cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study at 30 Years: Advances and Contributions

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) (1) and its observational follow-up, the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study (2), are celebrating the 30th anniversary since the start of the DCCT and 20th since the reporting of the DCCT primary results (3). During the past three decades, our understanding of the relationship between metabolic control and complications and the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been transformed by the results of DCCT/EDIC. Most importantly, the long-term prospects for patients have dramatically improved with the adoption of intensive therapy designed to achieve near-normal glycemia as the standard of care of T1D. In this Perspective, we present an overview of the major scientific advances provided by the DCCT/EDIC Research Group, the resulting changes in therapy that have improved long-term outcomes in patients with T1D worldwide, and the challenges that remain. ### Background and rationale. After the introduction of insulin therapy in 1922, type 1 diabetes (T1D) was transformed from a uniformly fatal disease to a chronic degenerative one (4). During the 1930–1960s, the development of chronic complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, peripheral and autonomic nervous system, and a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) were observed in patients who had survived >20 years with the disease (5). The origin of these newly discovered complications was debated vigorously, and theories to explain them abounded (4,6). The debate led to two opposing philosophies of diabetes treatment: one in which treatment to achieve glucose concentrations as low as possible was endorsed and another in which glycemic levels were thought to be inconsequential, at least with regard to the pathogenesis of long-term complications (7,8). Although the debate regarding the so-called glucose hypothesis was vigorous, it was largely academic, since objective means of measuring long-term glycemia and of achieving near-normal glycemia did not …
A two-dimensional soliton in a positive ion-negative ion plasma

The authors describe a series of experiments performed in a positive ion-negative ion plasma that were designed to study the reflection and focusing properties of solitons. The nonlinear wave was compared with a theoretical model using linear waves. The two-dimensional soliton was created by reflecting an incident planar soliton from a concave hemispherical surface. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of the linear waves that can exist in a focused Fabry-Perot resonator. >
Hyperglycemia Mediates a Shift From Cap-Dependent to Cap-Independent Translation Via a 4E-BP1–Dependent Mechanism

Diabetes and its associated hyperglycemia induce multiple changes in liver function, yet we know little about the role played by translational control of gene expression in mediating the responses to these conditions. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that hyperglycemia-induced O-GlcNAcylation of the translational regulatory protein 4E-BP1 alters hepatic gene expression through a process involving the selection of mRNA for translation. In both streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice and cells in culture exposed to hyperglycemic conditions, expression of 4E-BP1 and its interaction with the mRNA cap-binding protein eIF4E were enhanced in conjunction with downregulation of cap-dependent and concomitant upregulation of cap-independent mRNA translation, as assessed by a bicistronic luciferase reporter assay. Phlorizin treatment of STZ-treated mice lowered blood glucose concentrations and reduced activity of the cap-independent reporter. Notably, the glucose-induced shift from cap-dependent to cap-independent mRNA translation did not occur in cells lacking 4E-BP1. The extensive nature of this shift in translational control of gene expression was revealed using pulsed stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture to identify proteins that undergo altered rates of synthesis in response to hyperglycemia. Taken together, these data provide evidence for a novel mechanism whereby O-GlcNAcylation of 4E-BP1 mediates translational control of hepatic gene expression.
Plasma-Wakefield Acceleration of an Intense Positron Beam

Plasma wakefields are both excited and probed by propagating an intense 28.5 GeV positron beam through a 1.4 m long lithium plasma. The main body of the beam loses energy in exciting this wakefield while positrons in the back of the same beam can be accelerated by the same wakefield as it changes sign. The scaling of energy loss with plasma density as well as the energy gain seen at the highest plasma density is in excellent agreement with simulations.
Postsynaptic Element Contributes to the Delay in Synaptogenesis in Synapsin I-Deficient Neurons

Abstract In a previous study, we reported a retardation in process outgrowth and synapse formation in cultured hippocampal neurons from synapsin I-deficient mice. Here we investigated whether this delay in synaptogenesis was attributable to pre- or postsynaptic elements. The experimental paradigm used in this study involved the establishment of heterochronic cocultures of neurons from wild-type and synapsin I-deficient mice. Newly cultured axons from wild-type and synapsin I-deficient neurons established synapses with mature wild-type postsynaptic elements after 24 and 72 h, respectively. In contrast, synapsin I-deficient postsynaptic elements were able to receive synapses only after 9 days in culture, representing a 5-day delay compared to controls. The results suggest a broad role for synapsin I in the structural development of the synapse, participating directly or indirectly in the maturation of both presynaptic and postsynaptic sites.
A reassessment of the shift from the classical theory of concepts to prototype theory

A standard view within psychology is that there have been two important shifts in the study of concepts and that each has led to some improvements. The first shift was from the classical theory of concepts to probabilistic theories, the most popular of which is prototype theory. The second shift was from probabilistic theories to theory-based theories. In this article, I take exception with the view that the first shift has led to any kind of advance. I argue that the main reasons given for preferring prototype theory over the classical theory are flawed and that prototype theory suffers some of the same problems that have been thought to challenge the classical theory.
Quando a religião tinha um intelecto: a história da religião filosófica

Resenha do livro: FRAENKEL, Carlos. Philosophical Religions from Plato to Spinoza: Reason, Religion, and Autonomy . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. When Religion Had a Mind: the history of philosophical religion - Abstract: Review of the book Philosophical Religions from Plato to Spinoza , by Carlos Fraenkel
The Costs of Large Shareholders: Evidence from China

This paper tests the relation between large shareholders and firm value using a recent reform in China's equity market. The reform strengthened large shareholders' cash-flow rights relative to voting rights. The paper finds that large shareholders expropriate less through related party transactions after the reform when the discrepancy between their voting rights and cash-flow rights prior to the reform was larger. It also finds that minority shareholders gain from the reform: firms earn higher excess returns around the reform announcements when the discrepancy was larger. Finally, it provides the evidence of efficiency gains associated with the reform. The paper concludes that the discrepancy between large shareholders' voting rights and cash-flow rights can lead to efficiency losses.
Marlene's Marvelous Adventure: Jetblue Airways

This case presents a firsthand account of a flying experience on JetBlue Airways in June 2004. The narrative reports on the cross-country flying experience of one passenger. See also "Marlene's Marvelous Adventure: Southwest Airlines" (UVA-OM-1152).
Effects of Incentive Amount and Type of Web Survey Response Rates

Providing meaningful incentives demonstrates to respondents that researchers understand the competing demands on their time and value their input. The effects of incentives, particularly when prepaid, are strongly established in survey research literature as effective tools for increasing response. However, effectiveness of incentives on web-administered surveys is less clear, and can be impacted by a number of factors, including incentive type and amount, timing, and mode of survey administration. This paper seeks to contribute to research on incentives for web-based surveys by examining the effects of the following: An additional post-incentive for early completion A pre-paid incentive in combination with a post-paid incentive Pre-incentives as a nonresponse follow-up strategy This paper uses data collected during the first wave of a nationally-representative survey of public school principals designed to take place across three waves of data collection. To determine a maximally-effective incentive strategy for subsequent years, we embedded an experiment into the study using electronic gift cards. All sample members were eligible for a standard $50 post-response incentive, but were also randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: (1) an additional $50 incentive for completing early in the field period, (2) a $25 incentive pre-paid with the initial survey mailing, (3) a $25 pre-paid incentive used during nonresponse follow-up, and (4) the standard $50 post response incentive, which serves as the control group for this experiment.
Simulation of Under- and Supersaturation of Gallium Vacancies in Gallium Arsenide During Silicon in- and Outdiffusion

The diffusivity of Si in GaAs shows a dependence on the cubic power of its concentration or the concentration of electrons n under both in- and outdiffusion conditions. Hence, the diffusion of Si in GaAs is consistent with the Fermi-level effect model invoking the triply-negatively-charged Ga vacancies, VGa3-, as the point defect species responsible for diffusion to occur on the Ga sublattice under n-doping condition. However, the Si diffusivity values of the indiffusion cases is several orders of magnitude smaller than those of the outdiffusion cases at the same Si concentrations. This means that the two apparent Si diffusivity values under intrinsic conditions will contain also the same discrepancy, which has been previously assessed to be due to a VGa3- undersaturation in indiffusion cases and a VGa3- supersaturation in outdiffusion cases. In this study we have calculated the VGa3- under- and supersaturation values using the known Si diffusivities. We found that the GaAs surface states play a key role in the development of the VGa3- under- and supersaturations.
A Further Generalization of Optimality Criteria Approaches in Structural Optimization

This paper presents a generalization of what is frequently referred to in the literature as the optimality criteria approach in structural optimization. This generalization includes a unified presentation of the optimality conditions, the Lagrangian multipliers, and the resizing and scaling algorithms in terms of the sensitivity derivatives of the constraint and objective functions. The by-product of this generalization is the derivation of a set of simple nondimensional parameters which provides significant insight into the behavior of the structure as well as the optimization algorithm. A number of important issues, such as, active and passive variables, constraints and three types of linking are discussed in the context of the present derivation of the optimality criteria approach. The formulation as presented in this paper brings multidisciplinary optimization within the purview of this extremely efficient optimality criteria approach.
Allocation characterizes polyvariance: a unified methodology for polyvariant control-flow analysis

The polyvariance of a static analysis is the degree to which it structurally differentiates approximations of program values. Polyvariant techniques come in a number of different flavors that represent alternative heuristics for managing the trade-off an analysis strikes between precision and complexity. For example, call sensitivity supposes that values will tend to correlate with recent call sites, object sensitivity supposes that values will correlate with the allocation points of related objects, the Cartesian product algorithm supposes correlations between the values of arguments to the same function, and so forth. In this paper, we describe a unified methodology for implementing and understanding polyvariance in a higher-order setting (i.e., for control-flow analyses). We do this by extending the method of abstracting abstract machines (AAM), a systematic approach to producing an abstract interpretation of abstract-machine semantics. AAM eliminates recursion within a language’s semantics by passing around an explicit store, and thus places importance on the strategy an analysis uses for allocating abstract addresses within the abstract heap or store. We build on AAM by showing that the design space of possible abstract allocators exactly and uniquely corresponds to the design space of polyvariant strategies. This allows us to both unify and generalize polyvariance as tunings of a single function. Changes to the behavior of this function easily recapitulate classic styles of analysis and produce novel variations, combinations of techniques, and fundamentally new techniques.
Ring 22 Syndrome and Polyembolokoilomania

A 24 year-old severely retarded, hyperactive woman with a long history of foul smelling discharge from the nasal fossae, requiring removal under general anesthesia of foreign material (rocks, crayon, cotton, paper) on 9 separate occasions by an ENT surgeon, is reported from my own practice records in Chicago.
From Ireland with letters: Issues in public electronic literature

Intertwining Irish history and generations of Irish American family histories in a work of polyphonic electronic literature based on the rhythms of ancient Irish Poetry, the imagined lost Irish Son...
Making Room for a Learning Commons Space: Lessons in Weeding a Reference Collection Through Collaboration and Planning

ABSTRACTThis article describes the process designed to systematically weed two community college library reference collections in preparation for potential funding of a learning commons space. The author explains the methodology used to help facilitate the reassessment of nearly 10,000 reference titles by librarian liaisons. The goal of the project was to consistently capture each title’s weeding status designation along with required bibliographic data while stopping short of executing the weeding itself. Details about the process and consequences of the resulting category breakdowns are described in detail. The article lists key success factors such as working with teams from different departments to help manage the day-to-day procedures. Practical suggestions are offered about the use of collaborative tools, about methods for transmitting support data to liaison librarians to enable quick decisions, about goal setting, and about establishing consistent means of data collection.
Improving health information systems in Guatemala using weighted correlation network analysis

Guatemala has the fifth worst child stunting prevalence — low-height-for-age — in the world, at 49%. Child stunting is associated with negative short and long term health effects and the contributing factors are complex, interrelated, and potentially non-linear. Current health information systems (HIS) in Guatemala are disaggregated, overly complex, and have limited scalability. This paper demonstrates the use of weighted correlation network analysis to visualize and explore data in a way that provides useful information for future HIS. The methods generate a holistic causal factor model for stunting that explores how cofactors relate to stunting and each other. The demonstration here is based on a Guatemala regional data set obtained from the USAID Open Data Website. First, the overall correlation network structure is observed and compared to generalized structural models proposed by the WHO and USAID. Next, quantile comparisons are performed using the outcome variable z-score height-for-age, and distinct child age groups. The comparisons demonstrate how these networks can be used as an extension of widely used methods while also providing advantages that are important for exploratory analysis. This work is an important first step in evaluation of a novel analysis method for health information systems currently being developed in Guatemala.
A 96-channel FPGA-based Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) and fast trigger processor module with multi-hit capability and pipeline

Abstract We describe an field-programmable gate arrays based (FPGA), 96-channel, Time-to-Digital converter (TDC) and trigger logic board intended for use with the Central Outer Tracker (COT) [T. Affolder et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 526 (2004) 249] in the CDF Experiment [The CDF-II detector is described in the CDF Technical Design Report (TDR), FERMILAB-Pub-96/390-E. The TDC described here is intended as a further upgrade beyond that described in the TDR] at the Fermilab Tevatron. The COT system is digitized and read out by 315 TDC cards, each serving 96 wires of the chamber. The TDC is physically configured as a 9U VME card. The functionality is almost entirely programmed in firmware in two Altera Stratix FPGAs. The special capabilities of this device are the availability of 840 MHz LVDS inputs, multiple phase-locked clock modules, and abundant memory. The TDC system operates with an input resolution of 1.2 ns, a minimum input pulse width of 4.8 ns and a minimum separation of 4.8 ns between pulses. Each input can accept up to 7 hits per collision. The time-to-digital conversion is done by first sampling each of the 96 inputs in 1.2-ns bins and filling a circular memory; the memory addresses of logical transitions (edges) in the input data are then translated into the time of arrival and width of the COT pulses. Memory pipelines with a depth of 5.5 μ s allow deadtime-less operation in the first-level trigger; the data are multiple-buffered to diminish deadtime in the second-level trigger. The complete process of edge-detection and filling of buffers for readout takes 12 μ s . The TDC VME interface allows a 64-bit Chain Block Transfer of multiple boards in a crate with transfer-rates up to 47 Mbytes/s. The TDC module also produces prompt trigger data every Tevatron crossing via a deadtimeless fast logic path that can be easily reprogrammed. The trigger bits are clocked onto the P3 VME backplane connector with a 22-ns clock for transmission to the trigger. The full TDC design and multi-card test results are described. There is no measurable cross-talk between channels; linearity is limited by the least-count time bin. The physical simplicity ensures low-maintenance; the functionality being in firmware allows reprogramming for other applications.
Silicon–Carbon Core–Shell Hollow Nanotubular Configuration High-Performance Lithium-Ion Anodes

Silicon anode systems, due to their intrinsic high theoretical specific capacity, show tremendous potential in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Unfortunately, commercial application still remains elusive due to the cycling-related colossal volume expansion issues following Li alloying and dealloying. Herein, core–shell C@Si@C hollow nanotubes with optimal Si thickness (∼60 nm) showing no microstructural damage during lithiation and delithiation processes, have been developed as a stable anode for LIBs with low first-cycle irreversible loss (FIR) of ∼13% and high areal capacity (∼3 mAhcm–2) for the first time. The hollow Si nanotubes (h-SiNTs) have been generated via our previously reported high-throughput and recyclable, sacrificial MgO wire template fabrication approach. Generation of Si films of varying thickness by low-pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) with subsequent etching yields h-SiNTs. Modification/optimization of the h-SiNT physical characteristics exhibit improved performance in L...
Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy delivered over the Internet for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis:

IntroductionCognitive behavioural therapy has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in adults with mild to moderate depression. To overcome many of the barriers associated with delivering this ...
Reachable set computation for spacecraft relative motion with energy-limited low-thrust

Abstract For spacecraft in formation flight, the knowledge on a reachable set for their relative motion is crucial as it can be used to 1) assess their operational capability and plan tasks accordingly, and 2) predict the operational boundary of neighboring spacecraft, from which the collision probability can be effectively monitored, improving the level of situational awareness. In this paper, a new approach for reachable set computation is proposed that computes accurate inner and outer approximations of the reachable set for a spacecraft's relative motion with energy-limited low thrust. Finding the exact boundary of the reachable set requires solving an optimal control problem with infinitely many sets of initial and terminal conditions, which is intractable. To overcome this difficulty, an analytical solution to the optimal control problem is introduced, and an ellipsoidal approximation method is applied to the solution to find two inner and outer ellipsoids that approximate the exact boundary of the reachable set. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated with illustrative numerical examples.
Electrospray deposition of biomolecules: Applications, challenges, and recommendations

Abstract Although electrospray systems are widely used as an ionization technique in conjunction with mass spectrometry to identify unknown biomolecules and determine the composition of a known sample, it also has potential for use in other applications such as self-assembly and deposition of biomolecules to a substrate. This paper reviews the electrohydrodynamic atomization (i.e. electrospray) of a variety of biomolecules, such as light harvesting complexes in photosynthetic organisms, proteins, and DNA. Such biomolecules are important for a variety of applications, such as molecular self-assembly to mimic natural systems, sunlight harvesting and conversion, development of advanced drugs and delivery systems, and film and microarray fabrication. Compared to other particle generation techniques, the electrospray generates particles with a narrow size distribution and with controllable sizes ranging from tens of nanometers to few hundred micrometers. This review concludes by discussing problems occurring during electrospray that can adversely affect the functional properties of biomolecules, along with techniques to detect alterations in their properties and recommendations to prevent such changes.
Assessing Net Ecosystem Exchange of Carbon Dioxide Between the Terrestrial Biosphere and the Atmosphere Using Fluxnet Observations and Remote Sensing

The quantification of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide over regions, continents, or the globe is essential for understanding the feedbacks between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere in the context of global climate change. The eddy covariance technique provides continuous NEE measurements for a variety of ecosystem and climate types. These measurements, however, only represent the fluxes at the scale of the tower footprint. Here a data-driven approach and satellite remote sensing are used to upscale NEE observations from eddy covariance flux towers to the continental scale and to produce gridded flux estimates for the conterminous U.S. over the period 2000–2009. The resulting 10-year gridded flux estimates (EC-MOD) have 1 km spatial resolution and 8-day time step, and provide independent and alternative NEE estimates compared to traditional approaches. These flux estimates are used to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of NEE at seasonal, annual, and interannual scales. On average, the annual NEE of U.S. natural ecosystems is −0.54 Pg C year−1. The EC-MOD estimate of the U.S. carbon sink agrees with recent estimates from the literature. The dominant sources of the interannual variability in NEE of the U.S. include drought and disturbances. EC-MOD is also valuable for evaluating simulations from ecosystem models and atmospheric inversions.
Selfadjointness of Matrix Operators

Second order differential equations in Hilbert spaces motivate the investigation of matrix operators with unbounded entries. Sufficient conditions are given for the closure of such an operator to be a generator of a C o -semigroup or a C -group. The abstract result is applied to the Klein-Gordon equation
Lessons Learned from HIV Service Provision: Using a Targeted Behavioral Health Approach

Approximately 1.1 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, including nearly 200,000 Latinos with 78% being Latino men who have sex with men. Governmental agencies do not always foster development and funding for Latinos and HIV/AIDS, especially for Latino men who have sex with men. The new Health Reform Act passed by congress in 2010 transforms the health system by incorporating behavioral health in an integrated and central manner. This paradigm shift necessitates a re-examination of existing organizational infrastructures. Mobilizing the community’s social networks and resources is central for sustained prevention efforts. This chapter examines the use of social capital theory in the execution of prevention and treatment programs. Efficacious and innovative social capital model and examples of interventions are presented and discussed.
Supraorbital Occipital Circumferential Stimulation for the Treatment of Refractory Chronic Primary Headache: A Case Series.

Background Patients with refractory chronic primary headache disorders have extremely debilitating symptoms, severe comorbidities (e.g., anxiety, depression), and a significant reduction in quality of life. The headaches are extremely difficult to treat, as they are often refractory to pharmacologic and procedural interventions. Neuromodulation with stimulation of the occipital and supraorbital nerves has been proposed as a viable treatment for these refractory headaches. We retrospectively review the long-term (33.5 ± 20 months) results of supraorbital occipital nerve circumferential stimulation (SOCS) in patients with chronic primary headache disorders. Methods We retrospectively review 25 patients who were evaluated for SOCS for chronic primary headache disorders from 2010 to 2017 at a single institution with a single neurosurgeon. Results Of these 25 patients, 14 saw benefits to their trial stage of stimulation and underwent full implantation. A total 3 patients were excluded from further analysis because of having Conclusions The results (82% response) suggest that SOCS may be an effective treatment and should be studied more extensively. Occipital nerve stimulation alone has shown 40% to 50% response rate in published studies. However, the relatively high complication rate highlights an obstacle for the approach for the treatment of refractory headache disorders and room for device optimization.
Abstract WP63: Computed Tomography Perfusion in Stroke Mimics

Background: Automated computed tomography perfusion (CTP) can help select acute ischemic stroke patients for thrombectomy. The prevalence and patterns of abnormal findings on automated CTP in patie...
Double-Unit Cord Blood (CB) Transplantation (dCBT) Supplemented with Haplo-Identical CD34+ Cells May be Associated with Enhanced Neutrophil Recovery but Successful Myeloid Bridging Is Strongly Influenced By Haplo CD34+ Cell Dose and Haplo-Winning CB Unit HLA-Match

Background While dCBT is associated with high rates of sustained donor engraftment, delayed neutrophil recovery is frequent. Methods We investigated the addition of CD34+ selected haplo-identical PBSC to double unit CB grafts (haplo-dCBT) in patients (pts) undergoing ablative dCBT with the aim to provide a myeloid bridge prior to CB engraftment. ATG was not used due to its adverse effects on immune recovery & potential to increase relapse risk. Results 78 adult pts [median 48.5 years (range 21-68), median 82 kgs (range 48-138), 3 with prior allografts, 54 (69%) acute leukemias or 10 (13%) MDS/ MPN (all 4/8 haplo-recipient HLA-match & ≥ 3/8 winning unit-haplo HLA-match were associated with higher likelihood of bridging (Table 2). Haplo CD34+ dose & winning unit-haplo HLA-match remained significant in multivariate analysis. While there was no difference in the day 100 TRM in the 34 optimal bridge pts vs others [9% (95%CI 2-21) vs 15% (95%CI 6-27), p = 0.388], optimal bridge pts had earlier hospital discharge [28.5 (range 20-60) vs 36 days (range 28-98)]. Conclusions ATG-free haplo-dCBT can speed neutrophil recovery but this benefit is highly variable, and a successful myeloid bridge is not guaranteed due to early haplo rejection. For these reasons our data does not support pursuit of haplo-dCBT. It is likely that similar limitations will also apply to ATG-free single CB unit-haplo transplants. Our findings also have significance for strategies that combine unmanipulated CB with third-party or ex vivo expanded T-cell depleted products given higher CD34+ cell dose & better HLA-match to the unmanipulated CB unit could improve successful bridging.
Rearrangement Reactions of 1,1‐Divinyl‐2‐phenylcyclopropanes.

1,1-Divinyl-2-phenylcyclopropanes are a class of substrates showing a rich array of both thermal and photochemical rearrangement reactions.
Self-propelled water droplet movement on a laser-etched radial gradient copper surface

Abstract This paper reports the behavior of water droplets on a topography-based, radial gradient on a metallic surface. The radial gradient was designed to concentrate water in the center region through the spontaneous motion and coalescence of individual droplets on the gradient pattern. In this work, parallel microchannels having a fixed width (~25 μm) and depth (100 μm) but variable spacing were used to impart a net surface tension force to the droplet for actuation. The diameter of the radial gradient (i.e. circular test region) was approximately 18.9 mm (or, ~0.75 in.). The surfaces were fabricated using a 355 nm YVO4 laser system and then characterized using droplet injection (5–38 μL) and spray testing techniques. Injected droplets were observed to move spontaneously away from the hydrophobic outer ring region of the circle towards the hydrophilic center as designed by the gradient. Droplet travel distances as large as 4 mm were measured depending on the droplet volume and injection site location. In application, such a design could be useful for promoting droplet coalescence on a surface and subsequently removal by gravity through the formation of sufficiently large droplets from two or more otherwise small droplets.
Fecundity and spawning potential ratio of shoal bass Micropterus cataractae in the lower Flint River, Georgia, USA

Abstract Shoal bass Micropterus cataractae are endemic to the Apalachicola River system in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, USA. Despite maintaining popular fisheries, little is known about their biology and ecology. Fecundity of this species was estimated from the lower Flint River, Georgia, to better understand egg production of this species and relation with length and weight. Further, these data were used to estimate the spawning potential ratio (SPR) of this population under the current 305-mm minimum-length limit (MLL) and a more restrictive 381-mm MLL. An age-structured model was used to examine changes in yield and SPR across a range of exploitation at three levels of natural mortality. Fecundity of shoal bass ranged from 909−35,502 oocytes with a mean estimate of 10,424 ± 1089 (SD), and increased with length (r2 = 0.46; P
80 Gbit/s Multi-Channel Soliton Transmission over Transoceanic Distances

The in-line modulation schemes up to 80 Gbit/s per channel and its two-channel WDM soliton transmission over 10000 km are described. The polarization mode dispersion can be also reduced by the in-line modulation.
Forming an Annular Array from 2D Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) Array Elements by Using a Metal Redistribution Layer

Different array geometries are desired for a variety of applications in diagnostic imaging as well as therapeutic interventions. One of the advantages of CMUT technology is the ability to develop transducers with complex geometries for diverse applications. In this paper, using a sacrificial release-based fabrication process, we implemented 8-concentric rings to form an annular array by connecting elements in a $32\times 32$ 2D CMUT array canvas. The $32\times 32$ -element 2D arrays were developed on a glass substrate to form the 2D array canvas, and with an additional metal layer (Metal-3 layer), we formed an 8-element annular array. Preliminary results show the successful development of the fabrication process. This concept offers the advantages of developing different CMUT geometries on a glass substrate by using a 2D CMUT array canvas.
Female Education, HIV/AIDS and the Education Vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Condom Piece of the Puzzle

There are many recent studies that indicate that female education and HIV are still positively related in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). So education is not a vaccine as claimed and there exists a puzzle that needs to be resolved. In this study, by focusing on the use and non-use of condoms by females, we provide one piece of the puzzle. That is, we identify one transmission mechanism by which female education leads to higher rates of HIV infection. We find that educated females are less likely to use condoms with their spouses and regular partners than less education females.
Inter-examinerreliability study of physical examination procedures to assess the cervical spine.

Objective The objective of this study was to establish the level of inter-examiner reliability for six common cervical manual and physical examination procedures used to assess the cervical spine. Materials Reliability study that used a convenience sample of 51 patients between the ages of 16-70 years presenting with a chief complaint of neck pain. Two physical therapists independently performed the same series of cervical physical examination procedures on each of the participant. The clinicians were blinded to each other's findings and the clinical status of the patient. Kappa coefficients (κ) were calculated for levels of agreement between the clinicians for each procedure. Results When assessing for asymmetrical motion, excellent levels of reliability (κ range: 0.88-0.96) were observed for the Bilateral Modified Lateral Shear (asymmetry criterion), Bilateral C2 Spinous Kick (asymmetry criterion) and Flexion-Rotation Tests. When pain provocation was used as the indicator of a positive test during palpation of the cervical facet joints, moderate to substantial levels of reliability (κ range: 0.53-0.76) were observed. When patients were instructed not to provide feedback to the clinicians about pain provocation during facet joint palpation and clinicians relied solely on their qualitative assessment of segmental mobility, the level of reliability was lower (κ range: 0.45-0.53). Due to 100 % prevalence of negative findings, Kappa values could not be calculated for the Sharp-Purser test or the Unilateral C2 Spinous Kick Test. Conclusions Most physical examination procedures examined in this study demonstrated moderate to excellent levels of inter-examiner reliability. Palpation for segmental mobility without pain provocation demonstrated a lower level of reliability compared to palpation for pain provocation. Correlation with clinical findings is necessary to establish validity and the applicability of these procedures in clinical practice.
Circumnavigating International Space Law

Paper begins where the author's previous article "Space Law" ended, which discussed the need for property rights in Space Law. This paper discusses how that could be legally achieved.
Histopathologically-confirmed lichenoid eruptions from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAE) impact 17-70% of patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).1 Certain cirAE subtypes, such as progressive immunotherapy-related mucocutaneous eruption (PIRME), present as atypical variants of known dermatoses. Others, such as ICI-induced lichenoid drug eruptions (ICI-LDE), can be clinically heterogeneous, complicating management.2,3,4 Treatment paradigms for LDE from non-ICI medications may not pertain to ICI-LDE. To characterize ICI-LDE we reviewed 13 histopathologically-confirmed cases to examine how ICI-LDE may differ from LDE caused by non-ICI medications.
Circulating Metabolomic Analysis following Cecal Ligation and Puncture in Young and Aged Mice Reveals Age-Associated Temporal Shifts in Nicotinamide and Histidine/Histamine Metabolic Pathways.

Introduction. Aged individuals are at higher risk for morbidity and mortality following acute stressors than similarly stressed young people. Evaluation of age-associated metabolic changes could lead to the identification of specific therapeutic targets to improve outcomes from acute stressors, such as infections, in the elderly. We thus compared the plasma metabolomes of both young and old mice following cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), an accepted model of acute infection and stress. Methods. Young (9-17 wks) and aged (78-96 wks) male C57bl/6 mice were subjected to a retro-orbital bleed and two-week recovery prior to sham surgery (laparotomy alone) or CLP. Animals were sacrificed at 4 h, 8 h, or 12 h following intervention, and plasma was isolated from blood for subsequent analysis. Metabolomic analysis of samples were performed (Metabolon; Durham, NC). Results. Aged animals demonstrated greater intraprocedural mortality than young (30.2% vs. 17.4%, ), confirming enhanced frailty. Principal component analysis and partial-least squares discriminant analysis of 566 metabolites demonstrated distinct metabolomic shifts following sham surgery or CLP in both young and aged animals. Identification of metabolites of interest using a consensus statistical approach revealed that both the histidine/histamine pathway and the nicotinamide pathway have significant age-associated alterations following CLP. Conclusions. The application of untargeted plasma metabolomics identified key pathways underpinning metabolomic responses to CLP in both young and aged animals. Ultimately, these data provide a robust foundation for future mechanistic studies that may assist in improving outcomes in frail patients in response to acute stressors such as infection, trauma, or surgery.
Methotrexate Toxicity from Unintentional Dosing Errors: Calls to a Poison Center and Death Descriptions.

Background: Methotrexate is a folate analog prescribed for varying disease with weekly administration as opposed to daily. Dosing errors can prove clinically significant and sometimes fatal. Methods: We performed a retrospective poison center review of methotrexate calls between 2009 and 2019. Results: Of 111 human-related poison center calls, most patients taking methotrexate were women ages 41 to 80 years old and were prescribed methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis. Eighty-eight (79%), and 41 (36%) were admitted to the hospital. Thirty-one (75%) of hospitalized patients received leukovorin treatment for their exposure. Two patients died from methotrexate dosing errors. Discussion: Most methotrexate accidental ingestions reported to poison centers result from dose frequency errors. However, we note a higher incidence of unintentional therapeutic errors (79% vs 13.7%) than reported in the National Poison Data System in 2019. Patients are often hospitalized for lab monitoring, and many receive leucovorin. Conclusions: Most methotrexate calls to our poison center resulted from taking the drug more often than prescribed. Efforts may focus on patient education, physician or pharmacist monitoring during initiation, improved dispensing devices, or weekly drug dispensing.
DNA-DNA hybridization approaches to species identification in small genome organisms.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the DNA–DNA hybridization approaches to species identification in small genome organisms. The development of methods for measuring DNA duplex formation has provided the opportunity to define all species on the basis of genetic similarity. The definition of a species, whether of higher plants, animals, or microorganisms, has as its basis the principle of genetic isolation. When measurements of DNA reassociation are used to define species, the extent of DNA relatedness expected between members of a species must first be determined. This chapter addresses this issue and offers guidelines for predicting genetic relatedness from the extent of DNA complementarity. Most methods for DNA hybridization require substantial amounts of DNA; it is common to process 5–50 g (wet weight) of cells. Although numerous methods are developed for isolation of DNA from microorganisms, many are modifications on basic themes, the chapter provides an overview of such procedures.
Characterization of the proteins purified with monoclonal antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase

Immunoaffinity columns are prepared from the monoclonal antibody (MAb) GAD-1. These columns are used to enrich glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) from the cytosolic fraction of rat brain homogenates and from Triton X-100 extracts of the brain membrane fraction. In each case enzyme activity is enriched over 400-fold. The immunopurified fractions were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Fractions purified from the cytosol consisted of a quantitatively major band of 59 kDa, and one band of 63 kDa, as well as a group centered around 55 kDa. Fractions purified from membranes consisted primarily of the 59 and 63 kDa components; only traces of the lower-molecular-weight components were present. The entire set of proteins purified on GAD-1 immunoaffinity columns is strongly recognized by 2 widely used antisera to GAD, those described in Saito et al. (1974) and Oertel et al. (1981). The 59 kDa protein from the cytosolic fraction was purified to homogeneity by preparative SDS-PAGE; a partial amino acid sequence of this protein was obtained. The 59 kDa protein has a high degree of sequence homology with the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein that was coded for by a cDNA for feline GAD (Kaufman et al., 1986; Kobayashi et al., 1987). Thus, these proteins are either products of a single gene that diverged during the evolution of rat and cat from a common ancestor, or are members of a closely related set of genes found in both species. The MAb GAD-6 recognizes the 59 kDa band and the group of bands centered around 55 kDa on Western blots. Therefore, these proteins are immunochemically related. GAD-6 does not recognize the 63 kDa band. In Western blots of unfractionated homogenates of the whole brain, the only band recognized by GAD-6 is a 59 kDa band.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The distribution of the ABO blood groups among diabetes mellitus patients in Qatar.

Background: There is strong evidence in the literature that there is an association between ABO blood group and certain diseases. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate any association between the ABO blood groups and diabetes mellitus (DM) in Qatar. Design: This was a sex-matched case-control study. Setting: This study was carried out in the diabetic outpatient clinics and blood bank of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) from April 2011 to December 2012. Subjects and Methods: The study included 1633 diabetic patients and 1650 nondiabetic apparently healthy controls. A total of 2148 adult patients above 18 years of age were selected consecutively from the diabetic clinics of the hospitals and 1633 patients gave consent to take part in this study, thus giving a response rate of 76%. A total of 2150 nondiabetic healthy adults above 18 years of age were recruited from the blood bank and 1650 individuals agreed to take part in this study, giving a response rate of 76.7%. Blood group of the recruited subjects was taken from the database of the Blood Bank, Central laboratory, HMC. Results: The data revealed that the blood group B was significantly more common in diabetic patients as compared with healthy population (25.7% vs. 20.4%; P P P = 0.03 and 25.5% vs. 20%; P Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that ABO antigens are associated with DM. DM is more common in individuals with blood group B.
Isolation and Characterization of Glutathione S-Transferase Isozymes from Sorghum

Two glutathione S-transferase (GST) isozymes, A1/A1 and B1/B2, were purified from etiolated, O-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl-methyl-2,2,2, -trifluoro-4'-chloroacetophenone-oxime-treated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) shoots. GST A1/A1, a constitutively expressed homodimer, had a subunit molecular mass of 26 kD and an isoelectric point of 4.9. GST A1/A1 exhibited high activity with 1-chloro-2, 4, dinitrobenzene (CDNB) but low activity with the chloroacetanilide herbicide metolachlor. For GST A1/A1, the random, rapid-equilibrium bireactant kinetic model provided a good description of the kinetic data for the substrates CDNB and glutathione (GSH). GST B1/B2 was a heterodimer with subunit molecular masses of 26 kD (designated the B1 subunit) and 28 kD (designated the B2 subunit) and a native isoelectric point of 4.8. GST B1/B2 exhibited low activity with CDNB and high activity with metolachlor as the substrate. The kinetics of GST B1/B2 activity with GSH and metolachlor fit a model describing a multisite enzyme having two binding sites with different affinities for these substrates. Both GST A1/A1 and GST B1/B2 exhibited GSH-conjugating activity with ethacrynic acid and GSH peroxidase activity with cumene hydroperoxide, 9-hydroperoxy-trans-10, cis-12-octadecadienoic acid and 13-hydroperoxy-cis-9, trans-11-octadecadienoic acid. Both GST A1/A1 and GST B1/B2 are glycoproteins, as indicated by their binding of concanavalin A. Polyclonal antibodies raised against GST A1/A1 exhibited cross-reactivity with the B1 subunit of GST B1/B2. Comparisons of the N-terminal amino acid sequences of the GST A1, B1, and B2 subunits with other type I theta-GSTs indicated a high degree of homology with the maize GST I subunit and a sugarcane GST.
Improving outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first relapse: A single center experience

The outcome of patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains unsatisfactory, with few available effective therapies. Increased understanding of the biology of the disease has led to the identification of novel therapeutic agents, several of which have been evaluated in recently conducted clinical trials. We sought to determine whether the introduction of these agents as well as modern supportive care measures has already translated to better outcomes. We examined the outcomes of 1,056 patients with AML in first relapse treated between January 1993 and December 2013 at our institution. As previously reported, the independent prognostic factors for survival after first relapse included age at relapse, cytogenetics, and duration of first complete remission. Upon multivariable analysis, treatment era was an independent predictor of survival, with significant improvement in overall survival between 2008 and 2013 as compared to prior time periods. Modern supportive care measures as well as participation in clinical trials of novel agents are already improving the outcomes in first relapse.