cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A one-pot multistep approach to α-azido-phosphonate and phosphonothioate diesters: key intermediates in the synthesis of haptens for the generation of antibody ligases

Abstract A four-step, one-pot synthesis of mixed α-azido-phosphonates and phosphonothioates 12a–d Download : Download high-res image (28KB) Download : Download full-size image Scheme 2 . Synthesis of α-azido-phosphonates and phosphonothioates. Reagents and conditions: (i) hydrazoic acid, DEAD, PPh3, (ii) TMSBr, (iii) (COCl)2, DMF (cat), CH2Cl2 (iv) iPr2NEt, 1H-tetrazole (cat), CH2Cl2, RXH, (v) R′OH. Steps (ii)–(v) are carried out in ‘one-pot’. is described. This chemistry has provided a facile route to haptens 6a–b Download : Download high-res image (92KB) Download : Download full-size image Scheme 1 . Substrates 1a–b and 2 and haptens 6a–b and 7 were employed in a catalytic antibody approach to chemical ligation via transesterification. and 7 that have been employed for the elicitation of antibody ligases. Five hapten-specific antibodies have been identified as modest catalysts of a model peptide ligation reaction between thioester 1b and thiol 2 to give the amide product 5.
Insights into the mechanisms of macular degeneration associated with the R172W mutation in RDS

Mutations in the photoreceptor tetraspanin gene peripherin-2/retinal degeneration slow (PRPH2/RDS) cause both rod- and cone-dominant diseases. While rod-dominant diseases, such as autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, are thought to arise due to haploinsufficiency caused by loss-of-function mutations, the mechanisms underlying PRPH2-associated cone-dominant diseases are unclear. Here we took advantage of a transgenic mouse line expressing an RDS mutant (R172W) known to cause macular degeneration (MD) in humans. To facilitate the study of cones in the heavily rod-dominant mouse retina, R172W mice were bred onto an Nrl−/− background (in which developing rods adopt a cone-like fate). In this model the R172W protein and the key RDS-binding partner, rod outer segment (OS) membrane protein 1 (ROM-1), were properly expressed and trafficked to cone OSs. However, the expression of R172W led to dominant defects in cone structure and function with equal effects on S- and M-cones. Furthermore, the expression of R172W in cones induced subtle alterations in RDS/ROM-1 complex assembly, specifically resulting in the formation of abnormal, large molecular weight ROM-1 complexes. Fundus imaging demonstrated that R172W mice developed severe clinical signs of disease nearly identical to those seen in human MD patients, including retinal degeneration, retinal pigment epithlium (RPE) defects and loss of the choriocapillaris. Collectively, these data identify a primary disease-causing molecular defect in cone cells and suggest that RDS-associated disease in patients may be a result of this defect coupled with secondary sequellae involving RPE and choriocapillaris cell loss.
Lead Intoxication in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Objective: To investigate the observation that children with pervasive developmental disorders have later and more prolonged lead exposure and are more likely to be reexposed when compared to lead-poisoned children without pervasive developmental disorders. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: A large, urban lead treatment program. Results: Over a six year period 17 children with pervasive developmental disorders (including autism) were treated. Compared to a randomly selected group of 30 children without pervasive developmental disorders who were treated for plumbism over the same interval, those with pervasive developmental delay were significantly older at diagnosis (46.5 vs 30.3 months, p =. 03) and had a longer period of elevated blood lead levels (39.1 vs 14.1 months, p =. 013) during management. Despite close monitoring, state-mandated environmental inspection and prompt lead hazard reduction or alternative housing, 75% of children with pervasive developmental disorders were reexposed to le...
Expression profiling of human renal carcinomas with functional taxonomic analysis

Background Molecular characterization has contributed to the understanding of the inception, progression, treatment and prognosis of cancer. Nucleic acid array-based technologies extend molecular characterization of tumors to thousands of gene products. To effectively discriminate between tumor sub-types, reliable laboratory techniques and analytic methods are required.
Longitudinal approaches to evaluate health care quality and outcomes: the Veterans Health Administration diabetes epidemiology cohorts.

Objective: The Institute of Medicine proposed recently that, while current pay for performance measures should target multiple dimensions of care, including measures of technical quality, they should transition toward longitudinal and health-outcome measures across systems of care. This article describes the development of the Diabetes Epidemiology Cohorts (DEpiC), which facilitates evaluation of intermediate “quality of care” outcomes and surveillance of adverse outcomes for veterans with diabetes served by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) over multiple years. Methods: The Diabetes Epidemiology Cohorts is a longitudinal research database containing records for all diabetes patients in the VHA since 1998. It is constructed using data from a variety of national computerized data files in the VHA (including medical encounters, prescriptions, laboratory tests, and mortality files), Medicare claims data for VHA patients, and large patient surveys conducted by the VHA. Rigorous methodology is applied in linking and processing data into longitudinal patient records to assure data quality. Results: Validity is demonstrated in the construction of the DEpiC. Adjusted comparisons of disease prevalence with general population estimates are made. Further analyses of intermediate outcomes of care demonstrate the utility of the database. In the first example, using growth curve models, we demonstrated that hemoglobin A1c trends exhibit marked seasonality and that serial cross-sectional outcomes overestimate the improvement in population A1c levels compared to longitudinal cohort evaluation. In the second example, the use of individual level data enabled the mapping of regional performance in amputation prevention into four quadrants using calculated observed to expected major and minor amputation rates. Simultaneous evaluation of outliers in all categories of amputation may improve the oversight of foot care surveillance programs. continued
Chemokines in cerebrospinal fluid correlate with cerebral metabolite patterns in HIV-infected individuals

Chemokines influence HIV neuropathogenesis by affecting the HIV life cycle, trafficking of macrophages into the nervous system, glial activation, and neuronal signaling and repair processes; however, knowledge of their relationship to in vivo measures of cerebral injury is limited. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between a panel of chemokines in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cerebral metabolites measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals. One hundred seventy-one stored CSF specimens were assayed from HIV-infected individuals who were enrolled in two ACTG studies that evaluated the relationship between neuropsychological performance and cerebral metabolites. Concentrations of six chemokines (fractalkine, IL-8, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1β, and SDF-1) were measured and compared with cerebral metabolites individually and as composite neuronal, basal ganglia, and inflammatory patterns. IP-10 and MCP-1 were the chemokines most strongly associated with individual cerebral metabolites. Specifically, (1) higher IP-10 levels correlated with lower N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) ratios in the frontal white matter and higher MI/Cr ratios in all three brain regions considered and (2) higher MCP-1 levels correlated with lower NAA/Cr ratios in frontal white matter and the parietal cortex. IP-10, MCP-1, and IL-8 had the strongest associations with patterns of cerebral metabolites. In particular, higher levels of IP-10 correlated with lower neuronal pattern scores and higher basal ganglia and inflammatory pattern scores, the same pattern which has been associated with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Subgroup analysis indicated that the effects of IP-10 and IL-8 were influenced by effective antiretroviral therapy and that memantine treatment may mitigate the neuronal effects of IP-10. This study supports the role of chemokines in HAND and the validity of MRS as an assessment tool. In particular, the findings identify relationships between the immune response—particularly an interferon-inducible chemokine, IP-10—and cerebral metabolites and suggest that antiretroviral therapy and memantine modify the impact of the immune response on neurons.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome After Immunization With Smallpox, Anthrax, and Tetanus Vaccines

A 19-year-old male military recruit developed erythema multiforme 20 days after receiving a triad of vaccinations: smallpox (vaccinia virus), anthrax, and tetanus. Over the course of a few days, the erythema multiforme evolved into Stevens-Johnson syndrome, associated with widespread bullae, stomatitis, conjunctivitis, and fever. After 7 days of conservative management, the patient's signs and symptoms improved. This case serves as a timely reminder of a severe and potentially life-threatening complication of smallpox vaccination.
Role of Na+/Ca2+ exchange in regulating cytosolic Ca2+ in cultured human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

A rise in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) is an important stimulus for cell contraction, migration, and proliferation. Depletion of intracel...
Modelling Performance Improvement and Switching Behaviour in Team Learning

Accounting educators and agencies have sought to incorporate team learning activities into conventional learning methods. The readiness-assurance process (RAP) of team learning, in which students take quizzes first as individuals and second as members of student teams, has been shown to be effective in this regard. We analyse the RAP with a fixed-effects regression model to identify the factors that contribute to performance improvement and we use ordered logit regression to estimate, probabilistically, switching behaviour within student teams. A longitudinal study was conducted over the course of a semester in which 101 undergraduate accounting students, comprising 22 teams, completed six quizzes. Within-team knowledge disparity was shown to be a significant indicator of performance improvement, and individuals appeared more likely to switch their answers after the first quiz. There were no significant effects for either performance or switching associated with demographic measures of sex and English flu...
Short-Term Climate Extremes: Prediction Skill and Predictability

Forecasts for extremes in short-term climate (monthly means) are examined to understand the current prediction capability and potential predictability. This study focuses on 2-m surface temperature and pre- cipitationextremes overNorthandSouthAmerica,andseasurfacetemperatureextremesinthe Nino-3.4and Atlantic hurricane main development regions, using the Climate Forecast System (CFS) global climate model, for the period of 1982-2010. The primary skill measures employed are the anomaly correlation (AC) and root-mean-square error (RMSE). The success rate of forecasts is also assessed using contingency tables. The AC, a signal-to-noise skill measure, is routinely higher for extremes in short-term climate than those when all forecasts are considered. While the RMSE for extremes also rises, especially when skill is inherently low, it is found that the signal rises faster than the noise. Permutation tests confirm that this is not simply an effect of reduced sample size. Both 2-m temperature and precipitation forecasts have higher anomaly cor- relations in the area of South America than North America; credible skill in precipitation is very low over South America and absent over North America, even for extremes. Anomaly correlations for SST are very high in the Nino-3.4 region, especially for extremes, and moderate to high in the Atlantic hurricane main development region. Prediction skill for forecast extremes is similar to skill for observed extremes. Assess- ment of the potentialpredictability under perfect-model assumptionsshowsthat predictability and prediction skill have very similar space-time dependence. While prediction skill is higher in CFS version 2 than in CFS version 1, the potential predictability is not.
Occupational hazards and heart attacks

There has been limited research on occupation health hazards and heart disease. With the exception of the effects of noise, even less research has been conducted on occupational safety hazards, however. This study takes an initial look at interrelationships between safety hazards and heart disease. Fatal injury rates within industries are taken as proxies for safety hazards; fatal heart attack rates are taken as proxies for heart disease. Holding age, race, and gender constant evidence is found which is consistent with the hypothesis that safety hazards, through their effects on stress, either cause or exascerbate heart disease.
Temperature, Power, and Makespan Aware Dependent Task Scheduling for Data Centers

High performance computing data centers are playing increasingly important roles in our daily life. However, as data centers increase in size and number, the power consumption at the data centers has also increased dramatically. We are facing the challenge of reducing energy consumption, lowering down the peak inlet temperature and at the same time meeting short make span requirements. In this paper, we present two dependent task scheduling algorithms to balance the trade-offs among data center's power consumption, peak inlet temperature, and application's make span. We compare them with two existing algorithms, i.e., the List algorithm and the Coolest Inlets algorithms. Our extensive simulations show clear advantages of the proposed approaches over the List and the Coolest Inlets algorithms for both homogeneous and heterogeneous data centers.
A slip-line plasticity analysis of abrasive wear of a smooth and soft surface sliding against a rough (fractal) and hard surface

Abstract Abrasive wear of a soft and smooth surface sliding against a rough (fractal) and hard surface was analyzed by the slip-line theory of plasticity. The analysis is based on a slip-line model of a rigid spherical asperity (wear particle) plowing through a soft surface and removing material by microcutting. Integration of this single-contact model into a three-dimensional contact mechanics analysis of an abrasive surface exhibiting multi-scale roughness described by fractal geometry yielded relationships of the abrasive wear rate and wear coefficient in terms of the interfacial shear strength (adhesion), topography (fractal) parameters of the hard/rough surface, elastic–plastic material properties of the soft/smooth surface, and total normal load. Analytical results from the single-contact analysis provide insight into the deformation of a perfectly plastic material caused by the abrasive action of a rigid asperity/wear particle under different normal load and interfacial friction (adhesion) conditions. The dependence of the abrasive wear rate and wear coefficient on normal load (global interference), roughness of the abrasive surface, elastic–plastic material properties of the abraded surface, and interfacial shear strength (lubrication effect) is interpreted in the context of numerical results obtained for representative ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/metallic, and metal/metal sliding systems.
Neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a meta-analysis of phase II trials.

Background Neoadjuvant treatment has proven beneficial for many gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, but no phase III trials have been completed examining this approach in pancreatic cancer. This meta-analysis examines the best available phase II trials using neoadjuvant treatment for resectable and borderline/unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Methods Phase II trials were identified using a MEDLINE search, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1960 to July 2010. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Patients with initially resectable tumors (group A), and patients with borderline/unresectable tumors (group B). Primary outcome measures were rate of resection and survival. Pooled proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models based on the heterogeneity of included studies. Results A total of 14 phase II clinical trials including 536 patients were analyzed. After treatment, resectability was 65.8% (95% CI, 55.4–75.6%) compared with 31.6% in group B (95% CI, 14.0–52.5%). A partial response was observed in patients with borderline/unresectable tumors; 31.8 (95% CI, 24.2–39.8%) in group B and 9.5% (95% CI, 2.9–19.4%) in group A (P = .003). Progressive disease was seen in 17.0% (95% CI, 11.9–22.7) of patients in group A versus 21.8% (95% CI, 10.1–36.5%) in group B (P = .006). Median survival in resected patients was 23 months for group A and 22 months for group B. Conclusion Neoadjuvant treatment seems to have some activity in patients with borderline/unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Nearly one third of tumors initially deemed marginal for operative intervention were able to be ultimately resected after treatment. Until more effective targeted chemotherapeutics are developed, the only group of patients with pancreatic cancer that may benefit from neoadjuvant treatment are those with locally advanced disease.
Paying for Delay: Pharmaceutical Patent Settlement as a Regulatory Design Problem

Over the past decade, drug makers have settled patent litigation by making large payments to potential rivals who, in turn, abandon suits that (if successful) would increase competition. Because such "pay-for-delay" settlements postpone the possibility of competitive entry, they have attracted the attention of antitrust enforcement authorities, courts, and commentators. Pay-for-delay settlements not only constitute a problem of immense practical importance in antitrust enforcement, but also pose a general dilemma about the proper balance between innovation and consumer access.This Article examines the pay-for-delay dilemma as a problem in regulatory design. A full analysis of the relevant industry-specific regulatory statute, the Hatch-Waxman Act, yields two conclusions. First, certain features of the Act widen, often by subtle means, the potential for anticompetitive harm from pay-for-delay settlements. Second, the Act reflects a congressional judgment favoring litigated challenges, contrary to arguments employed to justify these settlements. These results support the further conclusion that pay-for-delay settlements are properly condemned as unreasonable restraints of trade. This analysis illustrates two mechanisms by which an industry-specific regulatory regime shapes the scope of antitrust liability: by creating (or limiting) opportunities for anticompetitive conduct as a practical economic matter, and by guiding as a legal matter the vigor of antitrust enforcement in addressing that conduct.
Solvation effects in liquid dielectrics

The solvation effects that arise on dissolving an ionizing impurity or with charge injection into a nonpolar liquid dielectric are considered. The polarization energy of solvation is calculated for the continuum approximation in a boundless fluid and near the metal surface.
Laboratory Tests with Dichlorvos Applied as a Wheat Protectant Against Rice Weevils

In the laboratory, dichlorvos residues of 0.8 to 1.9 ppm on Soft Red Winter wheat produced 90 to 100% mortalities among rice weevil adults, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), and reduced the number of progeny by 89% or more. Residues of 3.8 ppm or more provided 85% or more mortality of 3rd- and 4th-instar larvae. Initial residues of 3.8 to 8.0 ppm decreased 89 to 76%, respectively, in 28 days.
Detection of active intraabdominal hemorrhage after blunt trauma: value of delayed CT scanning

Active hemorrhage is a rare finding at CT following blunt abdominal trauma. The time interval between IV contrast administration and scanning the abdomen may impact on the ability to visualize active hemorrhage at CT. We report a case of active hemorrhage associated with splenic injury that was identified only at delayed CT scanning.
Core design optimization and analysis of the Purdue Novel Modular Reactor (NMR-50)

Abstract A BWR-based SMR called the Novel Modular Reactor (NMR-50) is being developed at Purdue University. NMR takes the advantages of the two-phase flow driving head, which allows a much smaller and simpler reactor pressure vessel (RPV) compared to the integral PWRs. In this study, through a systematic step-wise optimization approach including a simulated annealing based optimization method, an optimum core design that meets a 10-year cycle length with a minimum fuel cost while satisfying safety related criteria was derived and analyzed. The lattice code CASMO-4, the whole core analysis code PARCS and the thermal–hydraulics code RELAP5 were used to perform calculations from pin cell up to whole core depletion calculations. The NMR-50 optimized core design is able to achieve a 10.2 year cycle length with an average fuel enrichment of 4.61 wt% of 235 U in a 10 × 10 lattice fuel assembly. The minimum critical power ratio (MCPR) and the maximum fuel linear power density (MFLPD) during the cycle are 1.99 and 18.25 kW/m, respectively, providing large margins to thermal design constraints. The NMR-50 control system design is able to provide a sufficient cold shutdown margin of 1.7%. With its small reactor core size, large negative void coefficient, and low operating thermal neutron flux, an enhanced xenon stability characteristic is possible. Peak fast neutron fluence of 8.8 × 10 21 n/cm 2 was below the industry standard limit, which from extensive plant data records, should not be a major concern to channel distortions from a radiation damage point of view.
Knowledge About AIDS Among the Women in High-risk Groups and Intervention

Objective To understand the current awareness of AIDS prevention from the high risk females in order to better focus on health education of AIDS intervention and awareness improvement Methods Totally 38 entertainment centers in Guang'an city were randomly selected,with their 16 to 40 years old female service personnel as the target population.The health education was then conducted through the issuance of promotional materials,seminars,quizzes,peer education,and video-playing of AIDS prevention knowledge.Results With the help of the intervention program,target population increased their awareness on the three ways of AIDS transmission from 26.02% to 87.73% after intervention.The awareness rate of non-transmission way also increased from 6.58% to 33.83%.There is also an increase on the insistence of using condoms in sexual behavior from 1.25% to 23.05%.Conclusion Drastic improvement was achieved through the intervention program.The combination of many forms of health education interventions is feasible and effective in the field of AIDS prevention.
An examination of individual differences and factor structure on the LS/CMI: Does this popular risk assessment tool measure up?

ABSTRACTThe Level of Service/Case Management Index (LS/CMI) is the most commonly used case management tool among frontline criminal justice officials. However, the newest revision has been understudied. Literature suggests significant differences on Level of Service Inventory (LSI) and LSI–Revised subcomponents and total scores among various offender populations. Such differences, along with an overall lack of psychometric information, have significant implications for the use of this instrument. The current study examined the records of 200 consecutively supervised probationers for demographic information, criminal history, most recent crimes, mental health issues, substance use and abuse, and their LS/CMI scores for both offender group differences and factor structure.
Coronary artery spatial distribution of chronic total occlusions: Insights from a large US registry.

Objective To assess the spatial distribution of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) within the coronary arteries and describe procedural strategies and outcomes during CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background Acute occlusions due to plaque rupture tend to cluster within the proximal third of the coronary artery. Methods We examined the clinical and procedural characteristics of 1,348 patients according to lesion location within the coronary tree. Results A total of 1,369 lesions in 1,348 patients (mean age 66 ± 10 years, 85% male) were included. CTO PCI of proximal segments (n = 633, 46%) was more common than of mid (n = 557, 41%) and distal segments (n = 179, 13%). Patients undergoing CTO PCI of proximal segments were more likely to be smokers (P < 0.01), have prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (P = 0.03) and lower ejection fraction (P = 0.04). CTOs occurring in proximal segments had longer length (P <0.01), proximal cap ambiguity (P < 0.01), and moderate/severe calcification (P < 0.01) compared to mid or distally located CTOs. Interventional collaterals were more often present in CTO PCI of proximal segments (64%, 53%, 56%, P < 0.01) consistent with the higher use of retrograde approach (47%, 33%, 37%, P < 0.01) relative to antegrade wire escalation (67%, 82%, 82%, P < 0.01). Procedural complexity was higher in CTO PCI of proximal segments (vs. mid and distal): contrast volume= 275 ml (200–375), 260 ml (200–350), 250 ml (175–350), P = 0.01; fluoroscopy time 53 minutes (32–83), 39 minutes (24–65), 40 minutes (22–72), P < 0.01. However, procedural success (87%, 90%, 85%, P = 0.1), technical success (89%, 91%, 88%, P = 0.24), and complications rates (2.8%, 2.5%, 2.2%, P = 0.88) were not different. Conclusions The most common target vessel location for CTO PCI is the proximal coronary segment. PCI of proximal occlusions is associated with adverse clinical and angiographic characteristics and often requires use of the retrograde approach, but can be accomplished with high procedural and technical success and low complication rates. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Swept Out: Measuring Rurality and Migration Intentions on the Upper Great Plains

Rural America has long been conceptualized as a place of out-migration, a process that is the subject of many popular sociological works and remains a dominating narrative that describes rural life in the United States today. Population trends demonstrate this migration pattern for nearly the past century; however, emerging data paint a complex picture of migration behavior and intentions in rural areas. In this article, we utilize several measures of rurality to analyze the results of a 2012 mail survey (n = 2487) that describe the migration intentions of both rural and urban South Dakotans. Our findings show that urban residents are more likely to have intentions to migrate than rural residents, and that drivers of migration intentions appear similar in both urban and rural contexts. The survey also sheds light on the influence of community attachment, community satisfaction, quality of life, and other community strengths and weaknesses that rural and urban residents perceive in their communities. Supporting recent research on rural migration intentions, these results do not suggest high rates of out-migration in rural areas. We discuss rural America's recent identity as a place of out-migration, share our survey results, and discuss implications for future rural migration research.
Predictors of Pharmacological Intervention in Adolescents With Protracted Symptoms After Sports-Related Concussion.

Abstract Background Although recovery after concussion is spontaneous and typically occurs within 2-3 weeks, a subset of adolescents develop persistent symptoms after a sports-related concussion. Medications are frequently prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment approach to alleviate these symptoms; however, there are no guidelines for prescription of pharmacologic therapy after concussion. Objective To investigate common factors that are associated with the use of medications (antiepileptic, antidepressant, neurostimulant, or sleeping medication) during recovery from a sports-related concussion. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Single-center specialty concussion center. Participants A total of 100 adolescents, between the ages of 12 and 18 years, who sustained concussion due to sports. Assessment of Risk Factors Independent variables collected included age at the time of concussion, gender, sports played, personal history of prior concussion or mental health disorder, and personal or family history of headache (eg, migraines) or seizure disorder. Main Outcome Measure Prescription of medications for treatment of concussion. Results Twenty-four patients (24%) were prescribed medications in this study, all of whom reported headache at the time of medication prescription. Amantadine was the most commonly prescribed medication, with amitriptyline and melatonin also being prescribed. Among the demographic information collected, only age and gender met criteria for inclusion in the regression model. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the odds that female participants were prescribed medications was 3.790 (95% confidence interval=1.262-11.380) higher than male participants. A higher symptom score on the initial Post Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) was associated with increased odds of being prescribed medications (odds ratio=1.031, 95% CI=1.009-1.052). Conclusions The current study found that initial symptom severity and female gender were associated with use of medication in recovery from sports-related concussion among variables available for study. Level of Evidence II
Elevated Cholinesterase Activity in Patients with TIA and Other Thrombotic Disorders.

Abstract 2991 Poster Board II-967 Background. The natural function of ACTH in blood is not well defined. However elevated plasma level was reported in patients with chronic inflammation, suggesting as one of inflammatory markers. Erythrocytes possess membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase (AChE) while plasma contains a less specific cholinesterase (ChE). We reported at a previous meeting [Blood 2008, 112(11) Abst #3849] that AChE activity of RBC-derived microparticles (RMP) is 6 times higher than those in PMP. In this study we measured plasma ACTH levels in several groups and encountered unexpectedly high plasma ChE activities in patients with TIA and other thrombosis. Methods. (i) Patient population. A series of n=108 consenting patients were recruited sequentially having various disorders For purpose of analysis, they were divided in 2 main groups: n=53 with thrombosis (TBS), F/M 27/26; and n=55 non-TBS, F/M 24/31. Thrombosis group consists of venous and arterial thrombosis including those with TIA. Non TBS group consists of anemias, thrombocytopenias including ITP, MDS. (ii) Assay was essentially by Ellman9s method. In our system, milli-absorbance units/min (mA/min) x 0.065 = umols substrate cleaved/min. Values reported here are in unitsof mA/min per mL plasma. Normal controls (NC, n=14) had a cutoff of 3000 mA/min per mL plasma, = mean +2SD. (iii) Sample handling. Platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was prepared by centrifuging 10 min at 1800 xg, then frozen in aliquots. For assay, it was diluted 1:20 with saline, then 5 uL and 10 uL were used in 96-well microtiter plate. Results: (i) Significantly higher ChE activity was observed in thrombosis (TBS) patients compared to non-TBS. Mean value ±SD in TBS was 2928 ±773, and in Non-TBS was 1897 ±713 (units as above). This difference was significant, p 3000) in 30% of patients, while the Non-TBS had elevated ChE in 7.8%. (iii) Further analysis among thrombosis group revealed that the subgroup with neurological TBS (TIA, minor strokes) had the most consistent elevations of ACTH; 10 of15 with TIA group (66%) had ChE activities >3000. Summary/ Discussion. Although ChE and AChE in blood has long been studied, to our knowledge, this is the first report to show a relation between plasma ChE and thrombosis. Its elevation is very pronounce in thrombosis of the CNS, manifesting as TIA. Further study is warranted to elucidate how ChE is related to AChE of the CNS and on red cells. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
“I Love Knowing That What I’m Doing Has Purpose”: Male Instrumentalists Who Choose to Teach Elementary General Music:

Few entering music education students plan to teach in an elementary general music (EGM) setting, and the majority of those who teach EGM are female and have vocalist backgrounds. The purpose of th...
Microstructure, Composition, and Impact Toughness Across the Fusion Line of High-Strength Bainitic Steel Weldments

This paper analyzed the evolution of microstructure, composition, and impact toughness across the fusion line of high-strength bainitic steel weldments with different heat inputs. The main purpose was to develop a convenient method to evaluate the HAZ toughness quickly. The compositions of HAZ were insensitive to higher contents of alloy elements (e.g., Ni, Mo) in the weld metal because their diffusion distance is very short into the HAZ. The weld metal contained predominantly acicular ferrite at any a heat input, whereas the main microstructures in the HAZ changed from lath martensite/bainite to upper bainite with the increasing heat input. The evolution of HAZ toughness in relation to microstructural changes can be revealed clearly combined with the impact load curve and fracture morphology, although the results of impact tests do not show an obvious change with heat input because the position of Charpy V notch contains the weld metal, HAZ as well as a part of base metal. As a result, based on the bead-on-plate welding tests, the welding parameter affecting the HAZ toughness can be evaluated rapidly.
Dave: detecting agitated vocal events

DAVE is a comprehensive set of event detection techniques to monitor and detect 5 important verbal agitations: asking for help, verbal sexual advances, questions, cursing, and talking with repetitive sentences. The novelty of DAVE includes combining acoustic signal processing with three different text mining paradigms to detect verbal events (asking for help, verbal sexual advances, and questions) which need both lexical content and acoustic variations to produce accurate results. To detect cursing and talking with repetitive sentences we extend word sense disambiguation and sequential pattern mining algorithms. The solutions have applicability to monitoring dementia patients, for online video sharing applications, human computer interaction (HCI) systems, home safety, and other health care applications. A comprehensive performance evaluation across multiple domains includes audio clips collected from 34 real dementia patients, audio data from controlled environments, movies and Youtube clips, online data repositories, and healthy residents in real homes. The results show significant improvement over baselines and high accuracy for all 5 vocal events.
Dielectric properties of isolated adrenal chromaffin cells determined by microfluidic impedance spectroscopy.

Abstract Knowledge of the dielectric properties of biological cells plays an important role in numerical models aimed at understanding how high intensity ultrashort nanosecond electric pulses affect the plasma membrane and the membranes of intracellular organelles. To this end, using electrical impedance spectroscopy, the dielectric properties of isolated, neuroendocrine adrenal chromaffin cells were obtained. Measured impedance data of the cell suspension, acquired between 1 kHz and 20 MHz, were fit into a combination of constant phase element and Cole-Cole models from which the effect of electrode polarization was extracted. The dielectric spectrum of each cell suspension was fit into a Maxwell-Wagner mixture model and the Clausius-Mossotti factor was obtained. Lastly, to extract the cellular dielectric parameters, the cell dielectric data were fit into a granular cell model representative of a chromaffin cell, which was based on the inclusion of secretory granules in the cytoplasm. Chromaffin cell parameters determined from this study were the cell and secretory granule membrane specific capacitance (1.22 and 7.10 μF/cm2, respectively), the cytoplasmic conductivity, which excludes and includes the effect of intracellular membranous structures (1.14 and 0.49 S/m, respectively), and the secretory granule milieu conductivity (0.35 S/m). These measurements will be crucial for incorporating into numerical models aimed at understanding the differential poration effect of nanosecond electric pulses on chromaffin cell membranes.
Augmenting Prolonged Exposure therapy for PTSD with intranasal oxytocin: A randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, debilitating condition for which Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy is highly efficacious. However, for some individuals, premature dropout and residual PTSD symptoms remain obstacles. The neuropeptide oxytocin is a promising candidate to enhance PE due to its ability to enhance 1) prosocial cognition and behavior, which are theorized to promote positive working alliance, and 2) extinction learning, which is the central mechanism of action underlying successful PE treatment. Despite a robust theoretical rationale, no studies to date have combined evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD with oxytocin. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot trial examined the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of augmenting PE with oxytocin. Participants were 17 individuals with diverse index traumas. Participants self-administered intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) or matching placebo 45 min prior to each weekly PE therapy session. One adverse event occurred in the placebo group and three individuals dropped out (17.6%; 2 oxytocin group and 1 placebo group). The oxytocin group demonstrated lower PTSD and depression symptoms during PE, and had higher working alliance scores, although these differences did not reach statistical significance. Although preliminary, the findings support the feasibility of oxytocin combined with PE. Adequately powered studies are necessary to determine whether oxytocin enhances PE treatment outcomes and to examine potential mechanisms, such as accelerating extinction learning, enhancing early response, and preventing premature dropout. NCT03238924.
Eliminating Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: What Can Be Done?

More than 10 000 alcohol-related driving fatalities occur each year. To identify ways of reinvigorating efforts to stem these tragic events, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked...
Insights into Atmospheric Predictability through Global Convection-Permitting Model Simulations

AbstractGlobal convection-permitting models enable weather prediction from local to planetary scales and are therefore often expected to transform the weather prediction enterprise. This potential,...
Racing the clock: The role of circadian rhythmicity in addiction across the lifespan

Although potent effects of psychoactive drugs on circadian rhythms were first described over 30 years ago, research into the reciprocal relationship between the reward system and the circadian system - and the impact of this relationship on addiction - has only become a focus in the last decade. Nonetheless, great progress has been made in that short time toward understanding how drugs of abuse impact the molecular and physiological circadian clocks, as well as how disruption of normal circadian rhythm biology may contribute to addiction and ameliorate the efficacy of treatments for addiction. In particular, data have emerged demonstrating that disrupted circadian rhythms, such as those observed in shift workers and adolescents, increase susceptibility to addiction. Furthermore, circadian rhythms and addiction impact one another longitudinally - specifically from adolescence to the elderly. In this review, the current understanding of how the circadian clock interacts with substances of abuse within the context of age-dependent changes in rhythmicity, including the potential existence of a drug-sensitive clock, the correlation between chronotype and addiction vulnerability, and the importance of rhythmicity in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, is discussed. The primary focus is on alcohol addiction, as the preponderance of research is in this area, with references to other addictions as warranted. The implications of clock-drug interactions for the treatment of addiction will also be reviewed, and the potential of therapeutics that reset the circadian rhythm will be highlighted.
Attachment of pathogenic Neisseria to human mucosal surfaces: role in pathogenesis.

Studies of the interaction betweenNeisseria gonorrhoeae and human fallopian tube mucosa in organ culture suggest that attachment of gonococci is important, not only to secure the organism in the host, but also to initiate the disease process. The steps observed in gonococcal infection of fallopian tube organ cultures are: 1) attachment of gonococci to microvilli of nonciliated cells; 2) release from gonococci of lipopolysaccharide and possibly other toxic moities to cause mucosa damage; 3) engulfment or phagocytosis of gonococci by nonciliated cells; 4) transport of phagocytic vacuoles containing gonococci to the base of the nonciliated cells; and 5) exocytosis of gonococci within phagocytic vacuoles into the subepithelial tissues.In vivo, these steps might result in extensive local disease (e. g. salpingitis) or in the invasion of blood vessels to cause disseminated disease. Preliminary studies of human nasopharyngeal tissue in organ culture infected withNeisseria meningitidis indicate that meningococci attach to microvilli of nonciliated cells and are phagocytized by these cells. Meningococci subsequently appear in subepithelial tissues, though the route they take is not yet certain. These observations suggest at least some of the ways in which attachment may play a role in disease caused byN. gonorrhoeae andN. meningitidis. Mechanisms to block this attachment may provide new approaches to the prevention of infections caused by the pathogenicNeisseria.
On the Limits of Officials’ Ability to Change Citizens’ Priorities: A Field Experiment in Local Politics

We test whether politicians’ communications shape their supporters’ policy priorities by conducting a field experiment in collaboration with several local elected officials. In the experiment, the officials sent out email messages to the constituents on their distribution lists. Half the constituents received messages where the official advocated for the priority of a given issue, while the other half received a placebo email. We surveyed the constituents one to two months before the message went out and again the week after the official sent the message. The experiment shows that politicians did not change citizens’ priorities in the desired direction. Moreover, citizens who received a message where the official indicated the issue was a priority were not more likely to act when invited to sign a petition on the issue. Elected officials’ ability to shape the priorities of the politically active citizens with whom they regularly communicate is limited and can even be self-defeating.
Investigating the complexity of consent forms in ESL research

Consent forms tell potential participants what to expect when joining a research project and are considered critical documents to the research process. However, there has been limited investigation into how to properly create a usable consent form for ESL learners. Most of our current knowledge on the topic comes from various governmental mandates, rules of thumb, or from fields outside of linguistics or TESOL research. This paper details an investigation looking into the practices of consent form writing in 40 published ESL-based dissertations. Findings show that the average consent form was around 2.38 pages long and written above the 11th grade level. Additionally, vocabulary from the forms included a large representation of infrequent words that might not be known by ESL participants. Consent forms written for ESL participants appear to be highly complex documents with their difficulty unlikely to provide truly informed consent. A troubling finding since these researchers could be considered experts in understanding ESL learner needs.
The double bind of DACA: exploring the legal violence of liminal status for undocumented youth

This qualitative study explores how undocumented immigrant youth navigate the uncertainty of an ambiguous, or liminal, legal status. By focusing on the case of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival...
Thirty-Day Readmissions in Patients With Metastatic Cancer: Room for Improvement?

Purpose:Cancer, with readmission rates as high as 27%, has thus far been excluded from most readmission reduction efforts. However, some readmissions for patients with advanced disease may be avoid...
Diets of denning female Pacific martens vary with the developmental stage of their kits.

Food resources can be a limiting factor and natural and anthropogenic influences that alter the abundance of food resources can affect population performance and persistence. Reproduction in mammals is energetically costly; therefore, understanding how food resources influence reproduction is essential, especially for species of conservation concern.The objectives of this study were to characterize Pacific marten (Martes caurina) diets during the denning period and determine whether diets differed by sex or by phase of the denning period.We used 943 scats to reconstruct sex-specific diets of martens in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the denning period to evaluate sex-specific hypotheses of predation patterns. During the lactation phase, females preyed primarily on large-sized prey (62.5% metabolizeable energy) 5.7-times more than males. This likely optimized both energy gain and minimized time spent away from dependent young. During the weaning phase, females preyed primarily on medium- (90-200 g) and large-sized prey (87.7% metabolizeable energy). During the predispersal phase, females exhibited a 4.7-fold increase in use of small-sized (<50 g) prey during the time kits are learning to hunt.Male overall diet and predation patterns appear to fit an optimal foraging strategy that is influenced primarily by prey profitability and abundance, with males preying primarily on medium-sized prey, closest to meeting their lower energetic needs. In contrast, females appear to fit the predictions for a central place forager that is also influenced by prey profitability, but also the increased energetic and maternal demands of denning, leading them to use larger prey than males over the phases of the denning period when kits are growing. We hypothesize that switching to smaller prey is related to females assisting their kits in developing hunting skills and experience that may increase their chances of survival once they disperse.