cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ras controls melanocyte expansion during zebrafish fin stripe regeneration

Regenerative medicine for complex tissues like limbs will require the provision or activation of precursors for different cell types, in the correct number, and with the appropriate instructions. These strategies can be guided by what is learned from spectacular events of natural limb or fin regeneration in urodele amphibians and teleost fish. Following zebrafish fin amputation, melanocyte stripes faithfully regenerate in tandem with complex fin structures. Distinct populations of melanocyte precursors emerge and differentiate to pigment regenerating fins, yet the regulation of their proliferation and patterning is incompletely understood. Here, we found that transgenic increases in active Ras dose-dependently hyperpigmented regenerating zebrafish fins. Lineage tracing and marker analysis indicated that increases in active Ras stimulated the in situ amplification of undifferentiated melanocyte precursors expressing mitfa and kita. Active Ras also hyperpigmented early fin regenerates of kita mutants, which are normally devoid of primary regeneration melanocytes, suppressing defects in precursor function and survival. By contrast, this protocol had no noticeable impact on pigmentation by secondary regulatory melanocyte precursors in late-stage kita regenerates. Our results provide evidence that Ras activity levels control the repopulation and expansion of adult melanocyte precursors after tissue loss, enabling the recovery of patterned melanocyte stripes during zebrafish appendage regeneration.
Changes in the Membrane Permeability of Human Leukocytes Measured by Fluorochromasia in a Rapid Flow Fluorometer

Fluorochromasia is a property of cells to accumulate fluorescein intracellularly as a result of the enzymatic hydrolysis of a fluorogenic substrate, thereby becoming brightly fluorescent under blue light (Rotman and Papermaster 1966). The f luorochromatic reaction requires a nonpolar fluorogenic substrate, such as diesters of fluorescein and aliphatic acids. This type of substrate can penetrate the cell membrane and can be hydrolyzed intracellularly, thus liberating fluorescein, a negatively charged molecule, which does not diffuse readily across the cytoplasmic membrane of normal cells. If the rate of hydrolysis of the substrate exceeds the rate of fluorescein excretion, the intracellular concentration of fluorescein builds up until it reaches a steady state (in about seven minutes in our experiments) in which the rate of substrate hydrolysis is equal to the rate of fluorescein excretion.
Modulation of mononuclear phagocyte cytotoxicity by alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E).

The in vitro eftect of colloidal suspensions of alpha-tocopherol (a-T) on phorbolmyristate-acetate (PMA)-induced monocyte cytotoxicity and on antibody-dependent monocyte cytotoxicity (ADCC) was studied. We observed that 1) in the presence of a-T, the inhibition was twice as high in the PMA-induced assay than in ADCC; 2) monocytes preincubated with cr-T were inhibitory in both assays but much less in ADCC, and 3) target erythrocytes preincubated with a-T decreased the cytotoxicity in the PMA-induced assay only. Since a-T preincubated monocytes showed a decreased release of H202 but not of 02, we concluded that one of the mechanisms by which a-T decreased cytotoxicity could be decreased release of H202. Whereas the role of H202 was documented in the PMA-induced cytotoxicity, in ADCC non-oxidative injury seems more important. This is supported by 1) lesser inhibition of the assay with a-T preincubated monocytes; 2) lack of protection with a-T preincubated erythrocytes, and 3) mild inhibition with protease inhibitor.
Perpetuities Revision in California: Perpetual Trusts Permitted

IN 1963 THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE revised the state's perpetuities law.1 In a vivid description of this action, Dean Richard Maxwell has said the legislature "used an atomic cannon to kill a gnat." The gnat was Haggerty v. City of Oakland,2 a district court of appeals decision which held that a lease to commence upon completion of a building violated the Rule Against Perpetuities. The decision stunned many members of the California Bar. A special committee was named by the California Bar Association to draft legislation making appropriate changes in the Rule. This legislation was enacted in 1963. One of the revisions, the new alternative definition of vesting, has received very little attention in the law reviews. Yet it is so drastic and sweeping as to make it possible in California to set up a private trust that can continue indefinitely and avoid estate and gift taxes throughout its existence. The revision raises an intriguing question of perpetuities policy: Does a private trust of indefinite duration, which can, after lives in being plus twenty-one years, be terminated by the beneficiaries, the Attorney General, or some other interested party, violate the policy against perpetuities? The revision also raises the possibility of the intervention of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the Congress in the perpetuities field. They cannot be expected to view with disinterest the possibilities of tax avoidance now available in California.
Hydrogen sulfide augments synaptic neurotransmission in the nucleus of the solitary tract.

Within the brain stem, the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) serves as a principal central site for sensory afferent integration from the cardiovascular and respiratory reflexes. Neuronal activity an...
Improvements in the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS) Main Magnet Coil Protection

Two main coil failures in a one-year period initiated a review of on-line protective circuitry. Two existing circuits, which would limit damage, were made more reliable. Four new circuits were added to monitor coil condition and protect against voltage transients.
Interspike Intervals, Receptive Fields, and Information Encoding in Primary Visual Cortex

In the primate primary visual cortex (V1), the significance of individual action potentials has been difficult to determine, particularly in light of the considerable trial-to-trial variability of responses to visual stimuli. We show here that the information conveyed by an action potential depends on the duration of the immediately preceding interspike interval (ISI). The interspike intervals can be grouped into several different classes on the basis of reproducible features in the interspike interval histograms. Spikes in different classes bear different relationships to the visual stimulus, both qualitatively (in terms of the average stimulus preceding each spike) and quantitatively (in terms of the amount of information encoded per spike and per second). Spikes preceded by very short intervals (3 msec or less) convey information most efficiently and contribute disproportionately to the overall receptive-field properties of the neuron. Overall, V1 neurons can transmit between 5 and 30 bits of information per second in response to rapidly varying, pseudorandom stimuli, with an efficiency of approximately 25%. Although some (but not all) of our results would be expected from neurons that use a firing-rate code to transmit information, the evidence suggests that visual neurons are well equipped to decode stimulus-related information on the basis of relative spike timing and ISI duration.
Color Patterns and Associated Behaviors in the Kelp Bass, Paralabrax clathratus (Teleostei: Serranidae)

Abstract Seasonal and ephemeral color patterns in the kelp bass, Paralabrax clathratus, were studied on Santa Catalina Island, California from April 2000 to September 2002. Adults were monochromatic for part of the year (calico phase) and sexually dichromatic from April to October, with most adult males adopting bright orange snouts (OS phase). The seasonal occurrence of the OS phase in males overlapped with the spawning season, and the color was limited to ripe males. The OS phase in ripe males may function as a signal of sexual identity and sexual readiness to females. Both males and females exhibited distinct color patterns during courtship and spawning periods. During these periods, males were charcoal colored with dark black bars overlaying white spots (checkered phase), and females were often black with no visible spots (dark phase). Color patterns displayed by adults during spawning activities may facilitate mate signaling and the formation of spawning groups. Specific color patterns were also obse...
Translating sustainable seafood frameworks to assess the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management

Abstract Implementing fisheries management goals that simultaneously consider ecosystem effects of fishing and socioeconomic sustainability is challenging. In recent years, multiple market-based frameworks and guidelines that assess fishery sustainability have been developed, including sustainable seafood recommendation lists and certification schemes. These frameworks use suites of indicators to assess sustainability across fishery types to provide awareness to seafood suppliers, retailers, and consumers. We suggest that these indicators could also be useful to managers to track their own performance. Here we evaluate and compare four of the best-known frameworks available to assess fishery sustainability and consider their potential applicability to fisheries management in California: the Marine Stewardship Council’s 2013 certification requirements for fisheries, Friend of the Sea’s 2011 certification criteria for wild-caught fisheries, the Seafood Watch program’s current criteria for fisheries, and an FAO sustainability checklist combined with the FAO’s International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards. We assessed the alignment between the indicators used in these frameworks and the goals and requirements of the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA), the primary statute governing fisheries management in California’s coastal waters. In general, we found considerable overlap between the biophysical sustainability criteria assessed by these indicators and the requirements of the MLMA, revealing that these indicators align well with practical management needs. While the MLMA is a useful case study, these sustainability indicators could be applied more broadly by other states and federal fisheries managers to concretely evaluate progress towards ecosystem-based management goals. Ultimately, a refined suite of indicators could be operationalized, e.g., via decision trees or questionnaires for fishery managers to assess how well they are meeting ecosystem-based management objectives.
Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution: Using Technology to Support Couples Throughout Deployment

The deployment cycle presents unique challenges for military couples. Marital outcomes have been shown to be negatively impacted throughout the deployment process, and at-home stressors can serve as distractions for service members that can compromise their effectiveness and safety. Tele-mental health, specifically the delivery of therapy via videoconferencing, has been shown to be an effective therapy medium, particularly for reaching underserved or isolated populations. A case can be made for the use of tele-mental health as a means of delivering therapy to military couples throughout the deployment process in an effort to strengthen their relationship and enhance service member well-being during deployment. This form of therapy may be particularly valuable to couples experiencing barriers to care due to stigma, rural location, or limited access to military resources (i.e. National Guard service members). Three general recommendations for this form of treatment are first provided, which include (1) work within the military culture, (2) capitalize on existing support structures, and (3) receive training in tele-mental health delivery. Five additional recommendations are provided which are specific to delivering couples therapy while the service member is deployed. These recommendations include (1) tailor treatment to fit the service member’s context, (2) prioritize service member safety, (3) encourage the development of couple skills in therapy, (4) be intentional about session management, and (5) engage the at-home spouse. Legal and ethical considerations, as well as intended benefits for this method of treatment are also discussed.
Patent Reform: Damages

One of the most contentious issues in the debate over patent reform is the question of how, if at all, Congress should change the way courts calculate patent damages. To understand that fight, we examine in this podcast a series of edited excerpts from testimony recently given before the Senate and, separately, the Federal Trade Commission, all on the question of damages reform. The goal here is not to advocate for a particular legislative outcome, but instead to understand why damages calculations are so hard, and to explore the spectrum of possible responses. UCLA Law School’s Doug Lichtman hosts. (Podcast available for free in the archives at ipcolloquium.com.)
Myxoid adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) with myxoid features are rare neoplasms. We identified 7 cases of myxoid ACC and studied the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of these neoplasms. The patients were 5 men and 2 women with a mean age of 45 years. Histologically, the tumors contained alcian blue-positive myxoid areas ranging from 10% to 50% of the tissue examined. One case showed lipomatous metaplasia. Areas of conventional ACC were present in all cases. Immunohistochemically, the tumors were positive for steroid receptor cofactor 1, inhibin, melan A, calretinin, and synaptophysin but negative for high-molecular-weight cytokeratin, CAM5.2, and Pax8. Clinical follow-up information for 4 patients demonstrated that all patients had died of their disease 11 to 69 months after diagnosis. Myxoid ACCs are rare tumors that expand the differential diagnosis of myxoid neoplasms involving the retroperitoneum. Contrary to previous reports proposing that the biologic behavior is similar to conventional ACC, our series seems to indicate that myxoid morphology is associated with more aggressive behavior.
Measuring Effects of Modality on Perceived Test Anxiety for Computer Programming Exams

The modality students use to complete programming-centric exams is shifting from paper to computer. We developed and distributed a survey to investigate how exam modality affects student perceptions of test anxiety and performance during programming-centric exams. We examine the distribution of modality preference among students and understand how students cope with test anxiety. We found a majority of students report at least moderate perceived anxiety (rating -- 4 on 7-pt scale) on paper- (69%) and computer-based (64%) exams. Though moderate anxiety was experienced by a majority of the students, we found 1 in 5 students had no strategy to cope with anxiety. Additionally, we examine how students perceived anxiety during testing affects their thought process and behavior. We found computer-based exams were perceived as more beneficial to the quality and speed of student's solutions and a majority of students preferred computer-based testing (67%). Lastly, we introduce possible technological solutions to benefit students experiencing test anxiety while not impeding less anxious students.
Defects and interfaces in nanoparticles

As the dimensions of semiconductors are reduced into the nanoscale, the defects and interfaces that may be present have taken on new importance. In many cases, these nanoscale materials may have properties that are unique to their size and morphology. Using the transmission electron microscope, observations of these interfaces can shed light on the possible formation processes undergone by the nanoparticles and lead to further advances in nanoscale semiconductor manufacturing.
Semantic Tagging Using Topic Models Exploiting Wikipedia Category Network

In this paper we propose a probabilistic topic model that incorporates DBpedia knowledge into the topic model for tagging Web pages and online documents with topics discovered in them. Our method is based on integration of the DBpedia hierarchical category network with statistical topic models where DBpedia categories are considered as topics. We have conducted extensive experiments on two different datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Streptococcus Mutans Dextransucrase: Phosphoglycerides and the Detection of Inhibitory Antibodies in Sera

The cariogenic potential of the oral bacteria collectively called Streptococcus mutans has been shown by various types of investigations to be directly related to the production of extracellular enzyme activities capable of converting the glucosyl moiety of sucrose into polysaccharide. Variant isolates which produce elevated or diminished levels of dextransucrase (EC 2.4.1.5) have been shown to have correspondingly increased or decreased cariogenicity when tested in animal models (1–3). This direct relationship between enzyme activity and cariogenicity makes dextransucrase a good candidate antigen for a vaccine against dental caries.
Lunasin is a novel therapeutic agent for targeting melanoma cancer stem cells.

// Chris Shidal 1, 3, 4 , Numan Al-Rayyan 2, 3 , Kavitha Yaddanapudi 2, 3 , Keith R. Davis 4 1 Department of Pharmacology and Toxciology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA 2 Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA 3 James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA 4 Biotechnology Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA Correspondence to: Keith R. Davis, email: keirdavi@indiana.edu Kavitha Yaddanapudi, email: kavitha.yaddanapudi@louisville.edu Keywords: lunasin, melanoma, cancer stem cells, MITF, NANOG Received: May 16, 2016 Accepted: August 13, 2016 Published: August 23, 2016 ABSTRACT Recent studies provide compelling evidence that melanoma is initiated and maintained by a small population of malignant cells called cancer-initiating cells (CICs) that exhibit stem-cell-like properties. Observations that CICs have a distinct biology when compared to that of the bulk tumor cells and, importantly, are resistant to chemotherapies and radiation, suggest that CICs are involved in invasion, metastasis, and ultimately relapse. Lunasin, a bioactive peptide present in soybean, has both chemopreventive activity and chemotherapeutic activity against multiple cancer types. In this study, we tested the potential of Lunasin to specifically target CICs in melanoma tumor cell populations. In vitro studies using human melanoma cell lines showed that Lunasin treatment decreased the size of a subpopulation of melanoma cells expressing the surrogate CIC marker, Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, concomitant with a reduction in the ability to form colonies in soft agar assays, and reduced tumor growth in mouse xenografts. Similarly, Lunasin inhibited colony formation by isolated melanoma CICs in soft agar and reduced oncosphere formation in vitro and substantially inhibited tumor growth in mouse xenografts. Mechanistic studies revealed that Lunasin treatment of isolated melanoma CICs induced expression of the melanocyte-associated differentiation markers Tyrosinase and Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor concomitant with reduced expression of the stemness factor NANOG. These findings document for the first time that Lunasin has significant therapeutic activity against melanoma by specifically targeting melanoma CICs, and inducing a more differentiated, non-CIC phenotype. Thus, Lunasin may represent a novel therapeutic option for both chemoresistant and advanced metastatic melanoma management.
The CRF System as a Therapeutic Target for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The major neuropsychiatric disorders are devastating illnesses that are only modestly responsive to treatment. Improving the treatment of these conditions will require innovative new strategies that depart from previously focused-on pharmacological mechanisms. Considerable preclinical and clinical data indicate corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling as a target for new psychotropic drug development. Here we review alterations in the CRF system reported in several psychiatric conditions. We also examine the preclinical work that has dissected the distinctive roles of CRF receptors in specific circuits relevant to these disorders. We further describe the clinical trials of CRF1 receptor antagonists that have been conducted. Although these clinical trials have thus far met with limited therapeutic success, the unfolding complexity of the CRF system promises many future directions for studying its role in the etiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions.
Extraction, bioavailability, and bioefficacy of capsaicinoids

Capsaicinoids are active constituents responsible for the pungent and spicy flavor in chili peppers. During the past few decades, various extraction methods of capsaicinoids from peppers have been developed with high yields. Through biological studies, pharmacological benefits have been reported such as pain relief, antiinflammation, anticancer, cardio-protection, as well as weight loss. In this paper, the extraction methods and bioavailability of capsaicinoids are reviewed and discussed. In addition, the pharmacological effects and their underlying mechanisms are also studied.
Planning, Implementing, and Assessing a CD Reclassification Project

In 2015, plans were put in place to relocate the entire compact disc collection of the Music and Media Center in the Arts and Humanities Library at Penn State's University Park campus, and to recla...
Circuit and Synaptic Plasticity Mechanisms of Drug Relapse

High rates of relapse to drug use during abstinence is a defining feature of human drug addiction. This clinical scenario has been studied at the preclinical level using different animal models in which relapse to drug seeking is assessed after cessation of operant drug self-administration in rodents and monkeys. In our Society for Neuroscience (SFN) session entitled "Circuit and Synaptic Plasticity Mechanisms of Drug Relapse," we will discuss new developments of our understanding of circuits and synaptic plasticity mechanisms of drug relapse from studies combining established and novel animal models with state-of-the-art cellular, electrophysiology, anatomical, chemogenetic, and optogenetic methods. We will also discuss the translational implications of these new developments. In the mini-review that introduces our SFN session, we summarize results from our laboratories on behavioral, cellular, and circuit mechanisms of drug relapse within the context of our session.
Bacterial Mutagenesis and the Evaluation of Mobile-Source Emissions

Interest in developing a rapid, inexpensive means of detecting and evaluating the potential health hazards of mobile-source emissions is increasing. Faced with the staggering numbers of chemicals created through combustion processes that have never been assayed for mutagenicity and/or carcinogenicity, the chemist faces a futile task of identifying and controlling all potential health hazards. This study will demonstrate how bioassay techniques, and particularly the Salmonella assay, can be coupled with the fractionation of chemically complex emissions to identify components requiring more extensive analysis and control.
Control-Oriented Learning of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Systems

We propose a method based on quadratic programming for learning control-oriented models of physical systems for which limited data from only one trajectory is available. To this end, we take advantage of the principle of least action from physics. We propose two methods based on quadratic programming to approximate either the Lagrangian or the Hamiltonian of the system from the data. We show how the learning methods based on convex optimization can accommodate symmetries about the underlying system if they are known a priori. Furthermore, we incorporate the error in the approximation to build a data-driven differential inclusion, that is suitable for control purposes. We illustrate the results by an example.
Fuzzy c-means segmentation of major vessels in angiographic images of stroke

Patients suffering from ischemic stroke develop varying degrees of pial arterial supply (PAS), which can affect patient response to reperfusion therapy and risk of hemorrhage. Since vessel segmentation may be an important part in identifying PAS, we present a fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering method to segment major vessels in x-ray angiograms. Our approach consists of semiautomatic region of interest (ROI) delineation, separation of major vessels from capillary blush and/or background noise through FCM clustering, and identification of the major vessel category. This method was applied to a database of x-ray angiograms of 24 patients acquired at various frame rates. The ground truth for performance evaluation was the designation by an expert radiologist selecting image pixels as being vessel or nonvessel. From receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, area under the ROC curve (AUC) was the performance metric in the task of distinguishing between major vessels and blush or background. When clustering data into three categories and performing FCM segmentation on each ROI separately, the AUC was 0.89 for the entire database and ≥0.87 for all examined frame-rates. In conclusion, our method showed promising performance in identifying major vessels and is anticipated to become an integral part of automatic quantification of PAS.
Juvenile river residence and performance of Snake River fall Chinook salmon

An animal's performance during its early life stage can greatly influence its survival to adulthood. Therefore, understanding aspects of early life history can be informative, particularly when designing management plans to rebuild a population. For a threatened population of fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Snake River of Idaho, we reconstructed the early life history for 124 returning wild and hatchery adults using information recorded in their otoliths. Of our sampled wild adults (n = 61), 43% and 49% reared within the Snake River and Clearwater/Salmon rivers. We also found that only 21% of our sampled wild adults exhibited the historically common subyearling out‐migration strategy, in which juveniles exit freshwater shortly after hatching, while the remaining wild adults exhibited the yearling out‐migration strategy (i.e., individuals delay their freshwater exit). As expected, yearlings had, on average, a significantly larger body size than subyearlings at ocean entry. However, 35% of wild yearlings overlapped in size with wild subyearlings suggesting that spending more time in freshwater might not necessarily result in a larger body size. Lastly, we observed that variability in fork length at Snake River egress and ocean entry were best explained by migration strategy and where it reared, followed by hatch year and sex. Results from this study highlight the utility of adult otoliths in providing details about early life history, an understanding of which is critical to the conservation of Snake River fall Chinook salmon.
Commercializing MEMS--too fast or too slow? ((Same as Vols. 2880 and 2882, p. 12)

MEMS as a technology base is coming ofage, butas in any vital process growing pains occur. Commercializing MEMS is simultaneously viewed asagonizingly slow by many ofits promoters and lightingly quick by many companies whose products are beingreplaced with MEMS based substitutes. This effort ties current efforts in market analysis, technology evaluations, competency based strategy in an effort to understand the pace ofMEMS commercialization.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Monitoring the Immunoproteasome in Live Cells Using an Activity-Based Peptide-Peptoid Hybrid Probe.

Activity-based probes have greatly improved our understanding of the intrinsic roles and expression levels of various proteins within cells. To be useful in live cells, probes must be cell permeable and provide a read-out that can be measured without disrupting the cells or the activity of the target. Unfortunately, probes for the various forms of the proteasome that can be utilized in intact cells are limited; commercially available probes are most effectively used with purified protein or cell lysate. The proteasome, both the 26S and various isoforms of the 20S CP, is an important target with reported roles in cancer, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we present the development of a selective probe for the immunoproteasome, a specialized isoform of the 20S proteasome, that becomes expressed in cells that encounter an inflammatory signal. Using a one-bead, one-compound library of small peptides, we discovered a trimer sequence efficiently cleaved by the immunoproteasome with sig...
CLINICAL SPECTRUM AND NEURO IMAGING FINDINGS OF PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL ARTERIOPATHY

Objective: To determine the association between the clinical spectrum and neuroimaging findings of patients with cerebral arteriopathy.Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The Institute of Child Health and the Children Hospital Ferozepur Road Lahore, from Jan 2016 to Jun 2016.Material and Method: The study was carried out on sixty patients who were less than 16 of age years and admitted in neurology department during this period of six months. They were all confirmed cases of cerebral arteriopathy on the basis of history, examination, investigations and imaging findings. Arteriopathy on imaging was defined as focal or segmental narrowing of arterial blood vessels. While patients with other causes of arterial ischemic stroke were excluded from the study.Results: Out of these 60 patients, majority of them were females (55%) and again majority of them were under the age of 5 years (38%). Recurrent episodes of stroke were noted in (56%), hemiplegia (96.7%) followed by fits (53.3%) was the frequently occurring feature. The radiological finding showed that both acute as well as chronic infarction was a frequent feature (46.7%) and commonly involved artery was middle cerebral artery.Conclusion: Hemiplegia followed by fits was the most occurring clinical findings and middle cerebral artery was found to be most commonly involved. The diagnosis of cerebral arteriopathy is important because of the long-term morbidity in the form of neurological and behavioral complications. Timely treatment and multidisciplinary approach is needed for these complications. Recurrence can also be prevented in this way.
Foot Injuries Outcomes Analysis

Common complications following talus and calcaneus fractures and dislocations include subtalar and/or tibiotalar arthrosis, soft tissue injury, instability, and hindfoot stiffness. These injuries are relatively uncommon but can result in significant morbidity for patients. Several foot-specific outcome scores have been developed to accurately determine patient function and satisfaction following treatment. These include the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Clinical Rating System, Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey, Foot Function Index (FFI), and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Outcomes Instruments.
Chronos: Efficient Speculative Parallelism for Accelerators

We present Chronos, a framework to build accelerators for applications with speculative parallelism. These applications consist of atomic tasks, sometimes with order constraints, and need speculative execution to extract parallelism. Prior work extended conventional multicores to support speculative parallelism, but these prior architectures are a poor match for accelerators because they rely on cache coherence and add non-trivial hardware to detect conflicts among tasks. Chronos instead relies on a novel execution model, Spatially Located Ordered Tasks (SLOT), that uses order as the only synchronization mechanism and limits task accesses to a single read-write object. This simplification avoids the need for cache coherence and makes speculative execution cheap and distributed. Chronos abstracts the complexities of speculative parallelism, making accelerator design easy. We develop an FPGA implementation of Chronos and use it to build accelerators for four challenging applications. When run on commodity AWS FPGA instances, these accelerators outperform state-of-the-art software versions running on a higher-priced multicore instance by 3.5x to 15.3x.
Identification of Novel Targets of RBM5 in the Healthy and Injured Brain

The tumor suppressor RNA-binding motif 5 (RBM5) regulates the expression levels and cassette exon-definition (i.e. splicing) of a select set of mRNAs in a tissue-specific manner. Most RBM5-regulated targets were identified in oncological investigations and frequently involve genes which mediate apoptotic cell death. Little is known about the role of RBM5 in the brain. Also, it is unclear if a brain injury may be required to detect RBM5 mediated effects on pro-apoptotic genes due to their low expression levels in the healthy adult CNS at baseline. Conditional/floxed (brain-specific) gene deleter mice were generated to elucidate CNS-specific RBM5 mRNA targets. Male/female mice were subjected to a severe controlled cortical impact (CCI) traumatic brain injury (TBI) in order to increase the background expression of pro-death mRNAs and facilitate testing of the hypothesis that RBM5 inhibition decreases post-injury upregulation of caspases/FAS in the CNS. As expected, a CCI increased caspases/FAS mRNA in the injured cortex. RBM5 KO did not affect their levels or splicing. Surprisingly, KO increased the mRNA levels of novel targets including casein kinase 2 alpha prime interacting protein (Csnka2ip/CKT2) - a gene not thought to be expressed in the brain, contrary to findings here. Twenty-two unique splicing events were also detected in KOs including increased block-inclusion of cassette exons 20-22 in regulating synaptic membrane exocytosis 2 (Rims2). In conclusion, here we used genome-wide transcriptomic analysis on healthy and injured RBM5 KO mouse brain tissue to elucidate the first known gene targets of this enigmatic RBP in this CNS.
American Sutra: a story of faith and freedom in the Second World War

Though Buddhists were a majority of those who were forcibly incarcerated in American concentration camps, and of those Japanese Americans who served in the armed forces during the Second World War,...
Comment on: Chaplaincy Care in the MICU: Describing the Spiritual Care Provided to MICU Patients and Families at the End of Life:

The purpose of the comment on "Chaplaincy Care in the MICU: Describing the Spiritual Care Provided to MICU Patients and Families at the End of Life" was to bring to light more information about spiritual assessments. In addition to bringing more background to what types of assessments are used across the United States, this letter also advocates for a standardized assessment that can be used across disciplines.
MLGrafViz: Multilingual ontology visualization plug-in for protégé

Natural language processing (NLP) is rapidly increasing in all domains of knowledge acquisition to facilitate different language user. It is required to develop knowledge based NLP systems to provide better results. Knowledge based systems can be implemented using ontologies where ontology is a collection of terms and concepts arranged taxonomically. The concepts that are visualized graphically are more understandable than in the text form. In this research paper, new multilingual ontology visualization plug-in MLGrafViz is developed to visualize ontologies in different natural languages. This plug-in is developed for protege ontology editor. This plug-in allows the user to translate and visualize the core ontology into 135 languages.
Markov state modeling reveals alternative unbinding pathways for peptide-MHC complexes

Peptide binding to major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) is a central component of the immune system, and understanding the mechanism behind stable peptide-MHC binding will aid the development of immunotherapies. While MHC binding is mostly influenced by the identity of the so-called anchor positions of the peptide, secondary interactions from nonanchor positions are known to play a role in complex stability. However, current MHC-binding prediction methods lack an analysis of the major conformational states and might underestimate the impact of secondary interactions. In this work, we present an atomically detailed analysis of peptide-MHC binding that can reveal the contributions of any interaction toward stability. We propose a simulation framework that uses both umbrella sampling and adaptive sampling to generate a Markov state model (MSM) for a coronavirus-derived peptide (QFKDNVILL), bound to one of the most prevalent MHC receptors in humans (HLA-A24:02). While our model reaffirms the importance of the anchor positions of the peptide in establishing stable interactions, our model also reveals the underestimated importance of position 4 (p4), a nonanchor position. We confirmed our results by simulating the impact of specific peptide mutations and validated these predictions through competitive binding assays. By comparing the MSM of the wild-type system with those of the D4A and D4P mutations, our modeling reveals stark differences in unbinding pathways. The analysis presented here can be applied to any peptide-MHC complex of interest with a structural model as input, representing an important step toward comprehensive modeling of the MHC class I pathway.
The Situation with South Korean Literature in Russia as a Marker of the Current State of Intercultural Communication

Modern literature – both as book industry and as an art – is a sphere that reflects general cultural and intercultural trends. Mutual interest and understanding between Moscow and Seoul, the Russians and the Koreans manifests itself in such cultural derivatives – in works of art, in translated books in particular. The Yasnaya Polyana literary prize awarded November 23, 2020, in Moscow once again brought into light the novel of a South Korean writer Han Kang, The Vegetarian, that, at the same time, received less attention than other foreign works. What is therefore observed is that, in the wider milieu of foreign literatures, the South Korean achieves modest success in Russia and vice versa. With many prominent authors and their works translated, market success and wide publicity of Korean authors and books is what is lacking at the current stage of cultural interactions. This could be caused by the genre specificities of contemporary South Korean literature, as dramatism and realism of everyday problems feature prominently in novels and other works. Historical tragedies and the difficult life of Korean society are unlikely to be the details inciting wide public interest in Russia. What also imperils the cultural dialogue in this field is the unsystematic choice of texts to be published abroad and translated, which can be attributed to Russian editorial houses. This concern is the major obstacle to promoting both Russian and Korean cultures. Consequently, the development of intercultural bonds between Russia and South Korea is to a certain degree hindered by mutual stereotypes and standard patterns.
The Supreme Court of India: A People’s Court?

The Supreme Court of India has long been thought of as a court for the common people. This perception is rooted in the Indian constitution, which grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction to hear cases alleging violation of fundamental rights. The Court has also embraced this vision of its role, and conceives of itself as an institution of “last resort for the oppressed and bewildered.” In a judgment from 1987, it expressly notes that it gives greater access to certain marginalized groups: this Court has always regarded the poor and the disadvantaged as entitled to preferential consideration than the rich and the affluent, the businessmen and the industrialists. The reason is that the weaker sections of Indian humanity have been deprived of justice for long, long years: they have had no access to justice on account of their poverty, ignorance and illiteracy. . . . The majority of the people of our country are subjected to this denial of access to justice and, overtaken by despair and helplessness, they continue to remain victims of an exploitative society where economic power is concentrated in the hands of a few and it is used for perpetuation of domination over large masses of human beings. This court has always, therefore, regarded it as its duty to come to the rescue of these deprived and vulnerable sections of Indian humanity in order to help them realise their economic and social entitlements and to bring to an end their oppression and exploitation. The Court’s self-conscious pro-poor discursion is most evident in its public interest jurisprudence, through which the Court removed many procedural barriers to accessing the Court; and assumed wide ranging remedial powers to ameliorate a range of socio-economic injustices.
A new medication, a new toxidrome - A case report of anticholinergic wipe toxicity due to improper medication use.

Abstract We describe a case of a young female who presented to the emergency department with 4 days of progressive myopia, dry mouth, anhidrosis and urinary hesitancy due to overuse of a new topical anticholinergic wipes, glycopyrronium tosylate (GT). In the United States medication misuse accounts for nearly 10% of pediatric emergency visits with 65% of these visits considered to be preventable [1]. Being familiar with new medications and their side effect profiles can prevent unnecessary or harmful interventions.
Diet-induced changes in titer support a threshold effect of Wolbachia-associated plastic recombination in Drosophila melanogaster

ABSTRACT Plastic recombination in Drosophila melanogaster has been associated with a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as temperature, starvation, and parasite infection. The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis has also been associated with plastic recombination in D. melanogaster. Wolbachia infection is pervasive in arthropods and this infection induces a variety of phenotypes in its hosts, the strength of which can depend on bacterial concentration, or titer. Here we test the hypothesis that the magnitude of Wolbachia-associated plastic recombination in D. melanogaster depends on titer. To manipulate titer, we raised Wolbachia-infected and uninfected flies on diets that have previously been shown to increase or decrease Wolbachia titer relative to controls. We measured recombination in treated and control individuals using a standard backcrossing scheme with two X-linked visible markers. Our results recapitulate previous findings that Wolbachia infection is associated with increased recombination rate across the yellow-vermillion interval of the X chromosome. Our data show no significant effect of diet or diet by Wolbachia interactions on recombination, suggesting that diet-induced changes in Wolbachia titer have no effect on the magnitude of plastic recombination. These findings represent the first step toward investigating the mechanisms behind Wolbachia-associated plastic recombination and demonstrate that the effect may be threshold-based as opposed to dose-dependent.
The allometric propagation of COVID-19 is explained by human travel

We analyzed the number of cumulative positive cases of COVID-19 as a function of time in countries around the World. We tracked the increase in cases from the onset of the pandemic in each region for up to 150 days. We found that in 81 out of 146 regions the trajectory was described with a power-law function for up to 30 days. We also detected scale-free properties in the majority of sub-regions in Australia, Canada, China, and the United States (US). We developed an allometric model that was capable of fitting the initial phase of the pandemic and was the best predictor for the propagation of the illness for up to 100 days. We then determined that the power-law COVID-19 exponent correlated with measurements of human mobility. The COVID-19 exponent correlated with the magnitude of air passengers per country. This correlation persisted when we analyzed the number of air passengers per US states, and even per US metropolitan areas. Furthermore, the COVID-19 exponent correlated with the number of vehicle miles travelled in the US. Together, air and vehicular travel explained 70 % of the variability of the COVID-19 exponent. Taken together, our results suggest that the scale-free propagation of the virus is present at multiple geographical scales and is correlated with human mobility. We conclude that models of disease transmission should integrate scale-free dynamics as part of the modeling strategy and not only as an emergent phenomenological property.
The relationship between teen-reported nocturnal asthma symptoms and daily functioning

Objective: This study aims to identify associations between nocturnal asthma awakenings and functional health outcomes in a cohort of teenagers with asthma.Methods: We analyzed baseline data from t...
EFFICIENT SIMULATION OF NONLINEAR STEADY FLOW

Numerical simulation of steady flow can require considerable computation. However, unique features of finite element and finite difference methods can be exploited which lead to an efficient solution procedure. Although the resulting technique is fundamentally a time-stepping method, it achieves convergence within only a few steps. The considerable computational advantages of the method are obtained, moreover, without sacrificing the rigor of the governing equations, which are solved in their full nonlinear form. The technique is developed specifically for the vertically integrated Navier-Stokes equations. It is applied to simulate steady river flow.
NMR Study of Sodium Ion Motion in β″-Alumina

A study has been made of the temperature dependence of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of 23Na(I=3/2) in polycrystalline Li2O stabilized β″-alumina. The spectra correspond to quadrupolar perturbation of the central magnetic transition. The features of the spectra are consistent with a model which assumes planar motion of sodium ions among lattice sites related by threefold symmetry.1,2 Within the framework of this model, measurements were made of the quadrupole interaction parameters eQVzz/h and η. At room temperature, eQVzz/h is 2.98 MHz with variations of no more than 3% over the temperature range studied. η on the other hand, decreases sharply with increasing temperature from 0.98 at −94C, to 0.37 at room temperature, to 0.21 at 115C.
The Importance of Research Ethics for Medical Law

Within the traditional medical curriculum, the teaching of law and ethics has often been both scarce and eclectic. Yet the practice of good medicine inevitably raises legal and ethical issues and demands an understanding of both. The issue of breach of conduct in science serves as a contact point between the institutions of a scientific community and the institutions of law. Legal institutions are beginning to exert significant influence upon the practice of science. Through the medium of research misconduct, the institutions of science are being driven toward a more rigid and formal structure reflecting that of legal institutions. The result of this profound formalization, so foreign to science, will likely alter the practice of science forever.There are numerous ways in which the knowledge that physicians have about medical ethics, bioethics, research ethics, and law can have a more direct impact on both medical research and the type and quality of care that the patient receives. In order to provide medical care in an ethical and humane way, physicians need to be better educated about specific aspects of ethical medical practice and learn to think critically about the increasingly complex world of medical research and practice.