cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of psaA, the Streptococcus pneumoniae gene encoding a 37-kilodalton protein homologous to previously reported Streptococcus sp. adhesins

Gene psaA, which encodes the Streptococcus pneumoniae 37-kDa protein, was cloned in Escherichia coli, and its complete nucleotide sequence was determined. Analysis of the sequence of the 2.4-kb cloned fragment revealed three open reading frames (ORFs). ORF2, which is 933 bp long, was identified as psaA. The two other ORFs identified flank psaA. ORF1, located upstream of psaA, is 836 nucleotides long and encodes a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 29,843 Da. The sequence for ORF3, located downstream of psaA, was only partially determined. Northern (RNA) blot analysis of pneumococcal RNA suggests that psaA is transcribed as part of a polycistronic message. Analysis of the primary structure of the protein encoded by this gene indicated significant similarity to two previously reported streptococcal proteins, SsaB (80% similarity) and FimA (92.3% similarity), from S. sanguis and S. parasanguis, respectively. These two homologous proteins have been shown to be associated with bacterial adhesion, and the possibility of a similar role for PsaA is hypothesized.
LONG-TERM OIL PRICE FORECASTS: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON OIL AND THE MACROECONOMY

We examine how future real GDP growth relates to changes in the forecasted long-term average of discounted real oil prices and to changes in unanticipated fluctuations of real oil prices around the forecasts. Forecasts are conducted using a state-space oil market model, in which global real economic activity and real oil prices share a common stochastic trend. Changes in unanticipated fluctuations and changes in the forecasted long-term average of discounted real oil prices sum to real oil price changes. We find that these two components have distinctly different relationships with future real GDP growth. Positive and negative changes in the unanticipated fluctuations of real oil prices correlate with asymmetric responses of future real GDP growth. In comparison, changes in the forecasted long-term average are smaller in magnitude but are more influential on real GDP. Persistent upward revisions of forecasts in the 2000s had a substantial negative impact on real GDP growth, according to our estimates.
Ifenprodil Effects on GluN2B-Containing Glutamate Receptors

N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are glutamate- and glycine-gated channels that mediate fast excitatory transmission in the central nervous system and are critical to synaptic development, plasticity, and integration. They have a rich complement of modulatory sites, which represent important pharmacological targets. Ifenprodil is a well tolerated NMDA receptor inhibitor; it is selective for GluN2B-containing receptors and has neuroprotective effects. The mechanism by which ifenprodil inhibits NMDA receptor responses is not fully understood. The inhibition is incomplete and noncompetitive with other known NMDA receptor agonists or modulators, although reciprocal effects have been reported between ifenprodil potency and that of extracellular ligands including glutamate, glycine, zinc, protons, and polyamines. Recent structural studies revealed that ifenprodil binds to a unique site at the interface between the extracellular N termini of GluN1 and GluN2B subunits, supporting the view that interactions with other extracellular modulators are indirect. In this study, we examined how ifenprodil affects the gating reaction of NMDA receptors in conditions designed to minimize actions by contemporaneous ligands. We found that ifenprodil decreased NMDA receptor equilibrium open probability by raising an energetic barrier to activation and also by biasing the receptor toward low open probability gating modes. These results demonstrate intrinsic effects of ifenprodil on NMDA receptor stationary gating kinetics and provide means to anticipate how ifenprodil will affect receptor responses in defined physiological and pathological circumstances.
Cortical Bone Width in Juvenile Race Horses Treated with Exogenous Somatotropin

In this study, effects of exogenous somatotropin (eST) on cortical bone width were evaluated in a group of juvenile horses in race training. Radiographs of the third metacarpal from 31 juvenile race horses were obtained from a previous study (19). The horses had been paired by age and sex and randomly assigned to treatment with daily injections of eST (n = 16) or saline (n = 15). Radiographs were measured for total bone diameter and cortical bone width at three sites using a digital micrometer. Average total bone diameter in the dorsal-palmar plane on d 0 was 30.701 mm at Site A, 31.331 mm at Site B, and 31.071 mm at Site C. There was no significant change in bone diameter on d 64 of the treatment period. By d 128, there was an increase (P < 0.05) in bone diameter in the dorsal-palmar plane at all three sites and in the lateral-medial plane at Sites B and C. The eST-treated horses had a significantly greater increase in dorsal-palmar bone diameter at all three sites on d 128 than the control horses (P < 0.05), but treatment did not affect lateral-medial bone diameter. There was a decrease (P < 0.0001) in medullary cavity width in the dorsal-palmar plane but no change in the lateral-medial direction. At d 64, there was a greater decrease in medullary cavity width (dorsal-palmar) at Site B (P < 0.02) in the eST-treated group than in the control group. By d 128, the eST-treated horses had a greater decrease in medullary cavity width (dorsal-palmar) at both Site B (P < 0.01) and Site C (P < 0.02) than the control horses. By d 128, eST-treated horses had a greater increase (P < 0.01) in dorsal cortical bone width of the third metacarpal than the control horses, but treatment did not significantly affect medial, lateral, or palmar cortical bone width.
Variations in state use of antitobacco message themes predict youth smoking prevalence in the USA, 1999–2005

Objective This study tests relationships between the volume of advertisements (ads; public service announcements (PSAs)) employed in state antismoking campaigns, use of different themes and stylistic features in these PSAs, and state youth smoking prevalence between 1999 and 2005. Methods We merged commercially available data on televised antismoking PSAs that aired between 1998 and 2004 with data on state tobacco control activity to test the relationship between the volume and content of youth-targeted and general-targeted/adult-targeted antismoking PSAs on youth smoking prevalence, controlling for other tobacco control efforts. We use content analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to assess which thematic and stylistic features employed in state antismoking PSAs are associated with reduced smoking prevalence. Results A 100-ad increase in the yearly volume of youth-targeted state antismoking PSAs was associated with a 0.1 percentage point decrease in state youth smoking rates in the following year. This relationship was driven by variation in state use of PSAs emphasising health consequences to self or others and anti-industry appeals. Controlling for appearances of these themes, use of graphic imagery and personal testimonials did not predict reduced smoking prevalence. Adult-targeted/general-targeted PSAs were not associated with youth smoking prevalence. Conclusions Youth-targeted state antitobacco PSAs that emphasise the health consequences of smoking (to oneself and others) and contain anti-industry appeals are associated with reduced youth smoking rates. Future work should avoid typologies that do not account for the co-occurrence of thematic and stylistic content in antitobacco PSAs.
Bivariate Statistical Techniques

In the preceding chapters we covered fundamental definitions, concepts, and tests in statistics. In this chapter, we will go beyond the basics to explore more advanced statistical tools. We begin by revisiting the steak-diet data and discussing a nonparametric alternative to the independent-samples, pooled-variance t test that we covered earlier. We then segue to other types of analyses for comparing groups on a study endpoint. These techniques vary according to how both “group” and study endpoint are measured. We will also see these statistics “in action” by looking at examples taken from the medical literature.
Messenger or Message?: Military Buildups and the Initiation of Conflict

Scholars studying military buildups (arms races or unilateral buildups) have focused their attention on the escalation phase of military conflict. This study shifts the focus, analyzing whether military buildups had any role in the onset of that conflict. Three theoretical possibilities are identified and investigated. The findings indicate that buildups were generally unrelated to subsequent conflict involvement. In addition, large arms increases did not make a nation or rivals more likely to initiate acts or threats involving military force. The results remained unchanged despite controls for measurement differences, periodicity, national differences, and possible delayed effects from the buildups. Implications for research and policy are discussed.
Virtual patrol: a new power conservation design for surveillance using sensor networks

Surveillance has been a typical application of wireless sensor networks. To conduct surveillance of a given area in real life, one can use stationary watch towers, or can also use patrolling sentinels. Comparing them to solutions in sensor network surveillance, all current coverage based methods fall into the first category. In this paper, we propose and study patrol-based surveillance operations in sensor networks. Two patrol models are presented: the coverage-oriented patrol and the on-demand patrol. They achieve one of the following goals, respectively, i) to achieve surveillance of the entire field with low power drain but still bounded delay of detection; ii) to use an on-demand manner to achieve user initiated surveillance only to interested places. We propose the "SENSTROL" protocol to fulfill the patrol setup procedure for both models. With the implementation in the GloMoSim simulator, it is shown that patrol on arbitrary path can be set up in a network where each node follows a 98%-time-sleep-2%-time-wake power schedule.
Impact of single‐session motivational interviewing on clinical outcomes following periodontal maintenance therapy

Objectives Patient engagement in effective oral hygiene following periodontal therapy is essential to long-term success. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a behavioural counselling approach documented to positively influence behaviour change related to smoking, diabetes control and medication adherence. Emerging evidence suggests utility of MI to improve oral health. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the use of brief motivational interviewing (BMI) is effective in improving internal motivation for oral hygiene behaviour. Methods A convenience sample of fifty-six previously treated periodontal patients who were in maintenance yet presented with signs of clinical inflammation were recruited to participate in this single blind, randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either BMI in conjunction with traditional oral health education (TOHE), (n = 29) or TOHE alone (n = 27). Bleeding on probing scores (BOP), plaque index (PI), pocket depths (PD), motivation (M), autonomous regulation (AR) controlled regulation (CR) and oral health knowledge (K) were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Results Statistically significant decreases were found over time for BOP (P = 0.001), PI (P = 0.001) and PD 4-6 mm (P = 0.001) for both groups. Differences in clinical parameters between groups were not evident at either 6 or 12 weeks. Conclusion Results show that a one-time MI session is insufficient for improving oral hygiene in long-standing maintenance patients.
RNA-binding protein is involved in aggregation of light neurofilament protein and is implicated in the pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration

Abnormal protein aggregation is emerging as a common theme in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. Our previous studies have shown that overexpression of untranslated light neurofilament (NF-L) RNA causes motor neuron degeneration in transgenic mice, leads to accumulation of ubiquitinated aggregates in degenerating cultured motor neurons and triggers aggregation of NF-L protein and co-aggregation of mutant SOD1 protein in neuronal cells. Here, we report that p190RhoGEF, an RNA-binding protein that binds to a destabilizing element in NF-L mRNA, is involved in aggregation of NF-L protein and is implicated in the pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration. We show that p190RhoGEF co-aggregates with unassembled NF-L protein and that co-aggregation is associated with down-regulation of parent NF-L mRNA in neuronal cells. Co-expression of NF-M increases NF assembly and reduces RNA-triggered aggregation as well as loss of solubility of NF-L protein. siRNA-induced down-regulation of p190RhoGEF not only reduces aggregation and promotes assembly of NF-L and NF-M, but also causes reversal of aggregation and recovery of NF assembly in transfected cells. Examination of transgenic models of motor neuron disease shows that prominent aggregates of p190RhoGEF and NF-L and down-regulation of NF-L expression occur in degenerating motor neurons of mice expressing untranslated NF-L RNA or a G93A mutant SOD1 transgene. Moreover, aggregates of p190RhoGEF and NF-L appear as early pathological changes in presymptomatic G93A mutant SOD1 transgenic mice. Together, the findings indicate that p190RhoGEF is involved in aggregation of NF-L protein and support a working hypothesis that aggregation of p190RhoGEF and NF-L is an upstream event triggering neurotoxicity in motor neuron disease.
Adaptive multilevel finite element solution of the Poisson–Boltzmann equation II. Refinement at solvent‐accessible surfaces in biomolecular systems

We apply the adaptive multilevel finite element techniques (Holst, Baker, and Wang 21) to the nonlinear Poisson–Boltzmann equation (PBE) in the context of biomolecules. Fast and accurate numerical solution of the PBE in this setting is usually difficult to accomplish due to presence of discontinuous coefficients, delta functions, three spatial dimensions, unbounded domains, and rapid (exponential) nonlinearity. However, these adaptive techniques have shown substantial improvement in solution time over conventional uniform-mesh finite difference methods. One important aspect of the adaptive multilevel finite element method is the robust a posteriori error estimators necessary to drive the adaptive refinement routines. This article discusses the choice of solvent accessibility for a posteriori error estimation of PBE solutions and the implementation of such routines in the “Adaptive Poisson–Boltzmann Solver” (APBS) software package based on the “Manifold Code” (MC) libraries. Results are shown for the application of this method to several biomolecular systems. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 21: 1343–1352, 2000
Profile as Promise: Honest and Deceptive Signals in Online Dating

Online dating is a popular way to meet new romantic partners, but many people fear that others are lying in their profiles. Research suggests that "fudging" (or small deceptions) are common but that big lies are relatively rare. Drawing from their Profile as Promise framework and signaling theory, the authors discuss why this happens and how it fits into broader patterns of human behavior, both online and offline, and offer ideas about how these insights might be applied to other contexts.
Continuum of Change in RNA Virus Genomes

The mechanisms of evolution of RNA virus genomes have recently received less attention than the evolution of DNA genomes (or of RNA retroviruses able to reverse-transcribe their RNA genomes into DNA proviruses). The latter two virus groups can employ all of the myriad mutational and recombinational mechanisms of DNA evolution, which have been intensively investigated during the past decade. On the other hand the genomes of “ordinary,” nonretrovirus RNA viruses rarely, if ever, are reverse-copied into DNA, so they can neither integrate onto host chromosomes, nor recombine or transpose with other DNA elements. Yet the earlier studies of RNA virus genetics [1] showed that they are extremely mutable. The author and his colleagues recently published an extensive review of the literature documenting that RNA viruses not only exhibit very high mutation rates, but that their genomes undergo extremely rapid rates of evolution [2]. Space limitations prevent referencing herein most of the numerous studies upon which these conclusions are based, but the reader can obtain these from the above review.
Salivary Glands Stem Cells, Self-duplication, or Both?

Understanding the intrinsic potential for renewal and regeneration within a tissue is critical for the rational design of reparative strategies. Maintenance of the salivary glands is widely thought to depend on the differentiation of stem cells. However, there is also new evidence that homeostasis of the salivary glands, like that of the liver and pancreas, relies on self-renewal of differentiated cells rather than a stem cell pool. Here, we review the evidence for both modes of turnover and consider the implications for the process of regeneration. We propose that the view of salivary glands as postmitotic and dependent on stem cells for renewal be revised to reflect the proliferative activity of acinar cells and their role in salivary gland homeostasis.
Quitting Work but Not the Job: Liverty and the Right to Strike

During the plebeian secessions in Rome, the plebs retreated from the city but they did not leave it. According to Livy’s account of the first secession, they gathered at the Sacred Mount (Mons Sacer), created a new religion of the plebs, and swore an oath not to fight the patricians’ war until their demands were met (Livius 1905, 8.28). After Menenius Agrippa’s failed arbitration, which included his famous appeal to the organic integrity of the body politic, the plebs won a newfound presence in the political community: the tribunes. They stood not just as parts but as members, as the members they already claimed themselves to be. They had become citizens and had inscribed their status on the public consciousness of Rome through the office of the tribunes. Many of the most characteristic institutions of the Roman republic followed the same course. Plebeian secessions gave birth to the Twelve Tables, the formal legislative supremacy of the plebs and the abolition of the debt-bondage (Lintott 1999, 38-40, 199-213; Millar 2002, 27-36; Raaflaub 2005, 185-222). Livy called the post-secession dictatorial decree that abolished debt-bondage, the Lex Poetelia (326 BC), “the dawn, as it were, of a new era of liberty for the plebs” (Livius 1905, 8.28).
SEMIMORULA: NEW GENUS WITH MYXOMYCETE AND PROTOSTELID AFFINITIES

A new taxon of slime molds, Semimorula liquescens, is described. Light, TEM, and SEM studies were performed to assess the possible affinity of this taxon with the Myxomycetes and protostelids. In the course of plating substrata during a search for Myxomycetes, an unusual organism superficially resembling a minute myxomycete was obtained from dried, leached infructescences of Lythrum salicaria L. collected from Kirkland, Washington. During the past three years this organism has been isolated repeatedly from dried infructescences of L. salicaria and Solidago sp. collected in the vicinity of Seattle and Kirkland, Washington. As far as we can determine the organism has not been reported previously in the literature and therefore is described here as a new taxon. Its possible relationship to the Myxomycetes and protostelids is considered below. For details of the light, scanning and transmission electron microscopical methodologies utilized in this study, consult Haskins and Hinchee (1974), Haskins (1978a), and Haskins and Therrien (1978). All light microscopical observations were made with Zeiss apochromatic optics. The measurements presented in this report are based on a sample size of 100.
Cultural competence as a core emphasis of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Psychoanalytic theory has been criticized for decontextualizing individual development. While recognizing the historical neglect of sociocultural context in psychoanalytic theory, this article raises attention to psychoanalytic contributions to the exploration of sociocultural issues in psychotherapy and calls for a systematic inclusion of cultural competence as a core area of emphasis of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The article includes a brief review of cultural competence in professional psychology, and both a critique of psychoanalysis regarding the neglect of sociocultural context in psychotherapy and a discussion of psychoanalytic contributions to a complex understanding of sociocultural issues in psychotherapy. Specific approaches to cultural competence that extend existing psychoanalytic theory concerning sociocultural context are presented. These include the recognition of historical trauma and neglect of sociocultural issues, indigenous cultural narratives, role of context in the use of language and expression of affect, influence of experiences of social oppression and stereotypes on therapeutic process and outcome, and the dynamic nature of cultural identifications.
Evening Activities and Nearest-Neighbor Distances in Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer

Behavior of free-ranging white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) was studied in southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio. Distances between nearest neighbors within groups were short (70% were ⩽5 m), indicating tight group cohesion. Adult bucks were less tolerant of other individuals and maintained greater nearest-neighbor distances than adult does and fawns. Adult does spent more time alert than adult bucks and fawns. Fawns spent more time feeding than adult does. Adult does may be more alert to compensate for the lowered vigilance of their feeding fawn(s). The most common behavior sequence was feeding-alert-feeding. Behavior bouts were short ( ⩽ 10 s). The combination of short bout lengths and interspersed alert periods should allow early detection of predators.
Multi-Paralleled LCC Reactive Power Compensation Networks and Their Tuning Method for Electric Vehicle Dynamic Wireless Charging

Dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) is a practical method to solve electric vehicle (EV) range anxiety and reduce the cost of on-board batteries. This paper presents a novel dynamic WPT system that combines the advantages of pads array and segmental long coils coupler. In the proposed circuit, several paralleled LCC reactive power compensation networks (RPCNs) in the primary side were excited by a sole inverter and the power distribution was realized automatically; an auxiliary LCC network was proposed to regulate current in the primary coil to minimize the electromagnetic interference (EMI) and reduce the system’s power loss. A scaled-down prototype of a dynamic wireless charging system was developed to prove the validity of the theoretical analysis.
The Historic Contribution Made by Deng Xiaoping to the Scientific Viewpoint of Development on Current China

Development is a fundamental problem not only in the present world but also in current China and the core of Deng Xiaoping Theory which guides the rapid development of China.Deng Xiaoping put forward that development is the fundamental principle and made a precondition historic contribution to the scientific viewpoint of development on current China by his systematic theory of all-round development.There are main“Six Statements”,namely:the theme of Chinese development;the objective of road;the power;the all-round coordinated and sustainable development;the strength;the political guarantee.
The epidemiological evidence on the carcinogenicity of beryllium in humans

Authoritative reviews of the question of whether occupational exposure to beryllium compounds is associated with increased risk of respiratory cancer were published in 1987 and were critical of the quality of the evidence available up to that time. No clear conclusion could be drawn from it as to the carcinogenicity of beryllium to humans. If studies published since 1987 are to lead to a revision of the regulatory status of beryllium compounds they must clearly be of high quality and scientific validity. These studies, as well as the earlier reports, are reviewed here. I argue that the small and inconsistent excess of lung cancer deaths in employees of one or two plants seen in two post-1987 studies is compatible with a number of explanations other than that they are attributable to occupational exposure to beryllium. Specifically, information on cigarette smoking is poor, and the data do not exist to rule out the possibility that the small number of excess deaths results from residual confounding by cigarette smoking patterns in the populations studied. Indeed, excess deaths from emphysema and ischemia heart disease in the same cohort suggest that confounding by cigarette smoking is a more likely explanation of the lung cancer excess than is occupational exposure to beryllium compounds.
Experiencing Housing Law

This casebook emphasizes housing law in the United States through a real property lens. The casebook is divided into three parts. Part I investigates the private housing market. Part II considers the intersection of public law and housing. And, Part III discusses landlord and tenant law issues.
US Navy 2M/ATE program: fleet self-sufficiency, readiness and progressive maintenance

The US Navy's 2M/ATE (miniature/microminiature/automatic test equipment) program is intended to provide the fleet with high reliability electronic module test, diagnostic, and miniature/microminiature (2M) repair capabilities. The author covers the program's current status and future directions and plans. The goal is to increase fleet self-sufficiency, readiness, and cost reduction. The 2M/ATE program's repair capabilities and automatic digital/analog testers provide for organizational (O) and intermediate (I) level fault isolation and repair of electronic assemblies. The 2M portion of the program strives to provide the repair capabilities and electronic documentation needed for electronic circuit card assemblies and equipment at the O and I levels. The 2M push is for progressive maintenance which yields self-sufficiency and, thereby, readiness. >
Reconciling opposing soil processes in row-crop agroecosystems via soil functional zone management

Sustaining soil productivity in agricultural systems presents a fundamental agroecological challenge: nutrient provisioning depends upon aggregate turnover and microbial decomposition of organic matter (SOM); yet to prevent soil depletion these processes must be balanced by those that restore nutrients and SOM (soil building processes). These nutrient provisioning and soil building processes are inherently in conflict; management practices that create spatial separation between them may enable each to occur effectively within a single growing season, thereby supporting high crop yield while avoiding soil depletion. Soil functional zone management (SFZM), an understudied but increasingly adopted strategy for annual row-crop production, may help meet this agroecological challenge by creating spatial heterogeneity in biophysical conditions between crop rows and inter-rows. However, the process-level effects of this spatial heterogeneity on nutrient provisioning and soil building processes have not been characterised. We assessed the magnitude and spatial distribution of nutrient provisioning and soil building processes in model SFZM (ridge tillage) and conventional tillage (chisel plough) systems in four US states encompassing a major global agricultural production region. For soil building we measured bulk density, aggregation and permanganate oxidisable carbon (POXC); for nutrient provisioning we measured microbial decomposition activity, nutrient mineralisation and plant-available nitrogen. After two years, POXC increased under ridge tillage (0–20 cm depth) compared with chisel plough. Ridge tillage also enhanced nutrient provisioning processes in crop rows, increasing plant-available nitrogen in synchrony with maize peak nitrogen demand. Structural equation modelling revealed that improvement in soil building processes under ridge tillage caused rapid enhancement of nutrient provisioning processes in SOM-poor soils. Increases in crop row POXC stimulated microbial decomposition activity, which was associated with increased plant-available nitrogen during the phase of maize peak nitrogen demand. The decimetre-scale spatial heterogeneity created by ridge tillage enables reconciliation of nutrient provisioning and soil building processes in row-crop agroecosystems. In doing so, ridge tillage promotes critical soil processes necessary for increasing the range of ecosystem services provided by intensive production systems. SFZM approaches may have particular value in regions with SOM-poor soils, which would benefit from rapid increases in surface organic carbon. Also, by concentrating and promoting nutrient provisioning processes around crop roots during crop peak nitrogen demand, ridge tillage may enhance nitrogen-use efficiency and reduce current fertiliser requirements.
The Effect of Increasing CD34+ Cell Doses on Time to Engraftment after Autotransplantation for Hematologic Malignancies.

Abstract It is thought that 2 x 106/kg is the minimum CD34+ cell dose needed for autotransplantation, while the ideal dose is generally accepted to be 5 x 106/kg. Whether infusing cell doses higher than 5 x 106/kg offers additional benefit is unknown. The relationship between time to standard engraftment endpoints (0.5 x 109/L Neutrophils – ANC 0.5, 1 x 109/L neutrophils – ANC 1.0, 20 x 109/L platelets – PLT 20, and 50 x 109/L platelets – PLT 50) and the CD34+ cell doses infused was explored in 754 autografts performed for malignant diseases in adult patients: 32 leukemia, 195 lymphoma, 514 myeloma, 13 other. The conditioning regimens used were standard (high-dose melphalan, BEAM, busulfan-cyclophosphamide, or busulfan-etoposide in >90%). All patients received G-CSF after stem cell infusion: from day 0 in 90%. Cell dose calculations were based upon ideal body weight. Table 1 shows the distribution of the CD34+ cell ranges infused. Table 1: CD34+ cell numbers infused (10 6 /kg IBW) CD34+ cell dose n CD34+ cell dose n ≤3 42 >3 712 ≤4 109 >4 645 ≤5 260 >5 494 ≤6 434 >6 320 ≤7 534 >7 220 ≤8 586 >8 168 ≤9 619 >9 135 ≤10 646 >10 108 ≤15 714 >15 40 Figure 1 shows the mean days to achieving the 4 engraftment endpoints under study by the number of CD34+ cells infused. It is clear that increasing CD34+ cell doses hasten platelet recovery significantly through the entire range of CD34+ cell dose ranges studied. Increasing CD34+ cell doses appear to hasten neutrophil recovery too, but the benefit seems to level off beyond 10 x 106 CD34+ cells per kg. The effect of a CD34+ cell dose of ≤2 x 106/kg was not analyzed because only 7 patients received this small quantity of cells. Download : Download high-res image (140KB) Download : Download full-size image The relationship between CD34+ cell doses and engraftment holds true even when the data are analyzed in a dichotomous fashion as shown in Figure 2. Download : Download high-res image (166KB) Download : Download full-size image CD34+ cell dose bands ANC 0.5 ANC 1.0 PLT 20 PLT 50 ≤3/>3 0.28 0.003 0.083 0.43 ≤4/>4 0.029 0.0007 0.027 0.39 ≤5/>5 0.002 0.001 0.0004 0.031 ≤6/>6 0.002 0.076 ≤7/>7 0.0002 0.009 ≤8/>8 0.0002 0.006 ≤9/>9 0.0004 0.005 ≤10/>10 0.006 ≤15/>15 0.005 0.001 0.003 0.004 Table 2 shows the significance of the differences illustrated in Figure 2. Table 2: Significance of differences in time to engraftment These data suggest that increasing CD34+ cell numbers hasten hematologic recovery – even beyond a cell dose of 15 x 106/kg. It remains to be seen if more rapid engraftment resulting from infusion of higher number of CD34+ cells results in practical benefits such as more robust/durable engraftment, decreased toxicity, and improved survival.
Geospatial Analysis in Higher Education Research

Geography offers a useful but under-utilized lens to examine a number of topics within the field of higher education. This chapter presents examples where geospatial analysis is applied to higher education contexts, and the chapter’s goal is to encourage researchers to expand, extend, and critique how geography can be more useful to the field. Through examples and illustrations, it introduces readers to a wide range of techniques for conducting geospatial analysis including descriptive maps, geostatistics, and distance elasticity. It also highlights how geography can be useful in designing quasi-experimental studies and for building upon theories of college choice. The chapter discusses a number of georeferenced data sources that can be merged with existing higher education databases to integrate geography more systematically into higher education research. It concludes with reflections on how the field of higher education can continue to incorporate geography and geospatial analysis into its scholarship. Doing so can generate new knowledge about the causes and consequences of educational inequality, while also developing new theories and lines of inquiry that have not yet been fully explored.
Cloaking in shallow-water waves via nonlinear medium transformation

A major obstacle in designing a perfect cloak for objects in shallow-water waves is that the linear transformation media scheme (also known as transformation optics) requires spatial variations of two independent medium properties. In the Maxwell’s equation and for the well-studied problem of electromagnetic cloaking, these two properties are permittivity and permeability. Designing an anisotropic material with both variable permittivity and variable permeability, while challenging, is achievable. On the other hand, for long gravity waves, whose governing equation maps one-to-one to the single polarization Maxwell’s equations, the two required spatially variable properties are the water depth and the gravitational acceleration; in this case changing the gravitational acceleration is simply impossible. Here we present a nonlinear transformation that only requires the change in one of the medium properties, which, in the case of shallow-water waves, is the water depth, while keeping the gravitational acceleration constant. This transformation keeps the governing equation perfectly intact and, if the cloak is large enough, asymptotically satisfies the necessary boundary conditions. We show that with this nonlinear transformation an object can be cloaked from any wave that merely satisfies the long-wave assumption. The presented transformation can be applied as well for the design of non-magnetic optical cloaks for electromagnetic waves.
Small intestinal strangulation in a tear in the mesometrium of a nonpregnant mare

Summary Small intestinal strangulation was found at necropsy in the left mesometrium of a nonpregnant 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare subjected to euthanasia because of colic. The tear had smooth fibrotic edges, consistent with its development in one of two normal pregnancies, the last one at least 1 year preceding admission. This is a rare lesion and this report demonstrates that such a tear can develop during pregnancy without inducing small intestinal strangulation and that pregnancy is not required for strangulation to develop later. Therefore, all attempts should be made to close such tears at the time of initial surgery, if accessible, or later as a planned laparoscopic procedure.
Testing the efficacy of existing force-endurance models to account for the prevalence of obesity in the workforce.

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates whether the existing force-endurance relationship models are predictive of endurance time for overweight and obese individuals, and if not, provide revised models that can be applied for ergonomics practice. Data was collected from 141 participants (49 normal weight, 50 overweight, 42 obese) who each performed isometric endurance tasks of hand grip, shoulder flexion, and trunk extension at four levels of relative workload. Subject-specific fatigue rates and a general model of the force-endurance relationship were determined and compared to two fatigue models from the literature. There was a lack of fit between previous models and the current data for the grip (ICC = 0.8), with a shift toward lower endurance times for the new data. Application of the revised models can facilitate improved workplace design and job evaluation to accommodate the capacities of the current workforce.
Developmental & Autism Screening in Epilepsy Unit

Researchers at the Epilepsy Center, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago assessed the yield of routine screening for neurodevelopmental delay and autism in all patients, 5 years of age and younger, seen in the monitoring unit or ketogenic diet clinic.
In Vivo Dissolution and Systemic Absorption of Immediate Release Ibuprofen in Human Gastrointestinal Tract under Fed and Fasted Conditions.

In vivo drug dissolution in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is largely unmeasured. The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the in vivo drug dissolution and systemic absorption of the BCS class IIa drug ibuprofen under fed and fasted conditions by direct sampling of stomach and small intestinal luminal content. Expanding current knowledge of drug dissolution in vivo will help to establish physiologically relevant in vitro models predictive of drug dissolution. A multilumen GI catheter was orally inserted into the GI tract of healthy human subjects. Subjects received a single oral dose of ibuprofen (800 mg tablet) with 250 mL of water under fasting and fed conditions. The GI catheter facilitated collection of GI fluid from the stomach, duodenum, and jejunum. Ibuprofen concentration in GI fluid supernatant and plasma was determined by LC–MS/MS. A total of 23 subjects completed the study, with 11 subjects returning for an additional study visit (a total of 34 completed study visits). The subjects w...
Status Seeking and Boundary Breaking: Why Middle-Status Universities Commercialize Less in China?

One of the classical insights sociology provides for organizational studies is that opportunities and incentives for boundary-crossing and institutional change are embedded in social structures, such as status hierarchies. Building on this insight, this paper examines how status seeking in a hierarchy, rather than status itself, affect a typical example of boundary-crossing behavior–universities’ commercialization of research output. Prevailing accounts claim that statuses affect actors’ tendencies for crossing boundaries by providing cumulative advantages or exerting normative constraints. Going beyond the effect of status itself, this paper argues: 1) status- seeking incentives are differentially distributed in a status hierarchy; 2) status-seeking efforts affect boundary-crossing behavior differently for organization actors of different statuses. Empirically, I draw on both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the effect of Chinese universities’ status-seeking efforts in the state- run “aca...
Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of miRNA-based strategies to cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy has shown impressive clinical results in the last decade, improving both solid and hematologic cancer patients' overall survival. Nevertheless, most of the molecular aspects underlying the response to this approach are still under investigation. miRNAs in particular have been described as regulators of a plethora of different immunologic processes and thus have the potential to be key in the future developments of immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize and discuss the emerging role of miRNAs in the diagnosis and therapeutics of the four principal cancer immunotherapy approaches: immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccines, and cytokine therapy. In particular, this review is focused on potential roles for miRNAs to be adjuvants in soluble factor- and cell-based therapies, with the aim of helping to increase specificity and decrease toxicity, and on the potential for rationally identified miRNA-based diagnostic approaches to aid in precision clinical immunooncology.
Life, Death, and Fear in the Twenty-First Century Brazilian Graphic Novel

This essay identifies influential and prominent twenty-first century Brazilian graphic novels and associated sociocultural affects, such as racial inequality, gender disparities, and social dysfunctionality, as this Post-Boom literary genre expands into a global market. A specific selection of influential texts, key citations, provocative images, and disturbing themes is analyzed, revealing humanistic leitmotifs such as fear of death, violence, and disease, as well as fear of life, immigrant acculturation, futurism, and authoritarianism. The selection is limited to Brazilian graphic novels produced so far in the twenty-first century that have achieved a significant international readership: Daytripper (2014) by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba; Two Brothers (2015) by Moon, Ba and Milton Hatoum; Pixu (2009) by Moon, Ba, Becky Cloonan, and Vasilis Lolos; V.I.S.H.N.U (2012) by Eric Archer, Ronaldo Bressane, and Fabio Cobiaco; and Notas de um tempo silenciado (2015) by Robson Vilalba.
Arsenic in Ground Water Supplies of the United States

Publisher Summary High arsenic (As) concentrations in ground water have been documented in many areas of the United States. Within the last decade, parts of Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin have been found to have widespread As concentrations exceeding 10 μg/L. These high concentrations most commonly result from the upflow of geothermal water, dissolution of, or desorption from, iron-oxide, and dissolution of sulfide minerals. Because the MCL for As is currently being evaluated, estimating the exceedance frequency for different As concentrations in regulated water supplies is particularly timely. The estimates of the frequency of exceedance, which are based on analyses of about 17,000 ground water samples, suggest that about 40% of both large and small regulated water supplies have As concentration greater than 1 μg/L. The frequency of exceedance decreases for greater As concentrations—about 5% of systems are estimated to have As concentration greater than 20 μg/L. Comparison of these estimates with previously published work, based on 275 samples collected from regulated water supplies, shows very good agreement for the United States as a whole, although the two approaches yield somewhat different results for some parts of the nation.
Solvability of Planar Complex Vector Fields with Applications to Deformation of Surfaces

Properties of solutions of a class of semilinear equations of the form Lu = f(x, y, u), where L is a ℂ-valued planar vector field is studied. Series and integral representations are obtained in a tubular neighborhood of the characteristic curve of L. An application to infinitesimal bendings of surfaces with nonnegative curvature in ℝ3 is given.
Development of methods for data quantitation of spiked salmon host cell DNA in protamine sulfate by qPCR.

Abstract Protamine sulfate (PS) is an approximately 4 kDa cationic polypeptide derived from chum salmon used to reverse heparin-induced anticoagulation in patients. Because the presence of residual host cell salmon DNA (resDNA) in PS drug product can pose safety concerns, processing steps during PS manufacturing are designed to target the reduction of these impurities. However, given protamine׳s positively charged structure, isolating and measuring negatively charged residual DNA is challenging. Suitable resDNA methods for PS require the generation of host DNA reference materials, efficient DNA extraction procedures and assay sensitivity and accuracy as high as possible. Here, optimization data are shown for the extraction of DNA present in PS drug products and for the generation of reference standard from protease-digested research grade chum salmon DNA. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for the reference standard determined from protease-digested DNA (0.0025–156.25 pg/μL) was 0.0025 pg/μL. The extraction procedure LLOQ, determined from DNA (0.01–1.25 pg/μL) spiked into PS samples, was 5 pg DNA per mg PS. The data supporting the LLOQs were evaluated using acceptance criteria of 70–130% recovery with % correlation coefficient (CV) ≤ 25% for DNA concentrations and curve metrics (slopes, R2 and y-intercepts) within 2SD of the mean. The data presented here complement a broader study (Sommers et al., 2018) [1] and are particularly useful for the development of resDNA methods for challenging drug products.
Field Longevity and Attractiveness of Trimedlure Plugs to Male Ceratitis capitata in Florida and Hawaii

Detection of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), relies heavily on traps baited with trimedlure, a male-specific attractant. Originally used as a liquid, trimedlure is now dispensed from solid polymeric plugs that reduce volatilization and increase the effective field longevity of the lure. Many of the previous bioassays that measured trimedlure longevity were conducted in Hawaii and adopted a simple “50% rule” for trimedlure plug replacement, i.e., trimedlure plugs should be changed out when their attractiveness (trap captures of male medflies) drops below 50% that observed for fresh trimedlure liquid. The goal of the present study was to assess the field effectiveness of trimedlure plugs in Florida and apply standard statistical analyses to the trapping data. Sterile marked male medflies were released in a citrus orchard with traps containing 3 trimedlure treatments: 2 mL fresh liquid, 2 g fresh plugs, or 2 g plugs aged for intervals of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 wk. A single release of approximately 40,000 males was performed for each of the weathering intervals. Weathered trimedlure plugs were as effective as fresh lures when aged 6 wk or less, but catch was significantly reduced for plugs weathered 8 or more wk. At 8 to 12 wk, remaining trimedlure content per plug was ≤ 0.4 g. Ancillary field trials in Hawaii compared male medfly captures in traps baited with fresh 2 or 3 g trimedlure plugs, or 2 or 3 g plugs weathered for 6, 8, or 10 wk. Two and 3 g plugs weathered for 6 wk were as attractive as fresh lures, but 3 g plugs were more effective than 2 g plugs at the longer weathering intervals. Results are compared with prior studies, and implications for medfly management strategies are discussed.
Informational Efficiency and Endogenous Rational Bubbles

In a model where rational bubbles form and collapse endogenously, properly specified tests of return predictability have little power to reject deviations from the efficient markets model. A weighted replicator dynamic describes how agents switch between a forecast based on fundamentals, a rational bubble forecast, and a weighted average of the two. A significant portion of the population may adopt the rational bubble forecast, which is inconsistent with the efficient markets model but satisfies informational efficiency. Tests on simulated data show excess variance in the price and unpredictable returns.