cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting lung cancer incidence from air pollution exposures using shapelet-based time series analysis

In this paper we investigated whether the geographical variation of lung cancer incidence can be predicted through examining the spatiotemporal trend of particulate matter air pollution levels. Regional trends of air pollution levels were analyzed by a novel shapelet-based time series analysis technique. First, we identified U.S. counties with reportedly high and low lung cancer incidence between 2008 and 2012 via the State Cancer Profiles provided by the National Cancer Institute. Then, we collected particulate matter exposure levels (PM2.5 and PM10) of the counties for the previous decade (1998–2007) via the AirData dataset provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. Using shapelet-based time series pattern mining, regional environmental exposure profiles were examined to identify frequently occurring sequential exposure patterns. Finally, a binary classifier was designed to predict whether a U.S. region is expected to experience high lung cancer incidence based on the region's PM2.5 and PM10 exposure the decade prior. The study confirmed the association between prolonged PM exposure and lung cancer risk. In addition, the study findings suggest that not only cumulative exposure levels but also the temporal variability of PM exposure influence lung cancer risk.
Shaanxi Tourist Products of its Structure Regulation and Optimization

This article analyzes the structure problems in Shaanxi tourist products, its regulations and optimization. A suggestion is shown to explore the key areas of its non balanced work in its structures of resources, market and regional characteristics.
Investigation of Precipitation Thresholds in the Indian Monsoon Using Logit-Normal Mixed Models

Previous literature showed the relevance of using logit-normal mixed models for understanding climate variable associations with Indian summer monsoon precipitation probabilities. We further this work by exploring fixed and station-based threshold definitions used to study monsoon precipitation intensity. Fixed thresholds are used to illuminate physical differences, such as the effect of temperature or tropospheric winds, as precipitation levels increase. Also, non-negligible station and year random effects indicate idiosyncrasies in probabilities of threshold exceedances by station and year. Station-based percentile thresholds are used to discuss predictions of threshold exceedances in particular stations where cyclical trends appear. Both types of thresholds provide meaningful information and expand the use of the logit-normal mixed model.
High‐throughput quantitative method for assessing coaggregation among oral bacterial species

This paper describes a high-throughput method that relies upon a microplate reader to score coaggregation 60 min postmixing, and use of a high-speed real-time imaging technology to describe the rate of coaggregation over time. The results of visual, microplate, and FlowCam™ aggregation scores for oral bacteria Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus oralis, and Actinomyces oris, whose ability to coaggregate are well characterized, are compared. Following mixing of all possible pairs, the top fraction of the supernatant was added to a microplate to quantify cell-density. Pairs were also passed through a flow cell within a FlowCam™ to quantify the rate of coaggregation of each pair. Results from both the microplate and FlowCam™ approaches correlated with corresponding visual coaggregation scores and microscopic observations. The microplate-based assay enables high-throughput screening, whereas the FlowCam™-based assay validates and quantifies the extent that autoaggregation and coaggregation occur. Together these assays open the door for future in-depth studies of autoaggregation and coaggregation among large panels of test strains. Significance and Impact of the Study Coaggregation between bacterial species is integral to multi-species biofilm development. Difficulties in rapidly and reproducibly identifying and quantifying coaggregation have limited mechanistic studies. This paper demonstrates two complementary quantitative methods to screen for coaggregation. The first approach uses a microplate-based high-throughput approach and the other uses a FlowCam™ device. The microplate-based approach enables rapid detection of coaggregation between candidate coaggregating pairs of strains simultaneously while controlling for variation between replicates. The FlowCam™ approach allows for in-depth analysis of the rates of coaggregation and size of aggregates formed.
A Guinea Pig Model of Acute Otitis Media

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a guinea pig model of acute otitis media (OM), in which a direct injection of bacteria is made into the middle-ear cavity through the tympanic membrane. In this model, the animals are anesthetized with intraperitoneal ketamine and xylazine. Complete anesthesia occurs within 10–20 minutes and lasts for at least 30 minutes. The animals should have Lacri-Tube applied to their eyes to prevent corneal ulcerations. Once sedated, an operating microscope and a pediatric speculum are used to examine the external ear canal, which is then cleaned with alcohol and dried with cotton. A blunt-tipped needle is then passed through the tympanic membrane and into the middle-ear cavity, to inject the appropriate medium. The animals are observed for a brief period of time until they recover from anesthesia. They are then transported to specialized housing facilities, which include negative-pressure cubicles and isolation from other animals. The middle ears are intermittently assessed otoscopically before the animals are sacrificed as per the protocol. The guinea pig model has several advantages. The animals are relatively inexpensive to purchase and house. In addition, although the inoculation and subsequent treatment of the animals is technically more difficult compared to larger animals such as the chinchilla and monkey, this is a straightforward procedure that may consistently and competently be performed in experienced hands.
Half-a-month stable 0.2 degree-per-hour mode-matched MEMS gyroscope

We experimentally demonstrate a mode-matched MEMS gyroscope capable of measuring rates as low as 0.2 °/hr stable on a time scale of half-a-month without ovenization or stress isolation - a long-term performance unprecedented for traditional micromachined sensors. The offset stability is attributed to the active mode-matching loop reducing adverse effects of real-world environment by maintaining zero frequency split, resulting in an almost two orders of magnitude improvement to in-run bias instability. We explore and compare the ability of electrostatic spring softening and mechanical hardening effects to tune frequencies for active mode-matching. The presented approach may enable commercialization of mode-matched MEMS gyroscopes.
Interior Plants May Improve Worker Productivity and Reduce Stress in a Windowless Environment

Abstract This study documents some of the benefits of adding plants to a windowless work place—a college computer lab. Participants' blood pressure and emotions were monitored while completing a simple, timed computer task in the presence or absence of plants. When plants were added to this interior space, the participants were more productive (12% quicker reaction time on the computer task) and less stressed (systolic blood pressure readings lowered by one to four units). Immediately after completing the task, participants in the room with plants present reported feeling more attentive (an increase of 0.5 on a self-reported scale from one to five) than people in the room with no plants.
Breast cancer patients have different levels of endogenous CD8 T cells capable of recognizing a HER2/neu peptide (E75) used as a cancer vaccine in clinical trials

1860 Introduction: We are currently conducting clinical trials with the HER2/ neu E75 peptide vaccine in clinically disease-free node-positive (NP) and node-negative (NN) breast cancer (BrCa) patients. Administration of the E75 peptide with GM-CSF stimulates clonal expansion of E75-specific CD8 T cells. The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of pre-existing immunity to E75 in BrCa patients. Methods: Pre-vaccination peripheral blood samples were collected from a total of 63 (25 NP and 38 NN) BrCa patients. HLA-A2:Ig dimer molecules were loaded with the HER2/ neu peptide E75 and were used with anti-TcR and anti-CD8 antibodies to stain peripheral blood leukocytes immediately ex vivo. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry and dimer+, E75-specific T cells reported as % of total CD8 + cells. Results: Both NP (60%) and NN (44.7%) BrCa patients have pre-existing immunity to E75 peptide. Levels of E75-specific CD8 T cells were higher in the NP group compared to the NN group (0.8% [range 0-2.6%] vs. 0.43% [range 0-3.28%], P=0.04). Compared to NN patients, NP patients also had larger tumors (40% ≥T2 vs. 13%, P=0.025) and were higher grade (52% grade 3 vs. 26%, P neu overexpression. Thirteen (21%) of patients had very high levels of pre-exisiting immunity (defined as E75-specific T cells >1%). This group with high dimer levels had more NP patients (76.9 vs. 30%, P=0.01), more patients with primary tumor ≥T2 (53.8% vs. 18%, P=0.01) and fewer patients that exhibited HER2/ neu overexpression (7.7% vs. 39.5%, P=0.05). Conclusions : We demonstrate evidence of pre-existing immunity to the E75 peptide in disease-free NP and NN BrCa patients. NP patients have greater levels of specific immunity than NN patients. Increased immunity in the NP group may be due to increased antigenic exposure from the larger tumors, positive lymph nodes, and higher grade tumors in this group. More NP patients received chemotherapy, therefore, the higher level of dimer may also be explained by decreased regulatory T cells post-chemotherapy. As the level of E75-specific T cells increased, HER2/ neu overexpression decreased, implying a degree of protective immunity conferred by the presence of specific HER2/ neu immunity.
Endogenous Neuronal Replacement in the Juvenile Brain Following Cerebral Ischemia

Abstract Replacement of dead neurons following ischemia, either via enhanced endogenous neurogenesis or stem cell therapy, has long been sought. Unfortunately, while various therapies that enhance neurogenesis or stem cell therapies have proven beneficial in animal models, they have all uniformly failed to truly replace dead neurons in the ischemic core to facilitate long-term recovery. Remarkably, we observe robust repopulation of medium-spiny neurons within the ischemic core of juvenile mice following experimental stroke. Despite extensive neuronal cell death in the injured striatum of both juveniles and adults at acute time points after ischemia (24 h and 7 d), mature newborn neurons replaced lost striatal neurons at 30 d post-ischemia. This neuronal repopulation was found only in juveniles, not adults, and importantly, was accompanied by enhanced post-ischemic behavioral recovery at 30 d. Ablation of neurogenesis using irradiation prevented neuronal replacement and functional recovery in MCAo-injured juvenile mice. In contrast, findings in adults were consistent with previous reports, that newborn neurons failed to mature and died, offering little therapeutic potential. These data provide support for neuronal replacement and consequent functional recovery following ischemic stroke and new targets in the development of novel therapies to treat stroke.
Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on conduit artery blood flow, muscle oxygenation, and metabolic rate during handgrip exercise

We show that acute dietary nitrate supplementation via beetroot juice increases the amplitude and speed of local muscle Vo2 on kinetics parameters during severe- but not moderate-intensity handgri...
Photoreactions in Biological Macromolecular Complexes

Most photochemical studies on biological macromolecules have been performed on purified samples of macromolecules. Under these conditions only a relatively small number of photochemical reactions are possible. These include reactions that lead to the production of chain breaks in the polymer, unimolecular alterations in the monomer subunits, and bimolecular reactions involving the subunits.
HMM state clustering across allophone class boundaries.

We present a novel approach to hidden Markov model (HMM) state clustering based on the use of broad phone classes and an allophone class entropy measure. Most state-of-the-art largevocabulary speech recognizers are based on context-dependent (CD) phone HMMs that use Gaussian mixture models for the state-conditioned observation densities. A common approach for robust HMM parameter estimation is to cluster HMM states where each state cluster shares a set of parameters such as the components of a Gaussian mixture model. In all the current state clustering algorithms, the HMM states are clustered only within their respective allophone classes. While this makes some intuitive sense, it prevents the clustering of states across allophone class boundaries, even when the states are acoustically similar. Our algorithm allows clustering across allophone class boundaries by defining broad phone groups within which two states from different allophone classes can be clustered together. An allophone class entropy measure is used to control the clustering of states belonging to different allophone classes. Experimental results on three test sets are presented.
Drugs in the Management of Cute Traumatic Brain Injury

It is believed that traumatic brain injury is the result of both direct and indirect injury, and that secondary injury develops over a period of hours to days to weeks following brain trauma. Clinical, radiologic, and pathologic analyses suggest that brain damage after head injury may be the result of abnormal neurochemical activity. Characterization of the pathologic neurochemical cascade following traumatic brain injury provides an opportunity for the development of therapeutic paradigms designed in
Methods for Handling Left-Censored Data in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment.

ABSTRACT Data below detection limits, left-censored data, are common in environmental microbiology, and decisions in handling censored data may have implications for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). In this paper, we utilize simulated data sets informed by real-world enterovirus water data to evaluate methods for handling left-censored data. Data sets were simulated with four censoring degrees (low [10%], medium [35%], high [65%], and severe [90%]) and one real-life censoring example (97%) and were informed by enterovirus data assuming a lognormal distribution with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.3 genome copies/liter. For each data set, five methods for handling left-censored data were applied: (i) substitution with LOD/ 2 , (ii) lognormal maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to estimate mean and standard deviation, (iii) Kaplan-Meier estimation (KM), (iv) imputation method using MLE to estimate distribution parameters (MI method 1), and (v) imputation from a uniform distribution (MI method 2). Each data set mean was used to estimate enterovirus dose and infection risk. Root mean square error (RMSE) and bias were used to compare estimated and known doses and infection risks. MI method 1 resulted in the lowest dose and infection risk RMSE and bias ranges for most censoring degrees, predicting infection risks at most 1.17 × 10−2 from known values under 97% censoring. MI method 2 was the next overall best method. For medium to severe censoring, MI method 1 may result in the least error. If unsure of the distribution, MI method 2 may be a preferred method to avoid distribution misspecification. IMPORTANCE This study evaluates methods for handling data with low (10%) to severe (90%) left-censoring within an environmental microbiology context and demonstrates that some of these methods may be appropriate when using data containing concentrations below a limit of detection to estimate infection risks. Additionally, this study uses a skewed data set, which is an issue typically faced by environmental microbiologists.
Examining Childhood Obesity From Infancy: The Relationship Between Tummy Time, Infant BMI-z, Weight Gain, and Motor Development-An Exploratory Study.

Abstract Introduction This exploratory study investigated the infant time spent in tummy time (TT) in relation to body mass index z score (BMI-z), weight gain, and motor development in infants from birth to 4 months. Method Mothers and their infants were telephone surveyed at 2 and 4 months. Mother demographics; TT; feeding practices; and infant length, and height, and development were collected each time. Results Results from Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel and single logistic regression showed a significant association between development, level of BMI-z, and time spent in TT at 2 months of age (p Discussion Study outcomes suggest that infant positioning and time in TT promote infant motor development and may moderate rapid infant weight gain.
Spin-Orbit-Torque Switching in 20-nm Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Magnetization switching using spin-orbit torque (SOT) is an interesting candidate for future MRAM applications, and several studies have analyzed its performance versus standard technology based on spin-transfer torque (STT). However, progress in small devices is impeded mostly by challenges in making small interconnects and measuring tiny Hall voltages. This study uses conductive atomic force microscopy to measure tunnel magnetoresistance and demonstrate deterministic SOT switching in thermally stable 20-nm structures. Estimates based on measured switching currents suggest that SOT switching is more energy efficient than conventional STT technology.
Prevalence of Hemodynamically Significant Internal Carotid Artery Disease Based on the Signs of the Zodiac

Vascular sonography requires a basic understanding of statistical concepts used to evaluate exam efficacy. Statistical analysis, however, is often viewed as intimidating and dull. To make this subj...
Innovative device illuminates the horizon of bioelectronic medicines

The use of optogenetic strategies in biomedicine therapeutics has the potential to provide nonpharmacological modulation of nervous system function. The development of integrative, implantable, remote-powered devices is an advance towards translation of these strategies, with the potential for precision, revolutionary treatment of complex or refractory disease-related or trauma-related symptoms.
Bromodeoxy Sugars from Epoxides: Methyl 5-O-Acetyl-3-bromo-3-deoxy-α-d-arabinofuranoside, Methyl 5-O-Acetyl-2-bromo-2-deoxy-β-d-xylofuranoside, and Methyl 5-O-Acetyl-3-bromo-3-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranoside

This chapter describes an effective method for the preparation of a sugar containing a secondary bromide. The method involves cleavage of a sugar epoxide by magnesium bromide. The predominant product is generally the one that is expected by analogy to the nucleophilic cleavage of epoxides by other reagents. Steric considerations appear to control the direction of cleavage. Thereby, methyl 5- O -acetyl-2,3-anhydro- α - d -lyxofuranoside gives only methyl 5- O -acetyl-3-bromo-3-deoxy- α - d -arabinofuranoside, whereas methyl 5- O -acetyl-2,3-anhydro- β - d -lyxofuranoside gives a mixture of methyl 5- O -acetyl-2-bromo-2-deoxy- β - d -xylofuranoside and methyl 5- O -acetyl-3-bromo-3-deoxy- β - d -arabinofuranoside, which can be separated by preparative gas–liquid chromatography (GLC). Characterization of the 3-bromo arabinosides is accomplished by acetylation to the 2,5-diacetates followed by hydrogenation to methyl 2,5-di- O -acetyl-3-deoxy- α (and β )- O - threo -pentofuranosides.
Miscellaneous Spine Procedures: Nucleoplasty, Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET), and Cryotherapy

Approximately 40% of low back pain is caused by intervertebral disc pathology. While surgery may be an effective treatment for patient refractory to conservative management, it may not reliably provide symptomatic relief and may be associated with significant morbidity. Minimally invasive procedures such as nucleoplasty, neuronal cryotherapy, and percutaneous intradiscal thermocoagulation have been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of low back pain secondary to intervertebral disc pathology and offer a viable therapeutic modality prior to undergoing surgery. Nucleoplasty involves the use of a high energy source to mechanically remove the soft tissue that is attributed to the source of pathology causing pain. Cryotherapy employs cold temperatures to create an anesthetic block by inducing neurolysis of the nervous tissue innervating the painful area. Percutaneous intradiscal thermocoagulation provides pain relief by employing a heated probe to produce structurally advantageous changes to the intervertebral disc and concomitantly ablate nociceptive nerves of the pathological disc. Together, these minimally invasive options to treating low back pain that is secondary to pathology of the intervertebral disc may offer improved pain in function to otherwise surgical patients.
The President and the Supreme Court: Going Public on Judicial Decisions from Washington to Trump

When presidents take positions on pending Supreme Court cases or criticize the Court's decisions, they are susceptible to being attacked for acting as bullies and violating the norm of judicial independence. Why then do presidents target Supreme Court decisions in their public appeals? In this book, Paul M. Collins, Jr and Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha argue that presidents discuss the Court's decisions to demonstrate their responsiveness to important matters of public policy and to steer the implementation of the Court's decisions. Using data from Washington to Trump, they show that, far from being bullies, presidents discuss cases to promote their re-election, policy goals, and historical legacies, while attempting to affect the impact of Court decisions on the bureaucracy, Congress, the media, and the public.
Staging habla de negros: radical performances of the African diaspora in early modern Spain: by Nicholas R. Jones, University Park, PA, Penn State University Press, 2019, 221 pp., $89.95 (hardback), ISBN13 978-0271083469

Staging Habla de Negros: Radical Performances of the African Diaspora in Early Modern Spain is Nicholas R. Jones’s first monograph, a bold intervention that contributes significantly to the ongoing...
An Investigation into the Link Between Microstructure and Pitting Corrosion of Novel Alloy FBB8+Ti

Compositionally and/or microstructurally, complex alloys present multiple opportunities for achieving and optimizing desirable qualities that are not typically accessible through traditional single-principle-component alloying methodologies without significant compromise. The link between microstructure and the aqueous corrosion performance of a novel, creep-resistant ferritic alloy, FBB8+Ti, is investigated by immersing samples containing a range of Ti additions in a 0.01 M NaCl environment under an applied potential. The effect that increasing the amount of titanium has on the microstructure is also investigated. Quantification of each phase’s composition is typically in good agreement with the literature. Pitting and open circuit potentials were obtained for each composition, and elements of the microstructure that are vulnerable to metastable pitting are investigated via scanning electron microscopy. The preferred sites of pitting initiation were found to be sensitive to the strain state of the material. No trend in corrosion behavior was observed with Ti content within the range of compositions investigated.
Heat Generated from Dental Resin Composites During Curing

A sharp rise in intra-pulpal temperature may cause pulp necrosis of a restored tooth. It is therefore essential to measure the exothermic properties of dental resin composites so that the likely temperaturerise induced by their application can be assessed. In this chapter, the temperature changes of a light-cured resin composite as a function of time during cure are considered. The principle of superposition is used to construct the mathematical model.
Agomelatine versus sertraline for the treatment of elderly patients with post-stroke depression: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

Objeetive To investigate the effectiveness and safety of agomelatine for the treatment of elderly patients with post-stroke depression.Methods A total 80 elderly patients with post-stroke depression were randomly divided into either an agomelatine group or a sertraline group.The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD),National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index were used to evaluate the patients before and after 1,2,4,and 6 weeks,respectively.Results HAMD,NIHSS,and Barthel index scores were improved significantly after treatment in the agomelatine group (n =38) and the sertraline group (n =42).There were significant improvement in the scores of HAMD,NIHSS and Barthel Index with time in both groups (all P ＜0.001).There were no significant difference in the scores of HAMD and NIHSS at different time points after treatment between the agomelatine group and the sertraline group,and the Barthel Index scores began to have significance difference from the fourth week after treatment (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The efficacy of agomelatine for the treatment of PSD is almost the same as sertraline,and the effect of improving activities of daily living is better than sertraline.The safety of both agomelatine and sertraline is good. Key words: Stroke; Depressive Disorder; Sertraline; Treatment Outcome; Agomelatine
Comprehensive study on structural, electrical, magnetic and photocatalytic degradation properties of Al3+ ions substituted nickel ferrites nanoparticles

Abstract A series of Al3+ substituted NiAlxFe2-xO4 (0.0 = x ≤ 0.5) nanoparticles was synthesized using the chemical co-precipitation route. The effect of Al3+ ions doping was investigated in terms of structural, degradation, magnetic and electrical properties of the nanoparticles (NPs). The XRD patterns confirmed the formation of the spinel cubic phase. FT-IR spectra revealedtwo consistent absorption bands indicating the intrinsic stretching vibrations of O2- Fe3+ around 591-615 cm−1 and 416-428 cm−1 bond lengths for tetrahedral and octahedral sites respectively. The magnetic properties decrease as the concentration of Al3+ increases. The decrease of magnetic parameters can be explained by the difference between magnetic moments of Al3+ and Fe3+ cations. Maxwell-Wagner model of space charge polarization was utilized to explain the dielectric properties with frequency. The increasing dielectric losses indicated the suitability of synthesized NPs for microwave absorption, telecommunication, electronics and other high frequency applications. The dependence of dielectric properties on grains and grain boundaries was further investigated via impedance spectroscopy and complex electric modulus. The study of photo-degradation efficiency of NPs was performed using organic methylene blue dye. The results showed satisfactory degradation with maximum degradation efficiency of 84.45% for NPs with composition NiAl0·5Fe1·5O4.
Indecent Theology: Sex and Female Heresy in Counter-Reformation Spain

In 1636, the Spanish Inquisition tried Maria de la Cruz for heresy and having made a pact with the devil. Examination of her trial in light of information about sexual misconduct on the part of Catholic clerics, however, reveals that what drove Maria to the emotional and behavioral extremes that her accusers described was neither heresy nor the devil the authorities had in mind. Theologians who evaluated her case and also met with Maria discerned what those who only read the accusations against her were unable to know: Maria's devils were human men taking advantage of a poor, illiterate woman for sex.
Radial Styloid Fractures

Radial styloid fractures occur following forced radial deviation. They were called “backfire fractures” in the period when they were sustained by turning the crankshafts of old cars to ignite the sparkplugs. Most radial styloid fractures are isolated injuries, are undisplaced, and require only protection until they heal. If displacement occurs in this intraarticular fracture, it must be restored in order to preserve joint congruity. If such a fracture requires open reduction, screw fixation is an excellent means of stabilization (Fig. 36-1 A Fig. 36-1 B Fig. 36-1 C Fig. 36-1 D E-Q and 36-2 A-D).
Enforcing Policy Feasibility Constraints through Differentiable Projection for Energy Optimization

While reinforcement learning (RL) is gaining popularity in energy systems control, its real-world applications are limited due to the fact that the actions from learned policies may not satisfy functional requirements or be feasible for the underlying physical system. In this work, we propose PROjected Feasibility (PROF), a method to enforce convex operational constraints within neural policies. Specifically, we incorporate a differentiable projection layer within a neural network-based policy to enforce that all learned actions are feasible. We then update the policy end-to-end by propagating gradients through this differentiable projection layer, making the policy cognizant of the operational constraints. We demonstrate our method on two applications: energy-efficient building operation and inverter control. In the building operation setting, we show that PROF maintains thermal comfort requirements while improving energy efficiency by 4% over state-of-the-art methods. In the inverter control setting, PROF perfectly satisfies voltage constraints on the IEEE 37-bus feeder system, as it learns to curtail as little renewable energy as possible within its safety set.
Pediatric psychiatric disorders

Abstract This chapter provides a wide overview of the molecular and biochemical aspects of psychiatric illness and treatment. In the first section we describe current evidence for pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in psychiatry. Practical applications of pharmacogenetic testing in clinical settings is discussed. In the second section, we focus on psychiatric medication and provide guidelines for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of psychiatric medications. We discuss the evidence behind TDM and its relationship with treatment efficacy. Additionally, we give laboratory monitoring guidelines for safety and minimization of drug-related adverse effects. In the last section we discuss the role of laboratory testing in an emergency setting. We discuss the laboratory workup of new-onset psychosis, differentiation between primary and secondary psychosis, and review common medical problems that can be confused with primary psychiatric illnesses. Next, we discuss psychiatric medication–related emergencies, that is, serotonin syndrome and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. We outline how to differentiate these syndromes from each other and other drug-induced adverse reactions. Finally, the role of medical clearance in the emergency department is discussed. The evidence behind “clearing” a patient without laboratory or imaging studies is discussed as well as indications for laboratory testing in this setting.
Self-Enforcing Constitutions: With an Application to Democratic Stability In America's First Century

Most students of constitutions focus on normative questions or study the effects of particular constitutional provisions. This article falls into a third and much smaller tradition that attempts to study what makes some constitutions more likely to survive. This article develops a theory of self-enforcing constitutions and then applies it to the early United States. But for the issue of slavery, constitutional democracy in the United States was self-enforcing by about 1800. Nonetheless, crises over slavery threatened the nation on numerous occasions. The civil war decisively ended slavery as a source of political division, allowing self-enforcing democracy (for white males) to reemerge following the Compromise of 1877. The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Yale University. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Their Elementary School’s Approach to Social Emotional Learning: A Mixed Methods Study

The promotion of Social emotional learning (SEL) in elementary schools has increased; however, little is known about early childhood teachers’ perceptions about the effectiveness of their elementary school’s approach to SEL. The present study used mixed methods methodology to explore the perceptions of 1154 preschool through second grade teachers working in elementary schools regarding the effectiveness of their school’s SEL approach. Study findings revealed that early childhood teachers overall viewed their classroom and school SEL approaches as effective. Eight themes emerged regarding key elements of effective SEL approaches. Participating teachers expressed specific concerns about SEL implementation when their unique early childhood classroom context was not considered or included in their school’s SEL approach. Findings are interpreted in the context of relevant literature and implications for practice are discussed.
The effect of training and workstation adjustability on teleworker discomfort during the COVID-19 pandemic

Advancements in telework have increased occupational flexibility for employees and employers alike. However, while effective telework requires planning, the COVID-19 pandemic required many employees to quickly shift to working from home without making sure the requirements for telework were in place beforehand. This study evaluated the transition to telework on university faculty and staff and investigated the effect of ones telework setup and ergonomics training on work-related discomfort in the at-home environment. Respondents reported increases in new or worsening pain since working from home of 24% and 51%, respectively, suggesting an immediate need for ergonomic interventions, including workstation evaluations, ergonomic training, and individual ergonomic assessments, for those who work from home.
Early Antibody Response in Mice to Either Infection or Immunization with Salmonella typhimurium

After immunization with either live or heat-killed Salmonella typhimurium, mice responded with an extremely rapid production of bactericidal antibody which was correlated with the appearance of immunity to a heavy challenge dose (100 ld50) of the virulent bacteria. Inactivation of sera with mercaptoethanol along with Sephadex fractionation indicated that the observed bactericidal activity was associated with a macroglobulin which was completely mercaptoethanol-sensitive. The unexpected finding, that a heat-killed vaccine gave excellent protection from a challenge dose which killed all unimmunized control mice, seriously challenges the theory attributing immunity against typhoid infection entirely to a cellular host factor produced only in response to a live vaccine.
Identification of satellites possibly active during the IMS and their orbital configurations

A survey has been made to identify presently operating as well as planned spacecraft which may contribute measurements of the magnetosphere or interplanetary medium during the IMS. Fifty-one have been identified. Twenty-three are presently operating. The others are planned for launch prior to 1979. The total set consists of 25 scientific Earth-orbiting, 9 heliocentric and 17 communication, navigation or meteorological spacecraft, which carry environmental monitoring experiments. The orbital elements of each are displayed. In addition, techniques for the display of positions in various orbits are presented to illustrate how interesting configurations can be determined during the IMS. The positions of presently orbiting heliocentric spacecraft are shown at various intervals with respect to the nominal interplanetary magnetic field spiral and the Earth. Plots of the latest ISEE-A orbit in solar magnetospheric coordinates are presented to determine neutral-sheet crossing. The angular separation if IMP-H and -J approaches zero around the end of 1975. Periods where the separation is less than 10 R E are given, other characteristics of the spacecraft orbits are discussed, and plans for the distribution of this information through the Satellite Situation Center are presented.
Chemiluminescence of Organic Compounds

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the chemiluminescence of organic compounds. The emission of visible light from a chemical reaction or by a living organism is a striking phenomenon and a remarkable occurrence. This chapter discusses the general requirements for a reaction to be chemiluminescent and describes the mechanisms of chemiluminescence in solution. It also discusses specific chemiluminescent systems. The field of chemiluminescence has experienced tremendous growth and witnessed significant advances in the past decade. To a large extent, the recent progress toward the understanding of chemiluminescent processes can be attributed to achievements in three general areas. The first area of achievement was the discovery and subsequent intensive investigation of the chemiluminescent reaction of 1,2-dioxetanes. The second area of recent advance has come in the general field of electron-transfer chemiluminescence. The third general area of recent progress that has stimulated interest and has offered new insights into the processes of chemiluminescence has been the identification of chemically initiated electron-exchange luminescence (CIEEL) as a general mechanism for the chemical formation of light. The practical applications of chemiluminescent reactions are numerous. They can function as sources of light, markers, analytical systems, and mechanistic probes. These applications, and the very spectacular nature of the phenomena, will work together to encourage further examinations of these reactions.
A novel approach to the oral delivery of micro- or nanoparticles.

A novel oral multiple-unit dosage form which overcame many of the problems commonly observed during the compression of microparticles into tablets was developed in this study. Micro- or nano-particles were entrapped in beads formed by ionotropic gelation of the charged polysaccharide, chitosan or sodium alginate, in solutions of the counterion, tripolyphosphate (TPP) or calcium chloride (CaCl2), respectively. The described technique did not change the physical properties of the microparticles, and it allowed a high microparticle loading (up to 98%). The ionic character of the polymers allowed pH-dependent release of the microparticles. Chitosan beads disintegrated and released the microparticles in 0.1 N HC1, while calcium alginate beads stayed intact in 0.1 N HC1 but rapidly disintegrated in simulated intestinal fluids. Coating the calcium alginate beads with cellulose acetate phthalate resulted in an enteric drug delivery system. Scanning electron microscopy and dissolution and disintegration tests were used to characterize the microparticle-containing beads. The disintegration time of the beads was studied as a function of the solution viscosity of the polysaccharide, gelation time, counterion concentration, and method of drying.
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals as materials for optical and biosensing applications

Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are formed by molecules with rigid polyaromatic cores and ionic groups at the periphery that form aggregates while in water. Most of the LCLCs are not toxic to the biological cells and can be used as an amplifying medium in real-time biosensors. The detector is based on the principle that the immune aggregates growing in the LCLC bulk trigger the director distortions. Self-assembly of LCLC molecules into oriented structures allows one to use them in various structured films. For example, layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition produces monomolecular layers and stacks of layers of LCLC with long-range in-plane orientational order which sets them apart from the standard Langmuir-Blodgett films. We demonstrate that divalent and multivalent salts as well as acidic and basic materials that alter pH of the LCLC water solutions, are drastically modifying the phase diagrams of LCLC, from shifting the phase transition temperatures by tens of degrees, to causing condensation of the LCLC aggregates into more compact structures, such as birefringent bundles or formation of a columnar hexagonal phase from the nematic phase.
Two-stage neural network architecture for feedback control of dynamic systems

In this paper we investigate system identification and the design of a controller using neural networks. A two-stage neural network design for controllers using single-layer structures with functional enhancements is introduced. This neural network architecture allows the design of a controller with less a priori knowledge about the plant as well as allowing for nonlinear plants. The paper also addresses the special characteristics and problems concerning the use of neural networks in control and demonstrates their performance by showing the successful implementation of a nonlinear control example via simulation.
Influence of benthic macrofauna on microbial production of methylmercury in sediments on the New England continental shelf

Microbial methylation processes in sediment are an important source of toxic monomethylmercury (MMHg) to aquatic ecosystems. Although bioturbation activities (feeding, digging of galleries, excavations, bioirrigation) by benthic fauna are known to affect many biogeochemical processes, their influence on benthic MMHg production is poorly understood. We investigated the effect of benthic fauna on the microbial production of MMHg in sediments on the continental shelf of the northwest Atlantic Ocean in September 2009. Replicate cores of sieved (control) and unaltered sediment containing native macrofauna were incubated to examine the influence of benthic macrofauna on net MMHg production, potential gross rates of Hg methylation, sediment reworking, dissolved oxygen and organic carbon concentrations, and microbial metabolic activities. The presence of macrofauna stimulated aerobic microbial respiration and net MMHg production, but had no observed effect on short-term gross rates of Hg methylation. This suggests that bioturbation may promote net MMHg production by inhibiting demethylating microorganisms, although overall community metabolism was increased. Results from this work emphasize the need to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the interactions among benthic fauna, microorganisms, and geochemistry in affecting MMHg production.
Rapid conversion of organic nitrogen to N2 for mass spectrometry: an automated dumas procedure

Abstract Existing methods for the automated conversion of organic nitrogen to N2 and for the preparation of N2 for mass spectrometry have been modified to reduce the time and effort required for N 15 N 14 isotope ratio determination. Detailed procedures are given for the operation of the nitrogen analyzer and the vacuum system. The technique is in practive free of atmospheric contamination, permits the trapping of residual traces of hydrocarbons, and does not require venting of the vacuum system to the atmosphere.
The role of proton bridges in selective cleavage of Ser-, Thr-, Cys-, Met-, Asp-, and Asn-containing peptides

Abstract Fragmentation patterns of doubly charged peptides containing serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), cysteine (Cys), homoserine (Hse), methionine (Met), aspartic acid (Asp), or asparagine (Asn) and terminating with arginine (Arg) were investigated. Stronger cleavages N-terminal to Ser, Thr, Cys, Asp, and Asn were observed in comparison to their C-terminal cleavages. In contrast, stronger cleavages C-terminal to Hse and Met were observed compared to their N-terminal cleavages. These fragmentation patterns can be explained by the relative stabilities of intramolecular proton bridges that form between the side chain heteroatoms (hydroxyl oxygen, carbonyl oxygen or sulfur) and the neighboring backbone carbonyl oxygens. Literature data and results from molecular dynamics are used to explain the stabilities of the proton bridges with different ring sizes based on the site of the bridge. For Ser, Thr, Cys, Asn and Asp, the proton bridge between the side chain and the adjacent N-terminal carbonyl is more stable and thus favored over the one to the adjacent C-terminal carbonyl, resulting in N-terminal enhanced cleavage. For Met and Hse, the proton bridge between the side chain and the C-terminal carbonyl is more stable, leading to C-terminal enhanced cleavages.
Dopamine agonists prevent or counteract the suppression of brain stimulation reward by fenfluramine

The interaction between the serotonin (5-HT) and the dopamine (DA) systems in the modulation of intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), a DA-dependent behavior, was investigated. Chronically implanted rats for ICSS in the medial forebrain bundle were tested for the effects of fenfluramine at a dose of 20 mg/kg, and then for the effects of 10 mg/kg piribedil plus 2 mg/kg amphetamine, injected 30 min before fenfluramine or 60 min after fenfluramine. Our aim was to determine whether the action of fenfluramine at the DA binding site could be blocked by prior occupation, or whether if it were occupied by fenfluramine it could be reversed. Fenfluramine, 20 mg/kg, injected alone, suppressed ICSS for 5–7 h. The suppression was followed by a prolonged recovery during which ICSS was profounded depressed. Repeating the treatment 7 days later produced the same response, except that the suppression was of shorter duration. In another group of animals, pretreatment with piribedil plus amphetamine 30 min before fenfluramine prevented the suppression of ICSS. Instead, ICSS was briefly attenuated, then restored to baseline levels, and then facilitated. Repeating the treatment 7 days after the first treatment potentiated this response. The attenuation was now even briefer, the recovery more rapid, and the facilitation more robust. In still another group of animals, fenfluramine was given just before the ICSS session began. Predictably, the effect was a total cessation of ICSS. At 60 min into the session, piribedil plus amphetamine was injected. The response showed a rapid recovery of ICSS followed by facilitation. Repeating the treatment 7 days later potentiated this response. Recovery to baseline ICSS was more rapid and facilitation was larger and longer lasting. These results are discussed in terms of a possible neuroleptic-like action of fenfluramine being responsible for a portion of the effects of fenfluramine on ICSS, which suggests a basis for the protection afforded by the DA agonists.
Cost Effective CO2 Capture from Flue Gas for Increasing Methanol Plant Production

Abstract Many methanol plants utilize steam-methane reforming (SMR) to produce syngas that is fed into a synthesis loop for producing methanol. As is typical for SMR-based methanol plants, the stoichiometry of the reactants is not at a value that is optimum for the most efficient reactor loop. In order to increase the methanol production capacity, the stoichiometry of the make-up gas can be corrected by injecting CO2 into the process. A case study is presented in which Fluor's Econamine FG PlusSM technology is used for recovering sufficient carbon dioxide from the SMR flue gas to expand the plant capacity by approximately 20%.