cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brainstem Injury in Pediatric Patients With Posterior Fossa Tumors Treated With Proton Beam Therapy and Associated Dosimetric Factors.

Purpose Proton radiation therapy is commonly used in young children with brain tumors for its potential to reduce late effects. However, some proton series report higher rates of brainstem injury (0%-16%) than most photon series (2.2%-8.6%). We report the incidence of brainstem injury and a risk factor analysis in pediatric patients with posterior fossa primary tumors treated with proton radiation therapy at our institution. Methods and Materials The study included 216 consecutive patients treated between 2000 and 2015. Dosimetry was available for all but 4 patients. Grade 2 to 5 late brainstem toxicity was assessed by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Results The histologies include medulloblastoma (n=154, 71.3%), ependymoma (n=56, 25.9%), and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (n=6, 2.8%). The median age at irradiation was 6.6 years (range, 0.5-23.1 years); median dose, 54 gray relative biological effectiveness (Gy RBE) (range, 46.8-59.4 Gy RBE); and median follow-up period, 4.2 years (range, 0.1-15.3 years) among 198 survivors. Of the patients, 83.3% received chemotherapy; 70.4% achieved gross total resection. The crude rate of injury was 2.3% in all patients, 1.9% in those with medulloblastoma, 3.6% in those with ependymoma, and 0% in those with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. The 5-year cumulative incidence of injury was 2.0% (95% confidence interval, 0.7%-4.8%). The median brainstem dose (minimum dose received by 50% of brainstem) in the whole cohort was 53.6 Gy RBE (range, 16.5-56.8 Gy RBE); maximum point dose within the brainstem (Dmax), 55.2 Gy RBE (range, 48.4-60.5 Gy RBE); and mean dose, 50.4 Gy RBE (range, 21.1-56.7 Gy RBE). In the 5 patients with injury, the median minimum dose received by 50% of the brainstem was 54.6 Gy RBE (range, 50.2-55.1 Gy RBE); Dmax, 56.2 Gy RBE (range, 55.0-57.1 Gy RBE); mean dose, 51.3 Gy RBE (range, 45.4-54.4 Gy RBE); and median volume of the brainstem receiving ≥55 Gy RBE (V55), 27.4% (range, 0%-59.4%). Of the 5 patients with injury, 4 had a brainstem Dmax in the highest quartile (≥55.8 Gy RBE, P = .016) and a V55 in the highest tertile (>6.0%) of the cohort distribution (P = .047). Of the 5 patients with injury, 3 were aged >6 years (age range, 4.1-22.8 years), and 4 of 5 patients received chemotherapy and achieved gross total resection. Conclusions The incidence of injury in pediatric patients with posterior fossa tumors is consistent with previous reports in the photon setting. Our data suggest that when Dmax and V55 are kept
Origins of carbonate spherulites: Implications for Brazilian Aptian pre-salt reservoir

Abstract Spherulites, spherical to elliptical allochems composed of crystals radiating from a common core, investigated from a variety of depositional settings, e.g., hot springs, ambient water temperature geyser, tufa, and caliche, are all composed of a fine-grained nucleus made-up of carbonate encrusted bacterial bodies, biofilms, and/or EPS and surrounded by a cortex of radiating crystals of either aragonite or calcite. The microbes and their by-products in the nucleus induced the precipitation of carbonate, overcoming the inhibition to initiate crystal formation. The enveloping radiating crystals comprising aragonitic cortices tended to grow abiotically producing well-formed euhedral crystals with a paucity of included bacterial fossils. Whereas those cortical crystals made-up of calcite commonly contained bacterial fossils, indicating that the bacterial colonies contributed to the calcitic cortical crystal precipitation. Similar spherulites form a thick, widespread accumulation in the Aptian Pre-Salt lacustrine deposits in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. As with the travertine, tufa, and caliche spherulites, the Pre-Salt spherulites most likely initiated carbonate precipitation around bacterial colonies and/or their bioproducts, probably while afloat in a lacustrine water column before settling to the water-sediment interface. Absence of inter-spherulite sediment and the spherulite-to-spherulite compaction indicate that cortical crystal growth continued while the spherulites were at the sediment-water interface rather than displacively within a sediment.
Sustaining manufacturing assets through smarterutilization of information and communication technologies

Over the past few years, enterprise asset management (EAM) has emerged as an important activity in industry. It is strongly supported by EAM software and other communication systems that ease the tasks of maintenance, repair, operations and overhaul of physical assets after these assets have been purchased and installed in an enterprise. This paper outlines how manufacturing assets can be sustained through smarter utilization of such information and communications technologies. Utilizing these technologies has a direct impact on the financial performance of a firm by reducing waste and cost; it also leads to environmentally-friendly manufacturing infrastructure and practices.
Sex Differences in the Use of Health Services

It is widely known that women have much higher rates of physician utilization than men. This is true even when pregnancy-related visits are taken out of consideration (Nathanson, 1977). It might be that this difference accurately describes the higher rates of ill health experienced by women, but proponents of an illness behaviour perspective argue that it also reflects a more active female response to symptoms (Mechanic, 1976). This argument is consistent with the fact that women are much more likely than men to present with complaints of mild symptoms (Verbrugge, 1976). Discretion in seeking professional help for symptoms of this sort is high (Mechanic, 1978).
Inhibition of Fungal Biofilms

Fungal infections constitute a major threat for an expanding population of immunosuppressed patients, as these infections carry unacceptably high morbidity and mortality rates due to, among other reasons, the limited arsenal of antifungal agents. One of the main factors complicating antifungal therapy is the formation of fungal biofilms, resulting in frank resistance to most antifungal drugs, which is multifactorial in nature. Although Candida albicans remains the most frequent etiologic agent of fungal biofilm infections, there is an increased recognition that infections caused by other yeasts and filamentous fungi are also associated with the formation of biofilms, both on biomedical devices and host tissues. During the last decade an increasing number of studies have begun to uncover the driving forces behind the formation of fungal biofilms and the molecular basis of biofilm resistance; together with new powerful technologies, they may pave the road for the development of newer therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of these recalcitrant infections.
Project Management and Public Health Informatics

The chapter provides a high-level overview of the discipline of project management, serving as a brief introduction to the Project Management Institute’s widely used methodology as it is often practiced in the field of public health informatics. The use of the project management process groups is described and explored from the perspective of the management of public health informatics projects. Key issues in the management of public health informatics projects are also highlighted in the project context. Specific tools and techniques likely to improve opportunities for public health informatics project success are identified and discussed. An understanding of project management techniques is essential for the public health manager, as informatics activities are often implemented as projects.
Critiquing Resilience: Interview with Julian Reid

SPECTRA met with Julian Reid at Virginia Tech on September 12, 2017.During the interview, we talk to Julian about his perspectives on resilience, sovereignty, political theory, academic life, writing, and the arts.
Epidemiologic trends in neuroendocrine tumors: An examination of incidence rates and survival of specific patient subgroups over the past 20 years.

Abstract Introduction Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) represent a small proportion of cancers, but are increasing in incidence due to incidental diagnosis. We examined NET incidence and survival over time in a population-based registry. Materials/Methods We identified all NET cases diagnosed between 1995 and 2014 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, November 2016 submission. We determined incidence rates and calculated overall and cancer-specific survival curves in different subgroups stratified by grade, stage, and age at diagnosis. Results We identified 85,133 patients with a diagnosis of NET between 1995 and 2014. Patients with grade 1, localized NETs had the best median overall survival (233 months, 95% confidence intervals [CI] not estimable) and 5-year cancer-specific survival (97.6%; 95% CI, 97.4%, 97.8%). The median overall survival decreased with age across the entire spectrum of ages, with patients >70 years having a particularly poor prognosis (28.0 months; 95% CI, 26.5, 29.5). Patients >70 years old often had distant (34.3%) or grade 3 disease (40.8%), but even elderly patients with lower grade and/or stage disease had worse median overall survival compared with younger subjects. Conclusions Age appears to be associated with a worse prognosis independent of NET stage, and grade at the time of diagnosis. Patients with grade 1, localized NETs have an excellent long-term prognosis. Further research is warranted on reducing intensity of surveillance in these patients.
WDR5 regulates left-right patterning via chromatin dependent and independent functions

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of infant mortality and morbidity, yet the genetic causes and mechanisms remain opaque. In a patient with CHD and heterotaxy, a disorder of left-right (LR) patterning, a de novo mutation was identified in the chromatin modifier gene WDR5 WDR5 acts as a scaffolding protein in the H3K4 methyltransferase complex, but a role in LR patterning is unknown. Here, we show that Wdr5 depletion leads to LR patterning defects in Xenopus via its role in ciliogenesis. Unexpectedly, we find a dual role for WDR5 in LR patterning. First, WDR5 is expressed in the nuclei of monociliated cells of the LR organizer (LRO) and regulates foxj1 expression. LR defects in wdr5 morphants can be partially rescued with the addition of foxj1 Second, WDR5 localizes to the bases of cilia. Using a mutant form of WDR5, we demonstrate that WDR5 also has an H3K4-independent role in LR patterning. Guided by the patient phenotype, we identify multiple roles for WDR5 in LR patterning, providing plausible mechanisms for its role in ciliopathies like heterotaxy and CHD.
Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Laparoscopic Versus Ultrasound-Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery.

BACKGROUND:Transversus abdominis plane block may improve analgesia after colorectal surgery; however, techniques remain unstandardized and results are conflicting.OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to compare laparoscopic and ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block with no block in
Positional Strategies for Connection Specificity and Synaptic Organization in Spinal Sensory-Motor Circuits.

Summary Proprioceptive sensory axons in the spinal cord form selective connections with motor neuron partners, but the strategies that confer such selectivity remain uncertain. We show that muscle-specific sensory axons project to motor neurons along topographically organized angular trajectories and that motor pools exhibit diverse dendritic arbors. On the basis of spatial constraints on axo-dendritic interactions, we propose positional strategies that can account for sensory-motor connectivity and synaptic organization. These strategies rely on two patterning principles. First, the degree of axo-dendritic overlap reduces the number of potential post-synaptic partners. Second, a close correlation between the small angle of axo-dendritic approach and the formation of synaptic clusters imposes specificity of connections when sensory axons intersect multiple motor pools with overlapping dendritic arbors. Our study identifies positional strategies with prominent roles in the organization of spinal sensory-motor circuits.
Entropy-Based Proactive and Reactive Cyber-Physical Security

This chapter considers the problem of securely operating a cyber-physical system under different types of attacks, including actuator and sensor attacks. The proposed defense approach consists of a proactive and a reactive mechanism. The proactive part leverages the principles of moving target defense, and introduces a stochastic switching structure that dynamically and continuously alters the behavior of the system, aiming to neutralize the attacker’s reconnaissance efforts. An unpredictability metric is proposed that utilizes the entropy induced by a switching supervisor, in order to maximize efficiency. The reactive part isolates the potentially compromised system components. A novel integral Bellman-based intrusion detection system is used to detect the attacks and take appropriate measures by collecting data online and without knowledge of the physical interpretation of the system. Simulation results are presented to showcase the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Qualitative Investigation of Community Pharmacy Immunization Enhancement Program Implementation.

Background: Despite widely available nonseasonal immunization services in community pharmacies, actual pharmacist-administered vaccines are not yet optimal. A flexible choice multicomponent interve...
Advancing the Education of Stop the Bleed: Development of a Perfused Synthetic Cadaver Model

Abstract Background As active shootings and mass casualty incidents have become more prevalent, courses designed to teach basic hemorrhage control to laypersons have proliferated. Participants currently undergo Stop the Bleed (StB) training currently use a synthetic limb mannequin. In a prior survey of 88 participants, there was overwhelming sentiment that the mannequin was limited by its inability to demonstrate cessation of bleeding when hemorrhage control techniques were applied. We hypothesized that simulated bleeding that can be controlled by StB techniques would improve the mannequin and increase confidence of trainees in achieving bleeding control. Methods The mannequin was redesigned to be a self-contained model mimicking bleeding, with fluid flowing from a reservoir into a latex tubing with a laceration mimicking an arterial wound. Fluid was pumped by a rubber bulb attached to the tubing and held in the instructor's hand. Twenty StB trainers conducted beta testing of the perfused mannequin. Forty participants underwent training with both old and new models and completed posttraining surveys. Results Beta-testers reported positive feedback regarding both realism of the perfused mannequin and participants' ability to obtain bleeding control using StB techniques. Participants who trialed the mannequin reported increased awareness of the rate of blood flow out of a wound, which in turn increased their sense of urgency to achieve hemostasis. Conclusions In an effort to address shortcomings noted by participants in the current StB mannequin, we developed a novel perfused bleeding mannequin, which responds appropriately to various hemorrhage cessation techniques and is both high fidelity and low cost.
Sample Complexity of Learning Mixture of Sparse Linear Regressions

In the problem of learning mixtures of linear regressions, the goal is to learn a col-lection of signal vectors from a sequence of (possibly noisy) linear measurements,where each measurement is evaluated on an unknown signal drawn uniformly fromthis collection. This setting is quite expressive and has been studied both in termsof practical applications and for the sake of establishing theoretical guarantees. Inthis paper, we consider the case where the signal vectors aresparse; this generalizesthe popular compressed sensing paradigm. We improve upon the state-of-the-artresults as follows: In the noisy case, we resolve an open question of Yin et al. (IEEETransactions on Information Theory, 2019) by showing how to handle collectionsof more than two vectors and present the first robust reconstruction algorithm, i.e.,if the signals are not perfectly sparse, we still learn a good sparse approximationof the signals. In the noiseless case, as well as in the noisy case, we show how tocircumvent the need for a restrictive assumption required in the previous work. Ourtechniques are quite different from those in the previous work: for the noiselesscase, we rely on a property of sparse polynomials and for the noisy case, we providenew connections to learning Gaussian mixtures and use ideas from the theory of
Li-Fraumeni syndrome: not a straightforward diagnosis anymore—the interpretation of pathogenic variants of low allele frequency and the differences between germline PVs, mosaicism, and clonal hematopoiesis

The introduction of next-generation sequencing has resulted in testing multiple genes simultaneously to identify inherited pathogenic variants (PVs) in cancer susceptibility genes. PVs with low minor allele frequencies (MAFs) (< 25–35%) are highlighted on germline genetic test reports. In this review, we focus on the challenges of interpreting PVs with low MAF in breast cancer patients undergoing germline testing and the implications for management. The clinical implications of a germline PV are substantial. For PV carriers in high-penetrance genes like BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53, prophylactic mastectomy is often recommended and radiation therapy avoided when possible for those with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). For germline PV carriers in more moderate-risk genes such as PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2, annual breast MRI is recommended and prophylactic mastectomies considered for those with significant family histories. Detection of PVs in cancer susceptibility genes can also lead to recommendations for other prophylactic surgeries (e.g., salpingo-oophorectomy) and increased surveillance for other cancers. Therefore, recognizing when a PV is somatic rather than germline and distinguishing somatic mosaicism from clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is essential. Mutational events that occur at a post-zygotic stage are somatic and will only be present in tissues derived from the mutated cell, characterizing classic mosaicism. Clonal hematopoiesis is a form of mosaicism restricted to the hematopoietic compartment. Among the genes in multi-gene panels used for germline testing of breast cancer patients, the detection of a PV with low MAF occurs most often in TP53, though has been reported in other breast cancer susceptibility genes. Distinguishing a germline TP53 PV (LFS) from a somatic PV (TP53 mosaicism or CH) has enormous implications for breast cancer patients and their relatives. We review how to evaluate a PV with low MAF. The identification of the PV in another tissue confirms mosaicism. Older age, exposure to chemotherapy, radiation, and tobacco are known risk factors for CH, as is the absence of a LFS-related cancer in the setting of a TP53 PV with low MAF. The ability to recognize and understand the implications of somatic PVs, including somatic mosaicism and CH, enables optimal personalized care of breast cancer patients.
Heat pipe dryout and temperature hysteresis in response to transient heat pulses exceeding the capillary limit

Abstract The balance between the capillary pressure provided by the wick in a heat pipe or vapor chamber and the flow resistance to liquid resupply at the evaporator determines the maximum heat load that can be sustained at steady state. This maximum heat load is termed as the capillary limit; operation at steady heat loads above the capillary limit will result in dryout at the evaporator wick. However, different user needs and device workloads can lead to highly transient heat loads in applications ranging from consumer electronic devices to server processors. In these instances, the operation of heat pipes must be assessed in response to brief transient heat loads which could be higher than the notional capillary limit that governs dryout at steady state. In the current study, experiments are performed to characterize the transient thermal response of a heat pipe subjected to heat input pulses of varying duration that exceed the capillary limit. Transient dryout events due to a wick pressure drop exceeding the maximum available capillary pressure can be detected from an analysis of the measured temperature signatures. It is demonstrated that under such transient heating conditions, a heat pipe can sustain heat loads higher than the steady-state capillary limit for brief periods of time without experiencing dryout. If the heating pulse is sufficiently long as to induce transient dryout, the heat pipe may experience an elevated steady-state temperature even after the heat load is reduced back to a level lower than the capillary limit. The steady-state heat load must then be reduced to a level much below the capillary limit to fully recover the original thermal resistance of the heat pipe. This characteristic temperature hysteresis following transient dryout has significant implications for the use of heat pipes for pulsed power dissipation. Further experiments are performed to bound the range of heat loads over which the temperature hysteresis is present following a transient dryout event.
Larger viral genome size facilitates emergence of zoonotic diseases

Emergence of new viral diseases is linked to mutation or recombination events. The likelihood of cross-species transmission is related to phenotypic plasticity of a virus and its capacity to produce genetically variable progeny. Herein a model is described connecting the production of genetic variability with increasing genome size. Comparing all known zoonotic viral genome sizes to known non-zoonotic viral genome sizes demonstrates that zoonotic viruses have significantly larger genomes. These results support the notion that large viral genomes are important in producing new zoonotic disease, and suggest that genome size may be a useful surrogate in screening for potential zoonotic viruses.
Fumarate hydratase c.914T > C (p.Phe305Ser) is a pathogenic variant associated with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome

Author(s): Breen, Kelsey; Carlo, Maria; Kemel, Yelena; Maio, Anna; Chen, Ying-Bei; Ceyhan-Birsoy, Ozge; Mandelker, Diana; Zhang, Liying | Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome (HLRCC), caused by heterozygous germline pathogenic variants in the FH, confers an increased risk for cutaneous and uterine leiomyomas and renal cancer. METHODS: About 13,722 advanced cancer patients, including 560 with renal cell carcinoma, had germline analysis performed in the context of tumor-normal sequencing under an IRB approved protocol. RESULTS: We report two unrelated individuals with early onset kidney cancer who both carried the c.914CngnT (p.Phe305Ser) germline variant in the FH. Both tumors exhibited loss of FH staining by immunohistochemistry and/or positive 2SC staining. Subsequent familial testing discovered that a daughter of a proband who carried the variant had both cutaneous and uterine leiomyomas. CONCLUSION: This combination of evidence suggests that the FH c.914CngnT (p.Phe305Ser) is pathogenic for HLRCC.
Evolution of α Centauri B’s Protoplanetary Disc

With hydrodynamical simulations we examine the evolution of a protoplanetary disc around $\alpha$ Centauri B including the effect of the eccentric orbit binary companion $\alpha$ Centauri A. The initially circular orbit disc undergoes two types of eccentricity growth. First, the eccentricity oscillates on the orbital period of the binary, $P_{\rm orb}$, due to the eccentricity of the binary orbit. Secondly, for a sufficiently small disc aspect ratio, the disc undergoes global forced eccentricity oscillations on a time-scale of around $20\,P_{\rm orb}$. These oscillations damp out through viscous dissipation leaving a quasi-steady eccentricity profile for the disc that oscillates only on the binary orbital period. The time-averaged global eccentricity is in the range 0.05-0.1, with no precession in the steady state. The periastrons of the gas particles are aligned to one another. The higher the disc viscosity, the higher the disc eccentricity. With $N$-body simulations we examine the evolution of a disc of planetesimals that forms with the orbital properties of the quasi-steady protoplanetary disc. We find that the average magnitude of the eccentricity of particles increases and their periastrons become misaligned to each other once they decouple from the gas disc. The low planetesimal collision velocity required for planet formation suggests that for planet formation to have occurred in a disc of planetesimals formed from a protoplanetary disc around $\alpha$ Centauri B, said disc's viscosity must be have been small and planet formation must have occurred at orbital radii smaller than about $2.5\,\rm au$. Planet formation may be easier with the presence of gas.
Nonlinear Physiologically Structured Population Models with Two Internal Variables

First-order hyperbolic partial differential equations with two internal variables have been used to model biological and epidemiological problems with two physiological structures, such as chronological age and infection age in epidemic models, age and another physiological character (maturation, size, stage) in population models, and cell-age and molecular content (cyclin content, maturity level, plasmid copies, telomere length) in cell population models. In this paper, we study nonlinear double physiologically structured population models with two internal variables by applying integrated semigroup theory and non-densely defined operators. We consider first a semilinear model and then a nonlinear model, use the method of characteristic lines to find the resolvent of the infinitesimal generator and the variation of constant formula, apply Krasnoselskii’s fixed point theorem to obtain the existence of a steady state, and study the stability of the steady state by estimating the essential growth bound of the semigroup. Finally, we generalize the techniques to investigate a nonlinear age-size structured model with size-dependent growth rate.
Regional inequality, spatial polarization and place mobility in provincial China: A case study of Jiangsu province

Abstract This paper investigates regional inequality, spatial polarization, and places mobility in provincial China through a case study of Jiangsu province from a multi-scale and multi-dimensional framework. Based on policy changes and inequality indices, we divide the development trajectory of Jiangsu since the reform into three sub-periods: 1978–1993, 1994–2004, and 2004–2014. The analysis reveals that regional inequality and polarization have a similar pattern: fast growth during 1978–1993, fluctuating during 1994–2004, and stable decline after 2004. Place mobility stays low after 1994, mainly because of the growing accumulation of the developed area. After 2004 we can observe higher mobility, which, however, is not strong enough to change the core-periphery structure. The spatial measurements reflect the spatial agglomeration process, and the core-periphery structure has become clear and stable since 1994. Such findings are also confirmed by the clustering of self-organizing maps (SOM), which reveals local development trajectories in Jiangsu. This paper shows that a strong core-periphery structure increases spatial polarization and reduces place mobility, even though regional inequality does not intensify. More policies are needed to address the serious problems of spatial exclusion, the tremendous core-periphery gap, the persistent polarization among geographical regions and populations, and the decreasing place mobility. Our study calls for a more in-depth investigation of the multi-scale and multi-dimensional nature of spatial inequality and further analysis of the complexity of spatial inequality and the development of poorer regions.
‘But we are the most backward’: Hierarchical categorization of modernity in contemporary Chinese national identity

Abstract This article examines how the classification of specific territories in China as backward constructs contemporary Chinese national identity. Recent scholarship has examined the role that regions within nations play as repositories of undesirable traits of national identity. This article examines how spaces at scales other than the region within a national territory are classified on a continuum of backwardness and modernity through an examination of four forms of classification of political spaces within China: minzu (ethnicity), westness, poverty, rural/urban. Drawing on ethnographic field work in Western China, alongside the writings of noted anthropologist Fei Xiaotong and others Chinese intellectuals, this article shows that spaces were discursively categorized as backward. This classification of backwardness is not a case of binary othering, but rather exists as a graduated teleological hierarchy in which all spaces classified as backward have the theoretical ability to move out of their backwardness through state-led development. With the goal of helping backward spaces advance towards modernity, the state has enacted de jure forms of territorial classification target specific spaces for development and modernization.
Uncertainty Shocks in Networks

Existing studies on uncertainty shocks focus on economy-wide shocks that affect all sectors symmetrically and simultaneously. However, as the recent COVID-19 pandemic underscores, a rise in uncertainty often appears to be concentrated in several specific sectors. In this paper, I study how these sector-specific uncertainty shocks propagate and affect aggregate outcomes. First, using sector-level data, I estimate sectoral TFP and demand processes allowing for stochastic volatility. I show that sectoral TFP and demand display nontrivial fluctuations in volatility even after controlling for economy-wide variations. I estimate local projections and find that an increase in sector-specific TFP or demand volatility reduces output in that sector. Second, I use the estimated sectoral TFP and demand processes to simulate the impact of sector-specific volatility shocks in a calibrated multi-sector New Keynesian model that features input-output networks. I find that sectoral volatility shocks generate contractions in aggregate output, hours, consumption, and investment. The key mechanism is the precautionary pricing motive that multiplies and propagates to other sectors.
Characterizing methane and total non-methane hydrocarbon levels in Los Angeles communities with oil and gas facilities using air quality monitors

Over the past decade, sensor networks have been proven valuable to assess air quality on highly localized scales. Here we leverage innovative sensors to characterize gaseous pollutants in a complex urban environment and evaluate differences in air quality in three different Los Angeles neighborhoods where oil and gas activity is present. We deployed monitors across urban neighborhoods in South Los Angles adjacent to oil and gas facilities with varying levels of production. Using low-cost sensors built in-house, we measured methane, total non-methane hydrocarbons (TNMHCs), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide during three deployment campaigns over four years. The multi-sensor linear regression calibration model developed to quantify methane and TNMHCs offers up to 16% improvement in coefficient of determination and up to a 22% reduction in root mean square error for the most recent dataset as compared to previous models. The deployment results demonstrate that airborne methane concentrations are higher within a 500 m radius of three urban oil and gas facilities, as well as near a natural gas distribution pipeline, likely a result of proximity to sources. While there are numerous additional sources of TNMHCs in complex urban environments, some sites appear to be larger emitters than others. Significant methane emissions were also measured at an idle site, suggesting that fugitive emissions may still occur even if production is ceased. Episodic spikes of both compounds suggested an association with oil and gas activities, demonstrating how sensor networks can be used to elucidate community-scale sources and differences in air quality moving forward.
Thermophilic microbial deconstruction and conversion of natural and transgenic lignocellulose

The potential to convert renewable plant biomasses into fuels and chemicals by microbial processes presents an attractive, less environmentally intense alternative to conventional routes based on fossil fuels. This would best be done with microbes that natively deconstruct lignocellulose and concomitantly form industrially relevant products, but these two physiological and metabolic features are rarely and simultaneously observed in nature. Genetic modification of both plant feedstocks and microbes can be used to increase lignocellulose deconstruction capability and generate industrially relevant products. Separate efforts on plants and microbes are ongoing, but these studies lack a focus on optimal, complementary combinations of these disparate biological systems to obtain a convergent technology. Improving genetic tools for plants have given rise to the generation of low-lignin lines that are more readily solubilized by microorganisms. Most focus on the microbiological front has involved thermophilic bacteria from the genera Caldicellulosiruptor and Clostridium, given their capacity to degrade lignocellulose and to form bio-products through metabolic engineering strategies enabled by ever-improving molecular genetics tools. Bioengineering plant properties to better fit the deconstruction capabilities of candidate consolidated bioprocessing microorganisms has potential to achieve the efficient lignocellulose deconstruction needed for industrial relevance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Enhanced electron density and plasma dynamics on nanosecond time scales in Helium plasma discharges

Enhanced electron density and plasma dynamics are investigated for Helium discharges on nanosecond timescales with Particle-In-Cell simulations. The plasma discharges are driven between planar electrodes with DC, single pulses, and dynamic frequency square waves. It is assumed that the DC and pulse discharges operate in the glow regime. It is shown that as pressure increases with narrowing gap distance, the peak transient electron density rises. This is in contrast to what is observed under a constant pressure-gap (pd) and electric field reduced by neutral density (E/N) values at saturation time. It is shown that although the pd and E/N values and therefore the breakdown voltage are the same across cases, the plasma kinetics are different due to a change in the energy relaxation lengths. The cross-points between the sheath length and energy relaxation length move to higher electron energies at higher pressure. This facilitates high-energy electrons to undergo inelastic collisions and produces different rates of increasing electron density and temperature at nanosecond timescales. Moreover, using a plasma frequency-dependent square wave, the electron density can be increased to 50 times higher over that of the DC case because of a reverse electric field. The electron kinetics on nanosecond time scales can be exploited for high electron density and fast ionization applications.
Considering Indigenous Research Methodologies: Bicultural Accountability and the Protection of Community Held Knowledge:

As part of a continuing conversation related to Indigenous methodologies in Western academic contexts, this manuscript includes a summary of the scholarly dialogue by providing background informati...
Science Teacher Noticing via Video Annotation: Links between Complexity and Knowledge-Based Reasoning

This study adds to the construct of science teacher noticing through an analysis that integrates concepts from pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) frameworks. It examines 929 instances of science t...
Synthesis and behavior of bulk iron nitride soft magnets via high-pressure spark plasma sintering

In this study, dense bulk iron nitrides (FexN) were synthesized for the first time ever using spark plasma sintering (SPS) of FexN powders. The Fe4N phase of iron nitride in particular has significant potential to serve as a new soft magnetic material in both transformer and inductor cores and electrical machines. The density of SPSed FexN increased with SPS temperature and pressure. The microstructure of the consolidated bulk FexN was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. XRD revealed a primary phase of Fe4N with secondary phases of Fe3N and metallic iron. Finite element analysis (FEA) was also applied to investigate and explain localized heating and temperature distribution during SPS. The effects of processing on interface bonding formation and phase evolution were investigated and discussed in detail to provide insight into fundamental phenomena and microstructural evolution in SPSed FexN.
RNA processing in a unicellular microorganism: implications for eukaryotic cells.

Publisher Summary Processing of RNA is a feature of RNA metabolism that contributes to the determination of the final population of active RNA molecules in the cell. Processing is the sum of events that convert a primary RNA transcript into a functional molecule. The major aspects of RNA processing that separate prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells is the existence of intervening sequences in the latter but not in the former, as a student of RNA processing could not avoid contemplating this chapter. The order of processing steps is governed primarily by the order in which substrate recognition signals become available. A certain amount of flexibility exists in the order of initial processing events, but the final steps that generate the mature RNA termini must be preserved. These final cleavages are performed by enzymes that recognize the “mature” domains of the substrate in its final conformation. The complex eukaryotic gene containing intervening sequences evolved from the simpler prokaryotic gene during or after the evolution of the nucleus.
Hapten-Radioimmunoassay for Steroid Hormones

One of the major advantages of using radioimmunoassay techniques for the measurement of steroid hormones is their unique potential for quantitating these hormones in unextracted serum, providing a truly specific antibody can be obtained to a given steroid. However, data regarding the factors which influence the specificity of antibodies to steroid hormones are incomplete. Since the basic structure of all steroid hormones is similar, i.e., they all contain the same basic cyclopentanophenanthrene nucleus, they offer an unequaled opportunity to study how minor alterations of this basic structure influence their immuno-reactivity. The structure of all steroid hormones differs only in the type and location of functional groups which are attached or introduced into this basic four ring nucleus.
Beyond a 'skeleton': understanding cellular functions of the cytoskeleton

A report on the cytoskeleton sessions of the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, San Francisco, 9-13 December 2000.
Family, Ethics, Informed Consent and Medicolegal Issues

The wind whistles through the cracks in your call room window when the emergency department (ED) calls, and suddenly you find yourself in the maelstrom of that environment, speaking to a small group of extremely anxious strangers—having to explain that an immediate operation will be required to save their beloved one. The operating room (OR) is ready.
Optic Atrophy in Children

Optic atrophy is a morphologic sequelae to a multitude of anterior visual pathway insults that culminate in loss of retinal ganglion cell axons.153,185,200 Histopathologically, it is characterized by a variable reduction of nerve diameter with loss of axons and little or no gliosis. Ophthalmoscopically, the disc retains its normal size and shows diffuse or segmental pallor. The pallor in optic atrophy has been attributed to thinning of the neural tissue of the optic disc and resulting changes in cytoarchitecture and decreased transmission of light , rather than to loss of optic disc capillaries or astrocytic proliferation. 184,186 The ophthalmoscopic appearance of the atrophic disc alone only occasionally suggests a specific mechanism of injury.237
Pharmacokinetic-Based Minibolus Delivery as an Alternative to Continuous Infusion for Drugs That Exhibit a Biophase Lag

The presence of a biophase compartment in a pharmacokinetic model indicates that the response to an administered dose of drug is damped such that the time to peak effect occurs after the peak concentration in the bloodstream. This phenomenon, which is common to most intravenous anesthetic agents, can be exploited by a drug delivery method that administers minibolus doses of drug rather than a continuous infusion. Through analysis of the frequency response behavior of the biophase compartment, a bolus magnitude and dose frequency or interval (1/frequency) can be chosen such that the oscillation in drug effect is minimized even though the plasma concentration may be changing significantly with each supplemental dose. A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic based method for calculating the bolus dose size and dosing interval is presented. The trade-off between dose interval and change in drug effect is exemplified through computer simulation of this strategy applied to delivery of the neuromuscular blocking agent pancuronium. The method provides a repetitive perturbation to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic system that can aid in model parameter identification during closed loop applications.
Targeting of AID‐Mediated Sequence Diversification by cis‐Acting Determinants

Abstract After their assembly by V(D)J recombination, immunoglobulin (Ig) genes undergo somatic hypermutation, gene conversion, and class switch recombination to generate additional antibody diversity. The three diversification processes depend on activation‐induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and are tightly linked to transcription. The reactions occur primarily on Ig genes and the molecular mechanisms that underlie their targeting to Ig loci have been of intense interest. In this chapter, we discuss the evidence linking transcription and transcriptional control elements to the three diversification pathways, and we consider how various features of chromatin could render parts of the genome permissive for AID‐mediated sequence diversification.
Activating learned exemplars in children impairs memory for related exemplars in visual long-term memory

A popular educational method when teaching children new information is encouraging children to activate previously learned information held in long-term memory. A potential downside of this practice is the considerable evidence that there are negative consequences of accessing long-term memory representations. Specifically, it has been shown that accessing information in long-term memory can actually impair related memories. This impairment has classically been demonstrated with verbal material (i.e., retrieval-induced forgetting) and more recently with visual material in adults (i.e., recognition-induced forgetting). The goal of the present study was to examine whether recognition-induced forgetting exists in visual long-term memory for children aged 6–10 years old, the age at which retrieval-induced forgetting appears to emerge. To this end, we presented children with an abbreviated, age-appropriate recognition-induced forgetting paradigm. If children suffer recognition-induced forgetting, practicing a ...
Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation for Breastfeeding Infants: Will it Work?

* Abbreviation: WIC — : Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Infants fortunate enough to be exclusively breastfeeding are at risk for insufficient vitamin D intake, and if vitamin D deficient, are at risk for rickets. Despite an unequivocal recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to provide 400 IU of oral vitamin D daily beginning in the first days postpartum, national studies conducted both before and after publication of these recommendations estimate that only 1 in 5 breastfed US infants achieves this goal.1–3 Both provider and parent compliance play a role when recommendations are not followed.4–5 To address this issue, an elegant prospective randomized double-blind trial by Hollis and colleagues6 explores an option that has been “food for thought” and study for several years: supplementation of maternal vitamin D as a substitute for infant supplementation. Their trial carefully addressed potentially confounding variables, including latitude, season, maternal skin pigmentation, BMI, and diet. The study was challenged by attrition because of discontinued exclusive breastfeeding, with just 148 of the 389 who were randomized (38%) able to complete the trial, raising another important public health issue. But … Address correspondence to Lydia Furman, MD, Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Rm 784, MS 6019, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland OH 44016. E-mail: lydia.furman{at}uhhospitals.org
Adenoid enlargement and CD4 counts in HIV-positive patients.

We read with interest the article by Yousem et al in which the size of adenoids in 21 HIV-positive patients was studied as a function of other clinical parameters [(1)][1]. We are interested in this topic because our experience indicates that large adenoids usually are seen in patients with
Experiences with food insecurity and risky sex among low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in a resource-rich setting.

Background : Forty-nine million individuals are food insecure in the United States, where food insecurity and HIV/AIDS are prevalent among the urban poor. Food insecurity is associated with risky sexual behaviours among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). No qualitative studies, however, have investigated the mechanisms underlying this relationship either in a resource-rich setting or among populations that include men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods : Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 low-income PLHIV receiving food assistance in the San Francisco Bay Area. The interviews explored experiences with food insecurity and perceived associations with sexual risk behaviours. Interviews were conducted in English, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and analyzed according to content analysis methods using an inductive-deductive approach. Results : Food insecurity was reported to be a strong contributor to risky sexual practices among MSM and female participants. Individuals described engaging in transactional sex for food or money to buy food, often during times of destitution. Participants also explained how food insecurity could lead to condomless sex despite knowledge of and desire to use safe sexual practices, largely because the need to obtain food in the short term was prioritized over the desire to use barrier protection. Conclusions : Our data extend previous research by demonstrating that food insecurity contributes to transactional and unprotected sex among urban poor individuals in a resource-rich setting, including among MSM. These findings underscore the importance of public health and social intervention efforts focused on structural inequalities. Keywords: food insecurity; sexual behaviour; HIV; men who have sex with men; resource-rich; San Francisco Bay Area; homeless; marginally housed. (Published: 4 November 2015) Citation: Whittle HJ et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2015, 18 :20293 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/20293 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.18.1.20293