cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient transduction of human hematopoietic repopulating cells with a chimeric HIV1-based vector including SIV capsid

Innate immune factors, such as TRIM5α and cyclophilin A (CypA), act as a major restriction factor of retroviral infection among species. When HIV1 infects human cells, HIV1 capsid binds to human CypA to escape from human TRIM5α restriction. However, in rhesus cells, the mismatch between HIV1 capsid and rhesus CypA is recognized by rhesus TRIM5α to reduce HIV1 infectivity through proteasomal degradation. To circumvent this block, we previously developed a chimeric HIV1 vector (χHIV) that substituted HIV1 capsid with SIV capsid, and it significantly increased transduction efficiency for nonhuman primate cells. In this study, we evaluated whether the χHIV vector efficiently transduces human cells, and the transduction efficiency might increase by a CypA inhibitor (cyclosporine) and a proteasome inhibitor (MG132). The χHIV vector could transduce human CD34 + cells, as efficiently as the HIV1 vector, in vitro and in xenograft mice, even in the mismatch between SIV capsid and human CypA. Cyclosporine decreased transduction efficiency with the HIV1 vector, whereas it slightly increased transduction efficiency with the χHIV vector in human CD34 + cells. MG132 increased transduction efficiency with both χHIV and HIV1 vectors in the same manner. However, MG132 was toxic to human CD34 + cells at high concentrations, and both drugs had a small range of effective dosage. These findings demonstrate that both χHIV and HIV1 vectors have similar transduction efficiency for human hematopoietic repopulating cells, suggesting that the χHIV vector escapes from TRIM5α restriction, which is independent of human CypA.
The use of an autoregressive model for the analysis of longitudinal data in epidemiologic studies

Korn and Whittemore1,2 have presented methods for analyzing longitudinal data where the number of observations per individual is large relative to the number of variables considered for each subject. However, this is often not the case in epidemiologic studies, since one usually collects data at relatively few time points, and the quantity of data collected for each individual at each time point is typically extensive. We present here an autoregressive model for analyzing longitudinal data of this type for the case of a continuous outcome variable. Some of the important features of this model are that one can (1) in the same analysis, consider both independent variables that are time-dependent and those that are fixed over time, (2) partially use data for an individual where some examinations are missing, (3) assess relationships between changes in outcome and exposure over short periods of time, (4) use ordinary multiple regression methods. Anderson3 has considered this type of model, but, to our knowledge, the model has never been applied to biostatistical problems. We illustrate these methods with data from a longitudinal study that seeks to identify the role of personal cigarette smoking on changes in pulmonary function in children.
Optimizing quality-of-information in cost-sensitive sensor data fusion

This paper investigates maximizing quality of information subject to cost constraints in data fusion systems. We consider data fusion applications that try to estimate or predict some current or future state of a complex physical world. Examples include target tracking, path planning, and sensor node localization. Rather than optimizing generic network-level metrics such as latency or throughput, we achieve more resource-efficient sensor network operation by directly optimizing an application-level notion of quality, namely prediction error. This is done while accommodating cost constraints. Unlike prior cost-sensitive prediction/regression schemes, our solution considers more complex prediction problems that arise in sensor networks where phenomena behave differently under different conditions, and where both ordered and unordered prediction attributes are used. The scheme is evaluated through real sensor network applications in localization and path planning. Experimental results show that non-trivial cost savings can be achieved by our scheme compared to popular cost-insensitive schemes, and a significantly better prediction error can be achieved compared to the cost-sensitive linear regression schemes.1
Legacy Health’s ‘Big Aims’ Initiative To Improve Patient Safety Reduced Rates Of Infection And Mortality Among Patients

An uncomfortable truth about US health care is that medical harm and needless deaths continue to occur, even after a decade of concentrated efforts to eliminate them. However, some hospital systems are managing to improve patient safety. Legacy Health, a system with six hospitals in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, engaged its entire workforce in an initiative to reduce rates of infection and mortality. Legacy staff used bundles of best practices to prevent four common health care–associated infections; reviewed deaths and revised procedures based on the findings; and included staff from different disciplines in daily medical rounds. The results were a 44.6 percent reduction in infections and a 13.5 percent reduction in mortality, as well as annual savings of more than $6.8 million for each of the first two years from the avoided costs of treating health care–associated infections. Fewer patients suffered, died, or incurred daunting copayments for hospital care. These results demonstrate that heal...
Controlled Markov chains with safety upper bound

In this note, we introduce and study the notion of safety control of stochastic discrete-event systems (DESs), modeled as controlled Markov chains. For nonstochastic DESs modeled by state machines or automata, safety is specified as a set of forbidden states, or equivalently by a binary valued vector that imposes an upper bound on the set of states permitted to be visited. We generalize this notion of safety to the setting of stochastic DESs by specifying it as an unit-interval valued vector that imposes an upper bound on the state probability distribution vector. Under the assumption of complete state observation, we identify: 1) the set of all state feedback controllers that satisfy the safety requirement for any given safe initial state probability distribution, and 2) the set of all safe initial state probability distributions for a given state feedback controller.
Adsorption of FD&C Red No. 40 by chitosan: isotherms analysis.

The adsorption of azobenzene FD&C Red No. 40 (C.I. 16035) from aqueous solutions by chitosan was studied through adsorption isotherms. The effects of pH (5.7, 6.6 and 7.5), particle size ranges (0.10 ± 0.02, 0.18 ± 0.02 and 0.26 ± 0.02 mm), deacetylation degree (42 ± 5%, 64 ± 3% and 84 ± 3%) and temperature (25, 35 and 45 °C) were investigated. Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson (R–P) adsorption models were applied in order to describe the experimental isotherms and isotherm constants. Coefficients of determination (R2 > 0.95) and mean relative error (MRE < 0.10) values showed that Langmuir and R–P models presented better fit with the experimental data. The maximum monolayer adsorption value has been found to be 529 mg g−1, at pH 6.6, temperature 35 °C, particle size range 0.10 ± 0.02 mm, and deacetylation degree 84 ± 3%.
Development of the autonomous surface craft "ACES"

At the MIT Sea Grant College Program, Autonomous Surface Craft (ASCs) have been under development since 1993. An ASC is a small vessel outfitted with navigation and control systems which permit it to carry out functions autonomously. The first ASC developed was the ASC ARTEMIS, which was used to study command and control architectures, navigation systems, and basic data collection techniques. This vehicle successfully demonstrated the ability to operate autonomously and collect hydrographic data. ARTEMIS served well as a test platform but its small size made it unsuitable for coastal and open ocean research. Cruising speed, range, payload, and stability were all improved in the second generation ASC platform. The ASC ACES (Autonomous Coastal Exploration System) will provide better cruising speed, significantly more payload, longer mission endurance, and better seakeeping characteristics when compared to ARTEMIS. This was achieved within the primary design constraint of a 300 pound maximum weight chosen so that ACES could be easily deployed by a two member operations team. This paper describes the development of ACES. The challenge of designing a small lightweight platform with the required performance is explained and the solution implemented on ACES is described. Primary components of the design described include the hull and structural members, propulsion and power systems, and steering systems.
Neural control of micturition in humans: a working model

Neural control of micturition is a complex process, involving input from many different brain regions. In this Review, Derek Griffiths describes a simplified model of neural control of micturition that incorporates current knowledge, largely derived from functional brain imaging studies of humans and experimental animals. Consideration is also given to the effects of treatments of urinary urgency on neural control of micturition.
Hindu Women's Right to Property at the Crossroads: The Tension between Human Rights and Cultural Relativism

Property rights of women under Hindu religious systems have been subjected to harsh criticism both from domestic as well as global perspectives. Restrictions imposed by Religio-legal as well as socio-cultural norms and practices have embedded the discriminatory treatment of Hindu women as to their property rights into a more deep-rooted dimension. This controversy has been excelled with the global community’s urge to establish a fair and equal property rights following the normative framework of universal human rights and from this context there’s a trend of assessing the feasibility and implications of a Universalist approach towards rights regime which tends to avoid differences based on sex, caste, religion or culture. Over the course of time, interference of legislative authority for improving the situation and to make the whole rights regime at the national level synchronize with the universal rights framework through amending existing domestic laws has proved to be successful. Nevertheless, from the context of practical implications, bringing the just equilibrium between divine commandment and secular authority has jeopardized the legislative authority’s willingness to eliminate gender based discrimination. In this backdrop, the theory of cultural relativism has been resorted to annihilate the standoff between religious norms and practices of a particular community and the demand of global community for fair and equal treatment of all. Cultural relativists has also been heavily criticized for being too defensive as against the principle of universality and supporting discrimination and abuse of human rights in different circumstances. Hence, this paper aims at analyzing the mutual interaction among the universal approach, cultural relativism and prevailing social practices in ensuring the domain of equal status of right to property for Hindu women.
Composite Nanoformulation Therapeutics for Long-Term Ocular Delivery of Macromolecules

The purpose of this investigation is to design and synthesize novel pentablock (PB) copolymer (PB-1: PCL–PLA–PEG–PLA–PCL) based nanoformulations suspended in a thermosensitive gelling copolymer (PB-2: mPEG–PCL–PLA–PCL–PEGm) termed as composite nanoformulation. The composite nanoformulation was prepared to provide a sustained delivery of macromolecules over a longer duration with negligible burst release effect. The delivery system was designed to be utilized for the treatment of posterior segment ocular diseases such as age-related (wet) macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic macular edema. The novel PB copolymers were characterized for their functional groups by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, molecular weight and purity by 1H NMR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to determine the crystallinity of copolymers. The size distribution of PB-1 nanoparticles (NPs) prepared using emulsification-solvent evaporation method was found to ...
Contrasting Effects of Selenium and Vitamin E Deficiency on the Anti-Malarial Action of Qinghaosu in Mice

The herb Artemisia annua (also known as sweet wormwood) has been used for many centuries in Chinese traditional medicine as a treatment for malaria and fever (1). In 1971, Chinese chemists isolated from the leafy portions of the plant the substance responsible for its reputed medicinal action. This substance, called qinghaosu (QHS) is an endoperoxide of a sesquiterpenoid lactone. It occurred to us, therefore, that the therapeutic efficacy of QHS might be influenced by the antioxidant status of the malarial host. For that reason, we decided to investigate the effect of dietary selenium and vitamin E deficiency on the suppressive and curative efficacy of QHS in a murine model of malaria.
Iterative Equalization and Decoding For Magnetic Recording Channels

Iterative equalization and decoding techniques have recently been applied to magnetic recording channels, and promise to deliver coding gains on the order of 5 dB. This paper surveys the most recent results on iterative decoding for storage systems, with an emphasis on performance evaluation and practical implementation issues.
A Pattern Calculus for Rule Languages: Expressiveness, Compilation, and Mechanization

This paper introduces a core calculus for pattern-matching in production rule languages: the Calculus for Aggregating Matching Patterns (CAMP). CAMP is expressive enough to capture modern rule languages such as JRules, including extensions for aggregation. We show how CAMP can be compiled into a nested-relational algebra (NRA), with only minimal extension. This paves the way for applying relational techniques to running rules over large stores. Furthermore, we show that NRA can also be compiled back to CAMP, using named nested-relational calculus (NNRC) as an intermediate step. We mechanize proofs of correctness, program size preservation, and type preservation of the translations using modern theorem-proving techniques. A corollary of the type preservation is that polymorphic type inference for both CAMP and NRA is NP-complete. CAMP and its correspondence to NRA provide the foundations for efficient implementations of rules languages using databases technologies.
Corn Earworm on Sweet Corn: Emergence and Yield of Plants Grown from Undamaged Seed from Damaged and Undamaged Ears (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

To investigate possible effects on seed corn of earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), damage to the parent ear, two inbred lines of sweet corn were planted in 1980: V641, to provide the pollen, and V642, which would produce the hybrid ‘Polar Vee’ V642 plants were detasselled and ears were artificially infested with newly hatched corn earworm larvae shortly after silking. The ears were harvested when mature, and classified as to amount of earworm damage. Seed of five classes of damage (0, 4 to 6, 9 to 11, 14 to 16, and 19 to 21 cm2) were planted in 1981. The experiment consisted of the five classes replicated five times in a randomized block design. The planting was repeated ca. 3 weeks later. Plant counts were made and the yields per plant of each treatment were determined. The entire experiment was repeated a year later (1981–1982). Significant differences in plant emergence, as measured by a final stand count, were present among damage classes each year, but varied between years. No significant correlation between yield and area damaged occurred in either year, but a significant correlation occurred between emergence and area damaged in 1982. Significant differences in yields per plant among damage classes occurred each year, with a similar pattern for yields from the middle third location for each year. In 1982, yields from seed of the tip third of the ears with the two highest levels of damage were significantly greater than yields of seed immediately adjacent to the damage in the same damage classes.
North American Bembix, a Revised Key and Suggested Grouping

On the basis of recent studies of ethology and of a fuller appreciation of the range of color variation within species, the North American and West Indian Bembix are placed in 23 species, 2 polytypic. Keys are provided for the identification of males and females. Several new synonymies are indicated, 1 form given new status, and 2 forms are described as new: B. gillaspyi (southern California) and B. americana antilleana Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Bahamas, Grand Cayman Island). Two names unused in the primary zoological literature for more than 50 years are considered nomina oblita: B. pallidipicta Smith and B. dentilabris Handlirsch. Six species-groups are recognized; these are based primarily on adult structure, especially the male terminalia, and appear to represent natural groupings. Male terminalia of selected species are illustrated. Original data are presented on the nesting behavior of B. a. americana F., and references are given to papers on ethology and on larval structure.
Glycemic Effects of Chlorpromazine in the Mouse, Hamsterand Rat

SummaryThe glycemic effects of chlorpromazine were studied in the mouse, hamster and rat. A hyperglycemic response was found in the mouse and hamster with the mouse having the greater response of the two. No significant glycemic change was observed in the rat. An exacerbation of the diabetic state and decrease in survival time was found in alloxan diabetic mice treated with CPZ. A protection from hypoglycemic convulsions and death produced by insulin was afforded to mice which had been injected with CPZ 2 hours previous to the injection of insulin.
Measurement and modeling of hydrogen sulfide lagoon emissions from a swine concentrated animal feeding operation.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions were determined from an anaerobic lagoon at a swine concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in North Carolina. Measurements of H2S were made continuously from an anaerobic lagoon using a dynamic flow-through chamber for ∼1 week during each of the four seasonal periods from June 2007 through April 2008. H2S lagoon fluxes were highest in the summer with a flux of 3.81 ± 3.24 μg m–2 min–1 and lowest in the winter with a flux of 0.08 ± 0.09 μg m–2 min–1. An air-manure interface (A-MI) mass transfer model was developed to predict H2S manure emissions. The accuracy of the A-MI mass transfer model in predicting H2S manure emissions was comprehensively evaluated by comparing the model predicted emissions to the continuously measured lagoon emissions using data from all four seasonal periods. In comparison to this measurement data, the A-MI mass transfer model performed well in predicting H2S fluxes with a slope of 1.13 and an r2 value of 0.60, and a mean bias value of 0.655 μ...
A Triangulated and Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Secularization, Religiosity, and Social Wellbeing

By comparing mainly religious America and secular Europe, several scholars (e.g. Harris, Paul, and Zuckerman) suggested a strong correlation between secularization (non-religiosity) and social well-being. The authors of this paper argue that the preceding thesis may be too simplistic and Western-centric. Without attempting to affirm any specific hypothesis, these authors employed exploratory data analysis and data visualization to unveil patterns found in worldwide data, including the 2013 United Nations Human Development Report, the 2014 Gallup’s Global Wellbeing Index, and the 2013 World Values Survey. It was found that the relationship between secularization and social well-being is not straightforward or clear-cut. In some cases, secularization or lack of religiosity is seemingly linked to better quality of life (e.g. disbelief and inequality-adjusted human development index), while in other cases, the relationship is reversed (e.g. skepticism and adolescent birth rate). In most situations there is no association at all.
A low damage frac fluid LMWF

A low damage fracturing fluid referred to as low molecular weight fracturing (LMWF) fluid was presented, which was prepared with modified low molecular weight guar gum as base fluid and boron as crosslinking agent.For there is no any gel breaker in the system and it breaks automatically with pH value changing, infusible residue producing and formation damaging are prevented and reservoir permeability is improved.The rheological properties, breaking mechanism and recycling ability of the system were evaluated and results showed that it has good properties of carrying cuttings and stability during pumping; as there is no gel breaker, it can be transported by pump in a stable regime for a long time; crosslinking property of the low molecular weight polymer keeps until pH value is less than 8 after fracturing, and that means the viscosity recovers to the initial low viscosity, thus the fracturing fluid can be discharged rapidly from fractures.Application showed that LMWF has strong carrying capacity with less damage to formation and oil production can also be increased.In addition, ?5 ?working cost can be reduced and environment can be protected for recycling the system.
Crohn’s disease of the small intestine

Crohn’s disease of the small intestine is a chronic relapsing disease that requires all the knowledge and ingenuity of the gastroenterologist to successfully treat the disease and the patient. For mild to moderate disease, the first line of therapy is to utilize maximum doses of mesalamine to achieve a remission. If the patient relapses, the maximum dose of mesalamine required to achieve remission should be continued. If the disease relapses despite maximum mesalamine, antibiotics should be tried (before prescribing corticosteroids) using ciprofloxacin 500 mg b.i.d., alone or in combination with metronidazole 250 mg q.i.d. for 2 to 3 weeks. If successful, antibiotics can be slowly tapered off. If antibiotics are unsuccessful, one may try elemental diet for 2 weeks before starting corticosteroids. For moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, begin 40 mg of prednisone. After 2 weeks, taper slowly and start 6-MP or azathioprine, which can be used for several years. If the disease recurs on 6-MP or azathioprine, or prior to 6-MP or azathioprine having a chance to be effective, give an IV infusion of Infliximab, which can be repeated at 4 to 8 weeks after the initial infusion. If the patient continues to be unwell, surgery should be contemplated.
Patterns and Origin of Some Esophageal Responses to Stretch and Electrical Stimulation

The responses of circular muscle of the isolated smooth muscle segment of the opossum esophagus to distension and electrical stimulation were examined. The distal 12 cm of the esophagus were mounted in an isolated organ bath. Six chlorinated silver-wire electrodes, sewn along the length of the organ, recorded bursts of action potentials indicating contractions of the circular muscle. Five- to 10-sec inflations of a 1-ml balloon at various levels of the esophagus caused two kinds of responses. A burst of action potentials occurred rostral to the point of stretch after inflation of the balloon, with a delay of 0.29 to 0.36 sec. It usually occurred just above the point of stretch; it sometimes moved cephalad for a short distance and occasionally appeared below the point of stretch. This is the on response. After deflation of the balloon a brief burst of action potentials occurred caudal to the point of stretch, with a delay of 0.96 to 1.08 sec. This burst of action potentials usually began well below the point of stretch and involved a long segment of distal esophagus. It was commonly propagated caudad. Sometimes it was simultaneous throughout the caudal segment. This was the off response. Electrical stimulation of the serosal surface also produced an off response like that following balloon deflation. The off response to both stimuli was abolished by tetrodotoxin, but not by phenoxybenzamine, tolazoline, hexamethonium, atropine, or methysergide. The on response was not affected by any of these drugs. The off response is a noncholinergic neural excitation; the on response is probably a direct response of the muscle to stretch.
Disabled and Colonized: Bertha Mason in JANE EYRE

In their seminal work The Madwoman in the Attic, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar argue that Charlotte Bronte's Bertha Mason is the foil to Jane Eyre, representing her “imprisoned ‘hunger, rebellion,...
SU-C-204-05: Magnetic Resonance-Induced Adaptive Response to Orthovoltage Radiation Therapy in FSa and SA-NH Mouse Tumor Cell Lines

Purpose: To assess the effect of pre-treatment Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on cell survival following orthovoltage radiation therapy. Methods: This in vitro study examined the survival of FSa cells (extracted from methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma in the flank of a C3H female mouse) and SA-NH cells (derived from a spontaneously arising murine sarcoma tumor) having undergone an MRI scan prior to radiation exposure. Cell cultures were kept at 37 C, in a humidified environment with 5% CO2, and were grown to confluence prior to the start of the experiment. Each cell culture underwent two, 25 minute MRIs spaced 24 hours apart using a standard brain imaging protocol. The cultures were exposed to a 2 Gy dose of radiation beginning 15 minutes after the end of each MRI scan. Irradiations were performed by a Philips RT250 X-ray generator at 250 kVp and 15 mA. All MR imaging was performed on a 1.5 T Philips Achieva scanner using a head and neck vasculature coil. Results: Cells given an MRI scan prior to radiation exhibited an increase in mean surviving fraction of 10.8% and 9.6% in FSa and SA-NH cells, respectively. The difference was found to be statistically significant in both cell types by a student two-tailed t test with P = 0.011 and P < 0.001 for FSa and SA-NH, respectively. Conclusion: MRI may cause an increase in radio-resistance in FSa and SA-NH cells. If this biological effect is found to be consistent across other cell types and voltage ranges, these results could help inform treatment planning by improving our understanding of the joint effects of MRI and ionizing radiation. This work was supported in part under NIH grant numbers T32 EB002103, NCI R01-CA 132998, DOE Low Dose Program/Project Grant DE-413 SC0001271. DJ Grdina is a paid consultant to Pinnacle Biologics. DJ Grdina and JS Murley are minority equity partners in Pinnacle Oncology LLC.
A Field Survey of Contemporary Brainstorming Practices

SYNOPSIS: The purpose of this study is to guide practice and future research by examining contemporary fraud brainstorming practices. Using field data collected from audits conducted during 2013–2014, we investigate team characteristics, attendance and communication, brainstorming structure, timing, and effort, and brainstorming quality. Results show that although some practices are similar to those reported in earlier field studies, there are interesting differences (e.g., decreased use of checklists, shorter sessions, and risk-based deployment of resources in brainstorming). These differences suggest brainstorming has evolved throughout the intervening period during which new audit standards became effective and the PCAOB criticized auditors' performance in fraud risk identification and risk response generation. We also examine differences in audit team characteristics and brainstorming practices across risk and trading-status partitions. Results reveal auditors deploy more resources to brainstorming wh...
Droplet Microfluidics for Screening of Surface-Marker and Secretory Protein Expression

Current techniques of biomarker detection employ population-based studies, which fail to provide information on cellular and molecular heterogeneity and variances in functional behavior, which is important for diseased state characterization. Additionally, low concentration of samples in biological fluids creates hurdles in detection using these methods. Thus, improvement in detection techniques of clinical biomarkers has become imperative to halt disease progression at the earliest possible stage. Droplet microfluidics has become quite popular as a diagnostic platform due to its ability to sensitively detect low volume of clinical samples in a rapid and high-throughput manner. These advantages make the droplets an ideal platform for low-abundance biomarker detection. This chapter focuses on various techniques for detection of surface and secreted protein biomarkers using droplet microfluidics platform.
The role of regulator of G protein signaling 4 in delta-opioid receptor-mediated behaviors

Regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins act as negative modulators of G protein signaling. RGS4 has been shown to negatively modulate G protein signaling mediated by the delta opioid receptor (DOPr) in vitro. However, the role of RGS4 in modulating DOPr-mediated behaviors in vivo has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of the DOPr agonist SNC80 to induce DOPr-mediated antinociception, antihyperalgesia, antidepressant-like effects, and convulsions in wild-type and RGS4 knockout mice. Antinociception was assessed in the acetic acid stretch assay. Antihyperalgesia was measured in a nitroglycerin-induced thermal hyperalgesia assay. Antidepressant-like effects were evaluated in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. Mice were also observed for convulsive activity post-SNC80 treatment. SNC80-induced phosphorylation of MAP kinase in striatal tissue from RGS4 wild-type and knockout mice was quantified by Western blot. DOPr number from forebrain tissue was measured using [3H]DPDPE saturation binding. Elimination of RGS4 potentiated SNC80-induced antinociception and antihyperalgesia. SNC80-induced antidepressant-like effects were potentiated in RGS4 knockout mice in the forced swim test but not in the tail suspension test. Additionally, RGS4 knockout did not alter SNC80-induced convulsions. SNC80-induced phosphorylation of MAP kinase was potentiated in striatum from RGS4 knockout mice. Loss of RGS4 did not affect total DOPr number. Overall, these findings demonstrate that reduction of RGS4 functionally may increase the therapeutic index of SNC80. These results provide the first evidence of differential regulation of DOPr-mediated behaviors by RGS proteins and G protein signaling pathways.
Bone Marrow Infections

Definition. Bone marrow infections are specific and non-specific cytopathological and histopathological changes produced in the hematopoietic tissue by various infectious agents.
Making Genes Green: Creating Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) Fusions with Blunt-End PCR Products

The jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) has proven to be a useful tool in protein localization and trafficking studies. Fused to GFP, a protein of interest can be visualized and tracked in vi...
The Impact of Intervention Points of Entry on Attachment-Based Processes of Therapeutic Change with Prepubertal Children

Although attachment-based interventions with mothers and infants are beginning to flourish, guidelines for developing attachment-based intervention with prepubertal children are lacking. This article remedies this lack by discussing the potential intervention points of entry with prepubertal children based on the precepts of attachment theory. In contrast to attachment-based early intervention, in which parental characteristics are targeted, attachment-based intervention with prepubertal children must include the child as well as the parents. Therapists attempting such an intervention must take into account the quality of the child’s attachment pattern as well as their own quality of attachment pattern to provide an effective clinical experience. These key points are illustrated with two clinical cases that presented challenges to the therapist’s selection of the intervention point of entry. In both cases, the author demonstrates that therapy needs to be tailor-made to the patient’s needs, not vice versa. Therapists’ awareness of the many intervention points of entry can serve to fit the treatment to the patient and thereby improve its effectiveness.
Structure and Expression of IgE Receptors

Cell surface receptors with high affinity for IgE are present only on mast cells, basophils, and neoplastic counterparts of these cells. Monomeric IgE is bound to these receptors and displayed on the mast cell/basophil surface. Subsequently, multivalent antigen may bind to adjacent receptor-bound IgE molecules. The primary role of these IgE receptors appears to be transducing this cross-linking signal in order to initiate mediator release. The specificity of these IgE receptors (or Fce receptors) on basophils for IgE was first shown in studies with human peripheral blood leukocytes (Ishizaka et al., 1970; Sullivan et al., 1971). More detailed studies of the structure, function, and expression of the high-affinity Fce receptors have been made possible by use of the rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cell line (Kulczycki et al., 1974).
The spectral volume method for the Euler equations with high-order boundary representations

Publisher Summary In this chapter, the spectral volume (SV) method is extended to the two-dimensional Euler equations with curved boundaries. More general types of elements with curved edges are used near solid walls to approximate the curved boundary with high fidelity. The importance of this high-order boundary representation is demonstrated with a simple subsonic flow around a circular cylinder. The SV method is an efficient finite volume method for the developed unstructured grids. The degrees–of–freedom (DOFs) are used to perform a high-order polynomial reconstruction inside the SV. All the spectral volumes are partitioned in a geometrically similar manner, and thus a universal reconstruction is obtained for all simplexes. The DOFs are updated to high-order accuracy using the usual Godunov finite volume method. Numerical tests with scalar conservation laws in both 1D and 2D have verified that the SV method is highly accurate, conservative, and geometrically flexible.
Unusual kinetic properties of a DPN-linked lactate dehydrogenase from Butyribacteriumrettgeri

Abstract A DPN-linked lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been partially purified from extracts of Butyribacterium rettgeri . While studying the substrate stereospecificity and coenzyme requirement for this enzyme, some unusual kinetic properties were observed. It will be shown in this report that the B . rettgeri LDH is unable to catalyze the reduction of DPN with lactate under conditions where this reaction can be demonstrated readily with LDH's from other sources. In addition, it will be shown that the rate of pyruvate reduction by DPNH, as catalyzed by the B . rettgeri LDH, increases in a sigmoidal fashion with increasing concentrations of pyruvate.
Research on Collaborative Planning of Power Source, Grid and Load for Shanghai Distribution Network

In Shanghai, the electricity load density is relatively high and the distributed power resources are abundant. However., the distributed power access lacks unified planning. This article analyzes the coordinated planning of Shanghai power supply based on power source, grid and load., together with the resources required. A collaborative planning model of power source., grid and load is established which is solved by two-level cross feedback particle swarm optimization simulated annealing algorithm. This paper evaluates the power distribution network planning results before and after considering the collaborative planning of power source., grid and load. It shows that the planning method mentioned in this paper benefits in several aspects as better operation economy., characteristics and efficiency of distributed power utilization.
Microbiome: Current Status and Future Applications

Humans are home to approximately 40 trillion microbes (Sender et al., PLoS Biol 14:e1002533, 2016). Most of these microbes inhabit our gastrointestinal (GI) tract, where they extract nutrients from our diet, synthesize vitamins, and educate our immune systems. Before the 1980s, our ability to study most bacteria was hampered by our inability to culture them. Three scientific advances allowed microbial studies to become culture-independent: high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS), the use of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) as a phylogenetic marker, and the development of bioinformatic methods to analyze and interpret large amounts of sequencing data. In this chapter, we describe the conduct of microbiome experiments from sample collection to data analysis and interpretation. We also discuss the clinical applications of microbiome science and the future of microbiome research.
Prior Relapse, Ongoing Alcohol Consumption, and Failure to Engage in Treatment Predict Alcohol Relapse After Liver Transplantation

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in the USA. Alcohol relapse post-LT can negatively impact long-term outcomes, and prognostic scoring systems are available for further study. Our study aims were to: (1) evaluate the relationship between alcohol relapse and rejection and mortality, (2) investigate risk factors for relapse, and (3) assess predictive validity of the SIPAT (Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplant) and SALT (Sustained Alcohol Use Post-Liver Transplant) scores on post-LT alcohol relapse. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 155 patients transplanted for chronic ALD at a single transplant center. Cox proportional hazard models assessed the relationship between alcohol relapse and allograft rejection and psychosocial risk factors for relapse. 20% of patients met criteria for alcohol relapse. Alcohol relapse was associated with allograft rejection (HR 2.33, 95% CI 1.11–4.91, p = .03). Three variables most strongly associated with alcohol relapse: prior relapse, failure to engage in recommended alcohol treatment, and continued drinking with liver disease, which were combined into a psychosocial model. SIPAT score≥ 21 and SALT score ≥ 7 were associated with alcohol relapse (HR 6.40, 95% CI 1.36–30.18, p = .019 and HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.12–4.75, p = .024). Receiver operator characteristic analysis compared predictive ability of our psychosocial model to SIPAT (C-statistic .83 compared to .71) and SALT (C-statistic = .77 compared to .62). We identified important psychosocial predictors of post-LT alcohol relapse and validated SIPAT and SALT scores as pre-transplant risk factors for alcohol relapse.
Risk factors of death in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Objective:To investigate risk factors of death in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Method:A total of 126 newborns with CDH from June 2012 to September 2018 were enrolled. Concomitant malformations were recorded by descriptive analysis. Newborns received surgical treatment (n=120) for CDH were divided into survival group and fatal group. The risk factors of death were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression and the ROC curve with generated with relevant variables. Result:There were 55 CDH newborns with concomitant malformations (43.7%), including 20 cases (15.9%) with multi-malformation. Logistic regression analysis showed that premature rupture of membranes (PROM), postoperative atelectasis, long duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation, postoperative high oxygenation index (OI) were related to death (all P<0.05), and the delayed surgery was a protective factor (P<0.05). In ROC analysis of postoperative OI in predicting death, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.841, with the cutoff value of 5.74, the sensibility and specificity of OI was 81.0% and 75.0%, respectively(P<0.01). Conclusions:Newborns with CDH have a high rate of malformations. The risk factors of death were PROM, postoperative atelectasis, postoperative long duration of mechanical ventilation and higher postoperative OI, and delayed surgery may reduce mortality.
Patterns of physical and mental health well-being in older female cancer survivors.

173Background: The majority of cancer survivors are older adults (≥65 years), but their lifestyle behaviors are understudied. Factors associated with improved physical and mental well-being in olde...
Laser Therapy in Psoriasis

Treatment options for psoriasis are numerous and span a wide array of modalities. For mild-to-moderate disease, topical therapy may be adequate for complete control; however, moderate-to-severe disease often requires systemic agents or phototherapy. Laser therapy is also a helpful tool in the armamentarium against psoriasis. For localized disease that is not adequately controlled with topicals or for lesions in difficult-to-treat areas, laser therapy may be an ideal treatment option. Lasers enable the delivery of therapeutic radiation to lesional skin only, thus sparing non-lesional skin from any possible adverse events. Over the past few decades, various lasing devices have been demonstrated to be safe and effective treatment options for psoriasis. The most commonly used devices include the 308-nm excimer laser and the 585 or 595-nm pulsed dye laser. Despite recent advances in targeted biologic therapy, lasers continue to play an important role in the management of psoriatic disease.
Evaluation of Antegrade Intramedullary Compression Screw Fixation of Metacarpal Shaft Fractures in a Cadaver Model.

Purpose Surgical options for displaced metacarpal shaft fractures include the use of Kirschner wires, plates and screws, and most recently, intramedullary headless compression screws (IMHCS), which have been reported using only retrograde insertion through the metacarpal head. We evaluated IMHCS fixation of metacarpal shaft fractures through an antegrade approach in a cadaver model. Methods We performed antegrade placement of IMHCS in 10 cadaver hands including all 5 digits (total of 50). Displaced transverse proximal metacarpal shaft fractures were created and reduced with a retrograde guidewire from the metacarpal head across the shaft fracture and exiting the metacarpal base. This was retrieved through a 6-mm dorsal wrist incision and overdrilled before the placement of a 4.1-mm-diameter IMHCS in the ring finger and a 4.7-mm screw in all other metacarpals. After IMHCS placement, carpometacarpal (CMC) joint violation was measured along with the optimal starting point for the guidewire on the metacarpal head relative to the dorsal cortex. Results In all 50 metacarpals, we achieved successful fracture reduction and fixation without violating the extensor mechanism at the wrist. Our retrograde guidewire entry point through the metacarpal head ranged from 4.2 to 4.7 mm volar to the dorsal cortex. The actual area of CMC joint violated by IMHCS placement was largest in the index CMC joint (4.9%), followed by the middle (3.7%), little (2.9%), ring (0.5%), and thumb joints (0.2%). Conclusions Placement of IMHCS through an antegrade approach from the CMC joint can be performed effectively for all transverse metacarpal fractures, including the thumb, using a limited incision. There is minimal violation of the articular surfaces of the trapezium, capitate, and hamate for the thumb, middle, ring, and little metacarpals. Clinical relevance Antegrade IMHCS fixation successfully avoids the potential morbidity of creating a metacarpal head articular surface or extensor mechanism defect at the metacarpophalangeal joint seen with the retrograde approaches.
Consumption smoothing across states and time: International insurance versus foreign loans ☆

Abstract When countries, and macroeconomic models, open up to international capital markets, the welfare gains available through completion of financial markets for contingencies potentially are much greater than those available from gaining access to non-contingent international borrowing alone. This paper goes beyond underscoring this well-known possibility numerically by showing how changes from shadow to market prices enable utility gains as first international borrowing and then insurance capabilities are introduced. However, the victory of Arrow-Debreu securities is not total when insurance payments themselves are at risk because riskless assets placed in escrow then may enhance insurability.
Beverage Bottle Capacity, Packaging Efficiency, and the Potential for Plastic Waste Reduction

Plastic pollution is a pressing issue because authorities struggle to contain and process the enormous amount of waste produced. We study the potential for reducing plastic waste by examining the efficiency with which different Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles deliver beverages. We find that 80% of the variation in bottle weight is explained by bottle capacity, 16% by product category, and 1% by brand. Bottle weight is quadratic and convex function of capacity, which implies that medium capacity bottles are most efficient at delivering consumable product. Local data on PET bottle sales and municipal waste recovery validate the findings. A 20% shift in consumption from smaller to larger bottles could reduce the production of PET waste by over 10,000 tons annually in the U.S. alone.
A Law-Policy Proposal to Know Where Babies Come from During the Reproduction Revolution

Assisted reproduction technology (ART) has become an increasingly accessible means for prospective parents to realize parenthood. ART better enables prospective parents and their providers to confront human health impediments -- from preventing and overcoming infertility, to avoiding an identifiable genetic risk or health impairment. Assisted reproduction (AR), which is carried out in the United States predominantly in hundreds of private, independent clinics, has become a vibrant, highly competitive business that markets itself aggressively and generates billions of dollars annually. This Article questions the role of regulation in the field of AR at the present time and over the next several years as the genomics and AR revolutions continue to intensify and integrate.