutors into their own research endeavors, these authors illustrate how ethnobiologists listen deeply to the values of their research collaborators.
The Proper Place for External Motivations for Sport and Why They Need Not Subvert Its Internal Goods

A major theme in both of Bill Morgan’s single-author books is that contemporary sport has become corrupted by an increasing emphasis on external goals, in particular money-making, at the expense of...
Examining the nonresponse phenomenon: Factors associated with treatment response in a national sample of veterans undergoing residential PTSD treatment.

Abstract Objective Although several treatments for PTSD have demonstrated efficacy, a substantial portion of patients do not experience clinically significant improvement. Predictors of treatment response are poorly understood. The current study was designed to investigate predictors of PTSD symptom change in a large national sample of treatment-seeking Veterans with PTSD. Method We analyzed predictors of treatment response among Veterans engaged in residential PTSD treatment from 2012 to 2013 (N = 2715). Multilevel modeling was used to assess the association between individual-level factors and symptom improvement from treatment entry to post-discharge. Guided by the theory of Resources, Life Events and Changes in Psychological States, we hypothesized that individuals with greater psychological, social/contextual, material, and physical health resources would exhibit better treatment response. Results In adjusted analyses, accounting for facility, factors that predicted better treatment response included female gender, more psychological and social/contextual protective factors, and more years of education. Factors that predicted worse treatment response included Black race, comorbid personality disorder, greater pain severity, and current application for disability-related compensation. Conclusions These findings highlight factors that place individuals at risk of poor treatment response. Treatment modifications may be needed in order to optimize response for subgroups who are less likely to benefit from residential PTSD treatment.
Measurement of the reaction rate of H + O2 + M → HO2 + M, for M= Ar, N2, CO2, at high temperature with a sensitive OH absorption diagnostic

Abstract The reaction rate of H + O2+M = HO2+M in the low-pressure limit was determined in the temperature range of 1450– 2000 K, with Argon, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide as the third-body collision partners, by measuring the OH time-history after the induction time during lean oxidation of Hydrogen. Test conditions were optimized to suppress the sensitivity of OH to interfering reactions after the induction time, using dilute and extremely lean mixtures at these temperatures. The strong Q1(5) transition in the A-X(0,0) band of OH was used as the probing wavelength for the diagnostic. Calibration measurements were performed prior to the experiments to estimate the effects of pressure shift and collision broadening on the absorption coefficient of OH for each of the bath gas species, which enabled a reduction in the uncertainty in the absorption cross-section of OH. Aided by the calibrated and improved OH diagnostic, the reaction rate constants were determined at high temperatures, with low scatter, and tight uncertainty bounds. The measured rate constants also agree with the extrapolation of previous investigations at lower temperatures. Combined rate constant expressions based on the lower temperature measurements of Shao et al. (2018) and the current high-temperature measurements are proposed, which are valid over the temperature range of 1000–2000 K: k 2 , A r = ( 2.66 * 10 19 ) * T − 1.36 c m 6 mo l − 2 s − 1 ( ± 9 % ) k 2 , N 2 = ( 2.25 * 10 21 ) * T − 1.95 c m 6 mo l − 2 s − 1 ( ± 23 % ) k 2 , C O 2 = ( 2.23 * 10 18 ) * T − 0.79 c m 6 mo l − 2 s − 1 ( ± 28 % )
On the Role of Information Sharing in the Security of Interconnected Systems

In this paper we consider a security problem for interconnected dynamical systems, where each subsystem aims to detect local attacks. Each subsystem has knowledge of only its local dynamics and, therefore, the subsystems share information among themselves to aid local attack detection. We develop a technique that processes the local and shared measurements and detects attacks with provable guarantees. Interestingly, we show that for some instances of the attack, the detection performance deteriorates if the subsystems share their measurements. We provide an explanation for this counter-intuitive behavior and illustrate our results through a numerical example.
Revision or removal of vagus nerve stimulator lead and implantable pulse generator

Abstract A 38-year-old woman had been using a vagus nerve stimulator for over 10 years with fairly significant benefit, overall having only two seizures in the last 5 years that she was aware of. More recently, however, she had noticed that the small effect on her voice when the stimulator was activated had gone away. In fact, she was n’t sure the stimulator was even working anymore and wondered whether the implantable pulse generator (IPG) had run out. When she tried using the magnet, she had also noticed there was no sense that the stimulator activated. The woman made an appointment with her epileptologist, and the system was interrogated. The impedances all read as if there was an open circuit, suggesting that the lead wires had broken. An anteroposterior and lateral pair of X-rays was therefore ordered of the neck. On further questioning, she recalls falling down a few stairs several months earlier and landing awkwardly on her shoulder on the right side but twisting her neck over to the left. Except for some serious bruises, she broke no bones and recovered well over a few weeks and had n’t thought more about it until presently.
The Ebb and Flow of Federal Sector Labor-Management Relations Policies under Four Successive Presidents

Federal sector labor-management relations policies ebb and flow with changes in presidential administrations. As the nation’s Chief Executive, the president exercises considerable influence over both policy and practice in this domain. We review the relevant policies of four successive presidents (Clinton, Bush 43, Obama, and Trump) on seven dimensions, comparing them to the existing Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). To put the presidents’ policies into broader context, we show how they correspond with the presidents’ expressed or implied views on public administration, management, and labor-management relations. We find considerable variation across the presidents, which correlate with political party and ideology. The reality is that policy and practice in this area are politically moving targets. We discuss the implications of our findings for labor and management.
Seasonal variation in the incidence of primary CNS lymphoma.

Background Primary CNS lymphoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that can develop in immunocompetent individuals, but little is known about risk factors and causes of disease. Previous studies have demonstrated seasonal patterns for lymphomas and brain tumors. This study examined the seasonal incidence pattern for primary CNSlymphoma. Methods A retrospective review was performed for patients diagnosed with primary CNS lymphoma from 2000 through 2018 at our tertiary referral center. A total of 156 patients were categorized based on month of symptom onset, month of diagnosis, and month of recurrence if they experienced a relapse of their disease. The distributions were then analyzed for seasonal patterns. Results There was a significant, bimodal seasonal incidence pattern based on month of symptom onset (P < .001), with peaks in July (n = 19) and December (n = 23) and troughs in March (n = 4) and September (n = 5). There were no significant differences in patients' sex, age at presentation, length of follow-up, and progression-free survival across months. There were no seasonal patterns based on month of diagnosis (P = .450) or month of disease recurrence (P = .572). Conclusion The incidence of primary CNS lymphoma has bimodal peaks in midsummer and early winter, which could provide insight into causative agents and mechanisms of disease.
Purnell, Brian, and Jeanne Theoharis, eds., with Komozi Woodard, The Strange Careers of the Jim Crow North: Segregation and Struggle outside of the South: New York: New York University Press, 350 pp., $28.99, ISBN 978-1479820337, Publication Date: April 2019

This collection of impressive essays brings to the forefront the often overlooked fact that racial segregation for most of the twentieth century in the United States of America was a national pheno...
[Associations between Cigarette and Electronic Cigarette Use and Sleep Health in Korean Adolescents: An Analysis of the 14th (2018) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Surveys].

Purpose This study aimed to understand the relationship between cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and sleep health among Korean adolescents. Methods Using the 14th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we included 52,928 adolescents who responded to sleep satisfaction and sleep duration. Participants were classified into four groups: non-users, cigarette-only users, e-cigarette-only users, and dual users of both products. To examine the associations between cigarette and e-cigarette use and sleep health, data were analyzed using complex samples cross tabulation and complex samples logistic regression. Results Of the four groups, dual users reported the lowest level of sleep satisfaction and sleep duration; 57.0% and 86.9% of dual users were not satisfied with their sleep and have insufficient sleep duration, respectively. The proportion of students who were not satisfied with their sleep was higher among cigarette-only users compared to e-cigarette-only users (52.7% vs. 45.8%), but the two groups reported similar rates of insufficient sleep duration (84.2% vs. 84.3%). Compared to non-users, cigarette-only users, e-cigarette-only users, and dual users were more likely to not be satisfied with sleep (odds ratios [ORs] were 1.49, 1.36, and 1.75, respectively) and had significantly higher odds of experiencing insufficient sleep duration (ORs were 1.85, 2.06, and 2.34, respectively). Conclusion E-cigarette-only use and dual use as well as cigarette-only use were associated with poor sleep health. Therefore, to improve adolescent sleep health, health professionals should provide sleep intervention strategies considering the association between smoking and sleep health.
Lacosamide serum concentrations during pregnancy.

Abstract Still considered a new ASD, teratogenicity from lacosamide (LCM) exposure during pregnancy is unknown. LCM metabolism through several cytochrome P450 enzymes and minor glucuronidation metabolism in the liver may increase during pregnancy and theoretically lead to lower LCM levels during pregnancy and the risk of increased seizures. Our objective was to determine the impact of pregnancy on serum LCM levels in a series of women with epilepsy (WWE). We identified seven pregnancies with exposure to LCM with at least one level drawn during pregnancy. Patient ages ranged from 18 to 38 years (mean 26.4 years) and total daily doses of LCM ranged from 200 to 600 mg/day. Two patients had increased dose adjustments in response to breakthrough seizures. Dose normalized concentrations (DNC) showed an overall decrease over time through each trimester (p = 0.002) and significantly lower during trimester 2 and 3 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively) compared to pre-pregnancy levels. There were no significant changes in seizure frequency and none of the neonates had teratogenic findings at time of birth. We are the first to report a case series on the changes in LCM levels during pregnancy with significant decreased LCM DNC levels during the second and third trimesters in comparison to pre-pregnancy values.
Dural Bleeding After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

We present a case of an 80-year-old female patient who had an extensive dural bleed after endoscopic sinus surgery. A review of the literature regarding the surgical tools and materials used to tre...
Silicon Integrated THz Comb Radiator and Receiver for Broadband Sensing and Imaging Applications

This article presents a fully integrated terahertz (THz) comb/pulse radiator and a broadband frequency-comb heterodyne receiver for sensing and imaging applications. The chipset is fabricated in the GlobalFoundries 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. The comb radiator utilizes p-i-n diode sharp reverse recovery to generate THz frequency comb/pulses. The repetition rate of the radiated pulses is locked to a stable off-chip source, which can be adjusted to as high as 15 GHz. By using a low-phase noise off-chip source rather than an on-chip oscillator, low phase noise and high-frequency stability are achieved. The phase noise of 405-GHz tone is −82 dBc at a 10-kHz offset frequency. The radiated tones are characterized from 220 GHz up to 1.1 THz using VDI SAX modules with the measured EIRP of −11, −15, and −36 dBm at 405, 500, and 750 GHz, respectively. In addition, a THz frequency comb detector using a Schottky barrier diode passive mixer is presented. The detector uses a broadband comb as LO for heterodyne detection of any arbitrary spectrum in mm-wave/THz band by adjusting the spacing of the LO comb from 100 s of MHz up to 15 GHz with a resolution of 2 Hz. The receiver chip is characterized from 220 up to 500 GHz with the measured NF of 24.5, 36, and 44 dB at 270, 405, and 495 GHz, respectively. Moreover, a dual-comb technique using the radiator and receiver chips is demonstrated, promising a compact low-cost solution for dual-comb sensing applications. The radiator and receiver chips consume a dc power of 40 and 38 mW, respectively.
Chapter III – Limited Proteolysis

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on limited proteolysis reaction, in which side-chain hydrogen bonding plays an important role. The term limited proteolysis implies that only one or possibly two peptide bonds are being hydrolyzed. The enzyme used in each of the reactions is simply the catalyst to allow the hydrolytic reaction to proceed toward equilibrium in a direction governed by the free energies of the reactants and products. The strength of primary valence bonds such as disulfide bonds in proteins should be affected in a similar manner by hydrogen bonds. Thus, an apparent increase should be expected in the stability of these bonds if their rupture would also involve hydrogen-bond breakage. The oxidation–reduction potentials of disulfide bonds in proteins should, therefore, be affected. Conceivably, differences in the oxidation–reduction potentials of the various disulfide bonds of a protein like ribonuclease may be deducted. Also, the observation that primary valence bonds may owe some additional thermodynamic strength to the hydrogen bonds associated with them provides another method for studying the internal structure of proteins. Measurements of hydrolysis constants for peptide bonds in native proteins and measurements of oxidation–reduction potentials of disulfide links should yield direct thermodynamic information about the number, nature, and specific location of intramolecular hydrogen bonds between polar groups.