cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Goal-Oriented Adaptive Mesh Refinement for the Quasicontinuum Approximation of a Frenkel-Kontorova Model

Abstract The quasicontinuum approximation [E.B. Tadmor, M. Ortiz, R. Phillips, Quasicontinuum analysis of defects in solids, Philos. Mag. A 73(6) (1996) 1529–1563] is a method to reduce the atomistic degrees of freedom of a crystalline solid by piecewise linear interpolation from representative atoms that are nodes for a finite element triangulation. In regions of the crystal with a highly nonuniform deformation such as around defects, every atom must be a representative atom to obtain sufficient accuracy, but the mesh can be coarsened away from such regions to remove atomistic degrees of freedom while retaining sufficient accuracy. We present an error estimator and a related adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for the quasicontinuum approximation of a generalized Frenkel-Kontorova model that enables a quantity of interest to be efficiently computed to a predetermined accuracy.
Surgical Pearl: Antifog solution for surgery goggles

with the patient’s skin, the surgeon maintains control of the amount of tension of the previously made running stitch and thus avoids disturbing the incision with the newly tied knot. The use of the needle holder also obviates the need for an assistant. As previously mentioned, this technique may also be used in cases in which the suture has been inadvertently cut, or when the surgeon runs out of suture before complete closure of larger defects. Fig 4. The completed closure. J AM ACAD DERMATOL OCTOBER 2006 694 Pearls
Stephen Greenblatt, new historicism, and cultural history, or, what we talk about when we talk about interdisciplinarity

Michael Warner, a literary critic with a keen sense of history, wrote in 1987 that “New Historicism is a label that historians don't like very much because they understand something different by historicism. But nobody's asking historians….” This essay is an answer to questions nobody asked me, questions about interdisciplinarity and the differences between literary critical and historical practices. A return to historically informed literary criticism, which many critics still consider a dominant trend in the profession, emerged in the early 1980s following the publication of Stephen Greenblatt's acclaimed Renaissance Self-Fashioning (1980). Reacting as it did against the decontextualized abstractions of New Criticism and Deconstruction, the movement soon labeled New Historicism sought to breathe new life into canonical texts by relating them to non-literary texts and social practices of their day. This historicist inclination should have formed the basis for a coming together of the movement's practitioners with historians interested in literary representations. But no such merger has occurred: New Historicists evince little interest in the systematic, archivally based study of history, and historians have at best shown indifference to the work of Greenblatt and his followers.
Surface Modifications Using Nanofluids for Nucleate Boiling Heat Transfer and CHF Enhancements

Colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles, also known as nanofluids, have shown to result in significant Critical Heat Flux (CHF) enhancement. The CHF enhancement mechanism in nanofluids is due to the buildup of a layer of nanoparticles which occurs upon boiling. Some studies have shown that this layer may also lead to increase in nucleate boiling heat transfer. Therefore, this paper discusses how key surface parameters such as surface wettability and surface roughness can be manipulated and optimized by coating nanoparticles in colloidal dispersions onto the desired surface, to enhance the nucleate boiling heat transfer and CHF.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
An experimental investigation on the effect of individual turbine control on wind farm dynamics

Individual wind turbines in a wind farm typically operate to maximize their performance with no consideration of the impact of wake effects on downstream turbines. There is potential to increase power and reduce structural loads within a wind farm by properly coordinating the turbines. To effectively design and analyze coordinated wind turbine controllers requires control-oriented turbine wake models of sufficient accuracy. This paper focuses on constructing such a model from experiments. The experiments were conducted to better understand the wake interaction and impact on voltage production in a three-turbine array. The upstream turbine operating condition was modulated in time and the dynamic impact on the downstream turbine was recorded through the voltage output time signal. The flow dynamics observed in the experiments were used to improve a static wake model often used in the literature for wind farm control. These experiments were done in the atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) at the University of Minnesota using particle image velocimetry (PIV) for flow field analysis and turbine voltage modulation to capture the physical evolution in addition to the dynamics of turbine wake interactions. Copyright c © 0000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design of a Multigrasp Transradial Prosthesis

This paper describes the design and performance of a new prosthetic hand capable of multiple grasp configurations, and capable of fingertip forces and speeds comparable to those used by healthy subjects in typical activities of daily living. The hand incorporates four motor units within the palm, which together drive sixteen joints through tendon actuation. Each motor unit consists of a brushless motor that drives one or more tendons through a custom two-way clutch and pulley assembly. After presenting the design of the prosthesis, the paper presents a characterization of the hand's performance. This includes its ability to provide eight grasp postures, as well as its ability to provide fingertip forces and finger speeds comparable to those described in the biomechanics literature corresponding to activities of daily living.
Performance characterization and optimization of parallel I/O on the Cray XT

This paper presents an extensive characterization, tuning, and optimization of parallel I/O on the Cray XT supercomputer, named Jaguar, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We have characterized the performance and scalability for different levels of storage hierarchy including a single Lustre object storage target, a single S2A storage couplet, and the entire system. Our analysis covers both data- and metadata-intensive I/O patterns. In particular, for small, non-contiguous data- intensive I/O on Jaguar, we have evaluated several parallel I/O techniques, such as data sieving and two- phase collective I/O, and shed light on their effectiveness. Based on our characterization, we have demonstrated that it is possible, and often prudent, to improve the I/O performance of scientific benchmarks and applications by tuning and optimizing I/O. For example, we demonstrate that the I/O performance of the S3D combustion application can be improved at large scale by tuning the I/O system to avoid a bandwidth degradation of 49% with 8192 processes when compared to 4096 processes. We have also shown that the performance of Flash I/O can be improved by 34% by tuning the collective I/O parameters carefully.
FDA Regulation of Off-Label Promotion: An Answer

The FDA-approved labeling for prescription drugs contains only the information that FDA has found essential to uses for which the manufacturer has provided 'substantial evidence' of efficacy in accordance with strict regulatory standards. As a result, the labeling, while authoritative, is incomplete. Changes in the environment for prescribing decisions, including the increasing importance of comparative effective research (CER) information, make it timely to consider reforms to the current regulatory framework for drug labeling. This paper sets forth a proposal for legislative adjustments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make the approved labeling for drugs more pertinent to clinical decisions by providing for the inclusion of a more heterogeneous mix of information from CER sources and clinical trials not meeting the traditional 'substantial evidence' standard - without abandoning a central role for FDA review. These reforms would not only clarify the rules governing manufacturer distribution of off-label use information but also enhance patient care by improving prescribing decisions.
Multi-modality imaging of a murine mammary window chamber for breast cancer research

Window chamber models have been developed and utilized as a means to study the complex microenvironment in which cancers develop, proliferate, and metastasize in small animals. Here we utilize rapid prototyping printer technology to construct a new plastic orthotopic mammary window chamber that is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging, and optical imaging. Optical imaging allows for high-resolution cellular and molecular level analysis of tissues; magnetic resonance imaging provides quantitative measures of tumor size, perfusion, diffusion, fat/water content relaxation parameters; and a nuclear imaging technique, called the Beta Imager, supports functional and metabolic imaging. Our demonstration of the multiple imaging capabilities of this model suggests that it can be used as a powerful platform for studying basic cancer biology and developing new cancer therapies.
Large Sample Theory

Large sample theory, also called asymptotic theory, is used to approximate the distribution of an estimator when the sample size n is large. This theory is extremely useful if the exact sampling distribution of the estimator is complicated or unknown. To use this theory, one must determine what the estimator is estimating, the rate of convergence, the asymptotic distribution, and how large n must be for the approximation to be useful. Moreover, the (asymptotic) standard error (SE), an estimator of the asymptotic standard deviation, must be computable if the estimator is to be useful for inference.
Motivation and attitude of preservice elementary teachers toward mathematics : is rural revevant?

This dissertation was a quantitative study with a sample of preservice elementary teachers from four universities in Kentucky. The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice elementary teachers' achievement goal orientations for learning mathematics and the relationship of those goals and their attitudes toward mathematics. A second goal of this study was to explore differences in the types of achievement goals and attitudes between rural preservice elementary teachers and their nonrural counterparts. Self-report instruments were administered to assess the level of three achievement goals – mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoid, and three constructs of attitude – confidence in learning mathematics, usefulness of mathematics, and mathematics as a male domain. The participants also completed a questionnaire designed to determine their rural/nonrural educational background. The sample was divided into four subgroups based on locale: Appalachian rural, other rural, urban, and other nonrural. Results indicated that preservice elementary teachers were significantly higher in mastery goals than in performance goals, and that performance-avoid goals were significantly higher than performance-approach goals. These preservice teachers were also less confident in learning mathematics than a sample of female students pursuing a variety of majors (Eckard, 1995). Mastery goals were weakly to moderately correlated to all three constructs of attitude. A statistically significant difference between the Appalachian rural group and the other nonrural group for confidence in learning mathematics was also found, with the Appalachian rural group displaying less confidence. Furthermore, rural preservice teachers had less confidence and were more likely to view mathematics as a male domain than nonrural preservice elementary teachers. Since mathematics classes are traditionally performance-oriented, the result that preservice elementary teachers are high in mastery goals suggests a mismatch between personal and classroom goals that could result in negative attitudes toward mathematics and the adoption of maladaptive performance-avoid goals. The findings of this study suggest that mathematics educators teaching mathematics content courses for preservice elementary teachers from all locales should create a classroom climate that supports and encourages mastery goals. The characteristic of such a classroom align with the practices suggested by the NTCM Standards (1989, 1991, 2000).
The glycogen content of human ectocervical tissue of females receiving steroid contraceptive therapy.

Cervical biopsies were obtained at random from women of reproductive age attending either a family planning or gynecologic clinic to determine the effect of oral contraceptives on glycogen content of ectocervical tissue. Glycogen was precipitated with 95% ethyl alcohol reacted with an acidic anthrone solution and the resulting color determined at a wave length of 620 nm. Selected cervical biopsies were obtained for histochemical localization of periodic acid-Schiff positive material. Observations were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 encompassed Days 1-10 of the menstrual cycle; Group 2 Days 11-16; Group 3 Days 17-32. Glycogen content of the ectocervical tissue remains fairly constant and is not under the influence of either endogenous or exogenous steroids. The glycogen content was shown to be limited to the cervical squamous layer.
Improving Acquisition of Teleoreactive Logic Programs through Representation Change

An important form of learning involves acquiring skills that let an agent achieve its goals. While there has been considerable work on learning in planning, most approaches have been sensitive to the representation of domain context, which hurts their generality. A learning mechanism that constructs skills effectively across different representations would suggest more robust behavior. In this paper, we present a novel approach to learning hierarchical task networks that acquires conceptual predicates as learning proceeds, making it less dependent on carefully crafted background knowledge. The representation acquisition procedure expands the system's knowledge about the world, and leads to more rapid learning. We show the effectiveness of the approach by comparing it with one that doesnot change domain representation.
An analysis of the theory/concept entries in the SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research: What we can learn about action research in general from the encyclopedia

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research consists of 314 entries totaling around 600,000 words by people expert in their topic. What if it was treated as a corpus of data about the current state of...
Analytical Profile of Cefuroxime Sodium

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the analytical profile of cefuroxime sodium. Cefuroxime sodium is off-white to white amorphous powder. In a one percent solution in water, cefuroxime sodium is a clear to slightly yellow color. Solutions of a higher concentration exhibit a stronger yellow color. Cefuroxime sodium is an injectable second generation, semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotic with excellent activity in vitro, enhanced stability to many enterobacterial p-lactamases and favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Cefuroxime sodium is administered as a 750 or 1500 mg parenteral dose. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) thermogram for cefuroxime sodium, at a heating rate of 5°C per minute, shows a broad endotherm at 158°C. Cefuroxime sodium is freely soluble in water and buffered solutions; soluble in methanol; very slightly soluble in ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, octanol, benzene and chloroform.
Construction of disease risk scoring systems using logistic group lasso: application to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome survey data

We propose to utilize the group lasso algorithm for logistic regression to construct a risk scoring system for predicting disease in swine. This work is motivated by the need to develop a risk scoring system from survey data on risk factor for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is a major health, production and financial problem for swine producers in nearly every country. Group lasso provides an attractive solution to this research question because of its ability to achieve group variable selection and stabilize parameter estimates at the same time. We propose to choose the penalty parameter for group lasso through leave-one-out cross-validation, using the criterion of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Survey data for 896 swine breeding herd sites in the USA and Canada completed between March 2005 and March 2009 are used to construct the risk scoring system for predicting PRRS outbreaks in swine. We show that our scoring system for PRRS significantly imp...
Some hidden projection properties of orthogonal arrays with strength three

SUMMARY It is shown that a two-level orthogonal array with strength three whose run size is not a multiple of 16 has the hidden projection property that in its projection on to any five factors, all the main effects and two-factor interactions are estimable if the higher-order interactions are negligible. The result applies to the fold-over of any strength-two orthogonal array whose run size is not a multiple of 8. This extends Diamond's (1995) result on the fold-over of the 12-run Plackett-Burman design. Some connections with search designs are also presented.
307 MEDULLARY BRADYKININ B2 RECEPTOR BLOCKADE DECREASES SODIUM EXCRETION WITHOUT A CONCOMITANT CHANGE IN INNER MEDULLARY BLOOD FLOW.

The finding that infusion of bradykinin into the renal medullary interstitium increases both sodium excretion and medullary blood flow and that both sodium excretion and medullary blood flow are decreased by blockade of intrarenal bradykinin B2 receptors has led to the proposal that medullary kinins regulate electrolyte reabsorption indirectly by altering medullary blood flow. We tested this proposal by examining the effect of acute inner medullary interstitial (IMI) bradykinin B2 receptor blockade on urinary Na excretion (UNaV) and renal hemodynamics in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. A catheter was tunneled into the IMI for the infusion of 0.9% NaCl or HOE 140 at 0.16 mL/h. A laser Doppler fiber probe was also tunneled into the IMI and a second laser Doppler probe was placed on the surface of the kidney. An ultrasonic Doppler probe was then placed on the renal artery. Two groups of rats were studied. Baseline mean arterial pressure (MAP), urinary flow rate (Uv), UNaV, cortical (CBF), and inner medullary (MBF) and renal blood flows (RBF) were determined during infusion of 0.9% NaCl. The infusion was then changed to either HOE 140 (100 μg/kg/h, n = 8) or maintained with 0.9% NaCl (time control, n = 10). Following a 20 min stabilization period the parameters were again determined. Infusion of HOE 140 did not alter MAP. In contrast, HOE 140 infusion decreased Uv (5.49 6 0.48 vs 4.74 6 0.41 μL/min/g kwt for baseline and HOE 140 periods respectively, p This work was supported by NIH grant no. C06 RR015455 from the Extramural Research Facilities program of the NCRR.
Research Progress of Antifungal Drugs

The mechanism of action,investigative situation and development trend of antifungal drugs were summarized.Combining with our findings,it was put forward of searching for new antifungal drugs from steroidal saponins.
Family-based association tests for qualitative and quantitative traits using single-nucleotide polymorphism and microsatellite data.

Using the Genetic Analysis Workshop 12 simulated data, we contrasted results for association tests in nuclear families and extended pedigrees using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, and we compared results for different trait definitions, for outbred and isolate populations, and for SNP and microsatellite data. SNPs in major genes 1 and 6 were analyzed using transmission disequilibrium testing (TDT) [Spielman et al., Am J Hum Genet 52:506–16, 1993], sibship disequilibrium testing (SDT) [Horvath and Laird, Am J Hum Genet 63:1886–97, 1998], family-based association testing (FBAT) [Horvath et al., Eur J Hum Genet 9:301–6, 2001], and a chi-square analysis of founders. TDT and SDT were applied in a sample of independent nuclear families, while FBAT was applied in extended pedigrees. SNPs and microsatellites were analyzed with dichotomous and quantitative trait definitions using FBAT in the isolate and outbred populations. The results of the TDT, SDT, and FBAT analyses are comparable using SNP data to identify the disease gene. However, these tests of association were not helpful in discriminating between functional and non-functional SNPs in disequilibrium. SNP data were able to identify association with affection status in a gene that influences the liability directly (MG6), but did not perform as well when assessing association with affection status in a gene that influences the outcome only through a quantitative trait (MGI). Association with MGI was observed using the SNP data when the outcome was defined quantitatively. Microsatellite data were relatively unsuccessful in identifying association with the markers in the region of a major gene. The magnitude of the associations between SNPs and the dichotomous or quantitative trait definitions were similar in the outbred and isolated populations. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Immunomodulation in the treatment of endometriosis-associated subfertility: use of pentoxifylline to reverse the inhibition of fertilization by surgically induced endometriosis in a rodent model.

Objective To determine the effect of pentoxifylline on early reproductive performance in an animal model for endometriosis. Design Preclinical blinded study in a rodent model. Setting Animal research laboratory. Participants Sexually mature female golden hamsters. Interventions At laparotomy, groups of hamsters were subjected to: (1) excision of the right uterine horn and (2) excision of the right uterine horn with explantation of four 2-cm 2 uterine fragments onto the left uterine mesentery. Six weeks later, surgically treated hamsters and non-surgically treated controls were subjected to ovulation induction with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin; subsequently, hamsters were divided into groups for periovulatory treatment with either pentoxifylline (2.5 mg/kg) or vehicle given subcutaneously every 8 hours. All hamsters were mated with proven males and killed after 48 hours. Main Outcome Measures Numbers of unfertilized oocytes and embryos recovered from the left uterine horn at 48 hours after mating. Results Fertilization rates in surgical and nonsurgical control groups exceeded 90%. Fertilization was significantly impaired in saline-treated animals bearing uterine explants (mean of 2.3% ± 1.9%). Administration of pentoxifylline dramatically reversed this effect (99.0% ± 0.7% mean fertilization rate). Conclusion These data suggest that periovulatory treatment with pentoxifylline abrogated the adverse influence of endometrial explants on fertilization in the rodent model. Periovulatory administration of nonteratogenic immunomodulatory agents may provide an alternative to conventional treatment for endometriosis.
Abstract B68: Contributions of STAT3 to pro-tumorigenic alterations within the microenvironment during mammary tumorigenesis

Inflammation has long been recognized as a possible trigger that contributes to tumor initiation. Numerous studies have shown that cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems are able to support tumor formation and growth through secretion of growth factors and cytokines and by actively shielding the tumor from wider immune surveillance. As a result, inflammation is generally linked to worse patient outcome. However, depending on factors such as tumor size, extracellular matrix, and the complex composition of immune cell infiltrates, inflammation can promote both pro- and anti-tumor properties. Our studies focus on identifying novel mechanisms through which tumor-derived cytokines act in a paracrine manner to regulate the functions of infiltrating inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment. We have previously shown that activation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR1) oncogene results in the production of high levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) family members by mammary epithelial cells. Histological examination of FGFR1-driven tumors revealed high levels of STAT3 activation in both tumor cells and macrophages. Thus, further studies focused on identifying mechanisms through which STAT3 activation in different cellular compartments contributes to mammary tumor growth. Initial studies focused on the consequences of STAT3 activation in epithelial/tumor cells. We found that epithelial cell STAT3 activation resulted in accumulation of the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan, which contributed to epithelial cell proliferation, survival and migration. In macrophages, STAT3 is the transcription factor required for transduction of the anti-inflammatory response initiated by interleukin-10. Ongoing experiments have revealed that in primary STAT3fl/fl cre+ bone marrow-derived macrophages, absence of STAT3 signaling reveals a profoundly enhanced pro-inflammatory phenotype. In vitro, treatment of macrophages lacking STAT3 with recombinant IL-6 results in prolonged activation of the proinflammatory STAT1, as well as upregulation of inflammatory molecules such as TNFα and CCL2. Ongoing experiments are aimed at evaluating the functional consequences of this altered tumor microenvironment in vivo during tumor initiation and growth. As anti-STAT3 therapies have began entering clinical trials for solid tumors (including breast tumors), understanding the mechanisms through which STAT3 promotes tumor growth and progression is critical for developing optimal therapeutic strategies. Citation Format: Polly Chuntova, Laura R. Bohrer, Kaylee L. Schwertfeger. Contributions of STAT3 to pro-tumorigenic alterations within the microenvironment during mammary tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr B68.
Model-based vision system for scenes containing multiple parts

A model-based computer vision system has been developed which can determine the position and orientation of several parts in the same scene. The parts can be of the same type or of different types. Furthermore, the system can work with visually noisy scenes and some occlusion. Abstract two-dimensional models are formed by having the system view the parts under favorable conditions. Parts are found by matching the abstract models to the scene data, after it has been highly organized.
Only So Far but No Further: Safe Areas in Bosnia

With Srebrenica on the verge of capitulation after weeks of attack and siege by the Bosnian Serbs, the Security Council adopted resolution 819 on 16 April 1993, demanding that ‘all parties and others concerned treat Srebrenica and its surroundings as a safe area which should be free from any armed attack or any other hostile act’. Originally introduced by the non-aligned and intended as a temporary measure designed to protect one of the eastern enclaves assigned to the Bosnian government under the Vance Owen Peace Plan (VOPP), then still on the table as a comprehensive settlement to the conflict in Bosnia, the safe area idea was extended at the insistence of France to five other areas through Security Council Resolution 824 on 6 May. It also became a key component of the Joint Action Programme agreed to on 22 May by Britain, France, Spain, Russia and the United States as their common approach to the war in Bosnia following the demise of the VOPP.3 Clarification as to how the existing peacekeeping force on the ground in Bosnia, United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), would implement the safe area policy occurred during the following weeks, in relation both to the number of troops required for the task and to the changes needed in UNPROFOR’s mandate to accommodate the new policy.
1H and15N NMR Spectroscopy of Aspartate Aminotransferase and Related Schiff Bases and Tautomerism in Enzyme Active Sites

Downfield resonances from hydrogen bonded protons are delicate sensors of changes in charge distribution in active sites. They indicate that a tight electrostatic interaction of the phenolate oxygen with the charged amino group of substrate, coenzyme, or catalytic lysine is maintained in the various enzyme-substrate complexes which can be viewed as a set of interconverting tautomers. The resonance of the Schiff base N-H proton was observed in nonenzymatic Schiff bases of PLP with amino acids in 90%H2O/10%D2O at ~15 ppm.
Proinflammatory cytokines and IP-10 differentiate neutrophilic and eosinophilic asthma subgroups

BACKGROUND : Analysis of inflammatory cell populations in induced sputum has been used to identify subgroups of asthma, but the associated cytokine/chemokine profiles of these subgroups have not been defined. METHODS : Questionnaires, blood collection, spirometry, and sputum induction were completed by 299 asthmatics. Subgroups were determined using the method defined by Simpson et al (Respirology 2006). Sputum eosinophil and neutrophil cutoffs were 5.4% and 45.4%, respectively. Cytokine levels in mucus supernatants were measured by Luminex and analyzed using non-parametric tests. RESULTS : The paucigranulocytic subgroup was the largest followed by the eosinophilic, neutrophilic, and mixed. The neutrophilic, eosinophilic, and mixed subgroups had more moderate and severe asthmatics with equal risks of severe and near fatal exacerbations. The neutrophilic subgroup had the youngest median age of disease onset and lowest FENO overall, and higher levels of IL-8 (2746 vs. 654, pg/mL, p=0.002) and IP-10 (8448 vs. 2390, pg/mL, p=0.008) compared to the eosinophilic subgroup. A trend was seen for higher IL-6 levels in the neutrophilic subgroup compared to the other subgroups. CONCLUSIONS : The neutrophilic, eosinophilic, and mixed subgroups displayed nearly identical sputum cytokine/chemokine profiles. The distinguishing characteristics of the neutrophilic subgroup were the higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-8, IL-6 and the antimicrobial protein IP-10. IP-10 has been associated with refractory upper airway inflammation and rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations. This suggests the neutrophilic subgroup may be more susceptible to viral-mediated asthma exacerbations.
Inverting the design path for self-assembled block copolymers

Recent success of inverse design methodologies in the realm of self-assembled materials has allowed us to envision an inverse path of discovery where we go from a desired target function to building blocks. In this review we examine recent advances of such inverse design methods in soft materials containing block copolymers, colloids, or DNA. By combining well-developed theoretical models with advanced inverse search algorithms, the design of such systems has been dramatically enhanced over the past decade. Advantages and disadvantages of the most prominent inverse search algorithms are discussed in the context of block copolymer directed self-assembly inverse design. The success of these methodologies in such systems shows great promise for the future of self-assembling materials, particularly for applications where the desired structure and properties of the system needed for a functional device are known.
Cognitive Debiasing Strategies: A Faculty Development Workshop for Clinical Teachers in Emergency Medicine.

Introduction Medical decision-making is a cornerstone of clinical care and a key contributor to diagnostic accuracy. Medical decision-making occurs via two primary pathways: System 1, pattern recog...
Perspectives on Existing and Potential New Alternatives to Anticoagulant Rodenticides and the Implications for Integrated Pest Management

Rodents cause substantial amounts of damage and losses of foodstuffs around the world. They also spread many diseases to humans and livestock. While various methods are used to reduce damage and losses to rodents, rodenticides remain the most important tools for the control of small mammal pest species. However, like all tools, rodenticides have advantages and disadvantages. Several considerations are shaping the future of rodenticide use, including manufacturing and registration costs, concern about toxicity levels and non-target animal hazards, potential hazards to children, reduced effectiveness of some formulations, and humaneness to the targeted rodents. Many of these disadvantages apply to anticoagulant rodenticides and their use is being more restricted in numerous settings. This chapter discusses alternative control methods to anticoagulant rodenticides. These include acute rodenticides, fumigants, traps, exclusion, habitat management, repellents, fertility control, and encouraging natural predation. While there have been relatively few new developments in rodenticides and other rodent control methods in the last several decades, new formulations and active ingredients are being investigated so that these concerns can be addressed.
Late Quaternary uplift along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary: Evidence from the sea level record of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Abstract The tectonic setting of the North America-Caribbean plate boundary has been studied intensively, but some aspects are still poorly understood, particularly along the Oriente fault zone. Guantanamo Bay, southern Cuba, is considered to be on a coastline that is under a transpressive tectonic regime along this zone, and is hypothesized to have a low uplift rate. We tested this by studying emergent reef terrace deposits around the bay. Reef elevations in the protected, inner part of the bay are ∼11–12 m and outer-coast, wave-cut benches are as high as ∼14 m. Uranium-series analyses of corals yield ages ranging from ∼133 ka to ∼119 ka, correlating this reef to the peak of the last interglacial period, marine isotope stage (MIS) 5.5. Assuming a span of possible paleo-sea levels at the time of the last interglacial period yields long-term tectonic uplift rates of 0.02–0.11 m/ka, supporting the hypothesis that the tectonic uplift rate is low. Nevertheless, on the eastern and southern coasts of Cuba, east and west of Guantanamo Bay, there are flights of multiple marine terraces, at higher elevations, that could record a higher rate of uplift, implying that Guantanamo Bay may be anomalous. Southern Cuba is considered to have experienced a measurable but modest effect from glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) processes. Thus, with a low uplift rate, Guantanamo Bay should show no evidence of emergent marine terraces dating to the ∼100 ka (MIS 5.3) or ∼80 ka (MIS 5.1) sea stands and results of the present study support this.
Investigation of molybdenum-crosslinker interfaces for affinity based electrochemical biosensing applications

Abstract Molybdenum (Mo) has been investigated for implementation as an electrode material for affinity based biosensing towards devloping flexibe electronic biosensors. Treatment of the native oxide of molybdenum was investigated through two surface treatment strategies namely thiol and carbodiimide crosslinking methods. The binding interaction between cross-linker molecules and Mo electrode surface has been characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and optical microscopy. The efficacy of treatment of Mo with its native oxide using carbodiimide cross linking methodology was established. The carbodiimide cross-linking chemistry was found to possess better surface coverage and binding affinity with Molybdenum electrode surface when compared to thiol cross-linking chemistry.Electrochemical characterization of Mo electrode using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic Voltametry (CV) techniques was performed to evaluate the effect of ionic properties of solution buffer on the Mo electrode’s performance. Affinity based biosensing of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) has been demonstrated on a flexible nanoporous polymeric substrate with detection threshold of 100 pg/ml in synthetic urine buffer medium. The biosensor has been evaluated to be developed as a dipstick based point of care device for detection of biomarkers in urine.
Prevention of first-trimester miscarriage with dextroamphetamine sulfate treatment in women with recurrent miscarriage following embryo transfer -- case report.

Purpose To present a novel approach to prevent miscarriage by treatment with sympathomimetic amines. Materials and methods Two women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) with a history of recurrent miscarriage even in IVF-ET cycles were treated with dextroamphetamine sulfate prior to their next IVF-ET cycles. Results Both women successfully completed their first trimester. One woman delivered a live baby and one had neonatal death related to prematurity secondary to severe pre-eclampsia. Conclusions Sympathomimetic amines therapy may prove to be an effective therapy to prevent recurrent miscarriage especially in women who have failed despite progesterone therapy, and where no other etiologic factors have been determined.
Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) nest success and chick survival on the Missouri River following historic flooding

ABSTRACT On the Missouri River, the federally endangered interior population of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) historically nested on sandbars created by sediment deposited during high flows. The Missouri River has been dammed and regulated, however, resulting in decreased flooding and sediment deposition and thus decreased sandbar habitat. In 2011, unusually high water releases created extensive sandbar habitat on the Gavins Point Reach of the Missouri River, and from 2012 to 2014 we examined the post-flood demography of Least Terns. We monitored 382 nests, uniquely marked 672 chicks, and attempted to recapture chicks every 3–4 d until fledging (∼18 d). Daily nest survival was high (0.99 [SE 0.002]), resulting in high mean nest success (0.87 [0.03]). Nest success was highest in 2012 and declined slightly each year. Daily chick survival was 0.96 (0.01), resulting in a mean survival to fledge of 0.44 (0.08). Daily chick survival did not vary by year or by age of chicks but was negatively correlated to h...
Commentary: contra Pseudoseizure. The problem of intention in nonepileptic events.

In “In Defense of Pseudoseizure” [l], Dr. Phillip Slavney calls attention to the issue of intentionality in nonepileptic events mimicking epileptic seizures. This is an interesting but difficult topic. Dr. Slavney proposes a classification scheme wherein seizures are to be distinguished from pseudoseizures by what amounts to a single test: whether or not the event in question is “intended.” A seizure, whether epileptic or not, is to be defined by the absence of intention: “A seizure is something that happens to somebody. Its form is not chosen and its initial occurrence is never intended.” The term pseudoseizure, by contrast, is to be used to denote “a more or less conscious behavior whose form is chosen and whose every occurrence is (at some level of awareness) intended [l].” The notion that seizures, which “happen to” the patient, might be conceptually distinguished from pseudoseizures, which are intended, sounds straightforward. Clinical and research evidence, however, suggests that the world of seizures and seizure-like events may be more complicated than Dr. Slavney’s model would indicate. It is doubtful that the single test of intentionality will suffice to organize it. Clinically speaking, a test of intentionality may be difficult to apply in many of the more complex cases referred for psychiatric evaluation. Theoretically speaking, the test implies a separation of mind and body which is contrary to prevailing trends in neuropsychiatry; its either/or format may not capture the richness and complexity
PREDICTION OF SPATIAL PATTERNS OF SATURATION TIME-LAPSE FROM TIME-LAPSE SEISMIC

The advent of 4D time-lapse seismic surveys opens a new dimension to reservoir development: the possibility of monitoring from seismic data fluid flow hence production. Because of the low resolution of seismic data, one should not expect any useful point-to-point correlation between time-lapse saturation and seismic data; instead one might expect correlation of spatial patterns of these 2 variables. Spatial patterns involve multiple-locations within a fixed template window, and are summarized by the principal/canonical components of the within-template variability of each variable.
The C-terminal non-catalytic domain of Mkp-1 phosphatase harbors a complex signal for rapid proteasome degradation in enterocytes

Mitogen-activated kinase phosphatase Mkp-1 is an essential negative regulator of innate immune responses. In enterocytes, Mkp-1, which is transiently expressed in response to Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, plays a role as an initial step in establishing tolerance to bacteria and their pro-inflammatory molecules. Mkp-1 has a very short half-life (about 30 min) in IEC-6 enterocytes. Here we examined the mechanism of Mkp-1 rapid degradation in IEC-6 cells. Immunoprecipitation and proteolysis inhibitor analysis indicated that Mkp-1 is monoubiquitinated and degraded by proteasome. Dominant negative ubiquitin increased Mkp-1 half-life, indicating involvement of ubiquitination in Mkp-1 degradation. Stability of Mkp-1 is not affected by LPS treatment, consistent with constitutive degradation. U0126, a potent and selective inhibitor of extracellular response kinase (ERK) had negligible effect on the stability of both intrinsic and ectopically expressed Mkp-1, therefore enterocytes, unlike other cell types, do not regulate Mkp-1 degradation via ERK-dependent phosphorylation. C-Truncations of the C-terminal non-catalytic domain (at amino acids 306, 331, and 357), the 306-330 deletion obliterating the potential PEST domains, as well as S296A mutation, but not S323A, S358A, or S363A mutations in potential ERK phosphorylation sites dramatically stabilized Mkp-1. C-terminal fusion of the non-catalytic C-terminal domain of Mkp-1 conferred accelerated degradation on the intrinsically stable green fluorescent protein. According to these results, rapid degradation of Mkp-1 in IEC-6 enterocytes is ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent and ERK-independent. Multiple elements of the C-terminal non-catalytic domain play essential roles in the formation of the complex rapid degradation signal.
Changes in knee extension peak torque and body composition and their relationship with change in gait speed.

Background Slow gait speed is a powerful predictor of disability in activities of daily living and mortality. Muscle strength and body composition change over time, but their changes differ by sex. How these parameters jointly affect gait speed decline is unknown. Understanding this association could help develop and evaluate the sex-specific effects of lifestyle interventions to delay gait speed decline in older adults. We assessed whether changes in strength (Δstrength), appendicular lean mass (ΔALM), and fat mass (Δfat) jointly relate to change in gait speed and whether the association differs by sex. Methods The analytic sample comprised 575 women and 539 men aged 22-95 years enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Mean follow-up was 4.0 years. Measures included isometric knee extension strength, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-assessed ALM and fat mass, and gait speed from the 400 m fast pace walk. Sex-specific linear mixed models were adjusted for follow-up time and baseline age, race, height, ALM, fat mass, peak torque, and gait speed. We also included second-order interaction terms of the key predictive variables (e.g. Δstrength × ΔALM). To interpret the interactions, we estimated average gait declines using the 25th or 75th percentile of the two significant predictive variables and then assessed which condition relates to larger decline in gait speed. Results In both sexes, independent of ΔALM and Δfat, larger decline in strength significantly related to larger decline in gait speed (P = 0.01 for both sexes). In men, interactions between Δstrength × ΔALM and Δfat by ΔALM were associated with change in gait speed; men with greater declines in both muscle strength and ALM or greater declines in both ALM and fat have steeper gait speed decline. In contrast, in women, the interaction between Δfat and ΔALM was associated with change in gait speed; women with an increase in fat mass combined with less decline in ALM have steeper gait speed decline. Conclusions While change in strength affects change in gait speed in both sexes, the effects of body composition change differ by sex. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based estimates of lean mass may be confounded by intramuscular fat. Future studies should examine sex-specific combined effects of change in strength and body composition on mobility using multiple techniques to measure body composition. Intervention studies should consider testing sex-specific interventions on body composition.
Loss of ICP22 in HSV-1 Elicits Immune Infiltration and Maintains Stromal Keratitis Despite Reduced Primary and Latent Virus Infectivity.

Purpose We previously have reported that ICP22, an immediate early gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), binds to the CD80 promoter to suppress CD80 expression in antigen-presenting cells, leading to reduced T-cell function and protection. In contrast, overexpression of CD80 exacerbates corneal scarring (CS) in ocularly infected mice. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the absence of ICP22 could increase disease severity. Methods To test our hypothesis, BALB/c mice were ocularly infected after corneal scarification with a recombinant HSV-1 lacking the ICP22 gene with its parental wild-type (WT) virus (KOS) as a control. Virus replication in the eye, CS, angiogenesis, latency, and reactivation between ICP22 null virus and WT KOS were determined. In addition, expression of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ, IFN-α, granzyme A, granzyme B, and perforin by CD4 and CD8 T cells in corneas of infected mice on days 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 postinfection were determined by flow cytometry. Results We found similar levels of eye disease and angiogenesis in mice following corneal scarification and ocular infection with the ICP22 null virus or parental WT virus despite reduced virus replication in the eye and reduced latency and reactivation in mice ocularly infected with ICP22 null virus. The similar level of eye disease in ICP22 null virus- and WT virus-infected mice correlated with expression of various proinflammatory cytokines that infiltrated the eye after HSV-1 infection. Conclusions Our study identified a critical role for ICP22 in HSV-1 pathogenicity and suggests that HSV-1-associated CS is more dependent on host immune responses to infection than to virus replication in the eye. Thus, HSV-1 as means of survival uses ICP22 as a mechanism of immune escape that protects the host from increased pathology.
Inside - Out : Investigating Energy Efficient Façades

Placing the service systems alongside the facade is not uncommon in architecture. This “inside-out” concept can be easily seen in buildings such as the Pompidou Center in Paris or the Llyod's building in London. However, a more modern approach was taken in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2008, the Capricorn House Medienhafen Dusseldorf. This building contains a unique device in its facade- called the i-modul, which was designed by GATERMANN + SCHOSSIG. This decentralized service module, located behind the red glass panels, is equipped with technology to control the building's temperature and air-quality. It also features an integrated lighting system with sound absorption and room acoustic elements. This special feature eliminates the need for traditional technology and allows for more flexible space within the building. This paper examines the energy efficiency of the i-modul device and its relationship to preceding architectural facades, it also proposes four facades for a tower design in the New York city context. With the US being one of the greatest energy consumers on the planet, this study highlights possible design approaches that can be applied along building facades to help reduce the consumption of energy.