cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long‐Term Outcome of Left Atrial Voltage‐Guided Substrate Ablation During Atrial Fibrillation: A Novel Adjunctive Ablation Strategy

Voltage-Guided Atrial Fibrillation Substrate AblationIntroduction Left atrium (LA) low voltage area (LVA) on 3-D electroanatomic bipolar voltage mapping (EAVM), as a surrogate for scar, is associated with poor AF ablation outcome. We evaluated the long-term outcome of an LVA-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) substrate modification strategy as an adjunct to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods and Results Two hundred and one consecutive patients with AF (82% persistent/Non-PAF, age 65 years), who underwent EAVM during AF prior to PVI, were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of LVA outside the PV antra, defined as bipolar voltage of <0.5 mV. LVA-guided substrate modification was performed after PVI in patients with LVA. LVA was found in 159 patients (79%). Non-PAF (OR 3.851, P = 0.002) and CHA2DS2-VASc score (OR 1.815, P < 0.001) were independent predictors for the LVA. After the index procedure, 144 patients (72%) were free from AF at 12 months. With multiple procedures, 148 patients (74%) during a median follow-up of 3.1 years were free from the recurrence. There was no difference in the recurrence (log-rank P = 0.746), and complications (0% vs. 7%, P = 0.125) between the groups. Neither LVA nor Non-PAF was an independent predictor for the recurrence in a multivariate analysis. Conclusions Patients with LVA had an equally favorable long-term ablation outcome compared to those without. As an adjunct to PVI, voltage-guided substrate modification may be an important ablation strategy in patients with LA structural remodeling.
A self-regulatory perspective of work-to-home undermining spillover/crossover: Examining the roles of sleep and exercise

Research demonstrating that employees who are undermined at work engage in similar behavior at home suggests this connection reflects displaced aggression. In contrast, the present study draws on self-regulation theory to examine the work-home undermining spillover/crossover process. We propose that poor sleep quality transmits the influence of workplace undermining to home undermining per self-regulatory impairment, and exercise moderates this indirect effect per self-regulatory improvement. Using matched data from 118 employees and a member of their household to test our model, results demonstrated that undermining experienced from supervisors increased subjective (i.e., self-reported) but not objective (i.e., actigraph-recorded) sleep difficulties, which, in turn, increased the frequency with which individuals engaged in undermining at home (as reported by cohabitants). Additionally, indirect effects occurred for employees with low but not high levels of physical exercise (as measured by self-reports, step counts, and energy expenditure). Our findings suggest sleep and exercise may serve as valuable intervention points to prevent the spread of harmful behavior across contexts. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
‘Final common pathway’ of human cancer immunotherapy: targeting random somatic mutations

Effective clinical cancer immunotherapies, such as administration of the cytokine IL-2, adoptive cell transfer (ACT) and the recent success of blockade of the checkpoint modulators CTLA-4 and PD-1, have been developed without clear identification of the immunogenic targets expressed by human cancers in vivo. Immunotherapy of patients with cancer through the use of ACT with autologous lymphocytes has provided an opportunity to directly investigate the antigen recognition of lymphocytes that mediate cancer regression in humans. High-throughput immunological testing of such lymphocytes in combination with improvements in deep sequencing of the autologous cancer have provided new insight into the molecular characterization and incidence of anti-tumor lymphocytes present in patients with cancer. Here we highlight evidence suggesting that T cells that target tumor neoantigens arising from cancer mutations are the main mediators of many effective cancer immunotherapies in humans.
Overweight and Obesity, Weight Perception, and Weight Management Practices Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) Participants in Georgia: A Needs Assessment.

Abstract Objective Examine associations among weight status, weight perception, and weight management practices of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education (SNAP-Ed) participants in Georgia. Methods Self-reported weight, height, and weight-related practices were assessed and analyzed in 270 SNAP-Ed participants. Results Almost three quarters of the sample self-reported overweight or obesity. Among overweight and obese subjects, 39% and 69%, respectively, accurately perceived themselves as overweight. More than half of the sample desired weight loss and 44% had attempted weight loss in the past year. Overweight/obese subjects who accurately perceived their weight were more likely to desire and to have attempted weight loss than those who under-perceived their weight. Approximately 58% of all subjects who had attempted to lose weight reported use of both methods suggested for weight loss: exercise and dietary changes. Conclusions and Implications The high prevalence of self-reported overweight/obesity combined with a desire to lose weight among the study sample demonstrated the necessity to develop SNAP-Ed curricula emphasizing weight management.
A New and Different People: Sociodemographic Changes in Southwest Utah

The western region of the United States has demonstrated the most rapid growth of any region over the entirety of the past century, experiencing very substantial population increases during both the nonmetropolitan turnaround of the 1970s and the rural rebound of 1990s (Fuguitt 1985; Johnson 1998). These recent changes have dramatically reshaped the face of the American West, to the point that a discourse of the New West has arisen to describe the transformation of the region’s ­populations, economies, and cultures. Characterized by the meeting of “Cowboys and Cappuccino” (Rengert and Lang 2001), the prototypical New West populations of college-educated yuppies and retirees stand in sharp contrast to stereotypical Old West populations of ranchers, farmers, and miners. The Old West is characterized by images of cattle drives, ranchers, and rustic settlers, while the New West imagery highlights the rise of telecommuters, fleeing urbanites, and retirees bringing a metropolitan flavor and educated interests to rural western communities.
Maritime Aerosol Network optical depth measurements and comparison with satellite retrievals from various different sensors

The paper reports on the current status of the Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) which is a component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). A public domain web-based data archive dedicated to MAN activity can be found at https://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/new_web/maritime_aerosol_network.html . Since 2006 over 450 cruises were completed and the data archive consists of more than 6000 measurement days. In this work, we present MAN observations collocated with MODIS Terra, MODIS Aqua, MISR, POLDER, SeaWIFS, OMI, and CALIOP spaceborne aerosol products using a modified version of the Multi-Sensor Aerosol Products Sampling System (MAPSS) framework. Because of different spatio-temporal characteristics of the analyzed products, the number of MAN data points collocated with spaceborne retrievals varied between ~1500 matchups for MODIS to 39 for CALIOP (as of August 2016). Despite these unavoidable sampling biases, latitudinal dependencies of AOD differences for all satellite sensors, except for SeaWIFS and POLDER, showed positive biases against ground truth (i.e. MAN) in the southern latitudes (<50° S), and substantial scatter in the Northern Atlantic “dust belt” (5°-15° N). Our analysis did not intend to determine whether satellite retrievals are within claimed uncertainty boundaries, but rather show where bias exists and corrections are needed.
Ablation of peri-insult generated granule cells after epilepsy onset halts disease progression.

Aberrant integration of newborn hippocampal granule cells is hypothesized to contribute to the development of temporal lobe epilepsy. To test this hypothesis, we used a diphtheria toxin receptor expression system to selectively ablate these cells from the epileptic mouse brain. Epileptogenesis was initiated using the pilocarpine status epilepticus model in male and female mice. Continuous EEG monitoring was begun 2–3 months after pilocarpine treatment. Four weeks into the EEG recording period, at a time when spontaneous seizures were frequent, mice were treated with diphtheria toxin to ablate peri-insult generated newborn granule cells, which were born in the weeks just before and after pilocarpine treatment. EEG monitoring continued for another month after cell ablation. Ablation halted epilepsy progression relative to untreated epileptic mice; the latter showing a significant and dramatic 300% increase in seizure frequency. This increase was prevented in treated mice. Ablation did not, however, cause an immediate reduction in seizures, suggesting that peri-insult generated cells mediate epileptogenesis, but that seizures per se are initiated elsewhere in the circuit. These findings demonstrate that targeted ablation of newborn granule cells can produce a striking improvement in disease course, and that the treatment can be effective when applied months after disease onset.
The Syndrome of Tubulointerstitial Nephritis With Uveitis (TINU).

The syndrome of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) is a multisystemic autoimmune disorder that may occur in response to various environmental triggers, including drugs and microbial pathogens. Evidence exists of HLA antigen–related genetic predisposition to developing TINU. The resulting inflammation affects chiefly the ocular uvea and renal tubules, although other organs may be involved. TINU is uncommon; only about 200 cases are on record since its original description 40 years ago, although it is possible that new ones are no longer being reported. Although its incidence is highest in children and adolescents, all ages may be affected. Renal and ocular inflammation may be clinically severe and persistent, but the prognosis for the majority of patients with TINU is favorable. Owing to its low prevalence, no standard therapeutic protocols have been established, but most reported cases have been treated with corticosteroids or other immunomodulatory agents. TINU has many features in common with sarcoidosis, the main clinical entity from which it must be distinguished. This article begins with an illustrative case vignette, followed by an overview of the syndrome and current theories regarding its pathogenesis.
Memories of Central European History, 1997–2005

I became involved with what was then called the Conference Group for Central European History in early 1997, when I accepted Roger Chickering's invitation to succeed him as Executive Secretary and Treasurer. This put me in charge of preparing and distributing the biannual (now defunct) Newsletter and of carrying out a variety of other duties, including keeping track of the money and organizing the annual executive meeting and the Bierabend—a cash bar and convivial get-together for historians of Central Europe—at the annual conference of the American Historical Association. The Newsletter kept members of the Conference Group informed about matters relevant to Central European history, such as upcoming events, panels on German and Austrian history at the American Historical Association meeting, scholarships, fellowships, as well as events at the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, including the annual Transatlantic Doctoral Seminar. At one point, it was mailed separately to members and then, sometime later, published in Central European History.
Aging during elevated temperature stress relaxation of IM7/K3B composite

An experimental and analytical study was performed on the use of tension stress relaxation to characterize the effects of elevated temperature and physical aging on the linear viscoelastic behavior of IM7/K3B. Isothermal stress relaxation tests on a [′45] 2 s laminate were run over a range of sub-glass transition (T g ) temperatures. The sequenced test method most commonly employed for creep was successfully adapted to the stress relaxation test and from those sequenced tests, material parameters such as aging shift rates and momentary master curve coefficients were developed for use in the analytical model. The analytical viscoelastic model was based on classical lamination theory, the hereditary integral formulation type constitutive law, and effective time theory. Time-aging time superposition, effective time theory, and viscoelasticity were used to determine the physical aging related material parameters from the relaxation tests. Results were compared to previously measured isothermal creep compliance results via known relationships for the convolution of compliance to modulus. Time-temperature superposition was also used to evaluate master curves and related shift factors. All of the results illustrated that the relative influence of temperature and aging must be considered when assessing long-term performance and that the loading mode may have to be considered when accurate predictions of viscoelastic behavior are required.
Red (hot) algae: modulation of mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerol-associated fatty acids of Polysiphonia sp. and Porphyridium sp. in response to growth temperature

There is a dearth of surveys examining the direct effects of temperature on red algal galactolipids, and none which examine regiochemistry modulation with respect to growth temperature. Therefore, ...
Two Problems with Table Saws.

In this paper we solve two problems that arose when I began to construct wooden pic ture frames. At that time, my only tool was a table saw, a tool that is essential to any woodworker or carpenter, but by its simplicity appears to be very limited in its ver satility. But I convinced myself that the application of a little geometry, trigonometry, and calculus was all I needed to make my table saw a tool capable of more than just cutting boards to the proper width or length. The reader who would like to use our solutions to make his or her own frames will require no tools more sophisticated than a protractor and ruler, and a table saw of course! For the classroom, this article also demonstrates that "real world" problems can often be solved with the mathematics typically studied within the first two years of college. I think these problems would be especially enjoyable for students in engineering or industrial technology programs. A table saw consists of little more than a table and a flat circular saw blade that revolves, within its plane, about its center. The blade is raised through a slot to pro trude above the surface of the table, and the material is cut by passing it across the revolving blade. The most common use of a table saw is to rip a board, meaning to cut it lengthwise, parallel to the grain of the wood. A crosscut is a cut perpendicular to the length of the board, across the woodgrain. In both operations, the plane of the blade is perpendicular to the surface of the table and the board is slid on the table so that its leading edge is perpendicular to the blade. Figure 1 shows the operation of making a crosscut.
Item response theory as a method to evaluate the goodness of fit for attitudes towards interprofessional healthcare teams

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the goodness of fit for two survey instruments that aim to assess students’ attitudes towards working in healthcare teams. Methods Retrospective analysis of student responses to two survey instruments prior to an interdisciplinary, team-based course. IRT was utilized to evaluate the goodness of fit for the survey instruments from the responses of three cohorts of students from six healthcare disciplines. Results 379 students completed the T-TAQ, and 388 students completed the CAP, which was developed from the RIPLS. IRT analysis indicated that the T-TAQ, as well as two of the subscales, poorly loaded onto a single construct. The CAP demonstrated good internal consistency, but upon further analysis multiple items within the tool demonstrated poor goodness of fit. Further analysis also revealed that the T-TAQ demonstrates the highest level of discriminatory ability for students who test low in terms of trait level (i.e. θ = −2), while the CAP best detects students with even lower trait levels in terms of attitudes towards working in healthcare teams (θ = −3). Conclusion IRT should be utilized in future studies to develop better fitting instruments for evaluating attitudes towards working in interdisciplinary healthcare teams. At present, there does not appear to be a tool for educators to use that contains well fitted items for evaluating outcomes in interdisciplinary healthcare coursework.
Epigastric Pain, Vomiting, and Cardiac Arrhythmias

A woman with epigastric pain and nausea had atrioventricular block confined to episodes of vomiting.
Key inflammatory pathway activations in the MCI stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective To determine the key inflammatory pathways that are activated in the peripheral and CNS compartments at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods A cross-sectional study of patients with clinical and biomarker characteristics consistent with MCI-AD in a discovery cohort, with replication in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort. Inflammatory analytes were measured in the CSF and plasma with the same validated multiplex analyte platform in both cohorts and correlated with AD biomarkers (CSF Aβ42, total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau) to identify key inflammatory pathway activations. The pathways were additionally validated by evaluating genes related to all analytes in coexpression networks of brain tissue transcriptome from an autopsy confirmed AD cohort to interrogate if the same pathway activations were conserved in the brain tissue gene modules. Results Analytes of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway (KEGG ID:4668) in the CSF and plasma best correlated with CSF t-tau and p-tau levels, and analytes of the complement and coagulation pathway (KEGG ID:4610) best correlated with CSF Aβ42 levels. The top inflammatory signaling pathways of significance were conserved in the peripheral and the CNS compartments. They were also confirmed to be enriched in AD brain transcriptome gene clusters. Interpretation A cell-protective rather than a proinflammatory analyte profile predominates in the CSF in relation to neurodegeneration markers among MCI-AD patients. Analytes from the TNF signaling and the complement and coagulation pathways are relevant in evaluating disease severity at the MCI stage of AD.
Hidden lesion easily missed on chest radiography

A 46-year-old man with poorly controlled hypertension presented with the sudden onset of chest pain and shortness of breath. His blood pressure was 158/96 mm Hg and his left ventricular ejection fraction was less than 20%. He was admitted to the hospital for newly diagnosed heart failure. Chest
Private Law and Local Custom

One of the striking features of private law in English-speaking countries is the extent to which it is mainly common law. To be sure, many areas of tort, contract, and property are subject to statutes, and civil law jurisdictions demonstrate that private law can be codified. Still, most Anglo-American private law is common law. This chapter explores that relationship. Both private law and the common law fit awkwardly into the dominant theoretical models of law, which emphasize regulation and social control by the state. Thus, the common law has long been criticized for failing to comply with the model of clearly articulated rules that are announced ex ante and applied ex post. The private law, for its part, contains numerous features that make it a poor candidate for a well-designed regulatory regime. Law and economics (L&E) has dominated much of contemporary private law theory. Beginning in the 1980s, however, neoformalist critics focused on features of private law that L&E can explain only awkwardly. These accounts, in turn, provide responses to many of the standard criticisms of the common law. While this movement is encouraging, theoretical challenges remain. Neoformalism, despite its ambition to take the structure of legal doctrine more seriously than L&E, has difficulty accounting for large swaths of private law. Furthermore, these theories have tended to be highly abstract, placing little or no significance on the particularity of the communities over which private law claims authority. In contrast, the common law often evidences a parochialism that focuses on the history or practices of specific communities. A renewed focus on the classical common law theory of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries offers one way of responding to these weaknesses in neoformalism.
Gifts in Contemplation of Death: Why Can't Section 2035 Simply Die?

Income and wealth inequality has become a popular topic. There are a myriad of ways to reduce such inequality utilizing the tax system, either the income tax or the transfer taxes. Revitalizing the estate tax by reducing the exemption amount and adjusting the rate structure would reduce inequality. Much has been written about the viability of the estate tax and possible alternatives. This article does not revisit that analysis. Instead, it assumes that the estate tax will remain a viable component of the overall tax system. It analyzes one small segment of the estate tax – §2035 – and argues that repeal would simplify the estate tax without reducing revenues. Commentators have advocated for integration and simplification of the gift and estate tax provisions governing retained interests for over 70 years, but §2035 has received relatively little attention.
P137 Evaluation of Social Marketing Campaign to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake in SNAP-Ed Eligible Adult Georgians, 2017-2019

Background Social marketing (SM) has the potential to deliver nutrition education messages targeted to low-income individuals, but limited evidence is available on its feasibility in SNAP-Ed programs. Objective To examine the process and impact of the Partnership for a Healthier America's FNV campaign to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in SNAP-Ed eligible adults in Georgia during the 3 consecutive summers in 2017-2019. Study Design, Setting, Participants Process evaluation was conducted throughout the campaign using commercial administrative data reporting tools. After each year's FNV campaign, outcome and impact evaluation implemented the same self-administered post-intervention survey using 3 modalities (ie, online, intercept, and direct mail surveys) while employing a non-randomized control study design (2017-2018) or one-group posttest-only design (2019). During the 3-year campaign, 1,904 Georgians (mean age 49.3 ± 16.6, 77.9% female, 62.6% minority, 82.6% from intervention counties) from 7 intervention and 3 control counties participated in the survey. Intervention Each year's FNV campaign used a mix of billboards, radio ads, newspaper ads, food retail ads, and Facebook available in the selected SNAP-Ed eligible zip code areas to saturate FNV messages while partnering with local stakeholders including County Extension Agents. Outcome Measures/Analysis Process evaluation estimated program reach, impressions, dosage, and engagement. Outcome and impact evaluation assessed participants’ awareness and intention to change due to campaign exposure. Results Over the 3 summers, the FNV campaign reached over 2 million people and generated 10.3 million impressions with 154,403 engagements and provided critical process evaluation data on the successes and challenges of the programmatic and evaluation strategies tested. Those exposed to the FNV campaign were more likely to report willingness and actual behaviors of eating of >1 fruits and vegetables/day than those not exposed. Conclusions and Implications The findings of the 3-year FNV campaign suggest the feasibility and impact of SM for low-income audiences and will inform a new statewide SNAP-Ed SM intervention development in Georgia.
Priority-Aware Reinforcement-Learning-Based Integrated Design of Networking and Control for Industrial Internet of Things

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) envisions the tight coupling of numerous critical industrial manufacturing subsystems, such as control, networking, and computing through the ubiquitous Internet of Things technologies. Nonetheless, such interconnectivity poses significant challenges to the successful management and operation of massively distributed industrial manufacturing systems. Without carefully integrated system design, the nonoptimal management and operation of highly intertwined subsystems can lead to the loss of productivity and ultimately the value of factories and plants. To address this issue, in this article, we conduct the integrated design that is capable of simultaneously configuring both control and networking subsystems in IIoT with consideration for their inherent interdependencies. We first analyze the performance of the dynamic backoff exponential (BE) in IEEE 802.15.4 carrier-sense multiple access (CSMA) and show the performance improvement of dynamic BE. We then design a model-free reinforcement learning algorithm to configure the control and networking subsystems automatically via systematic trial and error, as it is impractical to build a model for a highly intertwined complex IIoT system. Considering the time-sensitive characteristics of IIoT systems, we design priority-aware policies based on importance among networking traffic (i.e., sensing traffic and actuation traffic) to improve the convergence speed. The experimental results demonstrate that our priority-aware reinforcement-learning-based integrated design can successfully reconfigure the complex and highly intertwined IIoT system at runtime with a minimal convergence time. Besides, our approach reduces convergence time by 37.5%, and energy consumption by 9.2%, compared to the standard reinforcement learning approach.
The relationship between anxiety, health, and potential stressors among adults in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and the association between moderate or severe anxiety symptoms and health and potential stressors among adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods This analysis includes data from 5,250 adults in the Communities, Households and SARS/CoV-2 Epidemiology (CHASING) COVID Cohort Study surveyed in April 2020. Poisson models were used to estimate the association between moderate or severe anxiety symptoms and health and potential stressors among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Greater than one-third (35%) of participants reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms. Having lost income due to COVID-19 (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.27 (95% CI 1.16, 1.30), having recent COVID-like symptoms (aPR 1.17 (95% CI 1.05, 1,31), and having been previously diagnosed with depression (aPR 1.49, (95% CI 1.35, 1.64) were positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Anxiety symptoms were common among adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies to screen and treat individuals at increased risk of anxiety, such as individuals experiencing financial hardship and individuals with prior diagnoses of depression, should be developed and implemented.
Syntheses and Crystal Structures of a Series of Manganese-Lanthanide-Sodium 12-Metallacrown-4 Dimers

A series of heterotrimetallic manganese-lanthanide-sodium dimer metallacrowns has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis: {LnNa[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4]}2(iph)4, where LnIII = La (1), Ce (2), Pr (3), Nd (4), Sm (5), Eu (6), Gd (7), Tb (8), Dy (9), Ho (10), Er (11), Tm (12), Yb (13), Lu (14), and Y (15); MC is metallacrown; shi3− is salicylhydroximate; and iph2− is isophthalate. The manganese(III) ions and shi3− ligands generate the 12-MC-4 framework with one LnIII and Na+ ion bound to each [12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4] on opposite sides of the central MC cavity. The carboxylate groups of the isophthalate ligands bridge between the central LnIII ion and each ring MnIII ion, and the meta-arrangement of the carboxylate groups joins two LnNa[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4] units together to form the dimer through the LnIII ions, which reside on the interior of the molecule. The identity of the central LnIII ion slightly impacts the size the [12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4] framework. As the crystal radius of the LnIII ion increases from LuIII (1.02 A) to LaIII (1.19 A), the 12-MC-4 framework expands to accommodate the larger LnIII ion as the MC cavity increases in size (0.53 A for LuIII to 0.58 A for LaIII) and the average cross cavity MnIII-MnIII and oxime oxygen-oxime oxygen distances also increase (MnIII-MnIII distances: 6.48 A for LuIII to 6.52 A for LaIII; Ooxime-Ooxime distances: 3.66 A for LuIII to 3.75 A for LaIII). In addition, the larger LnIII ions reside further from the MC cavity as indicated by the LnIII-oxime oxygen mean plane (OoxMP) distance. The LnIII-OoxMP distance steadily decreases from LaIII (1.7527(12) A) to LuIII (1.5575(15) A). The complex {LaNa[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4]}2(iph)4(DMF)6(H2O)2 is a dimer of [12-MC-4] molecules linked by four isophthalate anions
Modulation of endogenous antioxidants by zinc and copper in signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus).

Abstract Metal pollution is a long-standing concern and bioindicators are commonly used in ecotoxicological studies to monitor impacted wildlife populations for evidence of sublethal effects. Significant variation in the response of common biomarkers to metals is reported across taxa, thus necessitating careful characterization in model organisms. In this study, we describe the regulation of glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione (GSH), and metallothionein (MT) by zinc chloride (0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6 μg g−1) and copper chloride (0.6, 0.9, 1.2 μg g−1) in signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Zinc chloride did not alter GST activity relative to controls in the hepatopancreas. Crayfish exposed to copper chloride exhibited decreased GST activity at the lowest dose tested (0.6 μg g−1) with no change observed at the higher doses. GSH did not change in response to either metal when sexes were grouped together. MT concentrations increased in response to zinc (2.4, 4.6, and 9.6 μg g−1 doses) and copper (0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 μg g−1 doses) in gill tissue. In tail tissue, MT increased at the 2.4 and 4.8 μg g−1 zinc chloride doses and all the concentrations of copper tested. Sex-specific differences in endogenous antioxidant expression were also analyzed with no clear patterns emerging. We concluded that these endpoints are sensitive to zinc and copper in signal crayfish, although careful interpretation is needed when applying them in field studies given the variation in responses, non-monotonic dose responses, and differences in biotic and abiotic factors that inevitably exist in different aquatic ecosystems.
The Performance Effects of Interorganizational Human Resource Practices: The Case of Inter-Club Networks in Professional Baseball, 1919-1940

This study investigates the performance effects of two industry-specific human resource management innovations that dramatically changed the way professional baseball teams selected and trained ballplayers. In the early part of this century major league clubs developed and refined two player development practices based on “reserve team” and “farm team” systems. We use a panel data set of the win/lose records for the population of 16 major league clubs for the seasons from 1919 through 1940 to test hypotheses about the effect of human resource practices on organizational performance. The results suggest the reserve team practice had no significant impact on organizational performance. In contrast, the more complex farm team system, pioneered by Branch Rickey of the St. Louis Cardinals, improved organizational performance and diffused rapidly throughout the league. Four years after creating a farm team system, we estimated that it improved a team’s win rate by .068 points relative to non-adopters of the farm team system and teams with less than four years of prior experience with a farm team system. The results also show the farm team effect was not confined to St. Louis but was also experienced by later adopters. These results contribute to the growing literature showing a positive effect of human resource policies on organizational performance. The results also illustrate the important role the external environment plays in shaping this relationship (e.g., legal restrictions to labor mobility).
Robot-assisted Transplant Ureteral Repair after Robot-assisted Kidney Transplant

Abstract Objective To use a video to describe steps of robotic-assisted transplant ureteral repair (RATUR) for treating transplant ureteral stricture (TUS) in a patient who had undergone robot assisted kidney transplant (RAKT). Method We recorded and edited the operation of a patient who experienced TUS by distal obstruction due to a calcification after RAKT and underwent RATUR in 2020. Results We present a case of a 65-year-old male who developed graft dysfunction. He was found to have a short intrinsic obstruction of the distal transplant ureter due to a calcification that formed around the suture line at the ureteroneocystostomy. The video covers the steps of the operation which include positioning, placement of the ports, orientation, dissection of the paravesicle space, identification and dissection of the ureter, stent placement, reconstruction and post-operative course. We try to include tips and tricks that could be useful in other similar robotic cases. Conclusion Open surgical repair of the transplant ureter is the standard of care for transplant ureteral stenosis. However, it requires the morbidity of a large surgical incision. Robotic assisted transplant ureteral repair can be done successfully while limiting convalescence from an open reoperation.
The omega-3-fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid modulates intracellular myo-inositol and its biosynthetic genes.

Bipolar disorder is a debilitating mood disorder characterized by recurring episodes of mania and depression. It affects 2.6% of adults and has a lifetime prevalence among adults of 3.9%. Current mood stabilizers are not always effective and/or are not well tolerated by many patients ; thus , there is a need to develop or identify more effective and less harmful treatments. Omega-3- fatty acids have been shown to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder ; however, their mechanism of action is unknown. Myo -inositol depletion has been hypothesized as the mechanism by which mood stabilizers exert their therapeutic effect. Using an enzymatic assay, we determined intracellular myo -inositol levels increased more than 2-fold when cells were grown in the presence of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). RT-qPCR was used to characterize the effects of DHA on genes in the myo -inositol biosynthetic pathway. We show DHA increases relative expression and has a concentration - dependent impact on INO1 and INM1 , which encode myo -inositol-1-phosphate synthase and myo -inositol monophosphate 1-phosphatase , respectively. We therefore conclude that the omega-3- fatty acid DHA exerts its therapeutic effect on bipolar disorder by increasing intracellular myo -inositol , which may be accomplished by upregulating its biosynthetic genes.
Comment on: “Dickinsonia liftoff: Evidence of current derived morphologies” by S. D. Evans, M. L. Droser, and J.G. Gehling, Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 434, 28-33 (2015)

Abstract Dickinsonia is an enigmatic fossil of Ediacaran age, variously interpreted as a lichen, foraminiferan, placozoan, cnidarian or worm, and now Evans et al. (2015) have provided documentation of new and informative specimens from Nilpena in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. They consider missing marginal slivers evidence for soft bodied, free living Dickinsonia lifted by current, but such marginal dismemberment of Dickinsonia by currents requires attachment of the rest of the body to the substrate more firmly than body cohesion. Unidirectional orientation of missing pieces of Dickinsonia was considered evidence of shallow marine storms, but such directed currents are found in floods or tsunamis. Finally, curved conchoidal fracture of the missing slivers reveals that the unskeletonized carapace of Dickinsonia was not always soft and flexible, but sometimes hardened, perhaps by desiccation or freezing.
Using DEA for relative efficiency analysis of wafer fabrication facilities

Semiconductor industry is capital-incentive, competitive, and having complicated manufacturing processes. It is essential to utilize resources efficiently to provide products and services for maintaining competitive advantages. Knowing whether the resource is properly utilized is the foundation for future improvements and/or production decision. Due to the disparate units involved, direct evaluation and comparison among the fabs is difficult. This study aims to develop a two-stage model for relative comparison on fabrication operations by adopting data envelopment analysis (DEA). The proposed model clearly defines and differentiates the performance of fab production, and provides an overall performance index while considering different aspects.
Preparation and Characterization of Freeze-dried Chitosan-Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Hydrogels for Site-Specific Antibiotic Delivery in the Stomach

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to develop novel drug delivery systems with pH-sensitive swelling and drug release properties for localized antibiotic delivery in the stomach.
RALPH BUNCHE: DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR, INTERNATIONAL STATESMAN AND EQUAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Dr. Ralph J. Bunche was a remarkable American whose legacy is becoming all too distant to our collective memory. During the mid-20th century, he had an illustrious career working to better the conditions of life for the oppressed in America and throughout the world. He was a distinguished scholar, activist and statesman, evidenced by a list of highlights of his achievements. In 1949, he received the Spingarn Medal presented by the NAACP, an award given annually to an African-American for noble achievement. Credited with many accomplishments in diplomacy and political science, he reached a pinnacle in his career in 1950 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the armistice between Israel and four separate Arab nations: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In the 1960s, Dr. Bunche received the Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon Baines Johnson, participated in Dr. Martin Luther King’s protest march on Washington, and marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama. Dr. Bunche dedicated his life and career to the achievement of the noble goals he believed in: a “peaceful and just world,” and a “fully democratic America.”Though his career was marked with internationally recognized achievements, Dr. Bunche was an unpretentious man who did not seek accolades or desire to be cast into the limelight. His close friend, Sir Brian Urquhart, recalled that when Dr. Bunche was told he was to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he wrote to the committee explaining that he would not be able to accept the award. In Bunche’s view, he did not work in the United Nations Secretariat to win personal honors, and he only accepted the award after he was convinced it would be beneficial to the United Nations. He sought recognition, not for himself, but for the injustice that exists in the world. Although Dr. Bunche did not seek praise, he is a man deserving of it. The accomplishments of Dr. Bunche’s life and career as a scholar, activist and statesman are the result of a fluid integration throughout his life of intellectual development and practical determination. His triumphs in these various areas cannot be divided on a timeline into categorical periods of allegiance. He saw each as intertwined, and remained dedicated to each throughout his life. This essay highlights the major achievements in his remarkable career by focusing on three major categories, solely as an organizational tool for the reader: academics, international statesmanship, and racial equality activism.
An OPO ring cavity with no coatings

Summary form only given. High-quality nonlinear optical crystals, such as BaB/sub 2/O/sub 4/ have very high damage thresholds (several GW/cm/sup 2/). Their cost is dropping steadily even as their quality has been improved, but the costs of optical parametric oscillator (OPO) cavities are still high. The high cost of the cavity is due in part to the expensive coatings used in the cavity mirrors, which are also vulnerable to high-energy pulses. We have designed a novel ring cavity for OPOs. This design has no coatings on any of the cavity optics.
Identification of a gene product induced by hard-surface contact of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides conidia as a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme by yeast complementation.

The germinating conidia of many phytopathogenic fungi on hosts must differentiate into an infection structure called the appressorium in order to penetrate their hosts. Chemical signals, such as the host’s surface wax or fruit ripening hormone, ethylene, trigger germination and appressorium formation of the avocado pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides only after the conidia are in contact with a hard surface. What role this contact plays is unknown. Here, we describe isolation of genes expressed during the early stage of hard-surface treatment by a differential-display method and report characterization of one of these cloned genes, chip1 (Colletotrichum hard-surface induced protein 1 gene), which encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. RNA blots clearly showed that it is induced by hard-surface contact and that ethylene treatment enhanced this induction. The predicted open reading frame (ubc1Cg) would encode a 16.2-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, which shows 82% identity to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae UBC4-UBC5 E2 enzyme, comprising a major part of total ubiquitin-conjugating activity in stressed yeast cells. UBC1Cg can complement the proteolysis deficiency of the S. cerevisiae ubc4 ubc5 mutant, indicating that ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation is involved in conidial germination and appressorial differentiation.
User's guide to an early warning system for macroeconomic vulnerability in Latin American countries

Models for an early warning system do a good job predicting vulnerability to macroeconomic crises in several Latin American countries. Herrera and Garcia develop an early warning system for macroeconomic vulnerability for several Latin American countries, drawing on the work of Kaminsky, Lizondo, and Reinhart (1997) and Kaminsky (1988). They build a composite leading indicator that signals macroeconomic vulnerability, showing that, historically, crises tend to happen in certain vulnerable situations. Interested mainly in providing an operational tool, Herrera and Garcia use a different approach to the problem than Kaminsky did. First, they use fewer variables to generate the signals. Then, after the variables are aggregated, a signal is issued, depending on the behavior of the composite index. (Kaminsky's procedure was to generate signals with each variable and then aggregate them.) Their results are satisfactory both statistically and operationally. Statistically, Type I and Type II errors are smaller than those reported in previous papers. Operationally, this system of leading indicators is less costly to maintain, given fewer variables - which are widely available and reported with timeliness. Herrera and Garcia tested the models' out-of-sample predictive ability on crises that occurred after the first stage of their project was finished: Colombia (September 1998), Brazil (January 1999), and Ecuador (February 1999). In all cases the models correctly anticipated the speculative attacks. Moreover, Mexico's models, estimated with information available two years before the 1994 crisis, show that these signaling devices would have been useful for signaling the macroeconomic vulnerability before December 1994. This paper - a product of the Economic Policy Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to build tools that policymakers can use to prevent crises. The authors may be contacted at cgarciacorado@worldbank.org or sherrera@worldbank.org.
Quasi-1D Modeling of Polymer Melt Die Swell in Short Dies

This paper describes the isothermal die swell using our recent quasi-1D model for fast (high Deborah number) contraction flows of polymers melts. Because the model analyzes the flow in several flow regions as one continuous process, it makes possible to evaluate the die swell as a qusi-1D extrudate flow in dies of various lengths. Using the asymptotic matching condition for the change in flow type at the die exit allowed us to find the swelling profile for extrudate along the flow direction. The calculations in paper performed using a multi-mode viscoelastic constitutive equation of differential type, are compared with the experimental/direct numerical data including basic rheological tests. The presented swelling model involves no fitting parameter and is applicable for calculations using any viscoelastic constitutive equation.
Chondronecrosis of the larynx following use of the laryngeal mask airway

This case describes the development of laryngeal chondronecrosis after use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA). A 69-year-old male with prior laryngeal irradiation underwent total knee replacement with general anesthesia via LMA. Postoperatively, he developed laryngeal chondronecrosis, bilateral vocal fold immobility, and aspiration, necessitating tracheostomy and gastrostomy placement. He improved with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, intravenous antibiotics, and endoscopic repair of a residual fistula. Vocal fold motion returned and he was decannulated. Chondronecrosis of the larynx may occur with the use of the LMA, and caution should be used in patients with a history of prior laryngeal irradiation.
S-Nitrosylation of cardiac ion channels.

Nitric oxide exerts ubiquitous signaling via post-translational modification of cysteine residues, a reaction termed S-nitrosylation. Important substrates of S-nitrosylation that influence cardiac function include receptors, enzymes, ion channels, transcription factors, and structural proteins. Cardiac ion channels subserving excitation-contraction coupling are potentially regulated by S-nitrosylation. Specificity is achieved in part by spatial co-localization of ion channels with nitric oxide synthases (NOS), enzymatic sources of NO in biologic systems, and by coupling of NOS activity to localized calcium/second messenger concentrations. Ion channels regulate cardiac excitability and contractility in millisecond timescales raising the possibility that NO-related species modulate heart function on a beat-to beat basis. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding of NO regulation of the cardiac action potential, and of the calcium release channel ryanodine receptor, which is crucial for the generation of force. S-nitroso (SNO) signaling is disrupted in pathological states in which the redox state of the cell is dysregulated, including ischemia, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.