cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STATE-SWITCHED PIEZOELECTRIC SYSTEMS FOR VIBRATION CONTROL

In this paper, a semi-active control law is used to switch the electrical shunt circuit of a piezoelectric actuator for energy dissipation in a simple mechanical system. Switching is done between open-circuit (high stiffhess) and short- or resistive-circuit [low sti&ess) states. The actuator is held in its high stiffbess state when the system is moving such that energy can be stored in the actuator, When the system’s motion would cause it to receive energy back from the actuator, the actuator is switched to a low stifhress state, dissipating the energy. In this numerical study, it is shown that this approach can be used for vibration suppression for transient and persistently-excited systems, particularly at low frequency excitations.
Controlled multi-arm platform design using predictive probability

The process of screening agents one-at-a-time under the current clinical trials system suffers from several deficiencies that could be addressed in order to extend financial and patient resources. In this article, we introduce a statistical framework for designing and conducting randomized multi-arm screening platforms with binary endpoints using Bayesian modeling. In essence, the proposed platform design consolidates inter-study control arms, enables investigators to assign more new patients to novel therapies, and accommodates mid-trial modifications to the study arms that allow both dropping poorly performing agents as well as incorporating new candidate agents. When compared to sequentially conducted randomized two-arm trials, screening platform designs have the potential to yield considerable reductions in cost, alleviate the bottleneck between phase I and II, eliminate bias stemming from inter-trial heterogeneity, and control for multiplicity over a sequence of a priori planned studies. When screening five experimental agents, our results suggest that platform designs have the potential to reduce the mean total sample size by as much as 40% and boost the mean overall response rate by as much as 15%. We explain how to design and conduct platform designs to achieve the aforementioned aims and preserve desirable frequentist properties for the treatment comparisons. In addition, we demonstrate how to conduct a platform design using look-up tables that can be generated in advance of the study. The gains in efficiency facilitated by platform design could prove to be consequential in oncologic settings, wherein trials often lack a proper control, and drug development suffers from low enrollment, long inter-trial latency periods, and an unacceptably high rate of failure in phase III.
Transformation invariance of Benford variables and their numerical modeling

A random variable is Benford distributed if the occurrence frequency of its most significant d digit is P(d) = log (1+ 1/d). Many empirical data sets obey this law with various degrees of accuracy. In this paper we analyze random variables X such that Y = 10X = satisfies Benford's law exactly. We introduce a family of transformations on X that leave the digit distribution of Y invariant. Thus weidentify new conditions for exact Benford conformance, and construct novel examples of such random variables. The Mathematica simulations strongly support our theoretical results.
Isolated Multiple Subepicardiac and Epicardiac Echinococcosis

To the Editor : We are describing an extremely rare case of isolated pericardial and subepicardial Echinococcosis (EC) associated with pericardial effusion. The cardiac locations of these cysts in our case are extremely rare (subepicardiac region). An 11-y-old girl was admitted for evaluation of new onset fever, cough, dyspnea on exertion and chest pain for 1 mo. Chest radiograph showed enlarged cardiac silhouette suggestive of pericardial effusion. Transthoracic echocardiography showed large pericardial effusion and multiple, well defined cysts in the pericardial space and subepicardium (Fig. 1). Chest CT, brain CT and abdominal ultrasound were normal. Albendazole was started and then successful surgical excision of the pericardial cyst and evacuations of the subepicardial cysts with removal of most of the walls were performed. Perioperative course was free of complications. The patient was discharged home on Albendazole. Further follow up showed no further cyst formation, no pericardial or pleural effusion. EC most commonly involves the liver (60–70 %) followed by lungs (10–15 %). Cardiac and pericardial EC are rare (0.5–2 %) and are usually associated with liver and lungs involvement. Only few cases with isolated cardiac involvement were reported in the literature. The most affected sites of the heart are the left ventricle (LV) (75 %), right ventricle (RV) (18 %), and the interventricular septum, whereas the pericardium as well as left and right atria are the least affected [1–4]. Rupture of intracardiac cysts can lead to multiple significant complications. Anaphylaxis is one of the most serious complications. Other possible complications include, acute pulmonary hypertension and systemic arterial embolization which may occur secondary to embolization of parts of the EC cysts into the pulmonary and systemic circulations, respectively. In addition, acute pericarditis and tamponade may result from rupture of cysts into the pericardial space. Morbidity and mortality in these cases arise primarily from the complications in the perioperative period. Although surgical mortality is relatively high, the surgery risk should be evaluated in the face of high mortality rate of untreated patients that reaches up to 27 % [5]. In general, treatment of cardiac Echinococcosis requires a combined medical and surgical approach. Early diagnosis and management is associated with a favorable outcome. * Bassel Mohammad Nijres basselmn@yahoo.com
A Recent Reform of Japanese Banking Law - Comparison of the US and Japanese Legal Systems for Banking Agencies

Recently, an enactment designed to create a legal system for banking agencies in Japan to improve depositors' benefits based on the required structural changes of Japanese financial and capital markets was approved and promulgated. The author compares the U.S. and Japanese banking law systems, details the provisions of the Banking Law reform, and offers analysis and commentary on the state of Japanese banking law today.
Bombesin-Like Receptor 3 Regulates Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Via a Central Sympathetic Mechanism

Bombesin-like receptor 3 (BRS-3) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor that regulates energy expenditure, food intake, and body weight. We examined the effects of BRS-3 deletion and activation on blood pressure and heart rate. In free-living, telemetered Brs3 null mice the resting heart rate was 10% lower than wild-type controls, while the resting mean arterial pressure was unchanged. During physical activity, the heart rate and blood pressure increased more in Brs3 null mice, reaching a similar heart rate and higher mean arterial pressure than control mice. When sympathetic input was blocked with propranolol, the heart rate of Brs3 null mice was unchanged, while the heart rate in control mice was reduced to the level of the null mice. The intrinsic heart rate, measured after both sympathetic and parasympathetic blockade, was similar in Brs3 null and control mice. Intravenous infusion of the BRS-3 agonist MK-5046 increased mean arterial pressure and heart rate in wild-type but not in Brs3 null mice, and this increase was blocked by pretreatment with clonidine, a sympatholytic, centrally acting α2-adrenergic agonist. In anesthetized mice, hypothalamic infusion of MK-5046 also increased both mean arterial pressure and heart rate. Taken together, these data demonstrate that BRS-3 contributes to resting cardiac sympathetic tone, but is not required for activity-induced increases in heart rate and blood pressure. The data suggest that BRS-3 activation increases heart rate and blood pressure via a central sympathetic mechanism.
Writing to the Trial Judge – For Motions

Practical advice for writing motions to trial judges: use a boldface summary up front, organize overtly, be honest.
Studies on Experimental Bartonella Muris Anemia in the Albino RatII. Latent Infection and Resistance

Inoculation of Bartonella muris infected blood into adult splenectomized rats of bartonella free stock is invariably followed by a severe infection which terminates fatally. This high mortality rate is significantly different from that observed in rats of carrier stock. In the latter group it has been noted that as many as 40 to 50% of the animals survive their initial, acute attack of bartonella anemia following extirpation of the spleen. That the length of the period of latent infection, prior to a splenectomy, significantly modifies the resistance of rats of bartonella free stock to experimental infection with this parasite as reflected by the survival rate was noted by Alsted.1 The modifying effect of dosage on the course and outcome of this infection has since been reported.2 It was therefore held desirable to deter. mine the influence of latent infection on resistance when inocula of known strength are used. The second group of experiments were concerned with attempts to demonstrate compensatory changes in bartonella free rats following splenectomy by increased resistance to the inoculation of B. muris. Ford and Eliot3 were unable to note any difference in the susceptibility of bartonella free rats infected nine months after splenectomy. Marmorston and Perla4 attempted to reinfect rats 3 to 5 months after recovery from their initial acute attack following splenectomy, and found the animals resistant to anemia. In view of the fact that in Ford's study the age of the animals was not stated and that their infective dose was excessive, this work was repeated using young animals.
The Three Faces of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Many pitfalls attend the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in children; these can be avoided through recognition that it has three modes of onset, each of which can be precisely identified through distinctive (if not pathognomonic) features. The diagnostic differentiation is detailed and guidelines for treatment given; with prompt diagnosis and treatment, most of the devastating effects of J R A can be prevented.
Myocardial acoustics in pediatric allograft rejection.

Background : Ultrasonographic tissue characterization is the assessment of physical properties of biologic tissue on the basis of quantitative analysis of its acoustic characteristics. Abnormalities in microscopic structure that occur with cardiac allograft rejection may result in characteristic alterations in myocardial acoustics. Ultrasonographic tissue characterization may allow noninvasive detection of rejection. Methods : Findings in 22 pediatric heart transplant patients undergoing routine surveillance for rejection by endomyocardial biopsy were prospectively evaluated. Off-line ultrasonographic tissue characterization analysis was done on transthoracic echocardiograms obtained at each biopsy. Within patients, tissue characterization texture measures derived from the ultrasonographic image data were compared with histologic findings. Univariate multiple regression analysis was used to identify texture measures associated with acute allograft rejection in a subgroup (n = 8) with at least one biopsy-proven episode of moderate rejection. Results : Measures of homogeneity (co-occurrence matrix correlation and heterogeneity (run-length nonuniformity) decreased with moderate rejection (p < 0.03). Homogeneity measures decreased if the patient had a previous episode of rejection. Several measures of heterogeneity (gray level difference and run-length statistics) were affected by the presence of edema. Run-length nonuniformity was the only measure that differentiated moderate rejection from edema. Discriminant analysis on all 22 patients correctly identified 96% of first rejection episodes (sensitivity 80%, specificity 64%), 93% of moderate and severe rejection episodes (sensitivity 71% ; specificity 62%), and 69% of all rejection episodes (sensitivity 51%, specificity 91%). Conclusions : Histologic changes associated with moderate and severe pediatric allograft rejection as reflected by characteristic alterations in myocardial acoustics can be assessed with ultrasonographic tissue characterization. Histologic changes associated with transplantation itself (resolution of rejection and edema) also affect myocardial acoustics and must be taken into account in rejection surveillance.
Assessing Constitutional Literacy

To begin, the 27th Amendment took over 202 years to ratify. It was originally the second of 12 Amendments that a supportive Congress sent to the states in 1789 for ratification. At the time, the states did not ratify this one or the first of the 12, involving congressional apportionment. The states did ratify the third through twelfth Amendments on Congress’s list, giving the USA its Bill of Rights. Note that the 1st Amendment in the ratified Bill of Rights was the third on the list that Congress approved. Thus, any reference to the 1st Amendment’s superiority to all others by the privilege of its place is a misunderstanding.
Stereoretentive Deuteration of α-Chiral Amines with D2O

We present the direct and stereoretentive deuteration of primary amines using Ru-bMepi (bMepi = 1,3-(6′-methyl-2′-pyridylimino)isoindolate) complexes and D2O. High deuterium incorporation occurs at the α-carbon (70–99%). For α-chiral amines, complete retention of stereochemistry is achieved when using an electron-deficient Ru catalyst. The retention of enantiomeric purity is attributed to a high binding affinity of an imine intermediate with ruthenium, as well as to a fast H/D exchange relative to ligand dissociation.
Activin Signals through SMAD2/3 to Increase Photoreceptor Precursor Yield during Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation

Summary In vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into retinal fates can be used to study the roles of exogenous factors acting through multiple signaling pathways during retina development. Application of activin A during a specific time frame that corresponds to early embryonic retinogenesis caused increased generation of CRX + photoreceptor precursors and decreased PAX6 + retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). Following activin A treatment, SMAD2/3 was activated in RPCs and bound to promoter regions of key RPC and photoreceptor genes. The effect of activin on CRX expression was repressed by pharmacological inhibition of SMAD2/3 phosphorylation. Activin signaling through SMAD2/3 in RPCs regulates expression of transcription factors involved in cell type determination and promotes photoreceptor lineage specification. Our findings can contribute to the production of photoreceptors for cell replacement therapy.
Allowance for the Severity of Claims

With the exception of Korea, all bonus-malus systems in force throughout the world penalize the number of reported claims, without taking the costs of such claims into account. A mere scratch causes the same premium increase as a serious bodily injury accident. This procedure is unfair to town dwellers, among others, since traffic density creates more, but less severe, accidents. The negative binomial model has been generalized by Picard (1976) to take into account the subdivision of claims into two categories, small and large losses. Picard’s model is applied here to the Belgian data used throughout part 3. Two options have been considered to separate large and small claims: 1. Determine a limiting amount, for instance 50,000 Belgian francs. Claims for less than this limit are regarded as small, and the remainder as large. Using this criterion would lead to substantial practical problems, due to the time required to make a first (often unreliable) assessment of the losses, as well as endless arguments with policyholders who caused a claim slightly above the limit. Moreover, the model did not provide satisfactory results, as the fit was poor. 2. Distinguish the accidents that caused property damage (PD) only from these that caused bodily injury (BI). Since the latter cost much more on average, penalizing more severely the policyholders who cause bodily injury seems fair. Introducing this criterion in a BMS would not lead to many practical problems. BI claims are reported early to the company, as the police have to be called. The distinction between PD and BI is clear-cut in most cases. Possibly the definition of a BI claim could exclude single routine medical office visits and check-up X-rays after the accident.
Quantitative Bromodeoxyuridine Immunoprecipitation Analyzed by High-Throughput Sequencing (qBrdU-Seq or QBU)

Incorporation into DNA of nucleoside analogs like 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) is a powerful tool for in vivo studies of DNA synthesis during replication and repair. Immunoprecipitation of BrdU-labeled DNA analyzed by DNA sequencing (BrdU-IP-seq) allows for genome-wide, sequence-specific tracking of replication origin and replication fork dynamics under different conditions, such as DNA damage and replication stress, and in mutant strains. We have recently developed a quantitative method for BrdU-IP-seq (qBrdU-seq) involving DNA barcoding to enable quantitative analysis of multiple experimental samples subjected to BrdU-IP-seq. After initial barcoding of multiple, individually BrdU-labeled genomic DNA samples, a pooling strategy is used for all subsequent steps including immunoprecipitation, amplification, and sequencing, which eliminates sample-to-sample variability in these steps. Parallel processing of an aliquot of the pooled input sample provides a direct control for the normalization of the data and yields results that allow quantitative comparisons of the experimental samples. Though developed for the analysis of S. cerevisiae, this method should be directly adaptable to other model systems.
Saturation of repair.

The deleterious effects of the exposure of cells, tissues or animals to exogenous radiations and chemicals are ameliorated by DNA repair processes. Many repair pathways are constitutive, and some, such as the SOS system in bacteria, are inducible while others, such as the UvrABC excision system in E. coli, are both constitutive and inducible (Friedberg, 1985). The ability of bacteria to adapt to low chronic doses of N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitro-soguanine (MNNG) so as to become resistant to the cytotoxic or mutagenic effects of a large challenge dose is an important example illustrating that low chronic exposures not only may protect against subsequent high acute ones but also that extrapolation from high acute doses to low chronic ones may grossly overestimate the biological effects of the low chronic doses (Robins and Cairns, 1979). Another example is where low doses of nitrosamines protect rats against the carcinogenic effects of a later high dose (Montesano et al., 1980; Margison, 1982). In bacteria, chronic exposure to MNNG involves adaptation along separate pathways against mutagenic and cytotoxic agents.
Estimating climate — Demand Nexus to support longterm adequacy planning in the energy sector

Projecting future energy demand is extremely complex, due to the highly uncertain future policy, technology, land-use and climate change. Existing energy-economy tools (e.g., NEMS, MARKAL) can project future demand accounting for factors such as uncertain technology, price, etc. However, these tools are incapable of incorporating uncertainties associated with shifts in demand due to climate change. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian non-parametric method to capture the energydemand — climate nexus. The probabilistic estimates from our proposed models can be integrated with existing models to project future demand. The Bayesian framework can also allow stakeholders to apply appropriate prior probabilities on relevant climate variables based on expert knowledge. To illustrate applicability of our proposed method, we used residential and commercial energy sectors in the state of Indiana as a case study. Our results indicate maximum-sustained-wind-speed, mean-dew-point-temperature and snowfall are the most important predictors of the residential and commercial energy-demands.
A Fully Synthesized 77-dB SFDR Reprogrammable SRMC Filter Using Digital Standard Cells

This paper presents a fully synthesized 0.4-V analog biquad filter in a 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology using digital standard cells. In contrast to a custom-designed inverter-based amplifier in the conventional design, a new NAND-/NOR-gate-based microoperational amplifier (uOP) operating in weak inversion is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, by employing feedforward compensation for loop stability, a new fully synthesized, reprogrammable, multistage operational amplifier (OPAMP) array based on the uOP is introduced which provides variable gain and bandwidth depending on the desired performance. As a proof of concept, a second-order switched-R-MOSFET-C analog filter is implemented. All the active blocks in the analog filter, such as the OPAMPs and matched-RC duty-cycle generator, are implemented using digital gates. The filter is realized using Verilog code and synthesized using automated place and route. The prototype IC achieves 77.17-dB-peak spurious free dynamic range and a tunable bandwidth of 1.7–2.5 MHz while consuming only 0.8 mW of power from a 0.4-V analog supply and a 1-V supply for the switches.
Isolated Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in identical twins.

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a cause of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and, occasionally, sudden cardiac death. Specific gene mutations in the PRKAG2 gene have been linked to a subset of patients with familial WPW syndrome associated with cardiomyopathy.1 Although the etiology of WPW syndrome is considered to be secondary to incomplete development of the atrioventricular septation, the mechanism and underlying genetic causes are relatively unknown. Additionally, no mutations have been identified in patients with the common form of isolated sporadic WPW syndrome.2 It is not known whether accessory pathway formation is genetically determined, either by germline or somatic mutations, or is owing to random chance. We present male identical twins with WPW syndrome, without cardiomyopathy, both with similar pre-excitation pattern and accessory pathway location on the posterior mitral annulus.
CRT-100.18 Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Admitted With Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2012-2014

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a poor prognostic factor. The objective of this study is to assess clinical outcomes among patients with CKD admitted for acute STEMI. A nationwide inpatient sample database from 2012-2014 was used to
On the emergence of a classic work: a short history of the impact of Gordon Tullock’s Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopolies, and Theft

Gordon Tullock’s “Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopolies, and Theft” is by now widely regarded to be a classic work in public choice. However, like many “classic papers,” it was not always so highly regarded. It was rejected at several journals before finding its way to print and arguably took two or three decades to be fully appreciated. This paper discusses developments in the public choice and rent seeking literatures that helped bring Tullock’s paper to its status as a classic work in political economy.
Counter engagement: parents refusing high stakes testing and questioning policy in the era of the common core

This study is a critical discourse analysis of the New Jersey Opt-Out Movement. In 2015, and in response to the increasing standardization of US public school instruction, and over-use of high-stak...
Is an economics degree good preparation for the LSAT

ABSTRACTThose aspiring to law school must first complete the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. When ranking undergraduate majors by mean LSAT scores, economics has proven to be near the very top, if not the number-one major, over the last two decades. The goal of this analysis is the search for additional evidence that an economics degree is good preparation for the LSAT beyond mean score comparisons. After controlling for pre-college academic ability, collegiate academic ability, variables related to law school aspirations, institutional characteristics, several collegiate experiences, and demographics, the author finds that an economics degree has a positive and statistically significant association with higher LSAT performance.
Wie der Raum Energie erhält

Vor einigen Jahrzehnten, vor dem Zeitalter der Raumfahrt, meinte man, eine imaginare Grenze trenne die dunne lebensnotwendige Erdatmosphare von der leeren Wuste, die man Weltraum nannte. Damals stellten wir uns unseren Planeten als einsame Kugel vor, die in einem kalten, dunklen Vakuum die Sonne umlauft und von ihrer Strahlung erwarmt wird. Aber wir wissen jetzt, das der Raum auserhalb der Erdatmosphare nicht leer ist! Die Erde ist gefangen in einem gewaltigen und veranderlichen Gewebe aus subatomaren Teilchen und Magnetfeldern, die von der Sonne stammen.
Modelling Spatial Patterns of Trees Attacked by Bark-beetles

Many species of bark-beetles kill trees in clusters. One of the most destructive forest insect pests with this colonization pattern is the mountain pine-beetle. Heavy losses caused by this beetle are of primary concern to national forest managers in western North America. An understanding of the process of tree selection by the beetles is useful for prescribing measures that might minimize beetle damage. Here, an autologistic model is used to study the spatial patterns of lodgepole pine trees attacked by the beetles. The model is used to describe the conditional probability that a tree of a given size, age and vigour is attacked given the status of all other trees in the stand. The spatial correlation between trees is modelled by constructing a covariate that is a measure of the angles from attacked trees to other trees in the stand. Some surprising difficulties in modelling conditional probabilities are discussed. Parameter estimates are obtained by maximizing a pseudolikelihood function, and estimates of standard errors are obtained from iteratively simulated samples.
IAALD: Forty Years of Progress

The International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) began as the dream of a German agricultural professor, Walther Gleisberg and an Austrian agricultural professor, Sigmund von Frauendorfer. In September 1955 a foundation meeting was held in Ghent, Belgium. Sixty delegates from thirteen countries attended the meeting and IAALD was born. A constitution was formulated by Walther Gleisberg and was approved unanimously with some slight modifications. F.E. Mohrhard (USA) was elected president, S. von Frauendorfer (Austria) was elected vice president ; Th. P. Loosjes (The Netherlands) was elected treasurer ; and H. Jenssen was elected secretary. In January 1956 the first issue of the Quarterly Bulletin of IAALD was published with D.H. Boalch as editor and 1000 copies were distributed worldwide. Over the past 40 years many people have served the organization and much has been accomplished. Nine World Congresses have been held with various themes, the Quarterly Bulletin is now in its 40th volume, two editions of a world directory have been published and a third is in press, A Primer for Agricultural Libraries was issued in two editions, and Current Agricultural Serials is a standard in many agricultural libraries. Today IAALD is still active and now focuses on training and the dissemination of agricultural information. IAALD continues to strive to meet the needs of its members as it moves toward the 21st century.
Retrospective case-control study of necrotizing enterocolitis and packed red blood cell transfusions in very low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE The study objective was to explore the relationship between necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusion in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates ( II) and a pRBC transfusion within 48 hours of diagnosis. Prenatal data, postnatal course, transfusion history, and NEC outcomes were reviewed. The transfusion associated necrotizing enterocolitis (TANEC) cases were matched with controls (1:2) who were transfused but did not develop NEC as to proximity of birth date, gestational age, and receipt of transfusion. RESULTS Of 1139 VLBW admissions, there were 73 cases of NEC and 30 cases of TANEC (annual NEC rate 6.4%). TANEC cases were matched with 60 controls who were transfused but never developed NEC. Neonatal profiles were similar between all 3 groups, except for a higher proportion of infants <10th percentile in the non-TANEC group. Days of antibiotics and frequency of patient ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation were lower in controls compared to NEC cases. Lower feeding rate at diagnosis of NEC/match were more common in control infants compared to TANEC infants. However, feeding abstinence rates were similar between the two groups. The number of transfusions prior to diagnosis/match was similar in all groups. There was no significant difference in pre-transfusion hematocrit values between the groups. CONCLUSION TANEC was common among NEC cases. PDA ligation was similar among TANEC and non-TANEC but lower in controls. Similar pre-transfusion hematocrits were found among TANEC and controls. Feeding abstinence rates were also similar between TANEC and controls.
Alcohol, liver disease and the gut microbiota

Alcoholic liver disease, which ranges from mild disease to alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Alcohol intake can lead to changes in gut microbiota composition, even before liver disease development. These alterations worsen with advancing disease and could be complicit in disease progression. Microbial function, especially related to bile acid metabolism, can modulate alcohol-associated injury even in the presence of cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis. Microbiota changes might also alter brain function, and the gut-brain axis might be a potential target to reduce alcoholic relapse risk. Gut microbiota manipulation including probiotics, faecal microbial transplant and antibiotics has been studied in alcoholic liver disease with varying success. Further investigation of the modulation of the gut-liver axis is relevant, as most of these patients are not candidates for liver transplantation. This Review focuses on clinical studies involving the gut microbiota in patients with alcoholic liver disease across the spectrum from alcoholic fatty liver to cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis. Specific alterations in the gut-liver-brain axis that are complicit in the interactions between the gut microbiota and alcohol addiction are also reviewed.
REVERSE REMODELLING AND RESTORATION OF LEFT ATRIAL ELASTICITY: A NEW PARADIGM

Congestive heart failure remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in medical therapy. Recent clinical trial, PARADIGM-HF, showed reduction in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality along with reduction in heart failure hospitalization while on valsartan/ sacubitril compared
Development of a progesterone-specific IgE assay for diagnosing patients with suspected progestogen hypersensitivity.

Abstract Background Progesterone hypersensitivity (PH) manifests as a spectrum of allergic symptoms during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Confirming progesterone-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE; sIgE) by skin testing is unreliable because of irritant responses. Objective To develop a progesterone sIgE assay to assist in diagnosing PH. Methods A progesterone–bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate was characterized and used to analyze sera collected from women in our center with suspected PH in a 1-batch enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to establish high, low and negative cut-points. Sera collected from healthy nonatopic female subjects and from women with classical PH symptoms were included as negative and positive controls, respectively. Values exceeding the average negative control (OD + 3× the standard deviation) were considered positive. These cut-points were subsequently used to establish positive and negative results for serum from women with suspected PH received from other centers. A subset of high positive sera was used for ELISA-inhibition and in a beta-hexosaminidase mediator release assay to evaluate the specificity and functional relevance of progesterone-specific serum IgE, respectively. The numbers of true negative, false negative, true positive, and false positive samples were determined. Results The direct progesterone sIgE ELISA results ranged from high positive to low positive and negative compared with healthy nonatopic control sera. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition and beta-hexosaminidase mediator release confirmed specificity and functional relevance of progesterone-sIgE, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity positive predictive values and negative predictive values were found to be 82%, 100%, 86%, and 100%, respectively, using the mediator release assay results as the gold standard. Conclusion This assay has a good specificity and positive predictive value for screening women with suspected PH for progesterone sIgE.
In vivo and in vitro phosphorylation of murine lymphocyte differentiation antigen CD5.

Abstract Ly-1, the murine lymphocyte differentiation antigen CD5, is phosphorylated constitutively in , vivo . This phosphorylation is enhanced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) treatment, but not by concanavalin A, Ca2+ ionophore or dibutyryl cAMP. Prolonged PMA treatment abolished PMA-induced Ly-1 phosphorylation but not constitutive phosphorylation, suggesting that protein kinase C (PKC) is responsible for this enhanced phosphorylation, but not the basal phosphorylation of Ly-1. Ly-1 is phosphorylated by PKC added to membranes, further supporting a role for protein kinase C in the in , vivo phosphorylation of Ly-1.
FUNdamental Integrative Training for Elementary School Students: Animals in Motion

This article describes a developmentally appropriate strength-building intervention for elementary-age children that is designed around fundamental integrative training (FIT) with an emphasis on cr...
PUBLIC POLICY TO PROMOTE HEALTHY CARDIOVASCULAR LIFESTYLES IN CHILDREN

Health policy is an important component of prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and promotion of health in childhood and adolescence, when major health behaviours are formed. Development of CVD-related health policy begins with continuous systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data to establish the baseline prevalence of CV risk factors and behaviours. These findings allow identification of problems, initiation of focused research, and development of evidence-based interventions. Ultimately, these results inform development and implementation of population-level policies. This review focuses on CVD health-promotion policies in North American youth, for whom health surveillance is an ongoing part of public health policy, providing direct, objective, measurements of growth, lipids, blood pressure, physical activity and tobacco exposure for development of CV health research and policy. When national surveillance data identified significant risk of CVD in youth in the 1970s, major pediatric epidemiologic studies established the strong association between these risk factors and behaviours in childhood and the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. This knowledge promoted development of the targeted public policies, which are reviewed in this paper. Public policy can directly and positively address cardiovascular health promotion in youth; the effective approach to smoking cessation exemplifies this. For more complex risk factors and behaviours, health policy can be a significant element in a comprehensive CV health promotion program.
Open Reading Frames and Genes

In the previous chapter, we saw how computational methods can be used to find pathogenicity islands in DNA. But now we want more! Specifically, we want to find actual genes in these pathogenicity islands so that we can analyze them and determine their function. In this chapter, you’ll write a program that finds candidate genes in the genome. We say “candidate” because some things that look like genes turn out not to be. In the next and final chapter of this unit, you’ll take the last step to write a program that determines which of the candidate genes are likely to be real. You’ll then use your gene-finding program to identify the genes in a pathogenicity island of Salmonella typhi . Finally, you’ll use a web-based search tool called BLAST to compare these genes to known genes in the GenBank database. This final comparison will allow you to infer the function of some of the genes you’ve identified. Open Reading Frames and the Central Dogma Genes carry the instructions for proteins, which are the main molecules that “do things” in cells. To be able to find genes we must know something about how they operate. As you may recall, the process of constructing a protein proceeds according to the central dogma of molecular biology: The sequence of nucleotides in the DNA of a gene is transcribed into the sequence of nucleotides in a messenger RNA. This messenger RNA, in turn, is read off in units of three nucleotides, called codons . Each codon specifies a particular amino acid, and the sequence of codons in the messenger RNA determines a particular sequence of amino acids in the protein.
Diminished cardiovascular stress reactivity is associated with higher levels of behavioral disengagement

Blunted cardiovascular responses to stress have been associated with poor behavioral regulation. The present study examined the relationship between cardiovascular stress reactivity and an established measure behavioral disengagement. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured during rest and stress task in 452 participants. Behavioral disengagement was measured using the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale (Brief COPE). Regression models adjusting for baseline cardiovascular values, age, gender, race, ethnicity, SES, depressive symptomology, self-report stress task stressfulness, self-report stress task demandingness, and objective stress task performance demonstrated that lower levels of cardiovascular reactivity were associated with behavioral disengagement, β = -.114, t = -2.36, p = .019, ΔR2 = .017. There were no statistically significant associations between blood pressure reactivity and behavioral disengagement (p's > .077) in fully adjusted models. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that low reactivity may be a marker of motivational dysregulation.
Single Cell Protein

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview on the present status of the single-cell protein (SCP) field and some of its recent trends. The association of microorganisms with food is ancient, encompassing the use of yeast in baking and brewing, and the role of bacteria and other organisms in foods such as cheese, yogurt, sausage, and a wide variety of fermented foods. The SCP field includes many species of different microorganisms grown on wide variety of carbon substrates, including n-paraffins, methane, methanol, ethanol, acetate, CO2, and a plethora of carbohydrate and cellulosic materials from many different by-product and waste sources. Recommended criteria and procedures for production and testing of SCP materials with regard to both safety and nutritional value are found in a series of guidelines published by the Protein-Calorie Advisory Group of the United Nations. This chapter also discusses certain unique developments that have occurred in the recent past in the field of SCP.
Zero-Emission Vehicles

Indeed, massive development of transportation sectors accelerating the consumption of fossil fuel has caused nearly 30% of climate change. Necessarily, renewable energy technology needs to be utilized in the transportation sector globally which should be clean in order to develop zero-emission vehicles. In this research, therefore, a modeling of wind energy technology has been developed to capture the wind power by running vehicles to meet its required energy to power. Hence, both theoretical modeling and experimental calculation have been conducted in order to confirm the utilization of wind energy in the transportation vehicle turbine to generate electricity to power the transportation vehicle while the vehicle is in motion as a self-producing energy source. Interestingly both calculative and experimental results suggest that implementation of wind energy in the running vehicle in large scale would be an innovative science to satisfy the global energy need for the transportation sector which is 100% clean and abundant everywhere on earth.
Delayed-Interval Delivery in Multiple Gestation Pregnancies: Neonatal Mortality, Morbidity, and Development

Background: Delayed-interval delivery (DID) is the delivery of the first fetus in a multiple gestation pregnancy without promptly delivering the remaining fetus(es), usually in an attempt to decrease the risk of adverse outcome due to extreme prematurity in the retained fetus(es). Available information on DID is limited, resulting in a knowledge gap of how the benefits of DID in reducing known risks of prematurity are balanced with its complications. Objective: Determine the incidence of DID in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN) and describe short- and long-term outcomes. Design/Methods: Retrospective cohort study of infants born at …
On the road less travelled

Postdoc Brooke Russell and graduate student Tamia Williams share their stories of being #BlackInPhysics, from the importance of finding your community and creating a good mentoring environment, to having the determination to succeed
Selective detection of GD2-positive pediatric solid tumors using 89Zr-Dinutuximab PET to facilitate anti-GD2 immunotherapy

170 Objectives: This project seeks to develop PET probes to facilitate anti-GD2 immunotherapy for pediatric solid tumor patients. GD2 is a disialoganglioside expressed in >98% of neuroblastoma (NB) and minimally expressed in most other tissues, making it an excellent target for both therapy and imaging. Based on a recent successful Children’s Oncology Group study, the anti-GD2 antibody ch14.18 (dinutuximab, Unituxin®) was approved for immunotherapy in recurrent and refractory NB and is now the standard of care in metastatic NB. However, anti-GD2 immunotherapy has not yet been investigated in front-line scenarios or in other pediatric malignancies such as osteosarcoma (OS) where the frequency and extent of GD2 expression is less well characterized. Clinical trials with anti-GD2 immunotherapy are suboptimal without a method to evaluate GD2 expression and thus potential therapeutic efficacy prior to treatment. We present here initial evaluation of a novel GD2-targeted imaging agent based on dinutuximab that will identify those patients with GD2-expressing tumors most likely to benefit from anti-GD2 immunotherapy. Methods: Dinutuximab-DFO conjugates were prepared and radiolabeled with Zr-89 by standard methods (Vosjan, Nat Prot. 2010 5:739-43). Briefly, a 5-fold molar excess of p-SCN-Bn-DFO in DMSO was reacted with dinutuximab (United Therapeutics Corp) in 0.1M sodium carbonate (pH 9.0) for 40 min at 37°C and 550 rpm mixing. Conjugates were purified on a Centricon 30K (Millipore) centrifugal filter using 6 x 4 mL of 1 M HEPES (pH 7.1) with centrifugation for 25 min at 3000 rpm. Radiolabeling was performed using 2.32 mCi of [89Zr]Zr-oxalic acid solution, adjusted to pH 7.5 and added to 464 μg dinutuximab-DFO in 1 M HEPES (pH 7.1). After 1 h at 37°C, 5 μL of 50 mM DTPA was added to scavenge any free Zr-89. Sample was loaded onto a PD-10 column (Millipore) and eluted in 3.5 mL saline. The collected solution was centrifuged to concentrate (Centricon 30K). Nude mice were injected s.c. in the rear flank with 5 x 106 either CHLA-20 (>99% GD2+ cells by flow cytometry,) or SK-N-SH ( 7:1 were observed vs. blood (7.3:1), muscle (45:1) and liver (7:1). Selectivity for GD2 binding was also observed for GD2+ vs GD2- tumors at a 6:1 ratio. Tumor radioactivity concentration was unchanged over 2-7 days post-injection. Conclusions: The high specificity of 89Zr-DFO-dinutuximab for binding GD2 vs non-target tissues and selectivity for GD2-expressing tumors vs. GD2- tumor demonstrated here lends strong support to the utility of this radiotracer for investigating GD2 expression and detecting GD2+ tumors to identify patients most likely to benefit from anti-GD2 immunotherapy. Such image-guided therapy could be of particular importance for investigation of diseases such as OS, and adult cancers such as small cell lung cancer, where GD2 expression is more variable and less well characterized than NB.
Electro-chemical modeling challenges of biological ion pumps

There are two major classes of proteins that control the movement of ions across biological membranes: channels and transporters. Ion channels allow the passive movement of ions down their electrochemical gradients whereas transporters power uphill movements. Two major questions have challenged channel biophysicist for nearly a half-century: permeation (selective passage of ions through an open channel) and gating (channel opening and closing). A major advance in the understanding of permeation and gating of K/sup +/-selective channels has been made by the publication of atomic resolution structures of a bacterial K/sup +/ channel by the laboratory of Roderick MacKinnon who received the Noble prize in Chemistry in 2003 for this body of work. The availability of detailed atomic structure allows the classical problems of permeation and gating to be addressed by interdisciplinary teams and techniques. Examples of the application of transport modeling to permeation through biological channels include both the Poisson-Nernst-Planck electrodiffusion approach and structurally based Brownian dynamic simulations. Channel gating, however, involves changes in the structure of the protein. A detailed understanding of channel gating is hindered by the computational limitations of molecular dynamic simulations and the lack of structural information about intermediate conformations between the closed and fully open states. The class of transporters known as ion-motive ATPases have a number of features similar to ion channels, but they are more complex proteins since they require coupling of the free energy change associated with ATP hydrolysis with the uphill movement of the actively transported substance. We will review the current state of knowledge concerning ion pumps and discuss various modeling opportunities and challenges presented by this important class of biological molecules. The Na/sup +/-K/sup +/ ATPase will be the principal focus of our discussion.
Lambert, Johann Heinrich 1728–1777

Johann Heinrich Lambert was born on August 26, 1728 in the city of Mulhouse, then an enclave of Switzerland (now part of France). He was largely self-educated, going to school only until age 12. By age 17 he assumed the job of secretary to a newspaper publisher in nearby Basel, Switzerland. He also began to work as a private tutor. At age 20 he became tutor to three boys in the family of Count Peter von Salis in Chur, Switzerland, a position he held for 10 years.