cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fiber-Bragg-grating pair interferometer sensor with improved multiplexing capacity and high resolution

A new technique for the monitoring and multiplexing of fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) sensors is described. The sensing elements - low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers formed with FBG pairs - are reflectively monitored with a linearly chirped Er:fiber laser. This reflected signal is convolved with a reference waveform which varies at a frequency proportional to the optical length of each sensor to 1) obtain a coarse measurement of FBG reflectance peak frequency and 2) refine this measurement using the phase of the convolved signal. Multiplexed sensors of different lengths are distinguished even though the reflectance spectra for the sensors may overlap or even coincide. A spectral resolution of 0.045 GHz (0.36 pm), corresponding to a temperature resolution of 0.035/spl deg/C, was achieved.
Myocardial injury in acute stroke: a troponin I study.

Introduction: Acute cerebrovascular insults can induce a variety of cardiac changes. We sought to describe the findings in a cohort of patients who had an acute stroke in whom Troponin I (TI) was sampled to determine the presence of associated myocardial damage. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case series study. The investigators identified all patients who had an acute stroke in whom TI had been sampled. Demographics, stroke severity as determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), stroke location, electrocardiogram (EKG) results, echocardiography results, and cardiology evaluation were obtained from the stroke database or the medical records. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the clinical and paraclinical variables associated with TI elevation. Results: During a 14-month period, 191 patients were studied, but TI levels were available in only 160 (84%) of the 191 patients. The sample was composed of 89 (55%) men and 71 (45%) women, with a median age of 76 years. Elevated TI occurred in 10 (6%) of the 160 patients. EKG changes suggestive of cardiac ischemia occurred in 2 of the 10 patients with high TI who had a stroke. In the remainder patients’ TI elevations occurred in the absence of EKG or echocardiographic abnormalities. High NIHSS but no other variable was associated with TI elevation (p=.02). Ventricular arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, post-infarct pericarditis, and sudden death did not occur. Conclusion: In this limited sample, elevated TI occurred in 6% of the patients with acute stroke and was associated with severe stroke. Although in some patients who have acute stroke, TI elevation may represent coronary ischemia, in others it may reflect neurogenic-induced cardiac injury.
Multiple regions of the murine coronavirus spike glycoprotein influence neurovirulence.

The spike (S) glycoprotein of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is a major determinant of neurovirulence. Using targeted recombination we previously demonstrated that the S gene of the highly neurovirulent MHV-4 conferred a dramatic increase in neurovirulence to the mildly neurovirulent MHV-A59. To identify the genetic determinants of neurovirulence within the MHV-4 spike, we generated isogenic recombinant viruses containing various MHV-4/MHV-A59 chimeric spike genes, and studied their phenotypes in vivo. The MHV-4/MHV-A59 chimeric spike genes consisted of either reciprocal exchanges between the S1 and S2 spike subunits, or smaller exchanges specifically in the hyper-variable region (HVR) of S1. The chimeric spike gene containing recombinants all exhibited efficient replication in vitro, yet many were severely attenuated for virulence in vivo. Furthermore, these attenuated recombinants exhibited decreased titers of infectious virus in the brain relative to the parental recombinant viruses containing the full-length MHV-4 or MHV-A59 spike genes. This is the first report that compares the neurovirulence and pathogenesis of isogenic viruses with defined alterations in the MHV spike protein. From these studies, it appears that the interactions of multiple regions of the MHV spike, including the HVR, act in concert to allow for efficient infection of and virulence in the murine central nervous system.
A qualitative study of depression in primary care: missed opportunities for diagnosis and education.

Purpose: Depression is one of the most commonly encountered chronic conditions in primary care, yet it remains substantially underdiagnosed and undertreated. We sought to gain a better understanding of barriers to diagnosis of and entering treatment for depression in primary care. Methods: We conducted and analyzed interviews with 15 subjects currently being treated for depression recruited from primary care clinics in an academic medical center and an academic public hospital. We asked about experiences with being diagnosed with depression and starting treatment, focusing on barriers to diagnosis, subject understanding of depression, and information issues related to treatment decisions. Results: Subjects reported many visits to primary care practitioners without the question of depression being raised. The majority had recurrent depression. Many reported that they did not receive enough information about depression and its treatment options. In the majority of cases, practitioners decided the course of treatment with little input from the patients. Conclusions: In this sample of depressed patients, we found evidence of frequent missed diagnoses, substantial information gaps, and limited patient understanding and choice of treatment options. Quality improvement efforts should address not only screening and follow-up but patient education about depression and treatment options along with elicitation of treatment preferences. (J Am Board Fam Med 2007;20:28–35.)
Polyhedral outer approximations with application to natural language parsing

Recent approaches to learning structured predictors often require approximate inference for tractability; yet its effects on the learned model are unclear. Meanwhile, most learning algorithms act as if computational cost was constant within the model class. This paper sheds some light on the first issue by establishing risk bounds for max-margin learning with LP relaxed inference and addresses the second issue by proposing a new paradigm that attempts to penalize "time-consuming" hypotheses. Our analysis relies on a geometric characterization of the outer polyhedra associated with the LP relaxation. We then apply these techniques to the problem of dependency parsing, for which a concise LP formulation is provided that handles non-local output features. A significant improvement is shown over arc-factored models.
Art Education: Essential for a Balanced Education

If art is so pervasive in human existence, why has art traditionally not been regarded as one of the "basic" or "core" subjects in U.S. education ? Why have millions of Americans through the decade...
Visually integrating and exploring high throughput Phenome-Wide Association Study (PheWAS) results using PheWAS-View

Background Phenome-Wide Association Studies (PheWAS) can be used to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a wide spectrum of phenotypes. This is a complementary approach to Genome Wide Association studies (GWAS) that calculate the association between hundreds of thousands of SNPs and one or a limited range of phenotypes. The extensive exploration of the association between phenotypic structure and genotypic variation through PheWAS produces a set of complex and comprehensive results. Integral to fully inspecting, analysing, and interpreting PheWAS results is visualization of the data.
Pooling Method for Screening Large Numbers of Escherichia coli for Production of Heat-Stable Enterotoxin, and Its Application in Field Studies

A modified suckling mouse assay was developed for use in field studies whereby five E. coli isolates could be tested as a pool for heat-stable enterotoxin.
A Test of a Counting Model for Chiasma Interference

According to the model of FOSS, LANDE, STAHL and STEINBERG, chiasma interference is a reflection of the requirement for crossovers to be separated by an organism-specific number of potential conversion events without associated crossovers. This model predicts that tetrads with close double crossovers should be enriched for conversion events that themselves are not associated with crossing over. We tested this prediction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and found it to be unfulfilled.
Using visibility cameras to estimate atmospheric light extinction

We describe methods for estimating the coefficient of atmospheric light extinction using visibility cameras. We use a standard haze image formation model to estimate atmospheric transmission using local contrast features as well as a recently proposed dark channel prior. A log-linear model is then used to relate transmission and extinction. We train and evaluate our model using an extensive set of ground truth images acquired over a year long period from two visibility cameras in the Phoenix, Arizona region. We present informative results which are particularly accurate for a visibility index used in long-term haze studies.
Reviews of Research: Handwriting Instruction

(1988). Reviews of Research: Handwriting Instruction. Childhood Education: Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 112-114.
An analysis of resource costs in a public computing grid

Public resource computing depends on the availability of computing resources that have been contributed by individuals. The amount of resources can be increased by incentivizing resource providers through payment for resources. However, there are costs associated with providing resources for public grid computing. Without an understanding of these costs, it is impossible for a provider to judge if the payment is sufficient to overcome those costs. In this paper, we present a provider cost model that considers all resource provider costs including opportunity costs, future-value costs, penalties, utility costs, and fixed costs. This model helps set a cost structure that a resource provider can use to determine whether it is profitable to participate in a public resource computing market.
A History of Modern Tunisia: Introduction to the First Edition

For the attentive traveler, a ride on the TGM – the Tunis, La Goulette, and La Marsa, a light railway linking Tunis with a string of suburbs along the Gulf of Tunis – can become an extraordinary trip through the country’s history and culture. Not far from the end of the line in La Marsa are the remains of a sixteenth-century palace where Tunisia’s rulers passed the summer months to avail themselves of the sea breezes and where, in 1882, the reigning bey signed the document establishing a French protectorate over his country. A mile down the tracks, the train reaches Sidi Bou Said, a village that welcomed Muslims fleeing from the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and that has been, for many years, a favorite haunt of local and European artists. The Museum of Traditional Music and Musical Instruments, located in what was the home of Baron Rudolphe d’Erlanger (1872–1932), honors the work of this French scholar who spent years helping Tunisian musicians preserve the Andalusian melodies and techniques brought to “Sidi Bou” by their refugee forefathers. The next six TGM stops, spread out over two or three miles, are all in Carthage. Two bear the names of the ancient city’s most famous father and son, Amilcar and Hannibal. Down the hill from the Amilcar station is a hotel built in the early days of the campaign to attract European tourists to the newly independent country’s beaches. A few hundred yards west of the station, a World War II military cemetery – one of many British, French, German, and US burial grounds scattered across Tunisia along the battle lines of 1942 and 1943 – memorializes the men who fought in North Africa and shelters the remains of almost three thousand American soldiers.
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL: RESEARCH NEEDS

In 2005, the global inventory of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is approximately 175,000 metric tonnes (slightly less than one third is in the USA) (Ewing, 2004). Most of this SNF is still at 236 nuclear power stations where it was originally generated in 36 different countries. In the USA, the inventory in 2010 will be 61,800 metric tonnes of heavy metal (tHM) with a total activity of 32.6 GCi. The USA presently has an open nuclear fuel cycle (without reprocessing) with ultimate disposal at the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. The SNF represents >95% of the radioactivity. Thus, a major challenge of successful geologic disposal of radioactive waste is to understand the long-term behavior of SNF. SNF is essentially UO{sub 2} with minor impurities, mainly the fission product (3%) and transuranium elements (1%). The precise radionuclide inventory and physical state of the fuel depend on its irradiation and thermal history. Three critical parameters change dramatically during the first 10,000 years in the repository: (1) the thermal output will decrease to < 0.1%; (2) the radioactivity will decrease to < 0.01%; (3) the inventory of radiotoxic nuclides will change. Beyond 10,000 years radionuclides of major importance under oxidizing conditions include:more » {sup 239}Pu, {sup 237}Np, {sup 129}I and {sup 99}Tc. Less problematic elements include: {sup 241}Am, {sup 79}Se and {sup 36}Cl. These elements exist in a variety of chemical forms: incorporated into the UO{sub 2} structure, as separate phases in inclusions and at grain boundaries. Corrosion under oxidizing conditions leads to the formation of a variety of U(VI)-phases. An understanding of their long-term behavior requires an improved knowledge of their structures, thermochemical parameters, solubilities, substitution mechanisms for trace radionuclides, surface properties and the kinetics of dissolution/precipitation reactions. Natural uranium deposits, such as the Oklo natural reactors, also provide important data. This paper reviews recent research on these topics, and its relation to the properties of SNF.« less
Use of testicular versus ejaculated sperm for intracytoplasmic sperm injection among men with cryptozoospermia: a meta-analysis

Objective To examine outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using testicular versus ejaculated sperm among men with cryptozoospermia. Design Meta-analysis. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) Men with cryptozoospermia undergoing consecutive ICSI cycles using ejaculated or testicular sperm. Intervention(s) A systematic search was performed using PubMed (inception to August 2015). Inclusion criteria were studies comparing ICSI outcomes among men with cryptozoospermia using ejaculated and testicular sperm. Main Outcome Measure(s) Primary outcomes included ICSI fertilization or pregnancy rates (PRs). Secondary analysis included number of retrieved oocytes, maternal and paternal ages. Meta-analysis of weighted data using a random effects model was performed. Results are reported as relative risk or weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Result(s) Five cohort studies were included, encompassing 272 ICSI cycles and 4,596 injected oocytes. There were no differences in ICSI PRs (relative risk [RR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.19–1.42, I 2 = 67%) or fertilization rates (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78–1.06, I 2 = 73%) between testicular and ejaculated sperm groups. There was a significant trend toward increasing maternal age (WMD 1.69 years, 95% CI −2.71 to −0.66) and paternal age (WMD 2.61 years, 95% CI −4.73 to −0.48) with testicular sperm. There was no difference between numbers of oocytes retrieved (WMD 0.95, 95% CI −0.15 to 2.05). Post-hoc power analysis revealed pβ Conclusion(s) The existing literature does not support a recommendation for men with cryptozoospermia to use testicular sperm in preference over ejaculated sperm for ICSI.
The Phoenix from the Ash: Proving Discrimination by Comparators

Hidden beneath judicial and scholarly obsession with formal proof structures for individual disparate treatment cases is a simpler, more direct method of establishing discrimination. Taking the "disparate treatment" label seriously, I argue that "comparator" proof requires merely that the plaintiff identify a similarly situated person of another race or the opposite sex who was treated more favorably than plaintiff. Such proof is increasingly driving litigation in the lower courts, which suggests that comparators should be moved to center stage in the antidiscrimination project However, like other efforts, the comparator approach risks falling victim to the general hostility of the courts to discrimination claims The Supreme Court in Ash v. Tyson Foods, Inc. recently rejected an extreme "slap in the face" rule regarding relative qualifications of plaintiff and a comparator, but Ash left in place a network of other circuit court rules that collectively seem to require each comparator to be the almost twin of the plaintiff before more favorable treatment of him is a sufficient basis for the trier of fact to infer discrimination. The Court's latest decision in the area, Sprint/United Management Co. v. Mendelsohn, casts further doubt on the inflexible rule-orientation of many lower courts, requiring instead a holistic and contextual assessment of evidence. Nevertheless, fundamental judicial hostility remains intact. This negative view derives from common judicial perceptions that random, and even irrational, factors are more likely explanations for workplace disparities than is discrimination. Thus, only when those factors are ruled out by an almost-twin comparator will the courts permit the inference of discrimination. Absent evidence to the contrary, the courts may be justified in using their perceptions of the relative probability of discrimination as opposed to other explanations to influence their determinations as to when a jury question is created. These "legislative facts" are traditionally within the purview of the courts. Nevertheless, this Article contends that plaintiffs can counteract judicial perceptions, and create a jury issue, by introducing evidence both of the prevalence of discrimination generally and, more central to my thesis, by introducing expert testimony regarding comparators. Drawing on such sources as trade usage in contracts and professional standards of care in torts, this Article argues that a more objective standard should be substituted for current judicial worldviews. It recommends assessing the comparability of proffered comparators not by judicial instinct but by expert testimony about whether other employers would treat such individuals comparably to plaintiff.
Regulation of insulin secretion via ATP-sensitive K+ channel independent mechanisms : role of phospholipase C

Groups of rat or mouse islets were isolated and perifused with 20 mM glucose plus 200 microM diazoxide. The further addition of 30 mM K+ resulted in a rapid and sustained biphasic insulin secretory response. The onset of secretion in response to the addition of K+ was comparable in both species, but the magnitude of the response was significantly greater from rat islets. After the labeling of islet phosphoinositide pools with 2-[3H]inositol, the accumulation of labeled inositol phosphates (IP) in response to 30 mM K+ addition in the simultaneous presence of 20 mM glucose plus diazoxide was assessed. The addition of 30 mM K+ significantly increased IP accumulation approximately 300% in rat islets, whereas only an insignificant 25-30% increase was observed in mouse islets. The protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine (50 nM) dramatically reduced the sustained secretory response from rat islets in the presence of 30 mM K+, 20 mM glucose, and diazoxide. Its effect was minimal on mouse islets and a significant inhibitory effect on insulin secretion was observed only during the final 5 min of the perifusion. The further addition of carbachol, an agonist that activates an isozyme of phospholipase C distinct from that activated by glucose, together with K+, 20 mM glucose, plus diazoxide resulted in a sustained amplification of insulin secretion from mouse but not rat islets. K+ (30 mM)-induced insulin secretion in the presence of 3 mM glucose was similar from perifused rat or mouse islets, a finding that would seem to preclude the activation of voltage-regulated Ca2+ channels as the pertinent difference. These results confirm previous observations with these species and document another anomaly that exists between the responses of rat islets compared with mouse islets. The inability to activate a nutrient- and calcium-regulated phospholipase C isozyme in mouse islets to the same extent as in rat islets appears to account, at least in part, for these different insulin secretory responses under these unique conditions.
Assessment of adolescent weight status: Similarities and differences between CDC, IOTF, and WHO references.

Abstract Objective The research sought to determine the reliability of assessing adolescents' weight status based on three standard criteria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts, International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) standards, and the World Health Organization (WHO) growth references. Methods Data from the NEXT Generation Health Study US 10th grade cohort (n = 2323, mean age = 16.19 years) starting in 2009 were used. Kappa statistics assessed agreement of assignment to weight categories. Associations of weight status with perceived body image, weight control intention, and general health were examined using linear regressions accounting for complex survey design. Results Kappas across weight status criteria were ≥ .89 and agreement exceeded 90% in all analyses. For all three criteria, overweight and obese participants, compared to normal weight, were significantly more likely to indicate fatter body image, higher weight control intention, and poorer general health; small differences in the regression coefficients by classification method were observed. Conclusion The three criteria of weight status classifications substantially agreed. Associations of weight status with selected health correlates were similar regardless of the methods. Thus, the three classifications can be considered comparable for most research and practice purposes.
Education and Psychosocial Functioning Among Older Adults: 4-Year Change in Sense of Control and Hopelessness

Objectives This study investigates education differences in levels and change in sense of control and hopelessness among older adults. Method We used data from the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing biennial survey of a nationally representative sample of older Americans, to examine education differences in sense of control (e.g., mastery and perceived constraints) and hopelessness. Our sample included 8,495 adults aged 52 and older who were interviewed in 2006/2008 and 2010/2012. We assessed separate models for change in sense of control and hopelessness, accounting for recent changes in social circumstances and health status. Results Low mastery, perceived constraints, and hopelessness were highest among individuals with less than a high school education. Over a 4-year period, this group experienced the greatest declines in psychosocial functioning, as indicated by greater increases in low mastery, perceived constraints, and hopelessness. Education differences existed net of recent negative experiences, specifically the loss of intimate social relationships and social support and increases in disease and disability. Discussion These findings highlight the importance of education for sense of control and hopelessness in older adulthood and demonstrate the cumulative advantage of higher levels of education for psychosocial functioning.
Predicting Regional Gypsy Moth (Lymantriidae) Population Trends in an Expanding Population Using Pheromone Trap Catch and Spatial Analysis

Populations of the gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar (L.)) have been monitored in Michigan since 1985 using a permanent statewide grid of more than 2,000 pheromone traps. Trap catch data were analyzed using a computerized Geographic Information System (GIS). Using trap catch data from 1985 to 1987, a regression model (R2 = 0.79) was developed to predict adult male moth catch for 1987 using three risk levels of gypsy moth population densities (low, medium, and high). Trap catch data and data on defoliation were combined in the GIS, demonstrating that adult male moth catch can be a good indicator of potential defoliation in the following year. The regression model was then used to predict low, medium, and high risk areas for moth populations for the next year.
The Treadle Sprayer and the Cable-Type Back Rubber for Control of Biting Flies on Cattle in Pennsylvania

The effectiveness of various insecticide-repellent formulations applied by means of self-treating devices for the control of the horn fly, Siphona irritans (L.), and the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), on Cattle under Pennsylvania conditions was tested during 1955 and 1956. A spray containing 50% butoxy polypropylene glycol and 5% methoxychlor in methylated naphthalenes was tested during 1955 with a treadle sprayer and a cable-type back rubber. With the treadle sprayer, an average of 90.0% control of the horn fly and 34.7% control of the stable fly resulted when one round-trip application was made daily. Because of the excitement and nervousness caused among the animals, approximately one-third of the animals going through the sprayer received only partial treatment or none at all. The back rubber installed in a small pasture with a few trees accomplished almost perfect control of the horn fly, but less satisfactory control of the stable fly. A significant decrease in effectiveness was noted when the back rubber was located in a pasture with numerous dead trunks and branches, but no decrease was observed in wooded pastures devoid of dead trunks and branches. Studies of the residual effect showed that control of the horn fly throughout a post-treatment period of 25 days varied from 52.5 to 99.7%. The residual effect against the stable fly lasted for only 15 days, control varying from 33.0 to 54.4%. In 1956, units of the portable model of the rubbing device, treated with four insecticide-repellent formulations including butoxy polypropylene glycol, methoxychlor, Lethane 384 and synergized pyrethrins, were installed indoors in a basement barn, and in three pastures of different sizes and with different numbers of trees, but relatively free of dead trunks or stumps. All formulations provided effective and consistent control of the horn fly. No significant difference in control was found among the four formulations tested under the different conditions. It was noted that 5% methoxychlor in diesel oil provided excellent control of the horn fly and that the addition of butoxy polypropylene glycol did not significantly enhance the effectiveness of methoxychlor. None of the four formulations tested provided satisfactory control of the stable fly and there was considerable variation in the effectiveness of each formulation. None of the materials tested on the back rubber had any apparent adverse effects on the animals used in the experiments.
Comparative Rotating Stall and Surge Characteristic of a Centrifugal Compressor With Three Different Types of Diffusers

The diffuser system of a centrifugal compressor comes basically in two general categories either as vaneless or vaned diffuser. Vaned diffusers can further be subdivided into two depending on channel geometry as straight channel or curved channel, or depending on solidity. Three different diffuser types: a vaneless, conventional vaned and a low solidity vaned were tested in the present study. All diffusers were tested downstream of the same impeller. All the diffusers had the same diffuser exit radius to impeller tip radius ratio.The influence of each type of diffuser on the performance and stall characteristics of the inducer and impeller as a whole was studied. In addition, diffuser stall characteristics of each type diffuser were also studied. The type of diffuser had no significant effect on inducer and impeller stall. The inducer was more stable with the conventional vaned diffuser configuration. Rotating Stall was detected with the vaneless diffuser configuration at the onset of surge. Four stall cells rotated in the same direction as the impeller at 122 Hz.Numerous works have been documented on rotating stall and surge for centrifugal compressors. Prediction of the inception of rotating stall and surge for a specific geometry and operation is not yet fully possible. Therefore, experimental results and correlations are still of great importance.Copyright © 1997 by ASME
Juice: A Longitudinal Study of an SEO Botnet.

Black hat search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns attract and monetize traffic using abusive schemes. Using a combination of Web site compromise, keyword stuffing and cloaking, a SEO botnet operator can manipulate search engine rankings for key search terms, ultimately directing users to sites promoting some kind of scam (e.g., fake antivirus). In this paper, we infiltrate an influential SEO botnet, GR, characterize its dynamics and effectiveness and identify the key scams driving its innovation. Surprisingly, we find that, unlike e-mail spam botnets, this botnet is both modest in size and has low churn—suggesting little adversarial pressure from defenders. Belying its small size, however, the GR botnet is able to successfully “juice” the rankings of trending search terms and, during its peak, appears to have been the dominant source of trending search term poisoning for Google. Finally, we document the range of scams it promoted and the role played by fake anti-virus programs in driving innovation.
In Vivo Site-Specific Protein Tagging with Diverse Amines Using an Engineered Sortase Variant

Chemoenzymatic modification of proteins is an attractive option to create highly specific conjugates for therapeutics, diagnostics, or materials under gentle biological conditions. However, these methods often suffer from expensive specialized substrates, bulky fusion tags, low yields, and extra purification steps to achieve the desired conjugate. Staphylococcus aureus sortase A and its engineered variants are used to attach oligoglycine derivatives to the C-terminus of proteins expressed with a minimal LPXTG tag. This strategy has been used extensively for bioconjugation in vitro and for protein–protein conjugation in living cells. Here we show that an enzyme variant recently engineered for higher activity on oligoglycine has promiscuous activity that allows proteins to be tagged using a diverse array of small, commercially available amines, including several bioorthogonal functional groups. This technique can also be carried out in living Escherichia coli, enabling simple, inexpensive production of chem...
Role of heme in bromine-induced lung injury

Bromine (Br2 ) gas inhalation poses an environmental and occupational hazard resulting in high morbidity and mortality. In this review, we underline the acute lung pathology (within 24 h of exposure) and potential therapeutic interventions that may be utilized to mitigate Br2 -induced human toxicity. We discuss our latest published data, which suggest that an increase in heme-dependent tissue injury underlies the pathogenesis of Br2 toxicity. Our study was based on previous findings that demonstrated that Br2 upregulates the heme-degrading enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which converts toxic heme into bilverdin. Interestingly, following Br2 inhalation, heme levels were indeed elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, plasma, and whole lung tissue in C57BL/6 mice. High heme levels correlated with increased lung oxidative stress, lung inflammation, respiratory acidosis, lung edema, higher airway resistance, and mortality. However, therapeutic reduction of heme levels, by either scavenging with hemopexin or degradation by HO-1, improved lung function and survival. Therefore, heme attenuation may prove a useful adjuvant therapy to treat patients after Br2 exposure.
International research collaboration among women engineers: frequency and perceived barriers, by regions

International research collaboration is on the rise—and at the same time, women face potential barriers. Based on responses to surveys conducted among groups of women engineers, this article addresses (1) women’s frequency of international research collaboration; (2) the barriers to collaboration reported for both self and for other women; and (3) the patterns among women students as well as professionals, by national regions. Findings of this study have implications for policies to broaden participation in the increasingly important arena of international research collaboration, based on women in engineering, the scientific field in which women are most underrepresented. This makes the case focal for the study of women, science, and policy.
Defining precision: The precision medicine initiative trials NCI-MPACT and NCI-MATCH

"Precision" trials, using rationally incorporated biomarker targets and molecularly selective anticancer agents, have become of great interest to both patients and their physicians. In the endeavor to test the cornerstone premise of precision oncotherapy, that is, determining if modulating a specific molecular aberration in a patient's tumor with a correspondingly specific therapeutic agent improves clinical outcomes, the design of clinical trials with embedded genomic characterization platforms which guide therapy are an increasing challenge. The National Cancer Institute Precision Medicine Initiative is an unprecedented large interdisciplinary collaborative effort to conceptualize and test the feasibility of trials incorporating sequencing platforms and large-scale bioinformatics processing that are not currently uniformly available to patients. National Cancer Institute-Molecular Profiling-based Assignment of Cancer Therapy and National Cancer Institute-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice are 2 genomic to phenotypic trials under this National Cancer Institute initiative, where treatment is selected according to predetermined genetic alterations detected using next-generation sequencing technology across a broad range of tumor types. In this article, we discuss the objectives and trial designs that have enabled the public-private partnerships required to complete the scale of both trials, as well as interim trial updates and strategic considerations that have driven data analysis and targeted therapy assignment, with the intent of elucidating further the benefits of this treatment approach for patients.
Environmental risks outweigh dopaminergic genetic risks for alcohol use and abuse from adolescence through early adulthood

Abstract Background Alcohol use is a primary public health concern, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Based on the rapidly growing field of gene-environment models, this study assessed the combined role of environmental and dopamine-related genetic correlates of early alcohol use and abuse. Methods Multilevel growth models assessed trajectories of alcohol use and intoxication and ordered logistic regressions assessed alcohol use disorder among a sample of 12,437 youth from the nationally representative Add Health study who were followed from mid-adolescence through early adulthood. Results Endogenous and exogenous stressful life events and social norms supportive of alcohol use from parents and peers were significant predictors of alcohol use, intoxication, and alcohol use disorder, with consistent patterns across males and females. In contrast, a dopamine-system genetic risk score (GRS) was not associated with alcohol use trajectories nor alcohol use disorder in early adulthood, although weak connections emerged between the GRS and growth trajectories of intoxication, indicating that higher GRS predicted more frequent episodes of intoxication during the transition to adulthood but not during adolescence or later 20s. No evidence of gene-environment interactions emerged. Conclusions Results extend a substantial body of prior research primarily assessing single genetic polymorphisms in the dopamine system, suggesting that dopaminergic GRSs may be associated with more problematic alcohol behaviors at some developmental periods, but further, that social norms and stressful life experiences are more consistent correlates of early and problematic alcohol use among youth. These environmental factors present potential targets for research manipulating contexts to identify causal pathways.
David Oliver: Let’s streamline NHS bureaucracy and then leave it well alone

The House of Lords’ recent report, The Long-Term Sustainability of the NHS and Adult Social Care , is a considered document, full of prescient evidence.1 Its recommendations include increasing NHS and social care funding, ringfencing public health budgets, and establishing an independent Office for Health and Care Sustainability. Overall, the report is a fairly sound and depoliticised template for the future. But I have no confidence that the recommendations will be heeded. No government has had the courage to take a tax funded NHS out of partisan politics in the way that decisions on interest rates …
An Ethical Framework for Disclosing Individual Genetic Findings to Patients, Research Participants, and Relatives

Abstract Current advances in genetic screening, biomarker development, personalized medicine, and targeted therapeutics have generated unprecedented quantities of patient data. These data are becoming increasingly vital as instruments of patient care and research. However, the nature of genetic information is such that it has clinically actionable implications for the patient’s relatives. This chapter focuses on a practical framework for the disclosure of genetic information to not only the patient but also to the family members who may be impacted by these findings. The potential benefit and utility of this information is carefully balanced with reducing the possible risks and informational harms by the use of policy, institutional safeguards, and empowering patient autonomy through rigorous informed consent standards.
The Questionable Ecological Validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment: Considerations for Design and Analysis.

Experience sampling, diary, ecological momentary assessment, ambulatory monitoring, and related methods are part of a research tradition aimed at capturing the ongoing stream of individuals’ behavior in real-world situations. By design, these approaches prioritize ecological validity. This article examines how the purported ecological validity these study designs provide may be compromised during data analysis. After briefly outlining the benefits of ecological momentary assessment-type designs, the authors highlight design issues that threaten ecological validity, illustrate how the typical multilevel analysis of ecological momentary assessment-type data can compromise generalizability to “real-life,” and consider how unobtrusive monitoring and person-specific analysis may provide for more precise descriptions of individuals’ actual human ecology.
Delivery of HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Support Services by HIV Care Providers in the United States, 2013 to 2014.

Background:Little is known about clinicians’ adoption of recommendations of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care and others for supporting adherence to antiretroviral therapy (AR...
Tuning the magnetocaloric response in half-Heusler/Heusler MnNi1+xSb solid solutions

Materials with a large magnetocaloric response are associated with a temperature change upon the application of a magnetic field and are of interest for applications in magnetic refrigeration and thermomagnetic power generation. The usual metric of this response is the gravimetric isothermal entropy change $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{S}_{M}$. The use of a simple proxy for the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{S}_{M}$ that is based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the magnetic electronic structure suggests that half-Heusler MnNiSb should be a better magnetocaloric than the corresponding Heusler compound ${\mathrm{MnNi}}_{2}\mathrm{Sb}$. Guided by this observation, we present a study of ${\mathrm{MnNi}}_{1+x}\mathrm{Sb}$ ($x=0$, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0) to evaluate relevant structural and magnetic properties. DFT stability calculations suggest that the addition of Ni takes place at a symmetrically distinct Ni site in the half-Heusler structure and support the observation using synchrotron x-ray diffraction of a homogeneous solid solution between the half-Heusler and Heusler end members. There is a maximum in the saturation magnetization at $x=0.5$ and the Curie temperature systematically decreases with increasing $x$. $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{S}_{M}$ for a maximum magnetic field change of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}H=5\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$ monotonically decreases in magnitude from $\ensuremath{-}2.93\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{J}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{kg}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ in the half-Heusler to $\ensuremath{-}1.35\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{J}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{kg}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ in the Heusler compound. The concurrent broadening of the magnetic transition results in a maximum in the refrigerant capacity at $x=0.75$. The Curie temperature of this system is highly tunable between 350 K and 750 K, making it ideal for low grade waste heat recovery via thermomagnetic power generation. The increase in $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{S}_{M}$ with decreasing $x$ may be extendable to other ${\mathrm{MnNi}}_{2}Z$ Heusler systems that are currently under investigation for use in magnetocaloric refrigeration applications.
Construction of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus

Vaccinia virus (VV) has proven to be a very useful tool for the expression and analysis of foreign gene products. The most common method used to produce recombinant viruses involves the insertion of foreign genes into the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of the VV via homologous recombination. This is accomplished through the construction of a recombination plasmid containing the VV TK gene into the middle of which the gene of interest is inserted, appended to an efficient VV promoter element of the desired temporal class. Confluent monolayers of cells are infected with wild-type VV and transfected with the plasmid DNA to allow homologous recombination to occur. This inactivates the endogenous TK gene-producing TK-negative virus that can be biochemically selected, and recombinants can be identified by a variety of screening methods.
Is Initial Data for Cosmological Arrow of Time Emerging Due to Inflation Start

We ask if setting the vanishing chemical potential limit μ -> 0 with entropy S ∝ T3 [1] for a number of degrees of freedom significantly greater than the standard electroweak value of gstar ~ 100 - 120, do we have a new foundation for the arrow of time in quantum cosmology with inflation?
Emergency Room Management for Neurological Trauma and Disease

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the emergency room management for neurological trauma and disease. The emergency room physician is usually the first doctor to see a patient with an obvious or occult neurological or neurosurgical problem. Even though this is also true for most other emergencies, in few other conditions, the initial clinical observations and therapeutic responses to them are as critical in preventing transient deficits from progressing to permanent damage. The birth of emergency medicine as a specialty was brought about by many factors, including the increased utilization by patient and physician alike of the emergency room with its diverse and extensive facilities for all types of real or imagined emergencies. The chapter describes the role of the emergency department physician in evaluating and treating patients with neurological trauma and disease. The chapter also discusses the mechanisms by which central nervous system trauma or disease produces neurological lesions and symptoms. It describes the factors that may complicate the primary lesion.
American’ Tars: Impressment, citizenship and labour in early Republican New York City

During the impressment crisis of the 1790s and 1810s, sailors drove American commerce and shaped ideas of national sovereignty. ‘American Tars’ captured the imagination of the nation. Newspaper articles lauded their perceived independence and emphasized their key role in the nation’s economy. However, though national discourse presented sailors as American citizens, sailors themselves challenged the confines of citizenship, either adopting or rejecting the designation as necessary. Sailors’ use of protection papers – documents created by the U.S. government to claim sailors as American citizens – complicated the national narrative of the American sailor. This article examines how this diverging rhetoric played out in New York City, a port that was home to a large population of sailors and other transient labourers. Through their use of protection papers and through street action, sailors created solidarities that were not solely national, but instead looked towards a broader maritime world.
Use of speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived strain and systolic strain rate measurements to predict rejection in transplant hearts with preserved ejection fraction.

Noninvasive diagnosis of allograft rejection in heart transplant recipients is challenging. The utility of 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) to predict severe rejection in heart transplant recipients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was evaluated. Adult heart transplant patients with preserved LVEF (> 55%) and severe rejection by biopsy (Rejection Grade ≥ 2R) or no rejection between 1997 and 2011 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota were evaluated. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed within 1 month of the biopsy. LV global longitudinal and circumferential strain and strain rates (GLS, GLSR, GCS, and GCSR) were analyzed retrospectively. Of 65 patients included, 25 had severe rejection and 40 were normal transplant controls without rejection. Both groups had more men than women (64 and 75%, respectively). Baseline clinical variables were similar between the groups. Both groups had normal LVEF (64.3% vs 64.5%; P = .87). All non-strain echocardiographic variables were similar between the 2 groups. Strain analysis showed significantly increased early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (P = .02) and decreased GCS (P < .001) and GCSR (P = .02) for the rejection group compared with the control group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for GCS was 0.77. With a GCS cutoff of − 17.60%, the sensitivity and specificity of GCS to detect severe acute rejection were 81.8 and 68.4%, respectively. 2D-STE may be useful in detecting severe transplant rejection in heart transplant patients with normal LVEF.