cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oxidative Stress Causes Renal Dopamine D1 Receptor Dysfunction and Hypertension via Mechanisms That Involve Nuclear Factor-κB and Protein Kinase C

Renal dopamine, via activation of D1 receptors, plays a role in maintaining sodium homeostasis and BP. There exists a defect in renal D1 receptor function in hypertension, diabetes, and aging, conditions that are associated with oxidative stress. However, the exact underlying mechanism of the oxidative stress–mediated impaired D1 receptor signaling and hypertension is not known. The effect of oxidative stress on renal D1 receptor function was investigated in healthy animals. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received tap water (vehicle) and 30 mM l-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an oxidant, with and without 1 mM tempol for 2 wk. Compared with vehicle, BSO treatment caused oxidative stress and increase in BP, which was accompanied by defective D1 receptor G-protein coupling and loss of natriuretic response to SKF38393. BSO treatment also increased NF-κB nuclear translocation, protein kinase C (PKC) activity and expression, G-protein–coupled receptor kinase-2 (GRK-2) membranous translocation, and D1 receptor serine phosphorylation. In BSO-treated rats’ supplementation of tempol decreased oxidative stress, normalized BP, and restored D1 receptor G-protein coupling and natriuretic response to SKF38393. Tempol also normalized NF-κB translocation, PKC activity and expression, GRK-2 sequestration, and D1 receptor serine phosphorylation. In conclusion, these results show that oxidative stress activates NF-κB, causing an increase in PKC activity, which leads to GRK-2 translocation and subsequent D1 receptor hyper–serine phosphorylation and uncoupling. The functional consequence of this phenomenon was the inability of SKF38393 to inhibit Na/K-ATPase activity and promote sodium excretion, which may have contributed to increase in BP. Tempol reduced oxidative stress and thereby restored D1 receptor function and normalized BP.
Evaluating alert fatigue over time to EHR-based clinical trial alerts: findings from a randomized controlled study

Objective Inadequate participant recruitment is a major problem facing clinical research. Recent studies have demonstrated that electronic health record (EHR)-based, point-of-care, clinical trial alerts (CTA) can improve participant recruitment to certain clinical research studies. Despite their promise, much remains to be learned about the use of CTAs. Our objective was to study whether repeated exposure to such alerts leads to declining user responsiveness and to characterize its extent if present to better inform future CTA deployments. Methods During a 36-week study period, we systematically documented the response patterns of 178 physician users randomized to receive CTAs for an ongoing clinical trial. Data were collected on: (1) response rates to the CTA; and (2) referral rates per physician, per time unit. Variables of interest were offset by the log of the total number of alerts received by that physician during that time period, in a Poisson regression. Results Response rates demonstrated a significant downward trend across time, with response rates decreasing by 2.7% for each advancing time period, significantly different from zero (flat) (p<0.0001). Even after 36 weeks, response rates remained in the 30%e40% range. Subgroup analyses revealed differences between community-based versus university-based physicians (p¼0.0489). Discussion CTA responsiveness declined gradually over prolonged exposure, although it remained reasonably high even after 36 weeks of exposure. There were also notable differences between community-based versus university-based users. Conclusions These findings add to the limited literature on this form of EHR-based alert fatigue and should help inform future tailoring, deployment, and further study of CTAs.
What is usability in the context of the digital library and how can it be measured

This paper reviews how usability has been defined in the context of the digital library, what methods have been applied and their applicability, and proposes an evaluation model and a suite of instruments for evaluating usability for academic digital libraries. The model examines effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, and learnability. It is found that there exists an interlocking relationship among effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. It also examines how learnability interacts with these three attributes.
Fighting for the story's life: Non-closure in journalistic narrative

This article develops the concept of non-closure in sustained news stories, based on the case study of Ron Arad, an Israeli soldier who was taken captive in 1986 and whose story still continues to ...
An Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Vicarious Trauma Scale in a Sample of Licensed Social Workers

Vicarious trauma (VT) involves affective distress and shifts in cognitive schemas following secondary exposure to traumatic material. The Vicarious Trauma Scale (VTS) is a brief measure designed to assess distress resulting from such exposure and has potential as a screening tool for VT in practice and educational settings. The current study is the first examination of the psychometric properties of the VTS in a sample of social workers (n = 157) collected in a cross-sectional survey. Results from item response models (IRM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggest the VTS has good to excellent psychometric properties and could be a general screening tool for exposure to traumatic material or distressed clients and a measure of the affective and cognitive impact of such exposure. Both CFA and IRM approaches suggest a two-dimensional solution for the VTS, corresponding to cognitive and affective components. Implications for research and applications to practice are discussed.
Models Wanted: Must Fit Dimensions of Sleep and Dreaming

During waking and sleep, the brain and mind undergo a tightly linked and precisely specified set of changes in state. At the level of neurons, this process has been modeled by variations of Volterra-Lotka equations for cyclic fluctuations of brainstem cell populations. However, neural network models based upon rapidly developing knowledge of the specific population connectivities and their differential responses to drugs have not yet been developed. Furthermore, only the most preliminary attempts have been made to model across states. Some of our own attempts to link rapid eye movement (REM) sleep neurophysiology and dream cognition using neural network approaches are summarized in this paper.
A multivariate model exploring the predictive value of demographic, adolescent, and family factors on glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Objective The current study examined how a comprehensive set of variables from multiple domains, including at the adolescent and family level, were predictive of glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods Participants included 100 adolescents with T1D ages 10–16 yrs and their parents. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study about youth decision-making involvement in chronic illness management of which the baseline data were available for analysis. Bivariate associations with glycemic control (HbA1C) were tested. Hierarchical linear regression was implemented to inform the predictive model. Results In bivariate analyses, race, family structure, household income, insulin regimen, adolescent-reported adherence to diabetes self-management, cognitive development, adolescent responsibility for T1D management, and parent behavior during the illness management discussion were associated with HbA1c. In the multivariate model, the only significant predictors of HbA1c were race and insulin regimen, accounting for 17% of the variance. Caucasians had better glycemic control than other racial groups. Participants using pre-mixed insulin therapy and basal-bolus insulin had worse glycemic control than those on insulin pumps. Conclusions This study shows that despite associations of adolescent and family-level variables with glycemic control at the bivariate level, only race and insulin regimen are predictive of glycemic control in hierarchical multivariate analyses. This model offers an alternative way to examine the relationship of demographic and psychosocial factors on glycemic control in adolescents with T1D.
Evaluating the success of acquisitions departments: A literature review

Abstract The acquisitions department provides a vital service for the entire library process. However, methods of evaluation for the productivity of the department are rare. A review of the literature was conducted to find studies that provide objective measures for the evaluation of the acquisitions department. Several studies were found, but few have been replicated outside of the originating library. Further application of these models is needed to develop criteria for evaluation and new areas for further research in acquisitions.
Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research celebrates its anniversary.

Cardiovascular diseases are known as the disorders of the heart and the blood vessels, which claim 17.1 million lives a year worldwide (World Health Organization, 2010). In the United States, almost in every 34 s, someone dies from the diseases, and each year there are 6 million hospitalizations accounting for near $300 billion healthcare cost due to the diseases.[1] The major risk factors contributing to cardiovascular diseases include heredity, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and high blood cholesterol level.[2] Although a healthy diet, physical exercise, and avoiding smoking can effectively prevent cardiovascular diseases, combined medications with statin drugs to reduce blood cholesterol and the drugs to lower blood pressure are required to lighten the burden of the diseases.
Acetylcholine-induced liquid secretion by bronchial epithelium: role of Cl- and HCO-3 transport

Inhibitors of Cl− and HCO 3 − secretion reduce acetylcholine-induced liquid, but not mucin, secretion by bronchial submucosal glands [S. K. Inglis, M. R. Corboz, A. E. Taylor, and S. T. Ballard. Am...
Glyburide administration reduces anxiety-like behaviors and mild cognitive impairment induced by short-term high-fat diet feeding exhibiting a role for the hippocampus and amygdala

Obesity-associated comorbidities such as cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behaviors have been an increasing burden to public health. Therefore we investigated the role that increased dietary fat intake from a high-fat diet (HFD) feeding (60% kcals from fat) compared to a low-fat diet (LFD) feeding (10% kcals from fat) has on these comorbidities. C57BL/6J mice were fed a LFD or HFD for three weeks starting at 3–4 weeks of age and administered either saline or glyburide i.p. prior to testing on novel object location (NOL), a hippocampal-sensitive task, novel object recognition (NOR), an amygdala-sensitive task, as well as the elevated zero maze (EZM). After 1 week of HFD feeding, animals administered glyburide did not recover object discrimination in NOR when compared to LFD controls but NOL remained unimpaired. However, glyburide administration recovered object discrimination in the NOR and NOL task after 3 weeks of HFD feeding when compared to LFD controls. HFD mice treated with glyburide after 3 weeks of feeding performed similarly to LFD treated animals on the EZM but differed within saline animals. After 1 week of HFD feeding, no impact on GSH:GSSG was observed however after 3 weeks of HFD reduced GSH:GSSG when compared to LFD in the amygdala and hippocampus. These data suggest that glyburide acts as a mediator of oxidative stress to reduce HFD-induced cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behaviors.
Measuring the Heritability of Characters of Honeybees

SummaryParent-offspring regression, intra-sire regression of offspring on dam, and sibling analysis, were examined for their usefulness in estimating heritabilities of characters of the honeybee (Apismellifera). These examinations indicate the allowances required for sibling workers with a coefficient of relationship of 0·75, and provide an approach to evaluate the usefulness of selecting breeding queens on the basis of their response, although the aim is improvement of response in worker progeny. Consideration is given to the consequences of a character being an attribute of individual workers, of groups of workers, or of queens.
Code Section 1031 Swap-and-Drops Thirty Years after Magneson

Thirty years have passed since the Ninth Circuit decided Magneson, granting section 1031 nonrecognition to an exchange of property that preceded the exchangers’ immediate contribution of the replacement property to a partnership. The Magneson opinion establishes that a person can satisfy the section 1031 holding and use requirements, even though the person receives property with the intent to transfer to another entity tax free. A handful of cases, at both the federal and state levels, confirm the holding in Magneson and show that its scope extends beyond the facts in that case. This article reviews Magneson and the cases that have followed. It also considers some of the theoretical issues raised by Magneson, such as whether the type of state-law entity could affect the application of Magneson, and concludes that those issues should not affect the application of the principal holding in Magneson — a valid section 1031 exchange can precede a contribution of property to a tax partnership, regardless of its state-law form.
A Systems Toxicology-based Approach Reveals Biological Pathways Dysregulated by Prenatal Arsenic Exposure

Abstract Background Prenatal exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with dysregulated fetal gene and protein expression. Potential biological mechanisms that underlie these changes include, but are not limited to, changes to the epigenome. Objective The aim of the present study was to identify whether the expression of key genes, proteins, or both and their associated biological pathways are perturbed by compiling datasets from studies on prenatal arsenic exposure. Methods We compiled datasets from 12 studies that analyzed the relationship between prenatal iAs exposure and changes to the fetal epigenome (5-methyl cytosine), transcriptome (mRNA expression), and/or proteome (protein expression). Findings Across the 12 studies, a set of 845 unique genes was identified and found to enrich for their role in biological pathways, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, and the glucocorticoid receptor. Tumor necrosis factor was identified as a putative cellular regulator underlying most (n = 277) of the identified iAs-associated gene or protein expression changes. Conclusions The identification of the common set of genes across numerous human cohorts suggests a conserved biological response to prenatal arsenic exposure. The genes/proteins and their associated pathways may be useful in future mechanistic investigations of iAs associated diseases.
Clinical Experience with Ceramic on Ceramic in the USA

Ceramic on Ceramic total hip arthroplasty (THR) has had a very long history as a low wear bearing material. With initial problems related to primarily fixation. That problem seemed to be solved with the advent of reliable cementless components, and the uncoupling of bearing and fixation functions. In the United States, 11 years have now passed since the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved studies began, and four years have elapsed since the FDA approved the first Ceramic-Ceramic hip replacements for general use. Although the results of these multiple studies have continued to demonstrate the superior wear bearings of ceramics, the advent of highly cross-linked polyethylene, the relative lack of liner and ball head options, the occasional fracture, and now the report of an occasional squeaking hip have impeded more robust acceptance of these advanced bearing devices.
Small Satellite Constellations for Data Driven Atmospheric Remote Sensing

Nanosatellite missions flying microwave radiometers for high-resolution microwave sounding are quickly proliferating, as microwave instrumentation is particularly well suited for implementation on a very small satellite, as the sensor requirements for power, pointing, and spatial resolution (aperture size) can be accommodated by a nanosatellite platform. The first mission, the Microsized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite (MicroMAS), will demonstrate temperature sounding in nine channels near 118 GHz. MicroMAS is currently onboard the International Space Station awaiting deployment for a 100-day mission. The Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) cubesat will demonstrate multi-band atmospheric sounding and co-located GPS radio occultation. MiRaTA will launch in early 2016, and will fly a tri-band sounder (60, 183, and 206 GHz) and a GPS radio occultation (GPS-RO) sensor. We present recent work to develop and demonstrate nanosatellite technologies for earth atmospheric remote sensing using microwave radiometry, and describe approaches for transitioning these new technologies into new research constellation missions to provide unprecedented measurement capabilities. Of particular interest is the potential of the constellation to provide data-driven sensing capabilities.
Rare Syndromes and Common Variants of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene in Human Obesity

Rare genetic disorders that cause BDNF haploinsufficiency, such as WAGR syndrome, 11p deletion, and 11p inversion, serve as models for understanding the role of BDNF in human energy balance and neurocognition. Patients with BDNF haploinsufficiency or inactivating mutations of the BDNF receptor exhibit hyperphagia, childhood-onset obesity, intellectual disability, and impaired nociception. Prader–Willi, Smith–Magenis, and ROHHAD syndromes are separate genetic disorders that do not directly affect the BDNF locus but share many similar clinical features with BDNF haploinsufficiency, and BDNF insufficiency is believed to possibly contribute to the pathophysiology of each of these conditions. In the general population, common variants of BDNF that affect BDNF gene expression or BDNF protein processing have also been associated with modest alterations in energy balance and cognitive functioning. Thus, variable degrees of BDNF insufficiency appear to contribute to a spectrum of excess weight gain and cognitive impairment that ranges in phenotypic severity. In this modern era of precision medicine, genotype-specific therapies aimed at increasing BDNF signaling in patients with rare and common disorders associated with BDNF insufficiency could serve as useful approaches for treating obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Model Reliability Analysis and Data Sufficiency Evaluation for Sustainable Groundwater Management in Semi-Arid Regions

Sustainable groundwater resources management involves meeting today’s needs while simultaneously considering the projected needs of future generations. This is inherently a multiobjective problem, and diverse stakeholders and decision -makers have different views on what current and future needs are. At the same time simulation models, which are key tools used to evaluate future impacts of decisions over water resources, are subject to uncertainty that stems from incomplete knowledge of aquifer hydraulic properties as well as initial and boundary conditions. The main goals of this research are: 1) to quantify how uncertainty is propagated from the model and parameter spaces to the decision space, and 2) to assess the data needs that arise from reliability requirements in model application. Uncertainty propagation from the parameter space to the management space is evaluated using a first -order analysis and multiobjective optimization. The methodology is demonstrated by a synthetic case study where sustainable basin -wide optimal groundwater management policies are sought. Sustainability in this case refers to the aquifer’s ability to maintain surface base flows that depend on groundwater table levels. In semi-arid regions groundwater is the main or unique local source of water supply for human and ecological uses, while imported water usually has to be conveyed from a long distance at a high cost. In such conditions there are many stakeholders involved in decision-making regarding water resources, and therefore ambiguity in the definition of suitable m anagement objectives must be taken into account. The ultimate questions to be answered are: 1) whether it is possible to achieve sustainability within a prescribed planning horizon, 2) what are the actions to be taken, 3) what are the tradeoffs between present and future generations’ needs, and 4) whether these conclusions can be significantly affected by the availability of additional hydrological data.
Crossing borders: trends in Operations and Global Supply Chain Management

The management of global supply chains and the impact of 3BL do not represent a rupture but rather another stage of evolution in the expansion of scope that the area of operations management has been experiencing since the beginning of the 20th Century. It is a fact, however, that the current stage of evolution is occurring in a more accelerated rate than in previous stages and it is also a fact that the levels of volatility, complexity and social pressure on supply chains today and in the future do not have historical precedence. This is one of the reasons why logistics and supply chains will continue to be important factors of differentiation in the market for a long time in the future. But what are the future tendencies for the management of supply chains and how should managers prepare themselves for these tendencies? The goal of this article is to briefly revisit the history of the field and then explore these questions.
Design of the Photovoltaic Roof Power Generation System

New energy application is one of the seven strategic new industries in China,and the solar photovoltaic power generation is an important field of new energy.In the paper,the power design process and application prospect of the small-size photovoltaic roof power generation system are introduced in detail.And the whole set of solutions for small-size photovoltaic roof power generation design is also presented.The implementation of photovoltaic roof power generation can give support for the equipment development and experiment of large-scale photovoltaic and also valuable experience for the design of giant photovoltaic power plant.
Straight-line closure: a preliminary to Millard closure in unilateral cleft lips (with a history of the straight-line closure, including the Mirault misunderstanding).

A series of 25 patients shows the advantages of a two-stage sequence for closure of the complete unilateral cleft lip (straight-line closure-Millard rotation advancement closure “SLC-RAC”). The history of the straight-line closure forms a continuum from the first century A.D. and includes the Mirault repair.
Precleans challenges on middle-of-the-line contacts for 14nm technologies and beyond

In-situ dry cleans of silicon-based surfaces preceding the metallization process step have a crucial impact on contact resistance, yield and reliability of middle-of-the-line (MOL) local interconnects. Existing precleaning techniques meet numerous challenges predominantly originated from reduced device geometries such as critical dimensions enlargements, epitaxial junctions gouging and insufficient native oxide removal. Reactive chemical cleans employing remote plasma assisted with NF3/NH3 gas mixtures designated as SiCoNi™ include complex etchant-surface interactions. This report discusses junction-to-metal interfacial aspects of physical and chemical precleans applied to MOL contacts. The fundamental mechanisms that govern clean efficiency of MOL contacts are analyzed in order to insure the manufacturability of defect-free local interconnects.
Transport Properties and Electronic Structure of Quasicrystals

Transport and specific heat measurements will be discussed on selected icosahedral crystals and their related structural phases to examine the effects of randomness, icosahedral symmetry, and atomic potential on electronic properties. We report the observation of Fermi-surface and Jones-zone boundary interactions and stress their importance in the stability of icosahedral phases. Unusual electronic structure and conductivity behavior in highly ordered icosahedral crystals will be discussed. The effects of structural order on electronic properties and the propensity toward a metal-insulator transition in the AlMnSi, AlCuFe, and AlCuRu systems are ascribed to band-structure effects. Transport in decagonal phases will also be discussed.
Collecting and Applying Usability Data from Distance Learners.

ABSTRACTGrowth of their college's off-campus and online course offerings led librarians at SUNY Oswego to run usability tests with off-campus students to compensate for a lack of responses from this population during earlier usability testing. Constraints on testing with off-campus students included lack of funding and librarian time, as well as difficulty in attracting student participation. A brief usability study that could be completed by students in the first 10 minutes of class was devised, consisting of a first click test, a survey question, and a top task analysis activity. The study was conducted with 22 students from a satellite-campus Master's in Education program. Discussion includes selecting appropriate tests, analysis of study results, and application of data for improving Website design and information literacy instruction in an academic library.
Early local immune defences in the respiratory tract

The respiratory immune response consists of multiple tiers of cellular responses that are engaged in a sequential manner in order to control infections. The stepwise engagement of effector functions with progressively increasing host fitness costs limits tissue damage. In addition, specific mechanisms are in place to promote disease tolerance in response to respiratory infections. Environmental factors, obesity and the ageing process can alter the efficiency and regulation of this tiered response, increasing pathology and mortality as a result. In this Review, we describe the cell types that coordinate pathogen clearance and tissue repair through the serial secretion of cytokines, and discuss how the environment and comorbidity influence this response.
Making too clean a break

Experiments in physics can be of two broad types. On the one hand are those that set off into unknown territory to uncover unexpected regularities. On the other are those that carefully check predictions in a field where understanding is supposed to be complete. There is always the possibility that results will not emerge as planned, setting off a scramble to account for the discrepancy.
Gravitational Radiation Instability in Hot Young Neutron Stars

We show that gravitational radiation drives an instability in hot young rapidly rotating neutron stars. This instability occurs primarily in the l=2 r-mode and will carry away most of the angular momentum of a rapidly rotating star by gravitational radiation. On the timescale needed to cool a young neutron star to about T=10^9 K (about one year) this instability can reduce the rotation rate of a rapidly rotating star to about 0.076\Omega_K, where \Omega_K is the Keplerian angular velocity where mass shedding occurs. In older colder neutron stars this instability is suppressed by viscous effects, allowing older stars to be spun up by accretion to larger angular velocities.
Modeling Melodic Improvisation in Turkish Folk Music Using Variable-length Markov Models

The paper describes a new database, which currently consists of 64 songs encompassing approximately 6600 notes, and a system, which uses Variable-Length Markov Models (VLMM) to predict the melodies in the uzun hava (long tune) form, a melodic structure in Turkish folk music. The work shows VLMMs are highly predictive. This suggests that variable-length Markov models (VLMMs) may be applied to makam-based and non-metered musical forms, in addition to Western musical traditions. To the best of our knowledge, the work presents the first symbolic, machine readable database of uzun havas and the first application of predictive modeling in Turkish folk music.
Differences in cell cycle characteristics among patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

The proliferative characteristics of myeloid leukemias were defined in vivo after intravenous infusions of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in 40 patients. The percentage of S-phase cells obtained from the biopsies (mean, 20%) were significantly higher (P = .00003) than those determined from the bone marrow (BM) aspirates (mean, 9%). The post-BrdU infusion BM aspirates from 40 patients were incubated with tritiated thymidine in vitro. These double-labeled slides were utilized to determine the duration of S-phase (Ts) in myeloblasts and their total cell cycle time (Tc). The Ts varied from four to 49 hours (mean, 19 hours; median, 17 hours). Similarly, there were wide variations in Tc of individual patients ranging from 16 to 292 hours (mean, 93 hours; median, 76 hours). There was no relationship between Tc and the percentage of S-phase cells, but there was a good correlation between Tc and Ts (r = .8). Patients with relapsed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) appeared to have a longer Ts and Tc than those studied at initial diagnosis. A subgroup of patients at either extreme of Tc were identified who demonstrated clinically documented resistance in response to multiple courses of chemotherapy. We conclude that Ts and Tc provide additional biologic information that may be valuable in understanding the variations observed in the natural history of ANLL.
Problems with Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and New Strategies to Improve the Utility of MRI in Future Clinical Trials

Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best imaging technique available for the detection of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions it is by no means perfect. The problems with the conventional magnetic resonance (MR) methodology related to MS include: (1) lack of specificity with respect to lesion histopathology; (2) inability to detect the full extent of individual lesions; (3) failure to detect microscopic lesions beyond the resolving power of conventional MRI pulse sequences; and (4) poor correlation of lesion quantification and clinical measures especially in progressive disease. Solutions to these complex problems are quite important if MRI is to truly attain a role as a marker of disease progression and as an arbiter of treatment efficacy in MS.
An Unknown God Made Known (The Religion of Psychology)

The thesis of the article is that many of the contemporary movements in psychology, especially in the realm of psychotherapy, are in fact religious systems. They are systems of salvation for secula...
Gaze and motion information fusion for human intention inference

An algorithm, named gaze-based multiple model intention estimator (G-MMIE), is presented for early prediction of the goal location (intention) of human reaching actions. The trajectories of the arm motion for reaching tasks are modeled by using an autonomous dynamical system with contracting behavior towards the goal location. To represent the dynamics of human arm reaching motion, a neural network (NN) is used. The parameters of the NN are learned under constraints derived based on contraction analysis. The constraints ensure that the trajectories of the dynamical system converge to a single equilibrium point. In order to use the motion model learned from a few demonstrations in new scenarios with multiple candidate goal locations, an interacting multiple-model (IMM) framework is used. For a given reaching motion, multiple models are obtained by translating the equilibrium point of the contracting system to different known candidate locations. Hence, each model corresponds to the reaching motion that ends at the respective candidate location. Further, since humans tend to look toward the location they are reaching for, prior probabilities of the goal locations are calculated based on the information about the human’s gaze. The posterior probabilities of the models are calculated through interacting model matched filtering. The candidate location with the highest posterior probability is chosen to be the estimate of the true goal location. Detailed quantitative evaluations of the G-MMIE algorithm on two different datasets involving 15 subjects, and comparisons with state-of-the-art intention inference algorithms are presented.
Different Behavioral Experiences Produce Distinctive Parallel Changes in, and Correlate With, Frontal Cortex and Hippocampal Global Post-translational Histone Levels.

While it is clear that behavioral experience modulates epigenetic profiles, it is less evident how the nature of that experience influences outcomes and whether epigenetic/genetic ‘biomarkers’ could be extracted to classify different types of behavioral experience. To begin to address this question, male and female mice were subjected to either a Fixed Interval schedule of food reward, or a single episode of forced swim followed by restraint stress, or no explicit behavioral experience after which global expression levels of 2 activating (H3K9ac and H3K4me3) and 2 repressive (H3K9me2 and H3k27me3) post-translational histone modifications (PTHMs), were measured in hippocampus (HIPP) and frontal cortex (FC). The specific nature of the behavioral experience differentiated profiles of PTHMs in a sex- and brain region-dependent manner, with all 4 PTHMs changing in parallel in response to different behavioral experiences. These different behavioral experiences also modified the pattern of correlations of PTHMs both within and across FC and HIPP. Unexpectedly, highly robust correlations were found between global PTHM levels and behavioral performances, suggesting that global PTHMs may provide a higher-order pattern recognition function. Further efforts are needed to determine the generality of such findings and what characteristics of behavioral experience are critical for modulating PTHM responses.
Endo-Lysosome Function in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Health and Disease

Polarized cells such as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have elaborate endo-lysosomal networks that enable them to carry out efficient trafficking and metabolism of proteins and lipids, which is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Once thought to be little more than garbage disposal systems, late endosomes and lysosomes are now being recognized as highly dynamic platforms for macromolecule sorting, signaling, and cholesterol metabolism. Aging and age-related diseases are characterized by decreased endo-lysosomal function, disturbed cholesterol metabolism, and increased accumulation of lipid–protein aggregates called lipofuscin in postmitotic cells such as neurons and the RPE. Cholesterol accumulation and impaired endo-lysosomal function have emerged as key players in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. This review focuses on recent data supporting a link between endo-lysosome dysfunction, lipofuscin accumulation, and abnormal cholesterol homeostasis in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Counting Leaves — An Evaluation of Ada, LISP, and PROLOG

There are three kinds of man-machine interfaces for programming and packaging design problems — not readily portable, highly portable, and intelligent and portable. Examples are: Not readily portable — FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC, etc.; Highly portable — Ada; Intelligent and portable — LISP and PROLOG. Because of their difficulty to port, we are not considering not readily portable language interfaces.
New methods of treatment efficacy research: bridging clinical research and clinical practice.

A variety of methodological advances are allowing alcoholism treatment researchers to develop effective new treatments and to answer more complex questions regarding the efficacy of treatments for alcohol use disorders. These advances include the use of standardized diagnostic criteria; thorough description of the study populations; standardization of treatments (e.g., through the use of manuals); training of treatment providers; quality control procedures and manipulation checks; and multidimensional, longitudinal assessments. Many of these methods can be adopted by clinicians to improve clinical care as well as to meet the challenges posed by managed care and other changes in the years ahead.
HIV Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies: VRC01 and Beyond

Developing an effective prophylaxis HIV-1 vaccine is likely to require the elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). As the HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein – the sole target of bnAbs – has evolved multiple mechanisms to evade antibody neutralization, the processes for bnAb generation are highly selective and time-consuming. Benefiting from antibody isolation technologies of single B cell culturing and direct single B cell sorting and cloning, a new generation of monoclonal bnAbs has been isolated since 2009, exhibiting remarkable breadths and potencies, thus breaking through a nearly 20-year-long limit of four monoclonal bnAbs with moderate breadth and potency. The discovery of a long list of monoclonal bnAbs has provided in-depth understanding of the sites of vulnerability on the HIV-1 Env and the complexity of human B cell immunology to generate such responses, thus presenting both guidance and challenges to move the Env immunogen design effort forward.
Hypomethylation, endogenous retrovirus expression, and interferon signaling in testicular germ cell tumors.

Methylation of cytosine residues exerts a critical role in silencing gene transcription. Importantly, DNA methylation patterns are often altered in cancer, with many tumors showing site-specific gain of methylation marks in a background of global hypomethylation (1). In PNAS, Stone et al. (2) show in an ovarian cancer model that treatment with the demethylating agent 5-azacytidine resulted in reexpression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), activation of type I IFN signaling, and increased CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. These data provide important insights into the role of DNA methylation in suppressing immunogenic pathways and provide additional support for the notion that hypomethylation can resculpt the host antitumor response through derepression of HERV and activation of type I IFN signaling (3, 4). We hypothesized that such elevated HERV expression and type I IFN signaling are also present in tumors that are characterized by constitutive DNA hypomethylation. Seminoma, a type of testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT), provides an opportunity to test this hypothesis. The majority of seminomas are … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: mhaffne4{at}jhmi.edu or syegnasu{at}jhmi.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Alpha spectroscopy backgrounds at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: technical equivalency for backgrounds with blank plates versus backgrounds with no plates

Alpha spectroscopy chamber backgrounds are routinely measured using blank plates. Operator time spent moving blank plates in and out of chambers is significant. If chamber backgrounds are measured in empty chambers, time spent moving blank plates can be reclaimed for other uses. This study compares results of chamber backgrounds measured with and without plates. Five hundred fourteen chamber backgrounds measured with plates are paired with 514 chamber backgrounds measured without plates. The total counts within 13 spectral regions of interest are compared statistically. Chamber backgrounds measured without blank plates are found statistically equivalent to chamber backgrounds measured with blank plates.
Predictors of Hand Function Following Digit Replantation: Quantitative Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Digit replantation affords the opportunity to restore hand function following amputation. To date, however, few studies have evaluated functional outcomes following replantation. Theref...
Interprofessional Education in the Context of Feeding and Swallowing

Introduction Speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and registered dietitian nutritionists are intricately involved in the management of feeding and swallowing disorders. An interprofessional education (IPE) event was held with graduate level students from these disciplines as an opportunity to practice professional collaboration around the topic of food intake. The purpose of this study was to assess the change in these healthcare students’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration following the interactive IPE event to determine the benefits of incorporating IPE into the curriculum. Methods 128 students, across three healthcare disciplines (speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and dietetics), participated in an online survey before and after the IPE event regarding their attitudes toward interprofessional healthcare teams. The IPE event focused on feeding and swallowing, included lectures from professors representing each discipline, and featured an interactive lab portion highlighting the role each discipline plays in the treatment of feeding and swallowing disorders. Results Overall, students’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration across all three departments significantly increased after the IPE event, suggesting that students considered the IPE event to be a beneficial experience. Considerable improvement was noted on questions regarding the individual role and others’ roles in an interdisciplinary setting. Conclusion These findings suggest that formal IPE events improve students’ perceptions and understanding of how a collaborative team works together using each discipline’s scope of practice.
Tuned Mass Damper Systems

This chapter is concerned by tuned-mass damping systems. We start with an introductory example of a tuned-mass damper (TMD) design and a brief description of some of the implementations of TMDs in building structures. A rigorous theory of TMDs for single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems subjected to harmonic force excitation and harmonic ground motion is discussed next. Various cases including a damped TMD attached to an undamped SDOF system, and a damped TMD attached to a damped SDOF system are considered. Time history responses for a range of SDOF systems connected to optimally tuned TMD and subjected to harmonic and seismic excitations are presented. The theory is then extended to multi-degree-of-freedoms systems where the TMD is used to dampen out the vibrations of a specific mode. Lastly, a theory for tuned liquid column dampers is presented and design procedures are suggested.
Improved diagnostic confidence and accuracy of pediatric elbow fractures with digital tomosynthesis

Pediatric elbow fractures are common but remain challenging to accurately diagnose. Digital tomosynthesis is a technique that has shown promise in difficult adult fracture patterns but has not been formally studied in the pediatric population. To assess the added value of digital tomosynthesis on the detection and diagnostic confidence of pediatric elbow fractures. A retrospective study was performed between January 2016 and December 2017 in pediatric patients (≤18 years) to assess the ability of conventional elbow radiographs and digital tomosynthesis to detect elbow fractures. One hundred twenty-one pediatric patients with concern for pediatric elbow trauma (64 males, 57 females; mean age: 8.1 years, range: 1 year to 17 years) were imaged with both conventional elbow radiographs and digital tomosynthesis. Two blinded pediatric radiologists identified fractures and indicated their diagnostic confidence. Observer agreement was assessed with Cohen’s Kappa coefficient and a nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the degree of diagnostic confidence between standard radiographs alone and standard radiographs with digital tomosynthesis. McNemar’s test was used to assess the difference in the rate of fracture detection between the two methods and sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy and diagnostic odds ratios were calculated. Compared with standard radiographs alone, standard radiographs with digital tomosynthesis improved inter-rater agreement, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and the diagnostic odds ratio for fracture detection and increased diagnostic confidence (Rater 1: P=0.01, Rater 2: P=0.003). The addition of digital tomosynthesis with conventional elbow radiographs improves diagnostic confidence and performance for the detection of pediatric elbow fractures.
Pathogenic Dynamics During Colony Ontogeny Reinforce Potential Drivers of Termite Eusociality: Mate Assistance and Biparental Care

As an ecologically dominant taxon, termites appear to be resilient to environmental stressors. However, swarming alates (winged-individuals) encounter a myriad of environmental pressures that drastically reduce the probability of colony foundation. Dispersing alates face high rates of predation, desiccation, nitrogen limitation, and risks of infection, among others. We propose that alates benefit from mate assistance and biparental care to overcome some of these challenges. We assessed whether the bacteria, Serratia marcescens (an ecologically relevant, gram-negative, facultative termite pathogen), negatively affected the growth of newly founded termite colonies. Additionally, we revealed the significance of the king’s presence in improving successful establishment of incipient colonies. Virgin queens of the dampwood termite, Zootermopsis angusticollis, were subjected to one of four treatments: naive (untreated), or injections with either sterile saline, heat-killed S. marcescens, or a sublethal does of live S. marcescens. Each queen was then paired with a naive, virgin king. The incipient colonies underwent censuses every four days for 80 days. We estimated survival rates and compared the onset of oviposition and hatching, overall egg production and larval hatching success, all as a function of queen treatment and the presence of a mate. We identified factors that, under pathogenic stress, influenced these fitness-related milestones. Queen infection significantly reduced the number of successfully established colonies. Moreover, both the presence of a king and his mass significantly influenced the queen’s survival, her onset of oviposition, overall egg production, and hatching success. We conclude that termite colonies incur significant fitness costs after a queen suffers an acute infection and that the presence of a king (and his stored resources) may help mitigate the negative effects of a queen’s infection. Pathogenic pressures, combined with the significant role of kings in colony success, appear to reinforce two-parent colony foundation, mate assistance, biparental care, and ultimately the overlap of generations, all of which have been considered preadaptations for eusociality. By studying the fitness consequences of pathogenic stress during the ontogeny of a termite colony, we can infer some of the conditions and pressures under which termite sociality likely emerged.