cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase produced by a marine bacterium, Photobacterium leiognathi JT-SHIZ-145, is active at pH 8

A gene encoding a sialyltransferase produced by Photobacterium leiognathi JT-SHIZ-145 was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The sialyltransferase gene contained an open reading frame of 1494 base pairs (bp) encoding a predicted protein of 497 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the sialyltransferase had no significant similarity to mammalian sialyltransferases and did not contain sialyl motifs, but did show high homology to another marine bacterial sialyltransferase, a beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase produced by P. damselae JT0160. The acceptor substrate specificity of the new enzyme was similar to that of the alpha2,6-sialyltransferase from P. damselae JT0160, but its activity was maximal at pH 8. This property is quite different from the properties of all mammalian and bacterial sialyltransferases reported previously, which have maximal activity at acidic pH. In general, both sialosides and cytidine-5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid, the common donor substrate of sialyltransferases, are more stable under basic conditions. Therefore, a sialyltransferase with an optimum pH in the basic range should be useful for the preparation of sialosides and the modification of glycoconjugates, such as asialo-glycoproteins and asialo-glycolipids. Thus, the sialyltransferase obtained from P. leiognathi JT-SHIZ-145 is a promising tool for the efficient production of sialosides.
Synthetic Applications of the beta-Lithiation of beta-Aryl Secondary Amides: Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Substitutions.

The sequence of β-lithiation and electrophilic substitution of β-aryl secondary amides is reported. The lithiations occur regioselectively at the β-position, and the resulting lithiated intermediates can be reacted with a wide range of electrophiles to give substituted products. Reactions of β-lithiated amides bearing an α-substituent provide substituted products with high diastereoselectivity. Electrophilic substitutions of β-lithiated N-methylamides in the presence of the chiral diamine (−)-sparteine provide highly enantioenriched products. The methodology is used to synthesize enantioenriched β-aryl β-substituted amides, acids, and lactones.
A spectrally accurate integral equation solver for molecular surface electrostatics

Electrostatic analysis of complicated molecular surfaces arises in a number of nanotechnology applications including: biomolecule design, carbon nanotube simulation, and molecular electron transport. Molecular surfaces are typically smooth, without the corners common in electrical interconnect problems, and are candidates for methods with higher order convergence than that of the commonly used flat panel methods. In this paper we describe and demonstrate a spectrally accurate approach for analyzing molecular surfaces described by a collection of surface points. The method is a synthesis of several techniques, and starts by using least squares to fit a high order spherical harmonic surface representation to the given points. Then this analytic representation is used to construct a differentiable map from the molecular suface to a cube, an orthogonal basis is generated on the rectangular cube surfaces, and a change of variables is used to desingularize the required integrals of products of basis functions and Green's function. Finally, an efficient method for solving the discretized system using a matrix-implicit scheme is described. The combined method is demonstrated on an analytically solvable sphere problem, capacitance calculation of complicated molecular surface, and a coupled Poisson/Poisson-Boltzmann problem associated with a biomolecule. The results demonstrate that for a tolerance of 10-3 this new approach requires one to two orders of magnitude fewer unknowns than a flat panel method.
The Influence of Culture on Portrayals of Women in Television Commercials: A Comparison Between the United States and Japan

The present study attempts to examine the influence of culture on portrayals of women in advertising by examining television commercials from the United States and Japan. The two countries are similar in many respects but the norms regarding appropriate roles for women are quite different in the two cultures. Content analysis of television commercials showed that advertisements are to a large extent a reflection of society.
Inclusion of the herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene in a replicating adenovirus does not augment antitumor efficacy.

Replication-incompetent adenoviruses (Ad) carrying the herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HSVtk) gene have been used in a number of human cancer gene therapy trials, however transduction has generally been limited to a small minority of tumor cells. To solve this problem, replication-competent adenoviral vectors carrying transgenes such as HSVtk have been developed. However, contradictory evidence exists regarding the efficacy of these new vectors. Accordingly, we constructed and tested a replication-competent E3-deleted adenoviral vector containing the HSVtk suicide gene driven by the endogenous E3 promoter (Ad.wt.tk). This virus showed high level production of the HSVtk transgene and was more efficacious than a non-replicating virus in vitro, after injection into flank tumors, and against established intraperitoneal tumors. However, addition of ganciclovir (GCV) therapy to cells or tumor-bearing animals treated with the replicating vector containing the HSVtk suicide gene did not result in increased cell killing. Our results indicate that addition of HSVtk to a replicating Ad virus will not likely be useful in augmenting antitumor effects.
An approach to the synthesis of 6‐methylpenicillin G

Die Kondensation zwischen dem Oxazolon (I) und dem Thiazolin (II) fuhrt in Ge= . genwart von Pyridin zum Kondensat (III), das z.B. mit-p-Anisylalkohol zu (IVa) gespalten wird.
DR-08MSK1/ β-CATENIN SIGNALING MEDIATES RESISTANCE TO PI3K/mTOR INHIBITORS IN GLIOBLASTOMA

Glioblastoma, with aberrant activation of growth factor signaling pathways, represents a compelling disease for kinase inhibitor therapy. Despite the evidence defining the PI3K network as a high quality target, regulatory feedback loops as well as cross-talk with other networks make understanding and targeting the PI3K network a challenging task. As a result of selective pressure by PI3 kinase inhibitors, glioblastoma: 1) up-regulates compensatory survival pathways and 2) utilizes complimentary pathways as a predominant mechanism of escape from anti-PI3K drugs, which can be eliminated by concomitant use of complimentary inhibitors. Here, we tested these hypotheses, using a large panel of glioma cells and glioma initiating stem cell (GIC) lines treated with PI3K inhibitors. A differential response to PI3K pathway inhibitors divided GICs into responder and non-responder groups, identifying molecular profiles that distinguish the two groups. Gene expression profiling before and after PI3K inhibitor treatment was analyzed by Affymetrix microarrays to identify molecular targets/signatures contributing resistance to PI3K inhibitors. We identified mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) was markedly induced after PI3K/mTOR inhibitor treatment. MSK1 depletion attenuated GIC resistance to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, and overexpression of MSK1 potentiated the resistance to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. Further investigation identified β-catenin as a direct interacting protein of MSK1. Interestingly, MSK1 phosphorylated β-catenin at ser552 and regulated β-catenin nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. More interestingly, we showed that overexpression of S552D-β-catenin reversed MSK1-shRNA-attenuated resistance to PI3K/mTOR inhibition. Disruption of MSK1 synergized with PI3K/mTOR inhibitors to extend survival in an intracranial animal model, accompanied by decreased phosphorylation of β-catenin at Ser552. Taken together, our results suggested that PI3K/mTOR inhibitors activated MSK1/β-catenin signaling, which may serve as an escape survival signaling mechanism upon PI3K/mTOR inhibition in glioblastoma. Therefore targeting PI3K/mTOR pathway together with MSK-1 might show increased therapeutic benefit when used as combination regimen.
Ca(2+)-force relationship of frog skeletal muscle: a dynamic model for parameter estimation

A simple mathematical model describing the dynamic connection between Ca2+ and force generation in intact skeletal muscle from the frog has been developed from isometric force responses to cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) transients during tetanic and twitch contractions. The main element of the model is a two-state cross-bridge cycle characterized by the fractional rate of cross-bridge attachment (f(app)) and the fractional rate of cross-bridge detachment (g*). While g* is constant, f(app) is time varying and regulated by both [Ca2+]c and force. Having only four adjustable parameters, the model is mathematically unique, thereby allowing precise parameter estimation from the dynamic Ca2+ and force data. The model should be useful for developing insights into the relative importance for force generation and relaxation of 1) the size and shape of the Ca2+ transient, 2) the sensitivity of the fractional rate of cross-bridge attachment to both the [Ca2+]c and the force responses, and 3) the fractional rate of cross-bridge detachment, which is insensitive to both Ca2+ and force.
Our Professional Failures at Predicting and Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities

The focus of this chapter is on our professional failures to protect the lives of children with disabilities from abuse and neglect. Specifically, we will describe the maltreatment of children by professionals. These professionals include doctors, lawyers, educators, and related professionals. We will analyze the data provided by the U.S. DHHS on the professional perpetuators of child abuse and neglect (CAN) and abuse and neglect of children with disabilities (ANCD). We will present an analysis of the newspaper coverage over a 10-year span and provide examples of professionals who abuse and neglect children with disabilities. We will address the unique challenges inherent in this area of research and practice. We will conclude this chapter by making recommendations for future researchers and practitioners in this area.
Braidio: An Integrated Active-Passive Radio for Mobile Devices with Asymmetric Energy Budgets

While many radio technologies are available for mobile devices, none of them are designed to deal with asymmetric available energy. Battery capacities of mobile devices vary by up to three orders of magnitude between laptops and wearables, and our inability to deal with such asymmetry has limited the lifetime of constrained portable devices. This paper presents a radically new design for low-power radios --- one that is capable of dynamically splitting the power burden of communication between the transmitter and receiver in proportion to the available energy on the two devices. We achieve this with a novel carrier offload method that dynamically moves carrier generation across end points. While such a design might raise the specter of a high-power, large form-factor radio, we show that this integration can be achieved with no more than a BLE-style active radio augmented with a few additional components. Our design, Braidio is a low-power, tightly integrated, low-cost radio capable of operating as an active and passive transceiver. When these modes operate in an interleaved (braided) manner, the end result is a power-proportional low-power radio that is able to achieve 1:2546 to 3546:1 power consumption ratios between a transmitter and a receiver, all while operating at low power.
Female Religious Homoeroticism: the Sisters Rossetti and Keary

The second part of this book examines writers of a somewhat later period, following the articulation of homosexual identity in medical discourse. Here I reconsider Christina Rossetti with respect to her familial relationships. Rather than focusing upon literary constructions of religious sisterhoods, Chapter 3 interrogates biological bonds. If Part 1 pointed to a variety of homoaffective spaces such as the monastery or convent, Chapters 3 and 4 analyse the anxieties of homoeroticism, an awareness of same-sex desire within such contexts. Following Rossetti, Eliza Keary provides a means for interpreting the concern about same-sex attachments that increased later in the Victorian period. If Rossetti was able to explore female sexuality within the safe discourse of theology, Keary’s poetry more pointedly depicts the threats same-sex desire posed when associated with tangible bodies of friends. Women’s religious community in the nineteenth century, like the male monastery, created a space for the exploration of homoeroticism.
Estimating a project's earned and final duration

Abstract Using standard Earned Value Management (EVM) protocols, the current approach to Earned Schedule (ES) is extended and formalized to establish its rigorous, theoretical foundation. A precise definition is provided for what we term the project's earned duration, whose creation completes the triad of planned, actual, and earned durations. The published ES formula emerges as a linear approximation, but is found to work with some nonlinear cost profiles, and the conditions under which it gives both correct and incorrect duration estimates are noted. In the several planned and earned value functional profiles examined, no approximations are required to derive an exact analytical expression for the final duration; most duration formulas are straightforward and useful. The reliability and accuracy of the duration formulas are demonstrated with several examples of real, nonlinear project data that represent large classes of projects. We conclude with practical guidance for project managers.
Droplet depinning in a wake

A partially wetting droplet on a substrate behind an obstacle in a sufficiently strong wind is found experimentally to depin and move downstream, or depin and move upstream, or split into two. A simple 2D theory gives a qualitative prediction of this behavior.
Risk Factors for Shoulder Dystocia: the Impact of Mother's Race and Ethnicity.

Shoulder dystocia is a rare but severe birth trauma where the neonate’s shoulders fail to deliver after delivery of the head. Failure to deliver the shoulders quickly can lead to severe, long-term injury to the infant, including nerve injury, skeletal fractures, and potentially death. This observational study examined shoulder dystocia risk factors by race and ethnicity using a sample of 19,236 pregnant women who presented for labor and delivery from July 1, 2010 until June 30, 2013 at five locations. Multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with shoulder dystocia occurrence in racial/ethnic groups with high incidence rates. For White non-Hispanic mothers, the strongest risk factors were delivering past 40 weeks’ gestation (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5, 3.9; p < .01) and use of epidural anesthesia during delivery (OR = 4.4; 95% CI = 3.0, 6.4; p < .01). Among Black non-Hispanic mothers, the risk factors with the greatest impact were use of epidural (OR = 5.3; 95% CI = 3.2, 8.7; p < .01) and having gestational diabetes and controlling the condition with insulin (OR = 4.6; 95% CI = 1.5, 13.8; p < .01). Additionally, among Hispanic mothers, having Spanish as primary language increased shoulder dystocia likelihood compared to those who did not cite it as their primary language (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.6; p < .05). This study provides evidence that risk factors for a labor and delivery condition can vary significantly across racial and ethnic subgroups. These differences emphasize the importance of evaluating risk by population subgroups and might provide a basis for labor and delivery clinicians to enhance personalized medicine to reduce adverse events.
Scandinavian Landscapes in America

This chapter primarily considers the distribution of Scandinavian populations and aspects of the ethnic landscapes of Norwegians, Swedes, and Finns in the Upper Great Lakes states and the Pacific Northwest. Brief comments are made regarding Danish and Icelandic settlements. Vernacular architecture, as displayed in their houses, barns, churches, and—among the Finnish—their saunas, and farmstead arrangement distinguish their older settlements. Heritage tourism in several Scandinavian settlements is described.
Optical determination of the electronic coupling and intercalation geometry of thiazole orange homodimer in DNA.

Sequence-selective bis-intercalating dyes exhibit large increases in fluorescence in the presence of specific DNA sequences. This property makes this class of fluorophore of particular importance to biosensing and super-resolution imaging. Here we report ultrafast transient anisotropy measurements of resonance energy transfer (RET) between thiazole orange (TO) molecules in a complex formed between the homodimer TOTO and double-stranded (ds) DNA. Biexponential homo-RET dynamics suggest two subpopulations within the ensemble: 80% intercalated and 20% non-intercalated. Based on the application of the transition density cube method to describe the electronic coupling and Monte Carlo simulations of the TOTO/dsDNA geometry, the dihedral angle between intercalated TO molecules is estimated to be 81° ± 5°, corresponding to a coupling strength of 45 ± 22 cm-1. Dye intercalation with this geometry is found to occur independently of the underlying DNA sequence, despite the known preference of TOTO for the nucleobase sequence CTAG. The non-intercalated subpopulation is inferred to have a mean inter-dye separation distance of 19 A, corresponding to coupling strengths between 0 and 25 cm-1. This information is important to enable the rational design of energy transfer systems that utilize TOTO as a relay dye. The approach used here is generally applicable to determining the electronic coupling strength and intercalation configuration of other dimeric bis-intercalators.
Lesinurad (Zurampic) for Gout.

Lesinurad taken in addition to a xanthine oxidase inhibitor reduces serum uric acid levels. However, it does not reduce the likelihood of experiencing a gout flare-up or completely resolving tophi.
“O Carib Isle!” or “Scattered Moluccas”? Édouard Glissant’s Pacific relation

Edouard Glissant is well known for his theorization of the Caribbean’s key role in our understanding of the Atlantic world, but little attention has been paid to his interest in the Pacific. This e...
The Utility of Vancomycin Powder in Reducing Surgical Site Infections in Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery.

Background The impact of vancomycin powder on reducing postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) in spine surgery has been studied extensively and is considered standard of care at many institutions. More recently, vancomycin powder has been shown to reduce SSI in cranial neurosurgery; however, limited studies have been performed assessing its impact in reducing SSIs in deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Objective To investigate the use of vancomycin powder as an adjunct to the current antibiotic prophylaxis regimen in DBS surgery in a large cohort of patients. Methods All patients undergoing DBS-lead implantation surgery and chest generator placement or exchange were analyzed prior to and after the implementation of intrawound vancomycin powder, and the impact on infection rate and any complications were subsequently examined. Results From 2015 to 2017, a total of 419 consecutive patients (159 in the pretreatment group, 260 in the post-treatment group) were included in the study. The rate of SSI prior to implementation of intrawound vancomycin was 3.1% (n = 5), which was reduced to 0.38% (n = 1) in the post-treatment group. No complications were noted as a direct result of using vancomycin powder. Conclusion Given its relatively low cost and side effect profile, the use of vancomycin powder may be an effective adjunct in reducing the rate of SSI in DBS surgery.
Sleep deprivation and metabolism

Rates of overweight and obesity have been progressively increasing along with associated disorders such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Concurrently, average sleep times have gradually decreased. The present chapter discusses evidence from both epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggesting that sleep deficiency may contribute to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The most likely mechanisms linking insufficient sleep and overweight/obesity lie within the hypothalamic nuclei involved in modulating feeding and waking behaviors and involve dysregulation of peripheral factors that modulate neural activity in these nuclei. Moreover, the findings provide evidence that sleep deficiency does indeed impair glucose metabolism and alters the cross-talk between periphery and brain, favoring excessive food intake. A better understanding of the adverse effects of sleep deficiency on metabolism and the central nervous system control of hunger and appetite may have important implications for public health.
Brownian Exit Distribution of a Ball

Let B be a ball in Rd and X = {Xt,t ≥ 0} be the standard Brownian motion in Rd. Define τB = inf{t > 0: Xt ∉B}, the first exit time of X from the ball. We compute explicitly the transition density function of the killed Brownian motion Xo = {Xt, t < τB} and the joint distribution of (τB,X(τB)}. A result of Wendel [5] is deduced as a simple consequence of the explicit joint density function.
Conceptual Issues in Research with Survivors and Illustrations from a Follow-Up Study

The purpose of the present chapter is twofold. First, we would like to set out some general issues in doing research with survivors of extreme stress events. Initially, we will touch on the subjective narrative as a source of empirical data. We will then propose that there are two different genres of questions that are being asked in trauma research at the present time. The nature of these will be delineated along with more specific subquestions. Next, a set of methodologic considerations that may reduce the generalizability of findings from any particular sample of survivors will be briefly discussed.
Glucose transport and cell surface GLUT-4 protein in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat

The relationship between 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport and 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-benzoyl-1, 3-bis-(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA)-labeled cell surface GLUT-4 protein was a...
Ortho-alkylation of phenol derivatives with methanol over magnesium oxide catalysts. 1. Characterization of promoted magnesium oxide catalysts

Cr- and Pt-promoted magnesium oxide catalysts were used to catalyze ortho-alkylation of phenol derivatives in the presence of excess methanol. The characteristic properties of the MgO surface measured by XRD, SEM, BET, and TPD suggest that Cr exists as fine chromium oxide particles on the MgO surface, while a Pt and MgO interaction causes an increase of the BET surface area as well as of surface acid and base amounts. Cr/MgO shows a specialty for ortho-alkylation of phenol derivatives with methanol without forming O-alkylated products, i.e., anisole or methylated anisole. The catalytic activity and the stability of Cr/MgO are improved by the addition of a fairly small amount of Pt. The effect of Pt can be explained by the Pt and MgO interaction which increases both the acid and base amounts. A mechanism involving the reaction of phenol derivatives and methanol adsorbed simultaneously on acid–base pair sites is proposed.
Storage and Safeguarding of Fissile Materials

The technology used in the United States for protecting the surplus fissile material (Pu) accumulated from nuclear weapon dismantlement involves temporarily storing them in special containers. These containers, and systems to protect and transport them, have been designed and tested to meet very rigid standards. The overall system is an effective combination of security technology and security personnel which is designed to balance the protection level so that it is not totally dependent on the hardware or the security guards. To meet the overall goal of worldwide protection and control of nuclear material and weapons, the Cooperative Assistance Programme is in place. Sandia National Laboratories has worked with several countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in an international security programme to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation through protection and security of nuclear materials. This programme emphasizes partnerships between the United States and the FSU countries. An overview of the work will be provided with an emphasis on the applicable technology. Funding for this effort is provided by the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and by the Department of Energy.
Modeling and design of matching-critical circuits

Existing approaches for modeling mismatch effects in matching-critical circuits are based upon models derived under the widely accepted premise that distributed parameter devices can be modeled with lumped parameter models. It is shown in this dissertation that the lumped parameter models do not consistently reflect device performance and introduce substantial errors in matching-critical circuits if either systematic or random parameter variations occur in the channel. A new approach for characterizing the effects of both systematic and random variations in semiconductor device properties on device matching Is introduced. This approach circumvents the introduction of model errors inherent in the existing approaches. A CAD tool, MOSGRAD, was developed to simulate the effects of distributed two-dimensional systematic and random variations in device parameters on the performance of matching-critical circuits. The tool is capable of predicting the performance of non-conventional circuit structures in which multiple drain and/or source regions that may or may not be rectangular and/or multiply segmented. Through the use of the tool, new current mirror layout strategies have been developed that exhibit reduced sensitivity to matching in the presence of linear parameter gradients.
Comparative Analysis of Magnetic Materials, Coil Structures and Shielding Materials for Efficient Wireless Power Transfer

While wireless power transfer (WPT) promises a more convenient means of powering devices, its fruition is primarily predicated on how much efficiency can be derived. Coil structures and shielding materials play pivotal role in increasing power transfer efficiency. However, existing coil structures still perform inefficiently in WPT and shielding materials used in the literature need to be improved upon. This paper proposes a layered DD coil structure as an efficient option for WPT application. Also, materials known to have good magnetic properties are investigated alongside ferrite, which is known to have a good efficiency for WPT but at resonant frequency, its absolute power transfer capability reduces significantly. It can be deduced from our results that the proposed layered DD structure provides better efficiency than its nearest competitor structure, DD coil. Our results also show that for high power transmitting application, cobalt-iron material should be considered instead of Ferrite.
Increased expression of anion transporter SLC26A9 delays diabetes onset in cystic fibrosis

Diabetes is a common complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) that affects approximately 20% of adolescents and 40%-50% of adults with CF. The age at onset of CF-related diabetes (CFRD) (marked by clinical diagnosis and treatment initiation) is an important measure of the disease process. DNA variants associated with age at onset of CFRD reside in and near SLC26A9. Deep sequencing of the SLC26A9 gene in 762 individuals with CF revealed that 2 common DNA haplotypes formed by the risk variants account for the association with diabetes. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) indicated that SLC26A9 is predominantly expressed in pancreatic ductal cells and frequently coexpressed with CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) along with transcription factors that have binding sites 5' of SLC26A9. These findings were replicated upon reanalysis of scRNA-Seq data from 4 independent studies. DNA fragments derived from the 5' region of SLC26A9-bearing variants from the low-risk haplotype generated 12%-20% higher levels of expression in PANC-1 and CFPAC-1 cells compared with the high- risk haplotype. Taken together, our findings indicate that an increase in SLC26A9 expression in ductal cells of the pancreas delays the age at onset of diabetes, suggesting a CFTR-agnostic treatment for a major complication of CF.
Socioeconomic Status, Math Achievement, and Head Start Attendance

Research has shown that socioeconomic status impacts student achievement consistently over time and there have been several suggestions in mediating this effect. Most notably may be preschool attendance, and especially publicly funded programs like Head Start. The nationwide program aims to serve primarily low-income youth, but has been reported to experience major fadeout in the early years of elementary school. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Cohort 1998-9, this study exhibits the expected and persistent positive effects of SES on student math achievement, as well as the effectiveness of Head Start in mediating this effect and equalizing the opportunity for educational achievement in mathematics. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of Head Start implementation across the country, and the general need for universal preschool to minimize the effects of SES on long-term academic achievement.
Isolating the effect of ground-motion duration on structural damage and collapse of steel frame buildings

The debate over the significance of ground-motion duration is long-standing and the literature on the influence of duration on structural response is extensive. Decoupling of the duration from othe...
An Interpreter or two: defusing NATO’s Siberian pipeline dispute, 1981–1982

For much of 1982, NATO was seen as an alliance in crisis once more. The introduction of martial law in Poland and the subsequent US decision to introduce sanctions created a considerable rift, as many of Washington’s partners resented the measures and the threat that these sanctions posed to the construct of a natural gas pipeline connecting Siberian energy reserves to consumers in Western Europe. Beset by problems, two of the Alliance’s members, the UK and Canada, saw a possible role as an intermediary between the two sides of the intra-alliance dispute. Both British and Canadian efforts to mediate the problem faced clear obstacles, but the fact that officials in London and in Ottawa saw a role for themselves as an interpreter sheds new light on the common assertion that the Siberian pipeline question divided the USA from its Western European allies. British and Canadian thinking reflected a paradox that, at once, viewed the transatlantic rift as one between the USA and the rest of the allies, while also seeing themselves as distinct from that binary.
Sexual Identification in the United States at the Intersections of Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Immigration, and Education

Sexual identification is shaped by social processes that vary across multiple axes of marginalization and social position—including gender, race/ethnicity, immigration status, and education. However, to date quantitative findings on sexual identity formation have been inconsistent and most existing studies do not use intersectional frameworks. Drawing on intersectional theory and using an innovative multilevel method for measuring intersectional effects, we address this gap in our understanding of sexual identification by examining how the likelihood to adopt an exclusively heterosexual sexual identity varies along the intersecting axes of gender, race/ethnicity, immigration status, and education. We analyze data from 15,340 U.S. young adults, 24–32 years-old, who answered Wave IV of the nationally representative Add Health survey. Among strata of women, there was considerable variability in propensity to exclusively heterosexual identify across racial/ethnic and immigrant status categorizations: White, Black, Native American, immigrant Asian/Pacific Islander, non-immigrant Asian/Pacific Islander, immigrant Latinx, and non-immigrant Latinx. Among strata of men, the propensity to heterosexual identify was considerably higher overall and there was less variability across racial/ethnic and immigrant status categorizations. Results suggest that across races/ethnicities and immigration statuses men seem to be similarly affected by heteronormative expectations, whereas more complicated processes involving race/ethnicity and immigration status shape women’s propensity to exclusively identify as heterosexual. For most intersectional strata, the propensity to exclusively heterosexual identify did not differ by education level. Practitioners and researchers should be aware of how race/ethnicity/immigrant status may shape sexual identification, but in gendered ways.
COVID-19 in the Cancer Patient

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in China in December 2019. Since then, it has spread across the world to become one of the most serious life-threatening pandemics since the influenza pandemic of 1918. This review article will focus on the specific risks and nuanced considerations of COVID-19 in the cancer patient. Important perioperative management recommendations during this outbreak are emphasized, in addition to discussion of current treatment techniques and strategies available in the battle against COVID-19.
Liquidity Imbalance in the Residential Real Estate Market

This study emphasizes the importance of asset-based – as opposed to agent-based – housing liquidity measures, a house’s time on the market, and the time to buy for its buyer rather than its seller....
A comparison of pectoral and abdominal transvenous defibrillator implantation: analysis of costs and outcomes.

Traditionally cardioverter-defibrillator implantation was performed by surgeons under general anesthesia. However, with advances in lead and pulse generator technology, the surgical implantation technique has been simplified and routine pectoral pulse generator placement without general anesthesia is now possible. To assess the economic benefit of pectoral implantation, we analyzed 43 consecutive initial transvenous defibrillator implantations. The patients were grouped according to whether the implant was abdominal by a surgeon in the operating room (n = 23) or pectoral by an electrophysiologist in a laboratory (n = 20). The duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in the operating room than in the laboratory group (8.1 ± 3.4 vs 5.8 ± 2.4 days, p = 0.01), which was due primarily to the postoperative stay which averaged 1.9 days longer. Total costs were $40,274 ± 6,861 for the operating room cohort and $32,546 ± 3,634 for the lab group (p < 0.001). This reduction was due to a 32% lowering of professional costs and an 18% lowering of facility costs. We conclude that pectoral defibrillator implantation is cost effective and results in significant reductions of hospital stay.
The Impact of Firearm Levels on Homicide Rates: the Effects of Controlling for Cultural Differences in Cross-National Research

We analyze the largest set of nations (n = 55) with a valid measure of gun ownership levels ever used to test the effect of national gun levels on homicide rates. We control for measures of national culture to better isolate the effects of firearm availability. We find that, while national gun levels have a significant positive bivariate correlation with homicide rates, once one controls for violence-related cultural differences between nations, the association disappears. With this larger, more diverse set of nations, the U.S. is not influential – gun levels are unrelated to homicide rates regardless of whether it is included in the analysis.
Fecal Microbial Transplant in Individuals With Immune-Mediated Dry Eye.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of the Fecal Microbial Transplant for Sjogren Syndrome (FMT) trial in individuals with immune-mediated dry eye (DE). Design: Open-label, nonrandomized clinical trial. Methods: The study population included 10 individuals with DE symptoms and signs meeting criteria for Sjogren or positive early Sjogren markers. Procedures were 2 FMTs from a single healthy donor delivered via enema, 1 week apart. The primary outcome measure was safety. In addition, gut microbiome profiles, DE metrics, and T-cell profiles in blood were examined at baseline before FMT, and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after FMT. Results: The mean age of the population was 60.4 years; 30% were male; 50% were white; and 50% were Hispanic. At baseline, all subjects had significantly different gut microbiome profiles from the donor, including higher mean diversity indices. Subjects had a decreased abundance of genera Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, and Ruminococcus and an increased abundance of genera Alistipes, Streptococcus, and Blautia compared to the donor. Effector and regulatory T-cell profiles were positively correlated with each other and with DE symptom severity (T helper 1 cells [Th1]; r = .76; P = .01; Th17: r = 0.83; P = .003; CD25: r = 0.66; P = .04; FoxP3: r = 0.68; P = .03). No adverse events were noted with FMT. After FMT, gut microbiome profiles in 8 subjects moved closer to the donor's profile. As a group, gut microbiome profiles at all follow-up time points were more similar to the original recipients’ than the donor's microbiome; however, certain phyla, classes, and genera operational taxonomic unit (OTU) numbers remained closer to the donor vs recipients’ baseline profiles out to 3 months. Five individuals subjectively reported improved dry eye symptoms 3 months after FMT. Conclusions: FMT was safely performed in individuals with immune-mediated DE, with certain bacterial profiles resembling the donor out to 3 months after FMT. One-half the subjects reported improved DE symptoms. The most effective FMT administration method has yet to be determined.
Thin wall approximation revisited

Abstract A thin wall mechanical framework for calculation of stresses, strains and displacements, e.g. in fuel rod cladding deformed plastically by contact with expanding fuel pellets, is proposed. The standard thin wall approximation to exact elastic solution of a long closed cylindrical tube loaded by inner and outer pressure is extended by considering displacement boundary conditions at inner or outer radius instead of inner pressure. A suitable projection of strains enables application of displacement boundary conditions, as well as treatment of tube dimensional changes in this thin wall framework. Applications to several problems relevant for fuel cladding deformations are discussed. Analytical solution of the problem of partially plastic tube and FEM simulations of mechanical tests are utilized to assess the quality of the proposed approach.
Chemical agent resistant coating (CARC) detection using Hyper-Spectral Imager (HSI) and a newly developed Feature Transformation (FT) detection method

Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) is the term for the paint commonly applied to military vehicles which provides protection against chemical and biological weapons. In this paper, we present results for detecting CARC with two different colors (Green and Beige). A High-Fidelity Target Insertion Method has been developed. This method allows one to insert the target radiance into any HSI sensor scene, while still to preserve the sensor spatio-spectral noise at all the pixel positions. We show that the reduced (400-1,000nm) spectral range is good enough for Beige CARC, and Green CARC Type I and II detection using several current state-of-the-art HSI target detection methods. Furthermore, we will present a newly developed Feature Transformation (FT) algorithm. In essence, the FT method, by transforming the original features to a different feature domain (e.g., the Fourier, wavelet packets, and local cosine domains), may considerably increase the statistic separation between the target and background probability density functions, and thus may significantly improve the target detection and identification performance, as evidenced by the test results in this paper. We show that by differentiating the original spectral features (this operation can be considered as the 1st level Haar wavelet high-pass filtering), we can completely separate Beige CARC from the background using a single band at 650nm, and completely separate Green CARC from the background using a single band at 1180nm, leading to perfect detection results. We have developed an automated best spectral band selection process that can rank the available spectral bands from the best to the worst for target detection. Finally, we have also developed an automated crossspectrum fusion process to further improve the detection performance in lower spectral range (<1,000nm) by selecting the best spectral band pair.
Limit Analysis of Notched Tension Specimens

In the authors’ two theorems on limit analysis based on variational principles, the upper and the lower bounds of the safety factor are expressed in terms of functionals that can be optimized to yield the best bounds. In this paper, the proposed theorems are restated for the case of plane stress and then applied to the study of the safety factor of circular notched tension specimens. The material is assumed to be isotropic, perfectly plastic and obeys the Mises yield criterion. The study involves finding the effect of the assumed stress and velocity fields, the radius of the notch, and the height to width ratio of the specimen on both bounds. The bounds of a special case are compared to those obtained by Prager and Hodge for the same case assuming plane strain condition. Finally, the solution of the cirular notched tension specimens are modified in order to apply the results to v-notched specimens.
A 45 AU Radius Source around L1551-IRS 5: A Possible Accretion Disk

Our interferometric and single-dish observations of the continuum emission from L1551-IRS 5 show that, at millimeter wavelengths, there are two distinct components to the source, an envelope with a radius ≥ 2000 AU, and a compact core with a radius ≤ 64 AU. The compact core has a large optical depth, indicating a high column density (~ 1000 g cm-2). By modeling the temperature in the region of the compact core, we show that its size must lie in the range 45±20 AU. The compact core is most plausibly identified with an accretion, or preplanetary, disk around the star, although the present observations do not have sufficient angular resolution to rule out other structures.
Effect of reticulocytosis on lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme distribution in serum: In vivo and in vitro studies

We investigated the effect of reticulocytosis on the lactate dehydrogenase (LD; EC 1.1.1.27) isoenzyme LD1/LD2 ratio in patients with and without evidence of hemolytic disease. Analysis of sera from patients with reticulocytosis and in vivo hemolysis showed a mean LD1/LD2 ratio of 0.92 compared with a ratio of 0.69 in patients with in vivo hemolysis and normal reticulocyte counts. Determination of LD isoenzymes in erythrocyte lysate revealed significantly increased LD1/LD2 ratios for patients with marked reticulocytosis compared with those for patients with normal-to-minimal increases in reticulocytes. Finally, separation of mature erythrocytes and reticulocytes by flow cytometry revealed marked differences in the LD1/LD2 isoenzyme distribution between these two cell types. The ability of hemolysis to cause a "flipped" LD1/LD2 ratio is dependent on the proportion of the hemolyzed cells that are reticulocytes.
Cluster of wound botulism in California: Clinical, electrophysiologic, and pathologic study

Over a period of 15 months we have seen 6 patients with long-standing history of subcutaneous heroin injections who experienced acute blurred vision, dysphagia, dysarthria, and generalized weakness. Decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes, pupillary abnormalities, incremental responses to fast repetitive nerve stimulation, and positive serology for Clostridia botulinum toxin A were found, but not in all cases. Muscle biopsies showed variable signs of neurogenic atrophy. In vitro electrophysiology studies revealed decreased end-plate potentials quantal content, confirming the presynaptic nature of the disorder. Mechanical ventilation was required in 5 patients. Half of the patients were treated with polyvalent antitoxiin. Prognosis was favorable, though recovery was slow. In conclusion, acute bulbar weakness with visual symptoms in patients with subcutaneous heroin abuse strongly suggets the possibility of wound botulism. High diagnostic suspicion combined with histology and in vitro electrophysiology confirmation of presynaptic failure, especially in seronegative cases, may significantly improve morbidity.
The effects of chloroquine and verapamil on digestive vacuolar pH of P. falciparum either sensitive or resistant to chloroquine.

In the preceding paper, we present a novel method for measuring the digestive vacuolar pH (pHvac) of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and show that, surprisingly, pHvac is lower for chloroquine resistant (CQR) Dd2 parasites relative to chloroquine sensitive (CQS) HB3. These data may have important consequences for elucidating mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance and for developing new antimalarial therapy. Additional issues central to a better understanding of antimalarial pharmacology and antimalarial drug resistance require detailed comparative data on the effects of key drugs and other compounds on parasite biophysical parameters such as pHvac, measured under close-to-physiologic conditions. Since the methods we develop in the previous paper allow us to record fluorescence signals from spatially well-defined regions of the living parasite while they are under continuous perfusion, it is relatively straightforward for us to test how antimalarial drugs (e.g. chloroquine, CQ) and other compounds (e.g. the chemoreversal agent verapamil [VPL]) affect pHvac. In this paper, we measure both short term (i.e. initial perfusion conditions) and longer-term effects of CQ and VPL for living, intraerythrocytic CQS (HB3) and CQR (Dd2) malarial parasites under constant perfusion with physiologically relevant buffers. We find that VPL normalizes pHvac for Dd2 to a value near that measured for HB3, but has no effect on pHvac for HB3. Longer term CQ exposure is found to alter pHvac for HB3 but not Dd2, and short-term exposure to the drug has no significant effect in either strain. The results may help resolve longstanding debate regarding the effects of CQ and VPL on parasite physiology, and further support our evolving hypothesis for the mechanism of CQ resistance.