cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of pathogenic leptospires by real-time quantitative PCR.

Definitive diagnosis of leptospirosis has traditionally depended upon the isolation of leptospires from clinical specimens or the demonstration of seroconversion in paired acute and convalescent serum samples. Both of these approaches require expertise not routinely available in clinical laboratories and usually result in delayed diagnosis. Conventional PCR assays have been developed, but all have limitations which have restricted their widespread use. In order to overcome these limitations, a real-time PCR assay was developed using a 423 bp target on the lipL32 gene, which is conserved among pathogenic serovars of Leptospira. Reactions were monitored by SYBR green fluorescence and melting curve analysis. Representative serovars from 16 species of Leptospira and over 40 species of other bacteria and fungi were tested. Positive results were obtained with all pathogenic leptospiral serovars, with the exception of Leptospira fainei serovar Hurstbridge. The analytical sensitivity of this assay was 3 genome equivalents per reaction; approximately 10 genome equivalents were detectable in human urine. Leptospiral DNA was amplified from blood containing EDTA or citrate anticoagulants, but heparin, sodium polyanetholesulfonate and saponin were inhibitory. The assay successfully detected leptospiral DNA from serum and urine samples of patients with leptospirosis. This assay has the potential to facilitate rapid, sensitive diagnosis of acute leptospirosis.
A study of baroclinic instability in a cylindrical annulus with the temperature gradient imposed on the lower surface

Results are presented from experimental and numerical-modeling studies carried out on a rotating thermally driven fluid system in a cylindrical annulus with the horizontal gradient imposed upon the lower horizontal surface. The rotation rate and the temperature difference were varied to construct a regime diagram in thermal Rossby-number/Taylor-number space. It is shown that the curve separating the axisymmetric flow from the wave flow is 'knee-shaped', similar to the conventional side-heated and side-cooled baroclinic annulus. The experimentally observed transition curve agrees well with numerical calculations and the agreement between the predicted and measured wavenumbers is good both near the transition and within the wave regime. Away from the transition curve and well within the wave regime, there is an evolution from larger to smaller wavenumbers as the flow equilibrates, which is well captured by the numerical model for these cases.
Affective Synchrony in Dual‐ and Single‐Smoker Couples: Further Evidence of “Symptom‐System Fit”?

Couples in which one or both partners smoked despite one of them having a heart or lung problem discussed a health-related disagreement before and during a period of laboratory smoking. Immediately afterwards, the partners in these 25 couples used independent joysticks to recall their continuous emotional experience during the interaction while watching themselves on video. A couple-level index of affective synchrony, reflecting correlated moment-to-moment change in the two partners' joystick ratings, tended to increase from baseline to smoking for 9 dual-smoker couples but decrease for 16 single-smoker couples. Results suggest that coregulation of shared emotional experience could be a factor in smoking persistence, particularly when both partners in a couple smoke. Relationship-focused interventions addressing this fit between symptom and system may help smokers achieve stable cessation.
A NEW SPECIES OF MENE (PERCIFORMES: MENIDAE) FROM THE PALEOCENE OF SOUTH AMERICA, WITH NOTES ON PALEOENVIRONMENT AND A BRIEF REVIEW OF MENID FISHES

ABSTRACT A new species of menid fish, †Mene purdyi, is described from northwestern Peru. A Paleocene age (late Thanetian) is estimated for the specimen based on biostratigraphic analysis of planktonic foraminifers recovered from the surrounding matrix. Possible explanations for discrepancies between this result and previous interpretations of an Oligocene age are explored. Stable isotopic analysis of foraminifers associated with the fossil allows for general characterization of the thermal profile of the depositional environment. The small temperature gap between distinct depth-ecological foraminifer assemblages inferred from δ18O values indicates a low vertical temperature gradient, possibly reflecting a depositional environment dominated by upwelling. Although incomplete, the three-dimensional preservation of this specimen allows for detailed description of much of the skull, the first two vertebrae and the posttemporals. Numerous characters distinguish the new taxon from previously described menids, th...
The Microbiome of Ehrlichia-Infected and Uninfected Lone Star Ticks (Amblyomma americanum)

The Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum, transmits several bacterial pathogens including species of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. Amblyomma americanum also hosts a number of non-pathogenic bacterial endosymbionts. Recent studies of other arthropod and insect vectors have documented that commensal microflora can influence transmission of vector-borne pathogens; however, little is known about tick microbiomes and their possible influence on tick-borne diseases. Our objective was to compare bacterial communities associated with A. americanum, comparing Anaplasma/Ehrlichia -infected and uninfected ticks. Field-collected questing specimens (n = 50) were used in the analyses, of which 17 were identified as Anaplasma/Ehrlichia infected based on PCR amplification and sequencing of groEL genes. Bacterial communities from each specimen were characterized using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries. There was a broad range in diversity between samples, with inverse Simpson's Diversity indices ranging from 1.28-89.5. There were no statistical differences in the overall microbial community structure between PCR diagnosed Anaplasma/Ehrlichia-positive and negative ticks, but there were differences based on collection method (P < 0.05), collection site (P < 0.05), and sex (P < 0.1) suggesting that environmental factors may structure A. americanum microbiomes. Interestingly, there was not always agreement between Illumina sequencing and PCR diagnostics: Ehrlichia was identified in 16S rRNA gene libraries from three PCR-negative specimens; conversely, Ehrlichia was not found in libraries of six PCR-positive ticks. Illumina sequencing also helped identify co-infections, for example, one specimen had both Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. Other taxa of interest in these specimens included Coxiella, Borrelia, and Rickettsia. Identification of bacterial community differences between specimens of a single tick species from a single geographical site indicates that intra-species differences in microbiomes were not due solely to pathogen presence/absence, but may be also driven by vector life history factors, including environment, life stage, population structure, and host choice.
TYPES OF DIFFICULTIES IN INTERNATIONALIZATION AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

We extend the literature on the difficulties of internationalization by discussing their types and specific consequences associated with each type. The types of difficulties can be separated into three main groups based on their cause and specificity: the inabilities to transfer advantage and to create value, the disadvantages of transfer and of foreignness, and the liabilities of expansion, newness, foreignness, and infrastructure. We discuss how each type has specific consequences associated with it, and suggest strategies for identifying them.
'Doubling-Down' for Defendants: The Pernicious Effects of Tort Reform

Tort reform legislation developed as a response to a series of insurance crises and reactions that blamed the personal injury compensation system for those problems. Since measures of tort reform have been adopted, many researchers have analyzed their effects within and beyond the legal system, assessing how they affect damages, insurance claims, health costs, and physician supply. Our study analyzes an underdeveloped area of research: the effect of tort reform on the filing of cases in court. Using two databases of state court filing data over 12 years, we examine how a damages cap for medical negligence claims affects case filings in the years immediately after its adoption. With several test states, we find that when a state adopts med mal damages caps, there is a statistically significant drop of 23 percent in med mal filings. We confirm this effect by also measuring the effect of a cap’s nullification, and find that in the aftermath of a cap’s removal case filings increase by 29 percent. Our work can therefore confirm and quantify the effect of damages caps on case filing. Yet these findings become more significant when we consider them along with a new and interesting study from the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. In their 2013 study, Myungho Paik, Bernard Black, and David Hyman found that filings of med mal torts have decreased in the last decade, not only in tort reform states but also in states without it! If so, our finding of a statistically significant drop in med mal filings in response to tort reform has a “doubling-down” effect: there is one reduction in filings due to tort reform, and also a background reduction in filings based on larger, non-statutory changes. We believe that our findings regarding the effect of tort reform on med mal filings and the “doubling-down” effect significantly modify the cost-benefit analysis of tort reform. The positive impacts of tort reform have been significantly oversold, and the effects of tort reform disproportionately impact certain vulnerable citizens. If so, we believe that claimants are being doubly squeezed without significant public benefit. We therefore suggest that state legislators reconsider these efforts, or risk court intervention due to equal protection challenges.
Software interleaving

We investigate the costs and benefits of implementing memory interleaving in software. As our main contribution, we compare software memory interleaving to row-major allocation and logarithmic broadcasting. Our analysis demonstrates the clear superiority of software interleaving over row-major allocation in the presence of memory contention. Our analysis also indicates that the choice between software interleaving and logarithmic broadcasting is less clear, as it depends both on the type of synchronization used and the number of processors. We conclude that, on large-scale multiprocessors, software memory interleaving and lock-based synchronization is the most effective combination for reducing memory contention in matrix computations.
Some Metabolic Properties of the Rabbit Oviduct.

SummaryThe oviducts of non-pregnant intact rabbits, castrates and mated rabbits 16-72 hours after coitus were studied in the Warburg apparatus. In the intact, non-pregnant group, O2 uptake was essentially the same in Krebs-Ringer phosphate solution (K.R.p.) alone. K.R.p. with glucose and K.R.p. with fructose. It was increased 2-fold by addition of succinate. Lactic acid production was substantially higher in glucose than in fructose or in K.R.p. alone. At the end of 2 hours, glucose uptake was 50.7 ± S.E. 4.3 μg/mg dry weight of tissue and lactic acid production was 24.9 ± S.E. 1.4 μg mg dry weight of tissue. Under anaerobic conditions virtually all of the glucose taken up could be accounted for as lactic acid. In castrates, O2 uptake in various media and glucose uptake were not significantly different from those observed in intact, non-pregnant animals, but lactic acid output in glucose was higher. Among mated animals O2 uptake was similar, and it did not vary significantly among specimens studied from 1...
Ablation of Polymers with Pairs of Ultraviolet Laser Pulses with Controlled Temporal Separation

The dependance on the pulse width of the ultraviolet laser ablation and etching of poly(methyl methacrylate) was examined using 40-100 ns pulses. These pulses were created by stitching together two identical pulses, each of 40 ns half-width, which were separated by a set time interval from 0 to 380 ns. The etch depth/pulse is sensitive to the pulse width and, therefore, the power density in this polymer. The response of PMMA to etching by pairs of pulses suggests that short-lived species which may be electronic states (e.g., triplets) and/or radicals play an important role in the ablation. The shape of the pulse was also found to influence the etch depth/pulse. The etching of polyimide by these extended pulses shows trends that are opposite to those observed in poly(methyl methacrylate). In this instance the shielding of the latter portion of the incoming pulse by the products that are ablated by the front portion is probably a serious effect.
Effect of two nonoccluded viruses of Amyelois transitella on larvae of Cadra figulilella and Ephestia elutella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in laboratory tests

Quantitative studies were conducted to evaluate comparative responses of two alternate hosts, Cadra figulilella (Gregson) and Ephestia elutella (Hubner), to a suspension of two nonoccluded viruses of Amyelois transitella (Walker). Instar, weight of larvae with chronic disease, and comparative mortality of neonate larvae were determined. Although all tests indicated that the alternate hosts were highly resistant to the viruses, larvae of A. transitella remained highly susceptible to suspensions of virus from the alternate hosts after five serial passages.
The Data Quality Movement for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community: An Unresolved Civil Rights Issue

Despite a large and growing body of research on inequality in the American education system, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) continue to be an outlier in our national conversation about race. In this chapter, we call for a deeper understanding of the AAPI population through a proactive—as opposed to reactive—stance to the model minority frame. Specifically, we focus on efforts in the state of Washington to collect and utilize disaggregated data related to placement in academic programs and disciplinary action and find that issues of disproportionality are associated with disparities in educational attainment. Results reveal the extent to which AAPI subgroups have differential access to educational resources and opportunities.
In Defense of the Death Penalty

The aims of this text are two-fold. The first is to provide a brief overview of the underpinnings of the death penalty. (The death penalty is firmly grounded in many traditional rationales for punishment, a fact that may explaining why death penalty abolitionists have made so little progress in challenging it head on.) The second is to examine the new wave of administrative challenges to the death penalty. Here again, these claims fail to provide a significant reason for abolishing capital punishment.Perhaps the most straightforward argument for the death penalty is that it saves innocent lives by preventing convicted murderers from killing again...Some sense of the risk here is conveyed by the fact that, of the roughly 52,000 state prison inmates serving time for murder, an estimated 810 had previously been convicted of murder and had killed 821 persons following those convictions. Executing each of these inmates after the first murder conviction would have saved the lives of more than 800 persons.
EFFICACY OF PROBING OF CONGENITAL NASOLACRIMAL CANAL OBSTRUCTION UNDER OPERATING MICROSCOPE

Objective To discuss the efficacy and optimal time of using ophthalmic microscope of micro-probing of congenital nasolacrimal canal obstruction. Methods Using operating microscope for micro-probing of congenital nasolacrimal canal blockage(microscope group)in 154cases(198eyes),and probing under the naked eye(naked eye group)in 76cases(84eyes).A comparison between the two groups was done with regard to time used for probing,and bleeding rate.The success rate of probing in operating microscope group in different time after birth was observed. Results The probing time in the microscope group was shorter versus naked eye group(t=45.87,P0.01),and the bleeding rate was also lower(χ~2=7.07,P0.05).As for microscopic group,the differences of success rate of probing in 4-7-month,8-12-month and over-12-month was significant(χ~2=6.27,P0.05).The difference in one-time-probing-success rate between the two groups was significant(χ~2=12.20,P0.05). Conclusion Applying operating microscope for probing of congenital nasolacrimal canal blockage can shorten the time of procedure,decrease the rate of bleeding and increase one-time-success rate of probing.The better time of probing is 4-7months after birth.
Epileptiform activity and behavioral arrests in mice overexpressing the calcium channel subunit α2δ-1.

Abstract The alpha2delta-1 subunit (α2δ-1) of voltage-gated calcium channels is a receptor for astrocyte-secreted thrombospondins that promote developmental synaptogenesis. Alpha2delta-1 receptors are upregulated in models of injury-induced peripheral pain and epileptogenic neocortical trauma associated with an enhancement of excitatory synaptic connectivity. These results lead to the hypothesis that overexpression of α2δ-1 alone in neocortex of uninjured transgenic (TG) mice might result in increased excitatory connectivity and consequent cortical hyperexcitability and epileptiform activity. Whole cell recordings from layer V pyramidal neurons in somatosensory cortical slices of TG mice showed increased frequency and amplitude of miniature and spontaneous EPSCs and prolonged bursts of polysynaptic EPSCs. Epileptiform field potentials were evoked in layers II/III and V of brain slices from TG mice, but not controls. Dual immunoreactivity for Vglut-2 and PSD95 showed increased density of close appositions in TG mice compared to controls, suggesting an increased number of excitatory synapses. Video-EEG monitoring showed that 13/13 implanted TG mice aged > P21, but not controls, had frequent abnormal spontaneous epileptiform events, consisting of variable duration, high amplitude bi-hemispheric irregular bursts of delta activity, spikes and sharp waves lasting many seconds, with a variable peak frequency of ~ 1–3 Hz, associated with behavioral arrest. The epileptiform EEG abnormalities and behavioral arrests were reversibly eliminated by treatment with i.p. ethosuximide. Behavioral seizures, consisting of ~ 15–30 s duration episodes of rigid arched tail and head and body extension, followed by loss of balance and falling, frequently occurred in adult TG mice during recovery from isoflurane-induced anesthesia, but were rare in WT mice. Results show that over-expression of α2δ-1 subunits increases cortical excitatory connectivity and leads to neocortical hyperexcitability and epileptiform activity associated with behavioral arrests in adult TG mice. Similar increases in expression of α2δ-1 in models of cortical injury may play an important role in epileptogenesis. Significance Binding of astrocytic-secreted thrombospondins to their α2δ-1 receptor facilitates excitatory synapse formation and excitatory transmission during cortical development and after injury. Upregulation of α2δ-1 is present in models of injury-induced pain and epileptogenic cortical trauma, along with many other molecular alterations. Here we show that overexpression of α2δ-1 alone in TG mice can enhance excitatory connectivity in neocortex and lead to neural circuit hyperexcitability and episodes of electrographic epileptiform activity, associated with behavioral arrests in transgenic mice. α2δ-1 is the high-affinity receptor for gabapentinoids and a potential target for prophylactic treatment of posttraumatic epilepsy and other disorders in which excessive aberrant excitatory connectivity is a pathophysiological feature.
Patient-reported outcome driven case management system for hematology and oncology patients.

229 Background: Modern clinical practice places time restrictions on the amount of information and processing that can be done in a typical office visit. Meeting patient needs within the healthcare system is often inefficient and ineffective, contributing to patient and clinician dissatisfaction and suboptimal outcomes. We developed a point-of-care case management system for oncology clinical practices adapted from an algorithm initially designed for patients with diabetes. The system’s goal is to obtain patient-reported quality of life (QOL) outcomes and provide clinicians with information regarding QOL issues to address. Methods: Literature review and focus groups of oncology patients were used to identify key patient concerns. The program was adapted for cancer patients to collect the identified patient concern including QOL, fatigue, pain and other cancer-specific issues scored on a scale of 0-10. Suggested actions and available resources were identified for the patient/clinician based on the issue se...
Exploring the Relationship Between Athletes’ Perceptions of the Motivational Climate to Their Compassion, Self-Compassion, Shame, and Pride in Adult Recreational Sport

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between athletes’ perceptions of the motivational climate (caring, task-, and ego-involving) to their levels of compassion, self-compassion, pride, and shame in a recreational sport setting. Athletes (N = 164) in a competitive Wiffle Ball tournament completed a survey. A canonical correlation analysis revealed one significant function indicating that athletes’ perceptions of a caring and task-involving motivational climate were associated with higher levels of authentic pride and lower levels of hubristic pride. Results suggest adult recreational sport participants may benefit from experiencing a positive and supportive team climate.
The Role of Gender in Management Behaviors on Family Forest Lands in the United States

In the United States, 58% of the 11 million family forest ownerships with at least 10 acres of forestland have at least one female owner. Within the single-owner population of landowners, women are the sole owners of and primary decisionmakers for 31% of ownerships. Despite the number of female family forest owners (FFOs), little research has focused on whether land-use and land-management attitudes and behaviors differ between female and male FFOs. This research uses data from the 2013 iteration of the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service's National Woodland Owner Survey. Random forest analysis and regression techniques were used to understand what factors differentiate single-owner female and male FFOs and whether gender is a significant predictor of select land-use and land-management behaviors. Statistically significant differences between male and female landowners were found; female FFOs are more likely to have inherited land, particularly from a spouse, whereas male respondents were more likely to manage for wildlife, have a commercial timber harvest, and have undertaken management activities in the past 5 years. There are considerable similarities between the attitudes and behaviors of female and male owners, but the differences are important in understanding constraints and barriers and should be considered in the design of forestry programs and outreach.
Tutorial 1A: Design challenges for the Internet of Things

The term “the Internet of Things” was first used in 1999 to refer to a network of objects embedded with sensors and wireless connectivity. By 2015, there were 5 billion of these connected devices. Within the next five years, it is predicted that there will be more than 25 billion connected IoT devices. This rapid market growth has been made possible by many innovations in connectivity standards, system architecture, power management, and circuit design. This talk will describe seven different design challenges and the solutions that have been needed for the creation of today's low power, small size, and low cost wireless sensors nodes. These challenges include reducing sleep current, improving power management efficiency, improving the sleep timer frequency stability, reducing startup time, connectivity standard optimization, reducing active power, and removing external components. The impact of each improvement to the over all system performance will be described, as well as examples of state-of-the-art designs in each of these areas. Further advances that are needed to continue this market growth will also be presented.
Preparation of Anionic Metal-Seamed Pyrogallol[4]arene Nanocapsules via Surface Functionalization

We present here the preparation of anionic dimeric and hexameric C-alkylpyrogallol[4]arene nanocapsules by attaching multiple nitrate ions to the nanocapsule surface via metal coordination. These anionic nanocapsules can be utilized for encapsulation of cationic guest molecules and have potential applications in catalysis, sensing, and biomedicine. This study demonstrates that the surface functionalization may act as an effective method to tailor and introduce new properties to metal–organic nanocapsules.
Asymptotic theory for ignition and extinction in droplet burning

Abstract The quasi-steady diffusion flame structure in droplet burning is analysed, in the limit of large activation energy, for a one-step Arrhenius reaction in the gas phase. The characteristic ignition-extinction S-shaped curve is produced with segments of it corresponding to a nearly frozen flow regime, a partial burning regime, a premixed flame regime, and a nearly equilibrium regime. Critical Damkohler numbers for ignition and extinction, as well as correction factors to the mass evaporation rate due to finite activation energy, are obtained. Close mathematical and physical analogies exist between the present problem and the counterflow problem recently analysed by Linan such that through appropriate transformations most of his numerical results can be readily utilized.
[P4–374]: FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES AND ERRORS IN PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA: BASELINE FINDINGS FROM THE CARE ECOSYSTEM STUDY

Author(s): Chiong, Winston; Hooper, Sarah M; Lui, Kristi P; Bonasera, Steve; Merrilees, Jennifer; Dulaney, Sarah; Lee, Kirby P; Wilson, Leslie; Miller, Bruce L; Possin, Katherine L
Chapter 9 – Vitamin D: Biology, Action, and Clinical Implications

Publisher Summary Vitamin D is one of the major regulators of calcium homeostasis in the body and is critically important for normal mineralization of bone. The active hormone, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], is produced by sequential hydroxylations of vitamin D in the liver (25- hydroxylation) and the kidney (1-hydroxylation). 1,25(OH)2D, acting through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), acts by a genomic mechanism identical to the classical steroid hormones to regulate target gene transcription. In the past decade, it has become increasing clear that vitamin D has many additional functions that implicate the hormone in a wide array of actions relating to bone formation as well as to other areas unrelated to bone or mineral metabolism, including anti-proliferative, pro-differentiating, and immune–suppressive activities. This chapter describes the basic biology of vitamin D, including its metabolism, physiology, mechanism of action, and its diverse functions in the body, including those actions that relate to mineral metabolism as well as the newer actions. Several potential mechanisms have been put forward to implicate vitamin D in the development of osteoporosis. First, the possibility that polymorphisms within the gene encoding the VDR contribute substantially to genetic differences in osteoporosis risk has been raised. The basis for this genetic effect on osteoporosis risk is presumably as a hereditary factor affecting “peak bone mass,” but the mechanism is unknown. The second mechanism proposed is an age-related decline in renal 1,25(OH)2D production, due in part to a diminished renal response to PTH and reduced intestinal calcium absorption. There appears to be a defect in the renal response to PTH so that older women with osteoporosis require greater amounts of PTH to stimulate 1,25(OH)2D production. Third, a relative decrease in circulating 1,25(OH)2D has been considered a contributing factor in the development of senile osteoporosis. A low vitamin D state from an inadequate diet and decreased exposure to sunlight as people age, especially in the house-bound elderly, contribute to malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D “insufficiency” in the elderly.
Profiling Redox and Energy Coenzymes in Tissue and Blood Using NMR Spectroscopy

Coenzymes of cellular redox reactions and cellular energy, as well as antioxidants mediate biochemical reactions fundamental to the functioning of all living cells. Conventional analysis methods lack the opportunity to evaluate these important coenzymes including coenzymes of redox reactions, oxidized/reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ and NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+ and NADPH); coenzymes of energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP); and antioxidants, oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSSG and GSH). As an important alternative to tissue and serum/plasma metabolomics, we show here that a simple 1H NMR experiment can simultaneously measure the coenzymes and antioxidants in tissue and whole human blood. Owing to their unstable nature, or low concentrations, many coenzymes evade detection using established sample preparation protocols. Here we developed new methods to detect these interesting species without affecting other metabolites. Identities of the coenzymes and antioxidants in tissue and blood NMR spectra were established by combining 1D/2D NMR techniques, chemical shift databases, pH measurements and, finally, spiking with authentic compounds. Interestingly, while none of the coenzymes and antioxidants was detected in plasma, they were abundant in whole blood due to the high concentration of red blood cells. This is the first study to report identification of major coenzymes and antioxidants, and measure them, simultaneously and with high resolution, along with a vast pool of other metabolites in tissue and blood using NMR spectroscopy. Considering that the coenzymes and antioxidants represent a sensitive measure of human health and risk for numerous diseases, the presented NMR method potentially opens new opportunities in the metabolomics field.
Large-Scale Functional Group Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory on Graphical Processing Units.

Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) is a valuable method for analyzing intermolecular interactions. The functional group SAPT partition (F-SAPT) has been introduced to provide additional insight into the origins of noncovalent interactions. Until now, SAPT analysis has been too costly for large ligand–protein complexes where it could provide key insights for chemical modifications that might improve ligand binding. In this paper, we present a large-scale implementation of a variant of F-SAPT. Two pragmatic choices are made from the outset to render the problem tractable: (1) Ab initio computation of dispersion and exchange-dispersion is replaced with Grimme’s empirical dispersion correction. (2) Basis sets with augmented functions are avoided to allow for efficient integral screening. These choices allow the F-SAPT analysis to be written largely in terms of Coulomb and exchange matrix builds which have been implemented efficiently on graphical processing units (GPUs). Our formulation of F-SAPT is ...
Estimation of pressure field and maximum velocity of an oseen vortex

In this work tangential velocity and pressure field have been calculated for a lamb-oseen vortex. The maximum tangential velocity as a function of time has also been calculated. Moreover, effects of time and core radius on velocity and pressure profile have been analyzed. The effects of variation of density, viscosity and circulation on the velocity of vortex have also been discussed and different combinations of these parameters have been plotted using computer codes and MATLAB. The Navier strokes equations in polar coordinates have been used for the derivation of velocity and pressure field. Similarity solution has also been derived for the velocity of the vortex. The graphs have helped us to observe the change in behavior of tangential velocity of an oseen-vortex as different parameters are changed. Three mediums have been analyzed i-e air, water and blood. The calculation of pressure field has also been validated through experimental results. For this purpose, the forced vortex apparatus has been used and medium selected is water. The pressure field calculated would also help us in studying the variations of pressure as a function of time and radius. The expression derived for the maximum tangential velocity would help us in understanding the decay of tangential velocity with time and core radius and would allow us to calculate the maximum tangential velocity using any given system parameters.
Differential Equations: Classical to Controlled. By Dahlard L. Lukes

(1985). Differential Equations: Classical to Controlled. By Dahlard L. Lukes. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 92, No. 3, pp. 223-225.
Ion transport in phase-separated single ion conductors

Abstract We report an analysis of the applicability of the Nernst-Einstein (N-E) description relating ion conductivity to diffusivity to phase-separated single-ion conductors. We find that two different bases for this description are needed to capture regimes in which the membrane contains high or low amounts of water uptake. The N-E equation requires an ion concentration term. For high water contents, good agreement with the N-E equation is obtained if the concentration is calculated based on the amount of water present. For lower water contents, the concentration must be based on the total membrane volume for the diffusivity/conductivity behavior to comply. The division between these two regimes is roughly water content corresponding to the hydration number of the ion. This has implications for the study of hydrated polymer electrolytes as well as other ‘channel’ containing ion conductors.
OR13: HIGH TITER ANTIBODY STRENGTH CANNOT RELIABLY BE DESCRIBED WITHOUT DILUTION

Background Luminex Single Antigen Bead (SAB) assay is commonly used to detect circulating donor specific antibody (DSA) in serum of post-transplant patients. DSA Mean Florescent Index (MFI) may be used to impute strength and titer of DSA, and to follow treatment response over time. It is not accurate to impute the strength of high titer antibody based on MFI without testing serum dilutions. Methods Serum samples were heat inactivated (HI) for 30 min at 56° to remove complement inhibition. Serum dilutions were done in phosphate buffered saline. The starting dilution was 1:50 and increased as needed. HLA antibody testing was done by the Luminex Single Antigen Bead (SAB) assay. Results Dilution of serum can have a range of effects on the MFI of the antibody (see figure ). Decreasing MFIs with dilution are the expected result of an accurate MFI measurement within the reportable range of the assay. When there is an excess of antibody relative to the amount of binding sites on the beads, this is not the case. The MFI may maintain a constant value, or it may actually increase as the serum is diluted, indicating a prozone or “hook” effect not attributable to complement. Some patient sera were diluted as much as 1:200 or 1:2,000 in order to obtain mfi values that could be used to follow trends in DSA with treatment and over time (see table). Conclusion To accurately assess the strength of a high titer antibody, serum should be diluted to concentrations that result in consistently decreasing MFIs. Extremely strong antibodies may saturate the binding sites on the beads resulting in MFI values at the upper limits of the assay without truly binding and measuring all the antibody present. Hook effects in HI sera may indicate interfering factors besides complement.
Socio-cultural Factors Influencing Infant Feeding Patterns Within 6 Months Postpartum in Rural Vietnam

This longitudinal study investigated socio-cultural factors influencing infant feeding patterns within 6 months postpartum amongst women residing in rural Vietnam. The study was conducted during August 2002–June 2004 in Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa Province of Vietnam. In the first phase, 463 women were prospectively examined at weeks 1, 16 and 24 postpartum. During the second phase, 16 qualitative focus group discussions were conducted to obtain complementary information. It found that exclusive breastfeeding dropped from 83.6 percent at week 1 to 43.6 percent at week 16; and by week 24, no infant was exclusively breastfed. Home-cooked solid food was introduced by 4.8, 40.9 and 74.3 percent of women at weeks 1, 16 and 24, respectively. Mother-related factors such as education level, occupation, and comfort to breastfeed in public places significantly influence infant’s feeding patterns. In addition, father-related factors such as occupation, feeding preference, satisfaction with the infant’s sex were significant determinants of infant feeding practices of mothers. Moreover, the study found influences of close relatives and friends to the mother’s decision on infant feeding practices. It also revealed strong influence of commercial advertisement of formula industries on mother’s decision. It concludes that community mobilisation for sharing the workload with women could help them to cope with employment and breastfeeding. Health education on breastfeeding should target at both mother and father taking into account local socio-cultural features.
Transforming adversaries into collaborators

After more than a decade of sharp conflict, environmental and chemical industry lobbyists sat down in direct, private negotiations on reforming pesticides regulatory policy in the United States. This article examines the dynamics that transformed longtime adversaries into temporary collaborators during 1985–86. It also examines why the efforts of this ad hoc coalition eventually failed. In doing so, this case looks into the current state of relations among American interest groups, and between the interest group community and the Congress.
Wooden Dolls and Disarray: Rethinking United States' Teacher Education to the Side of Quantification.

According to the 2013 report by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), most teacher education programs are failing in the United States. These programs, NCTQ insists, are not preparing new...
Designing the MPA Capstone Course: A Structured-Flexibility Approach

This paper presents the mission-driven development of an MPA capstone course. Emerging from the self-study process for accreditation, a major reform of the MPA curriculum, and faculty discontent wi...
Machine learning algorithm for predicting longer postoperative length of stay among older cancer patients.

e21536Background: To predict longer postoperative length of stay (LLOS) among older cancer patients, we have used a novel method to assess factors associated with this outcome. Methods: Our study w...
Potential CO 2 leakage from geological storage sites: advances and challenges

This paper provides an overview of recent advances and remaining challenges in predicting, quantifying, detecting and mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) leakage from geological storage sites to overly...
Inflation of type I error rates due to differential misclassification in EHR-derived outcomes: Empirical illustration using breast cancer recurrence.

Purpose Many outcomes derived from electronic health records (EHR) not only are imperfect but also may suffer from exposure-dependent differential misclassification due to variability in the quality and availability of EHR data across exposure groups. The objective of this study was to quantify the inflation of type I error rates that can result from differential outcome misclassification. Methods We used data on gold-standard and EHR-derived second breast cancers in a cohort of women with a prior breast cancer diagnosis from 1993 to 2006 enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Washington. We simulated an exposure that was independent of the true outcome status. A surrogate outcome was then simulated with varying sensitivity and specificity according to exposure status. We estimated the type I error rate for a test of association relating this exposure to the surrogate outcome, while varying outcome sensitivity and specificity in exposed individuals. Results Type I error rates were substantially inflated above the nominal level (5%) for even modest departures from nondifferential misclassification. Holding sensitivity in exposed and unexposed groups at 85%, a difference in specificity of 10% between the exposed and unexposed (80% vs 90%) resulted in a 36% type I error rate. Type I error was inflated more by differential specificity than sensitivity. Conclusions Differential outcome misclassification may induce spurious findings. Researchers using EHR-derived outcomes should use misclassification-adjusted methods whenever possible or conduct sensitivity analyses to investigate the possibility of false-positive findings, especially for exposures that may be related to the accuracy of outcome ascertainment.
Regulating Traditional Mexican Midwifery: Practices of Control, Strategies of Resistance.

The institutionalization of Mexican midwifery has a long history. Despite global recommendations moving away from training traditional midwives, training courses still continue. Based on fieldwork ...
On Indian Parameters: Intellectual Colonialism and the Academic Paradox of the Urban Mixblood Scholar

This article confronts the issue of non-Natives writing about Native communities. Over 99% of scholarly work about Indians is written by whites, a fact that may be viewed as intellectual colonialism. A substantial amount of literature arouses skepticism on colonial approaches to the study of American Indians - most notably on visitors who travel periodically to Indian communities to collect data for research purposes. I do not intend to comment on that popular critical path. Rather, I would like to pose a harder question - just what type of scholar is best equipped to represent Indian communities? In this article, I put forth the issue of the urban, mixblood Indian as scholar and representative. What is the role of say, an Indian academic living in Manhattan, of mixed cultural heritage, separated from a home community?
Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome

Autoimmune polyglandular (polyendocrine) syndromes are characterized by the presence of multiple autoimmune disorders, some of which are associated with endocrine gland failure or hyperactivity. These syndromes include autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS)-1, APS-2, X-linked polyendocrinopathy …
Abbreviated quantitative UTE imaging in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Existing ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE MRI) methods require prohibitively long acquisition times (~ 20–40 min) to quantitatively assess the clinically relevant fast decay T2* component in ligaments and tendons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and clinical translatability of a novel abbreviated quantitative UTE MRI paradigm for monitoring graft remodeling after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Eight patients who had Graftlink™ hamstring autograft reconstruction were recruited for this prospective study. A 3D double-echo UTE sequence at 3.0 Tesla was performed at 3- and 6-months post-surgery. An abbreviated UTE MRI paradigm was established based on numerical simulations and in vivo validation from healthy knees. This proposed approach was used to assess the T2* for fast decay component ( $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ ) and bound water signal fraction (fbw) of ACL graft in regions of interest drawn by a radiologist. Compared to the conventional bi-exponential model, the abbreviated UTE MRI paradigm achieved low relative estimation bias for $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ and fbw over a range of clinically relevant values for ACL grafts. A decrease in $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ of the intra-articular graft was observed in 7 of the 8 ACL reconstruction patients from 3- to 6-months (− 0.11 ± 0.16 ms, P = 0.10). Increases in $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ and fbw from 3- to 6-months were observed in the tibial intra-bone graft ( $$ {\varDelta T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ : 0.19 ± 0.18 ms, P < 0.05; Δfbw: 4% ± 4%, P < 0.05). Lower $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ (− 0.09 ± 0.11 ms, P < 0.05) was observed at 3-months when comparing the intra-bone graft to the graft/bone interface in the femoral tunnel. The same comparisons at the 6-months also yielded relatively lower $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ (− 0.09 ± 0.12 ms, P < 0.05). The proposed abbreviated 3D UTE MRI paradigm is capable of assessing the ACL graft remodeling process in a clinically translatable acquisition time. Longitudinal changes in $$ {T}_{2s}^{\ast } $$ and fbw of the ACL graft were observed.
Response to treatment in pediatric ocular myasthenia gravis.

Introduction Juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG), a pediatric autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder, includes generalized (GMG), and ocular (OMG) variants. We sought to determine whether differences existed between OMG and GMG children regarding demographics or treatment response. Methods We performed retrospective analysis of 60 children with JMG seen between 1990 and 2018. Osserman scores were used to define OMG and GMG. The myasthenia scale of Millichap and Dodge was used to assess treatment responses. Results There were no differences between GMG and OMG regarding time interval from disease onset to prednisone initiation (P = .42), or treatment response according to Millichap and Dodge (P = .12). Compared with GMG, OMG children showed younger age of disease onset and better outcomes after treatment. No OMG patients progressed to generalized disease during the follow-up period. Discussion Compared with GMG, OMG patients had earlier disease onset and improved outcomes after treatment.
Adverse drug reactions in drug information databases: does presentation affect interpretation?

Objective: Formatting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) information differs among drug information (DI) resources and may impact clinical decision-making. The objective of this study was to determine whether ADR formatting impacts adverse event interpretation by pharmacy practitioners and students. Methods: Participants were randomized to receive ADR information in a comparative quantitative (CQUANT), noncomparative quantitative (NQUANT), or noncomparative qualitative (NQUAL) format to interpret 3 clinical vignettes. Vignettes involved patients presenting with adverse events that varied in the extent to which they were associated with a medication. The primary outcome was interpretation of the likelihood of medication-induced adverse events on a 10-point Likert scale. Lower scoring on likelihood (i.e., ADR deemed unlikely) reflected more appropriate interpretation. Linear regression was performed to analyze the effects of ADR information format on the primary outcome. Results: A total of 108 participants completed the study (39 students and 69 pharmacists). Overall, the CQUANT group had the lowest average likelihood compared to NQUAL (4.0 versus 5.4; p <0.01) and NQUANT (4.0 versus 4.9; p =0.016) groups. There was no difference between NQUAL and NQUANT groups (5.4 versus 4.9; p =0.14). In the final model, at least 2 years of postgraduate training (–1.1; 95% CI: –1.8 to –0.3; p <0.01) and CQUANT formatting (–1.3; 95% CI: –0.9 to –1.7; p <0.01) were associated with reduced likelihood. Conclusions: Formatting impacts pharmacists’ and pharmacy students’ interpretation of ADR information. CQUANT formatting and at least two years of postgraduate training improved interpretation of adverse events.