cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Insulin and Glucose on Feeding Behavior

Four experimental groups of human subjects, in whom plasma glucose and insulin were independently raised or lowered, were tested for perceptions of hunger, taste, bodily state, and food intake. The data showed that hyperinsulinemia, unrelated to change in plasma glucose concentration, resulted in increased hunger, heightened palatability of sucrose or sweetness, and greater food intake.
Are socio-economic disparities in diet quality explained by diet cost?

Background Socio-economic disparities in nutrition are well documented. This study tested the hypothesis that socio-economic differences in nutrient intakes can be accounted for, in part, by diet cost. Methods A representative sample of 1295 adults in King County (WA) was surveyed in 2008–2009, and usual dietary intakes were assessed based on a food-frequency questionnaire. The monetary value of individual diets was estimated using local retail supermarket prices for 384 foods. Nutrients of concern as identified by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee were fibre, vitamins A, C and E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. A nutrient density score based on all seven nutrients was another dependent measure. General linear models and linear regressions were used to examine associations among education and income, nutrient density measure and diet cost. Analyses were conducted in 2009–2010. Results Controlling for energy and other covariates, higher-cost diets were significantly higher in all seven nutrients and in overall nutrient density. Higher education and income were positively and significantly associated with the nutrient density measure, but these effects were greatly attenuated with the inclusion of the cost variable in the model. Conclusions Socio-economic differences in nutrient intake can be substantially explained by the monetary cost of the diet. The higher cost of more nutritious diets may contribute to socio-economic disparities in health and should be taken into account in the formulation of nutrition and public health policy.
Thresholds for cellular disruption and activation of the stress response in renal epithelia

Renal ischemia causes a rapid fall in cellular ATP, increased intracellular calcium (Cai), and dissociation of Na+-K+-ATPase from the cytoskeleton along with initiation of a stress response. We exa...
Targeting Interleukin-1β Reduces Leukocyte Production After Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background —Myocardial infarction (MI) is an ischemic wound that recruits millions of leukocytes. MI-associated blood leukocytosis correlates inversely with patient survival, yet the signals driving heightened leukocyte production after MI remain incompletely understood. Methods and Results —Using parabiosis surgery, this study shows that soluble danger signals, among them interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), increase bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation after MI. Data obtained in bone marrow reconstitution experiments reveal that IL-1β enhances HSC proliferation by both direct actions on hematopoietic cells and through modulating the bone marrow9s hematopoietic microenvironment. An antibody that neutralizes IL-1β suppresses these effects. Anti-IL-1β treatment dampens the post-MI increase in HSC proliferation. Consequently decreased leukocyte numbers in the blood and infarct reduce inflammation and diminish post-MI heart failure in ApoE -/- mice with atherosclerosis. Conclusions —The presented insight into post-MI bone marrow activation identifies a mechanistic target for muting inflammation in the ischemically damaged heart.
Respect Your Elders: Reforming California Law Relating to Standing for Elder Abuse Actions

California is the fastest growing state in total population and has the most elders of any state. Between 2000 and 2040, the number of elders in California will grow more than twice as fast as in the general population. As California’s elderly population continues to grow, so will the number of abuse cases, including domestic violence in late life. To best address this growing problem, the California legislature should enact a resolution currently under consideration, Resolution 12-04-2009, which would reform California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, to allow courts to appoint conservators for elders and dependent adults, who could then seek protective orders on their behalf. This Article assesses the current problem, past legislation on a federal and California state level, considers the current mechanisms in place to protect elders and dependent adults, and explains how current systems are not properly guarding a vulnerable group of adults given recurring problems asserting standing in elder abuse actions. Part II of this Article outlines the dangers elders face in today’s system. Though the prevalence of abuse is unknown, the abuse statistics various studies have uncovered is staggering and the number of non-reported cases is alarming. Next, Part III considers the history of elder abuse legislation in California, and delves into the reasoning behind past legislation and how the elder abuse problem has grown in recent years. Part IV explains why mandatory reporting laws in California have not been successful in stopping abuse despite good intentions and the serious repercussions for failing to report. Part V highlights how individual courts have become involved and showcases two California court programs that have used client-centered advocacy to understand elders’ client needs and to provide programs that makes courts more accessible for seniors. Part VI outlines recent legislative changes in California, which have centered on conservatorships and developing better processes for processing conservator petitions. Part VII discusses the rationale for the most recent legislative reform: a growth in financial abuse causes as seniors and the nation face a recession. Finally, Part VIII evaluates a proposed resolution currently under review that deals with the standing problems elders can sometimes encounter in reporting financial abuse, which would allow courts to appoint conservators.
Nuevas aplicaciones dentales de vidrio bioactivo nanoestructurado y sus composites

R esumen : Para la mejora de los tratamientos de traumas dentales u oseos y diferentes enfermedades, como pueden ser la osteoporosis, el cancer o distintas infecciones, los cientificos se esfuerzan en colaborar conjuntamente con medicos para poder disenar y probar nuevos biomateriales para la regeneracion del tejido perdido o danado. Desarrollado hace mas de 50 anos, el vidrio bioactivo (BG, por sus siglas en ingles) empieza a ser recientemente uno de los biomateriales mas prometedores del panorama cientifico, como consecuencia del descubrimiento de inusuales propiedades que provocan respuestas biologicas especificas en el cuerpo. Entre estas importantes propiedades esta la capacidad del BG de formar fuertes interacciones, tanto con tejidos blandos como con los duros, asi como el proceso de liberacion de iones en la disolucion. Desarrollos recientes en nanotecnologia han introducido nuevas oportunidades para la ciencia de materiales, aplicados a terapias dentales y oseas de diferentes tipos. Por ejemplo, las aplicaciones para el BG se expanden a medida que es posible controlar con mayor precision las estructuras producidas con el y las propiedades fisicoquimicas del propio material a nivel molecular. En la presente publicacion se hace un estudio de como las propiedades de estos materiales han sido mejoradas con la llegada de la nanotecnologia, y como estos avances estan produciendo resultados realmente prometedores basado en el BG.
On the strengthening effect of increasing cycling frequency on fatigue behavior of some polymers and their composites: Experiments and modeling

Abstract Effect of cycling frequency on fatigue behavior of neat, talc filled, and short glass fiber reinforced injection molded polymer composites was investigated by conducting load-controlled fatigue tests at several stress ratios (R = −1, 0.1, and 0.3) and at several temperatures (T = 23, 85 and 120 °C). A beneficial or strengthening effect of increasing frequency was observed for some of the studied materials, before self-heating became dominant at higher frequencies. A reduction in loss tangent (viscoelastic damping factor), width of hysteresis loop, and displacement amplitude, measured in load-controlled fatigue tests, was observed by increasing frequency for frequency sensitive materials. Reduction in loss tangent was also observed for frequency sensitive materials in DMA tests. It was concluded that the fatigue behavior is also time-dependent for frequency sensitive materials. A Larson–Miller type parameter was used to correlate experimental fatigue data and relate stress amplitude, frequency, cycles to failure, and temperature together. An analytical fatigue life estimation model was also used to consider the strengthening effect of frequency in addition to mean stress, fiber orientation, and temperature effects on fatigue life.
Influence of breed and diet on growth, nutrient digestibility, body composition and plasma hormones of Brangus and Angus steers.

Two split-plot designed experiments were conducted to determine the effects of breed (Angus, A, or Brangus, B) and diet (fescue hay, FH; corn silage, CS; or concentrate) on composition and rate of growth, diet digestibility and plasma hormones of steers. In Exp. 1, 10 steers (five of each breed) were fed a CS-based diet followed by a FH-based diet for two consecutive 60-d periods. Both breeds had lower (P less than .01) DM intake and digestibility when fed FH than when fed CS diets. The B steers had higher (P less than .01) plasma insulin concentrations than A steers when fed the CS diet. In Exp. 2, during two consecutive years, 10 steers previously fed CS- and FH-based diets were finished with a corn silage-whole shelled corn-based diet. During yr 1, A steers had higher (P less than .01) DM intake and plasma triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations (P less than .05) than B steers did. Although final weights were similar (P greater than .10), A steers had heavier (P less than .05) carcass weights than B steers did. During yr 2, A steers had higher (P less than .07) DM and starch digestibilities and higher (P less than .01) plasma T4 concentrations than B steers did. The greater (P less than .01) energetic efficiency of A steers was attributed to the greater rates of fat deposition during yr 2. Regardless of type of diet fed, A steers were more efficient at depositing energy. Higher circulating T4 concentrations of A than B steers may explain some of the physiological differences between these breeds.
Images in clinical medicine. Liver abscess with septic pulmonary emboli.

Figure 1. A previously healthy 52-year-old man presented with right-sided pleurisy, fever, and shaking chills for three days. On examination he was febrile and had marked tenderness to percussion over the right lower rib cage. A chest radiograph showed an elevated right hemidiaphragm and several lesions characteristic of septic pulmonary emboli in the left lower lobe (Panel A, arrows). Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated a large, complex, predominantly hypoechoic mass in the posterior segment of the right hepatic lobe (Panel B, arrows). Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography showed involvement of both the hepatic parenchyma (Panel C, arrows) and the right hepatic vein (Panel . . .
Using Cognitive Feedback to Detect Changes in a Task Environment

The focus of decision making research has been shifting from static to dynamic environments during the last twenty years. Dynamic environments include not only changes in environmental cue values, but in relationships between cues and environmental states. Previous research has demonstrated decision makers are insensitive to statistical properties of the environment, and may encounter difficulty in determining changes in the underlying probabilistic structure of the environment. This research uses cognitive feedback based on the Lens Model to assist detection of environmental changes. Eighty participants attempted to predict the price of a single share of common stock for 150 fictitious companies using four financial indicators. Initial results suggest groups receiving some form of cognitive feedback adapted to changing environments better than groups not receiving cognitive feedback.
Changes in cell-wall polysaccharide composition of developingNitella internodes : Analysis of walls of single cells.

Changes in the uronide, neutral-polysacharide, and cellulose composition of the cell wall ofNitella axillaris Braun were followed throughout development of the internodes and correlated with changes in growth rate. As the cells increased in length from 4 to 80 mm during development, the relative growth rate decreased. Cell wall thickness, as measured by wall density, increased in direct proportion to diameter, indicating that cell-wall stress did not change during elogation. Cell-wall analyses were adapted to allow determination of the composition of the wall of single cells. The total amounts of uronides, neutral sugars and cellulose all increased during development. However, as the growth rate decreased, the relative proportions of uronides and neutral sugars, expressed as percent of the dry weight of the wall, decreased, while the proportion of cellulose increased. The neutral sugars liberated upon hydrolysis ofNitella walls are qualitatively similar to those found in hydrolysates of higher plant cell walls: glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose fucose and rhamnose. Only the percentage of galactose was found to increase in walls of mature cells, while the percentage of all other sugars decreased. The rate of apposition (μg of wall material deposited per unit wall surface area per hour) of neutral polysaccharides decreased rapidly with decreasing growth rate during the early stages of development. The rate of apposition of uronides decreased more steadily throughout development, while that of cellulose, after an early decline, remained constant until dropping off at the end of the elongation period. These correlations between decreasing growth rate and decreasing rate of apposition of neutral sugars and uronides indicate that synthesis of these cell-wall components could be involved in the regulation of the rate of cell elongation inNitella.
Anger and guilt in treatment for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Feelings of anger and guilt are important to consider when treating PTSD as they are related to higher PTSD severity and may be related to avoidance during treatment. Avoidance may impede emotional engagement, the process of connecting with distressing, fear-related emotions during imaginal exposure, which is considered an important mechanism for successful PTSD treatment in prolonged exposure (PE). Yet, little research has examined possible complications in achieving emotional engagement, such as anger and guilt. METHODS: The present study utilized data from 116 individuals with PTSD who received PE to investigate whether anger and guilt were associated with poorer emotional engagement, as captured by pre, peak, post, and mean subjective units of distress (SUDs), during the initial imaginal exposure, and whether anger and guilt predicted worse treatment outcome generally and as a result of lessened emotional engagement. RESULTS: Neither initial anger nor guilt hindered engagement nor predicted worse outcome. Contrary to hypotheses, higher guilt was predictive of greater anticipatory distress and slightly better PTSD outcome. The relationship between pre-treatment guilt cognitions and post-treatment PTSD severity was not mediated by engagement. LIMITATIONS: This study used a trauma-specific measure of guilt and general measure for anger, however both are commonly used. In addition, this study examined emotional engagement during imaginal exposure to the exclusion of engagement with other therapy components, such as in vivo exposure. CONCLUSIONS: These findings help dispel concerns that those with higher anger and guilt will avoid emotionally engaging during the initial imaginal exposure due to feeling distressed by intense negative emotionality.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Language: en
[Prevalence and risk factors on the resistance related to second-line drugs among multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases in Shanghai, China].

Objective To determine the prevalence and risk factors on second-line drug resistance in patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Shanghai,China.Methods All pulmonary TB patients with sputum culture positivity detected in Shanghai during January to December,2009,were enrolled.All of the pretreatment sputum-positive cultures samples were tested for routine specimen identification and routine drug susceptibility testing for first-line drugs (Isoniazid,Rrifampin,Ethambutol and Streptomycin).Drug susceptibility testing on second-line anti-TB drugs (Ofloxcin,Amikacin,Kanamycin,Capreomycin,P-aminosalicylic acid and Prothionamide) was routinely performed on isolates of Mycobacterium (M.) TB with MDR.Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors regarding second-line drug resistance.Results A total of 1867 patients infected with M.TB isolates were diagnosed at the TB hospitals/clinics in Shanghai during the study period,of whom 112 (6.0％) were MDR-TB,in which 58 cases (51.8％) showed resistant to at least one of the second-line drugs tested and 10 cases belonged to extensively drug-resistant.In the multivariate analyses,MDR-TB patients who were aged 45-59 years (aOR=4.76,P=0.001 ),with sputum smear positivity (aOR=6.51,P=0.026) were significantly more likely to show resistance to second-line drugs.Conclusion The prevalence of second-line drug resistance among MDR-TB patients was high in Shanghai.MDR-TB patients who were under age of 45-59 years and with sputum smear positivity would represent important common risk factors for the resistance to second-line drugs. Key words: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis; Risk factors
How to Perform a Neonatal Spine Ultrasonography Study and Normal Spine Ultrasound in the Neonate

For a diagnostic ultrasonography (US) study of the neonatal spine, a modern, technologically advanced, US unit is essential. The study should be optimized to include morphological/anatomical gray-scale images of the spinal canal and its contents over the midline through the osseous gap between the not yet fused posterior spinous processes.
Reactions of Monomeric and Polymeric Flavan-3-ols with Monomeric Pigment in Model Wine Solutions

Pinot noir seeds contain a greater proportion of monomeric flavan-3-ols (catechins) to polymeric flavan-3-ols (tannin) than do Cabernet Sauvignon seeds. As Pinot noir wines are typically less tannic than Cabernet wines, it was hypothesized that the "excess" catechins were preferentially reacting with monomeric anthocyanins, preventing the formation of the anthocyanin-tannin adduct which serves to solubilize tannin. Competition studies in model wine solutions, however, showed that for monoglucosidic anthocyanins the catechins were not competing with tannin in the formation of an anthocyanin adduct, but rather that the catechins and tannin were preferentially reacting with each other in a dynamic process of interflavan bond formation and breakage. However, for diglucosidic anthocyanin the catechins did react preferentially to the tannin in the formation of the adduct. The putative stabilizing mechanism of monoglucosidic anthocyanin and tannin condensation never occurred during the course of the experiment, supporting the contention that the time-course of this reaction is slow.
The American Ultraright: A Genealogy of Basic Beliefs and Practices

This chapter explains the ideological and political lineage of two branches of American conservatism: the religious right and the libertarian right. The chapter offers a detailed account of the philosophical writings that inform the American right and then provides an analysis of certain organizations that are avowedly conservative in their mission and political actions.
A Reconsideration of the English Sources of La coronación de la señora Gracisla

In response to a study by Louise M. Haywood, Joseph J. Gwara challenges her interpretation of La coronacion de la senora Gracisla , an anonymous work discovered in 1976, as a defense of Catherine of Aragon’s virginity and hence an implicit justification for her second marriage to Henry VIII of England. Rejecting this hypothesis, Gwara attributes the work to Juan de Flores, viewing it as a juvenile divertissement written c. 1475 to celebrate the engagement of Leonor de Acuna and Pedro Alvarez Osorio, both members of the Castilian aristocratic elite. This interpretation of Gracisla is based on a detailed analysis of stylistic, codicological, genealogical, and historical evidence.
Co-infections of tuberculosis, hepatitis B or C viruses in a cohort of people living with HIV/AIDS in China: predictors and sequelae.

ABSTRACTThe co-infection of viral hepatitis and tuberculosis (TB) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) makes the syndemic of HIV even worse as there is higher mortality and morbidity among PLWHA with co-infections compared to people with HIV mono-infection. In the current study, we explored predictors and sequelae among a group of Chinese PLWHA to guide future program strategies and enhance the repertoire of action for both preventative and clinical purposes. Between October 2012 and August 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Guangxi Autonomous Region (Guangxi) of China. With an overall participation rate of 90%, we finally recruited 3002 patients with 2987 (99.5%) completed the survey and were included in the data analysis. We employed both predictive and explanatory modeling strategies to explore predictors and sequelae of co-infections among PLWHA. The overall prevalence of co-infection was 15.6% with 4.4% of HBV, 5.4% of HCV and 4.8% of TB, respectively. Predictors of co-infections incl...
The DREAMS Team: Creating Community Partnerships through Research Advocacy Training for Diverse Older Adults.

ABSTRACTThe DREAMS Team research advocacy training program helps clinical faculty and health students introduce basic clinical research concepts to diverse older adults to galvanize their active involvement in the research process. Older adults are frequently underrepresented in clinical research, due to barriers to participation including distrust, historical mistreatment, and their lack of health literacy. The DREAMS Team program aims to involve diverse older adults throughout all phases of research and increase research participation, thereby contributing to the growth of quality patient-centered, evidence-based health care. This course was developed for clinical faculty to deliver to diverse adults aged 55+ in eight 50-minute lectures, followed by half-hour small group discussions moderated by health students. A pilot cohort of 24 individuals was assessed for satisfaction post-program, and self-efficacy before and after the program. Older adult participants improved on a survey measure of self-efficac...
Computer Generation of High Throughput and Memory Efficient Sorting Designs on FPGA

Accelerating sorting using dedicated hardware to fully utilize the memory bandwidth for Big Data applications has gained much interest in the research community. Recently, parallel sorting networks have been widely employed in hardware implementations due to their high data parallelism and low control overhead. In this paper, we propose a systematic methodology for mapping large-scale bitonic sorting networks onto FPGA. To realize data permutations in the sorting network, we develop a novel RAM-based design by vertically “folding” the classic Clos network. By utilizing the proposed design for data permutation, we develop a hardware generator to automatically build bitonic sorting architectures on FPGAs. For given input size, data width and data parallelism, the hardware generator specializes both the datapath and the control unit for sorting and generates a design in high level hardware description language. We demonstrate trade-offs among throughput, latency and area using two illustrative sorting designs including a high throughput design and a resource efficient design. With a data parallelism of $p$ $(2\leq p \leq N/2)$ , the high throughput design sorts an $N$ -key sequence with latency $6N/p+o(N)$ , throughput $p$ results per cycle and uses $6N+o(N)$ memory. This achieves optimal memory efficiency (defined as the ratio of throughput to the amount of on-chip memory used by the design) and outperforms the state-of-the-art. Experimental results show that the designs obtained by our proposed hardware generator achieve 49 to 112 percent improvement in energy efficiency and 56 to 430 percent higher memory efficiency compared with the state-of-the-art.
Utility of 111In-Cl3 Scintigraphy for Differentiating Between Bone Marrow Reconversion and Bone Metastasis with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Indium chloride (111In-Cl3) scintigraphy has been used to evaluate various hematological diseases for many years. However, there have been few reports on patients with bone marrow reconversion showing high uptake in 111In-Cl3 scintigraphy. Herein, we report a case of a 68-year-old man with esophageal cancer who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for staging of the disease. 18F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated high uptake in the first lumbar vertebral body, which was difficult to distinguish bone metastasis and bone marrow reconversion. 111In-Cl3 scintigraphy demonstrated specific findings with high uptake in the lesion, indicating bone marrow hyperplasia or reconversion.
Optimization of the JFET region of 1.2kV SiC MOSFETs for improved high frequency figure of merit (HF-FOM)

This paper presents the optimization of JFET region parameters of 1.2kV SiC MOSFET. MOSFETs with various designs in the JFET region were fabricated on 6-inch substrates. Investigations on on-resistance, gate-to-drain capacitance, and leakage currents in the forward blocking mode (room temperature and 175 °C) conclude that the enhanced doping in the JFET region allows an improved high frequency figure of merit (HF-FOM).
A zipped-helix cap potentiates HAMP domain control of chemoreceptor signaling.

Environmental awareness is an essential attribute for all organisms. The chemotaxis system of Escherichia coli provides a powerful experimental model for the investigation of stimulus detection and signaling mechanisms at the molecular level. These bacteria sense chemical gradients with transmembrane proteins [methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs)] that have an extracellular ligand-binding domain and intracellular histidine kinases, adenylate cyclases, methyl-accepting proteins, and phosphatases (HAMP) and signaling domains that govern locomotor behavior. HAMP domains are versatile input-output elements that operate in a variety of bacterial signaling proteins, including the sensor kinases of two-component regulatory systems. The MCP HAMP domain receives stimulus information and in turn modulates output signaling activity. This study describes mutants of the Escherichia coli serine chemoreceptor, Tsr, that identify a heptad-repeat structural motif (LLF) at the membrane-proximal end of the receptor signaling domain that is critical for HAMP output control. The homodimeric Tsr signaling domain is an extended, antiparallel, four-helix bundle that controls the activity of an associated kinase. The N terminus of each subunit adjoins the HAMP domain; the LLF residues lie at the C terminus of the methylation-helix bundle. We found, by using in vivo Forster resonance energy transfer kinase assays, that most amino acid replacements at any of the LLF residues abrogate chemotactic responses to serine and lock Tsr output in a kinase-active state, impervious to HAMP-mediated down-regulation. We present evidence that the LLF residues may function like a leucine zipper to promote stable association of the C-terminal signaling helices, thereby creating a metastable helix-packing platform for the N-terminal signaling helices that facilitates conformational control by the HAMP domains in MCP-family chemoreceptors.
Strategies to Encourage Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Discussions and Brainstorming Promote Stronger Performance

This longitudinal study examined the influence of prekindergarten teacher characteristics and classroom instructional processes during mathematical activities on the growth of mathematics learning ...
Gene Ontology (GO) for Microbe–Host Interactions and Its Use in Ongoing Annotation of Three Pseudomonas syringae Genomes via the Pseudomonas–Plant Interaction (PPI) Web Site

Genome-scale sequencing of plant pathogens is an increasingly impor- tant tool for exploring host-pathogen interactions. While comparative structural analyses of three Pseudomonas syringae pathovars that differ in pathogenicity (P. s . pv. tomato DC3000, P. s . pv. phaseolicola 1448A, and P. s . pv. syringae B728a) offer valuable insights, a second type of analysis based on the ability to find and compare gene products with similar function (but possibly different structure) across even diverse pathogens is now possible through genome annotation using the controlled vocabularies of the Gene Ontology Consortium (GO; http://www. geneontology.org). As members of the Plant-Associated Microbe Gene Ontology (PAMGO) Interest Group (http://pamgo.vbi.vt.edu), we have been developing precisely defined GO terms that describe the biological processes involved in a microbe's interactions with its host (e.g. GO:0044409, entry into host; GO:0044002, acquisition of nutrients from host). Using these terms for annotating the genes of prokaryotic (or eukaryotic) pathogens (or mutualists) that attack plant (or animal) hosts promises to offer a new mechanism for viewing the diversity of microbe strategies for overcoming common host challenges (e.g. finding all gene products across diverse microbes that are annotated to GO:0044414, suppression of host defenses). However, because genome annotation and analysis must continue over time to match experimentation and discovery, genome projects must provide portals for continually updating genome sequence and annotation data. The Pseudomonas- Plant Interaction (PPI) web site (http://pseudomonas-syringae.org) exemplifies the "hub model" of web-based information management for small-scale genome projects. This model maximizes access to the most current analytical tools (e.g. the Artemis Genome Viewer) through links to primary off-site resources, while tailor- ing instructional tutorials, specific information, and organization to the needs of the P. syringae community. The web site also serves as a portal for submission of updated genome sequence or GO annotation data as it becomes available. 1
Diurnal and Other Fluctuations in Atmospheric Radioactivity of Natural Origin

The radioactivity of the atmosphere resulting from natural sources has been monitored continuously for a period of two years. The method consists of collecting on moving strips of filter paper the daughter products of radon and thoron decay—principally Pb212 and Pb214. The highest activities found were 5 × 10−13 curies per liter of atmosphere and the lowest values in the order of 10−14 curies per liter. Changes in radioactivity may take place very rapidly so that a very high value may fall to one of the low values within an hour or less. Recent history of the air mass being sampled determines its content of these radioactive isotopes of natural origin. Maximal values are always characterized by still air held over land. Minimal values have been associated with air masses having been held over the sea where replenishment of radon is much reduced. The turbulence of winds causes mixing of radon with greater masses of air with correspondingly diluted levels of radioactivity. In spite of the high degree of var...
Intimate relationships and patterns of drug and sexual risk behaviors among people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan: A latent class analysis.

Abstract Background Multiple drug and sexual risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in intimate relationships increase the risk of HIV and HCV transmission. Using data on PWID in intimate partnerships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, this study performed latent class analysis (LCA) on drug and sexual risk behaviors and estimated associations between dyadic relationship factors and membership in latent classes. Methods LCA was performed on a sample of 510 PWID (181-females/FWID, 321-males/MWID) to identify levels of drug and sexual risk behaviors. Generalized structural equation modeling with multinomial regressions estimated associations between relationship factors (length risk reduction communication, risk reduction self-efficacy) and class membership after adjusting for substance use severity, overdose, depression, binge drinking, intimate partner violence, structural factors, and sociodemographic characteristics. Models were sex-stratified to include FWID and PWID. Results A 3-class model best fit the data and consisted of low, medium, and high-risk classes. GSEM found that greater injection self-efficacy was associated with a lower likelihood of membership in the high-risk class for PWID and FWID. For MWID, greater length of the relationship was associated with a lower likelihood of membership in the medium-risk class. Greater relationship communication was associated with increased risk of membership in the high-risk latent class for MWID. Conclusions Future research must investigate if increasing risk reduction and safe sex self-efficacy could reduce drug and sexual risk behaviors and HIV transmission among PWID and their intimate partners. Interventions are needed that reduce power inequities within relationships as a method of increasing self-efficacy, particularly among women.
Phonon dispersion using the ratio of zero-time correlations among conjugate variables: Computing full phonon dispersion surface of graphene

Abstract We present a robust family of methods (ZTR) to compute the phonon dispersion curves based on the ratio of zero-time correlations of conjugate variables in the reciprocal space . This general technique extracts the normal mode frequency corresponding to wave vector q and polarization p, from the ratio of the correlation of the n th derivative of displacement to the n-1th derivative in reciprocal space at zero time. A particular version of this method using the ratio of velocity to displacement ( n = 1 ) is previously known but seldom employed in atomistic simulations . For n = 2 , the method involves velocities and accelerations — dynamical variables that are more well-defined than equilibrium displacements in atomistic simulations. We test the ZTR methods and demonstrate that both ZTR methods ( n = 1 ,2) can accurately resolve the phonon mode frequencies while offering a significant improvement to the computational speed. We also illustrate the ability of the ZTR methods to handle anharmonicity and phonon softening at high temperatures. Finally, we demonstrate the power of the ZTR approach by computing the full phonon dispersion surface for graphene across the entire Brillouin zone with 3600 wave vectors and six polarizations at finite temperatures — a challenging task for the traditional methods.
Influencing Policy Decisions: Impact of Legislator Attitudes and Demographics on Public Relations Practice

This study sought to identify strategies to improve public relations efforts to influence policy by discovering U.S. legislators‘ attitudes toward healthcare policy and the impact of legislator characteristics on such attitudes. Analysis of results from an Internet/mail survey indicated statistically significant differences among respondents‘ attitudes based on gender, ethnicity, and political party affiliation (ANOVA). Such differences, however, did not skew in expected directions based on popular wisdom and previous studies. While Hispanic, Native American and mixed-ethnicity legislators were more likely than nonHispanic white legislators to agree that healthcare issues such as access and affordability should be state priorities, not left to the private sector, female legislators were more likely than their male counterparts to downplay the importance of such issues and to indicate they should not be the state‘s responsibility. Democratic Party legislators were more likely than Republican legislators both to see healthcare as an important priority and to relegate it to the the private sector. These attitudes and differences may be used to inform public relations practice with regard to influencing legislators‘ policymaking decisions, although future research should focus on the impact of intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, and party affiliation in mitigating effects of legislator characteristics on issue attitudes.
Design of quasibrittle materials and structures to optimize strength and scaling at probability tail: an apercu.

The objective in materials or structure design has been to maximize the mean strength. However, as generally agreed, engineering structures, such as bridges, aircraft or microelectromechanical syst...
Independent and joint association of obesity and metabolic syndrome with depression and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the separate and combined associations of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) with depression and the role of inflammation. METHOD Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and was defined with a cutpoint of ≥10. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 from measured height and weight. MetS was defined based on the American Heart Association consensus definition. Participants were divided into four groups: healthy normal weight (MHN), metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUN), and metabolic unhealthy obese (MUO). C-Reactive protein was assessed in a subsample. RESULTS A total of 18,025 subjects were included in the analysis. Participants with MUO had the highest prevalence of depression compared with the MHN group (14.8% vs. 6.8, p < .001). While both obesity and MetS were independently associated with depression, there was a significant interaction between the two (p < .001), indicating that the associations of obesity and MetS with depression were synergistic. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, compared with the MHN group, the MUO group had the highest odds of depression (odds ratio [OR] = 2.30, 95% CI [2.03, 2.61]), followed by MHO group (OR = 1.51, 95% CI [1.30, 1.74]) and the MUN group (OR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.18, 1.64]). The MUO group also showed the highest level of C-reactive protein, and the latter partially mediated the effect between MUO and depressive symptoms (20.5% of the total effect). CONCLUSION Both obesity and MetS are associated with depression independent of each other, but when present together, these conditions have a synergistic association with depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Clinical Documentation to Predict Factors Associated with Urinary Incontinence Following Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer

Background Advances in data collection provide opportunities to use population samples in identifying risk factors for urinary incontinence (UI), which occurs in up to 71% of men with prostate cancer following prostatectomy. Most studies on patient-centered outcomes use surveys or manual chart abstraction for data collection, which can be costly and difficult to scale. We sought to evaluate rates of and risk factors for UI following prostatectomy using natural language processing on electronic health record (EHR) data. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing prostatectomy for prostate cancer between January 2008 and August 2018 using EHR data from an academic medical center. UI incidence for each patient in the cohort was assessed using natural language processing from clinical notes generated pre- and postoperatively. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate potential risk factors for postoperative UI at various time points within 2 years following surgery. Results We identified 3792 patients who underwent prostatectomy for prostate cancer. We found a significant association between preoperative UI and UI in the first (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-4.28) and second (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.04-4.83) years following surgery. Preoperative body mass index was also associated with UI in the second postoperative year (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.21). Conclusion We show that a natural language processing approach using clinical narratives can be used to assess risk for UI in prostate cancer patients. Unstructured clinical narrative text can help advance future population-level research in patient-centered outcomes and quality of care.
Stereochemical analysis of chiral amines, diamines, and amino alcohols: Practical chiroptical sensing based on dynamic covalent chemistry

Practical chiroptical sensing with a small group of commercially available aromatic aldehydes is demonstrated. Schiff base formation between the electron-deficient 2,4-dinitrobenzaldehyde probe and either primary amines, diamines, or amino alcohols proceeds smoothly in chloroform at room temperature and is completed in the presence of molecular sieves within 2.5 hours. The substrate binding coincides with a distinct circular dichroism signal induction at approximately 330 nm, which can be correlated to the absolute configuration and enantiomeric composition of the analyte. The usefulness of this sensing method is highlighted with the successful sensing of 18 aliphatic and aromatic amines and amino alcohols and five examples showing quantitative %ee determination with good accuracy.
Performance of Pervious Concrete Exposed to Magnesium Chloride Deicers

AbstractPervious concrete can be utilized simultaneously as a pavement surface and part of a stormwater management system. In cold climates, it may be exposed to deicers, many of which have been sh...
A20 Restricts Inflammatory Response and Desensitizes Gingival Keratinocytes to Apoptosis

The pathophysiology of periodontal disease involves a perturbed immune system to a dysbiotic microflora leading to unrestrained inflammation, collateral tissue damage, and various systemic complications. Gingival epithelial cells function as an important part of immunity to restrict microbial invasion and orchestrate the subsequent innate responses. A20 (TNFAIP3), an ubiquitin-editing enzyme, is one of the key regulators of inflammation and cell death in numerous tissues including gastrointestinal tract, skin, and lungs. Emerging evidence indicates A20 as an essential molecule in the oral mucosa as well. In this study, we characterized the role of A20 in human telomerase immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGKs) through loss and gain of function assays in preclinical models of periodontitis. Depletion of A20 through gene editing in TIGKs significantly increased IL-6 and IL-8 secretion in response to Porphyromonas gingivalis infection while A20 over-expression dampened the cytokine production compared to A20 competent cells through modulating NF-κB signaling pathway. In the subsequent experiments which assessed apoptosis, A20 depleted TIGKs displayed increased levels of cleaved caspase 3 and DNA fragmentation following P. gingivalis infection and TNF/CHX challenge compared to A20 competent cells. Consistently, there was reduced apoptosis in the cells overexpressing A20 compared to the control cells expressing GFP further substantiating the role of A20 in regulating gingival epithelial cell fate in response to exogenous insult. Collectively, our findings reveal first systematic evidence and demonstrate that A20 acts as a regulator of inflammatory response in gingival keratinocytes through its effect on NF-κB signaling and desensitizes cells to bacteria and cytokine induced apoptosis in the oral mucosa. As altered A20 levels can have profound effect on different cellular responses, future studies will determine whether A20-targeted therapies can be exploited to restrain periodontal inflammation and maintain oral mucosa tissue homeostasis.
Pol-specific T lymphocyte responses in Chinese HIV-1 recombinant subtype B/C infectors at different stages of diseases

Objective To analyze the character of Pol-specific T lymphocyte responses and identify immunodominant region recognized in Chinese HIV-1 recombinant subtype B/C infectors at different stages of diseases. Methods Eleven Chinese HIV-1 recombinant subtype B/C infectors infected in 18 months, 25 which infected time more than 3 years and 10 HIV-1-seronegative healthy individuals were enrolled. HIV-1-specific T lymphocyte responses were analyzed by an IFN-γ ELISPOT assay against 249 overlapping peptides spanning HIV-1 Pol protein in the present study. Results Pol-specific T lymphocyte responses of IFN-γsecretion were identified in 8 (72.73%) out of 11 infectors infected in 18 months, the specific T lymphocytes are mainly targe-ted at six peptides which amino acid position from Pol 481 to 631 in reverse transcriptase region: Pol5581, Pol5582, Pol5587, Pol5609, Pol5610 and Pol5615. There was a negative correlation between the breadth of re-sponse and peripheral CD4+ T cell count (P=0.0212, r=-0.762) ; Responses were identified in 15 (60%) out of 25 chronic infectors, the specific T lymphocytes are mainly targeted at four peptides which amino acid po-sition from Pol 241 to 295: Pol5521, Pol5525, Pol5526, Pol5531 and another peptide: Pol5638 which amino acid position from Pol 708 to 722 in reverse transcriptase region. There was a positive correlation between the magnitude of Pol-specific IFN-γ secretion T lymphocyte responses and plasma viremia (P = 0.006 95 , r = 0.660) . None of the seronegative healthy individuals gave the positive responses. Conclusion Chinese HIV-1 recombinant subtype B/C infectors at different stages of diseases mainly recognized different re-gions of Pol. Key words: Human immunedeficiency virus (HIV) ; Pol ; Specific T lymphocyte response; ELISPOT
The Availability of Peer Support and Disparities in Outpatient Mental Health Service Use Among Minority Youth with Serious Mental Illness.

We examine whether the availability of peer support reduces disparities in service use among minority youth ages 16–24 with serious mental illness in Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. Administrative data from 2015–2018 was used to summarize service use among 13,363 transition age youth age 16–24 with serious mental illness who received services from 183 outpatient public mental health programs; 17.2% were Black, 67.4% were Latinx, and 15.4% were non-Latinx white. The availability of peer support was assessed via a program survey. Generalized linear models were used to assess the relationship between availability of peer support, defined as having a peer specialist on staff, and the annual number of outpatient mental health visits. We also examined the relationship between racial/ethnic concordance of youth and peer specialists and use of outpatient services. Forty-six percent of youth received services from programs that employed peer specialists. Among youth in both counties, the availability of peer support was associated with an increase in annual outpatient visits (P ≤ .05 each). Peer support was associated with reductions in service use disparities among Black and Latinx youth in Los Angeles County (P < .001 each). Peer concordance was associated with an increase in outpatient service use among Latinx youth in both counties (P < .05 each). Peer support was associated with increases in use of outpatient mental health services. Detailed examination of the context for youth peer support implementation is merited to identify the specific pathways that improve outcomes.
A decision-theoretic academic advisor

This paper describes work related to stochastic modeling and decision-theoretic (DT) planning methods applicable to the real-world domain of academic advising.