cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lipophilic cisplatin analogues entrapped in liposomes: Role of intraliposomal drug activation in biological activity

cis -Bis-neodecanoato- trans - R,R -1,2-diaminocyclohexane platinum (II) (NDDP), a lipophilic cisplatin analogue containing two branched leaving groups of 10 carbon atoms, is undergoing clinical evaluation in a liposomal formulation. In previous studies, NDDP entrapped in multilamellar vesicles composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) at a 7:3 molar ratio was non-nephrotoxic in humans, not cross-resistant with cisplatin in different in vitro and in vivo systems, and more active than cisplatin against murine models of experimental liver metastases whereas free NDDP was devoid of in vivo antitumor activity at the optimal dose of L-NDDP and barely active at higher doses. To elucidate the mechanisms by which the liposomal carrier enhances the biological properties to this class of antitumor agents, we studied the effect of the liposome composition, size of the branched leaving groups of the platinum compound, and pH and composition of the aqueous phase on the entrapment efficiency, drug leakage, drug stability, and in vivo toxicity and antitumor activity of different liposomal formulations of these agents. In experiments using normal saline as aqueous phase, the presence of DMPG in the lipid bilayer resulted in a decreased stability and an increased biological activity of NDDP, whereas NDDP entrapped in liposomes composed of DMPC alone (not containing DMPG) was stable but devoid of antitumor activity. In studies with structurally related analogues with branched leaving groups of 5, 6, 7, and 9 carbon atoms, similar trends were observed. In addition, the number of carbon atoms in the leaving groups was directly and inversely related to the entrapment efficiency and stability of the analogues, respectively, independently of lipid composition; increasing the size of the branched leaving groups resulted in an increased in situ degradation of the platinum compound and enhanced biological activity and potency. These results suggest that this class of platinum compounds exerts its biological activity through the formation of active intermediates in situ within the lipid bilayers and that the activation reaction is highly dependent on the presence of DMPG and the size of the lipophilic leaving group.
‘Hass’ avocado tree growth on four rootstocks in California. II. Shoot and root growth

a b s t r a c t We investigated the relationship between alternate cropping and shoot and root growth in mature 'Hass' avocado (Persea americana Mill.) trees growing on 'Thomas', 'Topa Topa', 'Duke 7', or 'D9' rootstocks over five years in Southern California. Shoot growth occurred during two distinct flushes each year: one in spring and one in late summer. Root growth occurred throughout the year, with higher rates during spring and summer but slower growth rates during shoot growth flushes. There was no effect of rootstock on shoot growth rate. There was no direct relationship between alternate bearing and shoot and root growth. It is possible that cropping affected shoot growth, with extensive shoot development occurring in a year with virtually no crop. The summer growth flush accounted for a greater proportion of the total shoot growth in years with light crop loads than in years with heavy crop loads. There were differences in root growth rate among rootstocks, but these relative differences varied among years. Root growth did not exhibit dormant periods as shoot growth did, but in general, root growth rate was greatest when soil temperatures were high and when shoots were not growing. This information gives us insight into the relative timing and relationships among growth events of avocado in Southern California and will help growers determine the optimal timing of cultural practices. Our results suggest that the best timing for fertilizing, spraying, and pruning is similar in trees growing on different rootstocks.
Signal-Triggered Transmembrane Ion Transport through Synthetic Channels

This review discusses recent advances in mimicry of transmembrane ion channel proteins using artificial systems. While modified protein channels and surface-functionalized nanoporous membranes are covered briefly, the primary focus is on synthetic ion channels that have been modified to introduce signal-responsive activity. Examples are presented wherein transmembrane ion transport occurs in response to irradiation, changes in transmembrane voltage, or the presence of additives that either promote assembly or block the pore.
Roles of Internal Cysteines in the Function, Localization, and Reactivity of the TraV Outer Membrane Lipoprotein Encoded by the F Plasmid

We have examined the functional role of two internal cysteine residues of the F-plasmid TraV outer membrane lipoprotein. Each was mutated to a serine separately and together to yield three mutant traV genes: traV(C10S), traV(C18S), and traV(C10S/C18S). All three cysteine mutations complemented a traV mutant for DNA donor activity and for sensitivity to donor-specific bacteriophage; however, when measured by a transduction assay, the donor-specific DNA bacteriophage sensitivities of the traV(C18S) and, especially, traV(C10S/C18S) mutant strains were significantly less than those of the traV(+) and traV(C10S) strains. Thus, unlike the Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-plasmid-encoded VirB7 outer membrane lipoprotein, TraV does not require either internal cysteine to retain significant biological activity. By Western blot analysis, all three mutant TraV proteins were shown to accumulate in the outer membrane. However, by nonreducing gel electrophoresis, wild-type TraV and especially the TraV(C18S) mutant were shown to form mixed disulfides with numerous cell envelope proteins. This was not observed with the TraV(C10S) or TraV(C10S/C18S) proteins. Thus, it appears that TraV C10 is unusually reactive and that this reactivity is reduced by C18, perhaps by intramolecular oxidation. Finally, whereas the TraV(C10S) and TraV(C18S) proteins fractionated primarily with the outer membrane, as did the wild-type protein, the TraV(C10S/C18S) protein was found in osmotic shock fluid and inner membrane fractions as well as outer membrane fractions. Hence, at least one cysteine is required for the efficient localization of TraV to the outer membrane.
Misleading Heuristics for Moderated Multiple Regression Models

Moderated multiple regression models allow the simple relationship between the dependent variable and an independent variable to depend on the level of another independent variable. The moderated relationship, often referred to as the interaction, is modeled by including a product term as an additional independent variable. Moderated relationships are central to marketing (e.g., Does the effect of promotion on sales depend on the market segment?). Multiple regression models not including a product term are widely used and well understood. The authors argue that researchers have derived from this simpler type of multiple regression several data analysis heuristics that, when inappropriately generalized to moderated multiple regression, can result in faulty interpretations of model coefficients and incorrect statistical analyses, Using theoretical arguments and constructed data sets, the authors describe these heuristics, discuss how they may easily be misapplied, and suggest some good practices for estimating, testing, and interpreting regression models that include moderated relationships.
Development of high rep-rate pulse detonation engines based on transient plasma ignition technology

Summary form only given. pulse detonation engines (PDE) are a class of air breathing engines that offer propulsion from sub- to supersonic velocities from a single system. Critical to this technology is the robust and reliable operation at high repetition rates. This forces consideration of a variety of science and engineering challenges to develop systems that rapidly detonate the fuel-air mixture while maintaining reliability and high efficiencies. This paper focuses on recent results on a number of fronts: First, we report on the implementation of transient plasma ignition (TPI) system in an operational PDE test-bed at NPS. We discuss the physics of deflagration-to-detonation transition and the engineering challenges associated with the system resonances and shock-to-electrode interactions at high rep-rate operation. Second, we describe preliminary efforts to understand the role of plasma streamers in modification of the plasma chemistry, fuel cracking, and deflagration-to- detonation transition. TPI ignition relies on high voltage (10's of kV) ionization of the fuel-oxidizer mixture, but with sufficiently short pulse lengths (typically <100 ns) to avoid the low efficiencies (thermal energy deposition) of arc formation. The importance of field enhancement, cathode/anode surface physics of the oxidizer, circuit impedance effects, energy coupling, and chemical kinetics on TPI are studied via simulation, and compared with experimental data. Both global models and kinetic particle- in-cell results are discussed.
A Non-hypophyseal Sex Difference in Estrous Behaviour of Mice Bearing Pituitary Grafts.

SummaryEstrous behaviour in hypophy-sectomized female and male mice bearing hypophyseal grafts has been studied. The results were: (1) Hypophysectomized female mice bearing either female or male hypophyseal grafts, showed complete and normal estrous cycles. (2) Castrated males bearing ovarian and vaginal grafts showed a continuous noncyclic type of vaginal stimulation regardless of whether they had been grafted with male or female pituitaries. (3) The characteristic cyclic function of the female hypophysis may be related to the cyclic function of some other controlling structure rather than being dependent upon the pituitary gland itself.
Studies on auricular tachycardia caused by aconitine administration.

SummaryFocal application of aconitine to the dog's auricle in the form of a subepicardial injection is followed by the appearance of a prolonged regular tachycardia with a rate of approximately 200 to 300 beats per minute. Faradic stimulation of the vagus nerves in the neck always leads to a remarkable increase of rate of the auricles. Auricular fibrillation or the phenomenon of rapid reexcitation were never observed during the vagus stimulation.Separation of the site of injection from the rest of the heart by clamping abolishes the tachycardia; it regularly reappears on removal of the clamp. Cooling of the site of injection by a thermode also stops the tachycardia, and it reappears immediately when cooling is discontinued.The tachycardia shows characteristics of auricular flutter, but auricular tachycardia of the type “essential paroxysmal tachycardia” cannot be ruled out.The results of the experiments cannot be explained under the assumption that the tachycardia is caused by a circus movement. Therefore...
A Study on the Formation Process of a Educational Policy

This article intends to analyze a formation process of an educational policy with a view to inquire how the politics cope with the educational problems. The object case of this study is the formation process of an educational policy in the ministerial party, namely, the Liberal-Democratic Party (L.D.P.), and the structural-functional aspects of the policy machinery and the Dietman in change of an educational policy were especially investigated by the author. In L.D.P. the expert group in charge of the educational policy has been formed. This special group is composed of the Dietmen, who belong to the Sectional Council for a cultural-educational policy called “Bunkyo Bukai” (B.B.) or the Muestigation Committee of a Cultural-educational system called “Bunkyo Seido Chosakai” (B.S.C.). There two organs perform different functions respectively in the policy formation process, that is to say, B.B. is deal with the urgent problems, for example, the formulation of the budget and the legislation, on the other hand, B.S.C., is to grapple, with basic problems on the educational policy, to research and clarify fundamental lines of the educational policy. M.B.B. the young Dietmen who were graduated from non-government university have taken leadership, on the other side, in B.S.C. the veteran Dietmen from high classed bureaucrat hold an important position. The party organs for the educational policy and the Ministry of Education stand by each other, and there is closely interdependent relation between the expert Dietmen of education and bureaucrats of the Ministry of Education. According to some marks observed in the formation process of an educational process, we can point out the distinguishing tendency of bureaucratization and functional specialization. It seems that this tendency has been promoted by increasing demands about education from various social spheres to politics.
Enhancement of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Activity in Cancer Patients Receiving Interferon-βSer

ABSTRACT Degradation of tryptophan to kynurenine, catalyzed by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), has been shown previously to be augmented in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treat...
Simulation of Auroral Charging in the DMSP Environment

The Earth’s aurora provides one of the two regions where spacecraft charging is of greatest concern, along with the geosynchronous orbit. Nascap-2k is designed to model charging in both regions however the specific numerical settings for each are very different. This paper describes the physical models implemented in Nascap-2k and can serve as a guide to using the code for auroral charging simulations. Simple test objects are used to illustrate the numerical options. A full scale simulation of a satellite of interest is also included. The Air Force DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) satellites have been flying in the auroral region for almost three decades and provide a wealth of environmental data as well as measurements of the vehicle charging.
Long-term results after excision of fixed subaortic stenosis

Forty-nine patients underwent surgical excision of fixed subaortic stenosis (discrete fibrous ring and tunnel) between 1968 and 1984 and were followed up for 1 to 16 years (5.8 +/- 4). Twenty-six patients (Group I) had isolated subaortic stenosis and 23 (Group II) had subaortic stenosis and associated cardiac defects. Discrete fibrous ring was present in 46 and tunnel type of obstruction in three patients. For the discrete ring, excision alone was done in 32 patients (four recurrences) and excision with myotomy in 17 (three recurrences). In Group I, there were no operative deaths and one late death from a noncardiac cause. In Group II, one early and two late deaths occurred. The actuarial survival rate for 10 years is 88%. Reoperations were performed in 10 patients, seven for recurrence and three for aortic valve replacement for preexisting aortic regurgitation that had progressed since the primary operation. Cardioplegia was used in 28 patients (one recurrence) and was not used in 21 patients (six recurrences). An operative residual gradient of less than 15 mm Hg was achieved in 25 of 28 patients in whom cardioplegia was used compared to 12 of 21 patients in whom cardioplegia was not used (p = 0.017). These results indicate that complete excision of the ring with the aid of cardioplegia has significantly reduced the recurrence rate of subaortic stenosis (p = 0.033), elimination of the residual gradient at the initial operation has been a significant factor in reducing the recurrence rate (p = 0.017), and addition of myotomy in this series has not altered the outcome.
SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE AND EFFECTIVE RENAL PLASMA FLOW WITH 57CO-CYANOCOBALAMIN AND 125-I-HIPPURAN.

Abstract A radioactive isotope technique for the simultaneous measurements of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) is described. Free 57 Cocyanocobalamin, after a saturating dose of stable vitamin B 12 , is used to measure GFR, while 125 I-Hippuran is used for ERPF measurements. The distinctive gamma-emitting spectra of these two isotopes make simultaneous radioactive counting on a dual-channel spectrometer simple, accurate, and reproducible. Actual measurements of GFR and ERPF by this technique in humans were compared to simultaneous measurements of inulin and PAH clearances in the same subjects. The clearance ratio of free 57 Cocyanocobalamin:inulin was 0.99 ± 0.09 (mean ± 1 S.D.) and for 125 I-Hippuran:PAH, the ratio was 0.96 ± 0.10.
Placental examination in nonmacerated stillbirth versus neonatal mortality

AIM To retrospectively statistically compare clinical and placental phenotypes of nonmacerated fetuses and live-born perinatal deaths in 3rd trimester pregnancies. METHODS Twenty-five clinical and 47 placental phenotypes were statistically compared among 93 cases of nonmacerated (intrapartum, or recent antepartum death) 3rd trimester fetal deaths (Group 1), 118 3rd trimester neonatal deaths (Group 2) and 4285 cases without perinatal mortality (Group 3). RESULTS Sixteen clinical and placental phenotypes were statistically significantly different between Group 3 and the two groups of perinatal deaths, which included eight placental phenotypes of fetal vascular malperfusion and eight other placental phenotypes of various etiology (amnion nodosum, 2-vessel umbilical cord, villous edema, increased extracellular matrix of chorionic villi, erythroblasts in fetal blood and trophoblastic lesions of shallow placentation). Statistically significant differences between Groups 1 and 2 were scant (oligohydramnios, fetal malformations, cesarean sections, hypercoiled umbilical cord and amnion nodosum being more common in the latter, and retroplacental hematoma more common in the former). CONCLUSION Placental examination in neonatal mortality shows thrombotic pathology related to umbilical cord compromise and features of shallow placental implantation that are similar to those in nonmacerated stillbirth; however, the features of placental abruption were more common in recent antepartum death, as were the features related to neonatal congenital malformations in neonatal deaths.
Electrical recording from embryonic heart cells isolated in tissue culture.

When the heart of a 7-day-old chick embryo is dissociated into its component cells, a majority of those cells (50–60%), completely isolated from contact with neighbors, are capable of spontaneous rhythmic activity when maintained under suitable in vitro culture conditions1*. Any such single isolated cell which is seen to beat must be initiating its own activity, and may thus be defined as a pacemaker2. Moreover, such a cell, within 5–30 min after coming into contact with a more slowly beating neighbor, may cause that neighbor to beat in synchrony with it.
Network-Flow Problems

Our final application of linear programming occurs in the graph-theoretic domain. In fact, we will see that the transportation and assignment problems of the previous chapter can be reformulated as a certain type of network-flow problem. In view of this, network-flow problems encompass a wide range of linear programming problems. As with the transportation and assignment problems, the network-flow problems of this chapter are solvable by using the techniques of Chapter 2–4 directly. We, however, opt for easier and more direct graph-theoretic algorithms, one of which has its roots in duality theory.
High-throughput screening identified selective inhibitors of exosome biogenesis and secretion: A drug repurposing strategy for advanced cancer

Targeting exosome biogenesis and release may have potential clinical implications for cancer therapy. Herein, we have optimized a quantitative high throughput screen (qHTS) assay to identify compounds that modulate exosome biogenesis and/or release by aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) CD63-GFP-expressing C4-2B cells. A total of 4,580 compounds were screened from the LOPAC library (a collection of 1,280 pharmacologically active compounds) and the NPC library (NCGC collection of 3,300 compounds approved for clinical use). Twenty-two compounds were found to be either potent activators or inhibitors of intracellular GFP signal in the CD63-GFP-expressing C4-2B cells. The activity of lead compounds in modulating the secretion of exosomes was validated by a tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) system (qNano-IZON) and flow cytometry. The mechanism of action of the lead compounds in modulating exosome biogenesis and/or secretion were delineated by immunoblot analysis of protein markers of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-dependent and ESCRT-independent pathways. The lead compounds tipifarnib, neticonazole, climbazole, ketoconazole, and triademenol were validated as potent inhibitors and sitafloxacin, forskolin, SB218795, fenoterol, nitrefazole and pentetrazol as activators of exosome biogenesis and/or secretion in PC cells. Our findings implicate the potential utility of drug-repurposing as novel adjunct therapeutic strategies in advanced cancer.
Mapping the automotive textile supply chain

Information visibility is an essential element to improved supply chain performance. Without adequate sharing of information, firms are required to supplement the available information with other costly alternatives. This chapter follows the development of a convertible fabric material in the supply chain for a large automotive assembler, beginning with a large textile manufacturer in fabric formation to final assembly of the convertible top. The current level of information sharing in the supply chain is assessed and the effects of inefficient information flows between the various tiers of suppliers are determined.
Energy-Efficient Parallel Packet Forwarding

As the Internet traffic continues growing rapidly, parallel packet forwarding becomes a necessity in Internet infrastructure to meet the throughput requirement. On the other hand, energy/ power consumption has been a critical challenge for Internet infrastructure. It has been shown that two thirds of power dissipation inside a core router is due to packet forwarding. This chapter studies the problem of energy-efficient parallel packet forwarding in Internet Infrastructure. According to whether the data structure is shared or duplicated amongmultiple engines, two types of parallel packet forwarding systems are discussed. For the system with shared data structure, we study how to partition the data structure and map onto multiple engines, so that the worst-case energy/ power consumption is minimized. For the system with duplicated data structure, we formulate as an optimization problem how to distribute traffic load onto multiple engines to minimize the overall power consumption while satisfying the throughput demand.
Serum Unconjugated Bile Acids and Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth in Pediatric Intestinal Failure: A Pilot Study.

Background We determined qualitative and quantitative serum unconjugated bile acid (SUBA) levels among children with history of intestinal failure (IF) and suspected small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO). Methods This was a single-center, case-control pilot study conducted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Children with history of IF and suspected SBBO were enrolled as subjects. Age-matched children without IF or suspected SBBO served as controls. All participants underwent small bowel fluid sampling for microbial culture analysis. Additionally, serum fractionated and total bile acids were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry at enrollment and following treatment for SBBO. Results SUBA concentrations were elevated in IF subjects (median 1.16 μM, range 0.43-10.65 μM) compared with controls (median 0.10 μM, range 0.05-0.18 μM, P = 0.001). Among SUBA, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was significantly elevated in subjects (median 0.8 μM, range 0-7.08 μM) compared with controls (median 0 μM, range 0-0.03 μM, P = 0.012). When controls were excluded from analysis, IF subjects with positive aspirates for SBBO demonstrated higher concentration of CDCA (median 7.36 μM, range 1.1-8.28 μM) compared with IF subjects with negative aspirates (median 0.18 μM, range 0-1.06 μM, P = 0.017). Treatment for SBBO did not alter SUBA concentration. Conclusions SUBA concentrations are elevated in children with history of IF and presumed SBBO compared with non-IF controls. CDCA was more prevalent in IF subjects with positive aspirates for SBBO compared with IF subjects with negative aspirates. The determination of SUBA concentration may be a useful surrogate to small bowel fluid aspiration in the diagnosis of SBBO in children with history of IF.
Brief for Samuel L. Bray as Amicus Curiae Supporting Petitioners, Merck & Co. v. Gilead Sciences, Inc.

One of the long-standing maxims of equity is that “he who comes into equity must come with clean hands.” It is closely related to the maxim that “he who seeks equity must do equity.” These equitable principles are “an historical reflection of the fact that courts of equity began as courts of conscience.” In this country and throughout the common law world, unclean hands has tradition- ally been a defense to equitable claims, but not to legal claims. Yet in the case below the Federal Circuit applied the equitable defense of unclean hands to a legal claim for damages for patent infringement. The Federal Circuit repeatedly relied on precedents of this Court that characterize unclean hands as an equitable defense that constrains a court of equity. The Federal Circuit provided no support whatsoever for applying the equitable defense of unclean hands to a legal claim for damages, especially when that equitable defense would displace the verdict of a jury.
Stability in a fractional order SIR epidemic model of childhood diseases with discretization

In this paper, we propose to study the SIR epidemic model of childhood disease in human population. Fractional order SIR epidemic model is considered and its discrete form is obtained. Local asymptotic stability of disease free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium points are discussed and the basic reproduction number R0 is obtained via next generation matrix method. Time series plots, phase portraits, bifurcation diagram and sensitive dependence on initial condions are analyzed under suitable conditions. Numerical examples are used to verify the results.
Machine learning methods for estimating probability density functions of transmission loss: Robustness to source frequency and depth

Predicted values of transmission loss (TL) in ocean environments are sensitive to environmental uncertainties. The resulting predicted-TL uncertainty can be quantified via the probability density function (PDF) of TL. Monte Carlo methods can determine the PDF of TL but typically require thousands of field calculations, making them inappropriate for real-time applications. Thus, a variety of alternative techniques based on polynomial chaos, field shifting, modal propagation in ocean waveguides, and spatial variations of TL near the point(s) of interest have been proposed. Recently, an approach to estimating the PDF of TL based on nominal TL, ocean environmental parameters, and machine learning was found to have a success rate of 95% with constant source depth (91 m) and frequency (100 Hz) when tested on 657,775 receiver locations within 100 randomly selected ocean environments. This presentation describes an extension of this approach and its success predicting the PDF of TL for different source depths and frequencies for ranges up to 100 km. This increase in the size of the parameter space furthers the need for a sophisticated method of choosing training examples. Such a method is proposed, and its performance is compared to that of prior techniques. [Work supported by ONR.]
Using Spatial Regression to Model Potentially Toxic Metal (PTM) Mobility Based on Physicochemical Soil Properties

Mining processes generate waste rock, tailings, and slag that can increase potentially toxic metal (PTM) concentrations in soils. Un-reclaimed, abandoned mine sites are particularly prone to leaching these contaminants, which may accumulate and pose significant environmental and public health concerns. The characterization and spatial delineation of PTMs in soils is vital for risk assessment and soil reclamation. Bumpus Cove, a once active mining district of eastern Tennessee, is home to at least 47 abandoned, un-reclaimed mines, all permanently closed by the 1950s. This study evaluated soil physicochemical properties, determined the spatial extent of PTMs (Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, and Cd), and examined the influence of soil properties on PTM distribution in Bumpus Cove, TN. Soil samples (n = 52) were collected from a 0.67 km2 study area containing 6 known abandoned Pb, Zn, and Mn mines at the headwaters of Bumpus Cove Creek. Samples were analyzed for Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, and Cd by microwave-assisted acid digestion and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) (12–1,354 mg/kg Zn, 6–2,574 mg/kg Mn, 1–65 mg/kg Cu, 33–2,271 mg/kg Pb, and 7–40 mg/kg Cd). Of the measured PTMs, only Pb exceeds permissible limits in soils. In addition to the PTM analyses, soil physical (texture, moisture content, and bulk density) and chemical (pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and total organic carbon (TOC)) properties were evaluated. Spatially weighted multivariate regression models developed for all PTMs using soil physicochemical properties produced improved results over ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Models for Zn (R2 = 0.71) and Pb (R2 = 0.69) retained covariates epH, moisture content, and CEC (Zn), and pH and CEC (Pb). This study will help define PTM concentration and transport and provide a reference for state and local entities responsible for contaminant monitoring in Bumpus Cove, TN.
How Well Is Urban Agriculture Growing in the Southern United States? Trends and Issues from the Perspective of Urban Planners Regulating Urban Agriculture

In this study, we evaluate urban agriculture trends in 55 cities in the Southern United States. Our research is important for three reasons. First, as the geographic scope of urban agriculture research is limited mostly to Northeast and West Coast cities, we focus on the South, the fastest-growing U.S. Census region. Second, despite rapid growth, this region has also experienced the highest rate of poverty and food insecurity. Third, we surveyed urban planners who regulate and monitor urban agriculture sites, develop urban agriculture policies and programs, and advise local decision-makers. The study documents Southern urban agriculture changes between 2000 and 2010. It also considers types of projects, implementation barriers, and strategies used to promote urban agriculture. A survey questionnaire was mailed to planning offi­cials in 153 Southern cities; 55 cities responded. Among respondents, 87% reported the existence of urban agriculture in their jurisdiction. Most Southern cities reporting urban agriculture experi­enced urban agriculture growth (69%), 21% reported decline, and 10% did not report a change. The most common projects included neighbor­hood gardens, school gardens, and community supported and entrepreneurial agriculture. Irrespec­tive of urban agriculture growth or decline, the responding cities relied on the same types of regul­atory and policy approaches. Only cities reporting growth in urban agriculture implemented programs to promote urban agricul­ture, including land acqui­sition, trusts, and inter­jurisdictional coordination. Land conversion and lack of economic sustaina­bility were cited as main barriers to urban agricul­ture. The findings suggest the need to further explore the impact of external factors on the effec­tiveness of urban agriculture regulations, policies and programs, and solutions to urban agriculture barriers. See the press release for this article.
Enhancing Optoelectronic Properties of Conjugated Block Copolymers through Crystallization of Both Blocks

Microphase-separated block copolymers composed of electron donor and acceptor blocks may provide morphology control to address many challenges in organic electronics. Crucial to controlling the self-assembly of fully conjugated block copolymers is tuning the interplay between crystallization of the individual blocks and microphase separation between the donor and the acceptor. Thus, we have examined the kinetics of the morphological evolution in P3HT-b-PFTBT block copolymer films during two processes: solution casting and thermal annealing. We use in situ wide-angle and small-angle grazing incidence X-ray scattering to monitor the crystallization of P3HT and microphase separation between the two blocks. We find that during film drying, initial P3HT crystallization happens quickly, before phase separation of the two blocks. However, crystallization is significantly suppressed with respect to neat materials, enabling microphase separation to proceed at time scales after some initial crystallization of the donor block takes place. This enables a mesoscale structure to develop during processes such as thermal annealing because self-assembly of the lamellar structure takes place before the crystallization of the donor block is complete. We also find that significant crystallization of PFTBT blocks after P3HT crystallization is possible at elevated temperatures. Crystallization of both blocks is important to maximize the performance of solar cells and transistors with block copolymer active layers. As a consequence, we exceed 3% average power conversion efficiencies in P3HT-b-PFTBT photovoltaic devices.
Quarkyonic matter equation of state in beta-equilibrium

Quark matter may appear due to a hadronic-quark transition in the core of a hybrid star. Quarkyonic matter is an approach in which both quarks and nucleons appear as quasiparticles in a crossover transition, and provides an explicit realization of early ideas concerning quark matter (e.g., the MIT bag model). This description has recently been employed by McLerran and Reddy to model chargeless (pure neutron) matter with an approach that has the virtue that the speed of sound rises quickly at a neutron-quark transition so as to satisfy observational constraints on the neutron star maximum mass ($\ensuremath{\gtrsim}2\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$) and the radius of a $1.4\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ star (${R}_{1.4}\ensuremath{\lesssim}13.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}$). Traditional models involving first-order transitions result in softer pressure-energy density relations that have difficulty satisfying these constraints except with very narrow choices of parameters. We propose a variation of quarkyonic matter involving protons and leptons whose energy can be explicitly minimized to achieve both chemical and beta equilibrium, which cannot be done in the chargeless formulation. Quarkyonic stellar models are able to satisfy observed mass and radius constraints with a wide range of model parameters, avoiding the obligatory fine-tuning of conventional hybrid star models, including requiring the transition density to be very close to the nuclear saturation density. Our formulation fits experimental and theoretical properties of the nuclear symmetry energy and pure neutron matter, and contains as few as three free parameters. This makes it an ideal tool for the study of high-density matter that is an efficient alternative to piecewise polytrope or spectral decomposition methods.
Earthquake magnitude scales

The earthquake magnitude was introduced into seismology nearly 40 yr ago, as a purely empirical concept. After an unparalleled success in scientific and practical applications the magnitude is developing into a concept with a clearer physical meaning and a more solid theoretical foundation. The magnitude determined from the maximum particle amplitude or velocity reflects the maximum radiation power of the seismic source in the frequency band recorded on a particular seismograph. Recently developed models for seismic sources assist in classifying earthquakes according to size and spectral character. From corresponding scaling laws the relations between various magnitude scales can be established. The magnitude aims at enabling one to compare the sizes of seismic sources ranging in character from nearly aseismic events to explosions. While the former are characterized by a relatively long-peroidic radiation maximum, the latter radiate primarily short-periodic seismic energy. Tectonic earthquakes are likely to range in character between the two extreme spectral cases. A comparison of earthquake magnitude with stellar magnitude leads to analogies in spectral character between earthquakes and stars, whereby seismic sources seem to follow a distribution similar to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for stars. Before seismological practice can catch up with the new cognitions, improvements in the definition of the earthquake magnitude are in need.
Characterization of Endophytic Microbial Communities in Store-Bought Kale Evaluated by Different Plant Tissue Homogenization Methods

Endophytic microorganisms live in intercellular and vascular spaces of plants and span the continuum from beneficial to pathogenic in both plants and animals. Increasing human consumption of fruits...
Automated classification of acoustic startle reflex waveforms in young CBA/CaJ mice using machine learning.

Abstract Background The acoustic startle response (ASR) is a simple reflex that results in a whole body motor response after animals hear a brief loud sound and is used as a multisensory tool across many disciplines. Unfortunately, a method of how to record, process, and analyze ASRs has yet to be standardized, leading to high variability in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of ASRs within and between laboratories. New method ASR waveforms collected from young adult CBA/CaJ mice were normalized with features extracted from the waveform, the resulting power spectral density estimates, and the continuous wavelet transforms. The features were then partitioned into training and test/validation sets. Machine learning methods from different families of algorithms were used to combine startle-related features into robust predictive models to predict whether an ASR waveform is a startle or non-startle. Results An ensemble of several machine learning models resulted in an extremely robust model to predict whether an ASR waveform is a startle or non-startle with a mean ROC of 0.9779, training accuracy of 0.9993, and testing accuracy of 0.9301. Comparison with existing methods ASR waveforms analyzed using the threshold and RMS techniques resulted in over 80% of accepted startles actually being non-startles when manually classified versus 2.2% for the machine learning method, resulting in statistically significant differences in ASR metrics (such as startle amplitude and pre-pulse inhibition) between classification methods. Conclusions The machine learning approach presented in this paper can be adapted to nearly any ASR paradigm to accurately process, sort, and classify startle responses.
Developmental Trajectories of Tobacco/Nicotine and Cannabis Use and Patterns of Product Co-use in Young Adulthood.

Introduction:Concurrent co-use of tobacco/nicotine and cannabis (T/C) products is common among young people and may increase risks for negative health and psychosocial outcomes, but little is known...
Taxonomy—An Irreplaceable Tool for Validation of Herbal Medicine

Abstract Over the last decades there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of herbal medicine around the globe. Apart from the obvious use of crude plant preparations or plant extracts, plant-based natural product research has become a common tool in drug development. Plant material for research is often sourced either directly from the wild or form a wide variety of venders and providers, often over the Internet. The quality of the source material is, however, highly variable, and it has been our experience that much of the available material lacks careful documentation, identification, and vouchering. Many very well-respected researchers in phytomedicine are often deficient in plant taxonomy, and are often quite convinced that the correct scientific name of the plant material sourced does not really matter, if only a consistent vernacular name is provided. In this chapter, we explore the necessity of correct scientific identification of material in herbal medicine, point to common errors in the process, and suggest ways to avoid potentially disastrous mistakes. Most taxonomic errors are simply caused by orthographic mistakes, by citing synonyms instead of the correct scientific name, wrong or missing author citations, and mistakes in family classification. Most of these problems can simply be avoided by using open access online databases. The identification of vouchering material should, however, always be done or at least confirmed by specialists. As such, taxonomy is a crucial tool for the validation and safety of herbal medicine.
The impact of land use regulation across the conditional distribution of home prices: an application of quantile regression for group-level treatments

By increasing housing prices, land use regulations can have positive impacts among homeowners, but they can also have negative impacts on the availability of affordable housing. We examined heterogeneity in the price impacts of land use regulation across the conditional house price distribution; this heterogeneity may ameliorate or exacerbate the impacts of land use regulation on affordable housing. Our results suggest that the distribution of price impacts across the conditional house price distribution is relatively uniform. Results suggest that land use regulations both constrain housing supply and induce within housing market migration that spreads price impacts throughout the region.
Pearls & Oy-sters: The Myasthenic Double Humps.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is an important diagnosis to consider in an adult with both fixed and fatigable weakness.
Patient experience after modifying visit delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives To describe real-time changes in medical visits (MVs), visit mode, and patient-reported visit experience associated with rapidly deployed care reorganization during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Study design Cross-sectional time series from September 29, 2019, through June 20, 2020. Methods Responding to official public health and clinical guidance, team-based systematic structural changes were implemented in a large, integrated health system to reorganize and transition delivery of care from office-based to virtual care platforms. Overall and discipline-specific weekly MVs, visit mode (office-based, telephone, or video), and associated aggregate measures of patient-reported visit experience were reported. A 38-week time-series analysis with March 8, 2020, and May 3, 2020, as the interruption dates was performed. Results After the first interruption, there was a decreased weekly visit trend for all visits (β3 = -388.94; P Conclusions COVID-19 required prompt organizational transformation to optimize the patient experience.
Parent and Physician Perspectives on Reasons for Hospital Readmissions

Introduction: Hospital-to-home transitions are increasingly recognized as critical to patient safety and quality care. One in five parents report a problem in their child’s hospital discharge, such as difficulty obtaining medications or follow-up. Difficulties in the transition process lead to decreased satisfaction, higher costs, and increased readmissions. While several studies have explored parent insights into discharge needs and readiness, few have explored parent or physician perceptions of causes for pediatric readmissions. …
The Contribution of Known Familial Cardiovascular Disease Genes to Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Introduction Patients with chronic kidney disease experience high rates of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. When kidney disease progresses to the need for dialysis, sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for 25-35% of all cardiovascular deaths. The objective was to determine if rare genetic variants known to be associated with cardiovascular death in the general population are associated with SCD in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods We performed a case-control study comparing 126 (37 African American [AfAn] and 89 European ancestry [EA]) SCD subjects and 107 controls (34 AfAn and 73 EA), matched for age, sex, self-reported race, dialysis duration ( 5 years), and the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus. To target the coding regions of genes previously reported to be associated with 15 inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs), we used the TruSight Cardio Kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) to capture the genetic regions of interest. In all, the kit targets 572-kb regions that include the protein-coding regions and 40-bp 5' and 3' end-flanking regions of 174 genes associated with the 15 ICCs. Using the sequence data, burden tests were conducted to identify genes with an increased number of variants among SCD cases compared to matched controls. Results Eleven genes were associated with SCD, but after correction for multiple testing, none of the 174 genes were identified as having more variants in the SCD cases than the matched controls, including previously identified genes. Secondary burden tests grouping variants based on diseases and gene function did not produce statistically significant associations. Discussion/conclusions We found no associations between genes known to be associated with ICCs and SCD in our sample of patients undergoing hemodialysis. This suggests that genetic causes are unlikely to be a major pathogenic factor in SCD in hemodialysis patients, although our sample size limits definitive conclusions.
Adaptive network reliability analysis: Methodology and applications to power grid

Abstract Flow network models can capture the underlying physics and operational constraints of many networked systems including the power grid and transportation and water networks. However, analyzing systems’ reliability using computationally expensive flow-based models faces substantial challenges, especially for rare events. Existing actively trained meta-models, which present a new promising direction in reliability analysis, are not applicable to networks due to the inability of these methods to handle high-dimensional problems as well as discrete or mixed variable inputs. This study presents the first Adaptive surrogate-based Network Reliability ( A N R ) analysis through integration of Bayesian Additive Regression Trees ( B A R T ) and Monte Carlo simulation ( M C S ). An active learning method is developed that identifies the most valuable training samples based on the credible intervals derived by B A R T over the space of predictor variables as well as the proximity of the points to the estimated limit state. Benchmark power grids including IEEE 30, 57, 118, and 300-bus systems and their power flow models for cascading failure analysis are considered to investigate A N R - B A R T , M C S , subset simulation, and passively-trained optimal B A R T and deep neural networks. Results indicate that A N R - B A R T is robust and yields accurate estimates of network failure probability, while significantly reducing the computational cost of reliability analysis.