cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insulin potentiates platelet-derived growth factor action in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Correlative studies have indicated that hyperinsulinemia is present in many individuals with atherosclerosis. Insulin resistance has also been linked to cardiovascular disease. It has proved to be difficult to decipher whether hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance plays the most important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. In this study, we demonstrate that insulin increases the amount of farnesylated p21Ras in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), thereby augmenting the pool of cellular Ras available for activation by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). In VSMC incubated with insulin for 24 h, PDGF’s influence on GTP-loading of Ras was significantly increased. Furthermore, in cells preincubated with insulin, PDGF increased thymidine incorporation by 96% as compared with a 44% increase in control cells (a 2-fold increment). Similarly, preincubation of VSMC with insulin increased the ability of PDGF to stimulate gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor ...
Address-Value Decoupling for Early Register Deallocation

We propose a series of aggressive register deallocation mechanisms to reduce the register file pressure and increase the parallelism exploited by superscalar microprocessors. Our techniques are based on a key observation that a register value can be temporarily decoupled from the register identifier. Specifically, even if a physical register is deallocated, the value is still available in the register and can be read by the dependent instructions until the register is overwritten. In these situations, we can effectively overlap the consumption of the produced register value and partial processing of the instruction that gets the same register reassigned to it. In this paper, we propose several realizations of the address-value decoupling idea and discuss their implications on the performance. Our most aggressive scheme achieves an average IPC speedup of 14.6% across simulated SPEC 2000 benchmarks.
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for the Values of a Function of Fuzzy Variables to Lie in a Specified Subinterval of [0,1]

Much of the work in fuzzy set theory, fuzzy logic, and fuzzy algebra has been based upon arguments which are largely heuristic in nature. In this paper, some such results concerning functions of fuzzy variables are discussed and rigorous mathematical proofs are supplied. These results have important applications in the analysis and synthesis of functions of fuzzy variables.
Electromagnetic Decays of Baryon Resonances in the Harmonic-Oscillator Model

The harmonic-oscillator model for baryons is used to estimate the radiative widths of the observed ${N}^{*}$ resonances. In the "second resonance region" of pion photoproduction, both the ${S}_{11}(1550)$ and ${D}_{13}(1525)$ resonances [and possibly the ${P}_{11}(1470)$, depending on what should be taken as its $N\ensuremath{\pi}$ width] are expected to be important, while in the "third resonance region" ${F}_{15}(1690)$, ${S}_{11}(1710)$, and ${D}_{13}(1690)$ are expected to have comparable contributions. The mixing angle between the two ${S}_{11}$ resonances is determined to be about 35\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. In inelastic electron scattering $\mathrm{ep}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e{N}^{*}$, the ${S}_{11}(1550)$ and ${D}_{13}(1525)$ resonances are expected to dominate over the ${P}_{11}(1470)$. The neutral ${P}_{11}(1470)$ radiative width is found to be smaller than the charged width, in contrast to an $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ $\overline{1}\overline{0}$ assignment for this resonance.
Liquid Film Cooling Using Swirl in Rocket Combustors

*† ‡ Liquid film cooling is an important method to maintain structural integrity of rocket combustor walls. Studies available in the open literature are mostly at least 30 years old, and rely heavily on empiricism and contrived conditions for obtaining heat and mass transfer correlations. Development of a general film cooling models that can be used to optimize thermal management and performance are needed, especially models that include effects of entrainment and reacting films. A literature review was performed and mass and heat transfer correlations are summarized, along with the assumptions employed in the analyses and conditions used in the experiments. A model experiment is described, and analysis results based on this experiment are compared. An order of magnitude analysis is used to speculate on the important processes in film cooling, and on the potential benefits of swirling the liquid film to reduce entrainment and provide manageable wall thermal environments at a lower performance penalty.
Changes in Efficiency of the Pheromone-baited Milk-carton Trap as it Fills with Male Gypsy Moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

Number of male gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar (L.), captured each day in U.S. Department of Agriculture pheromone-baited milk-carton traps declined as the traps filled. Field tests of traps with screen false bottoms showed that the decline was due in part to the reduced volume inside the trap. Presumably, moths that entered partially filled traps located entrance holes more easily and escaped before succumbing to the insecticide. Additional tests showed that presence of decomposing moths further suppressed catch, but that dried or fresh moths or an inert substrate (styrofoam chips mixed with activated charcoal) below a screen false bottom had no such effect.
NMDA receptor- and ERK-dependent histone methylation changes in the lateral amygdala bidirectionally regulate fear memory formation

It is well established that fear memory formation requires de novo gene transcription in the amygdala. We provide evidence that epigenetic mechanisms in the form of histone lysine methylation in the lateral amygdala (LA) are regulated by NMDA receptor (NMDAR) signaling and involved in gene transcription changes necessary for fear memory consolidation. Here we found increases in histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) levels in the LA at 1 h following auditory fear conditioning, which continued to be temporally regulated up to 25 h following behavioral training. Additionally, we demonstrate that inhibiting the H3K9me2 histone lysine methyltransferase G9a (H/KMTs-G9a) in the LA impaired fear memory, while blocking the H3K9me2 histone lysine demethylase LSD1 (H/KDM-LSD1) enhanced fear memory, suggesting that H3K9me2 in the LA can bidirectionally regulate fear memory formation. Furthermore, we show that NMDAR activity differentially regulated the recruitment of H/KMT-G9a, H/KDM-LSD1, and subsequent H3K9me2 levels at a target gene promoter. This was largely regulated by GluN2B- but not GluN2A-containing NMDARs via ERK activation. Moreover, fear memory deficits associated with NMDAR or ERK blockade were successfully rescued through pharmacologically inhibiting LSD1, suggesting that enhancements of H3K9me2 levels within the LA can rescue fear memory impairments that result from hypofunctioning NMDARs or loss of ERK signaling. Together, the present study suggests that histone lysine methylation regulation in the LA via NMDAR-ERK-dependent signaling is involved in fear memory formation.
Analysis of Hazard of Training Injury in Army Men by Rank Sum Ration

[Objective]To understand the training injury constitution of the army men, analyze the extent of injury, and provide evidence for developing reasonable arrangements for military training courses and scientific training methods. [Methods] Constituent ratio, case fatality rate mean days of hospitalization, person's average high expense of housing facility and low healing rate in inpatient ICD reports were taken as standards of hazard extent; Rank sum ration (RSR) was adopted to conduct analysis. [Results]The most serious training injuries for army men were spinal fractures, femur fractures, the less serious training injuries were tibiofibular fracture, dislocation, sprain and strain injuries, forearm fractures, osteoarthritis, wrist fractures, open wounds and vascular injury. [Conclusion] Improving the awareness of training injuries, strengthening the study of training injury prevention knowledge, training scientifically are effective in preventing and reducing training injures.
Hepatic and splenic arteries' pseudoaneurysms causing Hemosuccus pancreaticus

A 63-year-old woman was transferred to our institution with obscured intermittent gastrointestinal bleeding for consideration of capsule endoscopy. Her past medical history was significant for idiopathic chronic pancreatitis, complicated by pancreatic pseudocysts. Several upper and lower endoscopies failed to identify any source of bleeding. CT scan of abdomen with intravenous contrast demonstrated chronic pancreatitis with 2 pseudocysts in the head and body of the pancreas. There were two pseudoaneurysms identified, one arising from the common hepatic artery communicating with one of pseudocyst (Image 1, solid arrow) and the other arising from the splenic artery communicating with main pancreatic duct in the tail of pancreas (Image 1, double arrow). Patient underwent selective celiac angiography, which confirmed the pseudoaneurysms (Image 2). The coil embolization of the common hepatic artery and the splenic artery were successfully performed to occlude the pseudoaneurysms (Image 3). No further gastrointestinal bleeding recurred following the procedure.
The American Medical Association and race.

Racial integration in American organized medicine was very slow to come, and many wrongs were committed in the name of reunifying the country's doctors after the Civil War.
The Operational Perspective: Three Routes

Let me begin with a few personal words of appreciation, since Gerhard Jager is one of my most valued friends and long time collaborators.
The Agricultural Transition (from 10,000 BC to 3000 BC)

Whereas hunter-gatherers largely live off the land in an extensive fashion, exploiting a diversity of resources over a broad area, farmers utilize the landscape intensively and create a milieu that suits their needs. A number of studies have indicated that hunters and gatherers, even in very marginal environments, spend only a few hours a day obtaining enough food to eat; farming, on the other hand, is very labor intensive and much more time consuming. So why did humans become farmers? (Price and Gebauer 1995, pp. 3–4) Introduction The first epoch that we shall explore is one of the more remarkable economic transformations ever to occur in human history: the rise of agriculture and the demise of hunting and gathering. Because this process took several millennia to spread through many regions of the world, it is often referred to as the era of Agricultural Transition. The transition to agriculture, which gradually unfolded from 10,000 BC to 3000 BC, has been described as “the most important of all human interventions to date,” even surpassing trade and manufacture in its economic significance. Almost all of today’s domestic crops and mammals originate from this era, in which agriculture first emerged as the predominant global food production system.
The Ustaša: Murder and Espionage

A number of u.s. intelligence records declassified under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act of 1998 provide new evidence and insight into the activities of officials of the Independent State of Croatia, a wartime ally of Nazi Germany. Under the leadership of Ante Pavelic, the Ustasa (oo-sta-sh) regime in Croatia persecuted and carried out atrocities against Jews and Serbs while maintaining amicable relations with the Vatican. At the end of the war, the Ustasa regime collapsed, but Pavelic, after a number of mysterious episodes, was able to escape to Argentina in 1948. Meanwhile the United States Army used Father Krunoslav Draganovic, a senior Ustasa functionary who had helped suspected war criminals to escape from Italy after the war, as an agent against the Communist government of Yugoslavia. Background: The Ustasa and the War Ante Pavelic began his career as a Croatian separatist in the multi-ethnic, Serbdominated Yugoslav kingdom established after World War I. Pavelic went into exile in 1929, when King Alexander proclaimed a royal dictatorship in Yugoslavia. In 1930, at age forty, Pavelic founded the Croatian Liberation Movement—also known as the Ustasa (“rebels”)—a group of Croatian emigres pledged to conspiracy and terrorism in the aim of an independent Croatia. The Ustasa received financial and logistical support from Fascist Italy and Hungary, both enemies of Yugoslavia that expected to gain territorially if that state were destroyed.
A fixed-dose combination of memantine extended-release and donepezil in the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease

Currently available therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) consist of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), such as donepezil, and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine. In December 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Namzaric™, a once-daily, fixed-dose combination (FDC) of memantine extended-release (ER) and donepezil for patients with moderate-to-severe AD. The FDC capsule is bioequivalent to the coadministered individual drugs, and its bioavailability is similar when taken fasting, with food, or sprinkled onto applesauce. The combination of memantine and ChEIs in moderate-to-severe AD provides additional benefits to ChEI monotherapy across multiple domains and may delay the time to nursing home admission. A dedicated study of memantine ER compared to placebo in patients on a stable dose of a ChEI found statistically significant benefits on cognition and global status but not functioning. Treatment with memantine ER and donepezil is generally well tolerated, although higher doses of ChEIs are associated with more serious adverse events such as vomiting, syncope, and weight loss. Potential advantages of the FDC include a simpler treatment regimen, reduction in pill burden, and the ability to sprinkle the capsule onto soft foods. Patients who may benefit from the FDC include those with significant dysphagia, a history of poor compliance, or limited caregiver interaction. However, available evidence that these advantages would increase treatment adherence and persistence is conflicting, meaning that the added cost of switching patients from generic options to an FDC may not always be justified.
Evaluation of Immunoglobulin G Responses to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in Malian School Children Using Multiplex Bead Assay.

Abstract Malaria serology through assaying for IgG against Plasmodium spp. antigens provides evidence into the infection history for an individual. The multiplex bead assay (MBA) allows for detection of IgG against multiple Plasmodium spp., and can be especially useful in many regions where Plasmodium falciparum is of primary clinical focus, but other species are co-endemic. Dried blood spots were collected from 805 Malian children attending 42 elementary schools in the regions of Mopti, Sikasso, Koulikoro, and Bamako capital district, and IgG assayed by MBA. As southern Mali is known to be holoendemic for P. falciparum, merozoite surface protein 1 19-kDa subunit (MSP-142) and apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) antigens were included for serology against this parasite. Responses to these antigens both provided high estimates for lifetime exposure, with 730 (90%) children with IgG antibodies for MSP-142, 737 (91%) for AMA-1, and 773 (96%) positive for either or both. Also included was the antigen Plasmodium vivax MSP-119, against which 140 (17.4%) children were found to have antibodies. Increases in antibody titers with older age were clearly seen with the P. falciparum antigens, but not with the P. vivax antigen, likely indicating more of a sporadic, rather than sustained transmission for this species. The MBA provides effective opportunities to evaluate malaria transmission through serological analysis for multiple Plasmodium species.
A Meta-Analysis of Single-Subject Research on Behavioral Momentum to Enhance Success in Students with Autism

We conducted a meta-analysis of single-subject research studies investigating the effectiveness of antecedent strategies grounded in behavioral momentum for improving compliance and on-task performance for students with autism. First, we assessed the research rigor of those studies meeting our inclusionary criteria. Next, in order to apply a universal metric to help determine the effectiveness of this category of antecedent strategies investigated via single-subject research methods, we calculated effect sizes via omnibus improvement rate differences (IRDs). Outcomes provide additional support for behavioral momentum, especially interventions incorporating the high-probability command sequence. Implications for research and practice are discussed, including the consideration of how single-subject research is systematically reviewed to assess the rigor of studies and assist in determining overall intervention effectiveness .
The Right to Be Forgotten

The right to be forgotten refers to the ability of individuals to erase, limit, delink, delete or correct personal information on the Internet that is misleading, embarrassing, irrelevant or anachronistic. This legal right was cast into the spotlight by the European Court of Justice decision in the Google Spain case, confirming it as a matter of EU law. This “right,” however, has existed in many forms around the world, usually applying a balance-of-rights analysis between the right to privacy and the right to freedom of expression. The new European version, though, is based on a legal theory of intermediary liability where Internet search engines are now considered “data controllers,” and as such have liability for managing some content online. As it has evolved in Europe, this right has focused attention on key underlying policy considerations, as well as practical difficulties, in implementation under the new European regime. In particular, shifting the burden of creating compliance regimes and supervising important human rights from government to the private sector. Thus, in Europe, the function of balancing rights (privacy versus speech) in the digital context has been “outsourced” to the private sector. Recent experience in Europe under this regime shows that there is no uniform approach across countries. Moreover, different national approaches to the “right” make it almost impossible for multinational entities to comply across jurisdictions. Apart from the data controller threshold, civil-law jurisdictions seem to give greater weight to privacy concerns in striking this balance. Common-law jurisdictions tend to give greater weight to expression. The right to be forgotten is another example of an evolving transatlantic data struggle with potentially serious trade implications. This Article explores the historical and theoretical foundations of the right to be forgotten and assesses practical legal issues including whether North American “free speech” rights are an effective buffer to what is sometimes a very controversial and evolving issue.
Clearance of Heparan Sulfate and Attenuation of CNS Pathology by Intracerebroventricular BMN 250 in Sanfilippo Type B Mice.

Sanfilippo syndrome type B (mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB), caused by inherited deficiency of α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU), required for lysosomal degradation of heparan sulfate (HS), is a pediatric neurodegenerative disorder with no approved treatment. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) delivery of a modified recombinant NAGLU, consisting of human NAGLU fused with insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) for enhanced lysosomal targeting, was previously shown to result in marked enzyme uptake and clearance of HS storage in the Naglu−/− mouse brain. To further evaluate regional, cell type-specific, and dose-dependent biodistribution of NAGLU-IGF2 (BMN 250) and its effects on biochemical and histological pathology, Naglu−/− mice were treated with 1–100 μg ICV doses (four times over 2 weeks). 1 day after the last dose, BMN 250 (100 μg doses) resulted in above-normal NAGLU activity levels, broad biodistribution, and uptake in all cell types, with NAGLU predominantly localized to neurons in the Naglu−/− mouse brain. This led to complete clearance of disease-specific HS and reduction of secondary lysosomal defects and neuropathology across various brain regions lasting for at least 28 days after the last dose. The substantial brain uptake of NAGLU attainable by this highest ICV dosage was required for nearly complete attenuation of disease-driven storage accumulations and neuropathology throughout the Naglu−/− mouse brain.
Sensitivity of Guadalupe Bass Swim‐up Fry to Hyperoxia

AbstractHatchery-reared fingerling Guadalupe Bass Micropterus treculii are stocked into central Texas rivers to restore threatened populations and combat hybridization with Smallmouth Bass M. dolomieu. Fry survival in hatchery rearing ponds has declined by more than 50% in recent years, and pilot investigations indicated that exposure to high dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (>20 mg/L; hyperoxia) during tempering might have contributed to fry mortality. To test this hypothesis, Guadalupe Bass swim-up fry (11 d posthatch; 8.45 ± 0.25 mm TL [mean ± SD]) were exposed to normbaric DO concentrations ranging from 7.9 to 33.3 mg/L at 18°C, mimicking the hatchery tempering protocols followed during 2014 and 2015. After a 30-min exposure to the DO treatment (flow rate = 18 L/h), jars were flushed with nonoxygenated water for 1 min to rapidly lower the DO, mimicking the release of fry into ponds after tempering. Jars were then supplied with freshwater at a rate of 36 L/h and were monitored for 72 h. One control...
Friends in Low Places: Examining Board Interlock Formation after Financial Restatements

Management research has examined how potentially stigmatizing events may impact firms’ reputations, undermine the careers of their directors and executives, and force them to pursue actions to rega...
Revisiting OPLS Force Field Parameters for Ionic Liquid Simulations

Our OPLS-2009IL force field parameters (J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2009, 5, 1038–1050) were originally developed and tested on 68 unique ionic liquids featuring the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium [RMIM], N-alkylpyridinium [RPyr], and choline cations. Experimental validation was limited to densities and a few, largely conflicting, heat of vaporization (ΔHvap) values reported in the literature at the time. Owing to the use of Monte Carlo as our sampling technique, it was also not possible to investigate the reproduction of dynamics. The [RMIM] OPLS-2009IL parameters have been revisited in this work and adapted for use in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In addition, new OPLS-AA parameters have been developed for multiple anions, i.e., AlCl4–, BF4–, Br–, Cl–, NO3–, PF6–, acetate, benzoate bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)amide, bis(trifluoroethylsulfonyl)amide, dicyanamide, formate, methylsulfate, perchlorate, propanoate, thiocyanate, tricyanomethanide, and trifluoromethanesulfonate. The computed solvent densities...
Spatial regulation of taxicab services: Measuring empty travel in New York city

Taxicabs are ubiquitous in cities throughout the world, and the industry is going through regulatory change with the growth of app-based services. In the United States, where taxicabs are typically regulated locally, licenses determine where taxis can pick up passengers. This means that for trips that end outside of licensed boundaries taxicabs are prohibited from picking up passengers and are forced to make “deadhead” return trips. This research estimates empty taxi travel associated with spatial restrictions on passenger trip origins in New York City. In 2012, New York introduced a special taxi category intended to improve taxi access in areas of the city considered underserved by taxicabs. The new green taxicabs, as they are called, can drop off passengers anywhere in the city but are restricted from picking up passengers in the central business districts and at any of the region’s airports. Using detailed trip data for each taxi ride, we estimate that up to 500,000 kilometers per week of deadhead travel are associated with restrictions on pick up locations, and more than 20 percent of all green taxicab trips end in an area where the driver is prohibited from picking up a new passenger.
Receptor-Independent Vitamin D Resistance in Subhuman and Human Primates

Learning from Nature. Experiments of nature are crucial for informing scientific discovery. Twenty five years ago we began to investigate an outbreak of rachitic bone disease in adolescent, female New World primates residing at the Los Angles Zoo. Our investigation of this “experiment of nature” and that of an adolescent human female with a similar phenotype (Chen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:6109–6114, 2003) led us to the discovery of a novel means for relative resistance to vitamin D and estrogen in primates, including man. We coined these resistance-causing proteins as the vitamin D response element-binding protein (VDRE-BP) and estrogen response element-binding protien (ERE-BP) for their ability to compete in trans with the liganded vitamin D receptor and estrogen receptor α for their cognate response elements, identifying them as nucleic acid-binding proteins in the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C family (Chen et al., J Biol Chem 275:35557–35564, 2000; J Clin Invest 99:769–775, 1997). The purpose of this review is to examine the role of one of these proteins, the VDRE-BP, and other associated intracellular proteins that regulate the expression of vitamin D-controlled genes in nonhuman and human primates.
Risk of Cancer Following Lumbar Fusion Surgery With Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenic Protein-2 (rhBMP-2): An Analysis Using a Commercially Insured Patient Population

Background Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is frequently used to promote new bone growth after lumbar fusion surgery. However, because BMP receptors are found on cancer cells, there is concern about potential cancer following treatment with rhBMP-2. Data from clinical trials have reported divergent results and have been limited by small sample sizes and relatively short follow-up. We therefore examined the long-term risk of cancer following treatment with rhBMP-2 after lumbar fusion surgery. Methods Using the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, we identified all patients Results Among 39 448 eligible patients, 2345 (5.9%) received rhBMP at surgery; the median follow-up in this population was 4.87 years. Cancer in follow-up was observed in 49 BMP-treated patients (0.43/100 person years) and 1072 nontreated patients (0.58/100 person years). Use of rhBMP was associated with a cancer risk similar to that of untreated patients in both univariate (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95%, CI 0.54–1.19) and multivariate proportional hazards analyses (hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.54–1.20). Similar findings were observed in a secondary analysis after adjustment for likelihood of rhBMP administration. Conclusions In this retrospective cohort with at least 3 years of follow-up, administration of rhBMP during lumbar fusion surgery was not associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer. Level of Evidence 4
On the degrees of relations on x1d1,…,xndn,(x1+…+xn)dn+1 in positive characteristic

Abstract We give a formula for the smallest degree of a non-Koszul relation on x 1 d 1 , … , x n d n , ( x 1 + … + x n ) d n + 1 ∈ k [ x 1 , … , x n ] (under certain assumptions on d 1 , … , d n + 1 ) where k is a field of positive characteristic p. As an application of our result, we give a formula for the diagonal F-threshold of a diagonal hypersurface. Another application is a characterization, depending on the characteristic p of k, of the values of d 1 , … , d n + 1 (satisfying certain assumptions) such that the ring k [ x 1 , … , x n + 1 ] / ( x 1 d 1 , … , x n + 1 d n + 1 ) has the weak Lefschetz property.
Behavioral response to fiber feedingis cohort-dependent and associated with gut microbiota composition in mice

Abstract Recent data has supported a role for the gut microbiota in improving cognition and shaping behavior. Here, we assessed whether pectin, a soluble, fermentable fiber, could enhance learning and memory in mice. Two cohorts of young male C57Bl/6 J mice, C1 (n = 20) and C2 (n = 20), were obtained from Jackson Laboratory and randomized to semi-purified AIN-93 M diets containing 5% pectin (n = 10) or cellulose (n = 10). After 16 weeks, learning and memory was assessed by Morris Water Maze (MWM) and microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Despite identical treatment, we observed differences in learning and memory abilities between cohorts, along with distinct microbiotas. In C1, pectin-fed mice spent a higher percentage of time in the target quadrant at the 24-h probe trial of the MWM versus cellulose-fed mice; in C2, no effect of pectin was observed. In both cohorts, UniFrac distance revealed significant differences in gut microbial communities between cellulose-fed and pectin-fed mice. UniFrac analysis also revealed significantly different bacterial communities between cohorts. Further analysis demonstrated that the microbial genera Oscillospira, Bilophila, and Peptostreptococcoceae were more abundant in C1 versus C2, and positively associated with distance from the platform during the 24-h probe test. These data support previous findings that differences in the gut microbiota may play a role in host response to a dietary intervention and could partly explain irreproducibility in psychological and behavioral experiments. Further research is needed to determine if a causal relationship exists.
Habitats, Hierarchical Scales, and Nonlinearities

Ecologists are concerned with the extent, timing, and pattern of land-use change. While most of the attention has been focused on remnants as islands, increasing attention is being paid to the surrounding matrix and to connectivity through the matrix. Ecological theory indicates that more attention is needed on the spatial pattern of land-use change, especially the degree to which the change itself depends on spatial pattern. This feedback can lead to nonlinearities in the timing and pattern of change—and so to ecological surprises. Ecological theory also indicates that a hierarchy of building-block processes, the scale of interest, and a broader scale of constraints may be useful—and even necessary—to capture scale-dependent relations between processes and patterns. Ecological and land-use modelers have converged on dynamic spatial simulations as an approach, and both are making advances with agent-based models, which seem particularly appropriate for capturing household-based activity. It is the ability of these models to deal with the feedbacks and nonlinearities seen in ecological systems that gives them their utility.
Haji Mohamed Dawjee, Sorry, Not Sorry: Experiences of a brown woman in a white South Africa. Cape Town: Penguin Books, 2018. Pages: 224. ISBN PRINT: 9781776092666

Sorry, Not Sorry: Experiences of a brown woman in a white South Africa captures your attention immediately. In a candid, almost curt style, South African journalist Haji Mohamed Dawjee allows you to enter her life through a series of 20 essays that cover race, religion, gender, sexuality, mental health, identity, and romance. This book is an admirable assessment of both â€œwokenessâ€ within the South African political milieu and what intersectionality means at the level of the quotidian. It is a book that not only theorises about what it means to have an intersectional political ethic â€“ it also shows this at the level of praxis and ontology. As a queer woman of colour from an Indian Muslim background, Dawjee embodies an intersectional identity that is held, with great tenderness and thoughtfulness, vis-A -vis configurations of power of the broader socio-political landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. In this review, I would like to focus on the inter-locking themes of religion, gender, and sexuality as they reflect the character of the personal as unavoidably political. Finally, this review has been written for an academic audience. While the intended audience goes beyond the porous boundaries of the academy, my reading of Sorry, Not Sorry has been elicited from my experiences within that context...
Local Convergence of the Heavy Ball Method in Iterative Hard Thresholding for Low-rank Matrix Completion

We present a momentum-based accelerated iterative hard thresholding (IHT) for low-rank matrix completion. We analyze the convergence of the proposed Heavy Ball (HB) accelerated IHT near the solution and provide optimal step size parameters that guarantee the fastest rate of convergence. Since the optimal step sizes depend on the unknown structure of the solution matrix, we further propose a heuristic for parameter selection that is inspired by recent results in random matrix theory. Our experiment on a simple matrix completion setting verifies our analysis and illustrates the competitive rate of convergence that can be obtained with the proposed algorithm.
Vitamin B12 for the treatment of vasoplegia in cardiac surgery and liver transplantation: a narrative review of cases and potential biochemical mechanisms.

Hydroxocobalamin, or vitamin B12 (V-B12), is frequently used to treat smoke inhalation and cyanide poisoning. Recent reports have also described its use to treat vasoplegia in cardiac surgery and liver transplantation. This narrative review discusses this “off-label” indication for V-B12, focusing on the potential biochemical mechanisms of its actions. PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical reports on the use of V-B12 for vasoplegia in cardiac surgery and liver transplantation, with the biochemical mechanisms discussed being based on a survey of the related biochemistry literature. Forty-four patients have been treated with V-B12 for vasoplegia in various isolated case reports and one series. Although 75% of patients have increased blood pressure in response to V-B12, there were some “non-responders”. The true efficacy remains unknown because clinical trials have not been performed, and significant reporting bias likely exists. Plausible biochemical explanations exist for the potential beneficial effects of V-B12 in treating vasoplegia, including binding nitric oxide and other gasotransmitters. Additional research is required to clarify if and how these mechanisms are causally involved in effective clinical responders and non-responders. Although anecdotal reports utilizing V-B12 for vasoplegia are available, no higher-level evidence exists. Future work is necessary to further understand the dosing, timing, adverse events, and biochemical mechanisms of V-B12 compared with other therapies such as methylene blue.
Non-Centrifugal Microfluidic Nucleic Acid Testing on Lab-on-a-Disc

Most lab-on-a-disc platforms use centrifugal force to pump liquids. In this work, we demonstrated a novel energy efficient non-centrifugal lab-on-a-disc nucleic acid testing device in which no liquid motion is involved. Streamlined DNA extraction, amplification, and real-time detection on a single microfluidic reagent disc are achieved by actuating the DNA-carrying magnetic beads against stationary reagent droplets. Using malaria spiked whole blood as a testing model, we demonstrated an excellent detection limit of 0.5 parasites/µl, sufficient for detecting asymptomatic malaria parasite carriers.
Age-Related Dopaminergic Innervation Augments T Helper 2-Type Allergic Inflammation in the Postnatal Lung.

Summary Young children are more susceptible to developing allergic asthma than adults. As neural innervation of the peripheral tissue continues to develop after birth, neurons may modulate tissue inflammation in an age-related manner. Here we showed that sympathetic nerves underwent a dopaminergic-to-adrenergic transition during post-natal development of the lung in mice and humans. Dopamine signaled through a specific dopamine receptor (DRD4) to promote T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation. The dopamine-DRD4 pathway acted synergistically with the cytokine IL-4 by upregulating IL-2-STAT5 signaling and reducing inhibitory histone trimethylation at Th2 gene loci. In murine models of allergen exposure, the dopamine-DRD4 pathway augmented Th2 inflammation in the lungs of young mice. However, this pathway operated marginally after sympathetic nerves became adrenergic in the adult lung. Taken together, the communication between dopaminergic nerves and CD4+ T cells provides an age-related mechanism underlying the susceptibility to allergic inflammation in the early lung.
Ventricular arrhythmia ablation lesions detectability and temporal changes on cardiac magnetic resonance.

Background Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) characteristics of ventricular radiofrequency ablation (RFA) lesions have only been incompletely defined. Aim To determine the detectability and imaging characteristics of ventricular RFA lesions in an unselected patient cohort undergoing ventricular arrhythmia ablation. Methods and results A retrospective chart review (n = 249) identified 36 patients with either pre-/postablation CMR (n = 14) or only postablation CMR (n = 22). Ablation lesions could be identified in 50% (n = 18) of patients. Nonvisualized lesions had more preexisting transmural late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) >75% at the ablation sites (21% vs 0.0%, P = .042), more prevalent ICD artifact (50% vs 0%, P = .001), and lower ejection fraction (35.8 ± 14.2% vs 45.3 ± 13.4%, P = .048). Early CMR imaging demonstrated a central "black" signal void (microvascular obstruction [MVO], n = 12, 67%) up to 32 days post-RFA, whereas late imaging showed a homogenously "white" gadolinium enhancement pattern (n = 6, 33%). MVO was only observed in nonfibrotic myocardium without preexisting LGE (n = 12) but was not observed in the scar with preexisting LGE (n = 3, P = .002) suggesting different wash-in/wash-out kinetics in scar/nonscar myocardium. Signal intensity (1909 vs 2534, P = .009) and contrast-to-noise ratio (-7.8 vs 16.3, P = .009) were significantly different between MVO and LGE lesions, respectively. Conclusion Ventricular ablation lesions visualization is negatively affected by preexisting transmural scar, ICD artifact, and low ejection fraction. The transition of "black" MVO appearance to "white" LGE appearance on CMR occurs around 1 month following ablation, suggesting a change in histological characteristics of ablation lesions. This may affect the utility of CMR in the evaluation of the ventricular lesions, when undergoing real-time or repeat VT ablations.
Using Peer Health Educators to Conduct Community Level Surveillance of HPV Vaccination Status: Findings Among Women Who Live in Medically Underserved Areas of Chicago.

Young women are key stakeholders in efforts to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake. Community health workers who engage with young women can provide valuable information to inform intervention strategies to increase vaccine uptake. We aimed to determine HPV vaccination and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates among urban women and to identify barriers to vaccination. A trained health educator collaborated with community-based organizations to host health education and STI testing sessions for women in Chicago, Illinois. Forty-nine sessions took place at 15 sites over two years. Each attendee met with the educator about sexual health and HPV vaccination, and completed a health survey. We used contingency tables and logistic regression to determine factors associated with HPV vaccination using the cross-sectional survey data. Of the 292 women who answered questions about history of HPV vaccination, the average age was 17 (SD 2.3) years old, 63% (n = 184) were African American, and 33% (n = 98) Hispanic. Only 13.4% (n = 39) previously received the vaccine, and 6.2% (n = 18) received two to three doses. After adjustment, prior HIV testing was associated with 4.6 times higher odds (95% CI 1.71, 12.53, p = 0.002) of being vaccinated compared to women without prior testing. Our study provides evidence that young African American and Hispanic women living in Chicago may have low HPV vaccination rates. Women who received prior STI testing (i.e., sought healthcare) were more likely to be vaccinated relative to their peers who did not, indicating that racial/ethnic or socioeconomic disparities may inhibit utilization of preventative services.
Intercostal Blocks with Liposomal Bupivacaine in Thoracic Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective Assess the efficacy of adding liposomal bupivacaine (LB) to bupivacaine-containing intercostal nerve blocks (ICNBs) to improve analgesia and decrease opioid consumption and hospital length of stay compared with bupivacaine-only ICNBs. Design This retrospective, observational investigation compared pain intensity scores and cumulative opioid consumption within the first 72 postoperative hours in patients who received ICNBs with bupivacaine plus LB (LB group) versus bupivacaine only (control group) after minimally invasive anatomic pulmonary resection. LB was tested for noninferiority on pain scores and opioid consumption. If LB was noninferior, superiority of LB was tested on both outcomes. Setting Academic tertiary care medical center. Participants Adult patients undergoing minimally invasive anatomic pulmonary resection. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results For the secondary analysis, hospital length of stay was compared through the Cox regression model. Of 396 patients, 178 (45%) received LB and 218 (55%) did not. The mean (standard deviation) pain score was three (one) in the LB group and three (one) in the control group, with a difference of –0.10 (97.5% confidence interval [–0.39 to 0.18]; p = 0.41). The mean (standard deviation) cumulative opioid consumption (intravenous morphine equivalents) was 198 (208) mg in the LB group and 195 (162) mg in the control group. Treatment effect in opioid consumption was estimated at a ratio of geometric mean of 0.94 (97.5% confidence interval [0.74-1.20]; p = 0.56). Pain control and opioid consumption were noninferior with LB but not superior. Hospital discharge was not different between groups. Conclusions LB with bupivacaine in ICNBs did not demonstrate superior postoperative analgesia or affect the rate of hospital discharge.
Viral zoom: COVID-19 as multi-scalar immune failure

This essay argues that COVID-19 has functioned as a zoom, or a device that both discursively and materially articulates a wide range of scales together as a strategic continuity. This scalar contin...
Changing from a highly food secure household to a marginal or food insecure household is associated with decreased weight and body mass index z-scores among Latino children from CHAMACOS

Background Persistent household food insecurity may have a greater adverse effect on children's health outcomes than experiencing household food insecurity for a shorter duration. Objectives Examine how changing household food security status and prolonged exposure to household marginal food security or food insecurity are associated with changes in children's growth from age 5 to 12. Methods We analyzed 204 mother-child dyads from the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a longitudinal birth cohort study of Latino households. Generalized estimating equations assessed how changing household food security status and persistent exposure to marginal food security or food insecurity were associated with growth throughout childhood. Results Living in a marginally food secure of food insecure household compared to highly food secure household was associated with a decrease in BMI z-score of 0.18 (0.09, 0.26) between age 9 and 10.5. Changing from a highly food secure household to a marginally food secure or food insecure household was associated with a 0.10 (0.01, 0.20) decrease in body mass index z-score compared to those who persistently lived in highly food secure households. Conclusions Changes in food security status and duration of food insecurity were associated with changes in children's growth.
Incidence and patterns of secondary malignancies in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms: A SEER database analysis.

374Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are comprised of a group of biologically and clinically heterogenous malignancies arising from a variety of anatomic sites, the majority of which lie wit...
Immediate recall of serial numbers with or without multiple item repetitions

Immediate recall of lists of items in random serial order has been examined in thousands of studies throughout the history of experimental psychology. In most studies, though, there have been no re...
Place Names in Ekegusii Language: A Cognitive Linguistics Approach

This paper analyses place names in the Ekegusii language from the cognitive linguistics point of view. The study is grounded on three objectives: to identify and explain the Ekegusii names of places, to describe the social cultural values, and to account for the cognitive processes involved in their mapping, analysis and elucidation. The data comprises of a list of Ekegusii place names collected from two counties, Kisii and Nyamira, by interviewing people through snowballing, and later holding a panel discussion with selected elders regarding the mapping processes and meanings associated with them. The Cognitive Metaphor Theory was used to map them to the different types of conceptual domains. Findings from this study show that place names in Ekegusii are conceptualized as seasons, topography, people, animals, plants and objects (as source domains which are social-culturally determined), and portray their cultural identity and tradition. The study concludes by suggesting further research in onomastics, especially on metaphor and metonymy in other languages of the world.
Model Reduction for Inverter-Dominated Networked Microgrids with Grid-Forming Inverters

The increasing penetration of grid-forming inverters has significantly complicated the operating characteristics of modern power grids, which calls for reduced-order models that preserves the system's main responses for large-scale analysis. This paper presents a model reduction approach to study the dynamic responses of inverter-dominated networked microgrids (MGs) under disturbance. Coherency-based aggregation technique is used to identify the study area and external area. The study area is modeled in detail while the external area is successively simplified. Specifically, the reduced-order model of the external area is first simplified by developing reduced-order models of inverter and network; it is then further simplified using linear truncation. To replicate the interactions between the two areas, the external area is aggregated into a controllable voltage source whose operating states are collaboratively determined by the states from both areas. The developed reduced-order model represents a closed-loop simulation that combines both linear model reduction for reduced system dimensions and detailed nonlinear model for better accuracy. At last, the performance of the developed model reduction approach is validated using time-domain simulation.