cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FT-IR Microscopy Of Biomineralization At 20µ Spatial Resolution

FT-IR microscopy offers certain advantages for the study of normal and pathological biomineralizing tissue samples. These include the identification and quantitation of the mineral phase and the determination of the secondary structure of the protein constituents. A drawback of the method is difficulty in interpretation of spectra from samples containing unknown quantities of unknown constituents. We have circumvented this problem by studying the main components of mineralizing tissue, collagen (95% of the protein phase) and hydroxyapatite (main mineral constituent) whose strongest IR bands absorb in relatively clean spectral regions. Samples were prepared for IR microscopy by surgical removal of tissue, fixation in formalin or ethanol, embedding in PMMA or epoxy, and the microtoming of thin (5-8μ) sections. Bulk embedding agent was mostly removed with methyl acetate. The sample was squeezed between BaF2 windows for IR studies. Any remaining PMMA or epoxy was removed by spectral subtraction. To evaluate the utility of FT-IR microscopy for study of biomineralization, two systems were examined:
Mycoecology on serpentine soil.

SUMMARY In a mycoecological survey made on serpentine and non-serpentine soils in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, a total of 279 species of macrofungi were collected during fall, 1963 and spring, 1964. Even though collecting was limited to one fall and one spring, serpentine soil areas were found to support a mycoflora different from that of non-serpentine areas. Of the 279 species collected, 67 were either lignicolous or parasitic and not directly dependent on soil type. Nineteen per cent of the remaining 212 species were found only in serpentine soil areas, and 63 per cent were found only in non-serpentine soil areas. Eighteen per cent of the 212 species were common to both soil type areas. A somewhat higher proportion of fungi were mycorrhizal symbionts in serpentine than in non-serpentine areas.
Age Distribution in the Kenics Static Micromixer with Convection and Diffusion

Age distribution in a Kenics static micromixer is studied by mean age solution of a steady transport equation. The spatial distribution of mean age reveals locations of older material that could potentially cause process fouling and product defects. At the microscales of the mixer, both convection and diffusion strongly affect age distribution. A method is developed to compute an average effective diffusivity to measure false diffusion due to numerical errors. The range of Peclet number is found so that the scalar solution is not affected by false diffusion. The effect of convection and diffusion is studied for Re numbers that cover the full range of laminar flows in the mixer. Diffusion broadening is found to have a strong effect on the striation structures in the mixer. Age distribution in the mixer is quantitatively measured with a frequency distribution function and two different variances, the variance of residence time and the variance of mean age. It is found that the mean age variance decay rate i...
The study of amorphous SiO_x:H nanocoated on biomedical NiTi alloy by low-temperature plasma deposition

Low-temperature plasma deposition technique was used to prepare amorphous SiOx∶H nanocoating on the surface of biomedical NiTi alloy.The surface chemistry and crystal structure of SiOx∶H coating were characterized.The results showed that the surface hydrophilicity and thickness of SiOx∶H nanocoating could be controlled by adjusting the flow ratio of TMS:O2 and deposition duration.The prepared plasma SiOx∶H nanocoating is amorphous structure.The optimal condition of plasma coating is TMS∶O2=1∶4ml/min,4min,D.C 5W,system pressure 3.33Pa.Under the condition,the thickness of SiOx∶H coating is about 45nm,the water contact angle on surface is about 30-40°.The corrosion resistance of NiTi alloy could be improved with plasma SiOx∶H nanocoating.
Re-living Dangerous Memories: Online Journaling to Interrogate Spaces of “Otherness” in an Educational Administration Program at a Midwestern University

This theoretical paper explores the use of online journaling in an educational administration program to interrogate spaces of “otherness”—the geographical spaces of cities where poor children and children of color live—and the dangerous memories prospective administrators may have about diversity. The cultures of most educational administration programs do not help graduate students “dig beneath the surface” of the seemingly benign recipes of current school reform to explore cultural differences. When given the opportunity to use reflective online journaling, candidates talked more freely about race, ethnicity, class, language, ability/disability, gender, sexual orientation, and other facets of diversity. Reculturing educational administration programs will require both students and instructors to have similar opportunities to interrogate spaces of “otherness” and work to transform them.
The genetic relation and clinical differentiation of Cooley's anemia and Cooley's trait.

1. Four additional families illustrating the clinical and genetic relationships of Cooley’s anemia and Cooley’s trait have been presented. 2. Blood findings in an offspring of a patient with Cooley’s anemia are recorded. 3. The asymptomatic nature of Cooley’s trait and its differentiation from Cooley’s anemia has been emphasized. 4. The inheritance of Cooley’s trait and Cooley’s anemia may be best explained in terms of an incomplete dominant or of the simultaneous appearance of two nonallelomorphic genes. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We are indebted to Dr. John H. Linner for many of the observations on the Ca family and to Miss Clara Gillette for observations on the Cr family.
Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations for the Uninsured in Illinois Before and After Affordable Care Act Insurance Expansion.

We describe changes in emergency department (ED) visits and the proportion of patients with hospitalizations through the ED classified as Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalization (ACSH) for the uninsured before (2011–2013) and after (2014–2015) Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance expansion in Illinois. Hospital administrative data from 201 non-federal Illinois hospitals for patients age 18–64 were used to analyze ED visits and hospitalizations through the ED. ACSH was defined using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Prevention Quality Indicators (PQIs). Logistic regression was used to test the effect of time period on the odds of an ACSH for uninsured Illinois residents, controlling for patient sociodemographic characteristics, weekend visits and state region. Total ED visits increased 5.6% in Illinois after ACA implementation, with virtually no change in hospital admissions. Uninsured ED visits declined from 22.9% of all visits pre-ACA to 12.5% in 2014–2015, reflecting a 43% decline in average monthly ED visits and 54% in ED hospitalizations. The proportion of uninsured ED hospitalizations classified as ACSH increased from 15.4 to 15.5%, a non-significant difference. Older uninsured female, minority and downstate Illinois patients remained significantly more likely to experience ACSH throughout the study period. ED visits for the uninsured declined dramatically after ACA implementation in Illinois but over 12% of ED visits are for the remaining uninsured. The proportion of visits resulting in ACSH remained stable. Providing universal insurance with care coordination focused on improved access to home and ambulatory care could be highly cost effective.
Low-loss splice of large effective area fiber using fluorine-doped cladding standard effective area fiber

Ultra-low dissimilar splice loss of 0.08dB between Aeff-enlarged fiber (148μm2) and standard Aeff fiber (83μm2) was realized, by applying a ring core profile to Aeff-enlarged fiber and fluorine doped cladding to standard Aeff fiber.
Cascaded coarse-to-fine convolutional neural networks for pericardial effusion localization and segmentation on CT scans

Pericardial effusions can impair cardiac function so detecting them is important. On CT scans, pericardial effusions demonstrate very high shape and volume variability and very low contrast to adjacent structures. This inhibits traditional automated segmentation methods from achieving high accuracies. Deep neural networks have been widely used for image segmentation in CT scans. In this work, we present a two-stage method for pericardial effusion localization and segmentation. For the first step, we localize the pericardial area from the entire CT volume, providing a reliable bounding box for the more refined segmentation. A coarse-scaled convolutional networks model is trained on entire CT volume. The resulting per-pixel probability maps are then thresholded to produce a bounding box covering the pericardial area. For the second step, a fine-scaled convolutional networks model is trained only on the bounding box region for effusion segmentation to reduce the background distraction. Two neural network architectures, the holistically-nested convolutional networks (HNN) and U-Net were compared. Quantitative evaluation is performed on a dataset of 25 CT scans (1206 images) of patients with pericardial effusions. The segmentation accuracies of our two-stage method, measured by Dice Similarity Coefficient, were 75.59±12.04% for HNN and 77.33±10.02% for U-Net. Both were significantly better than the segmentation accuracy (62.74±15.20% for HNN and 74.81±11.01%) of only using the coarse-scaled model.
Ureteral access sheaths: a comprehensive comparison of physical and mechanical properties.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Ureteral access sheaths (UAS) facilitate flexible ureteroscopy in the treat- ment of urolithiasis. The physical properties of UAS vary by manufacturer and model. We compared three new UAS: Glideway (GW, Terumo, 11/13Fr, 12/14Fr), Pathway (PW, Terumo 12/14F) and Navigator HD (NHD, Boston Scientific, 11/13Fr, 12/14Fr) in the domains of safety characteristics, positioning characteristics, lubricity and radio- opacity. Materials and Methods: In vitro testing of the three UAS included safety testing-tip perforation force, sheath edge deformation and dilator extraction forces. Positioning characteristics tested included tip bending, stiffness (resistance to coaxial buckling forces), kinking (resistance to perpendicular forces), and insertion forces. Lubricity was assessed by measured frictional forces of the outer sheath. Finally, radio-opacity was tested utilizing fluoroscopic imaging of the three 12F sheaths and inner dilators. Results: The PW (0.245 lb) and GW (0.286 lb) required less force for tip perforation compared to the NHD (0.628 lb). The NHD sheath edge deformation was mild compared to more severe deformation for the PW and GW. The PW (1.008 lb) required greater force than the GW (0.136 lb) and NHD (0.043 lb) for inner dilator removal. The GW (3.69 lbs) and NHD (4.17 lb) had similar inner dilator tip stiffness when bent, while the PW had the weakest inner dilator tip, 1.91 lbs. The PW (0.271 lb) was most susceptible to buckling and kinking (1.626 lb). The most lubricious UAS was the NHD (0.055 lbs for 12F). The NHD (0.277 lbs) required the least insertional force through a biological model and possessed the greatest radio-opacity. Conclusions: Comparison of different commercially available UAS in various sizes reveals that there are mechanical differences in sheaths that may play a role clinically. The Terumo sheaths' (GW and PW) were outperformed by the Boston Scientific NHD in simulating safety, ease of use and radio-opacity.
Projectile Impact on Rotating Plates

A previous experimental and theoretical investigation involving normal impact of blunt-nosed cylinders on plates mounted on the end of a rotating beam was extened to higher target tangential speeds and greater striker velocities. In the new arrangement, annular targets were mounted on motor-driven rotating disks. A highspeed framing camera operating at about 55,000 pps and initial and terminal projectile velocity measuring units as primary data acquisition devices. Strikers consisted of 12.7 mm (0.5 in) diameter hard steel cylinders with either blunt or 60 conical tips and an aspect ratio of 3, fired from both pneumatic and powder guns with initial velocities ranging from 100 to 1000 m/s. No deformation of the striker was found in any of the tests.
Spectral profiling of autofluorescence associated with lipofuscin, Bruch's Membrane, and sub-RPE deposits in normal and AMD eyes.

PURPOSE. To compare the autofluorescence spectra of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-associated lipofuscin, Bruch's membrane, and sub-RPE deposits (drusen and basal laminar-linear deposits) in eyes of donors with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) against eyes of age-matched control donors. METHODS. Cryosections were cut from the maculae of unfixed human donor eyes with AMD or from age-matched control eyes. Tissues were excited at wavelengths of 364, 488, 568, and 633 nm. Emission spectra were collected with a confocal microscope equipped with a spectrophotometric detector at 10-nm wavelength intervals between 400 and 800 nm. RESULTS. RPE lipofuscin had strong autofluorescent emissions that were excited at all wavelengths. Bruch's membrane exhibited strong autofluorescence with an emission peak of 485 ± 5 nm when excited with 364-nm light. At 488-, 568-, and 633-nm excitations, Bruch's membrane and sub-RPE deposits in normal eyes exhibited minimal autofluorescence. In AMD eyes, however, both the 364- and 488-nm excitation wavelengths stimulated substantial blue-green emissions from sub-RPE deposits and Bruch's membrane, with average pixel intensities substantially exceeding that elicited in the yellow-orange range by RPE lipofuscin. CONCLUSIONS. These data suggest that an increase in blue-green autofluorescence of Bruch's membrane relative to the yellow-orange autofluorescence of RPE-associated lipofuscin is associated with AMD. Knowledge of these spectra will be useful in evaluating animal models of macular degenerative disease and in diagnosis of AMD, and will provide a novel signature for further analysis of the molecular entities emitting these fluorescent signatures.
Hemiplegia: Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Motor Control Disorders

Improved methods of treatment of hemiparesis resulting from upper motor neuron lesions must be grounded in a firm understanding of the altered neurophysiology and firing of the motor units. The slowly responsive, poorly functioning, impersistent motor unit characteristic of upper motor neuron lesions is gradually being understood, and on the basis of that understanding therapeutic interventions are being developed and evaluated. This article reviews current research on the altered firing pattern of motor units in upper motor neuron disorders. New methods of evaluation and treatment are discussed.
Sustainable microalgae cultivation by using anaerobic centrate and biogas from anaerobic digestion

Abstract This research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using biogas generated from the anaerobic digestion of septic tank sludge and its anaerobic centrate on microalgal cultivation. Three types of sparging gas (biogas, air, and nitrogen gas) and two culture media (anaerobic centrate and Bold Basal Medium) were used to generate six different experimental settings. The most microalgal growth of 1074 mg VSS/L was achieved when both biogas and anaerobic centrate were used after 10 days of cultivation at 30 °C. In addition, the anaerobic centrate used had a reduction of 89% in its soluble chemical oxygen demand, a 97.3% reduction in the phosphorus concentration, and a 71.5% reduction in the nitrogen concentration. The results demonstrated tremendous benefits of biogas reuse and anaerobic centrate reclamation via microalgae cultivation.
Prey Selection by Frogs and Toads

Studies of motivation in animals typically use operant conditioning methods to measure the strength of variables which determine the interest of an organism in obtaining a particular type of reinforcement. Although many important facts have been gathered concerning the dependence of behavior upon physiological changes within the body and within the brain, it has been rather difficult to identify the central neural mechanisms which underlie the reinforcement process itself. In the present chapter we shall look at motivational processes from a different angle. Instead of asking how environmental input can prove rewarding to the organism, we shall ask how variations in central motivational states can influence the natural tendencies of animals to approach or avoid specific objects. From the viewpoint of ethologists motivation is regarded as an “internal force” tending to express itself in certain modes of behavior (searching for food, hiding, threatening) if adequate environmental stimuli are present to release the natural behavioral patterns.
Improving make-ahead chemotherapy drug policies at outpatient infusions centers

During an outpatient chemotherapy infusion visit, patients typically have blood work done, see their oncologist in the clinic, wait for the pharmacy to prepare their drugs, and receive their infusion. The time variability at each of these steps can introduce delays, which not only negatively impact the patient but propagate through the system to negatively impact other patients and staff as well. One major opportunity to reduce patient waiting time is by pre-mixing (i.e. making drugs before the patient arrives for their infusion appointment) at the pharmacy. This, however, requires careful consideration of the trade-off between time savings versus the potential cost of wasting a drug if the patient is deemed ineligible for treatment on the day of their appointment. We present a prediction, optimization, and discrete-event simulation model to improve make-ahead drug policies utilizing data from our collaborators at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center (UMRCC).
Concluding remarks: progress in determining the detailed mechanism of muscle contraction.

First, I would like to commend Professor Sugi for the great service he has done to the field in the last twenty five years, in organizing this series of meetings at regular intervals since the first one in 1978, covering a very critical and enormously exciting period in muscle research, and encompassing work on the force-generating mechanism and on many other important areas of muscle research as well. I will summarize, briefly, some of the key discoveries that have been made relating to the basic contractile mechanism, during this time period.
婚姻與家庭生活僅僅是相互同意的個人之間的契約嗎？不同的道德基礎及社會轉化: Are Marriage and Family Life Merely Contractual Agreements Among Consenting Parties? Shifting Moral Foundations and Social Transformations

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.本文探討關於婚姻與家庭生活的不同觀念的社會及文化意義，比較對於婚姻與家庭生活的兩種不同的理解。傳統的理解是契合於具體的宗教與文化之中的，而當代西方俗世的自由主義理解則尋求將婚姻重塑為自主個人之間的一種平等主義的社會契約。前者把家庭視為社會存在的一種規範形式，是圍繞著一夫一妻制婚姻以及他們的生物學子女（甚或收養子女）而形成的；而後者則把家庭看作符合於當代西方流行的社會公正及性別中立原則而合法構成的機構。This paper explores the social and cultural implications of different conceptions of marriage and family life. It compares traditional understandings of marriage and family, set within particular religions and cultures, to a Western secular liberal understanding, which seeks to recast marriage as a sort of egalitarian social contract between autonomous individuals. Rather than appreciating the family as a normative form of social being constituted around the monogamous marriage of husband and wife and their own biological (and perhaps adopted) children, here the family is to be appreciated as an institution legally to be molded more closely in line with currently popular Western principles of social justice and gender neutrality. Claims regarding individual autonomy, gender neutrality, and rights to sexual freedom have come to possess a commanding place within the West’s recasting of the family.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 120 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.
Biological Control Technology Utilizing Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae

Entomopathogenic nematodes (in the genus Steinernema and Heterorhabditis ) have been studied and successfully commercialized as biological control agents. These organisms are highly virulent and safe for the non-target environment, animals and humans. For at least 200 target species, the nematode-bacteria complex has the potential to become a mass-marketed agricultural biopesticide. However, before nematodes can be successfully integrated into the agricultural system as a regular-use, “go-to” biopesticide, it is necessary to develop economical manufacturing processes. There are several manufacturing platforms: in vitro solid fermentation; in vitro liquid fermentation; and in vivo production. This review presents an analysis of each approach and discusses the advantages and disadvantages relative to the cost of production, technical expertise required, and quality of the final product.
The Endocrine Kidney: Local and Systemic Actions of Renal Hormones

Abstract The myriad physiologic functions of the kidneys are heavily regulated by the endocrine system. While extrarenal hormones exert well-recognized actions in the urinary system, in recent decades a host of intrinsic, renal hormones, with powerful effects on renal hemodynamics, glomerular filtration, and tubular electrolyte and water handling has been identified. Renal microcirculation, glomerular mesangium, and tubular epithelium produce angiotensin II, the natriuretic peptide urodilatin, vasoconstrictors endothelin-1 and urotensin II, and vasodilators adrenomedullin and intermedin. In addition, new details are emerging regarding the complex regulation of renal calcitriol production. The hematopoietic renal hormone erythropoietin has been found to mitigate ischemic injury to the kidneys, heart, and central nervous system. This chapter presents these products of the endocrine kidney and discusses their renal and systemic physiologic functions, their beneficial versus maladaptive contributions to renal diseases, and their potential exploitation to treat clinical disorders of the kidneys and other organs.
Human matriptase/ST 14 proteolytically cleaves H7N9 hemagglutinin and facilitates the activation of influenza A/Shanghai/2/2013 virus in cell culture.

Background Influenza is a zoonotic disease that infects millions of people each year resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, and in turn devastating pandemics. Influenza is caused by influenza viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV). There are many subtypes of IAV but only a few seem to be able to adapt to humans and to cause disease. In 2013, an H7N9 IAV subtype emerged in China that does not cause clinical symptoms in its chicken host but leads to severe infections when transmitted into humans. Since 2013, there have been six epidemic waves of H7N9 with 1567 laboratory-confirmed human infections and 615 deaths. Pathogenicity of IAV is complex, but a crucial feature contributing to virulence is the activation of the hemagglutinin (HA) fusion protein by host proteases that triggers membrane fusion and leads to subsequent virus propagation. Methods 293T, VERO, and MDCK cells were used to conduct Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence assays, and pseudoparticle and live virus infections, and to evaluate H7N9 HA cleavage-activation. Results/conclusions We show that human matriptase/ST 14 is able to cleave H7N9 HA. Cleavage of H7N9 HA expressed in cell culture results in fusogenic HA and syncytia formation. In infection studies with viral pseudoparticles carrying matriptase/ST 14-activated H7N9 HA, we observed a high infectivity of cells. Finally, human matriptase/ST 14 also activated H7N9 live virus which resulted in high infectivity. Our data demonstrate that human matriptase/ST 14 is a likely candidate protease to promote H7N9 infections in humans.
A combined deep belief network and time-time transform based intelligent protection Scheme for microgrids

Abstract An intelligent fault detection and classification scheme for a microgrid (MG) with several distributed generations (DGs) is proposed. Time-time (TT) transform is used to preprocess one cycle of the post-fault current samples measured at both ends of feeders. Several statistical metrics are derived from the processed data and used for training a deep belief network (DBN). The intelligent relaying scheme is implemented on a real time digital simulator (RTDS) which is integrated with Matlab. The performance of the DBN-based protection technique is compared to three other data-mining models and conventional relays under different MG conditions such as grid connected/islanded network and radial/loop topology. Also, the comparison is presented for different fault types including shunt and high impedance faults. A comprehensive study on a 25kV IEC standard MG confirms that the presented relaying scheme has high accuracy, fast response time, and robustness to noisy measurements. The comparative simulations and test results show that the combined TT-DBN scheme is superior to the previous techniques in the literature.
Neurologic complications of atrial fibrillation: Pharmacologic and interventional approaches to stroke prevention.

Abstract Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia that carries a risk of stroke. This is commonly stratified with the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Stroke risk can be reduced with anticoagulants or with interventions to close the left atrial appendage, the most common source of left atrial thrombi. While warfarin has been traditionally used as the only oral anticoagulant available, there are several direct oral anticoagulants that compare favorably with respect to both stroke and bleeding risk in randomized controlled trials. Multiple interventional options exist to close the left atrial appendage, but the Watchman device is the only one that compares favorably with warfarin in randomized controlled trials.
Detection and characteristics of rumination syndrome in patients presenting for gastric symptom evaluation

Background Rumination syndrome involves effortless, repeated regurgitation, and can overlap with other upper gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis. To inform better diagnostic detection of rumination, we aimed to (1) identify frequency and characteristics of rumination in patients presenting for gastric symptom evaluation; and (2) assess demographic and clinical characteristics that could differentiate those with versus those without rumination. Methods Consecutively referred patients to two tertiary academic centers for gastric symptom specialty evaluation were included (N = 242). We obtained demographic information, gastric emptying scintigraphy, upper gastrointestinal symptoms using the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms (PAGI-SYM), and Rome IV-based rumination questionnaire. Key results Thirty-one of the 242 (12.8%) patients met criteria for rumination syndrome, of which 48% reported associated psychosocial impairment. Comparing those with rumination and those without, there were no differences in race, gender, frequency of diabetes, or frequency of gastroparesis. The median PAGI-SYM score for rumination patients was higher than for those without (3.03 vs. 2.55; unadjusted p = 0.043, adjusted p = 0.30). This was largely driven by increased heartburn/regurgitation subscale scores (2.71 vs. 1.57, unadjusted p = 0.0067, adjusted p = 0.046), itself influenced by elevated daytime regurgitation/reflux (3.0 vs. 2.0; unadjusted p = 0.007, adjusted p = 0.048). There were no significant differences on the remaining PAGI-SYM subscales. Conclusions and inferences Rumination syndrome determined by Rome IV criteria was present in 12.8% of patients presenting for gastric symptom evaluation. Higher self-report PAGI-SYM heartburn/regurgitation subscale scores, particularly daytime regurgitation/reflux symptoms, were the only parameters that distinguished rumination. The PAGI-SYM heartburn/regurgitation subscale could be used to screen for rumination, in addition to GERDAQ6.
A human ACTH-secreting corticotroph tumoroid model: Novel Human ACTH-Secreting Tumor Cell in vitro Model

Abstract Background Cushing disease (CD), although rare, is a life-threatening disorder caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma, which leads to excess adrenal-derived cortisol. Efficacious and safe medical therapies that control both hormonal hypersecretion and pituitary corticotroph tumor growth remain an unmet need in the management of CD. Translational research in pituitary tumors has been significantly hampered by limited quantities of surgically resected tissue for ex vivo studies, and unavailability of human pituitary tumor cell models. Methods To characterize human corticotroph tumors at the cellular level, we employed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to study 4 surgically resected tumors. We also used microarrays to compare individualized paired consecutive culture passages to understand transcriptional shifts as in vitro cultures lost ACTH secretion. Based on these findings, we then modified our in vitro culture methods to develop sustained ACTH-secreting human corticotroph tumoroid cultures. Findings scRNA-seq identified 4 major cell populations, namely corticotroph tumor (73.6%), stromal (11.2%), progenitor (8.3%), and immune cells (6.8%). Microarray analysis revealed striking changes in extracellular matrix, cell adhesion and motility-related genes concordant with loss of ACTH secretion during conventional 2D culture. Based on these findings, we subsequently defined a series of crucial culture nutrients and scaffold modifications that provided a more favorable trophic and structural environment that could maintain ACTH secretion in in vitro human corticotroph tumor cultures for up to 4 months. Interpretation Our human corticotroph tumoroid model is a significant advance in the field of pituitary tumors and will further enable translational research studies to identify critically needed therapies for CD. Funding This work was partly funded by NCI P50-CA211015 and the Warley Trust Foundation.
Effective Immunization of Cattle

Development of highly effective and safe vaccines based on all of the best scientific information available will achieve little or nothing if the vaccines are not used appropriately. Thus the challenges for vaccinologists into the 21st century will be to develop vaccines that are: 1) truly needed, 2) as safe as possible, to avoid immediate or future health problems for the vaccinees and non-vaccinated contacts, 3) effective in preventing disease in the vaccinees and possibly effective in reducing the threat of disease for non-vaccinated individuals, 4) cost effective (e.g. do not cause production losses that are greater than the savings expected from the vaccine) and, 5) stable and easily administered, so they readily reach the target population that will benefit by receiving them.
Polarimetric calibration of the multi-angle imager for aerosols (MAIA)

NASA’s Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) mission, under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is designed to study the adverse health effects of different types of particulate air pollution. Planned for launch in late 2022 for a 3-year mission, the MAIA satellite instrument will focus on a selected set of metropolitan target areas, where air quality monitors and health data are available. Aerosol concentration and speciation are inferred from multi-angle measurements of backscattered sunlight in 14 spectral bands from 350-2200 nm, with bands near 442, 645 and 1040 nm measuring the degree (DoLP) and angle of linear polarization (AoLP) in addition to radiance. The pushbroom camera has a ~240-km cross-track field of view with a nadir resolution of ~200 m, and is mounted onto a biaxial gimbal to provide along-track view angles within ±60°, to extend the field of regard to ±48°, and to view the instrument’s onboard calibrator (OBC) and dark target. The OBC consists of a sunlit transmissive diffuser, followed by 12 polarizers at different orientations. MAIA’s polarimetry is implemented using miniature wiregrid polarizers on the focal plane array, and dual photoelastic modulators (PEMs) and achromatic quarter-wave plates to rapidly rotate the polarization. The resulting ~26-Hz intensity modulation encodes the linearly polarized and total radiance in each pixel, leaving the DoLP and AoLP insensitive to gain calibration. We report on the polarimetric calibration of the MAIA camera using a vacuum-compatible polarization state generator, consisting of a 1600W Xenon lamp, 12-inch integrating sphere, and rotating high-extinction polarizer. Mueller-matrix-based calibration coefficients for each detector pixel are derived from measurements at multiple polarizer angles, and are used to correct the measurements for instrumental polarization aberrations. Prior to flight, the calibrated MAIA camera is panned across the OBC to characterize its output, using uniform illumination with an irradiance similar to the Sun.
OP26 – 2867: Recurrent stroke in toddlers and hemiplegic or atypical migraine in school aged children: Think of Moyamoya!

Objective Characterization of clinical symptoms and disease course in children with Moyamoya angiopathy. Methods Between 2011 and 2014 34 children and adolescents were treated in the Moyamoya Center in Zurich. Evaluation comprised a detailed history, neurologic and developmental status including pediatric stroke outcome measure (PSOM). Cerebral MRI and MR angiography (MRA), conventional cerebral angiography and H215O-PET with acetazolamid challenge were performed followed by individualized treatment. Results Median age at symptom onset was 4 1/2 years (range 6 months–14 years). We found a female preponderance (female/male ratio 1.8/1). Diagnosis was Moyamoya disease in 18 and Moyamoya syndrome in 16 children. 5/16 Moyamoya syndromic children had Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Most but not all children presented with a transitory ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke. In 11 children headaches and migraine were the main complaint. Besides weakness and focal sensory deficits headache was often accompanied by peculiar and unspecific symptoms like short episodes of altered consciousness, involuntary movements, general weakness and falls. On presentation MRI revealed ischemic lesions in 21 cases. Cortical lesions were observed in 11 patients (mean age 2 years), subcortical in 10 patients (mean age 6 1/2 years). In 6 children under 3 years we found a rapid progressive angiopathy. Posterior circulation was involved in 10 patients, all of them were younger than 6 years. PSOM score tended to be higher in young children. Conclusion Early diagnosis and surgical revascularisation are mandatory for stroke prevention in Moyamoya angiopathy, especially in young toddlers. In school aged children with migraines or chronic headaches accompanied by weakness, focal sensory deficits, altered consciousness or involuntary movements it is worthwhile to consider Moyamoya angiopathy as an important differential in the diagnostic assessment.
Chapter 5 Molecular-Beam Epitaxy of IV-VI Compound Heterojunctions and Superlattices

Publisher Summary Major new advances in epitaxial growth techniques have contributed to an improved understanding of the properties of IV–VI materials and their alloys. The creation of sophisticated heterojunctions, quantum wells, and strained-layer superlattices can be attributed to their successful epitaxial growth by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). The chapter presents an overview of the research activity in the area of IV–VI-based structures and highlights the significant achievements. From a materials-oriented point of view, much of the recent research activities have centered on epitaxial growth techniques, especially MBE, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and hot-wall epitaxy (HWE), development of new alloys with higher energy bandgaps, the exploration of magnetically active alloys, growth on lattice-mismatched substrates, and the growth of superlattices that are lattice mismatched or have components with different crystal structures. The chapter highlights significant advances in these exciting new areas of materials science, physics, and engineering. The properties of the lead-salt compounds and their classic alloys are extensively reviewed and some of their properties that distinguish them from II–VI compounds are discussed in the chapter.
Bias in Judging Women's Gymnastics Induced by Expectations of Within-Team Order

Abstract The score a gymnast receives for perfoming a gymnastic routine may be influenced by factors other than the quality of the performance. Since gymnastics coaches typically place their gymnastics in rank order from poorest to best for competition in each event, judges may expect that the quality of the gymnastics routines will improve within a team order. This study was conducted to determine if gymnasts are at a scoring disadvantage if they appear first within their team order of competition or at a scoring advantage if they appear last. Ten nationally or regionally certified female gymnastics judges were selected from three locations in the United States and asked to score the routines of the 1977 Region VI AIAW Championships on each of two sets of videotapes, edited from the original tapes, in two judging sessions separated by 48 hours. For the first judging session 20 gymnasts appeared in the first position for their teams and 20 gymnasts appeared in the fifth position for their teams. For the s...
Transcription of the Adenovirus Genome by an α-Amanitine-Sensitive Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase in HeLa Cells

Abstract The properties of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase activity which transcribes the major portion of the adenovirus genome were studied. Nuclei were prepared from infected cells and incubated in vitro. Virus-specific RNA was determined by hybridization to adenovirus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Adenovirus DNA is transcribed principally by an activity which resembles closely polymerase II of the host cell. This activity is inhibited by α-amanitine and stimulated by (NH4)2SO4. Its product is high-molecular-weight heterogeneous RNA. The polymerase activity measured early in infection (3 to 5 hr) resembles that found late in infection (16 to 18 hr).
Topic and role discovery in social networks

Previous work in social network analysis (SNA) has modeled the existence of links from one entity to another, but not the language content or topics on those links. We present the Author-Recipient-Topic (ART) model for social network analysis, which learns topic distributions based on the direction-sensitive messages sent between entities. The model builds on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and the Author-Topic (AT) model, adding the key attribute that distribution over topics is conditioned distinctly on both the sender and recipient--steering the discovery of topics according to the relationships between people. We give results on both the Enron email corpus and a researcher's email archive, providing evidence not only that clearly relevant topics are discovered, but that the ART model better predicts people's roles.
Stability Robustness of Discrete Systems with Perturbations in State Equation

Robust Stability of a linear, discrete-time, system with parturbations both in the system matrix and the input matrix of its state equation is considered. A robust linear state feedback control law is proposed to maximize the stable region defined in the perturbation space. Some extensions are outlined.
Drosophila melanogaster fatty acid synthetase: Characteristics and effect of protease inhibitors

Abstract Fatty acid synthetase (FAS) from Drosophila melanogaster was purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sepharose CL-6B chromatography. Inclusion of protease inhibitors in all steps dramatically increased the specific activity of the FAS preparation (to an average value of 4500 U/mg protein, the highest value reported for any animal FAS). The relative molecular weight of the native enzyme was determined by gel filtration and found to be 480,000. SDS gel electrophoresis gave a subunit relative molecular weight of 226,000, indicating that D. melanogaster FAS, like other animal FASs, is a dimer. Acetyl-CoA was the most efficient primer with propionyl-CoA also supporting FAS activity. Neither hexanoyl-CoA butyryl-CoA, isobutyryl-CoA nor isovaleryl-CoA served as efficient primers. D. melanogaster FAS showed an absolute requirement for malonyl-CoA and no activity was observed when methylmalonyl-CoA replaced malonyl-CoA. However, in the presence of both elongating substrates, D. melanogaster FAS synthesized methyl branched fatty acids. Methylmalonyl-CoA appears to behave as a competitive inhibitor in the presence of malonyl-CoA
Drosophila neurotactin, a surface glycoprotein with homology to serine esterases, is dynamically expressed during embryogenesis

Drosophila neurotactin is a transmembrane glycoprotein with an apparent molecular mass of 135 x 10(3). Neurotactin is regionally expressed at the cellular blastoderm stage; later in embryogenesis the expression of the protein becomes restricted to cells of the peripheral and central nervous system. Immunocytochemical localization shows neurotactin protein at points of cell-cell contact. Using the anti-neurotactin monoclonal antibody BP-106, a neurotactin cDNA was isolated that encodes a 846 residue polypeptide. The chromosomal location of the neurotactin gene is 73C. The extracellular domain at the carboxyterminal end of the neurotactin protein shows a strong structural and sequence homology to serine esterases without retaining the amino acids forming the active center. Neurotactin therefore belongs to a growing group of proteins including Drosophila glutactin and thyroglobulins that are known to share this serine esterase protein domain motif without retaining the active center of the enzyme.
Habits of nervous tension and suicide

In a prospective study of 1,046 male medical students, those who later committed suicide showed a heightened sensitivity in stressful situations as assessed by the Habits of Nervous Tension Questionnaire (HNT). Survival analyses specified 2 of the 25 HNT items as the strongest suicide predictors: Irritability (relative risk 5.5; 95% confidence interval 1.76-17.17) and Urinary Frequency (3.3; 1.07-10.32). No other risk factors for suicide emerged from family background measures or individual medical school measures. It appears that types of sensitivity reflect psychological characteristics that are long-term precursors of suicide.
cAMP-independent phosphorylation activation of CFTR by G proteins in native human sweat duct.

It is generally believed that cAMP-dependent phosphorylation is the principle mechanism for activating cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channels. However, we showed th...
New Insights into the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurotrophic Keratopathy

Abnormalities of the ocular surface can be acquired or inherited disorders of the central nervous system. Loss of neural stimulation from the sensory division of the trigeminal nerve or from the autonomic nervous system can have devastating consequences on corneal epithelial wound healing and the precorneal tear film, leading to decreased vision. The pathogenesis of neurotrophic keratopathy is reviewed, and treatment modalities are recommended.
Bach: a procedural language for specifying polyphonic music

The acceptance of the Musical Instrument Device Interface (MIDI) standard has encouraged rapid development in the use of computers to create and manipulate music for electronic instruments. In the standard itself, music is represented as a sequence of event records. These event records can be manipulated directly. The system described here provides an alternative to direct manipulation of MIDI event records. It consists of a procedural language, called Bach, for specifying polyphonic music; a predictive parser which generates a note stream in an intermediate format; and a linker which merges note streams to produce MIDI data streams. Under development is a tool to decompile a MIDI data stream produced by playing notes on a keyboard. This tool generates a Bach procedure which can be edited, correcting technical errors or adding expression, and merged with other Bach procedures to produce more complex pieces. Planned for future development is a graphical interface which will allow users to convert between Bach procedures and traditional music notation.
SR146131, a cholecystokinin-A receptor agonist, antagonizes prepulse inhibition deficits produced by dizocilpine and DOI.

Abstract Rationale. Converging evidence has demonstrated that cholecystokinin (CCK) inhibits mesolimbic brain dopamine (DA) function via activation of CCK-A (CCK-1) receptors. These effects of CCK have stimulated interest in the potential use of CCK agonists as antipsychotic drugs. Most research on the antipsychotic-like drug effects of CCK has used CCK or CCK analogues that nonselectively activate both CCK-A and CCK-B (CCK-2) receptors, which may produce opposite effects. SR146131, a CCK-A selective nonpeptide agonist, has recently been developed (Sanofi-Synthelabo). Objective. To determine whether SR146131 exhibits antipsychotic-like qualities in the prepulse inhibition (PPI) paradigm. Methods. We performed experiments to determine whether SR146131 (vehicle, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 mg/kg) would attenuate PPI deficits induced by amphetamine (2.0 mg/kg), an indirect dopamine agonist, and dizocilpine (0.1 mg/kg), a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist. Since SR146131 demonstrated significant effects on PPI disrupted by the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist, an effect associated with drugs that inhibit serotonin (5HT)2A transmission, we also tested the effects of SR146131 on PPI disruption produced by 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI, 0.5 mg/kg), a direct 5HT2A agonist. Results. SR146131 did not significantly affect startle magnitude, baseline PPI, or amphetamine-induced PPI deficits. However, it dose-dependently antagonized dizocilpine and DOI-induced PPI deficits. Conclusions. The lack of an effect of SR146131 on amphetamine-induced disruption of PPI suggests that a selective nonpeptide CCK-A agonist may not produce antipsychotic-like effects on dopamine transmission. However, the unexpected effects of SR146131 on dizocilpine and DOI-induced PPI deficits are consistent with the effects of drugs that inhibit transmission in the 5HT2A receptor system, including atypical antipsychotic drugs. Possible mechanisms underlying these findings are discussed.
Katanin Activity is Regulated by Common Cellular Components

Proper organization of the microtubule cytoskeletal network is required to perform necessary cellular functions. Network organization is achieved through remodeling by microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) that control microtubule dynamics by selectively stabilizing and destabilizing microtubules. Stabilizing MAPs are relatively well understood, while less is known about destabilizing MAPs, such as severing enzymes. Katanin, the first-discovered microtubule severing enzyme, is a AAA+ enzyme that oligomerizes into hexamers and uses ATP hydrolysis to sever microtubules. Using single molecule biophysics techniques in vitro we investigate how katanin and its severing activity can be regulated by the type of microtubule, free tubulin, ATP concentration, and the neuronal MAP tau isoform 4RL. This work provides evidence that katanin activity is regulated by common cellular contents that will ultimately affect microtubule organization in cells.