cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flexible, actively deflectable fiberoptic ureteronephroscopy.

AbstractWe performed 76 flexible, actively deflectable ureteronephroscopic procedures in 68 patients. Of the patients 61 were examined transurethrally, 3 via an ileal loop, 2 percutaneously and 2 via ureterostomy. Indications for flexible, actively deflectable ureteronephroscopy included urolithiasis in 28 patients, upper tract filling defect in 25, lateralizing hematuria in 8, retrograde endopyelotomy in 2, post-endopyelotomy evaluation in 6, surveillance for transitional cell carcinoma in 4 and other reasons in 3.The area of interest was accessed successfully in 96% of the patients. In 57 instances an attempt was made to inspect all calices and was successful in two-thirds of the patients. However, greater than 75% of the collecting system was accessed in all but 2 of these 57 patients. Over-all, diagnostic and/or therapeutic maneuvers were successful in 84% of the patients. Flexible, actively deflectable ureteronephroscopy provides the urologist with a minimally invasive means to evaluate and treat pat...
The relative importance of climate change and population growth for exposure to future extreme droughts

The human consequences of drought are normally addressed in terms of “water scarcity” originating from human water use. In these terms, a common prediction to the next few decades is that population growth, not climate change, will be the dominant factor determining numbers living under such scarcity. Here we address the relative importance of increasing human caused extreme drought and increasing population for numbers of humans likely to be directly exposed in the future to such drought. Using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in conjunction with an ensemble of 16 CMIP5 climate models we find that, by 2081-2100 under the high emissions scenario RCP 8.5, average worldwide monthly population exposed to extreme drought (SPEI < -2) will increase by 386.8 million to 472.3 million (+426.6% from the current 89.7 million). Anthropogenic climate change is responsible for approximately 230.0 million (59.5%) of that increase with population growth responsible for only 35.5 million (9.2%); the climate change-population growth interaction explains the remaining 121.1 million (31.4%). At the national level, 129 countries will experience increase in drought exposure mainly due to climate change alone; 23 countries primarily due to population growth; and 38 countries primarily due to the interaction between climate change and population growth. Given inherently large uncertainties, projections of future climate impacts should be accepted with caution especially those directed to the regional level, to future population trends, and, of course, where technological, social and security changes are possible.
Enumeration and Universality of the Computable Functions

We began our discussion of the Halting Problem in Chapter 1 by showing how to make a systematic listing, based on ASCII character codes, of all pascal programs. Each pascal program had a unique number, or index. This number was obtained by concatenating the ASCII bit strings representing the resulting binary sequence as an integer in binary. Of course, not every number corresponded to a legal program, or even to a legal sequence of ASCII blocks. Under these circumstances an invalid program in our listing was interpreted, by default, to be a particular program for the empty function. In Section 3.1 we follow a similar plan and present an enumeration of the while-programs. Then, in Section 3.2, we develop an “interpreter”, also called a universal program, which can decode the index n of a program P n to process data just as P n would have done. Sections 3.3 and 3.4 develop “subroutines” for the construction of the interpreter showing, respectively, how string-processing functions may be simulated by numerical functions and how vectors of natural numbers may be coded by a single such number.
Stability of a flexible structure with destabilizing boundary conditions

The Euler–Bernoulli beam model with non-dissipative boundary conditions of feedback control type is investigated. Components of the two-dimensional input vector are shear and moment at the right end, and components of the observation vector are time derivatives of displacement and slope at the right end. The codiagonal matrix depending on two control parameters relates input and observation. The paper contains five results. First, asymptotic approximation for eigenmodes is derived. Second, ‘the main identity’ is established. It provides a relation between mode shapes of two systems: one with non-zero control parameters and the other one with zero control parameters. Third, when one control parameter is positive and the other one is zero, ‘the main identity’ yields stability of all eigenmodes (though the system is non-dissipative). Fourth, the stability of eigenmodes is extended to the case when one control parameter is positive, and the other one is sufficiently small. Finally, existence and properties of ‘deadbeat’ modes are investigated.
Lectin Microarrays: Simple Tools for the Analysis of Complex Glycans

The emerging roles for post-translational modifications in the regulation of cellular function have turned the spotlight on glycosylation. Given the prevalence of protein and lipid glycosylation, it has become imperative to create and utilize new tools to study these critical biopolymers. In particular, there has been an emphasis on the development of high-throughput methodologies to study the structural and functional aspects of glycan-protein interactions. The use of carbohydrate binding proteins (i.e. lectins) in a microarray format has greatly enhanced our ability to de-convolute the structural aspects of the glycome. This simple and unique technology provides a rapid method for glycomic analysis, which opens up the field of glycobiology to more systems-based approaches towards function.
Attention and Impulsivity

Self-regulation and self-control of attention and impulse (emotion and behavior) are fundamental to adaptation and closely intertwined. Accordingly, disturbances in regulation of attention and impulse are ubiquitous in developmental psychopathology, but attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comprises a paradigmatic neurodevelopmental condition for examining typical and atypical functioning and development of these abilities at multiple levels of analysis. It is described. Then a two-process model of regulation is used as heuristic for organizing both the functioning of attention and impulse control and the related literature on ADHD pathophysiology. For both inattention and impulsivity, type 1 (bottom-up) and type 2 (top-down) regulatory processes, their corresponding formal measurement, and corresponding neural instantiation are described to the extent the literature allows. Impulsivity can be linked to temporal discounting of reward, here presented as a bottom-up process that intersects particularly, but not exclusively with emotion regulation. It can also be linked with response inhibition or response suppression, here presented primarily in its top-down aspect. However, it can also occur in a bottom-up fashion via emotional arousal. Therefore, integration of cognition and emotion is conceptually essential for understanding self-control, impulsivity, and inattention. Additional processes accordingly are contained with these heuristic type 1 and type 2 manifestations and are elaborated to add nuance to the general framework proposed. In each section, typical functioning is described and findings in relation to ADHD are highlighted including behavioral, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging findings. Developmental etiology is discussed in relation to molecular genetic approaches, gene by environment interplay, and epigenetic emergence of function and dysfunction. Conclusions and future directions are proposed, highlighting the emerging tractability of revised neurobiologically based nosology for ADHD, the importance of adding contextual nosology to biological nosology, and the integrative potential of an epigenetic model. Keywords: attention; self-control; self-regulation; impulsivity; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); brain; nosology; epigenetic
A protocol for modeling and tracking engineering design process through structural complexity metrics applied against communication networks

A protocol for tracking the interconnection of design communication elements as a mixed temporal hypergraph network which evolves in real time is presented here. The protocol uses email and limited human reporting data to develop the time-stamped connections of the network. At any time, this network, or a filtered subset, may be subjected to an analysis of graph and network complexity properties. The response of these properties may then be correlated to either events, such as design stages, or performance metrics, such as designer effort. This approach is applied to emails generated in the course of an undergraduate mechanical engineering senior design project demonstrating an ability to identify member roles, work schedules, and project phase changes from the network properties.
Formation of Reversible Solid Electrolyte Interface on Graphite Surface from Concentrated Electrolytes

Li-ion batteries (LIB) have been successfully commercialized after the identification of ethylene-carbonate (EC)-containing electrolyte that can form a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on carbon anode surface to passivate further side reactions but still enable the transportation of the Li+ cation. These electrolytes are still utilized, with only minor changes, after three decades. However, the long-term cycling of LIB leads to continuous consumption of electrolyte and growth of SEI layer on the electrode surface, which limits the battery’s life and performance. Herein, a new anode protection mechanism is reported in which, upon changing of the cell potential, the electrolyte components at the electrode–electrolyte interface reorganize reversibly to form a transient protective surface layers on the anode. This layer will disappear after the applied potential is removed so that no permanent SEI layer is required to protect the carbon anode. This phenomenon minimizes the need for a permanent SEI la...
Percutaneous Management of Malignant Biliary Strictures: Current Status and Future Directions

Various minimally invasive percutaneous interventions may be performed for the treatment and management of malignant biliary obstruction. The types of percutaneous interventions include percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, percutaneous cholecystostomy, and biliary stent placement. Biliary stents have undergone continued evolution in design to prolong patency, increase cost-effectiveness, improve patient survival, and quality of life. Furthermore, investigational techniques, such as radiofrequency ablation, intraluminal brachytherapy, and photodynamic therapy promise new technologies in the field of biliary intervention. This review focuses on the current status of percutaneous therapies for malignant biliary strictures and obstruction.
The robotic approach significantly reduces length of stay after colectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Robotic surgery has helped overcome several of the inherent limitations of conventional laparoscopy. The aim of this study is to identify any short-term advantage of robotic-assisted (RC) over laparoscopic colectomy (LC) using standardized nationwide data. Patients from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) 2012–2014 datasets who underwent elective LC or RC were compared for patient demographics, comorbidity, diagnosis, extent of colon resection, operative duration, and conversion rates. Thirty-day postoperative complications and post-discharge utilization of resources, readmission, and discharge to another facility were also evaluated. Propensity score matching was used to balance the sample size in the two groups. Of 35,839 LC and RC procedures, 2482 cases were eligible for propensity score matching for the statistically significant variables (standardized difference > 0.10) and 1241 colectomy procedures were assigned to each group. Most of the major, minor surgical, and medical postoperative complications were comparable between the two groups. However, RC was associated with reduced 30-day postoperative septic complications (2.3 vs. 4%, p = 0.02), hospital stay (mean: 4.8 vs. 6.3 days, p = 0.001), and discharge to another facility (3.5 vs. 5.8%, p = 0.01). RC was, however, associated with readmission within 30 days after surgery (9.4 vs. 9.1%, p = 0.049). Postoperative ileus, anastomotic leak, reoperation, reintubation, and mortality were equivalent between RC and LC. This propensity score-matched analysis suggests that RC is associated with some recovery benefits over LC. Greater experience with the technique may allow these advantages to counter some of the cost-related concerns that have deterred the more widespread utilization of robotic technology for colectomy.
Fresnel Integrals and Feynman Integrals

In Part II of this book a transition is made as certain selected topics are considered. Among these are path integrals, zeta functions, and some applications of the Selberg trace formula. In some cases it will not be possible to develop all of the relevant background material. Rather, the intent will be to present some of the key ideas and, as in Part I, to present some concrete computational examples. Later we shall compute, for example, certain Feynman path integrals. For such computations one needs the value of certain Fresnel type integrals, integrals of independent interest. We begin with a discussion of the latter integrals.
Discriminantal Arrangements, Fiber Polytopes and Formality

Manin and Schechtman defined the discriminantal arrangement of a generic hyperplane arrangement as a generalization of the braid arrangement. This paper shows their construction is dual to the fiber zonotope construction of Billera and Sturmfels, and thus makes sense even when the base arrangement is not generic. The hyperplanes, face lattices and intersection lattices of discriminantal arrangements are studied. The discriminantal arrangement over a generic arrangement is shown to be formal (and in some cases 3-formal), though it is in general not free. An example of a free discriminantal arrangement over a generic arrangement is given.
DACA and the Dream of Becoming a Physician.

While we wait for Congress to act to protect the “Dreamers” — the young immigrants who were covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — graduate medical education programs and their potential applicants have tough decisions to make.
d-Leucine: Evaluation in an epilepsy model.

Abstract Background Current medicines do not provide sufficient seizure control for nearly one-third of patients with epilepsy. New options are needed to address this treatment gap. We recently found that the atypical amino acid d -leucine protected against acutely-induced seizures in mice, but its effect in chronic seizures has not been explored. We hypothesized that d -leucine would protect against spontaneous recurrent seizures. We also investigated whether mice lacking a previously-described d -leucine receptor (Tas1R2/R3) would be protected against acutely-induced seizures. Methods Male FVB/NJ mice were subjected to kainic acid-induced status epilepticus and monitored by video-electroencephalography (EEG) (surgically implanted electrodes) for 4 weeks before, during, and after treatment with d -leucine. Tas1R2/R3 knockout mice and controls underwent the maximal electroshock threshold (MES-T) and 6-Hz tests. Results There was no difference in number of calendar days with seizures or seizure frequency with d -leucine treatment. In an exploratory analysis, mice treated with d -leucine had a lower number of dark cycles with seizures. Tas1R2/R3 knockout mice had elevated seizure thresholds in the MES-T test but not the 6-Hz test. Conclusions d -Leucine treatment was ineffective against chronic seizures after kainic acid-induced status epilepticus, but there was some efficacy during the dark cycle. Because d -leucine is highly concentrated in the pineal gland, these data suggest that d -leucine may be useful as a tool for studying circadian patterns in epilepsy. Deletion of the Tas1R2/R3 receptor protected against seizures in the MES-T test and, therefore, may be a novel target for treating seizures.
The Blogosphere and Political News in Nigeria: A Content Study of the Contributions of Linda Ikeji's Blog to the Journaling of the 2015 Presidential Election Results

The 2015 Elections in Nigeria is one of the most significant events in Nigerian history; at least in the recent past. Nigerians were highly disposed to the electioneering process by their active participation especially through the platforms provided by the social media. Hence, various social media outlets formulated dependable avenues for the sharing of news items connected with the elections. Among the numerous blogs that excelled in journaling the election is Linda Ikeji’s blog; a popular blog site in Nigeria. This exposition focuses on the contributions of Linda Ikeji’s blog in the dissemination the news of the elections results. The study adopts a content analysis approach to analyze the readership of the blog within election period. The subsequent feedback from the content research aids the researcher to gauge the contributions of Linda Ikeji blog in political news journaling during the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria.
Intense Ly-alpha emission from Uranus

The existence of intense atomic hydrogen Ly-alpha emission from Uranus is demonstrated here by utilizing the monochromatic imaging capabilities of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectrograph. Observations show increased emission in the vicinity of Uranus superimposed on the geocoronal/interplanetary background. If resonant scattering of solar Ly-alpha is the source of the 1.6 + or - 0.4 kR disk averaged brightness, then very high column densities of atomic H above the absorbing methane are required. Precipitation of trapped charged particles, i.e., aurora, could explain the emissions. This would imply a planetary magnetic field.
GRASP with a New Local Search Scheme for Vehicle Routing Problems with Time Windows

The NP-Hard Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) is one of the major transportation problems. In this paper, a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) for VRPTW is discussed for minimizing the fleet size and the travel distance. There are two phases within each GRASP iteration: construction phase and local search phase. In the construction phase, the initial solution is computed by applying an adaptive randomized greedy function. In the local search phase, the search procedure is applied to the constructed initial solution obtained by the construction phase for an improvement. In this paper, we propose an improved solution technique by using new local search ideas and new lower bounding procedures. In addition, we report computational results and address some practical issues in this area.
Stochastic bifurcation

This investigation is concerned with the dynamic response, stability, and bifurcation behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems under stochastic excitation. The excitation may be either multiplicative or additive or a combination of both. The effect of small stochastic perturbations on systems that exhibit codimension-one and -two bifurcations is examined. The asymptotic behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems in the presence of noise is studied using both the methods of stochastic averaging and stochastic normal forms. It is shown that for systems with rapidly oscillating and decaying components, these techniques yield a set of equations of consideraly smaller dimension. The Markov diffusion approximation is used to obtain analytical results relating to the statistical properties of the stochastic response. Both moment and sample stability conditions along with the stationary moments are obtained. For the reduced nonlinear systems, stationary and transient probability densities are found. It is shown that in nonlinear systems a shift of the bifurcation point takes place due to the presence of noise.
Helping K--12 Teachers Get Unstuck with Scratch: The Design of an Online Professional Learning Experience

K--12 introductory programming experiences are often highly scaffolded, and it can be challenging for teachers and learners to transition from these scaffolded experiences to experiences of learner-directed creative work, where learners are solving problems and fluently expressing ideas through code. Learners can often "get stuck" in this creative process due to a number of different factors: (1) imagination, (2) concepts, (3) bugs, (4) doubt, and (5) pedagogy. Teachers can support learners in overcoming these factors, but K--12 computing teachers often have minimal preparation and lack computer science backgrounds. However, effective professional development can support teachers in developing the computing skills and pedagogical frameworks for facilitating powerful learning experiences for young people. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of Getting Unstuck, a 21-day, email-based learning experience for K--12 teachers interested in developing greater familiarity and fluency with Scratch. More than 1,900 people subscribed to the mailing list, with 400 people completing at least one day and 73 people completing all 21 days of activities. Participants received a daily email that invited them to: (1) create a Scratch project in response to a creative prompt that focused on a particular programming concept or Scratch feature, (2) share their work in the online community, and (3) reflect on their learning. We discuss our design decisions and how participants responded to them. We hope that this rich description of the course design will offer insights and inspiration for other CS educators who are designing similar K--12 professional development experiences.
Statin users have an elevated risk of dysglycemia and new-onset-diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Statins are one of the most widely prescribed medications in the United States; however, there is a concern that they are associated with new-onset-diabetes (NOD) development. We sought to understand the risk of dysglycemia and NOD for a cohort of individuals that reflect real-world physician prescribing patterns. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted among individuals with indications for statin use (n = 7064). To examine elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (>6.0%), logistic regression with inverse probability weighting was used to create balance between incident statin users and nonusers. To evaluate the risk of NOD development, Cox PH models with time varying statin use compared NOD diagnoses among statin users and nonusers. RESULTS A higher prevalence of elevated HbA1c (PD = 0.065; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.129, P = 0.045) occurred among nondiabetic incident users of statins. Additionally, statin users had a higher risk of developing NOD (AHR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.35, 3.58, P = 0.002). Those taking statins for 2 years or longer (AHR = 3.33; 95% CI: 1.84, 6.01, P < 0.001) were at the greatest risk of developing NOD; no differences were observed by statin class or intensity of dose. CONCLUSION As lifestyle programs like the Diabetes Prevention Program are promoted in primary care settings, we hope physicians will integrate and insurers support healthy lifestyle strategies as part of the optimal management of individuals at risk for both NOD and cardiovascular disease. The relationships between statin use and glycemic control should be evaluated in large cohort studies, medical record databases, and mechanistic investigations to inform clinical judgment and treatment.
Machine Learning Applications in Optical Networks

After a generic introduction to machine-learning concepts and tools, several applications of machine learning in optical networks are introduced and discussed, with a focus on QoT estimation, failure detection and failure identification.
The short-term dynamics of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during the acute posttrauma period

Background The manner in which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops remains largely unknown. PTSD is comprised of 20 symptoms across 4 clusters. These clusters were hypothesized to reflect a failure of recovery model in which intrusive symptoms appear first. Intrusive symptoms led to avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, which resulted in sustained arousal. The sustained arousal ultimately led to dysphoria. Methods This hypothesized symptom progression was evaluated during the acute posttrauma period (the first 30 days postevent). Participants (N = 80) reported their PTSD symptoms for 30 days via mobile devices. Using a short-term dynamic modeling framework, a temporal and contemporaneous model of PTSD symptoms was obtained. Results In the temporal network, a fear-conditioning component was identified that supported the hypothesized set of relations among symptom clusters. The contemporaneous network was classified by two subnetworks. The first corresponded to a fear-conditioning model that included symptoms of intrusions and avoidance. The second included symptoms of dysphoria and arousal. Conclusions These findings suggest that, after a trauma, there may be a fear-conditioning process that involves intrusions, avoidance, and arousal symptoms. Dysphoric symptoms were also present but developed as a partially distinct component.
System for real-time forward-viewing intravascular imaging of 3D velocity fields

Direct estimation of 3D blood flow velocity components in vivo could provide important diagnostic information, as demonstrated by computational fluid dynamics. Several approaches have been proposed, however, direct intravascular estimation has not been demonstrated despite the value of fluid dynamics for predicting major adverse cardiac events in stable coronary artery disease. Given that minimally-invasive diagnostic procedures are routinely performed in these patients (e.g. side-viewing IVUS, FFR), a forward-viewing intravascular system could allow direct estimation of velocity components in 3D, with reduced effects of tissue motion and increased resolution relative to non-invasive approaches. Initial data acquisitions using a forward-viewing 4 mm, 118-element ring array transducer in a tissue-mimicking flow phantom and in a pig are described.
Demonstration of the MOEX Process Using Additive-Manufacturing-Fabricated Annular Centrifugal Contactors

ABSTRACTAdditive manufacturing/3D printing is a rapidly maturing field with potential advantages for the fabrication of chemical processing equipment. A demonstration of the molybdenum solvent-extr...
16 The burden of traffic crashes on appalachia: an overlooked health disparity in the region

Statement of Purpose The Appalachian Region (AR) has a higher premature fatality rate than the rest of the United States (US). While disparities related to chronic disease and other health conditions in Appalachia are well-described, an overlooked contributor to premature mortality are traffic crashes. Therefore, there is a need to examine the epidemiology of traffic fatalities in Appalachia and compare to the non-Appalachian US. Methods/Approach We obtained 2013–2017 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the Appalachian and non-Appalachian US by county. To characterize differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties, we calculated population-based fatality rates and rate ratios using multivariate Poisson regression. We also compared differences in crash characteristics using logistic regression. Results For the period 2013–2017, the traffic fatality rate was 22% higher in the AR than in the non-AR (aRR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.21–1.24). Traffic fatality rates were higher across all age groups and genders. Compared to non-Appalachian counties, the AR had higher fatality rates among motor vehicle occupants (aRR: 1.36. 95% CI 1.33–1.38) and motorcyclists (aRR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.11–1.21), but lower rates among non-motorists (aRR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.72–0.79). Appalachian fatalities were more likely to have been in a vehicle >20 years old (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.20–1.36) and to not have been wearing a seatbelt at the time of crash (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.26–1.36); however, fatalities were less likely to have been in an alcohol-involved crash compared to non-Appalachian fatalities (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.63–0.69). Conclusion Appalachia has a higher burden of traffic fatalities than the rest of the US. While more research is needed, potential explanatory factors include vehicle age and lack of seatbelt use. Significance/Contribution to Injury and Violence Prevention Science This is one of the first studies to perform an examination of the epidemiology of Appalachian traffic fatalities.
Funds of Identity and Language Development: The Case of a Syrian Refugee-Background Child.

The aim of this ethnographic study was to trace the English language development of a young boy from Syria (Nate, pseudonym) who relocated to the U.S. at the age of six without any prior exposure t...
Lysine-ketoglutarate reductase and saccharopine dehydrogenase from Arabidopsis thaliana: nucleotide sequence and characterization

We isolated the gene encoding lysine-ketoglutarate reductase (LKR, EC 1.5.1.8) and saccharopine dehydrogenase (SDH, ED 1.5.1.9) from an Arabidopsis thaliana genomic DNA library based on the homology between the yeast biosynthetic genes encoding SDH (lysine-forming) or SDH (glutamate-forming) and Arabidopsis expressed sequence tags. A corresponding cDNA was isolated from total Arabidopsis RNA using RT-PCR and 5′ and 3′ Race. DNA sequencing revealed that the gene encodes a bifunctional protein with an amino domain homologous to SDH (lysine-forming), thus corresponding to LKR, and a carboxy domain homologous to SDH (glutamate-forming). Sequence comparison between the plant gene product and the yeast lysine-forming and glutamate-forming SDHs showed 25% and 37% sequence identity, respectively. No intracellular targeting sequence was found at the N-terminal or C-terminal of the protein. The gene is interrupted by 24 introns ranging in size from 68 to 352 bp and is present in Arabidopsis in a single copy. 5′ sequence analysis revealed several conserved promoter sequence motifs, but did not reveal sequence homologies to either an Opaque 2 binding site or a Sph box. The 3′-flanking region does not contain a polyadenylation signal resembling the consensus sequence AATAAA. The plant SDH was expressed in Escherichia coli and exhibited similar biochemical characteristics to those reported for the purified enzyme from maize. This is the first report of the molecular cloning of a plant LKR-SDH genomic and cDNA sequence.
Global connectivity of the frontoparietal cognitive control network is related to depression symptoms in the general population

We all vary in our mental health, even among people not meeting diagnostic criteria for mental illness. Understanding this individual variability may reveal factors driving the risk for mental illness, as well as factors driving sub-clinical problems that still adversely affect quality of life. To better understand the large-scale brain network mechanisms underlying this variability we examined the relationship between mental health symptoms and resting-state functional connectivity patterns in cognitive control systems. One such system is the frontoparietal cognitive control network (FPN). Changes in FPN connectivity may impact mental health by disrupting the ability to regulate symptoms in a goal-directed manner. Here we test the hypothesis that FPN dysconnectivity relates to mental health symptoms even among individuals who do not meet formal diagnostic criteria but may exhibit meaningful symptom variation. We found that depression symptoms severity negatively correlated with between-network global connectivity (BGC) of the FPN. This suggests that decreased connectivity between the FPN and the rest of the brain is related to increased depression symptoms in the general population. These findings complement previous clinical studies to support the hypothesis that global FPN connectivity contributes to the regulation of mental health symptoms across both health and disease.
CRISPR technologies for precise epigenome editing

The epigenome involves a complex set of cellular processes governing genomic activity. Dissecting this complexity necessitates the development of tools capable of specifically manipulating these processes. The repurposing of prokaryotic CRISPR systems has allowed for the development of diverse technologies for epigenome engineering. Here, we review the state of currently achievable epigenetic manipulations along with corresponding applications. With future optimization, CRISPR-based epigenomic editing stands as a set of powerful tools for understanding and controlling biological function.
Composite measures of pain, anxiety, and depressive (PAD) symptoms: Construct and predictive validity.

Abstract Objective Pain, anxiety, and depression (PAD) are common, co-occurring symptoms that adversely affect one another and may respond to common treatments. PAD composite measures would be useful for tracking treatment response in patients with PAD symptoms. The goal of this study is to compare 3 different PAD composite scales in terms of construct validity, responsiveness, and utility in predicting global improvement. Method The sample consisted of 294 primary care patients enrolled in a telecare trial for treating pain, anxiety, and depression. Assessments at baseline and 3 months included the Brief Pain Inventory, PHQ-9 depression scale, GAD-7 anxiety scale, PROMIS measures, Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form items, disability measures, and patient-reported global improvement. Construct validity of the PAD composite measures, their responsiveness, and their ability to predict global improvement was analyzed using Pearson correlations, standardized response means, and receiver operating characteristics analysis. Results PAD composite measures correlated strongly with one another, and moderately with measures of function, vitality, and disability. Each PAD composite measure demonstrated similar responsiveness in detecting improvement at 3 months as assessed by standardized response means (SRMs) and area under the curve (AUC analyses).The SRMs for partial and substantial global improvement corresponded to moderate (Cohen's d of 0.58 to 0.69) and large (0.81 to 0.93) effect sizes, respectively. Conclusions Three different PAD composite measures demonstrate good construct validity as well as responsiveness in detecting global improvement of pain, anxiety and depression at 3 months.
Macrophage Circadian Rhythms are Differentially Affected Based on Stimuli

Abstract Macrophages are white blood cells of the innate immune system that play disparate roles in homeostasis and immune responses. As a result, they have the capability to alter their phenotypes to pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) subtypes in response to their environment. 8-15% of the macrophage transcriptome has circadian oscillations, including genes closely related to their functioning. As circadian rhythms are also associated with cellular phenotypes, we hypothesized that the polarization of macrophages to opposing subtypes might differently affect their circadian rhythms. We tested this by tracking the circadian rhythms of the mouse model macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, which was stably transfected with Bmal1:luc and Per2:luc reporters, representing a positive and a negative component of the core molecular clock. The strength of rhythmicity was assessed using three measures: the relative power of the circadian band in the power spectral density, the rhythmicity index computed as the height of the third peak of the correlogram, and the maximum value of the chi square periodorgram. The period and amplitudes of the de-trended, smoothed time-series were estimated both by fitting to a damped cosine curve and by identifying the peak and trough of each cycle. M1 polarization decreased amplitudes and rhythmicities of both Bmal1:luc and Per2:luc, but did not significantly affect periods, while M2 polarization increased periods and caused no substantial alterations to amplitudes or rhythmicity. As macrophage phenotypes are also altered in the presence of cancer cells, we then tested the circadian effects of conditioned media from two mouse breast cancer cell lines on macrophage circadian rhythms. Media from highly agressive 4T1 cells caused loss of rhythmicity, while media from less aggressive EMT6 cells yielded no changes. As macrophages are known to play roles in tumors, and oncogenic features are associated with circadian rhythms, we also tested whether conditioned media from macrophages can alter circadian rhythms of cancer cells. We found that conditioned media from RAW 264.7 cells resulted in lower circadian rhythmicities and periods, but higher circadian amplitudes in human osteosarcoma, U2OS-Per2:luc cells. Taken together, our study shows that different circadian characteristics exist based on macrophage phenotypes, and suggests further that there is an association between circadian rhythms and macrophage polarization state. Additionally, our data shows that macrophages treated with breast cancer-conditioned media have circadian phenotypes similar to those of the M1 subtype, and cancer cells treated with macrophage-conditioned media have circadian alterations, providing insight to another level of cross-talk between macrophages and cancer cells that merits further investigation.
Design and Implementation of a Vehicular Cloud Real Time System (VCRTS) Using a Fault-Tolerant Approach

Vehicular Clouds are inherited from the cloud computing concept. Vehicles standing in a parking lot can corporate computing, sensing, communication, and physical resources. Vehicular Clouds were motivated by the realization that present- day vehicles are equipped with powerful onboard computers, powerful transceivers, and an impressive array of sensing devices. As it turns out, most of the time, the computing, storage, and communication resources available in our vehicles are chronically under-utilized. We are putting these resources to work in a meaningful way to provide computation power, which plays an essential role for service providers, transportation systems, health care, and online education in our modern society. Vehicular Clouds provide computation power to users based on a resource- sharing model. In this model, vehicle owners rent out their onboard computation powers to receive incentives in the form of payments or free parking spots. To use this computation power, there should be a way to submit jobs to the system. In this work, we develop a framework for the vehicular cloud to manage the onboard computation resource of the vehicles and computation tasks that users submit. This framework will be available to users in a software system called Vehicular Cloud Real-Time System (VCRTS). Random arrival and departure of vehicles in vehicular clouds can impact the computation nodes’ availability and lead to an interruption in the computation process. We design and implement the VCRTS based on a fault-tolerant approach to prevent interruption in job execution. Our approach uses a redundancy mechanism to handle the random nature of arrival and departure of the vehicles that are used as computation nodes.
Using User-Guided Development to Teach Complex Scientific Tasks Through a Graphical User Interface

As more and more data are collected from the night sky, it becomes increasingly important to be able to analyze the data precisely and quickly by using computer programs. Given the importance of data analysis pipelines for telescopes we have developed a photometric pipeline, Photometry+, for the Great Basin Observatory (GBO), a 0.7-m robotic telescope located in the Great Basin National Park in Nevada. This photometric pipeline takes raw images of the night sky and measures the brightness of a star in the image. Studying the changes in the brightness of a star over time is crucial for learning more about variable objects such as supernovae and binary star systems. Photometry+ focuses on human-computer interaction (HCI) in addition to scientific results. The HCI goals of the proposed pipeline are to create a graphical user interface (GUI) that is easy to use, gives astronomers control of and confidence in the results of the program, and teaches students the process of differential photometry through use. User studies show that Photometry+ achieves these goals, cementing it as a new tool for professional astronomers looking to reduce the time they spend on data analysis while still obtaining publication-quality results and for students looking to learn the process alike. The program is publicly available and while its open source code has been designed for the GBO telescope it is flexible enough for use with data from any observatory.
Organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion: A strategic path forward.

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Purpose To describe an approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy development at a school of pharmacy aimed at stakeholder investment and infrastructure that can address systemic challenges in various healthcare settings. Summary The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy utilized an organizational approach focused on infrastructure to produce a diverse and inclusive school community. The Office of Organizational Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) established vision and mission statements to represent the school's commitment and conducted a comprehensive environmental scan to compose a shared vision. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni participated in a series of retreats, symposiums, and focus groups to identify opportunities to cultivate a diverse and inclusive school community. A working group comprised of key leaders in the school developed and launched a 3-year DEI Strategic Plan along with initiatives and metrics for year 1. The plan's 3 priorities were (1) to recruit and retain diverse talent, (2) to prepare culturally intelligent professionals, and (3) to build an inclusive community. The ODI collaborated with internal and external stakeholders, which included students, faculty, staff, postdocs, alumni, and partners from health systems, industry, and other institutions and organizations, to initiate, implement, and monitor progress through an organizational approach to establish accountability and greater commitment. Conclusion An organizational approach to DEI strategy through stakeholder engagement and infrastructure increased commitment and shared ownership among members of the school community. Applications in an organizational approach can be adapted to multiple healthcare settings to contribute to the cultural transformation necessary to develop a diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce.
Stress selectively reduces sugar+saccharin mixture intake but increases proportion of calories consumed as sugar by rats

Exposure to unsignaled, inescapable tailshock reduces intake of quinine- or saccharin-adulterated water but increases intake of dilute sucrose solution. This pattern suggests that stress may reduce consumption of quinine and saccharin by enhancing their aversive taste properties. The present study provided additional support for this interpretation: Stress reduced intake of a saccharin-adulterated solution of glucose (Experiment 1) or sucrose (Experiment 2) but not of unadulterated sugar solutions. Stress also reduced body weight and total calorie intake, and increased selection of calories in the form of sugar (Experiment 2). These findings are inconsistent with the generalized “anhedonia” concept prominent in the literature on stress-induced changes in ingestion and other motivated behaviors. The selectivity of tailshock’s effects on ingestion encourages further development of an energy-regulation model of stress (the regulatory shift hypothesis), including exploration of the roles that macronutrient accessibility and sugars’ stress-reducing, reinforcing properties might play in the behavior of stressed rats.
Biosynthesis and Distribution of Lipids

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of lipid metabolism in mammalian cells from the point of view of subcellular synthesis, transport, and targeting of lipid. It discusses the available data, which indicate that different subcellular membranes have, to some extent, different lipid compositions. The various biosynthetic pathways of fatty acid and phospholipid biosynthesis are described, with an emphasis on the subcellular locations of the biosynthetic enzymes. The principal product of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in mammalian tissue is palmitic acid. De novo fatty acid biosynthesis takes place in the cytoplasm in a cycle of reactions catalyzed by the multifunctional fatty acid synthetase complex. Fatty acids can be modified by desaturation reactions that introduce cis-double bonds and by elongation reactions that lengthen the fatty acid from the carboxyl end by two carbons per step. The chapter also discusses the possible mechanisms responsible for the transport of lipid between subcellular membranes and the mechanisms by which cells produce and maintain the membranes of different lipid compositions. It describes three intracellular processes, which may be responsible for the transport and sorting of lipid within the cell: (1) synthesis of certain classes of lipid at the membranes in which they are found, (2) transport of lipid by phospholipid transfer proteins, and (3) transport of lipid by a process of membrane flow.
Phenotypic diversity in the alpha C protein of group B streptococci.

Group B streptococci (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. C proteins are an immunologically important group of surface-associated antigens in GBS that remain incompletely characterized. Two C proteins have been designated alpha and beta on the basis of protease susceptibility. We recently used a monoclonal antibody to describe a protective epitope of the GBS alpha (or trypsin-resistant) C protein in the prototype Ia/c GBS strain. In the present study, we examined 51 GBS isolates for expression of C-protein alpha and beta antigens. The alpha antigen, as detected with monoclonal antibody in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) extracts, appears as a heterogeneous series of proteins spaced 8 kDa apart on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but has a maximum molecular mass that varies among strains from 62.5 to 167 kDa. By immunoblotting with human immunoglobulin A, polyclonal antiserum, or monoclonal antibody, the beta antigen, in contrast, appears as a single protein of molecular mass between 124 and 134 kDa. The amount of alpha antigen expressed by each strain was quantified by enzyme immunoassay inhibition and was found to vary markedly from strain to strain. The susceptibility of strains of GBS to opsonization and killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the presence of either complement alone or complement with alpha-specific monoclonal antibody was examined. Strains expressing the alpha antigen were less readily killed in the absence of specific antibody than were alpha-negative strains. Killing in the presence of alpha-specific monoclonal antibody was found to correlate directly with the maximum molecular mass of the alpha antigen and with the quantity of antigen on the bacterial cell surface. Isolates of GBS that express the alpha C protein vary widely in the quantity and molecular mass of the alpha antigen produced, and this heterogeneity appears to have biologic importance. Images