cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel Miniature Transposable Elements in Thermophilic Synechococcus Strains and Their Impact on an Environmental Population

The genomes of the two closely related freshwater thermophilic cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. strain JA-3-3Ab and Synechococcus sp. strain JA-2-3B′a(2-13) each host several families of insertion sequences (ISSoc families) at various copy numbers, resulting in an overall high abundance of insertion sequences in the genomes. In addition to full-length copies, a large number of internal deletion variants have been identified. ISSoc2 has two variants (ISSoc2∂-1 and ISSoc2∂-2) that are observed to have multiple near-exact copies. Comparison of environmental metagenomic sequences to the Synechococcus genomes reveals novel placement of copies of ISSoc2, ISSoc2∂-1, and ISSoc2∂-2. Thus, ISSoc2∂-1 and ISSoc2∂-2 appear to be active nonautonomous mobile elements derived by internal deletion from ISSoc2. Insertion sites interrupting genes that are likely critical for cell viability were detected; however, most insertions either were intergenic or were within genes of unknown function. Most novel insertions detected in the metagenome were rare, suggesting a stringent selective environment. Evidence for mobility of internal deletion variants of other insertion sequences in these isolates suggests that this is a general mechanism for the formation of miniature insertion sequences.
Severity of Intimate Partner Violence and Occurrence and Frequency of Police Calls

This article evaluates whether female victims of severe physical, psychological, or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) call police more often than other abused women. Abused women (431) reported frequency of contacting police (dependent variable), nature and severity of IPV experienced, and characteristics of themselves and their perpetrator (explanatory variables). A two-part regression model estimated likelihood of police contact among all participants and rate of contact among callers. Women with severe physical or psychological IPV or injury were more likely to call police than were other abused women. Among callers, women made 96% more calls if a weapon was involved, 58% more if they were severely sexually abused, and 40% more if they were severely physically abused. Women with children at home made 32% more calls. These results delineate the level and types of IPV and other characteristics of homes that make single and repeat calls to police.
A Brief Note From the Author

(2002). A Brief Note From the Author. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 407-408.
Expression of the neu proto-oncogene by Schwann cells during peripheral nerve development and Wallerian degeneration.

The neu gene, which encodes a putative tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor termed p185neu, was originally identified as a dominant transforming gene in neurogliomas and schwannomas induced by transplacental treatment of rat embryos with ethylnitrosourea. The present studies were undertaken to determine the expression pattern of the neu gene in peripheral nerve. Northern blot analysis of total RNA isolated from rat sciatic nerves demonstrated prominent neu mRNA expression on postnatal days 1 and 7, with substantially lower expression up to adulthood. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed expression of the p185neu by Schwann cells (SC) in developing sciatic nerve and minimal p185neu immunoreactivity in adult nerves. However, neu mRNA and p185neu Protein progressively increased following sciatic nerve transection in adult animals. In addition, neu mRNA and pl85neu were found in neonatal rat sciatic nerve SC and several SC-derived cell lines. In resting SC, neu mRNA was expressed at a low level, but was greatly increased by treatment with forskolin and glial growth factor. These studies demonstrate that the neu gene and its protein product, p185neu, are expressed by SC both in vivo and in vitro and suggest that p185neu plays a role in the regulation of SC proliferation or differentiation.
Laminaria tent: Relic of the past or modern medical device?

Laminaria tent was used as the primary means of cervical dilatation in 500 patients having abortion by suction curettage, with follow-up examinations performed. No other method of cervical dilatation was required for pregnancies of 12 weeks or less, except in 2 instances. Local anesthesia or sedation analgesia alone was adequate in 68 per cent of these patients. The incidence of hospital readmission was 1.2 per cent. The incidence of emergency room visits was 1.8 per cent. The incidence of fever attributable to laminaria or abortion was 2.2 per cent. Antibiotics were used in 5.2 per cent of patients for pelvic infection or fever of unknown origin. The total complication rate was 8.0 per cent. These data compare faborably with other series in which laminaria was not used. There were no uterine perforations and significant cervical trauma in only one patient. The use of laminaria tent is recommended prior to suction curettage in young women and should be considered whenever cervical dilatation is required for other purposes.
Outcomes Improvement Is Not Continuous Along the Learning Curve for Pancreaticoduodenectomy at the Hospital Level

Background Most studies on learning curves for pancreaticoduodenectomy have been based on single-surgeon series at tertiary academic centers or are inferred indirectly from volume-outcome relationships. Our aim is to describe mortality rates associated with cumulative surgical experience among non-teaching hospitals.
Sedative and Anxiolytic Agents

This chapter outlines sedatives and anxiolytic agents commonly used and administered orally to sedate children for dental procedures. The salient features of nitrous oxide, chloral hydrate, meperidine, midazolam, antihistamines, and ketamine are discussed in relation to sedating children for dental procedures. Nitrous oxide is most frequently used and can be administered alone or with the other agents. Midazolam is the most frequently used oral sedative in children. Most of these agents can be used in various combinations when sedating children; however, caution must be taken when using two or more of these agents at a single appointment to decrease the likelihood of adverse events. Summary tables of the drug characteristics are also provided.
Abstract 305: Association Between CYP4A11 Variant and Response to Spironolactone, but Not ENac Inhibitor Amiloride

CYP4A11 polymorphisms have been associated with hypertension (rs1126742) and CAD (rs3890011) in humans. In mice, deficiency of the Cyp4a gene causes ENaC dysfunction and salt-sensitive hypertension that is abolished by the ENaC inhibitor amiloride. We examined the relationship between genotypes in CYP4A11 and the BP response to amiloride, spironolactone, both drugs, and placebo in 83 hypertensive African American participants in a previously published randomized clinical trial. Genotype frequencies for rs3890011 were CC:GC:GG=28:35:20. The frequency of the loss-of-function variant at rs1126742 was similar to that previously reported (CC:TC:TT=7:31:45), but too small to permit further analysis. There was no difference in baseline SBP (overall mean±SE 142±1) or number of medications (2.3±0.1) among genotype groups. RS3890011 C allele was associated with an attenuated SBP responses to spironolactone (7.3±4.5 in CC versus -9.3±2.6 in GC or GG in the spironolactone only group, p=0.002; -2.7±3.3 in CC versus -12.8±2.3 in GC or GG in subjects receiving spironolactone alone or in combination, p= 0.014, Figure) and similar for DBP (5.0±2.9 in CC versus -6.0±1.7 in GC or GG with spironolactone only, p=0.002; -1.2±2.0 in CC versus -6.3±1.4 in GC or CC in those receiving any spironolactone, p=0.043). Spironolactone reduced BP only in carriers of the rs3890011 G allele. In contrast, there was no difference among genotype groups in the BP response to ENaC inhibitor amiloride. Variation in CYP4A11 influences the response to spironolactone but not amiloride; these data are consistent with studies in genetically modified mice suggesting that a product of CYP4A11 modifies ENaC function.
Efficient Frequency Doubling of GaAlAs Laser Diode Array Emission in Monolithic KNb0 3 Cavity

Direct frequency doubling of laser diode output promises to be the most efficient method of generating coherent blue emission. Because of low fundamental power the second-harmonic generation (SHG) and conversion efficiencies were low with single stripe GaAlAs laser diode pumps. Recently1 however, 0.72 mW of 421-nm radiation and 0.27% conversion were achieved by single pass doubling of 270 mW diffraction limited emission from an injection-locked 20-element array in KNbO3 crystal,
Contract-Theoretic Resource Allocation for Critical Infrastructure Protection

Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) is envisioned to be one of the most challenging security problems in the coming decade. One key challenge in CIP is the ability to allocate resources, either personnel or cyber, to critical infrastructures with different vulnerability and criticality levels. In this work, a contract- theoretic approach is proposed to solve the problem of resource allocation in critical infrastructure with asymmetric information. A control center (CC) is used to design contracts and offer them to infrastructures' owners. A contract can be seen as an agreement between the CC and infrastructures using which the CC allocates resources and gets rewards in return. Contracts are designed in a way to maximize the CC's benefit and motivate each infrastructure to accept a contract and obtain proper resources for its protection. Infrastructures are defined by both vulnerability levels and criticality levels which are unknown to the CC. Therefore, each infrastructure can claim that it is the most vulnerable or critical to gain more resources. A novel mechanism is developed to handle such an asymmetric information while providing the optimal contract that motivates each infrastructure to reveal its actual type. The necessary and sufficient conditions for such resource allocation contracts under asymmetric information are derived. Simulation results show that the proposed contract-theoretic approach maximizes the CC's utility while ensuring that no infrastructure has an incentive to ask for another contract, despite the lack of exact information at the CC.
Feasibility of visualizing higher regions of Shannon entropy in atrial fibrillation patients

Catheter ablation is associated with limited success rates in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), which is mostly maintained by rotors that are located outside of pulmonary veins (PV) region. None of the currently available commercial mapping systems can accurately predict the rotor location outside of PV in patients with persistent AF.
Structure, Ion Transport, and Rheology of Nanoparticle Salts

Above a critical surface chemistry-dependent particle loading associated with nanoscale interparticle spacing, ligand–ligand interactions—both electrostatic and steric—come into play and govern the structure and dynamics of charged oligomer-functionalized nanoparticle suspensions. We report in particular on the structure, ion transport, and rheology of suspensions of nanoparticle salts created by cofunctionalization of silica particles with tethered sulfonate salts and oligomers. Dispersion of the hairy ionic particles into medium and high dielectric constant liquids yields electrolytes with unique structure and transport properties. We find that electrostatic repulsion imparted by ion dissociation can be tuned to control the dispersion state and rheology through counterion size (i.e., Li+, Na+, and K+) and dielectric properties of the dispersing medium. Analysis of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) structure factors and the mechanical modulus shows that when the interparticle spacing approaches nanomet...
Regulation of DNA synthesis in chick calvaria cells by factors from bone organ culture.

AbstractEmbryonic chick bones growing in organ culture release a substance into the culture medium which stimulates bone formation in previously untreated bones. This “conditioned” medium also enhances proliferation of monolayer cultures of chick calvaria cells in serum-free medium. The active principle is nondialyzable, indicating a molecular weight greater than 12,000 daltons. Dialysis also separates the mitogenic activity from a low-molecular-weight inhibitor. The amount of the mitogen found in conditioned medium increases as the rate of bone resorption increases in response to treatment with parathyroid hormone or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Maximal stimulation of DNA synthesis in calvaria cells is evident with conditioned medium obtained 3 to 5 days after treatment of bone cultures with parathyroid hormone. The cells must be treated with the conditioned medium continuously for 20 hr in order to obtain peak enhancement of DNA synthesis; there is no detectable effect in the first 8 hr. In contrast, the i...
Abstract B225: Use of RNAi to identify targets for further improving the antitumor activity of gemcitabine and nab‐paclitaxel combination therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer‐related deaths in the United States. Gemcitabine has been used as a standard first‐line therapy for more than a decade for this deadly disease. However, the benefit of single‐agent gemcitabine in advanced pancreatic cancer is small. Combination regimens including gemcitabine have provided only modest improvement. In a Phase I/II clinical trial gemcitabine plus nab‐paclitaxel had significant clinical activity (Von Hoff, et al. 2009, J. Clin. Oncol. 27 (15s): Abstract #4525). To further improve the response of gemcitabine plus nab‐paclitaxel therapy, we performed a high throughput RNAi (HT‐RNAi) screen with a kinase‐focused siRNA library consisting of siRNA oligos against 588 genes (2 siRNAs/gene) in the MIA PaCa‐2 pancreatic cancer cell line. Eighty eight siRNAs targeting 82 genes were identified as positive hits (≥2 fold decrease in IC50 values). Several commercially available small molecule inhibitors of the positive hits were obtained and tested in combination with gemcitabine and nab‐paclitaxel, both alone or in combination. Among the small molecule inhibitors tested, the CHK1 inhibitor, SB 218078, showed the most significant synergistic effect with gemcitabine and nab‐paclitaxel, gemcitabine alone, or nab‐paclitaxel alone in two pancreatic cancer cell lines, MIA PaCa‐2 and PANC‐1. The mechanism of SB 218078 induced sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to the gemcitabine and nab‐paclitaxel are currently under investigation. In summary, using an HT‐RNAi screen we have identified a list of gene targets that, when down‐regulated by siRNA oligos, sensitize pancreatic cancer cells to the gemcitabine plus nab‐paclitaxel combination therapy. Inhibitors of these targets may potentially enhance the anticancer activity of gemcitabine and nab‐paclitaxel. (This work was supported by NIH/NCI Program Project grant CA109552). Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):B225.
Vibrational overtone spectroscopy, energy levels, and intensities of (CH3)3C-C≡C-H.

The vibrational overtone spectra of the acetylenic (Δυ = 4, 5) and methyl (Δυ = 5, 6) C–H stretch transitions of tert-butyl acetylene [(CH3)3C–C≡C–H] were obtained using the phase shift cavity ring...
Calling Behavior of Spotted Owls in Northern Arizona

Description du repertoire sonore de la chouette tachetee et influence de quelques facteurs environnementaux (conditions meteorologiques et phases lunaires) sur le comportement vocal
MINTbase: a framework for the interactive exploration of mitochondrial and nuclear tRNA fragments

Motivation: It has been known that mature transfer RNAs (tRNAs) that are encoded in the nuclear genome give rise to short molecules, collectively known as tRNA fragments or tRFs. Recently, we reported that, in healthy individuals and in patients, tRFs are constitutive, arise from mitochondrial as well as from nuclear tRNAs, and have composition and abundances that depend on a person’s sex, population origin and race as well as on tissue, disease and disease subtype. Our findings as well as similar work by other groups highlight the importance of tRFs and presage an increase in the community’s interest in elucidating the roles of tRFs in health and disease. Results: We created MINTbase, a web-based framework that serves the dual-purpose of being a content repository for tRFs and a tool for the interactive exploration of these newly discovered molecules. A key feature of MINTbase is that it deterministically and exhaustively enumerates all possible genomic locations where a sequence fragment can be found and indicates which fragments are exclusive to tRNA space, and thus can be considered as tRFs: this is a very important consideration given that the genomes of higher organisms are riddled with partial tRNA sequences and with tRNA-lookalikes whose aberrant transcripts can be mistaken for tRFs. MINTbase is extremely flexible and integrates and presents tRF information from multiple yet interconnected vantage points (‘vistas’). Vistas permit the user to interactively personalize the information that is returned and the manner in which it is displayed. MINTbase can report comparative information on how a tRF is distributed across all anticodon/amino acid combinations, provides alignments between a tRNA and multiple tRFs with which the user can interact, provides details on published studies that reported a tRF as expressed, etc. Importantly, we designed MINTbase to contain all possible tRFs that could ever be produced by mature tRNAs: this allows us to report on their genomic distributions, anticodon/amino acid properties, alignments, etc. while giving users the ability to at-will investigate candidate tRF molecules before embarking on focused experimental explorations. Lastly, we also introduce a new labeling scheme that is tRF-sequence-based and allows users to associate a tRF with a universally unique label (‘tRF-license plate’) that is independent of a genome assembly and does not require any brokering mechanism. Availability and Implementation: MINTbase is freely accessible at http://cm.jefferson.edu/MINTbase/. Dataset submissions to MINTbase can be initiated at http://cm.jefferson.edu/MINTsubmit/. Contact: ude.nosreffej@sostuogir.erodisi Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Power System Stochastic Economic Dispatch Considering Uncertain Outputs from Plug-in Electric Vehicles and Wind Generators

A stochastic economic dispatch model,which can take into account the uncertain outputs of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and wind generators,is developed. A simulation based approach is first employed to study the probability distributions of the charge/discharge behaviors of PEVs. The probability distribution of the wind power output is next derived based on the assumption that the wind speed follows the Rayleigh distribution. The mathematical expectations of the generation costs of wind generators and vehicle to grid (V2G) power sources are then derived analytically. The feasibility and efficiency of the developed stochastic economic dispatch model is demonstrated with the IEEE 118-bus test system.
Determination of 16 Mineral Elements in Human Serum of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by TXRF

Objective To understand the content of 16mineral elements in human serum of type 2diabetes mellitus and healthy control group. Methods The human serum was wet digested at constant pressure.And then the content of 16 mineral elements,such as K,Ca,Ti,V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se,Rb,Sr and Pb,in the samples of type 2diabetes mellitus and healthy individuals were determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence(TXRF).The data obtained were comparatively analyzed. Results There was a significant difference between the two groups in the content of Cr,Mn, Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se and Pb(P 0.05)in type 2diabetes mellitus and healthy control group,100people each.The content of Cr,Mn,Cu,Zn,Se,Sr and Pb in serum of type 2diabetes mellitus was 0.053±0.002mg/L,0.011±0.002mg/L,1.19 ±0.04mg/L,0.75±0.04mg/L,0.066±0.002mg/L,0.041±0.002mg/L,0.035±0.004mg/L.On the contrary,the content of them in healthy control group was 0.100±0.010mg/L,0.009±0.001mg/L,0.78±0.02mg/L,0.96±0.01 mg/L,0.114±0.002mg/L,0.044±0.001mg/L,0.021±0.001mg/L.There was no significant difference between the two groups in the content of K,Ca,Ti,V,Fe,Co,Ni,As and Rb(P0.05). Conclusion There is a significant difference between the average content of the elements such as Zn,Cr,Se and Cu in type 2diabetes mellitus and healthy control group.Some mineral elements may imbalance in type 2diabetes mellitus.Increasing the intake of Zn,Cr and Se,and decreasing the intake of Cu is effective in adjusting the imbalance condition of elements in patients.It may relieve symptoms of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
APPLICATION OF ALGORITHMS IN OPTIMAL OPER-ATION OF NATURAL GAS PIPELINE NETWORK

The mathematical models about the optimal operation of natural gas pipeline network were described, including two kinds of objective functions: one is about maximum return and the other is about maximum flow of pipeline network as well as eight constraint conditions. Three optimized algorithms (linearization optimized algorithm, complex optimized algorithm and feasible direction optimized algorithm) to resolve that models through researching kinds of classic optimized algorithms were determined, and the application program was written. These three optimized 'algorithms were analyzed and compounded, and the result showed the difference of these three optimized algorithm means's result was about 1%. The example showed the linearization optimized algorithm possesses faster searching speed, better result and practicability.
Fast Testing of Chlorine in Coal by EDXRF Method

For the purpose of boiler corrosion prevention and environmental protection,it is very necessary to determine the Cl-in the coal fuels.The procedures of conventional chemical analysis in the existing national standard method are quite complicate,with low efficiency and accuracy due to many influencing factors.Therefore,the measurement of Cl-is studied using the energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence spectrum method(EDXRF).The result of antitheses tests on standard materials and methods show that by virtue of EDXRF method the chlorine can be determined fast with,high accuracy and high precision,which reveals its a promising prospect in applications.
Making of a Successful Early Mobilization Program for a Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Objectives To provide a guideline for intensive care unit (ICU) early mobilization program development and implementation and to describe the patient characteristics and endpoints for those who participated in our hospital's early mobilization program. Methods An ICU early mobilization program was developed with five guiding principles: analgesia/sedation optimization, sedation minimization, protocol of progressive mobility, physical therapy and occupational therapy recruitment, and nursing education. This program began in April 2014, and the initial 32 patients who ambulated while receiving mechanical ventilation were retrospectively assessed and their characteristics described. Results After program implementation, more than 50 mechanically ventilated patients ambulated in the first year following early mobilization initiation. Patients with an FiO2 as high as 1.0 and on nonconventional modes of mechanical ventilation successfully ambulated without adverse events. The mean ambulation distance was 102 ± 152 f. and usually required three ICU staff members with 5 to 10 minutes of preparation before ambulation. After implementation, a retrospective analysis revealed a decrease in the average length of ICU stay, from 4.8 to 4.1 days. Conclusions Addressing analgesia and sedation practices, along with instituting a progressive mobility protocol and recruiting physical and occupational therapy, may serve as a guide to the creation of a successful early mobilization program. This study provides additional supportive evidence that early mobilization in the ICU is safe and effective.
The Development of Fine Arts

In his art as in his poetry the Arab, a Semite, revealed himself with a keen appreciation of the particular and the subjective and with a delicate sense for detail, but with no particular capacity for harmonizing and unifying the various parts into a great and united whole. However, in architecture and painting particularly, he did not so early attain a certain degree of progress, and stand still for ever after, as he did in his sciences after the tenth century.
Spectrum of bone marrow morphologic findings in hepatitis C patients with and without prior liver transplantation

SummaryIntroduction Cytopenia is a common hematologic finding in patients with HCV infection. Only a few studies have addressed bone marrow (BM) morphologic findings in these patients. No systemic study has been performed in these patients with liver transplantation (LT). Methods We retrospectively examined BMs in 49 hepatitis C patients with and without prior LT (n = 19 and n = 30). Results Among the patients with an available complete blood count (n = 46), the majority of them presented with cytopenia involving one or multiple cell lineages including unicytopenia (13%, n = 6), bicytopenia (31%, n = 14), and pancytopenia (43%, n = 20). Examination of the BM revealed a wide spectrum of morphologic findings ranging from benign reactive processes to overt malignant processes which included myeloid, lymphoid, and plasma cell neoplasms. The severity of cytopenia was not correlated with cirrhosis or antiviral therapy. However, the severity of cytopenia was partly correlated with splenomegaly or LT (P < 0.05). Conclusions Cytopenia is a common finding in hepatitis C patients. Hypersplenism or LT has an adverse impact on some blood cell counts. Lastly, hepatitis C patients present with a wide spectrum of BM findings including malignant neoplasms, which indicates a diagnostic value of BM examination in these patients.
Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of Q-Baller—A Spherical Wheeled Robot

In this paper we present the dynamic modeling of Q-Baller—a Spherical Wheeled Robot (Ball-Bot) design. A low cost prototype is constructed to verify the theoretical derivation. Low cost is achieved by using inexpensive structural design and electronic components, which, however, increases the difficulty for control. The Ball-Bot’s dynamic model is important for the later studied and design suitable controller. Simulations are performed to test the design concepts, which includes detailed system modeling, noisy environment setup and the human machine interface. The results of the simulation reveal some potential problems of the current design and the improvements needed in both mechanical components and controller designs. The simulations also prepare us for improving the Ball-Bot prototype and future experiments.
The Interplay of Game Design and Pedagogical Mediation in Game-Mediated Japanese Learning

Commercial off-the-shelf, or vernacular digital games have been studied in foreign language FL pedagogy. However, few have examined how a game design interacts with pedagogical mediation. This study explores the interplay of game design and pedagogical mediation for learners of Japanese. Learners played a vernacular game in Japanese and used activity worksheets and a reference list. Findings from the vocabulary tests and questionnaires show that materials can focus learner attention on particular vocabulary, but that vocabulary functionality also plays a role in learning. In-game vocabulary was identified as primary or secondary based on its necessity for successful game completion. When both types of vocabulary were combined, results showed good retention between the posttest and delayed test. When separated, the primary vocabulary was retained well, but the secondary vocabulary was not retained. This confirms that in-game vocabulary functionality impacts learning and implicates the careful design of supplemental materials to guide FL learners' attention.
Variation of the microbiota and metabolome along the canine gastrointestinal tract

The fecal microbiota are relevant to the health and disease of many species. The importance of the fecal metabolome has more recently been appreciated, but our knowledge of the microbiota and metabolome at other sites along the gastrointestinal tract remains deficient. To analyze the gastrointestinal microbiota and metabolome of healthy domestic dogs at four anatomical sites. Samples of the duodenal, ileal, colonic, and rectal contents were collected from six adult dogs after humane euthanasia for an unrelated study. The microbiota were characterized using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The metabolome was characterized by mass spectrometry-based methods. Prevalent phyla throughout the samples were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, consistent with previous findings in dogs and other species. A total of 530 unique metabolites were detected; 199 of these were identified as previously named compounds, but 141 of them had at least one significantly different site-pair comparison. Noteworthy examples include relative concentrations of amino acids, which decreased from the small to large intestine; pyruvate, which peaked in the ileum; and several phenol-containing carboxylic acid compounds that increased in the large intestine. The microbiota and metabolome vary significantly at different sites along the canine gastrointestinal tract.
Reconstruction of Mohs Defects of the Lips and Chin

Reconstruction of defects of the lips after Mohs micrographic surgery should encompass functional and aesthetic concerns. The lower lip and chin compose two-thirds of the lower portion of the face. The focus of this article is local tissue transfer for primarily cutaneous defects after Mohs surgery. Various flaps exist for repair. For small defects, elliptical excision with primary closure is a viable option. During reconstruction of the lip, all of the involved layers need to be addressed, including mucosa, muscle, and the vermillion or cutaneous lip. It is especially important to realign the vermillion border precisely for optimal results.
Toward an Ecological Framework for Assessing Reservoirs of Vector-Borne Pathogens: Wildlife Reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi across the Southern United States

Wildlife species are critical for both feeding vectors and serving as reservoirs of zoonotic vector-borne pathogens. Transmission pathways leading to disease in humans or other target taxa might be better understood and managed given a complete understanding of the relative importance of different reservoir species in nature. Using the conceptual framework of "reservoir potential," which considers elements of both reservoir competence and vector-host contact, we review the wildlife reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi in the southern United States, where many species of triatomine vectors occur and wildlife maintain enzootic cycles that create a risk of spillover to humans, domestic dogs, and captive nonhuman primates that may develop Chagas disease. We reviewed 77 published reports of T. cruzi infection in at least 26 wildlife species across 15 southern states. Among the most well-studied and highly infected reservoirs are raccoon (Procyon lotor), woodrat (Neotoma spp.), and opossum (Didelphis virginiana), with aggregate overall infection prevalences of 36.4, 34.7, and 22.9%, respectively. Just over 60% of studies utilized methods from which an infectiousness index could be generated and show that raccoons and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) are among the most infectious wildlife hosts. Triatomine-host contact has sparsely been quantified in the southern United States, but 18 of the 24 host species previously identified to have been fed upon by triatomines are wildlife. Future studies to parameterize the reservoir potential model, especially to quantify wildlife infectiousness, vector-host contact, and the epidemiological importance of parasite strains maintained by wildlife, could open new doors for managing enzootic cycles and reducing T. cruzi spillover risk.
Effect of microstructure on tensile and compressive behavior of WE43 alloy in as cast and heat treated conditions

Abstract The influence of heat treatment on the microstructure, tensile and compressive properties and failure mechanisms of WE43 alloy is studied. The eutectic phase is dissolved into the α-Mg phase and the grain size is refined in the heat treated alloy. Heat treatment improves the tensile yield and ultimate strengths by 40% and 53%, respectively. The compressive yield and ultimate strengths of heat treated alloy are also 55% and 23%, respectively, higher compared to the as-cast alloy. Compressive characterization is also conducted at high strain rates. The energy absorption capability of WE43-T5 specimens is higher than the as-cast WE43 specimens at all strain rates investigated in this work. Failure initiates with cracks in the eutectic phase in the as-cast alloy. These cracks grow through the grain to result in transgranular fracture. The absence of eutectic mixture in heat treated alloy results in grain boundary sliding and crack initiation at triple junctions. The crack propagation is delayed in the absence of eutectic precipitates, which improves the mechanical properties of the heat treated alloy.
Trends in US Hospital Provision of Health Promotion Services, 1996-2014.

Abstract Hospitals have long played important roles in the provision of health promotion services (HPS) in local communities, defined as activities that enable people to increase control over and improve their health, including programs such as disease prevention and wellness. Nearly 2 decades ago, researchers cross-sectionally documented the provision of HPS by hospitals, but little research has been done to update this work or document how HPS have changed over time. This study assessed changes in the provision of HPS among US hospitals between 1996 and 2014. Relationships were assessed using random effects Poisson regression models. The overall number of HPS reported by hospitals was relatively modest (approximately half of all possible services, on average). The number of services increased modestly over time, although the rate of increase became less positive over time. The findings highlight a number of opportunities to improve hospital provision of HPS.
Group I introns are widespread in archaea

Group I catalytic introns have been found in bacterial, viral, organellar, and some eukaryotic genomes, but not in archaea. All known archaeal introns are bulge-helix-bulge (BHB) introns, with the exception of a few group II introns. It has been proposed that BHB introns arose from extinct group I intron ancestors, much like eukaryotic spliceosomal introns are thought to have descended from group II introns. However, group I introns have little sequence conservation, making them difficult to detect with standard sequence similarity searches. Taking advantage of recent improvements in a computational homology search method that accounts for both conserved sequence and RNA secondary structure, we have identified 39 group I introns in a wide range of archaeal phyla, including examples of group I introns and BHB introns in the same host gene.
The Metabolism of ( R )-(+)-Pulegone, a Toxic Monoterpene

(R)-(+)-Pulegone is a major monoterpene constituent of pennyroyal oil, a mint oil obtained from the leaves of plants Mentha pulegiwn or Hedeoma pulegoides (1). Pennyroyal oil is widely used as a fragrance and flavoring agent (2), and has been used, based on folklore, as a herbal medicine to control menses and terminate pregnancy (3). The ingestion of large quantities of the oil has been associated with toxic effects (4–8), and hepatotoxicity observed in humans has been modeled in mice (9, 10) and rats (11, 12).
Male Mice Receiving Very Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation Transmit an Embryonic Cell Proliferation Disadvantage to their Progeny Embryos

Over the past eight years we have studied male transmitted effects with a novel assay system that uses mouse embryo aggregation chimeras. The hallmark of this ‘chimera assay’ is its exquisite sensitivity for detecting male germ cell exposure to ionizing radiation. Its published detection limit for male germ cell exposure is presently 0.01 Gy exposure of low LET radiation (e.g., x-radiation and gamma radiation). An important feature of the chimera assay is that it can provide us with information about the cellular identity and heritability of the radiosensitive target(s) of the male germ cell to very low doses of ionizing radiation. The following paragraphs will describe the chimera assay and summarize the results it has produced over the past eight years. The relevance of these results to human health issues will then be discussed in light of what has been published on male transmission of health effects to progeny. Finally, hypotheses will be presented on the radiosensitive target of the male germ cell that is expressed in this assay system.
The CCT chaperonin is a novel regulator of Ca2+ signaling through modulation of Orai1 trafficking

Store-operated Ca 2+ entry (SOCE) encodes a range of cellular responses downstream of Ca 2+ influx through the SOCE channel Orai1. Orai1 recycles at the plasma membrane (PM), with ~40% of the total Orai1 pool residing at the PM at steady state. The mechanisms regulating Orai1 recycling remain poorly understood. We map the domains in Orai1 that are required for its trafficking to and recycling at the PM. We further identify, using biochemical and proteomic approaches, the CCT [chaperonin-containing TCP-1 (T-complex protein 1)] chaperonin complex as a novel regulator of Orai1 recycling by primarily regulating Orai1 endocytosis. We show that Orai1 interacts with CCT through its intracellular loop and that inhibition of CCT-Orai1 interaction increases Orai1 PM residence. This increased residence is functionally significant as it results in prolonged Ca 2+ signaling, early formation of STIM1-Orai1 puncta, and more rapid activation of NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) downstream of SOCE. Therefore, the CCT chaperonin is a novel regulator of Orai1 trafficking and, as such, a modulator of Ca 2+ signaling and effector activation kinetics.
Abstract B123: Full-length bio-active atypical protein kinase c ι expression and purification in a bacterial system

Background: Proteins are at the steering wheel in the route of cancer progression. Protein kinase C (PKC) is a contributor to malignant advancement and it pushes past some of the normal cell’s defenses. In particular, PKC-ι participates in oncogenesis at varying levels in signaling and tissue specificity. Around 70% of the selected chemical entities that are the result of in-silico investigations are found to be rejected in the final stages of drug development. Therefore, binding studies are essential to in-silico techniques and are pivotal for finding kinase inhibitors for overly active proteins like PKC-ι. Despite the fact that there are numerous binding studies involving PKC-ι, protein production remains tedious and expensive. Objective: In this investigation, we hope to produce large amounts of recombinant bio-active full-length PKC-ι in a bacterial system. The large quantity of PKC-ι can be used for future experiments such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), x-ray crystallography, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and ligand binding studies. Methods: We used bacterial expression plasmids (pET-His) with full-length and catalytic domain only PKC-ι gene inserts (tagged and untagged with GST). We transformed the bacterial cells lines BL21(DE3), Tuner (DE3), and ArticExpress. Results and Discussion: So far we have successfully produced low amounts of the full-length PKC-ι and the catalytic domain of PKC-ι in Tuner (DE3) and BL21(DE3) bacterial cells, respectively. We have also isolated a small amount of the PKC-ι catalytic domain from BL21(DE3) using a nickel column. However, continued optimization of the bacterial environment is needed to increase the quantity and quality of our desired protein. Citation Format: Tracess Smalley, Rekha Patel, Mildred Acevedo-Duncan. Full-length bio-active atypical protein kinase c ι expression and purification in a bacterial system [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B123. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B123
Acoustic-electroelastic interactions in ultrasound energy transfer systems: Reduced-order modeling and experiment

Abstract Contactless ultrasound energy transfer from a piezoelectric cylinder or disk subjected to forced vibrations to a piezoelectric receiver offers the capability of safely transferring energy to sensors and devices, which is of great interest in different applications. Physical processes supporting ultrasonic energy transfer include piezoelectric-generated vibrations at a transmitting element, piezoelectric transduction of elastic vibrations at a receiving element, acoustic wave propagation, and acoustic-structure interactions at the surfaces of the transmitting and receiving elements. Considering these processes, we present an experimentally-validated multi-physics model that fills a knowledge gap in terms of accurately representing the fluid-loaded response of piezoelectric disks, usually used in ultrasonic energy transfer as a cylindrical transmitting source-cylindrical receiver combination. First, we derive the governing equations using the generalized Hamilton's principle and solve them using the finite element method. Second, we compute the surface pressure distribution due to acoustic-structure interactions under resonance conditions. We then use the mode shapes and surface pressure distributions obtained from the finite element model in conjunction with the matrix governing equations to develop a reduced-order model with quantified reactive and resistive parts of the acoustic radiation impedance. The developed reduced-order model is then experimentally validated by comparing the electrical impedance of four different piezoelectric disks having various aspect ratios. We also discuss how the proposed approach should be utilized to develop reduced-order model for piezoelectric receivers. The presented approach and reduced-order model allow for accurate identification of critical parameters that govern acoustic energy transfer between piezoelectric disks, which is crucial for designing efficient ultrasonic acoustic energy transfer systems.
A Certain Idea of Science: How International Relations Theory Avoids the New Cold War History

So far, scholars of international politics have displayed relatively little inclination to use new evidence from Cold War-era archives to test their theories and generalizations. This indifference is unfortunate. The new archival evidence and memoirs can—and should—provide a reality check for theoretical debates. It is time for students of international relations to recognize the crucial link between historical explanation and theoretical propositions.
Chronic infection and inflammation induce reactive dysplasia and neoplasia in mouse prostate

1472 Introduction and Objective: Prostate cancer remains a major public health concern in the United States. Etiologic factors that initiate and enhance the progression of this malignancy are beginning to emerge, with strong evidence that chronic inflammation and uncontrolled cell proliferation are linked to prostate carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that oxidative stress induced by chronic E. coli infection and subsequent inflammation might induce a reactive dysplasia that could evolve into a neoplastic process in the mouse prostate. Methods: Twelve weeks old male C3H/HeOuJ mice were anaesthetized with isoflurane and inoculated intraurethrally with 2x106E. coli 1677. Control mice were inoculated with PBS. Mice were sacrificed at five days, 12 and 26 weeks after inoculation. Prostate tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and evaluated by light microscopy for inflammatory responses and histological changes. Oxidative DNA damage, cell proliferation, epithelial cell adhesion, and androgen receptor (AR) expression were analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining using antibodies against 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine, Ki-67, E-cadherin, and AR, respectively. Results: All infected animals exhibited bacterial prostatitis at each time point. Control mice had no prostate infections or inflammation at any timepoint. Mice infected for 5 days showed foci of acute inflammation with infiltrating neutrophils and epithelial necrotic debris in the prostatic glandular lumen. All mice infected for 12 weeks had evidence of chronic prostatic inflammation with dense inflammatory infiltrates in the stroma. The prostatic glandular epithelium showed varying degrees of atypical hyperplasia with increased epithelial cell layers, cytological atypia, and dysplastic changes of glandular architecture. Chronic inflammation persisted 26 weeks after infection. The dysplastic changes were more pronounced at this stage, nearly replacing the normal glandular architecture, and mimicking the appearance of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Prostatic glands exhibiting reactive dysplasia had stronger staining for oxidative DNA damage, increased epithelial cell proliferation, and decreased E-cadherin and AR expression compared to normal and hyperplastic glands. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that infection-induced chronic prostatic inflammation can produce reactive epithelial hyperplasia and prostatic glandular atypia that resembles a prostate cancer precursor lesion. These observations associated with evidence of oxidative stress lend credence to the proposed linkage between chronic bacterial inflammation, oxidative stress damage and prostatic neoplasia.
Magnesium for Florida Turfgrasses

Soluble magnesium (Mg) is often applied to turfgrasses in both granular and foliar forms, and is therefore essential to understanding the function of Mg in the plant, the dynamics of Mg in the soil, and the forms of Mg fertilizers. This 3-page document discusses the function and forms of magnesium in turfgrasses. Written by T. W. Shaddox and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, March 2018. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep555