cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signaling Via Calcineurin and the Canonical Transient Receptor Protein-6 Channel (TRPC6) Requires Endoglin in Right Ventricle Pressure Overload

Background: Heart failure patients are at increased risk for developing newly diagnosed cancer. The epidemiology of this increased risk is poorly understood. Treatment strategies, chronic inflammation and shared genetic triggers are potential mechanisms. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of damaging oncogene mutations in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy patients undergoing LVAD placement. Methods: Explanted human heart tissue procured at the time of LVAD placement was obtained from the heart tissue bank at the University of Nebraska. Cancer associated genes were sequenced utilizing an inherited disease panel (Ion Torrent). Genomic DNAwas isolated from tissues using the All DNA/RNA mini kit (Qiagen). 10 ng of DNAwas amplified by PCR using inherited diseases panel primer pools. The amplicons were then ligated to adapters and additional library amplification was done by emulsion PCR on Ion Sphere particles (ISPs). Sequencing was performed on PGM sequencer (Ion torrent) using the Ion 316 chip. The Ion Torrent browser suite was used to map the reads and call the variants. The identified single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions, and deletions were then annotated and characterized with ANNOVAR. Variants with a population frequency of less than or equal to 1% were identified and analyzed utilizing an open source integrative genomics viewer. Amino acid substitution effects on protein function were determined by a bioinformatics algorithm (MutationTaster program). Results: Our sample population included 6 males and 2 females with an average age of 57 and an average EF at presentation of 18%. All of our samples contained oncogene variants. Notably, all samples had the same ATM variant. Conclusion: Rare oncogenes variants are highly prevalent in the advanced heart failure population. The higher frequency of cancer in heart failure populations may be attributable to a higher frequency of variant cancer genes. These results also suggest that altered DNA repair mechanisms may be essential to the progression and worsening of advanced heart failure.
Review Current approaches to macromolecular crystallization

Given our current expertise, and the certain future developments in genetically altering organisms to produce proteins of modified structure and function, the concept of protein engineering is nearing reality. Similarly, our ability to describe and utilize protein structure and to define interactions with ligands has made possible the rational design of new drugs and pharmacological agents. Even in the absence of any intention toward applied use or value, the correlation of regulation, mechanism, and function of proteins with their detailed molecular structure has now become a primary concern of modern biochemistry and molecular biology.
Simultaneous Measurement of Ocean Winds and Waves with an Airborne Coherent Real Aperture Radar

Abstract A coherent, X-band airborne radar has been developed to measure wind speed and direction simultaneously with directional wave spectra on the ocean. The coherent real aperture radar (CORAR) measures received power, mean Doppler shifts, and mean Doppler bandwidths from small-resolution cells on the ocean surface and converts them into measurements of winds and waves. The system operates with two sets of antennas, one rotating and one looking to the side of the airplane. The rotating antennas yield neutral wind vectors at a height of 10 m above the ocean surface using a scatterometer model function to relate measured cross sections to wind speed and direction. The side-looking antennas produce maps of normalized radar cross section and line-of-sight velocity from which directional ocean wave spectra may be obtained. Capabilities of CORAR for wind and wave measurement are illustrated using data taken during the Shoaling Waves Experiment (SHOWEX) sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. Wind vectors...
Azodrin for Corn Earworm and Fall Armyworm Control and Its Persistence in Sweet Corn

When larvae of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), were fed leaf discs treated with varying quantities of Azodrin® (3-hydroxy- N -methyl- cis -crotonamide dimethyl phosphate) and DDT, Azodrin was as effective as DDT in controlling 3rd-instar larvae. Control of the corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), and the fall armyworm in field plots of sweet corn was significantly better with 1 lb/acre Azodrin than with 2 lb/acre DDT. When residues were determined on several portions of the com plant by gas chromatography, the Azodrin in the ears ranged from 0.1 ppm at less than 1 hour after application to about 0.01 ppm at 4 days after application. Residues from the husks with silks and from the stalks with leaves and their persistence were proportional to the rate of application.
Concrete impregnated with chlordane or dieldrin not tubed over by subterranean termites.

Insecticides added to concrete at the time of mixing prevented subterranean termites from tubing over or through cracks in concrete in field studies. Laboratory studies showed that termites died when they were placed directly on dieldrin-treated concrete.
Time-Scaling in Atomistics and the Rate-Dependent Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructures

Conventional molecular dynamics simulations enable the elucidation of an astonishing array of phenomena inherent in the mechanical and chemical behavior of materials. Unfortunately, current computational limitations preclude accounting for processes whose transition times exceed, at best, microseconds. This limitation severely impacts, among others, a realistic assessment of slow-strain-rate mechanical behavior. In this work, using a simple paradigmatical model of a metallic nanopillar that is often the subject of experimental works, we attempt to circumvent the time-scale bottleneck of conventional molecular dynamics and provide novel physical insights into the rate-dependence of mechanical behavior of nanostructures. Using a collection of algorithms that include a recently developed potential energy surface sampling method—the so-called autonomous basin climbing approach, kinetic Monte Carlo, and others, we assess the nanopillar mechanical behavior under strain rates ranging from 1 to 108 s–1. While our...
Epidemiology of spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality in children: a nationwide perspective.

Abstract Purpose To characterize the epidemiology and costs associated with spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) based on patient age. Methods An analysis of data complied for 2012 in the Healthcare Utilization Project KID database (HCUP-KID), which represents a nationwide database of pediatric admissions, was performed. An initial search identified all children diagnosed with SCIWORA based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD-9) codes. Only data on patients aged <18 years were included in the analysis. The associated codes were then searched to identify the cause of injury. Pertinent epidemiologic data were collected from the database, including age, gender, and racial group. Injury level and pattern were determined from the associated ICD-9 codes, as were associated injuries. Hospital data included length of stay, in-hospital mortality, total hospital charges, and primary payer. All data were compiled and stratified based on patient age into three groups...
Utility of the Simplified Bishop Score in Spontaneous Labor.

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the simplified Bishop score (SBS) on admission for labor and subsequent labor outcomes to identify women at higher risk for cesareans. Study Design This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of 4,733 singleton pregnancies. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated comparing outcomes in women with an unfavorable SBS ≤ 5 to women with a favorable SBS > 5. A favorable SBS was compared with the individual parameters of dilation, effacement, and station. The primary outcome was vaginal delivery. Secondary outcomes were prolonged first stage, completion of first stage, oxytocin augmentation, and prolonged second stage. Results 47.8% of the patients admitted in labor had an unfavorable SBS. Nulliparous and multiparous patients with a favorable SBS were more likely to have a vaginal delivery (aOR 1.96, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.49–2.57; aOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.44–2.53) and less likely to require oxytocin augmentation (aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.28–0.42; aOR 0.26, 95% CI 0.22–0.30. Compared with dilation alone, the SBS in its entirety was associated with a higher likelihood of vaginal delivery in nulliparous. Conclusion An unfavorable SBS on admission for labor is associated with a decreased likelihood of having a vaginal delivery.
Mixing injector enables time-resolved crystallography with high hit rate at X-ray free electron lasers

Knowledge of protein structure provides essential insight into function, enhancing our understanding of diseases and enabling new treatment development. X-ray crystallography has been used to solve the structures of more than 100 000 proteins; however, the vast majority represent long-lived states that do not capture the functional motions of these molecular machines. Reactions triggered by the addition of a ligand can be the most challenging to detect with crystallography because of the difficulty of synchronizing reactions to create detectable quantities of transient states. The development of X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) and serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) enables new approaches for solving protein structures following the rapid diffusion of ligands into micron sized protein crystals. Conformational changes occurring on millisecond timescales can be detected and time-resolved. Here, we describe a new XFEL injector which incorporates a microfluidic mixer to rapidly combine reactant and sample milliseconds before the sample reaches the X-ray beam. The mixing injector consists of bonded, concentric glass capillaries. The fabrication process, employing custom laser cut centering spacers and UV curable epoxy, ensures precise alignment of capillaries for repeatable, centered sample flow and dependable mixing. Crystal delivery capillaries are 50 or 75 μm in diameter and can contain an integrated filter depending on the demands of the experiment. Reaction times can be varied from submillisecond to several hundred milliseconds. The injector features rapid and uniform mixing, low sample dilution, and high hit rates. It is fully compatible with existing SFX beamlines.
Media processing ecologies

Research in the MIT Media Laboratory's Object-Based Media Group is looking to solve multimedia signal processing problems through the creation of ecosystems of intelligent devices that organize themselves to distribute information and to divide large tasks. This paper examines the technological trends that make this approach possible and desirable, and briefly introduce three example systems.
Greater Prevalence of Proposed ICD-11 Alcohol and Cannabis Dependence Compared to ICD-10, DSM-IV, and DSM-5 in Treated Adolescents.

Background Proposed International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition (ICD-11) criteria for substance use disorder (SUD) radically simplify the algorithm used to diagnose substance dependence. Major differences in case identification across Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and ICD impact determinations of treatment need and conceptualizations of substance dependence. This study compared the draft algorithm for ICD-11 SUD against DSM-IV, DSM-5, and ICD-10, for alcohol and cannabis. Methods Adolescents (n=339, ages 14-18) admitted to intensive outpatient addictions treatment completed, as part of a research study, a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM SUDs (SCID) adapted for use with adolescents, and which has been used to assess DSM and ICD SUD diagnoses. Analyses examined prevalence across classification systems, diagnostic concordance, and sources of diagnostic disagreement. Results Prevalence of any past year proposed ICD-11 alcohol or cannabis use disorder was significantly lower compared to DSM-IV and DSM-5 (ps <.01). However, prevalence of proposed ICD-11 alcohol and cannabis dependence diagnoses was significantly higher compared to DSM-IV, DSM-5 and ICD-10 (ps <.01). ICD-11 and DSM-5 SUD diagnoses showed only moderate concordance. For both alcohol and cannabis, youth typically met criteria for an ICD-11 dependence diagnosis by reporting tolerance and much time spent using or recovering from the substance, rather than symptoms indicating impaired control over use. Conclusions The proposed ICD-11 dependence algorithm appears to “over diagnose” dependence on alcohol and cannabis relative to DSM-IV and ICD-10 dependence, and DSM-5 moderate/severe use disorder, generating potential “false positive” cases of dependence. Among youth who met criteria for proposed ICD-11 dependence, few reported impaired control over substance use, highlighting on-going issues in the conceptualization and diagnosis of SUD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The safety of Bosutinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are a potentially lifelong treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Adverse events (AEs) associated with TKIs are significant impediments in the daily life of patients that can impact compliance, and efficacy.Areas covered: This is a review on safety of bosutinib in the treatment of chronic phase CML. Data is extracted from the latest updates of bosutinib phase I/II and III trials.Expert opinion: Bosutinib is an effective agent against all phases of CML presently approved for the treatment in patients with resistance or intolerance to prior TKI therapy. Bosutinib has a unique toxicity profile characterized by early and transient diarrhea. Otherwise, the AE profile of bosutinib is comparable to other TKIs, with the exception of cardiovascular AEs that are infrequent in bosutinib-treated patients. Similar to other TKIs, the minimum effective dose of bosutinib remains unknown. Better definition of the optimal effective dose may spare,...
Deaf Gain Goes Prime Time: Identity, Spaces, and Marginalization in ABC Family's Switched at Birth

Airing from 2011 to 2017 on ABC Family, the drama series Switched at Birth remains one of the best examples of disability representation in recent television history. As the first mainstream television series to incorporate both deaf actors and American Sign Language (ASL), Switched at Birth represents the increasing recognition of Deaf culture in modern media. The drama series, although primarily geared toward a mainstream teenage hearing audience, offers a relatively nuanced exploration of marginalized communities and identities, particularly those in relation to race and disability. The show follows its Deaf protagonist as she navigates her life and relationships from her time at Carlton School for the Deaf as an activist to a mainstream hearing college as a premedical student. In doing so, the show acts a visual yet educational narrative, informing the viewer about the complexities of marginalization and the disabled experience. With its unique narratives and diverse characters, Switched at Birth can ...
Refinement and Analysis of the Mature Zika Virus Cryo-EM Structure at 3.1 Å Resolution

Among the several arthropod-borne human flaviviral diseases, the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused devastating birth defects and neurological disorders, challenging the world with another major public health concern. We report here the refined structure of the mature ZIKV at a resolution of 3.1 A as determined by cryo-electron microscopic single-particle reconstruction. The improvement in the resolution, compared with previous enveloped virus structures, was the result of optimized virus preparation methods and data processing techniques. The glycoprotein interactions and surface properties of ZIKV were compared with other mosquito-borne flavivirus structures. The largest structural differences and sequence variations occur at the glycosylation loop associated with receptor binding. Probable drug binding pockets were identified on the viral surface. These results also provide a structural basis for the design of vaccines against ZIKV.
Low-Energy Photoproduction of Λ 0 and K + from Protons

A model is constructed for low-energy $\ensuremath{\gamma}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{K}^{+}+{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ reactions in accordance with dispersion theory by neglecting faraway singularities. Thus, besides the Born terms due to one-nucleon intermediate state and ${K}^{+}$ exchange, we also employ the ${K}^{*}$ exchange and a resonance in the final state similar to that found in the reaction ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{K}^{0}+{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$. A fairly good fit with recently measured data is obtained. [R. L. Anderson et al., Phys. Rev. Letters 9, 131 1962.] The choice of parameters is briefly discussed.
Algorithms for Fluid–Structure Interaction

The human body presents several fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems, such as the operation of the heart and its valves, motion of blood cells in the circulation, peristaltic contractions in the gut, vibration of vocal cords, operation of the lungs during breathing, contraction of the urinary bladder, and a host of others. Modeling such problems and devising computational techniques to solve the governing equations is an increasingly popular and powerful way to understand the behavior of these systems in the healthy and pathological states. Fluid–structure interaction problems in different organ systems can present different challenges. In the presence of blood (i.e., in the cardiovascular system), FSI problems are plagued by numerical stiffness arising from added mass effects, while such constraints are absent in the presence of air (as in the respiratory and voice systems). In addition, at large scales, fluid inertia can play a significant role, leading to unsteady, transitional, and weakly turbulent flows. At small scales (as in blood cells), viscous effects assume importance. This chapter provides a survey of some of the important issues that arise in the cardiovascular system when FSI problems are tackled. Three primary techniques are discussed, viz., the immersed boundary approach, the immersed interface approach, and the sharp interface approach. The suitability of these approaches to specific problems is addressed and example calculations are shown to illustrate the state of the art of FSI in the cardiovascular system.
Monitoring Data Base Performance

In selecting the logical structure and physical implementation for a data base the DBA must strike a delicate balance. For each application different structures and storage methods yield different cost-performance results. A configuration favorable to one application may be unfavorable, even untenable, to one or more of the others. The dba must weigh these trade-offs and select the configuration that produces the best overall performance for the least cost.
Lecture 3: Cognitive Components and Psychological Processes

As I emphasised in the title of an article I published some years ago (Carroll, 1976), psychometric tests studied in factor analysis are in many cases examples of tasks studied in cognitive psychology. In that article, I examined the tests in the “kit” of factor-reference tests that had been assembled by French, Ekstrom, and Price (1963), interpreting them systematically in terms of putative cognitive processes, cognitive operations and strategies, and different kinds of memory stores. The variety of possible “elementary cognitive operations” seemed quite small and finite. Most cognitive operations and strategies appeared to be different combinations and sequences of very basic processes such as “addressing sensory buffers”, “searching memory” or “manipulating cognitive representations of stimuli.” Further, the variety of individual difference factors appeared to result from the interaction of a small number of elementary processes with different stimulus classes and response modes, different sensory modalities and with different kinds of memory stores. A monograph issued in 1980 (Carroll, 1980) was an attempt to review a variety of individual difference relations in psychometric and experimental cognitive tasks, that is, studies concerned with the possibility of measuring important dimensions of human cognitive ability through various types of simple cognitive tasks. In the course of my review, it seemed necessary to develop a theoretical model of what I call “elementary cognitive tasks” (ECTs), and I devised a scheme for classifying ECTs and for analysing various experimental paradigms in terms of ECTs. I also reviewed 55 studies relevant to individual differences in ECTs, and examined and in many cases reanalysed through factor analysis 25 pertinent datasets in the literature. I concluded that promising dimensions of individual differences could be found in a number of domains, including basic perceptual processes, reaction and movement times, mental comparison and recognition tasks, retrieval and production of names and other responses from semantic memory, episodic memory tasks, and analogical reasoning and algorithmic manipulation tasks. Individual differences were found in both speed and accuracy dimensions of these tasks; generally, speed and accuracy were found to be unrelated, or to have low intercorrelations. Considerable evidence was found for relations of ECT performances with scores on conventional psychometric tests, but the nature of these relations was seldom clear, chiefly because the components of psychometric test scores had not been adequately identified. Despite all the methodological and other problems that presented themselves in this field, I concluded that the study of individual differences in ECT performances would be a profitable field for further research. Nevertheless I was not optimistic that tests of ECTs could replace more conventional psychometric tests in practical testing situations. I felt that the study of ECTs was more important for theoretical understanding of cognitive ability than for the development of practical testing procedures.
Circadian Cycles and Seizures

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on orcadian cycles and seizures. Patients with symptomatic seizures constitute the majority of the diffuse epilepsies. In these patients, partial seizures of both simple and complex symptomatology occur intermingled with convulsions. These convulsions are secondarily generalized from a focal onset. Derangements, both electrophysiological and biochemical, in local neuronal networks control the occurrence of ictus and remain less influenced by circadian cycles. In contrast, seizures on awakening are associated with those epilepsies variously termed centrencephalic, reticulocortical, or common generalized. In these patients, hereditary factors play a much stronger role and convulsions tend to occur in the first hour or two after arousal. Arousal from non-rapid-eye-movement sleep can produce prolonged myoclonus in patients who are not otherwise subject to such episodes, and electrographic signs of arousal during sleep precede the abnormal discharges appearing in the electroencephalogram at this time. The epileptic process can modify normal circadian cycles and particularly the basic rest-activity cycle. Alterations of normal nocturnal cycles in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy can reflect in part the influence of disordered function in limbic structures on the waking–sleeping mechanisms.
Incorporating Background Knowledge into Video Description Generation

Most previous efforts toward video captioning focus on generating generic descriptions, such as, “A man is talking.” We collect a news video dataset to generate enriched descriptions that include important background knowledge, such as named entities and related events, which allows the user to fully understand the video content. We develop an approach that uses video meta-data to retrieve topically related news documents for a video and extracts the events and named entities from these documents. Then, given the video as well as the extracted events and entities, we generate a description using a Knowledge-aware Video Description network. The model learns to incorporate entities found in the topically related documents into the description via an entity pointer network and the generation procedure is guided by the event and entity types from the topically related documents through a knowledge gate, which is a gating mechanism added to the model’s decoder that takes a one-hot vector of these types. We evaluate our approach on the new dataset of news videos we have collected, establishing the first benchmark for this dataset as well as proposing a new metric to evaluate these descriptions.
Towns, Ecology, and the Land

Towns and villages are sometimes viewed as minor, even quaint, spots, whereas this book boldly reconceptualizes these places as important dynamic environmental 'hotspots'. Multitudes of towns and villages with nearly half the world's population characterize perhaps half the global land surface. The book's pages feature ecological patterns, processes, and change, as well as human dimensions, both within towns and in strong connections and effects on surrounding agricultural land, forest land, and arid land. Towns, small to large, and villages are examined with spatial and cultural lenses. Ecological dimensions - water, soil and air systems, together with habitats, plants, wildlife and biodiversity - are highlighted. A concluding section presents concepts for making better towns and better land. From a pioneer in both landscape ecology and urban ecology, this highly international town ecology book opens an important frontier for researchers, students, professors, and professionals including environmental, town, and conservation planners.
The Cold War in Soviet International Legal Discourse

How did the Cold War structure Soviet approaches to international law? A draft of a forthcoming chapter in INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE COLD WAR (Matthew Craven, Sundhya Pahuja, Gerry Simpson, eds., Cambridge University Press, 2020).
Assessing the effectiveness of a pediatrician-led newborn parenting class on maternal newborn-care knowledge, confidence and anxiety: A quasi-randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background The postpartum hospital stay is a unique opportunity for clinicians to educate parents on the importance of promoting early child development. Pediatricians are well-positioned to address both medical and developmental concerns during critical periods of development, yet very few parenting interventions are led by pediatricians. Aims To assess the impact of a novel one-hour long pediatrician-led Newborn Class on maternal knowledge, confidence, and anxiety. Methods We conducted a quasi-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Newborn Class. First-time mothers who delivered a full-term singleton vaginally with no major complications and attended the class were recruited. Mothers who expressed a desire to attend the class but were discharged before a class was offered served as controls. Outcome measures Maternal self-perceived parental confidence and anxiety were measured using standardized scales [Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI-AD)]. Knowledge on newborn care was assessed using a novel scale. Results A total of 84 participants (intervention n = 36, control n = 48) were included in the study. Mothers who attended the class showed significantly higher levels of knowledge compared to the control group (Knowledge test, Two-tailed t-test, mean [SD], 8.08 [1.06] vs 6.78 [1.25]; P Conclusions A short pediatrician-led parenting intervention may be an effective tool in improving maternal confidence and newborn care knowledge. Given the importance of the newborn period in establishing healthy developmental trajectories, there is a crucial need for cost- and time-effective intervention that can be widely implemented to promote parental knowledge and confidence with the ultimate goal of fostering healthy development in children.
Analysis and simulations with a multi-scale model of canine visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis in dogs is believed to have an impact on the prevalence of the disease in human populations. Here, we continue the analysis of the nested immuno-epidemiological model of visceral leishmaniasis in dogs, including a proof of well-posedness using functional analytical methods. Once well-posedness is established, we continue stability analysis of the endemic equilibria and provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the presence of backward bifurcation, and prove the instability of the lower endemic equilibrium in the presence of backward bifurcation. Lastly, we provide a number of simulations of the model using a number of control strategies. Control measures currently in use attempt to reduce the parasite load in the host, reduce the vector population, reduce the vector biting rate, and remove infected hosts. We examine various combinations of these strategies and conclude that a strategy combining culling infected dogs and removing vectors from the population by means such as insecticide will be the most effective.
FRET from phase-separated vesicles: An analytical solution for a spherical geometry

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a powerful tool for investigating heterogeneity in lipid bilayers. In model membrane studies, samples are frequently unilamellar vesicles with diameters of 20-200 nm. It is well-known that FRET efficiency is insensitive to vesicle curvature in uniformly mixed lipid bilayers, and consequently theoretical models for FRET typically assume a planar geometry. Here, we use a spherical harmonic expansion of the acceptor surface density to derive an analytical solution for FRET between donor and acceptor molecules distributed on the surface of a sphere. We find excellent agreement between FRET predicted from the model and FRET calculated from corresponding Monte Carlo simulations, thus validating the model. An extension of the model to the case of a non-uniform acceptor surface density (i.e., a phase-separated vesicle) reveals that FRET efficiency depends on vesicle size when acceptors partition between the coexisting phases, and approaches the efficiency of a uniformly mixed bilayer as the vesicle size decreases. We show that this is an indirect effect of constrained domain size, rather than an intrinsic effect of vesicle curvature. Surprisingly, the theoretical predictions were not borne out in experiments: we did not observe a statistically significant change in FRET efficiency in phase-separated vesicles as a function of vesicle size. We discuss factors that likely mask the vesicle size effect in extruded samples.
Quantifying Polymer Loading in Bentonite-Polymer Composites Using Loss on Ignition and Total Carbon Analyses

Three methods were evaluated to measure polymer loading in bentonite-polymer composites (BPCs): component loss on ignition (LOI), composite LOI, and composite total carbon (TC). Component methods are based on a series of measurements (e.g., LOI) conducted independently on bentonite and polymer components. Composite methods are based on a series of measurements (e.g., LOI or TC) conducted on BPCs with known polymer loadings. All three methods were evaluated using three different BPCs, with polymer loading ranging from 20 to 100 g polymer/kg BPC. Polymer loading measured with the component LOI method was biased because of the effects of the bentonite on thermal degradation reactions occurring in the polymer component. Polymer loading of unhydrated BPCs measured with the composite LOI or TC methods showed no polymer-dependent bias. Measured polymer loading deviated from actual polymer loading by an average of −3.3 to 0.1 g polymer/kg BPC for the composite LOI method, and by an average of 2.5 to 3.8 g polymer/kg BPC for the composite TC method. Hydration of the BPCs influenced the accuracy of the composite LOI method, which produced consistently lower polymer loading measurements for BPCs hydrated with DI water than 50 mM CaCl2. In contrast, polymer loading measured with the composite TC method was not measurably different for hydrated and unhydrated samples. The composite LOI method is recommended for quality control testing on BPCs prior to hydration, whereas the composite TC method is recommended for testing BPCs prior to and/or following hydration.
Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets for chemotherapy augmentation

The increasingly older population in most developed countries will likely experience aging-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart and lung diseases, osteoporosis, arthritis, dementia, and/or cancer. Genetic and environmental factors, but also lifestyle choices including physical activity and dietary habits, play essential roles in disease onset and progression. Sixty-five percent of Americans diagnosed with cancer now survive more than 5 years, making the need for informed lifestyle choices particularly important to successfully complete their treatment, increase the recovery from the cytotoxic therapy options, and improve cancer-free survival. This review will discuss the findings on the use of prolonged fasting, as well as fasting-mimicking diets to augment cancer treatment. Preclinical studies in rodents strongly support the implementation of these dietary interventions and a small number of clinical trials begin to provide encouraging results for cancer patients and cancer survivors.
Fleroxacin: A New Once-a-Day Quinolone

Quinolone antimicrobial agents have undergone some remarkable changes since their introduction some 30 years ago. Chemical modifications that have been made to the basic quinolone structure have led to the development of newer agents with significantly enhanced antimicrobial activity, pharmacokinetic profiles, and metabolic properties. Increased oral absorption and a longer serum half-life are two examples of the enhanced features the newer quinolones exhibit, providing the clinician with the opportunity to treat patients with once-a-day dosing.
Low Latency and High Throughput Write-Ahead Logging Using CAPI-Flash

High-velocity data imposes high durability overheads on Big Data technology components such as NoSQL data stores. In Apache Cassandra and MongoDB, widely used NoSQL solutions with high scalability and availability, write-ahead logging is used to provide durability. However, current write-ahead logging techniques are limited by the excessive overhead in the I/O subsystem. To address this performance gap, we have designed a novel CAPI-Flash based high performance durable logging mechanism for Apache Cassandra and MongoDB. We take advantage of the high throughput, low latency path to flash storage provided by the Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface (CAPI) on IBM POWER8 Systems. Our experimental results show that for insert-only workloads, CAPI-Flash logging provides up to 70 and 514 percent improvement in throughput compared to Cassandra and MongoDB’s durable alternatives, respectively. It also provides average of 45 percent increase in throughput with Cassandra and average of 115 percent increase in throughput with MongoDB for update-mostly and update-only workloads.
Assistance animals: their evolving role in psychiatric service applications

Publisher Summary Emerging human/animal interaction therapies and applications call for re-definition in the field of assistance animals and a re-examination of previous conceptualization of use, terminology, training guidelines and formal designations. This chapter explores the participation of specialized assistance, service and support animals in their application to social, emotional, and psychiatric issues. There are three types of assistance applications as identified by organizations such as Assistance Dog International. They include: guide dogs for the blind and individuals with seeing impairments, hearing dogs for the deaf and individuals with hearing impairments, and service dogs specially trained for persons with other recognized disabilities. Studies show that simply interacting with animals, and interacting with dogs in particular, has a strongly ameliorative effect on people with a range of psychiatric disorders, increasing evidence that despite differing designations, all assistance dogs convey psychosocial benefits. The most striking issue in exploring the role of psychiatric service dogs is the profound and positive change in refractory symptoms expression, decreased medication usage, and restored functionality of the handler. The future for the application and utilization of psychiatric service animals continues to evolve.
CHILDHOOD SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER AND ADULT ONSET PANIC ATTACKS SHARE A COMMON GENETIC DIATHESIS

Background Childhood separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is hypothesized to share etiologic roots with panic disorder. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic and environmental sources of covariance between childhood SAD and adult onset panic attacks (AOPA), with the primary goal to determine whether these two phenotypes share a common genetic diathesis. Methods Participants included parents and their monozygotic or dizygotic twins (n = 1,437 twin pairs) participating in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development and those twins who later completed the Young Adult Follow-Up (YAFU). The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment was completed at three waves during childhood/adolescence followed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R at the YAFU. Two separate, bivariate Cholesky models were fit to childhood diagnoses of SAD and overanxious disorder (OAD), respectively, and their relation with AOPA; a trivariate Cholesky model also examined the collective influence of childhood SAD and OAD on AOPA. Results In the best-fitting bivariate model, the covariation between SAD and AOPA was accounted for by genetic and unique environmental factors only, with the genetic factor associated with childhood SAD explaining significant variance in AOPA. Environmental risk factors were not significantly shared between SAD and AOPA. By contrast, the genetic factor associated with childhood OAD did not contribute significantly to AOPA. Results of the trivariate Cholesky reaffirmed outcomes of bivariate models. Conclusions These data indicate that childhood SAD and AOPA share a common genetic diathesis that is not observed for childhood OAD, strongly supporting the hypothesis of a specific genetic etiologic link between the two phenotypes.
Possible causes of variation in territory tenure in a lekking pompilid wasp (Hemipepsis ustulata) (Hymenoptera).

Territorial males of the pompilid wasp Hemipepsis ustulata occupy their landmark territories for from less than 1 day to several weeks. Variation in territory tenure could arise if territories differ in their value and cost to defend (the tradeoff hypothesis). If superior sites attract more male competitors, raising the cost ofterritorial defense of these locations, we would expect (1) tenure times to be shorter at top-ranked sites and (2) tenure times to decline in years of high male density and competition. Although mean tenure times for males able to hold territories for at least 2 days were shorter at top-ranked sites, the difference was only statistically significant in one of three years. In the year of highest male density, a significantly higher proportion of all territorial males failed to hold the top-ranked sites for more than a single day; however, mean tenure duration at all occupied sites did not decline in this year. Thus, the tradeoff hypothesis received only partial support. An alternative hypothesis is that variation in male resource holding power, as reflected in male size or wing condition, contributes to differences in territorial tenure. However, although larger males were more likely to become territorial residents at the top-ranked sites, the duration of tenure at these locations was not positively correlated with body size. In addition, although wing condition declined throughout the flight season in concert with a sharp decrease in the duration of tenure at the top-ranked sites, males with fresher wings did not hold territories longer than males whose wings were in poorer condition when they assumed control of a site.
Contract in electronic commerce

Commerce is the exchange of goods, services and financial instruments conducted by procedures which define a set of properties sufficient to insure valid and effective transactions. Electronic commerce is commerce conducted using computer network protocols as the communication medium. If these network protocols have the same properties as the procedures used for non-electronic commerce, then electronic commerce will support equally valid and effective transactions. Forum is a system for electronic commerce designed for general forms of commerce rather than specific transaction types. It includes protocols which support the contractual and structural properties of non-electronic commerce, as well as the security properties necessitated by both the value of the exchanged items and the additional risks of the communication medium.
RECENT TRENDS IN ACCIDENT PREVENTION

ALTHOUGH pediatricians have always been concerned, as individuals, with the problem of child safety, the intense interest of the American Academy of Pediatrics in accident prevention dates back only to 1950. At that time, the spectacular conquest of the common childhood diseases during the previous three decades had forced a remarkable drop in the mortality rate from disease, whereas, in sharp contrast, decrease in the accident death rate had remained alarmingly slow—in fact, almost static (Figs. 1 and 2). This has focused attention and renewed emphasis on the still formidable problem of accidents, aptly described by Dietrich as childhood9s greatest killer. Then, as now, accidents were the leading cause of death among children 1 to 14 years of age, accounting for fully one-third of all deaths at the elementary-school ages, and causing untold crippling, suffering and disability (Table I). NEW NATIONAL COMMITTEE SETS ITS OBJECTIVES When these facts were demonstrated to the Executive Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics, it established for the first time, in 1950, a Committee on Accident Prevention with Dr. George M. Wheatley serving ably as chairman. The Committee adopted three broad approaches in its attack on accidents of childhood: education, engineering, and legislation. Physicians caring for children were to be alerted to the magnitude of the accident problem and encouraged to educate parents by pointing out specific hazards and initiating safety training of children. The Committee was to work with strategic groups, such as the American Standards Association, toward developing manufacturing standards for minimizing accidents involving such products as children9s toys, clothing and furniture.
Six Theses on the Sustainability of a Minority Culture in a Majority Society: The Jewish and Muslim Cases

In 2010, I participated in one of the workshops devoted to “Judaism and Islam in America.” I was asked to reflect on the question of assimilation and authenticity in the lives of Jews and Muslims in America. The core tension inhering in this question was how to understand and manage the relationship between preserving a faith or cultural tradition and the desire and need to be part of the American world in which Jews and Muslim live. I recall two impressions from the conversations that ensued around this question. First, there was a sense that Jews in western societies, by virtue of their long-standing presence — and equally long-standing outsider status — had struggled with this balancing act for quite some time. Their example might bear some historical lessons of value for Muslims, who, in the main, were much more recent arrivals in Europe and America. Second, the Jewish participants in the workshop, all of whom were, I believe, non-Orthodox, tended to retreat from a singular and unbending notion of authenticity and to highlight the elasticity of the interpretive practices of their tradition. Muslim participants, by contrast, appeared to feel much less at liberty to reinterpret their scriptural tradition. It seemed that they were committed to the authority of the word of the Prophet and relatively untroubled by the notion of authenticity. Notwithstanding the articulated differences over authenticity, there was also a sense of common cause. Participants from both groups recognized that their faith traditions have generated rich cultural heritages and habits that have survived and even flourished
Evaluation of health aspects of sugars contained in carbohydrate sweeteners. Report of Sugars Task Force, 1986.

A critical review composed of two parts: estimates of present levels of sugars intake and of recent trends in nutritive carbohydrate sweetener content of the food supply and a review of recent scientific literature addressing potentially adverse health effects associated with sugars consumption. The review contains an executive summary, an appendix with 75 tables summarizing the estimation of sugars intake of U.S. population groups, and over one thousand citations.
Characterizing interplanetary shocks for development and optimization of an automated solar wind shock detection algorithm

Human evaluation of solar wind data for interplanetary (IP) shock identification relies on both heuristics and pattern recognition, with the former lending itself to algorithmic representation and automation. Such detection algorithms can potentially alert forecasters of approaching shocks, providing increased warning of subsequent geomagnetic storms. However, capturing shocks with an algorithmic treatment alone is challenging, as past and present work demonstrates. We present a statistical analysis of 209 IP shocks observed at L1, and we use this information to optimize a set of shock identification criteria for use with an automated solar wind shock detection algorithm. In order to specify ranges for the threshold values used in our algorithm, we quantify discontinuities in the solar wind density, velocity, temperature, and magnetic field magnitude by analyzing 8 years of IP shocks detected by the SWEPAM and MAG instruments aboard the ACE spacecraft. Although automatic shock detection algorithms have previously been developed, in this paper we conduct a methodical optimization to refine shock identification criteria and present the optimal performance of this and similar approaches. We compute forecast skill scores for over 10,000 permutations of our shock detection criteria in order to identify the set of threshold values that yield optimal forecast skill scores. We then compare our results to previous automatic shock detection algorithms using a standard data set, and our optimized algorithm shows improvements in the reliability of automated shock detection.