cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitric Oxide: Genomic Instability And Synthetic Lethality

Regardless of etiology, inflammatory conditions are characterized by overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and overproduction of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen species (NO/RNS) in epithelial and inflammatory cells at the site of carcinogenesis. NO/RNS produced in inflamed tissues can contribute to the process of carcinogenesis by different mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is NO-dependent stimulation of genomic instability by inhibiting of Breast Cancer type 1 Susceptibility protein (BRCA1) expression. Block of BRCA1 expression shifts DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair from error-free high-fidelity homologous recombination repair (HRR) to error-prone nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). BRCA1 epigenetically block miRNA-155 expression via its association with HDAC2, which deacetylates histones H2A and H3 on the miRNA-155 promoter. The miRNA-155 is responsible for post-translational silencing of essential members of mismatch repair (MMR) core: MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1 proteins. They epigenetic inactivation induces DNA microsatellite instability (MSI). Recently, we demonstrated NO-dependent downregulation of MMR core proteins (MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1) through the ↓BRCA1/↑miRNA-155 signaling pathway. Hence, another NO-dependent mechanism of genomic instability is downregulation of MMR core proteins and stimulation of the DNA MSI. Loss or inhibition of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) activity results in accumulation of DNA single-strand breaks, which are subsequently converted to DSB by the transcription machinery. In BRCA-positive cells, DSB are repaired by HRR, but they cannot be properly repaired in BRCA1-deficient cells, leading to genomic instability, chromosomal rearrangements, and cell death. Our data demonstrated that combination of NO-donors with PARP inhibitors significantly sensitized the BRCA1-positive cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents.
Mechanism of the Ferrocyanide-Iodate-Sulfite Oscillatory Chemical Reaction.

Existing models of the ferrocyanide–iodate–sulfite (FIS) reaction seek to replicate the oscillatory pH behavior that occurs in open systems. These models exhibit significant differences in the amplitudes and waveforms of the concentration oscillations of such intermediates as I–, I3–, and Fe(CN)63– under identical conditions and do not include several experimentally found intermediates. Here we report measurements of sulfite concentrations during an oscillatory cycle. Knowing the correct concentration of sulfite over the course of a period is important because sulfite is the main component that determines the buffer capacity, the pH extrema, and the amount of oxidizer (iodate) required for the transition to low pH. On the basis of this new result and recent experimental findings on the rate laws and intermediates of component processes taken from the literature, we propose a mass action kinetics model that attempts to faithfully represent the chemistry of the FIS reaction. This new comprehensive mechanism...
CLINICAL CONUNDRUM IN THE TREATMENT OF EPTIFIBATIDE-INDUCED THROMBOCYTOPENIA FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Acute profound thrombocytopenia due to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors is a rare but potentially devastating complication following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A 61-year-old gentleman referred for PCI of a 90% right coronary artery stenosis was treated with overlapping drug eluting
Distinguishing different scenarios of early energy release with spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background

Deviations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) frequency spectrum from a pure blackbody tell an exciting story about the thermal history of our Universe. In this paper, we illustrate how well future CMB measurements might decipher this tale, envisioning a PIXIElike spectrometer, which could improve the distortion constraints obtained with COBE/FIRAS some 20 years ago by at least three orders of magnitude. This opens a large discovery space, o ering deep insights to particle and early-universe physics, opportunities that no longer should be left unexplored. Specifically, we consider scenarios with annihilating and decaying relic particles, as well as signatures from the dissipation of primordial small-scale power. PIXIE can potentially rule out di erent early-universe scenarios, and moreover will allow unambiguous detections in many of the considered cases, as we demonstrate here. We also discuss slightly more futuristic experiments, with several times improved sensitivities, to highlight the large potential of this new window to the pre-recombination universe.
Structure, Dynamics, and Photophysics in the Copper(I) Iodide–Tetrahydrothiophene System

Combination of CuI and tetrahydrothiophene (THT) in MeCN or neat THT produces various phases, depending upon experimental conditions. Green luminescent product (CuI)4(THT)2 (1) consists of Cu4I4 cubane units knit into a 3-D network by μ2-THT ligands. Dull yellow luminescent (CuI)10(THT)7(MeCN) (2) contains {[Cu4I4(THT)](μ2-THT)2(Cu2I2)(μ2-THT)2[Cu4I4(NCMe)]} “rungs” linked into 1-D ladders by pairs of μ2-THT ligands. Two molecular (CuI)4(THT)4 phases were found: orange luminescent 3a and yellow luminescent 3b. Triclinic 3b is the more stable phase at 25 °C, but it undergoes endothermic transformation to monoclinic 3a at 38 °C. Compound 3a transforms to a triclinic phase (3a′) that retains orange emission at −60 °C. Nonemissive (CuI)3(THT)3·MeCN (4) is a 2-D sheet structure in which Cu3(THT)3 rings are linked in trigonal directions by rhomboid Cu2I2 dimer units. The previously reported (CuI)2(THT)4 (5) is a molecular dimer. Temperature and mixing ratio domains for the formation of the CuI–THT phases from M...
Eigenvalues of Matrices of Low Rank

(2000). Eigenvalues of Matrices of Low Rank. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 208-210.
Modified polyimide films — products for high technology insulation systems

Recent improvements in polyimide film manufacturing technology have resulted in standard products having higher and more uniform physical properties. Also, other new manufacturing technology has provided the ability to modify the classical product to provide special features, such as heat shrinkability for better conformation to irregular shapes; improved thermal conductivity for better heat dissipation; electrical conductivity for various uses ranging from anti-static to electrical heaters. Details of product modifications and end uses are discussed.
Model Manipulation and Learning: Fostering Representational Competence With Virtual and Concrete Models.

This study investigated the development of representational competence among organic chemistry students by using 3D (concrete and virtual) models as aids for teaching students to translate between multiple 2D diagrams. In 2 experiments, students translated between different diagrams of molecules and received verbal feedback in 1 of the following 3 intervention conditions: with concrete models, with virtual models, or without models. Following the intervention, diagram translation accuracy was measured in 3 posttests, which were with models, without models, and after a 7-day delay. The virtual models in the 2 experiments differed in the level of congruence between the actions performed with the input device and the resulting movement of the virtual model. Study 1 used a low congruence interface and Study 2 used a high congruence interface. Students learned more when models were available. In terms of learning outcomes, model-based feedback was superior to verbal-feedback alone, models served as a learning scaffold rather than a crutch, and learning with model-based feedback was resilient over a 7-day delay. Finally, concrete and virtual models were equivalent in promoting learning, and action-congruence of the interface did not affect learning. The results are discussed with respect to their implications for instruction in organic chemistry and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines more generally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Birdwatching Eco-tourism in Beibei District of Chongqing

This article takes birds in Beibei area,Chongqing as the research object.According to the principles of ecotourism development,coupled with a comprehensive understanding of bird resources and their ornamental value,we analysis the potential factors of bird-watching ecotourism in Beibei as well as their challenges.The research is expected to bring forward recommendations for the promotion of bird-watching ecotourism development.
FDA's three requirements on labeling for prescription drug

The article briefly introduces FDA's requirements on highlights and contents of labeling for prescription drug as well as cardiovascular outcome claims for drugs that are indicated to treat hypertension.And that the instances are cited.It is expected to enlighten us on managing and writing of labeling.
Research on Voltage Reactive Power Control On-line Evaluating System Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Theory

For choosing voltage reactive power control system which is appropriate for specific power grid,it is necessary to evaluate control effects all-around of voltage reactive control systems of different types.Therefore,based on decreasing network losses and improving voltage percent of pass,it analyzes evaluating principles and raises an voltage reactive power control on-line evaluating system based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation.This system can insert the evaluating system into power grid,collect reactive power control operation information and realize on-line evaluation for operating index that may influence security of power grid.
Failure of a tumour to prime CTL specific for some of the minor H antigens it expresses but not others

The H-Y-expressing murine tumour, ET-5, specifically immunizes B6 female mice that have rejected it against H-Y-positive male skin grafts, yet fails to prime their spleen cells for the generation of H-Y-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). ET-5 also fails to prime relevant congenic hosts to generate CTL specific for H-3 or H-25 minor H antigens, or major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens, all of which are expressed in immunogenic form by ET-5. Nonetheless, C3H.SW mice, which are MHC-compatible with B6 mice in which ET-5 originated, but differ from B6 at many minor H loci, can be primed to generate CTL directed against one or more unidentified minor H antigens. These CTL are conventional MHC-restricted, CD8+ T cells, and require priming in vivo for their generation. Significantly, C3H.SW females can be primed by ET-5 to generate B6-specific CTL, but not H-Y-specific CTL. Thus CTL priming is selective in the sense that ET-5 primes CTL specific for some of the antigens it expresses but not others. The basis for this selectivity is not known but, in the case of H-Y antigen, it appears not to result from an inability of ET-5 to express either H-2Db-encoded antigens, the restriction element for H-Y-specific CTL in B6 females, or H-Y itself in vivo.
Serum Metabolomic Profiles in Neonatal Mice following Oral Brominated Flame Retardant Exposures to Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) Alpha, Gamma, and Commercial Mixture.

Background:Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a high production volume brominated flame retardant added to building insulation foams, electronics, and textiles. HBCD is a commercial mixture (CM-HBCD)...
Fuzzy logic in geological sciences: a literature review.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on recent literature in geologically oriented journals that deals with applications of fuzzy logic in various branches of geological sciences, sometimes in the broader context of soft computing. Geologic knowledge is routinely expressed in natural language, and is primarily a field science that began as an outgrowth of the mineral-extraction industry. The variables that geologists have routinely measured for hundreds of years are continua that commonly vary over many orders of magnitude. Evolutionary computation is biologically inspired computational structure that is most commonly used for optimization (features to be optimized are parameterized into a vector of real numbers). In addition , there have been a number of general papers that advocate the use of fuzzy logic in the geological sciences such as the use of fuzzy logic in the study of volcanoes, fuzzy rule-based model to study simulation of latent heat fluxes of coniferous forests, and fuzzy set theory to evaluate thermodynamic parameters in aqueous chemical-equilibrium calculations.
Perceived Privacy Violation: Exploring the Malleability of Privacy Expectations

Recent scholarship in business ethics has revealed the importance of privacy expectations as they relate to implicit privacy norms and the business practices that may violate these expectations. Yet, it is unclear how and when businesses may violate these expectations, factors that form or influence privacy expectations, or whether or not expectations have in fact been violated by company actions. This article reports the findings of three studies exploring how and when the corporate dissemination of consumer data violates privacy expectations. The results indicate that consumer sentiment is more negative following intentional releases of sensitive consumer data, but the effect of data dissemination is more complex than that of company intentionality and data sensitivity alone. Companies can effectively set, and re-affirm, privacy expectations via consent procedures preceding and succeeding data dissemination notifications. Although implied consent has become more widely used in practice, we show how explicit consent outperforms implied consent in these regards. Importantly, this research provides process evidence that identifies perceived violation of privacy expectations as the underlying mechanism to explain the deleterious effects, on consumer sentiment, when company actions are misaligned with consumers’ privacy expectations. Ethical implications for companies collecting and disseminating consumer information are offered.
Operative technique for transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty.

The indications for transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty have been expanded to include many patients with apparent skin redundancy as well as patients with isolated excess infraorbital fat. This approach has minimized the occurrence of persistent lower eyelid retraction problems. A detailed review of the authors’ current operative technique is presented.
Long-term results of ureterosigmoidostomy in children with bladder exstrophy.

AbstractThe records of 87 children with bladder exstrophy seen between 1912 and 1935 are reviewed. We believe that ureterosigmoidostomy with cystectomy can provide a satisfactory solution to the problem of bladder exstrophy. Furthermore, ureterosigmoidostomy appears suitable from the standpoint of preservation of upper tracts and provides a socially acceptable solution to the question of disposal of the diverted urine.
Quality Improvement Initiative to Increase the Use of Nasogastric Hydration in Infants With Bronchiolitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intravenous (IV) hydration is used primarily in children with bronchiolitis at our institution. Because nasogastric (NG) hydration can provide better nutrition, the goal of our quality improvement (QI) initiative was to increase the rate of NG hydration in eligible children 1 to 23 months old with bronchiolitis by 20% over 6 months. METHODS: We used Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to increase the use of NG hydration in eligible children. Interventions included educational and system-based changes and sharing parental feedback with providers. Chart reviews were performed to identify the rates of NG hydration, which were plotted over time in a statistical process control p chart. The balancing measure was the rate of complications in children with NG versus IV hydration. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-three children who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis needed supplemental hydration during the QI initiative (January 2016–April 2016). Ninety-one children were candidates for NG hydration, and 53 (58%) received NG hydration. The rates of NG hydration increased from a baseline of 0% pre-QI bronchiolitis season (January 2015–April 2015) to 58% during the initiative. There was no aspiration and no accidental placement of the NG tube into a child’s airway. Nine patients (17%) in the NG group had a progression of disease requiring nil per os status, and 6 of these were transferred to the PICU whereas none of those in the IV group were transferred to the PICU. Post-QI initiative, the majority of nurses (63%) and physicians (95%) stated that they are more likely to consider NG hydration in children with bronchiolitis. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully increased the rates of NG hydration in eligible children with bronchiolitis by using educational and system-based interventions.
An Ultrasonic Method for Simultaneous Determination of Elastic Moduli, Density, Attenuation and Thickness of a Polymer Coating on a Foil

Ultrasonic spectroscopy has for a long time been thought promising for characterization of thin layers immersed in water or embedded between two known materials (similar or dissimilar) [1]. Significant effort has been put forth by many authors [2]–[14]. An ultrasonic spectroscopy method for determination of the complete set of acoustical and geometrical properties of an isotropic layer embedded between two known materials (similar or dissimilar) has been developed recently in [15]. The uniqueness of the method is its ability to determine all the layer properties - thickness, density, elastic moduli and attenuation (longitudinal and shear) - at two incident angles: one normal and one oblique.
Hydrodynamics and Mass Transport

This chapter deals with the hydrodynamic aspects of organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy (OMVPE). The flow dynamics in typical reactors are so complex that an intuitive “feel” for the process eludes the typical crystal grower.. In fact, much of the understanding comes from complex computer calculations that take years to develop and consume considerable time on largest supercomputers. Such calculations border on the realm of dedicated hydrodynamic researchers.. This chapter introduces the fundamental concepts on which the calculations are based. Other approaches discussed in the chapter contribute to the goal of developing an improved working understanding of the OMVPE process applicable to everyday laboratory problems. This chapter also discusses the growth rate that is assumed to be limited by mass transport and it is applied over a certain temperature range where growth rate is observed to be nearly temperature-independent.
Grout Curtain Construction At Bolivar Dam, Ohio

Bolivar Dam, located in eastern Ohio, is an embankment dam constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1937 as part of the Muskingum River Basin Project for flood control. Due to seepage concerns observed at the Dam during several flood events over the life of the project, seepage reduction measures, including a partial depth seepage barrier wall through the embankment and a grout curtain in the left abutment, were designed and constructed. During flood events, Bolivar Dam experiences excessive seepage through the glacial outwash foundation and also through a network of open joints within the left bedrock abutment. Seepage in the bedrock abutment could erode/scour the dam embankment at the bedrock contact, potentially leading to dam failure. To lower this potential risk, a grout curtain was constructed. The new grout curtain is designed to impede groundwater seepage, resulting in reduced groundwater velocity/energy downstream of the grout curtain, thereby decreasing its potential to scour or transport fine-grained embankment material. The double-line grout curtain is approximately 65 feet (19.8 m) deep and 400 feet (121.9 m) long and was completed in November 2015 as part of a major dam safety modification project. Two thin limestone units encountered during drilling proved to be problematic and posed various challenges during construction. This article presents the risk-informed decisions that were made during both design and construction of the grout curtain and includes various lessons that were learned during this process.
Project Risk Considering Samplng Uncertainties and a Finite Project Operation Period

The risk or probability of failure associated with a flood control project is a random variable, even if perfect information, rather than sample estimates of flood frequency are used for the design process. This paper presents procedures for the estimation of the expected value of this risk and its distribution where die flood control project has a finite operation period. Of interest are both the variability of the flood process during project operation and uncertainties inherent in the flood frequency estimation process. The traditional design procedure for flood control projects considers a finite project operation period, as far as the amortization of economic values is concerned. No analysis on the likely exceedance of the design magnitude during an actual run of events in a finite duration, is however considered. As far as the likelihoods of project failure are concerned, the project operation period is thus implicitly considered to be infinite. Design choices are likely to be quite different where the likelihood of project failure during a specified period (over a certain random set of future events) is considered. Where a finite operation period is considered and flood frequency relationships are estimated from annual maximum flow records, the probability of one or more exceedances of the design level is a function of the sample size for estimation and the length of the project operation period. General procedures in a Bayesian framework for the estimation of this probability are presented. Possible design implications are discussed.
Effects of oxygen annealing on single crystal iron telluride

Abstract Among several Fe-based systems recently found to be superconducting are phases within the Fe1+dSe (FS) and Fe1+dSe1-xTex (FST) families, along with their intercalant-variants. A few groups have recently reported that isostructural Fe1+dTe (FT), although generally reported to be non-superconducting, exhibits trace superconductivity near 10 K upon exposure to oxygen. On the other hand, exposure to oxygen degrades superconductivity in FS, yet improves it in FST for high Te content as well as for high Fe content. We performed a comprehensive study to investigate the effects of oxygen exposure in bulk single crystals of Fe1±dTe using photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and Magnetic Field Modulated Microwave Spectroscopy. We report a change in the oxidation state from Te0 to Te4+ and Fe0 to Fe2+/3+ in agreement with others. However, this does not lead to superconductivity. In addition, oxygenation leads to the evolution of trace quantities of an iron-deficient minority phase consistent with an oriented crystalline intergrowth of FeTe2 within the Fe1+dTe crystal lattice.
Age of initiation of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use among western Alaska Native people: Secondary analysis of the WATCH study

Abstract Objective This study examined self-reported age of tobacco initiation (cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco [ST] use) and explored potential sex and generational group influences on tobacco use onset among Alaska Native (AN) adult ever tobacco users. Methods Secondary analysis of consolidated data from the Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH) study comprised 2800 AN adult ever tobacco users (1490 women, 1310 men; mean age = 39.2 years) from two rural western Alaska regions. ST use data were limited to one region. Logistic regression was used to examine potential sex and generational group (age 18–29, 30–49, ≥50) effects on initiation at ≤13 years of age. Results Thirty-seven percent of the sample reported using any tobacco product by age 13 years. Initiation of any ST use by age 13 was greater than for cigarette smoking (52.7% vs. 18.2%), and women were more likely than men to report initiation of any ST use at ≤13 years (52.6% vs. 38.4%). Nearly one-third of ever smokers (31%) initiated in young adulthood (ages 18–29). For ST use, logistic regression analyses revealed significant sex differences (women more likely to initiate by 13 years of age than men) and generational group effects with younger and middle age groups more likely to report initiation ≤13 years compared to the eldest participants. For smoking, no sex differences were observed but the youngest generational group was more likely to report initiation by age 13 compared to the eldest group. Conclusions Earlier age of tobacco initiation is found among younger generations of AN people. Findings highlight the need to focus prevention efforts on initiation of smoking in young adulthood and uptake of ST use among girls.
Cell wall pectins in tree growth and woody biomass utilization

Abstract Pectins are networks of dynamically and variably modified, galacturonan-rich polymers that occur predominantly in the primary cell wall and the middle lamella between cells. Despite their low abundance in lignocellulosic feedstocks, pectins can have outsized, and often negative effects on post-harvest processing. There is compelling evidence that pectins interfere with bio-based saccharification. Transgenic strategies for improving woody biomass utilization by pectin manipulation have therefore been explored. While much research has focused on the apoplastic, in muro steps of pectin modification during cell wall remodelling, recent biotechnological successes suggest potential for substantial and informative gains by targeting biosynthetic steps in the Golgi apparatus. At the same time, it must be recognized that pectins are essential for plant fitness. They comprise a substantial fraction of the primary cell wall, which, during rapid growth and differentiation, constitutes most of the cell wall. Pectin involvement in plant defence, stomatal dynamics, embolism control, root nutrient uptake and trace metal sequestration will also need to be taken into account to maximize the potential for durable gains. Early reports suggest that there is potential for bottom line success, not only for saccharification efficiency, but for biomass yields as well. Longer-term field testing across more varied environments, with more detailed phenotyping, will provide valuable insights for the future of pectin manipulation in woody biomass improvement.
Paired Metasurfaces for Amplitude and Phase Control of Wavefronts

Gradient metasurfaces that are passive, low-loss, and reflectionless, are generally limited to tailoring the phase of an incident wavefront. Here, we show that by using two phase-discontinuous bianisotropic metasurfaces, the amplitude and phase distributions of an aperture field can be independently controlled. The paired metasurfaces are separated by a distance on the order of a wavelength. Due to the flexibility of the design procedure, an arbitrary incident field can be used as a source to produce a desired complex field pattern. This property makes the method relevant to a variety of applications, including producing custom (shaped and steered)far-field radiation patterns and 3-dimensional holograms.
Tracking a Governance Transition: Identifying and Measuring Indicators of Social Forestry on the Willamette National Forest

National Forests in the United States have undergone a spatially and temporally uneven governance transition in response to social and economic pressures and contemporary policy changes, with many ...
Impact of Static and Pulsatile Blood Pressure on Cerebral Blood Flow Regulation

BackgroundElevated blood pressure (BP) is a major risk factor for stroke and cognitive impairment in older adults. BP consists of static and pulsatile components that may have differential impacts ...
Old and new models for the study of human ageing.

Human ageing is associated with high susceptibility to disease. Some aspects of ageing can be studied directly in humans and have revealed that ageing is influenced by many factors, including genetics, lifestyle, sex and socio-economic status. But identifying the factors that cause and modulate the ageing process often requires experimental interventions and modelling that can only be performed in model systems. Anne Brunet discusses the different model organisms that are used for the study of ageing mechanisms and their advantages and disadvantages.
The impact of obesity on COVID-19 complications: a retrospective cohort study.

Obesity is an epidemic in New York City, the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Previous studies suggest that obesity is a possible risk factor for adverse outcomes in COVID-19. To elucidate the association between obesity and COVID-19 outcomes. Retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 hospitalized patients tested between March 10 and April 13, 2020. SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, a COVID-only hospital in New York. In total, 684 patients were tested for COVID-19 and 504 were analyzed. Patients were categorized into three groups by BMI: normal (BMI 18.50–24.99), overweight (BMI 25.00–29.99), and obese (BMI ≥ 30.00). Primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality, and secondary outcomes were intubation, acute kidney injury (AKI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and acute cardiac injury (ACI). There were 139 patients (27%) with normal BMI, 150 patients who were overweight (30%), and 215 patients with obesity (43%). After controlling for age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, and qSOFA score, there was a significantly increased risk of mortality in the overweight (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.9) and obese groups (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.7) compared with those with normal BMI. Similarly, there was a significantly increased relative risk for intubation in the overweight (RR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.3) and obese groups (RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5–4.0) compared with those with normal BMI. Obesity did not affect rates of AKI, ACI, or ARDS. Furthermore, obesity appears to significantly increase the risk of mortality in males (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-2.0, P = 0.03), but not in females (RR 1.2, 95% CI 0.77–1.9, P = 0.40). This study reveals that patients with overweight and obesity who have COVID-19 are at increased risk for mortality and intubation compared to those with normal BMI. These findings support the hypothesis that obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19 complications and should be a consideration in management of COVID-19.
Quantifying plant-soil-nutrient dynamics in rangelands: Fusion of UAV hyperspectral-LiDAR, UAV multispectral-photogrammetry, and ground-based LiDAR-digital photography in a shrub-encroached desert grassland

Abstract Rangelands cover 70% of the world's land surface, and provide critical ecosystem services of primary production, soil carbon storage, and nutrient cycling. These ecosystem services are governed by very fine-scale spatial patterning of soil carbon, nutrients, and plant species at the centimeter-to-meter scales, a phenomenon known as “islands of fertility”. Such fine-scale dynamics are challenging to detect with most satellite and manned airborne platforms. Remote sensing from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provides an alternative option for detecting fine-scale soil nutrient and plant species changes in rangelands tn0020 smaller extents. We demonstrate that a model incorporating the fusion of UAV multispectral and structure-from-motion photogrammetry classifies plant functional types and bare soil cover with an overall accuracy of 95% in rangelands degraded by shrub encroachment and disturbed by fire. We further demonstrate that employing UAV hyperspectral and LiDAR fusion greatly improves upon these results by classifying 9 different plant species and soil fertility microsite types (SFMT) with an overall accuracy of 87%. Among them, creosote bush and black grama, the most important native species in the rangeland, have the highest producer's accuracies at 98% and 94%, respectively. The integration of UAV LiDAR-derived plant height differences was critical in these improvements. Finally, we use synthesis of the UAV datasets with ground-based LiDAR surveys and lab characterization of soils to estimate that the burned rangeland potentially lost 1474 kg/ha of C and 113 kg/ha of N owing to soil erosion processes during the first year after a prescribed fire. However, during the second-year post-fire, grass and plant-interspace SFMT functioned as net sinks for sediment and nutrients and gained approximately 175 kg/ha C and 14 kg/ha N, combined. These results provide important site-specific insight that is relevant to the 423 Mha of grasslands and shrublands that are burned globally each year. While fire, and specifically post-fire erosion, can degrade some rangelands, post-fire plant-soil-nutrient dynamics might provide a competitive advantage to grasses in rangelands degraded by shrub encroachment. These novel UAV and ground-based LiDAR remote sensing approaches thus provide important details towards more accurate accounting of the carbon and nutrients in the soil surface of rangelands.
Key Areas for Development in Oncoplastic Breast Reconstruction.

Oncoplastic breast reconstruction addresses lumpectomy or partial mastectomy defects after breast conserving surgery. A large subset of breast cancer patients may be candidates for oncoplastic partial breast reconstruction, but are likely underserved in the United States due to multiple factors. In this article, the authors provide an understanding of current trends in the literature and an overview of key areas for improvement in the delivery of breast cancer surgical care. Methods A literature search of peer-reviewed articles relating to oncoplastic breast reconstruction was performed. In addition, current US laws relating to breast reconstruction, and communication and content from key surgical societies were reviewed. Key areas of improvement were identified after qualitative review of all sources. Results Thirty-four relevant resources were included. There is a large potential population need for oncoplastic breast reconstruction, but no current accurate estimate of patients undergoing this type of reconstruction. There are a multitude of definitions and algorithms attempting to define and organize oncoplastic breast surgery. Legislative initiatives could be improved to prevent coverage gaps. Coding and billing for oncoplastic surgery is not standardized, which complicates both clinical implementation and research efforts. Collaboration between national societies is needed. Conclusions Oncoplastic partial breast reconstruction is an important part of the total package of care that can be offered to the breast cancer patient. Improvements in legislation, coding, and billing, and unification of national society communications and initiatives can lead to better surgical outcomes for the breast cancer patient.
Coparenting from Prison: An Examination of Incarcerated Fathers’ Consensus of Coparenting

Incarcerated coparenting involves negotiating rules, responsibilities, and contributions while a partner is incarcerated. Using a structural family therapy lens and data from the Multi-site Family ...
Investigation of Nucleation and Growth at a Liquid-Liquid Interface by Solvent Exchange and Synchrotron Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

Hybrid nanomaterials possess complex architectures that are driven by a self-assembly process between an inorganic element and an organic ligand. The properties of these materials can often be tuned by organic ligand variation, or by swapping the inorganic element. This enables the flexible fabrication of tailored hybrid materials with a rich variety of properties for technological applications. Liquid-liquid interfaces are useful for synthesizing these compounds as precursors can be segregated and allowed to interact only at the interface. Although procedurally straightforward, this is a complex reaction in a complex environment that is not easy to probe. Here, we explore the interfacial crystallization of mithrene, a supramolecular multi-quantum well. This material sandwiches a well-defined silver-chalcogenide layer between layers of organic ligands. Controlling mithrene crystal size and morphology to be useful for applications requires understanding details of its crystal growth, but the specific mechanism for this reaction remain only lightly investigated. We performed a study of mithrene crystallization at an oil-water interfaces to elucidate how the interfacial free energy affects nucleation and growth. We exchanged the oil solvent on the basis of solvent viscosity and surface tension, modifying the dynamic contact angle and interfacial free energy. We isolated and characterized the reaction byproducts via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also developed a high-throughput small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique to measure crystallization at short reaction timescales (minutes). Our results showed that modifying interfacial surface energy affects both the reaction kinetics and product size homogeneity and yield. Our SAXS measurements reveal the onset of crystallinity after only 15 minutes. These results provide a template for exploring directed synthesis of complex materials via experimental methods.
Britain’s Culture War: Disguising Imperial Politics as Historical Debate about Empire

In step with many governments today, the current British government has consistently attacked scholarly efforts to understand imperialism and its legacies. Instead, it foists a historical narrative...
Low-dimensional models for real time simulations of monolith reactors with dual washcoat layers

Abstract We present a novel and accurate procedure with local property dependent internal and external mass transfer coefficient matrices for real time simulations of monolith reactors with dual washcoat layers. Our approach extends the prior work based on the Thiele matrix method for accurately describing the washcoat diffusional effects in single layered systems. It combines the vector form of the multi-scale averaged model with calculation of the local property dependent internal, external and cross-Sherwood number matrices for multi-component systems. We illustrate the usefulness of the reduced order model using the example of a dual-layered model system with first washcoat layer of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst and second washcoat layer of lean NOx trap (LNT) catalyst. We determine the mesh size independent solutions of the full 1+1D detailed model and compare the same with that obtained with the reduced order model. We show that the proposed method has the same accuracy as the mesh size independent detailed solution while speeding up calculations by about three orders of magnitude for the example studied, and possibly by several more orders of magnitude for real systems with complex and detailed micro-kinetic models to describe the storage and reactions in the catalytic layers.
The Elusive God: Reorienting Religious Epistemology

Introduction 1. Doubting sceptics 2. Knowing as attunement 3. Dying to know 4. Philosophy revamped 5. Aftermath 6. Appendix: scepticism undone References Index.
From Cameroon to Paris: Mousgoum Architecture In and Out of Africa (review)

Steven Nelson. From Cameroon to Paris: Mousgoum Architecture In and Out of Africa. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. xiv + 247 pp. Photographs. Map. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $50.00. Cloth. In this study of the widely disseminated inscriptions of an African architectural form, the distinctive Mousgoum teleuk, or dome-shaped house of the Cameroon-Chad border area, Steven Nelson speaks in three distinct voices. The introduction and chapter 2 are framed as an informal travelogue; the author laments that an approach based on the observation that "one of these things is not like the other" appears to describe the Sesame Street generation's narrow perception of exotic travel (50). Later in the same chapter he explores the position of the nineteenth-century traveler Heinrich Barth regarding the teleuk and otherness; to do this Nelson switches personae and adopts Freud's interpretation of ego and society from Civilization and Its Discontents (55-56). He also calls into service Mary Louise Pratt's updated reading of this ego-centered stance in her essay in Henry Louis Gates's "Race," Writing and Difference (Chicago, 1986). These three approaches appear throughout the book, creating a kind of triple reading of both the teleuk dome and its spectators: one informal and journalistic, the second and third, old-school and new-school academic exegesis. In a parallel way African architectural historiography has moved through its own successive explanatory regimes. Environmental determinism, leavened by cultural factors such as polygyny, has been the default mode for explaining Africa's architectural diversity during the long dominance of the adaptation model in social anthropology. In the 1970s, Douglas Fraser introduced formalist structuralism to his students; one of them, Suzanne Preston Blier, published her dissertation in 1987 on Batammaliba architecture using house/body symbolism to explain its parts and their significance. As her student, Nelson, in his turn, devotes chapter 1 to a similar exegesis of the Mousgoum house. But this is not the real thrust of the book's argument, which is less about architecture than about its reception and representation, bringing into focus a third approach to African architecture through critical reading rather than either structural analysis or, to quote Shirley Ardener, "social maps and ground rules." Steering away from traditional history and ethnography (which are disposed of in the introduction) , he says relatively little about either the internal workings of Mousgoum culture or its place in the region. What interests him more is the way the teleuk as a design and habitation was apprehended by precolonial travelers and later by French colonial administrators and intellectuals as a cultural representation of "primitive genius"-but also as unmeasurable "otherness." With chapter 2, the book's real theme is introduced by means of a long engagement with travelers' visits-from Barth in 1852 to Olive MacLeod in 1911 to Andre Gide and Marc Allegret in 1926-which sets up the opportunity for close critical reading. …
Factors associated with surface-level caries incidence in children aged 9 to 13: the Iowa Fluoride Study.

Objective As dental caries can progress throughout a person's lifetime, understanding caries risk factors unique to specific life phases is important. This study aims to assess caries incidence and risk factors for young adolescents. Methods Participants in the longitudinal Iowa Fluoride Study were assessed for dental caries at approximately age 9 and again at age 13. These participants also filled out questionnaires concerning water sources, oral health habits, beverage intakes, parent education and family income. Caries progression (D2+F) was analyzed at the surface level. Mixed effects logistic regression was used to assess associations between surface-specific first molar occlusal caries incidence and risk factors. Results Caries incidence was quite low except on the first molar occlusal surfaces. In initial models of specific risk factors, incidence was positively associated with the surface having a D1 lesion at baseline, low family income, having untreated decay or fillings on other teeth at baseline, lower home water fluoride level, and higher soda pop consumption. In the final multiple variable model, significant interactions were found between tooth brushing frequency and initial D1 status, and also between family income and home tap water fluoride level. Conclusions D2+F incidence on first molar occlusal surfaces in these young adolescents was associated with prior caries experience on other teeth as well as prior evidence of a D1 lesion on the occlusal surface. More frequent tooth brushing was protective of sound surfaces, and fluoride in home tap water was also protective, but significantly more so for adolescents in low-income families.
Phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC plays a central role in the development of myogenic tone in murine resistance arteries (546.4)

The Bayliss mechanism posits that an increase in transmural pressure causes an artery to contract in response to distending pressure. Previous studies have established that PLC is critical for the myogenic response. However, the functional type/s of phospholipase C (PI-PLC or PC-PLC) involved and actions of PLC second messenger products (IP3, DAG) have not been clarified. This study of myogenic tone was therefore carried out to 1) identify the functional type/s of PLC involved and 2) investigate the role of IP3 and IP3-induced Ca2+ release, in the maintenance of myogenic constriction. Pressurized mesenteric arteries showed that inhibition of phosphoinositide-specific PLC with Edelfosine, surprisingly,increases myogenic tone at physiological pressures. In contrast, inhibition of phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC with D609 abolishes myogenic tone. The Bayliss mechanism therefore involves a hitherto unrecognized role for the cleavage of phosphatidylcholine and formation of DAG. Ca2+ waves are virtually absent...
Studies on the effects of chemicals on the processing of nuclear RNA: Some possible implications with respect to carcinogenesis

Abstract Many chemical carcinogens are known to cause segregation of the granular and fibrillar components of the nucleolus, with associated rapid loss of nuclear RNA. The loss of RNA from the nucleus may result from an enhancement of nuclear RNA degradation, as well as an inhibition of nuclear RNA synthesis. Chemical agents such as actinomycin D apparently do not directly enhance the activity of the nuclear exoribonuclease which is believed to be responsible for degradation of newly synthesized nuclear RNA. However, it is suggested that such agents may interfere with the normal mechanisms for processing newly synthesized RNA in the nucleus, so that a proper amount of newly synthesized RNA is not stabilized against degradation. A general hypothesis that a molecular defect in the stabilization of nuclear RNA may be involved in the development of the malignant state is also discussed.