cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural geology and 40Ar-39Ar geochronology of the Goldstone–Lane Mountain area, Mojave Desert, California

Metasedimentary rocks near Goldstone, California, consist in ascending structural order of (1) a calc-silicate hornfels unit; (2) a quartzite, schist, and radiolarian chert unit; and (3) a calcareous and pelitic sequence of rocks that contains minor basaltic or andesitic composition dikes, sills, and flows(?). Unit 1 is of unknown, but probably pre-Mesozoic age; unit 2 is lower Paleozoic, in part Ordovician, and is correlative to lower Paleozoic eugeoclinal rocks in the El Paso Mountains north of the Garlock fault; unit 3 is probably correlative to upper Paleozoic (Permian) basinal sequences in the El Paso Mountains. These rocks were strongly deformed during a progressive deformational event that caused isoclinal to tight folding about northwest-southeast–trending fold axes and northeast-dipping axial planes. Tectonic transport during this deformation was in a southwesterly direction. Similarity of structural trends to those in the El Paso Mountains suggests that the deformation in these two areas is the same age and predates intrusion of Permo-Triassic plutons in the El Paso Mountains. Regional relationships suggest that deep-water metasedimentary rocks in the northwestern Mojave Desert and in the El Paso Mountains are allochthonous with respect to miogeoclinal and cratonal Paleozoic rocks elsewhere in the Mojave. The emplacement of the allochthonous rocks postdates deposition of Permian strata and predates Permo-Triassic to earliest Triassic deformation and plutonism. This deformation involved both eugeoclinal and miogeoclinal sequences and took place within an Andean arc setting. The subsequent Mesozoic history of these two parts of the Mojave Desert has been the same. 40 Ar- 39 Ar data on hornblende, biotite, and muscovite in the Goldstone and Lane Mountain quadrangles indicate that a plutonic complex consisting of gabbro, quartz diorite, and tonalite was intruded during the Late Jurassic, probably slightly earlier than 148 m.y. ago. Voluminous granitic rocks were intruded during the Late Cretaceous, about 85–90 m.y. ago. These younger plutonic rocks caused variable resetting of all K-Ar systems in older rocks. Cooling of Late Cretaceous plutons to about 280 ± 40 °C occurred by about 78.4 m.y. Regional uplift of these rocks to a crustal level where no further diffusive loss of argon took place occurred at about 45 m.y. ago.
Change of tRNA identity leads to a divergent orthogonal histidyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNAHis pair

Mature tRNAHis has at its 5′-terminus an extra guanylate, designated as G−1. This is the major recognition element for histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) to permit acylation of tRNAHis with histidine. However, it was reported that tRNAHis of a subgroup of α-proteobacteria, including Caulobacter crescentus, lacks the critical G−1 residue. Here we show that recombinant C. crescentus HisRS allowed complete histidylation of a C. crescentus tRNAHis transcript (lacking G−1). The addition of G−1 did not improve aminoacylation by C. crescentus HisRS. However, mutations in the tRNAHis anticodon caused a drastic loss of in vitro histidylation, and mutations of bases A73 and U72 also reduced charging. Thus, the major recognition elements in C. crescentus tRNAHis are the anticodon, the discriminator base and U72, which are recognized by the divergent (based on sequence similarity) C. crescentus HisRS. Transplantation of these recognition elements into an Escherichia coli tRNAHis template, together with addition of base U20a, created a competent substrate for C. crescentus HisRS. These results illustrate how a conserved tRNA recognition pattern changed during evolution. The data also uncovered a divergent orthogonal HisRS/tRNAHis pair.
Variation among early North American crania.

The limited morphometric work on early American crania to date has treated them as a single, temporally defined group. This paper addresses the ques- tion of whether there is significant variability among an- cient American crania. A sample of 11 crania (Spirit Cave, Wizards Beach, Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, Prospect, Wet Gravel male, Wet Gravel female, Medicine Crow, Turin, Lime Creek, and Swanson Lake) dating from the early to mid Holocene was available. Some have recent accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates, while others are dated geologically or archaeologically. All are in excess of 4500 BP, and most are 7000 BP or older. Measurements follow the definitions of Howells ((1973) Cranial variation in man, Cambridge: Harvard University). Some crania are incomplete, but 22 measurements were common to all fossils. Cranial variation was examined by calculating the Mahalanobis distance between each pair of fossils, using a pooled within sample covariance matrix estimated from the data of Howells. The distance relationships among crania suggest the presence of at least three distinct groups: 1) a middle Archaic Plains group (Turin and Med- icine Crow), 2) a Paleo/Early Archaic Great Lakes/Plains group (Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, Lime Creek), and 3) a spatially and temporally heterogeneous group that includes the Great Basin/Pacific Coast (Spirit Cave, Wiz- ards Beach, Prospect) and Nebraska (Wet Gravel speci- mens and Swanson Lake). These crania were also compared to Howells' worldwide recent sample, which was expanded by including six ad- ditional American Indian samples. None of the fossils, except for the Wet Gravel male, shows any particular affinity to recent Native Americans; their greatest simi- larities are with Europe, Polynesia, or East Asia. Several crania would be atypical in any recent population for which we have data. Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, and Lime Creek are the most distinctive. They provide evi- dence for the presence of an early population that bears no similarity to the morphometric pattern of recent American Indians or even to crania of comparable date in other regions of the continent. The heterogeneity among early American crania makes it inadvisable to pool them for purposes of morphometric analysis. Whether this heterogeneity results from differ- ent early migrations or one highly differentiated popula- tion cannot be established from our data. Our results are inconsistent with hypotheses of an ancestor-descendent relationship between early and late Holocene American populations. They suggest that the pattern of cranial vari- ation is of recent origin, at least in the Plains region. Am J Phys Anthropol 114:146 -155, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Retrospective analysis of billing at a standalone medication therapy management clinic.

Purpose Results of a study comparing reimbursement for medication therapy management (MTM) services with a resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS) versus a time-based billing model are reported. Methods Reimbursement claims for MTM services provided by a standalone clinic during a 6.5-year period were reviewed. Actual billing amounts calculated according to Minnesota’s RBRVS for MTM services, which emphasizes case complexity as a determinant of payment rates, were compared with hypothetical billing amounts calculated using a strictly time-based method designed to more accurately capture the costs of providing MTM services. A paired t test was conducted to analyze differences in the billable amounts calculated via the two methods. Results Reimbursement claims for a total of 525 face-to-face MTM encounters with 60 patients were analyzed. Using the RBRVS method, the mean ± S.D. billing amount per encounter was $83.71 ± $36.67; using the strictly time-based method, the mean ± S.D. billing amount was $111.83 ± $34.55 per encounter (mean difference, $28.12; p < 0.0001). These findings indicate that the use of time-based versus RBRVS-based billing methodology would have resulted in an additional $14,763 in MTM services reimbursement for the 525 evaluated encounters. Conclusion The RBRVS-based method consistently resulted in a lower billing amount per encounter than the strictly time-based billing method, suggesting that reimbursement for MTM services may not be aligned with the actual costs of providing those services.
Evidence for Accuracy and Effectiveness of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound-Guided Compared with Landmark-Guided Procedures

The use of ultrasound to guide a variety of musculoskeletal procedures has been increasing in prevalence as the quality of ultrasound imaging has improved. However, there remains some question whether the use of ultrasound guidance is more accurate than performing landmark-guided procedures. In addition, if there is improved accuracy, does this lead to improved effectiveness of the injection? This paper reviews the current evidence that looks at the both the accuracy and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided procedures compared to landmark-guided procedures.
An Approach to Nonlinear Balancing and MOR

For linear systems we recall the notion of sliding interval balancing (SIB). It is shown that subsystems conserve stability. The truncated SIB realization bounds the optimal approximation in an input–output sense. Nonlinear balancing is approached by applying SIB on the linear variational system.
Regulatory Control of Radiopharmaceuticals

The health of the nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical industry relies on the ability to continue producing answers to the most pressing medical problems and to produce a continuous supply of the needed materials. Thus there is the need not only for research at the leading edge of medicine but for steady production for a number of years after the initial introduction of a product, especially, so the use of the material may be disseminated from the academic centers to the community hospitals.
Microprocessor Complex Subunit DiGeorge Syndrome Critical Region Gene 8 (Dgcr8) Is Required for Schwann Cell Myelination and Myelin Maintenance

We investigated the role of a key component of the Microprocessor complex, DGCR8, in the regulation of myelin formation and maintenance. We found that conditionally ablating Dgcr8 in Schwann cells (SCs) during development results in an arrest of SC differentiation. Dgcr8 conditional knock-out (cKO) SCs fail to form 1:1 relationships with axons or, having achieved this, fail to form myelin sheaths. The expression of genes normally found in immature SCs, such as sex-determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2), is increased in Dgcr8 cKO SCs, whereas the expression of myelin-related genes, including the master regulatory transcription factor early growth response 2 (Egr2), is decreased. Additionally, expression of a novel gene expression program involving sonic hedgehog (Shh), activated de novo in injured nerves, is elevated in Dgcr8 cKOs but not in Egr2 null mice, a model of SC differentiation arrest, suggesting that the injury-related gene expression program in Dgcr8 cKOs cannot be attributed to differentiation arrest. Inducible ablation of Dgcr8 in adult SCs results in gene expression changes similar to those found in cKOs, including an increase in the expression of Sox2 and Shh. Analyses of these nerves mainly reveal normal myelin thickness and axon size distribution but some dedifferentiated SCs and increased macrophage infiltration. Together our data suggest that Dgcr8 is responsible for modulation of gene expression programs underlying myelin formation and maintenance as well as suppression of an injury-related gene expression program.
The Rule of Compulsory Prosecution and the Scope of Prosecutorial Discretion in Germany

Professor Kenneth Gulp Davis has remarked that Americans may have considerable difficulty imagining a criminal justice system based on the concept that the prosecuting authority should have limited, rather than pervasive and uncontrolled, discretionary powers.' A system of this kind does, however, exist. Prosecuting attorneys in West Germany are required, except in certain situations specified in the codes and statutes, to prosecute all charges for which there is sufficient evidence to justify a conviction.2 The German prosecutor is not without discretion; the scope of his discretion has increased steadily and is still growing. Unlike the American situation, however, the discretion of the prosecutor in this system is strictly limited by the Code of Criminal Procedure; it is guided by statutory standards and, to a certain extent, is controlled by the courts. The striking difference between the two systems reasonably causes
Mutagenesis of the v-mht/mil oncogene in avian carcinoma virus MH2.

oncogenes, v-mht/mil and v-myc. Most of the transforming activity of MH2 is attributed to the v-myc oncogene. In contrast, the v-mht/mil oncogene alone does not induce a fully transformed phenotype of avian primary fibroblasts in vitro. It was shown previously that v-mht/mil is the avian homolog of the v-rafoncogene in murine sarcoma retrovirus 3611. Because the v-rafoncogene transforms murine fibroblasts very efficiently, the present study tested the hypothesis that an extra segment in the 5' end of v-mht/mil relative to v-raf suppressed the fibroblast-transforming activity of v-mht/mil. By introducing an in-frame deletion of 195 nucleotides into the 5' end of v-mht/mil, the results demonstrate that in the presence of an inactive v-myc oncogene, the 5'-deleted v-mht/mil oncogene fails to transform chicken embryo fibroblasts. Therefore, it is likely that avian primary fibroblasts lack a cellular component that serves as a critical substrate/target for v-mht/mil-induced cellular transformation.
Tuning the Electronic Properties of Carbenes: A Systematic Comparison of Neighboring Amino versus Amido Groups

A related series of six-membered carbenes featuring adjoining amino and/or amido groups (i.e, a diaminocarbene, a monoamido-aminocarbene (3), and a a diamidocarbene (6)) were systematically compared using crystallographic, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and density functional theory methods. The solid-state structure of 3 was found to exhibit inequivalent nitrogen–carbon bond lengths (Ccarbene–Namide = 1.395(4) A vs Ccarbene–Namine = 1.323(4) A). Moreover, the Ccarbene–Namide distance was longer than that measured in the solid-state structure of 6 (1.371(3) A), while the Ccarbene–Namine distance was similar to that measured in the solid-state structure of a cyclic alkyl-aminocarbene (1.315(3) A). Iridium complexes of the aforementioned carbenes were also evaluated, and the collected data revealed that the introduction of carbonyl groups to the carbene-containing scaffold had a nearly linear, additive effect on the E1/2 potential of the carbene-ligated iridium I/II redox couple (+165 mV per carbonyl added...
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND ACHIEVED LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN PHASE 3 ODYSSEY TRIALS OF ALIROCUMAB VERSUS CONTROL

Statin and ezetimibe outcome trials suggest a direct relationship between major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and LDL-C levels (~55-195 mg/dL). The CTT meta-analysis of statin trials gave a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.78 for MACE per 39 mg/dL LDL-C reduction. We used data from the alirocumab (ALI
War Rhetoric and Disaster Transparency

In recent years, war and national security rhetoric has come to permeate the legal and policy conversations on a wide variety of natural and technological disasters. This melding of disaster and war to justify exceptions to ordinary constitutional and democratic norms is particularly apparent in governmental restrictions on the flow of its communications in disasters, as limitations on information flow that might be warranted when there are thinking enemies (such as in times of war) are invoked in disaster scenarios lacking such thinking enemies. The extension of wartime transparency exceptionalism into nonthinking-enemy disasters—reflected in both legislation and official rhetoric—is deeply troubling: it risks the illegitimate construction of enemies by government and the unwarranted transformation of public spaces into war zones from which the public can be more easily excluded. Only by consciously disaggregating dissimilar forms of emergencies and removing the rhetoric of war from disaster decision-making can the government make appropriate determinations about the provision of information in times of community or national crisis.
Judith Ortiz Cofer, Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood

The book Silent Dancing is a collection of poems and short stories that together constitute an autobiographical narrative. Based on the memories of Cofer’s childhood, the poems and stories are reflections and remembrances about her experiences growing up in two places, Puerto Rico and New Jersey. The memories focus mostly on the women in her family, her grandmother and mother in particular, and also on the figure of her father, who served in the U.S. Navy. The movement between her hometown of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, with the traditional cultural and gender values embodied in its inhabitants, and Patterson, New Jersey, where she lived six months per year and faced different gender values, an urban culture, and the reality of being an ethnic minority, becomes a recurring structure throughout the book.
Analysis of incidence of arrhythmia in patients with sleep apnea of different age groups

Objective To investigate the incidence of arrhythmia in patients with sleep apnea of different age groups.Methods 144 patients undergoing sleep apnea complicated by arrhythmia in our hospital from January 2009 to January 2011 were selected and divided into the children group(26 cases),the young and middle-aged group(40 cases) and the elder group by age(78 cases).The incidences of arrhythmia of the three groups were compared.Results Sinus tachyarrhythmia and atrial tachyarrhythmia were the main arrhythmia in the children group;tachyarrhythmia and premature beat were the main arrhythmia in the young and middle-aged group;compound arrhythmia was the main arrhythmia in the elder group.Conclusion Sleep apnea is closely related to arrhythmia.Patients of different age groups have different arrhythmia types.The incidence of elder patients is high and their disease conditions are severe,therefore clinical attention should be paid to them.
The Conundrum of Treating Chronic Pain in Older Adults

Despite remarkable advances in healthcare, chronic pain afflicting millions of older adults remains poorly treated. Intense or prolonged exposure to pain creates degenerative changes throughout the nervous system, which intensifies, prolongs and spreads it. The loss of brain gray matter with persistent pain greatly outpaces that seen with normal aging and can explain the learning, memory and emotional difficulties experienced. This loss can be partially reversed with effective treatment.
Communication Behaviors When Displaced: A Case Study of Za'atari Syrian Refugee Camp

In this study, we examine refugees' use of mobile communication and Internet services. Our findings are based on survey data collected at Za'atari Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, providing systematic quantitative analyses to complement anecdotal accounts reported in the media. More importantly, our findings directly inform humanitarian program development and may be used to develop related information services. First, in terms of frequency of use, we find that social media are used more frequently than SMS, mobile voice, Skype and email. Second, through multivariate regression with demographic variables, we find that sex is a significant predictor of the type of communication service, which differs depending on recipient location. Third, we identified the three most popular information sources are Google, Facebook and YouTube Lastly, we discuss how these findings, in particular, highlighting the heterogeneity of refugee ICT use and online interests, can inform information service design.
Laryngeal Manifestations of Pachyonychia Congenita: A Clinical Case and Discussion on Management for the Otolaryngologist

Background: Pachyonychia congenita is a rare keratinising disorder, which typically presents during the first three years of life and usually affects the nails and palmoplantar surfaces. It can involve the larynx and potentially result in life-threatening airway obstruction. Methods: A case report is presented and the findings of a literature review are reported. The review involved a PubMed search using the keywords ‘pachyonychia congenita’ together with ‘larynx’, ‘laryngeal involvement’, ‘laryngeal obstruction’, ‘airway obstruction’, ‘hoarseness’ and/or ‘stridor’. Results: A five-year-old boy, with confirmed pachyonychia congenita, presented with complications of laryngeal involvement over a four-year period. He required three intubations and a tracheostomy for acute airway obstruction. Treatment with potassium titanyl phosphate laser laryngoscopy stabilised the progression of laryngeal disease. Conclusion: Patients with pachyonychia congenita and laryngeal involvement can have a varied presentation, ranging from hoarseness to acute airway obstruction. Management can be a challenge, requiring early evaluation, regular surveillance and aggressive treatment. This paper reports our experience in managing and treating the laryngeal complications of a child with pachyonychia congenita.
Privacy-aware: Tracking and protecting sensitive information using automatic type inference

It is very hard to ensure that software is free of sensitive information leaks because current common software takes very little measures to control sensitive data propagation or limit data lifetime. We present Privacy-Aware, a sensitive data tracker and eraser based on type qualifier inference. We have adapted a simplified type qualifier inference to the LLVM framework, a low-level virtual machine infrastructure for a batch of languages. With type qualifier inference, Privacy-Aware can automatically reason about where the sensitive data has been propagated to and erase them before deallocation. We optimize Privacy-Aware with alias analysis and points-to analysis so that Privacy-Aware can be used as an effective annotation system for programmer to reduce the data lifetime in software development with minimal annotation effort. We have implemented Privacy-Aware by LLVM-based instrumentation. The preliminary evaluation suggests that Privacy-Aware can effectively clear sensitive data while only incurring a small amount of overhead, on average below 10%, in our benchmark. Our research provides evidence that requiring minimal programmer intervention, Privacy-Aware is an effective, efficient and autonomous strategy in privacy protection.
Preoperative Symptoms in Femoroacetabular Impingement Patients Are More Related to Mental Health Scores Than the Severity of Labral Tear or Magnitude of Bony Deformity.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between patient factors, mental health status, the condition of the local tissue, magnitude of bony deformity, and preoperative symptoms in a series of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) patients. Methods From our prospective outcomes registry, we identified 64 patients with arthroscopically-treated labral tears and cam deformities. We assessed the correlations between patient factors (age, sex, body mass index, level of education), surgical findings (size of labral tear, presence of chondral lesions), mental health factors (VR-12 mental component score [MCS], depression, and preoperative use of psychotropic and/or opioid drugs), magnitude of FAI deformity (alpha and lateral center edge angles), and preoperative hip dysfunction and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS) subscales. Patient factors, surgical and radiographic findings, and preoperative HOOS scores were compared between patients with low and high MCS. Results Neither hip pathology nor patient-related factors significantly correlated with HOOS scores. On the contrary, MCS significantly correlated with HOOS symptom (ρ = 0.45, P Conclusion Symptom severity was significantly more related to mental health status than either the size of labral tear or FAI deformity. Patients with low MCS had significantly worse preoperative pain and self-reported function, and a greater prevalence of concomitant chondral lesions. Future studies are necessary to determine if earlier surgical treatment or preoperative psychological and/or pain coping interventions may improve outcomes for those with low MCS.
Seasonal associations with urban light pollution for nocturnally migrating bird populations

The spatial extent and intensity of artificial light at night (ALAN) has increased worldwide through the growth of urban environments. There is evidence that nocturnally migrating birds are attracted to ALAN, and there is evidence that nocturnally migrating bird populations are more likely to occur in urban areas during migration, especially in the autumn. Here, we test if urban sources of ALAN are responsible, at least in part, for these observed urban associations. We use weekly estimates of diurnal occurrence and relative abundance for 40 nocturnally migrating bird species that breed in forested environments in North America to assess how associations with distance to urban areas and ALAN are defined across the annual cycle. Migratory bird populations presented stronger than expected associations with shorter distances to urban areas during migration, and stronger than expected association with higher levels of ALAN outside and especially within urban areas during migration. These patterns were more pronounced during autumn migration, especially within urban areas. Outside of the two migration periods, migratory bird populations presented stronger than expected associations with longer distances to urban areas, especially during the nonbreeding season, and weaker than expected associations with the highest levels of ALAN outside and especially within urban areas. These findings suggest that ALAN is associated with higher levels of diurnal abundance along the boundaries and within the interior of urban areas during migration, especially in the autumn when juveniles are undertaking their first migration journey. These findings support the conclusion that urban sources of ALAN can broadly effect migratory behavior, emphasizing the need to better understand the implications of ALAN for migratory bird populations.
2001 SEYMOUR B. SARASON AWARD ADDRESS: The Spirit of Community Psychology

Community psychology as a field may have lost some of its original spirit; a spirit dominant at the founding of the field. Spirit is a difficult concept to discuss since it is a concept beyond usual discourse in psychology as a denotative, measurable and verifiable concept. Taking the lead from William James, Spirit, however elusive, is most essential to a sense of self. I offer three suggestions to enhance and to make our individual and collective spirit more vital: (1) Continuing education in the history of community psychology; (2) Creating time to share stories about our work; (3) Creating safe settings to enlarge our spirit. These ideas are offered as pragmatic suggestions to enable us to create more coherence between our personal and professional selves.
From Interval (Set) and Probabilistic Granules to Set-and-Probabilistic Granules of Higher Order

In this chapter, we provide a natural motivation for granules of higher order, and we show that these granules provide a unified description of different uncertainty formalisms such as random sets, Dempster-Shafer approach, fuzzy sets, imprecise probabilities, and Bayesian statistics. We also prove that for fuzzy uncertainty, granules of second order are sufficient.
An assessment of the impacts of climate change on Puerto Rico's Cultural Heritage with a case study on sea-level rise

Abstract In this paper, we summarize how current and projected climate changes are expected to impact material cultural heritage in Puerto Rico. As case study, we also conducted a spatial analysis vulnerability assessment of coastal heritage sites below 20 meters in elevation. Results from the analysis show that of the 1185 known cultural heritage sites below 20 m in elevation in Puerto Rico, 27 sites are inundated at today's highest high tide, 56 will be inundated by mid-century when assuming a 0.6 m rise in sea-level, and 140 sites will be inundated by end-of-century when assuming a 1.8 m rise in sea-level. Spatial analysis of sites adjacent to the high tide line demonstrate that these values are likely conservative, as there are many sites located within 1 m of the highest high tide line that should also be considered vulnerable. Finally, we present and introductory proposal that addresses the need for vulnerability assessments to aid cultural heritage managers in developing adaptive strategies for climate change impacts to material heritage.
Measurement of Oxygen Consumption Rate (OCR) and Extracellular Acidification Rate (ECAR) in Culture Cells for Assessment of the Energy Metabolism

Mammalian cells generate ATP by mitochondrial (oxidative phosphorylation) and non-mitochondrial (glycolysis) metabolism. Cancer cells are known to reprogram their metabolism using different strategies to meet energetic and anabolic needs ( Koppenol et al., 2011 ; Zheng, 2012). Additionally, each cancer tissue has its own individual metabolic features. Mitochondria not only play a key role in energy metabolism but also in cell cycle regulation of cells. Therefore, mitochondria have emerged as a potential target for anticancer therapy since they are structurally and functionally different from their non-cancerous counterparts (D'Souza et al., 2011). We detail a protocol for measurement of oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) measurements in living cells, utilizing the Seahorse XF24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer (Figure 1). The Seahorse XF24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer continuously measures oxygen concentration and proton flux in the cell supernatant over time ( Wu et al., 2007 ). These measurements are converted in OCR and ECAR values and enable a direct quantification of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. With this protocol, we sought to assess basal mitochondrial function and mitochondrial stress of three different cancer cell lines in response to the cytotoxic test lead compound mensacarcin in order to investigate its mechanism of action. Cells were plated in XF24 cell culture plates and maintained for 24 h. Prior to analysis, the culture media was replaced with unbuffered DMEM pH 7.4 and cells were then allowed to equilibrate in a non-CO2 incubator immediately before metabolic flux analysis using the Seahorse XF to allow for precise measurements of Milli-pH unit changes. OCR and ECAR were measured under basal conditions and after injection of compounds through drug injection ports. With the described protocol we assess the basic energy metabolism profiles of the three cell lines as well as key parameters of mitochondrial function in response to our test compound and by sequential addition of mitochondria perturbing agents oligomycin, FCCP and rotenone/antimycin A. Figure 1.Overview of seahorse experiment.
Applications of Biomarkers for Delineating Marine Paleoclimatic Fluctuations during the Pleistocene

The Earth’s climate is a dynamic system governed by many factors including the complex, constantly changing interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, the configuration of the continent, and external variables such as solar luminosity and periodicities in perturbations of the Earth’s orbit. Evidence of increasing levels of CO2 (Keeling et al., 1976) attributed to anthropogenic burning of fossil fuels and the effects of deforestation has heightened concerns about future global warming of a few degrees, together with an associated reduction in ice volume and a consequent rise in sea level. However, investigations of the stratigraphic record have revealed dramatic changes in the Earth’s climate of comparable or greater magnitude in the geological past (e.g., Lamb, 1977; Tarling, 1978; Frakes, 1979; Barron, 1989a, b; Crowley and North, 1991; Bowen, 1991). Such variation in the ancient climatic history of the Earth has been unraveled and elucidated using a diverse range of approaches to which new methodologies continue to be added (e.g., Hecht, 1985).
Expression of bcl-2 by breast cancer: a possible diagnostic application.

Abstract Expression of bcl-2 is most commonly associated with the t(14;18) translocation present in most folicular lymphomas (1). More recently, bcl-2 oncoprotein has been identified in normal tissues and in nonhematologic malignancies. In this study, we investigate the use of bcl-2 as a marker to distinguish metastatic breast carcinoma from primary lung and gastric cancers, and we evaluate the role of bcl-2 as an independent prognostic factor in breast carcinoma and its relationship to other breast cancer markers. bcl-2 immunostains were done on 371 adenocarcinomas of the breast, lung, and stomach. Additionally, 231 samples of metastases from patients with breast or gastric cancer were evaluated for bcl-2 expression. All breast cancer tissue samples had immunohistochemical data on expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors, p53, neu/cerb2, and MIB-1. A large proportion (79.3%) of invasive breast carcinomas expressed bcl-2, whereas only 5.6% and 8.3% of pulmonary and gastric carcinomas did. Moreover, staining was moderate to intense in 70.2% of the breast cancers, compared with only one specimen of lung carcinoma (1.9%) and gastric carcinoma (0.9%) that showed moderate staining. There was agreement of bcl-2 expression between primary and metastatic sites in all specimens except one. Expression of bcl-2 in breast adenocarcinomas was significantly associated with hormone receptor positivity and low histologic grade. Nonetheless, 20.6% of bcl-2-positive specimens were estrogen receptor negative and 24.2% of bcl-2-positive specimens were progesterone receptor negative. Neither the presence nor the absence of bcl-2 expression significantly predicted disease-free survival or overall survival in patients with breast cancer. We conclude that adenocarcinomas with intense bcl-2 staining are more likely to be of breast than of pulmonary or gastric origin. We recommend the addition of bcl-2 to a panel of antibodies (estrogen receptor, GCDFP-15, and S100) that might contribute to the identification of a larger proportion of metastatic breast carcinomas, because almost one-half of the estrogen-receptor negative cancers were bcl-2 positive.
EPR and ENDOR Studies of the Oxidized Primary Donor in Single Crystals of Reaction Centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26

To understand electron transfer rates in bacterial reaction centers (RCs) a knowledge of the spatial as well as the electronic structure of the pigments is required. From the X-ray structure analysis of RC’s of two bacterial species, Rhodopseudomonas viridis [1,2] and Rhodobacter sphaeroides [3–5], the spatial arrangement of the protein and the pigments have been determined. EPR and ENDOR investigations of paramagnetic states of the pigments provide information on the electronic structure, in particular the spin density distribution in the valence orbitals. Furthermore, studies of the anisotropic hypcrfine (hf) interaction can ultimately yield the position of protons, which cannot be accurately determined from X-ray structure analyses. They also may facilitate the identification of ENDOR lines with specific protons. The anisotropic interactions are preferably studied in single crystals. Here we present preliminary results of ENDOR investigations on the cation radical of the primary donor D in single crystals of RC’s from Rb. sphaeroides R-26 near room temperature (284K). The resolution of the spectra at 284K is better than that observed at cryogenic temperatures reported earlier [6]. A full rotation study of the hf interaction in one crystal plane was performed. A partial interpretation of the observed angular dependence of the hf splittings based on investigations of D+ in solution [7] and the arrangement of D in the crystal as obtained by X-ray diffraction [5] is presented. Experiments, similar to the ones reported here, have been performed independently by F. Lendzian et al. and are presented in an accompanying paper [8].
Feature selection and extraction

This chapter gives an overview of the most relevant feature selection and extraction methods for biomedical image processing. Besides the traditional transformed and non-transformed signal characteristics and texture, feature extraction methods encompass structural and graph descriptors. The feature selection methods described in this chapter are the exhaustive search, branch and bound algorithm, max-min feature selection, sequential forward and backward selection, and also Fisher's linear discriminant. Feature extraction and selection in pattern recognition are based on finding mathematical methods for reducing dimensionality of pattern representation. A lower-dimensional representation based on pattern descriptors is a so-called feature. It plays a crucial role in determining the separating properties of pattern classes. The choice of features, attributes, or measurements has an important influence on: the accuracy of classification, the time needed for classification, the number of examples needed for learning, and the cost of performing classification. The chapter reviews the most important methods for obtaining transformed signal characteristics such as principal component analysis, the discrete Fourier transform, and the discrete cosine and sine transform. The basic idea employed in transformed signal characteristics is to find such transform-based features with a low redundancy and a high information density of the original input.
OR30. HLA expression on CD34+ stem cells: is a flow cytometric crossmatch a good gatekeeper for mismatched hematopoietic cell transplantion?

Aim Primary graft failure associated with donor specific antibody (DSA) is influenced by the level of circulating DSA at time of infusion and by the density of HLA antigens expressed on cell populations needed for engraftment. It is not yet known what HLA antigens are expressed on CD34 + stem and progenitor cells nor what level of DSA, if any, is permissible. We compared surface expression levels of class I (HLA-A, B, C) and class II (HLA-DR, DQ, DP) molecules on CD34+, B, and T cells to determine whether a lymphocyte flow cytometric crossmatch is an adequate method to assess risk of DSA mediated graft failure. Methods Samples consisted of peripheral blood (PB) from PB stem cell donors or an aliquot of bone marrow (BM) aspirate from BM donors. CD34+, CD19+ (B cells) and CD3+ (T cells) were simultaneously analyzed using monoclonal antibodies specific for each HLA target and flow cytometry. Selected samples were analyzed by flow cytometry using dilutions of DSA containing sera and staining with anti-human IgG. Results Despite individual variations, higher levels of HLA-A and B and lower levels of HLA class II were observed on CD34 + cells compared to lymphocytes (Fig. 1). Titration of sera containing antibody specific for donor’s HLA-A antigens revealed higher reactivity of CD34 + cells than of B or T cells (Fig. 2 - representative result). Conclusions Antibodies specific for all class I and II HLA targets may be deleterious given their expression on CD34 + cells. HLA-A and B specific antibodies may be especially harmful given the high expression of these loci. Use of peripheral T and B donor lymphocytes flow cytometric crossmatch may underestimate the risk of graft failure due to the relative lower expression of HLA-A and B loci in these cell populations. Download : Download high-res image (133KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (77KB) Download : Download full-size image M.P. Bettinotti: 3. Speaker’s Bureau; Company/Organization; One Lambda Thermo Fisher. A.M. Jackson: 3. Speaker’s Bureau; Company/Organization; One Lambda Thermo Fisher.
Evaluation and injury investigation of a finite element foot and ankle model for small female occupants

AbstractFemale occupants sustain high frequency of injury to the foot and ankle in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). To investigate injury mechanisms, this study evaluated a finite element model of the...
Multi-coil High Efficiency Wireless Charger System for Hermetically Sealed Biomedical Implants

Biomedical inductively-coupled transcutaneous implants with internal batteries typically rely on a two-coil charging system which places fundamental and practical limits such as requiring short coil-to-coil distance for useful Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) efficiency. In case of hermetic metal enclosures equipped with finite size dielectric window for magnetic flux penetration, two-coil configurations can induce substantial additional loss due to eddy currents generated on e.g. Ti metal surface by fringing B-fields. Dissipative losses are unwelcome as they increase the temperature of the implant. We focus here on high-performance implants with internal electronic circuits and power source which require frequent, rapid battery recharging. The case example is a wireless broadband neural recording device capable of high data rate transmission (> 40 Mbps). We describe a compact planar four-coil configuration to achieve efficient Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) across tissue layers exceeding 1 cm. For the device geometry discussed here, our system transfers up to 73 % and 46 % of RF energy across 16 mm-separated source-to-load coil, in absence or presence of a Ti-enclosure which embeds the energy harvesting coil pair respectively. Thin sheets of ferrites are integrated to enhance local B-fields. We are able to charge a 200 mAh medical-grade battery to useful 84% of its full charge capacity (near current saturation) within 1 hour through a sapphire window integrated with the hermetic Ti- enclosure. The measured temperature increase is 2.1 °C with Ti-can immersed in still saline, slightly above FDA requirements or more recent ISO standards. From physiological models, we expect that active cooling by body tissue surrounding the implant (such as microvasculature perfusion) will provide for a safe and efficient WPT method.
Site-specific manipulation of Arabidopsis loci using CRISPR-Cas9 SunTag systems

Understanding genomic functions requires site-specific manipulation of loci via efficient protein effector targeting systems. However, few approaches for targeted manipulation of the epigenome are available in plants. Here, we adapt the dCas9-SunTag system to engineer targeted gene activation and DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. We demonstrate that a dCas9-SunTag system utilizing the transcriptional activator VP64 drives robust and specific activation of several loci, including protein coding genes and transposable elements, in diverse chromatin contexts. In addition, we present a CRISPR-based methylation targeting system for plants, utilizing a SunTag system with the catalytic domain of the Nicotiana tabacum DRM methyltransferase, which efficiently targets DNA methylation to specific loci, including the FWA promoter, triggering a developmental phenotype, and the SUPERMAN promoter. These SunTag systems represent valuable tools for the site-specific manipulation of plant epigenomes.
Is an interacting ground state (pure state) v-representable density also non-interacting ground state v-representable by a Slater determinant? In the absence of degeneracy, yes!

Abstract It is shown that in the absence of degeneracy a density, n ( r ) , describing the probability of finding a particle in a small volume at position, r, that is known to be pure-state v-representable in terms of the ground state of an interacting system of particles evolving under an external potential, v ( r ) , is also pure state v-representable in terms of a single Slater determinant describing the ground state of a system of non-interacting particles under a potential, v s ( r ) . This establishes the validity of the Kohn–Sham formalism of density functional theory. An explicit form of v s ( r ) is derived. We also derive the exact form of the correlation functional and the corresponding potential, μ c ( r ) , that lead to the exact density and energy of an interacting system's ground state. In addition, we demonstrate the existence of a one-to-one mapping between the ground-state densities of non-degenerate interacting and non-interacting systems. Finally, we show that practical implementations of the Kohn–Sham formalism can generate neither the exact density nor energy of an interacting system's ground state, a feature that is particularly true in the case of the so-called exact exchange, in which the correlation functional and potential are set equal to zero.
Slavery, Property, and Marshall in the Positivist Legal Tradition

In 1819, a slave ship called the Antelope entered the harbor of Savannah carrying Africans originally detained as slaves on U.S., Spanish and Portuguese vessels. John Marshall four years later would hold that slaves originally captured on U.S. ships were entitled to their freedom, while those originally held by Spanish and Portuguese interests should be returned to slavery, pending proof of claim. Marshall's opinion implicitly sets law and morality at opposite poles, freeing the law to undertake morally questionable acts. This essay examines the tension underlying Marshall's opinion that positivism's negative effects (here the establishment of slavery outside of a moral order) continue to have pervasive consequences, even after legal regimes change. For example, the disarming of the transatlantic slave act by Congress in 1807 did not prevent Africans on board the Antelope from being transported away from their homes, held for four years pending judicial decision, and then held an additional two years while ancillary claims to their freedom were resolved. The essay suggests that property's static nature preserves institutions even after they've been deemed illicit by other law.
Surface transitions and stair climbing and descent

Abstract Gait transitions to and from various surfaces are an everyday occurrence for most people, yet these movements are biomechanically challenging and often result in injuries from a fall. Methods to quantify the dynamic balance during surface transitions, including stair ascent and descent, require 3D motion analysis and multisegment full-body modeling. This chapter presents data from a series of studies describing the complex nature of gait transitions on various surfaces and stairs. Notable gait features and models are used to describe the complex interactions between the environment and the compensatory mechanisms that prevent loss of balance and falls on surface transitions and stairs. Common indoor (carpet, tile, laminate) and outdoor (cobble, sod, concrete) surfaces are evaluated using a full-body biomechanical model and multiple embedded force platforms. Force-sensing insoles are also used to measure plantar pressure distribution and foot acceleration during stair ascent and descent with and without handrails. A summary of how these results can be used to understand how to prevent falls by designing environments for safer ambulation is proposed.
Simulation Study of Entanglement in Semiflexible Polymer Melts and Solutions

Multiple scaling arguments have been proposed to describe how the entanglement molecular weight depends on polymer architecture and concentration. The Lin–Noolandi (LN) scaling argument, well suppo...