cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cultures of Chlamydia trachomatis in Mouse Peritoneal Macrophages: Factors Affecting Organism Growth

Growth of Chlamydia trachomatis B/TW-5/OT and L2/434/Bu strains in cultures of thioglycolate-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages was studied. Both strains grew to a limited extent in the macrophages, but lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) grew better than trachoma. Growth was enhanced by centrifugation of the inoculum onto the macrophage cell layer and inhibited by pretreatment of macrophages for 2 h with 100 μg of concanavalin A per ml. No significant effect was observed by pretreatment of macrophages with diethylaminoethyl-dextran (30 μg/ml, 30 min), cytochalasin B (20 μg/ml, 1 h), and cyclophosphamide (200 μg/ml, overnight) or by treatment with hydrocortisone (1 and 10 μg/ml, overnight before inoculation and during a 2-day incubation after inoculation). Resistance to intracellular growth of the two organisms was not increased in macrophages obtained from mice immunized with the organisms compared with macrophages from nonimmunized mice unless they were pretreated in vitro with penicillin (100 U/ml, overnight). The yields of LGV organisms from the penicillin-pretreated macrophages of LGV-immunized mice were 100-fold less than from the pretreated macrophages of nonimmunized control mice. At the same time, the yields of LGV organisms from penicillin-pretreated macrophages of mice immunized with trachoma, gonococcus, and HeLa cells were not different from those obtained in pretreated macrophages of nonimmunized control mice.
Partial purification of erythropoietin by alcoholic fraction.

SummaryThe erythropoietic stimulating principle present in the filtrate of plasma obtained from anemic rabbits was partially purified by ethanol fractionation. This material was active in increasing Fe50 intake of normal rats and in producing a reticulocytosis and hematocrit elevation in repeatedly injected normal rats. Fe50 uptake was stimulated by as little as 0.08 mg of the fraction representing a concentration of 3,000 fold over that occurring in the plasma.
Three new species of Radfordia (Myobiidae: Acarina) from rodents (Muridae & Cricetidae).

Three new species of myobiid mites in the genus Radfordia are described; R. neotomae , n. sp. from Neotoma fuscipes Baird, from California; R. hamiltoni , n. sp. from Baiomys taylori (Thomas), from Texas; and R. expansa , n. sp. from Rattus losea (Swinhoe), from Taiwan.
Tetanus prophylaxis with penicillin-procaine G.

ConclusionsResults indicate that penicillin-procaine G in sesame oil and 2% aluminum monostearate is of significant value prophylactically in lowering the mortality of mice experimentally infected with a lethal dose of detoxified spores of Clostridium tetani. In addition to decreasing the mortality, it retards the development of symptoms and resulting deaths. Injected into the necrotic areas, it is more effective than the same unitage injected at an uninfectd site. Whether this is caused by insufficient penetration of the drug due to the presence of necrotic tissue or to interference by the calcium chloride has not been determined.
Why Superhydrophobic Surfaces Are Not Always Icephobic

We discuss mechanical forces that act upon a water droplet and a piece of ice on a rough solid surface and the difference between dewetting and ice fracture. The force needed to detach a water droplet depends on contact angle (CA) hysteresis and can be reduced significantly in the case of a superhydrophobic surface. The force needed to detach a piece of ice depends on the receding CA and the initial size of interfacial cracks. Therefore, even surfaces with very high receding CA may have strong adhesion to ice if the size of the cracks is small.
Variability in Fetal Cerebrovascular Resistance in Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease: Comparison Between Transposition of the Great Arteries and Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have structural brain abnormalities and exhibit neurodevelopmental delay (NDD). Altered cerebral oxygen delivery in utero may be one possible cause. In hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) fetal middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI) as a
On the Modeling of Gas Bubble Evolution and Transport Using Coupled Level-Set/CFD Method

The ability to predict the shape of gas/liquid interface is important for various multiphase flow and heat transfer applications. Specific issues of interest to nuclear reactor thermal hydraulics i...
The Experiences of Young Adult Offenders Who Completed a Drug Court Treatment Program

Although there has been a proliferation of studies on the effectiveness of drug court programs, these studies are largely quantitative in nature. Little is known about the experiences of persons who participate in drug court. In this study, we aimed to fill this knowledge gap by exploring experiences of young adults who completed an adult drug court treatment program. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, typed into a word-processing program, and then entered into a data analysis software program. Using grounded theory strategies, analysis revealed several emergent themes, which are presented chronologically to provide a narrative of study participants' experiences before, during, and after the program. Findings provide insights on how participants perceive drug courts and experiences that might facilitate or impede completion of drug court programs. Our findings are particularly important for drug court professionals as they attempt to develop appropriate recommendations for best practices and new policy initiatives.
Wilderness: Good for Alaska Legal and Economic Perspectives on Alaska’s Wilderness

This article addresses the legal framework for Wilderness in Alaska, which has more land within the National Wilderness Preservation System than any other state, as well as the economic impacts and valuation of wildlands. Wilderness management in Alaska is subject to the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which aims to ensure that rural Alaskans can use wildlife resources to sustain customary and traditional ways of life. The values of Wilderness range from direct economic benefits and revenue generated from recreation to passive values that are measured by the public’s willingness to pay for preservation. While there are challenges to estimating these values, economists and land management agencies can adopt a number of techniques to improve wilderness valuation and decision-making. Given the benefits of Wilderness to Alaska, and uncertainty about the potential consequences of development for unique natural landscapes, land management agencies should consider opportunities to designate additional Wilderness.
A clinical appraisal of frontal lobotomy in the treatment of the psychoses.

(1950). A Clinical Appraisal of Frontal Lobotomy in the Treatment of the Psychoses. Psychiatry: Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 355-360.
Predictors of Preference for the Exported Campus Model of Study Abroad.

There is considerable debate in the study abroad community about the efficacy of exported campus or “island” programs in which students and faculty are transported from their home campus to a largely self-contained community within the host culture. One uninvestigated aspect of this issue is the degree to which there are pre-existing differences between students who prefer such programs and those attracted to more immersive experiences. This study used discriminant analysis of data from a questionnaire administered to 174 undergraduates to identify demographic, personality, and intercultural predictors of preference for the exported campus model. Results showed that those who preferred the exported campus model scored significantly higher on ethnocentrism and lower on measures of language learning interest, motivational and metacognitive cultural intelligence, and the Five Factor Model adventurousness facet. Discussion focuses on implications for advising potential study abroad students, conducting pre-departure training, and developing in-country programming.
A 110μW single-bit continuous-time ΔΣ converter with 92.5dB dynamic range

A third-order single-bit CT-ΔΣ modulator for generic biomedical applications is implemented in a 0.15-μm FD-SOI CMOS process. The overall power efficiency is attained by employing a single-bit quantizer and thus avoiding the mismatch shaping logic. The loop filter coefficients are determined using a systematic design centering approach by accounting for the integrator non-idealities. The single-bit CT-ΔΣ modulator consumes 110μW power from a 1.5-V power supply when clocked at 6.144MHz. The simulation results for the modulator exhibit a dynamic range of 94.4 dB and peak SNDR of 92.4 dB for 6 kHz signal bandwidth. The figure of merit (FoM) of this third-order, single-bit CT-ΔΣ modulator is 0.271pJ/level.
Atmospheric and Oceanic Origins of Tropical Precipitation Variability

AbstractThe intrinsic atmospheric and ocean-induced tropical precipitation variability is studied using millennial control simulations with various degrees of ocean coupling. A comparison between the coupled simulation and the atmosphere-only simulation with climatological sea surface temperatures (SSTs) shows that a substantial amount of tropical precipitation variability is generated without oceanic influence. This intrinsic atmospheric variability features a red noise spectrum from daily to monthly time scales and a white noise spectrum beyond the monthly time scale. The oceanic impact is inappreciable for submonthly time scales but important at interannual and longer time scales. For time scales longer than a year, it enhances precipitation variability throughout much of the tropical oceans and suppresses it in some subtropical areas, preferentially in the summer hemisphere. The sign of the ocean-induced precipitation variability can be inferred from the local precipitation–SST relationship, which lar...
The complete mitochondrial genome of Xiphister atropurpureus (Perciformes: Stichaeidae).

Analysis of the marine black prickleback Xiphister atropurpureus Kittlitz using 76 bp paired-end Illumina sequences resulted in the assembly of its complete mitogenome. The mitogenome is 16,518 bp in length and contains an origin of light strand replication (OL), control region, 22 tRNA, 2 rRNA, and 13 protein-coding genes. Content and organization of the X. atropurpureus mitogenome is consistent with other teleost. Phylogenetic analysis of X. atropurpureus resolves it in a clade with another member of the Stichaeidae, Chirolophis japonicus Herzenstein.
Assessment of Early Migration Dynamics of River-Specific Hatchery Atlantic Salmon Smolts

AbstractMany Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar populations within the southern extent of the species’ range are at critically low abundances, while others have been extirpated. The focus of many ongoing recovery efforts is on maximizing the number of smolts that reach the ocean, where marine survival is low, primarily through hatchery supplementation and improvement of in-river hydropower system management. However, estuaries also are known to be sites of high mortality, although in many cases the correlates of this mortality are poorly characterized. We acoustically tagged hatchery smolts (n = 666) during 2001–2005 to evaluate migration performance through freshwater, estuarine, and bay reaches of the small but tidally dynamic Dennys River, Maine, USA, to investigate potential drivers contributing to low returns within the system. Migration behaviors (e.g., migration timing and tidal use) were typical for Atlantic Salmon smolts, but reversals during migration were observed upon entry into the estuary environme...
Serum Amyloid A1 Is an Epithelial Prorestitutive Factor

Several proteins endogenously produced during the process of intestinal wound healing have demonstrated prorestitutive properties. The presence of serum amyloid A1 (SAA1), an acute-phase reactant, within inflamed tissues, where it exerts chemotaxis of phagocytes, is well recognized; however, a putative role in intestinal wound repair has not been described. Herein, we show that SAA1 induces intestinal epithelial cell migration, spreading, and attachment through a formyl peptide receptor 2–dependent mechanism. Induction of the prorestitutive phenotype is concentration and time dependent and is associated with epithelial reactive oxygen species production and alterations in p130 Crk-associated substrate staining. In addition, using a murine model of wound recovery, we provide evidence that SAA1 is dynamically and temporally regulated, and that the elaboration of SAA1 within the wound microenvironment correlates with the influx of SAA1/CD11b coexpressing immune cells and increases in cytokines known to induce SAA expression. Overall, the present work demonstrates an important role for SAA in epithelial wound recovery and provides evidence for a physiological role in the wound environment.
Critical sustainable consumption: a research agenda

Sustainability scholarship is increasingly focused on individual behavior change and sustainable consumption as crucial components of engendering more sustainable societies. Practices like bicycling to work, recycling and reusing goods, and eating organic food are heralded as both integral to and generative of larger societal transformations. Scholars have begun to identify the individual and societal conditions that can help enable such practices while also examining social, cultural, and systemic dynamics driving over-consumption, particularly in the developed world. Additionally, questions of social and cultural identity have been interrogated, as the cultural politics of sustainable consumption emerges as a key sub-field in its own right. While more recent work has begun to focus on linking individual environmentalisms with the collective processes of changing social systems, sustainable consumption as an analytical concept has largely lacked any deep engagement with questions of power or politics. Questions of power, legitimacy, authority, and consequently justice remain largely unexamined in this field of research. In this paper, I draw on research examining sustainable consumption in India to present an argument for a new direction in sustainable consumption research that prioritizes a critical perspective and is grounded in critical social theory. I argue that sustainable consumption researchers need to look at relational and structural power within sustainable consumption efforts to see how these efforts challenge or reinforce existing patterns of oppression and marginalization and outline a “critical sustainable consumption” disposition to permeate sustainable consumption study and practice.
Interatomic Forces from the Recursion Method with Gaussian Pseudopotentials

Many properties of materials can be understood from the fundamental viewpoint of their electronic structure which in turn can be determined by the solution of independent particle equations in many cases. Interatomic forces result from the ground state electronic structure and are thus obtainable from density functional theory1 whose applications are well established. The success of this theory in predicting the structure and elastic properties of metals suggest that it is also capable of describing the complicated motion of atoms during plastic deformation and fracture processes for which there is no fundamental understanding at present.
Ultrasound in Surgery

Since its introduction into medicine some 25 years ago ultrasonics has made great strides in both the diagnostic and therapeutic fields and is being used to an ever increasing extent in clinical medicine. The reasons for this are two-fold; first, it often provides information regarding tissue structure that is not obtainable during the life of the patient by any other diagnostic technique, and second, conventional radiological techniques have proven to be more hazardous than was believed previously. Thus, for instance, using rather simple pulse-echo techniques, in ophthalmology it is possible to measure the dimensions of the various components of the eye more accurately than is possible using light and it is possible to detect conditions such as detachment of the retina even when obscured by a hemorrhage in structures lying in front of it; in cardiology it is possible to diagnose accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac or the structural and functional state of several valves of the heart; and in obstetrics it is possible to diagnose pregnancy in the presence of fibroid tumors of the uterus. Thus, in fact, virtually no organ is inaccessible to ultrasonic examination. In addition to the pulse-echo techniques, ultrasonic Doppler methods are also used extensively for detection of movement such as pulsations in blood vessels. This enables detection of pregnancy as soon as the fetal heart is accessible to ultrasonic examination; or diagnosis of thrombosis (blockage) of veins deep in the leg.
An Expert System Prototype for Performance Appraisal of Managerial Communication

A vital factor in the development of an organization's human resource is the performance evaluation, yet few management activities create the potential level of anxiety among all participants as does the process of performance appraisal of managers by their superiors. Common criticisms include favoritism, excessive subjectivity, and inconsistency among others. This paper examines the appropriateness of expert system technologies in evaluating one segment of managerial performance, that of communication skills. The expert system allows for the integration of the qualitative and quantitative aspects of performance assessment, while introducing the beneficial dimensions of increased objectivity, comprehensiveness, and consistency both across individuals and through time. A prototype expert system is offered that enables the non-expert end user manager to conduct a performance appraisal of a subordinate manager's communication proficiency. The system's early validation results hold promise of proving effective as an evaluation aid while potentially mitigating anxiety for all participants.
Does weight loss affect stability of liver SUV in patients with head and neck cancer

2432 Objectives PET/CT imaging is routinely used in diagnosing and staging cancer as well as assessing response to therapy. The liver SUV is often used as an internal reference (IR) to which lesion SUV can be compared. Therefore, it is essential that IR SUV remain consistent, particularly for head and neck cancer patients in whom weight loss is common. We aimed to determine whether or not a significant weight change affects the liver SUV max measurements in head and neck cancer patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed PET/CT records of patients with head and neck cancer and kept a data log weight, liver SUV max, weight adjusted dose, and date of exam (base line and post therapy scans). Ten head and neck patients (7 M, 3 F; mean age 56) who underwent whole body FDG PET/CT scans (n=20) were evaluated. For the 20 scans, SUV max scores over the disease free liver region were obtained from initial baseline and the sequential post treatment follow up exam. A calculation of mean percent difference in weight and SUV max were derived and compared for significance. Conclusions We conclude that in head and neck cancer patients in whom weight loss is common, the liver may not be a stable IR. Even with a weight adjusted dose, the liver SUV max shows a significant decrease in the presence of weight loss
Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa May Be a Suitable Material for Norwood Arch Reconstruction

Background Norwood palliation typically requires patch augmentation of the ascending aorta and aortic arch. Patients having undergone Norwood palliation are at risk of recurrent arch obstruction, the risk of which may be affected by the type of patch material used at the time of Norwood palliation. We sought to determine the freedom from neoaortic arch reintervention and overall survival in patients who underwent Norwood palliation utilizing porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) as the patch material. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients who underwent a Norwood operation utilizing PSIS material at our institution. Cardiac diagnosis, age at surgery, shunt type, need for reintervention, and outcome (survival, transplant, and death) were evaluated. Results Forty-four patients had PSIS material utilized for arch reconstruction at the time of Norwood palliation. There were only five neoaortic arch reinterventions in 4 patients (11.4%). An additional 10 reinterventions, unrelated to the PSIS patch, were performed, including five shunt revisions and five branch pulmonary artery interventions. There were 3 deaths, and 5 patients underwent transplantation. Median follow-up was 387.5 days (range, 4 to 1,513). Conclusions Freedom from neoaortic arch reintervention and survival after Norwood palliation with PSIS patch material is promising. The PSIS appears noninferior and may be an appropriate tissue choice for Norwood palliation. Studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine the rate of neoaortic reintervention over time.
Tsallis entropy modeling of Pressure Stimulated Currents when cement-based materials are subjected to abrupt repetitive bending loadings

Abstract Pressure Stimulated Currents (PSCs) are emitted while brittle materials of high electrical resistivity are subjected to mechanical loading. The PSCs are related to the generation of cracks and the consequent evolution of cracks’ network in the bulk of the specimen. In the experimental protocol described here cement-mortar beams of rectangular cross-section were subjected to Three-Point Bending (3PB) repetitive loading/unloading loops. The qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the recorded PSCs match corresponding recordings previously published. More specifically, during the load increase a spike-like PSC emission was recorded followed by a relaxation of the PSC, after reaching its final value. The relaxation process of the PSC was then studied in terms of non-extensive statistical physics (NESP) based on Tsallis entropy equation. The behavior of the Tsallis parameter was studied in relaxation PSCs in order to investigate its potential use as an index for monitoring the crack evolution process with a potential use in non-destructive laboratory testing of cement-based specimens of unknown internal damage level. This analysis of the experimental data indicated that the value of the entropic index q exhibits a characteristic decrease attaining the critical value of 1.25 while reaching the ultimate strength of the specimen, and thus could be used as a forerunner of the expected failure.
Carbapenemase-Producing Raoultella Planticola: A Rare Cause of Pneumonia and Bacteremia

Raoultella planticola is a gram-negative bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family that is usually found in soil, plant and aquatic environments. It is an uncommon human pathogen and has been associated with cases of bacteremia, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, among others. Here, we present the case of an 85-year-old female that developed nosocomial pneumonia and bacteremia caused by Raoultella planticola. Pertinent microbiological studies detected carbapenemase production codified by the blaKPC gene. The patient was successfully treated with ceftazidime/avibactam and polymyxin. Our case illustrates the pathogenic potential of this organism and highlights the importance of phenotypic and genotypic assays for the appropriate identification of carbapenemase production.
Testing and evaluation paradigms for assistive hearing devices

Research interfaces and assistive hearing devices (RI/AHD) enable investigators to perform perceptual studies and develop effective sound processing strategies for cochlear implant (CI) and hearing aid (HA) devices. Several concerns exist regarding safe and reliable operation of RI/AHDs, for example, safety, reliability, possible hazards, accuracy, and their long-term consistency. Recently, CRSS-CILab at UTDallas has developed a mobile RI (CCi-MOBILE) for unilateral and bilateral HA/CI devices. In this study, a comprehensive testing and evaluation strategy is proposed to investigate the behavior of RI/AHDs that addresses safety concerns, reliability of hardware/firmware design, hearing-comfort, subjective sound-quality, and range of human-driven settings, as well as diverse types of acoustic exposure. Furthermore, a characteristic risk-hazard analysis is performed including diagnosis and categorization of the severity level of the associated safety concerns by probing pulse characteristics from each electrode, e.g., current-level, pulse-width, charge per phase, frame-period (for stimulation-rate), inter-phase gap (IPG), and several other parameters. The CCi-MOBILE RI is employed in this study to demonstrate the utility of the proposed testing and evaluation paradigm. The described practices could potentially serve as a blue-print to characterize future RI for AHDs and several other personalized listening devices based on safety, reliability, listening comfort/perception, and subjective sound quality.
Gaussian Process Based Heteroscedastic Noise Modeling for Tumor Mutation Burden Prediction from Whole Slide Images

Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is a quantitative measurement of how many mutations present in tumor cells from a patient tumor as assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. High TMB is used as a predictive biomarker to select patients that likely respond to immunotherapy in many cancer types; thus it is critical to accurately measure TMB for guiding patients to immunotherapy treatments.be used to predict genetic Recent studies showed that image features from histopathology whole slide images could be used to predict genetic features (e.g., mutation status) or clinical outcome of cancer patients. In this study, we develop a computational algorithm to predict the TMB level from cancer patients’ histopathology whole slide images. We formulate TMP prediction problem based on whole slide images as a multiple instance learning (MIL) problem. A whole slide image (a bag) is divided into multiple small image blocks/patches (instances), but a single label (e.g., TMB level) is available only to an entire whole slide image not to each image block. In particular, we propose a novel heteroscedastic noise model for MIL based on the framework of Gaussian process (GP), where the noise variance is assumed to be a latent function of image level features. This noise variance can encode the confidence in predicting the TMB level from each training image and make the method to put different levels of effort to classify images according to how difficult each image can be correctly classified. The proposed method tries to fit an easier image well while it does not put much effort into classifying a harder (ambiguous) image correctly for TMP prediction. Expectation and propagation (EP) is employed to infer our model efficiently and to find the optimal hyper-parameters. In experiments using the whole slide images from synthetic and real-world data sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we demonstrate that our method outperforms base-line methods for TMP prediction including a special case of our method that does not include the heteroscedastic noise modeling and a multiple instance ordinal regression (MIOR) to solve ordinal regression in the MIL setting.
Community Super Investigators (CSI) Club: Mathematics and Literacy in Action

This paper describes an after-school club aimed to engage elementary students in project-based learning by integrating mathematics and literacy connections within a community- based topic. Building on students’ backgrounds and interests, researchers created the Community Super Investigators (CSI) Club as part of an after-school program to explore students’ questions by using critical mathematics and literacy skills. Fourth and fifth grade students who participated in the CSI Club chose the topic of improving the lives of homeless animals in the community. The students’ main goals were to promote the adoption of animals and lead a donation drive for the local humane society. Students were engaged because it was a topic of their interest, they had choices, and they had the opportunity to collaborate on authentic tasks. Mathematics and literacy connections were made by using iPads to research questions, documenting data and reflecting in journals, and making the content relevant with the community connection. Recommendations for improving after-school club experiences and making the content more critical are also provided.
Advocacy: The T.R.A.I.N.E.R. Model

The T.R.A.I.N.E.R. model described in this article engages counselors in social advocacy and professional advocacy concurrently, facilitates counselor connection and collaboration with diverse communities, and raises the awareness of the counseling profession in the general marketplace. The model assumes social and professional advocacy are complementary and outlines a process where use of each strengthens the other. An example of the model‟s application is offered with discussion regarding implications forits use.
Older Adults with Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Occupational and Physical Therapy.

Objectives The impact of occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) on functional outcomes in older adults with cancer is unknown. Design Two-arm single-institution randomized controlled trial of outpatient OT/PT. Setting Comprehensive cancer center with two off-site OT/PT clinics. Participants We recruited adults 65 years and older with a recent diagnosis or recurrence of cancer within 5 years, with at least one functional limitation as identified by a geriatric assessment. Participants were randomized to OT/PT or usual care. Intervention Rehabilitation consisted of individualized OT and PT that addressed functional activities and strength/endurance needs. Measurements Primary outcome was functional status as measured by the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale. Secondary outcomes were Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Global Mental Health (GMH) and Global Physical Health (GPH), ability to participate in Social Roles (SR), physical function, and activity expectations and self-efficacy (Possibilities for Activity Scale [PActS]). Results Among those recruited (N = 63), only 45 patients (71%) were evaluable due to loss of follow-up and/or nonreceipt of intervention. The median age was 74 years; 53% were female, and 91% were white. Overall, 30% patients had hematologic malignancies, 30% breast cancer, and 16% colorectal cancers. A total of 65% were in active treatment; 49% had stage 3 or 4 disease. At follow-up, both OT/PT (P = .02) and usual care (P = .03) groups experienced a decline in functional status. PActS scores between groups (P = .04) was significantly improved in the intervention group. GMH and SR met criteria for minimally important clinical difference favoring the intervention, but not statistical significance. Several barriers were noted in the implementation of the intervention program: recruitment, concerns about cost, distance, scheduling, and limited treatment provided. Conclusion OT/PT may positively influence activity expectations and self-efficacy. Future research needs to address significant barriers to implementation to increase use of OT/PT services and access to quality care. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:953-960, 2019.
Advancement of Athletic Training Clinical Education Through Preceptor-Led Instructional Strategies

Context Athletic training programs blend didactic experiences with clinical practice opportunities with varied patient populations. Traditionally, clinical education relies heavily on the preceptor...
Initiating persons into injection drug use in rural West Virginia, USA

Background: While prior research has explored factors associated with people who inject drugs (PWID) initiating others into drug injection in urban settings, very little work has been done to under...
Abnormal Lysosomal Positioning and Small Extracellular Vesicle Secretion in Arterial Stiffening and Calcification of Mice Lacking Mucolipin 1 Gene

Recent studies have shown that arterial medial calcification is mediated by abnormal release of exosomes/small extracellular vesicles from vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and that small extracellular vesicle (sEV) secretion from cells is associated with lysosome activity. The present study was designed to investigate whether lysosomal expression of mucolipin-1, a product of the mouse Mcoln1 gene, contributes to lysosomal positioning and sEV secretion, thereby leading to arterial medial calcification (AMC) and stiffening. In Mcoln1−/− mice, we found that a high dose of vitamin D (Vit D; 500,000 IU/kg/day) resulted in increased AMC compared to their wild-type littermates, which was accompanied by significant downregulation of SM22-α and upregulation of RUNX2 and osteopontin in the arterial media, indicating a phenotypic switch to osteogenic. It was also shown that significantly decreased co-localization of lysosome marker (Lamp-1) with lysosome coupling marker (Rab 7 and ALG-2) in the aortic wall of Mcoln1−/− mice as compared to their wild-type littermates. Besides, Mcoln1−/− mice showed significant increase in the expression of exosome/ sEV markers, CD63, and annexin-II (AnX2) in the arterial medial wall, accompanied by significantly reduced co-localization of lysosome marker (Lamp-1) with multivesicular body (MVB) marker (VPS16), suggesting a reduction of the lysosome-MVB interactions. In the plasma of Mcoln1−/− mice, the number of sEVs significantly increased as compared to the wild-type littermates. Functionally, pulse wave velocity (PWV), an arterial stiffening indicator, was found significantly increased in Mcoln1−/− mice, and Vit D treatment further enhanced such stiffening. All these data indicate that the Mcoln1 gene deletion in mice leads to abnormal lysosome positioning and increased sEV secretion, which may contribute to the arterial stiffness during the development of AMC.
IN HOSPITAL OUTCOMES OF MECHANICAL ATHERECTOMY IN CORONARY CHRONIC TOTAL OCCLUSION PERCUTANEOUS INTERVENTION, A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Percutaneous intervention in coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) is generally faced with lots of difficulties and requires special equipment and skills. Among tools that can be utilized during CTO intervention is mechanical atherectomy devices. We systematically searched Pubmed, MEDLINE,
Dark matter repulsion could thwart direct detection

We consider a feeble repulsive interaction between ordinary matter and dark matter, with a range similar to or larger than the size of the Earth. Dark matter can thus be repelled from the Earth, leading to null results in direct detection experiments, regardless of the strength of the short-distance interactions of dark matter with atoms. Generically, such a repulsive force would not allow trapping of dark matter inside astronomical bodies. In this scenario, accelerator-based experiments may furnish the only robust signals of asymmetric dark matter models, which typically lack indirect signals from self-annihilation. Some of the variants of our hypothesis are also briefly discussed.
Book Review: Human Operators: A Critical Oral History on Technology in Libraries and Archives

This ambitious book captures an oral history of technology in libraries from the late 20th to the early 21st centuries.
HPLC-Based Automated Oligosaccharide Synthesis

Abstract Extensive training and significant resources are currently required for oligosaccharide synthesis, causing a bottleneck in glycosciences. Many, if not all, current synthetic methods still rely upon specialized knowledge of carbohydrate chemistry. This limits availability of synthetic glycans and inhibits their industrial production and application. Traditional manual synthesis has expanded in recent years giving scientists more accessibility to creating both simple and relatively complex oligosaccharides. The application of potentially transformative automated technologies is expected to expand the access to synthesizing oligosaccharides and carbohydrates in general. Described herein are advances that have been made in the development of one such technology, HPLC-assisted oligosaccharide synthesis or HPLC-A, since its invention in 2012.
Preparedness for Surgery: Analyzing a Quality Improvement Project in a Population of Patients Undergoing Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery.

Background Approximately 20% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will be eligible for hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) surgery. Studies indicate that high-quality patient education is pivotal in reducing anxiety, improving clinical and performance outcomes, and increasing patient satisfaction. Objectives This quality improvement project sought to determine the perceived level of preparedness for patients undergoing HPB surgery and to identify information and knowledge gaps in preoperative education. Methods Convenience sampling was used to collect postoperative information via questionnaire from 50 patients regarding areas of importance. Findings Preoperative information gaps for patient and family education were identified. Improving preparedness for HPB surgery has the potential to improve clinical outcomes, increase quality and patient satisfaction, decrease length of stay, and reduce time to adjuvant therapy.
Antimalarial drug mefloquine kills both trophozoite and cyst stages of Entamoeba Mefloquine and Entamoeba histolytica

Abstract Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite which infects approximately 50 million people worldwide, resulting in an estimated 70,000 deaths every year. Since the 1960s E. histolytica infection has been successfully treated with metronidazole. However, drawbacks to metronidazole therapy exist, including adverse effects, length of treatment, and the need for additional drugs to prevent transmission. All of these may decrease patient compliance and hence increase disease severity and spread of infection. In this study we identified the antimalarial drug mefloquine as possessing more potent, rapid, amoebicidal in vitro activity against E. histolytica trophozoites than metronidazole. We also showed that mefloquine could kill the cysts of a closely related reptilian parasite Entamoeba invadens unlike metronidazole. Additionally, mefloquine is known to possess a much longer half-life in human patients than metronidazole. This property, along with mefloquine’s rapid and broad action against E. histolytica position it as a promising new drug candidate against this widespread and devastating disease. Author Summary Every year, around 70,000 people worldwide die from infection by the intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica, despite the widespread availability of the drug metronidazole as a treatment. Part of the reason for this may be due to issues with patients failing to comply with the full course of treatment for the drug, due either to unpleasant side-effects, to the somewhat long treatment period, or the need for a secondary drug to kill the transmissible life stage of the parasite. In this report we discovered that the antimalarial drug mefloquine killed E. histolytica more potently and more rapidly than metronidazole, and, importantly, also killed the transmissible cyst stage of another Entamoeba species used as a model system. These findings make mefloquine an excellent candidate for an alternative drug to the current standard, with a simpler course of treatment and a more effective strategy to reduce the spread of this disease.
Transhumanism: From Ancestors to Avatars

Transhumanists argue that science and technology will enable us to overcome our biological limitations, both mental and physical, and create a radically enhanced posthuman species and society. In this book, Jenny Huberman examines the values and visions animating the Transhumanist Movement in the United States today, whilst at the same time using the study of transhumanism as a way to introduce a new generation of students to the discipline of cultural anthropology. She explores transhumanist conceptions of revitalization, immortality, the good life, the self, the body, kinship and economy, and compares them to the belief systems of human beings living in other times and places. Providing lively ethnographic insights into a fascinating contemporary socio-cultural movement, this book will be invaluable to students and researchers in anthropology, as well as anyone interested in the phenomenon of transhumanism.
Association of Exposure to Cattle with Self-Reported History of TB Among Dairy Workers.

Background:Mycobacterium bovis (bTB) is a potential health hazard to dairy workers. This study uses the One Health wholistic framework for examining bovine tuberculosis (TB) and its relationship to...
Modeling Intestinal Epithelial Response to Interferon-γ in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Intestinal Organoids.

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) are increasingly being used to model intestinal responses to various stimuli, yet few studies have confirmed the fidelity of this modeling system. Given that the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) response has been well characterized in various other cell types, our goal was to characterize the response to IFN-γ in HIOs derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). To achieve this, iPSCs were directed to form HIOs and subsequently treated with IFN-γ. Our results demonstrate that IFN-γ phosphorylates STAT1 but has little effect on the expression or localization of tight and adherens junction proteins in HIOs. However, transcriptomic profiling by microarray revealed numerous upregulated genes such as IDO1, GBP1, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, which have previously been shown to be upregulated in other cell types in response to IFN-γ. Notably, “Response to Interferon Gamma” was determined to be one of the most significantly upregulated gene sets in IFN-γ-treated HIOs using gene set enrichment analysis. Interestingly, similar genes and pathways were upregulated in publicly available datasets contrasting the gene expression of in vivo biopsy tissue from patients with IBD against healthy controls. These data confirm that the iPSC-derived HIO modeling system represents an appropriate platform to evaluate the effects of various stimuli and specific environmental factors responsible for the alterations in the intestinal epithelium seen in various gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Immovable objects/irresistible forces: Intelligences of sociopolitical decision making

Abstract Mutually beneficial relationships (MBRs), a concept used to define public relations processes and outcomes, has been featured relatively uncritically for many years. This normative concept became a defining theme in the romantic era (1970s–1990s) of public relations: an elixir for collective problem solving and shared decision making. Careful consideration of highly contested issues, however, reveals evidence that within-group MBRs can prevent overarching issue solutions, decisions between issue-groups, and can constitute stalemating, hegemonic tribalism. Strategic issues management (SIM) provides decision-making intelligences by which conflict between businesses and other members of society can be understood. Issue advocates’ adversarial strategies, however, can frustrate a society’s ability to solve problems and make meaningful decisions, even when parties share a common motivating value. Stalemated public policy interpretations create sores that cannot heal; problems cannot be solved. Within-group MBRs can prevent between-group MBRs. This paper reviews the MBR and SIM literatures to analyze the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) marketplace and public policy role in a battle over gun regulation with students of Parkland, Florida. Parkland voices emerged after 17 students were killed with an assault weapon on February 14, 2018, in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Influential domains of school climate fostering resilience in high achieving schools

This study examined the strength of associations between multiple aspects of school climate and adjustment outcomes among a group recently identified as being at risk: youth attending high-achievin...
Cultivating Disgust: Prospects and Moral Implications

Is disgust morally valuable? The answer to that question turns, in large part, on what we can do to shape disgust for the better. But this cultivation question has received surprisingly little atte...
Levetiracetam compared with phenytoin or fosphenytoin in benzodiazepine-refractory pediatric status epilepticus

Status epilepticus, defined by continuous seizure activity for at least 5 minutes or recurrent seizures without a return to baseline, is a neurologic emergency.1-3 The annual incidence in children approximates 20 per 100,000 population.4 Unfortunately, a significant portion of children presenting with status epilepticus can experience long-term neurologic, cognitive, or behavior abnormalities;5 therefore, rapid treatment is essential.
Review of Lambda Interferons in Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Outcomes and Therapeutic Strategies

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects over 250 million people worldwide and causes nearly 1 million deaths per year due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Approved treatments for chronic infection include injectable type-I interferons and nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors. A small minority of patients achieve seroclearance after treatment with type-I interferons, defined as sustained absence of detectable HBV DNA and surface antigen (HBsAg) antigenemia. However, type-I interferons cause significant side effects, are costly, must be administered for months, and most patients have viral rebound or non-response. Nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors reduce HBV viral load and improve liver-related outcomes, but do not lower HBsAg levels or impart seroclearance. Thus, new therapeutics are urgently needed. Lambda interferons (IFNLs) have been tested as an alternative strategy to stimulate host antiviral pathways to treat HBV infection. IFNLs comprise an evolutionarily conserved innate immune pathway and have cell-type specific activity on hepatocytes, other epithelial cells found at mucosal surfaces, and some immune cells due to restricted cellular expression of the IFNL receptor. This article will review work that examined expression of IFNLs during acute and chronic HBV infection, the impact of IFNLs on HBV replication in vitro and in vivo, the association of polymorphisms in IFNL genes with clinical outcomes, and the therapeutic evaluation of IFNLs for the treatment of chronic HBV infection.
A Multi-Context Neural Core Design for Reconfigurable Neuromorphic Arrays

In the post Moore’s Law era, neuromorphic computing emerged as a promising solution to overcome the von Neumann bottleneck with a goal to create computing architectures that operate more like the human brain. Many neural processors have been designed in the push toward this goal, but developing a neural core architecture that is flexible enough to take advantage of both digital and analog implementations without a system-wide revision has proven to be a challenge. This paper proposes a new neural core (nCore) design that achieves this multi-context flexibility with use of a two-stage pipelined structure. The pipelined structure enables hardware sharing such that each nCore contains the functionality of multiple "virtual neurons" that save in area utilization and power consumption relative to previous neural core designs. The proposed nCore design has been implemented on a FPGA as well as an ASIC in a 65 nm CMOS process. Results are presented which show that the proposed nCore outperforms an existing digital neural core design containing a single neuron per core, DANNA2, in terms of both area and power per neuron. The improvements are made more evident with an increasing the number of functioning neurons per core.