cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual Blockade of the Renin—Angiotensin System in Diabetic Nephropathy:

OBJECTIVE:To review the literature concerning dual blockade of the renin—angiotensin system (RAS) with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) in diabetic nephrophathy.DATA SOURCES:MEDLINE (1998—September 2003), EMBASE (1998–September 2003), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1998–September 2003) were used to access the literature. Search terms included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin II receptor blocker, diabetic nephropathy, dual blockade, renin—angiotensin system, and combination therapy.DATA SYNTHESIS:Monotherapy with an ACE inhibitor provides incomplete blockade of the RAS. Dual blockade of the RAS has been studied in approximately 300 patients with diabetic nephropathy. Recent randomized controlled studies suggest that dual blockade using an ACE inhibitor and an ARB in diabetic nephropathy is well tolerated and will provide an additional 11–43% reduction in albuminuria versus monotherapy.CONCLUSIONS:Dual blockade of ...
Reconciling Growth and Persistence as Explanations for Accrual Mispricing

This paper examines the circumstances under which a growth explanation or a persistence explanation is a more likely explanation for accrual mispricing and whether accruals or cash from operations is a better measure of the mispricing. We hypothesize that mispricing of growth and a fixation on earnings are both descriptive of the accrual mispricing, but that they affect prices differently depending on where the firm is in its life cycle. We also hypothesize that the mispricing will have a stronger association with accruals or cash flows depending on which explanation drives the mispricing. Our results show that the orthogonal information in accruals is more related to growth characteristics, while the orthogonal information in cash flows is related to earnings persistence. Furthermore, in the growth stage, information in accruals is mispriced to a greater extent than the information in cash flows. Collectively, our results suggest that the investment-based explanation for accrual mispricing dominates in the growth stage and is best measured using accruals (and not operating cash flows). In contrast, the persistence explanation for accrual mispricing is more descriptively valid at maturity and decline, and the information contained in operating cash flows subsumes the information contained in accruals regarding earnings persistence.
The Victorian Provincial Novel

Provincial novels such as those by Gaskell, Trollope, and Eliot are well-known, well-loved, and often canonical, but scholars have not always examined in detail the characteristics that qualify them as provincial. Furthermore, past scholarship tends to focus on a negative definition of the provincial, concentrating on its difference from the metropolis, and on the ways in which provincial novels ignore the forces of modernity. However, this article traces the resurgence in scholarship on the subgenre of the Victorian provincial novel and how this scholarship transcends discussion of the local. This article shows that Victorian provincial novels connect to debates about regionalism, nationalism, cosmopolitanism, and empire.
Development of sampling and analytical method for styrene oxide

A method is described for the collection and analysis of airborne styrene oxide. The sampler consists of a glass fiber filter followed by a sorbent, Tenax-GC.∗ The styrene oxide is extracted from the sampler with ethyl acetate and an aliquot analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Recoveries of >95% were obtained from samples (0.5 to 44 µg) collected from 80% relative humidity test atmospheres. The coefficient of variation for the method, including an assumed pump error of ±5%, was 0.076. The limit of detection of the analytical method was 0.1 µg per sample. Stability and interference studies indicate the method to be suitable for personal monitoring.
Molecular dynamics simulations of PNA–PNA and PNA–DNA duplexes by the use of new parameters implemented in the GROMACS package: a conformational and dynamics study

Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNAs) still represent a growing research area thanks to their potential applications in many fields of science from chemistry and biology to medicine. In these years, structural investigations by means of either experimental or computational techniques have proved to be very useful for the understanding of the structural organization and the binding properties of PNA. In this context, we here report an all-atoms Molecular Dynamics (MD) study of a PNA–PNA duplex and a PNA–DNA hetero-duplex with the well known GROMACS simulation package, by using new force field parameters properly derived for PNA molecules. The good agreement of our results with the crystallographic and NMR data, available for both the systems under investigation, confirms the validity of our approach. Moreover, our simulations reveal new interesting features related to the conformational-dynamic behavior of the studied systems, thus demonstrating the ability of MD simulations to gain insights into the dynamic properties of biologically relevant systems. This force field parametrization represents a good starting point for the implementation of a computational platform, based on the GROMACS package, useful for the rational design of modified PNA molecules with improved conformational features for selective binding toward DNA or RNA.
Should Political Scientists Care about Civic Education

For the past decade, concern about a crisis in civic education and engagement, especially among young people, has been rampant. In 2003, The Civic Mission of Schools report sounded a clarion call for greater attention to citizenship education in K–12 schools and touched off a national campaign, joined by such luminaries as Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, advocating improvements in the way we educate American youth for participation in democracy. Two years later, the work of the American Political Science Association's Committee on Civic Education and Engagement culminated in the publication of Democracy at Risk, which examined growing trends toward civic disengagement and proposed reforms to reinvigorate political participation in the United States. Just last year, a joint effort by the US Department of Education and the Association of American Colleges and Universities produced A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future, once again chronicling a “civic recession” across the land and issuing a “National Call to Action” for higher education to do more to educate young citizens for democracy.
Architecture support for custom instructions with memory operations

Customized instructions (CIs) implemented using custom functional units (CFUs) have been proposed as a way of improving performance and energy efficiency of software while minimizing cost of designing and verifying accelerators from scratch. However, previous work allows CIs to only communicate with the processor through registers or with limited memory operations. In this work we propose an architecture that allows CIs to seamlessly execute memory operations without any special synchronization operations to guarantee program order of instructions. Our results show that our architecture can provide 24\% energy savings with 14% performance improvement for 2-issue and 4-issue superscalar processor cores.
Crystallization of a functionally intact Hsc70 chaperone

Hsp70s are essential chaperones with roles in a variety of cellular processes and representatives in all kingdoms of life. They are comprised of a nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) and a protein substrate-binding domain (SBD). Structures of isolated NBDs and SBDs have been reported but, until recently, a functionally intact Hsp70 containing both the NBD and SBD has resisted structure determination. Here, it is reported that preparation of diffraction-quality crystals of functionally intact bovine Hsc70 required (i) deletion of part of the protein to reduce oligomerization, (ii) point mutations in the interface between the SBD and NBD and (iii) use of high concentrations of the structure-stabilizing agents glycerol and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). The introduction of point mutations in interdomain interfaces and the use of the potent structure stabilizer TMAO may be generally useful in crystallization of multidomain proteins that exhibit interdomain motions.
Double-blind study of the effectiveness of a broad spectrum antibiotic in status asthmaticus.

The dosage of 1:1,000 aqueous epinephrine is incorrectly given in the article by Shapiro et al. in the June issue ( Pediatrics, 53:867, 1974). The cor- rect dosage is 0.01 cc/kilo instead of 0.1 cc/kilo as given. The patient9s serum IgE level in the article by Albrecht et al. in the June issue ( Pediatrics, 53:907, 1974) is incorrect. It should be given as 205 nanograms per milliliter instead of 205 mg/ml.
Combinatorial study of nanoparticle dispersion in surface-grafted macromolecular gradients

Surface-tethered assemblies of polymers with gradually varying molecular weight (MW) and/or grafting density are utilized to control the dispersion of nanosized particles. Using several case studies we show that these gradient polymer specimens represent ideal systems for combinatorial exploration of the parameters that control the distribution of the particles in surface-grafted layers. We demonstrate that the particle distribution is governed by the interplay between the particle size and the grafting density and molecular weight of the polymer brush.
Plant regeneration from in vitro leaves of mature black cherry ( Prunus serotina )

A regeneration system was developed for Prunus serotina from a juvenile (F) and two mature genotypes (#3 and #4). Adventitious shoots regenerated from leaves of in vitro cultures on woody plant medium with thidiazuron (TDZ) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The best regeneration for genotype F (91.4%) was observed on medium with 9.08 μM TDZ and 1.07 μM NAA. The highest mean number of shoots (8.2) was obtained on medium containing 9.08 μM TDZ and 0.54 μM NAA. Genotype #3 had the highest regeneration (41.7%) with a mean number of shoots (4.8) on 9.08 μM TDZ and 1.07 μM NAA, whereas genotype #4 had a 38.8% regeneration with a mean of 3.3 shoots. Genotype #4 had the highest mean number of shoots (4.8) on 4.54 μM TDZ and 1.07 μM NAA. Silver thiosulphate at 60 or 80 μM increased the percent regeneration of the mature genotypes #3 (75%) and #4 (58%). Adventious shoots were rooted (70–76%) and rooted plantlets survived after acclimatization to the greenhouse. The effect of kanamycin concentration on adventitious shoot regeneration was also evaluated.
Optical studies of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes under axial strain

The effect of axial strain on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes has been investigated experimentally. Changes in the optical transition energies reflect both the nature of the transition being probed and crystallographic structure of the nanotube.
Intraoperative video angioscopy compared with arteriography during peripheral vascular operations

In a prospective study, we assessed the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of intraoperative angioscopy for peripheral vascular procedures. Sixty-seven vessels and 17 bypass grafts were examined with a flexible, multichannel, fiberoptic endoscope (outer diameter 2.8 mm), with video projection of a magnified image used during the following operations: femoropopliteal or femorotibial bypass (14), aortofemoral (six), axillopopliteal bypass (one), and femoral embolectomy (three). Preoperative angiograms were compared with the findings at prebypass intraoperative angioscopy. Immediately after bypass, angioscopic appearances of the graft, anastomosis, and distal runoff artery were compared with a completion angiogram. Significant disparity between angioscopy and arteriography occurred in five patients (21%), with resultant change of management in three (12.5%). In comparison to angioscopy, the arteriograms gave a false negative rate of 12.5% (3 of 24) and a false positive rate of 8% (2 of 24). Angioscopy was accurate for assessment of anastomoses in all cases and was particularly beneficial for monitoring balloon catheter embolectomy. Complications were limited to three instances of vasospasm when the scope was used in narrow vessels. No embolization, intimal trauma, infection, or vessel perforation occurred. We conclude that angioscopy promises to be a safe and accurate alternative technique for intraoperative assessment, monitoring anastomotic results and controlling therapeutic procedures.
Morulina delicata, new species from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and redescriptions of M. callowayia Wray and M. crassa Christiansen & Bellinger (Collembola: Neanuridae)

ABSTRACT Morulina delicata n. sp. (Neanuridae), from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding areas, differs from other Morulina spp. in having eight large tubercles on the prothorax, rather than six, and a slender mandible with narrow, elongated basal teeth. Morulina callowayia, originally described from western North Carolina, is redescribed from type specimens and freshly collected specimens, and a lectotype is designated. It resembles M. gigantea of the northern Palearctic and Alaska but has only four setae on the ocular tubercle (five or six in M. gigantea) and is highly plurichaetotic. Morulina crassa is redescribed from numerous specimens.
Moral Reasoning and Case-Based Approaches to Ethical Instruction in Science

In this chapter, I would like to explore and expand upon a conception of moral reasoning with moral cases that follows a classical conception of moral thinking (outlined briefly in the introduction). The classical account is founded on a unified conception of practical reason or practical rationality. Accordingly, a rational action is action undertaken for a reason, and reasons carry normative force when they support or explain actions as good or valuable in some aspect or to some degree. It follows then, that moral responses, or for that matter any sort of practical resolution of a values’ conflict, is deemed rational to the extent that it is responsive to reason. On the surface, this view may not seem so much different from commonsense notions, yet I will argue that it differs fundamentally from all of our most influential and recent philosophical and psychological conceptions. Moreover, this view holds important pedagogical implications for the development and implementation of case-based approaches to ethical instruction in science and science education. This chapter will present four sections which will: 1) Contrast modern and classical approaches to moral reasoning and moral cases; 2) Present a unified conception of reasoning with moral cases; 3) Provide empirical support for the classical conception; and 4) Consider implications for case-based approaches to science and science education.
Materialization of Policies into Technology: Exploring Policy Constraints & Technology Flexibility

Given the penalties for failing to comply with federal policies and the high costs of implementing new information technologies (ITs), organizations have an impetus to ensure successful adoption among their employees. Yet, little attention has been given to the intersection between policy and IT implementation. In this paper, I examine how designers attempt to translate policy requirements into technology tools and users’ interpretations of IT diverge among different work groups. The findings suggest that the salience of a technology’s flexibility or policy constraints was contingent upon one’s work group and goals. Employees who interpreted the technology as salient to their work enacted workarounds to align the tool’s functionality with their work goals. On the other hand, employees who regarded policies central to their daily work did not perceive having the same flexibility to overcome work obstacles. I conclude by discussing the implications for organizations managing policy change through technology...
Retention and interference of learned dexterous manipulation: interaction between multiple sensorimotor processes

An object can be used in multiple contexts, each requiring different hand actions. How the central nervous system builds and maintains memory of such dexterous manipulations remains unclear. We conducted experiments in which human subjects had to learn and recall manipulations performed in two contexts, A and B. Both contexts involved lifting the same L-shaped object whose geometry cued its asymmetrical mass distribution. Correct performance required producing a torque on the vertical handle at object lift onset to prevent it from tilting. The torque direction depended on the context, i.e., object orientation, which was changed by 180° object rotation about a vertical axis. With an A1B1A2 context switching paradigm, subjects learned A1 in the first block of eight trials as indicated by a torque approaching the required one. However, subjects made large errors in anticipating the required torque when switching to B1 immediately after A1 (negative transfer), as well as when they had to recall A1 when switching to A2 after learning B through another block of eight lifts (retrieval interference). Classic sensorimotor learning theories attribute such interferences to multi-rate, multi-state error-driven updates of internal models. However, by systematically changing the interblock break duration and within-block number of trials, our results suggest an alternative explanation underlying interference and retention of dexterous manipulation. Specifically, we identified and quantified through a novel computational model the nonlinear interaction between two sensorimotor mechanisms: a short-lived, context-independent, use-dependent sensorimotor memory and a context-sensitive, error-based learning process.
Contributions to the mathematical biophysics of organic form III. Deformation of shell shaped cellular aggregates

The average concentrations of a substance diffusing into or from an open spherical shell, in which it is consumed or produced at a constant rate, are calculated by the approximation method. An application of the result to the problem of deformation of such a shell under the influence of diffusion forces is indicated.
Women and the Chinese Labor Market: Recent Patterns and Future Possibilities

While many economists have advanced potential future growth strategies for the Chinese economy, none to our knowledge have done so with a specific consideration of the impacts these policies may have on women’s welfare measured in terms of labor market outcomes. In this article, we first discuss the relative status of women’s position in the Chinese labor force from the perspective of their employment levels, occupational segregation, and wages. We then calculate segregation indices and present and interpret recent employment data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China to consider how the labor market has evolved for women in the last decade. Interestingly, we find that occupational segregation by gender has in fact intensified since the onset of the radical reforms in China in the mid-1990s. Next, we contribute to the literature by evaluating potential growth policies for their impacts on women’s relative welfare in terms of labor market outcomes using our unique criteria for evaluation. We find...
Design of Detective Instrument for Well Parameter Based on DSP

Introduced a detective instrument in the environment of high temperature and high pressure.The device adopted TMS320LF2407A as main controller.It can determine and record four drilling parameter of drilling pressure,torque,annular pressure and side pressure in the real-time mode.Expounds the structure,the working priniciples,a key problem and software and hardware design in detail.It takes DSP as the core chip of the system,which can enhance anti-interference ability of the system.The test indicates that the performance achieves an expectant aim.
Notes on Lactarius in the high-elevation forests of the southern Appalachians

Revised descriptions of L. lignyotellus, L. oculatus, and L. fragilis var. fragilis based on new mor? phological, habitat, and distributional information are provided. The taxonomic segregation of L. cinereus var. fagetorum is reconsidered. Three taxa of Lactarius of the high-elevation forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains of North America are redescribed and illustrated based upon new morphological and habitat in? formation. Taxonomic discussions are provided to refine further their circumscriptions and clar? ify their infrageneric relationships. Among the taxa redescribed are L. lignyotellus Smith & Hes? ler and L. oculatus (Peck) Burlingham, two of the most common agarics in red spruce forests of West Virginia and Virginia. They were deter? mined only with great difficulty because of the abundance of similar taxa within their respective infrageneric groups and lack of comparative,
Combinatorial auctions in the information age: An experimental study

In private values settings, the Wickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism leads to efficient auction outcomes, while the theoretical properties of the Simultaneous Ascending (SA) auction are not well understood. This leads us to compare the properties of an SA and a VCG auction in an experimental setting with private values for multiple objects having complementarities. Statistically, we find little to distinguish the two auctions with both auction forms achieving more than 98% efficiency and extracting roughly 95% of the available surplus. Finally, in contrast to experimental results in single object VCG settings, the theoretical prediction of demand revelation in the multiple object VCG auction is largely supported in our experiments.
Evolution under Drug Pressure Remodels the Folding Free-Energy Landscape of HIV-1 Protease

The HIV-1 Protease (PR) mediates its own release and promotes the proteolysis of the Gag-Pol polyprotein into mature structural and functional forms indispensable for viral maturation. Due to its central role in the virus life cycle, the HIV-1 PR has been a prominent target for clinical protease inhibitors for almost 25 years. However the short replication cycle of the virus together with the error-prone reverse transcriptase lead to the rapidly evolving selection of inhibitor-resistant mutations in HIV-1 PR. We use here high-pressure NMR spectroscopy to characterize the cooperativity of unfolding, in the absence and in the presence of a symmetric inhibitor, of the active mature PR, the inactive variant PRD25N and of the clinical multi-drug resistant PR20. We found that binding of the inhibitor drastically decreases the cooperativity of unfolding by trapping the closed flap conformation in a deep free-energy minimum. We show that in order to avoid this conformational trap, PR20 has evolved to exhibit a nearly ideal two-state unfolding transition. Our study highlights the malleability of the HIV-1 PR folding pathways and illustrates how selection for drug resistant mutations can lead to a major remodeling of the free-energy landscape.
Combinatory antibiotic therapy increases rate of bacterial kill but not final outcome in a novel mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus spinal implant infection.

Background Management of spine implant infections (SII) are challenging. Explantation of infected spinal hardware can destabilize the spine, but retention can lead to cord compromise and biofilm formation, complicating management. While vancomycin monotherapy is commonly used, in vitro studies have shown reduced efficacy against biofilm compared to combination therapy with rifampin. Using an established in vivo mouse model of SII, we aim to evaluate whether combination therapy has increased efficacy compared to both vancomycin alone and infected controls. Methods An L-shaped, Kirschner-wire was transfixed into the L4 spinous process of 12-week-old C57BL/6 mice, and inoculated with bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus. Mice were randomized into a vancomycin group, a combination group with vancomycin plus rifampin, or a control group receiving saline. Treatment began on post-operative day (POD) 7 and continued through POD 14. In vivo imaging was performed to monitor bioluminescence for 35 days. Colony-forming units (CFUs) were cultured on POD 35. Results Bioluminescence peaked around POD 7 for all groups. The combination group had a 10-fold decrease in signal by POD 10. The vancomycin and control groups reached similar levels on POD 17 and 21, respectively. On POD 25 the combination group dropped below baseline, but rebounded to the same level as the other groups, demonstrating a biofilm-associated infection by POD 35. Quantification of CFUs on POD 35 confirmed an ongoing infection in all three groups. Conclusions Although both therapies were initially effective, they were not able to eliminate implant biofilm bacteria, resulting in a rebound infection after antibiotic cessation. This model shows, for the first time, why histologic-based, static assessments of antimicrobials can be misleading, and the importance of longitudinal tracking of infection. Future studies can use this model to test combinations of antibiotic therapies to see if they are more effective in eliminating biofilm prior to human trials.
Skeletal trauma reflects hunting behaviour in extinct sabre-tooth cats and dire wolves.

Skeletal-injury frequency and distribution are likely to reflect hunting behaviour in predatory vertebrates and might therefore differ between species with distinct hunting modes. Two Pleistocene predators from the Rancho La Brea asphalt seeps, the sabre-tooth cat, Smilodon fatalis, and dire wolf, Canis dirus, represent ambush and pursuit predators, respectively. On the basis of a collection of over 1,900 pathological elements, the frequency of traumatic injury across skeletal elements in these two species was calculated. Here we show that the frequency of trauma in the sabre-tooth cat exceeds that of the dire wolf (4.3% compared to 2.8%), implying that the killing behaviour of S. fatalis entailed greater risk of injury. The distribution of traumatic injuries also differed between the two species. S. fatalis, an ambush predator, was injured more often than expected across the lumbar vertebrae and shoulders whereas C. dirus, a pursuit predator, had higher than expected levels of injury in the limbs and cervical vertebrae. Spatial analysis was used to quantify differences in the distribution of putative hunting injuries. Analysis of injury locations discriminated true hotspots from injury-dense areas and facilitated interpretation of predatory behaviour, demonstrating the use of spatial analyses in the study of vertebrate behaviour and evolution. These results suggest that differences in trauma distribution reflect distinct hazards of each species’ hunting mode. Analysis of pathological elements on bones found in the Rancho La Brea tar pits reveals differences in the distribution of traumatic injuries in extinct sabre-tooth cats and dire wolves, which may reflect their different hunting behaviours.
PROMOSI PERSONAL SELLING SEBAGAI SALAH SATU USAHA MENDORONG PERILAKU KONSUMEN DALAM KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN

Currently buyers already clever in choosing a product to be bought. Prospective buyers have a wide range of alternative options of similar products. For new products and has not been known to the public requires promotion in order to be better known. One of the promotional activities that can be done is the promotion of personal selling. With this promotion potential buyers can directly face to face with the marketing power of a product, so that prospective buyers can also learn more about the details of the product to be bought as well as the benefits and advantages of the products chosen. The purpose of this study was to determine the personal selling promotional activities in encouraging consumer behavior in making purchasing decisions. With the marketing power of personal selling promotional activities, the sales force can influence buying behavior and ultimately making purchasing decisions. The method used by the researchers is that the secondary data through literature and through the property sales activity of homes in Greater Jakarta in 2014. In 2014 the house in jabodtabek property sales tend to decline so developers do personal selling activities more intensively. One of them is holding an exhibition at the Mall property by placing a powerful sales force. With the sales force conducting a reliable personal selling so as to influence the behavior of consumers in making purchasing decisions. Thus very likely they will be to buy back in the future because it was already familiar with the products offered so as to increase sales in the next year. Keywords: Personal Selling, Consumer Behavior, Purchase Deci sion
342 MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT ACINETOBACTER BAUMANII OUTBREAK IN A BURN CENTER.

Acinetobacter baumanii complex organisms have been associated with outbreaks in many ICUs around the world. This group of organisms is particularly concerning due to its ability to accept foreign DNA, allowing it to gain resistance mechanisms. In the summer of 2006, multidrug-resistant A. baumanii was isolated from multiple patients in the Burn Center of Arkansas Children9s Hospital (ACH). Purpose We sought to fully evaluate the scope and determine the source of this A. baumanii outbreak. Methods Microbiology and patient records were reviewed retrospectively for bacterial resistance, antibiotic exposure, patient condition, and length of stay. Environmental samples were obtained for culture. Infection control practices were observed and reinforced. Environmental and patient isolates were sent to the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services for DNA fingerprinting analysis. Results A. baumanii was isolated from five patients in the burn unit between August 5 and 28, 2006. Three of these patients had A. baumanii bacteremia. Patients were adults treated for skin wounds. Three patients had burns. One patient had toxic epidermal necrolysis, and one had extensive pressure ulcers. Isolates were tested for susceptibility by BD Phoenix and verified by E-Test according to CLSI criteria. Susceptibility patterns were similar for four isolates, which were resistant to meropenem, tobramycin, gentamicin, aztreonam, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and ciprofloxacin but susceptible to colistin; two were intermediate to amikacin. Review of microbiology records revealed an additional burn unit patient with A. baumanii with a similar resistance pattern. This isolate grew from both tissue and tracheal aspirate several months before the described outbreak at the patient9s admission to ACH after transfer from another facility. This patient9s hospitalization overlapped temporally with one patient in the August outbreak. Environmental cultures were taken from patient and treatment rooms, showers, sinks, doors, and respiratory equipment. One isolate, from a door between two infected patient rooms, grew A. baumanii with the same resistance pattern as the patient isolates. The results of the DNA fingerprinting analysis showed that the outbreak isolates, environmental sample, and index case were genetically similar. Conclusion The source of the outbreak was likely a patient transferred from another facility. Strict infection control practices and enhanced surveillance were necessary to contain the outbreak.
Strong Dependence of U.S. Summertime Air Quality on the Decadal Variability of Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures.

We find that summertime air quality in the eastern U.S. displays strong dependence on North Atlantic sea surface temperatures, resulting from large-scale ocean-atmosphere interactions. Using observations, reanalysis data sets, and climate model simulations, we further identify a multidecadal variability in surface air quality driven by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). In one-half cycle (~35 years) of the AMO from cold to warm phase, summertime maximum daily 8 h ozone concentrations increase by 1-4 ppbv and PM2.5 concentrations increase by 0.3-1.0 μg m-3 over much of the east. These air quality changes are related to warmer, drier, and more stagnant weather in the AMO warm phase, together with anomalous circulation patterns at the surface and aloft. If the AMO shifts to the cold phase in future years, it could partly offset the climate penalty on U.S. air quality brought by global warming, an effect which should be considered in long-term air quality planning.
Secure IoT Stream Data Management and Analytics with Intel SGX

Data streams from numerous Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as medical, home and personal systems, may contain sensitive and confidential information that may need protection against attacks from external adversaries. Beyond addressing challenges in accuracy, space and time, an algorithm designer needs to be aware of perils posed by naive algorithmic implementations under an adversarial setting. Data privacy is threatened mainly due to data sharing.IoT devices may communicate with each other for enhanced services. An adversary observing data communication can infer secret information. (E.g., man-in-the-middle attack on data transferred within a compromised home system).Since many devices (e.g., personal health monitoring systems) have low hardware resources, data stream analytics may be processed on a third-party server (e.g., a cloud service). An adversary controlling the server may obtain sensitive information.Though data encryption can conceal sensitive data from an adversary observing data communication, it is challenging to protect data privacy from a more powerful adversary who may have control over the third-party server used for analytics.Adaptation of generic ORAM (Oblivious RAM) techniques to perform analytics over encrypted data could be computationally expensive, and would annihilate efforts to reduce training and prediction time. Moreover, privacy-preserving techniques may negatively affect performance (e.g., accuracy). Instead, recent developments in hardware-based trusted computing platforms, such as Intel SGX, can be leveraged for data stream mining when data containing sensitive information is involved. These platforms enable a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) where code and data are encrypted and can be decrypted within the environment by the CPU. By performing IoT stream analytics within such a trusted computing environment, data privacy and security can be assured to its users. In this talk, we will introduce methods to secure systems that perform data analysis on IoT data streams within a TEE. Recent studies have shown that a powerful adversary may still be able to infer private information from side channels such as memory access, cache access, CPU usage and other timing channels, thereby threatening data and user privacy. Since a TEE uses shared resources, sensitive information from standard algorithmic design patterns can be inferred by the adversary. The main challenge is to reduce information leak through side-channels and effectively utilize the secure computational environment for IoT data stream analytics. In this talk we will describe a set of techniques that can reduce side-channel information leak while minimizing the computational overhead when performing query processing over IoT data streams.
Towards Visual Arctic Terrain Assessment

Many important scientific studies, particularly those involving climate change, require weather measurements from the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Due to the harsh and dangerous conditions of such environments, it would be advantageous to deploy a group of autonomous,mobile weather sensors, rather than accepting the expense and risk of human presence. For such a sensor network to be viable, a method of navigating, and thus a method of terrain assessment, must be developed that is tailored for arctic hazards. An extension to a previous arctic terrain assessment method is presented, which is able to produce dense terrain slope estimates from a single camera. To validate this methodology, a set of prototype arctic rovers have been designed, constructed, and fielded on a glacier in Alaska.
Clientelism, Capitalism, and Democracy: The Rise of Programmatic Politics in the United States and Britain

Political parties in the United States and Britain used clientelism and patronage to govern throughout the nineteenth century. By the twentieth century, however, parties in both countries shifted to programmatic competition. This book argues that capitalists were critical to this shift. Businesses developed new forms of corporate management and capitalist organization, and found clientelism inimical to economic development. Drawing on extensive archival research in the United States and Britain, this book shows how national business organizations pushed parties to adopt programmatic reforms, including administrative capacities and policy-centered campaigns. Parties then shifted from reliance on clientelism as a governing strategy in elections, policy distribution, and bureaucracy. They built modern party organizations and techniques of interest mediation and accommodation. This book provides a novel theory of capitalist interests against clientelism, and argues for a more rigorous understanding of the relationship between capitalism and political development.
URINARY INCONTINENCE IS MORE COMMON IN ADOLESCENT FEMALE ATHLETES WITH LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY

BACKGROUND:Female Athlete Triad (Triad), an interrelated syndrome of low energy availability (EA), menstrual irregularity, and low bone mineral density. A broader, more comprehensive term was recen...
Comparison of Liver Transplant Wait-List Outcomes Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Public vs Private Medical Insurance.

Importance There are well-documented racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in access to health care among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, there are little data on the association of insurance type with liver transplant (LT) wait-list outcomes for patients with HCC. Objective To examine LT wait-list outcomes for patients with HCC and public insurance compared with patients with private insurance. Design, Setting, and Participants This single-center cohort study included 705 adult patients with HCC who had Model for End-Stage Liver Disease exceptions and were included on a waiting list for LT from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016. Patients with Kaiser Permanente medical insurance, other private medical insurance, or public medical insurance were included. Data analysis was conducted from May 2018 to October 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was cumulative incidence of LT waiting list dropout within 2 years of waiting list enrollment (baseline). Secondary outcomes included competing-risks analysis to identify risk factors associated with wait-list outcomes. Results Among 705 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 61 [57-65] years; 537 [76.2%] men) with HCC on an LT waiting list, 349 patients (49.5%) had Kaiser Permanente insurance, 157 patients (22.3%) had other private insurance, and 199 patients (28.2%) had public insurance. Median (interquartile range) follow-up was 13.2 (7.8-18.7) months. Tumor characteristics were similar among insurance types. The cumulative incidence of dropout owing to tumor progression or death within 2 years of baseline was 21.8% (95% CI, 17.2%-26.7%) among the Kaiser Permanente insurance group, 25.5% (95% CI, 18.6%-33.0%) among the other private insurance group, and 35.5% (95% CI, 28.3%-42.7%) among the public insurance group (P Conclusions and Relevance In this large cohort of patients with HCC on an LT waiting list, patients with public insurance were associated with worse wait-list outcomes compared with patients with Kaiser Permanente insurance or other private insurance, despite similar tumor-related characteristics at baseline. Improved health care coordination and delivery may be options to reduce these disparities.
Bile acid aspiration associated to early CLAD development and dysregulation of airway lipids

Introduction: Bile acids (BAs) aspiration has been formerly associated to airway obliteration. We investigated BAs in airways of L-Tx pts, expanding on their role within CLAD. As BAs’ membranolytic effects may contribute to functional deficiencies, we also investigated their impact on airway lipid profiles. Methods: Bronchial washings (BW)(240 samples) from 111 L-Tx pts were assayed by LC-MS for: 13 BAs and 25 lipid families including 250 lipids. Pts were monitored for CLAD, rejection and inflammation. BAs were considered high if in top tertile range (>16 nM/L). Statistical analysis: Mann Whitney test; Log-Rank; and Spearmen rank correlation. Results: Pts with high levels of BAs in BW at 3 mo post-Tx associated with earlier CLAD development. BAs were detected in 94%(226/240) of samples. primary 99%(224/226), secondary 68%(154/226). BAs correlated with: CE (r=0.5); SM (r=0.45); dhSM (r=0.45); Lac-Cer (r=0.5); HexCer (r=0.45)(all p Conclusion: BAs in the airway aspirate may have a predictive role for CLAD. We speculate that the 3-month-timepoint is of significant clinical use and that the lipid disarray may affect broncho-alveolar innate immunity consequently facilitating membrano-structural changes and airway infections.
H3K27M mutation in adult cerebellar glioblastoma.

Abstract A methionine substitution of lysine at residue 27 of histone H3 (H3K27M) mutation has become synonymous with malignant pediatric diffuse midline glioma (DMG), that occurs commonly in the brainstem. Therefore, recent reports that this same mutation occurs in malignant adult glioblastoma (GBM) located in the cerebellum are both unexpected and intriguing. The biological and clinical considerations of this novel finding are discussed.
Chapter 18 – Gonadotroph Adenomas

Publisher Summary Gonadotroph adenomas usually synthesize and secrete the products of the normal gonadotroph cell, intact gonadotropins—follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)—and their subunits—a, FSHb and LHb–but the secretion usually differs from that of other pituitary adenomas in two ways. First, gonadotroph adenomas secrete inefficiently compared to many other pituitary adenomas. Macroadenomas that arise from lactotroph cells typically produce serum prolactin concentrations 100–1000 times normal. Macroadenomas that arise from gonadotroph cells, in contrast, may produce serum concentrations of its secretory products up to ten times normal, but often not above normal at all; in those cases the secretory nature of the adenomas can be recognized only by their response to stimulation and by their secretory behavior in vitro. Second, gonadotroph adenomas usually do not secrete intact gonadotropins and their subunits in the same proportions, as do normal gonadotroph cells. Adenomas that arise from the gonadotroph cells are among the most common adenomas of the pituitary gland, but they are the most difficult to recognize because they secrete inefficiently and the secreted products—intact gonadotropins and their subunits—often do not produce a readily recognizable clinical syndrome. Consequently, these adenomas are often not recognized until they become so large as to cause neurologic symptoms. A minority, however, do cause recognizable clinical syndromes.
NON-DENATURING BISULFITE TREATMENT AND SINGLE-MOLECULE REAL-TIME SEQUENCING REVEALS D-LOOP FOOTPRINTS, THEIR LENGTH, POSITION AND DISTRIBUTION

ABSTRACT Displacement loops (D-loops) are signature intermediates formed during homologous recombination. Numerous factors regulate D-loop formation and disruption, thereby influencing crucial aspects of DNA repair, including donor choice and the possibility of a crossover outcome. While D-loop detection methods exist, it is currently unfeasible to assess the relationship between D-loop editors and D-loop characteristics such as length and position. Here, we developed a novel in vitro assay to characterize the length and position of individual D-loop with base-pair resolution and deep coverage, while also revealing their distribution in a population. Non-denaturing bisulfite treatment modifies the cytosines on the displaced strand of the D-loop to uracil, leaving a permanent signature for the displaced strand. Subsequent single-molecule real-time sequencing uncovers the cytosine conversion patch as a D-loop footprint, revealing D-loop characteristics at unprecedented resolution. The D-loop Mapping Assay is widely applicable with different substrates and donor types and can be used to study factors that influence D-loop properties.
Rock the Vote or Block the Vote? How the Cost of Voting Affects the Voting Behavior of American Youth: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences

Young voters make up the largest portion of the electorate but vote at the lowest rates of any age group. While scholars have studied how culture affects youth political participation, few studies ...
The years ahead

Dr. Gibb is professor of mathematics education and mathematics, Science Education Center, at the university. She contributes richly to mathematics education through her activities of writing, speaking, and teaching. She is the immediate past editor of The Arithmetic Teacher and is sincerely appreciated by the readership of the journal. This article was adapted, upon request, from a presentation given at the Calgary meeting of the NCTM, August 1966.
Computational Nanotechnology Modeling and Applications with MATLAB

Introduction to Computational Methods in Nanotechnology, O. Ciftja and S.M. Musa Computational Modeling of Nanoparticles, U. Riaz and S.M. Ashraf Micromagnetics: Finite Element Analysis of Nano- Sized Magnetic Materials Using MATLAB(R), S.-L. Chin and T. Flack System-Level Modeling of N/MEMS, J.V. Clark Numerical Integrator for Continuum Equations of Surface Growth and Erosion, A. Keller, S. Facsko, and R. Cuerno Configuration Optimizations and Photophysics Simulations of Single-Wall Nanotubes of Carbon, Silicon-Carbide, and Carbon-Nitride, W.-D. Cheng, C.-S. Lin, G.-L. Chai, and S.-P. Huang MATLAB(R) Applications in Behavior Analysis of Systems Consisting of Carbon Nanotubes through Molecular Dynamics Simulation, M. Foroutan and S. Khoee Device and Circuit Modeling of Nano-CMOS, M.L.P. Tan, D.C.Y. Chek, and V.K. Arora Computational and Experimental Approaches to Cellular and Subcellular Tracking at the Nanoscale, Z. Al-Rekabi, D. Tremblay, K. Haase, R.L. Leask, and A.E. Pelling Computational Simulations of Nanoindentation and Nanoscratch, C.-D. Wu, T.-H. Fang, and J.-F. Lin Modeling of Reversible Protein Conjugation on Nanoscale Surface, K. Yokoyama Computational Technology in Nanomedicine, V. Wiwanitkit Future Directions: Opportunities and Challenges, G.C. Giakos Appendix A: Material and Physical Constants Appendix B: Symbols and Formulas Appendix C: MATLAB(R)
A Case of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

An 18-year-old man was referred to nephrology after being found to have proteinuria by urine dipstick during routine evaluation. He reported a significant family history of kidney disease. His father, a paternal aunt, and male paternal first cousin all developed kidney failure at ages 20, 25, and 23