cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of HIV risks and prevention strategies by rural and small city African Americans who use cocaine: views from the inside.

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects African Americans, yet knowledge gaps exist regarding their views of risks and effective prevention strategies. This focus group study of rural and small city African Americans who use drugs sought to assess these perceptions. Common views of HIV risks included drug use, physical appearance as an indicator of HIV status, intentional transmission, having multiple partners, unprotected sex, bisexuality, and unfounded trust. Trading sex for drugs and unprotected sex when high were seen as drug use/HIV risk links, while HIV education and condom use were identified as ways to decrease risk. Perceptions of effective strategies included community-based programs, gender specific groups, providing food or other incentives, and making the program fun. Healthcare professionals and parents were viewed as the best people to promote HIV prevention. Based on the findings, effective intervention for this target group should encompass ethnocentric community-based strategies that focus o...
Horizontal movements of Atlantic blue marlin ( Makaira nigricans ) in the Gulf of Mexico

We examined movements of Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) from the Gulf of Mexico based upon 42 pop-up archival transmitting (PAT) tags. Long deployments (including one 334-day track) revealed diverse movement patterns within the Gulf of Mexico. North–south seasonal changes in blue marlin distribution showed strong correspondence with established seasonal patterns of sea surface temperature and primary production. During the summer spawning season, blue marlin utilized outer shelf and shelf edge waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and longer duration tracks indicated overwintering habitats in the Bay of Campeche. Egress occurred throughout the year and was difficult to determine because some tracks ended in the Straits of Florida (n = 3) while other tracks recorded movement through it or the Yucatan Channel (n = 4). Our results indicate that Atlantic blue marlin have a more restricted geographic range of habitats than previously recognized and that the Gulf of Mexico provides spatially dynamic suitable habitat that is utilized year-round through seasonal movements.
Overview of Antiretroviral Agents in 2005

To date, 25 antiretroviral agents (including fixed-dose combinations) have gained approval by the Food and Drug Administration and are currently available on the market for the treatment of HIV-1 i...
Standardized Ecological Classification for Mesoscale Mapping in the Southwestern United States

Standardized ecological classification units form the foundation for effective data collection, assessment, and reporting on ecosystems. Attempts at regional land cover mapping often falter on this point or struggle along inefficiently. Over the past decade, NatureServe has worked with the Gap Analysis Program and others to map existing vegetation using the US National Vegetation Classification (US-NVC). US-NVC is a system of hierarchical structure and rules that are designed to provide a national classification of existing vegetation. Experience has demonstrated the need to develop map units at conceptual scales intermediate between the narrowly specific alliance (floristic) and the broadly generalized formation (physiognomic) levels of the US-NVC. NatureServe defined over 630 “mesoscale” vegetation-based units that are described across the lower 48 United States. These mesoscale classification units, which we term “terrestrial ecological systems,” are described using multiple plant communities that tend to co-occur based on recurrent similarities in environmental setting and ecological dynamics. By integrating environmental setting and ecological processes with vegetation into the concept of each unit, this classification system lends itself to biophysical modeling and robust characterization of wildlife habitat. These units apply well to land cover mapping and may be augmented with modifiers for specific variants in composition and structure resulting in robust, standardized maps. Regional-scale mapping of “near-natural” land cover was completed by the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project using 109 ecological system units, currently the most detailed regional land cover map of its kind. Terrestrial ecological system units provide a direct, systematic link to the US National Vegetation Classification and may also provide a useful framework for integration with ecological site concepts and descriptions.
Should Adaptive Pressure Control Modes Be Utilized for Virtually All Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation

Traditional mechanical ventilation is provided with either a constant volume or constant pressure breath. In recent years, dual-control (adaptive pressure control) has been introduced in an attempt to combine the attributes of volume ventilation (constant tidal volume and minute ventilation) with the attributes of pressure ventilation (rapid, variable flow and reduced work of breathing). Adaptive pressure control is a pressure-controlled breath that utilizes closed-loop control of the pressure setting to maintain a minimum delivered tidal volume. Prior to the introduction of adaptive pressure control, no clinical studies were accomplished. Studies have shown that adaptive pressure control reduces peak inspiratory pressure, compared to volume control. When compared to traditional pressure-control ventilation, no differences have been identified. While adaptive pressure control can guarantee a minimum tidal volume, it cannot guarantee a constant tidal volume. One concern is that the ventilator cannot distinguish between improved pulmonary compliance and increased patient effort. Clinicians should be aware of the limitations of adaptive pressure control and understand when other breath delivery techniques are more suitable.
Dynamical Processes in Disordered Systems

We discuss the effect of disorder on dynamical processes in solids. In particular, we treat donor (to acceptor) decay, excitation diffusion, trapping and optical line shapes in disordered systems. The modelling of disorder with fractals is discussed.
Guns and Gay Sex: Some Notes on Firearms, the Second Amendment, and 'Reasonable Regulation'

In light of the Supreme Court's grant of certiorari in Heller v. District of Columbia, this Essay contains some thoughts inspired by Adam Winkler's "Scrutinizing the Second Amendment," 105 Mich. L. Rev. 683 (2007). Winkler argues, correctly, that judicial acceptance of an individual-rights interpretation of the Second Amendment would not end all firearms regulation. However, Winkler's understanding of what constitutes "reasonable regulation" is excessively broad. In "Guns and Gay Sex," I look at two overlapping lines of Tennessee cases on the right to arms and the right to privacy and conclude that even a "reasonable regulation" model of the right to arms would pose significant barriers to overly intrusive firearms laws.
Democracy, Rights, Community: Examining Ethical Frameworks for Federal Public Health Emergency Response

Public health emergencies like the H1N1 pandemic and the recent response to Ebola highlight the challenge that public health officials face when balancing protection of the public with upholding constitutional and ethical principles. Analyses of the report of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and of ethics documents produced by the Ethics Subcommittee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before and after H1N1 revealed the presence of, and correlations between, three ethical frameworks. The findings indicate the power of the collective voice in public health emergencies and the vital importance of democratic participation and deliberation in better preparing the United States for future emergencies.
Ion betatron

An approach for increasing the space charge limit of a betatron is described. The space charge of the ion beam is completely neutralized by electrons or a background plasma. The ions to be accelerated have a large gyroradius and are nonadiabatic compared to the background electrons or ions, which are adiabatic. Applying a toroidal electric field by changing the flux through the large ion orbit accelerates only nonadiabatic ions. The adiabatic particles can only drift and are therefore magnetically insulated. Ions can be trapped by injecting a neutralized ion beam that is produced in a magnetically insulated ion diode pulsed at a few hundred kiloelectronvolts. The collective trapping process is quite simple. >
New Product Development Visualization & Optimization using DSMs

Where task dependencies are sufficiently complex, process-architecture or task-based Design Structure Matrices (DSMs) can be used to visualize, analyze and optimize those dependencies.This paper explores integrated circuit (IC) new product development (NPD) visualization and optimization (i.e. make more predictable) using such DSMs.First, an initial, non-optimized, DSM is constructed that reflects typical feedforward dependencies derived from integrated circuit development experience and worst-case feedback dependencies derived from potential unplanned iterations (UPIs) what-if analysis.This worst-case starting point is then modified to construct a multiple (two) design/layout iteration version, thereby transforming most of the important feedback dependencies into feedforward ones.Additionally, by explicitly integrating both requirements management and risk management tasks into the NPD DSM, a more predictable and optimized NPD task sequence may be determined.
Isolation and Properties of a Macromolecular Component of Normal Chick Embryo Tissue

Investigations directed toward the ultracentrifugal purification of viruses have resulted in the isolation not only of the macromolecular virus proteins from diseased tissues but also of previously unknown high molecular weight constituents of healthy tissues. Such materials, initially recognized in studies on the tissues of healthy silk worms1 have been found relatively plentiful in some plants, especially in the cow-pea and the broad-bean.2 More recently, in association with studies on the purification of the equine encephalomyelitis virus,3 a homogeneous macromolecular component has been isolated from extracts of normal chick embryo tissue.4 Little is yet known of the nature or the biological significance of these normal high molecular weight constituents but they are in all probability of physiological importance. A material similar to the normal chick embryo component is present in the virus diseased embryo tissue.3 The material contributes to difficulties in purification of the virus and, in addition, its presence has raised the question of some possible relation between it and the macromolecular virus protein. In the present paper are described the isolation of the normal tissue material and certain of its chemical and physical properties. The results, previously summarized briefly,5 are compared with the findings of similar studies on the equine encephalomyelitis virus complex.
DNA binding chelates for nonviral gene delivery imaging

Noninvasive in vivo monitoring of gene delivery would provide a critically important information regarding the spatial distribution, local concentration, kinetics of removal and/or biodegradation of the expression vector. We developed a novel approach to noninvasive gene delivery imaging using heterobifunctional peptide-based chelates (PBC) bearing double-stranded DNA-binding groups and a technetium-binding amino acid motif. One of such chelates: Gly-Cys(Acm)-Gly-Cys(Acm)-Gly-Lys4-Lys-(N-e-[4-(psoralen-8-yloxy)]butyrate)-NH2 has been characterized and labeled with reduced 99mtc pertechnetate (oxotechnetate). the psoralen moiety (a dna binding group of pbc) allowed linking to double-stranded dna upon short-term irradiation with the near uv range light (>320 nm). Approximately 30–40% of added 99mTc-labeled PBC was nonextractable and co-eluted with a model pCMV-GFP vector during the gel-permeation chromatography. Nuclear imaging of ‘naked’ DNA and DNA complexes with lipid-based transfection reagents (‘lipoplexes’) has been performed after systemic or local administration of 99mTc-PBC-labeled DNA in mice. Imaging results were corroborated with the biodistribution using 99mTc-PBC and 32P-labeled DNA and lipoplexes. A markedly different biodistribution of 99mTc PBC-labeled DNA and lipoplexes was observed with the latter being rapidly trapped in the liver, spleen and lung. 99mTc PBC-DNA was used as an imaging tracer during in vivo transfection of B16 melanoma by local injection of ‘naked’ 99mTc PBC-DNA and corresponding lipoplexes. As demonstrated by nuclear imaging, 99mTc PBC-DNA lipoplexes showed a slower elimination from the site of injection than 99mTc PBC-DNA alone. This result correlated with a higher expression of marker mRNA and green fluorescent protein as determined using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively.
Monoclonal Gammopathies Associated with Lymphoproliferative Disorders: A Morphologic Study

In 15 patients with lymphoproliferative diseases of various types, histologic studies suggested monoclonal gammopathy. This was confirmed immunoelectrophoretically in the serum, urine, or both, from 10 patients. Seven of these 10 patients had IgM (kappa), one had IgM (lambda), one had IgA (kappa), and one had Bence Jones (lambda). Of the other five patients, three had polyclonal IgM elevations and two had no detectable monoclonal or polyclonal immunoglobulin abnormalities. Nuclear periodic acid-Schiff positive globules, heretofore considered to be characteristic of macroglobulinemia of Waldenstrom, were found in only three patients with IgM monoclonal gammopathy. In two of these, the globules were found only after a prolonged search. They were also seen in one patient with IgA monoclonal gammopathy. They were abundant in one of three patients with polyclonal IgM gammopathy. A high frequency of nuclear PAS positive globules was also observed in three additional patients. One of these patients had an unclassifiable malignant lymphoma involving a submandibular lymph node, and the other two had lymphoid hyperplasias involving the skin and nasopharynx, respectively. Nuclear periodic acid-Schiff positive globules were more abundant and more consistently present in our cases of polyclonal IgM gammopathy than in cases with monoclonal IgM gammopathy, regardless of the neoplastic or non-neoplastic nature of the immunoglobulin-producing lesions.
Of Syllabi, Texts, Students, and Scholarship in International Relations: Some Data and Interpretations on the State of a Burgeoning Field*

Based on a content analysis of 2,915 paragraphs randomly selected from 26 introductory international relations (IR) textbooks and syllabi for 178 introductory IR courses given in the United States during 1972–1973, the article probes the dimensions of world politics to which undergraduate students are introduced, the analytic skills to which they are exposed, and the incentives with which they are provided for investigating the subject. It was found that no single text dominates the teaching of IR; that the available texts do not differ greatly in their coverage and emphases (though some exceptions were identified along a few dimensions); that they depict IR as state-centered and founded on conflict; and that they are not conspicuous in their effort to equip students with modern analytic skills or to motivate them to view IR as an exciting subject worthy of intense and careful investigation.
A Computational Modeling Investigation into SCN10A Linked Brugada Syndrome

A functional role for the sodium channel NaV1.8 in the heart is unclear. Mutations and polymorphisms in SCN10A, the gene encoding NaV1.8, have recently been linked to Brugada Syndrome, an inherited cardiac disease that causes sudden death. The Brugada Syndrome is detected on an ECG by the hallmark appearance of coved type ST-segment elevation (J-wave) and is associated with a loss of NaV channel function in the heart. While wild-type NaV1.8 has been shown in recent studies to modify and promote NaV1.5 mediated current, two mutations in the SCN10A gene, R14L and R1268Q, result in a loss of cardiac NaV function. We utilized a computational modeling and simulation approach to predict if mutation induced loss of function in the cardiac INa by R14L and R1268Q is a plausible mechanism of the Brugada Syndrome phenotype. We have developed models of the R14L and R1268Q NaV1.8 mutations and their interactions with the canonical cardiac Na channel, NaV1.5, based on published experimental data. We then used these models to predict the effect of the mutations on cardiac cellular excitability and computed electrograms from simulated tissue. The model predicts that in the single cell, both two mutations result in major depression of cellular excitability, but action potentials were successfully generated throughout the range of physiological pacing frequencies. In the tissue level simulations, the predictions were very different: Simulated tissue homozygous for either mutation resulted in complete failure of propagation. When we tested the effect of the heterozygous (50%) mutant effect, the simulation predicted the hallmark appearance of coved type ST-segment elevation (J-wave). Our results suggest that the defects in the SCN10A gene that modify INa in the heart can explain the clinically observed phenotype in patients.
Analysis of the Epidemical Characteristics of Japanese B Encephalitis in Baise City During 1988-2007

Objective Objective To analyze the effect of Japanese B Encephalitis (JE) surveillance and epidemic features in Baise city from 1988 to 2007, so as to provide scientific basis for formulating control strategy of Japanese B Encephalitis. Methods The data on cases of encephalitis suits infection reported and infection diseases surveillance in 12counties from 1988 to 2007 were collected, described and analyzed.Results 1035 cases of JE have been found and 62 cases were dying. The average morbidity was 1.45/per 100000 and the mortality was 5.99%. The incidence of JE change by cyclical movement, high peak of JE appears in three to five years. The incidence of JE was decrease in general. The high incidence areas are Jingxi, Tiandong and Lingyun counties; the cases of JE 15 year old accounts for 91.21% and most of them live in rural areas.Conclusion The degree of JE epidemic is relation with climate factor, geographical environment and people expose to mosquito. Conduct healthy education, raise inoculation rate of vaccine, ride out of mosquito breeding place and strengthen personnel protection is the main measure of control and prevention of Japanese B Encephalitis.
Costs of Meeting the Cellulosic Biofuel Mandate with Perennial Energy Crops: Implications for Policy

We develop a framework to examine the extent to which farmers’ risk and time preferences, availability of credit to cover establishment cost, and crop insurance for conventional crops may influence farmers’ decision to allocate land to a perennial energy crop and affect the costs of meeting a biofuel mandate using this crop. We analyze the economic rationale for supplementing a mandate with two alternative policies: an establishment cost subsidy and subsidized energy crop insurance and examine the total (public and private) costs and land requirements of providing biomass for meeting a one-billion-gallon biofuel mandate by using miscanthus as a feedstock.
3-Hydroxypyrimidine-2,4-dione-5-N-benzylcarboxamides Potently Inhibit HIV-1 Integrase and RNase H.

Resistance selection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) toward known drug regimens necessitates the discovery of structurally novel antivirals with a distinct resistance profile. On the basis of our previously reported 3-hydroxypyrimidine-2,4-dione (HPD) core, we have designed and synthesized a new integrase strand transfer (INST) inhibitor type featuring a 5-N-benzylcarboxamide moiety. Significantly, the 6-alkylamino variant of this new chemotype consistently conferred low nanomolar inhibitory activity against HIV-1. Extended antiviral testing against a few raltegravir-resistant HIV-1 clones revealed a resistance profile similar to that of the second generation INST inhibitor (INSTI) dolutegravir. Although biochemical testing and molecular modeling also strongly corroborate the inhibition of INST as the antiviral mechanism of action, selected antiviral analogues also potently inhibited reverse transcriptase (RT) associated RNase H, implying potential dual target inhibition. In vitro ADME assays demons...
Evaluating a Protocol Budget

Preparing and evaluating a budget for a protocol or clinical trial can be done for different purposes. It could be to obtain financial support for your own research through a grant application, a pharmaceutical company may have offered to pay you to conduct a protocol at your site, or maybe it is the reverse—you are the one who is going to be paying other researchers to conduct a protocol at their sites. From any of these perspectives, it is important to gather complete information in order to sufficiently prepare a protocol budget. With that in mind, preparing a budget should focus on evaluating the protocol to determine what the requirements of the protocol are and what the resource requirements will be at the clinical trial site where the protocol will be implemented. Once you have established those requirements, you will be able to develop a comprehensive budget. This chapter describes the different requirements that should be considered and then a method for establishing a protocol budget.
Comparison of coarse coal dust sampling techniques in a laboratory-simulated longwall section.

ABSTRACTAirborne coal dust generated during mining can deposit and accumulate on mine surfaces, presenting a dust explosion hazard. When assessing dust hazard mitigation strategies for airborne dust reduction, sampling is done in high-velocity ventilation air, which is used to purge the mining face and gallery tunnel. In this environment, the sampler inlet velocity should be matched to the air stream velocity (isokinetic sampling) to prevent oversampling of coarse dust at low sampler-to-air velocity ratios. Low velocity ratios are often encountered when using low flow rate, personal sampling pumps commonly used in underground mines. In this study, with a goal of employing mine-ready equipment, a personal sampler was adapted for area sampling of coarse coal dust in high-velocity ventilation air. This was done by adapting an isokinetic nozzle to the inlet of an Institute of Occupational Medicine (Edinburgh, Scotland) sampling cassette (IOM). Collected dust masses were compared for the modified IOM isokineti...
Reliability Analysis of SSDs Under Power Fault

Modern storage technology (solid-state disks (SSDs), NoSQL databases, commoditized RAID hardware, etc.) brings new reliability challenges to the already-complicated storage stack. Among other things, the behavior of these new components during power faults—which happen relatively frequently in data centers—is an important yet mostly ignored issue in this dependability-critical area. Understanding how new storage components behave under power fault is the first step towards designing new robust storage systems. In this article, we propose a new methodology to expose reliability issues in block devices under power faults. Our framework includes specially designed hardware to inject power faults directly to devices, workloads to stress storage components, and techniques to detect various types of failures. Applying our testing framework, we test 17 commodity SSDs from six different vendors using more than three thousand fault injection cycles in total. Our experimental results reveal that 14 of the 17 tested SSD devices exhibit surprising failure behaviors under power faults, including bit corruption, shorn writes, unserializable writes, metadata corruption, and total device failure.
SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTROL OF AIR-BORNE CONTAMINATION IN MILK AND FOOD PLANTS1,2

Summary The control or elimination of air-borne contamination in the food industry provides many distinct advantages. Obtaining maximum shelf-life of packaged non-sterile food products, gaining full economic advantages of continuous sterilization of fluid food products and maintaining overall high quality levels are among the advantages. By control or elimination of sources such as floor drains ventilation systems and plant workers, populations of air-borne microorganisms can be reduced significantly. Recent results reveal that 68% of the air-borne bacteria counts in packaging areas of a dairy plant are greater than 6 per ft3. Nearly 45% of the air-borne bacteria are associated with particles between 2.0 and 5.5 microns. Contamination control can be accomplished by preventing transport of air-borne contaminants from source to point of contamination. Air turbulence is one of the primary mechanisms contributing to transport. Laminar flow of filtered air has provided effective control under experimental situ...
Maxillary segmental osteoperiosteal flap with simultaneous placement of dental implants: case report of a novel technique

Dental restorative space from the opposing dentition requires adequate distance for restorative material for an acceptable restoration. Typically, long-standing edentulous alveolar ridges will have vertical and or horizontal defects that require alveolar ridge augmentation for ideal dental implant restorations. Along with these defects, one will see the opposing dentition supra erupt which can obliterate the restorative space. Multiple surgical techniques have been described to address these dilemmas. The use of osteoperiosteal flaps has been described to address vertical height deficiencies. The purpose of this paper is to document and introduce a maxillary segmental osteoperiosteal flap intrusion to increase the restorative space with simultaneous dental implant placement. As with most dilemmas in treatment planning dental implants, multiple acceptable treatment options are available to the practitioner. This technique is another of many that can be added to the available options. When appropriately planned in select cases, this technique will result with ideal dental implant restorations without compromising the esthetic and functional harmony of the native dentition.
An analysis of Echinacea chloroplast genomes: Implications for future botanical identification

Echinacea is a common botanical used in dietary supplements, primarily to treat upper respiratory tract infections and to support immune function. There are currently thought to be nine species in the genus Echinacea. Due to very low molecular divergence among sister species, traditional DNA barcoding has not been successful for differentiation of Echinacea species. Here, we present the use of full chloroplast genomes to distinguish between all 9 reported species. Total DNA was extracted from specimens stored at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, which had been collected from the wild with species identification documented by experts in the field. We used Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and CLC Genomics Workbench to assemble complete chloroplast genomes for all nine species. Full chloroplasts unambiguously differentiated all nine species, compared with the very few single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) available with core DNA barcoding markers. SNPs for any two Echinacea chloroplast genomes ranged from 181 to 910, and provided robust data for unambiguous species delimitation. Implications for DNA-based species identification assays derived from chloroplast genome sequences are discussed in light of product safety, adulteration and quality issues.
Evaluation of Reanalyzed Precipitation Variability and Trends Using the Gridded Gauge-Based Analysis over the CONUS

AbstractAtmospheric reanalyses have been used in many studies to investigate the variabilities and trends of precipitation because of their global coverage and long record; however, their results must be properly analyzed and their uncertainties must be understood. In this study, precipitation estimates from five global reanalyses [ERA-Interim; MERRA, version 2 (MERRA2); JRA-55; CFSR; and 20CR, version 2c (20CRv2c)] and one regional reanalysis (NARR) are compared against the CPC Unified Gauge-Based Analysis (CPCUGA) and GPCP over the contiguous United States (CONUS) during the period 1980–2013. Reanalyses capture the variability of the precipitation distribution over the CONUS as observed in CPCUGA and GPCP, but large regional and seasonal differences exist. Compared with CPCUGA, global reanalyses generally overestimate the precipitation over the western part of the country throughout the year and over the northeastern CONUS during the fall and winter seasons. These issues may be associated with the diffi...
Radiogenomics and Histomics in Glioblastoma: The Promise of Linking Image-Derived Phenotype with Genomic Information

Intra-tumor heterogeneity is the fundamental challenge in finding a cure for late-stage cancers. Physical biopsies do not sufficiently cover the diversity of molecular phenotypes within the tumor. Treatments are only effective on a subset of vulnerable tumor cells due to the prevalence of tumor stem-like cells. GBM tumors exemplify these general properties of late-stage cancers, with heterogeneous molecular profiles, histology, and radiology. Radiomics aims to characterize disease phenotypes from radiology scans in order to provide an alternative view of tumor heterogeneity, enabling models built from retrospective analysis of radiology scan data, and their integration with clinical data and molecular profiles. Computational histology (histomics) follows a workflow analogous to that of radiomics, with pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction and analytics. The goal of histomics is to compute cellular morphometry and heterogeneity features from histology datasets. Genomic traits can potentially be inferred from histologic features by analysis of large, linked pathology-genomic data sets. There is also an active investigation of computer vision and machine learning applications to classify gliomas using radiology and histology images. The potential of radiomics, radiogenomics and histomics studies is to advance personalized cancer treatment by enabling interpretation of biological mechanisms underlying imaging phenotypes. These efforts aim to make personalized therapies more accessible. Results from preliminary imaging could direct administration of precision assays to guide treatment, measure treatment response and identify targetable genetic alterations from image-derived phenotype data, across biological scale. Radiomics and histomics promises to revolutionize the practice of personalized medicine, by providing an important complement to molecular strategies.
Environmental constraints on the functionality of inhibitory self-control: Sometimes you should eat the donut

Self-control involves the inhibition of behavior motivated by short-term reward. Self-control is generally considered to be critical to health and well-bring. However, from an evolutionary standpoint, inhibiting short-term reward may not always be functional. We suggest that the functionality of maintaining or ceasing inhibitory self-control is highly context-dependent. We have elsewhere proposed the dual component theory of inhibition regulation (DCTIR). The DCTIR proposes a functional processing mechanism that determines whether to continue or cease inhibitory self-control. According to the DCTIR, the functionality of continued application of inhibition is conditional on the availability of resources and stability of the environment. To test these predictions, we developed an online game called “Food Quest,” in which participants are asked to imagine that they are on a journey. They are faced with the decision of whether or not to engage in a behavior with a short-term reward but with a long-ter...
Mapping longitudinal scientific progress, collaboration and impact of the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative.

Background Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) is a landmark imaging and omics study in AD. ADNI research literature has increased substantially over the past decade, which poses challenges for effectively communicating information about the results and impact of ADNI-related studies. In this work, we employed advanced information visualization techniques to perform a comprehensive and systematic mapping of the ADNI scientific growth and impact over a period of 12 years. Methods Citation information of ADNI-related publications from 01/01/2003 to 05/12/2015 were downloaded from the Scopus database. Five fields, including authors, years, affiliations, sources (journals), and keywords, were extracted and preprocessed. Statistical analyses were performed on basic publication data as well as journal and citations information. Science mapping workflows were conducted using the Science of Science (Sci2) Tool to generate geospatial, topical, and collaboration visualizations at the micro (individual) to macro (global) levels such as geospatial layouts of institutional collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence networks, and author collaboration networks evolving over time. Results During the studied period, 996 ADNI manuscripts were published across 233 journals and conference proceedings. The number of publications grew linearly from 2008 to 2015, so did the number of involved institutions. ADNI publications received much more citations than typical papers from the same set of journals. Collaborations were visualized at multiple levels, including authors, institutions, and research areas. The evolution of key ADNI research topics was also plotted over the studied period. Conclusions Both statistical and visualization results demonstrate the increasing attention of ADNI research, strong citation impact of ADNI publications, the expanding collaboration networks among researchers, institutions and ADNI core areas, and the dynamic evolution of ADNI research topics. The visualizations presented here can help improve daily decision making based on a deep understanding of existing patterns and trends using proven and replicable data analysis and visualization methods. They have great potential to provide new insights and actionable knowledge for helping translational research in AD.
Proposed Mechanisms for the Ameliorative Effects of Corticosteroids in Shock

The authors of this paper make the assumption that corticosteroid administration is helpful to the patient in shock. Experts in the clinical management of shock debate this proposition elsewhere in this volume; we simply assume it. If this assumption is true, and at least some clinicians will maintain this proposition, then why and how can corticosteroids influence the clinical course of shock? We would propose that corticosteroids can influence shock both during the initial and the latter phases of this condition- -namely, by inducing bradykininase and stimulating collagen catabolizing enzymes to provide free amino acids for energy production to the patient.
Predictive ability of NGAL in identifying urinary tract infection in children with neurogenic bladders

Distinguishing between urinary tract infection (UTI) and colonization (UTC) in patients with neurogenic bladders who require clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) is difficult. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations (uNGAL) are increased in UTIs. Our objective was to determine the predictive accuracy of uNGAL for UTI in CIC-dependent children. Cross-sectional study of CIC-dependent patients from August, 2015 to November, 2016. UTI was defined as (1) growth of ≥ 50,000 cfu/mL of a uropathogen, (2) > 10 urinary white blood cells/hpf, and (3) ≥ 2 of the following: temperature > 38 °C, abdominal pain, back pain, worsened incontinence, pain with catheterization, or malodorous/cloudy urine. Positive urine cultures that did not meet these criteria were grouped as UTC, and negative cultures were grouped as no growth. Two hundred one patients were included (no growth = 100, UTC = 77, UTI = 24). Median (interquartile range) uNGAL was higher in the UTI group (UTI 1361 (931, 2516) μg/g creatinine, UTC 246 (106, 548) μg/g creatinine, no growth 36 (11, 179) μg/g creatinine, p < 0.01 for all comparisons). The area under the ROC curve for uNGAL for UTI versus no UTI was 0.89, 95% CI (0.80–0.98). uNGAL is elevated in CIC-dependent children with UTI compared to those with negative cultures and those with UTC.
Current Versus Voltage Characteristics for Deposition and Removal of Gold Nanostructures on a Gold Surface Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

We report the deposition and removal of gold nanostructures 50–200 A in diameter on a gold surface using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) by applying a dc voltage to the tip. The dc voltage is applied using tunneling current versus voltage (I-V) spectroscopy. We observe the deposition of a gold nanostructure at a threshold voltage of approximately 2.8 V. The I-V curves show a large current after deposition consistent with a tip-sample connection. The fact that deposition occurs using a dc voltage supports this tip-sample connection. We also observe the removal of an existing nanostructure which leaves a pit behind on the surface by applying a dc voltage with the tip directly above the nanostructure. In this case, the I-V curves show no current consistent with no tip-sample connection being formed. We conjecture that an electric-field-induced force picks up the nanostructure in whole onto the tip. We propose that occasional pit formation is the result of a tip-sample connection which breaks while the tip is under bias.
Deformable and Rigid Model-Based Image Registration for Quantitative Cardiac Perfusion

Background: Inter-frame image registration is a major hurdle in accurate quantification of myocardial perfusion using MRI. The registration is not standard, in that changing contrast between frames makes it difficult to register the images automatically.
A Time to Wake, a Time to Sleep

Sleep is a defining trait in animals. Although the function(s) of sleep remain elusive, it is clear that sleep is necessary for survival and its timing precisely regulated. Two processes operate to determine when sleep will occur and how intense it will be. The homeostatic process determines the buildup of sleep pressure that results from extended wakefulness, and the circadian process regulates sleep pressure according to a circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. This chapter discusses the experimental evidence for these regulatory processes. In mammals, the interplay between the homeostatic and circadian regulatory limbs not only determines the timing and intensity of sleep but also leads to a stereotypic temporal organization of sleep stages. Whereas increased homeostatic drive favors slow-wave sleep, increased circadian drive favors rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Environmental challenges that disrupt the timing of sleep affect its amount as well as its quality.
Cloning and analysis of the autonomous element, MuDR:Cy, of the Mutator family of maize

An autonomous Cy transposable element inserted at the maize a1 locus {a1-m5216: MuDR) was cloned and partially sequenced. Data from the restriction mapping and sequencing results indicate that Cy is indistinguishable from the autonomous element of the /Wufator family, MuDR. Six defective derivative alleles of a1-m5216:MuDR were isolated and analyzed. Five of these a1-r alleles {a1-r5835, a1-r5431 , a1-r182, a1-r5938 and a1-r5306) behave like nonautonomous elements in that their transposition can be activated by an active MuDR element in trans. Three of these a y-r alleles have deletions that disrupts transcript mudrA. One allele has a deletion that disrupts transcript mudrB. The lesion associated with the remaining a 7-r allele could disrupt either mudrA or mudrB, or both. The sixth allele, a1-nr5940, which does not respond to the activation of active MuDR elements, has a deletion involving transcript mudrA, the 5' terminal inverted repeat of MuDR and a1 coding sequence. These results suggest that both transcripts encoded by active MuDR elements, mudrA and mudrB, are necessary for autonomous transposition. The origin of these defective derivative alleles can be explained by the gap-repair model.
Electron-Beam-Driven Devices With Synchronous Multiple Degenerate Eigenmodes

We provide here a comprehensive exposition of a novel dispersion engineering framework for high-power electron-beam-driven devices based on multiple degenerate eigenwave synchronization in slow-wave structures (SWSs). These degenerate eigenwaves, related to an exceptional point of degeneracy (EPD) in the parameter space of the SWSs, lead to an enhanced interaction with the electron beam associated with a vanishing group velocity, which depends on the EPD order. Therefore, a “supersynchronous” mechanism based on multiple degenerate eigenwaves, associated with any order of EPD, provides advantages in terms of power generation efficiency at microwave frequencies, millimeter-wave frequencies, and terahertz frequencies. We present a physical description of EPDs in SWSs using a generalized Pierce theory developed for multimodal interaction. We show unique characteristics related to EPDs in “hot” (coupled with the electron beam) SWSs with third- and fourth-order EPDs for the sake of demonstration, but this can be extended to any order of degeneracy. We demonstrate advantages of the proposed regimes compared to conventional single-mode high-power devices such as backward-wave oscillators and traveling-wave tube amplifiers. In addition to that we show a possibility of high-power oscillators at millimeter-wave and terahertz frequencies based on a fourth-order EPD. In particular, we demonstrate a degenerate band-edge oscillator at 638 GHz based on particle-in-cell simulations. Apart from the examples provided herein, the concept of EPD can be used to design a wide variety of devices including gyrotrons, free electron lasers, and high-power isolators.
Using the Taxonomy and the Metrics: What to Study When and Why Comment on "Metrics and Evaluation Tools for Patient Engagement in Healthcare Organization- and System-Level Decision-Making: A Systematic Review".

Dukhanin and colleagues’ taxonomy of metrics for patient engagement at the organizational and system levels has great potential for supporting more careful and useful evaluations of this ever-growing phenomenon. This commentary highlights the central importance to the taxonomy of metrics assessing the extent of meaningful participation in decision-making by patients, consumers and community members; discusses how the purpose of an evaluation and the organizational relationships among key evaluation stakeholders is likely to influence the choice of metrics in important ways; and suggests a recasting of the metrics in the form of a logic model that supports the selection of metrics that are appropriate for a program given its stage of development and the purposes of the study.
Maternal cardiac messenger RNA expression of extracellular matrix proteins in mice during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Pregnancy creates a condition of cardiac volume overload which leads to physiological eccentric hypertrophy of the heart that is reversed in the postpartum period. Pathological cardiac changes in n...
For Insights into Climate Policy, Look to Practice—Not Just Theory

In this issue of One Earth, Creutizig’s Perspective article proposes a comprehensive climate-mitigation strategy with carbon-pricing policies that raise public funds for low-carbon infrastructure investments. But how will political economy barriers constrain progress? To help answer this question, the research community needs to study real-world climate-policy systems.
Dual-Polarized Metal-Flare Sliced Notch Antenna Array

This article presents a dual-polarized metal-flare sliced notch antenna (SNA) array comprising metallic Vivaldi flares “sliced” by air gaps. Aside from the slice gaps in the flares (supported with foam sheets in the array build), the SNA is an exact duplicate of a conventional all-metal Vivaldi array, against which the SNA is presented directly in a one-to-one comparison to isolate the effect of slicing on dual-polarized radiator performance. The SNA has very similar capabilities as the Vivaldi in all metrics (match, gain, port isolation, and bandwidth), except that the SNA demonstrates lower cross-polarization (cross-pol) across all scan angles and frequencies. Both arrays are optimally sampled and have excellent matching from 2.6 to 21.2 GHz with zero scan blindness out to wide angles. For this demonstration, uniform slices are introduced in the flares to satisfy a single design criterion of −10 dB cross-pol (relative to copolarized fields) for a 45° scan cone at all frequencies, culminating in a peak SNA cross-pol improvement of 35 dB (relative to the reference Vivaldi array). Infinite array predictions are followed up by measurements on a 256-port prototype aperture. This work demonstrates that the slicing technique can be applied to effectively mitigate high cross-pol in dual-polarized Vivaldi arrays without inhibiting other performance metrics.
CRT-200.12 Radial to Peripheral Angiography and Interventions: A Case Series

Trans-radial artery access (TRA) has been proven to be a safe and feasible site for performing coronary angiography/interventions and is increasingly first-line access site. Translating the benefits of TRA to peripheral angiography and interventions for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is desirable
Effects of Sensing & Control Errors on Quality of Adaptation in Networked Systems

The adaptation logic of a networked system “S” is anchored on two functional elements: I) Sensing of observable system state and outputs by direct measurements; ii) Inference of hard-to-observe system state and environment parameters using model-based estimates. These observed system data is then used in a model-aided computation of the control actions to steer the output of “S” towards a desired operating level. Observational errors in the measurement and estimation processes (i) and (ii) impact the quality of adaptation attained by “S”. In a rate-adaptive video transport system (BAVT) for e.g., bandwidth estimation errors lead to incorrect allocation of video send rates to the sources, which can affect the rate stability & convergence during congestion recovery. Given that sensing & control errors arise due to imprecise and/or incomplete knowledge about the state and environment of “S”, a model-based treatment of the errors allows assessing their impact on the system behavior. We describe a software cybernetics framework to deal with the sensing & control errors during system operations (with a case-study of BAVT).
A Terminal Rh Methylidene from Activation of CH2Cl2

Oxidative addition of carbon–halogen bonds at transition metals typically follows either a two-electron pathway (concerted M–R/M–X formation) or a radical chain pathway (stepwise M–R/M–X formation)...
Regulation of Histone Ubiquitination in Response to DNA Double Strand Breaks

Eukaryotic cells are constantly exposed to both endogenous and exogenous stressors that promote the induction of DNA damage. Of this damage, double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most lethal and must be efficiently repaired in order to maintain genomic integrity. Repair of DSBs occurs primarily through one of two major pathways: non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR). The choice between these pathways is in part regulated by histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) including ubiquitination. Ubiquitinated histones not only influence transcription and chromatin architecture at sites neighboring DSBs but serve as critical recruitment platforms for repair machinery as well. The reversal of these modifications by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) is increasingly being recognized in a number of cellular processes including DSB repair. In this context, DUBs ensure proper levels of ubiquitin, regulate recruitment of downstream effectors, dictate repair pathway choice, and facilitate appropriate termination of the repair response. This review outlines the current understanding of histone ubiquitination in response to DSBs, followed by a comprehensive overview of the DUBs that catalyze the removal of these marks.