cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preventability of 30-Day Readmissions for Heart Failure Patients Before and After a Quality Improvement Initiative:

The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of heart failure (HF) readmissions that can be prevented through a quality improvement (QI) program. All HF patients at the University of Connecticut Health Center who had a readmission within 30 days of discharge in the year before (2008) and the year after (2011) a QI program were studied. Through chart review, the percentage of patients who had preventable readmissions in each year was estimated. Prior to the QI initiative, chart reviewers identified that 20% to 30% of readmissions were preventable. The decrease in readmissions after the QI program was similar at 28%. Fewer readmissions after the QI initiative were deemed preventable compared with before. In conclusion, this study found a percentage of preventable readmissions similar to the actual 28% reduction in readmissions after a QI program was launched. Preventable readmissions were less common after the QI program was in place.
Prednisolone inhibits PDGF-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

Pulmonary vascular remodeling, a major cause for the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), is partially due to increased proliferation of pu...
Secrecy Capacity of Semi-deterministic Wire-tap Channels

This paper studies secrecy capacity in a semi-deterministic setting, in which the channel between legitimate users (called Alice and Bob) is deterministic, while that between Alice and the eavesdropper (called Eve) is a discrete memoryless channel. Such a model is particularly relevant when a pre-existing error correcting code tailored to the legitimate channel is in use on top of which secret information is to be shared. First, a point-to-point setting is considered with a single wiretapper, a situation in which the secrecy capacity has an elegant characterization. Next, a generalized multiple access setting with confidential messages is considered in which each user wishes to communicate secret information to a common destination without the other determining its message. In this latter situation, outer bounds on the secrecy capacity are obtained.
Algorithm for multiple faces tracking

Robust real-time face tracking is a challenging task. This paper presents an algorithm for tracking faces of multiple people even in case of total occlusion. The method uses the color distribution of each face with the mean shift tracking method. Mean shift tracking is fast and robust to partial occlusion, and it is rotation invariant and computationally efficient. Since the mean shift algorithm does not deal with the problem of total occlusion, we overcome this problem by using an occlusion grid to detect occlusion. We then use the color distribution of the occluded person's clothes to distinguish that person after the occlusion ends. We also use the speed and the trajectory of the occluded person to predict the locations that should be searched after occlusion ends. The proposed face tracking method integrates multiple features to handle tracking of multiple people even in case of occlusion. The experiments show the robustness of the algorithm.
Directional Suppression of Noise from a High-Speed Jet

Experiments demonstrate directional suppression of noise from a high-speed jet using an asymmetric parallel secondary stream. The secondary stream attenuates Mach wave radiation in the lower hemisphere of the acoustic far eeld, leaving unaltered the upward-propagated Mach waves. An eccentric nozzle arrangement with a Mach 1.5, 700-m/s inner stream and a Mach 1.0, 360-m/s outer stream produces noise reduction superior to that from concentric arrangements or from the fully mixed equivalent jet. The angle of peak perceived noise shifts from the aft quadrant to the lateral direction. The beneet of the eccentric arrangement is attributed to its shorter potential core relative to a concentric jet. The experiments also reveal emission of strong crackle from the untreated jet, a noise component arising from the nonlinearity of Mach waves. The secondary eow suppresses crackle.
Assessing spatial and temporal effects due to a crash on a freeway through traffic simulation

Abstract The focus of this paper is to simulate, evaluate and assess spatial and temporal effects in travel time variation and upstream distance or length of upstream links affected due to a crash. Traffic simulations were conducted for different conditions in VISSIM 5.30™ to obtain travel times at various points upstream of the crash location, over time, along a freeway corridor. Travel time variation between fatal crash condition and no crash condition (baseline condition) and between injury crash condition and no crash condition (baseline condition) were computed and compared to evaluate the effect of a crash on a freeway. Results obtained showed that fatal crash on freeways has an effect under low, moderate, and high traffic volume conditions, whereas injury crash has an effect only under moderate and high traffic volume conditions. The travel time variation and upstream distance affected due to a fatal crash on the right-most lane was generally higher than fatal crash on the left-most lane. The trends remained fairly consistent irrespective of the lane on which an injury crash occurred. The upstream distance affected due to a fatal crash varied from 1.5 miles to ∼7.5 miles based on traffic volume and lane on which the fatal crash occurred. It varied from ∼0.5 miles to 7 miles due to an injury crash and traffic condition. Queue may start dissipating at least 15 min after blocked lanes are re-opened for normal traffic flow depending on the type of crash, traffic volume and lane in which the crash occurred. The results and findings from this research can be applied to emulate dynamic message signs over time and space so as to alert the motorists about the length and duration of congestion depending on the severity of crash and lane on which the crash occurred.
Understanding the Complexity of Love in Brokeback Mountain: An Analysis of the Film and Short Story

This essay examines the complexity of the love that develops between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, the protagonists of Brokeback Mountain. We argue that the heterosexist mindset of 1960s-80s Americ...
The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of pyrazines

Abstract The coupling constants arising from benzylic coupling between ring-Me protons and ortho-, meta-, and para-situated ring protons for methylpyrazine and for a number of chloro-and methoxyl-substituted pyrazines were found to have the magnitudes 4 j o = 0·55 – 0·66 Hz; 5 J m 0·28 – 0·34 Hz; 6 J p = 0·65 – 0·74 Hz. The signs were found by selective decoupling experiments to be negative, positive and negative respectively. On the basis of the Me replacement technique, within its inherent limitations, the para-benzylic coupling appears to be π-electron transmitted, whereas a σ-electron contribution of ∼ 30% appears likely for the meta-benzylic coupling.
CONTACT ANGLE MEASUREMENTS OF WETTING IN PRISTINE AND ION IMPLANTED HIGH MODULUS BENZENE DERIVED GRAPHITE FIBERS.

Measurements are reported of the contact angles of benzene-derived carbon fibers with de-ionized water, aminopropyltriethoxy silane and du Pont 5878 polyimide solutions. Both pristine fibers and fibers implanted with 5×1012 cm−2 and 1×1015 cm−2 fluences of 31p ions were investigated. Such implantation was observed to decrease the contact angle in all three solutions. The ion implantation had no significant effect on tensile strength, but did result in increased structural disorder (as reflected in the width of the main wide angle X-ray diffraction peak) and increased surface roughness. The increased disorder and roughness are believed to be principally responsible for the observed change in wetting angle.
Quality Analysis of Internet-based Infectious Disease Report in Fugong County from 2006 to 2008

Objectives: To analyze the reporting quality of infectious diseases in Fugong County from 2006 to 2008 and provide a scientific method for management of notifiable infectious diseases.Methods: Data from information management system fro disease surveillance report under "China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention" during 2006 to 2008 were collected and exported in excel format,and the reporting quality was evaluated with different indicators.Results: Timely report failure rates in Fugong County were 49.68%,48.26%,and 20.45% respectively in 2006,2007 and 2008,and timely verifying failure rates were 16.24%,7.36% and 2.75%.Conclusion: The timeliness,completeness and accuracy rates of reporting in 2008 were significantly higher compared to that in 2006.The reporting quality of notifiable infectious diseases has been improved.
Evaluation and Propagation of the 239Pu Fission Cross-Section Uncertainties Using a Monte Carlo Technique

We present an approach to uncertainty quantification for nuclear applications that combines the covariance evaluation of differential cross-section data and the error propagation from matching a cr...
A day in the life of an adolescent female with cystic fibrosis and the role of the advanced practice nurse: A case study

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is no longer considered a disease of childhood as life expectancy is continuously increasing. It is still a chronic life-limiting disease that presents unique physiological and psychological challenges to the adolescent who has it. Adolescence is a period of turbulence for teens with CF who face the primary issues of pulmonary exacerbations, complex medication and nutritional regimens, altered growth and development, and transition to adult health care. A pseudo-case study of a young adolescent girl with CF is presented to provide insight into the daily struggles that adolescents with CF undertake. The roles of the advanced practice nurse (APN) as clinician, case manager, and educator are highlighted in the provision of age-appropriate care.
QOL-17IMPROVING THE CARE OF THE CAREGIVER: FINE TUNING A NEURO ONCOLOGY CAREGIVER PROGRAM.

BACKGROUND: It is well documented that caregivers (CG) of neuro oncology patients have multiple needs across the disease trajectory. In September of 2013, the UCSF Neuro Oncology Program launched a service to proactively address the needs of the CG. The intent was to provide disease specific information, improve access to disease specific resources, and establish connections with others CGs in similar situations across the disease trajectory. We report on the expressed needs of 209 CGs and identified areas to fine tune the program. METHODS: CG outreach allowed for needs to be assessed across various domains. Following an analysis of the timing and nature of these expressed needs, we identified strategies and interventions to address these needs. RESULTS: CGs are particularly stressed in the post-operative period following diagnosis, prior to the first Neuro-Oncology appointment. We plan to launch an in-patient program to meet with CGs early on in the disease trajectory to provide education about the nature of the disease, introduce the CG team members and elaborate on expectations for care of the patient. CGs are clamoring for information and resources about topics that included how to prepare and tell their children about the parent's brain tumor, what to expect as the disease progresses and end of life care. CGs expressed feelings of isolation and the lack of a formal bereavement service. To specifically address these needs we have developed rich parenting resources; created 2 new educational manuals on progressive disease and end of life; formalized the outreach at the time of hospice referral and in the bereavement phase; improved awareness of support groups and the creation of caregiver specific support. CONCLUSIONS: Through the identification of CG needs we have implemented resources and services geared to enhance the support and QOL of the CG and the patient.
Flavor from the double tetrahedral group without supersymmetry

We consider a class of flavor models proposed by Aranda, Carone and Lebed, relaxing the assumption of supersymmetry and allowing the flavor scale to float anywhere between the weak and Planck scales. We perform global fits to the charged fermion masses and CKM angles, and consider the dependence of the results on the unknown mass scale of the flavor sector. We find that the typical Yukawa textures in these models provide a good description of the data over a wide range of flavor scales, with a preference for those that approach the lower bounds allowed by flavor-changing-neutral-current constraints. Nevertheless, the possibility that the flavor scale and Planck scale are identified remains viable. We present models that demonstrate how the assumed textures can arise most simply in a non-supersymmetric framework.
Animating a South African identity? The case of Urbo: The Adventures of Pax Afrika (SABC 2006–2009)

ABSTRACTThis article considers the case of a locally produced South African television animation series. The construction and representation of the identities of the teenage central characters are especially important due to their potential impact on the intended audience, namely, children. The thematic analysis of the series integrates Wells’ (1998, 2002) theories on animation with theories of identity as defined by Jenkins (2008) and Hall, Evans and Nixon (2013). The article uses selected examples to illustrate identified themes and focuses on how successfully animation specific techniques and aesthetics are employed to construct representations of race and ethnicity. The article concludes that those aspects unique to animation, namely its transformative nature, are not fully utilised to subvert existing ethnic stereotypes.
Speaking of Paul Morel: Voice, Unity, and Meaning in Sons and Lovers

Beginning with the earliest reviews of Sons and Lovers, Lawrence has been indicted for his ‘inability to efface himself’ and for giving us a ‘narrative [that] reads like an autobiography’.1 Later, Mark Schorer’s provocative remarks about the confusion between Lawrence’s ‘intention and performance’ sharply focused critical attention upon the crucial relationship between voice and form in Sons and Lovers. Schorer argued that Sons and Lovers should be considered a ‘technical failure’ whose ‘artistic coherence’ has been destroyed by its inconsistencies. Specifically, he observed ‘the contradiction between Lawrence’s explicit characterizations of the mother and father and his tonal evaluations of them’; he also remarked upon the novel’s efforts both to ‘condemn’ and ‘justify’ the mother and both to expose and rationalize Paul’s failures.2
Synthesis of Nitrogen Heterocycles Using Samarium(II) Iodide

Nitrogen heterocycles represent vital structural motifs in biologically-active natural products and pharmaceuticals. As a result, the development of new, convenient and more efficient processes to N-heterocycles is of great interest to synthetic chemists. Samarium(II) iodide (SmI2, Kagan’s reagent) has been widely used to forge challenging C–C bonds through reductive coupling reactions. Historically, the use of SmI2 in organic synthesis has been focused on the construction of carbocycles and oxygen-containing motifs. Recently, significant advances have taken place in the use of SmI2 for the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles, enabled in large part by the unique combination of high reducing power of this reagent (E1/2 of up to −2.8 V) with excellent chemoselectivity of the reductive umpolung cyclizations mediated by SmI2. In particular, radical cross-coupling reactions exploiting SmI2-induced selective generation of aminoketyl radicals have emerged as concise and efficient methods for constructing 2-azabicycles, pyrrolidines and complex polycyclic barbiturates. Moreover, a broad range of novel processes involving SmI2-promoted formation of aminyl radicals have been leveraged for the synthesis of complex nitrogen-containing molecular architectures by direct and tethered pathways. Applications to the synthesis of natural products have highlighted the generality of processes and the intermediates accessible with SmI2. In this review, recent advances involving the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles using SmI2 are summarized, with a major focus on reductive coupling reactions that enable one-step construction of nitrogen-containing motifs in a highly efficient manner, while taking advantage of the spectacular selectivity of the venerable Kagan’s reagent.
Healthcare Experiences of Low-Income Women with Prior Gestational Diabetes.

Introduction An important yet understudied component of postpartum type 2 diabetes risk reduction among high risk women is experiences with the healthcare system. Our objective was to describe the healthcare experiences of a diverse, low-income sample of women with prior GDM, including their suggestions for improving care. Methods Focus groups were conducted among African American, Hispanic, and Appalachian women who were diagnosed with GDM within the past 10 years. Participants were recruited from community and medical resources. Twelve focus groups were conducted, four within each race-ethnic group. Results Three broad themes were identified around barriers to GDM care, management, and follow-up: (1) communication issues; (2) personal and environmental barriers; and (3) type and quality of healthcare. Many women felt communication with their provider could be improved, including more education on the severity of GDM, streamlining information to be less overwhelming, and providing additional support through referrals to community resources. Although women expressed interest in receiving more actionable advice for managing GDM during pregnancy and for preventing type 2 diabetes postpartum, few women reported changing behaviors. Barriers to behavior change were related to cost, transportation, and competing demands. Several opportunities for improved care were elucidated. Discussion Our findings suggest that across all racial and ethnic representations in our sample, low-income women with GDM experience similar communication, personal, and environmental barriers related to the healthcare they receive for their GDM. Considering the increased exposure to the health care system during a GDM-affected pregnancy, there are opportunities to address barriers among women with GDM across different race-ethnic groups.
Preferences for Domestic Action Over International Transfers in Global Climate Policy

Cost-effective and equitable climate change mitigation requires the transfer of resources from developed to developing countries. In two behavioral experiments, we demonstrate that American subjects act according to a strong home preference, by making private donations and writing letters in support of public spending more often for mitigation programs located at home versus those overseas. We attempt to overcome the preference to act at home by randomly informing some subjects that foreign programs are more cost-effective than domestic programs. Home preference is mitigated only in the case of private donations. From a separate experimental treatment, we show that the preference against foreign programs is exacerbated when the co-benefits of mitigation programs are made salient. Importantly, home preference crosses party lines, indicating that it is a deep-seeded, affective preference. These findings highlight significant political obstacles to international cooperation on climate change that relies on transfers.
Language Teaching Traditions: Second Language

Language teaching has a long history in Western education, as the learning of Latin was fundamental to the curriculum for almost 2000 years. Throughout that history, proponents of educational reform have spoken to a handful of recurring themes; namely, whether language is best learned through use or by rule; the roles of age, aptitude, and motivation in the learning process; and the importance of second, or foreign, language in the curriculum. This overview of language teaching tradition provides a summary of the historical and philosophical contexts that shaped language praxis from the early Greeks to the 20th century.
Yet another player in the cardio-oncology conundrum?: deciphering the role of FLT3.

An increasing number of oncology patients are seen by cardiologists every day, and a dilemma facing both the cardiologist and the oncologist is how to predict risk of cardiac toxicity. Efficacious therapies targeting malignant cancers are now recognized as potentially harmful for the heart. Many of
Lactoferrin biosynthesis during granulocytopoiesis

We examined the synthesis of lactoferrin, an iron binding protein that, among hematopoietic cells, is restricted to secondary granules of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Lactoferrin biosynthesis was absent from leukemic myeloblasts and promyelocytes but abundant in normal bone marrow and both the bone marrow and peripheral blood of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CGL) if the samples contained substantial numbers of myelocytes and metamyelocytes. Lactoferrin was present in the steady state in normal or CGL bands and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but no lactoferrin biosynthesis was detectable in these samples. Taken together, these results suggest that lactoferrin accumulation begins with the onset of biosynthesis at the myelocyte stage and is largely complete by the beginning of the band stage of maturation. HL-60 cells, a permanent promyelocytic leukemia cell line, synthesized no lactoferrin. Translation of messenger RNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes revealed that mRNA from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia and abundant myelocytes and metamyelocytes directed the synthesis of readily detectable amounts of lactoferrin, whereas HL-60 cells contained no translatable lactoferrin mRNA. We thus hypothesize that lactoferrin is a useful marker of gene expression restricted to the terminal stages of granulocyte maturation. Biosynthesis of this protein appears to be mediated by appearance of translatable mRNA at the myelocyte stage, coincident with development of secondary granules. Absence of lactoferrin production by HL-60 cells is due to absence of translatable lactoferrin mRNA, either because of lineage infidelity of these transformed cells or because of arrest before the developmental stage at which secondary granules appear.
The Study of Sequences of Motor Behavior

Observational techniques for animal behavior have had a long history in scientific investigation, and there is little doubt that some people just enjoy watching animals. The development of ethology as a scientific discipline in the past 20 years has been a factor in the current recrudescence of interest in animal behavior. Several other factors may also have contributed to the present situation: the development of numerical taxonomy, and recognition that behavior has taxonomic importance; the increasing sophistication of conditioning techniques, leading to a recognition that behavior is too complex for any simple analytical scheme; and even the availability of computers for handling bulk data.
An Integer Linear Programming Solution for the Domain-Gene-Species Reconciliation Problem

It is well-understood that most eukaryotic genes contain one or more protein domains and that the domain content of a gene can change over time. This change in domain content, through domain duplications, transfers, or losses, has important evolutionary and functional consequences. Recently, a powerful new reconciliation framework, called Domain-Gene-Species (DGS) reconciliation, was introduced to simultaneously model the evolution of a domain family inside one or more gene families and the evolution of those gene families inside a species tree. The underlying computational problem in DGS reconciliation is NP-hard and a heuristic algorithm is currently used to estimate optimal DGS reconciliations. However, this heuristic has several undesirable limitations. First, it offers no guarantee of optimality or near-optimality. Second, it can result in biologically unrealistic evolutionary scenarios. And third, it only computes a single DGS reconciliation even though there can be multiple optimal DGS reconciliations. In this work, we introduce the first exact algorithm for computing optimal DGS reconciliations that addresses all three limitations. Our algorithm is based on an integer linear programming formulation of the problem, which we solve iteratively by solving a series of linear programming relaxations. Our experimental results on over $3,400$ domain trees and over 7,000 gene trees from 12 fly species shows that our new algorithm is highly scalable and that it leads to significant improvement in DGS reconciliation inference. An implementation of our exact algorithm is available freely from http://compbio.engr.uconn.edu/software/seadog/.
Object-Oriented Design

The application of object-oriented technology to programming calls for new techniques in software design. This chapter discusses object-oriented design. Object-oriented design techniques deal with how to best identify entities in the problem domain that can be mapped into objects and classes of objects. An important issue is how to identify objects and classes in an application problem, and how to make use of existing classes to gain the highest productivity.
Illuminated outdoor luminescence imaging of photovoltaic modules

The properties of the multilayer PV backsheets, including their interfaces, during weathering are not well-known. In this study, a commercial PPE (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/PET/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)) backsheet films was selected as a model system for a depth profiling study of chemical and mechanical properties of a backsheet film during UV exposure. Cryo-microtomy was used to obtain cross-sectional PPE samples. The NIST SPHERE (Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Exposure) was used for the accelerated laboratory exposure of the materials with UV at 85°C and two relative humidities (RH) of 5 % (dry) and 60 % (wet). Chemical and mechanical depth profiling of the aged and unaged samples was conducted by Raman microscopic mapping, nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy in quantitative nanomechanical mapping mode. The results indicated that non-uniform degradation took place across the thickness of the PPE backsheet with severe chemical and mechanical degradation observed on the outer pigmented PET layer, two adhesive layers, and the pigmented-EVA layer. The regions with the increase in the modulus detected by nanoindetation were consistent with those showing clear chemical degradation in Raman and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). This depth profiling study brings new understanding to the mechanisms of failures observed in the backsheets during weathering.
All three IP3 receptor isoforms generate Ca2+ puffs that display similar characteristics

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) evokes Ca2+ release through IP3 receptors (IP3Rs) to generate both local Ca2+ puffs arising from concerted openings of clustered IP3Rs and cell-wide Ca2+ waves. Imaging Ca2+ puffs with single-channel resolution yields information on the localization and properties of native IP3Rs in intact cells, but interpretation has been complicated because cells express varying proportions of three structurally and functionally distinct isoforms of IP3Rs. Here, we used TIRF and light-sheet microscopy to image Ca2+ puffs in HEK-293 cell lines generated by CRISPR-Cas9 technology to express exclusively IP3R type 1, 2, or 3. Photorelease of the IP3 analog i-IP3 in all three cell lines evoked puffs with largely similar mean amplitudes, temporal characteristics, and spatial extents. Moreover, the single-channel Ca2+ flux was similar among isoforms, indicating that clusters of different IP3R isoforms contain comparable numbers of active channels. Our results show that all three IP3R isoforms cluster to generate local Ca2+ puffs and, contrary to findings of divergent properties from in vitro electrophysiological studies, display similar conductances and gating kinetics in intact cells.
We Are All "With the Band": Palliative Care Specialists, Generalists, and the Good We Do Together.

Music is one of the things in my life that has most reliably gotten me into and kept me out of trouble. Having played in bands for decades, I see parallels with the practice of medicine. As a hospitalist and a palliative care pediatrician, I would like to apply lessons from music to consider how general palliative care (provided by all clinicians) and specialty palliative care (provided by board-certified physicians) can work together in harmony. Music (like medicine) thrives through collaboration, benefits from specialized knowledge, and begs to be shared. As we consider this comparison, I am going to use songs and albums as examples. If you do not know these songs, I hope you will pause and go listen; it just might be one of the nicest parts of your day. The medical team, like a good band, should come together to create something more than the sum of the individual parts. I think of the Beatles as one of the great bands of all time. Each member was incredible, and together they made music that continues to be relevant, loved, and copied decades later. Some misguided souls think only of John and Paul, forgetting the guitar work of George and the drums of Ringo that completed the unmistakable music they created as a group. Just as great bands need every member, great palliative care relies on a team of generalists and specialists. In the July issue of this journal, I read, to my great shock, a piece entitled “Why Palliative Care Shouldn’t Exist” by Dr. Rebekah Diamond.1 The article displayed a few of the misunderstandings that have hampered generalists and specialists working together. The first is that specialist care in some way removes the need for generalist palliative care, the second is that the presence …
Human Cytomegalovirus pUL37x1 Is Important for Remodeling of Host Lipid Metabolism

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication requires host metabolism. Infection alters the activity in multiple metabolic pathways, including increasing fatty acid elongation and lipid synthesis. The virus-host interactions regulating the metabolic changes associated with replication are essential for infection. While multiple host factors, including kinases and transcription factors, important for metabolic changes that occur following HCMV infection have been identified, little is known about the viral factors required to alter metabolism. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that pUL37x1 is important for the metabolic remodeling that is necessary for HCMV replication using a combination of metabolomics, lipidomics, and metabolic tracers to measure fatty acid elongation. We observed that fibroblast cells infected with wild-type (WT) HCMV had levels of metabolites similar to those in cells infected with a mutant virus lacking the UL37x1 gene, subUL37x1. However, we found that relative to WT-infected cells, subUL37x1-infected cells had reduced levels of two host proteins that were previously demonstrated to be important for lipid metabolism during HCMV infection: fatty acid elongase 7 (ELOVL7) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related kinase PERK. Moreover, we observed that HCMV infection results in an increase in phospholipids with very-long-chain fatty acid tails (PL-VLCFAs) that contain 26 or more carbons in one of their two tails. The levels of many PL-VLCFAs were lower in subUL37x1-infected cells than in WT-infected cells. Overall, we conclude that although pUL37x1 is not necessary for network-wide metabolic changes associated with HCMV infection, it is important for the remodeling of a subset of metabolic changes that occur during infection.IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common pathogen that asymptomatically infects most people and establishes a lifelong infection. However, HCMV can cause end-organ disease that results in death in the immunosuppressed and is a leading cause of birth defects. HCMV infection depends on host metabolism, including lipid metabolism. However, the viral mechanisms for remodeling of metabolism are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the viral UL37x1 protein (pUL37x1) is important for infection-associated increases in lipid metabolism, including fatty acid elongation to produce very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). Furthermore, we found that HCMV infection results in a significant increase in phospholipids, particularly those with VLCFA tails (PL-VLCFAs). We found that pUL37x1 was important for the high levels of fatty acid elongation and PL-VLCFA accumulation that occur in HCMV-infected cells. Our findings identify a viral protein that is important for changes in lipid metabolism that occur following HCMV infection.
CHAPTER 9 – SYSTEMS OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the systems of differential equations and discusses important class of linear systems with constant coefficients. The general solution of the system is the set of all solutions. In the initial value problem, it is desired to find a solution of the system that satisfies the initial conditions. Two systems of equations are said to be equivalent if they have the same general solution. The chapter discusses the method of finding solutions of linear systems, whose coefficients are constant functions.
External Validation of AJCC Eighth Edition of Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Staging Among African Americans.

Abstract Introduction The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) eighth staging classification system for non–small-cell lung cancer was based on data from a multinational study consisting of 94,708 patients. African Americans were not included in this large database. Materials and Methods The authors aimed to compare the performance of the AJCC eighth staging system with that of the seventh in predicting overall survival among African Americans utilizing the National Cancer Database. Cases with T- and M- categories were classified into 2 groups based on the AJCC seventh and eighth edition staging systems. Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival were then constructed for each subgroup. Concordance index was computed using Uno’s methodology to assess the overall performance between the 2 staging systems in predicting the mortality. Time-dependent area under the curve was calculated at each follow-up event for the seventh and eighth edition clinical and pathologic staging using an inverse probability of censoring weighted methodology. A 2-sided P-value Results The database identified a total of 70,606 African American patients in the study period of 2004 through 2014. Area under the curve values were consistently higher for the eighth edition scheme compared with the seventh edition (concordance 0.630 vs. 0.624, respectively; P Conclusion The AJCC eighth edition staging system showed better prognostic value in predicting overall survival when compared with the AJCC seventh edition staging scheme among African American patients with non–small-cell lung cancer.
Adaptive associations among life history, reproductive traits, environment, and origin in the Wisconsin angiosperm flora.

PREMISE We tested 25 classic and novel hypotheses regarding trait-origin, trait-trait, and trait-environment relationships to account for flora-wide variation in life history, habit, and especially reproductive traits using a plastid DNA phylogeny of most native (96.6%, or 1494/1547 species) and introduced (87.5%, or 690/789 species) angiosperms in Wisconsin, USA. METHODS We assembled data on life history, habit, flowering, dispersal, mating system, and occurrence across open/closed/mixed habitats across species in the state phylogeny. We used phylogenetically structured analyses to assess the strength and statistical significance of associations predicted by our models. RESULTS Introduced species are more likely to be annual herbs, occupy open habitats, have large, visually conspicuous, hermaphroditic flowers, and bear passively dispersed seeds. Among native species, hermaphroditism is associated with larger, more conspicuous flowers; monoecy is associated with small, inconspicuous flowers and passive seed dispersal; and dioecy is associated with small, inconspicuous flowers and fleshy fruits. Larger flowers with more conspicuous colors are more common in open habitats, and in understory species flowering under open (spring) canopies; fleshy fruits are more common in closed habitats. Wind pollination may help favor dioecy in open habitats. CONCLUSIONS These findings support predictions regarding how breeding systems depend on flower size, flower color, and fruit type, and how those traits depend on habitat. This study is the first to combine flora-wide phylogenies with complete trait databases and phylogenetically structured analyses to provide powerful tests of evolutionary hypotheses about reproductive traits and their variation with geographic source, each other, and environmental conditions.
Income Inequality, Social Comparison, and Happiness in the United States:

Using social comparison theory, I investigate the relation between experienced happiness and income inequality. In the analysis, I study happiness effects of the individual-level within-gender-ethn...
Science in Indigenous homelands: addressing power and justice in sustainability science from/with/in the Penobscot River

Sustainability science offers an alternative space for research that challenges colonial histories of western science, especially in its orientation to interdisciplinarity and for addressing complex problems through equitable knowledge co-production processes. However, the justice-oriented commitments within sustainability science remain underdeveloped, in particular for centering indigenous research methods (IRM) and promoting decolonization of academic institutions. In this paper, we draw from more than 10 years of experience across three cases of conducting sustainability science in Indigenous homelands. The cases focus on (1) adaptive responses to the Emerald Ash Borer insect which threatens black ash basketmaking cultures and economies; (2) efforts to link science with decision making to protect public health and reduce shellfish bed closures; and (3) collaborative research to support dam removal and river restoration. We identify tensions in science as a discourse, including how sustainability science is uniquely shaped by practices of naming and social constructions of time. We then describe how we engage these tensions through four main commitments to critical praxis, or tailored practices that respond to emergent problems and systems of power. These commitments include centering Wabanaki diplomacy and IRMs, redesigning all stages of research for inclusivity and dialogue, attending to multiple temporalities, and supporting Wabanaki and Indigenous students as leaders and researchers. To conclude, we reflect on how these practices may be adapted to other contexts, histories, and sustainability-related issues.
Voluntary intoxication, homicide, and mens rea: Past, present, and future

Voluntary, or intentional, acute intoxication does not qualify for an insanity defense. However, in many jurisdictions, voluntary intoxication can create a diminished capacity to form a specific intent necessary for a criminal offense. This is a type of mens rea defense. Homicide provides a clear example where the absence of a required specific intent can lead to a lesser included crime that does not require that specific intent. Thereby, a mens rea defense may lessen a first-degree murder charge to a lesser degree or even manslaughter, depending on the jurisdiction. After reviewing the history of mens rea defenses and voluntary intoxication, we performed a search of LexisNexis for state statutes and case law regulating the use of voluntary intoxication in mens rea defenses, focusing on homicide-related offenses. In this article, we compare the different approaches that have developed to address this complex issue. We discuss why knowledge of these different approaches is essential to the practicing forensic examiner in relevant jurisdictions and explore developing issues in the area.
Long-term retention and chemical fractionation of fissionogenic Cs and Tc in Oklo natural nuclear reactor fuel

Abstract We present the results of a coordinated NAUTILUS and NanoSIMS isotopic study of epsilon (e) phase metallic aggregates from the Oklo natural nuclear reactor zone (RZ) 13. We observed that fissionogenic Tc and Cs were heterogeneously sequestered within the aggregates. Isotopes of these elements are relevant for improving the safety of spent nuclear fuel storage and reactor operation on generational timescales. Like the noble metals, nearly all of the Tc was retained within the reactor, though its abundance relative to Ru in the metallic aggregates varied by a factor of 10. The neutron fluence estimated from the production of 100Ru from neutron capture on 99Tc was estimated to be up to 1.2 × 1021 n·cm-2. In contrast to Tc, nearly all of the fissionogenic Cs in the reactors was lost from the reactor fuel. The metallic aggregates contain the only phases yet identified to have sequestered radiocesium. Fissionogenic Cs isotopes decay over vastly different timescales, but were incorporated and retained within the e-phase in proportions similar to stable 133Cs. This indicates that retention began during criticality and sequestration lasted billions of years, despite local geologic activity and the presence of nearby magmatic dikes. Using fissionogenic Ba isotopes, we estimated that the metallic aggregates continually incorporated their radioactive Cs parents during criticality, though the majority of Cs was flushed out of the reactor on a characteristic timescale of 2.7 ± 0.6 years. We found that the abundance of Bi was correlated to Rh and Pd, and speculate that this may have been due to primary Np–Rh and Np–Pd alloys forming during or shortly after criticality. Using Pb–Pb data from uraninite and galena grains surrounding the metallic aggregates, we also inferred a final Pb mobility age of 298 Ma for RZ13, which is more recent than most estimates from other RZs.
Programmable Viscoelasticity in Protein-RNA Condensates with Disordered Sticker-Spacer Polypeptides

The rheological properties of biological matters play a fundamental role in many cell processes. At the organelle level, liquid-liquid phase separation of multivalent proteins and RNAs drives the formation of biomolecular condensates that facilitate dynamic compartmentalization of cellular biochemistry1. With recent advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that the structure and rheological properties of these condensates are critical to their cellular functions2,3. Meanwhile, aberrant liquid-to-solid transitions in some cellular condensates are implicated in neurodegenerative disorders4. Within the limits of two extreme material states, viz., viscous liquid and amorphous or fibrillar solid, there lies a spectrum of materials known as viscoelastic fluids. Viscoelastic fluids behave as an elastic solid at time-scales shorter than their network reconfiguration time but as a viscous fluid at longer time-scales. Viscoelasticity of biomolecular condensates may constitute an adaptive mechanism for sensing mechanical stress and regulating biochemical processes5. From an engineering standpoint, viscoelastic fluids hold great potential for designing soft biomaterials with programmable mechanosensitivity6,7. Here, employing microrheology with optical tweezers, we demonstrate how multivalent disordered sticker-spacer8,9 polypeptides undergoing associative phase separation with RNA can be designed to control the frequency-dependent viscoelastic behavior of their condensates. Utilizing linear repeat polypeptides inspired by natural RNA-binding sequences, we show that polypeptide-RNA condensates behave as Maxwell fluids, with viscoelastic behavior that can be fine-tuned by the identity of the sticker and spacer residues. The sequence heuristics that we uncovered allowed us to create biomolecular condensates spanning two orders of magnitude in their viscous and elastic responses to the applied mechanical stress. This sequence-encoded regulation of viscoelasticity in disordered polypeptide-RNA condensates establishes a link between the molecular architecture of the polypeptide chains and the rheological properties of the resulting condensates at the mesoscale, enabling a route to engineer soft biomaterials with programmable mechanics.
Transformation by the oncogenic latent membrane protein correlates with its rapid turnover, membrane localization, and cytoskeletal association.

The latent membrane protein (LMP) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has a short half-life (V. R. Baichwal and B. Sugden, J. Virol, 61:866-875, 1987; K.P. Mann and D. Thorley-Lawson, J. Virol, 61:2100-2108, 1987), is localized in patches in the membrane (D. Liebowitz, D. Wang, and E, Kieff, J. Virol, 58:233-237, 1986), and associates with the cytoskeleton in EBV-immortalized B lymphocytes (D. Liebowitz, R. Kopan, E. Fuchs, J. Sample, and E. Kieff, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:2299-2308, 1987; K. P. Mann and D. Thorley-Lawson, J. Virol. 61:2100-2108, 1987). Deletion mutants of LMP that are either positive or negative in the induction both of anchorage-independent growth of BALB/c 3T3 cells (V. R. Baichwal and B. Sugden, Oncogene 4:67-74, 1989) and of cytotoxicity in a variety of cells (W. Hammerschmidt, B. Sugden, and V. R. Baichwal, J. Virol. 63:2469-2475, 1989) have been studied to identify the biochemical properties of this protein that correlate with its effects on cell growth. Mutant LMP proteins that are metabolically stable, do not associate with the cytoskeleton, and exhibit a diffuse plasma membrane localization also do not induce anchorage-independent growth in rodent cells or cytotoxicity in B lymphoblastoid cells. In contrast, a mutant of LMP that is functionally identical to the wild-type protein has a half-life, membrane localization, and cytoskeletal association similar or identical to those of LMP. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that LMP's rapid turnover, association with the cytoskeleton, and patching in the membrane are required for it to affect cell growth.
Abstract 11299: Adiponectin at Physiologically Relevant Concentrations Fails to Induce Direct Vasorelaxation but Regulates the Balance Between Other Endogenous Vasoconstrictors and Vasodilators via Cav-1/AdipoR-1 Signaling

The association between adiponectin (APN) and hypertension is evident in clinical studies, as hypoadiponectinema is an independent hypertension risk factor. Although supra-pharmacological APN causes direct vasodilation, the role of physiologic APN levels in vascular hemostasis remains unclear. The current study investigated the vaso-effect of physiologic APN concentrations upon Ang-II-induced vasoconstriction in mouse aortae. Consistent with previous reports, APN at supra-pharmacologic levels causes significant vasodilatation. However, physiologic APN concentrations (3-10 μg/ml) alone failed to cause significant arterial relaxation. Interestingly, pretreatment of aortae with physiologic APN levels significantly enhanced acetylcholine (ACh)-induced maximal vasodilatation (P<0.05) and decreased time to maximal vasorelaxation (P<0.05). A membrane-situated APN signalsome, containing APN receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and caveolin-1 (Cav-1), has been recently reported to facilitate APN signaling transduction. To evaluat...