cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neonatal and Pediatric Posttransfusion Hepatitis C: A Look Back and a Look Forward

* Abbreviations: HCV = : hepatitis C virus • NANB = : non-A, non-B hepatitis • RIBA = : recombinant immunoblot assay • HIV = : human immunodeficiency virus • ALT = : alanine aminotransferase • FDA = : Food and Drug Administration Ten years have elapsed since the identification of the viral agent (hepatitis C virus [HCV]) responsible for hepatitis C was first reported.1 This remarkable achievement occurred after >20 years of intense effort by investigators worldwide following the observation that at least 1 additional viral agent, other than hepatitis A and hepatitis B, was the major cause of posttransfusion hepatitis.2 Before the discovery of HCV, the term non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANB) was used to designate viral hepatitis for which there were no recognized serologic or virologic markers. Because most instances of NANB hepatitis were, in reality, hepatitis C, prospective studies and observations conducted in the 1970s and 1980s shed much light on the clinical features and natural history of HCV infection in adults. However, the discovery and characterization of the viral agent was a major leap forward and rapidly led to the development of assays to detect anti-HCV antibodies and more recently to the application of polymerase chain reaction assays that recognize minute amounts of circulating HCV genome (HCV-RNA). The development of these tests have made it possible to firmly establish a diagnosis of hepatitis C in the clinical setting and have led to a better understanding of the salient epidemiologic, clinical, biochemical, and histologic manifestations of HCV infection. In addition, they provide information essential for obtaining a more accurate assessment of the effects of both established and experimental therapeutic regimens on the course of infection. Moreover, the ability to screen potentially infectious materials, such as blood donated for transfusion, has had an important impact in preventing the spread of hepatitis C. HCV is an enveloped RNA virus with a genome that consists of ∼10 000 nucleotides.3 The virus is a member of the flavivirus family, which also includes other parenterally spread viruses, such as yellow fever and dengue. …
Perceived control, reinforcement, satisfaction, and depression in community elderly.

This article applies cognitive behavioral models of depression to a generally healthy elderly population. Interviews were conducted with 137 elderly people about their perceived levels of reinforcement, control, and satisfaction from five domains of life: food, personal hygiene, leisure activities, social activities, and employment. Global satisfaction and depression measures were also obtained. Perceived levels of reinforcement and of control were significant determinants of satisfaction; however, perceived level of reinforcement was more significant than was perceived control across the domains of life, and perceived level of reinforcement was solely significant in the prediction of general depression or satisfaction. Perceived control seemed to have played a larger relative role in accounting for satisfaction when these elderly people were middle-aged. The results suggest that improving the well-being of these people may be directed at increasing perceived levels of reinforcement in specific areas of l...
Doppler Radar Wind Spectra of Supercell Tornadoes

Abstract A storm-intercept team from the University of Oklahoma, using the Los Alamos National Laboratory portable, continuous wave/frequency modulated–continuous wave, 3-cm Doppler radar, collected close-range data at and below cloud base in six supercell tornadoes in the southern plains during the springs of 1990 and 1991. Data collection and analysis techniques are described. Wind spectra from five weak-to-strong tornadoes and from one violent tornado are presented and discussed in conjunction with simultaneous boresighted video documentation, photogrammetric analysis, and damage surveys. Maximum Doppler wind speeds of 55–105 m s−1 were found in five of the tornadoes; wind speeds as high as 120–125 m s− were found in a large tornado during an outbreak on 26 April 1991. These may be the highest wind speeds ever measured by Doppler radar and the first radar measurements of F-5 intensity wind speeds. The variation in the spectrum across the 26 April 1991 tornado is presented. Standard and mobile soundings...
SURFACE ENHANCEMENT--BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Pursuit of a concept as simple as reversing the oil spill spreading phenomenon has resulted in the development of a very effective methodology for cleanup of oil spills. New equipment and techniques are now routinely used throughout the Navy where spills occur. Two comprehensive spill cleanup scenarios which extensively use the surface enhancement equipment and techniques are described. The scenarios are confined area spill, with the skimmer in a stationary mode, and open area spills, with the skimmer in a moving mode. Data are presented which show that skimmer performance can be improved by factors of 8 and 18 for water and air enhancement systems, respectively. Examples are presented which show that low-speed skimming while using surface enhancement techniques is more cost effective than high-speed skimming.
Computational modeling of carbon/carbon composites under thermal shock conditions

Abstract The influence of thermal shock conditions on the extent of carbon material decomposition and through-thickness compressive stiffness degradation of 2D woven carbon/carbon (C/C) composites is predicted by computational efforts and validated against experimental results. The proposed computational framework consists of two main steps: (a) radiation heat transfer analysis on a meso-scale C/C composite model exposed to thermal shock conditions accounting for the heat flux due to decomposing material; (b) stress analysis to model the carbon stiffness degradation due to oxidation observed in the previous step. This is followed by a through-thickness compression analysis on the meso-scale model to determine the composite compressive stiffness. The predicted oxidation behavior and compressive responses of the meso-scale model under various thermal shock conditions are in good agreement with previously published experimental results for temperatures up to 700 ° C. Therefore, the proposed computational framework can be used in the initial design of C/C composites and thermal protection systems. That is, it can potentially be used for modeling other C/C composites by changing the fiber architecture, weave pattern and/or fiber volume fraction.
Identification of Multiple Sources in Transient Visual Evoked Neuromagnetic Responses

Neuromagnetic measurements and associated modeling procedures must be capable of resolving multiple sources in order to localize and accurately characterize generators of visual evoked activity. Okada (1984) has estimated that a field pattern generated by two dipoles can be distinguished from that generated by a single dipole provided that the separation between the sources is greater than 1–2 cm, but there have been few attempts at modeling neurally generated field patterns with multiple, simultaneously active dipoles. The expanse of man’s occipital cortex is estimated to be 150–250 cm2 and invasive experiments with cats and monkeys suggest that this region most likely includes several discrete visual areas (e.g., Van Essen, 1985). It thus seems plausible that visual stimuli evoke activity from multiple discrete populations of neurons within visual cortical areas and that the application of appropriate modeling procedures to visually evoked neuromagnetic field data will resolve these populations.
Art as Language

The doctrine that there are "languages of art", that works of fine art are to be construed somehow as utterances in a language, is an attractive doctrine, judging from the steady inclination of interested theorists to revive it in one way or another. For instance, in a fairly early publication of contemporary aesthetics, T. M. Greene argued that a work of art, in expressing something about the world, could be taken as a proposition, whether or not linguistically paraphras able.1 Interestingly enough, Greene did not linger to articulate suffi ciently clearly the sense in which works of art could be said to be propositions; though in ascribing truth to them, in a respect proper to explicit statements, it is (apart from difficulties in his theory of truth and of ascribing truth) clear that he meant what he said to be taken quite literally. Again, Susanne Langer has sustained a notably unsuccessful effort to explicate the defensible sense of her much debated thesis that "Art is the creation of forms symbolic of human feeling".2 In a relatively late adjustment, she concedes that "artistic import is expressed, somewhat as meaning is expressed in a genuine symbol, yet not exactly so. The analogy is strong enough to make it legitimate, even though easily misleading, to call the work of art the art symbol".3 What Langels thesis comes to, then, is the denial that works of art may be construed literally as linguistic utterances or as symbolic utterances that behave in ways formally similar to the uses of language. The analogy between art symbols and "genuine" sym bols may, of course, be conceded benignly enough, once the ulterior philosophical claim is dismissed. Of course, the elementary question posed by the thesis that there are languages of art or that works of art are linguistic or quasi linguistic utterances of some sort is just this: What are the minimal requirements of a language? Admittedly, the question is controversial
The arabinose C gene product of Escherichia coli B-r is hyperlabile in a cell free protein synthesis system.

Extreme instability of the ara activator (araC gene product) of Escherichia coli in a cell free protein synthesis system explains why a mutant activator that produces constitutivity of the arabinose operon in vivo does not do so in vitro.
Dancing on Water: The Choreography of Sulfur Dioxide Adsorption to Aqueous Surfaces

One might expect the high surface tension of water to be a barrier to absorption of a gas into the liquid phase, but we know that gaseous adsorption onto and subsequent absorption into a water surface is a common phenomenon on this planet. What is not commonly known is how an atmospheric gas such as SO2 and molecules at the water surface can overcome the barrier created by strong water–water surface bonding interactions. What this interplay looks like, the distances from the water surface at which these attractive interactions begin, and how they influence the orientational nature of both SO2 and surface water molecules is the focus of this computational study. The results fill a void in the information about this system existing from previous experimental studies by providing information about the dimensional nature of the gas–surface interactions, and the details of how the two species twist and turn orientationally with increased surface interactions. Classical molecular dynamics have been employed in ...
Primary Endoscopic Treatments for Morbid Obesity

Obesity is a rapidly growing national and global epidemic. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNYGB) are well documented as effective treatment options for morbid obesity. However, these surgeries are not without complication; thus alternatives have been evaluated for primary treatment of morbid obesity. Endoscopic procedures have emerged as a less invasive modality and are divided into three subtypes: endolumenal malabsorptive, endolumenal restrictive procedures, and neural modulation therapy.
Cyclicity versus movement: English nominalization and syntactic approaches to morpho-phonological regularity

In this paper, I show that cyclic head approach to regular morphology alone cannot account for the freely available variations in the realization of nominalizers in English nominalizations involving overt verbalizers. Instead, I offer an account of the regularity effects using the technology of Local Dislocation (, , , ). Using this analysis, I derive both the variable nominalization patterns and the restrictions on particles and results in derived nominals from . By treating regularity as the by-product of extant morphosyntatic operations, we can better explain the distribution of regular and irregular nominalizers and account for particle/result restrictions in English derived nominals. Dans cet article, je demontre que l’approche developpee par pour tenir compte de la morphologie reguliere en termes de tetes cycliques ne peut pas expliquer la variation libre dans la realisation des nominalisateurs dans les nominalisations anglaises qui incluent des verbalisateurs visibles. Ensuite, j’offre une analyse des regularites qui exploite le mecanisme du Deplacement local (, , , ). Cette analyse explique a la fois les differentes realisations dans les nominalisations et les contraintes concernant les particules et les resultats dans les nominaux derives de . En analysant la regularite comme le produit derive d’operations morphosyntaxiques actives, nous arrivons a mieux expliquer la distribution des nominalisateurs reguliers et irreguliers et tenir compte des contraintes concernant les particules et les resultats dans les nominaux derives en anglais.
MODELS AND APIs FOR AUDIO SYNTHESIS AND PROCESSING: A PANEL DISCUSSION

ABSTRACT The topic of this panel is object models, programming languages, and application programmer’s interfaces for digital audio processing. The panel brings together de-velopers who share the experience of designing more than one model or language for DASP software, and who are willing to compare and contrast them in terms of their underlying assumptions, the design trade-offs they made in the process, and the rules of thumb that they have learned over their years of experience.Referring back to previous works on languages and environments for computer music, we ask the questions raised in the past: what factors contribute to the success of a computer music language or tool? How do we best apply the features of modern programming languages, development and delivery environment? What have we learned since the 1980s (or the 1960s for that matter) that influences model and language design for music?The panel will be structured a free-flowing discussion of the decisions and trade-offs in system design, rather than a show-and-tell of each of the participants systems, or long position papers.
Thiotepa Effects on Urinary Cytology in the Interpretation of Transitional Cell Cancer

In recent years we have witnessed increased reliance on 2 modalities in the management of patients with superficial transitional cell cancer of the bladder, that is intravesical chemotherapy for the control of existing and recurrent disease, and urinary cytology for the diagnosis of persistent or new neoplastic cells. This development has prompted some concern as to whether the use of chemotherapy might affect the morphological appearance of cells so as to make the interpretation of cytological specimens in this setting unreliable. We describe morphological differences between neoplastic cells and normal as well as cancer cells exposed in situ and in vitro to thiotepa. An appreciation of these differences has permitted accurate diagnosis of urinary cells in the presence or absence of cancer despite the regular use of this agent. Thus, it appears that the status of bladder cancer can be monitored successfully by an assessment of urinary cytology in the context of long-term treatment and prophylaxis with this agent.
Specificity of salivary-bacterial interactions: II. Evidence for a lectin on Streptococcussanguis with specificity for a NeuAcα2,3Ga1β1,3Ga1NAc sequence

Abstract Evidence is presented for the presence of a lectin on Streptococcus sanguis with specificity towards the major acidic oligosaccharide of human salivary mucin. Based upon hemagglutination inhibition studies, the strongest inhibitor was NeuAcα2,3Galβ1,3GalNAcol ⪢ NeuAcα2,3Galβ1,4Glc ⪢ NeuAc > Gal. Interactions were not heat sensitive or charge dependent, and were not affected by the presence of bacterial cell associated neuraminidase. The lectin could be extracted from Streptococcus sanguis with lithium 3,5-diiodosalicylate (LIS). Incubation of LIS extracts with carbohydrate ligands demonstrated that the specificity of binding was NeuAcα2,3Galβ1,3[ 3 H-]GalNAcol ⪢ Galβ1,3[ 3 H-]GalNAcol .
Emittance Effects on Gain in $W$ -Band TWTs

We consider the main effects of beam emittance on W-band traveling-wave tube (TWT) performance and gain. Specifically, we consider a representative dielectric TWT structure with ~5 dB/cm of gain driven by a 5-A, 20-keV, sheet electron beam that is focused by a wiggler magnetic field. The normalized beam transverse emittance must be about 1 $\mu \text{m}$ or lower to ensure that both the transport is stable and the gain is not degraded by the effective energy spread arising from the emittance. This emittance limit scales roughly inversely with frequency.
Immobilization of enzymes in mesoporous sol-gel silica, enzymatic digestion of biomass, and selectivity for molecular recognition

C enzyme was immobilized in sol-gel solid silica support with D-fructose as a pore-forming agent to make the silica support mesoporous in nature. The activity of the immobilized enzyme was studied. We found that the activities of the immobilized samples depended on the porosity and the pore size of the silica host material. With high fructose content, enzymatic activities up to ~80% (with respect to free cellobiase enzyme) were obtained. The reusability of our immobilized cellobiase offers great potential in its application in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass. The molecular recognition behavior of the fabrication method will also be reported.
Evolution and Expression of Paxillin Genes in Teleost Fish.

Background Paxillin family proteins regulate intracellular signaling downstream of extracellular matrix adhesion. Tissue expression patterns and cellular functions of Paxillin proteins during embryo development remain poorly understood. Additionally, the evolution of this gene family has not been thoroughly investigated. Results This report characterizes the evolution and expression of a novel Paxillin gene, called Paxillin-b, in Teleosts. Alignments indicate that Teleost Paxillin-a and Paxillin-b proteins are highly homologous to each other and to human Paxillin. Phylogenetic and synteny analyses suggest that these genes originated from the duplication of an ancestral Paxillin gene that was in a common ancestor of Teleosts and Tetrapods. Analysis of the spatiotemporal expression profiles of Paxillin-a and Paxillin-b using zebrafish revealed both overlapping and distinct domains for Paxillin-a and Paxillin-b during embryo development. Localization of zebrafish Paxillin orthologs expressed in mammalian cells demonstrated that both proteins localize to focal adhesions, similar to mammalian Paxillin. This suggests these proteins regulate adhesion-dependent processes in their endogenous tissues. Conclusion Paxillin-a and Paxillin-b were generated by duplication in Teleosts. These genes likely play similar roles as Paxillin genes in other organisms. This work provides a framework for functional investigation of Paxillin family members during development using the zebrafish as an in vivo model system.
Predicting Student Satisfaction and Outcomes in Online Courses Using Learning Activity Indicators

The premise for this study was that learner interaction in an online web-based course could be assessed in relation to academic performance, or in other words, e-learning. Although some studies reveal that learner interaction with online content is related to student academic performance, it remains unproven whether this is casual, or even if there may be a significant correlation. Thus, this study seeks to measure if there is a directional and then a casual relationship between student online academic performance, engagement analytics and other online activity factors. A unique aspect of this study is that data is collected from Moodle engagement analytics as well as from the activity logs. Student academic performance is measured based on the grade achieved from an assessment designed to map to the course learning objectives.
Scaled Particle Theory of solutions: Comparison with Lattice Fluid model

Abstract An easily implemented off-lattice thermodynamic model of a fluid mixture is developed using Scaled Particle Theory (SPT) in a mean-field approximation. Thermodynamic properties are derived from the random insertion of a hard sphere (HS) chain into a HS mixture and invoking random mixing to calculate energetics. Like the Lattice Fluid (LF) model, the SPT model completely characterizes pure fluids with three parameters that can be calculated from pure component properties. Binary mixtures require only one additional interaction parameter, which can be approximated using a geometric mean combining rule or treated as an adjustable parameter. Phase stability criteria and mixture properties are calculated and compared to both experimental data and LF model predictions. SPT and LF models are comparable when applied to some properties of solutions of small molecules, but the LF model proved superior for polymer solutions, especially with respect to calculation of lower critical solution temperatures. This was an unexpected result because an off-lattice model was assumed superior to any lattice description of a fluid.
Determinants of orofacial clefting II: Effects of 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine on gene methylation during development of the first branchial arch

Abstract Defects in development of the secondary palate, which arise from the embryonic first branchial arch (1-BA), can cause cleft palate (CP). Administration of 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine (AzaD), a demethylating agent, to pregnant mice on gestational day 9.5 resulted in complete penetrance of CP in fetuses. Several genes critical for normal palatogenesis were found to be upregulated in 1-BA, 12 h after AzaD exposure. MethylCap-Seq (MCS) analysis identified several differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in DNA extracted from AzaD-exposed 1-BAs. Hypomethylated DMRs did not correlate with the upregulation of genes in AzaD-exposed 1-BAs. However, most DMRs were associated with endogenous retroviral elements. Expression analyses suggested that interferon signaling was activated in AzaD-exposed 1-BAs. Our data, thus, suggest that a 12-h in utero AzaD exposure demethylates and activates endogenous retroviral elements in the 1-BA, thereby triggering an interferon-mediated response. This may result in the dysregulation of key signaling pathways during palatogenesis, causing CP.
Can a toy encourage lower calorie meal bundle selection in children? a field experiment on the reinforcing effects of toys on food choice

The goal of this research was to test whether including an inexpensive nonfood item (toy) with a smaller-sized meal bundle (420 calories), but not with the regular-sized meal bundle version (580 calories), would incentivize children to choose the smaller-sized meal bundle, even among children with overweight and obesity. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect in a between-subjects field experiment of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice (here, a binary choice between a smaller-sized or regular-sized meal bundles). A random sample of 109 elementary school children from two schools in the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area (55 females; Mage = 8.53 years, SDage = 2.14; MBMI = 18.30, SDBMI = 4.42) participated. Children’s height and weight were measured and body-mass-index (BMI) was calculated, adjusting for age and sex. In our sample, 21 children were considered to be either overweight or obese. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice. Results revealed that the inclusion of a toy with a smaller-sized meal, but not with the regular-sized version, predicted smaller-sized meal choice (P < .001), suggesting that children can be incentivized to choose less food when such is paired with a toy. BMI neither moderated nor nullified the effect of toy on smaller-sized meal choice (P = .125), suggesting that children with overweight and obesity can also be incentivized to choose less. This article is the first to suggest that fast-food restaurant chains may well utilize toys to motivate children to choose smaller-sized meal bundles. Our findings may be relevant for consumers, health advocates, policy makers, and marketers who would benefit from a strategy that presents healthier, but still desirable, meal bundle options.
Cerebral white matter hyperintensities on MRI and acceleration of epigenetic aging: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are part of the spectrum of brain vascular injury accompanying aging and are associated with a substantial risk of stroke and dementia. We investigated the association of cerebral WMH burden on MRI with a DNA methylation-based biomarker of aging, termed DNA methylation age acceleration, which represents the deviation of the DNA methylation-predicted age from the chronologic age. In this cross-sectional observational study of 713 African-American participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, aged 51–73 years, estimates of predicted age were obtained based on two algorithms (Hannum et al. and Horvath) from DNA methylation measured using the Illumina HM450 array on genomic DNA extracted from blood. Age acceleration, calculated as the residual values from the regression of each of the predicted age measures onto the chronologic age, was significantly associated with WMH burden after accounting for chronologic age and sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, and blood cell composition, and results were similar for either Hannum et al.- or Horvath-derived estimates (P = 0.016 and 0.026). An age acceleration increase by 1 year was associated with an increase of WMH burden by ~1 grade. To shed light on possible biological mechanisms underlying this association, we conducted a genome-wide association study of age acceleration and identified four loci harboring genes implicated in hemostasis, cell proliferation, protein degradation, and histone methylation. However, none of these loci were associated with WMH burden. In this population-based study of middle-aged to older African-American adults, we report an association between accelerated epigenetic aging and increased WMH burden, independent of known risk factors, including chronologic age. Additional studies are needed to clarify whether DNA methylation age reflects biological mechanisms implicated in the aging of the cerebral white matter.
Breast cancer and neuroblastoma models for the in vivo study of stem cell like cancer cells in immune competent mice

1018 The cancer stem cell hypothesis suggests that malignant clones in a tumor are maintained by a rare fraction of cells with stem cell properties. Such stem cell like cancer cells (SCLCC) have recently been described in solid tumors such as breast carcinoma and various brain tumors. One of the key features of such SCLCCs is their ability to repopulate entire tumors in vivo. Primarily human cancer stem cells have been isolated thus far and in vivo experiments rely on the use of immuno-compromised SCID/NOD mice. Here we demonstrate that a SCLCC population can be identified in the murine 4T1 breast cancer and NXS2 neuroblastoma cell lines and may serve as a model to study SCLCCs in immuno-competent syngeneic mouse models. To identify potential cancer stem cells murine 4T1 breast carcinoma and NXS2 neuroblastoma cells were stained with Hoechst dye 33342. We clearly distinguished in both cell lines a low staining Side Population (SP), a compartment which has been shown to be enriched for stem cells, of 2% and 0.2% respectively. Specificity of the SP population was confirmed by co-incubation with the Ca++ Blocker Verapamil, which suppressed it in both cell lines. Phenotyping showed that 4T1 SP cells have a Sca-1high c-kit- CD45- phenotype and NXS2 SP cells a Sca-1high CD24high c-kit- CD45- GD2high phenotype. RT-PCR further revealed upregulation of the ABCG2 transporter and TGF-beta in SP cells. Since stem cells were shown to be resistant to various chemotherapeutic drugs, 4T1 cells were tested for chemoresistance against cisplatin and doxorubicin. Non-sorted as well as sorted cells from the SP compartment showed higher proliferation rates and lower numbers of apoptotic cells than non-SP cells. SP cells also revealed a significant decrease in intracellular doxorubicin compared to the non-SP compartment. Because stem cells have the ability to re-populate entire cell populations, sorted SP, non-SP and 4T1 cells were cultured in vitro and the degree of repopulation was determined under normal culturing conditions at different time points. Whereas both SP and non-SP sorted cells could repopulate parts of the other compartment, which suggests a certain heterogeneity in these populations, the percentages of repopulated cells was significantly higher in SP than non-SP sorted cells. Importantly, tumorogenicity was determined by orthotopical injection of sorted SP and non SP cells in Balb/c mice. Disease occurred in 7/8 mice of the SP injected mice but only in 2/8 of non-SP injected animals, with one of the two tumors being barely palpable. Furthermore, single cell suspensions of SP-induced tumors revealed an increased amount of cells in the SP compartment when compared to the non-SP tumor. These data suggest that the SP compartments in 4T1 and NXS2 cells are enriched in cells with stem cell properties and could serve as a model system for the study of SCLCCs in immune competent mice.
Mass Defect-Based Dimethyl Pyrimidinyl Ornithine (DiPyrO) Tags for Multiplex Quantitative Proteomics

We have developed a novel amine-reactive mass defect-based chemical tag, dimethyl pyrimidinyl ornithine (DiPyrO), that is compact in size, is suitable for various biological samples, and enables highly multiplexed quantification of peptides at the MS1 level without increasing mass spectral complexity. The DiPyrO tag structure incorporates heavy isotopes in a variety of configurations to impart as much as 45.3 mDa or as little as 5.8 mDa per tag between labeled peptides. Notably, peptides containing lysine are labeled with two tags, doubling the imparted mass defect to up to 90.6 mDa for the duplex tags and effectively reducing the resolving power requirement compared to previously reported mass defect-based quantification approaches. This permits current and previous generation LTQ-Orbitrap platforms to perform confident quantitative analyses of two DiPyrO-labeled samples at 100K resolving power, whereas 3-plex and 6-plex quantifications are possible at 240K and 480K resolving powers, respectively. In thi...
Hidrólisis enzimática de almidón

Este articulo revisa los avances cientificos que se han realizado respecto a la comprension del fenomeno de hidrolisis parcial del almidon, empleando la enzima glucoamilasa de Aspergillus niger y teniendo en cuenta que esta enzima a nivel estructural tiene un doble dominio de union (SBD, starch binding domain) que permite, por un lado, su inactivacion, y, por el otro, argumentar teoricamente la actividad catalitica en un sustrato amilaceo. El interes de esta revision, junto a las evidencias de un modelo empirico obtenido a partir de la experimentacion y observacion y luego del empleo de los datos experimentales en la hidrolisis parcial del almidon de quinua, es establecer los principales avances realizados alrededor del establecimiento de la cinetica de la reaccion enzima- amilosa en sustratos amilaceos. No obstante, es oportuno aclarar que en este articulo no se presenta lo correspondiente al proceso de inactivacion enzimatica, asi como tampoco lo relacionado a la interaccion molecular enzima-amilosa.
Post hoc analysis of the efficacy of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against vaccine-type community-acquired pneumonia in at-risk older adults.

Abstract Background Individuals with certain chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of developing pneumonia and pneumococcal disease than those without. Using data from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA), this post hoc analysis assessed the efficacy of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in adults aged ≥65 years with at-risk conditions. Methods The Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) was a double-blind, parallel-group, randomized, placebo-controlled study in the Netherlands in which adults aged ≥65 years received either PCV13 or placebo. Outcomes of interest were identified using prespecified clinical criteria, radiographic confirmation, routine microbiologic testing, and a serotype-specific urinary antigen detection assay. In this post hoc analysis, participants were classified by at-risk status based on self-reporting of any of the following chronic medical conditions: heart disease, lung disease, asthma, diabetes, liver disease, and smoking. The objective of this analysis was to assess PCV13 vaccine efficacy (VE) against a first episode of vaccine-serotype community-acquired pneumonia (VT-CAP) in at-risk participants. Results Of the 84,496 adults enrolled in the study, 41,385 (49.2%) were considered at risk owing to chronic medical conditions. Of the 139 VT-CAP cases, 115 (82.7%) occurred in these participants. VE of PCV13 against a first episode of VT-CAP among participants with at-risk conditions was 40.3% (95.2% CI: 11.4%, 60.2%). Average duration of follow-up since vaccination was 3.95 years for at-risk participants; protection did not wane over the study period. Conclusions This post hoc analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) showed significant and persistent efficacy of PCV13 against VT-CAP in at-risk older adults. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00744263 .
Serial optical coherence scanner for imaging neurodegenerative diseases

Serial optical coherence scanner combines optical coherence tomography with a tissue slicer, which enables the visualization of the microstructures in the brain and provides quantitative contrasts for pathological changes in neurodegeneration diseases.
Rule-Based Named Entity Recognition in Urdu

Named Entity Recognition or Extraction (NER) is an important task for automated text processing for industries and academia engaged in the field of language processing, intelligence gathering and Bioinformatics. In this paper we discuss the general problem of Named Entity Recognition, more specifically the challenges in NER in languages that do not have language resources e.g. large annotated corpora. We specifically address the challenges for Urdu NER and differentiate it from other South Asian (Indic) languages. We discuss the differences between Hindi and Urdu and conclude that the NER computational models for Hindi cannot be applied to Urdu. A rule-based Urdu NER algorithm is presented that outperforms the models that use statistical learning.
The effects of cannabinoids on rat brain synaptosomes.

Summary The effect of cannabinoids was studied on uptake and release of 3[H]-labelled serotonin, dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) by synaptosomes prepared from rat whole forebrain, hypothalamus or corpus striatum. Δ9-THC inhibited uptake and facilitated release of 3[H]-serotonin by forebrain synaptosomes, the release being accompanied by increase of 3[H]-indoleacetic acid in the medium. Over a series of cannabinoids, there was no correlation between inhibition of uptake and behavioral effect. Δ9-THC also inhibited tryptophan and choline uptake. Δ9 and Δ8-THC at low concentrations stimulated uptake of 3[H]-DA and NE by hypothalamic and striated synaptosomes, and inhibited at high concentrations. Cannabinol and cannabidiol displayed only inhibitory effects at higher concentrations. In tests on release of these amines, Δ9-THC had a biphasic effect, but cannabinol and cannabidiol only facilitated. The biphasic effects of Δ9- and Δ8-THC may therefore provide a molecular basis for biphasic behavioral effects. The metabolite 11-OH-Δ9-THC differed in its action from Δ9-THC both on hypothalamic and striated synaptosomes.
DeepAnnotator: Genome Annotation with Deep Learning

Genome annotation is the process of labeling DNA sequences of an organism with its biological features, and is one of the fundamental problems in Bioinformatics. Public annotation pipelines such as NCBI integrate a variety of algorithms and homology searches on public and private databases. However, they build on the information of varying consistency and quality, produced over the last two decades. We identified 12,415 errors in NCBI RNA gene annotations, demonstrating the need for improved annotation programs. We use Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to demonstrate the potential of deep learning networks to annotate genome sequences, and evaluate different approaches on prokaryotic sequences from NCBI database. Particularly, we evaluate DNA $K-$mer embeddings and the application of RNNs for genome annotation. We show how to improve the performance of our deep networks by incorporating intermediate objectives and downstream algorithms to achieve better accuracy. Our method, called DeepAnnotator, achieves an F-score of ~94%, and establishes a generalized computational approach for genome annotation using deep learning. Our results are very encouraging as our method eliminates the requirement of hand crafted features and motivates further research in application of deep learning to full genome annotation. DeepAnnotator algorithms and models can be accessed in Github: \urlhttps://github.com/ruhulsbu/DeepAnnotator.
Further Notes on Cryptomycina Pteridis

Evidence is presented to show that infection of young bracken fronds of mature plants with Cryptomycina Pteridis may be caused by ascospores as well as by conidia as demonstrated in an earlier stud...
Conversion and the Idea of the Secret

Gauri Viswanathan, “Conversion and the Idea of the Secret” (pp. 161–186) Obsessed with the notion of the secret in his writings on religion, Jacques Derrida uncannily evokes a predecessor with whom he has rarely, if at all, been compared—the Russian occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. This essay argues that Blavatsky’s occult writings set the stage for the kinds of speculations on crypto-conversion, conscience, and responsibility that subsequently engaged Derrida. Like Blavatsky, Derrida saw conversion not as change but as retaining whatever it displaces in the form of a secret, persisting as an enduring reminder of supplanted religious beliefs. While Derrida was more interested in conversion as a form of repression that mutually constitutes the old and the new, Blavatsky held a broader and more dynamic view of conversion-as-repression: in describing Christianity’s battle against the heterogeneous belief-systems it eventually supplanted, she sought to illuminate conversion as a larger process well beyond the individual and involving religious expansion and consolidation. The essay culminates in a close reading of an occult text, W. B. Yeats’s “The Manuscript of ‘Leo Africanus,’” that exemplifies the problematics of crypto-conversion as delineated by Blavatsky and Derrida in their respective ways. “Leo Africanus” stages Yeats’s encounter with a dead spirit alternatively grasped as his anti-self and historical conscience. A breakthrough in understanding allows Yeats to acknowledge an occluded history—his as much as that of his deceased interlocutor—that can only be told in the terms of crypto-conversion, in this instance of a sixteenth-century African slave forcibly converted to Christianity and turned into a native informant of African history and geography.
The impact of access to prescription drugs on disability in eleven European countries.

Abstract Background Clinical studies have shown that the use of certain drugs can reduce disability. Access to prescription drugs varies across countries. Even when the total number of drugs launched in two countries is similar, the specific drugs that were launched, and the diseases those drugs are used to treat, may differ. Objective/Hypothesis We test the hypothesis that the larger the relative number of drugs for a disease that were launched during 1982–2015 in a country, the lower the relative disability in 2015 of patients with that disease in that country, controlling for the average level of disability in that country and from that disease, and the number of patients with the disease and their mean age. Methods We estimate two-way (by country and disease) fixed-effects models of several measures of disability for 31 diseases in eleven European countries using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and from other sources. Results The estimates imply that drug launches during 1982–2015 reduced the probability of severe limitation in 2015 by 4.9 percentage points, from 21.8% to 16.9%; they reduced the probability of any limitation by 7.7 percentage points, from 61.1% to 53.4%; and they reduced the mean number of Activities of Daily Living limitations by about 29%. Drug launches also yielded a small increase in an index of quality of life and well-being. Conclusions In general, the larger the number of drugs for a disease that were launched during 1982–2015 in a country, the lower the average disability in 2015 of patients with that disease in that country, controlling for the average level of disability in that country and from that disease, and the number of patients with the disease and their mean age.
The Fragility of Statistically Significant Findings in Pediatric Critical Care Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES The Fragility Index measures the number of events on which the statistical significance of a result depends and has been suggested as an adjunct statistical assessment for interpretation of trial results. This study aimed to assess the robustness of statistically significant results from pediatric critical care randomized controlled trials with dichotomous outcomes. DATA SOURCES A previously published scoping review of pediatric critical care randomized controlled trials (www.PICUtrials.net). STUDY SELECTION A total of 342 trials were screened for inclusion. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 43 fulfilled eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. DATA EXTRACTION Calculation of Fragility Index for trials reporting a statistically significant dichotomous outcome, and analysis of the relationship between trial characteristics and Fragility Index. DATA SYNTHESIS The median Fragility Index was 2 (interquartile range, 1-6). The median sample size was 98 (interquartile range, 50-148) and sample size demonstrated a strong correlation with the Fragility Index (r = 0.729; n = 43; p < 0.001). The median number of outcome events was 8 (interquartile range, 4-15) and the total number of outcome events also showed a strong correlation with the Fragility Index (r = 0.728; n = 43; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Results from pediatric critical care randomized controlled trials with dichotomous outcomes reporting statistically significant findings often hinge on a small number of outcome events. Clinicians should exercise caution when interpreting results of trials with a low Fragility Index.
An Illuminating Framework: Understanding the Photoluminescence of α-CuAlCl4

CuAlCl4 exemplifies a new class of phosphors based on metal halide analogues of aluminophosphates. The α- and β-CuAlCl4 phases show brilliant blue to blue-green luminescence. The electronic structure of the CuAlCl4 corner sharing tetrahedral frameworks has been explored by fluorimetric and diffuse reflectance measurements on the isomorphous series α-CuAlBrxCl4-x (x = 0−4). The photoluminescence is demonstrated to be a bulk property of the electronically isolated CuCl4/2 tetrahedra within the framework matrix. Remarkably, the structural framework is flexible such that at least 1 mol of small molecule gases per CuAlCl4 formula unit can be reversibly sorbed. The sorption/desorption of small molecule gases further results in the reversible quenching of the photoluminescence.
"I Never Was a Champion at Anything": Theodore Roosevelt's Complex and Contradictory Record as America's "Sports President"

The historical memory of Theodore Roosevelt as an athlete and as a builder of America’s modern sporting landscape is an enduring one. Scholars and lay historians alike have often recounted Roosevelt’s athletic feats. And indeed many connections do exist. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) links Roosevelt to its earliest days. Fans of the Army-Navy football game tout Roosevelt as a forefather. Journalists covering Roosevelt’s time in the White House have left behind dozens of stories describing the president’s wrestling, hiking, sparring, and tennis matches. Despite these connections (and others), however, the broadly accepted historical memory is imprecise—at times exaggerating Roosevelt’s impact on the sporting world and at other times failing to appreciate the complexity and contradictions inherent in Roosevelt’s “athletic doctrine.” This article begins to remedy that imprecision by examining the historiography and historical memory of Roosevelt the athlete and identifying the tenets of Roosevelt’s athletic doctrine. Then, and most significantly, the study examines several examples of Roosevelt’s limited influence over the development of modern sporting culture in the United States. The goal of the study is not to knock Roosevelt from his pedestal within U.S. sports history but rather to reconsider the intricacies of Roosevelt’s athletic biography and to recalibrate our understanding of Roosevelt’s influence over sporting culture.
19 G aspiration needle versus 19 G core biopsy needle for endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: a prospective randomized trial.

Background Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) is a safe and effective method for accomplishing parenchymal liver biopsy. The aim of this study was to compare a 19 G aspiration needle (FNA) with a 19 G Franseen-tip core biopsy needle (FNB) for EUS-LB. Methods This was a prospective, parallel group, randomized trial comparing the tissue yields and adequacy of a 19 G FNA needle vs. a 19 G FNB needle for EUS-LB. The primary outcome was length of the longest piece of liver core specimen. Secondary outcomes were aggregate specimen length, number of complete portal triads (CPTs), and adverse events. One transgastric pass and one transduodenal pass were performed with the same needle in each patient. Specimen lengths were measured before and after histological processing. Results 40 patients referred for EUS-LB were randomized to either the FNA group (n = 20) or the FNB group (n = 20). Both groups had similar patient characteristics. FNB biopsies yielded longer mean (standard deviation) specimen lengths (pre-processing mean 2.09 cm [0.41] vs. mean 1.47 cm [0.46], and post-processing mean 1.78 cm [0.66] vs. mean 1.05 cm [0.42]; both P 25 vs 18.1 [9.3]; P Conclusion EUS-LB using the FNB needle delivered longer liver biopsy specimens with more CPTs than the regular (non-core) needle.