cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Resting Energy Expenditure on Blood Pressure is Independent of Body Mass and a Marker of Sympathetic Tone

Abstract Two recent examinations reported a strong association between blood pressure (BP) and resting energy expenditure (REE), independent of body mass and body composition. Both reports postulate that neurohumoral processes that contribute to variation in REE may partly mediate the body mass effect on BP. Therefore, we examined the relationship of REE and BP in 108 asymptomatic women (a) to confirm previous findings in a novel population and (b) to examine the impact of a marker of sympathetic tone on this relationship, as this was indicated as a potentially salient intermediary in previous reports. All testing was performed during a 4-day admission to the General Clinical Research Center. Resting energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry, body composition was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and 24-hour fractionated urinary norepinephrine was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Multiple linear regression revealed REE as a significant predictor of systolic BP (β = 0.30, P = .04), independent of race (β = 0. 28, P = .01), age (β = −0.02, P = .80), height (β = −0.38, P = .08), fat mass (β = 0.22, P = .20), fat-free mass (β = 0.08, P = .65), and 24-hour fractionated urinary norepinephrine (β = 0.06, P = .57); and the same model using diastolic BP as the dependent variable approached significance (β = 0.24, P = .09). This study affirms previous findings that REE may be a potential mediator in resting BP, independent of many well-cited factors and, additionally, a marker of sympathetic tone.
The Ruggie Rules: Applying Human Rights Law to Corporations

This chapter examines the relationship between John Ruggie's work as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and the evolution of corporate obligations under human rights law. It describes Ruggie's positions: corporations may be liable for committing international crimes; corporations can be complicit in a state violation if they knowledgeably assist in its commission, even if they did not intend the violation to occur; and the state duty to protect does not extend extraterritorially, although states should nevertheless encourage corporations to respect human rights abroad. These positions will help to inform, although they will certainly not end, the ongoing debate over how international law should address corporate abuses of human rights. The debate over the application of human rights law to corporations has never questioned that corporations can have enormous effects on the enjoyment of human rights or that they have been involved in massive human rights abuses. Keywords:human rights law; international crimes; international law; Ruggie; SRSG
Demonstration of 2.5-Gslot/s optically-preamplified M-PPM with 4 photons/bit receiver sensitivity

Photon-efficient optical communications using variable-duty-cycle M-ary pulse-position modulation (M-PPM) with coding is investigated experimentally using a simple, multi-rate nearly quantum-limited receiver with throughputs ranging from 1.25 Gbit/s, in the binary case, to 78 Mbit/s, for M=256.
Evolving real time controls under restructuring

At this time, the only automatic control employed by the control center is the slow generation control to match the changing load (AGC). Several markets for this ancillary service have been tried without changing the control design, but a bilateral market (e.g. for self-service) requires the redesign of the controls. Similarly, the development of a market for voltage control requires new control design. In the case of stability limited systems, some new controllers like special protection schemes (SPS) can help operation that is closer to the limits of the system. In this presentation, we present new ideas on slow real time controls by the control center that can provide frequency and voltage control under market conditions. Also, faster controls utilizing SPS or RAS that can provide better stability control is described.
The Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties of Vancomycin

Vancomycin is one of only a few antibiotics available to treat patients infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species. Therefore, understanding the clinical implications of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of vancomycin is a necessity for clinicians. Vancomycin is a concentration-independent antibiotic (also referred to as a "time-dependent" antibiotic), and there are factors that affect its clinical activity, including variable tissue distribution, inoculum size, and emerging resistance. This article reviews the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data related to vancomycin and discusses such clinical issues as toxicities and serum concentration monitoring.
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN THE LINK BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND FOOD INSECURITY: A CASE STUDY FROM BRAZIL

Food insecurity has traditionally been characterized as a driver of health disparities because of its potential impacts on nutritional status. Food, however, has important social and cultural valences that make it much more than a nutritional vehicle. Recent research that is sensitive to the social meanings of food has drawn attention to the complex and far-reaching mental and social health effects of food insecurity. In this article, we outline several theoretical pathways linking food insecurity to reduced physical and mental well-being, and then present results of a preliminary study in rural Brazil designed to test the relative importance of each of these pathways. Our results tentatively suggest that in this context, food insecurity is closely related to both mental and physical health disparities, but the pathways connecting food insecurity and mental health remain somewhat unclear. We present lessons learned and propose a set of research steps to further address the relationships between the social meaning of food and mental health.
Does Encryption with Redundancy Provide Authenticity

A popular paradigm for achieving privacy plus authenticity is to append some "redundancy" to the data before encrypting. We investigate the security of this paradigm at both a general and a specific level. We consider various possible notions of privacy for the base encryption scheme, and for each such notion we provide a condition on the redundancy function that is necessary and sufficient to ensure authenticity of the encryption-with-redundancy scheme. We then consider the case where the base encryption scheme is a variant of CBC called NCBC, and find sufficient conditions on the redundancy functions for NCBC encryption-with-redundancy to provide authenticity. Our results highlight an important distinction between public redundancy functions, meaning those that the adversary can compute, and secret ones, meaning those that depend on the shared key between the legitimate parties.
The matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-1 acts as a natural mammary tumor promoter

Extracellular matrix-degrading matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are invariably upregulated in epithelial cancers and are key agonists in angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Yet most MMPs are secreted not by the cancer cells themselves, but by stromal cells within and around the tumor mass. Because the stromal environment can influence tumor formation, and because MMPs can alter this environment, MMPs may also contribute to the initial stages of cancer development. Several recent studies in MMP-overexpressing and MMP-deficient mice support this possibility, but have required carcinogens or pre-existing oncogenic mutations to initiate tumorigenesis. Here we review the spontaneous development of premalignant and malignant lesions in the mammary glands of transgenic mice that express an autoactivating form of MMP-3/stromelysin-1 under the control of the whey acidic protein gene promoter. These changes were absent in nontransgenic littermates and were quenched by co-expression of a human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) transgene. Thus by altering the cellular microenvironment, stromelysin-1 can act as a natural tumor promoter and enhance cancer susceptibility.
Profound conformational changes of PED/PEA-15 in ERK2 complex revealed by NMR backbone dynamics.

Abstract PED/PEA-15 is a small, non-catalytic, DED containing protein that is widely expressed in different tissues and highly conserved among mammals. PED/PEA-15 has been found to interact with several protein targets in various pathways, including FADD and procaspase-8 (apoptosis), ERK1/2 (cell cycle entry), and PLD1/2 (diabetes). In this research, we have studied the PED/PEA-15 in a complex with ERK2, a MAP kinase, using NMR spectroscopic techniques. MAP Kinase signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of many cellular functions, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and survival. ERK1/2 are activated by a variety of external stimuli, including growth factors, hormones and neurotransmitters. Inactivated ERK2 is primarily found in the cytosol. Once the ERK/MAPK cascade is initiated, ERK2 is phosphorylated and stimulated, allowing it to redistribute in the cell nucleus and act as a transcription factor. Previous studies have shown that PED/PEA-15 complexes with ERK2 in the cytoplasm and prevents redistribution into the nucleus. Although the NMR structure and dynamics of PED/PEA-15 in the free form have been documented recently, no detailed structural and dynamic information for the ERK2-bound form is available. Here we report NMR chemical shift perturbation and backbone dynamic studies at the fast ps–ns timescale of PED/PEA-15, in its free form and in the complex with ERK2. These analyses characterize motions and conformational changes involved in ERK2 recognition and binding that orchestrate the reorganization of the DED and immobilization of the C-terminal tail. A new induced fit binding model for PED/PEA-15 is proposed.
Aortobifemoral perigraft abscess: Treatment by percutaneous catheter drainage

Abstract There is significant morbidity and mortality associated with infected prosthetic aortic grafts. The preferred method of treatment is excision of the involved graft and revascularization. Percutaneous catheter drainage of abscesses under CT scanning or ultrasound guidance has been shown to be an effective alternative to surgery. This is a case of a patient with a retroperitoneal abscess involving the femoral limb of an aortobifemoral bypass graft, which was successfully treated by percutaneous catheter drainage. In selected high-risk patients this may be a safe alternative to surgical therapy. (J VASC SURG 1988;8:339-43.)
Delayed pulse referencing for cancellation of polychromatic beating noise in grating spectrometry

We use a grating spectrometer with a time resolution of 17.4 μs and a spectral resolution of 5 GHz to analyze a superluminescent source operating near 1350 nm. Polychromatic beating noise is shown to dominate single-shot measurements of the source spectrum; the observed noise level is within 19% of the theoretical beating noise level. By adopting a delayed pulse referencing scheme used previously with wavelength-swept sources, the beating noise is virtually eliminated, allowing spectral measurements limited only by shot noise and camera read noise.
Transient analysis of multiconductor transmission lines with nonlinear loads: Convergence aspects

Multiconductor transmission lines terminated with nonlinear elements are most simply analyzed in the time-domain. For this purpose, an explicit algorithm was introduced earlier for the propagation of voltages and currents on the conductors. The algorithm uses a predictor-corrector scheme for the integration of the nonlinear differential equations at the terminations. In this paper the stability of the numerical scheme is discussed and a criterion for its convergence is derived.
Application of rhizobacteria for induced resistance

This article provides a review of experiments conducted over a six-year period to develop a biological control system for insect-transmitted diseases in vegetables based on induced systemic resistance (ISR) mediated by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Initial experiments investigated the factors involved in treatment with PGPR led to ISR to bacterial wilt disease in cucumber caused by Erwinia tracheiphila. Results demonstrated that PGPR-ISR against bacterial wilt and feeding by the cucumber beetle vectors of E. trachiphiela were associated with reduced concentrations of cucurbitacin, a secondary plant metabolite and powerful beetle feeding stimulant. In other experiments, PGPR induced resistance against bacterial wilt in the absence of the beetle vectors, suggesting that PGPR-ISR protects cucumber against bacterial wilt not only by reducing beetle feeding and transmission of the pathogen, but also through the induction of other plant defense mechanisms after the pathogen has been introduced into the plant. Additional greenhouse and field experiments are described in which PGPR strains were selected for ISR against cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tomato mottle virus (ToMoV). Although results varied from year to year, field-grown tomatoes treated with PGPR demonstrated a reduction in the development of disease symptoms, and often a reduction in the incidence of viral infection and an increase in tomato yield. Recent efforts on commercial development of PGPR are described in which biological preparations containing industrial formulated spores of PGPR plus chitosan were formulated and evaluated for use in a transplant soil mix system for developing plants that can withstand disease attack after transplanting in the field.
Structured Prediction with Relative Margin

In structured prediction problems, outputs are not confined to binary labels; they are often complex objects such as sequences, trees, or alignments. Support Vector Machine (SVM) methods have been successfully extended to such prediction problems. However, recent developments in large margin methods show that higher order information can be exploited for even better generalization. This article first points out a shortcoming of the SVM approach for the structured prediction; an efficient formulation is then presented to overcome the problem. The proposed algorithm exploits the fact that both the minimum and the maximum of quantities of interest are often efficiently computable even though quantities such as mean, median and variance may not be. The resulting formulation produces state-of-the-art performance on sequence learning problems. Dramatic improvements are also seen on multi-class problems.
Effect of ventilation on vascular permeability and cyclic nucleotide concentrations in ischemic sheep lungs

Ventilation during ischemia attenuates ischemia-reperfusion lung injury, but the mechanism is unknown. Increasing tissue cyclic nucleotide levels has been shown to attenuate lung ischemia-reperfusi...
RESTRUCTURING SELLER FINANCING AFTER A SMALL BUSINESS BUYOUT

An option available to a small business owner who wishes to sell his company is to help a buyer with the financing. However, while intent on selling the business, she/he typically does not want to become a supplier of permanent capital. The seller can provide bridge financing until the buyer lines up a permanent capital source. This paper presents an EXCEL algorithm for estimating the amount the buyer must borrow to restructure the bridge loan. The algorithm is set up to minimize the buyer's interest expense while meeting loan covenants a lender imposes. The restructured financing can include a combination of short- and long-term loans in order to take advantage of the lower cost of short-term financing. An example demonstrates how the algorithm works.
Eco-evolutionary factors drive induced plant volatiles: a meta-analysis.

Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) mediate critical ecological functions, but no studies have quantitatively synthesized data published on HIPVs to evaluate broad patterns. We tested three hypotheses that use eco-evolutionary theory to predict volatile induction: feeding guild (chewing arthropods > sap feeders), diet breadth (specialist herbivores > generalists), and selection history (domesticated plants sap feeders), while challenging other commonly held notions (wild > crop). Despite the large number of experiments, we identified several gaps in the existing literature that should guide future investigations.
Disaggregate Analysis of the Inter-Building Effect in a Dense Urban Environment☆

Abstract The built environment contributes significantly to the rapidly growing world energy expenditure. Due to urbanization, buildings will continue to contribute to these escalating trends because of their tighter spatial interrelationships, and the influence of their surrounding micro-environment with respect to their orientations and designs. The concept of the Inter-Building Effect (IBE) was introduced to understand such complex mutual impact within spatially proximal buildings. As an extension and a more nuanced analysis of the IBE, our research sought to disaggregate and quantify the influence of mutual shading and mutual reflection within a network of buildings. A procedure to separately assess the complex interactions that make up the IBE was developed by comparative simulation and analysis in a dynamic simulation environment. We built an urban building network model and conducted cross-regional analysis under different climatological contexts by examining mutual shading only and mutual reflection only, respectively. We found the shading effect played a more significant role in terms of impact on energy consumption. This resulted in substantial variations for the control building's energy consumption when the shading effect was disaggregated from the IBE. The results of the simulations in varying climatological contexts also revealed consistent trends of greater impact on the IBE for shading and reflection in warmer climatic cities. These findings expand and deepen our understanding of the IBE and may help in the search to minimize mutual influences between buildings that lead to increases in energy consumption in urban environments.
Hate-crimes as racial violence: a critique of the exceptional

AbstractViolence on the one hand is taken as something natural and normal. On the other hand, certain violent actions, such as hate-crimes, are portrayed as forms of exceptional violence, while systemic inequalities are rendered ordinary. In this paper, I de-naturalize the concept of violence through a critical evaluation of hate-crimes. I argue that the concept of hate-crimes has been, or is at risk, of being co-opted by a more sustained effort to ignore and downplay racial inequalities in society. Drawing on the philosophical distinction between ‘killing’ and ‘letting die’, I contend that an exclusive focus on individual-based hate-crimes deflects attention from the systemic, structural inequalities of society; and that a narrow conceptualization of violence (as direct, intentional action) conforms to a more expansive neoliberal promotion of a ‘race-blind’ or ‘colour-blind’ criminal justice system.
The Natural Language of Playlists.

We propose a simple, scalable, and objective evaluation procedure for playlist generation algorithms. Drawing on standard techniques for statistical natural language processing, we characterize playlist algorithms as generative models of strings of songs belonging to some unknown language. To demonstrate the procedure, we compare several playlist algorithms derived from content, semantics, and meta-data. We then develop an efficient algorithm to learn an optimal combination of simple playlist algorithms. Experiments on a large collection of naturally occurring playlists demonstrate the efficacy of the evaluation procedure and learning algorithm.
Is cohesion within military units associated with post-deployment behavioral and mental health outcomes?

Abstract Purpose Prior studies suggest that cohesion among members of military units has a positive impact on behavioral and mental health sequelae of combat deployment. However, these studies have not distinguished variation in cohesion across units from variation in perception of cohesion across individuals within units. Methods A sample of U.S. Marines was assessed before and after deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan in 2010 or 2011. Within-group centering was used to distinguish unit-level from individual-level associations of cohesion with four behavioral and mental health outcomes assessed after deployment: alcohol misuse, violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a positive screen for depression. Results Unit-level cohesion is associated positively with alcohol misuse (OR=1.86, 95% CI 1.05–3.29) and negatively with UCMJ violations (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.20–0.83) but not with probable PTSD (OR=1.00, 95% CI 0.60–1.6) or a positive screen for depression (OR=1.00 95% CI 0.58–1.72). Lower perception of cohesion relative to the other members of the same unit is associated with higher likelihood of UCMJ violations, probable PTSD and a positive screen for depression. Limitations Data on all members of the studied units were not available. Conclusions Distinguishing unit-level from individual-level variation in cohesion among military unit members reveals more varied associations with behavioral and mental health outcomes of deployment than have been reported in previous studies, in which these levels have been collapsed. Associations between individual-level variation in cohesion and mental health outcomes may result from pre-existing traits related to both perception of cohesion and risk for psychiatric disorders.
Nematodes and Ornamental Plants

One of the earliest recognized nematode injuries to plants was rootknot nematode injury on ornamental plants.“Nematodes”still brings rootknot to the mind of many growers of ornamental crops, but there are many other types of nematodes found on these plants.
Design and Synthesis of a Multifunctional Probe for Bio-Imaging and Therapeutics

We report the synthesis of CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS (core/shell/shell) quantum dots (QDs) as a fluorescence probe for biological cells, and their functionalization with carbon nanotube (CNT)-retrovirus complexes (labeled with the QDs) to form multi-functional tool with potential applications for cancer therapeutics. A mild method for preparing this QD-CNT-retrovirus complex, which preserves viral function, is reported. Observations and imaging under fluorescence confocal microscope show the expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene and QD uptake in viable cells, indicating that this novel probe is able to enter cells, crossing the natural barrier of the cell membranes. Such multi-functional probes have potential as medical diagnostics and for therapeutics for diseases including cancer. The multifunctional probe is of interest for potentially broad applications – with the quantum dots as the visualization aid, carbon nanotubes as an efficient opto-thermo converter for selective extermination of cells with the help of light irradiation at near-IR range, and the retrovirus as a vehicle for genetic therapy.
Photoactive porous silicon nanopowder.

Bulk processing of porous silicon nanoparticles (nSi) of 50–300 nm size and surface area of 25–230 m2/g has been developed using a combustion synthesis method. nSi exhibits consistent photoresponse to AM 1.5 simulated solar excitation. In confirmation of photoactivity, the films of nSi exhibit prompt bleaching following femtosecond laser pulse excitation resulting from the photoinduced charge separation. Photocurrent generation observed upon AM 1.5 excitation of these films in a photoelectrochemical cell shows strong dependence on the thickness of the intrinsic silica shell that encompasses the nanoparticles and hinders interparticle electron transfer.
Reversible photochemical tuning of net charge separation from contact electrification.

This paper describes the photochemical tuning of net charge that develops from contact electrification. The net charge separation and/or rate of charging of photochromic spiropyran (SP)-containing polymer films can be controlled by irradiation with UV light. The isomerization of the SP form to the more hydrophilic merocyanine (MC) by irradiation with UV light always leads to films that charge more positively than before irradiation. The incorporation of a halogenated comonomer into ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) yields films that charged negatively before irradiation so that a change in sign of the net charge separation of the film could be observed upon irradiation. An important advantage to our photochromic system is that light can be used to tune the charging behavior of the material, with spatial or temporal control of irradiation, leading to films that resist charging. Furthermore, the observed trends can be reversed by the exposure of the SP-containing polymer films to heat or visible...
Clinic-based treatment for opioid dependence: a qualitative inquiry.

Objectives To identify barriers and facilitators to treatment of opioid dependence in primary care clinics. Methods In-depth interviews with 27 New York State clinic directors. Results Stigmatizing attitudes emerged as a major barrier. Respondents often viewed opioid-dependent persons as manipulative, demanding, and disruptive. Commonly cited facilitators were physician training, increased office staffing, and greater mental health, social services, and addictions support. Conclusions Our study reveals attitudinal barriers to address and supportive factors to promote in order to increase the limited availability of office-based treatment of opioid dependence in the United States compared with other countries.
Competing effects of particle and medium inertia on particle diffusion in viscoelastic materials, and their ramifications for passive microrheology.

We analyze the appropriate form for the generalized Stokes-Einstein relation (GSER) for viscoelastic solids and fluids when bead inertia and medium inertia are taken into account, which we call the inertial GSER. It was previously shown for Maxwell fluids that the Basset (or Boussinesq) force arising from medium inertia can act purely dissipatively at high frequencies, where elasticity of the medium is dominant. In order to elucidate the cause of this counterintuitive result, we consider Brownian motion in a purely elastic solid where ordinary Stokes-type dissipation is not possible. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem requires the presence of a dissipative mechanism for the particle to experience fluctuating Brownian forces in a purely elastic solid. We show that the mechanism for such dissipation arises from the radiation of elastic waves toward the system boundaries. The frictional force associated with this mechanism is the Basset force, and it exists only when medium inertia is taken into consideration in the analysis of such a system. We consider first a one-dimensional harmonic lattice where all terms in the generalized Langevin equation---i.e., the elastic term, the memory kernel, and Brownian forces---can be found analytically from projection-operator methods. We show that the dissipation is purely from radiation of elastic waves. A similar analysis is made on a particle in a continuum, three-dimensional purely elastic solid, where the memory kernel is determined from continuum mechanics. Again, dissipation arises only from radiation of elastic shear waves toward infinite boundaries when medium inertia is taken into account. If the medium is a viscoelastic solid, Stokes-type dissipation is possible in addition to radiational dissipation so that the wave decays at the penetration depth. Inertial motion of the bead couples with the elasticity of the viscoelastic material, resulting in a possible resonant oscillation of the mean-square displacement (MSD) of the bead. On the other hand, medium inertia (the Basset force) tends to attenuate the oscillations by the dissipation mechanism described above. Thus competition between bead inertia and medium inertia determines whether or not the MSD oscillates. We find that, if the medium density is larger than $4/7$ of the bead density, the Basset damping will suppress oscillations in the MSD; this criterion is sufficient but not necessary to present oscillations.
The Perceptions of Social Work Junior Faculty About the Relationship Between Scholarship and Various Workload Demands

Junior faculty face greater challenges as a result of time constraints and administrative duties, which may impact their quest for tenure and promotion. Faculty may feel overwhelmed and frustrated by their countless responsibilities, including administrative duties, while tenure and promotion guidelines and requirements appear to be increasing. Using an electronic mailing list populated primarily with social work educators, this Web-based survey explored the perceptions of social work junior faculty regarding their willingness to engage in scholarly activities and their workload demands. The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore the perceptions of untenured and recently tenured social work faculty (n=97) about scholarship expectations, their desires for producing scholarship, and their perceptions about tenure and promotion expectations. The study explored perceived barriers to producing scholarship vis-a-vis workload expectations. The results of the study and strategies for meeting scholarshi...
Operative Recovery of Vasal Sperm From Anejaculatory Men: Preliminary Report

Sperm showing good motility and function, as demonstrated by the in vitro sperm penetration assay using hamster ova, were collected from the vas deferens of 3 men with ejaculatory failure. The collection procedure may be repeated over multiple ovulatory cycles. The sperm may be used to attempt artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.
Therapy-related acute leukemia.

Acute leukemias that arise as a result of treatment with DNA- damaging agents exhibit distinctive molecular, genetic, and clin- ico-pathologic features. In this timely article, the authors dissect the pathogenetic basis of therapy-related leukemias, elucidating important molecular mechanisms through which DNA damage causes these disorders. The authors also discuss how these molecular aberrations translate into specific clinical syndromes, and in addition, point out potential molecular targets for the development of innovative treatment approaches.
Rehabilitation for developmental disabilities

This article describes the role of physical and occupational therapists in the rehabilitation of children with a variety of developmental disabilities. Emphasis has been placed on alerting the pediatrician to the types of assessment and treatments provided in order to encourage early referral of clients.
Treatment of Medically Refractory Essential Tremor

Essential tremor is among the most prevalent neurologic diseases, estimated to affect approximately 7 million persons in the United States alone.1 The primary feature is kinetic tremor, affecting the hands and arms, although tremor may take on other forms (i.e., postural, intentional, and rest tremors), may affect other body regions (i.e., head and voice), and may be accompanied by additional motor features (e.g., gait ataxia) and nonmotor features. Emerging evidence suggests that the disease may be neurodegenerative.2,3 As with other such diseases, effective pharmacotherapies for essential tremor have been elusive. There are few available medications, with the mainstays of . . .
Antimicrobial Resistance And New Antibiotics

Antimicrobial Resistance And New Antibiotics Kevin Outterson and Anthony McDonnell conclude that if designed correctly, exclusivity extension awards could spur significant investments aimed at developing innovative antibiotics, a major public health need given the rise of antimicrobial resistance (May 2016). However, the authors’ efficiency calculation relies on an overly optimistic analysis of the necessary investment. Based on the literature, we estimate that it would cost more than triple the authors’ estimate of $12 billion per decade to develop a pipeline of preclinical drugs that would ultimately lead to fifteen new antibiotics. With our cost input, the interest rate derived by the authors would fall from a range of 29–43 percent to a much more reasonable figure. In addition, with the high risk of failure associated with developing antibiotics, pharmaceutical firms face the real possibility of never receiving an exclusivity extension. This more accurate view of costs and pipeline failures is necessary to design effective policy solutions. The authors also discuss provisions to make exclusivity extensions more efficient. We agree that limiting the potential volatility of the downstream reward warrants further discussion, although terms that limit this reward could easily erode the incentive. Mathematics aside, we agree that exclusivity extension awards, designed properly and deployed as a part of a package of market-based incentives, could be successful in revitalizing antibiotic pipelines and serve as a model for various challenging diseases. Patrick Holmes Pfizer Inc. NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Primary Immunodeficiency in the Adult Population

Primary immunodeficiencies can be clinically important disorders in the adult population and generally present with recurrent, recalcitrant, and/or severe sinopulmonary infections. In particular, common variable immunodeficiency and specific antibody deficiency are relevant. In this chapter, we discuss a common case presentation of each of these immunodeficiencies and include in our discussion the evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment.
Successful and Maladaptive T Cell Aging.

Throughout life, the T cell system adapts to shifting resources and demands, resulting in a fundamentally restructured immune system in older individuals. Here we review the cellular and molecular features of an aged immune system and discuss the trade-offs inherent to these adaptive mechanisms. Processes include homeostatic proliferation that maintains compartment size at the expense of partial loss in stemness and incomplete differentiation and the activation of negative regulatory programs, which constrain effector T cell expansion and prevent increasing oligoclonality but also interfere with memory cell generation. We propose that immune failure occurs when adaptive strategies developed by the aging T cell system fail and also discuss how, in some settings, the programs associated with T cell aging culminates in a maladaptive response that directly contributes to chronic inflammatory disease.
The C-terminal dsRNA-binding domain of Drosophila Dicer-2 is crucial for efficient and high-fidelity production of siRNA and loading of siRNA to Argonaute2

Drosophila Dicer-2 efficiently and precisely produces 21-nucleotide (nt) siRNAs from long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) substrates and loads these siRNAs onto the effector protein Argonaute2 for RNA silencing. The functional roles of each domain of the multidomain Dicer-2 enzyme in the production and loading of siRNAs are not fully understood. Here we characterized Dicer-2 mutants lacking either the N-terminal helicase domain or the C-terminal dsRNA-binding domain (CdsRBD) (ΔHelicase and ΔCdsRBD, respectively) in vivo and in vitro. We found that ΔCdsRBD Dicer-2 produces siRNAs with lowered efficiency and length fidelity, producing a smaller ratio of 21-nt siRNAs and higher ratios of 20- and 22-nt siRNAs in vivo and in vitro. We also found that ΔCdsRBD Dicer-2 cannot load siRNA duplexes to Argonaute2 in vitro. Consistent with these findings, we found that ΔCdsRBD Dicer-2 causes partial loss of RNA silencing activity in vivo. Thus, Dicer-2 CdsRBD is crucial for the efficiency and length fidelity in siRNA production and for siRNA loading. Together with our previously published findings, we propose that CdsRBD binds the proximal body region of a long dsRNA substrate whose 5'-monophosphate end is anchored by the phosphate-binding pocket in the PAZ domain. CdsRBD aligns the RNA to the RNA cleavage active site in the RNase III domain for efficient and high-fidelity siRNA production. This study reveals multifunctions of Dicer-2 CdsRBD and sheds light on the molecular mechanism by which Dicer-2 produces 21-nt siRNAs with a high efficiency and fidelity for efficient RNA silencing.
When is the Time of Slavery? The History and Politics of Slavery in Contemporary Legal Argument

When is the time of slavery? Is slavery a part of our nation's experience best buried in the deep past, or are its echoes still being felt today? Has our nation's trajectory been one of continuous progress from slavery to freedom, or did change happen fitfully and incompletely? And was slavery an institution defined by race, or was race only incidental to its origins and operation? Contemporary debates about racial justice, and in particular about redress for racial injustice, turn not only on moral and practical concerns, but on the answers to these questions. The jurisprudence of affirmative action and reparations draws on competing histories of slavery and its aftermath in the United States. This essay will explore the way histories of slavery have been used in judicial opinions, legal scholarship and popular political tracts arguing over racial justice, affirmative action, and reparations for African Americans. It lays out a taxonomy of conservative and liberal histories of slavery, and suggests the implications and limitations of these historical narratives.
Adhesion Enhancements and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Activity of Ag and Ag@SiO2 Nanoparticle Decorated Ragweed Pollen Microparticle Sensor

A simple solution processed layer-by-layer approach was used to immobilize metal nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of ragweed pollen exine to obtain multifunctional particles with significant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), two-photon excited fluorescence, and enhanced adhesion properties. The rugged pollen exine was functionalized with an amine terminated silane and then treated with Ag or Ag@SiO2 NPs that were electrostatically attached to the exterior of the pollen by incubation in an NP solution of the appropriate pH. Nanoparticle agglomeration on the pollen gives rise to broadband near infrared (NIR) (785–1064 nm) plasmonic activity, and strong SERS signals from benzenedithiol deposited on NP–pollen composite particles were observed. In addition to SERS activity, the AgNP coating provides a twofold increase in the adhesive properties of the RW pollen exine on a silicon substrate, leading to a robust, adhesive, broadband NIR excitable SERS microparticle.
Shame and Shamelessness

What is the relation between shame and shamelessness? It may seem obvious: shamelessness is simply the absence of shame. But on reflection, it becomes clear that the story is considerably more complicated. Michelle Mason's intriguing "On Shamelessness" prompts such reflection (albeit unintentionally). Mason argues that we should be mindful of the "moral importance of shame" and "unapologetic in its defense" (403), and she does so via an examination of shamelessness and an argument to the effect that shamelessness is (with some exceptions) a moral fault. The tacit assumption is that insofar as shamelessness is a moral fault, the value of shame is vindicated. I challenge that assumption.
42 Evidence that a state-wide paid sick leave policy reduces occupational injuries and illnesses

Introduction Unlike almost all other developed countries, paid sick leave is not mandatory for employers in the United States. Several states and municipalities have introduced paid sick leave policies. The first states to introduce such a policy was Connecticut, which passed a law requiring that employers offer ‘service workers’ one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked beginning in 2012. One previous study using a national survey found that workers who had paid sick leave were less likely to sustain nonfatal occupational injuries compared to those without paid sick leave. This study seeks to determine whether there has been a decrease in the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses in Connecticut following the introduction of their paid sick leave policy. Methods Data about the overall rate of occupational illnesses and injuries and occupation and industry specific rates were obtained from the Bureau of Labour Statistics’ Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for Connecticut and compared to rates for the United States overall and five other northeastern states. For all of the states and for the United States, the change in the average annual rate of occupational injuries and illnesses was compared for the four years before and after the introduction of Connecticut’s paid sick leave policy. Results The decline in the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers was greater in Connecticut (17.1%, 95% Confidence Interval=9.5% to 24.6%) than the decline in any of the other states or the United States overall. The percent decline differed by occupation and industry. Conclusion There seems to have been an impact of Connecticut’s paid sick leave policy on the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses pointing to potential additional benefits of these policies. Studying the impact of other states’ paid sick leave policies will be important in the future.
Bounds for the Distribution of # W

The principal result of this chapter is that $${p_p}\{ \# W(v) \geqslant n\} $$ (5,1) decreases exponentially in n, provided certain crossing probabilities are sufficiently small. This is almost the only theorem which works for a general periodic percolation problem in any dimension. No axes of symmetry are required, nor does the graph have to be one of a matching pair. When Theorem 5.1 is restricted to one-parameter problems, then it shows that (5.1) decreases exponentially for p < pT and that in general pT = pS (see (3.62)–(3.65) for definition). In Sect. 5.2 we discuss lower bounds for $${p_p}\{ \# W(v) = n\} $$ (5,2) when p is so large that percolation occurs. In the one-parameter case this is the interval pH < p ≤ 1. It turns out that (5.2), and hence (5.1) does not decrease exponentially in this domain.
Figure-Ground Problem for Sound

The impossible tuning fork is a good example of a figure-ground optical illusion. Tracing the body of the tuning fork leads to the background. What is figure and what is ground?
Human β-GIucuronidase. II. Fate of Infused Human Placental β-Glucuronidase in the Rat

Summary: Human placental β-glucuronidase could be identified in rat organs by beating organ extracts to 65° which selectively inactivated endogenous rat enzyme. Infused enzyme was rapidly cleared from rat plasma (t0.5 of 3.5 min). From 50–60% of the infused dose was accounted for in rat liver and spleen 24 hr after infusion. Removal of abdominal viscera, including the spleen, and interruption of the portal circulation before infusion slowed the plasma disappearance (t0.5 of 60 min) and allowed significant uptake by bone and other organs. Subcellular fractionation of liver 18 hr postinfusion localized the human enzyme in the mitochondrial-lysosomal fraction. The half-disappearance times of infused human enzyme were 2.6 days in rat liver and 5.8 days in rat spleen. Periodate treatment of human placental β-glucuronidase destroyed 90% of its binding to concanavalin A-Sepharose, reduced its heat stability, and abolished its rapid clearance from rat plasma after infusion. Speculation: Experiments with the rat model for evaluation of the uptake, distribution, intracellular localization, and metabolic fate of infused human β-glucuronidase can provide a number of answers about enzyme replacement therapy that could not be obtained easily by human experimentation. The experiments presented suggest that placental β-glucuronidase is cleared predominantly by organs with significant reticuloendothelial components. The clearance mechanism appears to recognize the carbohydrate structure of the enzyme, but may recognize carbohydrate components different from those responsible for enzyme uptake by fibroblasts. Delineation of the cell-specific receptors responsible for organ-specific localization of native and modified human enzymes such as β-glucuronidase may be important to developing a rational basis for enzyme replacement thereapy in lysosomal storage disease.
Introduction: The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Urologic Malignancy

Progress in the treatment of patients with cancers of the uroepithelium has been the result of both technologic and conceptual advances. Computerized tomographic scans, intensive post-operative management, radiation implants, and other technologic advances have been combined with a better understanding of phenomena such as downstaging in bladder cancer and the biologic variability of prostate cancer. This progress has been nourished by the longstanding multidisciplinary effort of surgeons and radiation therapists. This interaction has led to a better definition of the uses and limitations of each discipline in cancer of the testis, prostate, penis, bladder, and kidney. Recent advances in chemotherapy have lead to the integration of the medical oncologist into this multidisciplinary effort.
The Roche Coordinates in three dimensions and their application to problems of double-star astronomy

In a preceding paper (Kopal, 1969; in what follows referred to as Paper I) we introduced a new system of curvilinear coordinates-hereafter referred to as Roche Coordinates — in which spheres of constant radius in spherical polars have been replaced by surfaces of constant potential of a rotating gravitational dipole; while the angular coordinates are orthogonal to the equipotentials. In Paper I we established an explicit form of such a transformation, and related the Roche coordinates with polar coordinates (with which they coalesce in the immediate neighbourhood of each one of the two finite mass-points) in the plane case. The aim of the present investigation will be to generalize the definition of the Roche coordinates to three dimensions.
Design and Implementation of the Interprofessional Education Passport Curriculum in a Multi-campus University with Distance Learners

The Interprofessional Education (IPE) Passport is an innovative curricular model that addresses the needs of learners across seven health professions to meet discipline-specific IPE accreditation requirements. In addition, the IPE Passport capitalized on existing grassroots IPE activities and developed a process for reviewing and approving IPE activities in alignment with IPE accreditation requirements. The approval process was structured to ensure alignment with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s Core Competencies. In 10 months, 50 Passport activities were reviewed and 47 were approved. All activities assess at least three Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies and 66% assess all four. In year 1, over 30 activities were successfully implemented, 11 of which included distance learners. The complexities of ensuring positive outcomes, confounded by the need to drive culture change, led to a model that meets the needs of many learners in a variety of settings. The intent of this manuscript is to describe the lessons and challenges learned in designing and implementing the IPE Passport in response to meet the diverse IPE needs.
The on-board carbon dioxide concentrations and ventilation performance in passenger cabins of US domestic flights

Billions of people travel on airplanes every year, making the aircraft cabin a critical environment to understand with regard to public health. The main control over indoor environmental quality in...