cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microplasma Trapping of Particles

The localized potential gradients created by a microplasma are capable of trapping and concentrating micro- and nanoparticles. In this paper, argon microplasma is generated within a 350-mum discharge gap formed within a microstrip transmission line. Melamine formaldehyde particles (1 mum) are released approximately 2 cm away from the microplasma. The microparticles are then negatively charged by stray electrons, electrostatically drawn toward the potential well of the microplasma, and trapped within the microplasma. The particles are observed to form Coulomb crystals. Time-of-flight experiments show that the particles are trapped in the microplasma by balancing the electrostatic force of the potential well against the molecular drag force. Pulsed plasma data show that the particles retain a net negative charge after the plasma has been extinguished, allowing detection and sorting by electrostatic methods.
The Translucence of Twitter

Erickson and Kellogg's construction of social translucence suggests that collaboration tools can be designed more effectively by balancing elements of visibility and awareness among members of the user community to instill a norm of accountability. This paper questions whether the microblogging tool, Twitter, fits these criteria. Building on interview and artifactual data, I find that although Twitter use affords ample visibility of individuals' networks, thoughts and movements, it is less effective at supporting awareness. Despite this, evidence suggests that accountability can be achieved via indirect awareness maneuvers and around critical incident to yield a form of peripheral translucence. The paper concludes with considerations of how ethnography might best address and evaluate questions of community, accountability, and translucence in future research.
Dynamic Fracture in Single Crystal Silicon

We have measured the velocity of a running crack in brittle single crystal silicon as a function of energy flow to the crack tip. The experiments are designed to permit direct comparison with molecular dynamics simulations; therefore the experiments provide an indirect but sensitive test of interatomic potentials. Performing molecular dynamics simulations of brittle crack motion at the atomic scale we find that experiments and simulations disagree showing that interatomic potentials are not yet well understood.
Fatigue Life Analysis and Tensile Overload Effects with High Strength Steel Notched Specimens

Abstract : Fatigue crack growth results are presented for a series of tests of high strength steel notched-bending specimens. Eight values of stress concentration factor from 1.5 to 4 were represented in the tests, as well as six forging procedures with yield strengths from about 1000 to 1200 MPa. The cyclic lives of the specimens, ranging from about 2000 to 100,000 cycles, were analyzed, using fatigue stress range calculated from stress concentration factor and from a fracture mechanics method. A statistical comparison of the two methods was performed. Photoelastic and finite element methods were used to obtain some of the notch root stresses. The effects of a single prior tensile overload on fatigue life were considered for many of the tests. There appeared to be critical ratio (about unity) of cyclic stress range at the notch root relative to yield strength, below which a tensile overload extended fatigue life and above which a tensile overload shortened life. The effects of prior thermal overload on fatigue life were also investigated in five tests of two specimen geometries. Rapid cooling of the outer diameter of a hollow disk segment of a cylinder extended the fatigue life in subsequent cyclic bending testing of the segment.
Role of macula densa nitric oxide and cGMP in the regulation of tubuloglomerular feedback

Role of macula densa nitric oxide and cGMP in the regulation of tubuloglomerular feedback. Background Previous studies have suggested that nitric oxide (NO) produced within cells of the macula densa (MD) modulates tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). We tested the hypothesis that NO produced in the MD acts locally as an autacoid to activate soluble guanylate cyclase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase in the MD itself. Methods Rabbit afferent arterioles (Af-Arts) and attached MD were simultaneously microperfused in vitro. The TGF response was determined by measuring the Af-Art diameter before and after increasing NaCl in the MD perfusate (from 17 mmol/L of Na and 2 of Cl to 65 mmol/L of Na and 50 of Cl). TGF was studied before (control TGF) and after inhibiting components of the NO-cGMP–dependent cascade in the tubular or vascular compartment. Results Increasing NaCl concentration in the MD perfusate decreased the Af-Art diameter by 3.2 ± 0.5 μm (from 18.5 ± 1.3 to 15.4 ± 1.3 μm, P P P 1 ) LY83583 or ( 2 ) LY83583 plus 7NI. Adding the nNOS inhibitor to the MD did not potentiate the TGF response further. Conclusions We concluded the following: ( 1 ) NO produced by the MD inhibits TGF via stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase, generating cGMP and activating cGMP-dependent protein kinase; ( 2 ) NO acts on the MD itself rather than by diffusing to the Af-Art; and ( 3 ) most, if not all, of the effect of NO in the MD is due to a cGMP-dependent mechanism rather than to other NO mediators.
Multiple mechanisms of reflex bronchospasm in guinea pigs

The mechanisms of histamine- and bradykinin-induced reflex bronchospasm were determined in anesthetized guinea pigs. With intravenous administration, both autacoids evoked dose-dependent increases in tracheal cholinergic tone. Vagotomy or atropine prevented these tracheal reflexes. When delivered as an aerosol, bradykinin readily increased tracheal cholinergic tone, whereas histamine aerosols were much less effective at inducing tracheal reflexes. Also, unlike histamine, bradykinin could evoke profound increases in cholinergic tone without directly or indirectly (e.g., prostanoid dependent) inducing measurable airway smooth muscle contraction resulting in bronchospasm. Neither autacoid required de novo synthesis of prostanoids or nitric oxide to induce reflex tracheal contractions. Combined cyclooxygenase inhibition and tachykinin-receptor antagonism did, however, abolish all effects of bradykinin in the airways, whereas responses to histamine were unaffected by these pretreatments. The data indicate that histamine and bradykinin initiate reflex bronchospasm by differential activation of vagal afferent nerve subtypes. We speculate that selective activation of either airway C fibers or airway rapid adapting receptors can initiate reflex bronchospasm.
Alternative Water Sources for Hydraulic Fracturing in Texas

This paper describes an evaluation of cross-sector investments in water efficiency to enable increased water availability for hydraulic fracturing. In particular, water needs in Texas are examined to identify the water balances and cost requirements to deploy efficient irrigation water systems for the agricultural sector as a way to make available more water for the energy sector. The Rio Grande Valley in Texas is examined for these water savings that could be transferred to gas and oil production in the Eagle Ford shale formation. To evaluate water availability for use in oil and gas production, a model of water and cost savings from conservation technologies is shown at county-wide resolution. To demonstrate this methodology, we use irrigation districts on the Lower Rio Grande River in Texas to assess the feasibility of retrofitting alternative irrigation techniques for current agricultural sites. We found that between 420 and 800 million cubic meters (m 3 ) or between 340,000 and 650,000 acre-feet (ac-ft) of water could be spared per year over a ten year period, enabling freshwater use in oil and gas production in more than 26,000 wells in the Lower Rio Grande Valley alone.
Redundancy, diversity and interdependent document relevance

The goal of the Redundancy, Diversity, and Interdependent Document Relevance workshop was to explore how ranking, performance assessment and learning to rank can move beyond the assumption that the relevance of a document is independent of other documents. In particular, the workshop focussed on three themes: the effect of redundancy on information retrieval utility (for example, minimizing the wasted effort of users who must skip redundant information), the role of diversity (for example, for mitigating the risk of misinterpreting ambiguous queries), and algorithms for set-level optimization (where the quality of a set of retrieved documents is not simply the sum of its parts). This workshop built directly upon the Beyond Binary Relevance: Preferences, Diversity and Set-Level Judgments workshop at SIGIR 2008 [3], shifting focus to address the questions left open by the discussions and results from that workshop. As such, it was the first workshop to explicitly focus on the related research challenges of redundancy, diversity, and interdependent relevance – all of which require novel performance measures, learning methods, and evaluation techniques. The workshop program committee consisted of 15 researchers from academia and industry, with experience in IR evaluation, machine learning, and IR algorithmic design. Over 40 people attended the workshop. This report aims to summarize the workshop, and also to systematize common themes and key concepts so as to encourage research in the three workshop themes. It contains our attempt to summarize and organize the topics that came up in presentations as well as in discussions, pulling out common elements. Many audience members contributed, yet due to the free-flowing discussion, attributing all the observations to particular audience members is unfortunately impossible. Not all audience members would necessarily agree with the views presented, but we do attempt to present a consensus view as far as possible.
Special Session on Certification of Dynamic and Adaptive Systems

As part of the 15th International Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Real-Time Systems, 26-27 March 2007, Long Beach, CA, to be held in conjunction with IPDPS 2007, there will be a Special Session focused on the topic of Certification of Dynamic and Adaptive Systems. The verification, validation, and eventual certification of dynamic and adaptive systems is a challenging set of activities both intellectually and, at this time, physically, due to the limits of the state of research and technology in this area. Many more systems are being built using today's dynamic technologies to achieve significant operational capabilities in a timely manner and yet some will need to operate safely and all will need to perform reliably. This is complicated further if these solutions need to do so in a low latency environment with little to no failure cases. The purpose of this session is to bring to light research and development being performed (or even, just being dreamed of) to look at the scalability problems with certifying dynamic and adaptive solutions.
Investigation of signal averaging on image quality in positron emission tomography

Conventional [/sup 15/O]water PET rCBF methodology is composed of 1-10 injections of 10-50 mCi associated with multiple brain activation conditions (between 1-10). Injections occur at 10-15 min intervals. The current research compares the regional CBF signal using conventional PET studies with a method that involves summing data from 50-100 low dose injections (1-5 mCi) that have been administered in rapid but uniform succession (occurs at 1-2 min intervals) over a total study duration of 1-2 hours. This design allows for single subject studies. PET data from multiple occurrences are simulated for each specific activation condition and are summed to create a high statistics image for each activation condition. The results from the simulation are to be used to develop a computer controlled injection and data acquisition system.
The Columbia System in the QALB-2014 Shared Task on Arabic Error Correction

The QALB-2014 shared task focuses on correcting errors in texts written in Modern Standard Arabic. In this paper, we describe the Columbia University entry in the shared task. Our system consists of several components that rely on machinelearning techniques and linguistic knowledge. We submitted three versions of the system: these share several core elements but each version also includes additional components. We describe our underlying approach and the special aspects of the different versions of our submission. Our system ranked first out of nine participating teams.
Evolution of accretion discs around a kerr black hole using extended magnetohydrodynamics

Black holes accreting well below the Eddington rate are believed to have geometrically thick, optically thin, rotationally supported accretion discs in which the Coulomb mean free path is large compared to GM=c 2 . In such an environment, the disc evolution may dier signicantly from ideal magnetohydrodynamic predictions. We present non-ideal global axisymmetric simulations of geometrically thick discs around a rotating black hole. The simulations are carried out using a new code grim, which evolves a covariant extended magnetohydrodynamics model derived by treating non-ideal eects as a perturbation of ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Non-ideal eects are modeled through heat conduction along magnetic eld lines, and a dierence between the pressure parallel and perpendicular to the eld lines. The model relies on an eective collisionality in the disc from wave-particle scattering and velocity-space (mirror and rehose) instabilities. We
Molecules and Medicine

By E. J. Corey, Barbara Czako, and Laszlo Kurti Published by John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2007. xii + 234 p. Price $50.00 (paperback) This book intrigued me because of the author, Elias James Corey, and his standing within the research community. I was interested in learning how this huge
Nucleophilic Substitution at Sulfur: SN2 or Addition−Elimination?

The thiolate−disulfide exchange reaction was studied at the HF/6-31+G*, MP2/6-31+G*, MP4SDTQ/6-31+G*//MP2/6-31+G*, and CCSD(T)/6-31+G*//MP2/6-31+G* levels for three identity reactions: R1S- + R2SSR3 → R1SSR2 + R3S-, where (1) R1 = R2 = R3 = H, (2) R1 = R3 = Me, R2 = H, and (3) R1 = R3 = H, R2 = Me. Results indicate that at the HF/6-31+G* level the reactions proceed via an SN2 pathway. However, the potential energy surface at correlated levels has a triple-well structure, indicating an addition−elimination pathway. The HF TS becomes a stable intermediate upon inclusion of electron correlation, and an asymmetric transition state connects the ion−dipole complex with the intermediate. Structural and energetic results do suggest however that as R2 becomes larger, the reaction may not be able to proceed via an addition−elimination pathway and the SN2 mechanism operates.
Acute biochemical and functional alterations in the partially obstructed rabbit urinary bladder.

Abstract Rapid structural and functional alterations have been noted in several models of partial outlet obstruction. To better characterize the rapid progression of alterations, the partially obstructed urinary bladders of mature NZW male rabbits were studied at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days of outlet obstruction with respect to muscarinic receptor density, DNA, RNA, lipid and hydroxyproline content. Functional characteristics were assessed by measuring the in vitro response of the whole bladder to cholinergic and field stimulation. Wet weight increased eight-fold by day 7, decreasing to four-fold at day 14. Receptor density decreased by 50% by day 1 and remained low throughout. Although DNA concentration varied only slightly from controls, RNA increased four-fold by day 7. Hydroxyproline concentration per mg. tissue decreased in the obstructed bladder, yet total hydroxyproline content of the obstructed bladder significantly increased. Total lipids increased significantly during day 3 through 7 and decreased by day 14. Cystometry revealed a large capacity low pressure system at day 1 which rapidly changed to a low compliance system of lesser volume by day 14. Bladder emptying was significantly impaired in all obstructed specimens. Additionally, electrical field stimulation was significantly less effective than cholinergic stimulation in effecting bladder emptying. The above findings suggest that rapid changes in biochemical parameters occur during the early stage of acute obstruction which may in part be secondary to metabolic or inflammatory alterations in the detrusor. It additionally suggests that the myogenic alterations in partial outlet obstruction are rapid and partially adaptive, while neurogenic alterations appear degenerative and display a lesser degree of short term adaptation.
Elaborating on the Conceptual Underpinnings of Resilience

The term resilience has grown in popularity among the general public and within the scientific community. Unfortunately, the rise in popularity has advanced neither our theoretical understanding of this construct nor the methodological approaches to study this topic. Britt, Shen, Sinclair, Grossman, and Klieger (2016) highlighted important conceptual, methodological, and practical advances and shortcomings within the literature on employee resilience. However, critical conceptual issues remain unaddressed within the focal article. Specifically, in our commentary, we differentiate between resiliency and resilience, identify key dimensions of each construct, and explicate the role of adversity and context to further advance our theoretical understanding of this construct. We conclude by discussing the implications of our proposed conceptualization and refinement of resilience for theory, research, and practice.
Molecular dynamics investigation of hexagonal boron nitride sputtering and sputtered particle characteristics

The sputtering of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by impacts of energetic xenon ions is investigated using a molecular dynamics (MD) model. The model is implemented within an open-source MD framework that utilizes graphics processing units to accelerate its calculations, allowing the sputtering process to be studied in much greater detail than has been feasible in the past. Integrated sputter yields are computed over a range of ion energies from 20 eV to 300 eV, and incidence angles from 0° to 75°. Sputtering of boron is shown to occur at energies as low as 40 eV at normal incidence, and sputtering of nitrogen at as low as 30 eV at normal incidence, suggesting a threshold energy between 20 eV and 40 eV. The sputter yields at 0° incidence are compared to existing experimental data and are shown to agree well over the range of ion energies investigated. The semi-empirical Bohdansky curve and an empirical exponential function are fit to the data at normal incidence, and the threshold energy for sputtering is ...
Creep-Rupture by Vacancy Condensation

The possibility that formation of voids under creep-rupture conditions may take place by the condensation of vacancies has been investigated theoretically. It has been concluded that nucleation of voids under creep-rupture conditions by vacancy condensation is highly improbable. However, growth of pre-existant voids by vacancy condensation is probable. A number of predictions made in this theory have been verified by the data. It has been predicted and checked that the product of rupture life and steady-state creep rate for preannealed metals and single phase alloys is an approximately invariant quantity, independent of stress, temperature, and atomic number for a given type structure. The direction of the effect of cold work on this product has been predicted and found in agreement with experiment. A number of experiments to evaluate the vacancy condensation mechanism further are described.
Analog performance of an InP Mach-Zehnder modulator integrated with a widely tunable laser

The performance of an InP Mach-Zehnder modulator integrated with a widely tunable sampled grating DBR laser and a semiconductor amplifier has been characterized for analog applications. Extinction, RIN, bandwidth and SFDR have been measured.
A routing problem in a simple queueing system with non-classical information structure

The following routing problem in a queueing system with non-classical information structure is investigated in discrete time. A service system consists of two service stations and two controllers; one controller is affiliated with each station. Each station has an infinite size buffer. The service stations provide the same service with identical Bernoulli(μ) service time distributions and identical holding costs. Customers requiring service arrive at one of the service stations. The processes describing the two arrival streams are independent Bernoulli (λ). At any time, a controller can route one of the waiting customers in its own service station to the other service station. Each controller knows perfectly the workload in its own station. Furthermore, it observes perfectly the arrival stream to its own station as well as the arrivals due to customers routed from the other service station. The structure of the controllers' routing policies that minimize the total expected holding cost is determined. Under certain conditions on the initial workload at each station, the controllers' optimal routing policies are explicitly determined.
Relationships between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, precipitation, and nitrogen wet deposition rates in the contiguous United States

Human activities have significantly increased reactive nitrogen (N) in the environment, leading to adverse effects on various ecosystems. We used 1979-2012 seasonal inorganic N wet deposition data from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program to evaluate the relationship between the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and N wet deposition in the contiguous U.S. The correlations between precipitation and inorganic N wet deposition were the strongest and most spatially extensive during winter; up to 62% and 53% of the 2- to 6-year variations of precipitation and N wet deposition rates, respectively, in the Rocky Mountains, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and near the Great Lakes can be explained by variation in the NINO3.4 climate index, which was used as a measure of ENSO activity. During El Nino winters, precipitation and N wet deposition rates were higher than normal in the southern U.S., while La Nina events brought higher precipitation and N wet deposition to the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes regions. Wintertime N wet deposition correlations held through springtime in the Great Lakes and the Northeast; however, correlations between NINO3.4 and precipitation were not significant at most sites, suggesting factors besides precipitation amount contributed to the 2- to 6-year variation of N wet deposition in these regions. As the frequency, strength, and types of ENSO change in the future, inter-annual variability of N wet deposition will be affected, indirectly affecting spatial distribution of dry N deposition and potentially changing the overall spatial patterns of N deposition.
Frequency and voltage dependent electrical and dielectric properties of SiGe thin films for solar cells application deposited on p-type silicon

This work presents an experimental study of the electrical and dielectric properties of $$ {\text{Si}}_{1 - y} {\text{Ge}}_{y} $$ thin films for solar cells application. In order to through light in the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of the heterojunction, we have carried out the complex impedance spectroscopy technique in the frequency range 10 kHz–1 MHZ at room temperature. The values of the dielectric constant, the real and the imaginary parts of electrical impedance and AC electrical conductivity were found considerably sensitive to frequency. We also studied the photovoltaic parameters of Au/n(SiGe)/p(c-Si) heterojunction solar cell with (y = 0.2). The experimental results show an open-circuit voltage about 0.82 V, a short-circuit current density about 2.1 (mA/cm2) and an efficiency of the cell about 1.3%. The results indicate that the Au/n(SiGe)/p(c-Si) heterojunction structure might be promising for the solar cell applications.
Improved treatment results in the myelocytic subtypes FAB M1-M4 but not in FAB M5 after intensification of induction therapy: results of the German childhood AML studies BFM-78 and BFM-83.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) represents a heterogeneous group of leukemias. It is a rare disease in children, accounting for approximately 20% of acute leukemia in children and adolescents [10]. In contrast to the major advances in childhood lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the progress achieved in childhood AML has been less satisfactory. Approximately 20%–25% of children with AML fail to achieve complete remission and a significant number of children in remission still relapse in spite of postremission treatment with polychemotherapy. Since 1978 the German BFM Group conducted three consecutive studies for the treatment of childhood AML, in which 33 hospitals participated [3, 10, 12]. This report updates the latest results of the first two studies BFM-78 and BFM-83 with special emphasis on the main differences between them.
Models versus theories as a primary carrier of nursing knowledge: A philosophical argument

Theories and models are not equivalent. I argue that an orientation towards models as a primary carrier of nursing knowledge overcomes many ongoing challenges in philosophy of nursing science, including the theory-practice divide and the paradoxical pursuit of predictive theories in a discipline that is defined by process and a commitment to the non-reducibility of the health/care experience. Scientific models describe and explain the dynamics of specific phenomenon. This is distinct from theory, which is traditionally defined as propositions that explain and/or predict the world. The philosophical case has been made against theoretical universalism, showing that a theory can be true in its domain, but that no domain is universal. Subsequently, philosophers focused on scientific models argued that they do the work of defining the boundary conditions-the domain(s)-of a theory. Further analysis has shown the ways models can be constructed and function independent of theory, meaning models can comprise distinct, autonomous "carriers of scientific knowledge." Models are viewed as representations of the active dynamics, or mechanisms, of a phenomenon. Mechanisms are entities and activities organized such that they are productive of regular changes. Importantly, mechanisms are by definition not static: change may alter the mechanism and thereby alter or create entirely new phenomena. Orienting away from theory, and towards models, focuses scholarly activity on dynamics and change. This makes models arguably critical to nursing science, enabling the production of actionable knowledge about the dynamics of process and change in health/care. I briefly explore the implications for nursing-and health/care-knowledge and practice.
Safety of Addition of Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (CMC 544) to Bendamustine, Fludarabine, and Rituximab (BFR) Allogeneic Conditioning for Lymphoid Malignancies

Abstract Background: The cell-surface glycoprotein CD22 is expressed in more than 90% of patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancies, and has emerged as an attractive therapeutic target for B-cell cancers. Inotuzumab ozogamicin (CMC-544) is a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody conjugated to calicheamicin, a cytotoxic antibiotic agent. After the conjugate binds to CD22, the CD22-conjugate complex is rapidly internalized, and calicheamicin is released. Calicheamicin binds to the minor groove of DNA and thus induces double-strand cleavage and subsequent apoptosis. Retrospective studies have suggested that inotuzumab ozogamicin is associated with a high risk of veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in patients receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Our report is the first to prospectively study the safety of the drug when added to our standard non-myeloablative conditioning regimen, BFR (Khouri IF, et al. Blood 2014;124:2306-2312). Methods: Inotuzumab ozogamicin was infused intravenously (IV) on day -13 outpatient, with a dose cohort of 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8 mg/m2, using the study design by Ji, Li, and Bekele (2007) to determine the maximum tolerated dose . Bendamustine 130 mg/m2 IV daily on days -5 to -3 together with 30 mg/m2 IV of fludarabine on days -5 to -3 were given prior to transplantation. Rituximab was given at a dose of 375 mg/m2 IV on days -6, +1, and +8. Tacrolimus and mini-methotrexate were used for graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. In addition, thymoglobulin 1 mg/kg IV was given on days -2, and -1 in patients receiving an unrelated donor transplant. Results: This study included 21 patients (CLL=9; 3 with 17p- and 1 Richter's), mantle cell=7, follicular=3, and diffuse large cell=2; including 1 double-expresser). Median age was 59 (range, 31-70) years. Median prior treatments was 3 (range, 1-6); this includes ibrutinib+/-R (n=5), idelalisib (n=2), venetoclax (n=4), CAR-T cell with progression (n=1) and a prior autologous SCT (n=1). At study entry, 13 (62%) patients were in CR/CRu, 6 (29%) in PR, and 2 (10%) had SD. Three of the 17 scans performed (18%) were PET+. Ten (48%) received their transplants from HLA-compatible siblings and 11 (52%) from unrelated donors. The number of patients who received the 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8 mg/m2 of inotuzumab ozogamicin were 4, 2 and 15 patients, respectively. Median number of CD34+ cells infused was 6.7 x 106/kg. Twenty (95%) patients received transplants from peripheral blood and 1 (5%) from marrow. Neutrophil counts recovered to > 0.5 x 109/L a median of 6 days after transplantation (range, 0-12 days). Fifteen patients (71%) never experienced an ANC Download : Download high-res image (69KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure . Disclosures Khouri: Novartis: Research Funding. Oran: Celgene: Research Funding; Astex: Research Funding; AROG: Research Funding. Jabbour: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy.
Ozone exposure and pulmonary effects in panel and human clinical studies: Considerations for design and interpretation.

ABSTRACTA wealth of literature exists regarding the pulmonary effects of ozone, a photochemical pollutant produced by the reaction of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic precursors in the presence of sunlight. This paper focuses on epidemiological panel studies and human clinical studies of ozone exposure, and discusses issues specific to this pollutant that may influence study design and interpretation as well as other, broader considerations relevant to ozone-health research. The issues are discussed using examples drawn from the wider literature. The recent panel and clinical literature is also reviewed. Health outcomes considered include lung function, symptoms, and pulmonary inflammation. Issues discussed include adversity, reversibility, adaptation, variability in ozone exposure metric used and health outcomes evaluated, co-pollutants in panel studies, influence of temperature in panel studies, and multiple comparisons. Improvements in and standardization of panel study approaches are recommended to...
Falling Behind: Lingering Costs of the High School Transition for Youth Friendships and Grades:

This study investigates the influence of structural transitions to high school on adolescents’ friendship networks and academic grades from 6th through 12th grade, in a direct comparison of student...
9 Romantic and Sexual Relationship Experiences Among Bisexual Individuals

Romantic and sexual relationships can provide people with support and satisfaction, contributing to improved well-being. However, bisexual individuals face unique dating and relationship challenges, which can have negative effects on their well-being. The goal of this chapter is to review the empirical literature on bisexual individuals’ experiences in romantic and sexual relationships, including the unique challenges associated with different types of relationships (e.g., same-sex and different-sex) and the specific challenges within relationships, such as facing rejection from potential partners, having their sexual identity become invisible in the context of monogamous relationships, and increased exposure to intimate partner violence. Most of this chapter focuses on self-identified bisexual individuals, but we briefly describe some of the relationship challenges facing people who report bisexual attractions and/or sexual behaviors but do not self-identify as bisexual. Finally, we discuss sexual health concerns among bisexual individuals, including increased risk for sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy, which are partially due to engagement in sexual risk behavior and exposure to victimization. Despite increased empirical attention to bisexual individuals, there is still a need for additional research to better understand their unique romantic and sexual relationship experiences.
Termination of Failed Pregnancy: Surgical Versus Medical Methods

Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with psychological stress for not only the woman but her whole family. The most effective method to ensure complete evacuation after miscarriage is still surgical. Other methods such as expectant and medical management are also effective and available options.
Understanding the Tumor Suppressor PTEN in Chronic Alcoholism and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is a phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) phosphatase that regulates Akt activation via PtdIns 3 kinase. Changes in PTEN expression and/or activity have been identified in a variety of chronic hepatocellular disorders including obesity, NAFLD, NASH, and alcoholism. In cancer biology, PTEN is frequently mutated or deleted in a wide variety of tumors. Mutations, decreased promoter activity, and decreased expression in PTEN are frequently identified in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. While the majority of research on PTEN concerns obesity and NASH, PTEN clearly has a role in hepatic insulin sensitivity and in the development of steatosis during chronic alcoholism. Yet, in chronic alcoholics and HCC, very little is known concerning PTEN mutation/deletion or low PTEN expression. This review is focused on an overview of the current knowledge on molecular mechanisms of dysregulation of PTEN expression/activity in the liver and their relationship to development of ethanol-induced hepatocellular damage and cancer.
Inhibition of Glycine Transporter-1 Improves the Functional Outcome of Schizophrenia

Although current antipsychotic medications are able to reduce psychotic symptoms by blocking dopamine 2 (D2) receptors, they are limited in their ability to treat certain aspects of schizophrenia, such as flat affect, social withdrawal, and cognitive impairments, all which influence an individual’s ability to function in society. For over fifteen years, increasing emphasis has been placed on hypofunction at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) as a potential mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Altering NMDAR-mediated neurotransmission by targeting components of the glutamatergic synapse offers a new paradigm by which to generate new drugs to treat schizophrenia. The potential for improving cognitive symptoms, with the ultimate goal of improving functional outcome, is especially alluring given NMDAR’s critical role in learning and memory. Several clinical trials have been conducted with agents that enhance NMDAR function by increasing activity at the glycine co-agonist site (GCS). The GCS can be directly activated by amino acids, such as glycine or D-serine, or indirectly, by blocking glycine transporter-1 (GlyT-1) reuptake of glycine from the synaptic cleft. While there have been limited clinical trials of GlyT-1 inhibitors in humans, translational research in animal models has demonstrated the antipsychotic effects and cognitive enhancement of these agents. Thus, the 21st century holds promise as the era in which an entirely new type of medication for schizophrenia may be created, one with more success at treating the debilitating negative and cognitive symptoms of this disease.
Pancreatic Microtumors: A Novel 3D Ex Vivo Testing Platform

The tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in therapeutic resistance in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We have created a 3D model to study the tumor microenvironment ex vivo that integrates tumor cells with tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The microtumor model recreates the complex histology of a primary tumor and can be analyzed histologically or with viability assays for therapeutic testing. Microtumors demonstrate increased resistance to gemcitabine when compared to tumor cells alone in a 3D spheroid, highlighting the contribution of TAMs and CAFs when designing models for therapeutic testing.
The Law of Democracy and the Two Luther v. Bordens: A Counter-History

How, and how much, does the Constitution protect against political entrenchment? Judicial ineptitude in dealing with this question - on display in the modern Court’s treatment of partisan gerrymandering - has its roots in Luther v. Borden. One hundred and sixty years after the Luther Court refused jurisdiction over competing Rhode Island state constitutions, judicial regulation of American structural democracy has become commonplace. Yet getting here - by going around Luther - has deeply shaped the current Court’s doctrinal posture and left the Court in profound disagreement about its role in addressing substantive questions of democratic fairness. While contemporary scholars have demonstrated enormous concern for the problem of the judicial role in policing political entrenchment, Luther’s central role in shaping this modern problem has not been fully acknowledged. In particular, Justice Woodbury’s concurrence in Luther, which rooted its view of the political question doctrine in democratic theory, has been completely ignored. This Note tells Luther’s story with an eye to the road not taken.
Alpha2B-adrenergic receptor overexpression in the brain potentiate air pollution-induced behavior and blood pressure changes

Fine ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) is able to induce sympathetic activation and inflammation in the brain. However, direct evidence demonstrating an essential role of sympathetic activation in PM2.5-associated disease progression is lacking. We assess the contribution of α2B-adrenergic receptor (Adra2b) in air pollution-associated hypertension and behavioral changes in this study. Wild-type mice and Adra2b-transgenic mice overexpressing Adra2b in the brain (Adra2bTg) were exposed to concentrated PM2.5 or filtered air for 3 months via a versatile aerosol concentrator exposure system. Mice were fed with a high salt diet (4.0% NaCl) for 1 week at week 11 of exposure to induce blood pressure elevation. Intra-arterial blood pressure was monitored by radio-telemetry and behavior changes were assessed by open field, light-dark, and prepulse inhibition tests. PM2.5 exposure increased Adra2b in the brain of wild-type mice. Adra2b overexpression enhanced the anxiety-like behavior and high salt diet-induced blood pressure elevation in response to air pollution but not filtered air exposure. Adra2b overexpression induced upregulation of inflammatory genes such as TLR2, TLR4, and IL-6 in the brain exposed to PM2.5. In addition, there were increased frequencies of activated effector T cells and increased expression of oxidative stress-related genes, such as SOD1, NQO1, Nrf2, and Gclm in Adra2bTg mice compared with wild-type mice. Our results provide new evidence of distinct behavioral changes consistent with anxiety and blood pressure elevation in response to high salt intake and air pollution exposure, highlighting the importance of centrally expressed Adra2b in the vulnerability to air pollution exposure.
Development of a roadmap for dynamic process intensification by using a dynamic, data-driven optimization approach

Abstract The concept of process intensification involves any improvement in the process or equipment that leads to reduced cost and emissions, increased efficiency, or improved productivity. This paper proposes a novel dynamic process intensification approach that results in similar benefits as the traditional process intensification. The proposed approach utilizes a dynamic optimization approach in improving the operation of a plant. The main contribution of this work includes the development of a dynamic particle swarm optimization algorithm and a data-driven model of the plant while the operational and economical metrics of the plant are compared to the same system when steady-state optimization is practiced. Additionally, a roadmap is developed that enables the practitioners to apply the proposed dynamic process intensification concept to any similar systems. A CSTR reactor is used as the case study to demonstrate the benefits of dynamic process intensification over a static approach. The results demonstrate that a dynamic, data-driven optimization algorithm can achieve similar profit as gradient-based optimization approaches. Additionally, a 59.9% increase in profitability of the plant is observed when a dynamic approach is used for optimization, as opposed to a steady-state approach. This is well-aligned with the targets pursued from the traditional process intensification concepts.
Cirrhosis complicating Shwachman-Diamond syndrome: A case report

Background The features of Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) include exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, skeletal abnormalities and bone marrow dysfunction; an often overlooked feature is hepatic involvement. Case summary We report a child who initially presented with failure to thrive and mildly elevated transaminase levels and was determined to have pancreatic insufficiency due to SDS. During follow-up he had persistently elevated transaminase levels and developed hepatosplenomegaly. An investigation was performed to determine the etiology of ongoing liver injury, including a liver biopsy which revealed hepatic cirrhosis. Conclusion Cirrhosis has rarely been reported with SDS. While many of the hepatic disorders associated with SDS improve with age, there are rare exceptions with serious implications for long-term outcome.
Sports-Related Pediatric Facial Trauma: Analysis of Facial Fracture Pattern and Concomitant Injuries.

Objective Sports-related injuries, such as facial fractures, are potentially debilitating and may lead to long-term functional and aesthetic deficits in a pediatric patient. In this study, we analyze sports-related facial fractures in the urban pediatric population in an effort to characterize patterns of injury and improve management strategies and outcomes. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed for all facial fractures resulting from sports injuries in the pediatric population at a level-1 trauma center (University Hospital, Newark, NJ). Results Seventeen pediatric patients were identified as having sustained a fracture of the facial skeleton due to sports injury. Mean age was 13.9 years old. A total of 29 fractures were identified. Most common fracture sites included the orbit (n = 12), mandible (n = 5), nasal bone (n = 5), and zygomaticomaxillary complex (n = 3). The most common concomitant injuries included skull fracture (n = 3), intracranial hemorrhage (n = 4), and traumatic brain injury (n = 4). One patient was intubated upon arrival to the emergency department. Hospital admission was required in 13 patients, 4 of which were admitted to an intensive care setting. Nine patients required operative intervention. Mean length of hospital stay was 2.4 days. No patients were expired. Conclusions Sports-related facial fractures are potentially debilitating injuries in the pediatric population. Analysis of fracture pattern and concomitant injuries is imperative to develop effective management strategies and prevention techniques.
Arctic landscape transitions: ice cap and terrestrial margins across Hofsjökull, Iceland

Dramatic shifts in sea and terrestrial ice coverage across the Arctic has prompted urgent calls for systematic glacier and ice cap monitoring efforts. We use satellite-derived data from NASA’s Land...
The role of top-down attentional control and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in predicting future motor vehicle crash risk.

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) confers elevated risk for automobile crashes, both as a clinical syndrome and continuously when examining risk as a function of symptom severity. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms and processes underlying this risk remain poorly understood. The current longitudinal study examined whether attention network components reflect neurocognitive pathways linking ADHD symptoms with adverse driving outcomes. Method: Drivers from six U.S. sites participating in the Strategic Highway Research Program Naturalistic Driving Study (N=3,226) were prospectively monitored for objectively identified crashes, near-crashes, and crash/near-crash fault. At study entry, drivers were assessed for ADHD symptoms; completed the Conners' Continuous Performance Test, Second Edition; and were then followed continuously for 1-2 years of routine, on-road driving using technology-enhanced in-car monitoring. Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation models examined the extent to which attention network components mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and future driving risk, controlling for known risk factors. Results: As expected, self-reported ADHD symptoms predicted all markers of future driving risk. Higher ADHD symptoms were associated with reduced inhibitory control, lower levels of top-down attentional control (endogenous orienting), and greater arousal decrements (phasic alertness). Controlling for ADHD symptoms, top-down attentional control uniquely predicted future crashes, near-crashes, and culpability for future crashes/near-crashes; only arousal decrements portended future near-crashes. Only top-down attentional control significantly mediated the association between baseline ADHD symptoms and future driving risk. Conclusions: The driving risks associated with ADHD appear to be conveyed in part by impairments in the top-down, voluntary control of attention, rather than by difficulties sustaining attention over time or inhibiting impulses, as is often assumed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Prevalence and Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients with Confirmed Infection.

It remains uncertain whether immunocompromised patients including solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients will have a robust antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We enrolled all adult SOT recipients at our center with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who underwent antibody testing with a single commercially available anti-nucleocapsid antibody test at least 7 days after diagnosis in a retrospective cohort. 70 SOT recipients were studied (56% kidney, 19% lung, 14% liver +/- kidney, and 11% heart +/- kidney recipients). 36 (51%) had positive anti-nucleocapsid antibody testing, and 34 (49%) were negative. Recipients of a kidney allograft were less likely to have positive antibody testing compared those who did not receive a kidney (p=0.04). In the final multivariable model, the years from transplant to diagnosis (OR 1.26, p=0.002) and baseline immunosuppression with more than 2 agents (OR 0.26, p=0.03) were significantly associated with the antibody test result, controlling for kidney transplantation. In conclusion, among SOT recipients with confirmed infection, only 51 % of patients had detectable anti-nucleocapsid antibodies, and transplant-related variables including the level and nature of immunosuppression are important predictors. These findings raise the concern that SOT recipients with COVID-19 may be less likely to form SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.