cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compensatory Processes in the Social Networks of Older Adults

Changes in the composition, functions, or health-related effects of a person’s social network can occur at any point in life, but such changes have aroused special interest among gerontologists for several reasons. First, older adults experience many life events and role transitions (e. g., retirement, bereavement, and residential relocation) that lead to network disruptions and reconfigurations (e. g., Lopata, 1979). Second, the financial and physical limitations that some older adults experience tend to restrict their social network involvement. Third, basic aging processes may produce shifts in the motivations for social contact and in preferences for social partners, resulting in a realignment of social network ties (e. g., Carstensen, 1991). Fourth, the onset of chronic health problems in later life may alter the psychosocial and material resources needed from the social network, and this alteration in turn may precipitate transformations in the functions performed by specific network members (e. g., Felton, 1990; Miller & McFall, 1991; Penning, 1990; Stoller & Pugliesi, 1988) and in the extent to which formal service providers become involved to supplement or supplant the efforts of network members (Noelker & Bass, 1989). Fifth, ample theory and research suggest that features of social network involvement have important consequences for human health and well-being (House, Umberson, & Landis, 1988), thus lending some urgency to efforts to understand how older adults respond to changes in their social networks.
Restoration of Hindlimb Movements after Complete Spinal Cord Injury Using Brain-Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation

Single neuron and local field potential signals recorded in the primary motor cortex have been repeatedly demonstrated as viable control signals for multi-degree-of-freedom actuators. Although the primary source of these signals has been fore/upper limb motor regions, recent evidence suggests that neural adaptation underlying neuroprosthetic control is generalizable across cortex, including hindlimb sensorimotor cortex. Here, adult rats underwent a longitudinal study that included a hindlimb pedal press task in response to cues for specific durations, followed by brain machine interface (BMI) tasks in healthy rats, after rats received a complete spinal transection and after the BMI signal controls epidural stimulation (BMI-FES). Over the course of the transition from learned behavior to BMI task, fewer neurons were responsive after the cue, the proportion of neurons selective for press duration increased and these neurons carried more information. After a complete, mid-thoracic spinal lesion that completely severed both ascending and descending connections to the lower limbs, there was a reduction in task-responsive neurons followed by a reacquisition of task selectivity in recorded populations. This occurred due to a change in pattern of neuronal responses not simple changes in firing rate. Finally, during BMI-FES, additional information about the intended press duration was produced. This information was not dependent on the stimulation, which was the same for short and long duration presses during the early phase of stimulation, but instead was likely due to sensory feedback to sensorimotor cortex in response to movement along the trunk during the restored pedal press. This post-cue signal could be used as an error signal in a continuous decoder providing information about the position of the limb to optimally control a neuroprosthetic device.
Gene Variation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidases 1 and 2, and Risk of Blood Pressure Progression and Incident Hypertension among 17,255 Initially Healthy Women

Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase (ERAP) in blood pressure (BP) homeostasis. To date, no large prospective, genetic–epidemiological data are available on genetic variation within ERAP and hypertension risk. The association of 45 genetic variants of ERAP1 and ERAP2 was investigated in 17,255 Caucasian female participants from the Women’s Genome Health Study. All subjects were free of hypertension at baseline. During an 18-year follow-up period, 10,216 incident hypertensive cases were identified. Multivariable linear, logistic, and Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship of genotypes with baseline BP levels, BP progression at 48 months, and incident hypertension assuming an additive genetic model. Linear regression analyses showed associations of four tSNPs (ERAP1: rs27524; ERAP2: rs3733904, rs4869315, and rs2549782; all ) with baseline systolic BP levels. Three tSNPs (ERAP1: rs27851, rs27429, and rs34736, all ) were associated with baseline diastolic BP levels. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that ERAP1 rs27772 was associated with BP progression at 48 months ( ). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed an association of three tSNPs (ERAP1: rs469783 and rs10050860; ERAP2: rs2927615; all ) with risk of incident hypertension. Analyses of dbGaP for genotype–phenotype association and GTEx Portal for gene expression quantitative trait loci revealed five tSNPs with differential association of BP and nine tSNPs with lower ERAP1 and ERAP2 mRNA expression levels, respectively. The present study suggests that ERAP1 and ERAP2 gene variation may be useful for risk assessment of BP progression and the development of hypertension.
Exploring the Protest Language of Prose: Condemnations of the Totonicapán Massacre and The Diary of Bobby Sands

In this chapter, several pieces of protest prose, condemnations of the Totonicapan Massacre in Guatemala and the Diary of Bobby Sands from Northern Ireland, are examined within the deep stories of their particular production contexts of the electricity protests and “The Troubles”, respectively. Each piece of prose is then analyzed as a performative within the framework of the renovated felicity conditions, introduced in Chapter 2 based on Austin’s Speech Act Theory, for the speech act of protest. Each analysis focuses on the presuppositional conditions regarding convention, circumstance, words, persons, effects, and positionings, followed by the aspirational conditions with a focus on thoughts, intention, risk, commitment, and subsequent actions. These analyses include discussions of identity in terms of convocativity as well as how these speech acts attain pragmatic legitimacy through the fulfillment of the felicity conditions.
The influence of sample thickness on the combustion of Al:Zr and Al-8Mg:Zr nanolaminate foils

Abstract Al:Zr and Al-8Mg:Zr nanocomposite foils do not combust completely in air because the penetration of oxygen and nitrogen into the foils can become limited as the product phases grow. The heat produced during the combustion of these foils could feasibly depend upon the volume fraction of the surface oxide layer that forms and therefore the initial foil thickness as well. To test this, Al:Zr and Al-8Mg:Zr foils of various thicknesses (9–61 µm) were fabricated by Physical Vapor Deposition and their heats of combustion were measured using bomb calorimetry in 1 atm of air. We found that combustion efficiency decreased significantly for Al:Zr foils as thickness increased, but Al-8Mg:Zr foils had a nearly constant combustion efficiency for the range of thicknesses studied. SEM-EDS measurements across the foil cross-sections showed that for Al:Zr foils, a distinct oxide layer formed on the external surfaces and there were low levels of oxygen and nitrogen toward their centers. For Al-8Mg:Zr foils though, there was minimal dependence between heat output and foil thickness, the surface oxide layer was more diffuse, and the oxygen and nitrogen contents were higher throughout the foil. We propose that the addition of magnesium improves heat generation by increasing the rates of oxygen and nitrogen diffusion and thus enabling the formation of solid solutions that are richer in oxygen and nitrogen throughout the bulk of the foils.
Minimycin: a miniature rule-based system.

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, in which computers perform tasks that would show intelligence if performed by a human, are already in frequent clinical use in a number of hospitals [1–2, 7]. Articles on artificial intelligence have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine [3] and the Journal of the American Medical Association [4]. (Good collections on AI and medicine include [5] and [6].)
The plate equations

Up to this point the analysis and design methods have been restricted to one-dimensional beams, trusses, box-beams, and simple membrane structures. As can be seen in Section 1.6 (Vol.1), the two dimensional problems for thin plates and long cylinders are more complicated than the one dimensional cases, and involve fourth order partial differential equations. Although series solutions of these equations are given in Reference 1 for various plates, there are many plate problems for which approximate methods with assumed functions must be used. Since it is necessary to use approximate methods for most two dimensional plate problems in flight vehicle structures, either for large plates or for plate finite elements, the discussion in this chapter is devoted primarily to using the virtual principles to obtain approximate solutions for plates.
Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: Current Treatment Paradigms and Future Directions.

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) is a rare subtype of ovarian cancer, accounting for approximately 10% of cases of serous ovarian cancer. Patients typically present at a younger age have a protracted clinical course with survival for those with recurrent disease nearing 10 years, and have a high prevalence of somatic (tumor-specific) mutations affecting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Initial treatment of patients with stage IC–IV disease is similar to that of high-grade serous ovarian cancer with surgery and platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy. Selected patients may benefit from hormonal maintenance therapy following chemotherapy, in particular those with evidence of residual disease at completion of therapy. In the recurrent setting, the highest response rates to chemotherapy have been noted in those patients receiving chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab. While hormonal therapies may offer disease stabilization with relatively low toxicity, objective response rates remain low. The use of targeted therapies such as MEK inhibitors remains an active area of investigation and those patients with MAPK pathway alterations may derive the greatest benefit from these agents.
Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies suppressors of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis

Sensing misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cells initiate the ER stress response and, when overwhelmed, undergo apoptosis. However, little is known about how cells prevent excessive ER stress response and cell death to restore homeostasis. Here, we report the identification and characterization of cellular suppressors of ER stress-induced apoptosis. Using a genome-wide CRISPR library, we screen for genes whose inactivation further increases ER stress-induced up-regulation of C/EBP homologous protein 10 (CHOP)-the transcription factor central to ER stress-associated apoptosis. Among the top validated hits are two interacting components of the polycomb repressive complex (L3MBTL2 [L(3)Mbt-Like 2] and MGA [MAX gene associated]), and microRNA-124-3 (miR-124-3). CRISPR knockout of these genes increases CHOP expression and sensitizes cells to apoptosis induced by multiple ER stressors, while overexpression confers the opposite effects. L3MBTL2 associates with the CHOP promoter in unstressed cells to repress CHOP induction but dissociates from the promoter in the presence of ER stress, whereas miR-124-3 directly targets the IRE1 branch of the ER stress pathway. Our study reveals distinct mechanisms that suppress ER stress-induced apoptosis and may lead to a better understanding of diseases whose pathogenesis is linked to overactive ER stress response.
Reptilian Cognition: A More Complex Picture via Integration of Neurological Mechanisms, Behavioral Constraints, and Evolutionary Context

Unlike birds and mammals, reptiles are commonly thought to possess only the most rudimentary means of interacting with their environments, reflexively responding to sensory information to the near exclusion of higher cognitive function. However, reptilian brains, though structurally somewhat different from those of mammals and birds, use many of the same cellular and molecular processes to support complex behaviors in homologous brain regions. Here, the neurological mechanisms supporting reptilian cognition are reviewed, focusing specifically on spatial cognition and the hippocampus. These processes are compared to those seen in mammals and birds within an ecologically and evolutionarily relevant context. By viewing reptilian cognition through an integrative framework, a more robust understanding of reptile cognition is gleaned. Doing so yields a broader view of the evolutionarily conserved molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie cognitive function and a better understanding of the factors that led to the evolution of complex cognition.
Making Community: Following in the footsteps of the Thai King

The goal of this short paper is to take an initial step in exploring a design framework that emphasizes making connections to students' community and creating relevant cultural connections to their constructionist learning experience. We present and illustrate our design framework using a case study of 4th graders at a low-income school in Bangkok, Thailand designing and building social innovations to solve problems in their community. Inspired by the late Thai King Bhumibol, who was the country's unifying figure and widely admired as "The Developer King," students made things that were personally and socially meaningful to their community. Students in this case were creative and innovative in their design effort and reflective of how their achievements doing things that are useful for others aligned with the spirit of King Bhumibol.
13.2 A 1Tb 4b/Cell 96-Stacked-WL 3D NAND Flash Memory with 30MB/s Program Throughput Using Peripheral Circuit Under Memory Cell Array Technique

Ever since a 3b/cell (TLC) NAND Flash memory became the mainstream in nonvolatile memory market, a new demand for a 4b/cell (QLC) NAND flash memory has been emerging for low-cost applications. However, QLC has inherently much longer page program time than TLC because of 16-state programming within a limited program and erase (PE) window, as well as narrower V th distributions. The longer page-program time, subsequently, degrades sequential write performance. Thus it is not possible to meet the required sequential-write performance in applications such as mobile devices and solid state drives (SSDs).
Producing legibility through ritual: The Inka expansion in Huarochirí (Lima, Peru):

This article builds a framework for the analysis of the Inka Empire’s (1400–1532 CE) expansion in the Peruvian highlands. Drawing from recent archaeological excavations at the site of Canchaje (Hua...
1297-P: Early CGM Initiation Improves HbA1c in T1D Youth over the First 15 Months

CGM use is associated with lower HbA1c in people with T1D. We hypothesize early CGM initiation will improve longer term HbA1c. Youth with newly diagnosed T1D from July 2018 to May 2019 (pilot cohort, n=65), were offered CGM initiation in the 1st month of T1D diagnosis with 62 initiating CGM. We compared HbA1c outcomes in this pilot cohort with those diagnosed in 2014-2016 (control cohort, n=272) with follow-up duration restricted to 15 months. HbA1c trajectories were visualized using locally estimated scatter plot smoothing (Figure 1) and compared using a generalized mixed effects regression model adjusted for baseline characteristics (HbA1c at onset, age, sex, race and insurance type). Mean HbA1c at diagnosis was higher in the pilot cohort (12.0% vs. 10.7%). Over the first 15 months of T1D, CGM was initiated in 95% of the pilot cohort (78.5% within 30 days), whereas 56% initiated in the control cohort (1.8% within 30 days). Adjusting for baseline characteristics, mean HbA1c levels were 0.5% lower (95%CI: -1.0, -0.1) in the pilot cohort at 3 months and 1.7% lower (95% CI: -2.6, -0.8) at 6 months compared to the control cohort. Differences beyond 6 months were also in the expected direction and statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Early initiation of CGM in the new onset period was associated with lower HbA1c compared to historic controls. These data suggest that early CGM initiation should be considered a part of standard new onset T1D care. Disclosure P. Prahalad: None. V. Ding: None. A. Addala: None. C. New: None. B.P. Conrad: None. A. Chmielewski: None. E. Geels: None. J. Leverenz: None. A. Martinez-Singh: None. P. Sagan: None. J. Senaldi: None. A. Freeman: None. D. Scheinker: None. K.K. Hood: Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; LifeScan, Inc., MedIQ. M. Desai: None. D.M. Maahs: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S. Consultant; Self; Abbott, Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Bigfoot Biomedical, Dexcom, Inc., Roche Diabetes Care, Tandem Diabetes Care.
Impacts of mountain pine beetle outbreaks on lodgepole pine forests in the Intermountain West, U.S., 2004–2019

Abstract Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important forest insect in western North America. We determined causes and rates of tree mortality and changes in forest structure and composition associated with D. ponderosae outbreaks in the Intermountain West, U.S. during 2004–2019 based on a network of 125 0.081-ha circular plots installed in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Incipient populations of D. ponderosae began in 2004; peaked in 2007; and returned to endemic levels in 2011 in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. In Colorado, incipient populations began in 2004; peaked in 2009; and returned to endemic levels in 2012. A total of 5107 trees died, 98.6% were lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. Fifteen contributing factors were identified, including (in order of importance, highest to lowest) D. ponderosae, unknown causes, pine engraver, Ips pini (Say), wind, breakage and/or adjacent tree fall, Pityogenes knechteli Swaine/Pityopthorus confertus Swaine, suppression, spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), root disease, western balsam bark beetle, Dryocoetes confusus (Swain), lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex. Engelm., stem diseases, woodborers, North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum (L.), mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque), and lodgepole pine beetle, Dendroctonus murrayanae Hopkins. Most tree mortality (68.8%) was attributed solely to D. ponderosae, although D. ponderosae also occurred in association with other contributing factors. Overall, significant reductions in mean dbh (by 5.3%), mean quadratic mean diameter (by 8.6%), mean tree height (by 15.9%), mean number of trees (by 40.8%), mean basal area (by 52.9%), and mean stand density index (SDI) (by 51.8%) were observed. Significant reductions in tree density were observed in all diameter classes, except the smallest (midpoint = 10 cm, 5-cm classes). Significant increases in the mean number of snags (by 1324.7%) were observed, and most snags remain standing (71.3%). Pinus contorta remains the dominant tree species, and while significant increases in the number of subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall, seedlings and saplings were observed, a long-term shift in tree composition is unlikely. Tree mortality (number of trees killed) was positively correlated with the initial number of live trees, basal area of live trees, SDI, and aspect, but not slope or elevation. The implications of these and other results to recovery and management of P. contorta forests in the Intermountain West are discussed.
Annealing studies of transcription in B. Subtilis.

Abstract Transcription patterns of B. subtilis have been studied using the technique of annealing RNA to DNA single strands resolved from their complement. It was found that transcription during vegetative growth in broth occurred on at least 5.6% of the L strand and that during sporulation an additional 4.4% of the L strand was “turned on”, while little of the original vegetative transcription was “turned off”. In contrast, 17.5% of the H strand was rendered during vegetative growth in broth. At the second hour after sporulation onset, the transcription increased to 32%, a figure which is the resultant of a 5–8% “turn off” of vegetative transcription, and a “turn on” of about 20% during sporulation. These studies have accounted for a minimum of 42% of the total B. subtilis transcribing genome. Preliminary comparisons were made of transcription during vegetative growth in minimal medium, with that in broth.
Abstract 6161: PARP inhibition enhances radiotherapy of SMAD4 deficient human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in experimental models

Purpose: SMAD4 loss causes genomic instability and the initiation/progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here, we study if SMAD4 loss sensitizes HNSCCs to olaparib (PARP inhibitor) in combination with radiotherapy (RT). Experimental Design: We analyzed HNSCC TCGA data for SMAD4 expression in association with FANC/BRCA family gene expression. Human HNSCC cell lines were screened for sensitivity to olaparib. Isogenic HNSCC cell lines were generated to restore or reduce SMAD4 expression and treated with olaparib, radiation, or the combination. HNSCC pretreatment specimens from a Phase I trial investigating olaparib were analyzed. Results: SMAD4 levels correlated with levels of FANC/BRCA genes in HNSCC. HNSCC cell lines with SMAD4 homozygous deletion were sensitive to olaparib. In vivo, olaparib or RT monotherapy reduced tumor volumes in SMAD4 mutant but not SMAD4 positive tumors. Olaparib with RT dual therapy sustained tumor volume reduction in SMAD4 deficient (mutant or knockdown) xenografts, which exhibited increased DNA damage and cell death compared to vehicle treated tumors. In vitro, olaparib or in combination with radiation caused lower clonogenic survival, more DNA damage-associated cell death and less proliferation in SMAD4 deficient cells than in SMAD4-positive (endogenous SMAD4 or transduced SMAD4) cells. Applicable to clinic, 5 out of 6 SMAD4-negative HNSCCs and 4 out of 8 SMAD4-positive HNSCCs responded to a standard treatment plus olaparib in a Phase I clinical trial, and SMAD4 protein levels inversely correlated with DNA damage. Conclusion: SMAD4 levels are causal in determining sensitivity to PARP inhibition in combination with RT in HNSCCs. Citation Format: Christian D. Young, Ariel L. Hernandez, Li Bian, Sana D. Karam, David Raben, Xiao-Jing Wang. PARP inhibition enhances radiotherapy of SMAD4 deficient human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in experimental models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6161.
Polymer Domains Control Diffusion in Protein–Polymer Conjugate Biosensors

Although surface-based biosensors have been widely used in diagnostic applications, these sensors experience reduced sensitivity in the most common detection fluids because of nonspecific binding e...
Veiled Visions: Female Creativity, Persecution, and Oppression in Mar Gómez Glez’s Fuga Mundi

This study explores how Mar Gomez Glez’s play Fuga Mundi (2008) foregrounds gender issues and the oppression of women artists in order to further contemporary efforts aimed at rescuing history’s fo...
Abstract PR07: Connecting acetate and citrate metabolism with epigenetic regulation of hematopoiesis

Here we hypothesize that acetate metabolism and citrate metabolism play integral roles to balance the fate decision of HSCs and that targeting Acly-Coa Synthetase Short-Chain 2 (ACSS2) and ATP-Citrate Lyase (ACLY) will impact epigenetic modifications and gene expression to affect cell fate. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) undergo self-renewal or differentiation to generate a variety of myeloid, erythroid, and lymphoid cells through hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis precisely balances many stimuli to maintain HSC self-renewal and differentiation. These stimuli classically consist of chemokines, cytokines, and transcription factors acting at key precursor stages to influence cell fate. Metabolic molecules can directly influence epigenetic state, chromatin accessibility, and cell lineage maturation via regulation of epigenetic modifying enzymes. However, understanding remains limited of how HSCs balance metabolic and other microenvironmental stimuli to regulate self-renewal and differentiation. Acetate and citrate metabolism regulate methylation and acetylation, respectively, and we investigated how these pathways may impact hematopoiesis. The Rathmell lab has previously shown that metabolism is a key regulator of T effector cells, as we discovered that Glutaminase deficiency promotes Th1 effector differentiation. We have now shown that ACLY inhibition can drive myeloid differentiation. To test our hypothesis, we treated methylcellulose-cultured HSCs with small-molecule inhibitors of ACLY and ACSS2 for two weeks to determine if inhibition of these enzymes alters lineage commitment of HSCs to myeloid vs. erythroid fate decisions. We observed that inhibition of ACLY using SB-204990 drives HSC differentiation into myeloid fates, indicated by increased CD11b expression. Further, treatment with SB-204990 decreased population of the conventional stem compartment Sca-1+ c-Kit+ Lin-. We will now use conditionally-deficient models of ACLY to directly and genetically establish the roles of acetate and citrate metabolism in HSC self-renewal and differentiation. Single-cell RNA-sequencing and chromatin accessibility assays will be employed to identify metabolically sensitive gene regulatory networks within heterogeneous hematopoietic cell populations. Unraveling the link between acetate metabolism, citrate metabolism, and stem cell function presents an opportunity to develop a more nuanced picture of metabolism’s increasingly discussed role as a regulator of cellular development. Ultimately, elucidating possible mechanisms to promote hematopoietic lineage differentiation presents a novel therapeutic opportunity for various hematologic malignancies and disorders. Citation Format: Dalton L. Greenwood, Jeffrey C. Rathmell. Connecting acetate and citrate metabolism with epigenetic regulation of hematopoiesis [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Virtual Conference on Epigenetics and Metabolism; October 15-16, 2020; 2020 Oct 15-16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(23 Suppl):Abstract nr PR07.
Evaluating Potential Benefits of Air Barriers in Commercial Buildings using NIST Infiltration Correlations in EnergyPlus.

Abstract According to the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), infiltration accounts for 6% of the energy use and $11 billion in energy cost for U. S. commercial buildings. One strategy to reduce infiltration in commercial buildings is to provide more supply airflow than return and exhaust in order to “pressurize the building”. DOE has developed EnergyPlus models of several prototype buildings which assume that pressurization results in system-on infiltration rates that are 75% less than the system-off rates. However, airflow simulations of these buildings using the CONTAM multizone airflow software showed that pressurization reduced infiltration by an average of 44% only. To improve the infiltration rates calculated by the EnergyPlus models of prototype buildings, CONTAM infiltration rates were used to develop coefficients that can be input into EnergyPlus. CONTAM captures the effects of wind, temperature difference, and system operation on infiltration rates. Coefficients were developed for 11 prototype buildings, eight cities, and two levels of building envelope airtightness. Comparisons of the predicted infiltration rates were made between using the DOE prototype model inputs and the NIST infiltration correlations. Using the NIST correlations resulted in an average HVAC-EUI (HVAC-related energy use intensity) savings of 6% or 1.4 kBtu/ft2 due to airtightening. These results indicate that the effects of infiltration on HVAC energy use are important and that infiltration can and should be better accounted for in whole-building energy modeling.
Research as a Window on School and Teacher Ethos

This chapter is based, first, on the shared assumption that school and teacher ethos ideas represent multiple levels of complexity for understanding teaching, learning, and schooling and that their complexity, when understood, can become useful, making them powerful guides to practice and policy. Second, while theories and research can be bootstrapped, considered in dynamic relationships with each other, neither captures the ‘truth’ of these phenomena. Theories and the constructs designed to represent them are approximations, often crude ones, of attempts at truth-seeking, or reality-seeking. Of course, this is a truism of science. Fields make progress when scientists continually and carefully triangulate truth- or reality-seeking with theory building and research construction. They stray when theories become closed and are no longer generative and/or when empirical work instantiates ideas into concretized constructs unshakable by theoretical advances. I emphasize the role of truth-seeking as a reminder that theories and research need to have permeable membranes and express an openness to questioning in order to be generative. Under these conditions, theory and research can become better aligned, more insightful and testable, and thus, more productive and useful to inform educational practice and policy efforts. While there are rich theories of ethos, often they are too diffuse or indeterminant leading researchers to almost pick and choose aspects of ethos for their own purposes or to use ethos as a label or signifier (Bragg S, Manchester H, Discourse: Stud Cult Polit Educ 38:864–879, 2017) resulting in fairly noncomparable findings across studies, and giving little support to further theory development. This chapter entertains a range of views of teacher and school ethos, and focuses on how current measures of schooling, teaching, and teacher-student relationships may be interpreted to illustrate ethos components identified as important by the authors of this handbook and others toward the goal of bootstrapping theory and research. Some implications of actually measuring the ideas of ethos are suggested for interventions, policies, and future research.
Long-Term Opioid Use in Post-Surgical Management of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with long-term, post-surgical opioid use in the head and neck cancer population. METHODS A single center retrospective study was conducted including patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer between January 1, 2014 and July 1, 2019 who underwent primary surgical management. The primary outcome measure was continued opioid use 6 months after treatment completion. Both demographic and cancer-related variables were recorded to determine what factors were associated with prolonged opioid use. Univariate analysis was performed using chi-squared test for categorical variables and 2-sample t-test for continuous variables. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 359 patients received primary surgical management. Forty-five patients (12.53%) continued to take opioids 6 months after treatment completion. Using univariate analysis, patients less than 65 years of age (P = .0126), adjuvant chemoradiation (n = 25, P < .001), and overall length of hospital stay (8.60 ± 8.58 days, P = .0274) were significantly associated with long term opioid use. Multivariate logistic regression showed that adjuvant chemoradiation (OR = 3.446, 95% CI [1.742, 6.820], P = .0004) and overall length of hospital stay (OR = 0.949, 95% CI [0.903, 0.997], P = .0373) to be significantly associated with opioid use 6 months after head and neck cancer treatment. CONCLUSION Long-term postoperative opioid use in head and neck cancer patients is significantly associated with adjuvant chemoradiation, and patients with longer length of hospital stay. Therefore, future research should focus on interventions to better manage opioid use during the acute treatment period to decrease long-term use.
Multimodality Cardiac Imaging in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a wide range of cardiovascular complications. The main manifestations include diseases of the coronary arteries, valves, pericardium, and myocardium. Multimodality cardiovascular imaging techniques are critical for evaluating the extent of cardiac manifestations in SLE patients, which can provide valuable prognostic information. However, their utility has previously not been well-defined. This review provides a state-of-the-art update on the cardiovascular manifestations of lupus, as well as the role of multimodality cardiac imaging in guiding management of patients with SLE.
Determination of concentration of ACQ wood preservative components by UV-Visible spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis

Abstract This study investigated the ability of ultra violet-visible (UV-Visible) spectroscopy to characterize and predict the concentration of major chemical components: moldicide, didecylalkylammonium compounds (DDAC), and copper in alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) preservatives. Twenty replicates of four different concentrations (percentage v/v) of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.5% were scanned on a UV-NIR spectrophotometer. Copper concentrations (ppm) in the preservative solutions were determined by inductively coupled plasma-emission spectroscopy (IPC-ES), and DDAC concentration in each preservative solution was determined according to the AWPA Standard A17-09. UV-Visible spectroscopy accurately differentiated between the spectral characteristics of the major ACQ chemical constituents: moldicide, DDAC, and copper in ACQ preservative. Soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) classification model developed reliably discriminate between spectra of different concentration of moldicide with low error. Partial least squares (PLS) regression models developed could predict the concentrations of at least two (DDAC and copper) components within the ACQ formulation. Preprocessing the spectra data matrix using the Savitzky–Golay 1st derivative greatly improved PLS regression models developed for DDAC and copper using the full spectral region (250–800 nm). PLS models developed using a reduced spectra wavelength (300–600 nm) region were useable and accurate in its predictive ability (R 2 > 0.86) for both chemical constituents. Overall, this study showed that UV-Vis spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics can be used to quantify the chemical constituents of ACQ.
Manipulation of Central Nervous System Histamine or Histaminergic Receptors (H1) Affects Food Intake in Rats

The reported studies were designed to examine relationships between central nervous system histamine, histaminergic receptors (H1) and food intake in rats. The hypothesis being tested was as follows: "One component of the neuroregulation of food intake involves histaminergic activity in the hypothalamus as influenced by variation of histamine levels and/or H1 receptor concentrations." We performed combinations of dietary, surgical and pharmacological treatments on male or female rats. We fed groups of male or female rats diets containing either 4 g casein/100 g diet (low protein diet) or 25 q casein/100 g diet (normal protein). Rats with surgical ablation of the paraventricular nucleus did not decrease food intake when fed the low protein diet, whereas adrenalectomized rats did. Increasing central histamine levels decreased food intake, whereas decreasing central histamine increased food intake. Rats injected with histaminergic (H1) antagonists lost the ability to detect low protein diet in short-term experiments and had improved efficiency of weight gain. Rats that were fed the low protein diet or pair-fed the normal protein diet had greater H1 receptor concentrations in whole brain preparations when compared with rats fed the normal protein diet. No differences were noted due to gender. Thus, manipulation of histamine levels affected food intake as hypothesized, i.e., increasing central histamine decreased food in rats fed the normal protein diet, whereas decreasing central histamine or blockade of H1 receptors increased food intake in rats fed the low protein diet.
Catalysis of DNA reassociation by the Escherichia coli DNA binding protein: A polyamine-dependent reaction☆

Abstract The Escherichia coli DNA binding protein, which binds co-operatively to single-stranded DNA, has been found to catalyse the formation of the DNA double helix from complementary strands in specified conditions. These conditions are different from the ones in which Alberts & Frey (1970) found catalysis of DNA reassociation by the binding protein coded by gene 32 of phage T4. Although a 300-fold catalysis is observed in 10 m m -Mg 2+ at pH 5·5, the catalytic efficiency of the binding protein drops sharply above pH 6 and is negligible at pH 7. Substitution of Ca 2+ for Mg 2+ extends slightly the pH range of strong catalysis up to pH 6·4, but catalysis again is slight at pH 7. When only Na + or K + is present, no catalysis is observed. At pH 7 catalysis appears to be a polyamine-dependent reaction: at 2 m m -spermidine a 5000-fold catalysis is found over a broad pH range, and spermine gives even higher rates. The mechanism of catalysis has not yet been studied in detail, but four properties of the reaction are noted here. (1) The DNA reassociation reaction follows apparent second-order kinetics. (2) For effective catalysis, the DNA binding protein must be in excess. (3) The catalytic efficiency increases strongly with DNA length. (4) The complex dependence of catalysis on the type of counterion and on pH suggests that other factors are involved in addition to melting out hairpin helices in the DNA single strands. The effect of the DNA binding protein on the rate of joining of the bacteriophage λ cohesive ends has also been studied, using a gel electrophoresis assay, for the joining of the Eco RI restriction fragments from the left and right hand ends of λ DNA. No catalysis of this joining reaction has been found.
Simian virus 40 T antigen can transcriptionally activate and mediate viral DNA replication in cells which lack the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product.

Simian virus 40 T antigen is a multifunctional protein which has recently been shown to form a complex with the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (Rb protein) (J.A. DeCaprio, J.W. Ludlow, J. Figge, J.-Y. Shaw, C.-M. Huang, W.-H. Lee, E. Marsilio, E. Paucha, and D.M. Livingston, Cell 54:275-283, 1988; P. Whyte, K.J. Buchkovich, J.M. Horowitz, S.H. Friend, M. Raybuck, R.A. Weinberg, and E. Harlow, Nature (London) 334:124-129, 1988). This interaction may facilitate some of the functions of T antigen. The ability of simian virus 40 T antigen to mediate transcriptional activation and viral DNA replication was tested in human osteosarcoma cell lines U-2OS and Saos-2, which are Rb positive and Rb negative, respectively. Both functions of T antigen were efficient in both cell lines. Hence, these functions can occur in the absence of Rb protein.
Comparison of Spherical and Flat Tips for Indentation of Hydrogels

Although both spherical and flat tips have been used in nanoindentation studies of soft biomaterials, care must be taken in selecting and validating a tip for a specific application. This article compares the moduli measured using spherical nanoindentation, flat tip (specifically, a flattened cone) nanoindentation, and unconfined compression testing of three polyacrylamide gels with nominal moduli between 10 kPa and 50 kPa. Although spherical indentation moduli were consistent with compression testing moduli and were independent of indentation depth, the flat tip results showed a significant increase in modulus with depth when analyzed using a flat punch model. Alternative methods are proposed to analyze the flat tip data to bring the flat tip results into alignment with the moduli measured using the other mechanical testing techniques.
On the existence of two phases of cobalt oxide on a zirconia support

Abstract Catalysts of varying concentrations of cobalt oxide on ZrO 2 supports were prepared by impregnation and calcination to 600 °C. In very dilute catalysts the cobalt oxide consists of a two-dimensional dispersed “δ-phase” of as yet undetermined stoichiometry. At higher concentrations, a saturated δ-phase is in equilibrium with bulk or “β-phase” particles. The latter appear to be Co 3 O 4 spinel particles. The saturated δ-phase has about 4.8 × 10 18 Co atoms per m 2 , i.e., about 60% of the estimated concentration of surface cobalt atoms on poly crystalline Co 3 O 4 . Further heating to 800 °C causes Ostwald ripening of the β-phase particles, presumably by surface diffusion via the δ-phase. This suggests very poor wetting of the support by the β-phase. Diffusion couples of Co 3 O 4 -porous ZrO 2 , held at 850 °C for many days, also illustrate the establishment of the δ-phase. Byproducts of this experiment are the estimated values of 0.22 wt% for the solubility, and 10 −17 −10 −16 cm 2 /sec for the volume diffusion coefficient of cobalt (as an undetermined oxide) in monoclinic zirconia at 850 °C.
Breakdown kinetics of C‐hydroxymethyl β‐dicarbonyl derivatives of carbon acids: Implications in the bioconversion rate of C‐phosphoryloxymethyl prodrugs of carbon acids

Abstract The kinetics of conversion of C-hydroxymethyl derivatives of pharmaceutically relevant β-dicarbonyl carbon acids of two series, pyrazolidin-3,5-diones and inden-1,3-diones, and a model carbon acid back to the respective carbon acids were studied as a function of pH at 25 °C and an ionic strength of 0.15 M. This is a somewhat surprising reaction since it involves the facile breakdown of a carbon–carbon bond. The slopes of the pH-rate profiles for the dehydroxymethylation were approximately unity, which along with the lack of buffer catalysis, indicates a specific-base mechanism involving spontaneous breakdown of the oxymethyl anion. This breakdown generates the conjugate base of the respective carbon acids. Thus within a series, there exists a correlation between the second-order rate constant for dehydroxymethylation and the p K a of the corresponding carbon acid with a shorter conversion/dehydroxymethylation half-life (at all given pH values) with decreasing p K a of the parent carbon acid. The increasing acidity of the carbon acid affords an increase in the leaving group ability of the carbanion, and therefore facilitation of the rate-determining unimolecular carbon–carbon bond cleavage. Since the hydroxymethyl derivative is an intermediate in the bioconversion of C-phosphoryloxymethyl prodrugs of carbon acids, also under study, the relationship allows one to reasonably predict how facile the dehydroxymethylation would be for any new β-dicarbonyl carbon acid.
Effect of Plasma Etching on Destructive Adsorption Properties of Polypropylene Fibers Containing Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles

Dermal absorption of pesticides poses a danger for agricultural workers. Use of personal protection equipment (PPE) is required to provide protection; some of the current PPE involves impermeable barriers. In these barrier materials, the same mechanism that prevents the penetration of toxic chemicals also blocks the passage of water vapor and air from flowing through the material, making the garments uncomfortable. Fibers that degrade organophosphate pesticides, such as methyl parathion, were developed by incorporating metal oxides. These modified fibers can be incorporated into conventional fabric structures that allow water vapor to pass through, thereby maintaining comfort. Fibers with self-decontamination functionality were developed by incorporating magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles into a polypropylene (PP) melt-extruded fiber. These fibers were then treated with plasma etching to expose increased surface area of the MgO nanoparticles. Three steps were involved in this research project: (1) determining the reactivity of MgO and methyl parathion, (2) making melt-spun MgO/PP fibers, and (3) testing the reactivity of MgO/PP composite fibers and methyl parathion. It was confirmed that MgO stoichiometrically degrades methyl parathion by way of destructive adsorption. The etching of the PP fibers containing MgO nanoparticles increased the chemical accessibility of MgO reactive sites, therefore making them more effective in degrading methyl parathion. These fibers can enhance the protection provided by PPE to agricultural and horticultural workers and military personnel.
Progressive sensory neuropathy in patients without carcinoma: A disorder with distinctive clinical and electrophysiological findings

Seven patients with severe progressive impairment of kinesthetic sense, mild dysfunction of cutaneous sense, and sparing of motor function were examined during a 3-year period. The clinical and electrophysiological findings are described in detail. None of these seven has had evidence of cancer despite a thorough investigation and a 3- to 16-year (average, 7 years) period of symptoms. These patients' symptoms were indistinguishable from those of patients with sensory neuropathy and coexistent carcinoma, suggesting that progressive sensory neuropathy is not invariably associated with carcinoma.
Cellular aspects of the rat uterine IgA response to estradiol and progesterone.

Abstract Four lines of evidence are presented to demonstrate that the movement of lymphoid cells to the uterus is regulated by estradiol: (1) following treatment with estradiol (1μg/day), the number of circulating lymphocytes decreases in the blood of ovariectomized rats at a time that coincides with an increase in IgA in uterine secretions. Both the uterine and lymphocyte effect are blocked when progesterone is administered along with estradiol. (2) When pooled 51Cr-labeled lymphocytes from mesenteric, paraaortic and peripheral lymph nodes and Peyer's patches are injected intravenously, an increase in radioactivity is observed in the uteri of estradiol-treated ovariectomized rats. This radioactivity appears to be lymphocyte-bound since no hormone effect is found when noncellular-bound radioactivity is injected. (3) IgA levels in uterine tissues increase in ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol. This increase precedes the accumulation of IgA in the uterine lumen. (4) Immunofluorescent analysis indicates that estradiol has a marked effect on the presence of IgA-positive cells since: (a) no such cells are present in the uteri of ovariectomized rats; (b) IgA-positive cells accumulate in both the uterine endometrium and myometrium in response to estradiol administration; and (c) no cells are present when progesterone is given along with estradiol. These results indicate that the sex hormones play an important role in regulating the cellular immune system in the female reproductive tract of the rat.