cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute hepatitis induced by kava kava

Background. Herbal preparations are available widely and regarded generally by the public as harmless remedies for a variety of medical ailments. We report a case of acute hepatitis associated with the use of kava kava, derived from the root of the pepper plant, Piper methysticum. It is used in the United States as an antianxiety and sedative agent. Case report. A previously healthy 14-year-old female was admitted to the hospital with hepatic failure. Initial therapy, including plasmapheresis, was unsuccessful and she deteriorated. She ultimately required a liver transplant and now remains well. The liver biopsy showed hepatocellular necrosis consistent with chemical hepatitis. A work-up for alternative causes of liver failure was negative. The patient gave a history of taking a kava kava–containing product for four months. The use of kava kava and liver failure, is supported by kava kava use, a negative work-up for alternative causes of liver failure, and histological changes in the liver. Conclusions. H...
COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUNDING

This article presents a practitioner's funding model indicative of the primary revenue streams of community colleges in Texas. Methodology is developed to identify internal and external processes for the comparison of these primary revenue streams on a per-contact-hour basis. Student tuition, ad valorem property tax, maintenance taxing district, and state appropriation revenues are analyzed to provide a framework for the subsequent development of methodologies to identify disparities in the Texas community college funding mechanism.
Remnant Speckles in a Highly Corrected Coronagraph

Searches for faint companions to stars may use coronagraphs fed by adaptive optics (AO) systems of very high correction. Sensitivity will be limited by focal plane speckles from residual, uncorrected wave-front errors, so it is important to characterize remnant coronagraphic speckles. A general analysis is presented, illustrated with the classical Lyot coronagraph and the newer four quadrant phase mask scheme. Two kinds of remnant speckles, of distinct symmetry, occur that are closely analogous to those arising in direct imaging at high correction. Properties and typical intensity estimates are presented, which are useful for estimating speckle noise and false companion detection levels and reduction strategies. For realistic parameters describing some current ground-based observations, the novel antisymmetric "pinned" speckles, usually neglected even in direct imaging, are nonnegligible in narrowband short exposures. For parameters appropriate to a space-borne coronagraph on the Hubble Space Telescope, these anomalous speckles are in fact dominant close to the star and thus a potentially significant source of false companion detections.
Asymmetric multilevel outphasing architecture for multi-standard transmitters

We describe a new outphasing transmitter architecture in which the supply voltage for each PA can switch among multiple levels. It is based on a new asymmetric multilevel outphasing (AMO) modulation technique which increases overall efficiency over a much wider output power range than the standard LINC system while maintaining high linearity. For demonstration, the overall transmitter is simulated in a 65nm CMOS process with HSUPA and WLAN signals. The simulation results show an efficiency improvement from 17.7% to 40.7% for HSUPA at 25.3dBm output power and from 11.3% to 35.5% for WLAN 802.11g at 22.8dBm while still meeting system linearity requirements.
Time Interval Between Injection of Estradiol Benzoate and LH Release in the Rat and Effect of Actinomycin D or Cycloheximide

Ovariectomized rats were injected with 0.5 μg/day of estradiol benzoate (EB) for 5 days. Fifty ng of EB was given in a single injection at varying hours on day 6 or 7. All animals were killed at 1630 hr on day 7, and LH levels in the serum were determined by radioimmunoassay. EB given at 1100, 1200, or 1800 hr on day 6 induced release of LH, but EB given at 2400 hr on day 6 or at 0700 or 1200 hr on day 7 did not. Actinomycin D (AD) given either prior to, or 7 or 13 hr after the 50 μg of EB blocked LH release. AD given 20 hr after EB did not block LH release. Cycloheximide given either prior to, or 20 or 25 hr after EB blocked LH release. AD failed to block LH release induced in vivo with exogenous LRF. These results suggest (a) that the minimal latent period of EB, under the regimens used in this study, for inducing a significant release of LH was between 16.5 and 22.5 hr, and (b) that induction of LH release by EB may require de novo synthesis of RNA and protein over a period of several hours. (Endocrino...
Phases of "Pre-Engagement" Capacity Building: Discovery, Exploration, and Trial Alliance

Background: Academic prevention researchers who engage limited-resource communities may find that organizational or community capacity for prevention is low. Community organizations, neighborhoods, and academic partners may lack shared issue awareness, mutual interests, and interactive skills necessary for collaborative intervention. Existing capacity building models either ignore a 'pre-engagement' phase or acknowledge it without offering strategic detail. An exploratory or developmental phase before active engagement can be achieved through co-located work in a community setting. The construct, "ecology of practice," provides conceptual background for examining how "shared work" introduces and prepares partners for future collaboration consistent with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. Objective: This paper presents two case studies where pre- engagement capacity building involved partners who were initially unaware, disinterested, or unable to engage in preventive interventions. These cases illustrate how mutual participation in shared "ecologies of practice" enabled an exchange of cultural knowledge, skill, and language that laid the groundwork for future preventive intervention. Methods: A trajectory of developmental work in each case occurred over 5 years. Historical timelines, interviews, and personal communications between community and academic leaders were reviewed and common themes identified. A model of "pre-capacity building" emerged. Conclusion: Capacity-building models that detail strategies for developing equitable engagement in under-resourced settings will more effectively move best practices into vulner- able communities. Preventive interventions must be trans- lated equitably if health disparities are to be reduced.
papG Alleles among Escherichia coli Strains Causing Urosepsis: Associations with Other Bacterial Characteristics and Host Compromise

Alleles I, II, and III of the P adhesin gene papG were sought by PCR among 75 Escherichia coli blood isolates from adults with urosepsis, and the papG genotype was compared with associated bacterial characteristics and host compromise status. Allele II predominated over allele III in the total population (71% of the strains versus 7% for allele III; P < 0.01). Allele I was not encountered. In comparison with allele II, allele III was significantly associated with the presence of hly and the absence of iuc (which encode hemolysin and aerobactin biosynthesis), nonagglutination of digalactoside-coated beads, absence of aerobactin production, membership in serogroups O6 and O18, and host compromise, particularly cancer and upper urinary tract abnormalities.
Classical and enriched finite element formulations for Bloch-periodic boundary conditions

SUMMARY In this paper, classical and enriched flnite element formulations to impose Bloch-periodic boundary conditions are proposed. Bloch-periodic boundary conditions arise in the description of wave-like phenomena in periodic media. We consider the quantum-mechanical problem in a crystalline solid, and derive the weak formulation and matrix equations for the Schrodinger and Poisson equations in a parallelepiped unit cell under Bloch-periodic and periodic boundary conditions, respectively. For such second-order problems, these conditions consist of value- and derivative-periodic parts. The value-periodic part is enforced as an essential boundary condition by construction of a value-periodic basis, whereas the derivative-periodic part is enforced as a natural boundary condition in the weak formulation. We show that the resulting matrix equations can be obtained by suitably specifying the connectivity of element matrices in the assembly of the global matrices or by modifying the Neumann
Nonlinear Site Response in Medium Magnitude Earthquakes near Parkfield, California

Careful analysis of strong-motion recordings of 13 medium magnitude earthquakes (3.7≤ M ≤6.5) in the Parkfield, California, area shows that very modest levels of shaking (approximately 3.5% of the acceleration of gravity) can produce observable changes in site response. Specifically, I observe a drop and subsequent recovery of the resonant frequency at sites that are part of the USGS Parkfield dense seismograph array (UPSAR) and Turkey Flat array. While further work is necessary to fully eliminate other models, given that these frequency shifts correlate with the strength of shaking at the Turkey Flat array and only appear for the strongest shaking levels at UPSAR, the most plausible explanation for them is that they are a result of nonlinear site response. Assuming this to be true, the observation of nonlinear site response in small ( M <5) earthquakes implies that nonlinear site response can occur at much lower levels of shaking than previously believed. Below I present observations of a resonant frequency shift during five M ≤5 earthquakes near Parkfield, California, strongly contrasting with previous studies that have only identified nonlinear site effects for much larger events. In addition to the nonlinear effects seen for the smaller events, nonlinear site response is also observed for two largest earthquakes in the region during the study period (the 2003 M 6.5 San Simeon earthquake and the 2004 M 6 Parkfield earthquake).
HOMOLOGY OF THE ASTRAGALUS AND STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE TARSUS OF DIADECTIDAE

Abstract Superbly preserved tarsi of a new, undescribed, primitive member of Diadectidae and of Diadectes, the best known member of the family, are described. The major distinction between them is the retention of sutures in the astragalus of the former which clearly indicate an origin from the fusion of three separate ossifications considered homologues of the primitive amphibian tibiale, intermedium, and proximal centrale. Among the Diadectomorpha (includes also Limnoscelidae and Tseajaiidae) only Diadectidae possesses an astragalus, which is considered a synapomorphy of the family within this grouping. Furthermore, the sister-group relationship of the new, undescribed diadectid to the other diadectids demonstrates a transformational, phylogenetic homology of the astragalus via the ontogenetic fusion of the primitive amphibian tarsal bones. The astragalus of diadectids is identical to those of late Paleozoic terrestrial amniotes in structure and relationship to neighboring elements. This, plus the wide ...
Affordable greenhouses: A tool to increase farmers' adaptive capacity to climate change

The African continent is most vulnerable to climate change due to a multitude of environmental stressors and low adaptive capacity. Climate change stresses agriculture via rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, as well as increased soil vulnerability, climate variability, pests and crop disease, and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Affordable greenhouse solutions work on a small, sustainable scale to mitigate some of the effects of climate change and provide strategies for smallholder farmers to adapt to the changing environment. Greenhouses cannot reverse climate change, but they are well suited to increase the adaptive capacity of the agricultural sector in developing nations. This article examines affordable greenhouses and the role they play in mitigating the effects of climate change for small-scale farmers.
PREDICTORS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AT 1 MONTH AFTER IMPLANTATION OF A LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE

• OBJECTIVES To describe quality-of-life outcomes; determine relationships between quality of life and demographic, physical, psychosocial, and clinical variables; and identify predictors of quality of life at 1 month after implantation of a left ventricular assist device. • METHODS Patients who received either an implantable pneumatic (n = 38) or a vented electric (n = 54) left ventricular assist device as a bridge to heart transplantation between August 1, 1994, and August 31, 1999, completed 6 instruments used to measure quality of life and factors related to quality of life. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, Mann-Whitney U tests, and forward, stepwise multiple regression. • RESULTS Overall satisfaction with quality of life was quite high as determined from the total score on the Quality of Life Index (mean = 0.69). Patients were very satisfied with the implantation and thought that they would do well after future heart transplant surgery. Patients had a moderate level of stress. Significant predictors of overall quality of life were psychological symptoms, stress, and race; these accounted for 46% of variance in quality of life. • CONCLUSIONS Patients were satisfied with their quality of life at 1 month after implantation of a left ventricular assist device. However, they were least satisfied with their health and functioning and yet were optimistic about how well they thought they would do after heart transplantation. Psychological factors were the strongest predictors of satisfaction with overall quality of life. (American Journal of Critical Care. 2002;11:345-352)
Mapping the Genetic Basis of Troglomorphy in Astyanax : How Far We Have Come and Where Do We Go from Here?

The distinct phenotypes of the cave forms of Astyanax mexicanus from the surface forms are captivating (e.g., lack of pigmentation, eye-degeneration, and metabolic and behavioral divergences from SF). These phenotypes are especially interesting because they are amenable to genetic dissection through classic quantitative genetic crosses and quantitative trait locus (QTL) due to the availability of an interfertile close relative with more “normal” phenotypes. Such methods are simply statistical associations between genotypes and phenotypes, and the cavefish (CF) community has been extremely successful in conducting these studies and identifying regions of the genome associated with cave phenotypes. Here we review past studies that sought to identify the genetic bases of CF traits through QTL mapping and discuss ways to integrate past knowledge and work with future technologies and analytical methods.
Cardiac imaging and cardiac resynchronization therapy: time to get in phase.

In this issue of iJACC (JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging) , Botvinick et al. ([1][1]) perform a complex study involving the performance of equilibrium radionuclide myocardiography with phase analysis during ventricular tachycardia. The authors identify specific characteristics that define tolerability
Exact CNOT gates with a single nonlocal rotation for quantum-dot qubits

This theoretical study provides an exact implementation of the CNOT two-qubit gate operation between capacitively coupled exchange-only qubits defined by three electrons in triple quantum dots. The authors show that the CNOT gate can be implemented by tuning three parameters: the two single-qubit exchange splittings, and the duration of the pulse.
Chapter 15. Antidiabetics

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses results of studies focusing on antidiabetics. Several studies on the synthesis and evaluation of new sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents were reported. One such study involved the synthesis and testing of a series of N-benzyl-N′-p-toluenesulfonylureas. Many of these compounds were found to be effective hypoglycemics in rats. Studies with newly synthesized acylaminoalkylbenzenesulfonylureas produced some extremely potent oral hypoglycemics. It was surprising to find a high order of potency in compounds of this type inasmuch as N-(4-acetamidobenzenesulfonyl)-N′-n-butylurea, a metabolite of carbutamide, is devoid of hypoglycemic activity. This emphasized the importance of the alkyl chain, which is interposed between the benzene ring and the amide function. The most active compound to result from this study was HB 419, capable of lowering blood sugar in humans at doses of less than 0.1 mg/kg. Further studies on the hypoglycemic activity of glycodiazine were reported. This compound is not a sulfonylurea but it is structurally related to the sulfonylureas and it apparently exerts its action by stimulating pancreatic insulin release. Studies indicated that glycodiazine is a potentially useful oral hypoglycemic for the treatment of adult-onset diabetes.
Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

Research about ecosystem services (ES) often aims to generate knowledge that influences policies and institutions for conservation and human development. However, we have limited understanding of how decision-makers use ES knowledge or what factors facilitate use. Here we address this gap and report on, to our knowledge, the first quantitative analysis of the factors and conditions that explain the policy impact of ES knowledge. We analyze a global sample of cases where similar ES knowledge was generated and applied to decision-making. We first test whether attributes of ES knowledge themselves predict different measures of impact on decisions. We find that legitimacy of knowledge is more often associated with impact than either the credibility or salience of the knowledge. We also examine whether predictor variables related to the science-to-policy process and the contextual conditions of a case are significant in predicting impact. Our findings indicate that, although many factors are important, attributes of the knowledge and aspects of the science-to-policy process that enhance legitimacy best explain the impact of ES science on decision-making. Our results are consistent with both theory and previous qualitative assessments in suggesting that the attributes and perceptions of scientific knowledge and process within which knowledge is coproduced are important determinants of whether that knowledge leads to action.
Blind X-Ray CT Image Reconstruction From Polychromatic Poisson Measurements

We develop a framework for reconstructing images that are sparse in an appropriate transform domain from polychromatic computed tomography (CT) measurements under the blind scenario where the material of the inspected object and incident-energy spectrum are unknown. Assuming that the object that we wish to reconstruct consists of a single material, we obtain a parsimonious measurement-model parameterization by changing the integral variable from photon energy to mass attenuation, which allows us to combine the variations brought by the unknown incident spectrum and mass attenuation into a single unknown mass-attenuation spectrum function; the resulting measurement equation has the Laplace-integral form. The mass-attenuation spectrum is then expanded into basis functions using B-splines of order one. We consider a Poisson noise model and establish conditions for biconvexity of the corresponding log-likelihood (NLL) function with respect to the density-map and mass-attenuation spectrum parameters. We derive a block-coordinate descent algorithm for constrained minimization of a penalized NLL objective function, where penalty terms ensure non-negativity of the mass-attenuation spline coefficients and non-negativity and gradient-map sparsity of the density-map image, imposed using a convex total-variation (TV) norm; the resulting objective function is biconvex. This algorithm alternates between a Nesterovs proximal-gradient (NPG) step and a limited-memory Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno with box constraints (L-BFGSB) iteration for updating the image and mass-attenuation spectrum parameters, respectively. We prove the Kurdyka–Łojasiewicz property of the objective function, which is important for establishing local convergence of block-coordinate descent schemes in biconvex optimization problems. Our framework applies to other NLLs and signal-sparsity penalties, such as lognormal NLL and ${\ell_1}$ norm of 2-D discrete wavelet transform (DWT) image coefficients. Numerical experiments with simulated and real X-ray CT data demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.
Mother-Child Reports of Affectionate Communication with Fathers: Associations with Family Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction

This study examined the possibility that mothers’ and children’s perceptions of affection with the children’s father spill over to perceptions of affectionate communication in related family subsystems, and affect individual levels of family and life satisfaction. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), we tested these relationships with 75 mother-child dyads reporting on perceptions of affection with fathers. The results show that both mothers and children perceived the family subsystem outside of their direct experience as more affectionate when they reported higher levels of affectionate communication with the father. In addition, affectionate communication with the father was linked to both family and life satisfaction for mothers and children. Implications for understanding spillover of affection in families are discussed.
Wide-area anti-delay coordinated control among FACTS controllers

An algorithm based on free-weighting matrix approach is proposed for the anti-delay coordinated control among multiple FACTSs(Flexible AC Transmission Systems),which uses the output feedback signal of wide-area measurement system,considers the time delay of signal transmission,adopts the free-weighting matrix time delay stability theory as criterion,ensures the minimum damping ratio of time delay system above a given threshold,and applies the quantum genetic algorithm to obtain the best gain of multi-FACTS coordination controller. Results of time-domain simulation for a case with two SVCs show its effectiveness.
Methane Fuels Deep-Sea, Rock-Hosted Ecosystem: Symbiotic clumps of methanotrophic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria anaerobically oxidize about 80% of the methane released from seafloor seeps

Far beneath the ocean surface, vast quantities of methane percolate through the Earth's crust, following fractures and fissures into the shallow subsurface and frequently into the depths of the sea. These features are marine methane seeps, important components of the planet's climate regulation system. Methane moving through these seeps derives from the breakdown of larger organic molecules nestled within the crust and from closer-range biological production.
Ethical issues in decision-making for infants with disorders of sex development.

Medical decisions for infants and children should generally be based on the best interests of the child. When there is legitimate controversy over the child’s best interests, the right of the child to an open future should generally determine the course of treatment. In the case of infants born with disorders of sex development (DSD), early cosmetic genitoplasty was long believed to be in the child’s best interest and was therefore the standard of care. New data suggest that early genitoplasty may be more harmful than helpful, therefore the best interest standard is no longer determinative in such cases. Because children born with DSD have a right to an open future, and because the openness of their future is clearly enhanced by delaying cosmetic genitoplasty until they themselves can participate meaningfully in decision-making, early genitoplasty is ethically supportable only when medically indicated (e. g., when the child is unable to urinate without surgical intervention). Further research is needed to clarify the benefits and burdens of early and delayed genitoplasty. In parallel with further research, efforts should focus on educating society broadly to decrease stigmatization of persons with DSD.
Gene therapy for autoimmune diseases: Preclinical and clinical studies

G therapy approaches for treating autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes have shown significant efficacy in numerous animal models. The effective approaches include ex vivo methods involving genetically modified dendritic cells (DC), exosomes derived from genetically modified DC as well as direct, in vivo gene transfer of immunomodulatory cytokines to joints and to endogenous islets. We have performed several clinical trials for gene therapy of rheumatoid arthritis using intra-articular injection of genetically modified synovial fibroblasts expressing the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IL-1Ra). Currently we are developing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based approaches for treating osteoarthritis by intra-articular gene transfer of IL-1Ra. The significant pre-clinical and clinical progress made towards developing viable gene therapy approaches for treating autoimmune disorders using rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes as model diseases will be presented. Paul D. Robbins, J Stem Cell Res Ther 2013, 3:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2157-7633.S1.010
The legal hypothesis of creole genesis: Presence/absence of legal personality, a new element to the Spanish creole debate

The origins of the Afro-Hispanic Languages of the Americas (AHLAs), the languages that developed in Latin America from the contact of African languages and Spanish in colonial times, are extremely intriguing, since it still has to be explained why we do not find creole languages in certain regions of Spanish America, where the socio-demographic conditions for creole languages to emerge appear to have been in place in colonial times. Nowadays, in contrast, we can find such contact varieties in similar former colonies, which were ruled by the British, the French or the Dutch ( McWhorter 2000 ). Despite the fascinating implications of this phenomenon, our knowledge of the AHLAs remains extremely limited. Several hypotheses have been proposed to account for this situation, but no common consensus has yet been achieved ( Chaudenson 2001 ; Mintz 1971 ; Laurence 1974 ; Granda 1968 ; Schwegler 1993 , 2014 ; Lipski 1993 ; etc.). The pull of different views on the issue has been labelled in the literature as the ‘Spanish creole debate’ ( Lipski 2005 : ch.9). The current study is aimed at casting new light on the Spanish creole debate by relying on a comparative analysis of slave laws in the Americas. This article highlights the role that legal differences played in shaping colonial societies and the Afro-European languages that developed in the New World.
Are diets the answers to colon ills? Food, irritable bowel syndrome and the microbiome

Given the role of the gastrointestinal tract in digestion and absorption, it is appropriate that food or the very anticipation of food should be the primary trigger of many physiological processes in the gut and its related organs – from lower esophageal sphincter relaxation to pancreatic secretion
Sex Differences in the Human Brain

The chapter starts with how ideology enters into studies of sex differences. Next, Stuart Richie claims that he has completed the largest study of sex differences to date. His findings come next. The fact that male brains are larger and how this is irrelevant follows with a statement of what brain parts are important in sex-differences studies. Hard-wired differences in brain parts come next as well as socialization differences. A summary statement of this by Goldman is presented. Sex differences in toys chosen by boys and girls between 9 and 7 months old follows. Other differences between males and females are presented. Sex differences in mental health come next. The fact that certain brain parts differ in males and females and their behavioral consequences follows. Consequences of differences in the amygdalae are detailed. A large study by Roberta Jenkins on the sex-related asymmetry of important brain structures follows. Genetic differences in the male and female brains are then presented. Asymmetry of subcortical brain structures that are most likely to influence cognition follows. Next, a vulnerability to brain disorders due to genetic variation is presented. Sex-based differences related to mating, aggression, and parenting are detailed. Nirao Shah refers to a new “sea change” from the belief that sex differences are due to culture to brain-differences. This is followed by an overview by Richie. A summarizing conclusion ends the chapter.
Can PLAY diminish ADHD and facilitate the construction of the social brain

The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) has been increasing at an alarming rate, paralleled by the prescription of highly effective psychostimulants whose developmental effects on growing brains remain inadequately characterized. One reason for the increasing incidence of ADHD may be the diminishing availability of opportunities for pre-school children to engage in natural self-generated social play. Pre-clinical work indicates that play can facilitate behavioral inhibition in growing animals, while psychostimulants reduce playfulness. The idea that intensive social play interventions, throughout early childhood, may alleviate ADHD symptoms remains to be evaluated. As an alternative to the use of play-reducing psychostimulants, society could establish play “sanctuaries” for at-risk children in order to facilitate frontal lobe maturation and the healthy development of pro-social minds.
Functional Components of Systems Controlling Behavior in Some Primitive Animals

The ultimate goal of a behavorial physiologist is to erect a complete, causal explanation for the total behavior of the organism which he is studying. The nature of the explanation which would be considered adequate depends to a large extent on the interests of the investigator and the level at which he works. For a behaviorist an acceptable explanation might be composed of concepts such as drives, consummatory acts and innate releasing mechanisms, while an electrophysiologist might want an explanation in terms like spike initiating loci, accommodation, and excitatory post-synaptic potentials. But at any level the goal of completely explaining the behavior of an animal is in most cases rather unrealistic. The complexity of the behavior of most animals precludes the possibility of complete analysis, at least in the near future, and investigators generally must content themselves with analyzing portions of the total behavioral repertoire; treating subsystems which ideally are complex enough to be interesting yet simple enough to be analyzable. The results considered in this paper come from work with coelenterates, animals which I feel are exceptional in that a complete analysis of their behavior is perhaps not an unrealistic goal.
Assessing Benefits of Using Geogrids in Pavements Founded on Problematic Soils

Geogrids are becoming a popular alternative for soil reinforcement in highway pavement construction to achieve improved performance in regions with soft problematic soils or with a reduction in aggregate layer thickness to reduce construction costs. To examine the potential benefits of geogrids for soil improvement, measurement of permanent deformation using triaxial tests is used in practice. However, soil subgrade improvement in a reinforced pavement system is achieved by lateral distribution of vertical stresses at the reinforcing layer, through the tensile properties of the geogrid material. Therefore, it is desirable to conduct large-scale testing to more accurately monitor the behavior of soil when geogrid is present. The current study seeks to verify the behavior of geogrid reinforced pavement systems through large-scale wheel tests performed with problematic subgrade soils found in North Georgia. The large scale specimen was prepared in a 6 feet long × 6 feet wide × 2 feet deep metal box and consisted of 12 in. of aggregate base overlying 12 in. of subgrade soil. Pressure sensors were installed near the bottom of the aggregate base layer and near the top and bottom of the subgrade layer to monitor stress distributions within the pavement system. This paper presents preliminary results showing vertical stress variations obtained experimentally in aggregate base and subgrade soils under large-scale simulated traffic tire loading. The development of a bench scale system to complement the large scale loading system and allow for microstructure evolution studies is also described.
A pairwise nuclear fusion algorithm for weighted particle-in-cell plasma simulations

Abstract A pairwise nuclear fusion algorithm for arbitrarily weighted macroparticles in a particle-in-cell simulation is described. The method is benchmarked in situations with like-particles, D(d,n)3He, unlike-particles, D(t,n)4He, thermonuclear plasmas, beam-target fusion, and for large difference in macroparticle weights. Studies of the required number of macroparticles in thermonuclear plasmas show that 100–1000 macroparticles are required to achieve repeatability of yields around 10%, likewise 104–105 for 1%, depending on the fusion interaction and ion temperature.
Understanding the nature of media effects from onscreen exposure to alcohol, sex, and their combination

Abstract Purpose Combinations of risk behaviors are common in popular media, which make it difficult to understand how exposure to risk content affects adolescent risk behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether media effects associated with exposure to multiple risk behaviors (i.e., combined alcohol and sex, sex only, alcohol only, and no risk) in television content have specific or more general effects on attitudes and norms associated with performing these behaviors. Methods Adolescents aged 14–17 years from an opt-in Qualtrics panel (n = 338) were randomized into one of four conditions, which varied the presence of risk behaviors (i.e., combined alcohol and sex, sex only, alcohol only, and no risk) that were featured in a brief video clip from a popular television show. We tested the content effects on behavioral attitudes and norms for performing each of the behaviors. Results Analysis of variance analyses showed that exposure to combined alcohol and sex resulted in more positive attitudes toward engaging in combining alcohol and sex, drinking, and smoking. Exposure to the sex only, alcohol only, and no risk videos did not influence any attitudes or norms. Conclusions A brief exposure to combined risk behaviors in media may increase positive attitudes related to the combination behavior (alcohol and sex), a component behavior (alcohol), and also more general risk-taking behaviors (smoking).
Functional assignment of Structural Genomics proteins through computed chemical properties, graph representation of active sites, and biochemical validation

There are currently over 14,300 Structural Genomics (SG) protein structures deposited in the PDB by protein structure initiatives. However, most of these SG proteins have unknown or putative functi...
Subarachnoid Opioid Analgesia Reduces Long-term Postsurgical Pain After Nephrectomy

Background and Objectives. The initiation of pain has been shown to exaggerate and prolong the transmission of subsequent noxious stimuli through central sensitization of the spinal cord. It has been suggested that the prevention of acute postoperative pain may facilitate easier subsequent management and may also reduce long-term residual pain. The authors sought to examine whether patients receiving subarachnoid analgesia, administered at the completion of surgery but before awakening, experienced less postoperative pain within the first 12 months of surgery. Methods. The charts of 27 postdonor nephrectomy patients were reviewed retrospectively. Nineteen were given subarachnoid analgesia and eight were given patient-controlled analgesia. All patients elected their method of postoperative analgesia at the time of surgery. Subarachnoid analgesia patients received either morphine alone, or morphine in combination with fentanyl, bupivacaine, or both. Most (13 out of 19) were given morphine (0.5-0.7 mg; mean, 0.59) plus 25 μg fentanyl and 3.75 mg bupivacaine. Two to twelve months after surgery, both groups were contacted by telephone and asked to answer a 10-question interview. Patients were asked to rate their current level of pain (verbal analog scale of 0-10) regarding severity, frequency, limitation of function, and continued need for oral analgesics. Results. Donor nephrectomy patients receiving subarachnoid analgesia had significantly lower average pain scores with respect to intensity, frequency, and limitation of function up to 12 months after surgery (P Conclusions. Management of acute postoperative pain with subarachnoid analgesia may confer lasting benefits by decreasing long-term residual pain, presumably by interfering with the process of central sensitization. The social and economic impact of intraspinal analgesia in reducing protracted postsurgical discomfort and debility deserves further study.
Structured-light systems using a programmable quasi-analogue projection subsystem

This paper presents two structured-light 3D imaging systems that use a quasi-analogue projection subsystem based on a combination of digital micromirror device (DMD), optics, digital processing and calibration procedure. The first system is a high-resolution prototype that acquires 12M 3D point per frame; the second one is a high-speed prototype that generates 150 3D frames per second, with 2M 3D points per frame. The projection subsystem can produce high frame rates, high contrast and high resolution patterns using off-the-shelf components. The structured light patterns used are the same combination of binary and sine wave fringes as those usually encountered in commercial systems. The proposed systems generate the sine wave patterns using a single binary image, thereby exploiting the high frame rate of the DMD.
Generating Synthetic Signaling Networks for in Silico Modeling Studies

Predictive models of signaling pathways have proven to be difficult to develop. Reasons include the uncertainty in the number of species, the complexity in species9 interactions, and the sparseness and uncertainty in experimental data. Traditional approaches to developing mechanistic models rely on collecting experimental data and fitting a single model to that data. This approach works for simple systems but has proven unreliable for complex systems such as biological signaling networks. For example, uncertainty and sparseness of the data often result in overfitted models that have little predictive value beyond recapitulating the experimental data itself. Thus, there is a need to develop new approaches to create predictive mechanistic models of complex systems. However, to determine the effectiveness of any new algorithm, a baseline model is needed to test its performance. To meet this need, we developed a method for generating artificial synthetic networks that are reasonably realistic and thus can be treated as ground truth models. These synthetic models can then be used to generate synthetic data for developing and testing algorithms designed to recover the underlying network topology and associated parameters. Here, we describe a simple approach for generating synthetic signaling networks that can be used for this purpose.
Pre-clinical development of multiplex-CRISPR-edited cell and gene therapy products

Background & Aim Data from a recent clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) demonstrate the safety of NYCE T cells, which are autologous, patient-derived T cells transduced with lentivirus to express NY-ESO-1 T cell receptor and multiplex-edited with CRISPR/Cas9 at three distinct genes. This pilot study was the first in the United States (US) to administer CRISPR-edited cells to a patient. The preclinical approach and data in support of this trial was reviewed by the National Institutes of Health Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (NIH RAC) in 2016, followed by the acceptance of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the US Food and Drug Administration. The aim of this abstract is to introduce the experience of an academic institution in the development of a preclinical program to support submission of an IND application for a cell therapy product with CRISPR-mediated gene editing. Non-clinical assays, data, and FDA feedback on IND submissions for CRISPR-edited gene products at the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at UPenn will be presented. Methods, Results & Conclusion The preclinical program for the US IND application for UPenn's NYCE T cell therapy product paired conventional T cell phenotyping assays and novel genome editing evaluations. A comprehensive IND application for NYCE T cells was packaged out of inter-disciplinary collaborations to evaluate safety and potency of CRISPR-edited, antigen-directed T cells as well as fulfill NIH RAC and FDA requests. Results of these analyses will be presented. Execution of the NYCE T cell IND led to preclinical strategies toward applying CRISPR-editing to improve upon other T cell therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. As such, UPenn is developing an “off-the-shelf” CAR T cell product with healthy donor T cells utilizing CRISPR-mediated knock-down of genes encoding endogenous allo-reactive proteins. The parallels between the NYCE and the off-the-shelf CAR T cell non-clinical development pathways will be discussed.
Effects of molecule size and resin structure on protein adsorption on multimodal anion exchange chromatography media

The effect of bead and ligand structure on protein adsorption was investigated for multimodal anion exchangers combining a quaternary ammonium ion group with hydrophobic moieties: Nuvia aPrime 1 and aPrime 2, based on a 54 μm diameter polymeric bead, and Capto Adhere ImpRes and Capto Adhere, based on agarose beads 51 and 78 μm diameter, respectively. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) monomer, BSA dimer, and thyroglobulin (Tg) were used as model proteins. Based on TEM imaging and iSEC, the Nuvia resins have a microgranular structure and large pores (110 nm radius), while the Capto resins have a fibrous structure and smaller pores (32-36 nm radius). Comparable binding capacities (80-110 mg/mL), decreasing as salt is added, are observed for all three proteins on the Nuvia resins. Higher capacities (110-130 mg/mL), also decreasing as salt is added, are observed for BSA monomer and dimer on the Capto resins. However, the Tg binding capacity is very low in this case and increases as salt is added. Confocal laser scanning microscopy show that the kinetics are controlled by pore diffusion for all four resins, but with diffusivities that decrease as the protein size increases especially for the Capto resins. For Tg at low salt, binding is restricted to a thin shell close to the bead surface for both Capto resins. The ratio of effective and free diffusivity is about 0.30, 0.18, and 0.08 for BSA monomer, BSA dimer, and Tg, respectively, on the Nuvia resin. These values decrease to about 0.11, 0.04, and 0.01, respectively, for the Capto resins as a result of diffusional hindrance. Dynamic binding capacities are consistent with the equilibrium and rate behaviors.
New microsatellite markers for Ellipse, Venustaconcha ellipsiformis (Bivalvia: Unionidae), with notes on optimal sample size and cross-species amplification

Venustaconcha ellipsiformis (Unionidae) is a freshwater mussel species inhabiting small to medium streams of the Midwestern United States; however, its occurrence is rather sporadic and populations are often isolated. Due to anthropogenic habitat degradation and water pollution, this species is designated as some sort of conservation status in many states. To prioritize conservation strategies, highly variable genetic markers are necessary to assess population genetic structure and potential genetic erosion of V. ellipsiformis. Using whole genome sequence data, we developed and characterized microsatellite markers for V. ellipsiformis. Among 23 tetranucleotide loci tested, 14 loci were consistently amplified and showed polymorphism. Analyses performed on three populations in the upper Mississippi River basin showed that the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 11 and the observed heterozygosity varied from 0.15 to 0.75. Based on genotypic and allelic rarefaction curves, these loci had adequate statistical power to genetically discriminate between individuals and the sample size was large enough to capture most alleles available in the populations at most loci. Finally, cross-species screening of the loci successfully amplified and showed polymorphism in six species in the tribe Lampsilini. The microsatellite loci developed in this study provide a valuable addition to extant genetic markers for freshwater mussels and can be useful to provide high-level resolution of population genetic parameters for V. ellipsiformis. Such information will be of great value for resource managers developing and prioritizing conservation strategies for imperiled mussel species.
Cultivating Civic Belonging for Resettled Refugees

Migrants continue to seek refuge in the United States despite harsh deterrence policies. The failure of even the most punitive exclusionary tactics points to the need for new immigration strategies. Rather than constructing additional ineffective and inhumane barriers, an alternative strategy should focus on building the scaffolding for successful immigration. This Article explores one way of supporting successful immigration: practices encouraging newcomers to cultivate an identity of civic belonging. To do so, it identifies and analyzes implied messages about civic participation conveyed to refugees prior to being resettled in Canada and the United States. When a refugee is accepted for permanent resettlement to a new country, the receiving government’s first meaningful opportunity to welcome and impart a sense of civic belonging occurs during a pre-departure orientation program. The present study examines how law is framed during the pre-departure orientation programs offered by Canada and the United States, providing insight into a newcomer’s official introduction to conceptions of citizenship, rights, and obligations. The research is based largely on a qualitative analysis of the orientation textbooks conducted within a critical legal theory framework, and is informed by fieldwork in Amman, Jordan. This Article reveals that Canada’s approach to law signals that resettled refugees are new participants in a polity in which members have rights and obligations to one another. By contrast, the U.S. treatment of law implies that refugees are outsiders and suspected of harboring criminal tendencies. Legal scholars and sociologists posit that government policy towards newcomers influences their civic incorporation. Consequently, by offering orientation materials that infer that refugees are potential offenders, the United States could well be impairing the future civic belonging and integration of these newcomers.