cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social bots distort the 2016 U.S. Presidential election online discussion

Social media have been extensively praised for increasing democratic discussion on social issues related to policy and politics. However, what happens when this powerful communication tools are exploited to manipulate online discussion, to change the public perception of political entities, or even to try affecting the outcome of political elections? In this study we investigated how the presence of social media bots, algorithmically driven entities that on the surface appear as legitimate users, affect political discussion around the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. By leveraging state-of-the-art social bot detection algorithms, we uncovered a large fraction of user population that may not be human, accounting for a significant portion of generated content (about one-fifth of the entire conversation). We inferred political partisanships from hashtag adoption, for both humans and bots, and studied spatio-temporal communication, political support dynamics, and influence mechanisms by discovering the level of network embeddedness of the bots. Our findings suggest that the presence of social media bots can indeed negatively affect democratic political discussion rather than improving it, which in turn can potentially alter public opinion and endanger the integrity of the Presidential election.
Retained surgical items after abdominal and pelvic surgery: Incidence, trend and predictors- observational study.

Introduction Surgical retained items (RSIs) are associated with increase in perioperative morbidity and mortality. We used a large national database to investigate the incidence, trends and possible predictors for RSIs after major abdominal and pelvic procedures.
CampaignFinance and Primary Elections

We review the literature on the financing of primary election campaigns and provide initial data on contribution trends and donor characteristics in House primaries.
Simulation and design trade-off analysis of 15 kV SiC SGTO thyristor during extreme pulsed overcurrent conditions

Silicon carbide Super Gate Turn-Off (SGTO) thyristors are an advanced technology for increasing the power density of high voltage pulsed power or power electronic systems. However, the transient characteristics and failure modes of these devices have to be further understood. This paper presents the Atlas TCAD simulation of a 15 kV SiC SGTO thyristor during extreme pulsed overcurrent conditions. The simulated device is first validated against dc measurements of a physical device. The device is then simulated at various pulse current amplitudes using a 10 stage 100 μs PFN. In addition, a tradeoff study for the drift region and anode mesa width is performed.
Need to Know: Patient Education and Epistemic Responsibility

Patient education is one of the foundations for healthcare delivery. The ways in which information is shared with patients can determine how much information is retained (Kessels, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 96(5), 219–222, 2003). When information is too technical, patients may not be able to recall that information later; however, when patient education is done effectively, it can have positive impacts on patients’ health (Mazzuca et al., Diabetes Care, 6, 347–350, 1983; Orth et al., Health Psychology, 6, 29–42, 1987). This chapter considers how information is shared with patients by drawing on Stivers, Mondada, and Steensig’s (Knowledge, morality and affiliation in social interaction. In The morality of knowledge in conversation (pp. 3–26), Cambridge University Press, 2011) dimensions of knowledge, suggesting that nurse practitioners prioritize patients’ primacy or ‘right to know’ over assessing ‘access’ and address this primacy by making information comprehensible, primarily through the use of low-register terminology and drawing patients in to the process of information exchange.
Role of membrane pore polymerization conditions for pH responsive behavior, catalytic metal nanoparticle synthesis, and PCB degradation.

Abstract This article describes the effects of changing monomer and cross-linker concentrations on the mass gain, water permeability, Pd-Fe nanoparticle (NP) loading, and the rate of degradation of 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) of pore functionalized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. In this study, monomer (acrylic acid (AA)) and cross-linker (N, N′- methylene-bis (acrylamide)) concentrations were varied from 10 to 20 wt% of polymer solution and 0.5–2 mol% of monomer concentration, respectively. Results showed that responsive behavior of membrane could be tuned in terms of water permeability over a range of 270–1 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, which is a function of water pH. The NP size on the membrane surface was found in the range of 16–23 nm. With increasing cross-linker density the percentage of smaller NPs (
Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young

In order to gain an understanding of maturity-onset diabetes of youth (MODY), we need to understand the general classification of diabetes mellitus 1,2,3. Diabetes mellitus is classified as Type 1 diabetes (T1DM), Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), other specific types of diabetes (2° diabetes) and gestational diabetes (GDM)4. Type 1 diabetes is primary insulinopenic diabetes and is sub-classified as type la: autoimmune (e.g., islet autoantibody positive; T1ADM) and type lb: idiopathic (e.g., islet autoantibody negative; T1BDM)5. Autoantibodies against the islets are the best evidence for autoimmunity in individual T1DM subjects6. The most helpful autoantibodies in this regard are islet cell cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ICA)7,8, insulin autoantibodies (IAA)9, glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA)10, and insulinoma-associated-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A)11. TypelB diabetes has been hypothesized to result from viral infection and destruction of the beta cells but evidence for this is limited 12.
Structure Calculations of Symmetric Dimers using Molecular Dynamics/Simulated Annealing and NMR Restraints: The Case of the RIIα Subunit of Protein Kinase A

A comparative study of two different molecular dynamics/simulated annealing (MD/SA) protocols for the structure determination of protein dimers using NMR-derived distance (NOE) and dihedral angle restraints has been performed. The solution structure determination of the dimeric regulatory subunit of the type IIα (RIIα) protein kinase A (PKA) has been used as a test case. An asymmetrically isotopically labeled sample and an X-filtered NOE experiment were important for the crucial assignment of intermonomer NOEs. The first protocol is an ab initio MD/SA calculation using starting structures with random ∅- and Ψ-dihedral angles (Nilges, M., 1993, Proteins: Structure, Function, and Genetics, Vol. 17, 297–309). The second protocol is an MD/SA calculation using starting structures “reasonably well-defined” monomers (O’Donoghue, S.I., King, G.F. and Nilges, M., 1996, Journal of Biomolecular NMR, Vol 8, 193–206), in which monomer structures were first calculated from a subset of the available NOEs. Two calculations with variable number of intra-monomer long range NOEs were made to determine what a “reasonably well-defined” monomer is. RIIα consists of two helixloop-helix patterns that form an X-type four helix bundle structural motif. A strong hydrophobic core is observed which contributes to the structural stability of the protein. In addition, RIIα possesses a solvent accessible hydrophobic surface which is involved in protein-protein interactions that mediate signal transduction pathways.
A new Lamellibrachia species and confirmed range extension for Lamellibrachia barhami (Siboglinidae, Annelida) from Costa Rica methane seeps

Lamellibrachia Webb, 1969 has eight currently recognized species reported from chemosynthetic environments in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean. Of these, Lamellibrachia barhami Webb, 1969 has been reported in the eastern Pacific from Canada to Costa Rica. In this study, phylogenetic analyses of Lamellibrachia tubeworms sampled from the Costa Rica margin confirm the large geographic range of L. barhami and reveal a new Lamellibrachia species from a single methane seep between 999 and 1,040 meters. Lamellibrachia donwalshi sp. nov. differs genetically and morphologically from all congeneric species. Despite its geographic proximity to the eastern Pacific L. barhami, L. donwalshi sp. nov. formed a clade with Atlantic and Mediterranean Lamellibrachia species. This suggests a vicariant event may have occurred after an Atlantic radiation of Lamellibrachia.
Dietary self-control depends on the latency and rate of information accumulation

Abstract The drift diffusion model (DDM) provides a parsimonious explanation of decisions across neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral levels of analysis. Although most DDM implementations assume only one type of information guides decisions, choices often involve multiple attributes that may have differential effects. Here, we fit incentive-compatible dietary choices to a multi-attribute, time-dependent, drift diffusion model (mtDDM), in which taste and health independently influenced the relative value signal that drives the accumulation process in a manner consistent with participants’ idiosyncratic preferences. Health information entered the decision process after a longer latency than taste information, diminishing the likelihood of healthy choices. Finally, by using a dietary prime, we showed that variation in mtDDM parameters followed interindividual variation in observed behavior. Our results show that different decision attributes make separable contributions to the timing and strength of evidence accumulation – and thus provide new insights into the construction of interventions that may shape the choice process.
High-Power and Widely-Tunable Evanescent-Mode Cavity-Backed Slot Antenna

A new high-power and widely-tunable cavity-backed slot antenna is introduced and experimentally investigated in this work. The proposed antenna is composed of a tunable evanescent-mode cavity resonator with a radiating slot on its back wall. The antenna tuning is based on a piezoelectric actuator which changes the resonator gap size in the range of 15–170 µm, Considering minimum return loss of 10 dB, a prototype fabricated antenna was successfully tuned over the frequency range of 1.8–2.6 GHz, representing about 36% tunability. The simulated antenna gain at 2.4 GHz is about 5.4 dBi while the antenna can potentially handle high powers up to 100 W.
The Extent of the Market and Ethics

This paper discusses Buchanan’s ideas on the “extent of the market” and the associated ethical questions. Buchanan demonstrates that a work ethic generates economy-wide benefits, i.e., enhanced productivity of input factor, in a setting of generalized increasing returns. He analyzes ethics as a public good question in a moral community. The two topics, “extent of the market” and “ethics”, have externality as a common element; and the size matters in both cases. The work ethic has economic contents as the market nexus extends, while ethical rules are difficult to emerge in large numbers. The paper resolves the dilemma.
Pinning Efficiency of One-Dimensional Artificial Pinning Centers in YBa2Cu3O7-x Thin Films

BaZrO 3 (BZO) and BaHfO 3 (BHO) form the comparable diameter ~5-6 nm of one-dimensional artificial pinning centers (1-D APCs) in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) film. However, the lattice mismatch ~7.7% at the BZO/YBCO interface is slightly higher than ~7.1% at the BHO/YBCO interface. This leads to a much reduced interface dislocation density and coherent interface at the BHO/YBCO film that has found a critical effect on the pinning efficiency of the 1-D APCs. This paper thus presents a quantitative comparison of pinning efficiency of single doped 4.0 vol.% BZO/BHO (SD) and double doped 4.0 vol.% BZO(BHO) + 3.0 vol.% Y 2 O 3 doped (DD) YBCO films. A significantly higher pinning efficiency in terms of a maximum pinning force density Fp,max ~182 GN/m 3 at H max > 9.0 T for BHO SD film may be due to coherent interface. This is about 2.5 times higher than that of its BZO SD counterparts at 65 K. In addition, the ratio of H max and H * (accommodation field determined from the areal density of the 1-D APCs using TEM) is calculated about 0.74 and 0.53 for BHO SD and BZO SD films, respectively. This value is about 0.65 and 0.82 for BHO DD and BZO DD films, respectively at 65 K.
When GeoAI Meets the Crowd

Estimating a moving crowd, such as the head count of a presidential inauguration or a football game, presents a practical and intellectual challenge that is often politically and emotionally charged. The objectives of this paper are to discuss the integration of artificial intelligence and agent-based model (ABM) to simulate and estimate a moving crowd and outline some key issues and research agenda.To simulate individual movements of a moving crowd, Genetic Algorithm (GA) can be employed to fine-tune agent parameters in wayfinding (e.g. direction, speed, etc.) through mutation, crossover, elitism and extinction. Besides individual-based wayfinding parameters, GA can also be employed to optimize population-wide model parameters as well, such as the maximum walking speed, maximum crowd capacity, early departure and late arrival rates. These individual and global model parameters present different bottom-up and top-down forces in shaping and precipitating diverse crowd behaviors and movements to match empirical pattern. Besides spatial optimization, convolutional NN can also be trained to derive snapshots of crowd count and crowd density from still-frame pictures and videos to better provide feedbacks to the fitness function of GA. However, more researches are needed to better understand and overcome various technical issues in crowd simulation, including but not limited to overtraining in optimization, feature extraction of objects moving in multi- and random directions, ontological separation of protesters from pedestrians and spectators, reconciliation of a single/multiple crowds over time and space.
Are coastal habitats important nurseries? A meta‐analysis

Nearshore‐structured habitats—including underwater grasses, mangroves, coral, and other biogenic reefs, marshes, and complex abiotic substrates—have long been postulated to function as important nurseries for juvenile fishes and invertebrates. Here, we review the evolution of the “nursery habitat hypothesis” and use >11,000 comparisons from 160 peer‐reviewed studies to test whether and which structured habitats increase juvenile density, growth, and survival. In general, almost all structured habitats significantly enhanced juvenile density—and in some cases growth and survival—relative to unstructured habitats. Underwater grasses and mangroves also promoted juvenile density and growth beyond what was observed in other structured habitats. These conclusions were robust to variation among studies, although there were significant differences with latitude and among some phyla. Our results confirm the basic nursery function of certain structured habitats, which lends further support to their conservation, restoration, and management at a time when our coastal environments are becoming increasingly impacted. They also reveal a dearth of evidence from many other systems (e.g., kelp forests) and for responses other than density. Although recent studies have advocated for increasingly complex approaches to evaluating nurseries, we recommend a renewed emphasis on more straightforward assessments of juvenile growth, survival, reproduction, and recruitment.
An investigation of nucleotide sugar dynamics under the galactose supplementation in CHO cell culture

Abstract Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells commonly generate bi-antennary N-linked glycan that is attached with none to one galactose at each antenna. This process is called galactosylation and is dependent on cell lines and cell culture processes. Intracellular uridine diphosphate galactose (UDP-Gal) is the galactosylation precursor and its abundance is modulated by cell culture feeds. This can be a possible strategy to control glycoform profiles on mAbs. However, the kinetic regulation and its rates of nucleotide sugars in cell cultures and under culture feeds is largely unknown. This study investigated the dynamic profiles of nucleotide sugars and glycoforms in batch and galactose-fed cultures. The results reveal the dynamic rate of UDP-Gal production from galactose feed(s) while showing the perturbation of nucleotide sugar metabolism by cellular physiology and feed designs. A positive correlation was noted between the accumulative UDP-Gal and the galactose increase on mAbs over the course of cell culture. Glucose was also compared with galactose as a feed to understand the different impacts amongst the isoform sugars. The study provides a dynamic linkage that was previously missing between culture supplementation, intracellular nucleotide sugars and N-linked glycan.
Ellipsis as obliteration: Evidence from Bengali negative allomorphy

Bengali has two negative markers: ni with perfects, and na everywhere else. When a perfect is elided, however, only the elsewhere form is permissible. Hence, in Bengali, ellipsis bleeds allomorphy. Ellipsis in Bengali is analysed as PF deletion, since differential object marking and quirky case are preserved out of ellipsis sites. Given these facts, this paper argues that in a Distributed Morphology framework, ellipsis in Bengali is implemented as terminal obliteration prior to Vocabulary Insertion. This contrasts with Irish, where it appears stress placement bleeds ellipsis. Some implications for the timing of ellipsis cross-linguistically are discussed.
Opinions of African American adults about the use of apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) genetic testing in living kidney donation and transplantation.

Apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) predictive genetic testing for kidney disease, and its emerging role in transplantation, remains controversial as it may exacerbate underlying disparities among African Americans (AAs) at increased risk. We conducted an online simulation among AAs (N = 585) about interest in ApoL1 testing and its cofactors, under 2 scenarios: as a potential living donor (PLD), and as a patient awaiting transplantation. Most respondents (61%) expressed high interest in genetic testing as a PLD: age ≥35 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18, 2.60, P = .01), AA identity (aOR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.02, 2.72, P = .04), perceived kidney disease risk following donation (aOR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.03, 2.73, P = .03), interest in genetics (aOR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.95, 4.29, P = .001), and genetics self-efficacy (aOR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.54, 3.67, P = .001) were positively associated with ApoL1 test interest. If awaiting transplantation, most (89%) believed that ApoL1 testing should be done on AA deceased donors, and older age (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.03, 3.32, P = .04) and greater interest in genetics (aOR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.41, 4.81, P = .002) were associated with interest in testing deceased donors. Findings highlight strong support for ApoL1 testing in AAs and the need to examine such opinions among PLDs and transplant patients to enhance patient education efforts.
Oligometastasis: Past, Present, Future

In this review, we discuss the oligometastatic state, with a focus on its current and future relevance within the field of radiation therapy. We first outline the scope of the problem and the evolving understanding of metastatic disease existing along a spectrum. We then transition to a discussion of the clinical data that led to the formulation of the oligometastatic hypothesis, delving in some detail into the clinical factors associated with improved outcomes in the setting of local therapy-whether surgical or radiotherapeutic. In particular, we highlight the marked limitations of using clinical criteria alone to determine the absence or presence of true extracranial oligometastatic disease. After this, we briefly discuss the radiation therapy literature that has recently demonstrated benefits in cancer-specific outcomes with ablative treatment of oligometastatic disease. We emphasize data in the setting of non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer and briefly discuss the importance of our enhanced ability to detect occult metastatic disease with improved imaging technologies. After noting that resulted and ongoing prospective trials of ablative radiation therapy use the most rudimentary of oligometastatic classifiers-number of metastases-as their inclusion criteria, we transition to our core argument: a growing body of preclinical and translational work aims to refine the definition of oligometastatic disease using molecular features. We address genomic, epigenetic, and immunologic features that have, across histology, demonstrated an improved ability to prognosticate when combined with classic clinical correlates of oligometastatic disease. We also discuss studies that suggest particular molecular targets which, when manipulated for therapeutic purposes, have the potential to revert the polymetastatic phenotype to the oligometastatic one. We conclude with what we believe are the repercussions of this work for radiation therapy trials and clinical practice, and the importance of enriching and supporting these inquiries for the future of our field.
Stability of the gauge equivalent classes in inverse stationary transport

For anisotropic attenuating media, the albedo operator determines the scattering and the attenuating coefficients up to a gauge transformation. We show that such a determination is stable.
Do Resident Surgical Volumes and Level of Training Correlate with Improved Performance on Psychomotor Skills Tasks: Construct Validity Testing of an ASSH Training Platform (STEP)?

The Surgical Training and Educational Platform (STEP) was developed by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) as a cost-effective set of surgical simulation modules designed to assess critical skills in hand surgery. Previous study demonstrated that STEP can differentiate between novice trainees and board-certified, certificate of added qualification hand surgeons. The purpose of this study was to assess construct validity of STEP by testing its ability to differentiate psychomotor skill level among intermediate trainees. Methods We evaluated 30 residents from 2 orthopaedic residency programs on 8 modules: (1) lag screw fixation, (2) depth of plunge during bicortical drilling, (3) flexor tendon repair, (4) phalangeal fracture pinning, (5) central axis scaphoid fixation, (6) full-thickness skin graft harvest, (7) microsurgery, and (8) wrist arthroscopy. Spearman correlation was used to correlate total and task-specific scores to case log numbers, months in training, and number of hand surgery rotations. Results Senior residents had significantly higher mean number of total cases in their total case log (mean difference 96.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 67.5-124.8, p < 0.01) and number of task-specific cases. Moderate correlation was observed between case log numbers and scaphoid fixation score (rs = 0.423, 95% CI 0.07-0.69) and total score (rs = 0.584, 95% CI 0.25-0.79). Moderate correlation was observed between months in training with: scaphoid fixation (rs = 0.377, 95% CI 0.01-0.66) and microsurgery (rs = 0.483, 95% CI 0.13-0.73); strong correlation was seen with total score (rs = 0.656, 95% CI 0.35-0.83). Moderate correlation with number of hand surgery rotations was observed with tendon repair (rs = 0.362, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.65), skin graft (rs = 0.385, 95% CI 0.01-0.66), wrist arthroscopy (rs = 0.391, 95% CI 0.02-0.67), microsurgery (rs = 0.461, 95% CI 0.10-0.71), and scaphoid fixation (rs = 0.578, 95% CI 0.25-0.79); and strong correlation was seen with total score (rs = 0.670, 95% CI 0.37-0.84). Discussion/Conclusion The STEP is a validated ASSH education tool that provides a cost-effective simulation for the assessment of fundamental psychomotor skills in hand surgery. Total STEP score correlated with total task-related case volumes as well as months in training and number of hand rotations. Scoring could be modified to improve the fidelity of assessing surgical performance. And, while both time and human resource consuming to perform, administer, and score, this study demonstrates construct validity of STEP in assessing the progression of surgical skill through residency.
Evidence for a winter-snowpack derived water source for the Fremont maize farmers of Range Creek Canyon, Utah, USA

We present results of multiproxy analysis of a sediment core collected from Billy Slope Meadow, a spring-fed wet meadow in Range Creek Canyon, Utah. Range Creek Canyon was the home to Fremont maize...
Delineation of Small Flat Watershed with High-Resolution DEM from Terrestrial Laser Scanning

AbstractThe digital elevation model (DEM) has been widely used in hydrological analysis and flood assessment. While DEMs, derived from airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, have ...
Transforming problematic commemorations through vandalism

In recent years, progressive activists around the world have fought to remove ‘problematic’ commemorations – typically, monuments commemorating and honoring individuals responsible for injustice, o...
Using a Handheld Refractometer in Remote Environments to Measure the Refractive Indices of a Variety of Solutions: Sucrose, Coffee, Methanol/Water, and 2-Propanol/Water

A handheld refractometer (HHR) is a versatile instrument in the chemistry lab or in the workplace. It is also inexpensive enough (<$25 U.S.) that all students in a chemistry lab can have one or students completing laboratories remotely can purchase one. We report four applications of two different HHRs: one HHR for which the scale reads directly in refractive index from 1.333 to 1.360 and one HHR for which the scale reads from 0 to 80 °Brix corresponding to refractive indices from 1.333 to 1.491. The four applications involve linear relationships between solution concentration and refractive index for sucrose solutions and coffee solutions as well as nonideal solution behavior of methanol/water solutions and 2-propanol/water solutions. The use of an HHR is ideally suited to a range of inquiry-based experiments and can be incorporated into chemistry lab courses at a variety of levels and in remote learning lab experiences. We describe four broad categories of projects involving the use of HHRs.
Validation of a test meal paradigm to experimentally manipulate meal-related fears: A registered report.

Fear is central to conceptualizations of weight and shape-focused eating disorders. The current study will examine the reliability and validity of a test meal paradigm that varies perceptions of fat content to manipulate fear. Undergraduate women with elevated eating pathology (N = 96) will be randomized to one of three test meal conditions: two "low" fat yogurts, two "high" fat yogurts, or one "high" fat and one "low" fat yogurt. In actuality, all yogurts will have the same fat content. Supporting reliability, we hypothesize that self-reported fear and electrodermal activity (psychophysiological index of fear-related arousal) will exhibit good test-retest reliability over a 48-hr period in the "high" fat/"high" fat and "low" fat/"low" fat conditions. Supporting construct validity, self-reported fear and electrodermal activity will be elevated during the "high" versus "low" fat condition and responses to the "high" fat condition will correlate with fear of food, eating, and weight gain. Supporting discriminant validity, self-reported disgust and anger will be comparable in the "high" and "low" fat conditions and will exhibit weak correlations with trait measures of disgust and anger. This experimental paradigm will allow researchers to manipulate fear in order understand the mechanisms by which fear maintains eating pathology.
Dunes and Climate

A number of factors are required to form a dune, and thus the existence of a dune tells us that those factors are, or were once, present. If those factors are not present today, it follows that they must have occurred in the past, and so dunes can serve as windows into the past.
Intracranial Arterial Aneurysmal Disease in Childhood

Epidemiological studies have revealed that intracranial arterial aneurysms (IAAs) are responsible for 10–15 % of hemorrhagic stroke in children and young adults. If one differentiates the pattern and location of intracranial hemorrhage, the importance of IAAs as a cause of hemorrhagic stroke in children is evenmore apparent. For example, IAAs account for as much as 57% of pure spontaneous SAH in the pediatric population. In the non-adult population, the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke due to IAAs is highest in patients 15–19 years of age. This is more than five times that observed in younger age groups. It has been proposed that conventional vascular risk factors, such as tobacco use and cocaine abuse, are introduced in late adolescence and likely account for the sharp increase in aneurysmal disease in the latter half of the second decade (Jordan et al. 2009). Clinical Presentation More than 3,000 autopsy cases have failed to identify incidental IAAs in children (Housepian and Pool 1958). This suggests that IAAs which are formed during childhood almost always become symptomatic during childhood and do not remain quiescent as dormant lesions that may be discovered incidentally (Krings et al. 2010). Clinical presentation of IAAs varies with age and mode of pathogenesis (Table 1). Population-based studies indicate that overall, 78 % of pediatric IAA patients present with rupture (Koroknay-Pal et al. 2012a). Traumatic and infectious IAAs seem to have a higher rupture rate than other types of pediatric IAAs, whereas arteriopathic IAAs present with rupture less often in children. The incidence of rupture is inversely proportional to patient age. Patients may present with headaches and focal neurological symptoms including those from mass effect (Koroknay-Pal et al. 2012a; Agid et al. 2007). Pathogenesis and Classification The disease traits of IAA predictably differentiate adult and pediatric cases due to marked differences in lesion pathogenesis. In adults, vascular risk factors like smoking and hypertension have a major contribution to the arterial wall damage that leads to aneurysm formation. IAA formation in children occurs in the absence of traditional vascular risk factors, and a child’s life span is too short for the accumulation of significant hemodynamic wear and tear. Consequently, IAAs in childhood result from more aggressive forms of vessel wall damage or from major defects in vessel wall biology. Differentially expressed traits that distinguish pediatric IAAs from their adult counterparts *Email: sudhakar.vadivelu@cchmc.org PanVascular Medicine DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_101-1 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Autoantibodies in the Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (P1.272)

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the frequency of clinically-validated autoantibodies in sera of patients with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), by systematically assessing organ-specific autoantibody profiles. BACKGROUND: We have occasionally noted IgG neuronal autoantibodies specific for ganglionic acetylcholine receptors, voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv1-type), calcium channels, and peripherin filament in clinically evaluating patients with POTS. It has recently been suggested that autoantibodies targeting vascular and cardiac adrenergic receptors are a major cause of POTS. METHODS: From a well-characterized group of patients seen for orthostatic intolerance at Mayo Clinic between January 2006 and June 2011 we identified patients fulfilling clinical and autonomic criteria for POTS, and whose stored serum was available for comprehensive autoantibody testing: neural cation channels, thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase and GAD65 (radio-immunoprecipitation assays), neural-specific plasma membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear antibodies (standardized tissue-based indirect immunofluorescence assay on mouse cerebellum, midbrain, gut, and kidney) and muscle sarcomeric antibodies (ELISA). RESULTS: 33 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Median age was 27 years (range, 16-52); 27 were female (82[percnt]). IgG autoantibodies of at least one specificity were detected in 11 patients (33[percnt]); 5 patients (15[percnt]) had more than one autoantibody. Most common were thyroid antibodies, one or both (11 patients); one patient additionally had gastric parietal cell antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Organ-specific autoantibodies are more common in patients with POTS (33[percnt]) than in a laboratory cohort of 161 healthy adult control subjects (4.4[percnt]) despite an older average age of the latter. Most of the detected autoantibodies were thyroid-specific. These findings and the female predominance in POTS support an autoimmune basis in about one third of cases. The neuronal autoantibodies encountered most frequently in autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy appear to be rare in POTS. A focused investigation is now required to ascertain frequency and nature of neural-specific autoantibodies with pathogenetic potential in this syndrome. Supported by NIH (K23NS075141, P01NS44233, U54NS065736, UL1RR24150), Mayo Funds. Disclosure: Dr. Singer has received license fee payments from Jacobus Pharmaceutical. Dr. Klein has nothing to disclose. Dr. Low has received personal compensation for activities with Chelsea Therapeutics, Pfizer Inc., and WR Medical Electronics Company as a consultant. Dr. Lennon stands to receive royalty payments for commercial assays to detect of Aquaporin 4-specific Autoantibody.
Transitions in the mid-Holocene

Between about 8000 and 3000 years ago, climate worldwide underwent substantial changes. At the same time, human cultures experienced a period of substantial progress toward more complex societies, as exemplified by the first temple mounds in South America, the Egyptian pyramids, and the rise and fall of civilizations in East Asia. Archeologists and paleoclimotologists alike are now investigating possible causal connections between these simultaneous developments and are finding a complex pattern of cultural responses to climatic change.
Role of chemokine receptors in HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis.

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on the role of chemokine receptors in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and pathogenesis. The demonstration that certain chemokine receptors can function as coreceptors for HIV/ simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection has largely explained the previously mysterious property of HIV/SIV tissue tropism and marks a major step forward in understanding the process by which HIV/SIV virions enter target cells. Questions that remain to be answered include the inability of X4 strains of HIV-1 to infect primary macrophages, despite the presence of detectable levels of chemokine receptor, CXCR4 on the surface of CD4+ cells; the question of whether other chemokine receptors, such as CCR3, play an important role in vivo or whether CCR5 and CXCR4 are instead the only physiologically relevant coreceptors; and also, of course, the precise mechanism by which fusion between the virion and target cell membrane actually occurs. From a more practical perspective, it remains to be seen whether the complex and plastic interaction between the viral envelope protein and coreceptors will prove susceptible to effective inhibition by potential anti-HIV therapeutic agents and hence provide a novel target for intervention in HIV-induced disease.
A level set method to study foam processing: a validation study

SUMMARY We have developed a production-level foam processing computational model suitable for predicting the self-expansion of foam in complex geometries. The model is based on a finite element representation of the equations of motion, with the movement of the free surface represented using the level set method. An empirically based time-dependent and temperature-dependent density model is used to encapsulate the complex physics of foam nucleation and growth in a numerically tractable manner. The evolving density drives the dynamics of foam self-expansion. This continuum-level model uses a homogenized description of foam, which does not include the gas explicitly, but allows varying local fields, such as temperature and gas volume fraction, and material models. In addition, material models vary with the location of the level set interface, taking properties of the displaced air phase in the negative level set region and the foam in the positive region. The level set zero describes the location of the interface, where surface forces are applied using the continuous surface force treatment. The variation from foam to gas properties is handled with a diffuse interface method using a smooth Heaviside function and equation averaging. Material model development was guided and populated by careful experiments. Results from the model are compared with temperature-instrumented flow visualization experiments giving the location of the foam front as a function of time for a physically blown, epoxy foam. Good qualitative agreement is seen between simulations and experiments, although some of the subtleties of the filling process are lost to the model. Published 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Genetic Control of the β-Ketoadipate Pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The regulation and genetic control of the β-ketoadipate pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. The pattern of enzyme induction is apparently the same as in P. putida. Mutants were obtained for all but 1 of the 11 structural genes; the proximity of these genes on the chromosome was examined by transduction of the mutants with phage F116. If a group of enzymes was induced by the same compounds, the corresponding genes were closely clustered. Surprisingly, some locispecifying enzymes not sharing a common inducer were also clustered. It is suggested that this latter finding may indicate a degree of chromosomal specialization.
Single nucleotide polymorphism in the SEPS1 gene may contribute to the risk of various human diseases: a meta-analysis.

AbstractBackground: Recently the G-105A promoter polymorphism in SEPS1 has been shown to increase pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and, thus, to be correlated with various types of human cancers and diseases.Aims: This study examined whether this functional polymorphism was related to the risks of several human diseases by performing a meta-analysis.Subjects and methods: This study identified all published studies in MEDLINE, Science Citation Index, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Current Contents Index and three Chinese databases.Results and conclusions: Eleven case-control studies were incorporated into this meta-analysis. The results showed that carriers of the rs28665122 G > A polymorphism in the SEPS1 gene are at increased risk of developing diseases under five genetic models. According to the ethnicity-stratified sub-group analysis, SEPS1 rs28665122 polymorphism is significantly linked to increased risk of developing related diseases in Europeans under five genetic models; but not among As...
Ecosystem response to removal of exotic riparian shrubs and a transition to upland vegetation

Understanding plant community change over time is essential for managing important ecosystems such as riparian areas. This study analyzed historic vegetation using soil seed banks and the effects of riparian shrub removal treatments and channel incision on ecosystem and plant community dynamics in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. We focused on how seeds, nutrients, and ground water influence the floristic composition of post-treatment vegetation and addressed three questions: (1) How does pre-treatment soil seed bank composition reflect post-treatment vegetation composition? (2) How does shrub removal affect post-treatment riparian vegetation composition, seed rain inputs, and ground water dynamics? and (3) Is available soil nitrogen increased near dead Russian olive plants following removal and does this influence post-treatment vegetation? We analyzed seed bank composition across the study area, analyzed differences in vegetation, ground water levels, and seed rain between control, cut-stump and whole-plant removal areas, and compared soil nitrogen and vegetation near removed Russian olive to areas lacking Russian olive. The soil seed bank contained more riparian plants, more native and fewer exotic plants than the extant vegetation. Both shrub removal methods decreased exotic plant cover, decreased tamarisk and Russian olive seed inputs, and increased native plant cover after 2 years. Neither method increased ground water levels. Soil near dead Russian olive trees indicated a short-term increase in soil nitrogen following plant removal but did not influence vegetation composition compared to areas without Russian olive. Following tamarisk and Russian olive removal, our study sites were colonized by upland plant species. Many western North American rivers have tamarisk and Russian olive on floodplains abandoned by channel incision, river regulation or both. Our results are widely applicable to sites where drying has occurred and vegetation establishment following shrub removal is likely to be by upland species.
Designing Picture-Based Software for the Cognitively Young

Software designed for cognitively young individuals (12-30 months) relies on picture representations and contrived selection techniques such as scanning and stepping. Review of available software and accompanying documentation reveals that a number of assumptions appear to have been made regarding the cognitive/motor abilities of children. These assumptions fall into two general categories-cognitive development and specific cognitive skills required for picture recognition. This paper reviews the normal developmental literature related to these two areas and draws conclusions concerning appropriate presentation in designing software for a cognitively young population.
Earthquake Response Spectra Models Incorporating Fuzzy Logic with Statistics

The ground motion at a site depends on the rupture mechanism, source-to-site distance, local geologic conditions, and energy released by an earthquake. However, design spectra represent expected responses that do not explicitly include the influence of the uncertainties associated with these fundamental features. The aim of this article is to present a viable methodology that can be used to develop a response spectra using fuzzy logic and statistical analysis and to demonstrate how fuzzy-statistical response spectra can be used to evaluate potential structural response. Site-specific response spectra from the Northridge (California, U.S.) earthquake are used to develop response spectra models that quantify uncertainties inherent to the ground motion. The uncertainty in these computational models is quantified using fuzzy-set logic, statistics, and random vibrations. The local geologic conditions are characterized as rock or alluvium, and fuzzy sets are used to represent near, intermediate, and far epicentral distances. Proposed ground-motion models are used to define uncertain input motion for use in dynamic analyses of an example structure. The resulting structural responses are compared with those obtained from time-dependent accelerations. Comparisons are made with the current design codes, and suggested implementation strategies for the proposed models are discussed.
Efficient image transmission through analog error correction

This paper presents a new paradigm for image transmission through analog error correction codes. Conventional schemes rely on digitizing images through quantization (which inevitably causes significant bandwidth expansion) and transmitting binary bit-streams through digital error correction codes (which do not automatically differentiate the different levels of significance among the bits). To strike a better overall performance in terms of transmission efficiency and quality, we propose to use a single analog error correction code in lieu of digital quantization, digital code and digital modulation. The key is to get analog coding right. We show that this can be achieved by cleverly exploiting an elegant “butterfly” property of chaotic systems. Specifically, we demonstrate a tail-biting triple-branch baker's map code and its maximum-likelihood decoding algorithm. Simulations show that the proposed analog code can actually outperform digital turbo code, one of the best codes known to date! The results and findings discussed in this paper speak volume for the promising potential of analog codes, in spite of their rather short history.
Additive pressor effects of caffeine and stress in male medical students at risk for hypertension.

The effects of caffeine on blood pressure (BP) and cortisol secretion were examined during elevated work stress in medical students at high versus low risk for hypertension. Among 31 male medical students who were regular consumers of caffeine, 20 were considered at low risk for hypertension (negative parental history and all screening BP or = 140 mm Hg. This combined effect of stress and caffeine on BP suggests that it may be beneficial for individuals at high risk for hypertension to refrain from the use of caffeinated beverages, particularly at times when work demands and attendant stressors are high. For the same reasons, recent intake of caffeine should be controlled in patients undergoing BP measurement for the diagnosis of hypertension.
A laser fluorination method for oxygen isotope analysis of biogenic silica and a new oxygen isotope calibration of modern diatoms in freshwater environments

Abstract An empirical calibration for the oxygen isotope fractionation between biogenic silica and water was determined for diatom frustules sampled from living diatom communities in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, USA. Over a temperature range from 5.1 to 37.8 °C, the silica–water fractionation is defined by the equation 1000 ln α(silica–water) = 2.39(±0.13) × 106T−2 + 4.23(±1.49). This relationship is in close agreement with other published silica–water fractionation factors for laboratory cultured diatom samples; however, it is as much as 8‰ lower than equilibrium quartz–water fractionations and 3–4‰ lower than observed silica–water fractionations in diatomaceous silica collected from sediment traps and sediment cores. There are three possible explanations for the disparate silica–water fractionation factors observed in diatom silica: (1) silica does not precipitate in equilibrium with ambient water, (2) silica does precipitate in equilibrium with ambient water, but the silica–water fractionation factor for diatom silica is considerably less than the equilibrium fractionation factor for quartz–water, or (3) silica precipitation is influenced by a ‘vital’ effect, where the δ18O value of the water inside the diatom cell walls is lower than the δ18O values of ambient water. Post-mortem loss of organic material results in an alteration or ‘maturation’ of diatom silica in which silica reequilibrates with a silica–water fractionation closer to the equilibrium quartz–water fractionation. Alteration is likely to occur rapidly after the diatom frustule loses its organic coating, either as it settles through the water column or at the sediment–water interface; δ18O values recorded by paleo-diatom silica therefore do not record growing conditions but more likely record conditions at the sediment–water interface. In the case of lacustrine environments, where the bottom water remains at a nearly constant 4 °C, the reequilibration of diatom silica with bottom conditions could reduce or remove the conflating effects of temperature on δ18O values recorded by paleo-diatom silica and provide direct information on the δ18O value of the lake water.