cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fatigue failure of a shoulder hemiarthroplasty stem: A case report

A 47-year-old right hand–dominant man was seen at the orthopaedic clinic for evaluation of a 3-month history of severe right shoulder pain. Five years earlier, he had undergone a right shoulder hemiarthroplasty for posttraumatic arthritis and malunion after a proximal humerus fracture caused by a motor vehicle accident. After this initial procedure, he had controlled pain and limitation of motion and was involved in a chronic pain management program. Three months earlier, while at a hardware store, he was struck in the right arm by a piece of falling lumber. He had a significant increase in pain at that time; radiographs taken shortly thereafter revealed a fractured humeral prosthesis. Before presentation, he was managed with pain medications but received no definitive treatment. Physical examination revealed a healthy-appearing middle-aged man in no acute distress. Neurologic examination of the upper extremities was unremarkable. There was a well-healed anterior incision over the right shoulder, with a moderate amount of anterior deltoid and rotator cuff atrophy. There was no tenderness to palpation, although he did complain of pain with any movement. Passive rotation of the humerus caused pain and crepitus. Active range of motion consisted of forward elevation to 30°, external rotation to 20°, and internal rotation to the lumbosacral region. There was passive forward elevation to 90° with significant pain. Deltoid strength was 5/5, and external and internal rotation strength was 4/5. Radiographs revealed a fracture of the prosthetic stem at the junction of the proximal and middle thirds (Figure 1). The distal portion was well cemented in place, whereas the proximal part of the prosthesis lacked bony support. The tuberosities were displaced medially, superiorly, and pos-
The Effect of Compliments on Tipping Behavior in Hairstyling Salons1

This study examined the role of compliments on tipping behavior in hairstyling salons. Two female hair stylists cut and styled 115 customers' hair and either complimented or did not compliment the customers while interacting. Results indicated that hair stylists received significantly higher tips when complimenting their customers than when not complimenting them. These results and their implications are discussed.
Analytical Results on the Role of Flexibility in Flapping Propulsion

Wing or fin flexibility can dramatically affect the performance of flying and swimming animals. Both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations have been used to study these effects, but analytical results are notably lacking. Here, we develop small-amplitude theory to model a flapping wing that pitches passively due to a combination of wing compliance, inertia and fluid forces. Remarkably, we obtain a class of exact solutions describing the wing’s emergent pitching motions, along with expressions for how thrust and efficiency are modified by compliance. The solutions recover a range of realistic behaviours and shed new light on how flexibility can aid performance, the importance of resonance, and the separate roles played by wing and fluid inertia. The simple robust estimates afforded by our theory may prove valuable even in situations where details of the flapping motion and wing geometry differ.
A review of Donnai-Barrow and facio-oculo-acoustico-renal (DB/FOAR) syndrome: clinical features and differential diagnosis.

Mutations in the gene LRP2 have recently been identified as the cause of Donnai-Barrow and Facio-oculo-acoustico-renal (DB/FOAR) syndrome. More than two dozen cases, the first reported more than 30 years ago by Holmes, have been published. Summarizing available information, we highlight the cardinal features of the disorder found in ≥90% of published cases. These features include: agenesis of the corpus callosum, developmental delay, enlarged anterior fontanelle, high myopia, hypertelorism, proteinuria, and sensorineural hearing loss. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia and omphalocele are reported in only half of the patients. There is no evidence for genotype-phenotype correlation, though the sample size is too small to preclude this with certainty. Although several conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis are highlighted, the diagnosis of DB/FOAR syndrome should not be difficult to establish as its constellation of findings is strikingly characteristic.
Networks from drug-drug surfaces.

Mol Syst Biol. 3: 85 Multi‐drug combinations are vital in modern medicine (Keith et al , 2005; Fitzgerald et al , 2006). Such drug combinations can also be used to probe the relationships between proteins in a network, and progress towards using drug interactions to infer network connectivity has been made in recent years. A current study by Lehar et al (2007) takes this effort a large step further by developing tools to use the entire data in a drug–drug interaction dose–response surface to give useful information on the networks in which the drug targets are embedded. Classically, combinations of perturbations—drugs or mutations—have been categorized into one of three interaction types: additive, synergistic, or antagonistic (Bliss, 1939; Loewe, 1953; Hartman et al , 2001). The expected null interaction is called additive, although exactly how this should be defined has been a subject of some controversy (Bliss, 1939; Loewe, 1953; Greco et al , 1995). Synergy occurs when the combination of two perturbations has an effect greater than expected from the individual effects of the single perturbations. Antagonism describes a combination with less than expected effect. These classifications have proved powerful in dissecting the modularity and connectivity of the underlying biological networks (Tong et al , 2001; Schuldiner et al , 2005; Segre et al , 2005; Yeh et al …
Characterization and application of a vinblastine-selected CACO-2 cell line for evaluation of p-glycoprotein.

Abstract The role of the adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of membrane transporters is well documented in tumor cell multidrug resistance. More recently, growing evidence of their influence on oral bioavailability, drug excretion rates, and drug–drug interaction potential at the intestinal level has stimulated much investigation. Our laboratory is interested in evaluating the apical (AP) ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (Pgp [mdr-1]) for its role in xenobiotic efflux at the intestinal level. We propagated Caco-2 cells in the presence of vinblastine (a cytotoxic, Pgp substrate) to promote transporter expression though selection. That is, the cell population expressing Pgp, or with the capacity to up-regulate Pgp expression, survived and expanded in the presence of vinblastine. We have used this selected cell line (Caco-2 VinB) to develop a fluorescent-based assay to study the chemical modulators of Pgp activity. Using the Caco-2 VinB cells, we have successfully demonstrated the differ...
Community Leadership: What Does it Take to See Results?

If your community is looking for more committed and competent leaders, what type of educational intervention will get the best results? U-Lead, the University of Minnesota Extension’s community leadership program, engages with organizations and communities to strengthen leadership. As the educational provider of U-Lead, Extension has a responsibility to provide quality programs as well as honor time and resource constraints. The primary question of this study is: what impact, if any, does the program duration have on participant outcomes? Key Observations include (a) the longest duration programs consistently had the most improvements in skills and knowledge, (b) after completing programs, more people are committing to leadership positions. This does not appear to correlate to program duration, (c) using evaluation data for modifying programs and starting additional programs leads to more significant participant change, and (d) community leadership theory and measurement can lead to better programs with greater results.
Evaluation of methyl iodide for control of peach replant disorder

Peach replant soils were fumigated with methyl bromide (MB) or methyl iodide (MI) at rates of 392 to 448 kg/ha. In two trials, peach tree growth in fumigated soil or in untreated soil was evaluated by measuring trunk diameter and weight of branches removed by pruning. In both trials, trunk diameter of trees grown in MB- and MI-fumigated plots was greater than trees in control plots (P ≤ 0.01). In both trials, weight of branches pruned from trees grown in fumigated plots was greater than branch weights from trees grown in control plots (P ≤ 0.01). Plots fumigated with MI did not differ from plots fumigated with MB in trunk growth, weight of branch prunings, or reductions in population densities of the nematode Paratylenchus. MI and MB appeared to be equally effective in controlling replant disorder.
Prebending the Estrogen Response Element Destabilizes Binding of the Estrogen Receptor DNA Binding Domain

Binding of many eukaryotic transcription regulatory proteins to their DNA recognition sequences results in conformational changes in DNA. To test the effect of altering DNA topology by prebending a transcription factor binding site, we examined the interaction of the estrogen receptor (ER) DNA binding domain (DBD) with prebent estrogen response elements (EREs). When the ERE in minicircle DNA was prebent toward the major groove, which is in the same direction as the ER-induced DNA bend, there was no significant effect on ER DBD binding relative to the linear counterparts. However, when the ERE was bent toward the minor groove, in a direction that opposes the ER-induced DNA bend, there was a four- to eightfold reduction in ER DBD binding. Since reduced binding was also observed with the ERE in nicked circles, the reduction in binding was not due to torsional force induced by binding of ER DBD to the prebent ERE in covalently closed minicircles. To determine the mechanism responsible for reduced binding to the prebent ERE, we examined the effect of prebending the ERE on the association and dissociation of the ER DBD. Binding of the ER DBD to ERE-containing minicircles was rapid when the EREs were prebent toward either the major or minor groove of the DNA (k(on) of 9.9 x 10(6) to 1.7 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)). Prebending the ERE toward the minor groove resulted in an increase in k(off) of four- to fivefold. Increased dissociation of the ER DBD from the ERE is, therefore, the major factor responsible for reduced binding of the ER DBD to an ERE prebent toward the minor groove. These data provide the first direct demonstration that the interaction of a eukaryotic transcription factor with its recognition sequence can be strongly influenced by altering DNA topology through prebending the DNA.
Training Wideband Acoustic Models Using Mixed-Bandwidth Training Data for Speech Recognition

One serious difficulty in the deployment of wideband speech recognition systems for new tasks is the expense in both time and cost of obtaining sufficient training data. A more economical approach is to collect telephone speech and then restrict the application to operate at the telephone bandwidth. However, this generally results in suboptimal performance compared to a wideband recognition system. In this paper, we propose a novel expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm in which wideband acoustic models are trained using a small amount of wideband speech and a larger amount of narrowband speech. We show how this algorithm can be incorporated into the existing training schemes of hidden Markov model (HMM) speech recognizers. Experiments performed using wideband speech and telephone speech demonstrate that the proposed mixed-bandwidth training algorithm results in significant improvements in recognition accuracy over conventional training strategies when the amount of wideband data is limited
Preserving Architectural Choices throughout the Component-based Software Development Process

It is argued that architecture comprehension and regression testing of a software system are the most expensive maintenance activities. This is mainly due to the fact that architectural choices are either not explicit, at every stage of the software development process, or not preserved from one stage to another. In this paper, we present an Architectural Constraint Language (ACL) as a means to formally describe architectural choices at all the stages. This language is based on the UMLs Object Constraint Language and on a set of MOF-compliant metamodels. We also present a prototype which validates the proposed approach. It allows the evaluation of ACL expressions at two stages and ensures, by using a transformation mechanism, that the constraints stated at one stage are subsequently preserved.
Incorporating the G-TFSF Concept into the Analytic Field Propagation TFSF Method

Previously, Anantha and Taflove reported a generalized total-field/scattered-field (G-TFSF) formulation that was developed to facilitate the study of infinite scatterers, such as wedges [IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propag., vol. 50, no. 10, 1337-1349, Oct. 2002]. The G-TFSF formulation relied upon having the TFSF boundary embedded within a perfectly matched layer (PML). To account for the PML, the incident-field terms that appear in the update equations for nodes adjacent to the TFSF boundary were scaled by a constant in accordance with the amount of attenuation produced by the PML. In this work we describe how the analytic field propagation TFSF (AFP TFSF) formulation can be used in a G-TFSF-like way. This new approach possesses various advantages over the previously presented work. For example, owing to the dispersion inherent in PML's, the spectral components of pulsed excitation propagate at the different speeds within the PML. This dispersive behavior can be accommodated in the AFP-based formulation but not in the original G-TFSF implementation. Additionally, the AFP-based technique can directly model the infinite nature of objects, such as wedges, so that corners need not be embedded within the PML.
Case reporting and metal reaction: the big picture.

Cobalt alloys have been used successfully as bearings since the earliest days of arthroplasty, now seeing use in the overwhelming majority of knees and hips. Although reports of fracture, corrosion, and other unexpected events leading to revision are sporadically found throughout the literature over the last 3 decades, failure reports involving cobalt components have historically been dwarfed by failure reports of polyethylene oxidation, osteolysis, and poor fixation, among others. The current issue is a reminder that the human body and its permanently implanted devices constitute a fragile system, and even small perturbations of this system from cobalt alloys can result in untoward events with devastating outcomes. Through a thematic selection of case reports, the importance of good science and learning from the patient is underscored. Over the last decade, we have seen an uptick in metal-related failure reports secondary to wear of metal-on-metal (MoM) articulations. Much of the science aimed at understanding the root problem has been outstanding and exceptionally informative for future implementation of any bearing couple, not just MoM. The in vitro focus has necessarily been on discrete contributors to the problem such as inclination angle, cup opening, materials, head size, patient selection, and so forth. Due in large part to these studies and registry-related reports of patient outcomes,MoMusage is now
Spectrum-blind signal recovery on graphs

We consider the problem of recovering a graph signal, sparse in the graph spectral domain from a few number of samples. In contrast to most previous work on the sampling of graph signals, the setting is “spectrum-blind” where we are unaware of the graph d support of the signal. We propose a class of spectrum-blind graph signals and study two recovery strategies based on random and experimentally designed sampling inspired by the compressed sensing paradigm. We further show sampling bounds for graphs, including Erdős-Renyi random graphs. We show that experimentally designed sampling significantly outperforms random sampling for some irregular graph families.
Relating Retinal Morphology and Function in Aging and Early to Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration Subjects.

Purpose To evaluate relationships between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) morphology on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) and visual function. Design Cross-sectional, observational. Methods From the Alabama Study on Early AMD baseline visit, visual acuity, cone-mediated sensitivity, rod-mediated dark adaptation, and SDOCT were obtained in 1 eye per subject with no apparent retinal aging (n = 15), normal aging (n = 15), early AMD (n = 15), and intermediate AMD (n = 46). The volumes of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-drusen complex, RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning, RPE-drusen complex abnormal thickening, and inner and outer retina were calculated in specified regions using semi-automated SDOCT segmentation. Results Better cone-mediated sensitivity was associated with greater RPE-drusen complex volume (r = 0.34, P P = .003). Longer rod-mediated dark adaptation time, the duration for rod-mediated sensitivity to recover from photo-bleach exposure, correlated with lower RPE-drusen complex volume (r = −0.34, P = .005) and greater RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning volume (r = 0.280, P = .023). In 19 eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD) vs 47 eyes without SDD, rod-mediated dark adaptation time was longer (mean ± SD 13.5 ± 7.0 vs 10.2 ± 3.1 minutes, P = .004), RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning volume was greater ( P Conclusion Decreased function relates to structural markers on SDOCT in AMD. Because the RPE-drusen complex includes the interdigitation of outer segments and RPE apical processes and SDD in eyes with AMD, slower dark adaptation might be related to structural abnormalities of the RPE, the RPE-photoreceptor interface, or both.
A Free Electron Laser driven by Laser Plasma Acceleration

Ongoing efforts towards a compact free electron laser based on laser-plasma acceleration (LPA) are presented. Recent results [van Tilborg (PRL 2015) and Steinke (Nature, accepted)] demonstrate compact transport and support LPA-based FEL design and simulations. Article not available.
Experimental and epizootiologic evidence associating Ornithodoros coriaceus Koch (Acari: Argasidae) with the exposure of cattle to epizootic bovine abortion in California.

In studies to assess the possible involvement of an arthropod vector in the transmission of epizootic bovine abortion (EBA), a disease of range cattle in California, the argasid tick Ornithodoros coriaceus Koch was selected for blood-feeding susceptible heifers. Twelve test heifers, each between the 3rd and 5th months of gestation, were exposed to the feeding of from 100 to 626 O. coriaceus captured from EBA-enzootic areas. Of these, 5 aborted 93 to 117 days after tick exposure, and each fetus possessed pathologic lesions judged to be identical to those of EBA fetuses aborted after naturally acquired exposure. It is suggested that the premature calving experienced by 4 test heifers is also associated with exposure to tick feeding and, possibly, to EBA as well. The 5 control heifers calved normally at term. These results are interpreted as evidence that O. coriaceus exposed test heifers to the etiologic agent or substance of EBA. We view these results as the first good evidence that the EBA agent, whatever it may eventually prove to be, is arthropod-borne in nature. The bionomies of O. coriaceus are, as discussed, consistent with the tick's involvement as a vector of EBA in California.
REVERSIBLE SOCIAL PROCESSES, HISTORICAL MEMORY, AND THE PRODUCTION OF HISTORY

In my research on gender relations and household dynamics in the handicraft textile industry of the western Sudan, I have been frustrated by the silences in the oral record concerning changes during the early colonial period. Whereas I have been able to reconstruct the social history of the precolonial era, including the changes induced by increased use of slave labor, my informants have been silent on what I would consider equally significant changes in the early colonial period. Using colonial sources, I have been able to reconstruct the broad contours of the period following the end of slavery, which hint at profound changes in the nature of the textile industry, gender relations, and household dynamics. These would, I anticipated on the basis of my previous fieldwork, be exactly the kind of transformative social change which would be recalled in the oral record. They ought to have become a central part of the social construction of the meaning of historical processes. But, as far as I have been able to determine, this has not been the case. Detail on gender relations and the productive processes appear again in my informants' accounts for the period just before and after World War II, drawn from personal experience. This paradox-apparently richer evidence in the oral record for an earlier era than for a chronologically closer one-has implications for both fieldwork strategies and for social history. This short paper begins with a thumbnail sketch of the history of the handicraft textile industry in the Segu region of what is now Mali during the nineteenth century and its associated social conflicts, takes a glimpse at the ways the end of slavery at the beginning of the twentieth century elaborated these existing tensions, and then looks at the imports of thread during the period of social adjustments following the end of slavery. Thread, as I will argue, was central to the complementarity of gender tasks in the household textile industry. Changes in the availability of thread and access to thread outside the bonded limits of household complementarity, I hypothesized, would have provided men and women with new opportunities to renegotiate work, household relations, and control over marketable commodities.
A Novel 6/4 Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Machine Designed for High-Speed Operations

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a novel flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machine that is amenable for high-speed operation. The low-pole topology of high-speed machine is favorable to minimize fundamental frequency requirement. The lowest possible three-phase topology of the FSPM machine, with six stator slots and four rotor poles (6/4), has unacceptably large second-order harmonic distortion in the flux linkage and severe cogging torque in its conventional single-stator–single-rotor form. To resolve these challenges, a novel dual-stator structure is proposed that eliminates the even-order harmonics in the flux linkage. Harmonic distortion and cogging torque are notably reduced in the proposed machine. The principles of operation and design methods are described in this paper. The properties of the proposed dual-stator 6/4 FSPM machine are compared with a conventional 6/4 FSPM machine and a conventional 12/10 FSPM machine for a 5 kW, 15 000 r/min design. Comparison results gathered from 3-D finite-element analysis demonstrate that the proposed dual-stator 6/4 FSPM machine achieves significantly better flux linkage, back EMF, and cogging torque than the conventional 6/4 design and better efficiency than the conventional 12/10 FSPM machine.
Magnetic Properties Of Iron/Silica Gel Nanocomposites

Homogeneous gelled composites of iron and silica containing 5–30 wt. % Fe have been prepared by low temperature polymerization of aqueous solutions of ferric nitrate, tetraethoxysilane, and ethanol (with an HF catalyst). X-ray diffraction data, characterized by the presence of a diffuse scattering peak centered at 20≈24 degrees and the absence of any strong Bragg scattering from the iron-containing regions, indicates that these bulk materials are comprised of nanometer-sized regions of iron compounds embedded in a silica gel matrix. Scanning electron microscopy observations show that this matrix is characterized by the presence of many interconnected pores and that the size of these pores is related to the particle size of the Fe-containing regions. The paramagnetic nature of these materials at room temperature, as well as the small size of the iron-containing regions, is indicated by the appearance in many of the samples of only a high intensity central doublet in the 57 Fe M6ssbauer spectra. The Mossbauer effect data demonstrates that the form of the iron can be changed by a subsequent treatment in an atmosphere of ammonia or hydrogen at elevated temperatures: for a 10 wt. % Fe sample treated with ammonia, only a central doublet was observed but with a much larger quadrupole splitting and isomer shift. Both of these subsequently treated materials became superparamagnetic at room temperature. In addition, magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the hydrogen treated material becomes a spin glass at low temperatures.
Public and farmer perceptions of dairy cattle welfare in the United States

This research used surveys of the public and dairy farmers in the United States to assess perceptions and attitudes related to dairy cattle welfare. Sixty-three percent of public respondents indicated that they were concerned about dairy cattle welfare. Most public respondents agreed that animal welfare was more important than low milk prices but that the average American did not necessarily agree. Most public respondents had not viewed media stories related to dairy cattle welfare. Respondents who had viewed these stories did so on television or Internet. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was viewed as the most accurate source of information related to dairy cattle welfare, followed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA). Both public and dairy farmer respondents viewed farmers as having the most influence on dairy cattle welfare. However, there was a general pattern of public respondents indicating that groups including USDA, HSUS, and AVMA had a relatively larger influence on dairy cattle welfare than did farmer respondents. In contrast, dairy farmers indicated that individual actors-farmers, veterinarians, consumers-had more influence than the public indicated. When asked about production practices, most public respondents indicated that they would vote for a ban on antibiotic use outside of disease treatment or for the mandated use of pain control in castration. However, a minority indicated they would vote to ban the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) or to pay a premium for milk produced without rbST. With respect to explaining public support for the production practice bans and limits, respondents were more likely to vote for the restrictions if they were older, female, had higher income, or had viewed animal welfare stories in the media.
Influences of gender, time of castration, genotype, birthtype and feeding regimen on lamb longissimus fiber type proportions.

Two trials examined genetic and environmental influences on muscle fiber type proportions. Trial 1 compared Polypay and Coopworth x Polypay male lambs either left intact or castrated early, mid or late in growth. Trial 2 compared Hampshire-sired lambs (females, early castrate wethers and late castrate wethers) from Suffolk x Coopworth dams and whiteface x Coopworth dams. Half the lambs in each trial were raised from weaning to 52 kg slaughter weight in drylot; the other half were reared to 41 kg on pasture before being finished in drylot. Analysis of longissimus tissue samples revealed no significant differences among rams, wethers and ewes in proportions of muscle fiber types. Early castration increased the proportion of alpha red fibers in Trial 1 (P less than .01) but not in Trial 2. Polypay lambs had a higher proportion of beta red fibers (P less than .05) than the Coopworth x Polypay lambs, but no differences were seen between the genotypes of Trial 2. Single-born lambs in Trial 1 had a 6% higher proportion of alpha white fibers (P less than .05) than twin-born lambs; however, this difference was not detected in Trial 2. Drylot lambs had a higher proportion of beta red fibers than pasture-reared lambs, the difference being 5% (P less than .01) in Trial 2. Muscle fiber type proportions were not found to be related to growth rate and carcass fatness, and no evidence of differential fiber transformation was found in this trial.
Roles of Mas-related G protein–coupled receptor X2 on mast cell–mediated host defense, pseudoallergic drug reactions, and chronic inflammatory diseases

Mast cells (MCs), which are granulated tissue-resident cells of hematopoietic lineage, contribute to vascular homeostasis, innate/adaptive immunity, and wound healing. However, MCs are best known for their roles in allergic and inflammatory diseases, such as anaphylaxis, food allergy, rhinitis, itch, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and asthma. In addition to the high-affinity IgE receptor (FceRI), MCs express numerous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are the largest group of membrane receptor proteins and the most common targets of drug therapy. Antimicrobial host defense peptides, neuropeptides, major basic protein, eosinophil peroxidase, and many US Food and Drug Administration-approved peptidergic drugs activate human MCs through a novel GPCR known as Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2; formerly known as MrgX2). Unique features of MRGPRX2 that distinguish it from other GPCRs include their presence both on the plasma membrane and intracellular sites and their selective expression in MCs. In this article we review the possible roles of MRGPRX2 on host defense, drug-induced anaphylactoid reactions, neurogenic inflammation, pain, itch, and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as urticaria and asthma. We propose that host defense peptides that kill microbes directly and activate MCs through MRGPRX2 could serve as novel GPCR targets to modulate host defense against microbial infection. Furthermore, mAbs or small-molecule inhibitors of MRGPRX2 could be developed for the treatment of MC-dependent allergic and inflammatory disorders.
Genomic Landscape of Intrahost Variation in Group A Streptococcus: Repeated and Abundant Mutational Inactivation of the fabT Gene Encoding a Regulator of Fatty Acid Synthesis

ABSTRACT To obtain new information about Streptococcus pyogenes intrahost genetic variation during invasive infection, we sequenced the genomes of 2,954 serotype M1 strains recovered from a nonhuman primate experimental model of necrotizing fasciitis. A total of 644 strains (21.8%) acquired polymorphisms relative to the input parental strain. The fabT gene, encoding a transcriptional regulator of fatty acid biosynthesis genes, contained 54.5% of these changes. The great majority of polymorphisms were predicted to deleteriously alter FabT function. Transcriptome-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of a wild-type strain and an isogenic fabT deletion mutant strain found that between 3.7 and 28.5% of the S. pyogenes transcripts were differentially expressed, depending on the growth temperature (35°C or 40°C) and growth phase (mid-exponential or stationary phase). Genes implicated in fatty acid synthesis and lipid metabolism were significantly upregulated in the fabT deletion mutant strain. FabT also directly or indirectly regulated central carbon metabolism genes, including pyruvate hub enzymes and fermentation pathways and virulence genes. Deletion of fabT decreased virulence in a nonhuman primate model of necrotizing fasciitis. In addition, the fabT deletion strain had significantly decreased survival in human whole blood and during phagocytic interaction with polymorphonuclear leukocytes ex vivo. We conclude that FabT mutant progeny arise during infection, constitute a metabolically distinct subpopulation, and are less virulent in the experimental models used here.
Topical Vasodilators in Microsurgery: What Is the Evidence?

Background Topical vasodilators are frequently used during free tissue transfer to prevent and treat vasospasm and microvascular thrombosis. A variety of agents have been studied and are available, yet most microsurgeons select an agent based on anecdotal evidence or personal training. Our aim was to review the literature on topical vasodilators so microsurgeons can make more informed decisions about which agent to use. Methods A systemic review of the literature was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar using keywords “topical vasodilator,” “antispasmodic,” “vasospasm,” “free flaps,” and “microsurgery.” Studies were included if they provided a comparative quantitative assessment of topical vasodilators and were written in English. In vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies were included. Results A total of 15 studies were identified and included in our analysis. The three most common classes of topical vasodilator include local anesthetics, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers (CCBs). Of the most commonly used topical vasodilators, CCBs (nifedipine and verapamil) were most effective followed by papaverine and lidocaine. Conclusion The most effective topical vasodilators appear to be CCBs including nifedipine, nicardipine, and verapamil. Evidence suggests that these agents are more effective than papaverine and lidocaine solutions that are commonly used. Future research should directly compare individual CCBs to assess the most effective agent. Studies to date have focused on vessels other than those used by microsurgeons, and therefore further studies specific to these vessels are warranted.
Synthesis, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding, and in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of 2 '-fluoro-(substituted thiophenyl)deschloroepibatidine analogues

The synthesis, nAChR in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of 2′-fluoro-3′-(substituted thiophenyl)deschloroepibatidine analogues (5a–f, 6a–d, and 7a–c) are presented herein. All had subnanomolar affinity at α4β2*-nAChRs. Contrary to lead structure epibatidine, a potent nAChR agonist, all were potent α4β2- and α3β4-AChR antagonists in an in vitro functional assay. In vivo, the compounds were also nAChR antagonists with various degrees of agonist activity. Compounds 5e, 5f, 6a, 6c, 6d, and 7c had no agonist effects in the tail-flick, hot-plate, hypothermia, or spontaneous activity tests, whereas 5a–d, 7a and 7b did not have agonist activity in the tail-flick and hot-plate tests but, like varenicline, were agonists in the hypothermia and spontaneous activity tests. Compound 6b had agonist activity in all four in vivo tests. All the compounds were antagonists of nicotine-induced antinociception in the tail-flick test, and all except 5c, 5d, 5f, and 6b were antagonists of nicotine-induced antinocice...
Review of Nanotechnology for Cathode Materials in Batteries

Abstract Nanotechnology is an emerging and highly promising technology to develop efficient and enhanced batteries. This chapter discusses the nanotechnology-driven synthesis and surface modification techniques for cathode materials to improve lithium-ion batteries. Various approaches for synthesis of nanostructured cathode materials with enhanced properties and nanoscale surface modification on cathodes with improved electrochemical performances are described. The chapter concludes with a comparison of the different techniques discussed and addresses the importance of nanotechnology in the race to build improved batteries.
On the adaptive protection of microgrids: A review on how to mitigate cyber attacks and communication failures

One main challenge in the practical implementation of a microgrid is the design of an adequate protection scheme in both grid connected and islanded modes. Conventional overcurrent protection schemes face selectivity and sensitivity issues during grid and microgrid faults since the fault current level is different in both cases for the same relay. Various approaches have been implemented in the past to deal with this problem, yet the most promising ones are the implementation of adaptive protection techniques abiding by the IEC 61850 communication standard. This paper presents a critical review of existing adaptive protection schemes, the technical challenges for the use of classical protection techniques and the need for an adaptive, smart protection system. However, the risk of communication link failures and cyber security threats still remain a challenge in implementing a reliable adaptive protection scheme. A contingency is needed where a communication issue prevents the relay from adjusting to a lower current level during islanded mode. An adaptive protection scheme is proposed that utilizes energy storage (ES) and hybrid ES (HESS) already available in the network as a mechanism to source the higher fault current. Four common grid ES and HESS are reviewed for their suitability in feeding the fault while some solutions are proposed.
Talk Is Not Cheap: Kinship Terminologies and the Origins of Language

Author(s): Milicic, Bojka | Abstract: Kinship terminology is a human universal, a kind of cultural knowledge circulated through language. In this paper I explore the possibility that the need for social rules prompted the development of fully syntactic language via kinship terminologies. In other words, kinship terms are at the core of modern language. They require uniquely human cognitive features such as symbolic reference and recursiveness, which in turn require a cognitive capacity beyond that of non-human primates. The conceptualization of kinship types was crucial in the transition from non-human primate to human social organization and the ‘invention’ of kinship terms facilitated this transition. The heuristics used in kin classification could have provided the decisive cognitive leap that introduced the essential tools for organizing and expanding social relationships and increasing the chances for survival. Thus kinship terms could have been the original nucleus of human language.
Changes in potassium channel modulation may underlie afterhyperpolarization plasticity in oxytocin neurons during late pregnancy

The article demonstrates for the first time that enhancement in spike afterhyperpolarizations in oxytocin neurons during pregnancy may be related to a downregulation in the small-conductance Ca2+-a...
Views of teacher candidates on their preparedness and motivation to teach pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten

In the US state of Georgia, teachers licensed to teach children from birth through Kindergarten (B–K, ages 0–5) or pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) to Grade 5 (p-5, ages 4–10) can teach pre-K and K in the ...
A method for test system diagnostics based on the principles of artificial intelligence

As VLSI test systems grow more complex, system maintenance becomes an increasing problem. The application of artificial intelligence to test system diagnostics provides the system with the ability to identify the causes of malfunction with speed and accuracy. This automated process has the potential for simplifying system maintenance. The application of the principles of artificial intelligence to test system diagnostics, and the status of this work and its future directions are described.
Geophysical Fluid Simulation on a Parallel Computer

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the geophysical fluid simulation on a parallel computer. The advanced scientific computer (ASC) is a multipipe, vector processor. The vector operands on the ASC are not restricted to one-dimensional vectors that occupy ascending storage locations. The operands can be two-or three-dimensional. Only the first, innermost dimension of such arrays must correspond either to consecutive storage locations or to the same location. If a vector operand cannot occupy the consecutive or nonvarying locations, its first dimension is one, and it may contain one or two further dimensions. In this case, the fetching of operand data from memory cannot proceed at the maximum bandwidth of the memory. The practical effect of the multidimensional vector operands is that the effective length of a vector instruction is determined by the product of the dimensions. The geophysical models of the laboratory exhibit a high innate level of parallelism. The principal problem in achieving such parallelism on the ASC lies not in the physical and mathematical processes of the models; however, it lies in the style of the FORTRAN code and its ability to exploit the computing parallelism available.
Overhauling America's Healthcare Machine: Stop the Bleeding and Save Trillions

Part I: The Nature of the Beast Chapter 1: An Introduction 3 Chapter 2: Are We Getting What We're Paying For? 9 Chapter 3: Where Does All Our Money Go? 17 Chapter 4: Into Thin Air 39 Chapter 5: The Healthcare Machine 53 Chapter 6: How and Why They Spin: Inside Key Wheels 63 Part II: Why the Machine Is Breaking Down Chapter 7: Too Many Parts 123 Chapter 8: Sand in the Gears 135 Chapter 9: Friction 183 Part III: How to Fix It Chapter 10: Defining the Desired Outcome 219 Chapter 11: Overhauling Payment for Healthcare Goods and Services 227 Chapter 12: Dumping Redundancy 263 Chapter 13: Blowing Sand Out of the System 271 Chapter 14: Lubricating Points of Friction 301 Chapter 15: Where Does the Money Come From? 323 Chapter 16: The End of an Era 331 Appendix: "Brief Strategy B" from the Federal Guidelines Regarding Smokers Who Report That They Are Unwilling to Quit 337 References 341 Index 359
Analytical Downward and Upward Continuation Based on the Method of Domain Decomposition and Local Functions

Upward and downward continuation of gravity anomalies are usually based on the Poisson integral and its iteration. By using the method of domain decomposition, a local function can be used for upward and downward continuation of gravity data. This approach decomposes the total area into small domains, and uses local functions to model the disturbing potential within each of these domains. One appropriate set of local functions, used in this paper, is the 3-D Fourier series. The results of the domain decomposition approach are compared to the Poisson integral for upward continuation in a flat area (to avoid large topographic effect) and downward continuation in a rough area in the Rocky Mountains. The data consist of ′×′ grid of NGS’ surface gravity over the conterminous US (CONUS). In addition, INTERMAP’s airborne gravity tracks in the Baltimore area are used to validate the upward continuation results of the two methods. The advantages and disadvantages of the local functions versus the Poisson integral approach are discussed
A Historical View of the Pedagogy of Public Speaking

This article offers a short history of the pedagogy of public speaking. Beginning with the Greek’s creation of the field of rhetoric, the article follows the development of the teaching of public s...
Single versus Double Lung Transplantation for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(COPD)

Purpose Although COPD patients account for a large proportion of lung transplants, whether double lung transplantation (DLT) versus single (SLT) improves survival for COPD patients is not well established. Methods We identified 4521 COPD patients in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database transplanted between May 2005 and August 2016. 604 patients assigned to the rehabilitation arm of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT), to receive only pulmonary rehabilitation and standard medical management, served as a control group. After trimming the UNOS population for NETT eligibility criteria, 539 UNOS single lung transplant recipients, 802 UNOS double lung transplant recipients and 604 NETT patients remained. Starting at transplantation time for UNOS patients, and randomization time for NETT patients, Kaplan-Meier estimates of subsequent transplant-free survival were compared between the matched UNOS SLT (n=183) and NETT (n=183); matched UNOS DLT (n =193) and NETT (n=193); UNOS SLT (n=529) and UNOS DLT (n=529). Results The median survival time for the trimmed samples was 5.1 years (IQR=0.8) for NETT, 4.8 years (IQR=1.3) for UNOS SLT, and 6.0 years (IQR=1.3) for UNOS DLT. In propensity-matched analyses, transplanted patients in UNOS SLT had better survival compared to medically managed patients in NETT (p=0.005); UNOS DLT had better survival compared to NETT (p=0.001) and median survival for UNOS DLT was 6.0 years and UNOS SLT was 5.5 years, a difference that was not statistically significant (p=0.1). Conclusion Both SLT and DLT lead to longer survival time compared to pulmonary rehabilitation and standard medical treatment. DLT may not offer better survival compared to SLT.
Objectively Measured Physical Activity and All-Cause Mortality Among Cancer Survivors: National Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE The understanding of the effects of physical activity on all-cause mortality among cancer survivors is limited. We attempted to draw a relation between physical activity and survival among those with a diagnosis of cancer. METHODS Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used, with follow-up through 2011. A total of 515 adult cancer survivors wore an accelerometer for ≥4 days. RESULTS After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty level, cotinine, C-reactive protein, body mass index, and comorbid illness, participants had a 15% reduced hazard rate (hazard rate 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.73-0.99, P < 0.001) for every 60-minute/day increase in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Physical activity may have a protective effect on survival among cancer survivors.
Combined environmental and social exposures during pregnancy and associations with neonatal size and body composition: the Healthy Start study.

Background:Prenatal environmental and social exposures have been associated with decreased birth weight. However, the effects of combined exposures (CEs) in these domains are not fully understood. Here we assessed multi-domain exposures for participants in the Healthy Start study (Denver, CO) and te
On the airburst of large meteoroids in the Earth's atmosphere. The Lugo bolide: reanalysis of a case study

On January 19, 1993, a very bright bolide (peak magnitude −23) crossed the sky of Northern Italy, ending with an explosion approximately over the town of Lugo (Emilia Romagna, Italy). The explosion (14 kton of energy) generated shock waves which were recorded by six local seismic stations. A reanalysis of the available data leads us to the hypothesis that the meteoroid was a porous carbonaceous chondrite, somehow similar in constitution to the asteroid 253 Mathilde.
Effects of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) immunoneutralization on mouse motor coordination and memory

Abstract Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) is a regulatory peptide expressed in the mammalian upper small intestine, and both GIP and its receptor (GIPR) are expressed in the cortex and hippocampus regions of the brain as well. While learning and memory deficits have been observed in GIPR−/− mice, the effects of peripheral GIP immunoneutralization on motor-coordination, learning, and memory have not been examined. In the present study, adult GIPR−/− mice (KO) and age-matched wild-type C57BL/6 J mice (WT) received weekly vehicle PBS injections for 12 weeks, while a third group of wild-type mice were injected weekly for 12 weeks with 30 mg/kg body weight humanized GIP-mAb (AB) to assess the possibility of long-term effects of peripheral GIP antagonism on rodent memory and behavior. All mice groups then underwent a battery of tests that evaluated motor behavior, body coordination, and memory. Performance deficits in several memory studies after 12 weeks of treatment were demonstrated in KO, but not in AB or WT mice. Body coordination performance showed no significant differences among the 3 groups. A similar short-term study (3 injections over 9 days) was also conducted and the results were similar to those from the long-term study. Thus, short-term and long-term peripheral GIP antagonism by GIP-mAb did not appear to affect learning and memory in mice, consistent with the notion that the GIP-mAb does not cross the blood brain barrier. Furthermore, our studies indicate that GIP signaling in the brain appears to involve local neurocrine pathways.