cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: knowledge and screening practices of university hospital medical students and residents.

BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the leading cause of preventable intellectual disabilities in the United States and a significant public health issue. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and screening practices of pre-clinical medical students and clinical providers on FAS, FASD, and alcohol consumption. METHODS A short survey sent to medical students and residents on the campus of a large medical school and university hospital. RESULTS On the survey of clinical providers, 38% of respondents stated they always survey pregnant women about their alcohol consumption, 34% stated they always screen patients planning to get pregnant, and 9% screen women of childbearing age. There were a significant percentage of providers who never screen women. When questioned regarding safe amounts of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, 69% of pre-clinical medical students and 67% of clinical providers stated there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. Clinical providers were much more likely to correctly select the facial features necessary for the diagnosis (p-value < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Significant differences exist in the knowledge and screening practices of these different healthcare providers and trainees. Future interventions should seek to improve knowledge on FAS, FASD, and alcohol consumption, in order for practitioners to be more consistent with national guidelines and the Surgeon General recommendations.
Event-related brain potentials and second language learning:Can L2 learners process an L2 in a native-like way?

This article describes the principle of event-related potentials(ERP) and its use in the study of L2 learning,summarizes ERP evidences on the effect of the critical period of L2 learning,the similarity and difference between L1and L2,trying to answer the question "Can L2 learners process an L2 in a native-like way?" Finally,the conclusions include:(1) ERPs can be used as an advanced technology to index perceptual and cognitive processes involved in language comprehension and production.(2) ERPs are particularly advantageous in the study of L2 learning and processing: requiring no overt responses be made and indicating learning even when overt,behavioral measures have not.(3) Effect of critical period of L2 acquisition exists;there is a strong negative linear relationship between age of acquisition and ultimate attainment during the critical period,L2 learning can not reach the proficiency as the L1.(4) Whether or not L2 learners can process an L2 in a native-like way depends on several interrelated factors: the age of first exposure to L2,similarity across languages,the ability to generate high expectancies with regard to particular violations,and L2 proficiency level.
Advances in SO_4~(2-)/M_xO_y solid superacid catalysts

SO42-/MxOy solid superacid has advantages of no corrosion to the equipment,less pollution,heat-resistance,stability to water,repeatable use,and so on.The catalytic mechanism,deactivation,modification and characterization of SO42-/MxOy solid superacid were reviewed.The development orientation in this field was also elucidated.
Meta-Analysis of BP-Lowering Treatment in the Elderly

Objective To explore the effect of BP-lowering treatment on the elderly by analysing the large scale clinical trials in old people. Method Meta-analysis is performed on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in the elderly since the year of 1996. To assess the effects of different kinds of BP-lowering drugs and BP-lowering treatment on the incidence of stroke, cardiovascular events and mortality in the elderly. Results Meta-analysis was performed on the results of 7 RCTs which showed BP-lowering treatment and can significantly reduce the incidence of death, stroke and cardiovascular events in old people with hypertension. The degree of BP-lowering and the effects on the endpoints is almost similar among different drugs. Conclusion BP-lowering treatment may exert favourable effects in the elderly. The benefit derives from the BP-lowering degree and not the kinds of BP-lowering drugs.
Novel Methods for Measuring the Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

The mitochondrial membrane potential is a critical parameter for understanding mitochondrial function, but it is challenging to quantitate with current methodologies which are based on the accumulation of cation indicators. Recently we have introduced a new methodology based on the redox poise of the b-hemes of the bc 1 complex. Here we describe the thermodynamic framework and algorithms necessary to calculate the membrane potential from the measured oxidation states of the b-hemes.
Investigating Connections between Metabolism, Longevity, and Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans

An overview of Caenorhabditis elegans as an experimental organism for studying energy balance is presented. Some of the unresolved questions that complicate the interpretation of lipid measurements from C. elegans are highlighted. We review studies that show that both lipid synthesis and lipid breakdown pathways are activated and needed for the longevity of hermaphrodites that lack their germlines. These findings illustrate the heterogeneity of triglyceride-rich lipid particles in C. elegans and reveal specific lipid signals that promote longevity. Finally, we provide a brief overview of feeding behavioral responses of C. elegans to varying nutritional conditions and highlight an unanticipated metabolic pathway that allows the incorporation of experience in feeding behavior.
Infection/Inflammation and Infarction

This chapter provides an overview of infection, inflammations, and infarctions as they affect the musculoskeletal system. The objective is to present an overview so that each of these entities is not repeated in other chapters. Discussion centers on osteomyelitis, pyomyositis, cellulitis, fascitis, and infarction. MRI is emphasized for infections and tumors.
Managing Innovation to Maximize Value Along the Discovery-Translation-Application Continuum

Success in pharmaceutical development led to a record 51 drugs approved in the past year, surpassing every previous year since 1950. Technology innovation enabled identification and exploitation of increasingly precise disease targets ensuring next generation diagnostic and therapeutic products for patient management. The expanding biopharmaceutical portfolio stands, however, in contradistinction to the unsustainable costs that reflect remarkable challenges of clinical development programs. This annual Therapeutic Innovations issue juxtaposes advances in translating molecular breakthroughs into transformative therapies with essential considerations for lowering attrition and improving the cost-effectiveness of the drug-development paradigm. Realizing the discovery-translation-application continuum mandates a congruent approval, adoption, and access triad.
Patient characteristics, outcomes and costs following interhospital transfer to a tertiary facility for appendectomy versus patients who present directly

Abstract Background Recent healthcare policy changes have emphasized pay-for-performance. Previous studies have not examined outcome differences between primary presenting appendicitis patients and transferred patients. Methods A retrospective cohort design examined appendicitis patients between March 2011 and 2013. Patients Results The transfer cohort (n = 59) had more comorbidities, more severe American Society of Anesthesiologists status, a higher rate of pre-operative abscess/rupture as well as higher rates of perforation, gangrene, intra-operative drain placement and open conversion versus primary presenting patients (n = 622). After statistical regression adjustment, a higher open conversion rate in the transfer cohort, OR = 3.48 (95%CI: 1.04–11.61) and higher total costs $672.47 (95%CI: $68.75-$1276.19) remained. Conclusions Adjustments in clinical outcome/reimbursement metrics may be needed to address the complexity of transfers and the subsequent higher in-hospital costs on tertiary facilities. Level of evidence IV.
Annotating Named Entities in Consumer Health Questions

We describe a corpus of consumer health questions annotated with named entities. The corpus consists of 1548 de-identified questions about diseases and drugs, written in English. We defined 15 broad categories of biomedical named entities for annotation. A pilot annotation phase in which a small portion of the corpus was double-annotated by four annotators was followed by a main phase in which double annotation was carried out by six annotators, and a reconciliation phase in which all annotations were reconciled by an expert. We conducted the annotation in two modes, manual and assisted, to assess the effect of automatic pre-annotation and calculated inter-annotator agreement. We obtained moderate inter-annotator agreement; assisted annotation yielded slightly better agreement and fewer missed annotations than manual annotation. Due to complex nature of biomedical entities, we paid particular attention to nested entities for which we obtained slightly lower inter-annotator agreement, confirming that annotating nested entities is somewhat more challenging. To our knowledge, the corpus is the first of its kind for consumer health text and is publicly available.
Snap Judgment: Implicit Perceptions of a (Political) Court

Do people fundamentally perceive the Supreme Court as a political institution? Despite the central importance of this question to theories of public evaluations of the Court and its decisions, it remains largely unanswered. To this end, we develop a new, implicit measure of political perceptions of the Court. This new measure relies on a categorization task wherein respondents quickly associate political or non-political attributes with the Supreme Court relative to institutions that are high or low in politicization. We find that the public implicitly perceives the Court as less political than Congress (high politicization) and more political than traffic court (low politicization) and that this measure is distinct from self-reported (explicit) perceptions of politicization. Finally, we find that implicit perceptions have a distinct effect on predicting diffuse support for the court and specific support for one of two Court decisions.
The Phosphatidylserine Receptor-Phosphatidylserine Axis Promotes Sickle Erythrocyte Retention in the Lung Microcirculation.

Abstract Pulmonary vascular occlusion is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sickle cell disease. Adhesion between sickle erythrocytes, leukocytes and the endothelium are intimately involved in pulmonary vascular occlusion, which contributes to the pathogenesis of the acute chest syndrome. Despite this significance, specific molecules and cognate mechanisms responsible for trapping sickle erythrocytes in the lung microcirculation are poorly understood. In this study, we show for the first time that products released by activated neutrophils act through the phosphatidyserine and phosphatidylserine receptor axis to promote retention of sickle erythrocytes in the lung microcirculation. We demonstrated that co-incubation with autologous activated neutrophils increased 2-fold the proportion of phosphatidylserine exposed sickle erythrocytes. This effect was abrogated by prior treatment of neutrophils with zileuton a pharmacological inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase. We next determined that primary endothelial cells derived from the pulmonary vasculature expressed the stereospecific receptor for phosphatidylserine. Transcripts for phosphatidylserine receptor (PSR) were 2-fold more abundant in endothelial cells from the pulmonary microvasculature compared to those from the pulmonary artery. To determine the relevance of neutrophil activation in PSR expression, cultures of PMVECs were treated with supernatants of activated neutrophils from patients with sickle cell anemia, and this resulted in 2-fold increase in PSR transcripts. To unravel the pathophysiological relevance of these findings, isolated rat lungs were perfused with 51Cr labeled sickle erythrocytes pre-incubated with annexin V, and retention of sickle erythrocytes quantified by 51Cr radioactivity. The number of sickle erythrocytes trapped in isolated lungs was 2-fold lower compared to the value in control experiments performed with untreated sickle erythrocytes. In agreement with our previous findings activated neutrophils significantly increased sickle erythrocyte retention in the lung (P=0.0004), however cloaking of sickle erythrocytes with annexin V reduced retention by 3-fold. Collectively, these data show that activation of neutrophils increases expression of PSR and its cognate ligand on endothelial cells and sickle erythrocytes respectively, providing the molecular basis for an adhesion complex that increases retention of sickle erythrocytes in the pulmonary endothelium. The PSR-phosphatidylserine adhesion complex therefore offers a novel therapeutic target to reduce pulmonary vascular occlusive events in sickle cell disease.
The United States Renal Data System: A Source of National Norms for ESRD Patient Outcome and Process of Care

The Annual Data Report of the United States Renal Data System provides a rich resource of published summaries of the United States norms for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patient outcome and process of care. It includes summaries of patient mortality rates, hospitalization rates, causes of death, and rates of withdrawal from dialysis based on a near-census of ESRD patients in the United States. Norms for some measures of the process of delivering dialysis therapy, including dose of dialysis are also reported, based on a national random sample of ESRD patients. National summaries of measures of patient outcome and process of care provide a useful benchmark against which specific experience can be compared. Such comparisons can be part of a quality improvement program that encourages caregivers to provide high quality care to ESRD patients. While the Annual Data Report provides summaries of several fundamental measures related to high quality care, including patient survival and quality of life, other measures need to be developed and studied, including more direct measures of quality of life.
Ion Beam Microscopy

Electron beams have made possible the development of the versatile, high performance electron microscopes described in the earlier chapters of this book. Techniques for the generation and application of electron beams are now well documented and understood, and a wide variety of images and data can be produced using readily available instruments. While the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is the most widely used tool for high performance imaging and microanalysis, it is not the only option and may not even always be the best instrument to choose to solve a particular problem. In this chapter we will discuss how, by replacing the beam of electrons with a beam of ions, it is possible to produce a high performance microscope which resembles an SEM in many respects and shares some of its capabilities but which also offers additional and important modes of operation.
Candida Endophthalmitis After Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty With Grafts From Both Eyes of a Donor With Possible Systemic Candidiasis.

Purpose To report 2 cases with late postoperative Candida albicans interface keratitis and endophthalmitis after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with corneal grafts originating from a single donor with a history of presumed pulmonary candidiasis. Methods Two patients underwent uncomplicated DSAEK by 2 corneal surgeons at different surgery centers but with tissue from the same donor and were referred to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute with multifocal infiltrates at the graft-host cornea interface 6 to 8 weeks later, and anterior chamber cultures that were positive for the same genetic strain of C. albicans. Immediate explantation of DSAEK lenticules and daily intracameral and instrastromal voriconazole and amphotericin injections failed to control the infection. Thus, both patients underwent therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty with intraocular lens explantation, pars plana vitrectomy, and serial postoperative intraocular antifungal injection. Results Both patients are doing well at 2 years postoperatively with best-corrected vision of 20/20 and 20/30+ with rigid gas permeable lenses. One patient required repeat optical penetrating keratoplasty and glaucoma tube implantation 1 year after the original surgery. Literature review reveals that donor lenticule explantation and intraocular antifungals are often inadequate to control fungal interface keratitis, and a therapeutic graft is commonly needed. Conclusions Interface fungal keratitis and endophthalmitis due to infected donor corneal tissue is difficult to treat, and both recipients of grafts originating from the same donor are at risk of developing this challenging condition.
Individual differences and day-to-day fluctuations in goal planning and type 1 diabetes management.

Objective To examine whether individual differences and day-to-day fluctuations in diabetes goal planning are associated with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) management during late adolescence, and whether lapses in daily diabetes goal planning are more disruptive to diabetes management among those with poorer executive functioning (EF). Method Late adolescents with T1D (N = 236, Mage = 17.77 years) completed survey measures assessing individual differences in levels of diabetes goal planning and adherence, as well as survey and performance-based measures of EF; glycemic control was assessed through glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) assays. Participants then completed a 2-week daily diary, rating items measuring daily diabetes goal planning, goal effort, and adherence, and recording blood-glucose tests from their glucometer at the end of each day. Results Analyses of survey measures indicated that higher individual differences in diabetes goal planning were associated with better adherence and glycemic control. Analyses of daily data using hierarchical linear modeling indicated that adolescents displayed higher daily adherence and lower blood-glucose levels on days when they had higher-than-their-average levels of daily goal planning and daily goal effort. EF moderated the association between daily goal planning and daily adherence, indicating that lapses in daily goal planning were more disruptive for adolescents with poorer EF. Conclusion Both individual differences and day-to-day fluctuations in diabetes goal planning are associated with diabetes management, highlighting the challenges of managing T1D in daily life. Youth in late adolescence with poorer EF may especially benefit from planning to attain diabetes goals on a daily basis. (PsycINFO Database Record
Time-resolved evolution of micro-discharges, surface ionization waves and plasma propagation in a two-dimensional packed bed reactor

Plasma packed bed reactors (PBRs) are being investigated for applications ranging from pollution remediation to chemical synthesis, including plasma catalysis. Plasma PBRs typically operate as dielectric barrier discharges where the plasma propagating through the PBR strongly interacts with the dielectric packing media and gas in the interstitial spaces. The nature of plasma propagation through this macroscopically porous-like medium is not well understood. Plasma formation in PBRs is a function of many parameters, including dielectric media composition and surface morphology, dielectric constant, packing fraction, pressure, and the applied voltage waveform. Imaging the plasma propagation through the complex three-dimensional geometry of the packing media and interstitial spaces that make up the PBR is difficult to experimentally execute. In this regard, a two-dimensional PBR composed of dielectric disks was developed to enable optical imaging of plasma formation and propagation. The mode of plasma propagation and the sensitivity of discharge formation to material dielectric constant, applied voltage, and pressure were experimentally and computationally investigated. We found that higher dielectric constants of the packing material produced more intense, localized filamentary micro-discharges between disks. In general, plasma propagation through the PBR at 1 atm is initiated by localized micro-discharges between adjacent dielectric disks, which in turn give rise to surface ionization waves (SIWs) that propagate along the dielectric surface. At pressures below 1 atm, the discharge was more diffuse regardless of the dielectric media, filling the interstitial space instead of forming SIWs.
Campylobacter bacteremia: clinical experience with three different blood culture systems at Mayo Clinic 1984-1990.

The efficiency of three commercially available blood culture systems for isolatingCampylobacter sp. was investigated. Thirteen of 189,688 blood cultures from patients seen at the Mayo Clinic from 1984 through 1990 were positive forCampylobacter sp. Eleven out of 13 blood cultures positive forCampylobacter sp. were part of a complete three bottle set of cultures (Isolator from Du Pont, Roche Septi-Chek from Hoffman-La Roche, and non-vented Tryptic Soy Broth from Difco), none of them providing a specific microaerophilic mileu. The aerobic Roche Septi-Chek seems to be more efficient for the detection ofCampylobacter sp. in blood cultures than either the anaerobic Tryptic Soy Broth (Difco) or the Isolator (Du Pont) using the incubator condition of 5% CO2.
Cryosols in Alaska

Permafrost, or perennially frozen ground, covers 9×105km2 or 55% of the landmass of Alaska. The continuous zone of permafrost encompasses the physiographic subdivisions of the Arctic Coastal Plain, the Arctic Foothills, the northern Norton Sound Highlands, and the Brooks Range. The zone of discontinuous permafrost encompasses the physiographic subdivisions of the Interior Alaska Lowlands, the Interior Alaska Highlands, the Alaska Range, the Copper River Plateau, the Kuskokwin Highlands, the southern Norton Sound Highlands, and the Western Alaska Coastal Plains and Deltas (Wahrhaftg, 1965; Pewe, 1975) (see Figure 2.2.1).
TOWARD A TOPOLOGICAL ISO-STRING THEORY IN 4D ISO-DUAL SPACE-TIME: HYPOTHESIS AND PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION

We propose a preliminary framework that engages iso-triplex numbers and deformation order parameters to encode the spatial states of Iso Open Topological Strings (Iso-OTS) for fermions and the temporal states of Iso Closed Topological Strings (Iso-CTS) for bosons, where space and time are iso-dual. The objective is to introduce an elementary Topological Iso-String Theory (TIST) that complies with the holographic principle and fundamentally represents the twisting, winding, and deforming of helical, spiral, and vortical information structures---by default---for attacking superfluidic motion patterns and energy states with iso-topic lifting. In general, these preliminary results indicate a cutting-edge, flexible, consistent, and powerful iso-mathematical framework with considerable representational capability that warrants further examination, collaboration, construction, and discipline.
Plant Volatiles and Other Specialized Metabolites: Synthesis, Storage, Emission, and Function

Each plant species produces a set of specialized metabolites that interact with its biotic and abiotic environment to optimize plant fitness. The major classes of specialized metabolites are terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and alkaloids as well as a few classes of fatty acid and other amino acid derivatives, and they serve to protect the plants against herbivores and pathogens and attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. These compounds are often synthesized and stored in, or emitted from, specific cells or structures that might occur in all aerial and underground parts of the plants. Here we review the limited knowledge we have about storage and emission of such compounds.
Hierarchical Multitask Learning With CTC

In Automatic Speech Recognition, it is still challenging to learn useful intermediate representations when using high-level (or abstract) target units such as words. For that reason, when only a few hundreds of hours of training data are available, character or phoneme-based systems tend to outperform word-based systems. In this paper, we show how Hierarchical Multitask Learning can encourage the formation of useful intermediate representations. We achieve this by performing Connectionist Temporal Classification at different levels of the network with targets of different granularity. Our model thus performs predictions in multiple scales for the same input. On the standard 300h Switchboard training setup, our hierarchical multitask architecture demonstrates improvements over singletask architectures with the same number of parameters. Our model obtains 14.0% Word Error Rate on the Switchboard subset of the Eval2000 test set without any decoder or language model, outperforming the current state-of-the-art on non-autoregressive Acoustic-to-Word models.
A specific Ret receptor isoform is required for pioneer axon outgrowth and growth cone dynamics

In many cases, axon growth and guidance are driven by pioneer axons, the first axons to grow in a particular region. Despite their dynamic pathfinding capabilities and developmental importance, there are very few pioneer neuron specific markers and thus their in vivo identification and functional interrogation have been difficult. We found that a Ret receptor isoform, Ret51, is highly enriched in peripheral sensory pioneer neurons and is required for pioneer axon outgrowth. Ret null mutant pioneer neurons differentiate normally; however, they displayed defects in growth cone morphology and formation of filopodia before pioneer axon extension prematurely halts. We also demonstrate loss-of-function of a retrograde cargo adaptor, JNK-interacting protein 3 (Jip3), phenocopied many of these axonal defects. We further found that loss of Jip3 led to accumulation of activated Ret receptor in pioneer growth cones, indicating a failure in the clearance of activated Ret from growth cones. Using an axon sever approach as well as in vivo analysis of axonal transport, we showed Jip3 specifically mediates retrograde, but not anterograde, transport of activated Ret51. Finally, live imaging revealed that Jip3 and Ret51 were retrogradely co-transported in pioneer axons, suggesting Jip3 functions as an adapter for retrograde transport of Ret51. Taken together, these results identify Ret51 as a molecular marker of pioneer neurons and elucidate an important isoform-specific role for Ret51 in axon growth and growth cone dynamics during development.
The art and science of securing a job in an academic library: Landing your first, or next, position

While there are countless numbers of books, articles, webinars, forums, and courses that provide helpful tips, tricks and strategies to successfully navigate the academic job search and interview process, they may only slightly improve a candidate’s chance of successfully landing a job. This article, based on the author’s experiences, focuses on five factors that can make a significant difference in improving an LIS student or recent LIS graduate’s odds of success in landing a job in a research library. A study found that factors such as prior academic library experience (including practicums), professional service/committee work, and a record of publications can significantly increase or decrease the odds of getting a job after graduation. Brian Kenney suggests that LIS candidates can significantly increase their chances of landing a job by being willing to relocate and by effectively marketing themselves.
Niacin biological challenge: A paradigm to evaluate social concerns.

Abstract Background and objectives Anxiety sensitivity (AS) social concerns, the fear of observable anxiety symptoms is posited as a risk factor for social anxiety by increasing fear reactivity in social situations when observable anxiety symptoms are present. Experimental evaluation of AS social concerns is limited. The current study utilized several manipulations designed to be relevant to AS social concerns or fear of negative evaluation (FNE), a distinct social anxiety risk factor. The effects of these manipulations on fear reactivity to a speech were examined. Methods Participants (N = 124 students; M age = 19.44, SD = 2.45; 64.5% female) were randomized to one of four conditions in a 2 (100 mg niacin vs 100 mg sugar pill) X 2 (instructional set) design. For the instructional set manipulation, participants were told their speech performance would be evaluated by a judge based on their performance (i.e., FNE-relevant) or their observable anxiety symptoms (i.e., AS social concerns-relevant). Results There was a main effect for vitamin condition with participants in the niacin condition reporting higher panic symptoms post-speech relative to those in the placebo condition. There was no main effect for speech instructions. As hypothesized, these effects were qualified by an interaction indicating that AS social concerns significantly predicted panic symptoms for those receiving niacin. Limitations Limitations include the reliance on self-reports of outcome variables and the use of an undergraduate student sample. Conclusions These findings highlight a distinct role of AS social concerns in fear responding to socially evaluative situations in the context of physically observable arousal.
Historical fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, from remnant yellow pines

Knowledge of historical fire regimes informs the restoration of woodland communities. In the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, little is known about the long-term history of fire in oak–pine communities, which are declining in the region. To address this knowledge gap, two sites with remnant fire-scarred yellow pines, Hatton Ridge in Kentucky and McAtee Run in Ohio, were studied to document aspects of the historical fire regime. Cross-sections from fire-scarred yellow pines were collected. Fire chronologies were constructed and fire intervals were calculated using standard dendrochronological methods. Fires, the great majority of which occurred in the dormant season, were frequent at both sites from circa 1750 at Hatton and 1800 at McAtee, until the suppression period (1930 to present); only one fire was recorded after 1930. Mean fire intervals (MFI) for the entire period were nearly identical, 4.7 and 4.4 years at Hatton and McAtee, respectively. At both sites, MFIs were lowest in the industrial period (1850 to 1930). At Hatton, the MFI was 6.6 years before 1850 and 3.5 years from 1850 to 1930, while at McAtee, the MFI was 8.4 years before 1850 and 2.7 years from 1850 to 1930. At both sites, the occurrence of fire was not more frequent than expected in years associated with a drought. At McAtee, the majority of pine establishment occurred in pulses during two periods, 1770 to 1781 and 1853 to 1867, suggesting stand-scale canopy disturbances; the second pulse was associated with frequent burning. In contrast, large pulses of pine establishment were not found at Hatton. Yellow pines were a component of these communities, which experienced frequent fire for at least 130 to 160 years. After more than 70 years with little or no fire, yellow pines are now a minor component of the overstory and pine regeneration is essentially absent. Although intensive management with partial harvesting and frequent fire would be required to restore oak–pine woodlands on appropriate sites, it would serve to sustain these increasingly uncommon communities.
Long-term remission rates after splenectomy in adults with Evans syndrome compared to immune thrombocytopenia: A single-center retrospective study.

Objective Evans syndrome, the combination of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or autoimmune neutropenia, is associated with a high rate of relapsed/refractory disease. There are limited data on the efficacy of splenectomy for this condition. We reviewed patient outcomes after splenectomy for Evans syndrome compared to ITP at our institution. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent splenectomy for autoimmune cytopenias over a 23-year period with the intention of comparing disease relapse rates after splenectomy in patients with Evans syndrome and in those with ITP. Results During the study period, 77 patients underwent splenectomy for ITP and seven underwent splenectomy for Evans syndrome. In the Evans cohort, splenectomy led to an 85.7% initial response rate with a 42.8% rate of relapse within one year and a long-term (one-year) response rate of 42.8%. In the ITP cohort, the initial response rate was 90.9% with a long-term response rate of 70.1%. Conclusion Our data suggest that long-term remission rates after splenectomy are lower in adults with Evans syndrome compared to those with ITP, although splenectomy may still be an acceptable treatment for certain patients with Evans syndrome. Our findings underscore the need for further research and development of additional therapeutic strategies for this patient population.
Mia Had a Little Lamb: Gender and Species Stereotypes in LEGO Sets

Toys are an important tool through which our culture socializes children. For example, animal figures are a type of toy through which children can learn about gender roles. In this chapter, author Debra Merskin employs intersectionality as a critical lens to analyze a selection of LEGO building sets that feature animals. She finds that while the LEGO sets in her study include boy and girl characters, the sets that target girls tend to present female characters in caretaking roles with named animals, whereas sets targeting boys present male characters in dominance roles over unnamed animals. Merskin concludes that by portraying hegemonic dynamics in their building sets, LEGO misses an opportunity to offer more gender-inclusive understandings of the occupations and roles considered culturally appropriate for boys, girls, women and men, as well as to foster children’s empathy for animals.
Effects of Adjunctive Inflammatory Modulation on IL-1β in Treatment Resistant Bipolar Depression

Abstract Background Adjunctive inflammatory modulation improved remission rates in treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBDD), but reliable biomarkers must be established to characterize the biosignature of TRBDD and the mechanisms underlying treatment response. In this molecular profiling study, we describe TRBDD and treatment response from the standpoint of interleukin-1 Beta (IL-1β) and KYN/TRP. Methods 47 TRBDD patients with moderately severe HAMD-17 scores were randomized to receive either escitalopram (ESC) (10 mg–40 mg daily dose range) + celecoxib (CBX) (200 mg twice daily), or ESC (10 mg–40 mg daily dose range) + placebo (PBO) (twice daily). Plasma cytokine levels were measured in both treatment arms at baseline and week 8, and in a healthy control (HC) group of subjects (N = 43) once. A linear mixed model (LMM) was applied to evaluate whether clinical outcome is related to CBX and changes to biomarkers throughout treatment. A binary logistic regression model was formulated from this series to predict both the primary outcome of treatment response to CBX, and the secondary outcome of diagnosis of TRBDD using age, BMI, gender, and IL-1β at baseline. Results Patients receiving ESC + CBX had 4.278 greater odds of responding (p = 0.021) with NNT = 3, and 15.300 times more likely to remit (p Conclusions Elevated IL-1β and low KYN/TRP at baseline are components of the TRBDD molecular signature. CBX but not baseline IL-1β or KYN/TRP predict treatment response. Change in IL-1β and KYN/TRP did not predict treatment response.
Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of AdSS Bisubstrate Inhibitors

Many cancers lack the expression of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP). These cancers require adenylosuccinate synthetase (AdSS) for nucleic acid synthesis. By inhibiting adenylosuccinate synthetase, we potentially have a new therapeutic agent. Bisubstrate inhibitors were synthesized and evaluated against purified AdSS. The best activity was obtained with adenosine bearing a four-carbon linker that connects the N-formyl-N-hydroxy moiety to the 6-position of the purine nucleoside.
Saturated Compounds in Heavy Petroleum Fractions

The saturated compounds in a series of progressively higher boiling petroleum fractions, namely five vacuum gas oils (VGO) and the corresponding vacuum residue (VR) of an Arabian crude oil, were se...
Patient and Clinician Perceptions about Remote Video Visits for Musculoskeletal Problems: A Qualitative Study

Background: An understanding of patient and clinician opinions about remote video musculoskeletal consultationsmight help determine how to increase appeal and utilization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceptions ofremote video musculoskeletal consultations. Our research questions was what are patient and clinician facilitators andbarriers for the use of remote video consultations?Methods: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic 27 English speaking adult patients seeking ambulatory care for amusculoskeletal problem, and 10 English-speaking musculoskeletal clinicians were interviewed using a guide.Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded using applied thematic analysis.Results: Patient and clinician incentives for remote video consultations included increased convenience, lower costs,less waiting time, and a better experience. Patient and clinician barriers to remote video consultations included concernsabout familiarity with technology, lack of personal interaction and physical examination, inability to perform procedures,difficulties with reimbursement (clinicians), as well as technical, logistical, and privacy issues.Conclusion: This qualitative study performed prior to the pandemic found that adoption of remote video consultation formusculoskeletal problems may improve with seamless, efficient, and effective care, at an affordable price, particularly ifthe human connection is similar to what occurs in person.Level of evidence: Not applicable
Paul’s Flesh: A Disabled Reading of Flesh/Spirit Dualism

This article considers the Pauline construction of a “spiritual body” in 1 Corinthians 15 and his flesh/spirit dualism more generally in light of Paul’s probable disability. I suggest that this rhe...
Financial Inclusion in Politics

Our deregulated campaign finance system has a race problem. We use innovations in statistical methods and the universe of campaign contributions for federal elections to analyze the racial distribution of money in American politics between 1980 and 2012. We find that white people are severely overrepresented among donors. A stunning 91% of money contributed to state and federal candidates by individuals has come from non-Hispanic white donors. The racial gap in campaign contributions is significantly greater than the gap in voter participation and elected office holding. It is also relatively constant across time and elected offices. This result is an important missing piece in the conversation about equity in political participation. We argue that the courts and Congress should take steps to address the racial gaps in campaign finance participation. The participation and representation problems that flow from racial inequality in deregulated campaign finance could inform claims under the Voting Rights Act (VRA), and politico-financial inequalities certainly bear on the normative problems that the statute intends to address. But the most politically viable way to address the campaign finance racial gap lies in adoption of public financing for political campaigns, which offer the promise of increasing the racial representativeness of campaign contributions. When racial representativeness in contributions is improved, improved equality in the distribution of resources and power in electoral and political systems should follow.
Mind the Gap: Alveolar Bone Graft Revision in the Era of Computed Tomography.

Objective:To determine the rate of revision alveolar bone grafting (ABG) in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) before and after the introduction of postoperative computed tomography (CT).Desi...
Sclerosing microcystic adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland - The first recorded case with histo-cytopathologic correlation and a brief review of the literature.

Abstract We present a case of a 1.0 cm primary tumor of the left parotid gland that meets the histological criteria for the recently described entity sclerosing microcystic adenocarcinoma. The patient was a 73-year-old man with a concurrent tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma, and a history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy 23 years prior. Fine needle aspiration cytology demonstrated low-grade biphasic basaloid neoplastic cells arranged in branching sheets and clusters with minimal nuclear pleomorphism. A biphasic appearance was apparent and some of the cell clusters were bordered by a layer of flattened cells with ovoid bland nuclei. On histology, the tumor comprised small bilayered infiltrative tubules, nests, cords, and microcysts. On immunohistochemistry, EMA, SOX-10, P63, and S-100 protein highlighted a dual cell population of luminal and abluminal cells. The cells were negative for CD117, and the Ki-67 proliferation index was low (
Models of Care for Frail Older Adults

The growth of the aging population in Korea will challenge health and social services. As Korean society changes, the U.S. models of end-of-life care and geriatric care for frail older adults may have increasing relevance for the Korean healthcare system. This article reviews three U.S. models of care for frail older adults: hospice and palliative care, the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and the transitional care model. We describe the strengths and limitations of each model and discuss ways in which these models could be adapted for the Korean healthcare system.
An Interactive Reference Framework for Modeling a Dynamic Immune System

Immune cells function in an interacting hierarchy that coordinates the activities of various cell types according to genetic and environmental contexts. We developed graphical approaches to construct an extensible immune reference map from mass cytometry data of cells from different organs, incorporating landmark cell populations as flags on the map to compare cells from distinct samples. The maps recapitulated canonical cellular phenotypes and revealed reproducible, tissue-specific deviations. The approach revealed influences of genetic variation and circadian rhythms on immune system structure, enabled direct comparisons of murine and human blood cell phenotypes, and even enabled archival fluorescence-based flow cytometry data to be mapped onto the reference framework. This foundational reference map provides a working definition of systemic immune organization to which new data can be integrated to reveal deviations driven by genetics, environment, or pathology.
Resuscitating adaptive Tregs with combination therapies

Induction of 'adaptive' regulatory T cells (Tregs) using islet-specific antigen vaccinations has been shown to prevent disease in various animal models for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Even though translation from bench to bedside has been unsuccessful so far, this non-invasive approach is the Holy Grail to safely achieve immune tolerance in humans. We will discuss here the fact that every immune response appears to contain a balance of adaptive effector and Treg cells. The evolution of these population and their antigen specificities over time during diabetes development will determine at which time and route a given islet antigen can be chosen to augment such adaptive Tregs most efficiently. Their 'resuscitation' will be crucial for long-term tolerance and homeostasis in the islet micro-environment, which is ultimately needed for a cure from T1D. Recent insight from our studies shows that short-term creation of a systemic milieu that favours Treg propagation, as it occurs after systemic administration of non Fc-binding anti-CD3, can strongly enhance this process. We propose that combination therapies with anti-CD3 or similar systemic immune modulators that lower effector cells and enhance Tregs with vaccines that induce adaptive Tregs will be a crucial step in developing successful immune-based intervention in T1D.
Maternal Effects of theshort integumentMutation on Embryo Development inArabidopsis

Abstract Maternal gene products deposited in an animal egg determine the polarity of embryonic axes and regulate embryonic cell–cell communication important for morphogenesis. Here we report the first maternal-effect embryo-defective mutation discovered in a plant. Recessive mutations in theSHORT INTEGUMENT(SIN1) gene inArabidopsiswere previously shown to influence ovule development and flowering time. Here we show that asin1mutation has a pronounced maternal effect on zygotic embryo development. A homozygoussin1mutant embryo is normal when nursed by asin1/+ heterozygous maternal sporophyte. Strikingly, asin1or asin1/+ embryo that is nursed by asin1homozygous maternal sporophyte develops morphogenetic defects in the apical–basal and radial axes. The defects resemble those seen in some zygotic-effect embryonic pattern formation mutants. These results imply that in maternal cells theSIN1gene either codes for or controls the production of a diffusible morphogen necessary for proper zygotic embryogenesis.
The interaction of microwaves with sea ice

The sea ice pack in the polar regions plays a fundamental role in global climate as the boundary layer separating the ocean and atmosphere in these regions. Due to its vast extent, the physical properties of the sea ice pack are often studied via electromagnetic remote sensing from satellites and airplanes, in the microwave regime. In this work we give an overview of ongoing investigations of the interaction of microwaves with sea ice. This interaction is particularly interesting in the case of sea ice, which is a composite of pure ice with random brine and air inclusions, whose geometry can depend dramatically on temperature. These investigations include finding a series of bounds on the effective complex permittivity e* of sea ice, under constraints on the microgeometry, such as fixed brine volume. In particular, we describe some rather tight bounds on e* which incorporate the geometrical constraint that for temperatures colder than the percolation threshold, Tc ≈ –5°C, the brine phase is contained in separated inclusions. These bounds fit actual data on e* at 4.75 GHz quite closely. We also describe how this series of bounds, which are derived in the quasistatic limit, break down when compared with data taken in the 26.5–40.0 GHz range. Finally, we briefly discuss some preliminary results of backscatter experiments we conducted at C band (5.3 GHz) on first year sea ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, during the austral winter of 1994.