cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing CNR of super-resolution and sub-resolution PET

In this work, we study the effect of intrinsic detector spatial resolution on the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of reconstructed images. Super-resolution PET uses patient or gantry motion to reconstruct images at a higher resolution than the intrinsic detector resolution. Sub-resolution PET reconstructs images at a lower resolution than the intrinsic detector resolution. Super-resolution can increase the image resolution at lower cost, but at a penalty of CNR loss. Sub-resolution is more expensive, but improves the CNR of reconstructed images. In this study, we characterize the CNR for super- and sub-resolution PET using simulated 2-D non-TOF ML-EM data sets. A 1 mm non-TOF sub-resolution system with 2-D data acquisition improves the CNR of 3 mm lesions by two fold compared to a system with 3 mm instrinsic resolution. Meanwhile, super-resolution has a 4-6 fold CNR penalty
Circuit model for single-layer single-resonant ultra-thin FSS absorbers with wide bandwidth

Electromagnetic absorbers based on frequency-selective surfaces have been explored for many applications. It is often useful to represent these devices using a circuit equivalence, which provides a physical insight into underlying performance capabilities and limitations. Yet, absorbers tend to deviate from their ideal circuit representations for ultra-thin implementations where coupling between layers becomes significant. To date, there has been little investigation into the corrective measures required to compensate for parasitic coupling associated with ultra-thin absorbers. In the paper, a circuit model is proposed for a broadband absorber comprised of a single-resonance FSS cascaded with a PEC-backed substrate. The thin nature of the absorber is shown to introduce undesirable coupling between the FSS and PEC layers, resulting in non-ideal performance. Two corrective measures are outlined with the goal of retuning the absorber for maximum bandwidth.
Optical Spectra and Electronic Structure

The study of atomic spectra has yielded invaluable information concerning the arrangement and distribution of the electrons within the atom. Most of the principles and rules used in spectroscopy have been obtained empirically, but with the development of wave mechanics many of them have been placed on a good theoretical foundation. One of the most important of these principles is Bohr’s frequency condition, which states that the frequency of any line of the spectrum is proportional to the difference between the values of the energies of two states of the atom emitting the radiation; that is, $$v = {{{\varepsilon _i} - {\varepsilon _f}} \over h}$$ (9-1) where v is the frequency of the emitted radiation, e i is the energy of the initial state of the atom, e f is the energy of the final state of the atom, and h is the Planck constant. Expressed in terms of the corresponding wave number ¯v, this equation becomes $$\bar v = {{{\varepsilon _i}} \over {ch}} - {{{\varepsilon _f}} \over {ch}}$$ (9-2) where c is the velocity of light. Equation (9-2) shows that the wave number of any spectral line can be expressed as the difference between two terms: $$\bar v = {T_i} - {T_f}$$ (9-3) where each term T, expressed in wave numbers, represents an atomic energy state or energy level.
A viscoelastic continuum model of non-polar solvation.: II. Vibrational dephasing in moderate to high-viscosity liquids and glasses

Abstract A recent continuum model of non-polar electronic solvation [M. Berg, J. Phys. Chem., A 102 (1998) 17] is extended to treat vibrational dephasing at moderate to high viscosities. Standard theories of vibrational dephasing in low-viscosity liquids predict an unphysical divergence of the linewidth at high viscosity. The current theory corrects this problem by explicitly accounting for the existence of both inertial and diffusive components in the liquid dynamics. At high viscosity or in a glass, the Raman line is predicted to be inhomogeneous and to have a finite width. In contrast to existing theories, this theory predicts that structural dynamics dominate the Raman linewidth. Collision-like processes only contribute weak, broad wings to the line. This theory also predicts quantitative connections between vibrational dephasing and electronic-state solvation.
Translational Research and New Approaches: Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics

In the current era of practicing medicine, it has become increasingly more difficult for surgeons to become successful researchers. As Dr. Craig Kent summarized in his Keynote Address at the Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course in 2009, the challenges that surgeons face are numerous. Surgery requires continual practice and maintenance of sound surgical technique by doing surgery, a circumstance that does not allow for lengthy periods of protected time. Institutional culture disfavors research in surgery.
Bilateral vertebral artery transection following blunt trauma

Abstract Introduction Blunt vertebral artery injury (BVI) is a potentially catastrophic event associated with a variety of trauma mechanisms, particularly in the setting of cervical spine injury. Early detection and treatment of BVI and blunt carotid artery injury (BCI) – collectively termed blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) – is a known determinant of favorable outcomes, except in the case of complete transection injuries. The limited existing reports of these injuries demonstrate a 100% mortality rate regardless of the management approach taken, and further investigation is essential in better understanding the nature of the injury and improving patient outcomes. Presentation of case A 55 year old previously healthy patient was brought to the Emergency Department following a motor vehicle collision. The patient was alert upon arrival to the ED and complained of neck pain. Initial assessment was significant for open fracture of the left upper extremity, swelling of the anterior neck, and no purposeful movements noted of the lower extremities. Shortly thereafter, the patient showed a sudden decline in mental status and became hemodynamically unstable. Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma was positive, and after remaining unstable despite resuscitation efforts, the patient was brought emergently to the operating room. Discussion Following exploratory laparotomy for bleeding control and washout of the open fracture, CT angiogram of the head and neck was obtained. This revealed significant C5–C6 dissociation as well as bilateral vertebral artery transection and large prevertebral hematoma. Prior to any further surgical intervention, the patient’s neurologic function continued to decline, and brain CT demonstrated infarcts in the posterior cerebral artery distribution. Brain death was confirmed the next day, and all care was subsequently withdrawn. Conclusions Analysis of outcomes in patients with BCVI suggests that BVI should be distinguished from the better-studied CVI. Each injury type has been found to possess its own distinct risk factors, likelihoods of progression, and surgical accessibility, all of which affect management. Data on complete vessel transections remains limited for all BCVIs, with no documented cases of bilateral BVI to date. Our case study supports the 100% mortality rate seen in previously reported BCVI transections. Furthermore, our findings suggest that BVI transections occur in patients with coexisting injuries, which challenges the ability to attribute a single neurologic outcome to any one injury.
Influence of support-layer deformation on the intrinsic resistance of thin film composite membranes

Abstract It is commonly believed that the overall permeation resistance of thin film composite (TFC) membranes is dictated by the crosslinked, ultrathin polyamide barrier layer, while the porous support merely serves as the mechanical support. Although this assumption might be the case under low transmembrane pressure, it becomes questionable under high transmembrane pressure. A highly porous support normally yields under a pressure of a few MPa, which can result in a significant level of compressive strain that may significantly increase the resistance to permeation. However, quantifying the influence of porous support deformation on the overall resistance of the TFC membrane is challenging. In particular, it is difficult to determine the deformation/strain of the membrane during active separation. In this study, we use nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to achieve precise compressive deformation in commercial TFC membranes. By adjusting the NIL conditions, membranes were compressed to strain levels up to 60%. SEM and AFM measurements showed that the compression had minimal impact on the barrier-layer surface morphology and total surface area with most of the deformation occurring in the support layer. DI water permeation measurements revealed that the water flux reduction decreases with an increase of strain level. Most significantly, the intrinsic membrane resistance showed negligible changes at strain levels lower than 30%–40%, but increased exponentially at higher strain levels, reaching 250%–500% of pristine (unstrained) membrane values. Using a resistance-in-series model, the strain dependency of the TFC membrane resistance can be described.
CLINICAL RISK OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND ISCHEMIC STROKE MECHANISM

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of cardioembolic stroke. There is a need to identify individuals with stroke caused by AF since AF may be unrecognized and thromboembolism prophylaxis is effective for stroke prevention. We assessed whether clinical scores predicting AF risk discriminate
Characterization of Complex Interactions at the Gas–Solid Interface with in Situ Spectroscopy: The Case of Nitrogen-Functionalized Carbon

Interactions at the gas–solid interface drive physicochemical processes in many energy and environmental applications; however, the challenges associated with characterization and development of these dynamic interactions in complex systems limit progress in developing effective materials. Therefore, structure–property–performance correlations greatly depend on the development of advanced techniques and analysis methods for the investigation of gas–solid interactions. In this work, adsorption behavior of O2 and humidified O2 on nitrogen-functionalized carbon (N–C) materials was investigated to provide a better understanding of the role of nitrogen species in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). N–C materials were produced by solvothermal synthesis and N-ion implantation, resulting in a set of materials with varied nitrogen amount and speciation in carbon matrices with different morphologies. Adsorption behavior of the N–C samples was characterized by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform ...
Sprouts Growing Healthy Habits: Curriculum Development and Pilot Study

High rates of childhood obesity and the impact this has on children's health make it important to establish a healthy lifestyle during the early school years. This pilot study explored the impact of a newly developed healthy habits curriculum. The Sprouts: Growing Healthy Habits curriculum presents topics such as energy balance, healthy sleep habits, and food groups through short activities and interactive book-reading. A nonrandomized controlled experimental study design was used to assess impact. Fifty-seven children between 5 and 6 years of age participated from two elementary schools (36 from the intervention school, 21 from the control school). Knowledge was assessed pre- and post-intervention in five content areas (farm to table, bedtime routines, portion size, energy expenditure, sugar content of beverages) using card sorting, ranking, and sequence activities. Within- and between-school comparisons were conducted using differences between groups and mixed modeling approaches. Within the intervention school, significant increases in knowledge were observed for farm to table, sugar content of beverages, and bedtime routines. For the control school, there was a significant increase in knowledge of portion sizes. Considering between-schools, only change in knowledge of bedtime routines remained significant, with greater increases in the intervention school. Results seem promising given the short dosage of curriculum. Increases in knowledge of healthy habits in early childhood may help in promoting healthy behaviors and combatting the effects of obesity.
Dentist to Oncologist: Gingival Hyperplasia in AML Accompanied By Periodontal Infection- Case Report

Introduction: Gingival hyperplasia is one of the earliest findings in AML (AFB subtypes M4 and M5). It represents a 5% frequency as the initial presenting complication of AML. Hyperplasia is believed to be due to leukemic infiltration or a secondary inflammatory response to local irritation of preexisting periodontal disease, or both. An impaired immune system following cellular dysplasia can progress to gingivostomatitis and periodontal infection (mainly due to Streptococci, gram negatives, herpes simplex, candida or rarely due to stomatococcus and aerococcus). Induction chemotherapy can hinder the healing process of the gingival lesion due to interference with the pathological response alongside leukemia induced changes. Case: A 69 year old male presented to his dentist with pain and gingival hyperplasia in the left maxilla which was treated with scaling of the gums. Following this, the patient developed worsened pain, which was treated with the extraction of 3 upper molars. The pain continued to worsen and the dentist prescribed a course of amoxicillin. Three weeks from his initial dentist visit, the patient went to his family physician for a routine checkup. Labs showed elevated leucocyte counts (54000/dl) and he was referred to hematology for a bone marrow evaluation. Physical examination of the oral cavity found hyperplasia of the gingiva with ulceration and necrosis of the left maxillary gingiva accompanied by severe halitosis and pain Bone marrow findings were consistent with AML with monocytic differentiation (51% blasts).According to AFB classification the AML fell in the M4 category. In collaboration with infectious disease consultation it was decided to treat oral infection and defer induction chemotherapy until the infection was controlled. The patient was started on ampicillin/sulbactam with routine antimicrobial prophylaxis, with resultant improvement in oral pain and halitosis. After 4 days of antibiotic therapy, the infection was controlled and chemotherapy with daunorubicin and cytarabine was started on day 5 of admission. Discussion: The case demonstrates the importance of early identification of gingival hyperplasia in AML (AFB classification M4 and M5), especially since it is one of the earliest signs of AML. The familiarization of dental health professionals with oral manifestation of systemic diseases can significantly reduce patient morbidity by early diagnosis and intervention. In such cases, during the course of chemotherapy, any spontaneous or provoked dental pain, swelling, or evidence of purulent discharge must be considered as an odontogenic infection until proven otherwise as the inflammatory response may be blunted due to myelosuppression. The clinical signs of erythema, swelling, and purulence are highly variable, and the absence of these features is insufficient to rule out infection. Disclosures Yacoub:Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Alexion: Honoraria.
Benchmarking simulations of the Compton Spectrometer and Imager with calibrations

Abstract The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a balloon-borne γ -ray (0.2-5 MeV) telescope designed to study astrophysical sources. COSI employs a compact Compton telescope design utilizing 12 high-purity germanium double-sided strip detectors and is inherently sensitive to polarization. In 2016, COSI was launched from Wanaka, New Zealand and completed a successful 46-day flight on NASA’s new Super Pressure Balloon. In order to perform imaging, spectral, and polarization analysis of the sources observed during the 2016 flight, we compute the detector response from well-benchmarked simulations. As required for accurate simulations of the instrument, we have built a comprehensive mass model of the instrument and developed a detailed detector effects engine which applies the intrinsic detector performance to Monte Carlo simulations. The simulated detector effects include energy, position, and timing resolution, thresholds, dead strips, charge sharing, charge loss, crosstalk, dead time, and detector trigger conditions. After including these effects, the simulations closely resemble the measurements, the standard analysis pipeline used for measurements can also be applied to the simulations, and the responses computed from the simulations are accurate. We have computed the systematic error that we must apply to measured fluxes at certain energies, which is 6.3% on average. Here we describe the detector effects engine and the benchmarking tests performed with calibrations.
RARE-36. BORTEZOMIB WOKE UP A PATIENT WITH ANTI-NMDA RECEPTOR ENCEPHALITIS REFRACTORY TO STANDARD THERAPY AND LONG TERM FOLLOW-UP

Abstract OBJECTIVE To report a case with refractory NMDA encephalitis in comatose for 18 months, who was treated successfully with bortezomib. BACKGROUND Anti-NMDA encephalitis is a rare autoimmune encephalitis. Standard therapy include corticosteroid, IVIG or plasma exchange, cyclophosphamide, rituximab, and tumor removal. Refractory cases are very severe and often stay in ICU on ventilation for several months to years. Bortezomib for the treatment of refractory anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis was reported. We have applied the treatment to our refractory case and successfully woke up the patient. And we have followed up the patient for 3 years. METHODS Case report. RESULTS A 40 yo male was diagnosed as anti-NMDA encephalitis. Standard therapy was applied. After stabilization, the patient was eventually discharged to ICU at a long term care subacute hospital. The patient was brought back for more Rituxan or steroid or IVIG therapy. The condition had not improved at all. Eighteen months in comatose, the patient had worsening NMDA titer in CSF to 1:640. Decision was made to start bortezumib as reported with modification: 1.3 mg/m2 bortezomib were administered on days 1, 8, 11 and 14 and allowed two weeks off therapy. After first cycle, the patent started to talk first word “hurt.” After 6 cycles, the patient sat up and started riding bicycles for physical therapy. The NMDA titer in CSF was reduced to 1:40 at the end of 6 cycles. One year later, the patent stood up and ambulated with a walker. One and half year later, the patient walks without assistance and his speech and cognition have significantly improved with good communication with family members and staff. CONCLUSIONS Proteasome inhibitor bortezomib might be considered to be the third line therapy as early as possible if the first line and second line are ineffective to treat anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.
Latino and Muslim in America

Harold Morales, an associate professor in the department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Morgan State University, focuses on the intersection of religion and race by studying groups that sel...
LCOE*: Re-thinking LCOE for Photovoltaic Systems

Solar industry is working towards reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The LCOE formulation includes various implicitly connected cost and physical design parameters. This entails complex cost analyses by economists, and electrical analysis and energy yield calculations of solar farms by device physicists/technologists. The standard formulation requires a constant exchange of information to optimize the design of a specific farm. In this paper, we present a fundamental reformulation of LCOE (in terms of LCOE*) to deconvolve the cost vs. energy yield analysis so that economists and technologists can work independently towards minimizing LCOE. We validate our LCOE* formulation by comparing LCOE calculated by the traditional vs. new method. We further provide a global analysis of LCOE* as an illustrative example. This LCOE* will accelerate new technology development (e.g. bifacial PV) by allowing a rapid and transparent analysis of its cost-performance trade-off.
Dyspnea and globus sensation after a minor head injury

A 91-year-old woman visited the emergency department with dyspnea and globus sensation after a minor head injury. A CT-scan of the spine showed a retropharyngeal swelling. MRI and fiberscopy revealed that the swelling was concordant with a retropharyngeal hematoma. The patient was admitted for observation and she was discharged in good clinical condition the day after.
Chapter 14 – Pancreatic Function

Publisher Summary The pancreas is composed of two organs—the endocrine and exocrine portions—within one stroma. Although the functions of the endocrine and exocrine portions of the pancreas may in some way be interrelated, this chapter is concerned with the exocrine pancreas. The signs of exocrine pancreatic disease are often nonspecific, and physical and radiographic examination of the patient are seldom diagnostic. Because the pancreas is so difficult to evaluate using these approaches, the veterinary clinician has come to rely on biochemical function tests in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease. Still many aspects of exocrine pancreatic physiology and pathophysiology remain enigmas despite long years of investigation. Satisfactory laboratory procedures have not been developed that adequately identify ongoing acute pancreatitis and reflect its severity. However, an appreciation for the use and understanding of the fundamentals of the more commonly used function tests and more recently developed tests requires familiarity with the physiology of the exocrine pancreas and mechanisms involved in diseases of this organ.
Chinese residents’ preferences and consuming intentions for hotels after COVID-19 pandemic: a theory of planned behaviour approach

The outbreak of COVID-19 is projected to change the tourism and hospitality industries dramatically. Although the pandemic has been well controlled in China after April 2020, the impacts of COVID-1...
Short-term effects of the earned income tax credit on mental health and health behaviors.

Abstract Poverty has consistently been linked to poor mental health and risky health behaviors, yet few studies evaluate the effectiveness of programs and policies to address these outcomes by targeting poverty itself. We test the hypothesis that the earned income tax credit (EITC)—the largest U.S. poverty alleviation program—improves short-term mental health and health behaviors in the months immediately after income receipt. We conducted parallel analyses in two large longitudinal national data sets: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 1997–2016, N = 379,603) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID, 1985–2015, N = 29,808). Outcomes included self-rated health, psychological distress, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. We employed difference-in-differences analysis, a quasi-experimental technique. We exploited seasonal variation in disbursement of the EITC, which is distributed as a tax refund every spring: we compared outcomes among EITC-eligible individuals interviewed immediately after refund receipt (Feb-Apr) with those interviewed in other months more distant from refund receipt (May-Jan), “differencing out” seasonal trends among non-eligible individuals. For most outcomes, we were unable to rule out the null hypothesis that there was no short-term effect of the EITC. Findings were cross-validated in both data sets. The exception was an increase in smoking in PSID, although this finding was not robust to sensitivity analyses. While we found no short-term “check effect” of the EITC on mental health and health behaviors, others have found long-term effects on these outcomes. This may be because recipients anticipate EITC receipt and smooth their income accordingly.
Assessment of Transportation System Vulnerabilities to Tidal Flooding in Honolulu, Hawaii:

Tidal flooding, a tangible, present-day result of sea-level rise, has caused roadway damage and transportation system closures as well as delays, disruptions, and economic losses. There is a need f...
Clinical interventions for adults with comorbid alcohol use and depressive disorders: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background Uncertainty remains regarding the effectiveness of treatments for patients diagnosed with both an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depressive disorder. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of clinical interventions for improving symptoms of adults with co-occurring AUDs and depressive disorders. Methods and findings We searched CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Excerpta Medica Database, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from inception to December 2020. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating clinical interventions for adults with co-occurring AUDs and depressive disorders. Two independent reviewers extracted study-level information and outcome data. We assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, used frequentist random effects models for network meta-analyses, and rated our confidence in effect estimates using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Primary outcomes were remission from depression and alcohol use. Secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms, alcohol use, heavy drinking, health-related quality of life, functional status, and adverse events. We used standardized mean differences (SMDs) for continuous outcomes and odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes to estimate intervention effects. Overall, 36 RCTs with 2,729 participants evaluated 14 pharmacological and 4 psychological interventions adjunctive to treatment as usual (TAU). Studies were published from 1971 to 2019, conducted in 13 countries, and had a median sample size of 50 participants (range: 14 to 350 participants). We have very low confidence in all estimates of intervention effects on our primary outcomes (i.e., remission from depression and remission from alcohol use). We have moderate confidence that cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) demonstrated greater benefit than no additional treatment (SMD = -0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.05 to -0.63; p Conclusions We are very uncertain about the existence (or not) of any non-null effects for our primary outcomes of remission from depression and remission from alcohol use. The available evidence does suggest that CBTs likely reduced, and TCAs may have resulted in a slight reduction of depressive symptoms. SSRIs likely increased functional status, and SSRIs and CBTs may have resulted in a slight reduction of alcohol use. However, patients receiving SSRIs also likely had an increased risk of experiencing an adverse event. In addition, these conclusions only apply to postintervention and are not against active comparators, limiting the understanding of the efficacy of interventions in the long term as well as the comparative effectiveness of active treatments. As we did not have high confidence in any outcomes, additional studies are warranted to provide more conclusive evidence.
Thermal stability and structure of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the coral Acropora millepora

Corals are vulnerable to increasing ocean temperatures. It is known that elevated temperatures lead to the breakdown of an essential mutualistic relationship with photosynthetic algae. The molecular mechanisms of this temperature-dependent loss of symbiosis are less well understood. Here, the thermal stability of a critical metabolic enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, from the stony coral Acropora millepora was found to increase significantly in the presence of its cofactor NAD+. Determination of the structure of the cofactor–enzyme complex (PDB ID 6PX2) revealed variable NAD+ occupancy across the four monomers of the tetrameric enzyme. The structure of the fully occupied monomers was compared to those with partial cofactor occupancy, identifying regions of difference that may account for the increased thermal stability.
Open source timed pressure control hardware and software for delivery of air mediated distensions in animal models

Abstract Studying the visceral sensory component of peripheral nervous systems can be challenging due to limited options for consistent and controlled stimulation. One method for mechanical stimulation of hollow organs, including colon and bladder, are controlled distensions mediated by compressed air. For example, distension of the bladder can be used as an assay for bladder nociception. Bladder distension causes a corresponding increase in abdominal electromyography, which increases with distension pressure and is attenuated with analgesics. However, the hardware used to control these distensions are primarily all one-off custom builds, without clear directions how to build your own. This has made it difficult for these methods to be fully utilized and replicated as not everyone has access, knowledge and resources required to build this controller. Here we show an open-source Arduino based system for controlling a solenoid valve to deliver timed pressure distensions in the experimental model. This device can be controlled by one of two methods through direct TTL pulses from the experimenters data acquisition software (ex. CED Spike2) or by a graphical user interface, where the user can set the time before, during, and after distension as well as the number of cycles. This systems low cost and relative ease to build will allow more groups to utilize timed pressure distensions in their experiments. Specifications table
Differential antibody dynamics to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination

Optimal immune responses furnish long-lasting (durable) antibodies protective across dynamically mutating viral variants (broad). To assess robustness of mRNA vaccine-induced immunity, we compared antibody durability and breadth after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. While vaccination delivered robust initial virus-specific antibodies with some cross-variant coverage, pre-variant SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced antibodies, while modest in magnitude, showed highly stable long-term antibody dynamics. Vaccination after infection induced maximal antibody magnitudes with enhanced longitudinal stability while infection-naive vaccinee antibodies fell with time to post-infection-alone levels. The composition of antibody neutralizing activity to variant relative to original virus also differed between groups, with infection-induced antibodies demonstrating greater relative breadth. Differential antibody durability trajectories favored COVID-19-recovered subjects with dual memory B cell features of greater early antibody somatic mutation and cross-coronavirus reactivity. By illuminating an infection-mediated antibody breadth advantage and an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody durability-enhancing function conferred by recalled immunity, these findings may serve as guides for ongoing vaccine strategy improvement.
Influence of Concentrated Lateral Loads on the Elastic Stability of Cylinders in Bending

The character of the instability and the degradation of the moment-carrying capacity are found by Mylar model experiments for cylinders in bending when subjected to concentrated lateral loads. Lateral loads can seriously degrade the moment capability of cylinders. Critical combinations of moment and lateral load cause two distinct modes of failure—collapse and snapping. Collapse modes exhibit buckles which cover the compression half of the cylinder and are critical for large values of moment and small values of lateral load. Snapping modes of failure involve a single dimple and exist for smaller values of moment and larger values of lateral load.
Tying it all together: Epigenetics, genetics, cell cycle, and cancer

The methylation state of DNA can be transferred from generation to generation of cells, qualifying this gene-regulatory event as epigenetic. In his Perspective, Baylin discusses the new link between DNA replication and DNA methylation, demonstrated in this week's issue, and speculates that this linkage is disrupted in tumor cells. On page [1996][1], Chuang et al . suggest that replication and methylation are linked through the binding of DNA-methyltransferase to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/277/5334/1996
The Urgency of Doing: Assessing the System of Sustainable Implementation Model via the Schools Implementing towards Sustainability (SITS) Scale.

School-based prevention and promotion interventions (SBPPI) improve desirable outcomes (e.g., commitment to school and attendance) and reduce undesirable outcomes (e.g., suspensions and violence). Unfortunately, our understanding of how to effectively implement and sustain SBPPI outside of well-controlled conditions is lacking. To bridge this science/“real world” practice gap, a system of sustainable implementation, which merges implementation strategies and sustainability strategies, is proposed for SBPPI. Ecological levels and phases affect this system. This conceptualization is supported by analyses from a diverse sample of 157 schools implementing Social-Emotional Character Development, a type of SBPPI. The system of sustainable implementation was measured using the Schools Implementing Towards Sustainability (SITS) scale, which was designed to be “user-friendly” in field settings by being viable and scalable. The SITS demonstrated strong reliability as well as promising concurrent and construct validity. Implications are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of Price and Labeling on Energy Drink Purchasing in an Experimental Convenience Store

Abstract Objective To examine the impact of energy drink (ED) pricing and labeling on the purchase of EDs. Methods Participants visited a laboratory-based convenience store 3 times and purchased a beverage under different ED labeling (none, caffeine content, and warning labels) and pricing conditions. The 36 participants (aged 15–30 years) were classified as energy drink consumers (≥ 2 energy drinks/wk) and nonconsumers ( Results Increasing the price of EDs reduced ED purchases and increased purchasing of other caffeinated beverages among ED consumers. Energy drink labels affected ED sales in adolescents. Conclusions and Implications These data suggest that ED pricing and labeling may influence the purchasing of ED, especially in adolescent consumers.
Interaction of Lyme disease spirochetes with cultured eucaryotic cells.

The association of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, with cultured human endothelial cells was investigated. Attachment was time and temperature dependent, with optimal adherence occurring after 4 h of incubation at 37 degrees C. Pretreatment of borreliae with heat, immune human serum, or monoclonal antibodies directed against outer surface protein B (OspB) reduced the attachment of organisms to host cell monolayers. These results suggest that the adherence of B. burgdorferi may be mediated, at least in part, by borrelial surface proteins. Images
Health Outcomes After External-Beam Radiation Therapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: Results From the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study

PURPOSE: Studies reporting effects of radiotherapy for prostate cancer on sexual, bowel, and urinary function have been conducted primarily in referral centers or academic institutions. Effects of external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer among a population-based cohort were assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population included 497 white, Hispanic, and African-American men with localized prostate cancer from six US cancer registries who were diagnosed between October 1, 1994, and October 31, 1995, and treated initially with external-beam radiotherapy. They were interviewed at regular intervals, and medical records were reviewed. Distributions of responses for bowel-, urinary-, and sexual-related functions at 6, 12, and 24 months after diagnosis and adjusted mean composite change scores for each domain were analyzed. RESULTS: Declines of 28.9% in the sexual function score and 5.4% in the bowel function score occurred by 24 months, whereas at this time, the urinary function score was relatively...
“On Strike!” San Francisco State College Strike, 1968–69: The Role of Asian American Students

(1989). “On Strike!” San Francisco State College Strike, 1968–69: The Role of Asian American Students. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 3-41.
Energy Efficiency in the Wild: Why Datacenters Fear Power Management

Why do dynamic power-management technologies that dramatically improve datacenter server energy efficiency continue to go unleveraged?
Abdominal incision: decision or indecision?

Discussion des avantages et inconvenients: fermeture du peritoine lors des incisions verticales, incisions medianes, incisions paramedianes
Finding minimum flow time cyclic schedules for non-identical, multistage jobs

Finding a minimum flow time cyclic schedule for a single, multistage job with a serial, re-entrant routing is known to be NP-hard. This paper addresses the problem of scheduling multiple, non-identical jobs in a cyclic fashion, where the job routings may be arbitrary partial orders as well as re-entrant. Given a fixed cycle length, our goal is to minimize a weighted sum of the job flow times. We present a general schedule construction algorithm for implementing a cyclic version of priority dispatch rules that accepts any user-defined tie-breaking function and naturally yields a feasible cyclic schedule. We also describe a pair of easily solvable subproblems that may be used to tighten existing cyclic schedules, as well as an iterative schedule improvement algorithm based on a technique called compression. A numerical study suggests that our schedule construction algorithm, called Cyclic PDR, outperforms its traditional noncyclic priority dispatch rule counterpart, as well as a previously proposed single-p...
Direct observation of photoinduced bent nitrosyl excited-state complexes

Ground state structures with side-on nitrosyl ({eta}{sup 2}-NO) and isonitrosyl (ON) ligands have been observed in a variety of transition-metal complexes. In contrast, excited state structures with bent-NO ligands have been proposed for years but never directly observed. Here we use picosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) modeling to study the photochemistry of Co(CO){sub 3}(NO), a model transition-metal-NO compound. Surprisingly, we have observed no evidence for ON and {eta}{sup 2}-NO structural isomers, but have observed two bent-NO complexes. DFT modeling of the ground and excited state potentials indicates that the bent-NO complexes correspond to triplet excited states. Photolysis of Co(CO){sub 3}(NO) with a 400-nm pump pulse leads to population of a manifold of excited states which decay to form an excited state triplet bent-NO complex within 1 ps. This structure relaxes to the ground triplet state in ca. 350 ps to form a second bent-NO structure.
Polytomy identification in microbial phylogenetic reconstruction.

Background: A phylogenetic tree, showing ancestral relations among organisms, is commonly represented as a rooted tree with sets of bifurcating branches (dichotomies) for simplicity, although polytomies (multifurcating branches) may reflect more accurate evolutionary relationships. To represent the true evolutionary relationships, it is important to systematically identify the polytomies from a bifurcating tree and generate a taxonomy-compatible multifurcating tree. For this purpose we propose a novel approach, “PolyPhy”, which would classify a set of bifurcating branches of a phylogenetic tree into a set of branches with dichotomies and polytomies by considering genome distances among genomes and tree topological properties. Results: PolyPhy employs a machine learning technique, BLR (Bayesian logistic regression) classifier, to identify possible bifurcating subtrees as polytomies from the trees resulted from ComPhy. Other than considering genomescale distances between all pairs of species, PolyPhy also takes into account different properties of tree topology between dichotomy and polytomy, such as long-branch retraction and short-branch contraction, and quantifies these properties into comparable rates among different sub-branches. We extract three tree topological features, ‘LR’ (Leaf rate), ‘IntraR’ (Intra-subset branch rate) and ‘InterR’ (Inter-subset branch rate), all of which are calculated from bifurcating tree branch sets for classification. We have achieved F-measure (balanced measure between precision and recall) of 81% with about 0.9 area under the curve (AUC) of ROC. Conclusions: PolyPhy is a fast and robust method to identify polytomies from phylogenetic trees based on genome-wide inference of evolutionary relationships among genomes. The software package and test data can be downloaded from http://digbio.missouri.edu/ComPhy/phyloTreeBiNonBi-1.0.zip.
Comparison of Matrix Vesicles Derived from Normal and Osteoarthritic Human Articular Cartilage

Articular cartilage matrix vesicles (MVs) from normal human adult articular cartilage were examined for protein and enzyme content and biomineralizing capacity for comparison to MVs derived from human osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage. Femoral condylar and tibial plateau cartilage from each of 9 healthy donors ages 17–37y was enzymatically digested and serially ultracentrifuged to pellet MVs at 3 × 106 g-min. MV protein content, nucleoside triphosphate pyrophospho hydrolase (NTPPPH) specific activity (SA) and capacity for 45Ca precipitation were determined. MV precipitated mineral was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Normal human cartilage yields 50% less MV pro-tein/g cartilage than OA cartilage (p <. 01). Normal human articular MVs possess 30–70x higher NTPPPH S A than cell-free digest. Mean NTPPPH S As of MVs derived from normal human cartilage are 3x higher than that of OA MVs (p <. 05) and normal MV NTPPPH SA appears to decrease with age (p <. 01). Normal human MVs support s...
Slice-selective excitation with -insensitive composite pulses

Abstract Spatially selective excitation pulses have been designed to produce uniform flip angles in the presence of the RF and static field inhomogeneities typically encountered in MRI studies of the human brain at 7 T. Pulse designs are based upon non-selective, composite pulses numerically optimized for the desired performance over prescribed ranges of field inhomogeneities. The non-selective pulses are subsequently transformed into spatially selective pulses with the same field-insensitive properties through modification of the spectral composition of the individual sub-pulses which are then executed in conjunction with an oscillating gradient waveform. An in-depth analysis of the performance of these RF pulses is presented in terms of total pulse durations, slice profiles, linearity of in-slice magnetization phase, sensitivity to RF and static field variations, and signal loss due to T 2 ∗ effects. Both simulations and measurements in phantoms and in the human brain are used to evaluate pulses with nominal flip angles of 45° and 90°. Target slice thickness in all cases is 2 mm. Results indicate that the described class of field-insensitive RF pulses is capable of improving flip-angle uniformity in 7 T human brain imaging. There appears to be a subset of pulses with durations ≲10 ms for which non-linearities in the magnetization phase are minimal and signal loss due to T 2 ∗ decay is not prohibitive. Such pulses represent practical solutions for achieving uniform flip angles in the presence of the large field inhomogeneities common to high-field human imaging and help to better establish the performance limits of high-field imaging systems with single-channel transmission.
Modeling the thawing of frozen foods using air impingement technology

With the continual growth in the use of frozen foods both in retail and in food service, there is a need to develop improved thawing methods. Current methods are often undesirably slow (still air) or are very expensive and cause uneven thawing (microwave). Air impingement technology is one possible method to improve the thawing of frozen foods. The objectives of this research were to develop a two-dimensional model for air impingement thawing frozen foods and to verify the model experimentally. Frozen products were thawed using a laboratory impingement system with a single impingement jet. A simulated meat product (Tylose gel) was used as the test material. Thawing of a Tylose disk (12.7 cm diameter, 1.98 cm thickness) with air at 6 °C without impingement required more than 12 h, while thawing under a single impingement jet took less than 3 h, over four times faster. Results from the finite difference model gave good agreement with experimental data. Moisture loss during thawing was typically over-predicted because moisture gain due to condensation was not modeled.
Global stability, two conjectures and Maple

Abstract Consider the second order difference equation u − 1 > 0 , u 0 > 0 and u n + 1 = f ( u n − 1 , u n ) for n ≥ 0 , where either (a) f ( u , v ) = u + p v u + q v or (b) f ( u , v ) = p + q v 1 + u . If 0 ≤ q p in case (a) or p > 0 and q > 0 in case (b), it has been conjectured (see [M.R.S. Kulenovic, G. Ladas, Dynamics of Second Order Rational Difference Equations, Chapman and Hall/CRC Press, 2001]) that lim n → ∞ u n exists and equals L , where L > 0 and L = f ( L , L ) . We prove this conjecture in case (a) and significantly extend the range of p and q for which it is known in case (b). In cases (a) and (b), these questions are equivalent to global stability of the fixed point ( L , L ) of the planar map Φ ( u , v ) = ( v , f ( u , v ) ) . For Φ as in case (a), we consider natural four dimensional extensions T of Φ 3 and S of Φ 2 . For 0 ≤ q p , we prove that ( L , L , L , L ) is a global stable fixed point of T , but we also describe precisely a range of parameters 0 ≤ q p for which S has at least three distinct fixed points in the positive orthant. We describe (Section 3) some general principles underlying our arguments. Symbolic calculations using Maple play a crucial role in our arguments in Section 4.
A TEST OF THE ORTEGA HYPOTHESIS IN CRIMINOLOGY

Following J. Cole and S. Cole (1973), we attempt to ascertain whether important scientific work is dependent upon works of lesser quality for fruition. The “Ortega hypothesis” posits such a dependence, and we test this assertion in criminology. Using some 2700 works published in criminology between 1945 and 1972, we demonstrate that less important works (those with few citations) are rarely utilized by much more important papers (those with the highest citation counts). The Ortega hypothesis is refuted, and most criminological literature contributes nothing or little that is useful to the field. This corroborates the conditions found by the Coles to exist in physics after their test of Ortega. The data we use are from Wolfgang et al. (1978).
Software studio: teaching professional software engineering

Software Studio is a studio-based learning (SBL) curriculum designed to train students as professional software engineers. Traditional software engineering courses remain important, but suffer significant gaps in preparing students for professional engagement. We describe our curriculum model, highlight ways in which it fills these gaps, and offer a SWOT analysis. As practical guidance, we reflect on our missteps and successes in implementing Software Studio over the past five semesters. Finally, we suggest future directions for Software Studio.