cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of Inhibition of Tubuloglomerular Feedback by CO and cGMP

Tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) is a mechanism that senses NaCl in the macula densa (MD) and causes constriction of the afferent arteriole. CO, either endogenous or exogenous, inhibits TGF at least in part via cGMP. We hypothesize that CO in the MD, acting via both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms, attenuates TGF by acting downstream from depolarization and calcium entry into the MD cells. In vitro, microdissected rabbit afferent arterioles and their MD were simultaneously perfused and TGF was measured as the decrease in afferent arteriole diameter. MD depolarization was induced with ionophores, while adding the CO-releasing molecule-3 to the MD perfusate at nontoxic concentrations. CO-releasing molecule-3 blunted depolarization-induced TGF at 50 μmol/L, from 3.6±0.4 to 2.5±0.4 µm (P<0.01), and abolished it at 100 μmol/L, to 0.1±0.1 μm (P<0.001; n=6). When cGMP generation was blocked by guanylyl cyclase inhibitor LY83583 added to the MD, CO-releasing molecule-3 no longer affected depolarization-induced TGF at 50 μmol/L (2.9±0.4 versus 3.0±0.4 µm) but partially inhibited TGF at 100 μmol/L (to 1.3±0.2 μm; P<0.05; n=9). Experiments using eicosatetraynoic acid and indomethacin suggest arachidonic acid metabolites do not mediate the cGMP-independent effect of CO. We then added the calcium ionophore A23187 to the MD, which caused TGF (4.1±0.6 μmol/L); A23187-induced TGF was inhibited by CO-releasing molecule-3 at 50 μmol/L (1.9±0.6 μmol/L; P<0.01) and 100 μmol/L (0.2±0.5 μmol/L; P<0.001; n=6). We conclude that CO inhibits TGF acting downstream from depolarization and calcium entry, acting via cGMP at low concentrations, but additional mechanisms of action may be involved at higher concentrations.
Performance of high-temperature survivable gallium arsenide concentrator cells

A report is presented on the fabrication and testing of survivable GaAs/AlGaAs double-heterostructure concentrator cells intended for space operation. Air mass zero (AMO) efficiencies of over 22% at 25 suns have been obtained. These cells are designed to survive thermal excursions to temperatures exceeding 600 degrees C without significant change in efficiency. It is found that the change in conversion efficiency is less than 10%, even after 1 h at 650 degrees C, and that the decrease in efficiency is only about 10% after 25 min at 700 degrees C. The cells continue to function after enduring 820 degrees C for 25 min. Details of the testing are reported. >
Teaching dynamics using interactive tablet PC instruction software

Is there an advantage of using interactive tablet PC software as opposed to more traditional teaching methods? This work is an innovative use of tablet PC technology to teach an introductory dynamics course. Each student in the classroom used a tablet PC as did the instructor. In addition to using the tablet PCs, each lecture was recorded using screen capture and made available on-line. The first goal of this project was to provide students with better resources outside of class. The second goal was to try to better engage students using active learning exercises on the tablet PCs during class. A post course survey was used to help assess the effectiveness of the new teaching media.
Application of Management Frameworks to Manage Workflow-Based Systems: A Case Study on a Large Scale E-science Project

Management architectures are well discussed in the literature, but their application in real life settings has not been as well covered. Automatic management of a system involves many more complexities than closing the control-loop by reacting to sensor data and executing corrective actions. In this paper, we discuss those complexities and propose solutions to those problems on top of Hasthi management framework, where Hasthi is a robust, scalable, and distributed management framework that enables users to manage a system by enforcing management logic authored by users themselves. Furthermore, we present in detail a real life case study, which uses Hasthi to manage a large, SOA based, E-Science Cyberinfrastructure.
RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme sensor for nucleic acid analysis: the limit of detection

Along with biocompatibility, chemical stability, and simplicity of structural prediction and modification, deoxyribozyme-based molecular sensors have the potential of an improved detection limit due to their ability to catalytically amplify signal. This study contributes to the understanding of the factors responsible for the limit of detection (LOD) of RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme sensors. A new sensor that detects specific DNA/RNA sequences was designed from deoxyribozyme OA-II [Chiuman, W.; Li, Y. (2006) J. Mol. Biol. 357, 748-754]. The sensor architecture allows for a unique combination of high selectivity, low LOD and the convenience of fluorescent signal monitoring in homogeneous solution. The LOD of the sensor was found to be approximately 1.6 x 10(-10) M after 3 h of incubation. An equation that allows estimation of the lowest theoretical LOD using characteristics of parent deoxyribozymes and their fluorogenic substrates was derived and experimentally verified. According to the equation, "catalytically perfect" enzymes can serve as scaffolds for the design of sensors with the LOD not lower than approximately 2 x 10(-15) M after 3 h of incubation. A new value termed the detection efficiency (DE) is suggested as a time-independent characteristic of a sensor's sensitivity. The expressions for the theoretical LOD and DE can be used to evaluate nucleic acid and protein enzymes for their application as biosensing platforms.
Host-searching and mating in an outbreeding parasitoid wasp

. 1 Female parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) must search for hosts to reproduce, but only require mates if their broods are to contain female progeny. In outbreeding species, females locate mates after dispersal from the emergence site. Unmated females may therefore face a trade-off between searching for hosts and searching for mates, if hosts and mates are spatially separated. 2 In the outbreeding parasitoid Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), males and females are spatially segregated in the field. Females are found primarily below the surface of stored corn where they search for hosts, whereas males are found on or above the surface. 3 Wasps placed in laboratory observation chambers designed to mimic B.hebetor's stored corn habitat distributed themselves in a manner consistent with field observations. Males remained on the surface of the grain, whereas females moved below the surface to attack hosts. 4 In the laboratory, female distribution was influenced by their mating status, the presence of males or hosts, and female age. Virgin females were more reluctant to move into the corn than were mated females, younger females foraged deeper than older females, and all females moved deeper into the com when males were present. 5 10% of all females did not mate even when males were present in the chambers, a percentage consistent with previous observations from the field. If B.hebetor faces a trade-off between host-searching and mate-searching, the trade-off seems to be part of 'split sex ratio strategies', with some females remaining constrained to producing only male offspring.
A Palliative Care Program Evaluation

Palliative care is a growing field in response to the healthcare needs of people suffering with the consequences of serious health issues. As an evolving specialty, palliative care needed criteria to denote and measure quality. National leading specialist in palliative care have developed and promoted standards for care and excellence in this field, however, it is critical for palliative care programs to evaluate the manner and extent to which these standards are incorporated into their care. A program evaluation of an existing Palliative Care Program at a VA hospital was undertaken. National guidelines and standards, that specify preferred structures and practices for quality palliative care, were compared to the VA Hospital’s Palliative Care Program implementation and operationalization. The program demonstrated and met most of the attributes and characteristics identified as essential markers of a quality palliative care program. Strengths of the program and opportunities for growth and development were discussed as well as implications for future programs including the role of the advanced practice nurse in this important specialty.
Evolution of ensemble data assimilation for uncertainty quantification using the particle filter-Markov chain Monte Carlo method

[1] Particle filters (PFs) have become popular for assimilation of a wide range of hydrologic variables in recent years. With this increased use, it has become necessary to increase the applicability of this technique for use in complex hydrologic/land surface models and to make these methods more viable for operational probabilistic prediction. To make the PF a more suitable option in these scenarios, it is necessary to improve the reliability of these techniques. Improved reliability in the PF is achieved in this work through an improved parameter search, with the use of variable variance multipliers and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Application of these methods to the PF allows for greater search of the posterior distribution, leading to more complete characterization of the posterior distribution and reducing risk of sample impoverishment. This leads to a PF that is more efficient and provides more reliable predictions. This study introduces the theory behind the proposed algorithm, with application on a hydrologic model. Results from both real and synthetic studies suggest that the proposed filter significantly increases the effectiveness of the PF, with marginal increase in the computational demand for hydrologic prediction.
Determinants of Syncytium Formation in Microglia by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1: Role of the V1/V2 Domains

Microglia are the main reservoir for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the central nervous system (CNS), and multinucleated giant cells, the result of fusion of HIV-1-infected microglia and brain macrophages, are the neuropathologic hallmark of HIV dementia. One potential explanation for the formation of syncytia is viral adaptation for these CD4 + CNS cells. HIV-1 BORI-15 , a virus adapted to growth in microglia by sequential passage in vitro, mediates high levels of fusion and replicates more efficiently in microglia and monocyte-derived-macrophages than its unpassaged parent (J. M. Strizki, A. V. Albright, H. Sheng, M. O9Connor, L. Perrin, and F. Gonzalez-Scarano, J. Virol. 70:7654–7662, 1996). Since the interaction between the viral envelope glycoprotein and CD4 and the chemokine receptor mediates fusion and plays a key role in tropism, we have analyzed the HIV-1 BORI-15 env as a fusogen and in recombinant and pseudotyped viruses. Its syncytium-forming phenotype is not the result of a switch in coreceptor use but rather of the HIV-1 BORI-15 envelope-mediated fusion of CD4 + CCR5 + cells with greater efficiency than that of its parental strain, either by itself or in the context of a recombinant virus. Genetic analysis indicated that the syncytium-forming phenotype was due to four discrete amino acid differences in V1/V2, with a single-amino-acid change between the parent and the adapted virus (E153G) responsible for the majority of the effect. Additionally, HIV-1 BORI-15 env -pseudotyped viruses were less sensitive to decreases in the levels of CD4 on transfected 293T cells, leading to the hypothesis that the differences in V1/V2 alter the interaction between this envelope and CD4 or CCR5, or both. In sum, the characterization of the envelope of HIV-1 BORI-15 , a highly fusogenic glycoprotein with genetic determinants in V1/V2, may lead to a better understanding of the relationship between HIV replication and syncytium formation in the CNS and of the importance of this region of gp120 in the interaction with CD4 and CCR5.
Enabling Effective Work Function Tuning by RF-PVD Metal Oxide on High-k Gate Dielectric

RF-PVD was investigated as a metal oxide cap deposition process to tune the effective work function in a gate first flow for high-k metal gate stacks. Samples with an aluminum oxide cap layer showed a large flat band voltage shift at minimal equivalent oxide thickness increase by about 0.1 nm. It was confirmed that RF-PVD induced no additional charge damage. Extended RF-PVD process runs also promised a robust process for high-k metal gate device manufacturing.
CFAR detection of a known FSK-modulated signal in white Gaussian noise with unknown variance

Optimal detection of a known FSK-modulated binary signal in additive white Gaussian noise using a matched filter receiver requires knowledge of second-order noise statistics. The dependence on noise statistics causes the probability of detection to be sensitive to errors in the noise variance value. This makes the optimal scheme of limited use in situations where the noise statistics are unknown and cannot be estimated reliably. We propose an alternative approach, which has a more easily calculated test statistic than the optimal method and yields a constant false detection rate, regardless of noise statistics. While this approach has sub-optimal detection probability, it is significantly advantageous in applications where a primary interest is to limit false detections strictly. In addition, it allows one to determine easily the required detection length (in symbols) to achieve a desired performance level.
Impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia: a neural circuitry perspective with implications for treatment

Elevations of impulsive behavior have been observed in a number of serious mental illnesses. These phenomena can lead to harmful behaviors, including violence, and thus represent a serious public health concern. Such violence is often a reason for psychiatric hospitalization, and it often leads to prolonged hospital stays, suffering by patients and their victims, and increased stigmatization. Despite the attention paid to violence, little is understood about its neural basis in schizophrenia. On a psychological level, aggression in schizophrenia has been primarily attributed to psychotic symptoms, desires for instrumental gain, or impulsive responses to perceived personal slights. Often, multiple attributions can coexist during a single aggressive incident. In this review, I discuss the neural circuitry associated with impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia, with an emphasis on implications for treatment. Impulsivity appears to account for a great deal of aggression in schizophrenia, especially in inpatient settings. Urgency, defined as impulsivity in the context of strong emotion, is the primary focus of this article. It is elevated in several psychiatric disorders, and in schizophrenia, it has been related to aggression. Many studies have implicated dysfunctional frontotemporal circuitry in impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia, and pharmacological treatments may act via that circuitry to reduce urgency and aggressive behaviors; however, more mechanistic studies are critically needed. Recent studies point toward manipulable neurobehavioral targets and suggest that cognitive, pharmacological, neuromodulatory, and neurofeedback treatment approaches can be developed to ameliorate urgency and aggression in schizophrenia. It is hoped that these approaches will improve treatment efficacy.
The transpacitor, a novel three-terminal MOS-capacitor switching device

A device is described that operates on the principle of modulation of the displacement current flowing between two outer gate electrodes by a voltage applied to a third intermediate electrode. This electrode is composed of a 0.5 µm electronic-quality silicon layer which can now be prepared by recrystallization processes. The device is switched by biasing this layer either in accumulation or depletion punchthrough. The performance of devices measured thus far has shown good modulation ratios and promising transition speeds. The device is a three-terminal version of a varactor diode so that high speeds and low power dissipation may be expected. Application to logic circuits is discussed.
The Concerns of Pregnant Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common acquired neurological disorder among young adults, commonly striking young women in their childbearing years, little is known about the concerns of women with MS who become pregnant. Without information about concerns, worries, and fears experienced at this time, health care providers are unable to provide anticipatory guidance to assist the pregnant MS patient in coping with these concerns. The purpose of this study was to identify the concerns of pregnant women with MS. A qualitative, descriptive study was undertaken; 15 pregnant women with MS were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Content analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and categories of concerns from the transcripts of the interviews. Concerns that were identified focused on pregnancy itself, labor and delivery issues, breast-feeding, and short- and long-term parenting issues. The unpredictability of MS resulted in uncertainty that permeated many of the concerns ident...
Medical school attended as a predictor of medical malpractice claims.

Main outcome measures: Proportion of graduates from a medical school for a particular decade sued for medical malpractice between 1990 and 1997 and odds ratio for lawsuits against physicians from high and low outlier schools; correlations between the lawsuit rates of successive cohorts of graduates of specific medical schools. Results: Medical schools that are outliers for malpractice lawsuits against their graduates in one dec- ade are likely to retain their outlier status in the subsequent decade. In addition, outlier status of a phy- sician's medical school in the decade before his or her graduation is predictive of that physician's malpractice claims experience (p<0.01). All correlations of cohorts were relatively high and all were statistically significant at p<0.001. Comparison of outlier and non-outlier schools showed that some differences exist in school ownership (p<0.05), years since established (p<0.05), and mean number of residents and fellows (p<0.01). Conclusions: Consistent differences in malpractice experience exist among medical schools. Further research exploring alternative explanations for these differences needs to be conducted.
Dual-function radar-communications using phase-rotational invariance

In this paper, we develop a new technique for dual-function radar-communications in a transmit multi-sensor array where information embedding is achieved using phase-rotational invariance. A sequence of Q bits is first mapped into a dictionary of 2Q phase rotations. Then, one pair of transmit orthogonal waveforms is used in tandem with 2Q pairs of transmit beamforming weight vectors for embedding a certain entry of the phase-rotation dictionary during each radar pulse. The same pair of waveforms is used during all pulses while the pair of transmit beamforming weight vectors changes from pulse to pulse based on which entry of the phase-rotation dictionary is embedded. During each pulse, the receiver detects the embedded phase rotation and employ it to decipher the transmitted bit sequence. The proposed information embedding technique is angle-dependant and, therefore, the communication process is inherently secure against interception from directions other than the desired communication direction. The performance of the proposed technique is investigated in terms of the bit error rate (BER).
Contracts with Consent: A Contextual Critique of the No-Retraction Liability Regime

This is a reply to Omri Ben-Shahar's Contracts with Consent, forthcoming in the Pennsylvania Law Review, and will be published along with his essay in that journal. The reply makes two main points. First, it argues that Omri's no-retraction liability regime will impose substantial costs, largely because of the frequency with which parties will have non-opportunistic reasons for retracting contract proposals that their negotiating partners have not yet accepted. Second, it argues that these costs will be substantial even though Ben-Shahar presents his proposal as a default rule. First, his rule vitiates the information-forcing benefits of the current default rule. Second, the stickiness of any default rule means that inefficiencies in the rule will not be solved by the ability of parties to opt out of the rule. Ben-Shahar's rule is likely to be especially sticky, because it applies by definition in a context in which the parties will NOT previously have signed a formal contract.
Research and the future of intensive psychotherapy.

Several factors have altered our view of intensive psychotherapy—the most important, perhaps, having done so without real scientific basis or scrutiny. Shouldn't we take a careful look?
Intracavity Gain and Absorption Dynamics of Hybrid Modelocked Semiconductor Lasers using Multiple Quantum Well Saturable Absorbers

Time resolved intracavity gain and saturable absorption dynamics, along with intracavity intensity pulse profiles and their corresponding spectrograms, were measured in an external cavity hybrid modelocked semiconductor diode laser. These measurements were performed to obtain fundamental information regarding the modelocking dynamics and to determine their role in the pulse shaping and chirping dynamics. The results of these experiments show that the integrating nonlinearity associated with gain depletion, coupled with group velocity dispersion, leads to asymmetric intensity pulse profiles with predominantly cubic temporal phase, while saturable absorption coupled with group velocity dispersion tends to linearize the chirp. Exploitation of these dynamics may allow researcher to generate optical pulses with higher peak intensities than previously reported.
A Twenty-five-Year Perspective on Physical Education Needs

(1935). A Twenty-five-Year Perspective on Physical Education Needs. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 3-58.
Room Temperature Infrared Electroluminescence from Thin-Film Polycrystalline Chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se2-Based Diodes

Evidence of room-temperature infrared electroluminescence from thin-film polycrystalline CuInxGa1-xSe2-based diodes (0<×<0.4) has been observed by Fourier transform spectroscopy using a FT-Raman spectrophotometer that operates in the near-infrared spectral region. Electroluminescence spectra from ternary CuInSe2 and quaternary Cu(In,Ga)Se2 device structures are reported. In all electroluminescence cases we observe an approximate linear relationship of intensity to forward junction current. Film fabrication process determines to a great extent the optoelectronic properties of the emitters, and consequently, the characteristics of their luminescence spectra. Using a Gaussian multi-peak curve-fit routine to analyze electroluminescence spectra, we can deduce the position, width and relative intensity of the dominant optical transitions. Our purpose in this contribution is two-fold: (1) To report the room-temperature electroluminescence phenomena from chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se2 polycrystalline thin-films, and (2) to demonstrate electroluminescence as a viable technique to optically characterize Cu(In,Ga)Se2 materials using diode structures at RT.
On the Mechanism and Selectivity of the Combined C―H Activation/Cope Rearrangement

The combined C-H activation/Cope rearrangement (CHCR) is an effective C-H functionalization process that has been used for the asymmetric synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutical building blocks. Up until now, a detailed understanding of this process was lacking. Herein, we describe a combination of theoretical and experimental studies that have resulted in a coherent description of the likely mechanism of the reaction. Density functional studies on the reactions of rhodium vinylcarbenoids at allylic C-H sites demonstrate that the CHCR proceeds through a concerted, but highly asynchronous, hydride-transfer/C-C bond-forming event. Even though most of the previously known examples of this process are highly diastereoselective, the calculations demonstrate that other transition-states and stereochemical outcomes might be possible by appropriate modifications of the reagents, and this was confirmed experimentally. The calculations also indicate that there is a potential energy surface bifurcation between CHCR and the competing direct C-H insertion.
“This is a stitch”: Gender, Class, and Colony in the Poetry of Eavan Boland

The work of prominent Irish poet Eavan Boland has been read and critiqued through a number of different lenses over the length of her 40-year career. Her poetry has frequently been described as ove...
Fungal Diagnostics: A Practical Approach

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are emerging infectious diseases that carry high morbidity and mortality especially among immunosuppressed and critically ill patients. Early initiation of antifungal treatment has been shown to improve treatment outcome. Suspicion of IFIs in the right clinical setting is the key to pursue appropriate investigations and establish diagnosis. Gold standard culture-based diagnostic tests have low sensitivity and specificity. The utility of both culture-based and non-culture-based diagnostic methods in current clinical practice is reviewed here. Understanding the advantages and limitations of each of these methods will help the clinician to determine the right tool for patient diagnosis and management.
HOT FLASHES—PHYSIOLOGY, HORMONAL THERAPY, AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

Hormone replacement therapy should be discussed with every postmenopausal woman and should be the first therapy offered to treat hot flashes owing to its high efficacy and other beneficial properties. Women who are ineligible for or uncomfortable with estrogen replacement therapy and who suffer from hot flashes that interfere with the quality of life should be offered other regimens as discussed in this article.
Anharmonic modeling of the conformation-specific IR spectra of ethyl, n-propyl, and n-butylbenzene

Conformation-specific UV-IR double resonance spectra are presented for ethyl, n-propyl, and n-butylbenzene. With the aid of a local mode Hamiltonian that includes the effects of stretch-scissor Fermi resonance, the spectra can be accurately modeled for specific conformers. These molecules allow for further development of a first principles method for calculating alkyl stretch spectra. Across all chain lengths, certain dihedral patterns impart particular spectral motifs at the quadratic level. However, the anharmonic contributions are consistent from molecule to molecule and conformer to conformer. This transferability of anharmonicities allows for the Hamiltonian to be constructed from only a harmonic frequency calculation, reducing the cost of the model. The phenyl ring alters the frequencies of the CH2 stretches by about 15 cm−1 compared to their n-alkane counterparts in trans configurations. Conformational changes in the chain can lead to shifts in frequency of up to 30 cm−1.
Dissection of the Major Hematopoietic Quantitative Trait Locus in Chromosome 6q23.3 Identifies miR-3662 as a Player in Hematopoiesis and Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Chromosomal aberrations and multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have established a major hematopoietic quantitative trait locus in chromosome 6q23.3. The locus comprises an active enhancer region, in which some of the associated SNPs alter transcription factor binding. We now identify miR-3662 as a new functional driver contributing to the associated phenotypes. The GWAS SNPs are strongly associated with higher miR-3662 expression. Genome editing of rs66650371, a three-base-pair deletion, suggests a functional link between the SNP genotype and the abundance of miR-3662. Increasing miR-3662′s abundance increases colony formation in hematopoietic progenitor cells, particularly the erythroid lineage. In contrast, miR-3662 is not expressed in acute myeloid leukemia cells, and its overexpression has potent antileukemic effects in vitro and in vivo . Mechanistically, miR-3662 directly targets NF-κB–mediated transcription. Thus, miR-3662 is a new player of the hematopoietic 6q23.3 locus. Significance: The characterization of miR-3662 has identified a new actor in the prominent hematopoietic quantitative trait locus in chromosome 6q23.3. The mechanistic insights into miR-3662′s function may reveal novel or only partially known pathways for normal and malignant hematopoietic cell proliferation. Cancer Discov; 6(9); 1036–51. ©2016 AACR. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, [p. 932][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/6/932?iss=9
Testing the Effectiveness of Fundraiser Job Titles in Charitable Bequest and Complex Gift Planning.

Traditional fundraiser job titles are often institution centered, focusing on the benefits of fundraising as “institutional advancement” or “institutional development.” Such institution-centered job titles may not be as effective with donors given the modern shift toward donor-centered philanthropy. Alternative job titles can be gift centered (for example, “major gifts”) or donor centered (for example, “donor advising”). A survey of 3,188 respondents tested sixty-three job titles in four charitable scenarios: a charitable bequest gift, a gift of stock, a gift of real estate, and a charitable gift annuity. Measured by which person donors would be more likely to contact to discuss each donation, the worst-performing titles were the traditional institution-focused fundraiser job titles, in particular those using “advancement,” “institutional advancement,” or “development.” This was also true when examining only respondents who had made large gifts ($500+) to a charity. Traditional institution-focused job titles are both the most commonly used and the worst performing. Nonprofit managers may do well to consider the donor's perspective when selecting job titles for fundraisers rather than following traditional industry practices.
Social Health and Social Capital

Community gardening is a form of collective action that involves at least two individuals collaborating to create or cultivate a garden. As such, the attraction of community gardening is broader than food production – community gardens also generate social and other related benefits, such as increased well-being and neighborhood attachment. This section reviews the literature regarding the impacts of community on social health and social capital.
Use Case IV: Imaging Biomarkers in Thorax and Heart

As discussed previously in this book, a biomarker is “a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention” [3]. Cardiovascular biomarkers are usually classified in three main categories according to their potential use:
Hemodynamic Support in PCI: From Chronic Heart Failure to Cardiogenic Shock

Inotrope and vasopressor therapies have been demonstrated to adversely impact infarct size and survival in return for a modest increase in short-term survival. Earlier institution of mechanical support devices may allow the heart to rest while preserving systemic perfusion. Preliminary studies indicate that such a strategy would decrease final infarct size, particularly if implemented early, and should lower mortality rates.
Development of a new interfacility extracorporeal membrane oxygenation transport program for pediatric lung transplantation evaluation

Pediatric lung transplantation is a life-saving intervention for children with irreversible end-stage lung disease. Access to transplant can be limited by geographic isolation from a center or the presence of comorbidities affecting transplant eligibility. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-supported patients are an uncommon but historically high-risk cohort of patients considered for lung transplant. We report the development of a service at our center to provide transport services to our hospital for patients unable to wean from ECMO support at their local institution for the purpose of evaluation for lung transplantation by our program. We developed a process for pre-transport consultation by the lung transplant physician team, standardized hand-off tools and equipment lists, and procedures for transitioning patients to transport ECMO machinery. Four patients have been transported to date including fixed wing (FW) and helicopter transports. All patients were successfully transported with either none or minor complications. Transport of ECMO-supported patients is a feasible method to increase access of patients with irreversible lung injured patients to evaluation for lung transplant.
RGD-conjugated PMAO Nanoparticles Encapsulating a Squaraine Probe for Tumor Vasculature Imaging

An RGD-peptide functionalized nanoparticle carrier encapsulating a squaraine probe that can be excited via two-photon absorption in the NIR is reported. Efficient cellular and tissue imaging demonstrate its potential for biological applications.
Evidence Theory and Uncertainty Reasoning in Multi-value Logic

Abstract An approximate reasoning procedure is proposed based on multivalued logic and Dempster-Shafer evidence reasoning. In formulating this reasoning procedure, Lukasiewicz implication operator is used. Both forward and backward inference patterns which correspond to modus ponens and modus tollens, respectively, in two value logic, are formulated. Various dependency assumptions for binary connectives are also considered.
A Coupled Cluster Investigation of SNO Radical Isomers and Their Reactions with Hydrogen Atom: Insight into Structures, Conformers, Barriers, and Energetics

High-level coupled cluster theory with single and double excitation, and including a perturbative triples correction (CCSD(T)) method and a series of Dunning’s augmented correlation consistent basis sets, aug-cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, and 5) was applied to examine the conformational landscape of SNO radical system. The basis set has an important effect on the relative stability of SNO radical isomers; that is, at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z level of theory, the NSO radical is the most stable member of SNO radical family. This is in contrast to previous density functional theory prediction suggesting SNO radical is the most stable isomer. The CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z//CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ results suggest that the reaction between SNO radical isomers and hydrogen atom result in the formation of their [H,N,S,O] hydrides with HNSO hydrides being the most stable ones. Subsequently, these hydrides could decompose either into SH and NO radicals or into SN and OH radicals. The former pathway is preferred due to relatively lowe...
Improved Electrostatic Embedding for Fragment-Based Chemical Shift Calculations in Molecular Crystals

Fragment-based methods predict nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shielding tensors in molecular crystals with high accuracy and computational efficiency. Such methods typically employ electrostatic embedding to mimic the crystalline environment, and the quality of the results can be sensitive to the embedding treatment. To improve the quality of this embedding environment for fragment-based molecular crystal property calculations, we borrow ideas from the embedded ion method to incorporate self-consistently polarized Madelung field effects. The self-consistent reproduction of the Madelung potential (SCRMP) model developed here constructs an array of point charges that incorporates self-consistent lattice polarization and which reproduces the Madelung potential at all atomic sites involved in the quantum mechanical region of the system. The performance of fragment- and cluster-based 1H, 13C, 14N, and 17O chemical shift predictions using SCRMP and density functionals like PBE and PBE0 are assessed. ...
Reframing the Phenomenon of Discharges Against Medical Advice: A Sociologist’s Perspective

Leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA) is uncommon. Approximately 2% of annual discharges in the USA are deemed AMA. However, a closer look at the literature reveals that the most psychosocially vulnerable patients (e.g., diagnosed with psychiatric illness, substance use disorder, or HIV) have very high rates of AMA discharges, 6–50% across studies. This chapter suggests that the phenomenon of AMA discharge contributes to health disparities and, therefore, constitutes a strategic research event, ideal for illuminating processes that generate health disparities. I propose the concepts of habitus and institutional agency as key interpretative tools. AMA discharges emerge at the interplay between the patient’s habitus from the margins and the provider’s habitus that is an amalgam of uncertainty and medical authority. Conducting institutional ethnography to discern the hospital’s institutional agency reveals its discretionary power and the influence of macro sociocultural factors on explicit and implicit hospital policies that differentially benefit patients, undermine patient-centered care and contribute to AMA discharges.
An Analog of the Cauchy-Hadamard Formula for Expansions in q-Polynomials

We derive an analog of the Cauchy-Hadamard formula for certain polynomial expansions and consider some examples.
Efficient Reachability Bounds for Discrete-Time Nonlinear Systems by Extending the Continuous-Time Theory of Differential Inequalities

This paper presents a new approach for computing tight interval enclosures of the reachable sets of discrete-time nonlinear systems by extending effective continuous-time methods based on differential inequalities (DI). Recent advances in DI have furnished very sharp enclosures at low cost for several challenging test cases. However, these methods rely on key properties of continuous-time systems that do not extend to discrete-time. Nevertheless, we show that discrete-time analogues of DI methods do provide valid reachable set enclosures for the important class of systems obtained by forward Euler discretization of continuous-time models, provided that the step size is below an easily computable bound. Numerical experiments show that this bound is reasonable, and that discrete-time DI offers significant advantages over alternative algorithms in terms of both speed and accuracy.
A Yankee in King Arthur's court, or an anal dysplasia NP within a colorectal surgery practice

Background Having been an HIV NP in upstate NY between the years of 1998 and 2009, it became apparent that High Resolution Anoscopy (HRA), was needed. Methods The University of Rochester and NYS Department of Health AIDS Institute provided the means for me to learn HRA and Infrared Photocoagulation (IRC) ablation of High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HSILs). The task was then to find a “home” in Rochester for this practice. Results Rochester Colon and Rectal Surgeons (RCRS), a private surgical practice, agreed in 2005 to let me establish an anal dysplasia practice within their eight surgeon group. 12+ years later, this anal dysplasia practice has screened and treated over 2000 patients. Initially, all referrals were HIV+ MSM, followed by HIV- MSM, HIV + women, and most recently HIV- women who have had cervical cancer or high grade dysplasia. Referrals come to me from HIV providers, Gynecologists, GYN Oncologists, Gastroenterologists, General Surgeons, Dermatologists, PCPs, and the colorectal surgeons within my own practice. In 2017, an monthly Anal Dysplasia Conference was convened to provide for citywide interdisciplinary (Pathologists, GYN Oncologists, Colorectal Surgeons and interested others) to review clinical findings, as well as to provide clinical correlation with projected cytology and pathology. Conclusions This anal dysplasia practice has resulted in the diagnosis, not only of HSILs and cancer, but also adenoma, lymphoma, primary squamous rectal cancers, molluscum, syphilis, as well as a plethora of the usual STDs. No regularly screened patient has developed squamous cell carcinoma within the anal canal, although two have developed squamous cell carcinomas of the anus.
Development and validation of a rapid and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS assay for simultaneous quantification of paclitaxel and cyclopamine in mouse whole blood and tissue samples.

The prominent stromal compartment surrounds pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and protects the tumor cells from chemo- or radiotherapy. We hypothesized that our nano formulation carrying cyclopamine (CPA, stroma modulator) and paclitaxel (PTX, antitumor agent) could increase the permeation of PTX through the stromal compartment and improve the intratumoral delivery of PTX. In the present study a sensitive, reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to quantify PTX and CPA simultaneously in mouse whole blood, pancreas, liver and spleen samples. Docetaxel was used as the internal standard. The method demonstrated a linear range of 0.5-2000 ng/mL for whole blood and tissue homogenates for both PTX and CPA. The accuracy and precision of the assay were all within ±15%. Matrix effects for both analytes were within 15%. Recoveries from whole blood, liver, spleen and pancreas homogenates were 92.7-105.2% for PTX and 72.8-99.7% for CPA. The stability was within ±15% in all test biomatrices. The validated method met the acceptance criteria according to US Food and Drug Administration regulatory guidelines. The method was successfully applied to support a pharmacokinetic and biodistribution study for PTX and CPA in mice biomatrices.
Capstone Seminar: A one-credit Hour Course Covering the Design Process Implementation

This Innovative Practice Work in Progress Paper describes a one-credit hour senior design seminar course. The course is taught concurrently with the actual Senior Capstone Design Experience I course. The development of this course is of a great importance of reminding students of the design process elements since the coverage of this topic in a typical engineering curriculum takes place in the freshman year. This helps students incorporating the design process elements while working on their actual capstone projects in their Senior Capstone Design Experience course. The instructor of the course approached students through picking a specific technology and introduced it during one lecture. Each team was required to find a potential problem that can be solved using this technology and provide statistics that show the importance of the problem. Afterward, the teams incorporated the design process elements in their proposed solution to the problem and pitched it to the instructor as a pretended investor. Individual assignments were also developed to ensure that all students are assessed based on individual and team effort. The paper discusses the need of the course, lectures' content, and assignments. In addition, it provides student feedback about the course, ABET related student outcomes along with their assessment artifacts and recommendation.
Antibody responses to a cytochrome c peptide do not correlate with lymphokine production patterns from helper T-cell subsets.

This paper examines helper T-cell responses and antibody titres and isotypes following immunization with a peptide antigen in association with three different adjuvants. B10.A mice were primed with pigeon cytochrome c fragment 81-104 in association with the adjuvants complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) and alum. Strong antibody responses, dominated by IgG1, were observed upon priming with CFA and IFA. In contrast, priming with alum induced a weak antibody response with little or no detectable antigen-specific IgG1. These differences did not correlate with differences in T-cell priming, as immunization with peptide in association with all three adjuvants induced comparable T-cell proliferative responses and frequencies of antigen-specific cells. In addition, no significant differences in interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-4 production could be found, suggesting that the adjuvants did not differentially affect Th1 and Th2 cells.
Museums, Decolonization and Indigenous Artists as First Cultural Responders at the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is part of a global movement of human-rights–driven museums that commemorate atrocity-related events through exhibitions aimed to communicate a national social consciousness. However, museums in Canada are increasingly understood to contribute to the perpetuation of settler colonial memory regimes as dominant narratives of national identity. Through the analysis of theexhibit ‘Aborigina lWomen and the Right to Safety and Justice’, this article explores how museums in represent difficult knowledge and act as sites of decolonization, while suggesting how shared authority and nuanced Indigenous art forms might play a role in both. It posits that if museums in settler colonial societies are to evolve beyond the pretext of detached host, they must not only acknowledge past atrocities and injustices against Indigenous peoples, but also consistently examine the colonial logics and inventions that permeate colonizing and decolonizing exhibitions.
Surface electrode recording of platysma single motor units during speech

Abstract Preliminary data are presented on the voluntary activation of single motor units recorded from the neck with surface electrodes. Behavioral tests support the conclusion that these motor units are from the platysma muscle, and that this muscle functions as an antagonist to the orbicularis oris inferior muscle during speech. The patterns of motor unit activation observed during simple bilabial speech movements are consistent with the size principle as well as previous studies of single motor unit activation and movement dynamics.
miR-145a Regulation of Pericyte Dysfunction in a Murine Model of Sepsis

Background Sepsis is a life-threatening systemic disease with severe microvascular dysfunction. Pericytes preserve vascular homeostasis. To our knowledge, the potential roles of microRNAs in sepsis-induced pericyte dysfunction have not been explored. Methods We determined lung pericyte expression of miR-145a in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis. Mouse lung pericytes were isolated and transfected with a miR-145a mimic, followed by stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We measured inflammatory cytokine levels. To assess the functions of miR-145a in vivo, we generated a pericyte-specific miR-145a-knockout mouse and determined sepsis-induced organ injury, lung and renal vascular leakage, and mouse survival rates. We used RNA sequencing and Western blotting to analyze the signaling pathways regulated by miR-145a. Results CLP led to decreased miR-145a expression in lung pericytes. The miR-145a mimic inhibited LPS-induced increases in cytokines. In CLP-induced sepsis, pericytes lacking miR-145a exhibited increased lung and kidney vascular leakage and reduced survival rates. We found that miR-145a could suppress LPS-induced NF-κB activation. In addition, we confirmed that the transcription factor Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (Fli-1) is a target of miR-145a and that Fli-1 activates NF-κB signaling. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that pericyte miR-145a mediates sepsis-associated microvascular dysfunction, potentially by means of Fli-1-mediated modulation of NF-κB signaling.