cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging pathways driving early synaptic pathology in Alzheimer's disease

The current state of the AD research field is highly dynamic is some respects, while seemingly stagnant in others. Regarding the former, our current lack of understanding of initiating disease mechanisms, the absence of effective treatment options, and the looming escalation of AD patients is energizing new research directions including a much-needed re-focusing on early pathogenic mechanisms, validating novel targets, and investigating relevant biomarkers, among other exciting new efforts to curb disease progression and foremost, preserve memory function. With regard to the latter, the recent disappointing series of failed Phase III clinical trials targeting Aβ and APP processing, in concert with poor association between brain Aβ levels and cognitive function, have led many to call for a re-evaluation of the primacy of the amyloid cascade hypothesis. In this review, we integrate new insights into one of the earliest described signaling abnormalities in AD pathogenesis, namely intracellular Ca2+ signaling disruptions, and focus on its role in driving synaptic deficits - which is the feature that does correlate with AD-associated memory loss. Excess Ca2+release from intracellular stores such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been well-described in cellular and animal models of AD, as well as human patients, and here we expand upon recent developments in ER-localized release channels such as the IP3R and RyR, and the recent emphasis on RyR2. Consistent with ER Ca2+ mishandling in AD are recent findings implicating aspects of SOCE, such as STIM2 function, and TRPC3 and TRPC6 levels. Other Ca2+-regulated organelles important in signaling and protein handling are brought into the discussion, with new perspectives on lysosomal regulation. These early signaling abnormalities are discussed in the context of synaptic pathophysiology and disruptions in synaptic plasticity with a particular emphasis on short-term plasticity deficits. Overall, we aim to update and expand the list of early neuronal signaling abnormalities implicated in AD pathogenesis, identify specific channels and organelles involved, and link these to proximal synaptic impairments driving the memory loss in AD. This is all within the broader goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets to preserve cognitive function in AD.
Oliver Smithies (1925-2017).

Oliver Smithies passed away on 10 January 2017, at the age of 91, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. On that day, the world lost a legendary scientist, and I lost a colleague, collaborator, and friend. Smithies began his career as a physical biochemist and transitioned into genetics, earning a share of a Nobel Prize for his work in 2007. His interests and talents were wide ranging. In addition to his research, he rode motorcycles as a young man, sang in professional choirs throughout his life, and piloted small planes, setting a record for duo transatlantic flight that stood for nearly 20 years.
THE CHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES OF ORBITAL INTERACTION THROUGH SPACE AND THROUGH BONDS

The theoretical prerequisites for creating a double energy minimum upon simple stretching of a single bond are analyzed. Stabilization of the antisymmetric orbital derived from α* and/or destabilization of its symmetric a combination is required. An analysis of through bond coupling of orbitals suggests the optimum coupling configuration within the tricyclo[2.2.2.0]octane skeleton. The electronic structure of this and other propellanes is discussed.
Profile of the triplex assay for detection of chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomonas using the BD MAX™ System

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomonas are the most common curable STI. improved access to testing could reduce infection rates and prevent sequelae. nucleic acid amplification tests are the recommend class of diagnostic assay for these infections which are often asymptomatic.Areas covered: A description of the BD MAX™ System (MAX) and the BD MAX CT/GC/TV assay is provided along with data from a large US clinical trial. The capacity of the system for other tests and for lab developed assays is also described.Expert commentary: The CT/GC/TV assay on the MAX is a triplex PCR assay suitable for use with female urine and vaginal or endocervical swab samples. Male urine can be tested by ordering the CT/GC results but has not yet been evaluated for trichomonas. The assay performance characteristics are similar to those of assays run on high-throughput platforms with sensitivity ≥91.5% and specificity ≥98.6% for all analytes. Screening with the CT/GC/TV assay can be combined with testing for ...
Flortaucipir imaging of MAPT: Mutations emphasize challenges for tau-targeted trials.

Detailed neuropathologic studies suggest that the misfolded protein tau is the most common form of proteinopathy resulting in neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer disease (AD), primary age-related tauopathy, and approximately half of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-tau). However, the nature of phosphorylated tau inclusions varies across neurodegenerative disorders, including a 4-repeat isoform (4R) in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration, a 3-repeat isoform (3R) in Pick disease, and a combination of 3R:4Rtau in AD.1 As we enter an era of tau-targeted therapeutic trials, it is critical to identify robust biomarkers that can provide in vivo and specific measurements of tau isoforms to provide screening tools for the identification of aging individuals with tau and to provide endpoints to measure whether there is a response to disease-modifying treatments. However, the heterogeneity of tau isoforms across disorders presents many challenges for pursuing successful tau therapeutic strategies.
Proton NMR Studies of RNA’S and Related Enzymes Using Isotope Labels

This article gives a brief history of proton NMR in RNA’s, mainly tRNA, followed by a descriptions of recent work in our lab based primarily on proton NMR aided by deuteron and nitrogen 15 labeling, directed more and more towards studies of protein-tRNA interaction. The field is young in that the first promising spectra of tRNA were reported by Kearns et al1 roughly fifteen years ago; but tRNA is now one of the older areas of biochemical NMR, being overtaken, in amount of research, by studies of smaller RNA fragments and small enzymes. Transfer RNA, and especially tRNA synthetases, remain one of the larger molecules studied by NMR. Over the years tRNA has provided a testing ground for some types of NMR methodologies, and we hope that this will continue to be true. Transfer RNA is too large, probably, for us to expect to solve complete structures as appears possible for smaller proteins and nucleic acids, but on the other hand it is a small molecule by biological standards. It has well-studied interactions with enzymes but much remains to be learned, such as details of recognition by aminoacyl tRNA synthetases. Thus it is of interest to continue research on NMR of this important molecule.
Epidemiological Characterization of the 2017 Dengue Outbreak in Zhejiang, China and Molecular Characterization of the Viruses

Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue virus (DV), has been recognized as a global public health threat. In 2017, an unexpected dengue outbreak occurred in Zhejiang, China. To clarify and characterize the causative agent of this outbreak, data on dengue fever cases were collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Zhejiang province for subsequent epidemiological analysis. A total of 1,229 cases were reported, including 1,149 indigenous and 80 imported cases. Most indigenous cases (1,128 cases) were in Hangzhou. The epidemic peak occurred in late August and early September, and the incidence rate of elderly people (4.34 per 100,000) was relatively high. Imported cases were reported all year round, and most were from South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions. Young people and men accounted for a large fraction of the cases. Acute phase serums of patients were collected for virus isolation. And 35 isolates (including 25 DV-2, 8 DV-1, 1 DV-3, and 1 DV-4) were obtained after inoculation and culture in mosquito C6/36 cells. The E genes of the 35 new DV isolates and the complete genome of a DV-2 isolate (Zhejiang/HZ33/2017), and the E gene of a DV-2 isolate from Ae. albopictus (Zhejiang/Aedes-1/2017) were determined. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the neighbor-joining method with the Tajima-Nei model. Phylogenetically, DVs of all four serotypes with multiple genotypes (mainly including 21 Cosmopolitan genotype DV-2, 4 Asian I genotype DV-2, 6 genotype I DV-1, and 2 genotype V DV-1) were present in the indigenous and imported cases in Zhejiang during the same period. Most of the isolates probably originated from South-East Asia and Western Pacific countries. The imported cases, high density of mosquito vector, and missed diagnosis might contribute to the 2017 outbreak in Zhejiang.
WingIt: Efficient Refinement of Unclear Task Instructions

Crowdsourcing has the inherent potential to shift tedious work from requesters with limited time (or patience) to an on-demand workforce. However, the time saved by requesters is offset by the time they must spend preparing instructions and refining them to address the ambiguities that typically arise. Hastily written instructions should be welcomed and supported. This paper presents a set of methods that enable workers to cope with unclear or ambiguous instructions and produce high quality results with minimal reliance on the requester. Workers’ intuition about the requester’s needs is leveraged to move onus for answering questions and revising instructions to workers. Our system, WingIt, implements these methods and demonstrates the relative tradeoffs between resolving by questions versus editing instructions directly, and between waiting for immediate response from the requester versus allowing workers to proceed based on their best guess of the requester’s intent.
Knowing Facts and Believing Propositions: A Solution to the Problem of Doxastic Shift

The Problem of Doxastic Shift may be stated as a dilemma: on the one hand, the distribution of nominal complements of the form `the ψ that p’ strongly suggests that `that’-clauses cannot be univocally assigned propositionaldenotations; on the other hand, facts about quantification strongly suggest that `that’-clauses must be assigned univocal denotations. I argue that the Problem may be solved by defining the extension of a proposition to be a set of facts or, more generally, conditions. Given this, the logical operation of descriptive predication can be introduced in a way that resolves the dilemma withoutsacrificing the singular term analysis of `that’-clauses.
Mobile Data Collector Assignment and Scheduling for Minimizing Data Delay in Partitioned Wireless Sensor Networks

Mobile Data Collectors (MDCs) can be employed to provide intermittent connectivity in partitioned Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Typically, an MDC serves multiple partitions to collect their sensed data and relay it to the sink node if the sink is in one of the served partitions. If not, then the data needs to be passed to another MDC serving the sink partition at a certain rendezvous location. This causes an extra waiting time for the MDCs that reach the meeting points before others. In this paper, we propose a scheduling algorithm to reduce the rendezvous waiting delay based on the tour lengths. To completely eliminate this waiting delay, we also present a solution with multiple sinks. In this approach, the partitions of the WSN are clustered using \(p\)-center optimization and Voronoi cells. An MDC is then assigned for touring each cluster’s partitions. In this way, the dependency of MDCs to relay their data to other MDCs is eliminated and the tour lengths of MDCs are balanced which minimizes the end-to-end delay significantly.
A Presynaptic Liquid Phase Unlocks the Vesicle Cluster.

How are synaptic vesicles tied together in a nerve terminal? A recent study by Milovanovic and colleagues offers a new mechanism for this old and important problem: synapsin proteins establish a liquid phase that clusters vesicles. Liquid–liquid phase separation provides a fluid-like state that accommodates the dynamic demands of presynaptic vesicle traffic.
Mitochondrial dynamics and metabolic regulation

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that frequently undergo fusion and fission. Mitochondrial dynamics has been shown to be essential for a variety of cellular functions. We have previously shown t...
Nonlinear harmonic generation by internal waves in a density staircase

Climate change in the Arctic Ocean will subject its thermohaline staircases to increased internal wave activity. An exploration of the nonlinear conversion of incident waves to trapped staircase waves identifies wave number and frequency bands where energy transfer may be significant.
Mobile demonstration unit for fast- and catalytic pyrolysis: The combustion reduction integrated pyrolysis system (CRIPS)

Abstract A mobile pyrolysis unit, designed to process biomass at a rate of 83.3 kg h−1 (two metric tons per day, MTPD) has been developed, constructed and its operation demonstrated for on-farm or in-forest production of pyrolysis oil (bio-oil). The trailer-mounted pyrolysis apparatus is based on the combustion reduction integrated pyrolysis system (CRIPS), a patented, dual fluidized bed, biomass pyrolysis design developed by USDA and the University of Pretoria. The mobile design goal was to demonstrate efficacy of on-farm production and coordinate station-to-station operation to simulate a collective system of several unit operations within a distributed/satellite system of pyrolysis biorefinery. Key design features that provide utility for remote operations including in-situ (on-trailer) generation of heat and electric power required for self-sufficiency were tested at this scale. Extensive trials on three feedstocks important to US agriculture, namely woody biomass, switchgrass and horse litter, were conducted. The results show that a processing rate of up to 40 kg h−1 (approximately 1 MTPD) was successful and easily achievable for the said biomass on the trailer; however, beyond this rate operational problems such as pressure imbalances between the dual-bed reactors were encountered, hampering process control. The operation of the CRIPS under catalytic pyrolysis conditions was also successful with catalyst regeneration readily achievable with the design. Bio-oil yield for neat/traditional and catalytic pyrolysis were in the 45% and 5–10% ranges respectively, similar to lab scale, demonstrating production of large volumes of bio-oil on-farm. Bio-oil quality for catalytic pyrolysis was consistent over several hours on stream due to continuous catalyst regeneration that the design affords yielding high levels of BTEX compounds; however, deactivation due to alkali contamination was noticeable at cumulative biomass to catalyst ratios of > 6/1. Compared with laboratory scale results, non-catalytic pyrolysis product quality for the demonstration scale wavered between that of regular pyrolysis oil produced under nitrogen atmosphere and that of the tail-gas reactive pyrolysis (TGRP) as partial recycle of effluent gas was possible with the mounted CRIPS design. With successful demonstration at 1 MTPD capacity the mobile system meets the technology readiness level for pre-commercial design suggested for blueprints (i.e. development of full-scale prototype), however more testing is underway to remove the bottlenecks impeding operation at the full-scale design.
Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

Bilateral vestibular hypofunction is a devastating disease characterized by oscillopsia and a loss of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Diagnosis is made by performing specialized bedside exams as well as rotary chair, calorics, and videonystagmography. To date, treatment has been vestibular rehabilitation therapy with mixed results. A vestibular implant is currently in trials to address this problem.
How proximal are pescatarians to vegetarians? An investigation of dietary identity, motivation, and attitudes toward animals.

Research on the psychology of eating behavior often treats vegetarians as a monolithic group. Yet, a considerable proportion of people (17% in Study 1) who self-identify as vegetarian are actually ...
Multilevel Storage Cell Characterization and Behavior Modeling of a Crossbar Computational Array in ESF3 Flash Technology : (Invited Paper)

Analog and mixed signal vector-matrix multipliers (VMMs) in non-volatile memory cells provide a pathway way to energy and area efficient computation that rivals traditional DSP units. The ability to store multiple bits of data in each floating-gate device for a long amount of time allows for ideal use as hardware accelerators for neural networks. However, current implementations of the technology are impeded by large peripheral circuit overhead. In this work, steps towards a fully-realized NVM-based VMM ASIC are taken. In the 55-nm process, a test array of embedded NOR-flash memory (ESF3) from SST was implemented and fabricated. Multi-bit storage has been demonstrated within the 2x2 array via voltage-mode programming. Secondly, behavioral emulation of the VMM is implemented on a Kintex-7 FPGA to prototype the digital periphery, algorithms, and configurations necessary to embed the NVM-based VMM in a system on chip (SoC). Two quadrant kernel processing is demonstrated at a throughput of 1.8 GOPs for a 72x16 array which can process a 128x128 image @ 250 fps.
Preventing Perioperative Complications of Epidermolysis Bullosa

Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare genetic mechanobullous disorder characterized by excessive fragility of skin and mucous membranes. Shearing forces and friction lead to intradermal fluid accumulation and resultant bullae formation. Complications of epidermolysis bullosa include skin infection, malnutrition, failure to thrive, esophageal strictures, tracheal stenosis, chronic pain, and high opioid tolerance. Children with epidermolysis bullosa will undergo multiple surgeries throughout their lifetimes, most commonly for wound care, extensive dressing changes, correction of pseudosyndactyly and joint contractures, and esophageal dilation. Improper management of these patients intraoperatively can have devastating consequences, including new blister formation. Shearing and compressive forces should be minimized as much as possible to avoid creating new lesions. This disease poses several unique challenges to the anesthesiologist, including monitoring, positioning, airway management, intravenous access, and pain control. The goals of safe anesthetic management include preventing formation of new lesions, optimizing pain control, and avoiding airway trauma, especially at induction and emergence. Clear communication among all staff members regarding safety of patient positioning is crucial. Intraoperative and postoperative analgesia can also be challenging, as patients may be tolerant to narcotics or suffer side effects such as nausea, constipation, and pruritus. Multimodal anesthesia is recommended to minimize narcotic use and provide a smooth and safe emergence.
Etiopathogenesis and pathophysiology of chronic pancreatitis

Abstract Chronic pancreatitis is an irreversible fibro-inflammatory disease of the pancreas that leads to progressive loss of exocrine and endocrine functions. Other consequences of chronic pancreatitis include severe abdominal pain, narcotic dependence, and poor quality of life. The etiologies of chronic pancreatitis include toxic (alcohol or smoking), genetic/hereditary, autoimmune, metabolic abnormalities, obstructive, and idiopathic. The pathophysiology of chronic pancreatitis is also complex and differs by etiology. Various mechanisms for the development and progression of chronic pancreatitis have been postulated but the actual process is still not clearly understood. The process involves injury to the acinar cells, followed by inflammation and repair in some cases, and in other cases, the inflammation persists to create a chronic environment. This chronic inflammatory environment activates the pancreatic stellate cells that play a vital role in causing fibrosis. Several molecular events have also been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. This chapter will discuss the various etiologies, pathophysiologies and molecular events that lead to chronic pancreatitis.
Writing a Research Article in an Introductory Course

How well can students exposed to political science for the first time write a research article? Previous research has introduced selected research article writing skills to students in introductory courses, but has not studied whether students in such courses can produce a full research article. I re-designed an Introduction to Comparative Politics course based on the research article writing process. I hypothesized that students would make major gains in article writing skills and develop proficiency comparable to experienced majors. Using a pre- and post-test design along with rubrics for each research article component, I found support for my hypotheses. Students reported large increases in confidence and ability to handle research article writing tasks as a result of the course and demonstrated proficiency comparable to majors on more than two-thirds of rubric items. I provide some suggestions for ways to implement parts of this course design in traditional introductory course settings.
Subsidence Following Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty Using Modular and Monolithic Components.

Abstract Background The ideal femoral component in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) remains undetermined; however, tapered, fluted, titanium (TFT) stems are now widely used with favorable results in all types of revision scenarios. With both modular and monoblock TFT stem options, neither has been proven to be superior. Femoral stem subsidence has been linked to aseptic loosening, instability, and leg length discrepancy. This study aims to assess stem subsidence of modular and monoblock TFT stems at a single urban orthopedic specialty hospital within a tertiary academic medical center. Methods Electronic medical records of rTHAs performed between January 2013 and March 2018 utilizing modular and monoblock TFT stems were examined. Data collected included baseline demographics, surgical indication, femoral Paprosky classification, and stem subsidence at most recent follow up (3 months to 3 years). Two-sample t-tests and chi-squared tests were used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 186 patients (106 modular, 80 monoblock) were included in the analysis. Modular stems underwent significantly greater subsidence than monoblock stems at latest radiographic follow-up (3.9 ± 2.6 vs 2.3 ± 2.5 mm, P 5 mm of subsidence at latest follow-up (29.2% vs 11.3%, P Conclusion Monoblock TFT stems have displayed promising clinical results in prior studies, and now have been shown to decrease the incidence of postoperative subsidence. With the potential for stem subsidence to lead to aseptic loosening, limb length discrepancy, and instability, the orthopedic surgeon should weigh the risks and benefits of utilizing modular vs monoblock TFT stems in rTHA.
Efficacy analysis of polysomnography and improvement after nocturnal non-invasive ventilation in treating children of spinal muscular atrophy with moderate-severer sleep disordered breathing

Objective To learn about polysomnography (PSG) of the patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and the improvement of the moderate-severe sleep disordered breathing(SDB) patients after non-invasive ventilation (NIV) treatment. Methods The PSG examination of 11 SMA patients in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics was performed.The PSG results and the levels of breathing disorder of these patients were collected.These patients were divided into 2 groups as follows.The mild group: apnea hypopnea index(AHI) was between 5 to 10 times/h, or average pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2)>95%; the moderate-severe group: AHI>10 times/h, and average SpO2≤95%.The moderate-severe levels of the patients were treated with NIV.Then the improvement of PSG after the treatment was evaluated. Results Within the 2 cases of type 1 SMA, 1 was moderate-severe, the other 1 was mild.There were 2 cases moderate-severer and 6 cases mild SDB cases of type 2 SMA.The only 1 case of type 3 was categorized as mild disorder.The average hypopnea index(6.3 times/h) was higher than apnea index(4.9 times/h). The indicators to distinguish the moderate-severe and mild groups were as follows: AHI, average SpO2, hypopnea index, and arousal index associated with respiratory case, and there were statistically significant differences(all P<0.05). Significant improvement in PSG of the 3 NIV-treated patients was observed and it remained in normal range.The following indicators also remarkably improved after NIV treatment were hypopnea index [(1.5±0.1) times/h vs.(11.5±4.6) times/h, t=3.741, P<0.05], AHI [(2.4±1.1) times/h vs.(17.4±8.1) times/h, t=3.196, P<0.05], and average SpO2 [(96.7±0.6)% vs.(94.3±1.2)%, t=-3.130, P<0.05]. Conclusions There are different levels of SDB within SMA patients.The major characteristic of SMA patients is hypopnea.There are more moderate-severer SDB in type 1 than those in type 2.The average SpO2, arousal index associated with respiratory incidents, AHI, and hypopnea index can reflect the levels of SDB of SMA patients.Besides, the results indicate NIV treatment can significantly improve SDB of SMA patients. Key words: Spinal muscular atrophy; Sleep disordered breathing; Polysomnography; Non-invasive ventilation
Positive and negative themes found in running-related films

Purpose: Recreational and competitive running are popular sport activities in the United States. In 2016, approximately 65.1 million Americans participated in running activities, 9.17 million between the ages of 18 and 24 years. Although recently published studies have examined the effect of films, focusing on themes such as violence and gun use, smoking and alcohol use, and sexual activity, …
Case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children presenting as fever and abdominal pain

This case aims to remind all providers to scrutinise for atypical presentations of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) which may mimic a more routine diagnosis. In the absence of mucocutaneous symptoms, the diagnosis of MIS-C can be missed. Given the potential for rapid deterioration of patients with MIS-C, early treatment and inpatient interventions are necessary.
Associations of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes With Health Care Use, Spending, and Disability: An Ancillary Study of the Look AHEAD Study

Importance Intensive lifestyle interventions focused on diet and exercise can reduce weight and improve diabetes management. However, the long-term effects on health care use and spending are unclear, especially for public payers. Objective To estimate the association of effective intensive lifestyle intervention for weight loss with long-term health care use and Medicare spending. Design, Setting, and Participants This ancillary study used data from the Look AHEAD randomized clinical trial, which randomized participants with type 2 diabetes to an intensive lifestyle intervention or control group (ie, diabetes support and education), provided ongoing intervention from 2001 to 2012, and demonstrated improved diabetes management and reduced health care costs during the intervention. This study compared Medicare data between study arms from 2012 to 2015 to determine whether the intervention was associated with persistent reductions in health care spending. Exposure Starting in 2001, Look AHEAD’s intervention group participated in sessions with lifestyle counselors, dieticians, exercise specialists, and behavioral therapists with the goal of reducing weight 7% in the first year. Sessions occurred weekly in the first 6 months of the intervention and decreased over the intervention period. The controls participated in periodic group education sessions that occurred 3 times per year in the first year and decreased to 1 time per year later in the trial. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes included total Medicare spending, Part D prescription drug costs, Part A and Part B Medicare spending, hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and disability-related Medicare eligibility. Results This study matched Medicare administrative records for 2796 Look AHEAD study participants (54% of 5145 participants initially randomized and 86% of 3246 participants consenting to linkages). Linked intervention and control participants were of a similar age (mean [SD] age, 59.6 [5.4] years vs 59.6 [5.5] years at randomization) and sex (818 [58.1%] women vs 822 [59.3%] women). There was no statistically significant difference in total Medicare spending between groups (difference, −$133 [95% CI, −$1946 to $1681];P = .89). In the intervention group, compared with the control group, there was statistically significantly higher Part B spending (difference, $513 [95% CI, $70 to $955];P = .02) but lower prescription drug costs (difference, −$803 [95% CI, −$1522 to −$83];P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance This ancillary study of a randomized clinical trial found that reductions in health care use and spending associated with an intensive lifestyle intervention for type 2 diabetes diminished as participants aged. Intensive lifestyle interventions may need to be sustained to reduce long-term health care spending. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT03952728
Lignin extraction and valorization using heterogeneous transition metal catalysts

Abstract Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable carbon source on our planet. It offers an alternative as well as a complementary source to petrochemical refining for energy and chemical production. The market of renewable energy and chemicals has been rapidly growing over the past two decades. However, utilization of biomass is still underdeveloped. Energy production from biomass has seen only moderate increases. Today's second generation biorefinery only uses the carbohydrate components (cellulose and hemicellulose) from the biomass and lignin is generated as a waste byproduct to be used for its low value heat. In contrast, the concept of lignin valorization can improve the economics of biorefining by producing value-added products from lignin. This can be accomplished by changing the pretreatment of biomass to provide fractionation and upgrading of lignin first into valuable products, “lignin-first” biorefinery concept. Alternatively, if the pretreatment can provide a protected technical lignin byproduct which can be valorized to chemicals and/or hydrocarbon biofuels. Monomeric phenols are the major products of lignin valorization through heterogeneous catalysis. The complex structure of lignin, impurities from its preparation, and catalyst selection are among the key factors restricting yield of products. This chapter presents and contrasts preparation techniques of technical lignin, reviews the use of inorganic transition metal heterogeneous catalysts for lignin valorization into chemicals and fuels, and lastly demonstrated examples of subsequent applications of lignin derived monomers.
Can the Inter Planetary File System Become an Alternative to Centralized Architectures

The Inter Planetary File System is a decentralized storage network based on peer-to-peer communication and strives to become an alternative to centralized standards such as HTTP. However, there is a pressing need in analyzing the performance of the former compared to the latter. Therefore, this paper deploys a testbed scenario to compare physical resources’ usage and transmission delay between IPFS, IPFS Cluster and threaded and non-threaded HTTP. Results show that although HTTP currently delivers higher throughput, its centralized approach can overwhelm servers and IPFS can leverage its decentralized architecture mostly for large-scale scenarios. Moreover, results also empirically show that IPFS’ content addressing resolution poses a serious challenge and should be addressed by its developers.
Design and Performance Evaluation of a High-Speed Switched-Reluctance Integrated Motor-Compressor

The objective of this paper is to design a newly conceived high-speed integrated motor-compressor (IMC) based on a switched reluctance machine (SRM) and to evaluate four different designs by changing the stator tooth thickness and skew angle between stator and rotor. The proposed reluctance-based machine is a magnet-less machine which makes the compressor unit low cost as well as allows for higher operating temperatures. The rotor of the proposed integrated machine has poles shaped like airfoils, functioning as both a rotor of the motor as well as an axial fan. It can rotate to draw air into the rotor and accelerate the flow through the rotor stage. The high-speed flow provides forced convection to the rotor, stator, windings, and magnets. In this work, the high-speed performance of the motor as well as the characterization of motor parameters are evaluated by finite element analysis (FEA).
The Commerce Clause and Criminal Law

The ongoing expansion of federal criminal law undermines the historical decentralization of criminal law in this country by usurping state authority in that area. While some protection of federalism is necessitated by the Supreme Court's commerce power jurisprudence, the economic/non-economic distinction enunciated in United States v. Lopez is an unworkable return to past efforts to find internal limits to the Commerce Clause. Instead, a return to the test of National League of Cities v. Usery---yiewing the Tenth Amendment as an external limit on the scope of Congress's Commerce Clause authority— is the best means of protecting the authority of the states to make and enforce criminal law.
Health Information Technology: An Expanded Care Coordination in Rural Tennessee

The Expanded Care Coordination through the Use of Health Information Technology in Rural Tennessee was a 3-year initiative implemented by The University of Tennessee Children's Mental Health Services Research Center and the Helen Ross McNabb Center Regional Mental Health System. The program targeted rural adults in the East Tennessee area. This intervention utilized the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), and AC-COD screening tools. After the initial screening, the appropriate level of intervention was assessed. Clients completed modules on the program's website and met with a clinician for a minimum for four face-to-face meetings. Alcohol use and drug use declined significantly over the course of the program. Alcohol use and outpatient treatment for alcohol and substance abuse declined significantly over the course of the program. There were also significant decreases in days of probations, depression, physical complaints, and violent behaviors. Health information technology is becoming more common in mental health treatment facilities. However, more testing needs to be done with larger samples to assess the efficacy of the program.
Quality of life: a research gap in teledermatology

An important outcome in healthcare, and in particular for dermatologic healthcare, is quality of life. Whereas the literature is well represented by quality of life assessments in dermatology, very little information is available that specifically addresses teledermatology's impact on quality of life. This gap in our knowledge of teledermatology is noteworthy precisely because of the importance that quality of life plays in dermatologic disease and healthcare delivery. The goal of this review is to briefly outline the concept of quality of life and its importance to dermatology, describe the different type of instruments that are used to assess quality of life, and to review studies that implemented teledermatology interventions and made quality of life assessments. The available literature has shown that teledermatology interventions do result in improved quality of life, and those changes correlate with improvements in disease severity and clinical course. Integrating quality of life assessments in future evaluations of teledermatology interventions would be valuable to provide a more comprehensive depiction of teledermatology's impact on patients receiving dermatology care via telemedicine.
Transcriptional profiling of chromosome 17 quantitative trait Loci for carbohydrate and total calorie intake in a mouse congenic strain reveals candidate genes and pathways.

Background/Aims: The genetic basis for ingestive behaviors is virtually unknown. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for carbohydrate and energy intake map to mouse chromosome 17 and wer
Bone metabolism after bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is a popular and effective treatment for severe obesity but may have negative effects on the skeleton. This review summarizes changes in bone density and bone metabolism from animal and clinical studies of bariatric surgery, with specific attention to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), adjustable gastric banding (AGB), and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Skeletal imaging artifacts from obesity and weight loss are also considered. Despite challenges in bone density imaging, the preponderance of evidence suggests that bariatric surgery procedures have negative skeletal effects that persist beyond the first year of surgery, and that these effects vary by surgical type. The long-term clinical implications and current clinical recommendations are presented. Further study is required to determine mechanisms of bone loss after bariatric surgery. Although early studies focused on calcium/vitamin D metabolism and mechanical unloading of the skeleton, it seems likely that surgically induced changes in the hormonal and metabolic profile may be responsible for the skeletal phenotypes observed after bariatric surgery.
Initial experience in hybrid PET-MRI for evaluation of refractory focal onset epilepsy

Abstract Purpose We aim to evaluate the utility/improved accuracy of hybrid PET/MR compared to current practice separate 3T MRI and PET-CT imaging for localization of seizure foci. Method In a pilot study, twenty-nine patients undergoing epilepsy surgery evaluation were imaged using PET/MR. This subject group had 29 previous clinical 3T MRI as well as 12 PET-CT studies. Prior clinical PET and MR images were read sequentially while the hybrid PET/MR was concurrently read. Results The median interval between hybrid PET/MR and prior imaging studies was 5 months (range 1–77 months). In 24 patients, there was no change in the read between the clinical exams and hybrid PET/MR while new anatomical or functional lesions were identified by hybrid PET/MR in 5 patients without significant clinical change. Four new anatomical MR lesions were seen with concordant PET findings. The remaining patient revealed a new abnormal PET lesion without an MR abnormality. All new PET/MR lesions were clinically significant with concordant EEG and/or SPECT results as potential epileptic foci. Conclusion Our initial hybrid PET-MRI experience increased diagnostic yields for detection of potential epileptic lesions. This may be due to the unique advantage of improved co-registration and simultaneous review of both structural and functional data.
Archsim: A proton synchrotron tracking program including longitudinal space charge

A particle-tracking program has been written for simulating the acceleration cycle of a rapid-cycling proton synchrotron. A lattice can consist of up to 100 cells and rf cavities. Transport of the beam in six dimensions includes all second-order optical terms. The rf field and proton velocity are treated exactly. Longitudinal space charge is handled in a self-consistent manner. The fluctuations due to the finite number of particles are handled by a Gaussian smoothing algorithm. The program runs on a VAX 11/780 and can track 100 particles without space charge through the full acceleration cycle from 0.8 to 32 GeV in 49 minutes. A thousand particles with space charge takes about ten hours of computer time.
Enhanced Wettability and Transport Control of Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes with Grafted Polyelectrolytes.

End-functionalized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA-silane) was synthesized with reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and attached to both polysulfone ultrafiltration (UF) and polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes through a nonimpairing, one-step grafting to approach in order to improve membrane surface wettability with minimal impact on membrane transport performance. After PAA grafting, composition and morphology changes on the membrane surface were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Static contact angle on PAA grafted membranes exhibited an increase in surface hydrophilicity and hence a potential enhancement in antifouling performance. The native contact angle on the polysulfone membrane systems was 86° and was reduced to 24° after modification, while the polyamide film contact angle decreased from 58° to 25°. The PAA layer endowed the porous UF membrane with dynamic control over the permeability and selectivi...
Electrolysis of liquid ammonia for hydrogen generation

One route to efficient storage, transportation and utilization of renewable hydrogen is through its conversion into ammonia (NH3). In order to examine the feasibility of an NH3 fuel cycle, the electrolysis of NH3 – both as a liquid and dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide – was investigated using platinum electrodes. The current scaled with electrolyte concentration, but was nominally independent of composition, suggesting solution resistance limitations. NH3 was found to be the chemical species oxidized at the anode which produced N2, but also resulted in a poisoned electrode surface which introduced an additional overpotential of ∼0.5 V. Surprisingly, NH4+ was the species reduced at the cathode via a one-electron transfer process to form , prior to H2 generation, which resulted in an additional cathodic overpotential. In addition to establishing the two half reactions of liquid ammonia electrolysis, the formal potentials of the reactions and the kinetic overpotentials were quantified.
Massive pan-gastrointestinal bleeding following cocaine use.

Background An 18-year-old adolescent with cystic fibrosis developed massive gastrointestinal bleeding.
ESI-Mass spectrometric and HPLC elucidation of a new ergot alkaloid from perennial ryegrass hay silage associated with bovine reproductive problems.

This case report involves four dairies in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, which experienced reproductive problems associated with the presence of a large, previously unidentified, peak eluting at 5 min in a standard ergovaline high-performance liquid chromatography assay of perennial ryegrass silage fed to those animals. Mycotoxin analysis of the silage was negative, as was serological screening of the herds for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine diarrhea virus and Leptospirosis, including culturing of urine for Leptospira hardjo hardjobovis. Prolactin concentrations were low in most cattle, consistent with ingestion of ergot alkaloids. We believe that this peak represents a novel ergot alkaloid-related compound due to its extractability with Ergosil, its detectability due to fluorescence, and its chromatographic retention between ergovaline (mw = 533) and ergotamine (mw = 581). Its molecular weight was calculated as 570 owing to the predominance of a m/z 593.5 ion in the full scan ESI(+)MS and its ...
Genetic Control of Acute Ethanol‐Induced Behaviors in Drosophila

Background: In most organisms in which acute ethanol exposure has been studied, it leads to similar changes in behavior. Generally, low ethanol doses activate the central nervous system, whereas high doses are sedative. Sensitivity to the acute intoxicating effects of ethanol is in part under genetic control in rodents and humans, and reduced sensitivity in humans predicts the development of alcoholism (Crabbe et al., 1994; Schuckit, 1994). We have established Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study the mechanisms that regulate acute sensitivity to ethanol. Methods: We measured the effects of ethanol vapor on Drosophila locomotor behaviors by using three different assays. Horizontal locomotion was quantified in a locomotor chamber, turning behavior was assayed in narrow tubes, and ethanol-induced loss of postural control was measured in an inebriometer. Mutants with altered sensitivity to the acute effects of ethanol were generated by treatment with ethyl methane sulfonate and isolated by selection in the inebriometer. We ascertained the effects of these mutations on ethanol pharmacokinetics by measuring ethanol levels in extracts of flies at various times during and after ethanol exposure. Results: Among nearly 30,000 potentially mutant flies tested, we isolated 19 mutant strains with reduced and 4 strains with increased sensitivity to the acute effects of ethanol as measured in the inebriometer. Of these mutants, four showed changes in ethanol absorption. Two mutants, named barfly and tipsy to reflect their reduced and increased ethanol sensitivity in the inebriometer, respectively, were analyzed for locomotor behaviors. Both mutants exhibited ethanol-induced hyperactivity that was indistinguishable from wild type. However, barfly and tipsy displayed reduced and increased sensitivity to the sedative effects of ethanol, respectively. Finally, both mutants showed an increased rate of ethanol-induced turning behavior. Conclusions: The effects of acute ethanol exposure on Drosophila locomotor behaviors are remarkably similar to those described for mammals. The analysis of mutants with altered sensitivity to ethanol revealed that the genetic pathways which regulate these responses are complex and that single genes can affect hyperactivity, turning, and sedation independently.
The use of ductal lavage as a screening tool in women at high risk for developing breast carcinoma.

Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to determine if ductal lavage could predict the occurrence of breast cancer as well as further stratify patients at high-risk for developing breast cancer. Methods Ductal lavage was performed in 116 high-risk patients (Gail Risk score ≥1.7%, previous breast cancer, strong family history, previous suspicious biopsy specimen). If atypia or papillary cells were identified, a standard protocol of evaluation was initiated. Results Two hundred twenty-three lavages were performed on 116 patients. Twenty-seven lavages in 25 patients yielded atypical or papillary-like cells. The 15 patients who underwent further evaluation for atypia had no evidence of cancerous or precancerous lesions. All patients were followed-up: 2 developed breast cancer, both of whom had had normal previous lavage. No patient with abnormal lavage developed cancer during follow-up. Conclusions We find ductal lavage to be of limited value in the screening of high-risk patients and have removed it from our treatment algorithm.
196 Association of tumor necrosis factor- α gene expression and apoptotic cell death with regression of shope papillomas

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that spontaneous regression of Shops papillomas involves tumor necrosis factor-α and apoptotic cell death of the papilloma cells. In situ hybridization using RNA probes of rabbit tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA in most of the numerous mononuclear cells infiltrating the upper dermis of regressing papillomas and at the dermoepidermal junction. Such cells in progressing papillomas were much fewer in number and were located in the deeper dermis. In situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase assay demonstrated DNA strand breaks in many scattered epidermal keratinocytes of regressing papillomas but in only a few thin layers just beneath the horny layer in progressing papillomas. Electron microscopy demonstrated that regressing papillomas contained many apoptotic bodies and keratinocytes showing apoptotic changes such as chromatin condensation, degradation of condensed nuclei, surface protuberances, and a filamentous degeneration, as well as infiltrating lymphocytes and macrophages. We propose that tumor necrosis factory-α produced by infiltrating mononuclear cells probably plays a role in the papilloma regression.