cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study: Baseline Characteristics and Associations with Kidney Function

Background and objectives: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study was established to examine risk factors for the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with CKD. We examined baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Seven clinical centers recruited adults who were aged 21 to 74 yr and had CKD using age-based estimated GFR (eGFR) inclusion criteria. At baseline, blood and urine specimens were collected and information regarding health behaviors, diet, quality of life, and functional status was obtained. GFR was measured using radiolabeled iothalamate in one third of participants. Results: A total of 3612 participants were enrolled with mean age ± SD of 58.2 ± 11.0 yr; 46% were women, and 47% had diabetes. Overall, 45% were non-Hispanic white, 46% were non-Hispanic black, and 5% were Hispanic. Eighty-six percent reported hypertension, 22% coronary disease, and 10% heart failure. Mean body mass index was 32.1 ± 7.9 kg/m2, and 47% had a BP >130/80 mmHg. Mean eGFR was 43.4 ± 13.5 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and median (interquartile range) protein excretion was 0.17 g/24 h (0.07 to 0.81 g/24 h). Lower eGFR was associated with older age, lower socioeconomic and educational level, cigarette smoking, self-reported CVD, peripheral arterial disease, and elevated BP. Conclusions: Lower level of eGFR was associated with a greater burden of CVD as well as lower socioeconomic and educational status. Long-term follow-up of participants will provide critical insights into the epidemiology of CKD and its relationship to adverse outcomes.
Discussion: Firm Growth Research Opportunities and Techniques

Walker and Martin uncover a wealth of research opportunities in their widesweeping presentation. These opportunities arise on the basic premise that where growth is involved, the capital market is the ultimate constraint. Physical inputs are variable through buying and selling. A number of studies [5, bibliog.] have shown that the capital market presents a complex environment for farmers' decisions. Resource markets may be equally complex. It is under these conditions that Walker and Martin discuss opportunities and techniques for research. I propose to make additional comments on the contribution of static analyses to growth research, to expand on the three models which they present, and to suggest a potentially fruitful inductive technique which they have not covered.
Leveraging Aircraft Avionics for Fleet and Airport Management

Airport operations count data are used for a variety of purposes ranging from allocation of FAA Airport Improvement Program funding to environmental assessments and budget justification. Operations counts are difficult to obtain at small, nontowered airports, which constitute the majority of airports in the United States, and counts frequently are estimated unscientifically by airport managers. Current acoustic and video counting technology is limited, but with the FAA NextGen mandate for installation of automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B) out transponders by January 1, 2020, transponder data are emerging as a viable data source for other than traditional NextGen applications. The NextGen literature has focused on the use of this technology for navigation, safety, and airspace management. This paper introduces a method of applying ADS-B data to fleet management and airport operations. With a 1,090-MHz receiver and appropriate signal processing hardware and software, Mode S and Mode S extend...
Combining otolith microstructure and trace elemental analyses to infer the arrival of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna in the California current ecosystem

Hannes Baumann1*, R. J. D.Wells2,3, Jay R. Rooker2,3, SaijinZhang2, ZofiaBaumann1,Daniel J.Madigan4, Heidi Dewar5, Owyn E. Snodgrass6, and Nicholas S. Fisher4 Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340-6048, USA Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1001 Texas Clipper Road, Galveston, TX 77553, USA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, TX 77843, USA School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Dana Hall, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA Fisheries Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA Ocean Associates, Incorporated, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, USA, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Status of Computational Aerodynamic Modeling Tools for Aircraft Loss-of-Control - Invited

A concerted effort has been underway over the past several years to evolve computational capabilities for modeling aircraft loss-of-control under the NASA Aviation Safety Program. A principal goal has been to develop reliable computational tools for predicting and analyzing the non-linear stability & control characteristics of aircraft near stall boundaries affecting safe flight, and for utilizing those predictions for creating augmented flight simulation models that improve pilot training. Pursuing such an ambitious task with limited resources required the forging of close collaborative relationships with a diverse body of computational aerodynamicists and flight simulation experts to leverage their respective research efforts into the creation of NASA tools to meet this goal. Considerable progress has been made and work remains to be done. This paper summarizes the status of the NASA effort to establish computational capabilities for modeling aircraft loss-of-control and offers recommendations for future work.
Blood cholesterol in dogs on an A deficient diet.

ConclusionsObservations are reported on the level of the blood cholesterol in 4 dogs while on A deficient diet. There is a rise in the blood cholesterol at the time when the animals developed the symptoms of A deficiency. In the young dogs this was maintained at a higher level than in the 2 older dogs. The feeding of vitamin A or its precursor caused a drop in the blood cholesterol rose. While the amount of the vitamin was adequate the blood cholesterol remained at the normal level.These observations tend to substantiate the suggestion of other2,3 investigators that the metabolism of cholesterol is affected by the amount of vitamin A in the body.
Hyperfine Interactions in Dangling-Bond Defects

In a recent theoretical study of the Pb center at the Si(lll)/SiO2 interface, 1,2 we pointed out the importance of spin-polarization effects for the accurate theoretical description of ESR hyperfine interactions. The small superhyperfine tensor in the Pb center, for example, could not have been definitely assigned to a subset of the second neighbors of the defect atom rather than its nearest neighbors without an explicit consideration of spin polarization effects.
CS-20TRANSCRIPTIONAL CONTROL OF THE OSMOTIC ENGINE BY TEAD4 POTENTIATES INVASION AND CONFERS POOR PROGNOSIS IN GLIOBLASTOMA

Glioblastomas are characterized by their ability to disseminate into the local brain parenchyma; thus, confounding surgical excision and radiotherapy. Hence, it is imperative to identify and decipher the signaling networks that drive invasion. Glioblastoma cells utilize molecular transporters at both their leading (inward facing) and lagging (outward facing) edge to modulate cell volume and invade the confined microenvironment of the brain. These transporters include solute transporters as well as the aquaporins, and collectively behave as an osmotic engine for cellular invasion. However, the transcriptional regulators of these transporters have not been fully identified. Here, we report that TEAD4, a transcription factor implicated in neural development, is a potent regulator of the osmotic engine through transcriptional control of solute and water transporters. In particular, our data demonstrates that loss of TEAD4 decreases glioblastoma cells ability to migrate and invade through small pores (Boyden chamber and Matrigel transwell, respectively) mimicking the confined microenvironment of the brain (p < 0.05). Additionally, we uncover the role of TEAD4 in regulating members of the Na + /H+ exchanger, chloride co-transporter and aquaporin families, as well as the volume regulated anion channel to enable water permeation (p < 0.05). Apart from regulating cell dispersal, our data also shows that TEAD4 regulates glioblastoma proliferation (p < 0.05). Using the TCGA and REMBRANDT datasets, we observed TEAD4 is selectively overexpressed and hyperactive in glioblastomas compared to non-cancer cortex and lower grade gliomas (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that patients with elevated TEAD4 expression have a significantly shorter progression free survival and overall survival (p < 0.05). Taken together, our results show that TEAD4 is a potent regulator of cell dispersal through transcriptional control of the osmotic engine and has relevance to clinical outcomes of glioblastoma patients. Hence, TEAD4 may be a selective and potent therapeutic target that warrants further exploration.
A plasma membrane proton ATPase in specialized cells of rat epididymis

Acidification of the luminal fluid in the epididymis is believed to play an important role in sperm maturation. Previous studies have shown that specialized cells in the epithelium lining the epididymis contain high levels of carbonic anhydrase and that these cells have rod-shaped intramembraneous particles when examined by freeze fracture. Both of these features are characteristic of proton-transporting intercalated cells in the kidney collecting duct. We now show that apical cells in the head of the epididymis and clear cells in the body and tail of the epididymis express high levels of a vacuolar proton-pumping adenosinetriphosphatase on their apical plasma membranes and on intracellular vesicles. By analogy with kidney intercalated cells, these cell types may be specialized for acid secretion in the epididymis.
Divergent Configuration Improves Insertion Torque and Pullout Strength of Anterior Cervical Screws

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is commonly performed with cancellous screws placed a 30o convergence. However, there is no consensus on the relationship between regional variation in vertebral body bone mineral density (BMD) and screw orientation for optimal stability and fusion. Twelve cervical (C6 and C7) and thoracic (T6 and T7) vertebrae were harvested from two fresh human cadavers (40- year-old male and 32-year-old female). BMD was measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), computerized tomography (CT), and Faxitron X-ray. Each vertebra was casted in epoxy resin and two self-tapping (4.2 mm diameter) cancellous screws of the same length were implanted for side-by-side comparison. One screw was placed at 30o convergence and another at 10o divergence. The screw length was measured to be 85% of the vertebral antero-posterior diameter. The insertion torque was measured using a torque dynamometer. The specimens were then mounted on a mechanical testing machine (Instron) for pullout testing. The central region of the cervical vertebrae was 14% less dense than the lateral region. Cervical convergent screws mean insertion torque, pullout strength, and stiffness were 58 N.cm, 1094 N, and 654 N/mm, respectively. Cervical divergent screws showed an increase in torque (32%), pullout strength (2%), and stiffness (10%). However, the center was denser and mechanically stronger than the periphery at the thoracic level. These preliminary data showed regional variations in biomechanical properties within the vertebral bodies of young adults. The lateral region of the cervical vertebrae was denser and stronger than the central one.
Evaluations of moral and conventional intergroup transgressions.

To investigate children's understanding of intergroup transgressions, children (3-8 years, N = 84) evaluated moral and conventional transgressions that occurred among members of the same gender group (ingroup) or members of different gender groups (outgroup). All participants judged moral transgressions to be more wrong than conventional transgressions. However, when asked to make a judgment after being told an authority figure did not see the transgression, younger participants still judged that moral violations were less acceptable than conventional transgressions, but judged both moral and conventional transgressions with an outgroup victim as more acceptable than the corresponding transgressions with an ingroup victim. Older children did not demonstrate the same ingroup bias; rather they focused only on the domain of the transgressions. The results demonstrate the impact intergroup information has on children's evaluations about both moral and conventional transgressions.
Dealing with Don Juan’s Legacy: Rebellion and Inheritance in Lídia Jorge’s O vale da paixão

This article analyzes how Lidia Jorge’s nameless woman narrator in O vale da paixao reconstructs through a story of resistance the legacy of her donjuanesque father/uncle. Dealing with the father’s legacy becomes a priority for a narrator who wishes both to affirm her feminine identity and appropriate her father’s memory. However, remembrance is not devoid of perils. To rescue her father’s life from slander, the narrator must find ways to reinterpret the myth of the rebellious, globetrotter womanizer he impersonates in the traditional patriarchal unit. Using Jacques Lacan writings on drives and Alenka Zupancic’s reading of Don Juan, I will show how Lidia Jorge’s narrative rewriting of the myth of Don Juan disrupts the patriarchal system of values from which it draws its strength. This article is published under a CC-BY license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Endothelial modulation of porcine coronary microcirculation perfused via immature collaterals.

Porcine hearts have relatively few native collateral vessels and lack the propensity to develop normal perfusion to the collateral-dependent myocardium. To examine microvascular responses in the co...
Expression of acetylcholine receptor mRNAs in atrophying and nonatrophying skeletal muscles of old rats

We examined the age-related association in skeletal muscle between atrophy and expression of mRNAs encoding both the γ-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), and myogenin, a transc...
Drug-Related Rheumatic Diseases

The most important and most common drug-related rheumatic disease is drug-related lupus. The first case of a probable drug-related lupus (DRL) was described by Hoffman (1945) and incriminated the antibiotic sulfadiazine. Other reports during the 1950s related to other sulfonamides and penicillin. It is possible that these were accidental occurrences or that the patients had idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Multi-technology simulation with mixed design environments

Typical circuit simulation flows within a design environment provided by electronic design automation (EDA) vendors only support a single foundry process technology node. But multi-chip modules (MCM) and 3D-IC designs are typically done with multiple foundry process nodes, which bring a challenge for the EDA industry on how to simulate multiple dies with different technology nodes to capture interaction effects among various dies. Although some EDA vendors have recently introduced a Multi-Technology Simulation (MTS) feature within their design tools, it is not easy for designers to use and also does not work in cross platform design environments. In this paper, we will present an internally developed MTS methodology and utility that can work with both Cadence and Keysight ADS simulation environments based on our Central Chip Repository methodology. The paper will also describe in detail the challenges of multi-technology simulation and how to address these challenges.
79 – Signaling Pathways in Human Breast Cells in Response to Alcohol: Mechanisms for Alcohol-induced Breast Cancer

This chapter describes the alcohol induced signaling pathways in breast cells and the mechanisms of induction of breast cancer. Evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may elicit cardiovascular benefits. However, chronic abuse of alcohol is associated with increased cancer incidence, particularly cancer of the breast. Several mechanisms are postulated to explain the way alcohol may contribute to cancer incidence and mortality: For example, epidemiological data shows a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and blood estrogen levels in menopausal women. The increase in blood estrogen levels, if accompanied by an increase in estrogen receptors, may contribute to the risk of breast cancer development by stimulating cell proliferation. Alcohol may impair the immune systems by altering the levels of cytokines to compromise the body's ability to protect against tumor formation. Alcohol promotes angiogenesis (new blood vessels formation). The growth of new blood vessels is important to supply nutrients to the neoplastic cells being produced. It has been observed in cell culture models that human breast cancer cells exposed to physiologically-relevant concentrations of alcohol increased mitogen-activated protein kinases activities and cyclic 3’, 5’-adenosine monophosphate production.
Regulation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum hemB, a Heme Biosynthesis Gene

Symbiotic rhizobial bacteroids respire efficiently in the O2-limited environment of a legume nodule to support nitrogen fixation and maintain viability, and changes in plant and bacterial heme protein synthesis are an essential feature of nodule ontogeny. Plant leghemolobin is the most abundant nodule protein, and it serves to facilitate O2 diffusion to bacteroids (2). Accordingly, soybean heme synthesis genes are strongly induced and maintained at high levels in nodules (9, 10, 13, 18, 19) and these observations run counter to the long-held view that the host lacks the synthetic capacity for heme formation in the symbiotic organ (reviewed in ref. 15). The bacterial heme protein profile also changes during differentiation, and these changes include the expression of a terminal oxidase with a high affinity for O2 (11, 17) and an increase in the overall quantity of cytochromes. Herein, we describe recent developments on the regulation of heme synthesis in Bradyrhizobium japonicum with particular attention to hemB,the gene encoding δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase. Analysis of mutants indicates that ALA dehydratase is the first essential bacterial step for heme synthesis in nodules even though it is the second step of the heme pathway (5, 6, 8, 18). The first step, ALA synthase, is not required for heme synthesis in soybean or cowpea nodules, and evidence suggests that a hemA mutant of B. japonicum is rescued by uptake of ALA derived from the plant host (14, 18).
Abstract CN03-03: Disparities in quality of life and satisfaction with outcome among prostate cancer survivors and their spouses

Background: We sought to identify determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after primary prostate cancer treatment, to measure HRQOL effects on patient or spouse satisfaction with treatment outcome, and to determine whether race is associated with differences in HRQOL outcome or Satisfaction with Cancer Care. Methods: Outcomes reported by patients and spouses were measured prospectively at multiple centers before and after radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy, or external radiotherapy among 1201 patients and 625 spouses. Patient and treatment factors associated with HRQOL changes were evaluated within treatment groups, and HRQOL effects on satisfaction with treatment outcome were determined. Results: Adjuvant hormone therapy was associated with worse outcomes across multiple HRQOL domains. Brachytherapy patients reported durable urinary irritative, incontinence, bowel, or sexual symptoms, and transient vitality or hormonal symptoms, compared to pretreatment. Adverse sexual effects of prostatectomy were mitigated by nerve-sparing. After prostatectomy, urinary incontinence was observed, but urinary irritative or obstructive symptoms improved compared to pre-treatment, particularly in patients with larger prostates. No treatment-related deaths occurred; serious adverse events were rare. Obesity, large prostate size, higher PSA, and older age exacerbated treatment-related symptoms; African-Americans reported lower satisfaction with overall treatment outcome. HRQOL changes were significantly associated with outcome satisfaction among patients and their spouse-partners. Conclusions: Each prostate cancer treatment showed a distinct pattern of changes in urinary, sexual, bowel or vitality/hormonal HRQOL domains that influenced satisfaction with treatment outcome among patients and their spouses. Whereas nerve-sparing mitigated sexual side effects of prostatectomy, adjuvant hormonal therapy magnified the adverse effects of radiotherapy or brachytherapy. African Americans reported less favorable outcomes than did other subjects (despite ostensibly similar care settings), suggesting possibilities of race-associated differences in care quality, patient expectations, or cancer biology; to discern these possibilities will require further study.
Method of Hypertonic Saline Administration: Effects on Osmolality in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

Hypertonic saline (HTS) is an effective therapy for reducing intracranial pressure (ICP). The ideal method of administration is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the method of HTS infusion and time to goal osmolality. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted in severe TBI patients with ICP monitoring in place who received 2 doses of HTS. Patients were divided into bolus versus continuous infusion HTS cohorts. The primary outcome was median time to goal osmolality. Secondary outcomes included percentage of patients reaching goal osmolality, percent time at goal osmolality, mean cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and ICP, ICU length of stay, and mortality. Safety outcomes included rates of hyperchloremia, hypernatremia, and acute kidney injury (AKI). 162 patients were included with similar baseline characteristics. Time to goal osmolality was similar between cohorts (bolus 9.78h vs. continuous 11.4h, p=0.817). A significant difference in the percentage of patients reaching goal osmolality favoring the continuous group was found (93.9% vs 73.3%, p=0.003). The continuous group was maintained at goal osmolality for a higher percentage of osmolality values after reaching goal (80% vs. 50%, p=0.032). No difference was seen in CPP, ICP, length of stay and mortality. Rates of hypernatremia were similar, but significant higher rates of hyperchloremia (0.77vs 1.58 events per HTS days, p<0.001) and AKI (0% vs 12.9%, p=0.025) were observed in the continuous cohort. Although no difference in time to goal osmolality was observed, continuous HTS was associated with a higher percentage of patients achieving goal osmolality.
Rediscovering Aquinas’ Concept of “Knowledge”

This essay attempts to explicate the concept of “knowledge” in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Simultaneously, it seeks to explore what he makes of the relationship of knowledge to truth.
Yield enhancement by short‐term imposition of severe water deficit in the vegetative growth stage of grain sorghum

Water deficit is generally thought to negatively impact crop yields, including grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), but a small body of literature reports changes in crop physiology and growth in plants with short-term imposition of water deficit during vegetative development that could lead to increased yield. In a replicated and repeated pot experiment in which water deficit was imposed for 10-day periods in grain sorghum plants that were otherwise well-watered, we tested the hypothesis that relatively severe, short-term water deficit imposed during early vegetative development could enhance grain sorghum yield. The results showed that severe water deficit (~30% of control ET) imposed during two vegetative periods enhanced grain yield compared to continuously well-watered plants by 21% (p = .0356). Grain yield was correlated with average grain weight, grain number per head and shoot-to-root ratio. Yield enhancement was associated with a substantial shift in resource partitioning, as water deficit reduced root mass (p = .0032), stem/leaf mass (p < .0001) and total biomass (p = .0005), resulting in a 60% increase in harvest index. Imposition of water stress during vegetative growth in sorghum can increase grain yield.
The Surgical Management of Scrotal Pain

Chronic scrotal content pain (CSCP) can be a frustrating disease process for both the patient and the physician as there is currently no widely accepted protocol for evaluation or treatment. The impact of CSCP is often significant, and may impair the daily work, social and sexual interactions of these patients. Up to 50 % of patients with CSCP present with no identifiable etiology. In the following article, we describe our recommended evaluation and treatment strategy for patients presenting with CSCP. We also describe the surgical technique for procedures to treat idiopathic CSCP including microdenervation of the spermatic cord (MDSC) and orchiectomy. We also describe the technique for epididymectomy, which may be indicated if pain is isolated to the epididymis. Finally, we discuss vasectomy reversal, which may be indicated for post-vasectomy pain syndrome, though we would argue MDSC in lieu of vasectomy reversal for this indication, as MDSC appears to have excellent results without potentially affecting the patient’s fertility status.
Development of an Activity-Dependent Epidural Stimulation System in Freely Moving Spinal Cord Injured Rats: A Proof of Concept Study.

Purpose: Extensive pre-clinical and clinical experimentation has yielded data on the robustness and versatility of epidural stimulation (ES) strategies to activate spinal neural circuitry to produce functional benefits. Increasing studies are now reporting that closed-loop electrical stimulation delivery methods significantly enhance the neuromodulation effects of stimulation, to in turn, improve physiological outcomes of the intervention. No studies have yet explored the feasibility and usage of closed-loop systems to neuromodulate the cervical spinal cord using ES. Methods: We developed an activity-dependent system that utilizes EMG activity to trigger epidural stimulation (tES) of the cervical spinal cord in awake, freely moving rats. Experiments were performed on rats that were implanted with chronic forelimb EMG and cervical epidural implants, with (n=7) and without (n=2) a complete C4 cervical hemisection. Results: Our results show that the EMG triggered activity-dependent system can be reliably applied and reproduced for: i) stimulating multiple rats simultaneously throughout the night during free home-cage activity and ii) use as a mobile system for testing and training during various short-term behavioral testing conditions. The system was able to consistently generate stimulation pulse trains in response to attempted EMG activity that crossed a user-defined threshold in all rats for all experiments, including the overnight experiments that lasts for 7hrs/session for 6 days/week through the three-month period. Conclusion: Our developed closed-loop system can be considered to represent a class of bidirectional neural prostheses via a circuit that enables two-way interactions between neural activity (real-time processing of EMG activity) and external devices (such as a stimulator). It can operate autonomously for extended periods of time in unrestrained rats, allowing its use as a long-term therapeutic tool. It can also enable us to study the long-term physiological effects of incorporating electrical stimulation techniques into the nervous system. Our system can also be experimented for connecting several neural systems into a Brainet by combining neural signals from multiple rats dynamically and in real-time so as to enhance motor performance. Studies are ongoing in our laboratory to test the usefulness of this system in the recovery of forelimb hand function after cervical spinal cord injuries.
Period and cohort age patterns of US migration, 1948–1993: Are American males migrating less?

Has the national intercounty migration level of American males been experiencing a decline over the past half-century? What differences in age patterns have period and cohort migration schedules exhibited during this period? These fundamental questions are addressed in this paper. We find that both period and cohort levels of migration have indeed been declining, with the principal consequence for age patterns being a parallel decline in the levels of young-adult migration. American males are moving less, and their peak migration rate in the young-adult years has steadily moved to a younger age over time.
The Molecular Orbital-Valence Bond Theory of Excited States

The original monograph introducing qualitative Valence Bond (VB) and Molecular Orbital Valence Bond (MOVB) theory to the chemical community was entitled “Unified Valence Bond Theory of Electronic Structure”.1,2 In this work, we begin to justify the use of the adjective “unified” by showing how the same MOVB concepts that are applicable to ground state chemistry can be applied to excited state chemistry. In particular, we shall use the MOVB theory and the accessory conceptual tools developed before in order to elucidate the energetic interrelationships of the low lying excited states of a given system and discover ways in which the energy ordering of these states can be altered. After reading the chapter describing the Induced Deexcitation model and this one, it is hoped that the reader will have no difficulty seeing that the energy ordering of different molecular states at fixed geometry and the energy ordering of different ground state geometrical structures are analogous problems which can be handled by the same MOVB concepts.
Fixing Capital Gains at the Core

The income tax brackets, with rates up to 35 percent, attempt to adjust the tax rate to the standard of living that the income supports. Capital gains get a 15 percent tax rate on the assumption that the gain will not be consumed but will be reinvested. In an efficient market, however, it is not appropriate to presume that sales are made for reinvestment, once relative prices adjust to known information. As a condition for the lower capital gains tax rates, the proposal would mandate reinvestment into an account not available for consumption. Later distributions of capital gains from the account would be treated as ordinary income, but with a credit for capital gains tax previously paid. Corporate stock would not be affected because the lower shareholder tax is a relief from double taxation. The proposal would also reduce the spread between capital gain and ordinary income to no more than 10 percent of gain because the global glut of capital means that not much preference needs to be given to old capital. The proposal is made as a part of the Shelf Project, which is a collaboration among tax professionals to develop and perfect proposals to help Congress raise revenue. The current deficit, now at $1.6 trillion or 11.2 percent of GDP, cannot be sustained. In the impending revenue crisis, base-protecting revenue provisions that were not possible under ordinary politics become political necessities. Shelf projects defend the tax base and improve the rationality and efficiency of the tax system. Shelf Project proposals are intended to raise revenue without raising rates because the best tax systems have the broadest possible base to reach the lowest feasible tax rates. A longer description of the Shelf Project is found at ‘‘The Shelf Project: Revenue-Raising Projects That Defend the Tax Base,’’ Tax Notes, Dec. 10, 2007, p. 1077, Doc 2007-22632, or 2007 TNT 238-37.
Consequences of BMPR2 Deficiency in the Pulmonary Vasculature and Beyond: Contributions to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Since its association with familial pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in 2000, Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor II (BMPR2) and its related signaling pathway have become recognized as a key regulator of pulmonary vascular homeostasis. Herein, we define BMPR2 deficiency as either an inactivation of the receptor, decreased receptor expression, or an impairment of the receptor’s downstream signaling pathway. Although traditionally the phenotypic consequences of BMPR2 deficiency in PAH have been thought to be limited to the pulmonary vasculature, there is evidence that abnormalities in BMPR2 signaling may have consequences in many other organ systems and cellular compartments. Revisiting how BMPR2 functions throughout health and disease in cells and organs beyond the lung vasculature may provide insight into the contribution of these organ systems to PAH pathogenesis as well as the potential systemic manifestation of PAH. Here we review our knowledge of the consequences of BMPR2 deficiency across multiple organ systems.
"TEACHING TABLES I:" Using In-Class Problems as Formative Assessment Tools

In an electrical engineering course for juniors, students devote part of each class period to in-class problems designed to develop their conceptual understanding of significant topics in the course. The students work in small groups on 1-2 problems per class, each for 10-15 minutes. Whole-class discussion follows the problems in order to review solutions and further develop student understanding. The problems help students learn the fundamental concepts of the course. In addition, the discussion helps the instructor understand what students do and do not understand about the problem and allows the instructor to provide just-in-time information in a formative assessment process. The instructor can also use the discussion to highlight particularly important concepts. Analysis of student work has revealed student difficulties with symbols and complex algorithms due to a lack of conceptual knowledge. This strategy could easily be adapted for courses in other STEM disciplines. The instructor needs to identify the significant and fundamental concepts in the course. Questions may be designed to follow up on material from the previous class session or course. Alternatively, they may be used as a preliminary assessment before introducing material. Problems could be collected into a “bank” that can be used from semester to semester. We recommend analysis of student work and iterative refinement of the problems to better assess student knowledge.
In vivo compartmental kinetics of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II in the blood of humans and in BALB/c mice infected with a transgenic Plasmodium berghei parasite expressing histidine-rich protein II

The Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II (PfHRP2) is a common biomarker used in malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), but can persist in the blood for up to 40 days following curative treatment. The persistence of PfHRP2 presents a false positive limitation to diagnostic interpretation. However, the in vivo dynamics and compartmentalization underlying PfHRP2 persistence have not been fully characterized in the plasma and erythrocyte (RBC) fraction of the whole blood. The kinetics and persistence of PfHRP2 in the plasma and RBC fractions of the whole blood were investigated post-treatment in human clinical samples and samples isolated from BALB/c mice infected with a novel transgenic Plasmodium berghei parasite engineered to express PfHRP2 (PbPfHRP2). PfHRP2 levels in human RBCs were consistently 20–40 times greater than plasma levels, even post-parasite clearance. PfHRP2 positive, DNA negative, once-infected RBCs were identified in patients that comprised 0.1–1% of total RBCs for 6 and 12 days post-treatment, even post-atovaquone–proguanil regimens. Transgenic PbPfHRP2 parasites in BALB/c mice produced and exported tgPfHRP2 to the RBC cytosol similar to P. falciparum. As in humans, tgPfHRP2 levels were found to be approximately 20-fold higher within the RBC fraction than the plasma post-treatment. RBC localized tgPfHRP2 persisted longer than tgPfHRP2 in the plasma after curative treatment. tgPfHRP2 positive, but DNA negative once-infected RBCs were also detected in mouse peripheral blood for 7–9 days after curative treatment. The data suggest that persistence of PfHRP2 is due to slower clearance of protein from the RBC fraction of the whole blood. This appears to be a result of the presence PfHRP2 in previously infected, pitted cells, as opposed to PfHRP2 binding naive RBCs in circulation post-treatment. The results thus confirm that the extended duration of RDT positivity after parasite clearance is likely due to pitted, once-infected RBCs that remain positive for PfHRP2.
Characterization of OTUB1 activation and inhibition by different E2 enzymes

Abstract OTUB1 is a highly expressed cysteine protease that specifically cleaves K48-linked polyubiquitin chains. This unique deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) can bind to a subset of E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzymes, forming complexes in which the two enzymes can regulate one another’s activity. OTUB1 can non-catalytically suppress the ubiquitin conjugating activity of its E2 partners by sequestering the charged E2~Ub thioester and preventing ubiquitin transfer. The same E2 enzymes, when uncharged, can stimulate the DUB activity of OTUB1 in vitro, although the importance of OTUB1 stimulation in vivo remains unclear. In order to assess the potential balance between these activities that might occur in cells, we characterized the kinetics and thermodynamics governing the formation and activity of OTUB1:E2 complexes. We show that both stimulation of OTUB1 by E2 enzymes and noncatalytic inhibition of E2 enzymes by OTUB1 occur at physiologically relevant concentrations of both partners. Whereas E2 partners differ in their ability to stimulate OTUB1 activity, we find that this variability is not correlated with the affinity of each E2 for OTUB1. In addition to UBE2N and the UBE2D isoforms, we find that OTUB1 inhibits polyubiquitination activity of all three UBE2E enzymes, UBE2E1, UBE2E2, and UBE2E3. Interestingly, although OTUB1 also inhibits the autoubiquitination activity of UBE2E1 and UBE2E2, it is unable to suppress autoubiquitination by UBE2E3.
Tabata-style functional exercise increases resting and postprandial fat oxidation but does not reduce triglyceride concentrations

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? What are the metabolic impacts of high intensity functional Tabata exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? Tabata exercise with high intensity functional movements causes increases in fasted and postprandial fat oxidation the day after exercise without altering postprandial triglyceride concentrations. These results support the usage of a Tabata-style high intensity functional exercise to improve postprandial fat oxidation. ABSTRACT We evaluated the effect of a high fat meal with and without prior high intensity functional exercise executed in a Tabata-style interval pattern on resting and postprandial substrate oxidation, as well as postprandial blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations. Eleven healthy males completed two trials (Tabata exercise (TE) and non-exercise control (CON)) in random order separated by 7 days. A two-day protocol was used in which TE or CON was performed on the first day and a high fat meal was administered ∼13 h later the following morning. Power output from the TE session was quantified using a kinematic approach by calculating external work performed per unit time for each of the four exercises (rowing, dumbbell thrusters, kettlebell swings and burpees). For the meal challenge, respiratory gases and blood samples were taken fasted and at 1, 2 and 3 h postprandial. Fat oxidation was significantly higher after TE compared to CON at all time points (P < 0.05). Carbohydrate oxidation was significantly lower after TE compared to CON at 1 h postprandial (P < 0.05). There were no significant effects of TE on fasting or postprandial glucose or triglyceride concentrations. Functional exercises performed in a high intensity TE pattern enhance fasting and postprandial fat oxidation on the following day with minimal influence on blood triglycerides or glucose levels.
Households disaster memory recollection after the 2013 Colorado flood

There is some evidence supporting that surveys conducted 12–18 months after a disaster can provide accurate assessments of people’s disaster responses during disasters. Studies suggest that people have good memories of events that are personally relevant to them and that there appear to be reasonable justifications for taking post-event survey data at face value. Nonetheless, according to the Protective Action Decision Model, people’s disaster response activities include behavioral and emotional responses. Since these two types of responses are different in nature, it is unclear whether people have good memory recollection of both types of responses. Thus, it is important to obtain additional evidence to test survey respondents’ memory recollection over time. To do this, this study collected the 2013 Colorado flood household response data 7 months and 14 months after the event. Box’s homogeneity test is used to test the equivalence of covariance matrices. The results indicate that survey respondents’ behavioral responses follow similar patterns between two survey samples, but the emotional responses do not. This finding suggests that survey studies are able to acquire accurate disaster behavioral response data 14 months after a disaster; however, emotional response is considered ephemeral data.
Evidence-based Standardization of Constipation Management in the Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Study.

Constipation is a common problem in pediatric patients. Abdominal radiographs (AXRs) are frequently obtained in the pediatric emergency department for diagnosis despite their poor reliability to rule out underlying pathology or prognostic ability to determine the degree of constipation. The goal of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to standardize the diagnosis and management of constipation in the pediatric emergency department and urgent care in patients ages 6 months to 21 years and decrease AXR use by 20% and sustain this reduction for 12 months. Methods This prospective QI project involved a multidisciplinary team at a large urban pediatric tertiary care center. The study team constructed a key driver diagram and identified interventions, such as creating a standardized evaluation and management algorithm for constipation, using free open-access medical education platforms, incorporating the electronic medical record interface, and expanding educational conferences to include standardized approach and discharge instructions for patients with constipation across all acuity levels. The primary measure of AXR utilization was tracked overtime on a statistical process control chart to evaluate the impact of interventions. Results The percentage of visits for constipation that included an AXR decreased from a baseline of 49.6%-37.1%, a 25% reduction. Length-of-stay, return visits within 7 days, and inpatient admissions remained unchanged by the interventions. Conclusions QI methodology successfully decreased AXR utilization in the evaluation of constipation across a broad spectrum of acuity levels. Further interventions may help to decrease the length of stay and further decrease AXR utilization.
Inflammation, depression, and anxiety related to recognition memory in young adults.

Previous research suggests that common modifiable health risk factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, metabolic illness, inflammation) may have an impact on memory. In the present study, we sought to i...
Relative influence of stand and site factors on aboveground live-tree carbon sequestration and mortality in managed and unmanaged forests

Abstract We compiled data from several independent, long-term silvicultural studies on USDA Forest Service experimental forests across a latitudinal gradient in the northeastern and north-central U.S.A. to evaluate factors influencing aboveground live-tree carbon sequestration and mortality. Data represent five sites with more than 70,000 repeated tree records spanning eight decades, five ecoregions, and a range of stand conditions. We used these data to test the relative influence of factors such as climate, treatment history (uneven-aged or no management), species composition, and stand structural conditions on aboveground live-tree carbon sequestration and mortality in repeatedly measured trees. Relative to no management, we found that uneven-aged management tended to have a positive effect on carbon sequestration at low stocking levels and in areas of favorable climate (expressed as a combination of growing season precipitation and annual growing degree days > 5 °C). In addition, losses of carbon from the aboveground live-tree pool due to tree mortality were lower in managed than unmanaged stands. These findings suggest that there may be conditions at which rate of sequestration in living trees is higher in stands managed with uneven-aged silviculture than in unmanaged stands, and that this benefit is greatest where climate is favorable.
Improving random walk rankings with feature selection and imputation.

The Science4cast Competition consists of predicting new links in a semantic network, with each node representing a concept and each edge representing a link proposed by a paper relating two concepts. This network contains information from 1994-2017, with a discretization of days (which represents the publication date of the underlying papers). Team Hash Brown's final submission, \emph{ee5a}, achieved a score of 0.92738 on the test set. Our team's score ranks \emph{second place}, 0.01 below the winner's score. This paper details our model, its intuition, and the performance of its variations in the test set.
Studies of programmed salivary gland regression during larval-pupal transformation in Chironomus thummi. I. Acid hydrolase activity.

Abstract As the salivary gland breaks down during larval-pupal transformation it displays a sharp and significant increase in the activity of p -nitrophenylphosphatase and β-glycerophosphatase. These increases are not due to concurrent enzyme synthesis, but to the activation of pre-existing enzyme or enzymes. These events parallel the breakdown of lysosomes.
Autonomic control of the eye

The autonomic nervous system influences numerous ocular functions. It does this by way of parasympathetic innervation from postganglionic fibers that originate from neurons in the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia, and by way of sympathetic innervation from postganglionic fibers that originate from neurons in the superior cervical ganglion. Ciliary ganglion neurons project to the ciliary body and the sphincter pupillae muscle of the iris to control ocular accommodation and pupil constriction, respectively. Superior cervical ganglion neurons project to the dilator pupillae muscle of the iris to control pupil dilation. Ocular blood flow is controlled both via direct autonomic influences on the vasculature of the optic nerve, choroid, ciliary body, and iris, as well as via indirect influences on retinal blood flow. In mammals, this vasculature is innervated by vasodilatory fibers from the pterygopalatine ganglion, and by vasoconstrictive fibers from the superior cervical ganglion. Intraocular pressure is regulated primarily through the balance of aqueous humor formation and outflow. Autonomic regulation of ciliary body blood vessels and the ciliary epithelium is an important determinant of aqueous humor formation; autonomic regulation of the trabecular meshwork and episcleral blood vessels is an important determinant of aqueous humor outflow. These tissues are all innervated by fibers from the pterygopalatine and superior cervical ganglia. In addition to these classical autonomic pathways, trigeminal sensory fibers exert local, intrinsic influences on many of these regions of the eye, as well as on some neurons within the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia.