cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical activity levels and quality of life relate to collagen turnover and inflammation changes after running

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an association existed between self-reported symptom and function scores and tissue turnover or inflammatory biomarker changes after a running bout among individuals with and without an acute knee-injury history. A pre-test/post-test prospective cohort study design (Level II) of 22 participants was conducted. Eleven physically active individuals with a history of anterior cruciate ligament surgery and/or meniscus surgery within 4 years of study participation were matched to 11 healthy control participants. All participants completed self-reported outcome measures (Knee Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score and Tegner activity level) assessing knee symptoms and functional levels prior to the run. Blood samples were taken both pre- and post-30-minute run at a prescribed pace on a treadmill to determine serum biomarker concentration changes. Tegner activity levels were inversely related to type II collagen/type II collagen synthesis marker ratio biomarker changes after the run (r = -0.45, p = 0.01). Quality-of-life scores pre-exercise were inversely related to interleukin-1β changes after the run (r = -0.50, p = 0.02). No other correlation coefficients were statistically significant (r = -0.39 to 0.36). Ultimately, individuals with lower activity and quality-of-life scores experienced greater increases in collagen turnover and inflammation after a running bout, respectively. A gradual increase in activity (e.g., frequency, duration, intensity) may be warranted in this group prior to returning to activities that involve running. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:612-617, 2017.
A Two-Laboratory Comparison of the Detection of Abnormal Urine Particulate Levels by Manual and Automated Microscopy

The performance of The Yellow IRIS urinalysis workstation was compared with that of manual microscopic analysis in two community hospitals. In testing 314 randomly collected urine samples, the automated instrument showed significantly greater detection of abnormal levels of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and casts in both institutions. Reduced specimen processing and resultant turnaround times were also noted using The Yellow IRIS.
EDRF suppresses an unidentified vasoconstrictor mechanism in hypertensive rat lungs

To test whether endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) plays a role in regulating the hypertensive pulmonary vascular bed, we compared effects of the inhibitor of EDRF production, N omega-nitro...
Assessing the Resilience of LEED Certified Green Buildings

Abstract The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program is dedicated to the design of sustainable buildings by incentivizing reductions in energy, water, and building materials consumption, while at the same time enhancing occupant health and overall community connectivity. While green buildings certified by the program do reduce the environmental footprint of buildings, they must also be designed for resilience to withstand external stressors that may arise over the buildings’ lifetime for it to be truly sustainable. Therefore, a resilient building should be able to adapt and remain functional while under pressure from more frequent and severe climatic events. The goal of the study was to analyze existing inherent overlaps between resilient design principles and the LEED certification system. Synergistic opportunities together with improvements for better integrating resilient design into the LEED checklist, and hence green buildings, by modifying existing or proposing new credits were discussed. The use of climate projections instead of historical climate data during design was recommended. Regional priority credits need to be specified further to address the unique regional needs of each project to improve resilience in light of a particular region's future climate outlook.
Bleomycin A2: a ferrous oxidase.

The bleomycins are polypeptides produced by Streptomyces verticullus and are used in chemotherapy of various malignancies. We find that bleomycin A 2 catalyzes the oxidation of Fe ++ to Fe +++ and reduces oxygen. The reaction follows classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Vmax = 0.27 µmole/min/ml, Km = 1.8 mM). One mole of bleomycin A 2 turns over approximately 5,000 moles Fe ++ /min. This catalytic activity of bleomycin A 2 is heat insensitive and strongly dependent on pH, buffer and ionic strength, and is unaffected by DNA. This enzyme-like action may be involved in the bleomycin degradation of DNA.
Generation of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from human fibroblasts via retroviral gene transfer

This chapter describes a protocol for deriving induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human fibroblasts. Human fibroblasts, cultured in fibroblast medium, are infected with a cocktail of retroviral vectors expressing the transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and MYC. The culture conditions are then switched to conditions that support human embryonic stem cell growth and emerging iPSC colonies that morphologically resemble human embryonic stem cell (hESC) colonies and have silenced the retroviral vectors (as evidenced by downregulation of retroviral GFP expression) that are mechanically isolated and subsequently cultured in identical fashion to hESCs. Putative iPSC lines are validated to be bona fide human iPSC lines by analyzing them for the expression of pluripotency markers and by differentiation in vitro and in vivo.
Age-based rationing of health care.

The U.S. has focused attention on the rising costs of health care coincident with the increasing age of the population. Arguments have been made to overtly ration care to older persons; however, general acceptance of the need to ration scarce resources, whether or not such a policy is actually formalized, can lead to covert rationing. Some overt rationing has already occurred, some of the data put forth to justify that rationing needs to be challenged, and ethical principles need to be applied to provide appropriate and perhaps less costly care.
Cellular and Morphological Alterations in the Vastus Lateralis Muscle as the Result of ACL Injury and Reconstruction.

Individuals who have had an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and reconstruction continue to experience substantial knee extensor strength loss despite months of physical therapy. Identification of the alterations in muscle morphology and cellular composition are needed to understand potential mechanisms of muscle strength loss, initially as the result of the injury and subsequently from surgery and rehabilitation. We performed diffusion tensor imaging-magnetic resonance imaging and analyzed muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis of both the affected and unaffected limbs before surgery and again from the reconstructed limb following the completion of rehabilitation. Immunohistochemistry was done to determine fiber type and size, Pax-7-positive (satellite) cells, and extracellular matrix (via wheat germ agglutinin straining). Using the diffusion tensor imaging data, the fiber tract length, pennation angle, and muscle volume were determined, yielding the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA). Paired t tests were used to compare the effects of the injury between injured and uninjured limbs and the effects of surgery and rehabilitation within the injured limb. We found significant reductions before surgery in type-IIA muscle cross-sectional area (CSA; p = 0.03), extracellular matrix (p < 0.01), satellite cells per fiber (p < 0.01), pennation angle (p = 0.03), muscle volume (p = 0.02), and PCSA (p = 0.03) in the injured limb compared with the uninjured limb. Following surgery, these alterations in the injured limb persisted and the frequency of the IIA fiber type decreased significantly (p < 0.01) and that of the IIA/X hybrid fiber type increased significantly (p < 0.01). Significant and prolonged differences in muscle quality and morphology occurred after ACL injury and persisted despite reconstruction and extensive physical therapy. These results suggest the need to develop more effective early interventions following an ACL tear to prevent deleterious alterations within the quadriceps.
Modifications of a Nanomolar Cyclic Peptide Antagonist for the EphA4 Receptor To Achieve High Plasma Stability

EphA4 is a receptor tyrosine kinase with a critical role in repulsive axon guidance and synaptic function. However, aberrant EphA4 activity can inhibit neural repair after injury and exacerbate neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s. We previously identified the cyclic peptide APY-d2 (APYCVYRβASWSC-nh2, containing a disulfide bond) as a potent and selective EphA4 antagonist. However, APY-d2 lacks sufficient plasma stability to be useful for EphA4 inhibition in vivo through peripheral administration. Using structure–activity relationship studies, we show that protecting the peptide N-terminus from proteolytic degradation dramatically increases the persistence of the active peptide in plasma and that a positively charged peptide N-terminus is essential for high EphA4 binding affinity. Among several improved APY-d2 derivatives, the cyclic peptides APY-d3 (βAPYCVYRβASWSC-nh2) and APY-d4 (βAPYCVYRβAEWEC-nh2) combine high stability in plasma and cerebrospinal flui...
Hypothalamic Hamartomas and Gelastic Epilepsy

Researchers at Stanford University and other neurological centers in the United States performed a retrospective review and analysis of the clinical presentation and neuroanatomical features of hypothalamic lesions in 100 cases of gelastic epilepsy.
Mitigating Effects of Interference through Coding and Interleaving

Based on the fact that performance of random error correction decoding is insensitive to code symbols erased before its decoding process, a new approach to mitigate the effects of interference is derived. This approach consists of three basic functions: it modifies conventional interleaving, it detects and deletes burst errors, and it corrects random errors. Therefore, this approach minimizes effects of jamming, antenna switching, and nuclear fading. We shall first describe a tactic of integrating coding and interleaving. Then, derivation and application of a special rate-1/4 convolutional code are illustrated. Finally, some preliminary computer simulation results on a rate-1/2 code are utilized to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Exploiting Bolivia's natural gas resources

We analyze the options available for Bolivia with regard to the exploitation of its natural gas resource base. While much of the commercial focus to date has been on developing delivery infrastructure and marketing supply to Brazil and Argentina, other options are available. In particular, producing and selling electricity to its neighbors may be especially attractive since there are also vast untapped hydroelectric resources in Bolivia that could complement such use for its natural gas.
Patterns of naloxone use in hospitalized patients

ABSTRACTObjectives: Naloxone is indicated for reversal of opioid-induced respiratory depression. The objective of this study is to evaluate patterns of naloxone use in hospitalized patients.Methods: Retrospective chart review at the University of California, San Diego Health. Subjects included adults ≥18 years old who were admitted to and received naloxone in the medical-surgical, telemetry, intermediate care, or obstetrics/gynecology units from May 1st, 2014 to April 30th, 2015. The primary endpoint was to determine the percentage of naloxone administrations that resulted in an improvement in sedation. Secondary endpoints included the percentage of naloxone administrations that reversed respiratory depression and any association of naloxone use with opioid routes of administration, other concomitant central nervous system depressants, or disease states. Data were analyzed using descriptive and contingency statistics.Results: 124 episodes of naloxone were identified during the study period. 62% of naloxon...
Buddhism and Marxism: points of intersection

I contend that Marxism and Buddhism can mutually enrich and support each other, offer constructive criticisms of each other, and intersect in a variety of ways. To demonstrate this, I follow the order of Buddha’s “four noble truths.” I focus first on the general concern which informs both perspectives—their respective analyses of suffering (the first noble truth). While Buddhism emphasizes the pervasive existential and ontological nature of suffering (dukkha), and Marx focuses on its historical construction, I argue that the former is always mediated by the latter. Second, I examine their respective analyses of the causes of suffering (the second noble truth). While Buddhism locates the cause of suffering in the illusion of self and its attendant desires, cravings, and attachments and while Marxism sees suffering as caused by the division of labor, class exploitation, and alienation brought about by the capitalist mode of production, I argue that capitalism both feeds on and reinforces these cravings and attachments; and that the illusion of the self provides the desperation that capitalism turns into profit accumulation, competitiveness, and consumerism which, in turn, reinforce this illusion. Third, I consider their respective ways of understanding the overcoming of suffering (the third noble truth). For Buddhism, this requires extinguishing the illusion of self and its attendant desires, cravings, and attachments. Here, I argue that Marxism’s vision of communism, the construction of a classless society which would ultimately overcome all divisions of labor and forms of domination, will require extinguishing of the illusion of self and its attendant poisons; and that the possibility of overcoming dukkha and attaining Nirvana will, for the vast majority of human beings, require the construction of such a society. Fourth, I argue that Buddhism’s analysis of the eight-fold path as the praxis necessary to attain Nirvana (the fourth noble truth) needs to be extended to a “socially engaged Buddhism,” to a social praxis which confronts and struggles to change the oppressive social institutions that cause suffering; and that Marx’s understanding of revolutionary social praxis can inform and, in turn, be guided by this Buddhist social praxis. Finally, in the last section of this article, I use the challenge to the ecological crisis as an example of how Marxism and Buddhism can work together as well as to critique one another, how confronting this crisis requires both challenging global capitalism and the anthropocentric assumption which separates our species identity from the whole of nature.
Putting "Context" in Context: The Effects of Body Posture and Emotion Scene on Adult Categorizations of Disgust Facial Expressions.

Affective face perception is influenced by nonfacial contextual elements. However, investigations often conflate body posture and emotion scene, making it unclear whether posture or the combination of posture and scene produces perception-altering effects. This study examined adults' categorizations of disgust facial expressions superimposed onto isolated emotion postures or postures embedded in emotion scenes. Results indicated that emotional postures exerted a significant contextual effect on adults' emotion categorizations of disgust faces. Of note, postures in emotion scenes exerted a stronger contextual effect than isolated postures for sadness and fear contexts. These findings suggest that contextual elements exert varying degrees of influence on emotion perception and produce combinatorial effects. (PsycINFO Database Record
Mental contamination obsessions: An examination across the obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions

Abstract Mental contamination (MC) is an experience in which individuals feel dirty or impure even though they have not come into direct contact with a contaminated object (e.g., merely thinking about something immoral or disgusting). Although limited research has examined MC in relation to contact contamination-relevant cognitions and symptoms, no studies to date have investigated the extent to which this construct is associated with the “unacceptable thoughts” obsessive-compulsive (OC) subtype. In our sample of unselected participants ( n = 304) who completed a self-report battery we found: (a) as in previous studies, MC was related to contact contamination OC symptoms and relevant cognitive distortions (i.e., threat overestimation and contamination thought action fusion), and (b) as hypothesized, MC was also associated with unacceptable thoughts symptoms and relevant cognitive distortions (intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance). However, contrary to hypotheses, MC was also related to the responsibility for harm and symmetry/incompleteness OC symptom dimensions. Accordingly, rather than being uniquely tied to specific dimensions, it appears that MC may be associated with more general latent vulnerability factors associated with OCD. Additional implications for the way MC is conceptualized and treated and directions for further study are also discussed.
Is pregnancy safe after kidney transplant

Since the first successful pregnancy in a kidney transplant recipient in 1958,[1][1] hundreds of kidney recipients have had successful pregnancies. Chronic kidney disease disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, leading to anovulation and infertility. However, within 6 months of kidney
Reinventing The Primordial: Human Blood Ritual and the Lure of Power in Esiaba Irobi’s Nwokedi

Many critics of Esiaba Irobi’s Nwokedi have contended that the play portrays an atmosphere of terror and irrationality, which reflects Irobi’s fascination with an ‘invitation to orgy’ (Eagleton) as...
A bio-wicking system to dehydrate road embankment

Abstract Water within pavement layers is a major cause of pavement deteriorations. A small moisture content increment will result in significant reduction in both base course and subgrade resilient behavior and increment in permanent deformation. Conventional drainage systems can drain gravitational water, but not capillary water. An economically feasible, energy saving, and environmentally friendly alternative is required to deal with the excess water induced distresses. Both lab and field tests have proven the effectiveness of a newly developed geotextile with wicking fibers in dealing with such problems as frost heave, thaw weakening, and moisture content induced differential settlement. However, the geotextile is exposed to the open air at the road slope in the original design, raising several potential application concerns, such as ultraviolet degradation, mechanical failure, malfunction due to high suction in the air, and clogging issues. This paper aims at studying the possibility of using a bio-wicking system to address the potential concerns and further reduce the moisture content of base course material for the long run. Two types of tests, elemental-level and full-scale tests, were performed to evaluate the moisture migration in a typical aggregate with 14.5% of fines. Test results indicated that the bio-wicking system successfully addresses the concerns in the original design and is a more effective drainage system to dehydrate a base course compared with the original design.
The Gut Microbiota and IBD

The gut microbiota and its mammalian host have co-evolved to live together in a mutualistic relationship where the host provides a unique niche for the growth of bacteria while the gut microbiota provides essential metabolic functions and helps to maintain immune homeostasis in the host. Nevertheless, the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of several disease processes including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this chapter, we review how advances in deep DNA sequencing technology have provided an improved understanding of factors that regulate the composition of the gut microbiota, their relevance to the pathogenesis of IBD, and how this information provides insights into the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for the treatment of patients with this disease.
A 30.9 dBm, 300 MHz 45-nm SOI CMOS Power Modulator for Spread-Spectrum Signal Processing at the Antenna

This paper reports a Watt-level power handling modulator using a stacked-FET switch for signal processing at the antenna. Two design approaches are compared in this paper: a resistive gate termination and an inductive gate termination. The stacked switches are implemented in 45-nm CMOS SOI. Measured performance of these stacked switches shows the benefit of an inductive termination: power handling capabilities of $> 30\ \mathbf{dBm}$ with modulation speeds of up to 300 MHz. The IIP3 is demonstrated to exceed 45 dBm.
Revealing cryogenic mechanical behavior and mechanisms in a microstructurally-stable, immiscible nanocrystalline alloy

Abstract Here, the Cottrell–Stokes ratio in a microstructurally-stable Cu-3Ta (at.%) nanocrystalline alloy is examined from the standpoint of changes in deformation mechanisms. Toward this, uniaxial compression experiments were performed in the temperature range of 113 K – 273 K. The Cottrell-Stokes ratio at the lowest temperature tested was ~1.3, and the material exhibited a very low strain-rate sensitivity at cryogenic-temperatures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization showed negligible average grain size coarsening and a transition in the deformation mechanism toward athermal activation processes such as twinning with the reduction in the testing temperature.
Whole-Genome Sequences of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infections

Staphylococcus aureus is an early colonizer in the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), but surprisingly, only a limited number of genomes from CF-associated S. aureus isolates have been sequenced. Here, we present the whole-genome sequences of 65 S. aureus isolates obtained from 50 individuals with CF.
Orexin and Cocaine Addiction

Abstract Cocaine addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that is characterized by compulsive drug use and the loss of control over intake despite adverse consequences. The currently available therapeutic approaches fail to completely treat or address the compulsive nature of drug seeking and drug taking that are associated with addiction. This chronic relapsing disorder is believed to result from neurodysregulation and long-lasting neuroadaptations that are induced by prolonged drug use. An increasing body of evidence indicates the potential benefit of targeting the orexin system, which is known to participate in numerous physiological functions, to prevent some of the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, such as their reinforcing and addictive actions, with minimal effects on behavior that is directed toward conventional reinforcers. This chapter discusses preclinical studies that suggest the key involvement of the orexin system in cocaine addiction.
SIGMIS (née SIGBDP) and DATA BASE: A Partial History

Ephraim McLean served as editor-in-chief for The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems for eight years. He served in this role with two different co-editors-in-chief, Detmar Straub and Mark Keil. As one of the founding members of the Association for Information Systems and a mainstay for the information systems discipline, Eph offers a historical view of the publication as well as his time as editor-in-chief from 1994-2001.
The end of evolution

In 1996, biochemist Michael Behe introduced the notion of "irreducible complexity," arguing that some biomolecular structures could not have evolved because their functionality requires interacting parts, the removal of any one of which renders the entire apparatus defective. This claim excited creationists and remains a central plank of the "intelligent design" movement, despite being rightly rejected by a U.S. federal judge in 2005 in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District . In Darwin Devolves , Behe continues his quixotic efforts to overturn modern evolutionary theory.
High-energy nonlinear optics in fiber

Intermodal nonlinear interactions with higher-order modes circumvent the dispersion-vs-nonlinearity tradeoff of single-mode waveguides. We review advances in this platform to enable nonlinear optics in fibers at energy levels potentially approaching that achievable in bulk crystals.
Trump, Authoritarianism, and the End of American Democracy

Donald Trump’s election victory in November 2016 provoked considerable consternation among analytically oriented clinicians, but surprisingly little reflection the role which authoritarian character traits played in galvanizing his base. This chapter reviews the history of “the authoritarian personality” from its inception in Berlin and Frankfurt circa 1927 to the present day, noting significant theoretical differences between Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm, between each of them and Theodor Adorno, and the ways their respective approaches to this subject shaped the development of the two research traditions—one psychometric, the other clinically oriented—that currently apply this idea to contemporary social realities. Topics include Freud’s “group psychology,” the theory of the sadomasochistic character, the similarities and differences between Right- and Left-wing authoritarianism, and the relationships between authoritarianism and religious fundamentalism, and authoritarianism and corruption.
Community perspectives on difference of sex development (DSD) diagnoses: A crowdsourced survey.

Summary Introduction and objectives Differences of sex development (DSD) engender ethical, social and psychosexual complexities that can complicate medical decision-making. We performed a web-based pilot study to estimate the utility value of a DSD diagnosis and to identify community concerns regarding DSD management. Methods A cross-sectional survey was posted on Amazon's Mechanical Turk, an online crowdsourcing platform. Respondents were ≥18y and were randomized to receive information on one of three common DSD conditions: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Mixed Gonadal Dysgenesis (MGD), and Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS). Time trade-off methodology was used to estimate utility values. Likert scale and statement-ranking questions were used to assess respondent perceptions. Results Of 1,628 respondents, median age was 34y; most respondents were parents (59.1%), white (77.1%), and previously unfamiliar with DSD (60.4%). The median overall utility value was 0.70 (IQR 0.50–0.90), similar to moderately severe chronic health conditions. Utility estimates varied based on the DSD scenario presented (0.80 CAH vs. 0.70 MGD vs. 0.80 PAIS, p = 0.0006), respondent gender (p Comment Limitations of this study include that survey participants were aware of the nature of the study, thus some respondents may have participated to skew the results. Given the nature of this pilot study, the representation of families with children with DSD within the study is severely limited given the rarity of DSDs. This means that their opinions may be diluted by the large sample size. However, because utility values are classically estimated according to community opinions, the utility data presented should be taken to reflect that of the specific sample studied and is not reflective of that of families with a vested interest in such cases. Conclusions Community-based respondents perceived that DSD conditions were associated with a reduction in utility values (0.70–0.80), on par with moderately severe chronic health conditions. Estimates varied based on respondents’ gender, race, religion and prior knowledge of DSD. Gender identity was the most concerning aspect for respondents. Download : Download high-res image (206KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure . Distribution of respondent's utility results. Utility values between 0 and 0.1 represent respondents who selected non-zero months or days (less than 1 year) they would choose to live healthy rather than living 10 years with DSD.
Getting Prepared Series for Adrenal

Emphasize mechanistic connections between the endocrine gland and embryology/anatomy; understand the mechanism of action of steroid hormones; be able to identify the three classes of adrenal steroids and their main actions; understand the regulation of adrenal steroid secretion.
In-Depth Analysis of the Plasma Proteome in ME/CFS Exposes Disrupted Ephrin-Eph and Immune System Signaling.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling disease with worldwide prevalence and limited therapies exclusively aimed at treating symptoms. To gain insights into the molecular disruptions in ME/CFS, we utilized an aptamer-based technology that quantified 4790 unique human proteins, allowing us to obtain the largest proteomics dataset yet available for this disease, detecting highly abundant proteins as well as rare proteins over a nine-log dynamic range. We report a pilot study of 20 ME/CFS patients and 20 controls, all females. Significant differences in the levels of 19 proteins between cohorts implicate pathways related to the extracellular matrix, the immune system and cell–cell communication. Outputs of pathway and cluster analyses robustly highlight the ephrin pathway, which is involved in cell–cell signaling and regulation of an expansive variety of biological processes, including axon guidance, angiogenesis, epithelial cell migration, and immune response. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses distinguish the plasma proteomes of ME/CFS patients from controls with a high degree of accuracy (Area Under the Curve (AUC) > 0.85), and even higher when using protein ratios (AUC up to 0.95), that include some protein pairs with established biological relevance. Our results illustrate the promise of plasma proteomics for diagnosing and deciphering the molecular basis of ME/CFS.
Child-parent cardiac transference is decreased following disrupted/absent early care

Parental input shapes youth self-regulation development, and a lack of sensitive caregiving is a risk factor for youth mental health problems. Parents may shape youth regulation through their influence over biological (including neural) and behavioral development during childhood at both micro (moment-to-moment) and macro (global) levels. Prior studies have shown that micro-level parent-child interactions shape youth's biology contributing to youth mental health. However, it remains unclear whether prior disrupted/absent care affects those moment-to-moment parent-youth interactions in ways that increase risk for youth psychopathology. In the current study, we calculated transfer entropy on cardiac data from parent-youth dyads where the youth had either been exposed to disrupted care prior to adoption or not. Transfer Entropy (TE) tracks information flow between two signals, enhancing quantification of directional coupling, allowing for the examination of parent-child and child-parent influences. Using this novel approach, we identified lower cardiac information transfer from youth-to-parents in dyads where the youth had been exposed to disrupted/absent early care. Moreover we showed that the degree to which the parent's physiology changed in response to youth's physiology was negatively related to the youth's mental health, representing a potential pathway for elevated mental health risk in populations exposed to disrupted/absent early care.
Estimation of total water storage changes in India

Long-term droughts significantly impact surface and groundwater resources in India, however, observed changes in major river basins have not been well explored. Here we use Standardized Precipitati...
P80 Exposure to Healthy Food Increases Food Preferences Among Children and Youth in Low-Income School Settings

Objective To increase healthy food preference through taste tests among children and youth Use of Theory or Research This study utilized the short-term outcome indicator of the SNAP-Ed evaluation framework to examine food preference intention at the individual level, from tasting a variety of foods from the 5 food groups, consistent with Dietary Guidelines recommendations. Target Audience K-8th graders in SNAP-Ed eligible schools across 2 counties of Central California. Program Description In 2019-20, Calfresh Healthy Living, UC (CFHL, UC) nutrition education program was implemented with tasting activities among K-8th graders. Youth taste tests occurred as part of the direct and indirect nutrition education, and policy, systems, and environment initiatives in collaboration with community partners. Evaluation Methods Nutrition educators administered the Youth Taste Testing Tool to capture student intention in food preferences immediately following food tastings. Descriptive analysis was performed. In Tulare county, 363 tastings were conducted and in Kings county, 106 tastings were conducted. Results In Tulare county, of the 7,614 students tasting variety of food, 14% of students tasted the target food before, 97% tried it today, 81% were willing to eat it again, and 79% were willing to ask for it at home. In Kings county, of the 1,920 students tasting variety of food, 31% of students tasted the target food before, 98% tried it today, 84% were willing to eat it again, and 82% were willing to ask for it at home. Foods tasted were from all food groups- fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy and served raw, paired with a familiar food, cooked or included in a mixed dish. Conclusion Taste tests provide opportunity to try a variety of foods from 5 food groups that compose MyPlate which is a promising strategy for promoting healthy food preferences among children and youth. Healthy food preferences, in turn, are associated with healthy food consumption patterns.
Heart Best Research Paper Award 2021.

Each year, the Heart editorial team selects the most meritorious research paper to receive the Heart Best Research Paper Award. Primary considerations are the relevance of the clinical question addressed by the research, the quality of the research study design and data presentation and the interest generated by the paper among other researchers, clinical cardiologists and the general public. This year, we are pleased to announce the winner and two finalists for the 2021 Heart Best Paper Research Award, highlighting the first author of each paper and sincerely congratulating the entire research team on their outstanding research contribution (table 1). Each of the authors contributed the text below summarising their background, research goals and the key findings of these studies. View this table: Table 1 Heart Best Research Paper Award winner and finalists 2020 Julia Hippisley-Cox (figure 1) is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and General Practice at the University of Oxford and an NHS GP in Oxfordshire. She undertakes research to advance understanding of many diseases using routinely collected large-scale linked electronic health records. She is particularly interested in translational research where the results can lead to improvements in patient care and the health services. …
From Actuality to Possibility: Reckoning with the Ethics of Failure in Pedagogy

This chapter explores how to teach writing students the ethical dimension of failure to inspire more inventive writing. Drawing from game studies (Greg Costikyan’s theory of uncertainty and Jesper Juul’s theory of failure), and rhetorical theory (John Poulakos’s rhetoric of possibility), this chapter challenges students to approach writing with a gameful mindset. Using gaming terminology and mechanics invites students to face uncertainty and failure as they would a game and presents writing assignments as a problem to be solved. The course described in this chapter culminates in a final game project (inspired by the NBC show, “Shark Tank”) in which students work in guilds to create a game in Minecraft: Education Edition, a marketing campaign, technical documents, and a multimodal presentation. The chapter also shares reflections from students that demonstrate the challenges that they had to overcome.
Cysteine modification with acrylonitrile for amino acid analysis and protein sequencing

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the cysteine (Cys) modification with acrylonitrile for amino acid analysis and protein sequencing. Unmodified Cys is not detected during analysis of amino acids derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent o -phthaldialdehyde (OPA). Thus, Cys is converted to derivatives that give fluorescent products upon reaction with OPA. The methods include performic acid oxidation to cysteic acid, disulfide exchange, and alkylation with 4-vinylpyridine. The chapter presents the experiments where insulin, containing three disulfide bonds, is reduced by tributylphosphine (BU 3 P) and alkylated by acrylonitrile in the presence of ammonium bicarbonate buffer, pH 8.5. All of these reagents, including the buffer, are volatile and thus can be removed from the protein during the normal vacuum drying prior to hydrolysis. The time course of the reaction is monitored by laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry to obtain conditions resulting in complete Cys alkylation and a minimum of side reactions. In addition, acrylonitrile is used in place of acrylamide as a Cys alkylating agent prior to protein sequencing and gives a well-resolved and easily identified derivative.
Heterogeneous sensor platform for circadian rhythm analysis

This paper presents a heterogeneous sensor platform for the detection of anomalies in circadian rhythm. Three detectors with different sensing principles are considered: a 3D time-of-flight camera, a MEMS wearable wireless accelerometer and a Ultra-wideband radar. Starting from human postural information obtained by each detector, a simulator of activities and related postures has been designed and implemented within this work. The use of a simulator is motivated by the lack of datasets containing long-term data for the analyzed context. The simulator is able to generate posture sequences calibrated on real experiments performed by each detector involved in the platform. Finally, a reasoner layer infers knowledge by using a suitable activity recognition module. Moreover, with an unsupervised clustering technique, the reasoner is able to detect specific circadian anomalies, thereby providing a tool for clinical evaluations. Experimental evaluation shows the effectiveness of the implemented solution, especially analyzing the performances related to the detection of anomalies varying sensing technology.
Simplifications in the Behavior of Viscoelastic Composites with Growing Damage

Some analytical results for the mechanical behavior of elastic composite materials and structures with growing damage are summarized and then extended to viscoelastic media. The effect of strain rate only at crack tips is considered first; it is shown that if the crack speed is a strong function of energy release rate, the overall mechanical response is like that for an aging elastic material. Both stable crack growth and unstable crack growth followed by arrest produce this aging-like behavior. Viscoelastic behavior throughout one or more of the phases is then introduced. A simplification is used in which only one relaxation modulus characterizes the viscoelasticity, apart from that at crack tips. Upon replacing the physical displacements in the response for an elastic material by quantities called pseudo displacements, a simple model for viscoelastic composites with growing damage is obtained.
Evaluation of Syntactic Foam for Energy Absorption at Low to Moderate Loading Rates

Many structural applications require the use of lightweight energy absorbing materials for the increase in mass efficiency. Sandwich composite structures have been implemented to fill this need in both aerospace and marine applications. To maximize the structural performance the core material should have excellent compressive stiffness and strength as well as good shear strength. Recently syntactic foams have been developed to offer a simple cost effective method to produce a number of complex molded shapes with high relative energy and stiffness. This study compared the mechanical properties of traditional foams and recently developed syntactic foams to determine the energy absorbing characteristics at low and moderate rates of loading. Test results were fit to a phenomenological model to further study the mechanical behavior. Results from this study will demonstrate the need for the development of new, efficient cellular material for energy absorption and protection applications.
Abstract 18834: Genetic Ablation of S-nitrosoglutathione Reductase (GSNOR) in Mice Enhances Proliferative Expansion of Adult Heart Progenitors and Myocytes Post Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: The molecular pathways underlying the proliferative activity of adult cardiac myocytes and stem/progenitors in response to heart damage remain elusive. Since perturbing nitroso-redox balance in mice by genetic deletion of GSNOR (GSNOR-/-) confers resilience to experimental myocardial infarction (MI), we investigated whether GSNOR knockout influences the proliferative activity of the post-MI heart. Hypothesis: Knockout of GSNOR in mice enhances the proliferative expansion of CMs and cKit+ cardiac stem cells (CSCs) in response to MI. Methods: Wild-type (WT) and GSNOR-/-mice (n=5/ group) underwent experimental MI. To assess proliferative activity, animals received intraperitoneal injections of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) at selected time-points during the first 2 weeks post-MI. Immunnohistochemical evaluation was performed 1 month post-MI. Results: Confocal immunofluorescence revealed that GSNOR-/- hearts exhibited higher rates of BrdU incorporation in CSCs after MI (10.9%±4.99 of WT CSCs compar...
Multi-Message Multicasting

We consider the Multi-Message Multicasting problem for the n processor fully connected static network. We present an efficient algorithm to construct a communication schedule with total communication time at most d2, where d is the maximum number of messages a processor may send (receive). We present an algorithm to construct for any problem instance of degree d and fan-out k (maximum number of processors that may receive a given message) a communication schedule with total communication time at most qd+k1/q(d−1), for any integer q≥2. The time complexity bound for our algorithm is O(n(d(q+k1/q))q). Our main result is a linear time approximation algorithm with a smaller approximation bound for small values of k(<100). We discuss applications and show how to adapt our algorithms to dynamic networks such as the Benes network, the interconnection network used in the Meiko CS-2.
Identification of Tissue-type Plasminogen Activator-specific Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Mutants EVIDENCE THAT SECOND SITES OF INTERACTION CONTRIBUTE TO TARGET SPECIFICITY

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the primary inhibitor of the plasminogen activators (PAs), tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). A library of PAI-1 mutants containing substitutions at the P1 and P1' positions was screened for functional activity against tPA and thrombin. Several PAI-1 variants that were inactive against uPA in a previous study (Sherman, P. M., Lawrence, D. A., Yang, A. Y., Vandenberg, E. T., Paielli, D., Olson, S. T., Shore, J. D., and Ginsburg, D. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 7588-7595) had significant inhibitory activity toward tPA. This set of tPA-specific PAI-1 mutants contained a wide range of amino acid substitutions at P1 including Asn, Gln, His, Ser, Thr, Leu, Met, and all the aromatic amino acids. This group of mutants also demonstrated a spectrum of substitutions at P1'. Kinetic analyses of selected variants identified P1Tyr and P1His as the most efficient tPA-specific inhibitors, with second-order rate constants (ki) of 4.0 x 10(5) M-1s-1 and 3.6 x 10(5) M-1s-1, respectively. Additional PA-specific PAI-1 variants containing substitutions at P3 through P1' were constructed. P3Tyr-P2Ser-P1Lys-P1'Trp and P3Tyr-P2Ser-P1Tyr-P1'Met had ki values of 1.7 x 10(6) M-1s-1 and 2.5 x 10(6) M-1s-1 against tPA, respectively, but both were inactive against uPA. In contrast, P2Arg-P1Lys-P1'Ala inhibited uPA 74-fold more rapidly than tPA. The mutant PAI-1 library was also screened for inhibitory activity toward thrombin in the presence and absence of the cofactor heparin. While wild-type PAI-1 and several P1Arg variants inhibited thrombin in the absence of heparin, a number of variants were thrombin inhibitors only in the presence of heparin. These results demonstrate the importance of the reactive center residues in determining PAI-1 target specificity and suggest that second sites of interaction between inhibitors and proteases can also contribute to target specificity. Finally, the PA-specific mutants described here should provide novel reagents for dissecting the physiological role of PAI-1 both in vitro and in vivo.
Purification and characterization of biotin-binding protein II from chicken oocytes

BBP-II, the major biotin-binding protein from chicken oocytes, was purified 12,000-fold with a 22% yield. The purification procedure includes butan-1-ol extraction of yolk lipids, phosphocellulose chromatography of the water-soluble proteins, DEAE-cellulose chromatography at pH 7.4 and hydroxyapatite column chromatography. Final purification was obtained by using a second DEAE-cellulose column chromatography at pH 6.0. BBP-I activity separated from BBP-II activity during elution from the first DEAE-cellulose column. Purified BBP-II was homogeneous on both polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis under conditions that would detect a 1% impurity. The subunit Mr determined from SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis was 18,200 (72,600 for tetramer), which compares favourably with an Mr value of 17,300 (69,100) calculated from the amino acid analysis. A single precipitin line formed when rabbit antiserum to the protein was directed against a crude chicken egg-yolk sample. BBP-II purified by this procedure lacked carbohydrate and phosphate, was stable indefinitely when frozen, and was quite stable at room temperature. The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed polymorphism at three positions in the first 23 residues and was about 45% identical with the N-terminal 22 residues of avidin. Antiserum to BBP-II cross-reacted with BBP-I and similar proteins in the yolk of eggs from various birds and alligator as judged by immunodiffusion and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. No cross-reaction was observed with chicken egg-white by either of these methods.
Distributed virtual malls on the World Wide Web

Virtual malls allow consumers to shop and purchase products on the World Wide Web from multiple stores. The paper presents a virtual mall in which stores may be distributed across multiple Web sites. Stores participate in the virtual mall by communicating with a mall coordinator. The virtual mall allows shoppers to perform actions across multiple stores simultaneously such as viewing product availability. Multiple purchases across different stores can be coordinated using multi-phase commits. The mall coordinator can authenticate clients on all stores participating in the virtual mall while only requiring clients to provide authentication information once. State information is preserved using dynamic argument embedding which is compatible with all browsers and servers supporting HTTP and is less obtrusive than cookies. The distributed virtual mall concept and infrastructure can be applied to other distributed electronic commerce applications on the Web.
An Examination of Common Sensitivity Review Practices in Test Development

Sensitivity reviews of test content are commonly advocated techniques for reducing bias and enhancing fairness in employment and educational testing. However, few descriptions or empirical investigations of these techniques exist. The present paper presents a study documenting common sensitivity review practices and the extent to which expert reviewers agree in their judgments of item sensitivity. Results indicated that reviewers do not always receive training or adequate guidance and most frequently encounter subtle forms of insensitive item content. Further, only modest agreement in expert ratings of item sensitivity was found. Implications for improving sensitivity review practices are presented.