cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Timing of Occurrence of Claviceps purpurea Ascospores in Northeast Oregon

Ergot, caused by Claviceps purpurea, is an important floral disease of grasses, characterized by sclerotium formation within the host flowers. To determine whether annual variation in ergot severity in Kentucky bluegrass is a result of ascospore density and/or timing of ascospore occurrence, Burkard 7-day volumetric spores traps were used to monitor ascospores of C. purpurea in each of two Kentucky bluegrass fields in the Grand Ronde Valley in northeastern Oregon between mid-May and late June, 2008-2010. Ascospores were typically trapped between midnight and 6:00 a.m. In 2008 and 2010, most ascospores were released prior to flowering in Kentucky bluegrass, corresponding to no observed ergot in 2008 and a low level of ergot in 2010. In 2009, ascospore release and pollination coincided, but few airborne ascospores were present, resulting in a low level of ergot. Similar ergot levels were observed in fungicide trials, suggesting that fungicides for ergot control were unnecessary. In years when there are few ascospores during flowering in Kentucky bluegrass, a reduction of up to two fungicide applications may be possible.
Semiconductor-metal phase transition in doped ion beam synthesized VO 2 nanoclusters

We have synthesized W and Mo doped VO2 nanoclusters embedded in 200 nm thick thermally grown SiO2 on 4-inch silicon wafers by sequential ion implantation of the elements V, W, Mo and O. The implantation energies have been chosen to locate the mean projected range in the centre of the SiO2 thin film. A post implantation rapid thermal annealing step in flowing Ar at 1000°C for 10 min leads to the growth of doped VO2 nanoclusters. The optical properties of the nanoclusters were analyzed by temperature dependent spectral ellipsometry in the spectral range of 320 to 1700 nm. It will be shown, that the semiconductor-metal phase transition hysteresis width starting at 50K in the undoped case can be systematically closed by increasing dopand concentration.
A Computational Study of Amyloid β-Protein Assembly in Crowded Environments

Alzheimer's disease is strongly associated with aberrant amyloid β-protein (Aβ) assembly into heterogeneous, metastable oligomeric assemblies with structures that have not been experimentally characterized yet. The 40 and 42 amino acids long Aβ40 and Aβ42 are the two predominant Aβ alloforms in the brain. Whereas Aβ40 and Aβ42 oligomer formation from monomeric state is still inaccessible to fully atomistic explicit-solvent molecular dynamics, Aβ40 and Aβ42 oligomers were structurally characterized using discrete molecular dynamics (DMD) and an intermediate-resolution protein model within the DMD4B-HYDRA implicit solvent force field, and the corresponding oligomer size distributions well matched the available in vitro data. In vivo, however, Aβ coexists with other biomolecules in a rather crowded environment. To understand the effect of crowding on Aβ oligomer formation, we used the DMD4B-HYDRA force field and added to an ensemble of 32 monomeric Aβ40 or Aβ42 peptides inert spherical “crowders” with a diameter of 0.5 nm at various concentrations to examine their effect on Aβ40 and Aβ42 oligomerization pathways. Our results show that crowding shifts oligomer size distributions towards smaller oligomer sizes and increases solubility of both peptides in a concentration-dependent way. The effect is stronger for Aβ42, where crowding abolishes the multimodal character of the oligomer size distribution. Our structural analysis revealed that the stability of larger oligomers is compromised by effective osmotic pressure exerted by the crowders, resulting in an increased rate of assembly breakage. While in vivo crowding agents are not inert as the crowders in our study, we here reveal that crowding-induced osmotic pressure strongly affects protein assembly dynamics, which is of significance to the disease.
Pharmacology of Cefazolin and Other Cephalosporins in Patients with Renal Insufficiency

The pharmacokinetic behavior of cefazolin and cephalothin was compared in patients with normal and impaired renal function. With equivalent doses, total levels of cefazolin in serum exceeded those of cephalothin by four- to sixfold, and concentrations of free cefazolin were three times higher. This can be explained largely by the greater binding of cefazolin to serum proteins (83.9% compared with 65.2% for cephalothin) and its lower rate of renal clearance. Binding of cefazolin to serum proteins was markedly reduced in uremic patients despite adequate concentration of albumin in serum. The kidney was the principle route of excretion for both drugs, but the effect of renal failure on persistence of antibiotic in the body was more pronounced for cefazolin. The halflife of cefazolin in serum of normal persons was 1.9 hr and as long as 35 hr in severely uremic patients; it was only modestly influenced by hemodialysis. High concentrations of cefazolin were obtained in urine even in uremic patients whose clearance exceeded 10 ml per min. The drug was well tolerated when injected im. No accumulation was noted, and presumably good therapeutic levels were obtained when cefazolin was given at 8-hr intervals.
The AtGRXS3/4/5/7/8 glutaredoxin gene cluster on Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 4 is coordinately regulated by nitrate and appears to control primary root growth

Nitrate and ammonium are the 2 most common forms of inorganic nitrogen available to plants in the soil. We previously identified a group of class III glutaredoxin genes whose expression is strongly upregulated by nitrate, but not ammonium, in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots and roots. A reverse genetics approach was used to functionally characterize a subset of these nitrate-regulated glutaredoxins, and we found that the AtGRXS3,4,5, and 8 genes function as negative regulators of primary root growth. AtGRXS3/4/5/8 are arranged in a tandem array on Arabidopsis chromosome 4, and these genes show very high levels of sequence similarity. Interestingly, there is one additional glutaredoxin, AtGRXS7, in this same gene cluster, but this gene was not identified as nitrate-responsive in our previous studies. We show here that AtGRXS7 is upregulated by nitrate and shows strong co-expression with the other glutaredoxins in this gene cluster. Further, AtGRXS7 was effectively silenced by the RNAi construct used to target AtGRXS3/4/5/8 for previous functional analyses. Overall, it appears that the 5 genes in the AtGRX3/4/5/7/8 cluster share virtually identical sequences, regulatory patterns, and functions, collectively acting to regulate primary root growth in response to soil nitrate.
John Hicks. Capital and Time. A Neo-Austrian Theory

This book, first published in 1973, takes up an important approach to capital which had gone out of fashion. It is being reissued in paperback in recognition of the recent renewed interest in this approach. The 'Austrian' theory of capital concentrates on the inputs and outputs in the productive process, and has an advantage over more modern theories of economic dynamics in that it is more naturally expressible in economic terms: the production process over time is taken as a whole, rather than disintegrated. However, this approach had been largely abandoned because it seemed to be unable to deal with fixed capital. Sir John overcomes this problem here by allowing for a sequence of outputs, and the consequences for dynamic economics are profound and novel.
On Whale: Conundrums of Culture and Cetaceans as Local Meat

ABSTRACTLikely the world's most controversial meat, debates concerning whale consumption frequently revolve around discourses regarding the ‘localness’ of food, invoking long-standing anthropological constructs concerning the meaning and significance of ‘culture’. Constituencies at the forefront of opposition to whale consumption are elsewhere among the strongest defenders of diverse food traditions, framing ‘Endangered foods’ as the culinary equivalent of Endangered Species and emblematic of endangered cultures – a reinforcing equivalence that is problematized when food traditions are constituted of meats viewed as morally unfit for consumption. While anti-whaling activists grant ‘indigenous peoples’ modest allowances based on the protections of cultural relativism, Japanese claims to whaling traditions are disparaged as cynical invocations of cultural rights. Thus, this paper examines how in whaling debates varying anthropological conceptions of culture have been exported to the public realm and used to...
Congenital heart disease in adolescents and adults. Teratology, genetics, and recurrence risks.

New concepts in developmental cardiology are based on the understanding of cell and tissue functions and their genetic control. Epidemiologic studies reveal potential risk factors affecting specific embryologic processes. Genetic studies of heterogeneity of anatomic phenotypes are linked with information on variability in gene expressions. Familial occurrence of congenital heart disease in siblings and offspring of patients is elevated, requiring further detailed genetic investigations.
Efficacy and safety of enalapril versus extended-release nifedipine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate essential hypertension: a multicenter 22-week study. Multicenter Cooperative Study Group.

Abstract The antihypertensive effects and tolerability of single daily doses of enalapril and extended-release nifedipine (nifedipine-ER) were compared in an open-label, randomized, parallel-group, 22-week treatment study involving 230 men and women (mean age, 55 years). Following a 3-week washout period, mean +/- SD blood pressure levels were 153 +/- 17/99 +/- 4 mmHg in the enalapril group (n = 117) and 157 +/- 17/100 +/- 5 mmHg in the nifedipine-ER group (n = 113). Beginning at 5 mg once daily for enalapril and 30 mg once daily for nifedipine-ER, the dosage was titrated every 4 weeks for 16 weeks, up to a maximum of 40 mg for enalapril and 120 mg for nifedipine-ER. The treatment goal (satisfactory response) was to lower trough sitting diastolic blood pressure to < 90 mmHg or by at least 10 mmHg to a level of < 100 mmHg. At a mean daily dose of 16 mg of enalapril and 57 mg of nifedipine-ER, more than three quarters of each treatment group achieved a satisfactory response. The mean reductions in trough sitting blood pressure levels at the end of 22 weeks of treatment were 15/11 mmHg for enalapril and 21/13 mmHg for nifedipine-ER. The difference between treatments was significant only for the change in systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). However, enalapril was better tolerated than nifedipine-ER. The numbers of patients with adverse experiences and withdrawals from the study because of an adverse experience were significantly lower for enalapril than for nifedipine-ER (P < 0.05). The incidence of abnormal laboratory findings was small and considered of no clinical importance in either group. These data suggest that enalapril and nifedipine-ER had approximately equal efficacy as once-daily antihypertensive treatments, but enalapril was better tolerated.
Analysis of the failure rate assessment models of the radiofrequency cords

In this paper the assessment of the reliability of radiofrequency cords was carried out. The analysis of mathematical models of the failure rate assessment of components of the radiofrequency cords was submitted and the optimal model, combining incoming components, was deduced. It was concluded that during the calculation of the reliability of the radiofrequency cords, their models must take into account the maximum number of influencing factors in order to produce adequate results.
The Sodium/Iodide Symporter (NIS): Molecular Physiology and Preclinical and Clinical Applications

Active iodide (I-) transport in both the thyroid and some extrathyroidal tissues is mediated by the Na+/I- symporter (NIS). In the thyroid, NIS-mediated I- uptake plays a pivotal role in thyroid hormone (TH) biosynthesis. THs are key during embryonic and postembryonic development and critical for cell metabolism at all stages of life. The molecular characterization of NIS in 1996 and the use of radioactive I- isotopes have led to significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer and provide the molecular basis for studies aimed at extending the use of radioiodide treatment in extrathyroidal malignancies. This review focuses on the most recent findings on I- homeostasis and I- transport deficiency-causing NIS mutations, as well as current knowledge of the structure/function properties of NIS and NIS regulatory mechanisms. We also discuss employing NIS as a reporter gene using viral vectors and stem cells in imaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures.
WE-DE-209-03: Spirometric Motion Management System

Breast radiation therapy is associated with some risk of lung toxicity as well as cardiac toxicity for left-sided cases. Radiation doses to the lung and heart can be reduced by using the deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) technique, in which the patient is simulated and treated during the deep inspiration phase of the breathing cycle. During DIBH, the heart is usually displaced posteriorly, inferiorly, and to the right, effectively expanding the distance between the heart and the breast/chest wall. As a result, the distance between the medial treatment field border and heart/lung is increased. Also, in a majority of DIBH patients, the air drawn into the thoracic cavity increases the total lung volume. The DIBH was discussed by an AAPM Task Group 10 years ago in the AAPM TG 76 report. However, DIBH is still not the standard of care in many clinics, which may be partially due to challenges associated with its implementation. Therefore, this seccion will focus primarily on how to clinically implement four different DIBH techniques: (1) Active Breathing Control, (2) Spirometric Motion Management, (3) 3D Surface Image-Guided, and (4) Self-held Breath Control with Respiratory Monitoring and Feedback Guidance. Learning Objectives: 1.Describe the physical displacement of the heart and the change in lung volume during DIBH and discuss dosimetric consequences of those changes. 2.Provide an overview of the technical aspects. 3.Describe work flow for patient simulation and treatment. 4.Give an overview of commissioning and routine. 5.Provide practical tips for clinical implementation.
Lung transplantation without the use of antilymphocyte antibody preparations

Survival, infection, and rejection rates and functional data are reported in 35 lung recipients treated with triple-drug immunosuppression without antilymphocytic antibody therapy. Early mortality (less than 60 days) was 6%. Thirty recipients (86%) are alive, with a mean follow-up period of 16 months (range, 1 to 36 months). Actuarial survival was 91% at 1 year and 83% at 2 years. Thirty-seven infections occurred in 24 patients. Actuarial freedom from infection was 61% at 3 months and 27% at 1 year. Only one patient died of infection (aspergillosis). Thirty-six episodes of acute rejection were treated in 23 patients. Time to first rejection was 14 +/- 7.8 days. Actuarial freedom from acute rejection was 36% at 2 months. Significant functional improvement was evident in all operative survivors. Pulmonary function and exercise performance data in patients without bronchiolitis obliterans remain stable 1 year after transplantation. We conclude that the use of triple-drug immunosuppression without antilymphocytic antibody preparations in lung transplantation provides effective immunosuppression with a low risk of serious infectious complications.
Abstract 1701: CCR6 associates with colon cancer metastasis

Despite established benefits of screening, colon cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Majority of colon cancer deaths result from metastasis. Effective treatments are not available for advanced disease because molecular mechanisms of initiation and progression of this disease are yet to be defined. Chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction plays an important role in cancer progression. In this study, using colon cancer tissue microarray, we have shown that expression of CCR6 was significantly higher in advanced colon cancer (p Citation Format: Neeraj Kapur, Hina Mir, Clarence E. Clark, Uma Krishnamurti, Derrick J. Beech, James W. Lillard, Shailesh Singh. CCR6 associates with colon cancer metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1701.
Coastal Defense Operational Environments

This chapter presents the results of the operational environment assessment for the 37 study group navies. An operational environment hierarchy was developed in order to facilitate this assessment and compare differences among the various operational environments in which coastal defense navies operate. In addition, the force structure of each navy was evaluated in the context of the operational environment in which it is deployed to establish whether it was of a suitable size and composition to be operationally effective. Supplemental issues involving the relationship between geography and coastal defense navies are also addressed, not least of which are specific effects of geography on the development of coastal defense navy force structures and the relationship between rankings on the operational environment and the coastal defense navy hierarchies.
Trust Based Secure Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks

There is a growing need for secure and robust networks that function in austere environments or with nodes that have limited resources. The prime example is Delay Tolerant Networks that have military, first response, infrastructure failure and vehicle applications. This class of networks requires the modification of traditional routing and security protocols, such as TCP/IP or the use of certificate revocation servers, to effectively transmit a message from source to destination in a secure manner. There are multiple trust and routing schemes proposed for use in Delay Tolerant Networks. Here, we show how trust, usually defined in the context of network science, can be utilized for routing in Delay Tolerant Networks in which the fundamental challenge is balancing energy, delivery rate, delivery delay and security. Trust is a cornerstone of our approach to address this challenge. We propose a Trust Based Secure Routing Protocol, in which forwarding decisions are based on nodes trust, expected destination meeting time and the number of already created copies of the message.
Fabrication of an unconventional bolus-type stent for a combined intraoral/extraoral defect treated with proton radiation therapy

Customized intraoral devices help the radiation oncologist minimize the adverse effects of radiation and maximize the tumor control rate by keeping the anatomic structures in a consistent position during each fraction of radiation treatment. This article illustrates the fabrication of a bolus-type positioning device for a combined intraoral/extraoral defect treated with proton radiation therapy.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia-Derived Exosomes Transform Bone Marrow Niche into Leukemic Niche.

Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that leukemia cells take shelter in the bone marrow (BM) niche, where they hide from chemotherapy and continue to divide. As yet, how leukemia cells alter the BM niche to facilitate their growth and assist them in evading chemotherapy is unclear. In this study, we provide compelling evidences that acute myeloid leukemia (AML), through exosome secretion, transformed the BM niche to facilitate their own growth and suppress normal hematopoiesis. Using AML xenograft and MLL-AF9 knock-in mouse model, we show that leukemia cells as well as AML-derived exosomes stimulate the growth of BM stromal progenitors and blocked the osteolineage development in our stromal compartment analysis. Histological analysis and micro-CT examination confirmed loss or thinning of the bone in both leukemia and leukemic exosome-treated animals. Expression of cell adhesion molecules (NCAM1, VCAM1, CD44, OPN & ICAM1) and factors important for angiogenesis (Angpt1, Angpt2 and VEGF) are upregulated, whereas genes important for HSC maintenance (CXCL12 and SCF), osteoblast (OCN, OSX, Notch3 and IGF1) and chondrocyte (ACAN, SOX9) development are suppressed. While we observed increases in phenotypic LT-HSC in AML-derived exosomes treated mice, these mice show reduced multilineage reconstitution ability, increased cell cycle entry and higher sensitivity to myeloablative stress suggesting that HSCs from exosome-treated mice have lower stem cell activity than their counterparts from normal mice.In addition, leukemia-modified stroma cells exhibit marked reduction in ability to support normal HSCs. Pre-treatment of AML-derived exosome “prime” the animal for leukemia cell invasion and accelerate leukemia progression. Conversely,disruption of exosome secretion by targeting Rab27a in AML cells significantly delays leukemia progression. These data strongly support the notion that leukemia-modified niches favor leukemic cell proliferation and suppress normal hematopoiesis. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
De novo identification of cell type hierarchy with application to compound marker detection

Uncovering biochemical processes that drive the transformation of a totipotent cell into various cell types is essential to our understanding of living systems. This complex machinery determines how tissues differ in terms of their anatomy, physiology, morphology, and, more importantly, how various cellular control mechanisms contribute to the observed similarities/differences. Recent single-cell experiments have shown that tissues/cell types are related to each other through a complex hierarchical structure that blurs the defining lines of "cell type identity." Furthermore, seemingly identical cell types may exhibit different transcriptional characteristics, motivating new approaches to defining refined groupings of cells. These issues, in turn, strongly influence techniques for identification of key marker genes that characterize and/or drive tissue-specific processes. Motivated by emerging single-cell experiments, we propose a novel statistical approach and associated methods for cell-type classification and marker identification. We present a framework for identification and removal of the shared subspace (signature of housekeeping genes) of a given expression domain. We use this framework to reduce the effect of universally expressed genes and show that this reduction step enhances the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for known markers. We show that repeated application of subspace reduction within groups of cell types allows us to identify highly specific markers. Finally, we employ a label propagation algorithm for automatically clustering cells and identifying putative groups of relevant cell types. We use the set of identified markers in each cluster to build tissue-specific transcriptional regulatory networks (tsTRNs), which are highly determinant of the cell type identity. Our framework allows one to start from a compendium of unknown cells, automatically identify groups of similar cell types, extract relevant markers, and construct accurate regulatory circuits for each group of putative cell types.
Wheatcroft, SueWorth Saving: Disabled Children During the Second World War Manchester: Manchester University Press 224 pp., $24.95, ISBN 978-1784991197 Publication Date: November 2015

Sue Wheatcroft is honorary visiting fellow at the University of Leicester. Worth Saving: Disabled Children During the Second World War began as her PhD thesis. The book is a detailed descriptive hi...
Prevention of preterm birth with pessary in twins (PoPPT): a randomized controlled trial

Objective To evaluate whether cervical pessary placement prevents preterm birth (PTB) in twin gestations with a short mid-trimester cervical length (CL) on transvaginal sonography (TVS). Methods This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial of asymptomatic women with a twin gestation and a TVS-CL of ≤ 30 mm at 18 + 0 to 27 + 6 weeks' gestation. TVS-CL was measured at the time of the fetal anatomy scan at 18 + 0 to 23 + 6 weeks and at subsequent scheduled ultrasound scans prior to 28 weeks. Women with a TVS-CL of ≤ 30 mm at 18 + 0 to 27 + 6 weeks were randomized to receive either the Bioteque™ cup cervical pessary or no pessary. Randomization was stratified by gestational age, study site and chorionicity. Women with a monoamniotic twin gestation, twin–twin transfusion syndrome, early selective intrauterine growth restriction or placenta previa were excluded. Cervical pessaries were inserted by maternal-fetal medicine staff centrally trained in proper placement. No other treatment for women with a short cervix was recommended. Primary outcome was PTB < 34 weeks. The trial was stopped early before complete enrollment. Results A total of 421 women with a twin gestation were screened for TVS-CL, and 85 (20%) had a TVS-CL of ≤ 30 mm. Of these, 80 (94%) met the eligibility criteria and 46 (58%) of the eligible women agreed to randomization. Twenty-three (50%) women were randomized to pessary placement and 23 (50%) to no pessary. Demographic characteristics, including median gestational age (21.0 vs 21.2 weeks; P = 0.69) and TVS-CL (16.7 vs 22.9 mm; P = 0.45) at randomization, were similar between the pessary and no-pessary groups, except for level of education (more than high school education: 48% vs 78%, respectively; P = 0.03) and proportion of spontaneous conceptions (83% vs 43%, respectively; P = 0.01). There were no significant differences between the pessary and no-pessary groups in rate of primary outcome, PTB < 34 weeks (39% vs 35%; relative risk, 1.13 (95% CI, 0.53–2.40)), as well as other outcomes, including PTB < 37 weeks and < 28 weeks, gestational age at delivery, birth weight and composite adverse neonatal outcome. Conclusion Treatment with cervical pessary was not associated with the prevention of PTB in women with a twin gestation and a mid-trimester TVS-CL of ≤ 30 mm in this small underpowered randomized controlled trial. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
IMPROVED EXERCISE PERFORMANCE IN PEDIATRIC FONTAN PATIENTS AFTER CARDIAC REHABILITATION

Background: Patients with Fontan circulation have impaired exercise capacity. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has shown promise in improving peak exercise performance in this population, but its role in improving submaximal exercise performance has not been shown to date. We assessed the hypothesis that
Evaluation of 2′,7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein Diacetate and Dihydrorhodamine 123 for the Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species

Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been linked to many diseases and is one of the mechanisms suggested for the adverse effects of inhaling airborne particulate matter. The ability to detect and quantify these species collectively could contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms and the prevention of possible adverse health effects. However, the use of oxidant-sensitive fluorescent probes for ROS detection has been problematic with respect to a reliable, easy-to-use, and related to health outcomes. In the present study, the performance of the commonly used probe 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) for ROS detection in ambient air was compared to a popular probe used in cell culture research, namely dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR-123). DCFH-DA and DHR-123 were tested with several surrogate compounds from different functional ROS groups (e.g., hydroperoxide and organic peroxide) and a few non-ROS groups. For ROS detection in ambient air, DCFH-DA was often more suitable because it responded to most ROS functional groups. Furthermore, it did not react with many non-ROS. DHR-123, on the other hand, reacted with more species including those that are not oxidizing, and may lead to an overestimation of the ROS present. These results illustrate the species that trigger positive responses from the two probes and could thus be used to understand the mechanisms of these reactions and to decide which probe to choose for ROS detection under different circumstances.
Mutation of Autonomously Replicating Plasmids

Transfection of mammalian cells with DNA vectors that can replicate autonomously as plasmids is advantageous for several types of experiments. Plasmids that replicate to high copy number provide amplification of signals for DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis. Also, plasmid DNA can be easily retrieved from mammalian cells, separate from the mass of chromosomal DNA. Thus, the use of autonomously replicating recombinant DNA vectors, in conjunction with transfection techniques for transfer of the vectors to mammalian cells, has produced rapid and powerful experiments that avoid many of the complexities associated with the full-sized mammalian genome.
A rapid T1 mapping method for assessment of murine kidney viability using dynamic manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE Dynamic manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) allows assessment of tissue viability by tracing manganese uptake. We aimed to develop a rapid T1 mapping method for dynamic MEMRI to facilitate assessments of murine kidney viability. METHODS A multi-slice saturation recovery fast spin echo (MSRFSE) was developed, validated, and subsequently applied in dynamic MEMRI at 16.4T on ischemic mouse kidneys after 4 weeks of unilateral renal artery stenosis (RAS). Baseline T1 values and post-contrast R1 (1/T1 ) changes were measured in cortex (CO), outer (OSOM), inner (ISOM) strips of outer medulla, and inner medulla (IM). RESULTS Validation studies showed strong agreement between MSRFSE and an established saturation recovery Look-Locker method. Baseline T1 (s) increased in the stenotic kidney CO (2.10 [1.95-2.56] vs. 1.88 [1.81-2.00], P = 0.0317) and OSOM (2.17 [2.05-2.33] vs. 1.96 [1.87-2.00], P = 0.0075) but remained unchanged in ISOM and IM. This method allowed a temporal resolution of 1.43 min in dynamic MEMRI. Mn2+ uptake and retention decreased in stenotic kidneys, particularly in the OSOM (ΔR1 : 0.48 [0.38-0.56] vs. 0.64 [0.61-0.69] s-1 , P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Dynamic MEMRI by MSRFSE detected decreased cellular viability and discerned the regional responses to RAS. This technique may provide a valuable tool for noninvasive evaluation of renal viability. Magn Reson Med 80:190-199, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
The sliding of the signified: multimodal sign operations in a youth-created experimental digital video:

In this article, the author presents a multimodal discourse analysis of a digital video composed by five students (ages 11–12) in an urban, public-school classroom. The focal mockumentary video is ...
A machine learning approach to hyperspectral detection of solid targets

We describe and compare two approaches to solid subpixel target detection in hyperspectral imagery. The first approach requires explicit models for both the target and the background, and employs a generalized likelihood ratio in order to obtain a detector that is optimized to those specific models. When this approach is most successful, a closed-form solution is obtained that permits the detector to be efficiently applied. A specific example of this approach is outlined in some detail, leading to the elliptically-contoured finite-target matched filter (EC-FTMF), a variant of the classical FTMF algorithm that uses a multivariate t -distribution instead of a Gaussian as the model for the background. The second approach also requires an explicit model of the target, but does not need a model for the background. In this second approach, matched pairs of data samples are created: for each pixel in the original hyperspectral image, a corresponding pixel is generated by implanting the target into the original pixel. These matched pairs are used as training data for a machine learning algorithm to classify pixels as either non-target or target. Here we use a support vector machine, but the matched pair machine learning (MPML) framework does not restrict the choice of classifier type. Detectors using both approaches are applied both to simulated data (with Gaussian and with multivariate fit distributed backgrounds) and to real hyperspectral data with known, referenced targets.
Solving maximum clique in sparse graphs: an O(nm+n2^{d/4}) algorithm for d-degenerate graphs

We describe an algorithm for the maximum clique problem that is parameterized by the graph’s degeneracy \(d\). The algorithm runs in \(O\left( nm+n T_d \right) \) time, where \(T_d\) is the time to solve the maximum clique problem in an arbitrary graph on \(d\) vertices. The best bound as of now is \(T_d=O(2^{d/4})\) by Robson. This shows that the maximum clique problem is solvable in \(O(nm)\) time in graphs for which \(d \le 4 \log _2 m + O(1)\). The analysis of the algorithm’s runtime is simple; the algorithm is easy to implement when given a subroutine for solving maximum clique in small graphs; it is easy to parallelize. In the case of Bianconi-Marsili power-law random graphs, it runs in \(2^{O(\sqrt{n})}\) time with high probability. We extend the approach for a graph invariant based on common neighbors, generating a second algorithm that has a smaller exponent at the cost of a larger polynomial factor.
Partitioning the Phylogenetic, Functional, Environmental, and Spatial Components of Community Diversity

The objectives of this chapter are to understand and implement methods for partitioning the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of diversity within and between communities and to quantify the relationships between traits, phylogenetic relatedness, space, and the environment simultaneously.
The Gender Gap in Environmental Attitudes: A System Justification Perspective

System justification refers to a psychological tendency to maintain certainty, security, and solidarity through motivated perceptions of the status quo and the extant socioeconomic system as beneficial, fair, stable, and legitimate, especially in response to dependency and threat. System justification impedes efforts to address societal challenges, and in particular gives rise to denial, resistance, and inaction in the face of climate change and environmental problems. Women chronically engage in less system justification than men, and this difference partially explains women’s greater willingness to acknowledge ecological problems and risks and to engage in actions that are beneficial for the environment. We demonstrate that reframing environmental messages as consistent with upholding the established way of life and the well-being of our society gives rise to increased support for environmental efforts on the part of those who are especially motivated to justify the system and can therefore help to narrow the ideological gap in environmental attitudes and behaviors.
Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor is associated with clinical and pathologic disease status in hairy cell leukemia.

Hairy cell leukemia is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder of B-cell lineage, whose malignant cells express the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor. A soluble form of the IL-2 receptor is released by these cells in culture, and the sera of patients with hairy cell leukemia contain elevated levels of this soluble receptor. Four hundred twenty-seven serum samples from 101 patients were analyzed for soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R). The clinical status of patients appeared to be associated with the serum level of sIL-2R. The hairy cell index (a measure of tumor cell burden) was correlated with the square root of the serum sIL-2R level (r = .77). Improved clinical status was associated with decreasing serum sIL-2R levels, whereas disease relapse was associated with increasing levels. Notably, every patient who responded to therapy had a decline in serum sIL-2R level, and every patient with disease progression had an increase in serum sIL-2R level. This phenomenon was observed for several different treatments, including standard-dose interferon, low-dose interferon, and deoxycoformycin. The predictive reliability of this test is currently being prospectively evaluated.
Delivering Combination Chemotherapies and Targeting Oncogenic Pathways via Polymeric Drug Delivery Systems

The side-effects associated with chemotherapy necessitates better delivery of chemotherapeutics to the tumor. Nanoparticles can load higher amounts of drug and improve delivery to tumors, increasing the efficacy of treatment. Polymeric nanoparticles, in particular, have been used extensively for chemotherapeutic delivery. This review describes the efforts made to deliver combination chemotherapies and inhibit oncogenic pathways using polymeric drug delivery systems. Combinations of chemotherapeutics with other drugs or small interfering RNA (siRNA) combinations have been summarized. Special attention is given to the delivery of drug combinations that involve either paclitaxel or doxorubicin, two popular chemotherapeutics in clinic. Attempts to inhibit specific pathways for oncotherapy have also been described. These include inhibition of oncogenic pathways (including those involving HER2, EGFR, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, STAT3, and HIF-1α), augmentation of apoptosis by inhibiting anti-apoptosis proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and survivin), and targeting dysregulated pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog.
Introduction: The Forest Futures Horizon Scanning Project

The external environment in which forest planners, managers, and policymakers operate today is one of rapid, complex, and turbulent change. The broad social, economic, technological, and political contexts for forestry are constantly changing and the pace of change is accelerating (Steffen et al. 2015). The internal environment for forestry is also characterized by rapid and often surprising change, as new developments and emerging issues within the field continually appear and pose challenges for decisionmakers. To be effective in these changing internal and external contexts, forestry decisionmakers must anticipate emerging issues, trends, opportunities, and threats, and act proactively. They need to develop and apply strategic foresight: insight into how and why the future could be different from today (Lum 2016).
Nozzle-integrated pre-deposition and post-deposition heating of previously deposited layers in polymer extrusion based additive manufacturing

Abstract The adhesion and merging of adjacent filaments in polymer extrusion based additive manufacturing (AM) plays a key role in determining the thermal and mechanical properties of the built part. It is well known that maintaining the deposited filaments at a high temperature aids in the process of adhesion and merging. While external mechanisms such as laser and infrared heating have been used in the past to heat up deposited filaments, this paper presents a simpler, less invasive and in situ mechanism for heating of previously deposited layers using a hot metal block integrated with and rastering together with the filament-dispensing nozzle. Infrared thermography based quantitative measurement of temperature field along the raster line is carried out for two configurations – a preheater and a postheater traveling ahead of or behind the nozzle respectively. In each case, significant temperature rise in the deposited filaments is shown. A configuration comprising both preheater and postheater is shown to result in additional thermal benefits. The measured temperature rise is shown to be a function of process parameters such as raster speed and heater-to-base gap. Experimental measurements are shown to agree well with theoretical and simulation models. Cross-section imaging of samples printed without and with the in situ heating clearly show significant improvement in neck growth and filament-to-filament merging compared to the baseline case. Improvement in thermal and structural performance of printed samples is also demonstrated. Compared to other techniques proposed in the past, the heating approach presented in this work is passive and requires minimal additional costs or complexity. The improved temperature field and consequently enhanced filament adhesion reported here may help design and build parts with superior thermal and mechanical properties using polymer AM.
Limits of the HTCondor Transfer System

In the past, several scaling tests have been performed on the HTCondor batch system regarding its job scheduling capabilities. In this talk we report on a first set of scalability measurements of the file transfer capabilities of the HTCondor batch system. Motivated by the GlueX experiment needs we evaluate the limits and possible use of HTCondor as a solution to transport the output of jobs back to a submitter as a function of the number of concurrent jobs, the size of the output and the distance between a submitting node and computing node. We conclude that HTCondor transfer system satisfies the current GlueX computing demands.
Government and Nonprofit Personnel Forecasting

Governments and nonprofits project the supply and demand of current and future personnel as well as personnel expenditures. Accurate personnel projections are critical to helping an organization strategically plan for personnel needs in relation to its mission. Accurate personnel expenditure forecasts are also critical to helping an organization budget for short- and long-term costs associated with personnel compensation. Despite this essential function of government and nonprofit strategic human resource management, there is little examination of it in the literature. Based on a literature review conducted in this chapter, only a few articles consider government and nonprofit personnel projections and forecasts. Many rely on surveys with small samples or are from decades ago. Further, there is almost no insight into the methodologies that are utilized for personnel projections and forecasts, limiting insight for practitioners looking for evidence-based recommendations. This chapter considers these limitations and makes a variety of recommendations to help pave the way for future research that can build the literature and inform practitioners.
Integrating 3D graphics into early CS courses

The use of graphics, especially images of three-dimensional scenes, could be a powerful motivational tool in teaching early computer science courses such as CS1 and CS2. Unfortunately, producing 3D graphics in a Java or C++ program involves considerable overhead in learning and programming. Using a lower-level graphics library such as OpenGL inevitably exposes the student to a great deal of material perhaps more suitable to a computer graphics course. On the other hand, higher-level application programming interfaces such as Open Inventor or Java 3D present a high level of conceptual difficulty and overall complexity. This paper briefly surveys these two approaches and suggests that it is the full generality of each that makes them probably inappropriate for beginning programmers. An alternate approach is proposed, namely to use a higher-level pedagogically-focused API that insulates students from many of the details of using 3D graphics in their programs, yet is simple enough, at the sacrifice of generality, to be mastered and used with relatively little overhead cost. One such API is described, with sample assignments.
Modelling Psychological Needs for User-dependent Contextual Suggestion

This paper presents our approach for the Contextual Suggestion track of 2014 Text REtrieval Conference (TREC). The task aims to provide recommendations on points of interests (POI) for various kinds of users under different contexts. This becomes challenging due to the limited amount of training data provided by TREC and the demanding constraints for a suggestion to be judged as relevant. Our approach does not deviate from existing Machine Learning based methods in principle, but sticks closely to the defined relevance judgement criteria, by focusing primarily on modelling users’ preferences on POI categories, and investigating upon their psychological expectations on the textual descriptions of the POIs. The latter is considered as our novelty in this work. Support Vector Regression was used for suggestion ranking, an ad-hoc web information extractor was used to collect POI descriptions, and a description evaluation mechanism was engaged to select proper POI descriptions subject to the nature of the POIs. Our results suggest that our methods are effective in obtaining satisfying user-specific POI rankings and generating descriptions that meet users’ psychological expectations.
Highly Selective Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction by [Pt(dmpe)2]2+ through Kinetic and Thermodynamic Control

CO2 reduction pathways for sustainable fuel generation are often limited by product selectivity for carbon-based products or a competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The thermodynamic and k...
Considerations for trials of disease modifying treatments in Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease (PD) symptomatic treatment has been one of the seminal neurologic success stories of the last half-century. With the advent of levodopa, PD longevity has increased and now is only 1 year short of actuarial predictions.1 However, PD-linked disability progressively increases after many years. Patients with PD in my clinical practice commonly ask, “When will we have the cure?”
Engineering PEG-based hydrogels to foster efficient endothelial network formation in free-swelling and confined microenvironments.

Abstract In vitro tissue engineered models are poised to have significant impact on disease modeling and preclinical drug development. Reliable methods to induce microvascular networks in such microphysiological systems are needed to improve the size and physiological function of these models. By systematically engineering several physical and biomolecular properties of the cellular microenvironment (including crosslinking density, polymer density, adhesion ligand concentration, and degradability), we establish design principles that describe how synthetic matrix properties influence vascular morphogenesis in modular and tunable hydrogels based on commercial 8-arm poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG8a) macromers. We apply these design principles to generate endothelial networks that exhibit consistent morphology throughout depths of hydrogel greater than 1 mm. These PEG8a-based hydrogels have relatively high volumetric swelling ratios (>1.5), which limits their utility in confined environments such as microfluidic devices. To overcome this limitation, we mitigate swelling by incorporating a highly functional PEG-grafted alpha-helical poly (propargyl- l -glutamate) (PPLGgPEG) macromer along with the canonical 8-arm PEG8a macromer in gel formation. This hydrogel platform supports enhanced endothelial morphogenesis in neutral-swelling environments. Finally, we incorporate PEG8a-PPLGgPEG gels into microfluidic devices and demonstrate improved diffusion kinetics and microvascular network formation in situ compared to PEG8a-based gels.
Precrisis military hostility and escalation in international crises

Why do some international crises escalate into violence while others do not? I argue that an understanding of crisis behavior necessitates awareness of the processes preceding a crisis and propose ...
The paradox of faith: how existential concerns motivate both prosocial and antisocial religious behaviors

Abstract Religious faith is a driving force behind a substantial portion of human behavior. Yet theologically motivated action presents as a paradox: in some instances, reflecting humanistic yearnings for selflessness, giving, and tolerance; and in others, revealing aggressive, tribalistic urges for dominance and power. The present chapter applies the work of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker and terror management theory to delineate how these divergent trends commonly emerge from human efforts to mitigate potential anxiety stemming from the awareness of death. Empirical research shows that reminders of mortality typically motivate intercultural conflict among religious groups. Additional work shows, however, that this trend is reversed under certain conditions, such that death-related concerns fuel prosocial religious behavior. Individual differences in religious orientation constitute one important moderating factor, as do the values and norms promoted in society at large, and the extent to which individuals engage in conscious, mindful encounters with the thought of their mortality.