cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Delayed decision feed-back sequence estimation OFDM equalization with channel prediction

This paper proposes a low-complexity equalizer for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems under time-varying frequency-selective fading environments. The equalization uses suboptimum maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) in cooperation with semi-blind linear prediction (SBLP) in the estimation of the channel frequency responses. When the number of pilot subcarriers is far less than the total subcarrier numbers, it reduces the Mean Square Error in the channel estimation compared to conventional linear interpolation and LMMSE (Linear Minimum Mean Square Error) algorithms. Furthermore, it doesn't require the knowledge of the statistics of the channel, which is necessary in LMMSE. In practical application, these parameters cannot be easily obtained and small estimation errors cause significant performance degradation. Theoretic analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed equalizer can effectively increase the performance of OFDM receivers in time-varying fading channel.
In vivo evidence for microvascular oxidative stress in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Hydroethidine microfluorography.

Abstract The factors that predispose to the accelerated organ injury that accompanies the hypertensive syndrome have remained speculative and without a firm experimental basis. Indirect evidence has suggested that a key feature may be related to an enhanced oxygen radical production. The purpose of this study was to refine and use a technique to visualize evidence of spontaneous microvascular oxidative stress in vivo in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) compared with its normotensive control, the Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY). We investigated the effects of adrenal glucocorticoids on the microvascular oxidative stress sequence. The mesentery was superfused with hydroethidine, a reduced, nonfluorescent precursor of ethidium bromide. In the presence of oxidative challenge, hydroethidine is transformed intracellularly into the fluorescent compound ethidium bromide, which binds to DNA and can be detected by virtue of its red fluorescence. The fluorescent light emission from freshly exteriorized and otherwise unstimulated mesentery microvessels was recorded by digital microscopy. The number of ethidium bromide–positive nuclei along the arteriolar and venular walls in SHR was found to be significantly increased above the level exhibited by WKY. The elevation in ethidium bromide fluorescence in SHR arterioles could be attenuated by a synthetic glucocorticoid inhibitor and in rats subjected to adrenalectomy. The administration of glucocorticoids after adrenalectomy by injection of dexamethasone restored the oxidative reaction in SHR arterioles. Treatment with dimethylthiourea and with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor attenuated the superoxide formation. Although a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor ( N G -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester) enhanced the ethidium bromide staining in WKY, it did not affect that in SHR. Our findings suggest an enhancement of spontaneous oxidative stress in the microvascular wall of SHR that appears to be associated with glucocorticoid synthesis.
Electrographic status epilepticus in children with critical illness: Epidemiology and outcome

Electrographic seizures and electrographic status epilepticus are common in children with critical illness with acute encephalopathy, leading to increasing use of continuous EEG monitoring. Many children with electrographic status epilepticus have no associated clinical signs, so EEG monitoring is required for seizure identification. Further, there is increasing evidence that high seizure burdens, often classified as electrographic status epilepticus, are associated with worse outcomes. This review discusses the incidence of electrographic status epilepticus, risk factors for electrographic status epilepticus, and associations between electrographic status epilepticus and outcomes, and it summarizes recent guidelines and consensus statements addressing EEG monitoring in children with critical illness. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".
Archival Literacy for History Students: Identifying Faculty Expectations of Archival Research Skills

Although finding, interpreting, and using archives is inherent in the study of history, no standard identifies the archival research competencies college history students should possess. The purpose of this study is to identify history faculty expectations of undergraduates regarding their archival research skills and, based on those expectations, to create a list of archival research competencies that could be incorporated into the history classroom or introduced by the archivist in archival literacy sessions. The study includes viewpoints of different stakeholders, a review of course syllabi, in-depth interviews with history department faculty at a large public research university, and comments from faculty and recent graduates on a draft list of archival competencies for history students. The practical recommendations encourage the implementation of the competencies for both history faculty as well as for archivists involved in teaching archival research skills to students. This article represents a pr...
Weight-Loss Drugs

Obesity is increasing in prevalence and its medical liabilities are largely related to central adiposity and the associated insulin resistance. The present drugs available for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome are few in number and limited in efficacy. This chapter reviews the drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat obesity, drugs approved by the FDA for other indications than weight loss, drugs in the late development process that have not been approved by the FDA, drugs in earlier stages of drug development for which clinical information is limited, drugs that have been dropped from development, and new potential drug targets for which essentially no clinical data yet exist. We also review the nonprescription products sold for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. The developmental pipeline of drugs for the treatment of obesity and the metabolic syndrome is rich. Because drugs to treat obesity are being developed in an era characterized by more sophisticated tools for drug development than existed when hypertension drugs were being developed, much faster progress in developing safe and effective drugs for obesity and metabolic syndrome is anticipated. With safe and effective drugs available, we anticipate that the chronic treatment of obesity with weight loss medication will become as well-accepted and prevalent as is the chronic drug treatment of hypertension and diabetes in the medical practice of today.
Leakage Neutron Spectrum from a Bare Pu239 Critical Assembly

The leakage neutron spectrum of a bare Pu239 critical assembly has been measured with nuclear emulsions as both radiator and detector. A comparison with similar measurements on the U235 analogue of...
Benefits and risks of mammography.

In medical practice, mammography may be used as a diagnostic or as a screening procedure. As a diagnostic procedure, it is part of the evaluation of a patient with specific signs and symptoms, such as breast mass, pain, discharge, and abnormalities of the skin and axillary nodes. Because mammography may provide important information regarding these clinical problems, its use for this purpose has never been questioned. In this context, the issue of risk vs benefit does not arise since the value of the answers that mammography furnishes to these diagnostic problems cannot be given a numerical value for insertion into a benefit/risk calculation.
Evaluation of conjunctival bacterial flora in a herd of goats in the Midwestern United States.

Objective To identify conjunctival bacterial flora in healthy adult and newborn kid goats in the Midwestern United States and to compare vaginal and ocular surface flora in dam-kid pairs. Animals studied Thirty mixed-breed (crosses between Boer, Kiko, and Syfan Spanish) goats, 20 adult does and 10 newborn kids. Procedures One eye of 15 adult goats (n = 15 eyes) and 5 kids (n = 5 eyes) was randomly selected. A subset of 5 adults (n = 10 eyes) and 5 kids (n = 10 eyes) underwent bilateral sampling. Each recently kidded dam's vaginal canal (n = 10) was also sampled. Two swabs were collected from each sample site for aerobic bacterial culture and Mycoplasma and Chlamydia spp. PCR. Results Of the animals with positive cultures, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were the most common bacterial genera from the conjunctival sac of adult (16/17; 94%) and kid (5/5; 100%) goats; three adults and 5 kids had no growth of bacteria on aerobic culture. Moraxella bovoculi was the most common single bacteria in adults, in 9 eyes (36%) of 8 animals (40%). Staphylococcus equorum was identified in all 5 kids with positive cultures. Mycoplasma sp. DNA was detected in 7 animals. Chlamydia sp. DNA was not detected in any sample. Four of 10 dam-kid pairs had identical bacteria isolated from the dam's vaginal sample and the kid's conjunctival sample. Conclusions Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were the most common conjunctival bacterial genera in this goatherd. Moraxella bovoculi was the most common single bacteria isolated from adults, and Staphylococcus equorum was the most common bacteria in kids. Mycoplasma sp. occurred infrequently at the ocular surface of adult and kid goats. A convincing association between dam-kid vaginal–conjunctival samples was not identified.
HORACE BUSHNELL ON BLACK AMERICA

Bushnell may have been remarkably prophetic in many of his insights, but he was a man of his time in understanding Black America
Cultural Citizenship at the Intersection of Television and New Media

This article presents a cultural revision on the ongoing debate about the new media’s civic influence, as well as that of the “old media” Television. Specifically, it introduces the notion of “cult...
Bulk Defects and Radiation Damage in Detector Grade Silicon

The importance of bulk defects in Si to the performance of Si radiation detectors is discussed and the current state of knowledge about deep level defects, including those induced by radiation damage, is briefly reviewed. The importance and origins of the fluctuations in the spatial distribution of the shallow point defects which determine the uncompensated net impurity density are discussed and information on this problem in FZ silicon, multipass FZ silicon, neutron transmutation doped Si, and radiation damaged Si is presented and compared to what should be expected on the basis of simple modeling. A new model for radiation damage induced changes in the net uncompensated impurity density is reviewed and compared to experimental data on fast neutron damage in Si.
Experimental Observation on Toxicity of Rose Oil Elastic Capsule

Objective To test toxicological safety of rose oil elastic capsule.Methods The toxicological safety of rose oil was studied according to "Technical Standards For Testing Assessment of Health Food"(2003 Edition).Results 1.Acute toxicity test by mouth(MTD) was over 10 g/kg BW in male and female rats,which was 750 times of recommending dosage for human.It was of no poison actually.2.The results of micronucleus test,teratospermia test(the dosage of rose oil elastic capsule was 2.5 g,5.0 g,10 g /kg BW,respectively) and Ames test(the dosage of rose oil elastic capsule was 0.008,0.04,0.2,1.0,5.0 mg /dish,respectively) in rats were all negative,and there was no mutagenic action.3.The intake dosages of rose oil elastic capsule fed on rats for 30 days were 1.25 g,2.5 g,5.0 g /kg BW,respectively,that was the recommended dosages for human of 93 times,187 times and 375 times.The rats in each dosage group grew well.Absolute weight of main organs,ratio of organ and body weight,blood routine examination,biochemistry examination were all normal.Compared with the rats in control group,there was no histopathology change related to the capsule in liver,spleen,kidney,stomach,cuodenum,didymus and ovaries of rats in high-dosage group.Conclusions According to the dosage given to the experimental rats,the rose oil elastic capsule can produce no overt toxicity to rats and mice.As health food,the capsule is safe.
Cerebrovascular and cerebral metabolic effects of alterations in perfusion flow rate during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in man

Recent experimental and clinical investigations provide conflicting evidence regarding the effects of changes in the systemic flow rate from the pump oxygenator on cerebral blood flow and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption. However, the results of existing clinical studies are difficult to interpret because of the confounding effects of differences in management of arterial carbon dioxide tension and use of anesthetic and vasoactive agents during cardiopulmonary bypass. To clarify the relationship among perfusion flow rate, cerebral blood flow, and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption in man during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, we varied perfusion flow rate in random order to either 1.75 or 2.25 L · min–1 · m–2 and studied cerebral blood flow (measured by clearance of xenon 133) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (estimated as the product of cerebral blood flow and the cerebral arteriovenous oxygen content difference) in patients managed with both the α-stat (group 1) and the pH-stat (group 2) methods of pH and arterial carbon dioxide tension adjustment. We measured the cerebral arteriovenous oxygen content difference using radial arterial and jugular venous bulb blood samples. In each patient other variables known to exert effects on cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption, including temperature, arterial carbon dioxide tension, arterial oxygen tension, mean arterial pressure, and hematocrit, were maintained constant between measurements. In both groups, mean arterial pressure at both pump flow rates was similar because of spontaneous reciprocal alterations in systemic vascular resistance, that is, as perfusion flow rate declined, systemic vascular resistance increased; as perfusion flow rate increased, systemic vascular resistance declined. Under these tightly controlled conditions, pump flow variation per se exerted no effect on cerebral blood flow or cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption in either group. (J T horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;103:363—8)
Crystal Structure and Atomic Level Analysis of Plasma PAF-AH

The structure of plasma PAF-AH was solved to a resolution of 1.5A using X-ray crystallography. The enzyme has a classic α/β serine hydrolase fold containing a catalytic triad of Ser273, Asp296, and His351. A hydrophobic patch of the enzyme involving two α-helices (114-126 and 362-369) and neighboring residues have been shown to be essential for lipoprotein particle binding by mutagenesis and mass spectrometry hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments. An interface-bound model of the enzyme positions the active site above the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface and is consistent with the known substrate specificity of the enzyme. Several ligand-bound structures of plasma PAF-AH have been solved with organophosphorus compounds and modeled with competitive inhibitors of high affinity and selectivity. This chapter presents an overview of the structure of plasma PAF-AH, molecular details of its functional role, and the interaction of the enzyme with lipoprotein particles.
Electrochemical stiffness in lithium-ion batteries

Electrochemically induced stresses in battery electrodes leading to performance degradation are still poorly understood. In situ measurements show that stress scales proportionally with lithium intercalation rate and strain with capacity.
Surgical Exposure of the Cranial Nerves

A comprehensive description of the 12 cranial nerves could cause the reader to dose off with little knowledge gained. So, we speak to our readers in a casual voice that weaves anatomic facts with surgical pearls of wisdom born out of years of experience tempered by our successes and failures. After presenting the anatomy of each nerve, we detail the primary and expanded exposures, and we conclude each section with tips on endoscopic approaches. We add humor to stimulate the reticular activating system and maintain wakefulness. Illustrations provide orientation, but not a visual encyclopedia.
Neuropsychological functioning in heart transplant candidates.

AbstractObjective: This study provides age stratified neuropsychological test data for a large sample of heart transplant candidates. Patients with and without neurological co-morbidities were compared to better isolate the effects of congestive heart failure (CHF) on brain functioning.Method: Between 1988 and 2011, 956 patients (717 males, 239 females) with end-stage CHF and other life threatening cardiac diseases underwent neuropsychological assessment as a requirement of the heart transplant workup. Intellectual, memory, executive, language, attentional and psychomotor abilities were assessed, and standard cardiac measures were concurrently collected. Independent t-tests were used to compare subgroups with and without neurological co-morbidities on cardiac, neuropsychological and MMPI-2 measures. Chi-square tests were used for categorical items to compare demographic data between the two groups.Results: Significant cognitive impairments across all domains assessed were typical in all age groups. Neurol...
The Effect of Varying Estimates of Pit Structure Use-Life on Prehistoric Population Estimates in the American Southwest

ABSTRACTTo accurately estimate prehistoric population in the American Southwest, the number of contemporaneously occupied structures must be known. A key variable in this equation is the length of time structures were occupied. Ethnographic and technological data are used to show that pit structures in the Southwest have far shorter use-lives than has traditionally been attributed to them. Inflated estimates of pit structure use-life result in overestimates of prehistoric population and can lead to misinterpretation of other aspects of the organization and operation of prehistoric systems.
Energy use behaviors in buildings: Towards an integrated conceptual framework

Abstract To achieve significant energy reductions in buildings, decision-makers can engage occupants in different types of interventions such as information sharing, feedback and social marketing. To improve the effectiveness of these energy saving interventions, this study develops and tests a model which is capable of identifying occupants’ energy use characteristics and the influential factors of their energy use behaviors (e.g., turning off lights when not in use). The consumer segmentation approach from social marketing is adopted to divide occupants into different categories using three metrics: motivation, opportunity and ability. As a result, a set of hypotheses and corresponding measures are identified to study the effect of influential factors on occupants’ energy use characteristics and intentional energy use behaviors. The occupants are then clustered into five main segments that take into account how the occupants will respond to interventions. In the case study, a survey is designed to test the hypotheses and their validity using descriptive statistical analysis and structural equation modeling. The proposed framework is expected to provide decision-makers with useful information to design effective energy saving interventions to reduce overall energy consumption in buildings.
STAT3 activation and risk of recurrence in meningiomas

Several studies have suggested that activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is associated with initiation, progression and metastasis of numerous types of malignancy. However, the role of the Janus kinase-interleukin 6-STAT3 signaling pathway in the pathogenesis and recurrence of meningiomas is unknown. The present study evaluated STAT3 activation by western blotting and immunohistochemistry and assessed its association with Ki-67 labeling in 13 cases of meningioma in which frozen tissue and ≥5.5-year follow-up information were available, and in formalin-fixed meningioma tissues from 14 cases with an 8.4-year follow-up. The results of the western blot analysis indicated that STAT3 phosphorylation was markedly higher in grade II meningiomas compared with that in grade I, with mean densitometric values of 8.6 and 1.7 following normalization to actin, respectively. High STAT3 phosphorylation/activation was identified in 2 of 3 recurrent World Health Organization (WHO) grade I meningiomas and 0 of 3 non-recurrent meningiomas. Strong STAT3 phosphorylation/activation signal was also found in 2 of 4 recurrent grade II meningiomas and 1 of 3 non-recurrent cases. According to the immunohistochemistry results, phospho-STAT3 was not increased in WHO grade II tumors compared with that in grade I tumors, and was not significantly different between recurrent and non-recurrent cases. Ki-67 labeling was significantly increased in grade II vs. grade I tumors, and was also significantly increased in recurrent compared with non-recurrent grade I meningiomas. The results of the current study suggest that, while detection of phosphorylated/activated STAT3 may be useful in isolated cases, identifying activation may be of little value in predicting recurrence.
Imaging CNS Disease States: Alzheimer’s Disease

Neuroimaging tools have been used for more than two decades in a variety of investigations on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Quantitative in vivo measures of brain structure, function, chemistry, and pathology and other features have been shown to be abnormal in patients with AD. Recently, a number of these measures have been proposed as potential imaging biomarkers for various purposes in AD. These studies, reviewed here, provide a variety of illustrative examples of the uses of imaging markers in drug development that are applicable to other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Comparative analysis of MBD-seq and MeDIP-seq and estimation of gene expression changes in a rodent model of schizophrenia

Abstract We conducted a comparative study of multiplexed affinity enrichment sequence methodologies (MBD-seq and MeDIP-seq) in a rodent model of schizophrenia, induced by in utero methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) exposure. We also examined related gene expression changes using a pooled sample approach. MBD-seq and MeDIP-seq identified 769 and 1771 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between F2 offspring of MAM-exposed rats and saline control rats, respectively. The assays showed good concordance, with ~ 56% of MBD-seq-detected DMRs being identified by or proximal to MeDIP-seq DMRs. There was no significant overlap between DMRs and differentially expressed genes, suggesting that DNA methylation regulatory effects may act upon more distal genes, or are too subtle to detect using our approach. Methylation and gene expression gene ontology enrichment analyses identified biological processes important to schizophrenia pathophysiology, including neuron differentiation, prepulse inhibition, amphetamine response, and glutamatergic synaptic transmission regulation, reinforcing the utility of the MAM rodent model for schizophrenia research.
Initiation locations of lightning flashes relative to radar reflectivity in four small Florida thunderstorms

This study examines initiation locations of intracloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning near Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on one day. One unicellular and two multicellular thunderstorms occurred over land, and one multicellular storm was 30 km offshore. The storm over ocean was visible on radar 47-51 minutes before its first flash (of 17 total); first echoes in the storms over land were 23, 12, and 16 minutes prior to the first flashes (of 34, 16, and 9 total). Initiation points of 66 flashes were identified using the first initial breakdown (IB) pulse location from electric field change measurements or a VHF source coincident with the first IB pulse; ten ICs occurred without enough data to similarly locate the initiation. All but 2 of 35 flashes that initiated as negative CGs began below 6.8 km altitude; two higher CG initiations (7.1-7.5 km) were the first CGs in two storms. Initiations of 21 normal ICs occurred above 7.9 km, 6 late-stage ICs initiated at 5.5-7.5 km, and 4 hybrid IC-CG flashes initiated as ICs at 6.6-8.1 km. Initiation locations were tightly clustered in small regions of each cell. Over land, early and mature stage flashes initiated within 2 x 2 km in each cell, or about 10-25% of the mid-level reflectivity coverage. One cell over ocean had initiations within 6 x 5 km, less than 30% of its reflectivity area. The IC initiations generally occurred above reflectivity cores, in 15-35 dBZ, and CG initiations were in 30-45 dBZ beside or atop cores.
Protective efficacy of Marek's disease vaccines.

For the past 30 years, the poultry industry has relied on a series of avirulent or attenuated live virus vaccines to provide protection to young chickens against natural challenge with field strains of Marek’s disease (MD). This strategy has been unusually effective. In the United States, losses from the condemnation at slaughter of young broiler chickens with visible lesions of MD have decreased from 1.5% in 1970 to 0.0121% in 1999, a reduction of over 99% (Fig. 1). Even more dramatic reductions are evident in Georgia and Delaware, states with intensive broiler production. Similar benefits have been realized in commercial layer and breeder flocks. Vaccination for the control of MD in the field has been one of the great successes in veterinary medicine.
Current progress in studies of GnRH cell-containing brain grafts in hypogonadal mice.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the recent work designed to evaluate the specific neuroendocrine response capabilities of male and female hypogonadal mice with preoptic area (POA) grafts (HPG/POA), and neuroanatomical studies that explore some possible factors involved in directed gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone (GnRH) outgrowth to the median eminence. The neuroendocrine studies include the evaluation of plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) pulsatility and of the ability to show alterations in LH release in response to acute or chronic changes in the gonadal hormone milieu. Related to this estrogen-concentrating cells present within the grafts and in the host hypogonadal brain. The chapter describes the tracing methods, neurotoxic lesions, the identification of tanycytes and glia, and co-grafts in neuroanatomical studies. Future studies will attempt to identify differences in afferents to the grafted GnRH cells (or to their axonal projections) that may underlie specific neuroendocrine capabilities.
Ichnofabrics and chemostratigraphy argue against persistent anoxia during the Upper Kellwasser Event in New York State

Abstract Organic-rich strata coeval with bioevents of varying magnitudes characterize global Devonian sedimentary successions. The Upper Kellwasser (UKw) black shale depositional event is coincident with the largest pulse of diversity loss within the marine Late Devonian mass extinction and has been shown to be an ecologically critical turnover for shallow-water species. Marine anoxia/euxinia is widely thought to be an important and ubiquitous driver of this biotic crisis, though the duration, intensity, and global extent of these environmental conditions during the UKw event are not well-constrained. We characterized redox conditions during deposition of the UKw in the northern Appalachian Basin to constrain local variability and relative magnitude of dissolved oxygen fluctuations. We used a combination of proxies relating to the bottom waters, water column, and photic zone to compile an integrated picture of basinal oxygen dynamics. Our multi-faceted approach combines trace fossil evidence for faunal activity at the sediment-water interface with inorganic and organic geochemical proxies for redox conditions within the water column. Minor biological disruptions to laminated sedimentary fabric indicate at least intermittent oxygenation of the bottom waters during deposition of the UKw, albeit in a low dissolved oxygen seafloor setting. Trace metal proxies (Mo, Mn, U and V) and Fe mineral speciation provide compelling evidence for a water column experiencing intermittent rather than persistent anoxic/euxinic conditions. Lipid biomarkers reinforce the interpretation of variable dissolved oxygen conditions with very low concentrations of Chlorobi carotenoid biomarkers pointing to seasonal/rare episodes of photic zone euxinia. This integrated dataset provides evidence for local redox variability in UKw deposition and supports the likelihood that marine anoxia and euxinia were not globally persistent at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary.
Harm Reduction for Youth in Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: One Size Does Not Fit All

Current interventions for adolescent substance use disorders demonstrate moderate efficacy and poor rates of long-term abstinence. As such, assessment of alternate, non-abstinence-oriented interventions is of value. We aim to examine the potential for non-abstinence goals in a harm reduction treatment framework for adolescent substance use disorders. Harm reduction can include reduction of substance use and reduction of negative consequences related to substance use behaviors. Developmental factors unique to adolescence alter the trajectory of substance use, and should be addressed when tailoring interventions to this population. This may include setting a series of youth-identified proximal harm reduction goals (e.g., reducing quantity or frequency of consumption over time) to encourage continued engagement in treatment and progress to a terminal outcome such as abstinence. Harm reduction goals may lead to tension between providers and systems for youth involved in the juvenile justice system and those with comorbid psychiatric illness, and thus may require collaborative, multi-disciplinary approaches to treatment. Further research should aim to characterize outcome measures and determine measures of goal achievement within a harm reduction framework. At this time, harm reduction for adolescents should be considered mainly as a proximal outcome for poor responders to traditional interventions.
ANTIBODY-INDUCED MODULATION OF VIRAL ANTIGENS FROM INFECTED CELLS: BIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR STUDIES OF MEASLES VIRUS INFECTION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING VIRUS PERSISTENCE AND RECEPTOR DISEASES

ABSTRACT Measles virus infected cells express two virus specific antigens on their surface. These are the hemagglutinin (HA) and fusion (F 1 ) polypeptides. Their turnover (half life) from the plasma membrane is 9 to 10 hours but in the presence of antibody, there is an initial rapid loss of F 1 and HA followed by a slower phase in which T 1/2 is 12 to 15 hours. Reduced numbers of these surface viral antigens enable the cell to resist lysis by immune reagents. In addition, the loss of F 1 molecules during antibody induced antigenic modulation accounts for the lack of both cell-cell fusion and giant cell formation by infected cells cultured with antibody. Expression of the internal phosphoprotein (P) and of the matrix or membrane (M) protein is also altered by antibody. These changes in P and M viral polypeptides are specific, since antibodies directed against measles virus antigens expressed on the cell's surface cause such effects but antibodies directed against nonviral antigens expressed on the surfaces of infected cells do not. Functionally, the P protein and its analogs in other viral systems appear to be associated with the transcriptive complex, whereas the M protein is associated with nucleocapsid recognition and alignment at the plasma membrane. Therefore, alterations in these polypeptides would lead to those aberrations in measles virus synthesis and maturation that are the observed hallmarks of persistent measles virus infection.
FastNet: Fast and Accurate Statistical Inference of Phylogenetic Networks Using Large-Scale Genomic Sequence Data

An emerging discovery in phylogenomics is that interspecific gene flow has played a major role in the evolution of many different organisms. To what extent is the Tree of Life not truly a tree reflecting strict “vertical” divergence, but rather a more general graph structure known as a phylogenetic network which also captures “horizontal” gene flow? The answer to this fundamental question not only depends upon densely sampled and divergent genomic sequence data, but also computational methods which are capable of accurately and efficiently inferring phylogenetic networks from large-scale genomic sequence datasets. Recent methodological advances have attempted to address this gap. However, in the 2016 performance study of Hejase and Liu, state-of-the-art methods fell well short of the scalability requirements of existing phylogenomic studies.
Low recovery efficiency of basal fertilizer-N in plants does not indicate high basal fertilizer-N loss from split-applied N in transplanted rice

Abstract Increasing amounts of N fertilizer at panicle initiation or heading, and decreasing amounts at earlier stages, is recommended and commonly practiced in parts of China. The practice is based on the higher recovery efficiency (RE) of fertilizer N from later application than at earlier stages. However, this approach does not consider the amount of fertilizer N remaining in the soil (‘residual soil N’) from each application time, and the fact that a considerable amount of the N uptake by the plants, even in heavily-fertilized crops, comes from the soil N. Therefore, the uptake, residual soil N, loss and recovery efficiency of fertilizer N applied to transplanted rice at different growth stages was investigated in a field experiment conducted in 2013 and 2017. Nitrogen was applied as urea at 210 N kg ha−1 in three equal splits at transplanting (basal), tillering and panicle initiation (PI), and 15N-labeled urea was used to trace the change of fertilizer N concentration in the floodwater and soil and the recovery of fertilizer-N in the plants and soil. The fertilizer N recovery efficiency (RE) in the plants was 21–36%, and 15% of the applied 15N remained within the 0–20 cm soil depth at maturity. The RE of N applied at PI (panicle-RE) (33–58%) was greater than the RE of N applied at transplanting (basal-RE) (20–36%) and at tillering (tiller-RE) (13–29%). However, the residual soil N derived from basal fertilizer accounted for more than 90% of the total fertilizer N remaining in the paddy soil at the time of harvest. At harvest time, 70% of the basal-15N, 29% of the tillering-15N and 46% of the panicle-15N, was recovered in the plants and soil, demonstrating that the low basal-RE in the plants does not indicate high basal fertilizer-N loss. Basal-15N still accounted for more than 1% of the total soil N after heading, and all the fertilizer-15N uptake in plants after heading was derived from basal-N.
184 Effect of selenium on the differentiation of porcine adipose-derived stem cells into osteoblasts

Bone damage is a common occurrence and although traditional bone healing methods work well, they are not always able to fix all issues pertaining to the injury. However, recent research on stem cell therapies using adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) has shown that ASC that differentiate into osteoblasts can be used as a potentially better solution for bone injuries. Selenium is a nutritional trace element that has been found to be essential in the production of selenoproteins and bone growth. Selenium plays an integral role in osteoblast cell differentiation and proliferation. The aim of this experiment was to test whether adding selenium to osteogenic influences the differentiation potential of ASC into osteoblasts. Porcine ASC were isolated as described (Monaco et al. 2009, Open Tissue Eng. Regen. Med. J. 2, 20-33). Seven different treatments were given to the cells: a negative control of DMEM, a positive control of osteogenic medium, and 5 concentrations of selenium in the osteogenic medium (10, 5, 1, 0.5, and 0.1 µM). Medium was changed twice a week for 4 weeks, at the end of which the cells were stained with Alizarin Red S stain. The number of osteoblastic nodules in each well were counted and divided into the categories of “forming” and “formed.” A generalized linear model (GLM) procedure (SPSS Inc./IBM Corp., Chicago, IL, USA) was used to analyse the data. The least statistical difference (l.s.d.) post hoc test was used to perform statistical multiple comparison with an α-level of 0.05. The results showed (Table 1) that medium containing selenium concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 µM were able to develop more nodules than the osteogenic medium. There was no statistical difference in the total amount of forming and formed nodules in those 4 groups; however, there was a statistical tendency for a difference (P = 0.06) between the medium with 1 µM selenium and the osteogenic medium. Medium containing 10 or 5 µM selenium had lower nodule counts (both forming and formed) than osteogenic medium. There was no statistical difference between 10 µM and DMEM. These results suggest that low concentrations of selenium have a positive effect on nodule formation, whereas higher concentrations are detrimental. Table 1.The average number (standard deviations in parentheses) of formed, forming, and total osteoblastic nodules in each of the different treatments
Prevalence of Noonan spectrum disorders in a pediatric population with valvar pulmonary stenosis

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of Noonan spectrum disorders (NSD) in a pediatric population with valvar pulmonary stenosis (vPS) and identify the clinical characteristics that differentiate those with NSD from those without NSD. DESIGN A retrospective chart review of 204 patients diagnosed with vPS between 9/1/2012 and 12/1/2016 at a pediatric medical center was performed. The quantitative features of vPS, genetic diagnosis information, and phenotypic characteristics of Noonan syndrome were collected. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and ANOVA were used for comparisons among the groups. Logistic regression was used to test for the association between the clinical characteristics and the presence of NSD. RESULTS Syndromic diagnoses were made in 10% of the children with vPS, with NSD accounting for 6%. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (P < .0001), short stature (P < .0001), developmental delay (P < .0001), ophthalmological abnormalities (P < .0001), pectus carinatum/excavatum (P = .01), neurological abnormalities (P = .022), and aortic stenosis (P = .031) were present more often in individuals with NSD compared to nonsyndromic vPS. A logistic regression analysis showed a 4.8-fold increase in odds for NSD for each additional characteristic (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS At least 6% of the children with vPS have an underlying NSD. Individuals with vPS and NSD were significantly more likely to have additional features known to be associated with NSD than those with vPS without NSD. We conclude that vPS in the presence of one or more significant characteristics should prompt referral for genetic evaluation as a guide to ascertain patients at risk for NSD while optimizing the use of clinical genetics evaluation and potential genetic testing.
Isolating Malignant and Non-Malignant B Cells from lck:eGFP Zebrafish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are a powerful model to study lymphocyte development. Like mammals, D. rerio possess an adaptive immune system that includes B and T lymphocytes. Studies of zebrafish lymphopoiesis are difficult because antibodies recognizing D. rerio cell surface markers are generally not available, complicating isolation and characterization of different lymphocyte populations, including B-lineage cells. Transgenic lines with lineage-specific fluorophore expression are often used to circumvent this challenge. The transgenic lck:eGFP line has been used to study D. rerio T cell development, and has also been utilized to model T cell development and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Although lck:eGFP fish have been widely used to analyze the T-lineage, they have not been used to study B cells. Recently, we discovered that many zebrafish B cells also express lck, albeit at lower levels. Consequently, lck:eGFP B cells likewise express low levels of GFP. Based on this finding, we developed a protocol to purify B-lineage cells from lck:eGFP zebrafish, which we report here. Our method describes how to utilize a fluorescent-activated cell sorter (FACS) to purify B cells from lck:eGFP fish or related lines, such as double-transgenic rag2:hMYC; lck:eGFP fish. In these lines, B cells, particularly immature B cells, express GFP at low but detectable levels, allowing them to be distinguished from T cells, which express GFP highly. B cells can be isolated from marrow, thymus, spleen, blood, or other tissues. This protocol provides a new method to purify D. rerio B cells, enabling studies focused on topics like B cell development and B lymphocyte malignancies.
Selective exposure partly relies on faulty affective forecasts

Abstract People preferentially consume information that aligns with their prior beliefs, contributing to polarization and undermining democracy. Five studies (collective N = 2455) demonstrate that such “selective exposure” partly stems from faulty affective forecasts. Specifically, political partisans systematically overestimate the strength of negative affect that results from exposure to opposing views. In turn, these incorrect forecasts drive information consumption choices. Clinton voters overestimated the negative affect they would experience from watching President Trump’s Inaugural Address (Study 1) and from reading statements written by Trump voters (Study 2). Democrats and Republicans overestimated the negative affect they would experience from listening to speeches by opposing-party senators (Study 3). People’s tendency to underestimate the extent to which they agree with opponents’ views drove the affective forecasting error. Finally, correcting biased affective forecasts reduced selective exposure by 24–34% (Studies 4 and 5).
“Making Mystics Out of Cheese”: Flannery O’Connor’s Grotesque Reimagination of Pride and Humility in A Prayer Journal and “The Lame Shall Enter First”

ABSTRACTThis article explores the work of Flannery O’Connor as a unique twentieth century Catholic author, who understood the metaphysical and moral crisis of her day as confronting a pervasive nihilism which denied the existence of objective good and evil and any sense of transcendent, universal morality such as the Thomistic understanding of virtue and vice central to the Christian moral tradition. The author first examines A Prayer Journal (2013), which O’Connor wrote as a young MFA student, to explore her earliest use of grotesque aesthetics in her implicit reimagining of pride and humility as connected to true self-knowledge and knowledge of God. He then uses this moral framework to ground a literary reading of O’Connor’s story “The Lame Shall Enter First” focused on the tragic pride of Sheppard, O’Connor’s revelatory use of a satanic narrative voice, and the grotesque humility in the diabolic prophet character, the juvenile delinquent Rufus Johnson. The author seeks to cast light on questions relate...
Restriction and Modification Systems

Prokaryotic restriction-modification (R-M) systems were first recognized in Escherichia coli nearly 50 years ago and are now known to be ubiquitous among bacterial species. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the structure and function of the large number of putative restriction-modification (R-M) genes and systems that are now recognized to be present in Helicobacter pylori. Restriction enzyme activity is catalyzed by a complex containing both Mod and Res subunits; however, the mod gene product can function independently as a modification methylase. The genetic organization of type I R-M systems is similar to that found in E. coli and other enteric bacteria, in which each subunit is encoded by contiguous hsdR, hsdM, and hsdS genes. The HsdS subunit of type I R-M systems determines the DNA sequence specificity for both restriction and modification reactions. The HsdS proteins (S1, S2, S3) in either strain share no significant amino acid homology to each other. Type II and IIS R-M systems are generally encoded by contiguous genes and, unlike type I and III R-M systems, are composed of independent restriction endonuclease and methyltransferase enzymes. Expression of functional type III R-M systems has not yet been demonstrated in H. pylori. The apparent requirement for slipped-strand repair of frameshift mutations in mod-2 and mod-4 suggests that these two putative type III systems may not be expressed.
Anthraquinone Redox Relay for Dye‑Sensitized Photo‑electrochemical H 2 O 2 Production

Anthraquinone (AQ) redox mediators are introduced to metal-free organic dye sensitized photo-electrochemical cells (DSPECs) for the generation of H2 O2 . Instead of directly reducing O2 to produce H2 O2 , visible-light-driven AQ reduction occurs in the DSPEC and the following autooxidation with O2 allows H2 O2 accumulation and AQ regeneration. In an aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun conditions, a water-soluble AQ salt is employed with the highest photocurrent of up to 0.4 mA cm-2 and near-quantitative faradaic efficiency for producing H2 O2 . In a non-aqueous electrolyte, under 1 sun illumination, an organic-soluble AQ is applied and the photocurrent reaches 1.8 mA cm-2 with faradaic efficiency up to 95 % for H2 O2 production. This AQ-relay DSPEC exhibits the highest photocurrent so far in non-aqueous electrolytes for H2 O2 production and excellent acid stability in aqueous electrolytes, thus providing a practical and efficient strategy for visible-light-driven H2 O2 production.
Linking intrinsic and apparent relationships betweenphytoplankton and environmental forcings using machinelearning d What are the challenges

Abstract. Controls on phytoplankton growth are typically determined in two ways: by varying one driver of growth at a time such as nutrient or light in a controlled laboratory setting (intrinsic relationships) or by observing the emergence of relationships in the environment (apparent relationships). However, challenges remain when trying to take the intrinsic relationships found in a lab and scaling them up to the size of ecosystems (i.e., linking intrinsic relationships in the lab to apparent relationships in large ecosystems). We investigated whether machine learning (ML) techniques could help bridge this gap. ML methods have many benefits, including the ability to accurately predict outcomes in complex systems without prior knowledge. Although previous studies have found that ML can find apparent relationships, there has yet to be a systematic study that has examined when and why these apparent relationships will diverge from the underlying intrinsic relationships. To investigate this question, we created three scenarios: one where the intrinsic and apparent relationships operate on the same time and spatial scale, another model where the intrinsic and apparent relationships have different timescales but the same spatial scale, and finally one in which we apply ML to actual ESM output. Our results demonstrated that when intrinsic and apparent relationships are closely related and operate on the same spatial and temporal timescale, ML is able to extract the intrinsic relationships when only provided information about the apparent relationships. However, when the intrinsic and apparent relationships operated on different timescales (as little separation as hourly to daily), the ML methods underestimated the biomass in the intrinsic relationships. This was largely attributable to the decline in the variation of the measurements; the hourly time series had higher variability than the daily, weekly, and monthly-averaged time series. Although the limitations found by ML were overestimated, they were able to produce more realistic shapes of the actual relationships compared to MLR. Future research may use this type of information to investigate which nutrients affect the biomass most when values of the other nutrients change. From our study, it appears that ML can extract useful information from ESM output and could likely do so for observational datasets as well.