cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapamycin Is Highly Effective in a Mouse Model of Immune-Mediated Bone Marrow Failure By Mechanisms Distinct from Cyclosporine

Abstract Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is bone marrow (BM) failure characterized by pancytopenia and marrow hypocellularity, in most patients due to immune attack by T cells that target hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Most patients respond to immunosuppressive therapy, but relapse, especially on withdrawal of cyclosporine A (CsA), occurs frequently (Scheinberg P, Am J Hematol., 2014). Rapamycin has been successful in some human autoimmune diseases and in mouse models of autoimmunity; rapamycin also appears to induce tolerance, as for example in the organ transplant setting. We have developed murine models of BM failure; animals can be salvaged by biologics and drugs that are effective in humans with AA. One purpose of these models is to test potential new therapies. We have compared rapamycin with customary immunosuppression by CsA. Infusion of lymph node cells from C57BL6 (B6) donor mice into CByB6F1 (F1) recipient mice (MHC-mismatched) induced massive BM destruction by activated T cells. Treatment with rapamycin (2 mg/kg/day, starting 1 hour post lymphocyte injection and continued for 2 weeks, n=9) effectively ameliorated pancytopenia and improved BM cellularity, better than did maximal dosing with CsA (50 mg/kg/day, starting 1 hour post lymphocyte injection, continued for 5 days, n=8) (Fig 1A). Rapamycin eliminated most BM-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, while CsA had less effect on CD8+ T cells than did rapamycin. Elimination of BM infiltrated T cells and restoration of megakaryocytes by rapamycin was visualized by confocal microscopy using whole-mounts of sternum, for which donor B6 lymph node cells were replaced with B6-DsRed lymph node cells. Plasma cytokines were measured by Luminex: IFNg, TNFa, IL-2, MIP1b, RANTES, sCD137 (all p Download : Download high-res image (199KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Transition of Acute Postoperative Pain to Chronic Pain: An Integrative Overview of Research on Mechanisms

Abstract The nature of the transition from acute to chronic pain still eludes explanation, but chronic pain resulting from surgery provides a natural experiment that invites clinical epidemiological investigation and basic scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of this transition. The primary purpose of this article is to review current knowledge and hypotheses on the transition from acute to persistent postsurgical pain, summarizing literature on clinical epidemiological studies of persistent postsurgical pain development, as well as basic neurophysiological studies targeting mechanisms in the periphery, spinal cord, and brain. The second purpose of this article is to integrate theory, information, and causal reasoning in these areas. Conceptual mapping reveals 5 classes of hypotheses pertaining to pain. These propose that chronic pain results from: 1) persistent noxious signaling in the periphery; 2) enduring maladaptive neuroplastic changes at the spinal dorsal horn and/or higher central nervous system structures reflecting a multiplicity of factors, including peripherally released neurotrophic factors and interactions between neurons and microglia; 3) compromised inhibitory modulation of noxious signaling in medullary-spinal pathways; 4) descending facilitatory modulation; and 5) maladaptive brain remodeling in function, structure, and connectivity. The third purpose of this article is to identify barriers to progress and review opportunities for advancing the field. This review reveals a need for a concerted, strategic effort toward integrating clinical epidemiology, basic science research, and current theory about pain mechanisms to hasten progress toward understanding, managing, and preventing persistent postsurgical pain. Perspective The development of chronic pain after surgery is a major clinical problem that provides an opportunity to study the transition from acute to chronic pain at epidemiologic and basic science levels. Strategic, coordinated, multidisciplinary research efforts targeting mechanisms of pain chronification can to help minimize or eliminate persistent postsurgical pain.
Exosomes isolated from serum of systemic sclerosis patients display alterations in their content of profibrotic and antifibrotic microRNA and induce a profibrotic phenotype in cultured normal dermal fibroblasts.

OBJECTIVES Exosomes are lipid bilayer-bound microvesicles containing various macromolecules including numerous microRNA (miRNA). Exosomes mediate intercellular communication by fusing and releasing their macromolecular content into target cells. Here, we analysed the content of profibrotic and antifibrotic miRNAs in exosomes isolated from the serum of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and tested their ability to induce a profibrotic phenotype in normal human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. METHODS Exosomes were isolated from serum from patients with limited cutaneous or diffuse cutaneous SSc and were characterised by Nanosight Particle Tracking Analysis, exosome antibody arrays, and transmission electron microscopy. The content of nine profibrotic and eighteen antifibrotic miRNA was assessed in the isolated exosomes by semiquantitative real time PCR. The effects of the isolated exosomes on cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts were assessed by real time PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS The isolated serum exosomes displayed the expected exosome size and morphology and contained characteristic exosome proteins. Six profibrotic miRNAs were increased and ten antifibrotic miRNAs were decreased in SSc serum exosomes compared to normal serum exosomes. The levels of eight miRNA were significantly different between exosomes from limited and diffuse SSc. Exosomes isolated from both limited or diffuse SSc patients caused dose-dependent stimulation of profibrotic gene expression and type I collagen and fibronectin production and secretion in normal human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. CONCLUSIONS Serum exosomes from SSc patients contain miRNA displaying a markedly profibrotic profile and induce a profibrotic phenotype in target normal fibroblasts in vitro suggesting a plausible mechanism for the extension of the fibrotic SSc process to non-affected tissues.
The explanatory structure of unexplainable events: Causal constraints on magical reasoning

A common intuition, often captured in fiction, is that some impossible events (e.g., levitating a stone) are "more impossible" than others (e.g., levitating a feather). We investigated the source of this intuition, hypothesizing that graded notions of impossibility arise from explanatory considerations logically precluded by the violation at hand but still taken into account. Studies 1-4 involved college undergraduates (n = 357), and Study 5 involved preschool-aged children (n = 32). In Studies 1 and 2, participants saw pairs of magical spells that violated one of 18 causal principles-six physical, six biological, and six psychological-and were asked to indicate which spell would be more difficult to learn. Both spells violated the same causal principle but differed in their relation to a subsidiary principle. Participants' judgments of spell difficulty honored the subsidiary principle, even when participants were given the option of judging the two spells equally difficult. Study 3 replicated those effects with Likert-type ratings; Study 4 replicated them in an open-ended version of the task in which participants generated their own causal violations; and Study 5 replicated them with children. Taken together, these findings suggest that events that defy causal explanation are interpreted in terms of explanatory considerations that hold in the absence of such violations.
Tailoring the response of stimulated Brillouin scattering in fibers

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) limits the amount of light per unit bandwidth that can be transmitted down or generated in an optical fiber. As such, it typically has the lowest threshold of all the nonlinear processes in narrow line-width systems and is a major limitation in the scaling fiber lasers to higher powers. This paper describes how thoughtful consideration of the materials from which the fibers are made can have marked effects on SBS mitigation; more so than achievable through complex microstructuring of the optical fiber.
The Cronenberg question

AbstractThis is an introduction to a special dossier of six essays devoted to the work of director David Cronenberg. The dossier, edited by Adam Lowenstein and Adam Charles Hart, is organized around ‘The Cronenberg Question’: What exactly do we mean when we call something ‘Cronenbergian’? Most commentators use ‘Cronenbergian’ to signify qualities strongly associated with films like Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), and The Fly (1986): the disturbing, often grisly transformation of the human body through scientific technology in a spectacle commonly dubbed ‘body horror’. But Cronenberg has been making films for more than 50 years and the conventional definition of ‘Cronenbergian’ fits only a minority of his output. So what is to be done with Cronenberg and our sense of the ‘Cronenbergian’ now? This dossier offers a number of strategic responses to this question, including explorations of Cronenberg’s films as Jewish, anesthetic, minor, monstrous, political, and sexually violent. The ambit...
Real Options for Endangered Species

Abstract Endangered species often exhibit low or negative intrinsic growth rates and experience random environmental shocks that can significantly affect population abundance. Geometric Brownian motion has been shown to be a valid model for an endangered species (Dennis et al. 1991). This paper argues that an endangered species should be viewed as a quasi-public good and shows how real option theory can be used to determine the optimal timing of a conservation intervention that might prevent extinction. When a species goes extinct we assume society incurs a biodiversity loss, that can be measured in dollars. Regret is the interest cost on that loss. Social anxiety increases toward regret as the population of an endangered species declines toward extinction. The complete model requires information on (1) the drift and standard deviation rates before and after the conservation intervention, (2) the social cost (anxiety) from endangerment, (3) the fixed and variable costs of the conservation intervention, and (4) the social rate of discount. The model is illustrated with data on the captive breeding program for the California condor.
Incorporating supportive care into the hemodialysis unit

Purpose of reviewAdvance care planning is underutilized in patients with dialysis-dependent kidney failure and the provision of high intensity rather than supportive care is a standard practice in most hemodialysis units wherever challenges to incorporating palliative or supportive care into unit pr
Living Polymerization of Proteins: Actin and Tubulin. A Review

Living polymerization of the two major proteins in eucaryotic cells: actin and tubulin is reviewed. Actin is a large globular protein built of 375 alpha-amino acid residues and has a molecular weight of 42,000. It polymerizes in vivo and in vitro with the formation of long linear filaments (up to 50 microns) with two distinguished (“plus” and “minus”) ends. Actin filaments are in equilibrium with the surrounding monomeric actin and undergo treadmilling, i.e., continuous polymerization at the plus end and depolymerization at the minus end which allows their spacial movement without changing the filament length. Tubulin is a larger globular protein (dimer) with a molecular weight of 100,000 which exhibits similar polymerization behavior. Microtubulin filaments, however, characterize with dynamic instability, i.e., they polymerize slower but undergo very fast depolymerization. Cell utilization and regulation of actin and tubulin polymerization is briefly reviewed as well.
Fragility Evaluation in Building-Piping Systems: Effect of Piping Interaction with Buildings

Many studies assessing the damage from 1971 San Fernando and 1994 North Ridge earthquakes reported that the failure of non-structural components like piping systems was one of the significant reasons for shutdown of hospitals immediately after the earthquakes. This paper is focused on evaluating seismic fragility of a large-scale piping system in representative high-rise, mid-rise, and low-rise buildings using nonlinear time history analyses. The emphasis is on evaluating piping's interaction with building and its effect on piping fragility. The building models include the effects of nonlinearity in the performance of beams and columns. In the 20-story building that is detuned with the piping system, critical locations are on the top two floors for the linear frame building model. For the nonlinear building model, critical locations are on the bottom two floors. In the 8-story building that is nearly tuned with the piping system, the critical locations for both the linear frame and nonlinear models are the 3rd and 4th floors. It is observed that building nonlinearity can reduce fragility due to reduction in the tuning between building and piping systems. In the 2-story building, the nonlinear building frequencies are closer to the critical piping system frequencies than the linear building frequency; the nonlinear building is more fragile than the linear building for this case. However, it is observed that the linear building models give excessively conservative estimates of fragility than the nonlinear building models.
Overexpression of O-polysaccharide chain length regulators in Gram-negative bacteria using the Wzx-/Wzy-dependent pathway enhances production of defined modal length O-polysaccharide polymers for use as haptens in glycoconjugate vaccines.

Aims O-polysaccharide (OPS) molecules are protective antigens for several bacterial pathogens, and have broad utility as components of glycoconjugate vaccines. Variability in the OPS chain length is one obstacle towards further development of these vaccines. Introduction of sizing steps during purification of OPS molecules of suboptimal or of mixed lengths introduces additional costs and complexity while decreasing the final yield. The overall goal of this study was to demonstrate the utility of engineering Gram-negative bacteria to produce homogenous O-polysaccharide populations that can be used as the basis of carbohydrate vaccines by overexpressing O-polysaccharide chain length regulators of the Wzx-/Wzy-dependent pathway. Method and results The O-polysaccharide chain length regulators wzzB and fepE from Salmonella Typhimurium I77 and wzz2 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 were cloned and expressed in the homologous organism or in other Gram-negative bacteria. Overexpression of these Wzz proteins in the homologous organism significantly increased the proportion of long or very long chain O-polysaccharides. The same observation was made when wzzB was overexpressed in Salmonella Paratyphi A and Shigella flexneri, and wzz2 was overexpressed in two other strains of P. aeruginosa. Conclusions Overexpression of Wzz proteins in Gram-negative bacteria using the Wzx/Wzy-dependant pathway for lipopolysaccharide synthesis provides a genetic method to increase the production of an O-polysaccharide population of a defined size. Significance and impact of the study The methods presented herein represent a cost-effective and improved strategy for isolating preferred OPS vaccine haptens, and could facilitate the further use of O-polysaccharides in glycoconjugate vaccine development.
Modifying pre-operative antibiotic overuse in gynecologic surgery

Purpose Previous studies indicate adherence to pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines has been inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to determine adherence rates to current perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in gynecologic surgery at a tertiary care, academic institution. As a secondary outcome, improving guidelines after physician re-education were analyzed. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective chart review (2,463 patients) was completed. The authors determined if patients received perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in accordance with current guidelines from the America College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Data were obtained before and after physician tutorials. Quality control was implemented by making guideline failures transparent. Statistical analysis used Fisher’s exact and agreement tests. Findings In total, 23 percent of patients received antibiotics not indicated across all procedures. This decreased to 9 percent after physician re-education and outcome transparency (p<0.0001). Laparoscopy was the procedure with the lowest guideline compliance prior to education. The compliance improved from 52 to 92 percent (p<0.0001) after re-education. Practical implications Gynecologic surgeons overuse antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis. Physician re-education and transparency were shown to enhance compliance. Originality/value Educational tutorials are an effective strategy for encouraging physicians to improve outcomes, which, in turn, allows the healthcare system a non-punitive way to monitor quality and mitigate cost.
A phase II trial of gemcitabine (G), cisplatin (C), and nab-paclitaxel (N) in advanced biliary tract cancers (aBTCs).

4018Background: BTCs are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and have a poor prognosis. The standard therapy for aBTCs is the combination of GC. However, the median overall survival (mOS) is disma...
Ethnicity moderates the benefits of perceived support and emotional expressivity on stress reactivity for Asian Americans and Euro Americans.

Objective This study examined whether ethnicity moderated the benefits of perceived support and emotion expressivity on stress responses (cortisol, negative mood, task performance) during a lab stress task for Asian Americans and Euro Americans. We hypothesized that perceived support and emotion expressivity would be less beneficial for Asian Americans (relative to Euro Americans), for whom support seeking and emotional expressivity are less aligned with cultural values. Method A majority female sample (72%) of 83 Asian American (first generation, n = 30; second generation, n = 53) and 50 Euro American college students completed the Trier Social Stress Test. Participants provided baseline and poststressor measures of salivary cortisol and negative mood, and their task performance was coded by researchers. Results Results showed evidence of ethnic group moderation such that perceived support and emotional expressivity did not buffer biological, psychological, or behavioral stress outcomes for Asian Americans, but did offer some benefits to Euro Americans. The two groups differed on interdependence and acculturation, yet there was limited evidence that cultural variables moderated those same associations. Conclusions Results counter the notion that perceived support and emotion expressivity are universal psychosocial resources for managing stress. This study highlights the importance of considering ethnic group differences in these socioemotional processes that are relevant for better understanding adaptive coping and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record
Characterization of a NIR absorbing thienyl curcumin contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging

The synthesis and characterization of a bis(2-dimethylaminothien-5-yl)curcumin boron difluoride chromophore is presented. Photophysical, electrochemical and computational investigations establish the properties of its absorption in the Vis-NIR spectral range relative to established curcumin dyes. Application of this thienyl curcumin dye as a photoacoustic contrast agent is investigated against the dicarbocyanine Cy5 dye in the 675–735 nm excitation range.
Assigning value to energy storage systems at multiple points in an electrical grid

The ability to define the potential value that energy storage systems (ESSs) could generate through various applications in electric power systems, and an understanding of how these values change due to variations in ESS performance and parameters, market structure, utility structures, and valuation methodologies is highly important in advancing ESS deployment. This paper presents a taxonomy for assigning benefits to the use cases or services provided by ESSs, defines approaches for monetizing the value associated with these services, assigns values, or more precisely ranges of values, to major ESS applications by region based on a review of an extensive set of literature, and summarizes and evaluates the capabilities of several available tools currently used to estimate value for specific ESS deployments.
Designing for social commerce experience as cultural consumption

Social commerce websites are facing a challenge of how to use social media effectively in reaching their users in this globalization age. In this paper I look at two successful cases of social commerce websites, TaoBao of China and Etsy of the U.S. and argue that the design of a social commerce website should implement effective local SNS features to connect with and engage its users, mediate their identities, and empower them in this rising participatory culture.
Design and Verification of a Portable Scanner for Body-Worn Wireless Resistive Analog Passive (WRAP) Sensors

Wireless resistive analog passive (WRAP) sensors are low cost, battery less, body-worn physiological sensors. Portable Scanner is a hardware device capable of acquiring physiological signals from multiple types of WRAP sensors using amplitude modulation (AM) technique. The signal acquisition relies on inductive loading principal of signal due to impedance mismatch between the LC resonator circuits of scanner and the wireless passive sensor. The physiological signals of the subject affect the impedance that results in the mismatch, which eventually modulates the amplitude of scanner-generated carrier wave at 6.15 MHz. The DDS along with RF power amplifier of the scanner generates the carrier wave. The AM wave's top envelope is picked up by an envelope demodulator $(\mathbf{f} >> 1\ \mathbf{KHz})$ from the AM signal. The signal is processed in analog domain by utilizing a 2nd order Butterworth low pass filter (1.5 KHz), a variable gain (Av) amplifier $(\mathbf{Av}_{\mathbf{min}}=1, \mathbf{Av}_{\mathbf{max}}=9)$ , then signal is acquired in digital domain via 12 bit ADC and finally is transmitted to a smartphone application via a Class 2 Bluetooth wireless link at a baud rate of 115.2 kbps. The developed scanner device uses a 4-layer PCB $(14\ \mathbf{cm} \times 5\ \mathbf{cm}\times 1.25\ \mathbf{cm})$ , and contained a 32-bit low power flash microcontroller (STM32L476) based on ARM Cortex - M processor. The device is powered by a 2000 mAh Li-Poly battery. The circuit consumes 0.69 mA during scanning burst, which can sustain continuous scanning of more than 2028 hours (for consumption rate of 0.7).
Designing health information technology tools for behavioral health clinicians integrated within a primary care team.

Background : Electronic health records (EHRs) are a key tool for primary care practice. However, EHR functionality is not keeping pace with the evolving informational and decision-support needs of behavioral health clinicians (BHCs) working on integrated teams. Objective: Describe workflows and tasks of BHCs working with integrated teams, identify their health information technology needs, and develop EHR tools to address them. Method: A mixed-methods, comparative-case study of six community health centers (CHCs) in Oregon, each with at least one BHC integrated in their primary care team. We observed clinical work and conducted interviews to understand workflows and clinical tasks, aiming to identify how effectively current EHRs supported integrated care delivery, including transitions, documentation, information sharing, and decision making. We analyzed these data and employed a user-centered design process to develop EHR tools addressing the identified needs. Results : BHCs used the primary care EHR for documentation and communication with other team members, but the EHR lacked the functionality to fully support integrated care. Needs include the ability to: (1) automate and track paper-based screening; (2) document behavioral health history; (3) access patient social and medical history relevant to behavioral health issues, and (4) rapidly document and track progress on goals. To meet these needs, we engaged users and developed a set of EHR tools called the BH e-Suite. Conclusion: Integrated primary care teams, and particularly BHCs, have unique information needs, workflows and tasks. These needs can be met and supported by the EHR with a moderate level of modification.
Short communication: Diffusion tensor anisotropy in the cingulate in borderline and schizotypal personality disorder.

Abstract Despite considerable phenomentological differences between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), research increasingly provides evidence that some BPD symptoms overlap with SPD symptoms (e.g., disturbed cognitions). We examined the cingulate, a brain region implicated in the pathophysiology of both disorders, to determine similarities/differences between the groups, and similarities/differences from healthy controls (HC's). 3T structural and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired in BPD (n = 27), SPD (n = 32), HC's (n = 34). Results revealed that BPD patients exhibited significantly lower FA in posterior cingulate white matter compared to HC's (p = 0.04), but SPD patients did not.
Lispro insulin and electrolyte supplementation for treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis in cats.

Background Intravenous continuous rate infusion (IVCRI) of lispro at a starting dose of 0.09 U/kg/h and the use of 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) for fluid resuscitation in cats with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) have not been reported. Protocols for correction of electrolyte deficiencies in cats with DKA are lacking. Objectives To characterize the use of IVCRI lispro at an initial dose of 0.09 U/kg/h and the use of NaCl for resuscitation. Explore protocols for electrolyte supplementation in cats with DKA. Animals Twelve cats with DKA enrolled from the cat population of a university hospital. Methods Randomized, controlled, blinded study. Six cats were randomized into each group, the lispro insulin treatment group (LITG) and regular insulin treatment group (RITG). All cats received IVCRI fluid resuscitation with NaCl. Solutions with higher than previously published electrolyte concentrations were used to treat electrolyte deficiencies. Results The median time to blood glucose (BG) concentration Conclusions and clinical importance Lispro at a starting dose of 0.09 U/kg/h and NaCl administered for fluid resuscitation are safe and effective for treatment of DKA in cats.
Exome Sequencing in Clinical Hepatology

The clinical relevance of the Human Genome Project and next-generation sequencing technology was demonstrated for the first time in 2009, when whole-exome sequencing (WES) provided the definitive diagnosis of congenital chloride diarrhea in an infant with presumed renal salt-wasting disease. Over the past decade, numerous studies have shown the utility of WES for clinical diagnosis as well as for discovery of novel genetic disorders through analysis of a single or a handful of informative pedigrees. Hence, advances in improving the speed, accuracy, and computational analysis combined with exponential decrease in the cost of sequencing the human genome is transforming the practice of medicine. The impact of WES has been most noticeable in pediatric disorders and oncology, but its utility in the liver clinic is recently emerging. Here, we assess the current status of WES for clinical diagnosis and acceleration of translation research to enhance care of patients with liver disease.
The Computational Wiretap Channel

We present the computational wiretap channel: Alice has some data x and wants to share some computation h(x) with Bob. To do this, she sends f(x), where f is some sufficient statistic for h. An eavesdropper, Eve, is interested in computing another function g(x). We show that, under some conditions on f and g, this channel can be approximated, from Eve‘s point of view, to a classic Wyner wiretap channel.
Unified Modeling Framework for Thin-Film Evaporation from Micropillar Arrays Capturing Local Interfacial Effects.

Thin-film evaporation from micropillar array porous media has gained attention in a number of fields including energy conversion and thermal management of electronics. Performance in these applicat...
Handbook of Educational Measurement and Psychometrics Using R.

Many books currently available in the field of educational measurement and psychometrics require the use of expensive software programs. This can make it challenging for readers to reproduce exampl...
Preclinical study of cytotoxicity and predictive markers of response to dual inhibition of PI3K and mTORC1/2 signaling by NVP-BEZ235 with or without paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel as a new therapeutic strategy in pancreatic cancer cell lines.

e15007 Background: Targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) pathway could arrest tumor growth and induce cell death in cancers tha...
The Alfred Wallenstein Collection at UNT: Uncovering the Hidden Labor of a Radio Orchestra

The informational and evidential value of a radio orchestra collection goes well above and beyond its stated contents. Union copyist stamps and other pieces of incidental information restore the co...
Origins and clonal convergence of gastrointestinal IgE+ B cells in human peanut allergy

B cells in human food allergy have been studied predominantly in the blood. Little is known about IgE+ B cells or plasma cells in tissues exposed to dietary antigens. We characterized IgE+ clones in blood, stomach, duodenum, and esophagus of 19 peanut-allergic patients, using high-throughput DNA sequencing. IgE+ cells in allergic patients are enriched in stomach and duodenum, and have a plasma cell phenotype. Clonally related IgE+ and non-IgE-expressing cell frequencies in tissues suggest local isotype switching, including transitions between IgA and IgE isotypes. Highly similar antibody sequences specific for peanut allergen Ara h 2 are shared between patients, indicating that common immunoglobulin genetic rearrangements may contribute to pathogenesis. These data define the gastrointestinal tract as a reservoir of IgE+ B lineage cells in food allergy.
Modified SAMs and templates for achieving self-alignment of full wafers

Self-assembly of structures that are more than a few millimeters in size is a current problem that can have broad applications in new ways to construct the objects that we use. As a step in that direction, fluidic self-alignment at the wafer-to-wafer level is demonstrated, characterized, and modeled. Although self-alignment of millimeter-sized objects has previously been shown, several physical processes become important as the structure size is increased to a whole wafer. These processes are measured and modeled in this paper. Self-assembled monolayers, both natural and modified by oxidation, are used to create surface energy gradients that are used to produce capillary alignment forces. These forces exceed the wafer-edge forces. The measured capillary fluid profile is modeled to predict the alignment forces with no adjustable parameters. Alignment forces are measured and the trends are predicted as the surface tension of the liquid, hence the generated force, is varied. These considerations govern pattern design rules, which are described and ensure a long capture range, high alignment force, and avoidance of wafer-edge dragging.
Predictors of chronic pain after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Abstract Background Multiple studies have analyzed predictors for chronic pain after open hernia repair. The purpose of this study is to determine which factors predict the development of chronic pain after a laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Methods We identified patients who underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair between 2008 and 2020 at a single institution. Quality of life was measured using the Surgical Outcomes Measurement System and Carolinas Comfort Scale. We categorized patients with chronic pain if their score on Carolinas Comfort Scale was greater than or equal to 3. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of chronic pain. Results A total of 960 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 59 (± 14, standard deviation) years, 89 (9.3%) of whom were female. Six percent of patients met criteria for chronic pain (Carolinas Comfort Scale ≥3). On multivariable analysis, predictors for chronic pain were age 45 (P Conclusion Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair results in 6.0% of patients experiencing chronic pain. We identified multiple predictors for chronic pain.
Pupal and Adult Injections for RNAi and CRISPR Gene Editing in Nasonia vitripennis

The jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis, has become an efficient model system to study epigenetics of haplo-diploid sex determination, B-chromosome biology, host-symbiont interactions, speciation, and venom synthesis. Despite the availability of several molecular tools, including CRISPR/Cas9, functional genetic studies are still limited in this organism. The major limitation of applying CRISPR/Cas9 technology in N. vitripennis stems from the challenges of embryonic microinjections. Injections of embryos are particularly difficult in this organism and in general in many parasitoid wasps, due to small embryo size and the requirement of a host pupa for embryonic development. To address these challenges, Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex delivery into female ovaries by adult injection, rather than embryonic microinjection, was optimized, resulting in both somatic and heritable germline edits. The injection procedures were optimized in pupae and female wasps using either ReMOT Control (Receptor-Mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo) or BAPC (Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules). These methods are shown to be effective alternatives to embryo injection, enabling site-specific and heritable germline mutations.
Stacking of Monolayer Graphene Particles at a Water–Vapor Interface

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene prefer to interact in a face-to-face manner when colloidally suspended but are forced to interact in an edge-to-edge manner when trapped at a fluid–f...
The disruptive physician and impact on the culture of safety.

Purpose of review The disruptive physician is a growing problem in medicine. All too often, physician behavior negatively impacts the delivery of quality patient care. The hostile environment that certain behaviors create makes it difficult for team members advocate for their patients. It is imperative that physician practices develop and an understanding of how to identify the disruptive physician to maintain patient safety. Recent findings Disruptive physicians can damage team morale by creating a psychologically unsafe working environment. Healthcare organizations must be committed to ensuring that all team members can function effectively in their work environments. The leaders of healthcare organizations must be acutely aware of what constitutes disruptive behavior and act proactively to eliminate such behaviors. Disruptive physicians should be made acutely aware that their behavior is deemed unacceptable and efforts at correcting such behavior are imperative. Summary The practice of medicine is multifaceted. It is imperative that the assurance of psychological safety is met to meet the standards of high quality and safe care for patients.
Iron(II) in the world's oxygen deficient zones

Abstract Oxygen deficient zones (ODZs) are regions in the marine water column where the concentration of oxygen is very low or zero and respiration occurs using nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Under such conditions, iron (Fe) would be predicted to be in the +3 valence state, and its geochemistry would be largely unaffected by the absence of oxygen. In contrast, observations show that Fe(II) is a major and sometimes dominant oxidation state in ODZs, even in the presence of a substantial amount of excess nitrate. Fe(II) plays an important role in Fe transport in ODZs. They are generally enriched in Fe throughout the regions where nitrate reduction is occurring. Here, it is argued that Fe(II) maxima arise as a result of processes common to the Eastern Tropical North and South Pacific as well as the Arabian Sea. Recent work has revealed that lateral advection of Fe(II) from reducing sediments is perhaps the major source and it appears that physical processes that are still poorly understood act over a surprisingly narrow density range. Tracers including iodine and 228Ra have been extremely useful in constraining these processes. The findings reported here have important implications for Fe transport from the continental margin to the ocean interior, and for microbes involved in the nitrogen cycle that have high Fe requirements.
Proposed domains for assessing postpartum recovery: a concept elicitation study.

Objective To propose postpartum recovery domains. Design Concept elicitation study. Setting Semi-structured interviews. Population Ten writing committee members and 50 stakeholder interviews (23 postpartum women, nine general obstetricians, five maternal and fetal medicine specialists, eight nurses and five obstetric anaesthetists). Methods Alternating interviews and focus group meetings until concept saturation was achieved (no new themes discussed in three consecutive interviews). Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed, and an iterative coding process was used to identify domains. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was to identify recovery domains. We also report key symptoms and concerns. Discussion frequency and importance scores (0-100; 0 = not important; 100 = vitally important to recovery) were used to rank domains. Discussion frequency was used to rank factors helping and hindering recovery, and to determine the greatest challenges experienced postpartum. Results Thirty-four interviews and two focus group meetings were performed. The 13 postpartum recovery domains identified, (ranked highest to lowest) were: psychosocial distress, surgical/medical factors, infant feeding and breast health, psychosocial support, pain, physical function, sleep, motherhood experience, infant health, fatigue, appearance, sexual function and cognition. The most frequently discussed factors facilitating postpartum recovery were: family support, lactation/breastfeeding support and partner support. The most frequently discussed factor hindering recovery was inadequate social support. The most frequent challenges reported were: breastfeeding (week 1), breastfeeding (week 3) and sleep (week 6). Conclusions We propose 13 domains that comprehensively describe recovery in women delivering in a single centre within the USA. This provides a novel framework to study the postpartum recovery process. Tweetable abstract We propose 13 postpartum recovery domains that provide a framework to study the recovery process following childbirth.
Outcomes of Emergency Gastrointestinal Surgery Done on Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients-Analysis From a Tertiary Care Center.

Introduction Abdominal complications following cardiac surgery have high mortality rates. This study analyzes the outcomes of patients who have undergone emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures after cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) at the same hospitalization. Materials and methods This was a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent emergent abdominal surgery after CTS surgery between 2010-2018. The CTS procedures included coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve replacement, cardiac transplant, aortic replacement, ventricular assist device, and pericardial procedures. The records were reviewed to obtain demographics, frequency distribution of EGS procedures, complications, outcomes, and the risk factors of mortality. Results Of 4826 patients who had CTS, 57 (1.2%) underwent EGS procedures during the period of 2010-2018. This cohort of patients had 113 CTS and 85 EGS procedures during the same hospitalization. The mean age was 62 years, and 49% were elderly (40% were females). CABG with or without valve replacement was the most common surgery (28%). After surgical consultation for "acute abdomen" in the post-CTS phase, the three most common findings on exploratory laparotomy were bowel perforation (23%), massive free fluid leading to abdominal compartment syndrome (19%), and acute cholecystitis (16%). Respiratory failure (46%), acute kidney injury (32%), and multiple organ dysfunction (18%) were the most common hospital-acquired complications. Regarding dispositions, 47% were discharged to an acute rehabilitation center, 10% were discharged to a sub-acute rehabilitation center, and a similar proportion of patients went home (10%). On multivariable logistic regression analysis with backward elimination, age (OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.18) and serum proteins (OR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.98-0.998) were independently associated with the odds of mortality after EGS in the immediate CTS phase. Conclusions Respiratory failure is the most common complication of EGS immediately after CTS. The older the patient and the lower the serum proteins, the higher the odds of mortality in patients who undergo EGS after ETS.
Kinetic Characterization of Plasma Sheet Dynamics

The Wind spacecraft made 26 perigee passes through the near-earth plasma sheet region during 1994 to 1997. Nearly all of these passes obtained plasma data from substorms and bursty bulk flow (BBF) events. New features of ion distributions have been observed in both the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) and the central plasma sheet (CPS) in the vicinity of the current sheet that are relevant for understanding the structure of the PSBL and the mechanisms of particle acceleration to MeV energies associated with the BBF events. Kinetic processes are key to understanding these new observations that are not adequately explained by existing magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) models and theories. This article will feature the phase space distribution functions as the primary data product. The main purpose of this article is to establish an observational framework for new improved models and theories. The new observations should challenge modelers and theorists.
Intragenic Complementation Between Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Gene 42 (dCMP Hydroxymethylase) of Bacteriophage T4

Interallelic complementation between certain temperature-sensitive mutants of gene 42 of bacteriophage T4 was demonstrated by measuring the incorporation of labeled thymine into DNA.
Synthesis of fault tolerant architectures for molecular dynamics

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations play an important role in the study of conformations and dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids. This paper suggests ways of mapping the molecular dynamics calculations to various types of parallel architectures, e.g. mesh array, linear array, such that the inherent redundancy involved in the simulation algorithm can be used to make the computation fault tolerant without much overhead. >
The Value/Glamour Anomaly: Evidence from Analysts' Forecasts

Several portfolio managers and stock analysts subscribe to the view that value (high book-to-market) investment strategies yield superior returns relative to glamour (low book-to-market) strategies. Empirical studies confirm that value investment strategies yield higher returns. However, the source of the superior performance of the value strategy and interpretation of the evidence remain controversial. In this paper we examine whether (i) investors systematically overestimate (underestimate) the future earnings performance of glamour (value) stocks, and (ii) value stocks are riskier than glamour stocks over the 1979-1998 period. Our results fail to support the view that the superior performance of value stocks is because investors make systematic errors in predicting future growth in earnings of out-of-favor stocks. Consistent with Fama and French (1992, 1996), our findings suggest that the return advantage of value investing strategies reflects compensation for bearing risk.
Vesicles in snake motor terminals comprise one functional pool and utilize a single recycling strategy at all stimulus frequencies

At a variety of fast chemical synapses, spent synaptic vesicles are recycled via a large ‘reserve’ vesicle pool at high stimulus frequencies, and via fast ‘local cycling’ near release sites (e.g. ‘kiss and run’ transmitter release) at low stimulus frequencies. We have investigated recycling at the snake neuromuscular junction (NMJ), specifically seeking evidence for local cycling. Activity-dependent staining and destaining of the endocytic probe FM1-43 were directly compared to transmitter release over a range of stimulus frequencies. We found a fixed proportionality between staining/destaining and summed endplate potentials (EPPs) representing total transmitter release. There was no direct dependence of staining or destaining on stimulus frequency, as would be expected if local cycling (and consequent altered FM1-43 retention) were more prevalent at one frequency than another. In other experiments the drug vesamicol was used to abolish refilling of vesicles with transmitter, thereby blocking EPPs contributed by recycled vesicles. Control and vesamicol-treated NMJs had identical quantal content for the first 10 min of 1 Hz stimulation. Afterwards EPP amplitudes at vesamicol-treated NMJs declined at a rate consistent with use of a large pool containing ∼130 000 vesicles. Finally, calibrated paired stimulations show that regenerated vesicles have poorer than random probability of re-release. Our findings are inconsistent with local cycling and suggest that the snake motor terminal utilizes exclusively a single large vesicle pool.
Role-based Access Control

Abstracts The basic concept of role-based access control (RBAC) is that permissions are associated with roles, and users are made members of appropriate roles, thereby acquiring the roles' permissions. This idea has been around since the advent of multi-user computing. Until recently, however, RBAC has received little attention from the research community. This chapter describes the motivations, results, and open issues in recent MAC research. The chapter focuses on four areas. First, RBAC is a multidimensional concept that can range from very simple at one extreme to quite complex and sophisticated at the other. This presents problems in coming up with a definitive model of RBAC. We see how this impasse is resolved by having a family of models which can accommodate all these variations. Second, we discuss how RBAC can be used to manage itself. Recent models developed for this purpose are presented. Third, the flexibility of RBAC can be demonstrated in many ways. Here we show how RBAC can be configured to enforce different variations of classical lattice-based mandatory access controls. Fourth, we describe a conceptual three-tier architecture for specification and enforcement of RBAC. The chapter concludes with a discussion of open issues in RBAC.
Complexity and Applications of Parametric Algorithms of Computational Algebraic Geometry

This article has two main goals. The first goal is to give a tutorial introduction to certain common computations in algebraic geometry which arise in numerous contexts. No prior knowledge of algebraic geometry is assumed. The second goal is to introduce a software package, called CGBlisp which is capable of performing these computations. This exposition is enhanced with simple examples which illustrate the package’s usage. The package was developed as a tool to prove a particular theory in billiard theory, but its scope is very general, as our examples demonstrate. All examples of computations with CGBLisp discussed in this paper are included in the distribution of CGBLisp.