cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OnionDNS: A seizure-resistant top-level Domain

The Domain Name System (DNS) provides the critical service of mapping canonical names to IP addresses. Recognizing this, a number of parties have increasingly attempted to perform “domain seizures” on targets by having them delisted from DNS. Such operations often occur without providing due process to the owners of these domains, a practice made potentially worse by recent legislative proposals. We address this problem by creating OnionDNS, an anonymous top-level domain (TLD) and resolution service for the Internet. Our solution relies on the establishment of a hidden service running DNS within Tor, and uses a variety of mechanisms to enable a high-performance architecture with strong integrity guarantees for resolved records. After discussing the details of our DNS architecture, we present our anonymous domain registrar and detail the protocol for securely transferring the service to another party. We also conduct a performance analysis demonstrating the service is fast with an average request latency between 1 and 2 seconds over Tor. In doing so, we demonstrate that the delisting of domains from DNS can be mitigated in an efficient and secure manner.
Reliability of the Attraction Method for Measuring Lumbar Spine Backward Bending

The distraction method is one method used to measure forward bending of the spine. Although this technique, which requires the use of a tape measure held over the spine and the location of anatomical landmarks, appears to be highly practical, previous studies have not examined its use for measuring backward bending. The purpose of our study was to determine the reliability of a similar technique, the attraction method, for measuring backward bending of the lumbar spine and to examine whether subjects with low back pain (LBP) could perform similar motion as subjects without LBP. Two groups composed of 100 subjects each, one with “significant” limiting low back pain (SLBP) and the other without “significant” limiting low back pain (NSLBP), were evaluated twice by a physical therapist to assess intrarater reliability. To assess interrater reliability, 11 subjects from the NSLBP Group were evaluated by a second therapist. For the total sample of 200 subjects, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for intrarater reliability was .95; for the SLBP Group, the ICC was .93; and for the NSLBP Group, the ICC was .90. For the sample of 11 NSLBP Group subjects examined for interrater reliability, the ICC was .94. Using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, we found the distribution for backward bending of the two groups to be significantly different. The attraction method, thus, appears to be a reliable method for measuring backward bending of the lumbar spine.
Incorporating validated alcohol and drug screening instruments in the electronic health record

Material and methods Since October of 2012, when our outpatient clinic transitioned to an EHR, we implemented the AUDIT and DAST-10 questionnaires as Epic SmartPhrases. A high score on either questionnaire prompts a “brief intervention” (BI), which includes offering the patient a printed brochure. To our SmartPhrases, we added hyperlinks (to http://www.sbirtonline.org and http://www.drugabuse.gov) to make pertinent brochures immediately available. To “charge capture” and retrieve BIs, we used the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for alcohol and drug counseling.
Development of High-Gradient Dielectric Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator Structures

The thrust of Stanford's program is to conduct research on high-gradient dielectric accelerator structures driven with high repetition-rate, tabletop infrared lasers. The close collaboration between Stanford and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) is critical to the success of this project, because it provides a unique environment where prototype dielectric accelerator structures can be rapidly fabricated and tested with a relativistic electron beam.
George J. Gore's “The Management Internship”

The article presents a response to an earlier article titled “The Management Internship,” by George J. Gore, which appeared in a previous issue of “Academy of Management Journal.” The author of thi...
Medullary electrosensory processing in the little skate. I. Response characteristics of neurons in the dorsal octavolateralis nucleus.

1. Previous studies have demonstrated that the resting activity of electrosensory ALLN fibers is modulated by the animal's own respiratory activity and that all fibers innervating a single ampullary cluster are modulated with the same amplitude and phase relationship to ventilation. We demonstrate that ALLN fibers in the skate are modulated in this common-mode manner bilaterally, regardless of receptor group, orientation, or position of the receptor pore on the body surface (Fig. 2). 2. Ascending efferent neurons (AENs), which project to the electrosensory midbrain from the DON, are modulated through a much smaller portion of their dynamic range. AENs give larger responses to an extrinsic local electric field than to the respiratory driving, indicating that a mechanism exists for suppressing ventilatory electrosensory reafference. 3. In paralyzed animals no modulation of resting activity or of responses of extrinsic electric fields could be observed with respect to the animal's respiratory motor commands in the absence of electrosensory reafference. 4. Cells of the dorsal granular ridge (DGR) project to medullary AENs via the DON molecular layer. A majority of proprioceptive DGR neurons are modulated by ventilatory activity, however, in a given fish the modulation is not in the same phase relationship to ventilation among DGR units. 5. The modulation of AENs during respiration was increased following transection of the contralateral ALLN (Fig. 9). Resting activity and responses to excitatory stimuli were inhibited by simultaneous stimulation of the transected contralateral ALLN indicating that a common-mode rejection mechanism is mediated via the commissural interconnections of the DONs.
Deliberative versus nondeliberative evaluation of a minority group after viewing an entertainment portrayal

This study tests whether entertainment portrayals of international medical graduate physicians may influence attitudes toward such physicians among television viewers. Given the growing importance of international physicians in U.S. health care delivery, such effects would have the potential to impact significant numbers of patient–physician interactions. From a theoretical and methodological standpoint, this examination extends existing work on entertainment portrayals of often-stigmatized minorities and its impact on minorities for whom stereotypes may be in some respects favorable. An experiment manipulating positive versus negative portrayals of the communicative and professional competence of an Asian Indian female physician on the program ER found that exposure had no effect on conventional, deliberative measures of attitude toward such physicians. However, use of attitude-accessibility measurement suggested that viewers (to the extent that they identified with the narrative character, an Asian Indi...
Effect of Vector Transmission at Different Stage of Bancroftian Filariasis Control

Objective To understand how the vector transmission can influent the control of bancroftian filariasis at different stage in Guangdong province. Method The proportion of each kind of mosquito in living room in epidemic area, and the situation of natural infection causing by mosquito were analyzed. Results A large scale survey of mosquito vectors was carried out in the epidemic areas of bancroftian filariasis from 1956 to 1969. The larva of C. quinquefasciatus, Culex bitaeniorhynchus, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, An. sinensis, and An.minimus were found and their natural infection rates were 9.94%, 1.46%, 6.77%, 2.24% and 3.11% ,respectively. The infection stage larva (L3) could be found in C. quinquefasciatus only, with a rate of 0.22%.C. quinquefasciatus was the major kind of mosguito in living room in endemic area (97.76%,731505/748239). These showed that C. quinquefasciatus was the transmission vector of bancroftian filariasis. In the stage of before control, during control, basic control and postperiod of control, the annual transmission potential (ATP) of C. quinquefasciatus were 10486.21,5131.89,124.30 and 0, respectively. Conclusion The results indicated that the transmission had been blocked in the postperiod of filariasis control in Guangdong province.
Film music and Heinz Werner's theory of physiognomic perception.

Physiognomic perception, a term coined by Heinz Werner, refers to a mode of perception attuned to expression or expressive attributes. The term applies readily to the perception of faces, gestures, intonation, and mood. It has also been implicated in the perception of the arts and music and is therefore relevant to understanding the perception of film that is accompanied by music. The concept of physiognomic perception distinguishes perceptual experience from emotional response. It is proposed that this distinction must be maintained in analyzing the film-music experience and its dynamics in order that perceptual properties of music and film be identified as such instead of spuriously attributed to emotional responses on the part of the film spectator. Furthermore, the concept of physiognomic perception provides an alternative to the view that music contributes to film perception by simply adding associations. In making this argument, the paper reviews the theory of physiognomic perception, citing historical antecedents in classical Greek philosophy relative to physiognomy and physiognomies, and ideas subsequently derived from that intellectual tradition in terms of the musical modes and affections in music, as formulated in medieval and baroque music theory, respectively. Connections are also made with the general notion of "aesthetic perception," Lipps' theory of "empathy," and more contemporary psychological aesthetic ideas of Arnheim and Gibson.
Efficacy of coordinating shoulder and elbow motion in a myoelectric transhumeral prosthesis in reaching tasks

This paper presents a control approach for myoelectric transhumeral prostheses that coordinates the movement of the elbow joint with the movement of the (intact) shoulder. The method combines input from a pair of surface electromyograms (EMG) inputs with information from an inertia measurement unit (IMU) to provide coordinated control of the joints, as described in the paper. In order to assess the efficacy of the control method, experiments were conducted on six healthy subjects using a virtual environment, comparing their ability to perform various pick-and-place tasks, specifically requiring that they pick a virtual ball from a given location and place it in a virtual box, which changed location randomly. The time required to complete a series of pick-and-place tasks using the coordinated control approach was compared to the time required to complete the tasks using a conventional sequential control approach. For these experiments, the average task completion time across all sessions and subjects was 12.8 s using the conventional sequential control approach, versus 8.7 s using the coordinated control approach (i.e., subjects performed the task 32% faster with the proposed approach), indicating that the proposed approach provides improved performance relative to the conventional approach.
Understanding dendritic cell immunotherapy in ovarian cancer

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Approximately eighty percent of patients with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced disease. Even with cutting edge surgical techniques and the best regimens of standard therapies most patients relapse and die of drug resistant disease within five years of diagnosis. Dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy can induce anti-tumor T cell immunity in patients and holds great potential in the era of modern anti-cancer treatment.Areas Covered: This review outlines critical factors regulating the outcome of DC immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, summarizes the important findings in ovarian cancer DC clinical trials, and discusses new directions which may improve the effectiveness of DC immunotherapy.Expert Commentary: Administration of DC vaccines with other forms of immunotherapy may enhance the efficacy of these treatments, ultimately increasing cures for this disease.
Leucine supplementation stimulates protein synthesis and reduces degradation signal activation in muscle of newborn pigs during acute endotoxemia

Sepsis disrupts skeletal muscle proteostasis and mitigates the anabolic response to leucine (Leu) in muscle of mature animals. We have shown that Leu stimulates muscle protein synthesis (PS) in healthy neonatal piglets. To determine if supplemental Leu can stimulate PS and reduce protein degradation (PD) signaling in neonatal muscle during endotoxemia, overnight-fasted neonatal pigs were infused for 8 h with LPS or saline while plasma amino acids, glucose, and insulin were maintained at fasting levels during pancreatic-substrate clamps. Leu or saline was infused during the last hour. Markers of PS and PD were determined in skeletal muscle. Compared with controls, Leu increased PS in longissimus dorsi (LD), gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles. LPS decreased PS in these three muscles by 36%, 28%, and 38%, but Leu antagonized that reduction by increasing PS by 84%, 81%, and 83%, respectively, when supplemented to LPS. Leu increased eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF)3b-raptor interactions, eIF4E-binding protein-1, and S6 kinase 1 phosphorylation as well as eIF4E·eIF4G complex formation in LD, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles of control and LPS-treated pigs. In LD muscle, LPS increased the light chain (LC)3-II-to-LC3 ratio and muscle-specific RING finger (MuRF-1) abundance but not atrogin-1 abundance or AMP-activated protein kinase-α phosphorylation. Leu supplementation to LPS-treated pigs reduced the LC3-II-to-LC3 ratio, MuRF-1 abundance, and AMP-activated protein kinase-α phosphorylation compared with LPS alone. In conclusion, parenteral Leu supplementation attenuates the LPS-induced reduction in PS by stimulating mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1-dependent translation and may reduce PD by attenuating autophagy-lysosome and MuRF-1 signaling in neonatal skeletal muscle.
Integration of simulation model and traffic signal controller

Effective traffic signal control, practical signal controller implementation, and optimum timing design are important to urban operations. Computer simulation programs are often used for off-line analysis. The "real-time, on-line simulation" or "hardware-in-the-loop" design by combining control hardware and performance evaluation is promising. This paper describes an innovative input/output interface design to take advantage of the available simulation models to improve future signal controller design and field maintenance. >
Every Graph $G$ is Hall $\Delta(G)$-Extendible

In the context of list coloring the vertices of a graph, Hall's condition is a generalization of Hall's Marriage Theorem and is necessary (but not sufficient) for a graph to admit a proper list coloring. The graph $G$ with list assignment $L$, abbreviated $(G,L)$, satisfies Hall's condition if for each subgraph $H$ of $G$, the inequality $|V(H)| \leq \sum_{\sigma \in \mathcal{C}} \alpha(H(\sigma, L))$ is satisfied, where $\mathcal{C}$ is the set of colors and $\alpha(H(\sigma, L))$ is the independence number of the subgraph of $H$ induced on the set of vertices having color $\sigma$ in their lists. A list assignment $L$ to a graph $G$ is called Hall if $(G,L)$ satisfies Hall's condition. A graph $G$ is Hall $k$-extendible for some $k \geq \chi(G)$ if every $k$-precoloring of $G$ whose corresponding list assignment is Hall can be extended to a proper $k$-coloring of $G$. In 2011, Bobga et al. posed the question: If $G$ is neither complete nor an odd cycle, is $G$ Hall $\Delta(G)$-extendible? This paper establishes an affirmative answer to this question: every graph $G$ is Hall $\Delta(G)$-extendible. Results relating to the behavior of Hall extendibility under subgraph containment are also given. Finally, for certain graph families, the complete spectrum of values of $k$ for which they are Hall $k$-extendible is presented. We include a focus on graphs which are Hall $k$-extendible for all $k \geq \chi(G)$, since these are graphs for which satisfying the obviously necessary Hall's condition is also sufficient for a precoloring to be extendible.
Retained Lumbar Catheter Tip.

A man underwent placement of a lumbar catheter to drain cerebrospinal fluid at the start of a vascular surgery procedure. On the first postoperative day, an anesthesia resident who had never removed this type of drain removed the drain after consulting with his attending physician. The patient was seen on postoperative day 6 in the vascular surgery clinic reporting drainage from the lumbar drain site that had persisted since hospital discharge. That same day, the anesthesia resident removed another lumbar catheter and noted that the tip appeared different than the previous one. Suspecting that a fragment of the catheter tip may have been retained in the patient, he notified the attending anesthesiologist and the vascular surgery clinic. On examination of the patient’s back, there was a raised area of skin with clear fluid at the lumbar drain site. Imaging was obtained, which confirmed the retained lumbar catheter tip.
T-Connector Modification for Reducing Recurrent Distal Shunt Failure: Report of 2 Cases.

Background and importance Cerebrospinal fluid shunt placement is used to treat the various causes of hydrocephalus by redirecting the cerebrospinal fluid to the body, most commonly from the ventricle to the peritoneum. Distal catheter displacement from the peritoneal cavity can occur as a complication, necessitating reoperation. Clinical presentation We report 2 such cases in obese patients involving retropulsion of the distal tubing. To address this complication, we implanted a T-connector to the distal catheter construct. Conclusion This study supports the use of a T-connector catheter construct to decrease and prevent the possibility of distal peritoneal catheter retropulsion in cases of elevated intra-abdominal pressure, both prophylactically and in revisions.
Rigorous Comparison of the Rudnicki-Rice and Vermeer Bifurcation Criteria

This paper presents a rigorous comparison of the bifurcation criteria formulated by Rudnicki and Rice [1], and Vermeer [2, 3] for strain localization in geomaterials. It is shown that the simpler Vermeer’s criterion is equivalent to the more complicated Rudnicki-Rice criterion for two-dimensional loading conditions. Differences between the two criteria exist for three-dimensional loading conditions.
Plant flavones enhance antimicrobial activity of respiratory epithelial cell secretions against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Flavones are a class of natural plant secondary metabolites that have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. Some flavones also activate the T2R14 bitter taste receptor, which is expressed in motile cilia of the sinonasal epithelium and activates innate immune nitric oxide (NO) production. Flavones may thus be potential therapeutics for respiratory infections. Our objective was to examine the anti-microbial effects of flavones on the common sinonasal pathogens Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, evaluating both planktonic and biofilm growth. Flavones had only very low-level antibacterial activity alone. They did not reduce biofilm formation, but did reduce production of the important P. aeruginosa inflammatory mediator and ciliotoxin pyocyanin. However, flavones exhibited synergy against P. aeruginosa in the presence of antibiotics or recombinant human lysozyme. They also enhanced the efficacy of antimicrobials secreted by cultured and primary human airway cells grown at air-liquid interface. This suggests that flavones may have anti-gram-negative potential as topical therapeutics when combined with antibiotics or in the context of innate antimicrobials secreted by the respiratory or other epithelia. This may have an additive effect when combined with T2R14-activated NO production. Additional studies are necessary to understand which flavone compounds or mixtures are the most efficacious.
Expression of a Cellobiose Phosphorylase from Thermotoga maritima in Caldicellulosiruptor bescii Improves the Phosphorolytic Pathway and Results in a Dramatic Increase in Cellulolytic Activity

Members of the genus Caldicellulosiruptor have the ability to deconstruct and grow on lignocellulosic biomass without conventional pretreatment. A genetically tractable species, Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, was recently engineered to produce ethanol directly from switchgrass. C. bescii contains more than 50 glycosyl hydrolases and a suite of extracellular enzymes for biomass deconstruction, most prominently CelA, a multidomain cellulase that uses a novel mechanism to deconstruct plant biomass. Accumulation of cellobiose, a product of CelA during growth on biomass, inhibits cellulase activity. Here, we show that heterologous expression of a cellobiose phosphorylase from Thermotoga maritima improves the phosphorolytic pathway in C. bescii and results in synergistic activity with endogenous enzymes, including CelA, to increase cellulolytic activity and growth on crystalline cellulose.IMPORTANCE CelA is the only known cellulase to function well on highly crystalline cellulose and it uses a mechanism distinct from those of other cellulases, including fungal cellulases. Also unlike fungal cellulases, it functions at high temperature and, in fact, outperforms commercial cellulase cocktails. Factors that inhibit CelA during biomass deconstruction are significantly different than those that impact the performance of fungal cellulases and commercial mixtures. This work contributes to understanding of cellulase inhibition and enzyme function and will suggest a rational approach to engineering optimal activity.
Host-influenza proteomics leads to metabolic drug repurposing that reduces viral burden while significantly improving survival after lethal infection (TECH2P.917)

A retrospective survey of pediatric patients infected with respiratory pathogens identified increases in glucose metabolism in the lungs of several individuals. After viral infection the host cell mounts an energetic and resource intensive antiviral response, while the virus exploits the host to generate progeny. Using absolute quantification with Host-Influenza Proteomics (HIP) we sought to characterize changes in host cell homeostasis that contribute to these competing processes. Like in the patients, we found gross metabolic changes occurring after influenza infection in primary human respiratory cells as well as dendritic cells. This new metabolic phenotype is distinct from immune activation and involves increases in glycolysis and glutaminolysis, decreased fatty acid β-oxidation concomitant to non-canonical TCA activity. Based on these findings we developed a metabolic drug repurposing screen in human bronchial epithelial cells and high-throughput viral tittering system. We screened over 160 metabolic substrates and small molecules to identify responsive prophylactic and therapeutic pathways (e.g. lipid and glucose metabolism respectively). One compound known to alter glucose sensitivity, NVP-BEZ235, reduced viral titers and significantly increased survival in vivo after lethal influenza challenge. Human PET scans followed by HIP analysis elucidated a unique metabolic signature in influenza-infection exposing targets for therapeutic intervention.
Reproductive health and AIDS-related services for women: how well are they integrated?

In 1994 the Alan Guttmacher Institute conducted a survey of 30 health care facilities that received grant monies under Title IIIb of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act 19 family planning clinics that have some HIV services and 2 family planning clinics that also received monies from Title IIIb. It aimed to examine integration of reproductive health services with HIV/AIDS services which in turn would indicate how well the needs of women infected with HIV suffering from AIDS or at risk of HIV infection are being met. Most Title IIIb grantees had used some Title IIIb funds to provide HIV testing (25) and counseling (24) but they were likely to consider reproductive health and sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV services as 2 different categories. Most common services of Title IIIb grantees were mental health services and referrals (28) pelvic exam (26) substance abuse counseling and referrals (26) Pap smears (25) testing for and treatment of urinary and vaginal infections (25) and diagnostic evaluation of gynecologic tumor (25). All 19 family planning clinics with a few exceptions provided gynecologic care HIV testing and counseling pregnancy testing options counseling STD testing and treatment and reversible contraceptive services. Overall family planning providers did not consider reproductive health services to be an integral part of HIV/AIDS services regardless of a womans HIV status. The 2 family planning clinics that also received Title IIIb funds considered themselves to be primary health care providers from a womans perspective. They perceived that their clients needed HIV/AIDS services. These findings illustrate a need to eliminate the perceptual distinctions between reproductive health services and STD/HIV services and to consider reproductive health services as integral components of HIV/AIDS prevention. We need a more integrated system of assisting women with HIV/AIDS and those at risk of HIV infection.
Interval Methods in Robot Navigation

Interval methods helped a robot designed by the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) team win a prestigious third place world-wide in the robot competition held during the American Association of Artificial Intelligence conference in Portland, Oregon, August 6-7, 1996.
Master Therapists' Construction of the Therapy Relationship

Qualitative research methods were used to elicit master therapists' statements regarding their use and understanding of the therapy relationship. The master therapists were identified and recruited in a previous study (Jennings & Skovholt, 1999) through a procedure used to create a sample of information-rich cases.The result of the analysis is a Model of Relationship Stances.The Safe Relationship Domain is composed of three categories of therapist actions: Responding, Collaborating, and Joining. The Challenging Relationship Domain also is composed of three categories of therapist actions: Using Self, Engaging, and Objectivity.The domains and categories are conceptualized as relationship stances utilized by the master therapists to meet individual client needs.
Comparison of a Patient-Centered Weight Loss Program starting before versus after knee replacement: A pilot study.

Abstract Background Most patients risk gaining weight in the years after knee replacement, adding further concern to a population that is mostly overweight/obese prior to surgery. Objective Via a randomised pilot study, we assessed changes in weight during a Patient Centered Weight Loss Program (PACE) initiated either before or after knee replacement, while simultaneously examining the feasibility of recruiting and retaining participants over 26 weeks. Methods Recruitment outreach was made to 133 patients scheduled for knee replacement. Sixteen participants were randomised to a 14-session weight loss program that started either ≤6 weeks before surgery (PACE) or at 12 weeks post-op (Delayed PACE). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine preliminary changes in weight, function, patient-reported outcomes, and physical activity across time (baseline/pre-op, 12 and 26 weeks after surgery) and group. Results Retention was 75% and 69% at 12 and 26 weeks after surgery, respectively. Weight significantly decreased across the 26 weeks (P Conclusion Conducting a behavioural intervention was challenging but feasible in a knee replacement population, with preliminary evidence suggesting that initiating a program 12 weeks after surgery produces greater weight losses at 26 weeks compared to a program starting before knee replacement.
Drug Induced Renal Effects of Cyclosporine, Aminoglycoside Antibiotics and Lithium: Extrapolation of Animal Data to Man

Drugs may have either a beneficial or adverse effect on renal function. It is the latter effect we wish to focus on since 10% nephrological consultations involve the possibility of drug-induced renal injury (Porter and Bennett, 1985). Thus information regarding prevalence, clinical presentation, pathophysiological mechanisms of injury and methods of modifying it have become a significant area of research. Most studies are designed to assess the potential risk which a drug possesses for inducing significant nephrotoxicity in a given patient. Since toxicology studies the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms and assesses the probability of their occurrence, the two expected outcomes of a toxicological analysis are risk assessment and risk prediction. However, clinical toxicology combines the science of toxicology with the art of medicine; thus, the contribution of each is critical in the study of druginduced nephrotoxicity. Scientifically, both the quantitative and qualitative in vivo and in vitro effect of drugs in the kidney are important contributors to the final assessment. However, the answer most often sought i.e., to predict occurrence in man, must occur in the face of limited scientific data as it involves the extrapolation of one set of exposure conditions to another circumstance involving different species.
Discovery and Optimization of nTZDpa as an Antibiotic Effective Against Bacterial Persisters

Conventional antibiotics are not effective in treating infections caused by drug-resistant or persistent nongrowing bacteria, creating a dire need for the development of new antibiotics. We report that the small molecule nTZDpa, previously characterized as a nonthiazolidinedione peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma partial agonist, kills both growing and persistent Staphylococcus aureus cells by lipid bilayer disruption. S. aureus exhibited no detectable development of resistance to nTZDpa, and the compound acted synergistically with aminoglycosides. We improved both the potency and selectivity of nTZDpa against MRSA membranes compared to mammalian membranes by leveraging synthetic chemistry guided by molecular dynamics simulations. These studies provide key insights into the design of selective and potent membrane-active antibiotics effective against bacterial persisters.
The relationship between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and drought indices in the South Central United States

Drought indices are useful for quantifying drought severity and have shown mixed success as an indicator of drought damage and biophysical dryness. While spatial downscaling of drought indicators from the climate divisional level to the county level has been conducted successfully in previous work, little research to date has attempted to “upscale” remotely sensed biophysical indicators to match the downscaled drought indices. This upscaling is important because drought damage and indices are often reported at a coarser scale than the biophysical indicators provide. This research upscales National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor-acquired Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to produce a county-level biophysical drought index, for a five-state region of the South Central United States. The county-level NDVI is then correlated with the downscaled drought indices for assessing the degree to which the biophysical data match well-documented drought indicators. Results suggest that the Palmer Drought Severity Index and Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index are effective indicators of biophysical drought in much of the arid western part of the study area and in larger swaths of the study area in summer. In nearly all cases except for autumn months, correlations are weakest in the ecotones, with significant negative correlations in the humid eastern part of the study area. Results generally corroborate the findings of recent research that correlations between drought indices and biophysical drought vary spatially. As long-lead climate forecasts continue to improve, these results can assist environmental planners in preparing for the impacts of drought.
130 IN VIVO ANALYSIS OF THE ADENOVIRUS-SPECIFIC CYTOTOXIC T-LYMPHOCYTE RESPONSE IN CD28-, FASL-, AND PERFORIN-DEFICIENT MICE.

Although the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response has long been recognized as the major limitation for successful adenovirus (Ad) gene therapy, it has been difficult to determine the major mechanisms of Ad-specific CTL generation and effector functions. To address this problem, we utilized an MHC I tetramer, Db-E1Bp, and an in vivo CTL assay to examine the role of CD28, perforin, FasL, and TNFa in generation and/or function of Ad-specific CTLs. Eight days after Ad infection, 1% of CD8+ cells in spleen were Db-E1Bp+ in CD28KO mice, compared to 9.3% in WT mice. The target cell killing efficiencies are also reduced by 77% and 80% in the spleen and liver of CD28KO mice, respectively, compared to those of WT mice. To distinguish between the defects in CTL generation and effector function in CD28KO mice, a plot of the number of Db-E1Bp+ CTLs and the E1Bp-specific target cell lysis was compared to that of WT mice. The results indicate that two out of the three CD28KO mice exhibited lower killing efficiency per cell compared with that of WT mice (Figure 3). The expression of CD28 on CD8+ T cells exhibited a direct effect on CTL activation since there was no defect in generation or function of Db-E1Bp+CD8+ T cells in CD4+ depleted mice. Perforin-deficient (Prf-/-)mice exhibited 70% target cell lysis compared to 98% in WT mice, whereas the number of Ad-specific CTLs remained the same as in WT mice. In contrast, the generation of Ad-specific CD8 T cells in FasL-deficient mice was significantly reduced by 62% and 50% in the spleen and liver, respectively, but the specific lysis were equivalent to that of WT mice. The killing efficiency in Prf2/2 mice were further reduced to 37% in killing of Fas-deficient cells but remained the same in killing of cells from TNFR12/2TNFR22/2 mice. These results indicate that CD28 is necessary for an optimal CTL response. In WT mice, the CTL activity is mediated mainly by perforin. In the absence of perforin, FasL, but not TNFa, produced by the CTLs appears to mediate the Ad-specific killing of target cells (Figure 4).
Epilogue: Timeless Teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā

This chapter distills the essential teachings of the Gītā on life and leadership. It draws together all the myriad strands presented in the foregoing chapters and offers pointers on the path of action (karmayoga), knowledge (jnānayoga), meditation (dhyānayoga), and devotion (bhaktiyoga). The path of Self-knowledge as taught in the Gītā garners self-awareness, an essential quality of effective leadership. This self-awareness makes us aware of the fact that, at its very core, all life is essentially one. The diversity and multiplicity that we see is an expression of that one Reality in which everything is irrevocably connected to everything else. According to the Gītā, this understanding helps us live a life of selfless service and contribution, the key to personal happiness and social harmony. The Gītā teaches us that true peace can only come by serving the common good and surrendering to the Divine within us.
The Influence of Serotonin on Seizure Susceptibility in the Gerbil

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) (50 mg/kg, I.P.) increased central serotonin (5-HT) levels and delayed the onset of seizure during reflow in gerbils subjected to transient bilateral blockade with dimethyl tryptamine (DMT) (10 mg/kg I.P.) caused early onset of seizure. Results support an influence of 5-HT on seizure threshold in the central nervous system of the gerbil.
Childhood Cancer: Secondary Malignancy and Fertility Implications

The patient is a 37-year-old Caucasian female with a history of stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) diagnosed in October 1994 at the age of 13. At diagnosis, she had the disease in the left supraclavicular, left axillary, and small paratracheal with metastasis of the lumbar spine at L4. Her chemotherapy regimen consisted of COPP/ABV including Cyclophosphamide (4 g/m2), Oncovorin, Procarbazine (42 g/m2), and Prednisone, alternating with Adriamycin (210 mg/m2), Bleomycin, and Velban. Her total anthracycline dose was 210 mg/m2. She received consolidation radiotherapy of 15 Gy to the mantle field, ending in May 1995. She did not have the opportunity to harvest eggs prior to her cancer treatment as that was not common practice at that time. Her HL remained in a complete remission, and she reached normal adolescent milestones, attended and graduated college, and worked in public health.
A machine-learning-based prediction model of fistula formation after interstitial brachytherapy for locally advanced gynecological malignancies

Abstract Purpose External beam radiotherapy combined with interstitial brachytherapy is commonly used to treat patients with bulky, advanced gynecologic cancer. However, the high radiation dose needed to control the tumor may result in fistula development. There is a clinical need to identify patients at high risk for fistula formation such that treatment may be managed to prevent this toxic side effect. This work aims to develop a fistula prediction model framework using machine learning based on patient, tumor, and treatment features. Methods and Materials This retrospective study included 35 patients treated at our institution using interstitial brachytherapy for various gynecological malignancies. Five patients developed rectovaginal fistula and two developed both rectovaginal and vesicovaginal fistula. For each patient, 31 clinical features of multiple data types were collected to develop a fistula prediction framework. A nonlinear support vector machine was used to build the prediction model. Sequential backward feature selection and sequential floating backward feature selection methods were used to determine optimal feature sets. To overcome data imbalance issues, the synthetic minority oversampling technique was used to generate synthetic fistula cases for model training. Results Seven mixed data features were selected by both sequential backward selection and sequential floating backward selection methods. Our prediction model using these features achieved a high prediction accuracy, that is, 0.904 area under the curve, 97.1% sensitivity, and 88.5% specificity. Conclusions A machine-learning–based prediction model of fistula formation has been developed for patients with advanced gynecological malignancies treated using interstitial brachytherapy. This model may be clinically impactful pending refinement and validation in a larger series.
Making and breaking symmetry in development, growth and disease.

ABSTRACT Consistent asymmetries between the left and right sides of animal bodies are common. For example, the internal organs of vertebrates are left-right (L-R) asymmetric in a stereotyped fashion. Other structures, such as the skeleton and muscles, are largely symmetric. This Review considers how symmetries and asymmetries form alongside each other within the embryo, and how they are then maintained during growth. I describe how asymmetric signals are generated in the embryo. Using the limbs and somites as major examples, I then address mechanisms for protecting symmetrically forming tissues from asymmetrically acting signals. These examples reveal that symmetry should not be considered as an inherent background state, but instead must be actively maintained throughout multiple phases of embryonic patterning and organismal growth.
QTL mapping of intestinal neutrophil variation and inflammation between threespine stickleback populations reveals links to neurodegenerative disease

Host selection is often required to foster beneficial microbial symbionts and suppress deleterious pathogens. In animals, the host immune system is at the center of this relationship. Failed host immune system-microbial interactions can result in a persistent inflammatory response in which the immune system indiscriminately attacks resident microbes, and at times the host cells themselves, leading to diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn9s Disease, and Psoriasis. Host genetic variation has been linked to both microbiome diversity and to severity of such inflammatory disease states in humans. However, the microbiome and inflammatory states manifest as quantitative traits, which encompass many genes interacting with one another and the environment. The mechanistic relationships among all of these interacting components are still not clear. Developing natural genetic models of host-microbe interactions is therefore fundamental to understanding the complex genetics of these and other diseases. Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) fish are a tractable model for attacking this problem because of abundant population-level genetic and phenotypic variation in the gut inflammatory response. Previous work in our laboratory identified genetically divergent stickleback populations exhibiting differences in intestinal neutrophil activity. We took advantage of this diversity to genetically map variation in an emblematic element of gut inflammation - intestinal neutrophil recruitment - using an F2-intercross mapping framework. We identified three regions of the genome associated with increased intestinal inflammation containing several promising candidate genes. Within these regions we found candidates in the Coagulation/Complement System, NFkB and MAPK pathways along with several genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases commonly accompanying intestinal inflammation as a secondary symptom. These findings highlight the utility of using naturally genetically diverse 9evolutionary mutant models9 such as threespine stickleback to better understand interactions among host genetic diversity and microbiome variation in health and disease states.
Animals, Women and Terms of Abuse: Towards a Cultural Etymology of Con ( e ) y , Cunny , Cunt and C*nt

That sexism and speciesism on occasion operate in concert has been well documented in animal studies, in ecofeminism and in green criminology. This article shows that for much of its history, the taboo term cunt has embodied terms of abuse that are at once both sexist and speciesist. In opening up a new direction in the analysis of intersectional oppressions, this article examines how the burden of this dirty work has been carried by species represented by terms such as bitch, bunny, cow, fox and pussy. In uncovering this history, this article constructs a cultural etymology of cunt, finding that: (1) the term acquired its full vitriol only when speciesism was shackled to its latent sexism; and (2) only when its speciesist aspects were censured and rendered obsolete did its abusiveness toward women begin to ebb. The article concludes with a warning: Those who nowadays aim to rehabilitate cunt and reclaim it on behalf of women should be mindful that this project can proceed only if it ignores the history of how this binary term was enabled and intensified by human violence against other animals.
Increasing self-efficacy and knowledge in carer training: Hispanic versus Caucasian.

Aim Nurses are teachers to their patients and need to know best practices for diverse families living with dementia. Little is known about Hispanic beliefs around dementia knowledge and self-efficacy that may have an impact on the learning situation. Design A pre-/postresearch design was used in this intervention study with a baseline assessment of dementia knowledge and caregiver self-efficacy and a reassessment at training completion. Methods Investigation of education training with two caregiver groups caring for persons with dementia: Caucasian and Hispanic. Convenience sample consisted of 567 Caucasians and 104 Hispanic dementia caregivers. Groups received training in their primary language accompanied by a training book (Dealing with Dementia Guide) also in the primary language. Results Dementia knowledge and caregiver self-efficacy increased in both groups with the Hispanic group demonstrating significantly greater increase in self-efficacy. The Caucasian group had a significantly greater increase in the dementia knowledge compared with the Hispanic group.
Learning to program through use of code verification

Learning to develop software can be a difficult process. Many students can benefit from an approach to learning that is based on the verification of existing code. Students must understand the requirements, then test and verify that the code performs correctly. In this paper we present some case studies created to enhance student learning of programming, testing, and debugging using this verification-driven approach.
Biology and Control of Sorghum-almum in Sugarcane

Sorghum-almum is a weak, perennial rhizomatous grass. Leaves of seedlings are rolled in a bud with a fringed membranous ligule. Seedlings often resemble corn seedlings when small. Stems of mature plants are stout and erect, reaching up to 14 feet tall. Leaf blades are flat and sandpapery. Sorghum-almum is commonly found in the southern part of Florida in sugarcane fields and along ditches, canals, and roadsides. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Dennis Calvin Odero, Ron Rice, and Les Baucum, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, January 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sc098
Effect of spent nuclear fuel neutron aging on dry cask shielding material

Abstract This chapter illustrates the major spent nuclear fuel processing, storage method. Dry cask storage has been employed since 1986, and turned to be the major spent nuclear fuel storage method. The mechanism about neutron emitted from spent nuclear fuel is discussed into detail, also the neutron source variation with storage time increase is shown. The high-energy neutron transmission analysis of dry cask is presented. A discussion about neutron aging influence on neutron shielding material is made.
Signaling and Social Influence: The Impact of Corporate Volunteer Programs

Corporate volunteer programs present opportunities for employees to contribute their time and skills to further important causes and help communities in need. The programs not only contribute to a ...
A UHF/UWB Hybrid RFID Tag With a 51-m Energy-Harvesting Sensitivity for Remote Vital-Sign Monitoring

A novel ultrahigh frequency (UHF)/ultrawideband (UWB) hybrid radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is reported for object-specific remote vital-sign monitoring application. The tag achieves a record energy-harvesting sensitivity at the UHF band by codesigning a meander dipole antenna and a passive rectifier. The especially high quality-factor makes the frontend sensitive to near-field motions such as heartbeats and respiration in a wearable setting. The custom CMOS integrated circuit (IC) of approximately 1- $\mu \text{W}$ power consumption builds around a low-power UWB transmitter and converts the variations in the supply voltage to the impulse repetition rate. The tag consisting of the IC and UHF/UWB antennas requires no other discrete components and features a size of 4.2 cm $\times2.9$ cm and a weight of 0.93 g. A long-distance experiment verifies that the tag can be wirelessly powered up at 51 m from a 4-W effective-isotropic-radiation-power UHF transmitter. Remote vital-sign monitoring is validated on a human subject, in which the UHF power source is placed 2 m away from the subject with a power emission of less than 20 dBm. This work proposes a first-of-its-kind remote vital-sign monitoring solution based on a passively powered noncontact wearable tag. The design of the far-field energy-harvesting frontend with a record sensitivity serves as a reference for future works on battery-free remote sensors.