cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 2 – Enhanced Oil Recovery by Using CO2 Foams: Fundamentals and Field Applications

Based on the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) survey in Oil and Gas Journal (2010), approximately 280,000 bbl of oil per day or 6% of US crude oil production was produced by carbon dioxide (CO2) EOR. Just like any other gas injection processes, field CO2 flooding projects suffer from poor sweep efficiency due to early gas breakthrough, unfavorable mobility ratio, reservoir heterogeneity, viscous fingering and channeling, and gravity segregation. Many of these problems are believed to be alleviated or overcome by foaming the injected CO2. Since the 1970s, CO2-foam flooding has been used as a commercially viable method for EOR processes. Foams, defined as a mixture of internal gas phase in a continuous external liquid phase containing surfactant molecules, can improve sweep efficiency significantly by reducing gas mobility, especially in the reservoirs with a high level of geological heterogeneity. This chapter consists of three main parts: the first part (Section 2.1) deals with fundamentals on foams in porous media and recent advances in this field of research, including three foam states (weak-foam, strong-foam, and intermediate states) and two steady-state flow regimes of strong foams; the second part (Section 2.2) overviews field examples of foam-assisted CO2-EOR processes; and the third part (Section 2.3) covers typical field injection and production responses if CO2-foam pilot or field-scale treatments are successful.
Electronic Health Data Predict Outcomes After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Using electronic health data, we sought to identify clinical and physiological parameters that in combination predict neurologic outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients admitted with aSAH between 2011 and 2016. A set of 473 predictor variables was evaluated. Our outcome measure was discharge Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). For laboratory and physiological data, we computed the minimum, maximum, median, and variance for the first three admission days. We created a penalized logistic regression model to determine predictors of outcome and a multivariate multilevel prediction model to predict poor (GOS 1–2), intermediate (GOS 3), or good (GOS 4–5) outcomes. One hundred and fifty-three patients met inclusion criteria; most were discharged with a GOS of 3. Multivariate analysis predictors of mortality (AUC 0.9198) included APACHE II score, Glasgow Come Scale (GCS), white blood cell (WBC) count, mean arterial pressure, variance of serum glucose, intracranial pressure (ICP), and serum sodium. Predictors of death/dependence versus independence (GOS 4–5)(AUC 0.9456) were levetiracetam, mechanical ventilation, WBC count, heart rate, ICP variance, GCS, APACHE II, and epileptiform discharges. The multiclass prediction model selected GCS, admission APACHE II, periodic discharges, lacosamide, and rebleeding as significant predictors; model performance exceeded 80% accuracy in predicting poor or good outcome and exceeded 70% accuracy for predicting intermediate outcome. Variance in early physiologic data can impact patient outcomes and may serve as targets for early goal-directed therapy. Electronically retrievable features such as ICP, glucose levels, and electroencephalography patterns should be considered in disease severity and risk stratification scores.
Incidence and Risk Factors of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Liver Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND Intracranial hemorrhage after liver transplantation is an infrequently reported complication but one which can have devastating consequences. METHODS We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all liver transplants performed between January 2010 and June 2015 at a single high-volume institution using a prospectively maintained electronic database and query of the electronic medical record. Cases of intracranial hemorrhage were adjudicated as either spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage(IPH) or extra-axial hemorrhage (EAH). Patients with confirmed intracranial hemorrhage were compared with all other liver transplant recipients. Risk factors were identified by univariate analysis and logistic regression models for IPH and EAH. RESULTS Thirty-one (5.2%) of 595 liver transplant recipients developed an intracranial hemorrhage within 12 months of transplantation, 15 IPH and 16 EAH. The majority of intracranial hemorrhages were diagnosed within 1 month of transplantation. Eight (26%) intracranial hemorrhage patients died during hospitalization. Fourteen (45%) intracranial hemorrhage patients died within 1 year of transplantation and 1-year mortality was greater than in patients without intracranial hemorrhage (11.2%, P < 0.01). Female sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.291; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.092-9.924; P = 0.034), higher pretransplant bilirubin (adjusted OR, 1.037; 95% CI, 1.006-1.070; P = 0.020), and greater increase in pretransplant to posttransplant systolic blood pressure (adjusted OR, 1.029; 95% CI, 1.006-1.052; P = 0.012) were associated with posttransplant IPH. Lower pretransplant serum fibrinogen level (adjusted OR, 0.988; 95% CI, 0.979-0.998; P = 0.017) was associated with posttransplant EAH. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative blood pressure control and pretransplant fibrinogen levels may be modifiable risk factors for preventing posttransplant intracranial hemorrhage.
Graft Source: Marrow or Peripheral Blood with Posttransplant Cyclophosphamide—What Matters?

The choice of bone marrow (BM) or G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) as the source of CD34+ cells for transplantation from HLA-haploidentical, related donors is controversial. Short of a randomized clinical trial comparing these two graft sources (which is highly unlikely), it has been necessary to compare multicenter or single-center phase II data retrospectively using either of these two graft sources in the setting of ablative or non-myeloablative conditioning or by comparing registry data. This chapter will review the data and will discuss whether BM or PB as the source of graft for haploidentical transplantation using PTCy makes any difference in the transplant outcomes of engraftment/hematopoietic recovery, acute and chronic GvHD, NRM, relapse, or survival.
The Neural Pathways and Informational Flow Mediating a Conditioned Autonomic Response

Despite a long-standing interest in the mechanisms by which nervous systems store and retrieve information, it is rather disappointing that most fundamental questions regarding long-term storage remain unresolved. For many years the unavailability of methods appropriate for investigating the dynamics of neural activity constituted a major barrier in this regard. Consequently, the advent of electrophysiological methods, and microelectrode techniques in particular, generated considerable optimism that changes in neuronal discharge patterns during development of learned behaviors could be specified, and that this would yield important insights into many basic questions regarding the cellular basis of storage. Unfortunately, such optimism has generally been unfounded. For example, we still cannot answer such fundamental questions as whether all neurons are capable of plastic change or if this capacity is restricted to certain morphologically and/or neurochemically specialized neuronal elements. We remain ignorant of the regions of the neuron which undergo plastic change and, of course, the nature of such change. In fact, in vertebrate brain we have yet to implicate conclusively any specific synaptic field in long-term storage.
The functions of foliar nyctinasty: a review and hypothesis.

Foliar nyctinasty is a plant behaviour characterised by a pronounced daily oscillation in leaf orientation. During the day, the blades of nyctinastic plant leaves (or leaflets) assume a more or less horizontal position that optimises their ability to capture sunlight for photosynthesis. At night, the positions that the leaf blades assume, regardless of whether they arise by rising, falling or twisting, are essentially vertical. Among the ideas put forth to explain the raison d'etre of foliar nyctinasty are that it: (i) improves the temperature relations of plants; (ii) helps remove surface water from foliage; (iii) prevents the disruption of photoperiodism by moonlight; and (iv) directly discourages insect herbivory. After discussing these previous hypotheses, a novel tritrophic hypothesis is introduced that proposes that foliar nyctinasty constitutes an indirect plant defence against nocturnal herbivores. It is suggested that the reduction in physical clutter that follows from nocturnal leaf closure may increase the foraging success of many types of animals that prey upon or parasitise herbivores. Predators and parasitoids generally use some combination of visual, auditory or olfactory cues to detect prey. In terrestrial environments, it is hypothesised that the vertical orientation of the blades of nyctinastic plants at night would be especially beneficial to flying nocturnal predators (e.g. bats and owls) and parasitoids whose modus operandi is death from above. The movements of prey beneath a plant with vertically oriented foliage would be visually more obvious to gleaning or swooping predators under nocturnal or crepuscular conditions. Such predators could also detect sounds made by prey better without baffling layers of foliage overhead to damp and disperse the signal. Moreover, any volatiles released by the prey would diffuse more directly to the awaiting olfactory apparatus of the predators or parasitoids. In addition to facilitating the demise of herbivores by carnivores and parasitoids, foliar nyctinasty, much like the enhanced illumination of the full moon, may mitigate feeding by nocturnal herbivores by altering their foraging behaviour. Foliar nyctinasty could also provide a competitive advantage by encouraging herbivores, seeking more cover, to forage on or around non-nyctinastic species. As an added advantage, foliar nyctinasty, by decreasing the temperature between plants through its effects on re-radiation, may slow certain types of ectothermic herbivores making them more vulnerable to predation. Foliar nyctinasty also may not solely be a behavioural adaptation against folivores; by discouraging foraging by granivores, the inclusive fitness of nyctinastic plants may be increased.
Regulatory agencies involved with the clinical laboratory.

1. Elissa Passiment, EdM CLS(NCA)[⇑][1] 1. is Executive Vice President of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science 1. Address for correspondence: Elissa Passiment EdM CLS(NCA), American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, 6701 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 300, Bethesda MD 20817. (301) 657-2768, (301) 657-2909 (fax). ElissaP{at}ascls.org Passing legislation in Congress is only the beginning of law-making. Crafting of rules and regulations turns ideas into actual, enforceable laws. Rules and regulations can be thought of as the operator's manual for laws and have the full force of law. Two laws, the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the Negotiated Rulemaking Act (“neg reg”) control the writing of rules and regulations.1 The APA defines rules and regulations as statements from federal agencies that “regulate the future conduct of either groups of persons or a single person” and “implement, interpret or prescribe law or policy”.2 They are written by executive branch agency staff, not by members of Congress. The Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990 describes a voluntary process that brings interested parties and government together to negotiate the language of a regulation. The committee is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and consists of representatives from groups that will be affected by the regulation such as the public sector, public interest groups, industry and practitioners, or individuals. THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH The structure of the federal government in the United States is divided into the executive branch, legislative branch, and judicial branch. Each is autonomous and has agencies and commissions that deal with the day-to-day business of government. The agencies of the executive branch are in departments created with the consent of Congress (Table 1).3 Each department is administered by a secretary who serves at the designation of the President and must be approved by Congress.4 Each department is… ABBREVIATIONS: APA = Administrative Procedures Act; APC = ambulatory payment classifications; CBER = Center for Biological Evaluation and Research; CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CMS = Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; CLIA '88 = Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988; CFR = Code of Federal Regulations; DRG = diagnosis-related groups; FACA = Federal Advisory Committee Act; FDA = Food and Drug Administration; HHS = Department of Health and Human Services; OIVD = Offce of In Vitro Diagnostics Device Evaluation [1]: #corresp-1
The Laplacian Method

Let (C *, ∂*) be an algebraic complex, where each C r is a finite dimensional complex vector space. Let δr :C r-1 → C r be the adjoint of ∂r and let Ωr :C r → C r be the Laplacian, Ωr = δr∂r + ∂r+1δr+1. This survey discusses the result that ker Ωr is isomorphic to H r (C) and to H r (C). We focus on applications of this result in instances where the complex C has a combinatorial structure. We discuss several instances in which a complete spectral resolution of the Laplacian can be achieved
Biochemistry of Spermatozoa: Chemical and Functional Correlations in Ejaculated Semen, Andrological Aspect

Some of the fascination which Bonnet so marvellously expressed in his letter to Spallanzani, we surely share to this day; to a great extent it arises from the fact that spermatozoa, unlike other body cells, are endowed with two clearly discernible biological properties (of which at last we begin to know rather more than our illustrious predecessors), namely the capacity to move fast and to fertilize, a remarkable combination of attributes, each inherent in a different constituent structure of the sperm cell.
Natural History of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia-2 in HIV-Positive Women of Reproductive Age.

Objective To evaluate the natural history of treated and untreated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia-2 (CIN2) among HIV-positive women. Methods Participants were women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study between 1994 and 2013. One hundred four HIV-positive women diagnosed with CIN2 before age 46 were selected, contributing 2076 visits over a median of 10 years (interquartile range 5-16). The outcome of interest was biopsy-confirmed CIN2 progression, defined as CIN3 or invasive cervical cancer. CIN2 treatment was abstracted from medical records. Results Most women were African American (53%), current smokers (53%), and had a median age of 33 years at CIN2 diagnosis. Among the 104 HIV-positive women, 62 (59.6%) did not receive CIN2 treatment. Twelve HIV-positive women (11.5%) showed CIN2 progression to CIN3; none were diagnosed with cervical cancer. There was no difference in the median time to progression between CIN2-treated and CIN2-untreated HIV-positive women (2.9 vs. 2.7 years, P = 0.41). CIN2 treatment was not associated with CIN2 progression in multivariate analysis (adjusted hazard ratio 1.82; 95% confidence interval: 0.54 to 7.11), adjusting for combination antiretroviral therapy and CD4 T-cell count. In HIV-positive women, each increase of 100 CD4 T cells was associated with a 33% decrease in CIN2 progression (adjusted hazard ratio 0.67; 95% confidence interval: 0.47 to 0.88), adjusting for CIN2 treatment and combination antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions CIN2 progression is uncommon in this population, regardless of CIN2 treatment. Additional studies are needed to identify factors to differentiate women at highest risk of CIN2 progression.
Nonlinear Metasurfaces for Optical Applications

Metasurfaces have seen dramatic progress in broad band and large area systems recently and advances toward real applications are accelerating. While linear properties of metasurfaces are increasingly entering the engineering space, applications of nonlinear metasurface properties are emerging. Detecting optical signals in the mid and long wave infrared, and the generation, detection and conversion of single photons for quantum information applications are significant to a range of Air Force technologies and drive the research to increase performance and functionality. We explore how nonlinear properties of metasurfaces can be engineered for quantum information applications. We show that nonlinear multipolar interference allows both a non-reciprocal and unidirectional nonlinear generation from nanoelements, with the direction of nonlinear generation preserved with respect to a fixed laboratory coordinate system when reversing the direction of the fundamental field. This arises due to the existence of common (electric or magnetic) pathways inducing the electric and magnetic Mie resonances via a nonlinear interaction, such that switching the phase of one (electric or magnetic) of the vectors of the fundamental field can change simultaneously the phase of all (electric and magnetic) nonlinearly generated multipoles. These effects arise due to the nonlinear response of the component materials and we are actively pursuing novel materials systems and growth procedures to produce structures with controlled response. In order to develop such systems, precise control of structural dimensions at nanometric length scales is needed as well as plasmonic materials which are more resilient to nonlinear excitation intensities. A focus of our work is to explore novel materials systems that combine the functionality needed for nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces and dynamic optical systems. This system is a useful example of where the engineering of materials response through structure to achieve desired optical properties can enable new potential technologies.
Innovative forest products and processes: meeting growing demand

Innovation in design and processing of forest products is essential to meeting the challenges of 21 st century forestry. Forests and attitudes toward their use are changing while demand for wood in its various forms increases with the population. Engineered wood products offer new opportunities to meet consumer needs from a diverse resource. In addition, processes such as nondestructive evaluation, recycling of wood and paper, and advances in pulping and papermaking offer new possibilities for managing the forest for its many uses.
Common default mode network dysfunction across psychopathologies: A neuroimaging meta-analysis of the n-back working memory paradigm

ABSTRACT The National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) classifies disorders based on shared aspects of behavioral and neurobiological dysfunction. One common behavioral deficit observed in various psychopathologies, namely ADHD, addiction, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia, is a deficit in working memory performance. However, it is not known to what extent, if any, these disorders share common neurobiological abnormalities that contribute to decrements in performance. The goal of the present study was to examine convergence and divergence of working memory networks across psychopathologies. We used the Activation Likelihood Estimate (ALE) meta-analytic technique to collapse prior data obtained from published studies using the n-back working memory paradigm in individuals with a DSM-criteria diagnosis of the aforementioned disorders. These studies examined areas in the brain that showed increases in activity as a function of working memory-related load compared to a baseline condition, both within subjects and between healthy individuals and those with psychiatric disorder. A meta-analysis of 281 foci covering 81 experiments and 2,629 participants found significant convergence of hyperactivity in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for DSM-diagnosed individuals compared to healthy controls. Foci from ADHD, addiction, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression studies contributed to the formation of this cluster. These results provide evidence that default-mode intrusion may constitute a shared seed of dysregulation across multiple psychopathologies, ultimately resulting in poorer working memory performance.
A phase II study of cabazitaxel in patients with previously treated metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

e15095 Background: Cabazitaxel is a semi-synthetic novel taxane with activity in docetaxel refractory prostate cancer. We sought to determine the response rate of cabazitaxel in patients with advan...
Baby Boomers as Caregivers: Results From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 44 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2015–2017

INTRODUCTION Baby boomers, people born from 1946 through 1964, represent a substantial portion of the US population. Generally, baby boomers have more chronic disease and disability than those in the previous generation. Frequently, they also provide informal care to others. The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of informal caregiving among baby boomers and compare the health of baby boomer caregivers and noncaregivers. METHODS Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2015-2017) for 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, we classified 109,268 baby boomers as caregivers or noncaregivers and compared their general health (poor or fair vs good, very good, or excellent), chronic health conditions, and frequent mental distress (FMD). FMD was defined as 14 days or more of poor mental health in the past month. We used log-binomial regression to calculate prevalence ratios, adjusted for age and sex (aPRs), and to separately estimate aPRs for fair or poor health and FMD or at least one chronic health condition. RESULTS One in 4 baby boomers (24.2%) were caregivers. In adjusted models, male caregivers had a higher prevalence of fair to poor health than noncaregivers (aPR = 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.29; P = .001). More caregivers than noncaregivers had at least 1 chronic health condition (aPR = 1.10, 95% CI, 1.07-1.13; P < .001) and more often had FMD (aPR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.26-1.53; P < .001). CONCLUSION Our study showed these caregivers had more chronic health conditions and more often had FMD than noncaregivers. The health of baby boomer caregivers is a public health priority, as these caregivers might need support to maintain their own physical and mental health.
The SINR Meta Distribution in Poisson Cellular Networks

This work studies the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) meta distribution (MD) in cellular networks with a focus on the Poisson model. Firstly, we show that for stationary base station point processes, arbitrary fading, and power-law path loss with exponent $\alpha $ , the base station density $\lambda $ and the noise power $\sigma ^{2}$ impact the SINR MD only through $\eta \pmb {\triangleq } \lambda ^{\alpha /2}/\sigma ^{2}$ , termed the network signal-to-noise ratio (NSNR). Next, we show that for Poisson cellular networks, the SINR MD can be written as $g(x)\theta ^{-2/\alpha }$ when the target SINR $\theta $ and the target reliability ${x}$ jointly satisfy a constraint. We derive this constraint and the integral of $g(x)$ . Lastly, we discuss several extensions of the results to more general models and architectures.
Simvastatin Reduces Protection and Intestinal T Cell Responses Induced by a Norovirus P Particle Vaccine in Gnotobiotic Pigs.

Noroviruses (NoVs) are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. P particles are a potential vaccine candidate against NoV. Simvastatin is a cholesterol-reducing drug that is known to increase NoV infectivity. In this study, we examined simvastatin’s effects on P particle-induced protective efficacy and T-cell immunogenicity using the gnotobiotic pig model of human NoV infection and diarrhea. Pigs were intranasally inoculated with three doses (100 µg/dose) of GII.4/VA387-derived P particles together with monophosphoryl lipid A and chitosan adjuvants. Simvastatin-fed pigs received 8 mg/day orally for 11 days prior to challenge. A subset of pigs was orally challenged with 10 ID50 of a NoV GII.4/2006b variant at post-inoculation day (PID) 28 and monitored for 7 days post-challenge. Intestinal and systemic T cell responses were determined pre- and postchallenge. Simvastatin abolished the P particle’s protection and significantly increased diarrhea severity after NoV infection. Simvastatin decreased proliferation of virus-specific and non-specific CD8 T cells in duodenum and virus-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in spleen and significantly reduced numbers of intestinal mononuclear cells in vaccinated pigs. Furthermore, simvastatin significantly decreased numbers of duodenal CD4+IFN-γ+, CD8+IFN-γ+ and regulatory T cells and total duodenal activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vaccinated pigs pre-challenge at PID 28. Following challenge, simvastatin prevented the IFN-γ+ T cell response in spleen of vaccinated pigs. These results indicate that simvastatin abolished P particle vaccine-induced partial protection through, at least in part, impairing T cell immunity. The findings have specific implications for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against NoV gastroenteritis, especially for the elderly population who takes statin-type drugs.
CCM Signaling Complex (CSC) Couples Both Classic and Non-Classic Progesterone Receptor Signaling

Excessive progesterone (PRG) may increase breast cancer risk under hormone therapy during postmenopause or hormonal contraception. As a sex steroid hormone, PRG exerts its cellular responses through signaling cascades involving classic, non-classic, or both combined responses by binding to either classic nuclear PRG receptors (nPRs) or non-classic membrane PRG receptors (mPRs). Currently, the intricate balance and switch mechanisms between these two signaling cascades remain elusive. Three genes, KRIT1 (CCM1), MGC4607 (CCM2), and PDCD10 (CCM3), have been demonstrated to form a CCM signaling complex (CSC). In this report, we discover that the CSC plays an essential role in coupling both classic and non-classic PRG signaling pathways by mediating crosstalk between them, through forming the CmPn (CSC-mPRs-PRG-nPRs) signaling network. This newly defined CmPn network, along with their key factors, are investigated in this report with associated signaling pathways detailed utilizing high throughput omics, and identification of prognostic biomarkers associated with the CmPn signaling network.
The use of performance validity tests among inpatient forensic monolingual Spanish-speakers

Performance validity tests (PVTs) are an integral part of neuropsychological assessments. Yet no studies have examined how Spanish-speaking forensic inpatients perform on PVTs, making it difficult to interpret these tests in this population. The present study examined archival data collected from monolingual Spanish-speaking forensic inpatients (n = 55; Mage = 49.6 years, SD = 12.0; 84.9% male; 93.5% diagnosed with a Psychotic Spectrum Disorder) to determine how this population performs on several PVTs. Most participants' scores on the Dot Counting Test (DCT; 82.2%; n = 45), Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status-Effort Index (RBANS EI; 84.4%; n = 33), and Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM; 79.1%; n = 43) were indicative of valid performance. Few participants, however, had Rey-15 Item Test (FIT) scores in the valid range (24.5% to 48.0%; Recall n = 50 and Combined n = 49, respectively); although FIT Recall specificity was improved when cutoff scores were lowered. Total years of education, but not other educational factors, were significantly associated with performance on PVTs (r = .33-.40, p = .01-.03). Study results suggest the DCT, TOMM, and RBANS EI may be more appropriate PVTs for Spanish-speaking forensic inpatients compared to the FIT.
Emerging investigator series: electrochemically-mediated remediation of GenX using redox-copolymers

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent contaminants that have been continuously detected in groundwater and drinking water around the globe. Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (tradename GenX) has been used to substitute traditional PFAS, such as PFOA, but its intense use has caused widespread occurrence in water streams and often in high levels. Here, we evaluate a redox-copolymer, poly(4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-co-4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine) (PTMA-co-PTMPMA), for the selective electrochemical removal of GenX. The amine functional groups promote affinity towards the anionic PFAS, and the redox-active nitroxide radicals provide electrochemical control for adsorption and desorption. Faster kinetics and higher uptake (>475 mg g−1 adsorbent) were obtained with the redox-copolymer when applying 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl potential compared to open circuit. The copolymer electrosorbents were evaluated over a wide pH range and diverse water matrices, with electrostatic-based mechanisms dependent on the state of protonation of the PFAS. Moreover, we translated the redox-electrodes from a batch to flow-by cell configuration, showing successful adsorption and release of GenX under flow and electrochemical control. Finally, prolonged exposure of GenX at reduction potentials generated smaller PFAS fragments at the redox-electrodes. To fully defluorinate GenX, the copolymer-functionalized electrodes were coupled with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) counter electrode for integrating separation and defluorination within the same device. The combined system demonstrated close to 100% defluorination efficiency. Thus, we highlight the potential of electroactive redox platforms for the reactive separation of fluorotelomers, and point to future directions for their practical implementation for water treatment.
Threatened by Stereotype Threat: Stereotype Threat's Impact on Sales Anxiety

Salespeople are aware that many customers hold negative stereotypes about sales profession. Consequently, salespeople may get defensive and fearful about how customers perceive them. This phenomenon is called stereotype threat. Stereotype threat may be exacerbated when meeting with customers of a different race/ethnicity or background because salespeople are often told that customers prefer to work with service providers who seem similar to themselves. Using a survey of professional salespeople, the results show that salespeople are less likely to experience stereotype threat from customers when they perceive themselves to be similar to customers. Furthermore, perceived similarity with their manager also reduces stereotype threat from customers. The results also show that stereotype threat increases anxiety, which can reduce organizational commitment. However, managerial support is effective for helping salespeople to cope with anxiety. The implications of this research will help sales managers to both reduce stereotype threat and help salespeople cope with it.
Dynamic Hepatic Blood Flow Model Shows Greater Impact of Total Treatment Time Than Integral Dose for Assessing Dose to Circulating Lymphocytes

Purpose/Objective(s) Radiation-induced lymphocyte depletion has been reported to correlate with survival rate in post-radiotherapy patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to assess the impact of integral dose and treatment time on the dose to circulating lymphocytes (CL) with active scanning and passive scattering proton beam therapy (PBS, SOBP), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Materials/Methods Four plans based on VMAT, IMRT, PBS and SOBP were created for the same hepatocellular carcinoma patient delivering 52.5 Gy in 15 fractions. Six fields, 1 arc, and 2 fields were used for IMRT, VMAT and proton plans, respectively. The dose to CLs after one RT fraction was computed with a novel 4D dynamic blood flow liver model using realistic treatment times (Table 1), which takes into account hepatic vasculature (arterial, portal venous and hepatic venous trees), blood recirculation and time structure of dose delivery. We varied the delivery speed for each modality to achieve total treatment times in the range of 50-250s. The impact of integral dose and treatment time on dose to CLs across different modalities was quantified by the mean dose to CL, the % CL receiving non-zero dose (V0Gy), the % CL receiving > 0.5 Gy dose (V0Gy) and the dose received by highest 2% of CLs (D2%). Results Mean liver dose ranges from 19.4 - 22.2 Gy and treatment time from 60 - 3255s depending on the modality. The PBS and SOBP treatments yield 15% and 10% lower mean dose to CLs compare to VMAT, respectively (Table 1). However, the fraction of lymphocytes receiving any dose varies widely from 37.0% for VMAT to 80.8% for PBS, uncorrelated to integral dose. The fraction of lymphocytes receiving a significant dose (V0.5%) also varies considerably with the highest fraction in VMAT (14.6%) and the lowest for PBS (0.6%). Further analysis indicates that V0Gy depends on both the mean dose and the total treatment time, which explains the large variations observed among various modalities. Every 10s increase in treatment time leads to approximately 3% increase in V0Gy. The opposite trend was found for V0.5Gy and D2%, both decreasing with increasing treatment time. V0.5Gy and D2% decrease approximately 0.6% and 0.01Gy for every 10s increase in treatment time, respectively. Conclusion We studied dose to CLs across 4 different treatment modalities and found that to minimize the fraction of CL irradiated, it might be more important to shorten the delivery time than to reduce the dose bath. Further investigation is required to find the dose levels most correlated to lymphocyte depletion to optimize delivery time and to design immune-sparing RT regimen.
Molecular Alterations in Nerve Cells: Direct Manipulation and Physiological Mediation

There are at least three classes of technical approaches to molecular neurobiology: first, the well-recognized approach of cloning and sequencing novel cDNAs; second, the use of molecular hybridization techniques to study expression and regulation of specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs); and third, the emerging field of direct manipulation of neuronal expression in vivo. The first two approaches are, in a manner of speaking, “passive” with respect to molecular alterations in nerve cells, in that, following physiologically mediated changes, transcripts known to be present are quantitatively observed, while the third approach actively alters neuronal cell physiology.
Motor Vehicles in China: The Impact of Demographic and Economic Changes

While China's transportation sector is relatively small compared to other nations—both in absolute terms and relative to the size of the population—the nation is currently experiencing one of the highest annual motorization growth rates in the world. This rapid growth has raised both excitement among business leaders over the potentially enormous market for automobiles and concern among environmentalists over their further impact on the global environment. This paper examines the influence of population growth, increased urbanization, and economic development on the rapid growth of motor vehicles in China, and considers their implications for future motor vehicle growth in the country.
Thomistic Reflections on Teleology and Contemporary Biological Research

Modern biologists often claim to be committed to a strong reductionist conception of scientific explanation, in contrast to the teleological explanations of medieval natural philosophers. Attention to the actual explanatory strategies used in contemporary biological research, however, reveals a dependence on final cause explanations. A good example can be found in adaptation studies where explanation is typically in terms of optimal design models. Such optimality models are teleological precisely in the way Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus insisted explanation of natural forms must be. Consequently, the non-reductionist conception of final cause defended by Neo-Aristotelian philosophers of science is entirely consistent with common modes of explanation used by contemporary biological researchers.
Cellular changes associated with Triton WR-1339 accumulation in rat hepatocytes. I. Autophagy.

Abstract One of the major changes in hepatocyte morphology resulting from Triton WR-1339 treatment is an apparent increase in autophagy. There is a rapid response with autophagic vacuole formation involving the Golgi apparatus and smooth endoplasmic reticulum occurring within 1 hr post-injection. Positive cytochemical localization of several lysosomal hydrolases confirmed the lysosomal nature of these autophagic structures. Between 6 and 12 hr post-injection there was a proliferation of acid phosphatase and aryl sulfatase positive myelin figures in the hepatocyte cytoplasm. By 12 hr autophagic vacuole formation had diminished and by 1 day post-injection there was an obvious reduction in myelin figures. Morphological observations suggested that this reduction might occur by clearance at the plasmalemma or by fusion with Triton filled lysosomes. Myelin figures were observed with decreasing frequency through 5 days post-injection at which time the Triton WR-1339 filled lysosomes predominated.
Biochemical Analysis of Phospholipase D

Phospholipase D (PLD) is distributed widely in nature, being present in various isoforms in bacteria, protozoa, fungi, plants, and animals. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of phospholipids, primarily phosphatidylcholine (PC), into phosphatidic acid (PA) and the head group, choline. It also catalyzes a transphosphatidylation reaction in which water is replaced by a primary alcohol to yield a phosphatidyl alcohol. This reaction is exclusive to PLD and is employed as a specific assay for the enzyme in in vivo systems. When the purified enzyme is assayed in vitro, the release of choline from PC can be utilized. This chapter describes production of a recombinant mammalian isozyme of PLD (PLD1) in baculovirus-infected insect cells and its purification. It also provides details of the assay procedure in the presence and absence of regulatory proteins in vitro. The assay of the enzyme in cells in vivo is also documented using labeling of endogenous PC by incubating the cells with (3)H-labeled fatty acid. Details of the assay utilizing the transphosphatidylation reaction are presented. In this, 1-butanol is employed as the primary alcohol and [(3)H]phosphatidylbutanol is isolated by thin-layer chromatography of lipid extracts from the cells. A variation of this assay is described using deuterated 1-butanol (1-butanol-d(10)) and detection of the synthesized deuterated phosphatidylbutanol species by mass spectrometry. Convenient alternative assays for PLD and diacylglycerol (DAG) lipase activity based on fluorescence are also described. Many of the materials for these assays are available commercially, with the exception of the fluorescently labeled DAG substrate, which can be synthesized enzymatically in a simple one-step procedure.
Radioimmunoassay of glucagon

Abstract The radioimmunoassay for glucagon has established the hormonal identity of this factor and exposed broad areas of its physiology and pathophysiology. While the ultimate importance of glucagon in man remains to be determined, there is little doubt that this previously unexplored area of endocrinology has been one of the major beneficiaries of Berson's brilliant contribution.
Development and health care: Is China's medical programme exportable?

Abstract Any attempt to adapt Chinese public health and medical programmes to other societies must take account of at least two sets of factors. First, there must be an awareness of the problems which the Chinese have encountered in implementing their policies. Secondly, for programme transfer to be successful, there must be comparability of resources, values, social structure, and domestic political factors between China and the ‘recipient’. Few Third World countries have characteristics which make comprehensive adoption of the Chinese programme feasible. The model does serve a heuristic purpose, however; it specifies the dimensions along which change must occur before a comparable endeavor can be undertaken profitably.
R-Matrix Analysis

Experiments involving polarization techniques have nowhere unearthed a richer structure of observed phenomena than in those scattering and reaction processes involving very few nucleons. This paper is concerned with a program, carried out with colleagues at Los Alamos, with its first goal as a phenomenological understanding of these processes. It is the belief of those of us working on this program that our approach is essentially dictated by the fact that the overwhelming amount of information already collected seems to be still only marginally sufficient to describe the complex behavior of these systems. This somewhat paradoxical situation, that an almost unmanageable quantity of data is still perhaps just on the threshold of encompassing all aspects of the behavior of such a system, seems to call for an approach with two main features. First, all channels and all complementary experiments should be described simultaneously. Second, an energy dependent parameterization should be used, if only because the data are not sufficiently complete at single energies. The simultaneous description of all channels allows us to make use of the very important principle of unitarity of the collision matrix S. The need for an energy dependent parameterization has led us to choose the R-matrix formalism. In this context that formalism is to be regarded as a practical tool. This paper does not discuss the role of the R-matrix in general theories of nuclear reactions. It may be, however, that the results of the present work will have a place in such discussions.
Molecular recognition of protein surfaces: high affinity ligands for the CBP KIX domain.

Potent and specific inhibitors of protein·protein interactions have potential both as therapeutic compounds and biological tools, yet discovery of such molecules remains a challenge. Our laboratory...
Danon disease presenting with dilated cardiomyopathy and a complex phenotype.

X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy (XLCM) was first described in 1987 and associated with dystrophin gene (DMD) mutations a decade later in one of the original two families. Here we report long-term follow-up of the second family (XLCM-2), for which a DMD mutation was never found. Analysis of the lysosome-associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP-2) gene detected a novel mutation, confirming a diagnosis of Danon disease. The broad phenotype in this family included dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac pre-excitation, skeletal myopathy with high serum creatine kinase, cognitive impairment (in males), and a pigmentary retinopathy in affected females. Cardiac biopsy specimens showed extensive vacuolar changes in an affected adult male. Remarkably, the skeletal muscle biopsy in a 13-month-old mutation-carrying male showed no vacuolization by standard histology. We conclude that XLCM may be the presenting sign of Danon disease and, in the presence of a familial history of HCM, pre-excitation, skeletal muscle involvement and retinal pigmentary dystrophy should prompt LAMP-2 clinical testing. Furthermore, the absence of vacuolar myopathy in biopsies from young patients may not exclude Danon disease.
Absence of interference between tobacco mosaic virus and tobacco necrosis virus in the initiation of infection.

Abstract When mixed inocula of related strains of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were inoculated on susceptible plants, inhibition of one strain by the other was very strong and specific. The question arose what degree of inhibition would occur with unrelated strains of plant viruses. When mixtures containing constant amounts of TMV strain U1 (0.5 μg/ml) and various amounts of tobacco necrosis virus (TNV) (2.5, 25, and 250 μg/ml) were inoculated on Nicotiana glutinosa L., the number of U1 lesions which appeared was not inhibited by TNV until the concentration of TNV was increased to 250 μg/ml. At this high concentration there was about 40% reduction in the number of U1 lesions. The reciprocal experiment, using mixtures containing a constant amount of TNV (0.5 μg/ml) and various amounts of TMV strain U2 (2.5, 25, and 250 μg/ml) inoculated on beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Pinto), gave similar results. In comparison with the degree of interference among related strains of TMV, the interference between the unrelated plant viruses TMV and TNV was not significant and not specific. The mechanism for specific interference between related strains of TMV has been proposed as competition for the same site. In accordance with this proposal, the lack of specific interference between unrelated plant viruses suggests that they do not utilize the same site to institute infection.
Insulin represses phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene transcription by causing the rapid disruption of an active transcription complex: a potential epigenetic effect.

Insulin represses gluconeogenesis, in part, by inhibiting the transcription of genes that encode rate-determining enzymes, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase). Glucocorticoids stimulate expression of the PEPCK gene but the repressive action of insulin is dominant. Here, we show that treatment of H4IIE hepatoma cells with the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (dex), induces the accumulation of glucocorticoid receptor, as well as many transcription factors, coregulators, and RNA polymerase II, on the PEPCK gene promoter. The addition of insulin to dex-treated cells causes the rapid dissociation of glucocorticoid receptor, polymerase II, and several key transcriptional regulators from the PEPCK gene promoter. These changes are temporally related to the reduced rate of PEPCK gene transcription. A similar disruption of the G-6-Pase gene transcription complex was observed. Additionally, insulin causes the rapid demethylation of arginine-17 on histone H3 o...
Levels of abstraction in modeling and sampling: the feature-based Bayesian optimization algorithm

I introduce a generalization of probabilistic modeling and sampling for estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs), that allows models to contain features, additional level(s) of abstraction defined in terms of the problem's base-level variables. I demonstrate how a simple feature class, variable-position motifs within fixed-length strings, may be exploited by a powerful EDA, the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA). Experimental results are presented where motifs are learned autonomously via a simple heuristic. The effectiveness of this feature-based BOA is demonstrated across a range of problems where such motifs are relevant.
Hypertension in a young golfer

A collegiate freshman golfer was hypertensive at her preparticipation physical exam (PPE). Further investigation revealed coarctation of the aorta with secondary hypertension that had been asymptomatic. The PPE is a good forum for hypertensive screening because it may be one of the few times an apparently healthy adolescent is seen by any physician. This case emphasizes the need to screen for silent hypertension and discern its cause in adolescents.
Dating of graptolite zones by sedimentation rates: implications for rates of evolution

Preliminary determinations of ancient pelagic sedimentation rates agree with modern rates at about 4 meters per million years. By combining data on the thickness of graptolite zones from the North American Cordillera with data from other parts of the world, we have refined the Early Silurian time scale and obtained much better resolution than is possible for radiometric dates. The new Early Silurian time scale allows estimation of true rates of change in graptolite diversity. The Llandoverian diversity explosion is twice as rapid as was previously thought. The brevity of diversity lows and rapidity of speciation support modern theories of quantum evolution.