cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of the response-reinforcer contingency in negative automaintenance.

When a response key is briefly illuminated before a grain reinforcer is presented, key pecking is reliably developed and maintained in pigeons, even if pecking prevents reinforcement (negative automaintenance). This experiment demonstrated that pigeons are sensitive to a negative response-reinforcer contingency, even though it does not eliminate responding. Within individual pigeons, two kinds of trials were compared: red key trials, in which reinforcement was negatively contingent on responding, and white key trials, in which reinforcement was unrelated to responding. Reinforcement frequency in non-contingent trials was yoked to the obtained reinforcement frequency in negatively contingent trials. All eight pigeons pecked substantially more on the non-contingent key than on the negative key, and preferred the non-contingent key to the negative key on occasional “choice” trials where both were presented together. When the stimuli correlated with the two conditions were reversed, the pigeons' behavior also shifted. These response differences are taken as evidence that pigeons are sensitive to the negative response-reinforcer contingency.
Issues in automated voting

An automated voting module is a tool found in many 'decision room'-type systems. Although common, there has been no research into the effects of automated voting on group process and outcome. It seems plausible that differences in the way manual and electronically supported groups vote may also lead to differences in the decision or group members' satisfaction. The effect of group size is another area in need of further experimental research. Most of the experimental research in electronic versus manual groups has examined groups of size six or smaller. The author explores some tentative differences between large and small groups using manual versus automated communication and voting processes. >
The density of triton: A prediction

The density of Triton is predicted as a function of radius, based on the assumptions that it was captured from solar orbit and has a rock/ice ratio similar to that of the Pluto-Charon system. The best present estimates for Triton's radius are 1000-2000 km, and if the present origin hypothesis is correct, its density should be greater than 2.0 g/cu cm, increasing slowly wih radius. On the other hahd, if Triton is an original regular satellite whose orbit has been perturbed, its density will be lower and more consistent with the derived rock fractions of other icy satellites.
Automatic detection of myocardial contours in cine-computed tomographic images

Quantitative evaluation of cardiac function from cardiac images requires the identification of the myocardial walls. This generally requires the clinician to view the image and interactively trace the contours. This method is susceptible to great variability that depends on the experience and knowledge of the particular operator tracing the contours. The particular imaging modality that is used may also add tracing difficulties. Cine-computed tomography (cine-CT) is an imaging modality capable of providing high quality cross-sectional images of the heart. CT images, however, are cluttered, i.e., objects that are not of interest, such as the chest wall, liver, stomach, are also visible in the image. To decrease this variability, investigators have developed computer-assisted or near-automatic techniques for tracing these contours. All of these techniques, however, require some operator intervention to confidently identify myocardial borders. The authors present a new algorithm that automatically finds the heart within the chest, and then proceeds to outline (detect) the myocardial contours. Information at each tomographic slice is used to estimate the contours at the next tomographic slice, thus allowing the algorithm to work in near-apical cross-sectional images where the myocardial borders are often difficult to identify. The algorithm does not require operator input and can be used in a batch mode to process large quantities of data. An evaluation and correction phase is included to allow an operator to view the results and selectively correct portions of contours. The authors tested the algorithm by automatically identifying the myocardial borders of 27 cardiac images obtained from three human subjects and quantitatively comparing these automatically determined borders with those traced by an experienced cardiologist. >
Long-term durability of open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective In multiple comparisons of open vs endovascular (EVAR) repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, the prior assumption that open repair produced superior durability has been challenged by advocates of EVAR. Although focus on EVAR reintervention has been intense, few contemporary studies document late outcomes after open repair; this was the goal of this study. Methods From January 1994 to December 1998 (chosen to ensure a minimum 5-year follow-up), 540 patients underwent elective open repair. Surveillance imaging (computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging scans) was obtained for 152 (57%) of the 269 patients who remained alive at a mean follow-up of 87 months. Study end points included freedom from graft-related interventions and aneurysm-related and overall survival (Kaplan-Meier test); factors predictive of these end points were determined by multivariate analysis. Results The mean age at operation was 73 years. A total of 76% of patients were male; 11% had renal insufficiency (creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dL), and 13% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The aortic cross-clamp position was suprarenal in 135 (25%) patients, and 284 (53%) of patients had bifurcated grafts placed. Operative mortality (30 days) was 3%, and the median length of hospital stay was 7 days. Postoperative complications occurred in 68 (13%) patients. Predictors of postoperative complications included a history of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio [HR], 2.0; P=.01) and renal insufficiency (HR, 2.5; P=.02). The mean follow-up for all patients was 87 months. Actuarial survival was 70.7% ± 2% and 44.3% ± 2.4% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Negative predictors of long-term survival included advanced age (HR, 1.1; P Conclusions Open repair remains a safe and durable option for the management of abdominal aortic aneurysms, with an excellent associated 10-year survival in patients who undergo operation at 75 years of age or younger. In addition, the freedom from graft-related reintervention is superior to that of EVAR. Finally, continued surveillance after open repair is appropriate and should be directed toward the detection of other aneurysms.
Healthcare Reform Proposal and the Behavior of Pharmaceutical Companies: The Role of Political Costs

SYNOPSIS: This study examines whether drug makers took political and earnings management actions in response to the 2008 presidential campaign, which proposed major healthcare reforms. Specifically, we draw from the political cost theory and examine whether the level of political spending and the behavior of abnormal accruals and discretionary expense items in 2008 are consistent with a strategy by the drug makers to avert or reduce the adverse effect of any such reforms. A supplementary analysis considers whether the firms differ in their responses to the proposed reforms as a function of their exposure to the expected wave of patent expirations and preexisting market conditions. In particular, we examine a subset of pharmaceutical firms with elevated exposure to patent expirations or with severe market valuation problems and test the proposition that such firms will be less inclined to manage earnings downward for fear of a greater stock market penalty. We document above average increases in political ...
Endogenous Human Renin Expression and Promoter Activity in CALU-6, a Pulmonary Carcinoma Cell Line

Abstract We have previously reported that transgenic mice containing the human renin gene express high levels of human renin mRNA in the lung. We show in this report that human renin expression in two lines of transgenic mice is developmentally regulated. Human renin expression is not evident in the transgenic mouse lung at 15.5 days of gestation, is detectable at 17.5 days of gestation, peaks around birth, and remains elevated into adulthood. In situ hybridization of mouse fetal lung samples at 18.5 days of gestation revealed that human renin was exclusively expressed in pulmonary type II epithelial cells. A survey of the medical literature revealed a number of clinical cases in which hypertension was caused by renin-secreting pulmonary tumors and a fairly widespread occurrence of immunoreactive renin in banked pulmonary tumors of diverse origin. This prompted us to examine a number of pulmonary tumor cell lines to determine whether they express human renin mRNA. One pulmonary carcinoma cell line, CALU-6, expressed human renin mRNA endogenously. Human renin expression in these cells was induced approximately 100-fold after treatment with forskolin, 8-bromoadenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate, or N 6 ,2′- O -dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate. Transfection analysis of human renin promoter–luciferase fusion constructs revealed the presence of cell-specific positive and negative regulatory elements in the human renin 5′-flanking DNA. This cell line is the only immortalized human cell line that expresses high levels of endogenous human renin mRNA and should provide an excellent tool for studying the regulation of human renin expression in vitro.
Self-induced Nasal Ulceration

BackgroundNasal ulcerations have many causes. Ulcerations that are self-induced are difficult to diagnose and treat. Two rare conditions with self-induced nasal ulceration are trigeminal trophic sy...
DHIES: An encryption scheme based on the Diffie-Hellman Problem

This paper describes a Diffie-Hellman based encryption scheme, DHIES (formerly named DHES and DHAES), which is now in several (draft) standards. The scheme is as efficient as ElGamal encryption, but has stronger security properties. Furthermore, these security properties are proven to hold under appropriate assumptions on the underlying primitive. DHIES is a Diffie-Hellman based scheme that combines a symmetric encryption method, a message authentication code, and a hash function, in addition to number-theoretic operations, in a way which is intended to provide security against chosenciphertext attacks. The proofs of security are based on the assumption that the underlying symmetric primitives are secure and on appropriate assumptions about the Diffie-Hellman problem. The latter are interesting variants of the customary assumptions on the Diffie-Hellman problem, and we investigate relationships among them, and provide security lower bounds. Our proofs are in the standard model; no random-oracle assumption is required.
Fine-grained splitting methods to address permanent errors in Network-on-Chip links

We propose a series of fine-grained splitting transmission methods to address permanent errors in Network-on-Chip (NoC) links, maintaining high throughput and ensuring reliability. While prior permanent error management approaches discard the entire or half link, our proposed methods greatly improve wire utilization in the presence of permanent errors. A case study shows that our methods achieve throughput improvement of 234% and 56%, respectively, compared to fault-tolerant routing and half-splitting methods in the presence of high number of permanent errors.
The Current Debate on the Linkage Between Global Warming and Hurricanes

Following Hurricane Katrina and the parade of storms that affected the conterminous United States in 2004 –2005, the apparent recent increase in intense hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin, and the reported increases in recent decades in some hurricane intensity and duration measures in several basins have received considerable attention. An impor tant ongoing avenue of investigation in the climate and meteorology research communities is to determine the relative roles of anthropogenic forcing (i.e., global warming) and natural variability in pr oducing the observed recent increases in hur ricane frequency in the Atlantic, as well as the reported increases of tropical cyclone activity measures in several other ocean basins. A survey of the existing literature shows that many types of data have been used to describe hurricane intensity, and not all records are of sufficient length to reliably identify historical trends. Additionally, there are concerns among researchers about possible effects of data inhomogeneities on the reported trends. Much of the current debate has focused on the relative roles of sea-surface temperatures or large-scale potential intensity versus the role of other environmental factors such as vertical wind shear in causing observed changes in hurricane statistics. Significantly more research – from observations, theory, and modeling – is needed to resolve the current debate around global warming and hurricanes.
Bilayer Pseudospin Field-Effect Transistor: Applications to Boolean Logic

We have recently proposed a new type of bilayer graphene-based transistor for ultralow-power (perhaps 1000 times less compared with CMOS) room-temperature operation, namely, the bilayer pseudospin field-effect transistor (BiSFET). BiSFET operation is based on gated exciton-condensate-enhanced tunneling. Here, we discuss implementation, operation, and predicted power consumption of BiSFET-based Boolean logic gates, including an inverter, an inverter-based nor gate, and a programmable nand/or, as well as a BiSFET-based memory element. The advantages over CMOS in terms of lower voltage and power are discussed.
Increasing the coefficient of sliding friction of NiCr at low loads by interstitial surface hardening

Abstract Low-temperature interstitial hardening of NiCr alloys by gas-phase carburizing and nitriding increases the coefficient of sliding friction (COF) at low loads by as much as 50%. While the substantial surface hardening provided by the very high concentrations of interstitial carbon or nitrogen tends to decrease the COF, the presence of these interstitial solutes also decreases the thickness of the air-formed surface oxide layer, which tends to increase the COF. The overall result is an increase in COF.
Antenna array noise reconditioning by cumulants

The main motivation of using higher order statistics in signal processing applications has been their insensitivity to additive colored Gaussian noise. The main objection to those methods is their vulnerability to nonGaussian noise. The authors first give an interpretation for the information provided by cumulants for array processing applications. Then, they investigate the possibility of suppressing the effects of nonGaussian noise. It is shown that existing arrays can be reconditioned by an additional sensor and by using cumulants. It is also shown that existing cumulant-based algorithms are less sensitive to colored nonGaussian noise than their covariance-based counterparts above a threshold SNR. >
Information and Gender Differences in Individual Preferences for Protection

Men and women consistently differ in their preference for trade protection, even after controlling for individual economic characteristics. Differences in information about trade could explain the gap in at least two ways. First, men and women possess different political and economic knowledge – particularly knowledge about trading partners – leading to divergent expectations about the benefits of trade. Second, men and women process and evaluate information about trade differently. To explore the role of information, I conducted a survey of 1,500 potential voters in the 2010 United States Congressional Election. The survey contained an experiment that isolated the effects of participants’ perceptions of the United States’ primary trading partners, and a second experiment that randomly varied exposure to a positive frame on the benefits of such trade. I find evidence on behalf of both roles for information in the formation of trade preferences. Men and women possess different priors on the trade behavior of the United States and reacted differently to the experimental stimuli. I find that women are more likely to erroneously identify the top US trading partner as China and be more protectionist, but – in contrast to men’s behavior - women's beliefs about the top trading partner do not appear to cause their preference for protection. In the second experiment, positive information about the role of trade in the US economy increased the gender gap: while both men and women hearing a positive message similarly updated on the benefits of trade for US employment, men were far more influenced by the positive message than women in terms of individual employment benefits.
Incidence rates of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in US states are associated with residential radon levels.

Aim: Environmental risk factors for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have not been consistently identified. An etiologic role for ionizing radiation in CLL is controversial. Because most of the ionizing radiation to which individuals are exposed comes from radon at home, we examined CLL incidence rates in relation to residential radon levels. Methods: We used population-based rates for CLL for US states from 2007 to 2011 and measurements of residential radon made by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Results: Incidence rates for CLL were significantly correlated with residential radon levels among whites (both genders together and each gender separately; p < 0.005) and among blacks (p < 0.05). Conclusion: We speculate that radon increases CLL risk and that the mechanisms may be similar to those by which radon causes lung cancer.
Enhanced ant colony optimization for multiscale problems

The present manuscript addresses the issue of computational complexity of optimizing nonlinear composite materials and structures at multiple scales. Several solutions are detailed to meet the enormous computational challenge of optimizing nonlinear structures at multiple scales including: (i) enhanced sampling procedure that provides superior performance of the well-known ant colony optimization algorithm, (ii) a mapping-based meshing of a representative volume element that unlike unstructured meshing permits sensitivity analysis on coarse meshes, and (iii) a multilevel optimization procedure that takes advantage of possible weak coupling of certain scales. We demonstrate the proposed optimization procedure on elastic and inelastic laminated plates involving three scales.
Bioluminescence detection of ATP release mechanisms in epithelia

Autocrine and paracrine release of and extracellular signaling by ATP is a ubiquitous cell biological and physiological process. Despite this knowledge, the mechanisms and physiological roles of cellular ATP release are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that epithelia release ATP under basal and stimulated conditions by using a newly designed and highly sensitive assay for bioluminescence detection of ATP released from polarized epithelial monolayers. This bioluminescence assay measures ATP released from cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF human epithelial monolayers in a reduced serum medium through catalysis of the luciferase-luciferin reaction, yielding a photon of light collected by a luminometer. This novel assay measures ATP released into the apical or basolateral medium surrounding epithelia. Of relevance to CF, CF epithelia fail to release ATP across the apical membrane under basal conditions. Moreover, hypotonicity is an extracellular signal that stimulates ATP release into both compartments of non-CF epithelia in a reversible manner; the response to hypotonicity is also lost in CF epithelia. The bioluminescence detection assay for ATP released from epithelia and other cells will be useful in the study of extracellular nucleotide signaling in physiological and pathophysiological paradigms. Taken together, these results suggest that extracellular ATP may be a constant regulator of epithelial cell function under basal conditions and an autocrine regulator of cell volume under hypotonic conditions, two functions that may be lost in CF and contribute to CF pathophysiology.
Law Among the Ruins

Hurricane Katrina broke America's collective heart. No previous natural disaster in the nation's history inflicted a grimmer toll. The legendary city of New Orleans all but sank when its levees failed and the resulting storm surge drowned much of the city and many of its feeblest, most vulnerable residents. Katrina exposed flaws in virtually every aspect of disaster management at every level of American government. The magnitude and senselessness of the loss indicted American society for its callous disregard of social vulnerability. There is no such thing as a natural disaster. Understanding the interplay of environmental events with social conditions holds the key to the optimal application of legal tools for preventing, mitigating, and remedying natural tragedies - the grand social exercise called law among the ruins.
Drug Delivery Research: The Invention Cycle

Controlled drug delivery systems have been successful in introducing improved formulations for better use of existing drugs and novel delivery of biologicals. The initial success of producing many oral products and some injectable depot formulations, however, reached a plateau, and the progress over the past three decades has been slow. This is likely due to the difficulties of formulating hydrophilic, high molecular weight drugs, such as proteins and nucleic acids, for targeting specific cells, month-long sustained delivery, and pulsatile release. Since the approaches that have served well for delivery of small molecules are not applicable to large molecules, it is time to develop new methods for biologicals. The process of developing future drug delivery systems, termed as the invention cycle, is proposed, and it starts with clearly defining the problems for developing certain formulations. Once the problems are well-defined, creative imagination examines all potential options and selects the best answer and alternatives. Then, innovation takes over to generate unique solutions for developing new formulations that resolve the previously identified problems. Ultimately, the new delivery systems will have to go through a translational process to produce the final formulations for clinical use. The invention cycle also emphasizes examining the reasons for success of certain formulations, not just the reasons for failure of many systems. Implementation of the new invention cycle requires new mechanisms of funding the younger generation of scientists and a new way of identifying their achievements, thereby releasing them from the burden of short-termism.
The Crimes and Consequences of Illegal Immigration: A Cross-Border Examination of Operation Wetback, 1943 to 1954

Operation Wetback of 1954 is typically understood as a U.S. immigration law enforcement campaign that resulted in the deportation of over one million persons, mostly Mexican nationals. This article, however, uses research conducted in the United States and Mexico to trace the decade-long buildup and binational history of Operation Wetback.
Abstract 2360: Cell size and shear stress resistance do not correlate with metastatic efficiency

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with epithelial cancers. It has been observed both clinically and experimentally that metastasis is a very inefficient process. It is believed that the majority of primary cancer cells entering the bloodstream are cleared rapidly, likely by destruction under hemodynamic shear forces, thus greatly reducing the number of surviving cells which can go on to colonize a secondary site. It would thus seem advantageous for metastatic cancer cells to adapt mechanisms to resist this type of stress. One factor which may influence shear stress susceptibility is cell size; the larger a cell is the more shear stress this cell will experience while in circulation. Here, we report the cell size and shear stress analysis of a panel of well described cancer cell lines and their metastatic derivatives obtained from metastatic lesions in mice. We found no correlation between the ability of a cancer cell to metastasize with a reduction in cell size or an increase in shear force resistance. Our data suggest that the loss of tumor cells by hemodynamic shear force is lower than often estimated. We conclude that the metastatic cascade does not generally select for cells of a smaller size and that shear stress resistance does not predict the aggressiveness of a particular cancer cell line. These findings support the hypothesis that the later steps in metastasis, such as extravasation and colonization, dictate the inefficiency of this process. Interestingly, although metastatic derivatives did not tend to exhibit increased resistance to shear force, there were certainly differences between cancer cell lines of different tissue origin. This fact may become important when designing isolation methods for circulating tumor cells, the analysis of these studies, and the prognostic value of quantifying circulating tumor cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2360.
Jumping to the Wrong Conclusion

Stage An 82-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department by her daughters because of deterioration in her mental capabilities over a period of three months. She had become increasingly forgetful and occasionally got lost in her own neighborhood. On the morning of her admission, she had called one of her daughters at work in an agitated and disoriented state, which resolved spontaneously. The patient's daughters reported that one week earlier she had had slightly slurred speech, dizziness, and right-sided facial droop for a day. She had also fallen on her right side two weeks earlier and reported having a . . .
Characterization of a Low Extracorporeal Volume, High Accuracy Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Device

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) is commonly seen in critically ill children, the origins of which may be traced to a wide range of conditions such as inborn errors of metabolism, sepsis, congenital heart defects, bone marrow and organ transplantation, and to a lesser extent from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) [1]. It is vital to provide a form of fluid and electrolyte clearance in these patients until native renal function improves. Nearly 3,600 critically ill children per year with acute kidney injury receive life-saving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in the United States. However, there is no CRRT device approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in pediatric patients. Thus, clinicians unsafely adapt adult CRRT devices for use in the pediatric patients due to lack of safer alternatives. Complications observed with using adult adapted CRRT devices in children include hypotension, hemorrhage, thrombosis, temperature instability, inaccurate fluid balance between ultrafiltrate (UF) removed from and replacement fluid (RF) delivered to the patient, electrolyte disorders, and alteration of drug clearance. This research addresses this unmet clinical need through the design, mechanical and biological characterization of a pediatric specific Kidney Injury and Dysfunction Support (KIDS) CRRT device that provides high accuracy in fluid balance, reduces extracorporeal blood volume, and eliminates other problems associated with using adapted adult CRRT devices in children.© 2012 ASME
Aerial multispectral imaging for crop hail damage assessment in potato

Aerial multispectral imaging is capable to assess crop hail damage in potato crops.Vegetation indices have potential to predict crop yield losses.Imaging within 10days after hail damage assists in quantifying damage levels.Hail damage during different growth stages can affect the recovery of potato crops. Crop loss assessment after an event of hailstorm can be inaccurate, subjective, and time consuming with the conventional method. Low-altitude, high-resolution aerial imaging using an unmanned aerial vehicle can be utilized for rapid assessment of target crops in a large scale, which can potentially improve the evaluation procedure. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of rapid and accurate assessment of crop damage due to simulated hailstorms using aerial multispectral imaging. Field experiments were conducted during two seasons in two potato varieties (Russet Norkotah, Ranger Russet) with three levels of mechanical defoliation (33%, 66%, and 99%) at three growth stages (tuber initiation, early bulk, and late bulk). All defoliation treatments were compared to the non-treated control plots (0% defoliation). Aerial multispectral images were collected between 77 and 108days after planting (0-60days after damage). Vegetation indices such as green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), normalized difference vegetation index, and soil-adjusted vegetation index were calculated from replicate plots of different treatments. Results from two seasons showed similar trends in GNDVI values, with maximum effect of hail damage observed in early bulk stages. The mean GNDVI value was significantly lower in crops with the severe damage (99% defoliation) than others upon hail damage at the early bulk stage, with imaging after 10days after damage. The difference in GNDVI for crops with 33-66% damage could be detected within 10days after damage, and crop regrowth after that time period removed the effects of defoliation. The 99% defoliation damage at the early bulk stage also affected the crop yield significantly. Correlation analysis between vegetation indices and yield data indicated a strong relationship (r=0.77-0.90) for damage at the early bulk stage than other stages.
Impact of tillage on the crop pollinating, ground-nesting bee, Peponapis pruinosa in California

Abstract Wild bees, especially ground-nesting species, are important for crop pollination. However, the extent to which regular disturbance, such as tillage, impacts ground-nesting bees is poorly known. We conducted a two-year tillage experiment on the squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa (Say), to quantify how tillage impacted offspring survival, offspring sex ratio, and timing of emergence. We established P. pruinosa nests in twenty 3 m by 3 m cages and then randomly assigned a tillage treatment to half of those cages. The following summer we trapped emerging offspring. We used a Bayesian framework to analyse the data. Offspring emergence varied greatly, but there was modest evidence that tillage reduced offspring emergence in treatment cages. There was limited evidence that tillage reduced the proportion of male bees emerging into cages, suggesting that tillage did not impact sex ratio. There was strong evidence that tillage delayed emergence of surviving offspring. Tillage practices should be considered when managing fields for this ground nesting bee. However, even disturbed squash fields may contribute to this species’ persistence in agricultural landscapes.
Energy Landscape Modeling of Escape Time Distributions Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of α-Synuclein Translocation through a VDAC Nanopore

Elucidating the motion of uniformly charged polymers in nanoscale channels has been a scientifically and technologically fruitful enterprise. It has long been recognized that underlying this motion is a free energy landscape to which both entropy and electrostatics contribute, but this landscape has proven difficult to measure experimentally. Here we use a non-uniformly charged “diblock copolymer”-like neuronal protein, α-synuclein, to probe the energy landscape governing passage through a nanoscale pore. α-Synuclein is a naturally occurring, intrinsically disordered polypeptide associated with Parkinson disease pathology and mitochondrial bioenergetics. The motion of this electrically heterogeneous polymer through an outer mitochondrial membrane passive transport channel, the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), depends on the electrical and membrane association properties of both the charged and uncharged regions of α-synuclein. We introduce complementary models that describe this motion in two limits: first, a simple Markov model accounts for the simultaneous interaction of multiple α-synuclein molecules with VDAC for high membrane surface α-synuclein coverage. Second, the detailed energy landscape of this motion in the dilute limit can be reconstructed from the entropic, electrostatic, and membrane binding components by optimizing a drift-diffusion framework to the experimental data. The models predict the probability of α-synuclein translocation across VDAC pore, with immediate implications for the (patho-)physiological role of α-synuclein in mitochondrial functioning. Finally, we show that the time-dependent effect of α-synuclein on the electrical properties of VDAC reports on the motion of the junction between the charged and uncharged regions of the polymer through the pore.
Poor prognostication: hidden meanings in word choices.

Effective communication of prognosis to patients, families and other medical providers is critical for informed decision-making, particularly for patients at end of life. Research shows that patients who have a realistic sense of their life expectancy tend to approach treatment differently than those who do not.1 ,2 Despite worry among clinicians that providing realistic information will ‘take away hope’, both patients and families report better psychological outcomes as the result of prognosis discussions.3 ,4 Nevertheless, barriers persist. Aside from the practical difficulty of ascertaining a patient's life expectancy, the absence of a standardised language to express prognostic information can further obscure what is already uncertain. For example, the adjective grave —defined by Merriam-Webster as ‘very serious or dangerous to life’—conveys urgency but does not provide a specific time frame.5 Likewise, the phrase ‘poor prognosis’, used frequently in clinical documentation and in conversation with patients, can vary widely in meaning among medical providers. Even ‘hospice eligible’, which typically indicates a prognosis of 6 months or less, often resists such universal interpretation. We became interested in how clinicians themselves understand language employed …
Osteoporosis as a Complication of Transplant Medicine

Solid organ transplantation is increasingly available in many westernized nations for end-stage cardiac, pulmonary, kidney, and liver disease. The number of overall organ transplants is increasing as is the number of transplant survivors, raising concerns about complications that develop in the posttransplant stage, notably osteoporosis and fractures. Bone loss after transplantation is a combined result of compromised bone density prior to transplantation, poor nutrition before and after receiving a new organ, hypogonadrotrophic hypogonadism developing before or after surgery, and medications prescribed to address chronic health conditions associated with organ failure, including loop diuretics and heparin-based products.
Complement C3 deficiency protects against neurodegeneration in aged plaque-rich APP/PS1 mice

The complement cascade not only is an innate immune response that enables removal of pathogens but also plays an important role in microglia-mediated synaptic refinement during brain development. Complement C3 is elevated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), colocalizing with neuritic plaques, and appears to contribute to clearance of Aβ by microglia in the brain. Previously, we reported that C3-deficient C57BL/6 mice were protected against age-related and region-specific loss of hippocampal synapses and cognitive decline during normal aging. Furthermore, blocking complement and downstream iC3b/CR3 signaling rescued synapses from Aβ-induced loss in young AD mice before amyloid plaques had accumulated. We assessed the effects of C3 deficiency in aged, plaque-rich APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice (APP/PS1; C3 KO). We examined the effects of C3 deficiency on cognition, Aβ plaque deposition, and plaque-related neuropathology at later AD stages in these mice. We found that 16-month-old APP/PS1; C3 KO mice performed better on a learning and memory task than did APP/PS1 mice, despite having more cerebral Aβ plaques. Aged APP/PS1; C3 KO mice also had fewer microglia and astrocytes localized within the center of hippocampal Aβ plaques compared to APP/PS1 mice. Several proinflammatory cytokines in the brain were reduced in APP/PS1; C3 KO mice, consistent with an altered microglial phenotype. C3 deficiency also protected APP/PS1 mice against age-dependent loss of synapses and neurons. Our study suggests that complement C3 or downstream complement activation fragments may play an important role in Aβ plaque pathology, glial responses to plaques, and neuronal dysfunction in the brains of APP/PS1 mice.
Neuropathic Pain Medication Use Does Not Alter Outcomes of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Lower Extremity Pain.

Introduction Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of lower extremity pain is believed to the result of increased activity in the descending inhibitory and decreased activity in the ascending excitatory tracts. Evidence suggests that the analgesia afforded by SCS may be altered using certain neuropathic pain medications that also modulate neurotransmitters in these sensory tracts. We hypothesize that neuropathic pain medications may alter the response to SCS therapy. Methods One hundred and fifteen subjects undergoing SCS therapy for lower extremity pain were retrospectively examined. The pharmacologic profile, including stable use of neuropathic and opioid medications, were recorded. Three separate logistic regression models examined the odds ratio of primary outcomes; a successful SCS trial, a 50% decrease in pain or a 50% reduction in opioid use one year after implant. Results Neither the use of opioids or neuropathic pain medications were associated with changes in the odds of a successful SCS trial or a 50% pain reduction. A higher dose of chronic opioids use prior to a trial was associated with greater odds of having a 50% reduction in opioid use following implant. OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.02, p-value < 0.01). Conclusions The use of neuropathic pain medications did not change the odds of either a successful SCS trial, or of experiencing a 50% reduction in pain at one year. The association between higher opioid doses and greater odds of a 50% reduction in opioid use may be the reflective of SCS's ability to reduce opioid reliance in chronic pain patients.
A Conceptual Framework of A Customer’s Perception of Retail Salesperson Opportunism

A customer’s perception of salesperson opportunism reflects the extent to which a customer believes that a salesperson is intentionally self-interest seeking with little regard for the consequences to the customer. While the marketing literature is rich with research examining salesperson opportunism from the managerial perspective, the consumer’s perspective is underdeveloped. The customer’s perception is important, such that it has implications for purchasing intentions, as well as satisfaction with the salesperson and retailer. In this research, a conceptual framework of a customer’s perception of salesperson opportunism is developed. Further, propositions are set forth which provide scope, and allow for future empirical testing, of this domain. The implications of the framework and fruitful areas of potential research are discussed.
Assessment of atrazine toxicity to the estuarine phytoplankter, Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyta), under varying nutrient conditions

Anthropogenic inputs of chemical environmental contaminants are frequently associated with developing harmful algal blooms, but little is known about how estuarine phytoplankton assemblages respond to multiple, co-occurring chemical stressors in chronically disturbed habitats. The goals of this research were to establish a robust protocol for testing the effects of atrazine on estuarine phytoplankton, and then to use that protocol to compare the effects of atrazine exposure with and without nutrient enrichment on a cosmopolitan estuarine/marine alga, Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyta). Atrazine sensitivity in nutrient-replete media (96-h growth inhibition $$ \overline{x} $$ ) was 159.16 μg l−1, but sensitivity was influenced by exposure duration, and inhibitory effects of herbicide on algal growth decreased under imbalanced nutrient regimes and low nitrogen and phosphorus supplies. These findings advance knowledge about how nutrient regimes and herbicides interact to control estuarine phytoplankton population dynamics.
Modeling Exoplanetary Atmospheres: An Overview

We review several aspects of the calculation of exoplanet model atmospheres in the current era, with a focus on understanding the temperature-pressure profiles of atmospheres and their emitted spectra. Most of the focus is on gas giant planets, both under strong stellar irradiation and in isolation. The roles of stellar irradiation, metallicity, surface gravity, C/O ratio, interior fluxes, and cloud opacity are discussed. Connections are made to the well-studied atmospheres of brown dwarfs as well as sub-Neptunes and terrestrial planets, where appropriate. Illustrative examples of model atmosphere retrievals on a thermal emission spectrum are given and connections are made between atmospheric abundances and the predictions of planet formation models.
Heterosexual alternatives to marriage

The purpose of this study is to test perceptions regarding the sexuality of older persons and the appropriateness of alternatives to marriage for intimacy. Using data gathered from a random sample of 211 adult residents of a Southern city, we find that older persons are judged to be sexual beings and that some support exists for alternative outlets for sexual expression.
Macular Pigment Carotenoids and Their Roles in Human Eye Health and Diseases

Macular pigment (MP) carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and their metabolites are the pigments that account for the yellow color of the human macula. The majority of MP is deposited at the fovea’s Henle fiber layer which consists of the foveal cones’ axons, and its highest concentration can reach 1 mM. MP cannot be synthesized in human or animal bodies, so vegetables and fruits generally serve as a carotenoid source. The MP uptake process is complex, with several carotenoid-binding proteins, such as glutathione S-transferase P1, StAR-related lipid transfer domain protein 3, and tubulin involved, along with the participation of some transport proteins such as HDL and scavenger receptor class B member 1. Many instruments have been invented to measure macular pigment optical density, and we discuss heterochromatic flicker photometry, fundus reflectometry, autofluorescence imaging, and resonance Raman spectroscopy. Two proposed functions of MP are photoprotection and acuity enhancement. Their protective mechanisms are thought to be the following: (1) filtering blue light to prevent the formation of free radicals, especially singlet oxygen or (2) reducing oxidation by directly quenching singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species. We also discuss the relationship of MP with age-related macular degeneration, macular telangiectasia type 2, and its potential to improve human visual acuity. In addition, the recent ocular carotenoid supplementation studies are reviewed in this chapter.
Antiphospholipid antibody panels and recurrent pregnancy loss: prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies compared with other antiphospholipid antibodies

Objective To describe the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies in addition to cardiolipin in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Design Retrospective data analysis of test results from an antiphospholipid antibody panel. Setting A university-based private patient referral center. Patients Included 866 women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss and 288 parous women without a history of reproductive problems. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay, with referenced standards and known positive and negative sera on each plate, was used to measure anticardiolipin, antiphosphatidyl inositol, antiphosphatidylglycerol, antiphosphatidylserine, and antiphosphatidylethanolamine. Statistical analyses used the two-tailed Fisher's exact test. Results Positive anticardiolipin antibodies were detected in 17.3% of patients with recurrent pregnancy loss compared with only 4% in the control population. Eighty-seven of the 866 women (10.1%) were negative for anticardiolipin antibodies but had positive levels of another antiphospholipid antibody. Isolated positive antibody levels occurred most frequently in the immunoglobulin (Ig) G class of phosphatidylinositol, cardiolipin, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Isolated IgA was only found in phosphatidylethanolamine. Conclusion In women with recurrent pregnancy loss, 150 of 866 (17.3%) had positive anticardiolipin antibodies. Additionally, 87 of 866 (10.1%) women were positive for another antiphospholipid antibody. Patient demographics were similar in both groups. We emphasize the importance of careful standardization, quality control, and interpretation of positive results.
Free (aorta-coronary) internal mammary artery graft: Late results

Free internal mammary artery grafts were placed in 156 patients (1971 to 1985). Preoperative clinical and angiographic variables were similar to those of other series of isolated coronary bypass grafts. Of 244 total internal mammary artery grafts, 166 were in the aorta-coronary position and were performed mainly because of unsuitable saphenous veins or to gain additional graft length. One patient (0.6%) died during hospitalization. Perioperative complications included respiratory dysfunction in 16 (10.3%), reoperation for bleeding in 13 (8.0%), stroke in four (2.6%), myocardial infarction in three (1.9%), and wound complications in two (1.3%). Morbidity occurred significantly more often in the 1971 to 1975 period. Subsequently, eight (7%) had reoperation (6 to 158 months; mean 99 months). After a 98 month mean follow-up, the 10 year actuarial survival rate (including all causes of death) was 73.3%. Of 40 free grafts restudied within 18 months of operation, 31 (77%) were patent. The higher rate of early closure is attributed to technical problems early in our experience, especially construction of the aortic anastomosis. However, 32 of 35 (91%) free grafts studied after more than 18 months (mean 94 months) were open. Fifty of 58 (86%) free internal mammary artery grafts placed to the anterior descending coronary artery, seven of nine (78%) to the circumflex, and six of eight (75.0%) to the right coronary artery were patent. Sequential catheterization showed that of 24 free grafts open at 9 months, 24 remained patent at 80 months; when six of these were restudied at 93 months (third catheterization) and two (fourth catheterization) at 125 months, all were patent. These late studies of free internal mammary artery grafts showed no evidence of graft atherosclerosis. Free internal mammary artery grafts, like in situ internal mammary artery grafts, appear to have relative immunity from atherosclerosis. These findings expand the versatility of internal mammary artery grafting and justify wider use of free internal mammary artery grafts.