cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Past major depression and smoking cessation outcome: A systematic review and meta-analysis update

Aims To update our prior meta-analysis that showed past major depression (MD+) to be unrelated to smoking cessation outcome. Methods Eligible trials included 14 from our original review and 28 identified through an updated systematic review (2000–2009). We coded for assessment of past MD, exclusion for recent MD episode (MDE; ≤6 months versus no exclusion), duration/modality of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT; face-to-face versus self-help) and other factors. To minimize influence of experimental treatments that may selectively benefit MD+ smokers we analyzed placebo/lowest intensity control arms only. Study-specific ORs for the effect of past MD on short-term (≤3 months) and long-term (≥6 months) abstinence were estimated and combined using random effects. Two-way interaction models of past MD with study methodology and treatment factors were used to evaluate hypothesized moderators of the past MD-abstinence association. Results MD+ smokers had 17% lower odds of short-term abstinence (n = 35, OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.72–0.95, P = 0.009) and 19% lower odds of long-term abstinence (n = 38, OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67–0.97, P = 0.023) than MD- smokers after excluding the sole study of varenicline because of its antidepressant properties. The association between past MD and abstinence was affected by methodological (recent MDE exclusion, type of MD assessment) and treatment (CBT modality) factors. Conclusions Past major depression has a modest adverse effect on abstinence during and after smoking cessation treatment. An increased focus on the identification of effective treatments or treatment adaptations that eliminate this disparity in smoking cessation for MD+ smokers is needed.
Integrated polysilicon and DRIE bulk silicon micromachining for an electrostatic torsional actuator

This paper presents a fabrication process that integrates polysilicon surface micromachining and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) bulk silicon micromachining. The process takes advantage of the design flexibility of polysilicon surface micromachining and the deep silicon structures possible with DRIE. As a demonstration, a torsional actuator driven by a combdrive moving in the out-of-plane direction, consisting of polysilicon fingers and bulk silicon fingers, has been fabricated. The integrated process allows the combdrive to be integrated with any structure made by polysilicon surface micromachining.
Twelve variable microsatellite loci for the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora

We isolated and characterized 12 microsatellite loci for the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora. Macrobdella decora is abundant in central and northern North American freshwater systems. The resulting microsatellite library, the first for any species of leech or any clitellate annelid, demonstrates the efficacy of this type of analysis on unexploited leech populations and should serve as a baseline for comparison with other species, notably the commercially important and threatened European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.
Big-Time College Basketball and the Advertising Effect: Does Success Really Matter?

Proponents of big-time intercollegiate athletics highlight the public relations produced by successful programs and how this supports the educational mission. In the sports economics literature, this is called the "advertising effect,'' and several studies have found little or no effects for big-time basketball programs. Such conclusions may be premature because most analyses use subsets of all schools playing Division I basketball. The author analyzes how performance is related to academic quality in the first year class using all Division I schools during a 12-year panel. Neither the proportion of freshmen from the top 10th of their high school class, or with a grade point average of B or better, nor the number of entering National Merit Scholars are significantly related to measures of success. Freshman SAT scores are marginally related to one aspect of basketball performance. The conditions needed for a basketball advertising effect appear fleeting and difficult to accomplish.
The multistate stable population model with immigration

This paper outlines the discrete‐time and continuous‐time formulations of the stable population model with immigration, showing their commonality. It then illustrates how the model can be extended to include multiple interacting populations, and goes on to consider a multistate version of reproductive value that further illuminates the evolutionary dynamics of an “open”; model of multistate population growth and redistribution. Attention is restricted to results arising from a fertility regime that is below replacement level.
JAM: a jammed-area mapping service for sensor networks

Preventing denial-of-service attacks in wireless sensor networks is difficult primarily because of the limited resources available to network nodes and the ease with which attacks are perpetrated. Rather than jeopardize design requirements which call for simple, inexpensive, mass-producible devices, we propose a coping strategy that detects and maps jammed regions. We describe a mapping protocol for nodes that surround a jammer which allows network applications to reason about the region as an entity, rather than as a collection of broken links and congested nodes. This solution is enabled by a set of design principles: loose group semantics, eager eavesdropping, supremacy of local information, robustness to packet loss and failure, and early use of results. Performance results show that regions can be mapped in 1-5 seconds, fast enough for real-time response. With a moderately connected network, the protocol is robust to failure rates as high as 25 percent.
Inducible FGFR-1 Activation Leads to Irreversible Prostate Adenocarcinoma and an Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-1 (FGFR1) is commonly overexpressed in advanced prostate cancer (PCa). To investigate causality, we utilized an inducible FGFR1 (iFGFR1) prostate mouse model. Activation of iFGFR1 with chemical inducers of dimerization (CID) led to highly synchronous, step-wise progression to adenocarcinoma that is linked to an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). iFGFR1 inactivation by CID withdrawal led to full reversion of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, whereas PCa lesions became iFGFR1-independent. Gene expression profiling at distinct stages of tumor progression revealed an increase in EMT-associated Sox9 and changes in the Wnt signaling pathway, including Fzd4, which was validated in human PCa. The iFGFR1 model clearly implicates FGFR1 in PCa progression and demonstrates how CID-inducible models can help evaluate candidate molecules in tumor progression and maintenance.
Ultra-thin, and flexible physiological monitoring system

An ultra-thin and flexible physiological monitoring system has been designed that is suitable for use in a wide range of applications from sports training and performance assessment to the home health monitoring of the world's aging population. Key aspects of the design include: embedded garment sensors with a simplified 1-wire bus structure; a miniaturized ultra-thin, self contained electronics/controller module; and a wireless interface for the real-time remote data monitoring and analysis.
The Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation Trial:VA/NCI/AHRQ Cooperative Studies Program #407 (PIVOT): Design and Baseline Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Radical Prostatectomy With Watchful Waiting for Men With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. In the United States, 90% of men with prostate cancer are more than age 60 years, diagnosed by early detection with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, and have disease believed confined to the prostate gland (clinically localized). Common treatments for clinically localized prostate cancer include watchful waiting (WW), surgery to remove the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy), external-beam radiation therapy and interstitial radiation therapy (brachytherapy), and androgen deprivation. Little is known about the relative effectiveness and harms of treatments because of the paucity of randomized controlled trials. The Department of Veterans Affairs/National Cancer Institute/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Cooperative Studies Program Study #407:Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT), initiated in 1994, is a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing radical prostatectomy with WW in men with clinically localized prostate cancer. We describe the study rationale, design, recruitment methods, and baseline characteristics of PIVOT enrollees. We provide comparisons with eligible men declining enrollment and men participating in another recently reported randomized trial of radical prostatectomy vs WW conducted in Scandinavia. We screened 13 022 men with prostate cancer at 52 US medical centers for potential enrollment. From these, 5023 met initial age, comorbidity, and disease eligibility criteria, and a total of 731 men agreed to participate and were randomized. The mean age of enrollees was 67 years. Nearly one-third were African American. Approximately 85% reported that they were fully active. The median PSA was 7.8ng/mL (mean 10.2ng/mL). In three-fourths of men, the primary reason for biopsy leading to a diagnosis of prostate cancer was a PSA elevation or rise. Using previously developed tumor risk categorizations incorporating PSA levels, Gleason histologic grade, and tumor stage, it was found that approximately 40% had low-risk, 34% had medium-risk, and 21% had high-risk prostate cancer based on local histopathology. Comparison to our national sample of eligible men declining PIVOT participation as well as to men enrolled in the Scandinavian trial indicated that PIVOT enrollees are representative of men being diagnosed and treated in the United States and quite different from men in the Scandinavian trial. PIVOT enrolled an ethnically diverse population representative of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States. Results will yield important information regarding the relative effectiveness and harms of surgery compared with WW for men with predominately PSA-detected clinically localized prostate cancer.
Hans christian Ørsted's spiritual interpretation of natural science

This paper began as something different from what it has turned out to be. I began by thinking I would try to show what aspects of Schelling’s work were influential in shaping Orsted’s understanding of science and religion, suspecting that it was Schelling and not Kant who was important here. I will do some of that; in fact, I now think both Kant and Schelling were significant influences, although in different ways. But what I found myself really doing as I proceeded was thinking about Orsted’s uniqueness, and that led me to think more about ways that Orsted reflected wider issues in the development of science during the first half of the 19th century. To begin with, Orsted’s career spanned a most amazing period, from the beginning of the century to its midpoint. The changes in German science in this period, to say nothing of the changes in the German states themselves, were profound. There used to be a standard narrative that had German natural science flirt briefly with Naturphilosophie only to discard its temporary infatuation with it sometime after 1815 or so in favor of a more empirically based, experimental tradition that grew steadily over the remainder of the century. With the establishment of the journal Isis in 1817 and the founding of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Arzte in 1822, a German scientific community began to congeal. After 1848 the status of natural science had risen to such a degree that its presence in society was clearly visible, not only in the increasing wonders associated with new phenomena, like the amazing expectations precipitated in the wake of Orsted’s discovery of electromagnetism,1 but also in the very institutions of higher learning, where more and more universities were creating separate faculties of Naturwissenschaft, and in the popularization of natural science by enthusiastic
A Label-free CMOS DNA Microarray based on Charge Sensing

The first label-free CMOS DNA polymerization sensor is reported. The 5-by-5 sensor array measures the charge induced on an electrode from a DNA fragment undergoing polymerization. Importantly, no post-processing is required as passivated top-metal electrodes are used. The measured limit of detection (with enzymatic buffer) is 25 fA for a one second integration time, or equivalently 25 fC of charge, although the limit set by the electronic noise is 3.5 times smaller. Using our chip, we demonstrate the detection of DNA polymerization. The sensor can be used to sequence short DNA segments in addition to detect DNA hybridization in microarrays.
Choice of Postpartum Contraception: Factors Predisposing Pregnant Adolescents to Choose Less Effective Methods Over Long-Acting Reversible Contraception.

Abstract Purpose The purposes were to determine contraceptive methods pregnant adolescents intend to use postpartum and to understand factors that predispose intention to use less effective birth control than long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Methods Participants were 247 pregnant minority adolescents in a prenatal program. Intention was assessed by asking " Which of the following methods of preventing pregnancy do you intend to use after you deliver? " Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with intent to use nonhormonal (NH) contraception (male/female condoms, abstinence, withdrawal and no method) or short-/medium-acting hormonal (SMH) contraception (birth control pill, patch, vaginal ring, injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate) compared with LARC (implant and intrauterine device) postpartum. Results Twenty-three percent intended to use LARC, 53% an SMH method, and 24% an NH method. Participants who intended to use NH or SMH contraceptive methods over LARC were significantly more likely to believe that LARC is not effective at preventing pregnancy, to report that they do not make decisions to help reach their goals and that partners are not important when making contraceptive decisions. Other important factors were having a mother who was aged >19 years at first birth and had not graduated from high school, not having experienced a prior pregnancy or talked with parents about birth control options, and the perception of having limited financial resources. Conclusions Distinct profiles of factors associated with intending to use NH or SMH contraceptive methods over LARC postpartum were identified and may inform future interventions to promote the use of LARC to prevent repeat pregnancy.
CT banding of human chromosomes

A technique is described for staining centromeric areas and reverse, mainly telomeric bands in human chromosomes. With this “CT” technique karyotyping of C-banded metaphases is possible without previous or subsequent use of other banding methods. The method consists of an alkaline pretreatment at 60°C with Ba(OH)2, followed by salt incubation in 2 x SSC at 60°C and staining with the cationic dye “Stains-all”. In a series of experiments the influence of the variables in the procedure was studied, with thefollowing main results: 1) Ba(OH)2 treatment alone and subsequent staining produces a distinct reverse banding pattern in which the secondary constriction of chromosome 9 is positive. 2) The 2 x SSC incubation in the CT procedure causes the Ba(OH)2 induced reverse bands to become weaker; the centromeric regions, however, become very prominent. 3) If the temperature of the 2 x SSC treatment is raised to 85°C, the CT technique results in a specific staining of the short arm regions of some probably variant acrocentric chromosomes. The interphase nuclei of individuals possessing such acrocentrics usually show very distinct chromocentres after this treatment; in the polymorphs these chromocentres are often situated along the nuclear membrane.
Children online: constructing community standards

One week into her design of an educational video game, ten-year-old Renee asked the following question:How do you make words appear on the screen when you reach a certain point of the screen or you reach a shape that is on the screen?
CHROME TANNING: exploding the perceived myths preconceptions and received wisdom

Some commonly understood and generally accepted aspects of the chrome tan-ning reaction are analysed, with a view to correcting misapprehensions. They are: chromium (Ⅲ) as a solo tannage, the role of sulphate in the chrome tanning mechanism, the size and shape of the chrome species , basicity of bound chrome , crosslinking , reaction sites on collagen, the roles of pH and temperature, reactivity at high basicity , the role of ethanolamine , the mask-ing reaction , multidentate masking, the roles of masking agents, the stability of chrome tanned leather, semi chrome leather.
Methods to Study Mrp4-containing Macromolecular Complexes in the Regulation of Fibroblast Migration.

Multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette family of membrane transporters and is an endogenous efflux transporter of cyclic nucleotides. By modulating intracellular cyclic nucleotide concentration, MRP4 can regulate multiple cyclic nucleotide-dependent cellular events including cell migration. Previously, we demonstrated that in the absence of MRP4, fibroblast cells contain higher levels of intracellular cyclic nucleotides and can migrate faster. To understand the underlying mechanisms of this finding, we adopted a direct yet multifaceted approach. First, we isolated potential interacting protein complexes of MRP4 from a MRP4 over-expression cell system using immunoprecipitation followed by mass-spectrometry. After identifying unique proteins in the MRP4 interactome, we utilized Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to explore the role of these protein-protein interactions in the context of signal transduction. We elucidated the potential role of the MRP4 protein complex in cell migration and identified F-actin as a major mediator of the effect of MRP4 on cell migration. This study also emphasized the role of cAMP and cGMP as key players in the migratory phenomena. Using high-content microscopy, we performed cell-migration assays and observed that the effect of MRP4 on fibroblast migration is completely abolished by disruption of the actin cytoskeleton or inhibition of cAMP-dependent kinase A (PKA). To visualize signaling modulations in a migrating cell in real time, we utilized a FRET-based sensor for measuring PKA activity and found, the presence of more polarized PKA activity near the leading edge of migrating Mrp4-/- fibroblast, compared to Mrp4+/+fibroblasts. This in turn increased cortical actin formation and augmented the process of migration. Our approach enables identification of the proteins acting downstream to MRP4 and provides us with an overview of the mechanism involved in MRP4-dependent regulation of fibroblast migration.
Formation of Na0.44MnO2 nanowires via stress-induced splitting of birnessite nanosheets

High aspect ratio Na0.44MnO2 nanowires with a complex one-dimensional (1-D) tunnel structure have been synthesized. We found that the reaction went through layered birnessite nanosheet intermediates, and that their conversion to the final product involved splitting of the nanosheets into nanowires. Based on our observations, a stress-induced splitting mechanism for conversion of birnessite nanosheets to Na0.44MnO2 nanowires is proposed. The final and intermediate phases show topotaxy with 〈001〉f // 〈020〉b or 〈110〉b where f represents the final Na0.44MnO2 phase and b the intermediate birnessite phase. As a result of their high surface areas, the nanowires are efficient catalysts for the oxidation of pinacyanol chloride dye.
Adaptation of Conservation Strategies

Adaptation is a response to climate change that reduces impacts. Intentional actions to reduce impacts will allow social development to continue in the face of climate change. For natural systems, adaptation of conservation strategies and management will play a critical role in reducing impacts. This chapter explores the adaptation actions that may help conserve biodiversity and ecosystems as climate changes.
Common medications and prostate cancer mortality: a review

Most prostate cancer patients also have comorbidities that are treated with both prescription and nonprescription medications; furthermore, many use dietary supplements. We assess their association with prognosis after prostate cancer diagnosis, and we discuss methodological challenges and clinical implications. We reviewed high-quality observational studies investigating the association of commonly used medications and supplements with prostate cancer-specific mortality. There is preliminary evidence that statins and metformin use may be associated with lower risk of cancer-specific mortality after prostate cancer diagnosis; conversely, high calcium and multivitamin supplementation may be associated with increased risk. Evidence is inconclusive for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), insulin, antihypertensives such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers, digoxin, and warfarin. Common limitations of the internal validity of studies examined include unmeasured confounding and confounding by indication, competing risks, and time-related biases such as immortal time bias. The majority of studies focused on Caucasian men with specific comorbidities, while heterogeneity among patients and tumors was mostly not assessed. Commonly prescribed medications and over-the-counter supplements may influence prognosis among prostate cancer patients. Further well-designed pharmacoepidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials of selected medications in appropriate patient groups are necessary before these drugs can bear new indications for prostate cancer treatment. We discuss considerations when deciding about use of these drugs in clinical practice at the present time.
An exemplar of open strategy: decision-making within multi-sector collaborations

Purpose – Collaborations and partnerships that span economic sectors heighten the complexity of decision-making processes and introduce challenges for structuring collective action. As hybrid organizations designed for cooperation, multi-sector partnerships involving firms from the private, public, and nonprofit industries are more likely to utilize a platform of open strategy than their single-sector counterparts. Through studying the decision-making process of multi-sector partnerships, the purpose of this paper is to suggest that the formative extra-organizational boundary conditions of these partnerships create fertile ground for a platform of open strategy. Design/methodology/approach – This manuscript presents a thorough analysis of the literature regarding multi-sector partnerships and the construct of open strategy to consider the importance of goal interdependence and strategic openness in the strategic decision-making process. The combination of these research streams results in a theoretical mo...
Combining Cell and Gene Therapy in an Effort to Eradicate HIV

More than 30 million people are infected with HIV, and HIV remains the fifth leading cause of disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) dramatically decreases mortality rate, but there are side effects, long-term toxicities, expenses, stigmas, and inconveniences associated with chronic treatment, and HIV-infected individuals on ART have an increased risk of malignancies, cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, and shortened life expectancy. Therefore, a cure for HIV remains an important goal. Combining new cell and gene therapy technology is an exciting approach that appears promising in vitro. Animal testing and careful clinical trials will be needed to determine if these strategies are clinically useful.
Candida Biofilm Tolerance: Comparison of Planktonic and Biofilm Resistance Mechanisms

Candida species are opportunistic fungal pathogens residing as commensal organisms in approximately 70% of the human population. During times of decreased immune function, Candida spp. are able to transition from harmless members of the human microbiota into pathogens capable of causing life-threatening infections boasting mortality rates as high as 50%. Commonly adhering to implanted medical devices, Candida spp. grow as highly structured biofilms with inherent resistance to antifungal drug therapies and the host immune system. A multitude of investigations have found this resistance to be multifactorial involving mechanisms associated with planktonic antifungal resistance (efflux pump activity) along with biofilm-specific mechanisms. One biofilm-specific mechanism involves the complex extracellular matrix. Components of the matrix, specifically β-glucan, mannan, and extracellular DNA, have been found to promote resistance against multiple antifungal drug classes. Here we will review molecular mechanisms contributing to Candida biofilm drug resistance.
Isolation and Solubilization of Cellular Membrane Proteins from Bacteria

Membrane proteins are rarely identified in two-dimensional electrophoretic (2-DE) proteomics maps. This is because of low abundance, poor solubility, and inherent hydrophobicity. In this study, membrane preparations from the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus mutans were isolated from protoplasts and by mechanical grinding. Membrane proteins were extracted using a mixture of trifluroethanol and chloroform, solubilized using highly chaotropic buffer containing ASB-14 and Triton X-100 and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.
Environmental remediation and its discontents: the contested cleanup of Vieques, Puerto Rico

Since protest forced the US Navy off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in 2003, the US military has embarked on one of the largest environmental remediation projects it has ever undertaken. This article explores the way a narrowly conceived, technocratic cleanup process is translated onto an island with a deep history of grassroots mobilization and antagonism towards federal authority. The Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is a crucible for considering the uneasy dynamics of cleanup. US law enshrines the RAB as the principal venue for "public participation" in the cleanup process. However, the prevailing technocratic framework, constrained by under-resourced bureaucratic agencies, clashes with more encompassing concepts of environmental justice. Citizen members of the RAB, nonetheless, approach the committee as a point of access to information about the remediation process, and leverage their participation as a tool for advancing a broader set of environmental justice claims.
A reiterative superresolution approach for direction of arrival estimation with sparse arrays

In this work we present two DOA estimation approaches applied to the difference coarray (virtual array) of a nested linear array based on the reiterative superresolution (RISR) approach. The first augments RISR with a gain control technique to enhance stability with noisy virtual array data. The second is based on using RISR to estimate the virtual measurement covariance matrix with a subsequent application of the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) technique. Simulation results are presented to assess the two proposed techniques against a more established spatial smoothing MUSIC technique.
Effects of Global Household Proliferation on Ecosystem Services

Population sizes and growth rates are two major factors used by ecologists in assessing human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes. However, the numbers of households have been increasing much faster than population sizes. As households are basic socioeconomic units (e.g., in consumption of ecosystem services) and key components of coupled human and natural systems, household proliferation has important implications for ecosystem services. On one hand, more households consume more ecosystem services. On the other hand, more households have more impacts on the supply of ecosystem services. So far, most impacts have been negative. As a result, ecosystem services have continued to degrade. It is important to use ecosystem services more efficiently, turn households from consumers to producers of ecosystem services, and incorporate household proliferation into ecosystem service research and management.
Patterns and predictors of personal protection compliance and workplace hygiene behaviors among workers with elevated blood lead levels in New York State

AbstractDespite increasing awareness and significant progress in reducing lead exposure among workers, elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) continue to be an occupational health problem. Little is currently known about the extent of personal protective equipment (PPE) use among lead-exposed workers. We examined the patterns and predictors of consistent PPE use and workplace hygiene behaviors among workers with elevated BLLs using a survey of 1,459 workers with an occupational lead exposure in New York State (NYS). Routine availability of respirators was commonplace, however only approximately half of workers consistently wore PPE while working with lead. Regular access to showers was reported by 41% of workers, but less than a quarter took showers and subsequently changed into clean clothing before leaving work site. Significant predictors of consistent PPE use and good hygiene behaviors were identified. The findings highlight the need for further educational and policy interventions for lead-exposed employe...
Waste and Biogeochemical Cycling

Abstract Waste management requires an understanding of how matter and energy move and change within the environment. This chapter discusses the cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, and other substances in terms of the biological, chemical, and physical processes and mechanisms responsible for these cycles.
Dynamic Relay of Protein-Bound Lipoic Acid in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus competes for myriad essential nutrients during host infection. One of these nutrients is the organosulfur compound lipoic acid, a cofactor required for the activity of several metabolic enzyme complexes. In S. aureus, these include the E2 subunits of three α-ketoacid dehydrogenases and two H proteins, GcvH of the glycine cleavage system and its paralog, GcvH-L. We previously determined that the S. aureus amidotransferase LipL is required for lipoylation of the E2 subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and branched-chain 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase (BCODH) complexes. The results from this study, coupled with those from Bacillus subtilis, suggested that LipL catalyzes lipoyl transfer from H proteins to E2 subunits. However, to date, the range of LipL targets, the extent of LipL-dependent lipoic acid shuttling between lipoyl domain-containing proteins, and the importance of lipoyl relay in pathogenesis remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that LipL uses both lipoyl-H proteins as the substrates for lipoyl transfer to all E2 subunits. Moreover, LipL facilitates lipoyl relay between E2 subunits and between H proteins, a property that potentially constitutes an adaptive response to nutrient scarcity in the host, as LipL is required for virulence during infection. Together, these observations support a role for LipL in facilitating flexible lipoyl relay between proteins and highlight the complexity of protein lipoylation in S. aureus. IMPORTANCE Protein lipoylation is a posttranslational modification that is evolutionarily conserved from bacteria to humans. Lipoic acid modifications are found on five proteins in S. aureus, four of which are components of major metabolic enzymes. In some bacteria, the amidotransferase LipL is critical for the attachment of lipoic acid to these proteins, and yet it is unclear to what extent LipL facilitates the transfer of this cofactor. We find that S. aureus LipL flexibly shuttles lipoic acid among metabolic enzyme subunits, alluding to a dynamic redistribution mechanism within the bacterial cell. This discovery exemplifies a potential means by which bacteria optimize the use of scarce nutrients when resources are limited.
Blame and Shame in Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a common form of trauma experienced by women and is significantly associated with numerous domains of psychopathology, including PTSD, suicidality, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and substance abuse/dependence. Researchers have investigated mechanisms underlying risk for post-assault psychopathology and found two highly salient mechanisms: blame and shame. Theoretical frameworks propose that assault-related stigma conveyed directly through victim blame and indirectly through societal rape myth acceptance leads to shame and self-blame which then contribute to negative psychological outcomes. In line with this, research consistently demonstrates victim blame results in heightened shame, behavioral self-blame, and characterological self-blame among victims, and these attributions predict psychological distress. Interventions designed to treat PTSD, as well as those designed to directly target shame and self-blame, also appear to facilitate recovery among victims of sexual violence. Additional longitudinal studies, specifically designed to examine the development of shame and self-blame following sexual assault, are necessary to continue to clarify the proximal and directional influences of shame and self-blame in negative outcomes and recovery processes.
Positive screening rates for bipolar disorder in pregnant and postpartum women and associated risk factors.

Abstract Objective Bipolar disorder affects 2–8% of pregnant and postpartum women; untreated illness is associated with poor outcomes. This study aimed to describe bipolar disorder screening rates in obstetric settings and associated characteristics. Method Women were recruited during pregnancy through three months postpartum from 14 obstetric clinics in Massachusetts. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) was used to screen for bipolar disorder; a subset previously diagnosed with bipolar was also examined. Differences in characteristics by screening outcome were tested using chi-square and t-tests. Results Of 574 participating women, 18.8% screened positive for bipolar disorder. Compared to those with negative, those with positive bipolar screens had 18.5-times the prevalence of positive substance use screens (11.1% vs. 0.6%, p Conclusions Almost one in five perinatal women screened positive for bipolar disorder. Positive screenings were associated with comorbid substance use and low treatment rates. This study highlights the importance of screening for bipolar disorder during the perinatal period and the need for systematic approaches to ensure adequate assessment and follow-up. Clinical trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02760004
Non-motor symptoms and striatal dopamine transporter binding in early Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Background Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but their relationships to nigrostriatal degeneration remain largely unexplored. Methods We evaluated 18 NMS scores covering 5 major domains in relation to concurrent and future dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging in 344 PD patients from the Parkinson's Progression and Markers Initiative (PPMI). We standardized NMS assessments into z-scores for side-by-side comparisons. Patients underwent sequential DaTSCAN imaging at enrollment and at months 12, 24, and 48. Specific binding ratios (SBR) were calculated using the occipital lobe reference region. We evaluated the association of striatal DAT binding at the four time points with each baseline NMS using mixed-effects regression models. Results Multiple baseline NMS were significantly associated with DAT binding at baseline and at follow-up scans. REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) symptoms showed the strongest association – mean striatal SBR declined with increasing RBD symptom z-score (average of time-point-specific slopes per unit change in z-score: β A V G = −0.083, SE = 0.017; p β A V G =0.055, SE = 0.022; p = 0.01) and visuospatial ( β A V G =0.044, SE = 0.020; p = 0.03) cognitive domains, and negatively for total anxiety ( β A V G = −0.059, SE = 0.018; p = 0.001). Striatal DAT binding showed curvilinear associations with odor identification, verbal discrimination recognition, and autonomic dysfunction z-scores (p = 0.001, p = 0.0009, and p = 0.0002, respectively). Other NMS were not associated with DAT binding. Conclusions Multiple NMS, RBD symptoms in particular, are associated with nigrostriatal dopaminergic changes in early PD.
Exploring the Spatial Patterning in Racial Differences in Cardiovascular Health Between Blacks and Whites Across the United States: The REGARDS Study.

Background Cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities between blacks and whites have persisted in the United States for some time, and although there have been remarkable improvements in addressing ca...
The Burden of Coronary Artery Disease in Chronic Kidney Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the general US population and in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In patients with CKD, cardiovascular death is more common than progression to end-stage kidney disease. The prevalence of CAD increases as CKD progresses, and CKD is an independent risk factor for CAD. CKD patients have unique vascular biological risk factors that contributes to their clinical CAD. The presence of CKD negatively impacts major adverse cardiovascular event rates following acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or cerebrovascular events. Kidney transplantation reduces cardiovascular disease risk in subjects with CKD, but still does not approach the risk of the general population. Traditional as well as non-traditional risk factors for CAD are highly prevalent in patients with CKD, and preventive interventions based on high-quality data are vital in reducing the risk of adverse cardiac events in the future.
Long-range interacting pendula: A simple model for understanding complex dynamics of charged particles in an electronic curtain device

In this paper, we investigate the equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of a model that shares several important characteristics with charged particles interacting in an Electric Curtain (EC) device. An EC comprises a periodic array of parallel electrodes, applied to each is an alternating electric potential. Depending on the applied potentials and the geometry of the electrodes, a wide variety of field structures above the plane of the electrodes are possible. The EC has multiple applications in the control and manipulation of small particles, but is under utilized in industry and science because of difficulties in predicting and understanding the particle dynamics. One particular challenge in understanding the dynamics is the many-body coulomb interactions. To better understand the role of the interactions, we study a one-dimensional analytically tractable model that encapsulates their long-range nature. Specifically, we study a Hamiltonian similar to that of the Hamiltonian mean field model but wi...
Extremum-Seeking Adaptive-Droop for Model-free and Localized Volt-VAR Optimization

In an active power distribution system, Volt-VAR optimization (VVO) methods are employed to achieve network-level objectives such as minimization of network power losses. The commonly used model-based centralized and distributed VVO algorithms perform poorly in the absence of a communication system and with model and measurement uncertainties. In this paper, we proposed a model-free local Volt-VAR control approach for network-level optimization that does not require communication with other decision-making agents. The proposed algorithm is based on extremum-seeking approach that uses only local measurements to minimize the network power losses. To prove that the proposed extremum-seeking controller converges to the optimum solution, we also derive mathematical conditions for which the loss minimization problem is convex with respect to the control variables. Local controllers pose stability concerns during highly variable scenarios. Thus, the proposed extremum-seeking controller is integrated with an adaptive-droop control module to provide a stable local control response. The proposed approach is validated using IEEE 4-bus and IEEE 123-bus systems and achieve the loss minimization objective while maintaining the voltage within the pre-specific limits even during highly variable DER generation scenarios.
Stereotactic Magnetic Resonance Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy for Abdominopelvic Metastases.

Purpose/objective(s) Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can be an effective method for treating metastases. However, the proximity of organs at risk (OARs) to the target can limit the safe delivery of ablative doses, particularly in the abdomen and pelvis where there can be significant interfraction and intrafraction motion. Stereotactic magnetic resonance guided adaptive radiation therapy (SMART) may allow for safer delivery of ablative radiation to abdominopelvic metastases. We report the feasibility and early outcomes of patients with abdominopelvic metastases treated with SMART using a 0.35T MR Linac in a (1) retrospective cohort and (2) a prospective phase 1 trial. Materials/methods We identified 44 patients in the retrospective cohort and enrolled 13 patients onto the phase 1 protocol, all with abdominopelvic metastases. Patients with metastases of the liver, kidneys, or adrenal glands were excluded and were enrolled on companion phase 1 trials. Patients were treated between 10/29/19-2/18/21. For the retrospective cohort, dose prescription and coverage were at the discretion of the treating physician, with 67% of sites receiving 40 Gy/5 fractions. For the phase 1 cohort, patients were treated to 40 Gy/5 fractions daily with goal PTV coverage of V40 ≥95% (ideal) and V30 ≥95% (acceptable). Results Overall, the 44 patients in the retrospective cohort were treated to 49 sites of abdominopelvic disease, and the 13 patients in the phase 1 cohort received treatment to one site of abdominopelvic disease each on protocol. The most common histology was prostate adenocarcinoma (57%). In total, 308 fractions were delivered, with 138 (45%) using a breath hold and 170 (55%) using free breathing. Online adaptation was necessary for 269/308 fractions (87%) to either satisfy critical OAR metrics (62%) or improve target coverage (38%). Additionally, there were two instances when on-board MRI allowed for the detection of bowel which had displaced the target to such a degree as to interfere with safe treatment delivery, even when utilizing adaptive planning. These two treatments were postponed to either later the same day or a subsequent day. Patients spent an average of 61 minutes in the treatment room. With median follow-up of 150 days (interquartile range 90-224 days), there were no deaths and one local failure (a patient with urothelial carcinoma who received 35 Gy/5 fractions at 102 days after start of SBRT). There was one grade ≥3 treatment-related toxicity (colonic hemorrhage in a patient with serous ovarian cancer who received 40 Gy/5 fractions at 86 days after start of SBRT in the setting of thrombocytopenia). Conclusion SMART is a feasible method for delivering ablative doses of radiation. Adaptive planning was necessary in a large portion of cases. Early data suggest a high rate of local control and low risk of significant toxicity. Longer-term results of the phase 1 protocol will be reported in the future.
Private Liability without Wrongdoing

Rights-based theories of private law tend to be wrongs based and defendant focused. But many private law wrongs don’t seem like genuine wrongs, at least when the background distribution of resources is unjust. A very poor person may, for example, be held legally liable for breaching a one-sided contract with a very rich person. When such a contract reflects and reproduces existing injustice, it is hard to view the poor person’s breach of such a contract as a genuine wrong against the rich person. Conversely, some obvious moral wrongs don’t generate legal liability. There is, for example, no private law duty of rescue in the absence of a prior relationship in many situations in which most would agree that there is a moral duty of rescue. Thus, private legal liability seems not to track moral wrongdoing in significant respects, raising the question what instead justifies such liability. Instead of justifying private liability in terms of the defendant’s wrongdoing, as corrective justice and civil recourse theorists do, we should seek a justification in terms of the plaintiff’s moral permission to enforce her rights. Switching our gaze from the defendant’s wrongdoing to the plaintiff’s moral permission to enforce won’t be normatively consequential if the plaintiff’s moral permission to enforce her rights arises when and only when the defendant has wronged her. But, I argue, background injustice can drive a wedge between genuine wrongdoing and what a plaintiff is permitted to do to enforce her rights. By reconceptualizing private liability in terms of a plaintiff’s moral permission to enforce her apparent rights, private law may be justified by the essential role it plays in constituting non-ideal political morality.
An Evaluation of In-Situ Measurements of Water Temperature Specific Conductance, and pH in Low Ionic Strength Streams

The performance of minimonitors used by the U.S. Geological Survey for continuous measurement of water temperature, specific conductance, and pH in four low ionic strength streams in the Catskill Mountains of New York was evaluated through a calculation of their bias, precision, and accuracy and by comparison with laboratory measurements of specific conductance and pH on samples collected concurrently. Results indicate that the mini-monitor measurements of specific conductance and pH in an acidic stream (acid-neutralizing capacity always less than 0) agreed with laboratory measurements well enough that the minimonitors can be used to supplement laboratory measurements (mean difference in pH was 0.02 pH unit and mean difference in specific conductance was 0.72 μS cm−1. This mean difference was 0.32 μS cm−1 if the minimonitor data were adjusted by the bias). In less acidic streams (two streams in which the acid-neutralizing capacity was always greater than 0 and one in which the acid-neutralizing capacity was greater than 0 except during high flows), there was poor agreement between laboratory and minimonitor measurements of specific conductance at high flows and pH at all flows. The water-temperature probes measured with sufficiently small bias (–0.1 °C) and adequate precision (±0.70 °C) for use with most applications.
Mesons and the structure of nucleons: Part II. The nucleon isobar and pion dynamics

Abstract An “atomic” model of the physical nucleons, previously applied to the nucleon ground states, is extended to describe the excited isobar nucleon state, of angular momentum and isotopic spin 3 2 . The model is used to compute the cross sections for resonant photoproduction of pions and Compton scattering of photons on protons. Other, nonresonant processes are taken into account in a phenomenological fashion, and the computed cross sections for the aforementioned processes are compared with available experimental data. The model is also used as a guide for the phenomenological interpretation of other high-energy processes—in particular, photodisintegration of the deuteron in the region of the photomeson threshold, and the resonant π− − P interaction at ≈1 Bev.