cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antigenic properties of large ganglion cells isolated from ox retina.

Antisera were prepared against large ganglion cells (>28 μm diameter) that were isolated from ox retina. The cells of the retina were dispersed with a cytosieve and a nylon cloth and then isolated by centrifugation in a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. Rabbits were injected subcutaneously with the isolated cells suspended in complete Freund's adjuvant and then injected intravenously with the cells suspended in a sucrose solution. Antibodies were obtained which formed precipitin lines in Ouchterlony plates when diffused against Triton X-100 extracts of large ganglion cells and which agglutinated selectively the large ganglion cells from retinal dispersions. The specificity of the antisera for the retinal cell types was examined using immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase methods. Immunoglobulins reacted most intensely with the large ganglion cells and their projections in the internal plexiform layer of retinal sections. An intense reaction within the external plexiform layer was also observed. Although the antisera were prepared against the large ganglion cells from ox retinas, 6 μm thick sections of ox, dog, cat, rabbit, macaque, rat and goldfish retinas reacted similarly with the immunoglobulins, indicating that the antigens were not species-specific. A much weaker reaction was observed between the antisera and the smaller ganglion cells, the amacrine cell bodies and the cone receptor cells. The immunuglobulins also reacted with the granule and Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex. One predominant retinal antigen was isolated by affinity chromatography; this protein or subunit had a molecular weight of 49000 daltons as determined by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecylsulfate.
Suppression of cell-mediated immunity to challenge with P 815 mastocytoma in concanavalin A-treated mice

Abstract C57Bl/6 (B6) mice allogeneic to the P 815 mastocytoma tumor cell line when treated with concanavalin A prior to and at frequent intervals following challenge intraperitoneally with 10 7 tumor cells showed a significant suppression of their cell-mediated immune response at 9–10 days when compared with untreated animals. Suppression of the immune response of mice syngeneic (DBA/2) or hybrid (BDF 1 ) to the tumor was also evidenced by increased mortality rates in concanavalin A-treated animals. The suppression of cell-mediated cytotoxicity observed in B6 mice treated with concanavalin A could be reversed by pretreatment with 20 mg silica injected intraperitoneally 7 days prior to challenge. These results suggest that macrophages play a significant role in the concanavalin A-induced immune suppression observed in this in vivo tumor-host system.
Air Oxidation of Primary Alcohols Catalyzed by Copper(I)/TEMPO. Preparation of 2‐Amino‐5‐bromo‐benzaldehyde

2-Amino-5-bromobenzyl alcohol 2-Amino-5-bromobenzoic acid Lithium aluminum hydride Tetrahydrofuran 2-Amino-5-bromobenzaldehyde 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl 2,2'-Bipyridine Tetrakis(acetonitrile)copper(I) hexafluorophosphate N-methyl imidazole Acetonitrile Keywords: Air oxidation; Primary alcohols; Copper(I)/2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl; 2-Amino-5-bromobenzaldehyde catalyst; Hazardous chemical disposals
Catalytic and synergistic effects on thermal stability and combustion behavior of polypropylene: influence of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene stabilized cobalt nanoparticles

A novel function of polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) as synergistic additives to effectively reduce the combustion rates of polypropylene (PP) polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) reinforced with in situ synthesized cobalt (Co)–cobalt oxide core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) was reported. Two PP-g-MAs with molecular weights of ∼800 and 2500 g mol−1 have been chosen to demonstrate this function. The combustion behaviors and thermal stability of the PP/Co PNCs were evaluated by micro-scale combustion calorimetry (MCC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). MCC result illustrated that the combustion behaviors of PP were altered by a reduction of ∼32% in the peak heat release rate (PHRR) with the incorporation of 20.0 wt% Co NPs; more importantly, further reduction in PHRR more than 50% was observed by adding only 5.0 wt% non-flame retardant PP-g-MA into PP/20.0 wt% Co system. This flame retardancy was elucidated through combining MCC with a fast TGA thermal degradation technique. The change of PP thermal degradation pathway by the synergistic and catalytic effects of PP-g-MA and Co NPs in the PP matrix was found to be responsible for the decreased combustion rates of PP. Strong interactions between PP and Co NPs formed by the PP-g-MA was further confirmed by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), which favor the decrease of interfacial tension. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and melt rheometry also demonstrated the surfactant molecular weight dependent melting and crystalline properties, and the melt rheological behaviors of the PP matrix.
How it all began: the monetary and financial architecture of Europe during the first global capital markets, 1648–1815

Larry Neal, How it all began: the monetary and financial architecture of Europe during the first global capital markets, 1648–1815The Treaty of Westphalia created the modern nation-state system of Europe and set the stage for the long-term success of financial capitalism. The new sovereign states experimented with competing monetary regimes during their wars over the next century and two-thirds while they extended and perfected the financial innovations in war finance developed during the Thirty Years War. The Dutch maintained fixed exchange rates, the French insisted on exercising monetary independence, while the English placed priority on free movement of international capital. In struggling with the trilemma of choosing among the goals of maintaining fixed exchange rates, monetary independence and free movement of capital, the governments of early modern Europe learned many valuable lessons. By the time of the Napoleonic wars, the innovations that emphasised reliance on financial markets rather than on financial institutions proved their superiority.
The Phase Behavior and Microstructure of Efficient Cationic–Nonionic Microemulsions

A surfactant mixture of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and n-alkyl polyglycol ethers (CiEj) can make efficient microemulsions of decane and water. Increases in surfactant efficiency by up to a factor of four are realized as 2% C8E3 is replaced with DDAB. As little as 6% of an appropriate surfactant mixture can microemulsify equal masses of oil and water. The increase in DDAB concentration causes the spacing of the bicontinuous domains of oil and water to decrease and the correlation length of the surfactant monolayers to increase. These changes in structural parameters, as detected by small-angle neutron scattering, are in quantitative accord with theoretical calculations of changes in structure as a result of electrostatic stiffening of elastic membranes. Although the reported changes in microstructure are consistent with predictions, they alone cannot explain the observed large increases in overall surfactant efficiency.
Surgical correction of ascending type a thoracic aortic dissection: simultaneous endoluminal exclusion of the arch and distal aorta.

PURPOSE To describe repair of an ascending type A dissection combining an open ascending tube graft with simultaneous great vessel transposition and antegrade deployment of an endoluminal graft across the arch and into the descending thoracic aorta. CASE REPORT A 50-year-old man was evaluated at an outside hospital and transferred to our service for treatment of an ascending aortic dissection with associated lower extremity ischemia. Imaging identified an aortic dissection extending from the aortic root to the aortic bifurcation and into the right common iliac artery. A hybrid procedure incorporating both open and endovascular techniques successfully repaired the dissection and aneurysm and restored blood flow to the extremity. CONCLUSIONS Although less invasive procedures are sometimes appropriate for repair in the descending thoracic aorta, surgical correction of an ascending dissection and endoluminal exclusion of the arch and distal aorta may form the basis of future treatment strategies for complex aortic pathologies, possibly eliminating the need for hypothermic cardiac arrest.
Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Factor VIII in Classic Haemophilia

The effects of continous intravenous infusion of factor VIII were studied under varied conditions in five children with classic haemophilia. Factor-VIII activity was stable at room temperature (73–76°F) up to 12 hr in cryoprecipitates from fresh plasma and up to 27 hr in glycine-precipitated fractions (Fraction AA and Method 4, Hyland). Constant infusion (17 ml/hr) of different concentrations of these fractions produced levels of plasma factor-VIII activity which were proportional to the dose-rate and became relatively steady after 12-18 hr. In separate studies of two of the subjects, dental extraction and laminectomies were uneventfully supported by an initial dose of factor VIII followed by continuous infusions. It is suggested that continuous intravenous infusion of factor VIII is useful for studying the regulation of factor-VIII levels in plasma and for maintaining steady plasma factor-VIII activity during replacement therapy.
Bounded gradient projection methods for sparse signal recovery

The l 2 -l 1 sparse signal minimization problem can be solved efficiently by gradient projection. In many applications, the signal to be estimated is known to lie in some range of values. With these additional constraints on the estimate, the resulting constrained minimization problem is more challenging to solve. In previous work, we proposed a gradient projection approach for solving this type of minimization problem with nonnegativity constraints. In this paper, we generalize this approach to solve any bound-constrained l 2 -l 1 minimization problem. Our method is based on solving the Lagrangian dual problem, and we show that by constraining the solution to known a priori bounds within the optimization method, we can obtain a more accurate estimate than simply thresholding the solution from the unconstrained minimization problem. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
A Cross-Layer ILP Formulation for Finding p-Cycles in All-Optical Networks

Their high recovery speed and efficiency have made p-Cycles a premier approach to link protection. Recent research has discussed their capabilities and provided different methods for p-Cycle selection in communication networks. In this work, we consider the p-Cycle approach to resilient all-optical network design and present an ILP formulation that preconfigures p-Cycles in such an environment. Our proposed formulation strives to find p-Cycles that have good recovery capability in the face of physical layer impairments (PLIs) and are capacity-efficient at the same time. Our numerical results show a trade-off between these two performance measures. We evaluate the performances of different outcomes of the formulation using our accurate physical layer model. We show that applying our previously proposed cross-layer RWA algorithm, HQ, greatly improves the performance.
COENOGONIUM: A GREEN ALGAL LICHEN WITHOUT PHOTOSYNTHETIC DEPRESSION AT HIGH WATER CONTENTS

Abstract For experiments run at 350 ppm CO 2 , the subtropical lichen Coenogonium does not exhibit net photosynthetic depression at water contents above those at which initial maximal values are reached. This is in contrast to most lichens for which such a depression occurs. We infer that the results reflect the unusual morphology of Coenogonium , in which the alga is the dominant symbiont, occurring as filaments at the lichen surface. This arrangement should minimize CO 2 diffusion resistance to the algal surface. With light saturation occurring by 70 μmol photons m −2 s −1 , Coenogoniium has one of the lowest light saturation values reported among lichens.
Vanillin-Based Polymers—part II: Synthesis of Schiff Base Polymers of Divanillin and Their Chelation with Metal Ions

Condensation of renewable resources-based monomer divanillin with alkyl diamines gives Schiff base polymers with degree of polymerization (DP) ~25–32 in 88–95% yield. These yellow polymers are insoluble in water and common organic solvents, slightly soluble in warm DMSO, DMF and dissolves in aqueous NaOH. The polymers were characterized using FT-IR, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopy and by comparison with the model compound N,N′-bis(vanillidene)-1,3-propanediamine. Polymer prepared by condensation of divanillin and 1,6-diaminohexane is shown to chelate with Cu(II), Fe(II), and Co(II) metal ions in basic aqueous methanol.
Electromagnetic Interference Measurements of Fluorescent Lamps Operated with Solid-State Ballasts

Solid-state ballasts were placed in fluorescent lamps in various areas of a hospital to determine if these high-frequency systems would adversely affect any hospital operations. The general areas tested included a lobby and an office space. Potentially sensitive areas containing hospital diagnostic and monitoring equipment, including a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning room, an electroencephalograph (EEG) examination room, and a coronary ward were also tested. The measurement techniques are described and the results discussed with respect to the existing radio-frequency interference (RFI) environment and with respect to electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiated and conducted limits specified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Improving the estimation of flavonoid intake for study of health outcomes

Imprecision in estimating intakes of non-nutrient bioactive compounds such as flavonoids is a challenge in epidemiologic studies of health outcomes. The sources of this imprecision, using flavonoids as an example, include the variability of bioactive compounds in foods due to differences in growing conditions and processing, the challenges in laboratory quantification of flavonoids in foods, the incompleteness of flavonoid food composition tables, and the lack of adequate dietary assessment instruments. Steps to improve databases of bioactive compounds and to increase the accuracy and precision of the estimation of bioactive compound intakes in studies of health benefits and outcomes are suggested.
The 3-Hydroxy-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Lyase HCL1 Is Required for Macrophage Colonization by Human Fungal Pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasma capsulatum is a fungal respiratory pathogen that survives and replicates within the phagolysosome of macrophages. The molecular factors it utilizes to subvert macrophage antimicrobial defenses are largely unknown. Although the ability of H. capsulatum to prevent acidification of the macrophage phagolysosome is thought to be critical for intracellular survival, this hypothesis has not been tested since H. capsulatum mutants that experience decreased phagosomal pH have not been identified. In a screen to identify H. capsulatum genes required for lysis of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), we identified an insertion mutation disrupting the H. capsulatum homolog of 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) lyase (HCL1). In addition to its inability to lyse macrophages, the hcl1 mutant had a severe growth defect in BMDMs, indicating that HMG CoA lyase gene function is critical for macrophage colonization. In other organisms, HMG CoA lyase catalyzes the last step in the leucine catabolism pathway. In addition, both fungi and humans deficient in HMG CoA lyase accumulate acidic intermediates as a consequence of their inability to catabolize leucine. Consistent with observations in other organisms, the H. capsulatum hcl1 mutant was unable to grow on leucine as the major carbon source, caused acidification of its growth medium in vitro, and resided in an acidified vacuole within macrophages. Mice infected with the hcl1 mutant took significantly longer to succumb to infection than mice infected with the wild-type strain. Taken together, these data indicate the importance of Hcl1 function in H. capsulatum replication in the harsh growth environment of the macrophage phagosome.
Design and field experimentation of a prototype Lunar prospector

Scarab is a prototype rover for Lunar missions to survey resources in polar craters. It is designed as a prospector that would use a deep coring drill and apply soil analysis instruments to measure the abundance of elements of hydrogen and oxygen and other volatiles including water. Scarabâs chassis can adjust the wheelbase and height to stabilize its drill in contact with the ground and can also adjust posture to better ascend and descend steep slopes. This enables unique control of posture when moving and introduces new planning issues. Scarab has undergone field testing at Lunar-analog sites in Washington and Hawaii in an effort to quantify and validate its mobility and navigation capabilities. We report on results of the experiments in slope ascent and descent and in autonomous kilometer-distance navigation in darkness.
High aerobic capacities in the skeletal muscles of pinnipeds: adaptations to diving hypoxia

The objective was to assess the aerobic capacity of skeletal muscles in pinnipeds. Samples of swimming and nonswimming muscles were collected from Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus,n = 27), Nor...
Not the usual suspect: a case of erythema induration of Bazin in an urban primary care clinic

Frontline clinicians in the United States, especially those working in safety net hospitals or with immigrant populations, will likely see cutaneous tuberculosis given the tremendous burden of tuberculosis infection worldwide. The tuberculid is a subtype of cutaneous tuberculosis that poses a diagnostic challenge because organisms are not found in smears or cultures taken from the lesions. Tuberculid lesions can mimic erythema nodosum, thrombophlebitis, and cellulitis. We describe the case of a 57-year-old woman immigrant from China who presented with tender, subcutaneous nodules on her ankle and thigh in the setting of prior exposure to tuberculosis. We describe the clinical, pathophysiologic, and histopathologic features of tuberculids in order to raise awareness among primary care clinicians about this difficult to diagnose but readily treatable manifestation of tuberculosis. Keywords: erythema induratum of Bazin; tuberculids; cutaneous tuberculosis; mycobacterial skin disease; primary care of vulnerable populations (Published: 11 December 2015) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2015, 5 : 29342 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v5.29342
Integrating Process Mapping Into The AIS Students Toolset

Over the past decade, the impact of technology on accounting practice has been profound. The professional landscape is rapidly changing, and todays accounting students have more career opportunities than ever before. While many accounting majors are still choosing the traditional routes of public or corporate accounting, others are tailoring their education toward management or systems consulting. As AIS educators it is imperative that we maintain currency in our curriculum for both the traditional majors and those students seeking a consulting career path. Although the AIS curriculum is applicable to both types of accounting majors, certain content is especially pertinent to those students interested in consulting. One subject that consultants draw upon extensively is systems documentation. Current AIS curriculum focuses on analysis, design, and documentation of systems from an internal control and data flow perspective, and students learn to use traditional accounting documentation tools. These techniques include document and systems flowcharts and data flow diagrams. While these tools may be sufficient for their intended purposes, they are not the primary documentation techniques used in the consulting profession. The objective of this paper is to advocate the inclusion of a popular management consulting documentation technique, process mapping, into the accounting curriculum. Process maps are used to better understand a business entity's current business processes and communicate these in a non-technical way. Additionally, process mapping can provide an initial foundation to successful process management.
Urinary excretion of neutral 17-ketosteroids by normal dogs.

Summary1. Normal dogs excrete less than 1 mg neutral 17-ketosteroids per day. 2. No sex difference exists in the urinary ketosteroid excretion of dogs. 3. Administration of ACTH to dogs does not result in increased excretion of ketosteroids.
Self-Reports of Nipple Erection in Emotional and Somatic Contexts

Previous research has largely ignored examining nipple erection in nonsexual situations. We hypothesized that both women and men experience nonsexual nipple erection under emotional and somatic (nonsexual) conditions that trigger autonomic arousal and sought to document nonsexual triggers and instances of nipple erection in various contexts. As predicted, self-reports from 181 college students indicated that individuals experience nipple erection when under stress, frightened, and anxious. Participants also reported often experiencing nipple erection concurrently with piloerection (“goose bumps”). In addition, participants reported nipple erection self-vigilance and concealment in nonsexual situations, suggesting awareness that nipple erection may communicate a target’s emotional and somatic arousal. Implications and limitations to these exploratory findings are discussed.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals: still not in patients' best interest

In what became a highly-publicised move, the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) effectively dropped low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals from their most recent guidelines pertaining to the matter. However, due to developments since the AHA and ACC released their current guidelines, some have called for a return to focusing on LDL-C goals. This article puts forth an overview of the salient issues at hand, important evidence-based considerations, and a conclusion that shifting focus away from LDL-C goals is clearly an evidence-based step in the right direction. Indeed, careful scrutiny of the current evidence base shows returning to LDL-C goals would be a mistake, and we should focus instead on overall cardiovascular risk, medications proven to reduce patient-relevant outcomes, and shared decision-making.
Development of a trauma-specific quality-of-life measurement.

BACKGROUNDComplex, disease-specific factors help to determine posttraumatic quality of life (QoL), but current practice uses outcome measures generated from the general population. Trauma survivorship has grown rapidly, while defining the factors that influence posttraumatic QoL has lagged. This stu
Service diversification and service quality differences in the third-party administration of US organic regulations

ABSTRACTThis paper makes the case that ‘competitive third-party regulatory arrangements’ draw attention to the service provision aspect of regulatory administration. Using multiple methods, the study examines service diversification and service quality differences exhibited by third-party administrators of US organic food regulations. By examining how the service emphases of third-party regulatory administrators differ by organizational form, the study documents that the inclusion of nonprofit and private third-party regulatory administrators may expand the services that are offered and performed alongside regulatory program functions. The implications of the findings for regulatory administration, and the field of public management generally, are discussed.
Intrauterine Pregnancy and Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

This chapter covers the frozen section evaluation of uterine contents for confirmation of intrauterine pregnancy and gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). The latter encompasses a spectrum of proliferative disorders of placental trophoblast ranging from nonneoplastic hydatidiform moles (partial and complete mole) to malignant trophoblastic tumors. The most aggressive form of trophoblastic neoplasia, gestational choriocarcinoma, has become uncommon nowadays. Two distinct tumors of the intermediate trophoblast (placental site trophoblastic tumor and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor) are rare but frequently pose a diagnostic challenge when encountered. In addition, two reactive conditions (exaggerated placental site reaction and placental site nodule) are also classified within GTD due to their potential misdiagnosis as neoplastic processes.
Designing Relevant Biochars to Revitalize Soil Quality: Current Status and Advances

Chemical and physical properties of biochars can be designed to improve specific soil quality issues. In order to make appropriate biochar selections, evaluations are required of different feedstocks, pyrolysis conditions, and gross biochar particle sizes. We conducted laboratory soil incubations using a Norfolk loamy sand (fine loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kandiudult) mixed with biochars made from two different feedstocks processed into two different particle sizes. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) were individually made into (1) hammer-milled (HM) chips ( 6-mm-diameter pellets. These prepared feedstocks were pyrolyzed into biochar for 2 h at 350°C. For each treatment (n = 4), a 1% (w w−1) biochar loamy sand mixture was incubated in triplicate pots at 10% moisture content (w w−1) for 78 days. Untreated Norfolk soil (no biochar) served as a control comparison. On incubation days 32 and 67, each pot was leached with 1.2 pore volumes of deionized water and the leachate collected. Thereafter, we gravimetrically determined each pot’s daily % soil moisture content (w w−1). On days 1, 5, and 11 after both leaching events, HM switchgrass biochar had the most significant moisture storage improvement (≈6%) with respect to the control. The HM pine chip biochar showed mixed results with a longer time period required to demonstrate improvement (day 11). On the other hand, pelletized biochars caused nonsignificant or minor improvements with soil moisture content. Our results indicate that, in addition to feedstock choice, biochars processed into different particle sizes impact their ability to improve soil moisture contents.
Culture, Brain, and Behavior: The Implications of Neural Plasticity and Development on Social Contexts and Political Structures

This chapter discusses the reciprocal development of genes, brain, and culture in shaping significant aspects of social and political behavior. The interaction between biology and culture is mutually reciprocal and intertwined. Processes of neural plasticity allow cultural practices to inform brain development in a profoundly social context just as human imagination and invention can shift cultural practices over time. This chapter outlines work that has examined these interconnections and ways in which future research might study developmental effects to enlighten our understanding of important social and political phenomena, including the emergence and manifestation of mental illness and political polarization.
Deep South demography: New immigrants and racial hierarchies

ABSTRACTThis research documents the racial-ethnic hierarchy in six Deep South states by focusing on native- and foreign-born groups and key socioeconomic outcomes including labor force participation, employment status, and poverty. The proportion of immigrants from Latin American countries entering these states has increased dramatically over the last 20 years; this is true to a lesser extent for immigrants from Asian nations. Using Public Use Microdata Samples and American Community Survey data, we find that although whites remain dominant demographically and economically, native- and foreign-born Asians are beginning to share in that economic position. Results also indicate that African Americans and Hispanic immigrants are often at the bottom of the hierarchy, but that the order of the groups can shift depending on the context and measure. Overall, the white-black framework of race relations may be slowly transforming into a complicated, multifaceted racial hierarchy but blacks still remain considerabl...
Is it Time to Fold the Cysts Away

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2, encoding polycystin-1 and polycystin-2, respectively. Optimizing the folding environment for polycystin-1 missense mutations may have a critical effect on the progression of ADPKD in animal models and could potentially lead to tangible therapeutic options for subgroups of ADPKD patients.
Gridded National Inventory of U.S. Methane Emissions

We present a gridded inventory of US anthropogenic methane emissions with 0.1° × 0.1° spatial resolution, monthly temporal resolution, and detailed scale-dependent error characterization. The inventory is designed to be consistent with the 2016 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHGI) for 2012. The EPA inventory is available only as national totals for different source types. We use a wide range of databases at the state, county, local, and point source level to disaggregate the inventory and allocate the spatial and temporal distribution of emissions for individual source types. Results show large differences with the EDGAR v4.2 global gridded inventory commonly used as a priori estimate in inversions of atmospheric methane observations. We derive grid-dependent error statistics for individual source types from comparison with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) regional inventory for Northeast Texas. These error statistics are independently veri...
Determinants of Homeownership among Immigrants: Changes during the Great Recession and Beyond

In this paper, we explore factors correlated with immigrant homeownership before and after the Great Recession. We focus solely on immigrants because of recent evidence that suggests homeownership ...
Current target acquisition methodology in force on force simulations

The U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC NVESD MSD’s target acquisition models have been used for many years by the military community in force on force simulations for training, testing, and analysis. There have been significant improvements to these models over the past few years. The significant improvements are the transition of ACQUIRE TTP-TAS (ACQUIRE Targeting Task Performance Target Angular Size) methodology for all imaging sensors and the development of new discrimination criteria for urban environments and humans. This paper is intended to provide an overview of the current target acquisition modeling approach and provide data for the new discrimination tasks. This paper will discuss advances and changes to the models and methodologies used to: (1) design and compare sensors’ performance, (2) predict expected target acquisition performance in the field, (3) predict target acquisition performance for combat simulations, and (4) how to conduct model data validation for combat simulations.
Gestational diabetes mellitus: shades of grey.

In this issue of BJOG, Kapur and colleagues call for all European women to undergo screening for gestational diabetes (GDM) as recommended by FIGO (Kapur et al., BJOG 2017 XX). They rightly note the adverse fetal, neonatal, and maternal effects of GDM as well as possible downstream implications for the mother and child. Their recommendations echo those of several leading organizations including FIGO. However, despite these recommendations, some European countries, communities, hospitals and clinicians do not screen all women for GDM. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Compound heterozygosity for loss-of-function GARS variants results in a multisystem developmental syndrome that includes severe growth retardation

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are ubiquitously expressed enzymes that ligate amino acids onto tRNA molecules. Genes encoding ARSs have been implicated in myriad dominant and recessive disease phenotypes. Glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GARS) is a bifunctional ARS that charges tRNAGly in the cytoplasm and mitochondria. GARS variants have been associated with dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease but have not been convincingly implicated in recessive phenotypes. Here, we describe a patient from the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program with a multisystem, developmental phenotype. Whole-exome sequence analysis revealed that the patient is compound heterozygous for one frameshift (p.Glu83Ilefs*6) and one missense (p.Arg310Gln) GARS variant. Using in vitro and in vivo functional studies, we show that both GARS variants cause a loss-of-function effect: the frameshift variant results in depleted protein levels and the missense variant reduces GARS tRNA charging activity. In support of GARS variant pathogenicity, our patient shows striking phenotypic overlap with other patients having ARS-related recessive diseases, including features associated with variants in both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial ARSs; this observation is consistent with the essential function of GARS in both cellular locations. In summary, our clinical, genetic, and functional analyses expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with GARS variants.
High-Frequency Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emission Repeatability in a Patient Population.

Objectives Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are repeatable over time at lower frequencies (≤8 kHz) and higher frequencies (>8 kHz) in healthy, normal-hearing subjects. The purpose of this study was to examine the repeatability of DPOAEs measured with high-frequency (HF) stimuli in a patient population. It was hypothesized that HF DPOAEs would be repeatable over four trials. Design DPOAEs were measured in 40 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients (17 females and 23 males) with measurable behavioral thresholds and present DPOAEs for at least 2 of the high frequencies tested (8 to 16 kHz). A depth-compensated simulator sound pressure level (SPL) method of calibration was utilized. Each patient attended four trials, in which a complete set of data were collected. At each trial, three different DPOAE paradigms were completed. First, a discrete frequency sweep was measured between 8 and 16 kHz with a ratio (f2/f1) of 1.2 and levels of 65/50 dB SPL for L1/L2. Next, ratio and level sweeps were obtained at the two highest frequencies with a present DPOAE determined from the discrete frequency sweep, and the results were used to calculate DPOAE group delay and DPOAE detection thresholds, respectively. Ratio sweeps were collected with f2/f1 varied from 1.1 to 1.3 and stimulus levels of 60/45 dB SPL (L1/L2). Level sweeps were collected with an f2/f1 of 1.22 and L2 = 50 and L1 varied between 20 and 70 dB SPL. Differences and correlations between trials, SE of the measurement, and confidence intervals were calculated, as well as a repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results DPOAE response and behavioral threshold variability in CF patients were not significantly different across four trials. It can be expected in 95% of CF patients that differences between trials of DPOAE levels, group delay, and detection thresholds and behavioral thresholds are less than 6.26 dB, 0.87 msec, 9.34 dB, and 9.60 dB, respectively. Conclusions HF DPOAEs were repeatable across four test trials for all three paradigms measured in a group of CF patients. These results are encouraging for the measurement of HF DPOAEs to be monitored in those exposed to ototoxic agents.
Ring Opening of Biomass-Derived Cyclic Ethers to Dienes over Silica/Alumina

We show that cyclic ethers, such 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), can undergo dehydration to produce pentadienes over SiO2/Al2O3. The catalyst exhibited reversible deactivation due to coke deposition, with the yield to pentadienes decreasing from 68% to 52% at 623 K over 58 h time on stream. A reaction network for 2-MTHF dehydration was proposed on the basis of the results of space time studies. Pentadienes can be produced directly by a concerted hydride shift and dehydration of carbenium intermediates or indirectly through dehydration of pentanal and pentenol. Reaction kinetics studies were performed at temperatures ranging from 573 to 653 K and 2-MTHF partial pressures from 0.21 to 2.51 kPa. The apparent activation energy barrier for 2-MTHF conversion to pentadienes and the reaction rate order for ring opening were determined to be 74 kJ mol–1 and 0.24, respectively, indicating strong interaction between 2-MTHF and the SiO2/Al2O3 surface. Other solid acids such as γ-Al2O3, H-ZSM-5, and Al-Sn-Beta were ...
Behavioral Performance and Neural Areas Associated with Memory Processes Contribute to Math and Reading Achievement in 6-year-old Children.

Abstract Associations between working memory and academic achievement (math and reading) are well documented. Surprisingly, little is known of the contributions of episodic memory, segmented into temporal memory (recollection proxy) and item recognition (familiarity proxy), to academic achievement. This is the first study to observe these associations in typically developing 6-year old children. Overlap in neural correlates exists between working memory, episodic memory, and math and reading achievement. We attempted to tease apart the neural contributions of working memory, temporal memory, and item recognition to math and reading achievement. Results suggest that working memory and temporal memory, but not item recognition, are important contributors to both math and reading achievement, and that EEG power during a working memory task contributes to performance on tests of academic achievement.
Knowledge of Recommended Daily Caloric Intake Among Fast Food Consumers

Widespread misunderstanding of appropriate daily caloric intake may explain why fast food restaurant calorie labels do not change consumer behavior. In this study we examine the relationship between knowledge of recommended caloric intake and fast food restaurant consumer characteristics. Using random digit dial technology we surveyed residents of Philadelphia and Baltimore who reported having eaten fast food in the prior 3 months (N=2,926). Logistic regressions were used to predict the probability of exhibiting three binary indicators of calorie knowledge. Using responses to the survey prompt, “About how many calories do you think you should eat every day?”, we estimated the relative probabilities of providing no response to this question, to providing no response or an answer in excess of 500 calories of an estimated recommended daily caloric intake, or to providing an answer within 200 calories of an estimated recommended daily caloric intake. Nearly a third of survey respondents provided no information about their daily caloric needs. Twenty-six percent of respondents underestimated their recommended caloric intake by at least 500 calories, and nearly ten percent overestimated their recommended intake by at least 500 calories. Despite the ubiquity of the 2,000-calorie benchmark on food labels, fast food consumers are generally unaware of or underestimate their appropriate daily caloric intake. Men and less-educated individuals were furthest off in their estimation of their daily caloric intake recommendations. The heterogeneity in predicted probability of correctly reporting estimated daily caloric intake has implications for policy makers interested in increasing the efficacy of fast food calorie information.
Smooth Muscle Gene Expression during Developmental Maturation

Publisher Summary The late parental phase of mammalian blood-vessel development is a complex and poorly understood process that involves dynamic changes in smooth-muscle structure and function. This chapter describes the process in terms of cellular-maturation events to emphasize two components of this transition. First, that it is a process that occurs over a relatively long period (1–3 weeks in small mammals). Second, that there is not a “synthetic” versus “contractile” phenotype, but rather, there is a gradual increase in the amount of morphologically recognizable structures associated with a contractile smooth muscle cell. During the earlier phases of prenatal development, highly biosynthetic smooth muscle cells are observed to also accumulate myofilaments and are elastogenic. A reasonable interpretation of this observation is that these cells are now dedicated toward the synthesis of proteins necessary for the contractile machinery.
Design and demonstration of the transmission, reflection, and intensity (TRI)-analyzer instrument for portable spectroscopy

In this paper, a smartphone-integrated optical cradle is designed, developed and used to perform three modalities of optical biosensing including absorptive transmission, photonic-resonance based reflection, and fluorescence intensity. Proof-of-concept demonstration of two off-the-shelf diagnostic tests for maternal and child health biomarkers is completed and compared with a traditional laboratory instrument.
A novel pooled-sample multiplex luminex assay for high-throughput measurement of relative telomere length.

Objectives Relative telomere length (RTL) is a potential biomarker of aging and risk for chronic disease. Previously, we developed a probe-based RTL assay on Luminex platform, where probes for Telomere (T) and reference gene (R) for a given DNA sample were tested in a single well. Here, we describe a method of pooling multiple samples in one well to increase the throughput and cost-effectiveness. Methods We used four different microbeads for the same T-probe and four different microbeads for the same R-probe. Each pair of probe sets were hybridized to DNA in separate plates and then pooled in a single plate for all the subsequent steps. We used DNA samples from 60 independent individuals and repeated in multiple batches to test the precision. Results The precision was good to excellent with Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.908 (95% CI 0.856–0.942). More than 67% of the variation in the RTL could be explained by sample-to-sample variation; less than 0.1% variation was due to batch-to-batch variation and 0.3% variation was explained by bead-to-bead variation. We increased the throughput of RTL Luminex assay from 60 to 240 samples per run. The new assay was validated against the original Luminex assay without pooling (r = 0.79, P = 1.44 × 10−15). In an independent set of samples (n = 550), the new assay showed a negative correlation of RTL with age (r = −0.41), a result providing external validation for the method. Conclusion We describe a novel high throughput pooled-sample multiplex Luminex assay for RTL with good to excellent precision suitable for large-scale studies.
“Your Searchlight’s Not On!” Power and P Values

Consider an experiment which is coming to an end. At its conclusion, the experiment’s prinicple investigator often feels hemmed in, cornered, and eventually trapped by persistent critics. They left him alone during both the design and the execution of the experiment. However, as soon as he attempts to draw a conclusion from his sample, hesitant and circumspect as these conclusions may be, the specter of sampling error rises up. Even if the results are negative, demonstrating no relationship between the treatment and the disease, the critics close in, asking now about type II error. Isn’t it possible that there was an effect in the population, but, again through the play of chance, the population produced for the investigator a sample that demonstrated no relationship. Critics relentlessly remind him that his findings may be nothing at all, merely the vicissitude of the population, Like a weed, sampling error rises up to strangle the early blossom of his result. Is there no hope?
Macroscopic Quantum Effects in Magnetic Systems: An Overview

At the macroscopic level, we are used to the idea that a system (ensemble) which has available to it two or more different states may, under certain conditions, be represented as occupying not one or other of these states but rather a linear superposition: for example, an atom driven by an electromagnetic field may be in a linear combination of its ground (s) state and an excited (p) state, and its properties are then different from what they would be in either state separately (e.g., the expectation value of the atomic polarization is zero in either an s-state or a p-state, but nonzero for the linear combination). Thus we say that in such atomic-level situations no “actualization” of one state or the other has taken place: formally, the linear-superposition state $$\matrix{ {{\psi _{at}} = \alpha |s\rangle + \beta |p\rangle ,} & {|\alpha {|^2} + |\beta {|^2}} \cr } = 1$$ (1) cannot be interpreted as indicating the occurrence of either an s or a p state for each particular member of the ensemble with probability |α|2 (|β|2).
Weights and Measures in the United States

What does the weights and measures system in the United States look like, and what impact does it have on commerce? Every state in the United States has its own weights and measures program, and ma...
Developing Gram-negative bacteria for the secretion of heterologous proteins.

Gram-negative bacteria are attractive hosts for recombinant protein production because they are fast growing, easy to manipulate, and genetically stable in large cultures. However, the utility of these microbes would expand if they also could secrete the product at commercial scales. Secretion of biotechnologically relevant proteins into the extracellular medium increases product purity from cell culture, decreases downstream processing requirements, and reduces overall cost. Thus, researchers are devoting significant attention to engineering Gram-negative bacteria to secrete recombinant proteins to the extracellular medium. Secretion from these bacteria operates through highly specialized systems, which are able to translocate proteins from the cytosol to the extracellular medium in either one or two steps. Building on past successes, researchers continue to increase the secretion efficiency and titer through these systems in an effort to make them viable for industrial production. Efforts include modifying the secretion tags required for recombinant protein secretion, developing methods to screen or select rapidly for clones with higher titer or efficiency, and improving reliability and robustness of high titer secretion through genetic manipulations. An additional focus is the expression of secretion machineries from pathogenic bacteria in the “workhorse” of biotechnology, Escherichia coli, to reduce handling of pathogenic strains. This review will cover recent advances toward the development of high-expressing, high-secreting Gram-negative production strains.
Robotic Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Transplant Vasculopathy

A 60-year-old woman developed cardiac allograft vasculopathy 9 years after heart transplantation and was treated with a drug-eluting stent in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Recurrence of in-stent restenosis was treated with another drug-eluting stent. Recurrent in-stent restenosis was again observed and a robotic mid–coronary artery bypass graft operation was successfully performed. Mid–coronary artery bypass graft is a plausible alternative in patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy and offers the benefit of a left internal thoracic artery to a left anterior descending coronary artery graft with a sternotomy-sparing approach. This case report documents the adoption of this technique in a redo heart transplant patient, creating the potential for a new tool in the treatment of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.