cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Near-infrared imaging of secondary caries lesions around composite restorations at wavelengths from 1300-1700-nm.

Abstract Background and objectives Current clinical methods for diagnosing secondary caries are unreliable for identifying the early stages of decay around restorative materials. The objective of this study was to access the integrity of restoration margins in natural teeth using near-infrared (NIR) reflectance and transillumination images at wavelengths between 1300 and 1700-nm and to determine the optimal NIR wavelengths for discriminating composite materials from dental hard tissues. Materials and methods Twelve composite margins ( n = 12) consisting of class I, II and V restorations were chosen from ten extracted teeth. The samples were imaged in vitro using NIR transillumination and reflectance, polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) and a high-magnification digital microscope. Samples were serially sectioned into 200-μm slices for histological analysis using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). Two independent examiners evaluated the presence of demineralization at the sample margin using visible detection with 10× magnification and NIR images presented digitally. Composite restorations were placed in sixteen sound teeth ( n = 16) and imaged at multiple NIR wavelengths ranging from λ = 1300 to 1700-nm using NIR transillumination. The image contrast was calculated between the composite and sound tooth structure. Results Intensity changes in NIR images at wavelengths ranging from 1300 to 1700-nm correlate with increased mineral loss measured using TMR. NIR reflectance and transillumination at wavelengths coincident with increased water absorption yielded significantly higher ( P P Significance This study shows that NIR imaging is well suited for the rapid screening of secondary caries lesions.
Sperm transport through vas deferens: review of hypotheses and suggestions for a quantitative model.

Study of the mechanism of sperm transport through the vas deferens stems from the need to develop acceptable male contraceptive devices or procedures. The object of this paper is to review all the hypothese related to the innervation structure and function of the vas. Also considered are the experimental data and theoretical analyses necessary for understanding seminal fluid transport through the vas. Similarities in structure and function of the ureter are noted. Histologically the vas deferens lumen is bounded by a 3-layer musular wall. The inner and outer layers of smooth muscle wall are arranged longitudinally. The middle layer is circumferential. The vas deferns epididymis prostate and seminal vesicles have only an autonomic nerve suppply via the inferior hypogastric plexus. Studies of the fine details are described as they occur in man and experimental animals. Experiments suggest that the innervation of the vas is seriously damaged by local anesthesia used for vasectomy or reanstamosis when attempted. However the mechanisms of veurotransmission in the vas remain controversial. The various theories of muscular activity of the vas are reviewed. These data may be useful in the design of reversible vas occlusion devices. The improved understanding may suggest simple and effective methods of reversible vasectomy.
A New Realism for Legal Studies

McEvoy charts a distinct strand of new legal realist thought, arguing that it is not a canon but rather an emergent style of research in legal studies - one that can be traced through the past twenty years. This emergent style of research examines the reciprocal constitution through recursive interaction of law, environment, and culture. Salient characteristics of McEvoy's conception of NLR research include its focus on situated analysis, on law as it emerges in social interactions, and on the complex interplay of ideas and action often denominated legal consciousness. The article uses examples from younger scholars in fields ranging from sociology to history to demonstrate the emergence of the way this new approach makes empirical claims that are adequate to the complex realities of a postmodern world.
Reactive Transport Modeling of Interactions between Acid Gas (CO2 + H2S) and Pozzolan-Amended Wellbore Cement under Geologic Carbon Sequestration Conditions

The implementation of acid gas cosequestration requires investigation of the potential for acid gas leakage along existing wellbores at sequestration sites. In this study, the interaction between p...
Dissecting correlated characters: adaptive aspects of phenotypic covariation in melanization pattern of Pieris butterflies

In this study we address the question of how much of the covariation among phenotypic characters observed in natural populations is adaptive. We examine covariation among a set of phenotypic characters that describe the wing-melanization pattern of Pieris butterflies. Previous functional analyses of thermoregulatory performance allow us to predict a priori whether and how different wing melanic characters should be correlated. We quantify and analyze the variation in the wing-melanization pattern within species for a series of Pieris populations from relatively cool environments in North America and compare these results with the predictions based on our adaptive hypothesis. We consider adaptive covariation both for biogeographic variation among populations and for seasonal polyphenism (phenotypic plasticity) within populations. Our hypothesis correctly predicts many of the qualitative features of covariation in melanization among major regions of the wings, at the level of biogeographic variation among populations, for both males and females of Pieris occidentalis. When within-population variation is considered, agreement with the adaptive predictions varies considerably in different populations for both P. occidentalis and P. napi males and females. Agreement for P. napi, particularly the females, is generally poorer than for P. occidentalis. In both species, there is a consistent difference in melanization pattern between alpine and arctic sites; this difference is discussed in relation to the differences in the radiative environment between these two types of "cold" habitats. Our results suggest that some important aspects of phenotypic correlation among wing melanic characters in Pieris are adaptive. We emphasize the important distinction between covariation and co-occurrence of characters, and we discuss these results in relation to the extensive biogeographic variation and phenotypic plasticity (seasonal polyphenism) in Pieris wing-melanization patterns.
Comparative sensitivities of isolated rat renal arterioles to endothelin.

The specific intrarenal sites and mechanism of endothelin (ET) vascular action are controversial. In this study afferent (AA) and efferent arterioles (EA) were isolated from the kidneys of normal Sprague-Dawley rats. Their respective concentration-dependent changes in lumen diameter in response to ET-1 were compared with those of angiotensin II (ANG II) and norepinephrine (NE). In a second series of experiments, the duration of vasoconstriction to comparable transient submaximal ET-1, ANG II, and NE concentrations in AA and EA was examined. The role of angiotensin II in mediating endothelin vasoconstriction also was examined with the converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril (CAP) and the competitive inhibitor [Sar1,Ala8]ANG II (SAR). The half-maximal constriction concentration (EC50) of ET-1 was less in EA than AA (P , 0.01). EC50 of ET-1 in AA was similar to that of ANG II, but was less than that of NE (P , 0.001). In EA the EC50 of ET-1 was also similar to that of ANG II, but much less than that of NE (P ,...
Motion-oriented coding scheme for compression of concentric mosaic scene representations

A motion-oriented coding scheme for compressing concentric mosaic representations is designed based on modifications to a standardized block-based hybrid video coding scheme. The motion features of the camera capturing the concentric mosaic representations are exploited to enhance the coding efficiency and improve the decoding flexibility. The coded data is organized in a hierarchical structure into a bitstream. Two-level motion vector representation and estimation is used. Simple one-level side information is embedded to facilitate random access. The optimized coding pattern is investigated to enhance the coding efficiency. Only a small portion of reference frames needs to be accessed and decoded to get a target pixel column. This enables fast data retrieval and rapid rendering. The proposed coding scheme is capable of providing high compression efficiency and fast random selective decoding for concentric mosaic rendering.
The eighth wonder of the world: the life of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome

There is little doubt that the Astrodome, once home of baseball’s Houston Astros, football’s Houston Oilers (since relocated to Nashville), and Houston’s Livestock Show and Rodeo, has an immense le...
The Neoichnology of Two Terrestrial Ambystomatid Salamanders: Quantifying Amphibian Burrows Using Modern Analogs

This experiment involved the study of two species of ambystomatid salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum and Ambystoma opacum (Amphibia: Caudata). Individual salamanders were placed in sediment-filled terrariums and allowed to burrow for 7 to 14 days under natural environmental conditions. Salamanders were then removed and their burrows cast, excavated, and described both qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative measurements included the number of surface openings, width, height, width-to-height ratio, total length, maximum depth, slope, branching angle, complexity, and tortuosity. Additional experiments involved variations in soil composition and soil moisture. A. tigrinum burrowed through excavation and compaction techniques whereas A. opacum only used compaction. Burrows produced by A. tigrinum consisted of ramps, branched ramps, U-, W-, Y-, and J-shaped burrows. Small-scale surface mounds were also created by Ambystoma tigrinum. Burrows produced by A. opacum consisted of ramps and branched ramps. Sinuous to straight surface trails were also produced by A. opacum. There was no recognized change in behavior or burrow properties in response to changes in the environmental parameters.
The career adaptive refugee: Exploring the structural and personal barriers to refugee resettlement

Abstract In this paper I advance a job-search model to explain the structural and personal barriers between career adaptability and refugee resettlement success. Building from career construction and social network theories, I argue that while career adaptability —or the ability of an individual to navigate career transitions—generally shares a strong positive relationship with objective markers of success (e.g., pay and job quality), this is not necessarily generalizable to refugees who likely experience downward occupational mobility. Specifically, I posit that as a method of adaptation, refugees prioritize the generation of networks for social safety over acquiring jobs that align with their skillset. Yet, doing so limits their objective resettlement success, characterized by lower status jobs than previous employment, low pay, and fewer opportunities for host country language ability growth. Career adaptive refugees are even more likely to focus on network generation due to discrimination threat and host country language ability upon arrival. Further, gender, education, and prior experience hinder a refugee's ability to obtain a job commensurate with experience and qualifications prior to migration. However, because being embedded in a network creates social resources such as support and social legitimacy, a refugee's newly created network acts as a key mechanism through which career adaptive refugees experience high physical and mental health, stronger social ties, and higher life satisfaction. Recommendations for testing these propositions and methodological considerations are discussed.
Non-heme components of electron transfer systems: interactions and conformational effects.

Traditionally, in our thinking of electron transfer systems, cytochromes have had dominant attention. By contrast, at this meeting, in which heme proteins will duly receive prime consideration, it may be useful also to discuss features of some of the biological electron transfer agents that were more recently discovered, such as Fe-S proteins, ubiquinone, and copper. Their very properties have forced us to apply approaches different from those suitable for heme proteins; the EPR technique has largely replaced spectrophotometry in their study; in turn, EPR spectroscopy then also applied to cytochromes has greatly enriched our knowledge of their properties and behaviour. In addition, EPR spectroscopy, which allows us to study molecules in what is essentially their ground state, is more suited than spectrophotometry for detecting subtle interactions between neighboring groups or sites. This aspect will form an essential part of my presentation.
Promoting Evidence-Based Practice Through a Live Online Nursing Journal Club: It Takes a Team

Journal clubs have existed for 150 years for clinicians to discuss the latest evidence, yet multiple barriers exist. Rapid healthcare changes provide new opportunities for librarians to promote mod...
A Novel Data Integrity Attack on Consensus-Based Distributed Energy Management Algorithm Using Local Information

This paper introduces a novel data integrity attack on the well-developed consensus-based energy management algorithm. In particular, we show that by sending out elaborately falsified information during the consensus iterations, attackers could manipulate the system operating point and gain extra economic benefits. Meanwhile, the system-level and device-level constraints are still satisfied, e.g., the power generation and demand are balanced, and the operation of individual device respects physical constraints. This data integrity attack has two major features: First, attackers rely only on local information to complete the attack; neither additional information about system topology nor additional colluders are required; second, the attacking effect is accumulative, which enables attackers to choose to finish in either single or multiple iterations. By revealing such vulnerability of consensus-based applications to data integrity attack, this paper conveys the message that besides the efforts of designing novel distributed energy management algorithms to address the renewable energy integration challenges, it is equally important to protect the distributed energy management algorithms from possible malicious attacks to avoid potential economic losses. The proposed attack is illustrated in the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management system.
Processing of polymer nanocomposites

Abstract: Polymer nanocomposites processing requires incorporating nanoparticles into polymer matrix in a controllable fashion in order to successfully transfer the outstanding properties of nanoparticles to the final nanocomposite. This chapter first reviews various processing techniques to fabricate nanoparticles reinforced polymer nanocomposites. It then discusses some critical processing-related issues for property improvement, including the selection of nanoparticle and polymer matrix, quality of dispersion, alignment and functionalization of nanoparticles.
In Vitro Growth of Granulocytic and Mononuclear Cell Colonies From Blood of Normal Individuals

Colonies of eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages were grown in vitro from peripheral leukocytes of normal individuals. The concentration of circulating nucleated cells capable of giving rise to such colonies is considerably less than in marrow. In blood obtained from six healthy adults, between 4.5 and 21.6 colonies were observed per 10 6 nucleated cells plated. Growth characteristics of these colonies were similar to those arising from marrow cells. Colony formation was observed after 6-10 days of incubation and increased to a maximum size of 200-1000 cells after 18-20 days and then began to undergo degeneration. Colonies of eosinophils were the most frequent cell type observed. Neutrophil and monocyte colonies were the next most common and occurred with about equal frequency; colonies of mixed cell type were less frequent than the above three types. These colonies were mainly observed at about 3 weeks of incubation. Colonies examined after 4 weeks of incubation consisted primarily of large histiocytes and macrophages. Studies with tritiated thymidine ( 3 H-TDR) revealed that all colonies examined contained labeled cells, indicating that these colonies arose from cell proliferation.
The Exodus subfamily of CC chemokines inhibits the proliferation of chronic myelogenous leukemia progenitors

Chemokines are a family of related proteins that regulate leukocyte infiltration into inflamed tissue and play important roles in disease processes. Among the biologic activities of chemokines is inhibition of proliferation of normal hematopoietic progenitors. However, chemokines that inhibit normal progenitors rarely inhibit proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We and others recently cloned a subfamily of CC chemokines that share similar amino-terminal peptide sequences and a remarkable ability to chemoattract T cells. These chemokines, Exodus-1/LARC/MIP-3alpha, Exodus-2/SLC/6Ckine/TCA4, and Exodus-3/CKbeta11/MIP-3beta, were found to inhibit proliferation of normal human marrow progenitors. The study described here found that these chemokines also inhibited the proliferation of progenitors in every sample of marrow from patients with CML that was tested. This demonstration of consistent inhibition of CML progenitor proliferation makes the 3 Exodus chemokines unique among chemokines. (Blood. 2000;95:1506-1508)
Transfusion requirements and 30-day mortality predictors for adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by an uncontrolled hyper-inflammatory response. We assessed the transfusion requirements and predictors of 30-day mortality for adult HLH patients. We identified all adult patients with a diagnosis of HLH at a large academic hospital from October 2003 through February 2017. We extracted patients’ clinical and laboratory data, including transfusion requirements, from their medical records. One-hundred sixteen patients were identified. Their median age was 48 years (range 18–82); 72(62%) were male. Median duration of hospital stay was 19 days (range 1–89 days). At 30 days from admission, 81(70%) patients were alive. Death was attributed to sepsis in 21 patients, lymphoma in six, bleeding in four, GVHD in one, liver failure in one, metastatic solid tumor in one, and unknown in one. Transfusion requirements at 30 days from admission were as follows: RBC, 86% of patients, median 6 units (range 1–58); platelets, 74% of patients, median 6 units (1–67); plasma, 40% of patients, median 4 units (1–56). Renal failure (OR = 4.39; P = 0.008) and hypofibrinogenemia (OR = 4.07; P = 0.009) correlated with 30-day mortality. The transfusion requirements for adult HLH patients were high. Our study indicated that renal insufficiency and hypofibrinogenemia are predictors of early death in adult HLH.
The impossible imperative: navigating the competing principles of child protection

When children become involved in the child welfare system, they become involved in a system in which multiple decisions are made on their behalf that have a significant effect on their future and w...
Preliminary Investigation and Characterization of Electrospun Polycaprolactone and Manuka Honey Scaffolds for Dermal Repair

This study focused on the characterization of Manuka honey-containing poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber scaffolds with regards to wound healing. Scaffolds were electrospun from 1, 5, 10, and 20%...
Interfirm learning in environmental safety: evidence from the bakken

This paper examines whether firm learning economies lead to reduced environmental incidents in Bakken unconventional oil drilling. We model the relationship between environmental safety and learnin...
Commenting proofs

The goal of this investigation is the development of a semantics for 1 order theories based on certain new syntactic structures in formal proofs which derive from their pragmatic and semantic aspects. The present report is mainly concerned with these new syntactic structures, the motivation behind them, their technical definition and their basic properties. Their role in a new semantics for Intuitiomistc Peano Arithmetic is indicated in the last section.
The role of proactive interference in working memory training and transfer

Recent work on working memory training has produced conflicting results regarding the degree and generality of transfer to other cognitive processes. However, few studies have investigated possible mechanisms underlying transfer. The current study was designed to test the role of proactive interference in working memory training and transfer. Eighty-six young adults participated in a pretest-posttest design, with ten training sessions in between. In the two working memory training conditions, subjects performed an operation span task, with one condition requiring recall of letters on every trial (operation-letters), whereas the other condition alternated between letters, digits, and words as the to-be-remembered items across trials (operation-mix). These groups were compared to an active-control group (visual-search). Working memory, verbal fluency, and reading comprehension measures were administered in pretest and posttest sessions. All groups significantly increased their performance over the ten training sessions. There was evidence of strategy-specific benefits on transfer, such that transfer to working memory measures was higher for the operation-letters group on tasks specifically involving letters, and no differential transfer to working memory tests without letters, to verbal fluency, or to reading comprehension. The results indicate that proactive interference does not appear to play a causal role in determining transfer from working memory training, and instead a strategy account based on stimulus content provides a more parsimonious explanation for the pattern of training and transfer.
Evaluation of dichotic listening performance in normal-hearing, noise-exposed young females.

Abstract Recent animal studies have shown that intense noise exposures that produce robust temporary threshold shift (TTS) can inflict irreversible damage to the synaptic connections between the inner hair cells and auditory neurons. It was hypothesized that noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy may cause impaired acoustic encoding in the central auditory nervous system leading to impaired speech perception, particularly in challenging listening situations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of high noise exposure background (NEB) on dichotic listening performance, speech-in-noise performance, and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) measured in young females with normal audiograms. The central hypothesis was that individuals with high NEB would exhibit reduced ABR wave I amplitude and subsequently would exhibit poorer performance on speech-in-noise and dichotic listening. In a sample of 32 females (14 with high NEB and 18 with low NEB) aged 18–35 years, the study compared behavioral hearing thresholds (from 250 to 16000 Hz), distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs, 1000–16000 Hz), click-evoked ABR, QuickSIN signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss and dichotic digit test (DDT). The results showed no clear association between NEB, and hearing thresholds, DPOAEs, click-evoked ABR measures, and QuickSIN SNR loss. Individuals with high NEB revealed significantly lower DDT scores and evidence of reduced right ear advantage compared to individuals with low NEB. The poorer performance in DDT and the ear asymmetry in DDT scores with normal ABR findings suggest that high NEB might alter the hemispheric organization of speech-sound processing and cognitive control. The clinical significance of the present findings is discussed.
Sex disparities in acute kidney injury complicating acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock.

AIMS To evaluate sex-specific disparities in acute kidney injury (AKI) complicating acute myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) in the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS This was a retrospective cohort study from 2000 to 2014 from the National Inpatient Sample (20% sample of all hospitals in the United States). Patients >18 years admitted with a primary diagnosis of AMI and concomitant CS that developed AKI were included. The endpoints of interest were the prevalence, trends, and outcomes of men and women with AKI in AMI-CS. Multivariable hierarchical logistic regression was used to control for confounding, and a two-sided P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. During this 15 year period, 440 257 admissions with AMI-CS met the inclusion criteria, with AKI noted in 155 610 (35.3%). Women constituted 36.3% of the cohort and were older, of non-White race, and with higher co-morbidity compared with men. Women with AKI less often received coronary angiography (59% vs. 66%), percutaneous coronary intervention (39% vs. 43%), mechanical circulatory support (39% vs. 48%), mechanical ventilation (49% vs. 54%), and haemodialysis (9% vs. 10%) compared with men (all P < 0.001). Adjusted in-hospital mortality was higher in women-odds ratio 1.16 (95% confidence interval 1.14-1.19); P < 0.001-compared with men. Women had shorter lengths of stay (12 ± 14 vs. 13 ± 14 days), lower hospital costs ($150 071 ± 180 796 vs. $181 260 ± 209 674), and were less often discharged to home (19% vs. 31%) (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Women with AKI in AMI-CS received fewer cardiac and non-cardiac interventions, had higher in-hospital mortality, and were less often discharged to home compared with men.
Infectious Disorders of the Lower Genital Tract

Infectious diseases of the lower female genital tract include a variety of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections that are commonly, but not exclusively, sexually transmitted. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a global public health issue and have serious impact on health care costs in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced increasing numbers of reported STDs in recent years. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and especially syphilis rates have increased dramatically over the past few years. Most infections of the lower female genital tract are diagnosed clinically, and tissue biopsies are rarely performed; however, it is important to be familiar with these entities and their histopathologic features to avoid misdiagnosis of these rather common infections. This chapter reviews clinical and pathologic presentations of common infections of the lower female genital tract, and incorporates the latest guidelines available for each entity. Human papillomavirus infection is briefly discussed under common sexually transmitted infections and generalized genital warts in patients with immunosuppression, and further reviewed in detail in other chapters. It also includes rare entities in the United States that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and vulvovaginal involvement by systemic infections in immunosuppressed individuals.
Unified feature association networks through integration of transcriptomic and proteomic data

High-throughput multi-omics studies and corresponding network analyses of multi-omic data have rapidly expanded their impact over the last 10 years. As biological features of different types (e.g. transcripts, proteins, metabolites) interact within cellular systems, the greatest amount of knowledge can be gained from networks that incorporate multiple types of -omic data. However, biological and technical sources of variation diminish the ability to detect cross-type associations, yielding networks dominated by communities comprised of nodes of the same type. We describe here network building methods that can maximize edges between nodes of different data types leading to integrated networks, networks that have a large number of edges that link nodes of different–omic types (transcripts, proteins, lipids etc). We systematically rank several network inference methods and demonstrate that, in many cases, using a random forest method, GENIE3, produces the most integrated networks. This increase in integration does not come at the cost of accuracy as GENIE3 produces networks of approximately the same quality as the other network inference methods tested here. Using GENIE3, we also infer networks representing antibody-mediated Dengue virus cell invasion and receptor-mediated Dengue virus invasion. A number of functional pathways showed centrality differences between the two networks including genes responding to both GM-CSF and IL-4, which had a higher centrality value in an antibody-mediated vs. receptor-mediated Dengue network. Because a biological system involves the interplay of many different types of molecules, incorporating multiple data types into networks will improve their use as models of biological systems. The methods explored here are some of the first to specifically highlight and address the challenges associated with how such multi-omic networks can be assembled and how the greatest number of interactions can be inferred from different data types. The resulting networks can lead to the discovery of new host response patterns and interactions during viral infection, generate new hypotheses of pathogenic mechanisms and confirm mechanisms of disease.
A longitudinal investigation of the semantic receptive-expressive gap in Spanish-English bilingual children

Although a semantic receptive-expressive gap appears to be a universal feature of early bilingualism, little is known about its development. We sought to determine if the magnitude of the discrepan...
Comparison of Disease Phenotypes and Clinical Characteristics Among South Asian and White Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease at a Tertiary Referral Center.

Background The prevalence and clinical features of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) vary among different racial and ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and phenotypic features of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in South Asian patients living in the United States with those of a white cohort. Methods The demographic, clinical, and phenotypic characteristics of 73 South Asian patients (31 CD and 42 UC) who presented initially to our tertiary referral center from 2012 to 2016 and had subsequent follow-up were retrospectively compared with those of 408 consecutive white patients (245 CD and 163 UC). Results South Asian IBD patients were significantly more likely to have UC (58.0% vs 40.0%; P = 0.005) than white patients. South Asians with CD were less likely to have a family history of IBD (9.7% vs 26.9%; P = 0.037) and required fewer CD-related surgeries (22.5% vs 46.1; P = 0.012). South Asians were also less likely to be active or former smokers in both the CD (P = 0.004) and UC (P = 0.020) groups. South Asians with UC had a higher incidence of Clostridium difficile infection compared with white patients (19.0% vs 8.6%; P = 0.050). Conclusions A cohort of South Asian patients with IBD were more likely to have UC and had differing family and tobacco risk factors, requirements for surgery, and Clostridium difficile infection rates as compared with white patients.
Ecosystem Capacity for Microbial Biodegradation of Munitions Compounds and Phenanthrene in Three Coastal Waterways in North Carolina, United States.

Munitions compounds (i.e., 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), octahy-dro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocin (HMX), and hexadydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazin (RDX), also called energetics) were origin...
Hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality assessment for different aquifers in the Caojiatan coal mine of Ordos Basin, northwestern China

This study explores the hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality of different aquifers in the Caojiatan coal mine in the Ordos Basin, northwestern China, using classical graphical methods and multivariate analysis. The study found that surface water and groundwater in the Quaternary unconsolidated aquifer (UA) and weathered bedrock zone (WZ) have a HCO3–Ca·Mg hydrochemical type, while the groundwater in the Jurassic Zhiluo aquifer (ZA) and Jurassic Yanan aquifer (YA) are predominantly of the HCO3–Na type. Rock weathering, silicate dissolution, and reverse cation exchange are the dominant hydrogeochemical processes controlling the water chemical variables in the study area. In addition, variations in the hydraulic conductivities and TDS in different aquifers indicate that groundwater residence time is also the main factor controlling the chemical variables. Groundwater in the UA and WZ is suitable for drinking and irrigation, with low ion concentrations. However, the groundwater in ZA and YA must be treated before drinking, because of the high pH value. The excessive concentrations of F-, and high sodium adsorption ratio Na%, and residual sodium carbonate values also make the water unsuitable for irrigation. Mining activities can significantly impact the circulation and occurrence of natural groundwater. Once the groundwater in WZ becomes mine water, it becomes contaminated because of the mixing process with groundwater in ZA and YA. Further, undissolved coal slime and large quantities of oil leaking from fully mechanized mining equipment increase the CODMn levels in the mine water, making the levels higher than in natural groundwater and beyond permissible limits for drinking.
Contactin-1 autoimmunity: Serologic, neurologic, and pathologic correlates.

Objective To determine serologic characteristics, frequency, phenotype, paraneoplastic associations, and electrodiagnostic and histopathologic features accompanying contactin-1 autoimmunity. Methods Archived sera known to produce synaptic tissue-based immunofluorescence patterns were reevaluated, and contactin-1 specificity was confirmed by recombinant protein assays. Screening of 233 chronic/relapsing demyelinating neuropathies for additional cases was performed. Results We identified 10 contactin-1 IgG seropositive cases. Frequency of contactin-1 immunoglobulin (Ig) G among tested Mayo Clinic chronic/relapsing demyelinating neuropathies was 2%. Sensory predominant presentations (n = 9, 90%), neuropathic pain (n = 6, 60%), and subacute progression (n = 5, 50%) were commonly encountered among contactin-1 neuropathies. Two patients had chronic immune sensory polyradiculopathy-like phenotype at presentation. Electrodiagnostic studies were consistent with demyelination (slowed conduction velocities and/or prolonged distal latencies) without conduction block. Markedly elevated CSF protein (median 222 mg/dL, range 69–960 mg/dL), thickening/gadolinium enhancement of nerve roots (4/5), and subperineural edema on nerve biopsy (4/4) were other characteristic features. Three cases were diagnosed with paraneoplastic demyelinating neuropathies (thymoma, n = 1; breast cancer, n = 1; plasmacytoma, n = 1). Four of the 9 patients treated with IV immunoglobulin demonstrated initial clinical improvement, but the favorable response was sustained in only 1 case (median follow-up, 60 months). Sustained clinical stabilization or improvement was observed among 3 of the 6 cases in whom second-line therapies (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and azathioprine) were used. Conclusion Contactin-1 IgG has a distinct sensory predominant presentation commonly associated with neuropathic pain, with demyelinating changes on electrophysiologic studies. A paraneoplastic cause should be considered. Testing of contactin-1 IgG among cases with similar presentations may guide immunotherapy selection, especially second-line immunotherapy consideration.
Stand-off trapping and manipulation of sub-10 nm objects and biomolecules using opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers

Optical tweezers have emerged as a powerful tool for the non-invasive trapping and manipulation of colloidal particles and biological cells1,2. However, the diffraction limit precludes the low-power trapping of nanometre-scale objects. Substantially increasing the laser power can provide enough trapping potential depth to trap nanoscale objects. Unfortunately, the substantial optical intensity required causes photo-toxicity and thermal stress in the trapped biological specimens3. Low-power near-field nano-optical tweezers comprising plasmonic nanoantennas and photonic crystal cavities have been explored for stable nanoscale object trapping4–13. However, the demonstrated approaches still require that the object is trapped at the high-light-intensity region. We report a new kind of optically controlled nanotweezers, called opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers, that enable the trapping and dynamic manipulation of nanometre-scale objects at locations that are several micrometres away from the high-intensity laser focus. At the trapping locations, the nanoscale objects experience both negligible photothermal heating and light intensity. Opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers employ a finite array of plasmonic nanoholes illuminated with light and an applied a.c. electric field to create the spatially varying electrohydrodynamic potential that can rapidly trap sub-10 nm biomolecules at femtomolar concentrations on demand. This non-invasive optical nanotweezing approach is expected to open new opportunities in nanoscience and life science by offering an unprecedented level of control of nano-sized objects, including photo-sensitive biological molecules. Optical nanotweezers trap and dynamically manipulate nanoscale objects far away from the laser spot.
A cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase promotes thermotolerance as part of the Intracellular Pathogen Response in C. elegans

Abstract Intracellular pathogen infection leads to proteotoxic stress in host organisms. Previously we described a physiological program in the nematode C. elegans called the Intracellular Pathogen Response (IPR), which promotes resistance to proteotoxic stress and appears to be distinct from canonical proteostasis pathways. The IPR is controlled by PALS-22 and PALS-25, proteins of unknown biochemical function, which regulate expression of genes induced by natural intracellular pathogens. We previously showed that PALS-22 and PALS-25 regulate the mRNA expression of the predicted ubiquitin ligase component cullin cul-6, which promotes thermotolerance in pals-22 mutants. However, it was unclear whether CUL-6 acted alone, or together with other ubiquitin ligase components. Here we use co-immunoprecipitation studies paired with genetic analysis to define the cullin-RING ligase components that act together with CUL-6 to promote thermotolerance. First, we identify a previously uncharacterized RING domain protein in the TRIM family we named RCS-1, which acts as a core component with CUL-6 to promote thermotolerance. Next, we show that the Skp-related proteins SKR-3, SKR-4 and SKR-5 act redundantly to promote thermotolerance with CUL-6. Finally, we screened F-box proteins that co-immunoprecipitate with CUL-6 and find that FBXA-158 promotes thermotolerance. In summary, we have defined the three core components and an F-box adaptor of a cullin-RING ligase complex that promotes thermotolerance as part of the IPR in C. elegans, which adds to our understanding of how organisms cope with proteotoxic stress. Significance Statement Intracellular pathogen infection in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans induces a robust transcriptional response as the host copes with infection. This response program includes several ubiquitin ligase components that are predicted to function in protein quality control. In this study, we show that these infection-induced ubiquitin ligase components form a protein complex that promotes increased tolerance of acute heat stress, an indicator of improved protein homeostasis capacity. These findings show that maintaining protein homeostasis may be a critical component of a multifaceted approach allowing the host to deal with stress caused by intracellular infection.
Unit Capacity Maxflow in Almost $O(m^{4/3})$ Time

We present an algorithm, which given any $m$ -edge $n$ -vertex directed graph with positive integer capacities at most $U$ computes a maximum $s-t$ flow for any vertices $s$ and $t$ in $O(m^{4/3+o(1)}U^{1/3})$ time. This improves upon the previous best running times of $O(m^{11/8+o(1)}U^{1/4})$ [1], $\widetilde{O}(m\sqrt{n}\log U)$ [2] and $O(mn)$ [3] when the graph is not too dense and doesn't have large capacities. We build upon advances for sparse maxflow based on interior point methods [1], [4], [5]. Whereas these methods increase the energy of local $\ell_{2}$ -norm minimizing electrical flows, we instead increase the Bregman divergence value of flows which minimize the Bregman divergence with respect to a weighted log barrier. This allows us to trace the central path with progress depending only on $\ell_{\infty}$ norm bounds on the congestion vector as opposed to the $\ell_{4}$ norm, which arises in these prior works. Further, we show that smoothed $\ell_{2}-\ell_{p}$ flows [6], [7] which were used to maximize energy [1] can also be used to efficiently maximize divergence, thereby yielding our desired runtimes. We believe our approach towards Bregman divergences of barriers may be of further interest.
Taurine in sports and exercise

Taurine has become a popular supplement among athletes attempting to improve performance. While the effectiveness of taurine as an ergogenic aid remains controversial, this paper summarizes the current evidence regarding the efficacy of taurine in aerobic and anaerobic performance, metabolic stress, muscle soreness, and recovery. Google Scholar, Web of Science, and MedLine (PubMed) searches were conducted through September 2020. Peer-reviewed studies that investigated taurine as a single ingredient at dosages of < 1 g - 6 g, ranging from 10 to 15 min-to-2 h prior to exercise bout or chronic dose (7 days- 8 weeks) of consumption were included. Articles were excluded if taurine was not the primary or only ingredient in a supplement or food source, not published in peer-reviewed journals, if participants were older than 50 years, articles published before 1999, animal studies, or included participants with health issues. A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Key results include improvements in the following: VO2max, time to exhaustion (TTE; n = 5 articles), 3 or 4 km time-trial (n = 2 articles), anaerobic performance (n = 7 articles), muscle damage (n = 3 articles), peak power (n = 2 articles), recovery (n = 1 article). Taurine also caused a change in metabolites: decrease in lactate, creatine kinase, phosphorus, inflammatory markers, and improved glycolytic/fat oxidation markers (n = 5 articles). Taurine dosing appears to be effective at ~ 1–3 g/day acutely across a span of 6–15 days (1–3 h before an activity) which may improve aerobic performance (TTE), anaerobic performance (strength, power), recovery (DOMS), and a decrease in metabolic markers (creatine kinase, lactate, inorganic phosphate). Limited and varied findings prohibit definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of taurine on aerobic and anaerobic performance and metabolic outcomes. There are mixed findings for the effect of taurine consumption on improving recovery from training bouts and/or mitigating muscle damage. The timing of taurine ingestion as well as the type of exercise protocol performed may contribute to the effectiveness of taurine as an ergogenic aid. More investigations are needed to better understand the potential effects of taurine supplementation on aerobic and anaerobic performance, muscle damage, metabolic stress, and recovery.
A C-Band Fully Polarimetric Automotive Synthetic Aperture Radar.

Due to the rapid increase in 76 GHz automotive spectrum use in recent years, wireless interference is becoming a legitimate area of concern. However, the recent rise in interest of automated vehicles (AVs) has also spurred new growth and adoption of low frequency vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications in and around the 5.8 GHz unlicensed bands, opening the possibility for communications spectrum reuse in the form of joint radar-communications (JRC). In this work, we present a low frequency 5.9 GHz side-looking polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for automotive use, utilizing a ranging waveform in a common low frequency V2X communications band. A synthetic aperture technique is employed to address the angular resolution concerns commonly associated with radars at lower frequencies. Three side-looking fully polarimetric SAR images in various urban scenes are presented and discussed to highlight the unique opportunities for landmark inference afforded through measurement of co- and cross-polarized scattering.
Radiation Therapy Activates Interferon-Responsive Genes in Follicular B-Cells in the Tumor-Draining Lymph Node.

Purpose/Objective(s) Radiation therapy (RT) constitutes a fundamental treatment modality for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. As the use of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy becomes more prevalent and combinatorial therapies are explored, it is imperative to understand how RT alters specific immune cell subsets. Prior studies have investigated the effect of RT on T-cells and myeloid cells; more recent studies have begun to study B-cells and tertiary lymphoid structures, yet much remains to be uncovered as B-cells are critical in facilitating an antigen-specific adaptive anti-tumor response. Materials/Methods Wild type C3H mice were injected subcutaneously with 5 × 105 cells of AT-84-E7-OVA into the right flank. Mice were then treated with 12 Gy of focused RT direct at the tumor. Tumor-draining lymph nodes were dissected and FACS was used to isolate B-cells. Cells were then counted and loaded onto a 10x-Genomics Chromium controller. 10x-Genomics v3 libraries were then prepared per manufacturer recommendations and then sequenced with a target of a minimum of 20000 reads per cell using an Illumina Hiseq 4000. Single-cell RNA sequencing data were then initially processed using Cell Ranger, converted into matrix files, and subsequently analyzed using Seurat v3. Pathway analysis was performed using Metascape. Results Single-cell RNA-sequencing data of mice that were untreated and treated with RT alone revealed 7 distinct clusters of B-cells in the tumor-draining lymph node that could be broadly distinguished as being follicular vs germinal center B cells. Amongst the follicular B-cells, there was one cluster that constituted 1.7% of B-cells in untreated mice and 5.1% in mice treated with RT. Compared to naive follicular B-cells, this cluster had 88 upregulated genes; pathway analysis demonstrated that these genes were involved in: “response to interferon-alpha” (7 genes, log(P) = -11.3), and “positive regulation of interferon-beta production” (5 genes, log(P) = -6.5). Upon closer analysis, cells in this cluster derived from mice treated with RT had 77 genes upregulated compared to those from untreated mice. Successive pathway analysis exhibited that these genes were related to: “generation of precursor metabolites and energy” (10 genes, log(P) = -5.9), “positive regulation of cell cycle” (6 genes, log(P) = -2.7), amongst others. Conclusion RT significantly increased the proportion of B-cells that expressed genes involved in interferon-related pathways and additionally altered the intrinsic phenotype of this B-cell subset. Continued investigation into how B-cells react to conventional therapies may reveal further therapeutic targets to successively polarize B-cell activation and exploit B-cell-mediated anti-tumor responses.