cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capillary zone electrophoresis of neutral organic molecules in organic – aqueous solution

Very good separations of non-ionic organic compounds have been achieved by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a tetrahep-tylammonium salt as an additive in aqueous acetonitrile as solvent. A systematic study was undertaken to determine the effect of experimental parameters on electroosmotic mobility and electro-phoretic mobility. It was found that pH, acetonitrile concentration, and the type and concentration of quaternary ammonium salt are important experimental variables. Under appropriate conditions, the separation window was enlarged and a broad range of electrically neutral organics, including very hydrophobic compounds (e. g. poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and fairly hydrophilic compounds were separated in a relatively short time. By adjusting the separation conditions, high resolution CZE of a specific group of neutral organic compounds could be achieved. A method for calculation of capacity factor was proposed and capacity factors for a variety of non-lonic organic compounds were calculated.
A theoretical investigation of chain packing and electronic band structure of the rigid‐rod polymer trans‐poly(p‐phenylene benzobisthiazole) in the crystalline state

The extended Huckel method was employed to calculate electronic band structures in trans-poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (trans-PBT) in an attempt to elucidate the packing and electronic properties of these chains in the crystalline state. The unit-cell energies thus calculated indicate that the most stable arrangement for trans-PBT corresponds to the chains in planar configurations, at an interplanar spacing of 3.5 A, and shifted axially by 3.0 A relative to one another. These calculated results are in good agreement with experimental results obtained on the polymer and on relevant model compounds. No discernible dispersion of the energy bands perpendicular to the planes is observed, indicating that the neighboring chains are electronically noninteractive, as was found earlier for trans-polyacetylene and polyethylene. Similarly, the band gap of 1.69 eV in the axial direction for one of a pair of chains was nearly the same as that, 1.73 eV, calculated previously for an isolated trans-PBT chain. These values are in the range 1.4–1.9 eV reported for trans-polyacetylene, which has been extensively studied because of its promise as a semiconductor.
Inhibiting deception and its detection

Computer-mediated communication is becoming ubiquitous in our networked society. Yet one aspect of human communication that is rarely explored in the context of computer-mediated communication is deception. Deception is common, yet communication research has shown that people perform little better than chance at successfully detecting it. Two different laboratory studies of deception and its detection in face-to-face groups, communicating either with electronic support or without it, are reported on here. In both studies, subjects were very poor at detecting deception, across media. Yet third parties who had not taken part in the group meetings were able to detect about half or more of the deceptive statements that appeared in the transcripts of the group meetings. A possible explanation explored here is the role of social facilitation and the inhibiting influence it may have on deception and on its detection.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUBSURFACE GEOLOGY FOR WATER SOURCE AND VEGETATION COMMUNITIES IN CHEROKEE MARSH, WISCONSIN

Restoration of disturbed wetland systems is an important component of wetland mitigation, yet uncertainty remains about how hydrologic processes affect biologic processes and wetlands patterns. To design more effective restoration strategies and re-establish native plant communities in disturbed wetlands, it is imperative to understand undisturbed systems. A site within Cherokee Marsh located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, contains a relatively undisturbed area of wetland consisting of plant communities common within the prairie landscape including a fen, sedge meadow, and shallow marsh. These distinct communities are found within an area of minimal topographic relief, yet transitions from one community to the next occur over short distances. This study sought to characterize the geologic, hydrologic, and chemical gradients associated with these shifts in vegetation to gain insight into the factors controlling the spatial differences in dominant plant species, which could be critical for restoration success. Vegetation analyses revealed a transition of dominant sedge species, which appeared to correspond to changes in hydrology from a ground-water dominated to a surface-water dominated system (as determined by water isotopes). Along the same vegetation transect, subsurface coring results show a heterogeneous composition of peat and till with lateral and vertical variations in stratigraphy, which relates to variability in ground-water discharge as evidenced by hydroperiods and stable isotope composition. Applications of this type of approach throughout the glaciated terrains of the midwestern and northeastern United States and Canada can improve future wetland restoration and management.
Observation of uterine contractility by cinehysterosalpingography and television fluoroscopy

Cinehysterosalpingography with television fluoroscopy was performed in 47 patients, primarily to study uterine contractility. For this purpose, initially small amounts of contrast material were employed and additions were made depending upon the problem or abnormalities. These studies reveal that the cornu, the fundus, and the uterine isthmus are remarkably responsive, dynamic segments. Corporeal activity is pronounced at the time of ovulation but in the luteal phase provides a quiescent locale for possible nidation. In some patients, infertility might be caused by asynchronous uterine activity. Cyclic tubal activity is not apparent from these studies but with changes or refinements in technique, tubal movements may become more obvious and may be correlated with uterine motility.
Trilobite Taphonomy and Temporal Resolution in the Mt. Orab Shale Bed (Upper Ordovician, Ohio, U.S.A)

Clay-rich units, locally termed ‘‘butter shales,’’ contain the best-preserved trilobites in the richly fossiliferous Cincinnatian Series and likely provide the highest temporal resolution available within these rocks. Sedimentological and taphonomic evidence indicates that the 0.46-m-thick Mt. Orab ‘‘butter shale’’ bed of the Arnheim Formation is composed of a series of stacked event beds, each representing rapid deposition from a flow bearing fine-grained sediment, most likely associated with distal storm processes below storm-wave base. It contains sedimentary structures similar to those of distal mud turbidites, and comprises a total of at least seven, and possibly many more, alternating silt and clay couplets. These clay and silt layers are interpreted to represent the products of different energetic regimes in a series of discrete depositional events accumulated within a common depositional regime. Trilobites within individual clay beds represent census assemblages of animals alive at the same time, and evidence from sedimentology, taphonomy, and stratigraphic architecture are consistent with accumulation of the whole bed within a period from 10 1 to 10 3 years. Silt layers of the Mt. Orab events beds are interpreted to represent parautochthonous assemblages, while clay layers, although displaying reorientation of specimens, are interpreted as autochthonous assemblages. Both layers are deposited in a shallower-water environment than the comparable ‘‘granulosa’’ trilobite cluster of the Kope Formation, which represents an autochthonous assemblage with in-situ burial of trilobites.
Role of cAMP in mediating effects of fasting on dephosphorylation of insulin receptor

We studied the effect of fasting on phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) activities in particulate (PF) and cytosolic (CF) fractions of rat adipocytes and liver. PTPase activity was assessed using [32P]tyrosine insulin receptor (IR). In adipocytes, 48 h fasting significantly inhibited PTPase activity. Dephosphorylation of IR by PF and CF PTPases was reduced by 80 and 65%, respectively. Similar reductions of lesser magnitude were observed in fasted rat livers. The effect of fasting was completely reversed by either refeeding or by incubating "fasted" adipocytes for 2 h in tissue culture medium containing 5 mM glucose. Neither 20 mM glucose nor the presence of insulin influenced phosphatase activity. Because fasting is accompanied by elevated protein kinase C (PKC) and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels, we examined their influence on adipocyte PTPases. Neither activation (1 microM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) nor inhibition (20 microM sphingosine) of PKC affected PTPase activity. In contrast, cAMP (2 mM) significantly inhibited PTPase activity (80% inhibition at 2 h), and its effect was prevented by a cAMP antagonist RpcAMP. Fasting- and cAMP-induced inhibition of PTPase activity was restored by incubating PF with trypsin (4 micrograms/ml for 5 min), which separated the putative inhibitors from the phosphatases. We conclude that fasting-induced inhibition of PTPases is mediated by elevated cAMP levels, most likely by activating phosphatase inhibitors.
In Search of GE: Why We Have Not Documented a Gene–Social Environment Interaction Yet

In this chapter, I argue that social science and genomics can be integrated – however, the way this marriage is currently occurring rests on spurious methods and assumptions and, as a result, will yield few lasting insights. Recent advances in both econometrics and developmental genomics provide scientists with a novel opportunity to understand how genes and (social) environment interact. Key to any causal inference about genetically heterogeneous effects of social conditions is that either genetics be exogenously manipulated while environment is held constant (and measured properly) and/or that environmental variation is exogenous in nature – i.e., experimental or arising from a natural experiment of sorts. Further, allele selection should be motivated by findings from genetic experiments in (model) animal studies linked to orthologous human genes. Likewise, genetic associations found in human population studies should then be tested through knock-out and overexpression studies in model organisms. Finally, epigenetic and gene expression analysis of corpse brains offers a potentially fruitful way to get at mechanisms by which social environment affects gene pathways.
The Organization of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Related Sequences in Human Cellular DNA

We have established the existence of two major pol gene families in the evolution of retroviruses, using low stringency blot hybridization and nucleotide sequence analysis. One family consists of mammalian type C viruses. The second pol gene family consists of type A,B,D, and avian type C viruses. In this article we review the evidence for mouse mammary tumor virus related sequences in human cellular DNA and summarize our results which establish this class of human retroviral genomes as members of the second pol gene family.
Nomenclature for Pneumocystis carinii

Although Pneumocystis carinii was first recognized over 75 y ago, its taxonomic position remains to be established. The difficulty with taxonomy stems from the dearth of knowledge about the biology of P. carinii, along with the lack of well-defined and generally accepted criteria for the classification of protozoa as well as fungi. Regardless of the host, P. carinii organisms derived from humans and lower mammals have had identical morphological, ultrastructural, tinctorial, and histochemical features. Antigenic differences have, however, been recently demonstrated in P. carinii obtained from a variety of mammalian hosts. The report by Tanabe and colleagues [1] in this issue of the Journal stimulates further consideration of these differences.
Acute Kidney Injury and the Risk of Mortality in Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a well-documented complication of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Dialysis after HSCT is associated with a lower overall survival (OS); however, the association between less severe AKI and OS is unclear. We retrospectively studied 205 consecutive pediatric HSCT patients to determine the incidence and impact of all stages of AKI on OS in pediatric HSCT recipients. We used the peak pRIFLE grade during the first 100 days to classify AKI (ie, R = risk, I = injury, F = failure, L = loss of function, E = end-stage renal disease) and used the modified Schwartz formula to estimate glomerular filtration rate. AKI was observed in 173 of 205 patients (84%). The 1-year OS rate decreased significantly with an increasing severity of pRIFLE grades (P
District of Columbia’s Elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissions An Unlikely Experiment in Governance at the Grassroots

The District of Columbia is a quarter of a century into an experiment with neighborhood-based elected governance. Thirty-seven Advisory Neighborhood Commissions blanket the 10-mile-square city, con...
The Second International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF2)

The ICRF2 catalog was constructed by the IERS/IVS Working Group with oversight by the IAU Working Group. Derived using data from August 1979 through March 2009, it is a great improvement over the original ICRF with 3414 extragalactic radio source positions, a noise floor of 40 microarcsec, and axis stability of 10 microarcsec. Significant refinements were made in the selection of defining sources, modeling, and the integration of CRF, TRF, and EOP. The adoption of the ICRF2 was approved by the IAU in Resolution B3 at the XXVII IAU General Assembly and became effective 1 January 2010.
On the Compensation System for Divorce Damage

The establishment of a compensation system for divorce damage has become a major issue in modern marriage and family legislation and it still needs some time to complete such a process. For a compensation system for divorce damage, the following three areas should be properly denned: (1) reasons behind the establishment of such a system; (2) the functional roles that this system will play; (3) the applicability of this system in judicial practice. By developing its argument in these three aspects, the paper is meant to contribute to the perfection of legislation and the right applicability of judicature.
Method of Improving the Interchangeability of Rogowski Coils

In order to investigate the interchangeability of the Rogowski coil,the mutual inductance of a coil under different test conditions were measured using high precision multimeter and compared.The test results show that,the changes of the mutual inductance can not be neglected and it should be measured under the condition with which the coil actually works;Manufacturing variations influence the mutual inductance greatly and make a bad interchangeability.To solve these problems,an adjustable resistor is suggested to be placed on the coil as a terminating resistance to provide a passive compensation solution,enabling coil manufacturers to produce coils with uniform performance increasing interchangeability while reducing manufacturing complexity.Recalibration is not needed when such a coil is replaced.The error analysis shows the coil with adjustable resistance has a very good performance.
H(+)-K(+)-ATPase of rat inner medullary collecting duct in primary culture

pH recovery in response to addition of and removal from NH4Cl was examined using 2',7'-bis(2-carboxy-ethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein fluorescence in primary cultures of inner medullary collecting du...
Validating the Electric Maze Task as a Measure of Planning

AbstractThe Electric Maze Task (EMT) is a novel planning task designed to allow flexible testing of planning abilities across a broad age range and to incorporate manipulations to test underlying planning abilities, such as working-memory and inhibitory control skills. The EMT was tested in a group of 63 typically developing 7- to 12-year-olds. Participants completed 4 mazes designed to alter working-memory demands (by increasing the number of steps required from 6 to 8) and inhibitory control demands (by using a modified Dimensional Change Card Sort task) and 3 standardized measures using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. The EMT was found to correlate with measures of visual memory, working memory, and planning. The 6-step mazes were simpler for participants to solve and mapped on to performance on the visual memory task. The 8-step mazes were more difficult and mapped on to performance on the spatial working-memory and planning tasks. Children who were 10 to 12 years old were als...
Intraplacental smooth muscle tumor. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Chorioangioma is the leading diagnosis for circumscribed placental lesion noted on ultrasound. Other rare intraplacental tumors may have a significant clinical impact on the mother and fetus. CASE: An intraplacental, hypoechoic area consistent with chorioangioma was noted on ultrasound examination at 17 weeks' gestation. The lesion remained stable in size throughout gestation, with no evidence of fetal hydrops or polyhydramnios. At term, a live-born male infant was delivered vaginally, followed by spontaneous expulsion of the placenta. Histologic examination of the placenta revealed an intraplacental, potentially malignant smooth muscle tumor. Six weeks postpartum, total abdominal hysterectomy and pelvic node sampling were performed. No residual disease was found on the final histologic examination. CONCLUSION: Although ultrasound differentiation is difficult, rare nontrophoblastic tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis of placental masses. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a lesion in the placenta.
Pancreatic Cancer: Radiation Therapy Planning

Improvements in radiation technology such as image guided radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therapy have allowed for delivery of very high doses of radiation therapy with millimeter accuracy in only 1-3 weeks. The precise delivery of RT with small volumes results in less toxicity and therefore it can be more easily integrated with multi-agent chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Finally, preliminary data with heavy ion therapy holds great promise for this disease. This summary reviews existing radiation therapy approaches to treat pancreas cancer and explores newer technologies.
A Shared Secret Key Initiated by EPR Authentication and Qubit Transmission Channels

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an innovative solution in the cryptography world to prevent the information leakage that can sometimes be deliberate. Several QKD protocols were recently presented for building a secure shared key, of which the BB84 protocol is one of those interesting protocols. The authentication between the communicating parties is one of the issues that cause a huge argument. Furthermore, the current well-known QKD protocols are not yet ready to realize the personality of either the sender or the receiver, although the QKD protocol is already protected by the rules of physics and quantum mechanics to detect any interruption. This paper introduces a new QKD protocol that utilizes two quantum channels to provide authenticated communications for legitimate parties. Moreover, the proposed QKD protocol uses two type of physical behaviors, entanglement and superposition states. The entangled states are utilized to confirm the authentication between the end users, while the superposition states carry the secret key that will be shared between the users.
Capacity Determinations and Elder Self-Neglect.

Elder self-neglect can be assessed with the Elder Self-Neglect Assessment (ESNA) and addressed by physicians’ partnering with patients to achieve common goals.
From Shame to Dignity: Elderly Women, Depression, and the Feminine Self:

The experience of depression is diverse based on social locations and context. This analysis is based on 45 interviews with primarily working-class depressed elderly women who were recruited in pri...
Editorial Commentary: When Is Too Small, Too Small? Allograft Augmentation of Autologous Hamstring Grafts During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Abstract Soft tissue allograft augmentation of small hamstring autografts, so-called hybrid grafts, has been proposed as an option during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R). However, notable concerns exist with both small autograft use and allograft use during ACL-R, particularly in young, active patients. We currently choose to augment hamstring autografts with diameters
Materials challenges for the Starshot lightsail

The Starshot Breakthrough Initiative established in 2016 sets an audacious goal of sending a spacecraft beyond our Solar System to a neighbouring star within the next half-century. Its vision for an ultralight spacecraft that can be accelerated by laser radiation pressure from an Earth-based source to ~20% of the speed of light demands the use of materials with extreme properties. Here we examine stringent criteria for the lightsail design and discuss fundamental materials challenges. We predict that major research advances in photonic design and materials science will enable us to define the pathways needed to realize laser-driven lightsails.
Hybrid affairs: Cultural histories of the East India companies:

Danna Agmon, A Colonial Affair: Commerce, Conversion and Scandal in French India, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2017, xvi + 217pp.Anna Winterbottom, Hybrid Knowledge in the Early East India...
The Evaluation of Historical Policy Via Optimal Control Techniques

Economists and policymakers have been concerned with the evaluation of historical policies in the macroeconomy since the development of macroeconomics. Although it is possible to ‘evaluate’ policies in an informal, purely descriptive sense, any formal evaluation must include the specification of targets, or goals, and a scheme for assessing performance toward those goals.
Isolation by distance, local adaptation, and fortuitous coincidence of geo-political boundaries with spatial-genetic clusters in southern Bog Turtles

Abstract Conservation strategies are often implemented within the jurisdiction of an administrative unit, such as a state or federal agency; however, boundaries between these units may or may not reflect biologically meaningful distinctions. Population genomic data provide a useful way to objectively assess whether boundaries of administrative units coincide with natural population structure, as well as compare future management scenarios within and among said units. Here we used 2658 SNPs generated by a triple-digest reduced representation library preparation method from 171 individuals to determine if genetic population structure of Bog Turtles corresponds with political boundaries. We also estimated genetic diversity within populations pertinent to setting management priorities and tested for genetic signatures consistent with local adaptation as a preliminary step to assess translocation risk. We found that genetic differentiation among populations was strongly predicted by geographic distance. Fortuitously, the patchy distribution of remaining Bog Turtle sites results in spatial-genetic clusters that do correspond with state boundaries. We observed low genetic diversity within populations and several instances where the census size exceeded our estimates of effective population size. Lastly, we detected 20 outlier loci consistent with signatures of local adaptation, suggesting that outbreeding depression may be a risk in some translocation options. Our approach allowed us to improve population parameter estimates for the federally threatened Bog Turtle to address key recovery plan objectives, some of which had not been addressed previously.
Structural Biology of Notch Signaling

The conserved Notch signaling pathway plays a central role in development and adult tissue homeostasis. Notch signaling is initiated by binding to a transmembrane ligand. E3 ubiquitin ligase-mediated ligand endocytosis enables release of the negative regulatory region (NRR) of Notch from autoinhibition, which then allows metalloprotease cleavage within the NRR, followed by intramembrane cleavage by the γ-secretase complex. After release from the membrane, the Notch intracellular domain translocates to the nucleus to form a transcriptionally active complex and initiate transcription of Notch-responsive genes. Structural studies of Notch and Notch-associated molecules, which have advanced our understanding of each of these steps in the Notch signaling pathway, are reviewed here.
Jewish debates on the colonial Mexican stage: the case of Fernán González de Eslava

The plays of Fernan Gonzalez de Eslava (c. 1534–1599) provide unexpected insights into sixteenth-century crypto-Judaism in Mexico. In an era of increasing persecution, Gonzalez de Eslava, a secular...
Evaluation of cell mediated immune diagnostic tests to detect Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne’s disease, a chronic progressive fatal disease of ruminants. Similar to tuberculosis, diagnostic tests based on detecting the organism or antibodies are not capable of detecting infected animals in the early stages. Consequently, diagnostic tests based upon the cell mediated immune response, such as the skin test and gamma interferon enzyme-linked immuno absorbent assay (ELISA), which have been successful at detecting tuberculosis need to be investigated further for paratuberculosis. The first paper evaluated the skin test in sheep along with two antibody based diagnostic tests using Bayesian statistical methods that estimate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests in multiple populations without a gold standard. The second paper used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to evaluate the accuracy of the gamma interferon (IFN-γ) ELISA in subclinically infected sheep. These 2 studies similarly concluded the skin test and IFN-γ ELISA had an estimated sensitivity of around 70% and a specificity of 98%. The next paper evaluated the environmental parameters necessary for handling whole blood for the IFN-γ ELISA and assessed the validity of positive controls. The conclusion was blood should be maintained at room temperature, stimulated within 8 hours and phytohemaglutinin A (PHA) was the most accurate positive control tested in cattle. Finally the last paper attempts to further characterize the meaning of a positive response to the skin test or the IFN-γ ELISA by assessing the consequences of environmental exposure to dead MAP. This study found that inhaled or ingested dead MAP does not stimulate a detectable response on the skin test or IFN-γ ELISA.
Magnetic properties of MBE grown Mn 4 N on MgO, SiC, GaN and Al 2 O 3 substrates

Mn4N is a compound magnetic material that can be grown using MBE while exhibiting several desirable magnetic properties such as strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, low saturation magnetization, large domain size, and record high domain wall velocities. In addition to its potential for spintronic applications exploiting spin orbit torque with epitaxial topological insulator/ferromagnet bilayers, the possibility of integrating Mn4N seamlessly with the wide bandgap semiconductors GaN and SiC provides a pathway to merge logic, memory and communication components. We report a comparative study of MBE grown Mn4N thin films on four crystalline substrates: cubic MgO, and hexagonal GaN, SiC and sapphire. Under similar growth conditions, the Mn4N film is found to grow single crystalline on MgO and SiC, polycrystalline on GaN, and amorphous on sapphire. The magnetic properties vary on the substrates and correlate to the structural properties. Interestingly, the field dependent anomalous Hall resistance of Mn4N on GaN shows different behavior from other substrates such as a flipped sign of the anomalous Hall resistance.
Lipid Droplet Contacts With Autophagosomes, Lysosomes, and Other Degradative Vesicles

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic fat-storage organelles that interact readily with numerous cellular structures and organelles. A prominent LD contact site is with degradative vesicles such as auto...
Microwave Microscopy and Its Applications

Understanding the nanoscale electrodynamic properties of a material at microwave frequencies is of great interest for materials science, condensed matter physics, device engineering, and biology. W...
Validation of Inertial Sensor to Measure Barbell Kinematics across a Spectrum of Loading Conditions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of agreement in measuring back squat kinematics between an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a 3D motion capture system (3DMOCAP). Kinematic variables included concentric peak velocity (CPV), concentric mean velocity (CMV), eccentric peak velocity (EPV), eccentric mean velocity (EMV), mean propulsive velocity (MPV), and POP-100: a proprietary variable. Sixteen resistance-trained males performed an incrementally loaded one repetition maximum (1RM) squat protocol. A series of Pearson correlations, 2 × 4 RM ANOVA, Cohen’s d effect size differences, coefficient of variation (CV), and standard error of the estimate (SEE) were calculated. A large relationship existed for all variables between devices (r = 0.78–0.95). Between-device agreement for CPV worsened beyond 60% 1RM. The remaining variables were in agreement between devices with trivial effect size differences and similar CV magnitudes. These results support the use of the IMU, regardless of relative intensity, when measuring EMV, EPV, MPV, and POP-100. However, practitioners should carefully select kinematic variables of interest when using the present IMU device for velocity-based training (VBT), as certain measurements (e.g., CMV, CPV) do not possess practically acceptable reliability or accuracy. Finally, the IMU device exhibited considerable practical data collection concerns, as one participant was completely excluded and 13% of the remaining attempts displayed obvious internal error.
Benzene-associated immunosuppression and chronic inflammation in humans: a systematic review.

Objective Recent evidence has accumulated that the immune system is intimately intertwined with cancer development. Two key characteristics of carcinogens in which the immune system plays a central role are chronic inflammation and immunosuppression. In this systematic review, we investigated the association of chronic inflammatory and immunosuppressive outcomes with benzene, a widely used industrial chemical. Benzene has been confirmed to cause acute myeloid leukaemia and suspected to cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, two cancers of the blood-forming system that affect immune cells. Methods We systematically searched PubMed and Embase for all relevant studies using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and selected key words. The detailed review protocol, including search strategy, was registered with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews (#CRD42019138611). Results Based on all human studies selected in the final review, we report new evidence of a benzene-induced immunosuppressive effect on the adaptive immune system and activation of the innate immune system to cause inflammation. In particular, benzene significantly lowers the number of white blood cells, particularly lymphocytes such as CD4+ T-cells, B-cells and natural killer cells, and increases proinflammatory biomarkers at low levels of exposure. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review of benzene’s immunotoxicity in humans. Based on results obtained from this review, we propose two potential immunotoxic mechanisms of how benzene induces leukaemia/lymphoma: (1) cancer invasion caused by proinflammatory cytokine production, and (2) cancer promotion via impaired immunosurveillance. Further studies will be required to confirm the connection between benzene exposure and its effects on the immune system.
Restarting Warfarin vs Direct Oral Anticoagulants After Major Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Associated Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation: A Cohort Study.

Background & Aims Limited data exist on the management of anticoagulation after hospitalization for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and the risks of recurrent GIB and thromboembolism in patients who are prescribed warfarin vs direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of recurrent GIB and thromboembolism with resumption of anticoagulation after GIB. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of adults with atrial fibrillation prescribed warfarin or DOACs and subsequently hospitalized for GIB. We used claims data from IBM MarketScan Databases from January 2008 through December 2017. Multivariable time-varying regression was used to determine the risks of recurrent GIB and thromboembolism within 6 months of the index hospitalization. Results There were 2991 patients hospitalized for GIB on anticoagulants (warfarin, n = 1872; rivaroxaban, n = 676; dabigatran, n = 293; and apixaban, n = 250). Of warfarin users, 46% (n = 869) resumed warfarin after discharge compared with 43% (n = 483) of DOAC users who resumed DOACs. In the regression analysis modeling time-varying coefficients for anticoagulant use, warfarin resumption was associated with an increased risk of recurrent GIB (hazard ratio [HR], 2.12; 95% CI, 1.43–3.14; P = .0002) compared with no anticoagulant resumption, whereas there was no association with DOAC resumption and recurrent bleeding (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.81–2.52; P = .22). Rivaroxaban was the only individual DOAC that was associated with recurrent GIB (HR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.43–5.20; P = .002). Both warfarin (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39–0.96; P = .033) and DOAC (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.28–0.98; P = .044) resumption as a class was associated with a decreased risk of thromboembolism. Conclusions Either warfarin or DOAC resumption after hospitalization for GIB was associated with a decreased risk of thromboembolism, whereas warfarin and rivaroxaban resumption were associated with an increased risk of recurrent GIB.
Complementary Hypotheses for Technology Analyses and Innovation Management

Technology is a complex system formed by different elements given by incremental and radical innovations to satisfy needs, achieve goals and/or solve problems of adopters to take advantage of important opportunities or to cope with consequential environmental threats. This study suggests complementary hypotheses for technology analysis and innovation management concerning the nature and evolution of technology in markets and society. The complementary hypotheses presented here to explain the development of technology leading to corporate, industrial and economic change can be listed as follows: demand for technology hypothesis, induced-innovation hypothesis, learning by doing hypothesis, learning via diffusion hypothesis, specialization via scale hypothesis, disadvantage of beginning hypothesis, path-dependence hypothesis, competitive substitution hypothesis, predator-prey hypothesis, and killer technology hypothesis, technological parasitism hypothesis. This study also proposes in some cases, basic models to operationalize these hypotheses for studies of applied economics of innovation. Overall, then, technology analysis and innovation management should consider a method of inquiry based on different complementary hypotheses for comprehensive analyses that lead to in-depth explanations of the relationships underlying the interaction of technologies in economic systems leading to development of economies and human society.
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping of Subterranean Voids with Gaussian Mixture Models

This paper presents a real-time viable method for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) for compute-constrained systems that operate in subterranean environments. The two contributions of this work are (1) a SLAM formulation that uses a GMM-based map representation for pose estimation, mapping and loop closure, and (2) an Expectation Maximization (EM) formulation that significantly reduces the time to learn a GMM from a sensor observation by exploiting the insight that although Gaussian distributions have infinite support, a substantial amount of the support is contained within a finite region. An on-manifold distribution-to-distribution registration approach is used to estimate the pose between consecutive GMMs, and the Cauchy–Schwarz divergence is employed to calculate the difference between the distributions to identify loop closures. The method is evaluated in mine and unstructured cave environments. The results demonstrate superior performance in leveraging the compact representation of the GMM as compared to traditional pose graph SLAM techniques that rely on point cloud-based methods. Further, exploiting the sparsity of the compact support significantly reduces training time toward enabling real-time viability.
Exploring Groundwater Recoverability in Texas: Maximum Economically Recoverable Storage

The 2017 Texas state water plan projects total supply deficits of 4.8 and 8.9 million acre-feet under drought-of-record conditions by the year 2020 and 2070, respectively, driven by a growing population concurrent with declining available water supplies. Reductions in groundwater supply account for 95% of anticipated declines in total water supply. Meanwhile, restrictive groundwater management plans may be creating a regulation-induced shortage of groundwater in Texas, given the significant groundwater storage volumes that are unutilized under many management plans. However, these estimates do not account for many of the physical and none of the economic constraints to groundwater recoverability. We report an analysis of groundwater extraction feasibility and simulate maximum economically recoverable storage for conditions representative of the central section of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer under economic constraints associated with agricultural uses. Two key limitations are applied to simulate recoverability: (1) the value of water pumped relative to pumping costs and (2) the capacity of the aquifer and well to meet demand. Our results indicate that these constraints may limit certain uses to as little as 1% of current groundwater availability estimates. We suggest that Texas groundwater managers, stakeholders, and policymakers assessing groundwater availability need an alternate approach for estimating recoverability. Citation: Thompson JC, Kreitler CW, Young MH. 2020. Exploring groundwater recoverability in Texas: maximum economically recoverable storage. Texas Water Journal. 11(1):152-171. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v11i1.7113.
Long Time, No See

THE AIRPORT seems busier than usual. It is not actually crowded, but everyone seems to be moving faster. Announcements are so frequent as to be virtually continuous. They seem to wash over me like waves on a beach. As each one begins, there is a momentary feeling of anticipation, until it becomes clear that it does not concern my flight, and the rest of the announcement just continues on to the shore, crashing on the beach, producing only random noise. Images pass by as I hurry on. There are advertisements, TV monitors, views of airplanes landing and taking off. But I have seen them all before and no longer notice. Newsstands, souvenir shops, restaurants briefly assault me with images and sounds, but simply wash by on the fringe of consciousness. And people. A flight must have just arrived at a gate ahead of me, as a wall of people advances toward me like the tide coming in. As they approach, their individual personalities dissolve, becoming anonymous obstacles in my path.
What Do Receptor Kinases Do

There is now compelling evidence that the β subunit of the insulin receptor is an insulin-regulated, tyrosine-specific protein kinase. Some of this evidence is detailed in the previous chapters of this volume (Chapter 4). Data from our own laboratory on this point include the following observations: (1) Affinity-purified insulin receptor is capable of ligand-dependent autophosphorylation as well as kinase activity toward exogenous substrates.(1) (2) An immunoprecipitate of partially purified insulin receptor retains kinase activity.(2) (3) The β subunit of the receptor has an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding site.(2) (4) Treatment of purified receptor with elastase abolishes kinase activity concomitant with cleavage of the β subunit. Elastase action has no effect on insulin binding to the α subunit nor does it alter the structure of the α subunit.(1) Similar studies from several laboratories have given essentially identical results on one or more aspects of the above considerations.(3–6) It thus seems highly likely that tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity is an intrinsic property of the insulin receptor and is not due to the action of an unseen but tightly receptor-associated protein.
Nonlinear Electrokinetic Flow: Theory, Experiment, and Potential Applications

In present paper the theory and the experimental results on nonlinear electrokinetic flow near nanochannels and near perm-selective membranes are discussed. It was found that the characteristics of non-linear, non-equilibrium electrokinetic are different from classical electrokinetics theory. Concentration polarization (CP) method with the ionic concentration gradients in the bulk phase are presented. Summary of the more recent experimental/theoretical advances in the study of nonlinear electrokinetic flows as well as the future outlook and implications on both science and engineering is given.
Composition of the Putative Prepore Complex of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab Toxin

Prepore formation is hypothesized to be an obligate step in the insertion of Cry1Ab toxin into insect brush border membrane vesicles. We examined the architecture of the putative prepore when isolated using the published protocols [1] [2]. Our results demonstrate that the putative prepore form of Cry1Ab is a combination of receptor proteins attached to the toxin, when purified. The results also suggest that this prepore form as prepared by the methods published is different from other membrane-extracted oligomeric forms of Cry toxins and prepore of other toxins in general. While most other known prepores are composed of multimers of a single protein, the Cry1Ab prepore, as generated, is a protein-receptor complex oligomer and monomers of Cry toxins.
Eutrophication and Organic Loading

Eutrophication and poor water quality are inevitably linked to excessive amounts of organic loading. Organic material comprising carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus breaks down in the receiving waterbody. This decomposition of organic matter consumes dissolved oxygen and releases nutrients that feed algal growth. Waterbodies that have low dissolved oxygen and excess algae are termed eutrophied. Organic matter may originate from many different sources. Historically, the largest sources were discharges of raw sewage. Other sources of organic loads include wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, agricultural runoff, stormwater, combined sewer overflows, urban runoff, and runoff from natural systems such as forests. The connection between eutrophication and organic loading was first realized in the 1870s by engineers in London. They concluded that when sewage was discharged into local rivers, the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) dropped, and the amount of algae increased. In other words, the rivers were eutrophied. Raw sewage contains organic matter (including pathogens that make it so harmful when mixed in drinking water). The typical composition by weight of raw sewage is about 42% carbon (C), 7% nitrogen (N), and 1% phosphorus (P). The remaining 50% is water. This is also our human stoichiometry. Keywords: eutrophication; organic loading; water quality; limiting nutrient; sedimend oxygen demand; algae; sewage
Zola Award Winner: "I Ain't Had Much Schooling": The Ritual of the Examination and the Social Construction of Impairment

In this article, Rembis uses case files and other records from the state training school for girls in Geneva, Illinois, as well as published studies of female juvenile delinquents, to analyze the psychological evaluation of inmates from the perspective of both female experts and their female subjects. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, experts conducting research at Geneva consistently argued that an overwhelmingly high percentage of its inmates were "feebleminded" or "mentally defective." Analyzing the testing that occurred at Geneva reveals not only the importance of eugenics and other psy discourses in the construction of mental "defect," but also the contestation, negotiation, and redefinition that undergirded the formation of historically contingent definitions of impairment. Many disability theorists and activists have viewed impairment as a prediscursive state of being, as politically neutral, given, natural, and timeless. As this article shows impairment is not ahistorical. It too has a history, a genealogy. The ritual of modern psychological examination was a critical new modality of power that greatly affected the lives of its subjects; the examiner observed, measured, recorded, defined, and treated, all through a process in which power relations between scientist and subject were far from equal, but the ritual of the exam did afford its subjects some room for negotiation and redefinition. Young women incarcerated at Geneva actively participated in the examination and in the formation of their own individuality, and in some cases affected not only their own lived experience, but also dominant perceptions of "mental defect" and eugenic commitment.
Cumulant cepstrum of FM signals and high-resolution time delay estimation

The authors address the problem in which time delays are closely-spaced, i.e. the distance between two consecutive time delays is significantly less than the duration of the autocorrelation of the FM signal. A high-resolution estimation method using the cumulant cepstra (polycepstra) of the received sensor data as the basic tool for reconstruction is introduced. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated for different noise conditions and lengths of data. The results apply to sonar signal processing problems in which the acoustic FM signal is embedded in reverberation noise due to the presence of multipath and observation noise. >
CCR4-mediated interactions between thymocytes and thymic dendritic cells are required for complete negative selection to self-antigens. (CCR3P.207)

Clonal deletion of auto-reactive thymocytes is crucial for establishing central tolerance. To mediate negative selection, thymic epithelial cells and dendritic cells (DCs) present self-antigens to thymocytes. Thymocytes that undergo high avidity TCR-mediated interactions with self-peptide:MHC complexes undergo apoptosis to prevent autoimmunity. DCs have been shown to be essential for negative selection. However, the molecular mechanisms governing interactions between thymocytes and DCs are not well characterized. In this study, we find that a chemokine receptor, CCR4, is required for efficient clonal deletion. CCR4 is expressed by post-positive selection thymocytes; CCR4 ligands are expressed by thymic DCs, suggesting CCR4 signaling could mediate interactions between these cell types. Using bone marrow chimeras, we find that CCR4 deficient polyclonal thymocytes fail to undergo efficient clonal deletion, but increase the differentiation to Tregs. While CCR4 deficient OTII TCR transgenic thymocytes also display defects in clonal deletion to endogenous antigens, they undergo efficient deletion to their high affinity ovalbumin antigen. This suggests that CCR4 is not required for TCR-signaling mediating apoptosis, but is required for efficient interactions with thymic DCs that present rare or low affinity antigens. Consistent with defects in clonal deletion, CCR4 deficient mice are prone to autoimmunity, demonstrating that CCR4 is essential for central tolerance.