cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TET Methylcytosine Oxidases in T Cell and B Cell Development and Function

DNA methylation is established by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and is a key epigenetic mark. Ten Eleven Translocation (TET) proteins are enzymes that oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and further oxidization products (oxi-mCs), which indirectly promote DNA demethylation. Here, we provide an overview of the effect of TET proteins and altered DNA modification status in T and B cell development and function. We summarize current advances in our understanding of the role of TET proteins and 5hmC in T and B cells in both physiological and pathological contexts. We describe how TET proteins and 5hmC regulate DNA modification, chromatin accessibility, gene expression and transcriptional networks, and discuss potential underlying mechanisms and open questions in the field.
Flixweed (Descurainia sophia) Shade Tolerance and Possibilities for Flixweed Management Using Rapeseed Seeding Rate

Brassicaceae weeds can be problematic in canola varieties that have not been modified to resist specific broad-spectrum herbicides. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for increased rapeseed seeding rate as a management strategy for flixweed. To accomplish this objective, a field study was conducted to determine crop seeding rate effects on canopy light transmission and rapeseed yield characteristics, as well as a greenhouse study to determine morphological and photosynthetic responses of flixweed to decreasing irradiance levels. Results from the field study indicated that light transmittance through the canopy decreased linearly as crop seeding rate increased from 1.8 to 9.0 kg ha-1. Increasing crop seeding rate did not influence rapeseed aboveground biomass, seed yield, and harvest index, but negatively affected rapeseed seed oil content in one of two siteyears. Greenhouse study results indicated that declining irradiance levels caused reductions in flixweed biomass, root allocation, and photosynthetic light compensation point. Flixweed leaf allocation, foliage area ratio, and specific foliage area increased in response to decreasing irradiance levels. Combined results of field and greenhouse studies suggest that increasing rapeseed seeding rate can suppress flixweed growth while not causing yield penalties from increased intraspecific competition. However, increased rapeseed seeding rate might not be an adequate control strategy on its own because flixweed displays characteristics of a shade-tolerant species.Nomenclature: Flixweed, Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb. ex. Prantl; rapeseed, Brassica napus L.
Targeted Memory Reactivation During Sleep, But Not Wake, Enhances Sensorimotor Skill Performance: A Pilot Study

The benefits of sleep on memory consolidation have been enhanced for declarative and motor sequence learning through replaying classically conditioned auditory stimuli during sleep, known as targeted memory reactivation (TMR). However, it is unknown if TMR can influence performance of a sensorimotor skill, in the absence of the cognitive requirements of sequence learning. Here, young adults performed a nondominant arm throwing task separated by a full night of sleep or a full day of wake, with half of all participants receiving TMR between sessions. Participants who received TMR during sleep demonstrated enhanced sensorimotor performance relative to all other groups. In conclusion, this pilot study indicates that it is feasible to influence sensorimotor skill performance through TMR during sleep and may serve as a future adjunct to physical rehabilitation. Future studies will aim to confirm the present results with a larger sample size as well as investigate the effects of TMR during sleep on older adults both with and without a history of stroke.
Ancient Art Meets Modern Science: American Medicine Investigates Acupuncture, 1970–1980

In the early 1970s, the so-called “acupuncture craze” swept America, introducing many Americans for the first time to this supposedly ancient therapy. Acupuncture was advertised as a cure-all, effective for everything from arthritis to smoking cessation, much to the dismay of the American Medical Association and other professional organizations. By April 1973, Nevada had passed a bill that legalized the use of acupuncture and established a State Board for Chinese Medicine, independent of its State Board for Medicine. In response, American physicians pursued two courses of action: they initiated biomedical studies that aimed at proving either a physiological or psychological effect generated by acupuncture, and they advocated for state-level regulations that restricted the use of acupuncture as an experimental therapy. Building on the work of historians of alternative medicine—including Anne Harrington and James Whorton—this paper contributes to our understanding of the position of alternative therapies within American medical practice.
Myelomeningocele Primary Repair Surgical Technique

A clear understanding of the pathologic anatomy of the spinal malformation is a fundamental prerequisite of the pre-operative work-up in spina bifida patients [1]. The malformed spinal cord or primitive neural plaque (placode) presents as a flat tongue of neural tissue with its borders merging into the contiguous malformed meningeal coverings. As an effect of the failed neurulation process, both ventral and dorsal spinal roots exit from the ventral aspect of the placode, the dorsal roots exiting laterally to the ventral ones, and corresponding to the boundary between the placode and the arachnoid membrane (junctional zone). The presence of an intact subarachnoid space ventral to the placode confirms the lesion as a myelomeningocele (MMC) (Fig. 10.1), whereas its absence confirms it to be a myelocele, which more closely resembles the deranged anatomy of failed neurulation (Fig. 10.2). Open image in new window Fig. 10.1 a, b. Clinical appearance of a lumbar myelomeningocele (a) and schematic drawing (b)of the malformation, demonstrating the relationship of the placode with the subarachnoid space and cutaneous layers, and the exit and course of the spinal roots within the malformed sac
Counting and automata

Counting is widely acknowledged to be one of the most difficult areas of Mathematics. As a result, many programming solutions to counting problems tend to revolve around the brute-force technique of generating all possibilities and testing each for the desired property. Techniques for finding more elegant solutions are presented in Discrete Mathematics courses, but often the mathematical solution can be difficult to find. This paper describes a technique based on Finite State Automata that can be used to create a model for solving counting problems that also produces efficient computing solutions.
Cooled Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

During the past decade, radiofrequency catheter ablation has emerged as an important definitive approach to the treatment of most types of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias.1,2 The development of temperature monitoring and closed loop temperature control of RF energy output was subsequently shown to facilitate RF catheter ablation and have been accepted into routine clinical practice.3,4 Despite the remarkable safety and efficacy of RF catheter ablation as used in routine clinical practice, certain types of arrhythmias proved to be more refractory to attempts at catheter ablation. Most notable among these were atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and nonidiopathic ventricular tachycardia. For these arrhythmias, new tools to facilitate ablation of these arrhythmias were deemed necessary. Linear catheter ablation systems and ablation systems designed specifically to facilitate catheter ablation in the region of the pulmonary veins are being developed for atrial fibrillation.5,6 In contrast, it was felt that ablation systems capable of creating deeper lesions were required to improve the efficacy of catheter ablation of atrial flutter as well as nonidiopathic VT. Cooling the tip of the ablation catheter was subsequently proposed as a potential solution to develop larger and deeper lesions during RF application.7,8
Cattle ecology of upland and deltaic areas of West Bengal.

Two large cattle populations were enumerated by a house to house survey in several villages in upland and deltaic regions of rural West Bengal, India. The basic population parameters of the 2 were compared and their inter-relationships related to the different environmental setting of each region.
On the Problem of Spontaneous Mutation in Drosophila Melanogaster

Beginning with the pioneering studies of Chetverikov more than five decades ago, many geographically distinct, wild Drosophila mela-nogaster populations have been assayed for their content of genetic variation. The results of these studies are in general agreements wild flies contain a rich, hidden store of recessive mutants in heterozygous condition. Qualitatively, the variety of mutants sequestered in wild flies mimics in almost every detail the broad spectrum of laboratory mutants described in D. melanogaster. After inbreeding the progeny of captured flies, a variety of morphological mutants can be recovered (Spencer, 1947). Somewhat more sophisticated genetic methods reveal the presence of numerous recessive lethal mutants and even meiotic and behavioral mutants.
Cocaine, Methamphetamine, MDMA, and Heroin

Though not as frequently as alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco, patients do present for surgery either under the influence of or having recently used drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and illicit opioids like heroin. The pharmacology of these drugs is not as well established as the anesthetic agents and other medications that have been developed for legitimate use, but since many of these drugs were once used licitly, the information is available. An understanding of the pharmacology of the drugs of abuse as well as the potential for drug-drug or drug-enzyme interaction is essential information for the perioperative health-care professional tasked with the management of the substance-abusing patient.
Mothers: The Major Force in Preventing HIV/STD Risk Behaviors

The focus of this chapter is on mothers serving as protective factors against high-risk sexual behaviors for their adolescents. We present information about the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among adolescents in the United States, followed by a discussion of the role of mothers and the impact of mothers’ influence on their adolescents’ high-risk sexual behaviors. We then present several innovative HIV-risk reduction interventions designed to include mothers as key agents in the fight against HIV in the adolescent population.
Ionic Channels and Fibrillation

Cardiac fibrillation is a major health problem in industrialized society today. In the United States alone, ventricular fibrillation (VF) is responsible for approximately 300,000 sudden cardiac deaths (Myerburg,Catellanos,1997). On the other hand, atrial fibrillation (AF) afflicts over 2 million Americans, (Feinberg et a1,1995) which makes it the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice. While AF in and of itself does not usually lead to death, it is the most important cause of stroke. (Wolf et a1,1991). Because of the alarming nature of these statistics, understanding the mechanisms underlying fibrillation of the heart is very critical.
Universal Compression, List Decoding, and Logarithmic Loss

Universal lossy source coding under the logarithmic loss (log-loss) criterion is studied. Bounds on the rate-redundancy of variable-length universal codes with respect to a family of distributions are derived. These bounds correspond to previously derived bounds on distortion-redundancy of fixed-length coding. The asymptotic behavior of the resulting optimization problem is studied for a family of i.i.d. sources with a finite alphabet size. As is the case with distortion-redundancy, rate-redundancy of memoryless sources is lower bounded by $\frac{k}{2}\log n$ , where $n$ is the blocklength and $k$ is the number of degrees of freedom in the parameter space. The impact of the distortion constraint is on the constant term: higher allowed distortion effectively reduces the volume of the parameter uncertainty set. In view of previously established connections between lossy variable-length coding under log-loss and compression with list decoding, the bounds derived in this work also apply to variable-length coding with list decoding.
microRNAs‐107 inhibited autophagy, proliferation, and migration of breast cancer cells by targeting HMGB1

PURPOSE To investigate the effects of microRNAs-107 (miR-107) on autophagy, proliferation, and migration of breast cancer cells and its mechanism by targeting high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1). METHODS Real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect the expression of miR-107 in breast cancer and its cell lines. In MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cells, the expression of p62, Beclin1 protein, and the changes of cell proliferation and migration after overexpression of m miR-107 were detected by Western blotting, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, and transwell assays. Target Scan online prediction, dual luciferase reporter gene, and Western blot were used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-107 and HMGB1. The effects of silencing HMGB1 expression on p62, Beclin1 protein expression, cell proliferation, and migration ability were detected. The transfected MDA-MB-453 cells were inoculated into the right axilla of the nude mice, the tumor volume and weight were weighed, and the expression of miR-107, HMGB1, p62, and Beclin1 in the tumor were detected. RESULTS The expression of miR-107 was downregulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines (P < 0.01). The expression of p62 protein was upregulated (P < 0.01), while Beclin1 protein was downregulated (P < 0.01) and cell proliferation and migration ability were decreased (P < 0.01) after overexpressing miR-107 in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 cells. The results of TargetScan online prediction, dual luciferase reporter gene, and Western blot showed that miR-107 could regulate HMGB1 expression. The expression of p62 protein was upregulated (P < 0.01), while Beclin1 protein was downregulated (P < 0.01) and cell proliferation and migration ability were decreased (P < 0.01) after silencing HMGB1 in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 cells. The results of xenograft experiments showed that miR-107 could delay tumor growth and inhibit autophagy. CONCLUSION miR-107 could inhibit cell autophagy, proliferation, and migration of breast cancer cells by targeting HMGB1.
Early Experiences With PEGylated Carboxyhemoglobin Bovine in Anemic Jehovah's Witnesses: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) represent a complex patient population due to their refusal to accept blood transfusions on religious grounds. Pharmacologic management of anemic JW patients is limited to stimulation of hematopoiesis by iron and erythropoietin supplementation and reduction of blood loss by prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs). Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) represent the only pharmacologic modality for JW patients capable of acutely increasing a patient's oxygen carrying capacity in the setting of organ failure, yet clinical safety and efficacy data are lacking in this population. We report 3 cases in which the HBOC, PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin bovine (Sanguinate®), was requested under emergent circumstances for severely anemic (hemoglobin <5 g/dL) JW patients who refused blood transfusions. Two patients received PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin infusions for severe anemia, while the third patient died prior to receiving the medication. One patient who received Sanguinate died after 5 units of medication. The other patient's hemoglobin recovered and she was discharged in stable condition. This series demonstrates the complex nature of the critically anemic JW population and highlights the clinical considerations of using HBOCs in clinical practice and the critical need for further research before they can be broadly recommended.
Coastal Prairie Recovery in Response to Shrub Removal Method and Degree of Shrub Encroachment

Abstract Shrub encroachment into grasslands is a worldwide phenomenon with no signs of abating and numerous ecological consequences. In South Texas, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) and huisache (Vachellia farnesiana [L.] Wight & Arn.) are two shrubs encroaching into coastal prairies, reducing cover of the dominant native grass, gulf cordgrass (Spartina spartinae [Trin.] Merr. ex Hitchc.), and decreasing habitat for the endangered Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis), which requires grasslands or savannas for survival. To determine the best management approach for deterring shrub encroachment and restoring native grasslands, the US Fish and Wildlife Service used several shrub removal techniques within coastal prairies of the Bahia Grande Wetland Complex of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, a core site for Aplomado Falcon reintroductions. Here, we assess native grass recovery over a 2-yr period in response to these shrub removal methods (mechanical plus prescribed fire and/or herbicide treatments) and degree of shrub encroachment before treatment. In general, areas with high levels of shrub encroachment before treatment had the highest amount of bare ground and lowest grass cover immediately following an initial mechanical treatment; this legacy effect persisted throughout the study irrespective of shrub removal treatment. Regardless of degree of shrub encroachment before treatment, grasses in areas treated with either mechanical or mechanical followed by herbicide methods recovered the slowest, likely due to residual woody material that hindered seed germination. Herbicide treatment following mechanical removal or mechanical removal plus fire effectively hindered shrub regrowth. Overall, mechanical treatment followed by prescribed fire and then herbicide application most effectively promoted grass recovery while hindering shrub regrowth. These findings suggest that grassland recovery following shrub encroachment into South Texas coastal prairies may be promoted through the application of shrub removal methods that combine mechanical, fire, and herbicide treatments.
Allopurinol reverses mercaptopurine-induced hypoglycemia in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Fasting hypoglycemia is a known complication of mercaptopurine (6MP) maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is associated with high levels of the methylated metabolite 6-methyl-mercaptopurine (6MMP). Symptoms of hypoglycemia include morning tremulousness, nausea and vomiting. We have previously shown that switching 6MP dosing from evening to morning resolved hypoglycemia by reducing 6MMP; however, the reduction of 6MMP was only transient, potentially resulting in return of hypoglycemia. In children and adults with Crohn’s disease, co-prescribing allopurinol with 6MP blocks the activity of thiopurine methytransferase (TPMT), reducing 6MMP and improving its tolerance. As a consequence of inhibiting TPMT, 6MP is shunted toward the production of 6-thioguanine nucleotide (6TGN), which will result in pancytopenia if the dose of 6MP is not reduced. We demonstrate that allopurinol with a reduced dose of 6MP in two patients with ALL and 6MMP-associated hypoglycemia resulted in a complete and sustained suppression of 6MMP and rapid reversal of hypoglycemia and its symptoms.
Conceptual Complexity in Biomedical Terminologies: The UMLS Approach

The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) project is a research effort to develop knowledge-based tools and resources to compensate for differences in the way concepts are expressed in the field of biomedicine. Since 1990, a set of UMLS Knowledge Sources has been released annually to the research community. This paper gives an overview of the current knowledge sources and highlights the nature of the concepts and their interrelationships in the most recent release of the UMLS. The paper illustrates the complexity of the biomedical terminologies that have been represented in the UMLS as well as the methods that have been used to harness this complexity.
An indicator displacement assay recognizes enantiomers of chiral carboxylates

Two chiral copper(II)-based receptors—[CuRRL]2+ and [CuSSL]2+—in conjuction with the fluorescent indicator coumarin 343 were used to establish an enantioselective indicator displacement assay (eIDA) for the determination of the enantiomeric composition of chiral carboxylates such as ibuprofen, naproxen and atorvastatin.
Adherence to host tissues, surface hydrophobicity, and pathogenic and phenotypic characteristics of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

s. 67*h Conference Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD). Chicago, III. Nov. 14-15. p 68. 14. Razin, S. 1978. The mycoplasmas. Microbiol. Rev. 42:414-470.
Muon capture on light isotopes in Double Chooz

Y. Abe, T. Abrahao, H. Almazan, C. Alt, S. Appel, J.C. Barriere, E. Baussan, I. Bekman, M. Bergevin, T.J.C. Bezerra, L. Bezrukov, E. Blucher, T. Brugiere, C. Buck, J. Busenitz, A. Cabrera, L. Camilleri, R. Carr, M. Cerrada, E. Chauveau, P. Chimenti, A.P. Collin, E. Conover, J.M. Conrad, J.I. Crespo-Anadon, K. Crum, A.S. Cucoanes, ∗ E. Damon, J.V. Dawson, H. de Kerret, J. Dhooghe, D. Dietrich, Z. Djurcic, J.C. dos Anjos, M. Dracos, A. Etenko, M. Fallot, J. Felde, † S.M. Fernandes, V. Fischer, D. Franco, M. Franke, H. Furuta, I. Gil-Botella, L. Giot, M. Goger-Neff, H. Gomez, L.F.G. Gonzalez, L. Goodenough, M.C. Goodman, N. Haag, T. Hara, J. Haser, D. Hellwig, M. Hofmann, G.A. Horton-Smith, A. Hourlier, M. Ishitsuka, J. Jochum, C. Jollet, F. Kaether, L.N. Kalousis, Y. Kamyshkov, M. Kaneda, D.M. Kaplan, T. Kawasaki, E. Kemp, D. Kryn, M. Kuze, T. Lachenmaier, C.E. Lane, T. Lasserre, 14 A. Letourneau, D. Lhuillier, H.P. Lima Jr, M. Lindner, J.M. Lopez-Castano, J.M. LoSecco, B. Lubsandorzhiev, S. Lucht, J. Maeda, ‡ C. Mariani, J. Maricic, § J. Martino, T. Matsubara, G. Mention, A. Meregaglia, T. Miletic, R. Milincic, § A. Minotti, Y. Nagasaka, D. Navas-Nicolas, P. Novella, ¶ L. Oberauer, M. Obolensky, A. Onillon, A. Osborn, C. Palomares, I.M. Pepe, S. Perasso, A. Porta, G. Pronost, J. Reichenbacher, B. Reinhold, § M. Rohling, R. Roncin, B. Rybolt, Y. Sakamoto, R. Santorelli, A.C. Schilithz, S. Schonert, S. Schoppmann, M.H. Shaevitz, R. Sharankova, D. Shrestha, V. Sibille, V. Sinev, M. Skorokhvatov, E. Smith, M. Soiron, J. Spitz, A. Stahl, I. Stancu, L.F.F. Stokes, M. Strait, ∗∗ F. Suekane, S. Sukhotin, T. Sumiyoshi, Y. Sun, § R. Svoboda, K. Terao, A. Tonazzo, H.H. Trinh Thi, G. Valdiviesso, N. Vassilopoulos, C. Veyssiere, M. Vivier, F. von Feilitzsch, S. Wagner, N. Walsh, H. Watanabe, C. Wiebusch, M. Wurm, †† G. Yang, 12 F. Yermia, and V. Zimmer
Thermoelectric generators: A case study in multi-scale thermal engineering design

Abstract In this chapter we review the fundamental principles of thermoelectric phenomena, devices, and optimization techniques, with a focus on the multi-scale design of thermoelectric energy generators (TEGs). TEG technology represents a fascinating case study of the interplay between thermal and electrical transport, with pronounced multi-scale impacts from nanoscale phonon and electron transport to the design of efficient heat exchangers in the optimization of a complete system. We explore several of these areas in detail, with particular attention given to the effects of temperature-dependent thermoelectric material properties on the optimal ratio of hot-to-cold side heat exchanger thermal resistances and the relation to the second law of thermodynamics in the macroscale system design. These conclusions are then connected to theory behind the design of thermoelectric materials through nanoengineering. Finally, we explore cost considerations related to TEG system heat exchanger design, offering a new perspective in the approach to the technoeconomic optimization of TEG power systems.
Surgical explantation of atrial septal closure devices for refractory nickel allergy symptoms.

Abstract Objectives Systemic allergic reactions to nickel alloys in percutaneous atrial septal defect occlusion devices have a poorly defined natural history. We describe our experience of surgical removal of the offending device in a series of patients with nickel allergy and refractory symptoms. Methods Patients with atrial septal defect device explants for nickel allergy were reviewed. Administered questionnaires focused on symptoms, quality of life, and satisfaction along with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey to measure physical and mental health postsurgery. Results Atrial septal defect devices were removed for nickel allergy in 58 patients during the past 10 years. The median age was 42 years (range, 24-71 years) and 95% were women. Explantation occurred at a median of 8 years (range, 6 months-18 years) after insertion. Symptoms included fatigue (82%), chest pain (78%), headache (73%), and palpitation (58%). Surveys were available for 45 patients: 58% rated their quality of life as poor and 69% were not at all satisfied with their device. Postexplant, all patients reported improvement in their symptoms, with 18 patients (42%) noting complete resolution. In 12 patients prospectively studied, the preoperative scores in physical and mental health domains were lower than the validation group, indicating significant disability. Similarly, there was marked improvement in each domain postremoval. Conclusions Patients with nickel allergy and severe refractory symptoms after atrial septal defect device implantation experience profound resolution of symptoms and improved quality of life after removal. Nickel allergy should be considered before device insertion, and a low threshold should exist for surgical removal for refractory symptoms.
Distance to pharmacy and risk of medication primary nonadherence.

Author(s): Moo-Young, Joseph A; Suarez, Elizabeth A; Adamson, Adewole S | Abstract: Primary nonadherence, a form of prescription nonadherence, is defined as failure to fill and pick up a prescription medication. Little is known about the relationship between distance to pharmacy and primary nonadherence in dermatology. In this study, we investigated the association between primary nonadherence and distance between a patient’s home and pharmacy. We focused on a low-income patient population within the dermatology clinic of a large, urban county hospital system in which patients were enrolled in a pharmacy benefit within a closed-system. Among 678 patients who were prescribed a total of 1156 prescription medications for dermatologic conditions, 11.7% did not pick up any of their prescriptions. After adjusting for patient demographics of race/ethnicity, sex, age, language, and relationship status, there was no association between primary nonadherence and distance traveled between a patient’s home and pharmacy. Results of this study are consistent with other studies in non-dermatologic patients and suggtableest that distance from a pharmacy may not be strongly associated with primary nonadherence for dermatologic medications.
Remarks on Elliptic Motives

This paper grew out of conversations at the conference with A. Goncharov and A. Levin on their paper [7]. I want to offer an interpretation of their results along lines developed in [4]. The idea, which I learned from A. Beilinson and P. Deligne [5], is to assume one is given some category Μ of pure motives and then to try to construct a Hopf algebra or a co-Lie algebra H in the category Μ such that corepresentations of H in Μ give rise to (and conjecturally are equivalent to) mixed motives whose weight graded pieces lie in Μ. The focus becomes the study of H and its representations just as in number theory one studies the Galois group and its representations. In the case of motives, H is constructed using algebraic cycles, and cycle classes in some Weil cohomology lead to realizations of the mixed motives.
Revisiting the thermally metamorphosed coals of the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

Abstract Petrographic and geochemical data for Late Permian coals and carbonaceous shales from the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica (source: Polar Rock Repository, PRR), were used to evaluate maturation levels and assess the effects of contact metamorphism. Coals were evaluated for locations in the Southern Transantarctic Mountains, the Central Transantarctic Mountains, and South Victoria Land, including samples from the Buckley, Mt. Glossopteris, and Queen Maud formations and the Weller Coal Measures. These formations have been intruded by sills and dikes of the Jurassic Ferrar Group (177–183 Ma) associated with the breakup of Gondwanaland. Proximate (129 samples), total sulfur (69) analyses, vitrinite reflectance analysis (92), and petrographic composition (34) were determined. One third of the samples have >50% ash yields (dry basis). A subset of samples (87) with 7%. Thus, VM does not reveal true rank of the Antarctic coals. Vitrinite reflectance (Rr) typically surpasses that of inertinite. The VM–Rr relationship for these coals does not follow that of coals matured by normal burial maturation, but more closely follows that of intruded coals. Coke textures, including isotropic coke and anisotropic mosaics, vacuoles, pyrolytic carbon, and coked bitumen are observed, indicating alteration by contact metamorphism and providing insights to the rank of the coal at the time of intrusion. Coarse-grained circular and fine-grained lenticular mosaic textures suggest coal rank at the time of intrusion was medium volatile bituminous coal (maximum vitrinite reflectance ~1.2%). This would imply a burial depth by time of intrusion of ~5–5.5 km (assuming 25 °C/km) or ~ 4 km (assuming 34 °C/km). Modern-day background reflectance levels of ~2.5% Rr indicate continued post-intrusion maturation, possibly due to exposure to higher regional heat flow. Coals and carbonaceous shales from the Polar Rock Repository (PRR) can provide reliable petrographic and maturation data (using reflectance) to help decipher the burial history for various parts of the Transantarctic Mountains. However, geochemical data must be used with caution due to the high original inorganic content, and possible formation of gypsum and changes in VM during long-term storage. HCl-treatment removes some of the neoformed minerals, but samples should be treated extensively with HCl-HF to remove all silicate minerals prior to proximate and ultimate analysis to ensure more reliable data.
Management of status asthmaticus in the pediatric intensive care unit: Review of literature

Asthma continues to be a chronic illness affecting millions of children worldwide. In spite of veiy good controller medications now available, Status Asthmaticus is one of the most common diagnosis among children admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Units. There are also a veiy wide variety of therapeutic options available to the intensivist for treating an asthma exacerbation. Although in conditions of extremes, probably it is worth to utilize all the therapies possible, more often than not, a practitioner has to choose one vs the other. In view of potential side effects of all the therapies, it is valuable to understand the evidence behind them. in this brief review we have tried to summarize the options and the research behind them.
How California Companies Can Make the Most of Their Externs

Law school externship programs offer great opportunities for students and for the law firms, organizations and courts that host them. They are a chance for the student to gain real world legal experience, and for the attorney or judge to model the best practices of the legal profession (and to get some help around the office). The success of any externship experience – for both the student and the supervisor – depends in large part on the work the student is asked to do: not just what work is assigned, but how it’s assigned as well. SoCalEx, the consortium of Southern California law schools’ externship programs, and BACE, the Bay Area Consortium on Externships, have the following suggestions regarding assigning student externs’ work; follow these tips to enhance an externship’s educational value to the student as well as maximize the value of the student’s contribution to the legal work of your office, organization, or chambers:
Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences Predict Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poorer adult mental health, and benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) are associated with better adult mental health. This study aims to test whether ACEs and BCEs predict adult mental health above and beyond current stress and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from undergraduate and graduate students (N = 502) at an urban private university in the Western United States. An online survey was conducted to assess ACEs and BCEs, current stress and social support, depressive and anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, and loneliness in May 2020. Higher levels of ACEs were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, β = 0.45, p = 0.002. Higher levels of BCEs were associated with lower depressive symptoms, β = −0.39, p = 0.03; lower perceived stress, β = −0.26, p = 0.002; and less loneliness, β = −0.12, p = 0.04. These associations held while controlling for current stress, social support, and socioeconomic status. Childhood experiences are associated with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. BCEs should be considered an important promotive factor, independent of ACEs, for psychological well-being during a global public health crisis. BCEs should be included along with ACEs in future research, assessment, and screening with distressed and vulnerable populations.
Innovation in Cities: Science-Based Diversity, Specialization and Localized Competition

Whether diversity or specialization of economic activity better promotes technological change and subsequent economic growth has been the subject of a heated debate in the economics literature. The purpose of this paper is to consider the effect of the composition of economic activity on innovation. We test whether the specialization of economic activity within a narrow concentrated set of economic activities is more conducive to knowledge spillovers or if diversity, by bringing together complementary activities, better promotes innovation. The evidence provides considerable support for the diversity thesis but little support for the specialization thesis.
Necessary and sufficient regressor conditions for the global asymptotic stability of recursive least squares

Abstract In recursive least squares (RLS), a persistently exciting (PE) regressor guarantees global asymptotic stability (GAS) of the estimation error relative to the zero equilibrium, and hence convergence of the parameter estimates to their true values. It is known, however, that PE is sufficient but not necessary for GAS, and thus GAS might be achieved even if the regressor is not PE. Since analyses based on PE are ubiquitous in the recursive estimation literature, the existence of non-PE regressors that ensure GAS raises the question of how PE can be directly generalized into a necessary and sufficient condition for the GAS of RLS, and whether or not such a generalization would provide a simple characterization of non-PE regressors for which RLS is GAS. In this paper, we introduce WPE, a direct generalization of PE that is necessary and sufficient for GAS, and explain how it can be understood as a “non-uniform” extension of PE to specific classes of summation windows and lower bound sequences. Next, we show that WPE is equivalent to a condition that emerges from extending certain proofs of non-negative series divergence, such as Oresme’s divergence proof for the harmonic series, to sequences of real symmetric positive-semidefinite matrices.
Path to net zero is critical to climate outcome.

Net zero greenhouse gas targets have become a central element for climate action. However, most company and government pledges focus on the year that net zero is reached, with limited awareness of how critical the emissions pathway is in determining the climate outcome in both the near- and long-term. Here we show that different pathways of carbon dioxide and methane-the most prominent long-lived and short-lived greenhouse gases, respectively-can lead to nearly 0.4 °C of warming difference in midcentury and potential overshoot of the 2 °C target, even if they technically reach global net zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. While all paths achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goals in the long-term, there is still a 0.2 °C difference by end-of-century. We find that early action to reduce both emissions of carbon dioxide and methane simultaneously leads to the best climate outcomes over all timescales. We therefore recommend that companies and countries supplement net zero targets with a two-basket set of interim milestones to ensure that early action is taken for both carbon dioxide and methane. A one-basket approach, such as the standard format for Nationally Determined Contributions, is not sufficient because it can lead to a delay in methane mitigation.
Repertorios insurgentes en Argentina contemporánea

El presente articulo academico estudia en la ultima decada, los procesos de tomas y ataques a edificios publicos, barricadas en rutas nacionales y provinciales y campamentos en plazas centrales, que se han generalizado y han aumentado en su frecuencia en el sur, centro y norte de la Argentina. Los episodios que se exponen a continuacion, quizas sean los que mejor ilustren la dinamica y el caracter de la accion colectiva insurgente en la Argentina contemporanea.
Peter Lax, Mathematician: An Illustrated Memoir

This book is a biography of one of the most famous and influential living mathematicians, Peter Lax. He is virtually unique as a preeminent leader in both pure and applied mathematics, fields which are often seen as competing and incompatible. Although he has been an academic for all of his adult life, his biography is not without drama and tragedy. Lax and his family barely escaped to the U.S. from Budapest before the Holocaust descended. He was one of the youngest scientists to work on the Manhattan Project. He played a leading role in coping with the infamous okidnappingo of the NYU mathematics department's computer, in 1970. The list of topics in which Lax made fundamental and long-lasting contributions is remarkable: scattering theory, solitons, shock waves, and even classical analysis, to name a few. His work has been honored many times, including the Abel Prize in 2005. The book concludes with an account of his most important mathematical contributions, made accessible without heavy prerequisites. Reuben Hersh has written extensively on mathematics. His book with Philip Davis, The Mathematical Experience , won the National Book Award in science. Hersh is emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of New Mexico, USA.
Potentiation of cytotoxic drugs with concomitant exposure to retinoids in neuroblastoma

4873 The current treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma includes dose intensive chemotherapy followed by administration of retinoids. The basis for administering retinoids following chemotherapy is largely empiric, and whether concomitant administration of retinoids with cytotoxics is superior has not been explored. METHODS: We analyzed three sequences of drug administration in two neuroblastoma cell lines (SH-SY5Y and NGP): retinoid followed by cytotoxic, cytotoxic followed by retinoid, and concomitant exposure. Each exposure block was for three days with analysis on day 7. Retinoids studied were 9-cis retinoic acid (9cRA), 13-cis retinoic acid (13cRA), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and fenretinide (4-HPR); cytotoxics studied were cisplatin (CDDP), etoposide (VP16), vincristine (VCR), doxorubicin (DOX), topotecan (TOPO), and irinotecan (IRN). Cell proliferation was assessed with the SRB assay. As most retinoids do not produce cytotoxicity at pharmacologically relevant concentrations, enhancement to the effects of chemotherapy was examined through a potentiation design. Three concentrations of retinoids (1, 5 and 10 μM) were studied against a range of cytotoxic drug concentrations that yielded a concentration-response curve. Results were expressed as the log ratio of the combination to the single agent exposure [log(IC50retinoid+cytotoxic/IC50cytotoxic)]. RESULTS: Retinoids had the greatest potentiating effect on the cytotoxicity of CPPD followed by VCR; the potentiation appeared most pronounced with concomitant exposure. In SH-SY5Y cells, the IC50 log ratio of 13cRA with CPPD was -0.80 for concomitant exposure, -0.67 for cytotoxic followed by retinoid, and -0.43 for retinoid followed by cytotoxic. For 4-HPR and CPPD, the log ratio was -0.93 for concomitant exposure, -1.1 for cytotoxic followed by retinoid, and -0.63 for retinoid followed by cytotoxic. Similar trends were found with ATRA and 9cRA. Potential antagonistic effects were observed with IRN and TOPO. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to how retinoids are currently utilized, concomitant rather than sequential exposure of retinoids and cytotoxics appeared most effective for select drugs. The addition of 13cRA or 4-HPR to CPPD resulted in an almost 10-fold increase in the cytotoxicity of CPPD. Further evaluation of select combinations in in vivo models is warranted and ongoing.
Identification and analysis of a novel human surface CD5- B lymphocyte subset producing natural antibodies.

The production of "natural" autoantibodies or antibodies, i.e., Ig that bind a variety of self- and/or exogenous Ag and arise independently of known immunization, is though to be a feature of CD5+ B lymphocytes. To determine whether other lymphocyte subsets exist that might be committed to the production of natural antibodies, human peripheral blood B cells were sorted on the basis of surface CD5 expression and differential expression of surface CD45RA (CD5+CD45RAintermediate(int), CD5-CD45RAlow(lo), and CD5-CD45RAhigh(hi)), and analyzed for the type of Ig produced after EBV infection and culture. Like their CD5+ counterparts, most CD5-CD45RAlo B lymphocytes were precursors of cells producing IgM, a major proportion of which displayed the Ag-binding features of natural antibodies. In contrast, CD5-CD45RAhi B cells comprised a high frequency of IgG-producing cell precursors, possibly including memory B lymphocytes. Six of seven IgM mAb generated from sorted CD5-CD45RAlo B cells and three of four IgM mAb from sorted CD5+ B cells were polyreactive, binding with different affinities (Kd, 10(-5) to 10(-8) M) to two or more Ag; the remaining mAb from CD5-CD45RAlo and the mAb from CD5+ B cells each bound to a single Ag (Kd, 10(-7) to 10(-8) M), beta-galactosidase and ssDNA, respectively. CD5-CD45RAlo B cells account for 4.1 +/- 1.2% (mean +/- SD in 11 healthy subjects; CD5+ B cells, 23.3 +/- 6.9%) of total B lymphocytes and display the features of quiescent cells. In a given individual, the number of CD5-CD45RAlo B cells remains constant over time. CD5-CD45RAlo and CD5+ B cells bear surface CD11b and CD14, at densities and/or frequencies apparently higher than those of CD5-CD45RAhi B lymphocytes. Despite their surface CD5- phenotype, CD45RAlo B cells express CD5+ mRNA at levels comparable with those of CD5+ B lymphocytes, whereas CD5-CD45RAhi B cells express only trace amounts of CD5 mRNA. The commitment to natural antibody production and the degree of CD5 mRNA expression suggest that the newly defined CD5-CD45RAlo B cell subset is related to CD5+ B lymphocytes, and may constitute the human homologue of the mouse Ly-1-"sister" B cell population.
METABOLIC CONTROL OF β-GLUCOSIDASE SYNTHESIS IN YEAST

MacQuillan, Anthony M. (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Harlyn O. Halvorson. Metabolic control of β-glucosidase synthesis in yeast. J. Bacteriol. 84:23–30. 1962—The hybrid Saccharomyces fragilis × S. dobzhanskii produced a constitutive β-glucosidase when grown in succinate synthetic medium. Upon addition of β-glucosides, thio-β-glucosides, or low concentrations of glucose, a further induction of enzyme synthesis was observed. Studies with other sugars revealed some specificity in response to hexose induction. Phenyl-thio-β-d-glucoside did not affect constitutive synthesis nor induction by glucosides, thio-glucosides, or glucose. Repression of β-glucosidase synthesis is brought about by high concentrations of glucose and other carbon compounds. Preinduction does not confer resistance to catabolic repression of enzyme synthesis; this leads to the conclusion that two sites of control for β-glucosidase synthesis are present in yeast. Multiplicity of control is further suggested from: (i) the properties of the inducing system; (ii) semiconstitutive nature of enzyme synthesis; (iii) the repression of constitutive synthesis by glucose; (iv) the elevated derepressed rates of enzyme synthesis after glucose inhibition; and (v) the selection of a family of low constitutive mutants with variable inducibility.
The variance-based cross-variogram : You can add apples and oranges

The variance-based cross-variogram between two spatial processes, Z1 (·) and Z2 (·), is var (Z1 ( u ) − Z2 ( v )), expressed generally as a bivariate function of spatial locations uandv. It characterizes the cross-spatial dependence between Z1 (·) and Z2 (·) and can be used to obtain optimal multivariable predictors (cokriging). It has also been called the pseudo cross-variogram; here we compare its properties to that of the traditional (covariance-based) cross-variogram, cov (Z1 ( u ) − Z1 ( v ), Z2 ( u ) − Z2 ( v )). One concern with the variance-based cross-variogram has been that Z1 (·) and Z2 (·) might be measured in different units (“apples” and “oranges”). In this note, we show that the cokriging predictor based on variance-based cross-variograms can handle any units used for Z1 (·) and Z2 (·); recommendations are given for an appropriate choice of units. We review the differences between the variance-based cross-variogram and the covariance-based cross-variogram and conclude that the former is more appropriate for cokriging. In practice, one often assumes that variograms and cross-variograms are functions of uandv only through the difference u − v. This restricts the types of models that might be fitted to measures of cross-spatial dependence.
Traveling Abroad for Medical Care: U.S. Medical Tourists' Expectations and Perceptions of Service Quality

The SERVQUAL scale has been widely used to measure service quality in the health care industry. This research is the first study that used SERVQUAL to assess U.S. medical tourists' expectations and perceptions of the service quality of health care facilities located outside the United States. Based on a sample of U.S. consumers, who had traveled abroad for medical care, the results indicated that there were significant differences between U.S. medical tourists' perceived level of service provided and their expectations of the service that should be provided for four of the five dimensions of service quality. Reliability had the largest service quality gap followed by assurance, tangibles, and empathy. Responsiveness was the only dimension without a significantly different gap score. The study establishes a foundation for future research on service quality in the rapidly growing medical tourism industry.
Is There a Criminal Mind

Human beings have minds-not just brains. Some criminals have criminal minds. An effort has been made to affirm these two phenomena in the body of this article. As a result, certain hypotheses have been tendered.
Studies of the fractional quantum Hall effect in a silicon MOSFET

Abstract We have observed the fractional quantum Hall effect in high mobility (> 3.5 m2/V·s) Si MOSFET thus confirming that this effect is a universal property of the two-dimensional electron gas. We have studied this effect as a function of temperature down to 50 mK and have observed the competition between the integer and the fractional quantum Hall effects.