cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximizing the public health impact of alcohol and tobacco taxes.

m c p c u r i i w Significant increases in alcohol and tobacco taxes are among the most effective policies governments have for improving public health. Higher alcohol axes reduce the prevalence, frequency, and intensity of rinking, as well as the traffic crashes, liver cirrhosis, iolence, and other health and social consequences of armful drinking. Likewise, increases in tobacco taxes romote cessation among adult users, prevent young eople from taking up tobacco use, and reduce the death, isease, and economic consequences caused by tobacco. At the same time, increased taxes raise new revenues that can be used to support alcoholand tobacco-control programs and other health promotion efforts, adding to their positive public health impact. However, governments n theU.S. and elsewhere often fail tomaximize the public ealth benefits of alcohol and tobacco taxes, while drinkrs, smokers, and other tobacco users use various strateies to avoid these taxes. The papers by Kerr and coleagues and Xu and colleagues in this issue illustrate these problems. Kerr and colleagues use the alcoholic beverage price ndices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, along with etail alcoholic beverage prices from two control states— ennsylvania andWashington—to assess how the affordbility of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. changed over the ast several decades, concluding that beer, wine, and pirits have become increasingly affordable. Part of the ncreased affordability results from growth in real inomes since the middle of the 20th century, but stagnant tate and federal alcoholic beverage excise taxes are a uchmore important factor. Since 1951, federal taxes on ine and beer have been raised only once, whereas spirits axes have been increased twice. As a result, the inflationdjusted beer tax is less than one fifth of its value in 1951, hereas the inflation-adjusted spirits tax is about one ixth of its 1951 value. Most state alcohol taxes have been imilarly stagnant, with many states last increasing their axes two or more decades ago. After accounting for nflation, average state beer taxes, for example, have fallen
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway: Input and Output Integration

Universal and essential to cytokine receptor signaling, the JAK-STAT pathway is one of the best understood signal transduction cascades. Almost 40 cytokine receptors signal through combinations of four JAK and seven STAT family members, suggesting commonality across the JAK-STAT signaling system. Despite intense study, there remain substantial gaps in understanding how the cascades are activated and regulated. Using the examples of the IL-6 and IL-10 receptors, I will discuss how diverse outcomes in gene expression result from regulatory events that effect the JAK1-STAT3 pathway, common to both receptors. I also consider receptor preferences by different STATs and interpretive problems in the use of STAT-deficient cells and mice. Finally, I consider how the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins regulate the quality and quantity of STAT signals from cytokine receptors. New data suggests that SOCS proteins introduce additional diversity into the JAK-STAT pathway by adjusting the output of activated STATs that alters downstream gene activation.
On the representation of linear system time-varying half-line maps

An expression is given for the most general continuous causal linear input–output map that takes the space of (Lebesgue) integrable functions into itself. This expression is a function-space limit of an integral. As an application, a representation result is given for an important family of linear maps that take the space of bounded measurable functions into itself and satisfy a certain continuity condition. Some related material concerning engineering education is also given. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Protective Role of Murine β-Defensins 3 and 4 and Cathelin-Related Antimicrobial Peptide in Fusarium solani Keratitis

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as β-defensins and cathelicidins, are essential components of innate and adaptive immunity owing to their extensive multifunctional activities. However, their role in fungal infection in vivo remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of murine β-defensin 3 (mBD3), mBD4, and the cathelicidin cathelin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) in a murine model of Fusarium solani keratitis. C57BL/6 mice showed significant corneal disease 1 and 3 days after infection, which was accompanied by enhanced expression of β-defensins and CRAMP. Disease severity was significantly improved 7 days after infection, at which time AMP expression was returning to baseline. Mice deficient in mBD3 (genetic knockout), mBD4 (short interfering RNA knockdown), or CRAMP (genetic knockout) exhibited enhanced disease severity and progression, increased neutrophil recruitment, and delayed pathogen elimination compared to controls. Taken together, these data suggest a vital role for AMPs in defense against F. solani keratitis, a potentially blinding corneal disease.
Direct and Simultaneous Force and Current Measurements of Single-Stranded DNA in Synthetic Nanopores

We report direct and simultaneous measurements of the forces and currents associated with the translocation of a single-stranded DNA molecule tethered to an AFM cantilever (Figure a) through synthetic pores 1.2 to 3.5 nm in diameter in 8±2 nm thick silicon nitride membranes. These measurements were performed to determine the force required and the electrical signal available for sequencing a single molecule of DNA in a pore small enough to affect the configuration of the molecule. The measurements revealed that ssDNA either translocated the nanopore in a “stick-slip” motion characterized by multiple stretching and rupture events or slid with a relatively constant net force between 10 and 60 pN (Figure b). While the tip moved at a constant velocity, minute <1 pN and <20 pA fluctuations in the force and current, respectively, were observed every 0.35-0.60 nm (Figure c) in homo/heteropolymers of ssDNA, which were attributed to individual nucleotides translating through the nanopore in a turnstile-like motion. These results indicate that synthetic nanopores <2 nm in diameter may offer the resolution to sequence individual bases of DNA, provided the molecule slides through the pore.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Injection Molding of Rubber Compound with Rheology Affected by Vulcanization: Part II. Modeling and Experiment

Abstract Experimental and theoretical results are reported on the effect of vulcanization on viscosity and yield stress during cavity filling with an SBR compound. Rheological and vulcanization models were utilized in simulation of the cavity filling process. Numerical schemes was based on the hybrid approach of control volume finite-element and finite-difference techniques. The pressure profiles at various locations along the flow path in the mold during cavity filling were obtained by conducting the experiments at various mold and inlet temperatures and mold injection speeds. It was found that the predicted pressure profiles followed the trend determined in the experiments. Comparing two versions of the modified Cross viscosity models — with and without the effect of cure on viscosity — it appears that use of a viscosity model which accounts for the cure-effect improves the accuracy, and thus the usefulness, of the cavity pressure prediction models. Evolution of the state-of-cure in the postfilling proc...
Examining the physiological plasticity of particle capture by the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.): Confounding factors and potential artifacts with studies utilizing natural seston

ABSTRACT Historically, particle capture efficiency (CE) in suspension-feeding bivalve molluscs has been shown to be strongly dependent on particle size, increasing asymptotically to a maximum of about 100% for particles ca. ≥ 4 μm in diameter. Recent advances in the analysis of the particulate matter of seston have allowed for more precise studies of bivalve feeding under natural conditions. Some studies have reported that the mechanisms associated with particle capture exhibit physiological plasticity, and under certain conditions smaller cells and particles are captured in preference to larger ones. For bivalves, however, there is no mechanistic explanation that would account for such fine-scale control of CE based on size. The current study experimentally assessed the seasonal control of CE by the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis , employing a flow-through system to examine particle capture of natural seston. The natural particle field was analyzed using two different types of particle analyzers, the LISST-100X and the Coulter Multisizer IIe. Mussels were simultaneously delivered synthetic microspheres of defined diameter (2–45 μm) to control for the effects of seasonal differences in the size and shape of natural particles. The capture of microspheres was quantified by means of flow cytometry (FCM), and results cross-checked with the Multisizer. Additionally, gene expression of a mucosal lectin (MeML) associated with the feeding organs of mussels was examined as a biomarker for physiological response to seasonal changes in the particle-food supply. Results demonstrated that for microspheres ≥ 4 μm CE of mussels was always near 100%, and did not change seasonally. In contrast, there was an apparent seasonal shift in CE of natural particles, with particles 17-to-35 μm in equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) occasionally being captured at lower efficiencies than particles 4-to-15 μm in ESD (e.g., during September and December). No relationship between MeML expression and seasonal CE was found. These findings call into question the physiological plasticity of CE in mussels and alternative hypotheses are presented. We suggest that the purported changes in CE are not a consequence of behavioral or physiological responses of mussels, but rather a result of one or more of the following confounding factors; 1) instrument artifacts that can arise as a result of the way in which laser and electronic particle counters calculate ESD to estimate particle size; 2) disaggregation of flocculent material collected from control chambers; 3) post-capture escape of highly motile phytoplankton cells from the infrabranchial camber; 4) qualitative factors of the particles that could affect capture; or 5) mathematical happenstance of calculating CE on particle-size classes that contain widely different numbers of particles.
Classes of Neural Networks

This chapter contains sections titled: Basic Network Properties Classification Models Association Models Optimization Models Self-Organization Models Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) Summary This chapter contains sections titled: Exercises References
Image Formation with the Amplitude-Steered Array Using Time-Frequency Distributions

The performance of several time-frequency distributions were compared using a test signal, which represented a pulse-echo signal from seven point targets. By moving from the spectrogram to other time-frequency distributions, we have shifted from a tradeoff in axial and lateral resolution to a tradeoff in axial resolution, lateral resolution, and cross-term level. The smoothed pseudo-Wigner distribution gave the best overall results most likely because it has the most available parameters. Cross-terms were present at low levels. Axial and lateral resolutions approached those of the Wigner distribution.
Transnational heritage migrants in Istanbul: second-generation Turk-American and Turk-German ‘Returnees’ in their parents’ homeland

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses several less-explored dimensions of current scholarship on globalisation, migration and transnationalism: north–south migration streams, the role of second-generation ‘heritage migrants’ and the importance of social capital within unequal transnational social fields. We compare two circuits of second-generation migrants, Turk-Germans and Turk-Americans, engaged in ‘intensive transnationalism’ having independently moved to reside in their parents’ homeland. Istanbul becomes the site of homeland return for these distinct streams of educated heritage migrants. Cross-national comparison of the children of the more stigmatised Turk-German ‘guest workers’ with the socially less salient Turk-Americans of middle-class backgrounds offers insight into the way class networks and national capital are distinctly leveraged by adult children with immigrant parents of distinct contexts of homeland exit.
A Stress Management Program for Higher Risk Medical Students: Preliminary Findings

Approximately 10 % of first year medical students have clinically relevant anxiety or depression which may affect academic success and quality of life. This study tested the effects of a stress management intervention on indicators of anxiety, depression and self-efficacy in self-selected first year medical students. Forty two medical students volunteered to participate and provided informed consent. An eight session intervention was offered and focused on building relaxation skills, adaptive coping, and basic nutrition. Anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy were assessed pre and post intervention. This group of students had significantly higher baseline values of depression and anxiety but lower self-efficacy compared to a previous study of medical students at the same institution (p < 0.03). After the intervention, statistically significant improvements were observed in anxiety (p < 0.05), and self-efficacy (p < 0.05), but not in depression. The entering levels of anxiety and depression in this group suggested that these students were at risk for later clinical syndromes. Intervention directed to decreasing the effects of stress was associated with improvement in indicators of distress and may modify the longer term risk.
Su certe teorie non enumerabili

Si studiano certi sistemi che, pur non essendo in senso stretto sistemi formali, sembrano proponibili come schematizzazione adeguata di un certo modo di procedere matematico e al tempo stesso sfuggono ad alcune delle ordinarie limitazioni godeliane. Lo studio viene sostanzialmente condotto dal punto di vista della teoria delle funzioni ricorsive. Tali sistemi vengono introdotti a studiati come contributo alla discussione sulla portata e sulle cosiddette conseguenze « filosofiche » delle limitazioni godeliane, nel senso che tale discussione puo, a giudizio dell'autore, essere condotta con maggiore chiarezza se, accanto ai sistemi formali propriamente detti, vengono considerati i sistemi qui introdotti.
Coffee Rings as Low-Resource Diagnostics: Detection of the Malaria Biomarker Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein-II Using a Surface-Coupled Ring of Ni(II)NTA Gold-Plated Polystyrene Particles

We report a novel, low-resource malaria diagnostic platform inspired by the coffee ring phenomenon, selective for Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein-II (PfHRP-II), a biomarker indicative of the P. falciparum parasite strain. In this diagnostic design, a recombinant HRP-II (rcHRP-II) biomarker is sandwiched between 1 μm Ni(II)nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) gold-plated polystyrene microspheres (AuPS) and Ni(II)NTA-functionalized glass. After rcHRP-II malaria biomarkers had reacted with Ni(II)NTA-functionalized particles, a 1 μL volume of the particle–protein conjugate solution is deposited onto a functionalized glass slide. Drop evaporation produces the radial flow characteristic of coffee ring formation, and particle–protein conjugates are transported toward the drop edge, where, in the presence of rcHRP-II, particles bind to the Ni(II)NTA-functionalized glass surface. After evaporation, a wash with deionized water removes nonspecifically bound materials while maintaining the integrity of the surfac...
Paleobiogeography of the fossil box crab Calappilia (Brachyura: Calappidae) with a new species from the Eocene-Oligocene of Florida, USA

Members of the family Calappidae, or box crabs, date back to at least the Eocene, with Calappilia being the most species-rich calappid genus in the fossil record. The European species of Calappilia were reviewed recently, but less work has been done lately on the American species. We describe Calappilia calculosa n. sp. based on carapaces originating from the uppermost Eocene to lowermost Oligocene Rotularia vernoni Zone (Priabonian-Rupelian) in Suwannee County, Florida, USA. The new species is the youngest member of the genus in North America thus far. We further discuss some other occurrences of Calappilia that includes reassigning Calappilia ocalanus (Ross, Lewis and Scolaro, 1964) to Calappa , in part to better interpret the paleobiogeography of Calappilia . A worldwide paleobiogeographic analysis of Calappilia suggests that the genus first appeared in North America or Europe in the early Cenozoic. Rapid dispersal and radiation seem to have occurred in the Eocene because Calappilia is also reported from Eocene sediments of the Pacific side of Mexico and Indonesia. We hypothesize that individuals of Calappilia crossed the Central American Seaway prior to the closure of the Isthmus of Panama and they also migrated across the Tethys Sea. Miocene occurrences are known from Brazil, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand, suggesting dispersal well into the Southern Hemisphere by the Miocene. Quaternary occurrences have not been confirmed thus far.
Energy-water nexus analysis of enhanced water supply scenarios: a regional comparison of Tampa Bay, Florida, and San Diego, California.

Increased water demand and scarce freshwater resources have forced communities to seek nontraditional water sources. These challenges are exacerbated in coastal communities, where population growth rates and densities in the United States are the highest. To understand the current management dilemma between constrained surface and groundwater sources and potential new water sources, Tampa Bay, Florida (TB), and San Diego, California (SD), were studied through 2030 accounting for changes in population, water demand, and electricity grid mix. These locations were chosen on the basis of their similar populations, land areas, economies, and water consumption characters as well as their coastal locations and rising contradictions between water demand and supply. Three scenarios were evaluated for each study area: (1) maximization of traditional supplies; (2) maximization of seawater desalination; and (3) maximization of nonpotable water reclamation. Three types of impacts were assessed: embodied energy, greenh...
Morphology-Based Phylogenetic Analysis of the Clawed Lobsters (Family Nephropidae and the New Family Chilenophoberidae)

ABSTRACT The phylogeny of extinct and extant clawed lobsters is interpreted using a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis. Twenty-one genera, representing two clades, are grouped into either the redefined family Nephropidae or the new family Chilenophoberidae. Chilenophoberids, the primitive sister group of nephropids, share a close common ancestry with members of the Erymidae, and arose by the Middle Jurassic. Nephropids arose by the Early Cretaceous. Among clawed lobsters, no one morphological character is generally more reliable than any other as a guide to phylogeny. Homoplasy in aspects of groove pattern, ornamentation, and the appendages is widespread. The ubiquity of homoplasy in lobster evolution argues against the practice of erecting suprageneric taxonomic groups based on a few, intuitively selected characters. Cretaceous lobsters strongly resemble Recent ones, and no long-term, directional evolutionary trends were detected.
Robots Against Infectious Diseases

Robots can play an integral role in the fight against infectious diseases. Robots, unlike humans, cannot catch infectious diseases; unlike vaccines, they are agnostic to specific infectious agents; unlike antibiotics, they do not contribute to medically-resistant strains. Despite these benefits, there remain enormous technical, cultural, and social-psychological challenges to successfully deploy robots in the fight against infectious disease outbreaks. I propose three research questions that will help overcome these hurdles. These questions are informed by my previous work in the space and the relevant literature. Four studies are outlined to answer these questions: an observational study in the field to ascertain current practices as well as environmental and cultural constraints, an extension to previous work to understand if the effect found therein is cross-cultural, a longitudinal user-study on the teleoperation interface, and an examination of physical visibility proxies for use during robot-mediated health care.
Advanced endoscopic imaging of indeterminate biliary strictures

Endoscopic evaluation of indeterminate biliary strictures (IDBSs) has evolved considerably since the development of flexible fiberoptic endoscopes over 50 years ago. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography pancreatography (ERCP) was introduced nearly a decade later and has since become the mainstay of therapy for relieving obstruction of the biliary tract. However, longstanding methods of ERCP-guided tissue acquisition (i.e., biliary brushings for cytology and intraductal forceps biopsy for histology) have demonstrated disappointing performance characteristics in distinguishing malignant from benign etiologies of IDBSs. The limitations of these methods have thus helped drive the search for novel techniques to enhance the evaluation of IDBSs and thereby improve diagnosis and clinical care. These modalities include, but are not limited to, endoscopic ultrasound, intraductal ultrasound, cholangioscopy, confocal endomicroscopy, and optical coherence tomography. In this review, we discuss established and emerging options in the evaluation of IDBSs.
Effects of Formaldehyde on the Neurobehavioral Function in Occupational Exposure Population

[Objective]To study the neurobehavioral function of the population occupational exposed to formaldehyde. [Methods]18 enterprices where occupational formaldehyde exposure exists have been surveyed,in which 65 workers exposed to formaldehyde were selected to test their neurobehavoural function,and other 70 non-exposed garment workers were taken as control.The WHO-recommended Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery (WHO-NCTB) tests were applied in the study.[Results] The average concentration of formaldehyde in the air of workplaces was 0.43 mg/m~3,29.1% of the air samples exceeded the Occupational Exposure Limit(OEL)with a maximun concentration of 3.11 mg/m~3.Significant differences found between exposure group and control group in teams of digit span,vision reservation,aiming test,with a lower average in exposed workers than controls(P0.05).However,stress,depression were all higher(P0.05).[Conclusion]Long term occupational exposure to formaldehyde may cause apparent changes in the speed and accuracy of adjusting exercise.Neurobehavioral function tests may be the early detection tool for assessing the clinical effects among workers exposed to occupational hazards.
Subunit Interactions within the Carbon-Phosphorus Lyase Complex from Escherichia coli.

Phosphonates are a large class of organophosphorus compounds with a characteristic carbon–phosphorus bond. The genes responsible for phosphonate utilization in Gram-negative bacteria are arranged in an operon of 14 genes. The carbon–phosphorus lyase complex, encoded by the genes phnGHIJKLM, catalyzes the cleavage of the stable carbon–phosphorus bond of organophosphonates to the corresponding hydrocarbon and inorganic phosphate. Recently, complexes of this enzyme containing five subunits (PhnG-H-I-J-K), four subunits (PhnG-H-I-J), and two subunits (PhnG-I) were purified after expression in Escherichia coli (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U. S. A. 2011, 108, 11393). Here we demonstrated using mass spectrometry, ultracentrifugation, and chemical cross-linking experiments that these complexes are formed from a PhnG2I2 core that is further elaborated by the addition of two copies each of PhnH and PhnJ to generate PhnG2H2I2J2. This complex adds an additional subunit of PhnK to form PhnG2H2I2J2K. Chemical cross-linking...
Observations: ‘Market Patriotism’ – Advertising Dilemma

ABSTRACT Given the events of September 11, 2001, stating or implying that it is patriotic to purchase from a particular advertiser involves an obvious trade-off. On one hand lurks the possibility of criticism for, in effect, waving the flag for profit. On the other lurks the possibility of criticism for ignoring a patriotic theme at a time when such themes are nearly ubiquitous. Neither, however, may be the relevant issue. If advertising focuses attention on a company9s patriotism, it isn9t focusing attention on the goods or services that company is advertising. That, it is argued here, is the real trade-off.
Can bottom-up ocean CO2 fluxes be reconciled with atmospheric 13C observations?

The rare stable carbon isotope, 13C, has been used previously to partition CO2 fluxes into land and ocean components. Net ocean and land fluxes impose distinctive and predictable fractionation patterns upon the stable isotope ratio, making it an excellent tool for distinguishing between them. Historically, isotope constrained inverse methods for calculating CO2 surface fluxes—the ‘double deconvolution’—have disagreed with bottom-up ocean flux estimates. In this study, we use the double deconvolution framework, but add, as a constraint, independent estimates of time histories of ocean fluxes to the atmospheric observations of CO2 and 13CO2. We calculate timeseries of net land flux, total disequilibrium flux and terrestrial disequilibrium flux from 1991 to 2008 that are consistent with bottom-up net ocean fluxes.We investigate possible drivers of interannual variability in terrestrial disequilibrium flux, including terrestrial discrimination, and test the sensitivity of our results to those mechanisms. We f...
The Usurpation of Sylvia Plath’s Narrative: Hughes’s Birthday Letters

When Plath’s Collected Poems won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982, that award re-established the importance of her writing and helped to cut through the sense of legend that the first publication of Ariel in 1965, two years after her suicide, had initiated. Those Ariel poems, important as they were, were so immediately, so intimately, tied to her death that readers found it difficult to cornprehend such poems as “Lady Lazarus,” “Daddy,” “Words,” “Edge” and the others without remembering her end.
The Minor Poems

IN comparison with the longer narrative poems, most of Chaucer’s minor poems arouse comparatively little interest in the modern reader. Many of them seem formal exercises in technique rather than deeply felt experience. This judgment is perhaps unfair, as Chaucer was working in the style of his day, and it is the style rather than his execution to which we take exception. The minor poems that we assume were written late in his career and are, for the most part, occasional poems, contain more to interest us than the early minor ones.
Locally solving fractional Laplacian viscoacoustic wave equation using Hermite distributed approximating functional method

ABSTRACTAccurate seismic modeling in realistic media serves as the basis of seismic full-waveform inversion and imaging. Recently, viscoacoustic seismic modeling incorporating attenuation effects has been performed by solving a fractional Laplacian viscoacoustic wave equation. In this equation, attenuation, being spatially heterogeneous, is represented partially by the spatially varying power of the fractional Laplacian operator previously approximated by the global Fourier method. We have developed a local-spectral approach, based on the Hermite distributed approximating functional (HDAF) method, to implement the fractional Laplacian in the viscoacoustic wave equation. Our approach combines local methods’ simplicity and global methods’ accuracy. Several numerical examples are developed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of using the HDAF method for the frequency-independent Q fractional Laplacian wave equation.
“Yoga is yoga. Yoga is everywhere. You either practice or you don’t”: a qualitative examination of yoga social dynamics

AbstractWithin the context of yoga’s increasing popularity, the prevailing view that yoga is ‘good for everyone’ is often perpetuated by participants. This view is derived from popular media portrayals and activities, as well as scientific research purporting yoga’s health benefits for all citizens. This paper accordingly investigates these dominant claims reproduced about yoga practise in the United States using a qualitative study involving five practitioners. We specifically invoke Michel Foucault’s concepts of discourse and governmentality to interrogate how yogic ‘truths’ are negotiated, taken up, and reproduced by several participants in the San Francisco area. Five in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse demographic sample of yoga participants. Our findings suggest that these various individuals invested in and reproduced the ideals of social inclusion and multicultural diversity with the accompanying view that yoga operated as a community or ‘family’. The practitioners su...
First Protein Scattering Measurements at LiX Beamline

High Brightness X-ray Scattering for Life Sciences (LiX) is a newly commissioned beamline at the NSLS-II facility of Brookhaven National Laboratory dedicated to three specific scientific areas: 1) high-throughput solution scattering, 2) diffraction from single and multi-layered lipid membranes and 3) scattering based scanning probe imaging. SAXS of macromolecules in solutions has an ever-increasing demand and to better serve user needs, and to allow automated and high-throughput operation, an automated solution scattering setup has been developed at LiX. It consists of two flow-cells, each of this flow-cell picks sample from 6 PCR tube placed in two rows. In future a robot will transfer the holder containing two rows of PCR tube to perform unattended measurements. While the sample is flowed through one of the cell and measured, the second cell is cleaned and dried and made ready for the next set so that an unhindered and continuous set of measurements could be performed. Test measurements were performed on standard set of protein Ribonuclease-A, Hemoglobin, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and β-amylase with molecular weight of 13.7, 64.5, 66.5, 210 KDa respectively. To circumvent X-ray radiation damage, sample is continuously flowed during measurements. Thanks to brilliance of the new source and the optics at the beamline even for relatively small protein molecule Ribonuclease-A at a low concentration of 1mg/ml a 5 sec exposure measurement was good enough to obtain statistically relevant data.
P141 Mirage syndrome with bone marrow stem cell transplant: A case report

MIRAGE (myelodysplasia, infection, restriction of growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital phenotypes and enteropathy) syndrome is a recently described multisystem disorder that is related to gain of function of the growth repressor SAMD9. Due to the dominant suppressive effect of SAMD9 mutants, MIRAGE syndrome is associated with high mortality. A new publication this year suggests bone marrow transplantation (BMT) may be necessary for survival. Here we report a case of a patient who developed unexpected post-transplant complication and raise concerns of BMT as a treatment for the MIRAGE syndrome patients. A 23-month female with a history of congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia appears associated with MIRAGE syndrome, received a 9/10 matched (one mismatch at C locus) unrelated donor peripheral stem cell transplant in April of 2016. Although the patient has fully engrafted, her graft did not function properly. She had hemolytic anemia, marked decreased granulopoiesis in the marrow and persistent neutropenia, which further resulted in several episodes of sepsis. The underneath etiology is likely autoimmune related reactivity. Further tests excluded HLA antibody mediated response. Instead an alloreactive clonal T cell population was found in her bone marrow, which was consistent with the clinical observation that her neutrophil counts were improved to normal level after the T-cell-targeted chemotherapy. However, the patient passed away 10 months post-transplant due to respiratory failure. The patient was identified to have features of thymic hypoplasia, atrophic ovaries and bilateral adrenal hypoplasia that is consistent with the MIRAGE syndrome diagnosis. Moreover, the histology of the patient’s hypoplasia thymus showed lymphocyte depletion, lacking of corticomedullary demarcation, absence of Hassall’s corpuscles and extensive adipocytic infiltration. These results suggest the patient’s thymus is defective in supporting T cell development, and the development of the alloreactive T cells that targeted specifically her neutrophil is most likely due to a disfunction of her thymus. Since thymic hypoplasia is one of the features of MIGRAGE syndrome, this case suggests bone marrow transplant might not be the primary choice of the treatment for MIRAGE syndrome patient.
The Relationship between Spatial Variations in the Structure of Convective Bursts and Tropical Cyclone Intensification as Determined by Airborne Doppler Radar

AbstractThe relationship between radial and azimuthal variations in the composite characteristics of convective bursts (CBs), that is, regions of the most intense upward motion in tropical cyclones...
Lockbox for Registered Trials of Unapproved Devices.

Lockbox for Trials of Unapproved Devices The “lockbox” allows a sponsor of a device trial in ClinicalTrials.gov to deposit the registration data but to shield it from public view. This letter reviews its use since January 2017.
Impact of Early Alert on Community College Student Persistence in Virginia.

ABSTRACTEarly alert systems have promised to be an integral component of a student success solution. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the use of the early alert system and persistence for students taking developmental education courses and students taking college-level courses in the Virginia Community College System. A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized research design with matched-control groups was used to evaluate impact on student persistence. Data analysis was conducted using multiple binary logistic regressions. The results indicated the early alert system had a substantial and positive impact on developmental mathematics students, with minimal to no impact on developmental English and college-level students. Students enrolled in developmental English courses, experienced a positive, but much more modest impact. Finally, students in college-level courses experienced a very mild impact, in some instances positive and others negative.
Organizing a clinical trial for the new investigator.

Abstract Background and purpose Clinical trials organization can be daunting especially when orienting to a new system. The steps to a successful clinical trial are not concrete and vary based on the system. Methods In this section the discussion centers on how to shape the question for the clinical trial which is rational and feasible to answer within the planned study design. Findings Senior mentorship, collaboration and early involvement of stakeholders can help shape a successful clinical trial. Keeping in mind ethics and the processes within a system will make planning easier. Questions about key elements of the trial should be answered early to prevent delays of study initiation. Conclusion Clinical trial development and implementation can be very rewarding, but successful outcomes require careful planning and considerations.
Community structure and function in prokaryotic marine plankton.

Molecular biodiversity studies of microbial communities have provided invaluable information on the existence of heretofore unknown organisms and on community composition. Cloning and 'fingerprinting' techniques have been used many times to study prokaryote community composition of marine plankton. There are still many opportunities for new discoveries in this area, but the results have also opened new questions about the activities of these organisms and their function, going beyond just listing taxa or counting organisms. Rarely can the broad function be inferred from phylogenetic position alone (e.g. cyanobacteria). The recent discovery of abundant non-cyanobacterial marine phototrophs points to our inability to link phylogenetic position with function in a detailed way. One approach we have found fruitful is to combine fluorescence in situ hybridization with microautoradiography, a technique dubbed STARFISH. A recent application has shown that ubiquitous archaea from the deep sea, phylogenetically related to extreme thermophiles, are active in the uptake of amino acids from ambient (nanomolar) concentrations. This suggests the group is at least partly heterotrophic and able to compete successfully with bacteria for nutrients. Other as-yet uncultivated groups are also amenable to similar studies.
Generation of Terahertz Electric Oscillations by Ballistic Quantized Holes with Negative Effective Mass

The dispersion relation for the ground subband of quantized holes in a quantum well (QW) of zink-blende-like semiconductors contains an extensive section with negative effective mass (NEM). Under certain biases, stationary concentration distributions of the ballistic quantized holes in p+pp+-structures hold a self-organized region where holes with NEM predominate. The existence of such region causes a global instability of the entire stationary regime and the appearance of an oscillatory regime. We describe the dependence of the oscillatory regime on material and geometric parameters of the structure and consider factors that influence the oscillation frequency. The typical frequencies for 0.1 μm-structures are in the terahertz range (1-2 THz). The ballistic NEM-diodes have been classified as short, medium and long diodes depending on their oscillatory portrait. A new high-voltage region of oscillations that was not analytically predicted in early works is revealed in the so-called medium and long diodes. The region appears side by side with the stable stationary regime at high voltages. Switching between oscillatory and stationary regimes is studied.
Testing Thornberry's interactional theory: the reciprocal relations

Thornberry's interactional model (1987) suggested that the process of delinquency could be explained by the reciprocal relations between social control variables and social learning variables over developmental stages. However, previous studies for testing interactional model (Thornberry et al., 1991, 1994) had some limitations. They did not adequately include theoretically significant measures of both social control and social learning variables. They did not fully cover the transition throughout adolescence. They also did not adequately examine the variation of social category and individual criminal propensity. This study selects family attachment as social control and deviant peer association as social learning variable. This study tests the reciprocal relationships among family attachment, delinquent peers, and delinquency across the full adolescence and early adulthood. In addition, this study hypothesizes that causal processes vary by gender and the early and late onset group. Data to test for these hypotheses are from 1977, 1980, 1983, and 1987 of the National Youth Survey. This study found that deviant peer association is more reciprocally related to delinquency than family attachment. The findings also suggest that gender and criminal propensity are important to determine deviant behavior processes. The effect of family attachment on delinquency is stronger for females than males. The effect of deviant peers on delinquency is stronger for males than females. Female delinquency has stronger negative effect on family relations than male delinquency. The early onset group has more stable levels of delinquency than the late onset group. The delinquency of the early onset group is primarily influenced by family attachment and deviant peers and their relationships are reciprocal, whereas the delinquency of late starters is mainly influenced by deviant peers and their relationships are unidirectional. This study suggests that delinquent processes
THE ROLE OF DIRECT FEEDBACK IN THE CARDIAC PACEMAKER

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of direct feedback in the cardiac pacemaker. A model has been constructed for the heart of the matis shrimp Squall . The chapter presents a schematic diagram of the model using an electrical analogy in which voltage represents pressure and current represents fluid flow. Under the influence of an external neural pacemaker coupled in a feedback loop to the heart, systolic contraction is introduced, forcing the blood from the heart through a one way valve, represented by a diode. The blood passes through the circulatory system, represented by a capacitor in series with two resistors. The blood then flows into the pericardial sinus, a large chamber surrounding the heart, and this sinus is represented in the model by a ground. Diastolic expansion is induced by contraction of the suspensory ligaments, represented in the model by springs. These ligaments, which are fixed at one end to the exoskeleton, serve to hold the heart in place.
Cartographie Des Zones À Risque D’incendies De Forêts À L'aide Du SIG Et La Télédétection Dans L'arrière-Pays Du Port Tanger Med

Moroccan natural environments, in recent decades, have undergone considerable degradation which is related primarily to the development of populations and the pressure they have exerted on natural resources. One aspect of this degradation is forest fire that has accelerated alarmingly. The study area belongs to the forest area of Tangier which covers an area of 42.000ha. The latter is known for its sensitivity to heat, especially because of the nature of the vegetation cover, weather conditions (frequent and strong wind), and high population density. The present work aims to prioritize the plot study area according to the degree of fire risk of forests using the model established by Dagorne Y. Duche in 1994. To achieve this goal, the application of GIS and Remote Sensing is required to develop a fire risk map in the hinterland of Tangier Mediterranean port.
Epac agonist improves barrier function in iPSC-derived endothelial colony forming cells for whole organ tissue engineering.

Abstract Whole organ engineering paradigms typically involve repopulating acellular organ scaffolds with recipient-compatible cells, to generate a neo-organ that may provide key physiological functions. In the case of whole lung engineering, functionally endothelialized pulmonary vasculature is critical for establishing a fluid-tight barrier at the level of the alveolus, so that oxygen and carbon dioxide can be exchanged in the organ. We have previously developed a protocol to efficiently seed endothelial cells into the microvascular channels of decellularized lung scaffolds, but fully functional endothelial coverage, in terms of barrier function and resistance to thrombosis, was not achieved. In this study, we investigated whether various small molecules could favorably impact endothelial functionality after seeding into decellularized lung scaffolds. We demonstrated that the Epac-selective cAMP analog 8CPT-2Me-cAMP improves endothelial barrier function in repopulated lung scaffolds. When treated with the Epac agonist, barrier function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) improved, and was maintained for at least three days, whereas the effect of other tested molecules lasted for only 5 h. Treatment with the Epac agonist re-organized actin structure, and appeared to increase the continuity of junction proteins such as VE-cadherin and ZO1. Blockade of actin polymerization abolished the effect of the Epac agonist on barrier function and actin reorganization, confirming a strong actin-mediated effect. Similarly, after treatment with Epac agonist, the barrier function in iPSC-derived endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) was increased and the enhanced barrier was maintained for at least 60 h. After culture in lung scaffolds for 5 days, iPSC-ECFCs maintained their phenotype by expressing CD31 , eNOS, vWF, and VE-Cadherin. Treatment with the Epac agonist significantly improved the barrier function of iPSC-ECFC-repopulated lung for at least 6 h. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that Epac-selective 8CPT-2Me-cAMP activation enhanced vascular barrier in iPSC-ECFC-engineered lungs, and may be useful to improve endothelial functionality for whole organ tissue engineering.
A preliminary study of early childhood parenting and adult past month drug use risk in low-income African American women.

Abstract Purpose This preliminary study was designed to assess the feasibility of examining early childhood parenting factors and their relationship with adult past month drug use among low-income African American women. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 156 low-income African American women was conducted. Measures included the childhood parental bonding scale, frequency of exposure to corporal punishment (CP) in childhood, The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) and The Differentiation of Self Scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the relationship between the primary predictors, latent parental bonding and corporal punishment exposure, with past month drug use. The intermediary construct, emotional reactivity, was also included in the SEM model to test mechanisms of mediation. Results There was a significant main effect for maternal care on lower emotional reactivity patterns in adulthood. There was also a significant main effect for frequent CP on higher emotional reactivity patterns in adulthood. The relationship between both parenting measures and drug use were mediated by emotional reactivity. Conclusion Childhood maternal factors are a strong predictor of adult past month drug use, and this may be accounted for, in part, by the influence that parenting patterns in childhood have on adult emotional reactivity patterns. These observations should be examined in a longitudinal study to determine the stability of our observation that CP in childhood, even when controlling for positive maternal bonding patterns, influences emotional reactivity patterns that predispose an individual to negative coping strategies, such as drug use, in adulthood, among low-income African American women.