cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Anxiety and C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Prospective, Longitudinal Analysis

BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly co-morbid with depression. Depression is associated with elevated levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP), cross-sectionally and over time. To date, no studies have looked at the association between CRP and GAD.MethodA total of nine waves of data from the prospective population-based Great Smoky Mountains Study (n=1420) were used, covering children in the community aged 9–16, 19 and 21 years old. Structured interviews were used at each assessment to assess GAD symptoms, diagnosis and cumulative episodes. Blood spots were collected and assayed for high-sensitivity CRP levels.ResultsGAD was associated with increased levels of CRP in bivariate cross-sectional analyses. These bivariate associations, however, were attenuated after accounting for demographic, substance-use and health-related covariates. In longitudinal models, there was little evidence that CRP predicted later GAD. Associations from GAD to later CRP were attenuated in models adjusted for health-related coavariates and there was evidence that the GAD–CRP association was mediated by body mass index (BMI) and medication use.ConclusionsSimilar to depression, GAD was associated with elevated levels of CRP, but the effect of GAD on CRP levels was explained by the effect of GAD on health-related behaviors such as BMI and medication use. This study suggests differences in the association between inflammation and depression and GAD.
Direct measurement of the nonlinear refractive index of air

Using a propagation cell that discriminated against the buildup of stimulated Raman emission, we succeeded in observing self-focusing in pressurized air without interference from any competing nonlinear process. Measurements were made for air pressures between 20 and 40 atm. The data yielded a nonlinear refractive index n2. = (2.9 ± 0.3) × 10−16 esu per atmosphere of air at 300 K for a 308-nm laser beam.
La Cueva Grande: a 43-Megapixel Immersive System

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has deployed a 43- megapixel multi-panel immersive environment, La Cueva Grande (LCG), to be used in visualizing the terabytes of data produced by simulations. This paper briefly discusses some of the technical challenges encountered and overcome during the deployment of a 43-million pixel immersive visualization environment.
Implementation of Alcohol Withdrawal Program in a Medical-Surgical Setting: Improving Patient Outcomes

Nurses in all settings care for patients who have underlying alcohol dependencies. Approximately 18-20% of patients in ambulatory settings have alcohol abuse or dependency problems, and 30-50% of all hospital admissions are related to the effects of alcohol abuse. Yet clinicians practicing in hospitals frequently have minimal training in the field of chemical dependency. Nurses practicing in general acute care facilities must assess for and intervene with the withdrawal process when alcohol-dependent patients are hospitalized for medical or surgical treatment. This study hypothesized that, if an alcohol withdrawal program were instituted in a medical surgical setting, patient outcomes might be improved. An alcohol program was developed and instituted at a large urban, teaching, community hospital. Variables were compared between the alcohol abusive/dependent populations preprogram and post-program implementation. The results demonstrated a 78% reduction in the occurrence of delirium tremens, a 67% reducti...
A new model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity in adult rats induced by colon irritation during postnatal development.

Abstract Background & Aims The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by abdominal pain in the setting of altered perception of viscerosensory stimuli. This so-called visceral hyperalgesia occurs in the absence of detectable organic disease in the peripheral organs and may cause normal or physiologic contractions to be perceived as painful. Although the pathogenesis of IBS remains speculative and is probably multifactorial, a prevailing paradigm is that transient noxious events lead to long-lasting sensitization of the neural pain circuit, despite complete resolution of the initiating event. Methods Neonatal male Sprague–Dawley rats received either mechanical or chemical colonic irritation between postnatal days 8 and 21 and were tested when they became adults. The abdominal withdrawal reflex and the responses of viscerosensitive neurons were recorded during colon distention. Results Colon irritation in neonates, but not in adults, results in chronic visceral hypersensitivity, with characteristics of allodynia and hyperalgesia, associated with central neuronal sensitization in the absence of identifiable peripheral pathology. Conclusions These results concur largely with observations in patients with IBS, providing a new animal model to study IBS and validating a neurogenic component of functional abdominal pain that encourages novel approaches to health care and research. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:1276-1285
Concurrent bug patterns and how to test them

We present and categorize a taxonomy of concurrent bug patterns. We then use the taxonomy to create new timing heuristics for ConTest. Initial industrial experience indicates that these heuristics improve the bug finding ability of ConTest. We also show how concurrent bug patterns can be derived from concurrent design patterns. Further research is required to complete the concurrent bug taxonomy and formal experiments are needed to show that heuristics derived from the taxonomy improve the bug finding ability of ConTest.
Simultaneous sampling ADC data acquisition system for the QUIET experiment

We present the data acquisition system for Phase I of the Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) that will operate arrays of 91 4-channel W-band (90 GHz) and 19 4-channel Q-band (40 GHz) receivers, both placed on 1.4 m and 7 m telescopes, in Chajnantor, Chile. The analog signals from the receivers, modulated at 4 kHz, are read out by up to 13 custom-made 6U VME modules implemented each with 32 18-bit, SAR ADCs. The sampling for all 364 (or 76) channels is simultaneous on one 800 kHz, low jitter clock for each array. Data are then processed locally with field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that perform signal demodulation and averaging over 10 ms, while blanking out the transition edges of the 4 kHz switching frequency, during which the receivers outputs are not well defined. The calculated values are continuously read out through the VME backplane to the crate controller and then passed, along with the absolute time stamp and telescope pointing information, to a remote PC for storage. One of the ADC modules in the system acts as "master", generating the sampling clock as well as the switching and data processing synchronization signals for the whole array. In the future, the DAQ will be upgraded to accommodate the requirements of Phase II of the QUIET experiment with arrays containing up to 1,000 receivers. The full design and multi-card test results will be described
Atomic-scale simulations of strain localization in three-dimensional model amorphous solids

Molecular-dynamics simulations of the mechanical properties of three different three-dimensional metallic glass analogs reveal that each exhibits a transition from homogeneous flow to localized flow as the quench rate used to produce the glass is decreased. The solid samples are tested in uniaxial compression over more than an order of magnitude range of strain rates. Three different systems are studied including one single-component glass former and two binary alloys. The strain rate sensitivity of the localization changes sign at a critical cooling rate, implying a discontinuous transition in mechanical properties in the low loading rate limit. Analysis of the short-range order using a generalization of the Frank-Kasper criterion reveals that the short-range order is depleted in the shear band in two of the three systems. Moreover, the homogeneous to inhomogeneous deformation transition in the mechanical properties is found to coincide with the percolation of an identifiable aspect of the short-range order in those two systems. The third system studied, the Kob-Anderson glass, is hypothesized not to be amenable to the methods typically used to characterize short-range order due to its non-hard-sphere nature.
Gregory L. Hillhouse: His Life, His Art, His Science, and the Rise of “Double Nickel”

Professor Gregory Lee Hillhouse was a purist who explored at a fundamental level structure, bonding, and reactivity of organic and inorganic molecules. Whether at the canvas or in the laboratory, he was a creative artist who lived life to its fullest, and enriched the lives of those around him. As an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina with Professor Edward Mercer, Greg became interested in the chemistry of transition metals. In his graduate and postdoctoral studies, Greg focused on the roles of transition metals in stabilizing reactive molecules and activating inert ones, which would become hallmarks of his independent career. In his early days as a graduate student in the laboratories of Professor Barry Haymore (Figure 1) at the Indiana University—Bloomington, Greg (Figures 1 and 2) began exploring fundamental chemistry of energy-rich nitrogen compounds such as organic azides and diazoalkanes.(1-3) In parallel, he pursued the synthesis of metal hydride complexes that underwent insertion reactions with unsaturated molecules.(2, 4) At this early stage of his career, the seeds of Greg’s passion for metal–ligand multiple bonding were sown.(2, 5)
PRESENTATION OF THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY MEDAL TO ALAN H. CHEETHAM

It is my great pleasure to introduce this year's Paleontological Society Medal recipient, Alan H. Cheetham. Alan is a Senior Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. But the road to the Smithsonian started long before with his B.S. degree at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. From there he went to Louisiana State University for his Masters. Alan's formal research career began with his Ph.D. dissertation at Columbia University as a student of Norman Newell. His dissertation on the Late Eocene zoogeography of the eastern Gulf Coast region was paleoecologically-oriented when paleoecology was barely a distinct field of research in the late 1950s. He began his professional paleontology career as a faculty member back at LSU. After 12 yr at LSU, his contributions to formal education were abruptly ended by an offer from the Smithsonian he could not refuse. Alan has spent the remainder of his career at the National Museum of Natural History. Early …
The Structure and Regulation of the Immunoglobulin Loci

The temporal and lineage specificity of antigen receptor assembly is regulated at multiple levels. These include locus conformation, germline transcription, chromatin remodeling, epigenetic marking, and nuclear location. Here we discuss how the immunoglobulin loci are structured and how the assembly of antigen receptor elements during B cell development is regulated.
The Impact Factor of Radiological Journals: Associations with Journal Content and Other Characteristics Over a Recent 12-Year Period

Rationale and Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the trends in the impact factor (IF) of radiological journals over a recent 12-year period, including associations between IF and journal topic. Materials and Methods Journal Citation Reports (JCR) was used to identify all biomedical journals and all radiological journals (assigned a JCR category of “Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, & Medical Imaging”), along with journal IF, in 2003 and 2014. Radiological journals were manually classified by topic. Trends in median IF (mIF) were assessed. Results The number of radiological journals increased from 83 (2003) to 125 (2014) (all biomedical journals: 5907 to 8718, respectively). mIF of radiological journals increased from 1.42 (2003) to 1.75 (2014) (all biomedical journals: 0.93 to 1.46, respectively). The most common topic among new radiological journals was general (nonspecialized) radiology (8). Five new radiological journals in 2014 were in topics (cancer imaging and molecular imaging) having no journals in 2003. mIF of general radiological journals was 1.49. Topics having highest mIF were cardiac imaging (2.94), optics (2.86), molecular imaging (2.77), radiation oncology (2.60), and neuroradiology (2.25). Topics with lowest mIF were ultrasound (1.19) and interventional radiology (1.44). Topics with the largest increase in mIF were cardiac imaging (from 1.17 to 2.94) and neuroradiology (from 1.07 to 2.25). Conclusions Radiological journals exhibited higher mIF than biomedical journals overall. Among radiological journals, subspecialty journals had highest mIF. While a considerable number of new radiological journals since 2003 were general radiology journals having relatively low IF, there were also new journal topics representing emerging areas of subspecialized radiological research.
Driverless Cars and the Much Delayed Tort Law Revolution

The most striking development in the American tort law of the last century was the quick rise and fall of strict manufacturers’ liability for the huge social losses associated with the use of industrial products. The most important factor in this process has been the inability of the courts and academic commentators to develop a workable theory of design defects, resulting in a wholesale return of negligence as the basis of products liability jurisprudence. This article explains the reasons for this failure and argues that the development of digital technology, and the advent of self-driving cars in particular, is likely to force a comprehensive rethinking of products liability, a large-scale return to the principle of strict manufacturers’ responsibility, and a host of other developments of lasting historical and economic significance. The article argues that an integration of manufacturing and insurance industries may be one of these developments.
Runner Formation in Everbearing Strawberry as Influenced by Growth-Promoting and Inhibiting Substances

The interactive effects of gibberellic acid, abscisic acid, and benzyladenine were studied in relation to runner formation of the everbearing strawberry. In two of three cultivars studied, Ozark Beauty and Superfection , exogenous gibberellic acid stimulated runner formation and inhibited flowering. In the Geneva cultivar, a shy runner producer, gibberellic acid application as a foliar spray failed to induce runners. When applied in combination with benzyladenine, gibberellic acid greatly stimulated runner formation. Benzyladenine alone had no effect on runnering. Exogenous abscisic acid inhibited petiole length and runner formation and had no influence on the number of inflorescences initiated. Response to exogenous gibberellic acid or abscisic acid varied according to the reproductive or vegetative stage the plant exhibited at the time of treatment. Activity of endogenous gibberellin-like substances was not substantially different between flowering and non-flowering field-grown Geneva plants when sampled in long day lengths of August. Endogenous inhibitors were highly active in flowering Geneva plants and relatively inactive in non-flowering plants. The implications of these findings on hormonal balance in the strawberry are discussed.
Asynchronous requirements engineering: enhancing distributed software development

The major focus of collaborative software development has been on the later stages of the development process, such as system design, coding and testing. In the early stages of collaborative software development, the requirements of a proposed system are usually defined during face-to-face discussions and negotiations. We address the use of discussions and negotiations for requirements definition in an asynchronous and distributed environment. Our main hypothesis is that conflict and negotiation in the requirements engineering phase can be managed in such an environment, provided that the lessons learned in global software development are taken into account.
Hardware Considerations for Spectral Encoded UWB Transmitters

Hardware considerations and system parameter tradeoffs are examined for the implementation of a real-time spectral encoded ultra-wideband transmitter. The effects of symbol length, chirp bandwidth, and spreading sequence are described, and two possible implementations are examined for their spectral shaping performance, cost, and power dissipation. One implementation is based on surface acoustic wave chirp filters to perform the Fourier transforms in realtime. The other is based on a high speed memory and digital-analog converter, where all components are integrated on-chip
The Politics of China’s Aid to North Vietnam during the Anti-American Resistance, 1965–1969

ABSTRACTBehind the public display of Sino–North Vietnamese unity in the anti-American resistance during the height of the People’s Republic of China’s Cultural Revolution from 1965 to 1969, Beijing’s insistence on Hanoi’s acceptance of Maoist ideology coupled with its assertive demand for Hanoi to denounce Soviet revisionism politicised its economic and technical assistance to North Vietnam. Although appreciating Beijing’s enthusiasm to aid North Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam [DRV] resented Beijing’s political and ideological objective of promoting Maoism and anti-Soviet revisionism in North Vietnam. In response, the DRV government asserted independent decision-making and bureaucratic control over the management of foreign economic and technical aid, which in turn collided with the Chinese assertion of superiority and insistence on their control over all China-aided projects. The fragmentation of Chinese bureaucratic institutions and the political chauvinism of some radical Maoists at the Ch...
Fertility concerns and sexual behavior in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome: implications for quality of life.

Abstract Objective: To examine the fertility concerns and sexual behavior of adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as compared to healthy adolescent girls and the effect of these concerns on health-related quality of life. Design and Setting: A cross-sectional study of adolescent girls with PCOS (n = 97) and healthy comparisons (n = 186) was conducted at an urban, hospital-based adolescent medicine practice. Participants completed the Child Health Questionnaire Version CF-87 as a measure of health-related quality of life and a general health history questionnaire that included items regarding sexual activity, contraception, fertility concerns, and severity of illness. Findings were evaluated using multivariate logistic and linear regression models. Results: Healthy subjects were 2.8 times more likely to have had sexual intercourse than PCOS participants, though the mean age at initiation of sexual intercourse among sexually active girls was not significantly different between the two groups. Severity of illness and the worry about fertility were not associated with odds of being sexually active. Girls with PCOS were 3.4 times more likely to be worried about their ability to become pregnant than comparisons and concern about future fertility was associated with significant reductions in quality of life. Conclusion: Adolescents with PCOS are more concerned about fertility than their healthy peers and this concern may affect their overall quality of life. The finding that more than a third of the adolescents with PCOS in this study were sexually active underscores the importance of providing ongoing counseling on fertility issues, contraception, and STD prevention in the care of adolescent girls with PCOS.
Low Order H∞ Control Design for a Piezo-Based Milli-Actuator

Abstract The aim of the paper is to apply new techniques for low order or low complexity linear control design to servo controllers for milli-actuators in hard disk drives. This is accomplished in a systematic way by using a H∞-norm based mixed sensitivity design in which the order of the controller is constrained to a desired value. The mixed sensitivity approach allows for an intuitive tradeoff between disturbance rejection and servo tracking in the hard disk dual-stage control design. The proposed method is applied to a prototype piezoelectric milli-actuator and for this case study a comparison is made between the full and low order control designs. With the approach outlined in this paper, it is illustrated that a low order controller for a milli-actuator can be designed with a satisfactory servo performance.
Rheumatoid arthritis causing diffuse alveolar haemorrhage: a novel therapeutic approach

Pulmonary vascular involvement due to rheumatoid arthritis, presenting as diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH), is a rare phenomenon, especially if there are no signs of systemic vasculitides. Furthermore, how to proceed with the management of these patients is challenging, as in the case of our patient, who had recurrent DAH. We present a case of a patient with known rheumatoid arthritis who had recurrence of DAH that spanned over several years, often presenting with life-threatening respiratory failure. While her DAH presentation improved with high-dose glucocorticoids, to resolve her recurrence, we opted to initiate treatment with rituximab, with a short course of azathioprine. After the second round of rituximab, the patient continues to do well without any further DAH-related complications. We also summarise prior cases of such patients to highlight variable treatment options.
Visualizing Supreme Court Swing Votes: Indiana and United States

Using Indiana Supreme Court data and focusing on tightly split opinions, we develop a method for producing a graphical display of all possible majorities of a five-member supreme court in a circle showing all opinions by ideological slant (liberal and conservative). We apply a similar method to the less amenable data of the nine-member United States Supreme Court in the periods when its composition was defined by the junior justice being Powell, Stevens, O’Connor, Breyer, Alito, and Kagan, a sequence of compositions of the court that reveal increasing polarization. We observe in the Indiana data different voting tendencies by opinion subject matter. We illustrate those differences by lines connecting the liberal to the conservative center of gravity. We observe that the replacement of Douglas by Stevens changes the swing vote and thus we refute the median voter theorem. We also calculate an advocate’s probability of obtaining each swing vote. However, the United States data are inimical to a locational model of judging.
Chemistry Is Dead. Long Live Chemistry

Chemistry, once king of fluorescence microscopy, was usurped by the field of fluorescent proteins. The increased demands of modern microscopy techniques on the “photon budget” require better and brighter fluorophores, causing a renewed interest in synthetic dyes. Here, we review the recent advances in biochemistry, protein engineering, and organic synthesis that have allowed a triumphant return of chemical fluorophores to modern biological imaging.
Cost-Effectiveness of Primary and Revision Surgery for Adult Spinal Deformity.

Study design Retrospective comparative study. Objective The purpose of this study is to compare functional outcomes, hospital resource utilization, and spine-related costs during 2 years in patients who had undergone primary or revision surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD). Summary of background data After surgery for ASD, patients may require revision for pseudarthrosis, implant complications, or deformity progression. Data evaluating cost-effectiveness of primary and, in particular, revision surgery, for ASD are sparse. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records for 119 consecutive patients who had undergone primary or revision surgery for ASD. Two-year total spine-related medical costs were derived from hospital charge data. Functional outcome scores were extracted from prospectively collected patient data. Cost utility ratios (cost/quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]) at 2 years were calculated and assessed against a threshold of $154,458/QALY gained (three times the 2015 US per-capita gross domestic product). Results The primary surgery cohort (n = 56) and revision cohort (n = 63) showed significant improvements in health-related quality-of-life scores at 2 years. Median surgical and spine-related 2-year follow-up costs were $137,990 (interquartile range [IQR], $84,186) for primary surgery and $115,509 (IQR, $63,753) for revision surgery and were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.12). We report 2-year QALY gains of 0.36 in the primary surgery cohort and 0.40 in the revision group (P = 0.71). Primary instrumented fusion was associated with a median 2-year cost per QALY of $197,809 (IQR, $187,350) versus $129,950 (IQR, $209,928) for revision surgery (P = 0.31). Conclusion Revision surgery had lower total 2-year costs and higher QALY gains than primary surgery for ASD, although the differences were not significant. Although revision surgery for ASD is known to be technically challenging and to have a higher rate of major complications than primary surgery, revision surgery was cost-effective at 2 years. The cost/QALY ratio for primary surgery for ASD exceeded the threshold for cost effectiveness at 2 years. Level of evidence 3.
Cooperative Learning and Statistics Instruction

This study examined the relative effects of cooperative vs. lecture methods of instruction. Two sections of an undergraduate statistics course were studied. Test scores were dependent variables. St...
Introduction A Structure-Process Approach to Environmental Design Evaluation

Frank Lloyd Wright once defined design as “art with a purpose.” Indeed, the history of design supports Wright’s words. Gothic cathedrals were intended to instill an awe of God in worshippers; Bauhausinspired structures were intended to function as efficient machines; modern low-income high-rises are designed to lift their tenants into the middle class. All of these diverse purposes have a common element— they are oriented toward people.
The Influence of Gender on In-Hospital Clinical Outcome Following Isolated Mitral or Aortic Heart Valve Surgery.

Abstract Background With the expected growth in the elderly segment of the U.S. population particularly in women, the prevalence of valvular heart disease is bound to increase in the coming years. We sought to delineate the impact of gender on in-hospital clinical outcomes in Medicare-age patients undergoing isolated left-side heart valve surgery. Methods Using the National Inpatient Sample files from 2003 to 2014, we compared the in-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE: all-cause mortality, stroke, or myocardial infarction) and composite complications (MACCE, permanent pacemaker implantation, bleeding requiring transfusion, iatrogenic vascular complications, acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis, sepsis and prolonged hospital stay) following isolated mitral or aortic surgery between genders with 1:1 propensity score analysis. Further, we examined gender-specific temporal trends of in-hospital clinical outcomes over the study period. Results There were 336,506 isolated left-side heart valve surgeries over the study period. Following propensity score matching, 24,637 unweighted pairs were identified for gender-specific comparison. Female gender was independently associated with a higher in-hospital MACCE (9.4% vs. 8.3%; OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07–1.21, P Conclusions Following isolated left-side heart valve surgery, women experienced higher in-hospital MACCE including all-cause mortality compared to men. Continued temporal improvements in in-hospital clinical outcomes were observed in both genders. Summary for the annotated table of contents The influence of gender on surgical aortic or mitral valve replacement/repair outcome is unclear. The current study showed that women fared worse than men including all-cause mortality following isolated left-side valve surgery and significant temporal improvements have been made in in-hospital clinical outcomes in both genders during the 12-year study period. Further research in gender-specific approach in management of valve disease is warranted.
The influence of sociality, caste, and size on behavior in a facultatively eusocial bee

Social cooperation requires increased tolerance of other individuals. We used social and solitary individuals of the facultatively eusocial bee Megalopta genalis to compare interactions with non-nestmate individuals in a standardized behavioral assay, a circle tube. We set up interactions between bees from different nests matched for caste (solitary, social: queen or worker). We found more tolerance in social than solitary pairs, but found no difference in aggression. We also found that workers continued expressing caste-typical behavior even when matched against other workers from different nests. However, there was no difference in expression of queen-typical behaviors between the three groups. Our data on social caste show that outside of the queen–worker social context, both queens and workers express similar levels of queen-like behavior. However, workers still express higher levels of worker-like behavior than do queens. We found no effect of variation in ovary size on behavior. We found that body size correlated positively with queen-like behaviors, and negatively with worker-like behaviors. Our body size data suggest that the worker phenotype may result from naturally occurring size-correlated variation in behavior, combined with maternal manipulation of both body size through nutrition and behavior and ovary development through social aggression.
Spin-mixing and the different spin states of ferric ion in tetragonal symmetry

We have used the wave functions generated from a strong crystal field model of ferric ion in complexes of tetragonal symmetry with spin-orbit coupling, to calculate the behavior of several localized properties of the ferric ion in parameter regions of different ground and low-lying ferric ion states. In the previous paper of this series we have shown with this model that ferric ion can exist in a doublet, sextet, quartet and substantially spin-mixed ground state. We have delineated such regions and described the changing nature of the wave functions. In the present study, we calculate the effective magnetic moments and their temperature dependence, the first order magnetic field energies, and the electric field gradients of ferric ion in these various spin states. Particular emphasis is placed on the properties of ferric ion in substantially spin-mixed states which have hitherto not been reported. Wherever possible, our results are compared with existing experimental data. In particular, with this model, we have been able to quantitatively account for the continuously varying values of magnetic moment for a series of 12 ferric hemoglobin derivatives, in the region from range of 5.92 to 2.26 Bohr magnetons.
Global Spread of Mutant PfCRT and Its Pleiotropic Impact on Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance and Fitness

ABSTRACT The global spread of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) variant haplotypes earlier caused the widespread loss of chloroquine (CQ) efficacy. In Asia, novel PfCRT mutations that emerged on the Dd2 allelic background have recently been implicated in high-level resistance to piperaquine, and N326S and I356T have been associated with genetic backgrounds in which resistance emerged to artemisinin derivatives. By analyzing large-scale genome sequencing data, we report that the predominant Asian CQ-resistant Dd2 haplotype is undetectable in Africa. Instead, the GB4 and previously unexplored Cam783 haplotypes predominate, along with wild-type, drug-sensitive PfCRT that has reemerged as the major haplotype. To interrogate how these alleles impact drug susceptibility, we generated pfcrt-modified isogenic parasite lines spanning the mutational interval between GB4 and Dd2, which includes Cam783 and involves amino acid substitutions at residues 326 and 356. Relative to Dd2, the GB4 and Cam783 alleles were observed to mediate lower degrees of resistance to CQ and the first-line drug amodiaquine, while resulting in higher growth rates. These findings suggest that differences in growth rates, a surrogate of parasite fitness, influence selection in the context of African infections that are frequently characterized by high transmission rates, mixed infections, increased immunity, and less recourse to treatment. We also observe that the Asian Dd2 allele affords partial protection against piperaquine yet does not directly impact artemisinin efficacy. Our results can help inform the regional recommendations of antimalarials, whose activity is influenced by and, in certain cases, enhanced against select PfCRT variant haplotypes. IMPORTANCE Our study defines the allelic distribution of pfcrt, an important mediator of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, in Africa and Asia. We leveraged whole-genome sequence analysis and gene editing to demonstrate how current drug combinations can select different allelic variants of this gene and shape region-specific parasite population structures. We document the ability of PfCRT mutations to modulate parasite susceptibility to current antimalarials in dissimilar, pfcrt allele-specific ways. This study underscores the importance of actively monitoring pfcrt genotypes to identify emerging patterns of multidrug resistance and help guide region-specific treatment options.
Further Phenotypic Characterization of Kaufman Oculocerebrofacial Syndrome: Report of Five New Cases and Literature Review

Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by biallelic variants in UBE3B. Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome is characterized by a recognizable pattern of malformations including moderate to severe intellectual disability, growth deficiency, microcephaly and a distinctive facial gestalt. Common craniofacial features include short upslanting palpebral fissures, blepharophimosis or ptosis, ear anomalies, hearing loss, palate anomalies and stridor/laryngomalacia. The aim of this study was to describe the phenotypic features and the genotype of five new individuals from three unrelated families, and to review systematically the published information of 26 cases. The main features are summarized contributing to further characterize the natural history of the disease. Novel phenotypic features and two novel pathogenic variants in UBE3B are reported: A splice site variant (c.2569-1G > C) and a nonsense variant (c.518C > A, p.Ser173Ter). Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome is likely an underdiagnosed disorder which can be clinically recognized based on its distinctive facial gestalt and relatively homogenous natural history.
The Triple Threat of Sleep, Adolescence, and ADHD

Abstract In this chapter, sleep and adolescent development is briefly reviewed, followed by what is currently known about the types and rates of sleep problems and disturbances in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The research examining contributors to and consequences of sleep problems in adolescents is then reviewed, with key directions for future research highlighted. Finally, considerations for treating sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD are discussed.
Plant-driven changes in soil microbial communities influence seed germination through negative feedbacks

Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) drive plant community diversity via interactions between plants and soil microbes. However, we know little about how frequently PSFs affect plants at the seed stage, and the compositional shifts in fungi that accompany PSFs on germination.We conducted a pairwise PSF experiment to test whether seed germination was differentially impacted by conspecific versus heterospecific soils for seven grassland species. We used metagenomics to characterize shifts in fungal community composition in soils conditioned by each plant species. To investigate whether changes in the abundance of certain fungal taxa were associated with multiple PSFs, we assigned taxonomy to soil fungi and identified putative pathogens that were significantly more abundant in soils conditioned by plant species that experienced negative or positive PSFs.We observed negative, positive, and neutral PSFs on seed germination. Although conspecific and heterospecific soils for pairs with significant PSFs contained host-specialized soil fungal communities, soils with specialized microbial communities did not always lead to PSFs. The identity of host-specialized pathogens, that is, taxa uniquely present or significantly more abundant in soils conditioned by plant species experiencing negative PSFs, overlapped among plant species, while putative pathogens within a single host plant species differed depending on the identity of the heterospecific plant partner. Finally, the magnitude of feedback on germination was not related to the degree of fungal community differentiation between species pairs involved in negative PSFs. Synthesis. Our findings reveal the potential importance of PSFs at the seed stage. Although plant species developed specialized fungal communities in rhizosphere soil, pathogens were not strictly host-specific and varied not just between plant species, but according to the identity of plant partner. These results illustrate the complexity of microbe-mediated interactions between plants at different life stages that next-generation sequencing can begin to unravel.
Intraoperative Radiographic Assessment of Bone Resection Margins During Mandibulectomy: A Case Series:

Background and Purpose:Mandibulectomy remains the treatment of choice for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with infiltration of bone and for benign tumors with full mandibular thickness involvem...
A mouse model of prostate cancer bone metastasis in a syngeneic immunocompetent host

We report the establishment of B6CaP, an allograft tumor line from a Hi-Myc transgenic mouse that had been backcrossed onto C57BL/6J background. This tumor line grows subcutaneously in wildtype C57BL/6J immunocompetent mice, expresses AR, and has a luminal cytokeratin profile. When digested into single cells and injected via intracardiac injection, B6CaP produces metastatic widespread metastases including frequent bone lesions. Metastatic lesions occur most often in the femur, spine, and skull, and have a mixed osteolytic/osteoblastic phenotype. B6CaP allografts are androgen dependent, and regress after castration. However, castration resistant tumors regrow after 4-6 months and can be maintained as androgen-independent clones. This is the first example of a prostate-derived tumor line that shows frequent metastasis to bone and grows in an immunocompetent host, making this model useful for studying mechanisms of bone metastasis and tumor immune response.
Development and Validation of the Middle Grades Computer Science Concept Inventory (MG-CSCI) Assessment.

The increasing interest in computer science (CS) and CS-integrated STEM teaching and learning has created a need for assessment instruments that can be used to evaluate the efficacy of innovative instructional approaches to K-12 CS education. However, there is a lack of validated assessment tools aligned to core CS concepts for younger students. This paper reports on the development and validation of a CS concept assessment for middle grades (ages 11-13) students. A total of 27 multiple-choice items were developed, guided by focal knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the concepts of variables, loops, conditionals, and algorithms. These items were administered to 457 middle grades students. The items were presented in form of block-based programming code and administered in a week-long computational modeling intervention. A combination of classical test theory and item response theory approaches were used to validate the assessment. Based on results, it was found that only 24 items are considered valid and reliable items to measure CS conceptual understanding. The results also suggested that the assessment can be used as a pre and post-test to investigate students’ learning gains. This work fills an important gap by providing a key resource for researchers and practitioners interested in assessing middle grades student CS conceptual understanding.
Adaptive Stabilization of Time-Delay Feedforward Systems with Unknown Parameters

We investigate the problem of global adaptive stabilization by delay-free state feedback for nonlinearly parameterized feedforward systems with long delays in the state and input. A delay-free adaptive controller is presented to deal with the issues of nonlinear parameterization, the input delay and delays in the state simultaneously, achieving global state regulation of the closed-loop nonlinear system. The underlying philosophy of this research is the construction of a saturation compensator with gain-dependent saturation levels, whose gain is dynamically updated based on universal control.
705 PAP Use Pattern Change During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted not only the physical health of society, but also its social, mental, and economic health. The Illinois shelter in place orders enacted in March and April limited work and activities outside the home. Our aim for this study was to compare the effects of the COVID-19 shelter in place orders on PAP use patterns in patients with OSA. Methods: We selected 30 patients seen between May and October 2020. Patients had been diagnosed with OSA for at least one year, prescribed PAP therapy and had been compliant with therapy as defined by 70% use greater 4-hour for 30 days prior to their clinic visit. Using data collected from chart review as well as online ResMed AirView cloud data, we evaluated PAP on/off and average use time during shelter in place order for a 90 day period (March through May 2020). We compared this data to a similar period in the year prior. Results: Average age of our study group was 58.6 years old with 19 men and 11 women. Mean AHI was 51.7. Reported average bedtime was 10:00pm with average wake time 7:30am during the shutdown compared with a bedtime of 9pm and wake up time 6:30am. Patients reported having more time to sleep and required less naps during the day. Average PAP use during shut down was 7 hours 20 minutes and average PAP use prior to shutdown was 6 hours and 50 minutes. An average of 30 additional PAP minutes was observed among patients during the shelter in place order. Only one of our patients was diagnosed with COVID during this time period. Conclusion: For patients with OSA on PAP therapy we observed an increase in PAP use. Among patients suddenly required to shelter in place, we observed a delayed sleep onset and wake time of more than 1 hour, resulting in a slightly longer overall PAP use time. This circadian phase shift was greater among working patients compared to retired patients. The health effects of longer PAP use and circadian phase shifting remain to be determined.
Prevalence and factors associated with bone stress injury in middle school runners.

BACKGROUND Bone stress injury (BSI) in youth runners is clinically important during times of skeletal growth and is not well studied. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence, anatomical distribution, and factors associated with running-related BSI in boy and girl middle school runners. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING Online survey distributed to middle school runners. METHODS Survey evaluated BSI history, age, grade, height, weight, eating behaviors, menstrual function, exercise training, and other health characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Prevalence and characteristics associated with history of BSI, stratified by cortical-rich (eg, tibia) and trabecular-rich (pelvis and femoral neck) locations. PARTICIPANTS 2107 runners (n = 1250 boys, n = 857 girls), age 13.2 ± 0.9 years. RESULTS One hundred five (4.7%) runners reported a history of 132 BSIs, with higher prevalence in girls than boys (6.7% vs 3.8%, p = .004). The most common location was the tibia (n = 51). Most trabecular-rich BSIs (n = 16, 94% total) were sustained by girls (pelvis: n = 6; femoral neck: n = 6; sacrum: n = 4). In girls, consuming <3 daily meals (odds ratio [OR] = 18.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.3, 47.4), eating disorder (9.8, 95% CI = 2.0, 47.0), family history of osteoporosis (OR = 6.9, 95% CI = 2.6, 18.0), and age (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.0, 2.6) were associated with BSI. In boys, family history of osteoporosis (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.2, 8.4), prior non-BSI fracture (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.6, 6.7), and running mileage (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.1) were associated with BSI. Participating in soccer or basketball ≥2 years was associated with lower odds of BSI for both sexes. CONCLUSION Whereas family history of osteoporosis and prior fracture (non-BSI) were most strongly related to BSI in the youth runners, behaviors contributing to an energy deficit, such as eating disorder and consuming <3 meals daily, also emerged as independent factors associated with BSI. Although cross-sectional design limits determining causality, our findings suggest promoting optimal skeletal health through nutrition and participation in other sports including soccer and basketball may address factors associated with BSI in this population.
Using Cucumis sativus, Acalymma vittatum, Celatoria setosa, and generalist pollinators as a case study for plant–insect interactions

Showcasing how semiochemicals are both multifunctional and can influence a community of organisms is a constant frontier shared by chemical ecologists and applied entomologists alike. As researchers in these fields continue to share broad and overlapping interests, converging on one system could allow for a better understanding of community interactions and the chemical substances that mediate them. Cucurbit systems are strategically positioned to study these types of interactions because they combine the elements of plant–herbivore, plant–predator, and plant pollinator into one model and are systems where researchers can pursue both basic and applied questions. In this review, we propose Cucumis sativus [cucumber], Acalymma vittatum [striped cucumber beetle], Celatoria setosa [a natural enemy], and generalist pollinators as a system for continued investigation into semiochemicals, their multifunctional roles, and their influence on both target and nontarget organisms. We believe this system is ripe for further exploration at the frontiers in chemical ecology and applied entomology.
A method for the detection of shallow buried objects

Numerous geophysical techniques have successfully contributed to geotechnical engineering and environmental problems of the shallow subsurface. Geophysical surveys are used to: delineate geologic features, measure in-situ engineering properties, and detect hidden cultural features. Most technologies for the detection of shallow buried objects are electromagnetic methods which measure the contrast in ferrous content, electrical conductivity, or dielectric constant between the object and surrounding soil. Seismic technologies measure the contrast in mechanical properties of the subsurface, however, scaled down versions of conventional seismic methods are not suitable for the detection shallow buried objects. In this paper, we discuss the development of a method based on acoustic to seismic coupling for the detection of shallow buried object. Surface vibrations induced by an impinging acoustic wave from a loudspeaker is referred to as acoustic to seismic coupling. These vibrations can be remotely detected using a laser-Doppler vibrometer (LDV). If an object is present below the surface of the insonified patch, the transmitted wave is back scattered by the target towards the surface. For targets very close to the surface, the scattered field produces anomalous ground vibrational velocities that are indicative of the shape and size of the target.
A Review of “The Atlantic and Its Enemies: A History of the Cold War”

Norman Stone's The Atlantic and Its Enemies is a breezy, idiosyncratic account of the years 1947–91. It is not truly, as the dust jacket subtitle says, “A History of the Cold War” but, rather, “A P...