cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RAPID SELECTION AND SCREENING METHODS FOR THE ISOLATION OF PARTICULAR CLONED EUKARYOTIC DNA SEQUENCES

Abstract: Genetic and physical methods have been developed which allow one to rapidly isolate a desired eukaryotic DNA sequence cloned in a λgt vector. The genetic selection is based on complementation of nonrevertible Escherichia coli mutations. A sequence coding for an imidazole glycerol phosphate dehydratase has been isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by such a selection. Using 32 P complementary RNA or DNA, a new plaque hybridization method has been developed that allows one to screen up to 10 6 plaques per day for a particular sequence. By using pel - host strains and a particular λgt vector, one can select the size of the cloned DNA. A method has also been developed that allows one to directly examine the restriction spectrum from a crude agarose plate lysate.
Die Wirkung der künstlichen Membranbildung auf das Ei

Wir werden weiterhin sehen, das fur das Seesternei und das Ei verschiedener Anneliden (Polynoe und Thalassema) die Hervorrufung der kunstlichen Membranbildung ausreicht, um die unbefruchteten Eier zur Entwicklung der Larven zu veranlassen. Auch bei den Eiern der neapolitanischen Seeigel scheint nach den Versuchen von Herbst, auf die wir spater zuruckkommen, etwas Ahnliches der Fall zu sein. Die Eier des kalifornischen Seeigels, die unter all den von mir untersuchten Eiern die geringste Tendenz zur parthenogenetischen Entwicklung haben, entwickeln sich meist nicht zu Larven, wenn man blos die kunstliche Membranbildung bei denselben veranlast. Wohl aber tritt ausnahmslos der Anfang der Entwicklung bei denselben ein. Es hangt von der Temperatur ab, wie weit die Entwicklung geht. Ist die Temperatur sehr niedrig (etwa 2° bis 5°), so furchen sich die Eier sehr langsam und regelmasig, und sie konnen sich zu schwimmenden Larven entwickeln1), allein sie uberleben das Blastulastadium nicht.
Polytobacco Use and Nicotine Dependence Symptoms Among US Adults, 2012-2014.

Author(s): Sung, Hai-Yen; Wang, Yingning; Yao, Tingting; Lightwood, James; Max, Wendy | Abstract: Introduction:The tobacco product landscape has changed substantially. Little is known about the recent pattern of polytobacco use (at least two tobacco products) among US adults and its relationship to nicotine dependence. Methods:Using the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) data (N = 135 425 adults), we analyzed the prevalence and correlates of polytobacco use among each of the six categories of current tobacco user (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco). Based on five nicotine dependence symptom measures from the NATS, difference in the prevalence of dependence symptoms between polytobacco and sole-product users for each category of tobacco user was assessed using multivariable regression analyses. Results:During 2012-2014, 25.1% of adults were current users of any tobacco product. Among them, 32.5% were poly users with the largest poly use category being dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (30.2%). Poly use prevalence was the lowest among current cigarette smokers (38.7%), followed by current users of smokeless tobacco (52.4%), hookah (59.2%), cigars (69.3%), e-cigarettes (80.9%), and pipes (86.2%). Among each category of current tobacco user, the prevalence of dependence symptom was consistently greater in polytobacco users than sole users for every symptom measure. After controlling for frequency of use and demographic covariates, the difference in nicotine dependence between poly users and sole users was statistically significant and consistent across all symptom measures for each category of tobacco user. Conclusions:Between 52% and 86% of noncigarette tobacco users and nearly 40% of cigarette smokers engaged in polytobacco use. Poly users showed greater nicotine dependence than sole-product tobacco users. Implications:This study examines recent patterns of polytobacco use separately for US adult current cigarette smokers, cigar smokers, pipe smokers, hookah users, e-cigarette users, and smokeless tobacco users. By including more tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes and hookah, this study provides more comprehensive insight into polytobacco use. This study is also unique in comparing nicotine dependence between polytobacco and sole-product users among each category of tobacco users. Our results indicate that polytobacco use is very common and is associated with greater likelihood of reporting nicotine dependence symptoms. Tobacco cessation policies and programs should be tailored to address polytobacco use.
Accounting for Breathing Pattern Variability in Event-by-Event Respiratory Motion Correction in PET Using Dynamic Internal-External Motion Correlation

For respiratory motion correction (MC), we previously proposed a Iistmode-based non-rigid event-by-event (EBE) approach based on internal-external motion correlation (INTEX). This approach assumes the INTEX relationship is valid for the entire PET data acquisition. However, irregular respiratory patterns (RP) with varying amplitudes may change the INTEX correlation during the scan. In addition, baseline shift may change the reference location of MC, thus introducing additional errors. In this work, we first investigated the impact of motion amplitude change and baseline shift on the INTEX correlation. We proposed a new model of Dynamic-INTEX (D-INTEX), which dynamically modulates the INTEX correlation in response to varying motion amplitudes and baseline shifts. Two methods to define the D-INTEX were presented. We evaluated D- INTEX using three human datasets with 18F-FPDTBZ (pancreas tracer) and compared it with the conventional INTEX, which utilizes a single correlation throughout the scan. The initial results showed that the INTEX correlation varies when RP changes and baseline shifts. D-INTEX outperformed conventional INTEX in terms of organ resolution and contrast recovery (SUV increase: 32.9%$\pm$14.7% vs. 20.S%$\pm$l3.9%). In sum, respiratory pattern change and baseline shift could cause INTEX correlation variation. The proposed D-INTEX method dynamically adjusts INTEX to account for such variabilities. Although the initial results are very promising, substantial additional evaluation is required in order to confirm the findings.
Beauty in Disability: An Aesthetics for Dance and for Life

To what extent does dance contribute to an ideal of beauty that can enrich human quality of life? To what extent are standards of beauty predicated on an ideal human body that has no disability? In this chapter, we show how conceptions of proportionality, perfection, and ethereality from the Ancient Greeks through the nineteenth century can still be seen today in some kinds of dance, particularly in ballet. Disability studies and disability-inclusive dance companies, however, have started to change this. The disabled person can be beautiful, we will show, in dance and in life, under a disability aesthetics that follows Edmund Burke (1729–1797) and that suggests an alternative standard of beauty, which we call “beauty-in-experience,” where beauty is perceived in the qualitative experience of abled and disabled dancers moving together in dance.
Action research on organizational change with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier: a regional food bank’s efforts to move beyond charity

This paper reports on an action research project about organizational change by a regional food bank in New York State’s southern tier. While the project team initially included a sociologist, food bank leadership and staff, it expanded to involve participants in food access programs and area college students. This paper combines findings from qualitative research about the food bank with findings generated through a collaborative inquiry about a ten-year process of organizational change. We ask how a regional food bank can change its approach to address root causes of hunger. Acknowledging that narrow, pragmatic definitions of hunger promote charitable responses, our collaboration is grounded in structural understandings of poverty that refuse to blame the poor or treat poverty as an accident. Decades-long economic restructuring, deindustrialization and a rise in the service economy have resulted in growing inequality and long-term demand for “emergency” food in New York State. We outline critiques by scholars and practitioners of the emergency food regime. Description and analysis of the organizational change efforts of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier combine discourse analysis, collaborative inquiry, interviews, and participant observation. Discourse analysis of the agency’s strategic plans documents changes in aspirations, exposure to new epistemic communities and repertoires of actions. Interviews with participants evidence impacts of the organization’s advocacy and education programs on people with lived experience in poverty. Through a participatory process, we developed a collaborative chronology of phases of organizational change. Collaborative analysis of organizational changes demonstrates new definitions of the problem, a shift in service focus, changing outcomes and increased funding for advocacy. While recognizing substantial constraints, this project contributes to evidence that food banks may shift their discourse and practices beyond charity.
Symbolic Encounters in Communicating Pain

Practitioners and those who suffer chronic pain inhabit distinct symbolic worlds. Expectations of what pain looks like and how it can be visually represented differ in important ways depending both on one’s motivations for wanting to see and visually represent pain and by how one evaluates valid and applicable evidence of pain. Thus, the visual representation of the body in pain cannot take a singular form, but is instead a multifaceted collection of images stemming from the unique positions, needs, and motivations of the varied creators and viewers. Within this collection of representations, three categories stand out: biomedical diagnostic imaging ordered by practitioners; art created by individuals suffering from chronic pain; and, as we are increasingly seeing as we prepare to close out the second decade of the twenty-first century, art produced by individuals suffering addiction stemming from unmanaged pain and, for those who lose their battle, memorial art created by surviving loved ones.
Clinical Reasoning: A misdiagnosis of atypical trigeminal neuralgia

A 47-year-old man presented with right-sided facial pain that started 2 years prior. He described the pain as extremely intense, stabbing along the right jaw, lasting 5–60 seconds. This pain was exacerbated by chewing, and to a lesser degree, by brushing his teeth. The pain was so intense that he avoided eating when possible, leading to a 20-pound weight loss. When he did eat, he would try to chew on the left side of his mouth. Around the onset of these symptoms, he also noticed a persistent numbness and burning extending from the right lower earlobe to the lateral angle of the jaw that was exacerbated by turning his head to the right.
The Acinetobacter baumannii Znu System Overcomes Host-Imposed Nutrient Zinc Limitation

ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen capable of causing a variety of infections, including pneumonia, sepsis, wound, and burn infections. A. baumannii is an increasing threat to public health due to the prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains, leading the World Health Organization to declare A. baumannii a “Priority 1: Critical” pathogen, for which the development of novel antimicrobials is desperately needed. Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient that pathogenic bacteria, including A. baumannii, must acquire from their hosts in order to survive. Consequently, vertebrate hosts have defense mechanisms to sequester Zn from invading bacteria through a process known as nutritional immunity. Here, we describe a Znuptake (Znu) system that enables A. baumannii to overcome this host-imposed Zn limitation. The Znu system consists of an inner membrane ABC transporter and an outer membrane TonB-dependent receptor. Strains of A. baumannii lacking any individual Znu component are unable to grow in Zn-starved conditions, including in the presence of the host nutritional immunity protein calprotectin. The Znu system contributes to Zn-limited growth by aiding directly in the uptake of Zn into A. baumannii cells and is important for pathogenesis in murine models of A. baumannii infection. These results demonstrate that the Znu system allows A. baumannii to subvert host nutritional immunity and acquire Zn during infection.
The Magnitude of Candida albicans Stress-Induced Genome Instability Results from an Interaction Between Ploidy and Antifungal Drugs

Organismal ploidy and environmental stress impact the rates and types of mutational events. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, serves as a clinically relevant model for studying the interaction between eukaryotic ploidy and drug-induced mutagenesis. In this study, we compared the rates and types of genome perturbations in diploid and tetraploid C. albicans following exposure to two different classes of antifungal drugs; azoles and echinocandins. We measured mutations at three different scales: point mutation, loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH), and total DNA content for cells exposed to fluconazole and caspofungin. We found that caspofungin induced higher mutation rates than fluconazole, although this is likely an indirect consequence of stress-associated cell wall perturbations, rather than an inherent genotoxicity. Surprisingly, we found that antifungal drugs disproportionately elevated genome and ploidy instability in tetraploid C. albicans compared to diploids. Taken together, our results suggest that the magnitude of stress-induced mutagenesis results from an interaction between ploidy and antifungal drugs. These findings have both clinical and evolutionary implications for how fungal pathogens generate mutations in response to antifungal drug stress and how these mutations may facilitate the emergence of drug resistance.
Hidden Success: Learning From the Counternarratives of High School Graduates Impacted by Student Homelessness:

The number of youth experiencing homelessness in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade from 688,000 in 2006 to over 1.3 million as of 2017. While graduating high school is a sig...
Microvesicle delivery of a lysosomal transport protein to ex vivo rabbit cornea.

Abstract Therapeutic use of transmembrane proteins is limited because of irreversible denaturation when away from their native lipid membrane. Mutations in lysosomal membrane transport proteins cause many lethal disorders including cystinosis which results from mutations in CTNS, which codes for the lysosomal cystine transport protein, cystinosin. Cystinosin-deficient fibroblasts, including keratocytes (corneal fibroblasts) accumulate lysosomal cystine. Cystinosis patients develop highly painful corneal cystine crystals, resulting in severe visually debilitating photophobia. The only available therapy is daily treatment with cysteamine eye drops. We have previously shown that microvesicles containing functional cystinosin are spontaneously produced by infecting Spodoptera frugiperda cells (Sf9) with baculovirus containing human wt CTNS. Infecting Sf9 cells for 3 days at a MOI of 1 yields 1011microvesicles /ml with a modal diameter of 90 nm. Addition of these vesicles to cultures of cystinotic fibroblasts produces cystine depletion over the course of 96 h, which persists for 2 weeks. In this paper we show that addition of such microvesicles containing cystinosinGFP to ex vivo rabbit ocular globes yields punctate perinuclear green fluorescence in the corneal keratocytes. These results support potential therapeutic use of these cystinosin containing microvesicles in treating cystinotic corneal keratopathy with the advantage of administering twice/month instead of daily topical administration.
The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Federalism

This article serves as a critique of Elkins and McKitrick’s The Age of Federalism. Professor Finkelman points out that in their 900 page book, Elkins and McKitrick barely acknowledge the existence of slavery in the United States and when it is mentioned it is only as a passing mention as a pat of some larger discussion. Further, Finkelman notes that it is strange that the authors would call the time period an “age of passion” without a greater discussion of slavery, a topic that people of the day felt very passionately about as it was one of the key issues debated during the Constitutional Convention. Professor Finkelman goes on to discuss the important role that slavery played in the Federalist era.
Stellar basins of gravitationally bound particles

A new physical phenomenon is described in detail: volumetric stellar emission into gravitationally bound orbits of weakly coupled particles such as axions, moduli, hidden photons, and neutrinos. While only a tiny fraction of the instantaneous luminosity of a star (the vast majority of the emission is into relativistic modes), the continual injection of these particles into a small part of phase space causes them to accumulate over astrophysically long timescales, forming what I call a ``stellar basin,'' in analogy with the geologic kind. The energy density of the solar basin will surpass that of the relativistic solar flux at Earth's location after only a million years, for any sufficiently long-lived particle with mass near the solar core's temperature, and which is produced through an emission process whose matrix elements are unsuppressed at low momentum. This observation has immediate and striking consequences for direct detection experiments---including new limits on axion parameter space independent of dark matter assumptions---and may also increase the prospects for indirect detection of weakly interacting particles around compact stars.
Twitter activity about treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic: case studies of remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and convalescent plasma.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the public has been eager for news about promising treatments, and social media has played a large role in information dissemination. In this paper, our objectives are to characterize the public discussion of treatments on Twitter, and demonstrate the utility of these discussions for public health surveillance. We pulled tweets related to three promising COVID-19 treatments (hydroxychloroquine, remdevisir and convalescent plasma), between the dates of February 28th and May 22nd using the Twitter public API. We characterize treatment tweet trends over this time period. Most major tweet/retweet/sentiment trends correlated to public announcement made by the white house and/or to new clinical trial evidence about treatments. Most of the websites people shared in treatment-related tweets were non-scientific media sources that leaned conservative. Hydroxychloroquine was the most discussed treatment on Twitter, and over 10% of hydroxychloroquine tweets mentioned an adverse drug reaction. There is a gap between the public attention/discussion around COVID-19 treatments and their evidence. Twitter data can and should be used public health surveillance during this pandemic, as it is informative for monitoring adverse drug reactions, especially as many people avoid going to hospitals/doctors.
Interleukin 13 (IL-13) alters hypoxia-associated genes and upregulates CD73

Background Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has been shown to be important in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and other type 2 inflammation-related diseases. Increased IL-13 expression can elicit several pro-inflammatory effects, including eosinophilia, and pathology such as increased mucus secretion. Polypogenesis in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) can be caused by hypoxia, which can also lead to hyperpermeability of airway epithelium and epithelium-to-mesenchymal translation through the upregulation of hypoxia-associated genes, such as HIF1. Whether T-helper 2 (Th2) inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-13, can also induce sinonasal epithelial hypoxia-associated genes is currently unknown. Methods Human air-liquid interface (ALI) sinonasal epithelial cell cultures treated with recombinant IL-13 were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry to determine the effect on epithelial cells. Results Whole tissue from CRSwNP subjects showed increased HIF1A gene expression. Treatment of fully differentiated human ALI cultures with IL-13 resulted in a concurrent increase in HIF1A and ARNT messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. However, the level of EPAS1 expression was significantly reduced. IL-13 also had a dose-dependent response on the expression of HIF genes and the time course experiment showed peak expression of HIF1A and ARNT at 5 to 7 days poststimulation. Remarkably, CD73 surface expression also peaked at day 5 poststimulation. Conclusion Our data suggests that IL-13 can induce hypoxia signaling pathway genes leading to surface expression of CD73, which has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Enhancing the design and utilization of asthma action plans through community-based participatory research in an urban African American community

Abstract Background Across the U.S., large inequities in asthma prevalence and outcomes persist, disproportionately affecting low-income, minoritized children. West Louisville is particularly impacted by these inequities due to a complex interplay of socioeconomic, historical, and industrial processes. Additionally, low health literacy and mistrust in healthcare exacerbate poor asthma self-management. Objective To engage community members and health professionals to address childhood asthma management in a marginalized community experiencing significant health inequities. Patient Involvement Although prior asthma knowledge was not required, the majority of our community advisory council (CAC) members either had asthma or cared for children/grandchildren with asthma. Through facilitated decision-making using the Boot Camp Translation approach, the CAC chose to focus on improving asthma self-management in their community through enhancing the design and utilization of asthma action plans (AAPs). Methods Upon adding inhaler images to a user-friendly AAP, the CAC developed and implemented a provider incentive program and a health communication campaign to promote the Tool’s utilization. Evaluation of the intervention consisted of a short questionnaire measuring relevant patient demographics and campaign knowledge, and phone interviews with providers to gather feedback on the incentive and Tool design. Results Over the short two-month intervention, a total of 8 practices with 28 providers used 153 Tools to provide asthma self-management counseling. The majority of providers preferred the enhanced Tool to other AAPs they had used. Inhaler images facilitating improved communication regarding asthma medications. Discussion Using a participatory approach, a community preferred intervention targeting barriers to effective asthma control increased provider utilization and community awareness of AAPs and bridged a communication gap between patients and providers. Practical Value Leveraging community members’ (including patients/caregivers) and health professionals’ expertise led to the development of an enhanced patient-education tool and an effective provider incentive program with the potential to improve childhood asthma management in marginalized populations.
EPR of Mn 2 + -doped NiSO 4 · 7 H 2 O and MgSO 4 · 7 H 2 O: Mn 2 + − N i 2 + exchange constant

$X$-band EPR measurements on ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$ -doped isostructural single crystals of paramagnetic ${\mathrm{NiSO}}_{4}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} ${7\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O and diamagnetic ${\mathrm{MgSO}}_{4}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} ${7\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O have been made at room, liquid-nitrogen, and liquid-helium temperatures. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters are evaluated from the data using a rigorous least-squares-fitting program suitable for electron-nuclear spin-coupled systems. Using the $g$ shift in the paramagnetic lattice from that in the diamagnetic lattice a value of 4.293 GHz for the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$-${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ exchange constant in ${\mathrm{NiSO}}_{4}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} ${7\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O is estimated. For ${\mathrm{NiSO}}_{4}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} ${7\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O host the linewidths exhibit temperature and magnetic field dependence. The temperature dependence of the zero-field splitting parameter ${b}_{2}^{0}$ for both hosts is found to be linear, thus being explained as mainly due to the thermal expansion of the lattice.
Performance Effects of Strategic Alignment and Clarity

The alignment of a firm’s performance measurement system and its strategic objectives is fundamental to strategic management control, at least in part because performance measures and stated strategy represent separate sources of information that workers can rely on to guide their efforts. We experimentally examine the effects of strategic alignment and strategic clarity (i.e., the specificity with which strategic objectives are communicated) on workers’ performance on a multidimensional production task. We find a significant disordinal interaction of strategic alignment and clarity on worker performance – strategic alignment improves performance under a vague strategy statement but impairs performance under a clear strategy statement. These results are consistent with strategic clarity with an aligned performance measure magnifying the tradeoff between conflicting performance dimensions, leading to a focus on accuracy over volume and lower overall performance. Our results confirm the relevance of alignment in strategic performance measurement systems, and suggest strategic clarity as a mechanism for overcoming the negative performance effects of imperfectly aligned performance measures, a common organizational dilemma.
Reports from Religious Educators at Work amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

With a vaccine now being distributed, there is at last some sense of hope among weary people around the world who have borne the effects of illness and the deaths of loved ones from the COVID-19 gl...
Vascular Inflammation in Lungs of Patients with Fatal Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection: Possible role for the NLRP3 inflammasome

Hyperinflammation is a key event that occurs with SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the lung, hyperinflammation leads to structural damage to tissue. To date, numerous lung histological studies have shown extensive alveolar damage, but there is scarce documentation of vascular inflammation in postmortem lung tissue. Here we document histopathological features and monitor the NLRP3 inflammasome in fatal cases of disease caused by SARS Cov2 (COVID-19). We posit that inflammasome formation along the vessel wall is a characteristic of lung inflammation that accompanies COVID-19 and that it is a probable candidate that drives amplification of inflammation post infection.
Correcting Automated and Manual Speech Transcription Errors using Warped Language Models

Masked language models have revolutionized natural language processing systems in the past few years. A recently introduced generalization of masked language models called warped language models are trained to be more robust to the types of errors that appear in automatic or manual transcriptions of spoken language by exposing the language model to the same types of errors during training. In this work we propose a novel approach that takes advantage of the robustness of warped language models to transcription noise for correcting transcriptions of spoken language. We show that our proposed approach is able to achieve up to 10% reduction in word error rates of both automatic and manual transcriptions of spoken language.
Finger ridge-counts correlate with the second to fourth digit ratio (2d:4d)

OBJECTIVES This study examines the relationship of finger ridge-counts to second to fourth digit ratio, which has not yet been definitively demonstrated. The related question of sex dimorphism in finger ridge-counts is further elucidated. METHODS A sample of Germans, including 1134 males and 1031 females, was examined for sex dimorphism in the finger ridge-counts. Second and fourth digit lengths were measured in a sub-sample of 91 males and 100 females to compute second to fourth digit ratio. Principal component scores were obtained to investigate sex dimorphism and the correlation between ridge-counts and digit ratio. Regression and analysis of covariance were used to investigate relationships. RESULTS Males generally have higher ridge-counts than females but subtle dimorphic features emerge from the principal components, such as a contrast between digits 2 and 4, suggesting a ratio analogous to the digit ratio. The most dimorphic feature is digit 1 directional asymmetry, males exhibiting a stronger right bias than females. Digit ratio is significantly related to four principal components, expressing various contrasts among digits. Other relationships involve contrasts between digits 3 and 5 and asymmetry on digit 2. CONCLUSIONS This paper provides definitive evidence that finger ridge-counts correlate with second to fourth digit ratio. The most important finding is that associations of ridge-counts with digit ratio do not involve commonly used summary counts over all digits. Rather, associations act more locally, in ways paralleling the digit ratio, in others reflecting asymmetry. The results support the idea that prenatal sex hormones affect finger ridge-counts.
Midterm Outcomes of a Prospective, Nonrandomized Study to Evaluate Endovascular Repair of Complex Aortic Aneurysms Using Fenestrated-Branched Endografts.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the midterm outcomes of fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) of pararenal (PRA) and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). Summary background data FB-EVAR has been associated with decreased morbidity compared to open repair, but there is limited midterm data. Methods A total of 430 patients (302 males, mean age 74 ± 8 years) treated by FB-EVAR were enrolled in a prospective, nonrandomized investigational device exemption study. Endpoints included 30-day mortality and major adverse events (MAEs), freedom from all cause and aortic-related mortality, target vessel patency, and freedom from secondary intervention and target vessel instability. Results There were 133 PRAs and 297 TAAAs with 1673 renal-mesenteric arteries incorporated by fenestrations or directional branches (3.9 ± 0.5 vessels/patient). At 30 days or within the hospital stay if longer than 30 days, there were 4 (0.9%) deaths. MAEs included new-onset dialysis in 8 patients (2%), permanent paraplegia or stroke in 10 patients each (2%), and respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy in 2 patients (0.5%). After a mean follow-up of 26 ± 20 months, there were 3 (0.7%) aortic-related deaths from SMA stent occlusion, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or complications of open arch repair. At 5 years, freedom from all-cause and aortic-related mortality were 57% ± 5% and 98% ± 1%, respectively. Freedom from secondary intervention was 64% ± 4%, primary target vessel patency was 94% ± 1%, and freedom from target vessel instability was 89% ± 2% at same interval. One patient (0.2%) had nonfatal aneurysm treated using endovascular repair. Conclusion FB-EVAR is safe and effective for treatment of PRA and TAAAs with low rate of aortic-related mortality and aneurysm rupture on midterm follow-up.
Benchmark for scale-resolving simulation with curved walls: the Taylor Couette flow

Flow between rotating concentric cylinders, or the Taylor Couette flow, has been studied extensively because of its rich physics, ranging from axisymmetric steady laminar flow, to fully developed turbulent flow. In the present study, we advocate the use of this problem as a benchmark case for scale-resolving simulation, such as large eddy simulation (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS). The problem is attractive because of its simple geometry, simple boundary conditions, and complex physics involving wall-shear induced and centrifugal instability. Unlike the well-known fully developed channel flow, this problem has a curved wall boundary, and it is unnecessary to add a source term to the governing equations to sustain the fully developed turbulent flow. A p-refinement study for Re = 4000 is performed first to establish DNS data, including the time history of enstrophy, which can be used as an accuracy and resolution indicator to evaluate numerical methods, and is orders of magnitude faster than using the mean flow quantities and Reynolds stresses to evaluate solution quality. Finally, an hp-refinement study is performed to establish the relative accuracy and efficiency of high-order schemes of various accuracy.
Health services utilization, out-of-pocket expenditure, and underinsurance among insured non-elderly cancer survivors in the United States, 2011-2015.

BACKGROUND High out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure and inadequate insurance coverage may adversely affect cancer survivors. We aimed to characterize the extent and correlates of healthcare utilization, OOP expenditures, and underinsurance among insured cancer survivors. METHODS We used 2011-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to identify a nationally representative sample of insured non-elderly adult (age 18-64 years) cancer survivors. We used negative binomial, two-part (logistic and Generalized Linear Model with log link and gamma distribution), and logistic regression models to quantify healthcare utilization, OOP expenditures, and underinsurance, respectively, and identified sociodemographic correlates for each outcome. RESULTS We identified 2738 insured non-elderly cancer survivors. Adjusted average utilization of ambulatory, non-ambulatory, prescription medication, and dental services was 14.4, 0.51, 24.9, and 1.4 events per person per year, respectively. Higher ambulatory and dental services utilization were observed in older adults, females, non-Hispanic Whites, survivors with a college degree and high income, compared to their counterparts. Nearly all (97.7%) survivors had some OOP expenditures, with a mean adjusted OOP expenditure of $1552 per person per year. Adjusted mean OOP expenditures for ambulatory, non-ambulatory, prescription medication, dental, and other health services were $653, $161, $428, $194, and $83, respectively. Sociodemographic variations in service-specific OOP expenditures were generally consistent with respective utilization patterns. Overall, 8.8% of the survivors were underinsured. CONCLUSION Many insured non-elderly cancer survivors allocate a substantial portion of their OOP expenditure for healthcare-related services and experience financial vulnerability, resulting in nearly 8.8% of the survivors being underinsured. Utilization of healthcare services varies across sociodemographic groups.
Understanding and design of spin-driven thermoelectrics

Summary While progress in thermoelectric materials based on the engineering of electronic and phononic characteristics is reaching a plateau, the addition of the spin degree of freedom has the potential to open a new landscape for alternative thermoelectric materials. Here, we present the concepts, current understanding, and guidelines for designing spin-driven thermoelectrics. We show that the interplay between the spin and heat currents in entropy transport via charge carriers can offer a path to enhance the electronic thermopower. The classical antiferromagnetic semiconductor manganese telluride (MnTe) is chosen as the case study due to its significant spin-mediated thermoelectric properties. We show that, although the spin-disorder scattering reduces the carrier mobility in magnetic materials, spin entropy, magnon, and paramagnon carrier drags can dominate and significantly enhance the thermoelectric power factor, and hence zT. Finally, several guidelines are drawn based on the current understanding for designing high-performance spin-driven thermoelectric materials.
Distributed processing for action control by prelimbic circuits targeting anterior-posterior dorsal striatal subregions.

Fronto-striatal circuits have been extensively implicated in the cognitive control of behavioral output for both social and appetitive rewards. The functional diversity of prefrontal cortical populations is strongly dependent on their synaptic targets, with control of motor output strongly mediated by connectivity to the dorsal striatum. Despite evidence for functional diversity along the anterior-posterior axis of the dorsomedial striatum (DMS), it is unclear how distinct fronto- striatal sub-circuits support neural computations essential for action selection. Here we identify prefrontal populations targeting distinct DMS subregions and characterize their functional roles. We first performed neural circuit tracing to reveal segregated prefrontal populations defined by anterior/posterior dorsomedial striatal target. We then probed the functional relevance of these parallel circuits via in vivo calcium imaging and temporally precise causal manipulations during a feedback-based 2-alternative choice task. Single-photon imaging revealed circuit-specific representations of task-relevant information with prelimbic neurons targeting anterior DMS (PL::A- DMS) uniquely encoded choices and responses to negative outcomes, while prelimbic neurons targeting posterior DMS (PL::P-DMS) encoded internal representations of value and positive outcomes contingent on prior choice. Consistent with this distributed coding, optogenetic inhibition of PL::A-DMS circuits strongly impacted choice monitoring and behavioral control in response to negative outcomes while perturbation of PL::P-DMS signals impaired task engagement and strategies following positive outcomes. Di-synaptic retrograde tracing uncovered differences in afferent connectivity that may underlie these pathways functional divergence. Together our data uncover novel PL populations engaged in distributed processing for action control. SUMMARYO_LIPrelimbic cortex engages A- and P-DMS via distinct circuits C_LIO_LIPL::A-DMS and PL::P-DMS pathways encode divergent aspects of a simple goal-directed task C_LIO_LIPL::A-DMS pathways shape responding to negative outcomes via multiple mechanisms C_LIO_LIPL::P-DMS pathways guide engagement and choices in response to positive outcomes C_LIO_LIAfferent connectomes of PL neurons defined by A-P DMS target are distinct C_LI
Heat Equation, Proportionality Principle, and Volume of Fundamental Domains

In this note, we extend the Hirzebruch proportionality principle to the coefficients in the asymptotic expansions for the Laplacians on differential forms with values in homogeneous vector bundles over symmetric spaces. The case zero-forms and the trivial line bundle is a proportionality principle for the trace of the heat kernel. For 2m-dimensional manifolds, the case of m-th order terms of some asymptotic expansions is a proportionality principle for the indices of certain elliptic complexes. These results have implications for the volumes of fundamental domains of discrete subgroups, and in refining these implications we also develop a proportionality principle for equivariant characteristic classes.
Chapter 3 – Particle adhesion

This chapter discusses particle adhesion, which is a subject that permeates many aspects of a person's daily life. Familiar items such as vacuum cleaners and mops to sophisticated dust collection systems including electrostatic air cleaning and HEPA filtration depend on particle adhesion to function properly. New products on the market range from microfiber cloths that take advantage of van der Waals' interactions to disposable tribocharging cloths that take advantage of electrostatic processes to capture dust without solvents. The expanding knowledge base of particle adhesion is improving the day-to-day quality of our life. The role of adhesives in bonding materials and the role of a bonding agent such as the sticky side of a pressure-sensitive adhesive or glue are considered in the chapter. Smooth, relatively clean solids bond readily. This is clearly illustrated by the commonly experienced difficulty encountered when trying to separate two glass microscope slides. From a surface energy viewpoint, the glue-to-substrate bonding is weaker than that of the substrate-to-substrate bonding. This might seem to suggest that glues cannot work. However, the role of the glue is to fill all voids, thereby negating the separating effects of the asperities.
Biofilms in lab and nature: a molecular geneticist's voyage to microbial ecology.

This article reviews the latest findings on how extracellular signaling controls cell fate determination during the process of biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis in the artificial setting of the laboratory. To complement molecular genetic approaches, surface-associated communities in settings as diverse as the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea and the human lung were investigated. The study of the pitcher plant revealed that the presence or absence of a mosquito larva in the pitcher plant controlled bacterial diversity in the ecosystem inside the pitcher plant. Through the analysis of the respiratory tract microbiota of humans suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) a correlation between lung function and bacterial community diversity was found. Those that had lungs in good condition had also more diverse communities, whereas patients harboring Pseudomonas aeruginosa—the predominant CF pathogen—in their lungs had less diverse communities. Further studies focused on interspecies and intraspecies relationships at the molecular level in search for signaling molecules that would promote biofilm formation. Two molecules were found that induced biofilm formation in B. subtilis: nystatin—released by other species—and surfactin—released by B. subtilis itself. This is a role not previously known for two molecules that were known for other activities—nystatin as an antifungal and surfactin as a surfactant. In addition, surfactin was found to also trigger cannibalism under starvation. This could be a strategy to maintain the population because the cells destroyed serve as nutrients for the rest. The path that led the author to the study of microbial biofilms is also described. [Int Microbiol 2010; 13(1):1-7]
The Electronic Library

The life sciences are particularly rich in electronic information sources. This richness provides both opportunities and difficulties for end-users, especially graduate students at the beginning of their careers. In an attempt to help students at the Unviersity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Life Sciences, a quarter-credit course entitled "The Electronic Library" was developed. This course is designed to create informed end-users of the electronic life sciences literature. Topics covered include Boolean logic, database selection, the Internet, resources available at the university, and the future of electronic information.
SIRT5 Mutants Reveal Insights into Sirtuin Regulation

Sirtuins are emerging as key regulators for metabolism and aging. These regulations were primarily attributed to sirtuin's NAD+ dependent deacetylase activity. Among the seven human sirtuins, SIRT5 is the only one that also catalyzes desuccinylation. It is becoming clear that sirtuins have evolved to adapt different regulatory mechanisms of their activities. However, detailed studies on substrate specificity, isozyme selectivity, and inhibition mechanisms of sirtuins are still lacking. Two amino acids—Y102 and R105—are responsible for SIRT5's desuccinylation activity. Therefore, we made single and double muatations on the two residues and compared their steady-state kinetic features with those of wild type SIRT5 and SIRT1. We noticed that Y102 and R105 account partially for the differential substrate specificity and drug isoform selectivity of SIRT5, implying that sirtuin activity is also regulated by the dynamic flexibility in the protein structures. Our inhibition analysis showed that nicotinamide inhib...
Geometric Applications of Fourier Series and Spherical Harmonics

Preface 1. Analytic preparations 2. Geometric preparations 3. Fourier series and spherical harmonics 4. Geometric applications of Fourier series 5. Geometric applications of spherical harmonics References List of symbols Author index Subject index.
Valence-Defect Chemical Equilibria in Nonstoichiometric YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Abstract Most of the superconducting oxides are nonstoichiometric. The range of homogeneity varies, but in YBa2Cu3O7-δ it is extensive, 0 ≤ δ ≤ 1, so that the phase can serve as a prototype to illustrate the roles of chemical equilibria among the nominal valence states and defects in predicting the normal state properties. Through models which are essentially nearest-neighbor lattice statistics in the Hamiltonian, one can describe quantitatively the variation of the partial pressure of oxygen with temperature and composition. And one can predict the role of localized thermodynamic equilibrium in the transport of electrical charge.
SIBIOS ontology: a robust package for the integration and pipelining of bioinformatics services

The recent technological advancements in biological research have allowed researchers to advance their knowledge of the domain far beyond expectations. The advent of easily accessible biological web databases such as NCBI databases and associated tools such as BLAST are key components to this development. However, with the growing number of these web based biological research tools and data sources, the time necessary to invest in becoming a domain expert is immense. Therefore, it is important to allow for easy user deployment of the wealth of available data sources and tools necessary to conduct biological research. In this paper we discuss an approach to create and maintain a robust ontology knowledge base that serves as the core for SIBIOS, a workflow based integration system for bioinformatics tools and data sources. Further, deployment of the ontology in various components of SIBIOS is discussed.
Meta-analysis for Validation and Strategic Planning

This paper presents framework to support design of meta-rule constructs. A prototype is described towards the application of credit analysis. The focus of this system is to define a higher level of inference that will guide pre-established object-level rule constructs. This architecture is supported by the incorporation of machine-learning (ML) techniques to support the acquisition of business rule-based knowledge. This knowledge is applied to specific parameters that ultimately guide an object level decision making process. By developing this process of automated knowledge acquisition, we are interested in up front actions including validation and support of intended responses. We also intend to further classify and categorize this acquired knowledge to support future policy modifications.
SIMS characterization of isotope antimony implant for buried implant

A case study on isotope antimony for buried implant is presented in this paper. The electrical test was found to correlate to the total dopant dose instead of each isotope present at the wafer. Thus the SIMS qualification has to use sum of both isotopes 121Sb and 123Sb for dopant matching.
MECHANISM OF LIFE FOR THE NETHERWORLD: TRANSFORMATIONS OF MINGQI IN MIDDLE-PERIOD CHINA

AbstractOne of the quintessential components in traditional funerary culture in China, the mingqi 明器 (spirit article) was not a mere substitute for a real object to be buried with the deceased in the tomb, but was a material manifestation of the dual perspectives of the living and the dead and the relationship between those two realms during a given time period. This article examines a major shift in the conception and practice of the mingqi that occurred during the middle period (tenth­–fourteenth centuries). The case studies presented in this article—ranging from simulated clay fruits to miniature furniture—reveal that the dynamics between the dual components of the classical principle of mingqi (i.e., “resembling a real object yet unusable for the living”) changed in ways to conform to the new conception of the tomb space and netherworld, often interacting with parallel developments in the Buddhist visual culture. Virtually usable and ontologically complete, the new mingqi was heavily imbued with the v...