cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solving the freeloaders paradox: Genetic associations and frequency-dependent selection in the evolution of cooperation among nonrelatives.

One of the enduring problems in the study of social evolution has been to understand how cooperation can be maintained in the presence of freeloaders, individuals that take advantage of the more cooperative members of groups they are eager to join. The freeloader problem has been particularly troublesome when groups consist of nonrelatives, and no inclusive fitness benefits accrue to individuals that contribute more heavily to communal activities. These theoretical difficulties, however, are not mirrored by the numerous examples of cooperative or even altruistic behaviors exhibited by groups of nonrelatives in nature (e.g., many human groups, communally nesting bees, multiple queen-founding ants, cellular slime molds, and social bacteria). Using a model in which cooperation and grouping tendencies are modeled as coevolving dynamical variables, I show that the freeloader problem can be addressed when group-size effects on fitness are considered explicitly. I show that freeloaders, whose presence is reflected in the development of linkage disequilibrium between grouping and cooperation, increase in frequency when rare, but are selected against when common due to the reduced productivity of the groups they overburden with their presence. Freeloader frequencies thus periodically rise and fall around an equilibrium shown here to be dynamic. These results highlight the importance of group-level effects in the origin and maintenance of sociality, illustrate the dynamic nature of equilibria when multiple levels of selection are involved, and provide a solution to the freeloaders paradox.
Use of Resident Satisfaction Surveys in New Jersey Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

In this article, the authors present the results of a questionnaire inquiring into the use and usefulness of resident satisfaction surveys sent to all nursing homes (N = 363) and assisted living facilities (N = 152) in New Jersey in fall 2000. The authors found 86% of nursing homes and 88% of assisted living facilities to be using resident satisfaction surveys. Satisfaction information was reported as extremely useful or very useful in 72% of nursing homes and 83% of assisted living facilities. However, satisfaction instruments used by nursing homes and assisted living facilities are highly varied, and instruments appear to have been developed largely on an ad hoc basis, with little attention to testing of validity or psychometric properties. Standardization initiatives are clearly needed. In addition, the uses of satisfaction information were limited and primarily aimed at administrative goals rather than at improving quality of care. These factors may restrict the potential benefits of resident satisfaction information.
A long-term follow-up study using IPMSSG criteria in children with CNS demyelination.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the practical application of International Pediatrics Multiple Sclerosis study group definitions in children with inflammatory demyelination of the central nervous system and to identify predictors of multiple sclerosis. Methods Baseline data on 123 children with a first episode of acute central nervous system demyelination were collected. The initial diagnosis according to the International Pediatrics Multiple Sclerosis study group was recorded and compared with final diagnosis. Results Forty-seven (38.2%) children met International Pediatrics Multiple Sclerosis study group criteria for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and 67 (54.4%) had clinically isolated syndrome at the initial presentation. Four (3.2%) had the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica and five (4%) did not meet any specific diagnosis per the study group criteria. Clinical follow-up was available on 118 of 123 children (95.9%), with a median of 61.5 months (quartile range 23, 110 months). Conversion from clinically isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis occurred in 26 of 67 children (38.8%); acute disseminated encephalomyelitis to multiple sclerosis occurred in 4 of 47 children (8.5%). Adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis for an outcome of future development of multiple sclerosis showed the following predictors: female gender (odds ratio 12.44; 95% confidence interval 1.03-149.3); initial diagnosis of monofocal brain stem or hemispheric dysfunction (odds ratio 24.57; 95% confidence interval 3.06-196.78); and Callen magnetic resonance imaging criteria if met (odds ratio 122.45; 95% confidence interval 16.57-904.57). Conclusion International Pediatrics Multiple Sclerosis study group criteria affirm that children with initial clinically isolated syndrome are more likely to develop future multiple sclerosis compared with those with an acute disseminated encephalomyelitis initial diagnosis. In addition, female gender, brain stem or hemispheric involvement, and Callen magnetic resonance imaging criteria predict the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
REPLICATE PATTERNS OF SPECIES RICHNESS, HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND PHYLOGENY IN HOLARCTIC TREEFROGS

In recent decades, the field of historical biogeography has become increasingly divorced from evolutionary biology, ecology, and studies of species richness. In this paper, we explore the evolutionary causes of patterns of biogeography and species richness in Northern Hemisphere treefrogs, combining phylogenetics, ancestral area recon- struction, molecular dating methods, and ecological niche modeling. We reconstructed phylogenetic relationships among 58 hylid taxa using data from two mitochondrial genes (12S, ND1) and two nuclear genes (POMC, c-myc). We find that parallel patterns of species richness have developed in Europe, Asia, and in two separate clades of North American hylids, with the highest richness at midtemperate latitudes (30-358) on each continent. This pattern is surprising given that hylids overall show higher species richness in the New World tropics and given many standard ecological explanations for the latitudinal diversity gradient (e.g., energy, productivity, mid-domain effect). The replicate pattern in Holarctic hylids seems to reflect specialized tolerance for temperate climate regimes or possibly the effects of competition. The results also suggest that long-range dispersal between continental regions with similar climatic regimes may be easier than dispersal between geographically adjacent regions with different climatic regimes. Our results show the importance of ecology and evolution to large-scale biogeography and the importance of large- scale biogeography to understanding patterns of species richness.
Mea Culpa: Predicting Stock Prices From Organizational Attributions

People's causal attributions for events in their lives have been shown to relate to individual and interpersonal outcomes. Groups and organizations also make causal attributions, and this article examines whether their publicly communicated attributions predict organizational-level outcomes. By content analyzing attributions contained in corporate annual reports from 14 companies during a 21-year period, the authors found that organizations that made "self disserving" attributions- internal and controllable attributions for negative events-had higher stock prices 1 year later. The authors argue that claiming personal responsibility for negative events made the organizations appear more in control, leading to more positive impressions.
Detection of Various Performance Enhancing Substances in Specimens Collected from Race Horses in Illinois: A Five-Year Experience

In order to protect the integrity of horse racing in Illinois, a complex testing of urine and blood specimens collected post-race from winning and special designation horses is continuously conducted. The initial screening by immunoassays was followed by the confirmation on presumptive positive samples. Instrumental screening was also conducted. Perimortem and postmortem specimens and special exhibits (syringes, needles, etc.) were also analyzed. The administration of alkalinizing agents was detected by measuring the total plasma carbon dioxide concentration. The laboratory analyzed specimens collected post race from winning horses and special designation horses at eight race tracks in the State of Illinois over the five-year time period (2004-2009). The total number of specimens collected was 91,808, comprising 45,210 urine specimens and 46,598 blood specimens. The total number of violations was 413 (0.45% of the total number of specimens analyzed); 207 were blood specimens (0.44% of the total blood specimens analyzed), and 206 were urine specimens (0.45% of the total urine specimens analyzed). A total of 220 violations were reported for harness horses, and 193 were reported for Thoroughbred horses. The number of reported violations of the total tested specimens in Illinois was small, but a wide variety of performance-enhancing drugs was shown.
Turkish alfalfa cultivars screened for alfalfa weevil resistance

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars have been developed with tolerance to the alfalfa weevil [Hypera postica (Gyllenhal)], but not antibiosis or nonpreference. This study evaluated 28 Turkish alfalfa cultivars as sources of resistance expressed as antibiosis or feeding nonpreference. One hundred plants of each cultivar were tested in the laboratory to characterize resistance. Resistance was evaluated by caging 10 neonate alfalfa weevil larvae on plants for 8 d. Mean larval survival and weight after 8 d feeding was compared with that on the susceptible cultivar Ranger (...)
Probabilistic Delay Budgeting for Soft Realtime Applications

Unlike their hard realtime counterparts, soft realtime applications are only expected to guarantee their "expected delay" over input data space. This paradigm shift calls for customized statistical design techniques to replace the conventional pessimistic worst case analysis methodologies. Statistical design methods can provide a realistic assessment of design space, and improve the design quality by exploiting its stochastic behavior. We present a novel probabilistic time budgeting algorithm that translates the application expected delay constraint into its components delay constraints. Our algorithm which is based on mathematical properties of the problem, determines the optimal maximum weighted timing relaxation of an application under expected delay constraint. Experimental results on core-based synthesis of several multi-media applications on FPGAs show about 20% and 19% average energy and area improvement, respectively.
Manic-depressive illness in adolescence. A case report.

Abstract A case report of manic-depressive illness in a 15-year-old girl is presented, with a discussion of the diagnostic and therapeutic issues which are raised. The patient was previously well adjusted, and then suffered one depressive and two manic attacks in one year. Her mania responded well to treatment with lithium carbonate, but it recurred briefly when the lithium level fell to subtherapeutic levels. She has been asymptomatic for the two years since then. Manic-depressive illness may be underdiagnosed in adolescents in the United States.
Alkaloids of Turf-Type Fine Fescue (Festuca Sp.)

Endophytes of the tribe Balansieae form a symbiotic relationship with many coolseason grasses, including several Festuca sp. (Bacon and De Battista, 1990). These fungus-grass associations have been the focus of much attention since their identification in pasture cultivars of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass as the causal agent of animal toxicoses (Stuedemann and Hoveland, 1988). The fine leaf fescues include Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra var. commutata), creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra spp. rubra), hard fescue (Festuca ovine spp. duriuscula) and blue fescue (Festuca ovine spp. ovine). Because of the limited utilization of the fine fescues as pasture grasses, the fungal endophytes of these species have not been studied to the extent of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. However, these grasses are widely used for amenity purposes and are considered excellent low-maintenance grasses (Juska et al., 1955). The following study is part of a long-term project examining these grasses and their natural endophytes. The principal focus of this research was to assess the distribution and content of ergopeptine alkaloids and peramine in several endophyte-infected grasses. Tall fescue was used as a positive control species for ergot alkaloid analysis.
Special Values of Zeta Functions Associated with Self-Dual Homogeneous Cones

To explain the main idea of this paper, and also to fix some notations, we start with reviewing the classical case of Riemann zeta function. As usual we set $$\varsigma \left( s \right) = \sum\limits_{n = 1}^\infty {{n^{ - s}}} \quad \left( {Re\,s >1} \right)$$ , $$\Gamma \left( s \right) = \int\limits_0^\infty {{x^{s - 1}}{e^{ - x}}dx\quad \left( {{\mathop{\rm Re}\nolimits} \,s >0} \right)}$$ .
Endotoxin-induced left ventricular depression is blocked by nitrogen mustard or dimethylthiourea in rabbits.

We examined endotoxin-induced myocardial depression in 31 anesthetized rabbits using left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (sonomicrometers). In the control group, endotoxin (100 micrograms/kg iv) induced systolic depression (> 10% increase in end-systolic volume at matched end-systolic pressure) in 9 of 16 and diastolic dilation (> 10% increase in end-diastolic volume at matched end-diastolic pressure) in 8 of 16 rabbits within 7 h, unrelated to hypotension, acidosis, or hypoxia. Seven rabbits were pretreated with nitrogen mustard (1-2 mg/kg iv 4 and 2 days before) to decrease circulating neutrophils and monocytes by 98%. Endotoxin did not induce systolic depression in any rabbit (P = 0.01 compared with control), and diastolic dilation developed in one rabbit (P = 0.12). In eight rabbits pretreated with dimethylthiourea (DMTU; 500 mg/kg iv 30 min before), an intracellular free radical scavenger, systolic depression developed in one (P = 0.05) and diastolic dilation in five (P = 0.44). We conclude that cells inhibited by nitrogen mustard (e.g., neutrophils, monocytes, or macrophages) mediate endotoxin-induced left ventricular systolic depression. DMTU inhibited endotoxin-induced systolic but not diastolic dysfunction.
Quantum dust collapse in 2 +1 dimension

In this paper we will examine the consequence of a canonical theory of quantum dust collapse in $2+1$ dimensions. The solution of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation describing the collapse indicates that collapsing shells outside the apparent horizon are accompanied by outgoing shells within the apparent horizon during their collapse phase and stop collapsing once they reach the apparent horizon. Taking this picture of quantum collapse seriously, we determine a static solution with energy density corresponding to a dust ball whose collapse has terminated at the apparent horizon. We show that the boundary radius of the ball is larger than the Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli radius confirming that no event horizon is formed. The ball is sustained by radial pressure which we determine and which we attribute to the Unruh radiation within it.
Developing a patient information and education resource for allergic rhinitis : nurses' notes

I have recently completed the Professional Certificate In Allergy Nursing via the University of South Australia. One of the assignments we were given was to make a patient information and education resource. I chose to make a trifold brochure because of its compactness and portability while still having the ability to hold a large amount of information. When looking at brochures, both online and sourced from clinics and doctors rooms, I realised that there were plenty for the education of asthma and not as many for allergic rhinitis.
NIMG-08EVALUATION OF 2HG MR SPECTROSCOPY IN RELATION TO DISEASE ACTIVITY IN GLIOMAS

The oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) is produced by mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) detects 2HG noninvasively and has been reported to accurately identify IDH mutated tumors. 2HG-MRS may be able to help monitor disease activity over time, adding significantly to the diagnostic utility of conventional MRI. To evaluate implementation of 2HG spectroscopy and relationship to disease state, we performed 2HG-MRS on 21 patients with known glioma or MRI abnormalities suspicious for glioma (without prior biopsy) at our institution. When pathology was available, cases were assessed for diagnosis and tumor grade, IDH and 1p19q status as well as treatment history and clinical course. Analysis of 2HG-MRS results were done blinded to known IDH status. In 12 tumors with known IDH status, 9 cases were IDH-mutated, and 3 IDH-wildtype, and 5 were 1p19q-codeleted (and thus necessarily IDH-mutated). Out of all 21 patients, 8 were positive for 2HG by MRS and 13 were negative. In tumors with known IDH mutation, there was concordance with positive 2HG-MRS in 4 of 9. Due to this unexpected rate of apparent false negative 2HG-MRS, the 5 discordant cases were further reviewed. Three were clinically and radiographically stable by conventional MRI post treatment, so it is possible that absence of detectable 2HG reflected lack of active disease. However, 2 cases were negative for 2HG-MRS despite apparent progressive radiographic disease by conventional MRI. In contrast, all 4 concordant cases showed evidence of active or progressive tumor by conventional MRI. 2HG-MRS can aid conventional MRI in identification of IDH mutated gliomas non-invasively and may provide a more definitive assessment of treatment response for IDH mutated gliomas. However, it remains possible that some of our discordant cases represent insufficient sensitivity of 2HG-MRS, and further investigation is needed to optimize the sensitivity and specificity of 2HG-MRS for this purpose.
Regime type, international migration, and the politics of dual citizenship toleration

Why do some countries tolerate dual citizenship while others do not? The answer concerns the interaction between regime type variation and international migration. Democracies with a relatively lar...
Developing loss of supply incentives

The loss of supply events in 2003 in Europe and North America brought the issue of the reliability of the electricity industry to the attention of both governments and the mass media. In particular, in the UK, the loss of supply events in London and Birmingham caused the GB energy regulator, Ofgem, to investigate National Grid's operation of the transmission system in England and Wales. Ofgem's conclusions from that investigation, published in June 2004, were that NGC had not breached any of its licence obligations, but that there was a "regulatory gap", in that there were no direct financial incentives in place on NGC to maintain a high standard of reliability. Since then NGC has worked with Ofgem to develop incentives on the reliability of the transmission system.
Understanding organizational culture to transform a workplace behavior: Evidence from a liberal arts University

Nelson and Quick (2013) describe organizational cultures as “a pattern of basic assumptions that are considered valid and that are taught to new members as a way to perceive, think and feel in the organization” (p.592). Organizational cultures are a vital part of any company’s environment and provide employees with the necessary tools to integrate themselves into the overall organizational dynamic; however, most organizational cultures are plagued with dysfunctional dynamics that have stemmed from a dysfunctional personality of a key leader in their environment. This paper is based on the experience of designing and delivering special change, the organizational culture has been, for the most part, healthy and thriving. In this paper, we will review some of the problems facing the University and how key organizational leaders have successfully influenced change in a manner that has led to the valuable organizational culture in place today.
Effects of grazing allowance and system on the use of corn-crop residues by gestating beef cows.

Duplicate fields of corn-crop residues were grazed by 3- to 11-yr-old Charolais x Angus and Charolais x Angus x Simmental cows (average BW = 630 kg) in midgestation at allowances of .41, .82, and 1.64 ha/cow in a continuous-stocking system for 56 d in 1988 (yr 1) and 1989 (yr 2) and for 51 d in 1990 (yr 3), or at .41 ha/cow in a strip-stocking system for 56 and 51 d in yr 2 and 3, respectively. Body weight gains by cows grazing continuously stocked fields at .41, .82, and 1.64 ha/cow were -.06, -.01, and .41 kg/d (P = .02), respectively. Body weight changes by cows grazing continuously stocked and strip-stocked fields at .41 ha/cow were .15 and .30 kg/d in yr 2 and -.33 and -.53 kg/d in yr 3 (system x year, P = .08), respectively. Percentages of in vitro OM disappearance (IVOMD) of crop residues selected by ruminally fistulated steers (P = .22) and cow crop residue DMI (% of BW; P = .03) were 52.5, 1.64; 60.1, 2.87; and 61.7, 2.97 in fields continuously stocked at .41, .82, and 1.64 ha/cow after 21 to 35 d of grazing in yr 2 and 3, respectively. Selected crop residue IVOMD (P = .04) and crop residue DMI (percentage of BW, P = .07) were 58.0 and 2.46, respectively, in fields strip-stocked at .41 ha/cow. Mean yields of OM (P < .01) and IVOMD (P < .01) were 4,605, 2,136; 5,347, 2,495; and 5,761, 2,688 kg/ha in fields continuously stocked at .41, .82, and 1.64 ha/cow, respectively. Results imply that cows grazing corn-crop residues in continuously stocked fields are less likely to gain BW at grazing allowances < 1.64 ha/cow for 56 d. Differences in BW gains between cows grazing strip-stocked and continuously stocked crop residue fields were weather-dependent.
An Overview of Carnitine

Carnitine is a natural component of mammalian tissue and possesses multiple physiological roles. In relation to physical exercise, these include, but are not limited to, providing antioxidant protection, increasing nitric oxide production and/or maintaining circulating nitric oxide, and working to enhance energy production (e.g., fatty acid oxidation). These outcomes may be directly or indirectly related to improved exercise performance or recovery from strenuous exercise. While some studies have noted favorable outcomes with regards to exercise performance or related measures (e.g., reduction in muscle damage or soreness) following carnitine supplementation, others have failed to demonstrate an ergogenic effect, in particular when carnitine is used by healthy, exercise-trained subjects. The type and dosage of carnitine used varies considerably across studies, and few direct comparisons have been made between carnitine forms. This chapter provides a brief overview of the work in this area.
Development of sidebands in ultra high power traveling wave tube amplifiers

Results are presented from recent research on the development of high-efficiency, high-power traveling-wave-tube amplifiers (TWTAs). A rippled wall TWTA is used as the slow-wave structure for wave interactions with an 850 keV, 1 kA, 100 ns duration electron beam. The output power of the tube is in excess of 400 MW at 8.76 GHz, corresponding to an electron beam to microwave energy conversion efficiency of 48%. At high output power levels (>100 MW), sidebands are observed to develop which carry an increasing fraction of the output signal as the beam current is increased. The sidebands are asymmetrically located with respect to the center frequency of the amplifier and do not appear to be associated with trapped particles. It is postulated that the sidebands result from finite length effects in the short amplifier sections used. >
An Investigation of the Efficacy of Asynchronous Discussion on Students’ Performance in an Online Research Method Course

Online instruction has become increasingly a commonplace in higher education, broadly and within the field of behavior analysis. Given the increased availability of online instruction, it is important to establish how learning outcomes are influenced by various teaching methods, in order to effectively train the next generation of behavior analysts. This study used a between-group design to evaluate the use of asynchronous online class discussion. Results indicate greater group mean performance on quizzes for students who were required to participate in asynchronous discussion as a component of instruction.Demonstration of the effectiveness of a typical component of online instructionProcedures can be used to evaluate instructional methods in behavior analytic courseworkAsynchronous online discussion is a promising component of online courseworkActive learning pedagogy is more effective when compared with passive learning pedagogy.
Alterations in Task Activation Patterns and Functional Connectivity in Patients with Crohn's Disease in Remission (P3.384)

Objective To examine differences in functional activation patterns and task based functional connectivity differences between patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) in remission and matched healthy controls. Background Crohn’s disease, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), is likely caused by the abnormal processing of the intestinal inflammatory response. These responses when transmitted to the brain through the brain-gut axis likely lead to alterations in the functional activation and connectivity of key brain regions involved in higher order cognitive processes. Methods Functional images were acquired on both patients (N=12, average age 26 years) and matched controls (N=12, average 26 years) as they performed a verbal fluency task in the scanner. Performance on the verbal fluency task outside the scanner was also assessed. We investigated group differences in behavior and functional activation maps. Task based functional connectivity differences were investigated using seed based connectivity analysis with the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca’s area) as seed region of interest. Results There were no group differences in verbal fluency performance outside the scanner. We observed significant group differences in brain areas recruited during performance of the verbal fluency task with patients recruiting more right hemisphere regions. Connectivity analysis also showed significant differences with patients showing reduced connectivity with the right anterior cingulate and insula regions. Conclusions Overall findings show likely compensatory recruitment of Broca’s homologue and other right hemisphere regions in patients on the verbal fluency task. Reduced functional connectivity to the regions involved in cognitive control processes (anterior cingulate) and affective and cognitive processing (insular regions) suggest that patients with CD in remission, inspite of behavioral equivalence in performance, show functional reorganization of brain networks involved in key cognitive functions. Disclosure: Dr. Nair has nothing to disclose. Dr. BENIWAL-PATEL has nothing to disclose. Dr. MBAH has nothing to disclose. Dr. Prabhakaran has nothing to disclose. Dr. SAHA has nothing to disclose.
Introductory Remarks: Ruminations on Ovarian Function

The opportunity to serve as the gadfly in residence for this meeting is an irresistible temptation. Without the usual editorial constraints, one can bare one’s prejudices, fancies and even follies. I therefore propose to discuss selected aspects of follicular development in a series of mini-essays.
Should social science be more solution-oriented?

Duncan Watts considers whether many branches of social science could benefit from setting research goals aimed at specific and manageable real-world problems. He gives examples and discusses how more solution-oriented social science might work.
Training of Nurses and Continuing Education in ECMO

ECMO is a low-volume, high-risk procedure and therapy. After completion of an initial education program, it is important to provide ongoing continuing education and clinical competence assessment. In order for continuing ECMO education to be successful, the proper infrastructure for continuing education in ECMO is essential. This chapter will discuss: 1. Essential hospital support 2. Staffing models 3. Assessment of ECMO clinical competence quality assurance
Assessment of Tuned Range Separated Exchange Functionals for Spectroscopies and Properties of Uranium Complexes.

The Kohn–Sham delocalization error (DE) is quantified in select uranium compounds for various functionals and shown to correlate with the magnitude of dative ligand donation into the 5f shell. Range separated exchange functionals are reparametrized to minimize the DE and analyzed for their spectroscopic predictive capabilities. Valence excitation spectra of occupied 5f systems exhibit noticeable improvement upon reparametrization, e.g. UCl6–, UCl62–, and UO2+. Less sensitivity to the reparameterization was observed for closed shell 5f systems and core excitation spectra. A general parametrization is proposed to perform well for valence excitation spectra with small DE.
Evaluating students' perceptions of the usefulness of podcasts

Objectives: To compare pharmacy students’ confidence in understanding course material before and after listening to course podcasts; (2) determine whether course content affects pharmacy students’ perceptions on podcasts’ usefulness; and (3) evaluate English First Language vs. English Second Language speakers’ attitudes on podcasts. Methods: First and second year pharmacy students (n=314) who attended a Clinical or Research Methods course in 2012 and 2013 completed pre- and post-test surveys to assess study objectives. Results: Students had more confidence understanding course topics after listening to the podcasts ( p 0.05). Conclusion: Podcasts are beneficial to a majority of pharmacy students, despite language barriers.
Nanopatterning of Crystalline Transition Metal Oxides by Surface Templated Nucleation on Block Copolymer Mesostructures

While patterning the nucleation of crystalline inorganics at the nanometer length scale via low temperature, aqueous growth methods is highly desirable, it remains synthetically challenging. We report a generalizable approach for fabricating crystalline nanostructured inorganics at temperatures below 60 °C with periodicities on the order of 50 nm. A block copolymer (BCP) of polystyrene-block-poly[(allyl glycidyl ether)-co-(ethylene oxide)] (PS-b-P(AGE-co-EO)) is used to prepare periodically ordered, reactive thin film templates that are functionalized postassembly with an amino acid, cysteine, via thiol–ene click chemistry, exclusively at the sites of the exposed P(AGE-co-EO) domains. These functionalized areas subsequently template the confined crystallization of copper(I) oxide (Cu2O) and zinc oxide (ZnO) with high fidelity, from aqueous solutions at low temperatures. The demonstrated method provides a versatile materials platform to control the growth of nanostructured crystalline materials via the int...
Natural Climate Variability in a Coupled Model

Abstract Multi-century simulations with a simplified coupled ocean-atmosphere model are described. These simulations reveal an impressive range of variability on decadal and longer time scales, in addition to the dominant interannual El Nino/Southern Oscillation signal that the model originally was designed to simulate. Based on a very large sample of century-long simulations, it is nonetheless possible to identify distinct model parameter sensitivities that are described here in terms of selected indices. Preliminary experiments motivated by general circulation model results for increasing greenhouse gases suggest a definite sensitivity to model global warming. While these results are not definitive, they strongly suggest that coupled air-sea dynamics figure prominantly in global change and must be included in models for reliable predictions.
Comparison of Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality in Classic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Events Using Video Review.

OBJECTIVES To assess differences in cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality in classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation versus extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation events using video recordings of actual pediatric cardiac arrest events. DESIGN Single-center, prospective, observational trial. SETTING Tertiary-care pediatric teaching hospital, cardiac ICU. PATIENTS All patients admitted to the pediatric cardiac ICU with cardiopulmonary resuscitation events lasting greater than 2 minutes captured on video. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Seventeen events comprising 264.5 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation were included: 11 classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation events (87.5 min) and six extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation events (177 min). Events were divided into 30-second epochs, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality markers were assessed using video and telemetry data review of goal endpoints: end-tidal carbon dioxide greater than or equal to 15 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 30 mm Hg, chest compression fraction greater than 80% per epoch, and chest compression rate between 100 and 120 chest compression per minute. Additionally, each chest compression pause (hands-off event) was recorded and timed. When compared with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation epochs were more likely to have end-tidal carbon dioxide greater than or equal to 15 mm Hg (56% vs 6.2%; p = 0.01) and provide chest compression between 100 and 120 times per minute (112 vs 134 chest compression per minute; p < 0.001). No difference was found between classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in compliance with diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 30 mm Hg (38% classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation vs 30% extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation). There were 135 hands-off events: 52 in classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and 83 in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS Classic cardiopulmonary resuscitation had superior adherence to end-tidal carbon dioxide goals and chest compression rate guidelines than extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Mitochondrial malic enzyme (ME2) in pancreatic islets of the human, rat and mouse and clonal insulinoma cells.

Despite interest in malic enzyme(ME)s in insulin cells, mitochondrial malic enzyme (ME2) has only been studied with estimates of mRNA or with mRNA knockdown. Because an mRNA’s level does not necessarily reflect the level of its cognate enzyme, we designed a simple spectrophotometric enzyme assay to measure ME2 activity of insulin cells by utilizing the distinct kinetic properties of ME2. Mitochondrial ME2 uses either NAD or NADP as a cofactor, has a high Km for malate and is allosterically activated by fumarate and inhibited by ATP. Cytosolic ME (ME1) and the other mitochondrial ME (ME3) use only NADP as a cofactor and have lower Kms for malate. The assay easily showed for the first time that substantial ME2 activity is present in pancreatic islets of humans, rats and mice and INS-1 832/13 cells. ME2’s presence was confirmed with immunoblotting. There was no evidence that ME3 is present in these tissues.
Management of Posttransplant Disorders

Airway complications (AC) have been a significant and persistent source of morbidity and mortality since the first human lung transplant took place in 1963. The early incidence ranged from 60 % to 80 % but has improved to approximately 15 % with a related mortality rate of 2–3 %. This improvement has played a vital role in the enhanced survival of lung transplant patients. Despite an improvement in overall survival, the prevalence of airway complications has not changed over the past decade. Airway complications are varied in presentation and treatment and seen primarily at the site of the anastomosis but are also found both proximal and distal to the suture line. Complications seen directly at the anastomosis include stricture/stenosis, hypertrophic granulation tissue, necrosis, dehiscence, loose sutures, fistula formation, and infection. Complications seen in proximity to the anastomosis include necrosis, malacia, and distal stricture. Notwithstanding the morbidity related to AC, quality of life is markedly impacted, sometimes negating the benefit of lung transplantation. This chapter will discuss potential etiologies and management strategies.
Spectroscopy of matrix isolated high temperature species: I. Thallous halides; II. Thallous oxide

The matrix isolation infrared spectra of the thallous halide and thallus oxide equilibrium vapors have been observed in rare-gas solids. (author)
Cache-Adaptive Exploration: Experimental Results and Scan-Hiding for Adaptivity

Systems that require programs to share the cache such as shared-memory systems, multicore architectures, and time-sharing systems are ubiquitous in modern computing. Moreover, practitioners have observed that the cache behavior of an algorithm is often critical to its overall performance. Despite the increasing popularity of systems where programs share a cache, the theoretical behavior of most algorithms is not yet well understood. There is a gap between our knowledge about how algorithms perform in a static cache versus a dynamic cache where the amount of memory available to a given program fluctuates. Cache-adaptive analysis is a method of analyzing how well algorithms use the cache in the face of changing memory size. Bender ηl showed that optimal cache-adaptivity does not follow from cache-optimality in a static cache. Specifically, they proved that some cache-optimal algorithms in a static cache are suboptimal when subject to certain memory profiles (patterns of memory fluctuations). For example, the canonical cache-oblivious divide-and-conquer formulation of Strassen's algorithm for matrix multiplication is suboptimal in the cache-adaptive model because it does a linear scan to add submatrices together. In this paper, we introduce scan hiding, the first technique for converting a class of non-cache-adaptive algorithms with linear scans to optimally cache-adaptive variants. We work through a concrete example of scan-hiding on Strassen's algorithm, a sub-cubic algorithm for matrix multiplication that involves linear scans at each level of its recursive structure. All of the currently known sub-cubic algorithms for matrix multiplication include linear scans, however, so our technique applies to a large class of algorithms.
Protecting the Unconceived

In recent years a number of public health officials have proposed statutes requiring mandatory genetic screening—and, in some cases, eugenic sterilization—to various governmental and legislative bodies. They justify these proposals by citing the need to protect the interests of society and of the as-yet-unconceived person who, if born, would suffer from a serious genetic defect. Perhaps the most articulate spokesman for the latter position is Professor Michael Bayles, who holds that Given the possiblity of genetic control, society can no longer risk having genetically disadvantaged children by leaving the dicision of whether to have children to the unregulated judgement of individual couples. Some social regulations with respect to genetic screening and, perhaps, eugenic sterilization are needed. While potential parents have interests of privacy and freedom in reproductive decisions, the social interests in preventing the suffering and inequality of possibily defective children may outweigh them in certain types of cases.1
Association of PI3K Pathway Mutations with Early Positron-Emission Tomography/CT Imaging Response after Radioembolization for Breast Cancer Liver Metastases: Results of a Single-Center Retrospective Pilot Study.

Abstract Purpose To describe imaging response and survival after radioembolization for metastatic breast cancer and to delineate genetic predictors of imaging responses and outcomes. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 31 women (average age, 52 y) with liver metastasis from invasive ductal carcinoma who underwent resin and glass radioembolization (average cumulative dose, 2.0 GBq ± 1.8) between January 2011 and September 2017 after receiving ≥ 3 lines of chemotherapy. Twenty-four underwent genetic profiling with MSK-IMPACT or Sequenom; 26 had positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging before and after treatment. Survival after the first radioembolization and 2–4-month PET/CT imaging response were assessed. Laboratory and imaging features were assessed to determine variables predictive of outcomes. Unpaired Student t tests and Fisher exact tests were used to compare responders and nonresponders categorized by changes in fluorodeoxyglucose avidity. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to determine the impact of predictors on survival after radioembolization. Results Median survival after radioembolization was 11 months (range, 1–49 mo). Most patients (18 of 26; 69%) had complete or partial response based on changes in fluorodeoxyglucose avidity. Imaging response was associated with longer survival ( P = .005). Whereas 100% of patients with PI3K pathway mutations showed an imaging response, only 45% of wild-type patients showed a response ( P = .01). Median survival did not differ between PI3K pathway wild-type (10.9 mo) and mutant (undefined) patients ( P = .50). Conclusions These preliminary data suggest that genomic profiling may predict which patients with metastatic breast cancer benefit most from radioembolization. PI3K pathway mutations are associated with improved imaging response, which is associated with longer survival.
Immunosuppressive medications in kidney transplantation

While acute rejection and short-term graft survival have improved in the modern era of renal transplantation, gains in long-term graft survival have been more limited. This is, in part, due to the nephrotoxic effect of many posttransplant medications, such as the calcineurin inhibitors. Moreover, side effects of other immunosuppressive medications such as corticosteroids have contributed to significant morbidity and mortality, especially from their effects on cardiovascular health. The past two decades have seen much innovation in the use of immunosuppressive strategies to facilitate minimal exposure to these potent but potentially toxic medications. This chapter discusses some of the common immunosuppressive medications and strategies that are being used for induction and maintenance therapy in children and adolescents following transplantation.
GG-03 IRF5 genetic risk variants drive an SLE immune-phenotype in healthy donors

Background Gene expression profiling has provided significant insight into SLE pathology through the identification of an IFN gene signature, a neutrophil-specific signature, and a plasma cell signature that correlate with disease activity. While genetic variants have also been shown to correlate with disease activity, the mechanism(s) by which they confer risk to SLE are not fully elucidated. Genetic variants within or near the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) locus associate with SLE across ancestral groups. Four IRF5 variants have been identified that strongly associate with SLE risk and make up the major risk haplotype in European Caucasians (rs2004640, rs10954213, rs10488631, and rs142738614 (CGGGG indel)). To determine how these variants contribute to SLE risk, we performed global immune-phenotyping on healthy donors homozygous for the major risk and non-risk haplotypes. Methods Healthy donors (no personal/family history of autoimmune/inflammatory diseases or cancer) are participants of the Feinstein Genotype and Phenotype (GaP) Registry that is genotyped on the Illumina Human Immunochip. Individual donors carrying the homozygous risk and non-risk haplotype were called in a minimum of 4 times over a 2 year-period for independent blood draws. Lymphoid and myeloid subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry on a BD Fortessa. Serum autoantibodies were measured by ANA-Hep-2, ELISA and a multiplex antibody profiling array. IRF5 expression and activation were determined on an Amnis Imagestream X Mark II imaging flow cytometer. B cell differentiation was determined by in vitro culture. NETosis was determined by fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. Ex vivo co-culture was used to identify antigenic triggers in risk and non-risk donors that drive B cell differentiation. Results We observed a striking homogeneity within haplotype groups that was conserved over time and could be replicated by ex vivo co-culture. We found that the IRF5 risk haplotype confers cell lineage-specific changes that mimic pre-symptomatic SLE. Interestingly, and contrary to what has been previously reported in B lymphoblastoid cell lines and SLE immune cells, IRF5 genetic variants had no effect on the overall levels of IRF5 expression in cells from healthy donors. Instead, IRF5 risk carriers had elevated numbers of circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells and plasma cells, positive ANA, constitutive IRF5 hyper-activation, and spontaneous NETosis. Conclusions Data suggest that individuals carrying IRF5-SLE risk haplotypes are particularly susceptible to environmental or stochastic influences that can trigger a transition to chronic immune activation, which in turn predisposes to the development of clinical lupus.
Molten silicate interactions with plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings: Role of materials and microstructure

Abstract Ingestion of siliceous particulate debris into both propulsion and energy turbines has introduced significant challenges in harnessing the benefits of enhanced operation efficiencies through the use of higher temperatures and thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). The so-called CMAS (for calcium-magnesium alumino-silicate) particles can melt in the gas path at temperatures greater than 1200C, where they will subsequently impact the coating surface and infiltrate through the carefully engineered porosity or cracks in a TBC. Ultimately, this CMAS attack causes premature spallation through its solidification and stiffening the ceramic during cooling. It has been noted in recent years, that TBCs based on yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) are completely non-resistant to CMAS attack due to their lack of reactivity with infiltrant liquid. New TBC ceramics such as Gadolinium Zirconate (GZO) show promise of CMAS resistance through rapid reaction-induced crystallization and solidification of the infiltrant, leading to its arrested infiltration. In both situations, the microstructure (porosity, micro and macro cracks) can be important differentiators in terms of the infiltration and subsequent failure mechanisms. This paper seeks to examine the interplay among microstructure, material, and CMAS attack in different scenarios. To do so, different types of YSZ & GZO single and multilayer coatings were fabricated using Air Plasma Spray (APS) and exposed to CMAS through isothermal and gradient mechanisms. In each of the cases, beyond their unique interactions with CMAS, it was observed the inherent microstructure and character of the porosity of the coating will have an additional role on the movement of the melt. For instance, vertical cracks can provide pathways for accelerated capillaric flow of the melt into both YSZ and GZO coatings. Based on these observations multilayer coatings have been proposed and realized toward potentially reducing complete coating failure and supporting multiple CMAS attack scenarios.