cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Defects in Cytolysis in Macrophage Activation Syndrome

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), typically presenting beyond the first year of life, is an often lethal cousin of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (fHLH). Defects in natural killer (NK) cell and CD8 T cell cytotoxicity result in a pro-inflammatory cytokine storm, cytopenia, coagulopathy, and multi-organ system dysfunction. MAS can occur in association with infections (herpes viruses), cancer (leukemia), immune deficient states (post-transplantation), and in autoimmune (systemic lupus erythematosus) and autoinflammatory conditions (systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis). The distinction between fHLH, the result of homozygous defects in cytolytic pathway genes, and MAS is becoming blurred with the identification of single or multiple mutations in the same cytolytic pathway genes in patients with later onset MAS. Here, we review the literature and present novel cytolytic pathway gene mutations identified in children with MAS. We study the inhibitory effect of one these novel mutations on NK cell function to suggest a direct link between fHLH and MAS.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF STATE ELECTORATES

Development of a model for estimating public opinion in the fifty states can have a major impact on research in comparative American state politics. Until now the major studies in this field of political science have generally used aggregate electoral data, demographic data, fiscal data, or elite attitudinal studies to analyze state politics and policymaking. The research reported here was designed to give impetus to attempts to use national surveys in such comparative research. With a technique for estimating public opinion from national data, political scientists can begin to examine empirically the relationslhip between public policy preferences and policymaking at subnational levels. Ronald Weber is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University; Anne Hopkins is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Michael Mezey is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Hawaii; and Frank Munger is Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina.
Factor analysis-based information integration for Arabic dialect identification

In this study, we propose a new factor analysis-based modeling technique to more clearly describe the composition of the supervector defined by the GMM model for dialect identification. The method utilizes knowledge types of information contained in the transcript file of the data. We evaluate the effects of the proposed modeling algorithm on a GMM-based Arabic dialect identification system. In particular, we compare eigenchannel modeling and our proposed information integration modeling. We show that the proposed modeling can obtain a 4.23% relative EER reduction with the same total number of factors, and a 9.37% relative EER reduction with the same number of channel/session factors versus eigenchannel modeling.
Size-distribution-dependent optical properties of semiconductor microparticle composites

We report the results of structural and optical studies of semiconductor microparticle composites consisting of small CdSe crystallites embedded in a silicate glass matrix. Raman scattering and x-ray diffraction studies indicate that the microparticles in the present studies are pure CdSe crystallites with a diameter of 6 nm. We outline the analysis of room-temperature optical absorption and photoluminescence data to deduce the particle-size distribution when the band edge is controlled by quantum confinement.
Stimulant drugs as conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in a classical conditioning paradigm

A number of important ways in which drugs interact with learning processes have been identified in studies of the behavioral pharmacology of centrally active drugs. For example, drugs can act as discriminative and as reinforcement stimuli or as unconditioned stimuli eliciting unconditioned responses. Regarding the latter, it has been shown that a number of drug effects can be conditioned to exteroceptive stimuli, providing a mechanism by which drug effects can be transferred from the drug itself to external environment stimulus control. This paper focuses on the development of conditioned drug responses using drug-induced rotational behavior in rats with unilateral lesions of dopamine neurons. A particularly useful advantage of this model is that the drug-induced response is mediated by a specific central nervous system (CNS) substrate and the criterion rotational response is unambiguous and easily quantified. Additionally, different drugs can elicit the same response of rotation but in a different direction (i.e., depending on the drug used to induce rotation, ipsilateral or contralateral to the dopamine-denervated hemisphere). This difference in directionality of drug-induced rotation provides an opportunity to condition responses to different stimulant drugs differentially, which is not possible in the intact animal, since these drugs tend to evoke similar responses (e.g., hyperactivity or stereotypy). Another advantage of directionality differences in rotational responses associated with different stimulant drugs is that one can assess conditioning interactions between drugs. For example, if one drug that elicits an ipsilateral rotation is paired with another drug that elicits contralateral rotation, then, through a conditioning paradigm of paired drug presentations, one might shift the direction of rotation of the one drug used as the conditioned stimulus to that of the other drug used as the unconditioned stimulus. A number of procedures are described in which the anticholinergic drug scopolamine (which elicits ipsilateral rotation) is paired as the conditioned stimulus with the dopaminergic drug apomorphine (which elicits contralateral rotation) as the unconditioned stimulus, and, as a result, the scopolamine comes to elicit contralateral rotation when subsequently given alone. Observation of such effects points to the importance of drug–drug interactions influenced by Pavlovian conditioning processes.
High current (100 mA) InP/InGaAs/InP DHBTs with 330 GHz f/sub max/

We report high f/sub max/ and high current InP/InGaAs/InP DHBT in transferred-substrate technology. The common base device with equivalent emitter size of 128 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ exhibits f/sub max/ of 330 GHz at a current of 100 mA. The common emitter device with emitter area of 64 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ shows f/sub max/ of 371 GHz when biased at 57 mA. The breakdown voltage of these DHBTs is up to 7 V at low current density. All the devices are realized in multi-finger structure that was deliberately designed to improve the thermal stability at high power operation and to reduce the parasitics. To our knowledge, this is the highest f/sub max/ for a DHBT biased at such high current.
Protein C as an early biomarker to distinguish pneumonia from sepsis.

Abstract Purpose Patients with pneumonia often are unrecognized as also having sepsis. We evaluated protein C, as a potential biomarker, to differentiate between patients with pneumonia and sepsis. Materials and Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for all protein C tests over a 14-month period (January 11, 2007, to March 10, 2008) at an 8-hospital system with 1706 total beds. Charts were screened for the discharge diagnoses of sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock, bacteremia, and pneumonia. Protein C levels were compared between patients with sepsis and pneumonia, and at time intervals of 0 to 12 hours, 12 to 24 hours, 24 to 48 hours, and more than 48 hours after diagnosis. Results One thousand forty-seven protein C levels were obtained in 980 patients. Thirty-two protein C levels met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the sepsis group, and 34 for the pneumonia group. Overall, the mean protein C levels were significantly less in patients with sepsis at 59.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5%-68.9%) compared with patients with pneumonia at 108.9% (95% CI, 95.6%-122.3%; P Conclusions In this study, protein C levels performed well in differentiating between patients with sepsis or pneumonia in the early period after diagnosis.
From recruitment to retention

Increased efforts in recruiting minority students have not proven to be enough to address the lack of diversity in the geosciences. A collaborative mentoring culture is needed to permanently change the make-up of our field.
Analysis of adrenocortical steroids in pharmaceutical preparations by high-pressure liquid--liquid chromatography.

Abstract The adrenocortical steroids hydrocortisone, cortisone, hydrocortisone acetate, and cortisone acetate were separated by liquid-liquid chromatography. A commercially prepared reverse- phase cyano ethyl silicone column was used in conjunction with a UV precision photometer. Linearity studies were carried out using the internal standard technique and peak height measurements. Responses of each steroid were linear over the working range when equal injection volumes were used. The results of a study of the controlled decomposition of hydrocortisone in basic solution indicated a good separation of drug from the degradation products. Samples of adrenocortical steroids in various dosage forms, primarily creams and ointments, were analyzed by the proposed procedure, yielding a single steroid assay value and an identification and quantitation of each foreign steroid. The sample preparation was a simple dissolution of the steroid in alcohol plus the addition of an internal standard prior to injection.
INDARE - An indexed DAG of regular expressions for selecting position frequency matrices

The identification of putative motifs in biomolecular sequences or whole genomes/proteomes is frequently based on window-based scanning with position frequency matrices (PFMs). The exponential increase in the amount of sequence data and the growing number of patterns to be screened has resulted in the need for rapid screening methods. In recognition of this, we have developed the Indexed DAG of regular expressions extractor (INDARE), a tool that dynamically extracts regular expressions (REs) for each PFM in the database, and creates a directed acyclic graph of REs. The INDARE generated DAG is very effective in pruning the search space and easily outperforms the naive exhaustive sequential search approach. The method is general enough to be applicable for the identification of motifs in any domain.
Patterns of Comorbidity, Functioning, and Service Use for US Children With ADHD, 2007

OBJECTIVE: To determine patterns of comorbidity, functioning, and service use for US children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Bivariate and multivariable cross-sectional analyses were conducted on data from the 2007 National Survey of Children9s Health on 61 779 children ages 6 to 17 years, including 5028 with ADHD. RESULTS: Parent-reported diagnosed prevalence of ADHD was 8.2%. Children with ADHD were more likely to have other mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Parents reported that 46% of children with ADHD had a learning disability versus 5% without ADHD, 27% vs 2% had a conduct disorder, 18% vs 2% anxiety, 14% vs 1% depression, and 12% vs 3% speech problems (all P CONCLUSIONS: Clinical management of ADHD must address multiple comorbid conditions and manage a range of adverse functional outcomes. Therapeutic approaches should be responsive to each child9s neurodevelopmental profile, tailored to their unique social and family circumstances, and integrated with educational, mental health and social support services.
Schema Extraction and Integration of Heterogeneous XML Document Collections

The availability of vast amounts of heterogeneous XML web data motivates finding efficient methods to search, integrate, query, and present this data. The structure of XML documents is useful for achieving these tasks; however, not every XML document on the web includes a schema. We discuss challenges and accomplishments in the area of generation and integration of XML schemas. We propose and implement a framework for efficient schema extraction and integration from heterogeneous XML document collections collected from the web. Our approach introduces the Schema Extended Context Free Grammar SECFG to model XML schemas, including detection of attributes, data types, and element occurrences. Unlike other implementations, our approach supports the generation of XML schemas in any XML schema language, e.g., DTDs or XSD. We compare our approach with other proposed approaches and conclude that we offer the same or better functionality more efficiently and with greater flexibility.
Contact allergy in cheilitis.

Background Recalcitrant non-actinic cheilitis may indicate contact allergy. Objectives This study aimed to determine the prevalence of allergic contact cheilitis (ACC) in patients with non-actinic cheilitis and to identify the most relevant allergens. Methods We used an institutional database to identify patients with non-actinic cheilitis who underwent patch testing between January 1, 2001, and August 31, 2011, and conducted a retrospective review of patch test results in these patients. Additional data were obtained from institutional electronic medical records. Results Ninety-one patients (70 [77%] female; mean age: 51 years) were included in the study. Almost half (41 [45%]) had a final diagnosis of ACC. Patch testing was performed in line with universally accepted methods, with application on day 1, allergen removal and an initial reading on day 3, and the final reading on day 5. The allergens of most significance were fragrance mix, Myroxylon pereirae resin, dodecyl gallate, octyl gallate, and benzoic acid. Nickel was the most relevant metal allergen. Conclusions Contact allergy is an important consideration in recalcitrant cheilitis. Fragrances, antioxidants, and preservatives dominated the list of relevant allergens in our patients. Nickel and gold were among the top 10 allergens. Almost half (45%) of these patients had a final diagnosis of ACC. Patch testing beyond the oral complete series should be undertaken in any investigation of non-actinic cheilitis.
Recent advances in multidimensional sensor array signal processing

Summary form only given, ESPRIT is a patented technique for high-resolution estimation of signal parameters that exploits an invariance structure designed into the sensor array to achieve a reduction in computational requirements of many orders of magnitude over previous techniques such as MUSIC, Burg's MEM, and Capon's ML, with virtually no loss in performance as measured by parameter estimate variance. Whereas ESPRIT only requires that the sensor array possess a single invariance best visualized by considering tow identical but otherwise arbitrary arrays of sensors displaced (but not rotated) with respect to each other, many arrays currently in use in various applications are uniform arrays of identical sensor elements with displacements in more than one dimension. The uniformly sampled phased-array radar is a typical example, and such systems are commonplace in high-resolution direction finding systems. Such arrays possess many invariances in potentially more than one dimension. Recent developments in extending the concepts behind ESPRIT to multiple invariances and multidimensional parameter spaces were examined. >
Slicing Spam with Occam's Razor

To evade blacklisting, the vast majority of spam email is sent from exploited MTAs (i.e., botnets) and with forged \From" addresses. In response, the anti-spam community has developed a number of domain-based authentication systems { such as SPF and DKIM { to validate the binding between individual domain names and legitimate mail sources for those domains. In this paper, we explore an alternative solution in which the mail recipient requests a real-time armation for each e-mail from the declared sender’s MX of record. The Occam protocol is trivial to implement, oers authenticating power equivalent to SPF and DKIM and, most importantly, forces spammers to deploy and expose blacklistable servers for each domain they use during a campaign. We discuss the details of the protocol, compare its strengths and weaknesses with existing solutions and describe implementation strategies.
Gender and the Communication of Emotion Via Touch.

We reanalyzed a data set consisting of a U.S. undergraduate sample (N = 212) from a previous study (Hertenstein et al. 2006a) that showed that touch communicates distinct emotions between humans. In the current reanalysis, we found that anger was communicated at greater-than-chance levels only when a male comprised at least one member of a communicating dyad. Sympathy was communicated at greater-than-chance levels only when a female comprised at least one member of the dyad. Finally, happiness was communicated only if females comprised the entire dyad. The current analysis demonstrates gender asymmetries in the accuracy of communicating distinct emotions via touch between humans.
Clinical Criteria for Physician Aid in Dying

Abstract More than 20 years ago, even before voters in Oregon had enacted the first aid in dying (AID) statute in the United States, Timothy Quill and colleagues proposed clinical criteria AID. Their proposal was carefully considered and temperate, but there were little data on the practice of AID at the time. (With AID, a physician writes a prescription for life-ending medication for a terminally ill, mentally capacitated adult.) With the passage of time, a substantial body of data on AID has developed from the states of Oregon and Washington. For more than 17 years, physicians in Oregon have been authorized to provide a prescription for AID. Accordingly, we have updated the clinical criteria of Quill, et al., based on the many years of experience with AID. With more jurisdictions authorizing AID, it is critical that physicians can turn to reliable clinical criteria. As with any medical practice, AID must be provided in a safe and effective manner. Physicians need to know (1) how to respond to a patient'...
Quantifying Uncertainty in Batch Personalized Sequential Decision Making

As the amount of data collected from individuals increases, there are more opportunities to use it to offer personalized experiences (e.g., using electronic health records to offer personalized treatments). We advocate applying techniques from batch reinforcement learning to predict the range of effectiveness that policies might have for individuals. We identify three sources of uncertainty and present a method that addresses all of them. It handles the uncertainty caused by population mismatch by modeling the data as a latent mixture of different subpopulations of individuals, it explicitly quantifies data sparsity by accounting for the limited data available about the underlying models, and incorporates intrinsic stochasticity to yield estimated percentile ranges of the effectiveness of a policy for a particular new individual. Using this approach, we highlight some interesting variability in policy effectiveness amongst HIV patients given a prior patient treatment dataset. Our approach highlights the potential benefit of taking into account individual variability and data limitations when performing batch policy evaluation for new individuals.
Tax Issues in Indian Country: A Guide for Practitioners

As American Indian tribes continue to expand their commercial operations and develop their reservation economies, a greater number of non-Indian enterprises will be doing business with Indian tribes and/or operating on Indian reservations. Tax practitioners advising such businesses must, therefore, understand the unique interaction of federal, state, and tribal tax rules that apply in Indian country. This article provides an overview of these rules. After discussing some necessary background material, this article reviews the federal and state tax laws governing Indian tribes and tribal members and the federal, state, and tribal tax issues affecting non-Indian businesses operating on Indian reservations. Federal tax incentives to do business in Indian country, recently extended by the Tax Relief and Healthcare Act of 2006, and a new excise tax on tax shelter participation, included in the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005, are summarized as part of the discussion. Only by understanding these rules and the resulting tax cost (or benefit) can a business fully evaluate the efficacy of venturing into Indian country.
Piercing of nectarless Hemerocallis (Xanthorrhoeaceae) flowers by Xylocopa varipuncta and X. virginica virginica (Apidae)

The native carpenter bee Xylocopa varipuncta frequently made and re-used piercings in tubular corolla bases of nonnative, nectarless Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’ (Stella de Oro Daylily, HSDO) in the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Plaza in downtown Sacramento, California. The bees frequently visited HSDO flowers from mid-morning through late afternoon in August 2014 during the 3-yr, severe California drought. Their foraging bouts were up to 10 floral visits, and they were evidently obtaining cell fluid. Nonnative Apis mellifera extended their proboscides through the piercings, acting as secondary cell-fluid robbers. They also may have pollinated HSDO when they collected its pollen. Hemerocallis-flower piercing by native X. virginica virginica is apparently rare, but in the Wehawken Nature Preserve in Bethesda, Maryland, a female pierced succulent, nectarless flowers of two other Hemerocallis cultivars and three unnamed seedlings, possibly obtaining cell-fluid, learning that the flowers did not have nectar, or both during the wet summer of 2015.
Amputation and Prosthetic Management: Amputation as a Reconstructive Option

Elective amputation has an important role in the management of children with limb deficiencies. Social awareness and acceptance of people with prosthetic limbs has come about in concert with highly functional prostheses, outstanding athletic performance, Paralympic games, and mainstreaming of school children. Parents must become fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of reconstructive options for their child in order to select the treatment which best fits the needs of their child and their family. This chapter reviews the role of amputation in the management of congenital lower limb deficiencies as well as those related to trauma, tumor, and other syndromes.
Sensing and control on the keyhole condition during controlled pulse key-holing plasma arc welding

According to the strategy of controlled pulse key-holing,a new sensing and control system is developed for monitoring and controlling the keyhole condition during plasma arc welding(PAW).Through sensing and processing the efflux plasma voltage signals acquired during the welding processes with different levels of welding current,the quantitative relationship of the welding current,efflux plasma voltage and backside weld width of the weld is established.PAW experiments show that the efflux plasma voltage can reflect the state of keyhole and backside weld width accurately.Based on this,welding experiments under closed-loop control are conducted on ordinary plate and workpiece with varied thermal conditions,which have validated the stability and reliability of the developed keyhole PAW system.
Introducing a New Risk Management Model to the Saudi Arabian Construction Industry

Abstract Research has shown that construction projects in Saudi Arabia have exhibited poor performance for the past three decades. The traditional risk management practices have been ineffective at helping contractors deliver projects on time and within budget while meeting quality expectations. Studies have identified that client decision making is one of the main causes of risks that occur on projects in Saudi Arabia. This paper proposes a new risk management model that can minimize client decision making, and enable the client to utilize expertise, thereby improving project quality and performance. The model is derived from the Information Measurement Theory (IMT) and Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS), both developed at Arizona State University in the United States (U.S.). The model has been tested over 1800 times in both construction and non-construction projects, showing a decrease in required management by owner by up to 80% and an increase in efficiency up to 40%.
Shattering the Marble Ceiling: A Research Note on Women‐Friendly State Legislative Districts

Objective Palmer and Simon's (2008) “women-friendly” district index has proven a useful theoretical and empirical construct for researchers studying congressional elections. In one parsimonious measure, the authors capture 12 factors predicting women's election to the House of Representatives. The construct's utility in other political contexts, however, has not yet been tested. Methods We test the women-friendliness index using a new data set on state legislative elections. Results We find that the women-friendly district index is useful for predicting the election of women in state legislatures. The index's predictive power is robust to institutional variations and surpasses other contextual indicators, such as political culture. Conclusions Our analysis suggests that “women friendliness” is a useful empirical concept with application in multiple political contexts.
In vitro culture of leukemic cells in t(4;11) acute leukemia

In the present study we utilized a semisolid culture system with feeder cells and enriched media to evaluate the growth of acute leukemia associated with the 4;11 chromosomal translocation. We compared growth of t(4;11) leukemia to typical acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANL) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The two cases of t(4;11) leukemia tested exhibited the highest cloning efficiency of cells tested. The growth characteristics of t(4;11) leukemia were more similar to ANL than ALL.
Non-Ising-like two-dimensional superconductivity in a bulk single crystal

Both ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{7}$ and ${\mathrm{Ta}}_{4}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{3}{\mathrm{Te}}_{16}$ crystallize in a monoclinic point group while exhibiting superconducting transition temperatures as high as ${T}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}3.5$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}4.7$ K, respectively. Disorder was claimed to lead to the extremely large upper critical fields (${H}_{c2}$) observed in related compounds. Despite the presence of disorder and heavier elements, ${H}_{c2}\mathrm{s}$ in ${\mathrm{Ta}}_{4}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{3}{\mathrm{Te}}_{16}$ are found to be considerably smaller than those of ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{7}$ while displaying an anomalous, nonsaturating linear dependence on temperature $T$ for fields along all three crystallographic axes. In contrast, crystals of the latter compound displaying the highest ${T}_{c}\mathrm{s}$ display ${H}_{c2}\ensuremath{\propto}{(1\ensuremath{-}T/{T}_{c})}^{1/2}$, which in monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides is claimed to be evidence for an Ising paired superconducting state resulting from strong spin-orbit coupling. This anomalous $T$ dependence indicates that the superconducting state of ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{7}$ is quasi-two-dimensional in nature. This is further supported by a nearly divergent anisotropy in upper-critical fields, i.e., $\ensuremath{\gamma}={H}_{c2}^{b}/{H}_{c2}^{{a}^{\ensuremath{'}}}$, upon approaching ${T}_{c}$. Hence, in ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pd}}_{x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{7}$ the increase of ${T}_{c}$ correlates with a marked reduction in electronic dimensionality as observed, for example, in intercalated FeSe. For the Nb compound, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that an increase in the external field produces an anisotropic orbital response, with especially strong polarization at the Pd sites when the field is perpendicular to their square planar environment. The field also produces an anisotropic spin moment at both Pd sites. Therefore, DFT suggests the field-induced pinning of the spin to the lattice as a possible mechanism for decoupling the superconducting planes.
Bias-variance decomposition of errors in data-driven land cover change modeling

Careful model evaluation is essential for using the results of data-driven land cover change (LCC) models. A useful evaluation should help the analyst understand model behavior and improve model performance. Conventional error analysis methods provide limited insights on these two issues. We propose the use of bias-variance error decomposition (BVD) for LCC model evaluation and investigate its value through a pilot study. We examined the mathematical underpinnings of BVD and applied the approach to a model describing the expansion of development for a county in southeastern Michigan, USA. The spatial structure of the BVD error component maps effectively informed the design of model improvement efforts. We found that bias maps can help detect and eliminate the negative influence of spatial non-stationarity in LCC models, and variance maps can shed light on optimal training sample allocation and ways to mitigate model instability. In our case study, model improvements suggested by BVD showed potential to substantially reduce estimation error. Our analysis also revealed that fast and slow developments can result from different mechanisms even when they are geographically near to each other, and different development types may be best analyzed with separate models. BVD has advantages over conventional error analysis and can deepen our understanding of the underlying LCC process and the sources of modeling error. The BVD insights can help effectively design and apply model improvement strategies. These results and the BVD approach have great generality and are applicable to many other geospatial models.
Cell Isolation from Tissue

In the past several decades, cell transplantation has been growing widespread as one of the most promising treatments for different diseases. However, the methods of cell isolation are not optimized at the current time. Therefore, the choice of one technique over another has often been arbitrary and based more on individual experiences rather than on an understanding of why a certain method works and what modifications could lead it to an even better outcome. The goal of a cell isolation procedure is to optimize the yield of functionally viable, isolated cells. As cell isolation is a complex procedure, many factors affect its outcome. Type of tissue, donor’s body mass index and age, cold ischemia during organ preservation, dissociation medium, dissociation enzyme(s), impurities in enzyme preparations, concentration(s) of enzyme(s), and digestion time are among the factors that affect the cell isolation outcome. Researchers searching the literature for information on the ideal enzymes and optimal conditions for tissue dissociation often have to deal with conflicting data. Much of the variation stems from the complex and dynamic nature of the extracellular matrix in different tissues and the undefined enzyme preparations used for cell isolation applications. This article summarizes different tissue/cell isolation protocols to achieve a logical approach for establishing a specific cell isolation standard operating procedure (SOP).
Direct Observation of Ordered and Disordered Membrane Domains in B Cell Plasma Membranes using Multi-Color Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy and Application to B Cell Receptor Signaling

Many immune receptors are hypothesized to be correlated with domains of unique membrane composition, sometimes termed “lipid rafts,” which modulate activity of the receptor during the immune response. This compositional heterogeneity is hypothesized to be analogous to liquid ordered/ liquid disordered (lo/ld) phase separation observed in giant unilamellar vesicles and in vesicles harvested from the plasma membrane. However, their existence and behavior has been difficult to measure directly due to the small size of these domains and the small difference between the composition of the domain and the rest of the plasma membrane. Here, we utilize multi-color super-resolution microscopy (STORM and PALM) to quantitate the local density of various ld or lo preferring membrane probes around B cell receptor (BCR) clusters. We show in control measurements that ld or lo preferring membrane probes have differential partitioning around clusters of proteins having strong phase preference. Clusters of lo preferring cholera toxin subunit B are enriched in lo probe and depleted of ld probe. Inversely, clusters of an ld preferring transmembrane peptide are depleted of lo probe and enriched in ld probe. We apply this technique to BCR, which is thought to anchor a raft domain during antigen binding. We find that BCR clusters in chemically fixed and live cells are enriched in lo probe and depleted of ld probe, indicating a lo-like composition is anchored around BCR clusters. We find that this anchored domain is sensitive to the ambient temperature and receptor phosphorylation. These experiments also quantitate the contribution of membrane composition on the interaction between Lyn and the BCR. These results show that lipid-mediated forces can play important roles in organizing proteins during signaling processes.
A prospective study of cerebral, frontal lobe, and temporal lobe volumes and neuropsychological performance in children with primary brain tumors treated with cranial radiation.

BACKGROUND Cranial radiation therapy (RT) is an important component in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors. However, it can result in long-term effects on the developing brain. This prospective study assessed the effects of cranial RT on cerebral, frontal lobe, and temporal lobe volumes and their correlation with higher cognitive functioning. METHODS Ten pediatric patients with primary brain tumors treated with cranial RT and 14 age- and sex-matched healthy children serving as controls were evaluated. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological assessments (language, memory, auditory and visual processing, and vocabulary) were performed at the baseline and 6, 15, and 27 months after RT. The effects of age, the time since RT, and the cerebral RT dose on brain volumes and neuropsychological performance were analyzed with linear mixed effects model analyses. RESULTS Cerebral volume increased significantly with age in both groups (P = .01); this increase in volume was more pronounced in younger children. Vocabulary performance was found to be significantly associated with a greater cerebral volume (P = .05) and a lower RT dose (P = .003). No relation was observed between the RT dose and the cerebral volume. There was no difference in the corresponding neuropsychological tests between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study found significant relations among the RT dose, cerebral volumes, and rate of vocabulary development among children receiving RT. The results of this study provide further support for clinical trials aimed at reducing cranial RT doses in the pediatric population. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements of multi-phonon and free-carrier absorption in ZnO

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements were carried out on thin films and bulk single crystals of ZnO over a wide temperature range to study the free-carrier and multi-phonon infrared absorptions and the effects of hydrogen incorporation on these properties. Aluminum-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on quartz substrates using atomic-layer deposition (ALD) and sol–gel methods. Hall-effect measurements showed that the ALD films have a resistivity of ρ = 1.11 × 10−3 Ω cm, three orders of magnitude lower than sol–gel films (ρ = 1.25 Ω cm). This result is consistent with the significant difference in their free-carrier absorption as revealed by FTIR spectra obtained at room temperature. By reducing the temperature to 80 K, the free carriers were frozen out, and their absorption spectrum was suppressed. From the FTIR measurements on ZnO single crystals that were grown by the chemical vapor transport method, we identified a shoulder around 3350 cm−1 and associated it with the presence of two or more hydrogen ions in a Zn vacancy. After reducing the hydrogen level in the crystal, the measurements revealed the multi-phonon absorption of ZnO in the range of 700–1200 cm−1. This study shows that the multi-phonon absorption bands can be completely masked by the presence of a large concentration of hydrogen in the crystals.
Performance's mode of reproduction I: searching for Danh Võ’s mother

This essay returns to key debates in performance theory regarding the relationship between performance and reproduction, offering a Marxian inflected theory of performance’s mode of reproduction. It suggests that both performance theory and Marxist theory appropriate the mother function in describing performance’s mode of reproduction and the reproduction of capital, while displacing the mother in the process. Through a reading of the work of contemporary artist Danh Vo, the essay explores how performance’s mode of reproduction can affect the reproduction and sustenance of minoritarian life against historical, social, and economic forces of elision, erasure, and annihilation.
A community-based randomized controlled trial of Mom Power parenting intervention for mothers with interpersonal trauma histories and their young children

We conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of Mom Power, a multifamily parenting intervention to improve mental health and parenting among high-risk mothers with young children in a community-based randomized controlled trial (CB-RCT) design. Participants (N = 122) were high-risk mothers (e.g., interpersonal trauma histories, mental health problems, poverty) and their young children (age 65%) despite the risk nature of the sample. Overall, we found improvements in mental health and parenting stress for Mom Power participants but not for controls; in contrast, control mothers increased in parent-child role reversal across the trial period. The benefits of Mom Power treatment (vs. control) were accentuated for mothers with interpersonal trauma histories. Results of this CB-RCT confirm the effectiveness of Mom Power for improving mental health and parenting outcomes for high-risk, trauma-exposed women with young children. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01554215
Beneficial Effects of Prebiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mannan on Allergic Asthma Mouse Models

One of the unmet needs for asthma management is a new therapeutic agent with both anti-inflammatory and anti-smooth muscle (ASM) remodeling effects. The mannose receptor (MR) family plays an important role in allergen uptake and processing of major allergens Der p 1 and Fel d 1. We have previously reported that ASM cells express a mannose receptor (ASM-MR) and that mannan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC-MN) inhibits mannosyl-rich lysosomal hydrolase-induced bovine ASM cell proliferation. Using a humanized transgenic mouse strain (huASM-MRC2) expressing the human MRC2 receptor in a SM tissue-specific manner, we have demonstrated that ASM hyperplasia/hypertrophy can occur as early as 15 days after allergen challenge in this mouse model and this phenomenon is preventable with SC-MN treatment. This proof-of-concept study would facilitate future development of a potential asthma therapeutic agent with dual function of anti-inflammatory and anti-smooth muscle remodeling effects.
Search for Dark Matter Annihilation in Galaxy Groups

We use 413 weeks of publicly available Fermi Pass 8 gamma-ray data combined with recently developed galaxy group catalogs to search for evidence of dark matter annihilation in extragalactic halos. In our study, we use luminosity-based mass estimates and mass-to-concentration relations to infer the $J$ factors and associated uncertainties for hundreds of galaxy groups within a redshift range $z\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.03$. We employ a conservative substructure boost factor model, which only enhances the sensitivity by an $\mathcal{O}(1)$ factor. No significant evidence for dark matter annihilation is found, and we exclude thermal relic cross sections for dark matter masses below $\ensuremath{\sim}30\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ to 95% confidence in the $b\overline{b}$ annihilation channel. These bounds are comparable to those from Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies. The results of our analysis increase the tension but do not rule out the dark matter interpretation of the Galactic Center excess. We provide a catalog of the galaxy groups used in this study and their inferred properties, which can be broadly applied to searches for extragalactic dark matter.
Some thoughts on the relation between derived relational responding and verbal behavior

The present paper critically examines the bold claims of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) advocates that RFT is a comprehensive approach to the phenomena referred to in traditional parlance as language and cognition, and is manifestly preferable in both scope and detail to that found in B. F. Skinner’s book Verbal Behavior. Although some data do indicate a high positive correlation between derived relational responding and verbal behavior, in keeping with RFT, other data indicate at best a low correlation. The reasons for the differences between expected and actual correlations across the several data sets are not clear. We conclude that despite the value of RFT, the nature and causes of derived relational responding, as well as the relation between derived relational responding and verbal behavior more generally, remain an important area of investigation.
Technology as a tool in teaching quantitative biology at the secondary and undergraduate levels: a review

Since the publication of the National Research Council’s Report BIO2010, efforts have increased to better integrate mathematics and biology in undergraduate education. Unfortunately, equivalent efforts to introduce these quantitative topics at the secondary level have been seldom. This could cause differential success of undergraduate students who come from diverse secondary science backgrounds. Undergraduate courses regularly use technology to integrate these two disciplines, and we believe that technology can similarly be used at the secondary level to prevent quantitative achievement mismatch in undergraduate biology programmes. In this paper, we review the current uses of technology to teach quantitative biology at the secondary and undergraduate levels, propose needs for further implementation, and address potential barriers to integrating mathematics and biology using technology.
A generalized, ordinary, finite deformation constitutive correspondence model for peridynamics

Abstract A finite deformation constitutive framework for peridynamics that uses generalized Kirchhoff stress measures as intermediate quantities in computing the peridynamic material point interactions is proposed. It is shown to be a generalization of a previous finite deformation constitutive correspondence theory and has additional useful properties. The new model is shown to be an ordinary material model and therefore conserves angular momentum without additional restrictions. Additionally, it does not suffer from well-known “surface effects” present in some peridynamic material models, has improved material stability properties, and allows for inclusion of elasto-plastic behavior in a straightforward manner.
Relationship Between Health Outcomes and Health Factors: Analysis of 2016 Data in the Pacific Northwest Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings and Roadmaps

Intuitively, we have an understanding that Health Outcomes are related to Health Factors. In general, better Health Factors lead to better Health Outcomes. However, that relationship is complex and follow nonlinear dynamics. In many instances, some geographic areas have much better (or worse!) Health Outcomes than would be predicted by their Health Factors. In this study, we investigate that complex relationship in the counties in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. We have found a unique binomial relationship with distinct computational signatures. Understanding this complex relationship is important as it has fundamental and practical implications for improving health disparities.
Laser Stimulated Chemical Vapor Deposition of Metals on Polyimides

Polyimides are of great interest as insulators for microelectronic fabrication due to their low dielectric constant and planarizing properties. LCVD has been used to deposit material on a wide variety of substrates and for many microelectronic applications. We focus on the laser CVD of nickel on polyimide and the effects of this deposition on the electrical and mechanical surface properties of polyimides. We report on the effects of writing speed, laser power and reactant pressure on the deposition characteristics as well as the effects of the deposition on the underlying polyimide. A review of the microelectronic applications of metal depositions on polyimides will also be presented.
Modeling and Simulation of SMB Technology for Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemical Applications

The application of UOP Sorbex* simulated moving bed (SMB) technology for pharmaceutical separations is described. The marked differences between pharmaceutical and conventional bulk separations, makes predicting initial starting conditions difficult unless a well-defined modeling strategy is used. The dispersion and mass transfer coefficients of the adsorbent bed are determined using well-known correlations. Langmuir isotherms were measured using breakthrough tests. A one-dimensional, axial-dispersed plug flow, linear driving-force model for the SMB process is solved using finite differences and a Newton Raphson iterative procedure. The model results are compared with experimental results for separation of 3-chloro-l-phenyl-propanol (CPP), a drug intermediate in the manufacture of flouxetine.
"The Mouse People": Murine genetics work at the Bussey Institution, 1909-1936

Les travaux de recherche des etudiants de Castle (W.E.) sur l'exploration du potentiel genetique des souris effectues a l'institution Bussey de Haward sont decrits
Algorithm design methodology for embedded architectures

Power efficiency is a critical constraint for embedded systems. To address this many technological innovations are being proposed by the community. However, leveraging such advances also requires algorithmic solutions to handle the potential for run-time errors due to near threshold computing. In this work we plan to develop algorithmic innovations and optimizations for power efficiency in the emerging landscape of embedding computing platforms. We also plan to develop resilient run-time systems and incorporate resiliency in algorithmic solutions. In this paper we briefly describe our design methodology employed in the TAPAS (Tunable Algorithms for PERFECT Architectures) project. The TAPAS project is funded under the DARPA PERFECT (Power Efficiency Revolution for Embedded Computing Technologies) program.