cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impaired Mobilization of Vascular Reparative Bone Marrow Cells in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes but not in Leptin Receptor-Deficient db/db Mice.

Diabetes is associated with impaired mobilization of bone marrow stem/progenitor cells that accelerate vascularization of ischemic areas. This study characterized mobilization of vascular reparative bone marrow progenitor cells in mouse models of diabetes. Age-matched control or streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic and db/db mice with lean-controls were studied. Mobilization induced by G-CSF, AMD3100 or ischemia was evaluated by flow cytometric enumeration of circulating Lin−Sca-1+cKit+ (LSK) cells and by colony forming unit (CFU) assay. The circulating WBCs and LSKs and CFUs were reduced in both models with a shorter duration (10–12 weeks) of diabetes compared to their respective controls. Longer duration of STZ-diabetes (≥20 weeks) induced impairment of G-CSF- or AMD3100-mobilization (P < 0.01, n = 8). In db/db mice, mobilization by G-CSF or AMD3100 was either increased or unaffected (P < 0.05, n = 6 to 8). Proliferation, migration and ischemia-induced mobilization, of LSK cells were impaired in both models. Leptin receptor antagonist, PESLAN-1, increased G-CSF- or AMD3100-mobilization of WBCs and LSKs, compared to the untreated. Leptin increased basal WBCs, decreased basal and AMD3100-mobilized LSK cells and had no effect on G-CSF. These results suggest that mobilopathy is apparent in STZ-diabetes but not in db/db mice. Leptin receptor antagonism would be a promising approach for reversing diabetic bone marrow mobilopathy.
Ultrastructural changes in the small intestine induced by ethanol.

Chronic administration of ethanol as isocaloric replacement of carbohydrate to volunteers led to striking ultrastructural changes in the small intestine. Mitochondrial abnormalities and dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum and cisternae of the Golgi apparatus were observed in jejunal and ileal villi of rats. Similar changes were found in cells of the crypts and villi of human volunteers after ethanol administration. Human specimens also exhibited focal cytoplasmic degradation. These alterations are similar to those produced by ethanol in the liver and suggest that ethanol is injurious to the small intestine in the absence of nutritional deficiency.
Mutation, Population Genetic Models of

Author gives an overview of population genetic models of mutation. Early bi-allelic models have remained in use for nearly 100 years owing to their applicability to a wide range of problems. However, extensions to multi-allelic models have proven necessary to address question in both molecular and phenotypic evolution.
Top-Down Proteomics

Top-Down approach refers to the ionization of intact proteins and MS or MS/MS analysis of intact species or fragment ions generated in mass spectrometer by induced dissociation. This tehnique can eliminate most of the problems associated with the Bottom-Up approach and allow for high specificity protein identification and characterization of different proteoforms: information that would otherwise be lost with protein digestion and unattainable with other large scale, whole proteome approaches. Major obstacle problem in Top-Down proteomics represent sample complexity - biological samples are inherently complex with a multitude of different proteins and their proteoforms; thus, effective implementation of the Top-Down approach requires extensive separation and/or enrichment step preceding mass analysis. In this chapter, we will first describe methods of used for fractionation of intact proteins. Following that, we will discuss ionization techniques and instrumentation used in Top-Down proteomics.
Network analysis of mitonuclear GWAS reveals functional networks and tissue expression profiles of disease-associated genes

While mitochondria have been linked to many human diseases through genetic association and functional studies, the precise role of mitochondria in specific pathologies, such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic diseases, is often unclear. Here, we take advantage of the catalog of human genome-wide associations, whole-genome tissue expression and expression quantitative trait loci datasets, and annotated mitochondrial proteome databases to examine the role of common genetic variation in mitonuclear genes in human disease. Through pathway-based analysis we identified distinct functional pathways and tissue expression profiles associated with each of the major human diseases. Among our most striking findings, we observe that mitonuclear genes associated with cancer are broadly expressed among human tissues and largely represent one functional process, intrinsic apoptosis, while mitonuclear genes associated with other diseases, such as neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, show tissue-specific expression profiles and are associated with unique functional pathways. These results provide new insight into human diseases using unbiased genome-wide approaches.
A Study on Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential of Biophytum sensitivum in Three Different Solvents

Biophytum sensitivum , a very small flowering plant is belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. It is a perennial herb of Indian origin. It used for chest complaints, convulsions, cramps and inflammatory tumours. The objective of the study is to screen phytochemicals, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity of the plant. The crude plant material ethanolic and chloroformic extract was prepared by using in a soxhlet apparatus. Percentage yield of ethanolic, chloroformic and aqueous extract of the plant extract is 8.35%, 4.25% and 3.9% respectively. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannin, saponin, phenol, flavonoid, alkaloid and steroid in the ethanolic extract. Chloroformic extract contain tannin, phenol, alkaloid and steroid. Aqueous extract showed the presence of tannin, anthraquinone, phenol, flavonoid and alkaloid. Optical density method and well diffusion method are used for the analysis of antibacterial activity. Ethanolic extract of Biophytum sensitivum was found to be effective against Bacillus thuringiensis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomoas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli . The antifungal activity of the extract was checked by well diffusion method and growth inhibitory assay. The results showed inhibition of the growth of Aspergillus niger . The three extracts of B. sensitivum showed strong hydroxy radical scavenging, reducing power, total antioxidant capacity and DPPH activities. Thus they can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by resistant microbes.
The Effect of Concomitant Biceps Tenodesis on Reoperation Rates After Rotator Cuff Repair: A Review of a Large Private-Payer Database From 2007 to 2014.

Purpose To determine if reoperation rates are higher for patients who underwent isolated rotator cuff repair (RCR) than those who underwent RCR with concomitant biceps tenodesis using a large private-payer database. Methods A national insurance database was queried for patients who underwent arthroscopic RCR between the years 2007 and 2014 (PearlDiver, Warsaw, IN). The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 29,827 (arthroscopy, shoulder, surgical; with RCR) identified RCR patients who were subdivided into 3 groups—group 1: RCR without biceps tenodesis; group 2: RCR with concomitant arthroscopic biceps tenodesis (CPT 29827 and 29,828); group 3: RCR with concomitant open biceps tenodesis (CPT 29827 and 23,430). Reoperation rates (revision RCR, subsequent biceps surgeries) and complications at 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, and 1 year were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare reoperations and complications between groups. Rotator cuff tear size, whether the biceps was ruptured and whether a biceps tenotomy was performed, was not available. Results Group 1: 27,178 patients. Group 2: 4,810 patients. Group 3: 1,493 patients. More patients underwent concomitant arthroscopic than concomitant open tenodesis ( P P Conclusions Higher reoperation rates at 1 year were seen in patients who had concomitant biceps tenodesis. Level of Evidence Level III, case-control database review study.
Trends over time in enrollment in non-group health insurance plans by tobacco use in the United States

Healthcare.gov was created to facilitate the market for non-group insurance in states that did not establish their own marketplaces. In Healthcare.gov, families are asked to report their tobacco use status, and tobacco use surcharges of up to 50% may result. We tabulate enrollment information for 35 states offering insurance plans through Healthcare.gov in both 2014 and 2016. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provided counts of enrollees indicating tobacco use, by state, year, and risk level. The number of enrollees increased from 5.0 million in 2014 to 9.4 million in 2016. From 2014 to 2016, the number of enrollees rose 39% for tobacco users and 90% for non-tobacco users. Reported non-tobacco user enrollment rose faster than reported tobacco user enrollment in 30 out of 35 states. Reported tobacco users are enrolling in marketplace plans at a lower rate and are more likely to enroll in less generous plans. The decline in smoking as reported when purchasing insurance on Healthcare.gov surpasses declines in smoking observed in other data sources, which suggests that tobacco users may be decreasingly likely to report their tobacco use status accurately to avoid surcharges. Finally, we find no evidence of the surcharges being associated with lower enrollment among self-reported tobacco users, or in rates of smoking.
Cross-validation of the Student Perceptions of Team-Based Learning Scale in the United States

Purpose The purpose of this study was to cross-validate the factor structure of the previously developed Student Perceptions of Team-Based Learning (TBL) Scale among students in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program in the United States. Methods Toward the end of the semester in 2 patient/client management courses taught using TBL, 115 DPT students completed the Student Perceptions of TBL Scale, with a response rate of 87%. Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to replicate and confirm the underlying factor structure of the scale. Results Based on the PCA for the validation sample, the original 2-factor structure (preference for TBL and preference for teamwork) of the Student Perceptions of TBL Scale was replicated. The overall goodness-of-fit indices from the CFA suggested that the original 2-factor structure for the 15 items of the scale demonstrated a good model fit (comparative fit index, 0.95; non-normed fit index/Tucker-Lewis index, 0.93; root mean square error of approximation, 0.06; and standardized root mean square residual, 0.07). The 2 factors demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha= 0.83 and 0.88, respectively). DPT students taught using TBL viewed the factor of preference for teamwork more favorably than preference for TBL. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence supporting the replicability of the internal structure of the Student Perceptions of TBL Scale when assessing perceptions of TBL among DPT students in patient/client management courses.
Visible, Near-Infrared, and Mid-Infrared Spectral Characterization of Hawaiian Fumarolic Alteration Near Kilauea's December 1974 Flow: Implications for Spectral Discrimination of Alteration Environments on Mars

The December 1974 flow in the SW rift zone at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, has been established as a Mars analog due to its physical, chemical, and morphological properties, as well as its interaction with the outgassing plume from the primary Kilauea caldera. We focus on a solfatara site that consists of hydrothermally altered basalt and alteration products deposited in and around a passively degassing volcanic vent situated directly adjacent to the December 1974 flow on its northwest side. Reflectance spectra are acquired in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) region and emission spectra in the mid-infrared (MIR) range to better understand the spectral properties of hydrothermally altered materials. The VNIR signatures are consistent with silica, Fe-oxides, and sulfates (Ca, Fe). Primarily silica-dominated spectral signatures are observed in the MIR and changes in spectral features between samples appear to be driven by grain size effects in this wavelength range. The nature of the sample coating and the thermal emission signatures exhibit variations that may be correlated with distance from the vent. Chemical analyses indicate that most surfaces are characterized by silica-rich material, Fe-oxides, and sulfates (Ca, Fe). The silica and Fe-oxide-dominated MIR/VNIR spectral signatures exhibited by the hydrothermally altered material in this study are distinct from the sulfate-dominated spectral signatures exhibited by previously studied low-temperature aqueous acid-sulfate weathered basaltic glass. This likely reflects a difference in open vs. closed system weathering, where mobile cations are removed from the altered surfaces in the fumarolic setting. This work provides a unique infrared spectral library that includes martian analog materials that were altered in an active terrestrial solfatara (hydrothermal) setting. Hydrothermal environments are of particular interest as they potentially indicate habitable conditions. Key constraints on the habitability and astrobiological potential of ancient aqueous environments are provided through detection and interpretation of secondary mineral assemblages; thus, spectral detection of fumarolic alteration assemblages observed from this study on Mars would suggest a region that could have hosted a habitable environment.
Mosaic variegated aneuploidy syndrome caused by a CEP57 mutation diagnosed by whole exome sequencing

Mosaic variegated aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome is a rare disorder presenting with short stature, intellectual disability, and mosaic aneuploidies. Herein, we report a patient with MVA diagnosed via whole exome sequencing after two normal karyotype results. MVA should be considered if mosaic aneuploidies are observed on karyotype. Mosaic variegated aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by mosaic aneuploidies of many chromosomes.1 The inheritance is autosomal recessive and caused by biallelic mutations in TRIP13, BUB1B, or CEP57, which establish the spindle assembly checkpoint, stabilize mitotic spindle attachment, and stabilize mitotic microtubule attachment, respectively.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 The phenotype of MVA is nonspecific and includes growth retardation, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), microcephaly, facial dysmorphia, and intellectual disability (ID).1, 2, 3, 8 The nonspecific phenotype can result in patients being underdiagnosed. Additionally, although mosaic aneuploidies should be observed on karyotype, they may be dismissed as an artifact.9 In this report, we describe a patient with MVA caused by biallelic mutations in CEP57 who was undiagnosed until whole exome sequencing (WES).
MICHAEL JOHN BARRY, MD: a conversation with the editor on shared decision making

Michael Barry (Figure) was born on July 23, 1953, in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up there. He graduated from Trinity College in 1975 and from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1979. From there, he went to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, where he did his residency training in internal medicine. From 1983 through 1985 he was a research fellow in general internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he has remained since. From 1997 to 2008, he was chief of the general medical unit of the Department of Internal Medicine, where he was responsible for ensuring the career satisfaction and advancement of approximately 250 clinician-teachers. He became a full professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in 2005.
Situating the Endothelin System in the Pathotrajectory of TBI-Induced Changes in Hemodynamics

Traumatic brain injury is characterized by several pathologies, including hypoperfusion of the brain’s parenchyma. This hypoperfusion is caused, in part, by disruption of autoregulatory mechanisms which control vascular tone. A chief instigator of this dysfunctional regulation is endothelin-1, acting through its receptors, A and B. This chapter will outline the endothelin system in the context of both normal and pathological states and will set the groundwork for Chap. 7 which will outline the use of the endothelin system in clinical trials to mitigate the deleterious effects of head trauma.
Reactive Scattering Resonances and their Physical Interpretation: The Vibrational Structure of the Transition State

Quantum mechanical structure in reaction-probability-versus-energy curves for a realistic potential energy surface was first observed about a decade ago,1,2 for the collinear H + H2 system. Such structure had been previously found for a potential energy surface having sharp edges,3 made of piecewise-constant potentials, but in one-mathematical-dimensional (1MD) barrier problems, structure in transmission-probability-versus-energy curves4 is known to disappear when a rectangular barrier is replaced by one which is sufficiently “rounded”, such as parabolic5,6 or Eckart6,7 barriers, and is attributed to edge diffraction effects. The structure in the collinear H + H2 results on a smoothly varying surface, at energies above the vibrational excitation threshold of reaction products, was guessed1b as being due to interference effects between different reaction paths, a guess subsequently confirmed by a quantum mechanical lifetime analysis8 and a semiclassical calculation.9 The former indicated the concomitant presence of and interference between direct and dynamic resonance (Feshbach10) processes. The mechanism of such resonances was attributed to the existence of wells in the vibrationally adiabatic potentials along the minimum energy path.2b
CHAPTER 271 – Regulation of Basal Transcription by RNA Polymerase II

Transcription of protein-encoding target genes by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) represents the end point of many signal transduction pathways. A wide variety of cell type- and gene-specific transcriptional regulators (activators and repressors), including nuclear receptors, are the conduits through which these signals are transmitted to Pol II. These regulators typically function by binding to cognate promoter or enhancer elements located distal to the transcription start sites of target genes. From there they relay their regulatory effects to Pol II, which is directly controlled by the general transcription factors (GTFs: TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF, and TFIIH). This chapter discusses structural and functional aspects of the basal transcription apparatus and also addresses the role of regulatory cofactors that in turn, ultimately appear to function by directly or indirectly impacting Pol II and GTFs.
V211D Mutation in MEK1 Causes Resistance to MEK Inhibitors in Colon Cancer.

We report the emergence of the novel MEK1 V211D gatekeeper mutation in a patient with BRAF K601E colon cancer treated with the allosteric MEK inhibitor binimetinib and the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody panitumumab. The MEK1 V211D mutation concurrently occurs in the same cell with BRAF K601E and leads to RAF-independent activity but remains regulated by RAF. The V211D mutation causes resistance to binimetinib by both increasing the catalytic activity of MEK1 and reducing its affinity for the drug. Moreover, the mutant exhibits reduced sensitivity to all the allosteric MEK inhibitors tested. Thus this mutation serves as a general resistance mutation for current MEK inhibitors; however, it is sensitive to a newly reported ATP-competitive MEK inhibitor, which therefore could be used to overcome drug resistance.
Adipose Tissue Mast Cells Promote Human Adipose Beiging in Response to Cold

In a recent study, repeated cold application induced beiging in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SC WAT) of humans independent of body mass index. To identify factors that promote or inhibit beiging, we performed multiplex analysis of gene expression with the Nanostring nCounter system (the probe set contained genes for specific immune cell markers, cytokines, and chemokines) on the SC WAT from lean subjects. Multiple correlations analysis identified mast cell tryptase and CCL26, a chemokine for mast cells, as genes whose change correlated positively with the change in UCP1 in SC WAT, leading to the hypothesis that mast cells promote SC WAT beiging in response to cold. We quantified mast cell recruitment into SC WAT and degranulation. Mast cells increased in number in SC WAT in lean subjects, and there was an increase in the number of degranulated mast cells in both lean subjects and subjects with obesity. We determined that norepinephrine stimulated mast cell degranulation and histamine release in vitro. In conclusion, cold stimulated adipose tissue mast cell recruitment in lean subjects and mast cell degranulation in SC WAT of all research participants independent of baseline body mass index, suggesting that mast cells promote adipose beiging through the release of histamine or other products.
A Sterically Encumbered Photoredox Catalyst Enables the Unified Synthesis of the Classical Lignan Family of Natural Products

Herein, we detail a unified synthetic approach to the classical lignan family of natural products that hinges on divergence from a common intermediate that was strategically identified from nature's biosynthetic blueprints. Efforts toward accessing the common intermediate through a convergent and modular approach resulted in the discovery of a sterically encumbered photoredox catalyst that can selectively generate carbonyl ylides from electron-rich epoxides. These can undergo concerted [3 + 2] dipolar cycloadditions to afford tetrahydrofurans, which were advanced (2–4 steps) to at least one representative natural product or natural product scaffold within all six subtypes in classical lignans. The application of those synthetic blueprints to the synthesis of heterolignans bearing unnatural functionality was demonstrated, which establishes the potential of this strategy to accelerate structure–activity-relationship studies of these natural product frameworks and their rich biological activity.
Post-translational modifications of Hsp70 family proteins: Expanding the chaperone code

Cells must be able to cope with the challenge of folding newly synthesized proteins and refolding those that have become misfolded in the context of a crowded cytosol. One such coping mechanism that has appeared during evolution is the expression of well-conserved molecular chaperones, such as those that are part of the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family of proteins that bind and fold a large proportion of the proteome. Although Hsp70 family chaperones have been extensively examined for the last 50 years, most studies have focused on regulation of Hsp70 activities by altered transcription, co-chaperone "helper" proteins, and ATP binding and hydrolysis. The rise of modern proteomics has uncovered a vast array of post-translational modifications (PTMs) on Hsp70 family proteins that include phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, AMPylation, and ADP-ribosylation. Similarly to the pattern of histone modifications, the histone code, this complex pattern of chaperone PTMs is now known as the "chaperone code." In this review, we discuss the history of the Hsp70 chaperone code, its currently understood regulation and functions, and thoughts on what the future of research into the chaperone code may entail.
Hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA

Abstract Barataria Bay is a receiving basin for a large Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion scheme in Louisiana, USA. In this region, data on sediment transport and hydrodynamics are scarce but essential for the design and planning of future sediment diversion and marsh creation. Four months of bottom boundary layer observations were conducted to study winter and spring hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in this coastal bay. Hourly waves, tides, currents, and bottom suspended sediment concentrations were measured using multiple optical and acoustic sensors attached to two tripod platforms. High temporal resolution data indicated that the salinity in the northern bay was mainly controlled by northerly winds, and tidal currents kept the salinity high in the southern bay during the winter cold front season. In spring, frequent, pervasive southerly winds and the westward shelf transport of less saline water emerging from the Mississippi River Delta lowered the salinity in the southern bay. Spectral analysis showed that wave-current combined shear stress played the most critical role in triggering sediment resuspension. The Style-Glenn 1-D bottom boundary layer model was applied in sediment flux calculations, and showed that net sediment transport mainly occurred during cold front passages. During two 3-day cold-front events, southward sediment fluxes accounted for 56% of the total sediment flux during the 35-day winter period, revealing their nonlinear, event-driven, and episodic nature. The direction of the sediment transport generally rotated, and its magnitude changed considerably, when southeasterly winds shifted to intensified northwesterly winds. Long-duration southerly pre-frontal winds facilitated wetland sedimentation by transporting sediment to the northern bay during high water level conditions impacted by flooding spring tides or southerly winds. Conversely, northerly winds during cold fronts dominated bidirectional tidal currents and led to southward net sediment transport and possible escape of sediment from the bay. The timing of diversion openings, the orientation of receiving basins, and dominant wind directions in relation to fetch, as well as the dynamic water levels should be considered in the planning and management of future diversion operations in coastal areas.
Defying Gravity: The Development of Standards in the International Prosecution of International Atrocity Crimes

The International Criminal Court (the “ICC”), now one decade old, is still in the process of setting norms as to scope, jurisdiction, and other issues. One issue that has thus far defied resolution is a key issue of jurisdiction: the place of complementarity in deciding whether certain criminal issues impacting international standards or interests should be decided before the ICC or national tribunals. Although the Rome Statute crystallizes definitions of core international crimes that may be tried before the ICC, the process of determining whether to leave jurisdiction with the nation or allowing jurisdiction to the ICC continues to lack structure and the appropriate guidance.Different and conflicting approaches have already been voiced, lending urgency to the project of clarifying complementarity during this norm-setting phase in the work of the ICC. This Article recommends a new normative complementary framework for application of core crimes in national jurisdictions. In doing so, this Article recognizes that the Rome Statute was drafted with the intention of covering a broader range of cases than the ICC is currently handling, including the prosecution of alleged war criminals who were at senior, mid-level, and lower levels of authority in committing such crimes. However, the potential scope of the ICC to reach such actors has been progressively narrowed by prosecutorial discretion, resource constraints, and the lack of norm-setting by domestic courts that would encourage a broad jurisdictional understanding at the ICC.This narrowing is not a new phenomenon, but instead a centuries-old pattern of the international community attempting to define the jurisdiction of international criminal processes broadly, only to see those processes narrowed and limited over time. In order to ensure that the ICC can defy those historical patterns and live up to its potential, States Parties to the Rome Statute must do their part with regard to complementarity by interpreting atrocity crimes broadly thereby enabling the prosecution of more war criminals and assisting the ICC in setting positive norms with regard to its jurisdictional reach.
Is problem‐oriented policing effective in reducing crime and disorder?

Research Summary We conducted a Campbell systematic review to examine the effectiveness of problem-oriented policing (POP) in reducing crime and disorder. After an exhaustive search strategy that identified more than 5,500 articles and reports, we found only ten methodologically rigorous evaluations that met our inclusion criteria. Using meta-analytic techniques, we found an overall modest but statistically significant impact of POP on crime and disorder. We also report on our analysis of pre/post comparison studies. Although these studies are less methodologically rigorous, they are more numerous. The results of these studies indicate an overwhelmingly positive impact from POP. Policy Implications POP has been adopted widely across police agencies and has been identified as effective by many policing scholars. Our study supports the overall commitment of police to POP but suggests that we should not necessarily expect large crime and disorder control benefits from this approach. Moreover, funders and the police need to invest much greater effort and resources to identify the specific approaches and tactics that work best in combating specific types of crime problems. We conclude that the evidence base in this area is deficient given the strong investment in POP being made by the government and police agencies.
Checkpoint/Restart for Lagrangian particle mesh with AMR in community code FLASH-X.

In this work we present the design decisions and advantages for accomplishing cross mesh format checkpoint-restart in community code FLASH-X. AMReX and Paramesh are the two AMR mesh formats developed and supported by FLASH-X. We also highlight strong and weak scaling study of existing HDF5 I/O checkpoint writing along with new ideas and results (presented during talk) for utilizing heterogeneous compute architectures for improved I/O performance.
Femininity Concerns and Feelings About Menstruation Cessation Among Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Women: Implications for Menopause

Background: Women differ in how they psychologically respond to the end of menstruation and onset of menopause; however, little empirical evidence exists for understanding how sexual orientation an...
Neurocircuitry of Contingency Awareness in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning

In Pavlovian fear conditioning, contingency awareness provides an indicator of explicit fear learning. A less studied aspect of fear-based psychopathologies and their treatment, awareness of learned fear is a common cause of distress in persons with such conditions and is a focus of their treatment. The present work is a substudy of a broader fear-conditioning fMRI study. Following fear conditioning, we identified a subset of individuals who did not exhibit explicit awareness of the CS-US contingency. This prompted an exploratory analysis of differences in "aware" versus "unaware" individuals after fear conditioning. Self-reported expectancies of the CS-US contingency obtained immediately following fear conditioning were used to differentiate the two groups. Results corrected for multiple comparisons indicated significantly greater BOLD signal in the bilateral dlPFC, right vmPFC, bilateral vlPFC, left insula, left hippocampus, and bilateral amygdala for the CS+>CS- contrast in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.004). PPI analysis with a left hippocampal seed indicated stronger coupling with the dlPFC and vmPFC in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.002). Our findings add to our current knowledge of the networks involved in explicit learning and awareness of conditioned fear, with important clinical implications.
Stress and Sleep Across the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of Distance Learning on U.S. College Students' Health Trajectories.

Study objectives This study examined associations between average and intraindividual trajectories of stress, sleep duration, and sleep quality in college students before, during, and after transitioning to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods One hundred and sixty-four first-year college students answered twice-weekly questionnaires assessing stress exposure and perception, sleep duration, and sleep quality from January until May, 2020 (N=4,269 unique observations). Results Multilevel growth modeling revealed that prior to distance learning, student stress was increasing and sleep duration and quality were decreasing. After transitioning online, students' stress exposure and perception trajectories immediately and continuously decreased; sleep quality initially increased but decreased over time; and sleep duration increased but then plateaued for the remainder of the semester. Days with higher stress exposure than typical for that student were associated with lower sleep quality, and both higher stress exposure and perception at the transition were linked with simultaneous lower sleep quality. Specific groups (e.g., females) were identified as at-risk for stress and sleep problems. Conclusion Although transitioning to remote learning initially alleviated college students' stress and improved sleep, these effects plateaued, and greater exposure to academic, financial, and interpersonal stressors predicted worse sleep quality on both daily and average levels. Environmental stressors may particularly dictate sleep quality during times of transition, but adaptations in learning modalities may help mitigate short-term detrimental health outcomes during global emergencies, even during a developmental period with considerable stress vulnerability. Future studies should examine longer-term implications of these trajectories on mental and physical health.
Long-Term Thermal Aging of Modified Sylgard 184 Formulations.

Primarily used as an encapsulant and soft adhesive, Sylgard 184 is an engineered, high-performance silicone polymer that has applications spanning microfluidics, microelectromechanical systems, mechanobiology, and protecting electronic and non-electronic devices and equipment. Despite its ubiquity, there are improvements to be considered, namely, decreasing its gel point at room temperature, understanding volatile gas products upon aging, and determining how material properties change over its lifespan. In this work, these aspects were investigated by incorporating well-defined compounds (the Ashby–Karstedt catalyst and tetrakis (dimethylsiloxy) silane) into Sylgard 184 to make modified formulations. As a result of these additions, the curing time at room temperature was accelerated, which allowed for Sylgard 184 to be useful within a much shorter time frame. Additionally, long-term thermal accelerated aging was performed on Sylgard 184 and its modifications in order to create predictive lifetime models for its volatile gas generation and material properties.
Abstract 13900: Very Low Cardiac Event Rate in Patients Achieving >=10 METS Regardless of Peak Exercise Heart Rate With No Supplemental Value of SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging

Background: Patients achieving high exercise workloads or high peak exercise heart rates are reported to have lower cardiac event rates than patients with poor exercise tolerance. We sought to prospectively determine if myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) provided additional prognostic information over peak exercise METS achieved, even in patients who failed to attain ≥85% of maximum age-predicted heart rate (MAPHR). Methods: A group of 463 consecutive patients with intermediate-to-high probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) referred for exercise MPI who attained ≥10 METS were divided into those achieving ≥85% MAPHR (Group 1, n=395) or 99m Tc-sestamibi MPI and were followed-up for cardiac death, nonfatal MI, and late revascularization (>2 months post-MPI). Results: Group 2 patients had a higher prevalence of diabetes (23.5% vs. 10.9%, p=0.004), tobacco abuse (45.6% vs. 23.0%, p Conclusions: Thus, patients at intermediate risk for CAD or known CAD achieving ≥10 METS have a very low prevalence of ≥10% LV ischemia and very low rates of cardiac mortality, nonfatal MI, and late revascularization, irrespective of heart rate achieved. Cardiac events did not correlate with abnormalities on the index MPI study. These results suggest that patients who attain ≥10 METS during exercise stress have an excellent prognosis over an intermediate term of follow-up, regardless of peak exercise heart rate achieved. The added value of MPI to standard exercise ECG testing in this population is questionable.
Laser Spectroscopy and Quantum Optics in GaAs and InAs Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Abstract This chapter reviews primarily the evolution of the understanding of coherent optical interactions and spectroscopy in semiconductor quantum dots. The work begins by a brief review of the dominance of complex many-body interactions in higher dimensional materials and then proceeds to examine the behavior in quantum dots. The work reviews the knowledge extracted using frequency domain spectroscopy techniques, which has provided considerable insight into the physics of these systems. The results show that quantum confinement suppresses the kind of many-body physics seen in bulk material and allows the optical interaction to be well described by two or few state energy-level diagrams and the master equations using the density matrix. Numerous examples of classical atomic behavior are reviewed including Rabi oscillations, coherent population trapping, and the Mollow absorption spectrum. The chapter also discusses how these structures can be used as a platform for possible applications to quantum information sciences. Finally, the chapter concludes by examining the role of the hyperfine interaction. Unlike atomic systems with one nucleus, quantum dot excitons involve of order 104 nuclei. The hyperfine interaction is the origin of decoherence of the spin doublet ground state in a negatively charged quantum dot. However, the optical studies have shown an unexpected coupling between the exciton and the nuclei that leads to freezing of the nuclear fluctuations.
Peripheral and renal vein plasma renin activity in coarctation of the aorta.

Fifteen patients (ages 4 to 21 years) with coarctation of the aorta were studied. Ten patients were catheterized prior to surgery and both peripheral and renal vein plasma renin activity (PRA) were measured. Twelve patients were operated upon and peripheral PRA was measured pre-operatively and during the acute (postoperative day 0 to 10) and long-term postoperative (M = 112 days) period. Three children, not as yet operated upon, have been catheterized. Prior to catheterization, each received a sodium restricted diet (less than 500 mg NaCl) for 48 hours. The peripheral plasma renin activity was within the range of normal both preoperatively (18 ± 10 ng/ml) and long-term postoperatively (12 ± 5 ng/ml) p > 0.1 . The three patients who received sodium restriction prior to catheterization showed borderline to moderately elevated peripheral and renal vein PRA, suggesting that the renin apparatus responded to appropriate stimulation. During the acute postoperative period, each patient had a transient elevation of peripheral PRA. This elevation might be a partial stimulus to aldosterone production in the acute postoperative period. There was no correlation between peripheral PRA and blood pressure levels in the postoperative period. It was concluded that the renin-angio-tensin system does not play a significant role in maintaining the chronic hypertension which is associated with coarctation of the aorta.
Electrical activity in electric tissue. II. Evaluation of esterase activity in intact electroplax.

Abstract 1. 1. A method of testing for the completeness of an enzyme assay in intact cells is described. 2. 2. It was applied to the measurement of enzymatic activity in electroplax from the electric eel. 3. 3. Ethyl chloroacetate was found to assay about 60% of the total acetylcholinesterase activity. 4. 4. This substrate was also hydrolyzed by another enzyme abundant in the tissue. Ethyl acetate, dimethylaminoethyl acetate and acetylcholine were not split at the same concentration. 5. 5. The experiments permit an estimate of the penetration of eserine and prostigmine into the cell and of their affinity to the second enzyme.
Microarray analysis of human nervous system gene expression in neurological disease.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the use of microarrays applied to human tissues for the study of neurological disease, the unique challenges relating to the isolation of RNA from individual cells by laser capture microdissection, and on issues relating to the experimental design and data analysis. Microarrays can be used to study disease pathophysiology and disease classification. Microarray-based disease classification studies use class methods applied to expression profiles to compare diagnostic categories, discover disease subtypes, correlate phenotypical variables with gene expression patterns, and build models that predict clinically relevant variables that may include diagnosis or prognosis. Understanding of disease pathophysiology requires accurate identification of the genes that are differentially expressed across different conditions. Studying the role of these genes helps to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the disease. The most frequently used measure of differential gene expression is the fold ratio. In class comparison analysis, the data set consists of labeled specimens and each of them has a predefined class assignment. Their goal is to understand whether different classes have different expression profiles, and to compare and contrast the gene expression differences among the classes. Computational approaches to disease classification include cluster analysis and supervised learning techniques. The chapter outlines the human neurological diseases studied by microarray technology, such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, neuromuscular disorders, and alzheimer's disease.
Abstract 1534: Identification of LMX1B as a novel oncogene in human ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancers are thought to result from the accumulation of multiple genetic aberrations that transform ovarian and/or fallopian tube surface epithelial cells, allowing for their abnormal growth, proliferation and metastasis. We carried out genome-wide copy-number analysis using array comparative genomic hybridization on a panel of mouse ovarian cancer (OVCA) cell lines previously established in our laboratory. We identified a recurrent focal amplification on mouse chromosomal region 2qB, which contains the LIM homeodomain containing transcription factor 1B (Lmx1b) gene. LMX1B is not expressed in normal human ovary, but is expressed in many human OVCA cell lines and primary tumors. High expression of LMX1B correlates with poor outcome. To clarify the role of LMX1B in ovarian carcinogenesis, we transduced LMX1B into a panel of mouse and human OVCA cell lines and demonstrated that LMX1B strongly promotes migration of cancer cells in culture and accelerates xenograft growth in nude mice. Conversely, knockdown of LMX1B in a human cell line with endogenous high expression of LMX1B inhibits cell migration in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Microarray analysis of cells overexpressing LMX1B identified NF-κB pathway as a potential mediator of tumor progression and subsequent treatment of NF-κB inhibitor decreased the migratory capacity of these cells. Thus, our data demonstrate that LMX1B functions as an oncogene in OVCA pathogenesis. Citation Format: Gayatry Mohapatra, Lei He, Lankai Guo, Vinod Vathipadiekal, Petra Sergent, Whitfield Growdon, Bo Rueda, David Engler, Sandra Orsulic, Michael Birrer. Identification of LMX1B as a novel oncogene in human ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1534. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1534
Plasma volume expansion with colloids increases blood-tissue albumin transport

Extravasation of plasma proteins is increased after volume expansion with whole blood or plasma. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, we measured extravascular accumulation of exogenous 131I-labeled bovine serum albumin in several tissues and organs of anesthetized rats. Plasma volume was increased acutely by infusion of isoncotic albumin or polyvinylpyrrolidone, with or without subsequent infusion of a 1:10 dilution of the colloid to induce blood-to-tissue fluid movement. Controls were given only a slow sustaining infusion of saline. The amounts of fluid and plasma protein lost from the circulation were followed simultaneously by two methods: 1) material balance in the whole animal, and 2) changes in 131I-labeled albumin uptake (VA) and water content (VW) in the individual tissues. Plasma volume expansion of 80-90% increased plasma protein extravasation in the whole rat by an average of 2.7-fold over a 30-min period. Of the protein extravasated, 42% entered the abdominal cavity. The rest was distributed in the interstitial compartment of various tissues and organs. Tracer albumin accumulation (averaged over 30 min) was increased 38-82% in skin and paw, 40-59% in skeletal muscles, 131% in hearts, and 167-230% in different parts of the intestine. Increased convective transport does not appear to be a major factor. There was little or no relation of albumin transport increase to the magnitude or direction of net fluid transfer. Coupling of albumin transport to volume flow was not greater than previously reported for saline infusion or venous congestion. Convective redistribution (convective transport without net fluid transfer, "volume recirculation") is estimated to increase albumin transport no more than 10% under the conditions of our experiments. The greater part of the increase is thus dissipative, i.e., attributable to increased diffusion or increased vesicular exchange. Control of dissipative transport of albumin may play an important role in regulating plasma volume.
Theory of head waves for focal mechanism studies

Harskell's result for the displacement due to a single-couple source of arbitrary orientation in a homogeneous, isotropic, perfectly elastic infinite space has been used to obtain the P , SV and SH wave potentials in a cylindrical co-ordinate system ( r , ϕ , z ). Approximate, far field, solutions for the components of displacement of the free surface due to P 1 P 2 P 1, ( S 1 S 2 S 1)SV, ( S 1 S 2 S 1)SH head-wave arrivals for a single- and double-couple source in the upper medium of a layer over a half-space have been obtained. Equations of Nuttli, tan e = F h tan γ , tan e = F v tan δ may be used to obtain the polarization angle e from the observation of γ , angle between the horizontal component of the S -wave surface motion and the great circle path to the station, or from δ , angle between the vertical axis and the component of the S -wave surface motion in the plane transverse to the great circle path. In the present case F h and F v depend on the orientation of the forces of the couple, epicentral distance, azimuth of the observing station, wave period and the elastic properties of the earth model chosen for the study. Illustrative examples for the azimuthal radiation pattern for P 1 P 2 P 1 head wave and horizontal radial, cross-radial, and vertical S 1 S 2 S 1 head-wave dis-placement components for a suitably chosen single-layered earth model are given. Plots of the projection of the particle trajectory for the S waves in the horizontal and in the vertical cross-radial planes are given for different azimuths.