cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epilogue to the Tale of the Triassic Amphipod: Rosagammarus McMenamin, Zapata and Hussey, 2013 is a Decapod Tail (Luning Formation, Nevada, USA)

M. A. S. McMenamin and colleagues described a unique crustacean fossil from the Triassic Luning Formation in west-central Nevada as a new genus and species of amphipod, Rosagammarus minichiellus McMenamin, Zapata and Hussey, 2013. The amphipod identity caused an over-150-million-year ghost range connecting R. minichiellus with the next-oldest fossil amphipods in Eocene amber. The amphipod identity nevertheless failed to stand up to closer scrutiny. Additional preparation of the fossil, coupled with examination using polarized light and electron microscopy revealed that many podomere boundaries of the original interpretation were either artifacts of incomplete exposure of the fossil, or they represented places where the fossil arthropod cuticle had flaked off. The polarized light showed the weathered remnants of the cuticle to be more extensive than originally realized. Examination with a scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed the cuticle to be at least partially replaced with silica in stark contrast to the calcium carbonate matrix. Elemental mapping revealed that some supposed boundaries between adjacent legs actually had a strong silica signal, suggesting that the silica-replaced cuticle continues beneath the matrix connecting the two legs laterally. The amphipod identity for R. minichiellus is therefore rejected. The fossil is instead proposed to represent the right half of a tail belonging to a lobster-like decapod, with two broad, flat, uropods preserved. Other decapods are known from the Luning Formation, but none with enough detail to meaningfully compare with R. minichiellus . The relatively broad ecological distribution of decapods does not shed any new light on the unique paleoecology of the Luning Formation.
CRISPR-Cas and Restriction-Modification Act Additively against Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid Transfer in Enterococcus faecalis

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic pathogen and a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Conjugative pheromone-responsive plasmids are narrow-host-range mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that are rapid disseminators of antibiotic resistance in the faecalis species. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas and restriction-modification confer acquired and innate immunity, respectively, against MGE acquisition in bacteria. Most multidrug-resistant E. faecalis isolates lack CRISPR-Cas and possess an orphan locus lacking cas genes, CRISPR2, that is of unknown function. Little is known about restriction-modification defense in E. faecalis. Here, we explore the hypothesis that multidrug-resistant E. faecalis strains are immunocompromised. We assessed MGE acquisition by E. faecalis T11, a strain closely related to the multidrug-resistant hospital isolate V583 but which lacks the ~620 kb of horizontally acquired genome content that characterizes V583. T11 possesses the E. faecalis CRISPR3-cas locus and a predicted restriction-modification system, neither of which occurs in V583. We demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification together confer a 4-log reduction in acquisition of the pheromone-responsive plasmid pAM714 in biofilm matings. Additionally, we show that the orphan CRISPR2 locus is functional for genome defense against another pheromone-responsive plasmid, pCF10, only in the presence of cas9 derived from the E. faecalis CRISPR1-cas locus, which most multidrug-resistant E. faecalis isolates lack. Overall, our work demonstrated that the loss of only two loci led to a dramatic reduction in genome defense against a clinically relevant MGE, highlighting the critical importance of the E. faecalis accessory genome in modulating horizontal gene transfer. Our results rationalize the development of antimicrobial strategies that capitalize upon the immunocompromised status of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis. IMPORTANCEEnterococcus faecalis is a bacterium that normally inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Although these bacteria are members of our native gut flora, they can cause life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance genes appear to be readily shared among high-risk E. faecalis strains, and multidrug resistance in these bacteria limits treatment options for infections. Here, we find that CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification systems, which function as adaptive and innate immune systems in bacteria, significantly impact the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in E. faecalis populations. The loss of these systems in high-risk E. faecalis suggests that they are immunocompromised, a tradeoff that allows them to readily acquire new genes and adapt to new antibiotics.
Type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase regulates electrogenic ion transport in rabbit collecting duct.

cAMP mediates many of the effects of vasopressin, prostaglandin E2, and β-adrenergic agents upon salt and water transport in the renal collecting duct. The present studies examined the role of cAMP...
In Pursuit of Authenticity: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium for Clinical Applications

Acknowledgements Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be efficiently differentiated into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), offering the possibility of autologous cell replacement therapy for retinal degeneration stemming from RPE loss. The generation and maintenance of epithelial apical-basolateral polarity is fundamental for iPSC-derived RPE (iPSC-RPE) to recapitulate native RPE structure and function. Presently, no criteria have been established to determine clonal or donor based heterogeneity in the polarization and maturation state of iPSC-RPE. We provide an unbiased structural, molecular, and physiological evaluation of 15 iPSC-RPE that have been derived from distinct tissues from several different donors. We assessed the intact RPE monolayer in terms of an ATP-dependent signaling pathway that drives critical aspects of RPE function, including calcium and electrophysiological responses, as well as steady-state fluid transport. These responses have key in vivo counterparts that together help determine the homeostasis of the distal retina. We characterized the donor and clonal variation and found that iPSC-RPE function was more significantly affected by the genetic differences between different donors than the epigenetic differences associated with different starting tissues. This study provides a reference dataset to authenticate genetically diverse iPSC-RPE derived for clinical applications. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is essential for maintaining visual function. RPE derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-RPE) offer a promising cell-based transplantation therapy for slowing or rescuing RPE-induced visual function loss. For effective treatment, iPSC-RPE must recapitulate the physiology of native human RPE. A set of physiologically relevant functional assays are provided that assess the polarized functional activity and maturation state of the intact RPE monolayer. The present data show that donor-to-donor variability exceeds the tissue-to-tissue variability for a given donor and provides, for the first time, criteria necessary to identify iPSC-RPE most suitable for clinical application.
Effects of Product Involvement and Choice Context on The Use of Attitude-Based and Attribute-Based Decision Strategies

This study attempts to gain further insight into when consumers use attribute-based versus attitude-based decision strategies by examining high and low involvement purchases in both memory-based and stimulus-based choice contexts. Key to the development of hypotheses is the relative accessibility and diagnosticity of the cognitive inputs.
Macroporous acrylamide phantoms improve prediction of in vivo performance of in situ forming implants

Abstract In situ forming implants (ISFIs) have shown promise as a sustained, local drug delivery system for therapeutics in a variety of applications. However, development of ISFIs has been hindered by poor correlation between in vitro study results and in vivo performance. In contrast to oral dosage forms, there is currently no clear consensus on a standard for in vitro drug dissolution studies for parenteral formulations. Recent studies have suggested that the disparity between in vivo and in vitro behavior of phase-inverting ISFIs may be, in part, due to differences in injection site stiffness. Accordingly, this study aimed to create acrylamide-based hydrogel phantoms of varying porosity and stiffness, which we hypothesized would better predict in vivo performance. Implant microstructure and shape were found to be dependent on the stiffness of the phantoms, while drug release was found to be dependent on both phantom porosity and stiffness. Specifically, SEM analysis revealed that implant porosity and interconnectivity decreased with increasing phantom stiffness and better mimicked the microstructure seen in vivo. Burst release of drug increased from 31% to 43% when in standard acrylamide phantoms vs macroporous phantoms (10 kPa), improving the correlation to the burst release seen in vivo. Implants in 30 kPa macroporous phantoms had the best correlation with in vivo burst release, significantly improving (p
A Pastoral Theological Response to Depression in African American Pastors

In this final chapter, Wimberley draws from the Old Testament narrative to offer a culturally sensitive approach to mental health intervention with black clergy. This approach to care-giving takes into consideration the historical trauma of slavocracy, endemic societal oppression, the cultural stigmatization of depression in the African American community, the internalized/external expectations of black clergy and the preoccupation with image promotion/projection. She utilizes the prophetess Huldah as a constructive metaphor for engaging therapeutic practice with black pastors. The HULDAH model of care-giving is a communal–contextual pastoral theological methodology that provides protective therapeutic “holding spaces” for pastors to experience reincorporation into communal life through relationality, reconciliation, restorative or curative teaching, and renewal.
Self Adjoint Operator Chebyshev-Grüss Inequalities

We present here very general self adjoint operator Chebyshev-Gruss type inequalities to all cases. We give applications. It follows [2].
CHAPTER 6 – Antibody–Antigen Recognition and Conformational Changes

Antibodies are wonderfully malleable molecules that can vary in both their sequence and structure in order to recognize an infinite number of potential antigens. The extensive diversity of the V(D)J recombination along with the fixed pool of variable genes leads to a sufficient number of different specificities to bind almost any antigen with high affinity. Structural studies of these molecules have led to a better understanding of their mechanism of action and allowed for improvements in their natural design in order to produce antibodies that are useful in many fields, such as catalytic antibody production. Catalytic antibodies are now available to carry out many different chemical reactions, some of which have no naturally occurring enzyme catalyst and are being used more and more widely as tools by synthetic chemists.
Role of uric acid in DNA damage-induced MHC class I-related chain A and B expression

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 4834 The mechanisms of DNA damage-induced expression of the immune system ligands of the NKG2D receptor remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrated that allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), was able to block the production of uric acid and reactive oxygen species (ROS), two metabolic products of. XOR, in tumor cell lines exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) or two genotoxic drugs, gemcitabine and 5-flurouracil (5-FU). Inhibition of uric acid accumulation led to the inhibition of DNA damage-induced expression of two human NKG2D ligands, the major histocompatibility antigen-related chain A and B (MICA/B). Whereas scavenge of ROS had only little effect on DNA damage-induced MICA/B expression. Further studies showed that DNA damage-induced MICA/B expression was mediated by uric acid-induced MAP kinase activation. Finally, we showed that activation of the ATM-Chk1/2 pathway was required for uric acid production in tumor cells. Blockade of the ATM-Chk1/2 pathway led to the inhibition of DNA damage-induced MAP kinase activation and MICA/B expression. Thus, our study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of MAP kinase activation and the expression of immune receptor ligands in DNA-damaged cells.
Duration of Mechanical Ventilation and Perioperative Care Quality After Neonatal Cardiac Operations

Background This study was conducted to determine whether the duration of mechanical ventilation (DOMV) could be used to benchmark the overall quality of care after neonatal congenital heart operations. Methods Children aged younger than 30 days undergoing cardiac operations were reviewed. Technical adequacy was assessed using the Technical Performance Score (TPS), a previously validated tool for determining the adequacy of a palliative or corrective surgical procedure that uses echocardiography criteria and need for unplanned reintervention to determine technical adequacy. Preoperative risk factors and postoperative complications were determined using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database definitions. Surgical complexity was assessed using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons–European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) Mortality Categories. We explored associations between preoperative risk factors, STAT category, TPS, and postoperative complications with DOMV. Results Of 601 patients studied, 49 were not included in the multivariable analysis due to a STAT nonclassifiable operation or unmeasured TPS, or both. Multiple risk factors were associated with longer DOMV, including weight ( p = 0.005), The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database preoperative factors ( p = 0.005), STAT mortality category ( p p p p = 0.01), class 3 TPS by 2.16 days ( p p R 2 = 0.42. Conclusions Neonates with major residual lesions and postoperative complications have prolonged DOMV. DOMV may reflect the quality of care after congenital heart operations.
Producing intricate IPMC shapes by means of spray-painting and printing (Conference Presentation)

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMC) are common soft actuators that are Nafion® based and plated with a conductive metal, such as platinum, gold, or palladium. Nafion® is available in three forms: sheets, pellets, and water dispersion. Nafion® sheets can be cut to the desired dimensions and are best for rectangular IPMCs. However, the user is not able to change the thickness of these sheets by stacking and melting because Nafion® does not melt. A solution to this is Nafion® pellets, which can melt. These can be used for extrusion and injection molding. Though Nafion® pellets can be melted, they are difficult to work with, making the process quite challenging to master. The last form is Nafion® Water Dispersion, which can be used for casting. Casting can produce the desired thickness, but it does not solve the problem of achieving complex contours. The current methods of fabrication do not allow for complex shapes and structures. To solve this problem, two methods are presented: painting and printing. The painting method uses Nafion® Water Dispersion, an airbrush, and vinyl stencils. The stencils can be made into any shape with detailed edges. The printing method uses Nafion® pellets that are extruded into filaments and a commercially available 3D printer. The models are drawn in a Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD) program, such as SolidWorks. The produced Nafion® membranes will be compared with a commercial Nafion® membrane through a variety of tests, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and Optical Microscope.
Monte Carlo Study of An Econometric Estimator of Evolutionary Parameter Structures

Abstract Our local, iterative, maximum likelihood estimator for Econometric Models with Evolutionary Parameter Structures (EMEPS) estimates the time-varying mean and covariance matrix of structural parameters, as well as their constant hyperstructure. On the basis of 200 replications of sizes between 25 and 400 observations and over a range of stable through marginally unstable structural parameter processes, we find that this sufficient estimator is asymptotically unbiased, and efficient, according to parametric and nonparametric measures of bias, dispersion, and dispersion including bias. When the number of observations increases above 50, the very small initial biases virtually disappear, and the efficiency of the estimates increases geometrically. The estimates of the evolutionary structural parameters show neither systematicovernor underestimation, and their errors show only very weak residual autocorrelation. On average between 90 and 100 percent of the variation of the structural parameter processes is explained. The estimates of the constant hyperstructure of the stable processes are normally distributed for 100 or more observations and the usual test statistics can be applied.
A comparison of manual reaction times as measured by three sensitive indices

Visual reaction time data for each of three subjects are analyzed to show by how much the response as recorded by a sensitive microswitch, closed by forearm movement, lags behind the initial application of pressure, as recorded by a strain-gauge device, and in turn by how much the latter falls behind the muscle action potential. The data afford rough corrections for translating typical reaction time data to those concerned with the initiation of the peripheral effector response.
Prognostic Implication of Electrocardiographic Left Ventricular Strain in Patients Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Electrocardiographic (ECG) strain has been linked to excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis. We aim to determine the differential impact of baseline ECG-strain on long-term mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Patients who underwent TAVI from January 2012 to March 2016 at Mayo Clinic were included. Left ventricular (LV) strain was defined as the presence of ≥1mm convex ST-segment depression with asymmetrical T-wave inversion in leads V5 to V6 on baseline ECG. Primary end point was all-cause long-term mortality. Of the 520 patients screened, 130 were excluded due to left bundle branch block or paced rhythm. Median follow-up was 1.5 years, IQR (0.9 to 2.7). In the 390 included patients, 47 (12%) had strain pattern on pre-TAVI ECG. Patients in the strain group had higher prevalence of peripheral vascular disease (83% vs 68%, p = 0.04), and atrial fibrillation/flutter (51% vs 37%, p = 0.06). They also had lower mean LV-ejection fraction (51 ± 16% vs 58±12%, p = 0.003, larger LV-internal diameter in systole (3.71 ± 1.04cm vs 3.26 ± 0.75 cm), higher LV-mass-index (136 ± 44 vs 121 ± 29 g/m2; p = 0.044), and higher estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (50 ± 13 vs 43 ± 15mm Hg; p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a cumulative probability of survival at 3 years of 35.4% ± 8% in patients with LV-strain compared with 67% ± 3.4% in patients without LV-strain (log-rank p
Mixed symbolic–numerical computations with general DAEs I: System properties

Differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) arise in many ways in many types of problems. In this expository paper we discuss a variety of situations where we have found mixed symbolic-numerical calculations to be essential. The paper is designed to both familiarize the reader with several fundamental DAE ideas and to present some applications. The situations discussed include the analysis of DAEs, the solution of DAEs, and applications which include DAEs. Both successes and challenges will be presented.
Fundamentals of Particulate Metallurgy

High performance powder metallurgy reflects significant advances in the science and technology of powder production and subsequent powder consolidation. Powder processing methods involving the atomization of a stream of liquid metal are reviewed with particular reference to relationships between processing parameters and powder properties. These methods include gas and water atomization, several forms of centrifugal atomization and recent innovative approaches at the prototype or laboratory-stage of development. Where available, models and mechanisms of the atomization processes are detailed. To conclude, the role of cooling rate in powder processing, and implications re the characteristics of rapidly solidified powders are examined.
The Effects of Selective Muscle Weakness on Muscle Coordination in the Human Arm

Despite the fundamental importance of muscle coordination in daily life, it is currently unclear how muscle coordination adapts when the musculoskeletal system is perturbed. In this study, we quantified the impact of selective muscle weakness on several metrics of muscle coordination. Seven healthy subjects performed 2D and 3D isometric force target matches, while electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded from 13 elbow and shoulder muscles. Subsequently, muscle weakness was induced by a motor point block of brachialis muscle. Postblock subjects repeated the force generation tasks. We quantified muscle coordination pre- and postblock using three metrics: tuning curve preferred direction, tuning curve area, and motor modules analysis via nonnegative matrix factorization. For most muscles, the tuning direction for the 2D protocol was not substantially altered postblock, while tuning areas changed more drastically. Typically, five motor modules were identified from the 3D task, and four motor modules were identified in the 2D task; this result held across both pre- and postblock conditions. The composition of one or two motor modules, ones that involved mainly the activation of shoulder muscles, was altered postblock. Our results demonstrate that selective muscle weakness can induce nonintuitive alternations in muscle coordination in the mechanically redundant human arm.
Clonal evolution following chemotherapy-induced stem cell depletion in cats heterozygous for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

The number of hematopoietic stem cells necessary to support normal hematopoiesis is not known but may be small. If so, the depletion or damage of such cells could result in apparent clonal dominance. To test this hypothesis, dimethylbusulfan [2 to 4 mg/kg intravenously (IV) x 3] was given to cats heterozygous for the X-linked enzyme glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD). These cats were the daughters of domestic X Geoffroy parents. After the initial drug-induced cytopenias (2 to 4 weeks), peripheral blood counts and the numbers of marrow progenitors detected in culture remained normal, although the percentages of erythroid burst-forming cells (BFU-E) and granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming cells (CFU-GM) in DNA synthesis increased, as determined by the tritiated thymidine suicide technique. In three of six cats treated, a dominance of Geoffroy-type G-6-PD emerged among the progenitor cells, granulocytes, and RBCs. These skewed ratios of domestic to Geoffroy-type G-6-PD have persisted greater than 3 years. No changes in cell cycle kinetics or G-6-PD phenotypes were noted in similar studies in six control cats. These data suggest that clonal evolution may reflect the depletion or damage of normal stem cells and not only the preferential growth and dominance of neoplastic cells.
Effects of Social Network Structure on Epidemic Disease Spread Dynamics with Application to Ad Hoc Networks

With the frequent appearance and spread of infectious diseases and their impact on major population areas, there is a growing interest to develop models for analyzing the dynamic behavior of epidemics. Such analysis can provide a better decision making process to combat and confine disease. In this article, we briefly survey the literature on network structure effect on disease spread models. Subsequently, we discuss an SEIR based epidemic model for different levels of aggregation of population. This model is subsequently applied to analyze virus propagation phenomena in mobile ad hoc networks. For managing this type of threat, we propose two security architectures for these networks based on several design criteria including scalability, power, and computation limitations.
Different Effects of Parathyroid Hormone on Epithelial Transport

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been shown to stimulate calcium (Ca) transport in many tissues including human red cells, cultured heart cells, isolated mitochondria, Hela cells, renal and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells (1–7). The effect of PTH on calcium transport appears to be independent of activation adenylate cyclase (8). Because of these findings, we proposed that PTH may act as a naturally occurring calcium ionophore (8).
The predictive value of small versus diminutive adenomas for subsequent advanced neoplasia.

Background and Aims Patients with previous colorectal adenomas are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. Current guidelines for postpolypectomy surveillance intervals treat all tubular adenomas 1 to 9 mm in size with low-grade dysplasia as carrying the same level of risk. We evaluated whether 6 to 9 mm adenomas detected at colonoscopy are associated with greater risk of advanced neoplasia at follow-up compared with baseline 1 to 5 mm adenomas. Methods We retrospectively evaluated a colonoscopy database at a single U.S. academic center. Patients with baseline examinations demonstrating tubular adenomas 1 to 9 mm in size with low-grade dysplasia and no advanced adenomas were included. Follow-up colonoscopies were performed at least 200 days later and were assessed for incident advanced neoplasia (cancer, high-grade dysplasia, adenoma ≥10 mm in size, or villous elements). Results There were 2477 qualifying baseline colonoscopies. The absolute risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia increased from 3.6% in patients with 1 to 5 mm adenomas to 6.9% in patients with at least 1 adenoma of 6 to 9 mm (P = .001). Patients with 5 or more adenomas 1 of which was at least 6 to 9 mm had the highest risk of advanced neoplasia at follow-up (10.4%, P = .006). When only screening colonoscopies were considered, all baseline groups (1-2 adenomas, 3-4 adenomas, ≥5 adenomas) with adenomas 6 to 9 mm in size had an increased risk for metachronous advanced neoplasia (odds ratio [OR], 4.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50-11.04; OR, 4.91; 95% CI, 1.44-16.75; OR, 4.71; 95% CI, 1.30-17.05, respectively). Conclusions Patients with baseline small (6-9 mm) adenomas have an increased risk of advanced lesions on follow-up compared with patients with only diminutive (1-5 mm) adenomas. Postpolypectomy guidelines should consider risk stratification based on small versus diminutive adenomas.
A Simple Assay to Evaluate the Function of Human Connexin Hemichannels Expressed in Escherichia coli that Can Be Used for Drug Discovery and Mutant Analysis

Abnormally increased activity of connexin hemichannels contributes to cell damage in many disorders, including deafness, stroke, and cardiac infarct, and therefore hemichannels constitute a potentially important therapeutic target. Unfortunately, the available hemichannel inhibitors are not specific and most are toxic. The absence of a simple and cost-effective screening assay has made the discovery of hemichannel inhibitors difficult. Here, we present an optimized assay where human connexins are expressed in genetically modified Escherichia coli cells deficient in potassium uptake (LB2003 cells). These cells cannot grow in low-potassium medium, and hemichannel function is assayed by the reversion of the no-growth phenotype. Since functional hemichannels are permeable to potassium, they allow for its uptake and cell growth. The simple reading of bacterial growth in low-potassium medium distinguishes functional hemichannels (growth) from those inhibited (no growth). This assay is simple, robust, inexpensive, and reliable, and is easily scaled to high-throughput multiwell platforms. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of competent LB2003 cells resistant to kanamycin Basic Protocol 2: Growth complementation assay Support Protocol: Evaluation of cytotoxic effects of potential connexin hemichannel inhibitors.
Insulated Coupler Structure Design for the Long-Distance Freshwater Capacitive Power Transfer

This article proposes a long-distance capacitive power transfer (CPT) system in the freshwater environment. The theoretical model of the capacitive coupler is derived in the freshwater scenario, considering the impact of the insulation. The finite element analysis by high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) is used to simulate the coupler structure. Compared with the system in air, the coupling capacitance in a freshwater system is less sensitive to the distance variation. The transfer distance is therefore significantly extended in the freshwater environment. Then, a prototype is implemented to validate the analysis, in which the plate length is 200 mm. In the freshwater testing, experiments show that the system achieves 219.6 W output power across a distance of 500 mm with the efficiency of 60.17%. When the misalignment is 100 mm, the variation of output power is within 3.3%, and the efficiency is still maintained at 54.9%. When the transfer distance is 350 mm, the system efficiency is 69.0%. Therefore, the experimental results validate that the proposed long-distance CPT system is achieved in the freshwater environment.
Glufosinate‐ammonium: a review of the current state of knowledge

Glufosinate is a key herbicide to manage glyphosate-resistant weeds mainly because it is a broad-spectrum herbicide, and transgenic glufosinate-resistant crops are available. Although glufosinate use has increased exponentially over the past decade, the treated area with this herbicide is far less than that with glyphosate. This is because glufosinate often provides inconsistent performance in the field, which is attributed to several factors including environmental conditions, application technology, and weed species. Glufosinate is also highly hydrophilic and does not translocate well in plants, generally providing poor control of grasses and perennial species. In the soil, glufosinate is rapidly degraded by microorganisms, leaving no residual activity. While there have been concerns regarding glufosinate toxicology, its proper use can be considered safe. Glufosinate is a fast-acting herbicide that was first discovered as a natural product, and is the only herbicide presently targeting glutamine synthetase. The mode of action of glufosinate has been controversial, and the causes for the rapid phytotoxicity have often been attributed to ammonia accumulation. Recent studies indicate that the contact activity of glufosinate results from the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent lipid peroxidation. Glufosinate disrupts both photorespiration and the light reactions of photosynthesis, leading to photoreduction of molecular oxygen, which generates reactive oxygen species. The new understanding of the mode of action provided new ideas to improve the herbicidal activity of glufosinate. Finally, a very few weed species have evolved glufosinate resistance in the field, and the resistance mechanisms are generally not well understood requiring further investigation. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
Recent developments in perturbative quantum chromodynamics

Abstract This talk reviews some recent trends in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, with emphasis on higher orders in perturbation theory, resummation and power corrections.
Endobronchial Tuberculosis and Bronchostenosis: A Rare Case of Bronchial Occlusion in a Patient With History of Tuberculosis.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is common worldwide, and many of these patients develop endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB). Bronchostenosis is a known complication of EBTB though most patients with endobronchial stenosis do not develop severe bronchostenosis or occlusion. We present a rare case of a patient with a right upper lobe bronchus occlusion and a history of tuberculosis.
Updated funding to lethality measures for National Cancer Institute funding allocation (2007-2017)

Objectives: To advocate for National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding more effectively, we quantified funding to lethality (F:L) ratios, tracked changes in those ratios over time, and compared F:L to other measures of funding allocation, including funding to incidence (F:I), funding to mortality (F:M) and funding to years of life lost (F:YLL) across 19 cancer sites. Methods: We used the NCI research portfolio database to assess funding allocated to 19 different cancer sites from the years 2007-2017. We collected incidence rates (I), mortality rates (M), and years of life lost (YLL) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database over the same 11 years. We defined lethality (L) by the formula (M/I x (YLLx100)). We calculated median yearly funding ratios and ranked them by cancer site. The correlations between funding ratios were accessed using Pearson correlation test. For each ratio, we calculated rate of change over time by cancer site using linear regression with year as the independent variable. To compare rates of change of each ratio by cancer site, we performed multivariable linear regression incorporating year, cancer site and their interaction as covariates, after applying a log10 transformation on the ratio to achieve linearity. The reference groups for comparison were the gynecologic cancer sites uterus, ovary and cervix. All analyses were completed in R, version 4.0.2. Results: The three cancer sites with the highest F:L ratio were breast, prostate and melanoma despite these being the 12th, 17th and 16th in terms of lethality. Ovary, uterus and cervix ranked 12th, 15th and 13th in F:L ratios, but were 5th, 13th and 6th in terms of lethality. The top three F:I were brain, leukemia, cervix; F:M were melanoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, brain; and F:YLL were breast, prostate, lung. All three gynecologic cancer sites experienced negative rate of change of F:L over the 11 years. Ovary, cervix and uterus also experienced negative rate of change for F:I, F:M, and F:YLL with the only exception being ovary with positive change in F:M. F:L rates of change were significantly different for ovary, cervix and uterus compared to breast, melanoma, and prostate. F:L ratio was strongly positively correlated to F/YLL with Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.86 (p Conclusions: F:L ratios correlate with other funding allocation measures, and highlight inadequate NCI funding to gynecologic cancers. Trends of the last 5 years (2013-2017) are consistent with trends of the last 11 years. This data should be used for advocacy to improve the disparities in funding to GYN cancers that affect laboratory science discoveries, clinical trial availability and survival outcomes. Download : Download high-res image (296KB) Download : Download full-size image
Robust, efficient, micrometre-scale phase modulators at visible wavelengths

Optical phase modulators are essential to large-scale integrated photonic systems at visible wavelengths and are promising for many emerging applications. However, current technologies require large device footprints and either high power consumption or high drive voltages, limiting the number of active elements in a visible-spectrum integrated photonic circuit. Here, we demonstrate visible-spectrum silicon nitride thermo-optic phase modulators based on adiabatic micro-ring resonators that offer at least a one-order-of-magnitude reduction in both the device footprint and power consumption compared with waveguide phase modulators. Designed to operate in the strongly over-coupled regime, the micro-resonators provide 1.6π phase modulation with minimal amplitude variations, corresponding to modulation losses as small as 0.61 dB. By delocalizing the resonant mode, the adiabatic micro-rings exhibit improved robustness against fabrication variations: compared with regular micro-rings, less than one-third of the power is needed to thermo-optically align the resonances of the adiabatic micro-rings across the chip to the laser frequency. Visible-spectrum silicon nitride thermo-optic phase modulators based on adiabatic micro-ring resonators with a small device footprint and low power consumption, of potential use for applications like augmented-/virtual-reality goggles, quantum information processing circuits and optogenetics, are presented.
A Prototype Implementation of MPI for SMARTMAP

Recently the Catamount lightweight kernel was extended to support direct access shared memory between processes running on the same compute node. This extension, called SMARTMAP, allows each process read/write access to another process' memory by extending the virtual address mapping. Simple virtual address bit manipulation can be used to access the same virtual address in a different process' address space. This paper describes a prototype implementation of MPI that uses SMARTMAP for intra-node message passing. SMARTMAP has several advantages over POSIX shared memory techniques for implementing MPI. We present performance results comparing MPI using SMARTMAP to the existing MPI transport layer on a quad-core Cray XT platform.
Use of population pharmacokinetic modeling and Monte Carlo simulation to capture individual animal variability in the prediction of flunixin withdrawal times in cattle

The objective of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model and predict tissue residues and the withdrawal interval (WDI) of flunixin in cattle. Data were pooled from published PK studies in which flunixin was administered through various dosage regimens to diverse populations of cattle. A set of liver data used to establish the regulatory label withdrawal time (WDT) also were used in this study. Compartmental models with first-order absorption and elimination were fitted to plasma and liver concentrations by a population PK modeling approach. Monte Carlo simulations were performed with the population mean and variabilities of PK parameters to predict liver concentrations of flunixin. The PK of flunixin was described best by a 3-compartment model with an extra liver compartment. The WDI estimated in this study with liver data only was the same as the label WDT. However, a longer WDI was estimated when both plasma and liver data were included in the population PK model. This study questions the use of small groups of healthy animals to determine WDTs for drugs intended for administration to large diverse populations. This may warrant a reevaluation of the current procedure for establishing WDT to prevent violative residues of flunixin.
Patterns of failure in patients with early onset (synchronous) resectable liver metastases from rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The optimal combination of available therapies for patients with resectable synchronous liver metastases from rectal cancer (SLMRC) is unknown, and the pattern of recurrence after resection has been poorly investigated. In this study, the authors examined recurrence patterns and survival after resection of SLMRC. METHODS: Consecutive patients with SLMRC (disease-free interval, ≤12 months) who underwent complete resection of the rectal primary and liver metastases between 1990 and 2008 were identified from a prospective database. Demographics, tumor-related variables, and treatment-related variables were correlated with recurrence patterns. Competing risk analysis was used to determine the risk of pelvic and extrapelvic recurrence. RESULTS: In total, 185 patients underwent complete resection of rectal primary and liver metastases. One hundred eighty patients (97%) received chemotherapy during their treatment course, and 91 patients (49%) received pelvic radiation therapy either before (N = 65; 71.4%), or after (N = 26; 28.6%) rectal resection. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 51% for the entire cohort with a median follow-up of 44 months for survivors. One hundred thirty patients (70%) developed a recurrence: Eighteen patients (10%) had recurrences in the pelvis in combination with other sites, and 7 of these (4%) had an isolated pelvic recurrence. Recurrence pattern did not correlate with survival. Competing risk analysis demonstrated that the likelihood of a pelvic recurrence was significantly lower than that of an extrapelvic recurrence (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Of the patients with SLMRC who developed recurrent disease, systemic sites were overwhelmingly more common than pelvic recurrences. The current results indicated that the selective exclusion of radiotherapy may be considered in patients who are diagnosed with simultaneous disease. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Periodic Surfaces of Prescribed Mean Curvature

While there are eighteen triply periodic minimal surfaces that reportedly are free of self-intersections, to date there is no known example of a triply periodic surface of constant, nonzero mean curvature that is embedded in R 3 (three dimensional Euclidean space). We have computed and displayed [1,2] five families of such surfaces, where every surface in a given family has the same space group, the same Euler characteristic per lattice-fundamental region, and the same dual pair of triply periodic graphs that define the connectivity of the two labyrinthine subvolumes created by the infinitely connected surface. Each family comprises two branches, corresponding to the two possible signs of the mean curvature, and a minimal surface. The branches have been tracked in mean curvature, and the surface areas and volume fractions recorded, with the region dA = 2HdV carefully checked to hold. The three families that contain the minimal surfaces P and D of Schwarz and the I-WP minimal surface of Schoen terminate in configurations that are close-packed spheres. However, one branch of the family that includes the Neovius surface C(P) contains self-intersecting solutions and terminates at self-intersecting spheres. On approaching the sphere limit, whether self-intersecting or close-packed, the gradual disappearance of small ‘neck’ or ‘connector’ regions between neighboring ’sphere-like’ regions is in close analogy with the rotationally symmetric unduloids of Delauney. We give what we suspect are analytical values for the areas of the I-WP and F-RD minimal surfaces, and a possible limit on the magnitude of the mean curvature in such families is proposed and discussed. We also report that the I-WP and F-RD minimal surfaces each divide R 3 into two subspaces of unequal volume fractions.
A Triplet Based Approach for Indexing of Fingerprint Database for Identification

This paper presents a model-based approach which efficiently retrieves correct hypotheses using properties of triangles formed by the triplets of minutiae as the basic representation unit. We show that the uncertainty of minutiae locations associated with feature extraction and shear does not affect the angles of a triangle arbitrarily. Geometric constraints based on characteristics of minutiae are used to eliminate erroneous correspondences. We present an analysis to characterize the discriminating power of our indexing approach. Experimental results on fingerprint images of varying quality show that our approach efficiently narrows down the number of candidate hypotheses in the presence of translation, rotation, scale, shear, occlusion and clutter.
Letters to the Editor of the AAS Newsletter: A Personal Story

Since 1987 the American Astronomical Society Newsletter has published some 142 Letters to the Editor that provide the personal statements and concerns of astronomers about the policies, priorities, and experiences of being an astronomer. While these Letters do not provide a scientific sampling of the issues, they do provide an illuminating picture of the astronomical scene as seen from the perspectives of our colleagues. I describe the history and policies of the Letters section, then summarize the issues presented and debated in these Letters. The topics (in order of numbers of Letters published) are: (1) publishing and refereeing, (2) how the AAS and IAU conduct their business, (3) jobs and how to get them, (4) support for astronomy, (5) scientific units and time, (6) public policy issues, (7) planning for telescopes and space missions, (8) how astronomers do their work, (9) women in astronomy, (10) the work environment, and (11) other issues. A chronological list of the Letters by title and author is included.
Transient Bacteremia Following Endotracheal Suctioning in Ventilated Newborns

Endotracheal suctioning is a routine procedure in ventilated newborns. A study of ten neonates demonstrates the association of transient bacteremia with endotracheal suctioning. This complication in ventilated newborns, with colonization of the respiratory tract by the same organism, must be considered in the pathogenesis of systemic infection.
Simultaneous acquisition of emission and transmission data for improved thallium-201 cardiac SPECT imaging using a technetium-99m transmission source.

Transmission computed tomography (TCT) data provides useful complementary information to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reconstructions, especially for cardiac studies. In particular, TCT data has been used to correct for nonuniform attenuation in the chest. Typically the transmission data are acquired in a separate acquisition, but simultaneous acquisition is preferable both to save time and to avoid difficulties involved with registration. In this work, we present a technique for simultaneously acquiring 201Tl SPECT and TCT data using a 99mTc sheet source that requires only minor equipment modifications. The use of these isotopes results in cross-contamination of the emission and transmission data. We present a practical technique to compensate for this contamination using postacquisition image processing. This technique was evaluated by performing phantom and patient studies. The resulting images compare well with data obtained from separate emission and transmission studies.