cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of obstetric and gynecologic infections with cefamandole

Cefamandole nafate is a derivative of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid which has been shown to have good in vitro activity against aerobes traditionally susceptible to cephalosporins as well as many anaerobes, including B. fragilis. One hundred women with obstetric or gynecologic infections completed treatment with cefamandole: 53 had post-cesarean section infections: 24, acute pelvic inflammatory disease: 16, posthysterectomy cuff cellulitis/abscess; and seven, vulvar or abdominal wound abscess. Almost 90% of these women had either polymicrobial aerobic/anaerobic bacterial infections or an anaerobic infection alone. Ninety women responded to cefamandole alone; in 10 cases chloramphenicol was added, but in addition five of these women required surgical therapy for eradication of infection. Mild to severe phlebitis at the infusion site that responded to conservative therapy was demonstrated in 14 women. Of 312 bacterial isolates from these women, 89% were sensitive to cefamandole at 32 microgram/ml, an easily achievable serum level; 93% of anaerobic streptococci, the most common isolates, were sensitive at 32 microgram/ml. Also, 90% of all Bacteroides species were susceptible at 32 microgram/ml; 82% of B. fragilis were susceptible at this concentration. These data indicate that cefamandole is safe and effective for treatment of women with polymicrobial pelvic infections but that approximately 5% of these women will require surgical exploration in addition to antimicrobial administration.
Femtosecond-laser-based Microstructuring and Modification of Transparent Materials

Femtosecond laser micromachining of transparent materials is a powerful tool in basic science and industrial applications. Its unique 3D capabilities and process versatility enables compact and effective device layouts for integrated photonics, microfluidics and nanotechnology.
Detection of DNA in Aphid Honeydew: A Source of Error for Molecular Gut Content Analysis?

Abstract Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are pests of a vast array of crops globally, contributing to significant yield loss annually. Biological control, utilizing natural enemies to suppress focal pest species, has often been integrated into aphid management practices. To ensure that arthropod predators are consuming the target aphid, and ultimately have an impact on pest population dynamics, it is important to gather information on consumption patterns in space and time. Molecular gut content analysis can be used to assess the strength of trophic linkages between predators and prey by detecting the presence of species-specific DNA (including aphid DNA) in their gut. However, many generalist predators readily consume aphid honeydew as an additional nutritive resource beyond direct consumption of prey. This raises the important question of whether aphid honeydew is responsible for false-positive predation events being recorded using DNA-based gut content analysis, should honeydew contain detectable quantit...
Electron Microscopic Analysis of Silicate and Calcium Particles in Cigarette Smoke Tar.

Identifying inorganic tobacco smoke constituents is important because inhalation of fine inorganic particles could lead to inflammatory responses in the lung and systemic inflammatory responses. As cigarette smoking causes chronic inflammation in the respiratory tract, information on inorganic particulate in mainstream smoke informs efforts to determine causative agents associated with increased morbidity and mortality from tobacco use.
Analysis of a Fracture Fault of 800kV Tank Circuit Breaker Hydraulic Working Cylinder

800 kV circuit breaker is an important switchgear to ensure the safe operation of 750 kV power transmission and transformation line.In this paper,an analysis is made into a fracture fault of 800 kV tank circuit breaker hydraulic working cylinder.By checking the strength and analyzing the chemical composition,microstructure,mechanical properties and the manufacturing process,it is found that the overheat treatment to the hydraulic working cylinder caused its cast microstructure.The cast microstructure lead to a decline in elongation,which may result in the fracture fault of the hydraulic working cylinder.
Detection of six kinds of virulence genes in Shigella species by multiplex PCR

Aim:To develop a method of multiplex PCR to detect virulence genes(set1B,sen,ipaH,ial,stx1,and virA)in Shigella spp.Methods:A total of six kinds of virulence genes were selected as target genes and amplified at the same time in the reaction tube with Touchdown PCR.Reference strains of S.dysenteriae 1(CMCC51054,51342),S.boydii 2(CMCC51149,51225)and 4 clinical isolates of Shigellae(1 strain of S.flexneri 2a and var X,2 stains of S.sonnei)were used in the development of multiplex PCR.DNA template was prepared and 5-fold serial dilutions were made for sensitivity test.Primers' specificity was retrieved in the BLAST of NCBI web.Then the result was decided based on molecular weight of the product.A total of 115 strains(2001~2007)Shigellae were used.Results:The 6 virulence genes could be detected with multiplex PCR at the same time.Either 6 virulence genes were detected with multiplex PCR at the same time or detected separately with general PCR,and both ways were sensitive and specific.The positive rates for set1B,sen,ipaH,ial,and virA were all more than 85% in the 115 strains Shigellae.Conclusion:It is convenient and fast to determine virulence genes of Shigella with multiplex PCR.The method is applicable to determine virulence genes for epidemiological investigations.
STUDIES OF CONTROLLED REPERFUSION AFTER ISCHEMIA: XVI. Early recovery of regional wall motion in patients following surgical revascularization after eight hours of acute coronary occlusion

This study tests the hypothesis that failure of “successful” streptokinase with and without angioplasty to restore regional wall motion in patients with acute coronary occlusion is due to reperfusion injury that can be avoided in the surgical setting by control of the conditions of reperfusion and the composition of the reperfusate. Of 31 consecutive patients undergoing emergency coronary revascularization, 21 patients were reperfused medically with normal blood (streptokinase with or without angioplasty) following 4.5 ± 0.4 hours of coronary occlusion in the coronary catheterization laboratory. Surgical reperfusion in 10 patients was with aspartate-glutamate–enriched blood cardioplegic solution during coronary artery bypass grafting after 8.5 ± 0.5 hours (7.2 to 11.4 hours) of acute coronary occlusion. Hemodynamic instability was present in 5 of 10 surgical patients before operation and resulted from coronary occlusion, whereas 7 to 21 previously stable medical patients became unstable hemodynamically following revascularization with normal blood. Surgical patients evolved fewer electrocardiographically determined infarctions (7/10 versus 21/21, p
Surgery of the nasal septum.

Septoplasty may be critical in aesthetic surgery of the nose because if there is torsion or scoliosis of the nasal pyramid, correction cannot be performed or retained if the internal part of the nose has not been corrected. The correction of septal dislocation performed as part of an aesthetic rhinoplasty, with preservation of cartilage and bone efficient to provide nasal support, gives the best aesthetic and functional results.
Confidence in Assessment of Lumbar Spondylolysis Using Three-Dimensional Volumetric T2-Weighted MRI Compared With Limited Field of View, Decreased-Dose CT

Background:Limited z-axis–coverage computed tomography (CT) to evaluate for pediatric lumbar spondylolysis, altering the technique such that the dose to the patient is comparable or lower than radi...
Megafloods and Clovis cache at Wenatchee, Washington

Immense late Wisconsin floods from glacial Lake Missoula drowned the Wenatchee reach of Washington's Columbia valley by different routes. The earliest debacles, nearly 19,000 cal yr BP, raged 335 m deep down the Columbia and built high Pangborn bar at Wenatchee. As advancing ice blocked the northwest of Columbia valley, several giant floods descended Moses Coulee and backflooded up the Columbia past Wenatchee. Ice then blocked Moses Coulee, and Grand Coulee to Quincy basin became the westmost floodway. From Quincy basin many Missoula floods backflowed 50 km upvalley to Wenatchee 18,000 to 15,500 years ago. Receding ice dammed glacial Lake Columbia centuries more—till it burst about 15,000 years ago. After Glacier Peak ashfall about 13,600 years ago, smaller great flood(s) swept down the Columbia from glacial Lake Kootenay in British Columbia. The East Wenatchee cache of huge fluted Clovis points had been laid atop Pangborn bar after the Glacier Peak ashfall, then buried by loess. Clovis people came five and a half millennia after the early gigantic Missoula floods, two and a half millennia after the last small Missoula flood, and two millennia after the glacial Lake Columbia flood. People likely saw outburst flood(s) from glacial Lake Kootenay.
Adaptively selecting biology questions generated from a semantic network

ABSTRACTThe paper describes a biology tutoring system with adaptive question selection. Questions were selected for presentation to the student based on their utilities, which were estimated from the chance that the student’s competence would increase if the questions were asked. Competence was represented by the probability of mastery of a set of biology knowledge components. Tasks were represented and selected based on which knowledge components they addressed. Unlike earlier work, where the knowledge components and their relationships to the questions were defined by domain experts, this project demonstrated that the knowledge components, questions and their relationships could all be generated from a semantic network. An experiment found that students using our adaptive question selection had reliably larger learning gains than students who received questions in a mal-adaptive order.
Rebuttals and Refinements

Although Moore spurns the hedonism that utilitarians have traditionally favored, he joins them in endorsing the consequentialist principle that the right and morally required thing to do is to act to bring about the best possible outcome. Because Moore takes the truth of the consequentialist principle to be conspicuous, his direct arguments for it are, as we have seen, few and not very compelling. However, Moore enhances the appeal of his consequentialism through his critique of egoism and of attitudinal theories of ethics, and he clarifies, elaborates, and refines the implications of his own normative approach through his analysis of the relation between duty and expediency and of the role that virtue and motive play in ethical conduct. A satisfactory understanding of Moore’s normative thinking requires an examination of what he had to say about these topics. This chapter undertakes that examination.
Blockchain-enabled spectrum access in cognitive radio networks

In this work, we propose a blockchain verification protocol as a method for enabling and securing spectrum sharing in cognitive radio networks. The spectrum-sharing mechanism is used as a medium access protocol for accessing wireless bandwidth among competing cognitive radios. We introduce a virtual currency, called “Specoins”, for payment to access spectrum. An auction mechanism based on a first-come-first-served queue is used, with the price for the spectrum advertised by each primary user in a decentralized fashion. The blockchain protocol facilitates the transactions between primary and secondary users, and is used to validate and save each user's virtual wallet. The blockchain also serves as a distributed database that is visible by all participating parties and any node can volunteer to update the blockchain. The volunteer nodes are called miners and they are awarded with Specoins. We propose diverse methods to exchange the Specoins in order to make leasing possible even by cognitive radios that are not miners. We show the improvement of the proposed algorithm compared to the conventional Aloha medium access protocol in terms of spectrum usage.
High Performance, Low Sensitivity: The Impossible (or Possible) Dream?

After mentioning methods for quantifying detonation performance and sensitivity, we proceed to discuss some factors that govern these properties. To enhance the likelihood of an explosive having high performance in conjunction with low or moderate sensitivity, it should have (a) a high density, and (b) a large number of moles of gaseous detonation products per gram of explosive, and should avoid having (c) a strongly positive electrostatic potential in the central portion of its molecular surface, (d) a large amount of free space per molecule in its crystal lattice, and (e) a large maximum heat of detonation. In particular, we demonstrate that a large heat of detonation is unnecessary from the standpoint of performance and undesirable from the standpoint of sensitivity. We summarize some specific molecular features that may help to satisfy the guidelines listed above.
Host Diet Influences Lethal and Sublethal Responses of Hosts to Amphibian Pathogen Exposure

The severity of the impacts of pathogens on hosts may be driven by environmental factors like resource availability that create tradeoffs on energetic demands for immune responses and basal metabolic activity within the host. These responses can vary among species from sublethal to lethal effects, which can have consequences for the host population trajectories within a community. Chytridiomycosis, caused by the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (or Bd), has been associated with global amphibian population declines. However, it also occurs in populations without appearing to cause mass mortality; the effect of Bd in these situations is not well understood and environmental factors like food abundance that impact host conditions could play an important role in the magnitude of the pathogens impact. In the present study, we exposed American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens), and Blanchards cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) metamorphs to Bd and then reared them in the terrestrial habitat under low or high food environments. We found additive effects of Bd and reduced food abundance on host growth and survival that varied according to species. For instance, Bd-induced reductions in American toad survival were greater under low food conditions compared to high food conditions but survival of northern leopard frogs and Blanchards cricket frogs was not affected by Bd. For northern leopard frogs and Blanchards cricket frogs, low food abundance resulted in the lower growth rates under Bd exposure compared to high food abundance. Additionally, we developed stage-structured population models for American toads to assess if reduced survival of metamorphs exposed to Bd under conditions of low and high food abundance could influence population trajectories; models indicated that Bd exposure would reduce annual population growth rates by 14% under conditions of high food abundance and 21% under conditions of low food abundance. Our results suggest that environmental conditions that influence resource availability for species that are sensitive or tolerant to Bd may increase the negative effects of Bd on host growth and survival, which could have important implications for how populations and communities with infected members respond over time.
Optimal measurement location planning for localizing underwater transponders

An autonomous surface vehicle optimally plans acoustic measurement locations to localize a set of pre-deployed underwater transponders (UTs). Once localized, these transponders could serve as reference beacons for underwater navigation. An optimal measurement location planning (OMLP) strategy, in the D-optimality sense, is developed to localize this set of UTs. It is shown that the matrix optimization criterion corresponding to the D-optimality criterion simplifies to a scalar optimization problem for single UT environments. Simulation results are presented demonstrating the computational benefit of this simplification over the standard D-optimality criterion. Experimental results are given illustrating the proposed OMLP strategy to localize one and two unknown UTs to within a few meters.
The Role of the Cerebellum in Motor Control and Motor Learning

Damage to the cerebellum influences both short-term and longterm adjustments and control of movement. Millisecond-to-millisecond changes in the output of the cerebellar cortex are elicited by inputs from both the periphery and central motor programs and appear to be important in controlling the velocity and amplitude of smooth movements. Less frequent inputs from the inferior olivary nucleus signal errors in motor performance and may participate to invoke intracellular modifications in the responsiveness of the Purkinje cell to many of its incoming signals. It is not only of importance to consider how to compensate when this adjustment is disrupted by damage to the cerebellum; it is also important to recognize the potential role of the cerebellum for adjustment to damage elsewhere in the central or peripheral nervous system.
Boundary Mobility and Energy Anisotropy Effects on Microstructural Evolution During Grain Growth

We have performed mesoscopic simulations of microstructural evolution during curvature driven grain growth in two-dimensions using anisotropic grain boundary properties obtained from atomistic simulations. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to determine the energies and mobilities of grain boundaries as a function of boundary misorientation. The mesoscopic simulations were performed both with the Monte Carlo Potts model and the phase field model. The Monte Carlo Potts model and phase field model simulation predictions are in excellent agreement. While the atomistic simulations demonstrate strong anisotropies in both the boundary energy and mobility, both types of microstructural evolution simulations demonstrate that anisotropy in boundary mobility plays little role in the stochastic evolution of the microstructure (other than perhaps setting the overall rate of the evolution. On the other hand, anisotropy in the grain boundary energy strongly modifies both the topology of the polycrystalline microstructure the kinetic law that describes the temporal evolution of the mean grain size. The underlying reasons behind the strongly differing effects of the two types of anisotropy considered here can be understood based largely on geometric and topological arguments.
First Do No Harm: Adverse Effects of Grouping Deviant Youth for Skills Training

Recent research has suggested potential harmful effects of group-based skill training for children and adolescents with externalizing problems. This article reviews four types of evidence from published literature that supports the conclusion that grouping deviant youth for treatment may produce unintended, harmful effects. The evidence includes literature on the role of deviant peers in the socialization of aggressive youth, studies reporting adverse treatment effects for grouped interventions, studies comparing treatment outcomes that differed in the extent to which participants were grouped with deviant peers, and studies that highlight variables that mediate negative treatment outcomes. Finally, the article recommends a research agenda designed to help clinicians provide the highest level of care for children and adolescents with behavior problems. © 1999 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd
MD-PhD in the Social Sciences

The doctoral degree is primarily a research degree. Consider the time trade-off carefully. Think ahead: an MD-PhD program is a major commitment and you need to consider your career objectives in this context.
Making multiple monitors more manageable

After introducing the concept of multiple monitors, which is a computer system with a physically partitioned but virtually contiguous display space (a single computer with many monitors attached), we discuss open Human-Computer Interaction multiple-monitor research areas including window management. We argue to conduct a high-level study of window management practices and a low-level study specifically comparing single-monitor and multiple-monitor window management practices. When combined with other field work on multiple monitors, the studies suggest that there is an increasingly crucial distinction between input focus (where the active window is) and user focus (where the user is actually looking on-screen) since multiple monitors encourage users to display reference information in non-active windows to aid interaction in the active window. To further explore this distinction we constructed three tools: Snip; Snap; and Mudibo. We deployed Snip and Snap in a field study, finding that participants used Snip in many of the ways that we expected though Snap did not appear to be as useful. Results from our follow-up laboratory-based study indicated that Snip can provide multiple-monitor users with dramatic time savings for referencing the snipped windows as compared to regular, overlapping windows. A laboratory-based study of Mudibo, a dialog box placement interface, provided further motivation of the tool and uncovered key interface improvements necessary to make Mudibo suitable for everyday multiple-monitor screen interaction. The findings support the original conclusion about the initial field work, namely that understanding the potentially larger gap between input focus and user focus necessitates appropriately targeted user interface development and evaluation.
Improving the Youth HIV Prevention and Care Continuums: The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions

Background: Epidemiologic and clinical information in the United States indicate that HIV transmission and acquisition among adolescents and young adults (youth) remain unchanged, without improvement. Interventions to prevent HIV transmission among youth are critically needed, as are interventions to improve adherence to all components of the continuum of care for youth living with HIV. Objective: The primary mission of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) is to conduct both independent and collaborative research that explores promising behavioral, microbicidal, prophylactic, therapeutic, and vaccine modalities in HIV-infected and at-risk youth aged between 12 and 24. Methods: Through the ATN, the National Institutes of Health is supporting HIV interventional research for youth in the United States. Results: The ATN comprises 3 cooperative multiproject research programs and a coordinating center. Each program is led by a network hub and has well-defined research themes to assist, guide, and coordinate HIV research project activities. Conclusions: ATN activities encompass the full spectrum of research needs for youth, from HIV primary prevention for at-risk youth in the community to secondary and tertiary prevention with clinical management of HIV infection among youth living with HIV experiencing adherence challenges. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/12050
Surgical Versus Percutaneous Closure of PDA in Preterm Infants: Procedural Charges and Outcomes

Abstract Background Studies comparing percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with surgical ligation tend to exclude premature infants and have not assessed procedural charges. We compared our contemporary outcomes and charges of device closure to surgical ligation of PDA in preterm infants. Material and methods Preterm infants who underwent isolated PDA closure during their newborn hospitalization (January 2014 to September 2017) were grouped based on intention to treat (surgery versus device closure). Patient demographics, procedural details, and immediate postprocedural outcomes were compared. Procedural charges for device closure versus surgical ligation were compared. Results Compared with the device group (n = 33), patients undergoing surgical ligation (n = 39) were younger, smaller, and required more preoperative support (P Conclusions In our early experience with percutaneous PDA closure, we found a percutaneous approach in preterm infants feasible and well tolerated. Both surgical ligation and device closure were associated with perioperative or postoperative complications. Procedural charges were higher for percutaneous closure, driven by device charge and catheterization room utilization. Further investigation is needed to establish guidelines for first-line therapy for PDA closure in preterm infants, including cost-benefit analysis.
RadioGx: A New Preclinical Tool to Model Intrinsic Radiosensitivity.

Radiotherapy is perhaps the most ubiquitous single treatment modality for patients with cancer. Despite its routine use, biomarkers of treatment response are critically lacking, and the biology underlying the heterogeneity in clinical response to radiation treatment remain largely unknown. In this issue of Cancer Research, Manem and colleagues seek to change this paradigm and detail the development of a radiation response computational platform (RadioGx) that allows for the integrative analysis of radiation response using radiogenomic data derived from preclinical, in vitro sources (1). This platform holds promise for novel hypothesis generation and may allow for the discovery of novel mediators of radiation response that may improve the therapeutic efficacy of radiation. Importantly, it also moves us closer to uncovering and validating radiation response biomarkers that may prove clinically useful. See related article by Manem et al., p. 6227
The practical need to challenge the status quo: New directions in bioethics.

Abstract Those of us working in bioethics field take it for granted that the rest of the world reads our work and uses it as part of their scholarship and reasoning processes. Having widespread national and international influence is true for some of the biggest name bioethicists, but interactions at new international conferences or browsing through publications often brings revealing – and potentially humbling – news about how little effect our research tends to have on what is going on elsewhere. We are unrecognized outside of our small, tightly bound professional groups, and our ideas fail to be incorporated freely throughout outsiders’ scholarly work. Putting our professional hurt feelings aside, we should have far greater concerns of possibly unneeded effort and hampered progress in the field based on unintentional ignorance of how other geographic regions are doing their bioethics. It makes no practical sense for efforts to be duplicated, especially if someone else has done it better, or at least, earlier. More wasteful is exploring already well-examined ground, and then previously found not worth any further resources. At the very least, needless research is a lost opportunity to make bioethics better.
Vertebral Osteomyelitis and Discitis

Spinal infections are relatively rare but have the potential to cause significant morbidity and mortality including chronic pain, neurologic deficit, spinal instability, deformity, and death. Any of the anatomical structures of the spine can become infected, but the vertebral body, intervertebral disc, and epidural space are the most common sites. Treatment options include antibiotics, bracing, and surgery. Early recognition and prompt, aggressive management with a multidisciplinary approach are key to a good patient outcome.
Impact of Artifacts From Optical Coherence Tomography Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Macula Scans on Detection of Glaucoma Progression.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of artifacts on segmented spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) images and assess their impact on the interpretation of glaucomatous progression in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) profile and macular thickness map. Design Retrospective reliability analysis. Methods Retrospective review of glaucoma and glaucoma suspect eyes imaged with SDOCT during a 1-month period. All cases had at least 4 sets of RNFL and macular images at 6-month intervals. SDOCT raw B-scans were examined to determine true progression and whether artifacts impacted the original interpretation of progression based on auto-segmented change maps. The co-prevalence of artifacts in the RNFL and macula was assessed, as well as the association of clinical factors with the likelihood of artifacts. Results A total of 190 eyes with 760 sets of OCT RNFL and macular scans were included. Fifty percent (96/190) of eyes had artifacts, either in the circumpapillary RNFL (83/190; 43.68%) or the macula (57/190; 30.0%). Epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction were the most common artifacts. True progression was present on 39.5% (75/190) of scans overall. Among scans with artifacts, 23.9% (23/96) of artifacts masked true progression (ie, false-negative), 36.5% (35/96) led to an interpretation of false progression (ie, false-positive), and 39.6% (38/96) had no effect on the interpretation of progression. The presence of true progression on the RNFL scan was significantly associated with the presence of true progression on the macular scan (P Conclusions Artifacts are highly prevalent on both circumpapillary RNFL and macular scans on SDOCT images acquired in a glaucoma clinic. Artifacts can lead to false-positive and false-negative interpretation of progression when using only the auto-segmentation change maps. Thus, careful examination of the raw B-scan images of both the RNFL and macula is critical to identify artifacts and true glaucoma progression.
The importance of bone marrow and the immune system in driving increases in blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity in hypertension.

New findings What is the topic of this review? This manuscript provides a review of the current understanding of the role of the sympathetic nervous system in regulation of bone marrow-derived immune cells and the effect that the infiltrating bone marrow cells may have on perpetuation of the sympathetic over-activation in hypertension. What advances does it highlight? We highlight the recent advances in understanding of the neuroimmune interactions both peripherally and centrally as they relate to blood pressure control. Abstract The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) plays a crucial role in maintaining physiological homeostasis, in part by regulating, integrating and orchestrating processes between many physiological systems, including the immune system. Sympathetic nerves innervate all primary and secondary immune organs, and all cells of the immune system express β-adrenoreceptors. In turn, immune cells can produce cytokines, chemokines and neurotransmitters capable of modulating neuronal activity and, ultimately, SNS activity. Thus, the essential role of the SNS in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune functions is mediated, in part, via β-adrenoreceptor-induced activation of bone marrow cells by noradrenaline. Interestingly, both central and systemic inflammation are well-established hallmarks of hypertension and its co-morbidities, including an inflammatory process involving the transmigration and infiltration of immune cells into tissues. We propose that physiological states that prolong β-adrenoreceptor activation in bone marrow can disrupt neuroimmune homeostasis and impair communication between the immune system and SNS, leading to immune dysregulation, which, in turn, is sustained via a central mechanism involving neuroinflammation.
Cottonseed Protein, Oil, and Minerals in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Lines Differing in Curly Leaf Morphology

Cottonseed is an important source of protein, oil, and minerals for human health and livestock feed. Therefore, understanding the physiological and genetic traits influencing the nutrient content is critical. To our knowledge, there is no information available on the effects of leaf shape—curly leaf (CRL)—on cottonseed protein, oil, and minerals. Therefore, the objective of the current research was to investigate the effect of the curly leaf trait on cottonseed protein, oil, and minerals in cotton lines differing in leaf shape. Our hypothesis was that since leaf shape is known to be associated with nutrient uptake, assimilation, and photosynthesis process, leaf shape can influence seed protein, oil, and minerals. A two-year field experiment using two curly leaf lines (Uzbek CRL and DP 5690 CRL) and one normal leaf (DP 5690 wild type) line was conducted in 2014 and 2015 in Stoneville, MS, USA. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The results showed that both Uzbek CRL and DP 5690 wild type lines had higher seed oil, and nutrients N, P, K, and Mg than DP 5690 CRL. Calcium was higher in DP 5690 CRL for two years and protein was only higher than the parents in 2015. Consistent significant positive and negative correlations between some nutrients were observed, which may be due to environmental conditions, especially heat. This indicates that curly leaf trait may partially regulate the accumulation of these nutrients in seeds. The results demonstrated that leaf shape trait—curly leaf—can affect cottonseed nutritional qualities. This research is important to breeders for cotton selection for high seed oil or protein, and to other researchers to further understand the genetic impact of leaf shapes on seed nutritional quality. It is also important for scientists to use leaf shape as a tool for physiological, biochemical, and morphological research related to leaf development.
Analysis of the potential impact of durability, timing, and transmission blocking of COVID-19 vaccine on morbidity and mortality

Abstract Background COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and made available. While questions of vaccine allocation strategies have received significant attention, important questions remain regarding the potential impact of the vaccine given uncertainties regarding efficacy against transmission, availability, timing, and durability. Methods We adapted a susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model to examine the potential impact on hospitalization and mortality assuming increasing rates of vaccine efficacy, coverage, and administration. We also evaluated the uncertainty of the vaccine to prevent infectiousness as well as the impact on outcomes based on the timing of distribution and the potential effects of waning immunity. Findings Increased vaccine efficacy against disease reduces hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19; however, the relative benefit of transmission blocking varied depending on the timing of vaccine distribution. Early in an outbreak, a vaccine that reduces transmission will be relatively more effective than one introduced later in the outbreak. In addition, earlier and accelerated implementation of a less effective vaccine is more impactful than later implementation of a more effective vaccine. These findings are magnified when considering the durability of the vaccine. Vaccination in the spring will be less impactful when immunity is less durable. Interpretation Policy choices regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing and face mask use, will need to remain in place longer if the vaccine is less effective at reducing transmission or distributed slower. In addition, the stage of the local outbreak greatly impacts the overall effectiveness of the vaccine in a region and should be considered when allocating vaccines. Funding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) MInD-Healthcare Program (U01CK000589, 1U01CK000536), James S. McDonnell Foundation 21st Century Science Initiative Collaborative Award in Understanding Dynamic and Multiscale Systems, National Science Foundation (CNS-2027908), National Science Foundation Expeditions (CCF1917819), C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute (AWD1006615), and Google, LLC.
Changes in Life Circumstances and Mental Health Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Midlife Women with Elevated Risk for Cardiovascular Disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women. During midlife (ages 40-60), universal aging processes, sex-specific factors such as menopause, psychological distress, and conditions such as hypertension substantially increase women's risk for CVD. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted employment, social interactions, caregiving responsibilities, and overall well-being worldwide; however, little research has investigated how COVID-19 has affected women in midlife. The present study was designed to determine how COVID-19 has affected women in midlife with elevated risk for CVD, by examining changes in their mental health symptoms and life domains across three time points: prior to COVID-19 (2019), during stay-at-home orders (April-June 2020), and during initial reopening (August 2020). Women in midlife with one or more CVD risk conditions (e.g., hypertension; n = 35) responded to questions related to COVID-19, changes in life circumstances, and mental health symptoms at each time point. Findings showed meaningful changes in caregiving, medical visits, and employment status, as well as significant changes in depression and sleep quality scores across time. However, the findings also showed that women were distressed prior to COVID-19 and did not exhibit changes in perceived stress, body dissatisfaction, or anxiety symptoms over time. Findings from this study highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an at-risk group of women, which may be used to help guide future health promotion efforts specifically tailored to this population.
A Mathematical Model of Signal Propagation in the Starburst Amacrine Cell Network

Displaced starburst amacrine cells (SACs) are retinal interneurons that exhibit GABAAand Cl cotransporter-mediated, directionally selective (DS) light responses in the rabbit retina. They depolarize to stimuli that move centrifugally through the receptive field surround and hyperpolarize to stimuli that move centripetally through the surround (Gavrikov et al., 2003, 2006). We have begun to model the SACs and their associated retinal network to examine the circuitry and mechanisms that underlie their responses to moving and stationary light stimuli.
Health Care Workers and ICU Pain Perceptions

Objective Our study examined the effect of health care workers' personal characteristics on how they perceive and intend to treat patients' pain in the intensive care unit. Though pain perceptions have been well established from the patient's perspective, less is known about how variations in health care workers may affect their perceptions of pain. Design This study consisted of a 28-item questionnaire distributed to 122 medical staff personnel over a 12-month period. The questionnaire included items regarding respondent characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and level of training. Subjects and Setting The questionnaire was distributed to physicians and nurses working in the critical care setting. Methods Responses were provided using a Likert scale and scored on subscales of hemodynamic instability, addiction and tolerance, pain expression, legal issues, and education. Results The results demonstrated that characteristics such as age and race were significant predictors of perceptions regarding addiction subscale scores (β = −0.256, P = 0.006 and β = 0.183, P = 0.053, respectively). Race proved to be a significant factor in pain expression scores (β = 0.183, P = 0.053). Work-related variables, such as being in or out of active medical training and being within the critical care specialty itself, were significant predictors of addiction subscale scores as well (β = −0.238, P = 0.012 and β = 0.191, P = 0.050, respectively). Conclusion Health care providers' race, age, level of education, and medical subspecialty were significant factors affecting their perceptions of pain management and intended treatment.
Glycine Metabolism II. KINETIC AND OPTICAL STUDIES ON THE GLYCINE DECARBOXYLASE SYSTEM FROM PEPTOCOCCUS GLYCINOPHILUS

Abstract Kinetic and optical properties of the pyridoxal phosphate-containing enzyme and the heat-stable, low molecular weight protein required for the exchange of bicarbonate with the glycine carboxyl group have been described. Saturation curves were determined for glycine, bicarbonate, pyridoxal phosphate, and the heat-stable protein P2; and Michaelis constants of 0.032 m, 0.031 m, 4.6 µm, and 1.3 mg per ml, respectively, were obtained. Treatment of the enzyme with cysteine removed the coenzyme and resulted in greatly decreased activity, but the activity was fully restored by incubation of the apoenzyme with pyridoxal phosphate. The ultraviolet absorption spectrum of the holoenzyme showed a maximum at 430 mµ which was reduced 85% by treatment with cysteine, but which was restored by incubation with pyridoxal phosphate. Fluorescence maxima at 390 and 500 mµ were observed when the holoenzyme was subjected to activating light at 330 and 430 mµ, respectively. The 500 mµ peak was associated with the azomethine linkage between the coenzyme and the enzyme since it was decreased by removal of pyridoxal phosphate, but the 390 mµ peak appeared to be associated only with the protein since it was not significantly altered by the above treatment.
A Visual Response System for Small-Group Interaction

Much of the improvement of education in recent years has come from dividing education into presentations, individual study, and interaction and then providing specialized personnel, facilities, grouping, media, and techniques for each. We have paid more attention to and been more successful with the first two phases than the last one.
Mn substitution in the solid solution series Bi2Pb8−x(PO4)6O2−x. The crystal structure of Bi1.5(Pb7.3Mn0.7)(PO4)6O1.3 a member of a new solid solution series Bi2−xPb8(PO4)6O2−1.5x

Abstract A single-crystal from a solid solution Bi(Pb 4− x Mn x )P 3 O y was selected and its crystal structure determined from 3-dimensional X-ray diffraction data. The crystal is orthorhombic, Pnma , a =12.967(3) A, b =10.294(2) A, c =8.9994(18) A. The 1460 unique reflections were refined by least squares on F 2 to R 1 =0.0352. The stoichiometry based on the atomic parameters is Bi 1.5 Pb 7.3 Mn 0.7 (PO 4 ) 6 O 1.3 Z =2. Of the two crystallographically independent PO 4 groups one tetrahedron is regular while the oxygen ions of the other one are disordered, giving rise to two tetrahedral orientations. One of the crystallographic Pb sites contains vacancies that are filled by Mn. The structure is formed by the 3-dimensional articulations of one Bi–6O and three Pb–7O polyhedra and two PO 4 tetrahedra one of which is disordered. In addition to the previously reported solid solution Pb 8− x Bi 2 (PO 4 ) 6 O 2− x there exists also a second type of solid solution, Pb 8 Bi 2− x (PO 4 ) 6 O 2−1.5 x .
Family Life Cycle

In this article, we review the extant literature on the consumption or family life cycle (FLC). We also review criticisms of this concept. Finally, we propose a framework that might be useful in examining how life cycle might influence household decision making. We report briefly on one subject we have studied in our labs, namely, how children might influence parent preferences. Keywords: life cycle; family; age
The diamond model analysis of ICT cluster in Thailand

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral part of national competitiveness. Thailand was ranked 38 th (out of 134 countries) in the global competitiveness report conducted by the World Economic Forum. It also was ranked well below the world average on all of the factors related to technology, despite the fact that information technology and telecommunications had been a major factor driving the competitiveness of the country. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the various issues related to ICT cluster in Thailand. The diamond model was used to analyze the ICT cluster in Thailand. The results from this study can be used to guide the policy to enhance the competitiveness of ICT cluster.
Constitutive steroidogenesis does not require the actions of cAMP on cholesteryl ester hydrolysis or internalization of plasma membrane cholesterol

The R2C Leydig tumor cells demonstrate constitutive steroidogenesis as well as the constitutive production of the steroidogenic acute regulatory peptide (StAR). Since the introduction of StAR into cells does not by itself reproduce the steroidogenic response of cAMP, the present studies were designed to determine whether processes normally stimulated by cAMP in responsive cells were maximally, constitutively expressed in the R2C cells. Measurements of cholesteryl ester hydrolytic rate and plasma membrane cholesterol internalization revealed that both processes are stimulated by dibutyry1-cAMP in R2C cells. The effect of cAMP on these processes was of the same magnitude as that detected in hormonally responsive cells. Thus, in R2C cells the unstimulated basal rate of either process was sufficient to maintain maximal stimulation of steroidogenesis.
Disulfide Bond Engineering to Trap Peptides in the MHC Class I Binding Groove

Immunodominant peptides in CD8 T cell responses to pathogens and tumors are not always tight binders to MHC class I molecules. Furthermore, antigenic peptides that bind weakly to the MHC can be problematic when designing vaccines to elicit CD8 T cells in vivo or for the production of MHC multimers for enumerating pathogen-specific T cells in vitro. Thus, to enhance peptide binding to MHC class I, we have engineered a disulfide bond to trap antigenic peptides into the binding groove of murine MHC class I molecules expressed as single-chain trimers or SCTs. These SCTs with disulfide traps, termed dtSCTs, oxidized properly in the endoplasmic reticulum, transited to the cell surface, and were recognized by T cells. Introducing a disulfide trap created remarkably tenacious MHC/peptide complexes because the peptide moiety of the dtSCT was not displaced by high-affinity competitor peptides, even when relatively weak binding peptides were incorporated into the dtSCT. This technology promises to be useful for DNA vaccination to elicit CD8 T cells, in vivo study of CD8 T cell development, and construction of multivalent MHC/peptide reagents for the enumeration and tracking of T cells-particularly when the antigenic peptide has relatively weak affinity for the MHC.
Changes in Mandibular Musculature and Morphology in Response to Stemmatal Enlargement in Larvae of Thermonectus basillaris (Harris) and Acilius mediatus (Say) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae)

Abstract Spatial requirements of the enlarged stemmata of mature larvae of Thermonectus basillaris (Harris) and Acilius mediatus (Say) are described and evaluated. Each species exhibits a medial shift in the origin of the abductor muscles with corresponding changes in the orientation of the abductor apodemes to compensate for greater stemmatal volumes. These changes disrupt an apparent plesiomorphic biomechanical system responsible for opening the mandibles, requiring alterations in the basal mandibular architecture evident on these aciliine species.
Nonlinear Effects of Focusing Bars Used in the Extraction Systems of Superconducting Cyclotrons

Sets of rectangular iron bars are used in combination with electostatic deflectors to focus and bend the beam along its path out of the cyclotron field. Since the design of this system was based on conventional orbit computations that include only linear vertical motion, additional studies have been undertaken to evaluate the nonlinear effects on the phase space of the extracted beam. These studies are carried out with a special orbit code that uses exact equations of motion, and treats the main cyclotron field correctly to fourth order in z. In addition, the rectangular focusing bars are assumed to be uniformly magnetized so that the resultant field can be calculated exactly on and off the median plane using simple formulas. Some preliminary results from this orbit code are presented here that show how the final radial and vertical phase space properties depend on the initial emittance values, and how they are changed by possible small displacements of the focusing bars.