cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Breast Masses in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis and Digital Mammograms: An Observer Performance Study.

Rationale and Objectives This study aimed to compare Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) assessment of lesions in two-view digital mammogram (DM) to two-view wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) without DM. Materials and Methods With Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, two-view DBTs were acquired from 134 subjects and the corresponding DMs were collected retrospectively. The study included 125 subjects with 61 malignant (size: 3.9–36.9 mm, median: 13.4 mm) and 81 benign lesions (size: 4.8–43.8 mm, median: 12.0 mm), and 9 normal subjects. The cases in the two modalities were read independently by six experienced Mammography Quality Standards Act radiologists in a fully crossed counterbalanced manner. The readers were blinded to the prevalence of malignant, benign, or normal cases and were asked to assess the lesions based on the BI-RADS lexicon. The ratings were analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic methodology. Results Lesion conspicuity was significantly higher ( P P = .0001) from 0.783 (range: 0.723–0.886) for DM to 0.911 (range: 0.884–0.936) for DBT. Of the 366 ratings for malignant lesions, 343 on DBT and 278 on DM were rated as BI-RADS 4a and above. Of the 486 ratings for benign lesions, 220 on DBT and 206 on DM were rated as BI-RADS 4a and above. On average, 17.8% (65 of 366) more malignant lesions and 2.9% (14 of 486) more benign lesions would be recommended for biopsy using DBT. The inter-radiologist variability was reduced significantly. Conclusion With DBT alone, the BI-RADS assessment of breast lesions and inter-radiologist reliability were significantly improved compared to DM.
Adjuvant-Loaded Spiky Gold Nanoparticles for Activation of Innate Immune Cells

Gold nanoparticles are versatile carriers for delivery of biomacromolecules. Here, we have developed spiky gold nanoparticles (SGNPs) that can efficiently deliver immunostimulatory agents. Our goal was to develop a platform technology for co-delivery of multiple adjuvant molecules for synergistic stimulation and maturation of innate immune cells. SGNPs were synthesized by a seed-mediated, surfactant-free synthesis method and incorporated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (pIC) and DNA oligonucleotide containing unmethylated CpG motif (CpG) by an electrostatic layer-by-layer approach. Adjuvant-loaded SGNP nano-complexes were examined for their biophysical and biochemical properties and studied for immune activation using bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). We have synthesized SGNPs with branched nano-spikes layered with pIC and/or CpG. Adjuvant-loaded SGNP nano-complexes promoted cellular uptake of the adjuvants. Importantly, we achieved spatio-temporal control over co-delivery of pIC and CpG via SGNPs, which produced synergistic enhancement in cytokine release (IL-6, TNF-α) and upregulation of co-stimulatory markers (CD40, CD80, CD86) in BMDCs, compared with pIC, CpG, or their admixtures. SGNPs serve as a versatile delivery platform that allows flexible and on-demand cargo fabrication for strong activation of innate immune cells.
Modulated Model Predictive Control for a Z -Source-Based Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drive System

This paper presents a modulated model predictive control (MMPC) based control system for a Z -source inverter based permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive system. The proposed method uses two separate MMPC loops for the Z -source network and PMSM control. For the Z -source network, a cascaded MMPC control scheme has been proposed that provides fast and stable response. For the PMSM control, an MMPC controller is proposed that uses the discretized equations of the PMSM to predict the future value of PMSM current vectors, selects specific current vectors that minimize a certain cost function the most, and performs modulation between them during a sampling time. Experimental results are provided to validate the theoretical outcomes.
Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1: Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration and Preclinical Studies.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an adult-onset, inherited disease that leads to degeneration of Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and culminates in death 10–30 years after disease onset. SCA1 is caused by a CAG repeat mutation in the ATXN1 gene, encoding the ATXN1 protein with an abnormally expanded polyglutamine tract. As neurodegeneration progresses, other brain regions become involved and contribute to cognitive deficits as well as problems with speech, swallowing, and control of breathing. The fundamental basis of pathology is an aberration in the normal function of Purkinje cells affecting regulation of gene transcription and RNA splicing. Glutamine-expanded ATXN1 is highly stable and more resistant to degradation. Moreover, phosphorylation at S776 in ATXN1 is a post-translational modification known to influence protein levels. SCA1 remains an untreatable disease managed only by palliative care. Preclinical studies are founded on the principle that mutant protein load is toxic and attenuating ATXN1 protein levels can alleviate disease. Two approaches being pursued are targeting gene expression or protein levels. Viral delivery of miRNAs harnesses the RNAi pathway to destroy ATXN1 mRNA. This approach shows promise in mouse models of disease. At the protein level, kinase inhibitors that block ATXN1-S776 phosphorylation may lead to therapeutic clearance of unphosphorylated ATXN1.
Care continuum entry interventions: seek and test strategies to engage persons most impacted by HIV within the United States.

The current review re-conceptualizes seek and test strategies, particularly given the changing importance of HIV testing as care continuum entry for persons irrespective of their HIV status. Care continuum entry advances previous seek and test strategies for client engagement with two next-generation functions: 1) use of testing to engage (or re-engage) HIV negative clients in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care; and 2) testing individuals who may already be known positives for care continuum re-entry. We review existing seek and test strategies for most impacted community members with a goal of optimizing care continuum entry as we move towards HIV transmission elimination. These strategies are context, sub-group, community and epidemic specific. This review is timely given the initiation of routine PrEP care, which shifts and broadens our conceptualization of care continuum entry triggered by the HIV testing event. In addition, as the epidemic becomes more concentrated, focusing on re-engagement of HIV infected persons becomes increasingly important given that transmission events involve both those acutely and newly infected as well as the large numbers who may not be virally suppressed. We start with examination of routine testing in healthcare settings, emphasizing its potential role in re-engagement for persons out of care. Subsequently, we describe risk-based testing to identify key populations. We then review network-based approaches and their impact on the epidemic. We close with future directions of individual and combination care continuum entry strategies most relevant for elimination of HIV transmission in the United States.
Observations of Lophelia pertusa and the surficial geology at a deep-water site in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Authigenic carbonate, precipitated in conjunction with biogeochemical activity associated with hydrocarbon and related fluid seepage, provides exposed and buried hard substrate on the crest and flanks of a low-relief mound located on the upper De Soto Slope in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Lophelia pertusa has successfully colonized some of this carbonate material. Individual colonies range in size from a few centimeters to over 1.5 m in diameter while aggregations of closely associated colonies with linear orientations were observed to attain 1.5–2 m in height and width and 3–4 m in length. Many of the aggregated colonies appear to be in the first phase of the `thicket' building stage described by Squires (1964). Colonies less than 50–75 cm in diameter were nearly always completely pure white. Larger colonies and the aggregated colonies are often light to dark brown in coloration at their base and center with many having only white terminal branches and some with no white corallum at all.
The Structure and Chemistry of Functional Groups

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the structure and chemistry of different functional groups of those chlorophylls the structures of which have been known for some time: chlorophylls a, b, protochlorophyll, and bacteriochlorophyll. The determination of the structures of the chlorobium chlorophylls and chlorophyll d, and what is known of the structures of chlorophylls c and e, and bacteriochlorophyll b, are treated. The chlorophylls and their derivatives, the structures of some of which are discussed in the chapter, are regarded as derivatives of the unknown compound phorbin, and the known compounds chlorin and porphin. Fischer's conventional system of numbering the pyrrole rings, their β-positions, and the methine bridges or meso positions, is consistent for chlorin and phorbin, at the sacrifice of rigid adherence to I.U.C rules. In the narrow sense, porphyrin designates substituted porphins, as distinct from chlorins. The two nitrogens of metal-free porphyrins that do not bear hydrogens are more strongly basic than the other two. The ability of products of degradation of chlorophyll to form water-soluble mono- and deprotonated species enabled Willstatter to separate them by differential extraction out of ether with HCl of increasing strength and to characterize them by their hydrochloric acid number.
Relevant Alternatives and Demon Scepticism

The degree of rigor we expect of ourselves and others in making claims to knowledge varies with context, and perhaps also with the speaker’s intentions. This has seemed to many to provide, at long last, the basis for a definitive response to the sceptic. Roughly, the idea is that the sceptic attempts to impose extremely high standards of rigor, and that this yields two possibilities: either those standards are contextually inappropriate, in which case we may simply reject his claims that we don’t know; or they are appropriate, in which case that very fact shows the context to be extremely unusual, even bizarre, and therefore of little concern — most of our claims are not made in such contexts, and are therefore not threatened. This perspective on central epistemological questions has become known as the relevant alternatives view. According to this view, again roughly, to know the truth of some proposition is to be justified in rejecting those alternatives that are relevant by contextually appropriate standards.
Dynamic energy aware task scheduling for periodic tasks using expected execution time feedback

Scheduling dependent tasks is one of the most challenging problems in parallel and distributed systems. It is known to be computationally intractable in its general form as well as several restricted cases. An interesting application of scheduling is in the area of energy awareness for mobile battery operated devices where minimizing the energy utilized is the most important scheduling policy consideration. A number of heuristics have been developed for this consideration. In this paper, we study the scheduling problem for a particular battery model. In the proposed work, we show how to enhance a well know approach of accounting for the slack generated at runtime due to the difference between WCET (Worst Case Execution Time) and AET (Actual Execution Time). Our solution exploits the knowledge gained about the AET of the tasks after the first period, to come up with EET (Expected Execution Time). We then use the EET as an input for the next period to use as much slack as possible and to eliminate wastage of slack generated. This happens because WCET is used to determine if a task should be executed at runtime. Dynamically adjusting the run-queue to use EET as a feedback, which is based on the previous period's AET eliminates wastage of the slack generated. Based on the outcome of the conducted experiments, the proposed algorithm outperformed or matched the performance of the 2-Phase dynamic task scheduling algorithm and the run-queue peek algorithm all the time.
Immunity in The Mammary Gland

The ruminant mammary gland is an extremely important economic organ in that it provides a major nutrition source for a significant portion of the world's human population. The ruminant mammary gland is also responsible for providing protective immunity to neonates and for defending itself from invading pathogens. A wide array of humoral and cellular immune mechanisms are present in the mammary gland and actively participate in providing immunity to newborns and the mammary gland perse. The acute inflammatory response is essential in determining the outcome of intramammary challenge, and factors affecting innate and adaptive immunity in the context of mammary health are reviewed in detail. The ruminant mammary gland is also unique in that lymphocyte trafficking, which is essential to adaptive immunity, is shared with the peripheral immune system rather than the common mucosal immune system.
Abstract 2905: Deciphering and blocking the mechanisms of cadmium induction of TCTP in prostate cancer cells

While cadmium is a well-known lung carcinogen, its role in prostate cancer is yet to be understood. Recently, a meta-analysis study showed that cadmium did not increase the risk of prostate cancer. It is not known whether cadmium exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations increases aggressiveness of already existing prostate cancer. Although our lab previously showed that the 75th percentile of cadmium concentration in prostate cancer was associated with biochemical recurrence, more evidence is needed to substantiate this finding. We also showed evidence that cadmium promotes prostate cancer cells migration and invasion via inducing the expression of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that cadmium induces the phosphorylation of p38, and that the p38 inhibitor SB203580 (SB) blocks the effects of cadmium on migration and invasion. In this study, we aimed to delineate the signaling events upon cadmium treatment; whether p38 or TCTP is upstream. We addressed this via inhibition of p38 using SB203580 and by inducing TCTP degradation via dihydroartemisinin (DHA) followed by measurement of TCTP expression and phosphorylation of p38 respectively. p38 inhibition led to the increased expression of TCTP on both mRNA and protein levels. Pretreatment with DHA led to less TCTP expression and less phosphorylation of p38. We also aimed to understand the effect of cadmium on cell proliferation, survival and migration. While DHA lowered the colony count and EdU incorporation, cadmium did not alter these functions. In addition, DHA abrogated the cadmium-mediated migration of PC3-Inv prostate cancer cell line. Furthermore, we aimed to determine the effect of nanomolar cadmium concentrations on the phosphorylation of PlK1, which is well established to be upstream of TCTP. Our results demonstrated that nanomolar concentrations of cadmium resulted in increased phosphorylation of PlK1 in both PC3 and LNCaP cells. Altogether, our results suggest that environmentally relevant exposures of cadmium induce TCTP expression through several pathways, and that there is a feedback mechanism between p38 and TCTP. Citation Format: Rama Saad, Gnanasekar Munirathinam, Theresa Kucynda, Marta Ribeiro, Paul Lindholm, Andre Balla. Deciphering and blocking the mechanisms of cadmium induction of TCTP in prostate cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2905.
Individualized Cool Dialysate as an Effective Therapy for Intradialytic Hypotension and Hemodialysis Patients’ Perception

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is the most common dialytic complication. Recurrent episodes of ischemia secondary to hemodynamic instability are associated with cardiomyopathy, increased risk of thrombosis of arteriovenous fistula, decreased quality of life, and increased mortality. Cool dialysate may be an effective approach to reducing intradialytic hypotension by promoting peripheral vasoconstriction. Most studies to date are small and do not employ individualized cool dialysates (ICD). The study consisted of standard and cool phases, with patients as their own controls. During the standard phase, participants underwent hemodialysis (HD) at their usual dialysate temperature at 37° C for six consecutive hemodialysis sessions. In the cool phase, the dialysate temperature was set at the core baseline temperature-0.5°C for six more sessions. We compared hemodynamic parameters during the standard and cool phases. A total of 93 participants were included. The number of IDH episodes during the standard and cool phases were 3.3 ± 2.8 and 2.0 ± 2.2 per patient respectively (P < 0.001). Other hemodynamic parameters including lowest intradialytic mean arterial pressure were significantly increased with ICD. We found that there was a high baseline rate of feeling cold among all participants and it increased after the implementation of ICD; however, the dropout rate was approximately 5%. ICD is an effective tool to decrease the frequency of IDH in the HD population and we provide a pragmatic, real-world approach to implement this technique.
Thyroid Nodule: Current Evaluation and Management

Thyroid nodules are common in clinical practice. The incidence of thyroid nodules has steadily increased over the past 50 years, primarily due to the widespread use of imaging modalities leading to detection of small, and often, incidental findings. With increased discovery of nodular disease, thyroid carcinoma prevalence has also increased significantly. These observations have prompted experts to develop a more efficient and cost-effective strategy to select nodules for biopsy, treatment, and follow-up.
Computational Surprise, Perceptual Surprise, and Personal Background in Text Understanding

The concept of surprise has special significance in information retrieval in attracting user attention and arousing curiosity. In this paper, we introduced two computational measures of calculating the amount of surprise contained in a piece of text, and validated with the perceived surprise by users with different background knowledge expertise. We utilized a crowdsourcing approach and a lab-based user study to reach a large amount of users. The implication could be used to propose or refine future computational approaches to better predict human feeling of surprise triggered by reading a body of text.
Amicus Brief in Political Gerrymandering Cases (Rucho v. Common Cause and Lamone v. Benisek) of Prof. David Orentlicher Supporting Neither Side

While this brief takes no position on the merits of the cases, it does present a position on the manner in which the cases should be decided. The Due Process Clause promises litigants that they will receive an impartial hearing before a neutral court. And a neutral court decides cases without any personal, political, or other partiality. However, like other appellate courts, the Supreme Court brings an ideological leaning to its work. This compromises the due process principle of fairness which is critical to the resolution of any legal matter and especially matters such as political gerrymandering that go to the heart of our representative system of government. Accordingly, principles of due process require the Court to ensure that it decides these cases in an ideologically-balanced way. Scholars and others have proposed a number of approaches to bring ideological balance to the Supreme Court, including changes in the judicial appointment process. The simplest path to ideological balance would be for the Court to follow the example of the jury, and render its decisions unanimously. That way, Justices on both sides of the ideological spectrum would have to support the Court’s rulings.
Everyday Experiences: Small Stories and Mental Illness on Instagram

Despite historical precedence and modern prevalence, mental illness and associated disorders are frequently aligned with notions of deviance and, by association, abnormality. The view that mental illness deviates from an implicit social norm permeates the CHI community, impacting how scholars approach research in this space. In this paper, we challenge community and societal norms aligning mental illness with deviance. We combine semi-structured interviews with digital ethnography of public Instagram accounts to examine how Instagram users express mental illness. Drawing on small stories research, we find that individuals situate mental illness within their everyday lives and negotiate their tellings of experience due to the influence of various social control structures. We discuss implications for incorporating 'the everyday' into the design of technological solutions for marginalized communities and the ways in which researchers and designers may inadvertently perpetuate and instantiate stigma related to mental illness.
Ultrawide Strain Tuning of Luminescence from Mechanically Stressed InGaAs Nanomembranes

We investigate the tunability of semiconductor light emission based on the use of nanomembranes under external mechanical stress. Active tuning of the InGaAs emission spectrum over an ultrawide wavelength range (> 250 nm)is demonstrated. © 2019 The Author(s)
DRoP: Automated detection of conserved solvent‐binding sites on proteins

Water and ligand binding play critical roles in the structure and function of proteins, yet their binding sites and significance are difficult to predict a priori. Multiple solvent crystal structures (MSCS) is a method where several X-ray crystal structures are solved, each in a unique solvent environment, with organic molecules that serve as probes of the protein surface for sites evolved to bind ligands, while the first hydration shell is essentially maintained. When superimposed, these structures contain a vast amount of information regarding hot spots of protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions, as well as conserved water-binding sites retained with the change in solvent properties. Optimized mining of this information requires reliable structural data and a consistent, objective analysis tool. Detection of related solvent positions (DRoP) was developed to automatically organize and rank the water or small organic molecule binding sites within a given set of structures. It is a flexible tool that can also be used in conserved water analysis given multiple structures of any protein independent of the MSCS method. The DRoP output is an HTML format list of the solvent sites ordered by conservation rank in its population within the set of structures, along with renumbered and recolored PDB files for visualization and facile analysis. Here, we present a previously unpublished set of MSCS structures of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) and use it together with published structures to illustrate the capabilities of DRoP.
Pre-medication before dental procedures: A randomized controlled study comparing intranasal dexmedetomidine with oral midazolam.

Background This study aimed to determine if intranasal dexmedetomidine is a superior pre-medication to oral midazolam in older, difficult children. Methods This was conducted as a prospective, single-blind randomized control trial in a tertiary care center. Seventy-five children, age >5 years and weight >20 kg, who needed general anesthesia for dental procedures were randomly assigned to be pre-medicated with either oral midazolam at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg (max 15 mg) or intranasal dexmedetomidine at a dose of 2 mcg/kg (max 100 mcg). The primary outcome studied was the patients' level of sedation when separated from their parents, which was assessed using a 5-point University of Michigan Sedation Scale. Secondary outcome studied was the level of anxiolysis assessed by the acceptance of mask induction using a 4-point scale. All assessments were made by one research person blinded to the study drug. Results The two groups were similar in age, sex, weight, pre-anesthetic behavior, time from pre-medication to anesthesia induction, and surgical time. A significantly higher proportion of patients who received dexmedetomidine had satisfactory sedation at separation from parents (69.4% vs 40.5%, P = .03) compared to those who received midazolam. There were no significant differences in the rate of acceptance of mask induction (80.6% vs 78.4%, P = 1.00). Intranasal dexmedetomidine was tolerated well when administered using a mucosal atomizer and without any clinically significant effect on heart rate or systolic blood pressure. Conclusions Intranasal dexmedetomidine provides higher success rate in sedation and parental separation compared to oral midazolam, in older, difficult children.
Utility of electrodiagnostic studies in patients referred with a diagnosis of polyneuropathy.

BACKGROUND Peripheral polyneuropathies (PN) are common neuromuscular conditions. The role of electrodiagnostic study (EDX) in diagnosis of PN is not well-defined. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of patients referred for EDX evaluation of PN. RESULTS Of 162 patients analyzed, 23 had pure peripheral neuropathy (pPN; 14.2%), 29 had peripheral neuropathy and another diagnosis (PN+; 17.9%), 51 had an alternative diagnosis (nonPN; 31.5%), and 59 had normal studies (36.4%). In univariable analysis, age (P < .001) and gender (P = .004) were weakly associated with final diagnosis. In multinomial logistic regression analysis, significant predictors included age (odds ratio [OR] for nonPN/PN+:1.07 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.11), gender (OR for PN+:0.2, 95% CI, 0.07-0.61), and diabetes/prediabetes (OR for pPN:3.29; 95% CI, 1.17-9.27). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that EDX commonly yields additional or nonPNs in patients referred with a diagnosis of PN, and although some variables predict electrodiagnosis, none have a large enough effect to suggest poor utility in any subpopulation.
PENGEMBANGAN KEMAMPUAN MELANJUTKAN DONGENG YANG TELAH DIPERDENGARKAN DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN MODEL PICTURE AND PICTURE DI KELOMPOK B TK KARTINI IDHATA BANJARMASIN

Pembelajaran di TK Kartini Idhata guru mendapatkan anak dari kelompok B masih kesulitan dalam berbahasa khususnya pada kegiatan melanjutkan sebagian cerita/dongeng yang telah diperdengarkan, anak pasif dan guru saja yang aktif pada saat pembelajaran. Berdasarkan hal itu dilakukan penelitian yang berjudul Upaya Mengembangkan Kemampuan Berbahasa Anak Melanjutkan sebagian cerita/dongeng yang telah diperdengarkan Menggunakan Model Picture and Picture Pada Anak Kelompok B di Taman Kanak-Kanak Kartini Idhata Banjarmasin. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui peningkatan aktivitas guru, aktivitas anak, dan hasil perkembangan anak tentang peningkatan kemampuan berbahasa anak dalam melanjutkan cerita/dongeng yang telah diperdengarkan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Pendekatan Tindakan Kelas dengan dua siklus yang setiap siklusnya terdiri dari dua kali pertemuan. Setting penelitian ini adalah di Kelompok B TK Kartini Idhata Banjarmasin dengan jumlah anak sebanyak 13 orang anak yang terdiri dari 7 orang laki-laki dan 6 orang perempuan pada semester ganjil tahun ajaran 2014/2015. Instrument penelitian yang digunakan adalah lembar observasi aktivitas guru, dan lembar observasi aktivitas anak. Data dalam penelitian ini dianalisis secara deskriptif dengan tehnik persentase. Hasil penelitian yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa aktivitas guru berkriteria Sangat baik, aktivitas anak berkualifikasi sangat aktif dan hasil perkembangan anak mengalami peningkatan di setiap siklusnya. Dari hasil penelitian itu dapat disimpulkan bahwa penerapan model Picture and Picture meningkatkan aktivitas guru, aktivitas anak dan hasil perkembangan anak dalam pembelajaran berbahasa melalui kegiatan melanjutkan sebagian cerita/dongeng yang telah diperdengarkan. oleh karena itu, model pembelajaran Picture and Picture dapat menjadi salah satu alternatif dalam memilih dan merancang pembelajaran yang akan diterapkan di kelas Kata Kunci : Dongeng, Model Picture and Picture
Microbe-derived butyrate and its receptor, free fatty acid receptor 3, but not free fatty acid receptor 2, mitigate neointimal hyperplasia susceptibility after arterial injury

Background Arterial restenosis after vascular surgery is a common cause of midterm restenosis and treatment failure. Herein, we aim to investigate the role of microbe-derived butyrate, FFAR2 (free fatty acid receptor 2), and FFAR3 (free fatty acid receptor 3) in mitigating neointimal hyperplasia development in remodeling murine arteries after injury. Methods and Results C57BL/6 mice treated with oral vancomycin before unilateral femoral wire injury to deplete gut microbiota had significantly diminished serum and stool butyrate and more neointimal hyperplasia development after arterial injury, which was reversed by concomitant butyrate supplementation. Deficiency of FFAR3 but not FFAR2, both receptors for butyrate, exacerbated neointimal hyperplasia development after injury. FFAR3 deficiency was also associated with delayed recovery of the endothelial layer in vivo. FFAR3 gene expression was observed in multiple peripheral arteries, and expression was increased after arterial injury. Treatment of endothelial but not vascular smooth muscle cells with the pharmacologic FFAR3 agonist 1-methylcyclopropane carboxylate stimulated cellular migration and proliferation in scratch assays. Conclusions Our results support a protective role for butyrate and FFAR3 in the development of neointimal hyperplasia after arterial injury and delineate activation of the butyrate-FFAR3 pathway as a valuable strategy for the prevention and treatment of neointimal hyperplasia.
Social Media Use at a U.S. Military Academy: Perceived Implications for Performance and Behavior

A growing body of research highlights the impacts of social media use for civilians. However, few studies have examined the possible implications of social media use for military personnel. In order to fill this gap, we surveyed cadets and faculty at a United States service academy. Most cadets and faculty members agreed that cadets spend more time than is ideal on social media, and most faculty surveyed had observed cadets using social (and other) media during lectures. Both cadets and faculty agreed that social media use impedes academic performance. However, social media use also had positive implications, as cadets listed connecting with friends and family as motives for using these media. Separately, cadets ranked the social media app Jodel among their top five most popular – in contrast to civilians. Jodel affords anonymity and, as such, potentially enables cadets to post controversial messages without fear of identification and accountability. Possible implications of these findings for the academy and the armed forces are discussed.
Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Localized Scleroderma: Pearls and Updates

Localized scleroderma (LS), also known as morphea, is a complex and poorly understood disorder in children. The various clinical subtypes of LS require different approaches to evaluation and treatment. Failure to recognize and appropriately treat the affected skin and underlying deep connective tissue can lead to long-term morbidity. We present a review of the current literature supporting treatment options for pediatric LS followed by a series of cases to highlight the complexity of treatment choices and identify clinical pearls. Increasing evidence has emerged for the utility of systemic immunomodulation in treating localized scleroderma. Multiple consensus-based treatment protocols are now available, though underlying evidence is moderate. There are emerging reports utilizing modern biologic and small molecules, but these remain relatively sparse. Therapeutic regimens for LS should be based upon a detailed physical examination augmented by the results of additional screening evaluations recommended for the subtype of LS. Close collaboration with multiple specialties may be needed to achieve optimal outcomes, including rheumatology, dermatology, physical therapy, and craniofacial plastic surgery. More study is needed to identify the efficacy of newer therapeutic options as well as the role for adjunctive therapies.
It Sounded Great in the Glossy Brochure...So Where is it? Carrying Out the Mission at a Mission Driven School

Law schools’ statements of mission and purpose are of central importance. It is in these statements that we try to reveal the core of who we are--the compass that guides all else--and they may determine where a student will ultimately enroll. This is especially important at a religiously affiliated school where the mission may be the most important factor leading students to attend. The article describes one way we approached the issue of mission fulfillment at Regent: engaging in a process of faculty exploration of how the Christian faith relates to law. Leading thinkers in the Christian Church have written on the intersection of law and theology for two thousand years. Some faculty members were thoroughly conversant with this literature; others were only marginally so or not at all. We determined that at a minimum, the whole faculty must have a baseline of knowledge of the historic teachings of the Church in the field. And so we took on the challenge of studying – through reading and group discussion – Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anabaptist teachings on law and theology as they have been developed and presented throughout the history of the Church. It was a huge task, but a necessary one if we are to approach the field in a scholarly way, and a fruitful one if, as we believe and teach, Christian theology has had an impact on the development of the law throughout history. The article describes the process we employed at Regent, but it concludes with some general thoughts about how mission-related training could be applied at any school, religiously affiliated or not.
GHG policy impacts for Seattle’s buildings: targets, timing, and scope

Many US cities are addressing climate change by setting goals to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by a specified amount within a specified time period. In order to achieve these goals, reducing emissions from existing buildings is crucial. Many cities are passing legislation to target existing buildings through benchmarking, auditing, retuning, or energy or emissions performance standards. As cities design legislation, they must consider the timing of the policies, how to prioritize building types and sizes, and how these design decisions will impact the city’s emissions. This paper addresses these questions for one particular US city: Seattle, Washington. A model of Seattle’s building stock was created with benchmarking and tax assessor data. It was then used to predict GHG emissions reductions due to different policy implementations for existing commercial and multifamily buildings. Key findings are: (1) the proposed emissions policy is expected to reduce cumulative emissions from buildings by 19% between 2020 and 2050; (2) delaying the implementation of the policy by five years could limit savings to 12%; and (3) including smaller buildings in the policy could increase savings to 34%. The lessons learned and how this can be used by other cities are discussed. Policy relevance As cities design legislation for energy performance standards, they must consider the impact that the timing of policies, prioritization of building types and sizes, and electrification will have on the city’s GHG emissions. A new process is presented that can assist policymakers to understand the impacts of policy decisions on decarbonizing the building stock. A model of Seattle’s building stock was created to predict emissions reductions due to different policy implementation scenarios. This model shows the impact of Seattle’s proposed emissions policy. The current policy is expected to reduce cumulative emissions from buildings by 19% between 2020 and 2050. If the implementation of the policy is delayed by five years, then cumulative emissions savings would be reduced to 12%. The inclusion of smaller buildings in the policy could increase cumulative emissions savings to 34%. Other cities can use this process to better understand their proposed policies for their building stock.
The internationalization of traditional chinese medicine into the Western World

This paper introduces the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine into the western world. Internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into the Western world is not a simple or easy task. Its exposure and exportation into the rest of the world should be a task taken on with a special focus and determination on staying strong along the way. Keeping the truth, strength, and integrity in TCM medicine as it is exported is the highest priority and the best way to promote it. Doing this will give it a solid foundation in its new land and for its new patients. Let's study and analyze what really is required to help TCM avoid all problems and hardships of this exportation process as TCM goes west.
The First Immunocompetent Mouse Model of Strictly Human Pathogen, Borrelia recurrentis.

The spirochetal bacterium Borrelia recurrentis causes louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF). B. recurrentis is unique because, as opposed to other Borrelia spirochetes, this strictly human pathogen is transmitted by lice. Despite the high mortality and historically proven epidemic potential and current outbreaks in African countries and Western Europe, research on LBRF has been obstructed by the lack of suitable animal models. The previously used grivet monkey model is associated with ethical concerns, among other issues. An existing immunodeficient mouse model does not limit bacteremia due to its impaired immune system. In this study, we used genetically diverse Collaborative Cross (CC) lines to develop the first LBRF immunocompetent mouse model. Out of 12 CC lines tested, CC046 mice consistently developed B. recurrentis-induced spirochetemia during the first 3 days postchallenge as concordantly detected by dark-field microscopy, culture, and quantitative PCR. However, spirochetemia was not detected from day 4 through day 10 postchallenge. The high-level spirochetemia (>107 cells/ml of blood) observed in CC046 mice was similar to that recorded in LBRF patients as well as immunocompetent mouse strains experimentally infected by tick-borne relapsing fever (RF) spirochetes, Borrelia hermsii and Borrelia persica. In contrast to the Old World and New World RF spirochetes, which develop multiple relapses (n = 3 to 9), B. recurrentis produced only single culture-detectable spirochetemia in CC046 mice. The lack of relapses may not be surprising, as LBRF patients and the grivet monkey model usually develop no or only 1 to 2 spirochetemic relapses. The novel model will now allow scientists to study B. recurrentis in the context of intact immunity.
Law and Legitimacy in A Farewell to Arms

This chapter in an edited volume on law, literature, and war reads Ernest Hemingway’s celebrated 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms, as an indictment of war’s moral and legal logic. While commentary on A Farewell to Arms has typically emphasized the transgressive nature of Henry and Barkley’s love affair, the chapter argues that the novel’s unmarried protagonists may in fact have entered into a common law marriage, and, at minimum, both their relationship and their unborn child are capable of retroactive legitimation. The sentimentality and comparative conventionality of the love story accentuate the brutality of wartime conduct, which Hemingway regarded as irredeemably criminal. By the same token, the navigability and relative predictability of the civilian legal system stand in stark contrast to the arbitrariness of the wartime legal order.
"The Day I Die Is The Day I Will Find My Peace": Narratives of Family, Marriage, and Violence Among Women Living With Serious Mental Illness in India.

In India, there is limited research on the nature of familial relationships and domestic violence that women living with serious mental illness (SMI) experience. Using the self-in-relation theory a...
The Confluence Model as an Organizing Framework for Research on Sexually Aggressive Men: Risk Moderators, Imagined Aggression, and Pornography Consumption

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the recent developments in a research program studying the characteristics of sexually aggressive men identified in general population samples. The chapter has attempted to organize this line of research in a way that the earlier studies are used to build upon and inform the subsequent ones, with the goal of benefitting from the cumulative character of a systematic research program. The efforts of the recent studies highlighted in the chapter centers on three areas: a dimension moderating the relationship between risk factors that could lead to aggression and manifested aggression, the role of imagined sexual aggression, and the association between use of pornographic material and sexual aggression in real world settings. Two lines of research have studied the characteristics of men who report imagining themselves being sexually aggressive. One has concentrated on assessing coercive sexual fantasies whereas the other has concentrated on attraction to sexual aggression. The chapter presents an evolutionary framework which states that the mobilization of the type of attitudes and emotions encompassed in this path may increase the likelihood and effectiveness of aggressive behaviors used in a sexual context. According to the promiscuous sexual orientation model, early (for example, home) exposure to certain conflicted or harsh environments can have important effects on increasing the likelihood of a promiscuous/impersonal sex orientation, mediated by various other “acting out” behaviors as the individual matures.
Computational pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of rifampin in a mouse tuberculosis infection model

One critical approach to preclinical evaluation of anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs is the study of correlations between drug exposure and efficacy in animal TB infection models. While such pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies are useful for the identification of optimal clinical dosing regimens, they are resource intensive and are not routinely performed. A mathematical model capable of simulating the PK/PD properties of drug therapy for experimental TB offers a way to mitigate some of the practical obstacles to determining the PK/PD index that best correlates with efficacy. Here, we present a preliminary physiologically based PK/PD model of rifampin therapy in a mouse TB infection model. The computational framework integrates whole-body rifampin PKs, cell population dynamics for the host immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, drug-bacteria interactions, and a Bayesian method for parameter estimation. As an initial application, we calibrated the model to a set of available rifampin PK/PD data and simulated a separate dose fractionation experiment for bacterial killing kinetics in the lungs of TB-infected mice. The simulation results qualitatively agreed with the experimentally observed PK/PD correlations, including the identification of area under the concentration-time curve as best correlating with efficacy. This single-drug framework is aimed toward extension to multiple anti-TB drugs in order to facilitate development of optimal combination regimens.
The impact of positive and negative e-comments on business travelers’ intention to purchase a hotel room

Purpose – This paper aims to find out the impact of business travelers’ behavioral belief on positive and negative e-comments, which consequently lead to intention to purchase a hotel room. To explore the relationships among attitude toward positive and negative e-comments with intention to purchase, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) was used. Design/methodology/approach – Business travelers in the USA who read e-comments and made a hotel choice based on those e-comments within the past six months were targeted for this study. The TRA, as well as a wide-ranging review of literature, were used to develop the survey instrument. The survey was distributed through Qualtrics, which is an online questionnaire service platform. To measure the business travelers’ behavioral beliefs toward e-comments, a number of measures were developed for this research. The theories of Fishbein and Ajzen were used to examine business travelers’ behavioral beliefs toward positive and negative e-comments. All of the questions on...
An improved isolated single electroplax preparation. I. Effect of compounds acting primarily at the synapses.

Abstract Acetylcholine and related structures have been tested as to their effects on the electrical activity of an improved isolated single electroplax preparation. As a measure for comparing the relative strength of the compounds, the concentration which produced 50% decrease in spike height within 20 min or less (usually from 5–15 min) was used. This concentration is referred to as the minimum active concentration. (a) Acetylcholine, decamethonium and d-tubocurarine were about 5–10 times as active as in previous preparations; no marked increase in sensitivity was observed with neostigmine and dimethylaminoethyl acetate. (b) Among the newly tested compounds succinylcholine proved to be twice as strong as acetylcholine, propionylcholine about 100 times weaker, and benzoylcholine several hundred fold weaker; the S-analogue of acetylcholine was about 3–5 times weaker. Dimethyl curare is only about half as strong as curare. (c) The decrease in spike height caused by the various quaternary compounds tested showed much better reversibility than in the previous preparation. (d) Curare in concentrations about 1000 times as high as those required to block the indirect response, abolished the propagated spike evoked by direct stimulation. In previous preparations no effect was obtained with curare outside the synaptic region even in higher concentrations than those applied in the present studies. (e) Following block of the indirect spike by curare, acetylcholine when applied in higher concentrations was able to overcome the block thys adding new evidence for the competitive action between acetylcholine and curare for the receptor. Dimethylaminoethyl acetate and the S-analogue of acetylcholine did not affect the direct spike in presence of curare in the concentrations tested. (f) Dimethylaminoethyl acetate acts much more strongly at pH 6 to 8, where it is present mostly in the cationic (protonated) form, than at pH 9, where it is present mostly in its uncharged form. The role of the Coulombic forces in the receptor protein thus appears similar to that previously observed with acetylcholinesterase. (g) The various changes of the response to acetylcholine and related structures after the removal of the adjacent membrane are a new demonstration that the effect of externally applied compounds on biological membranes depends to a great extent on the permeability barriers protecting the active membrane.