cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diffusional Response of Layer-by-Layer Assembled Polyelectrolyte Chains to Salt Annealing

We report on the effect of salt on diffusion of polyelectrolyte (PE) chains within electrostatically assembled polyelectrolyte multilayers. Layer-by-layer (LbL) films were assembled using poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) as a polyanion and quaternized poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) as a polycation. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and neutron reflectometry were used to monitor the center-of-mass diffusion of PMAA chains in directions parallel and perpendicular to the substrate (D∥ and D⊥, respectively). Film intermixing and polymer chain diffusion in the direction perpendicular to the substrate exhibit an unusual dependence on the PMAA molecular weight, with dramatically stronger diffusional response to salt annealing for the films formed by PMAA with the lowest molecular weight of 7 kDa. Films assembled with this lowest molecular weight PMAA reveal that both diffusion coefficients of PMAA chains (D∥ and D⊥) depend exponentially on the concentration of salt in the annealing solutions, wi...
The effect of environmental temperature on exercise-dependent release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a biomarker of cognitive function that is released into the blood stream following exercise, and cognitive function is impaired by environmental temperat...
Exploring Value From the Patient's Perspective Between Modern Radiation Therapy Modalities for Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose Patients' perspectives on their treatment experiences have not been compared between modern radiation modalities for localized prostate cancer. We evaluated treatment regret and patients' perceptions of their treatment experiences to better inform our understanding of a treatment's value. Methods and Materials Patients with localized prostate cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), or high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy between 2008 and 2014 with at least 1 year of follow-up were surveyed. The questionnaire explored the decision-making experience, expectations of toxicities versus the reality, and treatment regret by means of a validated tool. Results Three hundred twenty-nine consecutive patients were surveyed, with an 86% response rate (IMRT, n=74; SBRT, n=108; HDR, n=94). The median patient age and posttreatment follow-up time were 68 years and 47 months, respectively. Eighty-two percent of patients had T1c disease with either Gleason 6 (42%) or Gleason 7 (58%) pathologic features and a median initial prostate-specific antigen of 5.8 ng/mL. Thirteen percent expressed regret with their treatment. Among patients with regret, 71% now wish they had elected for active surveillance. The incidence of regret was significantly different between treatment modalities: 5% of patients treated with SBRT expressed regret versus 18% with HDR and 19% with IMRT ( P P P P Conclusions We found significant differences in patients' experiences between SBRT, IMRT, and HDR, with significantly less treatment regret and less toxicity than expected among SBRT patients. The majority of patients with regret would now opt for active surveillance; therefore, pretreatment counseling is essential.
A Novel Modality for Functional Imaging in Acute Intervertebral Disk Herniation via Tracking Leukocyte Infiltration

Inflammation plays a key role in the progression of intervertebral disk (IVD) herniation and associated low back pain. However, real-time spatial diagnosis of inflammation associated with acute disk herniation has not been investigated. We sought to detect local neutrophil and macrophage infiltration near disk herniation via the formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1)-mediated molecular imaging in a disk puncture mouse model to elucidate pathophysiological process of disk herniation. Disk herniation was induced in mouse with an established needle puncture procedure. Degenerative change of disk and infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages were detected with Safranin-O, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and immunohistochemical staining after injury. FPR1-specific imaging probes cFLFLF-PEG-Cy7 and [99mTc]HYNIC-PEG-cFLFLF were administered systemically to sham and disk injury mice. Leukocyte infiltration was tracked by in vivo near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) imaging. The peptide-receptor binding specificity was further investigated with FPR1−/− mice via ex vivo NIRF scan and in vitro binding assays. Safranin-O staining exhibited disorganized disk structure and loss of proteoglycan after puncture. Massive inflammatory cells were observed in the anterior region of punctured annulus in the injury group. The majority of neutrophils were detected at 1 through 3 days, while infiltration of macrophages appeared the most at 7 days after injury. NIRF and SPECT images revealed preferential accumulation of cFLFLF probes in herniation site in wild-type mice but not in FPR1−/− mice. Binding of the cFLFLF peptide to FPR1 was also observed in RAW 267.4 cells and macrophages isolated from wild-type mice, whereas much less signal was observed in macrophages from FPR1−/− mice. The presence of macrophage infiltration was also detected in human-herniated disk samples by immunohistochemistry. For the first time, leukocyte infiltration around acute disk herniation site was detected directly and non-invasively in a timely fashion using FPR1-targeted molecular imaging modalities. Such functional imaging of disk herniation via infiltrated leukocytes would advance the understanding of etiology and facilitate drug delivery and treatment monitoring of disk herniation.
Psychosocial Well-Being Associated With Activity of Daily Living Stages Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults:

Objectives: Activity of daily living (ADL) stages demonstrated ordered associations with risk of chronic conditions, hospitalization, nursing home use, and mortality among community-living elderly. This article explores the association of stages with psychosocial well-being. We hypothesized that higher ADL stages (greater ADL limitation) are associated with more restricted social networks, less perceived social support, greater social isolation, and poorer mental health. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N = 3,002) were analyzed in regression models and latent factor models. Results: Although ADL stages had a nearly monotonic relationship with most mental health measures (e.g., Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]), only the complete limitation stage (Stage IV) showed significant disadvantage in the majority of social network measures. Discussion: The study may aid clinicians and policy makers to better understand the social and mental health needs of older adults at different ADL stages and provide well-planned social and mental health care.
What Ails End-User Composition: A Cross-Domain Qualitative Study

Across many domains, end-users need to compose computational elements into novel configurations to perform their day-to-day tasks. End-user composition is a common programming activity performed by such end-users to accomplish this composition task. While there have been many studies on end-user programming, we still need a better understanding of activities involved in end-user composition and environments to support them. In this paper we report a qualitative study of four popular composition environments belonging to diverse application domains, including: Taverna workflow environment for life sciences, Loni Pipeline for brain imaging, SimMan3G for medical simulations and Kepler for scientific simulations. We interview end-users of these environments to explore their experiences while performing common compositions tasks. We use “Content Analysis” technique to analyze these interviews to explore what are the barriers to end-user composition in these domains. Furthermore, our findings show that there are some unique differences in the requirements of naive end-users vs. expert programmers. We believe that not only are these findings useful to improve the quality of end-user composition environments, but they can also help towards development of better end-user composition frameworks.
Talent and Creativity

Talent is variously considered an inborn propensity toward achievement in a certain domain, or the end result of a progressive lifespan process which utilizes the expertise of known practitioners within domains. Creativity from talent is an end state and a goal, depending on the domain where the talented person is working. Each domain where talent is developed has its own demands and these are well known to practitioners in the domain. Discussed here are the talent development theories of Calvin Taylor, David Feldman, Julian Stanley, Howard Gardner, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, John Feldhusen, Francoys Gagne, Dean Keith Simonton, and Jane Piirto about the development of talent. The creative press and person of visual artists, creative writers, scientists, mathematicians, inventors, entrepreneurs, musicians, actors, athletes, and dancers are summarized.
Active bacteriophage biocontrol and therapy on sub-millimeter scales towards removal of unwanted bacteria from foods and microbiomes

Bacteriophages can be used as antibacterial agents as a form of biological control, e.g., such as phage therapy. With active treatment, phages must “actively” produce new virions, in situ, to attain “inundative” densities, i.e., sufficient titers to eradicate bacteria over reasonable timeframes. Passive treatment, by contrast, can be accomplished using phages that are bactericidal but incapable of generating new phage virions in situ during their interaction with target bacteria. These ideas of active versus passive treatment come from theoretical considerations of phage therapy pharmacology, particularly as developed in terms of phage application to well-mixed cultures consisting of physically unassociated bacteria. Here I extend these concepts to bacteria which instead are physically associated. These are bacteria as found making up cellular arrangements or bacterial microcolonies—collectively, clonal bacterial “clumps”. I consider circumstances where active phage replication would be required to effect desired levels of bacterial clearance, but populations of bacteria nevertheless are insufficiently prevalent to support phage replication to bacteria-inundative densities across environments. Clumped bacteria, however, may still support active treatment at more local, i.e., sub-millimeter, within-clump spatial scales, and potential consequences of this are explored mathematically. Application is to the post-harvest biocontrol of foodborne pathogens, and potentially also to precise microbiome editing. Adequate infection performance by phages in terms of timely burst sizes, that is, other than just adsorption rates and bactericidal activity, thus could be important for treatment effectiveness even if bacterial densities overall are insufficient to support active treatment across environments. Poor phage replication during treatment of even low bacterial numbers, such as given food refrigeration during treatment, consequently could be problematic to biocontrol success. In practical terms, this means that the characterization of phages for such purposes should include their potential to generate new virions under realistic in situ conditions across a diversity of potential bacterial targets.
Seasonal occurrence of thrips (Thysanoptera) on cowpeas in western Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma.

Three thrips species were commonly found in western Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma cowpea fields during the 1991 and 1992 growing seasons. These were the tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), the flower thrips, Frankliniella tritici (Fitch), and the soybean thrips, Sericothrips variabilis (Beach). Earlier planted cowpea fields in each area had higher thrips numbers than later planted fields. Tobacco thrips numbers tended to be higher during the early stages of the crop when the plants were small. As plants began to produce blooms, flower thrips numbers increased considerably. Peak flower thrips numbers typically occurred around two weeks after first bloom. Soybean thrips abundance was generally lower than the other common species and had no apparent pattern. Chirothrips crassus Hinds and Chirothrips spiniceps Hood also were found, but were uncommon.
Narrative Qualities of Design Argumentation

The narrative qualities of a design presentation and subsequent critique comprise a design argument, distilling designers’ rationale for their design, rooted in their process. In this paper, I analyze two consecutive design presentations from an introductory undergraduate human-centered design studio, documenting the argumentation structures students rely upon when “selling” their design. Dominant argumentation structures of these presentation events are described and related to narrative in a human-centered design context.
Evolutionary theory of routine: its role in results-based management

Research has demonstrated that public organizations commonly adopt performance measurement systems to assess the operational accountability of service delivery. This same research, however, has revealed that public managers struggle with using performance measures for improving service performance and for determining long-term budget needs. One plausible explanation for the limited use of performance statistics is found in the strategic management literature on the evolutionary theory of routine. It suggests that private firms make decisions by identifying alternatives to base routines for process innovation rather than relying on the traditional theory of profit maximization. By applying the routines-based perspective to public organizations, this article presents a model of results-based management where performance of service delivery represents our proxy for profit and where performance measures serve primarily to monitor the performance of selected service dimensions. The results of output, outcome, and efficiency measures are then used to support performance, financial, and strategic management, including the selection and implementation of strategies to alter the base routines of service delivery. These new routines, created under the boundaries of rational choice, often have substantial budgetary implications over time when they change the calculus between resource consumption and service provision.
Consociationalism After Half a Century

In this chapter, Arend Lijphart explains changes in the terminology from accommodation–consociation to power-sharing and consensus. In doing so he explains the basic characteristics of his consociationalism theory and divides its four characteristics into two categories: (a) cultural autonomy and (b) the other three (grand coalition, proportionality, minority veto). In the grand scheme of this book, which offers various accounts of how consociationalism has been implemented so far and how it can be improved, Lijphart offers an account of favorable background conditions for his theory to be useful in certain cases. He explains nine conditions for success but concentrates mostly on two: (a) the absence of a majority segment and (b) relative socio-economic equality among the groups. By drawing on the increasingly popular use of his theory in practice and giving examples from different geographies such as Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, Lijphart argues that there is nothing undemocratic about consociationalism.
Understanding Distress in the Hospital: A Qualitative Study Examining Adults With Cancer

Purpose To measure the distress of hospitalized adults with cancer and identify strategies and behaviors to manage distress. . Participants & setting 185 adults with cancer hospitalized in a large tertiary hospital in the Midwest. . Methodologic approach This study involved a one-time assessment using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's (NCCN's) Distress Thermometer and two open-ended questions. Demographic data were reviewed, and responses to open-ended questions were analyzed by content analysis. A team approach was used to develop and validate themes. . Findings Strategies used by patients to manage distress were categorized as taking charge and embracing help. Helpful strategies were related to quality of life and relationship with care teams. . Implications for nursing Understanding of distress in hospitalized adults with cancer is limited, which warrants the attention of healthcare professionals. Study results have implications to enhance patient care and to address nationally established psychosocial care objectives and NCCN distress screening standards.
Behaviour and Failure of Steel Columns Subjected to Blast Loads: Numerical Study and Analytical Approach

The main objective of this study is the numerical simulation of the behaviour and failure patterns of steel columns under blast loads using the dynamic finite element package ABAQUS/Explicit. A numerical model is suggested and validated against published experimental tests on full-scale wide-flange steel columns subjected to dynamic blast loads under constant axial compressive force. Afterwards, the validated model is used to investigate the effect of important parameters on the behaviour and failure patterns of steel columns under blast pressure through an extensive parametric study. The parameters include the blast impulse, the blast energy, the blast load, the blast duration, the column boundary condition, the column slenderness ratio, and the blast direction. The conclusions extracted from this parametric study may be used to develop a thorough understanding of the behaviour and failure of steel columns subjected to blast load which, in turn, could lead to a more accurate practical design procedure. The study also presents derivations and validations of a proposed analytical approach to calculate the critical blast impulse at which a steel column losses its global stability. Comparison between the critical impulse-axial force curves obtained from the proposed equation and that extracted from numerical simulations indicates the validity and feasibility of the proposed equation.
Brillouin cooling in a linear waveguide through dispersive symmetry breaking

Here, we experimentally demonstrate Brillouin cooling in a linear waveguide for the first time. Leveraging the dispersive symmetry breaking of inter-modal Brillouin scattering, we achieve Brillouin cooling without an optical cavity or discrete acoustic modes.
A Recent Full-Depth Survey of the Alaskan Stream

We examine results from a cruise in May 1997. CTD casts to near the bottom were made south of the Aleutian Islands, across Amchitka Pass, and north of the islands. We computed a westward geostrophic speed of 123 cm s−1 at 173.5°W in the Alaskan Stream. The computed volume transport there, referred to the bottom, was 25×106m3s−1. On other similar sections, transports were 8–15 × 106 m3s−1. Various complex variations in geopotential height along the Stream apparently altered the cross-stream gradients, and hence the transports. Rotational tendencies were also present. Northward inflow through Amchitka Pass was quite strong (6 × 106 m3s−1). Data north of the islands supported the existence of a zero-velocity reference level of variable depth.
Biosocial Construction of Sex Differences and Similarities in Behavior

Abstract The behavior of women and men varies greatly depending on situations, cultures, and historical periods. This flexibility emerges as men and women tailor their division of labor to local ecological and socioeconomic demands. The resulting division is supported by childhood socialization practices that, in interaction with sex differences in child temperament, help boys and girls to develop psychologies suited to their likely adult activities. Although responsive to local conditions, the division of labor is constrained by women's childbearing and nursing of infants and men's size and strength. Because these biological characteristics influence the efficient performance of many activities in society, they underlie central tendencies in the division of labor as well as its variability across situations, cultures, and history. Gender roles—that is, shared beliefs about the traits of women and men—track the division of labor because people infer these traits from their observations of the sexes’ behaviors. Social perceivers often essentialize these traits by regarding them as inherent in the biology or social experience of women and men. Gender role expectations, which tend to be consensual within cultures, influence behavior through proximal social psychological and biological processes, whereby (a) other people encourage gender-typical behavior and individuals conform to their own gender identities and (b) hormonal, reward, and cardiovascular mechanisms enable masculine and feminine behaviors.
Swimming performances of four California stream fishes: temperature effects

The critical swimming velocity (Ucrit) of four California stream fishes, hardhead, Mylopharodon conocephalus, hitch, Lavinia exilicauda, Sacramento pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus grandis, and Sacramento sucker, Catostomus occidentalis was measured at 10, 15, and 20°C. Hardhead, Sacramento sucker, and Sacramento pikeminnow swimming performances tended to be lowest at 10°C, higher at 15°C, and then decreased or remained constant at 20°C. Hitch swimming performance was lower at 10°C than at 20°C. There were no significant differences among species at 10 or 15°C, although pikeminnow and hitch were ca. 20% slower than hardhead or sucker. At 20°C hardhead, Sacramento sucker, and Sacramento pikeminnow had remarkably similar Ucrit but hitch were significantly (by 11%) faster. We recommend that water diversion approach velocities should not exceed 0.3 ms−1 for hitch (20–30 cm total length) and 0.4 ms−1 for hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow, and Sacramento sucker (20–30 cm TL).
The Response of Inventors to IPR Reform

We analyze the impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) reform on patenting in emerging economies. Building on the institutional view of the firm, we argue that IPR reform has a positive impact on both domestic and foreign patent applications because it increases the transparency, credibility, consistency, and ease of patenting for both types of inventors. However, we propose that a democratic political system reinforces the effect of IPR reform on foreign but not domestic patent applications, whereas a strong legal system heightens the impact of IPR reform on domestic but not foreign patent applications. The analyses of a panel of 501 patent applications in 18 countries from 1967-2009 provide support for these arguments.
Arsenic Exposure, Telomere Length, and Expression of Telomere-Related Genes among Bangladeshi Individuals

Inorganic arsenic is a class I carcinogen whose mode of action may involve telomere dysfunction. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that chronic arsenic exposure is associated with longer telom...
An agent-based computational model of the individual health insurance market

This paper focuses on constructing an abstract baseline model of agents, simulating buyers and sellers of health insurance, in the individual health insurance market. Each buyer assesses their expected medical expenses, surveys the insurance contracts available on the market, and decides each year whether to buy insurance, and which plan they will choose. Each seller, upon seeing the costs to provide medical care to its subscriber base, will update the premium price it offers to the market to remain profitable. The aim of this paper is two-fold - to produce a self-sustaining representation of the insurance market that qualitatively represents the health insurance market without any external policy implementations and to quantitatively replicate the large-scale metrics seen in the insurance market, most notably the price elasticity of demand for insurance.
Low dose valganciclovir as cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in post-renal transplant recipients induced with alemtuzumab: A single-center study

Abstract Objectives Alemtuzumab (Ale) is a recombinant monoclonal antibody which binds to CD52 causing profound lymphodepletion, thus allowing its use in renal transplantation induction therapy. However, patients may be at increased risk for opportunistic infections, such as Cytomegalovirus (CMV). We analyzed CMV infection in renal allograft recipients administered low-dose valganciclovir (VGCV) prophylaxis with alemtuzumab induction and steroid minimization. Materials and methods In this retrospective analysis, 678 kidney transplant recipients were evaluated, with 606 included for analysis. Patients were excluded for receiving induction therapy other than Ale, or for lack of follow-up within 1 year. VGCV prophylaxis was stratified by recipient CMV risk status and low-dose (450 mg) VGCV was given 3 times a week to low and moderate risk patients and daily to high risk individuals. Subject records were examined for recipient demographics, donor and recipient CMV serostatus, CMV viremia, and invasive infection. Results Of the 606 recipients, 154 were defined as low risk for CMV infection (donor and recipient both negative, or D−/R−), 236 as moderate risk without mismatch (D+/R+), 122 as moderate risk with mismatch (D−/R+), and 94 as high risk (D+/R−). Twenty-nine (29) individuals (4.8%) tested positive by PCR for CMV viremia and 10 (1.7%) patients developed invasive CMV disease, including colitis (n = 4), esophagitis (n = 1), enteritis (n = 1), nephritis (n = 1), and pneumonia (n = 3). High risk recipients (D+/R−) accounted for the majority of invasive CMV disease (n = 5), followed by moderate risk (n = 4). CMV viremia was also more common in high risk and moderate risk (D+/R+) individuals. Overall rejection rate for our study population was 27%. Conclusion In this institution's experience, CMV incidence was reduced compared to historically reported data by using low-dose (450 mg) VGCV prophylaxis in combination with Ale induction and steroid minimization. However, overall rejection rate was significantly higher in our population, possibly influenced by the degree of steroid minimization.
Losers and Prospectors in Short-Term Options

We investigate short-term index options for behavioral biases implied in prospect theory (PT). Intraday price and transactions patterns generally support the theory. Losers are seen to be relatively risk seeking and winners to be risk averse, with the former effect appearing stronger. On aggregate, losers (winners) overprice (underprice) their contracts and overweight (underweight) the probability of winning. There is heterogeneity across samples when winners and losers are defined by their current and prior performance, with the latter measure providing weaker evidence of distortions. However, both samples indicate that the volatility smirk observed in equity options is dampened by PT biases, and document correspondence between the disposition effect and PT. For losing traders, the behavioral biases are time sensitive. Losers hold out, transacting later in the day and closer to expiration than their baseline. Further, the probability-overweighting among losers is an inverse function of expiration time. The observed time-sensitivity is consistent with field experiments documenting the increased attractiveness of long-shots as a series of bets that draw to a close. Also notable, is that the betting-time effect is absent among winners.
Clinicopathologic characterisation of myeloid neoplasms with concurrent spliceosome mutations and myeloproliferative-neoplasm-associated mutations.

Aims Spliceosome genes (SF3B1, SRSF2, U2AF1 and ZRSR2) are commonly mutated in myeloid neoplasms, particularly in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). JAK2, MPL and CALR mutations are associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Although SF3B1 and MPN-associated mutations frequently co-occur in the rare entity MDS/MPN with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN-RS-T), myeloid neoplasms with concurrent spliceosome and MPN-associated mutations encompass many disease entities and are not well characterised. Methods Specimens from 2016 to 2019 with concurrent spliceosome and MPN-associated mutations were identified, and the clinicopathologic features were assessed. Results The 36 cases were divided into mutational categories based on their spliceosome mutation. At diagnosis, cases with concurrent U2AF1 and MPN-associated mutations had lower leucocyte counts and platelet counts than did the other groups. Cases with mutant SRSF2 were more likely to have ASXL1 and IDH2 mutations, while U2AF1-mutated neoplasms were more likely to have an abnormal karyotype. The most common SF3B1 K700 and U2AF1 S34 mutational hotspots were underrepresented in our cohort of myeloid neoplasms with concurrent spliceosome and MPN-associated mutations, as SF3B1 and U2AF1 mutations tended to involve other codons. Numerous WHO-defined disease entities were represented in each spliceosome gene category; although MDS/MPN-RS-T were only identified in the group with SF3B1 mutations, they constituted only 1/4 of the neoplasms in the category. Conclusions Myeloid neoplasms with different mutant splicing factor and concurrent MPN-associated mutations demonstrate somewhat different clinical and pathologic features, but t he association between genotypes and phenotypes in these overlapping neoplasms is not straightforward.
Countermeasures to Coronavirus Disease 2019: Are Immunomodulators Rational Treatment Options-A Critical Review of the Evidence

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is associated with higher concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines that lead to lung damage, respiratory failure, and resultant increased mortality. Immunomodulatory therapy has the potential to inhibit cytokines and quell the immune dysregulation. Controversial data found improved oxygenation after treatment with tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 inhibitor, sparking a wave of interest and resultant clinical trials evaluating immunomodulatory therapies. The purpose of this article is to assess potential proinflammatory targets and review the safety and efficacy of immunomodulatory therapies in managing patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with coronavirus disease 2019.
Frequency- and depth-dependent target strength measurements of individual mesopelagic scatterers.

Recent estimates based on shipboard echosounders suggest that 50% or more of global fish biomass may reside in the mesopelagic zone (depths of ∼200–1000 m). Nonetheless, little is known about the acoustic target strengths (TS) of mesopelagic animals because ship-based measurements cannot resolve individual targets. As a result, biomass estimates of mesopelagic organisms are poorly constrained. Using an instrumented tow-body, broadband (18–90 kHz) TS measurements were obtained at depths from 70 to 850 m. A comparison between TS measurements at-depth and values used in a recent global estimate of mesopelagic biomass suggests lower target densities at most depths.
Cadmium-mediated lung injury is exacerbated by the persistence of classically activated macrophages

Heavy metals released into the environment have a significant effect on respiratory health. Lung macrophages are important in mounting an inflammatory response to injury, but they are also involved in repair of injury. Macrophages develop mixed phenotypes in complex pathological conditions and polarize to a predominant phenotype depending on the duration and stage of injury and/or repair. Little is known about the reprogramming required for lung macrophages to switch between these divergent functions; therefore, understanding the mechanism(s) by which macrophages promote metabolic reprogramming to regulate lung injury is essential. Here, we show that lung macrophages polarize to a pro-inflammatory, classically activated phenotype after cadmium-mediated lung injury. Because metabolic adaptation provides energy for the diverse macrophage functions, these classically activated macrophages show metabolic reprogramming to glycolysis. RNA-Seq revealed up-regulation of glycolytic enzymes and transcription factors regulating glycolytic flux in lung macrophages from cadmium-exposed mice. Moreover, cadmium exposure promoted increased macrophage glycolytic function with enhanced extracellular acidification rate, glycolytic metabolites, and lactate excretion. These observations suggest that cadmium mediates the persistence of classically activated lung macrophages to exacerbate lung injury.
Art Museums and Neighborhood Development: Historical Evidence from the Case of the Portland Art Museum and the South Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon:

This article investigates when and how art museums might be engaged to benefit neighborhood development. To address this, the article presents research analyzing physical neighborhood and land use ...
Redispersion of Pd on acidic supports and loss of methane combustion activity during the selective reduction of NO by CH4

The CH4 combustion, occurring under selective NO reduction conditions, has been investigated over several Pd catalysts. In the presence of NO and support acidity, the combustion activity of Pd is drastically inhibited. Highly dispersed Pd/acidic zeolites compare favorably with other SCR catalysts. At 500°C, a 0.3% Pd/H-ZSM-5 sample exhibited a better performance than a typical Co-ZSM-5 catalyst.
The American Locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway

Eisenhower and Grass River Locks have filling and emptying systems that utilize longitudinal culverts, side ports and tainter type valves; vertical lift gate provided at entrance to upstream lock to close off flow in event of failure of miter gates; pool between two locks is regulated by culverts placed in lock walls; development of hydraulic design criteria and selection of pool levels.
Biomechanics of the Upper Limbs: Mechanics, Modelling and Musculoskeletal Injuries

INTRODUCTION TO BIOMECHANICS What is Biomechanics? Basic Concepts Coordinate Systems Force Vector Algebra Static Equilibrium Anthropometry and Center of Mass Determination Friction Dynamics STRUCTURE OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM Gross Overview of Movements The Skeletal System Mechanical Properties of Bone Soft Connective Tissue Joints NEUROMUSCULAR PHYSIOLOGY AND MOTOR CONTROL Introduction to Musculature Structure of Muscle Basic Cell Physiology The Nervous System The Excitation-contraction Sequence Motor Units Basic Muscle Properties (Mechanics) Energy, Metabolism and Heat Production Receptors Reflexes and Motor Control MODELING OF MUSCLE MECHANICS Laplace transforms and Transfer Functions Viscoelastic Theory Hill's Muscle Models Frequency Analysis Frequency Analysis of Passive Muscle Hatze's Multi-element Model Applications of the Hatze Muscle Model Control Theory and Motor Control Root Locus Approach to Muscle Modeling MODELS OF THE UPPER LIMBS Anatomy of the Hand and Wrist Static Tendon-Pulley Models Dynamic Tendon Pulley Models Complex Tendon Models A Two-dimensional Hand Model Direct Measurement Validation Studies Critical Evaluation of Modeling Approaches MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AND RISK FACTORS The Extent of the Problem Common Musculoskeletal Disorders and their Etiology Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of MSDs Epidemiologic approach to MSDs The Scientific Research and Evidence for Occupational Risk Factors The Scientific Research and Evidence for Psychosocial Risk Factors Iatrogenesis INSTRUMENTATION Introduction Wrist and Finger Motion Measurement Pressure and Force Distribution Measurements Nerve Conduction Measurements Electromyography JOB AND WORKSITE RELATED ANALYSIS The Need for Job Analysis Reliability and Validity of Assessment Tools Initial Identification of Musculoskeletal Injury Problems Gross Posture and Task Analyses Quantitaive Upper Limb WRMSD Risk Assessment Tools Data Driven Upper Limb WRMSD Risk Index HAND TOOLS Introduction General Biomechanical Considerations of Tools Handles for Single-handled Tools Handles for Two-handled Tools Other Tool Considerations Agricultural and Forestry Tools Industrial Tools THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT General Musculoskeletal Problems The Seated Workplace The Keyboard The Mouse and Other Cursor-positioning Devices Notebooks and Hand-held PCs Control Measures Glossary Author Index Subject Index Each chapter also includes questions, problems, and references
Introduction: what was politics in “1968” in West Germany?

This special issue on the question of what politics was in West Germany in “1968” – a cypher we will return to below – has emerged out of a three-day seminar we had organized for the 2013 annual me...
Measurement of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) in blood and urine: potential clinical applications.

Publisher Summary Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are involved in numerous physiologic and pathologic processes. Considerable interest has evolved over the past decade in the measurement of MMPs and TIMPs in blood and urine as an aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of disease. The goal of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive review of the subject with the focus on potential future developments and applications of the technology. The chapter also discusses involvement of MMPs and TIMPs in pathophysiology of disease such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, lung diseases, central nervous system disease, shock syndromes, chronic wounds and inflammation of the skin, and oral cavity. Several assays for measurement of MMPs and TIMPs in body fluids such as pitfalls in measurement and origin of MMPs and TIMPs in blood are also discussed in this chapter. Based on research implicating MMPs in various pathologic processes, this chapter has described the measurement of MMPs and TIMPs in the blood and urine of patients with various diseases. Another consideration is whether measurement of blood and urinary levels of MMPs and TIMPs have potential utility in general screening for disease in periodic health examinations. In this chapter, comparisons to baseline MMP measurements for single individuals might be useful in detecting development of disease over protracted periods of time, for example, progressive development of cardiovascular disease.
On the real-time receding horizon control in harbor defense

In this paper, we develop an receding horizon control (RHC) law for controlling the pursuers in a pursuit-evasion problem arising in a harbor defense scenario and describe its real-time implementation that we apply experimentally to a robotic testbed. Our implementation of the RHC law makes use of a min-max formulation of the underlying optimal problem that must be solved at each sample time, which is solved using the method of outer approximations in conjunction with a phase I-phase II method of feasible directions, in conjunction with a network layer that abstracts each agent. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our implementation using real-time human-computer simulations, and human-robot interaction using a physical testbed comprised of model-sized hovercraft.
Expansion of Functional Endogenous Antigen-Specific CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells from Nonobese Diabetic Mice

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (T(reg)) are critical for controlling autoimmunity. Evidence suggests that T(reg) development, peripheral maintenance, and suppressive function are dependent on Ag specificity. However, there is little direct evidence that the T(reg) responsible for controlling autoimmunity in NOD mice or other natural settings are Ag specific. In fact, some investigators have argued that polyclonal Ag-nonspecific T(reg) are efficient regulators of immunity. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify, expand, and characterize islet Ag-specific T(reg) in NOD mice. Ag-specific T(reg) from NOD mice were efficiently expanded in vitro using IL-2 and beads coated with recombinant islet peptide mimic-MHC class II and anti-CD28 mAb. The expanded Ag-specific T(reg) expressed prototypic surface markers and cytokines. Although activated in an Ag-specific fashion, the expanded T(reg) were capable of bystander suppression both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, the islet peptide mimic-specific T(reg) were more efficient than polyclonal T(reg) in suppressing autoimmune diabetes. These results provide a direct demonstration of the presence of autoantigen-specific T(reg) in the natural setting that can be applied as therapeutics for organ-specific autoimmunity.
Surgical strategies to improve fixation in the osteoporotic spine: the effects of tapping, cement augmentation, and screw trajectory.

Study Design Biomechanical study of pedicle screw fixation in osteoporotic bone. Objective To investigate whether it is better to tap or not tap osteoporotic bone prior to placing a cement-augmented pedicle screw. Methods Initially, we evaluated load to failure of screws placed in cancellous bone blocks with or without prior tapping as well as after varying the depths of tapping prior to screw insertion. Then we evaluated load to failure of screws placed in bone block models with a straight-ahead screw trajectory as well as with screws having a 23-degree cephalad trajectory (toward the end plate). These techniques were tested with nonaugmented (NA) screws as well as with bioactive cement (BioC) augmentation prior to screw insertion. Results In the NA group, pretapping decreased fixation strength in a dose-dependent fashion. In the BioC group, the tapped screws had significantly greater loads to failure ( p p Conclusions Standard pedicle screw fixation is often inadequate in the osteoporotic spine, but this study suggests tapping prior to cement augmentation will substantially improve fixation when compared with not tapping. Angulating screws more cephalad also seems to enhance aging spine fixation.
PROTON EXCITATION OF THE ARGON ATOM.

Studies of the excitation of argon with 4-MeV protons have been carried out by making use of a vacuum ultraviolet scanning monochromator and a 6-MeV Van de Graaff accelerator. Protons were directed through the gas and then into a Faraday cup in an arrangement in which the relative intensity of emitted light could be studied over a wide range of gas pressure (1 to 1500 Torr). Four continua near 2100, 1900, 1300, and 1100 \AA{}, respectively, as well as escape radiation originating from the 1048 \AA{} resonance line, were studied as a function of pressure.Studies of the intensity of the four main continua (per unit of proton power dissipation) as a function of pressure led us to the conclusion that each continuum has a separate atomic precursor. We suggest that the 1300 \AA{} continuum and the 1100 \AA{} continuum are dissociative diatomic continua and originate from the $^{1}P_{1}(11.83\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V})$ and the $^{3}P_{1} (11.62\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V})$ resonance atomic states, respectively. We tentatively suggest that the continua near 2100 \AA{} and near 1900 \AA{} are recombination spectra involving the formation of argon excimers with binding energies of about 4 eV.The 1300 and 1100 \AA{} continua have been observed in gas discharges, but these were interpreted as a single continuum originating from the $^{3}P_{1}$ state. We believe that the present experimental method, which makes possible gas kinetic observations at spectroscopically defined photon energies, is indeed a powerful tool for the study of atomic and molecular structure and processes.
Amidification of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) with amines in tetrahydrofuran solution: A kinetic study

The kinetics of the reaction between a styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA) and amines was investigated in tetrahydrofuran solution between 0°C and 40°C. This reaction converts the maleic anhydride (MA) into the corresponding amide-acid, while the consecutive reaction of the generated acid with amine forming a diamide or transformation of the acid-amide into the imide was not observed. The amine reactivity follows the order: 1-octylamine> >1-methyl hexylamine> >1,1-dimethyl propylamine or dibutylamine, demonstrating that the amine reactivity depends, to a large extent, upon its steric hindrance. This reaction is reversible as shown by IR at high temperatures, but the reverse reaction was undetectable between 0 and 40°C. The overall reaction involves spontaneous and autocatalytic reactions, and the overall reaction rate can be written as:-d[MA]/dt=k0[MA][-NH2]+k1[MA][-NH0]2. In the case of 1-octylamine below 0.02 M, the spontaneous reaction dominates (i.e, k0> >k1[-NH2]).
Salvage of Infected Prosthetic Grafts of the Great Vessels via Muscle Flap Reconstruction

Objective The infection of an aortic prosthetic graft presents a difficult challenge for surgeons. Conservative treatments such as debridement and antibiotic irrigation routinely fail, and patient survival rates are low. Literature has indicated that flap procedures often provide better treatment. In the present article, we report our experience utilizing pectoralis major muscle flaps, occasionally coupled with latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominis, and/or serratus anterior flaps, to wrap infected grafts and fill dead space Patients Between 1990 and 2004, 10 patients were brought to our attention with infections of prosthetic grafts of the great vessels (7 men and 3 women; mean age, 53 years). Infections in nine patients involved an ascending aortic graft, while one patient had an infected pulmonary artery graft Design Following diagnosis and exploration, an initial debridement is performed, followed by 48 h of antibiotic irrigation. A definitive muscle flap procedure is then utilized to fill dead space and clear the infection, followed by an appropriate antibiotic regimen Results The infections in all 10 patients were cleared using the muscle flap procedure. Two patients required a tapered-dose regimen of oral steroids, one of whom also required a secondary flap procedure due to the advanced stage of infection. Two other patients later died due to unrelated complications; however, autopsies revealed that operative sites had healed successfully. Patients were followed up for a period of 2 months to 2 years, and recurrence was not found Conclusions Our outcomes suggest that muscle flap procedures, specifically utilizing the pectoralis major and regional muscles, should be kept in mind in the management of life-threatening infections of aortic grafts. Due to the limited number of patients in this study, we feel more research with a larger volume of cases is warranted
Some observations on the configuration and precipitating activity of antibodies.

Abstract A number of rabbit anti-bovine γ-globulin preparations have been examined for evidence of periodic structure and precipitating activity before, during and after exposures to various concentrations of urea and elevated temperatures. Rotatory dispersion measurements failed to indicate any periodicity in the conformation of the protein. γ-Globulin which had not been exposed to urea or elevated temperatures did not show the 1608-cm−1 absorption characteristic of the β-structure. No evidence was obtained for a relation between specific rotations and precipitating activity.