cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of metabolic inhibitors on production of CO2 and H2S by Endamoeba histolytica.

SummaryThe in vitro effects of several groups of compounds were tested on the rate of CO2 and H2S evolution, catalyzed by enzyme systems of E. histolytica. Since the mechanism of the enzymatic reduction of S to H2S, a reaction which is coupled with the anaerobic oxidation of sugars in this proto-zoon, has been previously elucidated, it was possible to classify inhibitors on the basis of their primary point of attack. Certain anti-biotics were found to interfere with the S reducing enzyme system, while compounds which form metal ion complexes inhibit both C02 and H2S evolution to an equal extent. Arsenate and methylene blue on the other hand inhibit primarily C02 evolution (the decarboxylation of pyruvate). Certain heterocyclic N containing compounds (e.g., 2, 3-diaminophenazine), which can trap HS° and also form complexes with metal ions were found to be the most potent inhibitors of enzyme systems of E. histolytica. The metabolic reactions which were investigated are specific for this protozoon, therefor...
Intracellular Action of a Secreted Peptide Required for Fungal Virulence.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial communication mechanism in which secreted signaling molecules impact population function and gene expression. QS-like phenomena have been reported in eukaryotes with largely unknown contributing molecules, functions, and mechanisms. We identify Qsp1, a secreted peptide, as a central signaling molecule that regulates virulence in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. QSP1 is a direct target of three transcription factors required for virulence, and qsp1Δ mutants exhibit attenuated infection, slowed tissue accumulation, and greater control by primary macrophages. Qsp1 mediates autoregulatory signaling that modulates secreted protease activity and promotes cell wall function at high cell densities. Peptide production requires release from a secreted precursor, proQsp1, by a cell-associated protease, Pqp1. Qsp1 sensing requires an oligopeptide transporter, Opt1, and remarkably, cytoplasmic expression of mature Qsp1 complements multiple phenotypes of qsp1Δ. Thus, C. neoformans produces an autoregulatory peptide that matures extracellularly but functions intracellularly to regulate virulence.
O-011 cervical carotid stenting: the effect of distal filtration on outcomes

Purpose We conducted a retrospective review of all the carotid stent interventions performed at our institution in order to investigate the success rate and clinical outcomes of the intervention and whether these were affected by including or omitting use of a distal filter. Material and methods Institutional IRB approval was obtained. A total 41 patients (19 M/22 F) underwent carotid stent placement at our institution between 2010 and 2013; five of the patients had bilateral stents for a total of 46 interventions. Data was collected from medical records and included patient demographics, medical history, procedural details, imaging findings and short term clinical outcomes. The association between use of a distal filter and the length of the procedure, the success rate and the immediate clinical outcome were investigated. Results The majority of the patients (76%) had two or more risk factors for carotid stenosis and 52% had one or more co-morbidity, such as cardiac disease, severe lung or renal disease. Indications included recent stroke in 6 patients (13%) and TIA in 14 patients (32%), with minor or no symptoms in 24 patients (52%). In 28 consecutive interventions (61%) a distal protections filter was used and in the next 18, the distal filter was omitted. The success rate for all the carotid stent interventions was 100%. Three patients had minor infarcts in the immediate post-operative period documented by MRI and two patients had major infarcts. One patient died secondary to a large reperfusion intracranial hemorrhage. The two major infarcts and two of the minor infarct were in cases that used the distal filter. One minor infarct was the only complication in the group without the distal filter. The length of procedure was longer in the distal filter group (mean difference of 18 min), approaching statistical significance (p = 0.06). In four of the cases, there was significant difficulty in retrieving the distal filter, causing increased procedure length and total fluoroscopy time. Discussion/conclusion The use of distal filter posed potential intra-procedural risks such as difficulty to retrieve, contributing to increased procedure time and cost whereas it had no negative impact on the immediate clinical outcome. We hope that this study will provide important quality control information of whether eliminating the use of distal filter is a cost-effective and safe alternative in carotid stent interventions. Disclosures A. Achiriloaie: None. J. Jacobson: None. U. Oyoyo: None. R. Strilaeff: None.
The impact of probe size on measurements of diffusion in active microrheology.

We present a framework to elucidate the influence of polydispersity on flow-induced diffusion in active microrheology. A colloidal probe particle is driven through a suspension of hydrodynamically interacting background particles, where the probe may be larger or smaller than the bath particles. The thermodynamic size of the particles may be greater than their hydrodynamic size; the hydrodynamic sizes can be identical with thermodynamic sizes that differ, or vice versa, or a combination of both. The diffusive behavior is set entirely and dually by the proximity with which two particles can approach one another, and by the extent to which this minimum approach distance is occupied by the hydrodynamic size of the forced particle. We find that reducing the size of the probe reduces flow-induced diffusion when hydrodynamic interactions are weak but increases flow-induced diffusion when hydrodynamic interactions are strong—regardless of the strength of external forcing. This behavior owes its origins to a rich evolution of the dominance of hydrodynamic and entropic forces with changes in the relative hydrodynamic and thermodynamic sizes of the particles.
Elucidating the Association Between Depressive Symptoms, Coronary Heart Disease, and Stroke in Black and White Adults: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Background Depression is a relapsing and remitting disease. Prior studies on the association between depressive symptoms and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been limited by single measurements, and few if any have examined both incident coronary heart disease and stroke in a large biracial national cohort. We aimed to assess whether time‐dependent depressive symptoms conferred increased risk of incident CVD. Methods and Results Between 2003 to 2007, 22 666 black and white participants (aged ≥45 years) without baseline CVD in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study were recruited. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses assessed the association between up to 3 measurements of elevated depressive symptoms (4‐item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score ≥4) and incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and CVD death adjusting for age, sex, region, income, health insurance, education, blood pressure, cholesterol, medication, obesity, diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, C‐reactive protein, corrected QT interval, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, medication adherence, and antidepressant use. The participants’ average age was 63.4 years, 58.8% were female, and 41.7% black. Time‐varying depressive symptoms were significantly associated with CVD death (adjusted hazard ratio 1.30, 95% CI 1.04–1.63), with a trend toward significance for fatal and nonfatal stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 1.26, 95% CI 0.99–1.60) but not fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease (adjusted hazard ratio 1.11, 95% CI 0.89–1.38). Race did not moderate the association between depressive symptoms and CVD. Conclusions Proximal depressive symptoms were associated with incident fatal and nonfatal stroke and CVD death even after controlling for multiple explanatory factors, further supporting the urgent need for timely management of depressive symptoms.
Dietary modifications of packrats in response to changing plant communities: Evidence from fossil plant cuticles spanning >55,000 years in Sonoran Desert packrat middens

Abstract Plant cuticles in fecal pellets from 45 Neotoma middens from northeastern Baja California, Mexico were analyzed to explore woodrat dietary composition spanning >55,000 years. Pleistocene cuticles were dominated by the more mesic and/or chaparral-type extralocals Juniperus californica , Nolina , Agave cf. deserti , Salvia, and Simmondsia chinensis. Cylindoputia/Opuntia cuticles were abundant throughout both the Pleistocene and Holocene. Together, these species comprised the bulk of the woodrats’ diet during the last ice age. The glacial-interglacial transition showed the replacement of extralocals in the diet by more xeric desert scrub species, especially Acacia greggii , Larrea tridentata , Olneya tesota , and Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana . The main dietary species were all also highly abundant as macrofossils, suggesting preferential collection of favored foods. Interestingly, J. californica and Nolina cuticles persisted >1500 years after disappearing from macrofossils, while O. tesota cuticles appeared 4160 years earlier. It is possible that consumption of particularly prized foods at times they were less abundant left little material for incorporation into middens. Analyzing cuticles along with macrofossils from middens provides complimentary information about woodrat dietary preferences, helps refine the timing of species arrivals/disappearances, and shows how diets shifted with changing climatic conditions.
Human Evolution at High Altitude

This chapter reviews evidence that natural selection is acting or has acted on indigenous high-altitude populations of the Andean, Tibetan and East African plateaus and resulted in distinctive biological characteristics conferring vigor and health. It describes the results of classic era and genomic era approaches to detecting natural selection. Genomic era evidence of natural selection on high-altitude populations is accumulating rapidly and broadly supports that from the classic era. An important remaining step is to associate phenotypic with genomic variation and to associate them with survival and reproduction, the demographic currency of natural selection.
Mini Meta-Analysis of Your Own Studies: Some Arguments on Why and a Primer on How

We outline the need to, and provide a guide on how to, conduct a meta-analysis on one's own studies within a manuscript. Although conducting a “mini meta” within one's manuscript has been argued for in the past, this practice is still relatively rare and adoption is slow. We believe two deterrents are responsible. First, researchers may not think that it is legitimate to do a meta-analysis on a small number of studies. Second, researchers may think a meta-analysis is too complicated to do without expert knowledge or guidance. We dispel these two misconceptions by (1) offering arguments on why researchers should be encouraged to do mini metas, (2) citing previous articles that have conducted such analyses to good effect, and (3) providing a user-friendly guide on calculating some meta-analytic procedures that are appropriate when there are only a few studies. We provide formulas for calculating effect sizes and converting effect sizes from one metric to another (e.g., from Cohen's d to r), as well as annotated Excel spreadsheets and a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a simple meta-analysis. A series of related studies can be strengthened and better understood if accompanied by a mini meta-analysis.
Design Research and the Academy: Research Driven Community Facing Work

This paper examines the work of community facing faculty research in service to the formation of a new Master’s of Science in Design Research (DSRE). A shared core curriculum, diverse faculty research, and existing labs, centers, and consortia, all combine to offer a unique, intellectually stimulating collaborative environment substantiated by a philosophy of investigative research and community projects. The DSRE program is interdisciplinary and evidence-based, with the potential to lead to considerable research and collaboration with other disciplines. DSRE builds on multiple ongoing public interest projects. This design research degree fosters a pioneering environment for cross-college collaborations and community engagement and builds on the ongoing work of standing faculty detailed here. Standing faculty research practices, projects, and the research of industry trends indicate a demand for the fusion of disciplines and inventive, disruptive, an exploratory design that positively impacts the user experience and the environment laying the groundwork for this program.
Women with Symptomatic Preterm Birth Have a Distinct Cervicovaginal Metabolome.

Objective The objective was to determine if women with symptoms of preterm labor who ultimately have a spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) have a distinct cervicovaginal (CV) metabolome compared with women who deliver at term. Study Design A nested case–control study of women presenting with symptoms of preterm labor was performed. CV fluid was collected from women between 22 and 33 6/7 weeks' gestation. The CV metabolome was compared between women with sPTB ( n = 20) and women who delivered at term ( n = 30). Global biochemical profiles were determined using ultraperformance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Welch's two-sample t -test was used to identify metabolites that differed significantly. Level of significance was defined as p ≤ 0.05. Results Eighty-eight percent of women were African-American and none had a prior history of sPTB. A total of 301 metabolites were identified in CV fluid. Thirty metabolites were significantly different in women with preterm birth compared with term birth. Two metabolites (mannitol and methyl phosphate) were significantly upregulated, and the remaining 28 metabolites were significantly downregulated and consisted of medium chain-fatty acids and collagen degradation markers. Conclusion The CV metabolome is significantly altered among women who present with preterm labor symptoms and ultimately have a sPTB.
Timing the habit: Voter registration and turnout

Abstract Does registration timing impact whether an individual becomes a habitual voter? We argue that those registering in near proximity to a presidential election are more likely to vote in the upcoming election compared to those who register at other times during an election cycle because they seek an immediate return on their investment, but they are less likely to become habituated to vote in subsequent mid-term and primary elections. We suggest that this is because last-minute registrants, many of whom were registered through voter registration drives, were not focused on long-term electoral payoffs. Leveraging Florida's statewide voter files, we use logistic regression and propensity score weighting with county fixed-effects to evaluate if the timing of voter registration has significant short- and long-term turnout effects in high- and low-salience elections, controlling for party registration and an array of demographic factors. We find that the timing of registration does affect turnout, as last-minute registrants are not equally likely to vote in ensuing elections.
Kinetic-j: A computational kernel for solving the linearized Vlasov equation applied to calculations of the kinetic, configuration space plasma current for time harmonic wave electric fields

Abstract We present the Kinetic-j code, a computational kernel for evaluating the linearized Vlasov equation with application to calculating the kinetic plasma response (current) to an applied time harmonic wave electric field. This code addresses the need for a configuration space evaluation of the plasma current to enable kinetic full-wave solvers for waves in hot plasmas to move beyond the limitations of the traditional Fourier spectral methods . We benchmark the kernel via comparison with the standard k → -space forms of the hot plasma conductivity tensor. Program summary Program Title: Kinetic-j Program Files doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/w6znwd42z8.1 Licensing provisions: MIT Programming language: C++ / IDL / CUDA / Python Nature of problem: Configuration space evaluation of the linear, kinetic plasma current. Solution method: Direct numerical evaluation of the linearized solution of the Vlasov equation, i.e., provided a time harmonic wave electric field as input, evaluate the unperturbed Lorentz orbit of each phase-space (position and velocity) point trajectory and integrate over its time history, then take the first velocity moment to calculate current. Additional comments: This initial version is 1x-3v, and accepts input fields in either Cartesian or cylindrical coordinates . The code is hosted at https://github.com/ORNL-Fusion/kineticj .
Simultaneous detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella in apple cider and produce by a multiplex PCR.

With three pairs of primers, a multiplex PCR assay was established for the simultaneous detection of Escherichia coil O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella. Under the optimized conditions, the assay yielded a 252-bp product from E. coli 0157: H7, a 429-bp product from Salmonella Typhimurium, and a 620-bp product from Shigella flexneri, respectively. When the DNA extraction of multiple target organisms was included in the same reaction, two or three corresponding amplicons of different sizes were observed. In the specificity test, 10 E. coli O157:H7 strains and one E. coli O157:NM strain showed the expected 252-bp amplicon. Seven other E. coli strains yielded no signal. Additionally, the 429-bp amplicon was produced from 20 Salmonella strains covering 16 serotypes, whereas the 620-bp amplicon was generated from 11 Shigella strains covering 4 species. No nonspecific amplification was observed with DNA from 48 other bacterial strains. Following a 24-h enrichment, the developed assay could concurrently detect the three pathogens at initial inoculation levels of approximately 8 X 10 -1 CFU/g (or CFU/ml) in apple cider, cantaloupe, lettuce, tomato, and watermelon and 8 × 10 1 CFU/g in alfalfa sprouts. The whole procedure can be easily completed within 30 h. The multiplex PCR assay can potentially be a simple, rapid, and efficient tool for presumptive and simultaneous screening of apple cider and produce for contamination by E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and/or Shigella.
Fine Structure of the Hydrogen Spectra and Zeeman Effect

You might still have a vague recollection of me mentioning the spin–orbit coupling in Sect. 9.5.1, where I introduced the tensor product of spin and orbital spaces as a means to construct vectors representing both orbital and spin components of a quantum state (if you do not remember that, you would do yourself a favor by going back and rereading that part of the book). More specifically, the issue of spin–orbit coupling came up in the discussion of generic vectors in the tensor product space, which could be presented as a superposition of basis vectors, in which different spin states are paired with different orbital components. Such states can be called spin–orbit coupled because the orbital properties of a system in such a state can be changed by affecting its spin and vice versa. However, practically, such states can only be realized in systems with actual spin–orbit interaction contributing a special term containing a combination of spin and orbital operators to their energy and, correspondingly, quantum Hamiltonian. This interaction is quite common. It appears in many ordinary systems, such as atoms or semiconductors, and is responsible for a number of important phenomena. In atoms it gives rise to the spectral features known in the early days of quantum mechanics, while in semiconductors it brings about the relatively recently discovered effects allowing, for instance, to use the spin to control electron spatial flow. Combining spin and orbital phenomena in such nontrivial situations is never a simple task, even if merely because it doubles the number of equations that must be solved. At the same time, the phenomena resulting from the spin–orbit interaction are way too important to be simply ignored and shall be discussed even if you only start getting comfortable with intricacies of the quantum description of the world. Therefore, in this section, I am giving you a chance to learn about some aspects of the spin–orbit interaction in a relatively non-threatening environment by considering, again, a simple model of a single electron in a hydrogen-like atom.
Slurred Speech: How the NLRB Tolerates Racism

Racist speech in union representation elections is widespread and conflicts with the protections of Title VII for diverse employees across different industries. These messages contain slurs, promote white supremacy, and incite fears of legal favoritism for Blacks. Some besmirch Jews, Latinos, Japanese, and Mormons. The rise of white nationalism motivates my empirical study of racist speech in union representation elections. My database consists of fifty-one National Labor Relations Board cases and twenty-nine appellate court rulings on racially divisive campaign speech. In addition, the Article examines NLRB cases involving picketing employees who voice racial slurs to minority workers who cross their line. The fact findings show that the NLRB tolerates almost all slurs and incitements. The Board’s permissive policy conflicts with Title VII’s standard for racial harassment under Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc. This Article suggests that in cases where racist speech is an issue, the NLRB should use Title VII’s standard for a hostile work environment. Without making this policy change, the National Labor Relations Act opens the door for white nationalists to promote racial preference and re-segregation in the workplace.
A mathematical model of angiogenesis and tumor growth: analysis and application in anti-angiogenesis therapy

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new coupled mathematical model of angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth) and tumor growth to study cancer development and anti-angiogenesis therapy. The angiogenesis part assumes the capillary to be a viscoelastic continuum whose stress depends on cell proliferation or death, and the tumor part is a Darcy's law model regarding the tumor mass as an incompressible fluid where the nutrient-dependent growth elicits volume change. For the coupled model, we provide both an inviscid analysis and a parameter sensitivity analysis of the angiogenesis model in response to a stationary hypoxic tumor, and a steady state analysis of the tumor growth in response to a fixed and long blood capillary. The analysis shows that the stable steady state tumor with an invading blood capillary exists if and only if the nutrient release rate divided by the decay rate is less than the tumor viable limit, and the full tumor encloses one part of the capillary in this steady state. Afterwards, we use the coupled model to simulate vascularized tumor growth and anti-angiogenesis therapy. The simulations show that the tumor tends to maximize the nutrient transfer by blood vessel co-option and the anti-angiogenesis treatment by using growth factor neutralizing antibodies would regress the neovasculature and shrink the tumor size. However, the shrunken tumor mass could survive by feeding on mature blood vessels that resist the treatment. This implies the limited efficacy of the anti-angiogenesis monotherapy and its effect on vessel normalization.
Plasticity, innateness, and the path to language in the primate brain: Comparing macaque, chimpanzee and human circuitry for visuomotor integration

Abstract Many researchers consider language to be definitionally unique to humans. However, increasing evidence suggests that language emerged via a series of adaptations to neural systems supporting earlier capacities for visuomotor integration and manual action. This paper reviews comparative neuroscience evidence for the evolutionary progression of these adaptations. An outstanding question is how to mechanistically explain the emergence of new capacities from pre-existing circuitry. One possibility is that human brains may have undergone selection for greater plasticity, reducing the extent to which brain organization is hard-wired and increasing the extent to which it is shaped by socially transmitted, learned behaviors. Mutations that made these new abilities easier or faster to learn would have undergone positive selection, and over time, the neural changes once associated with individual neural plasticity would tend to become heritable, innate, and fixed. Clearly, though, language is not entirely “innate;” it does not emerge without the requisite environmental input and experience. Thus, a mechanistic explanation for the evolution of language must address the inherent trade-off between the evolutionary pressure for underlying neural systems to be flexible and sensitive to environmental input vs. the tendency over time for continually adaptive behaviors to become reliably expressed in an early-emerging, canalized, less flexible manner.
Enhanced release of palladium and platinum from catalytic converter materials exposed to ammonia and chloride bearing solutions.

The environmental levels of platinum group elements (PGEs) are steadily rising, primarily due to exhaust emissions of vehicle catalytic converter (VCC) materials containing solid PGEs. Once these VCC materials reach soil and water, the PGEs may be transported in the form of nanoparticles (dimensions 1–100 nm) or they may be mobilized by forming coordination complexes with ligands in the environment. Chloride (Cl−) and ammonia (NH3) are two ligands of particular concern due to their ubiquity as well as their potential to form the chemotherapy drug cisplatin (Pt(NH3)2Cl2) or other potentially bioactive complexes. This initial study examines the release of Pd and Pt into solutions exposed to VCC materials at pH 8 and 25 °C, using elemental analysis of metal content in post-exposure extracts. The solutions had total ammonia nitrogen concentrations (TAN, [NH4+] + [NH3]) of 0 μM, 5.56 μM, 55.6 μM and 1.13 × 105 μM (0 ppm, 0.1 ppm, 1 ppm, and 2147 ppm). The former three represent background environmental levels had a minimal effect on release. However, when combined with 1.13 × 105 μM Cl− (4000 ppm Cl−), 55.6 μM TAN induced a marked increase in metal release (∼41× for Pd). High TAN solutions induced more Pd and Pt release than equimolar NaCl solutions. Materials characterization revealed that ∼4 nm palladium-containing nanoparticles were present, spatially associated with nanoparticles of γ-Al2O3; ceria–zirconia nanoparticles were also present but did not have any metal associated with them. Platinum-containing nanoparticles were not observed.
Dental Care for Patients With Childhood Cancers.

Background: Childhood cancer is the second most common cause of death in children in the United States. Treatments for childhood cancers usually incorporate chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and/or surgery. This review of contemporary literature highlights the necessity for interprofessional care to achieve the best dental outcomes for this patient population during cancer treatment, as well as for children who are long-term cancer survivors. Methods: A literature search at PubMed identified research and review articles about oral and dental complications in children diagnosed with cancer. Also included were evidence and current best practices from guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry on dental management of pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy, hematopoietic cell transplantation, and/or radiation therapy. Finally, clinical recommendations from the European Society for Medical Oncology Guidelines Working Group on management of oral and gastrointestinal mucositis were included. The literature search was limited to articles published in the English language. Results: Children with a new diagnosis of cancer should have dental care provided by a pediatric dentist to mitigate the oral complications from cancer treatment as well as to avoid dental infections during immunosuppressed states. An individualized oral care program can be developed for each patient to manage and treat acute and long-term oral complications related to cancer treatment. Conclusion: Childhood cancer survivors present with unique challenges for dental management because of dental anomalies caused by cancer therapy. Interprofessional collaborative care between the pediatric dentist and the oncologist during and after cancer therapy will enable best outcomes for the pediatric patient. In addition, dental professionals must be prepared to meet the unique needs of long-term cancer survivors because of the increasing survival rates of childhood cancers.
Molecular dynamics on complexes of ras-p21 and its inhibitor protein, rap-1A, bound to the ras-binding domain of the raf-p74 protein: identification of effector domains in the raf protein.

We have computed the average structures for the ras-p21 protein and its strongly homologous inhibitor protein, rap-1A, bound to the ras-binding domain (RBD) of the raf protein, using molecular dynamics. Our purpose is to determine the differences in structure between these complexes that would result in no mitogenic activity of rap-1A-RBD but full activity of p21-RBD. We find that despite the similarities of the starting structures for both complexes, the average structures differ considerably, indicating that these two proteins do not interact in the same way with this vital target protein. p21 does not undergo major changes in conformation when bound to the RBD, while rap-1 A undergoes significant changes in structure on binding to the RBD, especially in the critical region around residue 61. The p21 and rap-1A make substantially different contacts with the RBD. For example, the loop region from residues 55–71 of rap-la makes extensive hydrogen-bond contacts with the RBD, while the same residues of p21 do not. Comparison of the structures of the RBD in both complexes reveals that it undergoes considerable changes in structure when its structure bound to p21 is compared with that bound to rap-1A. These changes in structure are due to displacements of regular structure (e.g., α-helices and β-sheets) rather than to changes in the specific conformations of the segments themselves. Three regions of the RBD have been found to differ significantly from one another in the two complexes: the binding interface between the two proteins at residues 60 and 70, the region around residues 105–106, and 118–120. These regions may constitute effector domains of the RBD whose conformations determine whether or not mitogenic signal transduction will occur.
Interactions Between Sleep and Breathing

Abstract Transitions from wakefulness to non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep lead to characteristic changes in the pattern of breathing, indicating that the brain networks responsible for the generation of sleep-wake states influence central respiratory activity. Multiple neurotransmitters and peptides that control behavioral states also modulate central respiratory neurons. Under some pathophysiological conditions, sleep disrupts breathing. Two state-dependent respiratory disorders, the congenital central hypoventilation syndrome and Rett syndrome, are caused by mutations of single genes whose identification helped to dissect the molecular mechanisms of respiratory chemosensitivity. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent and complex sleep-related respiratory disorder that has multiple adverse consequences (cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive). The research driven by OSA helped to identify important principles of the interactions between sleep and breathing, including the mechanisms and transmitters that maintain wake-related activity in upper airway muscles. A search for improved treatments, including pharmacotherapy, dominates the current research efforts.
The lambda calculus in functional programming

This paper outlines part of an undergraduate programming languages course loosely structured around the lambda calculus. Topics mentioned include: the lambda calculus itself, Church-Rosser, scope, evaluation order, parameter passing, macros, short circuit evaluation, Curried functions, types, the Von Neumann model, and the lambda calculus model. The lambda calculus can provide a solid, overall integrating effect for a programming languages course that focuses on functional programming languages.
Just add water? Chlorhexidine's antimicrobial properties are minimally affected by dilution in saline compared to water.

Dilute chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) in sterile water is an antiseptic solution approved for intraoperative wound irrigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration. In practice, however, CHG is commonly diluted with normal saline, which can result in its precipitation potentially reducing the antimicrobial effect. The purpose of this study was to determine if the antimicrobial properties of CHG are reduced after dilution with normal saline compared to sterile water. Sterile paper disks were placed into undiluted 4% CHG (positive control), 0.05% CHG in sterile water, 0.05% CHG in normal saline, or normal saline alone (negative control) and then placed in triplicate onto the agar plates inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus. After incubating at 37 °C for 24 h, the diameter of the zone of inhibition around each disk was measured. The mean zone of inhibition for 4% CHG, 0.05% CHG in sterile water, 0.05% CHG in normal saline, and normal saline alone was 24 ± 0.6 mm, 16 ± 0.9 mm, 14 ± 0.5 mm, and 0 ± 0 mm, respectively (p < 0.01). The zone of inhibition for dilute CHG in normal saline was on average 2.5 mm less (95% CI 1.7–3.2 mm) than that of CHG in sterile water. Dilute CHG in normal saline, versus sterile water, retained its antimicrobial activity with a small reduction in the zone of inhibition. Surgeons and scientists should be aware of the interaction between normal saline and CHG. Future scientific studies need to control for what solution is used for dilution.
Esophageal Thermal Injury Following Cryoballoon Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract Objectives This study evaluated the rate and predictors of endoscopically detected esophageal thermal lesions (EDEL) in patients who underwent cryoballoon atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation (CBA). Background EDEL is a known complication of catheter ablation for AF and is the inciting factor for atrial esophageal fistula formation. Methods An observational study was conducted of patients with AF presenting for CBA. Pre-procedural magnetic resonance imaging was used to retrospectively evaluate the distance between the atrial endocardium and the esophageal lumen (AED). Intraprocedural esophageal luminal temperature and balloon temperatures were recorded. All patients underwent upper endoscopy (EGD) 24 h post-ablation. Clinical, anatomical, and ablation parameters were analyzed using logistic regression for association with thermal injury. Results A total of 95 patients (37% women; 71% paroxysmal AF) were included in the study. Esophageal thermal injury was detected on EGD in 21 patients (22%). EDEL was mostly mild (20 of 21 patients) and severe in only 1 of 21 patients. Univariate logistic regression identified gastroesophageal reflux disease to be associated with increased risk of thermal injury (odds ratio [OR]: 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00 to 10.46; p = 0.04), whereas a wider AED was protective (OR: 0.16; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.515; p = 0.002). Esophageal wall thickness was also protective (OR: 0.04; 95% CI: 0.002 to 0.864; p = 0.04). In multivariate analysis, only AED (OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.77; p = 0.018) and obesity (OR: 4.63; 95% CI: 1.13 to 18.97; p = 0.033) were associated with EDEL. Esophageal luminal temperature, number, and duration of cryoballoon applications and balloon temperature were not predictors of EDEL. Conclusions EDEL following CBA occurred in 22% of patients and was mostly mild. Obesity and atrioesophageal distance were independently associated with increased risk.
A Sequenced Curriculum for Teaching Introductory C++ Programming

Several computer science education studies show that it is important when teaching introductory computer programming to teach the fundamental skills needed to learn programming in a sequenced order. These skills are reading code, writing code, interpreting programming templates, and applying programming templates to specific problems. However, most introductory programming courses, and programming textbooks, often interleave these skills so that writing code may be introduced before reading code and using templates to solve problems may be introduced before students are adequately taught how to interpret those templates. This poster will present a curriculum for teaching introductory C++ programming to Computer Science majors that follows the proper sequencing of skills. Examples of reading code using variable tracing problems are demonstrated, along with example problems in writing code. These examples will highlight several programming constructs including if statements, loops, and functions. Several programming templates are shown, as well as sample problems that require the student to recognize that the problem has an associated template and then be able to apply that template to solving the problem. The templates demonstrated in the poster include variable swapping, input one - process one, accumulate values until done, and processing all elements of an array.
Insulating regions in a TiO2 thin film defined by laser irradiation

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has a range of applications including catalysis, hydrogen production, and water purification. In this work, anatase TiO2 was annealed in vacuum at 800 °C, resulting in a conductive thin film. Exposure to subgap laser light (532 nm wavelength) caused a seven order-of-magnitude increase in resistance. Laser-irradiated regions showed an increase in optical transmission, consistent with a reduction in oxygen vacancy concentration. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy indicate that laser irradiation did not change the morphology, composition, or phase of the material.
Theoretical linkages between well-being and tourism: The case of self-determination theory and spiritual tourism

Abstract Self-determination theory (SDT) offers a robust and globally adopted evidence-based foundation from which explorations of increasingly popular forms of travel, like spiritual tourism, can be analyzed for their potential contributions to well-being. This paper draws on SDT to examine outcomes of well-being within spiritual tourism. It draws on autoethnography, a thick data approach to qualitative inquiry, which allows for the emergence of experiential and self-reflective processes engendered by forms of travel like spiritual tourism. The autoethnographic narrative is based on the author's spiritual tourism experience at a yoga/meditation retreat in Rishikesh, India. The narrative is transcended through theory-based linkages to broader social phenomena (i.e., well-being, SDT), by so doing, the legacy of theoretical development, characteristic of interpretive inquiry, is sustained.
Identifying a Typology of Unlisted Paid Home-Based Child Care Providers Using Latent Profile Analysis

Research Findings: This study provides a framework for categorizing one subset of the large and heterogeneous group of home-based child care providers, unlisted paid providers. We analyzed data on ...
Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of RPL13‐related skeletal dysplasia

RPL13-related disorder is a newly described skeletal dysplasia characterized as a form of spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with normal birth length, early postnatal growth deficiency, severe short stature, and genu varum. We present a 9-year-old male with a history of lower leg pain and concern for an unspecified form of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED). Exome sequencing revealed a de novo heterozygous RPL13 c.477+1G>A (IVS4+1G>A) pathogenic variant. This is the first identified case of an individual with an RPL13-related skeletal dysplasia, normal height, and radiographs consistent with a form of MED and Legg-Calve-Perthes-like disease. This case expands the phenotype of RPL13-related disorders.
Disaster‐Relief Logistics With Limited Fuel Supply

Providing adequate emergency supplies rapidly to the affected people so as to minimize human suffering and death is the basis of disaster-relief logistics. The impact that the shortage of fuel, a commonly encountered problem in many disaster situations, can have on the effectiveness of disaster-relief logistics operations is examined empirically in this study. The authors focus on investigating the following two issues: (1) whether the shortage of fuel is more damaging in attaining logistical goals than the equivalent-sized shortage in emergency supplies themselves, and (2) what types of vehicles should be used when the fuel supply is limited. It is suggested by the results that the shortage of fuel may be more damaging than the shortage of emergency supplies, and that when the shortage of fuel becomes severe, taller trucks may be preferred to larger trucks when the shortage of fuel becomes severe.
Young Children, Questions and Nonfiction Books.

This article discusses the use of nonfiction as a powerful antecedent for success in the types of reading required later on in the intermediate grades. Recent trends in informational (nonfiction) books, values of bringing together young children, and informational books and criteria for selecting high quality informational books are identified. Several question types are highlighted and incorporated into three strategies for bringing together young children, informational books, and questions. Also, a bibliography of high quality informational books is provided.
Reversible Denaturation of Enzymes by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

Successful renaturation of several oligomeric enzymes after denaturation by sodium dodecyl sulfate is described. The results obtained suggest a general procedure for reactivation of enzymes after treatment with this detergent. Proteins in dodecyl sulfate solution are first incubated in concentrated urea and are then freed of the detergent by an anion exchange resin. The resulting dodecyl sulfate-free proteins can be renatured from urea solution by standard procedures. This method has also been used to recover enzymatic activity in moderate yields of some proteins after electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate.
Internet Café as Battlefield: State Control over Internet Cafés in Turkey and the Lack of Popular Resistance

Dans le contexte du projet ambivalent d'occidentalisation de la Turquie, l'A. tente d'elucider les elements qui fondent le controle par l'Etat de l'acces a internet et de son utilisation, centrant son analyse sur l'exemple des cafes internet. A partir d'une micro-recherche de terrain qualitative, il examine egalement la reponse populaire au controle, a la regulation et a l'inspection des cafes internet. Il conclut que l'Etat, en obtenant le consentement des individus, maintien l'ordre social et assure la justification de son controle par les populations concernees, d'ou le manque de resistance populaire contre la regulation des cafes internet, un exemple parmi d'autres de la perennite du controle etatique en Turquie.
Paleomagnetic Criteria for Volcanic Breccia Emplacement

Measurements of NRM directions in clasts from selected volcanic breccia units of the Gallatin Range of Montana show that magnetization directions may be near-parallel from clast to clast, or near-random. Near-parallel directions are found in clasts from a unit formed by autobrecciation of a flow; this is to be expected in breccias which come to rest while heated above the average of blocking temperatures of the constituent ferromagnetic grains. Near-random directions are present in a breccia exhibiting field and petrographic characteristics of a mudflow or debris flow; such randomization should take place as breccia clasts are rotated while below the blocking temperature. Paleomagnetic measurements thus help distinguish between Gallatin Range volcanic breccias emplaced at relatively high versus relatively low temperature. The technique should have wide application in rocks of these types.
Estimating the cost of increasing retention in care for HIV-infected patients: Results of the CDC/HRSA retention in care trial

BACKGROUND Retaining HIV patients in medical care promotes access to antiretroviral therapy, viral load suppression, and reduced HIV transmission to partners. We estimate the programmatic costs of a US multisite randomized controlled trial of an intervention to retain HIV patients in care. METHODS Six academically affiliated HIV clinics randomized patients to intervention (enhanced personal contact with patients across time coupled with basic HIV education) and control [standard of care (SOC)] arms. Retention in care was defined as 4-month visit constancy, that is, at least 1 primary care visit in each 4-month interval over a 12-month period. We used microcosting methods to collect unit costs and measure the quantity of resources used to implement the intervention in each clinic. All fixed and variable labor and nonlabor costs of the intervention were included. RESULTS Visit constancy was achieved by 45.7% (280/613) of patients in the SOC arm and by 55.8% (343/615) of patients in the intervention arm, representing an increase of 63 patients (relative improvement 22.1%; 95% confidence interval: 9% to 36%; P < 0.01). The total annual cost of the intervention at the 6 clinics was $241,565, the average cost per patient was $393, and the estimated cost per additional patient retained in care beyond SOC was $3834. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses showed that a retention in care intervention consisting of enhanced personal contact coupled with basic HIV education may be delivered at fairly low cost. These results provide useful information for guiding decisions about planning or scaling-up retention in care interventions for HIV-infected patients.
Synthesis and crystal growth of zeolite (NH4, TPA)-ZSM-5

The crystallization and crystal growth of zeolite TPA-ZSM-5 when ammonium cation is used instead of alkali metal cations are reported. ZSM-5 was the only crystalline product obtained in this system. Activation energies for nucleation and crystallization were determined to be 9.6 and 15.9 kcal gmol−1, respectively. Using aqueous colloidal silica sol and crystals of tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPABr) as reagents resulted in relatively large (to 35 μm) euhedral single crystals, while the system containing microfine precipitated silica and solution of tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) produced spherulitic aggregates of very small crystals.
THREE STATISTICAL TESTING PROCEDURES IN LOGISTIC REGRESSION: THEIR PERFORMANCE IN DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING (DIF) INVESTIGATION

Three statistical testing procedures well-known in the maximum likelihood approach are the Wald, likelihood ratio (LR), and score tests. Although well-known, the application of these three testing procedures in the logistic regression method to investigate differential item function (DIF) has not been rigorously made yet. Employing a variety of simulation conditions, this research (a) assessed the three tests' performance for DIF detection and (b) compared DIF detection in different DIF testing modes (targeted vs. general DIF testing). Simulation results showed small differences between the three tests and different testing modes. However, targeted DIF testing consistently performed better than general DIF testing; the three tests differed more in performance in general DIF testing and nonuniform DIF conditions than in targeted DIF testing and uniform DIF conditions; and the LR and score tests consistently performed better than the Wald test.