cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in lignocellulosic supramolecular and ultrastructure during dilute acid pretreatment of Populus and switchgrass

Abstract Dilute acid pretreatment (DAP) is commonly employed prior to enzymatic deconstruction of cellulose to increase overall sugar and subsequent ethanol yields from downstream bioconversion processes. Typically optimization of pretreatment is evaluated by determining hemicellulose removal, subsequent reactivity towards enzymatic deconstruction, and recoverable polysaccharide yields. In this study, the affect of DAP on the supramolecular and ultrastructure of lignocellulosic biomass was evaluated. A series of dilute acidic pretreatments, employing ∼0.10–0.20 mol/m 3 H 2 SO 4 at ∼160–180 °C, for varying residence times were conducted on both Populus and switchgrass samples. The untreated and pretreated biomass samples were characterized by carbohydrate and lignin analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and 13 C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectroscopy. GPC analysis shows a reduction in the molecular weight of cellulose and change in its polydispersity index (PDI) with increasing residence time, indicating that pretreatment is actually degrading the cellulose chains. 13 C CPMAS and non-linear line-fitting of the C 4 region in the carbon spectrum of the isolated cellulose not only showed that the crystallinity index increases with residence time, but that the lateral fibril dimension (LFD) and lateral fibril aggregate dimension (LFAD) increase as well.
Abstract 360: Increased Aldosterone Sensitivity in Young Blacks

Aldosterone contributes to the elevation of blood pressure (BP) by acting on the distal tubule to cause greater sodium retention and volume expansion. Blacks, in comparison with whites, have lower plasma aldosterone concentrations (PAC), possibly due to increased sodium reabsorption and resultant renin suppression, as evidenced by their lower plasma renin activity (PRA); but BP is on average higher in blacks. The seemingly different BP-PAC relationships in blacks and whites raise point to the possibility of different aldosterone sensitivity in the two race groups. Using data from a cohort of normotensive youths (n=654 observations contributed by 537 subjects), we used a varying coefficient model to examine the BP effect of PAC at different levels of PRA in blacks and whites. We characterized the effects of PAC as a function of PRA and assessed its effect on age, sex, and height-adjusted BP percentile. The estimated effects are presented graphically (Figure 1 ab PAC: 8.7 vs 14.1, p
Characterization of Neural Enzyme Development in Dissociated Chick Embryo Brain Cell Cultures

The present study characterizes the in vitro development of certain neural marker enzymes in dissociated cell cultures of embryonic chick brain. In cultures of cerebral hemispheres (CH) from 6- and 10-day-old embryos, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity declined with age in culture, a phenomenon which may be related to increasing growth of non-neuronal cells in culture. Choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in cultures from 10-day-old embryos, except for a decline between 7 to 11 days, increased with age in culture. The development of CAT activity suggests non-neuronal influences on the expression of CAT activity. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity increases at later periods in culture than does CAT and may reflect enhanced differentiation of adrenergic neurons by cholinergic influences, or by glial or other non-neuronal cells. The differential maturational patterns of CAT and TH in vitro are also observed in vivo, suggesting that the biochemical development of dissociated brain cell cultures exhibits similarities to the biochemical development of the brain.
Vertex algebraic structure of principal subspaces of basic A2n(2)-modules

Abstract We obtain a presentation of the principal subspace of the basic A 2 n ( 2 ) -module, n ≥ 1 . We show that its full character is given by the Nahm sum of the tadpole Dynkin diagram T n = A 2 n / Z 2 . This character is conjecturally modular after certain specializations. We prove the modularity property in the case of the affine Lie algebra of type A 4 ( 2 ) .
870PIMPACT OF HISTOPATHOLOGIC VARIANTS ON SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA

ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical and prognostic impact of histopathologic variants of metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients treated with systemic chemotherapy. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the in-hospital database was performed in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for the period January 1997 to December 2013. We enrolled a total of 206 patients who received systemic chemotherapy for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Histopathologic types were categorized as pure urothelial carcinoma (PUC; n = 151) or variants of urothelial carcinoma (VUC, n = 55). We analyzed overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox's proportional regression models. Results: The median follow-up was 25.2 months. The most common histopathologic variants were squamous differentiation that accounted for 72% of all variants. Patients with VUC were more likely to have renal pelvis location (44% vs. 24%, p = 0.004) and chronic renal insufficiency (40% vs. 23%, p = 0.02) than those with PUC. All patients received at least one-line of chemotherapy, and the most common regimens were gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) and methotrexate/vinblastine/doxorubicin/cisplatin (MVAC). On univariable analysis, the median OS of VUC patients were significantly better then PUC patients (16.2 vs. 11.2 months, p = 0.003). The median PFS of first-line chemotherapy were 6.2 months and 4.0 months for PUC and VUC, respectively (p = 0.004). On multivariable analysis, patients with VUC showed independently decreased OS compared with those with PUC (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.03-2.3, p = 0.035). Conclusions: In metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients treated with chemotherapy, histopathologic variants showed a significant role in predicting worse survival than pure urothelial carcinoma. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Axial-vector-meson production in the Regge-pole model

The differential cross-sections for the production of the axial vector mesons in the π±p and K±p collisions are given in the Reggepole model. The kinematic singularities and constraints of the helicity amplitudes of these reactions are investigated by means of general methods. From the vanishing of the cross-section of\(K^ - + p \to \bar K_A^0 + n\), it is suggested that either the couplings of the axial vector meson and pseudoscalar meson to the tensor meson or vector meson are small, or the contributions of A2 and ρ cancel each other at all values of the momentum transfer. It is also argued that the contributions of the axial vector mesons to the production of themselves are small.
Larval Survival of Heliothis zea and H. virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Various Feeding Tests

The corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), and the tobacco budworm, H. virescens (F.), are important pests of tobacco in the United States. Previous to the past decade, the tobacco budworm had been considered to occur only rarely in Kentucky. Although not nearly so abundant as the corn earworm in Kentucky, the budworm is now often of considerable importance on tobacco in late August and September.
Cefotetan-induced haemolytic anaemia. A review of 85 cases.

Objective: Reports of cefotetan-associated haemolytic anaemia have prompted a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of the overall number, severity, and causality of such cases. Methods/Results: A search of the FDA’s Spontaneous Reporting System and the World Health Organization’s database revealed 85 cases of haemolytic anaemia since the approval of cefotetan in 1985, 15 of them fatal. Moderate to severe haemolysis was reflected in a mean fall in haemoglobin levels by 6.65 mg/dl (n = 20) and a mean final haemoglobin concentration of 5.2 mg/dl (n = 52). Transfusion of packed red blood cells was required in 47 patients (55.3%). New onset renal dysfunction was noted in 7 patients (8.2%). The direct antiglobulin test was positive in 50 patients (59%), and serological studies revealed antibodies to cefotetan in 30 patients (35%). Conclusion: These data suggest that treatment with cefotetan may induce severe autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.
Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass in Pyrolysis Gas: Fractionation of Pyrolysis Vapors Using a Spray of Bio-oil

Japanese cedar sawdust was pyrolyzed in a bubbling fluidized-bed reactor to study the effects of condensers with and without spraying and the different fluidizing gases on product yields. The temperature in the condenser affected the bio-oil yield and composition. Test results showed that the condenser with spraying had a lower temperature, preventing vapor and liquid phases in the condenser from being further reacted and increasing the bio-oil yield. The pyrolysis vapors were condensed to bio-oil according to the various boiling points and condensation methods of the vapors. The condenser with spraying separated bio-oil into an oily portion rich in phenolic compounds with high boiling points and an aqueous portion rich in moisture with low boiling points. Sawdust pyrolyzed in pyrolysis gas or nitrogen gas also affected the product yields. Sawdust pyrolyzed in pyrolysis gas increased the bio-oil yield and the concentrations of H2, CO, and CH4 combustible gases in the gas phase. When the sawdust was pyroly...
Study on the Prognostic Factors of the Primary Subarachoid Hemorrhage

Objective\ To study the prognostic factars of the primary subarachoid hemorrhage.Methods\ The differences between the two groups of death and recovery were analysed by using the comparative method.Results\ There are more severe hemorrhage, recurrent hemorrhage, secondary vasospasm and complications in medicine in the death group than that in the recovery group.Conclusion\ The factors that can influence the prognosis of the primary subarachoid hemorrhage are mainry severe hemorrhage, recurrent hemorrhage, secondary vasopasm and complications in medicine. To aim at those, the conscientions observation and active prevention in our clinical work may decrease the mortility of the primary subarachoid hemorrhage.
Analysis of the peak-valley TOU tariff effect on Shanghai residential electricity characteristics

The residential peak-valley TOU tariff is an effective way to avoid the peak load.The paper analyses the residential power using of different income and the effect of enlarging peak-valley tariff.The impact is analysed through the questionnaires in different income families.The paper also gives quantitative analysis of avoiding peak quantity caused by enlarging peak-valley tariff and at last analyzes the residential users' power consumption cost in different peak-valley tariff.In order to let the residents get more income from the TOU tariff,three section tariff is advised to be implemented in this article.
STUDY ON DYNAMIC STABILITY PROBLEMS OF AC INTERCONNECTED AREA POWER GRIDS IN CHINA AND THEIR SOLUTIONS

In domestic AC interconnected area power grids the low-frequency oscillations still exist due to insufficient damping. To solve this problem at present more than 100 generating sets were equipped with power system stabilizer (PSS) after on site testing, setup and commissioning. It has been proved by interconnecting test and the operation experiences after the interconnection that the damping of the interconnected grid is enhanced by the collocation of these PSSs and the dynamic stability of the interconnected power grid can be ensured, therefore, it is an effective way to enhance the dynamic stability of AC interconnected area power grids in China.
Physical wetland characteristics influence amphibian community composition differently in constructed wetlands and natural wetlands

Abstract Wetlands provide critical habitat for a diverse group of organisms and provide important ecosystem services. Despite this, most natural wetlands have been lost to anthropogenic activities, and as a result, wetland construction is common mitigation practice. Therefore, examination of constructed wetland viability in replacing the function of lost wetlands is vital. Our primary objectives were to compare amphibian communities of shallow and deep constructed wetlands to natural wetlands and to identify which wetland characteristics affect species composition. All wetlands were hydrologically isolated and fishless; natural wetlands had an ephemeral hydrology, and constructed wetland hydrology varied from ephemeral to permanent. Overall, constructed wetlands did not sufficiently replicate natural wetlands with respect to the amphibian community. However, two of our constructed wetlands had a drying period and exhibited communities more similar to natural wetlands. Hydroperiod and canopy closure were indicators of amphibian community composition. Many species observed in natural wetlands were rare in shallow constructed and absent in deep constructed wetlands. Additionally, dominant predator species (primarily Lithobates catesbeianus , Lithobates clamitans, and Notophthalmus viridescens ) associated with permanent water were more abundant in constructed wetlands. Water depth, pH, and emergent vegetation were lower in natural wetlands. These data influenced land managers to revise construction methods and to renovate deep constructed wetlands by creating gradual slopes, decreasing maximum depth to 20 cm or less, maintaining canopy cover, and decreasing soil compaction to attempt replication of natural wetland hydrology.
La prévention et la politique américaine

La prevention est le lieu d’une confrontation politique majeure aux Etats-Unis. De plus en plus, les strategies de prevention s’inspirent d’une ideologie qui reporte sur les individus la responsabilite de leur sante et de leur bien-etre personnel. L’article analyse comment, depuis la fin des annees soixante-dix, s’est imposee cette conception individualisante de la prevention et comment elle parvient a influencer les decisions de l’Etat, tant en ce qui concerne le financement que l’orientation de sa politique de sante. L’article decrit les interventions recentes de l’administration Reagan visant a limiter la portee de diverses reglementations et agences gouvernementales vouees a la prevention, qu’il s’agisse de conditions de travail, d’environnement ou d’hygiene publique. Deux theories etiologiques s’affrontent : l’une qui recoit le soutien du gouvernement, des industries, du pouvoir medical met l’accent sur les habitudes quotidiennes pathogenes; l’autre met en relief l’importance des facteurs sociaux; certains secteurs du mouvement ouvrier, les ecologistes, certaines agences gouvernementales tentent de la defendre. Mais le rapport des forces est inegal. Cependant, peut-on imaginer que, dans un contexte de deterioration croissante du niveau de vie, on puisse continuer de croire que la sante, comme toute autre chose, n’est qu’une question de volonte individuelle ?
Lamotrigine-Induced Acute Hepatic Failure

An 8-year-old boy with seizures who developed acute hepatic failure during treatment with lamotrigine is reported from the Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York.
Exposure to injury in mixed-martial-arts is associated with evidence of concussion injury

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to injury during mixed-martial-arts (MMA) fights is associated with concussion injury. It was hypothesised that number of hits-to-the-head (HTH) would be associated with concussion assessment findings. Design Case-series Setting Amateur MMA fighters agreed to complete the testing at training facilities and fight venues. Participants A convenience sample 33 MMA fighters completed pre and post-fight assessments (32 males, 1 female) Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) The independent variable was group assignment. The low-exposure (LE) group (n=17) had a mean of 5.8±5.9 HTH while the high-exposure (HE) group (n=16) had a mean of 34.0±9.8 HTH. Outcome measures The dependent variables were compared using an ANOVA model. They included: average speed to complete the Tails B cognitive test, balance measured with an inertial measurement unit, S100B protein concentration in blood serum, and self-reported symptoms. Main results The change in S100B concentration from pre to post-fight was significantly greater (p=0.01) in the HE group (0.22±0.14 ug/L) compared to the LE group (0.10±0.11 ug/L). Dual-task balance cost was significantly greater (p=0.02) in the HE group (0.04±0.05 m/s2/Hz) compared to the LE (0.01±0.01 m/s2/Hz) group. No difference in Trails B speed or self-reported symptoms was observed. Conclusions The increase in S100B concentration in the peripheral blood and changes in balance performance suggest concussion injuries are common during MMA fights but injuries are associated with exposure to head impacts. Cognitive tests and symptom report may not be as sensitive to injury. Competing interests Dr. Neville: Ongoing research sponsorship and equity interest in Motion Intelligence Inc. who provided the hardware for some of the concussion screening used in this study. Dr. Johnson: None. Mr. Baracks: None. Dr. Rieger: Ongoing research sponsorship and equity interest in Motion Intelligence Inc. who provided the hardware for some of the concussion screening used in this study.
Abstract 5136: Upregulation ofSalmonellamotility in tumors improves dispersion, colonization and intracellular invasion of the bacteria

Diffusion limitations in tumors prevent small molecule therapies from reaching cancer cells located distally from vasculature. This is one reason why some cancers become drug resistant and relapse. To circumvent these diffusional limitations, Salmonella can be used as a drug delivery vehicle. The facultative anaerobe preferentially colonizes tumor tissue over normal tissue at ratios greater than 10,000:1. Moreover, flagella allow the bacteria to penetrate deep into tumor tissue. Finally, genetically modified Salmonella can invade cancer cells and deliver a wide range of intracellularly functioning and patient specific therapies (DNA, RNA, and inhibitory peptides). But, Salmonella must distribute homogeneously within tumors and invade a significant number of live cancer cells in order to deliver therapies uniformly within tumors. To enable this, we hypothesized that up-regulating the master motility regulator, flhDC, in Salmonella would improve intratumoral penetration, uniform colonization and intracellular invasion of cancer cells. Salmonella utilize the transcription factor complex, flhDC, to regulate flagella synthesis and thus, motility. This transcription factor complex also positively influences type three secretion system (T3SS) assembly, which, Salmonella use to intracellularly invade epithelial cells. To test this hypothesis, we created a set of synthetic gene circuits that use arabinose for inducible expression of flhDC, the Plac promoter for constitutive expression of DSRed and the PSSEJ promoter to express GFP when Salmonella invade tumor cells. We analyzed aqueous bacterial motility with video microscopy. Finally, we administered the motility inducible Salmonella into a tumor-on-a-chip device to examine spatial and temporal tumor colonization characteristics of the bacteria. In an aqueous environment, the flhDC induced Salmonella swam approximately 33% faster than a Salmonella control (P In a microfluidic device, flhDC induced Salmonella exhibited increased colonization and growth in tumor tissue located far away from channels that were meant to resemble tumor microvasculature (P Highly motile Salmonella could reduce the occurrence of drug resistant cancer relapse by delivering targeted therapies uniformly to cancer cells that would otherwise remain untreated with conventional therapy. Citation Format: Vishnu Raman, Nele V. Dessel, Owen O9Connor, Neil S. Forbes. Upregulation of Salmonella motility in tumors improves dispersion, colonization and intracellular invasion of the bacteria [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5136. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5136
A Rare Presentation of the Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone in a 12-Year-Old Girl as the Initial Presentation of an Immature Ovarian Teratoma.

Abstract Background Immature ovarian teratoma is very rare in childhood. We report on a 12-year-old girl with immature ovarian teratoma who presented initially with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone. Case A 12-year-old girl presented with acute abdomen and distention. Initial laboratory tests showed hyponatremia (sodium, 123 mmol/L), that did not respond to fluid management. Computed tomography imaging showed a 15 cm × 9 cm × 20 cm mass in the right ovary with multifocal internal fat, and dystrophic calcifications. She underwent exploratory laparotomy with a right salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and peritoneal stripping. The pathology revealed metastatic immature teratoma. Hyponatremia resolved soon after the surgery. Summary and Conclusion Although a rare diagnosis, immature ovarian teratoma must be considered in a girl who presents with abdominal mass and hyponatremia.
Design of clock generation circuitry for high-speed subranging time-interleaved ADCs

A clock generation system for a 1GS/s 8-bit subranging time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is introduced. General timing considerations for time-interleaved ADCs are reviewed prior to describing the design methodology for a prototype ADC. This hybrid ADC architecture contains four time-interleaved combined sample-and-hold and capacitive digital-to-analog converter (SHDAC) circuits as front-end sample-and-hold for a flash stage and for a time-interleaved successive approximation stage, which minimizes the errors due to sampling time mismatches between the two stages. The associated clock signal generation techniques that enable this hybrid ADC design approach are presented in this paper, which range from particular non-overlapping clocks and extensive buffering to synchronous resetting for adjusting the order of the clock signals in each time-interleaved channel. The transistor-level and layout-level clock generation circuits were designed and simulated in 130nm CMOS technology, and consume 3.88mW from a 1.2V supply. The standard deviation of the timing skews between time-interleaved channels is less than 1ps based on Monte Carlo simulations. To evaluate the feasibility of the clock generation approach, post-layout simulations were conducted with the interconnected ADC core layout and routed clock generation circuits. The hybrid ADC achieved an effective number of bits (ENOB) of 7.39 with a sampling frequency of 1GHz and an input frequency close to the Nyquist rate.
Trauma-Exposed Infants and Toddlers: A Review of Impacts and Evidence-Based Interventions

Infants and toddlers are exposed to abuse and neglect at disproportionate rates compared to other children, setting a trajectory for disrupted developmental processes and increased vulnerability to future traumatic exposure. Social workers encounter trauma–exposed young children across a number of systems, including but not limited to early childcare, family physical and mental health, court, and child welfare. It benefits social workers to have a working understanding of current research related to the bio–psycho–social impact of trauma on infants and young children and an awareness of current, research-driven interventions that can support young, at–risk children and families. This article reviews trauma-impacted development throughout the first two years of life with a discussion of current research exploring attachment and brain development and then discusses caregiver–child based interventions that work to repair disrupted attachment patterns, repair impaired regulatory processes, and return the caregiver–child relationship to a healthy developmental path.
Interview with Ann Watkins

(2015). Interview with Ann Watkins. Journal of Statistics Education: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. null.
Independent gate control of injected and detected spin currents in CVD graphene nonlocal spin valves

Graphene is an ideal material for spintronic devices due to its low spin-orbit coupling and high mobility. One of the most important potential applications of graphene spintronics is for use in neuromorphic computing systems, where the tunable spin resistance of graphene can be used to apply analog weighting factors. A key capability needed to achieve spin-based neuromorphic computing systems is to achieve distinct regions of control, where injected and detected spin currents can be tuned independently. Here, we demonstrate the ability to achieve such independent control using a graphene spin valve geometry where the injector and detector regions are modulated by two separate bottom gate electrodes. The spin transport parameters and their dependence on each gate voltage are extracted from Hanle precession measurements. From this analysis, local spin transport parameters and their dependence on the local gate voltage are found, which provide a basis for a spatially-resolved spin resistance network that sim...
Ureteral Stent Placement During Shockwave Lithotripsy: Characterizing Guideline Discordant Practice

Abstract Objective To describe utilization patterns of ureteral stent placement during extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). Methods The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Databases for Florida (2010-2012), Iowa (2010-2012), California (2010-2011), and New York (2006-2012) were used to identify patients undergoing ESWL with or without concomitant ureteral stent placement. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with ureteral stent placement. Postoperative ER visits and reoperation were compared between groups with multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 128,040 patients undergoing ESWL during the study period were identified. Concomitant ureteral stent placement during ESWL was performed in 20,800 (16.2%) cases. Stent placement was more common among older patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.003 per year, 95% confidence interval 1.002-1.004) and those with greater comorbidity burden (OR 1.10, 1.09-1.11), but also among those with higher income (OR 1.13, 1.08-1.19) and private insurance (OR 1.05, 1.01-1.10). Patients undergoing concomitant ureteral stent placement had higher rates of 30-day postoperative ER visits (8.9% vs 7.3%, P Conclusion A significant portion of patients treated with ESWL undergo concomitant ureteral stent placement, despite clinical guidelines over the last 2 decades discouraging this practice. Use of ureteral stent during ESWL appears driven by both clinical and nonclinical factors. Ureteral stent placement confers no perceivable advantage in postoperative ER visits or reoperation after ESWL based on administrative data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.
Coherence Effects in Guided Wave Optical Systems

The optical portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is probably the spectral region in which electromagnetic sources show the greatest degree of diversity in coherence properties. Thermal optical sources (heated wire filaments) radiate totally random waves which can exhibit appreciable spectral component amplitudes throughout the optical spectrum. Highly stabilized, singlefrequency lasers, on the other hand, can exhibit short-term linewidths as small as 1 Hz with the attendant coherence lengths of thousands of kilometers.
Political Judgment and the Problem of 'Criticizing from the Outside'

While some social theorists have sought to derive from the Wittgensteinian corpus a basis for external rational critical inquiry, others have claimed that his work not only lacks such a basis but has contributed to a dangerous intellectual plague of relativism that threatens the integrity of both social inquiry and its subject matter. Both perspectives, however, distort his account of values, normativity, and the nature of normative inquiry. In his later work, he conceived of philosophy as a form of normative social inquiry in that the language and social practices that constituted the subject matter were the repository of normativity, but he did not envision philosophy as the source of values. The principal goal was clarity. When he claimed that philosophy "left everything as it is," he meant only that philosophical inquiry did not, by virtue of its performance, transform its subject matter and that the relationship between inquiry and its object was contingent. In the Investigations, he had little specifically to say about values, because he did not fundamentally change the conception of values that he had elaborated in the Tractatus. They belonged, like religion and aesthetics, to the realm of what could be "shown" or "presented" but not measured against the "world" as either true or false. In his later work, he increasingly situated values within the space of reasons, but they were comparable to the "hinge" or "bedrock" propositions discussed in On Certainty, even though, like such propositions, changes in values were ultimately a function of persuasion and conversion.
Chapter Seven – Molecular Cloning

This protocol describes the basic steps involved in conventional plasmid-based cloning. The goals are to insert a DNA fragment of interest into a receiving vector plasmid, transform the plasmid into E. coli, recover the plasmid DNA, and check for correct insertion events.
A histologically hostile environment made more hospitable

Up to one-third of patients with diabetes mellitus will develop a diabetic foot ulcer in their lifetime. While this number appears to be rising, breakthrough therapies for this common, complex and costly condition have been, to this point, elusive.
Distributionally Robust Radio Frequency Localization

We consider the problem of estimating the location of an RF-device using observations such as received signal strengths, generated according to an uncertain distribution from a set of transmitters with known locations. We present a distributionally robust formulation of the localization problem that explicitly takes into account the uncertainty in the distribution that generates the observations. We identify the structure of the robust solution and demonstrate how to construct the optimization problem so that it is easily computed, and always yields the optimal solution. We show that the robust estimate outperforms traditional methods in the presence of modeling errors, while remaining close to the traditional estimate when the modeling is exact. This suggests that the formulation presented here is an attractive option in applications where we use a model that may not be an exact fit to our environment or if changes in our environment have induced errors in an empirically derived model.
United States energy supplies for the 21st century

We present an overview of likely sources of needed United States energy supplies for the 21st century.
Control of the filament dynamics of 10 µm pulses via designer pulse trains

Atmospheric low-loss delivery of high-energy long wavelength picosecond duration pulses over multiple Rayleigh ranges will be dominated by the recently identified many-body coherent excitation-induced dephasing and avalanche based memory effects. We numerically illustrate this physics with pulse trains where prepulses gradually accumulate plasma preparing the medium for the main high-power pulse. The control over the nonlinear dynamics makes it possible to effectively avoid pulse splitting in the first few hundred meters, and deliver a wave packet with an improved spatiotemporal profile downstream.
Assessing Loneliness and Other Types of Emotional Distress among Practicing Physicians.

Introduction. Loneliness has been linked to clinician burnout and other types of emotional distress. Research assessing the prevalence of loneliness among physicians is growing. Little is known, however, about how loneliness relates to other types of emotional distress among practicing physicians. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of loneliness, and to explore the relationship between loneliness, burnout, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among active member physicians of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County (MSSC). Methods. The study involved a convenience sample of 197 practicing physicians who were active members of the MSSC. The 3-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory, and 2-item Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire were used to measure prevalence of loneliness, manifestations of burnout, and symptoms of depression, respectively. Results. Using an email survey, 442 practicing physicians received an invitation to participate; 197 (44%) completed the survey. The prevalence of loneliness was 43%. Loneliness prevalence was associated positively with age (p = 0.017) and more likely in those who reported manifestations of burnout (p < 0.01) or screened positive for depression (p < 0.01). Depression (OR = 2.24; 95% CI, 0.97-5.19) and emotional exhaustion (OR = 1.05; 95% CI, 0.39-2.84) were significantly associated with loneliness, including when adjusted for participants’ sex, age, and duty hours. Conclusion. Loneliness is prevalent among active member physicians of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County. Given that loneliness is associated with burnout and other emotional distress, there is an important need to understand its implications better.
Neurocognitive Correlates of Rumination Risk in Children: Comparing Competing Model Predictions in a Clinically Heterogeneous Sample

The current study examined associations between rumination and executive function difficulties in preadolescent youth, using predictions outlined in the attentional scope and multiple systems models of rumination. This study aimed to (a) extend current conceptual models of rumination to youth, (b) clarify disparate model predictions regarding working memory updating (“updating”), inhibition, and shifting abilities, and (c) examine differential neurocognitive predictions between two forms of rumination, sadness and anger. One hundred and fifty-nine youths oversampled for ADHD and other forms of child psychopathology associated with executive dysfunction (aged 8–13; 53.5% male; 59.1% Caucasian) completed a battery of assessments, including self-report measures of rumination and computerized neurocognitive tasks. Multiple regression analyses were conducted assessing relations between rumination and each executive function, controlling for both sadness and anger rumination to assess their unique associations. Sadness rumination was associated with poorer updating (β = −0.18, p = 0.046) and shifting abilities (β = 0.20, p = 0.03) but not inhibition (β = −0.04, p = 0.62), offering partial support to the attentional scope and multiple systems models. In contrast, anger rumination was associated with better updating abilities (β = 0.20, p = 0.03) but not shifting (β = −0.15, p = 0.11) or inhibition (β = 0.08, p = 0.35). Together, these results suggest (a) developmental differences in the neurocognitive correlates associated with rumination risk in youth compared to findings from the adult literature, and (b) that the executive function correlates of children’s responses to negative emotions are affect-specific, such that sadness rumination is associated with difficulties replacing negative thoughts and shifting between mental sets, while anger rumination is associated with a better ability to maintain negative thoughts.
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheets Improve Uterine Incision Repair in a Rodent Hysterotomy Model.

Objective The study aimed to assess the feasibility of creating and transplanting human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets applied to a rat model of hysterotomy, and additionally to determine benefits of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet transplantation in reducing uterine fibrosis and scarring. Study Design Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets are generated by culturing human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on thermo-responsive cell culture plates. The temperature-sensitive property of these culture dishes facilitates normal cell culture in a thin contiguous layer and allows for reliable recovery of intact stem cell sheets without use of destructive proteolytic enzymes. We developed a rat hysterotomy model using nude rats. The rat uterus has two distinct horns: one horn provided a control/untreated scarring site, while the second horn was the cell sheet transplantation site. On day 14 following surgery, complete uteri were harvested and subjected to histologic evaluations of all hysterotomy sites. Results The stem cell sheet culture process yielded human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets with surface area of approximately 1 cm2. Mean myometrial thickness in the cell sheet-transplanted group was 274 µm compared with 191 µm in the control group (p = 0.02). Mean fibrotic surface area in the human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet-transplanted group was 95,861 µm2 compared with 129,185 µm2 in the control group. Compared with control horn sites, cell sheet-transplanted horns exhibited significantly smaller fibrotic-to-normal myometrium ratios (0.18 vs. 0.27, respectively, p = 0.029). Mean number of fibroblasts in cell sheet-transplanted horns was significantly smaller than the control horns (483 vs. 716/mm2, respectively, p = 0.001). Conclusion Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet transplantation is feasible in a rat model of hysterotomy. Furthermore, use of stem cell sheets reduces fibroblast infiltration and uterine scar fibrotic tissue formation during hysterotomy healing, potentially mitigating risks of uterine scar formation. Key Points
Gender Differences in Personality and Earnings:Evidence from Russia

Does personality affect earnings? If so, are there gender differences in personality that explain part of the gender wage gap? We use survey data collected from over 2,600 Russian employees between 2000 and 2003 to evaluate the impact on earnings of two personality traits: locus of control (Rotter 1966) and challenge-affiliation (Hill et al. 1985). We find that gender differences in personality traits are significant. Men are more likely to exhibit an internal locus of control and need for challenge, while women are more likely to exhibit an external locus of control and need for affiliation. Moreover, there are differences in the effect of personality on earnings by gender - women's earnings are affected by personality, while men's earnings are not. Among participating employees in our study, the "unexplained" portion of the gender wage gap falls by as much as 12% when personality traits are included.
Neurostimulation EEG artifacts: VNS, RNS, and DBS.

Accurately recognizing artifacts on electroencephalogram (EEG) is necessary to prevent EEG misinterpretation and epilepsy misdiagnosis. EEG artifacts generated by neurostimulation devices ( and ) can be identified based on their unique spatial and frequency properties. […] Neurostimulation EEG artifacts: VNS, RNS, and DBS
How Community Engagement Helped Transform the Union City Public Schools

Over the past three decades, reformers have championed approaches to improving schools that have included state takeovers, school closures, and firing teachers. Despite the prevalence of these poli...
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery, Analysis of

The study of human brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has exploded in the past decade. A standard fMRI study results in enormous amounts of data. In addition, the signal of interest is relatively weak and the data exhibit a complicated temporal and spatial noise structure. In this article, we provide an overview of the analysis of fMRI data, from the initial data acquisition to its use in locating brain activity, making inference about brain connectivity and predictions about psychological or disease states.
The Last Problem

1. Prospectus: unfinished business 2. The far beginnings: Babylon and Egypt 3. Philosophical interlude 4. Alexander's contribution 5. Cleopatra's gift 6. From Euclid to Hypatia 7. Dating - collapse - recovery 8. The last Euclidean: Bachet (1581-1638) 9. Mathematician and jurist - Fermat 10. The catalyst: Mersenne (1588-1648) 11. Friends and others 12. From the correspondence of Fermat 13. An age to remember 14. The jurist 15. Aftermath.
Regulation of carbon and electron flow in Propionispira arboris: relationship of catabolic enzyme levels to carbon substrates fermented during propionate formation via the methylmalonyl coenzyme A pathway.

A detailed study of the glucose fermentation pathway and the modulation of catabolic oxidoreductase activities by energy sources (i.e., glucose versus lactate or fumarate) in Propionispira arboris was performed. 14C radiotracer data show the CO2 produced from pyruvate oxidation comes exclusively from the C-3 and C-4 positions of glucose. Significant specific activities of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase were detected, which substantiates the utilization of the Embden-Meyerhoff-Parnas path for glucose metabolism. The methylmalonyl coenzyme A pathway for pyruvate reduction to propionate was established by detection of significant activities (greater than 16 nmol/min per mg of protein) of methylmalonyl coenzyme A transcarboxylase, malate dehydrogenase, and fumarate reductase in cell-free extracts and by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic demonstration of randomization of label from [2-13C]pyruvate into positions 2 and 3 of propionate. The specific activity of pyruvate-ferredoxin oxidoreductase, malate dehydrogenase, fumarate reductase, and transcarboxylase varied significantly in cells grown on different energy sources. D-Lactate dehydrogenase (non-NADH linked) was present in cells of P. arboris grown on lactate but not in cells grown on glucose or fumarate. These results indicate that growth substrates regulate synthesis of enzymes specific for the methylmalonyl coenzyme A path and initial substrate transformation.
Minimally invasive saphenous vein harvesting: endothelial integrity and early clinical results

Abstract Background . Endoscopic harvesting of vein grafts may reduce wound complications but the effect on the venous endothelium is unknown. Endothelium-derived vasoactive substances may be important in vein graft disease prevention. We investigated the impact of endoscopic harvesting on the release of these factors and proceeded to evaluate the clinical applicability. Methods and Results . Porcine veins were harvested in either an endoscopic or open fashion. Superfusion bioassay from endoscopic veins had a similar basal secretion as control veins (6.5% ± 1.5% versus 3.2% ± 2.2%, respectively; n=5, p = 0.39). Calcium ionophore A23187 stimulation was similar in both groups (24.6% ± 5.1% versus 27.3% ± 9.6%; n=5, p = 0.68). Light and electron microscopy documented a normal endothelial monolayer in both groups with no endothelial cell or connective tissue loss. Encouraged by these results, 38 patients have subsequently undergone this procedure at our institution. Total operative time for harvesting 35 to 45 cm of saphenous vein was 62.3 ± 5.3 minutes (range, 35 to 120 minutes). The procurement time in the most recent five patients was 41.6 ± 3.3 minutes. Patients had little incisional pain, but did have mild ecchymosis. Conclusions . Endothelial release of vasoactive substances after endoscopic harvesting is similar to that after the traditional, extended incision technique, and microscopy confirmed similar histology. These laboratory findings support the satisfactory early clinical experience with endoscopic harvesting of saphenous veins.
Cloning IL-1 and the birth of a new era in cytokine biology.

In December of 1984, the sequence of the cDNA encoding for the human precursor of IL-1 was reported in a seminal paper by Charles Dinarello’s group ([1][1]). This work is the subject of this month’s selected paper for Pillars of Immunology based on its significant impact on the field of cytokine
New Orleans business recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Summary. We analyse decisions to reopen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made by business establishments on major business thoroughfares in New Orleans by using a spatial probit methodology. Our approach allows for interdependence between decisions to reopen by one establishment and those of its neighbours. There is a large literature on the role that is played by spatial dependence in firm location decisions, and we find evidence of strong dependence in decisions by firms to reopen in the aftermath of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. This interdependence has important statistical implications for how we analyse business recovery after disasters, as well as government aid programmes.
EXPERIMENTAL SALICYLATE POISONING: OBSERVATIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF ALTERING BLOOD pH ON TISSUE AND PLASMA SALICYLATE CONCENTRATIONS

Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with sodium salicylate followed by saline, bicarbonate, or carbon dioxide inhalation. Bicarbonate raised the blood pH and lowered the muscle, brain and liver salicylate concentrations compared with the saline controls. Carbon dioxide inhalation produced the opposite effect. Acetazolamide lowered the blood pH, raised the tissue salicylate levels, and increased the toxicity of sodium salicylate. If the systemic acidosis produced by acetazolamide was prevented with bicarbonate, the rise in tissue salicylate was also prevented.
Market monitoring and mitigation: impacts on system reliability

The current electric power network, being a legacy network whose growth and design was based on marginal cost operation of a certain rather fixed pattern of generation, does congest and does operate at various limits under market operation. Having market power is having the means to raise the price of electricity above a competitive level. There are several means to raise prices available to generators in electric markets and some exist because of the way the interconnecting network works. Monitoring and mitigation procedures are necessary because of flaws that exist in market design. The greatest flaw in the design of electricity markets in the US is that the markets are incomplete and therefore cannot function correctly without some artificial rules meant to substitute for missing parts of the market. Identifying the potential for market power by including network effects is important. It is a properly designed network that can enable markets to function and, if not properly matched to the market design it causes dysfunction. One way to identify market dysfunction is to create metrics based on the network.
Extrema concerning asymmetric graphs

Abstract By a graph we mean a finite undirected graph without loops and without multiple edges. The automorphism group of a graph consists of those permutations of the vertex set of the graph which preserve adjacency relations. A graph is called asymmetric if its automorphism group consists only of the identity automorphism. In this paper we study questions pertaining to the existence and structure of asymmetric graphs. Specifically, we establish the extreme values of p and q for which there exist asymmetric graphs having p vertices and q edges. These extremes are obrained for the following four classes of graphs: all graphs, connected graphs, graphs having no vertices of degree 2 (topological graphs), and connected topological graphs. An asymmetric graph K is said to have asymmetry equal to 1 if it is possible by either adjoining one edge to K or deleting one edge of K to obtain a graph which is not asymmetric. For the above-mentioned four classes of graphs we resolve the following problem: determine the least value G ( p , 1) for which there exists a graph having asymmetry equal to 1, having p vertices, and having G ( p , 1) edges. This problem stated for the class of all graphs was posed by P. Erdos and A. Renyi, Asymmetric Graphs Acta Math. Acad. Sci. Hungar . 14 (1963), 295–315.