cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and characterization of cis- and trans-2,3-epoxybutane-1,4-diol 1,4-bisphosphate, potential affinity labels for enzymes that bind sugar bisphosphates

Abstract cis- and trans-2,3-Epoxybutane-1,4-diol 1,4-bisphosphate, which can be considered reactive analogs of several sugar bisphosphates, have been synthesized in a continuing effort to develop new and diverse affinity labeling reagents for enzymes which bind phosphorylated substrates. cis-2,3-Epoxybutane-1,4-diol was obtained by epoxidation of commercially available cis-2-butene-1,4-diol with m-chloroperbenzoic acid; the trans epoxide was obtained by reduction of 2-butyne-1,4-diol with LiAlH4 followed by epoxidation with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. The diols were phosphorylated with diphenyl chlorophosphate, and the phenyl blocking groups were then removed by Pt-catalyzed hydrogenation. By the criterion of their reaction with the sulfhydryl group of glutathione, the phosphorylated epoxides are 6000 times less electrophilic than the previously described and structurally similar reagent 3-bromo-1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 1,4-bisphosphate.
Experimental observation of a codimension-two bifurcation in a binary fluid mixture.

Heat-transport measurements in a normal-fluid $^{3}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}^{4}$He mixture contained in a porous medium and heated from below show a bifurcation to steady or oscillatory flow, depending on the mean temperature. With increasing Rayleigh number R the oscillatory state is entered via a forward Hopf bifurcation with frequency ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{\mathrm{c}}$g0. As the stationary bifurcation is approached by change of the mean temperature, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{\mathrm{c}}$ vanishes. With increasing R, the oscillatory state terminates with vanishing frequency and finite amplitude in a hysteretic bifurcation to a steady state. Those observations agree with recent theoretical predictions.
A liability theory of disease: the foundation of cell population pathology

Abstract Within a homogeneous population of cells, the tendency of individual cells to become diseased is not ‘homogeneous’. As a general concept of disease, the ‘liability theory’ describes such a tendency (cell liability) as a quantitative characteristic following a continuous distribution. This suggests that there are always some cells that are more liable than the rest and that the liability values of cells or liability-associated cell characteristics can be assessed quantitatively. By defining the more or extremely liable cells through a critical value or ‘threshold’, the liability theory hypothesizes that these cells may play a significant role in determining or affecting the overall disease liability of a cell population; the more such cells are present, the more liable the cell population is, as a whole, to disease. Furthermore, it proposes that the origin and development of disease may be fundamentally relevant to this kind of intrapopulational variation in cell liability. The liability theory attempts to provide a theoretical framework for studying the ‘cell population’ mechanism of disease, or cell population pathology. Also, it may serve as a working model for analysis and assessment of cell population liabilities for various diseases.
Developmental apraxia: Diagnostic considerations

This study compares the performance of developmentally apraxic children with that of children who have functional articulation disorders on a battery of diagnostic tests. Based on preliminary data, tests which assess auditory attention, auditory discrimination, auditory memory, oral-tactile feedback, and isolated and sequenced volitional oral movements appear to be useful in a differential diagnosis of articulatory defective children and, thus, warrant further study. Implications of these findings are discussed.
The Selection and Management of Turkey Breeders

Abstract THE principal financial return from a flock of turkeys is from the sale of the carcasses rather than the sale of market eggs. As a result the basis of selection of turkey breeders has been different from the methods employed with chickens. In the past the selection has been based almost entirely upon trueness to standard type and color as described by the American Standard of Perfection or else trueness to the market type preferred by the breeder. Both trueness to standard and to an ideal market type are important but will not be discussed in this paper. However, in addition to the above mentioned considerations, the successful turkey breeder should consider those factors which will give him poults at the lowest possible cost. In the final analysis the most ideal turkey breeder is that bird which will produce the largest number of healthy, vigorous poults bred to develop the . . .
Modelling protein functional domains in signal transduction using Maude

Modelling of protein-protein interactions in signal transduction is receiving increased attention in computational biology. This paper describes recent research in the application of Maude, a symbolic language founded on rewriting logic, to the modelling of functional domains within signalling proteins. Protein functional domains (PFDs) are a critical focus of modern signal transduction research. In general, Maude models can simulate biological signalling networks and produce specific testable hypotheses at various levels of abstraction. Developing symbolic models of signalling proteins containing functional domains is important because of the potential to generate analyses of complex signalling networks based on structure-function relationships.
Significance of medicare and medicaid programs for the practice of medicine

The 1965 legislation that established Medicare and Medicaid declared that the Federal Government would not interfere in clinical medicine. Despite the original intent, Medicare and Medicaid have had tremendous influence on medical practice. In this article, we focus on four policy areas that illustrate the influence of CMS (and its predecessor agencies) on medical practice. We discuss the implications of the relationship between CMS and clinical medicine and how this relationship has changed over time. We conclude with thoughts about potential future efforts at CMS.
Sex differences in the contribution of nicotine and nonpharmacological stimuli to nicotine self-administration in rats

Sex differences have been reported for the impact of nicotine and nonpharmacological cues on smoking. While nonpharmacological environmental stimuli have also been shown to influence nicotine self-administration in rats, there have been no attempts to examine the impact of sex differences in the contributions of nicotine and nondrug stimuli to this behavior. This experiment investigated sex differences in operant responding for nicotine in rats when drug infusions were delivered either in the absence of, or in combination with, a nonpharmacological stimulus. Initially, male and female rats acquired self-administration for nicotine alone across a range of doses (0.03, 0.06, and 0.15 mg kg−1 inf−1, freebase). After stable acquisition, nicotine infusions were combined with a weakly reinforcing, compound visual stimulus. While there was no overall effect of dose on active lever responding for nicotine in the absence of the visual stimulus, female rats responded more on the reinforced lever than males at 0.06 and 0.15 mg kg−1 inf−1 on an FR5 schedule. However, they also showed increased responding on the nonreinforced lever compared to males at the same doses. Combining nicotine infusions with the visual stimulus doubled responding compared to nicotine alone at 0.03 and 0.06, but not at 0.15 mg kg−1 inf−1: this effect was significantly greater for female rats. These data highlight the prominent contribution of nonpharmacological stimuli to nicotine-reinforced behavior across a range of doses in both male and female rats. They also reveal sex differences in operant responding for nicotine under conditions where a nonpharmacological stimulus is either absent, or combined with drug delivery.
Plant water stress and gall formation (Cecidomyiidae: Asphondylia spp.) on creosote bush.

Abstract. 1. Populations of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata (DC) Coville), were studied in Arizona to determine whether associated gallformers (Cecidomyiidae: Asphondylia spp.) were more abundant on water-stressed or nonstressed plants. Gall densities were measured along a steep elevational gradient that extended from mesic, higher elevations to lower elevations in the desert; and in the Grand Canyon where severely water-stressed and relatively unstressed plants occurred adjacently. At the Grand Canyon site, the responses of creosote bush to water stress were also studied. 2. The number and densities of Asphondylia species increased both at lower elevations and locally on water-stressed plants in the Grand Canyon, indicating that climatic and local conditions influence gallformer abundance in the same way. 3. Five of the eight Asphondylia species studied at the Grand Canyon site were more abundant on stressed plants, two species were more abundant on nonstressed plants and one species showed no preference for either plant type. 4. Densities of most species on stressed plants were positively correlated with the number of meristematic terminals per branch, which were more numerous on stressed plants, due to a bushier architecture. Flower gallformers were more abundant on nonstressed plants, which produced more flowers. Gall densities did not correlate with chemistry measurements, although these parameters also varied with level of stress. 5. These results suggest that gallforming species respond variably to plant stress, even within a closely-related lineage, and that there are effects of stress on plants, including architectural changes, that may be more important to herbivores than biochemical effects emphasized by White (1984) and others.
Parametric Diffuse Optical Imaging in Reflectance Geometry

Diffuse optical imaging (DOI) is a model-based technique used for noninvasive characterization of subsurface tissue function and structure. Compared to more common transmission geometries, reflectance DOI has the advantage of being portable and easily implemented in a clinical setting. However, reflectance measurements are generally not compatible with conventional DOI image reconstruction methods because they typically provide a limited number of unique tissue views. In this paper, we describe a fast and reliable DOI image reconstruction method based on parameterization of tissue and tumor optical contrast, using physiological a priori knowledge. The reconstruction method is formulated within the general Bayesian inversion framework and is capable of handling both model and measurement errors. Simulations are carried out to illustrate the application of this approach, using a limited number of source-detector combinations. It is also shown that parametric reflectance DOI is robust to model misspecifications and measurement noise.
Fulminant EBV+ T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder following acute/chronic EBV infection: a distinct clinicopathologic syndrome

This study describes the clinicopathologic features of 5 patients who developed a fulminant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive clonal T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) after acute EBV infection. One additional patient developed a similar disorder in the setting of long-standing chronic active EBV infection. Detailed immunophenotyping, in situ hybridization for EBV early RNA-1 (EBER1) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses for immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain and T-cell receptor (TCR)-gamma gene rearrangements were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue from all patients. In addition, EBV strain typing and detection of the characteristic 30-bp deletion of the latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) gene were performed by PCR. Controls included 8 cases of uncomplicated infectious mononucleosis (IM). Patients included 4 males and 2 females with a median age of 18 years (2-37 years). Three patients were Mexican, 2 were white, and 1 was of Asian descent. All presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia; 5 were previously healthy, but had a clinical history of a recent viral-like upper respiratory illness (1 week to 2 months), and 1 patient had documented chronic active EBV infection for 7 years. Serologic data for EBV were incomplete but titers were either negative or only modestly elevated in 3 cases. In 1 case serology was consistent with severe chronic active EBV infection. In the remaining 2 cases serologic studies were not performed. All patients died within 7 days to 8 months of presentation with T-cell LPD. On histologic examination, the liver and spleen showed prominent sinusoidal and portal lymphoid infiltrates of CD3(+), beta F1(+), EBER1(+) T cells lacking significant cytologic atypia. Two cases were CD4(+), 2 cases were CD8(+), and 2 cases had admixed CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells without clear subset predominance. All were TIA-1(+), CD56(-). Only rare B cells were noted. Marked erythrophagocytosis was present. Molecular analysis revealed identical T-cell clones in 2 or more sites (liver, spleen, lymph node) in 5 cases. All patients carried type A EBV; 4 cases had wild-type EBV-LMP, and 2 showed the 30-bp deletion. This fulminant T-cell LPD after acute/chronic EBV infection is characterized by hepatosplenomegaly, often without significant lymphadenopathy, fever, liver failure, pancytopenia, and erythrophagocytosis indicative of a hemophagocytic syndrome. EBV serology may be misleading, with lack of elevated titers. The presence of an EBER1(+) T-cell infiltrate with scant B cells should alert one to this diagnosis. Although cytologic atypia is minimal, studies for T-cell clonality confirm the diagnosis. (Blood. 2000;96:443-451)
Motivation as a Predictor of Therapeutic Engagement in Mandated Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

Studies of community-based substance abuse treatment indicate that motivation for treatment is critical for retaining clients in the program and for their becoming therapeutically engaged in the re...
Tamoxifen or Raloxifene in Postmenopausal Women for Prevention of Breast Cancer: A Tale of Two Choices—Counterpoint

Postmenopausal women 50 years or older with an estimated 5-year Gail model breast cancer risk of >1.66% or prior history of lobular carcinoma in situ now have two choices of prevention drug therapy: approved by the Food and Drug Administration for breast cancer risk reduction tamoxifen and
Constructing "not implausible" climate and economic scenarios for Egypt

A space of “not-implausible” scenarios for Egypt's future under climate change is defined along two dimensions. One depicts representative climate change and climate variability scenarios that span the realm of possibility. Some would not be very threatening. Others portend dramatic reductions in average flows into Lake Nassar and associated increases in the likelihood of year to year shortfalls below critical coping thresholds; these would be extremely troublesome, especially if they were cast in the context of increased political instability across the entire Nile Basin. Still others depict futures along which relatively routine and relatively inexpensive adaptation might be anticipated. The ability to adapt to change and to cope with more severe extremes would, however, be linked inexorably to the second set of social–political–economic scenarios. The second dimension, defined as “anthropogenic” social/economic/political scenarios describe the holistic environment within which the determinants of adaptive capacity for water management, agriculture, and coastal zone management must be assessed.
Continuous laser-excited photothermal spectrometry of CdSxSe1-x doped glasses.

Photothermal lens measurements and finite element modeling are used to examine the physical changes taking place in optical filter glasses. Colored glass and neutral density filters are found to have a strong positive temperature-dependent refractive index change. The overall positive refractive index change is thought to be a consequence of complex counteracting factors: stress-induced birefringence, polarizability, structural network, and temperature-dependent carrier density changes in the CdSxSe1–x microcrystals that produce optical properties of these glasses. Finite element analysis (FEA) modeling is used to examine the temperature profiles and the goodness of the semi-infinite thermal diffusion solution normally used for thermal lens experiments. The results of FEA were used to optimize experimental parameters and calculate values of dn/dT for the glass by comparison with standard liquid samples.
Orbital Resonances in the Solar System

Orbital resonances are defined as any system of two or more satellites (including planets) orbiting the same primary and whose orbital mean motions are in a ratio of small whole numbers. Known orbital resonances in the solar system are identified, including those involving Jupiter's satellites Io, Europa, and Ganymede; Saturn's satellites Mimas and Tethys, Enceladus and Dione, and Titan and Hyperion; Saturn's ring gaps and Mimas; various asteroids and Jupiter; and the planets Neptune and Pluto. The stability of orbital resonances is examined, the origin of orbital commensurabilities is investigated, and a simple model of the simplest kind of eccentricity-type resonance is outlined. A method is described by which tides carry a noncommensurate pair of satellites into a stable libration, and current ideas concerning the formation of the gaps in Saturn's rings and the asteroid belt are discussed. Various approaches to the analysis of orbital resonances are laid out and illustrated. Three two-body commensurabilities in Saturn's satellite system are analyzed numerically.
Varied climatic and topographic influences on Late Pleistocene mountain glaciation in the western United States

The timing of Late Pleistocene mountain glacier fluctuations varied widely across the western United States. Glaciers in the maritime Olympic Mountains reached local maxima 125-60 ka and 34-31 ka, and were far less extensive during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Glaciers in the Cascade Mountains showed a similar general pattern but with contrasts in detailed timing. Most mountain glacier systems further inland exhibited maximum ice extent during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2. In the Wallowa, Wind River, and possibly the Sawtooth Mountains, maximum ice extent occurred ca. 20-23 ka. Mountain glacier systems of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (Puget Lobe), greater Yellowstone region and Uinta Mountains reached maximum extent ca. 19-16 ka, and those in the Wallowa, Sawtooth and Wind River Ranges were at near-maximum positions ca. 17 ka. The variable timing of maximum and near-maximum ice advances appears to be related to climatic setting and glacier mass balance characteristics. Mountain glacier systems under the strongest maritime influences reached maximum extent at times of strong westerly atmospheric flow. Olympic and Cascades glaciers appear to have been negatively influenced by weakened westerly flow at the time of the global LGM, perhaps associated with ice-sheet-induced anticyclonic flow. Glacier systems with maximum advances correlative with the global LGM appear to have responded more strongly to depressed temperature. The ca. 17 ka ice advances of several glacier systems are broadly correlative with Heinrich Event 1 in the North Atlantic region, and imply a cooling event and reinvigoration of moisture transport into the region. Post-LGM advances of Uinta Mountain glaciers appear to have arisen from moisture influences of pluvial Lake Bonneville. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The technical writer's problem space: a survey of strategies and attitudes

The author compares novice and experienced professional writers in an attempt to understand their problem solving activities as they create technical manuals. She addresses 21 questions from a survey administered to the IBM Information Development community in Kingston, New York. She outlines three main activities that writers engage in during the writing process: generating ideas, organizing ideas and translating ideas into text. Within each of these main activities, the goals, constraints, and actions of writers are discussed. >
System level design as applied to CMU wearable computers

The paper describes a system level design approach to the wearable computers project at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The project is an unique example of a cross-disciplinary project, drawing students from mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and industrial design. The students learn about design theory and practice, participate in research, create and deliver wearable computer products to sponsors. Over the last five and half years that the course has been taught teams of undergraduate and graduate students have designed and fabricated fourteen new generations of wearable computers, using an evolving artifact-specific, multidisciplinary design methodology. Between the first and last generation, the electronic functionality has increased by a factor of three, the number of mechanical features has increased by a factor of 10, and the software complexity has increased by a factor of 25 while the total design effort measured in hours has increased by less than a factor of two.
Multiple ways to incorporate Oracle's database and tools into the entire curriculum

It is not uncommon for students to view the curriculum as pieces instead of an integrated whole. This can hinder them from applying knowledge learned previously in one course to the course they are currently taking. In addition there are a number of recurring concepts in computer science that students need to recognize. The concepts associated with the management of large amounts of information is one such area.
A phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of escalating doses of fixed rate and escalating infusion duration of gemcitabine given via an intrahepatic pump for patients with hepatic metastases

14035 Background: Gemcitabine (Gem) is an attractive chemotherapeutic agent for hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) because of its broad-spectrum anti-tumor activity, high systemic clearance, and possi...
Measurement and calculation of angular scatter change in mitochondria during calcium overload

Angular changes in light scatter from mitochondria are quantified in situ during calcium injury. The measured scatter changes resulting from calcium-induced mitochondrial rounding are compared to theoretical predictions of light scatter from ellipsoids and spheres.
Secondary Organic Aerosol Production from Aqueous Reactions of Atmospheric Phenols with an Organic Triplet Excited State

Condensed-phase chemistry plays a significant role in the formation and evolution of atmospheric organic aerosols. Past studies of the aqueous photoformation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) have largely focused on hydroxyl radical oxidation, but here we show that triplet excited states of organic compounds (3C*) can also be important aqueous oxidants. We studied the aqueous photoreactions of three phenols (phenol, guaiacol, and syringol) with the aromatic carbonyl 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (DMB); all of these species are emitted by biomass burning. Under simulated sunlight, DMB forms a triplet excited state that rapidly oxidizes phenols to form low-volatility SOA. Rate constants for these reactions are fast and increase with decreasing pH and increasing methoxy substitution of the phenols. Mass yields of aqueous SOA are near 100% for all three phenols. For typical ambient conditions in areas with biomass combustion, the aqueous oxidation of phenols by 3C* is faster than by hydroxyl radical, although ra...
Analysis on Reasonableness of the Collection of Usufructuary Fee for Woodland:Case Study of Yong′an City

Based on collective forest land property rights reform in the South of China, in light of the actual research data and related theory, this paper analyzes the reasonableness and necessity of collecting, verifies the role of the forest land use fee by econometric model and explores of its deep-seated reasons. The paper clarifies that as guarantee of clearly-established forest resource property rights the forest land usufructuary fee has changed expected income among the property rights owners of forest resources and encouraged the forest owners to protect forest resources and the usufructs owners to increase forestry production.
Methodological and empirical considerations in assessing the validity of psychoanalytic theories of hypnosis.

After a brief discussion of psychoanalytic theories of hypnosis, I have reviewed relevant experimental literature to assess the validity of the theories and examined the methodological issues central to appropriate research design in this area as a way to evaluate past research and to suggest future areas of study. I have concluded that most research on psychoanalytic constructs in hypnosis has been methodologically inadequate; and although certain psychoanalytic constructs (e.g., adaptive regression, transference) can be useful for an understanding of the hypnotic experiences of subgroups of individuals, past theories are not supported by available data.
Rise of Managed Care in the USA: Lessons for Dentistry

Since the 1960s, the USA has experienced rapid growth in national health care expenditures, outpacing growth in other sectors of the economy. As a result, the late 1970s experienced a rise in the use of mechanisms designed to control the cost and utilization of health care. These mechanisms have come to be known as managed care. Various models of managed care have used different approaches to contain costs and improve health care quality, including capitation payments, restricted provider networks, and, more recently, financial incentives to reduce cost and improve health outcomes. In dentistry during the past two decades, the majority of the payment system has moved from primarily fee-for-service to one model of managed care called Dental Preferred Provider Organizations (DPPOs), which now accounts for more than 80 % of the market share for commercial plans. Despite a lack of recent growth in national expenditures for dental care, dentistry will need to become increasingly involved in new types of managed care due to emphasis on reducing costs and improving health care quality in the US health care system as a whole.
Examination of the Involvement of Cholinergic-Associated Genes in Nicotine Behaviors in European and African Americans

Introduction Cigarette smoking is a physiologically harmful habit. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are bound by nicotine and upregulated in response to chronic exposure to nicotine. It is known that upregulation of these receptors is not due to a change in mRNA of these genes, however, more precise details on the process are still uncertain, with several plausible hypotheses describing how nAChRs are upregulated. We have manually curated a set of genes believed to play a role in nicotine-induced nAChR upregulation. Here, we test the hypothesis that these genes are associated with and contribute risk for nicotine dependence (ND) and the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD). Methods Studies with genotypic data on European and African Americans (EAs and AAs, respectively) were collected and a gene-based test was run to test for an association between each gene and ND and CPD. Results Although several novel genes were associated with CPD and ND at P < 0.05 in EAs and AAs, these associations did not survive correction for multiple testing. Previous associations between CHRNA3, CHRNA5, CHRNB4 and CPD in EAs were replicated. Conclusions Our hypothesis-driven approach avoided many of the limitations inherent in pathway analyses and provided nominal evidence for association between cholinergic-related genes and nicotine behaviors. Implications We evaluated the evidence for association between a manually curated set of genes and nicotine behaviors in European and African Americans. Although no genes were associated after multiple testing correction, this study has several strengths: by manually curating a set of genes we circumvented the limitations inherent in many pathway analyses and tested several genes that had not yet been examined in a human genetic study; gene-based tests are a useful way to test for association with a set of genes; and these genes were collected based on literature review and conversations with experts, highlighting the importance of scientific collaboration.
Impact of Quantization Noise on the Quality of Ultrasonic Signal Deconvolution

In materials characterization, a material’s transfer function is calculated from experimental data. Sometimes, the transfer function of the measurement device, such as an ultrasonic transducer, must be known for this calculation. One of the common methods of obtaining a material transfer function is to measure an elastic waveform before and after it propagates through a material. Then, the transfer function is calculated by deconvolving the two waveforms. We illustrate this process in Fig. 1, where two transducers are placed with a section of plate material between them. The material transfer function is measured by deconvolving the signal at the first transducer from the signal at the second identical transducer. Ideally, this deconvolution would remove the transducer effects. Likewise, if the transducers were placed at the same location (d=0), the transfer function of one transducer could be calculated using a reference transducer.
Evaluation of the Prostatitis Patient

Category III chronic prostatitis (CP), or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), is one of the most prevalent and morbid conditions in urology, and has significant impact on a patient's physical, mental, and even financial well-being. In the past, the evaluation and treatment of the man with CP/CPPS has been hindered by lack of knowledge regarding the etiology and pathogenesis of the syndrome. Moreover, the wide spectrum of clinical findings and lack of objective criteria in CPPS can make it difficult to identify a patient with the disease. However, through the collaborative efforts of many investigators and the National Institutes of Health, CPPS has become better understood, resulting in the development of evidence-based investigative procedures and therapies able to tackle the significant health problem posed by CP/CPPS. In this chapter, we will review the means by which a patient with suspected CP/CPPS can be efficiently and accurately evaluated, because misdiagnosis can lead to the omission or delay of potentially therapeutic interventions.
Center conductor diagnostic for multipactor detection in inaccessible geometries

Electron collecting current probes are the most reliable diagnostic of multipactor and radiofrequency (RF) ionization breakdown; however, stand-alone probes can only be used in test setups where the breakdown region is physically accessible. This paper describes techniques for measuring multipactor current directly on the center conductor of a coaxial RF device (or more generally, on the signal line in any two-conductor RF system) enabling global multipactor detection with improved sensitivity compared to other common diagnostics such as phase null, third harmonic, and reflected power. The center conductor diagnostic may be AC coupled for use in systems with a low DC impedance between the center conductor and ground. The effect of DC bias on the breakdown threshold was studied: in coaxial geometry, the change in threshold was <1 dB for positive biases satisfying VDC/VRF0<0.8, where VRF0 is the RF voltage amplitude at the unperturbed breakdown threshold. In parallel plate geometry, setting VDC/VRF0<0.2 was...
Variation of Both Blood Group H and ABO Glycans Is Associated with VWF Levels

Abstract 3314 ABO(H) is a carbohydrate blood group system primarily expressed on red cells, blood vessels, and mucosal surfaces. ABO blood group is known to influence von Willebrand Factor (VWF) levels, with low VWF associated with blood group O and increased diagnosis of von Willebrand Disease. Conversely, non-O blood group is associated with high VWF levels, and both non-O blood group and high VWF are associated with thrombotic vascular disease. We sought to characterize VWF levels relative to ABH glycan phenotypes in 1129 individuals from a healthy sibling cohort, the Genes and Blood Clotting Cohort (GABC). VWF:Ag levels were determined by AlphaLISA (Perkin Elmer) in platelet poor plasma. ABH forensic techniques were adapted to samples of RBC-rich, frozen buffy coat in the study repository. In brief, buffy coat fractions were diluted in TBS, applied to nitrocellulose, and A and B glycans detected using murine monoclonal anti-A (Immucor) or murine monoclonal anti-B (Immucor) followed by and streptavidin-conjugated donkey anti-mouse IgG HRP (Jackson ImmunoResearch). A biotinylated Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA lectin, Vector Labs) was used to detect H, followed by streptavidin-HRP. Blots were imaged using ImageQuant (GE) and scored semi-quantitatively for glycan density by two blinded independent observers using reference buffy coats from normal blood donors. ABO blood group frequencies were similar to that of the U.S. population (O=40%, A=42%, B=12%, AB=6%). Also consistent with previous reports, VWF:Ag levels varied significantly between ABO blood groups (O p p In summary, ABH glycan variation may impact VWF in a more complex fashion than previously suspected. Although these data are limited to semi-quantitative analyses by the heterogeneous nature of RBC-rich buffy coat, our findings are consistent with expectations for major ABO blood group frequencies and show that variation of RBC rich-buffy coat ABH glycan density within and between ABO blood groups correlates with VWF:Ag level. This work also suggests a previously unsuspected association between VWF and variation in H antigen, which we hypothesize may be due to variation in the FUT genes or other loci affecting H glcosylation patterns. Further work to characterize the complexity of the ABH carbohydrate system and its genetic determinants is warranted to better understand the impact of ABH subtypes on VWF and vascular phenotypes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Volumetric Analysis of Extent of Resection, Survival, and Surgical Outcomes for Insular Gliomas.

Background Insular gliomas are challenging tumors to surgically resect owing to the anatomy surrounding them. This study evaluates the role of extent of resection (EOR) and molecular markers in surgical outcome and survival for insular gliomas. Methods Seventy-four patients who had undergone initial resection for insular glioma by the same surgeon between 2006 and 2016 were analyzed. Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) (grade II) and high-grade gliomas (HGGs) (grade III/IV) were analyzed for the prognostic role of volumetric EOR and molecular markers in patient survival outcomes. Results The cohort included 25 patients with LGGs (33.8%) and 49 patients with HGGs (66.2%). Median EOR was 91.7% (range, 10%–100%). New permanent postoperative deficits were found in 2.7% of patients. Patients with LGGs with ≥90% EOR had 5-year survival of 100%, and patients with Conclusions Extensive resections of insular gliomas can be achieved with low morbidity and can improve overall survival and PFS. In this series of LGGs, EOR was associated with longer malignant PFS, and 1p/19q codeletion was predictive of PFS.
Commercialization Mechanisms for New Plant Varieties

Developing and marketing new varieties is essential for the long-term profitability of US crop producers. The ultimate goal of university breeding programs is to release improved plant varieties, either with superior quality or more efficient production management. For certain horticultural products, notably apples, plant breeders have developed several new differentiated varieties that have the capacity to be marketed with premium prices and that can compete on world markets. If these innovations are not commercialized or are commercialized in a suboptimal way, then the benefits of the research are greatly reduced. In this chapter, we use game theoretic analysis and an experimental auction to investigate the effects of contract exclusivity and payment structure on innovator and producer profits from a hypothetical new apple variety.
Hospital Perceptions of Medicare's Sepsis Quality Reporting Initiative.

Background In October 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Sepsis CMS Core Measure (SEP-1) program, requiring hospitals to report data on the quality of care for their patients with sepsis. Objective We sought to understand hospital perceptions of and responses to the SEP-1 program. Design A thematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with hospital quality officials. Setting A stratified random sample of short-stay, nonfederal, general acute care hospitals in the United States. Patients Hospital quality officers, including nurses and physicians. Measurements We completed 29 interviews before reaching content saturation. Results Hospitals reported a variety of actions in response to SEP-1, including new efforts to collect data, improve sepsis diagnosis and treatment, and manage clinicians' attitudes toward SEP-1. These efforts frequently required dedicated resources to meet the program's requirements for treatment and documentation, which were thought to be complex and not consistently linked to patient-centered outcomes. Most respondents felt that SEP-1 was likely to improve sepsis outcomes. At the same time, they described specific changes that could improve its effectiveness, including allowing hospitals to focus on the treatment processes most directly associated with improved patient outcomes and better aligning the measure's sepsis definitions with current clinical definitions. Conclusions Hospitals are responding to the SEP-1 program across a number of domains and in ways that consistently require dedicated resources. Hospitals are interested in further revisions to the program to alleviate the burden of the reporting requirements and help them optimize the effectiveness of their investments in quality-improvement efforts.
Speech Processes in Reading.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a model of speech processes in reading and reviews research on the role of such processes in reading. Much work has been guided by the question of whether speech recoding precedes lexical access. Although that question seems generally answerable in the negative, it is suggested that a richer understanding of speech processes in reading must include attention to postlexical processes. Activation of some phonemic information is automatic and concurrent with lexical activation. Although there is little direct evidence for this at present, it is argued that postlexical demands of reference securing make it reasonable to hypothesize such a process. It is also suggested that the phonemic code is not a mere replica of a speech production. In connection with the general proposal, it is also conclude that experiments employing speech suppression paradigms are inadequate to detect the speech processes involved. Moreover, it is suggested that there is a continuum of speech activation and that suppression operates at a higher level than the relevant speech processes
Reversible Data Perturbation Techniques for Multi-level Privacy-Preserving Data Publication

The amount of digital data generated in the Big Data age is increasingly rapidly. Privacy-preserving data publishing techniques based on differential privacy through data perturbation provide a safe release of datasets such that sensitive information present in the dataset cannot be inferred from the published data. Existing privacy-preserving data publishing solutions have focused on publishing a single snapshot of the data with the assumption that all users of the data share the same level of privilege and access the data with a fixed privacy level. Thus, such schemes do not directly support data release in cases when data users have different levels of access on the published data. While a straight-forward approach of releasing a separate snapshot of the data for each possible data access level can allow multi-level access, it can result in a higher storage cost requiring separate storage space for each instance of the published data. In this paper, we develop a set of reversible data perturbation techniques for large bipartite association graphs that use perturbation keys to control the sequential generation of multiple snapshots of the data to offer multi-level access based on privacy levels. The proposed schemes enable multi-level data privacy, allowing selective de-perturbation of the published data when suitable access credentials are provided. We evaluate the techniques through extensive experiments on a large real-world association graph dataset and our experiments show that the proposed techniques are efficient, scalable and effectively support multi-level data privacy on the published data.
Disorders of Glycine, Serine, GABA, and Proline Metabolism

In addition to the role as components of protein synthesis, several amino acids have other functions in the brain such as building blocks of other brain molecules and a role in neurotransmission. Disorders in catabolism of glycine and of proline are known. The disorders of the synthesis of serine and proline cause severe abnormalities. Serine is required for the synthesis of white matter compounds such as specialized lipids, and its deficiency results in severe hypomyelination. Proline is required for the synthesis of connective tissue proteins, and its deficiency results in laxity of skin and joints. Early treatment of synthetic defects such as serine has shown more promise to avoid severe symptoms. Disturbance of the neurotransmitter roles of GABA, glycine, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid results in severe neurological symptoms. The pathophysiology of these disorders is complex, as has been shown in the mouse model of 4-hydroxybutyric aciduria. In most disorders, diagnostic studies rely on careful measurement of metabolites using age-appropriate reference ranges, followed by molecular analysis.
Improving access to specialized care for first-episode psychosis: an ecological model

Psychotic spectrum disorders are serious illnesses with symptoms that significantly impact functioning and quality of life. An accumulating body of literature has demonstrated that specialized treatments that are offered early after symptom onset are disproportionately more effective in managing symptoms and improving outcomes than when these same treatments are provided later in the course of illness. Specialized, multicomponent treatment packages are of particular importance, which are comprised of services offered as soon as possible after the onset of psychosis with the goal of addressing multiple care needs within a single care setting. As specialized programs continue to develop worldwide, it is crucial to consider how to increase access to such specialized services. In the current review, we utilize an ecological model of understanding barriers to care, with emphasis on understanding how individuals with first-episode psychosis interact with and are influenced by a variety of systemic factors that impact help-seeking behaviors and engagement with treatment. Future work in this area will be important in understanding how to most effectively design and implement specialized care for individuals early in the course of a psychotic disorder.
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

Editorial cartoonists are an integral part of American journalism history, contributing significantly to political and public discourse: Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 “Join or Die” drawing, Thomas Nast’...
Climate change, Indoor Environment, and Health: Issues and Opportunities for Exposure science and Epidemiology

Each season the earth’s weather offers more examples of how it responds to imbalances in heat and moisture. 2012 was the hottest year on record; Hurricane Sandy’s devastation will cost billions of ...
Physician role conflict and resulting career changes. Gender and generational differences.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate gender and generational differences both in the prevalence of role conflict and in resulting career changes among married physicians with children.
Droplet size and physicochemical property effects on herbicide efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr).

BACKGROUND: Unlike post‐emergence herbicides (POSTs), little is known about droplet size effect on pre‐emergence herbicide (PRE) efficacy. Four nozzle types were used to apply different PRE herbicides on eight soybean fields in Missouri and Mississippi in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Pendimethalin, metribuzin, clomazone, imazethapyr and pyroxasulfone were selected based on their physicochemical characteristics (adsorption, volatility and solubility) and were sprayed using XR11002, ULD12002, TTI6011002, and TTI11002 nozzles. RESULTS: The XR nozzle produced the smallest droplet size (DV₀.₅), 204 μm, followed by the ULD, TTI60 and TTI with DV₀.₅ of 468, 646, and 794 μm, respectively. Droplet size, spray coverage, nozzle type or physicochemical characteristics showed no effect on PRE herbicide efficacy, except in the Monroe County, MS, field, with pendimethalin. The TTI60 twin fan nozzle enhanced pendimethalin weed control (up to 91%) in comparison with pendimethalin sprayed with the TTI nozzle (64%), in a high organic matter (OM) soil composed of large soil clods and high weed pressure. It was hypothesized that improved herbicide penetration assisted by the TTI60 dual fan pattern increased herbicide‐moisture contact and clod coverage by the herbicide. Under soils with higher OM content (>2%) pendimethalin weed control was reduced. In soils with low OM (<0.7%), low cation exchange capacity (CEC) (<13.1%) and rainfall of 12.2 mm within 3 days after application, metribuzin also resulted in reduced weed control. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that droplet size does not affect PRE herbicide efficacy regardless of physicochemical herbicide properties including adsorption, volatility and solubility. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
The Population Ecology Paradigm: Review And Critique

The population ecology paradigm gained acceptance in the organizational theory literature during the late 1970’s and continues to influence the discipline. The paradigm draws heavily on the Darwinist notion of survival of the fittest. The application of ecological theories to the study of organizations was first proposed by Hannan and Freeman (1977). The following paper provides an overview and critical analysis of the extant literature. The paper concludes by suggesting that industrial economics provides a richer framework for analyzing organizational structures.
PERSIANN-CNN: Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks–Convolutional Neural Networks

AbstractAccurate and timely precipitation estimates are critical for monitoring and forecasting natural disasters such as floods. Despite having high-resolution satellite information, precipitation...
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Reveals That Sperm Modification Coincides with Female Fertility in the Mosquito Aedes aegypti

Manipulating mosquito reproduction is a promising approach to reducing mosquito populations and the burden of diseases they carry. A thorough understanding of reproductive processes is necessary to develop such strategies, but little is known about how sperm are processed and prepared for fertilization within female mosquitoes. By employing cryo-electron microscopy for the first time to study sperm of the mosquito Aedes aegypti, we reveal that sperm shed their entire outer coat, the glycocalyx, within 24 hours of being stored in the female. Motility assays demonstrate that as their glycocalyx is shed in the female’s sperm storage organs, sperm transition from a period of dormancy to rapid motility—a critical prerequisite for sperm to reach the egg. We also show that females gradually become fertile as sperm become motile, and that oviposition behavior increases sharply after females reach peak fertility. Together, these experiments demonstrate a striking coincidence of the timelines of several reproductive events in Ae. aegypti, suggesting a direct relationship between sperm modification and female reproductive capacity.