cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Domestic Violence and Women's Crime: A More Careful Approach to Understanding Women's Situations:

This book is a much needed antidote to the simplistic idea that women who end up in prison-especially those women understood to be "battered women"-are either victims ("good" women, devoted, submissive, pure) or violent offenders (harsh, highly sexual, physically strong and impure, often poor women, and women of color). Thus the title of the book: NeitherAngels norDemons. Fer raro wants to complicate and contextualize our understanding of the, by now, well known finding between victimization and offending-especially for women who have been incarcerated for childhood or adult domestic violence-related acts or crimes. While there have been many reports and reviews of the literature in this realm, the first book-length and explicit study about the rela tionship between violence against women in the home (childhood and adult) and their arrest and incarceration for violent behavior as adults was Beth Richie's 1996 Compelled to Crime: Thbe Gender Entrapment of Battered Black Women. Ferraro's book provides us with a new way to understand some of these relationships. Most importantly, she argues, while most women victimized by intimate partners do not commit serious crime, for those women who do, we need to go beyond individual behavior and look at the social structural and broader cultural conditions in which that violence occurs. Any policies that try to control individual behavior that dis counts or disconnects it from the larger socio environmental conditions that lead to such behavior are completely inadequate. As she says, "Fear, hopelessness, and confusion are the feelings most commonly described by women charged with crimes committed by or under orders from their abusers. [However,] their crimes are not committed with 'malicious intent,' but through their compliance with the Neither Angels nor Demons: Women, Crime, and Victimization, by Kathleen J. Ferraro. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press, 2006. 344pp. $26.00 paper. ISBN: 1555536638.
Bone remodeling in chronic renal failure in perinatally irradiated beagles.

Tetracycline-based bone remodeling was studied in multiple rib samples from 12 control beagles and from 27 perinatally irradiated beagles with different stages of renal disease, when biopsied or sacrificed at 2 and 4 years of age. In haversian bone, the 10 dogs with marked uremia showed, as a group, a trend (P<0.10) toward slightly higher cell level bone formation. Tissue-level bone formation was increased (P<0.01) due to an increased number (P<0.01) of filling osteons associated with an increased number (P<0.01) of new remodeling units. An increase in the number of resorption cavities (P<0.01) also contributed to an increase in the intracortical porosity (P<0.01). An estimation of resorption rate at the cellular level was no different in the markedly uremic dogs, but was increased (P<0.01) at the tissue level. On the periosteal and cortical-endosteal surfaces, the increased number of resorption sites (P<0.01) was not balanced by formation activity as measured by tetracyclinelabeled surface. This imbalance appeared to be responsible for a decrease (P<0.05) in cortical cross-section area. Parathyroid hyperplasia present in these markedly uremic dogs was considered the principal etiologic factor. Eleven dogs with mild renal disease had similar trends in remodeling parameters, but they differed significantly from the nonuremic groups only in the number of periosteal resorption sites.
A relational model for XML structural joins and their size estimations

XML structural joins, which evaluate the containment (ancestor-descendant) relationships between XML elements, are important operations of XML query processing. Estimating structural join size accurately and quickly is crucial to the success of XML query plan selection and the query optimization. XML structural joins are essentially complex θ-joins, which render well-known estimation techniques for relational equijoins, such as discrete cosine transform, wavelet transform, and sketch, not applicable. In this paper, we model structural joins from a relational point of view and convert the complex θ-joins to equijoins so that those well-known estimation techniques become applicable to structural join size estimation. Theoretical analyses and extensive experiments have been performed on these estimation methods. It is shown that discrete cosine transform requires the least memory and yields the best estimates among the three techniques. Compared with state-of-the-art method IM-DA-Est, discrete cosine transform is much faster, requires less memory, and yields comparable estimates.
Historical perspectives of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: Frank S. Dolley (1884-1961)

FIGURE 1. Frank S. Dolley, MD. Richard H. Meade was the 35th president of The American Association of Thoracic Surgery. Courtesy of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Archives, National Library of Medicine, Washington, DC. Frank Stephen Dolley, the 24th president of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), was born July 26, 1884, to Frank Curtis Dolley and Katherine Laurette Hayden Dolley in Falmouth, Maine (Figure 1). After graduating high school he attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he was active in theater arts and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1907. Notably, Pomona College was established in 1887 with a goal of emulating small Congregationalist-founded colleges in New England such as Dartmouth, Middlebury, Harvard, and Bowdoin. In effect, Dolley ventured to southern California but remained grounded in ideals much like those in his native Northeast.
On Compact Codes for Spatially Pooled Features

Feature encoding with an overcomplete dictionary has demonstrated good performance in many applications, especially computer vision. In this paper we analyze the classification accuracy with respect to dictionary size by linking the encoding stage to kernel methods and Nystrom sampling, and obtain useful bounds on accuracy as a function of size. The Nystrom method also inspires us to revisit dictionary learning from local patches, and we propose to learn the dictionary in an end-to-end fashion taking into account pooling, a common computational layer in vision. We validate our contribution by showing how the derived bounds are able to explain the observed behavior of multiple datasets, and show that the pooling aware method efficiently reduces the dictionary size by a factor of two for a given accuracy.
Diffraction by a two-part planar material junction-oblique incidence

A uniform asymptotic solution to the problem of high-frequency diffraction by a planar junction of two thin material half-planes for the case of oblique incidence is developed. The generalized impedance boundary condition of O(t) has been employed to approximately characterize the electrically thin material slabs. The analysis is based on the Wiener-Hopf technique, where the factorization and decomposition of certain functions are expressed in relatively simple forms. The uniqueness of the solution is obtained by the determination of an additional junction condition from an approximated quasi-static analysis. The present analysis does not enforce reciprocity a priori yet obtains unique solutions which automatically satisfy reciprocity. >
Effect of Pilocarpine, Atropine, Morphine, and Epinephrine upon Oral and Pharyngeal Mucous Secretion.

ConclusionThe responses of the oral and pharyngeal mucous glands to injections of pilocarpine, atropine, and morphine and of the oral glands to epinephrine, resemble those of the salivary glands, an observation which can be explained on the basis of the similar dual innervation of both groups of glands through the cranial autonomic and sympathetic systems.When Schaefer and Moore1 gave pilocarpine to dogs without parotid and submaxillary glands, they observed the accumulation of a small quantity of exceedingly viscid mucus which appeared to be formed by the oral mucous glands. Langley,2 in referring to the effects of suprarenal extracts found that they caused “a lively secretion from all the salivary glands and some secretion from the buccal, esophageal, and tracheal mucous glands.”During the course of experiments upon the oral and pharyngeal mucous membranes, I observed the effect of the following drugs upon their secretory activity: pilocarpine, atropine, morphine, and epinephrine.1. Pilocarpine sulfate....
Exposures to lead, metals, and wood dust during stripping and refinishing furniture.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) from a management official at a furniture finishing company. The request concerned worker exposures to lead and other metals that may result from stripping and refinishing furniture. A survey was conducted to evaluate worker exposures in the furniture stripping shop for lead, other metals, and wood dust during typical wood stripping and refinishing operations.
Use of Small Tributary Streams by Subadult Colorado Pikeminnows (Ptychocheilus lucius) in Yellow Jacket Canyon, Colorado

Abstract In Yellow Jacket Canyon, a small tributary stream in the San Juan River basin, Montezuma County, Colorado, we collected 11 subadult Colorado pikeminnows Ptychocheilus lucius during 2007–2010. Collection of these fish within this small tributary is significant given the distance of the sampling location to the mainstem San Juan River, sizes of Colorado pikeminnows collected, and documented association with mainstem river habitats. Subadults appear to be using Yellow Jacket Canyon on a regular basis.
Identification of bacterial guanylate cyclases

The ability of bacteria to use cGMP as a second messenger has been controversial for decades. Recently, nucleotide cyclases from Rhodospirillum centenum, GcyA, and Xanthomonas campestris, GuaX, have been shown to possess guanylate cyclase activities. Enzymatic activities of these guanylate cyclases measured in vitro were low, which makes interpretation of the assays ambiguous. Protein sequence analysis at present is insufficient to distinguish between bacterial adenylate and guanylate cyclases, both of which belong to nucleotide cyclases of type III. We developed a simple method for discriminating between guanylate and adenylate cyclase activities in a physiologically relevant bacterial system. The method relies on the use of a mutant cAMP receptor protein, CRPG, constructed here. While wild-type CRP is activated exclusively by cAMP,_CRPG can be activated by either cAMP or cGMP. Using CRP- and CRPG-dependent lacZ expression in two E. coli strains, we verified that R. centenum GcyA and X. campestris GuaX have primarily guanylate cyclase activities. Among two other bacterial nucleotide cyclases tested, one, GuaA from Azospillrillum sp. B510, proved to have guanylate cyclase activity, while the other one, Bradyrhizobium japonicum CyaA, turned out to function as an adenylate cyclase. The results obtained with this reporter system were in excellent agreement with direct measurements of cyclic nucleotides secreted by E. coli expressing nucleotide cyclase genes. The simple genetic screen developed here is expected to facilitate identification of bacterial guanylate cyclases and engineering of guanylate cyclases with desired properties.
Should maize doubled haploids be induced among F(1) or F (2) plants

Maize (Zea mays L.) doubled haploid lines are typically produced from F1 plants. Studies have suggested that the low frequency of recombinants in doubled haploids may reduce the response to selection. My objective was to determine if, for sustaining long-term response, doubled haploids should be induced in F1 or F2 plants during maize inbred development. In simulation experiments, I examined the response to multiple cycles of testcross selection among doubled haploid lines derived from F1 plants (denoted by DH), doubled haploid lines derived from F2 plants (DHF2), and recombinant inbred (RI) lines derived by single-seed descent. For a trait controlled by 100 or more quantitative trait loci (QTL), the cumulative responses to selection were up to 4–6% larger among DHF2 lines than among DH lines. The cumulative responses were up to 5–8% larger among RI lines than among DH lines. The QTL become unlinked as the number of QTL in a finite genome decreases, and the responses among RI, DH, and DHF2 lines were equal or nearly equal when only 20 QTL controlled the trait. Metabolic-flux epistasis reduced the differences in the response among RI, DH, and DHF2 lines. Overall, the results indicated that doubled haploids should be induced from F2 plants rather than from F1 plants. If year-round nurseries are used and new F1 crosses for inbred development are initially created on a speculative basis, the development of doubled haploids from F2 rather than F1 plants should not cause a delay in inbred development.
Changes in blood pressure and plasma noradrenaline in short-term hypothyroidism.

SUMMARY Thirteen patients who had undergone thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer stopped thyroid hormone replacement prior to follow-up radioactive iodine scans. Thyroxine was replaced by triiodothyronine (T3) for 4 weeks and T3 was stopped 2 weeks before the scan and 16 to 19 days before blood pressure measurement and venipuncture for obtaining plasma noradrenaline samples. During this time, a small but significant decrease in systolic blood pressure occurred, both supine and standing, while the corresponding plasma noradrenaline levels increased significantly. These findings indicate that the acute cardiovascular effect of brief thyroid hormone withdrawal is a decrease in blood pressure rather than the increase often observed in chronic hypothyroidism, and that plasma noradrenaline levels may increase much sooner than previously reported after onset of hypothyroidism.
On the Weakening Relationship Between the Indian Monsoon and ENSO

Analysis of the 140-year historical record suggests that the inverse relationship between the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian summer monsoon (weak monsoon arising from warm ENSO event) has broken down in recent decades. Two possible reasons emerge from the analyses. A southeastward shift in the Walker circulation anomalies associated with ENSO events may lead to a reduced subsidence over the Indian region, thus favoring normal monsoon conditions. Additionally, increased surface temperatures over Eurasia in winter and spring, which are a part of the midlatitude continental warming trend, may favor the enhanced land-ocean thermal gradient conducive to a strong monsoon. These observations raise the possibility that the Eurasian warming in recent decades helps to sustain the monsoon rainfall at a normal level despite strong ENSO events.
Tomographic extreme-ultraviolet spectrographs: TESS

We describe the system of Tomographic Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) SpectrographS (TESS) that are the primary instruments for the Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio Sources (TERRIERS) satellite. The spectrographs were designed to make high-sensitivity {80 counts/s)/Rayleigh [one Rayleigh is equivalent to 106 photons/(4π str cm2 s)}, line-of-sight measurements of the oi 135.6- and 91.1-nm emissions suitable for tomographic inversion. The system consists of five spectrographs, four identical nightglow instruments (for redundancy and added sensitivity), and one instrument with a smaller aperture to reduce sensitivity and increase spectral resolution for daytime operation. Each instrument has a bandpass of 80–140 nm with approximately 2- and 1-nm resolution for the night and day instruments, respectively. They utilize microchannel-plate-based two-dimensional imaging detectors with wedge-and-strip anode readouts. The instruments were designed, fabricated, and calibrated at Boston University, and the TERRIERS satellite was launched on 18 May 1999 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
Regulation and critical role of potassium homeostasis in apoptosis.

Programmed cell death or apoptosis is broadly responsible for the normal homeostatic removal of cells and has been increasingly implicated in mediating pathological cell loss in many disease states. As the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis have been extensively investigated a critical role for ionic homeostasis in apoptosis has been recently endorsed. In contrast to the ionic mechanism of necrosis that involves Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, compelling evidence now indicates that excessive K+ efflux and intracellular K+ depletion are key early steps in apoptosis. Physiological concentration of intracellular K+ acts as a repressor of apoptotic effectors. A huge loss of cellular K+, likely a common event in apoptosis of many cell types, may serve as a disaster signal allowing the execution of the suicide program by activating key events in the apoptotic cascade including caspase cleavage, cytochrome c release, and endonuclease activation. The pro-apoptotic disruption of K+ homeostasis can be mediated by over-activated K+ channels or ionotropic glutamate receptor channels, and most likely, accompanied by reduced K+ uptake due to dysfunction of Na+, K+-ATPase. Recent studies indicate that, in addition to the K+ channels in the plasma membrane, mitochondrial K+ channels and K+ homeostasis also play important roles in apoptosis. Investigations on the K+ regulation of apoptosis have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the apoptotic mechanism and may afford novel therapeutic strategies for apoptosis-related diseases.
Artificial fertilization of gametes from the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis

A reproducible and effective method for fertilization eggs of Xenopus laevis was developed based of systematic manipulation of environmental factors. The effects of varying concentrations of individual components of a fertilization medium were tested by measuring jelly swelling, sperm motility, and sperm longevity. Results were used to develop an improved medium for fertilization, consisting of 41.25 mM NaCl, 1.25 mM KCl, 0.25 mM CaCl2, 0.0625 mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM Na2HPO4, 2.5 mM HEPES, 1.9 mM NaOH, final pH(2°) 7.8.
The time-optimal control of a class of non-linear singularly perturbed systems†

Abstract The time-optimal control of systems made of non-linear plants with fast linear actuator dynamics is shown to consist of two parts. The first part is primarily dependent on the dynamics of the non-linear plant and second part is primarily dependent on the fast actuator dynamics. Based on this characterization of the control a near optimal control is proposed.
Performance analysis of N4SID state-space system identification

This paper describes a statistical performance analysis method for multivariate subspace system identification algorithms. The analysis is based on a recently developed perturbation expansion of the singular value decomposition. We demonstrate the technique by analyzing the numerical state-space subspace system identification algorithm N4SID. An expression for the variance of the identified eigenvalues based on a finite record of input/output data is derived and verified using MATLAB simulations.
On Numerical Methods in Wave Interaction Problems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses two methods for the numerical treatment of wave interaction problems both of which use Lagrange's form of the equation of motion. A new approach is proposed to the hydrodynamical shock problem, which he applied to the collision of shock and rarefaction waves. This approach, based on an idea of theoretical interest, also provides a computational procedure. It seemed both instructive and practical to discuss the two methods for the same gasdynamical problem. The approach is, however, an entirely different one. The chapter also explains the numerical method, advanced under the assumption that a throughout relation between pressure and density holds even across shocks. In the Hugoniot case is considered where the pressure-density relation is not unaltered across shocks.
The UK SAM Experience: A Financial Service or a New Type of Loan Shark Product?

This paper investigates the pricing and valuation of Shared Appreciation Mortgages (SAMs) issued in 1997 in the UK. The analysis indicates high expected returns to the lenders, that were clearly predictable ex-ante, with even higher upside potential and virtually no material risk of loss to the investors. Since SAMs had been invented decades before, the high returns to the UK lenders do not represent pay for financial engineering a new, innovative product. Instead, the high effective interest rates on the SAMs appear to represent compensation for misleading repackaging of an existing product.
Abstract 2111A: Molecular genetics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a widespread condition of growing concern. It affects up to 25% of people in the United States, and is caused by the buildup of lipids in the liver. NAFLD may lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, the 5th most common cancer in the world, and the 3rd most common cause of death from cancer. Steatosis is the earliest stage in the progression of NAFLD. It is characterized by the deposition of triglycerides as lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. Although not usually lethal alone, it may develop into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and develop further into cirrhosis and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma. A mutation in zebrafish is created that completely obstructs the guanine monophosphate synthase. The mutants show a phenotype of steatosis. We hypothesize that genes involved in de novo lipogenesis, lipid oxidation, or lipid transportation are altered in the mutants. To test our hypothesis, we conducted gene expression analysis using qPCR. The data indicates that the genes involved in de novo lipogenesis had no significant change. However, the genes involved in lipid oxidation were all significantly downregulated. This downregulation indicates that inadequate lipid metabolism is responsible for the buildup of lipids and steatosis. The genes involved in lipid transportation showed a downregulation trend. It might be a result of steatosis as the liver takes in less fat. Overall, the data suggests that the mutant cell is unable to metabolize enough lipids through oxidation, causing lipid buildup in the liver. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2111A. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2111A
Nanostructured Polarizer Array for Infrared Wavelengths

Nanostructured polarization filters for wavelengths around 1.55 µm have been designed, fabricated and characterized. The design approach can be adapted to other wavelengths in the infrared and to create filter arrays with spatially varying characteristics.
Examining the Effects of Different Ring Configurations and Equatorial Fluorine Atom Positions on CO2 Sorption in [Cu(bpy)2SiF6]

Simulations of CO2 sorption were performed in a metal–organic material (MOM) that is part of a “SIFSIX” family of compounds that has remarkable carbon dioxide capture and separation properties. The MOM considered here has the formula [Cu(bpy)2SiF6] (bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine). This hydrophobic MOM is both water-stable and CO2-specific with significant sorption capacity under ambient conditions. The crystal structure reveals bpy rings and equatorial fluorine atoms in multiple possible orientations; the static disorder has been modeled based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data revealing several possible relatives of atoms in the crystal structure. With regards to the bpy rings, the structure can be interpreted as two pyridyl rings with coplanar configurations within a unit cell (configuration 1), a twisted bpy ring conformation in which orthogonal pyridyl rings have C4 symmetry about the Cu2+ ion (configuration 2), and a twisted bpy ring conformation in which the two orthogonal pyridyl rings are facing one...
Sensitivity of human conjunctival tissue cultures to adenovirus 8, herpes simplex and vaccinia viruses. Induction of resistance by an interferon inducer.

SummaryFibroblast like cells were grown from explanted fragments of human conjunctiva. The cultures could be maintained for up to six weeks and passaged several times. This tissue supported the replication of adenovirus 8, herpes simplex virus and vaccinia virus. The cytopathic changes caused by these viruses were typical. The human conjunctival tissue culture was sensitive to adenovirus 8 which yielded a titer of 104.5 TCID50/ml. This tissue was also highly sensitive to human interferon and produced interferon after polyinosinic-poly-cytidylic acid (poly I·poly C) treatment. Poly I·poly C protected the tissue against challenge with herpes simplex and vaccinia viruses, but not against adenovirus 8 challenge.
Planning for the Future: The Role of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in Survivorship Care

The number of cancer survivors in the United States now approaches 12 million individuals, with an estimated 7.2% of the general population aged 18 years or older reporting a previous cancer diagnosis. These figures highlight a number of questions about the care of survivors-how patients at risk for a known set of health problems should be followed, by whom, and for how long. At the same time that oncologists are developing strategies to provide services to this growing population, there are economic and systems challenges that have relevance to the previous questions, including a predicted national shortage of physicians to provide oncology services. Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) have been identified as members of the health care team who can help reduce the oncology supply and demand gap in a number of ways. The ASCO Study of Collaborative Practice Arrangements (SCPA) in 2011 concluded that oncology patients were aware and satisfied when their care was provided by NPs and PAs; there was an increase in productivity in practices that utilized NPs and PAs; utilizing the full scope of practice of NPs and PAs was financially advantageous; and, physicians, NPs, and PAs are highly satisfied with their collaborative practices. Increasingly, the oncology and health policy literature contains evidence supporting innovative provider models. There is still much work to be done to move beyond pilot data to establish the true value of these models.
An Introduction to the Female Macaque Model of Social Subordination Stress

The use of socially house macaque monkeys as a translational model of social stressor exposure in humans is described as an introduction to the chapters in this volume. These macaque models are presented in relation to other animal models designed to determine how social stressors impact health outcomes for people. While a number of similarities exist, several advantages of the macaque model are apparent. The dominance hierarchy in macaques is defined by matrilineal relations and is thus female-based, providing an important opportunity to study stress-induced disorders in females. Because infants assume the rank of their mothers, it is possible to study the impact of continuous stressor exposure on neurobehavioral development in animals showing a protracted period of development experienced by children. In addition to studies with large breeding groups of macaques in free-ranging or captive environments, small groups can be safely formed with unfamiliar animals, even balancing group composition by previous social history and specific gene polymorphisms. Furthermore, this strategy allows for groups to be rearranged to assess acute social instability or the lasting effects of acquiring a new rank. Finally, given the phylogenetic closeness of Old World monkeys to humans compared to nonprimate mammals, brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, that govern executive control over emotional behavior and stress responsivity show considerable structural similarity between macaques and humans. Macaque models may be particularly useful in defining how stress accumulation adversely affects health outcomes in people.
Development of Nephrotic Syndrome in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Certolizumab.

To the Editor: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors have become widely accepted and are vital in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune inflammatory diseases1. Their target, TNF-α, promotes inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including cytokine and chemokine expression, and suppression of regulatory T cells2. Although an important therapy for many inflammatory diseases, TNF-α inhibitors may contribute to serious adverse effects, including infection, heart failure, and hematologic and nervous system disorders1. Here we describe the first documented case, to our knowledge, of nephrotic syndrome with biopsy-proven membranous glomerulonephritis (GN) due to certolizumab in an individual with RA. A 63-year-old female with nodular, erosive, seropositive RA for over 15 years with suboptimal control with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) monotherapy and previous intolerance to methotrexate presented to the clinic for a second opinion. Her rheumatoid factor was 95 IU/ml and anti-citrullinated protein antibody was > 250. Given her active inflammatory disease with a 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) of 5.89, we began treatment with adalimumab (ADA). She responded well initially, but effectiveness waned over 12 months with intermittent discontinuation … Address correspondence to Dr. R. Butendieck, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA. E-mail: Butendieck.Ronald{at}mayo.edu
Long-Term Warming Alters Carbohydrate Degradation Potential in Temperate Forest Soils

ABSTRACT As Earth9s climate warms, soil carbon pools and the microbial communities that process them may change, altering the way in which carbon is recycled in soil. In this study, we used a combination of metagenomics and bacterial cultivation to evaluate the hypothesis that experimentally raising soil temperatures by 5°C for 5, 8, or 20 years increased the potential for temperate forest soil microbial communities to degrade carbohydrates. Warming decreased the proportion of carbohydrate-degrading genes in the organic horizon derived from eukaryotes and increased the fraction of genes in the mineral soil associated with Actinobacteria in all studies. Genes associated with carbohydrate degradation increased in the organic horizon after 5 years of warming but had decreased in the organic horizon after warming the soil continuously for 20 years. However, a greater proportion of the 295 bacteria from 6 phyla (10 classes, 14 orders, and 34 families) isolated from heated plots in the 20-year experiment were able to depolymerize cellulose and xylan than bacterial isolates from control soils. Together, these findings indicate that the enrichment of bacteria capable of degrading carbohydrates could be important for accelerated carbon cycling in a warmer world. IMPORTANCE The massive carbon stocks currently held in soils have been built up over millennia, and while numerous lines of evidence indicate that climate change will accelerate the processing of this carbon, it is unclear whether the genetic repertoire of the microbes responsible for this elevated activity will also change. In this study, we showed that bacteria isolated from plots subject to 20 years of 5°C of warming were more likely to depolymerize the plant polymers xylan and cellulose, but that carbohydrate degradation capacity is not uniformly enriched by warming treatment in the metagenomes of soil microbial communities. This study illustrates the utility of combining culture-dependent and culture-independent surveys of microbial communities to improve our understanding of the role changing microbial communities may play in soil carbon cycling under climate change.
Pediatric surgical readmissions: Are they truly preventable?

Abstract Background/purpose Reimbursement penalties for excess hospital readmissions have begun for the pediatric population. Therefore, research determining incidence and predictors is critical. Methods A retrospective review of University HealthSystem Consortium database (N=258 hospitals; 2,723,621 patients) for pediatric patients (age 0–17years) hospitalized from 9/2011 to 3/2015 was performed. Outcome measures were 7-, 14-, and 30-day readmission rates. Hospital and patient characteristics were evaluated to identify predictors of readmission. Results Readmission rates at 7, 14, and 30days were 2.1%, 3.1%, and 4.4%. For pediatric surgery patients (N=260,042), neither index hospitalization length of stay (LOS) nor presence of a complication predicted higher readmissions. Appendectomy was the most common procedure leading to readmission. Evaluating institutional data (N=5785), patients admitted for spine surgery, neurosurgery, transplant, or surgical oncology had higher readmission rates. Readmission diagnoses were most commonly infectious (37.2%) or for nausea/vomiting/dehydration (51.1%). Patients with chronic medical conditions comprised 55.8% of patients readmitted within 7days. 92.0% of patients requiring multiple rehospitalizations had comorbidities. Conclusions Readmission rates for pediatric patients are significantly lower than adults. Risk factors for adult readmissions do not predict pediatric readmissions. Readmission may be a misnomer for the pediatric surgical population, as most are related to chronic medical conditions and other nonmodifiable risk factors. Level of Evidence Level IV.
Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT)-3 Induces the Expression of Microrna-155 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Cells.

Abstract 2885 MicroRNAs (miRs) are involved in the initiation, progression and dissemination of CLL cells (Calin GA, Croce CM. Blood 114:4761, 2009). Recent studies showed that high levels of miR-155, previously shown to regulate hematopoietic cell development, are expressed in CLL cells. Because transgenic miR-155 overexpression in the mouse stimulates B-cell proliferation, it is thought that miR-155 plays a role in the pathogenesis of CLL (Calin GA et al. N Engl J Med 353:1793, 2005). STAT3 is constitutively activated in CLL and induces the transcription of several STAT3-regulated genes. A recent study demonstrated that STAT3 activates miR-21 and miR-181b-1 (Iliopolus D. et al. Mol Cell 39:493, 2010). Therefor we wondered whether STAT3 enhances the expression of miR-155 in CLL cells. Because a sequence analysis revealed that the promoter of miRNA-155 harbors γ-interferon activation sequence-like elements typically activated by STAT3, we sought to determine whether STAT3 directly activates miR-155 expression. We generated truncated constructs of the miR-155 promoter, co-transfected them into MM1 cells together with STAT3 small interfering (si) RNA (siRNA), and assessed their luciferase activity. The luciferase activity data suggested that of the two putative STAT3 binding sites only one site is involved in STAT3 induced transcription because STATR3-siRNA reduced the activity of miRNA-155 promoter of constructs that harbor this site. To confirm these data we performed an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immune-precipitation (ChIP). The EMSA confirmed that STAT3 bound the miR-155 promoter in fresh CLL cells, and ChIP confirmed that STAT3 bound one putative STAT3-binding site in the miR-155 promoter but not to the other, as demonstrated by the luciferase assay; STAT3 co-immuno-precipitated only one putative STAT3 binding region of miR-155 promoter and other STAT3-regulated genes. Finally, STAT3-small hairpin RNA (shRNA) downregulated miR-155 and other STAT3-regulated genes, suggesting that constitutively activated STAT3, binds miR-155 promoter and induces miR-155 transcription in CLL cells. Disclosures: Keating:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Xcenda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.
Should All Patients with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Other Than Good Risk Cytogenetics Receive Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in First Remission

Abstract There has been little improvement in the standard therapy of AML in the last two decades. Allogeneic HSCT remains the most effective curative therapy for patients with AML; however, risks associated with this therapy have limited its use for patients of advanced age or requiring alternate donors. Improvements in supportive care, donor selection and conditioning protocols have decreased the risk of transplant related mortality and allogeneic HSCT now appears as a feasible option for elderly patients. We reviewed the outcome of 99 patients with AML and MDS who received allogeneic HSCT in our center from 6/98 to 12/07. 85 patients were diagnosed with AML and 14 patients had MDS. 25 patients with AML (29%) had secondary AML including chemotherapy-related (6 patients) and progression from MDS or myeloproliferative disease (19 patients). Median age was 51 (20–72). Patients received allografts from related donors (n=56) and unrelated donors (URD) (n=43). All patients who received URD in first remission had poor prognostic features. 56 patients received myeloablative conditioning protocols (MA) whereas 43 patients were transplanted with reduced intensity protocols (RI) primarily due to age >55. Overall probabilities of 4-year and 8-year survival are 51% and 41% respectively. The median follow-up is 30 months for surviving patients. RI-group (Median age: 62 (37–72) had a similar 4-year survival with MA-group (50% and 54% respectively). 4-Year probability of survival in elderly patients (age>60) after RI-HSCT (n=27) is 48%. Patients who received an URD allograft and RI conditioning (n=21) had a similar survival to those receiving MA conditioning and URD graft (n=22) (4-year survival 52% and 54% respectively). As expected, AML patients in first complete remission (CR1) had better survival than patients who were in second or higher complete remission (CR2) (4-year survival; 53% vs 29%). We conclude that HSCT for AML and MDS from related or unrelated donors, with age and comorbidity-appropriate conditioning, results in a favorable outcome compared to historical experiences with standard therapy. Allogeneic HSCT should be tested in first remission for all patients with AML excluding younger patients with good risk features.
Modeling information exchange between living and artificial cells

Background The tools of synthetic biology have enabled researchers to explore multiple scientific phenomena by directly engineering signaling pathways within living cells and artificial protocells. Here, we explored the potential for engineered living cells themselves to assemble signaling pathways for non-living protocells. This analysis serves as a preliminary investigation into a potential origin of processes that may be utilized by complex living systems. Specifically, we suggest that if living cells can be engineered to direct the assembly of genetic signaling pathways from genetic biomaterials in their environment, then insight can be gained into how naturally occurring living systems might behave similarly.
DREAMer-Ally Competency and Self-Efficacy: Developing Higher Education Staff and Measuring Lasting Outcomes

DREAMzone is an educational intervention designed to increase higher education professionals’ competency and self-efficacy for working with undocumented students. Grounded in social learning theory, we developed the DREAMer-ally instrument to investigate the effects of DREAMzone on DREAMer-ally competency and self-efficacy. Findings support the notion that DREAMzone positively improves participants’ DREAMer-ally competency and self-efficacy. This study serves as one of the first to provide evidence supporting educational interventions aimed at improving undocumented students’ higher education experiences.
Symplectic structures on the integration of exact Courant algebroids

Abstract We construct an infinite-dimensional symplectic 2-groupoid as the integration of an exact Courant algebroid. We show that every integrable Dirac structure integrates to a “Lagrangian” sub-2-groupoid of this symplectic 2-groupoid. As a corollary, we recover a result of Bursztyn–Crainic–Weinstein–Zhu that every integrable Dirac structure integrates to a presymplectic groupoid.
Work Less to Become More Effective

As previously noted, burnout rates among physicians are soaring with both the prevalence and magnitude of burnout on the rise (Shanafelt et al., Mayo Clin Proc 90:1600–1613, 2015). Cited reasons already discussed for the decline in physician emotional well-being include increasing bureaucracy, loss of autonomy, electronic medical records, and ongoing radical changes in healthcare delivery. While these negative influences are not likely to depart anytime soon, one immediate change one can make to combat burnout is to work less. The evidence is overwhelming; long-term excessive work hours result in a substantial loss of productivity as well as exacting a toll on our health (Van der Hulst, Scand J Work Environ Health 29:171–188, 2003; Chapman, Econ J 19:353–373, 1909).
Thoracic Complications of Precision Cancer Therapies: A Practical Guide for Radiologists in the New Era of Cancer Care

Recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer have opened a new era of precision medicine for cancer treatment. Precision cancer therapies target specific molecules that are responsible for cancer development and progression, and they achieve marked treatment benefits in specific cohorts of patients. However, these therapies are also associated with a variety of complications that are often unique to specific groups of anticancer agents. The rapidly increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of various advanced malignancies has brought new challenges in diagnosing and monitoring a unique set of toxic effects termed immune-related adverse events. Familiarity with cutting-edge cancer treatment approaches and awareness of the emerging complications from novel therapies are essential for radiologists, who play a key role in the care of patients with cancer. This article provides a comprehensive review of the thoracic complications of precision cancer therapies, describes their imaging features and clinical characteristics, and discusses the role of radiologists in the diagnosis and monitoring of these entities. The authors also address the molecular mechanisms of anticancer agents that relate to thoracic complications and emphasize emerging challenges in novel cancer therapies. This article is designed to serve as a practical reference guide for day-to-day practice for radiologists in the era of precision cancer medicine. ©RSNA, 2017.
A review of prospective memory in individuals with acquired brain injury.

Objective: Prospective memory (PM) deficits have emerged as an important predictor of difficulty in daily life for individuals with acquired brain injury (BI). This review examines the variables th...
Growth and Crystallization Mechanism of Microcrystalline Silicon Films Produced by Reactive RF Sputtering

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon is a mixed-phase material consisting of submicron size silicon crystallites embedded into an amorphous matrix1. This new phase material has received increased attention because of its potential application in thin film devices2,3. Such material was first prepared by Veprek and his coworkers4–6 by hydrogen-plasma assisted silicon transport. In this method, the silicon charge, kept at relatively low temperatures, reacts with atomic hydrogen and forms volatile hydrides, which are transported and decomposed on a substrate, kept at higher temperatures. More recently hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon has been prepared by high power glow discharge decomposition of silane, diluted in hydrogen7,8 Material produced by these two methods has been investigated by a number of groups and models regarding the kinetics of growth have been proposed5,8. Limited progress has also been made in the deposition of such material by the method of sputtering3,9,10,11. However, the mechanism of thin film growth and crystallization has only been briefly addressed11.
How Do Social Networking Sites Users Become Loyal? A Social Exchange Perspective

Since its emergence as a new electronic communication media supported by Web 2.0, social media has become a popular means of communication among the public. Among different types of social media that depend on user-generated content (UGC), social networking sites (SNS) are becoming the best-known communication mode. While many researchers have examined significant factors affecting SNS users’ behaviors and their impact on SNS usage, the current research extends the traditional concept of IS loyalty and examines factors impacting SNS users’ creation of SNS loyalty through a lens of social exchange theory (SET) and satisfaction. A total of 291 college students participated in an empirical test. The findings indicate that SET has an effect on creation of loyalty in the context of Facebook, which is currently the most popular SNS. Implications of these findings and limitations of the research are discussed.
Nano-scale microstructure damage by neutron irradiations in a novel Boron-11 enriched TiB2 ultra-high temperature ceramic

Abstract Ultra-high temperature transition-metal ceramics are potential candidates for fusion reactor structural/plasma-facing components. We reveal the irradiation damage microstructural phenomena in Boron-11 enriched titanium diboride (TiB2) using mixed-spectrum neutron irradiations, combined with state-of-art characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM). Irradiations were performed using High Flux Isotope Reactor at ∼220 and 620 °C up to 2.4 × 1025 n.m−2 (E > 0.1 MeV). Total dose including contribution from residual Boron-10 (10B) transmutation recoils, was ∼4.2 displacements per atom. TiB2 is susceptible to irradiation damage in terms of dislocation loop formation, cavities and anisotropic lattice parameter swelling induced micro-cracking. At both 220 and 620 °C, TEM revealed dislocation loops on basal and prism planes, with nearly two orders of magnitude higher number density of prism-plane loops. HRTEM, electron diffraction and relrod imaging revealed additional defects on { 10 1 ¯ 0 } prism planes, identified as faulted dislocation loops. High defect cluster density on prism planes explains anisotropic a-lattice parameter swelling of TiB2 reported in literature which caused grain boundary micro-cracking, the extent of which decreased with increasing irradiation temperature. Dominance of irradiation-induced defect clusters on prism planes in TiB2 is different than typical hexagonal ceramics where dislocation loops predominantly form on basal planes causing c-lattice parameter swelling, thereby revealing a potential role of c/a ratio on defect formation/aggregation. Helium generation and temperature rise from residual 10B transmutation caused matrix and grain boundary cavities for the irradiation at 620 °C. The study additionally signifies isotopic enrichment as a viable approach to produce transition-metal diborides for potential nuclear structural applications.
Moral supervenience and distinctness: comments on Dreier

Jamie Dreier has argued that the supervenience of the moral on the non-moral requires explanation, and that attempts by the non-naturalist to provide it, or to sidestep the issue, have so far failed. These comments on Dreier first examine the notion of distinctness at work in the idea that non-natural properties are distinct from natural ones, pointing out that distinctness cannot be understood in modal terms if supervenience is to be respected. It then suggests that Dreier’s implicit commitment to the existence of infinite Boolean combinations of properties plays a significant role in the challenge to non-naturalism, and that the non-naturalist has some principled reasons for rejecting it. It also suggests that the real problem for non-naturalists isn’t explaining supervenience, but is rather the well-known problem of explaining our capacity to know anything about non-natural properties. That is, if the latter epistemological problem can be solved, the former metaphysical one might well disappear, at least as a distinctive problem for non-naturalist realists about morality.