cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prolonged treatment with N-acetylcystine delays liver recovery from acetaminophen hepatotoxicity

Acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the US and Europe. Massive hepatocyte necrosis is the predominant feature of APAP-induced acute liver injury (ALI). Liver regeneration is a vital process for survival after a toxic insult, it occurs at a relative late time point after the injurious phase. Currently, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor, is the antidote for acetaminophen overdose. However, NAC is effective only for patients who present within hours of an acute overdose, and is less effective for late-presenting patients. It is possible that in delayed patients, previously reduced endogenous glutathione (GSH) level has restored and prolonged treatment with NAC might be toxic and impair liver regeneration. Therefore, we hypothesize that prolonged treatment with NAC impairs liver regeneration in ALI induced by APAP. ALI was induced in C57BL/6 male mice by a single dose of APAP (350 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. After two hours of APAP challenge, the mice were given 100 mg/kg NAC dissolved in 0.6 mL saline, or saline treatment every 12 hours for a total of 72 hours. Seventy-two hours after APAP challenge, compared with saline treatment, NAC treatment significantly increased serum transaminases (alanine transaminase/aspartate aminotransferase), induced evident hepatocyte vacuolation in the periportal area and delayed liver regeneration seen in histopathology. This detrimental effect was associated with reduced hepatic nuclear factor (NF)-κB DNA binding and decreased expression of cell cycle protein cyclin D1, two important factors in liver regeneration. Prolonged treatment with NAC impairs liver regeneration in ALI induced by APAP.
An optimal linked list prefix algorithm on a local memory computer

The author presents a deterministic parallel algorithm for the linked list prefix problem. It computes linked list prefixs for an input list of n elements in time O(n/p+logn) on a local memory PRAM model using p processors and p shared memory cells. >
Design and Fabrication of On-Chip Coupled Inductors Integrated With Magnetic Material for Voltage Regulators

On-chip strip-line coupled inductors integrated with magnetic material are a promising technology option to enable on-chip voltage regulators for improving power management in microelectronics. We report on design methodologies where several examples of parameter tradeoffs are presented. When considered with practical integration constraints, these result in an optimized structure. Strip-line inductors integrated with Ni80Fe20 were then fabricated, electrically characterized, and compared to models. Electrical characterization included frequency dependent measurements of effective self and mutual inductance, effective resistance, coupling coefficient, and saturation effects.
Variation in acid resistance among shiga toxin-producing clones of pathogenic Escherichia coli.

Pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, such as E. coli O157:H7, have a low infectious dose and an ability to survive in acidic foods. These bacteria have evolved at least three distinct mechanisms of acid resistance (AR), including two amino acid decarboxylase-dependent systems (arginine and glutamate) and a glucose catabolite-repressed system. We quantified the survival rates for each AR mechanism separately in clinical isolates representing three groups of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) clones (O157:H7, O26:H11/O111:H8, and O121:H19) and six commensal strains from ECOR group A. Members of the STEC clones were not significantly more acid resistant than the commensal strains when analyzed using any individual AR mechanism. The glutamate system provided the best protection in a highly acidic environment for all groups of isolates (<0.1 log reduction in CFU/ml per hour at pH 2.0). Under these conditions, there was notable variation in survival rates among the 30 O157:H7 strains, which depended in part on Mg2+ concentration. The arginine system provided better protection at pH 2.5, with a range of 0.03 to 0.41 log reduction per hour, compared to the oxidative system, with a range of 0.13 to 0.64 log reduction per hour. The average survival rate for the O157:H7 clonal group was significantly less than that of the other STEC clones in the glutamate and arginine systems and significantly less than that of the O26/O111 clone in the oxidative system, indicating that this clonal group is not exceptionally acid resistant with these specific mechanisms.
Effects of gestational alcohol exposure on the fatty acid composition of umbilical cord serum in humans

This study examined the effects of maternal periconceptional alcohol intake on polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations in human neonates. The area percentage of each fatty acid in cord blood serum from 12 infants born to control women (who consumed <2 mL absolute ethanol/d) was compared with that of 9 infants born to women whose periconceptional alcohol intake averaged ≥30 mL absolute ethanol/d. Periconceptional alcohol use was associated with a 30% increase in the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) in cord blood (3.0% of total lipid in control infants compared with 3.9% in alcohol-exposed infants; P < 0.01). The rise in the proportion of 22:6n-3 was responsible for increases in the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids and the ratio of long-chain n-3 to n-6 fatty acids (P < 0.055). Examination of the lipid-class fatty acid profile indicated that serum lipid alterations were localized to the cholesterol esters; 22:6n-3 in the cholesterol esters of alcohol-exposed infants increased 54% (P < 0.011) and arachidonic acid increased 55% (P < 0.005). The relative fatty acyl composition of maternal serum showed a significant increase in 18:0 fatty acids in the alcohol-exposed group (25%, P < 0.005) but there were no changes in the other fatty acids. The increase in the proportion of 22:6n-3 was unexpected but is consistent with the hypothesis that this essential lipid may be conserved selectively. These results imply that the lifelong neurobehavioral and sensory dysfunction in fetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders may be due in part to PUFA dysregulation.
Do fever and anapyrexia exist? Analysis of set point-based definitions

Fever and anapyrexia are the most studied thermoregulatory responses. They are defined as a body temperature (Tb) increase and decrease, respectively, occurring because of a shift in the set point ...
Developing the Inner Scientist: Book Club Participation and The Nature of Science

The leap from science student to scientist involves recognizing that science is a tentative, evolving body of knowledge that is socially constructed and culturally influenced; this is known as The Nature of Science (NOS). The aim of this study was to document NOS growth in first-year premedical students who participated in a science book club as a curricular option. The club read three acclaimed nonfiction works that connect biology to medicine via the history of scientific ideas. Students' NOS status was assessed as informed, transitional, or naive at the beginning and end of the academic year using the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire-Form C (VNOS-C). Focus group interviews and document analysis of assignments and exams provided qualitative evidence. VNOS-C scores improved over the academic year regardless of book club participation. Students who participated in book club had marginally better NOS status at the end of the year but also at the beginning, suggesting that book club may have attracted rather than produced students with higher NOS status. It is notable that an improvement in NOS understanding could be detected at all, as there have been few reports of NOS growth in the literature in which NOS was not an explicit topic of instruction.
DO NEOSTIGMINE AND 4-AMINOPYRIDINE INHIBIT THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ANTIBIOTICS?

SUMMARY Neostigmine and 4-aminopyridine are used to antagonize the neurumuscular blockade induced by antibiotics or an antibiotic-non-depolanzing blocker combination. They may also counteract the antibacterial activity of antibiotics. It was found that neosngmine and 4-aminopyridine do not interfere with antibacterial activity of antibiotics in bacterial cultures usingan agar solution methcd. It is concluded that neostigmine and 4-aminopyridine may be used to antagonize neurornuscular blockade induced by antibiotics alone or in combination with non-depolarizing agents.
Large-Scale Aspects of Deep Convective Activity over the GATE Area

Abstract Using digital IR data obtained by SMS I satellite, the large-scale behavior of convective activity was investigated over the tropical Atlantic within the GATE area. Spectral analysis has revealed the existence of two remarkable periodicities which show good association with the large-scale atmospheric field, namely, a 4-5 day mode and a diurnal mode. The area of the enhanced convection associated with the 4-5 day mode moves westward from Africa through the tropical Atlantic. Its mean phase speed turned out to be about 7° day-1 and the mean wavelength about 30° in longitude. The vertical structure of the corresponding disturbance, was investigated by the time-composite technique applied to upper air data over the GATE A/B area. The result shows that the enhancement of convection is associated with deep upward motion throughout the troposphere and southerly (northerly) winds in the lower (upper) troposphere. It also shows that the enhancement is accompanied by moistening in the cloud layer, while d...
Trends, Implications, and Future Directions for Policy, Practice, and Research on LGBT Elders

LGBT elders remain nearly invisible to advocates, researchers, educators, practitioners, administrators, and policy makers. The topics of sexual orientation and gender identity are rarely addressed in health and human service delivery or educational degree programs, and their relevance to LGBT elders is further marginalized or omitted from these venues. In this chapter, we identify trends and anticipate future directions and implications for policy practice and research on LGBT elders. This chapter serves simultaneously as a capstone of the previous 34 chapters and as a roadmap for advancing a research and service delivery agenda to address the challenges of LGBT elders.
Troubled waters: impact of the private sector in implementing the right to water

The United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report of 2006 indicates that as many as 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. Since its acceptance as a recognized basic human right, the obligation to create of a framework for providing clean and safe drinking water to all human beings across the globe has fallen upon the respective Government Agencies. Yet, multinational corporations such as Veolia Environnement, Suez Environnement, Pepsi, Nestle and Coca-Cola are amongst the major private sector participants in global water supply systems. This trend is often seen in countries where the Governments choose to engage private corporations because of their inability to provide for the infrastructure and technical expertise required in building a public water supply system. Other instances where private participation is seen is where there is an obligation to employ private players in fulfillment of terms accepted in agreements with institutions providing loans for funding such projects. Another important reason for large-scale private participation is because water as a resource is the primary output product or is a prime resource in the supply chain of these industries.This paper attempts to firstly trace the evolution of the Right in the international law regime, in brief. Secondly, the paper attempts to ascertain the cost associated with the human right to water. Then, the paper explores the measures undertaken by international organizations in enforcing this right. The paper then examines methods such as privatization, public-private partnerships, concession agreements and international investment agreements with the support of international organizations such as the World Bank, and the outcome of such efforts. Finally, this paper explores how Corporate Entities- the private sector involved in construction of facilities and providing water utilities to the public on behalf of the government and the entities involved in packaging/bottling of water for commercial sales embrace the ‘right to water’, and the efforts in developing clear standards and metrics for what companies should/must do; ways to evaluate their compliance with these standards and the consequences of failure to comply.
Predicting Nematic Phases of Semiflexible Polymers

The nematic coupling constant α, together with the chain stiffness κ, governs chain alignment and the isotropic-to-nematic (IN) transition temperature TIN for semiflexible polymers. We combine self...
Circulatory Effects of Morphine Sulfate Following Experimental Myocardial Infarction

SummaryThe circulatory effects of morphine sulfate were studied in anesthetized dogs in which myocardial infarction had been produced by serial ligation of coronary arteries. In control dogs, morphine sulfate (0.5 mg/kg) produced early and transient decreases in aortic mean pressure, the rate of rise of left ventricular pressure and systemic vascular resistance, without significant changes in left atrial pressure, heart rate, or aortic blood flow. Following myocardial infarction, morphine sulfate (0.5 mg/kg), produced a similar early and transient depression of aortic mean pressure. The rate of rise of left ventricular pressure was more greatly depressed and remained depressed for a longer period of time. Systemic vascular resistance fell initially but was elevated at 15 and 30 min. Left atrial pressure was markedly decreased while heart rate and aortic blood flow were moderately depressed. It is concluded that morphine sulfate has a mild transient depressant effect on the circulation in intact animals, w...
Geographic Susceptibility of Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis

Geographic variability in sensitivity of field-collected Heliothis virescens (F.) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) to Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) was studied to establish a geographic baseline for comparison of future population responses to the increased use of B. thuringiensis-based insect control products. Colonies of H. virescens and H. zea were established from populations collected from several southern states, plus Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. Populations were evaluated for their susceptibility to a microbial B. thuringiensis product, Dipel, and to purified CryIA(c) endotoxin protein. The range of LC50s among populations in response to Dipel and purified endotoxin, respectively, were 3.6- and 8-fold for H. virescens and 13- and 16-fold for H. zea .
Periodic and Non -Periodic Disturbance Accommodating Control of the Controls Advanced Research Turbine (CART) *

In this paper we investigate the use of Disturbance Accommodating Control (DAC) for periodic and non periodic control of two -bladed horizontal -axis wind turbines operat ing in Region III. R ealizab le DAC controller/estimator pair s are developed for use on an existing wind -turbine called the CART (Control s Advanced Research Turbine) located at the National Wind Testing Technology Center in Golden, CO. Previously, these designs were done using a gen eric model of the turbine . The DAC controller s developed are verified on a simulation of this CART model . T his model was created and validated in time -invariant control studies. Four different case s are presented: each with a different set of DOF’s. In each case, both a constant -gain and a periodic -gain Full -State Feed Back (FSFB) controller are developed. In addition to the FSFB controllers, a constant -gain and a periodic -gain realizable controller are developed . A total of 16 different simulations ha ve been run: 4 different controllers for each of the 4 cases. All simulations were run against a 5 DOF non -linear plant model. The results indicate that the periodic controllers are slightly better than the constant -gain controllers, but the less complic ated non -periodic controller s might be adequate for wind turbine applications. Also, the controllers with higher numbers of DOF’s did not perform any better than the simple controllers. However, the design of the non -periodic controller is based upon the periodic design; consequently periodic control is an essential part of the design methodology. NOMENCLATURE
Measurement and Control in a Large Steam Turbine-Generator Department

Rapidly rising steam temperatures and pressures in addition to new design techniques have vastly increased both the quantity and quality of x-ray and ultrasonic testing required. Consequently, the development pressers, particularly in ultrasonics, which in its modern fore is of postwar birth, has been heavy. Some of the techniques, equipment and circuitry of present day inspection are described and the characteristics and operation of ultrasonic transducers rooted. Sodium iodide, the linear accelerator, and industrial television have brought the promise of mechaniztion to the examination of large castings, while the promulgation of acceptance standards and the use of ABC scan representation and recording gives equal promise of speeding up the inspection and quality control of forgings. Preliminary experiments and electronic design work towards these objectives are described. An interesting development is the use of ultrasonics in nozzle-area determination, wallthickness measurements on large castings, and liquid-level indication. Possibilities exist for automatic control of machining operations and liquid-level control. Distances and cross sections can be checked with accuracies of 0.1%. As a control device, the feedback nature of the system will tend to suppress dependence on machine or template accuracies.
Diagnosis of structural abnormalities in the fetus.

Fetoscopy and ultrasound enable the physician to diagnose anomalies such as hydrocephaly, aneneephaly, spina bifida, and skeletal dysplasia. Methods and diagnostic configurations are illustrated.
Immersive visual analytics for transformative neutron scattering science

The ORNL Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and development across a broad range of disciplines. SNS experiments produce large volumes of complex data that are analyzed by scientists with varying degrees of experience using 3D visualization and analysis systems. However, it is notoriously difficult to achieve proficiency with 3D visualizations. Because 3D representations are key to understanding the neutron scattering data, scientists are unable to analyze their data in a timely fashion resulting in inefficient use of the limited and expensive SNS beam time. We believe a more intuitive interface for exploring neutron scattering data can be created by combining immersive virtual reality technology with high performance data analytics and human interaction. In this paper, we present our initial investigations of immersive visualization concepts as well as our vision for an immersive visual analytics framework that could lower the barriers to 3D exploratory data analysis of neutron scattering data at the SNS.
Deficits in Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Infants At Risk due to Premature Birth

Summary A prominent theoretical view is that the brain is inherently predictive [1, 2] and that prediction helps drive the engine of development [3, 4]. Although infants exhibit neural signatures of top-down sensory prediction [5, 6], in order to establish that prediction supports development, it must be established that deficits in early prediction abilities alter trajectories. We investigated prediction in infants born prematurely, a leading cause of neuro-cognitive impairment worldwide [7]. Prematurity, independent of medical complications, leads to developmental disturbances [8–12] and a broad range of developmental delays [13–17]. Is an alteration in early prediction abilities the common cause? Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we measured top-down sensory prediction in preterm infants (born
It’s a Puzzle: A Self-Organizing Activity:

Helping students connect abstract concepts to concrete situations is often a challenge. Students who are unable to make the basic connections are at risk of spending the semester and beyond misunde...
The Support of Local Underdogs: System Justification Theory Perspectives:

Despite the copious anecdotal evidence available, research only recently examines the multidimensional dynamics associated with underdog brands and their essential, complex place in the business wo...
Towards Centralized MS/MS Spectra Preprocessing: An Empirical Evaluation of Peptides Search Engines using Ground Truth Datasets

several peptides search engines have been developed in the recent decades. Most of the time and for the same inputs, different search enginesâ€™ result in different peptides were identified, which can confuse the stakeholders in the field of proteomics. The massive amount of generated spectra by high throughput spectrometers adds another challenge which handicaps the current search engines. This motivates the researchers to evaluate the combination of several search engines. Several studies provided ensemble solutions over shared and distributed computing environments for reliable results. However, the massive amount of MS/MS spectra is a cumbersome traffic over the systemsâ€™ networks. This issue directly impacts the searching performance and also adds unnecessary extra costs (computing, storage, network traffic) if cloud cluster is being used. The main question of this paper is: Can we build a central MS/MS spectra preprocessing for semantically different protein search engines? We evaluate different statistical reduction techniques using four popular protein search engines. In order to fairly evaluate the results, we build ground truth unanimous-based datasets for two different species; yeast and human. Our techniques result in significant peak reduction, where only around 30% of the spectra peaks are enough to report reliable identifications from the used search engines in this study.
Permanent Magnet Chassis for UV Light and Plasma Sources

Compact sources of magnetic field with domains of solenoidlike topology have been proposed to replace electromagnets in plasma devices. A light, nonmagnetic chassis holding an array of neodymium magnets in a honeycomb pattern has been designed, machined, and tested. DC magnetic fields up to 0.5 T have been achieved in extended spatial domains useful for practical applications. Stable operation of RF-driven discharges in air, argon, and nitrogen has been obtained using these regions. Noninvasive fiber-optics and direct in-vacuum spectroscopic measurements have been used for performance analysis. Efficient production of UV light, decomposition of molecules, and ionization of atomic and molecular species have been demonstrated in different configurations. Extreme ultraviolet production and other potential uses, as well as durability, improvements, and limitations are discussed.
The Limits of Securing and Marketizing Natural Resources and a Way Forward

In this chapter, Beevers compares decade-long efforts to address natural resources after the armed conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. It shows that international peacebuilders in both countries pursued a strategy to transform “conflict resources” into “peace resources” vis-a-vis a policy agenda that emphasized securitization and marketization. Beevers argues that while the worst of the resource plunder is over, a skewed approach to natural resource governance has recreated the conditions that historically created contention and violence around resources and runs the risk of exacerbating tensions. The chapter draws attention to the ways in which narratives about the links between natural resources, armed conflict and peace framed the policy agenda and brought to the forefront certain interventions but ignored others. The chapter concludes with practical recommendations for strengthening natural resources governance for peace that goes beyond Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Pitfalls of Physical Due Diligence

Excerpt] The recent real estate finance debacle has starkly demonstrated the failure amongst segments of the financial markets, and more importantly, the systematic weaknesses of the market. Factors contributing to the crisis included excessive leverage, degraded lending standards, a compensation structure at financial institutions which promoted inordinate risk assumption, the lack of transparency in available market information, dubious security ratings, a confusing and inefficient regulatory structure, and the growth of increasingly complex structured securities. There appears to have been a collective inability to identify not only specific risks but also systemic risk in the real estate financial markets, including the CMBS securities market. The underlying tenets of free market theory, market discipline, and market efficiency have been severely challenged.
Structure or Nurture?: The Effects of Team-Building Activities and Team Composition on Team Outcomes

How can instructors group students into teams that interact and learn effectively together? One strand of research advocates for grouping students into teams with "good" compositions such as skill diversity. Another strand argues for deploying team-building activities to foster interpersonal relations like psychological safety. Our work synthesizes these two strands of research. We describe an experiment (N=249) that compares how team composition vs. team-building activities affect student team outcomes. In two university courses, we composed student teams either randomly or using a criteria-based team formation tool. Teams further performed team-building activities that promoted either team or task outcomes. We collected project scores, and used surveys to measure psychological safety, perceived performance, and team satisfaction. Surprisingly, the criteria-based teams did not statistically differ from the random teams on any of the measures taken, despite having compositions that better satisfied the criteria defined by the instructor. Our findings argue that, for instructors deploying a team formation tool, creating an expectation among team members that their team can perform well is as important as tuning the criteria in the tool. We also found that student teams reported high levels of psychological safety, but these levels appeared to develop organically and were not affected by the activities or compositional strategies tested. We distill these and other findings into implications for the design and deployment of team formation tools for learning environments.
Self-Reported Incident Hypertension and Long-Term Kidney Function in Living Kidney Donors Compared with Healthy Nondonors.

Background and objectives The risk of hypertension attributable to living kidney donation remains unknown as does the effect of developing postdonation hypertension on subsequent eGFR. We sought to understand the association between living kidney donation, hypertension, and long-term eGFR by comparing donors with a cohort of healthy nondonors. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We compared 1295 living kidney donors with median 6 years of follow-up with a weighted cohort of 8233 healthy nondonors. We quantified the risk of self-reported hypertension using a parametric survival model. We examined the association of hypertension with yearly change in eGFR using multilevel linear regression and clustering by participant, with an interaction term for race. Results Kidney donation was independently associated with a 19% higher risk of hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.41; P=0.04); this association did not vary by race (interaction P=0.60). For white and black nondonors, there was a mean decline in eGFR (−0.4 and −0.3 ml/min per year, respectively) that steepened after incident hypertension (−0.8 and −0.9 ml/min per year, respectively; both P Conclusions Kidney donors are at higher risk of hypertension than similar healthy nondonors, regardless of race. Donors who developed hypertension had a plateau in the usual postdonation increase of eGFR.
Instruments of Debtstruction: Public Debt Management and Networks during the Interwar Period

We construct a new, comprehensive instrument-level database of sovereign debt for 18 advanced and emerging countries during 1913–46, an eventful period characterized by notoriously high debt levels. This database is thus the first to provide public debt time series with such a high degree of comparability across countries and time. Documentation of qualitative instrument characteristics offers unique insights about the debt management policies that were implemented and the broader policies they helped finance. We document how interwar governments rolled over debts that were largely unsustainable and how the external public debt network contributed to the collapse of the international financial system in the early 1930s.
EUS-guided fiducial placement for pancreatobiliary malignancies: safety, infection risk, and use of peri-procedural antibiotics.

Background and study aims Chemoradiation with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is increasingly being used for optimal treatment of locally advanced pancreatobiliary cancers. Fiducial markers are used to track these tumors during SBRT. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the preferred route for fiducial marker placement for ease of access to pancreatobiliary structures and accurate placement. Here we evaluate the safety and infection risk associated with EUS-guided fiducial placement for pancreatobiliary malignancies and use of peri-procedural prophylactic antibiotics. Patients and methods This was a retrospective, single-center study including consecutive patients presenting for EUS-guided fiducial placement in pancreatobiliary region by three expert interventional endoscopists for SBRT from July 2010 to February 2018 at a tertiary care center. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, EUS technique, fiducials, use of prophylactic antibiotics, adverse events (AEs) and SBRT/Cyberknife administration were reported. Results A total of 355 patients with pancreatobiliary malignancy underwent EUS-guided fiducial placement, of whom 308 patients (86.76 %) successfully underwent SBRT. Of the patients, 304 (85.63 %) received peri-procedural prophylactic antibiotic. Of 355 total patients, 5.9 % (n = 21) were noted to develop AEs (mild to severe) with no significant difference in incidence of infection with or without use of peri-procedural prophylactic antibiotic. Only three patients developed infectious AEs, none of which were definitively related to fiducial placement. Conclusion EUS-guided fiducial placement for pancreatobiliary malignancy is safe and efficacious, and risk of infection is rare, regardless of whether or not peri-procedural antibiotics are used. We favor limiting routine use of peri-procedural antibiotics for patients undergoing EUS-guided fiducial placement in pancreaticobiliary malignancy.
Thyroid dysfunction in lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI): Role of race, gender, and concurrent chemotherapy in a multiethnic urban cohort.

e21622Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAE) associated with ICI have been reported, but remain poorly understood. We sought to characterize patterns of thyroid dysfunction—one of the mos...
Civil Rights in America: A History

The term 'civil rights' has such a familiar presence in discussions about American politics and law that we tend to use it reflexively and intuitively, but rarely do we stop to think about what exactly we mean when we use the term and why certain uses strike us as right or wrong. In this book, Professor Christopher W. Schmidt tells the story of how Americans have fought over the meaning of civil rights from the Civil War through today. Through their struggles over what it means to live in a nation dedicated to protecting civil rights, each generation has given the label new life and new meaning. Civil Rights in America shows how the words we use to understand our world become objects of contestation and points of leverage for social, political, and legal action.
Providing Access and Opportunity for Computational Thinking and Computer Science to Support Mathematics for Students With Disabilities

The ideas of computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) are increasingly being integrated into K-12 education. Yet, insufficient attention exists regarding access and exposure of CT and ...
Context Matters: Home-level But Not Individual-Level Recovery Social Capital Predicts Residents’ Relapse

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the literature on the prediction of substance use relapse, using sophisticated systems' approaches to individuals and their contexts. In the current study of 42 recovery homes, we investigated the construct of social capital from the perspective of both recovery home residents and the house level. A confirmatory factor analysis found a latent recovery factor (including elements of recovery capital, comprising resources such as wages, self-efficacy, stress, self-esteem, quality of life, hope, sense of community, and social support) at both the individual and the recovery house level. Next, using longitudinal data from homes, an individual's probability of relapse was found to be related to house rather than individual-level latent recovery scores. In other words, an individual's probability of relapse was primarily related to the average of the "recoveries" of his or her recovery home peers, and not of his or her own personal "recovery" status. The finding that resident relapse is based primarily upon the total recovery capital available in the homes highlights the importance of the social environment for recovery.
Binding Mechanism, Densification Systems, Process Variables, and Quality Attributes

Raw biomass is difficult to use as a feedstock for biofuels production at the commercial scale. In its raw form, biomass is bulky, wet, and scattered. Densification technologies help to convert the raw biomass into a solid product that has improved storage, transport, and handling characteristics. The commonly used densification technologies that are used for biomass are pelleting, briquetting, cubing, extrusion, and agglomeration. Pelleting and briquetting have been successfully used for many years in many countries. All produce densified products with different quality attributes. The quality attributes of the densified product depend on the biomass, physical properties, chemical composition, and densification process variables. The focus of this chapter will be understanding how processing these feedstocks using different densification systems and process variables impact their overall quality attributes, such as unit, bulk, and tapped density, and durability.
Matching with the stars: How brand personality determines celebrity endorsement contract formation

Abstract Although firms routinely use celebrity endorsers to influence consumer attitudes and firm value, the determinants of celebrity endorsement contract formation remain unexplored. This paper conceptualizes such contract formation as the outcome of a two-sided matching market, and develops an empirical model that jointly estimates firms' and celebrities' preferences for each other. This approach better captures strategic interaction in the market and alleviates biases arising from studying each party separately. Analysis of 79 endorsement contracts in the beauty industry reveals that brand personality drives endorsement partnerships. Congruent brand personality contracts are found to not always be optimal, and the effects of brand personality interaction to be highly asymmetric. Celebrities' profession (superstar/supermodel) and buzz (popularity on the Internet) moderate the effect of brand personality, such that, under certain conditions, celebrity buzz can be detrimental to the endorsement's value. The results of this article serve as a blueprint for firms to determine their likelihood of landing a contract with different types of celebrities.
Potent Inhibition of Macrophage Responses to IFN-γ by Live Virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Independent of Mature Mycobacterial Lipoproteins but Dependent on TLR2

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a highly successful pathogen that can persist and cause disease despite an immune response. One potential mechanism for resisting elimination is by inhibiting the action of IFN-gamma. We have previously shown that live M. tuberculosis inhibits selected macrophage responses to IFN-gamma, and that purified M. tuberculosis 19-kDa lipoprotein inhibits induction of selected IFN-gamma-responsive genes through a TLR2-dependent pathway, whereas peptidoglycan inhibits responses to IFN-gamma by a TLR2-independent pathway. To determine the relative contribution of lipoproteins to the inhibition of responses to IFN-gamma, we deleted the M. tuberculosis gene (lspA) that encodes lipoprotein signal peptidase. This revealed that M. tuberculosis lipoprotein processing is indispensable for stimulation of TLR2 reporter cells, but that the lspA mutant inhibits macrophage responses to IFN-gamma to the same extent as wild-type bacteria. Macrophages lacking TLR2 are more resistant to inhibition by either strain of M. tuberculosis, suggesting that nonlipoprotein TLR2 agonists contribute to inhibition. Indeed, we found that phosphatidylinositol mannan from M. tuberculosis inhibits macrophage responses to IFN-gamma. M. tuberculosis inhibition of responses to IFN-gamma requires new protein synthesis, indicating that a late effect of innate immune stimulation is the inhibition of responses to IFN-gamma. These results establish that M. tuberculosis possesses multiple mechanisms of inhibiting responses to IFN-gamma.
HEAT TRANSFER IN THE LITHIUM-COOLED BLANKET OF A PULSED FUSION REACTOR

The transient temperature distribution in the lithium-cooled blanket of a pulsed fusion reactor has been calculated using a finite-element heat-conduction computer program. An auxiliary program was used to predict the coolant transient velocity in a network of parallel and series flow passages with constant driving pressure and varying magnetic field. The coolant velocity was calculated by a Runge-Kutta numerical integration of the conservation equations. The lithium coolant was part of the finite-element heat-conduction mesh with the velocity terms included in the total matrix. The matrix was solved implicitly at each time step for the nodal point temperatures. Slug flow was assumed in the coolant passages and the Boussinesq analogy was used to calculate turbulent heat transfer when the magnetic field was not present.
Selective immimoglobulin a deficiency associated with primary biliary cirrhosis in a family with liver disease

A family is described in which multiple members are afflicted with liver disease and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). In the third generation, one member died of PBC, and a second individual has both symptomatic PBC and selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency, an association not previously reported. By culturing this patient's lymphocytes in vitro it was shown that the IgA deficiency was due to a failure of B cells to secrete IgA. Two other siblings of this patient have multiple serum biochemical and serologic abnormalities that are sometimes associated with PBC, but they do not have histopathologically overt PBC or IgA deficiency. All three surviving family members have a diminished autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction, an immunologic abnormality that has previously been found in patients with PBC, selective IgA deficiency, and several autoimmune diseases. As there is an association between selective IgA deficiency and certain autoimmune diseases, it is possible that this immunodeficiency contributed to the development of PBC in the patient in whom the two diseases coexisted. Furthermore, the occurrence of PBC in a patient with selective IgA deficiency indicates that the pathogenesis of PBC does not require IgA-dependent immune mechanisms.
Personalizing Services Encounters

ABSTRACT Prior research suggests that informal, personalized encounters with service providers are important to many customers who wish to establish relationships with these providers. The purpose of this research is to explore service providers' actions that promote such encounters for the sake of developing customer trust. Data generated from depth interviews detail various actions undertaken by service providers with their customers. Specific research propositions are presented for establishing customer trust based on three criteria, namely: (1) establish a rapport, (2) reassure the customer's decisions, and (3) relate to the customer personally. This research explores the importance of and managerial implications associated with these criteria.
An introduction to Harmonic Serialism

Harmonic Serialism is a derivational version of Optimality Theory. This article describes the principles of Harmonic Serialism and the arguments for it. Evidence is drawn from the typology and other properties of various phonological phenomena: stress, syncope, assimilation, and positional neutralization.
Spatially explicit models of dynamic histories: examination of the genetic consequences of Pleistocene glaciation and recent climate change on the American Pika

A central goal of phylogeography is to identify and characterize the processes underlying divergence. One of the biggest impediments currently faced is how to capture the spatiotemporal dynamic under which a species evolved. Here, we described an approach that couples species distribution models (SDMs), demographic and genetic models in a spatiotemporally explicit manner. Analyses of American Pika (Ochotona princeps) from the sky islands of the central Rocky Mountains of North America are used to provide insights into key questions about integrative approaches in landscape genetics, population genetics and phylogeography. This includes (i) general issues surrounding the conversion of time-specific SDMs into simple continuous, dynamic landscapes from past to current, (ii) the utility of SDMs to inform demographic models with deme-specific carrying capacities and migration potentials as well as (iii) the contribution of the temporal dynamic of colonization history in shaping genetic patterns of contemporary populations. Our results support that the inclusion of a spatiotemporal dynamic is an important factor when studying the impact of distributional shifts on patterns of genetic data. Our results also demonstrate the utility of SDMs to generate species-specific predictions about patterns of genetic variation that account for varying degrees of habitat specialization and life history characteristics of taxa. Nevertheless, the results highlight some key issues when converting SDMs for use in demographic models. Because the transformations have direct effects on the genetic consequence of population expansion by prescribing how habitat heterogeneity and spatiotemporal variation is related to the species-specific demographic model, it is important to consider alternative transformations when studying the genetic consequences of distributional shifts.
On the possible catalytic role of stable relic heavy charged leptons in the P-P I chain

Abstract If stable heavy negatively charged leptons do exist as relics of the big bang, they would enhance the fusion rate in pp→de+ν in the sun by a factor of 108 to 109. However, their role as an effective catalyst is severely limited on thermodynamic grounds.
Effects of ethacrynic acid and cystamine on sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation, cyclic GMP levels and guanylate cyclase activity in rat aorta.

Abstract 1. Ethacrynic acid, an agent that alkylates sulfhydryl residues, inhibited sodium nitroprusside- and 8-bromo cyclic GMP-induced relaxations. 2. Sodium nitroprusside-induced increased levels of cyclic GMP were unaltered by ethacrynic acid. 3. Concentrations of ethacrynic acid that inhibited sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation did not affect sodium nitroprusside-activation of crude soluble and particulate fractions of guanylate cyclase, while a higher concentration of ethacrynic acid did inhibit the activation. 4. Cystamine, an agent that oxidizes sulfhydryl residues, inhibited sodium nitroprusside-activation of crude soluble and particulate fractions of guanylate cyclase. Exposure of intact rat aorta to cystamine inhibited basal guanylate cyclase activity in the particulate fraction but, in general, not in the soluble fraction. 5. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that vascular smooth muscle relaxation requires sulfhydryl groups. The sulfhydryl groups that presumably are alkylated by ethacrynic acid are not contained within guanylate cyclase and are involved at a regulatory step after the formation of cyclic GMP. The sulfhydryl groups altered by cystamine may be located on particulate guanylate cyclase and a role for particulate guanylate cyclase in nitrovasodilator-induced relaxation needs to be examined further.
Genetic Interactions Underlying the Biosynthesis and Inhibition of β-Diketones in Wheat and Their Impact on Glaucousness and Cuticle Permeability

Cuticular wax composition greatly impacts plant responses to dehydration. Two parallel pathways exist in Triticeae for manipulating wax composition: the acyl elongation, reduction, and decarbonylation pathway that is active at the vegetative stage and yields primary alcohols and alkanes, and the β-diketone pathway that predominates at the reproductive stage and synthesizes β-diketones. Variation in glaucousness during the reproductive stage of wheat is mainly controlled by the wax production genes, W1 and W2, and wax inhibitor genes, Iw1 and Iw2. Little is known about the metabolic and physiological effects of the genetic interactions among these genes and their roles in shifting wax composition during plant development. We characterized the effect of W1, W2, Iw1, and Iw2 and analyzed their interaction using a set of six near-isogenic lines (NILs) by metabolic, molecular and physiological approaches. Loss of functional alleles of both W genes or the presence of either Iw gene depletes β-diketones and results in the nonglaucous phenotype. Elimination of β-diketones is compensated for by an increase in aldehydes and primary alcohols in the Iw NILs. Accordingly, transcription of CER4-6, which encodes an alcohol-forming fatty acyl-CoA reductase, was elevated 120-fold in iw1Iw2. CER4-6 was transcribed at much higher levels in seedlings than in adult plants, and showed little difference between the glaucous and nonglaucous NILs, suggesting that Iw2 counteracts the developmental repression of CER4-6 at the reproductive stage. While W1 and W2 redundantly function in β-diketone biosynthesis, a combination of both functional alleles led to the β-diketone hydroxylation. Consistent with this, transcription of MAH1-9, which encodes a mid-chain alkane hydroxylase, increased seven-fold only in W1W2. In parallel with the hydroxyl-β-diketone production patterns, glaucousness was intensified and cuticle permeability was reduced significantly in W1W2 compared to the other NILs. This suggests that both W1 and W2 are required for enhancing drought tolerance.