cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of temperature and modulators of protein tyrosine kinase activity on the reactivity of isolated venules in secondary Raynaud's phenomenon.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the response of skin venules from healthy controls and scleroderma patients with Raynaud9s phenomenon (RP/SSc) to cooling and to modulators of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity at normal and reduced temperature. METHODS: We used the microvessel perfusion technique to characterize the response of isolated dermal venules (200-400 microm outside diameter) from normal (n = 10) and RP/SSc (n = 8) subjects to cooling and to contractile agents at 37 and 31 degrees C. RESULTS. The response to clonidine at 37 degrees C was less in venules from patients with RP/SSc compared to controls; the contraction to serotonin was greater in venules from RP/SSc patients versus controls; at 31 degrees C, venules from RP/SSc patients contracted to both clonidine and serotonin to a greater extent versus controls; and contraction to these agonists was reversed by cumulative addition of genistein (1-100 microM). Venules from controls and patients with RP/SSc exhibited slight vasodilation to cooling from 37 to 31 degrees C. In the presence of the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium orthovanadate (10 microM), venules from controls now exhibited a small contraction (-5.1 +/- 3.2%) and venules from RP/SSC subjects a significantly greater contraction (-38.7 +/- 9.0%; p
SPICE TOOLS SUPPORTING PLANETARY REMOTE SENSING

Abstract. NASA's "SPICE"* ancillary information system has gradually become the de facto international standard for providing scientists the fundamental observation geometry needed to perform photogrammetry, map making and other kinds of planetary science data analysis. SPICE provides position and orientation ephemerides of both the robotic spacecraft and the target body; target body size and shape data; instrument mounting alignment and field-of-view geometry; reference frame specifications; and underlying time system conversions. SPICE comprises not only data, but also a large suite of software, known as the SPICE Toolkit, used to access those data and subsequently compute derived quantities–items such as instrument viewing latitude/longitude, lighting angles, altitude, etc. In existence since the days of the Magellan mission to Venus, the SPICE system has continuously grown to better meet the needs of scientists and engineers. For example, originally the SPICE Toolkit was offered only in Fortran 77, but is now available in C, IDL, MATLAB, and Java Native Interface. SPICE calculations were originally available only using APIs (subroutines), but can now be executed using a client-server interface to a geometry engine. Originally SPICE "products" were only available in numeric form, but now SPICE data visualization is also available. The SPICE components are free of cost, license and export restrictions. Substantial tutorials and programming lessons help new users learn to employ SPICE calculations in their own programs. The SPICE system is implemented and maintained by the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF)–a component of NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS). * Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, Camera-matrix, Events
The After-Care Treatment of Varicose Veins

I t will be seen that ,these .are all simple pieces of homely advice often overlooked by the surgeon. The surgeon who advises his patients on the after-care reaps the benefit of grateful patients, for the simple reason that the patient's veins either will not recur, or will take a much longer, time to do so, if properly looked after. It is surprising how quickly further vein radicles appear in those patients who fail to take care of their legs in the post-operative period.
Basal ganglia discharge abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease

In the traditional model of the pathophysiology of parkinsonism, parkinsonian motor signs are viewed as the result of changes in discharge rates in the basal ganglia. However, not all experimental findings can be explained by rate changes alone, and changes in discharge patterns in these nuclei are increasingly emphasized as pathophysiologically important, including changes in burst discharges, in synchrony, and in oscillatory activity. This brief review highlights the pathophysiologic relevance of these rate and pattern changes in the pathophysiology of parkinsonism.
Host range testing and life history of the defoliator Hymenomima nr. memor: an unsuitable biological control agent for Schinus terebinthifolia in the U.S.A.

ABSTRACTHost range of larvae of Hymenomima nr. memor (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) was examined in quarantine to evaluate its suitability as a biological control of Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia. Brazilian peppertree, S. terebinthifolia is an environmental and agricultural weed from South America that had invaded many subtropical and tropical areas of the world including Florida and Hawaii, USA. Laboratory life history and quarantine host range studies of H. memor were conducted with no-choice feeding tests. These tests included eight species of the Anacardiaceae and one species of Sapindaceae. Larvae of H. memor had five to six instars with each head capsule width increasing by 1.68-X. Development time from neonate to adult was 46.7 ± 2.2 days. In host range tests, neonates completed development to the adult stage on all non-target species, except Toxicodendron radicans. Moreover, developmental times were delayed and pupal weights were reduced for larvae fed Spondias purpurea leaves. Due to ...
An Ephrin-Eph Tug and Push in Left-Right Organ Placement.

During development, the placement of internal organs asymmetrically along the left-right axis is critical for their proper adult function. Reporting in Developmental Cell, Cayuso et al. (2016) demonstrate an active role of the endoderm in this process, challenging the prior view that the endoderm is passively pushed by the mesoderm.
Interleukin-15 Upregulates the Expression of NK-Cell Activating Receptors and Concomitantly Increases the NK Cytotoxicity in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Natural killer (NK) cells lyse malignant cells without prior antigen-specific priming and play a critical role in the innate immune response. A balance of signals from activating and inhibiting receptors expressed on each NK cell controls its activity. The growth, differentiation and survival of NK cells have been found to be dependent on interleukin-15 (IL-15). Using multicolor flow cytometry we investigated the receptor repertoire and also measured the NK cell activity in twenty three patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) prior to any treatment. Further, we investigated the ex-vivo effect of IL-15 on the NK cell repertoire and NK cell cytotoxicity. The percentage of circulating NK cells was lower (p
Novel use of aliphatic n-methyl ketones as a fumigant and alternative to methyl bromide for insect control.

BACKGROUND Fumigants like phosphine, methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride are highly effective for the control of structural, storage and agricultural arthropod pests. Unfortunately, many of these synthetic compounds are highly toxic to people, many pests have developed resistance to these compounds and methyl bromide, the ‘gold standard’ for fumigants, was de-registered because of its contribution to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. Alternative fumigant chemistry is needed. RESULTS Several plant species produce n-aliphatic methyl ketones to prevent plant herbivory. To examine the use of methyl ketones as a fumigant, structure–mortality studies were conducted using the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, as a model. A new easy-to-use, inexpensive and disposable bioassay system was developed for this study. The LC50 values for heptanone, octanone, nonanone and undecanone were 4.27, 5.11, 5.26 and 8.21 µg/cm3 of ambient air, respectively. Although heptanone, octanone and nonanone were more effective than undecanone, subsequent research was conducted with 2-undecanone because this compound already has US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration as a biopesticide. In dose–response field studies, 12.4 mL of undecanone injected into mounds was the lowest application rate that produced no ant activity in the mound with no re-establishment of ants. Reagent grade undecanone was more cost-effective than methyl bromide for fire ants, adult German cockroaches and tobacco budworm eggs, but slightly more expensive for adult flour beetles. CONCLUSION The naturally occurring methyl ketone undecanone has the potential to be an alternative to current fumigants for a variety of pest applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Immunologic and endocrine functions of adipose tissue: implications for kidney disease

Excess adiposity can induce adverse sequelae in multiple cell types and organ systems. The transition from the lean to the obese state is characterized by fundamental cellular changes at the level of the adipocyte. These changes affect the local microenvironment within the respective adipose tissue but can also affect nonadipose systems. Adipocytes within fat pads respond to chronic nutrient excess through hyperplasia or hypertrophy, which can differentially affect interorgan crosstalk between various adipose depots and other organs. This crosstalk is dependent on the unique ability of the adipocyte to coordinate metabolic adjustments throughout the body and to integrate responses to maintain metabolic homeostasis. These actions occur through the release of free fatty acids and metabolites during times of energy need - a process that is altered in the obese state. In addition, adipocytes release a wide array of signalling molecules, such as sphingolipids, as well as inflammatory and hormonal factors (adipokines) that are critical for interorgan crosstalk. The interactions of adipose tissue with the kidney - referred to as the adipo-renal axis - are important for normal kidney function as well as the response of the kidney to injury. Here, we discuss the mechanistic basis of this interorgan crosstalk, which clearly has great therapeutic potential given the increasing rates of chronic kidney disease secondary to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Preface to DMR special edition 'Cannabinoid receptors and ligands: therapeutic drug development and abuse potential'.

Evidence following decades of research into ligands acting at cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) and type-2 (CB2) receptors suggests that development of drugs in this class may exhibit potential therapeutic ...
The Destiny of Nuclear Weapons After the Ban Treaty

122 of the 193 Member States of the United Nations on 7 July 2017, at the plenary meeting adopted a multilateral Treaty banning nuclear weapons (Text of Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), https://www.iaea.org/publications/documents/treaties/npt.). None of the nine possessors of nuclear weapons: USA, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel—did participate in the negotiations on the text of the Treaty and vote. Japan, the main victim of nuclear weapons, and non-nuclear weapons members of NATO refrain from participation at negotiation. Without questioning the good intention of the initiators of the Ban Treaty, a critical review of historical events indicates the following straight forward conclusion: The Ban Treaty prohibits the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the same as the NPT did. It does not include legally binding obligations for elimination of nuclear weapons within certain definite timeline. Therefore, the same historical mistake made during negotiation of the NPT, lacking any definite dead line for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, in its article VI, is repeated now. This shall leave the hands of the nuclear weapons possessor opened, as the NPT did, for almost had half a century. It has to be recalled the NPT was the initiative of the weapons states. The tremendous pressure augmented on weapon states during decades, due to public awareness and their concern of humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons, was a great opportunity to push for a “Nuclear Weapon Convention”, for total elimination of nuclear weapons. The Ban Treaty, however, with step by step voluntary mild approach, practically postponed the realization of legitimate urgent demand of peace loving people, for decades if not indefinitely. The opponents of the Ban Treaty, specifically the weapon sates are therefore, satisfied by the “Nuclear Ban Treaty” initiative, though they oppose to possibly mislead the public. In a nutshell, the security threat of thousands of nuclear arsenals, global threat, will remain for decades.
Turning off an implanted life-saving device.

Two physicians offer commentary about the need to honor a patient's right to refuse life-sustaining treatment, even if it means deactivating an implanted medical device. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Endovascular Management of Tracheo-Subclavian Fistula

Tracheoarterial fistula is a rare complication of tracheostomy with an incidence of less than 1%. Survival of this disease entity is low, and it likely results from a major open operation in a high-risk surgical group. In our review of the literature, a tracheoinnominate artery fistula is the most commonly reported arterial fistula. However, we present a rare case of tracheo–left subclavian artery fistula. We have identified 1 previous case of tracheo–left subclavian fistula as a source of massive tracheal bleeding. In our case report, we describe the successful management of this disease by endograft placement. Owing to its rarity, there are no guidelines on the management approach to tracheoarterial fistulas, but given the difficulty of controlling this problem via median sternotomy, the placement of a covered stent may be the best therapy. Initially, case reports showed a role for endograft placement as a temporizing measure, but the risk of infection may be sufficiently low to justify this approach as a definitive therapy. Upon a 6-month follow-up, our patient remains without recurrence of bleeding or infection, and computed tomography angiography of the chest with 3D reconstruction has shown patency of the endovascular stent with resolution of the associated pseudoaneurysm.
A New Kind of Church: The Religious Media Conglomerate as a “Denomination”

ABSTRACTMedia deregulation has caused ownership concentration and consolidation across all media industries. The “electronic church” has also developed the oligopolistic structure typical of media ...
Intratumoral activation of the necroptotic pathway components RIPK1 and RIPK3 potentiates antitumor immunity

Although the signaling events that induce different forms of programmed cell death are well defined, the subsequent immune responses to dying cells in the context of cancer remain relatively unexplored. Necroptosis occurs downstream of the receptor-interacting protein kinases RIPK1 and RIPK3, whose activation leads to lytic cell death accompanied by de novo production of proinflammatory mediators. Here, we show that ectopic introduction of necroptotic cells to the tumor microenvironment promotes BATF3+ cDC1- and CD8+ leukocyte-dependent antitumor immunity accompanied by increased tumor antigen loading by tumor-associated antigen-presenting cells. Furthermore, we report the development of constitutively active forms of the necroptosis-inducing enzyme RIPK3 and show that delivery of a gene encoding this enzyme to tumor cells using adeno-associated viruses induces tumor cell necroptosis, which synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade to promote durable tumor clearance. These findings support a role for RIPK1/RIPK3 activation as a beneficial proximal target in the initiation of tumor immunity. Considering that successful tumor immunotherapy regimens will require the rational application of multiple treatment modalities, we propose that maximizing the immunogenicity of dying cells within the tumor microenvironment through specific activation of the necroptotic pathway represents a beneficial treatment approach that may warrant further clinical development.
Quantifying the Impact of User Attention on Fair Group Representation in Ranked Lists

In this work, we introduce a novel metric for auditing group fairness in ranked lists. Our approach offers two benefits compared to the state of the art. First, we offer a blueprint for modeling of user attention. Rather than assuming a logarithmic loss in importance as a function of the rank, we can account for varying user behaviors through parametrization. For example, we expect a user to see more items during a viewing of a social media feed than when they inspect the results list of a single web search query. Second, we allow non-binary protected attributes to enable investigating inherently continuous attributes (\eg political alignment on the liberal to conservative spectrum) as well as to facilitate measurements across aggregated sets of search results, rather than separately for each result list. By combining these two elements into our metric, we are able to better address the human factors inherent in this problem. We measure the whole sociotechnical system, consisting of a ranking algorithm and individuals using it, instead of exclusively focusing on the ranking algorithm. Finally, we use our metric to perform three simulated fairness audits. We show that determining fairness of a ranked output necessitates knowledge (or a model) of the end-users of the particular service. Depending on their attention distribution function, a fixed ranking of results can appear biased both in favor and against a protected group.
Elevated Monoclonal Free Light Chains Are a Serum Marker of ABC Type Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract 1591 Background: The serum free light chain (FLC) assay quantitates free kappa and free lambda immunoglobulin light chains. We previously showed elevated FLC are present in approximately 1 in 3 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients from both a phase II cooperative group clinical trial and a large clinic based epidemiology cohort. Approximately 10% of DLBCL patients had elevated FLC that was monoclonal in these series. Patients with monoclonal elevated FLC have very poor outcome with almost 50% of patients progressing in the first 15 months following initial treatment with immunochemotherapy. Unlike patients with polyclonal FLC elevation, where a variety of host effects may cause a rise in both kappa and lambda, it is likely the excess FLC in monoclonal patients is directly related to the tumor. DLBCL are a heterogenous group of tumors that can be classified into germinal center (GCB) or activated B cell (ABC) groupings using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining algorithms. Here we examine the association of monoclonal free light chains with ABC vs. GCB DLBCL tumors. Methods: Newly diagnosed DLBCL patients were prospectively enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) or NCCTG clinical trial N0489. Serum FLC was quantitated from enrollment research serum draws using the Freelite FLC assay (The Binding Site, Ltd., Birmingham, UK). Monoclonal elevated FLC was defined as an elevated kappa or lambda with a corresponding abnormal FLC ratio. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on paraffin tissue from research tissue microarrays (TMAs). Results: IHC tissue staining was available from 12 patients with monoclonal elevated FLC unrelated to renal failure. Germinal center markers were predominantly negative: 2 of 11 were LMO2 positive (18%), 1 of 12 was CD10 positive (8%), and zero cases out of 11 were GCET1 positive. FoxP1 was positive in 5 of 9 cases (56%) and MUM1 was positive in 4 of 12 cases (33%). By the Tally algorithm, 10 of 11 cases (91%) were ABC type DLBCL The percentage of ABC patients by the Tally algorithm in the corresponding DLBCL patients without monoclonal FLC was 45% (N=108, p=0.004). Conclusions: Approximately 10% of DLBCL patients have elevated monoclonal FLC and these patients have poor prognosis. Elevated monoclonal FLC may be a serum marker for ABC-type lymphoma, as the tumors from patients are predominantly negative for germinal center stains and ABC by the Tally algorithm. The secretion of light chains by the tumor suggests an activated B cell clone and the poor prognosis is characteristic of ABC type DLBCL and. Given the likelihood of the excess monoclonal FLC being tumor related, the potential exists for tracking of tumor response and progression via serum FLC in these patients. Replication of these findings in an additional cohort of DLBCL patients is planned. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Sense of community, loneliness, and satisfaction in five elder cohousing neighborhoods.

Data were collected at five elder cohousing neighborhoods to understand more about who lives in these communities, their reasons for moving, their satisfaction, and to explore the intersection betw...
Applications of smart proxies for subsurface modeling

Abstract Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques, we developed and validated the smart proxy models for history matching of reservoir simulation, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty assessment by artificial neural network (ANN). The smart proxy models were applied on two cases, the first case study investigated the application of a proxy model for calibrating a reservoir simulation model based on historical data and predicting well production while the second case study investigated the application of an ANN-based proxy model for fast-track modeling of CO2 enhanced oil recovery, aiming at the prediction of the reservoir pressure and phase saturation distribution at injection stage and post-injection stage. The prediction effects for both cases are promising. While a single run of basic numerical simulation model takes hours to days, the smart proxy model runs in a matter of seconds, saving 98.9% of calculating time. The results of these case studies demonstrate the advantage of the proposed workflow for addressing the high run-time, computational time and computational cost of numerical simulation models. In addition, these proxy models predict the outputs of reservoir simulation models with high accuracy.
Improving temperature management and retaining quality of fresh-cut leafy greens by retrofitting open refrigerated retail display cases with doors

Abstract Open refrigerated display cases in supermarkets are prevalent in the United States despite being prone to temperature fluctuations. We collaborated with a chain retailer in Florida to retrofit existing open vegetable display cases with doors, and monitored the display temperature profile over 5 months. Quality evaluations were performed on baby spinach, spring mix, and chopped romaine lettuce after storage under simulated open and closed case conditions. Doors improved spatial and temporal temperature uniformity in whole and fresh-cut vegetable cases. Optimal storage temperature for ready-to-eat produce (≤5 °C) was recorded over 98% of the time after door installation versus 49–88% before retrofitting. An overall temperature decrease in the fresh-cut produce case from 3.62 to 0.66 °C necessitated a thermostat setting adjustment of +1.1 °C to avoid freezing of salad product. Elevated headspace CO2 concentrations and higher populations of aerobic bacteria (6.6 log CFU g−1), yeasts and molds (4.6 log CFU g−1) were found under open display conditions for one or more salad products tested. Baby spinach leaves from the open case environment were lighter green and more yellowish in color. Electrolyte leakage and ascorbic acid content of the three salad types were similar between the open and closed door displays. Superior overall visual quality and stronger purchase intent were found for baby spinach and spring mix samples from the closed display case. These products had less severe off-odor and discoloration, and crispier texture than those held in the open case. The decreased overall temperature and improved temperature uniformity in closed display cases, along with better produce quality and potential energy savings, may encourage retailers to consider retrofitting open displays with doors or purchasing closed displays.
Differences in cerebral blood vasculature and flow in awake and anesthetized mouse cortex revealed by quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography

Abstract Background Most of the in vivo neurovascular imaging studies are performed in anesthetized animals. However, anesthesia significantly affects cerebral hemodynamics. New method We applied optical coherence tomography (OCT) methods such as optical microangiography (OMAG) and Doppler optical microangiography (DOMAG) to quantitatively evaluate the effect of anesthesia in cerebral vasculature and blood flow in mouse brain. Results The OMAG results indicated the increase of large vessel diameter and capillary density induced by ketamine-xylazine and isoflurane, meaning that both anesthetics caused vasodilation. In addition, the preliminary results from DOMAG showed that isoflurane increased the baseline cerebral blood flow. Comparison with existing methods In comparison with other in vivo imaging modalities, OCT can provide label-free assessment of cortical tissue including tissue morphology, cerebral blood vessel network and flow information down to capillary level, with a large field of view and high imaging speed. Conclusions OCT angiography methods demonstrated the ability to measure the differences in the baseline morphological and flow parameters of both large and capillary cerebrovascular networks between awake and anesthetized mice.
BlackLivesMatter and the Families Left Behind

Why has the work of #BLM had such limited impact on the experiences of the families of those slain by police? While some loved ones’ names become the oft-repeated rallying cries justifying the movement’s calls for “abolition,” “justice,” and “police reform,” the vast majority go unsung. And meanwhile, the surviving families of all people killed by police — whether their loved one’s names are converted to hashtags or not — struggle to get information on their loved one’s killing, resources for essential needs like funeral expenses, and any form of accountability or systemic change. This Essay explores how the movement — namely the ongoing struggle of the formal and informal network of organizers, lawyers, activists, and institutions formed in response to the most recent onslaught of killings by police — has managed to leave families of those killed by police behind. It asks how the movement might turn its focus back to the families who are most directly impacted by police killings and how such a pivot could both offer much needed support to surviving families and inform the movement’s strategies going forward.
Childhood Sexual Abuse, Spirituality/Religion, Anxiety and Depression in a Jewish Community Sample: the Mediating Role of Religious Coping.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive problem impacting a broad range of mental health outcomes. Previous research has shown that spiritual and religious (S/R) factors both positively and neg...
Real-time scheduling of dynamically reconfigurable systems

The maximum-urgency-first algorithm, which can be used to predictably schedule dynamically changing systems, is proposed. It is shown that it is a significant improvement over the rate monotonic algorithm, which can be used only to schedule static systems. The maximum-urgency-first scheduler has been implemented as the default scheduler of CHIMERA II, a real-time operating system being used to control sensor-based control systems. >
Forecasting Network Intrusions from Security Logs Using LSTMs

Computer network intrusions are of increasing concern to governments, companies, and other institutions. While technologies such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are growing in sophistication and adoption, early warning of intrusion attempts could help cybersecurity practitioners put defenses in place early and mitigate the effects of cyberattacks. It is widely known that cyberattacks progress through stages, which suggests that forecasting network intrusions may be possible if we are able to identify certain precursors. Despite this potential, forecasting intrusions remains a difficult problem. By leveraging the rapidly growing and widely varying data available from network monitoring and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, as well as recent advances in deep learning, we introduce a novel intrusion forecasting application. Using six months of data from a real, large organization, we demonstrate that this provides improved intrusion forecasting accuracy compared to existing methods.
Household Cash Balances during COVID-19: A Distributional Perspective

Months after the declaration of national emergency on March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the economy and household finances in dramatic and unprecedented ways. Household spending, which initially fell sharply during the shutdowns in March and April (Cox et al, 2020), has slowly recovered. The most financially vulnerable families have been impacted the most, with lower-income earners and Black and Latinx workers facing the highest job losses. The government responded with the massive CARES Act to bolster income and economic activity through stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, and the Payroll Protection Program. Prior research has demonstrated the importance of liquid savings for maintaining financial resilience during times of uncertainty (Farrell et al, 2019; Farrell et al, 2020). What has been the net effect of these various forces on families’ liquid savings? Aggregate statistics suggest an increase in the deposits of households and nonprofits as well as commercial banks since March, 2020, but what does the picture look like for the median household and, in particular, low-income households? We analyze trends in checking account balances between 2019 and October 2020 to understand how the pandemic and these government interventions have affected household financial outcomes across the income spectrum. As a highly liquid asset, checking accounts often serve as a family’s first line of defense to shield against financial shocks. It is also important to provide a distributional, household-centric view of account balance trends, which might be masked by aggregate public statistics on deposit levels. We address these questions via a unique data asset based on the daily balances of Chase personal checking accounts. The data asset follows the account balances of 1.8 million families across the U.S. who have been active checking account users since December 2018.
Combatting Burnout by Maximizing Medical Student Participation in Exercise Events

Physicians have a higher risk of burnout than many other professions, and burnout is associated with less altruistic professional values, worse patient–doctor relationships, and increased medical e...
Pharmacogenetically driven treatments for alcoholism: are we there yet?

Pharmacogenetic analyses of treatments for alcohol dependence attempt to predict treatment response and side-effect risk for specific medications. We review the literature on pharmacogenetics relevant to alcohol dependence treatment, and describe state-of-the-art methods of pharmacogenetic research in this area. Two main pharmacogenetic study designs predominate: challenge studies and treatment-trial analyses. Medications studied include US FDA-approved naltrexone and acamprosate, both indicated for treating alcohol dependence, as well as several investigational (and offlabel) treatments such as sertraline, olanzapine and ondansetron. The best-studied functional genetic variant relevant to alcoholism treatment is rs 1799971, a single-nucleotide polymorphism in exon 1 of the OPRM1 gene that encodes the μ-opioid receptor. Evidence from clinical trials suggests that the presence of the variant G allele of rs 1799971 may predict better treatment response to opioid receptor antagonists such as naltrexone. Evidence from clinical trials also suggests that several medications interact pharmacogenetically with variation in genes that encode proteins involved in dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission. Variation in the DRD4 gene, which encodes the dopamine D4 receptor, may predict better response to naltrexone and olanzapine. A polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 promoter region appears related to differential treatment response to sertraline depending on the subject’s age of onset of alcoholism. Genetic variation in SLC6A4 may also be associated with better treatment response to ondansetron. Initial pharmacogenetic efforts in alcohol research have identified functional variants with potential clinical utility, but more research is needed to further elucidate the mechanism of these pharmacogenetic interactions and their moderators in order to translate them into clinical practice.
Interplay between the membrane-associated UhpB and UhpC regulatory proteins.

Abstract Expression of the Escherichia coli uhpT gene, encoding the sugar phosphate transport protein, is induced by extracellular glucose-6-phosphate and requires the function of the uhpABC regulatory genes. The UhpA and UhpB proteins are related to the response-regulator and sensor-kinase proteins of two-component regulatory systems, whereas the UhpC protein is related to UhpT and homologous transport proteins. To investigate the role of segments of the membrane-associated UhpB and UhpC regulatory proteins, a series of mutations were constructed in vitro by insertion of a 12- or 24-bp oligonucleotide linker at 44 sites within the uhpABCT locus. The effect of these mutations on regulation of a uhpT-lacZ transcriptional reporter was assayed with the mutated uhp alleles in single copy on the chromosome. All but one of the insertions in uhpA or uhpT were inactive for transcription activation or transport, respectively. In contrast, about half of the insertions in uhpB and uhpC retained Uhp expression, and insertions at four sites in uhpB and at one site in uhpC conferred high-level constitutive expression. The constitutive mutants in UhpB resulted from insertions in the nonpolar amino-terminal half of the protein, and all insertions in that half of UhpB affected Uhp expression in some manner, which suggests that the transmembrane segments of UhpB might negatively regulate the kinase activity of the carboxyl portion. The constitutive behavior of all but one of these uhpB alleles was dependent on the presence of active forms of both UhpA and UhpC, which suggests that UhpB and UhpC act jointly as a complex in the signaling process.
Torsional stability of shallow shells of revolution.

force matrix and the smallest eigenvalue X is the buckling load. The midplane force matrix is not affected by changes in area, mass, or stiffness, hence the uncertainty in buckling load is totally dependent upon the uncertainties in the stiffness matrix. The standard deviation of buckling load was computed for the fixed-free column, and it was found to be, in terms of percentage change, twice that of the standard deviation of area. This increased sensitivity is explained by the absence of the mass matrix which in the frequency problems diminished the statistical influence of the stiffness matrix (local mass increases with stiffness when area increases, thus minimizing the change in k/m). It can be concluded therefore, that buckling problems will always be more sensitive than frequency problems to cross-sectional area uncertainty.
Are Social-Cognitive Ability and Narrative Writing Skill Related?

Rubin, Piche, Michlin, and Johnson (1984) recently presented data allegedly demonstrating a substantial relationship between social-cognitive ability and narrative writing skill. Certain theoretica...
Photosynthetically active sunlight at high southern latitudes.

Abstract A network of scanning spectroradiometers has acquired a multiyear database of visible solar irradiance, covering wavelengths from 400 to 600 nm, at four sites in the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere, from 55°S to 90°S. Monthly irradiations computed from the hourly measurements reveal the character of the seasonal cycle and illustrate the role of cloudiness as functions of latitude. Near summer solstice, the combined influences of solar elevation and the duration of daylight would produce a monthly irradiation with little latitude dependence under clear skies. However, the attenuation associated with local cloudiness varies geographically, with the greatest effect at the most northern locations, Ushuaia, Argentina and Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula. Near summer solstice, the South Pole experiences the largest monthly irradiation of the sites studied, where relatively clear skies contribute to this result. Scaling factors derived from radiative-transfer calculations combined with the me...
Jerusalem in America's Foreign Policy, 1947-1997

Abbreviations. Map. Introduction. Part A: The Quest for Territorial Internationalization, 1947-1950. 1. Internationalization under the Partition Scheme. 2. America's Retreat from Partition. 3. The Security Council Turns a Blind Eye. 4. The Battle for Jerusalem - As the United States and the United Nations Look On. 5. The Partition of Jerusalem. 6. Abortive Efforts at the United Nations. 7. Deadlock in the General Assembly. Part B: The Dormant Interlude, 1951-1967. 8. America Adjusts to a Divided Jerusalem. Part C: Jerusalem Reunified in the Wake of the 1967 Six-Day War. 9. The Status of East Jerusalem Debated. 10. Jerusalem at Camp David. 11. Post Camp David. 12. Reagan Revises US Policy. 13. Bush Plays Hardball with Shamir. Part D: Jerusalem Under the Oslo Accords. 14. The Struggle for Peace and Unity. 15. Jerusalem: The Challenge of Indivisibility. Summary and Conclusions. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.
Social Threats to Family Health: Redefining Nursing's Roles

There is a growing sense of urgency among nurses and other prmary care providers about the devastating effects of poverty, illiteracy, and domestic violence on family health. Family-focused health care models that are community based, portable, culturally specific, interdisciplinary, and inclusive of health maintenance and consumer education are desperately neededfor vulnerablefamilies. Professional nurses are developing strategies to provide more community-based primary health care and are positioned tofunction as practitioners instead of handmaiden employees. Nurses' challenge is to provide leadership and innovation for family health care education, research, policy, and practiceas they intensify their work with vulnerablefamilies in ways that recognize their strengths and resources.
Exploring Organizational Culture: Teaching Notes on Metaphor, Totem, and Archetypal Images:

The author introduces an experiential appreciation of organizational culture into a strategic management course. Students were asked to retrieve and to reflect on metaphors, totemic systems, and archetypal imagery associated with their college. Each technique was selected to explore the oblique views of organizational process and dynamics that students possessed. Initially, this encounter was designed to sensitize students to alternative strategic considerations. Although this may have been partially realized, it seems that the experience was more significant in allowing students to realize that they had unconscious impressions of an organizational culture and that these sentiments contributed to their interaction with the college.
Lower thermic effect of a meal post-exercise in aerobically trained and resistance-trained subjects.

Despite the abundance of literature concerning the thermic effect of a test meal (TEM) at rest in trained and untrained subjects, there is little information available concerning the TEM post-exercise. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to examine the metabolic response to a 763-kcal meal prior to 30 min of exercise at 50% VO2max, in aerobically trained (AT, N = 8), resistance-trained (RT, N = 8), and untrained (UT, N = 8) subjects. Mean (+/- SEM) VO2max was 60.7 +/- 2.3 ml.kg-1.min-1, 52.9 +/- 2.2 ml.kg-1.min-1 and 51.1 +/- 2.2 ml.kg-1.min-1, for the AT, RT, and UT groups, respectively. Mean (+/- SEM) percent fat was 13.7 +/- 1.2, 12.7 +/- 1.9, and 16.9 +/- 1.4 for the AT, RT, and UT groups, respectively. Post-exercise VO2 was measured by indirect calorimetry every half hour, on two nonconsecutive days (post-absorptive (PA) post-exercise and post-prandial (PP) post-exercise) for 3 h. The total TEM (post-exercise PP VO2 minus post-exercise PA VO2) was 4.86 +/- 1.62, 5.22 +/- 1.80, and 9.36 +/- 5.08 I for the AT, RT, and UT groups, respectively. The TEM post-exercise was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) for the AT and RT groups compared with the UT group. Respiratory exchange ratio (R) differed significantly only during the PA post-exercise condition, with the AT group exhibiting significantly lower (P less than 0.01) values compared with the RT and UT groups. PA post-exercise R for the RT group was not significantly different (P = 0.09) from the UT group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mechanism of Non-Selectivity in NAK Channel

The amino acid sequence of the non-selectivity filter of the bacterial NaK channel (TVGDG) is similar to that of the K-selective KcsA channel (TVGYG), yet NaK conducts both Na+ and K+ equally well. To investigate the non-selectivity mechanism of NaK, we performed non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations using step-wise pulling protocols and Jarzynski's Equality. Two ions in the crystal structure of NaK were kept at site S3 (z ≈ 14.0 A) in the filter and in the small vestibule above S3, and one ion for pulling was placed at z = 0 A below the filter entrance. Two sets of simulations with either NaCl or KCl were compared to quantify how the filter dehydrates and conducts the different ions along the z-axis toward the extracellular surface. The simulations show that the entry of Na+ into the filter is favored by about 0.5-2 kcal/mol over K+ due to easier dehydration of Na+. This difference is attributed to the collapse of S3 by 11% in volume on Na+, resulting in a higher negative charge density of carbonyl oxygen atoms around Na+ than K+. When ions enter the filter and displace the ion at S3 (called Na3 or K3) into the small vestibule, the pulled K+ in S4 (below S3) is more dehydrated than the pulled Na+. K3 and the other K+ and water molecules in the filter become significantly more symmetric around the z-axis than Na+ and water molecules. This symmetric distribution of K+ ions and water favors the movement of K+ above S3, offsetting the slight ion selectivity at the filter entrance. We hypothesize that the non-selectivity filter of the NaK channel favors Na+ over K+ below S3, but becomes more selective for K+ than Na+ above S3, thus resulting into the non-selectivity as experimentally observed.
Industry expectations of the new engineer

SUMMARY Commercial engineering databases as well as digital documents, e.g., journals, patents, standards, etc., are experiencing a period of rapid growth. The last thing an engineer can afford to do is spend time sifting through piles of infornTation without useful results to show for the effort. In the corporate world, new engineers are often called upon to perform a variety of research related tasks, e.g., report to their group on newly emerging technologies, or help in patent prior art research. Engineers with solid library research skills will generally produce more thorough reports than those without. The ideal time for the engineer to develop his or her information gathering and management skills is not when entering the corporate world, rather, it is during the engineering education where engineering library resources in staff and collections are virtually always superior to that of the corporate world where library service may be limited or non-existent.
Microwave Ablation of Hepatic Tumors Using Dual-Loop Probes: Results of a Phase I Clinical Trial

Hepatic tumors are a common cause of death worldwide. However, few patients are candidates for resection at the time of presentation. Microwave ablation is a viable alternative available for these patients. To date, only straight antennas are used for microwave ablation. Recently, a prototype loop-shaped microwave antenna was developed that, in animal studies, more effectively kills tumors. For this study, the dualprobe lesions were created by placing the probes in both tumors and normal livers. Lesions were created with 60 watts applied power for 5–7 minutes. The livers were sectioned and stained for viability. The average ablation volume was 63.9 ±8.7 cm3. Microwave ablation with the loop probes results in complete tumor kill at the ablation/tumor interface, and adjacent to surrounding blood vessels. In addition, vessels within the ablation/tumor interface failed to show viable cells. The shape of the lesions was not distorted by proximity to blood vessels. The advantages of this configuration over conventional straight probes include the ability to encircle a tumor, deliver large amounts of precisely targeted microwave energy to the tumor, and spare normal liver outside the loop.
Industry Variables Affecting ERP Success and Status

This manuscript analyzes the views of top financial executives on the information systems IS in their organizations and to study the level of enterprise resource planning implementation success and well as current status of activity in ERP systems. Specifically, ERP success and status were studied in 2010 as well as the effect of company size, level of ownership, and industry. An analysis of secondary data obtained from the 2006 and 2010 Financial Executives International comprehensive survey-based research on technology issues for financial executives. The results of this study are further explored deeper in the article.
Compartmentalized chemokine-dependent regulatory T-cell inhibition of allergic pulmonary inflammation

Background Induction of endogenous regulatory T (Treg) cells represents an exciting new potential modality for treating allergic diseases, such as asthma. Treg cells have been implicated in the regulation of asthma, but the anatomic location in which they exert their regulatory function and the mechanisms controlling the migration necessary for their suppressive function in asthma are not known. Understanding these aspects of Treg cell biology will be important for harnessing their power in the clinic. Objective We sought to determine the anatomic location at which Treg cells exert their regulatory function in the sensitization and effector phases of allergic asthma and to determine the chemokine receptors that control the migration of Treg cells to these sites in vivo in both mice and human subjects. Methods The clinical efficacy and anatomic location of adoptively transferred chemokine receptor–deficient CD4 + CD25 + forkhead box protein 3–positive Treg cells was determined in the sensitization and effector phases of allergic airway inflammation in mice. The chemokine receptor expression profile was determined on Treg cells recruited into the human airway after bronchoscopic segmental allergen challenge of asthmatic patients. Results We show that CCR7, but not CCR4, is required on Treg cells to suppress allergic airway inflammation during the sensitization phase. In contrast, CCR4, but not CCR7, is required on Treg cells to suppress allergic airway inflammation during the effector phase. Consistent with our murine studies, human subjects with allergic asthma had an increase in CCR4-expressing functional Treg cells in the lungs after segmental allergen challenge. Conclusion The location of Treg cell function differs during allergic sensitization and allergen-induced recall responses in the lung, and this differential localization is critically dependent on differential chemokine function.