cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Instability Driven by Sheath Boundary Conditions and Limited to Divertor Legs

An instability driven by electron temperature gradient in combination with sheath boundary condition at the divertor plate is considered. A mode localized between the divertor plate and the X point is found. The further propagation of the mode is terminated by a strong shear near the X point. Heuristic boundary condition at the control surface situated somewhat below the X point is suggested. The mode manifests a strong dependence on the radial tilt of the divertor plate, thereby providing some degree of control over the plasma transport in the divertor leg. Estimates of the diffusion coefficient show that it may reach the Bohm value.
Why Have Some Indian States Done Better than Others at Reducing Rural Poverty

The unevenness of the rise in rural living standards in the various states of India since the 1950s allowed the authors to study the causes of poverty. They modeled the evolution of average consumption and various poverty measures using pooled state-level data for 1957-91. They found that poverty was reduced by higher agricultural yields, above-trend growth in nonfarm output, and lower inflation rates. But these factors only partly explain relative success and failure in reducing poverty. Initial conditions also mattered. States that started the period with better infrastructure and human resources - with more intense irrigation, greater literacy, and lower infant mortality rates - had significantly greater long-term rates of consumption growth and poverty reduction. By and large, the same variables that promoted growth in average consumption also helped reduce poverty. The effects on poverty measures were partly redistributive in nature. After controlling for inflation, the authors found that some of the factors that helped reduce absolute poverty also improved distribution, and none of the factors that reduced absolute poverty had adverse impacts on distribution. In other words, there was no sign of tradeoffs between growth and pro-poor distribution.
The Relative Progressivity of Social Services in Ecuador

This article examines the incidence of public subsidies to health and education services in Ecuador. In Ecuador, health and education services are the only public expenditures that consciously atte...
Radioimmunoassay of serum progesterone in women receiving oral contraceptive steroids

Abstract A dextran-coated charcoal radioimmunoassay (RIA) of serum progesterone which requires only a simple diethyl ether extraction of serum prior to assay is presented. The assay uses a very specific antiserum produced by immunizing rabbits with an 11α-succinylprogesterone-bovine-serum albumin conjugate. The advantage of the method presented over other RIA methods for progesterone is that no chromatography is required. The mean serum progesterone concentrations measured were for men, 193 pg/ml; for women in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, 191 pg/ml and 8.9 ng/ml, respectively; for post-menopausal women, 148 pg/ml; and for ovariectomized women, 109 pg/ml. Sera were also assayed from women receiving combination oral contraceptives and their mean progesterone concentration was 309 pg/ml. It is concluded that ovarian function is not depressed to post-menopausal levels in women receiving oral steroidal contraceptive agents.
SAMPLE PREPARATION VIA SOLID PHASE EXTRACTION IN THE 96-WELL FORMAT FOR HPLC/UV DETECTION-BASED BIOFLUID ASSAYS. APPLICATION TO THE DETERMINATION OF A NOVEL CYCLOOXYGENASE II INHIBITOR IN HUMAN PLASMA AND URINE

Methods using solid phase extraction in the 96-well format, together with HPLC and UV detection, are described for the determination of low ng/mL concentrations of 2-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-cyclo-pent-2-enone, a cyclooxygenase II inhibitor, in human plasma and urine. The plasma assay utilizes a packed-bed SPE plate, while the urine assay employs a 96 well plate containing membrane-based extraction disks. Both matrices are diluted with 17% acetonitrile in water prior to application to the extraction plates. Following sample application, the plates are washed with acetonitrile/water mixtures to remove endogenous components prior to elution of the analytes with 100% acetonitrile. The urine extracts are diluted with water and injected directly into the HPLC system. The plasma extracts, however, require evaporation and reconstitution prior to injection. An HPLC/column switching system is employed to separate the analyte and an internal standard from co-extracted endogenous species. The...
A homolytic oxy-functionalization mechanism: intermolecular hydrocarbyl migration from M-R to vanadate oxo.

A new mechanism for generating C–O bonds from metal-hydrocarbyls involving homolytic, intermolecular migration of the hydrocarbyl group to a vanadium oxo is reported. Responsible for the C–O bond in phenol formed by the reaction of OVCl3 with HgPh2, it may provide air-regenerable metal oxos a role in aerobic alkane oxidations.
Optimizing Health Care for Adults with Spina Bifida.

Survival into adulthood for individuals with spina bifida has significantly improved over the last 40 years with the majority of patients now living as adults. Despite this growing population of adult patients who have increased medical needs compared to the general population, including spina bifida (SB)-specific care, age-related secondary disabilities, and general adult medical needs, there is little published information about the natural history of SB in adulthood. There are few published studies of medical conditions, interventions, or long-term complications in this population. This article will provide a review of the medical issues of adults with SB, highlighting areas that are different than pediatric care, and areas of needed research.
Communicating the risks, and the benefits, of nanotechnology

Issues surrounding the wide spectrum of (perceived) risks and possible benefits associated with the rapid advance of modern nanotechnology are deliberated. These include the current realities of nanotechnological hazards, their impact vis-a-vis perceived nanotech-risks and perceived nanotech-benefits, and the consequent repercussions on the public and society. It is argued that both the risks and the benefits of nanoscientific advances must be properly communicated if the public is to support this emerging technology.
Problems due to missing data in phylogenetic analyses including fossils: a critical review

ABSTRACT We review the widespread notion that the inclusion of taxa scored for relatively few characters is problematic in phylogenetic analyses. Taxa scored for few characters may lead to lack of resolution, but need not. Lack of resolution may be unrelated to missing data when characters conflict. Missing data cannot produce groupings for which there is no evidence. A common approach to avoid the “missing data problem” is to exclude incomplete taxa, but excluding such taxa is inadvisable because the information content of taxa is not necessarily correlated with degree of completeness. Another prevalent strategy—excluding characters with a high proportion of missing data—may actually contribute to the low resolution problem rather than ameliorate it because removing any character data removes potentially informative synapomorphies. Other approaches, including the use of less-than-strict consensus techniques, have the potential to obscure evidence for alternative relationships or, at best, provide incompl...
Platelet-Activating Factor Receptors Mediate Excitatory Postsynaptic Hippocampal Injury in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Gray matter degeneration contributes to progressive disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can occur out of proportion to measures of white matter disease. Although white matter pathology, including demyelination and axon injury, can lead to secondary gray matter changes, we hypothesized that neurons can undergo direct excitatory injury within the gray matter independent of these. We tested this using a model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) with hippocampal degeneration in C57BL/6 mice, in which immunofluorescent staining showed a 28% loss of PSD95-positive excitatory postsynaptic puncta in hippocampal area CA1 compared with sham-immunized controls, despite preservation of myelin and VGLUT1-positive excitatory axon terminals. Loss of postsynaptic structures was accompanied by appearance of PSD95-positive debris that colocalized with the processes of activated microglia at 25 d after immunization, and clearance of debris was followed by persistently reduced synaptic density at 55 d. In vitro , addition of activated BV2 microglial cells to hippocampal cultures increased neuronal vulnerability to excitotoxic dendritic damage following a burst of synaptic activity in a manner dependent on platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) signaling. In vivo treatment with PAFR antagonist BN52021 prevented PSD95-positive synapse loss in hippocampi of mice with EAE but did not affect development of EAE or local microglial activation. These results demonstrate that postsynaptic structures can be a primary target of injury within the gray matter in autoimmune neuroinflammatory disease, and suggest that this may occur via PAFR-mediated modulation of activity-dependent synaptic physiology downstream of microglial activation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Unraveling gray matter degeneration is critical for developing treatments for progressive disability and cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). In a mouse model of MS, we show that neurons can undergo injury at their synaptic connections within the gray matter, independent of the white matter pathology, demyelination, and axon injury that have been the focus of most current and emerging treatments. Damage to excitatory synapses in the hippocampus occurs in association with activated microglia, which can promote excitotoxic injury via activation of receptors for platelet-activating factor, a proinflammatory signaling molecule elevated in the brain in MS. Platelet-activating factor receptor blockade protected synapses in the mouse model, identifying a potential target for neuroprotective treatments in MS.
The superficial musculoaponeurotic system flap in the prevention of Frey syndrome: A meta‐analysis

Evaluate the difference of the incidence in clinical Frey syndrome in studies comparing classical parotidectomy and parotidectomy with superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) flap elevation and suturing through meta-analysis methodology.
Analysis of epidemiological characteristics and case reporting standard of hand-foot-mouth disease with cluster of cases in Guangzhou in 2010

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) with cluster of cases in Guangzhou in 2010,and to discuss the standard of case reporting during the outbreaks.Methods A descriptive epidemiological analysis was made on the data of HFMD cases recorded in the Public Health Emergency Report and Information Management System as well as investigation report charts in Guangzhou in 2010.The incidence rate,constituent ratio,average and standard deviation were calculated and compared.The correlation between the number of classes involved and the duration of outbreak was analyzed by Spearman.Results A total of 413 clusters of HFMD cases were reported with an average incidence rate of 2.02% in Guangzhou in 2010.The highest peak of HFMD cases occurred in the month of April to June.Almost half of clusters(41.64%,172/413) were reported from urban area and the majority from kindergartens(80.39%,332/413).Out of 413 clusters of cases,16 met the standard of public health emergency events and recorded in the system with the average incidence rate of 5.58%.However all these 16 clusters were reported after the peaks(t=-2.43,P=0.021)with 6 even reported by the end of the events. Usually the more classes involved,the longer the duration was(Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.566,P= 0.022).Conclusions Intensified prevention and control of HFMD epidemic is still needed in Guangzhou,particularly in kindergartens and during the peak season of April to June.The reports,investigation and management of HFMD cluster of cases should be standardized.In particular,the reporting standard should be reassessed in order to improve the sensitivity and effectiveness of the report.
A “charming name for a species of slavery”: Political Debate on Debt Peonage in the Southwest, 1840s–1860s

Federal deliberations over debt peonage in the Mexican Cession lands during the antebellum era helped to shape perceptions of involuntary servitude within the broader context of chattel slavery in the South. Judicial and congressional analyses of peonage in New Mexico informed future legislative proceedings in the early Reconstruction era that expanded the constitutional ban on slavery to include all forms of coercive labor.
Psychological Modeling of Humans by Assistive Robots

The use of assistive robots presents opportunities as well as challenges for researchers, patients, and healthcare practitioners. For some cases, the possibility of creating a “one size fits all” robot-aided therapy is unrealistic. As we move from robots as assistive tools, to robots as active collaborators in maintaining and upgrading one’s physical and mental health, we must develop systems that autonomously individualize their behavior over the course of treatment with respect to the needs of the patient. Creating systems that perceive and model a person’s mental state is an important problem that is currently being investigated by the human-robot interaction and social robotics communities. This chapter presents their progress and also examines an anticipated upcoming generation of robots that will socially interact with patients, model their moods, personality, likes, and dislikes, and use this information to guide the robot’s assistance related decisions. We review the major research in areas related to cognitive, behavioral, economic, and psychological modeling of a patient by an assistive robot.
The Manipulation of Scholarly Rating and Measurement Systems: Constructing Excellence in an Era of Academic Stardom.

ABSTRACTHigher education institutions are joining many other social entities in shifting how participants are evaluated; work is undergoing increasing analysis through metrics, big data analytics, and related methodologies. As applications of academic metrics expand, new formulations of what is considered as ‘excellence’ in teaching and research are being constructed and new kinds of academic ‘star’ faculty and journals determined. Academic participation is being tightly coupled with specific, manipulable quantitative measures, providing formidable lessons about how intellectual endeavors are valued. This paper presents analyses of ‘performative metrics’ approaches: metrics-related methodologies are being manipulated at levels including faculty member, department, publisher, and university, often in ways well described by game and drama theory (Howard 1994). Academic life is often associated with potentials for unbiased pursuits of knowledge; as discourse intensifies concerning metric manipulation, identi...
Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Turbid Media

The diagnosis of disease is becoming more and more a technologic task. The clinician’s goal is to assess the structural and functional changes in diseased tissue, infer the identity and stage of the disease, and predict the ultimate consequences to the organism as a whole, intervening with the proper treatment whenever possible.1 The diagnostic ordnance varies, both for the suspected disease and with the specialty of the clinician. Radiologists, for example, assess gross structural abnormalities utilizing variations in tissue or contrast agent absorption of X-rays. This structural information, although useful diagnostically, provides limited insight into the molecular etiology and pathogenesis of the disease, factors now appreciated to be important prognostically and in selecting appropriate therapy.1 Pathology provides the most widely used clinical method of elucidating chemical information from diseased tissues.1.2 Traditional techniques of histology probe the microscopic structural alterations of diseased tissue. Using histochemical stains, many of the corresponding chemical alterations can be mapped out on a microscopic scale. The chief disadvantage of histologic techniques is that they can only be applied in vitro, necessitating the removal of tissue.2 The requirement of biopsy limits the utility of this approach; it implies that only small areas of tissue, accessible to either biopsy forceps or needles, can be sampled.
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Inflammatory and Endothelial Function Markers in Women.

Abstract Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may contribute to heightened cardiovascular disease risk by promoting a proinflammatory state and impaired endothelial function. Previous research has demonstrated associations of PTSD with inflammatory and endothelial function biomarkers, but most work has been cross-sectional and does not separate the effects of trauma exposure from those of PTSD. Methods We investigated associations of trauma exposure and chronic PTSD with biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor II) and endothelial function (intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) in 524 middle-aged women in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Using linear mixed models, we examined associations of trauma/PTSD status with biomarkers measured twice, 10 to 16 years apart, in cardiovascular disease–free women, considering either average levels over time (cross-sectional) or change in levels over time (longitudinal). Biomarker levels were log-transformed. Trauma/PTSD status (based on structured diagnostic interviews) was defined as no trauma at either blood draw (n = 175), trauma at blood draw 1 but no PTSD at either draw (n = 175), and PTSD that persisted beyond blood draw 1 (chronic PTSD; n = 174). The reference group was women without trauma. Results In models adjusted for known potential confounders, women with chronic PTSD had higher average C-reactive protein (B = 0.27, p Conclusions Increased inflammation and impaired endothelial function may be pathways by which chronic PTSD increases cardiovascular disease risk.
Phonological Soundscapes in Medieval Poetry

The oral component of medieval poetry was integral to its performance and reception. Yet many believe that the medieval voice has been forever lost, and any attempts at rediscovering it are doomed to failure due to scribal practices, manuscript mouvance, and linguistic normalization in editing practices. This paper offers a method to abstract from this noise and better understand relative differences in phonological soundscapes by considering syllable qualities. The presented syllabification method and soundscape analysis offer themselves as cross-disciplinary tools for low-resource languages. As a case study, we examine medieval German lyric and argue that the heavily debated lyrical ‘I’ follows a unique trajectory through soundscapes, shedding light on the performance and practice of these poets.
Putting Escalation of Commitment in Context: A Multilevel Review and Analysis

Organizations, and the groups and individuals within them, sometimes face the thorny dilemma of whether or not to continue failing courses of action. Escalation of commitment describes the tendency...
Animal Models of Parkinson’s Disease

Animal models have been critical to our study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Models have historically been developed to replicate aspects of idiopathic PD pathology. Traditional models include the reserpine model, which replicates striatal dopamine depletion seen in PD, and the 6-hydroxydopamine and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine environmental toxin models, that replicate PD’s nigral neurohistopathology. While invaluable to researchers, these models have limited ability to produce many important features of PD. Novel models, such as the rotenone, paraquat, and maneb environmental models, genetic models, the lipopolysaccharide model, and aged animal models have been recently developed as alternatives to traditional models.
Performance of the Materials Tested for Ammonia Removal

As explained in Chap.1, the performance of adsorbents is characterized by their adsorption (or breakthrough) capacity. The capacities are reported per mass of adsorbent (as compared to per volume of adsorbent) since the prime objective of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of ammonia adsorption.
Substituent effects in 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.35PbTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3–-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) ceramics with base compositions close to the morphotropic phase boundary are potential materials for many applications such as transducers and actuators due to their high dielectric constants and electromechanical coupling factors. However, their dielectrical and mechanical losses are too high for high-power applications. In this paper, the dielectric and electromechanical properties of piezoelectric PMN-PT ceramics were investigated in specimens containing various A-site and B-site substituents with the goal of developing lower loss materials for wider applications. Emphasis was placed on various transition metal cation substituents of both lower and higher valences. Mn substituent was found to be the most promising substituent investigated for developing high power low loss piezoelectric PMN-PT ceramics.
Low-Loss Broadband Magnetless Circulators for Full-Duplex Radios

In this paper, we present a differential magnetless circulator based on spatiotemporal modulation of bandpass wye junctions. We provide measured results for all relevant metrics, including S-parameters, harmonic response, power handling, linearity, and noise figure, showing remarkable performance compared to current state of the art. Furthermore, we propose a technique to increase the 20 dB isolation bandwidth of these circulators to over 12% of the RF center frequency by combining them with passive bandpass filter technology.
Efficacy, Safety, and Biomarkers of Response to Azacitidine and Nivolumab in Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Nonrandomized, Open-Label, Phase II Study.

Preclinical models have shown that blocking PD-1/PD-L1 pathways enhances antileukemic responses. Azacitidine upregulates PD-1 and IFNγ signaling. We therefore conducted this single-arm trial, in which patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were treated with azacitidine 75 mg/m2 days 1 to 7 intravenously or subcutaneously with nivolumab 3 mg/kg intravenously on days 1 and 14, every 4 to 6 weeks. For the seventy patients who were treated, the median age was 70 years (range, 22-90) and the median number of prior therapies received was 2 (range, 1-7). The overall response rate (ORR) was 33%, including 15 (22%) complete remission/complete remission with insufficient recovery of counts, 1 partial response, and 7 patients with hematologic improvement maintained >6 months. Six patients (9%) had stable disease >6 months. The ORR was 58% and 22%, in hypomethylating agent (HMA)-naive (n = 25) and HMA-pretreated (n = 45) patients, respectively. Grade 3 to 4 immune-related adverse events occurred in 8 (11%) patients. Pretherapy bone marrow and peripheral blood CD3 and CD8 were significantly predictive for response on flow cytometry. CTLA4 was significantly upregulated on CD4+ Teff in nonresponders after 2 and 4 doses of nivolumab. Azacitidine and nivolumab therapy produced an encouraging response rate and overall survival in patients with R/R AML, particularly in HMA-naive and salvage 1 patients. Pretherapy bone marrow aspirate and peripheral blood CD3 percentage may be biomarkers for patient selection. SIGNIFICANCE: Azacitidine in combination with nivolumab appeared to be a safe and effective therapy in patients with AML who were salvage 1, prior hypomethylator-naive, or had increased pretherapy CD3+ bone marrow infiltrate by flow cytometry or IHC. Bone marrow CD3 and CD8 are relatively simple assays that should be incorporated to select patients in future trials. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 305.
Studies on the Process of Ultrasonic Bonding of Nonwovens: Part 1 — Theoretical Analysis:

A model has been developed to predict the bonding behavior of nonwovens during the ultrasonic bonding process. The model includes the following subprocesses: mechanics and vibrations of the web and...
Expression of Insulinoma-Associated Protein 1 (INSM1) and Orthopedia Homeobox (OTP) in Tumors with Neuroendocrine Differentiation at Rare Sites

Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) and orthopedia homeobox (OTP) are transcription factors that play a critical role in neuroendocrine (NE) and neuroepithelial cell development. INSM1 has been identified in multiple tumors of NE or neuroepithelial origin, whereas OTP expression has been mainly studied in NE tumors of pulmonary origin. Expression of OTP appears to correlate with poorer prognosis in pulmonary carcinoids; however, its expression patterns in other NE/neuroepithelial tumors need further investigation. Here, we assessed the diagnostic utility of INSM1 and OTP in tumors with NE differentiation at relatively uncommon sites including prostate, breast, and tumors of gynecologic origin. Thirty-two formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cases were used to construct a tissue microarray. Immunohistochemistry for INSM1 and OTP was performed and scored semi-quantitatively. INSM1 was diffusely expressed in 60% of gynecologic tumors, 71.4% of mammary carcinoma, and 25% of prostate adenocarcinoma with NE differentiation. Diffuse expression of OTP was detected in 50% of prostate adenocarcinoma with NE differentiation and 100% neuroendocrine carcinoma of the ovary. Immunostain for achaete-scute homolog 1, chromogranin, synaptophysin, and CD56 supported the NE and/or neuroepithelial differentiation of the tumors. In summary, INSM1 is expressed in most of the tumors with NE and neuroepithelial differentiation in this study, confirming the diagnostic utility of INSM1 as a novel and sensitive marker of NE/neuroepithelial differentiation. The expression of OTP in some NE tumors outside of lung expands the spectrum of tumors that may express this biomarker and should be considered when working up a NE tumor of unknown primary site.
Association Between Health Literacy and Medication Adherence Among Hispanics with Hypertension.

Poor adherence to prescribed antihypertensive medication is a major contributor to disparities in effective blood pressure control among Hispanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between health literacy level and adherence to antihypertensive medications among Hispanic adults, who self-reported hypertension, controlling for potential covariates of adherence and/or health literacy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1355 Hispanic adults, primarily Dominicans, who self-reported hypertension. Antihypertensive medication adherence and health literacy were evaluated along with covariates, including sociodemographic characteristics, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. Linear regression models were created for health literacy, each covariate, and adherence. Factors found to be significantly associated with adherence in the individual regression models at a p value of < 0.20 were included in a hierarchical multiple linear regression model. Overall, the majority of participants had low adherence levels to antihypertensive medications (88.4%; n = 1026) and inadequate health literacy (84.9%; n = 1151). When controlling for age, sex, birth country, education level, recruitment location, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, having adequate as compared to inadequate health literacy was associated with a higher adherence score (b = 0.378, p = 0.043). The full model explained 13.6% of the variance in medication adherence (p value < 0.001), but the unique contribution of health literacy to the model was minimal (R2 change = 0.003). Tailored interventions considering health literacy are needed to support medication adherence in order to improve hypertension outcomes of Hispanics. Additional studies are needed to identify and prioritize factors in the development of targeted and effective adherence interventions for Hispanics with hypertension.
Peptidoglycan Metabolite Photoaffinity Reporters Reveal Direct Binding to Intracellular Pattern Recognition Receptors and Arf GTPases

The peptidoglycan fragments γ-d-glutamyl- meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP) and muramyl-dipeptide (MDP) are microbial-specific metabolites that activate intracellular pattern recognition receptors and stimulate immune signaling pathways. While extensive structure-activity studies have demonstrated that these bacterial cell wall metabolites trigger NOD1- and NOD2-dependent signaling, their direct binding to these innate immune receptors or other proteins in mammalian cells has not been established. To characterize these fundamental microbial metabolite-host interactions, we synthesized a series of peptidoglycan metabolite photoaffinity reporters and evaluated their cross-linking to NOD1 and NOD2 in mammalian cells. We show that active iE-DAP and MDP photoaffinity reporters selectively cross-linked NOD1 and NOD2, respectively, and not their inactive mutants. We also discovered MDP reporter cross-linking to Arf GTPases, which interacted most prominently with GTP-bound Arf6 and coimmunoprecipitated with NOD2 upon MDP stimulation. Notably, MDP binding to NOD2 and Arf6 was abrogated with loss-of-function NOD2 mutants associated with Crohn's disease. Our studies demonstrate peptidoglycan metabolite photoaffinity reporters can capture their cognate immune receptors in cells and reveal unpredicted ligand-induced interactions with other cellular cofactors. These photoaffinity reporters should afford useful tools to discover and characterize other peptidoglycan metabolite-interacting proteins.
Influence of Disperse Phase Transfer on Properties of Nanoemulsions Containing Oil Droplets with Different Compositions and Physical States

The impact of the initial oil droplet composition and physical state on molecular exchange processes in mixed oil-in-water nanoemulsions was investigated. Nanoemulsions consisting of model oils (hexadecane or octadecane), non-ionic surfactant (Tween 80), and water were prepared by microfluidization. The physical state of the droplets in the nanoemulsions was varied by altering their thermal history. The evolution of oil droplet size and composition during storage was monitored using dynamic light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The effects of oil phase composition were examined by preparing nanoemulsions containing liquid hexadecane droplets and liquid octadecane droplets mixed together at mass ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 or 0:100 H:O (w/w). Changes in droplet growth and composition during storage depended on the initial mixing ratio of the two kinds of droplets. The higher the proportion of hexadecane droplets present, the faster the rate of droplet growth, which was attributed to its higher water-solubility. The final droplet composition depended on the initial ratio of the different droplets. Second, the impact of droplet physical state was examined by preparing nanoemulsions containing liquid hexadecane droplets and either liquid or solid octadecane droplets. The solidification of the octadecane droplets retarded molecular exchange, but promoted droplet growth in the mixed nanoemulsions. These results may have important implications for understanding molecular exchange processes in complex colloidal dispersions that contain multiple types of oil phase.
Decomposition of aberrated or turbulent wavefronts into a spatial mode spectrum using optical cavities.

It is shown that an aberrated wavefront incident upon a Fabry–Perot optical cavity excites higher order spatial modes in the cavity and that the spectral width and distribution of these modes is indicative of the type and magnitude of the aberration. The cavities are purely passive, and therefore frequency content is limited to that provided by the original light source. To illustrate this concept, spatial mode decomposition and transmission spectrum calculation are simulated on an example cavity; the effects of various phase delays, in the form of two basic Seidel aberrations and a composite of Zernike polynomial terms, are shown using both Laguerre–Gaussian and plane wave incident beams. The aggregate spectral width of the cavity modes excited by the aberrations is seen to widen as the magnitude of the aberrations’ phase delay increases.
Demonstration of an Airframe Digital Twin Framework Using a CF-188 Full-Scale Component Test

The airframe digital twin (ADT) framework is a potential game-changing fleet management concept recently proposed by the United States Air Force to allow proactive and cost-effective decisions on an individual aircraft basis. The National Research Council of Canada is currently demonstrating the ADT framework using a CF–188 full-scale component test to assess the adaptability of this approach for Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleets. An in-house analysis tool is being developed to perform quantitative risk assessment (QRA) based on the Bayesian inference method using individual aircraft tracking and non-destructive inspection data. The modular components of the ADT tool, currently being validated, include load and crack size distribution updating, material initial discontinuity state, residual stress effects, load transfer functions, crack tip stress intensity factor calculations, and crack growth predictions. Test cases analysed to verify and validate these modules showed the benefits of the Bayesian updating approach for performing QRA with inputs that are initially scarce and become less uncertain throughout the service life of the aircraft. Short-term benefits expected from the application of the ADT approach in the RCAF fleet management include a better use of the IAT data and an improvement in fatigue life estimation. In the longer term, a higher return on investment is foreseen in terms of improved life cycle management, increased fleet availability, and reduced total fleet ownership costs.
A comprehensive model for stability of dispersed oil-water flow in horizontal and inclined pipes

Abstract Prediction of dispersed flow regimes in liquid-liquid pipe flow is of great importance for many industrial processes. This work proposes a mechanistic model to determine the stability bounds of dispersed liquid-liquid flow patterns that presents significant improvements compared to other classical criteria. The model accounts for turbulent break-up of dispersed phase droplets, sedimentation, dispersion, and accumulation of droplets. In addition, droplet coalescence and segregation are considered by means of attaining critical concentrations that can be associated with the phase inversion point of the liquid-liquid mixture. Modeled bounds are compared with available experimental data, showing good agreement in flows of mineral oil and water, as well as flows of crude oil and water. Moreover, the model is more accurate and descriptive than other predictions from commonly used criteria. The effect of fluid properties, flow rates, and pipe geometry are discussed. Limitations and possible refinements of the suggested model are also treated.
Pediatric Medicaid Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Benefit From Continuous Glucose Monitor Technology.

Background:We determined the uptake rate of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and examined associations of clinical and demographic characteristics with CGM use among patients with type 1 diabetes...
Nutrients and bioactive compounds in epigenetic modulation associated with prevention and combat cancer

The components present in some foods have the ability to directly influence the health-disease process through epigenetic molecular mechanisms, reducing the risk of developing some diseases, especially Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), such as cancer. In this sense, the present study seeks to elucidate the role of some nutrients and bioactive compounds in food in epigenetic modulation as a way of preventing and fighting cancer. For that, a systematic search was performed in the LILACS, PubMed and BVS databases. The descriptors were used: Epigenomics, Phytochemical Compounds, Neoplasms and Nutrients, all selected according to the Health Sciences Descriptors and used in the languages: Portuguese and English. Initially, 3177 publications were found and after applying the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine relevant publications remained for the construction of the work. It was verified from the selected literature, that some nutrients and bioactive compounds, such as Curcumin from the turmeric, Sulforaphane and Phenethyl Isothiocyanate (PEITC) from cruciferous vegetables, Resveratrol (RES) from red grapes and wine, β-carotene from orange vegetables, Vitamin C from citrus fruits and some phytochemicals, such as Quercetin and Caffeic acid, play an important role in fighting cancer, as, among other benefits, they can epigenetically stimulate the gene expression of factors preventive measures, but they can also inhibit the expression of factors linked to metastasis and progression of the pathology already installed. Finally, it is clear that the influence that some foods have on gene expression and represents an important tool against cancer, especially in relation to prevention. However, it is necessary to carry out more detailed studies in relation to doses and possible harmful effects.
Reported Factors Contributing to Job Terminations of Individuals with Severe Disabilities.

This study examined factors reported to contribute to job terminations of adults with disabilities. Fifty-one terminations were investigated utilizing three job termination categories. The most frequently reported causes for job loss were problems in the areas of character and/or production. Social awareness, character, and/or production accounted for more than 80% of all terminations. Results indicated that the majority of job terminations were due to reasons classified as social reasons, and when production problems were reported, the presence of social problems was associated with a greater likelihood of job termination.
Optimized Media Volumes Enable Homogeneous Growth of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Engineered Cartilage Constructs.

Despite marked advances in the field of cartilage tissue engineering, it remains a challenge to engineer cartilage constructs with homogeneous properties. Moreover, for engineered cartilage to make...
Critical Geopolitics of Outer Space

The 2019 US Congressional decision to create a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the US military (Zengerle 2019) should prompt some inquiry into what sort of geopolitics are at work in and throu...
The First Book of Jewish Jokes: The Collection of L. M. Büschenthal: Edited by Elliott Oring. Translated by Michaela Lang. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2018. ix + 159 pp. $26.00 (pbk). ISBN 978-0-25303-832-6

The title The First Book of Jewish Jokes may seem to indicate that this book is a joke collection. It is, but it is also a complex, demanding work, rich in context and interpretation, engaging and ...
Folic acid prevents functional and structural heart defects induced by prenatal ethanol exposure

State-of-the-art biophotonic tools captured blood flow and endocardial cushion volumes in tiny beating quail embryo hearts, an accessible model for studying four-chambered heart development. Both h...
Non-responder phenotype reveals apparent microbiome-wide antibiotic tolerance in the murine gut.

Broad spectrum antibiotics cause both transient and lasting damage to the ecology of the gut microbiome. Antibiotic-induced loss of gut bacterial diversity has been linked to susceptibility to enteric infections. Prior work on subtherapeutic antibiotic treatment in humans and non-human animals has suggested that entire gut communities may exhibit tolerance phenotypes. In this study, we validate the existence of these community tolerance phenotypes in the murine gut and explore how antibiotic treatment duration or a diet enriched in antimicrobial phytochemicals might influence the frequency of this phenotype. Almost a third of mice exhibited whole-community tolerance to a high dose of the β-lactam antibiotic cefoperazone, independent of antibiotic treatment duration or dietary phytochemical amendment. We observed few compositional differences between non-responder microbiota during antibiotic treatment and the untreated control microbiota. However, gene expression was vastly different between non-responder microbiota and controls during treatment, with non-responder communities showing an upregulation of antimicrobial tolerance genes, like efflux transporters, and a down-regulation of central metabolism. Future work should focus on what specific host- or microbiome-associated factors are responsible for tipping communities between responder and non-responder phenotypes so that we might learn to harness this phenomenon to protect our microbiota from routine antibiotic treatment. Diener, Hoge et al. show that a third of mice exhibit tolerance to a high dose of the β-lactam antibiotic cefoperazone, independent of antibiotic treatment duration or dietary phytochemical amendment. They find that non-responder microbiota upregulates antimicrobial tolerance genes and downregulates central metabolism without altering community composition or diversity, providing insights into the mechanisms of community-wide antibiotic tolerance.
Rational Design of a Novel Hawkmoth Pollinator Interaction in Mimulus Section Erythranthe

Diversification of the ca. 275,000 extant flowering plant species has been driven in large part by coevolution with animal pollinators. A recurring pattern of pollinator shifts from hummingbird to hawkmoth pollination has characterized plant speciation in many western North American plant taxa, but in the genus Mimulus (monkeyflowers) section Erythranthe the evolution of hawkmoth pollination from hummingbird-pollinated ancestors has not occurred. We manipulated two flower color loci and tested the attractiveness of the resulting four color phenotypes (red, yellow, pink, and white) to naive hawkmoths (Manduca sexta). Hawkmoths strongly prefer derived colors (yellow, pink, white) over the ancestral red when choosing an initial flower to visit, and generally preferred derived colors when total visits and total visit time were considered, with no hawkmoth preferring ancestral red over derived colors. The simple flower color genetics underlying this innate pollinator preference suggests a potential path for speciation into an unfilled hawkmoth-pollinated niche in Mimulus section Erythranthe, and the deliberate design of a hawkmoth-pollinated flower demonstrates a new, predictive method for studying pollination syndrome evolution.
Evaluation of emergency department (ED) visits by oncology patients: A running comparison to admissions and ED visits under the CMS OP-35 ruling.

e18683Background: The incidence of emergency department (ED) visits by oncology patients has grown in recent years. Some visits are medically unnecessary or could be prevented with improved prophyl...
Bus-Riding from Barrio to College: A Qualitative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysis

Educational access studies have found that residents’ choices and opportunities are often geographically bound and based on capital accumulation rather than educational attainment needs. Public tra...
Income Inequality and Party Alternation: State-Level Evidence from the United States

This paper investigates the relationship between income inequality and political party alternation at the US state level using panel data from 1971 to 2015. We hypothesize that income inequality leads to more regime instability in the form of alternation of governors’ parties. We also test the similar hypothesis that income inequality affects the likelihood of a party gaining two-thirds control over state legislative chambers. The evidence from a panel fixed-effects model suggests that income inequality has a nonlinear relationship with gubernatorial-party instability. We also find a positive linear relationship between income inequality and political party instability when a governor’s party controls the state legislature. Finally, our results suggest that higher income inequality reduces the likelihood that Republicans will gain or maintain a two-thirds majority in either chamber of a state’s legislature, and we find a similar but weaker effect for Democrats in state senates. These results suggest that income inequality at the state level should be examined to understand the fiscal and other economic consequences that arise through its impact on party alternation and legislative control.
Material Flow Challenges in Industrial Ecosystems

In Industrial Ecology the core idea is to find symbiotic relationships where waste material from one company is being used by other companies and industrial ecosystems are created. Although the idea is simple, fundamental challenges exist related to the quality of the material, stability of the system, etc. A core question is how to assess of the “goodness” of such a system. In this paper, it is shown how ecological input-output analysis metrics can be used to analyze flows.
Ambiguity and Logic

In this book Frederic Schick develops his challenge to standard decision theory. He argues that talk of the beliefs and desires of an agent is not sufficient to explain choices. To account for a given choice we need to take into consideration how the agent understands the problem, how he sees in a selective way the options open to him. The author applies his new logic to a host of common human predicaments. Why do people in choice experiments act so often against expectations? Why do people cooperate in situations where textbook logic predicts that they won't? What exactly is weakness of will? What are people reporting when they say their lives have no meaning for them? This book questions the foundations of technical and philosophical decision theory and will appeal to all those who work in that field, be they philosophers, economists and psychologists.
Speaking Up: The Unintended Costs of Free Speech in Public Schools

* A Free Speech Primer: Outside the Schoolhouse Gate * The Vietnam War and "Hazardous Freedom" * The Second Wave and the Constraint of Civility * Student Press Rights and Responsibilities * Banning Books from School: The Right to Receive Speech, or Not * Religious Speech: On a Wing and a Prayer * Teacher Speech and "the Priests of our Democracy&rdquo * A Long Way from Black Armbands
Bulk Sales Problems in California

When a California retail merchant seeks to dispose of his stock in trade and trade equipment in conjunction with going out of business, a number of laws pertaining to "bulk" sales may be brought to bear.' The major purpose of these laws, as is the case with bulk sales laws generally, is to afford the merchant's creditors an opportunity to satisfy their claims before the merchant can transfer his assets to a bona fide purchaser and vanish with the proceeds of the sale.2 This article will consider some of the problems created by these laws in operation in California and certain desirable changes therein, including the changes proposed by enactment in California of the Uniform Commercial Code.