cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chi-stimulated patches are heteroduplex, with recombinant information on the phage λ r chain

Abstract Generalized recombination in Escherichia coli is elevated near Chi sites. In vitro, RecBCD enzyme can nick Chi a few nucleotides 3′ of the terminal GG of the Chi sequence (5′-GCTGGTGG). The simplest model in which this nick at Chi participates in Chi function predicts that in phage λ, Chi-stimulated recombinants not crossed-over for flanking markers (patches) should be heteroduplex, with recombinant information on the λ I chain. I report here that patches are heteroduplex, but that recombinant information occurs primarily on the λ r chain. This result rules out the simplest model in which the nick at Chi promotes initiation of recombination, forces reconsideration of Chi's role in recombination, and bears on molecular models for Rec-mediated recombination.
The Military's Role In Political Regimes

Variations in the degree and form of military incorporation into political executives are explored in the cross section of nations at 1980. Utilizing block-clustering methods, a hierarchical typology of regime types is constructed. Three major and two smaller groupings of cases emerge on the basis of similarity in the forms of military and civilian participation. It is found that qualitative types of regimes may be broadly arrayed from greater to lesser military roles similar to several existing typologies. Differences in the form, as well as the degree, of military participation, however, are found significant. The resulting classification may be useful in clarifying the diverse results on the causes and consequence of military intervention in government, in addition to explaining the relationship between qualitative and quantitative approaches to understanding the military role in governance.
Yoga and self-reported cognitive problems in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Cancersurvivorsoftenreportcognitiveproblems.Furthermore,decreasesinphysicalactivity typically occur over the course of cancer treatment. Although physical activity benefits cognitive function in noncancer populations, evidence linking physical activity to cognitive function in cancer survivors is limited. In our recent randomized controlled trial, breast cancer survivors who received a yoga intervention had lower fatigue and inflammation following the trial compared with a wait list control group. This secondary analysis of the parent trial addressed yoga’s impact on cognitive complaints. Methods: Posttreatment stage 0–IIIA breast cancer survivors (n=200) were randomized to a 12-week, twice-weekly Hatha yoga intervention or a wait list control group. Participants reported cognitive complaints using the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Cognitive Problems Scale at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Results: Cognitive complaints did not differ significantly between groups immediately postintervention (p=0.250). However, at 3-month follow-up, yoga participants’ Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Cognitive Problems Scale scores were an average of 23% lower than wait list participants’ scores (p=0.003). These group differences in cognitive complaints remained after controlling for psychological distress, fatigue, and sleep quality. Consistent with the primary results, those who practiced yoga more frequently reported significantly fewer cognitive problems at 3-month follow-up than those who practiced less frequently (p<0.001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that yoga can effectively reduce breast cancer survivors’ cognitive complaints and prompt further research on mind–body and physical activity interventions for improving cancer-related cognitive problems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A taxonomy of visualization techniques using the data state reference model

In previous work, researchers have attempted to construct taxonomies of information visualization techniques by examining the data domains that are compatible with these techniques. This is useful because implementers can quickly identify various techniques that can be applied to their domain of interest. However, these taxonomies do not help the implementers understand how to apply and implement these techniques. The author extends and proposes a new way to taxonomize information visualization techniques by using the Data State Model (E.H. Chi and J.T. Reidl, 1998). In fact, as the taxonomic analysis in the paper will show, many of the techniques share similar operating steps that can easily be reused. The paper shows that the Data State Model not only helps researchers understand the space of design, but also helps implementers understand how information visualization techniques can be applied more broadly.
Investigating the Effect of Seasonal Plant Growth and Development in Three-Dimensional Atmospheric Simulations. Part II: Atmospheric Response to Crop Growth and Development

Abstract The authors examine the effect of seasonal crop development and growth on the atmospheric boundary layer in the warm season over the central Great Plains region of North America. They introduced daily crop development and growth functions into the Biosphere–Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) coupled to the National Center for Atmospheric Research Regional Climate Model version 2 (NCAR RegCM2). Coupled RegCM/BATS simulations were performed over the conterminous United States for a dry (1988) and favorably moist (1991) growing seasons at a spatial resolution of 90 km × 90 km. Largest differences between the control and interactive runs occurred in 1988, when up to 45% differences in surface latent and sensible heat fluxes were simulated in response to different Leaf Area Index (LAI) parameterizations employed by the models (in June and July, LAI was about 5 in the control cases and between 1 and 2 in the interactive cases). Two to four °C differences in air temperatures resulted in response to such ...
Prediction of Delayed Fracture from Crack Coalescence — Alumina

A model for delayed fracture, based on microscopic cracks and their interaction and coalescence, is proposed as opposed to the conventional single-worst flaw model. It is found that an assembly of microscopic cracks, which may not be observable, may be worse than a single macroscopic crack in delayed fracture and that the coalescence of the microscopic cracks may occur in a very short time without being identified because the critical amount of slow crack growth from the individual inherent flaws can be very small. It is demonstrated that the existing concepts give nonconservative prediction of time-to-failure; but the nonconservative prediction is partially or sometimes excessively compensated by conservative estimation of the initial crack size.
Optimal information disclosure policies in strategic queueing games

Information about queue length is an important parameter for customers who face the decision whether to join a queue or not. In this paper, we study how optimal information disclosure policies can be used by a service provider of an M / M / 1 queue to increase its revenue. Our main contribution is showing that the intuitive policy of informing customers about the current queue length when it is short and hiding this information when it is long is never optimal.
Homogeneous metal catalysis for conversion between aromatic and saturated compounds

Abstract In the past few decades, homogeneous catalysis of arene and heteroarene reduction has grown into a mature research field. In particular, hydrogenation of heteroaromatic systems facilitates rapid access to many classes of fine chemicals and pharmaceutically relevant compounds. In this review, we discuss the advancements made in the field of homogeneous metal-catalyzed arene and heteroarene hydrogenation from its early beginnings to the present day. We also review homogeneous catalysts for the reverse dehydrogenation of cyclic saturated species back to their aromatic counterparts, as well as single-catalyst systems capable of performing reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions.
Obesity and renovascular disease

Obesity remains a prominent public health concern. Obesity not only contributes greatly to cardiovascular events but has also been identified to initiate and affect the progression of preexisting chronic kidney disease. The prevalence of renal artery stenosis is growing world-wide, especially in the elderly population and in individuals with atherosclerotic risk factors such as obesity. Prolonged renovascular disease causes inflammation and microvascular remodeling within the post-stenotic kidney, which promote tissue scarring and may account for irreversible renal damage. Obesity has been shown to aggravate kidney damage via several pathways, including exacerbation of microvascular regression and renal cell injury mediated by adipocytes and insulin resistance, thereby worsening the structural and functional outcomes of the kidney in renovascular disease. Dietary modification and inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system have been shown to alleviate obesity-induced tissue injury and remodeling. Possibly, angiogenic factors may boost microvascular repair in the ischemic kidney in the obesity milieu. Novel therapeutic interventions targeting deleterious pathways that are activated by obesity and responsible for kidney damage need to be explored in future studies.
Children's drawings: self-perception and family function in international adoption

ABSTRACTNo comprehensive studies have examined the utility of family drawings within the context of international adoption. We examined the relationship of Kinetic Family Drawings by 54 internationally adopted children in the USA (65% female; M age = 8.57 years, SD = 2.1) to demographics, child competencies (Child Behavior Checklist: CBCL/6–18) and parental adoption satisfaction (Adoption Satisfaction Questionnaire: ASQ). Two raters independently scored drawings for: emotion (positive, neutral and negative), boundaries (unifying and dividing), family composition (inclusion of family members), interactivity (active or passive) and self-emphasis. Drawing features moderately correlated with CBCL subscales (emotion, boundaries, drawing composite: r range = −.43 to 0.31, all p < .05) and parental adoption satisfaction (boundaries: r = .42, p < .01). Significant drawing differences were also observed by gender, time since adoption, orphanage care and adoption visibility. These findings support the utility of fa...
Characteristics of short-period wave propagation in regions of Fennoscandia, with emphasis on Lg

Abstract Wave propagation of crustal phases, in particular Lg , near the ARCESS array in northern Norway is examined and compared to propagation characteristics near the NORESS array in southern Norway. Relying on array analysis, we show that ray-theory explanations of arrivals in local and regional seismograms are very useful in deducing the composition of the crustal wave trains. Frequency-wavenumber analysis is applied to the array data to identify the arrivals; then a composite of array beams is used to approximate each event. Record sections of composite seismograms are constructed for different directions from ARCESS to study propagational characteristics with distance and azimuth and then compared to composite-seismogram record sections from NORESS to study different regional characteristics. To model the observed character of Lg and Rg , synthetic record sections are constructed by wavenumber integration in velocity models representative of structure in the different regions. The results show that Rg propagation distance varies significantly between regions and that the velocity gradient in the lower crust is the dominant factor in specifying Lg characteristics in the Baltic shield region. Lg is dominated by several discrete arrivals representing multiple Moho reflections, or by multiple Moho reflections and turning waves, with each multiple confined to a small distance range so that only one multiple set dominates at each distance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that incomplete knowledge of the propagation characteristics leads to mislocations of local and regional events and inhibits source-depth discrimination of events. We identify three earthquakes in the ARCESS data set based on source depths. These are constrained by phase velocities and depth phases, none of which were properly identified by the automatic array-detection software.
SHOALING AND REFLECTION OF NONLINEAR SHALLOW WATER WAVES

The formulation for shallow water wave shoaling and refraction diffraction given by Liu et al (1985) is extended to include reflected waves. The model is given in the form of coupled K-P equations for forward and backward propagation. Shoaling on a plane beach is studied using the forward-propagating model alone. Non-resonant reflection of a solitary wave from a slope and resonant reflection of periodic waves by sinusoidal bars are then studied.
Detecting robust cliques in graphs subject to uncertain edge failures

This paper develops and compares several heuristic approaches, as well as an exact combinatorial branch-and-bound algorithm, for detecting maximum robust cliques in graphs subjected to multiple uncertain edge failures. The desired robustness properties are enforced using conditional value-at-risk measure. The proposed heuristics are adaptations of the well-known tabu search and GRASP methods, whereas the exact approach is an extension of Ostergard’s algorithm for the maximum clique problem. The results of computational experiments on DIMACS graph instances are reported.
RENAL RESPONSES TO ACETYLCHOLINE.

SummaryInfusion of Ach into one renal artery of the dog induced unilateral increase in calcium and phosphate excretion and increased GFR, ERPF and excretion of sodium, potassium, chloride and water. Products of Ach hydrolysis, choline and acetate, were inactive. Atropine blocked the renal responses to Ach but exerted no renal actions in the absence of exogenous Ach. Several anticholinesterases failed to alter renal hemodynamic or excretory functions. The excretory changes produced by Ach were not explicable on the basis of changes in GFR alone and indicate that Ach exerted a direct renal tubular action. The data constitute further evidence that cholinergic mechanisms may be regulators of cellular cation transport systems.
Dewey, Addams, and Beyond: A Context-Sensitive, Dialogue-Driven, Action-Based Pedagogy for Preparing Students to Confront Local Wicked Problems

Traditional, theoretical pedagogical practices based in disciplinary expertise generally fail to prepare students for high-stakes, public problems. In contrast, “Wicked Problems of Sustainability” is an undergraduate course designed to provide students with the opportunity to redress complex, local problems through an experiential, community-engaged model. By implementing pedagogy developed through the integration of a feminist pragmatist framework with the literature on wicked problems, this course offers opportunities to impact real problems, develop skills, and foster virtues necessary for tackling public problems. Given the value of this work, but also the difficulties, this article highlights the potential pitfalls of community work on wicked problems in addition to providing a series of recommendations for a pragmatic, community-based, experiential pedagogy in a “wicked” world.
Feasibility of Using ProSeal~(TM) Laryngeal Mask Airway in Ultra-Fast-Track Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia

Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of using ProSealTM laryngeal mask airway(PLMA)in ultra-fast-track pediatric cardiac anesthesia.Methods Forty children[American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)Ⅱ,aged from 6 months to 5 years old] were scheduled for undergoing cardiac operation,and were divided into 2 groups.In group Ⅰ[n=20,weight(5-10)kg],a size 1.5 PLMA was used,and in group Ⅱ[n=20,weight(10-20)kg],a size 2.0 PLMA was used,respectively.Anesthesia was induced with inhalation of 80 mL·L-1 sevoflurane and maintained with infusion of remifentanil and propofol and inhalation of sevoflurane.Muscle relaxation was maintained by intravenous administration of vecuronium.Results All children were ventilated with a tidal volume of 10 mL·kg-1 without air leak.Average peak airway pressure for all children was(15.8±4.2)cmH2O.Average peak airway pressure in group Ⅰ was higher than that in group Ⅱ after insertion[(18.9±3.8)cmH2O vs(12.8±1.7)cmH2O,respectively(P0.05)].In group Ⅱ,the peak airway pressure after insertion was significantly lower following sternal closure[(12.8±1.7)cmH2O vs(16.5±3.8)cmH2O,respectively(P0.05)].Lung inflation at pressure of 25-35 cmH2O for alveolar recruitment was efficient during weaning off cardopulmonary bypass and no hypoxia occurred after cardopulmonary bypass.The average placement time of PLMA was(174.7±30.9)min.Although the difference was significant,the changes in hemodynamics and bispectral index were less than 10% before and after removal of PLMA.Postoperative chest X-ray was normal.Conclusion PLMA is feasible and relatively safe for pediatric cardiac patients undergoing ultra-fast-track anesthesia.
An Empirical Study on the Impact of Symbiotic Image in Scenic Areas on Tourists' Willingness of Revisit and Their Words of Mouth Effect——A Case Study on Qujiang Scenic Areas with the theme of Tang Culture in Xi'an

The paper,with the Tang cultural theme scenic area in Qu Jiang,Xi'an as an object of empirical study,based on the selection of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Tang Paradise from the perspective of symbiotic image,makes a related study of the impact of symbiotic image in scenic spots on tourists' willingness of revisit and their words of mouth effect.The results indicate that the forming of tourist image in the theme scenic spots is mainly affected by the historical monuments in the symbiotic scenic spots,while newly-built theme cultural park also has distinct impact on the forming of tourist image in the theme scenic spots,but its impact is not so large as the impact of the tourist image in historical monuments on the forming of tourism image in the theme scenic spots.Symbiotic image in scenic spots has positive relationship with tourists' willingness of revisit and words of mouth effect in their subsequent actions.Tourist image of similar theme symbiotic scenic spot has positive relationship with tourists' willingness of revisit,but does not have distinct relationship with their words of mouth effect.This result shows that overall tourist image in the theme scenic area is the major reason that leads to tourists' revisit and their publicity of scenic area.
Design of Fault Monitoring System of Mine Drainage Device Based on LabVIEW

In view of problems of rotor eccentricity,high temperature,excess vibration and blocking of drain-pipe in motors of traditional drainage devices of coal mine,a fault monitoring system of mine drainage device based on LabVIEW was designed.The system uses LabVIEW software and data acquisition card to collect data such as pipe flow,pipe pressure,vacuum degree of water pump and temperature and vibration of motor of the mine drainage device,and makes domain analysis,amplitude spectrum analysis and fault diagnosis of vibration signals,so as to realize early warning for over-limit signals.
Endoscopy of the Small Bowel

The examination of the small bowel well beyond the ligament of Trietz requires more refined techniques and specialized instruments. This article discusses the equipment and technique for small bowel endoscopy and presents case histories.
The Existence of Resolvable Block Designs

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the existence of resolvable block designs. A block design is a set together with a family of subsets whose members are chosen to satisfy some set of properties that are deemed useful for a particular application. These applications come from many areas, including experimental design, finite geometry, software testing, cryptography, and algebraic geometry. Many variations have been examined, but the most intensely studied are the ones that are balanced incomplete block designs. The balanced incomplete block designs are related to statistical issues in the design of experiments. A block design in which all the blocks have the same size is called uniform.
LLNL contributions to ANL Report ANL/NE-16/6 "Sharp User Manual"

Diablo is a Multiphysics implicit finite element code with an emphasis on coupled structural/thermal analysis. In the SHARP framework, it is used as the structural solver, and may also be used as the mesh smoother.
Remedial robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of neuropathic inguinodynia and repair of inguinal hernia

Introduction: Inguinodynia or persistent groin pain, is a common postoperative complication of inguinal hernia repair that may interfere with patients’ daily activities. Remedial surgery is often required for management. Based on our review of literature, the use of robotically assisted laparoscopy as an option for remedial surgery appears nonexistent. Case presentation: A 54-year-old male patient with a past history of inguinal hernia repair four years ago presented with severe, burning right inguinal pain that peaked 6 months prior to presentation. History was positive for failed multiple analgesic treatment options. Examination revealed tenderness over the right external ring and a prior right inguinal surgical incision with paresthesia along the distribution of the right ilioinguinal nerve. Based on the history and CT findings, the patient was diagnosed with meshoma and ilioinguinal nerve entrapment. Remedial posterior robotic laparoscopic surgery combined with ilioinguinal neurectomy was performed, resulting in complete resolution of pain post-operatively. Conclusions: In our case of post-inguinal hernia repair of neuropathic inguinodynia, laparoscopic robot-assisted surgery combined with ilioinguinal neurectomy led to excellent results.
An architecture for consolidating multidimensional time-series data onto a common coordinate grid

Consolidating measurement data for use by data models or in inter-comparison studies frequently requires transforming the data onto a common grid. Standard methods for interpolating multidimensional data are often not appropriate for data with non-homogenous dimensionality, and are hard to implement in a consistent manner for different datastreams. These challenges are increased when dealing with the automated procedures necessary for use with continuous, operational datastreams. In this paper we introduce a method of applying a series of one-dimensional transformations to merge data onto a common grid, examine the challenges of ensuring consistent application of data consolidation methods, present a framework for addressing those challenges, and describe the implementation of such a framework for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program.
Using interactive Nutrition labels for financial products to assist decision making under uncertainty

Product information labels can help users understand complex information, leading them to make better decisions. One area where consumers are particularly prone to make costly decision-making errors is long-term saving, which requires understanding of complex concepts such as uncertainty and trade-offs. Although most people are poorly equipped to deal with such concepts, interactive design can potentially help users make better decisions. We developed an interactive information label to assist consumers with retirement saving decision-making. To evaluate it, we exposed 450 users to one of four user interface conditions in a retirement saving simulator where they made 35 yearly decisions under changing circumstances. We found a significantly better ability of users to reach their goals with the information label. Furthermore, users who interacted with the label made better decisions than those who were presented with a static information label. Lastly, we found the label particularly effective in helping novice savers.
Complexity of Chronic Conditions' Impact on End-of-Life Expense Trajectories of Medicare Decedents.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study is to determine if the pattern of monthly medical expense can be used to identify individuals at risk of dying, thus supporting providers in proactively engaging in advanced care planning discussions.BACKGROUNDIdentifying the right time to discuss end of life can be di
Acute kidney injury is associated with subsequent infection in neonates after the Norwood procedure: a retrospective chart review.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and infection are common complications after pediatric cardiac surgery. No pediatric study has evaluated for an association between postoperative AKI and infection. The objective of this study was to determine if AKI in neonates after cardiopulmonary bypass was associated with the development of a postoperative infection. We performed a single center retrospective chart review from January 2009 to December 2015 of neonates (age ≤ 30 days) undergoing the Norwood procedure. AKI was defined by the modified neonatal Kidney Disease Improving Global outcomes serum creatinine criteria using (1) measured serum creatinine and (2) creatinine corrected for fluid balance on postoperative days 1–4. Infection, (culture positive or presumed), must have occurred after a diagnosis of AKI and within 60 days of surgery. Ninety-five patients were included, of which postoperative infection occurred in 42 (44%). AKI occurred in 38 (40%) and 42 (44%) patients by measured serum creatinine and fluid overload corrected creatinine, respectively, and was most commonly diagnosed on postoperative day 2. The median time to infection from the time of surgery and AKI was 7 days (IQR 5–14 days) and 6 days (IQR 3–13 days), respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of a postoperative infection were 3.64 times greater in patients with fluid corrected AKI (95% CI, 1.36–9.75; p = 0.01). Fluid corrected AKI was independently associated with the development of a postoperative infection. These findings support the notion that AKI is an immunosuppressed state that increases the risk of infection.
A Comparison of the Construct Validities of Four Measures of Empathy.

Various scales and inventories purport to measure effective/cognitive empathy. This article discusses four frequently used measures of empathy: Truax's Accurate Empathy Scale; Cark-huff's Empathic ...
Prognostic and predictive markers in radiation therapy: focus on prostate cancer.

Biomarkers are molecular characteristics that provide clinically useful information in addition to that currently available via standard clinical and pathological testing. Continued development of molecular techniques has aided the discovery of new potential biomarkers for cancer and it is hoped that these will develop into tests useful in diagnosing as well as in defining prognosis and prognostic markers and predicting response to specific therapies, so-called predictive markers. Perhaps, even more importantly, the identification of predictive biomarkers may serve to identify molecular pathways of treatment resistance that might be selectively targeted or, when that is not possible, might be circumvented by choosing an alternative form of treatment with nonoverlapping modes of action. While biomarker development continues across the entire spectrum of cancer types, this review will focus upon developments in the field of prostate cancer. Furthermore, the emphasis will be on biomarkers relating to prognosis and prediction of response to radiation therapy in local, regionally confined prostate cancer. Biomarker-enhanced early detection will not be considered here.
„Ayse hat offenbar das Märchen nicht verstanden.“ – Über die Dominanz kulturbedingter Deutungsmuster bei türkischen Grundschülern/Grundschülerinnen

Es gibt viele Grunde, warum die turkischen Kinder und Jugendlichen mit Migra-tionshintergrund weniger Erfolg haben als ihre deutschen Mitschuler, zum Beispiel mangelnde Sprachkenntnisse, fehlende Kindergartenzeiten, fehlende Unterstutzung der Eltern, Denkweise der Lehrer, Selektionsentscheidungen usw. Naturlich sind die hier aufgefuhrten Grunde nur ein Teil des Ganzen. Es gibt bestimmt noch mehr Grunde zum Thema „Schulischer Misserfolg der Schulerinnen und Schuler mit Migrationshintergrund“. Wichtig dabei ist zu wissen, dass jeder einzelne Grund zugleich Ursache des folgenden ist und sie alle letztlich auf ein Anfangsfaktum zuruckgehen, die Kultur. Naturlich muss man dabei auch be-rucksichtigen, dass viele turkische Schulerinnen/Schuler in den Schulen Spitzenleistungen aufweisen. Aber immer weniger von diesen Schulern schaffen es, eine erfolgreiche Bildungskarriere zu durchlaufen. In diesem Zusammenhang spielt die Kultur meines Erachtens eine wichtige Rolle.
Conducteur professionnel et aptitude au volant : que faut-il savoir?

Les medecins generalistes sont souvent amenes dans leur consultation a donner des conseils a leurs patients au sujet de la conduite automobile. Par ailleurs, il est important de savoir que la plupart des pays ont des criteres medicaux minimaux a atteindre pour qu’une personne soit autorisee a conduire un vehicule. Cet article fait une revue simplifiee des principales directives a ce sujet en Suisse et integre les recommandations principales a faire par rapport aux medicaments psychotropes et a la conduite.
Update on Devices for Diastolic Dysfunction: Options for a No Option Condition?

This article provides an update on percutaneous devices to treat diastolic dysfunction, current clinical experience, and actively enrolling trials. We also discuss potential complications and limitations of devices. Exertional symptoms including exertional dyspnea and exercise intolerance are common features of heart failure that are driven by left ventricular and left atrial non-compliance that results in pulmonary vascular congestion. Multiple studies that have shown that reducing total body volume and intravascular pressure, using pharmacologic therapies, are associated with improved outcomes among patients who have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (ejection fraction [EF] 55%).This is related to the fact that HFpEF is associated with altered diastolic compliance but not volume overload, which presents as exertional increases in left atrial pressure. Exercise assessment of LA and pulmonary pressures are not commonly assessed today in the clinic or in the catheterization laboratory. As elevated left atrial pressure mediates these symptoms, selective reduction in left atrial pressure may provide improvement in symptoms without complications of pharmacologic therapy such as diuresis and aggressive blood pressure reduction. Mechanical devices that aim to reduce left atrial pressure have been developed and evaluated in HFpEF and HFrEF patients. The current data from the small number of patients who have undergone treatment with left atrial decompression devices indicate that they have a high rate of success and may improve patient’s exercise capacity. Larger, controlled trials are underway to better understand the role of these devices in patients with diastolic dysfunction.
Engineering Riboswitches in Vivo Using Dual Genetic Selection and Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting

Riboswitches, noncoding RNAs that bind a small molecule effector to control gene expression at the level of transcription or translation, are uniquely suited to meet challenges in synthetic biology. To expand the limited set of existing riboswitches, we developed a riboswitch discovery platform that couples dual genetic selection and fluorescence-activated cell sorting to identify novel riboswitches from a 108 random-sequence library in which the aptamer domain of the ThiM#2 riboswitch was replaced with an N40 sequence. In a proof-of-principle validation, we identified novel riboswitches for the small molecule theophylline. Our best riboswitch (Hit 3-5) displays 2.3-fold activation of downstream gene expression in the presence of theophylline. Random mutagenesis of Hit 3-5, coupled with selections and screens, afforded improved riboswitches displaying nearly 3-fold activation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of in vivo directed evolution of an aptamer domain to generate a functional riboswitch.
N(4S3/2) reaction with NO and NO2: Temperature dependent rate coefficients and O(3P) product yield

Abstract The N(4S3/2) + NO (k1) and N(4S3/2) + NO2 (k2) gas-phase reactions, relevant to upper-atmospheric NOx chemistry, were studied using a discharge flow tube reactor with atomic resonance fluorescence detection of O(3P) atoms. Reaction rate coefficients were measured over the temperature range 216–344 K to be k1(T) = (2.61 ± 0.19) × 10−11 exp((86 ± 21)/T) and k2(T) = (2.41 ± 0.62) × 10−12 exp((442 ± 64)/T) cm3 molecule−1 s−1. The O(3P) yield in the NO2 reaction was found to be 0.66 ± 0.06. Our results are compared with previous studies and rate coefficient recommendations are provided.
Nonidentifiability in the presence of factorization for truncated data

A time to event, [Formula: see text], is left-truncated by [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] can be observed only if [Formula: see text]. This often results in oversampling of large values of [Formula: see text], and necessitates adjustment of estimation procedures to avoid bias. Simple risk-set adjustments can be made to standard risk-set-based estimators to accommodate left truncation when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are quasi-independent. We derive a weaker factorization condition for the conditional distribution of [Formula: see text] given [Formula: see text] in the observable region that permits risk-set adjustment for estimation of the distribution of [Formula: see text], but not of the distribution of [Formula: see text]. Quasi-independence results when the analogous factorization condition for [Formula: see text] given [Formula: see text] holds also, in which case the distributions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are easily estimated. While we can test for factorization, if the test does not reject, we cannot identify which factorization condition holds, or whether quasi-independence holds. Hence we require an unverifiable assumption in order to estimate the distribution of [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] based on truncated data. This contrasts with the common understanding that truncation is different from censoring in requiring no unverifiable assumptions for estimation. We illustrate these concepts through a simulation of left-truncated and right-censored data.
Genome-Wide Association Analysis and Allelic Mining of Grain Shape Related Traits in Rice

Abstract Excavating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with rice grain shape and predicting candidate genes through genome-wide association study (GWAS) can provide a theoretical basis for discovery and utilization of excellent genetic resources in rice. Based on 16 352 SNPs, 161 natural indica rice varieties with various grain sizes in southern China were used for GWAS of grain shape-related traits, referring to grain length (GL), grain width (GW), 1000-grain weight (TGW), and grain length/width (GLW). Phenotypic statistics showed that coefficient of variation values for these four traits GL, GW, TGW and GLW were 9.92%, 9.09%, 20.20% and 16.38%, respectively. Each trait showed a normal distribution, and there was a certain correlation between these traits. Through general linear model correlation analysis, a total of 38 significant loci were identified, and a range of 100 kb upstream and downstream of the significant loci was identified as the candidate interval. On chromosome 3, GS3 and qGL3 were found to regulate GL. On chromosome 6, TGW6 and GW6a were found to regulate TGW. Also, some QTLs related to grain shape were found on chromosomes 5 and 9. Besides that, using sequenced 3K-germplasm resources, we found that there are 22 overlapped varieties between these two natural populations. Twenty-six SNPs and fourteen haplotypes were identified in five regions of GS3 genes. The detection of multiple candidate genes/QTLs within the candidate interval is beneficial for further excavation of superior rice genetic resources.
A temporally stratified extension of space-for-time Cormack-Jolly-Seber for migratory animals

Understanding drivers of temporal variation in demographic parameters is a central goal of mark-recapture analysis. To estimate the survival of migrating animal populations in migration corridors, space-for-time mark-recapture models employ discrete sampling locations in space to monitor marked populations as they move past monitoring sites, rather than the standard practice of using fixed sampling points in time. Because these models focus on estimating survival over discrete spatial segments, model parameters are implicitly integrated over the temporal dimension. Furthermore, modeling the effect of time-varying covariates on model parameters is complicated by unknown passage times for individuals that are not detected at monitoring sites. To overcome these limitations, we extended the Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) framework to estimate temporally stratified survival and capture probabilities by including a discretized arrival time process in a Bayesian framework. We allow for flexibility in the model form by including temporally stratified covariates and hierarchical structures. In addition, we provide tools for assessing model fit and comparing among alternative structural models for the parameters. We demonstrate our framework by fitting three competing models to estimate daily survival, capture, and arrival probabilities at four hydroelectric dams for over 200 000 individually tagged migratory juvenile salmon released into the Snake River, USA.
A frequency-dependent effective medium model for the rheology of crystallizing polymers.

The rheology of crystallizing polymers is critical to polymer processing, but our current understanding of how crystallinity affects rheology during crystallization is lacking. The challenge is twofold: first, we must measure rheology simultaneously with crystallinity, and then we must develop models that can describe those measurements as well as prior phenomenological observations. Here, we further develop a generalized effective medium model to describe the frequency-dependent shear modulus of a crystallizing polymer. Through a simple model system, we show that the percolation transition in the effective medium model recovers the relaxation dynamics of a critical gel with a relaxation spectrum that can be approximated as the power mean of the initial melt and final semicrystalline material. We demonstrate the success of this model on the isothermal crystallization of polycaprolactones. From the generalized effective medium model, we can calculate the percolation fraction and power-law relaxation exponent at the critical point, even when the measurement frequency range is dominated by shear thinning of the melt phase.
Updates in Chronic Subdural Hematoma: Epidemiology, Etiology, Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Outcome

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a complex disease with an overall incidence of 1.7-20.6 per 100,000 persons per year and is more commonly encountered in the elderly population. The pathophysiologic cycle of CSDH formation and expansion involves traumatic and inflammatory components that promote the formation of membranes with permeable neovessels. Many drugs targeting different elements of this cycle are being actively investigated as potential therapeutic agents in CSDH. Burr hole craniostomy appears to be the most commonly used procedure for surgical evacuation, and outcomes are generally favorable. Recurrence can occur in 10%-20% of patients and is associated with several clinical and radiographic predictors. Middle meningeal artery embolization represents one of the latest additions to the therapeutic arsenal of cerebrovascular specialists in treating CSDH and is being critically evaluated in numerous ongoing clinical trials.
Host snail species exhibit differential Angiostrongylus cantonensis prevalence and infection intensity across an environmental gradient.

Abstract Diverse snail species serve as intermediate hosts of the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the etiological agent of human neuroangiostrongyliasis. However, levels of A. cantonensis infection prevalence and intensity vary dramatically among these host species. Factors contributing to this variation are largely unknown. Environmental factors, such as precipitation and temperature, have been correlated with overall A. cantonensis infection levels in a locale, but the influence of environment on infection in individual snail species has not been addressed. We identified levels of A. cantonensis prevalence and intensity in 16 species of snails collected from 29 sites along an environmental gradient on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The relationship between infection levels of individual species and their environment was evaluated using AIC model selection of Generalized Linear Mixed Models incorporating precipitation, temperature, and vegetation cover at each collection site. Our results indicate that different mechanisms drive parasite prevalence and intensity in the intermediate hosts. Overall, snails from rainy, cool, green sites had higher infection levels than snails from dry, hot sites with less green vegetation. Intensity increased at the same rate along the environmental gradient in all species, though at different levels, while the relation between prevalence and environmental variables depended on species. These results have implications for zoonotic transmission, as human infection is a function of infection in the intermediate hosts, ingestion of which is the main pathway of transmission. The probability of human infection is greater in locations with higher rainfall, lower temperature and more vegetation cover because of higher infection prevalence in the gastropod hosts, but this depends on the host species. Moreover, severity of neuroangiostrongyliasis symptoms is likely to be greater in locations with higher rainfall, lower temperature, and more vegetation because of the higher numbers of infectious larvae (infection intensity) in all infected snail species. This study highlights the variation of infection prevalence and intensity in individual gastropod species, the individualistic nature of interactions between host species and their environment, and the implications for human neuroangiostrongyliasis in different environments.
Research on Partial Pressure of Oilfield Water Injection Pipeline Network System Based on Fuzzy Logic

Aiming at the middle and late stages of oilfield development, the retirement of water injection wells in old areas of the water injection system, the increase of water injection wells in new areas, and the incorporation of tertiary injection wells into the subsequent water flooding have caused great changes in the layout of the water injection pipeline network, causing the mixed injection of high and low pressure wells, a fuzzy logic method is proposed to divide the pressure of the water injection pipeline network, establishing a partial pressure reasoning model, setting the fuzzy domain and reasoning rules, and finally realize the division of high and low pressure areas of a large number of water injection wells. aking an oilfield water injection pipe network system as an example, the effectiveness of the method is proved through Matlab simulation and application research.
Risk of ABO-Incompatible Plasma From Non-ABO-Identical Components.

Abstract The last several decades have seen significant changes in the approach to resuscitation of bleeding patients. These include the adoption of ABO-incompatible plasma transfusion in the form of group A plasma and/or low titer group O whole blood for trauma patients of unknown ABO group. Studies to date have examined the impact of these practices on patient outcomes and clinical markers of hemolysis in recipients of ABO-incompatible plasma compared to those for whom the plasma is ABO-compatible. Risk for increased mortality and/or overt hemolysis appear to be low among recipients of ABO-incompatible plasma; however, nearly all of studies are retrospective and most have focused only on adult trauma patients so results may not be generalizable to other bleeding patients. Work continues to evaluate the role of various titer thresholds in decreasing hemolytic risk and opportunities remain to improve our understanding of anti-A and anti-B antibody interactions with complement/endothelium and identify strategies to minimize risk.
Use of small mammals (voles) to assess a hazardous waste site at Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York.

Voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were trapped in the immediate area of Love Canal (I), in an area very close to Love Canal (II), and in a reference area (III) about one km from Love Canal. The population densities were low in I, intermediate in II, and high in III. Using ages estimated on the basis of dry lens weights, mean life expectancy from weaning was 23.6 days in I, 29.2 days in II, and 48.8 days in III. Survivorship curves had significantly steeper slopes in I and II than in III. Thus, voles in I and II experienced a higher mortality rate than those in III. Liver and adrenal weights in females and seminal vesicle weights in males were significantly reduced in I compared to III. A fat pool from voles from I and II contained hexachlorocyclohexane and other chlorinated hydrocarbons that were not found in voles from III. These results suggest that relatively sedentary small native mammals may be of use in assessing environments with hazardous contamination.
Comparison of Fickian and temporally nonlocal transport theories over many scales in an exhaustively sampled sandstone slab

[1] It is not a compelling argument, solely on the basis of a better fit to solute breakthrough curve (BTC) data, that a temporally nonlocal model is necessary to simulate transport in an advection-dominated system. One may counter that the classical advection-dispersion equation (ADE) is a valid model at some small scale and that the detailed hydraulic conductivity (K) data must be well-represented: then the nonlocality is only a result of upscaling and loss of information. But is the nonlocal model demonstrably necessary at all scales? We examine the experiment conducted by Klise et al. (2008) in which a 30.5 × 30.5 cm slab of relatively homogeneous, cross-bedded sandstone was exhaustively sampled for K. The slab was sealed, saturated with potassium iodide, and X-rayed 10 times while being flushed with fresh water. The 8,649 air-permeameter measurements were down- and upscaled to make finer and coarser grids on which the velocity field was solved and the ADE applied. The optimized parameters in the ADE were found to scale predictably, most notably the longitudinal dispersivity (), which grew linearly with upscaling. But at all levels of up- and downscaling, including the original K measurement scale of 0.33 cm, the ADE did not adequately represent the late-time tails. The temporally nonlocal, time-fractional ADE (t-FADE) was applied and the optimized parameters ( and the immobile capacity ) did not depend on scale. The better fit provided by the t-FADE in the late BTC tails did not bring about a sacrificed fit elsewhere in the BTC. Furthermore, the optimized ADE and t-FADE solutions do not converge at the smallest scale, directly implying that the temporal nonlocality is a necessary model component. We conclude that the logical inference “if the ADE is valid in heterogeneous material, then there is tailing in the BTC” is not a proof that the reverse is true. We provide a clear counterexample. A corollary is that a mismatch between data and a discretized solution to the ADE does not imply that more data will improve fits or predictive ability.
The Importance of Being Final

Part of Marbury at 200: A Bicentennial Celebration of Marbury v. Madison. Marbury at 200: Judicial Supremacy Today