cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiobjective optimization of a plastic injection molding process

It is well known that the PID regulator has been very successful and widely accepted for controlling industrial systems where one objective function is the performance criterion. The question is whether the same success can be achieved for more than one objective function using the basic PID controller, while preserving its simplicity for use by an operator. Here the authors explore the use of multiobjective optimization for the purpose of extending PID controllers to applications that require the optimization of multiple objectives. An algorithm is implemented that runs in real-time and provides immediate feedback to a process operator about the current operating point. It was applied to the tuning of a PID controller to meet multiple objectives for the plastication phase of an injection molding process. The algorithm was implemented on an injection molding machine and allowed to tune the controller on-line. Simulation and experimental results are presented and compared. >
Overnight Ecotourist Market Segmentation in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Australia

Very little is known about the characteristics of overnight ecolodge patrons. This study reports on the results of a questionnaire that was completed by 1,180 individuals who had stayed at least one night in either of two well-known ecolodges in Lamington National Park, Australia. A cluster analysis on 37 items pertaining to ecotourism behavior revealed three distinct groups. “Harder” ecotourists reflect a high level of environmental commitment and affinities with wilderness-type experiences, while “softer” ecotourists are much less committed on either dimension. “Structured” ecotourists, by comparison, reveal a strong pattern of commitment but a level of desire for interpretation, escorted tours, and services/facilities that is usually more associated with mass tourism. The marketing implications of these findings are considered.
Effects of collagenase and elastase on the mechanical properties of lung tissue strips.

The dynamic stiffness (H), damping coefficient (G), and harmonic distortion (k d) characterizing tissue nonlinearity of lung parenchymal strips from guinea pigs were assessed before and after treat...
Genetic and biogeographic relationships of the racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus (Gobiidae: Teleostei) from introduced and native Eurasian locations

The racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus, along with several other neogobiin fishes, has been spreading north and west from its native Ponto-Caspian range for the past two decades via shipping and canals. It has been predicted as a likely future invader of the North American Great Lakes, where it would join its neogobiin relatives – the round and freshwater tubenose gobies. The present study is the first to analyse the population genetic and biogeographic relationships of the racer goby, establishing a baseline to aid interpretation of its future spread patterns and likely donor-recipient population relationships. The mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene was sequenced from representative areas of the racer goby’s range, including rivers of the northern Black Sea and areas of spread upstream in the Danube River and outside the Ponto-Caspian region to the Vistula River in Poland. Results discerned nine haplotypes, with few shared among drainages of native rivers and most sites housing unique alleles. Racer goby populations significantly diverged among watersheds, supporting historic low migration and little non-anthropogenic gene flow. The Dnieper River was identified as a likely donor source for the Vistula River colonization, where appreciable variability suggests a relatively large number of founding genotypes.
ℒ 1 adaptive control for optical soliton propagation

This paper presents the application of an ℒ 1 adaptive control architecture to the problem of active dispersion management for propagation of Gaussian-shaped solitons along uncertain optical fibers. The derivations in the paper are based on a reduced variational model for optical soliton propagation. Simulation results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed closed-loop adaptive approach over existing passive dispersion management techniques.
Comparison of Telephone and In-Person Interviews for Data Collection in Qualitative Human Research

In qualitative research, interviews are utilized in data collection, especially in the Medical field. This literature review analyzes the advantages and disadvantages for in-person and telephone methods. The PubMed and PubMedCentral ® databases were searched and yielded five relevant articles in the locale of medicine for review. Telephone interviews are found to be shorter, cost less, are reported to display less interviewer bias, and are seen to report less information while in-person interviews require more training, are conducive to physical tests, and are harder to schedule. In-person and telephone interviews are both accurate within acceptable error for qualitative research studies. In cases where a majority of the sample may not have access to telephones, the extra cost of the in-person interview is justified to develop rapport and increased accuracy to add validity to the study. Telephone interviews may be the preferred method unless the in-person interview provides benefits to the research that outweigh the additional costs. This study was a sub-study for a larger project with an overall goal of understanding the dynamics of health communication in grandfamilies and how these dynamics may differ by race.
The dynamics of cellular injury: transformation into neuronal and vascular protection

Despite the immediate event, such as cerebral trauma, cardiac arrest, or stroke that may result in neuronal or vascular injury, specific cellular signal transduction pathways in the central nervous system ultirnately influence the extent of cellular injury. Yet, it is a cascade of mechanisms, rather than a single cellular pathway, which determine cellular survival during toxic insults. Although neuronal injury associated with several disease entities, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebrovascular disease was initially believed to be irreversible, it has become increasingly evident that either acute or chronic modulation of the cellular and molecular environment within the brain can prevent or even reverse cellular injury. In order to develop rational, efficacious, and safe therapy against neurodegenerative disorders, it becomes vital to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control neuronai and vascular injury. These include the pathways of free radical injury, the independent mechanisms of programmed cell death, and the downstream signal transduction pathways of endonuclease activation, intracellular pH, cysteine proteases, the cell cycle, and tyrosine phosphatase activity. Employing the knowledge gained from investigations into these pathways will hopefully further efforts to successfully develop effective treatments against central nervous system disorders.
The Cost-effectiveness and Budget Impact of 2-Drug Dolutegravir-Lamivudine Regimens for the Treatment of HIV Infection in the United States

Background. Recommended human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment regimens in the United States contain 3 antiretroviral agents, costing >$30 000/person/year. Pilot studies are evaluating the efficacy of dual therapy with dolutegravir (DTG) and lamivudine (3TC). We examined the potential cost-effectiveness and budget impact of DTG + 3TC regimens in the United States. Methods. Using a mathematical model, we projected the clinical and economic outcomes of antiretroviral therapy (ART)–naive patients under 4 strategies: (1) no ART (for modeling comparison); (2) 2-drug: initial regimen of DTG + 3TC; (3) induction-maintenance: 48-week induction regimen of 3 drugs (DTG/abacavir [ABC]/3TC), followed by DTG + 3TC maintenance if virologically suppressed; and (4) standard of care: 3-drug regimen of DTG/ABC/3TC. Strategy-dependent model inputs, varied widely in sensitivity analyses, included 48-week virologic suppression (88%–93%), subsequent virologic failure (0.1%–0.6%/month), and Medicaid-discounted ART costs ($15 200–$39 600/year). A strategy was considered cost-effective if its incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was <$100 000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Results. The 3 ART strategies had the same 5-year survival rates (90%). The ICER was $22 500/QALY for induction-maintenance and >$500 000/QALY for standard of care. Two-drug was the preferred strategy only when DTG + 3TC 48-week virologic suppression rate exceeded 90%. With 50% uptake of either induction-maintenance or 2-drug for ART-naive patients, cost savings totaled $550 million and $800 million, respectively, within 5 years; savings reached >$3 billion if 25% of currently suppressed patients were switched to DTG + 3TC maintenance. Conclusions. Should DTG + 3TC demonstrate high rates of virologic suppression, this regimen will be cost-effective and would save >$500 million in ART costs in the United States over 5 years.
Feeding chicks exclusively via implanted plastic fistulas

Surgical introduction of a plastic tube into the crop permits remote injection of all fluids and nutrients, beginning before any normal feeding has occurred. Total alimentary intake can be controlled precisely, and hunger and thirst can be manipulated at will by this technique. Chicks raised by tube-feeding, never eating or drinking, appear to grow adequately.
X-ray Crystallography Reveals How Subtle Changes Control the Orientation of Substrate Binding in an Alkene Reductase

Reductions of (S)- and (R)-carvone by wild-type Saccharomyces pastorianus Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE 1) and a systematic collection of Trp 116 variants revealed that, for (S)-carvone, six Trp 116 mutants displayed inverted diastereoselectivity compared to the wild-type. For example, Ile and Val showed inverted stereoselectivity, but Leu and Phe maintained the wild-type stereopreference. For (R)-carvone, only two Trp 116 mutants (Ala and Val) reduced this alkene with reversed selectivity; all other catalytically active variants including Leu and Ile retained the wild-type diastereoselectivity. The same set of mutant enzymes was also used to catalyze the dehydrogenation of (S)- and (R)-carvone under aerobic conditions. To understand how small changes to the active site structure of OYE 1 could significantly influence its catalytic properties, we solved X-ray crystal structures of the wild-type as well as six key Trp 116 variants after individually soaking with both (S)- and (R)-carvone. In many cases, pseudo-Mi...
Inaugural address of the Incoming President: The constant in the patient care equation.

I am excited to be here today and for the opportunity to serve as ASHP’s president. We all know that journeys like this are not made alone. So, at the very outset, I would like to thank my peers, mentors, work colleagues, family, and pharmacy friends for being there with me and for me. You know
Sequence analysis of Hantavirus isolated from rats in major endemic areas of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Hebei,China

Objective To characterize the dominant genotypes and follow the strain variations of Hantavirus(HV)in major endemic areas of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS)in Hebei province of Chi- na.Methods The rodents were collected in northeast Hebei province in 2012and all were rattus norvegi- cus.Lung tissues were isolated and HV antigen was detected by indirect immunofluorescence.Fragments of the HV M region were amplified by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),sequenced and compared with standard strains and strains preciously isolated in the same area for homology and phyloge- netic analysis.Results A total of 164samples were collected and the HV antigen from 26samples were posi- tive.Sequencing analysis showed that the 9rat lung samples were all SEO types of HV.These 9strains share 95.2%-100.0% homology in nucleotide sequences and 99.0%-100.0% homology when comparing to other strains previous isolated from the same area.Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that all strains are grouped in- to the same SEO subtype S3.Conclusions SEO was the major epidemic genotype of Hantavirus in Hebei HFRS major epidemic areas and S3was the major subtype.
Relationship between physical fitness and susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.

Abstract This study was conducted (a) to determine through factor analysis techniques the basic factors underlying selected blood variables, metabolic variables, and previously determined physical and athletic fitness variables at four fixed stages of metabolic stress and (b) to determine with the t-test and through discriminant function techniques those blood variables which can discriminate between high and low levels of physical fitness. The objective of the analyses was the interpretation of the revealed information in light of previously found knowledge on the relationship of physical activity and susceptibility to heart disease. Four factors were extracted and interpreted: the effect of weight on motor fitness, the detrimental effect of aging on physical fitness, metabolic readiness, and fitness and NEFA mobility. The t-test showed statistical significance for the difference between the physically fit and unfit group means in resting serum cholesterol, submaximal exercise serum cholesterol, maximal ...
Changes in serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and thyrotropin induced by lithium in normal subjects and in rats

Serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured in 4 normal subjects before, during, and 2 wk after administration of lithium carbonate (1,200 mg/day) for 6 wk. All subjects developed thyroid enlargement associated with increase in TSH. Serum T3 and T4 did not change significantly. In 3 hypothyroid maintained on thyroxine replacement, lithium administration did not alter circulating levels of T4 or T3, suggesting no effect of lithium on the extrathyroidal metabolism of the thyroid hormones. In rats fed a low iodine diet containing 122 mg/kg/day lithium carbonate, goiter, increased 131I uptake, and a decrease in intrathyroidal T3 and T4 with an increase in MIT, DIT, and MIT/DIT were observed at 3 wk. Serum T3 fell significantly only during the third week, while T4 did not change. Thyroid enlargement, secondary to a rise in TSH, appears to play a role in the adaptation of the thyroid gland to lithium carbonate. The exact mechanism for the elevation of TSH has not been elucidated.
Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Neurocognitive Function and Impact of Continuous Positive Air Pressure

There is evidence that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can negatively impact attention, memory, learning, executive function, and overall intellectual function in adults and children. Imaging techniques, including MRI, MR diffusion tensor imaging, MR spectroscopy, and fMRI, have provided additional insight into the anatomic and functional underpinnings of OSA-related cognitive impairment. Both animal and human studies have looked to elucidate the separate effects of oxygen desaturation and sleep fragmentation on independent aspects of cognition. Data from animal models point to neuro-inflammation and oxidative stress as driving factors of cognitive impairment.
Methodological Contributions to the Gender Symmetry Debate and its Resolution

The concept of gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV) may be an artifact of three factors. 1) Methodology: Subject recruitment frequently excludes clinical samples. Cross-sectional designs negate the ability to evaluate recidivism and do not account for women’s greater likelihood of leaving violent relationships. 2) Narrow Focus: Researchers focus on frequency of physical aggression, while excluding other types of aggression (e.g., sexual IPV, life-threatening violence, use of firearms), or the impact of such aggression (e.g., fear, depression, injury). 3) Measurement: Surveys are hindered by varying interpretations of seemingly face-valid items, effects of item instructions, and lack of multi-method assessment approaches. Strategies for addressing these problems and resolving the gender symmetry controversy are outlined.
Capital Offenses: Business Crime and Punishment in America's Corporate Age

Capital Offenses is a book-length treatment of the phenomenon of corporate crime in twenty-first century America. This book covers corporate criminal liability; substantive white collar crimes including fraud, obstruction of justice, and bribery; and the institutions of prosecution, defense, and adjudication that manage a legal field that has grown over the last several decades to become an industry — in addition to discussing the political economy of corporate crime. It is the first to provide a comprehensive treatment of this subject accessible to scholars, practitioners, students, and the public alike. The book’s argument is that every facet of the law and practice of corporate crime supplies evidence of Americans’ dependence on, inability to control, and deep ambivalence about our largest corporations and capital markets. These conditions ensure that criminal law will fail to deliver what is asked of it in this sphere. The parade of corporate “scandals” of the last 30 years, and the growing obsession with prosecution as an antidote, point to the need for a deep and sustained conversation about the corporate form, the scale of corporate enterprise, and the basic rules of the regulatory road — a transitional conversation that must be more ambitious and constructive than the continuing push for more white collar imprisonment. A small excerpt of the book’s introductory material is reprinted here, with permission of the publisher W.W. Norton & Co.
Common Methods for Tallgrass Prairie Restoration and Their Potential Effects on Bee Diversity

ABSTRACT: Habitat restoration is considered critical for maintaining and restoring biodiversity of many species groups. A better understanding of how species respond to the restoration process is imperative to identifying practices that benefit the target organisms. Using survey responses from land managers about the restoration process in tallgrass prairie habitat, we identify common restoration and management techniques. These responses are then combined with current literature on bee and plant responses to these methods in tallgrass prairie habitat. While some widely used methods, such as burning, are believed to be fairly benign to bees, there are still many knowledge gaps about how bees may respond to many common practices such as tillage, pesticides, and grazing in tallgrass prairie. Other commonly used methods, such as broadcasting of seeds, are known to significantly affect plant diversity, which could hinder bee conservation efforts. The variability in bee and plant response to commonly used meth...
Soil Factors Limiting Nodulation and Nitrogen Fixation in Purshia

Approximately 50 species in 10 genera capable of actinomyceteinduced nodulation and nitrogen fixation are found in the western United States. Their ecological importance has recently been reviewed (Klemmedson, 1979). Nitrogen fixation may enhance colonization of natural or man-induced disturbances. Some of these genera may have applications in revegetation and rehabilitation of drastically nitrogen deficient disturbances brought on by increasing energy and mineral demands. There is also interest in forestry applications utilizing nitrogen-fixing trees such as alder, or a nitrogen-fixing understory (Gordon and Dawson, 1979).
Simulated design methodology for an 80-meter Doherty amplifier using MOSFET active devices

This manuscript presents a simulation based design methodology of an 80-meter Doherty power amplifier with a maximum output power of 40 dBm. The amplifier is designed using a widely available IRF510 enhancement mode MOSFET and lumped elements. The classical Doherty architecture utilizes a Class-AB carrier amplifier and Class-C peaking amplifier. LTSpiceIV is used throughout the design process to validate the performance for each of the functional blocks, prior to integration into the final Doherty amplifier configuration.
Neuropsychological Interference Mechanisms in Aphasia and Dyslexia

This chapter is one of a series of papers devoted to the development of an explanatory model of reading. An explanatory model might be expected to delineate the process as a whole, order most of the known data, explain certain puzzling anomalies, and predict the dimensions of successful methods for teaching children to read (Brown, 1970). Furthermore, following Sperling (1970), we can propose that components of an information-processing model ought to have three types of potential verification: structural, functional (or behavioral), and neurological. Structural verification requires that the component must be essential to the logic of the explanation; functional or behavioral verification requires that the component be open to experimental investigation (e.g., perceptual or psycholinguistic studies); and neurological verification requires that the component have potential neuronal equivalents in the form of spatiotemporal physiological events (Lenneberg, 1974). It is this last level of explanation which will be the primary domain of this discussion.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy for central lung tumors: Finding the balance between safety and efficacy in the "no fly" zone.

BACKGROUND Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a highly effective technique to treat medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Doses must be chosen carefully when treating central lesions because of the potential for significant toxicity. This study reviews the outcomes of a cohort of patients with central lung tumors treated with SBRT. METHODS We identified 18 patients (12 women, 6 men) with central lesions that were treated with SBRT at our institution. Overall survival and local, regional, and distant control rates were assessed by Kaplan-Meier methodology. Correlations with outcomes were determined by multivariate analysis via Cox regression models. RESULTS Eighty-nine percent of patients had a pathological diagnosis of NSCLC. The median dose to the planning target volume was 40 Gy (range: 30-50) in five fractions, yielding a median biologic equivalent dose (BED10 ) of 72 (range: 48-100). The median planning target volume was 34 cc (range: 13.3-89). Local control was 87% at one year. Median overall survival was 45 months, with a two-year rate of 61%. The two-year regional control rate was 87%. BED10 > 72 predicted improved progression-free survival, with one-year rates of 100% versus 40% with increased BED (P = 0.012). No grade 3 or higher acute or late toxicity was observed. CONCLUSIONS Lung SBRT to central lesions is safe and effective when using five fraction regimens. BED10 < 72 predicted disease progression, highlighting the importance of choosing an effective dose fractionation scheme, which must in turn be balanced with potential toxicity.
Embryo geometry drives formation of robust signaling gradients through receptor localization

Morphogen signals are essential for cell fate specification during embryogenesis. Some receptors that sense these morphogen signals are known to localize to only the apical or basolateral membrane of polarized cell lines in vitro. How such localization affects morphogen sensing and patterning in the developing embryo remains unknown. Here, we show in the early mouse embryo that the formation of a robust BMP signaling gradient depends on restricted, basolateral localization of the BMP receptors. Mis-localizing these receptors to apical membrane leads to ectopic BMP signaling in the mouse embryo. To reach the basolaterally localized receptors in epiblast, BMP4 ligand, secreted by the extra-embryonic ectoderm, has to diffuses through the narrow interstitial space between the epiblast and the underlying endoderm. This restricted, basolateral diffusion creates a signaling gradient. The embryo geometry further buffers the gradient from fluctuations in the levels of BMP4. Our results demonstrate the importance of receptor localization and embryo geometry in shaping morphogen signaling during embryogenesis.
Statistical Approximating Distributions Under Differential Privacy

Statistics computed from data are viewed as random variables. When they are used for tasks like hypothesis testing and confidence intervals, their true finite sample distributions are often replaced by approximating distributions that are easier to work with (for example, the Gaussian, which results from using approximations justified by the Central Limit Theorem). When data are perturbed by differential privacy, the approximating distributions also need to be modified. Prior work provided various competing methods for creating such approximating distributions with little formal justification beyond the fact that they worked well empirically. In this paper, we study the question of how to generate statistical approximating distributions for differentially private statistics, provide finite sample guarantees for the quality of the approximations.
Development of a glycoproteomic strategy to detect more aggressive prostate cancer using lectin-immunoassays for serum fucosylated PSA.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is commonly used as a serum biomarker for the detection of prostate cancer. However, levels of PSA in serum do not reliably distinguish aggressive prostate cancer from non-aggressive disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need for biomarkers that can differentiate aggressive prostate cancers from non-aggressive phenotypes. Fucosylation is one of the glycosylation-based protein modifications. Previously we demonstrated increased levels of serum fucosylated PSA in patients with aggressive prostate cancer using lectin selection followed by PSA immunoassay. We developed two lectin-immunoassays, Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) and Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) followed by clinical PSA immunoassay and investigated the levels of PSA and its fucosylated glycoforms in serum specimens from prostate cancer patients with different Gleason scores. First, we developed standard curves for lectins enrichment, which were applied to lectin-immunoassay for fucosylated PSA–LCA and PSA–AAL quantification in serum samples. Our results showed that both LCA- and AAL-immunoassays detected elevated fucosylated PSA and were correlated with higher Gleason scores but only AAL-immunoassay detected an increased percentage of fucosylated PSA in patient serum with higher Gleason scores. We have developed quantitative lectin-immunoassays for serum fucosylated PSA. Our data demonstrated that fucosylated PSA–AAL, % fucosylated PSA–AAL and fucosylated PSA–LCA levels could be effective biomarkers to differentiate aggressive prostate cancer [especially Gleason 7 (4 + 3) or above] from non-aggressive disease. We believe that application of these lectin-immunoassays to a larger patient population is needed to evaluate the clinical utilities of fucosylated PSA using AAL–PSA and LCA–PSA for aggressive prostate cancer.
De/Colonization: Perspectives on/by Indigenous Populations in Global Canadian Contexts.

This article offers systematic review of literature on the educational colonization of Indigenous populations within global Canadian contexts. Questions guiding this study were, ‘What colonizing dy...
Vallejo y mi abuelito: persona poética y persona real en Los heraldos negros

A partir del conocimiento personal que tuvo de Cesar Vallejo el Dr. Humberto Ramos Guardia (Huaraz, 26 diciembre de 1900-Lima, 13 octubre de 1980), abuelo materno del autor de este ensayo, se exploran los limites entre la persona biografica de Vallejo y la persona poetica representada en su primer libro, Los heraldos negros (1918-1919). Humberto Ramos Guardia era profesor de ciencias en el Colegio Barros en los mismos anos en que Vallejo lo era de letras. Cultivaron una cordial amistad que le permitio a Humberto Ramos conocer de cerca la personalidad jovial y las ideas burlonas de Cesar Vallejo en su etapa limena. El ensayo ahondara en algunos aspectos de LHN que problematizan la imagen tradicional del poeta depresivo y melancolico que suele difundirse del vate de Santiago de Chuco.
Direct detection of cancer biomarkers using plasmonics-based Inverse Molecular Sentinel (iMS) nanobiosensors

Development of simple techniques for detection of nucleic acids is essential for clinical diagnostics. MicroRNA (miRNA) have been identified as potential biomarkers in early detection of various diseases, including esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett’s esophagus (BE). However, these small molecules have not been adopted into clinical practice because of challenging aspects in the lab. The technology described herein is a label-free nanoprobe referred to as “inverse molecular sentinel” (iMS) for gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. The results of this study provide evidence supporting the robust iMS method for miRNA sensing without the need for PCR.
Colonic Manifestations and Complications Are Relatively Under-Reported in Systemic Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES:Although systemic sclerosis (SSc) is known to affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, most of the literature focuses on esophageal, small intestinal, or anorectal manifestations. There have been no reviews focused on large bowel SSc complications in over 30 years. The aim of this study is
Building physics today and future challenges: learning from IBPC2018

Once every three years, researchers in the field of Building Physics gather together to exchange new ideas, findings, and outlooks. The 7th International Building Physics Conference, IBPC2018, took...
Comparative Study Using Neural Networks for 16S Ribosomal Gene Classification

Bacterial 16S ribosomal gene was used to classify bacteria because it consists of both highly conservative region, as well as a hypervariable region, in its sequence. This hypervariable region serv...
Solvation Free Energy of Self-Assembled Complexes: Using Molecular Dynamics to Understand the Separation of ssDNA-Wrapped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes†

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to characterize the self-assembly of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on a (6,5) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) in aqueous solution for the purpose of gai...
HIGH-FLUX THERMAL MANAGEMENT AT MEGAWATT SCALE USING A DOUBLE-EFFECT ABSORPTION/VAPOR-COMPRESSION CASCADE REFRIGERATION CYCLE

Abstract A robust, high-performance, cascaded double-effect absorption/vapor-compression cycle with a high temperature lift was conceptualized and analyzed for a naval ship application. A double-effect LiBr–H2O absorption cycle driven by high-temperature (>275 °C) exhaust heat was coupled to a subcritical CO2 vapor-compression cycle to provide low temperature refrigerant (-40 °C) for high-heat flux electronics applications and medium temperature refrigerant (5 °C) for space conditioning and other low-heat flux applications. The double-effect absorption/vapor-compression cycle outperformed the corresponding single-effect cycle, providing 74.4% higher cooling capacity for the same waste heat input; however, it required more heat exchange area. The improved performance of the double-effect configuration was much higher at lower heat rejection temperatures. A parametric study on the exhaust and heat rejection temperatures showed that the cycle exhibited high COPs over a wide range of operating conditions, indicating the robustness of the cycle.
Introduction: Exorcising a Forgotten Physical Culture

I open the book with a look at an alleged white supremacist gym in Nashville. I tie the way the gym’s owner deflects questions about his ties to white supremacist groups, and the language used on the gym’s website to a propensity for white nationalism to hide its tracks inside the discourses of existing popular and widespread grammars, like gym culture. I go on to analyze how Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson utilizes the phrase “watch whiteness work” to make these maneuvers visible and call us to watch whiteness performed. I go on to assert that physical culture for white women in the Progressive Era (1890–1920) helped construct and consolidate emerging ideologies of whiteness and white supremacy, and through practice and public performance, stitch those racial concerns into a complex matrix of gendered and classed social norms. I frame my central arguments about race, gender, and class through performance theory in an effort to explore how physical culture’s corporeality was marshaled by and able to contest local and global systems of power being constructed by educational, medical, and corporate institutions at the time.
SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral load are associated with the upper respiratory tract microbiome.

Background Little is known about the relationships between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the respiratory virus responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiome. Objective We sought to compare the URT microbiome between SARS-CoV-2–infected and –uninfected adults and to examine the association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load with the URT microbiome during COVID-19. Methods We characterized the URT microbiome using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing in 59 adults (38 with confirmed, symptomatic, mild to moderate COVID-19 and 21 asymptomatic, uninfected controls). In those with COVID-19, we measured SARS-CoV-2 viral load using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. We then examined the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection status and its viral load with the ⍺-diversity, β-diversity, and abundance of bacterial taxa of the URT microbiome. Our main models were all adjusted for age and sex. Results The observed species index was significantly higher in SARS-CoV-2–infected than in –uninfected adults (β linear regression coefficient = 7.53; 95% CI, 0.17-14.89; P = .045). In differential abundance testing, 9 amplicon sequence variants were significantly different in both of our comparisons, with Peptoniphilus lacrimalis, Campylobacter hominis, Prevotella 9 copri, and an Anaerococcus unclassified amplicon sequence variant being more abundant in those with SARS-CoV-2 infection and in those with high viral load during COVID-19, whereas Corynebacterium unclassified, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Prevotella disiens, and 2 Corynebacterium_1 unclassified amplicon sequence variants were more abundant in those without SARS-CoV-2 infection and in those with low viral load during COVID-19. Conclusions Our findings suggest complex associations between SARS-CoV-2 and the URT microbiome in adults. Future studies are needed to examine how these viral-bacterial interactions can impact the clinical progression, severity, and recovery of COVID-19.
Camerota’s Galileo Galilei e la cultura scientifica: Between Ptolemy and Copernicus?

This essay is a critical examination of Michele Camerota’s Galileo Galilei e la cultura scientifica nell’eta della Controriforma (2004). I argue that Camerota’s biography of Galileo is welcome for its timeliness, useful for its breadth, valuable for its depth, usually well-documented, and often insightful. For example, and crucially important, Camerota seems to elaborate correctly the issue of the logical strength of Galileo’s case for the earth’s motion: that he lacked a conclusive proof, but did show that the pro-Copernican arguments were much stronger than the Tychonic as well as Ptolemaic alternatives. I also argue that other parts of Camerota’s account are questionable. For example, he seems to exaggerate Galileo’s readiness to accept Copernicanism; his commitment to the mathematization of natural phenomena; and the extent to which the Inquisition’s condemnation was for heresy rather than disobedience.
Characterization of Circulating Androgens, Cortisol and Estrogens During Normal, Abnormal and False Pregnancy in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Under Managed Care

The few hormone studies on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) pregnancy with different reproductive outcomes, e.g., normal birth, stillbirth and abortion, have mostly focused on progestagens or relaxin. However, recent analysis of androgens, glucocorticoids and estrogens has shown they are also biomarkers of cetacean pregnancy. Therefore, our objective was to examine circulating concentrations of androgens, glucocorticoids and estrogens during bottlenose dolphin pregnancies with different reproductive outcomes, including normal pregnancy (NORM, n = 27), failure to thrive (FTT, n = 17), perinatal loss (PNL, n = 20), early loss (EL, n = 12) and false pregnancy (FP, n = 16), to determine if they could be potential indicators of reproductive or fetal health. We analyzed longitudinal serum samples (n = 654) from 57 bottlenose dolphins and 92 reproductive events for testosterone, androstenedione, cortisol, estradiol and estrone conjugates. Testosterone concentrations were higher during EL compared to NORM and lower during FP during MID (day 121– 240 post ovulation/conception) and LATE (day 241 – end of FP) stages (months post conception/ovulation [MPC, MPO] seven through ten, P < 0.05). During FTT, androstenedione concentrations were increased compared to NORM pregnancies in the EARLY and LATE stages (P ≤ 0.05), and concentrations were reduced during FP (P < 0.05). For cortisol, FTT pregnancies had higher concentrations compared to NORM during all stages (P < 0.05), while PNL had higher cortisol during EARLY and LATE stages (P < 0.05). Estradiol concentrations were lower for EL and FP compared to NORM (P < 0.05), while estrone conjugates were only reduced during FP (P < 0.05). Based on our results only cortisol may be a useful predictor of PNL, while both cortisol and androstenedione were useful for distinguishing FTT pregnancies. Similarly, both testosterone and estradiol during EL and FP were different from NORM. Our data indicate a suite of pregnancy specific hormone biomarkers to evaluate maternal and fetal health in bottlenose dolphins should include cortisol, androgens and estrogens. This research also highlights the importance on non-progestagen hormones as sentinels of cetacean pregnancy and fetal health.
Is serum lactate necessary in patients with normal anion gap and serum bicarbonate

Introduction: There has been an increase in patients having serum lactate drawn in emergency situations. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not it was necessary to obtain a lactate level in patients with a normal serum bicarbonate level and anion gap. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review evaluation of 304 patients who had serum lactate and electrolytes measured in an emergency setting in one academic medical center. Results: In 66 patients who had elevated serum lactate (>2.2mmol/L), 45 (68%) patients had normal serum bicarbonate (SB) (greater than 21 mmol/L). Normal anion gap (AG) (normal range <16 mEq/l) was found in 51 of the 66 patients (77%). Conclusion: We found that among patients with elevated serum lactate, 77% had a normal anion gap and 68% had normal serum bicarbonate. We conclude serum lactate should be drawn based on clinical suspicion of anaerobic tissue metabolism independent of serum bicarbonate or anion gap values. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(3):364–366.]
Insect Vitellogenin: Identification, Biosynthesis, and Role in Vitellogenesis

Publisher Summary Vitellogenins are defined as the predominant yolk protein precursors that are produced extraovarially and taken up by the growing oocytes against a concentration gradient. One of the most exciting aspects, and one that has attracted increasing attention during the last few years, is the mechanism of control of vitellogenin biosynthesis. This chapter focuses on the known control mechanisms that are amenable to experimental manipulation. The close analogy to the control mechanisms known for avian and amphibian vitellogenins makes research on insect vitellogenin even more rewarding. The chapter tabulates the identification of vitellogenin and vitellin according to the chronological documentation, the known species, grouped by orders, for which vitellogenins have been described. The very fact that only the female of the species contains a protein that is also the predominant yolk protein may allow speculating that ovaries transplanted into males may not incorporate yolk. However, as early as 1907 Meisenheimer found for the Lepidopteran Porthetria dispar that, larval ovaries transplanted into male larvae produced fully grown and chorionated eggs after metamorphosis. Contribution of non-specific proteins to protein yolk and uptake of haemolymph proteins by the oocytes have been discussed. The chapter discusses a model for endocrine controlled vitellogenin synthesis and vitellogenesis.
Drugs Affecting Trypanosome Topoisomeroses

Publisher Summary Trypanosomes are flagellate parasitic protozoa causing lethal diseases in people (for example, African trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness; Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas' disease) and in domestic livestock. Leishmaniasis, caused by a closely related organism, afflicts millions. This chapter discusses mitochondrial DNA and topoisomerase inhibitors. The structural complexity of kDNA suggests that trypanosome mitochondria should have abundant topoisomerase activity. Inhibitors of type II topoisomerases promote cleavage of minicircle DNA. About 12% of total minicircles are linearized when trypanosomes are treated with etoposide and then lysed with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Cleavage is dependent on time and concentration of drug and can be reversed by heat treatment prior to detergent lysis. The linearized DNA has protein bound at both ends, and the cuts map to discrete sites in the minicircle sequence. There is also discussion on nuclear DNA and topoisomerase inhibitors. Etoposide promotes cleavage of nuclear DNA in trypanosomes, trapping about one-third of acid-precipitable radiolabeled DNA in covalent protein-DNA complexes and dramatically shifting the distribution of DNA molecules in an alkaline sucrose gradient. A number of antitrypanosomal drugs currently used to treat trypanosomiasis bind to DNA. Ethidium bromide, an intercalating agent and an important reagent in molecular biology, was discovered, developed, and continues to be used in cattle for its antitrypanosomal activity. Pentamidine and berenil (diminazine aceturate), with terminal aromatic amidine groups, bind in the minor groove of DNA. Samorin (isometamidium chloride) has structural features of ethidium bromide and Berenil. The earliest structural lesion, seen at pharmacological drug concentrations, is disruption of kDNA. Trypanosomes treated with these agents developed populations of “dys-kinetoplastic” cells that have mitochondrial membranes but no detectable kDNA. Etoposide treatment leads to the in vivo accumulation of interlocked daughter minicircles, replication intermediates normally segregated by a mitochondrial topoisomerase II.
El mal de España: parodia de la visión organicista de la nación en Tiempo de silencio, de Luis Martín Santos

In Tiempo de silencio (1962), Luis Martin Santos parodies discourse employedby the writers of the Generation of 98 when referring to “el mal de Espana”.Martin Santos reflects on national identity and on the specific circumstances of post-Civil War Spain, while highlighting the essentialism, fatalism, and contradictions of the “noventayochistas”. Irony becomes Martin Santos’s weapon of choice by presenting Pedro as the parodic embodiment of the “iron surgeon”, the superior, providential man who was supposed to “rebuild” the homeland, but who instead ends up failing and immersed in the most absolute nihilism.
Measuring Disparities in Information Capture Timeliness Across Healthcare Settings: Effects on Data Quality

The emergence of evidence-based medicine in the United States has created an industry-wide environment where the quality of data maintained by healthcare organizations is becoming a critical factor in the delivery of medical care. Such a transition necessitates a corresponding need for consistent data collection and maintenance methods. In this study results of a national survey of health information managers were used to assess prevalence of a standard data quality practice, the adoption of policies related to timeliness of data capture. Findings from this survey show that, on a national level, only a slight majority of respondents indicated adoption of timeliness policies. About 61% of respondents indicate they have policies and procedures addressing data timeliness, although persistent patterns of nonadoption were found. We examine how the timeliness of data collection might serve as part of an overall data collection strategy that managers can employ to improve the quality of their information.
Surface distribution and endocytosis of the NS3 antigen of neuroblastoma. An immunocytochemical study.

Abstract The surface distribution and adsorptive endocytosis of the NS3 antigen of cultured murine neuroblastoma cells has been studied by indirect immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescent techniques. We have found that 1. 1. The NS3 antigen is present on plasma membranes of perikarya and processes and of murine neuroblastoma 2. 2. Surface redistribution of NS3 induced by anti-NS3 sera occurred in several ‘patches’ rather than in a single ‘cap’; we suggest that asymmetric cells exposed to a bivalent ligand show multiple foci of segregation of plasma membrane antigens. 3. 3. NS3 antigen was observed at the cleavage furrow of mitotic cells at anaphase or telophase 4. 4. Neoplastic neurons are endowed with a system of cisternae and vesicles which is analogous to GERL (Golgi-Endoplasmic Reticulum-Lysosome) of normal neurons 5. 5. Anti-NS3 antibodies linked by bivalent ligands undergo endocytosis into putative lysosomes, while anti-NS3 linked by monovalent ligands undergo endocytosis into GERL.
Polymerase chain reaction cloning of a developmentally regulated member of the sialyltransferase gene family

We have cloned a new member of the sialyltransferase gene family from newborn rat brain cDNA using the polymerase chain reaction and degenerate primers based on sequences found in a continuous region of homology present in three previously cloned sialyltransferases. The predicted amino acid sequence of the new gene contains 24 of the 31 amino acids that are invariantly conserved in the previously cloned sialyltransferases and encodes a type II transmembrane protein characteristic of glycosyltransferases. In contrast to previously cloned sialyltransferase genes, the expression of the new gene is highly restricted, being abundantly expressed in newborn brain but not in adult brain or any other adult or newborn tissues.
An automated algorithm to identify and quantify brown adipose tissue in human 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans.

Objective To develop an algorithm to identify and quantify BAT from PET/CT scans without radiologist interpretation. Design and Methods Cases (n = 17) were randomly selected from PET/CT scans with documented “brown fat” by the reviewing radiologist. Controls (n = 18) had no documented “brown fat” and were matched with cases for age (49.7 [31.0-63.0] vs. 52.4 [24.0-70.0] yrs), outdoor temperature at scan date (51.8 [38.9-77.0] vs. 54.9 [35.2-74.6] °F), sex (F/M: 15/2 cases; 16/2 controls) and BMI (28.2 [20.0-45.7] vs. 26.8 [21.4-37.1] kg/m2]). PET/CT scans and algorithm-generated images were read by the same radiologist blinded to scan identity. Regions examined included neck, mediastinum, supraclavicular fossae, axilla and paraspinal soft tissues. BAT was scored 0 for no BAT; 1 for faint uptake possibly compatible with BAT or unknown; and 2 for BAT positive. Results Agreement between the algorithm and PET/CT scan readings was 85.7% across all regions. The algorithm had a low false negative (1.6%) and higher false positive rate (12.7%). The false positive rate was greater in mediastinum, axilla and neck regions. Conclusion The algorithm's low false negative rate combined with further refinement will yield a useful tool for efficient BAT identification in a rapidly growing field particularly as it applies to obesity.