cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neuromodulation in invertebrate sensory systems: from biophysics to behavior

Neuromodulation may enhance the ability of sensory circuits to respond appropriately to widely variable environmental stimuli. The functional significance of neuromodulation will emerge from understanding the effects of modulators not just on single cells and synapses, but also on networks and the behavior of intact animals. With their relatively simple circuitry and large identifiable cells, invertebrate nervous systems offer insights into the complex roles of neuromodulators in modifying networks to meet the changing needs of the animal. Here we describe the role of neuromodulation in several invertebrate sensory systems that have been studied at a variety of levels, from the biophysical up to the behavioral.
The determination of snow avalanche frequency through tree-ring analysis and historical records at Ophir, Colorado

Tree-ring analysis can be a reliable method of determining past snow avalanche events when good historical records are lacking. Characteristic features in the tree-ring record indicative of disturbance include: (1) the occurrence of reaction wood, (2) abrupt changes in growth rate, (3) age of scars caused by avalanche impact, (4) age of trees in reforested tracks, and (5) examination of a “new leader.” This study was conducted at the town of Ophir, a small community in southwestern Colorado with a severe snow avalanche hazard. Historical records indicate that snow avalanches reached the town, or its vicinity, four times during this century (1918, 1951, 1958, and 1959). Tree-ring analysis substantiated this record in part and produced evidence of at least one additional event (middle to late 1880s). From this combined information, the recurrence interval for major snow avalanches capable of endangering the town is thought to be at least as frequent as once in 20 yr. The limitations of tree-ring analysis encountered in this study are also discussed.
ATRIP OLIGOMERIZATION IS REQUIRED FOR ATR-DEPENDENT CHECKPOINT SIGNALING

The ATM and ATR kinases signal cell cycle checkpoint responses to DNA damage. Inactive ATM is an oligomer that is disrupted to form active monomers in response to ionizing radiation. We examined whether ATR is activated by a similar mechanism. We found that the ATRIP subunit of the ATR kinase and ATR itself exist as homooligomers in cells. We did not detect regulation of ATR or ATRIP oligomerization after DNA damage. The predicted coiled-coil domain of ATRIP is essential for ATRIP oligomerization, stable ATR binding, and accumulation of ATRIP at DNA lesions. Additionally, the ATRIP coiled-coil is also required for ATRIP to support ATR-dependent checkpoint signaling to Chk1. Replacing the ATRIP coiled-coil domain with a heterologous dimerization domain restored stable binding to ATR and localization to damage-induced intranuclear foci. Thus, the ATR-ATRIP complex exists in higher order oligomeric states within cells and ATRIP oligomerization is essential for its function.
Unstructured Individual Variation and Demographic Stochasticity

Author(s): Kendall, Bruce E; Fox, Gordon A | Abstract: Demographic stochasticity increases the variance in the growth rate of small populations, and is an important factor to consider when predicting the fates of such populations. Unfortunately, the concept has been treated inconsistently. It is often defined verbally as representing chance variation among individuals in both traits (such as survival probability) and fates (such as whether the individual survived or not). In practice it is modeled as variation in fates only, with all individuals having identical underlying traits. In previous work we demonstrated that structured (but unmodeled) individual variability in survival traits can reduce the variance in population survivorship associated with demographic stochasticity, but that unstructured random variability in survival traits has no such effect. We implicitly generalized the latter result to fecundity, without offering proof. Robert et al. (2003) have demonstrated, using simulations, that unstructured individual variability in fecundity traits can increase the extinction risk of a small population when demographic stochasticity in fecundity is modeled as following a Poisson distribution. In this paper we extend our earlier theory to correct our mistaken speculations and analytically show the source of Robert et al.’s results. We also provide general predictions about the circumstances under which both structured and unstructured individual trait variation should either increase or decrease the magnitude of demographic stochasticity in the population.
PRESENTATION OF THE CHARLES SCHUCHERT AWARD OF THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY TO SHUHAI XIAO

Let me begin with a story. Soon after I joined the Harvard faculty, we received a graduate school application from a student at Peking University. In those days, normalized relationships between China and the United States were in their infancy, and many practices in each country were little understood in the other. The “letter of recommendation” as practiced in the West was clearly new to Chinese professors, and many received advice on how to write the required document—with the consequence that most letters were nearly identical to one another. One of the recommenders for this particular student was Professor Zhang Yun, an exceptional Chinese paleontologist and evolutionary biologist whom I had befriended a few years previously. I wrote to Yun and asked for his honest opinion. The response came back quickly. “I would love to send a student to Harvard,” wrote Yun, “and when I have the right student I'll let you know.” Three years later, Zhang Yun had the right student, a young man named Shuhai Xiao. Shuhai arrived in Cambridge in the fall of 1992. I debated at first whether to throw him …
Narrativity of User Experience

This paper discusses how the concept of narrativity can be applied to the nature of the performative experience in IVE based participative story systems. VR technology affords an experience that has a strong narrative potential provided the design and evaluation are done from a user centred perspective. The concept of presence is discussed in relation to literary, film and performance theories’ explanation of transportation in a fictional world.
ISDN based industrial and educational applications

The authors discuss the BRI (basic rate interface), the PRI (primary rate interface), and BISDN (broadband integrated services digital network) and the scope of these in industrial, commercial, residential, and educational applications. Wherever applicable, migration from BRI to PRI to BISDN is also discussed. >
A New Pull-Out Test for Tire Cord Adhesion—Part I. Hot Bonding

Nous proposons un nouveau test sur l'adherence des pneus renforces qui est constitue d'un cylindre de caoutchouc enrobe et colle dans un tube en metal
Regionalism in the World Polity

We argue that the rise of regionalism reflects a world polity theory (WPT) logic, whereby it is legitimated and promoted through amendments to the "script of statehood" by credentialed experts, ritually and isomorphically taken up by states as a function of their need for legitimacy, and enacted and reproduced notwithstanding profound decoupling between embraced and realized goals. We test and find support for these claims on the empirical terrain defined by regional trade agreements (RTAs), using a variety of data and methods. While political economy models have much to tell us about the rise of regionalism, the sociological dynamics of this and related processes of institutional change deserve heightened attention in an increasingly integrated world polity.
A Series of Novel Neuroprotective Blood Brain Barrier Penetrating Flavonoid Drugs to Treat Acute Ischemic Stroke

Stroke is the 4th leading cause of death and disability in adults in the USA. However, in the majority of patients, the detrimental effects of an ischemic insult go untreated because of the lack of efficacious neuroprotective compounds. Using naturally occurring compounds as a building block to create efficacious neuroprotective compounds that cross the blood brain barrier may eventually benefit the stroke patients. However, historically, the development of novel compounds has been fraught with problems including lack of significant pleiotropic activity, inability to effectively cross the blood brain barrier and poor bioavailability. This article details, in a stepwise manner, the synthesis and in vitro screening steps used to produce new flavonoids that have increased neuroprotective activity compared to the parent compound fisetin. Moreover, as a preliminary de-risking step, select compounds have been screened in a transfected Madin Darby canine kidney cell assay as a measure of blood brain barrier penetration. Initial de-risking steps have allowed us to identify a series of BBB-penetrating neuroprotective candidates for further development.
Broadband Electrophysiological Dynamics Contribute to Global Resting-State fMRI Signal.

Spontaneous activity observed with resting-state fMRI is used widely to uncover the brain9s intrinsic functional networks in health and disease. Although many networks appear modular and specific, global and nonspecific fMRI fluctuations also exist and both pose a challenge and present an opportunity for characterizing and understanding brain networks. Here, we used a multimodal approach to investigate the neural correlates to the global fMRI signal in the resting state. Like fMRI, resting-state power fluctuations of broadband and arrhythmic, or scale-free, macaque electrocorticography and human magnetoencephalography activity were correlated globally. The power fluctuations of scale-free human electroencephalography (EEG) were coupled with the global component of simultaneously acquired resting-state fMRI, with the global hemodynamic change lagging the broadband spectral change of EEG by ∼5 s. The levels of global and nonspecific fluctuation and synchronization in scale-free population activity also varied across and depended on arousal states. Together, these results suggest that the neural origin of global resting-state fMRI activity is the broadband power fluctuation in scale-free population activity observable with macroscopic electrical or magnetic recordings. Moreover, the global fluctuation in neurophysiological and hemodynamic activity is likely modulated through diffuse neuromodulation pathways that govern arousal states and vigilance levels. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study provides new insights into the neural origin of resting-state fMRI. Results demonstrate that the broadband power fluctuation of scale-free electrophysiology is globally synchronized and directly coupled with the global component of spontaneous fMRI signals, in contrast to modularly synchronized fluctuations in oscillatory neural activity. These findings lead to a new hypothesis that scale-free and oscillatory neural processes account for global and modular patterns of functional connectivity observed with resting-state fMRI, respectively.
Differentiation acceleration of healing of surgical incisions in the rabbit gastrointestinal tract by platelet-derived growth factor and transforming growth factor, type beta

Anastomotic dehiscence is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in gastrointestinal surgery. A unique model system of a gastric incision was developed to test the potential of polypeptide growth factors to enhance wound healing. Paired, deep partial-thickness incisions to but not including the gastric mucosa were made. A single topical application of transforming growth factor, type beta 1 (TGF-beta), platelet-derived growth factor, or control vehicle at the time of wounding was given. Wound breaking strength and detailed histologic analyses of wounds were evaluated as a function of time after wounding. TGF-beta (0.1 to 2.0 micrograms/wound) demonstrated a bimodal, dose-dependent acceleration of wound breaking strength 7 days after gastric wounding. An approximate 4-day acceleration of gastric wound breaking strength by TGF-beta (2 micrograms/wound) was seen at 7 and 11 days. Wounds treated with platelet-derived growth factor (10 micrograms/wound) displayed an increased cellular response but no enhancement of breaking strength at 7 and 11 days. These results demonstrate the ability of TGF-beta to accelerate gastrointestinal tissue repair by topical application and suggest significant potential for the use of growth factors in enhancing repair of surgical wounds of the gastrointestinal tract.
Sharp Good-λ Inequalities for A and N

In this Chapter, as in Chapter 3, we will prove various sharp comparisons for A and N which are motivated by the corresponding results for martingales. First, let us recall the classical inequalities of Burkholder and Gundy [BG1] for continuous time martingales.
Nimblecore: a space-efficient external memory algorithm for estimating core numbers

We address the problem of estimating core numbers of nodes by reading edges of a large graph stored in external memory. The core number of a node is the highest k-core in which the node participates. Core numbers are useful in many graph mining tasks, especially ones that involve finding communities of nodes, influential spreaders and dense subgraphs. Large graphs often do not fit on the memory of a single machine. Existing external memory solutions do not give bounds on the required space. In practice, existing solutions also do not scale with the size of the graph. We propose NimbleCore, an iterative external-memory algorithm, which estimates core numbers of nodes using O(n log d max ) space, where n is the number of nodes and d max is the maximum node-degree in the graph. We also show that NimbleCore requires O(n) space for graphs with power-law degree distributions. Experiments on forty-eight large graphs from various domains demonstrate that NimbleCore gives space savings up to 60X, while accurately estimating core numbers with average relative error less than 2.3%.
CD24-Siglec-G Interaction Plays an Important in Reducing Experimental Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD)

Abstract 453 The role of host antigen presenting cells (APCs) on negatively regulating GVHD is not well understood. Members of the sialic acid binding Ig–like lectin-G (Siglec-G) is an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIM) or ITIM-like regions in its intracellular domain that negatively regulates immune activation induced by non-infectious damage associated molecules (DAMPs). Following conditioning for allogeneic BMT, several DAMPs are released which stimulate host APCs and enhance GVHD. But the role of negative regulators of DAMP associated immune activation, such as Siglecs, in regulating allo-reactivity is not known. We therefore utilized well defined clinically relevant murine models of allogeneic BMT to test the hypothesis that deficiency of a negative regulator of responses to DAMPs in the hosts, namely Siglec-G, will increase GVHD. B6 wild type (WT) and Siglec-G−/− animals were lethally irradiated (13Gy) and transplanted on day 0 with 5×106 bone marrow and 3×106 splenic CD90+T cells from either syngeneic WT-B6 or MHC mismatched BALB/c donors. The Siglec-G−/− animals showed significantly worse survival than the allo-WT animals (p=0.0045). The increased mortality was associated with an increase in GVHD specific clinical severity (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Modeling Ultrafast Exciton Migration within the Electron Donor Domains of Bulk Heterojunction Organic Photovoltaics

Recent experimental studies revealed that charge carriers harvested by bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics can be collected on ultrafast time scales. To investigate ultrafast exciton mobility, we construct simple, nonatomistic models of a common polymeric electron donor material. We first explore the relationship between the magnitude of energetic noise in the model Hamiltonian and the spatial extent of resulting eigenstates. We then employ a quantum master equation approach to simulate migration of chromophore-localized initial excited states. Excitons initially localized on a single chromophore at the center of the model delocalize down polymer chains and across pi-stacked chromophores through a coherent, wavelike mechanism during the first few tens of femtoseconds. We explore the dependence of this coherent delocalization on coupling strength and on the magnitude of energetic noise. At longer times we observe continued migration toward a uniform population distribution that proceeds through an in...
Skills-Based Volunteering as Both Work and Not Work: A Tension-Centered Examination of Constructions of “Volunteer”

The Corporation for National and Community Service defines professional skills-based community service as “the practice of using work-related knowledge and expertise in a volunteer opportunity.” Traditional definitions of volunteer work in organizational communication scholarship, however, are typically based on (1) the bifurcation between work and volunteer activity; (2) low barriers to volunteer entry and exit; (3) the lack of managerial power/control over volunteers; and (4) the altruistic focus of volunteer work. An analysis of interviews with 19 skills-based volunteers highlights the identity and role tensions inherent in professional volunteering and serves as the basis for a proposal for a new way to visualize volunteering characterized by spectrums of tension rather than by the traditional lens of “not work.”
Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Clarity: The Role of Cognitive Traits Across Contexts

This study explored how teacher clarity may be construed differently by students with differing traits depending upon the content of the instruction. Specifically, it examined relationships between students’ need for cognition and cognitive style and their perceptions of teacher clarity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and non-STEM classes. Results showed that participants’ need for cognition and analytic cognitive style positively predicted perceptions of teacher clarity in STEM classes but did not do so in non-STEM classes.
The 2016–2017 U.S. Snow Report: Feast or Famine

The July 2016–June 2017 United States snow season found some locations where it just wanted to snow and snow again, while flakes did not seem to want to fly in other locales. Smothering water-laden...
Synergies From Integrating Randomized Controlled Trials and Real-World Data Analyses

Analyses using administrative claims databases or national registries provide estimates of benefits and harms of medications in real-world settings for large and diverse patient populations. Whereas claims-based nonrandomized studies and randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) have distinct limitations, their strengths are complementary. Integrating RCT and claims data offers substantial synergies. We propose obtaining routinely collected longitudinal claims data from RCT participants and discuss the added value of the novel evidence that can be derived from this "information overlap."
Efficacy of Vertebral Augmentation for Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Review of Meta-Analyses.

Introduction Vertebral compression fracture incidence is rising with the growth of the geriatric population and is one of the leading disabilities in healthcare. However, the literature is conflicted on the benefits of vertebral augmentation versus nonoperative care for these fractures. The purpose of the current study was to perform a review of all meta-analyses in the literature comparing vertebral augmentation to nonoperative care and descriptively report the results. Methods A review of all meta-analyses evaluating trials of vertebral augmentation compared with nonoperative care was performed. The primary outcome studied was pain. Secondary outcomes were quality of life (QoL) metrics and functional outcomes. Results Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Besides two sham procedure studies, the remaining literature concluded that vertebral augmentation was superior to nonoperative care for reducing back pain. The reporting of secondary outcomes, such as QoL metrics and functional outcomes, was heterogeneous among the studies. Studies that reported these secondary outcomes, however, did identify some early benefit in vertebral augmentation. Conclusions The current literature suggests vertebral augmentation is more effective in improving pain outcomes compared with nonoperative management. While more studies are needed to conclusively assess vertebral augmentation's efficacy in improving functional outcome and QoL, the meta-analyses surveyed here suggest that at least some benefit exists when assessing these two outcomes.
Well-Child Visits of Medicaid-Insured Children with Medical Complexity.

Objective Well-child visits (WCVs) help optimize children's health. We measured annual WCVs for children with medical complexity (CMC) and correlated WCVs with hospitalizations. Study design This was a retrospective analysis of 93 121 CMC aged 1-18 years continuously enrolled in 10 state Medicaid programs in the Truven MarketScan Database between 2010 and 2014. CMC had a complex chronic condition or 3 or more chronic conditions of any complexity identified from International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, and the use of 1 or more chronic medications. We measured the number of years with 1 or more WCVs. The χ2 test and logistic regression were used to assess the relationships of WCV-years with the children's characteristics and hospitalization. Results Over 5 years, 13.4% of CMC had 0 WCVs; 17.3% had WCVs in 1 year, 40.8% had WCVs in 2-3 years, and 28.5% had WCVs in 4-5 years. Fewer children received WCVs in 4-5 years when enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service compared with managed care (20.9% vs 31.5%; P Conclusions Most Medicaid-insured CMC do not receive annual WCVs consistently over time. Children with fewer annual WCVs have a higher likelihood of hospitalization. Further investigation is needed to improve the use of WCVs in CMC.
Functional magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (fMREIT) sensitivity analysis using an active bidomain finite-element model of neural tissue.

PURPOSE A direct method of imaging neural activity was simulated to determine typical signal sizes. METHODS An active bidomain finite-element model was used to estimate approximate perturbations in MR phase data as a result of neural tissue activity, and when an external MR electrical impedance tomography imaging current was added to the region containing neural current sources. RESULTS Modeling-predicted, activity-related conductivity changes should produce measurable differential phase signals in practical MR electrical impedance tomography experiments conducted at moderate resolution at noise levels typical of high field systems. The primary dependence of MR electrical impedance tomography phase contrast on membrane conductivity changes, and not source strength, was demonstrated. CONCLUSION Because the injected imaging current may also affect the level of activity in the tissue of interest, this technique can be used synergistically with neuromodulation techniques such as deep brain stimulation, to examine mechanisms of action.
A Maximum Likelihood Framework for Cross Validation of Phylogeographic Hypotheses

Phylogeographic inferences are frequently drawn from the analysis of an evolutionary haplotype tree of a single DNA region or type of DNA, such as mitochondrial DNA. However, a phylogeographic event is only detectable in principle if an appropriate mutation or mutations occurred in the right time and place in the evolutionary history of the genetic variation being screened. In addition, like all forms of statistical inference, phylogeographic inference is subject to both false positives and false negatives. One way of both increasing the resolution of phylogeographic analyses and reducing the error rates is to survey multiple DNA regions and cross validate phylogeographic inferences across these DNA regions. A formal hypothesis testing framework based upon likelihood ratio tests is developed for performing such cross validation. This framework is used to test hypotheses about recent human evolution based upon ten different DNA regions. This same framework can also be used to test interspecific phylogeographic hypotheses of a single historical event influencing more than one species simultaneously. This interspecific use is illustrated by testing the hypothesis that both humans and malaria spread out of Africa together. The added power and reduced error of cross-validated analyses indicate that phylogeographic studies should be based upon multiple loci or DNA regions.
Role of the Microbial Burden in the Acquisition and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections: The Utility of Solid Copper Surfaces

For more than a century, healthcare has been challenged to keep environmental surfaces clean to control microbes and improve patient outcomes. However despite an annual cost exceeding ten billion dollars cleaning with disinfection has done little to reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI). This chapter will review the scientific evidence delineating the role that the environment and healthcare workers play in the acquisition and movement of the microbes implicated in HAI and how through controlling the microbial burden of the built clinical environment it is possible to mitigate the rate of HAI acquisition. Specifically evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of solid copper surfaces for its ability to continuously limit the concentration of bacteria found on surfaces and objects within the built environment will be reviewed in concert with a discussion of how through the mitigation of the environmental burden copper surfaces are able to concomitantly reduce the incidence of HAI. Insights provided by this chapter are intended to facilitate an understanding and importance of the need to use a comprehensive or systems based approach to fight healthcare associated infections.
Protecting the Environment: A Research Strategy for the 1990s—An Indicator of Change in EPA

Given all of the recent concern over the federal deficit, budget cuts, and the health of our nation’s economy, there is a fundamental question that we must answer in setting our agenda for the 1990s—How can we most effectively use our limited resources to achieve the greatest possible benefits to human health and the environment that sustains us? The answers to this question will help shape our environmental programs well into the 21st century. The questions we raise at this Symposium can lead us to the answers we will need to safeguard our environmental legacy for future generations.
Autoradiographic localization of dopamine DA1 receptors in rat kidney with [3H]Sch 23390.

Dopamine receptors in the rat kidney were characterized by homogenate binding and in vitro autoradiography using the dopamine 1 (DA1)-selective antagonist [3H]Sch 23390. [3H]Sch 23390 binding in co...
Why are RNA virus mutation rates so damn high

The high mutation rate of RNA viruses is credited with their evolvability and virulence. This Primer, however, discusses recent evidence that this is, in part, a byproduct of selection for faster genomic replication.
Diophantine approximation and the equation (a2cxk−1)(b2cyk−1)=(abczk−1)2

Abstract We prove that the Diophantine equation ( a 2 c x k − 1 ) ( b 2 c y k − 1 ) = ( a b c z k − 1 ) 2 has no solutions in positive integers with x, y, z > 1 , k ≥ 7 and a 2 x k ≠ b 2 y k .
Spinal Cord Stimulation in Adult Tethered Cord Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an evidence-based treatment for chronic neuropathic pain; however, there is a dearth of evidence investigating this modality in patients with tethered cord syndrome. Case Description We present a case of 55-year-old woman with history of lipo-myelomeningocele repair and multiple detethering surgeries who presented with chronic low back and leg pain accompanied by progressive gait dysfunction. After a successful trial, she underwent SCS paddle lead placement that resulted in decrease of her visual analog scale for pain from 9/10 to 0–2/10 as well as daily opioid intake from 90 to 199 mg morphine-equivalent doses to 40 to 60 mg morphine-equivalent doses. On last follow-up she reported 70%–85% relief of her low back and leg pain, better ambulation, and improved quality of life. Conclusions The literature review identified 2 other case reports of SCS in tethered cord syndrome with similar improvement in pain alleviation.
Shape Grammars as a Probabilistic Model for Building Type Definition and Computation of Possible Instances: The Case Study of Ancient Greek and Roman Libraries

This paper discusses a shape grammar for the reconstruction of archaeological building remains of ancient Greek and Roman libraries with metadata pointing to the evidence on which each rule is based.
A single nucleotide polymorphism in dopamine beta hydroxylase (rs6271(C>T)) is over-represented in inflammatory bowel disease patients and reduces circulating enzyme

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are associated with altered neuronal regulation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and release of norepinephrine (NE). As sympathetic innervation of the GI tract modulates motility, blood flow, and immune function, changes in NE signaling may alter the risk of developing IBD. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DβH), the enzyme responsible for NE production, has been suggested to play a critical role in IBD, however the exact mechanism is unknown. We hypothesized that genetic variants of DβH could increase the risk of IBD. We performed genetic analysis on 45 IBD patients and 74 controls. IBD patients were screened by targeted exome sequencing and compared with NeuroX DβH single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data of the controls. Serum DβH protein levels for 15 IBD patients and 13 controls were evaluated using immunoblots and competitive ELISA. Seven SNPs were observed from DβH targeted exome sequencing in the 45 IBD patients. A single non-synonymous SNP, rs6271 (Arg549Cys), had a significant association with IBD patients; the odds ratio was a 5.6 times higher SNP frequency in IBD patients compared to controls (p = 0.002). We also examined the function and availability of the protein in both the IBD and control patients’ sera bearing DβH Arg549Cys. Both control and IBD subjects bearing the heterozygote allele had statistically lower DβH protein levels while the intrinsic enzyme activity was higher. This is the first report of a noradrenergic genetic polymorphism (rs6271; Arg549Cys) associated with IBD. This polymorphism is associated with significantly lower levels of circulating DβH.
Increasing colorectal cancer screening orders using unlicensed assistive personnel

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the leading cancer diagnoses affecting both men and women worldwide. Prevention and early detection of CRC is possible by increasing access to and utilisation of screening tests. Although CRC screening is highly recommended, screening rates remain suboptimal in the USA, particularly among underserved populations. Our project site, an urban federally qualified health centre, was not meeting the national screening target of 80% of eligible adults. Objective The aim of this quality improvement project was to increase the number of orders for CRC screening to eligible patients by using unlicensed assistive personnel and automated telephone outreach calls to offer 100 patients CRC screening during an 8-week period. Methods 40 patients received outreach calls from care coordinators (CC). 40 patients received automated telephone call reminders to call a CC to obtain an order for CRC screening. 20 patients were offered CRC screening by a medical assistant (MA) as part of their scheduled office visits. We used two plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles to deliver these three screening interventions. Results A total of 100 patients received one of the interventions. Ten of those patients received an order for either colonoscopy or faecal immunochemical testing by the conclusion of the second PDSA cycle. The MA-offered screening resulted in the highest percentage of patients accepting CRC screenings and patients preferred this outreach approach compared with CC outreach or automated voice messages. CC outreach yielded a lower rate of accepted screenings. None of the patients who received the automated calls followed up to obtain a screening order. Conclusion Our project demonstrates that unlicensed assistive personnel have the potential to increase patient access to CRC screening.
Experiment of 22FDX(R) Chip Board Interaction (CBI) in Wafer Level Packaging Fan-Out (WLPFO)

There is growing demand for wafer level packaging, which enables thinner, lighter, and more cost effective packaging solutions. However, these demands come with a penalty; reduced package footprint limits the number of I/Os that can be realized in the smaller formfactor. In order to compensate this drawback, wafer level packaging fan-out has been drawing great attention, since fanning out of RDL beyond the die domain not only allows a higher number of I/Os without increasing the die size, but also allows to mount other passives or chips within the package. Compared to conventional packages, a significantly thinner formfactor is thereby achieved. Without a substrate, the wafer level packaging fan-out interacts directly with the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Like conventional flip chip packages, which are designed and manufactured to mitigate chip package interaction risks, wafer level packaging fan-out needs to be designed and manufactured to mitigate chip board interaction risks. To address this challenge, a test vehicle was designed and manufactured based on silicon on insulator technology. Drop and temperature cycling test on board were performed on the assembled test vehicle. To understand the failure mechanisms, failure mode analysis and Weibull analysis were performed.
Plasmonic laser with distributed feedback

We have demonstrated a low-threshold surface-emitting plasmonic laser radiating two symmetrical beams (at 30° from the normal to the sample) characterized by a narrow (≤1 nm) spectral width, and explained its performance in terms of the distributed feedback mechanism. The results of our study provide an extra degree of freedom to the plasmonic laser design.
The Rigidity Theorem of Fano–Segre–Iskovskikh–Manin–Pukhlikov–Corti–Cheltsov–de Fernex–Ein–Mustaţă–Zhuang

We prove that n-dimensional smooth hypersurfaces of degree n + 1 are superrigid. Starting with the work of Fano in 1915, the proof of this Theorem took 100 years and a dozen researchers to construct. Here I give complete proofs, aiming to use only basic knowledge of algebraic geometry and some Kodaira type vanishing theorems.
Electrostatic solvation and mobility in uniform and non-uniform electric fields: From simple ions to proteins.

A number of observations related to interfacial electrostatics of polar liquids question the traditional assumption of dielectric theories that bulk dielectric properties can be continuously extended to the dividing surface separating the solute from the solvent. The deficiency of this approximation can be remedied by introducing local interface susceptibilities and the interface dielectric constant. Asymmetries of ionic hydration thermodynamics and of the mobility between cations and anions can be related to different propensities of the water molecules to orient their dipole toward and outward from solutes of opposite charges. This electrostatic asymmetry is reflected in different interface dielectric constants for cations and anions. The interface of water with neutral solutes is spontaneously polarized due to preferential water orientations in the interface. This phenomenon is responsible for a nonzero cavity potential directly related to a nonzero surface charge. This connection predicts that particles allowing a nonzero cavity potential must show mobility in an external electric field even if the net charge of the particle is zero. The theory predicts that a positive cavity potential and a positive surface charge translate to an effectively negative solute charge reported by mobility measurements. Passing of the cavity potential through a minimum found in simulations might be the origin of the maximum of mobility vs the ionic size observed experimentally. Finally, mobility of proteins in the field gradient (dielectrophoresis) is many orders of magnitude greater than predicted by the traditionally used Clausius-Mossotti equation. Two reasons contribute to this disagreement: (i) a failure of Maxwell’s electrostatics to describe the cavity-field susceptibility and (ii) the neglect of the protein permanent dipole by the Clausius-Mossotti equation. An analytical relation between the dielectrophoretic susceptibility and dielectric spectroscopy of solutions provides direct access to this parameter, confirming the failure of the Clausius-Mossotti equation in application to protein dielectrophresis.
Boron dangling bonds in a monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride

Boron dangling bonds have been proposed as the likely source of the 2-eV single-photon emission observed in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Here, we examine the effect of dimensionality on this defect by studying its properties in a single monolayer. Based on first-principles calculations, we find that the qualitative features of the boron dangling bond are similar to those in bulk h-BN, with only minor shifts to the energetics and optical properties. We discuss the importance of correctly handling the compensating background charge for the properties of charged defects in reduced dimensions. Our results highlight the potential for harnessing single-photon emitters in a monolayer of h-BN for applications in quantum information science.
The effects of firm aspirational performance on changes in leadership structure

Abstract Despite the popularity of CEO duality as a research topic, relatively few empirical studies have explored the antecedents of this leadership structure. Prior research has generally produced null findings concerning the role of firm performance in predicting whether firms decide to separate (or combine) the CEO and board chair roles. We consider CEO ownership to be an important boundary condition that will help explain why the direct effects of these relationships lack significant results. Using a sample of S&P 1500 firms over a ten year span that begins with the 2008 financial crisis—a period in which CEO duality has experienced renewed scrutiny—we find that there is no direct effect between a firm’s performance and the likelihood that the board will separate (or combine) the CEO and board chair roles. However, we find that CEO ownership is a significant moderating factor when observing how poor (good) performance can affect the likelihood of separating (combining) these roles.
Clinical Practices in Head and Neck Cancer: A Speech-Language Pathologist Practice Pattern Survey.

Objective:Clinical practices of speech-language pathologists (SLP) treating head and neck cancer (HNC) patients range widely despite literature trending toward best practices. This survey study was...
Treatment of cystic fibrosis airway cells with CFTR modulators reverses aberrant mucus properties via hydration.

Question Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterised by the accumulation of viscous, adherent mucus in the lungs. While several hypotheses invoke a direct relationship with CFTR dysfunction (i.e., acidic airway surface liquid (ASL) pH, low [HCO3−], airway dehydration), the dominant biochemical alteration of CF mucus remains unknown. Materials/Methods We characterised a novel cell line (CFTR-KO Calu3 cells) and the responses of human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells from subjects with G551D or F508del mutations to Ivacaftor and Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor (ETI). A spectrum of assays such as short-circuit currents (Isc), qPCR, ASL pH, western blotting (WB), light scattering/refractometry (SEC-MALS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), % solids, and particle tracking were performed to determine the impact of CFTR function on mucus properties. Results Loss of CFTR function in Calu3 cells resulted in ASL pH acidification and mucus hyperconcentration (dehydration). Modulation of CFTR in CF HBE cells did not affect ASL pH or mucin mRNA expression, but decreased mucus concentration, relaxed mucus network ultrastructure, and improved mucus transport. In contrast with modulator-treated cells, a large fraction of airway mucins remained attached to naive CF cells following short apical washes, as revealed by the use of reducing agents to remove residual mucus from the cell surfaces. Extended hydration, but not buffers alkalised with NaOH or HCO3−, normalised mucus recovery to modulator-treated cell levels. Conclusion These results indicate that airway dehydration, not acidic pH and/or low [HCO3−], is responsible for abnormal mucus properties in CF airways and CFTR modulation predominantly restores normal mucin entanglement.
Turbidity Structures the Controls of Ecosystem Metabolism and Associated Metabolic Process Domains Along a 75-km Segment of a Semiarid Stream

Stream ecosystem metabolism contributes to global carbon cycling, yet predicting metabolism across ecosystems remains elusive. Even within stream segments, spatial variation in metabolic rates and their controls can be substantial, exhibiting sudden rather than continuous changes. We measured metabolism at 6 sites along a 75-km mainstem segment of Marsh Creek, Idaho. This agricultural stream lacks major geomorphic transitions such as tributaries or changes in valley width, but possesses patchy patterns of turbidity. We asked: (1) How variable is metabolism along this segment, and (2) How do the controls on metabolism vary along this segment? Metabolism varied several-fold along this stream segment. Average rates of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP) among sites did not correlate with water quality or aquatic macrophyte cover. Rather, reaches along this segment appear to represent different process domains that were characterized by turbidity: More turbid reaches saw negative effects of turbidity on GPP and NEP and positive effects on ER. Turbidity was associated with increased respiration and decoupled ER from GPP at turbid sites. Less turbid sites had stronger coupling between GPP and ER, and GPP was predicted by light and temperature. Heterogeneous sediment supply and transport capacity along Marsh Creek create patchy patterns of turbidity, which affects the controls on metabolism. Geomorphic controls on ecosystem processes are complex but not random. Understanding how metabolism and its controls vary across process domains is needed to scale up process rates and understand how process rates might respond to future changes.
Succinct Description and Efficient Simulation of Non-Markovian Open Quantum Systems.

Non-Markovian open quantum systems are the most general dynamics when the quantum system is coupled with a bath environment. The quantum dynamics arising from many important applications are non-Markovian. Although for special cases such as Hamiltonian evolution and Lindblad evolution, quantum simulation algorithms have been extensively studied, efficient quantum simulations of the dynamics of non-Markovian open quantum systems remain underexplored. The most immediate obstacle for studying such systems is the lack of a universal succinct description of their dynamics. In this work, we fulfill the gap of studying such dynamics by 1) providing a succinct representation of the dynamics of non-Markovian open quantum systems with quantifiable error, and 2) developing an efficient quantum algorithm for simulating such dynamics with cost $O(t\, \mathrm{polylog}(t/\epsilon))$ for evolution time $t$ and precision $\epsilon$. Our derivation of the succinct representation is based on stochastic Schr\"odinger equations, which could lead to new alternatives to deal with other types of open quantum systems.
Dysregulation of the sensory and regulatory pathways controlling cellular iron metabolism in unilateral obstructive nephropathy

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) involves disturbances in iron metabolism including anemia caused by insufficient erythropoietin (EPO) production. However, underlying mechanisms responsible for the dysregulation of cellular iron metabolism are incompletely defined. Using the unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model in Irp1+/+ and Irp1-/- mice we asked if iron regulatory proteins (IRP), the central regulators of cellular iron metabolism and also suppressors of EPO production, contribute to the etiology of anemia in kidney failure. We identified a significant reduction in IRP protein level and RNA binding activity that associated with a loss of the iron uptake protein transferrin receptor 1, increased expression of the iron storage protein subunits H- and L-ferritin, and a low but overall variable level of stainable iron in the obstructed kidney. This reduction in IRP RNA binding activity and ferritin RNA levels suggests the concomitant rise in ferritin expression and iron content in kidney failure is IRP-dependent. In contrast, the reduction in Epo mRNA level in the obstructed kidney was not rescued by genetic ablation of IRP1 suggesting disruption of normal HIF-2a regulation. Furthermore, reduced expression of some HIFa target genes in UUO occurred in the face of increased expression of HIFa proteins and the prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) 2 and PHD1, the latter of which is not known to be HIFa mediated. Our results suggest that the IRP system drives changes in cellular iron metabolism that are associated with kidney failure in UUO but that the impact of IRP on EPO production is overridden by disrupted hypoxia signaling.
Smart Homes: Empowering the Patient Till the End

Rapid technological advances and new models of aging highlight the potential of smart homes to support older adults and promote independence. A “smart home” is a residential setting with embedded technological features that enable passive monitoring of the well-being and activities of their residents aiming to improve primarily overall quality of life, to detect or even prevent emergencies and ultimately increase independence for the involved residents. Efforts to design, implement and evaluate such systems have been underway for several years now, targeting specifically older adults or people with disabilities or the general population. This chapter reviews existing smart home initiatives for healthy aging that utilize diverse sets of technologies (e.g., cameras, motion sensors, radio frequency identifiers) and serve various goals (e.g., monitor mobility, detect emergencies). We discuss ethical and practical considerations and outline the gaps in current scientific evidence and future trends.