cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiotracer and computer modeling evidence that phospho-base methylation is the main route of choline synthesis in tobacco.

Among flowering plants, the synthesis of choline (Cho) from ethanolamine (EA) can potentially occur via three parallel, interconnected pathways involving methylation of free bases, phospho-bases, or phosphatidyl-bases. We investigated which pathways operate in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) because previous work has shown that the endogenous Cho supply limits accumulation of glycine betaine in transgenic tobacco plants engineered to convert Cho to glycine betaine. The kinetics of metabolite labeling were monitored in leaf discs supplied with [33P]phospho-EA, [33P]phospho-monomethylethanolamine, or [14C]formate, and the data were subjected to computer modeling. Because partial hydrolysis of phospho-bases occurred in the apoplast, modeling of phospho-base metabolism required consideration of the re-entry of [33P]phosphate into the network. Modeling of [14C]formate metabolism required consideration of the labeling of the EA and methyl moieties of Cho. Results supported the following conclusions: (a) The first methylation step occurs solely at the phospho-base level; (b) the second and third methylations occur mainly (83%–92% and 65%–85%, respectively) at the phospho-base level, with the remainder occurring at the phosphatidyl-base level; and (c) free Cho originates predominantly from phosphatidylcholine rather than from phospho-Cho. This study illustrates how computer modeling of radiotracer data, in conjunction with information on chemical pool sizes, can provide a coherent, quantitative picture of fluxes within a complex metabolic network.
In‐Situ Verification of Rehabilitation and Repair of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Bents under Simulated Seismic Loads

Abstract Three in‐situ tests were performed on two bents of a reinforced concrete (RC) bridge under quasi‐static cyclic loads. The bridge was built in 1963 and did not possess the necessary reinforcement details for ductile performance. The tests included an as‐built bent, a bent rehabilitated with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite jackets, and a damaged bent repaired with epoxy injection and carbon FRP composite jackets. Two new concepts of strengthening bridge bents with FRP composites were implemented in this study. The first involves shear strengthening and confinement of a beam cap‐column joint through an FRP composite “ankle‐wrap.” The second is an FRP composite “U‐strap” to improve the anchorage of column longitudinal steel reinforcement extending into the joint. FRP composite jackets were also implemented in the columns and beam cap. An additional rehabilitation measure was that of anchorage of the piles to the pile cap using epoxied high strength steel bars. The performance of the b...
Host Trait Prediction of Metagenomic Data for Topology-Based Visualization

Microbiome and metagenomic research continues to grow as well as the size and complexity of the collected data. Additionally, it is understood that the microbiome can have a complex relationship with the environment or host it inhabits, such as in gastrointestinal disease. The goal of this study is to accurately predict a host's trait using only metagenomic data, by training a statistical model on available metagenome sequencing data. We compare a traditional Support Vector Regression approach to a new non-parametric method developed here, called PKEM, which uses dimensionality reduction combined with Kernel Density Estimation. The results are visualized using methods from Topological Data Analysis. Such representations assist in understanding how the data organizes and can lead to new insights. We apply this visualization-of-prediction technique to cat, dog and human microbiome obtained from fecal samples. In the first two the host trait is irritable bowel syndrome while in the last the host trait is Kwashiorkor, a form of severe malnutrition.
Superconductivity in bulk and thin films of La1.85Sr

A laser-ablation technique was used to deposit thin films from the bulk oxides ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.85}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.15}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ and ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}\mathrm{Y}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{7\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$, whose superconductivity properties were investigated by dc resistivity, complex ac susceptibility, and microwave response. The latter technique was employed to establish that the thin films have superconducting regions with properties similar to the bulk materials.
Abstract 2046: FoxM1 cooperates with Sp1 to transcriptionally activate the COX-2 promoter

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) induction by epidermal growth factor (EGF) is likely to be an important response to this growth factor in gliomas given its prognostic significance in these tumors. Gaining a greater understanding of the signaling pathway(s) involved in this response may permit development of novel approaches for disrupting this induction with potential therapeutic benefit in such patients. Previously, we showed that p38-MAPK and protein kinase C-delta were required signal transducers in this process that ultimately leads to Sp1-dependent transcriptional activation of the COX-2 promoter in glioma cells. In this current work, we find that the FoxM1 transcription factor is also needed for full induction of COX-2 in response to EGF. Src kinase acts upstream of p38-MAPK to induce both FoxM1 and COX-2 expression. Furthermore, siRNA suppression of FoxM1 significantly reduces COX-2 induction in response to both EGF and the downstream signal transducers Src and p38-MAPK. In addition, increased expression of FoxM1 in an inducible system leads to increased COX-2 expression. Evaluation of the COX-2 promoter in a reporter gene system revealed that while FoxM1 overexpression can have a small effect on promoter activity through the FoxM1 consensus site at approximately -2.5k upstream of the promoter start site, its main activity appears to be through the Sp1 consensus site located from -245 to -240 upstream of the start site. Interestingly, FoxM1 associates with Sp1 by coimmunoprecipitation. In fact, FoxM1 can associate with the Sp1 consensus site both in vitro as assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and in vivo as assessed by a chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) assay. This work demonstrates a novel interaction between Sp1 and FoxM1 whereby FoxM1 can activate transcription of COX-2 through the associated Sp1 factor's consensus site. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2046. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2046
Influence of Acute Infection and of Artificial Fever on Plasma Lipoids

During another investigation on the lipoids of the plasma in children, it was observed in several instances that values for lecithin, cholesterol and total fatty acids were all markedly influenced by acute infections. Although the literature revealed the fact that cholesterol has previously been found to be lowered in certain acute infectious diseases1, 2 and in tuberculosis,3, 4 little is actually known regarding the significance of this change and practically no information is available regarding the effect of infection on the lecithin and total fatty acid levels in the blood.The various lipoid fractions have been determined by the methods of Bloor5, 6, 7 in 15 children with various acute infections, first at the height of the disease and again after recovery. To ascertain the influence of fever per se as against that of the other effects of infection, determinations were made before, during and after the artificial production of fever, in one case of dystonia progressiva deformans by use of phenylethyl...
Design of Interactive Service Platform for Smart Power Consumption

The significance of constructing smart interactive platform for smart service of power consumption was analyzed based on the analysis on present development,technical support and the situation of pilot projects home and abroad.To meet the demand of individual and diversified services under smart grid,a scheme an smart interactive service platform system and its equipment configuration were proposed;such contents as the architecture of the platform system,network interfaces and key equipments for it were emphatically introduced.Based on the pilot project of an smart interactive community in Xiamen in Fujian Province,the application of the interactive service platform was presented.Finally,the summary and prospect of interactive platform were given.
Divalent Ion Dependent Conformational Changes in an RNA Stem-Loop Observed by Molecular Dynamics

We compare the performance of five magnesium (Mg2+) ion models in simulations of an RNA stem loop which has an experimentally determined divalent ion dependent conformational shift. We show that despite their differences in parametrization and resulting van der Waals terms, including differences in the functional form of the nonbonded potential, when the RNA adopts its folded conformation, all models behave similarly across ten independent microsecond length simulations with each ion model. However, when the entire structure ensemble is accounted for, chelation of Mg2+ to RNA is seen in three of the five models, most egregiously and likely artifactual in simulations using a 12-6-4 model for the Lennard-Jones potential. Despite the simple nature of the fixed point-charge and van der Waals sphere models employed, and with the exception of the likely oversampled directed chelation of the 12-6-4 potential models, RNA–Mg2+ interactions via first shell water molecules are surprisingly well described by modern p...
Tumor Phenotype and Gene Expression During Early Mammary Tumor Development in Offspring Exposed to Alcohol In Utero.

Background Alcohol exposure in utero increases susceptibility to carcinogen-induced mammary tumorigenesis in adult offspring and causes tumors with a more malignant phenotype. This study was conducted to identify changes early in tumor development that might lead to this outcome. Methods Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a liquid diet containing 6.7% ethanol (alcohol), an isocaloric liquid diet without alcohol (pair-fed), or rat chow ad libitum (ad lib) from gestation day 7 until parturition. At birth, female progeny were cross-fostered to control dams. Pups were weaned at postnatal day (PND) 21 and fed rat chow ad libitum for the remainder of the experiment. Female offspring were administered N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU; 50 mg/kg body weight) on PND 50. Mammary glands were palpated weekly, and offspring were euthanized at 16 weeks post-NMU injection. Results At 16 weeks post-NMU, tumor multiplicity was greater in alcohol-exposed offspring compared with control groups. Estrogen receptor-α (ER) mRNA expression was decreased in tumors from alcohol-exposed offspring, and these animals developed more ER-negative tumors relative to the pair-fed group. Alcohol-exposed offspring also tended to develop more progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors. All tumors were HER2-negative. PR positivity was associated with higher Ki67 expression, suggesting that PR-positive tumors were more proliferative. Tumors from alcohol-exposed animals exhibited increased mRNA expression of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family members IGF-II and IGFBP-5. IGF-II and DNA methyltransferase mRNA tended to be greater in the normal contralateral mammary glands of these animals. Conclusions These data indicate that alcohol exposure in utero may shift NMU-induced tumor development toward a more aggressive phenotype and that alterations in IGF-II expression may contribute to these changes. Additional studies should be aimed at epigenetic mechanisms that underlie IGF-II expression to further delineate how this gene is altered in mammary glands of adults exposed to alcohol in utero.
Projected trends in high-mortality heatwaves under different scenarios of climate, population, and adaptation in 82 US communities.

Some rare heatwaves have extreme daily mortality impacts; moderate heatwaves have lower daily impacts but occur much more frequently at present and so account for large aggregated impacts. We applied health-based models to project trends in high-mortality heatwaves, including proportion of all heatwaves expected to be high-mortality, using the definition that a high-mortality heatwave increases mortality risk by ≥20 %. We projected these trends in 82 US communities in 2061–2080 under two scenarios of climate change (RCP4.5, RCP8.5), two scenarios of population change (SSP3, SSP5), and three scenarios of community adaptation to heat (none, lagged, on-pace) for large- and medium-ensemble versions of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Community Earth System Model. More high-mortality heatwaves were expected compared to present under all scenarios except on-pace adaptation, and population exposure was expected to increase under all scenarios. At least seven more high-mortality heatwaves were expected in a twenty-year period in the 82 study communities under RCP8.5 than RCP4.5 when assuming no adaptation. However, high-mortality heatwaves were expected to remain <1 % of all heatwaves and heatwave exposure under all scenarios. Projections were most strongly influenced by the adaptation scenario—going from a scenario of on-pace to lagged adaptation or from lagged to no adaptation more than doubled the projected number of and exposure to high-mortality heatwaves. Based on our results, fewer high-mortality heatwaves are expected when following RCP4.5 versus RCP8.5 and under higher levels of adaptation, but high-mortality heatwaves are expected to remain a very small proportion of total heatwave exposure.
Effect of electric field non-uniformity on droplets coalescence

Electric field assisted coalescence is one of the most efficient methods for water-in-oil emulsion separation. In this paper, we experimentally study water droplet evolution in an oil phase under different electric field configurations. We determine that non-uniform fields can enhance the performance of electrocoalescence compared to uniform fields. The analysis indicates that the enhanced coalescence is due to the combined effects of dipole–dipole interaction between droplets and dielectrophoresis between individual droplets and the applied non-uniform field. The present study shows that a non-uniform electric field and the induced dielectrophoretic effect can accelerate the coalescence and phase separation of micro-emulsions. These results may provide useful guidance in designing an optimum electrode configuration for efficient electrocoalescence.
New Horizons in Measurement: a Review of Novel and Innovative Approaches to Eating-Disorder Assessment

Eating disorders are serious mental-health concerns that will affect over 30 million individuals in the USA at some point in their lives. Eating disorders occur across the lifespan, in a variety of ethnicities and races, in both men and women, and across the socioeconomic spectrum. Given the prevalence and severity of eating disorders, it is important that clinicians and researchers have access to appropriate assessment tools to aid in the early identification and treatment referral, differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and progress monitoring, and to ensure valid research findings. In this review, we describe novel and innovative assessment tools that were developed within the past 5 years for utilization in research and/or clinical practice with individuals with eating disorders. We identified six multidimensional assessments for eating disorders, all of which can be administered online (with some also offering paper-and-pencil versions). Strengths of the measures included good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity. However, in part, due to problematic scale construction methods, certain scales had poor discriminant validity and most were developed and validated in mostly female samples. There are promising new eating disorder measures from which to choose; however, many measures continue to be limited by poor discriminant validity and need additional validation prior to incorporation into routine research and clinical practice.
Degrees of freedom of OAM-based communication systems

This paper studies the degrees of freedom (DOF) of a line-of-sight communication system employing OAM-based orthogonal multiplexing. Analytical expressions of the DOF number are obtained with or without the requirement of OAM-carrying waves. It is found that the DOF number of an OAM-based system strongly depends on the relative sizes between the transmitter and the receiver. It is also found that the DOF number of an OAM-based system is less than that of a comparable system not restricted to using OAM-carrying waves, suggesting that OAM-based multiplexing does not offer any additional performance benefits over traditional spatial multiplexing techniques.
Traditional and psychological factors associated with academic success: investigating best predictors of college retention

We compared factors that colleges have traditionally used to predict students’ academic success (ACT score and high school GPA) to non-traditional factors (perceived stress and grit, defined as having perseverance and passion for long-term goals) to determine best predictors of academic success, measured using college GPA and retention. We obtained data from 165 undergraduate students. Participants completed the Short Grit Scale and Perceived Stress Scale. We obtained participants’ college GPA, high school GPA, and ACT scores. We assessed longitudinally, 1.5 years later, whether participants were retained. ACT score and high school GPA were excellent predictors of college students’ GPA, but poor predictors of retention. Conversely, perceived stress and grit were poor predictors of college students’ GPA, but were statistically significant predictors of retention. Traditional factors, often used for college admissions, are less important than non-traditional, psychological factors, in predicting who will complete college. We discuss potential strategies for improving college retention.
Validation of the finite state machine model for network simulation and a proposed testbed

Under the Cyber Army Modeling and Simulation (CyAMS) program a new model has been created to efficiently model various cyber events. The finite state machine model allows for the modeling of applications by creating behaviors that map to properties of real world applications. The finite state machine model is originally implemented by utilizing the ns-3 parallel discrete event simulator and validated using data from an emulation testbed experiment featuring malware applications. Following the completion of the ns-3 validation work, the CyAMS behavioral simulator was developed to allow for larger scale networks to be modeled, while also allowing both the network and applications to be defined using a behavioral network. This allows for the creation of an accurate mapping between both the simulation and the emulation applications. Validation tests are then carried out to determine both the validity of the model and the potential scalability. Finally, a testbed is proposed that will combine behavioral simula...
Leveraging social media to achieve a community policing agenda

Abstract This research investigates the communication behavior and engagement strategies in the bilateral use of social media between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. It advances existing work by studying municipal level government actors in a new communications environment where social media now play an important part. Grounded in agenda setting theory, our analysis identifies police departments' social media issue priorities, analyzes the responses of their audiences to those communications, and directly compares followers' own conversation priorities with the police agenda. Our data set includes all the content from the Facebook and Twitter accounts of five similarly sized and demographically situated police departments in the U.S., plus all the tweets and posts from the followers or friends responding to those accounts over a 90-day period. We performed both manual coding and machine cluster analysis to elicit major threads of conversation. In addition to the data analytics, we conducted interviews with the five police departments to understand the similarities and differences in agenda priorities resulting from their social media goals and use. The study shows the priorities that comprise the police agenda, identifies both similarities and differences in what their audiences communicate among themselves about most frequently in the public safety domain relative to the police agenda, and finds evidence of positive response from the public to some of the agenda priorities communicated by the police. Our data also reveal that police are using social media interactively, which could, over time, advance community policing goals. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these findings for law enforcement and community policing and suggests directions for future research on agenda setting in this new media environment.
Mortality and Morbidity during Extreme Heat Events and Prevalence of Outdoor Work: An Analysis of Community-Level Data from Los Angeles County, California

Heat is a well-recognized hazard for workers in many outdoor settings, yet few investigations have compared the prevalence of outdoor work at the community level and rates of heat-related mortality and morbidity. This analysis examines whether heat-related health outcomes occur more frequently in communities with higher proportions of residents working in construction, agriculture, and other outdoor industries. Using 2005–2010 data from Los Angeles County, California, we analyze associations between community-level rates of deaths, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations during summer heat events and the prevalence of outdoor work. We find generally higher rates of heat-related ED visits and hospitalizations during summer heat events in communities with more residents working outdoors. Specifically, each percentage increase in residents working in construction resulted in an 8.1 percent increase in heat-related ED visits and a 7.9 percent increase in heat-related hospitalizations, while each percentage increase in residents working in agriculture and related sectors resulted in a 10.9 percent increase in heat-related ED visits. The findings suggest that outdoor work may significantly influence the overall burden of heat-related morbidity at the community level. Public health professionals and healthcare providers should recognize work and employment as significant heat risk factors when preparing for and responding to extreme heat events.
Calculation of Electric Fields

This chapter explains several techniques appropriate to the calculation of electric fields. Electric fields play a key role in electromagnetic physics. It is, therefore, important to be able to determine the electric fields associated with a wide variety of charge distributions. Certain symmetrical arrangements of charge produce electric fields that may be determined by a simple, powerful, problem-solving procedure. This process is based on a relationship called Gauss's law, which, in turn, is based on the concept of electric flux. Electric fields and the way that electric fields are related to Gauss's law permit the understanding of how static charges position themselves in and on conducting materials. A continuous charge distribution may be considered a collection of infinitesimal elements of charge, each of which causes an electric field at a field point located a distance from the charge element. Each element of charge within the continuous distribution of charge is treated as if it were a point charge causing an electric field. The summation of infinitesimal elements is, of course, an integration process.
Cardiovascular Health Hazards Impairing Sexual Vitality

This chapter details the difference between endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent blood pressure regulation, and reports research linking erectile function impairment to cardiovascular health risks, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The connection between erectile dysfunction (ED), cardiovascular and heart disease, and endothelium impairment is emphasized.
Localization of a radioactive source in an urban environment using Bayesian Metropolis methods

Abstract We present a method for localizing an unknown source of radiation in an urban environment using a distributed detector network. This method employs statistical parameter estimation techniques, relying on an approximation for the response of a detector to the source based on a simplified model of the underlying transport phenomena, combined with a Metropolis-type sampler that is modified to propagate the effect of fixed epistemic uncertainties in the material macroscopic cross sections of objects in the scene. We apply this technique to data collected during a measurement campaign conducted in a realistic analog for an urban scene using a network of six mobile detectors. Our initial results are able to localize the source to within approximately 8 m over a scene of size 300 m × 200 m in two independent trials with 30 min count times, including a characterization of the uncertainty associated with the poorly known macroscopic cross sections of objects in the scene. In these measurements, the nearest detectors were between 20 m to 30 m from the source, and recorded count rates between approximately 3 and 13 times background. A few detectors had line-of-sight to the source, while the majority were obscured by objects present in the scene. After extending our model to account for the orientation of the detectors and correcting for anomalies in the measurement data we were able to further improve the localization accuracy to approximately 2 m in both trials.
Gender competency in public administration education

Sex and gender are evolving identity categories with emergent public policy and administration needs. To respond to the diverse landscape of sex and gender issues in the public sector, greater comp...
On transnational networks and coming out: reflections from LGBT politics in the United States

In this reflection essay, comparisons are drawn between When States Come Out by Phillip M. Ayoub and LGBT politics in the United States. These comparisons highlight the important connections betwee...
The Breakdown of Civic Virtues and the Problem of Hate Speech: Is There Wisdom in Freedom of Speech?

When certain groups in society are disparaged and derogated verbally, aggression and violence against the groups can follow. When public figures and political leaders engage in this kind of discourse, there is implicit social licensing of aggressive and violent behavior against these groups. Moreover, the creation of false equivalence of acts and statements and disputing or disregarding facts in discourse and discussion degrades all aspects of civil deliberation and intercourse. The civic virtues of civility, compassion, and fairness are critical to the stability of a peaceful and just society. However, these virtues are eroded by the use of hate speech, group derogation, and verbal aggression. Words matter, and the way language is used has an impact on thought and behavior, whether it is speech from the bully pulpit to the wording of law and policy to the discussion of enforcement of law and policy and to interpretation of the legal foundations of civil society. Many countries have enacted laws that restrict or prohibit calls for violence against groups and hate speech (e.g., France, Germany). Other countries protect such speech (e.g., United States). In the United States, there has been a growing dispute about protected speech and the dispute has recently been used to justify explicitly discriminatory behavior. Wisdom is typically viewed as a manifestation of individual human choice, thought, or action. But it is possible to view law and policy as wiser as well. Is the legal restriction of hate speech wiser than its protection? Or is there wisdom in allowing freedom of expression?
The technology bias in entrepreneur-investor negotiations

Abstract Entrepreneur-investor negotiations are pivotal for ventures in need of funding. However, to date, little is known about the dynamics of these negotiations. We investigate a critical feature of this phenomenon by examining the role of technology, via cognitive heuristics, in shaping entrepreneur and investor perceptions and subsequent negotiation outcomes. In a controlled laboratory setting, we simulate 103 negotiations between entrepreneurs and investors. We hypothesize and find that there is a pervasive technology bias that influences the perceptions of both parties of the negotiation and, consequently, negotiation outcomes. Our findings offer unique insights into the relationships of technology, cognitive heuristics, and negotiations. We discuss the implications for both practitioners and theoreticians in the areas of technology, decision making, negotiation, and entrepreneurial financing.
Optimal Tradeoffs in Matched Designs Comparing US-Trained and Internationally Trained Surgeons

Does receiving a medical education outside the United States impact a surgeon’s performance? We study this question by matching operations performed by internationally trained surgeons to those per...
Understanding Stakeholder Motivations

This chapter identifies two vectors of factors that may push or pull a stakeholder into interacting with an organization. The push factors are specific to an individual and establish whether there is sufficient motivation to participate. The pull factors are organizationally designed and can include incentives that motivate participation from select stakeholders to increase representativeness and accessibility. In addition to offering incentives for participation for specific stakeholders, the organization may purposefully select the venue for interactions to make the process more inclusive. System dynamics theory offers some prospects for making theories of stakeholder motivation more robust. I use the board game Monopoly to model stakeholder motivation since it features interaction effects and a recursive decision-making process. Plus, it takes into consideration dynamic changes in the environment as well as changes in the push and pull factors. Understanding factors that motivate participation is an essential first step to assuring that the preferences communicated to the organization represent the stakeholders who can influence or are influenced by the organization’s activities.
Effects of Urethritis on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Semen: Implications for HIV Prevention and Cure.

BACKGROUND Prior to the widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), men living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with urethritis had increased concentrations of HIV in semen. This study aims to better evaluate HIV shedding in men with urethritis receiving ART, and its implications for the cure of HIV. METHODS Men living with HIV with urethritis taking ART ≥12 weeks were enrolled at a sexually transmitted infections clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi. Study follow-up included visits at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after urethritis diagnosis and treatment. Matched blood and semen samples were collected at all visits, and all additional episodes of urethritis were followed with extra visits 1, 2, and 4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS There were 111 men enrolled in the study between January 2017-March 2019, and 77 (69%) were suppressed in the blood (<400 copies/mL). Among the 77 men, 87 episodes of urethritis were evaluated during follow-up. Of the 87 episodes, 15 episodes (17%) had instances of seminal viral shedding ≥400 copies/mL despite viral suppression in the blood. During nonurethritis follow-up, ≤6% of men at each visit had a viral load ≥400 copies/mL in the semen while maintaining viral suppression in the blood. CONCLUSIONS An HIV cure requires the elimination of HIV from every body compartment, but available ART does not currently accomplish this. Our study highlights the male genital tract as a local source of HIV that can be reversibly activated. A better understanding of this phenomenon is important to advance the HIV cure field.
Contemporary procedural trends of Watchman percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion in the United States.

OBJECTIVE To determine trends in real-world utilization and in-hospital adverse events from Watchman implantation since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015. BACKGROUND The risk of embolic stroke caused by atrial fibrillation is reduced by oral anticoagulants, but not all patients can tolerate long-term anticoagulation. Left atrial appendage occlusion with the Watchman device has emerged as an alternative therapy. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study utilizing data from National Inpatient Sample for calendar years 2015-2017. The outcomes assessed in this study were associated complications, in-hospital mortality, and resource utilization trends after Watchman implantation. Trends analysis were performed using analysis of variance. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of mortality. RESULTS A total of 17 700 patients underwent Watchman implantation during the study period. There was a significantly increased trend in the number of Watchman procedures performed over the study years (from 1195 in 2015 to 11 165 devices in 2017, p < .01). A significant decline in the rate of complications (from 26.4% in 2015% to 7.9% in 2017, p < .01) and inpatient mortality (from 1.3% in 2015% to 0.1% in 2017, p < .01) were noted. Predictors of in-hospital mortality included a higher CHA2 DS2 -VASc score (odds ratio [OR]: 2.61 per 1-point increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.91-3.57), chronic blood loss anemia (OR: 3.63, 95% CI: 1.37-9.61) and coagulopathy (OR: 4.90, 95% CI: 2.32-10.35). CONCLUSION In contemporary United States clinical practice, Watchman utilization has increased significantly since approval in 2015, while complications and in-patient mortality have declined.
Amino Acids and Their Metabolites for Improving Human Exercising Performance.

Achieving adequate nutrition for exercising humans is especially important for improving both muscle mass and metabolic health. One of the most common misunderstandings in the fitness industry is that the human body has requirements for dietary whole protein and that exercising individuals must consume only whole protein to meet their physiological needs. This view, however, is incorrect. Instead, humans at rest or during exercise have requirements for dietary amino acids (AAs), and dietary protein is a source of AAs in the body. The requirements for AAs must be met each day to avoid a negative nitrogen balance in individuals with moderate or intense physical activity. By properly meeting increased requirements for AAs through increased intake of high-quality protein (the source of AAs) plus supplemental AAs, athletes can improve their overall athletic performance. AAs or metabolites that are of special importance for exercising individuals include arginine, branched-chain AAs, creatine, glycine, taurine, and glutamine. The AAs play vital roles as both substrates for protein synthesis and molecules for regulating blood flow and nutrient metabolism. The functional roles of AAs include the maintenance of cell and tissue integrity; stimulation of mechanistic target of rapamycin and AMP-activated protein kinase cell signaling pathways; energy sources for the small intestine, cells of the immune system, and skeletal muscle; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory reactions; production of neurotransmitters; modulation of acid–base balance in the body. All of those roles are crucial for the overall goal of improving exercise performance. Therefore, adequate intakes of proteinogenic AAs and their functional metabolites, especially those noted in this review, are essential for optimal human health (including optimum muscle mass and function) and should be a primary goal of exercising individuals.
Polysubstance Use, Mood Disorders, and Chronic Conditions With Anxiety in Opioid Patients.

This study examined the associations of polysubstance use, mood disorders, and chronic conditions with the history of anxiety disorder among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). We performed a ...
The Central Planning Agencies

In the first chapter we identified three central agencies that are primarily responsible for coordinating the physical flows of resources, goods, and services through the Soviet economy—the State Planning Committee, the State Committee for Material and Technical Supply, and the State Committee for Science and Technology—and three central agencies whose function is to coordinate financial flows—the Ministry of Finance, the State Bank, and the State Price Committee. In this chapter we shall survey the participation of each of those agencies in foreign trade decision making.
Mechanomyographic and electromyographic responses of the superficial muscles of the quadriceps femoris during maximal, concentric isokinetic muscle actions

Eleven adult males (mean ± SD age = 22 ± 3 years) performed maximal, concentric isokinetic leg extension muscle actions at velocities of 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300°.s -1 on a Cybex 6000 dynamometer. The results indicated that peak torque (PT) decreased (p < 0.05) as muscle action velocity increased. Mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude increased with velocity to 180°.s - 1 for each muscle tested (vastus lateralis = VL, rectus femoris = RF, and vastus medialis = VM). For the VL, MMG amplitude continued to increase to 240°.s -1 and then plateaued, while the RF plateaued from 180 to 300°.s -1 . The VM showed a constant increase in MMG amplitude to 300°.s -1 . Electromyographic (EMG) amplitude increased to 180°.s -1 and then plateaued for each muscle. These findings indicated muscle-specific differences in MMG amplitude patterns across velocity that may be attributable to differences in fiber type composition, muscle architecture, and/or tissue layer composition. Furthermore, these results suggested that there were muscle-specific, velocity-related differences in the association between motor unit activation (EMG) and the mechanical aspects of muscular activity (MMG).
The use of an estrogenic cream in the treatment of senile vaginitis

Abstract In this investigation 123 patients received dienestrol in a cream base for the treatment of atrophic changes occurring in the vaginal mucosa. All of these patients, with the exception of two children and two adults, were over 40 years of age. In 68.3 per cent of the cases, after receiving this type of therapy, the vaginal mucosa appeared healthy and the patients had no complaints. Those patients who returned to the Clinic at the end of one week of treatment showed rapid improvement. Although 25.2 per cent of the cases were classified as un-improved, it must be noted that some of this group showed either symptomatic or clinical improvement. Relief of symptoms had to be accompanied by clinical response before the patient was considered improved. Further topical application of the estrogenic cream was prescribed if symptoms recurred. The average healthy vagina was maintained in some instances by using dienestrol one to three times a week over a period of months. No untoward effects were noted.
The surprisingly innovative Enterprise Resource Planning System: The effects of infusion

Although the diffusion of innovation theory and related research dates back to 1962, there have been few studies that focus on the innovative impact of a selected technology. Specifically, enterprise resource planning systems are not typically regarded as innovative, as measured by a multidimensional construct of knowledge and skills as well as information and communication. The innovative nature of the enterprise resource planning system is dependent on the infusion level of the individual user. This study hypothesizes that a greater level of infusion results in increased individual innovation. In addition, information quality and system quality are hypothesized to be positively related to higher levels of infusion.
The Method of Configuration Interaction

As the scope of quantum chemistry broadened from the consideration of stable molecules near equilibrium to encompass potential curves and surfaces, transition states, radicals, ions, and excited states, the shortcomings of the Hartree— Fock (HF) approximation for the description of the electronic structure of molecular systems became increasingly evident. The energy error of the restricted HF wave function, i.e., the difference between the HF limit energy (which is the limit approached by restricted self-consistent field calculations as the basis set approaches completeness) and the exact solution of the nonrelativistic Schrodinger equation, has been termed the correlation energy.(1) It reflects the fact that the HF Hamiltonian contains the average, rather than instantaneous, interelectron potential, and thus neglects the correlation between the motions of the electrons.
Comparing DC offset and impedance readings in the assessment of electrode connection quality

EEG electrode impedance measurements of 5,000 ohms or less are required by common standards of practice to minimize artifacts due to electro-magnetic interference (EMI). Some manufacturers of amplifiers geared toward the neurofeedback market do not provide on-board impedance monitoring, but provide DC offset measurements. To discover if DC offset is a reliable measure of connection quality, measurements of DC offset and impedance, each independently taken by students in a university graduate level course in neurofeedback over a one year period were analyzed retrospectively. DC offset was not found to have predictive value of a standard impedance level. Additionally, 19 channel EEGs collected within manufacturer recommended parameters of DC offset using a high-impedance amplifier were analyzed to assess the level of EMI pollution of QEEG data. Visible peaks of EMI in the spectra in at least one channel in each of these recordings were identified. A sample of EMI pollution of QEEG results is presented. Together, these findings suggest that DC offset is not a reliable measure of electrode connection quality.
Vision, Race, and Modernity: A Visual Economy of the Andean Image World

Vision, Race, and Modernity:. Visual Economy of the Andean Image World. Deborah Poole. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997.264 pp.
Separation of oxygen by using zirconia solid electrolyte membranes

Oxygen separation from air and other oxygen-containing gases and gas mixtures by using zirconia solid electrolyte membranes has the potential to meet the oxygen needs of many applications. The high purity of the product oxygen and the electrochemical nature of the process are particularly attractive. The technology has been proposed for use in large-scale industrial applications, medical applications and in processing of off-planet resources. These applications are made possible by the ability of stabilized zirconia to conduct oxygen ions at high temperature. The performance of oxygen-separation systems built at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, capable of up to 1 l/min output, is discussed. Factors influencing the efficiency of the oxygen separation process and systems analysis of conceptual oxygen production plants are also addressed
Interval Estimates Derived from Bayes Testing Rules

Abstract Given a family of rules for the three-decision testing problems of locating a scalar parameter θ relative to θ0, with decisions θ θ0, and given a sample x, the set S(x) = {θ0: decide θ = θ0) (usually an interval) is an intuitively appealing set estimate of θ. This paper considers the optimality of S(x) for the case in which the testing rules are Bayes. The main result is that when the losses for the testing problems have a particular structure, S(x) is minimum Bayes risk with respect to a loss function which is the integral (in a certain sense) of the loss functions for testing.
Concerted kinetic folding of a multidomain ribozyme with a disrupted loop-receptor interaction

The free energy landscape for the folding of large, multidomain RNAs is rugged, and kinetically trapped, misfolded intermediates are a hallmark of RNA folding reactions. Here, we examine the role of a native loop-receptor interaction in determining the ruggedness of the energy landscape for folding of the Tetrahymena ribozyme. We demonstrate a progressive smoothing of the energy landscape for ribozyme folding as the strength of the loop-receptor interaction is reduced. Remarkably, with the most severe mutation, global folding is more rapid than for the wild-type ribozyme and proceeds in a concerted fashion without the accumulation of long-lived kinetic intermediates. The results demonstrate that a complex interplay between native tertiary interactions, divalent ion concentration, and non-native secondary structure determines the ruggedness of the energy landscape. Furthermore, the results suggest that kinetic folding transitions involving large regions of highly structured RNAs can proceed in a concerted fashion, in the absence of significant stable, preorganized tertiary structure.
Utilization of Soft Acid/Base Interactions in Low Molecular Weight Biochemical Separations

Categorization of acid/base interactions using hard soft acid base (HSAB) theory suggested that sulfur-containing low molecular weight biological molecules could be specifically targeted for reversible complexation using soft metal ions. A viable method of employing soft metal ions for bioseparations is to immobilize Ag(I) and Pt(II) ions using a soft ligand such as thiourea. This immobilization chemistry allows for the use of Ag(I) columns that are stable in the presence of chloride and phosphate ions in the mobile phase, and it enhances the complexation chemistry of Ag(I) and Pt(II) ions toward solutes which are soft bases. Because chloride ions are soft bases, NaCl can be used for competitive elution. However, in amino acid separations, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions influence the selectivity and capacity of Ag(I) and Pt(II) columns. A detailed study of the effects of Ag(I) ion loading and pH on the retention time of methionine, histidine, and tryptophan illustrates the need for accounting ...
Effect of propranolol on vascular responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation and plasma renin activity in mongrel dogs

Abstract I.v. administration of propranolol (0.2 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg) to pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs produced blockade of cardiac β-receptors and a significant decrease in heart rate. However, only the higher dose of propranolol demonstrated a significant hypotensive effect. Furthermore, this hypotensive action of propranolol was not associated with either adrenergic neuron blockade or changes in plasma renin activity. These results indicate that the initial hypotensive action of propranolol in mongrel dogs is not due to the blockade of β-receptors, alternations in peripheral sympathetic nervous transmission or plasma renin activity. On the other hand, the action that propranolol is reported to have within the central nervous system may play an important role in accounting for the acute blood pressure lowering action of the compound in mongrel dogs.