cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Block CMA-based blind and group-blind multiuser detectors

We derive a new iterative multiuser detection algorithm based on a generalized sidelobe canceller which uses the constant modulus property of digitally modulated signals together with code knowledge given to a receiver in a CDMA system. The proposed algorithm can be seen as an extension of the least squares constant modulus algorithm in a sense that it simultaneously minimizes the constant modulus (CM) and the least square (LS) cost functions iteratively. The proposed detector performs as well as the ideal MMSE detector in the high SNR region, in addition to resolving the interference capture problem existing in most constant modulus algorithms (CMA).
Molecular Structure of o-Benzyne from Microwave Measurements

The o-benzyne molecule has been known for many years to be an important, but short-lived, reaction intermediate in substitution reactions and more recently in cyclization reactions of enediynes. Although there has been widespread interest in this transient molecule, previous experimental structural data were very limited. In the present work, rotational transitions for o-benzyne were measured with a pulsed-beam, Fourier transform microwave spectrometer for all unique, singly substituted 13C and single-D isotopomers. The o-benzyne was efficiently produced by flowing a dilute mixture of isotopically enriched benzene in neon through a pulsed-DC discharge beam source. The new data, combined with previous data for the normal isotopomer, provide a complete set of structural parameters for this molecule. The rs substitution coordinates and the coordinates from a least-squares fit are reported and are in good agreement. When using the least-squares fit to obtain structural parameters, correction terms arising fro...
The structure of polysiloxanes: Solvent swelling of soluble polymethylsiloxanes

Viscosity–molecular weight relationships for polymethylsiloxanes of Me/Si from 2.0 to 1.5 have been determined in a variety of solvents. It has been found that, at Mw = 106, in going from an ideal solvent to the best solvent used, 2.0, 1.8, and 1.5 Me/Si polymers expand volumetrically by factors of 3.8, 2.0, and 1.15, respectively. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the 1.8 and 1.5 Me/Si materials are internally crosslinked to a high degree, and are probably spherical in shape. The solvent-polymer interaction parameters for the linear polymer in several solvents are calculated, and estimates of the solubility parameters of the various polysiloxanes are obtained.
Normal Bone Anatomy and Physiology

This review describes normal bone anatomy and physiology as an introduction to the subsequent articles in this section that discuss clinical applications of iliac crest bone biopsy. The normal anatomy and functions of the skeleton are reviewed first, followed by a general description of the processes of bone modeling and remodeling. The bone remodeling process regulates the gain and loss of bone mineral density in the adult skeleton and directly influences bone strength. Thorough understanding of the bone remodeling process is critical to appreciation of the value of and interpretation of the results of iliac crest bone histomorphometry. Osteoclast recruitment, activation, and bone resorption is discussed in some detail, followed by a review of osteoblast recruitment and the process of new bone formation. Next, the collagenous and noncollagenous protein components and function of bone extracellular matrix are summarized, followed by a description of the process of mineralization of newly formed bone matrix. The actions of biomechanical forces on bone are sensed by the osteocyte syncytium within bone via the canalicular network and intercellular gap junctions. Finally, concepts regarding bone remodeling, osteoclast and osteoblast function, extracellular matrix, matrix mineralization, and osteocyte function are synthesized in a summary of the currently understood functional determinants of bone strength. This information lays the groundwork for understanding the utility and clinical applications of iliac crest bone biopsy.
The Use of Targeted Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease

There is a paucity of sensitive and specific biomarkers for the early prediction of CKD progression. The recent application of innovative technologies such as functional genomics, proteomics, and biofluid profiling has uncovered several new candidates that are emerging as predictive biomarkers of CKD. The most promising among these include urinary proteins such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, kidney injury molecule-1, and liver-type fatty acid binding protein. In addition, an improved understanding of the complex pathophysiologic processes underlying CKD progression has also provided discriminatory biomarkers of CKD progression that are being actively evaluated. Candidates included in this category are plasma proteins such as asymmetric dimethylarginine, adiponectin, apolipoprotein A-IV, fibroblast growth factor 23, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and the natriuretic peptides, as well as urinary N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase. This review represents a critical appraisal of the current status of these emerging CKD biomarkers. Currently, none of these are ready for routine clinical use. Additional large, multicenter prospective studies are needed to validate the biomarkers, identify thresholds and cut-offs for prediction of CKD progression and adverse events, assess the effects of confounding variables, and establish the ideal assays.
Role of Arginine Deiminase of Streptococcus cristatus in Porphyromonas gingivalis Colonization

The ability to attach to a variety of oral surfaces is an important characteristic of Porphyromonas gingivalis. Previous studies have demonstrated that expression and production of FimA, a major subunit protein of the long fimbriae, is required for P. gingivalis colonization. Here we report that a surface protein, arginine deiminase (ArcA) of Streptococcus cristatus, represses FimA production and inhibits biofilm formation of P. gingivalis. This inhibitory function of ArcA is also observed in the formation of heterotypic P. gingivalis-Streptococcus gordonii biofilms. P. gingivalis is released from streptococcal substrates in the presence of ArcA, likely due to an inhibition of FimA production. This work suggests that ArcA may have the potential to be a specific antibiofilm agent to fight P. gingivalis infections.
Freezing times of regularly shaped food items

Abstract The freezing of food is one of the most significant applications of refrigeration. In order for freezing operations to be cost-effective, it is necessary to optimally design the refrigeration equipment. This requires estimation of the freezing times of foods. Numerous semianalytical/empirical methods for predicting food freezing times have been proposed. The designer of food refrigeration facilities is thus faced with the challenge of selecting an appropriate estimation method from the plethora of available methods. Therefore, a review of selected semi-analytical/empirical food freezing time prediction methods applicable to regularly shaped food items is given in this paper. The performance of these various methods is evaluated by comparing their results to experimental freezing time data obtained from the literature.
EA-MP: An evolutionary algorithm for a mine planning problem

In this paper we introduce an evolutionary algorithm for solving a copper mine planning problem. In the last 10 years this real-world problem has been tackled using linear integer programming and constraint programming. However, because it is a large scale problem, the model must be simplified by relaxing many constraints in order to obtain a near-optimal solution in a reasonable time. We now present an algorithm which takes into account most of the problem constraints and it is able to find better feasible solutions than the approach that has been used until now.
The course of substance use disorders in patients with borderline personality disorder and Axis II comparison subjects: a 10-year follow-up study.

Clinical experience suggests that substance use disorders (SUDS) are common among patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Cross-sectional studies have found that 23-84% of borderline patients (median=65.1%) report meeting criteria for any substance use disorder [1-7]. Cross-sectional studies have also found that 23.8-66% of borderline patients report meeting criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence (median=47%) [5-13] and 19-87% report meeting criteria for drug abuse or dependence (median=44.1) [5-13]. In addition, four longitudinal studies have assessed the prevalence of substance use disorders in samples of criteria-defined borderline patients [14-17] Two of these studies were large-scale, follow-back studies of the long-term course of BPD in former inpatients [14,15]. The first of these studies was Stone’s study of borderline patients who had initially been hospitalized at the New York State Psychiatric Institute [14]. It was found that 14.7% met criteria for alcoholism and 45.5% met criteria for drug abuse during the years since discharge (mean of 16 years). The second of these studies was Paris’ study of former inpatients at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada [15]. At a mean of 27 years of follow-up, it was found that 4.7% had active substance abuse. The other two studies were prospective follow-up studies of former inpatients [16,17]. Links and his colleagues assessed the point prevalence of alcohol and drug use disorders at a mean of seven years after discharge from the psychiatric unit of one of four general hospitals in Ontario, Canada [16]. It was found that 7.0% of the borderline patients met criteria for alcoholism at the time of the interview and 5.3% met criteria for drug abuse at this point in time. The prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence and drug abuse/dependence was studied over six years of prospective follow-up in the McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD) [17]. It was found that the prevalence of both alcohol (50.3% at baseline and 11.4% at six-year follow-up) and drug (46.6% at baseline and 12.9% at six-year follow-up) use disorders declined significantly over time in patients with BPD. However, the prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence but not drug abuse/dependence remained significantly higher among borderline patients than axis II comparison subjects. In addition, it was found that co-occurring substance use disorders slowed time-to-remission of BPD more than any other type of axis I disorder, including major depression and PTSD. The current study, which is an extension of the MSAD study mentioned above, is the first longitudinal study to assess the prevalence of these disorders over 10 years of prospective follow-up in a large and well-defined sample of borderline patients and axis II comparison subjects. It is also the first study to assess time-to-remission, time-to-recurrence, and time-to-new onset of each of these substance use disorders in borderline patients (followed prospectively for a decade).
Sandstone Provenance, Point Loma Formation, San Diego, California: Evidence for Uplift of the Peninsular Ranges During the Laramide Orogeny

ABSTRACT Previous petrologic study of sandstones from the Upper Cretaceous Point Loma Formation utilized methodology advocated by Folk (1974). In order to improve comparability with other provenance studies of Cretaceous sandstones in California, new modal data for sandstones from the Point Loma Formation were determined using the Gazzi-Dickinson point-counting method. In addition, varieties of quartz were studied following methods described by Basu et al. (1975). The new petrologic data indicate that sandstones in the Point Loma Formation are composed of detritus derived primarily from the exposed plutonic/metamorphic roots of a segment of the magmatic arc of the Peninsular Ranges. This conclusion is significant because it implies that parts of the magmatic arc of the Peninsular Ranges were u lifted, deeply dissected, and nearly stripped clean of their volcanic cover by Late Cretaceous time. The Late Cretaceous uplift of parts of the magmatic arc of the Peninsular Ranges occurred at the same time as the uplift of the magmatic arc of the Sierra Nevada, and both uplift events may have been associated with the early phase of an abnormally low angle of subduction during the Laramide orogeny.
On steady-state errors in nonlinear control systems

Abstract In a recent paper control systems containing a memoryless nonlinear element are considered, and the steady-state response to certain inputs is characterized when the circle condition for stability is met. Here we give three results for the case in which the forward path contains an additional element, an integrator preceding the nonlinearity.
The Sting of the Long Tail: Climate Change, Backlash and the Problem of Delayed Harm

Climate change is an example of a common problem in environmental law: delayed harm, where environmental harm only manifests itself long after the human activity that causes it. Delayed harm poses specific challenges to environmental policymakers: It makes causation difficult to establish or prove, making the use of liability systems difficult. It poses significant political obstacles to the establishment of regulatory systems to address the harm, because of the entrenchment of economic interests, myopia, and endowment effects. And perhaps most importantly, it poses significant challenges to the maintenance of regulatory programs after they are created - even if the regulatory program succeeds at eliminating the human activity causing the harm (perhaps at great cost), the harm will continue to persist for an extended period of time because of the delay. This gap between regulatory action and environmental performance may inspire a backlash against the regulatory system, as shown with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). One possible solution is to focus on restoration, undoing the harm that has accumulated from prior human activity. However, restoration work has had mixed results in areas such as ESA implementation, because it can be very costly, it can be uncertain in its effectiveness, and because it may also take an extended period of time to succeed. Delayed harm will pose significant challenges to the primary tool that has been proposed to address climate change: regulation. Even if policymakers are able to overcome the not-insignificant challenges to initiating regulation, there is a distinct possibility that there may be a backlash against climate change regulation because of the inevitable persistence of climate change harm after regulation begins. There are a range of possible restoration efforts that might help reduce the risk of a backlash: adaptation efforts to reduce the harm to specific human or natural systems from climate change or various geoengineering schemes for removing carbon from the atmosphere or managing the global average temperature. However, many of these restoration efforts are costly, highly uncertain as to effectiveness, themselves require substantial time delays, or have significant side effects. Nonetheless, the lessons of delayed harm indicate that both adapatation and geoengineering must be taken seriously as part of a overarching policy response to climate change. This requires better coordination between greenhouse gas regulation and adaptation efforts, and also expanded research into the feasibility and desirability of geoengineering.
Brief paper: Reduced-order performance of parallel and series-parallel identifiers with weakly observable parasitics

The stability properties of discrete-time parallel and series-parallel identifiers with respect to a specific model-plant order mismatch are analyzed. While in a deterministic environment with no modeling error the two schemes give identical results, when used in a deterministic environment with modeling error their performance is different. We assume a singularly perturbed state representation for the plant where the modeling error consists of fast parasitics which are weakly observable in the plant output. Detailed bounds on parameter and output estimate errors are established and the robustness of the adaptive identifiers is established by showing that the error bound goes to zero as the modeling error goes to zero, i.e. as the parasitics become infinitely fast. The dependence of this residual identification error on the input signal, the neglected parasitics, and the initial error conditions is shown to be crucial. The bounds indicate possibilities for reducing the error by a proper choice of the input signal.
More on the Intersection of Law and Rhetoric: A Review of Making the Case: Advocacy and Judgment in Public Argument (Kathryn M. Olson, Michael William Pfau, Benjamin Ponder & Kirt Wilson Eds., Mich. State U. Press 2012)

Making the Case is a collection of essays by nine scholars of rhetoric and communication. At first blush, the book seems written solely for the elite club of PhDs in rhetoric, not for those with mere cross-disciplinary or passing interests. But if the reader begins with David Zarefsky’s Reflections on Making the Case, the book’s first essay, it is easy to see why the study of rhetoric makes sense for anyone connected to the practice of law. For Aristotle, rhetoric involved, among other things, “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” This definition serves as the foundation for modern day rhetorical case studies,”which examine how, and how well, people deployed rhetorical resources in a historical moment that called for them. The case studies in this collection involve public argument and all analyze events in the past as “a series of rhetorical problems — situations that call for public persuasion to advance a cause or to overcome an impasse.” More specifically, the book studies moments in the rhetorical history of America in which an individual rhetor attempted through public argument to build a case, to advance a cause, and to persuade an audience. The case studies thus focus on rhetorical choices and how they shape public opinion.
Effects of surface roughness on the van der Waals force between macroscopic bodies

We have calculated the van der Waals force between two different, semi-infinite dielectric media, separated by a region of vacuum of nominal thickness $l$, when the surface of one of the two media is rough. The calculation is carried out by the method of van Kampen, Nijboer, and Schram [Phys. Lett. 26A, 307 (1968)] to yield the force at the absolute zero of temperature in the regime $l\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\lambda}$, where $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ is the smaller of the principal absorption wavelengths of the two dielectric media. The result obtained has the form $f(l)=\ensuremath{-}\frac{{C}_{3}}{{(\frac{l}{a})}^{3}}\ensuremath{-}\frac{{\ensuremath{\delta}}^{2}}{{a}^{2}}\left(\frac{{C}_{4}}{{(\frac{l}{a})}^{4}}+\frac{{C}_{5}}{{(\frac{l}{a})}^{5}}+\ensuremath{\cdots}\right)+O\left(\frac{{\ensuremath{\delta}}^{4}}{{a}^{4}}\right)$ in the limit $\frac{l}{a}$ is large. Here $a$ is the transverse correlation length, the mean distance between consecutive peaks and valleys on the rough surface, while $\ensuremath{\delta}$ is the root-mean-square departure of the surface from flatness. Explicit expressions have been obtained for the coefficients ${C}_{4}$ and ${C}_{5}$, and numerical estimates of the magnitude of the roughness-induced contribution to the van der Waals force are obtained in the case that the two media are the same, and their common dielectric constant is given by $\ensuremath{\epsilon}(\ensuremath{\omega})=1\ensuremath{-}(\frac{{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{p}}^{2}}{{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{2}})$, where ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{p}$ is a plasma frequency. It is found that surface roughness increases the magnitude of the van der Waals force over its value when the surfaces of both media are flat.
Utilization of Biorefinery Waste Proteins as Feed, Glues, Composites, and Other Co-Products

In recent decades, there have been significant advances in bioprocessing technologies which have brought large-scale algal biorefineries closer to becoming environmentally and economically sustainable. Yet, due to the costs of algae culture and lipid extraction, it is difficult to design a profitable biorefinery operation, especially if the only valuable products produced are biofuels. Biorefineries typically generate large volumes of solid, proteinaceous biomass with little or no value. These residues are often referred to as algae cake or post-extracted algal residue (PEAR). If a company needs to pay to dispose of these byproducts, it will be nearly impossible to operate profitably.
On the design of composite protein-quantum dot biomaterials via self-assembly.

Incorporation of nanoparticles during the hierarchical self-assembly of protein-based materials can impart function to the resulting composite materials. Herein we demonstrate that the structure and nanoparticle distribution of composite fibers are sensitive to the method of nanoparticle addition and the physicochemical properties of both the nanoparticle and the protein. Our model system consists of a recombinant enhanced green fluorescent protein–Ultrabithorax (EGFP-Ubx) fusion protein and luminescent CdSe–ZnS core–shell quantum dots (QDs), allowing us to optically assess the distribution of both the protein and nanoparticle components within the composite material. Although QDs favorably interact with EGFP-Ubx monomers, the relatively rough surface morphology of composite fibers suggests EGFP-Ubx-QD conjugates impact self-assembly. Indeed, QDs templated onto EGFP-Ubx film post-self-assembly can be subsequently drawn into smooth composite fibers. Additionally, the QD surface charge impacts QD distributi...
Grafting copolymerization onto LDHs within W/O polyhedral cell

In order to overcome the instability of usual kinds of acrylamide (AM) water in oil emulsion and reduce the dose of oil,a novel grafting copolymerization with cationic backbone of Layerde Double Hydrotalcides (LDH3) which was first used within W/O polyhedral cell (PHC) has been further researched for kinds of AM water-soluble monomers.The use of LDH3 acted as a cationic backbone to produce the cationic,zwitterionic,amphiphilic graft copolymers easily.This article focused on the polymerization process.The percentage and the dimensions of W/O PHC were observed and three different lamellar micelles of LDH3 were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM).The structure of final copolymer was characterized by infrared (IR).The products can be used as flocculants and the sludge dewatering agent effectively.
Early psychotherapeutic management of the school phobia.

Phobic reactions toward school can be incapacitating to a child.Treatment of the neurosis involves an intensive psychotherapeutic approach to resolve the acute situation, with continuing therapy to help the child adjust to his life pattern.Cooperation of the parents and school authorities is essential for successful results.
Secondary injury after musculoskeletal trauma: a review and update.

Objectives To revisit the secondary injury model, to incorporate several current pathophysiologic theories into the model, and to show the need for more direct research examining the model. Data sources I searched MEDLINE and CINAHL from 1976 to 2001 for literature related to acute injury pathology and pathophysiology and selected classic articles and pathology, pathophysiology, and immunology texts. Data synthesis Acute musculoskeletal injury management is based on a pathophysiologic model, often referred to as the secondary injury model, which was originally developed more than 25 years ago. In this model, acute trauma is referred to as primary injury, whereas secondary injury refers to damage to otherwise uninjured cells that was a direct consequence of the physiologic response to primary injury. In the original model, mechanisms for secondary injury were hypothesized based on then-contemporary understandings of immunology and cellular pathology. These mechanisms were broadly categorized as either enzymatic or hypoxic. Since this time, the pathologic paradigms for cell death from trauma have evolved, and the secondary injury model requires some updating. Some controversy now exists regarding the categorization of injury as primary or secondary, specifically whether posttraumatic damage is actually secondary injury in previously uninjured tissue or delayed death of primary injured cells. Similarly, the postulated mechanisms that lead to secondary injury now appear to be considerably more complex than originally anticipated. Conclusions/recommendations The secondary injury model has been reconciled with our contemporary understanding of pathophysiology. Specifically, secondary hypoxic injury has been clarified to be secondary ischemic injury, and several specific mechanisms for ischemic injury have been identified. Similarly, secondary injury from mitochondrial failure and other potential mechanisms has been identified, and the role and interaction of these mechanisms in relation to total secondary injury have been expanded.
Rhomboid Intramembrane Serine Proteases

Intramembrane proteolysis catalyzed by rhomboid proteases plays key roles in such diverse cell communication events as receptor tyrosine kinase signalling during animal development, and quorum sensing during bacterial growth. In these contexts, rhomboid proteins act in the signal-sending cell to activate signal precursor proteins and initiate the signalling event. Recent biochemical advances have culminated in the first high-resolution crystal structures of an intramembrane protease, and a pure enzyme reconstitution system for studying rhomboid activity. Functional studies have expanded the cellular role of rhomboid proteins to broad biological processes, including host-cell invasion by malaria parasites, which is the first implication of these enzymes as possible therapeutic targets in human disease
SU-F-T-404: Dosimetric Advantages of Flattening Free Beams to Prone Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

Purpose: Prone accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) results in dose reduction to the heart and lung. Flattening filter free beams (FFF) reduce out of field dose due to the reduced scatter from the removal of the flattening filter and reduce the buildup region. The aim of this work is to evaluate the dosimetric advantages of FFF beams to prone APBI target coverage and reduction in dose to organs at risk. Methods: Fifteen clinical prone APBI cases using flattened photon beams were retrospectively re-planned in Eclipse-TPS using FFF beams. FFF plans were designed to provide equivalent target coverage with similar hotspots using the same field arrangements, resulting in comparable target DVHs. Both plans were transferred to a prone breast phantom and delivered on Varian-Edge-Linac. GafChromic-film was placed in the coronal plane of the phantom, partially overlapping the treatment field and extending into OARs to compare dose profiles from both plans. Results: FFF plans were comparable to the clinical plans with maximum doses of (108.3±2.3)% and (109.2±2.4)% and mean doses of (104.5±1.0)% and (104.6±1.2)%, respectively. Similar mean dose doses to the heart and contralateral lungs were observed from both plans, whereas the mean dose to the contra-lateral breast was (2.79±1.18) cGy and (2.86±1.40) cGy for FFF and clinical plans respectively. However for both plans the error between calculated and measured doses at 4 cm from the field edge was 10%. Conclusion: The results showed that FFF beams in prone APBI provide dosimetrically equivalent target coverage and improved coverage in superficial target due to softer energy spectra. Film analysis showed that the TPS underestimates dose outside field edges for both cases. The FFF measured plans showed less dose outside the beam that might reduce the probability of secondary cancers in the contralateral breast.
Effective media theory of dry powder dot printing

Fiberglass composites with three dimensionally varying dielectric properties have been created using a novel dry powder dot deposition system. The out of plane and in plane effective properties were previously determined empirically with seperate methods. This work establishes an analytic effective media approach to characterizing the dielectric constant for both cases.
Abstract AS30: BRCA1-IRIS inactivation sensitizes ovarian tumors to cisplatin

Ovarian cancer is the first in mortalities among gynecological cancers in the USA, often due to late diagnosis and/or acquired platinum-resistant recurrences. This study investigates whether BRCA1-IRIS is a novel treatment target for ovarian cancers and their platinum-resistant recurrences. Here we show that more than half of ovarian cancer samples analyzed showed BRCA1-IRIS and survivin overexpression and lacked nuclear FOXO3a expression. Normal ovarian epithelial cells overexpressing BRCA1-IRIS formed metastasis in mice when injected in the peritoneal cavity, whereas aggressive ovarian cancer cell lines failed to form tumors or metastases in mice when BRCA1-IRIS was silenced in them. We show that BRCA1-IRIS activates two autocrine signaling loops, BDNF/TrkB and NRG1/ErbB2. These loops are involved in anoikis resistance and metastasis promotion. These loops operate in several ovarian cancer cell lines and BRCA1-IRIS silencing or inactivation using a novel inhibitory peptide renders both non-functional and promoted cell death. In a mouse xenograft model BRCA1-IRIS inactivation using this novel inhibitory peptide resulted in significant reduction in ovarian tumor growth. More importantly, this treatment sensitized ovarian tumors to low Cisplatin concentrations. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that BRCA1-IRIS and/or BDNF/TrkB and NRG1/ErbB2 could serve as rational therapeutic targets for advanced ovarian cancers. Citation Format: Bibbin T. Paul, Zannel Blanchard, Mildred Ridgway, Wael M. ElShamy. BRCA1-IRIS inactivation sensitizes ovarian tumors to cisplatin [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(16 Suppl):Abstract nr AS30.
Human–Environment Interactions: Not One Way … and Not One-Way

Chapter 2 discussed how the energy dynamic between our human ancestors and their environmental circumstances has endowed us with multiple redundant physiological mechanisms to ensure us sufficient energy balance for survival and reproduction. We also saw how, as a result, the system of weight and energy regulation is three-way asymmetrical—in energy input, expenditure, and storage.
Expression of serglycin in human disc is increased in degenerated discs and up-regulated in vitro by exposure to IL-1ß or TNF-α.

We investigated whether the multifunctional intercellular proteoglycan, serglycin, is expressed in human intervertebral disc cells and assessed its localization. We also investigated expression levels of serglycin in human annulus fibrosus (annulus) cells exposed to IL-1s and TNF-α, which are two proinflammatory cytokines that are expressed during disc degeneration. Immunolocalization of serglycin was common in many cells of the human annulus, but less common in the nucleus pulposus (nucleus). Both intracellular and cell membrane localization were observed. Annulus cells from Thompson grades III, IV and V degenerated discs exhibited a 4.69 fold up-regulation in serglycin expression vs. cells from healthier grades I and II discs. In monolayer annulus cell culture, cells from more degenerated discs exhibited a 9.4 fold up-regulation of serglycin expression compared to cells from healthier discs. Exposure of cultured cells to IL-1s or TNF-α caused significant up-regulation of serglycin expression. We found that serglycin expression increased with increasing disc degeneration both in vivo and in vitro, and also increased with exposure in vitro to IL-1s and TNF-α.
Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channels in the Brain: Relevance to Alcohol Intoxication and Withdrawal.

Voltage-sensitive Ca2+ (CaV) channels are the primary route of depolarization-induced Ca2+ entry in neurons and other excitable cells, leading to an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). The resulting increase in [Ca2+]i activates a wide range of Ca2+-dependent processes in neurons, including neurotransmitter release, gene transcription, activation of Ca2+-dependent enzymes, and activation of certain K+ channels and chloride channels. In addition to their key roles under physiological conditions, CaV channels are also an important target of alcohol, and alcohol-induced changes in Ca2+ signaling can disturb neuronal homeostasis, Ca2+-mediated gene transcription, and the function of neuronal circuits, leading to various neurological and/or neuropsychiatric symptoms and disorders, including alcohol withdrawal induced–seizures and alcoholism.
Applications of Löwdin’s Metric Matrix: Atomic Spectral Methods for Electronic Structure Calculations

Lowdin’s metric matrix constructed in the non-orthogonal antisymmetrized atomic spectral-product basis of Moffitt is employed in developing a new theoretical approach to ab initio calculations of the adiabatic (Born-Oppenheimer) electronic wave functions and potential energy surfaces of molecules and other atomic aggregates. The metric matrix is used to demonstrate that Momtt’s basis in the absence of prior antisymmetrization contains the totally antisymmetric irreducible representation of the symmetric group of aggregate electron coordinate permutations once and only once, and so is suitable for calculations of physical eigenstates. The unphysical representations of the symmetric group also spanned by the simple spectral-product basis are eliminated from the Hamiltonian matrix, and its physical block isolated, after its construction in this representation employing the unitary transformation obtained from diagonalization of the metric matrix. Lowdin’s observations on restrictions to ordered electron configurations in configuration-interaction expansions help to clarify the origins of linear dependence in the Moffitt basis, and to demonstrate the equivalence of its canonical orthogonalization with isolation of the totally antisymmetric representation in the corresponding orthonormal spectral-product basis. Convergence of the new approach accordingly follows in the limit of closure to wave functions and energies identical with those obtained employing prior antisymmetrization in the absence of linear dependence. The particularly simple form of the spectral-product Hamiltonian, composed of atomic and atomic pair-interaction energy matices which can be determined once and for all for repeated use, suggests the method has potential merit as a viable computational approach. Aspects of its implementation are explored with numerical examples to illustrate the convergence of the method.
Stars take centre stage

Magnetic tweezer measurements have revealed the forces associated with a star-shaped structure responsible for moving the sperm nucleus to the centre of the egg cell following fertilization.
One-Dimensional Crystals in an External Field

For a certain class of analytic potentials V(x), matrix elements of the resolvent of HF = −d2/dx2 − Fx + V(x) with entire vectors of the translation group have meromorphic continuations from Im z > 0 to the whole complex plane. The poles of these continuations are restricted to a discrete set independent of the analytic vectors chosen. Certain random potentials corresponding to an infinite number of particles distributed on the points of a Poisson set lie in this class with probability one as do a large class of periodic potentials.
Image stabilization for Airborne Infrared Spectrometer

The Airborne Infrared Spectrometer (AIR-Spec) took measurements of five infrared coronal emission lines from on board a NSF/NCAR airplane during the solar eclipse in August 2017. An open-loop image stabilization system was implemented using a gyroscope and fast steering mirror; 90% of the 60 millisecond exposures had an RMS jitter below 4.6 arcseconds. To increase the exposure time to 1 second, a closed-loop system is proposed using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and an image cross-correlation algorithm. We predict that 100% of 1 second exposures will have an RMS jitter below 4.6 arcseconds. A detailed analysis of the proposed closed-loop stabilization system is presented.
Pedagogy, Audience, and Attitudes: Influencing University Students’ Metalinguistic Awareness About Texting Practices

This chapter reports on a pilot study examining the effect of pedagogy on university students’ metalinguistic awareness of emergent norms of communication in text messaging. The specific foci of investigation are audience awareness, attitudes about appropriate use of language, and attitudes about particular language forms. Findings are based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of survey data collected over two semesters from 108 undergraduates at a large state university in the American Southeast. Our observations support previous findings that explicit instruction can lead to increased awareness of pragmatic norms. However, results also suggest an ongoing need to cultivate students’ metapragmatic awareness of their own language use in digitally mediated communication according to audience and in relation to their attitudes toward prescriptive norms, in order to enable them to recognize, analyze, and evaluate their own practices.
Ambiguous Genitalia and Problems with Sexual Differentiation

Ambiguity of a newborn’s genitalia or clinical situations in which determining the sex of a newborn is not clear represent a true dilemma in the nursery. Ambiguous genitalia are due to under-masculinization of genetic males or virilization of genetic females. Although congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is the most common cause of ambiguous genitalia in a newborn, other causes should be considered after ruling out this inherited adrenal condition. Having a systematic approach to the problem and an understanding of the processes of main genetic factors and sex hormones involved in sex determination and differentiation will help the clinician to better diagnose, counsel, and manage these challenging patients.
Rose geranium in sesame oil nasal spray: a treatment for nasal vestibulitis?

Objectives As a rose geranium in sesame oil spray product has been anecdotally noted to improve nasal vestibulitis symptoms, this study was designed to assess whether patients with nasal vestibulitis associated with cancer-directed therapy experienced symptomatic improvements from it. Methods Patients with breast cancer, prescribed rose geranium nasal spray, were identified by looking at pharmacy records and patient diagnosis at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Patient medical information, as well as documentation of symptoms, were gleaned from medical charts. Questionnaires were sent to patients regarding their experiences. Results Of the 40 patients with breast cancer who were prescribed rose geranium nasal spray, 100% were receiving cancer-directed therapy: 58 % were receiving taxane chemotherapy; others received a variety of cytotoxic and targeted therapy treatments. Twenty patients who had used the spray product returned surveys. Patient-reported nasal symptoms included bleeding (90%), dryness (86%), pain (81%), scabbing (67%) and sores (52%); patients consistently reported symptoms at a higher proportion than did healthcare providers. All patients who used the rose geranium nasal spray reported symptomatic benefit; one reported a little benefit, 11 (55%) reported moderate benefit and eight (40%) reported dramatic or complete resolution of symptoms. The therapy was well tolerated in most patients. Conclusions Rose geranium in sesame oil nasal spray appears to improve patient-reported nasal symptoms associated with cancer-directed therapy.
Picturing Rural America

A quiet but persistent dialog about the importance of place is happening in educational research. This study contributes to that conversation by offering a critical analysis of how picture books show a “placed,” rural America. To increase understanding of the social constructions of rurality, 24 picture books were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to determine how contemporary rural life is represented in picture books for children. Results indicated images falling into six categories: Rural people are self-reliant; rural people are connected; rural people are satisfied and happy; rural people are diverse; rural areas are expendable and, rural people are ‘Other’.
Radial Versus Femoral Arterial Access for Interventional Procedures: Is There a Preference Among Nursing Care Providers?

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine preference for radial or femoral access for visceral arterial interventions among nursing staff responsible for postprocedural care at a single institution. In September 2018, 100 surveys were sent to nurses in the Cardiac and Interventional Radiology Recovery Unit, 48 of whom completed the survey. On a 5-point Likert scale, nurses responded to whether they disagree or agree with 10 encouraging statements regarding radial arterial access. An average of these 10 scores was calculated and an average score >4 for a nurse was considered to be favorable for radial access. Surveyed nurses had an average of 16.7 years of experience with a standard deviation of 10.2 years. The mean value for 7 of 10 statements regarding radial access was >4.5; the mean value was a 4.1 for the statement “radial access requires less nursing care.” Nurses responded most favorably to the statements “radial access is less embarrassing” and “radial access lets patients go home sooner," with 93% (43/47) of nurses either strongly agreeing or agreeing. Among the 48 nurses, 40 nurses had a cumulative average score >4. A chi-square test of radial favorability versus level of experience yielded a chi-square statistic of 1.2 and a p-value of .273 (not significant at p
A hydrogeomorphic and condition classification for Maine, USA, lakes

Deeds J, Amirhbahman A, Norton SA, Bacon LC. 2020. A hydrogeomorphic and condition classification for Maine, USA, lakes. Lake Reserv Manage. 36:122–138. The water quality of lakes is influenced by ...
Endothelial-derived plasma exosome proteins in Alzheimer’s disease angiopathy

Small cerebral vascular disease (SCeVD) demonstrated by white matter hyperintensity (WMH) on MRI contributes to the development of dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it has not been possible to correlate onset, severity, or protein components of SCeVD with characteristics of WMH in living patients. Plasma endothelial-derived exosomes (EDEs) were enriched by two-step immunoabsorption from four groups of participants with no clinical evidence of cerebrovascular disease: cognitively normal (CN) without WMH (CN without SCeVD, n = 20), CN with SCeVD (n = 22), preclinical AD (pAD) + mild cognitive impairment (MCI) without SCeVD (pAD/MCI without SCeVD, n = 22), and pAD/MCI with SCeVD (n = 16) for ELISA quantification of cargo proteins. Exosome marker CD81-normalized EDE levels of the cerebrovascular-selective biomarkers large neutral amino acid transporter 1 (LAT-1), glucose transporter type 1 (Glut-1), and permeability-glycoprotein (p-GP, ABCB1) were similarly significantly higher in the CN with SCeVD and pAD/MCI with SCeVD groups than their corresponding control groups without SCeVD. CD81-normalized EDE levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 were significantly higher in the pAD/MCI with SCeVD group but not in the CN with SCeVD group relative to controls without SCeVD. Levels of normal cellular prion protein (PrPc), a receptor for amyloid peptides, and phospho-181T-tau were higher in both CN and pAD/MCI with SCeVD groups than in the corresponding controls. High EDE levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, and phospho-181T-tau in patients with WMH suggesting SCeVD appear at the pre-clinical or MCI stage of AD and therapeutic lowering of neurotoxic peptide levels may delay progression of AD angiopathy.
Fate of Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation after Pulmonary Endarterectomy in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Purpose Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a standard procedure for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. PTE decreases pulmonary hypertension, though its effect on secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is unclear. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who received PTE from June 2009 to July 2019 at our center. Echocardiographic assessments of tricuspid regurgitation peak valve gradient (TRPG), right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction, and degree of TR were tracked longitudinally after PTE (1 month, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months). Mixed effects longitudinal analysis was used to determine changes in echocardiographic parameters and risk factors for residual TR. The effect of moderate-severe TR on survival was assessed by cox proportional hazards analysis. Results In the 235 patients that underwent PTE, the mean pulmonary artery pressure at time of surgery was 43 +/- 14 mmHg. Preoperatively, 54 patients (23%) had trace TR, 59 (25%) mild, 42 (18%) mild-moderate, 50 (21%) moderate, 19 (8%) moderate-severe, and 9 (4%) severe. TR decreased at all time points postoperatively (p Conclusion TR improved significantly three years after PTE with the exception of patients with residual pulmonary hypertension, preoperative RV dysfunction, and female sex. Preoperative but not postoperative TR may be a marker of poor prognosis after PTE.
Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of switching from standard to extended interval dosing for durvalumab in unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

e20501Background: In 2018, the FDA approved durvalumab with weight-based dosing of 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks for unresectable, Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following chemoradiation the...
Engineered nanoparticle network models for autonomous computing.

Materials that exhibit synaptic properties are a key target for our effort to develop computing devices that mimic the brain intrinsically. If successful, they could lead to high performance, low energy consumption, and huge data storage. A 2D square array of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) interconnected by an emergent polymer network is a possible candidate. Its behavior has been observed and characterized using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulations and analytical lattice network models. Both models are consistent in predicting network links at varying temperatures, free volumes, and E-field (E) strengths. Hysteretic behavior, synaptic short-term plasticity and long-term plasticity—necessary for brain-like data storage and computing—have been observed in CGMD simulations of the ENP networks in response to E-fields. Non-volatility properties of the ENP networks were also confirmed to be robust to perturbations in the dielectric constant, temperature, and affine geometry.
Estimating Long-Run Risks in Developed and Developing Countries: A Particle MCMC Approach

We estimate a generalized version of the Long-Run Risk model in a panel of developed and developing countries using consumption, dividend growth, and asset returns data by utilizing the particle filter, while allowing for measurement errors in consumption data at quarterly and annual frequencies. We extend the exercise by Schorfheide et al (2018) to non-U.S. countries. Our estimations provide further evidence in support of the Long-Run Risk model and in the existence of a common small persistent component in consumption growth, dividend growth, and cash-flow growth. In certain developing countries with a short data series such as Malaysia, it is important to include asset return data to generate a large posterior estimate on the persistence parameter ρ. Our results thus further challenge the view that consumption growth is an iid process with international evidence. The estimated model can produce asset-pricing moments consistent with data.