cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microbial genetic and enzymatic responses to an anthropogenic phosphorus gradient within a subtropical peatland

Abstract Many of the world's peatlands are subject to agricultural runoff, which may impact fundamental biogeochemical processes by altering the concentrations of limiting nutrients. In this study, the distribution of specific microbial genes associated with phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) metabolism was compared with potential enzyme activities related to P and N acquisition at five stations along a nutrient gradient in soils of Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2 A) of the Florida Everglades, USA. Quantitative PCR was used to compare the relative concentrations of genes encoding alkaline phosphatases ( phoX and phoD ) with those encoding dinitrogenase reductase ( nifH ). Combined phosphatase and phosphodiesterase (E P ) activities were compared with leucine aminopeptidase activities (E N ), yielding a measure of potential microbial investment in P acquisition relative to N acquisition. The significant inverse relationship observed between bicarbonate extractable organic P concentrations and ratios of gene copy numbers of phoX : nifH (p = 0.049, R 2 = 0.77), and phoD : nifH (p = 0.043, R 2 = 0.79), combined with the significant inverse relationship between total P and E P /E N (p = 0.021, R 2 = 0.87), suggest that there is a greater community selection towards P acquisition relative to N acquisition as bicarbonate extractable organic P and total P decrease, suggesting a shift from P limitation to N limitation along the transect. The total number of unique genes detected by the functional microarray GeoChip 3.0 was greatest in an intermediate site, suggesting that the alleviation of nutrient limitation yielded increased functional diversity. The general agreement between genetic and enzymatic data suggests that assessing microbial nutrient demands with molecular techniques is feasible, although future work is needed to apply genetic information as indicators of nutrient enrichment.
Effect of phentolamine (regitine) on human plasma FFA in vivo.

Summary1) Nine human subjects were given phentolamine (Regitine®) infusions to observe the effect upon plasma FFA levels. 2) There was a consistent abrupt rise in venous FFA levels ranging from 100-500 μm/l without blood glucose changes. FFA values remained higher 1 hour after infusion. 3) The mechanism of this phentolamine effect on lipid metabolism is not known.We thank Dr. William E. Wagner, Ciba Pharmaceutical Products, Inc., for generous supply of Regitine® used.
Artificial harmony: Why cooperative efforts to create a global financial intelligence unit have faltered

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain that the commonly used method allowing for inter-agency cooperation between national financial intelligence units, the memorandum of understanding, is inadequate and ineffective in creating a cooperative global financial intelligence unit capable of combating money laundering typologies on an international scale. Design/methodology/approach – Methods of international financial intelligence unit (FIU) cooperation have chiefly occurred in two ways: first, through the efforts of the Egmont Group; and second, through the inclusion of provisions concerning FIUs contained in international legal documents. The first is an impossibility. Findings – This paper proposes that the result of implementation of the 2012 Financial Action Task Force Recommendations will be an informal network of FIUs where the Egmont group acts as a centralized operator for information exchange, effectively creating an informal global FIU (“GFIU”), but that this system, or a cooperative global financial intelligence unit system based on FIU-to-FIU exchanges will not allow for effective multilateral, international cooperation. Research limitations/implications – This is because national interests and unfamiliarity with capabilities provided in the Egmont Group’s cooperative platform have and will continue to result in under-utilization of cooperative efforts, and because the traditional mechanism employed for FIU-to-FIU exchanges, the memorandum of understanding (“MOU”), makes uniform or standardized information request and transfer procedures that are required for multilateral or multi-agency efforts to combat money laundering across international boundaries an impossibility. Practical implications – The Egmont Group’s cooperational structure should be the primary means by which to achieve a GFIU. Social implications – The global combat on money laundering will be more effective, thereby more fully protecting the global economy. Originality/value – A comparison between the Egmont Group’s network building mechanism and the existing use of MoU to create global cooperation against money laundering has not been analyzed.
Ergonomics and Beyond Understanding How Chemical and Heat Exposures and Physical Exertions at Work Affect Functional Ability, Injury, and Long-Term Health

OBJECTIVE: To honor Tom Waters's work on emerging occupational health issues, we review the literature on physical along with chemical exposures and their impact on functional outcomes. BACKGROUND: Many occupations present the opportunity for exposure to multiple hazardous exposures, including both physical and chemical factors. However, little is known about how these different factors affect functional ability and injury. The goal of this review is to examine the relationships between these exposures, impairment of the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems, functional outcomes, and health problems with a focus on acute injury. METHOD: Literature was identified using online databases, including PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Google Scholar. References from included articles were searched for additional relevant articles. RESULTS: This review documented the limited existing literature that discussed cognitive impairment and functional disorders via neurotoxicity for physical exposures (heat and repetitive loading) and chemical exposures (pesticides, volatile organic compounds [VOCs], and heavy metals). CONCLUSION: This review supports that workers are exposed to physical and chemical exposures that are associated with negative health effects, including functional impairment and injury. Innovation in exposure assessment with respect to quantifying the joint exposure to these different exposures is especially needed for developing risk assessment models and, ultimately, preventive measures. APPLICATION: Along with physical exposures, chemical exposures need to be considered, alone and in combination, in assessing functional ability and occupationally related injuries.© 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Language: en
The Long Cytoplasmic Carboxyl Terminus of the Prostaglandin E2 Receptor EP4 Subtype Is Essential for Agonist-Induced Desensitization

The 488-amino acid human prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 subtype, which couples to stimulation of adenylyl cyclase, shares the major structural features of G protein-coupled receptors, having seven putative transmembrane domains, an extracellular amino terminus, and a cytoplasmic carboxyl terminus. The latter is composed of 156 amino acids and contains 38 serine and threonine residues, which are potential phosphorylation sites. The carboxyl terminus may be important in receptor function; in some receptors, truncation of the cytoplasmic tail abolishes desensitization. In others, truncation leads to constitutive activity, and in other receptors, truncation has no effect on receptor function. To investigate the role of the long cytoplasmic tail of the EP4 receptor, we constructed a mutant EP4 that lacks the last 138 amino acids at the carboxyl terminus, including 36 serine and threonine residues. The truncated EP4 receptor was stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells at levels comparable to that of the wild-type receptor and exhibited aKd value for [3H]PGE2 binding similar to that of the wild-type receptor. PGE2-mediated adenylyl cyclase activity as a function of PGE2 concentration was similar in cells expressing the wild-type and truncated EP4 receptors. Neither the wild-type receptor nor the truncated form showed any constitutive activity. However, the wild-type EP4 receptor underwent PGE2-induced desensitization fully within 15–20 min, whereas the truncated EP4 receptor, lacking 36 of the 38 carboxyl-terminal serines and threonines, displayed a sustained activation. Despite the continuous presence of PGE2, the rate of cAMP synthesis via stimulation of the truncated receptor remained constant over ≥20 min. These findings suggest that the cytoplasmic tail of EP4 plays an important role in agonist-induced desensitization.
Using design science to improve web search innovation in real estate

ABSTRACTWe analyze 14 leading real estate websites, seven residential and seven commercial. They exhibit limited demographic and geographic information systems (GIS) data display capability. They exhibit economic data display capability except one, and lack demographic, economic, and GIS data search capability. Real estate web searching is inefficient, time consuming, and inflexible. To overcome these limitations, we use design-science to create three search modes (Sc2, Sc3, and Sc4). Sc2 uses demographic data, Sc3 economic data, and Sc4 GIS data.
Growth Trajectory in Children with Trisomy 21 with and without Atrioventricular Septal Defect.

Objective Trisomy 21 is associated with poor weight gain and atrioventricular septal defects. The impact of atrioventricular septal defects on weight gain in the setting of Trisomy 21 has not previously been described in the recent era. This study aimed to determine if such an association is present. Design Patients with Trisomy 21 with and without atrioventricular septal defects were identified. Clinical, surgical, and postoperative data were collected were for these patients and then compared between patients. Specifically, weight for age z-scores were compared at various time points in a univariate and multivariate fashion. Effect of timing of surgery in those with an atrioventricular septal defect was also studied. Results A total of 86 patients were identified, 42 with an atrioventricular septal defect. There was a difference in weight for age z-scores between patients with and without atrioventricular septal defects only at 2 months (P value .038) and 6 months (P value .003) of age. This persisted after multivariate regression which demonstrated atrioventricular septal defects as an independent risk factor. There was no difference noted in weight at 2 years of age in patients undergoing atrioventricular septal defect repair before and 150 days of life. Conclusion There was a statistically significant, but not clinically relevant, difference in weight between the patients with Trisomy 21 with and without atrioventricular septal defects in our cohort. Those with atrioventricular septal defects required more nutritional intervention, such as gastrostomy tube placement. Timing of repair did not alter outcomes at midterm follow-up.
Spectral Analysis in the Presence of Variance Fluctuations

The present paper is concerned with the following questions: (1) If a random sequence Xt (t = 0, ? 1, ?2, ...) is not second-order stationary, can one meaningfully define a spectral density function? (2) If so, can one hope to consistently estimate it? For the special case of a random sequence of form Xt = 1. aj at-j 7t-, where the q, are independently, normally, distributed with zero means and unit variances and the aj and g,-' are non-random finite quantities, it is argued that the answers to both questions are affirmative provided 2 (t = 0, + 1, + 2, ...), while not, in general, constant, do satisfy the requirements a2 <? Q< oX (t = 0, ? 1, ? 2, ...), where Q does not depend on t, and N-1 EN St yyO< o as N-o*.
Health effects of extremely low frequency (50 and 60 hertz) electric and magnetic fields

The author provides assistance to the scientific and technical community in putting the subject into perspective while the furor in the media over health effects of low-frequency fields abates. The voltages and currents generated within the human body are detailed. The values of directly applied voltages and currents that occur when a person comes into contact with energized conductors, which are hazardous to humans, are compared with the nonhazardous induced voltages and currents. An overview of the animal, cell, and human research and the epidemiological studies is presented. The positions taken by the various concerned groups are indicated. The existing standards and values that have been developed by consensus groups are presented. Continuation of research is advocated. >
Posthumous reproduction guidelines in Israel.

Should the state permit the extraction of sperm from the cadaver of a recently deceased man at the request of his widow or ex-partner, allowing her to conceive his genetic offspring after his death? Over the past five years, several requests for the posthumous extraction and use of sperm have been heard in Israeli courts, and in October 2003, following a series of discussions held at the Ministry of Justice that involved medical, legal, bioethics, and Jewish law experts, the attorney general published guidelines that will generally allow courts to permit the practice. The guidelines are based on the assumption that a man who lived in a loving relationship with a woman would want her to have his genetic child after his death even if he never had the opportunity formally to express such a desire. Legal marriage is not perceived as a necessary condition for such a presumption. In the absence of explicit consent (usually obtained only when sperm is collected prior to death), the courts are advised to allow the use of the sperm. Such use should be based on an appropriate attempt to determine the desires of the deceased by relying on prior behavior and on the testimony of family and friends. However, when the deceased has expressed an explicit objection, the courts are advised to view the objection as an overriding consideration and to deny the request. The guidelines justify the "presumed consent" assumption by considering the interests of the woman and the deceased man. First, they note that the deceased's interests are uncertain and those of the living partner certain and expressed, and strong enough to limit state curtailment of her reproductive autonomy. (The guidelines recommend a waiting period, however, allowing the woman to work through her grief before deciding whether to use the sperm.) Second, the guidelines argue that "even in case of a mistake in evaluating the deceased's will, parenthood is not being forced upon him. He will not be coerced into fulfilling the obligations that a parent usually has vis-a-vis his child." Still, if the court decides to approve the request, according to the guidelines it should instruct the state to register the child legally as the son of the deceased, although such registration does not entail any inheritance rights. Thus while the deceased is "not the father of the child in the usual sense of the term," he is acknowledged as the "legal father," which could also mean he will be seen to some degree as the "social father. …
Visible Luminescent Activation of Amorphous AlN:Eu Thin-Film Phosphors with Oxygen

We have investigated the effects of oxygen incorporation on cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) from sputtered amorphous films of AlN:Eu3+. Ordinarily, these materials must be activated at elevated temperatures (~1000K) before appreciable luminescence can be observed. We have shown that oxygen doping is an effective alternative to thermal activation. Studies of CL intensity versus oxygen contamination indicate that luminescence turns on if the oxygen content of the sputtering plasma exceeds a few percent. Significantly, oxygen appears to have a greater impact (>600-fold) on luminescence than does thermal activation (100-fold). The oxygen dependence of PL intensity varies slightly from that of CL intensity. A possible explanation for this observation is proposed. The results suggest that low temperature alternatives to the customary thermal activation process may be available. Such alternatives would eliminate materials constraints and would permit the facile integration of plastic components or substrates with rare-earth-doped III-N luminescent devices.
Grief Therapy as Intervening in Meaning: Principles and Practices

Of all the sources of suffering in human life, the encounter with the tragic deaths of loved ones must be among the most compelling. Adopting the view that grieving involves as a central process the attempt to reaffirm or reconstruct a world of meaning that has been challenged by loss, I briefly review the evidence linking an anguished search for meaning to complicated, prolonged and life-limiting forms of grief, and the capacity to make sense of the loss to improved adaptation. I then present several concrete implementations of this perspective in case vignettes of work with grieving clients, illustrating the use of restorative retelling and directed journaling in helping clients integrate the “event story” of the loss itself, and the use of imaginal dialogues and legacy work on reaffirming the positive “back story” of their relationship with their loved one. I close with a coda on the role and limits of meaning reconstruction as a framework for pluralistic practice in alleviating grief-related suffering, and encourage readers to explore its relevance for their own work as therapists.
Reoperative MIS Fundoplication

Surgical fundoplication is currently the most effective treatment for refractory pathologic gastroesophageal reflux disease, but a relatively high post-fundoplication failure rate continues to be a frustrating and difficult surgical problem for both pediatric surgeons and patients. Risk factors for failure include younger age, neurologic impairment, preoperative dysphagia, and postoperative retching. Fundoplications may fail on the basis of a hiatal hernia, as well as slippage or breakdown of the wrap. A redo fundoplication is indicated when symptoms recur after fundoplication. The operation is more challenging than primary fundoplication, but can be accomplished laparoscopically. Sharp dissection of the adhesions is preferred. The failure rate of redo fundoplication is similar or higher to that of the first operation. Minimal mobilization of the esophagus in the hiatus has been shown to decrease the rate of fundoplication failure.
Critical role for arginase 2 in obesity-associated pancreatic cancer

Obesity is an established risk factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Despite recent identification of metabolic alterations in this lethal malignancy, the metabolic dependencies of obesity-associated PDA remain unknown. Here we show that obesity-driven PDA exhibits accelerated growth and a striking transcriptional enrichment for pathways regulating nitrogen metabolism. We find that the mitochondrial form of arginase (ARG2), which hydrolyzes arginine into ornithine and urea, is induced upon obesity, and silencing or loss of ARG2 markedly suppresses PDA. In vivo infusion of 15N-glutamine in obese mouse models of PDA demonstrates enhanced nitrogen flux into the urea cycle and infusion of 15N-arginine shows that Arg2 loss causes significant ammonia accumulation that results from the shunting of arginine catabolism into alternative nitrogen repositories. Furthermore, analysis of PDA patient tumors indicates that ARG2 levels correlate with body mass index (BMI). The specific dependency of PDA on ARG2 rather than the principal hepatic enzyme ARG1 opens a therapeutic window for obesity-associated pancreatic cancer.
KRAS biomarker testing disparities in colorectal cancer patients in New Mexico.

Abstract Introduction American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines recommend that all patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receive KRAS testing to guide anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment. The aim of this study was to assess for disparities in KRAS testing and mutational status. Methods The New Mexico Tumor Registry (NMTR), a population-based cancer registry participating in the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program, was queried to identify all incident cases of CRC diagnosed among New Mexico residents from 2010 to 2013. Results Six hundred thirty-seven patients were diagnosed with mCRC from 2010–2013. As expected, KRAS testing in Stage 4 patients presented the highest frequency (38.4%), though testing in stage 3 (8.5%), stage 2 (3.4%) and stage 1 (1.2%) was also observed. In those with metastatic disease, younger patients (≤ 64 years) were more likely to have had testing than patients 65 years and older (p KRAS testing more often than patients living in rural areas (p = 0.019). No significant racial/ethnic disparities were observed (p = 0.66). No significant differences were seen by year of testing. Conclusion Age and geographic disparities exist in the rates of KRAS testing, while sex, race/ethnicity and the year tested were not significantly associated with testing. Further study is required to assess the reasons for these disparities and continued suboptimal adherence to current ASCO KRAS testing guidelines.
Academic womanhood across career stages: a work-in-life perspective on what was, is, and could be

Using the framing of narrative identity, we illustrate the asymmetry that is characteristic of faculty work lives, especially when caregiving responsibilities clash with the seemingly indestructibl...
A Practitioner’s Guide to the CAPM: An Empirical Study

Abstract The most popular method for calculating asset prices is the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). What is the appropriate amount of years to use in the estimation and which variation of the capital asset pricing beta provides the best results? This research looks at the out-of-sample forecasting capabilities of three popular CAPM ex-post constant beta models from 2005 to 2014. A total of 11 portfolios, five from developed and six from developing markets, are used to test the amount of input years that will reduce the mispricing in both types of markets. It is found that the best beta model to use varies between developed and developing markets. Additionally, in developing markets, a shortened span of historical years improves the pricing, contrary to popular studies that use 5 to 10 years of historical data. There are many different CAPM studies implementing various betas, using different data input lengths and run in various countries. This study empirically tests the best practices for those interested in successfully using the CAPM for their basic needs, finding that overall the simple ex-post constant beta is mispriced by 0.2 (developing) to 0.3 percent (developed). It is better to use short three-year estimation windows with the market beta in developing economies and longer nine-year estimation windows with the adjusted beta in developed economies.
Strategies for improving the lives of US women aged 40 and above living with HIV/AIDS: an evidence map

While in its early years the HIV epidemic affected primarily the male and the young, nowadays, the population living with HIV/AIDS is approximately 24% women, and its age composition has shifted towards older ages. Many of the older women who live with HIV/AIDS also live with the medical and social conditions that accompany aging. This work aims to identify and characterize empirical studies of strategies for the comprehensive management of women over 40, including transgender women, who live with HIV/AIDS. Forty was chosen as an operational age cutoff to identify premenopausal women who are less likely to bear children, as well as peri- and postmenopausal women. We conducted a literature search after discussions with a diverse panel of content experts and other stakeholders and developed an evidence map that identified 890 citations that address questions having to do with programs and barriers to engaging with programs, as well as the role of insurance and comorbidities, and have enrolled older women who live with HIV/AIDS. Of these, only 37 (4%) reported results of interest for women over 40 who live with HIV/AIDS, or examined interactions between gender and older age that would allow predictions in this subgroup. Few of the 37 eligible studies focused on women facing obvious challenges, such as immigrants, transgender, physically abused, or those recently released from prison. No studies focused on women caring for dependents, including children and grandchildren, or those diagnosed after age 40. The evidence base that is directly applicable to women over 40 who live with HIV/AIDS in the USA is limited, and the research need is broad. We propose research prioritization strategies for this population.
Predicting membrane flux decline from complex mixtures using flow-field flow fractionation measurements and semi-empirical theory

Flow-Field Flow Fractionation (Fl-FFF) is an idealization of the cross flow membrane filtration process in that, (1) the filtration flux and crossflow velocity are constant from beginning to end of the device, (2) the process is a relatively well-defined laminar-flow hydrodynamic condition, and (3) the solutes are introduced as a pulse-input that spreads due to interactions with each other and the membrane in the dilute-solution limit. We have investigated the potential for relating Fl-FFF measurements to membrane fouling. An advection-dispersion transport model was used to provide ‘ideal’ (defined as spherical, non-interacting solutes) solute residence time distributions (RTDs) for comparison with ‘real’ RTDs obtained experimentally at different cross-field velocities and solution ionic strength. An RTD moment analysis based on a particle diameter probability density function was used to extract “effective” characteristic properties, rather than uniquely defined characteristics, of the standard solute mixture. A semi-empirical unsteady-state, flux decline model was developed that uses solute property parameters. Three modes of flux decline are included: (1) concentration polarization, (2) cake buildup, and (3) adsorption on/in pores, We have used this model to test the hypothesis—that an analysis of a residence time distribution using Fl-FFF can describe ‘effective’ solute properties or indices that can be related to membrane flux decline in crossflow membrane filtration. Constant flux filtration studies included the changes of transport hydrodynamics (solvent flux to solute back diffusion ( J/k ) ratios), solution ionic strength, and feed water composition for filtration using a regenerated cellulose ultrafiltration membrane. Tests of the modeling hypothesis were compared with experimental results from the filtration measurements using several correction parameters based on the mean and variance of the solute RTDs. The corrections used to modify the boundary layer mass transfer coefficient and the specific resistance of cake or adsorption layers demonstrated that RTD analysis is potentially useful technique to describe colloid properties but requires improvements.
The Heart of Couple Therapy: Knowing What to Do and How to Do It: by Ellen F. Wachtel. New York, NY: Guilford Press, 2017, 284 pages, $35.00 (hardcover).

Couple therapy, as a distinct focus of therapeutic work, has been emerging from under the light of family therapy for many years. In the past 20 years or so, distinct approaches have also emerged: ...
Neuronal Network Plasticity and Network Interactions are Critically Dependent on Conditional Multireceptive (CMR) Brain Regions

Abstract Conditional multireceptive (CMR) neurons respond in highly variable ways and exhibit extensive short-term and long-term experience-related changes that depend on the conditions being experienced by the organism, including external environmental factors, such as exigent events, and states of vigilance. CMR brain regions, which contain a large percentage of CMR neurons, are the major source for neuroplasticity in the brain. These CMR regions include the brainstem reticular formation (BRF), periaqueductal gray (PAG), hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum, and cortical association areas, which exhibit this property to varying degrees. CMR regions are a major source of network nonlinearity, which leads to emergent properties at the neuronal network level of brain function. The extensive array of primary sensory and motor networks that provide inputs and receive outputs from these CMR regions allows the CMR regions to be major participants in network interactions that mediate many central nervous system (CNS) disorders. When the intact organism is experiencing resting (nonexigent) conditions, CMR neurons are commonly in a state of negative nonlinearity characterized by reduced or minimal neuronal responsiveness. However, under exigent conditions when the organism is experiencing a behaviorally important perturbation, such as pain or fear, the nonlinearity of CMR neurons and regions can actually reverse. Thus, under exigent conditions, CMR neurons can exhibit positive nonlinearity in which the output will be elevated, greatly exceeding a linear response. This positive nonlinear response provides a major mechanism for mediating the appearance of emergent properties of brain networks. CMR brain regions are postulated to be most susceptible to being recruited into networks that mediate CNS disorders as well as networks that are activated by stimulation therapies. Neurons in CMR regions are also greatly affected by CNS drugs, including depressant drugs, especially anesthetics, which greatly depress CMR neuronal responsiveness, even in small doses. CMR neurons are also extremely sensitive to CNS stimulants, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor antagonists, which can induce major positive nonlinear increases in responsiveness. The nature and degree of these pharmacological effects vary among different CMR regions. Positive nonlinearity of CMR regions can lead to network expansion and elevated sensorimotor integration, which are seen in the startle responses as well as in generalized seizures. Input repetition paradigms, such as seen in behavioral conditioning and seizure kindling, can lead to major responsiveness increases in CMR neurons. CMR regions are also known to interact with each other. For example, the BRF, PAG, and amygdala CMR regions are thought to interact in fear, mood disorders, and epilepsy in animal models and in human CNS disorders. Neurons in these brain regions are potentially critical targets for stimulation and/or drug therapy for these disorders.
Probing Skills for Tutors

(1979). Probing Skills for Tutors. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association: Vol. 12, Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Conference of the WCRA, pp. 68-74.
Studies of Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase in Mongolism: A Possible Chromosome Marker

Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase was measured by a biochemical method in a group of 58 mongolian idiots. The mean activity found in the 41 children less than 10 years of age was equivalent to 89 mg. of phosphorus per 1010 neutrophilic leukocytes per hour. This was compared to the value of 66 mg. of phosphorus per 1010 neutrophilic leukocytes per hour obtained in a group of 41 control children in the same age group (after correction of the control mean to the same mean age). The difference is significant at the 0.5 per cent level of confidence. This difference was interpreted as confirming (but not proving) the hypothesis that leukocyte alkaline phosphatase formation is controlled by a gene on chromosome number 21—the chromosome for which mongolian idiots are trisomic. The hypothesis arose because of the known deficiency of this enzyme in the leukocytes of patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia, and the known partial deletion of chromosome 21 in this disease. This finding should provide a stimulus to further investigations into the content of alkaline phosphatase in leukocytes, possible polymorphism of leukocyte alkaline phosphatases, linkages with other inherited traits, and relationships between leukocyte and other tissue phosphatases.
A simplified classification of proximal femoral fractures improves accuracy, confidence, and inter-reader agreement of hip fracture classification by radiology residents.

To demonstrate the effect of teaching a simplified treatment-based classification of proximal femoral fractures on the accuracy, confidence, and inter-reader agreement of radiology residents. The authors hypothesize that these measures will improve after viewing an educational presentation. Three radiology residents independently classified 100 operative proximal femoral fractures, both before and after viewing a 45-min educational video describing the simplified classification scheme, with a washout period of at least 12 weeks between sessions. Based on the gold standard established by consensus of two radiologists and an orthopedic trauma surgeon utilizing intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging, operative reports, and pre-procedural imaging, accuracy of classification was calculated for each reader before and after viewing the educational video. Reader confidence was recorded on a 0–10 scale, and inter-reader agreement was calculated with Fleiss’s kappa. McNemar’s test was used to compare accuracy, a paired t test was used to compare confidence, and the Z-test was used to compare kappa values after bootstrapping to determine the standard error of the mean. The study cohort included 60/100 females, with a mean age of 76.6 years. The pooled classification accuracy was initially 65%, which improved to 80% in the second reading session after viewing the educational video (p < 0.0001). Confidence improved from 6.9 initially to 8.6 (p < 0.0001). Inter-reader agreement improved from a kappa of 0.45 (moderate agreement) to 0.74 (substantial agreement) (p < 0.0001). A simplified treatment-based classification of proximal femoral fractures is easily taught to radiology residents and resulted in increased accuracy, increased inter-reader agreement, and increased reader confidence.
Pediatric Home Parenteral Nutrition: Indications and Short-Term Outcomes in a Large National Sample of Commercially Insured Children and Adolescents.

Background To support families managing the complex requirements of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in pediatric patients, health professionals need information about HPN indications and complications. Nationally representative information is limited. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database was performed and identified 683 patients aged ≤18 years receiving HPN during dates of service from January 2013 through September 2015. Baseline diagnoses were measured in the 30 days before the first observed HPN claim (preindex). Indications for older (aged 13-18 years) and younger (aged ≤12 years) children were compared. Hospital and emergency department (ED) utilization rates were measured for 30 postindex days. Results Gastrointestinal diagnoses and/or symptoms affected more than three-quarters of patients. Short bowel syndrome was more common in younger than in older patients (24% vs 7%, respectively), and colitis was less common (13% vs 33%; both P 95% of hospital and ED use was disease related. Conclusion In a nationally representative sample of commercially insured pediatric patients treated with HPN, complex medical conditions were common. Findings highlight the importance of American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition recommendations for team-based care.
Registration-based image enhancement improves multi-atlas segmentation of the thalamic nuclei and hippocampal subfields.

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important tool for analysis of deep brain grey matter structures. However, analysis of these structures is limited due to low intensity contrast typically found in whole brain imaging protocols. Herein, we propose a big data registration-enhancement (BDRE) technique to augment the contrast of deep brain structures using an efficient large-scale non-rigid registration strategy. Direct validation is problematic given a lack of ground truth data. Rather, we validate the usefulness and impact of BDRE for multi-atlas (MA) segmentation on two sets of structures of clinical interest: the thalamic nuclei and hippocampal subfields. The experimental design compares algorithms using T1-weighted 3 T MRI for both structures (and additional 7 T MRI for the thalamic nuclei) with an algorithm using BDRE. As baseline comparisons, a recent denoising (DN) technique and a super-resolution (SR) method are used to preprocess the original 3 T MRI. The performance of each MA segmentation is evaluated by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). BDRE significantly improves mean segmentation accuracy over all methods tested for both thalamic nuclei (3 T imaging: 9.1%; 7 T imaging: 15.6%; DN: 6.9%; SR: 16.2%) and hippocampal subfields (3 T T1 only: 8.7%; DN: 8.4%; SR: 8.6%). We also present DSC performance for each thalamic nucleus and hippocampal subfield and show that BDRE can help MA segmentation for individual thalamic nuclei and hippocampal subfields. This work will enable large-scale analysis of clinically relevant deep brain structures from commonly acquired T1 images.
Noninvasive sub-organ ultrasound stimulation for targeted neuromodulation

Tools for noninvasively modulating neural signaling in peripheral organs will advance the study of nerves and their effect on homeostasis and disease. Herein, we demonstrate a noninvasive method to modulate specific signaling pathways within organs using ultrasound (U/S). U/S is first applied to spleen to modulate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), and US stimulation is shown to reduce cytokine response to endotoxin to the same levels as implant-based vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Next, hepatic U/S stimulation is shown to modulate pathways that regulate blood glucose and is as effective as VNS in suppressing the hyperglycemic effect of endotoxin exposure. This response to hepatic U/S is only found when targeting specific sub-organ locations known to contain glucose sensory neurons, and both molecular (i.e. neurotransmitter concentration and cFOS expression) and neuroimaging results indicate US induced signaling to metabolism-related hypothalamic sub-nuclei. These data demonstrate that U/S stimulation within organs provides a new method for site-selective neuromodulation to regulate specific physiological functions.
The Parameter Space of Orbits of a Maximal Compact Subgroup Acting on a Flag Manifold

The orbits of a real form of a complex semisimple Lie group and those of the complexification of its maximal compact subgroup acting on , a homogeneous, algebraic, - manifold, are finite. Consequently, there is an open - orbit. Lower-dimensional orbits are on the boundary of the open orbit with the lowest dimensional one being closed. Induced action on the parameter space of certain compact geometric objects (cycles) related to the manifold in question has been characterized using duality relations between - and - orbits in the case of an open - orbit and more recently lower-dimensional - orbits. We show that the parameter space associated with the unique closed - orbit in agrees with that of the other orbits characterized as a certain explicitly defined universal domain.
On Doubling and Dis/ability: The Voice and View of Difference in the Fiction of Cristina Fernández Cubas

AbstractThe award-winning collection of stories by Cristina Fernandez Cubas, La habitacion de Nona (2015), focuses on the fear of difference that lurks within apparent normality. The title story fe...
ENVIRONMENTALISM, STIMULUS, AND INEQUALITY REDUCTION THROUGH INDUSTRIAL POLICY: DID CASH FOR CLUNKERS ACHIEVE THE TRIFECTA?

The 2009 American Cash for Clunkers program, which subsidized consumers who scrapped old vehicles and purchased new vehicles, was promoted by appealing to multiple constituencies. We evaluate the policy and alternatives according to its stated goals: emissions reductions, economic stimulus, and reducing inequality. We calibrate a dynamic partial equilibrium portfolio model to match consumer expenditure data from 1998 to 2011 focusing on heterogeneity across cars and trucks. We find the program generated $0.17 in environmental benefits, $0.28 in consumer surplus, and $0.31 in net discounted additional spending per subsidy dollar. Since subsidies largely went to middle‐income infra‐marginal consumers, the program exacerbated consumption inequality. We evaluate alternative policy designs and find no policy which simultaneously improves all outcomes. (JEL H23, L52, L92, D63)
Work-in-Progress: Real-Time Reactors in C

This paper describes an implementation in progress of a C-based framework for execution of deterministic, concurrent, real-time software components called "reactors." The component interfaces and their interconnections are given a coordination language called Lingua Franca, while the work done by the components is given in ordinary C. The implementation described here can exploit multiple cores and is capable of realizing rate monotonic and earliest deadline first scheduling policies.
Changes in Filament Microstructures During DirectInk Writing with a Yield Stress Fluid Support

Field-assisted 3D printing has promising applications including cell patterning and functionally graded scaffolds. Direct ink writing can produce 3D-printed multiphase materials with controlled pha...
Non-Classical Amide Bond Formation: Transamidation and Amidation of Activated Amides and Esters by Selective N–C/O–C Cleavage

In the past several years, tremendous advances have been made in non-classical routes for amide bond formation that involve transamidation and amidation reactions of activated amides and esters. These new methods enable the formation of extremely valuable amide bonds via transition-metal-catalyzed, transition-metal-free, or metal-free pathways by exploiting chemoselective acyl C–X (X = N, O) cleavage under mild conditions. In a broadest sense, these reactions overcome the formidable challenge of activating C–N/C–O bonds of amides or esters by rationally tackling nN → π*C=O delocalization in amides and nO → π*C=O donation in esters. In this account, we summarize the recent remarkable advances in the development of new methods for the synthesis of amides with a focus on (1) transition-metal/NHC-catalyzed C–N/C–O bond activation, (2) transition-metal-free highly selective cleavage of C–N/C–O bonds, (3) the development of new acyl-transfer reagents, and (4) other emerging methods. 1 Introduction 2 Transamidation of Amides 2.1 Transamidation by Metal–NHC Catalysis (Pd–NHC, Ni–NHC) 2.2 Transition-Metal-Free Transamidation via Tetrahedral Intermediates 2.3 Reductive Transamidation 2.4 New Acyl-Transfer Reagents 2.5 Tandem Transamidations 3 Amidation of Esters 3.1 Amidation of Esters by Metal–NHC Catalysis (Pd–NHC, Ni–NHC) 3.2 Transition-Metal-Free Amidation of Esters via Tetrahedral Intermediates 3.3 Reductive Amidation of Esters 4 Transamidations of Amides by Other Mechanisms 5 Conclusions and Outlook
Pressure Effects on Electron Transfer in Bacterial Reaction Centers

Studies of the effects of pressure on the various electron transfer reactions, both forward and backward, that mediate charge separation and recombination in bacterial reaction centers, can provide useful information on changes in conformation and distances involving the various chromophores and their protein scaffolding that may accompany these movements of charge. We have recently reported the effects of pressure on the rates of one forward reaction and three back reactions for two species of photosynthetic bacteria, Rb. sphaeroides and Rps. viridis (1). In this brief report I review these results and compare them with earlier studies of the temperature dependence of these processes (2,3). A simple model is proposed that appears to account for both pressure and temperature data and which can be tested by additional experiments.
Research exceptionalism and opportunism during the coronavirus pandemic

In the era of COVID19, research has been conducted at an extraordinary pace, eliminating the time from submission to publication to unprecedented levels. This is facilitated by preprint platforms and social media which can spread, reproduce and promote new knowledge with enormous speed. However, there are many concerns regarding the risk of potential deflection from the peer review process that some journals might have adopted, in order to manage the overwhelming wave of COVID19-related submissions. Another dimension of this problem, is the inequity and the publication hurdles that many non-COVID19 scientists might face, since review process of non-COVID19 papers is delayed and journal space is limited to serve the COVID19 literature. Besides the access to publishing, some scientists have redirected their scholarly activity towards coronavirus publications, either permanently or temporarily or even opportunistically. The latter might be attributed to the ease that COVID19 related articles are getting published and cited. This epidemiologic and potentially academic crisis might also be an opportunity for editors, journals and reviewers to create a new journalistic landscape where rapid, transparent and thorough review process can be offered to the authors based on the lessons learned from the current ongoing crisis.
Short-Term Analysis (8 Weeks) of Social Distancing and Isolation on Mental Health and Physical Activity Behavior During COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and states adopted social distancing, social isolation, or quarantine measurements to slow the transmission of the disease. Negative mental health outcomes including depression and anxiety have been associated with social distancing or social isolation. The purpose of the present study was to examine changes in psychological health and physical activity over an 8 week period under social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Ninety (73.3% female; age 32.04 ± 11.33) individuals participated in this study. Qualifying participants answered questions using an online survey regarding their loneliness, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, mood state, and physical activity over four time points each lasting two weeks. Results: Symptoms of depression and state anxiety were increased in the population when compared to nationwide statistics from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Time point 2, ~1 month into social isolation, showed the most significant effects on mental health. During this time point, 100% of the participants showed symptoms of depression. There were no significant changes in physical activity over the 8 weeks. Loneliness, depressive symptoms, fatigue, and mood state were negatively associated with participation in physical activity. Vigor and state anxiety were associated with participation in physical activity. Conclusion: Social isolation and social distancing practices have had a negative effect on depression, anxiety, and mood over time. It appeared that depressive symptoms and total mood disturbance was elevated during time point two. Depressive symptoms were much higher than average compared to previous epidemiological data. Physical activity amount did not change over time but was associated with poor mental health.
Photonic funnels for sub-diffraction propagation and confinement of light

We present phonic funnels, a novel material platform, that enables a smooth optical link between the diffraction-limited and deep subwavelength areas. Photonic funnels comprise conical structures with hyperbolic cores that enable highly confined propagation of light and perfectly conducting walls that isolate the core of the funnel from the surroundings. We demonstrate realization of the funnels with semiconductor metamaterial platform, with minimum diameter of the opening of the order of 1/30-th of free space wavelength and characterize propagation of light through the funnels experimentally and theoretically. We also analyze funnel-induced modulation of emission.