cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Native autoantigens versus recombinant autoantigens

ABSTRACT The detection of autoantibody/antigen recognition depends on the specific interaction between the antibody and its epitope. In most cases, recombinant autoantigens produced in E. coli are convenient and reliable sources of antigen that can be readily applied in detection systems such as ELISA, immunoblot and microarray which offers sensitive, specific and high throughput assays. However, in cases when the proper posttranslational modification and protein folding is necessary for antibody recognition, one has to seek the use of native autoantigens that are purified from mammalian tissues or recombinant proteins produced in eukaryotic cells are necessary. Thus, the appropriate choice of laboratory assays depends on our knowledge of the specific antibody/antigen interaction and it is important to be familiar with the limitations of the technology currently in use in your local laboratory.
Developing a Tool for Publishing Linked Local Authority Data

Efforts are underway to publish archival authority information in linked, open, machine-readable data standards. However, these efforts have not yet scaled down to smaller institutions or to the long tail of authority records maintained on an institution-by-institution basis (often non–standards-based) about entities of local (rather than national or international) significance. This article documents the initial steps toward developing a shared authority tool for a collective of cultural institutions with shared collecting affinities, whether those affinities are geographic, thematic, or otherwise. This planned service will complement shared authority services such as the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) and the Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) project, providing a means for institutions managing authority data about people, organizations, and families not typically found in authority files centered around bibliographic metadata to share that data with other institutions.
Reversible increase in serum alpha-fetoprotein content associated with hepatic dysfunction during chemotherapy for seminoma.

Serial monitoring of the serum content of the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (beta hCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (alpha FP) is useful in the initial staging of germ cell tumors and assessing the response to treatment. An increase in either marker during or following treatment almost always heralds disease progression and indicates the need for additional therapy. We report two patients in whom substantial increases in the serum content of AFP occurred during chemotherapy for advanced seminoma. Hepatic dysfunction was present in both patients; in one patient, a chronic carrier of hepatitis B virus, the liver dysfunction was associated with reactivation of hepatitis B manifested by anicteric hepatitis and hepatitis B e antigen positivity. Marked tumor regression had occurred in both patients, and chemotherapy was discontinued in spite of the elevated alpha FP level. The alpha FP content in the serum gradually returned to normal, and hepatic dysfunction resolved. Both patients remain free of disea...
Axial superresolution via multiangle TIRF microscopy with sequential imaging and photobleaching.

Abstract We report superresolution optical sectioning using a multiangle total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope. TIRF images were constructed from several layers within a normal TIRF excitation zone by sequentially imaging and photobleaching the fluorescent molecules. The depth of the evanescent wave at different layers was altered by tuning the excitation light incident angle. The angle was tuned from the highest (the smallest TIRF depth) toward the critical angle (the largest TIRF depth) to preferentially photobleach fluorescence from the lower layers and allow straightforward observation of deeper structures without masking by the brighter signals closer to the coverglass. Reconstruction of the TIRF images enabled 3D imaging of biological samples with 20-nm axial resolution. Two-color imaging of epidermal growth factor (EGF) ligand and clathrin revealed the dynamics of EGF-activated clathrin-mediated endocytosis during internalization. Furthermore, Bayesian analysis of images collected during the photobleaching step of each plane enabled lateral superresolution (<100 nm) within each of the sections.
Brain Tumors Provide New Clues to the Source of Cancer Stem Cells: Does Oncology Recapitulate Ontogeny?

Recent studies of leukemia and solid tumors have provided compelling evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells, but the origin of these cells remains a matter of considerable debate. By comparing the gene expression profiles of ependymomas with those of cells in the normal developing nervous system, we were able to pinpoint radial glia as candidate stem cells of this brain tumor. These data suggest strongly that ependymomas arise directly from transformed radial glia and they provide a novel method that could be used to map the cell of origin of other types of cancer.
The Phenomenology of Hair Pulling Urges in Trichotillomania: A Comparative Approach

Trichotillomania is a disorder characterized by recurrent urges to pull out one’s hair, but the experiential characteristics of hair pulling urges are poorly understood. This study used a comparative approach to understand the subjective phenomenology of hair pulling: participants with trichotillomania symptoms were asked about their hair pulling urges as well as their urges to eat unhealthy foods. Participants who reported experiencing problematic unhealthy food urges were identified and asked to compare the phenomenological characteristics of their hair pulling and unhealthy food urges across a variety of dimensions. Results revealed significant differences for only some urge properties measured, and differences that existed were small to moderate in magnitude. Qualitative comparisons of the two urges revealed situational characteristics of hair pulling that could explain these small to moderate differences between the two urges. We conclude that hair pulling urges may be more comparable to ordinary urges such as unhealthy food urges than one might expect, but that hair pulling urges may nevertheless be rated as slightly more severe due to situational characteristics of these urges. This conception may improve clinician and lay understanding of the condition, assist with destigmatization efforts, and facilitate the development of treatment strategies.
ABNORMAL CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM AND PREGNANCY. A STUDY AMONG PREGNANT GUAMANIAN WOMEN.

Abstract 1. 1. Abnormal carbohydrate metabolism during pregnancy, like overt diabetes mellitus, is unusually high among the native population of Guam. 2. 2. Among 442 pregnant Guamanian women, 128 were found to have abnormal glucose tolerance tests; of these, 6 eventually were proved to have overt diabetes. 3. 3. An increasing incidence of maternal and perinatal complications correlated well with increasing degrees of abnormality in the glucose tolerance curves. 4. 4. Obesity and large babies appeared to be a constant finding in relation to abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. 5. 5. The “gray zone” (the group whose abnormal tests during pregnancy had not reverted to normal by 6 weeks post partum) appears to have a somewhat greater than expected tendency toward abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, as judged by past history and the observed fetal and maternal complications of pregnancy.
Cryogenic microwave characterization of Kapton polyimide using superconducting resonators

Half-wavelength, capacitively-coupled superconducting microstrip resonators have been constructed on 50.8 µm (2 mil) thick flexible Kapton polyimide substrates. The metal stack-up on each side was a 50 nm Ti adhesion layer followed by a 250 nm Nb layer. These resonators yield high quality factors (loaded Q as high as 4110) at 1.2 K in the 2–10 GHz frequency range, implying a loss tangent of less than 0.000275 at 2 GHz. This work provides complex dielectric permittivity information for Kapton materials that have not previously been reported for this temperature (1–6 K) and frequency range. Furthermore it provides confidence that commercially available flexible Kapton is potentially useful as a substrate material for flexible superconducting interconnects or cables, which are of great interest for use in cryogenic electronics systems.
TCT-199 A Comparative Analysis Of Use Of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation And Peripheral Ventricular Assist Device TandemHeart In Acute Myocardial Infarction

Refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high mortality rates. Impella and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) provide only limited left ventricular (LV) support. Veno-arterial Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and peripheral ventricular
CHAPTER 8 – Quality Control for RNA Preparations

This chapter provides five different quality control techniques for RNA preparation: electrophoretic profile of the RNA protocol, ultraviolet spectrophotometry and absorption ratio determination of nucleic acid concentration and purity, sample capacity to support reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), northern analysis, and sample capacity to support in vitro translation. Every laboratory application involving purified RNA requires an assessment of the quality of the sample. In particular, it is of paramount importance to demonstrate the integrity of the messenger RNA (mRNA) component of the sample. Checking a purified sample of RNA for integrity and overall quality may be accomplished in a variety of ways, some of which are also very good positive-control techniques for a number of downstream applications. Of the methods delineated later, examination of the electrophoretic profile of each sample should always be performed immediately after purification and, if the RNA has been stored for a while, a second aliquot should be tested just prior to use. It should never be assumed that a sample will be handsome because a kit was used for purification or that a sample previously characterized remains intact after storage for several months, even at -80°C.
Multi-scale modelling of elastic properties of balsa

Abstract The hierarchical structure of the hardwood balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) is modelled sequentially at various length scales to describe the contribution of each to its elastic moduli. The model takes into account the main features of the microstructure at each length scale, including the orthotropic properties of cellulose microfibrils, the microfibrillar angle, the thickness of cell wall layers, as well as the geometry and arrangement of the cells: the rays, fibres and vessels. Similar to some multi-scale models proposed for softwoods, at each length scale, a representative unit cell of the material is identified and the effective stiffness matrix is determined using finite element analysis with appropriate periodic boundary conditions. A comprehensive search in the literature was conducted to obtain input values for the model. The results of the model, over a wide range of densities, gives a good description of experimentally measured values. The model highlights the significance of cellulose crystallinity, microfibrillar angle and the ray and fibre cell geometries (including the density) in determining the overall elastic constants of balsa. In the future, the model can be used as a tool to design lightweight cellular composites with optimized cell wall composition and cell geometry.
High fat diet dysregulates microRNA-17-5p and triggers retinal inflammation: Role of endoplasmic-reticulum-stress.

High fat diet dysregulates microRNA-17-5p and triggers retinal inflammation: Role of endoplasmic-reticulum-stress
Abstract 232: The P2Y2 Nucleotide Receptor Mediates Blood Flow Recovery Following Hindlimb Ischemia in Mice

Objectives: Arteriogenesis is a process by which small resistance vessels mature into large caliber collateral arteries in response to arterial occlusive disease. The forces stimulating arteriogenesis nclude shear stress and circumferential wall stress. Nucleotides are released from cells in response to mechanical stimuli and may activate nucleotide receptors. Thus, we hypothesize that the P2Y 2 nucleotide receptor, expressed by vascular cells, mediates arteriogenesis. Methods: C57Bl6 NJ (WT) and P2Y 2 R KO mice (n=8/group) underwent unilateral femoral artery ligation (FAL). Perfusion was measured immediately after ligation and at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days using laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI). Mice were sacrificed at 28 days and tibialis anterior collected for histology. Results: LDPI of the ischemic hindlimb showed a return to baseline perfusion in WT mice (Figure). P2Y 2 KO mice recovered to 2 KO mice developed wounds of the ischemic limbs vs. 0/8 of WT mice. Histological analysis of tibialis anterior demonstrated regenerating myocytes in 3/4 P2Y 2 KO vs. 1/4 WT animals. By immunohistochemistry, angiogenesis was significantly increased in P2Y 2 KO with a CD31+cell/myocyte ratio of 1.974 vs. 1.314 of WT (p=0.05). There was also greater inflammation in P2Y 2 KO with CD45+ cell infiltration over 3-fold that of WT (p Conclusion: The P2Y 2 nucleotide receptor is important for blood flow recovery in a murine model of FAL. P2Y 2 KO mice also demonstrated delayed muscle regeneration with greater angiogenesis and inflammation in ischemic limbs. Further molecular analyses are needed to elucidate the mechanisms involved.
Knowledge Management in Libraries and Organizations

Managing the transformation of information into knowledge, and knowledge into information is fundamental to librarianship. Yet a precise definition of knowledge management (KM) remains elusive. Thi...
Protective role of physical activity on type 2 diabetes: Analysis of effect modification by race-ethnicity.

Background It is well known physical activity (PA) plays a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the extent to which PA may impact T2D risk among different race-ethnic groups is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically examine the effect modification of race-ethnicity on PA and T2D. Methods PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched through June 2016. Study assessment for inclusion was conducted in three phases: 1) title review (N = 13,022), 2) abstract review (N = 2,200), and 3) full text review (N = 265). A total of 27 studies met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. All analyses used a random-effects model. Results A significant protective summary RR, comparing the most active group to the least active PA group, was found for non-Hispanic White (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60-0.85), Asians (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.67-0.85), Hispanics (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89), and American Indians (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.88). The summary effect for non-Hispanic Blacks (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.76-1.08) was non-significant. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that PA (comparing most to least active groups) provides significant protection from T2D with the exception of non-Hispanic Blacks. The results also indicate a need for race-ethnicity specific reporting of RRs in prospective cohort studies that incorporate multi-ethnic samples.
Abstract 16089: Effect of Non-targeted Community CPR Education on Bystander CPR Performance

Introduction: Only 37% of OHCA cases receive bystander CPR (bCPR) in Kent County, MI. In May, 2014, prehospital providers offered one-time point-of-care compression-only CPR training (CPR-INT) to p...
Nonrepetitive Leader–Follower Formation Tracking for Multiagent Systems With LOS Range and Angle Constraints Using Iterative Learning Control

In this paper, we present a novel iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm for the leader–follower formation tracking problem of a class of nonlinear multiagent systems that are subject to actuator faults. Unlike most ILC works that require identical reference trajectories over the iteration domain, the desired line-of-sight (LOS) range and angle profiles can be iteration dependent based on different tasks and environment in each iteration. Furthermore, the LOS range and angle tracking errors are subject to iteration and time dependent constraint requirements. Both parametric and nonparametric system unknowns and uncertainties, in particular the control input gain functions that are not fully known, are considered. We show that under the proposed algorithm, the formation tracking errors can converge to zero uniformly over the iteration domain beyond a certain time interval in each iteration, while the constraint requirements on the LOS range and angle will not be violated during operations. A numerical simulation involving two agents in leader–follower formation is presented in the end to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Association of S-IgA subunits.

The differentiation of secretory component (SC) and J chain as two separate polypeptides (1,2) raised questions concerning the role played by these two subunits in the stabilization of secretory IgA (S-IgA) molecules. Of special interest is the clarification of the relationship between the presence of J chain and the binding of SC. When added to serum or to fixed cells, SC was selectively bound to free or intracellular polymeric immunoglobulins of the IgA and IgM classes (3–6). Since all polymeric immunoglobulins that bind SC contain J chain, it was suggested that this subunit might, in a way as yet undefined, mediate the binding of SC (3,5). Both polypeptides have been found to be linked to the Fc region of the α chain (7–10). The enzymatic and disulfide bond cleavages did not, however, permit a clear distinction between the possibilities that SC is attached either to Fc through J chain or it is attached directly to the α chain, even though the process might be mediated by J chain.
More Than Just ADHD: Evaluation of Sleep Disorders with Inattention

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common diagnosis in children and well recognized by schools and pediatric specialists. An evaluation for ADHD would be incomplete without consideration of sleep disorders because (1) sleep problems can result in daytime hypersomnolence which gives the appearance of ADHD-like symptoms and (2) medications for ADHD may create secondary sleep problems or could be effectively used to treat comorbid sleep disorders. Treatment of sleep problems may result in resolution or improvement of ADHD symptoms. Besides medication, iron supplementation may be effective at improving hyperactivity symptoms exacerbated by restless legs syndrome though the dopamine pathway which is mediated by iron.
Decision making in crisis: A multilevel model of the interplay between cognitions and emotions

Despite recognition that emotions are present and salient during a crisis, traditional views of crisis decision making, such as crisis decision theory and naturalistic decision making, emphasize ma...
Characterizing Alcohol Use Behaviors among Homeless Men and Women

Objectives: In this study, we characterized alcohol use behaviors by sex among sheltered homeless adults and explored associations with health and readiness to change drinking behaviors. Methods: Participants (N = 581; 63.7% men; Mage = 43.6, 29.4% white) self-reported alcohol use and readiness to change drinking behaviors. Sex differences were analyzed via Wilcoxon ranksum, chi-square tests, logistic regression, and ANCOVAs. Results: Overall, 38.5% of the sample met criteria for current at-risk drinking, 39.7% self-reported a history of alcohol problems, and 22.9% reported having a formal alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosis. Among current alcohol users, 83.8% reported at-risk drinking. Men had more drinks per drinking day, more drinks per week, and more drinking days per week when compared to women. No sex differences were found for at-risk drinking, self-reported alcohol problems, probable alcohol abuse/dependence, AUD diagnosis, readiness to change drinking, or recent alcohol/substance abuse counseling. Conclusions: High rates of at-risk drinking were found among alcohol users. Homeless men and women did not exhibit differences in several manifestations of problematic alcohol use. Alcohol use interventions might be equally appealing to both sexes given equivalent readiness to change drinking; however, rates of recent treatment receipt were low.
Three Considerations for Modeling Natural Gas System Methane Emissions in Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract Natural gas is a fossil fuel accounting for about 30% of US primary energy consumption. Climate change is one of the primary environmental issues associated with natural gas use: natural gas combustion releases carbon dioxide. A less emphasized issue is that natural gas is mostly methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). The climate impact of natural gas use is thus sensitive to the amount of methane that escapes from the natural gas system unburned. We call attention to three considerations for modeling natural gas-related methane emissions in life cycle assessment (LCA). First, natural gas system methane leakage is inconsistently characterized and likely systematically underestimated by commonly used life cycle inventory (LCI) databases. Second, studies are often imprecise in assumptions about process boundaries. This matters because not all natural gas uses rely on the same infrastructure and induce the same methane leakage. Third, there is not yet a stable estimate for the global warming potential (GWP) of methane. Newer estimates tend to be larger, which further exacerbates the underestimation of GHG impacts from natural gas systems. Data uncertainty is common in LCA, but natural gas-related methane emissions deserve special attention due to their influence on a decision-relevant parameter (GHG intensity) in product systems across the economy.
The genetic toxicology of 2-amino-N6-hydroxyadenine in eukaryotic organisms: significance for genetic risk assessment.

Abstract A collaborative study was designed to assess the mutagenicity of 2-amino N 6 -hydroxylaminopurine (AHA) in a wide variety of eukaryotic assays systems in terms of potency and specificity. Earlier studies in Salmonella and Neurospora had shown that AHA was an extremely potent mutagen which appeared to cause predominantly AT to GC base-pair transitions. This discovery was viewed as an unusual opportunity to explore the general utility of different eukaryotic assay systems for genetic risk assessment. The objective was to determine whether AHA would show comparable potency and specificity in those eukaryotic organisms used to evaluate mutagenic potential of environmental chemicals for the human population. The data presented in this report show that AHA was mutagenic in all the eukaryotic assays utilized; however, the level of effect was found to be assay system-dependent. In addition, in assays where other base analogs were used as positive controls, differences in relative potency were observed from those obtained in the earlier studies with Salmonella and Neurospora. When alkylating agents were used as positive controls in the higher eukaryotic assays, AHA was found to have a mutagenic potency comparable to ethylnitrosourea (ENU), ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) or methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) for many of the assays. With regard to mutagenic specificity, AHA appears to induce gene/point mutations in eukaryotic organisms, resulting predominantly from base-pair substitutions, predominantly AT to GC base-pair transitions; however, there was some unexplained variation in the ratio of these base-pair transitions and other transitions and transversions as a function of assay system. In addition, studies on the induction of micronuclei have shown that AHA induces chromosomal damage at high concentrations and low levels of survival.
3D h9e peptide hydrogel: An advanced three-dimensional cell culture system for anticancer prescreening of chemopreventive phenolic agents

Abstract Traditional 2D monolayer cell culture model may overestimate chemopreventive agent's response due to lacking physiological relevance in three-dimensional microenvironment. This study was aimed to apply a novel 3D h9e peptide hydrogel cell culture system to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of chemopreventive phenolic acid on hepatocarcinoma HepG2 and colon adenocarcinoma SW480 cells. Both cell lines grew better in this 3D system with better cell growth and longer exponential phase than that in 2D model. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), known as a chemopreventive phenolic acid, at 0–40 μM for 72 h inhibited cell growth but not viability in both HepG2 and SW480 cells. The inhibition was much less potent in 3D system with an IC50 value of 58.0 ± 15.8 or 285.6 ± 75.4 μM when compared with 2D model with IC50 of 5.3 ± 0.3 or 12.0 ± 2.5 μM for HepG2 or SW480, respectively. Furthermore, the recovery of cells grown in 3D system after post-CGA appeared faster than 2D model. Taken together, an advanced 3D model has been established with favoring cell growth and less susceptible to inhibitory treatments in contrast to 2D model, thus predict closely to in vivo situation and may bridge the gap of in vitro to in vivo for prescreening chemopreventive agents for cancer prevention.
GANDALF: A Prototype of a GAN-based Peptide Design Method

Pharmaceutical drug design is a difficult and costly endeavor. Computational drug design has the potential to help save time and money by providing a better starting point for new drugs with an initial computational evaluation completed. We propose a new application of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), called GANDALF (Generative Adversarial Network Drug-tArget Ligand Fructifier) to design new peptides for protein targets. Other GAN based methods for computational drug design can only generate small molecules, not peptides. It also incorporates data such as active atoms, not used in other methods, which allow us to precisely identify where interaction occurs between a protein and ligand. Our method goes farther than comparable methods by generating a peptide and predicting binding affinity. We compare results for a protein of interest, PD-1, using: GANDALF, Pepcomposer, and the FDA approved drugs. We find that our method produces a peptide comparable to the FDA approved drugs and better than that of Pepcomposer. Further work will improve the GANDALF system by deepening the GAN architecture to improve on the binding affinity and 3D fit of the peptides. We are also exploring the uses of transfer learning.
Neural Unsupervised Parsing Beyond English.

Recently, neural network models which automatically infer syntactic structure from raw text have started to achieve promising results. However, earlier work on unsupervised parsing shows large performance differences between non-neural models trained on corpora in different languages, even for comparable amounts of data. With that in mind, we train instances of the PRPN architecture (Shen et al., 2018)—one of these unsupervised neural network parsers—for Arabic, Chinese, English, and German. We find that (i) the model strongly outperforms trivial baselines and, thus, acquires at least some parsing ability for all languages; (ii) good hyperparameter values seem to be universal; (iii) how the model benefits from larger training set sizes depends on the corpus, with the model achieving the largest performance gains when increasing the number of sentences from 2,500 to 12,500 for English. In addition, we show that, by sharing parameters between the related languages German and English, we can improve the model’s unsupervised parsing F1 score by up to 4% in the low-resource setting.
Gluttons for Punishment? Experimentally Induced Hunger Unexpectedly Reduces Harshness of Suggested Punishments

Although many societies endorse objectivity in moral judgment and punishment, humans are frequently influenced by deep-rooted biases, such that superficially irrelevant factors can influence moral judgment and decision making. Hunger is a fundamental source of motivation and is known to redirect behavior in other domains. The present research aims to test whether hunger influences moral judgments and punishments. We first report results from four pilot studies (n = 1354) which, taken together, imply a positive relationship between self-reported hunger and harsher moral judgment. The main preregistered study then examined the effect of experimentally induced hunger on judicial sentencing and moral judgments. Hunger was manipulated by asking 246 undergraduates to not eat for at least four hours before the study. Participants in the Satiated condition received a snack before taking questionnaires, while those in the Hungry condition were given the same snack after responding to the questionnaires. Contrary to our pre-registered predictions, participants in the Hungry condition recommended significantly more lenient punishments, while the manipulation had no effect on moral judgment. Overall, the results suggest caution regarding previous findings indicating that hungry people punish more, and offer tentative evidence of the opposite effect under some conditions. We discuss possible reasons for the apparent inconsistencies between studies.
Swelling‐Deswelling Microencapsulation‐Enabled Ultrastable Perovskite−Polymer Composites for Photonic Applications

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals are emerging as novel optoelectronic materials. Owing to their excellent optical and electronic properties such as tunable band gap, narrow-band emission and high charge mobility, they are quite promising in various fields including liquid-crystal display backlighting, solid-state lighting and other energy conversion applications. However, the intrinsic low formation energy makes them vulnerable to external stimulus, e. g. water, oxygen, heat, etc. Among many methods, swelling-deswelling microencapsulation emerges as one of the most promising strategies to improve their stability. Herein, recent developments and future research directions in swelling-deswelling microencapsulation-enabled ultrastable perovskite-polymer composites are summarized. We believe this strategy has great potential to deliver successful perovskite-based commercial products for many photonics applications.
ABBABB or 1212: Abstract language facilitates children's early patterning skills.

Abstract Emerging research demonstrates a central role of early patterning skills in supporting cognitive development. This study focused on the labels used to describe patterns. Children (N = 90; Mage = 5.4 years) solved and explained 10 pattern abstraction tasks (i.e., recreated a model pattern using novel materials). Using a between-participants design, children were taught using one of four labels: letters (AAB, AAB), numbers (112, 112), quantitative grouping labels (two one, two one), or no labels (this part, this part). All three forms of abstract language were beneficial relative to no labels. Grouping labels, which conveyed information about quantity, also aided performance on posttest items. Children’s speech and gesture provided further insights into how abstract language may support early patterning skills and attention to structure.
100 – Pediatric Stroke

Publisher Summary This chapter describes different aspects of pediatric stroke. The reported incidence of cerebrovascular disease in the pediatric age group varies from 2.5 to 2.7 cases per 100,000 per year to 20–30% of all infants of less than 35 weeks gestational age who have intraventricular or germinal matrix hemorrhage. Mechanisms of stroke in children include cerebral embolism, arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage. The likely cause of childhood stroke can be identified with thorough evaluation in up to two-thirds of patients. Antithrombin III deficiency and congenital protein C deficiency are autosomal dominant disorders that tend to promote venous or arterial vascular occlusion. Homozygous protein C deficiency presents in infancy with severe multifocal vascular thromboses. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies is associated with multiple arterial or venous thrombotic events, spontaneous abortion, livedo reticularis, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiac valve lesions. The likelihood of transient or permanent neurologic deficit diminishes about 4 years after the onset of symptoms.
Use of institutional criteria for transcatheter device closure of Fontan fenestration - Midterm outcomes.

Background: There are no established criteria to decide suitability for Fontan fenestration closure. Our institution has the following criteria: an unobstructed Fontan pathway with no significant decompressing venovenous collaterals, baseline Fontan pressure ≤15 mmHg, baseline cardiac index ≤2 L/min/m2, and a decrease in cardiac index ≥20% with test occlusion of the fenestration. Objective: The objective of the study was to review midterm outcomes following device closure of Fontan fenestration using institutional criteria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent catheterization with prior fenestrated Fontan procedure between May 2005 and January 2015. Patients were classified as those who underwent successful closure (A), had closure deferred due to failure to meet criteria (B), or were not referred for closure (C). Results: There were 42 patients in Group A, 10 in Group B, and 150 in Group C. The mean Fontan pressure increased from 13.1 ± 2.1 to 14.5 ± 2.1mmHg in Group A and 14.6 ± 1.5 to 15.7 ± 2.2 mmHg in Group B (P = not significant). With test occlusion, cardiac index fell by 18.12% ± 15.68% in Group A and 33.75% ± 14.98% in Group B (P = 0.019). At a median of 46 month follow-up, oxygen saturation increased significantly from 85.15% ± 6.29% at baseline to 94.6% ± 4.43% (P Conclusions: Using institutional criteria, transcatheter device closure of Fontan fenestration was followed by significant increase in oxygen saturations and no statistically significant difference in morbidity or mortality between closure and nonclosure groups.
Epileptiform activity and seizures in patients with COVID-19

Acute symptomatic seizures have been reported in sporadic cases in patients with COVID-19.1 2 However, a recent large retrospective cohort study suggested that there was no increased risk of acute symptomatic seizures in these patients.3 As such, the association of seizures with COVID-19 has not been established. Admittedly, EEG studies have been significantly underused due to exposure concerns, and epileptiform activity has seldom been identified in this patient population. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of epileptiform activity and to assess the risk of seizures in patients with COVID-19. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with COVID-19 from 1 March to 27 May 2020 in a single institution. Patients were included if they were (1) ≥18 years of age, (2) positive for nasal swab SARS-CoV-2 RNA qualitative PCR test and (3) underwent EEG monitoring. Patients with a prior active diagnosis of epilepsy were excluded. Patient data regarding demographics, medical history, neuroimaging, laboratory tests, complications, mortality, metabolic profiles and treatment were extracted from electronic medical records. COVID-19 disease severity was categorised according to WHO guideline into (1) non-severe: absence of viral pneumonia or hypoxia, or clinical signs of pneumonia but SpO2 of >90% on room air; (2) severe: clinical pneumonia, respiratory rate of >30 and SpO2 of <90% on room air; (3) critical: sepsis with organ dysfunction or requiring mechanical ventilation. EEG studies were performed using standard international 10–20 system plus …
Media Representation and Transmediation: Indexicality in Journalism Comics and Biography Comics

This article analyzes the ways in which journalism comics and biography comics create indexicality through intermedial relations. These strategies include media representations of different qualified media types (journalistic report, biography, and autobiography) and of specific media products (such as familiar images of people and places). The article starts with a short history of comics. It then offers a theoretical discussion of intermediality, media representation, and transmediation, with specific focus on the tactics that journalism and biography comics use to represent reality indexically through media representation and transmediation. Furthermore, the authors analyze intermedial relations in the comic albums The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier; Il mondo di Aisha—Storie di donne dello Yemen by Ugo Bertotti; Maus by Art Spiegelman; To the Heart of the Storm by Will Eisner; Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot; and Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco.
Late Delivery -- Measure of Damages

One would think that the measure of damages to be applied where the seller delivers goods late would be readily ascertainable from the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.), but it apparently is not so simple… The author examines the New York Court of Appeals’ holding in Fertico Belgium S.A. vs. Phosphate Chemicals Exports Ass'n., Inc, which entitled plaintiff to both "cover" damages and profits on the sale of the late-delivered goods.
A fructo-oligosaccharide prebiotic is well-tolerated in adults undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a phase I dose-escalation trial

Abstract Background Alterations of the gut microbiota after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) are a key factor in the development of transplant-related complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Interventions that preserve the gut microbiome hold promise to improve HCT-associated morbidity and mortality. Murine models demonstrate that prebiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) may increase gut levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, and consequently induce proliferation of immunomodulatory CD4+ FOXP3+ T-regulatory cells (Tregs), that impact GVHD risk. Methods We conducted a pilot Phase I trial to assess the investigate the maximum tolerated dose of FOS in patients undergoing reduced-intensity (RIC) allo-HCT (n=15) compared to concurrent controls (n=16). We administered FOS starting at pretransplant conditioning and continuing for a total of 21 days. We characterized the gut microbiome using shotgun metagenomic sequencing, measured stool SCFAs using LC-MS, and determined peripheral T-cell concentrations using CyTOF. Results We found that FOS was safe and well-tolerated at 10g per day without significant adverse effects in patients undergoing reduced-intensity conditioning allo-HCT. Community-level gut microbiota composition was significantly different on the day of transplant (day 0) between patients receiving FOS compared to concurrent controls, however FOS-associated alterations of the gut microbiota were not sustained after transplant. Although the impact of FOS was fleeting, transplantation itself impacted a substantial number of taxa over time. In our small pilot trial, no significant differences were observed in gut microbial metabolic pathways, stool SCFAs, or in peripheral Tregs although Tregs trended higher in those patients who received FOS. Early alterations in gut microbiota composition in those receiving FOS are especially intriguing although it remains unclear what impact this has on outcomes following transplantation and larger studies are required to investigate the use of prebiotics in HCT recipients. Conclusions FOS is well-tolerated at 10g per day in patients undergoing RIC allo-HCT.
Sparse Allele Vectors and the Savvy Software Suite.

SUMMARY The sparse allele vectors (SAV) file format is an efficient storage format for large-scale DNA variation data and is designed for high throughput association analysis by leveraging techniques for fast deserialization of data into computer memory. A command line interface has been developed to complement the storage format and supports basic features like importing, exporting and subsetting. Additionally, a C ++ programming API is available allowing for easy integration into analysis software. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION https://github.com/statgen/savvy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Backgammon is Hard.

We study the computational complexity of the popular board game backgammon. We show that deciding whether a player can win from a given board configuration is NP-Hard, PSPACE-Hard, and EXPTIME-Hard under different settings of known and unknown opponents' strategies and dice rolls. Our work answers an open question posed by Erik Demaine in 2001. In particular, for the real life setting where the opponent's strategy and dice rolls are unknown, we prove that determining whether a player can win is EXPTIME-Hard. Interestingly, it is not clear what complexity class strictly contains each problem we consider because backgammon games can theoretically continue indefinitely as a result of the capture rule.
A Randomized Trial of Specialty Mental Health Probation: Measuring Implementation and Effectiveness Outcomes.

Although the research on specialty mental health probation (SMHP) is promising, there have been no randomized controlled trials (RCT) of the prototypical model advanced in the research literature and little focus on SMHP implementation. This study assesses the adoption of SMHP in two counties and examines its impact on mental health and criminal justice outcomes. Researchers conducted a RCT within a hybrid implementation-effectiveness study to examine intervention adoption as well as mental health treatment engagement and criminal justice outcomes for 100 individuals with serious mental illnesses on probation in one rural and one urban county in a southeastern state. Randomization produced equivalent treatment (n = 47) and control (n = 53) groups with no statistically significant differences between groups on demographic or background characteristics. Compared to standard probation officers, SMHP officers addressed the mental health needs of individuals with serious mental illness (i.e., adoption) at higher rates (p < 0.001). Compared to individuals on standard caseloads, individuals on SMHP had a higher rate of mental health engagement (e.g., mental health assessment, attending treatment appointment; p < 0.050); however, more individuals on SMHP caseloads had a new crime violation during follow-up compared with individuals on standard caseloads (p < 0.01). In conclusions, results suggest successful adoption of the intervention and increased mental health engagement among those on SMHP caseloads. Results are consistent with the mixed findings on the impact of SMHP on improving criminal justice outcomes.
Three-dimensional modelling

A scheme used in building models of three - dimensional objects through binocular and motion parallax analyses is presented. Some preliminary results in using the models for recognition are described, and a discussion of the major objectives summarizes the rationale of the work. The principal emphasis throughout the paper will be that effective vision requires flexible, domain-free, three-dimensional modelling.
Regulation of NADPH Oxidases by Rac GTPase

Publisher Summary The NADPH oxidase of stimulated neutrophils uses cytosolic NADPH as an electron donor to catalyze the one-electron reduction of molecular oxygen to generate superoxide anion. Understanding the precise nature of the role(s) of Rac in oxidase regulation is facilitated by an examination of the specific domains of this GTPase and their interaction with various NADPH oxidase components. A consensus model for the role of Rac in the oxidase depends upon additional biochemical, mutational, and biophysical studies in phagocytic leukocytes, in combination with structural information on the respective protein complexes. Knowledge of the mechanisms of regulation of Nox-mediated ROS production by Rac GTPases will lead to a better understanding of redox signaling pathways, and potentially provide the means to intervene therapeutically in ROS-related pathological disease states.
The Purification and Properties of Sucrose Synthetase from Etiolated Phaseolus aureus Seedlings

Abstract UDP-glucose:d-fructose 2-glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.14), commonly called sucrose synthetase, has been purified from etiolated Phaseolus aureus seedlings to homogeneity by electrophoretic, immunological, and ultracentrifugal criteria. Molecular weight determinations by low speed equilibrium centrifugation yields a value of 375,000 ± 12,000. A value of 405,000 ± 20,000 was obtained by gel filtration. Other physical determinations for the enzyme yielded the following data: s20,w = 12.4 x 10-13 sec-1; diffusion constant (D20,w) = 3.03 x 10-7 cm-2 sec-1; and f/f0 = 1.49. Subunit analyses indicate that the enzyme is a tetramer composed of identical protein subunits of approximate molecular weight 94,000. An equilibrium constant of 0.15 for the sucrose synthetase reaction at pH 7.5 and 25° in the direction of uridine diphosphate glucose synthesis was experimentally determined. The kinetic parameters of the enzyme in the proposed physiological direction, that of nucleoside diphosphate glucose synthesis, have been measured. When UDP is present at saturating levels, the Km for sucrose was determined to be 17 mm. A similar value (29 mm) was obtained when ADP was the second substrate. Upon complete purification the enzyme retains activity for UDP, ADP, TDP, CDP, or GDP as substrates. Km values for these substrates, determined in the presence of saturating sucrose, are 0.19, 0.19, 0.30, 0.44, and 0.17 mm, respectively. The Vmax in the presence of these substrates are, in relative numbers, 100, 28.6, 5.8, 3.4, and 2.8, respectively. Kinetic data indicate a random mechanism for the enzyme.
A spectral theory of continuous functions and the Loomis–Arendt–Batty–Vu theory on the asymptotic behavior of solutions of evolution equations

Abstract In this paper we present a new approach to the spectral theory of non-uniformly continuous functions and a new framework for the Loomis–Arendt–Batty–Vu theory. Our approach is direct and free of C 0 -semigroups, so the obtained results, that extend previous ones, can be applied to large classes of evolution equations and their solutions.
Position Effect Variegation in Human Genetic Disease

Position effect variegation (PEV) is the mosaic pattern of expression shown by genes placed within or near heterochromatic environments. Research on several model organisms has identified molecular mechanisms that account for PEV. These studies suggest that some human genetic diseases might be attributed to PEV. Keywords: chromatin; facioscapulohumeral disease; gene expression; genetic disease; position effect variegation
Reducing the Risk of Salmonella Spread and Practical Controi Measures in Dairy Herds

With increased importance placed on the quality and safety of dairy products, a greater emphasis will be directed to control infectious organisms such as Salmonella all along the food processing chain. Therefore, a better understanding of measures that reduce and control the spread of Salmonella will be important in the future. The above outline will by no means eradicate Salmonella from all farms, but hopefully provides insight in how to manage an outbreak and limit the continued spread of the infection to other producers.