cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on Transformations of Hemophilus influenzae : IV. Linked and unlinked transformations

Unlinked transformations were demonstrated to occur by varying the multiplicity of DNA molecules taken up by competent cells. The number of doubles was directly proportional to the product of the frequency of singles for varying concentrations of cells. The kinetics of transformation to doubles and the effect of DNA concentration on double transformations were consistent with the concept that the cell must take up two molecules of DNA in order to be doubly transformed. Linked markers, on the other hand, were a constant fraction of the single transformation for variations in DNA or cell concentration, or time. The kinetics of transformation of linked markers was the same as for the kinetics of single transforming factors. It was, therefore, concluded that linked transformations involve interaction between the cell and a molecule of DNA carrying both markers. The frequency of transformation was found to be the same from resistance to sensitivity as from sensitivity to resistance for the markers streptomycin (S) and cathomycin (C). Purified DNAs, in general, show lower levels of linkage than crude DNA preparations, and for some crude preparations all the S markers were linked to C, suggesting that some dispersion, at least, was a result of DNA preparation. The inactivation of linked markers by heat, ultraviolet, and DNAase was studied.
Extreme Rainfall Events in the Hawaiian Islands

Abstract Heavy rainfall and the associated floods occur frequently in the Hawaiian Islands and have caused huge economic losses as well as social problems. Extreme rainfall events in this study are defined by three different methods based on 1) the mean annual number of days on which 24-h accumulation exceeds a given daily rainfall amount, 2) the value associated with a specific daily rainfall percentile, and 3) the annual maximum daily rainfall values associated with a specific return period. For estimating the statistics of return periods, the three-parameter generalized extreme value distribution is fit using the method of L-moments. Spatial patterns of heavy and very heavy rainfall events across the islands are mapped separately based on the aforementioned three methods. Among all islands, the pattern on the island of Hawaii is most distinguishable, with a high frequency of events along the eastern slopes of Mauna Kea and a low frequency of events on the western portion so that a sharp gradient in ext...
Controlling the regiospecific oxidation of aromatics via active site engineering of toluene para-monooxygenase of Ralstonia pickettii PKO1.

A primary goal of protein engineering is to control catalytic activity. Here we show that through mutagenesis of three active site residues, the catalytic activity of a multicomponent monooxygenase is altered so that it hydroxylates all three positions of toluene as well as both positions of naphthalene. Hence, for the first time, an enzyme has been engineered so that its regiospecific oxidation of a substrate can be controlled. Through the A107G mutation in the α-subunit of toluene para-monooxygenase, a variant was formed that hydroxylated toluene primarily at the ortho-position while converting naphthalene to 1-naphthol. Conversely, the A107T variant produced >98% p-cresol and p-nitrophenol from toluene and nitrobenzene, respectively, as well as produced 2-naphthol from naphthalene. The mutation I100S/G103S produced a toluene para-monooxygenase variant that formed 75% m-cresol from toluene and 100% m-nitrophenol from nitrobenzene; thus, for the first time a true meta-hydroxylating toluene monooxygenase was created.
Formation of Multicellular Microtissues and Applications in Biofabrication

Scaffold-free tissue engineering approaches take advantage of cell–cell interactions, specifically the phenomena of self-assembly and self-sorting. By using micro-molded nonadhesive hydrogels, mono-dispersed cells can be seeded and directed to form spheroids as well as more complex shapes. These complex structures, including toroids, honeycombs, and loop-ended dogbones, bypass the critical diffusion distance required to maintain cell viability in culture over time. In addition, the formed microtissues are amenable to assays that analyze the self-assembly dynamics, the sorting of two different cell types, the fusion of two individual tissues, and the power produced by cell aggregates as they contract around molded gel pegs. The biofabrication of multiple microtissues into a larger macrotissue with a patent network of lumens for perfusion is an active area of research for eventual translation of tissue engineering products to the operating room.
Genetic instability occurs sooner than expected: promotion, progression and clonality during hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat.

The basic question of “at which point in time does genetic instability occur in the natural history of cancer” can be answered only with another question: in which organ or model? Dr. Shapiro has just given us an impressive account of her work in human malignant gliomas. We also attempted to explore the problem but in a different organ, species and model system. We found that in the rat liver treated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and a choline deficient (CD) diet, genomic instability expressed by aneuploidy takes place during the promotion treatment, long before hepatocarcinomas can be diagnosed (1, 2). The presence of aneuploidy implies that irreversible genetic changes, characteristic of progression, occur during dietary promotion (Fig. 1). Since increasing evidence points out that most malignant hepatomas are monoclonal in origin, this fact and the studies previously mentioned have led us to propose now a scheme of cell renewal which explains the overlapping of promotion with progression arising in the clonally replicating foci of preneoplastic populations.
On the distribution of some integers related to perfect and amicable numbers

Let s′(n) = ∑ d|n, 1<d<n d be the sum of the nontrivial divisors of the natural number n, where nontrivial excludes both 1 and n. For example, s′(20) = 2 + 4 + 5 + 10 = 21. A natural number n is called quasiperfect if s′(n) = n, while n and m are said to form a quasiamicable pair if s′(n) = m and s′(m) = n; in the latter case, both n and m are called quasiamicable numbers. In this paper, we prove two statistical theorems about these classes of numbers. First, we show that the count of quasiperfect n ≤ x is at most x 1 4, as x → ∞. In fact, we show that for each fixed a, there are at most x 1 4+o(1) natural numbers n ≤ x with σ(n) ≡ a (mod n) and σ(n) odd. (Quasiperfect n satisfy these conditions with a = 1.) For fixed δ 6= 0, define the arithmetic function sδ(n) := σ(n)−n− δ. Thus, s1 = s′. Our second theorem says that the number of n ≤ x which are amicable with respect to sδ is at most x/(log x) .
Student's t and Crackers

BARNUM'S ANIMALS Crackers have been a staple childhood treat since they were first introduced in 1902. According to the parent company Nabisco Brands, these animal-shaped crackers are all produced at a single bakery in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. More than 40 million packages are sold each year, both in the United States and by export to seventeen countries worldwide. The little circus wagon cage boxes with the distinctive white string handle are produced in three colors?red, blue and yellow [Note l]. Over the decades, there have been 37 different animals represented by animal crackers. Today, each package contains up to 18 different shapes. The current circus lineup includes: bear (standing and on all fours), bison, camel (Bactrian or two-humped), cougar, elephant, giraffe, gorilla, hippopotamus, hyena, kangaroo, lion, monkey (eating a banana), rhinoceros, seal, sheep, tiger, and zebra. Each box contains "about 2" servings, with 12 crackers to a serving. Since there are 18 different animal shapes, there will necessarily be a multiplicity of, say, lions and tigers. But, are some species more endangered than others? The purpose of this note is to determine whether there is an average of one animal shape per box obtained from a sample of 109 boxes. Let us assume that the random variable is x{, where x{ denotes the number of animals of species i in a randomly selected box. Table 1 gives the breakdown of animal shapes. A two-tailed one-sample ?-test provides us with a way of checking whether there is an average of 1.0 of each shape. We therefore state the null hypothesis as follows:
A new Genus and Species of Shrew from the Upper Pliocene of Texas

A new genus and species of shrew is described from the upper Pliocene Beck Ranch local fauna of Scurry County, Texas. Among fossil and living American shrews, the new shrew most closely resembles the extinct Notiosorex jacksoni Hibbard.
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVagm Efficiently Utilizes Non-CCR5 Entry Pathways in African Green Monkey Lymphocytes: Potential Role for GPR15 and CXCR6 as Viral Coreceptors

UNLABELLED African green monkeys (AGM) are natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and infection in these animals is generally nonpathogenic, whereas infection of nonnatural hosts, such as rhesus macaques (RM), is commonly pathogenic. CCR5 has been described as the primary entry coreceptor for SIV in vivo, while human-derived CXCR6 and GPR15 also appear to be used in vitro. However, sooty mangabeys that are genetically deficient in CCR5 due to an out-of-frame deletion are infectible with SIVsmm, indicating that SIVsmm can use alternative coreceptors in vivo. In this study, we examined the CCR5 dependence of SIV strains derived from vervet AGM (SIVagmVer) and the ability of AGM-derived GPR15 and CXCR6 to serve as potential entry coreceptors. We found that SIVagmVer replicated efficiently in AGM and RM peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the presence of the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc, despite the fact that maraviroc was capable of blocking the CCR5-tropic strains SIVmac239, SIVsmE543-3, and simian-human immunodeficiency virus SHIV-AD8 in RM PBMC. We also found that AGM CXCR6 and AGM GPR15, to a lesser extent, supported entry of pseudotype viruses bearing SIVagm envelopes, including SIVagm transmitted/founder envelopes. Lastly, we found that CCR5, GPR15, and CXCR6 mRNAs were detected in AGM and RM memory CD4(+) T cells. These results suggest that GPR15 and CXCR6 are expressed on AGM CD4(+) T cells and are potential alternative coreceptors for SIVagm use in vivo. These data suggest that the use of non-CCR5 entry pathways may be a common feature of SIV replication in natural host species, with the potential to contribute to nonpathogenicity in these animals. IMPORTANCE African green monkeys (AGM) are natural hosts of SIV, and infection in these animals generally does not cause AIDS, whereas SIV-infected rhesus macaques (RM) typically develop AIDS. Although it has been reported that SIV generally uses CD4 and CCR5 to enter target cells in vivo, other molecules, such as GPR15 and CXCR6, also function as SIV coreceptors in vitro. In this study, we investigated whether SIV from vervet AGM can use non-CCR5 entry pathways, as has been observed in sooty mangabeys. We found that SIVagmVer efficiently replicated in AGM and RM peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the presence of the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc, suggesting that non-CCR5 entry pathways can support SIVagm entry. We found that AGM-derived GPR15 and CXCR6 support SIVagmVer entry in vitro and may serve as entry coreceptors for SIVagm in vivo, since their mRNAs were detected in AGM memory CD4(+) T cells, the preferred target cells of SIV.
Is a short anesthetic exposure in children safe? Time will tell: a focused commentary of the GAS and PANDA trials

Early life exposure to general anesthesia in preclinical studies has consistently led to permanent cognitive deficits later in life. However, the extent to which this finding is translatable to humans is the subject of much debate as the results from clinical studies have been mixed. Recently two well-designed clinical trials have attempted to add clarity to our murky understanding. The General Anesthesia compared to Spinal anesthesia (GAS) trial, was an international, prospective, randomized, multicenter, equivalence trial comparing infants undergoing herniorrhaphy receiving general anesthesia vs. neuraxial anesthesia. The results released are from a pre-determined secondary outcome of a behavioral/developmental assessment of 2 years old that found equivalence between the two groups. The Pediatric Anesthesia NeuroDevelopment Assessment (PANDA) trial was an ambi-directional cohort trial, comparing patients receiving general anesthesia for hernia repair before 3 years old vs. sibling-matched controls. The neuropsychological battery performed showed no difference between siblings. Taken together, there is cautious optimism that short anesthesia exposure may not lead to significant cognitive decline in humans, but one should also consider that the GAS trial has yet to release the primary endpoint, IQ testing at age 5, and the PANDA trial may not represent the general population given the high socioeconomic status and high control IQ scores. Furthermore, as seen in preclinical studies, the cognitive deficit might not be significant until later in life, and longer exposures to anesthesia may have a more deleterious effect on cognitive function. While these new studies greatly increase our understanding in humans, there are many more questions that need to be addressed.
262. Directed Evolution of Improved AAV Capsids for the Ideal Human Liver Vector–Can Human Liver Tropism and Human Immune Evasion Be Achieved?

Research towards improved adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery vectors for use in treating human liver diseases continues to be dominated by efforts to characterize potential candidate vectors in mice which often can't recapitulate either the human liver tropism/transduction profiles, or the specifics of the human immune response to these vectors. Research from our lab has shown that despite the impressive hepatocyte transduction levels by AAV-8 in mouse liver, AAV-8 does not functionally transduce human hepatocytes in xenografted humanized liver mouse models to levels of therapeutic relevance, possibly explaining the lower than expected FIX expression levels from the recent AAV-8 hemophilia clinical trial. Efforts to evolve novel capsid variants with improved human hepatocyte tropism were successful with the generation of AAV-LK03, yet limitations to clinical translation with many newly evolved serotypes remains due to high levels of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies that may cross-react and neutralize transduction. For this reason we sought to evolve improved hepatotropic variants–again in humanized liver mice–that not only retained robust human liver tropism, but also had been evolved for resistance to pre-existing neutralizing antibodies in the human population to create the ideal liver vector for use in the clinic. We utilized wild-type replicating AAV libraries of 10e5 variants via DNA shuffling of eleven different parental AAV capsids. Our libraries selectively replicate in human cells when co-administered with wild-type adenovirus, making chimeric humanized liver mice an excellent tool to allow for selection of capsids with tropism for human liver. Screens were carried out for five rounds of selection and rather than waiting for the screen to go to completion, we ended the screen with some library diversity remaining for use in a subsequent screen for neutralizing antibody evasion. All variants from round five of the human liver screen were carried forward and screened for two additional rounds for their ability to resist binding to pooled human immunoglobulins in IgG immunocapture assays. The top 100 highly selected variants were sequenced and vectorized into CAG-driven GFP preparations in seven pools based on capsid relatedness at the amino acid level. Each pool was then resubjected to additional pooled human immunoglobulin screening and the best pool was chosen. The top seven candidates from this pool were tested alongside control serotypes that represent the extremes for humoral neutralization: highest neutralization (AAV-2), lowest neutralization (AAV-DJ), as well as LK03 that falls in between. One variant from this highly selected pool has neutralization profiles on par with AAV-DJ and further characterizations are underway in humanized liver mice in vivo and various human hepatoma lines in vitro to determine if both desired characteristics were robustly retained—human liver tropism and human immune evasion.
Dynamic control of complex authentication systems

Consider a centralized system where requests for authentication arrive from different users. The system has multiple authentication methods available and a controller must decide how to assign a method to each request. We analyze the system dynamics using queueing models and propose a stochastic dynamic control methodology to assigning authentication methods to incoming tasks. We consider three different performance measures: usability, operating cost, and security. We model the trade-offs between these performance measures using a cost-based approach and a constraints-based approach, and derive structural and computational results on the optimal control strategies. We also provide a numerical example to illustrate the trade-offs between the three performance metrics, and show how to use our models to build an efficient frontier.
A Clinical Validation of Self-Reported Periodontitis Among Participants in the Black Women’s Health Study

Background: There is a paucity of data on the validity of self-report of periodontal disease in African Americans. The Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a United States national cohort study of 59,000 black women followed via mailed questionnaires since 1995, offered the opportunity to clinically validate self-reported periodontitis among a sample of participants.Methods: Oral health questionnaires were sent to study participants residing in Massachusetts. Respondents living in the Boston metro area were invited for clinical examination. Self-reports were compared with clinical data obtained from the 77 women (mean age: 59 years) who were examined. The authors examined the predictive ability of individual and combined questionnaire items with respect to clinical periodontal disease severity. Validation parameters were calculated for each question, and receiver operating characteristic statistics were generated to compare questionnaire items.Results: Periodontitis prevalence in the validation sample was 2...
Managing Power Capacity as a First-Class Resource in Multitenant Data Centers

Scaling up power infrastructures to accommodate growing data center demand is a giant, costly challenge. As a solution, this article proposes market approaches for maximizing power capacity utilization in multitenant data centers, where tenants individually manage their physical servers and workloads. It turns the current practice, which allocates power capacity in a fixed manner, into a dynamic, scalable, and coordinated market-based paradigm. To illustrate the market design, this article considers a common practice of power oversubscription and presents COOP (COOrdinated Power management), which extracts tenants power reduction capabilities at runtime and gracefully handles power emergencies with minimum performance impact.
Contact Forces Acting on Large Femoral Osteochondral Allografts During Forced Knee Extension

Background:A single cylindrical graft plug is commonly used for large focal femoral defects during osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation. Excessive contact force (CF) on a proud plug could ...
Introduction: The Latvian Auxiliary Security Police and Cold War Justice

The Latvian Auxiliary Security Police, informally known as the Arajs Kommando after its founder and commander, Viktors Arājs, was composed of about 1,200 volunteers and participated in all aspects of the “Holocaust by Bullets” in the Nazi-occupied East. The Nazis’ defeat scattered the men of the Kommando across both sides of the Iron Curtain. Nearly a third of them eventually faced formal judgment. The Soviet Union handled the largest number of cases, while both West and East Germany and the United States took up the rest. Viewing these legal systems through the prism of this one specific unit with special attention to the changing context of the Cold War, this study seeks to answer the question: which most capably discovered and communicated the truth about the Holocaust in Latvia?
Campus sexual assault climate surveys: A brief exploration of publicly available reports.

Objective: Despite popularity of climate surveys as a tool produce accurate data on campus sexual assault, little is known about how campuses are administering these surveys, what they are assessin...
Impact of blue-depleted white light on pupil dynamics, melatonin suppression and subjective alertness following real-world light exposure

The non-image forming system, which conveys light information to circadian and sleep centers in the brain, is optimized to respond to short wavelengths of light (blue). Exposure to white light with reduced blue content can cause lower than expected circadian and sleep responses. These findings, however, come from controlled laboratory conditions that may not be entirely accurate when attempting to apply them to most real-world settings. It was our intention to examine whether, under ecologically-valid circumstances, a blue-depleted white light had a diminished impact on sleep and circadian functions as compared to an equiluminant white light. In Study 1, seven healthy, young individuals were exposed to a series of one-minute light pulses (32, 100 or 140 lx) produced either by a standard white light emitting diode (LED) or an LED light with reduced blue content. Pupil responses were measured with an infrared pupillometer. In Study 2, ten healthy, young individuals participated in two overnight evaluations. On one of the nights, participants received three hours of 150 lx of a standard white LED starting at habitual bedtime. The protocol on the alternate night was identical except an LED with reduced blue content was used (both lights were identical to those used in Study 1). Saliva samples were collected every 20–30 min for determination of melatonin concentrations and subjective sleepiness was assessed hourly with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale. In both studies, pre-light exposure baseline was real-world ambulatory light exposure. Study 1. The post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) to 32 lx was increased in response to the standard as compared to blue-depleted LED (p < 0.05, paired t-test). PIPR did not differ between lighting conditions at higher illuminances. Study 2. Neither salivary melatonin concentrations nor subjective sleepiness scores were different between lighting conditions. While the absence or reduction of blue light has the physiologic capacity to reduce the impact of light on non-image forming photoreceptive functions, under a pre-exposure lighting environment closer to that which is found in the real world, no such differences are observed except for pupil responses to moderately dim light. ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT02936674 , NCT02636140 .
Communication networks of medication management in an ambulatory care setting

Abstract Background Systems approaches in healthcare address complexities of care related to medication safety. Adverse drug events can be prevented by communication between providers. Thus, methods that depict the structures and processes of communications are foundational for prevention efforts. Social network analysis is a methodology applied in healthcare settings to describe and quantify communication patterns. Knowledge of the structures and processes surrounding medication management communications will be useful to explain and intervene on related quality or safety outcomes. Objectives The aim of this study was to use social network analysis as a tool to describe the communication structures and processes of medication management for patients on warfarin therapy in an ambulatory care setting. Method A longitudinal, roster-based assessment was used for the social network analysis. Data were collected from electronic medical records and coded using a fixed-list format. Information was collected regarding who was involved as well as frequency and type of communications. The analysis followed 16 subjects at one internal medicine clinic over six months. Results Structurally, communications were unidirectional and most often connected actors from different groups. Most communications were directed from nursing staff to patients. Central actors were a pharmacist, several nursing staff and one prescriber. Difference in processes were identified by characterizing communications according to level of impact on patient safety. Moderate impact communications corresponded to focused connections between providers. Further, the pharmacist was measured as the most prominent gatekeeper in moderate impact communications compared to an advanced registered nurse practitioner for low impact communications. Conclusions Medication management reflected a unidirectional and interdisciplinary communication structure that maintained process variation according to the potential impact on patient safety. The level of influence of the pharmacist as a connector in the network rose in conjunction with the level of potential impact the communication had on patient safety.
The Sources of Industrial Leadership: A Perspective on Industrial Policy

This essay reports on a historical study of the evolution of seven major high-tech industries. The aim was to identify key factors leading to the emergence of industrial leadership. A few lessons have come to the fore. First, firms that become dominant on world markets first became strong in their home market. Second, important sources of comparative advantage often reside in sectoral support systems e.g. a university especially strong in organic chemistry. As to the debate about industrial policy, history shows many instances that support the case for targeted support. On the other hand, we should not ignore that the success of industrial policy depends to a large extent on the interaction between firms and the relevant government agencies.
PI3K blockage synergizes with PLK1 inhibition preventing endoreduplication and enhancing apoptosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is among the most lethal malignancies. The mitotic kinase PLK1 is overexpressed in the majority of ATCs and PLK1 inhibitors have shown preclinical efficacy. However, they also cause mitotic slippage and endoreduplication, leading to the generation of tetraploid, genetically unstable cell populations. We hypothesized that PI3K activity may facilitate mitotic slippage upon PLK1 inhibition, and thus tested the effect of combining PLK1 and PI3K inhibitors in ATC models, in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with BI6727 and BKM120 resulted in a significant synergistic effect in ATC cells, independent of the levels of AKT activity. Combination of the two drugs enhanced growth suppression at doses for which the single drugs showed no effect, and led to a massive reduction of the tetraploid cells population. Furthermore, combined treatment in PI3Khigh cell lines showed a significant induction of apoptosis. Finally, combined inhibition of PI3K and PLK1 was extremely effective in vivo, in an immunocompetent allograft model of ATC. Our results demonstrate a clear therapeutic potential of combining PLK1 and PI3K inhibitors in anaplastic thyroid tumors.
Toxicity and efficacy of concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in elderly patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) in the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era.

10050Background: CCRT has been shown to improve survival in OPC compared to radiation alone, but has demonstrated no survival benefit in patients > 70 years old, possibly due to toxicity. However, ...
Cushing Syndrome Induced by Topical Corticosteroids for the Treatment of Lichen Sclerosus

Abstract Background Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory dermatological condition with a predilection for the anogenital area. Case We describe a case of iatrogenic Cushing syndrome from the administration of high-potency topical steroids for vulvar lichen sclerosus in a 6-year-old girl. Her symptoms resolved after the cessation of topical steroid treatment. Summary and Conclusion This case brings attention to iatrogenic Cushing syndrome as a potential complication when using high-potency topical corticosteroids in the anogenital region.
Cheating, Costs and Litigation at the World Trade Organization

Does the presence of a dispute settlement mechanism make litigation more accessible? This chapter tests this expectation by modeling trade in a “two-country, two-goods world.” The model has states oscillating between free trade and protectionism, invocation of the DSB or avoiding it, and litigating or acquiescing when the DSB option is used. These moves are in a world where there is complete and perfect information, costs for litigation and Prisoner’s Dilemma-like payoffs. Each version of the model highlights situations in which global welfare is maximized by cooperation at free trade, but with individual states having incentives to cheat. The conditions affect the sequential moves that players make and the consequent equilibria that are formed. With the DSB option tempered by the costs that states have to pay for usage, each move underscores the complex deliberations that occur as states contemplate what their best move should be.
More crystal field theory in action: the metal–4-picoline (pic)–sulfate [M(pic)x]SO4 complexes (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd)

Seven crystal structures of five first-row (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) and one second-row (Cd) transition metal-4-picoline (pic)-sulfate complexes of the form [M(pic)x]SO4 are reported. These complexes are catena-poly[[tetrakis(4-methylpyridine-κN)metal(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2O:O'], [M(SO4)(C6H7N)4]n, where the metal/M is iron, cobalt, nickel, and cadmium, di-μ-sulfato-κ4O:O-bis[tris(4-methylpyridine-κN)copper(II)], [Cu2(SO4)2(C6H7N)6], catena-poly[[bis(4-methylpyridine-κN)zinc(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2O:O'], [Zn(SO4)(C6H7N)2]n, and catena-poly[[tris(4-methylpyridine-κN)zinc(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2O:O'], [Zn(SO4)(C6H7N)3]n. The Fe, Co, Ni, and Cd compounds are isomorphous, displaying polymeric crystal structures with infinite chains of MII ions adopting an octahedral N4O2 coordination environment that involves four picoline ligands and two bridging sulfate anions. The Cu compound features a dimeric crystal structure, with the CuII ions possessing square-pyramidal N3O2 coordination environments that contain three picoline ligands and two bridging sulfate anions. Zinc crystallizes in two forms, one exhibiting a polymeric crystal structure with infinite chains of ZnII ions adopting a tetrahedral N2O2 coordination containing two picoline ligands and two bridging sulfate anions, and the other exhibiting a polymeric crystal structure with infinite chains of ZnII ions adopting a trigonal bipyramidal N3O2 coordination containing three picoline ligands and two bridging sulfate anions. The structures are compared with the analogous pyridine complexes, and the observed coordination environments are examined in relation to crystal field theory.
Qatari Women: Engagement And Empowerment Through Majlis Al-hareem

Female engagement and participation in the Middle East and in the Arab Gulf in particular—especially among ordinary women interacting within their societies—have been largely overlooked in social science literature until quite recently (e.g., Sonbol 2012; Krause 2008). Too often, the Western and global mindset emphasizes social and cultural exclusion and segregation of women, particularly in the Arab Gulf, to argue that women are left out, oppressed, and silenced. Yet our recent qualitative and quantitative research in the state of Qatar depicts Qatari women as equal to or even surpassing men on a variety of important indicators of political, economic, educational, and social engagement (QNRF UREP 12-016-5-007). One of the most significant findings point toward a particular aspect of Qatari women's engagement with their societies: the use of majlis al-hareem (female gatherings) as a way of caring for the family, interacting with the community, and engaging with the government, on levels comparable to their male counterparts. Using the case study of Qatar, our research aims to understand the drivers and obstacles of women's agency in the Arab Gulf by focusing on the use of majlis al-hareem as a locus of engagement with greater society (QNRF UREP 15-035-5-013). We hypothesize that the majlis al-hareem is a natural setting of social life for women in the Arab Gulf, in which the act of participation has direct implications for willingness and ability to engage in greater society. Beyond the confines of the familial home, few spaces in the Arab Gulf afford women the privacy and freedom to assemble and engage in conversation. The majlis is a designated, purpose-built gendered meeting space or salon, unique to the Arab world. Yet there is no existing social science literature on female participation in these types of gatherings, as Western literature traditionally depicts the majlis as a male-only place of power. Our research employs both qualitative and quantitative methodology to gather crucial empirical evidence, combining ethnographic fieldwork and interview-based research in approximately 20 different majlis al-hareem throughout Qatar (spanning family, social, neighborhood, religious, and intellectual gatherings) and a professional survey of Qatari women (of 1,049 respondents) conducted through Qatar University's Social and Economic Survey Research Institute using random sampling and trained interviewers. Our data gives new insights into female engagement and empowerment in the Arab Gulf, filling a social science research gap and continuing the burgeoning academic conversation on the power and place of women in Middle Eastern society. References: Krause, Wanda. 2008. Women in Civil Society: The State, Islamism, and Networks in the UAE. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Sonbol, Amira El-Azhary, ed. 2012. Gulf Women. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Narrow Gap Detection in Microscope Images Using Marked Point Process Modeling

Differentiating objects separated by narrow gaps is a challenging and important task in analyzing microscopic images. These small separations provide useful information for applications that require detailed boundary information and/or an accurate particle count. We present a new approach to the modeling of these gaps based on a marked point process (MPP) framework. We propose to model narrow gaps as geometric structures called channels and define Gibbs energies for these models. The reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm embedded with simulated annealing is used as an optimization method, and the switching kernel in an RJMCMC is newly designed to speed up the algorithm. In this paper, we also propose a method to exploit a detected channel configuration to reduce bridging channel defects in conventional segmentation algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed channel modeling methods are successful in detecting gaps between closely adjacent objects. The results also show that the proposed interaction parameter control method improves boundary precision in the segmentation of microscopic images. The implementation of this method is available at https://engineering.purdue.edu/MASSI .
Characterization of physicochemical and biological properties of type II collagen targeted nanosomes

The bioavailability of a drug at the target site is vital to repair the degenerated cartilage following trauma or osteoarthritis (OA). Previously, we developed targeted nanosomes with anti-type II collagen monoclonal antibody (MabCII) on their surface that can bind to the damaged cartilage. The efficiency of nanosomes is highly dependent on their physicochemical nature. Therefore, in this study, we presented a rigorous method for examining the physicochemical characteristics and biological efficacy of nanosomes. Nanosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Specificity of nanosomes for type II collagen was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Release kinetics of nanosomes was determined by dialysis method using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) dye. The biological efficacy of targeted nanosomes encapsulating TGF-β3 was determined in porcine chondrocytes (pChon). Moreover, the binding specificity of targeted nanosomes to the damaged cartilage was confirmed onto the cartilage explants and in a mouse model of spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA). The synthetic targeted nanosomes were unilamellar with a mean diameter of 200 nm. Retention factor (Rf) values for all the lipids were in accordance with the standards with a mean 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) concentration of 3.22 nM. It was found that nanosomes release approximately 50% the encapsulated product at 37 °C within 24 h. TGF-β3-targeted nanosomes found to reduce the expression of inflammatory marker matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1) in chondrocytes stimulated with TNFα. In brief, in this study, we present a comprehensive approach to characterize the physicochemical and biological characteristics of nanosomes. Furthermore, this approach can be utilized to deliver the drug or molecule of interest to the diseased or damaged tissues.
Determinants of Hemodialysis Performance:Modeling Fluid and Solute Transport in Hollow-Fiber Dialyzers

Hemodialysis constitutes the lifeline of patients with end stage renal disease, yet the parameters that affect hemodialyzer performance remain incompletely understood. We developed a computational model of mass transfer and solute transport in a hollow-fiber dialyzer to gain greater insight into the determinant factors. The model predicts fluid velocity, pressure, and solute concentration profiles for given geometric characteristics, membrane transport properties, and inlet conditions. We examined the impact of transport and structural parameters on uremic solute clearance by varying parameter values within the constraints of standard clinical practice. The model was validated by comparison with published experimental data. Our results suggest solute clearance can be significantly altered by changes in blood and dialysate flow rates, fiber radius and length, and net ultrafiltration rate. Our model further suggests that the main determinant of the clearance of unreactive solutes is their diffusive permeability. The clearance of protein-bound toxins is also strongly determined by blood hematocrit and plasma protein concentrations. Results from this model may serve to optimize hemodialyzer operating conditions in clinical practice to achieve better clearance of pathogenic uremic solutes. There are nearly 500,000 patients in the USA on kidney dialysis, and a large percentage of these patients use hollow-fiber dialyzers; yet, there is much room for improvement of their performance. To address this issue, we developed a computational model to understand the transport properties of hollow-fiber dialyzers and their effects on clearance of toxins. This study is inspired by the early work of Robert S. Langer in the area of immobilized heparinase in extracorporeal devices, and we continue to look to him as an inspiration for translational research to—in his words—“make a positive impact to improve the quality of life”.
“We’re Not Meat Shamers. We’re Plant Pushers.”: How Owners of Local Vegan Soul Food Restaurants Promote Healthy Eating in the African American Community:

Obesity remains a prevalent public health epidemic, and African American (AA) adults are disproportionately affected by obesity more than any other ethnic group, particularly in the Southern region...
Analyzing Metabolomics Data for Environmental Health and Exposome Research

The exposome is the cumulative measure of environmental influences and associated biological responses across the life span, with critical relevance for understanding how exposures can impact human health. Metabolomics analysis of biological samples offers unique advantages for examining the exposome. Simultaneous analysis of external exposures, biological responses, and host susceptibility at a systems level can help establish links between external exposures and health outcomes. As metabolomics technologies continue to evolve for the study of the exposome, metabolomics ultimately will help provide valuable insights for exposure risk assessment, and disease prevention and management. Here, we discuss recent advances in metabolomics, and describe data processing protocols that can enable analysis of the exposome. This chapter focuses on using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics for analysis of the exposome, including (1) preprocessing of untargeted metabolomics data, (2) identification of exposure chemicals and their metabolites, and (3) methods to establish associations between exposures and diseases.
Phenome-scale causal network discovery with bidirectional mediated Mendelian randomization

Abstract Inference of directed biological networks from observational genomics datasets is a crucial but notoriously difficult challenge. Modern population-scale biobanks, containing simultaneous measurements of traits, biomarkers and genetic variation, offer unprecedented opportunity to study biological networks. Mendelian randomization (MR) has received attention as a class of methods for inferring causal effects in observational data that uses genetic variants (SNPs) as instrumental variables, but MR methods rely on assumptions that limit their application to complex traits at the biobank-scale. Moreover, MR estimates the total effect of one trait on another, which may be mediated by other factors. Biobanks allow simultaneous measurement of possible mediators, in principle enabling the conversion of MR estimates into direct effects representing a causal network. Here, we show that this can be accomplished by a flexible two stage procedure we call bidirectional mediated Mendelian randomization (bimmer). First, estimate the effect of every trait on every other. Next, approximately invert the resulting matrix. We introduce novel methods for both steps and show via extensive simulations that bimmer is able to learn causal network structures even in the presence of non-causal genetic correlation. We apply bimmer to 405 phenotypes from the UK biobank and demonstrate that learning the network structure is invaluable for interpreting the results of phenome-wide MR, while lending causal support to several recent observational studies.
Interdisciplinary Representation of Burn Surgery Journal and Society Leadership.

Background Burn care is a complex craft that requires an interdisciplinary approach. It includes a diverse array of specialty providers to provide holistic, specialized care to burn victims. This study aims to evaluate the diverse array of subspecialties involved in burn surgery journal and society leadership. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2019 by examining characteristics of society and journal leaders. Current governance and committee members of the American Burn Association (ABA) and International Society of Burn Injuries (ISBI) were determined, as well as the editors of five major burn journals. Information gathered included occupation, advanced degrees obtained, and type of residency training. Results Of 384 editorial board members identified, 76% were physicians (n=291), with specialties including burn surgery (n=208, 54%) and anesthesiology (n=22, 6%). Among non-physicians (n=78, 20%), 76% were medical researchers (n=59), 8% physical therapists (n=6), and 5% nurses (n=4). Looking at ABA and ISBI governance (n=29), 82% were physicians (n=24). Non-physician ABA and ISBI leaders were nurses (n=2, 7%) and occupational therapists (n=2, 7%). Of 467 identified ABA and ISBI committee members, half were physicians (n=244, 52%). There was a wide array of non-physician occupations among committee members, from nurses (n=99, 21%), to occupational therapists (n=25, 5%), and even fire fighters (n=6, 1%). Conclusion Burn surgery journal and society leadership reflects the interdisciplinary nature of burn care by including an array of subspecialities. Yet, physicians tend to dominate academic burn leadership in comparison to other disciplines, highlighting the need for more non-physician representation in leadership positions.
Non-line-of-sight imaging using phasor field virtual waves

Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) imaging uses fast illumination and detection to reconstruct images of scenes from indirect illumination. Light reflected off a relay surface is thereby used to view the scene. One approach to compute these reconstructions from the captured data is to transform them into line of sight wave propagation problems creating a virtual wave front to model a virtual camera at the location of the relay surface. Our NLOS imaging system samples the virtual wavefront at the virtual aperture. As in a line of sight camera, scene reconstruction for the virtual camera is achieved by propagating the virtual wave back into the scene. In line of sight cameras, this operation is often performed by a lens. For the virtual camera, we implement it computationally. This approach allows us to transfer methods for scene reconstruction, scene inference, and imaging from existing line of sight imaging approaches to NLOS imaging. In particular, we make use of fast wave propagation algorithms to create high speed memory efficient NLOS imaging. This allows us to reconstruct complex scenes in sub-second times for variable hardware configurations. In particular, our reconstruction methods allow us to use SPAD arrays in conjunction with laser scanning to improve capture speed. There is a large diversity of line of sight imaging approaches with different properties that probe different aspects of the scene. In principle, the Phasor Field Virtual Wave formalism allows us to turn any of them into a NLOS virtual camera. I will cover several examples of this process that yield different NLOS reconstructions, including 2D NLOS imaging, transient NLOS videos, and Visualization of higher order light paths from 4th and 5th bounces in the hidden scene.
Achieving Full Parallelism in LSTM via a Unified Accelerator Design

Recently, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a type of recurrent neural network, has been widely employed in realtime applications, such as speech recognition, word segmentation, machine translation, etc. While existing works demonstrate that LSTM can be efficiently deployed in cloud platforms, the high communication latency between cloud and edge will drastically reduce its efficiency. Therefore, efficient LSTM accelerators at the edge are highly demanded. The limited resource in edge devices and the heterogeneous operations in LSTM (e.g., LSTM gates) bring challenges for the LSTM accelerator design. It seems straightforward to implement each operation as a specific hardware kernel. However, the data dependency among gates leads to significant running stalls in the existing heterogeneous-kernel accelerator, resulting in low parallelism and low resource utilization. To overcome the above challenges, this work proposes a novel generic LSTM accelerator design for Field-programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application-specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) platforms, where two fundamental computing patterns (i.e., element-wise multiplication and addition) are incorporated in a unified computing kernel to execute operations in all LSTM gates simultaneously. Thus, the running stalls caused by heterogeneous kernels can be eliminated, achieving full parallelism in LSTM. The proposed technique and architecture are validated on Xilinx PYNQ-Z1 FPGA which can fully utilize the available resource, achieving 10x faster in inference time and 15.2x improvement in computing power efficiency compared with the state-of-the-art LSTM accelerator.