cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Single Case of Tourette’s Syndrome Treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine

The objective of this case study was to investigate the effectiveness of Chinese medicine in treating Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's syndrome is a childhood- onset disorder that is characterized by sudden, involuntary movements or tics. The participant in this study was a 33-year-old male who had been diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of 9 years. His major complaints included facial tics, shoulder shrugging, and clearing the throat. Using a combination of acupuncture, herbs, Gua-Sha, and lifestyle changes once a week for 35 treatments, all the symptoms were reduced by 70%, as reported by the patient. In this case, the results indicated that Chinese medicine was able to minimize the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome. Further investigation is needed to support this argument. Tourette's syndrome, which was first described in 1885 by a French physician named Gilles de la Tourette, is characterized by facial tics, involuntary body movements from the head to the extremities, or vocal tics, and it usually has its onset in childhood. It is a neuropsychiatric disorder. The treatment for Tourette's syndrome is based on pharmacological treatment, behavior treatment, and deep brain stimulation. Unfortunately, none of these could completely control the symptoms; furthermore, antipsychiatric drugs might cause additional side effects, such as Parkinson symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, and metabolic disturbances. Finding acupuncture and oriental medicine literature on treatment of Tourette's syndrome was difficult, especially that written in English. Some research papers that have been translated into English indicated that Chinese herbs and acupuncture could reduce the tics significantly. For example, a study by Dr Pao-Hua Lin reported the significant effects of using acupuncture and oriental medicine in treating 1000 Tourette's syndrome cases. This case was treated to further investigate the principles of Dr Lin's study.
A redescription of Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont with notes on other interesting brazilian Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae: Scarabaeinae) is redescribed because of errors in the original description. New distribution records are presented for Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont, Ipselissus alvarengai Pereira and Martinez (new state records); and Trichillum boucomonti Saylor and Cryptccanthon peckorum Howden (new country records for Brazil).
Trust and the strength of ties in online social networks: an exploratory field experiment

We conduct an exploratory study using a customized Facebook application to understand how social ties are linked to an economic measure of trust. We employ the Investment Game, a well-established economic game designed to generate a quantifiable trust measure. We consider the relationship between observed trust and three "revealed preference" tie strength measures: (1) the degree of interaction between friends on their walls; (2) embeddedness, a metric related to the number of mutual friends shared; and (3) being tagged together in a photograph, indicative of a physical-world interaction. We identify latent heterogeneity among our subjects, establishing that for users with a large number of Facebook friends, the only measure associated with trust is whether the dyad was tagged in a photo together. In contrast, for users that are more selective and have fewer Facebook friends, all three aforementioned tie strength measures correlate with trust. Our findings are preliminary evidence that traditional measures of dyadic trust like embeddedness which are used widely in physical-world social networks may not always be effective predictors of digital trust, because not all online social ties are created equal. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that traditional measures of dyadic trust may not always be effective predictors of trust, as not all online social ies are created equal.
LPS from P. gingivalis Negatively Alters Gingival Cell Mitochondrial Bioenergetics.

Objective. Oral inflammatory pathologies are linked to increased oxidative stress, thereby partly explaining their relevance in the etiology of systemic disorders. The purpose of this work was to determine the degree to which LPS from Porphyromonas gingivalis, the primary pathogen related to oral inflammation, altered gingival mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species generation. Methods. Human gingival fibroblast (HGF-1) cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide of P. gingivalis. Mitochondrial function was determined via high-resolution respirometry. Results. LPS-treated HGF-1 cells had significantly higher mitochondrial complex IV and higher rates of mitochondrial respiration. However, this failed to translate into greater ATP production, as ATP production was paradoxically diminished with LPS treatment. Nevertheless, production of the reactive H2O2 was elevated with LPS treatment. Conclusions. LPS elicits an increase in gingival cell mitochondria content, with a subsequent increase in reactive oxygen species production (i.e., H2O2), despite a paradoxical reduction in ATP generation. These findings provide an insight into the nature of oxidative stress in oral inflammatory pathologies.
The interplay between individual social behavior and clinical symptoms in small clustered groups.

Mixing patterns of human populations play a crucial role in shaping the spreading paths of infectious diseases. The diffusion of mobile and wearable devices able to record close proximity interactions represents a great opportunity for gathering detailed data on social interactions and mixing patterns in human populations. The aim of this study is to investigate how social interactions are affected by the onset of symptomatic conditions and to what extent the heterogeneity in human behavior can reflect a different risk of infection. We study the relation between individuals’ social behavior and the onset of different symptoms, by making use of data collected in 2009 among students sharing a dormitory in a North America university campus. The dataset combines Bluetooth proximity records between study participants with self-reported daily records on their health state. Specifically, we investigate whether individuals’ social activity significantly changes during different symptomatic conditions, including those defining Influenza-like illness, and highlight to what extent possible heterogeneities in social behaviors among individuals with similar age and daily routines may be responsible for a different risk of infection for influenza. Our results suggest that symptoms associated with Influenza-like illness can be responsible of a reduction of about 40% in the average duration of contacts and of 30% in the daily time spent in social interactions, possibly driven by the onset of fever. However, differences in the number of daily contacts were found to be not statistically significant. In addition, we found that individuals who experienced clinical influenza during the study period were characterized by a significantly higher social activity. In particular, both the number of person-to-person contacts and the time spent in social interactions emerged as significant risk factors for influenza infection. Our findings highlight that Influenza-like illness can remarkably reduce the social activity of individuals and strengthen the idea that the heterogeneity in social habits among individuals can significantly contribute in shaping differences among the individuals’ risk of infection.
Chapter 21 – Assessing Vitamin Status

Detection of suboptimal vitamin status at the early stages is desirable, as correction at these stages may prevent the manifestation of overt deficiency disorders involving irreversible morphological changes. Nutritional assessment may be utilized to characterize the nutritional status of populations and individuals and includes five methodologies: dietary assessment, biochemical assessment, clinical assessment, anthropometric assessment, and sociologic assessment. Biomarkers, assessed in blood and tissues, may be utilized to assess the current and stored metabolic function of vitamins. Many nations use national nutrition surveys to track the nutritional adequacy of the food supply and to identify population demographics at particular risk of deficiencies. Despite efforts to conduct nutritional surveillance and to prevent nutrient deficiency disorders, global undernutrition remains a public health concern, affecting nearly 800 million people and contributing to up to half of all childhood deaths. Providing adequate food in ways that preventing vitamin and other nutritional deficiencies will be a significant challenge as the world population grows to over 9 billion by 2050.
Panorama de la integración centroamericana: Dinámica, intereses y actores

Central American integration is the Latin American process of integration that shows greater dynamism although its operating and development are not free of a certain degree of confusion, being still in doubt of the extent countries are willing to reach. In the last years, significant advances have taken place in the issue of institutional reform, in the establishment of customs union and in the commercial negotiations with third parties (CAFTA with USA and Association Agreement with the EU). Despite questions generated by their expansion and the disorder of their processes, the Central American Integration System is a living process that offers solutions to region development and in which a great number of its main actors participate actively.
Smarter spaces, smarter campus

Smart spaces are environments that seamlessly interweave sensors and displays to improve knowledge of surroundings as well as quality of life. For this project, the team constructed sensor suites based off Raspberry Pi's, and mounted them at various locations around a campus building to collect data. Since the creation of a seamless smart space is difficult, simplifying the process to involve citizens of all ages and backgrounds will be vital to the effort.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Dielectrics on Graphene

Graphene, a monolayer of sp2 bonded carbon atoms, has recently attracted wide-spread attention because of its unique transport and physical properties that are appealing for a wide range of electronic applications. Integration with scalable high-κ dielectrics is important for the realization of graphene-based top-gated electronic devices including field effect transistors (FETs) and new logic device concepts. These gate dielectrics are expected to be thin (2–30 nm), with minimal trapped and mobile charges that otherwise would negatively affect device performance. In addition, the dielectrics are expected to enable operation at very high frequencies (including the THz range) needed for next generation radiofrequency applications, improve the channel mobility by screening charged impurities, and reduce the high leakage currents observed in traditional silicon dioxide (SiO2) gated devices.
The Multiple Roles of Glutamate and Aspartate in Neural Tissues

l-Glutamate and l-aspartate, like many other substances, serve a number of functions in biological tissues. In virtually all types of biological cells these amino acids serve as constituents of protein, intermediates in energy and nitrogen metabolism, and as precursors of other biochemical compounds. In many cells, particularly neurons, these amino acids are utilized for even more functions. Both glutamate and aspartate are probably major excitatory neurotransmitters, and both make a significant contribution to the osmotic and ionic state of nerve cells. They are also immediate precursors of other compounds which have unique physiological roles in nerve tissues. For example, glutamate is the metabolic precursor of γ-aminobutyrate (GABA) which serves as a major inhibitory neurotransmitter (in addition to other possible functions), and aspartate is an immediate precursor of N-acetylaspartate, whose neural functions include a role in the maintenance of intracellular ionic balance. Because most of the functions mediated by glutamate and aspartate are common to both, we have chosen to include in this chapter the functions of both amino acids.
Challenges of Power Electronic Packaging

Over the last 2 decades, power semiconductor technology has made impressive progress, particularly in increasing the high power density of monolithic, system module, and hybrid designs (State of the art and trends in power integration, pp 20–29, 1999; Evolution of the classical functional integration toward a 3D heterogeneous functional integration, pp 23–34, 2007), which are the driving forces toward a power system module, power system in package (SiP), and 3D power package with heterogeneous functional integration.
Fate of polynuclear aromatic compounds (PNAs) in soil-plant systems

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) consist of three or more fused benzene rings in linear, angular, or cluster arrangements. Substitution of carbon in the benzene ring with nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, or other elements creates heterocyclic aromatic compounds (Blumer 1976). Excluding diphenyl types there are some 70 possible isomers of 4-6 fused rings. Additionally these isomers may be substituted by a variety of substituents (Erskine and Whitehead 1975). The aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocycles, unsubstituted and substituted, are referred to alternatively as polynuclear aromatics (PNAs), polycyclic aromatic compounds (PCAs), and polycyclic organic matter (POM) (NAS 1972, U.S. EPA 1975 b).
Gastric Cancer Worldwide Except Japan

Until recently, gastric cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths. Despite the rapid fall in incidence, gastric cancer is still the fifth most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The lifetime risk of gastric cancer to age 74 remains between 1 and 3% in most European countries and as high as 5–20% in some parts of Asia. The discovery of Helicobacter pylori as the cause of atrophic gastritis, the lesion that predisposes to gastric cancer, has resulted in increasing attempts to eliminate gastric cancer by eradicating H. pylori. Here we review the worldwide changes in gastric cancer incidence and the current lifetime risk.
CONTEMPORARY MULTIMODAL DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY FOR RELIABLE INFERENCE OF AUTHENTIC SURPRISE

The need for intelligent systems that can understand and convey human emotional expression is becoming increasingly prevalent. Unfortunately, most datasets for developing such systems rely on acted or exaggerated emotions, or utilize subjective labels obtained from possibly unreliable sources. This paper reports on an innovative data collection methodology for capturing multimodal human signals of authentic surprise. We introduce two tasks with a facilitator to elicit genuine reactions of surprise while co-collecting data from three human modalities: speech, facial expressions, and galvanic skin response. Our work highlights the methodological potential of biophysical measurement-based validation for enabling reliable inference. A case study is presented which provides baseline results for Random Forest classification. Using features gathered from the three modalities, our baseline system is able to identify surprise instances with approximately 20% absolute increase in accuracy compared to random assignment on a balanced dataset.
Price and Capacity Competition for EV parking with Government Mandates

Increasing focus is being put on expanding the amount of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). One tool governments have to induce construction of this infrastructure is through mandates on the number of spots private owners of parking have to convert to include chargers. However, such mandates can impact how parking is priced, the revenue of these firms, parking availability for non-EV cars, and the congestion drivers face while finding parking due to how these private owners may react to it. This paper studies the trade-offs involved in setting a mandate for charging by developing a multi-stage game for the provisioning of parking spots and the subsequent price competition for drivers. Furthermore, we look at different pricing models firms may choose for EV and non-EV drivers and study how this affects the impact of a government mandate.
Nylon-6/Ti3C2Tz MXene Nanocomposites Synthesized by in Situ Ring Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactam and Their Water Transport Properties

Clay-reinforced nylon-6 nanocomposites (NCs)-characterized by the full exfoliation of the nanoreinforcement-were introduced in the marketplace in the 1990s. Herein, we demonstrate, for the first time, that Ti3C2T z MXene can be incorporated into nylon-6 to synthesize melt-processable nanocomposites with excellent water barrier properties (94% reduction in water vapor permeation). To intercalate the e-caprolactam monomer between the MXene multilayers, the latter were first treated with 12-aminolauric acid, a low-cost, nontoxic, biodegradable, and long shelf life compound. Upon heating to 250 °C, in the presence of 6-aminocaproic acid, in situ polymerization occurred, yielding melt-processable nylon-6/MXene NCs that were, in turn, studied by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and dynamic vapor sorption analysis. Using the latter, moisture-sorption isotherms of a neat and a 1.9 vol % NC, at 60 °C, were fit to the Guggenheim, Anderson, and de Boer equation. Solubility, permeation, and diffusion coefficients of water through the NCs were measured as a function of temperature and found to be the lowest ever reported for nylon-6, despite the fact that, at ∼1.9 and 5.0 vol %, the MXene loads were relatively low. This record low diffusivity is ascribed to the very large aspect ratios-500 to 1000-of Ti3C2T z flakes and their dispersion. The water permeation rate is a factor of 5 lower than the best reported in the much more mature nylon/clay field, suggesting lower values can be achieved with further optimization. Lastly infrared spectroscopy spectra of neat and NC samples suggest the surface terminations of the 12-Ti3C2T z flakes bind with nylon-6, limiting water adsorption sites, resulting in reduced solubility in the NC films.
Positioning language proficiency: Interactions with a multilingual indigenous Ecuadorian

In this article I work from the intersection of what Talmy (2010, 2011) termed the ‘interview as social practice’ and multilingual discourse to examine how researcher–participant subjectivities and notions of language proficiency were explored, assumed and resisted during my interactions with a participant I call Emilio. I use a discursive psychological approach to positioning (Davies and Harre 1990; Korobov 2010) and Bucholtz and Hall’s (2004a, 2004b) tactics of intersubjectivity to highlight the subjectivities revealed in both the content of our interactions and the interactional resources used. Findings indicate that Emilio’s and my perceptions of each other’s proficiencies in English, Spanish, and Quichua (an Andean indigenous language) were modified through acts of positioning, with both interlocutors using tactics of adequation and distinction during a language history interview to either support or contest initial co-constructions of ourselves as proficient speakers of Quichua. Emilio’s and my choice of languages also indexed our perceptions of the discursive activities in which we were engaged. With this analysis I demonstrate how language proficiency and language history interviews can become sites for resisting notions of proficiency among multilingual individuals, and the need to incorporate additional data to more comprehensively assess this proficiency.
Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing in Infants and Children: Protocol, Safety, and Clinical Efficacy: 25 Years of Experience:

Background:The application of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in the pediatric dysphagia protocol requires specialized knowledge of pediatric conditions that result in dysphag...
Designing for collaborative work

Abstract Human error greatly contributes to the occurrence of adverse events in medical settings. One of every three hospital admissions results in preventable medical error, totaling an estimated 98,000 patient deaths per year. Many of these preventable outcomes can be attributed to poor execution of team-based skills, including leadership, communication, and coordination failures. Teamwork is imperative in providing high quality, safe, and effective care, yet teams can only be as good as their environment design allows. While teams have great potential for significant impacts, there are many challenges that they face; many teams never reach their full potential and some fail altogether. Teams are not easily developed, and creating teams of skilled people does not equate success; furthermore, teamwork does not just occur. This chapter will suggest how to design teamwork to ensure work, system, and team design are established such that teams are successful at executing interdependent patient-care-based tasks.
Rational Design of a Laminated Dual-Polymer/Polymer–Ceramic Composite Electrolyte for High-Voltage All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries

We present a multi-layer approach to design a laminated dual-polymer/polymer–ceramic composite electrolyte (LDPPCCE) for high-voltage all-solid-state lithium batteries. An anode friendly poly(ethyl...
Secure and Efficient Privacy-Preserving Authentication Scheme for 5G Software Defined Vehicular Networks

Vehicular networks provide various applications for vehicles to improve road safety and traffic efficiency as well as infotainment. Security and privacy are of great importance for the deployment of vehicular networks. However, how to efficiently secure vehicular networks with privacy-preserving remains a big challenge. Many solutions have been proposed in the past decade, but most of them either rely too much on the ideal tamper-proofed devices or not being efficient enough for scenarios with high vehicle density. Meanwhile, in recent years, great progresses have been made in both the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and the fifth-generation (5G) wireless network based vehicular networks. The 5G enabled vehicular networks are envisioned to support higher data transmission rate and a larger number of connected devices than the 802.11p and LTE based networks. Noting the great potential of 5G technology, in this paper we explore a new architecture of 5G software defined vehicular network and propose a secure and efficient privacy preserving authentication scheme for vehicular networks. The proposed scheme uses elliptic-curve public-key cryptography and a registration list to achieve efficient message authentication and to avoid the usage of ever-growing certificate revocation list. The security analysis shows that the proposed scheme has strong security guarantees without using the ideal tamper-proofed devices. Simulation results exhibit that the proposed scheme has ultra low computational overhead and packet loss ratio.
The Role of the Noradrenergic System in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Implications for Treatment

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is frequently associated with anxiety and hyperarousal. While the pathological changes in the noradrenergic system in ASD are not entirely clear, a number of functional indices of the sympathetic/parasympathetic balance are altered in individuals with ASD, often with a high degree of inter-individual variability. The neuropsychopharmacological effects of α2 agonists and β-adrenergic antagonists make agents targeting these receptors of particular interest. α2 agonists have shown beneficial effects for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in other domains in individuals with ASD, but effects on core ASD symptoms are less clear. Case series and single dose psychopharmacological challenges suggest that treatment with β-adrenergic antagonists has beneficial effects on language and social domains. Additionally, psychophysiological markers and premorbid anxiety may predict response to these medications. As a result, β-adrenergic antagonists are currently being utilized in a clinical trial for improving core symptoms as well as anxiety in individuals with ASD.
Changes in blood-brain transfer parameters induced by hyperosmolar intracarotid infusion and by metastatic tumor growth.

The transport of solutes and water between blood and brain tissue depends on such things as the rate of tissue blood flow, the permeabilities of the capillary and cellular membranes, and the sizes of the various tissue distribution spaces. In some pathologic situations, the primary cause of the lesion is the interruption of the normal operation of one or more of these transport components, for example, local tissue blood flow in stroke. In other conditions, the presence of the initial pathologic disturbance subsequently affects the movements of materials within the system, for instance, the development of edema in and around a tumor site.
Acute Streptococcus constellatus Pyogenic Liver Abscess Due to an Atypical Presentation of Sigmoid Diverticulitis Complicated by Pericolonic Abscess.

Diverticulitis is a result of diverticulum inflammation that involves protrusion of the colonic wall. It is considered to be complicated when associated with an abscess, fistula, perforation of large bowel, or obstruction. The incidence of diverticulitis increases with age, and it most commonly presents as constant abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant. We report a case of a 54-year-old male with a history of hypertension who was admitted to our hospital with systemic symptoms and right shoulder pain noted to have Streptococcus constellatus bacteremia and an incidental finding of a single large hepatic abscess on chest imaging. Additional imaging studies revealed the presence of acute sigmoid diverticulitis complicated by pericolonic abscess. He had no known risk factors and had not experienced any abdominal pain before admission. A liver abscess due to S. constellatus is a rare complication from sigmoid diverticulitis, and there are only a few cases reported as per the PubMed medical literature review. Only four other unique cases with few or no risk factors were discovered to have a pyogenic liver abscess initially, and later source was found to be due to perforated diverticulitis. Due to this rare clinical presentation, diagnosis is often delayed leading to complications requiring surgical intervention. This can result in higher mortality. Our patient had ultrasound-guided drainage of the abscess and completed a six-week course of intravenous antibiotics (ceftriaxone and metronidazole) with successful recovery.
New Spaces, New Styles: Adapting To Dislocated Space In An Online Age

Drawing from a foundation of pedagogical research in pedagogy, digital learning, and 21st-century writing theory, this article posits that the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a paradigm change in the educational apparatus. The article will work through the theories of several key figures in these studies and then detail the pedagogical changes and technologies used during an emergency, the online year, which helped the author adapt to the challenges of a suddenly dislocated and asynchronous classroom environment.
Use of N-Acetylcysteine for Clozapine-Induced Acute Liver Injury: A Case Report and Literature Review:

Purpose: To report a case of clozapine-induced hepatotoxicity managed with intravenous (IV) N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and summarize the available literature. Summary: A 46-year-old woman with history ...
Postoperative thromboprophylaxis with oral rivaroxaban versus subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin: a retrospective comparison in women with a gynecologic malignancy

Objectives: Perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common preventable cause of in-hospital death in the US. Current guidelines recommend perioperative pharmacologic prophylaxis for patients undergoing abdominal or pelvic surgery for a malignancy. However, there is limited evidence comparing methods of thromboprophylaxis, more specifically the administration of a subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) versus a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) in women with gynecologic malignancies. We aim to determine the incidence of post-operative VTE among gynecologic cancer patients stratified by method of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis. Methods: Women who underwent a laparotomy as part of their treatment for a gynecologic malignancy and subsequently received extended post-operative thromboprophylaxis with either subcutaneous enoxaparin or oral rivaroxaban were included. All patients received care at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital between January 2010 - December 2017. A retrospective record review of demographics and clinical characteristics, as well as method and duration of VTE prophylaxis after hospital discharge were collected. The primary outcome of incidence of VTE was defined as deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism within 30 days and 90 days of surgery. The secondary outcome of incidence of major bleeding events was defined as a re-admission or repeat surgery for bleeding/acute blood loss or transfusion for acute blood loss anemia. Wilcoxon Two Sample Test and Fisher's Exact Test were performed to determine the rate of VTE, stratified by method of thromboprophylaxis. Results: A total of 315 women were included who received extended thromboprophylaxis, of which 233 (74%) received enoxaparin and 82 (26%) received rivaroxaban. Baseline demographics and surgical-pathologic variables were overall well matched, with exception of significantly longer median surgical duration in the rivaroxaban group (128 vs 113 min) and higher rate of lymph node dissection in the enoxaparin group. The incidence of VTE at 30 days in the enoxaparin group was 1.7% (4/233) compared to 1.2% (1/82) in the rivaroxaban group (p=1.00). The cumulative incidence of VTE at 90 days in the enoxaparin group was 4.3% (10/233) compared to 2.4% (2/82) in the rivaroxaban group (p=0.74). Major bleeding events were 0.4% (1/233) in patients receiving enoxaparin compared to 3.7% (3/82) in those receiving rivaroxaban (p=0.06). Conclusions: No significant difference was seen in the incidence of VTE or rate of major bleeding events following laparotomy in patients with gynecologic malignancies who received subcutaneous enoxaparin versus rivaroxaban for extended thromboprophylaxis. Rivaroxaban may be an effective and safe alternative for extended thromboprophylaxis. Given the small sample size, these findings should be taken with caution but provide support for future multi-institutional and prospective studies.
Altered Somatosensory Cortical Activity Is Associated with Cortical Thickness in Adults with Cerebral Palsy: Multimodal Evidence from MEG/sMRI.

Somatosensory cortical activity is altered in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). However, previous studies have focused on the lower extremities in children with CP and have given less attention to structural changes that may contribute to these alterations. We used a multimodal neuroimaging approach to investigate the relationship between somatosensory cortical activity and cortical thickness in 17 adults with CP (age = 32.8 ± 9.3 years) and 18 healthy adult controls (age = 30.7 ± 9.8 years). Participants performed a median nerve paired-pulse stimulation paradigm while undergoing magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate somatosensory cortical activity and sensory gating. Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate cortical thickness within the area of the somatosensory cortex that generated the MEG response. We found that the somatosensory responses were attenuated in the adults with CP (P = 0.004). The adults with CP also hypergated the second stimulation (P = 0.030) and had decreased cortical thickness in the somatosensory cortex (P = 0.015). Finally, the strength of the somatosensory response was significantly correlated with the cortical thickness (P = 0.023). These findings demonstrate that the aberrant somatosensory cortical activity in adults with CP extends to the upper extremities and appears to be related to cortical thickness.
Evaluation of the impact of enhanced virtual forms and gamification on intervention identification in a pharmacist-led ambulatory care clinic

Abstract Background Adoption of healthcare technology in the ambulatory care setting is nearly universal. Clinical decision support system (CDSS) 2 technologies improve patient care through the identification of additional care opportunities. With the movement from paper-based to electronic clinical intake forms, the opportunity to improve identification of gaps in care utilizing CDSS in the ambulatory care setting exists. Objective To evaluate the impact of CDSS-enhanced digital intake forms, with- and without aspects of gamification, on the identification of intervention opportunities in an ambulatory care pharmacy setting. Methods Patients were invited to complete visit intake paperwork via virtual forms as part of a CDSS-enhanced mobile application designed to identify potential interventions based on patient age, sex, disease state(s), and user-provided information. Patients were randomized to receive optional patient-specific health questions 1) with or 2) without elements of gamification. Gamification elements included trivia questions, fun facts, and the chance to win a prize. A retrospective review was used to assess interventions identified for a random sample of patients seen within the same time frame who did not utilize the mobile application. Interventions were compared across groups utilizing ANOVA. t-tests were used for a subgroup analysis. Results From January to May 2019, 353 potential interventions were identified for 220 study participants. 0.44 (±0.82), 1.8 (±2.0) and 2.1 (±1.8) interventions per participant were identified for the control, virtual forms, and virtual forms + gamification groups, respectively. Significant differences in intervention identification across groups were found using a one-way ANOVA (F = 17.46, p Conclusions Utilization of CDSS-enhanced clinical intake forms increased identification of potential interventions, though gamification did not significantly impact this identification.
Sustainable Building Typologies: Free Flow Open Space as a Climate Technology

A holistic approach to sustainability taking into consideration environmental, economic, cultural and social issues manifests itself in the built environment. Integrative design leading to architecture, well-tempered in light, colour, materiality and space has for centuries been able to bring up qualities to make the daily life comfortable. My research investigates the complex relationship between spatial composition and building typology on one hand and thermal and climatic conditions within and between buildings on the other hand. This research started with House Marxen a project in which the spatially interconnected volumes support the air flow to such a degree that the temperature is kept within an acceptable range. The aim is to achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings as a key factor to a sustainable environment with spatial means while considering the diversity of climates. This paper asks, how spatial typology as a cultural phenomenon can contribute to and enrich the development of sustainability and the reduction of energy consumption in architecture and building. Natural ventilation has been an integral part of the development of architectural typology. With the development of mechanical air conditioning in the course if mechanization, building typology and the devices for heating and cooling have been separated in the design process. With the aim to reunite these essential means for a sustainable built environment this paper studies the development of free flow open spaces in the courtyard house typology with a re-reading of selected architectural icons of Modernism focusing in this paper on architectural works by Alvar Aalto and Charles Correa. Analytical drawings and further computational methods are proposed to gain greater sustainability in buildings through architectural design and spatial composition thinking space itself as a climate technology.
Unravelling Downsizing - What do we know about the Phenomenon?

This downsizing article represents a succinct review of the scholarly work of researchers studying the multifaceted downsizing phenomenon over the past 30 years. Since Cascio’s (1993) article “Downsizing: What do we know? What have we learned?”, the research has burgeoned across several countries. This paper examines what we have learned during the many years of scholarly enquiry. As such, the article is based upon an analysis of the downsizing literature and represents a summation of secondary sources. The research also provides an update on the latest downsizing developments
Cityburgers: Controlling Local Government Profit-Making Activities

A city establishes a garbage collection company in order to generate revenue, but destroys the business of an existing private garbage collection company in the process by supplanting the private company’s customer base. As a general proposition, the private company has no right to complain because current legal doctrine allows local governments to engage in such entrepreneurial activities as long as some conceivable "public purpose" is present. And, of course, providing garbage collection is undoubtedly a "public purpose." This article suggests that such exercise of governmental power through the operation of economic enterprises should be evaluated under a more robust form of judicial review according to the following principles: (1) Protecting private enterprise from governmental economic enterprise activities, (2) protecting the public purse from speculative and inefficient governmental operation of economic enterprises, and (3) preventing official self-aggrandizement in the course of establishing or operating government economic enterprises. The article discusses the crucial role of judicial review in implementing these policies and addresses the concerns of maintaining a proper division between judicial decisionmaking, legislative decisionmaking and popular participation in governmental decisionmaking.
Dissolved Solids Removal from Waste Water by Algae

Results of investigation to reclaim waste water for eventual reuse; experimental algae pond, constructed as third stage to follow secondary clarifier, was operated at 4 flow rates; comparison of influent and effluent water quality by physical and chemical analysis was made at each flow rate; effluent was clear, odorless, and meets (USPHS) standards for potable waters, with exception of bacterial count.
Synchrotron Radiation Infrared Spectromicroscopy: A Noninvasive Chemical Probe for Monitoring Biogeochemical Processes.

A long‐standing desire in biogeochemistry is to be able to examine the cycling of elements by microorganisms, as the processes are happening on surfaces of earth and environmental materials. Over the past decade, physics, engineering, and instrumentation innovations have led to the introduction of synchrotron radiation‐based infrared (IR) spectromicroscopy. Spatial resolutions of less than 10 micrometers (μm) and photon energies of less than an electron volt make synchrotron IR spectromicroscopy noninvasive and useful for following the course of biogeochemical processes on complex heterogeneous surfaces of earth and environmental materials. In this chapter, we will first briefly describe the technology and then present several examples demonstrating its application potentials in probing and imaging biogeochemical processes.
Developmental and tissue-specific expression of 2-methyl branched-chain enoyl CoA reductase isoforms in the parasitic nematode, Ascaris suum

Abstract The 2-methyl branched-chain enoyl CoA reductase (ECR) plays a pivotal role in the reversal of β -oxidation operating in anaerobic mitochondria of the parasitic nematode, Ascaris suum. Two- dimensional gel electrophoresis of the purified ECR yielded multiple spots, with two distinct but overlapping N-terminal sequences. These multiple isoforms were not the result of population effects, as the pattern observed on 2-D gels of the purified ECR was identical to those on immunoblots of muscle homogenates isolated from individual worms. A full-length cDNA coding for the major ECR isoform (ECRI) has been cloned and sequenced and compared with that of the minor isoform (ECRII) which has been described previously (Duran et al. J Biol Chem 1993;268:22391–22396). ECRI contained the 22-nucleotide trans -spliced leader sequence characteristic of many nematode mRNAs, a 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of 13 nucleotides, an open reading frame (ORF) of 1257 nucleotides, a 3′-UTR of 110 nucleotides that included the polyadenylation signal AATAAA downstream of the termination codon and a short poly(A) tail. The ORF predicted a 16 amino acid leader sequence not found in the native protein and a mature protein of 403 amino acids with a molecular weight of 43 698 and a predicted pI of 6.2. ECRI and ECRII were 73% identical at the predicted amino acid level and their mRNAs exhibited significant structural similarity even though they were products of separate genes. Comparison of ECRI and ECRII with the sequences of acyl CoA dehydrogenases from a variety of different sources revealed a high degree of interspecies sequence identity, suggesting that these enzymes may have evolved from a common ancestral gene. This result is surprising since the ascarid enzymes function as reductases, not as dehydrogenases. Both ECRs were tissue-specific and developmentally regulated and were found in transitional third-stage larvae (L3) and adult muscle, but not in early, aerobic larval stages or adult testis, ovary, or intestine. The ratio of ECRII to ECRI was greater in L3 than in adult muscle. Interestingly, both ECRs also appeared to be expressed in pharyngeal muscle, suggesting that branched-chain fatty acid synthesis may not be confined exclusively to body wall muscle.
Surface dose measurements with commonly used detectors: a consistent thickness correction method

The purpose of this study was to review application of a consistent correction method for the solid state detectors, such as thermoluminescent dosimeters (chips (cTLD) and powder (pTLD)), optically stimulated detectors (both closed (OSL) and open (eOSL)), and radiochromic (EBT2) and radiographic (EDR2) films. In addition, to compare measured surface dose using an extrapolation ionization chamber (PTW 30-360) with other parallel plate chambers RMI-449 (Attix), Capintec PS-033, PTW 30-329 (Markus) and Memorial. Measurements of surface dose for 6MV photons with parallel plate chambers were used to establish a baseline. cTLD, OSLs, EDR2, and EBT2 measurements were corrected using a method which involved irradiation of three dosimeter stacks, followed by linear extrapolation of individual dosimeter measurements to zero thickness. We determined the magnitude of correction for each detector and compared our results against an alternative correction method based on effective thickness. All uncorrected surface dose measurements exhibited overresponse, compared with the extrapolation chamber data, except for the Attix chamber. The closest match was obtained with the Attix chamber (-0.1%), followed by pTLD (0.5%), Capintec (4.5%), Memorial (7.3%), Markus (10%), cTLD (11.8%), eOSL (12.8%), EBT2 (14%), EDR2 (14.8%), and OSL (26%). Application of published ionization chamber corrections brought all the parallel plate results to within 1% of the extrapolation chamber. The extrapolation method corrected all solid-state detector results to within 2% of baseline, except the OSLs. Extrapolation of dose using a simple three-detector stack has been demonstrated to provide thickness corrections for cTLD, eOSLs, EBT2, and EDR2 which can then be used for surface dose measurements. Standard OSLs are not recommended for surface dose measurement. The effective thickness method suffers from the subjectivity inherent in the inclusion of measured percentage depth-dose curves and is not recommended for these types of measurements.
Personal Finance Education: An Early Start to a Secure Future.

The lack of mandated personal finance curriculum in American schools is an issue that has gained considerable momentum in recent years. Studies have indicated that personal finance education contributes to financial literacy and financial success. Although some strides have been made to incorporate personal finance education into core curriculum, statistics show that American students are financially illiterate. This paper investigates the impact of personal finance education on financial well-being and presents arguments for including personal finance education into core curriculum. This paper also provides an overview of the current trends in the US economy that are dramatically affecting the financial management behaviors of American households and their financial well-being
Ubiquitin Is a Novel Substrate for Human Insulin-Degrading Enzyme

Abstract Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) can degrade insulin and amyloid-β, peptides involved in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, respectively. IDE selects its substrates based on size, charge, and flexibility. From these criteria, we predict that IDE can cleave and inactivate ubiquitin (Ub). Here, we show that IDE cleaves Ub in a biphasic manner, first, by rapidly removing the two C-terminal glycines ( k cat = 2 s − 1 ) followed by a slow cleavage between residues 72 and 73 ( k cat = 0.07 s − 1 ), thereby producing the inactive 1–74 fragment of Ub (Ub1-74) and 1–72 fragment of Ub (Ub1–72). IDE is a ubiquitously expressed cytosolic protein, where monomeric Ub is also present. Thus, Ub degradation by IDE should be regulated. IDE is known to bind the cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein nestin with high affinity. We found that nestin potently inhibits the cleavage of Ub by IDE. In addition, Ub1–72 has a markedly increased affinity for IDE (∼ 90-fold). Thus, the association of IDE with cellular regulators and product inhibition by Ub1–72 can prevent inadvertent proteolysis of cellular Ub by IDE. Ub is a highly stable protein. However, IDE instead prefers to degrade peptides with high intrinsic flexibility. Indeed, we demonstrate that IDE is exquisitely sensitive to Ub stability. Mutations that only mildly destabilize Ub (ΔΔ G
Complete normality and metrization theory of manifolds

Abstract A manifold is a connected Hausdorff space in which every point has a neighborhood homeomorphic to Euclidean n-space (n is unique). A space is collectionwise Hausdorff (cwH) if every closed discrete subspace D can be expanded to a disjoint collection of open sets each of which meets D in one point. There are exactly two examples of 1-dimensional nonmetrizable hereditarily normal, hereditarily cwH manifolds: the long line and the long ray. The main new result is that if it is consistent that there is a supercompact cardinal, it is consistent that every hereditarily normal, hereditarily cwH manifold of dimension greater than 1 is metrizable.