cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
School-based cardiovascular health promotion: the child and adolescent trial for cardiovascular health (CATCH).

ABSTRACT: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is a multisite intervention research study that builds on significant progress made in school health education research in the 1980s. The study has three phases: Phase I deals with study design, intervention, and measurement development, Phase II involves the main trial in 96 school'; in four states, and Phase III focuses on analysis. The intervention program targets third-fifth grade students and focuses on multiple cardiovascular health behaviors, including eating habits, physical activity, and cigarette smoking. Classroom curricula, school environmental change, and family involvement programs are developed for each grade level and behavioral focus. This paper describes Phase II of CATCH with a rationale for cardiovascular health promotion with youth. The process of change that appears to be necessary for school-based health promotion and that will be tested in CATCH are presented as a framework to guide these efforts.
Systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt thrombosis in a neonate with factor V Leiden mutation

We present the case of a newborn male with D-transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect, and subpulmonary stenosis who experienced two episodes of systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt thrombosis. Hematologic evaluation revealed heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation. This report emphasizes the importance of evaluation for inherited coagulation disorders in pediatric patients with unexpected thrombotic complications.
Fixed Combinations in Antihypertensive Therapy

A B S T R A C T Several studies have now confirmed that optimal targets of blood pressure (BP) could rarely be reached by monotherapy and various drug combinations are required to do this more effectively. However, the best way to increase patient compliance may be fixed combinations of two or more drugs in a single pill. With further research into mechanisms of action and development of new drugs, it became evident that the most effective combinations were those whose mechanisms are complementary or syner gistic. Thus, for the treatment of hypertension, the use of fixed combination therapy is gaining ground as a more practical and convenient approach for today’s clinical practice.
High temporal resolution synchronous volumetric scanning tomography: potential roles in clinical evaluation of ischemic heart disease.

Abstract A new quantitative imaging device, the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR), is described. Because, unlike commercially available computed tomography scanners, it obtains stop-action (0.01 second) images of a volume rather than a slice at a repetition rate of 60 volumetric scans per second, the DSR is particularly well suited for the study of ischemic heart disease. Its capabilities for recording the transit and dilution of contrast media within the coronary vasculature and all regions of the myocardium simultaneously with regional and global myocardial mechanics are being evaluated as a research tool for physiologic and ultimately clinical investigations.
Nurture Is Nature: Integrating Brain Development, Systems Theory, and Attachment Theory

Addressing both biological processes (nature) and interpersonal processes (nurture) occurring within the infant/caregiver relationship, early human development is reviewed from three perspectives: neurobiology, systems theory, and attachment theory. Utilizing a case illustration to apply the reviewed theories, it is postulated that the integration of neurobiological development, systems theory, and attachment theory substantiates the proposition that nurture is nature.
Issues in schedulability analysis of real-time systems

Due to the critical nature of real-time systems, there is an ever growing burden on the designer to not only guarantee that the tasks would meet their deadlines at design time, but would continue to do so as the system evolves. This implies that the schedulability analysis has to he robust. We identify the sensitivity of schedulability analysts to the task execution times. The impact this parameter has on the schedulability analyses is captured by formulating a general scaling problem. This problem is shown to relate to the problems of scalability, portability and execution time estimation. A technique to solve this general problem is developed. A proof of correctness and optimality of the technique is presented.
An Examination of the Interrater Reliability Between Practitioners and Researchers on the Static-99:

Many studies have validated the psychometric properties of the Static-99, the most widely used measure of sexual offender recidivism risk. However much of this research relied on instrument coding completed by well-trained researchers. This study is the first to examine the interrater reliability (IRR) of the Static-99 between practitioners in the field and researchers. Using archival data from a sample of 1,973 formerly incarcerated sex offenders, field raters' scores on the Static-99 were compared with those of researchers. Overall, clinicians and researchers had excellent IRR on Static-99 total scores, with IRR coefficients ranging from "substantial" to "outstanding" for the individual 10 items of the scale. The most common causes of discrepancies were coding manual errors, followed by item subjectivity, inaccurate item scoring, and calculation errors. These results offer important data with regard to the frequency and perceived nature of scoring errors.
Mars rover pair cooperatively transporting a long payload

The objective of the Robot Work Crew (RWC) project is to investigate key challenges in multi-robot coordination when performing tightly coupled coordination tasks such as transporting and handling of long objects on challenging planetary terrain. In this paper, we focus on tightly coupled coordination of two Mars rovers transporting a long payload. We have developed practical decentralized compliancy control and coordinated comply control algorithms that effectively address compliant control for compliantly coupled multiple mobile robots. Experiments at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA of two Mars rovers carry an extended payload over uneven, natural terrain are used to validate and illustrate the approach.
Detecting abandoned packages in a multi-camera video surveillance system

We describe a video surveillance system that detects abandoned packages automatically. In this system, multiple cameras locate objects in space and time despite occlusions and distracting lighting effects observed by subsets of the cameras. A multiple-state model of an abandoned package provides the ability to detect realistic abandoned package events. The paper outlines the system by describing the modules for camera view segmentation, object classification, view-object association, 3D object tracking, and finally detection of the event of a package being abandoned, which highlights object association using multiple cameras and the multiple-state abandoned package model.
Hepcidin and Its Role in Regulating Systemic Iron Metabolism

Maintenance of stable extracellular iron concentrations requires the coordinate regulation of iron transport into plasma from dietary sources in the duodenum, from recycled senescent red cells in macrophages and from storage in hepatocytes. Moreover, during fetal development, the iron requirements of the fetus must be matched by the transport of maternal iron across the placenta. Hepcidin is a 25-amino acid disulfide-rich peptide synthesized in the liver that acts as a systemic iron-regulatory hormone by regulating iron transport from iron-exporting tissues into plasma. Hepcidin inhibits the cellular efflux of iron by binding to, and inducing the degradation of, ferroportin, the sole iron exporter in iron-transporting cells. In turn, hepcidin synthesis is increased by iron loading and decreased by anemia and hypoxia. Additionally, hepcidin synthesis is greatly increased during inflammation, trapping iron in macrophages, decreasing plasma iron concentrations and causing iron-restricted erythropoiesis characteristic of anemia of inflammation (anemia of chronic disease). Recent studies indicate that hepcidin deficiency underlies most known forms of hereditary hemochromatosis. This implies that, with the exception of very rare mutations that affect the hepcidin gene itself or modify ferroportin to make it less responsive to hepcidin, hemochromatosis genes encode molecules that regulate hepcidin synthesis. The central involvement of hepcidin in iron regulation and its pathologies should make the eventual hepcidin assay useful for the diagnosis of iron disorders and the monitoring of their treatments. The development of hepcidin agonists and antagonists may provide useful therapeutics for the treatment of iron disorders.
Laboratory-Scale Simulation of Runoff Response from Pervious-Impervious Systems

We posit that a more complete understanding of runoff response from urban catchments requires an assessment of the hydrologic behavior of composite impervious-pervious patches. We therefore examined how the factors of impervious extent, connectiv- ity, and antecedent moisture content of pervious areas might affect mechanisms of runoff production at small spatial scales in a laboratory setting. We used rainfall simulation with a storm comprised of 20, 30, 40 mm hr �1 rainfall rates for 48, 24, and 24 min, respectively to observe surface runoff from 0.6 m 2 boxes impervious or pervious-soil 0.2 m deep that were connected together in series to produce different arrangements of impervious and pervious surfaces 0, 25, 50% impervious with different connectivity to the outlet discon- nected, connected, and under two different antecedent moisture conditions for pervious areas drier, wetter. In general, an increase in percent impervious area led to fewer opportunities for infiltration, and a quicker onset of runoff, which was intensified by wetter antecedent moisture conditions and connectivity to the outlet. Runoff rate ratios were strongly affected by antecedent moisture condition and somewhat less significantly by an interaction between impervious area extent and its connectivity status. In each impervious treatment, we observed a decreased time to runoff initiation and higher final runoff rate ratio for wetter than drier treatments. Interestingly, we found that the connectivity of 25% impervious area accounted for differences in runoff rate ratio only early in the simulation. The patterns in runoff from connected and disconnected 25% treatments eventually converged, leaving antecedent moisture conditions the only relevant factor. As impervious area was increased to 50%, we noted a precipitous decline in infiltration rates due to a reduction in infiltration opportunities and infiltration behavior of the pervious surfaces in these treatments. Evidence of return flow in the 50% disconnected treatment is presented and discussed in the context of saturation-excess runoff mechanisms. These experimental results are then discussed in terms of their potential extension and application to better understand aspects of urban hydrology and models thereof.
Cyclic and Computer Generated Designs

Block Designs. Efficiency Factors. Cyclic Designs. Resolvable Block Designs. Row-Column Designs. Resolvable Row-Column Designs. Recovery of Inter-Block Information. Factorial Experiments: Single and Fractional Replication. Factorial Experiments: Multiple Replication. Some Matrix Results. References. Author Index. Subject Index.
Comment on Rudebusch and Williams, “A wedge in the dual mandate: Monetary policy and long-term unemployment”

Rudebusch and Williams (2015) conclude “A wedge in the dual mandate: Monetary policy and long-term unemployment” with the policy prescription “Optimal policy should trade off a transitory period of excessive inflation in order to bring the broader measure of underemployment to normal levels more quickly." The question that I address is whether our knowledge of the dynamics linking monetary policy, inflation and real growth is sufficiently well-developed that policy recommendations of the sort that Rudebusch and Williams proffer can be effective. I present two bodies of empirical evidence pertinent to this issue. The first has to do with the Phillips Curve itself; the second with the class of models now used to analyze the economic effects of monetary policy.
Genetic diversity, historic population size, and population structure in 2 North American tree bats

Migratory tree bats comprise the majority of casualties at wind energy facilities across North America and some species, like Lasiurus borealis, are suspected to be in decline. We took advantage of the large numbers of L. borealis and L. cinereus salvaged during fall migration at 1 wind farm in Texas and 3 wind farms in Minnesota to evaluate the ability of current genetic methods to estimate population size and detect genetic bottlenecks in these species. Using DNA extracted from wing membrane tissue samples, we genotyped 439 L. borealis and 246 L. cinereus at 6 microsatellite loci and a 550 bp segment of the mitochondrial COI gene. Both microsatellite loci and mitochondrial haplotypes showed high levels of genetic diversity in each species. Historical estimates of Ne were large for both species. Estimates of NEf from the COI gene were almost 2 times higher for L. borealis than L. cinereus, whereas estimates utilizing microsatellite heterozygosity were higher for L. cinereus. We found a strong signal of r...
Iridescent cellulose nanocrystal/polyethylene oxide composite films with low coefficient of thermal expansion

Simultaneous control over optical and thermal properties is particularly challenging and highly desired in fields like organic electronics. Here we incorporated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into polyethylene oxide (PEO) in an attempt to preserve the iridescent CNC optical reflection given by their chiral nematic organisation, while reducing the composite thermal expansion. The hydrophilic nature and long-range self-organisation of CNCs facilitated structural control in the PEO matrix. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was determined by using contrast-enhanced microscopy digital image correlation (CEMDIC) based on textural features revealed within CNC/PEO composites under polarised light. The attained composite films were iridescent and exhibited a significant reduction in CTE even with low CNC addition (∼50% CTE reduction at ∼10 wt.% CNC load). With further control over nanoparticle processing, such composites promise potentials for selective optical bandgap materials while tuning the CTE.
The Level of Serum Neuraminic Acid in Malignant Neoplasms and Other Pathologic Conditions

The lack of specificity observed in the serum chemical studies with the DPA and "no DPA" reagents is indicative of the limitations in the general applicability of these tests; however, although these studies do indicate the potential that exists for variation or enhancement of the DPA or "no DPA" indices, there is no evidence that such color-forming components are observed in serum. The statistical results obtained with the DPA and "no DPA" reagents reported in our clinical findings reveal a definite parallel between these 2 tests, indicative or suggestive of measurements of similar materials, if not the same substance. In addition, the apparent chemical specificity of the "no DPA" test for neuraminic acid caused us to reconsider the possibility that it is the material in serum responsible for color formation. Under these circumstances, the apparent lack of specificity of the DPA and "no DPA" tests, or both, would be academic in nature for all practical purposes. In other words, in the absence of DPA or "no DPA"-sensitive carbohydrates, other than neuraminic acids, one can equate the results obtained with these reagents with the apparent content of serum neuraminic acid. Neuraminic acid, according to the nomenclature of Blix and associates, refers to a hypothetic amino sugar that occurs in nature as N-acetyl and O-acetyl derivatives
Validation of the FAST forecast model for the storm surges due to hurricanes Wilma and Ike

Kelly et al. (Coast Eng J 57(4):1–30, 2015) present a finite volume dynamic adaptive mesh model based on Osher’s approximate Riemann solver for the prediction of storm surges over complex landscapes. Here, the model described in that paper is extended to use distributed memory parallel block tree-based mesh refinement via the PARAMESH library. The resulting model, called the fully adaptive storm tide (FAST) model, can thus be run on massively parallel supercomputers. In this paper, we validate the FAST model by conducting numerical simulations of the storm surges due to hurricanes Wilma (2005) on Lake Okeechobee and Ike (2008) in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm surge due to Wilma on Lake Okeechobee is interesting as it can be considered as an almost idealized case which comprises a closed system. The case of hurricane Ike is more complex as it involves a coastline and additional features such as barrier islands and tidally controlled boundaries. For both cases, results obtained using the FAST model compare favorably with the measured water elevation and high-water mark data. Moreover, we show that, with sufficient computational resource, low runtimes are possible for real-world surge simulations. The FAST model therefore has the potential to run the ensemble predictions necessary to account for the variability that is inherent in hurricane forecasting.
Synexin and GTP increase surfactant secretion in permeabilized alveolar type II cells

We have previously suggested that synexin (annexin VII), a Ca2+-dependent phospholipid binding protein, may have a role in surfactant secretion, since it promotes membrane fusion between isolated l...
Seeing the Big Picture: Pilot Assessments of Cockpit System Interactions Contribution to Situation Awareness

Pilots build and maintain situation awareness based on their interaction with the world around them. This interaction includes a complex and dynamic series of tasks including running checklists, reading instruments and displays, looking out of the window, or listening to the radios. However, since the quality and quantity of information derived from each interaction is not well known, cockpit designers can only have an abstract understanding of how much situation awareness their system imparts to the human operators. This paper examines the opinions of pilots regarding how performing cockpit tasks contribute towards gaining situation awareness. Twenty-one military aviators were asked to rate 19 generic cockpit tasks based on how they contribute to or degrade situation awareness. This research shows that modern avionics, such as the Heads-Up Display, Multi-Function Display, and other sensors can provide strong positive situation awareness, but depending on the mission phase and other factors, they may not be significantly more advantageous than their analog counterparts.
Concomitant Continuous Infusion Adriamycin and Radiation: Evidence of Synergistic Effects in Soft Tissue Sarcomas

The current lack of effective therapy against most malignant tumors in advanced stages is due, primarily, to its lack of specific cytotoxicity for neoplastic cells. In order to circumvent this problem various chemotherapeutic agents have been used in combinations aiming to increase their overall therapeutic index.
Cytosolic delivery of macromolecules. II. Mechanistic studies with pH-sensitive morpholine lipids

Abstract Drug carriers containing weak acids or bases can promote cytosolic delivery of macromolecules by exploiting the acidic pH of the endosome. We have prepared two pH-sensitive mono-stearoyl derivatives of morpholine, one with a (2-hydroxy) propylene (ML1) linker and the other, an ethylene (ML2) linker. The pKa values of lipids ML1 and ML2, when incorporated into liposomes, are 6.12 and 5.91, respectively. Both lipids disrupt human erythrocytes at pH equal to or below their pKa but show no such activity at pH 7.4. Confocal microscopy studies suggest partial endosome-to-cytosol transfer of fluorescent dextran (MW 10 kDa) encapsulated in liposomes that contained 20 mol% of morpholine lipids. Interestingly, co-incubation of morpholine lipids in free or micellar form (without liposomal incorporation) with dextran resulted in efficient cytosolic delivery. Upon acidification to the endosomal pH, liposomes containing ML1 revealed: (a) leakage of entrapped solute that is independent of solute size; (b) lack of liposomal collapse into micelles as evidenced by photon correlation spectroscopy and UV light scattering; and (c) minimal inter-bilayer interactions as shown in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay. These observations are consistent with progressive intravesicular reorganization of lipids into stable liposomes of smaller size, but of more homogeneous distribution, upon acidification. The results emphasize a need to manipulate liposomal formulations containing ML1 such that ML1 will promote catastrophic collapse of liposomes to mixed micelles upon exposure to acidic pH. It is only then that micelle-mediated permeabilization of the endosomal membrane will lead to efficient cytosolic delivery of macromolecules originally loaded in liposomes.
COLQ-Mutant Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes

The clinical and molecular genetic findings of 22 COLQ-mutant congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are reported from 14 centers mainly in Europe.
Tenofovir Containing Thiolated Chitosan Core/Shell Nanofibers: In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluations

It is hypothesized that thiolated chitosan (TCS) core/shell nanofibers (NFs) can enhance the drug loading of tenofovir, a model low molecular weight and highly water-soluble drug molecule, and improve its mucoadhesivity and in vivo safety. To test this hypothesis, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) core with TCS and polylactic acid (PLA) shell NFs are fabricated by a coaxial electrospinning technique. The morphology, drug loading, drug release profiles, cytotoxicity and mucoadhesion of the NFs are analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, liquid chromatography, cytotoxicity assays on VK2/E6E7 and End1/E6E7 cell lines and Lactobacilli crispatus, fluorescence imaging and periodic acid colorimetric method, respectively. In vivo safety studies are performed in C57BL/6 mice followed by H&E and immunohistochemical (CD45) staining analysis of genital tract. The mean diameters of PEO, PEO/TCS, and PEO/TCS-PLA NFs are 118.56, 9.95, and 99.53 nm, respectively. The NFs exhibit smooth surface. The drug ...
Multisensory Tristram Shandy

An absorbed reader typically pays little conscious attention to the visual, tactile, and sometimes aural sensory experiences of reading. Unexpected formal and visual features of Laurence Sterne's nine-volume fictional narrative, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, startle readers out of absorption and call attention to familiar operations like decoding black figures on white paper and turning pages. My edition of Volume I is designed to engage the senses through its visual structure, textures, and unexpected materials (buttons, marbled paper strips, and ribbons) and through formal surprises (interpolated documents, accordion-fold inserts, and paper lace). In its structure and materials, this edition highlights the odd formal features of Sterne's novel and the cognitive work that the narrator requires of earnest and industrious readers.
Primary sources and toxicity of PAHs in Milwaukee-area streambed sediment.

High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in streams can be a significant stressor to aquatic organisms. To understand the likely sources and toxicity of PAHs in Milwaukee-area streams, streambed sediment samples from 40 sites and parking lot dust samples from 6 sites were analyzed for 38 parent PAHs and 25 alkylated PAHs. Diagnostic ratios, profile correlations, principal components analysis, source-receptor modeling, and mass fractions analysis were used to identify potential PAH sources to streambed sediment samples, and land-use analysis was used to relate streambed sediment PAH concentrations to different urban-related land uses. On the basis of this multiple lines-of-evidence approach, coal-tar pavement sealant was indicated as the primary source of PAHs in a majority of streambed sediment samples, contributing an estimated 77% of total PAHs to samples, on average. Comparison with the probable effect concentrations and (or) the equilibrium partitioning sediment benchmark indicates that 78% of stream sediment samples are likely to cause adverse effects to benthic organisms. Laboratory toxicity tests on a 16-sample subset of the streambed sites using the amphipod Hyalella azteca (28-d) and the midge Chironomus dilutus (10-d) measured significant reductions in 1 or more biological endpoints, including survival, in 75% of samples, with H. azteca more responsive than C. dilutus. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1622–1635. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Disagreement and Reception: Peripatetics Responding to the Stoic Challenge

Starting from an abstract sketch of scenarios for philosophical reception stimulated by disagreement and school rivalry, part one of this chapter highlights the case of an older, marginalized position that tries to reinsert itself into the debate through radical modernization of its terminology and argumentative strategies and thereby triggers various forms of orthodox response. Part two discusses examples for this scenario extracted from some of the remains of the Peripatetic ethical literature of the late Hellenistic era (Critolaus, Arius Didymus). Challenging the traditional picture of contamination and decline in the development of the Peripatetic school, the chapter demonstrates how the reception of Stoic concepts and strategies by Peripatetic modernizers and the subsequent more orthodox approaches created an intellectually fruitful dynamic exemplifying different styles of reception.
Simulation and interpretation of sonic waveforms in high-angle and horizontal wells

ABSTRACTWe have developed a new method to process and interpret sonic waveforms acquired in high-angle (HA) and horizontal (HZ) wells in the vicinity of layer boundaries. Numerical simulations are examined for HA/HZ fluid-filled borehole models, in which sonic tools with monopole and dipole sources operate across a horizontal bed boundary in hard and soft formations. Simulations are performed with a 3D time-domain finite-difference method assuming a sonic logging tool, in which each receiver station consists of eight azimuthal receivers. Instead of conventional processing for monopole and dipole waveforms, which takes the average and difference, respectively, of waveforms acquired with azimuthal receivers, we analyze the waveforms acquired individually by each azimuthal receiver. For dipole sources, we refer to the dispersive signals recorded by individual receivers as pseudo-flexural waves, and we first process them with a weighted spectral semblance method to obtain the frequency dispersion curves. We t...
The significance of percolation on the dynamics of polymer chains bound to carbon black

A critical need in the fundamental understanding of reinforcement in filled polymers is the characterization of the polymer-filler interface and the dynamics of the polymer in this interfacial regime. In carbon black filled polymers, one of the central themes in the mechanism of reinforcement is that of “bound” polymer. Understanding the dynamics of this bound polymer may be key to arriving at an understanding of reinforcement mechanisms in filled polymers. The interactions between polymers and filler surfaces are also key in the development of more advanced nanocomposite materials. We have previously utilized inelastic neutron scattering methods to examine the variation of bound polymer dynamics as a function of carbon black type for a single, initial carbon black concentration. An apparent change in the distribution in backbone motions was observed in the bound polymer compared with the pure polymer. In this study, we extend our prior work to examine the bound polymer dynamics as a function of the type of carbon black and the initial concentration of carbon black. The results suggest that two types of dynamic behavior are observed as a function of the initial carbon black concentration. This critical cutoff concentration may be related to the percolation threshold of the carbon black and suggests that quantifying the amount of bound polymer is insufficient for understanding the relationship between mechanical behavior and bound polymer content.
Social processing in early adolescence: Associations between neurophysiological, self-report, and behavioral measures

Abstract Peer relationships play a major role in adolescent development, but few methods exist for measuring social processing at the neurophysiological level. This study extends our pilot study of Island Getaway, a task for eliciting event-related potentials (ERPs) to peer feedback. We differentiated ERPs using principal components analysis (PCA) and examined associations with behavioral and self-report measures in young adolescents (N = 412). PCA revealed an early negativity in the ERP enhanced for rejection feedback, followed by a series of positivities (consistent with reward positivity [RewP], P300, and late positive potential) that were enhanced for acceptance feedback. Greater self-reported task engagement correlated with a larger RewP to acceptance and lower rates of rejecting peers. Youth higher in depressive symptoms exhibited a blunted RewP to social acceptance and reported lower engagement. Results highlight ERP components sensitive to peer feedback that may inform understanding of social processes relevant to typical and atypical development.
The hnRNP-like Nab3 termination factor can employ heterologous prion-like domains in place of its own essential low complexity domain

Many RNA-binding proteins possess domains with a biased amino acid content. A common property of these low complexity domains (LCDs) is that they assemble into an ordered amyloid form, juxtaposing RNA recognition motifs in a subcellular compartment in which RNA metabolism is focused. Yeast Nab3 is one such protein that contains RNA-binding domains and a low complexity, glutamine/proline-rich, prion-like domain that can self-assemble. Nab3 also contains a region of structural homology to human hnRNP-C that resembles a leucine zipper which can oligomerize. Here we show that the LCD and the human hnRNP-C homology domains of Nab3 were experimentally separable, as cells were viable with either segment, but not when both were missing. In exploiting the lethality of deleting these regions of Nab3, we were able to test if heterologous prion-like domains known to assemble into amyloid, could substitute for the native sequence. Those from the hnRNP-like protein Hrp1, the canonical prion Sup35, or the epsin-related protein Ent2, could rescue viability and enable the new Nab3 chimeric protein to support transcription termination. Other low complexity domains from RNA-binding, termination-related proteins or a yeast prion, could not. As well, an unbiased genetic selection revealed a new protein sequence that could rescue the loss of Nab3's essential domain via multimerization. This new sequence and Sup35's prion domain could also rescue the lethal loss of Hrp1's prion-like domain when substituted for it. This suggests there are different cross-functional classes of amyloid-forming LCDs and that appending merely any assembly-competent LCD to Nab3 does not restore function or rescue viability. The analysis has revealed the functional complexity of LCDs and provides a means by which the differing classes of LCD can be dissected and understood.
Subtyping cognitive profiles in Autism Spectrum Disorder using a Functional Random Forest algorithm.

Abstract DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) comprises a set of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction and repetitive behaviors or restricted interests, and may both affect and be affected by multiple cognitive mechanisms. This study attempts to identify and characterize cognitive subtypes within the ASD population using our Functional Random Forest (FRF) machine learning classification model. This model trained a traditional random forest model on measures from seven tasks that reflect multiple levels of information processing. 47 ASD diagnosed and 58 typically developing (TD) children between the ages of 9 and 13 participated in this study. Our RF model was 72.7% accurate, with 80.7% specificity and 63.1% sensitivity. Using the random forest model, the FRF then measures the proximity of each subject to every other subject, generating a distance matrix between participants. This matrix is then used in a community detection algorithm to identify subgroups within the ASD and TD groups, and revealed 3 ASD and 4 TD putative subgroups with unique behavioral profiles. We then examined differences in functional brain systems between diagnostic groups and putative subgroups using resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rsfcMRI). Chi-square tests revealed a significantly greater number of between group differences (p
Polarization enhanced reflectance imaging for pre-operative delineation of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) (Conference Presentation)

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using optical polarization imaging (OPI) for the preoperative delineation of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) margins. OPI has been previously used for monitoring dermal collagen changes in healthy volunteers in vivo. Since the structure of normal collagen is disrupted in NMSCs, OPI should be capable of delineating skin cancer margins by identifying the disrupted collagen network. Patients with biopsy confirmed NMSCs were recruited under an IRB approved protocol. Prior to imaging, the lesion area was cleaned with alcohol and the intended boundaries of the excision were marked by the surgeon, who was blinded from the imaging results. The imager used narrow band linearly polarized light centered at 440 nm and 640 nm. Cross-polarized reflectance images acquired at 440 nm and 640 nm visualized dermal collagen and the blue marker used by the surgeon to outline the putative lesion boundaries, respectively. The imager provided a 4 cm2 field of view, 200-700µm imaging depth and the light power density at the skin surface of 0.38mW/cm2. Following imaging, routine Mohs procedure was performed using the original markings of the surgeon. After the surgery, images acquired by OPI were compared with the Mohs maps created based on histopathological analysis. Our results indicate that OPI accurately predicts subclinical extension of NMSCs beyond visibly-involved margins in the majority of cases. Therefore, OPI holds the potential to reduce the total number of required surgical stages, possibly minimizing the unnecessary removal of normal tissue.
The influence of mesoscale and submesoscale circulation on sinking particles in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Mesoscale eddies and fronts in the ocean greatly impact lateral transport and in turn the trajectories of sinking particles. Such influence was explored for April and October 2012 in the Gulf of Mexico using numerical simulations performed with a regional model at 1-km horizontal resolution. Results are compared qualitatively to field samples from two sediment traps located at GC600 (27°22.5 N, 90°30.7 W) and AT357 (27°31.5 N, 89°42.6 W), 81 km apart. In April the traps collected a comparable amount of material, while in October the flux at GC600 greatly exceeded that at AT357. Through inverse calculations, several thousand particle trajectories were reconstructed multiple times from the ocean surface to the depth of the traps (approximately 1,000 m) using a range of sinking velocities, 20–100 m d–1. Taken together, model results and trap data indicate that cross-shore transport of riverine input induced by mesoscale eddies, and convergence and divergence processes at the scale of a few kilometers, significantly impact the trajectory of sinking particles. The large majority of modeled particles reach the bottom faster than would be expected by their sinking speeds alone. This finding is associated with submesoscale-induced horizontal convergence in the mixed layer that aggregates particles preferentially in downwelling regions, accelerating their descent. Furthermore, this study confirms that the cone of influence of vertical fluxes is highly variable in both space and time in the presence of an energetic eddy field, especially for particles with sinking velocity of 50 m d–1 or less. It also demonstrates that the variability of vertical fluxes in the Gulf of Mexico is highly complex and can be understood only by considering the mesoscale circulation and seasonal cycle of primary productivity, which in turn are linked to riverine inputs, wind forcing and the seasonal cycle of the mixed-layer depth.
A Worm’s Gut Feelings: Neuronal Muscarinic and Epithelial Canonical Wnt Pathways Promote Antimicrobial Defense

Molecular mechanisms connecting the gut-brain axis to immunity remain elusive. In this issue of Immunity, Labed et al. (2018) demonstrate that two evolutionarily conserved signaling mechanisms, the neuronal muscarinic and the epithelial Wnt pathways, together induce antimicrobial peptide expression that protects Caenorhabditis elegans against intestinal infection.
IXA Honorary Member Lecture, 2017: The long and winding road to tolerance.

The last 15 years or so have seen exciting progress in xenotransplantation, with porcine organ grafts surviving months or even years in non-human primates. These advances reflect the application of new scientific knowledge, improved immunosuppressive agents, and genetic engineering. The field has recently enjoyed a renaissance of interest and hope, largely due to the exponential increase in our capacity to genetically engineer porcine source animals. However, immune responses to xenografts are very powerful and widespread clinical application of xenotransplantation will depend on the ability to suppress these immune responses while preserving the capacity to protect both the recipient and the graft from infectious microorganisms. Our work over the last three decades has aimed to engineer the immune system of the recipient in a manner that achieves specific tolerance to the xenogeneic donor while preserving otherwise normal immune function. Important proofs of principle have been obtained, first in rodents, and later in human immune systems in "humanized mice" and finally in non-human primates, demonstrating the capacity and potential synergy of mixed xenogeneic chimerism and xenogeneic thymic transplantation in tolerizing multiple arms of the immune system. Considering the fact that clinical tolerance has recently been achieved for allografts and the even greater importance of avoiding excessive immunosuppression for xenografts, it is my belief that it is both possible and imperative that we likewise achieve xenograft tolerance. I expect this to be accomplished through the availability of targeted approaches to recipient immune conditioning, understanding of immunological mechanisms of tolerance, advanced knowledge of physiological incompatibilities, and the availability of inbred miniature swine with optimized use of genetic engineering.
Matrilineal Transmission of Familial Excess Longevity (mtFEL): Effects on Cause-specific Mortality in Utah, 1904 - 2002

The heritable component to a long and healthy life is likely to involve the actions and interactions of both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic variants. Using computerized genealogical records with accompanying cause of death information from the Utah population, we previously reported cause-specific mortality rate distributions associated with the nuclear genetic component of familial exceptional longevity. Here we identify Utah matrilineages (mitochondrial lineages) in which overall survival is better than expected, and compare cause-specific mortality rates in those matrilineages to cause-specific mortality rates in the general population. We also examine the effects on cause-specific mortality of interactions between the nuclear and mitochondrial components of familial excess longevity (nuclear FEL and mtFEL). Among individuals from the bottom quartile of nuclear FEL, those who were also in the top quartile for mtFEL had lower all-cause, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes mortality rates than those in the bottom quartile of mtFEL. In contrast, among individuals from the top quartile of nuclear FEL, the mortality rates from these diseases were similar for those also in the top quartile of mtFEL vs. those also in the bottom quartile of mtFEL, with the exception of diabetes mortality, which was dramatically suppressed in the high nuclear FEL + high mtFEL group as compared to the high nuclear FEL + low mtFEL group. Moreover, the highest mortality rates from diabetes were found in individuals aged 90 years or older who were members of both the high nuclear FEL and low mtFEL quartiles. These results support the hypothesis that some nuclear genetic variants contributing to long life carry an increased risk of dying from diabetes that is strongly ameliorated by some mitochondrial DNA variants.
Behind Every Great Fortune There Is a Great Crime

In the first issue of social justice, 25 years ago, Hi Schwendinger's "Editorial" and Tony Platt's article, "Prospects for a Radical Criminology in the United States," laid out an agenda that to a great degree has been fulfilled in the pages of Social Justice. Today more than ever, there is a need to widen and deepen the scope of research on crime - state, corporate, and financial criminal behavior that now reaches every crevice of the globe. Criminology is central to social analysis of what the ideologues of imperialism refer to as "globalization." Whether in corporate campaign financing, the executive branch's illegal transfer of billions of dollars in overseas bailouts, or in the unilateral bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan, criminal acts are committed, contrary to domestic and international law, with impunity. In a word, where criminality becomes respectable, the respectable have become criminals. Impunity is linked to power, dominance, and exploitation: billion-dollar hedge funds gamble trillions and the Federal Reserve intervenes - bypassing Congress and the electorate to bail them out ("they're too big to fail"), while the elderly and poor are arbitrarily cut out of medical insurance by HMOs (they're too small to care about). The rhetoric of globalization (more accurately globaloney), with its emphasis on the end of frontiers and the supremacy of multinational capital based on imperatives of the market, obscures an essential element, crime - large-scale, long-term homicide (genocide) is its original point of departure. Behind every great fortune there is a great crime, Honore de Balzac wrote a century and a half ago. The ascendancy of capitalism in what is now dubbed the emerging markets is the product of state crimes, aided, abetted, or directly perpetrated by the West, principally Washington. The great fortunes of Asia are intimately related to the mass killings of between 500,000 and one million people in Indonesia and over two million in Indochina and Korea. These are crimes against humanity according to international law. Latin America became a favorite "emerging market" over the bodies of thousands of Chilean, Argentinean, and Brazilian workers, thanks to illegal coups engineered and supported by accomplices before the fact in Washington. Closer to home, Central America embraced the free market agenda in the 1990s after Washington's massive support for the military and paramilitary death squads. The results: 75,000 dead in El Salvador, 150,000 in Guatemala, 50,000 in Nicaragua (the illegal Contra connection) - more than a quarter of a million killed, mostly via what is politely referred to as "extrajudicial" killings. The Human Rights Tribunal in the Hague would have a full menu bringing to justice the intellectual authors and perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Central America, beginning with the key members of the Cabinet and several undersecretaries for Latin American Affairs. …
Efficacy of platelet transfusion in the management of acute subdural hematoma

Abstract Objective Oral Antithrombotic Therapy has become a well documented predisposing risk factor in the development of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. Currently, a reversal protocol for antiplatelet therapy remains ill-defined in the management of non-surgical traumatic subdural hematoma and there is no evidence to suggest a clear benefit of platelet transfusion to mitigate the effect of antiplatelet agents. This study aims to establish parameters in which platelet transfusion would be of benefit in patients with non-surgical traumatic subdural hematoma with preinjury antiplatelet therapy. Patients and methods This study is a retrospective chart review of patents from 2015 to 2018 at two Level II trauma centers identifying consecutive patients with non-surgical acute traumatic subdural hematomas. Patients with use of aspirin and/or clopidogrel were categorized into subgroups based on transfusion of platelets for antiplatelet reversal therapy, and were compared to a control group. The primary outcome measure was the presence of subdural hematoma expansion. Results A total of 72 patients met the criteria for inclusion in this study. The average age of the cohort was 75.4 with a median of 77.5. There were 40 males and 32 females. Chi-square analysis was performed which demonstrated statistical significance for difference between the aspirin and clopidogrel group for percent of hematoma expansion (p = 0.0284). Patients on antiplatelet therapy (n = 36) were grouped together and compared to patients without antiplatelet therapy (n = 36), this demonstrated that the transfusion of platelets for patients on antiplatelet agents (n = 19/36) still resulted in a significant hematoma expansion in (n = 7/19, 36.8%) compared to patients not on antiplatelet therapy (n = 3/36, 8.3%) (p = 0.0001). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that patients with non-surgical traumatic subdural hematomas on presentation are less likely to expand, however the risk of expansion is greater when the patient is on antiplatelet therapy. There is no clear benefit in the use of platelet transfusion as a reversal agent to mitigate the effects of antiplatelet therapy in the setting of non-surgical traumatic subdural hematomas.
Testing Basic Assumptions of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 in a Sample of Clinically Depressed and Suicidal Youth

Objective Suicide is a leading cause of death in adolescence. The mechanisms of adolescent suicidality, however, are not fully understood. Although the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, as assessed by the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ), may be a promising framework, systematic study of its utility during adolescence is lacking. Method To this end, we utilized factor analyses and hierarchical regression analyses to test the factor structure, correlates, and predictive validity of the INQ in a sample of clinically depressed and suicidal adolescents (N = 120, aged 12-18). The sample was mostly female (81.9%), ethnically diverse (68.2% non-White) and with nearly a third identifying as a sexual minority (31.8%). Results Contrary to studies including adult samples in which a two-factor solution is identified, results within this sample indicated three factors: perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and perceived isolation. Perceived burdensomeness and the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and perceived isolation predicted suicide ideation above and beyond depression, but thwarted belongingness and perceived isolation did not. Conclusion Perceived burdensomeness appears to play a role in adolescent suicidality and may be a point of intervention, yet the notable deviation from previous findings and the relative weakness of two of the factors warrant further study.