cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical, Computational, and Experimental Investigations on Activation of Mechanosensitive Channels

We investigate the gating mechanism of large conductance mechanosensitive channels (MscLs) on cellular membranes and vesicles using an integrated approach including theoretical modeling, multiscale simulations and microfluidics experiments. At the channel level, we recently developed a theoretical model to study the MscL gating in vesicles exposed to physiological fluid flows, demonstrating the possibility of gating MscL via flow-generated membrane tension (Pak, et al, PNAS, 112:9822-7, 2015). At the cellular level, membrane tension under different flow conditions is calculated using a 3D whole-cell model based on dissipative particle dynamics (DPD). The simulated tension is passed to the MscL channel model to predict the MscL gating. The system will also be studied with microfluidics experiments including micropipette array aspiration, constricted tube flow and shear flow for comparison with results from theoretical modeling. The results provide guidance for future experiments in inducing MscL opening for intracellular transport.
Resist Poisoning-Free Advanced PECVD-Based Anti-Reflective Coating (ARC) for 90nm Technology and Beyond

A nitrogen-free (N-free) dielectric anti-reflective coating (DARC®) was cost-effectively developed in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) reactor to eliminate the 193nm resist poisoning interaction caused when N2O is used as a precursor [1]. Although it was found that even a N-free ARC could poison sensitive 193nm resists with –OH radicals [2], which either exist inherently in the ARC or result from H2O absorption by the ARC surface, the current investigation has revealed that it was possible to minimize resist poisoning. Our investigation showed that compressive film stress directly correlates to H2O resistance. Therefore, it was possible to greatly improve the ARC resistance to H2O absorption by creating and maintaining a process regime that makes the ARC film dense. The dense ARC film demonstrated promising lithography performance with minimal resist poisoning as well as excellent shelf life and O2-ashing resistance. This paper explores the N-free DARC material, its development, lithographic integration results and implementation in a production environment to eliminate 193nm resist poisoning.
Upper bounds for moments of ζ (ρ)

Assuming the Riemann hypothesis, we obtain an upper bound for the 2kth moment of the derivative of the Riemann zeta-function averaged over the non-trivial zeros of ζ(s) for every positive integer k. Our bounds are nearly as sharp as the conjectured asymptotic formulae for these moments.
College Teaching: Its Present Status and Its Improvement

D URING his courtship of Clara Clemens, Ossip Gabrilowitsch gave many impromptu recitals on the Clemens piano while he awaited Clara's leisurely completion of those boudoir rites essential to feminine success in capturing a male. Usually the sole listener to Ossip's playing during these waiting periods, Mark Twain, after his exposure to some dozens of hours of classical music, commented that Ossip's visits to his home had brought him to the conclusion that not all music is as bad as it sounds. The title of this paper is not as bad as it sounds; there appears to be implicit in it a suggestion that college and university teaching is in a particularly dolorous state and that something had better be done about it. I should like to emphasize at the outset my conviction that the general quality of college teaching is not worse than that of performance and achievement in other professional activitieshigh school teaching, the law, medicine, dentistry, the church, engineering. The fact that the status of college and university teaching may be on a par with that of other professions should not, of course, cause us to be complacent and to neglect all opportunities for the improvement of our work.
Splintering commodity network protocols in high-performance computing

Systems research is about creating a performance environment for applications within the constraints of the underlying components. This dissertation is specifically about creating a performance environment for high-end applications within the constraints of commodity components (protocols, operating systems and hardware). This research analyzes the bottlenecks of TCP/IP in today's clusters and finds that while the MPI implementations need to be improved, decreasing the overhead associated with TCP/IP will increase the performance of MPI. First, this dissertation outlines offloading IP fragmentation and reassembly onto a programmable NIC. This drastically reduces the overhead associated with the interrupt pressure of Ethernet frames and leads to a general method for offloading, splintering. Splintering means isolating a small functionality of a protocol, distributing this functionality, and constraining its implementation. The splintering method is applied to TCP by splintering the demultiplexing of the connection and offloading the demultiplexing onto the NIC. This dissertation describes splintering and its relation to other offload methods including OS-bypass and zero-copy. In order for Splintered TCP to be a success, it must be constrained by the resource limitations of a commodity NIC. This paper outlines the Extensible Message-oriented Offload model created to model offload techniques with respect to CPU speed. The model illustrates offload hiding. Splintered TCP performs offload hiding by allowing the application the flexibility of choosing when protocol headers are processed. The model also illustrates protocol bypass. Latency is lowered because most of the protocol processing is performed after the application receives the data. Finally, the dissertation outlines the creation of Connection-less TCP which drastically decreases the memory usage of TCP connections, allowing them to be offloaded in a memory-constrained environment. Connection-less TCP allows connections and demultiplexing to be offloaded onto the NIC even when there are a large number of connections.
Sequential Retraction Segregates SGN Processes during Target Selection in the Cochlea.

UNLABELLED A hallmark of the nervous system is the presence of precise patterns of connections between different types of neurons. Many mechanisms can be used to establish specificity, including homophilic adhesion and synaptic refinement, but the range of strategies used across the nervous system remains unclear. To broaden the understanding of how neurons find their targets, we studied the developing murine cochlea, where two classes of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), type I and type II, navigate together to the sensory epithelium and then diverge to contact inner hair cells (IHCs) or outer hair cells (OHCs), respectively. Neurons with type I and type II morphologies are apparent before birth, suggesting that target selection might be accomplished by excluding type I processes from the OHC region. However, because type I processes appear to overshoot into type II territory postnatally, specificity may also depend on elimination of inappropriate synapses. To resolve these differences, we analyzed the morphology and dynamic behaviors of individual fibers and their branches as they interact with potential partners. We found that SGN processes continue to be segregated anatomically in the postnatal cochlea. Although type I-like fibers branched locally, few branches contacted OHCs, arguing against synaptic elimination. Instead, time-lapse imaging studies suggest a prominent role for retraction, first positioning processes to the appropriate region and then corralling branches during a subsequent period of exuberant growth and refinement. Thus, sequential stages of retraction can help to achieve target specificity, adding to the list of mechanisms available for sculpting neural circuits. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT During development, different types of neurons must form connections with specific synaptic targets, thereby creating the precise wiring diagram necessary for adult function. Although studies have revealed multiple mechanisms for target selection, we still know little about how different strategies are used to produce each circuit's unique pattern of connectivity. Here we combined neurite-tracing and time-lapse imaging to define the events that lead to the simple binary wiring specificity of the cochlea. A better understanding of how the cochlea is innervated will broaden our knowledge of target selection across the nervous system, offer new insights into the developmental origins of deafness, and guide efforts to restore connectivity in the damaged cochlea.
Topical therapy of burns.

The burn problem in the United States is a very costly one, in terms of both human suffering and economic loss. Significant advances in topical therapy for burns have been made in recent years, including tangential excision, homografts and heterografts, and drugs to combat superficial infection. Ultimately, however, physicians will save more lives by preventive efforts than by topical therapy.
Boron MRI in a Tumor Bearing Canine Model

Over the past several years, we have been involved in the development of a noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for quantifying boron drug pharmacokinetics in tumor and other tissues of the canine head1–3. The underlying aims for this research are to provide a method to evaluate the suitability of boron compounds and to provide a potential drug prescreen as an aid to BNCT dosimetry calculations to be used in patient treatment planning.
Biomaterials: Multifunctional Transmembrane Protein Ligands for Cell‐Specific Targeting of Plasma Membrane‐Derived Vesicles (Small 28/2016)

Abstract Cell-derived plasma membrane vesicles extracted from genetically engineered donor cells can selectively target cells based on their receptor expression profiles, as demonstrated by J. C. Stachowiak and co-workers on page 3837. These engineered donor cells have a stable expression of transmembrane protein ligands that contain multiple domains, including a targeting ligand, a spacer and a fluorophore.
Biochemical Characterization and Structure Determination of the Class C TAS1R Subfamily of Chemosensory Receptors

The taste 1 receptors (TAS1Rs) are a poorly understood subfamily of the class C G protein coupled-receptors (GPCRs) that are responsible for the detection of sweet and savory flavors. There are three TAS1Rs (TAS1R1, TAS1R2, and TAS1R3) and they each include a venus fly trap domain (VFD), cysteine rich domain (CRD), and a seven transmembrane domain (7TM). While no structures are available and limited modeling has been done, several studies have shown that TAS1Rs form obligate heterodimers for proper function, signifying an elegant and complex structural organization for normal function. In addition to taste sensory detection, the TAS1Rs are expressed throughout the human body and play roles in metabolism and innate immunity. To determine the structure of TAS1Rs, we are utilizing the pipeline developed by the GPCR Network used to solve 19 of the 29 published GPCR structures including the 7TM domain of the class C mGluR1. This pipeline consists of large scale expression of stabilized TAS1R constructs for biochemical and biophysical characterization to measure yield and stability, crystallization, and structure determination of the subfamily for the first time. To generate high yielding and stable protein we introduce truncations, point mutations known to increase expression, and fusion partners that aid in stability. Structure determination of the TAS1Rs will greatly improve our understanding of the molecular recognition of this sub family, and provide a platform for developing tools to better understand their diverse role in physiology. This structural information will also be critical for the development of novel therapies for obesity, diabetes, and innate immune disorders. Studies supported in part by U54 GM094618.
Rethinking Housing Bubbles: Goods and Services Markets versus Asset Markets

Cassano agreed to meet with all the big Wall Street firms and discuss the logic of their deals – to investigate how a bunch of shaky loans could be transformed into AAA-rated bonds. Together with [Eugene] Park and a few others, Cassano set out on a series of meetings with Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and the rest – all of whom argued how unlikely it was for housing prices to fall all at once. “They all said the same thing,” says one of the traders present. “They’d go back to historical real-estate prices over 60 years and say they had never fallen all at once.” – Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair , July 2009 It’s a pretty unlikely possibility. We’ve never had a decline in house prices on a nationwide basis. So, what I think is more likely is that house prices will slow, maybe stabilize, might slow consumption spending a bit. I don’t think it’s gonna drive the economy too far from its full employment path, though… – Ben Bernanke, CNBC Interview , July 1, 2005 Two Types of Markets: The Good and the Sometimes Ugly This chapter summarizes findings from two distinct types of experimental markets that are directly relevant to understanding the sources of both stability and instability in the macroeconomy: (1) the class of nondurable consumed goods and services that constitute about 75 percent of U.S. private expenditures (i.e., GDP minus government expenditures); and (2) asset markets, particularly those in which the items traded have long lives and whose market value, therefore, may be importantly influenced by the future price expectations of the participants (prominent examples include houses, securities, and commercial real estate). The parallels between the laboratory and the economy in each of these two cases suggest underlying modes and principles of human behavior that are similar – conditional on the differing characteristics of the items being traded in these two broad categories of economic activity.
The Holy Girl (La Niña Santa)

This is a review of The Holy Girl (La Nina Santa) (2004). This film review is available in Journal of Religion & Film: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol10/iss1/9 Lucretia Martel invokes a powerful word in her film, “The Holy Girl,” and what we have to wonder as scholars of religion is whether that term, holy, is used merely rhetorically or with an intention and intelligence that will enable us to understand the word and the experience more richly as a result of her film. We do. Director and screenwriter, Martel, who also wrote and directed La Cienaga (The Swamp) (2001) blends several motifs in the film: a dense sociality; the ardent and confused desire for religious vocation; humid sexuality; specialists (medical and otherwise) in the ear, nose, and throat; and the transient nature of a hotel. Oddly and disturbingly, and even comically, the girl of the title is, in fact, holy, and that holiness is as difficult to categorize or even judge as its religious writers have often said. Martel and her film, however, give us many valuable suggestions. The film presents a small conference of ear, nose, and throat specialists in a provincial hotel in Argentina. The daughter of the woman who owns the hotel is touched inappropriately as she listens to a street performance, and the offender turns out to be one of the doctors from the conference, Dr. Jano (Belloso). Unaware of the event, her mother romantically pursues the doctor who awkwardly responds, until he discovers the identity of his victim, and events begin to tumble out of
Immune tolerance and the nervous system.

The immune system exists to protect the body from infection by a plethora of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. This is accomplished by a variety of interdependent methods. The skin is an often overlooked but extremely effective barrier to infection, and is one of several innate mechanisms of immunity. NK cells, which appear to primarily recognize changes in the levels of major histocompatability complex class I (MHC cl) molecules expressed on cells within the body, represent another form of innate immunity. They represent a form of innate immunity because while they can protect the body against tumor cells or virally-infected cells, which often have altered levels of MHC cI expression, they have no “memory” of a given prior viral infection or particular type of tumor. This contrasts with T cells and B cells which comprise the specific immune response. A given T cell or B cell and its clonal progeny are all specific for a given foreign microbial antigen, and furthermore, can “remember” a prior encounter with that antigen and effectively remove it much more quickly upon secondary exposure to the antigen. This phenomena is the basis for vaccination. Thus, after vaccination with exposure to antigens from a particular virus or bacterium with adjuvant, there is activation and expansion of T cells and B cells with specific receptors for those particular antigens. If some years later the same individual is exposed to the infectious virus or bacteria, the T cells and B cells which have been previously activated and expanded will be mobilized very quickly and in most cases eliminate the infectious agent before it can do any harm to the body.
Dielectric relaxation in some chlorine substituted anilines

It has been shown recently that the very short group relaxation time observed for pure aniline and its solutions may be attributed to the inversion of the nonplanar configuration of the nitrogen bonds.1,2, 3 Tiganik,4 by measuring the static dielectric constants of ortho-, meta-, and para-chloroanilines, has come to the conclusion that the angle between the NHg group and the phenyl ring varies with the location of the substituted chlorine atom. One may expect that the relaxation time and the potential barrier to the inversion is dependent on the magnitude of the angle to be inverted. Further, the self association of anilines through weak hydrogen bonding is dependent on the substitution. In order to gain information on these phenomena the present study was undertaken.
Correlation between the high-frequency content of the QRS on murine surface electrocardiogram and the sympathetic nerves density in left ventricle after myocardial infarction: Experimental study

Abstract Denervated post-infarct scar is arrhythmogenic. Our aim was to compare QRS frequency content in denervated and innervated left ventricular (LV) scar. In-vivo single lead ECG telemetry device was implanted in 17 heterozygous PTPσ (HET) and 7 lacking PTPσ (KO) transgenic mice. Myocardial infarction (MI) with reperfusion and sham surgery was performed. HET mice developed a denervated scar, whereas KO mice developed innervated scar. The power spectral density was used to assess the QRS frequency content. Denervated as compared to innervated post-MI scar was characterized by the higher relative contribution of 300–500 Hz (14 ± 1 vs. 9 ± 1%; P = 0.001) but reduced relative contribution of 200–300 Hz (86 ± 1 vs. 91 ± 1%; P = 0.001). Norepinephrine concentration in peri-infarct zone correlated with both 1–200 Hz (r = 0.75; P = 0.03) and 200–500 Hz QRS power (r = 0.73; P = 0.04). Sympathetic fiber density within the infarct correlated with 200–300/200–500 Hz QRS power ratio (r = 0.56; P = 0.005). Intracellular sigma peptide injections in post-MI HET mice restored the QRS power.
Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Histopathologic Features and Clinical Correlations

The case of a 16-year-old African-American girl with systemic lupus erythematosus, who developed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage with fatal consequences, is described. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a rare but serious complication of systemic lupus. It occurs in three distinct but overlapping phenotypes, acute capillaritis, bland pulmonary hemorrhage, and diffuse alveolar damage, each of which is associated with a different group of underlying conditions. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a medical emergency: choice of treatment depends on early diagnosis and determination of the underlying etiology. Acute infection, superimposed on diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in the setting of immune compromise, is often a terminal event, as in this case.
Oral glucose tolerance test performance in olanzapine-treated schizophrenia-spectrum patients is predicted by BMI and triglycerides but not olanzapine dose or duration.

Objective Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is associated with glucoregulatory abnormalities, but the nature of this link is not fully elucidated. This is the first olanzapine oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) study to consider treatment dose and duration, and to compare complementary indices respectively assessing insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and resistance (homeostasis model assessment). Methods Body mass index (BMI), body composition, plasma lipids, and oGTT were measured in olanzapine-treated nondiabetic patients with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 35). Results While only one previously undiagnosed participant met diabetes criteria based on fasting plasma glucose alone (≥126 mg/dL), seven were diagnosed with oGTT (2-hr plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the Matsuda index correlated with BMI (p < 0.0001) and plasma triglycerides (p = 0.01), but not with age, olanzapine dose, olanzapine treatment duration, or plasma cholesterol. Homeostasis model assessment and fasting plasma glucose correlated with triglycerides only (p < 0.0001 for both). Conclusions Our data suggest that BMI and triglycerides may be implicated in olanzapine-related glucoregulatory abnormalities. The lack of correlation between glucoregulatory abnormalities and olanzapine dose or treatment duration suggests preexisting metabolic disturbances and/or disturbances arising early in the course of treatment. Clinicians prescribing antipsychotics should consider oGTT, especially in patients with obesity and/or hypertriglyceridemia.
Biochemical and Structural Analysis of Substrate Specificity of a Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is the first enzyme of the general phenylpropanoid pathway catalyzing the nonoxidative elimination of ammonia from l-phenylalanine to give trans-cinnamate. In monocots, PAL also displays tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL) activity, leading to the formation of p-coumaric acid. The catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of a major PAL from sorghum (Sorghum bicolor; SbPAL1), a strategic plant for bioenergy production, were deduced from crystal structures, molecular docking, site-directed mutagenesis, and kinetic and thermodynamic analyses. This first crystal structure of a monocotyledonous PAL displayed a unique conformation in its flexible inner loop of the 4-methylidene-imidazole-5-one (MIO) domain compared with that of dicotyledonous plants. The side chain of histidine-123 in the MIO domain dictated the distance between the catalytic MIO prosthetic group created from 189Ala-Ser-Gly191 residues and the bound l-phenylalanine and l-tyrosine, conferring the deamination reaction through either the Friedel-Crafts or E2 reaction mechanism. Several recombinant mutant SbPAL1 enzymes were generated via structure-guided mutagenesis, one of which, H123F-SbPAL1, has 6.2 times greater PAL activity without significant TAL activity. Additional PAL isozymes of sorghum were characterized and categorized into three groups. Taken together, this approach identified critical residues and explained substrate preferences among PAL isozymes in sorghum and other monocots, which can serve as the basis for the engineering of plants with enhanced biomass conversion properties, disease resistance, or nutritional quality.
The intersections of selves and policies: A poetic inquiry into the hydra of teacher education

This article explores the intersection of selves and policies for teacher educators in an era of teacher education reform. Borne out of a promise to one another to write about our experiences navigating increasingly complex market-driven, neoliberal attacks on our work and world, we collected data across several years that documented our attempt to break our silence (Lorde, 1977) and explore how we, as teacher educators, make sense of neoliberal reforms and policies in teacher preparation. We draw specifically on Dunn’s theory of the Hydra of Teacher Education (2016), alongside literature on reforms and policies in teacher preparation and teacher educators’ forms of resistance to frame our work, and utilize arts-based poetic inquiry methodology (Prendergast, 2009; Rath, 2001) to explore the real, everyday implications of educational policy in our lives and in our careers. The poems we created as a “performative act” (Prendergast, 2009, p. xxiii) revealed that our experiences seemed to follow a cycle from hopelessness, to silence, to acquiescence, to collective resistance. We look carefully at this last portion of the cycle in our work, wondering how, if at all, teacher educators can resist the neoliberalization of teacher preparation. We conclude with implications for research, policy, and the practice of teacher education as we write to understand, write to resist, and write to survive.
The Effect of Mechanical Shot Blasting in Producing the Surface Ultrafined Grain Layer on Large-Size Titanium Plate

This paper reported that the mechanical shot blasting was a feasible method for producing ultra-fined grain layer on large-size titanium plate. The MSB effects on producing ultra-fined layer were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and micro-hardness tester. The experimental results showed that the thickness of the surface severe plastic deformation layer increased with the improvement in processing speed, but presented stabilization with prolonging the processing durations. The maximum thickness of the ultra-fined grain layer was about 320 μm, and the minimum grain size in the topmost surface was about 180 nm. The ultra-fined grain presented equiaxed grain morphology with random crystallographic orientation.
Capturing Structural Snapshots during Photochemical Reactions with Ultrafast Raman Spectroscopy: From Materials Transformation to Biosensor Responses.

Chemistry studies the composition, structure, properties, and transformation of matter. A mechanistic understanding of the pertinent processes is required to translate fundamental knowledge into practical applications. The current development of ultrafast Raman as a powerful time-resolved vibrational technique, particularly femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS), has shed light on the structure–energy–function relationships of various photosensitive systems. This Perspective reviews recent work incorporating optical innovations, including the broad-band up-converted multicolor array (BUMA) into a tunable FSRS setup, and demonstrates its resolving power to watch metal speciation and photolysis, leading to high-quality thin films, and fluorescence modulation of chimeric protein biosensors for calcium ion imaging. We discuss advantages of performing FSRS in the mixed time–frequency domain and present strategies to delineate mechanisms by tracking low-frequency modes and systematically modifying che...
Investigation of a compressive line sensing hyperspectral imaging sensor

Passive hyperspectral imaging (HSI) sensors are essential in many space-borne surveillance missions because rich spectral information can improve the ability to analyze and classify oceanic and terrestrial parameters and objects/areas of interest. A significant technical challenge is that the amount of raw data acquired by these sensors will begin to exceed the data transmission bandwidths between the spacecraft and the ground station using classical approaches such as imaging onto a detector array. In this paper, the Compressive Line Sensing (CLS) imaging concept, originally developed for energy-efficient active laser imaging, is extended to the implementation of a hyperspectral imaging sensor. CLS HSI imaging is achieved using a digital micromirror device (DMD) spatial light modulator. A DMD generates a series of 2D binary sensing patterns from a codebook that can be used to encode cross-track spatial-spectral slices in a push-broom type imaging device. A high sensitivity single-element detector can then be used to acquire the target reflections from the DMD as the encoder output. The target image can be reconstructed using the encoder output and the encoding codebook. The proposed system architecture is presented. The initial simulation and experimental results comparing the proposed design with the state-of-the-art are discussed.
ORIGINS OF THE CONCEPT OF OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION: RETROSPECTIVES AND PERSPECTIVES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses retrospectives and perspectives related to the origins of the concept of oxidative phosphorylation. In 1930, Lundsgaard discovered that glycolysis is totally arrested by iodoacetic acid (IAA) and yet he found the alactacid muscles able to perform a considerable amount of work before they became exhausted in a state of rigor that also was alactacid. Lundsgaard by early 1930, 2–3 years before Lipmann arrived in Copenhagen, pursued the phenomenon of alactacid muscle contraction along such fundamental biological lines. One of the cardinal points of the Meyerhof bioenergetics cycle was the recovery balance, that one-fifth of the lactic acid formed during a contraction period was burned to CO 2 and water, harnessing energy for the conversion of the four-fifths of the lactic acid back to glycogen. Because iodoacetate-treated muscles can carry out a considerable amount of mechanical work anaerobically without a trace of lactic acid being formed, lactic acid formation could not be counted among the primary energy sources.
Parallel Importation: Economic and Social Welfare Dimensions

This paper was prepared at the request of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for use in dialogue with members of the Swiss Federal Assembly as that legislative body considered proposals to modify Switzerland's law on patents and parallel importation. The paper provides an overview of the arguments for and against allowing international exhaustion of patent rights, with a focus on trade in pharmaceuticals and public health. It explains the different potential geographical bases for exhaustion: national, regional and international. It observes that there may be differences between the way exhaustion policies affect "ordinary goods" and goods with significant public health effects. It outlines arguments from the producer and consumer sides, including arguments made by pharmaceutical producers in favor of market segmentation to allow price discrimination in favor of low income populations. It notes the option of limiting exhaustion to a regional group with relatively homogenous income levels and regulatory supervision, observing also that this does not take advantage of lowest world market pricing. The objective of the paper was to provide parliamentarians with a concise overview of different sides of the parallel importation discussion.
ABI3 and PLCG2 missense variants as risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases in Caucasians and African Americans.

Rare coding variants ABI3_rs616338-T and PLCG2_rs72824905-G were identified as risk or protective factors, respectively, for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We tested the association of these variants with five neurodegenerative diseases in Caucasian case-control cohorts: 2742 AD, 231 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 838 Parkinson’s disease (PD), 306 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and 150 multiple system atrophy (MSA) vs. 3351 controls; and in an African-American AD case-control cohort (181 AD, 331 controls). 1479 AD and 1491 controls were non-overlapping with a prior report. Using Fisher’s exact test, there was significant association of both ABI3_rs616338-T (OR = 1.41, p = 0.044) and PLCG2_rs72824905-G (OR = 0.56, p = 0.008) with AD. These OR estimates were maintained in the non-overlapping replication AD-control analysis, albeit at reduced significance (ABI3_rs616338-T OR = 1.44, p = 0.12; PLCG2_rs72824905-G OR = 0.66, p = 0.19). None of the other cohorts showed significant associations that were concordant with those for AD, although the DLB cohort had suggestive findings (Fisher’s test: ABI3_rs616338-T OR = 1.79, p = 0.097; PLCG2_rs72824905-G OR = 0.32, p = 0.124). PLCG2_rs72824905-G showed suggestive association with pathologically-confirmed MSA (OR = 2.39, p = 0.050) and PSP (OR = 1.97, p = 0.061), although in the opposite direction of that for AD. We assessed RNA sequencing data from 238 temporal cortex (TCX) and 224 cerebellum (CER) samples from AD, PSP and control patients and identified co-expression networks, enriched in microglial genes and immune response GO terms, and which harbor PLCG2 and/or ABI3. These networks had higher expression in AD, but not in PSP TCX, compared to controls. This expression association did not survive adjustment for brain cell type population changes. We validated the associations previously reported with ABI3_rs616338-T and PLCG2_rs72824905-G in a Caucasian AD case-control cohort, and observed a similar direction of effect in DLB. Conversely, PLCG2_rs72824905-G showed suggestive associations with PSP and MSA in the opposite direction. We identified microglial gene-enriched co-expression networks with significantly higher levels in AD TCX, but not in PSP, a primary tauopathy. This co-expression network association appears to be driven by microglial cell population changes in a brain region affected by AD pathology. Although these findings require replication in larger cohorts, they suggest distinct effects of the microglial genes, ABI3 and PLCG2 in neurodegenerative diseases that harbor significant vs. low/no amyloid s pathology.
Learning From the Dust Bowl

Sixty- ve years ago a group of people working on land that was too cold, too dry, too hot, or too high for crops or intensive forestry came together in Salt Lake City. They formed the American Society of Range Management (now SRM) to focus the emerg- ing science of land management on rangelands. They recognized that rangelands had deteriorated when even the best known agricultural practices of the time were applied. The emerging science of ecology became the cornerstone of the new profession. And managing change was their long suit. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v35i1_box
Impact of a Monthly Compliance Review on Interventional Radiology Adverse Event Reporting.

PURPOSE Our aims were to analyze the change in interventional radiology physician major adverse event (AE) reporting after initiation of a monthly morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference compliance review and to describe the association of procedure class and potentially preventable errors with major AE occurrence. METHODS In late 2010, to motivate timely reporting, we instituted a structured monthly M&M conference review confirming whether each complication warranted institutional AE reporting and whether timely reporting had occurred. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the M&M conference minutes over the subsequent 5 years. Logistic regression was used to model the change of AE reporting over time as well as the association of procedure class with the risk of an AE. Each AE was classified as to whether it seemed potentially preventable. RESULTS There were 46,660 patient encounters, 1,160 (2.5%) major and minor complications, and 462 (1.0%) reportable AEs. From 2011 to 2015, the percentage of reportable AEs reported increased from 67% to 98%. The number of months from initiation of the M&M conference review was a significant predictor of the likelihood of AE reporting (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04, 1.08, P < .0001). Procedure class was strongly associated with the risk of a reportable AE (P < .0001). At least 111 (24%) reportable AEs were potentially preventable. CONCLUSIONS Increasing AE reporting occurred after initiation of a monthly M&M conference compliance review. The incidence of reportable AEs was strongly associated with procedure class, and a significant percentage of these events were potentially preventable.
Discrete Stratified Morse Theory: Algorithms and A User's Guide

Inspired by the works of Forman on discrete Morse theory, which is a combinatorial adaptation to cell complexes of classical Morse theory on manifolds, we introduce a discrete analogue of the stratified Morse theory of Goresky and MacPherson. We describe the basics of this theory and prove fundamental theorems relating the topology of a general simplicial complex with the critical simplices of a discrete stratified Morse function on the complex. We also provide an algorithm that constructs a discrete stratified Morse function out of an arbitrary function defined on a finite simplicial complex; this is different from simply constructing a discrete Morse function on such a complex. We then give simple examples to convey the utility of our theory. Finally, we relate our theory with the classical stratified Morse theory in terms of triangulated Whitney stratified spaces.
Distinct effects of acute versus chronic corticosterone exposure on Zebra finch responses to West Nile virus

Wild animals are exposed to both short- (acute) and long-term (chronic) stressors. The glucocorticoid hormones, such as corticosterone (CORT), facilitate coping with such stressors, but these hormones can have quite distinct effects contingent on the duration of their elevation. Previously, we found that experimental elevation of CORT for 2 days (via implantation) affected zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) responses to West Nile virus (WNV). CORT-elevated birds had higher viremia for at least 2 days longer than controls, and West Nile virus (WNV)-associated mortality occurred only in CORT-elevated birds. Here, we queried how acute elevations of CORT, via injection an hour prior to WNV exposure, would affect host responses, as short-term CORT elevations can be protective in other species. Although CORT injections and implantations elevated circulating CORT to a similar degree, the type of CORT exposure had quite distinct effects on WNV responses. CORT-implanted individuals reached higher viremia and suffered more mortality to WNV than control and CORT-injected individuals. However, CORT-implanted birds maintained body mass better during infection than the other two groups. Our results further support the possibility that chronic physiological stress affects aspects of host competence and potentially community-level WNV disease dynamics.
Field Philosophy East and West: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Field philosophy is both a collaborative practice of engaged scholarship and a theory of knowledge that contrasts with the model of disciplinary knowledge production. I briefly describe the origins...
Superior vena cava filter placement over existing central venous lines: Is line removal necessary?

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the technical feasibility and clinical safety of superior vena cava (SVC) filter placement over preexisting central venous lines (CVLs) in 23 patients who had upper extremity deep venous thrombosis with contraindications to anticoagulation. METHODS A retrospective review of the images and electronic medical records of 23 patients from 2008 to 2018 with SVC filters placed over an existing central venous line was performed in a single tertiary medical center. Twenty-one filters were placed over smaller lines (<8 Fr), and two were placed over hemodialysis catheters. Venograms before and after filter placement were compared to detect any evidence of line displacement or entrapment. Medical records were reviewed to determine whether there was any difficulty during line removal. RESULTS In two of five patients with dual lines, significant line displacement was noted in the left-sided lines, both lines were later removed without complications. In one patient with a hemodialysis catheter, the filter was deployed over the tip of the catheter resulting in the entrapment of one of the legs of the filter within a side hole of the line. Fourteen patients had their lines later removed 3 days to 3 months after filter placement without reported problems. Nine patients had their CVLs left in place until the patient's death or discharge to a long-term facility. CONCLUSIONS SVC filter placement over preexisting CVLs seems to be technically feasible and clinically safe in patients with <8-Fr CVLs. However, placement of the filters over hemodialysis catheters can result in leg entrapment.
Stability analysis of a fractional-order delay Logistic model with feedback control

In this paper, a fractional-order delay Logistic model with feedback control is presented and analyzed. We first study the local stability around the equilibrium point. Then global asymptotic stability are discussed by constructing suitable Lyapunov functional. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to support our theoretical results.
Prediction of hypotension events with physiologic vital sign signatures in the intensive care unit

Even brief hypotension is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We developed a machine learning model to predict the initial hypotension event among intensive care unit (ICU) patients and designed an alert system for bedside implementation. From the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-3) dataset, minute-by-minute vital signs were extracted. A hypotension event was defined as at least five measurements within a 10-min period of systolic blood pressure ≤ 90 mmHg and mean arterial pressure ≤ 60 mmHg. Using time series data from 30-min overlapping time windows, a random forest (RF) classifier was used to predict risk of hypotension every minute. Chronologically, the first half of extracted data was used to train the model, and the second half was used to validate the trained model. The model’s performance was measured with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and area under the precision recall curve (AUPRC). Hypotension alerts were generated using risk score time series, a stacked RF model. A lockout time were applied for real-life implementation. We identified 1307 subjects (1580 ICU stays) as the hypotension group and 1619 subjects (2279 ICU stays) as the non-hypotension group. The RF model showed AUROC of 0.93 and 0.88 at 15 and 60 min, respectively, before hypotension, and AUPRC of 0.77 at 60 min before. Risk score trajectories revealed 80% and > 60% of hypotension predicted at 15 and 60 min before the hypotension, respectively. The stacked model with 15-min lockout produced on average 0.79 alerts/subject/hour (sensitivity 92.4%). Clinically significant hypotension events in the ICU can be predicted at least 1 h before the initial hypotension episode. With a highly sensitive and reliable practical alert system, a vast majority of future hypotension could be captured, suggesting potential real-life utility.
Sustainability Transparency and Trustworthiness of Blockchain: A Comparison of Generations X and Y Fashion Customers

The fashion industry struggles to maintain healthy environmental and social conditions while keeping the economic benefits. One way to inform fashion customers about the sustainability is through transparency of information. The blockchain technology is relatively new but provides the potential application for fashion companies in this regard. Thus, this study aims to investigate consumer interaction with blockchain data and the effect this have on sustainability by comparing Generations X and Y. A quantitative research method was employed for this study and a total of 200 usable data were collected. The results show that Gen X found the claims of the blockchain more effective than Gen Y. Also, Gen X put more trust in the claims made by a company than Gen Y. Thus, applying the blockchain will be a great opportunity for business to highlight the transparency of their supply chain or product that may differentiate them from their competitor.
Immune and Inflammatory Myopathies

Immune and inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are characterized by weakness with muscle inflammation and are frequently accompanied by extra-muscular manifestations. Previously, patients were diagnosed with dermatomyositis if a characteristic rash accompanied muscle involvement or polymyositis if no rash was present. The discovery of unique clinical features, autoantibodies, and histopathological patterns that associate with specific clinical phenotypes has been instrumental in understanding IIM and predicting treatment response and prognosis. While numerous classification systems exist, the most commonly agreed-upon criteria recognize four main categories: dermatomyositis, sporadic inclusion body myositis, antisynthetase syndrome, and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. Treatment still largely relies on expert opinion and empirical use of corticosteroids and steroid-sparing agents. A deeper understanding of the molecular pathways that drive pathogenesis and accurate disease classification will aid clinical research and the development of more precision therapies. This chapter discusses current knowledge of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, diagnostic evaluation, classification, pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis of IIM.
Making the third ghetto

Chicago’s third ghetto is a cluster of “thinned out,” outlying neighborhoods that resulted from the demolition of public housing in “second ghetto” neighborhoods surrounding the central business di...
Smart shale gas production performance analysis using machine learning applications

Abstract With the advancement of technology and innovation in the oil and gas industry, the production of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon from conventional and unconventional resources has seen exponential growth. Recently, the USA and other oil giants have shifted their paradigm from conventional to unconventional resources of exploration and production of hydrocarbon. However, there is still a perpetual force that exists to develop and devise new innovative approaches and methodologies for the exploration, extraction efficiencies, and production performance of hydrocarbons. To better evaluate the impact of well attributes, reservoir characteristics and production behavior of well machine learning and artificial intelligence-based models have been developed by researchers that with the help of simulation and modeling provide us the true picture of reservoir performance without exploring and investing billions of dollars. This review paper encompasses the literature published in the recent years and narrated the recent development made by researchers especially in the field of production performance estimation of shale gas by developing machine learning-based models. More specifically, this paper deals with the major shale gas reservoir of North America including Marcellus shale, Eagle Ford shale, and Bakken Shale. Additionally, equations, input parameters, and formations that are considered key parameters for the development of the smart shale gas models are also discussed in this manuscript. In addition, the methodology comparison of different machine learning algorithms including their limitations and advantages are also presented.