cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PmrA(Con) Confers pmrHFIJKL-Dependent EGTA and Polymyxin Resistance on msbB Salmonella by Decorating Lipid A with Phosphoethanolamine

Mutations in pmrA were recombined into Salmonella strain ATCC 14028 msbB to determine if pmrA-regulated modifications of lipopolysaccharide could suppress msbB growth defects. A mutation that functions to constitutively activate pmrA [pmrA(Con)] suppresses msbB growth defects on EGTA-containing media. Lipid A structural analysis showed that Salmonella msbB pmrA(Con) strains, compared to Salmonella msbB strains, have increased amounts of palmitate and phosphoethanolamine but no aminoarabinose addition, suggesting that aminoarabinose is not incorporated into msbB lipid A. Surprisingly, loss-of-function mutations in the aminoarabinose biosynthetic genes restored EGTA and polymyxin sensitivity to Salmonella msbB pmrA(Con) strains. These blocks in aminoarabinose biosynthesis also prevented lipid A phosphoethanolamine incorporation and reduced the levels of palmitate addition, indicating previously unknown roles for the aminoarabinose biosynthetic enzymes. Lipid A structural analysis of the EGTA- and polymyxin-resistant triple mutant msbB pmrA(Con) pagP::Tn10, which contains phosphoethanolamine but no palmitoylated lipid A, suggests that phosphoethanolamine addition is sufficient to confer EGTA and polymyxin resistance on Salmonella msbB strains. Additionally, palmitoylated lipid A was observed only in wild-type Salmonella grown in the presence of salt in rich media. Thus, we correlate EGTA resistance and polymyxin resistance with phosphoethanolamine-decorated lipid A and demonstrate that the aminoarabinose biosynthetic proteins play an essential role in lipid A phosphoethanolamine addition and affect lipid A palmitate addition in Salmonella msbB strains.
A new end tab design for off-axis tension test of composite materials

A new end tab fabricated using a fiberglass knit in a silicon rubber matrix was used for off-axis tension tests on unidirectional composites. It was shown experimentally that this new tab allowed shear deformation of the specimen to occur in the hydraulic grips and, thus, produce a uniform state of strain in the specimen. Consequently, the shear modulus could be determined accurately using this new tab. Furthermore, due to the absence of stress concentrations, this procedure could also be used to determine shear strength.
A Throughput-Based Radio Channel Allocation Algorithm for WLANs with Multiple APs

Usually, the radio channel allocation (RCA) problems of wireless LANs (WLANs) are solved by using various heuristic methods. However, it is not clear that the minmax problem is an NP-hard problem or not. In this paper, we consider WLANs with multiple APs that can be deployed in an ad hoc network. First, we propose a distributed heuristic algorithm (DHA) for RCA, which allocates channels in terms of the throughput of the channel used by an access point (AP). The algorithm significantly improves the channel throughput. Then, we analyze the computational complexity of the DHA by using both statistical analysis and simulations, i.e., the computational scale (CS) of the DHA, which is the number of channel reallocation times until the network reaches a convergence state. After that, by extensive simulations, we demonstrate that DHA reaches the convergence state very quickly. The total number of channel reallocations is a log-logistic distribution. Finally, we develop a method to estimate the CS and find that the overall upper limit of the CS is O(I) for a WLAN with I APs.
Genetic dissection of chlorate respiration in Pseudomonas stutzeri PDA reveals syntrophic (per)chlorate reduction.

Genes important for growth of Pseudomonas stutzeri PDA on chlorate were identified using a randomly DNA bar-coded transposon mutant library. During chlorate reduction, mutations in genes encoding the chlorate reductase clrABC, predicted molybdopterin cofactor chaperon clrD, molybdopterin biosynthesis and two genes of unknown function (clrE, clrF) had fitness defects in pooled mutant assays (Bar-seq). Markerless in-frame deletions confirmed that clrA, clrB and clrC were essential for chlorate reduction, while clrD, clrE and clrF had less severe growth defects. Interestingly, the key detoxification gene cld was essential for chlorate reduction in isogenic pure culture experiments, but showed only minor fitness defects in Bar-seq experiments. We hypothesized this was enabled through chlorite dismutation by the community, as most strains in the Bar-seq library contained an intact cld. In support of this, Δcld grew with wild-type PDA or ΔclrA, and purified Cld also restored growth to the Δcld mutant. Expanding on this, wild-type PDA and a Δcld mutant of the perchlorate reducer Azospira suillum PS grew on perchlorate in co-culture, but not individually. These results demonstrate that co-occurrence of cld and a chloroxyanion reductase within a single organism is not necessary and raises the possibility of syntrophic (per)chlorate respiration in the environment.
Women and autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 8% of the population, 78% of whom are women. The reasons for the high prevalence in women are unknown, but circumstantial evidence links autoimmune diseases with preceding infections. Animal models of autoimmune diseases have shown that infections can induce autoimmune disease. For example, coxsackievirus B3 (CB3) infection of susceptible mice results in inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) that resembles myocarditis in humans. The same disease can be induced by injecting mice with heart proteins mixed with adjuvant(s), which indicates that an active infection is not necessary for the development of autoimmune disease. We have found that CB3 triggers autoimmune disease in susceptible mice by stimulating elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines from mast cells during the innate immune response. Sex hormones may further amplify this hyperimmune response to infection in susceptible persons, which leads to an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases in women.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose of review Pseudomonas aeruginosa is isolated in sputum cultures from adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but the significance of the organism in this clinical setting is not well known. The purpose of this review is to critically review the literature in an effort to understand the role of P. aeruginosa in the course and pathogenesis of COPD. Recent findings When examined longitudinally, two distinct patterns of carriage of P. aeruginosa are observed in adults with COPD: short-term colonization followed by clearance and long-term persistence. Acquisition of P. aeruginosa is associated with the occurrence of an exacerbation, indicating that the organism causes exacerbations. Exacerbations caused by P. aeruginosa are more likely to be seen in patients with more advanced COPD, those who have received recent antibiotic therapy and those who require mechanical ventilation for an exacerbation. A subset of adults with COPD becomes chronically colonized with P. aeruginosa, but whether such patients benefit from antimicrobial therapy is not yet known. Summary P. aeruginosa has several different manifestations in the setting of COPD. The organism is a colonizer that is cleared quickly, causes acute exacerbations and also may cause chronic infection in a subset of adults with COPD.
Stability of alternatively spliced IGF-I mRNA in growth plate chondrocytes.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) enhances the proliferation and hypertrophy of growth plate chondrocytes leading to increased growth plate width thus promoting bone elongation. Differing quantities of the multiple IGF-I transcripts within the growth plate suggest differential regulation of IGF-I. To assess this, the relative stabilities of the 1Ea, 1Eb, and 2Ea IGF-I mRNA classes in 2-6 week old rat growth plates were evaluated. The mean estimated half-life of class lEa was 3.7 ± 0.05 h, while classes 1Eb and 2Ea decayed gradually over the course of the experiment. Estimated half-lives for each IGF-I mRNA species were unchanged at all ages examined. Incubation with Act D enhanced the transcription of class 1Ea, 1Eb, and 2Ea mRNAs to varying degrees. This implies that the differential stability of alternative IGF-I mRNA classes may be an inherent regulatory component that is not influenced by an animal's developmental state, and the differential abundance of alternative IGF-I mRNA species in the growth...
Celiac disease: Information on the internet

Celiac disease damages the mucosal lining of the small intestines, resulting in the inability to absorb nutrients and causing diarrhea. It can also result in a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin called dermatitis herpetiformis and rheumatoid arthritis. This condition is recognized more often because of improved diagnostic tests. The symptoms of the disease are reversible with strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. This column will describe the disease, its causes, and its epidemiology. The column will also discuss Internet sites that will be helpful in answering the common questions and concerns of newly diagnosed patients often encountered by consumer heath librarians.
POTASSIUM TRANSPORT IN HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES: EVIDENCE FOR A THREE COMPARTMENT SYSTEM

Whole human blood is incubated for periods of ½ to 3 hours with K42 at 37°C. At the close of this period, called pre-incubation, the plasma is removed from the cells and the cells, now become radioactive, are again incubated in a mixture of plasma and buffer for periods of up to 10 additional hours. The time course of the K42 activity of the incubating medium is followed. Characteristically, after 2 hours of pre-incubation, the activity in the medium rises to a peak about 1 and ½ hours after resuspension, and then falls slowly until at 10 hours it is very close to its initial value at the beginning of the resuspension interval. This transient rise in K42 activity in the medium is taken to indicate that the red cell does not consist of a single uniform K compartment, but contains at least two compartments. Thus one cellular compartment contains a reservoir of high specific activity K which provides the specific activity gradient necessary to drive the K42 content of the medium to its transient peak. Experiments with Na indicate that its behavior in this respect is unlike that of K. The experimental data are matched to a simple model system which is capable of theoretical analysis with the aid of an analogue computer. The model system, whose characteristics agree fairly well with those observed experimentally on red cell suspensions, comprises two intracellular compartments, one containing 2.35 m.eq. K/liter blood, and the other 44.1 m.eq. K/liter blood. The plasma K content is 2.64 m.eq./liter blood. The flux between plasma and the smaller intracellular compartment is 0.65 m.eq. K/liter blood hour; that between the smaller and the larger intracellular compartment, 1.77 m.eq. K/liter blood hour; and that between the larger intracellular compartment and the plasma is 0.34 m.eq. K/liter blood hour.
Clinical Features of Sarcoid Rhinosinusitis

OBJECTIVE: We asked if certain clinical features were useful predictors of sarcoid rhinosinusitis in general populations of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. METHODS: Our patients with sarcoid rhinosinusitis and those from the literature formed the study group. A group of 21 randomly selected patients from The University of Mississippi Medical Center Allergy Clinic with chronic rhinosinusitis composed the control group. RESULTS: Our literature search identified 73 patients with sarcoid rhinosinusitis reported since 1999. Twenty patients met inclusion criteria and were added to 16 of our patients to compose the study group of 36 patients. The majority of the study group was African-American (61%) and female (69%) and had pulmonary sarcoidosis (67%) and other forms of extrapulmonary sarcoidosis in addition to sarcoid rhinosinusitis (86%). The 5 most common upper respiratory signs/symptoms were nasal obstruction (86%), nasal crusting (47%), anosmia (44%), epistaxis (28%), and nasal polyposis (25%). Odds ratios for sarcoid rhinosinusitis were 2.5 for persistent nasal obstruction, 7.7 for epistaxis, 16.0 for anosmia, and 18.8 for nasal crusting. For each symptom, the odds of sarcoid rhinosinusitis increased by 9.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.8-49.9). Nasal crusting was associated with the coexistence of atrophic rhinosinusitis at nasal endoscopy. Treatment with oral corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive therapy, primarily methotrexate, was frequently required. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of chronic rhinosinusitis and 2 of the signs of nasal crusting, anosmia, or epistaxis are highly specific for sarcoid rhinosinusitis. Even in the absence of an established diagnosis of sarcoidosis, sinonasal biopsy should be considered for diagnosing these patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.
Guiding Students to Develop an Understanding of Scientific Inquiry: A Science Skills Approach to Instruction and Assessment

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations-for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls-and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level.
Visual Aspects of the Transmission of Babylonian Astronomy and its Reception into Greek Astronomy

Summary Evidence for the transmission of Babylonian astronomy into the Greco-Roman world is well attested in the form of observations, numerical parameters and astronomical tables. This paper investigates the reception of Babylonian astronomy in the Greco-Roman world and in particular the transmission, transformation and exploitation of the layout of texts and other visual information. Two examples illustrate this process: the use of Babylonian lunar eclipse records by Greek astronomers and the adaptation of Babylonian methods of eclipse prediction in the Antikythera Mechanism.
Fault test structures for studying circuit performance

Testing of ASICs is usually limited to "stuck-at" fault testing, and the consequences of incomplete electrical test fault coverage and latent defects that become activated during the stress of normal operation is a major concern. Usually, for the sake of yield estimation, it is assumed that any defect detected electrically with a defect test structure leads to a circuit failure. However, there is a wide range of defects which cause performance degradation without causing failure. This paper discusses process-induced defects and the faults they cause in logic gates and focuses in more detail on bridging defects. >
The Stone Cold Truth: The Effect of Concrete Encasement on the Rate and Pattern of Soft Tissue Decomposition

This study provides a descriptive analysis of taphonomic changes observed in the soft tissue of ten pigs (Sus scrofa) after being encased in Quickrete (®) concrete and excavated at monthly or bimonthly intervals over the course of 2 years. The best method of subject excavation was investigated. Rate and pattern of decomposition were compared to a nonencased control subject. Results demonstrate subjects interred in concrete decomposed significantly slower than the control subject (p < 0.01), the difference being observable after 1 month. After 1 year, the encased subject was in the early stage of decomposition with purging fluids and intact organs present, versus complete skeletonization of the control subject. Concrete subjects also display a unique decomposition pattern, exhibiting a chemically burned outer layer of skin and a common separation of the dermal and epidermal layers. Results suggest using traditional methods to estimate postmortem interval on concrete subjects may result in underestimation.
A20--a biomarker of allograft outcome: a showcase in kidney transplantation.

Effective means to identify anti-donor immune activity before the transplant organ is damaged and rejected has been an important goal in transplantation research. Development of sensitive and non-invasive diagnostic methods that probe the immune status of the recipient as well as the resilience of the donor organ should enable personalized application of immunosuppressive drugs. With a non-invasive biomarker for rejection, it should be possible to selectively treat the patients that are rejecting the graft and wean the tolerant patients from immunosuppression. Although A20 is also expressed by activated CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells, its expression by mouse tubular cells has been shown to play an important role in protecting allografts from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and rejection. Using quantitative (real-time) reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qt-RT-PCR), we showed that expression levels of A20, hemeoxygenase (HO)-1, other anti-apoptotic molecules, granzyme-B (GZMB), perforin (PRF1), CD3 and other immune molecules in renal transplant biopsies, urinary cells and peripheral blood cells are predictive of transplantation outcomes. Measuring A20 at mRNA and protein levels has the potentiality to be diagnostic and prognostic of transplantation outcomes and thereby help in timely therapeutic interventions to prolong graft life.
A Convex Optimization Framework for Service Rate Allocation in Finite Communications Buffers

We study the convexity of loss probability in communications and networking optimization problems that involve finite buffers, where the arrival process has a general distribution. Examples of such problems include scheduling, energy management and revenue, and cost optimization problems. To achieve a computationally tractable optimization framework, we propose to adjust an existing nonconvex loss probability formula for G/D/1 queues to present a convex and even more accurate loss probability model. We then use empirical data and computer simulations to examine the performance of the proposed design.
Isotopic study of new fundamentals and combination bands of linear C5, C7, and C9 in solid ar.

A high yield of carbon chains has been produced by the laser ablation of carbon rods having 13C enrichment. FTIR spectroscopy of these molecules trapped in solid Ar has resulted in the identification of two new combination bands for linear C5 and C9. The (ν1 + ν4) combination band of linear C5 has been observed at 3388.8 cm−1, and comparison of 13C isotopic shift measurements with the predictions of density functional theory calculations (DFT) at the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ level makes possible the assignment of the ν1(σg+) stretching fundamental at 1946 cm−1. Similarly, the observation of the (ν2 + ν7) combination band of linear C9 at 3471.8 cm−1 enables the assignment of the ν2(σg+) stretching fundamental at 1871 cm−1. The third and weakest of the infrared stretching fundamentals of linear C7, the ν6(σu+) fundamental at 1100.1 cm−1, has also been assigned.
Evaluating the Control of the Clover Root Curculio Larva on Alfalfa

Heptachlor, lindane, and methyl parathion granules, each at rates of 1 and of 5 pounds per acre of actual toxicant, were applied in early May to Du Puits alfalfa in its first cutting year. The total length of the clover root curculio ( Sitona hispidula (F.)) larval feeding scars per tap root was reduced by heptachlor and lindane treatments, each at 1 and at 5 pounds per acre, when the results were based on six roots taken systematically from each plot in August. Only the 5-pound rates of heptachlor and lindane showed significant reduction in larval feeding scars when two roots were taken from each plot. The two-roots-perplot procedure was biased by selecting only plants with vigorous or abundant foliar growth. Additional results indicated that the vigor of the plant and possibly the size of the tap root could be important sources of variation to consider in the evaluation of larval injury. Supplementary counts taken by collecting by insect net 35 days after treatment of the plots showed that heptachlor at 1 and at 5 pounds and methyl parathion at 5 pounds per acre gave significant control of the clover root curculio adult.
Tensile-Strained Nanoscale Ge/In0.16Ga0.84As Heterostructure for Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor

Tensile strained Ge/In0.16Ga0.84As heterostructure was grown in situ by molecular beam epitaxy using two separated growth chambers for Ge and III-V materials. Controlled growth conditions led to the presence of 0.75% in-plane tensile strain within Ge layer. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed pseudomorphic Ge with high crystalline quality and a sharp Ge/In0.16Ga0.84As heterointerface. Atomic force microscopy revealed a uniform two-dimensional cross-hatch surface morphology with a root-mean-square roughness of 1.26 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated reduced tunneling-barrier-height compared with Ge/GaAs heterostructure. The superior structural properties suggest tensile strained Ge/In0.16Ga0.84As heterostructure would be a promising candidate for high-performance and energy-efficient tunnel field-effect transistor applications.
Staining chromosomes in sections of germinal vesicles of sarcoptid mites by a Schiff reagent.

Chromosomes of oocytes, especially early prophase I stages, of Acaridae and Anoetidae species are difficult to stain by procedures using hematoxylin, Feulgen and aceto-orcein. Hematoxylin stains are intensely polychromatic in oocytes; the standard Feulgen procedure is negative with chromosomes during diffuse prophase stages. Satisfactory staining can be obtained with a supersensitive Schiff reagent (Tobie, W. C., Ind. Eng. Chem., Anal. Ed., 14: 405—406, 1942) made by reducing basic fuchsin with gaseous SO2. Routinely prepared paraffin sections of mites fixed in Carnoy's 6:3:1 mixture were hydrolysed 5-8 min in 1 N HCl, washed well, and stained in this reagent: 1-2 hr for prophase oocytes, 10-20 min for condensed chromosomes. A second staining in a 0.5% aqueous solution of toluidine blue 0, adjusted to pH 5.3-5.5 with a citrate buffer, served to darken the original Feulgen stain. Counterstaining with 0.1-0.2% fast green FCF in the last fluid of the dehydrating series enhanced contrast between chromosomes a...
Retrovirus-mediated reconstitution of respiratory burst activity in X-linked chronic granulomatous disease cells.

X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) results from mutations in the gene encoding gp91phox, the larger subunit of the respiratory burst oxidase cytochrome b. In this study, a recombinant retrovirus vector was constructed and evaluated for its expression of human gp91phox in a human X-CGD myeloid cell line in which the endogenous gp91phox gene had been disrupted by gene targeting. The retrovirus construct, Zip/PGKgp91, was first introduced into the GP+envAm12 amphotropic packaging line and yielded virus producer clones with estimated titers of up to 1 x 10(5) cfu/mL. Coculture infection of X- CGD myeloid cells with Zip/PGKgp91 resulted in restoration of respiratory burst activity to 15% of the cells. Isolated clonal infectants expressed relatively low levels of recombinant gp91phox (< or = 12% of wild-type), but exhibited considerable superoxide- generating activity (up to nearly 60% of wild-type). These results show the feasibility of phenotypic correction of CGD using gene replacement therapy and suggest that even modest levels of gp91phox expression may lead to considerable functional correction of X-CGD neutrophils.
A Discussion on the Study of the Guanling Marine Reptiles

Since 1999,12 geneus and 17 species of marine reptiles,including the first placodont and the first thalattosaur of China have been reported from the Upper Triassic of Guanling in Guizhou Province.For the reasons of preserve situation and the difficulty of preparation,there are a lot of synonym and the nomen dubium in the published taxa.According to the published data,there are 5 valid geneus and 6 species in all.They are:Qianichthyosaurus zhoui Li,1999;Anshunsaurus huangguoshuensis Liu,1999;Sinocyamodus xinpuensis Li,2000;Psephochelys polyosteoderma Li Rieppel,2002;Xinpusaurus suni Yin in Yin et al.,2000;Xinpusaurus bamaolinensis Cheng,2003.Besides,two new types of large,short-rostrumed ichthyosaur and thalattosaur are recognized.
Measuring the Health Status of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Survivors

Pediatric intensive care is designed to serve the needs of neonates, infants, children and adolescents. In relative years, the age range is rather narrow. With respect to the developmental spectrum, the patient population varies dramatically. The majority of patients in most pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) are less than five years old, thus the impact of disease and medical intervention occurs during crucial periods of socialization and neurological development. Normal adults are independent in major functional areas and the resumption of that independence during recovery is a reasonable goal. In young children, measurement of health status is more challenging because independence is gradually achieved through normal development. This development is dynamic and nonlinear with broad individual variation.
Clinical Results of Cytoreduction and HIPEC for Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Taken together, these reports provide very provocative and encouraging data that have prompted some to conclude that cytoreduction and HIPEC represents a "new standard of care" for patients with MPM [26]. Certainly, for selected patients who have good performance status (low operative risk) and in whom complete or near complete cytoreduction can be achieved, this form of therapy is associated with a very notable overall survival ranging from 67 to 92 months in 2 larger series. Patient selection remains the central criteria for successful outcome. Patients should be carefully evaluated for co-morbid illnesses that would make them an unacceptable operative risk. Subsequently, CT scan and possibly laparoscopy should be performed to assess resectability with the appreciation that patients with suboptimal resection do very poorly. Pre-operative assessment of disease resectability is difficult to ascertain but some useful information can be obtained from a careful review of the CT scan; some investigators have advocated routine laparoscopy. Technically, details of HIPEC vary from center to center to some degree with respect to type of chemotherapy, dose of chemotherapy, duration of HIPEC, degree of hyperthermia, and method of recirculating the chemotherapy using either the open or closed technique. The use of the HIPEC technique, however, is considered the optimal method of ensuring complete distribution of therapeutic agents to the peritoneal cavity. Hyperthermia is routinely used for its synergistic actions with chemotherapy and its direct tumoricidal activity in experimental models. However, the therapeutic contribution of HIPEC above the effects of successful cytoreduction cannot be determined with available data although palliation of ascites is observed with HIPEC even without cytoreduction. There are no data indicating that one intra-operative chemotherapy regimen is superior to any other. The centers that report use of prolonged induction or post-operative intraperitoneal chemotherapy do not appear to have superior outcomes to those centers that use a more simple treatment regimen. Finally, although the intensity of therapy is considerable, once recovered, the patients appear to enjoy a good HRQOL. Although not specific for patients with MPM, 2 reports have convincingly demonstrated that HRQOL is significantly improved after HIPEC.
Growth and Weight Deficits in ADHD

The hypothesis that stimulant medications may cause growth deficits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was reevaluated in 124 children and adolescents with ADHD and 109 controls at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Ten year performance of the 4.1 French, lumenless, catheter-delivered pacing lead among patients with and without congenital heart

Introduction: The lumenless, 4.1F diameter M3830 steroid pacing lead (Medtronic, Inc.) is a coaxial, solid core, non-styletdelivered design. Approved for use in 2005, the very long term performance is largely unknown, especially among congenital heart disease (CHD) pts and with implant at alternate (non appendage/apex) pacing sites (AP). This study presents 10 year post implant evaluation of this lead among CHD pts.
Fuzzy Digital Topology and Geometry and Their Applications to Medical Imaging

The primary end-goal of most medical imaging research program is to collect information about function and physiology of internal human organs or tissues through a variety of in vivo or ex vivo imaging techniques. Often, medical imaging techniques suffer from limited spatial and temporal resolution, noise, background-inhomogeneity, and other artifacts leading to fuzzy representations of target objects in acquired images. Digital topology and geometry play important roles in medical image processing either by expanding the scope of target information or by providing a strong theoretical foundation to a process enhancing its stability, fidelity, and efficiency. The notions of digital topology and geometry are often intertwined in medical imaging applications and sometime it is difficult to draw a dividing line between them. This paper presents recent advancements and overviews of theory and computation of several fuzzy digital topologic and geometric approaches and describe their applications to medical imaging. More specifically, this paper discusses topics related to three-dimensional simple points, local topological parameters, fuzzy skeletonization, characterization of local structures, and their applications to research and clinical studies.
Nanostructured sapphire optical fiber for sensing in harsh environments

We describe an innovative and scalable strategy of transforming a commercial unclad sapphire optical fiber to an allalumina nanostructured sapphire optical fiber (NSOF) that overcomes decades-long challenges faced in the field of sapphire fiber optics. The strategy entails fiber coating with metal Al followed by subsequent anodization to form anodized alumina oxide (AAO) cladding of highly organized pore channel structure. We show that Ag nanoparticles entrapped in AAO show excellent structural and morphological stability and less susceptibility to oxidation for potential high-temperature surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). We reveal, with aid of numerical simulations, that the AAO cladding greatly increases the evanescent-field overlap both in power and extent and that lower porosity of AAO results in higher evanescent-field overlap. This work has opened the door to new sapphire fiber-based sensor design and sensor architecture.
An elusive policy imperative: data and methodological challenges when using growth in student achievement to evaluate teacher education programs’ ‘Value-Added’

AbstractIn this study researchers examined the effectiveness of one of the largest teacher education programs located within the largest research-intensive universities within the US. They did this using a value-added model as per current federal educational policy imperatives to assess the measurable effects of teacher education programs on their teacher graduates’ students’ learning and achievement as compared to other teacher education programs. Correlational and group comparisons revealed little to no relationship between value-added scores and teacher education program regardless of subject area or position on the value-added scale. These findings are discussed within the context of several very important data and methodological challenges researchers also made transparent, as also likely common across many efforts to evaluate teacher education programs using value-added approaches. Such transparency and clarity might assist in the creation of more informed value-added practices (and more informed ed...
Generalized Internal Model Control for a Single Flexible Beam

Abstract This paper presents an experimental study of a flexible beam using a new controller architecture. This controller architecture separates the control design into two steps: (a) a performance controller and (b) a robustness controller. The distinguished feature of this new controller architecture is that the control system will behave like a system with only the performance controller when there is no uncertainty and the robust controller will only act where there is a discrepancy between the true system and the mathematical model used in design. Our experiments show the advantage of this new controller architecture.
Nested sorting and clustering for visualization of accidents in highway–rail grade crossings

Safety at railroad grade crossings is a critical issue for highway and rail networks. Relevant databases can be analyzed to find the causes of or factors contributing to crossing accidents so that appropriate countermeasures can be applied. Manually establishing the order of the contributing factors of the accidents and extracting useful information from accident databases are not feasible because of the enormous number of possible permutations of contributing factors. This paper presents a new automated method for sorting and clustering accident attributes to identify and visualize trends in the accident databases. The method is called modified nested sorting and crossing cluster (M+C). The method creates a dynamic tree visualization that highlights attributes resulting in the greatest accident concentration along a tree branch, uncovering the most common nested accident factors. This approach is a significant improvement over static methods that rely on a fixed hierarchy of attributes. With the M+C meth...
Field Testing of Telemetry for Demand Response Control of Small Loads

Author(s): Lanzisera, Steven; Weber, Adam; Liao, Anna; Schetrit, Oren; Kiliccote, Sila; Piette, Mary Ann | Abstract: The electricity system in California, from generation through loads, must be prepared for high renewable penetration and increased electrification of end uses while providing increased resilience and lower operating cost. California has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard that is complemented by world-leading greenhouse gas goals. The goal of this project was to evaluate methods of enabling fast demand response (DR) signaling to small loads for low-cost site enablement. We used OpenADR 2.0 to meet telemetry requirements for providing ancillary services, and we used a variety of low-cost devices coupled with open-source software to enable an end-to-end fast DR. The devices, architecture, implementation, and testing of the system is discussed in this report. We demonstrate that the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Home movements provide an opportunity for diverse small loads to provide fast, low-cost demand response. We used Internet-connected lights, thermostats, load interruption devices, and water heaters to demonstrate an ecosystem of controllable devices. The system demonstrated is capable of providing fast load shed for between $20 and $300 per kilowatt (kW) of available load. The wide range results from some loads may have very low cost but also very little shed capability (a 10 watt [W] LED light can only shed a maximum of 10 W) while some loads (e.g., water heaters or air conditioners) can shed several kilowatts but have a higher initial cost. These costs, however, compare well with other fast demand response costs, with typically are over $100/kilowatt of shed. We contend these loads are even more attractive than their price suggests because many of them will be installed for energy efficiency or non-energy benefits (e.g., improved lighting quality or controllability), and the ability to use them for fast DR is a secondary benefit. Therefore the cost of enabling them for DR may approach zero if a software-only solution can be deployed to enable fast DR after devices are installed for other reasons. We recommend that the DR research community continue to engage with the IoT community to encourage the use of documented and open development interfaces. A library of device drivers and machine-readable interface specifications would significantly reduce the burden on users or system integrators for deploying systems in large numbers of buildings in California.
Cell responses to physical forces, and how they inform the design of tissue-engineered constructs for bone repair: a review

The fields of biomaterials and bone tissue engineering continue to grow, due in part to new advances in materials science but also to the increasingly broad understanding of how the human body responds to implanted materials. For a long time the goal of the biomaterials scientist was to develop materials that supported healing and were biocompatible, but over time a better understanding of how the body responds to implanted materials has been achieved. The concept of mechanotransduction, which involves mechanical forces applied to the cell, the conversion of those forces into a biochemical signal, the transmission of signals to cells, and the resulting cell response, has blossomed over the past 20 years or so. Here we review how cells, specifically those of the skeletal system, respond to different types of physical forces, how these responses manifest themselves as changes and adaptations within the skeletal system, and how investigators go about evaluating these responses in the laboratory. We also review how these approaches and lessons learned inform the development of novel strategies for bone tissue engineering, toward healing bone defects with biomaterials.
Theoretical Investigation of the Reactivity of Sodium Dicyanamide with Nitric Acid.

There is a need to replace current hydrazine fuels with safer propellants, and dicyanamide (DCA–)-based systems have emerged as promising alternatives because they autoignite when mixed with some oxidizers. Previous studies of the hypergolic reaction mechanism have focused on the reaction between DCA– and the oxidizer HNO3; here, we compare the calculated pathway of DCA– + HNO3 with the reaction coordinate of the ion pair sodium dicyanamide with nitric acid, Na[DCA] + HNO3. Enthalpies and free energies are calculated in the gas phase and in solution using a quantum mechanical continuum solvation model, SMD-GIL. The barriers to the Na[DCA] + HNO3 reaction are dramatically lowered relative to those of the reaction with the bare anion, and an exothermic exit channel to produce NaNO3 and the reactive intermediate HDCA appears. These results suggest that Na[DCA] may accelerate the ignition reaction.
Advanced building materials and eco-building design

Abstract: This chapter is a review of the issues surrounding the design of environmentally responsible buildings. The brief for the environmental conditions (temperature and humidity, light, sound, air quality and their effect on health) inside a building will affect how much energy is required to achieve the conditions and the ease that low energy and passive solutions can work. A building is not isolated and needs to consider the energy, water, food and material sources needed for its construction and operation, and how they sit in wider local, regional and global context. The design of the building envelope and the building fabric will affect the comfort conditions in the building and the ability to achieve these passively. The design of the facade will affect the day-lighting and the potential for natural ventilation. The choice of materials will also affect the management of the internal environment such as the buffering of the temperature and humidity. A successful building project is as much about the successful procurement, construction and operation as it is about design. These matters need to be dealt with carefully. A brief for materials of the future is one of greater extremes in some instances; higher insulation values, better moisture absorption, higher thermal capacity. Another aspect is to make the materials dynamic in their performance such that they can vary their parameters such as insulation, light transmission and permeability according to need. These materials could come from the living world as much as the inorganic, man-made one.
Abstract WMP86: Infection During Delivery Hospitalization is Associated With Increased Risk of Readmission for Postpartum Stroke

Introduction: Postpartum stroke is a rare and unpredictable complication of pregnancy. Infections have been associated with an increased risk of stroke in young people. We hypothesized that infecti...
Structure and Pharmacology of Voltage-Gated Sodium and Calcium Channels

Voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels are evolutionarily related transmembrane signaling proteins that initiate action potentials, neurotransmission, excitation-contraction coupling, and other physiological processes. Genetic or acquired dysfunction of these proteins causes numerous diseases, termed channelopathies, and sodium and calcium channels are the molecular targets for several major classes of drugs. Recent advances in the structural biology of these proteins using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy have given new insights into the molecular basis for their function and pharmacology. Here we review this recent literature and integrate findings on sodium and calcium channels to reveal the structural basis for their voltage-dependent activation, fast and slow inactivation, ion conductance and selectivity, and complex pharmacology at the atomic level. We conclude with the theme that new understanding of the diseases and therapeutics of these channels will be derived from application of the emerging structural principles from these recent structural analyses.
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Ethnodrama to Explore a Fantastical First Year of Teaching:

Down the Rabbit Hole is an ethnodrama based on interviews with novice teachers teaching in historically underperforming and underresourced school districts. Each of the teachers interviewed complet...
Integrated Bioresorbable Optical Sensor Systems for Biomedical Pressure and Temperature Monitoring

An integrated optical sensor is designed and fabricated for implantable applications in monitoring the pressure and temperature within intracranial, intraocular space. The sensing mechanisms utilize Fabry-Perot interferometry and photonic crystal resonance. The containing semiconductor material and integrated polymer fiber are selected to be all bioresorbable.
Tobacco smoking prevalence and associated factors among the elderly in the rural area of Rio Grande/RS, Brazil.

Introduction Although tobacco smoking prevalence in the adult Brazilian population is monitored through population-based surveys, the majority of findings come from studies undertaken in urban areas. Therefore, very little is known about tobacco smoking prevalence and associated factors among elderly people living in rural Brazilian areas. As such, this study aimed to assess tobacco smoking prevalence and associated factors among elderly people in the rural area of the municipality of Rio Grande, state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. Methods This was a cross-sectional population-based study conducted with individuals aged 60 years or more residing in the rural area of the municipality of Rio Grande, RS. Tobacco smoking prevalence was calculated according to each category of the independent variables of interest using Fisher's exact test. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression following a hierarchical analysis model was used to analyze associated factors. Results A total of 13.2% of the elderly people were smokers and 33.8% were former smokers. A total of 66.9% of smokers had smoked for 41 years or more and 14.4% smoked 21 or more cigarettes a day. Following the adjusted analysis, factors associated with smoking were being male (prevalence ratio (PR)=2.23, 95%CI=1.56-3.17), being in the 60-69 year age range (PR=2.65, 95%CI=1.47-4.80), having black/brown skin color (PR=1.99, 95%CI=1.34-2.93) and being single/separated (PR=1.61, 95%CI=1.15-2.25). Practicing the evangelical Christian religion was a protection factor. Conclusion Although the prevalence of tobacco smoking found in this study is similar to that in other national studies with elderly people, tobacco use is still considerable and is among the main causes of avoidable diseases. This study is therefore important because it is the first conducted with elderly people living in the rural area of the municipality. Its findings can become a tool for planning actions or public policies aimed at promoting behavioral changes that reduce risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among the elderly in rural areas.
Understanding Spatial Heterogeneity of COVID-19 Pandemic Using Shape Analysis of Growth Rate Curves

Abstract The growth rates of COVID-19 across different geographical regions (e.g., states in a nation, countries in a continent) follow different shapes and patterns. The overall summaries at coarser spatial scales that are obtained by simply averaging individual curves (across regions) obscure nuanced variability and blurs the spatial heterogeneity at finer spatial scales. We employ statistical methods to analyze shapes of local COVID-19 growth rate curves and statistically group them into distinct clusters, according to their shapes. Using this information, we derive the so-called elastic averages of curves within these clusters, which correspond to the dominant incidence patterns. We apply this methodology to the analysis of the daily incidence trajectory of the COVID-pandemic at two spatial scales: A state-level analysis within the USA and a country-level analysis within Europe during mid-February to mid-May, 2020. Our analyses reveal a few dominant incidence trajectories that characterize transmission dynamics across states in the USA and across countries in Europe. This approach results in broad classifications of spatial areas into different trajectories and adds to the methodological toolkit for guiding public health decision making at different spatial scales. Highlights Coarsely summarizing epidemic data collected at finer spatial scales can result in a loss of heterogenous spatial patterns that exist at finer scales. For instance, the average curves may give the impression that the epidemic’s trajectory is declining when, in fact, the trajectory of the epidemic is increasing in certain areas. Shape analysis of COVID-19 growth rate curves discovers significant heterogeneity in epidemic spread patterns across spatial areas which can be statistically clustered into distinct groups. At a higher level, clustering spatial patterns into distinct groups helps discern broad trends, such as rapid growth, leveling off, and slow decline in epidemic growth curves resulting from local transmission dynamics. At a finer level, it helps identify temporal patterns of multiple waves that characterize rate curves for different clusters. Quantitative methods for characterizing the spatial-temporal dynamics of evolving epidemic emergencies provide an objective framework to understand transmission dynamics for public health decision making.