cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ligand Characterization of Covalently Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: An NMR Toolbox Approach

Mesoporous silica materials are undergoing rapid development for numerous environmental and biomedical applications. These materials are commonly functionalized with small organic molecules through a reaction between an organosilane and the surface silanols. Despite widespread use and implementation of these materials, ligands on their surfaces are challenging to characterize, particularly in aqueous environments. Employing traditional physicochemical characterization methods such as adsorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy, as well as solution-phase 1H NMR methods including one-dimensional NMR, diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY), the labile nature of several different surface ligands on mesoporous silica nanoparticles is revealed. The data presented indicate a dynamic model of organosilane release from the surface, and adsorption of the released molecules is ultimately dependent on the nature of the binding of t...
Mineral Nutrition and Production Disease in Dairy Cows

SUMMARY Some of the principles underlying the idea of “production disease” in dairy cows are illustrated by considering the metabolism of three pairs of mineral elements—sodium and potassium, calcium and magnesium, and copper and manganese. The quantitative data describing the “input”, “throughput” and “output” of these elements are presented, and their relationships both with known diseases, such as milk fever and hypomagnesaemia, and with less familiar conditions revealed by the Compton Metabolic Profile Test are discussed. The three pairs of elements, Na and K, Ca and Mg, and Cu and Mn, are used to exemplify situations in which input-output imbalances may occur with minerals which are completely, moderately and minimally available respectively from the diet. It is shown that for Na and K and Ca and Mg the period of lactation is most likely to cause such an imbalance, because other endogenous losses of these elements are small compared with their loss in milk. For Cu and Mn this is not the case because secretion of these elements in milk is small compared with their endogenous loss in faeces.
Regulation of Starch Synthesis in Zea mays Leaves

Synthesis of starch in leaves of Zea mays, an NADP-ME type C4 plant, is normally restricted to the bundle sheath cells (1). The absence of starch accumulation in maize mesophyll may be related to the distribution of starch metabolizing enzymes between the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells, although this has not been convincingly established (1–3). The stromal enzyme, ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes the formation of ADPglucose, the glucosyl donor for starch synthase, and is believed to be the principal site of regulation for starch biosynthesis. This enzyme from all plants studied to date is activated by 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) and inhibited by orthophosphate (Pi) (14). The rate of starch synthesis is believed to be coupled to the rate of photosynthesis and to the rate of photosynthate export from the cell through the interaction of this enzyme and the stromal ratio of 3-PGA/Pi. Activity of this enzyme from whole leaf extracts of sorghum, also a NADH-ME type C4 plant, is also allosterically regulated by 3-PGA and Pi (5). However, significance of the kinetic properties of bundle sheath and mesophyll specific ADPglucose pyrophosphorylases to localization of starch synthesis in leaves of maize or other C4 plants has not been previously investigated.
Social Position Predicting Physical Activity Level in Youth: An Application of Hidden Markov Modeling on Network Statistics

Social positioning has been shown to have impacts on physical activity in youth. In this study Hidden Markov Modeling is used to infer latent social positions from a set of computed network statistics in two network of youth over time. The association between physical activity and social position is analyzed. Youth in less centrally located social roles tended to have less physical activity than youth with more centrally located social positions.
Influence of health literacy and trust in online information on food allergy quality of life and self-efficacy

Abstract Background Health literacy among caregivers of food allergic individuals (FAIs) is poorly described, as are the information sources sought regarding food allergy. Objective To assess the association among health literacy, trust in online sources of information, and food allergy quality of life (QoL) and self-efficacy. Methods An online survey was administered to caregivers of FAIs assessing health literacy (Newest Vital Sign [NVS] and the eHeals Internet health literacy index), trust in online information (Hargittai Internet credibility index and Annenberg National Health Communication Survey [ANHCS]), QoL (Food Allergy Quality of Life Parental Burden), and self-efficacy (Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Questionnaire [FASEQ]). Results Among 1562 respondents, 94.6% (NVS) and 61.1% (eHeals) had good health literacy, and 58% had high levels of trust in online information (both indexes). The NVS correlated poorly with the eHeals and Hargittai indexes. Hargittai and eHeals scores were moderately correlated ( r = 0.37, P P = .05) and ANHCS scores ( P P = .02) and eHeals scores ( P Conclusion In this sample, health literacy and trust in online information sources were high, with high trust in online information sources negatively associated with QoL. Advocacy group membership had an independent negative association with QoL.
A new species of Acanthothecis (Ostropales), highlights subtropical floristic elements of the southern Appalachian lichen biota in eastern North America

Abstract Acanthothecis fontana is described as new to science based on material collected in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is most similar to A. paucispora, but differs in its smaller ascospores and apparent allopatric distribution. In addition to the description of the new species, a key is provided to the genus Acanthothecis, including the species of Fissurina with warted paraphyses, together with a tabular summary of information pertaining to ascospores and chemistry.
Non-pathogenic tissue-resident CD8+ T cells uniquely accumulate in the brains of lupus-prone mice.

Severe lupus often includes psychiatric and neurological sequelae, although the cellular contributors to CNS disease remain poorly defined. Using intravascular staining to discriminate tissue-localized from blood-borne cells, we find substantial accumulation of CD8+ T cells relative to other lymphocytes in brain tissue, which correlates with lupus disease and limited neuropathology. This is in contrast to all other affected organs, where infiltrating CD4+ cells are predominant. Brain-infiltrating CD8+ T cells represent an activated subset of those found in the periphery, having a resident-memory phenotype (CD69+CD122−PD1+CD44+CD62L−) and expressing adhesion molecules (VLA-4+LFA-1+) complementary to activated brain endothelium. Remarkably, infiltrating CD8+ T cells do not cause tissue damage in lupus-prone mice, as genetic ablation of these cells via β2 m deficiency does not reverse neuropathology, but exacerbates disease both in the brain and globally despite decreased serum IgG levels. Thus, lupus-associated inflammation disrupts the blood-brain barrier in a discriminating way biased in favor of non-pathogenic CD8+ T cells relative to other infiltrating leukocytes, perhaps preventing further tissue damage in such a sensitive organ.
Outcomes following thoracotomy or thoracoscopic vascular ring division in children and young adults.

Abstract Objective To determine the short- and intermediate-term outcomes following vascular ring division by video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) or thoracotomy approach. Methods This study is a retrospective review of patients with double aortic arch or right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and left ligamentum (RAA with LSCA/LL) who underwent division via left thoracotomy or VATS approach at a single institution. Outcome measures included operation duration (OR time), hospital length of stay (LOS), postoperative complications, and freedom from reintervention. Results A total of 200 patients underwent vascular ring division by VATS (n = 115) or thoracotomy (n = 85). Of 200 patients, 125 (56%) displayed respiratory symptoms at presentation, 29 (11%) displayed digestive tract symptoms, and 41 (32%) displayed both. Median follow-up was 2.1 years (interquartile range: 1 month to 7.1 years). Overall cohort mortality was 1 (0.5%) of 200 at 11 years after surgery. Fifteen (7.5%) experienced immediate postoperative complications. At follow-up visit within 1 month after surgery, 92 (74%) of 125 patients reported improvement in symptoms. Freedom from reintervention was 96% and 90% at 5 years and 10 years, respectively. Among patients with RAA with LSCA/LL (n = 113), VATS was associated with shorter LOS compared with thoracotomy (1.2 vs 3.4 days; P P = .68). Conclusions Vascular ring division by either thoracotomy or VATS can be performed with low rates of complication and need for reintervention. Compared with thoracotomy, VATS is associated with shorter operative duration and hospital LOS among patients with RAA with LSCA/LL.
Critical Issues in the Inclusion of Genetic and Epigenetic Information in Prevention and Intervention Trials

Human genetic research in the past decade has generated a wealth of data from the genome-wide association scan era, much of which is catalogued and freely available. These data will typically test the relationship between a single nucleotide variant or polymorphism (SNP) and some outcome, disease, or trait. Ongoing investigations will yield a similar wealth of data regarding epigenetic phenomena. These data will typically test the relationship between DNA methylation at a single genomic location/region and some outcome. Most of these findings will be the result of cross-sectional investigations typically using ascertained cases and controls. Consequently, most methodological consideration focuses on methods appropriate for simple case–control comparisons. It is expected that a growing number of investigators with longitudinal experimental prevention or intervention cohorts will also measure genetic and epigenetic indicators as part of their investigations, harvesting the wealth of information generated by the genome-wide association study (GWAS) era to allow for targeted hypothesis testing in the next generation of prevention and intervention trials. Herein, we discuss appropriate quality control and statistical modelling of genetic, polygenic, and epigenetic measures in longitudinal models. We specifically discuss quality control, population stratification, genotype imputation, pathway approaches, and proper modelling of an interaction between a specific genetic variant and an environment variable (GxE interaction).
Genome Tools and Methods: Rare Genetic Variation

Abstract Rare genetic variation is increasingly being recognized as contributory to complex neuropsychiatric disorders. This chapter explains the genomic methodologies associated with identifying and interrogating rare variants for causality in these diseases. Modern technologies for identifying variation in individuals and across populations include microarrays and high-throughput sequencing, both of which are discussed in depth. Because of low frequency inherent in rare variation, special study design strategies are required. In family-based trio designs, searching for and analyzing de novo variants has proven effective for identifying genes and pathways that confer significant risk. Similarly, case–control studies can detect variation that is significantly enriched in patient cohorts. We review the application of current genome technologies in psychiatry and discuss new challenges that lie ahead in understanding the genetic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and demonstrating the clinical translational potential of genetic findings.
Targeted inhibition of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase ameliorates anti-GBM-induced lupus-like nephritis.

Abstract Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a typical lesion in autoantibody and immune complex disorders, including SLE. Because the Gas6/Axl pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many types of GN, targeting this pathway might ameliorate GN. Consequently, we have studied the efficacy and mechanism of R428, a potent selective Axl inhibitor, in the prevention of experimental anti-GBM nephritis. Axl upregulation was investigated with Sp1/3 siRNA in the SV40-transformed mesangial cells. For Axl inhibition, a daily dose of R428 (125 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered orally. GN was induced with anti-GBM sera. Renal disease development was followed by serial blood urine nitrogen (BUN) determinations and by evaluation of kidney histology at the time of sacrifice. Axl-associated signaling proteins were analyzed by Western blotting and inflammatory cytokine secretion was analyzed by Proteome array. SiRNA data revealed the transcription factor Sp1 to be an important regulator of mesangial Axl expression. Anti-GBM serum induced severe nephritis with azotemia, protein casts and necrotic cell death. R428 treatment diminished renal Axl expression and improved kidney function, with significantly decreased BUN and glomerular proliferation. R428 treatment inhibited Axl and significantly decreased Akt phosphorylation and renal inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression; similar effects were observed in anti-GBM antiserum-treated Axl-KO mice. These studies support a role for Axl inhibition in glomerulonephritis.
Closing Comments: Market Pull Versus Technology Push

Le partenariat Energy Star du Department Of Energy (USA) represente une nouvelle approche du deploiement technologique qui repose sur un conditionnement du marche, une large acceptation du public et une vente assuree aupres des instances federales, regionales ou meme privees. Plusieurs realisations dans le domaine de l'eclairage sont presentees
Pemphigus Vulgaris: Clinical Features

The clinical features, histology, and immunopathology of pemphigus allow it to be divided into two categories. Pemphigus vulgaris is the most common clinical type of pemphigus, and pemphigus vegetans is a variant. Pemphigus foliaceus is a disease of less severity and occurs less commonly than pemphigus vulgaris in North America. Pemphigus erythematosus is considered to be a variant of pemphigus foliaceus. Pemphigus with thymoma and myasthenia gravis, pemphigus and malignant disease, and induced pemphigus are also discussed.
Terror Management Theory and Research: How the Desire for Death Transcendence Drives Our Strivings for Meaning and Significance

Abstract Science tells us that humans are merely animals that evolved to survive long enough to reproduce and care for offspring before dying. Yet, people want to view life as something more and accomplish something more: to have lives that are meaningful and significant. According to terror management theory, these desires spring from the human awareness of our own vulnerability and mortality. This awareness creates a unique ever-present potential for experiencing terror. To manage this potential, cultural worldviews have been constructed to imbue life with meaning and with possibilities for individuals to attain enduring significance (self-esteem). Humans function relatively securely as long as they sustain faith in such a worldview and their value within it because it provides them with the sense that they are not just transient animals fated only to obliteration; rather they will in some way transcend their own death. The theory has been supported by over 500 studies, clarifying how we humans manage this potential terror. We briefly summarize the roots and core of the theory and evidence, and branches of research pertinent to politics, religion, love, family, health, and neuroscience. We conclude by considering how death relates to other threats, and positive forms of terror management.
Measuring muscle color on beef carcasses using the L*a*b* color space.

Because beef muscle color affects consumers' purchasing decisions, is a factor in determining USDA grades, and has been shown to be useful in sorting carcasses according to palatability, this study was conducted to determine the effects of measurement conditions on L*, a*, and b* values, to determine the relationships among USDA quality grading factors, muscle pH, electrical impedance, and colorimeter readings, and to develop a classification system that could be used to sort beef carcasses with respect to muscle color. Data were collected over 2 d from 145 beef carcasses in a commercial packing plant. The exposed longissimus muscle at the 12th/13th rib was used for all muscle pH, electrical impedance, and colorimeter measurements. A Minolta Chroma Meter CR-310 was used to obtain L*, a*, and b* readings. Bloom time, from 0 to 93 min, had a greater effect on a* and b* readings than on L* readings. The L* values stabilized after approximately 30 min bloom time, and a* and b* values stabilized after 78 min bloom time, but relative differences among carcasses in L*, a*, and b* values did not change after 3 to 12 min bloom time. Days postmortem, cut surface (anterior versus posterior), and within-muscle location (medial vs lateral) did not affect L*, a*, and b* readings (P > .05). Blotting the surface moisture from the longissimus muscle resulted in lower a* readings (P .05). The L*, a*, and b* values were correlated with lean maturity scores (-.67, -.30, and -.40, respectively), dark cutter discount (-.60, -.76, and -.73, respectively), muscle pH (-.57, -.79, and -.78, respectively), and electrical impedance (-.27, -.21, and -.25, respectively). Two muscle color classification systems, nine classes each, are proposed, one system based on L* and one system based on b*. The main advantage of the L* categorization system over the b* system is that the L* value was less sensitive to bloom time, and the main advantage of the b* categorization system over the L* system is that the b* system was slightly more precise at segregating carcasses based upon corresponding differences in muscle pH. This research provides procedural guidelines for measuring beef muscle color and shows that a colorimeter can effectively aid researchers and graders in assessing beef carcass quality.
Effect of Feeding Fat and Altering Weaning Schedule on Rebreeding in Primiparous Sows

Primiparous sows that farrowed on a commercial farm during late summer in 1980 (n = 65) or late winter in 1981 (n = 62) and lactated 3 to 4 wk were used. Sows were assigned in a factorial experiment to one of two lactation diets (control or 10% fat-supplemented) and one of three periods (0, 2 or 5 d) of early weaning of the heaviest one-half of the litter. Days from weaning to estrus averaged 16.7 +/- 1.5 and 8.7 +/- 1.6 in summer and winter, respectively, and the season X diet interaction was significant for days from weaning to estrus and percentage of sows that exhibited estrus after weaning. In summer, supplementing diets with fat reduced the weaning-to-estrus interval from 20.9 +/- 2.1 to 12.6 +/- 2.1 d and increased percentage of sows in estrus by 10 d postweaning from 34 to 59. In winter, days from weaning to estrus tended to be greater and percentage of sows in estrus by 10 d postweaning tended to be less in sows fed fat-supplemented diets (10.3 +/- 2.5, 74%) than in sows fed control diets (7.1 +/- 2.9, 82%). Over both seasons, weaning one-half the litter 2 d early (2-d group) increased the percentage of sows in estrus by 10 d after weaning (77%) compared with 5-d (58%) or 0-d (51%) groups. Total litter weight at weaning was not affected by season, diet or days with one-half litter. However, piglets of lightest weight remaining on sows two or five extra days gained .09 +/- .03 kg/d more than lightest weight pigs in control (0-d) litters over the same interval. Early weaning of heaviest pigs may improve reproductive performance of primiparous sows in summer and winter, while supplementing lactation diets with fat may improve performance in summer, when weaning-to-estrus interval is longer than in winter.
Leaving no token behind: comprehensive (and delicious) annotation of MWEs and supersenses

I will describe an unorthodox approach to lexical semantic annotation that prioritizes corpus coverage, democratizing analysis of a wide range of expression types. I argue that a lexicon-free lexical semantics—defined in terms of units and supersense tags—is an appetizing direction for NLP, as it is robust, cost-effective, easily understood, not too language-specific, and can serve as a foundation for richer semantic structure. Linguistic delicacies from the STREUSLE and DiMSUM corpora, which have been multiword- and supersense-annotated, attest to the veritable smorgasbord of noncanonical constructions in English, including various flavors of prepositions, MWEs, and other curiosities. Bio: Nathan Schneider is an annotation schemer and computational modeler for natural language. As Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science at Georgetown University, he looks for synergies between practical language technologies and the scientific study of language. He specializes in broad-coverage semantic analysis: designing linguistic meaning representations, annotating them in corpora, and automating them with statistical natural language processing techniques. A central focus in this research is the nexus between grammar and lexicon as manifested in multiword expressions and adpositions/case markers. He has inhabited UC Berkeley (BA in Computer Science and Linguistics), Carnegie Mellon University (Ph.D. in Language Technologies), and the University of Edinburgh (postdoc). Now a Hoya and leader of NERT, he continues to play with data and algorithms for linguistic meaning.
Carboxylic acids accelerate acidic environment-mediated nanoceria dissolution.

Ligands that accelerate nanoceria dissolution may greatly affect its fate and effects. This project assessed the carboxylic acid contribution to nanoceria dissolution in aqueous, acidic environment...
Quasi noise-free reconstruction of long-wavelength digital holograms

Digital Holography (DH) suffers from severe degradation of the reconstruction quality due to the presence of speckles. Speckle is due to the source coherence and shows on the hologram as a multiplicative, correlated noise. Due to the larger size of the speckle grains, the lower resolution, and the worse features of the available hardware, long wavelength digital holography is more severely degraded by noise than its visible wavelength counterpart is. Non-Bayesian approaches to the denoising problem suffer from resolution loss or complex acquisition systems required to record multiple uncorrelated holograms to be averaged. Instead of providing multiple captures, these can be simulated to yield a number of reconstructions from one single hologram (generally referred to as numerical Multi-Look, ML). However, the ML improvement is inherently bounded to a theoretical limit. On the other hand, image processing has offered a wide literature on the topic over the last decades. Among the most efficient methods to reduce additive Gaussian noise, 3D Block Matching (BM3D) has emerged and it is nowadays widely used in the image processing framework. However, BM3D performance worsens in the presence of speckle and cannot be effectively applied to long wavelength DH. Here we show that the joint action of numerical ML (thought as a preprocessing filter) and BM3D in post-processing permits to overcome the theoretical limit of ML and to outperform the BM3D for the denoising of holograms. The quasi noise free reconstruction of long wavelength holograms of famous artworks will be shown.
Outcomes in immunosuppressed anal cancer patients.

Abstract Background Immunosuppressed patients have an increased risk of developing anal cancer, but little data exists regarding outcomes of this population. Methods A retrospective review of anal cancer patients at a single academic institution from 2006 to 2017 was performed. Results 19 (14%) of 136 anal cancer patients were immunosuppressed. Immunosuppressed patients were more likely to be hypoalbuminemic (21% vs. 6%, p = 0.025), less likely to complete chemotherapy (58% vs. 80%, p = 0.031) or exhibit a complete response to chemoradiation (57% vs. 82%, p = 0.037), and more likely to experience recurrence (53% vs. 25%, p = 0.013). Hypoalbuminemia was significantly associated with worse overall (HR 6.4, CI 2.2–19.2, p Conclusions Immunosuppressed patients have poor tolerance of chemotherapy and response to chemoradiation, and an increased rate of recurrence. This finding is possibly due to the relationship between immunosuppression and hypoalbuminemia, which was associated with worse overall and progression-free survival.
3D auxetic lattice materials for anomalous elastic wave polarization

Elastic bulk materials support longitudinal and transverse waves such that the former travels faster in most cases. Anomalous polarization is the case when a transverse wave travels faster, allowing us to engineer the wave propagation via wave steering, scattering control, and mode conversion, which has critical applications in vibration mitigation and ultrasonic imaging. However, realizable materials that exhibit anomalous polarization are rarely found in nature, and architected materials that exhibit this property have only been demonstrated in 2D. In this article, we present 3D auxetic periodic lattice materials that support anomalous wave polarization. Through finite element analysis, we show that these lattices can switch between normal and anomalous behavior via simple geometry changes. We confirm the elasticity condition and qualitatively discuss the guidelines to design lattice materials that support anomalous polarization along a specific wave propagation direction. We show the ability to control the anomalous wave propagation direction by modifying the lattice geometry. Further, we numerically demonstrate mode conservation, deceleration, and acceleration of an incident wave using a material that exhibits anomalous wave polarization. These demonstrations show the potential application of such materials in nondestructive evaluation and medical imaging.
The downstream air pollution impacts of the transition from coal to natural gas in the United States

The recent shift in the United States from coal to natural gas as a primary feedstock for the production of electric power has reduced the intensity of sectoral carbon dioxide emissions, but—due to gaps in monitoring—its downstream pollution-related effects have been less well understood. Here, I analyse old units that have been taken offline and new units that have come online to empirically link technology switches to observed aerosol and ozone changes and subsequent impacts on human health, crop yields and regional climate. Between 2005 and 2016 in the continental United States, decommissioning of a coal-fired unit was associated with reduced nearby pollution concentrations and subsequent reductions in mortality and increases in crop yield. In total during this period, the shutdown of coal-fired units saved an estimated 26,610 (5%–95% confidence intervals (CI), 2,725–49,680) lives and 570 million (249–878 million) bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat in their immediate vicinities; these estimates increase when pollution transport-related spillovers are included. Changes in primary and secondary aerosol burdens also altered regional atmospheric reflectivity, raising the average top of atmosphere instantaneous radiative forcing by 0.50 W m−2. Although there are considerable benefits of decommissioning older coal-fired units, the newer natural gas and coal-fired units that have supplanted them are not entirely benign. The recent shift in the United States from coal to natural gas for electric power has reduced the carbon dioxide emissions intensity of electric power production, but the other pollution-related impacts of this shift are not yet known. This study finds that, between 2005 and 2016, decommissioning coal-fired plants in the continental US saved an estimated 26,610 lives and 570 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat in their vicinities and also changed regional climate.
Basic Analysis II: A Modern Calculus in Many Variables

Basic Analysis II: A Modern Calculus in Many Variables focuses on differentiation in Rn and important concepts about mappings from Rn to Rm, such as the inverse and implicit function theorem and change of variable formulae for multidimensional integration. These topics converge nicely with many other important applied and theoretical areas which are no longer covered in mathematical science curricula. Although it follows on from the preceding volume, this is a self-contained book, accessible to undergraduates with a minimal grounding in analysis. Features Can be used as a traditional textbook as well as for self-study Suitable for undergraduates in mathematics and associated disciplines Emphasises learning how to understand the consequences of assumptions using a variety of tools to provide the proofs of propositions
Nuclear Level Structure of Er 169

Levels in $^{169}\mathrm{Er}$ have been studied through the reactions $^{168}\mathrm{Er}(d,p)^{169}\mathrm{Er}$ and $^{170}\mathrm{Er}(d,t)^{169}\mathrm{Er}$, using 12-MeV deuterons, and via thermal-neutron capture in $^{168}\mathrm{Er}$. Over 40 states below 1.5 MeV are populated in the charged-particle reactions. These data, coupled with the $\ensuremath{\approx}150$ capture $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays observed, lead to a level scheme that includes the following spectroscopic assignments (rotational band-head energy in keV, followed by the Nilsson single-particle state believed to be dominant): 0.0, ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[521], with associated rotational band to spin ${\frac{11}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, 92.2, ${\frac{5}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}[512]$, with band to ${\frac{11}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; 243.7, ${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}[633]$, with band to ${\frac{13}{2}}^{+}$; 562.1, ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[510], with band to ${\frac{7}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; 714.5, ${\frac{3}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}[521]$, with band to ${\frac{11}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; 823, ${\frac{7}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ [514], with band to ${\frac{9}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; 850, ${\frac{5}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}[523]$, with band to ${\frac{11}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; and 1081.8, ${\frac{3}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}[512]$, with band to ${\frac{7}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. In addition, a level at 860.2 keV is assigned as the head of a ${K}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={\frac{3}{2}}^{+}$ band that is mainly the ($K\ensuremath{-}2$) $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-vibrational state associated with ${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}[633]$. The data suggest that the 562.1-, 714.5-, and 1081.8-keV bands also have significant vibrational admixtures. Several features of the level scheme, including certain $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray branching ratios, are interpreted in terms of Coriolis mixing. The neutron separation energy for $^{169}\mathrm{Er}$ is determined as 6003.1 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.3 keV, and the $Q$ value for the $^{170}\mathrm{Er}(d,t)^{169}\mathrm{Er}$ reaction is found to be -950 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 30 keV.
Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Human iPSCs in a Murine Model of VML

Volumetric muscle loss injury is a common health problem with long-term disabilities. One common treatment is using muscle flaps from donor site, which has limited potentials due to donor site availability and morbidity. Although several stem cell therapies have been evaluated so far, most suffer from limited availability, immune incompatibility, or differentiation potential. Therefore, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have a great promise for this purpose due to their unique differentiation, self-renewal, and immunocompatibility. Current study was designed to determine therapeutic potential of human iPSCs (hiPSCs) in a mouse model of volumetric muscle loss. Muscles were subjected to excision to generate 30%–40% muscle loss. Next, hiPSCs were differentiated toward skeletal myogenic progenitors and used with fibrin hydrogel to reconstruct the lost muscle. Histologic evaluation of the treated muscles indicated abundant engraftment of donor-derived mature fibers expressing human markers. Donor-derived fibers were also positive for the presence of neuromuscular junction (NMJ), indicating their proper innervation. Evaluation of the engrafted region indicated the presence of donor-derived satellite cells expressing human markers and Pax7. Finally, in situ muscle function analysis demonstrated significant improvement of the muscle contractility in muscles treated with hiPSCs. These results therefore provide key evidence for the therapeutic potential of human iPSCs in volumetric muscle loss injuries.
Ultrasonic pitch and catch technique for non-destructive testing of reinforced concrete slabs

This study aims at evaluating reinforced concrete (RC) bridge elements using ultrasonic pitch and catch (UPC) non-destructive testing (NDT) technique. A validation reinforced concrete slab with two embedded layers of rebars and artificial defects (voids, honeycombs, and debondings) was designed and tested. A commercial UPC NDT device (hereafter called “UPC device”), which is based on the ultrasonic shear-wave test method using dry-point-contact transmitting and receiving transducers in a “pitch-catch” configuration, was used to map internal defects of the validation RC slab. The recorded data from the UPC device was analyzed using a modified synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). A software was developed to reconstruct 2-D images of the RC slab cross-sections using novel signal filtering and processing techniques. The results revealed that the 2-D image reconstructed from the developed software accurately exhibited locations and horizontal dimensions of the steel rebars, voids, and debondings. In addition, the developed software was capable to provide much higher resolution and sharper images of the anomalies inside the RC slab compared to the UPC device’s proprietary imaging software.
The Futility of Shooting Down Strawmen: A Response to Kleck (2020)

In response to my recent article on guns, firearms homicide, and mass shootings, Kleck questions the reliability of my findings and cited concerns related to spuriousness, invalid measurement, and ...
Wearable devices and machine learning algorithms for cardiovascular health assessment

Abstract The rapid improvement in wearable technology and its increasing sophistication is providing endless opportunities for progress in societal wellbeing and healthcare institution. Chapter 15 discusses the evolving field of digital medicine, specifically smart wearables, and its application to both cardiovascular health and disease. It begins by first introducing some of the currently used sensors and detailing their underlying mechanisms of action. Thereafter, it explores the concept of machine learning and how it allows for the rapid and meaningful analysis of the millions of bytes of data collected by these sensors on a daily basis. Further, we delve into some of the ways wearables are being used to monitor cardiac health and disease, including: disease prevention through lifestyle management, screening for disease, and disease management. Lastly, this chapter provides a discussion of some of the challenges facing this rapidly evolving field.
Late Presentation to HIV/AIDS Testing, Treatment, or Continued Care: Clarifying the Use of CD4 Evaluation in the Consensus Definition

Objectives — Late presentation to HIV/AIDS services compromises treatment outcomes and misses opportunities for biomedical and behavioral prevention. There has been significant heterogeneity in how the term “late presentation” (LP) has been used in the literature. In 2011, a consensus definition was reached using CD4 counts to define and measure late presenters and while it is useful for clinical care, the consensus definition has several important limitations that we discuss in this article. Methods — Using the spectrum of engagement in HIV care presented by Gardner and colleagues, this article highlights issues and opportunities associated with use of the consensus definition. Results — The consensus definition is limited by three principal factors: 1) The CD4 threshold of 350 is being increasingly questioned as the biomedical justification grows for earlier initiation of treatment; 2) CD4 evaluations are conducted at multiple services providing HIV care, thus it remains unclear to which service the patient is presenting late; and 3) The limited availability of CD4 evaluations restricts its use in determining the prevalence of LP in many settings. Conclusions — The consensus definition is useful because it describes the level of disease progression and allows for consistent evaluation of prevalence and determinants of LP. Suggestions are provided for improving the application of the consensus definition in future research.
Metals and breast cancer risk: a prospective study using toenail metal biomarkers

Background: Certain metals are known or suspected carcinogens and have been found in breast tissue samples. Toenails are a stable matrix that reflect exposure 6-12 months before collection and meas...
Esophagitis Outcomes With or Without Contralateral Esophagus Sparing in Locally Advanced Lung Cancer.

Purpose/Objective(s) Patients receiving concurrent chemo/radiation therapy (CRT) for non-small cell (NSCLC) or small cell (SCLC) lung carcinoma are at risk for severe acute esophagitis (AE) (≥ grade (G) 3). We sought to compare AE in a cohort of patients treated with an empirically-derived contralateral esophagus sparing technique (CEST) to historical patients treated without this technique. This data will inform nurses and nurse practitioners when anticipating and managing CRT side effects in lung cancer patients. Materials/Methods In this retrospective IRB-approved study, we reviewed the records of patients with locally advanced (stage III by AJCC 7th ed +/- solitary brain metastasis) NSCLC or limited-stage SCLC who had gross tumor within 1 cm of the esophagus. All patients were planned with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to a prescription dose of at least 60 Gy with concurrent chemotherapy. Cohort A represents a secondary analysis of an institutional phase I trial that enrolled patients during 7/2015-2/2019. Cohort B consists of consecutive patients treated with standard of care IMRT during 7/2008-12/2012, before the implementation of CEST at our institution. We tabulated patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics and graded AE using CTCAEv4 from baseline to 3-month post-treatment follow-up appointments. Results We identified a total of 52 CRT patients (A, n = 26; B, n = 26). Median ages for cohorts A and B were 67 and 69.5 years, respectively. In each cohort there were 10 females and 16 males. Stage distribution was: IIIA 50%, IIIB 42%, IV 8% for cohort A and IIIA 65%, IIIB 35% for cohort B. In cohorts A and B, median radiation dose was 70 Gy (range 68-70 Gy) and 68.7 Gy (range 45-74 Gy), respectively. Overall rates of G2+ AE in cohorts A and B were 31% (n = 8) and 58% (n = 15) (P = 0.03), respectively. This difference was evident by week 4 of CRT when for cohorts A and B the rates were 15% and 35%, respectively. By 3 months post-treatment, each cohort had 1 patient with G2+ AE. There were no G4/5 events, and the only G3 AE was in cohort B leading to early termination of treatment at 52.2 Gy. Twelve percent (n = 3) of patients in cohort A and 27% (n = 7) of patients in cohort B required IV fluids. Forty six percent (n = 12) patients in cohort A and 62% (n = 16) of patients in cohort B required diet adjustments, while 27% (n = 7) of patients in cohort A and 73% (n = 19) of patients in cohort B required pain medications. Overall, CEST allowed patients to maintain a more normal diet, spend less time receiving IV fluids, and take fewer pain medications. Conclusion Advances in IMRT-based treatment techniques have enabled a considerable reduction in G2-3 AE rates. Reduced AE is expected to lead to improved quality of life and treatment adherence. Nurses and nurse practitioners can use this data to perform a more focused assessment, create patient-specific interventions, and streamline patient education.
Optical Diagnostics for High-Temperature Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are typically composed of translucent ceramic oxides that provide thermal protection for metallic components exposed to high-temperature environments, such as in jet turbine engines. Taking advantage of the translucent nature of TBCs, optical diagnostics have been developed that can provide an informed assessment of TBC health that will allow mitigating action to be taken before TBC degradation threatens performance or safety. In particular, rare-earth-doped luminescent sublayers have been integrated into the TBC structure to produce luminescence that monitors TBC erosion, delamination, and temperature gradients. Erosion monitoring of TBC-coated specimens is demonstrated by utilizing visible luminescence that is excited from a sublayer that is exposed by erosion. TBC delamination monitoring is achieved in TBCs with a base rare-earth-doped luminescent sublayer by the reflectance-enhanced increase in luminescence produced in regions containing buried delamination cracks. TBC temperature monitoring is demonstrated using the temperature-dependent decay time for luminescence originating from the specific coating depth associated with a rare-earth-doped luminescent sublayer. The design and implementation of these TBCs with integrated luminescent sublayers is discussed, including co-doping strategies to produce more penetrating near-infrared luminescence. It is demonstrated that integration of the rare-earth-doped sublayers is achieved with no reduction in TBC life. In addition, results for multilayer TBCs designed to also perform as radiation barriers are also presented.
Variational Methods in Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization for Aerodynamic Applications

Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis, which is the continuous alternative to the discrete sensitivity analysis, is employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The determination of the sensitivity derivatives of the performance index or functional entails the coupled solutions of the state and costate equations. As the stable and converged numerical solution of the costate equations with their boundary conditions are a priori unknown, numerical stability analysis is performed on both the state and costate equations. Thereafter, based on the amplification factors obtained by solving the generalized eigenvalue equations, the stability behavior of the costate equations is discussed and compared with the state (Euler) equations. The stability analysis of the costate equations suggests that the converged and stable solution of the costate equation is possible only if the computational domain of the costate equations is transformed to take into account the reverse flow nature of the costate equations. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite difference sensitivity analysis.
Iterated Holomorphic Maps

The local study of iterated holomorphic mappings, in a neighborhood of a fixed point, was quite well developed in the late 19th century. (Compare §§8–10, and see Alexander.) However, except for one very simple case studied by Schroder and Cayley (see Problem 7-a), nothing was known about the global behavior of iterated holomorphic maps until 1906, when Pierre Fatou described the following startling example. For the map z ↦ z 2/(z 2 + 2), he showed that almost every orbit under iteration converges to zero, even though there is a Cantor set of exceptional points for which the orbit remains bounded away from zero. (Problems 4-e, f.) This aroused great interest. After a hiatus during the first world war, the subject was taken up in depth by Fatou, and also by Gaston Julia and others such as S. Lattes and J. F. Ritt. The most fundamental and incisive contributions were those of Fatou himself. However Julia was a determined competitor, and tended to get more credit because of his status as a wounded war hero. (In 1918, Julia was awarded the “Grand Prix des Sciences Mathematiques” by the Paris Academy of Sciences for his work.)
Exploring the Implicate Order: Learning from the Theater of Engagement

In Wholeness and the Implicate Order, physicist David Bohm argues that reality is the interplay of two orders—the explicate (manifest) and implicate (latent)—that operate simultaneously and interactively. We apply this conceptualization to engagement. In the explicate order—largely transactionaland instrumental in nature—partners work together on projects to achieve valued goals and administrative leadership provides necessary institutional support. However, there is also an implicate order, often deeply held but difficult to express, that influences and is influenced by the explicate order. One way to comprehend the implicate order is to access the highly personal interpretations that emerge from experiencing engagement. In this paper, images of participants’ memorable engagement experiences are used to explore the implicate order. Storytelling, metaphor, and isophor (experiencing one thing in terms of another) are shown to be valuable means for unearthing the implicate order of engagement. Bohm asserted that totality could not be “understood solely in terms of . . . objects . . . or events. . . . Total order is contained in some implicit sense, ‘enfolded’ within it” (149). In Leadership and the New Science, Meg Wheatley (1994) urges leaders to think more holistically about leadership and change: “The more provocative view, expressed in Bohm’s work, is that at a level we can’t discern there is an unbroken wholeness. If we could look beneath the surface, we would observe an ‘implicate order’ out of which seemingly discrete events arise” (42).
Transposable Element‐driven Duplications during Hominoid Genome Evolution

Hominoid genomes exhibit a significant number of large segmental duplications; these and other similar duplications in mammalian genomes are hypothesized to be mediated by transposable elements such as Alus or L1s in hominoids and rodents, respectively. The true evolutionary mechanisms that sculpted these duplications are emerging to be much more subtle and complex. Keywords: segmental duplications (SD); low-copy repeats (LCR); copy number variations (CNV); transposable elements; rearrangement hotspots