cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nursing and Biobanking

Nurses are a pivotal component of the translational research movement and apply scientific discoveries to the healthcare and clinical practice fields. Biobanking is also an important factor in furthering translational research by providing biospecimens and related clinical data to the research community. The effectiveness of any biobanking effort necessitates the enrollment of large numbers of diverse participants, which signifies a need for the nursing profession to secure the knowledge necessary to impact biobanking practices and to promote participant advocacy. In addition, biobanks provide the volume, variety, veracity, and velocity of data that can address the challenges of nursing research. Nurse scientists, research nurse coordinators and clinical research and practice nurses must be informed about the various benefits and risks associated with biobanking in addition to ethical issues surrounding informed consent, participant privacy, and the release of research results. Ultimately, nurses need to possess competencies to facilitate biobanking practices both at the research bench and at the point of care.
Variation in the Effective Range of a Stereo-Video Lander in Relation to Near-Seafloor Water Clarity, Ambient Light and Fish Length

AbstractWe studied how variation in seafloor water clarity, ambient light, and fish fork length influenced the maximum detection range of fish with a stereo-video lander on three temperate reefs of different depths (12–40, 44–91, and 144–149 m). Although the results are somewhat approximate and specific to the camera system, the methods we used can be applied to any stereo remote underwater visual survey system. In the 52 total lander deployments distributed between nearshore, mid-shelf and deep-shelf reefs in Oregon waters, seafloor light levels varied over 4 orders of magnitude, primarily as a function of depth. The seafloor scattering index was higher (low water clarity) and highly variable at the nearshore reef and lower (high water clarity) and less variable at the deeper reefs. In the 15 deployments with sufficient numbers of fish for detection range analysis, the mean maximum range of detection across species varied from 3.89 to 4.23 m at the deep-shelf reef, 3.32–5.55 m at the mid-shelf reef, and ...
Inhibition of bone marrow erythroid colony-forming cells (CFU-E) by serum from chronic anemic uremic rabbits (39874).

SummaryThe 5/6th nephrectomized uremic rabbit was demonstrated to develop a marked anemia. Erythropoietic activity in the sera of these chronically uremic anemic rabbits was not detectable. A decrease in the number of erythroid colony-forming cells (CFU-E) was found in chronically anemic uremic rabbit bone marrows and a significant inhibitory effect of the uremic serum on the erythroid colony-forming unit in normal rabbit bone marrow cultures was also seen in the 5/6th nephrectomized rabbit after 35 days. These findings support the hypothesis that an inhibitor of the primary target cell for erythropoietin, the CFU-E, plays an important role in the anemia of chronic renal failure.We acknowledge with thanks the excellent technical assistance of Mr. Jesse Brookins, Mr. Rene Stiaes, and Ms. Patricia Dargon.Human urinary erythropoietin was supplied by the Department of Physiology, University of the Northeast, Corrientes, Argentina. This material was further processed and assayed by the Hematology Research Labo...
On A Class of Operators Occurring in the Theory of Chains of Infinite Order

Let T, E be two sets and I ⊂ β(T),l, ⊂ β (E) two tribes. For every n ∈ N* denote by En the product E{1....,n} and by the tribe. For every x ∈ E let ux be a mapping of T into T. For x = (x1 ,… , xn) ∈ ∈En define ux = uxo … oxl and suppose that {(t, xi1 , …, xn) ∣u(x1.....,xn)(t) ∈ A} . Let m be the Banach space of functions defined on T, real-valued, bounded and I measurable with norm
Application of Alphavirus Vectors in Drug Discovery

Alphavirus vectors have proven useful for various in vitro and in vivo applications. The rapid generation of high-titer recombinant alphavirus particles has resulted in overexpression of topologically different recombinant proteins in a broad range of mammalian host cells. The same replication-deficient alphavirus particles have been subjected to in vivo gene delivery studies. These features have made alphavirus vectors attractive for various approaches in drug discovery. Large-scale production of recombinant G protein-coupled receptors and ligand-gated ion channels has significantly facilitated drug screening procedures and purification of receptor protein for biostructural studies. Modified alphavirus vectors with lower cytotoxicity and a temperature-sensitive phenotype has allowed prolonged survival of host cells and inducible expression studies. Furthermore, vectors have been engineered for functional expression of cDNA libraries and the use of vector for anfisense and ribozyme applications. Preliminary studies in animal models have indicated that alphaviruses are potentially attracdve for gene therapy applications.
Inference of tumor inhibition pathways from drug perturbation data

The tumor proliferation pathways for each individual patient encompass variations and a successful treatment regime based on targeted drugs necessitates the estimation of the influences of target inhibition on cell viability. In this article, we consider an inference approach to decipher the significant blocks of protein targets and the effect of their inhibition on tumor proliferation. Our framework is based on sequential search and non-linear optimization for estimating the block parameters. The proposed algorithm is tested on extensive synthetic data and provides high accuracy estimates for model parameters. We furthermore evaluated the performance of the framework in presence of noise and were able to achieve high precision cell viability prediction.
Programmed Feeding for Maintaining Gestating Beef Cows in the Southeastern United States

To evaluate programmed feeding of beef cows fed high concentrate diets as an alternative to hay, 160 spring calving cows (average BW = 510 ± 11 kg) were stratified by age, body condition score (BCS), and BW. The cows were randomly distributed into 10 drought-stricken pastures (16 cows per pasture) on September 11, 1998. Cows on eight pastures were fed one of four diets (two pastures per diet) formulated with corn or corn gluten feed (CGF) and 20% cottonseed hulls (CSH) or rice hulls (RH) for 87 d and compared with cows on two pastures that were allowed free-choice hay plus a supplement. Diets were fed in amounts to meet requirements for NEm and had similar metabolizable protein yields (corn and CSH, 1.8, 17; corn and RH, 2.0, 14; CGF and CSH, 1.5, 23; and CGF and RH, 1.7, 21 NEm/kg and CP percentage, respectively). Data were analyzed in a completely random design by ANOVA; pasture was the experimental unit. Programmed feeding decreased (P 0.20) among treatments over the feeding period. The cows fed hay plus supplement cost approximately $1.03/d, but the cost of the program-fed cows averaged $0.54/d. After cows were returned to forage-based diets, no differences (P>0.25) were detected among treatments in BW, BCS, calving date, or calf performance. Programmed feeding of high concentrate diets to gestating cows during forage shortages is a viable alternative to feeding hay. Also, when grain prices are favorable, feed costs to maintain gestating cows are lower with grain than with hay plus supplement.
Effects of using social networking sites in different languages: Does Spanish or English make a difference?

Abstract Although a large volume of research on social networking sites (SNS) and their effects has been accumulated in the literature over the past few years, empirical studies examining how people use SNS in languages other than English are somewhat limited. Particularly, the use of Spanish SNS has rarely been investigated. To shed light on this research direction, the current study compared the effects of using Spanish and English SNS on individuals' cultural orientations and attitude formation. A total of 113 adult consumers participated in a laboratory experiment where they were asked to evaluate either of two experimental websites, one with Hispanic cultural connotations and the other with American cultural meanings. Their SNS usage and cultural orientations were measured. It was found that more frequent usage of Spanish SNS was significantly associated with a higher level of Hispanic cultural orientation and a more favorable attitude toward the website with American cultural meanings. However, the use of English SNS did not significantly influence people's American cultural orientations and their website evaluations. Usage of both Spanish and English SNS was found to be motivated by individuals' social play dependency on such media platforms.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Evokes Pyramidal Neuron Axon Initial Segment Plasticity and Diffuse Presynaptic Inhibitory Terminal Loss

1 The axon initial segment (AIS) is the site of action potential (AP) initiation, thus a crucial regulator of neuronal activity. In excitatory pyramidal neurons, the high density of voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV1.6) at the distal AIS regulates AP initiation. A surrogate AIS marker, ankyrin-G (ankG) is a structural protein regulating neuronal functional via clustering voltage-gated ion channels. In neuronal circuits, changes in presynaptic input can alter postsynaptic output via AIS structural-functional plasticity. Recently, we showed experimental mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) evokes neocortical circuit disruption via diffuse axonal injury (DAI) of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal systems. A key finding was that mTBI-induced neocortical electrophysiological changes involved non-DAI/ intact excitatory pyramidal neurons consistent with AIS-specific alterations. In the current study we employed Thy1-YFP-H mice to test if mTBI induces AIS structural and/or functional plasticity within intact pyramidal neurons 2 d after mTBI. We used confocal microscopy to assess intact YFP+ pyramidal neurons in layer 5 of somatosensory barrel fields, whose axons were continuous from the soma of origin to the subcortical white matter. YFP+ axonal traces were superimposed on ankG and NaV1.6 immunofluorescent profiles to determine AIS position and length. We found that while mTBI had no effect on ankG start position, the length significantly decreased from the distal end, consistent with the site of AP initiation at the AIS. However, NaV1.6 structure did not change after mTBI, suggesting uncoupling from ankG. Parallel quantitative analysis of presynaptic inhibitory terminals along the postsynaptic perisomatic domain of these same intact YFP+ excitatory pyramidal neurons revealed a significant decrease in GABAergic bouton density. Also within this non-DAI population, patch-clamp recordings of intact YFP+ pyramidal neurons showed AP acceleration decreased 2 d post-mTBI, consistent with AIS functional plasticity. Simulations of realistic pyramidal neuron computational models using experimentally determined AIS lengths showed a subtle decrease is NaV1.6 density is sufficient to attenuate AP acceleration. Collectively, these findings highlight the complexity of mTBI-induced neocortical circuit disruption, involving changes in extrinsic/presynaptic inhibitory perisomatic input interfaced with intrinsic/postsynaptic intact excitatory neuron AIS output.
Effectiveness of an electronic health record-data warehouse system implementation: Return on investment analysis

Electronic health records (EHRs) allow the storing of a patient's history, and retrieval of information. Despite studies have pointed out the impact of EHRs in reducing healthcare structures' costs and increasing revenues, it is not clear if the return on investment (ROI) justifies the initial effort required. This paper proposes an advanced EHR joined to a data ware house (DWH) enabling business intelligence analysis, for structuring documents and manipulating atomic data. A case study is presented dealing with the implementation of a prototypal version of the EHR-DWH developed within the Smart Health 2.0 project (PON04a2_C), carried out between 2012 and 2015, at IRCCS-ISMETT, an Italian transplant institute. The ROI, the pay-back period, and the net present value have been calculated based on actual investment costs, and estimated maintenance costs. Results show that the ROI is in line with that of the reference sector, making profitable investments in EHRs.
Sexual orientation and gender identity in Nepal: Rights promotion through UN development assistance

ABSTRACTUnited Nations (UN) development agencies have been actively working to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights in Nepal, despite having no official mandate to work on these rights. This presents an important example of how such agencies are able to act independently to set their own agenda and illustrates the “open system” approach to international bureaucracies. It also suggests that these agencies have the potential to be important instruments of LGBTI rights promotion outside the traditional human rights machinery such as the Human Rights Council and various committees. Based on extensive interview research as well as documentary evidence, this article traces the origins of the UN's engagement with LGBTI rights. It then discusses the work of UN agencies in South Asia, and Nepal in particular, focusing on the UN Development Programme, the UN Children's Fund, UNAIDS, and UN Women. Political changes in Nepal since 2006 have opened it up for change in its approach t...
Hippocampal morphology mediates biased memories of chronic pain

Experiences and memories are often mismatched. While multiple studies have investigated psychological underpinnings of recall error with respect to emotional events, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the divergence between experiences and memories remain relatively unexplored in the domain of chronic pain. Here we examined the discrepancy between experienced chronic low back pain (CBP) intensity (twice daily ratings) and remembered pain intensity (n = 48 subjects) relative to psychometric properties, hippocampus morphology, memory capabilities, and personality traits related to reward. 77% of CBP patients exaggerated remembered pain, which depended on their strongest experienced pain and their most recent mood rating. This bias persisted over nearly 1 year and was related to reward memory bias and loss aversion. Shape displacement of a specific region in the left posterior hippocampus mediated personality effects on pain memory bias, predicted pain memory bias in a validation CBP group (n = 21), and accounted for 55% of the variance of pain memory bias. In two independent groups (n = 20/group), morphology of this region was stable over time and unperturbed by the development of chronic pain. These results imply that a localized hippocampal circuit, and personality traits associated with reward processing, largely determine exaggeration of daily pain experiences in chronic pain patients.
Managing Banking and Treasury Implications During Divestiture

Traditionally, the main responsibilities of a company’s treasury function have revolved around protecting the company’s liquid assets and helping finance perform its core operations. In recent years, however, these responsibilities have evolved and expanded. Many C-suite executives expect today’s treasury functions to serve as strategic advisors to finance, the chief financial officer (CFO), and the overall business. Now more than ever, treasury executives and professionals must stay in front of rapidly shifting business requirements to support growth, liquidity, financial risk management, and marketplace performance expectations.
The Amine Hypothesis Revisited: A Clinician’s View

It is worth remembering the simple syllogism which led to the amine hypothesis of depression. A number of workers, including myself, had shown in 1954 that reserpine would produce depression, even in non-depressed normal subjects. Subsequent pharmacologic studies of its mode of action showed that it impaired the storage in nerve endings of serotonin, of norepinephrine, and, ultimately, of dopamine. Thus, the conclusion was reached that depression was associated with a depletion of neurotransmission due to one or the other of these amines. In some parts of the world norepinephrine was favored, while in others it was serotonin; the role of dopamine is still unclear.
Speeding Up Latent Dirichlet allocation with Parallelization and Pipeline Strategies

Previous methods of distributed Gibbs sampling for latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) run into either memory or communication bottleneck. To improve scalability, this chapter\(^\dagger\) presents two strategies: (1) parallelization—carefully assigning documents among processors based on word locality, and (2) pipelining—masking communication behind computation through a pipeline scheme. In addition, we employ a scheduling algorithm to ensure load balancing both spatially (among machines) and temporally. Experiments show that our strategies can significantly reduce the unparallelizable communication bottleneck and achieve good load balancing, and hence improve LDA’s scalability.
Perceived Financial Control and Acceptance of Mobile Banking Services: An Empirical Assessment

Extensive literature exists on IS acceptance, some of which has been used to examine acceptance of mobile services. A perspective that requires deeper assessment is the user’s perception regarding the IS as a means to control activities that an individual performs on a regular basis. Based on this perspective, perceived financial control is proposed as the main value driver and its relationship with use intentions and channel preference along with ease of navigation and facilitating conditions is examined in the context of mobile banking. Empirical assessment shows that individual perceptions regarding financial control have a significant influence on use intentions. Interestingly, we found differences in results across adopters and nonadopters of mobile banking services. Further, channel preference was significantly related to ease of navigation. The results offer guidance on the importance of control and suggest avenues for future research in the area of mobile services.
The clinical applications of The Cancer Genome Atlas project for bladder cancer.

Introduction: Knowledge of the molecular subtypes of bladder cancer enables powerful generalizations involving the distinctive biology and pathways driving different disease subsets.Areas covered: ...
Abstract WMP97: Nationwide Trends of Thirty Day Readmission Rate: Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Introduction: Primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has high mortality (20-40%) and morbidity (60-80%). Thirty day unplanned readmission (30RR) has been suggested to be as high as 12-18 % in various studies. Our study examines causes and predictors of readmission in ICH patients using Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD). Methods: We used the year 2013 NRD which represents one of the largest sample of discharges (unweighted 14 million discharges). The patients with ICH were identified by primary discharge diagnosis with ICD9-CM code 431 (Age>18). 30RR were calculated for patients admitted between January and November 2013 by excluding elective readmissions. Survey procedures were implemented to adjust for stratified cluster design of NRD. The independent predictors of 30RR were identified by logistic regression. Results: The NRD-2013 contained 28,284 ICH admissions (weighted N = 63,181) with 11.9% all cause 30RR. Infections 18.89% [sepsis (11.76%), Urinary tract infections (4.13%), pneumonia (2.08%), ot...
Endovascular Management of Middle Aortic Syndrome Presenting with Uncontrolled Hypertension

Middle Aortic Syndrome is a rare vascular disorder consisting of narrowing or stenosis of the distal thoracic or abdominal aorta. It is described in the literature in the form of case studies and case series. The authors present an unusual case of Middle Aortic Syndrome attributed to Takayasu's arteritis in a 60-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with uncontrolled hypertension. Traditional intervention involves open surgical bypass. This case study reviews the published literature on this rare syndrome and illustrates a successful alternative to open surgery through an endovascular approach.
Salmonella Sepsis presenting as Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is one of the feared cause of neonatal death in both term and preterm infants, leading up to 30% of neonatal death in developing countries. Salmonella sepsis is one of the uncommon causes of early onset neonatal sepsis. Here we present a case of early onset neonatal sepsis due to Salmonella species. Baby was delivered vaginally with good Apgar score. Within few hours of birth, baby developed respiratory distress and was admitted with empirical antibiotics. The blood culture showed the growth of Salmonella species. Child was treated with IV antibiotics and responded well to it and was discharged home without complication.
Availability of infrastructure and manpower for primary health centers in a district in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Background: India has a vast public health infrastructure with 23,391 primary health centers (PHCs) and 145,894 subcenters providing health services to 72.2% of the country's population living in rural areas. Although the numbers look impressive, their functional status needs to be studied in terms of physical infrastructure, manpower, equipment, drugs, and other logistical supplies that are greatly needed for ensuring quality services. This work aims to study the infrastructure facilities and manpower in a sample of PHCs in the district of Nellore in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Methods: Randomly selected samples of 15 PHCs have been studied using structured and pretested performance standard questionnaire. Data have been analyzed with reference to the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) of the Government of India. Results: Many deficiencies were identified in infrastructure and manpower in the PHCs studied. Some of the important findings were that the deficiency of AYUSH medical officers was 86.6% and the deficiency of health workers (female) was 13.33%. Some of the important drugs such as antihypertensives, anticonvulsants, emergency drugs, drops, ointments, and solutions were available in less than 50% of the PHCs. Only 47% of the PHCs had Typhidot tests and H2S test strips, and in the labor rooms only 20% of the PHCs have a Standard Surgical Set for episiotomies in accordance with IPHS. Conclusion: PHCs lack the manpower and vital infrastructure that are necessary for the effective day-to-day functioning and provision of primary healthcare to the population.
Exploring Secondary Teacher Statistical Learning: Professional Learning in a Blended Format Statistics and Modeling Course

Providing opportunities for secondary teachers to develop the statistical, technological, and pedagogical facility necessary to successfully engage their students in statistical inquiry is nontrivial. Many mathematics and science teachers in the U.S. have not benefitted from sufficient opportunity to learn statistics in a sense-making manner. With statistics assuming a more prominent place in the secondary curriculum, it remains a priority to consider viable ways in which to reach and support the statistical learning trajectory of both pre- and in-service teachers. This study explores ways in which a course that blends face-to-face and virtual learning experiences impacted in-service teachers’ technological pedagogical statistical knowledge (TPSK) Results suggest the course positively impacted participants’ TPSK.
Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment of Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder that is associated with significant morbidity and health care costs. Approximately 20% of patients with incident diverticulitis have at least 1 recurrence. Complications of diverticulitis, such as abdominal sepsis, are less likely to occur with subsequent events. Several risk factors, many of which are modifiable, have been identified including obesity, diet, and physical inactivity. Diet and lifestyle factors could affect risk of diverticulitis through their effects on the intestinal microbiome and inflammation. Preliminary studies have found that the composition and function of the gut microbiome differ between individuals with vs without diverticulitis. Genetic factors, as well as alterations in colonic neuromusculature, can also contribute to the development of diverticulitis. Less-aggressive and more-nuanced treatment strategies have been developed. Two multicenter, randomized trials of patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis found that antibiotics did not speed recovery or prevent subsequent complications. Elective surgical resection is no longer recommended solely based on number of recurrent events or young patient age and might not be necessary for some patients with diverticulitis complicated by abscess. Randomized trials of hemodynamically stable patients who require urgent surgery for acute, complicated diverticulitis that has not improved with antibiotics provide evidence to support primary anastomosis vs sigmoid colectomy with end colostomy. Despite these advances, more research is needed to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of diverticulitis and to clarify treatment algorithms.
Leveraging Policy Implementation for Social Justice: How School Leaders Shape Educational Opportunity When Implementing Policy for English Learners:

Purpose: School leaders become arbiters of educational opportunity by shaping how policies are implemented within their buildings. Yet the role that school leaders play in enacting policies designe...
YOLO-LITE: A Real-Time Object Detection Algorithm Optimized for Non-GPU Computers

This paper focuses on YOLO-LITE, a real-time object detection model developed to run on portable devices such as a laptop or cellphone lacking a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The model was first trained on the PASCAL VOC dataset then on the COCO dataset, achieving a mAP of 33.81% and 12.26% respectively. YOLO-LITE runs at about 21 FPS on a non-GPU computer and 10 FPS after implemented onto a website with only 7 layers and 482 million FLOPS. This speed is 3.8 × faster than the fastest state of art model, SSD MobilenetvI. Based on the original object detection algorithm YOLOV2, YOLO-LITE was designed to create a smaller, faster, and more efficient model increasing the accessibility of real-time object detection to a variety of devices.
Laughing at power: Humor, transgression, and the politics of refusal in Palestine:

This article examines the political and productive work of humor under conditions of precarity, war, and occupation. Drawing on the case of Palestine but making links to other contexts of violence ...
Principles of technical communication and design can enrich writing practice in regulated contexts

Technical communication skirts the fringes of regulated biomedical research, which generally falls into the purview of specialized regulatory writers. However, a worldwide move toward increasing data transparency in regulatory contexts has resulted in a need for specialized documentation for lay audiences as well as added disclosure of investigational interpretations regarding the benefits and risks of new or experimental therapies. Experts in biomedical writing believe that these materials require additional attention to meet reader needs, an endeavor that falls well within the traditional bailiwick of technical communication. Technical communicators who understand information gathered in regulated biomedical research should be able to improve the general accessibility of this complex information for a general readership; however, knowledge of regulatory practices is a gap in this group.
Social Class Predicts Emotion Perception and Perspective-Taking Performance in Adults

"Theory of Mind" (ToM; people's ability to infer and use information about others' mental states) varies across cultures. In four studies (N = 881), including two preregistered replications, we show that social class predicts performance on ToM tasks. In Studies 1A and 1B, we provide new evidence for a relationship between social class and emotion perception: Higher-class individuals performed more poorly than their lower-class counterparts on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, which has participants infer the emotional states of targets from images of their eyes. In Studies 2A and 2B, we provide the first evidence that social class predicts visual perspective taking: Higher-class individuals made more errors than lower-class individuals in the Director Task, which requires participants to assume the visual perspective of another person. Potential mechanisms linking social class to performance in different ToM domains, as well as implications for deficiency-centered perspectives on low social class, are discussed.
Case Report: Recurrent Pyometra in an Adolescent.

Abstract Background Pyometra is an uncommon but serious condition that is generally diagnosed in postmenopausal women. It rarely occurs in premenopausal patients, particularly adolescents. Case A 16-year-old girl with multiple comorbidities including severe intellectual disability, neurogenic bladder, and recurrent urinary tract infection presented with fever, abdominal pain, and vaginal discharge after prolonged treatment with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate. Ultrasound imaging showed an intrauterine fluid collection consistent with hematometra; however, hysteroscopic evaluation confirmed pyometra, which was evacuated using a suction curette. Despite postoperative antibiotic therapy, she re-presented with similar findings requiring additional hysteroscopic evaluation and evacuation. After a third evacuation, an intrauterine catheter was placed to aid in drainage. This was not tolerated by the patient, and she ultimately required total laparoscopic hysterectomy for definitive management, which was performed without incident. Summary and Conclusion Pyometra is a rare occurrence that typically presents after menopause; however, it should be considered in patients with poor genitourinary hygiene and medically induced endometrial atrophy. In severe cases, hysterectomy might be required for definitive management.
Nucleosome composition regulates the histone H3 tail conformational ensemble and accessibility

Sub-nucleosomal complexes have been identified as intermediates in nucleosome assembly and disassembly. Their formation is promoted by certain histone chaperones and ATP-dependent remodelers, as well as through transcription by RNA polymerase II. They in turn regulate the activity of these factors. Nucleosome composition has been found to affect the structure and accessibility of the nucleosomal DNA, however the effect on the histone tails is largely unknown. Here, we investigate the conformational dynamics of the H3 tail in the hexasome and tetrasome sub-nucleosomal complexes. Using a combination of NMR spectroscopy, MD simulations, and trypsin proteolysis, we find that the conformational ensemble of the H3 tail is regulated by nucleosome composition. Similar to what we previously found for the nucleosome, the H3 tails bind robustly to DNA within the hexasome and tetrasome, but upon loss of the H2A/H2B dimer, we observe a change in the conformational ensemble and an increase in the dynamics and accessibility of the adjacent H3 tail. Similar to observations of DNA dynamics, this is seen to be asymmetric in the hexasome. Our results indicate that nucleosome composition has the potential to regulate chromatin signaling at the histone tails and ultimately help shape the chromatin landscape.
Trispecific natural killer cell nanoengagers for targeted chemoimmunotherapy

Activation of the innate immune system and natural killer (NK) cells has been a key effort in cancer immunotherapy research. Here, we report a nanoparticle-based trispecific NK cell engager (nano-TriNKE) platform that can target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-overexpressing tumors and promote the recruitment and activation of NK cells to eradicate these cancer cells. Moreover, the nanoengagers can deliver cytotoxic chemotherapeutics to further improve their therapeutic efficacy. We have demonstrated that effective NK cell activation can be achieved by the spatiotemporal coactivation of CD16 and 4-1BB stimulatory molecules on NK cells with nanoengagers, and the nanoengagers are more effective than free antibodies. We also show that biological targeting, either through radiotherapy or EGFR, is critical to the therapeutic effects of nanoengagers. Last, EGFR-targeted nanoengagers can augment both NK-activating agents and chemotherapy (epirubicin) as highly effective anticancer agents, providing robust chemoimmunotherapy.
Understanding the Cumulative Burden of Basic Needs Insecurities: Associations With Health and Academic Achievement Among College Students

Purpose:Food insecurity is a concern on college campuses and is correlated with other basic needs insecurities. We examined the cumulative burden of food, financial, and housing insecurities on col...
Shale particle interactions with organic and inorganic hydraulic fracturing additives

Abstract Natural gas, the largest source for electricity generation in the US, is produced via hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing uses water mixed with chemical additives to free natural gas from the shale formation. While downhole, these fluids contact small formation particles produced during well-perforation and remain in contact with the particles until the fluids return to the well surface. We performed experiments to investigate the physical and chemical interactions between Marcellus shale particles and fluid at high temperature (80 °C). The treatments in this study include incubating shale particles in solutions containing individual organic and inorganic additives used during fracturing (hydrochloric acid, persulfate, LEB-10X, WGA, FRS, Revert Flow (RF), and BXL). The particles exhibited a measurable influence on flowback fluid chemistry when treated with chemical additives. An optimized methodology was developed for laser-based Particle Size Analysis (PSA) with a wet-dispersion unit, which was then used to measure changes in particle size after treatment. The PSA results indicate that mixing speeds >2800 rpm can cause particle breakage and low speeds are required for PSA of shales. We observed no difference in particle size across treatments after incubation, indicating that clay swelling likely occurs during incubation. The influence of contact time was investigated for the inorganic treatments (persulfate and HCl containing treatments) given that these treatments resulted in higher concentrations of element release and precipitation compared to the organics additives tested. The results show that contact time is an essential consideration in shale transformation studies. Our findings link changing water chemistry to specific fracturing additives and provide key information for understanding the fluid-rock interactions.
The Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

This review offers a summary of the current evidence on management of patients with combined AS and CAD. We discuss epidemiology, physiology, considerations about why and when CAD should be treated...
Moderators of treatment response to exercise in participants with stimulant use disorder: Exploratory results from the Stimulant Reduction using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE)CTN-0037 study

Abstract Exercise is a promising treatment for stimulant use disorder. However, efficacy has not been clearly demonstrated in a general stimulant using population where response to exercise is expected to be heterogeneous. Thus, examination of response heterogeneity to identify subgroups for whom exercise is either clearly indicated or not indicated is of considerable interest as findings will support more effective tailoring of patient treatments in practice and guide future research in stimulant use disorder. A secondary analysis of the Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) randomized controlled trial of 302 stimulant using or dependent participants was conducted to identify baseline clinical and demographic characteristics associated with differential response between participants in the exercise and health education control groups. Characteristics (i.e., moderators of treatment response) were identified using an established Best Approximating Modeling (BAM) method. Six moderators of treatment response were identified: Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Clinician (QIDS-C) rated total score, exercise test maximum systolic blood pressure, number of lifetime drug treatments, Stimulant Craving Questionnaire (STCQ) total score, Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Family subscale score, and Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ) total score. For all moderators, the odds ratio of response to exercise vs. health education ranged from 0.32 to 2.52 or more depending on the level of the moderator. These results demonstrate that it is possible to identify pre-treatment patient characteristics that predict statistically and clinically meaningful differential treatment response to exercise.
Fear Extinction-Based Inter-Individual and Sex Differences in Pain-Related Vocalizations and Anxiety-like Behaviors but Not Nocifensive Reflexes

Inter-individual and sex differences in pain responses are recognized but their mechanisms are not well understood. This study was intended to provide the behavioral framework for analyses of pain mechanisms using fear extinction learning as a predictor of phenotypic and sex differences in sensory (mechanical withdrawal thresholds) and emotional-affective aspects (open field tests for anxiety-like behaviors and audible and ultrasonic components of vocalizations) of acute and chronic pain. In acute arthritis and chronic neuropathic pain models, greater increases in vocalizations were found in females than males and in females with poor fear extinction abilities than females with strong fear extinction, particularly in the neuropathic pain model. Female rats showed higher anxiety-like behavior than males under baseline conditions but no inter-individual or sex differences were seen in the pain models. No inter-individual and sex differences in mechanosensitivity were observed. The data suggest that vocalizations are uniquely suited to detect inter-individual and sex differences in pain models, particularly in chronic neuropathic pain, whereas no such differences were found for mechanosensitivity, and baseline differences in anxiety-like behaviors disappeared in the pain models.
Regenerative Braking in Diesel-Powered Urban Buses

This paper presents the results of a study on a pneumatic energy storage system for on-vehicle applications. These are: (1) The 4-stroke diesel engine can be adapted to perform the additional functions of compressor and expander. With the exception of the storage tank, the regenerative braking is accomplished without further increase in weight and cost of the vehicle. (2) The number of miles traveled per gallon of fuel consumed in High Performance Urban Route Cycle by a heavy urban bus or by a light school bus are increased by a factor of about three. Similar savings of fuel can be expected for a taxi. (3) The reduction in emissions is expected to equal or exceed the reduction in fuel consumption.
New approaches to understanding the immune response to vaccination and infection

The immune system is a network of specialized cell types and tissues that communicates via cytokines and direct contact, to orchestrate specific types of defensive responses. Until recently, we could only study immune responses in a piecemeal, highly focused fashion, on major components like antibodies to the pathogen. But recent advances in technology and in our understanding of the many components of the system, innate and adaptive, have made possible a broader approach, where both the multiple responding cells and cytokines in the blood are measured. This systems immunology approach to a vaccine response or an infection gives us a more holistic picture of the different parts of the immune system that are mobilized and should allow us a much better understanding of the pathways and mechanisms of such responses, as well as to predict vaccine efficacy in different populations well in advance of efficacy studies. Here we summarize the different technologies and methods and discuss how they can inform us about the differences between diseases and vaccines, and how they can greatly accelerate vaccine development.
Mobile pipelines: parallelizing left-looking algorithms using navigational programming

We consider the class of “left-looking” sequential matrix algorithms: consumer-driven algorithms that are characterized by “lazy” propagation of data. Left-looking algorithms are difficult to parallelize using the message-passing or distributed shared memory models because they only possess pipeline parallelism. We show that these algorithms can be directly parallelized using mobile pipelines provided by the Navigational Programming methodology. We present performance data demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.
Studies on the respiratory chain-linked reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase. XVI. Characteristics of the membrane-bound dehydrogenase in Candida utilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract The respiratory chain-linked reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase of S. cerevisiae and C. utilis in mitochondrial and in membrane preparations has been investigated. Among methods tested, the highest activities for the dehydrogenase are obtained in the NADH-coenzyme Q1 reaction in S. cerevisiae, while the NADH-ferricyanide reaction provides the best activity determination for the enzyme from C. utilis. In several respects, including specificity for electron acceptor and substrate and inhibition by amytal, rotenone, and piericidin A, the dehydrogenase from C. utilis resembles its counterpart in mammalian mitochondria much more closely than does the enzyme from S. cerevisiae. The latter enzyme appears to be extensively solubilized on digestion of membrane preparations with N. naja venom phospholipase A, as is the case with the mammalian enzyme, whereas the dehydrogenase from C. utilis is not extracted by this treatment. The failure of phospholipase A to extract the C. utilis enzyme is not due to unusual phosphatide composition as shown by phosphatide analyses and by the fact that lecithin isolated from C. utilis mitochondria is readily hydrolyzed by phospholipase A, but may be due to the inaccessibility of the phospholipase to mitochondrial lipids in situ. NADH dehydrogenase from both types of yeasts is extensively inactivated by the heat-acid-ethanol method previously used by other workers for the isolation of “NADH dehydrogenase” from S. cerevisiae. During the O2-induced mitochondrial biogenesis in S. cerevisiae the respiratory chain-linked enzyme is formed considerably more rapidly than the overall NADH oxidase system; thus, the assembly of the components may be the rate-limiting step. On exposure of aerobic cells of S. cerevisiae to high glucose concentration, NADH dehydrogenase appears to undergo active destruction.
Prospective validation of a pharmacologically based dosing scheme for the cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) analogue diamminecyclobutanedicarboxylatoplatinum.

Abstract We previously correlated both renal function and thrombocytopenia, the dose limiting toxicity of carboplatin, with the plasma pharmacokinetics of carboplatin. From these correlations, we developed equations to calculate carboplatin dosage for any patient based on that patient9s creatinine clearance, body surface area, pretreatment platelet count, desired platelet nadir, and status of prior chemotherapy. We prospectively applied these equations in 44 courses of carboplatin given to 24 patients. There were 13 males and 11 females with median age 53 (range, 33–77), median Karnofsky performance status 80 (range, 50–100), and creatinine clearance 32 to 118 ml/min. Ten patients had creatinine clearances less than 60 ml/min. Precision of the equations used for dose calculation was evaluable in 38 courses administered to 23 patients. In 23 courses of carboplatin administered to 12 patients without extensive prior chemotherapy, the observed change in platelets = 1.04 × predicted change - 48,000 ( r = 0.96). In the 15 courses of carboplatin administered to 11 heavily pretreated patients, the observed change in platelets = 1.13 × predicted change + 6,600 ( r = 0.97). For the overall combined population, the observed change in platelets = 0.96 × predicted change - 7,000 ( r = 0.94). These relationships which nearly define the line of identity (observed = expected) validate our initial observations. Only 2 patients developed WBC
Assurance Case Driven Case Study Design for Requirements Engineering Research

[Context and motivation] Case studies have the potential to be an essential bridge between the constructive (build new theories, algorithms, or methods to address practical problems) and the empirical (develop evidence through observation of or experience with existing methods or artifacts in practice) approaches to requirements engineering research. [Question/problem] To realize this potential, our aim is to provide representational guidance for designing a case study as a part of the invention process of a novel requirements engineering methodology (REM). [Principal ideas/results] In this paper, we present the innovative use of assurance cases to emphasize argumentation and rigorous evidence planning during case study research design. [Contribution] The steps involved in case study research design using the assurance case notation are outlined as a systematic way to plan a validation effort for a REM.
Preparation of Colloidal Particles of Seall Size and Their Catalytic Effect in Redox Processes Induced by Light

The photochemical cleavage of water into H 2 and O 2 has recently been investigated in our laboratory using band gap irradiation and visible light in colloidal (microheterogeneous) TiO 2 systems. Visible light driven redox processes leading to H 2 production involve a transition metal Ru(bipy) 3 +2 (Ruthenium-tris-bipyridyl) as sensitizer. The preparation, characterization and structural features of colloidal particles of TiO 2 used in H 2 generation of water suspensions is discussed. The activity and stability of these particles are critically dependent on the preparative method employed.
Instead of Erklären and Verstehen: William James on Human Understanding

Perhaps more than any other American psychologist and philosopher, William James (1842-1910) was intimately familiar with contemporary European thought and debate, including the discussion of Erklaren and Verstehen advanced by Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911) and others around the turn of the twentieth century. Even before this discussion was initiated, James had been dealing with related issues, pondering alternative solutions, and formulating his own original views on human understanding. These views coalesced in a distinctive approach to cognition. Fundamental to this approach was a belief in possibility and probability as innate features of the physical as well as mental manifestations of the universe. Also fundamental was a conviction that understanding is understanding, regardless of its viewpoint, object, or label as either “descriptive” or “explanatory.”
Who Put the ‘Welfare’ in ‘Corporate Welfare’? Race, Gender, and the Critique of Business Subsidies

Political forces on both the left and right have, with increasing frequency, defined public subsidies for business as ‘corporate welfare.’ While the concept has its origins in the New Left, it was ...