cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direct visualization of formylpeptide receptor binding on rounded and polarized human neutrophils: cellular and receptor heterogeneity.

We have used light microscope autoradiography to visualize binding of the formylhexa. peptide, N-formyl-norleucyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-norleucyl-(1251)tyrosyl-Iysine to rounded and spontaneously polarized human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. These cells possess receptors known to bind with high specificity and great avidity to the chemotactic formylpeptides. Cells adherent to glass slides were exposed to (1251)-hexapeptide at 4#{176}C, fixed, and autoradiographed. Hexapeptide binding was studied over the biologically active range of peptide concentrations varying from 0.63 nM to 10 nM and autoradiographic silver grains counted on 200 rounded or 50 polarized cells at each concentration. Examination of histograms plotted from these data revealed for rounded cells: 1) two major peaks at each concentration indicating the existence of two neutrophil subpopulations, the predominant subpopulation binding one-half as much formylpeptide (peak I) as the other (peak II); 2) progressively increasing proportions of cells in peak II as the free hexapeptide concentration increased. Accordingly, at 0.63 nM hexapeptide, peak II comprised only 8% of the total cell number, whereas at 10 nM this peak represented 35% of the total cells. This suggested that different types of receptors may exist In the two cell subpopulations (high/low affinity or high/low negative cooperatlvlty) and that these receptor types were expressed differentially on these subpopulations. Thus, ccllular heterogeneity within the neutrophil population and receptor heterogeneity among hexapeptide receptors on an individual cell were both observed here. Each of these may significantly affect neutrophil functional responses to the chemotactic formylpeptides and may explain, at least in part, the curvilinearity in the Scatchard plots of formylpeptide receptor binding that has recently been reported. At higher concentrations of peptide (� 5 nM), spontaneously polarized PMN bound hexapeptide more or less uniformly over the entire cell surface. However, at lower concentrations, hexapeptide binding was markedly shifted toward the cell anterior. As a group, polarized PMN bound similar total quantities of hexapeptide, as did rounded PMN at each peptide concentration tested. Receptors displaying high. and low-affinity characteristics were, however, distributed asymmetrically over the cell surface, with the high-affinity type receptors predominantly on the anterior one-half of the cell. Such an asymmetric distribution may serve to initiate or perpetuate cell locomotion.
The growth and stress vs. strain characterization of the silver solid solution phase with indium

Abstract Silver solid solution phase with indium has been discovered to have great mechanical properties and anti-tarnishing property, as shown in the results of our previous study. It is important to know the stress vs. strain curve before adopting this material in industrial applications. The growth of the homogeneous silver solid solution phase with indium is first described. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) results are reported to verify the chemical composition of silver solid solution phase with indium samples. Based on the results, one could reversely determine the indium element composition in (Ag)–xxIn solid solution by examining the lattice constant value using XRD for unknown compositions. The preparation of ASTM tensile test samples and tensile test experimental setting are explained in details. The intrinsic mechanical material properties of silver solid solution phase with indium, i.e., characteristic stress vs. strain curves, are presented and analyzed, with pure silver stress vs. strain curve in comparison. According to the experimental results, silver solid solution phase with indium exhibits low yield strength, high ultimate tensile strength, and large elongation value before fracture, compared to pure silver. In addition, fractography of the fracture surface of the tested sample has been studied to confirm the superior ductility of silver solid solution phase with indium. These superior mechanical properties may bring silver solid solution phase with indium new applications in various industries such as electronics and brazing.
My time with Eric Davidson

I first encountered Eric Davidson in 1969 when, as a graduate student in the MBL Embryology Course, I heard him lecture. He spoke in general about the role of the nucleus in development. I now realize he organized his lecture on the basis of the introduction to his 1968 book, Gene Activity in Early Development and included some of the ideas published in his 1969 Science paper written with Roy Britten. That paper presented ideas that he built on throughout his career. In my naive view, it seemed like Eric was belaboring an established tenet. Did not everyone accept that DNA in the nucleus was the genetic material and the blueprint for development? But it was not until much later in my education that I realized he was reacting to ongoing controversies occupying the last 16 years since the publication of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick. To emphasize that controversy I remember that Lionel Jaffe, who studied the role of calcium waves in many kinds of biological processes including development, several times during the lecture refuted Eric's focus on the nucleus.
Abstract 353: Physicians Do Not Accurately Predict Length of Stay of Patients Admitted with Heart Failure

Objective: Determine the accuracy of physicians’ predictions of length of stay of inpatients with heart failure and compare those predictions based on physician experience. Background: Discharging a medical inpatient is a complex process often dependent upon a multidisciplinary team. Discharge planning begins with the physician who must anticipate patients’ lengths of stay, response to acute therapy, complications, and post-hospitalization needs. Increasing focus on patient safety emphasizes eliminating preventable harm including 30-day re-admissions, medication errors, and insufficient post-discharge care. To achieve these goals, early discharge planning is critical and is contingent upon an accurate estimate of length of stay at the time of admission. However, the accuracy of physician predictions of length of stay has not previously been studied. Methods: In this prospective, single-center, observational study we measured physicians' predictions of length of stay of patients admitted to an academic referral hospital’s heart failure teaching service. We compared admitting interns’ (PGY1, less than 6 months experience), supervising residents’ (PGY2-4, 1-3 years experience), and attending cardiologists’ (mean 19±9.7 years experience) predictions at admission with actual length of stay. The primary outcome was accuracy of physician predictions stratified by experience. Secondary outcomes included comparisons among predictions made by interns, residents, and cardiologists. Results: Predictions were made on 166 consecutively admitted patients within 24 hours of admission. Of those 166 patients, 98 (59%) had predictions by physicians at all three levels, with predictions made by 21 interns, 24 residents, and 8 cardiologists. Patients had a mean age of 56±14 years old and were 62% male (61 of 98). Median length of stay was 7.5 days (interquartile range 4-13). Mean difference between predicted and actual length of stay was statistically significant for all groups: for interns, -5.8 days (95% CI -8.2 to -3.4, p<0.0001), residents, -4.6 days (95% CI -7.1 to -2.0, p=0.0001), and cardiologists, -4.3 days (95% CI -6.5 to -2.1, p=0.0003). There were no statistically significant differences among intern, resident, and attending predictions, as determined by GEE modeling (p=0.61). Conclusion: Physicians, regardless of experience level, systematically underestimate length of stay of patients admitted with heart failure. Prediction models could assist with improved discharge planning.
Where is Asia? When is Asia? Theorizing Comparative Law and International Law

Ever since Henry Luce pronounced the twentieth century an American one, numerous critical observers have predicted that Asia will preside over the twenty-first one. Yet even today, that prediction still confronts us as a question: Asian Century? In this Essay, I approach the question by disaggregating the way it conflates space and time. I ask, separately, Where is Asia? and When is Asia? I seek to answer the first question in terms of cultural geography and the second one in terms of historiography. Effectively, I suggest that the problem of Asia is an epistemological one. I also consider what it means for comparative lawyers and international lawyers to take that problem seriously. I so do by using the so-called Asian Values debate as a point of entry to consider the methodological relationship between comparative and international law as disciplines. Both the Asian Values debate and the two legal disciplines are structured around a dialectic opposition between universal and particular values. Rather than positing preconstituted objects of legal knowledge and seeking to classify them as either universal or particular, I urge that we examine the worldview that gives rise to such binaries and makes them intelligible: How do the entities we analyze come to be seen as distinctive and oppositional to each other in the first place? Focusing on Chinese law, I consider an approach that is neither Eurocentric nor Sinocentric but de-centers both axes of comparison.
Terrorist Transgressions: Gender, and the Visual Culture of the Terrorist

As a collection of essays, Terrorist Transgressions: Gender, and the Visual Culture of the Terrorist, marks out points in an emerging conversation for a field of study that is still in the process ...
The Effects of Age on Murine Pacinian Corpuscles

The effects of age on the somatosensory nervous system have been observed at all of its morphological levels extending from the neuronal cytons of the dorsal root ganglia distally to specific sensory mechanoreceptors (Mathewson and Nava,’ 85; Spencer and Ochoa,’ 81; Kenshalo,’ 77, and Cauna,’ 65). Documentation of age-related regression of the peripheral nervous system has come from several sources: clinical, electrophysiological, neuropharmacological and histopathological (Ras and Nava,’ 86). One of the clinical manifestations of concern is the distal blunting of vibratory sensation. Sensitivity to vibratory stimuli in the absence of detectable neuropathy is significantly reduced with advanced age in humans (Era, et al.,’ 86). Thresholds for all frequencies are significantly higher in the elderly. This is especially true for the lower extremities after the sixth decade (Verrillo,’ 80). It has been suggested that these progressive losses of sensitivity to vibration stimuli may be the partial result of alterations in the morphology of the Pacinian corpuscle that occur with age (Cauna,’ 65). This rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor is capable of responding to sinusoidal vibratory stimuli in the range of 20–1500 Hz, with a maximum sensitivity of 200–400 Hz (Iggo,’ 85). These receptors are concentrated within the mesentery, subcutaneous tissues of the digits and footpads and the deep skeletal tissues (i.e., joints, ligaments, periosteum and interosseous membranes of mammals.
The Local Variational Multiscale Method for Turbulence Simulation.

Accurate and efficient turbulence simulation in complex geometries is a formidable chal-lenge. Traditional methods are often limited by low accuracy and/or restrictions to simplegeometries. We explore the merger of Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) spatial discretizationswith Variational Multi-Scale (VMS) modeling, termed Local VMS (LVMS), to overcomethese limitations. DG spatial discretizations support arbitrarily high-order accuracy on un-structured grids amenable for complex geometries. Furthermore, high-order, hierarchicalrepresentation within DG provides a natural framework fora prioriscale separation crucialfor VMS implementation. We show that the combined benefits of DG and VMS within theLVMS method leads to promising new approach to LES for use in complex geometries.The efficacy of LVMS for turbulence simulation is assessed by application to fully-developed turbulent channelflow. First, a detailed spatial resolution study is undertakento record the effects of the DG discretization on turbulence statistics. Here, the localhp[?]refinement capabilites of DG are exploited to obtain reliable low-order statistics effi-ciently. Likewise, resolution guidelines for simulating wall-bounded turbulence using DGare established. We also explore the influence of enforcing Dirichlet boundary conditionsindirectly through numericalfluxes in DG which allows the solution to jump (slip) at thechannel walls. These jumps are effective in simulating the influence of the wall commen-surate with the local resolution and this feature of DGmore » is effective in mitigating near-wallresolution requirements. In particular, we show that by locally modifying the numericalviscousflux used at the wall, we are able to regulate the near-wall slip through a penaltythat leads to improved shear-stress predictions. This work, demonstrates the potential ofthe numerical viscousflux to act as a numerically consistent wall-model and this successwarrents future research.As in any high-order numerical method some mechanism is required to control aliasingeffects due to nonlinear interactions and to ensure nonlinear stability of the method. Inthis context, we evaluate the merits of two approaches to de-aliasing -- spectralfilteringand polynomial dealiasing. While both approaches are successful, polynomial-dealiasingis found to be better suited for use in large-eddy simulation. Finally, results using LVMSare reported and show good agreement with reference direct numerical simulation therebydemonstrating the effectiveness of LVMS for wall-bounded turbulence. This success pavesthe way for future applications of LVMS to more complex turbulentflows.3« less
Adiponectin, the past two decades

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific factor, first described in 1995. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have elucidated the physiological functions of adiponectin in obesity, diabetes, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Adiponectin, elicited through cognate receptors, suppresses glucose production in the liver and enhances fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, which together contribute to a beneficial metabolic action in whole body energy homeostasis. Beyond its role in metabolism, adiponectin also protects cells from apoptosis and reduces inflammation in various cell types via receptor-dependent mechanisms. Adiponectin, as a fat-derived hormone, therefore fulfills a critical role as an important messenger to communicate between adipose tissue and other organs. A better understanding of adiponectin actions, including the pros and cons, will advance our insights into basic mechanisms of metabolism and inflammation, and potentially pave the way toward novel means of pharmacological intervention to address pathophysiological changes associated with diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease.
Factors affecting the completion of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in women with ovarian cancer.

Hypothesis: The use of intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy as treatment for ovarian cancer has been demonstrated to result in improved survival. However, it is associated with significant toxicity, resulting in the early discontinuation of therapy in many cases. This report quantifies and analyzes the reasons why patients discontinue therapy before completion and discusses strategies for improvement. Methods: One hundred seventy-seven women with ovarian cancer who received IP chemotherapy for a 10-year period at a regional cancer center were followed, and demographic and treatment data were collected. SigmaStat (v2.0) was used to make statistical calculations regarding the data. Results: One hundred seventy-seven subjects received 915 cycles of IP therapy. One hundred forty subjects received IP chemotherapy as initial treatment. Ninety-five (68%) of the 140 subjects completed 6 planned cycles. Thirty-seven subjects received IP for recurrent disease. Only 14 (38%) of the 37 subjects completed 6 cycles (P = 0.001). The most common reason for noncompletion of IP therapy was port occlusion (39/68 of the patients, 57%). Very few subjects refused treatment (9/68 of the patients, 13%). The rate of completion of therapy improved over time in this program (2001, 36%; 2009, 75%). Conclusions: The rate of completion of IP chemotherapy was higher in this institution than in other reports, including randomized multicenter trials. Port occlusion was the most common reason why IP chemotherapy was not completed. Subjective reasons for stopping therapy were rare. The establishment of a comprehensive, coordinated IP administration program is likely to result in improved completion rates. Completion rates within an institution improve with experience as well.
Taking the Surprise out of Changes to a Bro Setup

With network functions virtualization, an organization gains an ability to provide a much more agile security infrastructure. In this paper we focus on vulnerabilities and challenges created by this new flexibility itself. In particular, using Bro as a case study, we present i) a framework for testing Bro scripts using a packet traces, ii) a complementary framework for testing the performance impact of Bro scripts, iii) a continuous integration system for triggering automatic testing in response to code changes. With this system, security administrators are protected against logic errors in new and modified scripts as well as performance degradation.
Shifting structural complexity: The production of clause types in speeches given by English for academic purposes students

Abstract This paper reports on the structural complexity in oral “sentences” produced by English L2 (ESL) learners (n = 66) during 227 two-minute topic-based monologues in an EAP across three academic semesters. The 5,056 clauses in these ESL speeches were coded by clause type (main, coordinate, adverbial, relative, complement-taking predicate, nonfinite) to determine what types are produced as learners complexify their speech. This study is unique in that it examines all clause types produced during an ESL speaking task across three proficiency levels in an EAP. The results revealed that the learners produced increasingly complex language as measured by subordination, and that the clause types employed to complexify the speeches changed across instruction levels. Adverbial clauses were the most common subordinate clause at the lowest proficiency level, but nonfinite clauses became the most common dependent clause type at the high-intermediate level and were increasingly produced. This description of the clause types found in free-production speeches suggests a developmental order for the clause types in EAP contexts: adverbial, nonfinite, relative, complement-taking predicate clause. These findings, which show that learners produce nonfinite constructions perhaps earlier than expected, can inform curriculum design, instruction approach, and future studies of the development of L2 linguistic complexity.
ANALYSIS OF IMMUNOCOMPETENCE AND EXPRESSION OF OUTER MEMBRANE PROTEIN OMPA GENE OF MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS

The outer membrane protein A gene(ompA) of Mycobacterium bovis Vallee strain was amplified by PCR and inserted into the pGEX6p-1 to construct the recombinant plasmid pGEX6p-1-ompA.The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).Protein expression was induced by IPTG with a final concentration of 0.1 mmol/ L.The expressed protein was purified by glutathione Sepharose 4B.The outer membrane protein A had a molecular mass of 60 kDa and showed good immunological activity in Western blot analysis.Preliminary results have demonstrated that the outer membrane protein A could be developed a promising novel vaccine against tuberculosis.
Quantifying physical activity in physical education via pedometry: a further analysis of steps/min guidelines.

Background: The validity of common pedometer steps/min guidelines for 1st−12th grade physical education physical activity (PA) recommendations (ie, 33% and 50% PA) was investigated. Methods: Data sets from previous research, where physical education PA was quantified via pedometry, were combined. Participants (1st−12th grade, N = 1152) with concurrent steps/min and observed %PA scores were included. Data were analyzed using correlation, regression, and receiver-operator-characteristic (ROC) statistics. Alpha was set at .05. Results: Overall, by gender and school level group (ie, 1st−6th, 7th−12th) PA outcome measures were strongly correlated and significant (r = .85–.92). Steps/min2, lesson time3, stature4, and BMI5 were significant predictors (r12•345=.91) of %PA1. Steps/min accounted for 85.4% of the variance for %PA; however, the other predictors only accounted for an additional 0.5%. ROC analyses indicated that steps/min was an excellent discriminator (AUC ≥ .90) of %PA guideline achievement. Steps/mi...
WE-DE-201-11: Sensitivity and Specificity of Verification Methods Based On Total Reference Air Kerma (TRAK) Or On User Provided Dose Points for Graphically Planned Skin HDR Brachytherapy

Purpose: To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of a novel verification methodology for image-guided skin HDR brachytherapy plans using a TRAK-based reasonableness test, compared to a typical manual verification methodology. Methods: Two methodologies were used to flag treatment plans necessitating additional review due to a potential discrepancy of 3 mm between planned dose and clinical target in the skin. Manual verification was used to calculate the discrepancy between the average dose to points positioned at time of planning representative of the prescribed depth and the expected prescription dose. Automatic verification was used to calculate the discrepancy between TRAK of the clinical plan and its expected value, which was calculated using standard plans with varying curvatures, ranging from flat to cylindrically circumferential. A plan was flagged if a discrepancy >10% was observed. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated using as a criteria for true positive that >10% of plan dwells had a distance to prescription dose >1 mm different than prescription depth (3 mm + size of applicator). All HDR image-based skin brachytherapy plans treated at our institution in 2013 were analyzed. Results: 108 surface applicator plans to treat skin of the face, scalp, limbs, feet, hands or abdomen were analyzed. Median number of catheters was 19 (range, 4 to 71) and median number of dwells was 257 (range, 20 to 1100). Sensitivity/specificity were 57%/78% for manual and 70%/89% for automatic verification. Conclusion: A check based on expected TRAK value is feasible for irregularly shaped, image-guided skin HDR brachytherapy. This test yielded higher sensitivity and specificity than a test based on the identification of representative points, and can be implemented with a dedicated calculation code or with pre-calculated lookup tables of ideally shaped, uniform surface applicators.
Spectral and Spatial Diffraction in a Nonlinear Photorefractive Hologram

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the spectral diffraction properties of a reflective-type volume hologram by considering photorefractive beam coupling and recording erasure dynamics. It examines the spatial diffraction properties of a nonlinear photorefractive (PR) hologram as affected by crystal refractive index anisotropy. The crystal anisotropy effects on the fidelity of the hologram image and on the multiplexing scheme are also discussed. A discussion of the combined (intrasignal) beam coupling and the crystal anisotropy effect in PR LiNbO 3 crystals is provided in the chapter. PR crystals are one of the most attractive materials for recording volume holographic gratings for a variety of applications such as holographic data storage, reconfigurable interconnection, narrow-band filters, optical correlators, and optical neural networks. Their use for these applications is based on the refractive index change through the electro-optic effect as a result of the space-charge field formed upon an illumination with spatial variation in intensity.
Model based image reconstruction with physics based priors

Computed tomography is increasingly enabling scientists to study physical processes of materials at micron scales. The MBIR framework provides a powerful method for CT reconstruction by incorporating both a measurement model and prior model. Classically, the choice of prior has been limited to models enforcing local similarity in the image data. In some material science problems, however, much more may be known about the underlying physical process being imaged. Moreover, recent work in Plug-And-Play decoupling of the MBIR problem has enabled researchers to look beyond classical prior models, and innovations in methods of data acquisition such as interlaced view sampling have also shown promise for imaging of dynamic physical processes. In this paper, we propose an MBIR framework with a physics based prior model — namely the Cahn-Hilliard equation. The Cahn-Hilliard equation can be used to describe the spatiotemporal evolution of binary alloys. After formulating the MBIR cost with Cahn-Hilliard prior, we use Plug-And-Play algorithm with ICD optimization to minimize this cost. We apply this method to simulated data using the interlaced-view sampling method of data acquisition. Results show superior reconstruction quality compared to the Filtered Back Projection. Though we use Cahn-Hilliard equation as one instance, the method can be easily extended to use any other physics-based prior model for a different set of applications.
The Volume-Outcome Effect: Impact on Trial-to-Permanent Conversion Rates in Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Objectives Conversion rates from trial leads to permanent spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems have important implications for healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and pain management. We hypothesized that there is a volume-outcome effect, with chronic pain patients who visit high volume SCS implanters will have higher trial-to-permanent conversion rates. Materials and Methods We designed a large, retrospective analysis using the Truven MarketScan database analyzing adult SCS patients with provider information available, with or without IPG implantation from the years 2007 to 2012 was designed. Patients were divided into three provider-based groups: high (>25), medium (9–24), and low (3–8) volume providers. Univariate and multivariate models identified factors associated with successful conversion. Results A total of 17,850 unique trial implants were performed by 3028 providers. Of 13,879 patients with baseline data available, 8981 (64.7%) progressed to permanent SCS. Higher volume providers were associated with slightly higher conversion rates (65.9% vs. 63.3% low volume, p = 0.029), explant rates (9.2% vs. 7.7% medium volume, p = 0.026), younger age (52.0 ± 13.4 years vs. 53.0 ± 13.4 years, p = 0.0026), Medicare/Medicaid (47.8% vs. 35.0% low volume, p < 0.0001), Southern region (53.5% vs. 38.9% low volume, p < 0.0001), and higher Charlson comorbidity scores (1.0 [SD = 1.4], p = 0.0002). Multivariate regression results showed female gender (1.13 [95% CI: 1.05–1.22], p < 0.001) and high volume providers associated with higher odds of successful trial conversion (1.12 [95% CI: 1.02–1.22], p = 0.014). Conclusions In this nationwide analysis, high volume providers achieved higher trial-to-permanent SCS conversion rates than lower volume providers. The study has implications for both training requirements and referral patterns to delineate minimum implant experience necessary for provider proficiency. Future studies may be useful to understand HCRU differences.
Photoacoustic imaging sounds the alarm on liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is a "silent" disease. Repeated liver injury can develop without symptoms for decades before detection. This progressive scarring can be caused by inflammatory processes related to hepatitis B or C infections, obesity, and long-term alcohol abuse. Although short-term inflammatory injuries to the liver are largely reversible, long-term chronic conditions can drive liver fibrosis toward cirrhosis or even liver failure. Blood tests alone are not reliable for detecting the disease, leaving biopsies as the gold standard for diagnosis. An inexpensive, noninvasive screening method that could be carried out in a physician's office would revolutionize the detection and prevention of liver fibrosis and advanced liver disease. Now, van den Berg et al. describe point-of-care imaging technology that might one day find utility in the clinical diagnosis of liver fibrosis. The research team made use of the molecular imaging tool known as photoacoustic (PA) imaging to visualize and detect fibrotic conditions. In the PA process, light absorbed by endogenous chromophores, such as hemoglobin, triggers the generation of acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies. These waves can be detected using ultrasound (US) transducers to build three-dimensional images. The same transducer can be operated alongside PA for combined standard US imaging. The authors created an inexpensive handheld PA/US tool based on pulsed light emitting diodes (LEDs), a significant simplification over the standard pulsed laser systems found in most laboratories. Using a mouse model of chronic liver injury, the authors were able to follow the remodeling of the liver tissue and correlate their PA/US findings with gold standard histological parameters of liver fibrosis. This finding proves the potential for such a device in the preclinical setting and hopefully sets the stage for future clinical instruments in the future. Several hurdles will need to be overcome to scale this technology to humans, including improving the delivery of light to the liver and building registration methods to revisit liver locations for long-term monitoring. P. J. van den Berg et al ., Preclinical detection of liver fibrosis using dual-modality photoacoustic/ultrasound system. Biomed. Opt. Express 7 , 5081–5091 (2016). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: https://www.osapublishing.org/boe/abstract.cfm?uri=boe-7-12-5081
Effects of Substrate and Temperature on Aflatoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus.

The effects of substrates (synthetic and semisynthetic broths and several foods) on aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus were studied at different temperatures. The addition of calcium lactate as a carbon source to synthetic and semisynthetic broth media was evaluated for its effect on mycelial growth and aflatoxin production. At temperatures of 15 and 25°C, lactate did not support either mycelial growth or aflatoxin production in a basal salts broth, but did support mycelial growth, though not aflatoxin production, by both molds in a semisynthetic (YEL) broth. No growth of either mold or aflatoxin production was observed at 5°C on any of the liquid media employed. Little or no aflatoxin was detected on high protein/low carbohydrate foods such as Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and summer sausage inoculated with A. parasiticus and held at 15°C, but substantial quantities of aflatoxins were produced on yogurt and summer sausage by A. flavus at 15°C. Cheddar and cottage cheeses were poor substrates for aflatoxin production by A. flavus at 15°C. Cheddar cheese was a favorable substrate for aflatoxin production by both molds at 25°C. Cottage cheese was a poor substrate for aflatoxin production by both organisms at 25°C. Yogurt and summer sausage were poor substrates for A. parasiticus , but favorable substrates for A. flavus for aflatoxin production at 15 and 25°C. Trace levels of aflatoxins were produced on whole soybeans by A. parasiticus , whereas high levels of aflatoxins were produced by A. flavus on soybeans at 15 and 25°C. No growth or aflatoxin production occurred on soybean blocks (Meju) at 15°C, but high levels of aflatoxins were produced at 25°C by both molds. Aflatoxins did not diffuse into the second 1-cm layer of process cheese at 15°C; however, diffusion occurred at 25°C. Process cheese appeared to be a poor substrate for aflatoxin production by both molds at 15 and 25°C. Trace levels of aflatoxins (10 to 60 ppb of aflatoxin B1) were detected on some samples of yogurt and summer sausage at 5°C, although no growth of either mold was observed.
Design and function of biomimetic multilayer water purification membranes

Multilayer architectures in water purification membranes enable increased water throughput, high filter efficiency, and high molecular loading capacity. However, the preparation of membranes with well-organized multilayer structures, starting from the nanoscale to maximize filtration efficiency, remains a challenge. We report a complete strategy to fully realize a novel biomaterial-based multilayer nanoporous membrane via the integration of computational simulation and experimental fabrication. Our comparative computational simulations, based on coarse-grained models of protein nanofibrils and mineral plates, reveal that the multilayer structure can only form with weak interactions between nanofibrils and mineral plates. We demonstrate experimentally that silk nanofibril (SNF) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) can be used to fabricate highly ordered multilayer membranes with nanoporous features by combining protein self-assembly and in situ biomineralization. The production is optimized to be a simple and highly repeatable process that does not require sophisticated equipment and is suitable for scaled production of low-cost water purification membranes. These membranes not only show ultrafast water penetration but also exhibit broad utility and high efficiency of removal and even reuse (in some cases) of contaminants, including heavy metal ions, dyes, proteins, and other nanoparticles in water. Our biomimetic design and synthesis of these functional SNF/HAP materials have established a paradigm that could lead to the large-scale, low-cost production of multilayer materials with broad spectrum and efficiency for water purification, with applications in wastewater treatment, biomedicine, food industry, and the life sciences.
Using TOEFL sub-scores to predict SPEAK test outcome: A multivariate Bayesian model

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), has been in use in institutions of higher American education since the 1960s as a means of measuring incoming international students' English proficiency. But like any test, the TOEFL is imperfect. For instance, whereas a high TOEFL score may be sufficient to admit an international student to an American graduate school, many colleges and universities require more rigorous proof of a student's English proficiency—often in the form of a passing score on a school-specific oral assessment—if he seeks employment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). This is the case at the University of Virginia (UVa), where international graduate students are required to take the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) test if they apply for GTA positions; without a passing score, would-be GTAs are prohibited from interacting with undergraduate students in a teaching capacity. Academic departments sustain considerable risk extending offers of employment to GTAs based on the students' high TOEFL scores, as strong TOEFL performance does not guarantee a passing SPEAK test score. To mitigate this risk, forecasting models which use the TOEFL sub-scores of Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading to forecast SPEAK test outcome are applied. A student's sub-scores act as predictive inputs to each model, which outputs the posterior probability of his SPEAK test failure. Bayes Theorem provides the structure required to obtain this probability, and the multivariate meta-Gaussian distribution captures the stochastic dependence between the sub-scores. Therefore, these models are classified as Bayesian Meta-Gaussian Forecasters (BMGFs). Our findings are that (i) no combination of two, three, or four sub-scores is more informative than the Speaking sub-score alone, and (ii) in the absence of the Speaking sub-score, no combination of two, three, or four sub-scores is more informative than the Listening sub-score alone. Academic departments at UVa could use these probabilistic forecasts to better account for risk when dispensing offers of employment to potential GTAs.
The Prognosis for Quantitative Lipoprotein Electrophoresis

Surely any system for classifying lipid and lipoprotein disorders will have limitations, and this is certainly true for the Fredrickson, Levy and Lees “typing” system (1). Although during the past decade this “typing” system has allowed classification of most lipoprotein disorders into six types, there has been some dissatisfaction and disenchantment in its usage. Sometime ago, two editorials (2, 3) have advocated discontinuance of “routine electrophoresis” in clinical testing. Unfortunately, this would potentially have the effect of removing a cornerstone of the typing system, namely, the direct estimation or quantification of the major lipoprotein classes.
Urea-derived graphitic carbon nitride (u- g -C 3 N 4 ) films with highly enhanced antimicrobial and sporicidal activity

In this manuscript, we describe the fabrication of photoactive biocidal or sporicidal films from urea-derived graphitic carbon nitride (u-g-C3N4). Co-deposited films of u-g-C3N4 and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (IC50 = 14.1 ± 0.2 mJ) or Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin resistant IC50 = 33.5 ± 0.2 mJ, methicillin sensitive IC50 = 42.7 ± 0.5 mJ) demonstrated significantly enhanced bactericidal behavior upon administration of visible radiation (400 nm ≤ λ ≤ 426 nm). In all cases, complete eradication of the microbial sample was realized upon administration of 100 mJ of visible radiation, while no antimicrobial activity was observed for non-irradiated samples. In contrast, Bacillus anthracis endospores were more resistant to u-g-C3N4 mediated killing with only a ca. 25% reduction in spore viability when treated with a 200 mJ dose of visible radiation. Characterization of u-g-C3N4 reveals that the improved activity results from enhancements of both the surface area and reduction potential of the material’s conduction band edge, coupled with fast injection of charge carriers into localized states and a decline in radiative recombination events. The results of this study demonstrate that g-C3N4-based materials offer a viable scaffold for the development of new, visible light driven technologies for controlling potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
Offshore wind speed estimates from a high-resolution rapidly updating numerical weather prediction model forecast dataset

In association with the Department of Energy–funded Position of Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) project, we present results from compositing a 3-year dataset of 80-m (above ground level) wind forecasts from the 3-km High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model over offshore regions for the contiguous United States. The HRRR numerical weather prediction system runs once an hour and features hourly data assimilation, providing a key advantage over previous model-based offshore wind datasets. On the basis of 1-hour forecasts from the HRRR model, we highlight the different climatological regimes of the nearshore environment, characterizing the mean 80-m wind speed as well as the frequency of exceeding 4, 12, and 25 m s−1 for east and west coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lake locations. Preliminary verification against buoy measurements demonstrates good agreement with observations. This dataset can inform the placement of targeted measurement systems in support of improving resource assessments and wind forecasts to advance offshore wind energy goals both in New England and other coastal regions of the United States.
An Analytical Study of Recursive Tree Traversal Patterns on Multi- and Many-Core Platforms

Recursive tree traversals are found in many application domains, such as data mining, graphics, machine learning and scientific simulations. In the past few years there has been growing interest in the deployment of applications based on graph data structures on many-core devices. A couple of recent efforts have focused on optimizing the execution of multiple serial tree traversals on GPU, and have reported performance trends that vary across algorithms. In this work, we aim to understand how to select the implementation and platform that is most suited to a given tree traversal algorithm and dataset. To this end, we perform a systematic study of recursive tree traversal on CPU, GPU and the Intel Phi processor. We first identify four tree traversal patterns: three of them performing multiple serial traversals concurrently, and the last one performing a single parallel level order traversal. For each of these patterns, we consider different code variants including existing and new optimization methods, and we characterize their control-flow and memory access patterns. We implement these code variants and evaluate them on CPU, GPU and Intel Phi. Our analysis shows that there is not a single code variant and platform that achieves the best performance on all tree traversal patterns, and it provides guidelines on the selection of the implementation most suited to a given tree traversal pattern and input dataset.
Spuriously Low Serum Bicarbonate Levels in Patients With Hyperlipidemia: A Report of 4 Cases.

Four patients were recently seen at our institution presenting with severe hypobicarbonatemia and elevated anion gap on serum specimens processed by an autoanalyzer using enzymatic reactions. Arterial blood gas values in each case revealed no significant acid-base disturbance and a marked discordance between arterial blood gas calculated bicarbonate levels and those reported on the basic metabolic panel. All patients had profound hyperlipidemia (triglycerides > 3,500mg/L), and ultracentrifugation of one patient's serum corrected the discordance. Lipid interference with the photometric measurement of light absorbance after enzymatic reaction in the autoanalyzer is thought to be responsible for the low reported bicarbonate values. Use of an indirect ion-specific electrode method for total carbon dioxide analysis would avoid this pitfall. Caution is advised when enzymatic autoanalyzer–calculated laboratory values are used to diagnose acid-base disturbances in patients with severe hyperlipidemia. Physicians involved in the diagnosis of acid-base disorders in hospitalized patients should always be aware of the method used by their chemistry laboratories to determine total carbon dioxide values.
Role of metallothionein in copper and zinc metabolism: special reference to inflammatory conditions

There is an increasing body of evidence which suggests that in mammals copper and zinc metabolism is subject to hormonal regulation. The specific hormones involved include those that control key pathways of intermediary metabolism, e.g. glucocorticoids, glucagon, insulin and catecholamines. Furthermore, hormonal factors associated with the host defence system, e.g. in-terleukin-1, have similar regulatory effects. A significant factor in the regulation of these metabolic effects is directly related to control of metallothionein gene expression. In this brief review we will describe aspects of the metabolism of both trace elements as related to metallothionein as a functional entity, and how this is influenced by inflammatory conditions.
Physical, Chemical, and Immunologic Methods

The methods of detecting microorganisms and their products covered in this chapter were developed since 1960. Most may be used to estimate numbers of organisms. Unlike direct microscopic counts, most of the enumeration methods that follow are based on either the metabolic activity of the organisms on given substrates, measurements of growth response, or the measurement of some part of cells.
Ecumenical Dialogue as Exchange of Knowledge Systems

The relationship between theology and the social sciences has often been tenuous, mainly due to methodological differences. However, the relationship between the two is quite evident in such areas as pastoral theology and Christian Education, which combine theology with sociological data. This paper attempts to argue in support of a greater relationship between the two, especially between the areas of ecumenical dialogue and social psychology. It addresses the question: How can ecumenical dialogue be re-thought, in the light of insights from social psychology, in order to give room for progress in ecumenical relations? To do this, the paper borrows insights from social psychology to reappraise the necessity of dialogue and to seek a revision of methodologies for approaching it within theology. It is hoped that such an approach would contribute in advancing ecumenical dialogue at official levels as well as facilitating reception at local levels.
How To Know What You Want Them To Know: Rediscovering Objectives by Reviewing Evaluative Materials.

Abstract Upon reviewing a midterm quiz in a one-credit library course, it was found that, although it fairly evaluated what was actually taught in class, question content, question type, and question weight did not reflect the desired objectives of the class. Further analysis revealed that the objectives themselves were not well defined. Objectives for the second half of the course were reviewed more carefully, and the exercises and the final quiz were designed to reflect the priority of the objectives. The revised objectives improved the second half of the class, and the second and final quiz was a better evaluative tool. A framework for developing well-defined objectives by reviewing evaluative materials based on those objectives is proposed.
Fuselloviruses of Archaea

Fuselloviruses are unique spindle-shaped viruses so far only observed in thermoacidophilic Archaea. Fusellovirus genomes are double-stranded circular DNA from 15 to 17 kbp with little to no similarity to other sequences. Genomes persist in host cells as both episomes and integrated into the host genome. Virus production can be induced by UV-irradiation. Virion production appears not to lyse the host cells, since they reproduce by budding. Fuselloviruses have been found throughout the world and five complete genomes have been reported. Additionally, fusellovirus-like DNA sequences have been found by culture-independent techniques. Virus-plasmid hybrids have also been discovered. Fuselloviruses have been used to make vectors for thermophilic Archaea. Biochemical characterization has focused on the unusual viral tyrosine recombinase integrase. The integrase gene and integration do not appear to be essential. Nonetheless, integration appears to give such viruses a competitive advantage. Two structures of cryptic SSV1 proteins have been determined at atomic resolution. A number of other archaeal viruses have similar morphology to the fuselloviruses, but on closer examination none of them appear to truly belong to this family.
Safety Effectiveness of Variable Speed Limit System in Adverse Weather Conditions on Challenging Roadway Geometry

This paper examined the interaction between roadway geometric characteristics and adverse weather conditions and their impact on crash occurrence on rural variable speed limit freeway corridors through mountainous terrain. As a quantitative measure of the effect of geometrics in adverse weather conditions, a crash frequency safety performance function that used generalized linear regression was developed with explanatory variables including snow, ice, frost, wind, horizontal curvature, and steep grades. This research concluded that the interaction between grades and horizontal curves with weather variables had a significant impact on crash occurrence. The research suggested that distinct variable speed limit strategies should be implemented on segments with challenging roadway geometry.