cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diurnal Rhythms of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression are Regulated by NAD Cellular Redox and SIRT1

The regulation of dopamine levels is important in a variety of diseases including addiction. Here we find a novel role for the CLOCK protein as a transcriptional repressor at the TH promoter which is mediated by its interaction with the metabolic sensing protein, SIRT1. Moreover, we demonstrate that TH transcription is modulated by the redox state of neurons, and daily rhythms in cellular redox balance in the VTA, and that TH transcription, is largely disrupted following chronic cocaine administration. Furthermore, interactions between CLOCK/SIRT1 are important in the regulation of cocaine reward and dopaminergic activity with interesting differences depending upon whether dopaminergic activity is in a heightened state and if there is a functional circadian clock. Taken together, we find that rhythms in cellular metabolism and circadian proteins work together to regulate dopamine synthesis and the reward value for drugs of abuse.
Comparison Among the Three Classes

For level-1 and level-3 results with the T 3 aggregator, \({R_{{d_1}/|A{ \cup _{{S_3}}}B|}}\) is the only R compatibility measure that performed as well as the better set-theoretic similarity measures in the majority of cases. In the ph and hp cases, the set-theoretic measures outperformed \({R_{{d_1}/|A{ \cup _{{S_3}}}B|}}\). It should be noted that \({R_{{d_1}/|A{ \cup _{{S_3}}}B|}}\) is also a set-theoretic measure since it is equivalent to \({S_{1/D_{{T_1}}^ - /{S_3}/rel}}\). Kcosθ and \({K_{bhat{t_{\bmod }}}}\) performed as well as or better (mm, mh, hh) than all the set-theoretic measures except for the ph and hp case. For these two cases, the results are comparable to the inclusion indices based on relative cardinality and the \({S_{1/D_{{T_1}}^ - /{S_3}/rel}}\) and \({S_{3/{I_{{S_1}}}/rel/{T_3}}}\) measures. \({G_{{D_*}/\operatorname{supp} }}\) and \({G_{{D_@}/\operatorname{supp} }}\) level-1 results are comparable to \({S_{3/{I_{{S_1}}}/rel/{T_3}}}\) and \({S_{3/{I_{{S_2}}}/rel/{T_3}}}\) similarity measures except for mp, mm, mh, and hp where \({S_{3/{I_{{S_1}}}/rel/{T_3}}}\) and \({S_{3/{I_{{S_2}}}/rel/{T_3}}}\) perform 10 to 20 per cent better. For level-3 results, however, these two G compatibility measures perform 10 to 20 per cent better with the precise domain knowledge base than those two similarity measures. With the high domain imprecision, they perform 10 to 20 per cent worse than those two similarity measures. When the evidential fuzzy set is the reference and the domain information is precise, L Evid/ sup is able to identify the target as well as any of the set-theoretic measures using T3. Similarly when the domain fuzzy set is the reference and the evidence is precise, L Attr/ sup is able to identify the target as well as any of the set-theoretic measures except for \({S_{3/{I_{S1}}/rel/{T_3}}},\) which performs about 20 per cent better for the mp case.
Functional MRI Evidence for Neural Plasticity at Early Stages of Visual Processing in Humans

In everyday life, our visual system is continuously flooded with information from the environment. However, the visual system has a limited processing capacity. Hence, we perceive only a fraction of this information, which typically forms the objects of our visual experience. In other words, because of the limited processing resources, information or objects that are simultaneously present in the visual field will compete for neural representation. How does our visual system select what is relevant to us at any given time and in any given context stands as a fundamental question in visual neurosciences.
Regular Birth and Death Times for Markov Processes

The concept underlying a homogeneous Markov process is that the evolution of the process from time t onwards depends only on the position at time t and not on the past before t. There are two aspects to this idea. First, there is the conditional independence of the t-past and t-future given the t-present, and second, there is the subsequent evolution of the process as a homogeneous Markov process obeying the same laws of transition. Both aspects are meant by the assertion that the process is Markov or has the Markov property.
Activity Coefficient of Copper in Liquid Iron, Fe-C, And Fe-C-Si Alloys at 1600°C

The distribution of copper between liquid silver and liquid iron, Fe-C, and Fe-C-Si alloys was studied at 1600°C. From the data and the activity of copper in silver obtained from the phase diagrams, the activity coefficients of copper in iron up to 3 atomic pct are log γ Cu = 0.90 − 2.4 NCu and γ°Cu = 8.0. The effect of carbon up to saturation is expressed as log γ(c)Cu = 1.8 Nc. The effect of silicon up to 11 atomic pct is insignificant.
Time-Resolution Spectroscopy

Time-resolution spectroscopy is concerned with the evaluation of temporal spectral variations in a radiating source, which is frequently a rapidly occurring optical phenomenon. The observational information required for this type of spectrum analysis is recorded either by film, using a time-resolving spectrograph, or by electronic sensing devices adapted to a standard spectrograph. The characteristics of these instruments and their applications to studies of exploding wires and nuclear explosions will be discussed in terms of the information desired and results obtained.
Compulsory Voting and Parties’ Vote-Seeking Strategies

I advance a theory about how compulsory voting affects the behavior of political parties. The theory suggests that parties will pivot toward programmatic vote‐seeking strategies and away from clientelistic tactics, such as vote buying, where voting is compulsory. I test my expectations in three separate studies, using several data sources and empirical approaches. In Study 1, cross‐national analyses show that parties behave more programmatically under compulsory voting and that vote buying is less common where voting is mandatory. In Study 2, synthetic control and difference‐in‐differences analyses show that a switch to compulsory voting in Thailand produced an increase in programmatic vote seeking. In Study 3, a list experiment conducted in tandem with a natural experiment shows that compulsory voting leads parties to rely less on vote‐buying tactics in Argentina. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings, which together are broadly supportive of my theoretical expectations.
Evaluation of silicon membranes for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

While extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a valuable therapy for patients with lung or heart failure, clinical use of ECMO remains limited due to hemocompatibility concerns with pro-coagulatory hollow fiber membrane geometries. Previously, we demonstrated the feasibility of silicon nanopore (SNM) and micropore (SμM) membranes for transport between two liquid-phase compartments in blood-contacting devices. Herein, we investigate various pore sizes of SNM and SμM membranes – alone or with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) protective coating – for parameters that determine suitability for gas exchange. We characterized the bubble or rupture point of these membranes to determine sweep gas pressures at which gas emboli would form. The smallest pore size SNM and the SμM with PDMS coating could be pressurized in excess of 260 cmHg without rupture, which is comparable to hollow fiber sweep gas pressures. Oxygen flux for the SμM with and without PDMS was insignificantly different at 0.0306 ± 0.0028 and 0.0297 ± 0.0012 mL/min, respectively, while SNM flux was significantly lower at 0.0149 ± 0.0040 mL/min. However, the area-normalized mass transfer coefficient of the SNM was 338 ± 54 mL O2 m−2 min−1 cmHg−1 – an order of magnitude higher than that of the SμM with and without PDMS (57.3 ± 5.5 and 55.6 ± 2.2 mL O2 m−2 min−1 cmHg−1). Ultimately, we conclude that SμM-PDMS may make effective membranes for ECMO, since they are both mechanically robust and capable of high oxygen flux.
Nanoparticle aggregation in a freshwater river: the role of engineered surface coatings

Within aquatic environments, the aggregation of ENPs has been identified as an important process affecting their environmental fate. Previous research using simple model mediums has demonstrated that engineered surface coatings applied to ENPs can alter their aggregation behavior. However, the relevance and effect of these surface coatings on ENPs dispersed in complex aquatic mediums is largely unknown. The objective of the current work was to explore this topic further using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with different engineered surface coatings as model ENPs. AuNPs with neutral or negatively-charged, covalently-bound surface coatings (polyethylene glycol [PEG] or carboxylated PEG, respectively) were found to be stable in both raw and filtered river water, while AuNPs with positively-charged (branched polyethylenimine, aminated PEG) or electrostatically-bound (citrate) surface coatings readily aggregated. For the model ENPs that aggregated, their average percent removal after mixing in the filtered river water was similar to that measured after the same period in raw river water, revealing that homoaggregation was dominant relative to heteroaggregation. To quantify the effect of the surface coatings on the colloidal stability of the model ENPs, we attempted to estimate homo- and heteroaggregation attachment efficiency factors (αhomo and αhetero, respectively) using a recently reported functional assay. A number of challenges preventing these direct calculations in this system are discussed. However, from modelling it was inferred that αhomo ≥ αhetero. We find that ENP colloidal stability was related to eco-corona formation (i.e., adsorption of natural organic matter), which was regulated by the properties of the engineered surface coatings. Overall, the results of the batch experiments demonstrate that engineered surface coatings can affect ENP colloidal stability in a complex medium, further highlighting the need to consider this factor when investigating the environmental fate of ENPs.
Combined Heat and Mass Transfer Processes

The purpose of this chapter is twofold: First, to discuss generally the basic processes involved in combined heat and mass transfer in a flowing fluid and to establish the conservation equations and the constitutive equations which describe these processes; second, to apply the above equations to boundary layer flow of gases at high temperatures and with chemical reactions, and to obtain some solutions through similarity considerations. The discussion will be restricted to such temperatures and pressures that the fluid involved can be considered a continuum and that local thermodynamic equilibrium for the various energy states is closely approached, so that the local condition in the field can be described by a single temperature.
Promoting Women’s Participation in Cross-border Trade in South Asia:

Historically, practitioners and policymakers have overlooked gender issues in the trade space; however, research in recent decades strongly suggests that trade is not gender neutral. Cross-border t...
Conceptualizing and testing the vicious cycle in child protective services: The critical role played by child maltreatment fatalities

Abstract Child Maltreatment Fatalities (CMFs) have been alleged to exert great pressures on the delivery of Child Protective Services. Anecdotal accounts implicate CMFs as a cause of “vicious cycles” defined as sequences of scandal, outrage, and reform that destabilize and re-stabilize agency operations and personnel. In this paper we test the CMF cycle hypothesis using 22 years of data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). We employ Fourier time series and panel regression and find some evidence to support a cycle of CMF case accumulations that repeat at an 8 to 10 year interval. We show that previous levels of CMFs are much better predictors of subsequent CMFs than risk assessment factors used in much of the child welfare literature. We discuss the reasons why predictive analytics using traditional risk factors will continue to perform unsatisfactorily, and why dynamic models of CMFs will always perform better. Finally we consider how our research on the relative efficacy of traditional risk-as-hazard modelling vis a vis dynamic modelling can be used by academics and researchers to help practitioners operate more effective child welfare agencies.
Cross-Relaxation from Er3+(2H11/2,4S3/2) and Er3+(2H9/2) in β-NaYF4:Yb,Er and Implications for Modeling Upconversion Dynamics

We have implemented both the Dornauf–Heber (D–H) model and a brute force statistical (BFS) model to characterize the quenching by neighboring Er and Yb ions of the green and blue emitting states of...
The Republic of Arabic Letters: Islam and the European Enlightenment

Why wait for the concluding paragraph to offer an evaluative comment on this splendid book? I would rather start with the simple statement that The Republic of Arabic Letters is an extraordinarily ...
Serving on multiple fronts: A grounded theory model of complex decision-making in military mental health care.

Abstract Rationale Military mental health providers must navigate multiple competing professional boundaries when delivering care in complex cases. Currently no clear policy exists to balance clinical professional obligations to do no harm with potentially-contradictory military policies. Thusly, military providers may face Catch-22 situations where they must choose to seemingly neglect either their duty to the military or their duty to clinical professional standards. Objective Recognizing such situations as emblematic of role strain (Goode, 1960), this study employed a grounded theory approach to examine military mental health providers' decision-making in the face of competing professional demands. Method An evolving, semi-structured interview guide steered discussions with 20 active duty and civilian mental health providers across 16 Air Force/Department of Defense facilities. Using a symbolic interactionism framework, three rounds of coding enabled increasing levels of abstraction, ultimately revealing a grounded theory model of complex decision-making. Results The final model includes four antecedents - training, resources, consultation, and clinic climate. Those antecedents influence development of three different role views: clinical professional, agent of the client, and agent of the military. Role views impact decision-making and provider behaviors that may either enhance or detract from quality care. Decision-making and provider behaviors link to consequences at the patient, provider, clinic, and community levels. Conclusions The model offers insights into military mental health providers' growth versus burnout, and engagement in quality-enhancing versus -detracting behaviors. It also illuminates strategies military leaders might leverage to normalize and relieve provider role strain as a means to improve individual and community trust, wellness, and helpseeking.
The brief window of time comprising a wheelchair transfer confers a significant fracture risk on elderly Americans

Abstract Objectives Wheelchairs grant increased mobility to their users but can result in injuries of varying severities, including fractures which are often associated with wheelchair transfers. However, this fracture burden remains poorly characterized in elderly Americans. The purpose of this study was to report demographic and environmental risk factors for these injuries. Study design We used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for the years 2007–2017 to perform a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of wheelchair transfer fractures in patients aged 65 years and older. Methods Each yearly sample in the NEISS database was queried between 2007 and 2017 for fractures associated with wheelchair transfers in patients aged 65 years or older. The narrative sections of the database were individually read and reviewed to identify cases in which a patient explicitly transferred into or out of a wheelchair while sustaining said fracture. Results Between 2007 and 2017, the average number of patients aged 65 years and older presenting to US emergency departments was 3924 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2792–5055). A significantly higher percentage of fractures (61.8%; 95% CI = 56.7%–66.8%) is associated with transferring out of wheelchairs. Moreover, such fractures were often associated with transferring to and from beds (29.9%; 95% CI = 25.4%–34.3%), with the hip (37.5%; 95% CI = 33.3%–41.6%) being the most commonly fractured anatomical region overall. A majority of patients required admission to the hospital (60.2%; 95%CI = 52.4%–68.0%) and most wheelchair transfer fractures occurred at home (44.1%; 95% CI = 36.7%–51.5%), with women (71.9%; 95% CI = 68.3%–75.6%) comprising the majority of these patients. Conclusions Our findings show that wheelchair transfers are associated with significant risk of severe fracture in elderly Americans. As such, wheelchair transfer events merit extra attention from healthcare providers because they comprise a brief window of time relative to the number of occupancy hours in full-time wheelchair users yet can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Preventative measures and patient education should be encouraged to preserve patient mobility and reduce injury.
Patient-reported impact of symptoms in Huntington disease: PRISM-HD.

Objective To determine the frequency and relative importance of symptoms experienced by adults with Huntington disease (HD) and to identify factors associated with a higher disease burden. Methods We performed 40 qualitative interviews (n = 20 with HD, n = 20 caregivers) and analyzed 2,082 quotes regarding the symptomatic burden of HD. We subsequently performed a cross-sectional study with 389 participants (n = 156 with HD [60 of whom were prodromal], n = 233 caregivers) to assess the prevalence and relative importance (scale 0–4) of 216 symptoms and 15 symptomatic themes in HD. Cross-correlation analysis was performed based on sex, disease duration, age, number of CAG repeats, disease burden, Total Functional Capacity score, employment status, disease status, and ambulatory status. Results The symptomatic themes with the highest prevalence in HD were emotional issues (83.0%), fatigue (82.5%), and difficulty thinking (77.0%). The symptomatic themes with the highest relative importance to participants were difficulty thinking (1.91), impaired sleep or daytime sleepiness (1.90), and emotional issues (1.81). High Total Functional Capacity scores, being employed, and having prodromal HD were associated with a lower prevalence of symptomatic themes. Despite reporting no clinical features of the disease, prodromal individuals demonstrated high rates of emotional issues (71.2%) and fatigue (69.5%). There was concordance between the prevalence of symptoms reported by manifest individuals and caregivers. Conclusions Many symptomatic themes affect the lives of those with HD. These themes have a variable level of importance to the HD population and are identified both by those with HD and by their caregivers.
The odontoid process

The odontoid process was once thought to be a displaced body of the atlas but is now believed to have separated from the anterior part of the atlas between the sixth and seventh week of gestation and to have migrated caudally to fuse with the body of the axis. The fully formed odontoid process is toothlike/peg shaped with a curved superior surface and deviates slightly to the left or right in approximately 14–26% of the population. The odontoid may also be retroflexed, and this has been found to be more common in individuals with the Chiari I malformation.
Gaussian embedding for large-scale gene set analysis

Gene sets, including protein complexes and signalling pathways, have proliferated greatly, in large part as a result of high-throughput biological data. Leveraging gene sets to gain insight into biological discovery requires computational methods for converting them into a useful form for available machine learning models. Here, we study the problem of embedding gene sets as compact features that are compatible with available machine learning codes. We present Set2Gaussian, a novel network-based gene set embedding approach, which represents each gene set as a multivariate Gaussian distribution rather than a single point in the low-dimensional space, according to the proximity of these genes in a protein–protein interaction network. We demonstrate that Set2Gaussian improves gene set member identification, accurately stratifies tumours, and finds concise gene sets for gene set enrichment analysis. We further show how Set2Gaussian allows us to identify a clinical prognostic and predictive subnetwork around neurofilament medium in sarcoma, which we validate in independent cohorts. Gene sets can provide valuable information for gaining insight into disease mechanisms and cellular functions. In this paper, the authors use a Gaussian approach to represent gene sets and gene networks in a low-dimensional space, allowing for accurate prediction and decreased computational complexity.
Reconstructing weighted voting schemes from partial information about their power indices

A number of recent works [Goldberg 2006; O'Donnell and Servedio 2011; De, Diakonikolas, and Servedio 2017; De, Diakonikolas, Feldman, and Servedio 2014] have considered the problem of approximately reconstructing an unknown weighted voting scheme given information about various sorts of ``power indices'' that characterize the level of control that individual voters have over the final outcome. In the language of theoretical computer science, this is the problem of approximating an unknown linear threshold function (LTF) over $\{-1, 1\}^n$ given some numerical measure (such as the function's $n$ ``Chow parameters,'' a.k.a. its degree-1 Fourier coefficients, or the vector of its $n$ Shapley indices) of how much each of the $n$ individual input variables affects the outcome of the function. In this paper we consider the problem of reconstructing an LTF given only partial information about its Chow parameters or Shapley indices; i.e. we are given only the Chow parameters or the Shapley indices corresponding to a subset $S \subseteq [n]$ of the $n$ input variables. A natural goal in this partial information setting is to find an LTF whose Chow parameters or Shapley indices corresponding to indices in $S$ accurately match the given Chow parameters or Shapley indices of the unknown LTF. We refer to this as the Partial Inverse Power Index Problem. Our main results are a polynomial time algorithm for the ($\varepsilon$-approximate) Chow Parameters Partial Inverse Power Index Problem and a quasi-polynomial time algorithm for the ($\varepsilon$-approximate) Shapley Indices Partial Inverse Power Index Problem.
Use of Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Older Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients

ABSTRACT The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) using Beers criteria and its impact on older allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients is not known. Here the use of any PIMs and their therapeutic classes in reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic HCT recipients were compared between older (≥65 years; n = 114) and younger (40 to 64 years; n = 240) patients during their initial HCT admission, defined as the number of days that a patient received 1 or more PIMs between day -14 and day +28. Poisson regression was used to determine rate ratios (RRs) in the 2 groups. In the ≥65 years group, we evaluated the impact of PIMs on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade 3-4 toxicities within 100 days and on overall mortality within 1 year post-HCT. The rate of any PIM use was similar in the older and younger groups (RR, .98; 95% confidence interval [CI], .90 to 1.06; P = .65). In terms of PIM classes, the older group had a 48% higher rate of gastrointestinal (GI) medication use (RR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.65; P
Complex Interplay Between Cognitive Ability and Social Motivation in Predicting Social Skill: A Unique Role for Social Motivation in Children With Autism.

Impairment in social interaction is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the factors which contribute to this social skill deficiency are poorly understood. Previous research has shown that cognitive ability can impact social skill development in ASD. Yet, children with ASD whose cognitive abilities are in the normal range nevertheless demonstrate deficits in social skill. More recently, the social motivation theory of ASD has emerged as a framework by which to understand how failure to seek social experiences may lead to social skill deficits. This study was designed to better understand the relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill in a well-characterized cohort of children with ASD (n = 79), their unaffected siblings (n = 50), and unrelated neurotypical controls (n = 60). The following instruments were used: The Stanford-Binet intelligence quotient (IQ), the Social Responsiveness Scale's Social Motivation Subscale, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales' Socialization Standard Score. We found that lower cognitive ability contributed to diminished social skill, but did so universally in all children. In contrast, social motivation strongly predicted social skill only in children with ASD, such that those with the lowest social motivation exhibited the greatest social skill impairment. Notably, this relationship was observed across a large range of intellectual ability but was most pronounced in those with IQs ≥ 80. These findings establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in ASD and support the hypothesis that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in children without intellectual disability. LAY SUMMARY: The relationships between cognitive ability, social motivation, and social skill are poorly understood. Here we report that cognitive ability predicts social skill in all children, whereas social motivation predicts social skill only in children with autism. These results establish a unique link between social motivation and social skill in autism, and suggest that low social motivation may impair social skill acquisition in this disorder, particularly in those without intellectual disability.
Anomalous Facile Carbamate Formation at High Stripping Temperatures from Carbon Dioxide Reaction with 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol in Aqueous Solution

Based on first-principles simulations, we present that carbamate formation can be kinetically more favorable than bicarbonate formation at high stripping temperatures (>400 K) from the reaction bet...
Tick parasitism impairs contest behavior in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Parasites may impair host behavior in ways that reduce host fitness, especially when access to territories or mates becomes disrupted. Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) are a key host to western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus). Males are highly aggressive during the mating season, competing with rivals through displays of color badges, pushups, and other behaviors. We hypothesized that experimental tick infestation diminishes the performance of male western fence lizards in intrasexual contests, via either blood loss, damage to sensory structures, or both. We infested adult males with larval ticks for 7 to 10 days, staged contests between infested and quality-matched control males, and measured their behavior in enclosure arenas. Infested lizards were less aggressive and exhibited decreased hematocrit, compared to non-infested animals. We found no relationships between aggression and either body size or blue ventral badge color traits, for either infested or uninfested males. There was also no effect of tick attachment location and hemoparasite infection on host contest behavior. This is the first demonstration of the impact of I. pacificus parasitism on intraspecific interactions of western fence lizards and suggests that tick infestation has substantial impacts on lizard fitness. Because I. pacificus rely heavily on these lizards for blood meals and dispersal, these impacts could also influence the abundance of ticks and the pathogens they vector. Parasitism frequently impairs host behavior. We investigated the effect of blacklegged tick parasitism on western fence lizard contest behavior using a lab-based manipulation experiment. We demonstrated that tick infestation reduced lizard aggressiveness, which may lead to territory loss and reduced mating opportunities in the wild. We found no evidence that host body size or coloration are correlated with aggression. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that tick parasitism is costly for lizards, while demonstrating the usefulness of manipulation experiments to understand host-parasite interactions.
Polyester Mesh Functionalization with Nitric Oxide-Releasing Silica Nanoparticles Reduces Early Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Contamination.

Background: Infected hernia mesh is a cause of post-operative morbidity. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in the endogenous immune response to infection. We sought to study the efficacy of a NO-releasing mesh against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We hypothesized that a NO-releasing polyester mesh would decrease MRSA colonization and proliferation. Materials and Methods: A composite polyester mesh functionalized with N-diazeniumdiolate silica nanoparticles was synthesized and characterized. N-diazeniumdiolate silica parietex composite (NOSi) was inoculated with 104,106, or 108 colony forming units (CFUs) of MRSA and a dose response was quantified in a soy tryptic broth assay. Utilizing a rat model of contaminated hernia repair, implanted mesh was inoculated with MRSA, recovered, and CFUs were quantified. Clinical metrics of erythema, mesh contracture, and adhesion severity were then characterized. Results: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CFUs demonstrated a dose-dependent response to NOSi in vitro. In vivo, quantified CFUs showed a dose-dependent response to NOSi-PCO. Treated rats had fewer severe adhesions, less erythema, and reduced mesh contracture. Conclusions: We demonstrate the efficacy of a NO-releasing mesh to treat MRSA in vitro and in vivo. Creation of a novel class of antimicrobial prosthetics offers new strategies for reconstructing contaminated abdominal wall defects and other procedures that benefit from deploying synthetic prostheses in contaminated environments.
Allocating Medical Resources During Times of Scarcity

Scarcity of medical resources and services during public health emergencies raises challenging legal and ethical questions. The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the capacity of health systems, and revealed some of the shortcomings of previous efforts to plan for and implement ethical and effective allocation protocols for scarce medical resources and services. Governments and health institutions have ample authority and expertise, but often lack the political and economic support needed to avoid shortages and mitigate their severity. Legal issues that may arise in this context include liability for health care professionals and institutions that must make allocation decisions when resources are scarce and civil rights concerns over discrimination in crisis standards of care protocols or their implementation. In the short term, federal and state officials must expand available resources to mitigate resource scarcity in the COVID-19 response. They must provide legal and practical guidance to health care and public health entities that may need to implement crisis standards of care, and ensure that scarce resources — including newly-developed treatments and vaccines — are allocated consistent with legal and ethical responsibilities that protect the most vulnerable persons through fair and equitable prioritization. In the longer term, federal and state officials should support efforts to clarify and incorporate protections into crisis standards of care plans that prioritize antidiscrimination, fairness, and equity in allocation decision making. This paper was prepared as part of the COVID-19 Policy Playbook: Legal Recommendations for a Safer, More Equitable Future, a comprehensive report published by Public Health Law Watch in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation and the American Public Health Association.
Positive Working Relationships Reported Among Michigan’s Local Elected Officials

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding relationships among members of their board or council as well as between the board/council and local government employees. Assessments include a look at various factors that help or hurt board/council relationships, as well as ratings of the tone of discussion among local elected officials and how often they reach consensus on issues. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2018 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).
U.S. transgender women's preferences for microeconomic interventions to address structural determinants of HIV vulnerability: a qualitative assessment.

Transgender women in the United States (U.S.) experience a disproportionate burden of HIV infection and challenges to engagement in HIV prevention and care. This excess burden is driven by structural and economic inequities. Microeconomic interventions may be effective strategies for reducing HIV inequities for this population. However, few studies have explored transgender women’s preferences for microeconomic interventions to address structural determinants of HIV vulnerability. We conducted individual interviews with 19 adult transgender women in 2 U.S. cities (Richmond, VA and St. Louis, MO) who reported one or more sexual risk behaviors and recent economic hardship related to employment/income, housing, or food security. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The majority (74%) of transgender women were racial/ethnic minorities with mean age of 26.3 years. 89% were currently economically vulnerable; and 23% were employed full-time. 37% reported living with HIV. Participants expressed strong support for unrestricted vouchers, with many expressing the need for funds to support gender-affirming interventions. Assistance with how to budget and save and support for job acquisition, career planning, and employment sustainment were also preferred, including access to non-stigmatizing employment. Visible transgender leadership, group empowerment, and small (rather than large) numbers of participants were considered important aspects of intervention design for transgender women, including outreach through existing transgender networks to facilitate inclusion. Incorporating HIV counseling and testing to reduce vulnerability to HIV was acceptable. However, transgender women enrolled in the study preferred that HIV not be the focus of an intervention. Flexible microeconomic interventions that support gender affirming interventions, improve financial literacy, and provide living-wage non-stigmatizing employment are desired by economically vulnerable transgender women. While not focused on HIV, such interventions have the potential to reduce the structural drivers of HIV vulnerability among transgender women.
Criminal Histories of Intimate Partner Homicide Offenders

This exploratory study investigates intimate partner homicide (IPH) offenders’ criminal histories to examine opportunities for criminal justice system intervention. Data were collected from the Mic...
Sonic thinking as a tool for creativity, communication, and sensory awareness in music production

Abstract Sonic thinking connects art and science with the phenomenological and tactile experiences of focused listening. Inspired by multiple fields, including sound studies, music education, and philosophy, sonic thinking embraces an open-ended inquiry process—one that values a personal connection to sound and its associated meanings and contexts. Aural awareness and critical listening comprise essential skills for audio engineers and musicians training for careers in music production. However, more research is needed to understand better how educators can inspire these skills in a holistic manner that avoids overreliance on technocratic pedagogical models. There are gaps in the disciplinary boundaries of acoustics and sonic thinking. The cognitive and communicative binaries between recorded and non-recorded media are also challenging to integrate cohesively. What does it mean to “feel” sound in the body and model that connection for others in the recording studio and beyond? How does an audio engineer communicate abstract and esoteric concepts about sound to the artist? This article examines the practical and theoretical implications of sonic thinking and how educators guide students to a holistic and multifaceted understanding of sound and creative practice in the recording studio.
Mechanisms of the transfer of aminoacyl-tRNA from aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to the elongation factor 1 alpha

Aspartylation of mammalian tRNAAsp by bacteria-expressed human aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (hDRS) was examined. The kinetics of the aspartylation of tRNA was consistent with the following reaction pathway, [formula: see text] where E, represents aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. A set of rate constants was obtained which fit single turnover time courses at varying concentrations of the enzyme, tRNA, and AMP using the SAAM program. The dissociation of Asp-tRNA (k3) was found to be rate limiting. The elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1 alpha) and GTP stimulated the hDRS aspartylation. The stimulation depended on the presence of both EF1 alpha and GTP. Kinetic analysis indicated that EF1 alpha formed a complex with the hDRS-Asp-tRNA complex and stimulated the dissociation of Asp-tRNA. In the presence of 0.5 M NH4Cl, which enhances the binding of Asp-tRNA by EF1 alpha, hDRS-bound Asp-tRNA can be transferred directly to EF1 alpha. The implications of these results on the function of the multi-tRNA synthetase complex will be discussed.
Dynamic choice in social settings: Learning from the experiences of others

Abstract This paper uses elementary nonparametric regression theory to integrate economic and sociological thinking about expectations and choice. The main result is a Social Learning Proposition giving conditions implying that a person who observes the outcomes realized by a set of ‘role models’ can use these data to estimate nonparametrically the expected utility of an action. The Social Learning Proposition is first developed for static discrete choice and then extended to finite-horizon dynamic discrete choice problems. The key to the extension is a Representation Lemma showing that any dynamic problem has an observationally indistinguishable static representation.
Development and application of caged calcium.

Several caged calciums have been synthesized since 1986, and three are commercially available: DM-nitrophen, NP-EGTA, and nitr-5. Each of these caged compounds has uniquely useful properties, making the choice of which cage to use dependent on the specific experiment (i.e., the cell type and divalent cation requirements of the experiments within purview). Significantly, methods have been developed for all three cages that permit their quantitative use inside many cell types, including those with some of the most demanding of requirements for experiments with caged calcium, namely, in relating presynaptic [Ca] to postsynaptic function. The success of such experiments using DM-nitrophen and NP-EGTA suggests that caged calcium is now a mature tool for cellular physiology and neurobiology.
Effects of Turbulence on Spark-Ignition Engine Combustion

The effects of mixture turbulence on combustion in a spark- ignition engine were investigated using a CFR engine. The apparent instantaneous turbulent flame speed during combustion was calculated from a combustion head release model that used measured cylinder pressures and assumed spherical flame propagation. This flame speed was correlated with turbulent intensities measured in the motored engine. The ratio of fully developed turbulent flame speed to laminar flame speed was found to be a linear function of motored turbulent intensity. /GMRL/
Comparative study of four microporous filters for concentrating viruses from drinking water.

Four microporous virus-adsorbent filter media for recovering low levels of virus from 380 liters of drinking water were compared. In addition, two of the filter media were compared with 1,900 liters of drinking water. The filter media evaluated were MF nitrocellulose membranes (293 mm), AA Cox M-780 epoxy-fiberglass-asbestos disks (267 mm), K-27 yarn-wound fiberglass cartridges + AA Cox M-780 disks (127 mm), and Balston epoxy-fiberglass tubes (24.5 by 63.5 mm). The filters were used to concentrate seeded poliovirus from 380 liters of finished drinking water. Sodium thiosulfate was added to the drinking water to neutralize chlorine, and hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 3.5. Virus was eluted from the filters with glycine-NaOH buffer at pH 11.5. In terms of virus recovery efficiency, the filter media ranked Balston > Cox 267-mm > MF 293-mm ≃ K-27 + Cox 127-mm, but differences were slight. The Balston filters and holders were also superior to the other systems in terms of size, weight, cost, and handling factors. Experiments with 2- and 8-μm porosity Balston filters showed no statistically significant difference in virus recovery. Virus was readily detected by the Balston and the MF 293-mm systems at input levels of 12 to 22 PFU/1,900 liters. Preliminary experiments indicated that an elution pH lower than 11.5 may be satisfactory.
Contour Tracking in Clutter: A Subset Approach

A new method for tracking contours of moving objects in clutter is presented. For a given object, a model of its contours is learned from training data in the form of a subset of contour space. Greater complexity is added to the contour model by analyzing rigid and non-rigid transformations of contours separately. In the course of tracking, multiple contours may be observed due to the presence of extraneous edges in the form of clutters the learned model guides the algorithm in picking out the correct one. The algorithm, which is posed as a solution to a minimization problem, is made efficient by the use of several iterative schemes. Results applying the proposed algorithm to the tracking of a flexing finger and to a conversing individual's lips are presented.
Posttraumatic spindle cell nodule of the buccal mucosa: Report of a case

A benign posttraumatic spindle cell proliferation arising at a site of laceration in the buccal mucosa of a 19-year old man is described. This lesion, which histologically mimicked a leiomyosarcoma, appears to represent a reactive process similar to that described as postoperative spindle cell nodules of the genitourinary tract. Reexcision of the area 1 month after biopsy revealed only scar formation and mild chronic inflammation. Recognition of this type of benign spindle cell proliferation at traumatized sites in the oral cavity is important if misdiagnosis and subsequent aggressive therapy is to be avoided.
Incorporation of Substrate Cell Lipid A Components into the Lipopolysaccharide of Intraperiplasmically Grown Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

The composition of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was determined for cells grown axenically and intraperiplasmically on Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas putida. The LPS of axenically grown bdellovibrios contained glucose and fucosamine as the only detectable neutral sugar and amino sugar, and nonadecenoic acid (19:1) as the predominant fatty acid. Additional fatty acids, heptose, ketodeoxyoctoic acid, and phosphate were also detected. LPS from bdellovibrios grown intraperiplasmically contained components characteristic of both axenically grown bdellovibrios and the substrate cells. Substrate cell-derived LPS fatty acids made up the majority of the bdellovibrio LPS fatty acids and were present in about the same proportions as in the substrate cell LPS. Glucosamine derived from E. coli LPS amounted to about one-third of the hexosamine residues in intraperiplasmically grown bdellovibrio LPS. However, galactose, characteristic of the E. coli outer core and O antigen, was not detected in the bdellovibrio LPS, suggesting that only lipid A components of the substrate cell were incorporated. Substrate cell-derived and bdellovibrio-synthesized LPS materials were conserved in the B. bacteriovorus outer membrane for at least two cycles of intraperiplasmic growth. When bdellovibrios were grown on two different substrate cells successively, lipid A components were taken up from the second while the components incorporated from the lipid A of the first were conserved in the bdellovibrio LPS. The data show that substrate cell lipid A components were incorporated into B. bacteriovorus lipid A during intraperiplasmic growth with little or no change, and that these components, fatty acids and hexosamines, comprised a substantial portion of bdellovibrio lipid A.
Copper Enzymes in Denitrification

Denitrification is an intrinsic part of the global nitrogen cycle, balancing the cycle by returning fixed nitrogen to the atmosphere. During denitrification, a bacterial respiratory process, nitrate or nitrite is reduced to nitrogenous oxides. All of the redox reactions of denitrification are catalyzed by metalloenzymes, two of which contain copper. This chapter reviews the structures, mechanisms, and assembly of these copper-containing enzymes, copper nitrite reductase and nitrous oxide reductase. Keywords: nitrite reductase; nitrous oxide reductase; copper proteins; denitrification; metal-cluster assembly; Type 1 center; Type 2 center; copper-sulfur cluster; CuA; metalloenzyme
From Farm to Fork

Abstract Food safety is a growing concern for consumers and for professionals in the foodservice industry. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the critical control points for food safety as food moves from the farm (production) to the fork (consumer consumption). Each person involved in the production, processing, distribution, preparation, and service of food has an important role in assuring that food is safe for consumption. At each of these critical control points, food safety can be jeopardized. Issues and current research for each critical control point willbepresented.
(S)‐(+)‐Neomenthyldiphenylphosphine in Nickel‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive Coupling of Alkynes and Aldehydes: Enantioselective Synthesis of Allylic Alcohols and α‐Hydroxy Ketones

Ni(cod)2 (S)-(+)-Neomenthyldiphenylphosphine Triethylborane Dimethylimidizolidinone 1-Phenyl-1-butyne (R)-(E)-2-Benzylidiene-1-cyclohexyl-butan-1-ol (R)-Butan-2-one Dimethylsulfide Keywords: asymmetric coupling; nickel catalyst; enantioselective synthesis; allyl alcohols; alpha-hydroxy ketones; natural products; alkynes; aldehydes; ozonolysis; waste disposal