cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiscale Modeling of Red Blood Cells Squeezing through Submicron Slits

A multiscale model is applied to study the dynamics of healthy red blood cells (RBCs), RBCs in hereditary spherocytosis, and sickle cell disease squeezing through submicron slits. This study is motivated by the mechanical filtration of RBCs by inter-endothelial slits in the spleen. First, the model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experiments. Secondly, the deformation of the cytoskeleton in healthy RBCs is investigated. Thirdly, the mechanisms of damage in hereditary spherocytosis are investigated. Finally, the effects of cytoplasm and membrane viscosities, especially in sickle cell disease, are examined. The simulations results provided guidance for future experiments to explore the dynamics of RBCs under extreme deformation.
Comparative advertisements and schadenfreude: when and why others’ unfortunate choices make us happy

Comparative advertisements often feature situations depicting consumers who use competitors’ brands being subjected to misfortunes. We examine schadenfreude, the pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others, as an affective response elicited by comparative ads, as well as consumers’ beliefs in tempting fate as a heretofore unexamined influence thereof. Consistent with our theory, we show that comparative ads depicting the misfortunes involving lower-quality (vs. higher-quality) competitors elicit greater schadenfreude, and that this is because choosing the former is perceived to tempt fate and to be more deserving of misfortune than the latter. Moreover, heightened levels of schadenfreude in turn lead to more positive attitudes and increased purchase intentions among consumers who are more (vs. less) reluctant to tempt fate.
Injuries Sustained During Modern Army Combatives Tournaments.

Introduction Injuries sustained during Modern Army Combatives (MAC) tournaments can result in variable recovery time for involved competitors and unpredictable loss of readiness for military units. A paucity of MAC data is available to guide military medical providers and unit commanders on expected injuries or loss of readiness. Literature reviewing mixed martial arts competitions offers some insight but demonstrates variation in fight outcomes resulting in injuries ranging from 8.5% to 70% and it is difficult to effectively extrapolate such data to predict MAC tournament injuries. Materials and methods This study retrospectively reviews pre- and post-competition medical records from two MAC tournaments held at Fort Hood in 2014 and 2015 to provide descriptive clinical information on injury patterns to practitioners and military commanders. Results Records from a total of 195 competitors with a mean age of 24.4 yr were analyzed with a total of 67 injuries, 29 of which resulted in duty limitations (14.8% of participants). Competitors participating in less-restrictive mixed martial arts style fighting (Advanced MAC) were 4.3 times more likely to sustain an injury than those limited to upper body grappling events (95% confidence interval 2.30-8.16). Military Acute Concussion Evaluations were reliably recorded both pre- and post-competition in 44% of total participants with no significant statistical difference between pre- and post-tournament evaluations. Duty profile limitations of injured competitors averaged 1 mo in duration. Conclusions MAC tournaments result in injury rates comparable with other combative sports and military training courses.
Brief Clinical Report: Hypophosphatasia—Diagnostic Considerations and Treatment Outcomes in an Infant

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare, inherited metabolic bone disorder characterized by low serum alkaline phosphatase activity and impaired bone mineralization. Clinical manifestations and severity of symptoms vary widely in HPP, ranging from in utero death to isolated dental manifestations in adults. Treatment with enzyme replacement therapy has been reported to improve outcomes in perinatal, infantile, and childhood forms of HPP. Here, we present a case of a boy with poor linear growth, mild limb bowing, and radiographic rickets who was diagnosed with HPP before 6 months of age. Treatment with enzyme replacement therapy was initiated at 7 months of age, after which significant improvements in radiographic findings and linear growth were demonstrated. This case highlights several important challenges in the diagnosis, classification, and management of HPP.
The New US Tax Preference for 'Foreign-Derived Intangible Income'

The new US income tax deduction for “foreign-derived intangible income” effectively lowers the corporate tax rate — from 21% to around 13% — on export-generated income attributable to intangible assets. This paper considers the new provision both in relation to international trade and tax agreements and as a matter of national policy. It argues that FDII is not clearly in violation of international agreements — as has been claimed — but is difficult to justify from a national policy perspective.
Analytic solutions for the bistatic radar signature of a dihedral target of arbitrary angle

Closed-form high-frequency asymptotic solutions are developed for the double-bounce bistatic scattering from dihedral reflectors of arbitrary angle. It is shown that the scattering may be represented using an equivalent single plate model that is defined by considering the geometrical optics rays that illuminate the second plate after reflecting from the first plate. Then a closed-form physical optics solution gives the scattering from the single plate. Validation with an iterative physical optics reference solution shows very good agreement between bistatic scattering patterns. The approach may be extended to trihedral corner reflectors.
Convection with a First-Order Chemically Reactive Passive Scalar

Convection between horizontal, stress-free, perfectly conducting plates is examined in the turbulent regime for air. Results are presented for an additional scalar undergoing first order decay. We discuss qualitative aspects of the flow in terms of spectral and three-dimensional isosurface maps of the velocity and scalar fields. The horizontal mean profiles of scalar gradients and fluxes agree rather well with simple mixing-length concepts. Further, the mean profiles for a range of the destruction-rate parameter are shown to be nearly completely characterized by the boundary fluxes. Finally, we use the present numerical data as a basis for exploring a generalization of eddy-diffusion concepts that incorporates necessary non-local effects.
The Influence of Swirl and Injection Pressure on Post-Combustion Turbulence in a HSDI Diesel Engine

The effect of variable flow swirl and injection pressure on the generation of post-combustion turbulence is investigated in a HSDI diesel engine operating at a simulated idle condition. The engine is operated in three modes: motored, injected (fuel injected into a N2 environment), and fired. The radial and tangential components of flow velocity are measured simultaneously for each operating condition. Radial and tangential gradients in the mean velocities are also measured, which, with the variance of the individual velocity components and the Reynolds stress, allow turbulence production due to r-9 plane fluid motion to be evaluated. Through comparison of the temporal evolution of turbulent kinetic energy k for the three operating conditions, the influence of the fuel injection event and the subsequent combustion is assessed, as is the influence of variable flow swirl and injection pressure. The turbulence production is investigated in detail for injected engine operation, where the complicating effects of combustion-induced turbulence and large density variations are eliminated. The measured production and the evolution of the numerically predicted mean flow structures are evaluated for consistency with a simple picture wherein the fuel injection process redistributes the angular momentum of the swirling flow, creating an unstable flow that significantly enhances the flow turbulence. The simple picture is consistent with the majority of the trends in the data, and provides a mental model that is useful for understanding the effects of varying flow swirl, combustion chamber geometry, and fuel injection parameters.
Necrocapitalism and the Early Modern Iberian Black Diaspora as Academic Field

Beusterien’s essay takes to task early modern Iberian studies and its scholarly treatment of the representation of blacks and African slavery by engaging the concepts of necrocapitalism, necropower, and necropolitics. For Beusterien, necrocapitalism places primary emphasis on the workings of an emerging global economy in the Atlantic that converts black bodies into commodities of exchange. From that vantage point, his essay surveys the prospects of an early modern Iberian studies that places black lives at the center of the inquiry.
Current Curriculum on Reflectance Confocal Microscopy: a national survey of dermatology faculty and residents

Objective : Characterize Reflectance confocal microscopy’s use and curriculum in residency programs. Methods : Observational nine-question survey sent to the Association of Dermatology Professors (APD). Results: Seventy responses were collected with a faculty response rate of 6.6% (29/439). Fifty-four percent of responses indicated RCM is not taught or learned in a meaningful capacity. If RCM is included within curriculum, teaching occurs on average <1-3 times/week versus conventional dermatopathology which is taught on average 1-3 times/week. Nearly fifty percent of responses indicated that RCM is regularly used by faculty. However, seventy percent of respondents did not know if RCM was reimbursable within the practice area. Forty-six percent of respondents saw a need to incorporate RCM into residency curriculum. Conclusions: This national survey is one of the first to characterize RCM’s current integration into residency education. The results suggest that despite a lack of formalized training, there is cautious optimism towards the modality’s usage in dermatologic practice. Given the low faculty response rate, we are cautious to generalize to the greater academic population at this time. Our hope is that this and future studies can survey the need for a standardized RCM curriculum.
Drugs as a Frequent Cause of Acute Rash in Patients after CD34+-Selected Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.

ABSTRACT Although histopathological differences have been reported between acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) rash and non-aGVHD rash in CD34+-selected peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) recipients, skin biopsy alone is usually insufficient to determine rash etiology. As such, distinguishing inflammatory non-aGVHD rashes, such as drug eruptions, from cutaneous aGVHD after CD34+-selected PBSCT remains challenging and relies on clinical presentation. This study aimed to identify etiologies of skin rash in the first year after CD34+-selected PBSCT and to assess whether laboratory serologic markers, transplant characteristics, and rash morphology and symptomatology aid in differentiation of cutaneous aGVHD rash versus non-aGVHD rash. We conducted a retrospective study of 243 adult patients who underwent CD34+-selected PBSCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between 2008 and 2011. Among this cohort of transplant recipients, only 43 patients (17.7%) developed cutaneous aGVHD. A total of 152 patients (63%) were identified with rash within 1 year after PBSCT. The proportion of patients who experienced peripheral eosinophilia was not different between those with an aGVHD versus non-aGVHD rash (P ≥ .90), nor when stratified by CD34+ selection method (Isolex, P = .70; CliniMACS, P≥ .90). The proportion of patients with pruritus was also not different between those with an aGVHD rash versus non-aGVHD rash (P= .20), or when stratified by CD34+ selection modality (Isolex, P = .20; CliniMACS, P = .50). The most common cause of non-aGVHD rash among those with a clear etiology was drug (39% of Isolex; 26% of CliniMACS). Single drug culprits were identified in 51% of drug rashes. The most commonly reported offending agents included antibiotics, keratinocyte growth factor, chemotherapy, and recombinant glycosylated human IL-7.
Wind Power Generation Forecasting and Data Quality Improvement Based on Big Data with Multiple Temporal-Spatual Scale

Wind energy is one of the renewable energy sources with a large number of installations in the world. The accuracy of power generation prediction using wind speed data severely challenges the regulation and safe operation of power system. Since there are many time points in the dispatching strategy of power system, which is related to the area condition. It is of great significance for power grid dispatching to be able to timely and accurately predict the generation capacity of wind turbines in a certain period. Due to the randomness and intermittency of wind speed, the accuracy of data quality will be influenced greatly. In this paper, a neural network algorithm based on combination of back propagation (BP) and Newton interpolation mathematical function method is proposed to effectively process wind speed data, so as to predict power generation. BP neural network is a kind of multi-layer feedforward neural network including a hidden layer, which can solve the learning problem of hidden layer connection weight in a multi-layer network. From the perspective of space scale, this paper studies different wind speed data at different heights in the same area. Research results show: compared with the traditional support vector machine method, the accuracy with the proposed method is improved by 3.1%.
Barrels, Buggy Whips, And BASIC - A Historical And Personal Perspective On Skill Obsolescence

Over the last several years, Apple has released new designs that have received rave reviews as being some of the least repairable computers ever made. Colleges and businesses are increasingly outsourcing repair and maintenance of their technology assets to third parties. Why, then, would anybody choose the increasingly anachronistic trade of hardware repair as a career anchor? In this lightning talk, I'll discuss historical examples of skill obsolescence, as well as how a “wrench” can stay relevant in an era of disposable hardware.
Hedging Longevity Risk: Does the Structure of the Financial Instrument Matter?

Longevity-linked securities can be constructed either as cash flow hedging instruments or as value hedging instruments. This article studies the interaction between the structure of longevity-linke...
Towards understanding the costs of avoiding out-of-thin-air results

Eliminating so-called “out-of-thin-air” (OOTA) results is an open problem with many existing programming language memory models including Java, C, and C++. OOTA behaviors are problematic in that they break both formal and informal modular reasoning about program behavior. Defining memory model semantics that are easily understood, allow existing optimizations, and forbid OOTA results remains an open problem. This paper explores two simple solutions to this problem that forbid OOTA results. One solution is targeted towards C/C++-like memory models in which racing operations are explicitly labeled as atomic operations and a second solution is targeted towards Java-like languages in which all memory operations may create OOTA executions. Our solutions provide a per-candidate execution criterion that makes it possible to examine a single execution and determine whether the memory model permits the execution. We implemented and evaluated both solutions in the LLVM compiler framework. Our results show that on an ARMv8 processor the first solution has no overhead on average and a maximum overhead of 6.3% on 43 concurrent data structures, and that the second solution has an average overhead of 3.1% and a maximum overhead of 17.6% on the SPEC CPU2006 C/C++ benchmarks.
The problem of intersectionality as an approach to digital activism: the Women’s March on Washington’s attempt to unite all women

This study examined the convergence of activism and intersectionality to understand how communicators create messages about social justice issues using social media. This is particularly relevant f...
Potential of Module Arrangements to Enhance Convective Cooling in Solar Photovoltaic Arrays

Abstract When solar photovoltaic (PV) module temperatures rise during operation, commonly-installed modules experience an efficiency loss between 0.1 and 0.5% per degree above 25∘C. Thus, extensive research has aimed to reduce the operating temperature of solar modules. However, many cooling solutions require additional cost or equipment that precludes their implementation in utility-scale PV plants. Based on previous studies of land-atmosphere interactions of surface thermal heterogeneity, we hypothesize that certain solar farm arrangements may enhance natural convective heat transfer between the solar modules and surrounding flow. Due to the strong non-linear relationship between module temperature and convective heat transfer, enhancing the convective cooling could have substantial impacts on module efficiency. Here, we investigate the potential impact of module arrangements on the convective cooling of large PV arrays. Three idealized module arrangements are evaluated in comparison to the traditional, row-organized arrangement. To characterize each arrangement, a non-dimensional packing parameter is developed. Numerical simulation results indicate that dense arrangements with larger packing parameters more effectively enhance convective cooling than sparse arrangements. Compared to the baseline, the most compact arrangement exhibited an increase in convective heat transfer of 14.8%. These results indicate that module arrangement plays an influential role in solar farm convective cooling.
Chapter 13 – Dialysis

Publisher Summary Dialysis is favored because it is useful, relatively inexpensive, and efficient; a number of different samples can be put into one solution. Dialysis uses cellophane casings that were developed for use as sausage and hot dog wrappings. The larger the small molecule being dialyzed through the membrane is, the slower the process will be. The process may be slowed further if the small molecules are charged because of the charge on the dialysis tubing. If the pores of the membrane are smaller than the protein itself, the protein should stay inside the dialysis bag; however, there are times when it is not the case. The use of the dialysis tubing itself is to use the bag to hold material that needs to be concentrated. Dialysis is the way to get standardized conditions. Dialysis can be used to change solution conditions; therefore, it is invaluable in protein purification for the comparison of samples.
Treatment Experiences of Gays and Lesbians In Recovery from Addiction: A Qualitative Inquiry

The literature has suggested that addiction treatment programs are not addressing the unique recovery needs of gays and lesbians. This qualitative study examined gay men's and lesbian women's experiences with addiction treatment and recovery. Ten themes emerged to define their experiences. These themes are described, along with implications for mental health counselors working with this population.
A Detailed description of Rugarhynchos sixmilensis, gen. et comb. nov. (Archosauriformes, Proterochampsia), and cranial convergence in snout elongation across stem and crown archosaurs

The Triassic Period (252–201.5 Ma) records a great expansion of saurian diversity and disparity, particularly in skull morphology. Stem archosaurs exhibit substantial cranial disparity, especially ...
Regulation Best Interest and the State–Agency Conflict

Once it became apparent that the SEC would not impose a broker-dealer fiduciary duty to retail customers, a number of states proposed regulations that would rectify the perceived shortcomings of Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). The new SEC rule brought into question the validity of these state fiduciary rules, as well as the common law broker-dealer fiduciary rules in other states. This Note is the first attempt to frame and resolve Reg BI’s preemption problem. This Note begins by documenting the three sources of authority in the broker-dealer regulatory framework before and after the issuance of Reg BI. It then frames the preemption problem, identifying obstacle preemption as the appropriate theory, and ultimately relies on congressional intent in the Dodd–Frank Act to argue that Reg BI likely sets only a regulatory floor. But even those state laws that impose more rigorous duties than Reg BI may still be vulnerable to preemption challenges. States would then do well, this Note concludes, to justify their fiduciary rules using arguments grounded in empirical evidence and federalism.
The Metal Aversion of LGRBs

Recently, it has been suggested that the metallicity aversion of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) is not intrinsic to their formation, but rather a consequence of the anti-correlation between star-formation and metallicity seen in the general galaxy population. To investigate this proposal, we compare the metallicity of the hosts of LGRBs, broad-lined Type Ic (Ic-bl) supernovae (SNe), and Type II SNe to each other and to the metallicity distribution of star-forming galaxies using the SDSS to represent galaxies in the local universe and the TKRS for galaxies at intermediate redshifts. The differing metallicity distributions of the LGRB hosts and the star formation in local galaxies forces us to conclude that the low-metallicity preference of LGRBs is not primarily driven by the anti-correlation between star-formation and metallicity, but rather must be overwhelmingly due to the astrophysics of the LGRBs themselves. Three quarters of our LGRB sample are found at metallicities below 12+log(O/H) < 8.6, while less than a tenth of local star-formation is at similarly low metallicities. However, our SN samples are statistically consistent with the metallicity distribution of the general galaxy population. Using the TKRS population of galaxies, we are able to exclude the possibility that the LGRB host metallicity aversion is caused by the decrease in galaxy metallicity with redshift. The presence of the strong metallicity difference between LGRBs and Ic-bl SNe largely eliminates the possibility that the observed LGRB metallicity bias is a byproduct of a difference in the initial mass functions of the galaxy populations. Rather, metallicity below half-solar must be a fundamental component of the evolutionary process that separates LGRBs from the vast majority of Ic-bl SNe and from the bulk of local star-formation.
Psychedelic Psychiatry and the Consult-Liaison Psychiatrist: A Primer.

Background Psychedelic compounds such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) share a long and complex history with psychiatry. A half century ago, psychedelics were widely employed by psychiatrists in investigational and clinical settings, with studies demonstrating promising findings for their use in the treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders. However, concerns were also raised about their abuse potential and other adverse effects. Owing to these worries and psychedelics' association with the counterculture movement, psychedelics were largely outlawed in the United States in 1970, bringing research on their therapeutic potential to a halt. However, in recent years, a resurgence of psychedelic research has revealed compelling, though early, evidence for the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy in treating alcohol use disorder, nicotine use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Objective Here we provide an overview of psychiatry's complicated relationship with psychedelics, while reviewing contemporary findings on psychedelic-assisted therapy, safety of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and risks of nonmedical use. We also make the case that psychiatry should consider preparing now for the possibility of Food and Drug Administration approval of psychedelic-assisted therapies in the near future. We conclude by discussing how growing societal interest in psychedelics could impact the work of consult-liaison psychiatrists, while also exploring how consult-liaison psychiatrists might contribute to future delivery of psychedelic treatments. Methods We reviewed literature on psychedelic-assisted therapies and adverse events resulting from nonmedical psychedelic use. Results We found a small, but rapidly growing literature indicating that psychedelic-assisted therapies may have treatment potential for mental illness and addiction. Our search also revealed a variety of rare adverse events stemming from nonmedical psychedelic use. Conclusions Despite past concerns about psychedelics, current data indicate psychedelic-assisted therapy may potentially reduce suffering owing to mental illness and addiction if administered thoughtfully and cautiously by trained professionals in medical settings.
Progress Report: Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and Broad-Range Molecular Assays as Diagnostic Tools for Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) Investigations in Adults.

Even well into the 21st century, infectious diseases still account for most causes of fever of unknown origin (FUO). Advances in molecular technologies, including broad-range PCR of the 16S rRNA gene followed by Sanger sequencing, multiplex PCR assays, and more recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications, have transitioned from research methods to more commonplace in some clinical microbiology laboratories. They have the potential to supplant traditional microbial identification methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Despite the remaining challenges with these technologies, publications in the past decade justify excitement about the potential to transform FUO investigations. We discuss available evidence using these molecular methods for FUO evaluations, including potential cost-benefits and future directions.
Death Narratives, Negative Emotion, and Counterarguing: Testing Fear, Anger, and Sadness as Mechanisms of Effect.

Narrative messaging research has demonstrated that story outcome (e.g., whether the main character lives or dies) can impact audience behavior, but more research explicating and testing mechanistic pathways is needed. The current study tests fear, anger, and sadness as mechanisms of persuasion, assessing effects on counterarguing, reading flow, and behavioral intention. The current study utilized a 2 (story outcome: death vs. survivor) × 4 (story character: Marla, Erin, Don, and Ray) between-participants experiment (N = 735) to test the effect of story outcome on behavioral intentions via discrete emotion. Death narratives generated greater fear, anger, and sadness. Fear was related to greater behavioral intention and reading flow and diminished counterarguing. Sadness had the opposite effect. Anger produced a mixed persuasive effect, increasing both counterarguing and reading flow. Results have implications for discrete emotions theorizing and underscore the importance of conceptualizing narrative stimuli along multiple affective dimensions rather than single dimensions.
Heterogeneity, Nativity, and Disaggregation of Cardiovascular Risk and Outcomes in Hispanic Americans

Hispanic Americans currently comprise the largest and fastest growing minority groups in the United States . Although specific risks, prevalence, and outcomes across groups and subgroups of Hispanics living in the United States vary, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is considered the leading cause of death among this growing population. Nonetheless, when studied in aggregate, Hispanics experience better CV outcomes than non-Hispanic individuals. The rationale for this observation has been supported by several theories including a healthy Hispanic immigrant effect, duration of residence in the United States and acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES), as well as health behaviors and genetic, geographic, and psychosocial baseline characteristics; however, the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown. There remains a knowledge gap on CVD outcomes disaggregated by Hispanic ethnic background and acculturation. Unpacking the diversity within Hispanic individuals and understanding unique contributors to increased CVD risk is important to develop targeted CVD preventive efforts and therapies.
Isolation of the lsd Mutations in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

The poly(A-binding protein (PAB) is required for translation initiation and poly(A) tail shortening in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sachs and Davis, 1989). Extragenic suppressors of a null mutation in PAB1 also affect the 60S ribosomal subunit. One of these spb genes (suppressor of P A B 1) encodes ribosomal protein L46 (SPB2), and another encodes a putative rRNA helicase (SPB4) (Sachs and Davis, 1990). Mutagenesis of an spb4-l strain revealed that many lethal mutations in genes other than PAB1 are suppressed by the spb4-l mutation. Furthermore, approximately 75% of these were also suppressed by deleting RPL46. These data suggest that some essential genes in yeast are made dispensable by altering the translational apparatus.
Costly Signaling and the Economics of Sexual Modesty

The purpose of this paper is to provide a rational choice explanation of the existence and variation of societal norms involving sexual modesty. First I argue that enforcement of chastity is an efficient response to the fact that information regarding paternity is costly to obtain, but that since chastity itself is not immediately observable, what is needed is some signal thereof. The thesis of this paper is that modesty in dress and behavior effectively serves as a costly signal of chastity. I present a simple signaling model of modesty and show how modesty norms can develop individually according to a simple confirmation feedback loop between immediately observed modesty and ultimately observed chastity, while modesty norms for any one society as a whole evolve over time as such individually-arrived-at-norms are transmitted through various institutional arrangements. I also discuss briefly some of the determinants of the observed variation in the strictness of modesty norms in the real-world by considering some examples in light of the model.
Regulation of IL-17 in Human CCR6+ Effector Memory T Cells

IL-17-secreting T cells represent a distinct CD4(+) effector T cell lineage (Th17) that appears to be essential in the pathogenesis of numerous inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Although extensively studied in the murine system, human Th17 cells have not been well characterized. In this study, we identify CD4(+)CD45RO(+)CCR7(-)CCR6(+) effector memory T cells as the principal IL-17-secreting T cells. Human Th17 cells have a unique cytokine profile because the majority coexpress TNF-alpha but not IL-6 and a minor subset express IL-17 with IL-22 or IL-17 and IFN-gamma. We demonstrate that the cytokines that promote the differentiation of human naive T cells into IL-17-secreting cells regulate IL-17 production by memory T cells. IL-1beta alone or in association with IL-23 and IL-6 markedly increase IL-17(+) CCR6(+) memory T cells and induce IL-17 production in CCR6(-) memory T cells. We also show that T cell activation induces Foxp3 expression in T cells and that the balance between the percentage of Foxp3(+) and IL-17(+) T cells is inversely influenced by the cytokine environment. These studies suggest that the cytokine environment may play a critical role in the expansion of memory T cells in chronic autoimmune diseases.
Induction of innate immune gene expression cascades in brain slice cultures by ethanol: key role of NF-κB and proinflammatory cytokines.

BACKGROUND Postmortem human alcoholic brain has increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines (He and Crews, 2007). Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a transcription factor known to induce proinflammatory cytokine expression. Ethanol exposure increases NF-kappaB-DNA binding in rat brain (Crews et al., 2006) and in brain slice cultures in vitro (Zou and Crews, 2006). Using hippocampal-entorhinal cortex (HEC) brain slice cultures, we explored the effect of ethanol on NF-kappaB-DNA binding, proinflammatory gene expression, and sensitivity to glutamate neurotoxicity. METHODS The HEC brain slice cultures are prepared from rats on P7 and used after 2 weeks in culture. NF-kappaB-DNA binding is determined by EMSA, NF-kappaB subunit-DNA binding by ELISA and mRNA by RT-PCR. Multiple antibody immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy are used to characterize cell types expressing ethanol-induced genes. RESULTS Ethanol treatment results in a progressive increase in NF-kappaB-DNA binding that includes large increases in NF-kappaB subunit p50 protein-DNA binding. The expression of NF-kappaB proinflammatory target genes progressively increased with time of ethanol treatment. Ethanol induces proinflammatory cytokines TNFalpha, MCP-1, and IL-1beta, proinflammatory proteases TACE, and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase. Blockade of NF-kappaB by using NF-kappaB p65 siRNA and BHT reduces ethanol induction of proinflammatory genes. Neutralizing antibody to proinflammatory cytokine TNFalpha reduces ethanol induction of proinflammatory genes, suggesting cytokine propagation of proinflammatory gene induction. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies to proinflammatory cytokines and protease tPA inhibitors blunt ethanol sensitization to glutamate neurotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that ethanol treatment increases NF-kappaB-DNA binding and proinflammatory gene expression in brain slices. Ethanol-induced innate immune proinflammatory gene induction alters neurotransmission and likely contributes to alcoholic neurodegeneration.
A 2^{O(n^{1-{1\over d}}\log n)} Time Algorithm for d-Dimensional Protein Folding in the HP-Model

The protein folding problem in the HP-model is NP-hard in both 2D and 3D [4,6]. The problem is to put a sequence, consisting of two characters H and P, on a d-dimensional grid to have the maximal number of HH contacts. We design a \(2^{O(n^{1-{1\over d}}\log n)}\) time algorithm for d-dimensional protein folding in the HP-model. In particular, our algorithm has \(O(2^{6.145\sqrt{n}\log n})\) and \(O(2^{4.306n^{2\over 3}\log n})\) computational time in 2D and 3D respectively. The algorithm is derived via our separator theorem for points on a d-dimensional grid. For example, for a set of n points P on a 2-dimensional grid, there is a separator with at most \(1.129\sqrt{n}\) points that partitions P into two sides with at most \(({2\over 3})n\) points on each side. Our separator theorem for grid points has a greatly reduced upper bound than that for the general planar graph [2].
Dual role of Interleukin-37 in the regulation of inflammation triggered by Propionibacterium acnes in human monocytes (INM8P.450)

IL-37 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that is highly concentrated in the epidermis. In this study, we sought to investigate the immunomodulatory role of IL-37 in acne pathogenesis. In human monocytes isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, we show that P. acnes upregulates expression of IL-37 in a pathway dependent on Toll-like receptor 2, NLRP3 and caspase-1 signal transduction. Using small interfering RNA to knock down IL-37 gene in monocytes, our results show upregulation of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, and downregulation of IL-10, suggesting anti-inflammatory properties in P. acnes -stimulated monocytes. We demonstrate that IL-37 may have a reversal property when acting extracellularly. Recombinant IL-37 alone and P. acnes both induce IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in a concentration-dependent manner. A greater cytokine response occurs when both IL-37 and P. acnes are used to co-treat monocytes. As we show that IL-37 is released only after cell membrane digest in monocytes but not actively secreted by viable cells, our data suggests a dualistic role of IL-37. While it may be anti-inflammatory intracellularly, IL-37 may act as a pro-inflammatory cytokine when released after cell damage and death. Intracellular IL-37 is a potent inhibitor of P. acnes -induced inflammatory response, yet has a reversal of properties when acting to signal nearby immune cells.
CLIMATE AND THE OCEAN CIRCULATION1

Abstract The effect of the hydrology of the earth's surface is incorporated into a numerical model of the general circulation of the atmosphere developed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA). The primitive equation of motion is used for this study. The nine levels of the model are distributed so as to resolve the surface boundary layer and stratosphere. The depletion of solar radiation and the transfer of the terrestrial radiation are computed taking into consideration cloud and atmospheric absorbers such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone. The scheme treating the hydrology of our model involves the prediction of water vapor in the atmosphere and the prediction of soil moisture and snow cover. In order to represent the mositure-holding capacity of soil, the continent is assumed to be covered by boxes, which can store limited amounts of water. The ocean surface is idealized to be a completely wet surface without any heat capacity. T...
Microbial degradation of seven amides by suspended bacterial populations

Microbial transformation rate constants were determined for seven amides in natural pond water. A second-order mathematical rate expression served as the model for describing the microbial transformation. Also investigated was the relationship between the infrared spectra and the second-order rate constants for these amides. Second-order rate constants (k2) ranged from a low of 2.0 X 10(-14) to a high of 1.1 X 10(-9) liters organism-1 h-1 for niclosamide (2',5-dichloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide) and propachlor (2-chloro-N-isopropylacetanilide), respectively. The mechanism of degradation (i.e., microbially mediated hydrolysis) of the amides was consistent with that of other organic chemicals previously studied in a variety of natural waters. Preliminary investigations indicate that temporal variations in measured second-order rate constants are small. A simple linear regression of the infrared carbonyl-stretching frequency with log K2 gave a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.962.
The Promise (and Reality) of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Modern aerospace vehicle design requires the interaction of multiple disciplines, traditionally processed in a sequential order. Multidisciplinary optimization (MDO), a formal methodology for the integration of these disciplines, is evolving toward methods capable of replacing the traditional sequential methodology of aerospace vehicle design by concurrent algorithms, with both an overall gain in product performance and a decrease in design time. This paper discusses the obstacles to MDO, and presents a parallel MDO paradigm using variable-complexity modeling and multipoint response surface approximations for the particular instance of the design of a high speed civil transport (HSCT). This paradigm interleaves the disciplines at one level of complexity, and processes them hierarchically at another level of complexity, achieving parallelism within disciplines, rather than across disciplines. A master-slave paradigm manages a coarse grained parallelism of the analysis and optimization codes required by the disciplines showing reasonable speedups and efficiencies on an Intel Paragon.
2,3,4,5,6,6-Hexamethyl-2,4-Cyclohexadien-1-one

2,3,4,5,6,6-Hexamethyl-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one product: 2,3,4,5,6,6-hexamethyl-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one product: hexaethyl-2,4-cyclohexadienone product: 3,4,6,6-tetramethyl-2,4-cyclohexadienone Keywords: oxidation, miscellaneous; rearrangements; hydrogen peroxide, 90%, handling of; peroxytrifluoroacetic acid, preparation of; hydrogen peroxide; peroxytrifluoroacetic acid; apparatus, for handling boron trifluoride
Lecturas alternativas en la Novela del fin bueno en mal principio de doña Ana Francisca Abarca de Bolea.

En su Novela del fin bueno en mal principio,Abarca de Bolea alcanza a cuestionar el sistema patriarcal en el que esta inmersa, vertiendo una critica sutil de la situacion de la mujer, la cual, a pesar de su dinamismo, ingenio y creatividad, acaba siendo victima de dicho sistema. La novela en cuestion nos introduce en un laberinto de discursos sociales sobre la mujer de aquella epoca, haciendonos reflexionar, al final, sobre el aparente orden matrimonial; mas aun, sobre ese celebrado «fin bueno» del titulo, que invita a pensar en lecturas alternativas.
Milan Kundera’s Polyphonic Compositions

I would like to preface this paper by saying, first, that my concern here is a carry-over from our previous meetings where we were primarily interested in discerning how we might define, or in some way delineate, the relation of the elemental forces of nature with the human experience of language. My thinking has less to do with “soulful passions” per se, therefore, than with situating or locating the foundation of linguistic meaning in some fundamental relation to the physical world.
Automatic Generation Control of two area power system with optimized gain parameters

In an electric power system, Automatic Generation Control (AGC) is a system for adjusting the power output of multiple generators at different power plants, in response to changes in the load. Since a power grid requires that generation and load closely balance moment by moment, frequent adjustments to the output of generators are necessary. The performance of the AGC system with optimized gain, in interconnected power system is investigated in this paper. A two area interconnected power system is considered and based on it a comprehensive mathematical model is developed. Boiler dynamics and nonlinearities such as governor dead band and generator rate constraints (GRC) are deliberated. A least square criterion of the performance index is used to obtain the gain setting of the governor control system. The simulation results show that the system stabilizes very quickly following a sudden load changes which in turn increases the capability of the whole system.
Importance of the Bcl-2 family in cell death regulation

Bcl-2 was first identified as a novel transcript associated with the t(14;18) chromosomal breakpoint which occurs in most follicular lymphomas. The deregulated expression of bcl-2 was found to contribute to multistep neoplasia through the suppression of cell death, or apoptosis, in transgenic mouse models. Bcl-2 was subsequently shown to be normally expressed in a variety of tissues and to significantly inhibit the induction of apoptosis in many experimental systems. Bcl-2 is now known to be structurally similar to other proteins, in particular within the domains referred to as BH1 and BH2. This multigene family of cell death regulators includes members which enhance rates of apoptosis, including bcl-xs and bax, and those which inhibit apoptosis, including MCL-1 and bcl-xl. Members of the bcl-2 family physically interact with other proteins, including other family members and these interactions appear to modulate their function. The mechanism(s) by which bcl-2 family members regulate cell death remain in large part unknown, although recent evidence suggests that bcl-2 may interfere with cellular signalling events involved in apoptosis induction.
Effect of pancreatin on the absorption of Fe59 in rats with fatty liver.

In a study of the effect of feeding pancreas powder on the absorption of Fe59 by rats with fatty liver induced by choline deficiency, control groups fed bromelin and choline plus iron were studied in parallel. No significant depression of iron absorption was observed in any of these groups. Thus, pancreas extracts appeared unable to depress increased Fe59 absorption in rats with fatty liver induced by choline deficiency.
Evaluation of participant recruitment methods to a rare disease online registry

Internet communication advances provide new opportunities to assemble individuals with rare diseases to online patient registries from wide geographic areas for research. However, there is little published information on the efficacy of different recruitment methods. Here we describe recruitment patterns and the characteristics of individuals with the self-identified autosomal dominant genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who participated in an online patient registry during the 1-year period from 1/1/2012 to 12/31/2012. We employed four main mechanisms to alert potential participants to the registry: (1) Facebook and Google advertising, (2) government and academic websites, (3) patient advocacy groups, and (4) healthcare providers. Participants reported how they first heard about the registry through an online questionnaire. During the 1-year period, 880 individuals participated in the registry from all 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 39 countries. Facebook and Google were reported as referral sources by the highest number of participants (n = 550, 72% Facebook), followed by healthcare providers (n = 74), and government and academic websites (n = 71). The mean participant age was 29 ± 18 years and most participants reported White race (73%) and female sex (62%) irrespective of reported referral source. Internet advertising, especially through Facebook, resulted in efficient enrollment of large numbers of individuals with NF1. Our study demonstrates the potential utility of this approach to assemble individuals with a rare disease from across the world for research studies. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Emotional Intelligence is a Protective Factor for Suicidal Behavior

Abstract Objective Little is known about what factors protect against the occurrence of suicidal ideation and attempts. We tested whether emotional intelligence (EI)—the ability to perceive, integrate into thoughts, understand, and manage one's emotions—decreases the likelihood of suicidal ideation and attempts among those at risk. Method Adolescents (N = 54) aged 12 to 19 years were recruited from local psychiatric clinics and the community to participate in this cross-sectional laboratory-based study. Analyses examined whether the relations between childhood sexual abuse and suicidal ideation and attempts were moderated by adolescents' EI. These constructs were assessed using self-report, structured interviews, and performance-based tests, respectively. Results Analyses revealed that El is a protective factor for both suicidal ideation and attempts. Specifically, childhood sexual abuse was strongly predictive of these outcomes among those with low El, weakly predictive among those with medium El, and completely unrelated among those with high El. Follow-up analyses revealed that the protective effect of El was driven primarily by differences in strategic El (i.e., ability to understand and manage emotions) but not experiential El (i.e., ability to perceive emotions and integrate emotions into thoughts). Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that El is a protective factor for suicidal ideation and attempts. Important next steps include testing the moderating influence of El on a wider range of stressful life events and self-injurious behaviors, as well as conducting experimental studies to determine whether enhancing El decreases the subsequent occurrence of these behavior problems.