cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Depletion of Endogenous Noradrenaline Does Not Prevent Spinal Cord Plasticity Following Peripheral Nerve Injury

Abstract The present study examined the role of endogenous noradrenaline on glial and neuronal plasticity in the spinal cord in rats after peripheral nerve injury. An intrathecal injection of dopamine-β-hydroxylase antibody conjugated to saporin (DβH-saporin) completely depleted noradrenergic axons in the spinal cord and also reduced noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (A6) and A5 noradrenergic nucleus in the brainstem and noradrenergic axons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. DβH-saporin treatment itself did not alter mechanical withdrawal threshold, but enhanced mechanical hypersensitivity and intrathecal clonidine analgesia after L5-L6 spinal nerve ligation. In the spinal dorsal horn of spinal nerve ligation rats, DβH-saporin treatment increased choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity as well as immunoreactivity in microglia of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1[IBA1] and in astrocytes of glial fibrillary acidic protein, and brain-derived nerve growth factor content. DβH-saporin treatment did not, however, alter the fractional release of acetylcholine from terminals by dexmedetomidine after nerve injury. These results suggest that endogenous tone of noradrenergic fibers is not necessary for the plasticity of α2-adrenoceptor analgesia and glial activation after nerve injury, but might play an inhibitory role on glial activation. Perspective This study demonstrates that endogenous noradrenaline modulates plasticity of glia and cholinergic neurons in the spinal cord after peripheral nerve injury and hence influences the pathophysiology of spinal cord changes associated with neuropathic pain.
T Lymphocyte Populations in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

There are reports that fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is associated with immune deficiency or DiGeorge syndrome. To investigate the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on the immune system, we used a mouse model of FAS in which C57BL/6J female mice were fed a complete liquid diet containing 25% ethanol-derived calories (EDC) from gestational day (g.d.) 1 to 18. Thymus cell numbers were markedly reduced in 18-day fetuses exposed to ethanol. Thymocytes from fetuses from the 25% EDC diet group and from pair-fed and ad-libitum control diet groups were compared by flow cytometry for expression of T cell differentiation antigens. The proportions of L3T4- and Lyt-2 positive thymus cells were significantly reduced in alcohol-exposed fetuses compared to controls; however, the number of Thy-1-positive cells did not differ among any of the groups. Six-day old neonates exposed prenatally to ethanol from g.d. 1 to 13 had thymus and spleen T cell populations similar to those of controls in almost all cases, indicating a "catch-up" of T cell numbers in most animals. Spleen T cell function, assessed by response to Concanavalin A (Con A), or Con A plus T cell growth factors, was somewhat depressed in ethanol-exposed 6-day pups.
Basic Education Reform in China

China's recent basic education reform followed and, in a certain way, imitated its economic reform. The economic reform merged the experimental dual (planned and market) price systems into a free market economy and yielded phenomenal success. Basic education reform, however, has not succeeded in transforming the introductory dual-track (key school and regular school) systems into a universal one. This article briefly examines the general process and outcomes of basic education reform. It discusses the following questions: Is basic education reform also a story of success? What significant lessons can the Chinese reform experience offer to other comparable developing countries?
Corporate diversification, vertical integration, and internal capital markets: A cross-country study

Abstract and Key Results ▪ In this paper I test the theory that internal capital markets are a motivation for both corporate diversification and vertical integration. I use a sample of 1560 firms from 39 countries. ▪ Using this data I also test theories about vertical integration and capital market development. I also test agency cost and taxation theories of diversification and vertical integration. ▪ I find a significant and negative relationship between corporate diversification and capital market development ▪ I find a significant and positive relationship between vertical integration and capital market development.
Pharmacogenetics/genomics and personalized medicine

Despite the marked advances in drug therapy, some patients do not respond favorably or suffer severe adverse drug effects. Pharmacogenetic studies have shown that polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters and receptors contribute to variable drug response. Owing to the complexity of drug actions, a broader genomics approach aims at finding new drug targets and optimizing therapy for the individual patient. However, pharmacogenomics has made only a few inroads into clinical practice to date. This review evaluates obstacles that need to be overcome. These include the complexity of mechanisms underlying drug response, given singly or in combination, uncertainty about the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and mental disorders and a lack of quantitative understanding of the scope of genetic variations, even for well-studied genes. By resolving these hurdles, pharmacogenomics will yield significant, but incremental, therapeutic advances paving the way towards personalized health care.
The operative stabilization of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures with flexible intramedullary nails

Abstract Flexible intramedullary fixation is an excellent technique for the stabilization of pediatric diaphyseal femurfractures when an indication for operative repair exists. They can be applied in an antegrade and a retrograde manner and can be used to stabilize fractures from the subtrochanteric region of the proximal femur to a point approximately 4 cm proximal to the distal femoral growth plate.
Rapid-prototyping of hardware and software in a unified framework

The authors present a CAD (computer-aided design) framework for design of application-specific systems that use a mix of dedicated hardware modules and software processes running on programmable hardware modules. Many application-specific systems are actually being designed using this framework. Some are using the entire top-down mixed hardware-software architecture template based methodology, whereas others are fruitfully employing just the board-level module generators and libraries for specific custom boards. The main contribution of this work is the handling of board-level module generation, system software generation, and hardware-software integration in a unified framework. The application area addressed is that of systems that interact with their environment in real-time; a robot control system and a speech recognition system are examples of such systems. >
Coordinated expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteinases and their inhibitors regulates mammary epithelial function during involution

Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in the maintenance of mammary epithelial differentiation in culture. We asked whether changes in mouse mammary specific function in vivo correlate with changes in the ECM. We showed, using expression of beta-casein as a marker, that the temporal expression of ECM-degrading proteinases and their inhibitors during lactation and involution are inversely related to functional differentiation. After a lactation period of 9 d, mammary epithelial cells maintained beta-casein expression up to 5 d of involution. Two metalloproteinases, 72-kD gelatinase (and its 62-kD active form), and stromelysin, and a serine proteinase tissue plasminogen activator were detected by day four of involution, and maintained expression until at least day 10. The expression of their inhibitors, the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, preceded the onset of ECM-degrading proteinase expression and was detected by day two of involution, and showed a sharp peak of expression centered on days 4-6 of involution. When involution was accelerated by decreasing lactation to 2 d, there was an accelerated loss of beta-casein expression evident by day four and a shift in expression of ECM-remodeling proteinases and inhibitors to a focus at 2-4 d of involution. To further extend the correlation between mammary-specific function and ECM remodeling we initiated involution by sealing just one gland in an otherwise hormonally sufficient lactating animal. Alveoli in the sealed gland contained casein for at least 7 d after sealing, and closely resembled those in a lactating gland. The relative expression of TIMP in the sealed gland increased, whereas the expression of stromelysin was much lower than that of a hormone-depleted involuting gland, indicating that the higher the ratio of TIMP to ECM-degrading proteinases the slower the process of involution. To test directly the functional role of ECM-degrading proteinases in the loss of tissue-specific function we artificially perturbed the ECM-degrading proteinase-inhibitor ratio in a normally involuting gland by maintaining high concentrations of TIMP protein with the use of surgically implanted slow-release pellets. In a concentration-dependent fashion, involuting mammary glands that received TIMP implants maintained high levels of casein and delayed alveolar regression. These data suggest that the balance of ECM-degrading proteinases and their inhibitors regulates the organization of the basement membrane and the tissue-specific function of the mammary gland.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The age and diversification of the angiosperms re-revisited

 Premise of the study : It has been 8 years since the last comprehensive analysis of divergence times across the angiosperms. Given recent methodological improvements in estimating divergence times, refi ned understanding of relationships among major angiosperm lineages, and the immense interest in using large angiosperm phylogenies to investigate questions in ecology and comparative biology, new estimates of the ages of the major clades are badly needed. Improved estimations of divergence times will concomitantly improve our understanding of both the evolutionary history of the angiosperms and the patterns and processes that have led to this highly diverse clade.  Methods : We simultaneously estimated the age of the angiosperms and the divergence times of key angiosperm lineages, using 36 calibration points for 567 taxa and a “ relaxed clock ” methodology that does not assume any correlation between rates, thus allowing for lineage-specifi c rate heterogeneity.  Key results : Based on the analysis for which we set fossils to fipriors, we obtained an estimated age of the angiosperms of 167 – 199 Ma and the following age estimates for major angiosperm clades: Mesangiospermae (139 – 156 Ma); Gunneridae (109 – 139 Ma); Rosidae (108 – 121 Ma); Asteridae (101 – 119 Ma).  Conclusions : With the exception of the age of the angiosperms themselves, these age estimates are generally younger than other recent molecular estimates and very close to dates inferred from the fossil record. We also provide dates for all major angiosperm clades (including 45 orders and 335 families [208 stem group age only, 127 both stem and crown group ages], sensu APG III). Our analyses provide a new comprehensive source of reference dates for major angiosperm clades that we hope will be of broad utility.
Behavioral and Physiological Resistance of the German Cockroach to Gel Baits (Blattodea: Blattellidae)

A gel bait-resistant German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), strain Cincy was collected in Cincinnati, OH. This strain exhibited a high level of behavioral resistance to Avert (0.05% abamectin) and Maxforce FC (0.01% fipronil) gel baits. Topical application assays indicated moderate levels of physiological resistance of the Cincy strain to abamectin and fipronil. Resistance ratios (based on LD50 values from topical applications) to abamectin and fipronil were 2.5 and 8.7, respectively. The Cincy strain of had a significantly lower LD50 value to abamectin than a nonaverse field strain (Dorie) and similar LD50 values to fipronil as the Dorie strain. The aversion behavior (avoidance of gel baits) was therefore caused by food ingredients in the gel baits. The Cincy strain showed avoidance of agar containing fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose, which are phagostimulants to the laboratory strain. Modifications of the inert ingredients in the Maxforce FC gel bait significantly improved the efficacy against the Cincy strain. The Cincy strain produced significantly smaller oothecae and lower numbers of eggs in each egg capsule than the nonaverse Jwax and Dorie strains of cockroaches, suggesting fitness costs are associated with resistance.
Inorganic Oxide Gels and Gel-Monoliths: Their Crystallization Behavior

The significance of kinetics in the ordering process in metal oxide gels and gel-monoliths during densification is discussed. Cry stallinity of TiO2 gels after different thermal treatments were examined by x-ray diffraction and electron diffraction techniques. The sequence of phase transformation was noncrystalline gel anatase + rutile. Crystallinity of gel powders and gel-monoliths of two compositions in the Na2O-Ba2O3-SiO2 system were examined after thermal treatment at different temperatures above the Tg. Results indicate that the crystallization rates are controlled by the composition and the catalytic activity of Na+ ions associated with hydroxy1 ions in rupturing the Si-O-Si bonds. Porous gel-monoliths are transformed into transparent monocrystalline glass by appropriate heat treatment just above Tg.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between the Heat Index and Arrivals in the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Heatwaves are one of the most deadly weather-related events in the United States and account for more deaths annually than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. However, there are few statistically rigorous studies of the effect of heatwaves on emergency department (ED) arrivals. A better understanding of this relationship can help hospitals plan better and provide better care for patients during these types of events. METHODS: A retrospective review of all ED patient arrivals that occurred from April 15 through August 15 for the years 2008 through 2013 was performed. Daily patient arrival data were combined with weather data (temperature and humidity) to examine the potential relationships between the heat index and ED arrivals as well as the length of time patients spend in the ED using generalized additive models. In particular the effect the 2012 heat wave that swept across the United States, and which was hypothesized to increase arrivals was examined. RESULTS: While there was no relationship found between the heat index and arrivals on a single day, a non-linear relationship was found between the mean three-day heat index and the number of daily arrivals. As the mean three-day heat index initially increased, the number of arrivals significantly declined. However, as the heat index continued to increase, the number of arrivals increased. It was estimated that there was approximately a 2% increase in arrivals when the mean heat index for three days approached 100°F. This relationship was strongest for adults aged 18-64, as well as for patients arriving with lower acuity. Additionally, a positive relationship was noted between the mean three-day heat index and the length of stay (LOS) for patients in the ED, but no relationship was found for the time from which a patient was first seen to when a disposition decision was made. No significant relationship was found for the effect of the 2012 heat wave on ED arrivals, though it did have an effect on patient LOS. CONCLUSION: A single hot day has only a limited effect on ED arrivals, but continued hot weather has a cumulative effect. When the heat index is high (~90°F) for a number of days in a row, this curtails peoples activities, but if the heat index is very hot (~100°F) this likely results in an exacerbation of underlying conditions as well as heat-related events that drives an increase in ED arrivals. Periods of high heat also affects the length of stay of patients either by complicating care or by making it more difficult to discharge patients. Language: en
Simulation of Kinematic Chains with MathematicaTM

This chapter analyzes a planar mechanism using the MathematicaTM software. For a complete rotation of the driver link AB , 0 ≤ ɸ ≤ 360°, an angle of ɸ = 60° is selected. To calculate the position analysis for a complete cycle, one can use the Mathematica TM command For [start, test, incr, body]. It executes start , repeatedly evaluates body and incr until test fails to give True . One of the position analysis methods uses constraint conditions for the mechanism for each quadrant. For the mechanism, there are several conditions for the position of the joint D. Another position analysis method for a complete rotation of the driver link uses constraint conditions for the initial value of the angle ɸ . For the mechanism, the correct position of the joint D is calculated using a simple function. The chapter also presents a Mathematica TM program for velocity and acceleration analysis using the contour equations.
Risk literacy in medical decision-making

Imagine that you have received a positive result on a routine cancer screening test. Follow-up biopsies were inconclusive, and the decision to treat aggressively or monitor conservatively is yours. Consider the following information: 0.1% of the population has a terminal version of this form of cancer, 99% of those people will appear positive on the test you have been administered, and 5% of those without terminal cancer will still have a benign condition that tests positive. Given your test result, what is the probability that you have terminal cancer and should treat it aggressively? When judging risks and trying to predict the future, how should you decide? We need to better understand the structure of risks and how the human mind creates representations of risk and probability.
INFLUENCE FUNCTION AND VARIANCE ESTIMATION

This paper studies the consistency of estimators of influence function and asymptotic variance of a statistic. The results obtained can be applied to several classes of commonly used statistics such as L-, M-, V-, R- and some test statistiof.
Data-Driven Methodology for Energy and Peak Load Reduction of Residential HVAC Systems☆

Abstract Residential buildings in the United States are responsible for the consumption of approximately 38% of electricity, and for much of the fluctuations in the power demands on the electric grid, particularly in hot climates. Residential Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are one of the largest electricity users of homes in these regions. “Smart” technologies, including electric grid-connected devices and home energy monitoring systems are increasingly available and installed in buildings, enabling new, data-driven methodologies for the operation of smarter, more sustainable building systems. This research investigates the use of residential energy use data and smart connected thermostat data to continuously monitor the health and performance of residential HVAC systems. Using field-collected HVAC energy consumption and performance data to develop a process-history based model, the results of this research suggest that the use of this methodology can save up to 6% of annual energy use of residential buildings.
I/O-aware bandwidth allocation for petascale computing systems

In the Big Data era, the gap between the storage performance and an application's I/O requirement is increasing. I/O congestion caused by concurrent storage accesses from multiple applications is inevitable and severely harms the performance. Conventional approaches either focus on optimizing an application's access pattern individually or handle I/O requests on a low-level storage layer without any knowledge from the upper-level applications. In this paper, we present a novel I/O-aware bandwidth allocation framework to coordinate ongoing I/O requests on petascale computing systems. The motivation behind this innovation is that the resource management system has a holistic view of both the system state and jobs' activities and can dynamically control the jobs' status or allocate resource on the fly during their execution. We treat a job's I/O requests as periodical sub-jobs within its lifecycle and transform the I/O congestion issue into a classical scheduling problem. Based on this model, we propose a bandwidth management mechanism as an extension to the existing scheduling system. We design several bandwidth allocation policies with different optimization objectives either on user-oriented metrics or system performance. We conduct extensive trace-based simulations using real job traces and I/O traces from a production IBM Blue Gene/Q system at Argonne National Laboratory. Experimental results demonstrate that our new design can improve job performance by more than 30%, as well as increasing system performance.
Optimal Management of Environmental Externalities with Time Lags and Uncertainty

Many environmental externalities occur with time lags that can range from a few days to several centuries in length, and many of these externalities are also subject to uncertainty. In this paper, we examine the key features of an optimal policy to manage environmental externalities that are both lagged and stochastic. We develop a two-period, two-polluter model and obtain closed-form solutions for optimal emissions levels under different combinations of damage functions and stochastic processes. These solutions show that it is not obvious whether greater control should be exerted on polluters that generate externalities with longer lags or on polluters that generate externalities with shorter lags. We find that the optimal ranking of polluters with respect to the length of the time lag associated with their externality will depend on (a) the discount rate, (b) conditional expectations of future states of the polluted resource, (c) persistence of the pollutant, and (d) initial conditions.
Simulator for evaluating shoulder motion as a command source for FES grasp restoration systems

A simulator has been developed to evaluate the command channels through which a quadriplegic patient controls an upper limb neural prosthesis. The simulator consists of an animated grasping task implemented on a video screen. The patient controls the motion of an animated hand on the screen by moving his or her own hand while the animated hand opens and closes under control of the tested command channel. Experiments were performed using both able-bodied and quadriplegic subjects to evaluate shoulder motion as a command-channel source. The results demonstrated that optimal combinations of shoulder command-channel parameters are subject specific, which suggests using the simulator in the prescription of upper limb neural prostheses and in training quadriplegic persons who use them. Additionally, the experimental results quantified the reduction in performance that came from using ipsilateral vs contralateral shoulder control and the enhancement in performance realized when using substitute sensory force-feedback displays.
Quantifying changes of effective springshed area and net recharge through recession analysis of spring flow

The average flow of Silver Springs, one of the largest magnitude springs in Central Florida, declined 32% from 2000 to 2012. The average groundwater head in the springshed declined 0.14 m, and the spring pool altitude increased 0.24 m during the same period. This paper presents a novel explanation of the spring flow recession curve for Silver Springs using the Torricelli model, which uses the groundwater head at a sentinel well, the spring pool altitude and the net recharge to groundwater. The effective springshed area and net recharge (defined as recharge minus groundwater pumping and evapotranspiration) were estimated based on the observed recession slopes for spring flow, groundwater head and spring pool altitude. The results indicate that the effective springshed area continuously declined since 1989 and the net recharge declined since the 1970s with a significant drop in 2002. Subsequent to 2002, the net recharge increased modestly but not to the levels prior to the 1990s. The reduction in net recharge was caused by changes in hydroclimatic conditions including precipitation and air temperature, along with groundwater withdrawals, which contributed to the declined spring flow. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design and Verification of Novel Low-Cost MR-Guided Small-Animal Stereotactic System

Stereotactic systems have been used for decades to position surgical instruments in important preclinical and clinical studies. We developed and verified a low-cost magnetic-resonance-guided system for accurate preclinical stereotactic operations on small animals. The system consists of both commercially available and custom components, including in-house software written in MATLAB to register coordinate spaces. The software registers target the image-space coordinates from magnetic resonance imaging to the physical space through a rigid-body transform. The transform uses singular value decomposition to determine rotation and translation matrices that are optimal in a least squares sense. Needle positioning and core biopsy studies were performed to verify the accuracy of the system. The needle positioning study demonstrated a sub-millimeter positioning error of 0.294 ± 0.156 mm while using a 26 s gauge Hamilton needle. Biopsy studies demonstrated >94 % success in accessing sub-millimeter stereotactic targets embedded in agarose gel phantoms. These favorable results confirm that despite its relatively low hardware cost (US$18,730) and easy assembly, the system is able to consistently access stereotactic targets on the spatial scale of a small animal.
A Primer of Mathematica

Commands in Mathematica are given in natural language form such as “Solve” or “Simplify.” The format of a command is the word starting with a capital letter and enclosing the argument in square brackets. The calculator level of Mathematica comes in the form of Palettes, which are very handy tools. Palettes are found under the File menu and there are several of them. If one wants to use a trigonometric function, for example, one can either type in its name or go to the Basic Calculations menu and then to the Trigonometric and Exponential Functions. Mathematica has a huge number of built-in functions from the mundane to the exotic, but one can work with them more or less in the same way. Table, plot, map, and plot 3D are the four most useful commands because they do so much with so little. In contrast to a procedural language, in which one would have to write a looping structure to evaluate a function at several different values or for a range of values, Table hides all this from the user and provides just the vector of output values. Plot does the same thing, except that one sees the graph of the function's values rather than the values themselves. The output of a function is a List, that is, a vector. One can combine a set of values, such as the set of dependent values, with a set of independent variable values into a matrix.
Enhanced mechanical, thermal and antimicrobial properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide/starch/silver nanocomposites films

In the present work, synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide/starch/silver (PVA/GO/Starch/Ag) nanocomposites films is reported. Such films have been characterized and investigated for their mechanical, thermal and antimicrobial properties. The exfoliation of GO in the PVA matrix occurs owing to the non-covalent interactions of the polymer chains of PVA and hydrophilic surface of the GO layers. Presence of GO in PVA and PVA/starch blends were found to enhance the tensile strength of the nanocomposites system. It was found that the thermal stability of PVA as well as PVA/starch blend systems increased by the incorporation of GO where strong physical bonding between GO layers and PVA/starch blends is assumed to cause thermal barrier effects. Antimicrobial properties of the prepared films were investigated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our results show enhanced antimicrobial properties of the prepared films where PVA-GO, PVA-Ag, PVA-GO-Ag and PVA-GO-Ag-Starch showed antimicrobial activity in ascending order.
Fully Automated Portable Comprehensive 2-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Device.

We developed a fully automated portable 2-dimensional (2-D) gas chromatography (GC x GC) device, which had a dimension of 60 cm × 50 cm × 10 cm and weight less than 5 kg. The device incorporated a micropreconcentrator/injector, commercial columns, micro-Deans switches, microthermal injectors, microphotoionization detectors, data acquisition cards, and power supplies, as well as computer control and user interface. It employed multiple channels (4 channels) in the second dimension (2D) to increase the 2D separation time (up to 32 s) and hence 2D peak capacity. In addition, a nondestructive flow-through vapor detector was installed at the end of the 1D column to monitor the eluent from 1D and assist in reconstructing 1D elution peaks. With the information obtained jointly from the 1D and 2D detectors, 1D elution peaks could be reconstructed with significantly improved 1D resolution. In this Article, we first discuss the details of the system operating principle and the algorithm to reconstruct 1D elution pe...
Decreased Hospital Costs and Surgical Site Infection Incidence With a Universal Decolonization Protocol in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus colonization has been identified as a key modifiable risk factor in the reduction of surgical site infections (SSI) related to elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA). We investigated the incidence of SSIs and cost-effectiveness of a universal decolonization protocol without screening consisting of nasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine before elective TJA compared to a program in which all subjects were screened for S aureus and selectively treated if positive. Methods We reviewed 4186 primary TJAs from March 2011 through July 2015. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on the decolonization regimen used. Before May 2013, 1981 TJA patients were treated under a "screen and treat" program while the subsequent 2205 patients were treated under the universal protocol. We excluded the 3 months around the transition to control for treatment bias. Outcomes of interest included SSI and total hospital costs. Results With a universal decolonization protocol, there was a significant decrease in both the overall SSI rate (5 vs 15 cases; 0.2% vs 0.8%; P = .013) and SSIs caused by S aureus organisms (2 vs 10; 0.09% vs 0.5%; P = .01). A cost analysis accounting for the cost to administer the universal regimen demonstrated an actual savings of $717,205.59. TJA complicated by SSI costs 4.6× more to treat than that of an uncomplicated primary TJA. Conclusion Our universal decolonization paradigm for elective TJA is effective in reducing the overall rate of SSIs and promoting economic gains for the health system related to the downstream savings accrued from limiting future reoperations and hospitalizations.
Sam68/KHDRBS1-dependent NF-κB activation confers radioprotection to the colon epithelium in γ-irradiated mice

Previously we reported that Src-associated-substrate-during-mitosis-of-68kDa (Sam68/KHDRBS1) is pivotal for DNA damage-stimulated NF-κB transactivation of anti-apoptotic genes (Fu et al., 2016). Here we show that Sam68 is critical for genotoxic stress-induced NF-κB activation in the γ-irradiated colon and animal and that Sam68-dependent NF-κB activation provides radioprotection to colon epithelium in vivo. Sam68 deletion diminishes γ-irradiation-triggered PAR synthesis and NF-κB activation in colon epithelial cells (CECs), thus hampering the expression of anti-apoptotic molecules in situ and facilitating CECs to undergo apoptosis in mice post whole-body γ-irradiation (WBIR). Sam68 knockout mice suffer more severe damage in the colon and succumb more rapidly from acute radiotoxicity than the control mice following WBIR. Our results underscore the critical role of Sam68 in orchestrating genotoxic stress-initiated NF-κB activation signaling in the colon tissue and whole animal and reveal the pathophysiological relevance of Sam68-dependent NF-κB activation in colonic cell survival and recovery from extrinsic DNA damage.
Meta-Skills in Information Systems Education

Information technology has a major impact on almost every area of the current environment, and it is expected to have even greater impact in the future. Therefore, it is important to teach students content related to the component technologies, and the soft skills necessary to work with them in organizations. However, the rapid rate of change makes information technology fundamentally different from many other fields of study. New knowledge is continually being added, while much of the existing knowledge is becoming obsolete. Therefore, it is also necessary to specifically teach students meta-skills that will enable them to keep themselves up to date in this field after they complete their formal education. This paper identifies four meta-skills: technology scanning, technology evaluation, technology assimilation, and debugging. It also describes a series of information systems course assignments designed to develop these meta-skills, and provides 11 specific heuristics for technology evaluation.
Validation of a new device to quantify groundwater-surface water exchange.

Distributions of flow across the groundwater-surface water interface should be expected to be as complex as the geologic deposits associated with stream or lake beds and their underlying aquifers. In these environments, the conventional Darcy-based method of characterizing flow systems (near streams) has significant limitations, including reliance on parameters with high uncertainties (e.g., hydraulic conductivity), the common use of drilled wells in the case of streambank investigations, and potentially lengthy measurement times for aquifer characterization and water level measurements. Less logistically demanding tools for quantifying exchanges across streambeds have been developed and include drive-point mini-piezometers, seepage meters, and temperature profiling tools. This project adds to that toolbox by introducing the Streambed Point Velocity Probe (SBPVP), a reusable tool designed to quantify groundwater-surface water interactions (GWSWI) at the interface with high density sampling, which can effectively, rapidly, and accurately complement conventional methods. The SBPVP is a direct push device that measures in situ water velocities at the GWSWI with a small-scale tracer test on the probe surface. Tracer tests do not rely on hydraulic conductivity or gradient information, nor do they require long equilibration times. Laboratory testing indicated that the SBPVP has an average accuracy of ±3% and an average precision of ±2%. Preliminary field testing, conducted in the Grindsted A in Jutland, Denmark, yielded promising agreement between groundwater fluxes determined by conventional methods and those estimated from the SBPVP tests executed at similar scales. These results suggest the SBPVP is a viable tool to quantify groundwater-surface water interactions in high definition in sandy streambeds.
Mycobacterial Infections in Primary Immunodeficiency Patients

Primary immunodeficiencies (PID) are a diverse group of hereditary diseases leading to the impaired immune response that creates high susceptibility to mycobacterium infection. High susceptibility to mycobacterial infections of patients suffering from defects of phagocytosis and combined immunodeficiencies can be explained by predominant participation of macrophages and T lymphocytes in the specific immune response. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, and non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM) may cause a severe disease in patients with PIDs. We report here our results of the clinical features of mycobacterium infection presentations in 36 patients with various PIDs.
GRM1 to induce M-CSF and CCL2 expression to lead to an upregulation of M2 macrophages in melanoma.

122Background: GRM1 transgenic mice in an immune competent background (C57BL6) develope melanoma with 100% penetrance (TG-3 mice). Ectopic expression of GRM1 in immortalized mouse melanocytes (Mela...
Electrostatic Screening Modulates Analyte Binding and Emission of Carbon Nanotubes

Many nanomaterials are promising biosensor elements due to capabilities for transduction of biomolecular interactions into an electrical or optical signal. Certain nanomaterials have intrinsic charges and are thus susceptible to electrostatic forces that may enhance or attenuate their response. Here, using a combination of experimental and computational approaches, we found and characterized a critical role of the solvent salt conditions in determining the extent of optical changes due to anionic analyte interaction with an intrinsically responsive nanomaterial, single-walled carbon nanotubes. Using a well-characterized model anionic analyte, we found that monovalent salts enabled greater optical changes of a polyanion-bound carbon nanotube in a highly dose-dependent manner but not with a neutrally charged analyte. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to derive a quantitative understanding of this mechanism from a free-energy perspective. We also show that salt can be used to enhance the sensitivity o...
Activity Simulation for Experiential Learning in Cybersecurity Workforce Development

A significant challenge to maintaining security within an organization is the training of a non-technical workforce to respond appropriately to cybersecurity threats. This work describes an online environment that utilizes experiential learning to give non-technical workers an increased exposure to issues in cybersecurity. We present a simulation-based approach that provides a better understanding of specific cybersecurity threats through experiential learning. The presented interface uses simulations of cybersecurity threats to provide concrete experiences rather than descriptions. While moving through the simulation, the user can attempt multiple actions and is provided with an “awareness” measure. For each, the system provides continuous feedback to allow active experimentation. After each threat has been exposed, the environment provides a narrative of the user’s actions with suggested improvements to allow for reflective observation. This work includes a user study of the interface, shows the results of usability testing, and evaluates the effectiveness of the training through simulation.
5-HT1a Receptor Involvement in Temporal Memory and the Response to Temporal Ambiguity

It has previously been demonstrated that rats trained on the peak-interval procedure to associate two different cues with two different fixed interval schedules will generate a scalar peak function at an intermediate time when presented with the compound cue. This response pattern has been interpreted as resulting from the simultaneous retrieval of different temporal memories, and a consequential averaging process to resolve the ambiguity. In the present set of studies, we investigated the role that serotonin 1a receptors play in this process. In Experiment 1, rats were trained on a peak-interval procedure to associate the interoceptive states induced by saline and the 5-HT1a agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, with a 5 s or 20 s fixed-interval schedule signaled by the same tone cue (counter-balanced). While peak functions following administration of saline were centered at the appropriate time (5 s or 20 s), peak functions following administration of the agonist were centered around 7 s, irrespective of the reinforced time during training, suggesting agonist-induced disruption in selective temporal memory retrieval, resulting in increased ambiguity regarding the appropriate time at which to respond. In Experiment 2, rats were trained in a peak-interval procedure to associate a tone cue with a 10 s fixed interval and a light cue with a 20 s fixed interval. Administration of the 5-HT1a antagonist, WAY-100635, had no impact on timing when single cues were presented, but altered the intermediate, scalar, response to the stimulus compound, suggesting antagonist-induced disruption in the processes used to deal with temporal memory ambiguity. Together, these data suggest that manipulations of 5HT transmission at the 5-HT1a receptor cause changes in the temporal pattern of responding that are consistent with alterations in temporal memory processes and responses to temporal ambiguity.
Framework for a performance-based analysis of fires following earthquakes

Abstract Most current structural fire codes focus on achieving prescribed fire ratings, which are based on standard fire tests with minor relevance to what is required for fire safety. These prescriptive design approaches do not provide sufficient information regarding the performance of structural members or systems under elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the limited structural design provisions provide no indication of the level of reliability of structures since comprehensive treatment of the uncertainties associated with the hazard is not considered. It is therefore imperative to move towards performance-based engineering not only to quantify structural reliability for given performance objectives but also to ensure more economic and safe design. This paper provides details on the development of a new analysis framework for probabilistic performance-based analysis of a fire following an earthquake. The framework is then utilized to develop fragilities of steel structural members and systems subjected to cascading hazards of earthquake and fire while considering buckling of columns as the damage limit state. Uncertainties associated with fire hazard, passive fire protection, gravity load, and earthquake intensity are accounted for in the framework. The proposed performance-based approach for the analysis of a fire following an earthquake can be considered an extension of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) performance-based earthquake engineering framework and used by engineers to assess structural performance under the multiple hazards.
Sirtuins and Immuno-Metabolism of Sepsis

Sepsis and septic shock are the leading causes of death in non-coronary intensive care units worldwide. During sepsis-associated immune dysfunction, the early/hyper-inflammatory phase transitions to a late/hypo-inflammatory phase as sepsis progresses. The majority of sepsis-related deaths occur during the hypo-inflammatory phase. There are no phase-specific therapies currently available for clinical use in sepsis. Metabolic rewiring directs the transition from hyper-inflammatory to hypo-inflammatory immune responses to protect homeostasis during sepsis inflammation, but the mechanisms underlying this immuno-metabolic network are unclear. Here, we review the roles of NAD+ sensing Sirtuin (SIRT) family members in controlling immunometabolic rewiring during the acute systemic inflammatory response associated with sepsis. We discuss individual contributions among family members SIRT 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 in regulating the metabolic switch between carbohydrate-fueled hyper-inflammation to lipid-fueled hypo-inflammation. We further highlight the role of SIRT1 and SIRT2 as potential “druggable” targets for promoting immunometabolic homeostasis and increasing sepsis survival.
Increasing Naloxone Access and Use to Prevent Opioid Overdose Death and Disability.

In 2018, the Surgeon General released a public health advisory emphasizing the importance of naloxone in preventing opioid overdose deaths. Legislation is rapidly changing to simplify the process o...
Thermonuclear ignition and the onset of propagating burn in inertial fusion implosions.

Separating ignition of the central hot spot from propagating burn in the surrounding dense fuel is crucial to conclusively assess the achievement of ignition in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). We show that the transition from hot spot ignition to the onset of propagating burn occurs when the alpha heating within the hot spot has amplified the fusion yield by $15\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ to $25\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ with respect to the compression-only case without alpha energy deposition. This yield amplification corresponds to a value of the fractional alpha energy ${f}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}\ensuremath{\approx}1.4$ (${f}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}=0.5$ alpha energy/hot spot energy). The parameter ${f}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ can be inferred in ICF experiments by measuring the neutron yield, hot spot size, temperature, and burn width. This ignition threshold is measurable and applicable to all ICF implosions of deuterium and tritium targets both direct and indirect drive. The results of this Rapid Communication can be used to set the goals of the ICF effort with respect to the first demonstration of thermonuclear ignition.
Frequent changing and rinsing of drinking water buckets improved performance of hutch-reared Holstein calves

There is often great variation in the cleanliness of drinking water provided to hutch-raised calves. Due to the relationship between dry matter intake and water intake, low water quality in the calf hutch could reduce feed intake and daily gain, and possibly affect health status of the calves. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of hutch-reared calves when drinking water containers were changed/rinsed with decreasing frequency. For three consecutive years, 24 Holstein bull calves (2-7 days of age) were purchased each year from a single commercial dairy. Calves were purchased in four sets of six calves each in September, December, March and June of each year. Calves remained in the hutches for 60 days, receiving milk replacer twice daily. A concentrate mix was available at all times. Of the six calves in each set, two had their drinking water buckets rinsed daily, two were rinsed at 7-day intervals and two at 14-day intervals. Average daily gain (ADG) of calves was measured during the 60-day period while in hutches, and through a subsequent 100 to 110-day post-weaning feeding period. The frequency of changing/rinsing drinking water buckets affected ADG of calves while in the hutches: daily, 1.55 lb (0.70 kg)/day; 7-day, 1.48 lb (0.67 kg)/day; 14-day, 1.40 lb (0.64 kg)/day. All means were different (P 0.05). When drinking water buckets were changed/rinsed at 14-day intervals, calves required 1.75 medical treatments, an increase of 40%. Calves on the 14-day regimen were 2.48 (95% CI: range 1.32 to 4.68) times more likely (P<0.01) to receive more than one treatment, compared to calves on daily and 7-day changing/rinsing regimens. Thus, a seemingly minor management practice such as frequency of changing/rinsing drinking water buckets in calf hutches can have an impact on calf performance and health.