cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An AlN/Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 N high electron mobility transistor with a regrown ohmic contact

The performance and efficiency of power devices depends on both high breakdown voltage and low on-state resistance. For semiconductor devices, the critical electric field (E C ) affecting breakdown scales approximately as E g 25 [1], making the wide bandgap semiconductor materials logical candidates for high voltage power electronics devices. In particular, AlGaN alloys approaching AlN with its 6.2 eV bandgap have an estimated E C approaching 5x that of GaN. This factor makes AlN/AlGaN high election mobility transistors (HEMTs) extremely interesting as candidate power electronic devices. Until now, such devices have been hampered, ostensibly due to the difficulty of making Ohmic contacts to AlGaN alloys with high Al composition. With the use of an AlN barrier etch and regrowth procedure for Ohmic contact formation, we are now able to report on an AlN/AlGaN HEMT with 85% Al.
Getting the GIST: a pictorial review of the various patterns of presentation of gastrointestinal stromal tumors on imaging

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, are a relatively recently described entity. Most exhibit a mutated tyrosine kinase receptor gene and in some capacity are treated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. GISTs can occur across the age spectrum but are more common in patients older than 40 years. They exhibit a wide range of clinical presentations and imaging characteristics. All patterns of enhancement on contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) can be seen with GISTs, including hypoenhancing, isoenhancing, and hyperenhancing tumors. They can be large or small, endoluminal or exophytic. Clinical presentations include asymptomatic patients, nonspecific symptoms, obstruction, and bleeding. Bleeding can take the form of slow, intraluminal GI bleeding or massive intraperitoneal bleeding secondary to rupture and can be seen regardless of the enhancement pattern. Some can cavitate, ulcerate, rupture or cause fistulae. The radiologist's knowledge of the variety of combinations of presentations can narrow the differential diagnosis and ultimately lead to faster diagnosis and treatment.
Pathology of BRCA Tumors

Hereditary or familial breast cancer is defined as breast cancers affecting several family members and involving different generations. An estimated 5% of all breast cancers are associated with a germline mutation in the high-penetrance genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 located in chromosomes 17q21 and 13q12.3, respectively. BRCA-mutated cancers are more frequently seen in women younger than age 40. In addition to breast cancer, BRCA1 is associated with ovarian cancer. BRCA1 breast-associated tumors are mostly invasive ductal carcinomas, and they tend to be of high grade, with high proliferative rates, and pushing borders. By immunohistochemistry, they tend to be triple-negative (estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor, and Her2neu-negative) and p53-positive and express basal markers (CK5/6, CK14, EGFR, caveolin-1, vimentin, laminin, p-cadherin, etc.). There is a high incidence of medullary carcinomas among young patients with BRCA1 cancers. BRCA2-associated tumors are mostly invasive ductal carcinomas not otherwise specified (NOS) or no special type (NST), moderate to high grade, with pushing borders. The immunophenotype of BRCA2 tumors is similar to sporadic breast cancers and are frequently estrogen receptor alpha and progesterone receptor-positive as well as negative for Her2neu. An increase incidence of lobular carcinoma, including pleomorphic lobular carcinoma, has been reported in BRCA2 carriers. BRCA2 tumors express luminal markers (CK8, CK18) and do not express the basal markers seen in BRCA1 cancers. BRCA2 carriers are also at risk of prostate, pancreatic, ovarian, and fallopian tube cancers and melanoma. Hereditary but non-BRCA1/2-mutated breast cancers have some similarities to BRCA2 cancers. Other high-risk genes associated with hereditary breast cancer include PTEN, TP53, STK1/LKB1, CDH1, CHEK2, ATM, NBS1, RAD50, BRIP1, and PALB2. There is little information on these genes and will be only mentioned briefly. Most of these genes confer a low risk. Li-Fraumeni syndrome (TP53 gene) and Cowden’s syndrome (PTEN gene) are associated with a high risk of breast cancer; they however account for a very small number of breast cancers. Most of the hereditary breast cancers are associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Multicomponent Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of trans-Aziridines

A multicomponent trans-aziridination of aldehydes, amines, and diazo compounds with BOROX catalysts is developed. The optimal protocol is slightly different for aryl aldehydes than for aliphatic aldehydes. The key to the success with aryl aldehydes was allowing the catalyst, aldehyde, and amine to react for 20 min before addition of the diazo compound. A variety of 11 different electron-poor and electron-rich aryl aldehydes were screened to give trans-aziridines in 73–90% yield with 82–99% ee and trans/cis selectivities of 19:1 to >99:1. The optimal protocol for the trans-aziridination of aliphatic aldehydes did not require prereaction of the catalyst, aldehyde, and amine, and instead, the diazo compound could be added directly. The scope of the reaction is limited to unbranched aliphatic aldehydes and was tolerant of a number of functional groups including ethers, esters, epoxides, carbamates, and phthalimides. A total of 10 aliphatic aldehydes were examined and found to give trans-aziridines in 60–88% y...
Palladium(II) acetate catalyzed acylative cleavage of cyclic and acyclic ethers under neat conditions

Abstract During the development of a palladium catalyzed C–H activation cross-coupling reaction involving acyl halides, it was noted that palladium(II) acetate catalyzes the acylative cleavage of tetrahydrofuran (used as a solvent) at room temperature to afford the corresponding 4-chlorobutyl ester derivative. After optimization, the reaction was shown to work well with epoxides, oxetane and tetrahydrofuran, but only barely with oxanes at room temperature. Acyclic ethers systematically failed to react under similar conditions, but underwent complete conversion in a microwave reactor at 100 °C.
A Definition of Justice Explained and Defended

Having, I hope, found some evidence for a definition of justice both in the actual administration of justice and in the gross facts of injustice, I turn next to a statement of my definition of justice; but first we must understand it in its most general sense. Justice as such is the demand for order: everything in its proper place or relation. It is the material analogue of the logical principle of identity.1 In a certain sense then, the demand for order is a demand for unity, the proper fitting of parts in the whole.2 But order quite simply means a one-to-one correspondence with the positive integers, and so it must be evident that what I am talking about here is no simple order. Justice would of course be impossible without social order, and the maintenance of social order rests upon social laws.3 Thanks to the existence of law-enforcement machinery, the state intervenes directly when laws are broken (Criminal Law) or stands ready to intervene indirectly when appealed to (Civil Law). It is the laws which organize society and so make of society a state, though statehood rests not just on a collection of laws but on a system of laws.4 Justice, then will be concerned with a system of laws.5
Genome-based deletion analysis in Aspergillus terreus reveals the acetylaranotin bis-thiomethyltransferase gene.

Abstract Acetylaranotin is an epipolythiodiketopiperazine (ETP) secondary metabolite with a broad range of bioactivities. We demonstrated that ATEG_01465.1 located outside of acetylaranotin gene cluster is responsible for catalyzing the S-methylation of its biosynthetic pathway. Combining the previous characterization of acetylaranotin biosynthetic gene cluster together with the identification of its S-methyltransferase provides a means to obtain second-generation acetylaranotin derivatives previously inaccessible. By permutations of targeted deletions of ATEG_01465.1, acetyltransferase (AtaH), and benzoate hydroxylase (AtaY), three novel acetylaranotin derivatives were produced by Aspergillus terreus.
Ion Channels in Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling.

Abstract How a single fertilized egg develops into a complex multicellular organism is one of the great mysteries of life. Developmental biology textbooks describe cascades of ligands, receptors, k...
Storming the Castle with TCP.

In this issue of Blood, Zhang et al report on the treatment of newly diagnosed idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) with the combination of oral thalidomide, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone (TCP), providing an alternative to anti–interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), especially when these are not readily available.1
Stochastic Volatility and Correction to the Heat Equation

From a probabilist’s point of view the Twentieth Century has been a century of Brownian motion with major inputs from — and applications to — Economics and Physics starting with Bachelier’s thesis in 1900 and Einstein’s work in 1905. There has been a tremendous and rapidly increasing number of mathematical works on the Brownian motion and its many applications during the century, starting with Wiener’s construction in 1923 and followed by the development of the stochastic calculus. It is only during the Sixties and early Seventies that it became an essential modelling tool in Economics with the works of Samuelson, Merton and the famous Black-Scholes formula for pricing options. The need for more complicated nonconstant volatility models in financial mathematics has been the motivation of numerous works during the Nineties. In particular a lot of attention has been paid to stochastic volatility models where the volatility is randomly fluctuating driven by an additional Brownian motion. The authors of this paper have shown that in presence of separation of time scales, between the main observed process and the volatility driving process, asymptotic methods are very efficient in capturing the effects of random volatility in simple universal corrections to constant volatility models. From the point of view of partial differential equations this method corresponds to a singular perturbation analysis. The aim of this paper is to recast this approach in the context of the heat equation and to propose a universal correction to its solution. This is an attempt to show that financial mathematics may also contribute to new ideas in Physics.
The biggest failure of my career: what happened, what we did about it, and how we won't do it again

In 2017 the Research Computing team at University of Colorado Boulder began the process of refreshing the PetaLibrary, a campus-wide research and academic data storage service. Updates were motivated by aging hardware, the impending end of upstream support, and a hope to improve the service with lessons learned.We selected a supplier with a seemingly well-architected proposal; but problems experienced during deployment and testing increased our workload beyond expectations. We were required to operate the legacy infrastructure longer than expected, leading to stress within the team. Finally, inadequate planning and risk mitigation led to an over-reliance on project success and a reticence to enforce requirements and deadlines.The project began to see success through more open communication and by making adequate allowances for partial project failure. We found it necessary to take a more active role in the project's success, including the removal of components that were unable to meet acceptability requirements. This, coupled with strong contracting, allowed us to amend the solution and avoid total project failure. The amended solution also matches our institutional priorities of openness and flexibility more closely than the original design.From this experience we have learned to perform large and complex migrations in discrete stages; to decouple legacy decommissioning timelines from deployment timelines; to insist on and provide adequate time for hands-on evaluation of new components; to maintain architectural authority and responsibility; and at all times to assess risk frankly and communicate openly.
Impact of Renal Dysfunction on Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Background Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used as a bridge to transplant or destination therapy. Renal dysfunction often precludes patients from single organ heart transplantation. However, the effect of preoperative renal dysfunction on LVAD outcomes is often debated, with limited literature available. Hypothesis Patients with preoperative chronic kidney disease undergoing LVAD implantation have worse periprocedural outcomes. Methods All hospitalizations of patients with systolic heart failure with index LVAD implantation (ICD-9 procedure code 37.66) were identified from the 2008-2014 National Inpatient Sample. Patients were stratified based on whether they had preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD stage 1-4) (diagnosis codes 585.X) or normal renal function. Outcomes including in-hospital mortality, LOS, cost of care, and postoperative complications were analyzed. Trends over time were determined using the Cochran Armitage and Cuzick tests. Multivariate models were constructed with logistic and linear regression (gamma function) using the discharge weights provided under NIS guidelines. These models were adjusted for age and comorbidities including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, and family history of myocardial infarction. Results In the 880 hospitalizations involving pre-op CKD and 2209 without CKD, no statistically significant differences were noted in in-hospital mortality, LOS or total charges (p>0.05) after adjusting for age and comorbidities. No significant trends were noted over the study period for in-hospital mortality, LOS, and cost for the two groups (p>0.05). Average cost of hospitalization was $852,745 and average LOS was 37 days. Patients with CKD tended to be older (58.6 vs. 54.0 years) with a higher proportion of males (84% vs. 74%) and included more patients of African American race (29% vs. 21%). Patients with CKD also had a higher proportion of Medicare patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative atrial fibrillation or stroke, or the post-procedural need for dialysis catheters or hemodialysis. Conclusions CKD (Stage 1-4) did not have a significant impact on index LVAD implant hospitalization in terms of inpatient mortality, LOS, total charges, and postoperative complications.
Elevated Colonic Mucin Expression Correlates with Extended Time to Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis Patients.

Background and aims Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development and persistence of ulcerative colitis (UC). As supported by differential responses to therapy, multiple subclasses of disease likely comprise UC. We reasoned that profiling the colonic transcriptomes may offer one approach to molecular subtype UC. Methods We conducted RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) on full-thickness colonic tissues from 26 UC patients undergoing colectomy. Hierarchal clustering from transcriptomic data identified disease subsets. Subsets were characterized using differential gene expression analysis, cell type deconvolution, and network analysis. Results We identified two UC subsets that were distinguished by 957 differentially expressed genes. Cluster 1 was enriched in genes associated with intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) differentiation, while cluster 2 was enriched in genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inflammatory responses. Cluster 1 was associated with an extended time from diagnosis to colectomy [hazard ratio = 0.45 (95% CI: 0.14-0.88); p=0.03]. Of cluster 1 genes, elevated MUC5B, MUC4, and MUC2 expression displayed the strongest correlation with increased time to surgery [hazard ratio = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.11-0.61); p=0.0044]. Conclusions Our transcriptome analysis indicates that UC can be sub-classified into at least two molecular signatures. We found that elevated mucin gene expression correlated with prolonged time to colectomy following diagnosis. This work identified MUC5B, MUC4, and MUC2 as potential prognostic indicators of disease severity, as reflected in time to surgery after diagnosis.
Utility of Liquid Biopsy Analysis in Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Determination of Prognosis, and Disease Monitoring: A Systematic Review.

Background & Aims Liquid biopsies, or blood samples, can be analyzed to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and extracellular vesicles, which might identify patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or help determine their prognoses. We performed a systematic review of studies of analyses of liquid biopsies from patients with HCC and their comparisons with other biomarkers. Methods We performed a systematic review of original studies published before December 1, 2019. We included studies that compared liquid biopsies alone and in combination with other biomarkers for the detection of HCC, performed multivariate analyses of the accuracy of liquid biopsy analysis in determining patient prognoses, or evaluated the utility of liquid biopsy analysis in monitoring treatment response. Results Our final analysis included 112 studies: 67 on detection, 46 on determining prognosis, and 25 on treatment monitoring or selection. Ten studies evaluated assays that characterized cfDNA for detection of HCC in combination with measurement of α-fetoprotein (AFP)—these studies found that the combined measurement of cfDNA and AFP more accurately identified patients with HCC than measurement of AFP alone. Six studies evaluated assays for extracellular vesicles and 2 studies evaluated assays for CTC in detection of HCC, with and without other biomarkers—most of these studies found that detection of CTCs or extracellular vesicles with AFP more accurately identified patients with HCC than measurement of AFP alone. Detection of CTCs before surgery was associated with HCC recurrence after resection in 13 of 14 studies; cfDNA and extracellular vesicles have been studied less frequently as prognostic factors. Changes in CTC numbers before vs after treatment more accurately identify patients with HCC recurrence than pretreatment counts alone, and measurements of cfDNA can identify patients with disease recurrence or progression before changes can be detected by imaging. We found little evidence that analyses of liquid biopsies can aid in the selection of treatment for HCC. Quality assessment showed risk of bias in studies of HCC detection and determination of prognosis. Conclusions In a systematic review of 112 studies of the accuracy of liquid biopsy analysis, we found that assays for CTCs and cfDNA might aid in determining patient prognoses and monitoring HCC, and assays for cfDNA might aid in HCC detection, but there is a risk of bias in these studies. Studies must be standardized before we can assess the clinical utility of liquid biopsy analysis in the detection and management of patients with HCC.
15 – Hodgkin disease

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the characteristics, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatments of Hodgkin disease (HD). HD is characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes. It is considered unicentric in origin and has a predictable pattern of spread by extension to contiguous nodes. The macroscopic features, histopathology, immunophenotypic features, and cytogenetics of Hodgkin disease are described. The clinical features comprise lymphadenopathy, mediastinal adenopathy, splenomegaly, systemic symptoms, pulmonary disease, neurologic manifestations, bone disease, bone marrow involvement, liver disease, cutaneous manifestation, and renal manifestations. The proposed treatment of Hodgkin disease in children usually consists of combined modality treatment, consisting of chemotherapy and low-dose involved field radiotherapy. In selected patients, chemotherapy alone may be curative treatment. Noncross-resistant chemotherapy alone without radiation therapy prevents: radiation-induced growth complications, thyroid and cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and solid tumor carcinogenesis. Treatment for children and adolescents with HD may also be based on a risk adapted approach that considers presenting features at diagnosis. The parameters considered in the risk assessment include: presence of B symptoms, mediastinal and peripheral lymph node bulk, extranodal extension of disease to contiguous structures, number of involved nodal regions, and Ann Arbor stage. Complications arising from disease described under the clinical and laboratory manifestations of Hodgkin disease are pulmonary damage, cardiac damage, spinal cord damage, radiation nephritis, azoospermia, amenorrhea, hypothyroidism, damage to soft tissue and bone growth, postsplenectomy infection, and secondary malignant neoplasms.
Hypoxia driven oncometabolite L-2HG maintains "stemness"-differentiation balance and facilitates immune suppression in pancreatic cancer

2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) has gained considerable importance in glioma and blood cancers that have mutations in the IDH1/2 gene. In the current study we show for the first time that pancreatic tumors produce 2HG in the absence of IDH1/2 mutation. Our study shows that hypoxic pancreatic tumors that have activated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, produce the L-isoform of 2HG. Metabolic mass spectrometric analysis along with chiral derivatization showed that pancreatic cancer cells as well as stromal cells secrete the L- isomeric form of 2-hydroxyglutarate (L-2HG) when exposed to hypoxic environment. Serum analysis of human pancreatic cancer patients also showed similar accumulation of L-2HG. Our results showed that this abnormally accumulated L-2HG regulates self-renewal by increasing expression of genes associated with stemness (Sox-2, CD133) and by decreasing expression of differentiation genes (Pdx-1, HB9, NKX6.1). Further analysis showed that secreted L-2HG mediates cross talk with immune T-cells and hampers their proliferation and migration thereby suppressing the anti-tumor immunity. In vivo targeting of LDH enzyme with inhibitor (GSK2837808A) showed decrease in L-2HG as well as subsequent tumor regression and sensitization to immune-checkpoint therapy. Present study shows for the first time that hypoxia mediated accumulation of L-2HG drives self-renewal in pancreatic cancer by shifting critical balance of gene expression towards stemness and promotes immune suppression by impairing T cell activation in this disease. Additionally, it indicates that targeting LDH can sensitize pancreatic tumors to anti-PD1 therapy by decreasing L-2HG and reverting their immune evasive function.
An update on the role of the microbiome in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment.

The microbiome was originally postulated to contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD when the first studies of dysbiosis in NAFLD were reported. Since then, a number of studies have investigated this finding further, in order to discern whether the dysbiosis is the result of the metabolic dysregulation seen with NAFLD or a contributor to the pathogenesis of this condition. This review is aimed at highlighting the most important discoveries from the years 2017–2019 that linked the microbiome to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of NAFLD. Recent data have revealed further the role of bacterially derived ethanol in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, the crosstalk between microbiome and the gut barrier, and the interplay between genetic risk and dysbiosis. The microbiome is involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD in a subset of patients and can be used as a therapeutic target.
Low-Dimensional Spatiotemporal Dynamics Underlie Cortex-wide Neural Activity

Cognition arises from the dynamic flow of neural activity through the brain. To capture these dynamics, we used mesoscale calcium imaging to record neural activity across the dorsal cortex of awake mice. We found that the large majority of variance in cortex-wide activity (∼75%) could be explained by a limited set of ∼14 "motifs" of neural activity. Each motif captured a unique spatiotemporal pattern of neural activity across the cortex. These motifs generalized across animals and were seen in multiple behavioral environments. Motif expression differed across behavioral states, and specific motifs were engaged by sensory processing, suggesting the motifs reflect core cortical computations. Together, our results show that cortex-wide neural activity is highly dynamic but that these dynamics are restricted to a low-dimensional set of motifs, potentially allowing for efficient control of behavior.
Haptic Selfies: Bold and Beautiful Living for the Blind and Visually Impaired

It is said, “Beauty is only skin-deep”. However, looking good, beautiful, or handsome can boost one’s self-confidence, promote a positive outlook, and help to contribute positively during official communications or social interactions. Laughter and smiles provide positive feedback during face-to-face communication. On the other hand, looking sideways, making a face, showing anger or disgust, being tight-lipped, moving the face upward or downward instead of keeping it upright, can deliver negative communicative cues or indifference in communication. The blind and visually impaired (BVI) miss subtle non-verbal gestures, facial expressions, or prosodic features of speech during social interaction. The inability to interpret visual, non-verbal cues impedes communication that can lead to awkward moments, possibly resulting in social avoidance or isolation. In this paper, the concept of haptic selfies, a dynamic tangible interface has been discussed that could make the BVI aware of their own and others’ appearance. This helps the BVI to understand and imagine the inner and outer beauty of a person. Haptic selfies can promote enhanced social interaction and integration into mainstream.
Antoni Domènech: sobre republicanismo, libertad individual y derechos

Antoni Domenech (1952-2017) was one of Spain’s most important political philosophers of the late twentieth and early twentyfirst centuries. Known primarily as a scholar of republicanism, his work on the concepts of individual liberty and rights complicates standard liberal definitions, which he believed erred in defining these terms independent of institutional context, as pre-political attributes of the individual. He argued that republicanism corrected liberalism’s abstraction by making one’s actually being able to exercise liberty and rights depend on one’s enjoying a sufficiently robust set of material conditions, or on having enough property so that one could always avoid unequal social relationships.
Influenza-like symptom recognition using mobile sensing and graph neural networks

Early detection of influenza-like symptoms can prevent widespread flu viruses and enable timely treatments, particularly in the post-pandemic era. Mobile sensing leverages an increasingly diverse set of embedded sensors to capture fine-grained information of human behaviors and ambient contexts, and can serve as a promising solution for influenza-like symptom recognition. Traditionally, handcrafted and high level features of mobile sensing data are extracted by manual feature engineering and convolutional/recurrent neural network respectively. In this work, we apply graph representation to encode the dynamics of state transitions and internal dependencies in human behaviors, leverage graph embeddings to automatically extract the topological and spatial features from graph inputs, and propose an end-to-end graph neural network (GNN) model with multi-channel mobile sensing input for influenzalike symptom recognition based on people's daily mobility, social interactions, and physical activities. Using data generated from 448 participants, we show that GNN with GraphSAGE convolutional layers significantly outperforms baseline models with handcrafted features. Furthermore, we use GNN interpretability method to generate insights (e.g., important nodes and graph structures) about the importance of mobile sensing for recognizing Influenza-like symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that applies graph representation and graph neural network on mobile sensing data for graph-based human behavior modeling and health symptoms prediction.
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation reduced neuron-derived IL-1β and neuroinflammation in acute ischemic rat brain

Abstract Objective We previously demonstrated that non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) provided during middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) reduces infarct volume and blood–brain barrier disruption. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms of nVNS in stroke damages remain to be examined. This study tested the hypothesis that nVNS attenuates neuron-derived interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and neuroinflammation in ischemic brain. Methods Spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to a 90-minute MCAO with 24-hour reperfusion (RP). nVNS treated rats received 5 doses of nVNS beginning 30 min after MCAO onset. Results 1) MCAO/RP induced a significant increase of active IL-1β at 24 h and ischemic neurons were the main resource of IL-1β, which were significantly attenuated by nVNS. 2) The activation of the neuronal IL-1β was non-caspase-1-dependent. Both in vivo and in vitro data showed a correlation of intracellular matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activation with IL-1β expression in ischemic neurons. 3) nVNS significantly reversed stroke-induced decrease of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 subtype (α7nAChR) and reduced neurodegeneration. Conclusion The results suggest that acute ischemic insult triggers a unique molecular injury cascade involving in activation of the MMPs/IL-1β signaling pathway in neurons. nVNS downregulates this signaling pathway via α7nAChR to reduce brain injury.
Improper Fit in American Youth Football Helmets Across One Competitive Season.

Improper helmet fit is related to sport-related concussion symptomology. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of improperly fit helmets in American youth tackle football players across one competitive season. Four recreation leagues including 147 players (45.2 ± 14.7 cm, 147.5 ± 9.0 kg), aged 7–12 years, participated in pre-season and post-season data collection timepoints. Participant and league demographics were collected at pre-season. Helmet fit was assessed at pre- and post-season using a 13-item checklist. A helmet was defined as improperly fit if failed to comply with or more of the checklist items. Most players (84%) rented helmets from the league. At preseason, 71.4% of helmets, and at post-season 79.6%, were improperly fit with no significant change over time (p = 0.14). Of the 105 improperly fit helmets at the start of the season, 61% were still considered improperly fit at post season. The 11–12 year old age group had significantly more improperly fit helmets than the 7–10 year old age group at post-season (p = 0.033), but not pre-season (p = 0.655). American youth football players depend on the league to fit their helmet. Most players did not meet at least one checklist criteria. Helmets improperly fit at preseason were still not fit at post.
The Self-Rated Writing Skills of Business Majors: Graduating Perceptions and Collegiate Improvement:

We analyze the self-rated writing skills of graduating business majors and perceptions on how much these skills changed during college. Subjective skill measures may be good proxies of objective sk...
Women’s Health Concerns Sourcebook, 6th Edition

The Women’s Health Concerns Sourcebook, 6th edition, edited by Kevin Hayes and reviewed by a medical team of doctors specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, child health, aims to provide informatio...
Implementation of Quality Indicators of Perinatal/Neonatal Palliative Care One-Year Following Formal Training

Objective The aim of this study was to measure implementation of quality indicators (QIs) of Perinatal/Neonatal Palliative Care (PNPC) as reported by participants following a one-year training course. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain data from an interdisciplinary team of professionals one year after attending a PNPC training course. A questionnaire with 32 QIs queried participants about self-reported implementation of PNPC and that of their colleagues. Descriptive and frequency data were analyzed to measure the implementation of PNPC QIs. Qualitative data were examined using content analysis. Results Response rate was 34 of 76 (44.7%). Half of the QIs are implemented in clinical settings by course attendees more than 90% of the time, and 15 QIs are implemented between 70-89.9%. Colleagues within the same healthcare system applied palliative care practices less frequently than those who attended the training course. When asked if quality indicators were “always” implemented by colleagues, the average difference in scores was 36% lower. Qualitative analyses resulted in three themes that addressed changes in clinical practice, and four themes that summarized barriers in practice. Conclusion There is high frequency of implementation of QIs by professionals who attended an evidence based PNPC training course. PNPC is implemented by the colleagues of attendees, but with less frequency. Attending evidence-based education increases increases clinicians’ opportunities to translate quality PNPC care into clinical settings.
Information-reduced Carrier Synchronization of Iterative Decoded BPSK and QPSK using Soft Decision (Extrinsic) Feedback

This paper addresses the carrier-phase estimation problem under low SNR conditions as are typical of turbo- and LDPC-coded applications. In previous publications by the first author, closed-loop carrier synchronization schemes for error-correction coded BPSK and QPSK modulation were proposed that were based on feeding back hard data decisions at the input of the loop, the purpose being to remove the modulation prior to attempting to track the carrier phase as opposed to the more conventional decision-feedback schemes that incorporate such feedback inside the loop. In this paper, we consider an alternative approach wherein the extrinsic soft information from the iterative decoder of turbo or LDPC codes is instead used as the feedback.
“Please Know That You Are Not Alone with Your Pain”: Responses to Newcomer Posts in an Online Grief Support Forum

In an effort to better understand how the Internet can provide support to bereaved individuals, this discourse analysis study examined the responses to 107 initial posts in an online grief support group to understand how newcomers’ bids for group membership were taken up by current members. Discursive features included validation and empathy through second stories, constructing grief through descriptions, and accepting bids for membership through advice giving and invitations to return to the group. These features illustrate how grief and being a griever are constructed in an online context and how they deviate from the “normal” grief expectations in the offline world.
THE SUCCINATE-LINKED NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE REDUCTION IN SUBMITOCHONDRIAL PARTICLES. I. KINETIC STUDIES OF THE REACTION.

Abstract The succinate-linked NAD+ reduction in sonic particles derived from beef-heart mitochondria has been described. The reaction showed an absolute requirement for Mg2+. Km values for succinate, Mg2+ and NAD+ have been determined. A lag phase in NAD+ reduction was observed which has been related to the link of energy and electron-transfer reactions. The pH optimum of the reaction was found to be at pH 8.5–9.0.
Extracting information from biological networks

Systems biology, the study of biological systems in a holistic manner, has been catalyzed by a dramatic improvement in experimental techniques, coupled with a constantly increasing availability of biological data. The representation and analysis of this heterogeneous data is facilitated by the powerful abstraction of biological networks. This thesis examines several types of these networks and looks in detail at the kind of information their analysis can yield. The first part discusses protein interaction networks. We introduce a new algorithm for the pairwise alignment of these networks. We show that these alignments can provide important clues to the function of proteins as well as insights into the evolutionary history of the species under examination. The second part discusses regulatory networks. We present an approach for validating putative drug targets based on the information contained in these networks. We show how this approach can also be used to discover drug targets. The third part discusses metabolic networks. We provide new insights into the structure of constraint-based models of cell metabolism and describe a methodology for performing a complete analysis of a metabolic network. We also present an implementation of this methodology and discuss its application to a variety of problems related to the metabolism of bacteria. The final part describes an application of our methodology to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for almost 2 million deaths around the world every year. We introduce a method for reconciling metabolic network reconstructions and apply it to merge the two published networks for tuberculosis. We analyze the merged network and show how it can be refined based on available experimental data to improve its predictive power. We conclude with a list of potential drug targets. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
The Q gene of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: its role in puf operon expression and spectral complex assembly.

Abstract The Q gene of the facultative photoheterotroph Rhodobacter sphaeroides, localized immediately upstream of the oxygen- and light-regulated puf operon, encodes a 77-amino-acid polypeptide. The 5' and 3' ends of the 561-bp Q transcript were determined. To gain insight into the role of the Q gene product, a number of Q mutations were constructed by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis and subsequent substitution of the mutated form of the gene in single copy for the chromosomal copy via homologous recombination. The resulting mutants can grow photosynthetically, with the exception of QSTART, in which the initiation codon for the Q protein was altered. Spectral analysis of the intracytoplasmic membranes showed that one of the missense mutants (QdA) was deficient in the formation of detectable B875 light-harvesting complex (LHC), whereas deletion of the stem-loop structure (Qloop) failed to form B800-850 LHC when grown anaerobically either in the dark or under light intensity of 100 W/m2. Other missense mutants (QuA and QuB) contained either more B800-850 LHC or more B875 LHC, respectively, than the wild type. Although the levels of puf and puc transcripts isolated from QSTART grown anaerobically on succinate-dimethyl sulfoxide in the dark were comparable to wild-type levels, no B875 spectral complex was detected and there was a greater than 90% reduction in the level of the B800-850 pigment-protein complex. It has also been confirmed that the ultimate cellular levels of either the B875 or B800-850 spectral complexes can vary over wide limits without any change in the level(s) of complex specific transcripts. When the wild-type Q gene was reintroduced in trans into the Q mutations, QSTART was able to grow photosynthetically and both B800-850 and B875 spectral complexes were formed in either QdA or Qloop. Finally, we demonstrated that the level of each puf-specific mRNA behaves independently of one another as well as independently of the level(s) of Q gene-specific mRNA. These results are compatible with the existence of regulatory sequences affecting the puf mRNA level(s) being localized within the Q structural gene. These results suggest that Q-specific expression is uncoupled from puf-specific transcription and that the Q protein is not involved in the regulation of transcription of the puf operon but is directly involved in the assembly of both the B875 and B800-850 pigment-protein complexes.
Relationship between tissue composition and biomechanics of the urinary bladder: effects of spinal cord injury on bladder tissue

Our previous studies have demonstrated that spinal cord injury and the associated urinary tract dysfunctions lead to significant changes in the bladder wall tissue mechanical behaviors. The present study made the first attempt to link biomechanical property changes of the bladder wall tissue and compositional changes at the molecular-level.
Acute salt marsh dieback in the Mississippi River deltaic plain: A drought-induced phenomenon?

Aims Extensive dieback of salt marsh dominated by the perennial grass Spartina alterniflora occurred throughout the Mississippi River deltaic plain during 2000. More than 100,000 ha were affected, with 43,000 ha severely damaged. The aim of this work was to determine if sudden dieback could have been caused by a coincident drought and to assess the significance of this event with respect to long-term changes in coastal vegetation. Location Multiple dieback sites and reference sites were established along 150 km of shoreline in coastal Louisiana, USA. Methods Aerial and ground surveys were conducted from June 2000 to September 2001 to assess soil conditions and plant mortality and recovery. Results Dieback areas ranged in size from ∼300 m2−5 km2 in area with 50–100% mortality of plant shoots and rhizomes in affected zones. Co-occurring species such as Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Juncus roemerianus (needlegrass rush) were unaffected. Historical records indicate that precipitation, river discharge, and mean sea level were unusually low during the previous year. Although the cause of dieback is currently unknown, plant and soil characteristics were consistent with temporary soil desiccation that may have reduced water availability, increased soil salinity, and/or caused soil acidification (via pyrite oxidation) and increased uptake of toxic metals such as Fe or Al. Plant recovery 15 months after dieback was variable (0–58% live cover), but recovering plants were vigorous and indicated no long-lasting effects of the dieback agent. Main conclusions These findings have relevance for global change models of coastal ecosystems that predict vegetation responses based primarily on long-term increases in sea level and submergence of marshes. Our results suggest that large-scale changes in coastal vegetation may occur over a relatively short time span through climatic extremes acting in concert with sea-level fluctuations and pre-existing soil conditions.
Genetic variation in resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi in seedlings of two Turkish Abies species

Genetic variation in resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi was investigated for two fir species endemic to the Republic of Turkey. Open-pollinated families of seedlings of Trojan fir (Abies equi-trojani) and Turkish fir (Abies bornmuelleriana) were grown from seed in a greenhouse for approximately 15 months, inoculated with rice grains colonized with P. cinnamomi, and subsequent mortality assessed biweekly for 16 weeks. Final seedling mortality was higher in Trojan fir (56.4 %) compared to Turkish fir (32.9 %). Mortality in both species varied by geographic origin, decreasing from west (59.8 %, ) to east (21.4 %, Karabuk). As mortality increased following inoculation, both narrow-sense individual-tree $$ \left( {h_i^2} \right) $$ and family mean $$ ( {h_f^2} ) $$ heritabilities increased, plateauing at 0.62 ± 0.162 and 0.97 ± 0.011 for Trojan fir and 0.50 ± 0.102 and 0.96 ± 0.01 for Turkish fir, respectively. Terminal and lateral branch bud break assessed under greenhouse conditions were also under strong genetic control. For terminal bud break, individual-tree heritabilities for Trojan and Turkish fir were 0.49 ± 0.146 and 0.45 ± 0.099, respectively, while family mean heritabilities were 0.88 ± 0.035 and 0.88 ± 0.027, respectively. The family mean correlation between bud break and final disease mortality was not significant for lateral buds but positive and significant for terminal buds (r = 0.32) suggesting that selection for resistance would either not alter, or slightly reduce, early bud break. These are encouraging results for ongoing tree improvement efforts in North America and Europe to develop planting stock for the Christmas tree industry.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIURNAL RHYTHM OF JEJUNAL SUCRASE ACTIVITY IN THE WEANLING RAT

In the adult rat, fed ad lib, the activity of jejunal sucrase shows a diurnal rhythm with a peak during the dark period. Onto-genically this enzyme does not appear until approximately the 16th postnatal day; its activity then rises rapidly and reaches adult levels by the 25th day. Our aim was to determine whether the diurnal rhythm is present from the outset or appears only after sucrase has attained adult levels. Rat pups were raised in litters of 9 with a light/dark cycle of 12h. Solid food and water were available to mothers and pups at all times and mothers were normally removed on the 21st postnatal day. Four litters were studied during the 24h period beginning at 8am on the 19th day. One pup from each litter was removed for assay every 3h. Jejunal sucrase showed considerable variation between pups, but there was no discernable pattern with time. In contrast, when the experiment was repeated with pups aged 22 days, there was a distinct peak in sucrase activity during the early part of the dark period. In order to determine whether the rhythm is cued by the process of weaning, two litters were raised on a feeding schedule which ensured that maternal milk was the only food available to the pups. When studied during the 24h period beginning on the 22nd day, the jejunal sucrase activity of these pups exhibited no rhythm. It is concluded that some component of solid food is responsible for the usual appearance of the diurnal rhythm of this enzyme. (supported by NIH Grant No. HD-10042.)
Sequential Cyclization−Elimination Route to Carbohydrate-Based Oxepines

A five-step preparation of carbohydrate-based oxepines from hept-1-enitols is presented. The hept-1-enitols were subjected to silyl protection and hydroboration/oxidation to give the protected heptan-1-itols. Swern oxidation of the homologated alcohols followed by sequential acetal formation/cyclization provided methyl 2-deoxyseptanosides that underwent elimination reactions to give the carbohydrate-based oxepines. The new sequence is an alternative to the ring-closing metathesis for the synthesis of carbohydrate-based oxepines from protected pyranose sugars. The product oxepines can serve as glycosyl donors in the synthesis of novel septanose carbohydrates. In addition, C-methylenealdehydo arabinofuranoside 16 was formed from 2-deoxyseptanoside 10 as the only product during protic acid mediated elimination reactions. This novel ring contraction complements other reported preparations of C-methylenaldehydo furanosides and underscores the acid-mediated reactivity introduced by competing eliminations between the C-1/C-2 and C-2/C-3 bonds.