cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecosystem metabolism and greenhouse gas production in a mesotrophic northern temperate lake experiencing seasonal hypoxia

Many lacustrine systems, despite management efforts to control eutrophication, are hypoxic during stratified periods. Hypoxia is a major concern, not only for its impact on aquatic life but also for its potential to stimulate production of the greenhouse gases, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). We investigated the drivers of hypoxia in Muskegon Lake, a temperate dimictic freshwater estuary that experiences frequent hypolimnetic mixing due to atmospheric forces, riverine inputs, and intrusion of oxic water from coastal upwelling in Lake Michigan. Primary production and respiration (R) rates obtained from a δ18O mass balance model were similar to other mesotrophic environments (0.56–26.31 and 0.57–13.15 mmol O2 m−3 day−1, respectively), although high P/R (≥2 in mid-summer) indicated there is sufficient autochthonous production to support hypoxia development and persistence. The isotopic enrichment factor for respiration (eobs) varied markedly and was least negative in August of both sampling years, consistent with high R rates. Hypoxic conditions were associated with accumulation of N2O but not CH4, and emissions of N2O are among the highest reported from lakes. The average N2O site preference value of 25.4‰ indicates that the majority of N2O was produced by nitrification via hydroxylamine oxidation, despite the presence of resilient hypoxia. While it has been hypothesized that denitrification acts as a sink for N2O in hypoxic lakes, it is clear that Muskegon Lake functions as a strong source of N2O via nitrification. Further considerations of lakes as global sources of N2O thus warrant a closer evaluation of nitrification-fueled N2O production.
Streptomycin loaded TiO2 nanoparticles: preparation, characterization and antibacterial applications

We report a facile synthesis of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles by sol gel technique assisted by biogenic route using the rind of Aloevera and demonstrate the antibacterial assessment against human pathogens causing urinary tract infection. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by powder XRD analysis, FT-IR analysis and scanning electron microscopic analysis. The XRD spectrum confirmed that the synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles exhibit anatase phase. Average grain size was calculated using Debye–Scherrer formula and it was found to decrease from 13 to 8 nm with increasing template concentration. FTIR spectrum showed characteristic bands at 1626, 1056 and 1074 cm−1 revealing C–N stretching of amino groups present in the protein cages of Aloevera which assist in the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles. Morphological characterization analyzed by SEM showed nanocoral network and all the networks displayed excellent invitro bioactivity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi and Proteus mirabilis. Drug delivery was assessed by the release of anti-inflammatory streptomycin which is evidenced by the release profile suggesting that it has the potential to provide better deliveries.
Discrete helical modes in imploding and exploding cylindrical, magnetized liners

Discrete helical modes have been experimentally observed from implosion to explosion in cylindrical, axially magnetized ultrathin foils (Bz = 0.2 – 2.0 T) using visible self-emission and laser shadowgraphy. The striation angle of the helices, ϕ, was found to increase during the implosion and decrease during the explosion, despite the large azimuthal magnetic field (>40 T). These helical striations are interpreted as discrete, non-axisymmetric eigenmodes that persist from implosion to explosion, obeying the simple relation ϕ = m/kR, where m, k, and R are the azimuthal mode number, axial wavenumber, and radius, respectively. Experimentally, we found that (a) there is only one, or at the most two, dominant unstable eigenmode, (b) there does not appear to be a sharp threshold on the axial magnetic field for the emergence of the non-axisymmetric helical modes, and (c) higher axial magnetic fields yield higher azimuthal modes.
Placing Specified Vertices at Precise Locations on a Hamiltonian Cycle

Sharp minimum degree and degree sum conditions are proven for the existence of a Hamiltonian cycle passing through specified vertices with prescribed distances between them in large graphs.
Experiencia de internacionalización y desarrollo humano entre Colômbia y Brasil

Internationalization, as part of cultural processes, used by higher education institutions in the world, to stablish new exchange networks, coordination and cooperation is gradually integrated into its substantive functions of teaching, research and extension, and is aimed at generating higher levels of global competitiveness. Taking into account these elements, and using the research model based on the notion of lived experience, proposed by Van Manen (2003), is exposed on this analysis, the importance of making the ontological implications involved visible, this process, that product itself, it is possible to highlight fundamental aspects of human development, such as re meaning of reality, knowledge, personality and professional education. The article is the result of the experience in internationalization processes brought about in different areas of vocational training (doctoral internship, Ph.D.), between institutions in Brazil and Colombia, and demonstrates the importance of taking internationalization as a necessary instance to promote the human development and a process of continuous construction of being, through the dynamics of the relationships that allows, with himself, with others and with culture.
High-throughput imaging of self-luminous objects through a single optical fibre

Imaging through a single optical fibre offers attractive possibilities in applications such as micro-endoscopy or remote sensing. Using spread-spectrum encoding, Barankov and Mertz demonstrate two-dimensional imaging of self-luminous objects with high throughput, in theory independent of pixel number.
The Status of Four Aquatic Crustaceans from Grand Cayman, West Indies

The status of four species of aquatic crustaceans from Grand Cayman is being reported. These include: Anopsilana crenata (Cirolanidae), Macrobrachium heterochirus (Palaemonidae), Procambarus alleni (Cambaridae), and Stygiomysis sp. (Stygiomysidae).
The future of the suburban city: Lessons from sustaining Phoenix

Located in the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix is the hottest city in the United States. On average, there are 107 days of the year where temperatures reach 100°F or more. As a result of climate change, th...
The role of metabolic states in development and disease

During development, cells adopt distinct metabolic strategies to support growth, produce energy, and meet the demands of a mature tissue. Some of these metabolic states maintain a constrained program of nutrient utilization, while others providing metabolic flexibility as a means to couple developmental progression with nutrient availability. Here we discuss our understanding of metabolic programs, and how they support specific aspects of animal development. During phases of rapid proliferation a subset of metabolic programs provide the building blocks to support growth. During differentiation, metabolic programs shift to support the unique demands of each tissue. Finally, we discuss how a model system, such as Drosophila egg development, can provide a versatile platform to discover novel mechanisms controlling programmed shift in metabolism.
General Pediatric Otolaryngology

Croup-like symptoms on presentation for the child <6 months of age should be of concern for possible subglottic hemangioma. After maximization of medical therapy, adenoidectomy is the first-line surgical option for recurrent, acute sinusitis/adenoiditis in children. Consider adenoidectomy to help treat underlying Eustachian tube dysfunction. Nasal polyposis in a child should prompt a work-up for cystic fibrosis. Torticollis or decreased neck range of motion post-tonsillectomy should be suspicious for Grisel’s syndrome. Neck masses in children are most commonly the result of an infectious process.
Needles in a Haystack: Screening and Healthcare System Evidence for Homelessness

Effectiveness of screening for homelessness in a large healthcare system was evaluated in terms of successfully referring and connecting patients with appropriate prevention or intervention services. Screening and healthcare services data from nearly 6 million U.S. military veterans were analyzed. Veterans either screened positive for current or risk of housing instability, or negative for both. Current living situation was used to validate results of screening. Administrative evidence for homelessness-related services was significantly higher among positive-screen veterans who accepted a referral for services compared to those who declined. Screening for current or risk of homelessness led to earlier identification, which led to earlier and more extensive service engagement.
The Effect of Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy on Tumor Hypoxia in High-Grade Prostate Cancer: An 18F-MISO PET-MRI Study.

Purpose Tumor hypoxia is associated with radioresistance and poor prognosis after radiation therapy for prostate cancer (PCa). In this prospective pilot study, we assessed the ability of 18F-misonidazole (18F-MISO) positron emission tomography (PET)–magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect hypoxia in high-grade PCa patients who were candidates for curative radiation therapy, and we evaluated 18F-MISO PET-MRI modulation after 3 months of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (nADT). Methods and Materials Eleven PCa patients with a Gleason score (GS) ≥ 8 underwent 18F-fluorocholine (18F-FCH) PET–computed tomography at diagnosis and an 18F-MISO hybrid PET-MRI examination before nADT; a second 18F-MISO PET-MRI examination was acquired after 3 months of nADT for all patients but one who dropped out because of noncompliance with nADT. Immunohistochemistry for tissue hypoxia- and proliferation-related biomarkers (glucose transporter 1, carbonic anhydrase IX, vascular endothelial growth factor A, Ki-67, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor) was performed in lesions bearing the highest GS. We used nonparametric tests to assess (1) the presence of 18F-MISO–positive regions (tumor-to-background ratio [TBR] ≥ 1.4) at baseline; (2) the correlation between imaging parameters (PET tracer uptake, Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System [PIRADS] scores, and dynamic contrast enhancement perfusion markers) at baseline; (3) the difference in immunohistochemistry staining between 18F-MISO–positive and –negative lesions; and (4) the changes in 18F-MISO PET-MRI after nADT. Results Uptake of 18F-MISO was significant in 7 patients, being coincidental with the highest GS region in 5 of them. A significant correlation was found at baseline between GS and 18F-MISO TBR, between 18F-MISO TBR and MRI perfusion markers, between GS and 18F-FCH maximum standardized uptake value, between GS and PIRADS score, and between 18F-FCH maximum standardized uptake value and PIRADS score. No difference was found between 18F-MISO–positive and –negative biopsy specimens with respect to tissue biomarkers. The TBR of 18F-MISO diminished significantly after nADT only in high-grade lesions and in regions with a significant uptake at baseline. Conclusions PET imaging with 18F-MISO showed variable uptake in PCa, associated with a higher GS, lowering significantly after 3 months of nADT in high-grade lesions. These results suggest the existence of a hypoxic microenvironment in PCa and a reoxygenation effect of nADT.
Dysmature superficial white matter microstructure in developmental focal epilepsy.

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is a common childhood epilepsy syndrome that predominantly affects boys, characterized by self-limited focal seizures arising from the perirolandic cortex and fine motor abnormalities. Concurrent with the age-specific presentation of this syndrome, the brain undergoes a developmentally choreographed sequence of white matter microstructural changes, including maturation of association u-fibres abutting the cortex. These short fibres mediate local cortico-cortical communication and provide an age-sensitive structural substrate that could support a focal disease process. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the microstructural properties of superficial white matter in regions corresponding to u-fibres underlying the perirolandic seizure onset zone in children with this epilepsy syndrome compared with healthy controls. To verify the spatial specificity of these features, we characterized global superficial and deep white matter properties. We further evaluated the characteristics of the perirolandic white matter in relation to performance on a fine motor task, gender and abnormalities observed on EEG. Children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 14) underwent multimodal testing with high-resolution MRI including diffusion tensor imaging sequences, sleep EEG recordings and fine motor assessment. We compared white matter microstructural characteristics (axial, radial and mean diffusivity, and fractional anisotropy) between groups in each region. We found distinct abnormalities corresponding to the perirolandic u-fibre region, with increased axial, radial and mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy values in children with epilepsy (P = 0.039, P = 0.035, P = 0.042 and P = 0.017, respectively). Increased fractional anisotropy in this region, consistent with decreased integrity of crossing sensorimotor u-fibres, correlated with inferior fine motor performance (P = 0.029). There were gender-specific differences in white matter microstructure in the perirolandic region; males and females with epilepsy and healthy males had higher diffusion and fractional anisotropy values than healthy females (P ≤ 0.035 for all measures), suggesting that typical patterns of white matter development disproportionately predispose boys to this developmental epilepsy syndrome. Perirolandic white matter microstructure showed no relationship to epilepsy duration, duration seizure free, or epileptiform burden. There were no group differences in diffusivity or fractional anisotropy in superficial white matter outside of the perirolandic region. Children with epilepsy had increased radial diffusivity (P = 0.022) and decreased fractional anisotropy (P = 0.027) in deep white matter, consistent with a global delay in white matter maturation. These data provide evidence that atypical maturation of white matter microstructure is a basic feature in benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes and may contribute to the epilepsy, male predisposition and clinical comorbidities observed in this disorder.
Short-term circulating tumor cell dynamics in mouse xenograft models and implications for liquid biopsy

Abstract Motivation Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important in hematogenous cancer metastasis, and are usually studied by isolation from small peripheral blood samples. However, little is known about the short-term dynamics of CTC in vivo. Methods We recently developed an instrument called ‘diffuse in vivo flow cytometry’ (DiFC), that allows counting of fluorescently-labeled circulating cells without drawing blood samples. DiFC samples 50μL of circulating peripheral blood per minute, allowing continuous, non-invasive detection of CTCs. We used DiFC to study short-term changes in CTC numbers over time in mouse xenograft models of Lewis Lung carcinoma (LLC) and multiple myeloma (MM), in intervals corresponding to approximately 1, 5, 10 and 20% of the peripheral blood volume. Results For rare CTCs (LLC), short intervals (small blood volumes) frequently yielded no CTC detections, even when metastatic disease was present. For more abundant CTCs (MM), quantitative estimation of CTC numbers with single small blood volumes was generally highly inaccurate. Moreover, the observed variability in CTC detections in blood volumes often exceeded that predicted by Poisson statistics, suggesting that the mean number of CTCs changes over the timescale of minutes. Conclusions Overall, CTC numbers were observed to be highly dynamic in vivo over the course of 35-65 minute DiFC scans. These data provide direct experimental evidence of the notion that detection and quantitation accuracy can be improved by analysis of larger blood volumes, or by in vivo detection methods. In addition, quantitative accuracy can be improved by averaging multiple small blood samples taken over time, as opposed to single larger blood samples.
Exploratory analysis of anti‐insulin antibodies in diabetic dogs receiving recombinant human insulin

Objectives To quantify anti-insulin antibodies in diabetic dogs treated with recombinant human insulin and to determine if insulin dosage or duration of treatment differed between anti-insulin antibody-positive and -negative diabetic dogs. Materials and methods Descriptive preliminary study using serum from 24 client-owned diabetic dogs treated for a minimum of 2 weeks with recombinant human insulin, and 24 client-owned healthy control dogs without diabetes. Sera were analysed by radioimmunoassay for anti-insulin antibodies. The proportion of antibody positive dogs was compared between groups by Fisher's exact test. Results Four diabetic (16.6%) and no control dogs were anti-insulin antibody positive. Clinical significance These results indicate that treatment with recombinant human insulin may induce anti-insulin antibodies in dogs, although this finding needs to be re-investigated in a larger study to investigate the impact of anti-insulin antibodies on glycaemic control.
Essential Tensions in Facilitating Design Thinking: Collective Reflections

As design thinking expands into educational contexts, teams engaged in the process increasingly encounter situations that involve facilitating collaborative problem-solving. In design-focused workshops and other collaborative design activities, facilitators play a key role in supporting small group interactions in order to generate ideas, structure discussions, and guide the process. Yet despite this increased focus on collaborative design thinking, there is little research to inform either facilitator roles or facilitator practices in this process. We address this gap by presenting a qualitative study that thematically examines our experiences as university-based facilitators who supported a community-wide educational design event. Specifically, we served as facilitators in a collaborative, multi-stakeholder, educational design thinking workshop that sought innovations for a local high school improvement initiative. This research is a qualitative study of our own facilitation processes based on data generated through open-ended self-reflection questionnaires and facilitator planning and debriefing discussions. Our results demonstrate that design facilitation resonates with Thomas Kuhn’s (1977) notion of “essential tension.” Essential tension exists within multiple aspects of design thinking roles and practices—including processes, products, discussion flow, and group dynamics. We reflect on these findings and propose implications for design thinking facilitation in future research and practice.
Specific inhibitors of urokinase plasminogen activator for treatment of cancers; In silico approach

Invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis are fundamental processes in the development of solid cancers. All these depend on the proteolysis where plasminogen activation system (PAS) is the prominent component. Plasmin of PAS, with a broad spectrum of proteins lysed, is secreted as a pro-enzyme and then activated by urokinase (uPA) or tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Urokinase is in control of pericellular proteolysis while tPA mediates intravascular fibrinolysis. The most effective way to reduce excessive activity of plasmin in cancers is by inactivation of its activators (PAs). Inhibition of PAs reduces tumor size of cancers in vivo. However, for successful targeted anticancer therapy it is essential to find specific uPA inhibitors and to protect normal function of tPA. Unfortunately, most known inhibitors are unspecific, acting on both PAs. PAs are highly homologous enzymes with extreme similarities in their active sites so large numbers of chemicals need to be tested to find novel specific uPA inhibitors. Methods: As the availability of 3D protein structures determined experimentally by X-ray crystallography is growing, computational methods are ever more used in targeted drug discovery. AutoDock Vina molecular docking, exploring binding of small molecules to target protein using a Monte Carlo technique and scoring function, is gaining popularity due to its excellent prediction accuracy. Results: Using AutoDock we have found many inhibitors of PA from our 3D database of 6170 compounds which bind in silico to X-ray structures of the specificity pocket (B187-B197, B212-B229) of both PAs preventing activation of plasminogen. However we were successful in identifying a few molecules which are specific for uPA. For example: both amiloride and chrysin bind to the specificity pocket of uPA but not to tPA. We have found that they bind to other parts of tPA, distant from the specificity pocket, thus preserving the tPA enzymatic activity while being effective toward uPA. Conclusion: In silico search yield specific inhibitors of uPA which, when verified for safety and efficiency by in vivo testing, could be used as novel therapeutics to limit metastasis and angiogenesis in anticancer therapy.
H63D variant of the homeostatic iron regulator (HFE) gene alters α-synuclein expression, aggregation, and toxicity

Pathological features of Parkinson's disease include the formation of Lewy bodies containing α-synuclein and the accumulation of iron in the substantia nigra. Previous studies have suggested that iron accumulation contributes to the Parkinson's disease pathology through reactive oxygen species production and accelerated α-synuclein aggregation. This study examines the effects of commonly occurring H63D variant of the homeostatic iron regulatory (HFE) gene on α-synuclein pathology in cell culture and animal models. H63D HFE expression in SH-SY5Y cells lowered endogenous α-synuclein levels and significantly decreased pre-formed fibril-induced α-synuclein aggregation. H63D HFE cells were also protected from pre-formed fibril-induced apoptosis. Autophagic flux, a major pathway for α-synuclein clearance, was increased in H63D HFE cells. Expression of REDD1 was elevated and rapamycin treatment was unable to further induce autophagy, indicating mTORC1 inhibition as the main mechanism of autophagy induction. Moreover, siRNA knockdown of REDD1 in H63D HFE cells decreased autophagic flux and increased the sensitivity to PFF-mediated toxicity. While iron chelator (deferiprone) treatment rescued WT HFE cells from pre-formed fibril toxicity, it exacerbated or was unable to rescue H63D HFE cells. In the in vivo pre-formed fibril intracranial injection model, H67D Hfe (mouse homolog of the human H63D HFE variant) C57BL/6J × 129 mice showed less α-synuclein aggregation and less decline in motor function compared to WT Hfe. Collectively, this study suggests that H63D HFE variant modifies α-synuclein pathology through the induction of autophagy and has the potential to impact the pathogenesis and treatment response in Parkinson's disease.
A/B Testing with Fat Tails

Large and thus statistically powerful A/B tests are increasingly popular in business and policy to evaluate potential innovations. We study how to optimally use scarce experimental resources to screen innovations. To do so, we propose a new framework for optimal experimentation that we call the A/B testing problem. The key insight of the model is that the optimal experimentation strategy depends on whether most gains accrue from typical innovations, or from rare and unpredictable large successes that can be detected using tests with small samples. We show that, if the tails of the (prior) distribution of true effect sizes is not too fat, the standard approach of trying a few high-powered experiments is optimal. However, when this distribution is very fat tailed, a lean experimentation strategy of trying more but smaller interventions is optimal. We measure this tail parameter using experiments from Microsoft Bing's EXP platform and find extremely fat tails. Our theoretical results and empirical analysis suggest that even simple changes to business practices within Bing could dramatically increase innovation productivity.
Least-Squares Data Inversion in Glaciology

Many glaciological variables cannot be observed directly. Their retrieval requires the use of approximate analyses of other observations, which may be incomplete and prone to error. This chapter explains the key concepts behind such ‘data inversion’ and focusses on one of its most enduring methods: least-squares estimation. The problem of geolocation with a Global Positioning System (GPS) is used as the prime example. The history of the GPS technique, its essential principles and the equations of pseudorange are covered.
Influence of reversible and non-reversible fatigue on the microstructure and mechanical property evolution of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy

Abstract Evolution of microstructural features and defects caused by high cycle fatigue loading have the potential to affect post-fatigue global behavior in different ways depending on the material, fatigue loading parameters, and subsequent loading strain rate. This work focuses on the influence of reversible and non-reversible, macroscopic elastic fatigue on the microstructure and subsequent mechanical properties of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. Subsurface material obtained from interrupted fatigue experiments is used for both microstructural characterization and post-fatigue mechanical property evolution. Crystal plasticity modeling, in conjunction with machine learning, is used to help determine mechanisms contributing to the mechanical property evolution. It was found that the subsequent mechanical behavior was dependent on both the fatigue stress ratio and subsequent loading strain rate. There was a 7% decrease in quasi-static strength after being fatigued with a stress ratio of zero. However, quasi-static strength remained unchanged after being fatigued at other stress ratios. In addition, dynamic tension experiments did not reveal any decreases in strength due to prior fatigue loading. Fatigue-induced voids potentially developed in grains where slip transmission across the grain boundary was less likely to occur. Iron-rich inclusion cracking took place throughout the bulk fatigued material and was mainly limited to larger sized inclusion particles, but there was no evidence it contributed to significant mechanical property changes. Results from this work show how different stress ratios and degrees of dislocation reversibility during high cycle fatigue loading influence the microstructure and post-fatigue global behavior of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy.
Comparative effectiveness of medical concept embedding for feature engineering in phenotyping.

Objective Feature engineering is a major bottleneck in phenotyping. Properly learned medical concept embeddings (MCEs) capture the semantics of medical concepts, thus are useful for retrieving relevant medical features in phenotyping tasks. We compared the effectiveness of MCEs learned from knowledge graphs and electronic healthcare records (EHR) data in retrieving relevant medical features for phenotyping tasks. Materials and methods We implemented 5 embedding methods including node2vec, singular value decomposition (SVD), LINE, skip-gram, and GloVe with 2 data sources: (1) knowledge graphs obtained from the observational medical outcomes partnership (OMOP) common data model; and (2) patient-level data obtained from the OMOP compatible electronic health records (EHR) from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). We used phenotypes with their relevant concepts developed and validated by the electronic medical records and genomics (eMERGE) network to evaluate the performance of learned MCEs in retrieving phenotype-relevant concepts. Hits@k% in retrieving phenotype-relevant concepts based on a single and multiple seed concept(s) was used to evaluate MCEs. Results Among all MCEs, MCEs learned by using node2vec with knowledge graphs showed the best performance. Of MCEs based on knowledge graphs and EHR data, MCEs learned by using node2vec with knowledge graphs and MCEs learned by using GloVe with EHR data outperforms other MCEs, respectively. Conclusion MCE enables scalable feature engineering tasks, thereby facilitating phenotyping. Based on current phenotyping practices, MCEs learned by using knowledge graphs constructed by hierarchical relationships among medical concepts outperformed MCEs learned by using EHR data.
Understanding the nexus of energy, environment and conflict: An overview

Abstract Energy, environment, and conflict are each the subject of significant research efforts. However, their nexus has received relatively little attention, and even less when climatic shifts are considered. Here, we examine existing literature on these individual areas, their overlaps, and elucidate the fundamental gaps in understanding their nexus. Past work has shown that energy and the environment can both be the cause of conflict, or be used as tools in it. Importantly, while many databases have been developed to track conflict, these resources often fail to contain information on the root cause, or target of conflict events. It is also found that databases are not currently available which unify information on energy, environment and conflict. This makes the development of models for how energy, environment, and conflict couple difficult to formulate and test. Further work in this complex space could help inform decisionmakers working on reducing conflicts at the local, national, and regional levels.
A recombinant bovine adenoviral mucosal vaccine expressing mycobacterial antigen-85B generates robust protection against tuberculosis in mice

Summary Although the BCG vaccine offers partial protection, tuberculosis remains a leading cause of infectious disease death, killing ∼1.5 million people annually. We developed mucosal vaccines expressing the autophagy-inducing peptide C5 and mycobacterial Ag85B-p25 epitope using replication-defective human adenovirus (HAdv85C5) and bovine adenovirus (BAdv85C5) vectors. BAdv85C5-infected dendritic cells (DCs) expressed a robust transcriptome of genes regulating antigen processing compared to HAdv85C5-infected DCs. BAdv85C5-infected DCs showed enhanced galectin-3/8 and autophagy-dependent in vitro Ag85B-p25 epitope presentation to CD4 T cells. BCG-vaccinated mice were intranasally boosted using HAdv85C5 or BAdv85C5 followed by infection using aerosolized Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). BAdv85C5 protected mice against tuberculosis both as a booster after BCG vaccine (>1.4-log10 reduction in Mtb lung burden) and as a single intranasal dose (>0.5-log10 reduction). Protection was associated with robust CD4 and CD8 effector (TEM), central memory (TCM), and CD103+/CD69+ lung-resident memory (TRM) T cell expansion, revealing BAdv85C5 as a promising mucosal vaccine for tuberculosis.
Legacy Asbestos, the Third Wave of Asbestos Disease, and Implications for Domestic Exposure

Asbestos-containing products have been utilized extensively in home and building construction during the first eight decades of the 20th century. While substantial literature exists regarding occupational asbestos exposure, limited information is available concerning asbestos exposure in residential settings. In addition to asbestos containing building products in homes, exposures to asbestos may also result from the use of products in which asbestos occurs as a contaminant. Despite regulation by EPA and OSHA, ongoing occupational and environmental exposures to asbestos remain a continuing cause for concern. The aim of this paper is to review the scope of legacy asbestos and highlight the implications for domestic exposure.
Identification of Significant Gene Expression Changes in Multiple Perturbation Experiments using Knockoffs

MotivationLarge-scale multiple perturbation experiments have the potential to reveal a more detailed understanding of the molecular pathways that respond to genetic and environmental changes. A key question in these studies is which gene expression changes are important for the response to the perturbation. ResultsWe present here a method based on the model-X knockoffs framework to identify significant gene expression changes in multiple perturbation experiments. This approach makes no assumptions on the functional form of the dependence between the responses and the perturbations and provides finite sample false discovery rate control for the set of important gene expression responses. In a large-scale multiple perturbation gene expression data set from the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signature (LINCS) NIH program, we identified important genes whose expression is modulated in response to perturbation with anthracycline, vorinostat, trichostatin-a, geldanamycin, and sirolimus. Furthermore, we compared the set of important genes that respond to these small molecules to identify co-responsive pathways. Availability and Implementationhttps://github.com/flahertylab/deepYknockoff Contactpflaherty@umass.edu and zhaott0416@gmail.com Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Exotic Plants of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The 1992 field season began in early May with a meeting between the principal investigator and NPS Unit Technical Representatives. The primary objectives of the second field season was to 1) continue with the initial survey so that the number and distribution of exotic plant species within the Park could be estimated, 2) take low-level aerial photographs (slides) of the South Unit so that general areas of leafy spurge infestations could be mapped, 3) continue to evaluate the existing ecological effects of exotics on the native constituents, and 4) estimate density and composition of exotics within the soil seed bank.
Multiple Fuel–use Strategies—A Way to Handle Volatile Natural Gas Costs

ABSTRACT Changing regulations, economic growth, and increasing competition in the energy industry have brought increased volatility in energy demand, supply, and prices. If you depend today on a single fuel for heating or power generation, you risk losing competitive advantage. An ability to use multiple fuels gives the facility operator greater flexibility to operate successfully in the uncertain new economic environment. Multiple fuel optimization is a strategic tool to maintain your competitive edge.
Control of tobamovirus infections via pathogen-derived resistance.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the use of “Pathogen-derived resistance’’ (PDR) to develop resistance against the tobamoviruses, because many of the detailed mechanistic studies of PDR have been conducted with this group of viruses. PDR is a general description of a strategy to use gene sequences derived from the pathogen to interdict virus replication or disease. It has been widely used to control certain plant viruses in transgenic plants by employing virus gene sequences to control infection, replication, and local and systemic spread of virus infection. The chapter presents capsid-mediated resistance, such as tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) coat protein (CP) interferes with disassembly of TMV, possible involvement of a (Putative) receptor in CP-mediated resistance (MR), role of molecular structure and protein–protein interactions in CP-MR against tobamoviruses, and heterologous CP-MR against other tobamoviruses. There are also several well-documented examples of PDR in which the impact of infection by an animal virus has been significantly limited by virus gene sequences. For example, a situation in which capsid proteins interferes with virus infection and replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in transgenic mice. The chapter concludes with replicase-mediated and RNA-mediated resistance and movement protein-mediated resistance.
SPATIAL-COMPETITION, INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK OF CENTRAL-PLACE SYSTEM WITH AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES

It is argued that the trade-off interaction between agglomeration economies and transportation costs cannot be excluded from the analysis of the central-place system. First, an overlapping-area model between two competitors of market areas is examined both cases in homogeneous and differentiated products together with the relevant formation of supply areas. The analysis then further explores an exclusive-area model in the duopoly and oligopoly conditions of market areas and the formation process of supply areas. Finally, consideration is given to the methodological connectivity between central-place system and agglomeration economies.
Adult definitions for dyssynchrony are inappropriate for pediatric patients.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a promising approach to improve cardiac function in children in heart failure with cardiomyopathy. Cardiac timing measures in pediatrics are typically based on age and heart rate. However, pediatric CRT studies to date have used adult based timing cutoff values. We investigated the applicability of using these adult standards in pediatric patients with normal hearts. Methods: We studied 88 outpatients referred for cardiac evaluation who had a normal cardiac evaluation. Subjects had 12 lead EKG and normal echocardiogram. Patients with known heart disease or abnormal rhythms were excluded. 2D echo and Doppler including color tissue Doppler imaging (TDI, Vivid 7 GE Ultrasound, Norway) were obtained. TDI was performed on three standard apical views (four chamber, two chamber, and long axis). Longitudinal dyssynchrony was determined from (1) Yu index – standard deviation of differences in timing of peak TDI velocity of all 12 basal and mid LV wall segments, adult cutoff >32 ms and (2) opposing wall difference (OWD) in timing of peak TDI velocity of 12 LV wall segments, adult cutoff >65 ms. Radial dyssynchrony was determined from differences in timing of peak radial strain between anterior-septal and posterior LV segments from speckle tracking of 2D LV views, adult cutoff >130 ms. Results: Median age was 11.5 years; median heart rate was 74.5. Longitudinal dyssynchrony was present in 40% of normals based on Yu index, and in 43% based on OWD. No child had Radial dyssynchrony. Conclusions: This pilot study of children with normal hearts suggests that current adult CRT dyssynchrony cutoff values are inappropriate in the pediatric population. (Echocardiography 2011;28:468-474)
Positron emission tomography in seizure disorders

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been widely used in the study of seizure disorders. As a research tool, PET has been used to determine the pathophysiology of different seizures disorders, prognostic and diagnostic information, and the response to various interventions. PET imaging has also been used clinically to help with the detection of seizure foci. With the continued development of a large array of radiopharmaceuticals that can evaluate all of the components of different neurotransmitter systems as well as cerebral blood flow and metabolism, PET imaging will continue to play a key role in research and clinical applications for seizure disorders.
Power Management for Space Advanced Life Support

Space power systems include the power source, storage, and management subsystems. In current crewed spacecraft, solar cells are the power source, batteries provide storage, and the crew performs any required load scheduling. For future crewed planetary surface systems using Advanced Life Support, we assume that plants will be grown to produce much of the crew's food and that nuclear power will be employed. Battery storage is much more costly than nuclear power capacity and so is not likely to be used. We investigate the scheduling of power demands by the crew or automatic control, to reduce the peak power load and the required generating capacity. The peak to average power ratio is a good measure of power use efficiency. We can easily schedule power demands to reduce the peak power from its maximum, but simple scheduling approaches may not find the lowest possible peak to average power ratio. An initial power scheduling example was simple enough for a human to solve, but a more complex example with many intermittent load demands required automatic scheduling. Excess power is a free resource and can be used even for minor benefits.
The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals

Between 1453 and 1526 Muslims founded three major states in the Mediterranean, Iran and South Asia: respectively the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires. By the early seventeenth century their descendants controlled territories that encompassed much of the Muslim world, stretching from the Balkans and North Africa to the Bay of Bengal and including a combined population of between 130 and 160 million people. This book is the first comparative study of the politics, religion, and culture of these three empires between 1300 and 1923. At the heart of the analysis is Islam, and how it impacted on the political and military structures, the economy, language, literature and religious traditions of these great empires. This original and sophisticated study provides an antidote to the modern view of Muslim societies by illustrating the complexity, humanity and vitality of these empires, empires that cannot be reduced simply to religious doctrine.
Accurately Selecting Block Size at Runtime in Pipelined Parallel Programs

Loops that contain cross-processor data dependencies, known as {\tt DOACROSS} loops, are often found in scientific programs. Efficiently parallelizing such loops is important yet nontrivial. One useful parallelization technique for {\tt DOACROSS} loops is pipelining, where each processor (node) performs its computation in blocks; after each, it sends data to the next node in the pipeline. The amount of computation before sending a message is called the block size; its choice, although difficult to make statically, is important for efficient execution. This paper describes a flexible runtime approach to choosing the block size. Rather than rely on static estimation of workload, our system takes measurements during the first two iterations of a program and then uses the results to build an execution model and choose an appropriate block size which, unlike a static choice, may be nonuniform. To increase accuracy of the chosen block size, our execution model takes intra- and inter-node performance into account. It is important to note that our system finds an effective block size automatically, without experimentation that is necessary when using a statically chosen block size. Performance on a network of workstations shows that programs that use our runtime analysis outperform those that use static block sizes by as much as 18% when the workload is unbalanced. When the workload is balanced, competitive performance is achieved as long as the initial overhead is sufficiently amortized.
Abstract P430: Spatial Proximity and Membership to Gyms or Related Facilities Jointly Predict Objectively Measured Physical Activity among Adults in New York City

Background: Over half of the adult population in the United States fails to meet public health recommendations for physical activity. Neighborhood physical activity facilities may help encourage moderate and vigorous physical activity. We hypothesize that commercial physical activity facilities near the home would predict both membership in a gym or other recreation facility in the past 12 months and current physical activity. We further hypothesize the presence of effect modification, such that physical activity facilities would have a stronger association with activity among individuals with a facility membership. Methods: Data were from the New York City Physical Activity and Transit Monitoring Study, a sample of 679 New York City adults aged 18 years and older with physical activity measured by accelerometer. Participants were excluded for incomplete data, extreme values for height, weight or BMI, or if their home address could not be geocoded. The final analytic sample was 625. Counts of commercial physical activity facilities within 1 km of each participant’s home address were generated from the National Establishment Time-Series data for year 2010. Linear and logistic regression models incorporated robust standard errors, sample weights, and adjustment for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics. Results: Individuals living near more commercial physical activity facilities were more likely to report membership in a gym or other facility (adjusted odds ratio for top versus bottom quartile of facility count: 3.80; 95% CI: 1.60-9.02). The count of facilities was also associated with more physical activity as measured by accelerometer, particularly for those individuals reporting membership in a gym or other recreation facility (see figure). Conclusion: The evaluation of opportunities for physical activity should include accessibility of commercial physical activity facilities, including financial or social barriers to membership.
Bariatric surgery and diabetes: Implications of type 1 versus insulin-requiring type 2

Objective To report the impact of bariatric surgery on metabolic outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1) versus insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus (IRDM2). Methods Ten subjects with DM1 were compared with 118 subjects with IRDM2 at baseline and at 1 and 2 years post-bariatric surgery for: anthropometric measures, HbA1c, and number of medications (anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive, lipid-lowering). Results DM1 and IRDM2 groups lost similar amounts of weight 2 years post-bariatric surgery (39.5 ± 14.7 kg vs. 40.3 ± 24.4 kg). IRDM2 subjects had significant improvements in HbA1c (7.8% ± 1.4% vs. 6.8% ± 1.4%, P value <0.0001) and decreases in number of anti-hyperglycemic (2.4 ± 0.8 vs. 0.7 ± 0.8, P value <0.0001), anti-hypertensive (2.2 ± 1.3 vs. 1.3 ± 1.2, P value <0.0001), and lipid-lowering (1.1 ± 0.8 vs. 0.6 ± 0.6, P value <0.0001) medications. DM1 subjects had no improvement in HbA1c (8.2% ± 1.6% vs. 7.8% ± 0.9%) or use of anti-hypertensive medications (2.1 ± 1.4 vs. 2.3 ± 1.5). Their use of lipid-lowering medications improved (1.0 ± 0.5 vs. 0.5 ± 0.8, P value 0.04). Conclusions Our study suggests that improved glycemic control may not be an expected outcome when considering bariatric surgery in patients with DM1; however, additional investigation is warranted.
Design guidelines for written assignments

Since the advent of relatively inexpensive desktop publishing software, document design has become increasingly important. Generally speaking, document design refers to the physical arrangement of text and graphics on the page to maximize reader comprehension. This paper discusses design guidelines educators can use to format their assignment instructions. The purpose of formatting is to avoid students' misinterpretation of the assignment and to receive more readable papers. Topics covered are design awareness and formatting tips on using headings, chunking information, and using special features.
Propagation and electrical entrainment of intestinal slow waves.

Gastric and intestinal slow waves were electrically entrained in longitudinally oriented strips of muscle removed from the stomach and small intestine of cats. The maximal driven frequency approached twice the intrinsic frequency recorded from stomach, duodenum, jejunum and distal ileum. Slow waves propagated at velocities which varied inversely with the driven frequency. It is concluded that gastrointestinal slow waves are electrically excitable, they may exhibit properties of relaxation oscillators such as threshold and refractoriness, and they propagate by means of local circuit currents. As a corollary, these experiments support the concept that longitudinal intestinal muscle behaves electrically as an interconnected cable.