cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determining prognosis in acute exacerbation of COPD.

BACKGROUND Acute exacerbations are the leading causes of hospitalization and mortality in patients with COPD. Prognostic tools for patients with chronic COPD exist, but there are scarce data regarding acute exacerbations. We aimed to identify the prognostic factors of death and readmission after exacerbation of COPD. METHODS This was a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine of Geneva University Hospitals. All patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of exacerbation of COPD between 2008 and 2011 were included. The studied variables included comorbidities, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) severity classification, and biological and clinical parameters. The main outcome was death or readmission during a 5-year follow-up. The secondary outcome was death. Survival analysis was performed (log-rank and Cox). RESULTS We identified a total of 359 patients (195 men and 164 women, average age 72 years). During 5-year follow-up, 242 patients died or were hospitalized for the exacerbation of COPD. In multivariate analysis, age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.05; P<0.0001), severity of airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1 s <30%; HR 4.65, 95% CI 1.42-15.1; P=0.01), diabetes (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.003-2.16; P=0.048), cancer (HR 2.79, 95% CI 1.68-4.64; P<0.0001), creatinine (HR 1.003, 95% CI 1.0004-1.006; P=0.02), and respiratory rate (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.003-1.05; P=0.028) on admission were significantly associated with the primary outcome. Age, cancer, and procalcitonin were significantly associated with the secondary outcome. CONCLUSION COPD remains of ominous prognosis, especially after exacerbation requiring hospitalization. Baseline pulmonary function remains the strongest predictor of mortality and new admission. Demographic factors, such as age and comorbidities and notably diabetes and cancer, are closely associated with the outcome of the patient. Respiratory rate at admission appears to be the most prognostic clinical parameter. A prospective validation is, however, still required to enable the identification of patients at higher risk of death or readmission.
Surgeon proficiency and outcomes in esophagectomy: a perspective and comment on an analysis of the Swedish Cancer Registry.

Esophageal cancer incidence has been increasing over the past three decades and is now the sixth most common cause of cancer related death and eighth most common cancer overall (1-3).
The Use of Inquiry-Based Activities with Caenorhabditis elegans to Enable Students to Learn about UV Radiation

In traditional microbiology laboratory activities, different strains of bacteria are exposed to UV radiation for varying lengths of time. This article provides information that expands on these activities (or uses them alone) with Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism with which to study the effects of UV radiation. These activities might be used in an introductory class to teach students the basics of working with C. elegans. In cell biology and microbiology classes, students might learn about how UV radiation can damage cells and cause cancer. These activities can also be used to teach the students about how genetic background can affect the sensitivity to UV radiation. In the laboratory, the students design their own activities by altering the parameters of the basic UV radiation experiment. By performing these laboratory activities, students will learn about UV radiation and about all parts of the scientific process.
Translation termination: a ghost ballet?

Abstract In the October 5 th issue of Cell , Zavialov et al. (2001) clarify the end of translation on a eubacterial mRNA. By elucidating the molecular choreography of class I and class II release factors within the ribosome, they show how the steps around the release of nascent protein are ordered.
Legendre’s Theorem

In this chapter we consider a diagonal form more general than a simple sum of squares. We shall be concerned with the ternary quadratic forms Q(x,y,z) = ax2 + by2 + cz2. If a, b, c are positive integers, then strictly speaking this form is also a sum of squares, because it can be written as $$ \underbrace{{{x^2} + {x^2} + \cdots + {x^2}}}_{{a\;{\text{time}}}} + \underbrace{{{y^2} + {y^2} + \cdots + {y^2}}}_{{b\;{\text{time}}}} + \underbrace{{{z^2} + {z^2} + \cdots + {z^2}}}_{{c\;{\text{time}}}} $$ but the number of squares varies with the values of the coefficients a, b, c. In fact, however, Q is an arbitrary diagonal form, with a, b, c integers, but not necessarily positive.
Anticipating Maneuvers with Dilated Convolutions

Anticipation is an essential ability for any system designed for human robot interaction. As human activities are complex, the robot/machine should be capable of processing long time-series observations to understand them. These observations are normally high dimensional, corrupted, noisy, have a high frequency, and have very long temporal relationships. In this paper a new deep learning model architecture is proposed to anticipate maneuvers. The source of the sensory data in this domain could be GPS location, car»s speed, inside and outside cameras as well as other car related sensors. In our proposed model, we use pairs of max-pooling and convolutions to represent spatial dependencies in the video frames and apply dilated convolutions to understand temporal relationships for maneuver anticipation. We also show that the performance of our proposed approach could compete with other well-known machine learning architectures in this domain.
Machiavelli and Inequality

Through a reading of the Discourses and the Florentine Histories, I show that Machiavelli leaves us with the conclusion that the move to a commercial republic creates both equality and inequality; economic inequality is a danger since it opens the people to corruption, while equality of status is also dangerous since it leaves politics in the hands of “men nurtured in trade” (F.H.I.39). Both the equality and the inequality create the conditions that can lead to the rise of populist leaders. From Machiavelli’s treatment of (in)equality I draw three conclusions: (i) a form of inequality that is neither class bound nor economic serves an important function in Machiavelli’s republic, (ii) Machiavelli offers us a structural understanding for the rise of characters such as Trump, and finally, (iii) Machiavelli’s writings do not just lift the veil to expose the actions of leaders, but also the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the people. His realism extends to the people. This assessment of the people offers us a warning as to the dangers of populism.
Investigating the impact of resonant cavity design on surface acoustic wave gyroscope

This paper reports on the impact of the design of the resonant cavity on the noise performance of Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscopes (SAWG). Inherently matched SAWGs were built on Y-cut Lithium Niobate (LN). Differently from all prior SAWG demonstrations, a large mass formed by periodically placed Au pillars were made to vibrate in-plane (and not out-of-plane) so as to measure rotation orthogonal to the gyroscope surface. Two cavity sizes were investigated. The larger cavity SAWG provided better performance. The experimental data agree well with theoretical expectations, hence validating our models.
“It’s white people in Asian disguises”: Contesting Race in YouTube’s K-Town

This paper utilizes ethnographic content analysis to analyze the discourses surrounding the negotiation of Korean American identity in a YouTube series , K-Town, a reality web series with an Asian American cast set in Los Angeles, California. We find that ethnic stereotypes about Korean Americans (KAs), as well as Koreatown, Los Angeles (KT) as a foreign space, are actively constructed and contested by users on YouTube. We argue that YouTube user-generated comments illuminate DuBois’ concept of stance and disalignment whereby users invoke their ethnic or racial identities as either Korean American (KA) or more broadly Asian American (AA), to validate their own social location and to make claims regarding the authenticity of the webisode in portraying KAs and KT. YouTube users also deployed Butler’s concept of “abject identity” to critique the portrayal of unacceptable KA identities while simultaneously affirming acceptable ethnic identities. We conclude that YouTubers not only contributed to the discourse of what it means to be KA or AA, but also brought to the forefront who ought to determine what is an “authentic” portrayal. This is significant considering mainstream media’s perpetuation of racial stereotypes in mostly White-centered narratives.
A Systems Analysis of Cerebral Dehydration

Cerebral dehydration and the accompanying reduction of cerebral pressure through intravenous infusions of hypertonic solution was reported by Weed in 1919 and 1921 (1 to 4). The use of urea as a hyperosmotic agent was first reported by Fremont-Smith and Forbes in 1927 (5), who observed that because of its benign characteristics and rapid elimination by the normal kidney, urea held promise for routine clinical applications. In 1956 Javid and Settladge (6) issued a preliminary report on the use of urea in humans and in 1969 Javid (7) presented the results of the use of urea in 2000 clinical cases. A number of studies dealing with the effect of urea and other osmotic agents in animals and man are available (8 to 16).
Antibiotic Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy

Antibiotics were introduced as a therapy for hepatic encephalopathy (HE) decades before lactulose came into picture. The basic premise for the improvement of HE with antibiotics was simply that this therapy reduced ammonia generation in the gut from enteric bacteria. Neomycin was one of the first antibiotics to be employed in clinical trials in the 1950s. In addition to action on enteric bacteria, neomycin was thought to inhibit intestinal glutaminase enzymes, thereby reducing the generation of ammonia in the gut. When antibiotics have been compared to nonabsorbable disaccharides, there is a trend in favor of greater efficacy of antibiotics. However, the toxicity of many antibiotics used in the past was felt to outweigh the possible superiority of this form of treatment. Recently, Rifaximin, a nonabsorbable antibiotic, has shown great efficacy in preventing recurrent episodes of HE in patients on lactulose therapy with minimal side effect profile.
"The System Had Choked Me Too": Abused Mothers' Perceptions of the Custody Determination Process That Resulted in Negative Custody Outcomes.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that continues to affect abused mothers after separation from an abusive partner. In addition to the risk of ongoing control and violence by abusers, the custody determination process may present challenges for mothers who end up with negative custody outcomes (e.g., share custody with abusers or lose custody). Using constructivist grounded theory techniques, we conducted a qualitative analysis of interviews with 24 abused mothers with negative custody outcomes to understand how they perceive and make sense of the process as a whole, and how they cope with these outcomes. The custody determination process was reportedly complex and stressful, and most mothers did not anticipate a negative custody outcome. Mothers’ perceptions and experiences followed three phases: “trusting “the system” to protect them and their children, adapting to “the system” in search of positive outcomes, and, once custody decisions were determined, coping with the aftermath...
On Uplink Asynchronous Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access Systems with Timing Error

Recent studies have shown that asynchronous non- orthogonal multiple access (ANOMA) outperforms conventional synchronous non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) by taking advantage of artificial timing mismatch with oversampling. For the first time, we comprehensively study the impact of timing errors on the performance of uplink ANOMA systems in this paper. We consider two types of timing errors, which are the synchronization timing error and the coordination timing error. We analyze how the timing errors affect ANOMA systems, and derive the throughput loss of ANOMA systems incurred by both the synchronization timing error and the coordination timing error. An interesting finding is that the synchronization timing error has a larger impact on the throughput performance of ANOMA systems compared with the coordination timing error.
Forbidden formations in multidimensional 0-1 matrices

Abstract Keszegh (2009) proved that the extremal function e x ( n , P ) of any forbidden light 2-dimensional 0-1 matrix P is at most quasilinear in n , using a reduction to generalized Davenport–Schinzel sequences. We extend this result to multidimensional matrices by introducing a generalization of light matrices from two dimensions to higher dimensions and proving that any light d -dimensional 0-1 matrix P has extremal function e x ( n , P , d ) = O ( n d − 1 2 α ( n ) t ) for some constant t that depends on P . To prove this result, we introduce a new family of patterns called ( P , s ) -formations, which are a generalization of ( r , s ) -formations, and we prove upper bounds on their extremal functions. In many cases, including permutation matrices P with at least two ones, we are able to show that our ( P , s ) -formation upper bounds are tight.
Maternal comforting behavior, toddlers’ dysregulated fear, and toddlers’ emotion regulatory behaviors.

Developmental theories of emotion regulation suggest that influences from both extrinsic (e.g., from caregivers) and intrinsic (i.e., temperament) sources contribute to children's displays of emotion regulatory behaviors. Very few studies have examined specific caregiver behaviors in relation to specific regulatory behaviors. Further, few empirical investigations have tested theoretical notions that temperament may be an important context in which to understand the nature of the relation between caregiver behavior and toddlers' regulatory behaviors. The current study examined the specific maternal behavior of physical comfort in relation to three regulatory strategies exhibited by toddlers (attention-shifting, caregiver-focused behavior, and self-focused behavior) in 117 pairs of mothers and their 24-month-old toddlers. Further, we tested the temperament dimension of dysregulated fear, a more recent derivation of behavioral inhibition, both in relation to regulatory efforts and as a moderator of relations between maternal comforting and toddler regulatory behaviors. Dysregulated fear related directly and positively to attention-shifting, and it moderated the relation between maternal comforting and both caregiver-focused and self-focused behaviors. This study provides new evidence of the importance of both extrinsic and intrinsic correlates of emotion regulation in early childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Interaction between functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes and MS2 bacteriophages in water

Fate and transport of carbon nanomaterials can be strongly dependent on the interaction with secondary particulates in the aquatic systems. Bio-particulates in water, e.g., viruses with charged and hydrophobic surface moieties, may profoundly influence the interfacial behavior and hence the environmental fate of nanomaterials (and vice versa). This study systematically evaluates the interfacial interaction of acid-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with MS2 bacteriophages, or heteroaggregation behavior of these particulates, under mono- and di-valent cations and with Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA). Results indicate that the highest concentration of MS2 (i.e., MWNT:MS2 of 100:1) renders exceptional stability of MWNTs, even in high salinity conditions. However, at lower MS2 concentrations (i.e., MWNT:MS2 of 1000:1 and 10,000:1), the suppression of MWNT heteroaggregation rate is not as significant. The observed enhanced stability is likely caused by the preferential attachment of the MS2 capsids onto MWNT surfaces, which is mediated by electrostatic attraction (between negatively charged oxygen-containing moieties on MWNTs and positively charged amino acid residues on MS2 surfaces) and/or by MS2 capsids with positive hydropathy index (indicating strong hydrophobicity). Presence of SRHA also shows stability enhancement; however, at lower MS2 concentrations, SRHA dominated the heteroaggregation behavior. These results implicate that preferential interaction between virus capsids (i.e., MS2 and may be other waterborne viruses) and carbonaceous nanomaterials may influence environmental transport of both in aquatic environments.
Conditional silencing of H-2Db class I molecule expression on dendritic cells modulates the protective and pathogenic kinetics of virus-antigen specific CD8 T cell responses during Theiler\'s Virus infection

ABSTRACT Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) infection of the central nervous system is rapidly cleared in C57BL/6 mice by an anti-viral CD8 T cell response restricted by the MHC class I molecule, H-2Db. While the CD8 T cell response against neurotropic viruses is well characterized, the identity and function of the antigen presenting cell(s) involved in this process is(are) less well defined. To address this gap in knowledge, we developed a novel C57BL/6 H-2Db conditional knockout mouse that expresses an H-2Db transgene in which the transmembrane domain locus is flanked by LoxP sites. We crossed these H-2Db LoxP mice with MHC class I-deficient mice expressing Cre-recombinase under either the CD11c or LysM promoter in order to silence H-2Db restricted antigen presentation predominantly in dendritic cells or macrophages, respectively. Upon challenge with intracranial TMEV infection, we observe that CD11c+ APCs are critical for early priming of CD8 T cells against the immunodominant TMEV peptide VP2121-130 presented in the context of the H-2Db molecule. This stands in stark contrast to later time points post TMEV infection where CD11c+ APCs appear dispensable for the activation of antigen-specific T cells; the functionality of these late-arising antiviral CD8 T cells is reflected in the restoration of viral control at later time points. These late-arising CD8 T cells also retain their capacity to induce blood-brain barrier disruption. In contrast, when H-2Db restricted antigen presentation was selectively silenced in LysM+ APCs there was no overt impact on the priming of Db:VP2121-130 epitope-specific CD8 T cells, although a modest reduction in immune cell entry into the CNS was observed. This work establishes a model system which enables critical dissection of MHC class I restricted antigen presentation to T cells, revealing cell specific and temporal features involved in the generation of antiviral CD8 T cell responses. Employing this novel system, we established CD11c+ cells as a pivotal driver of acute, but not later-arising, antiviral CD8 T cell responses against the TMEV immunodominant epitope VP2121-130, with functional implications both for T cell-mediated viral control and immunopathology.
Measurement and mental health disparities: Psychopathology classification and identity assessment

Mental health disparities research compares groups of individuals with regard to their mental health status, and numerous studies have reported significant and burdensome disparities across populations. This literature is based almost entirely on traditional mental disorder constructs (e.g. major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder) as defined by official nosologies, but these disorders are associated with numerous problems of reliability and validity. Advances in psychopathology classification research have converged on an alternative conceptualization of mental disorder structure, which comprises a set of transdiagnostic dimensions that cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries and overcome the limitations of traditional diagnoses. The application of these dimensions, particularly those of the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology model, holds great promise for mental health disparities research. Measurement considerations associated with these transdiagnostic dimensions, as well as participants' intersecting identities, are discussed. Incorporation of these measurement advances with statistical advances allows for the generation and testing of unique hypotheses related to minority stressors that may give rise to observed disparities. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Plant Fucosyltransferases and the Emerging Biological Importance of Fucosylated Plant Structures

AbstractPlants frequently incorporate the monosaccharide l-fucose (Fuc; 6-deoxy-l-galactose) into glycans and glycopolymers located in diverse cellular locations. The incorporation of Fuc onto thes...
Black-White Differences in 20-year Trends in Cardiovascular Risk in the United States, 1990-2010.

Objective: Improvements in the Black- White difference in life expectancy have been attributed to improved diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and declines in cardiovascular disease mortal­ity. However, it is unclear whether race differences in total cardiovascular risk and the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors have improved in the United States since the 1990s. Design: Serial cross-sectional design. Setting: Data from the 1988-1994, 1999- 2002, and 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods: We estimated total cardiovascu­lar risk levels, the prevalence of high-risk cardiovascular risk factors and the use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs among US Black and White men and women to determine whether differential changes occurred from 1990-2010. Results: Total cardiovascular risk declined for all races from 1990-2010. The Black- White difference was only significant in 2000 and sex-specific analyses showed that trends seen in the total population were driven by changes among women. Black and White men did not differ in risk at any time during this period. Conversely, Black women had significantly higher risk than White women in 1990 and 2000; this dif­ference was eliminated by 2010. Improved diagnosis and treatment of high blood pres­sure and high cholesterol reduced risk in the total population; improved blood pressure and lipid profiles among Black women and increasing obesity prevalence among White women specifically contributed to the nar­rowing of the Black-White difference in risk among women. Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk and racial disparities in risk declined among US Whites and Blacks due to greater use and effective­ness of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medications. Ethn Dis . 2019;29(4):587-598; doi:10.18865/ed.29.4.587
Rosmarinic Acid/ Blue Light Combination Treatment Inhibits Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vitro

Background/aim This study investigated a novel combined therapy of rosmarinic acid (RA)/blue light on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell proliferation in vitro. Materials and methods HNSCC cells were exposed to BL (500 mW/cm2) for 90 s, and incubated with 80 μg/ml RA for 1 hour. Cell viability was determined after 24 h using WST-1 assay. Western blot was used to detect treatment-induced changes in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide levels were quantified using CM-H2DCFH-DA assays. Apoptosis was assessed using Annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometry. Results RA/blue light treatment resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability, EGFR activation and H2O2 levels in all HNSCC cell lines. However, no significant changes in NO production or apoptosis induction were found. Conclusion RA/blue light effectively decreased HNSCC cell proliferation through reduction in EGFR activation and H2O2 production, and not via induction of apoptosis.
Mindfulness predicts academic diligence in the face of boredom

Abstract Working diligently on academic tasks despite boredom is critical for advancing long-term learning goals. Yet little is known about the personal qualities that boost students' resilience to boredom. Two field studies involving 1071 high school students tested the hypothesis that mindfulness predicts academic diligence through its association to tolerance of feelings of boredom that arise during learning. In both studies, students completed self-report measures of mindfulness and boredom tolerance. In Study 1, academic diligence was measured using a behavioral measure in which students could spend time working on a tedious, but “good-for-you” math skill-building activity or watching entertaining videos. Study 2 was a preregistered replication using a self-report measure of academic diligence. In both studies, students with higher mindfulness reported higher boredom tolerance that, in turn, predicted greater academic diligence. Results were observed above and beyond boredom intensity, demographic characteristics, and academic motivational beliefs. This study provides novel evidence for a theoretical model linking mindfulness to academic diligence.
Fallopian tube endometriosis in women undergoing operative video laparoscopy and its clinical implications.

Objective To determine the incidence of fallopian tube endometriosis in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of endometriosis, pelvic pain, infertility, or cystic adnexal mass. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting Gynecologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery practice. Patient(s) All patients who underwent surgery for endometriosis from July 2015 to June 2018 were included. Exclusion criteria were age ≥55 years, diagnosis of cancer, laparotomy, previous bilateral salpingectomy, and preoperative diagnosis other than endometriosis, pelvic pain, infertility, or cystic adnexal mass. Intervention(s) Subjects were divided by those who did and those who did not have a salpingectomy at the time of surgery. Main Outcome Measure(s) Diagnosis of tubal endometriosis was based on macroscopic evidence of endometrial implants on the fallopian tube(s) noted within the operative report and microscopic evidence of endometriosis noted within the pathology report. Result(s) A total of 444 surgeries were performed and 185 met the study criteria. Among those, 153 (82.7%) had histologically diagnosed endometriosis within the abdominopelvic cavity. The incidence of tubal endometriosis was 11%–12% macroscopically and 42.5% microscopically after salpingectomy. Patients with tubal endometriosis were more likely to have severe disease. Conclusion(s) Among patients with endometriosis, the incidence of microscopic tubal endometriosis was significantly greater than that of macroscopic disease.
Veterans in Classrooms: Post Traumatic Stress, Seating Preferences, and Achievement

Anecdotal knowledge and qualitative research has suggested that previously deployed combat veterans prefer particular seating locations. Students at a university near a large army base chose preferred seats and answered survey items regarding trauma symptoms and academic achievement. There was a relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms and preferred seating location, but the location was dependent upon if the student had been deployed. Similar relationship differences were found for academic achievement. From these results, it appears that amongst other factors, post-traumatic stress may impact student seating preferences, especially for students who have been exposed to combat in the military.
Role of Imaging in Esophageal Cancer Management in 2020: Update for Radiologists

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of imaging in the management of esophageal cancer. CONCLUSION. A multimodality-based approach to imaging is essential in clinical practice to achieve the best possible outcome for patients with esophageal cancer. Radiologists must be aware of the strengths and limitations of different imaging modalities in various clinical settings. The role of a radiologist is to combine information from anatomic and functional imaging, assess metastatic disease and changes in the primary tumor during treatment, and identify anatomic complications after treatment.
The NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages is stimulated by cell-free hemoglobin.

Cell-free hemoglobin (CFH) is associated with severe lung injury in human patients and is sufficient to induce airspace inflammation and alveolar-capillary barrier dysfunction in an experimental model of acute lung injury. The mechanisms through which this occurs are unknown. One key pathway which regulates inflammation during acute lung injury is the NLRP3 inflammasome. Because CFH can act as a damage-associated molecular pattern, we hypothesized that CFH may activate the NLRP3 inflammasome during acute lung injury. Primary mouse alveolar macrophages and cultured murine macrophages exposed to CFH (0-1 mg/ml) for 24 hr demonstrated robust upregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome components NLRP3, caspase-1, and caspase-11. Maximal induction of the NLRP3 inflammasome by CFH required TLR4. Compared to wild-type controls, mice lacking NLRP3 developed less airspace inflammation (2.7 × 105 cells/ml in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid versus. 1.1 × 105 /ml, p = .006) after exposure to intratracheal CFH. Together, these data demonstrate that CFH can stimulate the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and that this pathway may be important in the pathogenesis of CFH-induced acute lung injury.
Repeat Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology Refines the Selection of Thyroid Nodules for Afirma Gene Expression Classifier Testing.

Background: Molecular testing (MT) refines risk stratification for thyroid nodules that are indeterminate for cancer by fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. Criteria for selecting nodules for MT ...
Metalloproteinases and their inhibitors are associated with pulmonary arterial stiffness and ventricular function in pediatric pulmonary hypertension.

Metalloproteinases have been associated with clinical outcomes in pulmonary hypertension and with specific pathological features of ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary arterial remodeling. In thi...
Prostatitis: A Review

SUMMARY Although prostatitis is a common affliction of man, correct therapy depends upon the physician's recognition of the specific type of prostatitis with which he is dealing. Acute bacterial prostatitis, with its characteristic symptom complex, is generally easy to recognize and demands organism-specific antibacterial therapy. Chronic bacterial prostatitis, however, is variable in clinical manifestation and is now recognized as perhaps the most common cause of relapsing urinary tract infection in men. Techniques of bacteriologic localization cultures are presented for the accurate diagnosis of chronic bacterial prostatitis. The cure of chronic bacterial prostatitis is difficult to achieve with most antibacterial agents because most of these agents do not diffuse from plasma across relatively uninflamed prostatic epithelium to enter into the prostatic fluid where the bacteria reside. Until recently therapy for patients who have chronic bacterial prostatitis has been limited to either attempts to remove all infected foci of tissue by surgical means or maintenance of the patient on continuous, low dose suppressive antibacterial therapy. A new antibacterial agent, trimethoprim, meets all of the theoretical requirements for diffusion into prostatic fluid and has been shown to actually concentrate in the prostatic fluid of dogs. Because combining trimethoprim with sulfonamides results in synergistic antibacterial activity, for clinical use in this country trimethoprim has been combined with sulfamethoxazole, a sulfonamide that has a similar half-life in plasma. Research protocols to date have shown that this drug combination can cure chronic bacterial prostatitis in some patients. Abacterial prostatitis (“prostatosis”) is characterized by increased numbers of leukocytes and oval fat bodies in the expressed prostatic secretions and symptoms that often simulate those of chronic bacterial prostatitis; however, an infectious agent cannot be demonstrated. Therapy must be directed towards reassurance and symptomatic relief and antibacterial agents should not be used. Although recent years have produced speculation regarding a viral etiology to cases of prostatitis, studies to date have failed to confirm viral prostatitis. Prostatitis due to Trichomonas vaginalis organisms may occur, but is difficult to prove. Rare cases of prostatitis due to specific fungi have been reported but are generally secondary to a generalized mycosis. Nonspecific granulomatous prostatitis is occasionally seen and must be differentiated clinically from carcinoma of the prostate. The discovery of an antibacterial factor in both canine and human prostatic fluid that is highly bactericidal against most urinary pathogens is exciting and suggests that this factor may play a role as a natural defense mechanism against the development of urinary tract infections and prostatitis in men. Preliminary work has shown either total absence or markedly reduced amounts of this factor in patients who have chronic prostatitis.
Impact of Dose, Sex, and Strain on Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Mice

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, dose limiting, and long-lasting side effect of chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, no treatment has proven efficacious for this side effect. Rodent models play a crucial role in the discovery of new mechanisms underlying the initiation, progression, and recovery of CIPN and the potential discovery of new therapeutics. However, there is limited consistency in the dose, the sex, age, and genetic background of the animal used in these studies and the outcome measures used in evaluation of CIPN rely primarily on noxious and reflexive measures. The main objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive and systematic characterization of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in mice by using a battery of behavioral, sensory, electrophysiological, and morphometric measures in both sexes of the two widely used strains of mice, C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ. Mice received intraperitoneal injections of 3 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg cumulative doses of oxaliplatin over the course of two weeks. Both doses induced long-term and time-dependent mechanical and cold hypersensitivity. Our results show that 30 mg/kg oxaliplatin reduced the locomotor activity in C57BL/6J mice, and C57BL/6J females showed anxiety-like behavior one-week post completion of treatment. In the same dose group, BALB/cJ males and females sustained a larger decrease in sucrose preference than either male or female C57BL/6J mice. Both strains failed to show significant changes in burrowing and nesting behaviors. Two clinically relevant assessments of changes to the peripheral nerve fibers, nerve conduction and intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) were evaluated. Only BALB/cJ females showed significant reduction in the nerve conduction amplitude one week after 30 mg/kg oxaliplatin regimen. Moreover, this dose of the chemo agent reduced the IENF density in both sexes and strains. Our findings suggest that mouse strain, sex, and assay type should be carefully considered when assessing the effects of oxaliplatin and potential therapeutic interventions.
The Enzymology of Ocean Global Change.

A small subset of marine microbial enzymes and surface transporters have a disproportionately important influence on the cycling of carbon and nutrients in the global ocean. As a result, they largely determine marine biological productivity and have been the focus of considerable research attention from microbial oceanographers. Like all biological catalysts, the activity of these keystone biomolecules is subject to control by temperature and pH, leaving the crucial ecosystem functions they support potentially vulnerable to anthropogenic environmental change. We summarize and discuss both consensus and conflicting evidence on the effects of sea surface warming and ocean acidification for five of these critical enzymes [carbonic anhydrase, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), nitrogenase, nitrate reductase, and ammonia monooxygenase] and one important transporter (proteorhodopsin). Finally, we forecast how the responses of these few but essential biocatalysts to ongoing global change processes may ultimately help to shape the microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles of the future greenhouse ocean. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Marine Science, Volume 14 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Considering Commercial Vessels as Potential Vectors of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

The reason(s) for the rapid spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in the greater Caribbean region has yet to be elucidated. Ocean currents have been examined as a potential contributor particularly along the Florida Reef Tract, however, currents alone do not explain the disease’s spatiotemporal pattern of spread across geographically disparate locations, resulting in several hypotheses about possible vectors for observed dispersal and spread. Despite regulatory and management strategies intended to limit coastal marine invasion risks, vessel-borne disease transport via ballast water and hull biofouling are under examination given the high commercial vessel traffic in the region. Current work is evaluating the performance of these measures, including spatio-temporal analyses of vessel movement and ballast water management, analysis of SCTLD reports, and ex-situ transmission of ballast water treatment (UV-sterilization) experiments. Here, we discuss the current state of knowledge about ballast water as a potential contributor to transmission of SCTLD in the greater Caribbean and provide a framework for future research.
Null Climate Federalism: State Frustration of Federal Renewable Energy Entitlements

Arresting rapid climate change is considered one of the most challenging issues of this century. To do so successfully, the U.S. must rapidly convert its electric power sector to operate on renewable energy. The Biden Administration pledged that the U.S. will have only clean/renewable electricity by 2035 – in these next 13 years U.S. federal tax incentives for renewable energy are scheduled to be substantially diminished or eliminated. Notwithstanding, there is one fundamental federal entitlement of rights for renewable power development. The Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”) statute was enacted by President Carter as the U.S. response to an energy crisis which was characterized by the President as “the Moral Equivalent of War.” Recently, three otherwise pro-sustainable-energy states did not adhere to required PURPA federal entitlements which promote renewable energy projects. Three different federal circuit courts issued recent decisions regarding these violations and injuries to a solar energy developer. However, these three circuits diverged as to whether a sustainable energy developer has standing to address its injury or a private right of legal action under the nation’s foundational sustainable energy statute that was twice before upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court: · the Second Circuit on procedural grounds dismissed all of plaintiff’s claims. · the First Circuit pursuant to the same statute found standing of, injury to, and entitlement of, the same injured solar plaintiff involved in the 2nd Circuit case above, but denied a private right of action for plaintiff to redress its injury. · the Ninth Circuit for the same plaintiff involved in the First and Second Circuit matters above, and pursuant to the same statute, found impermissible state conduct but no private right of action for the plaintiff to proceed to the merits of its claims for damages. These circuits found injury from the state failing to follow federal PURPA (or there was a later admission), however the injured solar energy party who prevailed and incurred legal costs was denied any legal relief. There is deja vu: This article catalogues that these states involved were ordered by prior federal and state courts and the federal regulatory agency that they previously were not legally adhering to PURPA requirements. This article analyzes each of these recent federal court decisions and places these in context of prior decisions involving these states not following the same federal PURPA sustainability statute. This article contrasts each of these recent decisions with applicable Supreme Court and federal precedent requiring states to follow U.S. renewable energy law. This article analyzes the remedy gap created by these three recent circuit court decisions where injury is found regarding state violations of the foundational U.S. sustainability law and notwithstanding this, no relief is provided for the plaintiff. This will impact the U.S. roll-out of a future with sustainable electric power
Single-walled carbon nanotubes: from fundamental studies to new device concepts.

Abstract: Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are ideal systems for investigating fundamental properties in one-dimensional electronic systems and have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of nano/molecular electronics. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to characterize the atomic structure and tunneling density of states of individual SWNTs. Detailed spectroscopic measurements showed one-dimensional singularities in the SWNT density of states for both metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. The results obtained were compared to and agree well with theoretical predictions and tight-binding calculations. SWNTs were also shortened using the STM to explore the role of finite size, which might be exploited for device applications. Segments less than 10 nm exhibited discrete peaks in their tunneling spectra, which correspond to quantized energy levels, and whose spacing scales inversely with length. Finally, the interaction between magnetic impurities and electrons confined to one dimension was studied by spatially resolving the local electronic density of states of small cobalt clusters on metallic SWNTs. Spectroscopic measurements performed on and near these clusters exhibited a narrow peak near the Fermi level that has been identified as a Kondo resonance. In addition, spectroscopic studies of ultrasmall magnetic nanostructures, consisting of small cobalt clusters on short nanotube pieces, exhibited features characteristic of the bulk Kondo resonance, but also new features due to their finite size.
Validity of Dupuit-Forchheimer Equation

The Dupuit-Forchheimer equation describing unconfined ground-water flow is limited by the underlying assumptions inherent in its derivation. A validity criterion is developed from an analysis of the exact equations of motion which shows that, in general, the Dupuit-Forchheimer equation describes a rising water table more accurately than a falling one. In the steady state the criterion reduces to a simple restriction on the free surface slope. For unsteady problems the criterion involves both the free surface slope and the rate of change of the free surface position. For the specific case of flow toward a well it is shown that the commonly used rule of thumb, r/h o > 1.5, may not always be valid and a more general criterion is presented.
Miniaturized high performance sensors for space plasmas

Summary form only given. Operating under ever more constrained budgets, NASA has turned to a "new paradigm" for instrumentation and mission development in which "smaller, faster, better, cheaper" is of primary consideration for future space plasma investigations. The author presents several examples showing the influence of this new paradigm on sensor development and discuss certain implications for the scientific return from resource constrained sensors. The author also discusses one way to improve space plasma sensor performance which is to search out new technologies, measurement techniques and instrument analogs from related fields including among others, laboratory plasma physics.
Infection Transmission Dynamics and Vaccination Program Effectiveness as a Function of Vaccine Effects in Individuals

Ideal vaccine effect statistics should reflect biologically relevant parameters in an appropriate model of vaccine actions upon infection in the host. Ideal vaccine effectiveness statistics should reflect the effect of vaccination on the entire population or upon segments of that population such as vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The most commonly used vaccine effect statistic does not meet these ideals. It is one minus the risk in the vaccinated over the risk in the unvaccinated. These risks are sometimes calculated for disease and sometimes for infection. In this paper, we consider only infection. We label this statistic α and the risks in the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations on which it is based as R v and R u , respectively: $$ \alpha = 1 - \frac{{{{R}_{v}}}}{{{{R}_{u}}}} = \frac{{{{R}_{{u - {{R}_{v}}}}}}}{{{{R}_{u}}}} = PAR\% $$ (1)
Low-Grade Astrocytomas

Glial tumors constitute approximately 50% of newly diagnosed primary brain tumors, with low-grade gliomas (LGG) accounting for approximately 15% of all brain tumors in adults [21]. The subset of tumors classified as LGG represents a heterogeneous group of tumors with astrocytic, oligodendroglial, ependymal, or mixed cellular histologies. In the adult population, the term LGG typically refers to the diffuse, infiltrating variety of tumors classified as World Health Organization (WHO) grade II lesions—specifically low-grade astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, or mixed oligoastrocytomas [33]. Among low-grade astrocytomas, the most common his-tologic subtypes are the fibrillary, protoplasmic, and gemistocytic variants. There is no indication in the literature that LGGs are more prevalent in a specific ethnic or national group.
Self-magnetic cusp limit of a finite sized bunched relativistic annular electron beam

Summary form only given. We show the existence of a self-magnetic cusp which forms in a highly bunched (zero bunch length) annular electron beam as the average beam current approaches a critical current limit. The self-magnetic cusp is calculated within the framework of a fluid equilibrium model for periodic azimuthally symmetric relativistic bunched disk beams propagating in a perfectly conducting cylindrical pipe with a uniform magnetic focusing field. In certain parameter regimes, magnetic cusp formation plays an important role in determining the operational current limit of high-current bunched annular beam experiments. We also discuss how finite bunch length affects the formation of the self-magnetic cusp.