cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pragmatics in the 1990's: Perspective, Retrospective, Prospective

This article presents a retrospective view of the introduction of pragmatic models into the impact of language disorders in children. The unmistakable impact of language pragmatics on the assessment and treatment of language-impaired children over the course of the past decade is explored. Misuses of the pragmatic framework are contrasted with more appropriate applications. Future directions for the use of pragmatic models in addressing clinical needs are considered.
A Preliminary Report on Mutations in the House Fly

The origin of several mutant types in the house fly, Musca domestica L., is presented. Eleven mutants studied, and which behave as simple recessives, are described. Several aberrations that have not been studied thoroughly are also described. Many of these are no doubt valid mutants, but until further tests have been completed mutant names will not be assigned to them.
Oxidative Metabolic Resistance to Cyanopyrethroids in the Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae)

I propose that the high level of resistance to cyanopyrethroids found in cyhalothrin- selected horn flies is caused by an enzyme system that oxidatively inactivates the cyano group. This theory is supported by lower resistance to noncyano pyrethroids, lower response to the synergist piperonyl butoxide with noncyano pyrethroids, resistance ratios and synergism coefficients among the cyanopyrethroids that follow a pattern predicted by chemical stability of the molecule, and reported literature of distinctly different responses to cyano and noncyano pryrethroids in other animal systems.
Knowledge Capture and Information Sharing for Science and Technology

The knowledge of the intellectual capital of research organizations can benefit from knowledge capture and information sharing processes and practices in the direction of competitive advantage. The integrative perspective is described formed by communication, navigation and multicontact relationship. It supports a dynamic framework for the current ‘open nature’ of knowledge. Foresight project and Horizon Scanning are practices reported in this paper for knowledge capturing in science and technology. These practices have an inclusive and engaging nature that requires participatory processes and investigate cross-cutting aspects and impacts beyond technology developments. In a KMIS 2014 Conference session, the discussions related to this paper focused three overall principles for addressing competitive advantage in RD team collaboration and competition to increase performances; team integration, coordination and synchronization for benefits and values of successful research organizations.
Septal Perforation Repair Using Polydioxanone Plates: A 10-Year Comparative Study.

UNLABELLED Medium to large septal perforations are a challenging problem to the rhinoplasty surgeon. In this study, records and outcomes are reviewed for 25 patients who underwent septal perforation repair over a 10-year period. All patients underwent an open septorhinoplasty approach with use of bilateral opposing mucoperichondrial flaps and a unique intervening graft that included acellular dermis, temporalis fascia alone, or a novel closure technique using temporalis fascia and a polydioxanone plate. The authors identify that for medium to large septal perforations, the use of the polydioxanone plate with temporalis fascia provided the highest rate of closure as a method of scaffolding a fascial graft, and also provided ease of placement between opposing mucoperichondrial flaps. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, IV.
Rhetoric and Power: The Drama of Classical Greece by Nathan Crick

In the latest Oxford World Classic edition of Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origins of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (2015), a painting of the beautiful adorns the cover. The sl...
Random determination of a developmental process Reversal of normal visceral asymmetry in the mouse

Situs inversus viscerum in the mouse has been shown to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait (gene symbol iv) with reduced penetrance. It is hypothesized that the normal allele at the iv locus exhibits complete dominance and controls normal visceral asymmetry. Absence of this control allows the situs of visceral asymmetry to be determined in a random fashion. This hypothesis also appears to apply to the inheritance of situs inversus in man and to the experimental production of situs inversus.
We’ve got thousands of these! What makes an historic farmstead significant?

Farmstead sites are among the most ubiquitous Historic period sites on the North American continent, and more are identified daily in CRM studies. Therefore, it is ironic that the determination of their National Register significance, upon which hinges all efforts at preservation or substantial archaeological investigation, is still largely made on a case-by-case basis with only minimal effort to place individual sites in a regional context. This paper presents a possible approach to obtaining such context for considerable numbers of sites at an early stage of preservation planning, which has been found cost effective and replicable, involves data sources familiar to most researchers, and employs a stepped screening process to maximize the productivity of field efforts in significance determination.
Human rehabilitation and rehabilitation orthotics/assist

The goal is to create a balance between human and machine, to augment humans in their physical tasks, to support humans for their rehabilitation, to enhance the performance of a human surgeon, to reduce the burden on the operator of intelligent systems (robotics) in commanding these systems, and to provide for human security both in the battlefield and in the homeland. The overall intent is to enhance performance and reduce cost of all human related systems by modernizing these systems by making them intelligent and therefore more responsive to human commands and human need [1–5]s.
Familial transient financial difficulties during infancy and long-term developmental concerns.

Background Socioeconomic difficulties affect the cognitive and emotional development of children. However, the focus of prior studies has largely been on poverty and material hardship. This study expands on the existing literature by examining the impact of familial transient financial difficulties during infancy on long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Methods The National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (79) were used to assess the association between a transient drop in family income by 50% or more (called transient income decline or TID) during the first 3 years of life and later-life Peabody Individual Achievement Math and Reading scores and behavior problem index (BPI) scores (N = 8272–17 348; median assessment age = 9 years). A subsample of matched siblings (N = 2049–4238) was examined to tease out maternal and intra-familial effects. Results Exposure to TID predicted increased total and externalizing BPI scores (std. coefficients of 0.10 and 0.09, respectively, p < 0.01) in the overall sample. Among matched siblings, exposure to TID predicted increased total, externalizing, and internalizing BPI scores (std. coefficients of 0.27, 0.25, and 0.23, respectively, p < 0.01). Conclusion Familial transient financial difficulties can have long-lasting behavioral effects for infants. The study identifies an early risk factor and at-risk children, thus providing insight into developing early intervention measures for infants to avoid long-term behavioral problems.
Nutrient Transport and Acquisition by Diatom Chains in a Moving Fluid

The role of fluid motion in delivery of nutrients to phytoplankton cells is a fundamental question in biological and chemical oceanography. In the study of mass transfer to phytoplankton, diatoms are of particular interest. They are nonmotile, are often the most abundant components in aggregates and often form chains, so they are the ones expected to benefit most from enhancement of nutrient flux due to dissipating turbulence. Experimental data to test the contribution of advection to nutrient acquisition by phytoplankton are scarce, mainly because of the inability to visualize, record and thus imitate fluid motions in the vicinities of cells in natural flows. Laboratory experiments have most often used steady Couette flows to simulate the effects of turbulence on plankton. However, steady flow, producing spatially uniform shear, fails to capture the diffusion of momentum and vorticity, the essence of turbulence. Thus, numerical modelling plays an important role in the study of effects of fluid motion on diffusive and advective nutrient fluxes. In this paper we use the immersed boundary method to model the interaction of rigid and flexible diatom chains with the surrounding fluid and nutrients. We examine this interaction in two nutrient regimes, a uniform background concentration of nutrients, such as might be typical of an early spring bloom, and a contrasting scenario in which nutrients are supplied as small, randomly distributed pulses, as is more likely for oligotrophic seas and summer conditions in coastal and boreal seas. We also vary the length and flexibility of chains, as whether chains are straight or bent, rigid or flexible will affect their behaviour in the flow and hence their nutrient fluxes. The results of numerical experiments suggest that stiff chains consume more nutrients than solitary cells. Stiff chains also experience larger nutrient fluxes compared to flexible chains, and the nutrient uptake per cell increases with increasing stiffness of the chain, suggesting a major advantage of silica frustules in diatoms.
Rapid movements with reversals in direction. II: Control of movement amplitude and inertial load

Transformations of the underlying movement control of rapid sequential (reversal) responses were examined as the movement amplitude (Experiment 1) and moment of inertia (Experiment 2) were altered, with constant movement time. Increases in amplitude and inertia were both met by sharply increased joint torques with a constant temporal structure, suggesting that the alterations may have been governed by a single gain parameter. The durations of various EMG bursts were essentially constant across changes in inertia, supporting a model in which the output of a fixed temporal representation is amplified to alter joint torques. The EMG amplitudes increased greatly with both amplitude and load. However, the fact that the EMG durations increased systematically with increases in distance provided difficulties for this model of amplitude control. The data suggest an economy in motor control in simple agravitational movements, whereby relatively simple transformations of an underlying representation can accomodate large changes in movement amplitude and moment of inertia.
Improved transoral dissection of the tongue base with a next-generation robotic surgical system

Objectives/Hypothesis To describe the application of a novel, flexible, single-port robotic surgical system for transoral tongue base resection, and compare it to the current multiport, rigid-arm robotic surgical system. Study Design Preclinical anatomic study using four human cadavers. Methods Transoral resection of the tongue base using the da Vinci Sp and the Si robotic surgical systems. A standardized operative procedure is outlined, and operative parameters were compared between robotic systems. Results Successful completion of tongue base resection was achieved in all cadavers using both the Sp and the Si systems. The optimal entry guide and instrument position for the Sp system was with the cannula rotated 180° from the standard position so that the camera was in the most inferior (caudal) channel. In the optimal configuration, no instrument exchanges were needed with the Sp system, but use of the Si system required one instrument exchange. Conclusions This is the first preclinical anatomic study of robotic tongue base resection that compares a novel single-port robotic system to the current multiarm system. Surgical workflow was more streamlined with the da Vinci Sp system, and the new capabilities of simultaneous dissection, traction, and counter traction allowed for improved dissection and vessel control. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2017
Strongyloides Hyperinfection Syndrome causing fatal meningitis and septicemia by Citrobacter koseri

Citrobacter koseri is a gram-negative bacillius that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is an uncommon pathogen that typically causes meningitis and brain abscesses in children, however central nervous system (CNS) infections are rarely found in adults. We present a case of C. koseri meningitis in an immunocompetent adult secondary to intestinal micro-perforation caused by Strongyloides A 76-year-old man admitted for asthma exacerbation developed septic shock. A lumbar puncture revealed bacterial meningitis. Blood and CSF cultures grew Citrobacter koseri with identical susceptibilities, suggesting infection by one strain. Despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, the patient expired of multi-organ failure. Autopsy identified diffuse alveolar hemorrhage as the immedi ate cause of death with a heavy burden of Strongyloides stercoralis in his gastrointestinal system, lungs, and meninges. Citrobacter koseri is a gram-negative bacillus of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is an uncommon pathogen that typically causes meningitis and brain abscesses in children. Infections in adults occur in immunocompromised hosts or instances where an insult creates a port of entry. This is the first documented case of C.koseri sepsis in an immunocompetent host associated with Strongyloides Hyperinfection Syndrome (SHS), where massive parasitic intestinal invasion reaches pulmonary circulation and perforates the alveolar membrane. This case highlights that presence of rare enterobacterial infections should prompt consideration of differentials including SHS.
PP1:Tautomycetin Complex Reveals a Path toward the Development of PP1-Specific Inhibitors

Selective inhibitors for each serine/threonine phosphatase (PPP) are essential to investigate the biological actions of PPPs and to guide drug development. Biologically diverse organisms (e.g., cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, beetles) produce structurally distinct toxins that are catalytic inhibitors of PPPs. However, most toxins exhibit little selectivity, typically inhibiting multiple family members with similar potencies. Thus, the use of these toxins as chemical tools to study the relationship between individual PPPs and their biological substrates, and how disruptions in these relationships contributes to human disease, is severely limited. Here, we show that tautomycetin (TTN) is highly selective for a single PPP, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1/PPP1C). Our structure of the PP1:TTN complex reveals that PP1 selectivity is defined by a covalent bond between TTN and a PP1-specific cysteine residue, Cys127. Together, these data provide key molecular insights needed for the development of novel probes targeti...
Prevalence of Infection-Competent Serogroup 6 Legionella pneumophila within Premise Plumbing in Southeast Michigan.

ABSTRACT Coinciding with major changes to its municipal water system, Flint, MI, endured Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in 2014 and 2015. By sampling premise plumbing in Flint in the fall of 2016, we found that 12% of homes harbored legionellae, a frequency similar to that in residences in neighboring areas. To evaluate the genetic diversity of Legionella pneumophila in Southeast Michigan, we determined the sequence type (ST) and serogroup (SG) of the 18 residential isolates from Flint and Detroit, MI, and the 33 clinical isolates submitted by hospitals in three area counties in 2013 to 2016. Common to one environmental and four clinical samples were strains of L. pneumophila SG1 and ST1, the most prevalent ST worldwide. Among the Flint premise plumbing isolates, 14 of 16 strains were of ST367 and ST461, two closely related SG6 strain types isolated previously from patients and corresponding environmental samples. Each of the representative SG1 clinical strains and SG6 environmental isolates from Southeast Michigan infected and survived within macrophage cultures at least as well as a virulent laboratory strain, as judged by microscopy and by enumerating CFU. Likewise, 72 h after infection, the yield of viable-cell counts increased >100-fold for each of the representative SG1 clinical isolates, Flint premise plumbing SG6 ST367 and -461 isolates, and two Detroit residential isolates. We verified by immunostaining that SG1-specific antibody does not cross-react with the SG6 L. pneumophila environmental strains. Because the widely used urinary antigen diagnostic test does not readily detect non-SG1 L. pneumophila , Legionnaires’ disease caused by SG6 L. pneumophila is likely underreported worldwide. IMPORTANCE L. pneumophila is the leading cause of disease outbreaks associated with drinking water in the United States. Compared to what is known of the established risks of colonization within hospitals and hotels, relatively little is known about residential exposure to L. pneumophila . One year after two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County, MI, that coincided with damage to the Flint municipal water system, our multidisciplinary team launched an environmental surveillance and laboratory research campaign aimed at informing risk management strategies to provide safe public water supplies. The most prevalent L. pneumophila strains isolated from residential plumbing were closely related strains of SG6. In laboratory tests of virulence, the SG6 environmental isolates resembled SG1 clinical strains, yet they are not readily detected by the common diagnostic urinary antigen test, which is specific for SG1. Therefore, our study complements the existing epidemiological literature indicating that Legionnaires’ disease due to non-SG1 strains is underreported around the globe.
A Subunit of Cytochrome Oxidase which Contains Copper and Heme A, and has Spectroscopic Properties of Cytochrome a3*

SUMMARY When beef heart cytochrome c oxidase is incubated at 0°C with 1% Li dodecyl-sulfate-0.025% Triton X-100 and then electrophoresed at 0°C on 10% polyacrylamide gel containing 0.1% SDS-0.025% Triton X-100, 50 mM Tris phosphate, pH 6.5 (21°C), copper and heme a are found associated predominantly with Band II (mw 25,200). The visible absorption bands of the oxidized, reduced, and reduced-CO states of this complex are similar to those of cytochrome a 3 .
Predation on walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) eggs in the western Gulf of Alaska: the roles of vertebrate and invertebrate predators

Estimates were made of the predation rate upon eggs of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in Shelikof Strait in the western Gulf of Alaska by midwater and near-bottom fish and invertebrate predators during April 1990. Adult and juvenile walleye pollock were the dominant (∼99% of total abundance) planktivores collected in midwater samples. Based on visual inspection of stomach contents, a high percentage of the sampled fish were found to have consumed pollock eggs. Daily egg consumption by older age groups of walleye pollock was estimated to be <1% of the eggs available at all sampling locations. The only other fishes found to consume pollock eggs were flatfishes collected in bottom trawls but their abundances and egg consumption were very low. Gammarid and hyperiid amphipods were important invertebrate predators on eggs in the water column, as determined by immunoassays using antibodies developed specifically to ascertain the presence of pollock egg-yolk protein. Decapod shrimp showed a high proportion of positive assays in near-bottom collections. Invertebrate predators may have consumed up to 4% of the total number of eggs available in the water column, but <1% of the total near the bottom on a daily basis. Although we were not able to account for the entire daily egg mortality estimated for this stock, our method of using a combination of techniques is promising in terms of future attempts at estimating total predation mortality.
NRF2 and NF-қB interplay in cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative disorders: Molecular mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches

Electrophiles and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a major role in modulating cellular defense mechanisms as well as physiological functions, and intracellular signaling. However, excessive ROS generation (endogenous and exogenous) can create a state of redox imbalance leading to cellular and tissue damage (Ma and He, 2012) [1]. A growing body of research data strongly suggests that imbalanced ROS and electrophile overproduction are among the major prodromal factors in the onset and progression of several cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and aging (Ma and He, 2012; Ramsey et al., 2017; Salminen et al., 2012; Sandberg et al., 2014; Sarlette et al., 2008; Tanji et al., 2013) [1-6]. Cells offset oxidative stress by the action of housekeeping antioxidative enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) as well direct and indirect antioxidants (Dinkova-Kostova and Talalay, 2010) [7]. The DNA sequence responsible for modulating the antioxidative and cytoprotective responses of the cells has been identified as the antioxidant response element (ARE), while the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2) is the major regulator of the xenobiotic-activated receptor (XAR) responsible for activating the ARE-pathway, thus defined as the NRF2-ARE system (Ma and He, 2012) [1]. In addition, the interplay between the NRF2-ARE system and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-ĸB, a protein complex that controls cytokine production and cell survival), has been further investigated in relation to neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders. On these premises, we provide a review analysis of current understanding of the NRF2-NF-ĸB interplay, their specific role in major CNS disorders, and consequent therapeutic implication for the treatment of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases.
Mercury bioaccumulation in temperate forest food webs associated with headwater streams

Abstract The soils and food webs associated with mid to high elevation, forested, headwater streams in northeastern North America are potential hotspots for mercury (Hg) methylation and bioaccumulation, but are not well studied. Our goals were to quantify total Hg (THg) and methyl Hg (MeHg) concentrations in soils and terrestrial food webs associated with headwater streams of northern hardwood forests to identify predictors of small-scale spatial variation in Hg bioaccumulation. We sampled soil characteristics that promote Hg methylation including pH, sulfur and calcium content, and organic matter. To assess spatial variation, we sampled at high (~700 m asl) and mid elevations (~500 m asl), both adjacent to ( 75 m) three replicate headwater streams in each of two watersheds of the White Mountains region, New Hampshire, USA. Soils of these forested watersheds differed significantly in pH and the content of calcium, sulfur, organic matter and THg. Conditions for methylation were more favorable in the upland forest sites compared to streamside sites. Significant bioaccumulation of THg occurred in all measured components of the food web, including insects, spiders, salamanders, and birds. Trophic position, as determined by δ15N, was the best predictor of both THg and MeHg bioaccumulation across the sampled taxa and was also a better predictor than spatial location. However, the degree of bioaccumulation at which MeHg significantly affects animal behavior, reproduction or survival is unknown for most taxa in terrestrial habitats, particularly for invertebrates. These findings show that Hg methylation and bioaccumulation is not limited to areas traditionally classified as wetlands or to areas with exceptionally high THg inputs, but that it is a widespread and important phenomenon in the moist deciduous forests of eastern North America.
Memory and Myth: The Civil War in Fiction and Film from Uncle Tom's Cabin to Cold Mountain

Review of: "Memory and Myth: The Civil War in Fiction and Film From Uncle Tom's Cabin to Cold Mountain," edited by David B. Sachsman, S. Kittrell Rushing and Roy Morris Jr.
Measuring Teen Dating Violence Perpetration: A Comparison of Cumulative and Single Assessment Procedures.

Objective There are concerns about the measurement of teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration. The current study compares data on TDV perpetration derived from a cumulative assessment procedure and a single assessment procedure. The prevalence and frequency of TDV perpetration are examined, as well as their associations with hypothesized precursors of TDV. Method A sample of court-referred adolescents (n = 147, Mage = 15.85) completed a baseline assessment that included measures of three hypothesized precursors to TDV: externalizing problems, exposure to community violence, and attitudes about dating violence. For the cumulative assessment procedure, adolescents then completed up to 6 phone interviews on their TDV perpetration (physical, sexual, and emotional), once every 2 weeks over the course of a 3-month period. Data from these interviews were aggregated to form a cumulative measure of TDV perpetration over the 3 months. For the single assessment procedure, adolescents completed an identical interview on their TDV perpetration in a lab assessment 3 months after baseline, but were asked about perpetration over the entire 3 months. Results Results of within-subjects comparisons indicated that, compared to the single assessment procedure, the cumulative assessment procedure yielded higher prevalence and greater frequency of physical, sexual, and emotional TDV. Across analytic methods, all types of TDV perpetration were more strongly related to externalizing problems, and sexual TDV perpetration was more strongly related to exposure to community violence, when measured cumulatively. Conclusions Cumulative assessment procedures might provide a more sensitive and valid measurement of TDV perpetration than single assessment procedures.
Correlates of response and outcomes with talimogene laherperpvec.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Patients with in-transit or limited cutaneous metastatic melanoma may benefit from intralesional injections with talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC), a modified oncolytic herpesvirus. However, its use in patients with adverse prognostic scores in a real-life clinical setting has not been studied. METHODS We performed a two-center retrospective analysis of 40 patients with metastatic melanoma treated with TVEC from 2015-2017. Demographics, overall response, and survival after therapy were noted. RESULTS Overall, there was a durable response rate of 40%; median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.5 months and median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Bulky disease was associated with decreased OS (15.7 months vs not reached, P < .05) and mPFS (2.3 months vs not reached, P < .05), when compared with smaller tumors. Poor performance status (ECOG 2-3) was associated with worse OS (10.2 months vs not reached, P < .05) and PFS (2.1 months vs not reached, P < .05) compared to patients with ECOG 0-1. There was no difference in the outcomes with age greater than 75 or with prior therapies. Adverse events were relatively tolerable. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that TVEC is an effective and safe treatment for metastatic melanoma in a real-life clinical setting, and suggest parameters to aid in appropriate therapy selection for optimal response.
Promoting Interprofessional Team Development in Team-Based Learning (TBL) Through Coaching and the Team Development Measure (TDM).

Achieving effective team development for interprofessional Team-Based Learning (TBL) teams requires expansion of the traditional TBL faculty role of ‘Guide on the Side’ to include the roles of Interprofessional Education (IPE) Promoter and Team Coach as well as longitudinal teaming assessments. We describe 1) a novel conceptual framework of TBL faculty roles, 2) the faculty development approach supporting these expanded roles within IPE, and 3) use of the Team Development Measure (TDM). The expanded faculty roles were well received conceptually, faculty development supported role implementation, and TDM assessments demonstrated team improvements. An expansion of the traditional TBLfaculty role to include IPE Promotor and Team Coach and the use of longitudinal team assessments successfully supports pre-licensure interprofessional healthcare student teams’ development over time.
Molecular packing-dependent exciton dynamics in functionalized anthradithiophene derivatives: From solutions to crystals.

Understanding the impact of inter-molecular orientation on the optical properties of organic semiconductors is important for designing next-generation organic (opto)electronic and photonic devices. However, fundamental aspects of how various features of molecular packing in crystalline systems determine the nature and dynamics of excitons have been a subject of debate. Toward this end, we present a systematic study of how various molecular crystal packing motifs affect the optical properties of a class of high-performance organic semiconductors: functionalized derivatives of fluorinated anthradithiophene. The absorptive and emissive species present in three such derivatives (exhibiting “brickwork,” “twisted-columnar,” and “sandwich-herringbone” motifs, controlled by the side group R) were analyzed both in solution and in single crystals, using various modalities of optical and photoluminescence spectroscopy, revealing the nature of these excited states. In solution, in the emission band, two states were identified: a Franck–Condon state present at all concentrations and an excimer that emerged at higher concentrations. In single crystal systems, together with ab initio calculations, it was found in the absorptive band that Frenkel and Charge Transfer (CT) excitons mixed due to nonvanishing CT integrals in all derivatives, but the amount of admixture and exciton delocalization depended on the packing, with the “sandwich-herringbone” packing motif least conducive to delocalization. Three emissive species in the crystal phase were also identified: Frenkel excitons, entangled triplet pairs 1(TT) (which are precursors to forming free triplet states via singlet fission), and self-trapped excitons (STEs, similar in origin to excimers present in concentrated solution). The “twisted-columnar” packing motif was most conducive to the formation of Frenkel excitons delocalized over 4–7 molecules depending on the temperature. These delocalized Frenkel states were dominant across the full temperature range (78 K–293 K), though at lower temperatures, the entangled triplet states and STEs were present. In the derivative with the “brickwork” packing, all three emissive species were observed across the full temperature range and, most notably, the 1(TT) state was present at room temperature. Finally, the derivative with the “sandwich-herringbone” packing exhibited localized Frenkel excitons and had a strong propensity for self-trapped exciton formation even at higher temperatures. In this derivative, no formation of the 1(TT) state was observed. The temperature-dependent dynamics of these emissive states are reported, as well as their origin in fundamental inter-molecular interactions.
Graphic Spain: From Aleluyas to the “Second Boom”

In this introductory chapter, McKinney and Richter provide a short history of graphic narrative in Spain, beginning with examples of sequential art from the nineteenth century before turning their attention to the tebeos of the early twentieth century, the underground comix of the 60s and 70s, the publishing crisis in the 90s, and the current Golden Age of the Spanish graphic novel. In addition to explaining the contributions of Spanish Graphic Narratives, McKinney and Richter also highlight many of the key works of scholarly research on comics during the past few decades. The chapter concludes with an overview of recent trends in Spanish graphic literature, drawing particular attention to topics such as memory, identity, and contemporary issues.
Commentary on: isolation and differentiation potential of human mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue harvested by water jet-assisted liposuction.

In this article, Meyer et al examine the yield of mesenchymal stem cells (MCSs) with water jet-assisted liposuction (WAL).1 WAL uses simultaneous infiltration and suction to dissect and extract fat during liposuction. Using water to dissect tissues is an idea that evolved in the last century and was later geared towards the dissection of fat in 2001.2 Since that time, a number of studies have suggested advantages to the use of WAL, including decreased pain, decreased intraoperative swelling, better contouring, and decreased need for anesthesia.3-5 The gentle nature of WAL has been utilized in the treatment of lipoedema, where clinicians noted that this aspiration method may induce less trauma to lymphatics.6 With the evolution of fat grafting, the utility of WAL for fat harvest has been explored.5 Harvest method can certainly impact graft …
Cardiac potassium inward rectifier Kir2: Review of structure, regulation, pharmacology, and arrhythmogenesis.

Potassium inward rectifier channel Kir2 is an important component of terminal cardiac repolarization and resting membrane stability. This functionality is part of balanced cardiac excitability and is a defining feature of excitable cardiac membranes. "Gain-of-function" or "loss-of-function" mutations in KCNJ2, the gene encoding Kir2.1, cause genetic sudden cardiac death syndromes, and loss of the Kir2 current IK1 is a major contributing factor to arrhythmogenesis in failing human hearts. Here we provide a contemporary review of the functional structure, physiology, and pharmacology of Kir2 channels. Beyond the structure and functional relationships, we will focus on the elements of clinically used drugs that block the channel and the implications for treatment of atrial fibrillation with IK1-blocking agents. We will also review the clinical disease entities associated with KCNJ2 mutations and the growing area of research into associated arrhythmia mechanisms. Lastly, the presence of Kir2 channels has become a tipping point for electrical maturity in induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (iPS-CMs) and highlights the significance of understanding why Kir2 in iPS-CMs is important to consider for Comprehensive In Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay and drug safety testing.
Clock-Modulating Activities of the Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Moricizine

Dysregulated circadian functions contribute to various diseases, including cardiovascular disease. Much progress has been made on chronotherapeutic applications of drugs against cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the direct effects of various medications on the circadian system are not well characterized. We previously conducted high-throughput chemical screening for clock modulators and identified an off-patent anti-arrhythmic drug, moricizine, as a clock-period lengthening compound. In Per2:LucSV reporter fibroblast cells, we showed that under both dexamethasone and forskolin synchronization, moricizine was able to increase the circadian period length, with greater effects seen with the former. Titration studies revealed a dose-dependent effect of moricizine to lengthen the period. In contrast, flecainide, another Class I anti-arrhythmic, showed no effects on circadian reporter rhythms. Real-time qPCR analysis in fibroblast cells treated with moricizine revealed significant circadian time- and/or treatment-dependent expression changes in core clock genes, consistent with the above period-lengthening effects. Several clock-controlled cardiac channel genes also displayed altered expression patterns. Using tissue explant culture, we showed that moricizine was able to significantly prolong the period length of circadian reporter rhythms in atrial ex vivo cultures. Using wild-type C57BL/6J mice, moricizine treatment was found to promote sleep, alter circadian gene expression in the heart, and show a slight trend of increasing free-running periods. Together, these observations demonstrate novel clock-modulating activities of moricizine, particularly the period-lengthening effects on cellular oscillators, which may have clinical relevance against heart diseases.
Sperm/Zona Pellucida Reactions Leading to Fertilization of Mouse Eggs invitro

In the dance of sperm and egg which leads to fertilization in mammals, the two partners first meet head-to-zona. The subsequent of steps, which appears applicable to hamster (7,8,13) and mouse (16), if not to guinea pig (11), is the following: binding of capacitated sperm to tje zona; sperm acrosome reaction at the zone surface; sperm penetration of the zona; and gamete membrane fusion. It is the first two of these reactions in mouse gametes which we have examining in our studies; this paper presents a brief account of our findings and interpretations.
Multi-stream ASR trained with heterogeneous reverberant environments

A common problem with automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is that the performance degrades when it is presented with speech from a different acoustic environment than the one used during training. An important cause is that the feature distribution to which the ASR system is trained no longer matches that of a new environment. Reverberant environments can be especially harmful. We test a multi-stream system in which the constituent streams are each trained in separate acoustic environments. When training the acoustic modeling stages of the streams separately with clean data and heavily reverberated data, we find that that the combined system can improve the ASR performance with unseen reverberated test data.
A Vaccine Disaster and Its Fateful Shadow

The Cutter Incident . How America9s First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis. By Paul A. Offit . Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2005. 250 pp. $27.50. ISBN 0-300-10864-8. The author discusses the production of Salk vaccine at Cutter Laboratories, the tragic effects of the inadvertent injection of 200,000 people with live virulent polio virus, the subsequent legal proceedings, and the shadow those have cast on the development of new vaccines.
Using Drosophila Larval Imaginal Discs to Study Low-Dose Radiation-Induced Cell Cycle Arrest

Under genotoxic stress, activation of cell cycle checkpoint responses leads to cell cycle arrest, which allows cells to repair DNA damage before continuing to cycle. Drosophila larval epithelial sacs, called imaginal discs, are an excellent in vivo model system for studying radiation-induced cell cycle arrest. Larval imaginal discs go into cell cycle arrest after being subjected to low-dose irradiation, are subject to easy genetic manipulation, are not crucial for survival of the organism, and can be dissected easily for further molecular or cellular analysis. In this chapter, we describe methods for assessing low-dose irradiation-induced cell cycle arrest. Mitotic cells are identified by immunofluorescence staining for the mitotic marker phosphorylated histone H3 (phospho-histone H3 or pH3). When wandering third-instar control larvae, without transgene expression, are exposed to 500 rads of X-ray or γ-ray irradiation, the number of pH3-positive cells in wing imaginal discs is reduced from hundreds before irradiation to approximately 30 after irradiation, with an equal distribution between the anterior and posterior compartments (Yan et al., 2011, FASEB J). Using the GAL4/UAS system, RNAi, cDNA, or microRNA sponge transgenes can be expressed in the posterior compartment of the wing disc using drivers such as engrailed (en)-Gal4, while the anterior compartment serves as an internal control. This approach makes it possible to do genome-wide genetic screening for molecules involved in radiation-induced cell cycle arrest.
The Totalitarian Experiment in Twentieth Century Europe: Understanding the Poverty of Great Politics

By developing a long-term supranational perspective, this ambitious, multi-faceted work provides a new understanding of ‘totalitarianism’, the troubling common element linking Soviet communism, Italian fascism and German Nazism. The book’s original analysis of antecedent ideas on the subject sheds light on the common origins and practices of the regimes. Through this fresh appreciation of their initial frame of mind, Roberts demonstrates how the three political experiments yielded unprecedented collective mobilization but also a characteristic combination of radicalization, myth-making, and failure. Providing deep historical analysis, the book proves that 'totalitarianism' best characterizes the common features in the originating aspirations, the mode of action and even the outcomes of Soviet communism, Italian fascism and German Nazism. By enhancing our knowledge of what ‘totalitarianism’ was and where it came from, Roberts affords important lessons about the ongoing challenges, possibilities, and dangers of the modern political experiment.
Constitutional Law: 2007 Year in Review

The U.S. Constitution provides both the authority for, and the limitations of, governmental efforts respecting environment, energy, and natural resources. We have entered an interesting constitutional era, one in which a rising sea level will help to buoy a rising tide of climate litigation, the leading edge of which lies constitutional jurisprudence as applied to standing, the Commerce Clause, the political question doctrine, preemption, federalism, due process, and takings. In 2007, environmental litigation involves either state action (e.g., to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles or require climate-friendly energy production), or state causes of action (e.g., public or private nuisance). Among the battleground issues are: the extent to which Congress may regulate use of private property under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a last gasp effort to save rare plants and animals from extinction; pollutant discharges into water bodies that are not traditionally navigable, or activities that cause or contribute to climate change; and whether states may restrict destructive development, emissions of greenhouse gases; or the import and export of wastes that might denude or degrade natural resources; or provide causes of action for those harmed by releases of hazardous chemicals; and otherwise turn to federal courts to enforce federal natural resource and environmental laws.
Bladder Fungus Ball: A Reversible Cause of Neonatal Obstructive Uropathy

Very low birth weight infants often have multiple predisposing conditions for the development of invasive candidiasis. In patients with systemic candidiasis, the kidney is vulnerable to the formation of cortical abscesses or obstructive intrarenal masses ("fungus balls"), usually at the ureteropelvic junction. Ureteropelvic junction obstructive fungal uropathy necessitates invasive debridement to restore renal function. A very low birth weight infant, infected with Candida, was first seen with hypertension, renal insufficiency, and urine cultures positive for fungus; obstructive bladder fungus ball was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Mechanical disruption with amphotericin B bladder irrigation was accomplished via ultrasonographic guidance, relieving renal obstruction and insufficiency. Systemic antifungal therapy was completed with amphotericin B and flucytosine. The first reported case of bladder obstructive fungal uropathy in a neonate is added to a review of 16 cases of neonatal renal obstructive uropathy.
RADIANCE 2015 Keynote: Challenges in Engineering Dependable Self-Adaptive System

To provide some levels of dependency in software systems, self-adaptive systems have been proposed as a principled approach to engineering software systems to adapt systems to meet requirements even in the face of changes and uncertainty in the environment. But how can we show that changing a system at run time will make systems more dependable? In this keynote, I will outline a set of challenges for providing assurances for self-adaptive systems, and describe work that our group has been doing that can provide evidence for assurances in a number of contexts, including collaborative self-adaptation with humans-in-the-loop. I will discuss how probabilistic model checking can be used to explore the state space of self-adaptive systems, and how they can provide more realistic models of the impacts that adapting a system may have on the system.
Predation and the persistence of melanic male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).

The empirical reasons for the persistent rarity of a genotype are typically complex and tedious to identify, particularly in nature. Yet rare morphs occur in a substantial fraction of phenotypic polymorphisms. A colour polymorphism has persisted for decades in the eastern mosquitofish, yet why this is so remains obscure. Here, I report the results of (1) intensive sampling at 45 natural sites to obtain the frequency distribution of the melanic (black) mosquitofish morph in Florida, (2) predation trials, conducted independently in mesocosms, with three different predatory species and (3) two mark-recapture studies, conducted in nature. This work (1) documents the rarity of melanic mosquitofish in nature, (2) demonstrates that melanic males experience a selective advantage over silver males in the presence of predators, (3) indicates no difference in the colour morphs‘ survival at a natural site essentially devoid of these predators, although suggesting a higher rate of recapture for melanic males at a site rife with predators. Overall, selective predation appears to contribute to the persistence of the melanic morph, despite its rarity in nature.
Commentry: Operatic Modernism

The problem with deaning operatic Modernism is that, unlike Modernism in architecture, it did not have a single language that united the movement across Europe. In opera there was certainly an organizational component, notably represented by the Kroll Opera House in Berlin. But in musical terms, we have to accept two kinds of Modernism, represented by Rosenkavalier and Wozzeck.
Development of a quantitative method for the diagnosis of cirrhosis.

Abstract Objective. To develop a novel non-invasive, quantitative approach utilizing computed tomography scans to predict cirrhosis. Materials and methods. A total of 105 patients (54 cirrhosis and 51 normal) who had CT scans within 6 months of a liver biopsy or were identified through a Trauma registry were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into the training set (n = 81) and the validation set (n = 24). Each liver was segmented in a semi-automated fashion from a computed tomography scan using Mimics software. The resulting liver surfaces were saved as a stereo lithography mesh into an Oracle database, and analyzed in MATLAB® for morphological markers of cirrhosis. Results. The best predictive model for diagnosing cirrhosis consisted of liver slice-bounding box slice ratio, the dimensions of the liver bounding box, liver slice area, slice perimeter, surface volume and adjusted surface area. With this model, we calculated an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9...
Structural biology: Translocation chamber's secrets.

DNA transfer across membranes is a fundamental life process. The structure of part of a protein channel that performs this task offers insight into the mechanism of DNA passage through bacterial cell envelopes.