cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What does remembering racial violence do? Greensboro's Truth Commission, mnemonic overlap, and attitudes toward racial redress

In recent decades, African Americans have called for greater reckoning with historic race-related violence. One such violent incident took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1979, when Klansmen killed five Communist demonstrators. Greensboro's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created in 2004 as an intervention into collective memory of the killings. In this article, I draw on a unique survey of 716 respondents about this case to make three arguments. First, I argue that memory projects can induce mnemonic overlap between creators and audiences, modestly stimulating support for redress of historic injustice. Second, I show that while "preaching to the choir" and to undecided audiences is effective, building project awareness among ideological opponents triggers increased resistance, not persuasion. Third, I show that audiences filtered the project's story through its key characters' ingrained reputations, especially that of the Ku Klux Klan, which constrained and enabled the Commission's effectiveness in surprising ways. I discuss implications for commemorative projects as a part of redress. Language: en
Performance improvement of the linear BLDC generator in a deep space explorer

This paper presents methods to improve performance of the power supply system in a NASA deep space explorer. In the stirling engine driven reciprocating brushless DC (BLDC) generator, the accurate position information of the prime mover is important to diagnose the performance of the engine and prevent the distortion of the output power. Because sensors to detect the position are fragile and unreliable, and conventional sensorless technique has a drawback in the low speed region, a novel sensorless position detection technique for the prime mover has been proposed and verified. Another major issue of the generator for the spacecraft is power density maximization. The mass of the power system is important to the mass of the satellite. Therefore, the components of the spacecraft should be lightweight. Conventional rectification methods cannot achieve the maximum power possible because of non-optimal current waveforms. The optimal current waveform for maximizing power density and minimizing machine size and weight in a nonsinusoidal power supply system has been derived, incorporated in a control system, and verified by simulation work.
Electron confinement on magnetic field lines

Laboratory experience that allows visualization of basic plasma parameters is a powerful learning experience. Here we show two sequences of pictures that allow students to visually comprehend both magnetic confinement of electrons as well as electron-neutral collision rates.
Clinical review 31: Anabolic-androgenic steroids and athletes: what are the issues?

IKE health and other professionals most athletes are very pragmatic and success oriented. Training methods that include the use of chemical compounds and drugs are chosen if the athlete thinks the risk-to-benefit ratio is favorable. These agents may be needed merely for their placebo effect, or they may allow the athlete to train more diligently and/or more aggressively, or they may directly enhance athletic performance. One of the series of agents that is of current interest are the anabolic-androgenic steroids. All are derivatives of testosterone, which is responsible for the androgenic and anabolic effects noted during male adolescence and adulthood. Androgenic effects are those that relate to the growth of the male reproductive tract or to the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men. In the pubertal male organism, these are increases in the length and diameter of the penis, development of the prostate and scrotum, and the appearance of the pubic, axillary, and facial hair. Anabolic effects are the changes that occur in the somatic or nonreproductive tract tissues and include an acceleration of linear growth that appears before bony epiphyseal closure, enlargement of the larynx and thickening of the vocal cords, the development of libido and sexual potentia, and finally, an increase in muscle bulk and strength as well as a decrease in body fat. This androgen is also probably responsible for the increase in aggressive and sexual behavior, although its role in the psychological and behavioral aspects is controversial. Scientific interest in drugs is usually focused on their therapeutic effects, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of disease, or on their abuse potential. Little attention has been given to the use of drugs for the following
Recombinant Factor VIIa for Treatment of Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage Following Rattlesnake Envenomation

North American rattlesnakes possess venom with primarily cytotoxic and hemotoxic properties. When persons are envenomated by these snakes, thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy commonly occur, yet patients rarely develop severe bleeding. This report describes a 44-year-old Native American man bitten on the index finger by an unknown species of rattlesnake. The man developed massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage that was ultimately treated with recombinant factor VIIa. He presented to an emergency department with a depressed level of consciousness, a blood pressure of 60/20 mm Hg, and heart rate of 148 beats per minute. He was diaphoretic and vomiting bright red blood. Initial laboratory results revealed thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy. Despite aggressive fluid resuscitation and administration of blood and antivenom in the emergency department, the patient continued to have profuse upper gastrointestinal bleeding, with hemoglobin as low as 1.8 g/dL. He received fluids, antivenom, and multiple blood products, with cessation of bleeding after administration of recombinant factor VIIa. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a single Mallory-Weiss tear as the source of hemorrhage. The patient stabilized after 6 hours of aggressive resuscitation but over the next several days developed several complications, including acute renal failure and gram-negative sepsis. The patient died on hospital day 5. In cases of life-threatening hemorrhage after rattlesnake envenomation in which traditional therapy with antivenom and aggressive supportive measures fail, recombinant factor VIIa should be considered as an additional therapeutic option to achieve hemostasis.
Predicting flexible loop regions that interact with ligands: the challenge of accurate scoring.

Flexible loop regions play a critical role in the biological function of many proteins and have been shown to be involved in ligand binding. In the context of structure-based drug design, using or predicting an incorrect loop configuration can be detrimental to the study if the loop is capable of interacting with the ligand. Three protein systems, each with at least one flexible loop region in close proximity to the known binding site, were selected for loop prediction using the CorLps program; a six residue loop region from phosphoribosylglycinamide formyltransferase (GART), two nine residue loop regions from cytochrome P450 (CYP) 119, and an eleven residue loop region from enolase were selected for loop prediction. The results of this study indicate that the statistically-based DFIRE scoring function implemented in the CorLps program did not accurately rank native-like predicted loop configurations in any protein system. In an attempt to improve the ranking of the native-like predicted loop configurations, the MM/GBSA and the Optimized MM/GBSA-dsr scoring functions were used to re-rank the predicted loops with and without bound ligand. In general, single snapshot MM/GBSA scoring provided the best ranking of native-like loop configurations. Based on the scoring function analyses presented, the optimal ranking of native-like loop configurations is still a difficult challenge and the choice of the “best” scoring function appears to be system dependent.
Patency and flow response in endarterectomized coronary arteries.

Abstract Ninety patients, operated on from May, 1978, through June, 1979, underwent coronary endarterectomy and early recatheterization. Patency of grafts to endarterectomized arteries was 103 of 118 (87.3%) and patency of conventional vein grafts in the same patients was 217 of 233 (93.1%). Myocardial blood flow using xenon 133 washout, at rest and with isoproterenol-induced stress, was measured in 7 normal coronary arteries, 28 conventional saphenous vein grafts, and 33 saphenous vein grafts to endarterectomized coronary arteries. The increase in myocardial blood flow, from rest to isoproterenol-induced stress, was comparable for the three groups. The endarterectomized group was divided further by separating out the 10 patients with heavy scarring or residual disease. The remaining patients had a flow response identical to those with conventional saphenous vein grafts. The rate of perioperative infarction in patients receiving endarterectomy was 3 of 113 (2.6%), as measured by appearance of new persistent Q waves on the serial postoperative electrocardiogram. Positive pyrophosphate scans were noted in 13 of 105 (12.4%) patients. It is concluded that, in the early stages at least, grafts to endarterectomized coronary arteries stay open and perfuse the myocardium as well as conventional saphenous vein grafts unless the myocardium is heavily scarred or unless residual disease remains.
Psychological health and involvement in interpersonally demanding occupations: A longitudinal perspective

This longitudinal study examined relations among interpersonal demands of jobs and the psychological health, job and work involvements, and job satisfaction of workers. Two samples of archival data were collected between the 1940s and 1971. Workers of both sexes who were psychologically healthier in adolescence and earlier adulthood manifested greater involvement and (for men only) satisfaction later in adulthood. People in interpersonally demanding jobs showed greater involvement and satisfaction; men were more involved, but not more satisfied, than women. Older cohort members who were more psychologically healthy were more likely to enter, and remain in, interpersonally demanding jobs. However, this relationship was moderated by both chronological age and historical period, which are cohort variables that are often ignored in the occupational literature. The common practice of presuming generalizability across these dimensions may not be warranted.
STEROID RECEPTORS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Receptor theory got its start over a century ago when Langley (1) proposed that tissues contained specific substances that combined with drugs to produce their effects. However, it was not until 1959 that the direct demonstration of tissue binding of a cell regulator was reported. Jensen and associates (2) and Glascock and Hoekstra (3) observed that target organs of the estrogens retained more labeled estrogen than nontarget organs after systemic administration of the labeled hormone. Thus was born the concept of the estrogen receptor and the whole field of experimental receptorology.
What does changing the temperature do to the melatonin rhythm in cultured chick pineal cells

Chick pineal cells in static culture display a persistent, photosensitive circadian rhythm of melatonin production and release. We previously described the effects of light, the major physiological regulator of circadian rhythms, on the amplitude, period, and phase of the melatonin rhythm. Here we describe the effects of temperature, another physiological regulator of circadian rhythms, on the amplitude, period, and phase of this rhythm. Maintaining cells at 40.0-43.3 degrees C (104-110 degrees F) instead of 36.7 degrees C (98 degrees F) doubled the amplitude of the melatonin rhythm. In contrast, amplitude was reduced by about half at 33.3 degrees C (92 degrees F), and at 46.7 degrees C (116 degrees F) melatonin production was stopped within a few hours. Although temperatures of 40.0-43.3 degrees C raised melatonin output (unlike light, which suppresses it), they lengthened the period of the rhythm (as does constant light). Exposure of cells to 8-h pulses of these temperatures (40.0-43.3 degrees C) induced both phase delays and phase advances of the rhythm in subsequent cycles, with a phase dependence similar to that for the phase shifts induced by light pulses. Pulses of 40.0-43.3 degrees C were, however, weaker in their phase-shifting effects than light pulses. Pulses at still higher temperatures (46.7 degrees C) markedly inhibited melatonin output and delayed or disrupted the rhythm. The relationships (physiological and mechanistic) between the effects of temperature and light on the melatonin rhythm remain to be determined.
Bridging a clinical gap in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: Mental health provider preferences of biopsychosocial assessment approaches

Management of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is complex, requiring multidisciplinary care. A standardized assessment and formulation approach to PNES is lacking, yet use of a comprehensive model may alleviate problems such as mental health aftercare noncompliance. Although a biopsychosocial (BPS) approach to PNES balancing predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating (PPP) variables has been described and has been recently tested in pilot form, it is unclear how this assessment style is perceived among community mental health practitioners such as psychotherapists (including psychologists, counselors, and social workers). We predicted preference of a comprehensive "BPS/PPP" assessment style by those most involved in PNES care (i.e., community psychotherapists). One hundred and forty-three community-based social workers and counselors completed a survey featuring a fictional PNES case followed by assessment style options ("Multiaxial," "Narrative," and "BPS/PPP"). Respondents clearly preferred the robust BPS/PPP approach over less-comprehensive multiaxial and narrative assessments (p<0.0001). Reasons for choosing the BPS/PPP by respondents include ease of organization, clear therapeutic goals, and comprehensive nature. This assessment of acceptability of a BPS/PPP approach to PNES assessment among community mental health practitioners may provide a patient-centered mechanism to enhance referrals from the neurological to mental health setting. Implications and future directions are explored.
Electron Transfer Mediator Effects in the Oxidative Activation of a Ruthenium Dicarboxylate Water Oxidation Catalyst

The mechanism of electrocatalytic water oxidation by the water oxidation catalyst, ruthenium 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylate (bda) bis-isoquinoline (isoq), [Ru(bda)(isoq)2], 1, at metal oxide electrodes has been investigated. At indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), diminished catalytic currents and increased overpotentials are observed compared to glassy carbon (GC). At pH 7.2 in 0.5 M NaClO4, catalytic activity is enhanced by the addition of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = bipyridine) as a redox mediator. Enhanced catalytic rates are also observed at ITO electrodes derivatized with the surface-bound phosphonic acid derivative [Ru(4,4′-(PO3H2)2bpy)(bpy)2]2+, RuP2+. Controlled potential electrolysis with measurement of O2 at ITO with and without surface-bound RuP2+ confirm that water oxidation catalysis occurs. Remarkable rate enhancements are observed with added acetate and phosphate, consistent with an important mechanistic role for atom-proton transfer (APT) in the rate-limiting step as described previously at GC elect...
The lymphoid tissue and antibody formation.

SummaryAdrenalectomized rabbits with hypertrophy of the lymphoid tissues produce antibodies in amounts far in excess of that produced by intact animals. this is evident not only by definite reactions in higher dilution but by the more masive precipitate in low dilutions. The prevention of the lymphoid hypertrophy by administration of adrenal cortical hormones does not reduce the amount of antibodies in the sera. This is probably due to the disruptive action of the hormone on the lymphocyte with a more rapid release of the immune globulin than would normally take place.
Local Governance and Inter-Municipal Cooperation by Filipe Teles

Teles, F. (2016). Local governance and inter-municipal cooperation. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. $67.50 (hard cover), ISBN: 987-1-137-44573-5.
A protocol for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression: Item scoring rules, Rater training, and outcome accuracy with data on its application in a clinical trial

Background We present a fully articulated protocol for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), including item scoring rules, rater training procedures, and a data management algorithm to increase accuracy of scores prior to outcome analyses. The latter involves identifying potentially inaccurate scores as interviews with discrepancies between two independent raters on the basis of either scores >=5-point difference) or meeting threshold for depression recurrence status, a long-term treatment outcome with public health significance. Discrepancies are resolved by assigning two new raters, identifying items with disagreement per an algorithm, and reaching consensus on the most accurate scores for those items. Methods These methods were applied in a clinical trial where the primary outcome was the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-Seasonal Affective Disorder version (SIGH-SAD), which includes the 21-item HAM-D and 8 items assessing atypical symptoms. 177 seasonally depressed adult patients were enrolled and interviewed at 10 time points across treatment and the 2-year followup interval for a total of 1589 completed interviews with 1535 (96.6%) archived. Results Inter-rater reliability ranged from ICCs of .923-.967. Only 86 (5.6%) interviews met criteria for a between-rater discrepancy. HAM-D items "Depressed Mood", "Work and Activities", "Middle Insomnia", and "Hypochondriasis" and Atypical items "Fatigability" and "Hypersomnia" contributed most to discrepancies. Limitations Generalizability beyond well-trained, experienced raters in a clinical trial is unknown. Conclusions Researchers might want to consider adopting this protocol in part or full. Clinicians might want to tailor it to their needs.
Disability equality and prenatal testing: contradictory or compatible?

I. WHAT IS DISABILITY “REALLY” LIKE, OR HOW MISINFORMED ARE PEOPLE ANYWAY? 318 A. Models of Disability 318 B. Disability and the Normal Opportunity Range 322 C. Having and Lacking Capacities 324 II. THE LIMITS OF PROGRESS 327 A. The Persistence of Negative Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities ... 328 B. Translating Law Into Practice 330 III. THE “MESSAGE” OF SELECTING FUTURE CITIZENS 332 A. Clinical Practice 334 B. Rationales for Test Development 335 C. Line-Drawing 337
Abstract POSTER-BIOL-1309: Beta-catenin regulated ALDH1A1 is a target in ovarian cancer stem cells

Spheroids are 3D multi-cell aggregates formed in non-adherent culture conditions. In ovarian cancer (OC), they serve as a vehicle for cancer cell dissemination in the peritoneal cavity and protect cells from extracellular stress-induced anoikis. We hypothesized that spheroids are enriched in cancer stem cells and investigated pathways activated under these conditions. Affymetrix-based gene expression profiling of OC cells grown as spheroids vs. monolayers identified β-catenin pathway being upregulated in 3D cultures. Increased expression of β-catenin and target genes (cyclin D1, c-myc) was demonstrated in spheroids vs. monolayers and in successive spheroid generations using OC cell lines and primary cultures. B-catenin function measured as TCF/LEF1 reporter activity was augmented in spheroids vs. monolayers and siRNA mediated β-catenin knock down decreased the number of spheroids (p (Funding: US Department of Veterans Affairs and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund) Citation Format: Salvatore Condello, Sarbajeet Nagdas, Cynthia Morgan, John Turek, Thomas Hurley, Daniela Matei. Beta-catenin regulated ALDH1A1 is a target in ovarian cancer stem cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(16 Suppl):Abstract nr POSTER-BIOL-1309.
The Evolution of Genome Structure by Natural and Sexual Selection

Progress on understanding how genome structure evolves is accelerating with the arrival of new genomic, comparative, and theoretical approaches. This article reviews progress in understanding how chromosome inversions and sex chromosomes evolve, and how their evolution affects species' ecology. Analyses of clines in inversion frequencies in flies and mosquitoes imply strong local adaptation, and roles for both over- and under dominant selection. Those results are consistent with the hypothesis that inversions become established when they capture locally adapted alleles. Inversions can carry alleles that are beneficial to closely related species, causing them to introgress following hybridization. Models show that this "adaptive cassette" scenario can trigger large range expansions, as recently happened in malaria mosquitoes. Sex chromosomes are the most rapidly evolving genome regions of some taxa. Sexually antagonistic selection may be the key force driving transitions of sex determination between different pairs of chromosomes and between XY and ZW systems. Fusions between sex-chromosomes and autosomes most often involve the Y chromosome, a pattern that can be explained if fusions are mildly deleterious and fix by drift. Sexually antagonistic selection is one of several hypotheses to explain the recent discovery that the sex determination system has strong effects on the adult sex ratios of tetrapods. The emerging view of how genome structure evolves invokes a much richer constellation of forces than was envisioned during the Golden Age of research on Drosophila karyotypes.
Adsorption of C8 Aromatic Isomers on Faujasite Zeolite

Abstract The adsorption of para-xylene in C 8 aromatica hydrocarbons was studied on cation exchanged faujasite zelite. The effect of the basicity of aromatic hydrocarbons, inonic potential of exchanged cations, and the packing oc C 8 aromatics in the cavity of zeolite was examined. Paraxylene was adsorbed more selectivley with decreasing ionic potential of cation, while para-xylene was adsorbed more selectively with decreasing ionic potential of cation, while para-xylene was strongly subject to the restriction of packing in the cavity of zeolite compared with other C 8 aromatics. The adsorption selectivity was determined fromt eh balance of the basicity of adsorbed components and the restriction for the packing of component molecules in the cavity of zeolite.
Spatial clusters of AIDS in Indonesia

Abstract Objective This study seeks to determine whether distinctive clusters of case rates, number of new cases, treatment types, and other socio-demographic characteristics exist among provinces in Indonesia. Hierarchical Agglomerative and k-means clustering techniques are used to empirically derive the patterns of AIDS among Indonesian provinces by forming clusters of provinces with similar characteristics. Methods Cluster analysis is used to segment the Indonesian provinces in terms of how their rates of medical care and number of new cases of AIDS vary with respect to the socio-economic characteristics and sustainable health system of the province. Data from the 2011 Statistik Indonesia (2014–2015) and the 2006 Governance and Decentralization Survey were used. Results Cluster analysis yielded three distinct clusters: the high incidence rates and moderately high case rates cluster, the low case and incidence rates cluster, and the high case and incidence rates cluster. Conclusion Addressing the socioeconomic, demographic, and health inequalities that exist among the provinces should be a priority. Preventive interventions should consider provincial poverty and illiteracy rates, the population and its density, the type of self-treatment sought, the unmet need for healthcare services, the density of medical professionals, as well as the number of opportunistic infections.
Precision Medicine and PET/Computed Tomography in Melanoma

Recent advances in genomic profiling and sequencing of melanoma have provided new insights into the development of the basis for molecular biology to more accurately subgroup patients with melanoma. The development of novel mutation-targeted and immunomodulation therapy as a major component of precision oncology has revolutionized the management and outcome of patients with metastatic melanoma. PET imaging plays an important role in noninvasively assessing the tumor biological behavior, to guide individualized treatment and assess response to therapy. This review summarizes the recent genomic discoveries in melanoma in the era of targeted therapy and their implications for functional PET imaging.
Extracellular ISG15 Signals Cytokine Secretion through the LFA-1 Integrin Receptor

Summary ISG15 is a ubiquitin-like protein that functions in innate immunity both as an intracellular protein modifier and as an extracellular signaling molecule that stimulates IFN-γ secretion. The extracellular function, important for resistance to mycobacterial disease, has remained biochemically uncharacterized. We have established an NK-92 cell-based assay for IFN-γ release, identified residues critical for ISG15 signaling, and identified the cell surface receptor as LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18; αLβ2 integrin). LFA-1 inhibition blocked IFN-γ secretion, splenocytes from CD11a −/− mice did not respond to ISG15, and ISG15 bound directly to the αI domain of CD11a in vitro . ISG15 also enhanced secretion of IL-10, indicating a broader role for ISG15 in cytokine signaling. ISG15 engagement of LFA-1 led to the activation of SRC family kinases (SFKs) and SFK inhibition blocked cytokine secretion. These findings establish the molecular basis of the extracellular function of ISG15 and the initial outside-in signaling events that drive ISG15-dependent cytokine secretion.
Hayek’s ‘Framework of Traditional and Moral Rules’

After the ‘Great’ War, the age of dynasties was replaced by what Hayek denigrated as republics of ‘peasants and workers.’ Hayek also denigrated decolonization and defended the ‘civilisation’ of apartheid from the American ‘fashion’ of ‘human rights.’ There are similarities between his philosophy and the sentiments expressed by John C. Calhoun, an early nineteenth-century slave owner and ‘liberty’ and ‘property’ promoter (and United States Vice President and Senator from South Carolina). This chapter examines aspects of the behaviour that lies behind the facade of Austrian morality.
Examining Impacts of Mindfulness in Requesting Job Accommodations for Individuals With Disabilities

This study aimed to examine the relationship between mindfulness and the request for job accommodations among individuals with disabilities. One hundred fifty individuals with disabilities who need...
The first multi-zoo application of an allostatic load index to western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Abstract Vertebrate stress responses are highly adaptive biological functions, maximizing survival probability in life-threatening situations. However, experiencing repeated and/or chronic stressors can generate physiological dysregulation and lead to disease. Because stress responses are multi-systemic and involve a wide range of physiological functions, identifying responses to stressors is best accomplished using integrated biomarker models. Allostatic load, defined as the physiological dysregulation that accumulates over the lifespan due to stressful experiences, is one such model. Allostatic load is measured using allostatic load indices, which are composites of biomarkers from multiple somatic systems. Previously, we reported the use of a 7-biomarker allostatic load index (albumin, CRH, cortisol, DHEA-S, glucose, IL-6, TNF-α) in western lowland gorillas housed at a single zoo. Herein, this index is expanded to examine allostatic load responses to lifetime stressors in gorillas from two additional zoos (n = 63) as well as two pooled samples. The index was created using quartile cut-points for each biomarker. Significant associations were observed between multiple predictor variables and allostatic load, including sex, age, number of stressful events (anesthetic events, zoo transfers, agonistic interactions with wounding, pregnancies), and rearing history (mother-reared, nursery-reared, wild-caught). Additionally, allostatic load was associated with indicators of morbidity (creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides), age at death, and mortality risk. These results are consistent with those reported in human allostatic load research, suggesting allostatic load indices have potential as an investigative and clinical tool for gorillas and other great apes.
Binding of Steroids to Transforming Enzymes

Numerous enzymes are involved in steroid biosynthesis and metabolic transformation. Every one of them undergoes specific interactions with their substrates, in most cases steroids; every one of these steroid-protein associations would be a pertinent subject of discussion in the framework of this monograph. However, not many of these steroid-transforming enzymes have been obtained in pure form so that their physicochemical and steroid-binding properties could be definitively investigated; the interest centered predominantly on the enzymatic reactions themselves, and their role in the general metabolism of steroid hormones and related steroids. These more physiological aspects are not the primary objective of the present chapter. The enzymatic reactions will be viewed rather as special cases of steroid-protein interaction in which the steroid, attached to the binding site by noncovalent bonds, undergoes metabolic transformation(s) catalyzed by enzymatically active groups in or near the binding site.
Vibrational CD Spectrometers

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) is defined as circular dichroism (CD) in vibrational transitions of molecules. Hence, a VCD spectrometer is an infrared spectrometer that can measure the CD associated with infrared vibrational absorption bands. After presenting briefly the principles of a typical VCD measurement, three different VCD spectrometer designs are discussed. The simplest of these is the dispersive VCD spectrometer, and this design is used to illustrate the basic concepts associated with the electronic processing of VCD spectra. The two subsequent cases involving Fourier transform VCD spectrometers are more complex, but share the same underlying conceptual basis as the dispersive VCD spectrometer. Finally, the principal applications of VCD spectroscopy, which include measurements of the conformation, absolute configuration and enantiomeric excess of chiral molecules are discussed.
Adaptive Situational Leadership Framework

This work proposes an adaptive leadership framework that provides intelligent decision making solutions for a leader to provide cost-effective feedback to followers with different levels of mission readiness. Useful, timely provided feedback can improve follower’s readiness and performance. However, feedback provision can be costly and strain the leader, especially when the leader’s resources are limited. To model adaptive feedback provision, we use instance-based learning (IBL) theory, a cognitive architecture that can account for human decision making and learning from experience in a dynamic environment. In addition, we leverage the concept of trust, to capture the dynamic performance of the follower. Trust in a follower is used as a key attribute for the leader’s decision making process. To evaluate the proposed framework and the interplay between leader’s trust in follower and utility from feedback provision, we devised four different feedback schemes with or without adaptive learning and with or without trust, and conducted comparative performance analysis among them. Our key findings show that in less resource constraint situations the adaptive feedback provision using IBL model and trust can significantly help increase decision utility, representing a balance between the follower’s trust improvement and the leader’s feedback cost. In addition, a leader’s high willingness to provide feedback does not necessarily lead to high decision utility, while a follower’s high learning capability is a key to maximize decision utility.
Gefitinib and erlotinib sensitivity in a panel of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines

3389 Gefitinib and erlotinib are novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with specificity for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and are being used in the treatment of lung cancer. Recently mutations in the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of EGFR have been associated with very high response rates and great sensitivity to gefitinib. However, another subset of lung cancer patients with wild-type EGFR in their tumors also have clinical benefit. We wished to develop gene expression profiles that predict responsiveness to gefitinib and erolotinib in lung cancers in addition to that conveyed by a TK domain EGFR mutation. To do this we determined the concentration of drugs required to give 50% growth inhibition (IC50) in a large panel of 45 NSCLC cell lines (8 with documented mutations of the TK domain of EGFR) which also were profiled for mRNA expression using Affymetrix U133 A & B chips. None of the lung cancer lines came from patients previously treated with TKIs. Cells were grown in 96-well plates, 24 hours after plating TKI’s were added to final concentrations from 0.06 μM to 1,000 μM in 4-fold dilutions, and at 96 hours after plating cell number was measured (CellTiter® 96 Aqueous One Solution (Promega) as a function of drug concentration (8 replicates per plate, all assays repeated 3 or more times), and the IC50 determined with software. Apoptosis assays were performed 24 hours after drug addition using the BD ApoAlert™ Caspase Plates (BD Biosciences). Nude mice were injected with 5 x 106 tumor cells subcutaneously into animals that received 350 cGy whole body irradiation. Tumors were measured twice weekly and tumor volume was calculated using the formula length x width2π/6. The IC50’s to gefitinib range from 0.04 to 324.37 μM and those to erlotinib range from 0.04 to 159.75 μM. As expected 5 of the EGFR mutant lung cancers were sensitive (IC50 1 μM). In apoptosis assays the 5 sensitive lines underwent large scale apoptosis while the 3 EGFR mutant but TKI resistant lines did not. There was nearly a perfect correlation between the log IC50 gefitinib versus the log IC50 erlotinib. The tumor cell lines with wild-type EGFR had IC50 values ranging from 1 μM to 300 μM) indicating a broad range of sensitivity within this group. Xenograft studies showed that sensitive cell lines were also exquisitely sensitive to gefitinib in vivo with large tumors being either cured or put into long term remission with TKI therapy while several resistant cell lines were resistant in vivo as well. Taken together these facts suggest that EGFR mutations are necessary but not sufficient to confer TKI sensitivity. These tumor cell lines provide novel resources to study these important aspects of targeted therapy. Likewise the xenograft studies provide a way to generate in vivo resistant variants to TKI therapy in EGFR mutant lung cancers.
Evaluation of Experimental Methods for Determining Dynamic Stiffness and Damping of Composite Materials

Various methods potentially usable for determining dynamic stiffness and damping of composite materials are reviewed. Of these, the following most widely used techniques are singled out for more detailed discussion: free vibration, pulse propagation, and forced vibration response. To illustrate the usefulness and validity of dynamic property data, their application in dynamic analyses and comparison with measured structural response are described for the following composite-material structures: free-free sandwich beam with glass-epoxy facings, clamped-edge sandwich plate with similar facings, free-end sandwich conical shell with similar facings, and boron-epoxy free plate with layers arranged at various orientations.
A deformation-based approach for characterizing brain asymmetries at different spatial scales of resolution.

Abstract Background Structural cerebral asymmetries are hypothesized to provide an architectural foundation for functional asymmetries and behavioral lateralities. Studies of structural asymmetries typically focus on gray matter measures that are influenced by gross deformation fields used for normalization, and thus characterize a combination of different morphologic influences on structural asymmetries. New method A deformation-based morphometry approach was developed to characterize structural asymmetries at different spatial scales of resolution, which can provide relatively more specific inference about the morphologic reason(s) for structural asymmetries, using a dataset of 347 typically developing children (7.00–12.92 years). Results Significant structural asymmetries were observed for a larger lobar spatial scale (e.g., frontal petalia) and for a smaller gyral/sulcal spatial scale of resolution (e.g., marginal sulcus). Total intracranial volume was significantly associated with asymmetries at the larger spatial scale of normalization, while age was significantly associated with asymmetries at the smaller scale of normalization. There were no significant anti- or fluctuating asymmetry effects based on Hartigan Dip Tests and Bonnett Tests, respectively. Comparison with existing method(s) While spatially similar asymmetries were observed in both gray matter and deformation field data (e.g., medial planum temporale/Heschl’s gyrus), the deformation approach characterizes asymmetries based on three iterations of successively smaller scales of normalization. Conclusions Structural asymmetries can be identified in normalization deformations with a procedure that is tailored for sensitivity to structures at different spatial scales of resolution where there may be different mechanisms for the expression of asymmetry.
Experimental Studies of Radially Heterogeneous Liquid-Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Critical Assemblies at the Zero-Power Plutonium Reactor

Experimental programs to investigate the physics characteristics of heterogeneous liquid metal fast breeder reactor cores have been conducted in the zero-power plutonium reactor critical facility over a period of about5 yr. Previous experiments on conventional homogeneous cores provided appropriate benchmark data against which to judge the heterogeneous core results. For a heterogeneous reactor of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor size, both the physics parameters and the ability to predict them by common design methods differ substantially from an equivalent conventional design. Data errors and methods approximations have a greater effect in the analysis of heterogeneous cores, particularly with respect to such spatially varying parameters as power distributions and control rod worths. Preliminary results from recent experiments on a 700-MW (electric)-sized heterogeneous assembly are presented. As expected, predictions of physics parameters in general are worse than for conventional cores. Eigenvalue spectra and cross-section sensitivity have been used to characterize the spatial sensitivity of the cores.
Factors Associated With Becoming Edentulous in the US Health and Retirement Study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE To determine factors associated with older adults becoming edentulous (complete tooth loss). DESIGN Longitudinal study over a 6-year period. SETTING United States, 2006, 2012. PARTICIPANTS Nationally representative US sample of adults, aged 50 years and older (n = 9982), participating in the Health and Retirement Study in 2006 and 2012. At the outset, they were dentate and not institutionalized. INTERVENTION None. MEASUREMENTS Self-report of being dentate or edentulous, demographic variables, dental utilization and other health behaviors, self-rated general health, and incidence between 2006 and 2012 of comorbid medical conditions, functional limitations, and disabilities. RESULTS From 2006 to 2012, 563 individuals (5%) became edentulous and 9419 (95%) remained dentate. Adults who became edentulous by 2012 were more likely than those who remained dentate to be black/African American compared to white, to be less educated, were current smokers, had diabetes, and reported poorer self-rated general health, more functional limitations and disabilities, and fewer dental visits (all P < .0001), among other factors. Of those with regular dental visits (at least once every 2 years during the 6-year period), 2.3% became edentulous compared to 9.9% among those without regular dental visits. After adjusting for age and other potential confounders, there was a strong association with poor dental attendance and smoking. Nonregular dental attenders were more likely than regular attenders to become edentulous (odds ratio [OR] = 2.74; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.12-3.53), and current smokers were more likely than never smokers to become edentulous (OR = 2.46; 95% CI = 1.74-3.46). CONCLUSION Although more contemporaneous data are needed to determine causality, regular dental utilization and smoking are modifiable factors that could prevent edentulism, even when many other comorbid conditions are present. J Am Geriatr Soc, 1-7, 2019. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2318-2324, 2019.
5-YEAR OUTCOME OF PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION VS. CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY FOR PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH UNPROTECTED LEFT MAIN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AND PROPENSITY SCORE ADJUSTED STUDIES

With the advance in stent, imaging and pharmacotherapy in the past decade, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been accepted as a treatment in selected patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD). However, the long-term outcomes of PCI vs coronary artery bypass
A Search for Identity.

In a moving personal account, the author tells of the forces and influences in his life that led him to develop creative and well-documented black studies
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatic disease: a comparative cohort study from a US 'hot spot'.

Objective To investigate differences in manifestations and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection between those with and without rheumatic disease. Methods We conducted a comparative cohort study of patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 (confirmed by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 PCR), compared in a 1:2 ratio with matched comparators on age, sex and date of COVID-19 diagnosis, between 1 March and 8 April 2020, at Partners HealthCare System in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. We examined differences in demographics, clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 infection. The main outcomes were hospitalisation, intensive care admission, mechanical ventilation and mortality. Results We identified 52 rheumatic disease patients with COVID-19 (mean age, 63 years; 69% female) and matched these to 104 non-rheumatic disease comparators. The majority (39, 75%) of patients with rheumatic disease were on immunosuppressive medications. Patients with and without rheumatic disease had similar symptoms and laboratory findings. A similar proportion of patients with and without rheumatic disease were hospitalised (23 (44%) vs 42 (40%)), p=0.50) but those with rheumatic disease required intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation more often (11 (48%) vs 7 (18%), multivariable OR 3.11 (95% CI 1.07 to 9.05)). Mortality was similar between the two groups (3 (6%) vs 4 (4%), p=0.69). Conclusions Patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 infection were more likely to require mechanical ventilation but had similar clinical features and hospitalisation rates as those without rheumatic disease. These findings have important implications for patients with rheumatic disease but require further validation.
Fitting phenological curves with GLMMs

Abstract Understanding organismal phenology has been an emerging interest in ecology, in part because phenological shifts are one of the most conspicuous signs of climate change. While we are seeing increased collection of phenological data and creative use of historical data sets, existing statistical tools to measure phenology are generally either limited (e.g., first day of observation, which has problematic biases) or are challenging to implement (often requiring custom coding, or enough data to fit many parameters). We present a method to fit phenological data with Gaussian curves using linear models, and show how robust phenological metrics can be obtained using standard linear regression tools. We then apply this method to eight years of Baltimore checkerspot data using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). This case study illustrates the ability of years with extensive data to inform years with less data and shows that butterfly flight activity is somewhat earlier in warmer years. We hope it fills a convenient midpoint between ad hoc measures and custom-coded models.
High-Throughput Multiobjective Optimization of Patterned Multifunctional Surfaces.

The realization and optimization of multifunctional materials is difficult, especially when the functionalities are directly incompatible. For example, it is challenging to make surfaces both enzym...
Use of N95, Surgical, and Cloth Masks to Prevent COVID-19 in Health Care and Community Settings: Living Practice Points From the American College of Physicians (Version 1).

Controversy exists around the appropriate types of masks and the situations in which they should be used in community and health care settings for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this ar...
How does eco-label competition affect environmental benefits? The case of Central Africa's forests

Abstract Increasingly, non-governmental organization (NGO) and industry eco-labels compete. Environmental benefits may increase or decrease with entry by an industry label, depending on the shape of consumers’ willingness to pay and the shape of the distribution of forest compliance costs. Using geospatial data from forests in Cameroon and Gabon to proxy for compliance costs, I test whether lower compliance cost forests are more likely to participate in stricter labels. Next, I use a semi-nonparametric estimator to estimate parameters for willingness to pay and the distribution of forest compliance costs to calculate benefits with and without label competition. I find that, in this context, eco-label competition decreases environmental benefits by 17%. The industry label lures away a sufficient number of forests that would have chosen an NGO standard in autarky, overwhelming gains from broader participation and a stricter NGO standard. The distribution of forest compliance cost is skewed toward high cost forests. Willingness to pay is bowed: initial increases in protection have a high marginal willingness-to-pay but additional increases are less valuable. Industry certified wood prices are predicted to be 14–28% higher than uncertified wood. NGO certified wood prices are predicted to be 9–17% higher than industry certified wood.