cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of oleamide on sleep and its relationship to blood pressure, body temperature, and locomotor activity in rats.

Oleamide (cis-9,10-octadecenoamide) is a brain lipid that has recently been isolated from the cerebral fluid of sleep-deprived cats. Intracerebroventricular and intraperitoneal administration of oleamide induces sleep in rats. However, it is unclear whether oleamide's hypnogenic effects are mediated, in part, by its actions on blood pressure and core body temperature. Here we show that systemic administration of oleamide (10 and 20 mg/kg) in rats increased slow-wave sleep 2, without affecting blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, oleamide decreased body temperature and locomotor activity in a dose-dependent manner. These latter effects were not correlated in time with the observed increases in slow-wave sleep. These data suggest that the hypnogenic effects of oleamide are not related to changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or body temperature.
The ability of pea transformation technology to transfer genes into peas adapted to western Canadian growing conditions

Transgenic pea plants can be produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of thin slices from developing embryo axes. To determine if the method is effective for different pea genotypes, seven pea breeding lines adapted to western Canadian growing conditions were tested, using three different Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation vectors. All vectors contained the gus (uidA) gene coding for the b-glucuronidase (GUS) protein, but with different chemical selection genes. In total, 323 transgenic plants were recovered from 39 independent transformation events. Transgenic plants were recovered from each genotype and each selection system, but not from all combinations. GUS-positive explants were obtained from seeds harvested between 24 and 31 days after flowering. The mean time from Agrobacterium treatment to planting into soil averaged 186 days. Based on the initial number of seeds used, the transformation frequency was 0.6% (i.e. six independent transgenic events per 1000 axes sliced). The inserted genes were functional and inherited in a Mendelian fashion. Although more plants were recovered by selection on chlorsulfuron, GUS activity was generally greater in plants selected on kanamycin. GUS activity in the leaves of the original plants varied, but GUS activity in the second generation was correlated with that of the original transformants. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Geometric and potential driving formation and evolution of biomolecular surfaces

This paper presents new geometrical flow equations for the theoretical modeling of biomolecular surfaces in the context of multiscale implicit solvent models. To account for the local variations near the biomolecular surfaces due to interactions between solvent molecules, and between solvent and solute molecules, we propose potential driven geometric flows, which balance the intrinsic geometric forces that would occur for a surface separating two homogeneous materials with the potential forces induced by the atomic interactions. Stochastic geometric flows are introduced to account for the random fluctuation and dissipation in density and pressure near the solvent–solute interface. Physical properties, such as free energy minimization (area decreasing) and incompressibility (volume preserving), are realized by some of our geometric flow equations. The proposed approach for geometric and potential forces driving the formation and evolution of biological surfaces is illustrated by extensive numerical experiments and compared with established minimal molecular surfaces and molecular surfaces. Local modification of biomolecular surfaces is demonstrated with potential driven geometric flows. High order geometric flows are also considered and tested in the present work for surface generation. Biomolecular surfaces generated by these approaches are typically free of geometric singularities. As the speed of surface generation is crucial to implicit solvent model based molecular dynamics, four numerical algorithms, a semi-implicit scheme, a Crank–Nicolson scheme, and two alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes, are constructed and tested. Being either stable or conditionally stable but admitting a large critical time step size, these schemes overcome the stability constraint of the earlier forward Euler scheme. Aided with the Thomas algorithm, one of the ADI schemes is found to be very efficient as it balances the speed and accuracy.
An Improved Procedure for Determining the Work of Adhesion for Polymer-Solid Contact

Abstract Force-balance experiments in conjunction with the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory have been used to determine the work of adhesion between solid systems. It has been shown that deficiencies in understanding the deformation behavior can lead to erroneous results. A modified procedure for determining the work of adhesion by force-balance experiments and JKR theory using normal displacement behavior has been introduced to address these deficiencies. This procedure involves improved experiental and data analysis protocols and has been applied to give more precise work of adhesion values for PDMS poly(dimethylsiloxane)-PDMS, PDMS-F(fluorinated silicon) and PDMS-Si (silicon) systems. The work of adhesion determinations are consistently less than those estimated by contact angle measurements.
Ageing and muscular dystrophy differentially affect murine pharyngeal muscles in a region-dependent manner.

The inability to swallow, or dysphagia, is a debilitating and life-threatening condition that arises with ageing or disease. Dysphagia results from neurological or muscular impairment of one or more pharyngeal muscles, which function together to ensure proper swallowing and prevent the aspiration of food or liquid into the lungs. Little is known about the effects of age or disease on pharyngeal muscles as a group. Here we show ageing affected pharyngeal muscle growth and atrophy in wild-type mice depending on the particular muscle analysed. Furthermore, wild-type mice also developed dysphagia with ageing. Additionally, we studied pharyngeal muscles in a mouse model for oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, a dysphagic disease caused by a polyalanine expansion in the RNA binding protein, PABPN1. We examined pharyngeal muscles of mice overexpressing either wild-type A10 or mutant A17 PABPN1. Overexpression of mutant A17 PABPN1 differentially affected growth of the palatopharyngeus muscle dependent on its location within the pharynx. Interestingly, overexpression of wild-type A10 PABPN1 was protective against age-related muscle atrophy in the laryngopharynx and prevented the development of age-related dysphagia. These results demonstrate that pharyngeal muscles are differentially affected by both ageing and muscular dystrophy in a region-dependent manner. These studies lay important groundwork for understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate pharyngeal muscle growth and atrophy, which may lead to novel therapies for individuals with dysphagia.
Childhood Alpers-Huttenlocher Syndrome

Abstract Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome is a hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion disorder. It is caused by mutations in the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ ( POLG ). Genetic transmission is autosomal recessive. Carriers are asymptomatic. Carrier prevalence is 1:150. Disease frequency is 1:100,000. Diagnosis is by POLG gene testing, with compatible clinical signs, symptoms, and course. The diagnostic clinical triad is as follows: (1) refractory, mixed-type seizures, often with myoclonus and/or epilepsia partialis continua (EPC); (2) episodic psychomotor regression, often associated with common childhood infections; and (3) liver dysfunction. Children may appear normal for months to years before the onset of symptoms. Eighty percent of cases present in the first 5 years of life. Twenty percent present between 5 and 25 years of life. Death occurs in 90% from complications of progressive encephalopathy or liver failure within 2 months to 15 years after the onset of symptoms. There is no curative treatment. Medical management is symptomatic and supportive. Valproic acid is contraindicated. POLG mutations are not found in about 15% of cases. These may be phenocopies that result from rare clinical presentations of mutations in other genes such as Twinkle/PEO1 , or FARS2, better known for producing other syndromes.
Abstract 48: High Risk of Symptomatic Vasospasm in Unaffected Arteries in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients Receiving Targeted Endovascular Treatment for Focal Symptomatic Vasospasm

Background: Targeted treatment (angioplasty and/or vasodilators) limited to symptomatic artery offers effective and sustained clinical benefit in patients with cerebral vasospasm and cerebral ische...
k-regret queries with nonlinear utilities

In exploring representative databases, a primary issue has been finding accurate models of user preferences. Given this, our work generalizes the method of regret minimization as proposed by Nanongkai et al. to include nonlinear utility functions. Regret minimization is an approach for selecting k representative points from a database such that every user's ideal point in the entire database is similar to one of the k points. This approach combines benefits of the methods top-k and skyline; it controls the size of the output but does not require knowledge of users' preferences. Prior work with k-regret queries assumes users' preferences to be modeled by linear utility functions. In this paper, we derive upper and lower bounds for nonlinear utility functions, as these functions can better fit occurrences such as diminishing marginal returns, propensity for risk, and substitutability of preferences. To model these phenomena, we analyze a broad subset of convex, concave, and constant elasticity of substitution functions. We also run simulations on real and synthetic data to prove the efficacy of our bounds in practice.
Alternative gate dielectrics with BST/TiO2/(barrier oxide) stacked structure

BST/TiO2/(Barrier Layer) stacked dielectric structure has been proposed for ultra thin (<20A) gate dielectric application to overcome the direct tunneling current problem of Si02. To characterize the alternative dielectrics, MIM and MIS capacitors were fabricated. TiO2 is believed to prevent BST and Si from reaction and interdiffusion while TiC2 itself is stable due to the strong binding energy. For better interfacial quality of TiO2/Si interface, proper barrier layer is needed between TiO2 and Si. Optimization of this barrier layer was performed by RTP grown N20 oxide and self-grown interfacial oxide layer with various annealing conditions. To monitor these barrier layers, TEM and electrical analysis were performed. From TEM observation, it was found that interfacial layer was formed in every sample whether it was intentionally grown or not. It was observed that the leakage current of Pt/TiO2/Si dramatically increased after 7007#x00B0;C or higher temperature annealing. This might be related to the transition of crystal structure of TiO2 from anatese to rutile at about 700°C[1]. It was also found that both Pt/BST/TiO2/Si and Pt/TiO2/Si showed lower leakage current compare to the conventional NO oxide at comparable equivalent SiO2 thickness. These results imply that these materials hold some promise as alternatives of pure SiO2 in very thin range.
Use of Radioiodinated Antipyrine to Measure Liver Function in the Rat.

SummaryTo determine whether impairment of liver function interferes with release of I131 tag from radioiodinated antipyrine, groups of rats were functionally hepatectomized. poisoned with carbon tetrachloride or poisoned with dl-ethionine. RIAP was then injected intravenously and the diffusibility of the I131 tag through a cellophane membrane measured after one hour. Functional hepatectoray resulted in a marked decrease in diffusibility, while carbon tetrachloride and dl-ethionine poisoning produced a significant decrease in diffusibility. Return of liver function after carbon tetrachloride poisoning resulted in an increase of diffusibility. The data support the conclusion that the release of I131 tag from RIAP is a function of the liver and can be used to measure liver function.
Assessment of the Reliability of the Sysmex XE-5000 Analyzer to Detect Platelet Clumps

Objective : Platelet counts generated by automated analyzers on blood specimens that contain platelet clumps are often inaccurate and require verification by blood-smear review. In this study, we assessed the reliability of the Sysmex XE-5000 instrument to detect platelet clumps. Method: We reviewed automated complete blood count (CBC) results and the findings of the microscopic review of corresponding blood smears of 600 blood specimens specifically selected from the routine laboratory workload. The sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of its 2 platelet-associated flags (abnormal platelet-size distribution [PAD] flag and platelet-clumps [CLP] flag) were determined. Results: The respective values for the sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, and PPV were 42%, 83%, 63%, and 1% for the PAD flag and 57%, 99%, 78%, and 37% for the CLP flag. The NPV was 100%. Conclusion: The overall reliability of the CLP flag is superior than that of the PAD flag but there is room for further improvement. * Abbreviations : CBCs : complete blood counts DIFFs : differential leukocyte counts EDTA : ethylenediamineteraacetic acid PPV : positive predictive value NPV : negative predictive value PAD : platelet size distribution flag CLP : platelet clumps IMI : immature cell information NRBC : nucleated red blood cells NA : not applicable VPA : vortexed prior to analysis PCIC : platelet count inaccurate due to clumps NPLT : platelet count not obtainable due to clumps NWC : normal with clumps IWC : increased with clumps DWC : decreased with clumps RBT : if clinically indicated, a reliable platelet count may be obtained from a specimen collected in a blue-top (citrated) tube
Calcium Oxalate Raphide Crystals and Crystalliferous Idioblasts in the Carpels of Ornithogalum caudatum

Crystalliferous idioblasts commonly are found in groups of two or three cells in the peripheral region of the carpels. Crystals, composed of calcium oxalate, usually are in well-organized bundles which develop within a matrix of protein and carbohydrate in the vacuole of each idioblast. The matrix occurs around and between individual crystal chambers and contains spheres and tubules 5-4 nm in diameter. The matrix changes in character and location with age. Crystals form within their own individual chambers, each comprised of a series of lamellae. The number of lamellae is variable. The innermost lamella is different from the others in that it is apparently continuous. The other lamellae are platelike and superficially resemble successive periderms. The lamellae may begin and/or terminate abruptly or they may anastamose. Each lamella is composed of chains of spheres about 61 nm in diameter and is separated from adjacent lamellae by tubules 5-4 nm in diameter. Both the crystals and slime body are absorbed during later stages of carpel maturation.
Modeling Deterioration of Bridge Components with Binary Probit Techniques with Random Effects

Highway agencies use deterioration models to monitor the performance of bridge components (deck, superstructure, and substructure) and to predict their remaining service lives on the basis of the attributes of the bridges and their operating environments. Most bridge deterioration models are deterministic in nature. However, as a result of recent federal legislation, agencies are paying more attention to risk-based performance evaluation and decision making and are seeking models that incorporate stochastic elements. Probabilistic models provide more robust predictions of conditions. This paper describes the development of ordered binary probit (BP) models that duly account for observation-specific effects. The models describe the bridge component deterioration trends, specifically the probability that the component condition will drop from one state to another. This paper also acknowledges past similar or related efforts in this area of research but presents new insights and simplifies the complexity ass...
Towards the Delivery of Cargo Across Biological Barriers

Limited knowledge exists on the utility of cell-penetrating peptides for transcellular delivery of cargo across biological barriers. Previously, we reported that a short peptide, referred to as the CL peptide, enhanced permeability of a covalently-conjugated small-molecule cargo across a monolayer of cells in vitro. In this study we are investigating the mechanisms by which the cargo is internalized into the cells and delivered across the cell monolayers. This knowledge can guide us in designing future peptide-based drug delivery systems that can bridge biological barriers.
Reaction behavior and conversion of anatase in alumina production process with calcification-carbonization method

The reaction behavior and conversion of anatase in the calcification-carbonization process were investigated experimentally in the pure substance systems of Na2O-Al2O3-CaO-TiO2-H2O and Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO-TiO2-H2O. The calcification experiments were conducted respectively in the digestion conditions of diaspore and gibbsite. In calcification process, with temperature increasing, anatase converts to firstly Ca3TiSi2(Al2Si0.5Ti0.5)O14 and then CaTiO3. The increase of sodium aluminate solution concentration and additive TiO2-SiO2 ratio can promote this conversion. In carbonization process, CO2 can’t make CaTiO3 decompose. CaTiO3 is the most stable titanate phase in calcification-carbonization process.
Monoclonal Antibodies in the Treatment of Transplant Rejection

Despite advances in tissue typing, pretransplant conditioning of recipients, and immunosuppressive therapy, immunologic graft loss has remained the leading cause of renal allograft failure in the first year following transplantation. One year allograft survival rates at most major transplantation centers are in the 75–85% range, with the majority of graft failures due to irreversible acute rejection episodes. While conventional therapies have been moderately effective in reversing acute rejection episodes, many infectious and metabolic complications are attributable to anti-rejection treatment. These undesirable side effects often limit the intensity, and hence the efficacy of therapy, and are the motivation for the development of new therapeutic modalities and innovative therapeutic strategies. This chapter will review the results achieved with the use of monoclonal antibodies in the prevention and treatment of acute renal transplant rejection.
Alternative Conceptions of Emotional Development

The contributors to this volume have put forth a variety of perspectives addressing the nature, development, and functions of emotion. These models can be usefully understood in terms of four general categories. These include characterizations of emotions as (1) discrete states, (2) multicomponent processes, (3) emergent coordinations of self-organizing systems, and (4) constructed modes of experience. Consistent with the recent trends in emotion theory reviewed in the introductory chapter, the approaches to emotion represented in this volume differ with respect to the number of component systems invoked to define or explain emotion, as well as in the relations among those proposed systems. In what follows, for each general approach to emotional development, we examine the ways in which the concept of emotion is defined, what about emotion undergoes developmental change, and the proposed functions of emotional processes.
A novel approach to the design of a broadband high efficiency Class-E power amplifier with over 87% bandwidth

A systematic methodology for designing and implementing a broadband high-efficiency Class-E GaN power amplifier (PA) is proposed. The non-linear model of the GaN device is utilized to prescribe the optimal output impedance for broadband Class-E operation. The impedance of the output-matching network at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies is considered and optimized to cover broadband operation, maximum output power, and high efficiency. Simulated and experimental results of the amplifier demonstrate Class-E PA performance that covers a 0.9 GHz to 2.3 GHz band (i.e. 87% bandwidth) with a measured efficiency of 57–88%, and an output power of 12 W–30 W and an average gain of 10.5 dB.
Kalman Filter Tracking on Parallel Architectures

We report on the progress of our studies towards a Kalman filter track reconstruction algorithm with optimal performance on manycore architectures. The combinatorial structure of these algorithms is not immediately compatible with an efficient SIMD (or SIMT) implementation; the challenge for us is to recast the existing software so it can readily generate hundreds of shared-memory threads that exploit the underlying instruction set of modern processors. We show how the data and associated tasks can be organized in a way that is conducive to both multithreading and vectorization. We demonstrate very good performance on Intel Xeon and Xeon Phi architectures, as well as promising first results on Nvidia GPUs.
Intonational speech prosody encoding in the human auditory cortex.

Speakers of all human languages regularly use intonational pitch to convey linguistic meaning, such as to emphasize a particular word. Listeners extract pitch movements from speech and evaluate the shape of intonation contours independent of each speaker’s pitch range. We used high-density electrocorticography to record neural population activity directly from the brain surface while participants listened to sentences that varied in intonational pitch contour, phonetic content, and speaker. Cortical activity at single electrodes over the human superior temporal gyrus selectively represented intonation contours. These electrodes were intermixed with, yet functionally distinct from, sites that encoded different information about phonetic features or speaker identity. Furthermore, the representation of intonation contours directly reflected the encoding of speaker-normalized relative pitch but not absolute pitch.
Sources of Radium Accumulation in Stream Sediments near Disposal Sites in Pennsylvania: Implications for Disposal of Conventional Oil and Gas Wastewater

In Pennsylvania, Appalachian oil and gas wastewaters (OGW) are permitted for release to surface waters after some treatment by centralized waste treatment (CWT) facilities. While this practice was largely discontinued in 2011 for unconventional Marcellus OGW at facilities permitted to release high salinity effluents, it continues for conventional OGW. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental implications of the policy allowing the disposal of conventional OGW. We collected stream sediments from three disposal sites receiving treated OGW between 2014 and 2017 and measured 228Ra, 226Ra, and their decay products, 228Th and 210Pb, respectively. We consistently found elevated activities of 228Ra and 226Ra in stream sediments in the vicinity of the outfall (total Ra = 90–25,000 Bq/kg) compared to upstream sediments (20–80 Bq/kg). In 2015 and 2017, 228Th/228Ra activity ratios in sediments from two disposal sites were relatively low (0.2–0.7), indicating that a portion of the Ra has accumulated in the sedim...
Modeling scattering and intrinsic attenuation of crosswell seismic data in the Michigan Basin

ABSTRACTScattering of seismic waves may cause a significant amount of apparent attenuation, particularly in regions having strong heterogeneity. We find that the radiative transfer method can be us...
The relationship between cavum septum pellucidum and psychopathic traits in a large forensic sample.

Abstract Cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) is a neuroanatomical variant of the septum pellucidum that is considered a marker for disrupted brain development. Several small sample studies have reported CSP to be related to disruptive behavior, persistent antisocial traits, and even psychopathy. However, no large-scale samples have comprehensively examined the relationship between CSP, psychopathic traits, and antisocial behavior in forensic samples. Here we test hypotheses about the presence of CSP and its relationship to psychopathic traits in incarcerated males (N = 1432). We also examined the incidence of CSP in two non-incarcerated male control samples for comparison (N = 208 and 125). Ethnic and racial composition was varied with a mean age of 33.1, and an average IQ of 96.96. CSP was evaluated via structural magnetic resonance imaging. CSP was measured by length (number of 1.0 mm slices) in continuous analyses, and classified as absent (0) or present (1+ mm), as well as by size (absent (0), small (1–3), medium (4–5), or large (6+ mm)) for comparison with prior work. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I/P), and Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were used to assess IQ, substance dependence, and psychopathy, respectively. CSP length was positively associated with PCL-R total, Factor 1 (interpersonal/affective) and Facets 1 (interpersonal) and 2 (affective). CSP was no more prevalent among inmates than among non-incarcerated controls, with similar distributions of size. These results support the hypotheses that abnormal septal/limbic development may contribute to dimensional affective/interpersonal traits of psychopathy, but CSP is not closely associated with antisocial behavior, per se.
The mixed glass former effect in 0.35Na2O + 0.65[xB2O3 + (1-x)P2O5] glasses

Energy storage is a growing concern in an ever increasingly battery driven society. Development of safer, smaller, and longer lasting batteries is in demand. Ion conducting glasses are an important type of solid electrolyte that could be used to answer this need. Unfortunately, many known ion conducting glasses, such as binary lithium oxide glasses with conductivities in the 10-7 - 10-8 S/cm range, are not conductive enough for practical use. In order for ion conducting glasses to be used as a commercial solid electrolyte, a method of increasing the glasses' ionic conductivity must be found. While alkali mixed glass former glasses, such as Bi2O3+B2O3+LiO2 and Li2S+SiS2+GeS2, have shown increases in the alkali ion conductivity up to two orders of magnitude, the cause of this increase is unclear. This phenomena has become known as the Mixed Glass Former Effect (MGFE) and is defined by a non-linear, non-additive change in ionic conductivity. Although the MGFE has been observed in the literature, it has not been observed in all mixed glass former (MGF) glasses and has also been seen as a negative or positive effect. In this talk, I will review our comprehensive study of the physical properties, structure, and the effect of composition on MGF sodium borophosphate glasses. It is our hypothesis that changes in the short range order structures, caused by the mixing of the boron and phosphate networks, are responsible for the MGFE. I will show a strong correlation between physical properties and structural changes with changing glass former composition.
Newspaper editors vs the crowd: on the appropriateness of front page news selection

The front page is the showcase that might condition whether one buys a newspaper, and so editors carefully select the news of the day that they believe will attract as many readers as possible. Little is known about the extent to which editors' criteria for front page news selection are appropriate so as to matching the actual interests of the crowd. In this paper, we compare the news stories in The New York Times over the period of a year to their popularity on Twitter and Facebook. Our study questions the current news selection criteria, revealing that while editors focus on picking hard news such as politics for the front page, social media users are rather into soft news such as science and fashion.
Herz- und Kreislaufneurosen und neurozirkulatorische Asthenie

Manche Arzte sind noch im Zweifel, ob man zwischen diesen beiden Zustanden eine scharfe Trennungslinie ziehen konne. Wir ziehen ihre Erorterung als gesonderte Krankheitsbilder trotz vielen und starken, gegen eine solche Einteilung sprechenden Argumenten vor.
Precolonial Encounters at Tamál-Húye : An Event-Oriented Archaeology in Sixteenth-Century Northern California

This essay highlights the brief intersection of European mercantile (precapitalist) expansion and northern California Indian culture in the late-sixteenth century, using short-term engagements between English and Spanish seafarers and Coast Miwok-speaking Tamal hunter-gatherers in 1579 and 1595 to explore how brief, precolonial encounters can contribute to broader anthropological inquiries of cultural change and persistence. The 1579 and 1595 encounters at tamal huye, the Indigenous name for the area now encompassing Drakes Bay in Point Reyes National Seashore, represent two of the earliest intersections of Europeans and California Indians on the US Pacific coast. Research is examining the potential long-term implications of short-term events, in this case by focusing on a brief visitation by Sir Francis Drake and his crew to tamal huye in 1579, followed by the wreck of the Spanish Manila galleon San Agustin, under the command of Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeno, in the same area in 1595. These encounters represent the earliest cross-cultural encounters between Europeans and native peoples in northern California, and the last for more than 175 years until the Spanish colonized northern California beginning in 1769. This essay uses these encounters to illustrate the analytical value of short-term events in archaeological research, and as a way to highlight the historical archaeology of postcontact, precolonial Indigenous societies, which have not received a great deal of attention from historical archaeologists studying processes of culture contact and colonialism.
Epigenetic changes in the brain: measuring global histone modifications.

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of research on the role of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and histone protein acetylation and phosphorylation, in neuroscience. These changes exert control over gene expression and have been shown to play important roles in a variety of neural processes, including learning and memory. We and others have also recently shown that epigenetic changes may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Western blot analysis with antibodies raised against specific histone modifications is a relatively simple technique able to reveal the type, location, and degree of histone posttranslational modifications produced by an experimental manipulation. Here we provide a step-by-step protocol for isolating histone proteins from tissue and measuring these posttranslational modifications.
Muscle endurance deficits in myositis patients despite normal manual muscle testing scores

Introduction It is unclear whether quantitating muscle endurance adds nonredundant information useful for the care of patients with muscular disease. Methods Records were retrospectively reviewed for all Johns Hopkins Myositis Center patients with a muscle endurance assessment (n = 128, 226 patient-visits). Muscle endurance and strength were quantitated with the Myositis Functional Index-2 (FI2) and manual muscle testing (MMT), respectively. Results Composite FI2 muscle endurance scores were comparable in inclusion body myositis (n = 58), dermatomyositis (n = 31), and polymyositis (n = 39). Overall, muscle endurance correlated with and evolved similarly to strength, inversely to serum creatine kinase. However, in patients with normal or near-normal strength (mean MMT > 9.75/10), muscle endurance was typically abnormal and highly variable (mean FI2, 5.6/10; interquartile range, 3.3-7.8/10). Discussion Muscle endurance testing may identify muscle impairment inadequately described by MMT, particularly in patients with high MMT scores. Muscle Nerve 59:70-75, 2019.
Comparison of Accelerometer-Based Cut-Points for Children’s Physical Activity: Counts vs. Steps

Background: Accelerometers measure complex movements of children’s free play moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), including step and non-step movements. Current accelerometer technology has introduced algorithms to measure steps, along with counts. Precise interpretation of accelerometer-based cadence (steps/min) cut-points is necessary for accurately measuring and tracking children’s MVPA. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships and agreement between accelerometer-based cut-points (cadence and counts/min) to estimate children’s MVPA compared to measured values. Methods: Forty children (8–12 years; 25 boys) played 6–10 games while wearing a portable metabolic analyzer and GT3X+ to measure and estimate MVPA, respectively. Correlation, kappa, sensitivity, and specificity assessed the relationships and agreement between measured and estimated MVPA. Results: Games elicited, on average, 6.3 ± 1.6 METs, 64.5 ± 24.7 steps/min, and 3318 ± 1262 vertical (V) and 5350 ± 1547 vector-magnitude (VM) counts/min. The relationship between measured and estimated MVPA intensity was higher for cadence (r = 0.50) than V and VM counts/min (r = 0.38 for both). Agreement using V and VM counts/min for measuring PA intensity varied by cut-points (range: 6.8% (κ = −0.02) to 97.6% (κ = 0.49)), while agreement was low using cadence cut-points (range: 4.0% (κ = 0.0009) to 11.3% (κ = 0.001)). Conclusion: While measured and estimated values were well correlated, using cadence tended to misclassify children’s free-play MVPA.
Utility-Aware Synthesis of Differentially Private and Attack-Resilient Location Traces

As mobile devices and location-based services become increasingly ubiquitous, the privacy of mobile users' location traces continues to be a major concern. Traditional privacy solutions rely on perturbing each position in a user's trace and replacing it with a fake location. However, recent studies have shown that such point-based perturbation of locations is susceptible to inference attacks and suffers from serious utility losses, because it disregards the moving trajectory and continuity in full location traces. In this paper, we argue that privacy-preserving synthesis of complete location traces can be an effective solution to this problem. We present AdaTrace, a scalable location trace synthesizer with three novel features: provable statistical privacy, deterministic attack resilience, and strong utility preservation. AdaTrace builds a generative model from a given set of real traces through a four-phase synthesis process consisting of feature extraction, synopsis learning, privacy and utility preserving noise injection, and generation of differentially private synthetic location traces. The output traces crafted by AdaTrace preserve utility-critical information existing in real traces, and are robust against known location trace attacks. We validate the effectiveness of AdaTrace by comparing it with three state of the art approaches (ngram, DPT, and SGLT) using real location trace datasets (Geolife and Taxi) as well as a simulated dataset of 50,000 vehicles in Oldenburg, Germany. AdaTrace offers up to 3-fold improvement in trajectory utility, and is orders of magnitude faster than previous work, while preserving differential privacy and attack resilience.
Recovering and Redefining Blackness in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

In his 2008 novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz uncovers the ways in which blackness has been repressed and denigrated in the Dominican Republic. He critiques this pervasive Negrophobia through two central characters, Oscar and his mother, Beli, both of whom are marginalized because of their African phenotypes. Diaz underscores Oscar and Beli9s link to Africa through the recurring figure of the mongoose, which appears at crucial moments in the novel and whose journey parallels the trek of Africans to the Americas as early as the 15th century. The mongoose higlights the ways in which Oscar and Beli (and all Dominicans) are children of the African Diaspora. Intertwined with this recovery of blackness in the novel is its redefinition. Diaz writes against a collective tendency in the United States to see “Black” and “Latino” as two mutually exclusive identities, borrowing from Latin American constructions of race as a fluid identity. In particular, Diaz9 use of specifically Dominican racialized terms to describe characters and his narrator9s frequent use of the word “nigger” juxtapose two different understandings of race in general and blackness in particular. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao not only lays bare how, as Silvio Torres-Saillant asserts, “Dominican society is the cradle of blackness in the Americas,” but it also demonstrates the heterogeneous, dynamic, and contingent nature of blackness itself.
School and Family Factors Predicting Adolescent Cognition Regarding Bystander Intervention in Response to Bullying and Victim Retaliation

Youth aggression occurs at high rates. Aggressive acts can be curbed through bystander intervention; yet, little is known about school and family factors that predict bystander intervention in response to both aggression and victim retaliation. This research examines school and family factors related to standing up to aggression and intervening before possible retaliation occurs. Participants included 6th and 9th graders (N = 896, 52.8% female), who evaluated how likely they would be to intervene if they observed aggression and if they heard the victim was planning to retaliate. Family and school factors are important predictors of bystander intervention, with higher family management, and more positive school climate associated with greater likelihood of intervention and higher feelings of social exclusion and teacher and peer discrimination associated with inactive responses to aggression and retaliation. Thus, a complex constellation of factors relate to the likelihood of intervening if someone is being victimized or considering retaliation in response to victimization. The results provide guidance and new directions for possible school- and family-based interventions to encourage bystander intervention in instances of aggression.
“Beating against the Wind”: The Politics of Race and Retention in Supporting African American Principal Advocacy and Growth

In this article, authors offer a CRT-driven analysis of in-depth interview data from two African American principals charged with turning around poverty-impacted, largely African-American populated...
Recent Advances in Imaging Inflammation Post-Myocardial Infarction Using Positron Emission Tomography

Despite advances in medical and surgical therapy, some patients after a myocardial infarction still develop heart failure, a devastating disease that has a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Differences in the immune response to the myocardial damage may affect the healing process. Molecular imaging enables the interrogation of immune cell subsets that can aid or impair left ventricular recovery post-myocardial infarction. Visualization of patient-specific differences in the cellular and molecular process among patients post-myocardial infarction may lead to the development of personalized therapy to prevent remodeling and promote myocardial recovery. Positron emission tomography (PET) has emerged as a commonly used modality for imaging myocardial inflammation in both pre-clinical and clinical studies. While 18F-FDG continues to be investigated for its ability to track inflammation in small clinical trials, its relative short half-life and nonspecific uptake have prompted investigation into other PET tracers, including agents that image amino acid metabolism, mitochondrial transport proteins, cell surface receptors, and integrins. Two of the most innovative approaches include the use of reporter gene imaging and nanoparticles. Of these, the latter offers the added advantage of delivering a therapeutic payload. Finally, recent advances in PET instrumentation such as total-body imaging can allow the study of multi-organ dysfunction simultaneously (e.g., cardiac and brain inflammation after a heart attack) with high sensitivity. Moreover, with multi-isotope PET scanners, simultaneous observation of multiple positron emitting isotopes has enabled the examination of different biological processes with distinct molecular probes in a single scan setting. The development of advanced PET tracers for the visualization of the inflammatory cascade post-myocardial infarction may enable the development of immune modulating agents to promote left ventricular recovery.
Diagnosis and Quantification of Postdisaster Construction Material Cost Fluctuations

AbstractThe postdisaster survival of communities and cities largely depends on their capabilities to rapidly reconstruct damages. Temporary increases in construction costs following natural hazards...
Do the rich get richer? Exploring disparate effects of hosting sport mega events on high technology exports for developed and developing nations

Plenty of research has investigated the relationship between exports and economic growth. Because positive linkages are regarded as situational, research investigated a range of covariates that cou...
Homoclinic Orbits and Solitary Waves within the Nondissipative Lorenz Model and KdV Equation

Recent studies using the classical Lorenz model and generalized Lorenz models present abundant features of both chaotic and oscillatory solutions that may change our view on the nature of the weath...
Plotting the Modern City: John Dryden's Sir Martin Mar-All on the Dorset Garden Stage

Over the course of four days in September, 1666, a fire sparked in a bakery turned four-fifths of central London to dust. Wandering the streets around his home three days after the Great Fire subsided, the diarist John Evelyn describes a city in ruins—its buildings and landmarks “mealted, & reduc'd to cinders by the vehement heats,” its “bielanes & narrower streetes … quite fill'd up with rubbish, nor could one have possibly known where he was, but by the ruines of some church, or hall, that had some remarkable towre or pinacle remaining.” John Dryden echoes Evelyn's sense of disorientation in Annus Mirabilis, his poem dedicated to the people of London and published in 1667; he describes “the Cracks of Falling houses,” the “Shrieks of Subjects” as the Fire “wades the Streets,” threatens the palace, and lays the city's famed financial centers “to waste.” And he describes, too, the desperate attempts by those left homeless by the Fire to make spaces for themselves in the ruins:Those who have [no home] sit round where once it was,And with full Eyes each wonted Room require:Haunting the yet warm ashes of the place,As murder'd Men walk where they did expire.
Drug-induced liver injury associated with antiseizure medications from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

Purpose Treatment with antiseizure medications (ASMs) confers a risk of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), especially for older ASMs. We sought to quantify recent reports of DILI attributed to both older and newer generation ASMs and survey newly marketed ASMs for hepatotoxicity in a large post-marketing database. Methods We queried over 2.6 million adverse event reports made to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database between July 1, 2018 and March 31, 2020 for DILI due to ASMs commonly used in clinical practice. Patient characteristics and outcomes were assessed. We calculated the reporting odds ratio (ROR) of DILI for each individual ASM versus all non-ASM reports. Results A total of 2175 DILI cases were attributed to an ASM during the study period. 97.2% of these were designated as serious reactions, which include death, hospitalization, disability, and other life-threatening outcomes. A number of older and newer generation ASMs were associated with DILI, specifically: carbamazepine (ROR 2.92), phenobarbital (ROR 2.91), oxcarbazepine (ROR 2.58), phenytoin (ROR 2.40), valproate (ROR 2.22), lamotrigine (ROR 2.06), clobazam (ROR 1.67), levetiracetam (ROR 1.56), and diazepam (ROR 1.53). However, increased odds of DILI were not seen with zonisamide, perampanel, stiripentol, lacosamide, clonazepam, pregabalin, felbamate, eslicarbazepine, cannabidiol, topiramate, gabapentin, ethosuximide, brivaracetam, or primidone. Vigabatrin, tiagabine, and rufinamide all had zero reports of DILI. Conclusions The majority of newer generation ASMs were not significantly associated with DILI. Future studies utilizing FAERS in conjunction with other data sources will be critical for the ongoing surveillance of DILI, particularly as newly marketed ASMs continue to enter into widespread clinical use.
BPA, BPAF and TMBPF Alter Adipogenesis and Fat Accumulation in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, with Implications for Obesity

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical used in the production of plastics, and is linked to developmental, reproductive, and metabolic disorders including obesity. Manufacturers have begun using ‘BPA-free’ alternatives instead of BPA in many consumer products. However, these alternatives have had much less testing and oversight, yet they are already being mass-produced and used across industries from plastics to food-contact coatings. Here, we used human female adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs), a type of adult mesenchymal stem cell, to compare the effects of BPA and BPA alternatives on adipogenesis or fat cell development in vitro. We focused on two commonly used BPA replacements, bisphenol AF (BPAF) and tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF; monomer of the new valPure V70 food-contact coating). Human ASCs were differentiated into adipocytes using chemically defined media in the presence of control differentiation media with and without 17β-estradiol (E2; 10 μM), or with increasing doses of BPA (0, 0.1 and 1 μM), BPAF (0, 0.1, 1 and 10 nM), or TMBPF (0, 0.01 and 0.1 μM). After differentiation, the cells were stained and imaged to visualize and quantify the accumulation of lipid vacuoles and number of developing fat cells. Treated cells were also examined for cell viability and apoptosis (programmed cell death) using the respective cellular assays. Similar to E2, BPA at 0.1 μM and BPAF at 0.1 nM, significantly increased adipogenesis and lipid production by 20% compared to control differentiated cells (based on total lipid vacuole number to cell number ratios), whereas higher levels of BPA and BPAF significantly decreased adipogenesis (p < 0.005). All tested doses of TMBPF significantly reduced adipogenesis and lipid production by 30–40%, likely at least partially through toxic effects on stem cells, as viable cell numbers decreased and apoptosis levels increased throughout differentiation. These findings indicate that low, environmentally-relevant doses of BPA, BPAF, and TMBPF have significant effects on fat cell development and lipid accumulation, with TMBPF having non-estrogenic, anti-adipogenic effects. These and other recent results may provide a potential cellular mechanism between exposure to bisphenols and human obesity, and underscore the likely impact of these chemicals on fat development in vivo.