cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prognosis of neonates in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Purpose: The effects of maternal systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on neonatal prognosis were examined by comparing clinical features of full-term babies born to lupus mothers and age- and parity-matched controls. Patients and Methods: From January 2000 to December 2005, 39 singletons were born to 37 SLE women. Excluding 11 cases of prematurity and preeclampsia, 28 full-term neonates formed the lupus group. The control group included 66 full-term babies. The retrospective study examined medical records and compared gestational age, birth weight, days of hospital stay, small for gestational age (SGA) frequency, Apgar scores < 7, and parity. Lupus neonates were tested for anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and platelet count, and electrocardiogram was performed. Results: Average gestational age (38 vs. 39 weeks, p < 0.05) and birth weight (2,775 vs. 3,263 g, p < 0.05) were significantly different between the SLE and control groups. SGA frequency was higher in the SLE group (25% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in Apgar score, birth weight, gestational age, SGA frequency, and platelet count between lupus subgroups formed based on anti-dsDNA antibody levels and antiphospholipid antibody status. Conclusion: The association of maternal ANAs, antiphospholipid antibodies, and drug history with neonatal prognosis could not be elucidated. However, even in uncomplicated pregnancies, maternal lupus is disadvantageous for gestational age, birth weight, and SGA frequency.
The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Long-Term Care Specialists.

The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Long-Term Care of Specialists was administered via the World Wide Web from September 2007 through March 2008. The primary purpose was to characterize the views of those with known or demonstrable experience and expertise with at least one aspect of long-term care. Among 2,577 potential respondents, 1,147 completed the entire survey for an overall response rate of 44.5%. This special supplement of Medical Care Research and Review uses data collected from the survey to explore several issue areas, namely, reforming long-term care financing, improving government oversight, adopting nursing home culture change, and rebalancing long-term care away from institutions toward home- and community-based services. Analyses documenting the opinion networks of long-term care specialists and the relationship between network characteristics and attitudes toward reform are also reported. Two leading experts provide commentary as well. Details of the study’s methodology and issue content are...
Bioinformatics Pipeline for Identification of Binding Motifs of Flexible Protein Tethers

Proteins use conserved binding motifs associated with relatively unconserved flexible amino acid sequences as mobile tethers for interacting molecules, as exemplified by C-terminal tether sequences of bacterial chemotaxis receptors. We describe here a bioinformatics pipeline to discover new instances of flexible tethers and their binding motifs. C-terminal regions of all proteins in subsets of bacteria and archaea were analyzed for flexibility with DisEMBL hotloops, grouped with BLASTCLUST, aligned with ClustalW, analyzed for conserved 5-mers, and then putative tethers were identified as sequences with highly conserved (≫80%) 5-mers that were at least 20% more conserved than the rest of the flexible region. The algorithm identified previously known flexible binding domains, as well as ≫100 other putative flexible tether sequences that should be further investigated for binding targets and flexibility.
Design considerations for a high voltage DC photoemission electron gun at Cornell University

At Cornell University, we have designed and built a DC photoemission electron gun that is capable of operating above 500 kV and up to 100 mA average current. Such a gun is the best choice as a high average power driver for an RF linear accelerator. High brightness photoemission guns must fulfill a difficult set of requirements in order to provide the types of beams needed for new x-ray light sources, including XHV vacuum properties, robust HV insulators, stable power supplies, electrode materials and preparation to reduce dark current, and electrode conditioning. In this paper, we will discuss these requirements, how to meet them, and the difficulties encountered along the way.
Role of radiotherapy for resectable rectal cancer

SUMMARY The role of radiation therapy in the treatment of resectable rectal cancer is better defined than at any point in history; however, as technology improves, increasing treatment options can lead to better patient care when used appropriately with adequate training. Understanding the risk factors for local recurrence can assist in delivering individualized treatment options. Technological improvements such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy have the potential to decrease toxicity, but without adequate training, highly conformal treatment can result in undertreating or missing critical areas. This review will provide an overview of treatment and standard treatment options for resectable rectal cancer, as well as an update on the state of radiation therapy as it relates to rectal cancer and the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy.
Singularly perturbed control systems: recent progress

We present new approaches for singularly perturbed control systems. We concentrate on techniques for order reduction and characterization of optimal controls. Our considerations are restricted to deterministic, finite dimensional systems with nonlinear dynamics.
USE OF THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD IN MODELLING A STATIC EARTH PRESSURE PROBLEM

Results obtained with the finite element method are greatly affected by the overall dimensions of the mesh and the number and size of the elements used. Proper choice of the boundary conditions is also necessary to obtain an accurate estimate of the unknowns of the problem. This paper discusses some factors that influence the results of a finite element idealization of the problem of earth pressure behind a gravity wall with a dry, cohesionless backfill. (Author/TRRL)
Resistance of soil-bound prions to rumen digestion.

Before prion uptake and infection can occur in the lower gastrointestinal system, ingested prions are subjected to anaerobic digestion in the rumen of cervids and bovids. The susceptibility of soil-bound prions to rumen digestion has not been evaluated previously. In this study, prions from infectious brain homogenates as well as prions bound to a range of soils and soil minerals were subjected to in vitro rumen digestion, and changes in PrP levels were measured via western blot. Binding to clay appeared to protect noninfectious hamster PrPc from complete digestion, while both unbound and soil-bound infectious PrPSc proved highly resistant to rumen digestion. In addition, no change in intracerebral incubation period was observed following active rumen digestion of unbound hamster HY TME prions and HY TME prions bound to a silty clay loam soil. These results demonstrate that both unbound and soil-bound prions readily survive rumen digestion without a reduction in infectivity, further supporting the potential for soil-mediated transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie in the environment.
Scalable GPU-Accelerated IPv6 Lookup Using Hierarchical Perfect Hashing

IPv6 has been proposed to fulfil the increasing demand of IP addresses. As the data rate and volume of network traffic keep increasing and the Internet evolves, high-speed IPv6 lookup for large routing tables is essential. In this paper, we propose a novel IPv6 lookup approach based on hierarchical perfect hashing. The lookup complexity of the proposed algorithm is O(1) in the worst case. The performance is independent of the prefix distribution or the size of the routing table. Each lookup is performed by examining up to 3 perfect hash tables. Each hash table uses a range of bits of the input IP address as lookup key. We develop a simple scheme to choose appropriate key length for each hash table, which can efficiently reduce the total memory requirement. We implement our design on a state- of-the-art Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) platform. Experimental results show that our GPU-accelerated lookup engine is scalable to sustain a high throughput of over 1.6 billion lookups per second (GLPS) for routing tables from 10K to 1M. This corresponds to 80% of the peak throughput of the target platform. Compared with a state-of-the-art GPU-based IPv6 lookup engine, our design demonstrates 2x improvement with respect to throughput for large tables.
Rare-Earth separation using bacteria

The rare-earth elements are critical to many green energy technologies but are difficult to separate from one another because of their chemical similarity. We demonstrate an alternative, biogenic method based on the adsorption of lanthanide to the bacterium Roseobacter sp. AzwK-3b, immobilized on an assay filter, followed by subsequent desorption as a function of pH. The elution desorption data suggest that the basicity of the individual lanthanides is important in determining their desorption behavior. It is found that via preprotonation of the bacteria it is possible to concentrate a solution of equal concentrations of each lanthanide to nearly 50% of the three heaviest lanthanides (Tm, Lu, and Yb) in just two passes. This surpasses existing industrial practice. The findings suggest that there is an opportunity to harness the diversity of bacterial surface chemistry to separate and recover technologically important rare-earth metals in an environmentally benign manner.
Effect of Zeolite Membrane Shell Thickness on Reactant Selectivity for Hydrocarbon Steam Reforming Using Layered Catalysts

A composite catalyst consisting of an outer layer of zeolite membrane encapsulating an inner reforming catalyst core was synthesized by a double physical coating method to investigate reactant selectivity (ratio of methane/toluene conversion rate) in steam reforming of methane (CH4) and toluene (C7H8). A double encapsulation (51 wt % H-β zeolite) of a 1.6 wt % Ni–1.2 wt % Mg/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 steam reforming catalyst was compared to a singly coated composite catalyst (34.3 wt % H-β zeolite) to investigate zeolite thickness effects on the conversion of different sized hydrocarbons. Several characterization methods {scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), physisorption analysis [Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, pore volumes, and pore size distributions], and X-ray diffraction (XRD)} were used to analyze pre- and post-reaction samples. SEM and EDS analyses showed that the H-β zeolite was coated successfully on the steam reforming catalyst. The increase in the zeolite co...
An Open-Label Exploratory Study with Memantine: Correlation between Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Cognition in Patients with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease (P04.198)

Objective: To characterize Alzheimer9s disease (AD) progression using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) and cognitive measures in mild-moderate AD patients treated with open-label memantine in addition to cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI). Background While cross-sectional studies have shown reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and elevated myo-inositol (mI) in AD patients, the feasibility of 1 H MRS as a longitudinal biomarker for clinical trials remains to be elucidated. Design/Methods: 11 subjects with mild-moderate AD (baseline MMSE 21.9 ± 3.0) were on stable dose ChEI for at least 3 months prior to study entry. Neuropsychometric testing and single-voxel 1 H MRS from the precuneus and posterior cingulate region were performed at baseline, after 24 weeks of ongoing ChEI monotherapy, and after another 24 weeks of open-label memantine in addition to ChEI. Baseline 1 H MRS metabolite [NAA, mI, choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr)] ratios in AD subjects were compared to 29 age-matched, cognitively normal controls (MMSE 28.3 ± 1.6). Results: Compared to controls, AD subjects had significantly higher mI/Cr (p=0.0155) and lower NAA/Cr (p=0.0487), NAA/Cho (p=0.0222) and NAA/mI (p=0.0105). In AD subjects, baseline Alzheimer9s Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scores significantly correlated with NAA/Cr (Spearman r = 0.80, p=0.0032), mI/Cr (Spearman r = -0.73, p=0.0115), and NAA/mI (Spearman r = 0.83, p=0.0014). Baseline cognitive measures did not correlate with metabolite ratios. There was no significant change in neuropsychometric test performance on combination therapy as compared with ChEI monotherapy. There was a decrease in NAA/mI on combination therapy as compared with ChEI monotherapy, but this was not significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: We found significant differences in 1 H MRS metabolite ratios between mild-moderate AD and control subjects. Baseline 1 H MRS metabolite ratios correlated with function (ADCS-ADL). There was no significant change in neuropsychometric performance or 1 H MRS metabolite ratios when open-label memantine was added to stable dose ChEI. Supported by: Forest Research Institute. Disclosure: Dr. Gordon has received personal compensation for activities with Accera Inc. and Eli Lilly & Company as a consultant. Dr. Gordon has received research support from Forest Laboratories and Eli Lilly & Company. Dr. Kingsley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Goldberg has received personal compensation for activities with Merck & Co., Inc. as a consultant. Dr. Koppel holds stock and/or stock options in Eli Lilly & Company. Dr. Christen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Keehlisen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kohn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Davies has has received (royalty or license fee or contractual rights) payments from Eli Lilly.Dr. Davies has received research support from Eli Lilly.
The cellular and molecular biology of the Iris, an overlooked tissue: The iris and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma

Located between the cornea and the lens, the Iris is fully immersed in aqueous humor. During exfoliation syndrome, a disorder of the elastic fibers, an abnormal fibrillar material (XFM) is deposited on the anterior lens capsule underneath the pigment epithelium of the Iris. Release of this material to the aqueous humor reaches the trabecular meshwork where its presence is associated with elevated intraocular pressure. Ultrastructural studies suggest that the XFM material is produced by the lens capsule, lens epithelial and iris pigment epithelial cells (IPE). The involvement of the IPE in pseudoexfoliation glaucoma has not been extensively addressed. Immunohistochemistry studies have shown higher levels of LOXL1 and clusterin in the IPE extracellular space of specimens from exfoliation patients. But studies using IPE cells to understand the formation of the XFM in vitro and/or in vivo are scarce. A focus on the Iris and its IPE cells would be key for the elucidation of XFM and the understanding of the development of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma.
Movement Kinematics and their Relationship with Performance in Target Acquisition Task Using a Mouse

Movement kinematics has been shown useful for characterizing the process of aiming movement in target acquisition tasks. There are multiple kinematic measures reported in the literature, but their relationship to eventual performance is not well documented. To determine the relationship between various kinematic measures and movement performance, data were collected from participants aged 21 to 90 years with a wide range of psychomotor ability. When computed across age groups, time to peak velocity (TPV), time to peak acceleration (TPA), and time from peak velocity until the end of movement (TPVEND) were found to correlate with movement performance. However, the relationships diminished when the correlations were computed within age groups (except for TPVEND). More interestingly, despite the extensive report, certain kinematic measures such as peak velocity were found to be uncorrelated with performance. Thus, when performance is the focus, improvement should be made to reduce TPV, TPA, and TPVEND.
Studies on Lactobacilli. IV. Changes in Immunological Specificity Associated with Changes in Fermentation Reactions

patients in the dental clinics, fall into 2 groups on the basis of biochemical activity in milk, sorbitol and mannitol;1 that they may be divided into 2 groups also by immunological tests,2 one group being composed of strains aggregating into 4 or more immunological types and the other containing immunologically heterogeneous strains; and that these fermentation and immunological groups closely coincide with each other.3 It was noted in the first paper, and has been recorded by several other workers,4 that the fermentation reactions of freshly isolated oral lactobacilli are apt to be variable; that after periods of laboratory cultivation extending to 3 months or longer many strains may ferment carbohydrates not fermented at the time of isolation. Since the immuno-
Nursing Research for 34 Cases of Cholelithiasis Patients during Operation Period

Objective:To discuss gallstone patients during operation period nursing measures,and further improve the patients’ satisfaction. Method:From January 2009 to April 2012,68 gallstone patients were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in perioperative period of operation,the control group took the routine nursing,and the experimental group took systematic nursing. To observe and record clinical satisfaction of the two groups. Result:33 cases were satisfied in the experimental group(97.1%),and 27 cases(79.4%) in the control group. To compare the two groups,the experimental group nursing satisfaction was significantly higher than that of the control group,the difference was statistically significant( P 0.05 ). Conclusion:It is conducive to the promotion of patients with early rehabilitation that gallstone patients during operation period were treated by systematic nursing.
Superresolved swept-wavelength interferometry using frequency estimation methods.

The high signal-to-noise ratios typical of swept-wavelength interferometry (SWI) enable distance measurements to be superresolved with 2σ uncertainties as low as 10-4-10-5 of Fourier transform-limited resolution. We compare three methods of superresolving SWI distance measurements: Local Linear Regression (LLR), Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Techniques (ESPRIT), and Nonlinear Least Squares (NLS). We find that the superresolution method limits both measurement precision and minimum superresolvable distance. Measurement uncertainty is determined by both the superresolution method and the SWI hardware, while SWI hardware alone limits the maximum superresolvable distance. For very short distances, between 2 and 20 times the SWI system's Fourier transform-limited resolution, NLS provides unbiased estimates with the least uncertainty. At longer distances, LLR provides the fastest unbiased estimates. LLR and NLS are more noise tolerant than ESPRIT and are found to operate close to the Cramer-Rao bound. With sufficient SNR, they provide 1σ measurement precision of 10-4 of the transform limit.
Reactivity II: A Second Foundation-Level Course in Integrated Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemistry

A foundation-level course is described that integrates material related to reactivity in organic, inorganic, and biochemistry. Designed for second-year students, the course serves majors in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology, as well as prehealth-professions students. Building on an earlier course that developed concepts of nucleophiles and electrophiles in organic carbonyl chemistry and coordination compounds, Reactivity II explores the concept of mechanistic alternatives in substitution reactions of alkyl halides and transition metal complexes. Kinetics is introduced as a diagnostic tool for understanding mechanisms, and is extended to the study of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. An introduction to the reactivity of alkenes and aromatics rounds out students’ understanding of reactions involving electrophiles and nucleophiles.
Stem Cell Aging Studies Reveal Changes in the Proteasome.

To investigate aging mechanisms in murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), a microarray analysis was performed on sorted Lin-cKit+ Sca-1+ cells of young and old mice of two strains: long-lived C57B6L/6 (B6) and short-lived DBA/2 (D2). Following analysis by two-way ANOVA with a FDR of 5%, the data was organized using gene ontology software. The following age-related transcriptional changes were found to be of significance: increases in 20S (α and β) and 26S proteasome subunits, ribosomal proteins, mitochondrial enzymatic proteins, and carbohydrate metabolism, and a decrease in ubiquitination proteins. In general, B6 changes were more dramatic than those of D2. These data are surprisingly consistent with well-established theories of aging in post-mitotic cells, most commonly neurons, where the function of the proteasome decreases while the number of proteasome subunits increases in a compensatory manner to maintain protein turnover. Eventually, the proteasome can become over-loaded and the lysosomal pathway must assume the load of additional protein degradation. It is common for protein aggregates, lysosomal dysfunction, and damaged mitochondria to be observed in neurons with inhibited proteasome function. Our data are consistent with the initial steps in this theory, but the later, dysfunctional consequences of proteasome inhibition have not yet been observed in HSCs. It is interesting that this pattern would be present in stem cells, since they are responsible for self-renewal and differentiation throughout the lifetime of the organism. It is possible that the lack of protein aggregates or dysfunctional mitochondria is actually due to dilution by cell division, especially considering that the proteasome is responsible for degradation of many cell cycle proteins and that genes involved in energy production were up regulated. Therefore, it is possible that HSCs show similar aging trends with regard to the proteasome but do not have the same cellular consequences as post-mitotic cells. It is also interesting that B6 and D2 showed the same aging trends but B6 appears better able to compensate for proteasome alterations. For example, B6 increases the beta catalytic subunits of the 20S proteasome core more so than its short-lived counterpart. Additionally, B6 are known to have more HSCs in old age than D2, which is consistent with more cells being able to either compensate for decreased proteasome function or to increase cell cycle to dilute out any deleterious effects of proteasome inhibition. These data suggest that HSCs share common aging trends with other cell types; however, they are able to maintain “healthy aging” more effectively than post-mitotic cells, especially in the case of B6. It is tempting to speculate that the longevity of D2 mice could be limited by its alterations in proteasome function and its decreased ability to compensate other cellular responses in order to maintain homeostasis.
What Happens on the Field Stays on the Field: Exploring the Link between Football Player Penalties and Criminal Arrests

ABSTRACTResearch in organizations has tended to focus only on performance in the workplace and until recently has not paid much attention to behavior outside of the workplace. Conversely, the limited research on crime in the National Football League (NFL), the type of organization we study, has focused largely on misbehavior off-the-field. We confluence these lines of research by focusing on both on-duty and off-duty behaviors. We examine the relationship between on-duty behavior, measured through both the number of penalties and total penalty yards accumulated by an NFL player, as well as their off-duty behavior, measured through criminal arrests. Findings show that a higher number of penalties and a higher total number of penalty yards is associated with more total arrests, more nonviolent arrests, but has no effect on violent arrests. These findings hold in the regular but not post-season.
Protection against Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury by Increase in Brain Volume

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a leading cause of injuries in recent military conflicts and it is responsible for an increased number of civilian casualties by terrorist attacks. bTBI includes a variety of neuropathological changes depending on the intensity of blast overpressure (BOP) such as brain edema, neuronal degeneration, diffuse axonal damage, and vascular dysfunction with neurological manifestations of psychological and cognitive abnormalities. Internal jugular vein (IJV) compression is known to reduce intracranial compliance by causing an increase in brain volume and was shown to reduce brain damage during closed impact-induced TBI. We investigated whether IJV compression can attenuate signs of TBI in rats after exposure to BOP. Animals were exposed to three 110 ± 5 kPa BOPs separated by 30 min intervals. Exposure to BOP resulted in a significant decrease of neuronal nuclei (NeuN) together with upregulation of aquaporin-4 (AQP-4), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and endothelin 1 receptor A (ETRA) expression in frontal cortex and hippocampus one day following exposures. IJV compression attenuated this BOP-induced increase in 3-NT in cortex and ameliorated the upregulation of AQP-4 in hippocampus. These results suggest that elevated intracranial pressure and intracerebral volume have neuroprotective potential in blast-induced TBI.
Detecting Good Arguments in a Non-Topic-Specific Way: An Oxymoron?

Automatic identification of good arguments on a controversial topic has applications in civics and education, to name a few. While in the civics context it might be acceptable to create separate models for each topic, in the context of scoring of students’ writing there is a preference for a single model that applies to all responses. Given that good arguments for one topic are likely to be irrelevant for another, is a single model for detecting good arguments a contradiction in terms? We investigate the extent to which it is possible to close the performance gap between topic-specific and across-topics models for identification of good arguments.
A prospective evaluation of radiation-free direct solitary cholangioscopy for the management of choledocholithiasis.

Background and Aims Endoscopy has replaced many radiologic studies for the GI tract. However, ERCP remains a hybrid endoscopic–fluoroscopic procedure, which limits its portable delivery, creates delays because of fluoroscopy room unavailability, and exposes patients and providers to radiation. We evaluated fluoroscopy/radiation-free management of patients with noncomplex choledocholithiasis using direct solitary cholangioscopy (DSC). Methods Patients underwent fluoroscopy-free biliary cannulation, sphincterotomy, and then cholangioscopy to establish location and number/size of stones and to document distance from ampulla to bifurcation to guide balloon advancement. Stones were extracted using a marked balloon catheter advanced to the bifurcation and inflated to the bile duct diameter, documented on prior imaging. Repeat cholangioscopy was performed to confirm stone clearance. Results Fluoroscopy-free biliary cannulation was successful in all 40 patients (100%). Advanced cannulation techniques were required in 5 patients. Papillary balloon dilation was performed in 8 patients and electrohydraulic lithotripsy in 3 patients. Discrete stones were visualized in 31 patients and stone debris/sludge in 8 patients. Fluoroscopy-free stone/debris/sludge extraction was successful in all these patients. Brief fluoroscopy was used in 2 patients (5%) to confirm stone clearance. No stone/debris/sludge was noted in 1 patient. Mild pancreatitis was noted in 2 patients (5%) and bleeding in 1 (2.5%). Conclusions This study establishes the feasibility of fluoroscopy/radiation-free, cholangioscopic management of noncomplex choledocholithiasis with success and adverse event rates similar to standard ERCP. DSC represents a significant procedural advance in the management of biliary disorders that does not need to be confined to the fluoroscopy suite and can be reimagined as bedside procedures in emergency department or intensive care unit settings. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT03074201.)
Hand Compartment Syndrome Due to N-acetylcysteine Extravasation

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is the antidote for acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity. Both intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) NAC formulations are available with equal efficacy. Adverse events from either preparation are rare. We describe a hand compartment syndrome after extravasation of NAC requiring emergent fasciotomy during phase three of treatment for suspected APAP toxicity. Extravasation injuries leading to compartment syndrome are rare. It is unclear whether IV NAC induced a direct tissue-toxic insult, or functioned as a space-occupying lesion to cause a compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome from extravasation of NAC is possible. In cases where IV access is difficult, PO NAC is an alternative.
Assessing the vertical latent heating structure of the East Pacific ITCZ using the CloudSat CPR and TRMM PR

Abstract In the east Pacific (EP) intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) latent heating retrievals suggest a top-heavy structure; however, light precipitation and its associated low-level heating are underestimated by the PR. This study uses stratiform and deep convective precipitation from the TRMM PR and shallow precipitation from the more sensitive CloudSat radar to assess the seasonal latent heating structure in the EP ITCZ (130°–90°W) for 1998–2014. This study also uses reanalyses (MERRA-2, ERA-Interim, and NCEP–NCAR) to analyze the meridional circulation linked to variations in ITCZ heating. The TRMM/CloudSat heating profiles suggest a distinct seasonality. During DJF, latent heating peaks at 800 hPa because of the predominance of shallow convection and rises to 700 hPa during MAM as the contribution from deep convective rain increases. During JJA and SON, stratiform precipitation increases and the latent heating has a double peak a...
Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting

Air quality forecasting is a vital tool for local health and air managers to make informed decisions on mitigation measures to reduce public exposure risk.[...]
Religious goodness and political rightness: Toward a reflective equilibrium beyond liberalism and communitarianism

L'A. propose un modele alternatif au liberalisme et au communautarisme en considerant l'idee religieuse de bien et les idees politiques de justice situees dans un equilibre necessaire a la societe.
Estrogen, Androgen, and Glucocorticosteroid Concentrating Neurons in the Amygdala, Studied by Dry Autoradiography

The topographic distribution of estradiol concentrating neurons in the hypothalamus and preoptic region—which corresponds to a large degree to known terminations of the stria terminalis—suggested an amygdaloid-hypothalamic-pituitary endocrine interrelationship (Stumpf, 1968a). This concept is supported by autoradiographic findings of estradiol target cells in the anterior lobe of the pituitary (Stumpf, 1968b) as well as reports in the literature regarding the effect of lesions and hormone implantations in the amygdala, the preoptic regions, and the hypothalamus on gonadotropin secretion (e.g., Koikegami et al., 1954; Kawakami and Sawyer, 1959; Elwers and Critchlow, 1960; Yamada and Greer, 1960; Zouhar and de Groot, 1963; Eleftheriou and Zolovick, 1966; Tindal et al., 1967). As expected, subsequent dry-autoradiographic studies of the amygdala revealed a distinct pattern of estradiol concentrating hormone-neurons in this area (Stumpf and Sar, 1969; Stumpf and Sar, 1971). However, not only in the amygdala, but also in other selective parts of the phylogenetically older periventricular brain (Stumpf, 1970b), estradiol concentrating neurons (estrogen-neurons) were observed.
Lightweight cellular metal composites with zero and tunable thermal expansion enabled by ultrasonic additive manufacturing: Modeling, manufacturing, and testing

Abstract In aerospace applications , variations of temperature caused by changing environmental conditions or generation of heat is a common problem. The resulting thermal strains cause separation and alignment errors in optical systems, and stresses due to mismatches of thermal expansion at material interfaces cause failure of components and structures. Because minimizing weight, cost, and lead time are also critical requirements, lightweight, easily machined metals are attractive for aerospace applications, but these materials all have substantial coefficients of thermal expansion . Previous work has shown that the superposition of two metals with dissimilar coefficients of thermal expansion in periodic cellular configurations can result in a composite material with zero effective thermal expansion. However, fabrication of these material architectures typically is either impossible or requires manual assembly. Here, we propose methods to design and fabricate cellular metal composites with tunable thermal expansion and optimized specific stiffness that can be manufactured at useful scales entirely with automated methods. Samples were manufactured with ultrasonic additive manufacturing and computer-controlled machining, and thermal expansion was measured optically. The results demonstrate the practical fabrication of cellular metal composites with zero or negative thermal expansion in one direction, tunable thermal expansion in a second direction, and structural performance indices competitive with the indices of conventional aerospace alloys.
Synthesis of pyrrolizidine oximes 222 and 236: Novel alkaloids of a dendrobatid poison frog

Abstract The structures of two novel spiropentanopyrrolizidine oxime alkaloids, namely 2′,3′,5′,6′,7′,7a′-hexahydro-2,2-dimethylspiro[cyclopentane-1
Hand-Held Chemical Analysis Instruments

The first line of defense for military forces who might be exposed to Chemical Warfare (CW) agents is the ability to detect the presence of these colorless, odorless materials. Detection must be early enough so that the forces have an opportunity to protect themselves before they are exposed to incapacitating doses of the materials. The two detection modes that are used as this first line of defense are stand-off methods and point-sampling methods. Stand-off detection methods are defined as those where the detector is not in contact with the sample and the analytical device whereas point-sampling methods are those that require contact between the sample and the analytical device. Similar situations exist for applications in and around chemical weapons storage and destruction sites. In both situations the primary goal and use of the detector systems is to warn workers or military personnel of imminent danger associated with their possible exposure to toxic chemicals. In a closely related scenario, chemical detection devices might be used to locate contaminated areas, i.e., contamination monitoring. This overview will be limited to point-sampling methods.
Controls and Adaptive Management of Nitrification in Agricultural Soils.

Agriculture is responsible for over half of the input of reactive nitrogen (N) to terrestrial systems; however improving N availability remains the primary management technique to increase crop yields in most regions. In the majority of agricultural soils, ammonium is rapidly converted to nitrate by nitrification, which increases the mobility of N through the soil matrix, strongly influencing N retention in the system. Decreasing nitrification through management is desirable to decrease N losses and increase N fertilizer use efficiency. We review the controlling factors on the rate and extent of nitrification in agricultural soils from temperate regions including substrate supply, environmental conditions, abundance and diversity of nitrifiers and plant and microbial interactions with nitrifiers. Approaches to the management of nitrification include those that control ammonium substrate availability and those that inhibit nitrifiers directly. Strategies for controlling ammonium substrate availability include timing of fertilization to coincide with rapid plant update, formulation of fertilizers for slow release or with inhibitors, keeping plant growing continuously to assimilate N, and increasing microbial N assimilation (immobilization). Another effective strategy is to inhibit nitrifiers directly with either synthetic or biological nitrification inhibitors. Commercial nitrification inhibitors are effective but their use is complicated by a changing climate and by organic management requirements. The interactions of the nitrifying organisms with plants or microbes producing biological nitrification inhibitors is a promising approach but just beginning to be critically examined. Climate smart agriculture will need to carefully consider optimized seasonal timing for these strategies to remain effective management tools.
Overlapping Communications with Other Communications and Its Application to Distributed Dense Matrix Computations

This paper presents the idea of overlapping communications with communications. Communication operations are overlapped, allowing actual data transfer in one operation to be overlapped with synchronization or other overheads in another operation, thus making more effective use of the available network bandwidth. We use two techniques for overlapping communication operations: a novel technique called "nonblocking overlap" that uses MPI-3 nonblocking collective operations and software pipelines, and a simpler technique that uses multiple MPI processes per node to send different portions of data simultaneously. The idea is applied to the parallel dense matrix squaring and cubing kernel in density matrix purification, an important kernel in electronic structure calculations. The kernel is up to 91.2% faster when communication operations are overlapped.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Network Structures: A Comparison Between Men and Women

This study estimated gender differences in the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom network structure (i.e., the unique associations across symptoms) using network analysis in a Latin American sample. Participants were 1,104 adults, taken from epidemiological studies of mental health following natural disasters and accidents in Mexico and Ecuador. Symptoms of DSM-IV PTSD were measured dichotomously with the Spanish version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. We estimated the PTSD symptom network of the full sample and in male and female subsamples as well as indices of centrality, the stability and accuracy of the modeled networks, and communities of nodes within each network. The male and female networks were compared statistically using the Network Comparison Test (NCT). Results indicated strength centrality was the only stable centrality measure, with correlation stability (CS) coefficients of .59, .28, and .44 for the full, male, and female networks, respectively. We found the most central symptoms, measured by strength centrality, were loss of interest and flashbacks for men; and concentration impairment, avoiding thoughts/feelings, and physiological reactivity for women. The NCT revealed that the global structure (M = 0.84), p = .704, and global strength (S = 5.04), p = .556, of the male and female networks did not differ significantly. Although some gender differences in the most central symptoms emerged, thus offering some evidence for gender differences pending replication in larger samples, on the whole, our results suggest that once PTSD develops, the way the symptoms are associated does not differ substantially between men and women.
Abstract IA28: Targeting the microbiome in cancer immunotherapy

Commensal microorganisms colonize barrier surfaces of all multicellular organisms, including those of humans. For more than 500 million years commensal microorganisms and their hosts have coevolved and adapted to each other. As a result, the commensal microbiota affects many immune and nonimmune functions of their hosts, and de facto the two together comprise one metaorganism. The commensal microbiota communicates with the host via biologically active molecules. Recently, it has been reported that microbial imbalance may play a critical role in the development of multiple diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, and increased susceptibility to infection. The commensal microbiota not only may affect the development, progression, and immune evasion of cancer but has also important effects on the response to cancer immune- and chemotherapy. In my presentation I will discuss some recent analysis of the role of the microbiome in anti-PD1 therapy in melanoma patients, the preliminary data of a fecal microbiota transfer clinical trial (performed at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center) in anti-PD1 refractory melanoma patients, as well as mouse data on the effect of dietary fibers on anti-PD1 cancer therapy. Citation Format: Giorgio Trinchieri. Targeting the microbiome in cancer immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr IA28.
The relationship between burnout and depression in intercollegiate athletes: An examination of gender and sport-type

Researchers have examined burnout and depression in athletes, yet there are no investigations of the relationship of these two constructs in intercollegiate athletes. This study examined potential ...
Improving Dietary Recommendations for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity in an Endocrinology Clinic

Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes a project designed to improve the degree and quality of support for lifestyle change provided to patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity in the outpatient endocrinology clinic of a rural academic medical center.
Production of soluble pMHC-I molecules in mammalian cells using the molecular chaperone TAPBPR

Current approaches for generating major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class-I proteins with desired bound peptides (pMHC-I) for research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications are limited by the inherent instability of empty MHC-I molecules. Using the properties of the chaperone TAP-binding protein related (TAPBPR), we have developed a robust method to produce soluble, peptide-receptive MHC-I molecules in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells at high yield, completely bypassing the requirement for laborious refolding from inclusion bodies expressed in E.coli. Purified MHC-I/TAPBPR complexes can be prepared for multiple human allotypes, and exhibit complex glycan modifications at the conserved Asn 86 residue. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate both HLA allele-specific peptide binding and MHC-restricted antigen recognition by T cells for two relevant tumor-associated antigens. Our system provides a facile, high-throughput approach for generating pMHC-I antigens to probe and expand TCR specificities present in polyclonal T cell repertoires.
Discovery of fast-acting dual-stage antimalarial agents by profiling pyridylvinylquinoline chemical space via copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions.

Abstract To identity fast-acting, multistage antimalarial agents, a series of pyridylvinylquinoline-triazole analogues have been synthesized via CuAAC. Most of the compounds display significant inhibitory effect on the drug-resistant malarial Dd2 strain at low submicromolar concentrations. Among the tested analogues, compound 60 is the most potent molecule with an EC50 value of 0.04 ± 0.01 μM. Our current study indicates that compound 60 is a fast-acting antimalarial compound and it demonstrates stage specific action at the trophozoite phase in the P. falciparum asexual life cycle. In addition, compound 60 is active against both early and late stage P. falciparum gametocytes. From a mechanistic perspective, compound 60 shows good activity as an inhibitor of β-hematin formation. Collectively, our findings suggest that fast-acting agent 60 targets dual life stages of the malarial parasites and warrant further investigation of pyridylvinylquinoline hybrids as new antimalarials.
‘Consider If’: Levi, Langer, Agamben, and the Unthinkable

In this paper, I explore Primo Levi’s command to his readers to ‘consider if’ the Muselmann is still a human, suggesting that such consideration requires an ongoing bracketing of resolution of the ...
Duty Cycling of Waterjet Can Improve Steerability and Radius-of-Curvature (ROC) for Waterjet Steerable Needles

Steerable needles are a type of medical devices that can steer around obstacles to reach to a target location and thus can improve the accuracy of medical procedures. Radius-of-Curvature (ROC) is of paramount importance while designing steerable needles and achieving smaller radius and being able to control it is very important in evaluating the efficacy of the steerable needles. In this paper, the idea of a new class of steerable needle technology namely fracture-directed waterjet steerable needles is presented in which the direction of the tissue fracture is controlled by waterjet and then Nitinol tube follows. Needle steering tests are performed on two different stiffnesses of SEBS soft tissue simulants, as well as 10% by weight Knox Gelatin (Kraft Foods Global Inc., IL) as substitutes to real biological tissues. Curvature of the needle is controlled by waterjet duty cycling and it is shown that it can be controlled from about 0 (when waterjet is OFF at all steps) to maximum curvature (when waterjet is ON for all steps). It is concluded that the curvature is a linear function of the duty cycling and that the smallest ROC of the waterjet steerable needle (when waterjet is ON at all steps) is improved in comparison to the smallest ROC of traditional steerable needles in the same tissue phantom.