cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oxidative stress is associated with weight gain in recipients at 12-months following kidney transplantation

Abstract Objective Weight gain after kidney transplantation (Tx) is considered a risk factor for poor outcomes. Increased oxidative stress is associated with not only chronic renal disease and Tx, but also obesity and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this pilot study was to test whether oxidative stress is related to weight gain at 12-months after kidney Tx and to obtain preliminary insight into potential mechanisms involved. Design & methods Recipients (n = 33) were classified into two groups; weight loss and weight gain, based on their weight changes at 12-months post-transplant. Total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) were measured to evaluate oxidative stress from plasma at baseline and 12-months. A secondary data analysis was conducted to identify potential gene regulation. Results Seventeen recipients lost (− 6.63 ± 5.52 kg), and sixteen recipients gained weight (8.94 ± 6.18 kg). TAOC was significantly decreased at 12-months compared to baseline for the total group, however, there was no significant difference between groups at either time point. TBARS was higher in weight gain group, at both time points, and it was significantly higher at 12-months (p = 0.012). Gene expression profiling analysis showed that 7 transcripts annotated to reactive oxygen species related genes in adipose tissue were expressed significantly lower in weight gain group at baseline, which might be a negative feedback mechanism to reduce oxidative stress. Conclusion These results may indicate that elevated oxidative stress (TBARS) is associated with weight gain after kidney Tx and that incorporating early clinical prevention strategies known to decrease oxidative stress could be recommended.
Who is Responsible for Data? An Exploratory Study of Data Authorship, Ownership, and Responsibility

Data repositories rely on the deposit of materials from the communities they serve, forming a chain of stakeholders from the data creator to the repository and data user. Top-down policies that describe the responsibilities of the depositing scientists and other stakeholders are drafted accordingly. But we see very little deposit of scientific data beyond the Big Sciences or communities for whom deposit is required by publications. As part of an ongoing data practices study, we asked scientific researchers about who would be responsible for the data collected. It is clear that researchers are not talking about who is responsible for the data. The results presented here are meant to demonstrate the need for further research into what it means to be responsible for research data and how this responsibility is delegated to members of a research team.
Doppler derivation of complete pulmonary artery pressure curves in patent ductus arteriosus.

Abstract In this study, we have demonstrated a method of obtaining complete, accurate PA pressure curves from a PDA Doppler flow velocity signal and a simultaneous aortic pressure tracing. This technique provides a dynamic evaluation of changes in PA pressures throughout the cardiac cycle and provides more hemodynamic information than single-point Doppler velocity methods of estimating PA pressures.
On the feasibility of using large-scale numerical electric machine field analysis software in complex electric drive system design tools

This paper assesses large-scale numerical electric machine field analysis software and its feasibility for incorporation into complex electric drive system design loops. An opportunity to develop improved system design tools that meet the exacting standards of modern electric drive systems without sacrificing performance is identified. Two alternative routes to achieving this are discussed, one based on Moorepsilas Law and the other based on improving, updating, and intelligently combining and implementing in hardware the algorithms used in analysis software. An ideal design toolpsilas required properties are enumerated, and the merits and suitability for incorporation into such a tool of both domain- and boundary-based methods are examined. Finally, a hybrid design strategy is proposed that incorporates several of the analysis methods discussed and attempts to utilize the key strengths of each.
TSAR: a two tier sensor storage architecture using interval skip graphs

Archival storage of sensor data is necessary for applications that query, mine, and analyze such data for interesting features and trends. We argue that existing storage systems are designed primarily for flat hierarchies of homogeneous sensor nodes and do not fully exploit the multi-tier nature of emerging sensor networks, where an application can comprise tens of tethered proxies, each managing tens to hundreds of untethered sensors. We present TSAR, a fundamentally different storage architecture that envisions separation of data from metadata by employing local archiving at the sensors and distributed indexing at the proxies. At the proxy tier, TSAR employs a novel multi-resolution ordered distributed index structure, the Interval Skip Graph, for efficiently supporting spatio-temporal and value queries. At the sensor tier,TSAR supports energy-aware adaptive summarization that can trade off the cost of transmitting metadata to the proxies against the overhead of false hits resulting from querying a coarse-grain index. We implement TSAR in a two-tier sensor testbed comprising Stargate-based proxies and Mote-based sensors. Our experiments demonstrate the benefits and feasibility of using our energy-efficient storage architecture in multi-tier sensor networks.
Amyloid Deposition Is Linked to Aberrant Entorhinal Activity among Cognitively Normal Older Adults

Normal aging is often difficult to distinguish from the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. Years before clinical memory deficits manifest, amyloid-β deposits in the cortex in many older individuals. Neuroimaging studies indicate that a set of densely connected neocortical regions, referred to as the default network, is especially vulnerable to amyloid-β deposition. Yet, the impact of amyloid-β on age-related changes within the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system is less clear. Here we demonstrate that cognitively normal older humans, compared with young adults, show reduced ability to modulate hippocampal activations and entorhinal deactivations during an episodic memory task. Among older adults, amyloid-β deposition was associated with failure to modulate activity in entorhinal cortex, but not hippocampus. Furthermore, we show that entorhinal regions demonstrating amyloid-β-related dysfunction are directly connected to the neocortical regions of the default network. Together these findings link neocortical amyloid-β deposition to neuronal dysfunction specifically in entorhinal cortex, while aging is associated with more widespread functional changes across the MTL.
Viruses and human cancer.

The viruses reviewed here illustrate the diverse biological pathways to malignancy and the challenges of treating the resulting diseases. Yet the presence of the viral gene products in cancer and precancerous cells present attractive targets that may be exploited in novel therapies that distinguish these cells from normal cells. Antivirals such as lamuvidine used in heptatitis B and ganciclovir for Kaposi sarcoma specifically target the viral replication machinery. Targeting cancer cells specifically would have advantages over traditional modalities such as chemotherapy and radiation, which can include significant toxicities. Cervical cancer, because it retains HPV viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 and requires their continued expression for proliferation, provides an ideal model for cytotoxic immune therapies against these known antigens. Given the prevalence of these cancers in the developing world and the limitations of health care infrastructure, strategies for vaccine design to prevent primary infection and targeted therapies for the treatment of disease must be carefully considered in this context. Use of needles, refrigeration, multiple doses, and cost are all significant barriers to the delivery of an effective vaccine [41]. Cost, need for trained personnel and sophisticated equipment and facilities may impede global use of the most advanced targeted therapies. These challenges suggest that exploration of prophylactic strategies and development of specific, targeted therapies are both necessary to decrease this portion of the global cancer burden.
The relationship between multicultural counseling training and the evaluation of culturally sensitive and culturally insensitive counselors.

In a study, multicultural counseling training contributed significantly to the variance in ratings of a culturally sensitive counselor. No significant contribution was made to the variance in ratings of the culturally insensitive counselor. Possible explanations and implications of these results in multicultural counseling supervision are discussed.
Application of the unscented Kalman filter for real-time nonlinear structural system identification

Over the past few decades, structural system identification based on vibration measurements has attracted much attention in the structural dynamics field. The well-known extended Kalman filter (EKF) is often used to deal with nonlinear system identification in many civil engineering applications. In spite of that, applying an EKF to highly nonlinear structural systems is not a trivial task, particularly those subject to severe loading. Unlike the EKF, a new technique, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is applicable to highly nonlinear systems. In this paper, the EKF and UKF are compared and applied for nonlinear structural system identification. Simulation results show that the UKF produces better state estimation and parameter identification than the EKF and is also more robust to measurement noise levels. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Virus and Cell RNAs Expressed during Epstein-Barr Virus Replication

Changes in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cell RNA levels were assayed following immunoglobulin G (IgG) cross-linking-induced replication in latency 1-infected Akata Burkitt B lymphoblasts. EBV replication as assayed by membrane gp350 expression was approximately 5% before IgG cross-linking and increased to more than 50% 48 h after induction. Seventy-two hours after IgG cross-linking, gp350-positive cells excluded propidium iodide as well as gp350-negative cells. EBV RNA levels changed temporally in parallel with previously defined sensitivity to inhibitors of protein or viral DNA synthesis. BZLF1 immediate-early RNA levels doubled by 2 h and reached a peak at 4 h, whereas BMLF1 doubled by 4 h with a peak at 8 h, and BRLF1 doubled by 8 h with peak at 12 h. Early RNAs peaked at 8 to 12 h, and late RNAs peaked at 24 h. Hybridization to intergenic sequences resulted in evidence for new EBV RNAs. Surprisingly, latency III (LTIII) RNAs for LMP1, LMP2, EBNALP, EBNA2, EBNA3A, EBNA3C, and BARTs were detected at 8 to 12 h and reached maxima at 24 to 48 h. EBNA2 and LMP1 were at full LTIII levels by 48 h and localized to gp350-positive cells. Thus, LTIII expression is a characteristic of late EBV replication in both B lymphoblasts and epithelial cells in immune-comprised people (J. Webster-Cyriaque, J. Middeldorp, and N. Raab-Traub, J. Virol. 74:7610-7618, 2000). EBV replication significantly altered levels of 401 Akata cell RNAs, of which 122 RNAs changed twofold or more relative to uninfected Akata cells. Mitogen-activated protein kinase levels were significantly affected. Late expression of LTIII was associated with induction of NF-kappaB responsive genes including IkappaBalpha and A20. The exclusion of propidium, expression of EBV LTIII RNAs and proteins, and up-regulation of specific cell RNAs are indicative of vital cell function late in EBV replication.
Base station array receivers in cellular CDMA

A code-division multiple-access (CDMA) scheme using an array receiver is considered. This array receiver is a natural generalization of matched filtering with time functions to matched spaced-time filtering. Computer simulations and mathematical analysis show that the improvement in output SINR per element is simply the increase in energy received by the array, when there are many more users than array elements. When the number of users is less than the number of elements, the array has enough degrees of freedom to null undesired users and the SINR is then significantly greater and only limited by receiver and sky noise. >
On the misuse of manifest variables in the detection of measurement bias

Measurement invariance (lack of bias) of a manifest variableY with respect to a latent variableW is defined as invariance of the conditional distribution ofY givenW over selected subpopulations. Invariance is commonly assessed by studying subpopulation differences in the conditional distribution ofY given a manifest variableZ, chosen to substitute forW. A unified treatment of conditions that may allow the detection of measurement bias using statistical procedures involving only observed or manifest variables is presented. Theorems are provided that give conditions for measurement invariance, and for invariance of the conditional distribution ofY givenZ. Additional theorems and examples explore the Bayes sufficiency ofZ, stochastic ordering inW, local independence ofY andZ, exponential families, and the reliability ofZ. It is shown that when Bayes sufficiency ofZ fails, the two forms of invariance will often not be equivalent in practice. Bayes sufficiency holds under Rasch model assumptions, and in long tests under certain conditions. It is concluded that bias detection procedures that rely strictly on observed variables are not in general diagnostic of measurement bias, or the lack of bias.
Extension of the Consensual Assessment Technique to Nonparallel Creative Products

The consensual technique for assessing creativity is widely used in research, but its validation has been limited to assessing the creativity of artifacts produced under tightly constrained experimental conditions. Typically, only artifacts produced in response to very similar instructions have been compared. This has allowed researchers to compare such things as the effects of different motivational conditions on creative performance, but it has not allowed many other kinds of comparisons. It has also limited the use of the technique to artifacts gathered for specific experimental purposes, as opposed to already-existing artifacts produced under less controlled conditions. For this study, samples of writings collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress that were written in response to a very wide variety of assignments and under varying conditions were rated for creativity by 13 expert judges. Judges compared the creativity of 103 stories, 103 personal narratives, and 102 poems, all writt...
Making CDN and ISP Routings Symbiotic

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) route traffic at the IP layer with the preference of less inter-carrier payments while Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) route traffic at the application layer with the preference of better application performance. Such mismatch of routing preferences leads to conflicts that eventually result in higher operational cost for both ISPs and CDNs. In this paper, we propose to make CDN and ISP routing mutually beneficial through ISP's non-uniform bandwidth charging and CDN's bandwidth cost-aware request routing. More specifically, ISPs charge different prices for traffic that traverses different types of inter domain links and CDNs, in routing user requests to their servers, try to minimize their ISP payments by taking the pricing information into consideration. We evaluate the solution in large scale simulations. The greedy solution presents the lowest bandwidth cost for CDNs but at the expense of network performance for users. With end-to-end delay introduced as a constraint in the optimization process, the solution maintains good network performance for users while achieving significant savings in bandwidth cost. Compared with conventional nearest-available policy in CDN request routing, our solution moves significant amount of inter domain traffic from provider routes to peer or customer routes, reducing operational costs for ISPs and CDNs.
The performance advantages of integrating block data transfer in cache-coherent multiprocessors

Integrating support for block data transfer has become an important emphasis in recent cache-coherent shared address space multiprocessors. This paper examines the potential performance benefits of adding this support. A set of ambitious hardware mechanisms is used to study performance gains in five important scientific computations that appear to be good candidates for using block transfer. Our conclusion is that the benefits of block transfer are not substantial for hardware cache-coherent multiprocessors. The main reasons for this are (i) the relatively modest fraction of time applications spend in communication amenable to block transfer, (ii) the difficulty of finding enough independent computation to overlap with the communication latency that remains after block transfer, and (iii) long cache lines often capture many of the benefits of block transfer in efficient cache-coherent machines. In the cases where block transfer improves performance, prefetching can often provide comparable, if not superior, performance benefits. We also examine the impact of varying important communication parameters and processor speed on the effectiveness of block transfer, and comment on useful features that a block transfer facility should support for real applications.
Modeling and Analysis of Calcium Signaling Events Leading to Long-Term Depression in Cerebellar Purkinje Cells

Modeling and simulation of the calcium signaling events that precede long-term depression of synaptic activity in cerebellar Purkinje cells are performed using the Virtual Cell biological modeling framework. It is found that the unusually high density and low sensitivity of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3R) are critical to the ability of the cell to generate and localize a calcium spike in a single dendritic spine. The results also demonstrate the model's capability to simulate the supralinear calcium spike observed experimentally during coincident activation of the parallel and climbing fibers. The sensitivity of the calcium spikes to certain biological and geometrical effects is investigated as well as the mechanisms that underlie the cell's ability to generate the supralinear spike. The sensitivity of calcium release rates from the IP3R to calcium concentrations, as well as IP3 concentrations, allows the calcium spike to form. The diffusion barrier caused by the small radius of the spine neck is shown to be important, as a threshold radius is observed above which a spike cannot be formed. Additionally, the calcium buffer capacity and diffusion rates from the spine are found to be important parameters in shaping the calcium spike.
The Educational Linguistics of Bilingual Deaf Education

Deaf students today are educated largely in monolingual educational contexts despite the fact that the Deaf community defines itself as bilingual and bicultural. In this chapter, we summarize some of the unique issues and historical contexts that characterize deaf education in the United States. We then describe how current research in three sub-fields of cognitive linguistics can lead to new possibilities for creating socially responsible learning environments for deaf students in bilingual settings.
Temporal and Spatial Interpolation Errors of High-Resolution Modeled Atmospheric Fields

AbstractGeneral circulation models can now be run at very high spatial resolutions to capture finescale features, but saving the full-spatial-resolution output at every model time step is usually not practical because of storage limitations. To reduce storage requirements, the model output may be produced at reduced temporal and/or spatial resolutions. When this reduced-resolution output is then used in situations where spatiotemporal interpolation is required, such as the generation of synthetic observations for observing system simulation experiments, interpolation errors can significantly affect the quality and usefulness of the reduced-resolution model output. Although it is common in practice to record model output at the highest possible spatial resolution with relatively infrequent temporal output, this may not be the best option to minimize interpolation errors. In this study, two examples using a high-resolution global run of the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, version 5 (GEOS-5), are prese...
Partitioning of mobile ions between ion exchange polymers and aqueous salt solutions: Importance of counter-ion condensation

Equilibrium partitioning of ions between a membrane and a contiguous external solution strongly influences transport properties of polymeric membranes used for water purification and energy generation applications. This study presents a theoretical framework to quantitatively predict ion sorption from aqueous electrolytes (e.g., NaCl, MgCl2) into charged (i.e., ion exchange) polymers. The model was compared with experimental NaCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2 sorption data in commercial cation and anion exchange membranes. Ion sorption in charged polymers was modeled using a thermodynamic approach based on Donnan theory coupled with Manning's counter-ion condensation theory to describe non-ideal behavior of ions in the membrane. Ion activity coefficients in solution were calculated using the Pitzer model. The resulting model, with no adjustable parameters, provides remarkably good agreement with experimental values of membrane mobile salt concentration. The generality of the model was further demonstrated using literature data for ion sorption of various electrolytes in charged polymers, including HCl sorption in Nafion.
Maintaining the progress of IPv6 adoption

Even though IPv6 adoption has accelerated in recent years, the complete migration of the Internet still faces many challenges. There are multiple factors that can potentially affect, negatively or positively, the future adoption of IPv6 by various Internet stakeholders. This situation begs the question of "what could be done to avoid derailing the IPv6 adoption progress?" and "how different factors can help maintain its acceleration?" There has been significant interest in those questions, and the paper proposes a series of models to investigate and shed light on them. The results confirm the effect of a number of known factors, while also providing new insight. Particularly, they highlight the destabilizing impact of disagreement across Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on immediate migration to IPv6, and show the benefits of minimal coordination among them in offering IPv6 as an option. They also show what affects technology transition in a large network with complex dependencies such as the Internet. Using robustness analyses, the findings are shown to hold in the presence of different assumptions and scenarios.
Grain Boundary Diffusion in NiFe/Ag Bilayer Thin Films

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to investigate grain boundary diffusion of Ag through 250 A thick Ni80Fe20 (permalloy) films in the temperature range of 375 to 475°C. Grain boundary diffusivities were determined by modeling the accumulation of Ag on Ni80Fe20 surfaces as a function of time at fixed annealing temperature. The grain boundary diffusivity of Ag through Ni80Fe20 is characterized by a diffusion coefficient prefactor, D0,gb, of 0.9 cm2/sec and an activation energy, Ea,gb, of 2.2 eV. The Ni80Fe20 film microstructure has been investigated before and after annealing by atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The microstructure of Ni80Fe20 deposited on Ag underlayers remained relatively unchanged upon annealing.
Whole-body vibration: is there a causal relationship to specific imaging findings of the spine?

Study Design. Systematic review. Objective. To perform a systematic review of the available literature for those studies that evaluated the role of whole-body vibration (WBV) on the spine, using imaging modalities as well as an estimation of WBV exposure. Summary of Background Data. Numerous comparative studies have reported a possible association between the occurrence of spinal symptoms and exposure to WBV. These exposures have commonly been examined in the work environment largely through self-reported questionnaires only. From a scientific perspective, the majority of studies emphasize symptoms and lack objective medical evidence, such as spinal imaging, to help establish a specific spinal disorder. Because both neck and low back pain comprise symptoms that can arise from a host of factors including age, a casual link between spinal disorders and WBV cannot be affirmed. Methods. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies related to WBV and spinal symptoms, diagnosis, and/or disorders. Our searches were limited to studies published prior to August 2011. The resulting 700 citations (after excluding 354 duplicates) were then screened by 3 independent reviewers on the basis of the following predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria: inclusion—clinical studies with imaging evaluation (radiographs, computed tomographic scans, and/or magnetic resonance images) and documented WBV exposure (occupation, amount of WBV, and/or duration); exclusion—reliance solely on self-reporting of symptoms (neck pain, low back pain, and/or sciatica), those articles based on a clinical diagnosis without use of imaging, and in vitro/animal/biomechanical studies. Results. Only 7 studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Included were 5 retrospective cohort and 2 cross-sectional studies. Although mixed results and conclusions were found, the majority of studies did not identify an association between WBV exposure and an abnormal spinal imaging finding indicating damage of the spine. We should also stress that each included study has limitations secondary to quantifying WBV exposure accurately, both as a single encounter and as a total exposure over years. Conclusion. Based on our results from this systematic review, no causality can be shown between WBV and abnormal spinal imaging findings. With the conflicting data available in the literature, WBV has not been established as a cause for objective spinal pathological changes on a scientific basis.
Indigenous Food Systems, Environmental Justice, and Settler-Industrial States

Environmental injustices impacting Indigenous peoples across the globe are often described as wrongful disruptions of Indigenous food systems imposed by settler-industrial states such as the U.S. I will discuss how focusing on Indigenous food systems suggests a conception of the structure of environmental injustice as interference in Indigenous peoples’ collective capacities to self- determine how they adapt to metascale forces, from climate change to economic transitions. This conception of environmental justice can be contrasted to conceptions focusing on wrongfully disproportionate allocations of environmental hazards. I conclude by making a connection between environmental justice, the movements of global settler-industrial states, and the food and environmental justice issues of other populations, such as African- Americans in the Detroit, Michigan area.
An Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Well Pad in the Vicinity of Lake Corpus Christi, San Particio County, Texas

On October 13, 1982, the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, carried out a pedestrian survey of a well pad site at Lake Corpus Christi State Park in San Patricio County. The survey located a prehistoric site (41 SP 116). However, surface examination and shovel testing determined that the site was not a significant cultural resource. Therefore, no further work is recommended.
Isosorbide dinitrate in acute and chronic heart failure

The hemodynamic effects of sublingual isosorbide dinitrate (ISD) were studied in 12 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) of many causes. The duration of CHF in the chronic group varied from 3 to 62 months (mean, 29.5). Hemodynamic parameters were obtained serially before and 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 120 min after a 5 to 15 mg dose of ISD sublingually. The hemodynamic effects were pronounced at 45 min and returned to control levels in 120 min. Heart rate did not change. Hemodynamic parameters that changed after ISD were mean arterial pressure (-7%, p less than 0.05), mean pulmonary artery pressure (-17%, p less than 0.05), and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (-29%, p less than 0.005). Mean cardiac index (+3%, p = NS) and mean stroke work index rose (+9.4%, P X NS); mean total systemic resistance fell (-10%, p = NS). Thus the duration of hemodynamic effects of ISD is less than 2 hr and sublingual ISD induces beneficial reduction of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with acute and chronic CHF without increasing cardiac index and stroke work index.
Catadioptric stereo tracking for three dimensional shape measurement of MRI guided catheters

The recent introduction of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-actuated steerable catheters lays the ground work for increasing the efficacy of cardiac catheter procedures. The MRI, while capable of imaging the catheter for tracking and control, does not fulfill all of the needs required to identify and develop a complete catheter model. Specifially, the frequency response of the catheter must be identified to ensure stable control of the catheter system. This requires a higher frequency imaging than the MRI can achieve. This work uses a catadioptric stereo camera system consisting of a mirror and a single camera in order to track a MRI actuated catheter inside a MRI machine. The catadioptric system works in parallel to the MRI and is capable of recording the catheter at 60 fps for post processing. The accuracy of the catadioptric system is verified in imaging conditions that would be found inside the MRI. The stereo camera is then used to track a catheter as it is actuated inside the MRI.
Pneumonia prevention in intubated patients given sucralfate versus proton-pump inhibitors and/or histamine II receptor blockers.

Abstract Background Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). The type of stress-ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) given to ventilated patients may, in part, be responsible. We observed an increase in VAP as ventilator bundle compliance increased and a decrease in VAP when bundle compliance decreased. We reasoned that SUP which raises gastric pH such as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine II (H2) receptor antagonists as opposed to SUP which does not raise pH such as sucralfate (S) may be responsible and also may alter the causative bacteria. Materials and methods This is a single-center retrospective cohort analysis of all intubated, adult surgical patients admitted to the surgical ICU between January and June during the 3-y period 2012-2014. Demographics, APACHE II, Injury Severity Score, VAP occurrence, culprit bacteria, ventilator days, and ICU days were recorded based on the type of SUP given. Results There were 45 instances of VAP in the 504 study patients, 33 in the PPI/H2 group, and 12 in the S group ( P P Pseudomonas , gram-negative bacilli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in PPI/H2 patients ( n = 29) compared with oropharyngeal flora in S patients ( n = 6; P Conclusions There was a substantial difference in VAP occurrence and in the culprit bacteria between S and PPI/H2 treated patients due perhaps to gastric alkalization.
Controlling noncovalent interactions between a lysine-rich α-helical peptide and self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on Au through functional group diversity

Abstract Reliably attaching a structured biomolecule to an inorganic substrate would enable the preparation of surfaces that incorporate both biological and inorganic functions and structures. To this end, we have previously developed a procedure using the copper(I)-catalyzed click reaction to tether synthetic α-helical peptides carrying two alkyne groups to well-ordered alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAM) on a Au(111) surface, in which the SAM is composed of a mixture of methyl and azide termination. Proteins, however, are composed of many diverse functional groups, and this composition directly effects protein structure, interactions, and reactivity. Here, we explore the utility of mixed SAMs with alternative terminating functional groups to tune and direct the reactivity of the surface through noncovalent peptide-surface interactions. We study both polar surfaces (OH-terminated) and charged surfaces (COOH- and NH 3 -terminated, which are negatively and positively charged, respectively, under our reaction conditions). Surfaces were functionalized with a bipolar peptide composed of Lys and Leu residues that could express different interactions through either hydrophilic and/or charge (Lys) or hydrophobic (Leu) influences. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize surfaces at all stages of the peptide functionalization procedure. This strategy resulted in a high density of surface-bound α-helices without aggregation. Mixed SAMs that included a positively charged alkanethiol along with the azide-terminated thiol resulted in a more efficient reaction and better alignment of the peptide with the azide on the surface. Negatively charged surfaces increased physisorption of the peptide, which was then removed during sample rinsing. This work demonstrates that varying easily controlled chemical inputs during the functionalization steps allows the reaction conditions to be balanced for the chemical needs of a particular biomolecule or substrate.
Microorganisms Involved in the Spoilage of Fermented Fruit Juices.

Bottled wines, ciders and perries that contain sugar are susceptible to refermentation by yeasts and the growth of lactic acid bacteria. The yeasts are strongly fermentative strains, often species of Saccharomyces , while the lactics are acid and ethanol tolerant species that grow slowly and are fastidious in their nutrient requirements. Spoilage is manifested by gas, haze and various flavor changes. Control procedures include filtration, pasteurization and the use of the preservatives sulfur dioxide and sorbic acid.
Are global renormalization methods capable of locating gas-liquid critical points

A glohal renormalization procedure used recently to calculate thermal volumetric properties near and to far from the critical point for two square-well fluids, widths 1.5 and 3.0, with accurately known critical points is here applied in an effort to determine where the critical point is located for three square-well fluids, widths 1.375, 1.75, and 2.0, for which accurate simulation data near the critical point are lacking. The present approach is suggested as an alternative to extrapolation methods that have been applied in the past and resulted in widely divergent predictions. A problem in the past has been knowing what to use as an effective critical point exponent, β eff , for purpose of the extrapolation. The present renormalization calculations indicate that rather widely different behaviors of β eff as a function of distance from the critical point can be expected for square wells of different width.
The Expression of Genes 5′ in the Hox-A Cluster Is Co-Ordinated Both in Normal and Leukemic Hematopoiesis.

Hox genes are known to play critical roles in hematopoiesis and are probably important in the pathogenesis of leukemias. Disruption of the Hoxa9 gene in mice leads to defects in erythroid, lymphoid and myeloid hematopoiesis while over-expression of Hoxa9 leads to leukemia in mice. Transcription of Hoxa9 is partly regulated by the Mixed lineage leukemia gene ( Mll ) product. Bone marrow cells of mice carrying the leukemic Mll-AF9 fusion gene as a knock-in mutation (henceforth called Mll ), display an increase in expression of several Hox genes - Hoxa5 , Hoxa6 , Hoxa7 , Hoxa9 and Hoxa10 , when compared to age matched wild type mice (Kumar et. al, 2004, Blood ). Since the over-expressed Hox genes all belong to the same Hox-a cluster, we hypothesized that these genes might be co-regulated during normal hematopoiesis. Co-regulation of neighboring genes within the same cluster has been reported by others for the Hox-b and c clusters. To test this hypothesis for the 5′ Hox-a cluster genes, we compared expression levels of Hoxa5 , Hox7 and Hoxa10 in Hoxa9 homozygous knockout ( Hoxa9 −/− ) and wild type bone marrow by real-time quantitative RT-PCR using Taqman primers/probe sets (Applied Biosystems, CA). Expression levels of Hoxa5 , Hoxa7 , and Hoxa10 were all reduced by 65% ± 2% in Hoxa9 −/− mice compared to wild type mice. In contrast, levels of Hoxb4 and Meis1 - homeobox genes that are not part of the Hox-a cluster - were identical in Hoxa9 −/− and wild type mice. These results show no compensatory increases in expression of other 5′ Hox-a genes in the absence of Hoxa9 , but instead demonstrate that disruption of Hoxa9 decreases the expression of neighboring genes in the Hox-a cluster. The hematopoietic defects seen in Hoxa9 −/− mice (leucopenia, lymphopenia and blunted granulocytic response to G-CSF) might thus be attributable to the deficiency of multiple Hox-a gene products, rather than of Hoxa9 alone. To further evaluate the extent of this co-regulation, we studied the expression levels of these genes in Mll mice that lacked Hoxa9 ( Hoxa9 −/− /Mll-AF9 +/− , henceforth called Mll/Hox ). The Mll/Hox mice develop leukemia at the same rate and time course as the Mll mice, but with a phenotype that is relatively more immature. In Mll/Hox mice, the expression levels of Hoxa5 and Hoxa7 were increased 13 fold and 4 fold respectively, while those of Hoxa10 remained decreased at 35% of wild type. These results indicate that the decreased expression of neighboring Hox-a genes in Hoxa9 −/− mice was reversed by Mll-AF9 for Hoxa5 and Hoxa7 , but not for Hoxa10 , suggesting a second level of co-regulation for Hoxa9 and Hoxa10 . Overall, our findings demonstrate a co-regulated relationship between the 5′ Hox-a cluster genes during normal hematopoiesis, and provide evidence that deregulation of a single Hoxa9 gene significantly alters the expression of neighboring Hox-a cluster genes with implications for understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms of leukemia.
Affinity Maturation Drives Epitope Spreading and Generation of Proinflammatory Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs); nevertheless, the origin, specificity, and functional properties of ACPAs remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterize the evolution of ACPAs by sequencing the plasmablast antibody repertoire at serial time points in patients with established RA. METHODS Blood samples were obtained at up to 4 serial time points from 8 individuals with established RA who were positive for ACPAs by the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide test. CD19+CD3-IgD-CD14-CD20-CD27+CD38++ plasmablasts were isolated by single-cell sorting and costained with citrullinated peptide tetramers to identify ACPA-expressing plasmablasts. Cell-specific oligonucleotide barcodes were utilized, followed by large-scale sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, to obtain error-corrected, paired heavy- and light-chain antibody gene sequences for each B cell. RESULTS Bioinformatics analysis revealed 170 persistent plasmablast lineages in the RA blood, of which 19% included multiple isotypes. Among IgG- and IgA-expressing plasmablasts, significantly more IgA-expressing than IgG-expressing persistent lineages were observed (P < 0.01). Shared complementarity-determining region 3 sequence motifs were identified across subjects. A subset of the plasmablast lineages included members derived from later time points with divergent somatic hypermutations that encoded antibodies that bind an expanded set of citrullinated antigens. Furthermore, these recombinant, differentially mutated plasmablast antibodies formed immune complexes that stimulated higher macrophage production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) compared to antibodies representing earlier time point-derived lineage members that were less mutated. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that established RA is characterized by a persistent IgA ACPA response that exhibits ongoing affinity maturation. This observation suggests the presence of a persistent mucosal antigen that continually promotes the production of IgA plasmablasts and their affinity maturation and epitope spreading, thus leading to the generation of ACPAs that bind additional citrullinated antigens and more potently stimulate macrophage production of TNF.
Phase congruency based technique for the removal of rain from video

Rain is a complex dynamic noise that hampers feature detection and extraction from videos. The presence of rain streaks in a particular frame of video is completely random and cannot be predicted accurately. In this paper, a method based on phase congruency is proposed to remove rain from videos. This method makes use of the spatial, temporal and chromatic properties of the rain streaks in order to detect and remove them. The basic idea is that any pixel will not be covered by rain at all instances. Also, the presence of rain causes sharp changes in intensity at a particular pixel. The directional property of rain streaks also helps in the proper detection of rain affected pixels. The method provides good results in comparison with the existing methods for rain removal.
Changes in Synthesis of RNA and Protein During Reactivation of Delayed Implanting Mouse Blastocysts

A series of experiments are reviewed that deal with various aspects of RNA and protein synthesis during the developmental diapause and reactivation associated with delayed implantation of mouse embryos. Results of these experiments demonstrate that rates of synthesis of RNA and protein are reduced during the quiescent period associated with delayed implantation and increase with reactivation of the embryos. The level of overall synthesis of RNA was found to increase slowly but steadily over a 24 hr period, reflecting primarily an increase in the rate of synthesis of ribosomal RNA, while there appeared to be a marked but transient burst in synthesis of mRNA within the first 3–4 hr. This increase in synthesis of mRNA was found to be linked temporally to an a-amanitin sensitive increase in protein synthesis. In addition, there appeared to be an even earlier increase in protein synthesis that was insensitive to a-amanitin. These results suggest that the overall mechanism responsible for the embryonic diapause and reactivation of delayed implanting mouse embryos has both transcriptional and translational components. It is speculated that the primary response to the maternal signal is at the level of translation of existing mRNA and that the remainder of the metabolic changes and the subsequent developmental arrest are a consequence of a reduction in necessary proteins. Further experimental approaches to test this hypothesis are suggested.
Modelling the Effects of Climate Change on the Hydrologic Response of a Mountain Watershed

Climate changes are likely to have serious impacts on water supply and demand in arid and semi-arid basins. We consider CO2 - induced changes in vegetation and the changes in temperature and precipitation scenarios in this analysis. In this paper, we present application of a distributed parameter model to simulate the effects of climate and vegetation changes on the hydrologic response of Chalk Creek watershed in the Weber River basin in Utah. Leaf area index (LAI) is used as a measure of forest structure to quantify energy and mass exchange. Hydrologic response unit (HRU) is used to partition the watershed into spatially distributed units. Sensitivity analysis assumed changes in climate and plant variables over credible ranges of change based on the GCMs output and current literature. For the range of scenarios studied, the results suggest greater effect of warming on runoff than for cooling. A greater sensitivity of annual runoff to precipitation than to temperature was in agreement with the results of other studies done else where. The results, in general, indicate a marked shift in the timing and seasonality of runoff.
Excerpt from Woodrow Wilson and Colonel House

What I like about House is that he is the most self-effacing man that ever lived. All he wants to do is serve the common cause and to help me and others.
Publisher Correction: Bcl11b is essential for licensing Th2 differentiation during helminth infection and allergic asthma

In the originally published version of this Article, the affiliation details for Dorina Avram incorrectly included “Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA”, instead of “UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA”. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
An Extended Hackathon Model for Collaborative Education in Medical Innovation

To support the next generation of healthcare innovators - whether they be engineers, designers, clinicians, or business experts by training – education in the emerging field of medical innovation should be made easily and widely accessible to undergraduate students, graduate students, and young professionals, early in their careers. Currently, medical innovation curricula are taught through semester-long courses or year-long fellowships at a handful of universities, reaching only a limited demographic of participants. This study describes the structure and preliminary outcomes of a 1–2 week “extended hackathon” course that seeks to make medical innovation education and training more accessible and easily adoptable for academic medical centers. Eight extended hackathons were hosted in five international locations reaching 245 participants: Beijing (June 2015 and August 2016), Hong Kong (June 2016, 2017, and 2018), Curitiba (July 2016), Stanford (October 2017), and Sao Paulo (May 2018). Pre- and post-hackathon surveys asking respondents to self-assess their knowledge in ten categories of medical innovation were administered to quantify the perceived degree of learning. Participants hailed from a diverse range of educational backgrounds, domains of expertise, and academic institutions. On average, respondents (n = 161) saw a greater than twofold increase (114.1%, P < 0.001) from their pre- to post-hackathon scores. In this study, the extended hackathon is presented as a novel educational model to teach undergraduate and graduate students a foundational skillset for medical innovation. Participants reported gaining significant knowledge across all ten categories assessed. To more robustly assess the educational value of extended hackathons, a standardized assessment for medical innovation knowledge needs to be developed, and a larger sample size of participants surveyed.