cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethanol-Ascorbate Interrelationship in Acute and Chronic Alcoholism in the Guinea Pig

The effects of low (200 ppm) and of high (2000 ppm) ascorbic acid, in a nutritionally adequate diet, on blood ethanol levels have been studied in permanently carotid-cannulated, ethanol-infused, unanesthetized guinea pigs. In the acute study, the postinfusion rate of ethanol decline in the blood of animals treated with ascorbic acid was significantly higher when compared with animals treated with fructose, and the rate in the two treated groups was significantly higher than in untreated controls. In the chronic study, animals were infused with sublethal doses of ethanol (30% of the total caloric intake) for 8 weeks. Blood ethanol levels monitored throughout this period showed, at 3 hr postinfusion, a lower concentration in the group on a high ascorbic acid diet. Both experimental groups receiving ethanol lost significantly more body weight in the second week of dieting; but, while the group on high ascorbic acid regained weight steadily thereafter, the group on low ascorbic acid was still 50 g below the controls at the end of the experiment. Liver, kidney, and adrenal ascorbic acid concentrations were lower in the ethanol-treated groups compared to controls. Examination of the liver revealed more fatty metamorphosis or steatosis in the low ascorbic acid group, but there was no evidence of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. These results demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing the guinea pig for the study of the biochemical and morphological sequelae of alcoholism. They further support the contention that a diet which is nutritionally adequate may no longer be so in the presence of high ethanol intake, and that supplemental vitamin C ingestion may afford protection against ethanol toxicity.
Analysis of glycemic control rate based on the diabetes prevalence and awareness

Objective:To investigate the blood glucose status of residents in Suzhou in 2010,and evaluate the effect of prevention and control on chronic diseases,so as to modify the next 5-year plan.Methods:The investigation was carried out through questionnaire,face-to-face interview and blood glucose measurement by community physicians,then all the results were analyzed by χ2 test.Results:The prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus increased with age in 35～70 years group(χ2=283.937,P0.005).In group below 50 years old,the prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus had no statistical significance between urban and rural residents(χ2=1.210,P0.05),while in group above 50 years old,the prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus was higher in urban residents than that in rural ones(χ2=91.454,P0.01) There was no significant difference between males and females(χ2=0.1050,P0.05).Conclusion:Management on DM has achieved some success,but the present situation is still not optimistic,so DM prevention work should be promoted to reduce the over-limit rate of blood glucose and improve the blood glucose control rate of diabetics.
A Reversibly Sealed, Easy Access, Modular (SEAM) Microfluidic Architecture to Establish In Vitro Tissue Interfaces.

Microfluidic barrier tissue models have emerged as advanced in vitro tools to explore interactions with external stimuli such as drug candidates, pathogens, or toxins. However, the procedures required to establish and maintain these systems can be challenging to implement for end users, particularly those without significant in-house engineering expertise. Here we present a module-based approach that provides an easy-to-use workflow to establish, maintain, and analyze microscale tissue constructs. Our approach begins with a removable culture insert that is magnetically coupled, decoupled, and transferred between standalone, prefabricated microfluidic modules for simplified cell seeding, culture, and downstream analysis. The modular approach allows several options for perfusion including standard syringe pumps or integration with a self-contained gravity-fed module for simple cell maintenance. As proof of concept, we establish a culture of primary human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) and report combined surface protein imaging and gene expression after controlled apical stimulation with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating hydrated biomaterial interfaces into the microfluidic architecture by integrating an ultra-thin (< 1 μm), self-assembled hyaluronic acid/peptide amphiphile culture membrane with brain-specific Young’s modulus (~ 1kPa). To highlight the importance of including biomimetic interfaces into microscale models we report multi-tiered readouts from primary rat cortical cells cultured on the self-assembled membrane and compare a panel of mRNA targets with primary brain tissue signatures. We anticipate that the modular approach and simplified operational workflows presented here will enable a wide range of research groups to incorporate microfluidic barrier tissue models into their work.
Colored Nested Words

Nested words allow modeling of linear and hierarchical structure in data, and nested word automata are special kinds of pushdown automata whose push/pop actions are directed by the hierarchical structure in the input nested word. The resulting class of regular languages of nested words has many appealing theoretical properties, and has found many applications, including model checking of procedural programs. In the nested word model, the hierarchical matching of open- and close- tags must be properly nested, and this is not the case, for instance, in program executions in presence of exceptions. This limitation of nested words narrows its model checking applications to programs with no exceptions.
Localization of a single source with orientation-aware smart devices

The advent of the smartphone and its impact on manufacturing are changing the technology landscape. The cost of smartphone components has decreased drastically in recent years due to mass production. Elements that have benefited from this revolution include sensing modules. It is now reasonable to assume that advanced wireless devices are orientation aware. This, coupled with the asymmetrical radiation characteristics of many antennas, offers an opportunity to enhance performance. This article explores how orientation awareness can improve multi-agent localization systems. The proposed algorithms leverage the spherical asymmetry of typical antenna radiation patterns. Findings are supported through numerical simulations and field measurements.
The Evolution of Human Uniqueness

The human species is an outlier in the natural world. Two million years ago our ancestors were a slightly odd apes. Now we occupy the largest ecological and geographical range of any species, have larger biomass, and process more energy. Usually, this transformation is explained in terms of cognitive ability-people are just smarter than all the rest. In this paper I argue that culture, our ability to learn from each other, and cooperation, our ability to make common cause with large groups of unrelated individuals are the real roots of human uniqueness, and sketch an evolutionary account of how these crucial abilities co-evolved with each other and with other features of our life histories.
Moral empiricism and the bias for act-based rules

Previous studies on rule learning show a bias in favor of act-based rules, which prohibit intentionally producing an outcome but not merely allowing the outcome. Nichols, Kumar, Lopez, Ayars, and Chan (2016) found that exposure to a single sample violation in which an agent intentionally causes the outcome was sufficient for participants to infer that the rule was act-based. One explanation is that people have an innate bias to think rules are act-based. We suggest an alternative empiricist account: since most rules that people learn are act-based, people form an overhypothesis (Goodman, 1955) that rules are typically act-based. We report three studies that indicate that people can use information about violations to form overhypotheses about rules. In study 1, participants learned either three "consequence-based" rules that prohibited allowing an outcome or three "act-based" rules that prohibiting producing the outcome; in a subsequent learning task, we found that participants who had learned three consequence-based rules were more likely to think that the new rule prohibited allowing an outcome. In study 2, we presented participants with either 1 consequence-based rule or 3 consequence-based rules, and we found that those exposed to 3 such rules were more likely to think that a new rule was also consequence based. Thus, in both studies, it seems that learning 3 consequence-based rules generates an overhypothesis to expect new rules to be consequence-based. In a final study, we used a more subtle manipulation. We exposed participants to examples act-based or accident-based (strict liability) laws and then had them learn a novel rule. We found that participants who were exposed to the accident-based laws were more likely to think a new rule was accident-based. The fact that participants' bias for act-based rules can be shaped by evidence from other rules supports the idea that the bias for act-based rules might be acquired as an overhypothesis from the preponderance of act-based rules.
Should biomedical research be like Airbnb

The thesis presented here is that biomedical research is based on the trusted exchange of services. That exchange would be conducted more efficiently if the trusted software platforms to exchange those services, if they exist, were more integrated. While simpler and narrower in scope than the services governing biomedical research, comparison to existing internet-based platforms, like Airbnb, can be informative. We illustrate how the analogy to internet-based platforms works and does not work and introduce The Commons, under active development at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and elsewhere, as an example of the move towards platforms for research.
Novel and Unexpected Functions of SGLTs

It has been 30 years since the intestinal sodium glucose cotransporter SGLT1 was cloned, and, in the intervening years, there have been many advances that have influenced physiology and medicine. A...
Structure of the yeast spliceosomal postcatalytic P complex.

The spliceosome undergoes dramatic changes in a splicing cycle. Structures of B, B act , C, C*, and intron lariat spliceosome complexes revealed mechanisms of 5′–splice site (ss) recognition, branching, and intron release, but lacked information on 3′-ss recognition, exon ligation, and exon release. Here we report a cryo–electron microscopy structure of the postcatalytic P complex at 3.3-angstrom resolution, revealing that the 3′ ss is mainly recognized through non–Watson-Crick base pairing with the 5′ ss and branch point. Furthermore, one or more unidentified proteins become stably associated with the P complex, securing the 3′ exon and potentially regulating activity of the helicase Prp22. Prp22 binds nucleotides 15 to 21 in the 3′ exon, enabling it to pull the intron-exon or ligated exons in a 3′ to 5′ direction to achieve 3′-ss proofreading or exon release, respectively.
Trust for pharmaceutical company direct-to-consumer prescription medication advertisements

Abstract Objectives We are not aware of research on trust for social media direct-to-consumer prescription medication advertisements (DTCA). We study (n = 626) the association of DTCA trust with exposure to DTCA in non-digital print, radio, television, Internet, and social media venues. Methods The 626 participants were asked no/yes questions about their exposure to 17 different types of DTCA advertisements and completed a trust scale for DTCA. Analyses of variance compared trust mean differences for exposure to the different DTCA seen or heard as compared to no exposure to that particular type of DTCA. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed for trust and adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and attitudes. Results Viewing television DTCA was associated with less DTCA trust. Viewing Twitter video or print DTCA were each associated with more DTCA trust. Asian/Asian Americans and South Asians each had more trust for DTCA than Caucasians. Conclusions Pharmaceutical brand managers should revise their current marketing policy and consider budgeting greater advertising amounts for social media advertising on Twitter. Also, pharmaceutical brand managers should work on improving the trust appeal content on television so that these DTCA are perceived as more trustworthy.
Barriers and facilitators to implementing the commission on cancer's distress screening program standard.

Objective Many cancer centers struggle to implement standardized distress screening despite the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer 2012 mandate for a distress screening program standard of care by 2015. This paper presents outcomes for the first cohort of participants (n = 36) of a Screening for Psychosocial Distress Program (SPDP), a 2-year training program designed to assist clinicians in implementing routine distress screening as mandated by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Specifically, participants' success with distress screening implementation, institutional barriers and facilitators to implementation, and the role of the SPDP are described. Method This research followed a longitudinal pre- and posttest mixed methods design. An investigator-developed questionnaire collected qualitative (distress screening goals, institutional barriers and facilitators, facilitators associated with participation in the SPDP) and quantitative (level of goal achievement) data at 6, 12, and 24 months of participation in the SPDP. Conventional content analysis was applied to qualitative data. Mixed methods data analysis in Dedoose evaluated (1) types and number of distress screening goals, barriers, and facilitators, and (2) goal achievement at 6, 12, and 24 months of participation.ResultNinety-five percent of distress screening implementation goals were completed after 2 years of participation. Most common institutional barriers to distress screening implementation were "lack of staff," "competing demands," and "staff turn-over." Most common institutional facilitators were "buy-in," "institutional support," and "recognition of participants' expertise." The number of reported facilitators associated with SPDP participation was higher than the number associated with any institutional factor, and increased over time of participation.Significance of resultsParticipating in training programs to implement distress screening may facilitate successful achievement of the Commission on Cancer's distress screening standard, and benefits seem to increase with time of participation. Training programs are needed to promote facilitators and overcome barriers to distress screening.
RAMPS: Reconfigurable architecture for minimal perfect sequencing using the Convey hybrid core computer

The alignment of many short sequences of DNA, called reads, to a long reference genome is a common task in molecular biology. When the problem is expanded to handle typical workloads of billions of reads, execution time becomes critical. While existing solutions attempt to align a high percentage of the reads using a small memory footprint, RAMPS (Reconfigurable Architecture for Minimal Perfect Sequencing) focuses on perform fast exact matching. Using the human genome as a reference, RAMPS aligns short reads on the order of hundreds of thousands of times faster than current software implementations such as SOAP2 or Bowtie, and about 1000 times faster than GPU implementations such as SOAP3. Whereas other aligners require hours to preprocess reference genomes, RAMPS can preprocess the human genome in a few minutes, opening doors via the ability to use arbitrary reference sources for alignment and increasing the amount of data that aligns with the reference.
Fragile Sites, Mutagens and Genomic Rearrangements in Cancer

The finding of specific genomic rearrangements in human cancer over the past several years is having important biologic implications. Although the genomic mechanisms involved in these rearrangements for the most part remain to be elucidated, critical clues are being uncovered in a number of different malignancies.
RACISM, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND INTERRACIAL COALITIONS

Is racism in the United States alive and well? Do African Americans still experience alienation and social injustice because of racism? What are the various proposals that have been tendered by conservatives and liberals for overcoming racism? Can interracial coalitions be used as an effective tool for combating racism? I attempt to answer these questions in part by offering an analysis of Cornel West's interracial coalition proposal in Race Matters.
An Analysis of Thirteen Epistemic Categories

This paper is about the thirteen epistemic categories that constitute the subject-matter of traditional theory of knowledge. I will note the ways in which these categories are logically related to each other and will discuss certain controversial questions about them. I will try to show how they may all be reduced to a single epistemic concept, a concept constituting one of the senses of epistemic justification. And I will formulate some of the axioms that hold of this concept.
Clinical and Molecular Investigations of the DF3 Breast Cancer-Associated Antigen

The murine MAb DF3 is an IgG1 which was generated against a membrane-enriched cell extract prepared from a human breast carcinoma metastatic to liver (1). Immunoperoxidase studies have demonstrated that MAb DF3 clearly distinguishes malignant and benign breast lesions. Whereas MAb DF3 produces a cytosolic staining pattern in 78% of breast carcinomas, such a pattern is observed in less than 10% of fibrocystic lesions or fibroadenomas (1). In contrast, reactivity of benign breast lesions with MAb DF3 is primarily on the apical borders of the ductules. MAb DF3 also reacts with a variety of non-mammary adenocarcinomas, but, of note, not with colon carcinomas (1). MAb DF3 does not react with tumors of mesenchymal origin. MAb DF3 also reacts with the apical surface of normal breast ductal epithelium, as well as the apical secretory surfaces of several other normal epithelial tissues such as liver, lung, kidney (distal collecting tubules), bladder, testis, uterus, ovary, and sebaceous and sweat glands (2). MAb DF3 does not react with normal adult spleen, colon, bone marrow, heart, stomach, duodenum, skin, or adrenal cortex (2).
Dissolved silica in the subterranean estuary and the impact of submarine groundwater discharge on the global marine silica budget

Abstract Groundwater's role in the global marine budget of dissolved silica (DSi), an essential nutrient, is constrained using DSi groundwater concentrations from multiple endmember lithologies and a global terrestrial submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) model. We report new DSi concentrations in nine subterranean estuaries throughout the world, including Panama, Mauritius, Guam, Yucatan (Mexico), Chile, Argentina, Southwest Florida (USA), Long Island Sound (USA) and Waquoit Bay (USA). These new data are augmented with a literature survey of DSi endmember concentrations in the subterranean estuary to determine the global DSi endmember in SGD, classified by the regional lithology (carbonate, shale, sandstone, extrusive igneous, shield and “complex”). DSi fluxes to the ocean from terrestrial (fresh) SGD equal 0.7 ± 0.1 Tmol y−1, more than half of which enters the Pacific Ocean. Non-conservative DSi enrichment was observed in marine groundwaters circulated through extrusive igneous and complex lithology sediments for twenty different study sites. Dissolution rate calculations indicate that non-conservative DSi enrichments in marine groundwaters can be supported, in part, by lithogenic dissolution of the coastal sediment, rather than biogenic silica dissolution. We make preliminary estimates of DSi inputs via marine SGD in shallow coastal aquifers of ~3 Tmol y−1. Considering recent revisions to the marine silica budget (e.g., increased estimates of biogenic silica storage via reverse weathering reactions, increased estimates of standing stocks of biogenic silica, and changing estimates of silica burial efficiency), sources and sinks in the marine Si budget can be balanced when taking into account estimates of new DSi inputs from total SGD (terrestrial and marine flow paths). These findings impact the residence time of oceanic Si and mass balances of the stable Si isotopes, as well as associated silicate weathering products, including Li and Ge.
Demethylation of the Protein Phosphatase PP2A Promotes Demethylation of Histones to Enable Their Function as a Methyl Group Sink.

Summary Dysregulation of chromatin methylation is associated with defects in cellular differentiation as well as a variety of cancers. How cells regulate the opposing activities of histone methyltransferase and demethylase enzymes to set the methylation status of the epigenome for proper control of gene expression and metabolism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that loss of methylation of the major phosphatase PP2A in response to methionine starvation activates the demethylation of histones through hyperphosphorylation of specific demethylase enzymes. In parallel, this regulatory mechanism enables cells to preserve SAM by increasing SAH to limit SAM consumption by methyltransferase enzymes. Mutants lacking the PP2A methyltransferase or the effector H3K36 demethylase Rph1 exhibit elevated SAM levels and are dependent on cysteine due to reduced capacity to sink the methyl groups of SAM. Therefore, PP2A directs the methylation status of histones by regulating the phosphorylation status of histone demethylase enzymes in response to SAM levels.
Dimension Reduction Using Rule Ensemble Machine Learning Methods: A Numerical Study of Three Ensemble Methods

Ensemble methods for supervised machine learning have become popular due to their ability to accurately predict class labels with groups of simple, lightweight "base learners." While ensembles offer computationally efficient models that have good predictive capability they tend to be large and offer little insight into the patterns or structure in a dataset. We consider an ensemble technique that returns a model of ranked rules. The model accurately predicts class labels and has the advantage of indicating which parameter constraints are most useful for predicting those labels. An example of the rule ensemble method successfully ranking rules and selecting attributes is given with a dataset containing images of potential supernovas where the number of necessary features is reduced from 39 to 21. We also compare the rule ensemble method on a set of multi-class problems with boosting and bagging, which are two well known ensemble techniques that use decision trees as base learners, but do not have a rule ranking scheme.
Emerging Market Funds: They May Not Enhance Asset Allocation

This article uses portfolio optimization techniques to determine optimal country allocation in an emerging market (EM) portfolio and compares the resulting performance to the performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (MSCI EM Index) to test how large the spread is between the two returns. In addition, the article analyzes optimal allocation of the EM portfolio alongside a developed markets index when using the MSCI EM Index as a proxy as well as a mean-variance EM index as a proxy for EM exposure. The results indicate that popular EM index fund performance and exchange-traded fund (ETF) performance do not align with theory from 1993 to 2017, with a spread in Sharpe ratios from 0.37 to 0.10 between the mean-variance optimized EM performance and the MSCI EM Index. In addition, the optimal weightings are very different, 50 percent when using the mean variance relative to 0 percent. The article concludes that an equal-weighted EM portfolio may be the best choice for an investor, with a maximum allocation of 30 percent to EMs based on an equal-weighted EM portfolio. TOPICS:Emerging markets, exchange-traded funds and applications, performance measurement, portfolio construction
Black politics in transition: immigration, suburbanization and gentrification: edited by Candis Watts Smith and Christina M. Greer, New York, NY and Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge, 2019, 280pp., £34.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-138-05850-7

The editors of this book were successful in their endeavour, to chronicle the demographic patterns and shifting caused by gentrification, immigration and suburbanization, identifying the transition...
Medicaid and Low-Income Household Savings

This article examines the effects of the Medicaid expansion on household financial income by focusing on the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act extended Medicaid program to childless adults and eliminated the asset-test for its eligibility from 2014. Using the March Current Population Survey Supplement Data, I find that households with no dependent children and income below the 100% federal poverty level living in Medicaid-expansion states significantly increased the annual dividend (interest) income by 63 (84) dollars after the Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, the financial assistance these households received from relatives or friends was reduced by 159 dollars after the expansion.
A randomized clinical trial of a collaborative home-based diabetes intervention to reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations in black individuals with diabetes

Abstract The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in black individuals (blacks) is twice that of white individuals (whites), and blacks are more likely to have worse glycemic control, less optimal medication regimens, and higher levels of mistrust in the medical system. These three factors account for higher rates of acute medical care use in blacks with DM. To address this disparity, we developed DM I-TEAM (Diabetes Interprofessional Team to Enhance Adherence to Medical Care), a home-based multidisciplinary behavioral intervention that integrates care from a community health worker (CHW), the participant's primary care physician (PCP), a DM nurse educator, and a clinical pharmacist. Treatment is delivered during 9 sessions over 1 year, and includes diabetes education and goal setting, telehealth visits with participants' PCP and a DM nurse educator, and comprehensive medication reviews by a pharmacist. We describe the rationale and methods for a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of DM I-TEAM to reduce emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. We are enrolling 200 blacks with DM during an ED visit. Participants are randomized to DM I-TEAM or Usual Medical Care (UMC). Follow-up assessments are conducted at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome is the number of ED visits and hospitalizations over 12 months, and is measured by participant self-report and medical record review. Secondary outcomes include hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), number of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and trust in health care.
The Impact of Covid-19 Experiences and Associated Stress on Anxiety, Depression, and Functional Impairment in American Adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on health and well-being worldwide and there is increasing recognition of the need to understand the psychological impact of COVID-19 experiences and stress in addition to the physical health consequences. The present study examined how experiences related to COVID-19 and associated stress impact, anxiety, depression, and functional impairment in a convenience sample of 565 American adults (57.9% male) recruited through MTURK. COVID-19 experiences were consistently associated with higher odds of probable anxiety and depression diagnoses (ORs ≥ 3.0). COVID-19 associated stress also predicted large proportions of variance (R2 ≥ 30) in anxiety, depression, health anxiety, and functional impairment in latent variable analyses. These findings highlight that personal experiences related to the diagnosis of COVID-19, mortality in acquaintances, and COVID-19 associated stress is associated with a greatly elevated risk of emotional disorder symptomatology and that the COVID-19 pandemic may result in increased demand for mental health services.
Satellite image texture captures vegetation heterogeneity and explains patterns of bird richness

Abstract Addressing global declines in biodiversity requires accurate assessments of key environmental attributes determining patterns of species diversity. Spatial heterogeneity of vegetation strongly affects species diversity patterns, and measures of vegetation structure derived from lidar and satellite image texture analysis correlate well with species richness. Our goal here was to gain a better understanding of why image texture explains bird richness, by linking field-based measures of vegetation structure directly with both image texture and bird richness. In addition, we asked how image texture compares with lidar-based canopy height variability, and how sensor resolution affects the explanatory power of image texture. We generated texture metrics from 30 m (Landsat 8) and 10 m (Sentinel-2) resolution Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) imagery from 2017 to 2019. We compared textures with vegetation metrics and bird richness data from 27 National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) terrestrial field sites across the continental US. Both 30 and 10 m resolution texture metrics were strongly correlated with lidar-based canopy height variability (|r| = 0.64 and 0.80, respectively). Texture was moderately correlated with field-based metrics, including variability of vegetation height and tree stem diameter, and foliage height diversity (range |r| = 0.31–0.52). Generally, 10 m resolution texture had stronger correlations with lidar and field-based metrics than 30 m resolution texture. In univariate linear models of total bird richness, 10 m resolution texture metrics also had higher explanatory power (up to R2adj = 0.45), than 30 m texture metrics (up to R2adj = 0.31). Among all metrics evaluated, the 10 m homogeneity texture was the best univariate predictor of total bird richness. In multivariate bird richness models that combined texture with lidar-based canopy height variability and field-based metrics, both 30 m and 10 m resolution texture metrics were selected in top-ranked models and independently contributed explanatory power (up to R2adj = 46%). Lidar-based canopy height variability was also selected in a top-ranked model of total bird richness, but independently contributed only 15% of the variance explained. Our results show satellite image texture characterized multiple features of structural and compositional vegetation heterogeneity, complemented more commonly used metrics in models of bird richness and for some guilds outperformed both lidar-based canopy height variability and field-based vegetation measurements. Ours is the first study to directly link image texture both to specific components of vegetation heterogeneity and to bird richness across multiple ecoregions and spatial resolutions, thereby shedding light on habitat features underlying the strong correlation between image texture and biodiversity.
Complementary Medicine: Acupuncture

Acupuncture, a form of traditional Chinese medicine, has been accepted into the arena of integrative oncology therapies used to ease symptom burden throughout oncology care. Research supports the safe use of acupuncture for disease and treatment-related symptoms including pain, fatigue, depression, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and nausea/vomiting. The body of knowledge in oncology acupuncture is significant; yet, additional evidence is warranted. Specific acupuncture research in hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients is necessary to address the unique experiences of this population.
Image-Guided Intra-articular Hip Injections and Risk of Infection After Hip Arthroscopy:

Background:Although intra-articular injections are important in the management of patients who may later undergo hip arthroscopy, conflicting data are available regarding the safety of such injecti...
From Dashiell Hammett to the Coen Brothers’ Miller’s Crossing (1990)

The Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing (1990) builds on prior Dashiell Hammett texts, especially his novel The Glass Key, to produce a work that, while less affectively powerful than a hard-boiled detective thriller or gangster film, offers intellectual and aesthetic pleasures at least as rewarding. Hammett’s novel sets out a story of the political fixer as detective in a context of the Tammany Hall style government of cities overwhelmed by immigrant populations following the industrial revolution. From the perspective of a half century later, the Coens pastiche Hammett’s world and reverse Hollywood’s repression in two early adaptations, foregrounding ethnic and sexual conflict, as well as introducing Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972) as an additional lens through which to judge their allegory of gangsters and assimilation.
Earth: Changes Through Time

Over the past 4600 million years since its formation, the Earth has undergone many changes. From a barren planet with a molten surface constantly churned by meteorites and volcanoes, and no free oxygen in its atmosphere, the Earth has evolved into a planet with large slow-moving continents covered in vegetation that provides an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Keywords: craton; pangaea; orogeny; greenhouse climate; epicontinental seas
Non‐Linearities in Texture Segregation

The existence of complex (non-Fourier, second-order) channels is suggested by some characteristics of segregation perceived between regions distinguished by visual texture. These complex channels consist of two linear-filtering stages separated by a rectification-type non-linearity. We have investigated (i) the spatial frequency selectivity and orientation selectivity of their first-stage filters; (ii) the relationship between the preferred values of orientation and spatial frequency at the first and second filters; (iii) spatial pooling and its implications for the non-linearity at the middle of the complex channel; and (iv) the dynamics of complex and simple linear channels. An intensive non-linearity is also necessary to explain perceived region segregation. This intensive non-linearity might arise from an early local non-linearity preceding the channels (perhaps retinal light adaptation) or from normalization among the channels themselves (perhaps due to intracortical inhibition). Deciding between these two candidates has been more difficult than we had hoped. It appears that: (i) this intensive non-linearity operates for both simple and complex channels; (ii) the effects on it of changing mean luminance or spatial scale may be accounted for by a sensitivity parameter; (iii) it can be dramatically compressive even at contrasts less than 25% for high mean luminances and large scales; and (iv) at even lower contrasts there is an accelerating non-linearity that acts before the second filter of the complex channels.
External Iliac Vein Injury and Repair During Robotic-assisted Pelvic Lymphadenectomy.

Abstract Study Objective To demonstrate a surgical video wherein an incidental external iliac vein injury was encountered and repaired robotically during a pelvic lymphadenectomy procedure. Design Step-by-step explanation of the technique using a surgical video. Setting A 70-year-old white woman was referred to our division for fallopian tube carcinoma. She presented with bilateral adnexal masses and increasing abdominal girth. Preoperative imaging did not reveal any retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy or carcinomatosis. She was taken to the operating room for robotic-assisted debulking. Interventions Surgical staging was performed, including robotic hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, omentectomy, and pelvic washings. A 10-mm thermal laceration to the left external iliac vein occurred while using the monopolar scissors during left pelvic lymphadenectomy. After immediate clamping of the injury site with ProGrasp forceps, the laceration on the external iliac vein was primarily repaired by use of a running intracorporeal 4-0 polypropylene suture, using the robotic system. The insufflation pressure was increased to 20 mm Hg for the duration of primary repair to limit the hemorrhage. The increase in insufflation pressure was communicated to the anesthesiologist for close monitoring of the cardiopulmonary status. Conclusion Repair of external iliac vein injury, using the robotic system, was successfully and safely performed in this patient. Robotic repair of major vascular injuries should only be attempted by experienced laparoscopic surgeons with extensive vascular surgery experience, because these injuries are associated with significantly high mortality rate.
Relationships between positive psychological constructs and health outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review

Depression and anxiety are well-known to be associated with adverse health outcomes in cardiac patients. However, there has been less work synthesizing the effects of positive psychological constructs (e.g., optimism) on health-related outcomes in cardiac patients. We completed a systematic review of prospective observational studies using established guidelines. A search of PubMed and PsycINFO databases from inception to January 2014 was used to identify articles. To be eligible, studies were required to assess effects of a positive psychological construct on subsequent health-related outcomes (including mortality, rehospitalizations, self-reported health status) in patients with established heart disease. Exploratory random effects' meta-analyses were performed on the subset of studies examining mortality or rehospitalizations. Seventy-seven analyses from 30 eligible studies (N=14,624) were identified. Among studies with 100 or more participants, 65.0% of all analyses and 64.7% of analyses adjusting for one or more covariates reported a significant (p<.05) association between positive psychological constructs and subsequent health outcomes. An exploratory meta-analysis of 11 studies showed that positive constructs were associated with reduced rates of rehospitalization or mortality in unadjusted (odds ratio=.87; 95% confidence interval [.83, .92]; p<.001) and adjusted analyses (odds ratio=.89; 95% confidence interval [.84, .91]; p<.001); there was little suggestion of publication bias. Among cardiac patients, positive psychological constructs appear to be prospectively associated with health outcomes in most but not all studies. Additional work is needed to identify which constructs are most important to cardiac health, and whether interventions can cultivate positive attributes and improve clinical outcomes.
Use of visual research methods to measure standards of quality for parks and outdoor recreation.

Visual research methods have been adapted and incorporated into measuring standards of quality for parks and outdoor recreation. This paper reviews and assesses this research. Visual research metho...
Traumatic white matter injury and glial activation: from basic science to clinics.

An improved understanding and characterization of glial activation and its relationship with white matter injury will likely serve as a novel treatment target to curb post injury inflammation and promote axonal remyelination after brain trauma. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public healthcare burden and a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Particularly, traumatic white matter (WM) injury or traumatic axonal injury has been reported as being associated with patients' poor outcomes. However, there is very limited data reporting the importance of glial activation after TBI and its interaction with WM injury. This article presents a systematic review of traumatic WM injury and the associated glial activation, from basic science to clinical diagnosis and prognosis, from advanced neuroimaging perspective. It concludes that there is a disconnection between WM injury research and the essential role of glia which serve to restore a healthy environment for axonal regeneration following WM injury. Particularly, there is a significant lack of non-invasive means to characterize the complex pathophysiology of WM injury and glial activation in both animal models and in humans. An improved understanding and characterization of the relationship between glia and WM injury will likely serve as a novel treatment target to curb post injury inflammation and promote axonal remyelination. GLIA 2014;62:1831–1855
Fast graph partitioning active contours for image segmentation using histograms

We present a method to improve the accuracy and speed, as well as significantly reduce the memory requirements, for the recently proposed Graph Partitioning Active Contours (GPACs) algorithm for image segmentation in the work of Sumengen and Manjunath (2006). Instead of computing an approximate but still expensive dissimilarity matrix of quadratic size, (Ns2 Ms2)/(nsms), for a 2D image of size Ns×Ms and regular image tiles of size ns×ms, we use fixed length histograms and an intensity-based symmetric-centrosymmetric extensor matrix to jointly compute terms associated with the complete NsMs × NsMs dissimilarity matrix. This computationally efficient reformulation of GPAC using a very small memory footprint offers two distinct advantages over the original implementation. It speeds up convergence of the evolving active contour and seamlessly extends performance of GPAC to multidimensional images.
SYNTHESIS AND EXCITED STATE RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY OF STERICALLY CROWDED RUTHENIUM(II) OCTAETHYLTETRAPHENYLPORPHYRIN

Pyridine and CO adducts of RuIIOETPP (OETPP = 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato) have been prepared and characterized by absorption and resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy. Ru → porphyrin back-bonding is evident from the ground state RR spectra. Skeletal mode frequency downshifts in RuIIOETPP(Py)2 relative to RuIIOETPP(CO)(Py) are comparable to those seen for the TPP (tetraphenylporphyrin) and OEP (octaethylporphyrin) analogs, indicating that distortion of the porphyrin ring from substituent crowding has little effect on the extent of back-bonding. Photoexcited RuIIOETPP(Py)2 has absorption and RR spectra which are similar to those of RuIITPP(Py)2 and are characteristic of a (dπ,π*) charge transfer state. As for RuIITPP(Py)2, the photoexcited RR spectrum has features indicating porphyrin anion formation and does not have pyridine anion features, as have been observed for photoexcited RuIIOEP(Py)2. The ethyl substituents raise the porphyrin eg* orbital above the lowest pyridine π...
Noradrenergic terminal fields as determinants of seizure predisposition in GEPR-3s: A neuroanatomic assessment with intracerebral microinjections of 6-hydroxydopamine

The genetically epilepsy-prone rat (GEPR) and other mammals with genetically based epilepsy are characterized by an innate predisposition to seizures evoked by a wide variety of stimuli (including those of endogenous origin). The present investigation was undertaken to identify the anatomical location of the noradrenergic terminal fields responsible for regulation of seizure predisposition. In this study, audiogenic seizure severity was used as the index of seizure predisposition. The effect of widespread destruction of noradrenergic terminal fields was compared with the effect of destroying regionally distinct terminal fields. These lesions were produced by microinfusion of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the locus ceruleus, the A1 noradrenergic area, the noradrenergic dorsal bundle, the cerebellar peduncles and spinal intrathecal space. Selective depletion of norepinephrine in the forebrain, the cerebellum, or the spinal cord failed to alter audiogenic seizure severity. An increase in seizure severity was always associated with marked depletion of norepinephrine in the midbrain excluding the inferior colliculus. Also a significant correlation existed between the seizure intensification and reduction of norepinephrine in this structure in all instances where a seizure intensification was observed. An association of seizure intensification also existed in all cases except one with depletion in the pons/medulla. The present findings support the hypothesis that the noradrenergic terminal fields of the midbrain excluding the inferior colliculus are determinants of seizure predisposition. Inasmuch as audiogenic seizures are a type of brainstem seizure, the present findings do not a priori pertain to the noradrenergic regulation of forebrain seizures.
50 Years Since the First Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health: A Happy Anniversary?

The author reflects on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Surgeon General's report on smoking and health as of January 2014 and the its effect on tobacco use in the U.S. Topics include the remedial actions by public health officials including cigarette tax increases, smoke-free environments, anti-smoking media campaigns, and the development of smoking cessation treatments.
Old English Biblical Verse: Studies in Genesis, Exodus and Daniel

List of tables Preface List of abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. The biblical sources of Genesis A and B 3. Exodus and the liturgy of baptism 4. Daniel and Greek scriptural tradition 5. The renditions of Oratio Azariae and Canticum trium puerorum in Daniel 6. Conclusion Bibliography Index.
I. Red Blood Cell Hemolysis by Photosensitizing Compounds

Irradiation (290–370 and 320–400 nm) of red blood cells in the presence of some photosensitizing compounds caused hemolysis. The extent of photohemolysis was determined to evaluate effects of these compounds on red blood cell membranes. Tested substances included porphyrins, tetracyclines, psoralens, salicylanilides, phenothiazines, anthracenes and sulfonamides. Optimal physical and chemical conditions for photohemolysis were determined for each compound. Amount of hemolysis varied with pH, solvent and buffer system and sensitizer. Strongly buffered solutions tend to inhibit the reaction. We interpret the reaction to be phototoxic, presumably to the cell membrane, because the RBC is essentially devoid to organelles and the reaction rate increased as the concentration of the photosensitizer increased. Non-photosensitizing substances did not react. Effect of the test compounds on RBCs were monitored with a spectrophotometer and fragiligraph, which indicated that some drugs combine with the RBC membrane in the dark and other require light. Psoralens and tetracyclines did not induce photohemolysis.
Acid-Catalyzed Condensations of Ninhydrin with Aromatic Compounds. Preparation of 2,2-Diaryl-1,3-indanediones and 3-(Diarylmethylene)isobenzofuranones1

Ninhydrin (1) reacts with aromatic compounds in acid solution to give condensation products. In H2SO4, 1 reacts with arenes to give 2,2-diaryl-1,3-indanediones (2a−f). In superacidic triflic acid (CF3SO3H, TfOH), 1 reacts with arenes to give 3-(diarylmethylene)isobenzofuranones (3a−e). Products 3a−e are proposed to have formed by a condensation and rearrangement involving dicationic intermediates. Benzo[f]ninhydrin also reacts with C6H6 in H2SO4 to give a similar condensation product.
A microbial biomanufacturing platform for natural and semisynthetic opioids

Metabolic engineering of yeast to incorporate plant and bacterial enzymes that construct and decorate morphine, along with spatial engineering to enable a spontaneous chemical reaction, provides strains capable of producing up to 130 mg/l of opioids.
Vocalic communication in persuasion

Previous studies demonstrated that credibility is inferred from vocalic communication. These studies, however, may not be generalizable and have not shown vocal cues to affect persuasion. The present study utilized recordings of a speech delivered by the same speaker in two styles (conversational and dynamic). Controlling for verbal style (opinionated language), vocalic cues induced different credibility perceptions and, interacting with initial credibility structured through an introduction of the speaker, affected the message's persuasive effect.