cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rac GTPases have opposite roles in T cells and dendritic cells in mucosal immune function (MUC8P.730)

Variants in RAC1 and RAC2 , which encode small Rho-family GTPases, are associated with risk for inflammatory bowel disease. We have shown reduced regulatory T-cell (Treg) proportions in Rac2 knockout (KO) mice with additional dendritic cells (DC)-specific deletion of Rac1 compared to WT. Since Rac is crucial to TCR signaling, we hypothesized that a T-cell specific deletion of Rac1 would also result in defects in Treg development. Treg proportions and susceptibility to dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced intestinal inflammation were assessed in mice deficient in Rac2 in addition to either T cell- or DC-specific deletion of Rac1 (cDKO). Surprisingly, elevated Treg proportions were observed in T-cell specific cDKO mice compared to WT as well as higher Treg proportions within the cDKO compared to the WT compartment in mixed bone marrow chimera. Furthermore, cDKO naive CD4 + T cells were able to differentiate into Tregs, unlike cDKO DCs, which led to defective Treg generation of WT naive CD4 + T cells in in vitro Treg generation assays. In vivo Treg generation was reduced in DC-specific cDKO mice compared to WT controls with ovalbumin (OVA) feeding following transfer of CD4 + T cells transgenic for OVA. Lastly, exacerbated DSS colitis was observed in DC-specific, but not T-cell specific cDKO mice, compared to WT. In conclusion, deficiency of Rac proteins result in contrasting effects on mucosal immune function in DCs compared to T cells. The precise mechanism is under investigation.
Morphology and development of the immature stages of Pediobius foveolatus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Immature Pediobius foveolatus Crawford were dissected from their host, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, at 6-h intervals to provide descriptions and illustrations of the parasitoids' preimaginal morphology and development. Observations were made of living or freshly killed specimens with the aid of phase microscopy. The eggs and three larval stages are hymenopteriform. Parasitoid eggs did not enlarge after oviposition. The 1st and 3rd instars possess distinctive cephalic skeletons. The pupa is exarate. Descriptions and measurements of the various stages and structures are presented.
Effect of laser polarization and pulse energy on therapeutic, femtosecond laser-induced second harmonic generation in corneal tissue(Conference Presentation)

Some of the most commonly performed surgical operations in the world, including laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), lens replacement (e.g. cataract surgery), and keratoplasty (cornea transplant), now employ therapeutic infrared femtosecond lasers (FSLs) for their extreme precision, low energy delivered into tissue and advanced ablation characteristics. Although the widely exploited applications of FSLs in medical therapeutics offer significant benefits, FSLs must generate very high intensities in order to achieve optical breakdown, the predominant tissue ablative mechanism, which can also stimulate nonlinear optical effects such as harmonic generation, an effect that generates coherent visible and UV light in the case of second- (SHG) and third-harmonic generation (THG), respectively. In order to improve the understanding of HG in corneal tissue, the effect of FSL polarization and pulse energy were investigated. FSL stimulated SHG intensity in corneal tissue was measured as the laser polarization was rotated 360 degrees. Further, the pulse energy at the SHG wavelength were measured for single FSL pulses as the pulse energy at the fundamental wavelength was varied through a range of clinically relevant values. The results of this study revealed SHG intensity oscillated with laser polarization, having a variation greater than 20%. This relationship seems to due to the intrinsic anisotropy of collagen fibril hyperpolarizability, not related to tissue birefringence. SHG pulse energy measurements showed an increase in SHG pulse energy with increasing FSL pulse energy, however conversion efficiency decreased. This may be related to the dynamic relationship between optical breakdown leading to tissue destruction and HG evolution.
The Emergence of Human Nature

Such was Thomas Hobbes’s seventeenth century view of the life of our primeval ancestors. Before the advent of civilisation and the rule of written law, men and women, driven by their inner natures, were condemned to unending violence. For Hobbes, the evils of humankind were inherent, a view still held by those who have never studied the human past. It implies a fundamental nastiness in human nature which only civilisation could possibly overcome. When asked about solving the problems of war, greed and selfishness, people simply shrug their shoulders and say: ‘Well, you can’t change human nature, can you?’. This image has been reinforced by such popular authors as Robert Ardrey (African Genesis and The Territorial Imperative) and to a lesser extent by Desmond Morris (The Naked Ape) and Konrad Lorenz (On Aggression).2 But what do we really know about the kind of beings our ancestors were? What is this raw material — this human nature — out of which we are shaped?
NADPH Oxidases Are Essential for Macrophage Differentiation

NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are involved in inflammation, angiogenesis, tumor growth, and osteoclast differentiation. However, the role of NOX1 and NOX2 in macrophage differentiation and tumor progression is still elusive. Here we report that NOX1 and NOX2 are critical for the differentiation of monocytes to macrophages, the polarization of M2-type but not M1-type macrophages, and the occurrence of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). We found that deletion of both NOX1 and NOX2 led to a dramatic decrease in ROS production in macrophages and resulted in impaired efficiency in monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and M2-type macrophage polarization. We further showed that NOX1 and NOX2 were critical for the activation of the MAPKs JNK and ERK during macrophage differentiation and that the deficiency of JNK and ERK activation was responsible for the failure of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation, in turn affecting M2 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the decrease in M2 macrophages and TAMs, concomitant with the reduction of cytokine and chemokine secretion, contributed to the delay in wound healing and the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis in NOX1/2 double knockout mice compared with WT mice. Collectively, these data provide direct evidence that NOX1 and NOX2 deficiency impairs macrophage differentiation and the occurrence of M2-type TAMs during tumor development.
Investigating the energy-water-carbon nexus of mega-scale chemicals production from Appalachian shale gas

Abstract This paper is concerned with techno-environmental modeling of large-scale chemicals production from Appalachian shale gas and investigates its environmental impacts. We first develop shale gas supply and plant design models to estimate pipeline distances, numbers of wells, well-sites, gathering systems needed in the near/mid-term, as well as the plant-level energy and materials balances. Next, we conduct a life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the energy-water-carbon nexus in terms of energy consumption ( η le ), freshwater footprint ( η lw ), and greenhouse gas emissions ( η ghg ). The results show, based on a mass-based allocation approach, the η le , η lw , and η ghg are 13.8–17.2 GJ/t olefins, 3.31–4.28 kg/kg olefins, and 0.83–1.17 kg CO 2 -eq/kg olefins, respectively. However, if we use an economic value based allocation method, these values are updated to 37.4–28.7 GJ/t olefins, 7.28–9.42 kg/kg olefins, and 1.80–2.49 kg CO 2 -eq/kg olefins, respectively. The values of η ghg indicate that shale gas can be categorized as a lowcarbon feedstock based on a mass-based allocation approach, or high-carbon feedstock based on an economic value-based allocation approach.
Solid State Fermentation and Its Applications

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the recent advances in solid state fermentation (SSF) system research and development. SSF can be directly carried out with abundant low-cost biomaterials (starch, cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and chitin etc.) with minimal or no pretreatment, and thus is relatively simple, uses less energy than submerged fermentation (SmF), and can provide unique microenvironments conducive to microbial growth and metabolic activities. Organic acids and industrial enzymes are the two most common categories of products from SSF. With little or no free water in the fermentation bed, SSF generates higher volumetric productivity and less waste water. The extraction of products from the fermentation bed provides more concentrated solutions than submerged fermentation for the downstream processes. All the advantages of SSF suggest that SSF has a high potential as a much more economical industrial process. However, its industrial applications are very limited, especially in western countries. The main problem is that the development of a simple and practical automated fermenter for SSF processes has not yet been achieved. Traditionally, SSF is carried out in trays or packed-bed bioreactors. These conventional reactors are simple to construct and widely used, but cannot provide enough mass and heat transfer, which are very important for fermentation processes.
Multilevel perspective on high-order harmonic generation in solids

We investigate high-order harmonic generation in a solid, modeled as a multilevel system dressed by a strong infrared laser field. We show that the cutoff energies and the relative strengths of the multiple plateaus that emerge in the harmonic spectrum can be understood both qualitatively and quantitatively by considering a combination of adiabatic and diabatic processes driven by the strong field. Such a model was recently used to interpret the multiple plateaus exhibited in harmonic spectra generated by solid argon and krypton [G. Ndabashimiye et al., Nature 534, 520 (2016)]. We also show that when the multilevel system originates from the Bloch state at the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point of the band structure, the laser-dressed states are equivalent to the Houston states [J. B. Krieger and G. J. Iafrate, Phys. Rev. B 33, 5494 (1986)] and will therefore map out the band structure away from the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point as the laser field increases. This leads to a semiclassical three-step picture in momentum space that describes the high-order harmonic generation process in a solid.
GEANT4 simulation of an NSECT system for iron overload detection

Hemochromatosis (iron overload in liver) is a condition that causes serious consequences for the patient through an increase in the body's iron stores. Diagnosis of the excess iron, which is often stored in the liver, requires an invasive biopsy. We are developing neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) as a non-invasive alternative to measure liver iron concentration to diagnose hemochromatosis. This measurement is performed using an incident neutron beam that scatters inelastically with iron nuclei in the liver, causing them to emit characteristic gamma-rays. An energy-sensitive gamma-ray detector is used to detect these gamma-rays and quantify the iron in the liver. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated an implementation of NSECT to quantify concentrations of iron and potassium in bovine liver tissue. Due to the prohibitive nature of these experiments, it is not feasible to perform system evaluation and optimization at each step using a nuclear accelerator. Here we describe a GEANT4 simulation of NSECT as a feasible alternative to perform system evaluation for iron overload diagnosis using computing resources only. The simulation model uses a 5 MeV neutron beam to scan a human liver phantom with induced iron overload. The liver is modeled as a composite shape combining a half-cylinder and a polyhedron, and is housed in a human torso filled with water. Gamma-ray spectra are generated to show element concentration within the liver. To determine the lower limit of iron overload detection, the concentration of iron in the liver is reduced from an initial high value, and the p-value of detecting peaks corresponding to iron is calculated at each step. The lower limit of detection is defined as the concentration at which the p-value of peak detection exceeds 0.05. The limit of iron overload detection from this simulation was found to be 4 mg/g, which represents a clinically relevant value for iron overload.
The Economic Growth Debate: An Assessment

(1979). The Economic Growth Debate: An Assessment. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 238-241.
Microbes and Diet-Induced Obesity: Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control.

Here I revisit our early experiments published in Cell Host & Microbe (Turnbaugh et al., 2008) showing that a diet rich in fat and simple sugars alters the gut microbiome in a manner that contributes to host adiposity, and reflect upon the remarkable advances and remaining challenges in this field.
Social integration at a frontier and the creation of Mississippian social identity in southwestern Virginia

Frontier areas are poor in labor but rich in land. To be successful, frontiers must attract people and socially integrate them using both low- and high-level social integrative mechanisms, which ca...
Granzyme B Disrupts Central Metabolism and Protein Synthesis in Bacteria to Promote an Immune Cell Death Program

Human cytotoxic lymphocytes kill intracellular microbes. The cytotoxic granule granzyme proteases released by cytotoxic lymphocytes trigger oxidative bacterial death by disrupting electron transport, generating superoxide anion and inactivating bacterial oxidative defenses. However, they also cause non-oxidative cell death because anaerobic bacteria are also killed. Here, we use differential proteomics to identify granzyme B substrates in three unrelated bacteria: Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Mycobacteria tuberculosis. Granzyme B cleaves a highly conserved set of proteins in all three bacteria, which function in vital biosynthetic and metabolic pathways that are critical for bacterial survival under diverse environmental conditions. Key proteins required for protein synthesis, folding, and degradation are also substrates, including multiple aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, ribosomal proteins, protein chaperones, and the Clp system. Because killer cells use a multipronged strategy to target vital pathways, bacteria may not easily become resistant to killer cell attack.
Remodeling of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Contracting A7r5 Smooth Muscle Cell

It has been proposed that the reorganization of components of the actin cytomatrix could contribute to force development and the low energy cost of sustained contraction in contractile cells which lack a structured sarcomere (A.S. Battistella-Patterson, S. Wang and G.L. Wright (1997) Can J Physiol Pharmacol75: 1287–1299). However, there has been no direct evidence of an apropos actin reorganization specifically linked to the contractile response in cells of this type. Remodeling of the α- and β-actin domains was studied in A7r5 smooth muscle cells during phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDB)-induced contraction using immunohistologic staining and β-actin-green fluorescent protein (β-actin-GFP) fusion protein expression. Cell stained with phalloidin as well as cells expressing β-actin-GFP showed densely packed actin stress cables, arranged in parallel and extending across the cell body. PDB caused approximately 85% of cells to contract with evidence of forcible detachment from peripheral adhesion sites seen in many cells. The contraction of the cell body was not uniform but occurred along a principal axis parallel to the system of densely packed β-actin cables. During the interval of contraction, the β-actin cables shortened without evidence of disassembly or new cable formation. The use of cytochalasin to inhibit actin polymerization resulted in the dissolution of the actin cables at the central region of the cell and caused the elongation of precontracted cells. In unstimulated cells, α-actin formed cables similar in arrangement to the cell spanning β-actin cables. Within a short interval after PDB addition; however, the majority of α-actin cables disassembled and reformed into intensely fluorescing column-like structures extending vertically from the cell base at the center of clusters of α-actin filaments. The α-actin columns of contracting cells showed strong colocalization of α-actinin suggesting they could be structurally analogous to the dense bodies of highly differentiated smooth muscle cells. The results indicate that the α- and β-actin domains of A7r5 cells undergo a highly structured reorganization during PDB-induced contraction. The extent and nature of this restructuring suggest that remodeling could play a role in contractile function.
Augmented Gradient Projection Calculations for Regulator Problems with Pointwise State and Control Constraints

A new implementation of the augmented gradient projection (AGP) scheme is described for discrete-time approximations to continuous-time Bolza optimal control problems with pointwise bounds on control and state variables. In the conventional implementation, control and state vectors are the primal variables, and local forms of the control problem’s state equations are treated as equality constraints incorporated in an augmented Lagrangian with a penalty parameter c. In the new implementation, the original control vectors and new artificial control vectors are the primal variables, and an integrated form of the state equations replaces the usual local form in the augmented Lagrangian. The resulting relaxed nonlinear program for the augmented Lagrangian amounts to a Bolza problem with pure pointwise control constraints, hence the associated gradient and Newtonian direction vectors can be computed efficiently with adjoint equations and dynamic programming techniques. For unscaled AGP methods and prototype regulator problems with bound constraints on control and state vectors, numerical experiments indicate rapid deterioration in the convergence properties of the conventional implementation as the discrete-time mesh is refined with the penalty constant fixed. In contrast, the new implementation of the unscaled AGP scheme exhibits mesh-independent convergence behavior. The new formulation also offers certain additional computational advantages for control problems with separated control and state constraints.
An atypical N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor enables the viability of nematode-resistant Rhg1 soybeans

N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) and α-soluble NSF attachment protein (α-SNAP) are essential eukaryotic housekeeping proteins that cooperatively function to sustain vesicular trafficking. The “resistance to Heterodera glycines 1” (Rhg1) locus of soybean (Glycine max) confers resistance to soybean cyst nematode, a highly damaging soybean pest. Rhg1 loci encode repeat copies of atypical α-SNAP proteins that are defective in promoting NSF function and are cytotoxic in certain contexts. Here, we discovered an unusual NSF allele (Rhg1-associated NSF on chromosome 07; NSFRAN07) in Rhg1+ germplasm. NSFRAN07 protein modeling to mammalian NSF/α-SNAP complex structures indicated that at least three of the five NSFRAN07 polymorphisms reside adjacent to the α-SNAP binding interface. NSFRAN07 exhibited stronger in vitro binding with Rhg1 resistance-type α-SNAPs. NSFRAN07 coexpression in planta was more protective against Rhg1 α-SNAP cytotoxicity, relative to WT NSFCh07. Investigation of a previously reported segregation distortion between chromosome 18 Rhg1 and a chromosome 07 interval now known to contain the Glyma.07G195900 NSF gene revealed 100% coinheritance of the NSFRAN07 allele with disease resistance Rhg1 alleles, across 855 soybean accessions and in all examined Rhg1+ progeny from biparental crosses. Additionally, we show that some Rhg1-mediated resistance is associated with depletion of WT α-SNAP abundance via selective loss of WT α-SNAP loci. Hence atypical coevolution of the soybean SNARE-recycling machinery has balanced the acquisition of an otherwise disruptive housekeeping protein, enabling a valuable disease resistance trait. Our findings further indicate that successful engineering of Rhg1-related resistance in plants will require a compatible NSF partner for the resistance-conferring α-SNAP.
Celecoxib Does Not Protect against Fibrosis and Inflammation in a Carbon Tetrachloride–Induced Model of Liver Injury

The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitor celecoxib is widely used in the treatment of pain and inflammation. Celecoxib has been explored as a possible treatment of liver fibrosis with contradictory results, depending on the model. The present study reports the effect of celecoxib in a 5-week carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis mouse model. Celecoxib alone and in combination with inhibitors of the enzyme-soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), as well as a dual inhibitor that targets both COX-2 and sEH, were administered via osmotic minipump to mice receiving intraperitoneal injections of CCl4 Collagen deposition was elevated in the mice treated with both celecoxib and CCl4 compared with the control or CCl4-only groups, as assessed by trichrome staining. Histopathology revealed more extensive fibrosis and cell death in the animals treated with both celecoxib and CCl4 compared with all other experimental groups. Although some markers of fibrosis, such as matrix metalloprotease, were unchanged or lowered in the animals treated with both celecoxib and CCl4, overall, hepatic fibrosis was more severe in this group. Cotreatment with celecoxib and an inhibitor of sEH or treatment with a dual inhibitor of COX-2 and sEH decreased the elevated levels of fibrotic markers observed in the group that received both celecoxib and CCl4 Oxylipid analysis revealed that celecoxib reduced the level of prostaglandin E2 relative to the CCl4 only group. Overall, celecoxib treatment did not decrease liver fibrosis in CCl4-treated mice.
Effects of Growth Regulator Compounds on Yield and Size of the Commercial Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus

Abstract Nine potential growth regulators (GR's) were tested for ability to affect yield (kg/m 2 ) and/or average size (g/mushroom) of sporophores of Agaricus bisporus . The GR's used were flurprimidol, cycocel, succinic acid dimethylhydrazide, ancymidol, gibberellic acid, 6-benzyladenine, α-napthalene acetic acid, caffeine and theophylline. Compost colonization and fruiting were conducted in growth chambers specially equipped to provide the required environmental conditions. Two ml GR solution or water control was applied to the casing surface by pipet on the day that primordia were first visible. Eight replications were made of each treatment. The results indicate that some of the compounds at some concentrations effected yield and size. These results suggest potential use of GR's to produce larger fruiting bodies without a reduction in yield.
Risk Factors: Tobacco

Tobacco use is the only shared risk factor for the world’s four leading noncommunicable diseases: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses. Tobacco use accounts for six million deaths annually, including an estimated 600,000 deaths from nonsmokers involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke (World Health Organization. Fact Sheet Number 339—tobacco. Retrieved July 28, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/index.html, 2011d). In addition to cigarette smoking, which is the most common form of tobacco use, the evolution of patterns of tobacco use, or more precisely, the pursuit of nicotine, has resulted in the development of novel products from pharmaceutical companies (nicotine replacement therapy), entrepreneurs (nicotine water and electronic cigarettes), and tobacco companies (snus and dissolvables). These products are changing the face of nicotine addiction, and their influence on dual use patterns, cessation, and nicotine uptake are largely unclear. This chapter discusses the harm caused by tobacco and secondhand smoke, as well as smoking prevalence rates worldwide. The tobacco industry is discussed in terms of its economic value, its marketing techniques, the industry’s undue influence, and the basics of growing tobacco. Global tobacco control initiatives, such as the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and global methods for curbing tobacco use are discussed and presented as a means for controlling tobacco globally, as well as the possible relevance of tobacco control strategies for the reduction of other chronic disease risk factors
Abstract 16832: A Protective Role for Toll like Receptor 4 in Pathogen-Mediated Atherosclerosis

Endogenous and exogenous ligands of microbial origin stimulate inflammation associated with atherosclerosis progression via the innate immune Toll like receptors (TLRs). The oral pathogen Porphyrom...
Association of the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome with responses and survival (PFS) in metastatic melanoma (MM) patients (pts) on anti-PD-1 therapy.

3008Background: Significant advances have been made in cancer therapy with immune checkpoint blockade. However, responses in pts with MM are variable, and insights are needed to identify biomarkers...
A phase II, open label, single arm study of nivolumab for recurrent or progressive IDH mutant gliomas with prior exposure to alkylating agents.

TPS2073Background: Gliomas are the most common malignant primary brain tumors in adults. Mutations in Isocitrate dehydrogenonase 1 (IDH1) or IDH2 genes are associated with longer survival. These mu...
Cation−π Interactions in the Benzylic Arylation of Toluenes with Bimetallic Catalysts

A method to directly arylate toluene derivatives with aryl bromides to generate diarylmethanes, which are important building blocks in drug discovery, is described. In this method, KN(SiMe3)2 in combination with a (NIXANTPHOS)Pd catalyst accomplished the deprotonative activation of toluene derivatives to permit cross-coupling with aryl bromides. Good to excellent yields are obtained with a range of electron-rich to neutral aryl bromides. Both electron-rich and electron-poor toluene derivatives are well tolerated, and even 2-chlorotoluene performs well, providing a platform for introduction of additional functionalization. This discovery hinges on the use of a main group metal to activate toluene for deprotonation by means of a cation−π interaction, which is secured by a bimetallic K(NIXANTPHOS)Pd assembly. Mechanistic and computational studies support acidification of toluene derivatives by the K+–cation– π interaction, which may prove pertinent in the development of other, new reaction systems.
Local Beef Cattle Breeding Program in Indonesia

Indonesia has a number of cattle breeds that have certain advantages as meat-producing cattle with high adaptability to the local environment. Local beef cattle breeding has now been carried out by the government through technical implementation unit. Efforts to build local cattle breeding still need to be improved to be able to meet sustainably the demands of local cattle breeding stocks for the farmers. However, beef cattle breeding business is less attractive to investors because it is economically less profitable and requires a long maintenance time compared to the fattening business. This paper aims to provide an overview of thoughts in an effort to improve the performance of local beef cattle breeding in Indonesia. In supporting the local cattle breeding program, the role of central and regional governments still has to be dominant mainly in the establishing of breeding centers as the core and policies related to the operationalization of activities involving farmers and other stakeholders.
Swim bladder inflation failure in pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) larvae in pond culture

Environmental conditions have a major impact on swim bladder inflation (SBI) in intensively cultured pikeperch Sander lucioperca, but there is currently no evidence of SBI inflation failure under natural conditions. The goals of this study were to quantify SBI failure in pond-cultured pikeperch larvae and to investigate whether pond conditions and characteristics including surface area, average depth, submerged and littoral vegetation, or bottom substrate play a significant role in its occurrence. Pikeperch larvae (n = 5700) in 19 ponds were examined for SBI at 16 days post-hatching. The swim bladder (SB) failed to inflate in 243 (4.2%) of the larvae with incidence of non-inflation ranging from 0 to 17.6% in individual ponds. No significant differences were found in total length (P > 0.27) or weight (P > 0.14) of larvae with and without inflated SB. The proportion of larvae with successfully inflated SB was significantly influenced by the presence of littoral vegetation and by interaction of presence of littoral vegetation with pond surface area and with pond average depth. Fish in ponds lacking littoral vegetation with water depth < 0.9 m showed higher rates of SB inflation failure.
Concentration-Dependent Effects of a Dietary Ketone Ester on Components of Energy Balance in Mice

Objectives: Exogenous ketones may provide therapeutic benefit in treatment of obesity. Administration of the ketone ester (KE) R,S-1,3-butanediol acetoacetate diester (BD-AcAc2) decreases body weight in mice, but effects on energy balance have not been extensively characterized. The purpose of this investigation was to explore concentration-dependent effects of BD-AcAc2 on energy intake and expenditure in mice. Methods: Forty-two male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to one of seven isocaloric diets (n = 6 per group): (1) Control (CON, 0% KE by kcals); (2) KE5 (5% KE); (3) KE10 (10% KE); (4) KE15 (15% KE); (5) KE20 (20% KE); (6) KE25 (25% KE); and (7) KE30 (30% KE) for 3 weeks. Energy intake and body weight were measured daily. Fat mass (FM), lean body mass (LBM), and energy expenditure (EE) were measured at completion of the study. Differences among groups were compared to CON using ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results: Mean energy intake was similar between CON and each concentration of KE, except KE30 which was 12% lower than CON (P < 0.01). KE25 and KE30 had lower body weight and FM compared to CON, while only KE30 had lower LBM (P < 0.03). Adjusted resting and total EE were lower in KE30 compared to CON (P < 0.03), but similar for all other groups. Conclusions: A diet comprised of 30% energy from BD-AcAc2 results in lower energy intake, coincident with lower body weight and whole animal adiposity; while KE20 and KE25 have significantly lower body weight and adiposity effects independent of changes in energy intake or expenditure.
FPGA and GPU-based acceleration of ML workloads on Amazon cloud - A case study using gradient boosted decision tree library

Abstract Cloud vendors such as Amazon (AWS) have started to offer FPGAs in addition to GPUs and CPU in their computing on-demand services. In this work we explore design space trade-offs of implementing a state-of-the-art machine learning library for Gradient-boosted decision trees (GBDT) on Amazon cloud and compare the scalability, performance, cost and accuracy with best known CPU and GPU implementations from literature. Our evaluation indicates that depending on the dataset, an FPGA-based implementation of the bottleneck computation kernels yields a speed-up anywhere from 3X to 10X over a GPU and 5X to 33X over a CPU. We show that smaller bin size results in better performance on a FPGA, but even with a bin size of 16 and a fixed point implementation the degradation in terms of accuracy on a FPGA is relatively small, around 1.3%–3.3% compared to a floating point implementation with 256 bins on a CPU or GPU.
Feeling transcendent? Measuring psychophysiological responses to self-transcendent media content

Self-transcendent media experiences are thought to involve cognitive engagement and mixed affect, leading to psychological well-being. The current study investigated whether these characteristics w...
A Review of PTSD Augmentation Strategies for Older Adults and Case of rTMS-Augmented Prolonged Exposure

Evidence-based psychotherapies such as prolonged exposure therapy (PE) are recommended by clinical practice guidelines as first-line treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are safe and acceptable for use with older adults. One third to one half of all patients do not achieve a clinically meaningful response to standard outpatient PE and recent research suggests that older adults in particular may experience barriers to full engagement and response. Standard treatment may be challenging in older adults due to cognitive, medical, and psychosocial barriers. This article reviews the current state of the evidence on adjunctive and second-tier interventions that show promise for increasing response and/or engagement in evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD, including medications such as d-cycloserine and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, neuromodulation techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and augmentations to the structure and content of psychotherapy, such as intensive outpatient formats. A case illustration of successful application of multiple augmentations to PE with an initially nonresponsive older adult patient is presented. A creative interdisciplinary approach based in available research may be beneficial for older adults who do not respond to first-line treatments.
Combining Newton-Raphson and Stochastic Gradient Descent for Power Flow Analysis

The power flow problem is an indispensable tool to solve many of the operation and planning problems in the electric grid and has been studied for the last half-century. Currently, popular algorithms require second-order methods, which may lead to poor performance when the initialization points are poor or when the system is stressed. These conditions are becoming more common as both the generation and load profiles changes in the grid. In this paper, we present a hybrid first-order and second-order method that effectively escapes local minima that may trap existing algorithms. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on standard IEEE benchmarks.
Correlation of MRI with Muscle Biopsy Findings in Critical Illness Myopathy (P3.459)

Objective: To clarify the relationship between imaging and histopathologic abnormalities in critical illness myopathy (CIM). Background: CIM is a common condition in patients with prolonged intensive care unit stay. Pathological findings are heterogeneous, ranging from acute necrotizing myopathy, to diffuse atrophy, to the most common pattern of selective thick filament (myosin) loss. Previous reports highlighted the muscle MRI abnormalities in this condition, but did not include detailed description of the pathology associated with them. Design/Methods: We describe the clinical, electrophysiologic, imaging and pathology findings in a patient ultimately diagnosed with myosin loss myopathy. Results: A 38-year-old woman with history of juvenile arthritis, was treated with high dose corticosteroids for one month due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, and developed progressive bilateral leg pain associated with proximal muscle weakness. Examination showed cushingoid facial appearance and proximal symmetric muscle weakness (4/5). Muscle MRI revealed hyperintense T2/STIR signal symmetrically throughout the lower extremity musculature, and diffuse gadolinium enhancement on T1. CK was low, and EMG showed myopathy without abnormal spontaneous activity. Muscle biopsy confirmed widespread myosin loss, without any necrosis or inflammation. Conclusions: Muscle MRI findings of edema (increased T2/STIR signal) and gadolinium enhancement can be caused by non-inflammatory disorders, including loss of thick filaments, as seen in critical illness myopathy. Prospective analysis of more cases would be useful. Disclosure: Dr. Labin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Manousakis has nothing to disclose.
Genetic Dissection of the Erwinia amylovora Disease Cycle.

Fire blight, caused by the bacterial phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora, is an economically important and mechanistically complex disease that affects apple and pear production in most geographic prod...
Impact of smoking on stage-specific survival in human papilloma virus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) released a new staging system for human papilloma virus (HPV) positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in their eighth edition. The role of smoking in HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer remains controversial and is not factored into the updated staging system. METHODS Single institutional, retrospective chart review of patients with HPV positive OPC from 2009 to 2017 was completed. Dichotomized smoking data were collected into 0-9 and ≥10 pack-year histories. Kaplan-Meier survival curves compared overall survival (OS) for smokers and nonsmokers. RESULTS Five-year OS was not statistically different in stage I or stage II HPV positive OPC comparing nonsmokers versus smokers, but worse in stage III smokers (38% vs. 76%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Greater than 10 pack-year smoking status may negatively affect survival in late stage HPV positive OPC but not in early stage disease. HPV positive smokers may require additional risk stratification.
Vitamin K2 Holds Promise for Alzheimer’s Prevention and Treatment

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of vitamin K2 (VK2) in human health. However, there have been no clinical studies investigating the role of VK2 in the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a debilitating disease for which currently there is no cure. In reviewing basic science research and clinical studies that have connected VK2 to factors involved in AD pathogenesis, we have found a growing body of evidence demonstrating that VK2 has the potential to slow the progression of AD and contribute to its prevention. In our review, we consider the antiapoptotic and antioxidant effects of VK2 and its impact on neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, cognition, cardiovascular health, and comorbidities in AD. We also examine the link between dysbiosis and VK2 in the context of the microbiome’s role in AD pathogenesis. Our review is the first to consider the physiological roles of VK2 in the context of AD, and, given the recent shift in AD research toward nonpharmacological interventions, our findings emphasize the timeliness and need for clinical studies involving VK2.
Effect of different irrigation intervals on growth and yield of chilli crop grown in sandy soil

A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different irrigation intervals on growth and yield performance of chilli grown under dry weather condition in sandy soil of Batticaloa district. The experimental setup was a Randomized Complete Block Design of four treatments and five replicates. The treatments applied were; T1 (irrigated daily as control), T2 (at 3 days irrigation interval), T3 (at 5 days interval for first 12 weeks and then with 6 days interval) and T4 (at 7 days irrigation interval). Growth and yield attributes such as plant height, leaf area, number of branches, fresh and dry weight of plant shoots and roots and yield were recorded. The results revealed that, higher irrigation frequency had shown higher growth rate on crop characteristics such as plant height (64.3 cm), leaf area (28.48 cm2), shoot fresh weight (112.09g), shoot dry weight (28.01g), root fresh weight (12.58g), root dry weight (3.85g) etc. Further, the daily irrigation significantly increased the yield of chilli, whereas irrigation at 3 days and 5 days did not influence significantly. The yield was significantly lower for treatment with 7 days irrigation interval. The yield reduction was by 45.4% for 7 days irrigation interval from daily irrigated plots which was significantly higher. Study concluded that, daily irrigation shows highest desirable output for most of the parameters. Non-significant differences in growth characteristics were noticed for the T2 and T3, while 7 days irrigation interval (T4) shows the lowest performance on the growth characteristics of chilli. Therefore, daily irrigation is most suitable for sandy soils under dry weather conditions in this study area.
Evaluating the Impact of a Targeted Approach Designed to Build Executive Function Skills: A Randomized Trial of Brain Games

This paper reports results from an impact study of Brain Games (BGs), a classroom-based intervention designed to build preschool and school-aged children's executive functions (EFs) and related self-regulation skills. The study employed a classroom-randomized, experimental design with 626 students in 36 pre-K through fourth grade classrooms in charter schools in a mid-sized urban district. In one set of models with child covariates, children in intervention classrooms showed marginal positive impacts on regulation-related behaviors, attention control and impulsivity, and negative effects on global EF and marginal increases in discipline problems. A second set of models with a smaller sample and both child and classroom covariates included indicate positive impacts of BGs on global EFs, prosocial behavior, and attention control and impulsivity. There were no significant impacts on the teacher-student relationship as reported by the teacher or on direct assessments of inhibitory control, short term and working memory, or another measure of global EF in either set of models. These promising findings offer a signal that implementation of targeted, easy to implement intervention approaches in classroom contexts can influence children's regulation-related and prosocial outcomes, but this signal should be investigated further with larger and more tightly controlled designs.
Rates of unverifiable and incomplete publications in pediatric ophthalmology fellowship applications.

The publication patterns of pediatric ophthalmology fellowship applicants and in particular the rates of unverifiable and incomplete publications have not been previously reported. A 5-year retrospective cross-sectional study of fellowship candidates found 2.1% of publications listed as published were unverifiable, and only 49% of manuscripts listed as pending publication were published within 5 years. There was lower likelihood to list an incomplete publication for applicants with additional degrees or prior fellowship training and higher likelihood with more manuscripts listed as in preparation. Sex, international medical graduate status, USMLE step scores, and number of publications did not corelate with unverifiable publications.
Exam performance and attitudes toward multitasking in six, multimedia-multitasking classroom environments

Although many colleges and universities have implemented laptop programs, the use of these technologies in the classroom doesn't guarantee increases in exam performance. Used improperly, these technologies can hinder the learning process. An experiment was conducted comparing how the use or non-use of technology affected exam performance between six different classroom environments. Consistent with predictions based on theories of multitasking and multimedia processing, participants performed worst on an exam when distracted with social media. Moreover, having had this experience, participants in five of the six conditions showed a decrease in perceptions of their abilities to efficiently multitask from pre-test to post-test. Results are discussed in terms of theory and recommendations are made for the integration of experiential learning sessions into orientation programs to help promote a healthy classroom learning environment. Unstructured environments with social media are not conducive to learning.Participants performed worst when distracted in unstructured environments.Writing notes by hand had the greatest learning outcome.Attitudes toward perceived abilities to multitask can be changed.
The purification and characterization of a novel peptidase from sheep red cells.

Abstract A peptidase has been purified to near homogeneity from sheep red cells. This enzyme has a molecular weight of 340,000 and appears to contain six identical subunits. The enzyme is an endopeptidase of considerable specificity cleaving only bonds which are in hydrophobic regions of small peptides. The enzyme shows strong cooperativity in the hydrolysis of Gly-Ser-Ala but none in the hydrolysis of Gly-Met-Gly.
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase in tobacco leaves is activated by light in a similar but not identical way as in maize

We have previously reported the partial purification of a Ca2+- independent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) protein-serine/threonine kinase (PEPC-PK) from illuminated leaves of N-sufficient tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants (Y.-H. Wang, R. Chollet [1993] FEBS Lett 328: 215–218). We now report that this C3 PEPC-kinase is reversibly light activated in vivo in a time-dependent manner. As the kinase becomes light activated, the activity and L-malate sensitivity of its target protein increases and decreases, respectively. The light activation of tobacco PEPC-PK is prevented by pretreatment of detached leaves with various photosynthesis and cytosolic protein-synthesis inhibitors. Similarly, specific inhibitors of glutamine synthetase block the light activation of tobacco leaf PEPC-kinase under both photorespiratory and nonphotorespiratory conditions. This striking effect is partially and specifically reversed by exogenous glutamine, whereas it has no apparent effect on the light activation of the maize (Zea mays L.) leaf kinase. Using an in situ “activity-gel” phosphorylation assay, we have identified two major Ca2+-independent PEPC-kinase catalytic polypeptides in illuminated tobacco leaves that have the same molecular masses (approximately 30 and 37 kD) as found in illuminated maize leaves. Collectively, these results indicate that the phosphorylation of PEPC in N-sufficient leaves of tobacco (C3) and maize (C4) is regulated through similar but not identical light-signal transduction pathways.
Contact-free physiological monitoring using a markerless optical system

Purpose Physiological noise remains a major problem in MRI, particularly at higher imaging resolutions and field strengths. The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of using an MR-compatible in-bore camera system to perform contactless monitoring of cardiac and respiratory information during MRI of human subjects. Methods An MR-compatible camera was mounted on an eight-channel head coil. Video data of the skin was processed offline to derive cardiac and respiratory signals from the pixel signal intensity and from head motion in the patient head–feet direction. These signals were then compared with data acquired simultaneously from the pulse oximeter and the respiratory belt. Results The cardiac signal computed using the average image pixel intensity closely resembled the signal obtained using the pulse oximeter. Trigger intervals obtained from both systems matched to within 50 ms (one standard deviation). The respiratory signal computed from small in-plane movements closely matched the signal obtained from the respiratory belt. Simultaneous MR imaging did not appear to have an effect on the physiological signals acquired by means of the contact-free monitoring system. Conclusion Contact-free monitoring of human subjects to obtain cardiac and respiratory information is feasible using a small camera and light emitting diode mounted on the head coil of an MRI scanner. Magn Reson Med 74:571–577, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.