cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prospects for treating osteoarthritis: enzyme–protein interactions regulating matrix metalloproteinase activity

Primary osteoarthritis (OA) is a musculoskeletal disorder of unknown etiology. OA is characterized by an imbalance between anabolism and catabolism in, and altered homeostasis of articular cartilage. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif are upregulated in OA joints. Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are critical for resistance to compressive forces and for maintaining the tensile properties of the tissue. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) is the endogenous inhibitor of MMPs, but in OA, TIMPs do not effectively neutralize MMP activity. Upregulation of MMP gene expression occurs in OA in a milieu of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α. Presently, the medical therapy of OA includes mainly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids which dampen pain and inflammation but appear to have little effect on restoring joint function. Experimental interventions to restore the imbalance between anabolism and catabolism include small molecule inhibitors of MMP subtypes or inhibitors of the interaction between IL-1 and its receptor. Although these agents have some positive effects on reducing MMP subtype activity they have little efficacy at the clinical level. MMP-9 is one MMP subtype implicated in the degradation of articular cartilage ECM proteins. MMP-9 was found in OA synovial fluid as a complex with neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) which protected MMP-9 from autodegradation. Suppressing NGAL synthesis or promoting NGAL degradation may result in reducing the activity of MMP-9. We also propose initiating a search for enzyme-protein interactions to dampen other MMP subtype activity which could suppress ECM protein breakdown.
A Small Chimeric Fibronectin Fragment Accelerates Dermal Wound Repair in Diabetic Mice

Objective: During wound repair, soluble fibronectin is converted into biologically active, insoluble fibrils via a cell-mediated process. This fibrillar, extracellular matrix (ECM) form of fibronectin stimulates cell processes critical to tissue repair. Nonhealing wounds show reduced levels of ECM fibronectin fibrils. The objective of this study was to produce a small, recombinant wound supplement with the biological activity of insoluble fibronectin fibrils. Approach: A chimeric fibronectin fragment was produced by inserting the integrin-binding Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) loop from the tenth type III repeat of fibronectin (FNIII10) into the analogous site within the heparin-binding, bioactive fragment of the first type III repeat (FNIII1H). FNIII1HRGD was tested for its ability to support cell functions necessary for wound healing, and then evaluated for its capacity to accelerate healing of full-thickness dermal wounds in diabetic mice. Results: In vitro, FNIII1HRGD supported cell adhesion, proliferation, and EC...
Injection Molding of Rubber Compound with Rheology Affected by Vulcanization: Part I. Material Characterization

Abstract Rheological behavior of rubber is highly sensitive to the thermal history and cure kinetics. Rheological characterization for SBR compound is carried out using a capillary rheometer and modified Mooney viscometer. The viscosity function, which is not only temperature and shear-rate dependent but also cure-level dependent, is constructed. A modification of Cross model is proposed and verified to predict the rheological and chemorheological behaviors of SBR compounds. This rheological characterization is combined with vulcanization kinetic characterization. The parameters of vulcanization are obtained from DSC measurement under several nonisothermal conditions. The significance of correcting for temperature lag in the DSC measurements and the corresponding rate-of-vulcanization lag resulting from the nonisothermal DSC scan is illustrated. The proposed rheological function is further modified to incorporate the temperature- and state-of-cure-dependent yield behavior of rubber compounds at low shear ...
DFT calculations of ammonia oxidation reactions on bimetallic clusters of platinum and iridium

Abstract Density functional theory calculations were performed on four platinum-iridium clusters, Pt3−xIrx (x = 0–3) to examine ammonia oxidation in alkaline media. The adsorption of NH3−x (x = 0–3) on these clusters and the effect of cluster composition on the adsorption were investigated. The hybrid B3LYP level of theory was used in Gaussian 09 along with the LANL2DZ and 6-311++g basis sets. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap on bare metal clusters showed that increasing the iridium concentration decreased the energy gap, a sign of a more reactive catalyst. The relative adsorption energy showed more stability of NH3−x on the Ir3 cluster and less stability as the number of platinum atoms increased in the cluster. These results combined with activation and dissociation energy calculations of sequential dehydrogenation reactions showed that Ir3 is more active than Pt3 for ammonia oxidation, and the addition of iridium to platinum makes a more favorable pathway for the ammonia oxidation reaction. The computational calculations suggest the possibility of two different mechanisms of ammonia oxidation on platinum and iridium electrocatalysts.
Oriented polysilane films evaporated on poly (tetrafluoroethylene) layer

Poly (dimethylsilane) (PDMS), poly (methylphenylsilane) (PMPS) and poly (cyclohexylmethylsilane) (PCHMS) were evaporated on the substrates coated with poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). The oriented PTFE layer on substrates was formed by means of mechanical deposition technique. The orientation characteristics for polysilane films were estimated by polarizing microscope images, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and polarized absorption spectra. The orientation characteristics were confirmed only in the poly (dimethylsilane) (PDMS) film on the PTFE layer. The oriented regions in the evaporated PDMS film were lain along the grooves with a several micron width formed on PTFE layer. The X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the silicon backbone chains lie in a plain parallel to the substrate and that a particular crystalline plain is also parallel to the substrate.
Dynamic and Robust Wildfire Risk Prediction System: An Unsupervised Approach

Ability to predict the risk of damaging events (e.g. wildfires) is crucial in helping emergency services in their decision making processes, to mitigate and reduce the impact of such events. Today, wildfire rating systems have been in operation extensively in many countries around the world to estimate the danger of wildfires. In this paper we propose a data-driven approach to predict wildfire risk using weather data. We show how we address the inherent challenge arising due to the temporal dynamicity of weather data. Weather observations naturally change in time, with finer-scale variation (e.g. stationary day or night) or large variations (nonstationary day or night), and this determines a temporal variation of the predicted wildfire danger. We show how our dynamic wildfire danger prediction model addresses the aforementioned challenge using context-based anomaly detection techniques. We call our predictive model a Context-Based Fire Risk (CBFR) model. The advantage of our model is that it maintains multiple historical models for different temporal variations (e.g. day versus night), and uses ensemble learning techniques to predict wildfire risk with high accuracy. In addition, it is completely unsupervised and does not rely on expert knowledge, which makes it flexible and easily applied to any region of interest. Our CBFR model is also scalable and can potentially be parallelised to speed up computation. We have considered multiple wildfire locations in the Blue Mountains, Australia as a case study, and compared the results of our system with the existing well-established Australian wildfire rating system. The experimental results show that our predictive model has a substantially higher accuracy in predicting wildfire risk, which makes it an effective model to supplement the operational Australian wildfire rating system.
Carbonylation of Ethylene Oxide to β-Propiolactone: A Facile Route to Poly(3-hydroxypropionate) and Acrylic Acid

We report an improved synthesis of poly(3-hydroxypropionate) (P3HP) from ethylene oxide (EO) and carbon monoxide (CO) through the intermediate β-propiolactone (PL). The optimized carbonylation of EO resulted in high selectivity for PL using a bimetallic [Lewis acid]+[Co(CO)4]− catalyst. Anionic ring-opening polymerization of PL by organic ionic compounds to afford P3HP was also investigated. A phosphazenium carboxylate initiator displays the highest activity for the polymerization and produces polyesters with molecular weights over 100 kDa and narrow molar mass distributions. Furthermore, the known rearrangement of PL and the thermolysis of P3HP provide efficient EO-based routes to the important commodity chemical acrylic acid.
Abuse Liability of Triazolam: Experimental Measurements in Animals and Humans

Drug abuse liability refers to: (a) the liability for abuse (i.e., the likelihood that a drug will be abused) and/or (b) the liability of abuse (i.e., the untoward effects of abusing the drug). These two senses of abuse liability correspond directly to two major characteristics of drugs of abuse: (a) they have reinforcing properties (they have the capacity to maintain drug self-administration) and (b) they produce adverse effects (they have the capacity to harm the individual and/or society). The presence of both characteristics is necessary to define a drug of abuse. A drug devoid of reinforcing effects but producing significant adverse effects should be considered a poison, not a drug of abuse (e.g., cyanide). Similarly, a drug having some reinforcing properties but producing no adverse effects is not meaningfully considered a drug of abuse (e.g., a nontoxic, non-nutritive sweetener). The relative abuse liability of a compound is a positive interactive function of the degree of reinforcing properties and adverse effect. Thus, compounds with high abuse liability could be: (a) highly efficacious reinforcers producing highly significant adverse effects (e.g., phencyclidine); (b) equivocal reinforcers producing highly significant adverse effects (e.g., lysergic acid diethylamide); or (c) highly efficacious reinforcers producing modest adverse effects (e.g., moderate cocaine doses). Compounds with low abuse liability must necessarily be those which are marginal reinforcers and produce marginal adverse effects (e.g., caffeine).
Computational simulations for the development of novel solid-state smart NiTi-Al thermal diodes:

In this study, NiTi shape memory alloys coupled in series with Al are considered as building blocks for thermal diodes. It is shown that the strong nonlinearity in the temperature-dependent thermal...
Relationship between DNA Synthesis, Juvenile Hormone and Metamorphosis in Galleria Larvae

Epidermal cells in holometabolous insects exhibit progressive differentiative changes. At hatching from the egg, the larval epicells have already secreted a characteristic larval cuticle. In Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth, the larval cuticle is untanned, soft and pliable with hexagonal plaques on the surface. In insects, each epidermal cell secretes the cuticle that is overlying it. Thus, each hexagonal plaque represents the boundary lines of the cuticle secreted by the epidermal cell underlying the plaque. The larva passes through several morphologically and anatomically similar instars. At each of these succeeding larval molts the epidermal cells secrete a morphologically and chemically similar cuticle. After a definite number of larval molts, usually seven in Galleria, the larva metamorphoses into a pupa. At this molt the epidermal cells secrete a pupal cuticle characterized by its tanned exocuticle and knob-like elevations on the outer surface. Acquisition of the ability to secrete a pupal cuticle by the larval epidermal cells has been regarded as a differentiative event.
Re-engineering, Process Mapping, Continuous Process Improvement and Outsourcing

All businesses can be improved. To drive a company to peak performance, sometimes it’s a question of making many small improvements and sometimes a quantum leap in productivity is needed. Performance goals, time available, and resources determine the best mix of techniques.
Key Events in the Evolution of Implantable Pacemaker Batteries

The successful development of implantable cardiac pacemakers has been facilitated by the merging of the relevant technologies in electronics and power sources. The mercury/zinc oxide battery was a key component in the initial development of implantable pulse generators and that battery system is closely associated with the name of Dr. Samuel Ruben (Fig. 1). Subsequently, the lithium/iodine battery was developed for hermetically sealed, longer-lived pulse generators, and this development has been closely associated with the name of Dr. Wilson Greatbatch (Fig. 2). Both of these men are recognized as outstanding inventors and have been creative in a number of technologies.
Gut content biomass of stream fishes: associations with streamflow velocity, population density, and prey abundance at two spatial scales

Although food consumption rate has been identified as an important biological variable informing growth rates and population dynamics in fisheries management, equivalent measures receive little attention for native stream fishes. This research investigates whether spatial variation in fish gut fullness can be explained by streamflow velocity, population density, or prey abundance. We tested hypotheses associated with outcomes of habitat-specific energetic demands, exploitation competition, and resource-driven habitat use. Gut content biomass (GCB) of insectivorous fish species was compared at reach and at landscape scales in the Meramec River basin (Missouri, USA). Explanatory variables were selected using ridge regression with cross-validation. GCB of widely distributed species was correlated with body size, streamflow velocity, conspecific fish density, and prey abundance. At the reach scale, GCB was positively correlated with streamflow velocity in three species, supporting a prediction of an optimal foraging model. Negative relationships between GCB and density of Luxilus zonatus may be due to exploitation competition, while positive relationships between GCB and density of Etheostoma flabellare likely result from resource-driven habitat use. We found few relationships between GCB and explanatory variables at the landscape scale, suggesting that unmeasured biological and habitat variables are more important determining gut fullness at broad spatial scales.
ATAC2GRN: optimized ATAC-seq and DNase1-seq pipelines for rapid and accurate genome regulatory network inference

Chromatin accessibility profiling assays such as ATAC-seq and DNase1-seq offer the opportunity to rapidly characterize the regulatory state of the genome at a single nucleotide resolution. Optimization of molecular protocols has enabled the molecular biologist to produce next-generation sequencing libraries in several hours, leaving the analysis of sequencing data as the primary obstacle to wide-scale deployment of accessibility profiling assays. To address this obstacle we have developed an optimized and efficient pipeline for the analysis of ATAC-seq and DNase1-seq data. We executed a multi-dimensional grid-search on the NIH Biowulf supercomputing cluster to assess the impact of parameter selection on biological reproducibility and ChIP-seq recovery by analyzing 4560 pipeline configurations. Our analysis improved ChIP-seq recovery by 15% for ATAC-seq and 3% for DNase1-seq and determined that PCR duplicate removal improves biological reproducibility by 36% without significant costs in footprinting transcription factors. Our analyses of down sampled reads identified a point of diminishing returns for increased library sequencing depth, with 95% of the ChIP-seq data of a 200 million read footprinting library recovered by 160 million reads. We present optimized ATAC-seq and DNase-seq pipelines in both Snakemake and bash formats as well as optimal sequencing depths for ATAC-seq and DNase-seq projects. The optimized ATAC-seq and DNase1-seq analysis pipelines, parameters, and ground-truth ChIP-seq datasets have been made available for deployment and future algorithmic profiling.
Contradictory Results in Microbiome Science Exemplified by Recent Drosophila Research

ABSTRACT The bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum is prevalent in animal guts and is widely regarded as beneficial and probiotic. D. Fast et al. (mBio 9:e01114-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01114-18) make the surprising discovery that L. plantarum reduces the life span of Drosophila melanogaster and link this effect with the loss and weakened proliferation of stem cells in the Drosophila gut. These results are apparently at odds with published evidence for beneficial effects of L. plantarum, especially promoting high developmental rates and stimulating stem cell proliferation in young Drosophila. The among-study discrepancies highlight the context dependence of many effects of gut microbes on host health, likely influenced by host age and genotype, variation among bacterial strains, and diet. The diversity of results offers an opportunity to elucidate a fundamental mechanism(s) and the circumstances that dictate whether gut bacteria have positive or negative effects on host health. These studies also reinforce the value of Drosophila as an emerging model system for probiotic science.
Pilot Prehabilitation Program for Patients With Esophageal Cancer During Neoadjuvant Therapy and Surgery.

Abstract Background Locally advanced esophageal cancer is often treated with neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery. Many patients present with or experience clinical deconditioning during neoadjuvant therapy. Prehabilitation programs in other areas of surgery have demonstrated improved postoperative outcomes. The aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of a pilot prehabilitation program and determine preliminary effects on surgical and cancer-related outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of patients treated at a single institution with resectable esophageal cancer was performed (n = 22). Patients in the prehabilitation group received protocol-structured intervention in several clinical domains including nutrition, psychosocial support, and physical exercise. Results Clinical stage and comorbidities were well matched between groups. The structured prehabilitation program was feasible and well received by participants. Fewer patients required admission during neoadjuvant therapy in the prehabilitation group (27.3% versus 54.5%). Percentage weight loss during treatment was 3.0% in the prehabilitation group versus 4.3% in the control group. Compared with the control group, the prehabilitation group demonstrated 0.0% versus 18.2% 30-d postoperative readmission rate and 18.2% versus 27.3% 90-d postoperative readmission rate. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in regard to complications or mortality. Conclusions The pilot prehabilitation program demonstrated feasibility of implementing a structured program for patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer. Although the small population limits evaluation of statistical significance, trends in the data suggest a potential benefit of the prehabilitation program on neoadjuvant hospital admission rates, postsurgical readmission rates, and nutritional status.
Influences on Parent Perceptions of Autism Severity

Research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often relies on parent report for describing behavior and symptoms. Psychometric studies in assessment have supported the utility of parent report; howeve...
“Ele te chamou pra roubar? E tu foi. Tá gostando agora?” Justiça e alteridade em três documentários de Maria Augusta Ramos

Este ensaio resenha os seguintes filmes: Justica/Justice. Dir. Maria Augusta Ramos. Prod. Jan de Ruiter, Luis Vidal, Niek Koppen, and Renee Van Der Grinten. Brazil/Netherlands, 2004, 107’. DVD. Film is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUWZHNWcj7U. Juizo/Behave. Dir. Maria Augusta Ramos. Prod. Diler Trinidade. Brazil, 2007. 90’. DVD. Film is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymNRVuilnA. Morro dos Prazeres/Hill of Pleasures. Dir. Maria Augusta Ramos. Prod. Eduardo Ades and Daniela Santos in association with Imagem-Tempo. Brazil/Netherlands, 2013, 90’. DVD. Film is available by contacting the distributor at atendimento@bretzfilmes.com.br. O Processo/The Trial. Dir. Maria Augusta Ramos. Prod. Leonardo Mecchi. Brazil, 2018, 100’. Not yet released in DVD. Contact the distributor at http://www.vitrinefilmes.com.br/site/.
Compartmentalization of dendritic cell and T-cell interactions in the lymph node: Anatomy of T-cell fate decisions

Upon receiving cognate and co-stimulatory priming signals from antigen (Ag)-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in secondary lymphoid tissues, naive CD4+ T cells differentiate into distinct effector and memory populations. These alternate cell fate decisions, which ultimately control the T-cell functional attributes, are dictated by programming signals provided by Ag-bearing DCs and by other cells that are present in the microenvironment in which T-cell priming occurs. We know that DCs can be subdivided into multiple populations and that the various DC subsets exhibit differential capacities to initiate development of the different CD4+ T-helper populations. What is less well understood is why different subanatomic regions of secondary lymphoid tissues are colonized by distinct populations of Ag-presenting DCs and how the location of these DCs influences the type of T-cell response that will be generated. Here we review how chemokine receptors and their ligands, which position allergen and nematode-activated DCs within different microdomains of secondary lymphoid tissues, contribute to the establishment of IL-4 committed follicular helper T and type 2 helper cell responses.
Ian McHarg and “the ecology of the city”

In a 2016 review article, American urban ecologist Steward Pickett and his coauthor colleagues note that before “the ecology of the city” was identified as a second paradigm of urban ecological science in the late 1990s, there had been “venerable and important precedents”. In this communication, the author substantiates their remark with a revelation of such a precedent set by American ecological scholar-practitioner and educator Ian L. McHarg in the 1960s.
Emergent Concepts of Receptor Pharmacology

Pharmacology, the chemical control of physiology, emerged as an offshoot of physiology when the physiologists using chemicals to probe physiological systems became more interested in the probes than the systems. Pharmacologists were always, and in many ways still are, bound to study drugs in systems they do not fully understand. Under these circumstances, null methods were the main ways in which conclusions about biologically active molecules were made. However, as understanding of the basic mechanisms of cellular function and biochemical systems were elucidated, so too did the understanding of how drugs affected these systems. Over the past 20 years, new ideas have emerged in the field that have completely changed and revitalized it; these are described herein. It will be seen how null methods in isolated tissues gave way to, first biochemical radioligand binding studies, and then to a wide array of functional assay technologies that can measure the effects of molecules on drug targets. In addition, the introduction of molecular dynamics, the appreciation of the allosteric nature of receptors, protein X-ray crystal structures, genetic manipulations in the form of knock-out and knock-in systems and Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs have revolutionized pharmacology.
Keystone: an open framework for architecting trusted execution environments

Trusted execution environments (TEEs) see rising use in devices from embedded sensors to cloud servers and encompass a range of cost, power constraints, and security threat model choices. On the other hand, each of the current vendor-specific TEEs makes a fixed set of trade-offs with little room for customization. We present Keystone---the first open-source framework for building customized TEEs. Keystone uses simple abstractions provided by the hardware such as memory isolation and a programmable layer underneath untrusted components (e.g., OS). We build reusable TEE core primitives from these abstractions while allowing platform-specific modifications and flexible feature choices. We showcase how Keystone-based TEEs run on unmodified RISC-V hardware and demonstrate the strengths of our design in terms of security, TCB size, execution of a range of benchmarks, applications, kernels, and deployment models.
A Risk Management Framework and A Generalized Attack Automata for IoT based Smart Home Environment

Security has been identified as one of the top barriers of Internet of Things (IoT) based smart home environment. The vulnerabilities in IoT based systems produce security threats and challenges that affect smart environment applications. Since smart home is the fastest developing field of IoT technology, it provides innovative, intellectual, ubiquitous and interactive services to users using different operations. Due to internet-connected, dynamic and heterogeneous nature, smart home environment creates new security, authentication, access control and privacy challenges. To increase information security and integrity, the IoT based smart environment crucially needs an attack model along with a risk management framework. In this paper, we propose the finite state automata-based attack model in order to investigate smart home based security attacks and then evaluate their impact with our proposed risk management framework in order to mitigate IoT smart home related crucial attacks. Finally, through the analysis of typical attack behavior and risk management framework, it shows that the proposed framework is practicable and effective.
Assessing the utility of LIBS in the reconstruction of firearm related incidents

Abstract This study evaluated the use of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) as a fast spectrochemical detection method for gunshot residues analysis around bullet orifices in complex substrates. Two approaches were assessed; the first one was aimed at shooting distance determination on bloody fabrics and the second one provided a fast bullet hole chemical identification. Fifty cotton-based clothing samples were fired from different distance intervals, with a 9 mm pistol, and then covered in human blood. Thirty of the clothing items were used as calibration samples and twenty samples were shot at distances unknown to the analysts and used as blind tests. LIBS ablations were used to developed elemental maps of the analytes present on each blood-stained sample. Following data acquisition, discriminant analysis was performed as a prediction tool for unknown distance samples. The LIBS method demonstrated superior performance when compared to physical examinations and color testing (100%, 50%, and 40% correct classification rates, respectively). Additionally, twenty-one glass, wood, and drywall substrates were shot from closed range and these materials were chemically mapped, using an optimized LIBS protocol. The substrates were specifically chosen to represent typical surface found at crime scenes that have shown challenging identification issues following traditional methods for bullet hole testing. The proposed method, presented in this project, allowed easy transfer of gunshot residues (GSR) from the substrates and quick mapping of GSR markers around the bullet orifice. LIBS offered improved analysis over conventional methods by eliminating the need of chemical reagents for testing, limiting sample preparation, enhancing selectivity, and generating permanent spectrochemical heat maps, and more accurate estimations for shooting distance determination and bullet hole identification.
Computationally Designed Cyclic Peptides Derived from an Antibody Loop Increase Breadth of Binding for Influenza Variants

Summary The influenza hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein is the target of many broadly neutralizing antibodies. However, influenza viruses can rapidly escape antibody recognition by mutation of hypervariable regions of HA that overlap with the binding epitope. We hypothesized that by designing peptides to mimic antibody loops, we could enhance breadth of binding to HA antigenic variants by reducing contact with hypervariable residues on HA that mediate escape. We designed cyclic peptides that mimic the heavy-chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDRH3) of anti-influenza broadly neutralizing antibody C05 and show that these peptides bound to HA molecules with
Early changes in synaptic and intrinsic properties of dentate gyrus granule cells in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology and atypical effects of the cholinergic antagonist atropine.

It has been reported that hyperexcitability occurs in a subset of patients with Alzheimer9s disease (AD) and hyperexcitability could contribute to the disease. Several studies have suggested that the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) may be an important area where hyperexcitability occurs. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the principal DG cell type, granule cells (GCs), would exhibit changes at the single-cell level which would be consistent with hyperexcitability and might help explain it. We used the Tg2576 mouse, where it has been shown that hyperexcitability is robust at 2-3 months of age. GCs from 2-3-month-old Tg2576 mice were compared to age-matched wild type (WT) mice. Effects of muscarinic cholinergic antagonism were tested because previously we found that Tg2576 mice exhibited hyperexcitability in vivo that was reduced by the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist atropine, counter to the dogma that in AD one needs to boost cholinergic function. The results showed that GCs from Tg2576 mice exhibited increased frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic potentials/currents (sEPSP/Cs) and reduced frequency of spontaneous inhibitory synaptic events (sIPSCs) relative to WT, increasing the excitation:inhibition (E:I) ratio. There was an inward glutamatergic current that we defined here as a novel synaptic current (nsC) in Tg2576 mice because it was very weak in WT mice. Although not usually measured, intrinsic properties were distinct in Tg2576 GCs relative to WT. In summary, GCs of the Tg2576 mouse exhibit early electrophysiological alterations that are consistent with increased synaptic excitation, reduced inhibition, and muscarinic cholinergic dysregulation. The data support previous suggestions that the DG and cholinergic system contribute to hyperexcitability early in life in AD mouse models.
Antiseizure Medication Withdrawal Following Epilepsy Surgery.

As pediatric epilepsy surgery cases increase in number and complexity, there remains a paucity of data regarding how, when, and in whom to discontinue antiseizure medications postoperatively. The “TimeToStop” data has been influential to clinical practice, revealing that while early discontinuation of antiseizure medications may reveal surgical failures earlier, it does not ultimately lead to a change in long-term seizure outcomes. The authors of other studies have also shown cognitive improvements in children for whom medications were discontinued postoperatively. Survey results over the last 2 decades have shown that clinicians have started to discontinue antiseizure medications earlier. This is an individualized decision with numerous factors to consider. Further research is needed to explore the optimal timing of medication discontinuation in this heterogeneous population of children undergoing epilepsy surgery.
Osteoarthritis Care and Risk of Total Knee Arthroplasty Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population-Based Study of Regional Covariation.

Objective To examine health care utilization among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and assess whether utilization differs among residents of regions with high and low rates of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of US Medicare beneficiaries with knee OA enrolled from 2005 to 2010. Health care utilization data for knee complaints, including rates of physician visits, physical therapy, knee injections, and arthroscopy, were abstracted from claims files until time of TKA or the end of the study in 2015. Utilization was compared among beneficiaries who lived in regions with high or low rates of TKA. Results Among 988,570 beneficiaries with knee OA, 327,499 (33.1%) underwent TKA during follow-up (median 5.6 years). Higher frequency of visits for knee complaints was associated with increased risk of TKA, whereas physical therapy, specialist care, and intraarticular treatments were associated with lower risk of TKA. Frequency of TKA varied from 26.4% in the lowest regional TKA rate quintile to 42.1% in the highest regional TKA rate quintile. Rates of physician visits, physical therapy, specialist care, and treatment with intraarticular injections varied inversely with regional TKA rate quintile. For example, 32.5% of beneficiaries in the lowest region quintile and 23.6% in the highest region quintile underwent physical therapy. Across all quintiles, physical therapy was associated with lower TKA rates. Conclusion Dedicated nonsurgical OA care was infrequently used to treat elderly Americans with knee OA. Nonsurgical care was more common in regions with low TKA rates, suggesting reciprocal emphasis on medical treatment compared to surgical treatment across regions.
Why Interfaces, Quantum Wells and Superlattices? Some Comments

One of the key threads that run through the study of the systems in this summer school is our attempt to do something different rather than find out if Schroedinger’s equation describes the physics involved. We are reasonably sure of that. What we are trying to put together is the simplest description of the real situation so that we may see which aspect of the physics dominates the problem. From an historical point of view, Bloch’s theorem made life simpler in that we could conceive of many problems with many fewer variables to keep track of. But alas, the real world is not a combination of the effective mass theory and a simple one dimensional potential.
Chapter 12 Sales promotion models

Publisher Summary Modeling has a place in the understanding and planning of sales promotion, and much progress has been recently made. However, there are still many unanswered questions, even regarding some of the areas that have been thoroughly researched. In addition, one should begin to see a shift toward prescriptive models and hopefully an increase in managerial use of models. The potential need is there, and so is the technology. If it is successful, this chapter, by summarizing the field, helps to accelerate progress in the development and implementation of sales-promotion models.
The Benefits to Be Derived from Post-Negotiation Assessments

Lawyers negotiate regularly, but few ever take the time when they have completed such critical interactions to ask themselves how they did. If they hope to improve their bargaining capabilities, they should take a few minutes after their more significant interactions to ask themselves some basic questions. Were they thoroughly prepared, and did they establish elevated but realistic aspirations? How did the negotiation stages develop? What bargaining techniques did they employ, and how did they counteract the tactics used by the other side? What did they do that they wished they had not done? What did they not do that they should have done? Through such inquiries, attorneys can significantly enhance their bargaining skills.
The influence of occupational footwear on dynamic balance perturbations

Occupational footwear is designed for safety and have been shown to impact balance, especially in occupational environments, where the human body is subjected to destabilizing forces by both internal and external perturbations.Purpose: The purpose of the study was to analyze the effects of three industry standard occupational footwear on balance performance during external perturbations.Methods: Thirty-one healthy male adults (age: 21.2 ± 1.4 years; height: 179 ± 9.4 cm; mass: 82.6 ± 15.4 kg) with no history of neuro-musculoskeletal abnormalities participated in this study. The experimental procedure followed a repeated measures design; all participants were tested for balance with barefoot (BF), and three occupational footwear presented in a randomized order: low top shoe (LT), tactical boot (TB) and work boot (WB) on the same day separated by 10-minute washout rest periods. Balance was assessed by Motor Control Test (MCT) on the NeuroCom Equitest with synced electromyography (EMG) recordings from right ...
An object-oriented representation for search algorithms

ABSTRACT Learning by reasoning about the problem solver requires a suitable representation of it. We describe an object-oriented representation for heuristic search algorithms that supports inference and transformation.
Adolescents and HIV: theory-based approaches to education of nurses.

Adolescents and HIV: theory-based approaches to education of nurses HIV infection is increasingly prevalent in adolescents, and primary prevention programmes have been most effective when based on existing theories, including social cognitive theory (SCT). Nurses play an important role in assessing adolescents’ risk for HIV infection and in recommending preventive behaviour change, if their comfort with these activities is increased. Practising nurses (n=88, mean age=40·8) from a university medical centre and surrounding hospitals participated in either a didactic or SCT-based workshop and a vignette-based assessment. Utilizing a randomized controlled design, this study compared the effectiveness of the two types of workshops by measuring HIV-related knowledge and attitudes, as well as comfort with and intent to perform HIV-related risk assessments. Differences in comfort and intent based on target patients’ cultural descriptors were also evaluated. The SCT-based workshops yielded more positive results for all four outcome variables at the 8-week follow-up (F2,71=4·27, P < 0·02). Cultural stereotyping also appeared to play a role in nurses’ intent to perform assessments (F2,74=11·81, P < 0·001). Suggestions for improving the workshops and incorporating other theory-based approaches are discussed.
Modeling of Electroconvective Effects on the Interaction Between Electric Fields and Low Conductive Drops

Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) is used to examine the significance of electroconvective effects on the response of drops immersed in electric fields. The electric Reynolds number, defined as the ratio between the charge relaxation time due to Ohmic conduction and the time scale associated with charge convection, is used to quantify the strength of electroconvective effects. The computations show that the convection of electrical charges results in a weakening of the oblate deformation observed for drops less conductive than the suspending fluid and a strengthening in the prolate deformation of drops more conductive than the suspending fluid. In addition, DNS is also used to examine how the convection of electrical charges modifies the drop-to-drop interaction. When two or more drops are close enough, the presence of an electric field leads to a complex interaction that can result in either drop aggregation or a repulsion force between the drops depending on the dielectric properties and strength of the electric field. Charge convection strengthens the repulsion when the electrical conductivity ratio is greater than the dielectric permittivity ratio, whereas it reinforces attraction when the dielectric permittivity ratio is higher than the electrical conductivity ratio.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Lessons in Fundamental Mechanisms and Diverse Adaptations from the 2015 Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction Meeting

ABSTRACT In response to rapid changes in their environment, bacteria control a number of processes, including motility, cell division, biofilm formation, and virulence. Research presented in January 2015 at the biennial Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Tucson, AZ, illustrates the elegant complexity of the nanoarrays, nanomachines, and networks of interacting proteins that mediate such processes. Studies employing an array of biophysical, genetic, cell biology, and mathematical methods are providing an increasingly detailed understanding of the mechanisms of these systems within well-studied bacteria. Furthermore, comparisons of these processes in diverse bacterial species are providing insight into novel regulatory and functional mechanisms. This review summarizes research presented at the BLAST meeting on these fundamental mechanisms and diverse adaptations, including findings of importance for applications involving bacteria of medical or agricultural relevance.
Paruresis: What Counselors Need to Know about Assessment and Treatment of Shy Bladder Syndrome

Paruresis, considered a category of social phobia, is the fear of being unable to initiate or sustain urination in the presence of others or in situations where others may become present. Many clients who struggle with paruresis present with symptoms commonly associated with other types of social phobia, which makes assessment, diagnosis, and treatment difficult. Although paruresis is relatively common, many counselors know little about it. This article focuses on the prevalence, etiology, course, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of paruresis. Case scenarios are presented to guide counselors in assessing and diagnosing paruresis. Implications for counselors are discussed.
Changing Views of Culture and Behavior: An Interview with Robert Serpell

Charles Lockett is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at James Madison University, where he teaches developmental psychology as well as advanced topic courses in cultural psychology and the psychology of race and racism. A graduate of Howard University, Lockett credits Howard's Preparing Future Faculty Fellowship Program for his grasp of classroom dynamics. Lockett's research focus is examining cultural and personal identity factors that lead to achievement among minority populations. Robert Serpell, Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is currently a visiting professor at the University of Malawi where he conducts applied developmental psychology research. He was the Director of the Doctoral Studies Program in Applied Developmental Psychology (1989 to 2001). Born and raised in England, with a BA (Oxford, 1965), and a PhD (Sussex, 1969), he is a citizen of Zambia and worked at the University of Zambia (1965 to 1989) as Head, Psychology Department, and Director...
Lead potentiates iron-induced formation of reactive oxygen species

There are reports that lead may promote free-radical initiated events in biological tissue. However, there are also reports on the inability of lead salts to stimulate the production of reactive oxygen species in isolated systems. Furthermore, there is no well understood rationale as to why lead should exhibit pronounced pro-oxidant properties. We are reporting that while lead acetate does not initiate any excess generation of reactive oxygen species in a cerebral synaptosomal suspension, it has a marked ability to enhance the pro-oxidant properties of ferrous iron in the same system. This property was maximal at a lead concentration of 0.5 mM when major precipitation of lead salts occurred. Therefore, it may reside in the ability of iron to form an active chelate on the surface of insoluble lead salts. Such an interaction may account for the discrepancies in the literature concerning the relation between lead toxicity and oxidative stress.
Proton-driven electromagnetic instabilities in high-speed solar wind streams

Electromagnetic instabilities of the field-aligned, right-hand circularly polarized magnetosonic wave and the left-hand circularly polarized Alfven wave driven by two drifted proton components are analyzed for model parameters determined from Imp 7 solar wind proton data measured during high-speed flow conditions. Growth rates calculated using bi-Lorentzian forms for the main and beam proton as well as core and halo electron velocity distributions do not differ significantly from those calculated using bi-Maxwellian forms. Using distribution parameters determined from 17 measured proton spectra, we show that considering the uncertainties the magnetosonic wave may be linearly stable and the Alfven wave is linearly unstable. Because proton velocity distribution function shapes are observed to persist for times long compared to the proton gyroperiod, the latter result suggests that linear stability theory fails for proton-driven ion cyclotron waves in the high-speed solar wind.
Finite element analysis of stress concentration around a blunt crack in a Cosserat elastic solid

Abstract The problem of a blunt edge notch of elliptic contour in a strip of Cosserat (micropolar) elastic material under tension has been analyzed via two-dimensional (plane stress) finite element analysis. Both 3-node constant strain triangular elements and 4-node isoparametric elements were used. Three cases were explored: Cosserat characteristic length much less than the crack root radius, equal to the crack root radius, and comparable to the crack length. Stress concentration factors were found to be reduced by as much as a factor of 2.6 in comparison with a classically elastic material. For the special case of a classically elastic material, the finite element results agreed well with the classical analytic solution.
LSTGEE: Longitudinal analysis of neuroimaging data

Longitudinal imaging studies are essential to understanding the neural development of neuropsychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and normal brain. Using appropriate image processing and statistical tools to analyze the imaging, behavioral, and clinical data is critical for optimally exploring and interpreting the findings from those imaging studies. However, the existing imaging processing and statistical methods for analyzing imaging longitudinal measures are primarily developed for cross-sectional neuroimaging studies. The simple use of these cross-sectional tools to longitudinal imaging studies will significantly decrease the statistical power of longitudinal studies in detecting subtle changes of imaging measures and the causal role of time-dependent covariate in disease process. The main objective of this paper is to develop longitudinal statistics toolbox, called LSTGEE, for the analysis of neuroimaging data from longitudinal studies. We develop generalized estimating equations for jointly modeling imaging measures with behavioral and clinical variables from longitudinal studies. We develop a test procedure based on a score test statistic and a resampling method to test linear hypotheses of unknown parameters, such as associations between brain structure and function and covariates of interest, such as IQ, age, gene, diagnostic groups, and severity of disease. We demonstrate the application of our statistical methods to the detection of the changes of the fractional anisotropy across time in a longitudinal neonate study. Particularly, our results demonstrate that the use of longitudinal statistics can dramatically increase the statistical power in detecting the changes of neuroimaging measures. The proposed approach can be applied to longitudinal data with multiple outcomes and accommodate incomplete and unbalanced data, i.e., subjects with different number of measurements.