cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Functional (Psychogenic) Movement Disorders.

OBJECTIVE As the literature for the treatment of functional (psychogenic) movement disorders (FMD) is sparse, we assessed clinical outcomes in patients with FMD who underwent treatment with psychodynamic psychotherapy (PDP). METHODS A retrospective analysis of the data of patients with FMD who were referred for PDP from 2008-2014 at Emory University Medical Center was performed. RESULTS Thirty patients were included, mean age at presentation was 50 years (SD 13.9) and majority were female (27/30). Most common movement disorder was involuntary shaking/jerky movements (50%) and tremor (43%). Mean duration of symptoms was 3.2 years and mean number of PDP visits was 4.9. PDP lead to good outcomes in 10, modest in 8, and poor in 9. Three patients lost to follow up. Mean duration of symptoms between two groups (good vs. poor) was not statistically significant (p = 0.11), mean number of PDP visits showed a trend towards significance (p = 0.053). In all cases of good outcomes precipitants of the movement disorder were identified and a majority (60%) was receptive of the diagnosis and had good insight. CONCLUSION PDP lead to improvement in 60% of the patients which is encouraging as the treatment is challenging. This study supports heterogeneous causes of FMD including varied roles of past/recent events and demonstrates importance of psychological approaches such as PDP. Treatment with PDP should be considered in some patients with FMD but predicting who will respond remains a challenge. Further long term prospective studies with large sample size and placebo control are needed.
Interdisciplinary implementation of tacrolimus intravenous standard concentration in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients.

PurposeReduction in waste of intravenous (IV) tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant used to prevent graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients, was evalua...
Haircuts, Neckties, Boy Scouts, and 'Mama Said': What is Professionalism?

The concept of professionalism in medicine has been expanded over the years to cover a broad set of ideas about everyday behavior and habits of physicians. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Virtual Reality as an Immersive Medium for Authentic Simulations

This chapter describes a design strategy for blending virtual reality (VR) with an immersive multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) curriculum developed by the EcoLearn design team at Harvard University for middle school students to learn ecosystems science. The EcoMUVE Pond middle grades curriculum focuses on the potential of immersive authentic simulations for teaching ecosystems science concepts, scientific inquiry (collaborative and individual), and complex causality. The curriculum is inquiry-based; students investigate research questions by exploring the virtual ecosystem and collecting data from a variety of sources over time, assuming roles as ecosystems scientists. The implications of blending in VR for EcoMUVE’s technical characteristics, user-interface, learning objectives, and classroom implementation are discussed. Then, research questions for comparisons between the VR version and the “Classic” version are described. The chapter concludes with generalizable design heuristics for blending MUVE-based curricula with head-mounted display immersion.
Case 46: A Question You Should Always Ask

You are just out of residency. Today you are scheduled to do a laparoscopic tubal ligation. The patient is a 28-year-old diabetic with an insulin pump placed. She has had a baby boy 2 weeks earlier and wishes now to have her fallopian tubes tied under an epidural anesthetic. She prefers not to be asleep.
Biological Materials Blur Boundaries

Abstract Biological solids are often viscoelastic, i.e., show some fluid behavior. Creep tests are conceptually simple, but relaxation time from stress-relaxation tests can give a value for viscosity. Various models of viscoelastic behavior assume linearity, so they must be applied to biological materials with caution. Whereas engineering (Hookean) materials deform in phase with their load, stress and strain are out of phase in viscoelastic (biological) materials. The phase angle—the angle by which stress and strain are out of phase with each other—is related to energy storage and dissipation. The degree of fluid behavior in biological solids can be tuned to adapt them to different functions, from bone tissue with little fluid behavior to mesoglea with extensive fluid behavior. Many biological fluids have viscosity that varies with flow rate, i.e., they are non-Newtonian. For example, the non-Newtonian nature of mammalian blood slightly lowers its resistance as it passes through the smallest vessels. Also, the synovial fluid that lubricates joints in vertebrate skeletons is non-Newtonian, and this contributes to its great lubricating ability. Mucus is a very common biological material and has many functions. Mucus can aid locomotion in various ways, e.g., drag reduction in swimming fish. Snail pedal mucus is a well-studied example that can resist shear like a solid or flow like a fluid, depending on the shear conditions. Snail locomotion depends entirely on the snail's ability to push on the mucus when it is solid and to glide over it when it is liquid. Granular media such as sand can have both solidlike and fluidlike properties. Animals such as the sandfish lizard take advantage of these properties to “swim” fully submerged through dry sand. They swim entirely by lateral undulation; resistive force theory shows that they do so at maximal efficiency. Opportunities abound for research into locomotion through other types of granular media such as silt or wet sand.
Translation of Evidence to Practice to Promote Early Childhood Development Programs

The 2018 special issue of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences on implementation research and practice for early childhood development brings together emerging evidence on implementing effective nurturing care programs, addressing issues of quality and scale. Translating evidence to practice requires addressing the barriers perceived by policy makers, which have been highlighted in the published literature. Here, I describe how UNICEF and other global partners are addressing these barriers.
Black–White Divergence Influencing Impaired Fasting Glucose and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Impaired glucose homeostasis is one of the most common causes of death in the U.S. The progressive global epidemic of obesity makes it a major causal factor for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, which may represent the two categories of impaired glucose regulation. Recognition of the importance of black–white contrast in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has stirred up interest in its potential role in the development and progression of diabetes. Accumulating evidence suggests that multiple cardiometabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia, adiposity, genetic predisposition, low birth weight, prepuberty, inflammation markers including C-reactive protein and adiponectin, chronic kidney dysfunction, and environmental and socio-economic status lead to the black–white divergence in type 2 diabetes. Early prevention and intervention for these risk factors, especially obesity and altered lifestyles involving physical activity and dietary consumption, may help to neutralize the racial disparities seen in the emerging epidemic of diabetes beginning in youth.
Presence of mind: A reaction to thomas sheridan's “further musings on the psychophysics of presence”

An operators' sense of remote presence during teleoperation or use of virtual environment interfaces is analyzed as to what characteristics it should have to qualify it as an explanatory scientific construct. But the implicit goal of designing virtual environment interfaces to maximize presence is itself questioned in a second section in which examples of human-machine interfaces beneficially designed to avoid a strong sense of egocentric presence are cited. In conclusion, it is argued that the design of a teleoperation or virtual environment system should generally focus on the efficient communication of causal interaction. In this view the sense of presence, that is of actually being at the simulated or remote workplace, is an epiphenomena of secondary importance for design.
Historical preface to Max Weber, stock and commodity exchanges

Les deux pamphlets composes en 1894 et 1896 par Max Weber sur la bourse des valeurs et du commerce pour la Bibliotheque des travailleurs de Gottingen refletent les efforts du jeune universitaire qu'il etait a l'epoque pour prendre position sur une question cruciale dans le paysage socio-economique et politique changeant et complexe de l'Allemagne de la fin du 19 e siecle. L'engagement de Max Weber sur la question (appele notamment en tant qu'expert) est mis en relation avec son rapprochement du mouvement socialiste-chretien de Friedrich Neumann
Alternative Trajectories in the Development of Anger-Related Appraisals

Looking at her mother with her eyebrows drawn, an 8-month-old protests loudly after being held tightly by an unfamiliar friend of the family. After being pushed by his sibling, a 7-year-old boy yells, “You can’t do that! I’m telling!” After a close friend reveals a secret to a disliked other, a 14-year-old boy confronts his friend, saying, “You broke your promise. I can’t trust you anymore!” After witnessing a televised report of a brutal beating of an illegal Mexican immigrant by American officers of the law, a woman writes a letter to the editor to declare her moral outrage. Each of these hypothetical incidents portrays an individual who can be considered angry. However, although one might apply a common label in each case, the episodes differ markedly in the angry behaviors displayed, the situations in which the behaviors occurred, and the ways in which the situations were interpreted. Whereas the infant’s angry display may have been precipitated by an impediment to her action, the anger of the older individuals involves appraisals that embody increasingly complex violations of beliefs about the ways events ought to be. In this chapter, we examine alternative trajectories in the development of appraisals involved in the experience of anger.
Resource constraints on computation and communication in the brain

This paper contributes to the emerging literature at the border between AI and cognitive neuroscience, analyzing the resource constraints that shape brain function. The brain is conceptualized as a set of areas that collaborate to perform complex cognitive tasks. Both (1) computation within individual areas and (2) communication between collaborating areas are viewed as resource-consuming activities. The efficient deployment of limited resources is formalized as a Linear Programming problem which the brain is hypothesized to solve on a moment-by-moment basis. A model of language processing is analyzed within this framework and found to exhibit resource utilization profiles consistent with those observed in functional neuroimaging studies of humans.
Rheotaxis-based separation of sperm with progressive motility using a microfluidic corral system

The separation of motile sperm from semen samples is sought after for medical infertility treatments. In this work, we demonstrate a high-throughput microfluidic device that can passively isolate motile sperm within corrals inside a fluid channel, separating them from the rest of the diluted sample. Using finite element method simulations and proposing a model for sperm motion, we investigated how flow rate can provide a rheotaxis zone in front of the corral for sperm to move upstream/downstream depending on their motility. Using three different flow rates that provided shear rates above the minimum value within the rheotaxis zone, we experimentally tested the device with human and bovine semen. By taking advantage of the rheotactic behavior of sperm, this microfluidic device is able to corral motile sperm with progressive velocities in the range of 48-93 μm⋅s-1 and 51-82 μm⋅s-1 for bovine and human samples, respectively. More importantly, we demonstrate that the separated fractions of both human and bovine samples feature 100% normal progressive motility. Furthermore, by extracting the sperm swimming distribution within the rheotaxis zone and sperm velocity distribution inside the corral, we show that the minimum velocity of the corralled sperm can be adjusted by changing the flow rate; that is, we are able to control the motility of the separated sample. This microfluidic device is simple to use, is robust, and has a high throughput compared with traditional methods of motile sperm separation, fulfilling the needs for sperm sample preparation for medical treatments, clinical applications, and fundamental studies.
Lymphocyte depletion and risk of acute rejection in renal transplant recipients at increased risk for delayed graft function

Delayed graft function (DGF) is a risk factor for acute rejection (AR) in renal transplant recipients, and KDIGO guidelines suggest use of lymphocyte-depletion induction when DGF is anticipated. We analyzed the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (UNOS/OPTN) database to assess the impact of induction immunosuppression on the risk of AR in deceased kidney recipients based on pretransplant risk of DGF using a validated model. Recipients were categorized into 4 groups based upon the induction immunosuppression: (1) Rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG); (2) Alemtuzumab (C1H); (3) IL2-receptor antagonists (IL2-RA; basiliximab or daclizumab), and (4) No antibody induction. The primary endpoint for analysis was a composite endpoint of treated AR or graft failure by 1-year posttransplantation. Compared to no antibody induction, rATG and C1H had consistently lower adjusted odds of the composite endpoint across all risk strata for DGF risk, whereas IL2-Ra was associated with increased adjusted odds of the composite endpoint with increasing DGF risk. When the induction agents were compared, rATG and C1H were associated with decreasing adjusted odds for the composite endpoint with increasing risk of DGF, especially at the higher risk spectrum of DGF. Consideration must be given to use of lymphocyte-depletion induction when the anticipated risk of DGF is increased.
A Markovian Design of Bi-Directional Robust Header Compression for Efficient Packet Delivery in Wireless Networks

As a major tool for improving transport efficiency by reducing header redundancy, robust header compression (ROHC) plays an important role in modern packet-switched wireless networks. However, widespread ROHC deployment is in sharp contrast to extremely limited number of research works on ROHC analysis and design optimization. In this paper, we investigate a novel trans-layer approach in designing a bi-directional ROHC under unreliable wireless channel conditions. We propose a novel ROHC compressor design based on a new formulation in terms of a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). This new formulation robustly explores the lower protocol layer signaling to optimize the compressor actions dynamically on the header level and feedback polling. Our design approach improves the transmission efficiency and curtails the required ROHC feedback overhead. Furthermore, to reduce the complexity of our optimized POMDP design, we propose a low-complexity suboptimal ROHC compressor. Our novel trans-layer designs achieve more flexible trade-offs between transmission efficiency and feedback overhead than existing ROHC compressors. They also demonstrate a substantial performance improvement under poor channel conditions and long feedback delay.
Effect of cryopreservation techniques on proliferation and apoptosis of cultured equine ovarian tissue.

Abstract Preservation of cellular integrity and its mechanisms after ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) and in vitro culture (IVC) procedures are crucial aspects for the success of preservation and recovery of female fertility. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two cryopreservation methods (slow-freezing, SF, and vitrification, VIT) on the equine ovarian tissue after 1, 3, and 7 days of IVC by assessing: (i) preantral follicle morphology and distribution of follicle classes; (ii) protein expression of markers of cell proliferation for EGFR and Ki-67; (iii) markers of apoptosis for Bax and Bcl-2; and (iv) DNA fragmentation. Percentages of normal primordial follicles were similar (P > 0.05) among SF-control, VIT-control, and fresh control groups. After 7 days of culture, VIT-IVC7 had a greater (P 0.05) among fresh, SF, and VIT groups. After 7 days of culture, VIT had higher (P 0.05) among groups. Prior to IVC, TUNEL signals were similar (P > 0.05) among groups; however, VIT-IVC7 had greater (P
Long-Acting Local Anesthetics for Analgesia Following Thoracic Surgery

Surgery remains the cornerstone therapy for early-stage lung and esophageal cancers. It is expected that the number of thoracic procedures for lung and esophageal disease will increase in the future (Siegel et al. CA Cancer J Clin 62(4):220–241, 2012). Optimal pain management can be very challenging after thoracic surgery for multiple reasons. Not only is inadequate pain control significant for humanitarian reasons, it is also linked to increased pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications (Richardson et al. J Cardiovasc Surg 40:445–456, 1999). The risks of pulmonary complications can be mitigated by appropriate pain management (Ballantyne, Anesth Analg 86:598–612, 1998). For much of the modern era of medicine, postoperative pain management has been primarily accomplished by systemic opioids. Following thoracic surgery, intravenous opioids alone are often insufficient to adequately control pain and have been supplemented with the application of local anesthetics using various regional techniques. The most recent development in the evolution of local anesthetics is liposomal bupivacaine, a novel slow-release local anesthetic formulation. The local anesthetic is encapsulated utilizing an innovative delivery system known as DepoFoam®, without alteration to its molecular structure, and is steadily released over 72–96 h.
Short term atmospheric pressure cold plasma treatment: A novel strategy for enhancing the substrate utilization in a thermophile, Geobacillus sp. strain WSUCF1.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure cold plasma on the microbial substrate utilization and biomass yield in a thermophilic strain. Geobacillus sp. strain WSUCF1, a thermophile capable of producing cellulolytic enzymes with higher activity was used for this investigation. Treatment with cold plasma for 4 min increased the rates of glucose utilization by 74% and biomass yield by 60% when compared with the control. WSUCF1 treated with plasma also displayed enhanced biofilm formation. This study for the first time, reports the use of cold plasma for enhancing the substrate utilization and biofilm formation in a thermophile.
Using Intragastric Meal Distribution and Antral Contractility for Enhanced Gastric Emptying Analysis.

> See the associated article on page [138][1]. In this issue of Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, Orthey et al. ([1][2]) investigate the dynamic relationship of the fundal reservoir and the antral pump in solid-meal gastric physiology in 20 healthy volunteers. Special attention was focused on
Being Transnational Citizen

Whether it is transnationalism from above or transnationalism from below, the life of an immigrant does get impacted by the American culture and believes on a daily basis. The daily negotiation with regards to culture and beliefs accompanied by the need to adjust at personal and professional lives in an alien country impacts the life and well-being at both professional as well as social front. The chapter presents findings of the third objective of research which aimed at identifying whether being a transnational affected the self-esteem, job satisfaction, and lives, in general, of the migrant professionals.
Duration of Bisphosphonate Drug Holidays and Associated Fracture Risk.

Background Discontinuation of bisphosphonates (BP) or a "drug holiday" after several years of treatment is increasingly common. However, the association of drug holiday duration with future fracture risk is unclear. Objectives We evaluated the rate of fracture in relation to various lengths of drug holidays among women receiving long-term BP therapy. Research design Observational cohort study using US Medicare data 2006-2016. Incidence rates (IRs) and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the rate and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) controlling for potential confounders. Subjects Women aged 65 years and above enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare who had been adherent (≥80%) to alendronate, risedronate, or zoledronate for ≥3 years. Measures Hip, humerus, distal forearm, and clinical vertebral fracture. Results Among 81,427 eligible women observed for a median (interquartile range) of 4.0 (2.5, 5.3) years, 28% of women underwent a drug holiday. In the alendronate cohort (73% overall), the IR of hip fracture among women who discontinued BP for >2 years was 13.2 per 1000 person-years. Risk was increased (aHR=1.3, 1.1-1.4) versus continuing therapy (IR=8.8, referent). Rates were elevated for humerus fracture with discontinuation >2 years (aHR=1.3, 1.1-1.66) and for clinical vertebral fracture with discontinuation >2 years (aHR=1.2, 1.1-1.4). Results were similar for risedronate, zoledronate, and ibandronate for hip and clinical vertebral fracture. Conclusion Discontinuing alendronate beyond 2 years was associated with increased risk of hip, humerus, and clinical vertebral fractures.
29.3 Non-Magnetic 0.18µm SOI Circulator with Multi-Watt Power Handling Based on Switched-Capacitor Clock Boosting

There has been significant recent progress in the implementation of integrated non-reciprocal components based on linear periodically-time-varying (LPTV) circuits [1], [5]. Nevertheless, integrated circulators still require a leap forward in power handling, clock power consumption, insertion loss (IL), and chip area to become compelling when compared with ferrite circulators or integrated reciprocal alternatives, such as the electrical-balance duplexer (EBD) [6]. This paper introduces three innovations - (i) a switched-capacitor clock-boosting scheme, (ii) high-Bragg-frequency quasi-distributed T-lines based on periodically loaded inductors, and (iii) a gyrator based on switched partially reflecting T-lines - that enable such a leap for integrated circulators and for LPTV circuits more broadly. These are showcased in a 1GHz 0.18µm SOI CMOS circulator that exhibits 2.1/2.6dB TX-ANT/ANT-RX IL (0.3dB better than prior art [4]), +34dBm TX-ANT P1dB (2.5x or 4dB better), and 40% lower chip area, all at 39mW power consumption (4.4x lower).
Characterization of a Murine Model of Oxazolone-Induced Orbital Inflammation.

Purpose Acute orbital inflammation can lead to irreversible vision loss in serious cases. Treatment thus far has been limited to systemic steroids or surgical decompression of the orbit. An animal model that mimics the characteristic features of acute orbital inflammation as found in thyroid eye disease can be used to explore novel treatment modalities. Methods We developed a murine model of orbital inflammation by injecting oxazolone into the mouse orbit. The mice underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were euthanized at various time points for histologic examination. Immunofluorescence studies of specific inflammatory cells and cytokine arrays were performed. Results We found clinical and radiographic congruity between the murine model and human disease. After 72 hours, sensitized mice exhibited periorbital dermatitis and inflammation in the eyelids of the injected side. By one week, increased proptosis in the injected eye with significant eyelid edema was appreciated. By four weeks, inflammation and proptosis were decreased. At all three time points, the mice demonstrated exophthalmos and periorbital edema. Histopathologically, populations of inflammatory cells including T cells, macrophages, and neutrophils shared similarities with patient samples in thyroid eye disease. Proteomic changes in the levels of inflammatory and angiogenic markers correlated to the expected angiogenic, inflammatory, and fibrotic responses observed in patients with thyroid eye disease. Conclusions A murine model of orbital inflammation created using oxazolone recapitulates some of the clinical features of thyroid eye disease and potentially other nonspecific orbital inflammation, typified by inflammatory cell infiltration, orbital tissue expansion and remodeling, and subsequent fibrosis. Translational relevance This animal model could serve as a viable platform with which to understand the underlying mechanisms of acute orbital inflammation and to investigate potential new, targeted treatments.
Study on Configuration and Coordinated Control of DFACTS in Flexible Distribution Network

Flexible distribution network, which can provide reliable and economical power supply to customers based on customized power technology, is becoming a new choice to sensitive user groups. DFACTS equipments are important parts of flexible distribution network. In this paper, structure, working principle, characteristics, model of typical DFACTS equipments are introduced. Then, interaction mechanism between DFACTS based on Relative Gain Array(RGA) is analyzed. Finally, configuration and coordinated control strategy among multiple DFACTS devices in flexible distribution network are proposed. Positive references for analyzing, control and application of DFACTS are provided in this paper.
A scale-dependent measure of system dimensionality

A fundamental problem in science is uncovering the effective number of dynamical degrees of freedom in a complex system, a quantity that depends on the spatio-temporal scale at which the system is observed. Here, we propose a scale-dependent generalization of a classic enumeration of latent variables, the Participation Ratio. We show how this measure relates to conventional quantities such as the Correlation dimension and Principal Component Analysis, and demonstrate its properties in dynamical systems such as the Lorentz attractor. We apply the method to neural population recordings in multiple brain areas and brain states, and demonstrate fundamental differences in the effective dimensionality of neural activity in behaviorally engaged states versus spontaneous activity. Our method applies broadly to multi-variate data across fields of science.
Gut-microbiota modulation: The impact of the gut-microbiota on osteoarthritis

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common medical conditions affecting > 300 million people globally which represents the formidable public health challenge. Despite its clinical and financial ramifications, there are currently no approved disease modifying OA drugs available and symptom palliation is the only alternative. Currently, the amount of data on the human intestinal microbiome is growing at a high rate, both in health and in various pathological conditions. With an increase in the amount of the accumulated data, there is an expanded understanding that the microbiome provides compelling evidence of a link between the gut microbiome and development of OA. The microbiota management tools of probiotics and/or prebiotics or symbiotic have been developed and indeed, commercialized over the past few decades with the expressed purpose of altering the microbiota within the gastrointestinal tract which could be a potentially novel intervention to tackle or prevent OA. However, the mechanisms how intestinal microbiota affects the OA pathogenesis are still not clear and further research targeting specific gut microbiota or its metabolites is still needed to advance OA treatment strategies from symptomatic management to individualized interventions of OA pathogenesis. This article provides an overview of the various preclinical and clinical studies using probiotics and prebiotics as plausible therapeutic options that can restore the gastrointestinal microbiota and its impact on the OA pathogenesis. May be in the near future the targeted alterations of gut microbiota may pave the way for developing new interventions to prevent and treat OA.
Revisiting Nonlinear Inflation – Growth Relationship: A Multidimensional Nonlinear Robust Approach

The changes in aggregate demand or aggregate supply vibrate economic activities in the goods market, and it further affects market general price level. Therefore; one of the prioritised objectives of the policymakers in any economy is to manage the price level. Steady rising prices assist producers in expansion for higher profits, while high inflation discourages consumers. Based on this argument; inflation growth dilemma using quantile on quantile (QQ Model) approach for the 73 selected economies of the world is going to be investigated in this study. The study has found that general prices have a nonlinear and significant impact on GDP per capita in the 73 selected countries. This nonlinearity not only depends on the level of general prices but also depend on the level of GDP per capita and development. The contour plots provide the optimal strategy to minimize the negative effects of inflation on GDP.
“Will this affect my or my partner’s fertility?”: Fertility and Women’s Issues in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Fertility is an important issue for both women and men. Studies thus far have not revealed a great difference in the capacity to conceive or induce conception in a patient with IBD when compared to the non-IBD patient. In general, IBD patients have normal fertility except in a certain subgroup of populations: women after surgical resection with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), men on sulfasalazine, and the use methotrexate (MTX). Subfertility or the inability to conceive has been seen in patients with active CD.
Final steps of natural killer cell maturation: a model for type 1–type 2 differentiation?

Analysis of cytokine and differentiation antigen expression in human natural killer (NK) cells revealed that interleukin 13 (IL-13) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) are produced at sequential stages during irreversible IL-12-induced differentiation. In human NK cell clones, polyclonal CD3-CD161+CD56- cells and peripheral lymphocytes, IL-4 induced the proliferation of both IL-13+ NK and T cells, whereas IL-12 allowed a proliferation-independent accumulation of IFN-gamma+ cells. These data disproved the NK1-NK2 hypothesis and challenge the current T helper 1 (TH1)-TH2 paradigm. We propose that the cytokine environment regulates a type 2-->0-->1 developmental progression, with IL-12 needed for terminal differentiation and IL-4 delaying this process, rather than a type 1 versus type 2 decision of a type 0 cell.
Response to Tucker & Vuchinich (2015): Behavioral economics in the broader context of addiction science

Keywords: Alcohol; behavioral economics; craving; demand; efficient causes, within-person variation.
Fractionation of Stable Carbon Isotopes during Chemoautotrophic Growth of Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria.

Laboratory-grown strains of chemoautotrophic Thiomicrospira sp. strain L-12 and Thiobacillus neapolitanus produced cell carbon that was 24.6 to 25.1 ppt (24.6 to 25.1 mg/g) lower in 13C isotope abundance than the ambient source of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. This degree of 13C isotope depletion was comparable to that found in organic material produced in deep-sea hydrothermal-vent communities.
Lysine Nζ-Decarboxylation Switch and Activation of the β-Lactam Sensor Domain of BlaR1 Protein of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The integral membrane protein BlaR1 of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus senses the presence of β-lactam antibiotics in the milieu and transduces the information to the cytoplasm, where the biochemical events that unleash induction of antibiotic resistance mechanisms take place. We report herein by two-dimensional and three-dimensional NMR experiments of the sensor domain of BlaR1 in solution and by determination of an x-ray structure for the apo protein that Lys-392 of the antibiotic-binding site is posttranslationally modified by Nζ-carboxylation. Additional crystallographic and NMR data reveal that on acylation of Ser-389 by antibiotics, Lys-392 experiences Nζ-decarboxylation. This unique process, termed the lysine Nζ-decarboxylation switch, arrests the sensor domain in the activated (“on”) state, necessary for signal transduction and all the subsequent biochemical processes. We present structural information on how this receptor activation process takes place, imparting longevity to the antibiotic-receptor complex that is needed for the induction of the antibiotic-resistant phenotype in methicillin-resistant S. aureus.
Aristotle on Homonymy: Dialectic and Science

1. Aristotle's theory of homonymy in Categories and its precursors 2. Homonymy in The Topics 3. The concept of related homonymy 4. The homonymy of being 5. Physis, Philia, and homonymy 6. Homonymy and science.
The Convergence of output Error Recursions in Infinite Order Moving Average Noise

We consider the problem of the global convergence of the output error identification scheme in the presence of colored noise. The adaptation scheme utilizes at each step a projection of the parameter estimate vector onto a compact, convex set known to contain the true parameter. We establish convergence of the scheme for infinite order moving average noise with geometrically decaying weights.
Purification of Carbon Nanotube Sheets

Large volumes of carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets and yarns are required to enable practical applications such as structural reinforcements, electrical conductors, electromagnetic interference shielding, and energy storage. Although these macroscopic assemblages of CNTs are commercially available, reports on their handling and processing have been quite limited. In this article, we report a systematic study of the purification of commercially available CNT sheets produced directly from as-grown nanotubes. These CNT sheets contain residual metal catalysts encapsulated in graphitic carbon nanoparticles known to contaminate common powdery pristine CNT materials. Although many purification methods effective for powdery CNTs are known, they cannot be directly applied to CNT sheets because these processes often involve sonication and/or reflux, which are too aggressive and deleterious to the integrity of the sheets. Therefore, alternative physically benign processes were chosen and evaluated in detail. Assessment of the purification method included characterization of parameters such as residual metal content, weight retention, and changes in the Raman D-to-G intensity ratio. Importantly, the purification methodology was also placed in the context of the targeted application as a structural reinforcement in advanced composites. In this application, the mechanical properties of the CNT sheets are crucial, thus specific strength and modulus were evaluated and compared for the purified CNT sheets and the nanocomposites produced therefrom. Several important processing parameters were identified that resulted in purified CNT sheets with not only low catalyst content but also reasonable retention of mechanical properties. In addition, the scalability of the purification method and a procedure to prevent CNT sheet wrinkling after purification were demonstrated. Assessment criteria of CNT sheet purification techniques toward other potential applications are also discussed.
Role of the delta subunit in enhancing proton conduction through the F0 of the Escherichia coli F1F0 ATPase.

We studied the effect of the delta subunit of the Escherichia coli F1 ATPase on the proton permeability of the F0 proton channel synthesized and assembled in vivo. Membranes isolated from an unc deletion strain carrying a plasmid containing the genes for the F0 subunits and the delta subunit were significantly more permeable to protons than membranes isolated from the same strain carrying a plasmid containing the genes for the F0 subunits alone. This increased proton permeability could be blocked by treatment with either dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide or purified F1, both of which block proton conduction through the F0. After reconstitution with purified F1 in vitro, both membrane preparations could couple proton pumping to ATP hydrolysis. These results demonstrate that an interaction between the delta subunit and the F0 during synthesis and assembly produces a significant change in the proton permeability of the F0 proton channel. Images
Overloaded skeletal muscles of a nonhuman primate (Galago senegalensis)

Abstract Selected morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties of skeletal muscles from five control and six trained adult nonhuman primates, Galago senegalensis , were studied. After a 6-month treadmill endurance-training program, fewer glycogen-depleted fibers were found in the plantaris of trained than in controls after 15 min of electrical stimulation. There was an increase in the proportion of fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic fibers at the expense of fast-twitch glycolytic fibers, enhanced cytochrome a and c concentrations, and elevated SDH activity. No changes in glycolytic enzymes or contraction time of the normally fast-twitch plantaris muscle were found. Maximal twitch and tetanic muscle tension and overall fiber size were not significantly different in the controls and trained Galagos. However, fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic fibers in the plantaris were significantly larger in the trained Galagos. These adaptations were muscle specific, demonstrating that muscles vary in response to treadmill exercise depending on anatomical location or action (or both) in the exercise as well as fiber-type composition.
Talk versus work: characteristics of developer collaboration on the jazz platform

IBM's Jazz initiative offers a state-of-the-art collaborative development environment (CDE) facilitating developer interactions around interdependent units of work. In this paper, we analyze development data across two versions of a major IBM product developed on the Jazz platform, covering in total 19 months of development activity, including 17,000+ work items and 61,000+ comments made by more than 190 developers in 35 locations. By examining the relation between developer talk and work, we find evidence that developers maintain a reasonably high level of connectivity with peer developers with whom they share work dependencies, but the span of a developer's communication goes much beyond the known dependencies of his/her work items. Using multiple linear regression models, we find that the number of defects owned by a developer is impacted by the number of other developers (s)he is connected through talk, his/her interpersonal influence in the network of work dependencies, the number of work items (s)he comments on, and the number work items (s)he owns. These effects are maintained even after controlling for workload, role, work dependency, and connection related factors. We discuss the implications of our results for collaborative software development and project governance.
Estrogen effects on modifications of chromatin proteins in the rat uterus.

Abstract ADP-ribosylation and phosphorylation of chromatin proteins was studied in rat uterine nuclei isolated after estrogen treatment and then incubated with [adenylate- 32 P]NAD or [γ- 32 P]ATP. Histone acetylation was studied in uteri from immature rats treated with estradiol by incubating the whole uterus in a medium containing [ 14 C]acetic acid. Chromatin proteins were isolated from uterine nuclei and separated by electrophoresis on SDS polyacrylamide gels followed by autoradiography or fluorography. Chromatin proteins H1, H2B, H3, HMG 14 and HMG 17 were almost exclusively ADP-ribosylated. Uterine histones H1, H3, H4, HMG 14 and HMG 17 were phosphorylated, There was a general increase in [ 32 P]ADP-ribose uptake in chromatin proteins after estrogen stimulation, whereas [ 32 P]phosphate incorporation into chromatin proteins showed a biphasic pattern. The [ 14 C]acetate activity associated with all historic proteins increased gradually after estrogen treatment.
Characterization of cesium containing glass-bonded ceramic waste forms

High cesium containing glass-bonded ceramic waste form samples were prepared and characterized to identify possible cesium phases present in glass-bonded ceramic waste forms developed for the containment of fission product bearing salts. Major phases of the waste forms are sodalite and glass. A combination of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) were used to study the multiphase nature of these waste forms. Cesium was found to be present in the higher loaded waste forms in a cesium aluminosilicate phase with an analcime structure and a 1:1 Si:Al ratio, a pollucite phase, and also in the glass phase. The glass phase contains the majority of the cesium at lower loadings, however some pollucite also remains. Cesium was not detected in the sodalite phase of any of the samples.
What birds have to say about language.

Controversy surrounds the suggestion that recursion is a uniquely human computational ability that enables language. A study now finds this ability in a songbird and takes steps toward a model system for syntactic competence.
Flypaper for Parasites

In this issue, Kamhawi et al. (2004) describe the identification of an insect galectin as the receptor for the stage-specific Leishmania adhesin lipophosphoglycan (LPG). This interaction is critical for parasite survival in the midgut of its sand fly vector. The results open new avenues for studies of insect immunity, transmission binding vaccines, and host-parasite coevolution.
Dissociative effects of flooding on a multivariate assessment of fear reduction and on jump-up avoidance extinction

Two experiments examined the effectiveness of three different amounts of flooding on hastening extinction of a jump-up avoidance response and on reducing fear as assessed by the multivariate fear assessment techniques of D. P. Corriveau and N. F. Smith (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1978, 107, 145–158). In Experiment 1, a 40-min flooding treatment significantly hastened jump-up avoidance extinction, 10 min of flooding had a marginal effect, and 5 min had no effect. In Experiment 2, flooding treatments of 5, 10, and 40 min duration were all effective in reducing fear of the grid floor as indexed by seven of our nine dependent measures, including approach latency, safety test latency, and amount of time spent on the grids. Flooded subjects that were dumped onto the grid floor once at the start of the fear observation phase were found to show somewhat more fear reduction than were flooded subjects that were simply placed on the ledge at the outset of the fear observation phase and never dumped. These results, i.e., less flooding is required to reduce fear than to hasten avoidance extinction, are contrasted with those of previous experiments indicating that more flooding may be required to reduce fear than to hasten shuttlebox avoidance extinction. Such differences are discussed in the context of SSDR theory.
Managing Information in the Academic Medical Center: Building an Integrated Information Environment.

The strategic importance of integrated information systems and resources for academic medical centers should not be underestimated. Ten years ago, the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with the Association of Academic Medical Centers initiated the Integrated Advanced Information Management System (IAIMS) program to assist academic medical centers in defining a process for addressing deficiencies in their information environments. The authors give a brief history of the IAIMS program, and they describe both the characteristics of an integrated information environment and the technical and organizational structures necessary to create such an environment. Strategies some institutions have used to implement integrated information systems are also outlined. Finally, the authors discuss the role of librarians in integrated information system design.
Experimental determination of the relativistic fine structure splitting in a pionic atom

Abstract Using a high-resolution crystal spectrometer, we have measured the energy splitting of the pionic 5g-4f and 5f-4d transitions in Ti. The observed fine structure splitting agrees, within experimental error of 3%, with the splitting arising from the calculated relativistic term and other small corrections for spinless particles.
Communities that make a difference: The STEM student perspective

Responses from open-ended survey questions regarding undergraduate students' connections to community were collected from five different institutions, ranging from a large research institution in the Pacific Northwest to a small teaching college in the Northeast. Our results show that, regardless of institution or U.S. geographical location, STEM students felt connected to family more than any other community in their undergraduate experience. At institutions where faith plays a role in the institutional mission and culture, connections to religious organizations (especially church) were a close second in the strong connections to community that students reported in their lives. Across institutions, friends played a strong role in the communities in which students participated, and traditional extracurricular activities (non-academic clubs within the institution itself) also provided a significant source of connection for many students.
Environmental scanning at Monsanto

Environmental scanning is “the study and interpretation of what is happening in society at large today in order to forecast developments in the business operating environment of tomorrow,” according to the excellent definition used by the Daniel Yankelovich Group.
A poly(ethylene) glycolylated peptide for ocular delivery compacts DNA into nanoparticles for gene delivery to post-mitotic tissues in vivo.

Background We have previously shown that a novel synthetic peptide for ocular delivery (POD) can efficiently compact DNA and deliver it to cells in vitro. This observation prompted us to develop use of POD as a nonviral vector in vivo. Methods POD peptide was modified using poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG-POD) and used to compact DNA into nanoparticles that were then analysed using electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescent labeling. Transfection efficiency and localization were determined 48 h post-injection into the subretinal space of the mouse eye using luciferase and LacZ, respectively. Efficiency of ocular transfection was compared to two other PEGylated peptides: PEG-TAT and PEG-CK30. Results PEG-POD can compact DNA and form discrete nanoparticles of approximately 136 nm that can penetrate and transduce the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vivo. PEG-POD significantly increased expression of plasmid DNA by 215-fold, PEG-TAT by 56.52-fold, and PEG-CK30 by 24.73-fold relative to DNA injected alone. In all cases β-galactosidase was observed primarily in the RPE layer after subretinal injection. Electrophysiological analyses of PEG-POD transduced retina indicates an absence of PEG-POD-mediated toxicity. PEG-POD can protect plasmid DNA from DNaseI digestion, resulting in significant transfection of the lung after intravenous injection in mice. Conclusions PEG-POD was found to significantly increase gene delivery relative to both DNA alone and other pegylated peptides. These findings highlight the use of pegylated peptides, and specifically PEG-POD, as novel gene delivery vectors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative Determination of Ascorbic Acid in Potatoes and Potato Products by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A simple, rapid and accurate method for the quantitative determination of ascorbic acid in potatoes and potato products has been developed. The system is based on the reverse-phase, ion-pairing concept of high-performance liquid chromatography. Sample preparation is minimal and involves a one-step extraction followed by filtration and/or centrifugation. Recoveries were near the 100% level. As low as 0.02 mcg ascorbic acid could be determined.