cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Windpower time series above a temperate lake

A computer model of windpower flux was developed for Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin, based on 3-h wind speeds and cstimatcs of above-lake bulk Richardson number, and then was applied to the period 1 April-31 October (1966-1975). Fifteen years (1962-1976) of hourly records were also analyzed for Simcoc, Ontario (Lake Eric Basin). Expected power varies diurnally during all seasons, in phase with, or lagging slightly behind the solar cycle. The diel amplitude is about 46% of the expected daily mean. At both Simcoe and Madison, the expected daily power above an ice-free lake attains a broad maximull1 of 12-14 x 105 ergsacn-“*d-l in winter and early spring, drops sharply in late April, and shows a broad summer minimum of 3-4 x 10” ergs * cm+*d-l during July-August. The autocorrelation functions for both spring windpower and daily insolation show evidences of pcriodicity of about 7 days, probably related to synoptic-scale cold front passages. Following the front, with its characteristic wind directional shift from SSW to NNW, a characteristic calm develops accompanied by intense solar radiation. The spring power histogram features a median value about half of the mcan, because of the high probability of observing very low windpower coupled with n very long tail on the frequency distribution. Low power also shows a strong clllstcring tendency in spring, because of both the strong inversion conditions in that season and the period of about 7 clays in the
Pulmonary involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and tracheobronchial sicca are the most common presentation of pulmonary involvement in primary Sjogren's syndrome. There is wide spectrum of less common manifestations, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, pseudolymphoma, pulmonary lymphoma, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis, amyloidosis, and pleurisy. Pulmonary function test abnormalities showing a restrictive pattern and cellular abnormalities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for prevalent in patients without respiratory complaints and normal chest radiographs. Long-term prospective controlled studies are needed to determine the clinical course and significance of these findings.
Investigation of turbulent flow in a two-dimensional channel

A detailed exploration of the field of mean and fluctuating quantities in a two-dimensional turbulent channel flow is presented. The measurements were repeated at three Reynolds numbers, 12,300, 30,800, and 61,600, based on the half width of the channel and the maximum mean velocity. A channel of 5-inch width and 12:1 aspect ratio was used for the investigation. Mean-speed and axial-fluctuation measurements were made well within the laminar sublayer. The semitheoretical predictions concerning the extent of the laminar sublayer were confirmed. The distribution of the velocity fluctuations in the direction of mean flow u' shows that the influence of the viscosity extends farther from the wall than indicated by the mean velocity profile, the region of influence being approximately four times as wide.
Anharmonic force field of ozone

Abstract The general quartic force field or ozone has been determined using the vibrational energy levels observed for liquid ozone dissolved in liquid argon at 85°K along with the vibration-rotation interaction constants determined from microwave measurements. This force field has been applied to the vibrational data on ozone in the gas phase and in several matrices. The quadratic force constants in these different environments have been compared.
Resting energy expenditure in subjects with and without intermittent claudication.

Subjects with peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication have ischemia of the lower extremities, but little is known how this influences resting energy expenditure. The objective of the study was to compare the resting energy expenditure of subjects with and without intermittent claudication. One hundred six subjects limited by intermittent claudication and 77 controls who did not have peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication participated in this study. Subjects were assessed on resting energy expenditure, body composition, ankle/brachial index (ABI), and calf blood flow. Subjects with intermittent claudication had a lower resting energy expenditure (1585 ± 251 vs 1716 ± 277 kcal/d, P = .019), higher body fat percentage (33.4% ± 10.7% vs 29.6% ± 7.7%, P = .016), higher fat mass (29.6 ± 10.6 vs 24.2 ± 8.9 kg, P = .011), and lower ABI (0.66 ± 0.20 vs 1.19 ± 0.12, P < .001). Resting energy expenditure was predicted by fat-free mass (P < .001), ABI (P = .027), and calf blood flow (P = .040). Resting energy expenditure remained lower in the subjects with intermittent claudication after adjusting for clinical characteristics plus fat-free mass (1611 ± 171 vs 1685 ± 209 kcal/d, P = .035), but was no longer different between groups after further adjustment for ABI and calf blood flow (1622 ± 165 vs 1633 ± 185 kcal/d, P = .500). Subjects with intermittent claudication have lower resting energy expenditure than controls, which is partially explained by ABI and calf blood flow.
Courtship song's role during female mate choice in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus

Sexual signals consist of multiple components, each of which can contribute to mating decisions. Male field crickets use 2 acoustic signals in the context of mating: a calling song that attracts females from a distance and a courtship song that follows once a female makes physical contact with a male. The function of courtship is unclear because females have already chosen and approached a particular male based on his calling song. Using the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus, we tested whether females evaluate the attractiveness of males based on their courtship song irrespective of other male qualities. In a tournament-style assay, females chose males based on elements of their courtship song and preferred males with longer courtship songs that had a higher duty cycle (more sound per unit time). Courtship song was also highly repeatable not only within a bout but also between days in the presence of different females. Additionally, we manipulated the attractiveness of males to females by surgically silencing males and broadcasting playbacks of artificially constructed courtship songs. When we broadcast a preferred song model during courtship by previously nonpreferred males, females showed greater attraction, and vice versa. Courtship song may be particularly important in systems with satellite males that do not produce long-range signals because it gives females their only opportunity to evaluate potential mates. Key words: courtship song, mate choice, multiple signals, repeatability, Teleogryllus oceanicus. [Behav Ecol]
Implementing competitive strategies at the business unit level: Implications of matching managers to strategies

This paper argues that, for superior performance, it is necessary to attune the choice of the general manager to the strategy of the business unit (SBU). Data from 121 SBUs indicate that SBU competitive strategy interacts with several managerial orientations (functional background, locus of control, and problem-solving style) to influence SBU effectiveness. The theoretical and practical relevance of these findings are discussed, as are directions for future research.
Pharmacology and genetics of autism: implications for diagnosis and treatment

Autism has the highest estimated heritability (>90%) among behaviorally defined neuropsychiatric disorders. Rapidly advancing genomic technologies and large international collaborations have increased our understanding of the molecular genetic causes of autism. Pharmacogenomic approaches are currently being applied in two single-gene disorders, fragile X syndrome and Rett syndrome, which capture many aspects of the autistic phenotype. This review describes the current state of the genetics of autism and suggests how to extend pharmacological principles pioneered in fragile X and Rett to the broader group of patients with autism.
Executable logic specifications for protocol service interfaces

A general, formal modeling technique for protocol service interfaces is discussed. An executable description of the model using a logic-programming-based language, Prolog, is presented. The specification of protocol layers consists of two parts, the specification of the protocol interfaces and the specification of entities within the protocol layer. The specification of protocol interfaces forms the standard against which protocols are verified. When a protocol has been implemented, the correctness of its implementation can be tested using the sequences of events generated at the service interface. If the behavior of the protocol implementation is consistent with the behavior at the service interface, the implementation conforms to its standard. To illustrate how it works, the model is applied to the service interfaces of protocol standards developed for the transport layer of the ISO/OSI architecture. The results indicate that Prolog is a very useful formal language for specifying protocol interfaces. >
A LIKELIHOOD FRAMEWORK FOR INFERRING THE EVOLUTION OF GEOGRAPHIC RANGE ON PHYLOGENETIC TREES

At a time when historical biogeography appears to be again expanding its scope after a period of focusing primarily on discerning area relationships using cladograms, new inference methods are needed to bring more kinds of data to bear on questions about the geographic history of lineages. Here we describe a likelihood framework for inferring the evolution of geographic range on phylogenies that models lineage dispersal and local extinction in a set of discrete areas as stochastic events in continuous time. Unlike existing methods for estimating ancestral areas, such as dispersal-vicariance analysis, this approach incorporates information on the timing of both lineage divergences and the availability of connections between areas (dispersal routes). Monte Carlo methods are used to estimate branch-specific transition probabilities for geographic ranges, enabling the likelihood of the data (observed species distributions) to be evaluated for a given phylogeny and parameterized paleogeographic model. We demonstrate how the method can be used to address two biogeographic questions: What were the ancestral geographic ranges on a phylogenetic tree? How were those ancestral ranges affected by speciation and inherited by the daughter lineages at cladogenesis events? For illustration we use hypothetical examples and an analysis of a Northern Hemisphere plant clade (Cercis), comparing and contrasting inferences to those obtained from dispersal-vicariance analysis. Although the particular model we implement is somewhat simplistic, the framework itself is flexible and could readily be modified to incorporate additional sources of information and also be extended to address other aspects of historical biogeography.
Metabolism and iron signaling in ferroptotic cell death.

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays critical roles in development and tissue homeostasis of multicellular organisms, and malfunction of programmed cell death contributes to the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases, including cancer [1]. While apoptosis had been the main focus of the PCD study for decades, recent advances demonstrate that there exist multiple other forms of cell death that are also genetically “programmed”, such as receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)-dependent necroptosis and iron-dependent ferroptosis [1].
First Hitting Times for Some Random Walks on Finite Groups

We consider a random walk on a finite group G based on a generating set that is a union of conjugacy classes. Let the nonnegative integer valued random variable T denote the first time the walk arrives at the identity element of G, if the starting point of the walk is uniformly distributed on G. Under suitable hypotheses, we show that the distribution function F of T is almost exponential, and we give an error term.
Efficient warp execution in presence of divergence with collaborative context collection

GPU's SIMD architecture is a double-edged sword confronting parallel tasks with control flow divergence. On the one hand, it provides a high performance yet power-efficient platform to accelerate applications via massive parallelism; however, on the other hand, irregularities induce inefficiencies due to the warp's lockstep traversal of all diverging execution paths. In this work, we present a software (compiler) technique named Collaborative Context Collection (CCC) that increases the warp execution efficiency when faced with thread divergence incurred either by different intra-warp task assignment or by intra-warp load imbalance. CCC collects the relevant registers of divergent threads in a warp-specific stack allocated in the fast shared memory, and restores them only when the perfect utilization of warp lanes becomes feasible. We propose code transformations to enable applicability of CCC to variety of program segments with thread divergence. We also introduce optimizations to reduce the cost of CCC and to avoid device occupancy limitation or memory divergence. We have developed a framework that automates application of CCC to CUDA generated intermediate PTX code. We evaluated CCC on real-world applications and multiple scenarios using synthetic programs. CCC improves the warp execution efficiency of real-world benchmarks by up to 56% and achieves an average speedup of 1.69× (maximum 3.08×).
Cutaneous Microbial Flora and Antibiosis in Plethodon Ventralis

Salamanders of the family Plethodontidae exhibit extreme diversity in the expression of many life history characteristics (e.g., Tilley and Bernardo, 1993;Wake and Marks, 1993). The conservatism in their reproductive biology, however, particularly the near universality of parental care in the form of egg attendance (e.g., Salthe and Mecham, 1974), is well documented (Forester, 1978, e.g., Forester, 1978,Forester, 1979; Highton and Savage,1961; Piersol,1909; Ritter,1903; Tilley,1972). While exceptions occur in the expression of parental care in plethodontids, such as Hemidactylium (Forester, 1978) and Batrachoseps (Jockusch and Mahoney,1997), these have been interpreted as examples of a derived state (Bruce,1998).
Administration of a synthetic antiprotease reduces smoke-induced lung injury.

Our previous studies suggest that a neutrophil-mediated inflammatory injury causes a major fraction of the pulmonary edema that occurs after smoke inhalation. Because activated neutrophils extrude cytotoxic proteases, the current study was conducted to evaluate the role of proteases in the pulmonary microvascular injury. Twelve sheep, instrumented for collection of lung lymph, were insufflated with cotton smoke. The sheep were treated 30 min after smoke inhalation with either gabexate mesilate (an inhibitor of serine proteases) or vehicle. Smoke inhalation resulted in an increased protease activity in the lung interstitium, as evidenced by decreases in both antiprotease activity and immunoreactive alpha 2-macroglobulin. Intravenous infusion of gabexate mesilate prevented the decrease in antiprotease activity. The protease inhibitor significantly attenuated the smoke-induced increase in transvascular fluid and protein flux, with untreated animals exhibiting 460% increases in flux compared with 180% in the ...
Spectroscopic Evidence of Nanodomains in THF/RTIL Mixtures: Spectroelectrochemical and Voltammetric Study of Nickel Porphyrins.

The presence and effect of RTIL nanodomains in molecular solvent/RTIL mixture were investigated by studying the spectroelectrochemistry and voltammetry of nickel octaethylporphyrin (Ni(OEP)) and nickel octaethylporphinone (Ni(OEPone)). Two oxidation and 2–3 reduction redox couples were observed, and the UV–visible spectra of all stable products in THF and RTIL mixtures were obtained. The E° values for the reduction couples that were studied were linearly correlated with the Gutmann acceptor number, as well as the difference in the E° values between the first two waves (ΔE12° = |E1° – E2°|). The ΔE12° for the reduction was much more sensitive to the %RTIL in the mixture than the oxidation, indicating a strong interaction between the RTIL and the anion or dianion. The shifts in the E° values were significantly different between Ni(OEP) and Ni(OEPone). For Ni(OEP), the E1° values were less sensitive to the %RTIL than were observed for Ni(OEPone). Variations in the diffusion coefficients of Ni(OEP) and Ni(OEP...
Lysine side-chain dynamics derived from 13C-multiplet NMR relaxation studies on di- and tripeptides.

13C NMR relaxation data have been used to determine dipolar auto- and cross-correlation times for the di- and tripeptides GK, KG and GKG, primarily to analyze lysine side-chain motional dynamics. In general, correlation times are largest for backbone positions and decrease on going through the lysine side chain, consistent with the idea of increased mobility at Cδ and Cɛ methylenes. Correlation times, however, vary with the peptide ionization state. In the zwitterionic state of GK, for example, both auto-and cross-correlation times are at their maximum values, indicating reduced internal motions probably resulting from intramolecular electrostatic interactions. Modifying the charge state increases motional fluctuations. Activation energies determined from the temperature dependence of CH rotational autocorrelation times at neutral pH are approximately equal for glycine and lysine Cα and lysine Cβ and Cγ positions (4.1±0.2 to 4.5±0.2 kcal/mol) and tend to decrease slightly for lysine Cδ and Cɛ (3.8±0.2 to 4.3±0.2 kcal/mol). The sign of lysine side-chain cross-correlations could not be explained by using any available rotational model, including one parameterized for multiple internally restricted rotations and anisotropic overall tumbling. Molecular and stochastic dynamics calculations were performed to obtain insight into correlated internal rotations and coupled overall tumbling and internal motions. Relatively strong correlations were found for i,i+1 backbone and lysine side-chain internal bond rotations. Stochastic dynamics calculations were more successful at explaining experimentally observed correlation times. In the fully charged state, a preferred conformation was detected with an all-trans lysine side chain.
Research on Mining Association Rules in Road Traffic Accidents

In order to effectively predict traffic accidents and find its potential laws,this paper mines the frequent combination of factors that lead to traffic accidents.Through establishing Apriori association rule mining model in Clemetine 11.0 with the multi-dimensional association rules mining method,it can find law to take appropriate preventive measures to provide decision support for the traffic management department.
Cumulative Distribution Estimation via Control Theoretic Smoothing Splines

In this paper, we explore the relationship between control theory and statistics. Specifically, we consider the use of cubic monotone control theoretic smoothing splines in estimating the cumulative distribution function (CDF) defined on a finite interval [0,T]. The spline construction is obtained by imposing an infinite dimensional, non-negativity constraint on the derivative of the optimal curve. The main theorem of this paper states that the optimal curve y(t) is a piecewise polynomial of known degree with y(0) = 0 and y(T) = 1. The solution is determined through dynamic programming which takes advantage of a finite reparametrization of the problem.
Labiche on Stage

Like most nineteenth-century authors, Labiche wrote for specific actors in a particular theatre. Of his 175 plays, 97 were first performed at the Palais-Royal, 23 were premiered at the Theatre des Varietes, 19 at the Gymnase and 14 at the Vaudeville. The others were scattered, one, two, or three, at the other major comedy theatres of the day, like the Folies-Dramatiques, the Gaite and the Bouffes- Parisiens. Two were written for the Comedie-Frangaise. The most important theatres for Labiche, then, were quite clearly the Palais-Royal, and - if we judge by the plays rather than the number - the Gymnase.
Transcriptional and Physiological Changes during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Reactivation from Non-replicating Persistence

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can persist for years in the hostile environment of the host in a non-replicating or slowly replicating state. While active disease predominantly results from reactivation of a latent infection, the molecular mechanisms of M. tuberculosis reactivation are still poorly understood. We characterized the physiology and global transcriptomic profiles of M. tuberculosis during reactivation from hypoxia-induced non-replicating persistence. We found that M. tuberculosis reactivation upon reaeration was associated with a lag phase, in which the recovery of cellular physiological and metabolic functions preceded the resumption of cell replication. Enrichment analysis of the transcriptomic dynamics revealed changes to many metabolic pathways and transcription regulons/subnetworks that orchestrated the metabolic and physiological transformation in preparation for cell division. In particular, we found that M. tuberculosis reaeration lag phase is associated with down-regulation of persistence-associated regulons/subnetworks, including DosR, MprA, SigH, SigE, and ClgR, as well as metabolic pathways including those involved in the uptake of lipids and their catabolism. More importantly, we identified a number of up-regulated transcription regulons and metabolic pathways, including those involved in metal transport and remobilization, second messenger-mediated responses, DNA repair and recombination, and synthesis of major cell wall components. We also found that inactivation of the major alternative sigma factors SigE or SigH disrupted exit from persistence, underscoring the importance of the global transcriptional reprogramming during M. tuberculosis reactivation. Our observations suggest that M. tuberculosis lag phase is associated with a global gene expression reprogramming that defines the initiation of a reactivation process.
Estimation of trained-observer performance with known difference of class means

This work concerns ROC estimation for task-based image quality assessments involving binary discrimination tasks. We investigate the statistical advantage that may be gained in ROC estimates by assuming that the difference of the class means for the observer ratings is known. Such knowledge can be obtained, for example, in image quality studies employing linear model observers and known-location lesion detection tasks with images reconstructed from either simulated data or real data collected using phantoms. To carry out this investigation, we introduce parametric point and confidence interval estimators under two scenarios: (1) the class means are both known, and (2) the difference of class means is known. An evaluation of our new estimators for the area under the ROC curve establishes that a large reduction in statistical variability can be achieved by using knowledge of the difference of class means. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach with an image quality assessment example using real CT images of a thorax phantom.
Difficult problems and creative solutions

Problems may be characterised by three dimensions: domain, difficulty and effort. The domain refers to the area of application, the difficulty to the level of conceptual challenge required, and effort to the magnitude of the work required to implement a solution. This paper explores the nature of difficult problems in various domains, as well as techniques for addressing them. A case is presented for the ways in which advances in hardware and software technologies may be harnessed to develop a creativity support system which can assist decision–making of the highest calibre.
United and Divided by Stress: How Stressors Differentially Influence Social Support in African American Couples Over Time

The factors that allow people to be good support providers in relationships are not fully understood. We examined how support providers’ stressful experiences (financial strain and racial discrimin...
Maximizing Cache Performance Under Uncertainty

Much prior work has studied cache replacement, but a large gap remains between theory and practice. The design of many practical policies is guided by the optimal policy, Belady's MIN. However, MIN assumes perfect knowledge of the future that is unavailable in practice, and the obvious generalizationsof MIN are suboptimal with imperfect information. What, then, is the right metric for practical cache replacement?We propose that practical policies should replace lines based on their economic value added (EVA), the difference of their expected hits from the average. Drawing on the theory of Markov decision processes, we discuss why this metric maximizes the cache's hit rate. We present an inexpensive implementation ofEVA and evaluate it exhaustively. EVA outperforms several prior policies and saves area at iso-performance. These results show that formalizing cache replacement yields practical benefits.
What color should glacier algae be? An ecological role for red carbon in the cryosphere

Red-colored secondary pigments in glacier algae play an adaptive role in melting snow and ice. We advance this hypothesis using a model of color-based absorption of irradiance, an experiment with colored particles in snow, and the natural history of glacier algae. Carotenoids and phenols-astaxanthin in snow-algae and purpurogallin in ice-algae-shield photosynthetic apparatus by absorbing overabundant visible wavelengths, then dissipating the excess radiant energy as heat. This heat melts proximal ice crystals, providing liquid-water in a 0°C environment and freeing up nutrients bound in frozen water. We show that purple-colored particles transfer 87%-89% of solar energy absorbed by black particles. However, red-colored particles transfer nearly as much (85%-87%) by absorbing peak solar wavelengths and reflecting the visible wavelengths most absorbed by nearby ice and snow crystals; this latter process may reduce potential cellular overheating when snow insulates cells. Blue and green particles transfer only 80%-82% of black particle absorption. In the experiment, red-colored particles melted 87% as much snow as black particles, while blue particles melted 77%. Green-colored snow-algae naturally occupy saturated snow where water is non-limiting; red-colored snow-algae occupy drier, water-limited snow. In addition to increasing melt, we suggest that esterified astaxanthin in snow-alga cells increases hydrophobicity to remain surficial.
Advanced HCC: emerging molecular therapies.

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common complication of chronic liver disease and represents the third-leading cause of death world-wide. While the majority of cases occur in Asia, the incidence has been rising in the West for some time. This is driven not only by the Hepatitis C epidemic but also the rising incidence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and resulting liver disease. Despite its frequency, treatments for HCC have generally been limited. Curative treatments are limited to surgical resection or liver transplant for a subset of patients and locally ablative techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) have been shown to extend survival for patients with unresectable and intermediate stage liver cancer. For patients with advanced HCC, sorafenib, a small molecule multitargeted kinase inhibitor is the only agent that has been shown to improve survival. At this time there is an abundance of research activity in HCC with an emphasis on developing new agents that target specific molecular alterations in HCC. In this review, we will focus on those agents currently in Phase III studies for front-line, second-line and other indications.
Convergence or Divide in the Movement for Sustainable and Just Agriculture

‘Greening’ the green revolution will not be sufficient to reduce hunger and poverty and conserve biodiversity. The increasing cost of oil and fertilizers, and the deterioration of the climate and global ecology are key factors that undermine the capacity of humankind to feed itself. This phenomena became evident when the ‘perfect storm’ occurred in 2008 with the alarming rise in the cost of food that sent an additional 75 million people to the world’s line of hungry people. Disregarding the above issues the ruling international agricultural class continues asserting that food production will have to be increased by 70% by the year 2050. The threat to global food insecurity is the direct result of the industrial model of agriculture ­characterized by large-scale monocultures tailored for the export markets. We need an alternative agricultural development paradigm, one that encourages more ­ecologically, biodiverse, sustainable and socially just forms of agriculture.
Strategies for SETI Through Radio Waves an Introduction

A peculiar opposition has developed to SETI. It is argued that, if intelligent civilizations were as common as SETI enthusiasts believe, Earth surely would have been colonized or at least visited long ago. Of course, followers of Von Daniken believe we have been, while the UFO buffs believe we are still being visited. But a more skeptical faction, finding no solid evidence either for visitation or for astro-engineering on a Dyson scale, concludes that either we are being quarantined (the zoo hypothesis) or else intelligent life is a very rare phenomenon (we really are alone).
Effect of Roasting on Utilization of Soybean Meal by Ruminants

Summary Commercially prepared, solvent-extracted, dehulled soybean meal (SBM) was roasted at five temperatures (102, 128, 144, 159 and 185 C). Roasting at 159 and 185 C increased (P .05) for chicks fed nonroasted, 102, 128 and 144 C SBM. Chicks fed the 159 and 185 C SBM gained less, consumed less dry matter and had reduced gain/ feed (P .05) for lambs fed nonroasted, 102, 128, 144 and 159 C SBM. Roasting SBM at 185 C depressed (P .05) N retention in this study. Rumen ammonia levels were not altered (P>.05) by including roasted SBM in the diet but tended to be lower when roasted SBM was fed. An in situ dacron bag study was conducted to estimate the effect of roasting on the degradation of SBM in the rumen. Although the hour of incubation  SBM interaction was significant, in general, as roasting temperature increased, less N disappeared from the dacron bag, sug
Abnormal VIII: von Willebrand factor patterns in the plasma of patients with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome

Plasma VIII:von Willebrand factor antigen (VIII:vWF) levels were elevated approximately two- to eightfold in seven patients (three adults and four children) during acute episodes of thrombocytopenia, renal failure, and hemolytic anemia (the hemolytic-uremic syndrome, HUS). In all seven patients, there was an alteration in plasma VIII:vWF patterns during these acute HUS episodes, so that the largest VIII:vWF forms were relatively decreased. Plasma VIII:vWF multimer patterns returned to normal, or nearly to normal, as platelet counts returned to preexisting levels, even in the patients whose recovery of renal function was incomplete and whose plasma VIII:vWF antigen level remained above normal. The sister of one of the HUS patients had a similar clinical prodrome (gastroenteritis) that was not followed by thrombocytopenia or renal failure and was not accompanied by an elevated level or abnormal forms of plasma VIII:vWF. These results suggest that an alteration in VIII:vWF metabolism, distribution, or interaction with platelets is associated with acute HUS episodes. In contrast to patients with chronic relapsing thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, none of the HUS patients (either during or after the acute HUS episodes) had a defect in the conversion of unusually large VIII:vWF multimers derived from endothelial cells to the VIII:vWF forms found in normal plasma.
Responsibility Inferences and Judgments About Helping Older Parents and Stepparents

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of responsibility inferences on judgments about helping older parents and stepparents with activities of daily living, health management, and re...
The Developing Brain—Relevance to Pediatric Neurotechnology

Abstract Neurostimulation protocols to measure or modulate regional brain excitability are rapidly emerging as research and clinical tools with utility across ages. Clinicians and investigators, in the pediatric neurosciences in particular, are poised to apply these technologies in the near future in a range of neuro- and psychopathologies (Frye et al., 2006; Ziemann et al., 2008; Rajapakse and Kirton, 2013; Palm et al., 2016; Hameed et al., 2017) As often underscored by child neurologists, the developing brain is a unique physiological entity, and not merely a small adult brain. Important developmental trajectories of neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, myelination, and other components of brain growth are accompanied, at the molecular level, by developmental changes in γ-aminobutyric acid–mediated inhibition, glutamate-mediated excitation, and use-dependent synaptic plasticity. (An et al., 2012; Cao and Harris, 2012; Guerriero et al., 2015; Rakhade and Jensen, 2009; Sanchez and Jensen, 2001; Mix et al., 2015; Eyre, 2003; Tau and Peterson, 2010) Insights into these trajectories are largely derived from preclinical in vitro and ex vivo experiments as described below. As the therapeutic effects of noninvasive brain stimulation rely on these cellular and molecular mechanisms of excitability and plasticity, the design of effective pediatric brain stimulation protocols requires careful consideration of the maturational patterns of these basic neurophysiological mechanisms.
A software engineering project: tying together themes and trying out teams in a CS curriculum

This paper details a software engineering project (a tiny editor/compiler) whose implementation requires revisiting important themes from the curriculum, including object-oriented design and programming, grammars and language representation, graphs, expression processing, assembly language and automata theory. The paper describes how this project fits into the software engineering course and relates to earlier work in the curriculum, and also sketches out some implementation details. It discusses team programming in the context of this particular project. This project may be of particular interest for Computer Science programs which do not offer a separate compilers course.
Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of cadmium oxide nanoparticles evaluated using in vitro assays

Cadmium oxide nanoparticles (CdO NPs) are among some of the most studied and industrially used metal oxide NPs. They have been widely used for industrial application, such as paint pigments and electronic devices, and medical therapeutics. With increasing use of CdO NPs and concerns for their potential adverse effects on the environment and public health, evaluation of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of CdO NPs becomes very important. To date, there is a limited understanding of the potential hazard brought by CdO NPs and a lack of information and research, particularly on the genotoxicity assessment of these NPs. In this study, 10 nm CdO core-PEG stabilized NPs were synthesized, characterized and used for evaluation of CdO NPs' cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Release of cadmium ions (Cd+2) from the CdO NPs in cell culture medium, cellular uptake of the NPs, and the endotoxin content of the particles were measured prior to the toxicity assays. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTS assay, ATP content detection assay, and LDH assay. Genotoxicity was assessed using the Ames test, Comet assay, micronucleus assay, and mouse lymphoma assay. The cytotoxicity of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) was also evaluated along with that of the CdO NPs. The results showed that endotoxin levels within the CdO NPs were below the limit of detection. CdO NPs induced concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in TK6 and HepG2 cells with the MTS, ATP and LDH assays. Although the genotoxicity of CdO NPs was negative in the Ames test, positive results were obtained with the micronucleus, Comet, and mouse lymphoma assays. The negative response of CdO NPs with the Ames test may be the result of unsuitability of the assay for measuring NPs, while the positive responses from other genotoxicity assays suggest that CdO NPs can induce chromosomal damage, single or double strand breaks in DNA, and mutations. The toxicity of the CdO NPs results from the NPs themselves and not from the released Cd+2, because the ions released from the NPs were minimal. These results demonstrate that CdO NPs are cytotoxic and genotoxic and provide new insights into risk assessment of CdO NPs for human exposure and environmental protection.
Addressing the spatial disconnect between national-scale total maximum daily loads and localized land management decisions.

Regulatory watershed mitigation programs typically emphasize widespread adoption of best management practices (BMPs) to meet total maximum daily load (TMDL) goals. To comply with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, jurisdictions must develop watershed implementation plans (WIPs) to determine the number and type of BMPs to implement. However, the spatial resolution of the bay-level model used to determine these load reduction goals is so coarse that the regulatory plan cannot consider heterogeneity in local conditions, which affects BMP effectiveness. Using the Topo-SWAT modification of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), we simulated two BMP adoption scenarios in the Spring Creek watershed in central Pennsylvania to determine if leveraging fine-scale spatial heterogeneity to place BMPs could achieve the same (or better) nutrient and sediment reduction at a lower cost than the state-level WIP BMP adoption recommendations. Topo-SWAT was initialized with detailed land use and management practice information, systematically calibrated, and validated against 12 yr of observed data. After determining individual BMP cost effectiveness, results were ranked to design a cost-effective BMP adoption scenario that achieved equal or greater load reduction as the WIP scenario for 74% of the cost using eight management-based BMPs: no-till, manure injection, cover cropping, riparian buffers, land retirement, manure application timing, wetland restoration, and nitrogen management (15% less N input). Because watersheds of this size typically represent the smallest modeling unit in the Chesapeake Bay Model, results demonstrate the potential to use watershed models with finer inference scales to improve recommendations for BMP implementation under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.
Chapter 38 – Regulatory Perspectives

The efficient identification and characterization of risk for clinically serious drug-induced liver injury (DILI) associated with newly developed pharmaceuticals and biological agents are important objectives for regulatory science. In the United States, the implementation of consistent analytic and risk management approaches with a recently expanded set of regulatory tools is expected to have a positive public health benefit. Cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie DILI must be more fully elucidated in order to develop reliable biomarkers that will accurately predict which new drugs are destined to cause clinically serious DILI, identify those patients who are at increased risk, or forecast progression from mild to serious organ injury. Both consistent monitoring practices and comprehensive clinical evaluation of patients with liver injury during clinical trials are required to estimate DILI risk in a large treatment population. Moreover, thorough analyses of idiosyncratic DILI cases in spontaneous reports and postmarketing clinical studies play a critical role in risk assessment. Finally, optimal product labeling, as well as effective risk communication and management, should reflect cumulative risk-related data and overall product-associated benefit and risk considerations.
Chapter 2 – The Patient

To provide the best medical care for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we must learn to go above and beyond its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. It is just as important to know how to communicate with patients in the most effective means possible to provide the absolute best care and to improve a patient's compliance with treatment recommendations. This chapter provides a practical outline for how health care providers can improve their communication skills in such a way that trust and better compliance are achieved. Common pitfalls in caring for SLE patients are discussed, along with recommendations on how to avoid them. Important and practical advice on how to properly document patient notes in order to support disability for those patients who may need it is included. Finally, some advice for patient education is provided.
Exome-wide association studies in general and long-lived populations identify genetic variants related to human age

Aging is characterized by degeneration in cellular and organismal functions leading to increased disease susceptibility and death. Although our understanding of aging biology in model systems has increased dramatically, large-scale sequencing studies to understand human aging are now just beginning. We applied exome sequencing and association analyses (ExWAS) to identify age-related variants on 58,470 participants of the DiscovEHR cohort. Linear Mixed Model regression analyses of age at last encounter revealed variants in genes known to be linked with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, which are associated with myelodysplastic syndromes, as top signals in our analysis, suggestive of age-related somatic mutation accumulation in hematopoietic cells despite patients lacking clinical diagnoses. In addition to APOE, we identified rare DISP2 rs183775254 (p = 7.40x10-10) and ZYG11A rs74227999 (p = 2.50x10-08) variants that were negatively associated with age in either both sexes combined and females, respectively, which were replicated with directional consistency in two independent cohorts. Epigenetic mapping showed these variants are located within cell-type-specific enhancers, suggestive of important transcriptional regulatory functions. To discover variants associated with extreme age, we performed exome-sequencing on persons of Ashkenazi Jewish descent ascertained for extensive lifespans. Case-Control analyses in 525 Ashkenazi Jews cases (Males greater than 92 years, Females greater than 95years) were compared to 482 controls. Our results showed variants in APOE (rs429358, rs6857), and TMTC2 (rs7976168) passed Bonferroni-adjusted p-value, as well as several nominally-associated population-specific variants. Collectively, our Age-ExWAS, the largest performed to date, confirmed and identified previously unreported candidate variants associated with human age.
How Do Stress and Social Closeness Impact Prosocial Behavior

Factors such as time pressure and psychosocial stress may increase or decrease prosocial behavior depending on a number of factors. One factor that consistently positively impacts prosocial behavior is relationship status: Prosocial behavior is more likely toward kin than toward strangers. The interactions among stress, kin relationships, and prosocial behavior were examined in two separate experiments. In Study 1, 79 university students were asked to decide how much money to donate to family members, friends, or strangers, either under time pressure or with no time constraints. Participants donated more to close kin and friends than to strangers, but time pressure did not increase prosocial behavior. In Study 2, 94 university students completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) or a control task, followed by a similar donation task as used in Study 1. Participants donated more to close kin and friends than to strangers, but stress did not influence donation amounts. These results do not support the hypothesis that stress due to time pressure or psychosocial factors increases prosocial behavior.
Patients’ and Caregivers’ Experiences with the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model aims to improve primary health care using a patient-centered approach. Little qualitative research has investigated how the PCMH model affects patient experience with care. To understand Medicaid and Medicare patient and caregiver experiences with PCMHs participating in the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice (MAPCP) Demonstration. Qualitative study. Medicare, Medicaid, and dually eligible patients who were patients in primary care practices participating in the MAPCP Demonstration and caregivers of such patients (N = 490). From July through November 2014, a trained facilitator conducted 81 focus groups in the eight states participating in the MAPCP Demonstration. Separate groups were held for Medicare high-risk, Medicare low-risk, Medicaid, and dually eligible beneficiaries, their caregivers, and caregivers of Medicaid children (or, in Vermont, with patients participating in the Support and Services at Home program), in two different geographical areas in each state. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Participants’ experiences with care were generally consistent with the expectations of a PCMH, although some exceptions were noted. Medicaid only and dually eligible beneficiaries generally had less-positive experiences than Medicare beneficiaries. Most participants said their practices had not solicited feedback from them about their experiences with care. Few participants knew what the term “medical home” meant or were aware that their practices were working to become PCMHs, but many had noticed changes in recent years, primarily related to the conversion to electronic health records. Most participants had positive experiences with their care. Opportunities exist, however, to improve care for Medicaid and dually eligible beneficiaries, and enhance patient awareness of and involvement in PCMH practice transformation.
Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters

Abstract Releases of oil and gas (OG) wastewaters can have complex effects on stream-water quality and downstream organisms, due to sediment-water interactions and groundwater/surface water exchange. Previously, elevated concentrations of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), and lithium (Li), and trace hydrocarbons were determined to be key markers of OG wastewater releases when combined with Sr and radium (Ra) isotopic compositions. Here, we assessed the persistence of an OG wastewater spill in a creek in North Dakota using a combination of geochemical measurements and modeling, hydrologic analysis, and geophysical investigations. OG wastewater comprised 0.1 to 0.3% of the stream-water compositions at downstream sites in February and June 2015 but could not be quantified in 2016 and 2017. However, OG-wastewater markers persisted in sediments and pore water for 2.5 years after the spill and up to 7.2-km downstream from the spill site. Concentrations of OG wastewater constituents were highly variable depending on the hydrologic conditions. Electromagnetic measurements indicated substantially higher electrical conductivity under the bank adjacent to a seep 7.2 km downstream from the spill site. Geomorphic investigations revealed mobilization of sediment is an important contaminant transport process. Labile Ba, Ra, Sr, and ammonium (NH4) concentrations extracted from sediments indicated sediments are a long-term reservoir of these constituents, both in the creek and on the floodplain. Using the drivers of ecological effects identified at this intensively studied site we identified 41 watersheds across the North Dakota landscape that may be subject to similar episodic inputs from OG wastewater spills. Effects of contaminants released to the environment during OG waste management activities remain poorly understood; however, analyses of Ra and Sr isotopic compositions, as well as trace inorganic and organic compound concentrations at these sites in pore-water provide insights into potentials for animal and human exposures well outside source-remediation zones.