cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly tunable piezocaloric effect in antiferroelectric PbZrO 3

A first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian approach is used to predict the existence of a highly tunable piezocaloric effect in antiferroelectric ${\mathrm{PbZrO}}_{3}$. The high tunability originates from a strong dependence of both the magnitude and sign of the piezocaloric temperature change on the initial temperature and the nature of the stress. The linearity of the temperature response to the applied stress allows for the doubling of the efficiency of the basic solid state refrigeration cycle. The large values and high tunability of the piezocaloric effect in antiferroelectrics is traced to the strong coupling between the multiple order parameters that coexist in such materials. An experimental setup for the demonstration of such an unusual effect is proposed.
Experimental reductions in stream flow alter litter processing and consumer subsidies in headwater streams

Summary Forested headwater streams are connected to their surrounding catchments by a reliance on terrestrial subsidies. Changes in precipitation patterns and stream flow represent a potential disruption in stream ecosystem function, as the delivery of terrestrial detritus to aquatic consumers and downstream transport are compromised. The potential effect of drying on decomposition is critical to understanding ecosystem processes in these detritus-driven ecosystems. In this study, we experimentally altered stream connectivity to examine how altered water availability would influence litter decomposition. We used three catchments in the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab in North Carolina, U.S.A., establishing sites that were always wet, intermediately wet and completely terrestrial, while also experimentally diverting significant surface flow from downstream locations for several months. The flow manipulation significantly reduced the amount of water available to the three study reaches, leading to drastic changes in organic matter accumulation. Stream temperature and dissolved oxygen changed during the manipulation but only in response to season. Nutrient concentrations remained low or below detection during the experiment, demonstrating no response to the manipulation. Red maple and white oak demonstrated significantly different mass loss during the first few days of the experiment, but by the completion of the experiment, location was a more significant determinant of breakdown rate than leaf identity. Leaves placed in sites that were consistently wet decomposed at a higher rate than those in bank or terrestrial sites. Initially, leaf decomposition varied significantly based on site type and presence of water, which led to disruptions in microbial and macroinvertebrate colonisation and processing. High flows during large winter storms reconnected dried reaches and stimulated rates of decomposition due to colonisation by microbes and macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrate densities tracked microbial biomass accumulation on leaves, but were dependent upon location. Leaves in the manipulated reaches had significantly higher macroinvertebrate densities compared to the upstream control in the winter and spring in response to the delayed wetting of large standing stocks of leaves and subsequent colonisation by microbes. Our study demonstrated that even minor disruptions in stream connectivity at key times of the year have community- and ecosystem-level influences that alter decomposition. The resilience of these ecosystems will depend on the frequency of disturbances and the ability of organisms to adapt to changing resource conditions.
Optimal Translation of LTL to Limit Deterministic Automata

A crucial step in model checking Markov Decision Processes MDP is to translate the $$\mathrm {LTL}$$ specification into automata. Efforts have been made in improving deterministic automata construction for LTL but such translations are double exponential in the worst case. For model checking MDPs though limit deterministic automata suffice. Recently it was shown how to translate the fragment $$\mathrm {LTL}{}{\setminus }{G}{U}$$ to exponential sized limit deterministic automata which speeds up the model checking problem by an exponential factor for that fragment. In this paper we show how to construct limit deterministic automata for full LTL. This translation is not only efficient for $$\mathrm {LTL}{}{\setminus }{G}{U}$$ but for a larger fragment $$\mathrm {LTL}_\mathrm{D}$$ which is provably more expressive. We show experimental results demonstrating that our construction yields smaller automata when compared to state of the art techniques that translate LTL to deterministic and limit deterministic automata.
Operation Disaster Defender: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Preserving Access to Justice and Client Property through Disaster Preparedness

For centuries, the legal profession has prided itself on managing the impacts of crises and disasters for our clients. However, as disasters seem to be more commonplace than before, is the legal profession prepared to manage a crisis of its own? With the livelihood of nearly 79,0002 possibly at stake in the United States, shouldn’t preparing for a disaster be one of our top priorities as a profession? Additionally, the professional responsibility rules and civil liability will likely not be completely suspended during a disaster. This means that individuals could possibly face discipline or civil liability for failing to prepare for a disaster. Though this culture of preparedness is growing; what about our duty as leaders to preparing our communities? Would it be surprising to learn that there has been a gap in collaboration between legal and emergency management profession until it’s too late? Though some work has been done to help bridge this gap, more can still be done. The Emergency Management profession has developed—and routinely updates emergency management accreditation and certification programs that are mirrored in various industries both domestically and internationally. Incorporating these established programs within the legal community will allow the profession to have a solid foundation in mitigating professional responsibility and civil liability pitfalls following a disaster. Additionally, the tertiary effects of this program are likely to: (1) provide a ready and capable legal community who can easily understand and assist emergency managers and civic leaders with some of their most misunderstood legal problems before, during, and after a disaster; (2) safeguard access to justice after a disaster strikes; and (3) preserve client and third-party tangible personal property.
Postgastric bypass hypoglycaemia in a patient with end-stage renal disease: a diagnostic and management pitfall

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is currently one of the most popular procedures to aid weight loss. Hypoglycaemia associated with gastric bypass surgery is an underdiagnosed but life-threatening potential consequence of the surgical procedure. We present a case of a 44-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease presenting with refractory hypoglycaemia after 10 years of RYGB. Extensive history and work-up excluded medications, renal disease, insulinoma and dumping syndrome as the cause of hypoglycaemia. Dietary modifications or pharmacological trial of drugs did not ameliorate her symptoms with progressive worsening of hypoglycaemia leading to continuous dextrose infusion. Distal pancreatectomy was performed with subsequent resolution of hypoglycaemia. Surgical pathology results showed diffuse hyperplastic islet cells, confirming the diagnosis of postgastric bypass hypoglycaemia.
Initial Communication with and Attitudes toward International Students: Testing the Mediating Effects of Friendship Formation Variables

AbstractFrom the theoretical perspectives of intergroup contact, predicted outcome value (POV), and similarity-attraction, this study examined U.S. host nationals’ (N = 342) communicative behaviours in a recent initial encounter with an international student and attitudes toward the student’s cultural group as a whole. Testing of two models indicated the significant sequential mediator effects of perceived similarity-social attraction and POV-social attraction between communication variables (e.g. amount of communication exchange in both models, self-disclosure in model 1, and information seeking in model 2), and intergroup attitudes (e.g. behavioural attitudes). Findings in general demonstrated that contact effects in the intercultural context varied according to specific measures of communication, the mediating mechanisms, and intergroup attitudes.
Tetrahedral Mesh Generation for Non-rigid Registration of Brain MRI: Analysis of the Requirements and Evaluation of Solutions

The application we target in this paper is the registration of pre-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging with the scans acquired intra-operatively during image-guided neurosurgery. The objective of this application is improved tracking of tumor boundaries and surrounding brain structures during open skull tumor resection. We focus on a validated, physics-based non-rigid registration approach, which has been used in clinical studies for the last three years. This approach requires tetrahedral tessellation of the brain volume for biomechanical model construction. The analysis of the requirements and available methods to construct such a discretization is the objective of our paper.
Fertilization increased leaf water use efficiency and growth of Pinus taeda subjected to five years of throughfall reduction

High productivity of fertilized loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southern United States is related to increased leaf area index (LAI), but higher evaporative leaf surface area may ...
Computational reconfigurable imaging spectrometer

We demonstrate a novel hyperspectral imaging spectrometer based on computational imaging that enables sensitive measurements from smaller, noisier, and less-expensive components (e.g. uncooled microbolometers), making it useful for applications such as small space and air platforms with strict size, weight, and power requirements. The computational reconfigurable imaging spectrometer (CRISP) system exploits platform motion and a spectrally coded focal-plane mask to temporally modulate the optical spectrum, enabling simultaneous measurement of multiple spectral bins. Demodulation of this coded pattern returns an optical spectrum in each pixel.
Technē and Politeia: The Technical Constitution of Society

At the beginning of Western political theory a powerful analogy links the practice of technology to that of politics. In his Republic, Laws, Statesman, and other discourses, Plato asserts that statecraft is a technē, one of the practical arts. Much like architecture, the building of ships and other commonly recognized arts and crafts, politics is a field of practice that has its own distinctive knowledge, its own special skills. One purpose of Plato’s argument was to discredit those who believed that the affairs of public life could be left to mere amateurs. But beyond that, it is clear that he thought the art of politics could be useful in the same way as any other techne, that is it could produce finished works of lasting value. The works he had in mind were good constitutions, supremely well-crafted products of political architecture. Politeia, the title of the Republic in Greek, means the constitution of a polis, the proper order of human relationships within a city-state. The dialogue describes and justifies what Plato holds to be the institutional arrangements appropriate to the best politeia. He returns to this theme in the Laws, a discussion of the “second best” constitution, comparing his work to that of a well-established craft. “The shipwright, you know, begins his work by laying down the keel of the vessel and indicating her outlines, and I feel myself to be doing the same thing in my attempt to present you with outlines of human lives. . . . I am really laying the keels of the vessels by due consideration of the question by what means or manner of life we shall make our voyage over the sea of time to the best purpose.”1
Abstract 5140: Lipoxins and their role in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and pathogenesis

Lipoxins are host anti-inflammatory molecules, which play a vital role in restoring tissue homeostasis. The efficacy of lipoxins and their analog epilipoxins in treating inflammation and related diseases have been well documented. Kaposi9s sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) are two well-known inflammation-related diseases caused by Kaposi9s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Controlling inflammation is one of the strategies adopted to treat KS and PEL, a primary motivation for exploring and evaluating the therapeutic potential of using lipoxins. Our study demonstrates how KSHV manipulates and downregulates the secretion of the anti-inflammatory lipoxin A4 in host cells and the viral factors involved in this process using in vitro KS and PEL cells as models. Presence of lipoxin receptor [ALX/Formyl peptidyl receptor (FPR)] in human KS patient tissue sections and in vitro KS and PEL cell models offers a novel possibility for treating KS and PEL with lipoxins. Treating de novo KSHV-infected endothelial cells with lipoxin and epilipoxin creates an anti-inflammatory environment by decreasing levels of NFκB, AKT, ERK1/2, COX-2, and 5-lipoxygenase. Lipoxin treatment on CRISPR/CAS9 technology-mediated ALX/FPR gene-deleted U2OS cells revealed the importance of the lipoxin receptor ALX for effective lipoxin signaling. A viral miRNA cluster was identified as the primary factor contributing to the downregulation of lipoxin A4 secretion in host cells. The KSHV miRNA cluster probably targets enzyme 15-lipoxygenase, which is involved in lipoxin A4 synthesis. Lipoxin treatment in KSHV-infected cells has been shown to reduce cell proliferation and cell survival. Latency factor LANA-1 levels were found to decrease on lipoxin and epilipoxin treatment. Several pro-apoptotic gene levels were upregulated on lipoxin treatment. Several host transcription factors were found to play an important role in regulating KSHV life cycle. This study provides a new insight into the treatment of KS and PEL using nature9s own anti-inflammatory molecule, lipoxin. Citation Format: Neelam Sharma-Walia, Jayashree A. Chandrasekharan. Lipoxins and their role in Kaposi9s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and pathogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5140.
The association between suicidal ideation and lifetime suicide attempts is strongest at low levels of depression.

Abstract Suicidal ideation and depression alone are poor predictors of subsequent engagement in suicidal behavior. Evidence suggests, however, that the lethargy associated with depression may serve as a protective factor against suicide attempts. The purpose of this study was to examine whether suicidal ideation and depression symptoms interact in relation to lifetime suicide attempts among a sample of psychiatric outpatients. A sample of 739 psychiatric outpatients (Mage = 27.26, 60.8% female, 73.3% White/European American) from a university-affiliated clinic completed a battery of self-report measures prior to their initial intake appointments. Consistent with hypotheses, a significant interaction emerged between suicidal ideation and depression symptoms in association with lifetime suicide attempts, such that the relationship between suicidal ideation and lifetime suicide attempts was strongest at low, as opposed to high, levels of depression. These findings align with previous research suggesting that lethargy may be a protective factor against suicide attempts, and conversely, that heightened arousal may serve as a suicide risk factor. Our results also point to a configuration of suicidal ideation and depression symptoms that might reflect higher suicide risk.
Effects of Fluid Viscosity on Wave Propagation Through Submerged Granular Media

Wave propagation through dry granular media has been extensively studied both numerically and experimentally in the past, however, wave dynamics of wet granular materials have not received adequate attention. The cohesion at inter-particle contacts, largely ignored in dry macroscopic granular materials, plays a major role in mechanics of wet granular materials. In this study, a drop-tower based experimental setup was developed to investigate wave propagation through the 2D assembly of cylindrical particles immersed in optically transparent fluids. These granular assemblies, consisting of polyurethane cylinders arranged into two different configurations – cubic and hexagonal, can be subjected to low-speed impact loading up to a projectile velocity of about 6 m/s. The deformation of individual particles in the granular assemblies can be recorded using a high-speed camera and the kinematics and the strain fields on each speckle-patterned particle can be calculated by digital image correlation (DIC). Moreover, an electrodynamic shaker can also be coupled with the aforementioned fixture and the influence of liquid viscosity on the low-amplitude vibrational response of the immersed granular crystals can be quantified using a scanning vibrometer. The wave dynamics of granular crystals immersed in fluids with varying levels of viscosity were investigated using the impact loading using the drop-tower setup and the scanning vibrometer based vibrational measurements. In order to quantify the effect of single or multiple defects on wave propagation, the impact response of dry and immersed granular crystals with different types of defects (size, stiffness or both) was also investigated.
MEALS ON WHEELS: PERSPECTIVES FROM TODAY’S AGING ADULT

Low cost home-delivered meal (HDM) programs, like Meals on Wheels (MOW) provide nutritional and social support for older adults; however, there is a wide gap between those in need of HDM programs and participation rates. This study explored factors influencing aging adults’ interest in participating in a HDM program, like MOW. Awareness, perceptions, motivators and barriers toward participation, and preferred program attributes were examined. Four focus groups were held with 31 older adults not enrolled in MOW in a Midwest state. All completed a sociodemographic questionnaire. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes; questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Participants were primarily retired (80.6%), white (87%), “food secure” (71%), females (77.4%) between ages 65–84 years. Over half (54.8%) received congregate meals. Many reported being responsible for their transportation (80.6%), food purchases (87.1%), and meal preparation (77.4%). Many were aware of the MOW program but lacked awareness of other HDM programs. Participants associated MOW with loss of independence and poor food quality. MOW was positively viewed as a source of companionship. Key HDM program use motivators included affordable cost, choices/variety, nutritionist or dietitian involvement, and clientele testimonies. Common barriers were cost, skepticism of advertisement claims, food safety concerns, and limited meal storage space. Preferred program attributes were convenience and quality menu options. Preferred promotional strategies included brochures and group presentations with free meal samples. These findings will better enable MOW to restructure program components and implement marketing techniques that appeal to today’s aging adult.
Outcomes of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for extra-cranial oligo-metastatic renal cell cancer.

599Background: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SAbR) is a standard of care for treating renal cell cancer (RCC) cranial metastasis. We describe the effect of SAbR on oligometastatic extra-crani...
Ego: Structure, Complex, Drive

In this chapter, I rely heavily upon the self-psychology of Heinz Kohut (in dialogue with Freud and Jung) and argue that our conception of the ego is actually several competing conceptions. Key here as well is a distinction between ego strength and ego inflation, a distinction common in analytic psychology but often at odds with common usage and metaphor. Kohut’s distinctive defense of self-affirmation, particularly in developmental context, resonates strongly in my analysis with the work of William Blake and Walt Whitman, where self-affirmation plays a key role in the development of moral intelligence.
Adding value to ENCs: Land features

Abstract. In the 1990’s, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the International Hydrographic Office’s (IHO) S-57 performance standards for Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC), which enforce standardized content, structure, and format. The IMO also revised its Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) chapter V regulations to require Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) onboard certain SOLAS class vessels, starting from 2018. These systems allow for navigating with ENC data, which has several advantages over paper charts; however, many mariners still prefer traditional paper or raster charts. Through the feedback of key stakeholders such as local pilot associations, it has become apparent that the preference for raster or paper charts is due to the inclusion of non-critical S-57 land features. These S-57 land features, which are typically not added to ENC products, such as roads and elevation contours, can supplement navigational positioning systems by providing visual references, particularly when other landmarks (e.g., spot elevations on major topographic features) are not present on the ENC. Moreover, charting roads on ENC products can be useful for locating water access points. This paper discusses the addition of roads and land elevation contours to NOAA’s re-schemed ENC suite in an effort to supplement currently charted marine features and land features crossing over water. General cartographic guidelines have also been developed for the representation of these features through ENC scales (i.e., usage bands 3 to 5). Additionally, this paper includes a discussion on the benefits and challenges of incorporating publicly available land transportation data versus traditional sources on ENC products.
Proceedings of the 2010 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group.

Abstract The annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) was held on June 26, 2010 in San Antonio, TX, as a satellite of the Research Society on Alcoholism meeting. The FASDSG membership includes clinical, basic, and social scientists who meet to discuss recent advances and issues in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research. The central theme of the meeting was “Glia and Neurons: Teamwork in Pathology and Therapy.” Alcohol disruption of neuron development and alcohol-induced neurodegeneration is central to the pathology and clinical expression of FASD. The active role of glia as perpetrator, victim, or bystander in neurotoxicology and neurodegenerative processes has emerged at the forefront of adult central nervous system (CNS) disorders and therapy. Glia– and neuron–glial interactions hold the potential to elucidate causes and offer treatment of FASD as well. Growing evidence indicates that neurons and glia are direct targets of alcohol, but may also be vulnerable to molecules produced in peripheral systems as a result of alcohol exposure. Diagnostics and therapies can take advantage of these processes and biomarkers, and these may be applicable to CNS pathology in FASD. Two keynote speakers, Howard E. Gendelman, M.D., and Ernest M. Graham, M.D, addressed the role of glia and neuroinflammation in brain development and neurodegeneration. The invited speakers and FASDSG members discussed new paradigms in CNS development and discuss new strategies for understanding and treating neurodegenerative disease. Members of the FASDSG provided updates on new findings through presentation of breaking research in the FASt data sessions. Representatives of national agencies provided updates on programs, activities, and funding priorities. The Henry Rosett Award was presented to R. Louise Floyd, R.N., D.S.N., for her career contributions to the field of fetal alcohol research. The Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Research Merit Award was presented to Shonagh O’Leary-Moore, Ph.D., for her contributions to the field as a young investigator.
Acculturation Domains and Counselor Self-Efficacy

A recent reconceptualization of acculturation created a multidimensional framework illustrating cultural changes across 3 domains: cultural practices, values, and identity. Based on this multidimen...
Perioperative Considerations After Pediatric Laryngeal Surgery

Careful perioperative management is essential to the success of laryngeal surgery. Pre- and post-operative counseling and therapy, the role of voice rest, and medications are discussed in this chapter.
Correlates of plasma concentrations of brominated flame retardants in a cohort of U.S. Black women residing in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area.

Abstract Background Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are brominated flame retardant chemicals detectable in the environment and U.S. population, and are associated with adverse health outcomes over the life course. Correlates of these organic pollutants are understudied among U.S. Black women. Methods Using baseline data from a prospective cohort study of U.S. Black women aged 23–35 years from the Detroit area of Michigan (2010−2012), we examined correlates of PBDEs and PBB-153. Non-fasting blood samples were collected from 742 participants at enrollment, a subset of women selected for a case-cohort study of environmental chemicals. Data on socio-demographics, behaviors, diet, medical history, and early-life exposures were collected via self-administered questionnaires, telephone interviews, and in-person clinic visits. We fit linear regression models to calculate percent differences and 95% confidence intervals in lipid adjusted plasma concentrations of 11 individual PBDE congeners and PBB-153 for each baseline predictor. Results In models adjusted for all other correlates, a 5-year increase in age was inversely associated with most PBDE congeners (% differences ranged from 6 to 15% lower), and was positively associated with PBB-153 (52% higher). A 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI was inversely associated with PBDE-153 and PBB-153 (16% lower for both), and 6% higher for PBDE-28. Compared with having never been breastfed in infancy, ≥3 months of breastfeeding in infancy was associated with 69% higher PBB-153 concentrations. Lower education, current smoking, and heavy alcohol use were associated with higher plasma concentrations of most flame retardants. Diet was not an important predictor. Conclusion Important correlates for elevated body burdens of PBB-153 were increasing age and a history of having been breastfed in infancy. Education, smoking, and heavy alcohol use were important predictors of elevated body burdens of most flame retardants. This study fills an important gap in the environmental health literature by focusing on an understudied population.
Oxygen Atom Transfer as an Alternative Pathway for Oxygen-Oxygen Bond Formation.

Fundamental understanding of catalytic mechanisms of water oxidation is a prerequisite for the design and development of efficient and rugged water oxidation catalysts. In this work, a detailed mec...
Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans

Toxicity of misfolded proteins and mitochondrial dysfunction are pivotal factors that promote age-associated functional neuronal decline and neurodegenerative disease across species. Although these neurotoxic challenges have long been considered to be cell-intrinsic, considerable evidence now supports that misfolded human disease proteins originating in one neuron can appear in neighboring cells, a phenomenon proposed to promote pathology spread in human neurodegenerative disease. C. elegans adult neurons that express aggregating proteins can extrude large (~4 µm) membrane-surrounded vesicles that can include the aggregated protein, mitochondria, and lysosomes. These large vesicles are called "exophers" and are distinct from exosomes (which are about 100x smaller and have different biogenesis). Throwing out cellular debris in exophers may occur by a conserved mechanism that constitutes a fundamental, but formerly unrecognized, branch of neuronal proteostasis and mitochondrial quality control, relevant to processes by which aggregates spread in human neurodegenerative diseases. While exophers have been mostly studied in animals that express high copy transgenic mCherry within touch neurons, these protocols are equally useful in the study of exophergenesis using fluorescently tagged organelles or other proteins of interest in various classes of neurons. Described here are the physical features of C. elegans exophers, strategies for their detection, identification criteria, optimal timing for quantitation, and animal growth protocols that control for stresses that can modulate exopher production levels. Together, details of protocols outlined here should serve to establish a standard for quantitative analysis of exophers across laboratories. This document seeks to serve as a resource in the field for laboratories seeking to elaborate molecular mechanisms by which exophers are produced and by which exophers are reacted to by neighboring and distant cells.
Categorical competition in the wake of crisis: Banks vs. credit unions

We connect two distinct streams of research on categories to study the role of within-category typicality in the context of legitimacy shocks. We argue that, following a legitimacy shock, member or...
Carvedilol Does Not Improve Exercise Performance in Fontan Patients: Results of a Crossover Trial

Increased circulating catecholamines are associated with worse exercise performance in adult heart failure patients. Patients with Fontan physiology have increased circulating catecholamines and theoretically could benefit from beta blockade. We hypothesized that carvedilol would improve exercise performance in Fontan patients. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of carvedilol was performed. Single ventricle patients between the ages of 10 and 35 years with a previous Fontan operation who were able to complete a maximal exercise test (respiratory exchange ratio > 1.0) were included. Two 12-week treatment arms were separated by a 6-week washout period. Exercise testing was performed at beginning and end of each treatment arm. Primary endpoint was improvement in peak oxygen consumption/kg (pVO2) from baseline. Of the 26 subjects enrolled, 23 completed the study. Four subjects did not reach goal maximum carvedilol dose, vs. 1 for placebo (p = 0.14). The mean change in pVO2 between treatments was not different (carvedilol = − 2.1 mL/kg/min v. placebo = − 1.42, p = 0.28). Carvedilol therapy decreased peak heart rate by 4.2 ± 20.2 bpm, (p < 0.01) leading to an increase in peak oxygen pulse (p < 0.01). Serum N-terminal-proBNP increased with carvedilol therapy (mean change of + 23.77 pg/mL) compared to placebo (mean change of − 5.37 pg/mL, p = 0.03). There were no serious adverse events related to study drug. Carvedilol was not associated with improved exercise performance and was associated with mildly increased N-terminal-proBNP. This study does not support the routine administration of carvedilol to healthy Fontan patients. Clinical Trials Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02946892. Registered October 27, 2016. Retrospectively Registered. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02946892
Human Rights and Dissent in Hybrid Environments: The Impact of Shifting Rights Regimes

Research indicates that social movements are shaped by increased opportunities and threats, yet this work rarely examines environments of intersecting opportunity and threat. This article extends t...
Approaches to Gene Mutation Analysis Using Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Adrenal Tumor Tissue From Patients With Primary Aldosteronism.

Aldosterone production is physiologically under the control of circulating potassium and angiotensin II as well as adrenocorticotropic hormone and other secretagogues such as serotonin. The adrenal’s capacity to produce aldosterone relies heavily on the expression of a single enzyme, aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2). This enzyme carries out the final reactions in the synthesis of aldosterone and is expressed almost solely in the adrenal zona glomerulosa. From a disease standpoint, primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common of all adrenal disorders. PA results from renin-independent adrenal expression of CYP11B2 and production of aldosterone. The major causes of PA are adrenal aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) and adrenal idiopathic hyperaldosteronism. Our understanding of the genetic causes of APA has significantly improved through comprehensive genetic profiling with next-generation sequencing. Whole-exome sequencing has led to the discovery of mutations in six genes that cause renin-independent aldosterone production and thus PA. To facilitate broad-based prospective and retrospective studies of APA, recent technologic advancements have allowed the determination of tumor mutation status using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. This approach has the advantages of providing ready access to archival samples and allowing CYP11B2 immunohistochemistry-guided capture of the exact tissue responsible for inappropriate aldosterone synthesis. Herein we review the methods and approaches that facilitate the use of adrenal FFPE material for DNA capture, sequencing, and mutation determination.
T‐Cell Responses and Cytokines

The immune response to tuberculosis is a double-edged sword that may contribute to both clearance of infection and tissue damage. In addition, recent evidence suggests that tuberculosis promotes progression of disease due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Most persons who become infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis mount a protective immune response and remain clinically well, the only evidence of infection being development of a positive tuberculin skin test. Disseminated tuberculosis reflects an ineffective immune response, manifested by a high frequency of negative tuberculin skin tests and failure of T lymphocytes to proliferate in vitro in response to M. tuberculosis antigens. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) synergizes with gamma interferon to increase production of nitric oxide metabolites and mycobacterial killing and is essential for granuloma formation to contain mycobacterial infection. Published data on cytokine production by human T cells in response to M. tuberculosis are conflicting. In patients with tuberculous pleuritis, expression of mRNA for the Th1 cytokines gamma interferon and IL-2 is greater in pleural fluid mononuclear cells than in blood mononuclear cells, and concentrations of gamma interferon are 15-fold higher than those in serum. More comprehensive studies are needed to assess the role of CD8+ cells in human antituberculosis defenses. One strategy for developing antituberculosis vaccines is to characterize the T cells and cytokines that mediate clearance of bacilli during the primary immune response as well as the memory T-cell subpopulations and cytokines that protect against tuberculosis from exogenous reinfection and endogenous reactivation.
Chapter 4 Identification of Potassium Channels in Human Lens Epithelium

Publisher Summary Potassium channels are vital to the functioning of almost every cell type. Their general role is to set the resting membrane potential of the cell, although they are never the only transporters involved in this important function. If they were to dominate in resting membrane potential control, the transmembrane voltage would sit very near the potassium equilibrium potential, some –90 mV in most cells. This chapter discusses both electrophysiological characterization and some molecular biology characterizations of several potassium channels commonly found in the human lens epithelium. The channels are identified, and the kinds of approaches that can lead to their identification and characterization are also described. Because of the substantial sequence homology of human lens potassium channels with other published potassium-channel sequences, much more progress with the structure–function relationships of human lens channels has been made than with those from other ocular epithelia. Inward rectifier potassium currents are easily identified from either cultured or freshly dissociated human lens epithelial cells by measuring whole-cell currents.
XFOIL: An Analysis and Design System for Low Reynolds Number Airfoils

Calculation procedures for viscous/inviscid analysis and mixed-inverse design of subcritical airfoils are presented. An inviscid linear-vorticity panel method with a Karman-Tsien compressiblity correction is developed for direct and mixed-inverse modes. Source distributions superimposed on the airfoil and wake permit modeling of viscous layer influence on the potential flow. A two-equation lagged dissipation integral method is used to represent the viscous layers. Both laminar and turbulent layers are treated, with an e 9-type amplification formulation determinining the transition point. The boundary layer and transition equations are solved simultaneously with the inviscid flowfield by a global Newton method. The procedure is especially suitable for rapid analysis of low Reynolds number airfoil flows with transitional separation bubbles. Surface pressure distributions and entire polars are calculated and compared with experimental data. Design procedure examples are also presented.
REGULATION OF TYPE I COLLAGEN MRNA IN LUNG FIBROBLASTS BY CYSTINE AVAILABILITY

The steady-state level of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA is regulated by amino acid availability in human lung fibroblasts. Depletion of amino acids decreases alpha1(I) collagen mRNA levels and repletion of amino acids induces rapid re-expression of alpha1(I) mRNA. In these studies, we examined the requirements for individual amino acids on the regulation of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA. We found that re-expression of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA was critically dependent on cystine but not on other amino acids. However, the addition of cystine alone did not result in re-expression of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA. Following amino acid depletion, the addition of cystine with selective amino acids increased alpha1(I) collagen mRNA levels. The combination of glutamine and cystine increased alpha1(I) collagen mRNA levels 6.3-fold. Methionine or a branch-chain amino acid (leucine, isoleucine or valine) also acted in combination with cystine to increase alpha1(I) collagen mRNA expression, whereas other amino acids were not effective. The prolonged absence of cystine lowered steady-state levels of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA through a mechanism involving decreases in both the rate of gene transcription as assessed by nuclear run-on experiments and mRNA stability as assessed by half-life determination in the presence of actinomycin D. The effect of cystine was not mediated via alterations in the level of glutathione, the major redox buffer in cells, as determined by the addition of buthionine sulphoximine, an inhibitor of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. These data suggest that cystine directly affects the regulation of alpha1(I) collagen mRNA.
Adiabat-shaping in indirect drive inertial confinement fusion

Adiabat-shaping techniques were investigated in indirect drive inertial confinement fusion experiments on the National Ignition Facility as a means to improve implosion stability, while still maintaining a low adiabat in the fuel. Adiabat-shaping was accomplished in these indirect drive experiments by altering the ratio of the picket and trough energies in the laser pulse shape, thus driving a decaying first shock in the ablator. This decaying first shock is designed to place the ablation front on a high adiabat while keeping the fuel on a low adiabat. These experiments were conducted using the keyhole experimental platform for both three and four shock laser pulses. This platform enabled direct measurement of the shock velocities driven in the glow-discharge polymer capsule and in the liquid deuterium, the surrogate fuel for a DT ignition target. The measured shock velocities and radiation drive histories are compared to previous three and four shock laser pulses. This comparison indicates that in the ca...
Synaptogenesis in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus demonstrated by electron microscopy and synapsin I immunoreactivity

Synaptogenesis was studied in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) using quantitative ultrastructural analysis and synapsin I immunohistochemistry. SCN neurons are formed between embryonic days 13 and 17 (E13-E17), and the SCN is a distinct hypothalamic nucleus by E18. At E19 the nucleus is very immature and there are few synapses. Synaptogenesis proceeds slowly until P4 but increases rapidly between P4 and P10. At P10 the number of synapses per unit area is the same as in the adult SCN and all synaptic types present in the adult are evident. However, the SCN continues to increase in volume to the adult with approximately 30% of total synaptic number added between P10 and a young adult age. The appearance of synapsin I immunoreactivity correlates very precisely with the development of synapses in the SCN as shown by ultrastructural analysis between E19 and P6. The pattern of appearance of synapsin I immunoreactivity demonstrates that synaptogenesis in the SCN is significantly delayed in comparison to adjacent hypothalamic nuclei. Synapsin I immunohistochemistry is a reliable marker of synapse formation in the developing SCN. A correlation of these anatomical data with prior functional studies suggests that SCN neurons are born as individual circadian oscillators that undergo a rapid development in the first 10 days after birth to form a functional neural network subserving circadian rhythm generation and regulation.
Balancing reliability and cost to choose the best power subsystem

A mathematical model is presented for computing total (spacecraft) subsystem cost including both the basic subsystem cost and the expected cost due to the failure of the subsystem. This model is then used to determine power subsystem cost as a function of reliability and redundancy. Minimum cost and maximum reliability and/or redundancy are not generally equivalent. Two example cases are presented. One is a small satellite, and the other is an interplanetary spacecraft.
Why vitamin E therapy fails for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

ROS damage in the AD brain is widely reported at the levels of nucleic acids [1], protein [2] and lipids [3]. ROS damage is also associated with heart disease, cancer and aging. Consequently, numerous clinical trials of the lipid soluble anti-oxidant, vitamin E, have been conducted for prevention [4] and treatment [5] of age-related morbidity and mortality. The meta-analysis by Miller et al.[5] clearly shows that among 19 clinical trials, only the smaller trials show either an increase or a decrease in all-cause mortality and that the overall effect is near zero. By organizing these studies into a dose-response curve, a significant increase in all-cause mortality was observed for vitamin E doses above 400 IU/day. In an earlier trial of vitamin E treatment for AD at the high dose 2000 IU/day, there was no effect of vitamin E on mini-mental state of moderately severe AD patients, despite delays in nursing home placement [6]. In a trial of MCI patients, Petersen et al. [7] found that even early vitamin E treatment failed to improve cognition. These results prompted Lloret et al. [8] to introduce the novel concept of stratifying AD patients into vitamin E respondents and non-respondents, based on measures of plasma GSSG, the oxidized form of the common antioxidant glutathione (GSH). At the borderline detrimental dose of 800 IU/day [5], about half of the patients failed to respond to vitamin E with lower plasma GSSG; they showed a lower MMSE score after 6 months that suggested a 13% decline in cognitive performance [8]. The other half of the patients for whose GSSG decreased with vitamin E treatment did not significantly change their original MMSE score. Unfortunately, the study was not large enough to detect a decline in MMSE for treatment with placebo. Also provocative from Lloret et al.’s report was a strong negative correlation between GSSG and MMSE, but most of the effect was due to 4 of 19 AD patients with a 5–10% drop in GSSG in response to vitamin E.
Essay review: when evolution became conversation: Vestiges of Creation, its readers, and its respondents in Victorian Britain.

"Just before Darwin," there was Robert Chambers. So wrote Milton Milhauser on the centennial of the Origin of Species, referring to the anonymous author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. 1 Appearing in eleven revised editions (1844-1860) followed by several posthumous printings, Vestiges carried Victorian readers through a sweeping narrative that many critics decried as an absurdly speculative effort to ascribe creation to natural law. Astronomy, geology, paleontology, philology, phrenology all the sciences were summoned to show how "development" was as lawful and as universal as gravitation. Nebulae developed into solar systems, life arose spontaneously from electrified chemical elements, and species transmutated from monads into monkeys, even into civilized Victorians. All this was calculated beforehand, wrote Chambers, by the Intelligent Agent. In Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, James Secord uncovers and analyzes a remarkably diverse collection of readers' responses. His study persuasively demonstrates that the importance of this work extends far beyond its long-recognized role as a "pre-Darwinian" presentation of species transmutation. "Vestiges was the one book that all
Hydrological behaviour of grasslands of the Sandhills of Nebraska: water and energy‐balance assessment from measurements, treatments, and modelling

Understanding energy and water balance processes in the Sandhills is crucial to assess the land–atmosphere feedback effects. The Sandhills located in western Nebraska covers a vast grassland ecosystem with limited variability in vegetation and soil. However, the combined effect of topography, land cover, and micrometeorology by subjecting the land surface to various disturbances and treatments is rarely studied. The NOAH Land Surface Model (LSM) was used to estimate net radiation, latent, sensible, and ground heat (GH) fluxes as well as water balance components for two growing seasons between 2005 and 2006 in various plots at the Grasslands Destabilization Experimental (GDEX) site where these plots were subjected to four different treatments and located at two topographical locations, namely high and low positions. The simulated results of net radiation and GH fluxes correlated well with measurements. While the amount of precipitation received was between 900 and 1000 mm for both seasons, on a daily and sub-daily time scale the partitioning of net radiation into latent, sensible, and GH fluxes showed high variability across the plots, primarily driven by vegetation and soil moisture. Total evapotranspiration and soil moisture averages suggested the influence of vegetation and the timing of precipitation also in controlling various land surface processes in the Sandhills. This study provides a framework for using the LSM to quantify the feedback effects and emphasizes the importance of microtopography and land treatments in the model environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Adaptive Immune Response in Drosophila

The ability to mount an adaptive immune response is thought to be an attribute restricted to vertebrates. A new study conducted in Drosophila demonstrates that invertebrate immunity can adapt to an immune challenge and mount a specific immune response.