cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Porphyrin Immobilized Nanographene Oxide for Enhanced and Targeted Photothermal Therapy of Brain Cancer

Brain cancer is a fatal disease that is difficult to treat because of poor targeting and low permeability of chemotherapeutic drugs through the blood brain barrier. In a comparison to current treatments, such as surgery followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, photothermal therapy is a remarkable noninvasive therapy developed in recent years. In this work, porphyrin immobilized nanographene oxide (PNG) was synthesized and bioconjugated with a peptide to achieve enhanced and targeted photothermal therapy for brain cancer. PNG was dispersed into the agar based artificial tissue model and demonstrated a photo-to-thermal conversion efficiency of 19.93% at a PNG concentration of only 0.5 wt %, with a heating rate of 0.6 °C/s at the beginning of irradiation. In comparison, 0.5 wt % graphene oxide (GO) indicated a photo-to-thermal conversion efficiency of 12.20% and a heating rate of 0.3 °C/s. To actively target brain tumor cells without harming healthy cells and tissues surrounding the laser path, a tripep...
A novel compliant-body pump with a high volumetric efficiency

Abstract The article introduces a novel compliant-body pump, with a high volumetric efficiency: A flexible-matrix-composite hyperboloid structure. The high volumetric efficiency is attributed to the geometry of the pump’s structure (hyperboloid) and the high negative effective Poisson’s ratio of the 3-layer flexible-matrix-composite laminate adopted for the compliant body of the pump. The pumping potential, introduced as a measure of the volumetric efficiency, was determined both analytically, using the finite element method, and experimentally, using a built-in prototype. The results indicate that the proposed pump has a very high volumetric efficiency.
Hydrolytic and Color Stability of Resin Infiltration: A Preliminary in vitro Trial.

AIMS Resin infiltration is an emerging technique for management of noncavitated lesions. This study evaluated the in vitro hydrolytic and color stability of the ICON® resin infiltration system (IC) in 42 extracted human teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS ICON® resin infiltration system was compared with dental adhesive (DA) and dental sealant (DS). The products were applied according to manufacturer's instructions. The baseline weight and color of the samples were recorded. Color was recorded by spectoral colorimeter. The samples were subjected to four experimental conditions: (1) group 1: Stored in lactic acid solution (pH 4.9) for 24 hours; (2) group 2: Thermocycled for 100 cycles (temperatures: 5°C, 55°C, and dwell time of 15 seconds); (3) group 3: Stored in 0.1 N sodium hydroxide solution (pH 12.48) for 14 days at 60°C; (4) group 4: Stored in phosphate-buffered saline solution (pH 7.2) at 37°C for 4 months. The weight and color were recorded again after removal of the samples from the experimental conditions. Two-factor analysis of variance models and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference were performed to assess statistical differences among the groups. Scanning electron microscopy imaging was performed for samples from groups 1, 3, and 4. RESULTS All the samples showed loss of material and change in color. In the demineralizing solution, IC showed significantly greater weight loss (p = 0.032) and color change (p = 0.038) compared with DA. Dental Sealant showed significantly greater weight loss than IC (p = 0.027) after thermocycling. Teeth in group 3 exhibited the greatest weight loss (p < 0.001). Teeth in group 2 exhibited the greatest color change (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION All tested materials showed loss of retention and color change in the experimental conditions. Infiltration system exhibited greatest weight loss and color change in demineralizing solution. Dental sealant exhibited greatest weight loss upon thermocycling. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Clinicians should be cautious about the limitations of retention and color stability when considering resin infiltration for incipient lesions.
Numerical simulation of star formation in filamentary dark molecular clouds

Numerical simulations of star formation faces challenges including the huge spatial dynamic range and the presence of multiply coupled highly non-linear physics, such as magnetic field, supersonic turbulence, gravitation, radiation and protostellar outflow feedback. We present in this symposium our latest high resolution adaptive mesh refinement numerical simulations of the formation of filamentary dark molecular clouds from 4.55 pc size scale down to the formation of a protostellar cluster with maximum resolution at 28 AU. The physical properties of the long braided filamentary dark cloud formed in the simulation, the magnetic field properties of the cloud clumps, and the protostellar mass function in the simulations match well with the latest observations.
Glycopyrrolate: It's time to review

Medication shortages have become an all-too-common inconvenience that has forced anesthesia providers to examine our administering practices. Because of these shortages, commonly used medications are at the greatest risk. Glycopyrrolate (Robinul), which has been in short supply in recent years, is one of the most widely used anticholinergic agents, especially in conjunction with the anticholinesterase neostigmine, for reversal of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) drugs. Here we review multiple studies from 1972 through 1986 that used varying methods of patient selection and dosage and drug combination criteria, and which noted that glycopyrrolate had a superior efficacy and adverse effect profile when compared with atropine in NMB reversal. Meta-analysis from these studies indicated that the dosage of 0.2 mg of glycopyrrolate for every 1 mg of neostigmine, given concomitantly (maximum 1 mg glycopyrrolate and 5 mg neostigmine), demonstrated the greatest efficacy with the lowest incidence of unwanted adverse effects. It has now become common practice to use a dosage ratio of 0.2 mg glycopyrrolate to 1.0 mg neostigmine for NMB reversal. Yet since 1986, there have been no studies on reversal with glycopyrrolate and neostigmine. Frequent medication shortages and good medical practice should be an impetus for clinicians to reevaluate dosing practices of critical medications and revisit these drugs, such as glycopyrrolate, with more current studies.
Quantifying the benefits of urban forest systems as a component of the green infrastructure stormwater treatment network

The use of Green Infrastructure for reducing stormwater runoff is increasingly common. One under-studied component of the green infrastructure network is the urban forest system. Trees can play an important role as the “first line of defense” for restoring more natural hydrologic regimes in urban watersheds by intercepting rainfall, delaying runoff, infiltrating and transpiring captured stormwater. However, inadequate research quantifying the urban tree contribution to rainfall/runoff processes limits their promotion by stormwater managers. The purpose of this literature review is to highlight the limited research performed, document areas of need for quantifying the benefits of urban trees for stormwater management, and provide a basis for providing credits for trees in stormwater designs. Recent research has shown that urban trees can retain a sizable volume of annual rainfall in their crowns, delay the flow of stormwater runoff, substantially increase the infiltration capacity of urban soils, and provide transpiration of sequestered runoff for additional stormwater storage. Tree canopy effectiveness is highest during short, low intensity storms and lower as rainfall volume and intensity increases. While soils are the best medium to store and filter stormwater, trees may be integrated with other runoff reduction strategies to bring more natural hydrologic processes to urban watersheds by taking advantage of multiple points of retention. Gaps remain in the body of research, but there is a basis for considering trees an integral part of the watershed-scale green infrastructure network that helps reduce the volume and intensity of urban stormwater runoff. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Abstract 3835: DNA methylation levels in mononuclear DNA in breast cancer from the New York site of the BCFR

Alterations in DNA methylation both at specific loci and overall, have been associated with breast cancer. These alterations have primarily been observed at the tissue level, although emerging studies are evaluating white blood cell (WBC) DNA methylation. To examine whether DNA methylation change measured prospectively in a family-based cohort are associated with breast cancer risk, we measured methylation levels of two repetitive elements (LINE-1, and Sat2) and three genes in mononuclear cell DNA (BLNK, CUEDC1, and IBSP) previously identified as differentially methylated in breast cancer in a genome-wide association study. After an average of 8 years of followup, we observed 81 invasive incident breast cancers and compared their methylation levels measured with baseline bloods with the remaining 1,508 women not affected with breast cancer in the New York site of the Breast Cancer Family Registry (BCFR). We found that the overall percent methylation in CUEDC1 was statistically significantly higher in breast cancer cases than in controls (78.0% versus 76.8%, respectively, p = 0.02). In a multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards model adjusting for age at blood draw, with each 1 unit increase in CUEDC1 methylation level, the OR for breast cancer increased by 1.07 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.00-1.14). We did not find the other methylation markers to be related to risk. The area under the curve was 67.6% (95% CI = 61.4% to 73.8%) for the 5 methylation markers and Gail risk score, compared with 63.3% for the Gail score only. Our finding for CUEDC1 replicates the finding from the Sisters Study supporting that selected markers selected markers of epigenetic changes measured in WBC may be potential biomarkers of breast cancer risk. Citation Format: Hui-Chen Wu, Qiao Wang, Regina M. Santella, Mary B. Terry. DNA methylation levels in mononuclear DNA in breast cancer from the New York site of the BCFR. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3835. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3835
Associations between job physical and psychosocial factors in a pooled study

Introduction: There is a growing body of research connecting musculoskeletal diseases to both job physical exposures and psychosocial exposures. Associations between job physical exposures and psyc...
Angiotensin Signaling and Apoptosis in the Neonatal Heart: Necessary Evils?: Commentary on the article by Choi et al . on page 325

Angiotensin Signaling and Apoptosis in the Neonatal Heart: Necessary Evils?: Commentary on the article by Choi et al . on page 325
Historical Analysis: The Journal of Pediatric Psychology From 1976 to 2015.

Objective To provide a historical analysis through the examination of trends in type of articles, content areas, and population groups across all issues of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP). Method All articles published in JPP between the years 1976-2015 were coded based on article type (e.g., original research, meta-analysis), content code (e.g., adherence, primary care), and population code (e.g., oncology, chronic and recurrent pain). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results The overall top article types, content codes, and population codes are described as well as top codes for each decade. Overall, the majority of articles were classified as original research. Although some population and content codes varied over time, there were some areas that were consistently present throughout issues, including family systems, cognitive/intellectual functioning, pediatric oncology, and type 1 diabetes. Many topics selected for special issues and topics were consistent with top population and content codes. Conclusions Findings indicate that most top areas have consistently been present in JPP over the 39-year period. The current historical analysis highlights these patterns as well as serves as a historical record for JPP.
Nickel-Catalyzed Negishi Cross-Coupling of N-Acylsuccinimides: Stable, Amide-Based, Twist-Controlled Acyl-Transfer Reagents via N–C Activation

This paper reports a room temperature, nickel-catalyzed Negishi cross-coupling of N-acylsuccinimides with arylzinc reagents via selective N–C bond cleavage enabled by amide bond twist. The reaction proceeds using a commercially available, air-stable Ni(II) precatalyst in the absence of additives under exceedingly mild conditions. Of broad interest, this report introduces N-acylsuccinimides as stable, crystalline, electrophilic, cost-effective, benign, amide-based acyl transfer reagents via acyl metal intermediates. The reaction selectivity is governed by half-twist of the amide bond in N-acylsuccinimides, thus opening the door for applications in metal-catalyzed manifolds via redox­-neutral reaction pathways tuneable by amide bond distortion.
Estimation of the mean in line intercept sampling

Ratio estimation of the parametric mean for a characteristic measured on plants sampled by a line intercept method is presented and evaluated via simulation using different plant dispersion patterns (Poisson, regular cluster, and Poisson cluster), plant width variances, and numbers of lines. The results indicate that on average the estimates are close to the parametric mean under all three dispersion patterns. Given a fixed number of lines, variability of the estimates is similar across dispersion patterns with variability under the Poisson pattern slightly smaller than varia-bility under the cluster patterns. No variance estimates were negative under the Poisson pattern, but some estimates were negative under the cluster patterns for smaller numbers of lines. Variance estimates become closer to zero similarly for all spatial patterns as the number of lines increases. Ratio estimation of the parametric mean in line intercept sampling works better, from the viewpoint of approximate unbiasedness and variability of estimates, under the Poisson pattern with larger numbers of lines than other combinations of spatial patterns, plant width variances and numbers of lines.
Women in Leadership: Non-Asian Context with a Focus on Higher Education

Women’s leadership in higher education in Korea is at a token level. This reality is somewhat surprising given the high proportion of women enrolled in higher education. In Chap. 14, a comparative perspective is taken by examining women leadership in higher education in the U.S.A. and Germany to develop recommendations for Korea. Both Germany and the U.S.A. started early in their initiatives to improve gender equity in higher education. Despite advances, deep-rooted gender norms are difficult to overcome, as leadership styles and evaluations are still gendered. It would serve Korea well to take note from the comparison and to implement diversity and inclusion measures with a long-term perspective.
Experimental Models of Hypertension and Their Relevance to Human Hypertension

This chapter reviews a variety of models of experimental hypertension with the intent of providing a resource for the interested reader. Much of the important progress in delineating the pathophysiology of blood pressure regulation and the changes that occur in hypertension has been accomplished via animal models. Some models explore normal and abnormal physiology without genetic manipulation but rather by surgery, infusion of medications, and alterations in diet. In other models, inbreeding or genetic manipulation has resulted in increased or decreased blood pressure. These various models should be considered both for carrying out research in hypertension and in evaluating studies that have already been conducted.
A National Palliative Care Strategy for Canada

Abstract Objective: To identify barrier to achieving universal access to high quality palliative care in Canada, review published national strategies and frameworks to promote palliative care, examine key aspects that have been linked to successful outcomes, and make recommendations for Canada. Background: In 2014, the World Health Organization called on members to develop and implement policies to ensure palliative care is integrated into national health services. Methods: Rapid review supplemented by the author's personal files, outreach to colleagues within the international palliative care community, review of European Association for Palliative Care publications, and a subsequent search of the table of contents of the major palliative care journals. Results: Frameworks were found for 10 countries ranging from detailed and comprehensive multi-year strategies to more general approaches including laws guaranteeing access to palliative care services for “dying” patients or recommendations for the develop...
On the macroscopic modeling of dilute emulsions under flow in the presence of particle inertia

Recently, Mwasame et al. [“On the macroscopic modeling of dilute emulsions under flow,” J. Fluid Mech. 831, 433 (2017)] developed a macroscopic model for the dynamics and rheology of a dilute emulsion with droplet morphology in the limit of negligible particle inertia using the bracket formulation of non-equilibrium thermodynamics of Beris and Edwards [Thermodynamics of Flowing Systems: With Internal Microstructure (Oxford University Press on Demand, 1994)]. Here, we improve upon that work to also account for particle inertia effects. This advance is facilitated by using the bracket formalism in its inertial form that allows for the natural incorporation of particle inertia effects into macroscopic level constitutive equations, while preserving consistency to the previous inertialess approximation in the limit of zero inertia. The parameters in the resultant Particle Inertia Thermodynamically Consistent Ellipsoidal Emulsion (PITCEE) model are selected by utilizing literature-available mesoscopic theory fo...
Conversations with 100 scientists in the field reveal a bifurcated perception of the state of mass spectrometry software.

Mass spectrometry is an important tool used by many scientists throughout the world. Nonetheless, feedback on the strengths and limitations of current software is often restricted to anecdote rather than formal inquiry. Over the course of 100 interviews over the state of mass spectrometry software, surprising patterns coalesced on several topics: perception of the frontier, perception of software quality, and differences between commercial and nonprofit environments. Most notably, interviews suggested a substantial schism between user satisfaction with current software and developer perceptions of software quality. Scientists’ anonymized responses are presented and summarized into their suggestions for improving the state of the art.
Absence of bactericidal effect of focused shock waves on an in-vitro biofilm model of an implant.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of shock waves (SWs) on gram-negative or gram-positive monocultured biofilms grown on an orthopedic implant in vitro. Cortical bone screws were individually cultured with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus epidermidis to produce a biofilm. In each run of 8 screws, 6 screws were treated with shock waves and then sonicated to disrupt the biofilm. One screw was sonicated only and one was not shock waved or sonicated before sampling for plate count dilutions. Post-treatment serial dilutions and plate counts were done on an aliquot from the vial containing each screw to obtain the number of colony-forming units (CFUs). Shock waves were at a constant energy of 0.15 mJ/mm2. Pulse number and screw orientation were varied. A linear mixed-effects model was used with “treatment” as a fixed effect and “run” as a random effect. Pairwise comparisons of treatments were performed with Tukey-Cramer’s adjustment for P-values. Sonicated plate counts were greater than nonsonicated counts for each run. When all sonicated screws were compared to all nonsonicated screws, the counts were significantly increased (P = 0.0091). For each paired comparison between sonicated and shock wave treatment, the only significant difference was in the S. epidermidis biofilm treated at 2000 pulses in a horizontal position, which increased the post-treatment count (P = 0.0445). No bactericidal effects were seen on monocultured biofilms on cortical bone screws treated with shock waves.
History, Originality, and Genesis

In the twenty-second chapter of Genesis, God orders Abraham to take his son?his only son ?Isaac to a mountaintop in the land of Moriah and there offer him up as a burnt offering. This story, as brief and shattering as a hammerblow, contains the essence of biblical religion. In the reader's experience, faith and revulsion struggle irresolvably. The reader who fails to demand that God explain His appalling command in terms that satisfy our human moral sense shows not faith, but disbelief. Whoever accepts the story with cold and smug confidence, whoever refuses to plunge empathetically into the anguish of Abraham, shows that he lacks the jus tice and mercy God requires of every human being. Such a reader turns Abraham into a puppet and God into a monster. Those who teach Genesis encounter not only in their students, but in themselves, the deadening effect of 3,000 years of accumulated familiarity. An orthodox reading finds Abraham's faith unflinching and God's testing a mere charade in the midst of which Abraham and the reader are already confident of the final reward. Such a reading takes the story entirely too much on faith ?a false faith that prudently disarms any risk of being tested. An authentically religious reading of Scripture, on the contrary, is anything but accepting, even though what we call "critical distance" never emerges. For a believer the text is full of thorny challenges?Jacob wrestling God, Job's clear conscience in the face of punishment, Jesus's shocking conundrums: the first shall be last; I bring not peace but the sword?so that reading it is like crossing a spiritual desert toward a land whose promise is sure to the exact degree that that promise contradicts every human certainty. Those who wrestle with the text may be broken by it, but only they can win a blessing. The strength of Harold Bloom's commentary in The Book ofj is the strength of his spiritual wrestling with Scripture. Since he explicitly rejects reading in the traditional mode of belief, the term "spiritual" may seem misleading. He insists that to read J, you must peel away "three stages of varnish, plastered on by the rabbis, the Christian prelates, and the
Psychasthenia Studio and the Gamification of Contemporary Culture

What does it mean to say that Games Matter within a new media art context? Conversely, what contributions can artists and scholars exploring the medium make to the cultural conversation around their use and meaning? This contribution highlights the ways in which our interdisciplinary art collective, Psychasthenia Studio , has addressed the cultural effects of games and gamification as they have evolved over the last decade, using a series of videogame art projects as the medium of expression and critique. As Mary Flanagan (2009) suggested in Critical Play , “games carry beliefs within their representation systems and mechanics” (p. 4). Through their thematic content and interaction design, the three videogames developed by us in the interdisciplinary Psychasthenia Studio between 2009‒2017 draw attention to those beliefs as they exist not only in the games themselves, but also more broadly in an increasingly gamified contemporary culture. Psychasthenia Studio simultaneously intervenes in the discussion around games in society and pushes the boundaries of what constitutes new media art practice today. By playing the Psychasthenia games, our hope is that users both co-author and witness their own participation in the system.
The Heart and the Head

In this paper I analyze everyday conceptions of being emotional. Like many emotion terms, “being emotional” can designate either an existing psychological state or a general disposition or trait to experience this state. In this paper I concentrate on being emotional in the sense of a psychological state because it seems the more foundational sense, being part of the definition of the trait.
Webscripter: world-wide grassroots ontology translation via implicit end user alignment

Ontologies define hierarchies of classes and attributes; they are meta-data: data about data. XML Schema and RDF Schema are both (lightweight) ontology definition languages in that sense. In the "traditional" approach to ontology engineering, experts add new data by carefully analyzing others' ontologies and fitting their new concepts into the existing hierarchy. In the emerging "Semantic Web" approach to ontology engineering, ordinary users may not look at anyone's ontology before creating theirs - instead, they may simply define a new local schema from scratch that addresses their immediate needs, without worrying how their data may some day integrate with others'. This paper describes an approach and implemented system for translating between the countless mini-ontologies that the Semantic Web approach yields. In this approach, ordinary users graphically align data from multiple sources in a simple spreadsheet-like view without having to know anything about ontologies or even taxonomies. The resulting web of equivalency statements can then be mined to help other users find related ontologies and data, and to automatically align the data with theirs.
Adjusting and Comparing Survival Curves by Means of an Additive Risk Model

Survival curves may be adjusted for covariates using Aalen's additive risk model. Survival curves may be compared by taking the ratio of two adjusted survival curves; the ratio is denoted the generalized relative survival rate. Adjusting both survival curves for all but one of a common set of covariates gives the partial relative survival rate, which measures the covariate-specific contribution to the generalized relative survival rate. The generalized and partial relative survival rates have interpretations similar to the traditional relative survival rates frequently used in cancer epidemiology. In fact, the traditional relative survival rate can be generalized to a regression context using the additive risk model. This population-adjusted relative survival rate is an alternative and useful method for removing confounding effects of age, cohorts, and sex. The authors use a data set of malignant melanoma patients diagnosed from 1965 to 1974 in Norway. The 25-year survival of 1967 individuals is studied.
A Comparison of Preschool and Elderly Community Integration/Demonstration Projects at the University of Missouri Institute for Human Development.

This article reviews two community integration projects at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Human Development which illustrate model development across the life-span. The preschool project is aimed at successfully mainstreaming preschoolers who are handicapped with their nonhandicapped peers through the use of trained volunteers. The elderly project is directed at increasing community integration of elderly persons with developmental disabilities by using nonhandicapped elderly volunteer companions. A description of each project, including project goals, methods, and preliminary results is provided to develop a frame of reference for a comparative discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, and outcomes in these community-based demonstration projects. Three common variables are discussed: use of trained volunteers, changes in attitudes and knowledge by nonhandicapped volunteers, and measured outcomes for clients. The costs and benefits of model development are summarized.
The calculated risk in flood control

A statistical function, the return period, will be linked to the calculated risk in order to obtain the value of the variable to be used in the design of a structure.
Psychotherapeutic discourse analysis

Psychotherapeutic discourse analysis is a significant, largely unexplored, tool for psychotherapist and an ideal data sight for linguists. Increased multidisciplinary research in this area would be particularly fruitful. Conversations, including therapeutic conversations, are far from transparent conduits of information from one person to another. Complicating surface communication is "metacommunication," which takes the form of unconscious conversational styles--culturally influenced rules, norms, and expectations of how a conversation should proceed. If the therapist and the patient are working with different conversational styles, then blocks in communication and understanding are inevitable. Through discourse analysis conversational styles can become more available to awareness for use in the service of therapeutic goals. This paper is an example of a discourse analysis of an individual therapy session. I attempt to bridge the gap between broad psychodynamic treatment strategies and minute micro-conversational strategies that can be used to enhance the therapeutic process.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT MEMBRANES ON A TRANSCUTANEOUS PO2 ELECTRODE USED IN THE PRESENCE OF ANESTHETIC AGENTS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a study to examine the effect of different membranes on a transcutaneous PO2 electrode used in the presence of anesthetic agents. In the study, the stability of a transcutaneous PO2 electrode system was tested with four anesthetic agents at known oxygen concentrations by using Teflon and polypropylene membranes. It was found that when Teflon was used, the drift in the presence of halothane was significantly reduced as compared to when polypropylene membranes were used. Accurate flow meters and vaporizers were used to deliver various concentrations of nitrous oxide, enflurane, and isoflurane that passed through a cuvette to which the electrode was attached. All gases were humidified at a flow of 2 l/min except for 5 l/min for the nitrous oxide–oxygen mixtures. The differences between the initial value and the 30 and 60 minute values were taken as an indication of the drift in the electrode. Means and standard error of the means were calculated and plotted for each agent. Differences in the means between the two different membranes were determined and tested using the student t-test. Results exhibiting a p-level of less than 0.05 were considered as a significant difference. The study presented the following conclusions: (1) in the presence of halothane, one must exercise caution in the interpretation of PO2 measurements if membranes other than teflon are used; (2) use of a teflon membrane in lieu of polypropylene appears to improve the accuracy of PO2 measurement in general but especially when halothane is present; and (3) enflurane, isoflurane, and nitrous oxide showed little effect with either type of membrane; however, the drift associated with teflon membranes were less than those with polypropylene membranes under all experimental conditions.
Physical Activity, Quality of Life, and Biomarkers in Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (from the NEAT-HFpEF Trial).

Although atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) frequently coexist, the influence of AF/AFL on physical activity, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and quality of life in HFpEF is unclear and could have relevance to HFpEF trial design. We evaluated the association between AF/AFL and volitional physical activity, functional performance, NT-proBNP, and quality of life in patients with HFpEF in the Nitrate's Effect on Activity Tolerance (NEAT)-HFpEF trial. Of 99 patients with accelerometer data, 35 (35%) had AF/AFL. There were no differences between AF/AFL versus no AF/AFL in baseline average daily accelerometer units (ADAUs; 9.06 ± 0.54 vs 9.06 ± 0.48, p = 0.75), hours active per day (9.7 ± 2.3 vs 9.2 ± 2.2, p = 0.86), or 6-minute walk distance (6MWD; 307 ± 136m vs 321 ± 110m, p = 0.85). AF/AFL status was associated with higher baseline NT-proBNP (586 [25th to 75th percentile: 291 to 1254] pg/ml vs 154 [25th to 75th percentile: 92 to 288] pg/ml, p 0.05 for all), AF/AFL patients had greater reductions in NT-proBNP after isosorbide mononitrate than patients without AF/AFL (interaction p <0.001), possibly due to regression to the mean. In conclusion, baseline measures and treatment-related changes in volitional physical activity (ADAUs) and functional performance (6MWD) did not differ by AF/AFL in NEAT-HFpEF, whereas NT-proBNP did. In HFpEF-where AF/AFL prevalence is high-functional measures may be superior to natriuretic peptides as trial endpoints.
A liposome model of bacteriolysis supports the role of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and anti-LOS antibody in the complement-dependent killing of N. gonorrhoeae

A liposome model of bacteriolysis was utilized to further clarify the roles that lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and antibody directed against LOS play in determining the susceptibility of gonococci to complement-dependent killing. Liposomes, immune sensitized solely with the LOS of a serum- sensitive (SS) or -resistant (SR) gonococcal strain were incubated with different human antibody sources (normal and immune sera) and a constant amount of complement. Release of liposome entrapped 51Cr served as the marker of lytic activity which was compared to the results of in vitro bactericidal assays. In particular, this model was utilized to assess whether the acquisition of bactericidal antibody activity against SR gonococci, by an E. coli J5 human vaccinee, represented the induction of cross-reacting anti-LOS lytic antibody.
The STK Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Regulates the Response of Primary Macrophages to LPS in a Ligand-Independent Manner.

Abstract We have shown previously that activation of the STK/RON receptor tyrosine kinase expressed on tissue resident macrophages, by it's ligand macrophage stimulating protein (MSP), results in the inhibition of NFkB activation, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and TNFa production, as well as the induction of arginase expression, suggesting a role for this receptor in the regulation of classical vs. alternative macrophage activation. Furthermore, mice with a targeted deletion in this receptor exhibit increased sensitivity to endotoxic shock and DTH responses. More recently, we have demonstrated that MSP stimulation of primary peritoneal macrophages inhibits the production of IL-12. In order to map the domains of STK responsible for the inhibition of classical macrophage activation by MSP, we generated mutant forms of the receptor and expressed wild-type and mutant receptors in primary bone marrow derived macrophages by retroviral transduction. Expression of wild-type STK in these primary cells resulted in the ligand-independent reduction in IL-12p40 production in response to LPS stimulation, which was further inhibited by MSP treatment. This is consistent with the lack of a requirement for MSP in regulating responses to endotoxin in vivo. Surprisingly, a kinase dead receptor, which fails to signal in 293T cells, was fully functional in this assay, suggesting that the kinase activity of the receptor is not required for the inhibition of IL-12p40 under these conditions. However, the docking site tyrosines in the c-terminal tail of the receptor are essential for the inhibition of IL-12p40 by STK, suggesting that STK may be phosphorylated by an another kinase in this system. STK/RON has been shown to associate both physically and functionally with a number of other cell-surface receptors including EpoR, IL-3R bc, EGFR, MET as well as a number of integrins and cadherins. We have shown previously that STK regulates the activity of the aMb2 integrin (CR3) in peritoneal macrophages in a PI3K, PKCz-dependent manner. Here we show that STK also physically associates with CR3, as well as CD14, in RAW264.7 cells in the absence of ligand. Both CR3 and CD14 are capable of directly binding to LPS. Thus, we speculate that STK may exist as part of a receptor complex in macrophages and that signalling through STK might be induced directly by LPS. This would provide a means by which STK could temper the response of tissue-resident macrophages to LPS thereby preventing damage to host tissues.
Incidence of Strabismus and Amblyopia Among Children Initially Diagnosed With Pseudostrabismus Using the Optum Data Set.

Purpose To determine the frequency of strabismus among children initially diagnosed with pseudostrabismus using big data. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study. Methods S etting : Population-based retrospective cohort study using claims data. S tudy P opulation : 17,885 children diagnosed with pseudostrabismus at age ≤3 years who were later diagnosed with strabismus using the Optum deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart Database (2003-2016). We excluded patients diagnosed with strabismus before the diagnosis of pseudostrabismus or diagnosed simultaneously with strabismus and pseudostrabismus. O bservations : We assessed age, refractive error, and presence of amblyopia. Patients with pseudostrabismus were compared to a group of patients from the Optum data set diagnosed with esotropia, exotropia, and unspecified heterotropia who had not been previously diagnosed with pseudostrabismus. M ain O utcome M easures : Incidence of strabismus, among patients initially diagnosed with pseudostrabismus vs those without an initial diagnosis of pseudostrabismus. Results Strabismus was diagnosed in 9.6% (n = 1,725) of children initially diagnosed with pseudostrabismus at a median age of 1.65 years (IQR: 1.17-2.46) compared to 1.7% (136,047 of 7,787,743) of children in the control group (P Conclusions Young children diagnosed with pseudostrabismus are at increased risk of developing strabismus and undergoing strabismus surgery.
ANIMAL CONCEPTS REVISITED: THE USE OF SELF-MONITORING AS AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH

Many psychologists and philosophers believe that the close correlation between human language and human concepts makes the attribution of concepts to nonhuman animals highly questionable. I argue for a three-part approach to attributing concepts to animals. The approach goes beyond the usual discrimination tests by seeking evidence for self-monitoring of discrimination errors. Such evidence can be collected without relying on language and, I argue, the capacity for error-detection can only be explained by attributing a kind of internal representation that is reasonably identified as a concept. Thus I hope to have shown that worries about the empirical intractability of concepts in languageless animals are misplaced.
Trump Tweets: How Often and on What Topics

To understand the breadth of Trump’s Twitter activity, we compiled a dataset of all of his tweets since he joined Twitter, over 43,000 tweets in total. This chapter represents our initial effort in identifying patterns in Trump’s tweets. We begin by presenting a descriptive, graphical analysis of the volume of his tweeting habits. By tracing the ebb and flow in Trump’s Twitter activity beginning with his first tweet in 2009, we are able to identify (1) changes over time and (2) how entering politics has affected his behavior on social media. Then, using computer text analysis and machine learning, we identify the topics that Trump discusses on Twitter. Our goal here is threefold. First, what does Trump talk about on Twitter? Second, how have the topics changed over time, and why? Finally, how do the topics of Trump’s tweets relate to one another?
On the Proto-Indo-European etymon for ‘hand’

PIE *penkwe was the original word for ‘hand’, but its incorporation into the numerical system as ‘five’ led to its replacement in its original sense in all but vestigial attestations in the later l...
Increasing piezoelectric effect in radially polarized soft lead zirconate titanate (PZT) by pressure treating and its practical applications

Soft PZT/NAVY type II ceramic material is commonly used for underwater acoustics sensing applications due to its softer composition and higher electromechanical coupling coefficient than Navy Type I or Type III materials but can also be used for projector applications. The effective coupling coefficient (k-eff) of soft PZT hollow cylinders can be improved from 0.33 to 0.40 (20%) under axial pressure treatment and remains stable with time. The sensitivity of dielectric constant and piezoelectric modulus to compressive stress for hard and soft tangentially polarization ceramics is shown to be less than radially polarized ceramics. Effect of planar stress in spheres at moderate and deeper depths are presented. An experimental method is introduced that utilizes an air-pressurized chamber to deliver stress loads to the piezoceramic. The electromechanical properties (including k-eff, dielectric constant, piezoelectric modulus, and compliance) are measured dynamically using an impedance analyzer and resonance/antiresonance techniques. Pressure treated cylinders with improved k-eff is shown to be suitable for application that utilize pressure equalized (free-flooded) transducer designs and for air-backed transducer designs under moderate depths. The improved k-eff improves the power factor bandwidth of the transducer is further studied using equivalent electrical circuit model including the effect of external pressure.
Treatment outcomes of peri-articular steroid injection for patients with work-related sacroiliac joint pain and lumbar para-spinal muscle strain.

OBJECTIVES Evaluating treatment outcomes of local corticosteroid injections for work-related lower back pain (LBP) as the current evidence for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine guidelines is considered insufficient to recommend this practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective study involving the patients who were treated with peri-articular and lower lumbar corticosteroid injections for work-related LBP at their occupational medicine clinic. RESULTS Sixty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. The average pain level was reduced from M±SD 5.1±2.0 to M±SD 3.1±2.3 after the corticosteroid injection (p < 0.0001). Thirty-five patients (55%) were discharged to regular duty; 23 (36%) were transferred to orthopedics due to persistent pain; and 6 (9%) were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Corticosteroid injections for work-related LBP are effective in reducing pain and enhancing discharge to regular duty. Nonetheless, larger prospective trials are needed to validate these findings. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(1):111-20.
Plasmonic Anticounterfeit Tags with High Encoding Capacity Rapidly Authenticated with Deep Machine Learning

Counterfeit goods create significant economic losses and product failures in many industries. Here, we report a covert anticounterfeit platform where plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) create physically...
High-Gain Low-Profile Platform-Embedded Endfire CPW-CTS Antenna Array

A high-gain low-profile embedded coplanar waveguide continuous transverse stub (CPW-CTS) antenna array is presented. The antenna is platform embedded to limit its effect on drag for high-speed applications such as on aircrafts. The depth of the antenna is less than 1/36 of a wavelength and is cavity backed. The endfire gain is 13.2 dBi, compared with endfire gains of 11.8 dBi reported in [3] and approx. 10 dBi reported in [6]. It has −1 dB and −3 dB endfire gain bandwidths of 6.3% and 11.0%, respectively. A −3 dB bandwidth of 8.4% was reported in [3]. The impedance bandwidth is 14.3%.
[Histoplasmosis story from Tennessee, U.S.A. to Turkey].

Histoplasmosis is a mycotic disease that is acquired by inhalation of spores of the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. It is an acute, subacute or chronic, localized or systemic, sporadic, granulomatous infectious disease caused by yeast form of the fungus, and can present just like pulmonary tuberculosis. Originally thought to be a rare tropical disease, histoplasmosis has been recorded from the whole America continent mainly the central zone of the United States, whole continents except Antarctica and more than 60 countries. In this article the discovery and identification story of H. capsulatum and histoplasmosis in United States especially by the researchers in Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUMC) in Nashville-Tennessee, was reminded. The first antemortem diagnosis of histoplasmosis was made at VUMC in 1932 by MDs Edna Tomkins and Katherine Dodd, who found the organism in peripheral blood monocytes of an infant. The man who succeeded in growing and defining the H. copsulatum for the first time in the world is Dr William A. DeMonbreun. VUMC has been closely associated with progress in the understanding of the disease ever since. Ekrem Kadri Unat was the researcher who initiated the pivotal systemic mycological studies for histoplasmosis in Turkey. First human histoplasmosis case was reported by Tevfik Saglam, MD in 1945 and first feline case was reported by DVM Resat S. Akun in 1949. This feline case was the first histoplasmosis case defined in a cat not only in Turkey but also in the world. Ayhan Yucel MD and Kantarcloglu isolated H. capsulatum from environmental samples in 1989 for the first time in Turkey. Owing to these data, it is believed that Turkey is a possible endemic region for this fungal disease. Therefore it is aimed to make a concise review of histoplasmosis in U.S.A., Europe and Turkey in this article.
A 3D model for simulating spatial and temporal fluctuations in grape berry temperature

Abstract Recent shifts in climatic patterns have influenced the frequency, timing, and severity of heat waves in many wine grape growing regions, which has introduced challenges for viticulturists. Growing the same varieties under these altered climatic conditions often requires mitigation strategies, but quantitative, generalized understanding of the impacts of such strategies can be difficult or time consuming to determine through field trials. This work developed and validated a detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of grape berry temperature that could fully resolve spatial and temporal heterogeneity in berry temperature, and ultimately predict the impacts of potential high berry temperature mitigation strategies such as the use of alternative trellis systems. A novel experimental data set was generated in which the temperature of exposed grape berry clusters was measured with thermocouples at four field sites with different trellis systems, topography, and climate. Experimental measurements indicated that the temperature of shaded berries closely followed the ambient air temperature, but intermittent periods of direct solar radiation could generate berry temperatures in excess of 10 ∘ C above ambient. Validation results indicated that by accurately representing the 3D vine structure, the model was able to closely replicate rapid spatial and temporal fluctuations in berry temperature. Including berry heat storage in the model reduced the errors by dampening extreme temporal swings in berry temperature.