cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elevated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in COPD macrophages at exacerbation

Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) may drive pathophysiology in COPD. Excessive levels of ROS trigger signalling cascades and damage cells. Understanding the source of intracellular ROS in COPD is critical. This study examined mitochondrial ROS (mROS) levels and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMφ) in COPD macrophages (MΦ) and the effect of phagocytosis on these processes. Monocyte-derived MΦ from non-smoker (NS), smoker (S), COPD or COPD acute exacerbation (AECOPD) subjects were cultured in GM-CSF (G-MΦ) or M-CSF (M-MΦ) for 12d (n=3-15). MΦ were exposed to fluorescently labelled H.influenzae (HI) or S.pneumoniae (SP) for 4h, after which mROS were measured by mitoSOX assay, and MMφ measured by JC-1 assay. There were no differences in baseline mROS levels, or MMφ between NS, S and COPD subjects in either MΦ phenotype. Phagocytosis of HI or SP did not alter mROS or MMφ in cells from NS or S (p>0.05). However in COPD, M-MΦ phagocytosis increased mROS by ∼50% with HI and ∼80% with SP (p In COPD, phagocytosis leads to an increase in MΦ mROS production and drop in MMφ, and during exacerbation mROS levels are also elevated. This suggests that COPD MΦ may be unable to regulate mROS levels, which may lead to altered MΦ function. Targeting this increase in ROS, particularly at exacerbation, may be a novel therapeutic target.
Formation of Tissue Factor-Factor VIIa-Factor Xa Complex Promotes Survival of Human Breast Cancer Cells by Inhibition of Apoptosis.

Abstract Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that initiates blood coagulation when complexed with factor VIIa (FVIIa). TF is constitutively expressed by a variety of tumor cells. Recently, TF has been shown to induce cellular signaling and promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. We showed previously that formation of TF-FVIIa-Factor Xa (FXa) complex induces cellular signaling in the Adr-MCF-7 cell line, a multidrug-resistant subline of the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7 (Jiang et al. J. Thromb Haemost 2: 2004; 93–101). This cell line has high endogenous expression of TF. Treatment of the Adr-MCF-7 cells with the combination of FVIIa (10 nM) and FX (150 nM) induces phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (PKB), whereas no increase in the basal level of phosphorylation of these proteins occurs with treatment of the cells with FVIIa (10 nM) alone. In the present study, we investigated whether TF-FVIIa-induced signaling might alter apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Apoptosis of the Adr-MCF-7 cells was induced by serum starvation for 5–7 days. Treatment of the cells with the combination of FVIIa (10 nM) and FX (150 nM), reduced apoptosis of the cells by nearly 50% compared with untreated, control cells using an ELISA that detects histone-DNA fragments. In contrast, FVIIa (10 nM) alone did not significantly prevent apoptosis. Pre-treatment of the Adr-MCF-7 cells with hirudin did not inhibit the anti-apoptotic effect of the combination of FVIIa and FX, whereas this effect could be completely blocked by either U0126 (10 μM), which inhibits p44/42 MAPK phosphorylation, or LY294002 (50 μM), which inhibits PKB phosphorylation. In addition, treatment of the Adr-MCF cells with the combination of FVIIa and FX led to a 50% increase in the level of the anti-apoptotic protein, survivin, compared with untreated cells by Western blot analysis. Results from this study indicate that formation of TF-FVIIa-FXa complex prevents apoptosis of breast cancer cells by a thrombin-independent pathway. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic effect of this signaling pathway involves both phosphorylation of p44/42 MAPK and PKB and might be mediated in part by an increase in cell survivin levels.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnancy

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) during pregnancy has emerged as a predictor of both maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Data suggest that SDB during pregnancy is associated with maternal gestational hypertension and preeclampsia as well as gestational diabetes. Furthermore, there are increasing reports that SDB may play a role in fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, increased cesarean sections, and increased neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. The public health impact of unrecognized maternal SDB is therefore immense. Treatment of SDB in the general population has been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes and daytime functioning, and although no large intervention trial has been conducted in pregnant women, small pilot studies demonstrate promising results.
Supporting Teachers to Implement Contextualized and Interactive Practices in Vocabulary Instruction

This descriptive study explored how teachers implemented interactive practices during their vocabulary instruction after participating in a professional development initiative. The professional development was comprised of an initial workshop to provide an overview of vocabulary research and instruction, opportunities for teachers to receive targeted feedback on audiotaped classroom lessons, and an interim session where teachers discussed the process of implementation. Data were gathered through interviews and lesson transcripts. Teachers reported that they valued the feedback on classroom lessons and meetings with grade level colleagues. In addition, they reported positive changes in their instruction as a result of the professional development activities. Lesson transcripts showed that the instructional changes teachers reported corresponded to changes between pre- and post-intervention lesson transcripts.
Seeking Forgiveness: Theoretical Context and an Initial Empirical Study:

While research on granting forgiveness has exploded recently, no theoretical or empirical attention has been directed at seeking forgiveness. We lay a theoretical base for the study of seeking forg...
Management of an inguinal hernia in patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Abstract Background Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a disease that results from a perforated mucinous neoplasm of the appendix so that mucinous ascites and mucin-producing tumor cells are widely disseminated in a characteristic pattern throughout the abdomen and pelvis. The intraabdominal mucus can accumulate in the inguinal canal and by physical examination be indistinguishable from the usual inguinal hernia. Methods A database of patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei was used to identify patients who had an inguinal hernia prior to or at the time of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and perioperative hyperthermic chemotherapy (HIPEC). At the time of CRS, care was taken in all patients to remove the peritoneal lining of the inguinal canal. Patients who had the inguinal hernia repaired prior to definitive treatment with CRS and HIPEC had all tissue and mesh associated with prior herniorrhaphy resected. Results In 178 pseudomyxoma peritonei patients, 17 had a new onset or previously repaired inguinal hernia that required extraction of mucus and mucinous tumor from the hernia site. No repair of the open inguinal canal was attempted at the time of CRS. No recurrent inguinal hernias were recorded and no patients required an inguinal incision at a later time to resect progressive disease within the inguinal canal. Conclusions Inguinal hernias caused by mucinous ascites and tumor were definitively treated by cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC. Extraction of tumor and peritoneum from the inguinal canal facilitates fibrous closure of the hernia defect so that hernia recurrence was not observed.
A Review of Personnel Selection Approaches for the Skill of Decision Making

Personnel Selection has been a long standing focus in the fields of Organizational Psychology, Human Factors Psychology, Business Management, Human Resources, and Industrial Engineering. Assessment methods in personnel selection can be categorized into subjective and objective methods. Selection assessments are often broad in attempting to capture the essence of person for success in a role or organization. However, this type of approach often yields inconclusive and biased subjective results. Therefore, focusing on key skills seems to be more beneficial. The skill of focus for this effort is decision making. Since those who make more good decisions are often influential and rise to leadership positions, it is imperative that better ways to uncover, assess, predict, or enhance DM skills, be developed. To do so, a review and firm understanding of personnel selection and decision making is necessary.
Factors Associated with Achievement of Clinically Significant Weight Loss by Women in a National Nonprofit Weight Loss Program

Abstract Background: Clinically significant weight loss (CSWL) is ≥5% of initial weight. The purpose of the study is to determine factors associated with women achieving CSWL in Take Off Pounds Sen...
Identifying metastable interface potency limits during steel alloy transformations

Abstract In ferrous systems the transformation from ferrite to austenite involves solid-phase nucleation of the stable phase along a pre-existing metastable grain boundaries. Analysis of the thermodynamics controlling phase selection are re-evaluated based on newly published results of atomistic simulations that quantify grain tilt-boundary surface energy. Nucleation does not occur until some critical misorientation develops through dislocation association such that the grain boundary becomes a potent nucleation site.
Three tRNAs on the ribosome slow translation elongation

During protein synthesis, the ribosome simultaneously binds up to three different transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. Among the three tRNA binding sites, the regulatory role of the exit (E) site, where deacylated tRNA spontaneously dissociates from the translational complex, has remained elusive. Here we use two donor-quencher pairs to observe and correlate both the conformation of ribosomes and tRNAs as well as tRNA occupancy. Our results reveal a partially rotated state of the ribosome wherein all three tRNA sites are occupied during translation elongation. The appearance and lifetime of this state depend on the E-site tRNA dissociation kinetics, which may vary among tRNA species and depends on temperature and ionic strength. The 3-tRNA partially rotated state is not a proper substrate for elongation factor G (EF-G), thus inhibiting translocation until the E-site tRNA dissociates. Our result presents two parallel kinetic pathways during translation elongation, underscoring the ability of E-site codons to modulate the dynamics of protein synthesis.
Chemoproteomics of matrix metalloproteases in a model of cartilage degeneration suggests functional biomarkers associated with posttraumatic osteoarthritis

Active matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) play a significant role in the pathogenesis of many diseases including osteoarthritis (OA), which involves progressive proteolytic degradation of cartilage. Clinical success of OA interventions that target MMPs has been limited by a lack of information about the presence and activity of specific disease-related proteases. We therefore developed a chemoproteomics approach based on MS to characterize the release and activity of MMPs in an in vitro model of the early inflammatory phase of posttraumatic OA (PTOA). We designed and synthesized chemical activity-based probes (ABPs) to identify active MMPs in bovine cartilage explants cultured for 30 days with the proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1α. Using these probes in an activity-based protein profiling-multidimensional identification technology (ABPP-MudPIT) approach, we identified active MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, -9, -12, and -13 in the medium after 10 days of culture, the time at which irreversible proteolysis of the collagen network in the explant was detected using proteolytic activation of FRET-quenched MMP substrates. Total MMP levels were quantified by shotgun proteomics, which, taken with ABPP-MudPIT data, indicated the presence of predominantly inactive MMPs in the culture medium. The selectivity of the ABPP-MudPIT approach was further validated by detection of specific endogenous MMPs activated de novo with 4-aminophenylmurcuric acetate. The utility of the new ABPP-MudPIT approach for detecting molecular biomarkers of PTOA disease initiation and potential targets for therapeutics motivates possible application in other diseases involving MMP activity.
Malignant cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension.

Clinical deterioration in patients with cerebral edema often is assumed to be secondary to intracranial hypertension. Cerebral edema, however, leads to clinical worsening by several mechanisms; global elevation of intracranial pressure usually is a late consequence. Brain tissue shifts and distortion also are important mechanisms. This article focuses on distinguishing between intracranial hypertension and cerebral edema.
RESPIRATORY ADAPTATIONS: INVERTEBRATES

The major recent advances are: (1) increased precision in describing the relation of oxygen consumption to oxygen concentration, temperature, and activity; (2) recognition of cessation of oxygen consumption and survival of prolonged anoxia as common features of invertebrate respiration; and (3) integration of data on properties of enzymes and pathways of metabolism into the developing story of respiration with and without oxygen. Variation in rates of uptake with oxygen content of the medium can be described by a quadratic equation with three parameters chosen to express departure from strict conformity. Over certain segments of the environmental range, the oxygen uptake of some species increases with temperature only 1.2 to 1.4 times for 10°, rather than in accordance with the expected doubling of rate of chemical reactions. When animals survive very low oxygen tension for extended periods, they may be called “euryoxic”, a new term analogous to euryhaline and eurythermal. The term “facultative anaerobe” is inappropriate because all animals are aerobes. At least five species of bivalve mollusks are highly euryoxic, surviving 21 to 51 days of oxygen lack at low temperatures. Since rates of enzyme activity utlimately determine rates of oxygen uptake and acid production, the kinetic properties of enzymes, together with endogenous concentrations of substrates, activators, and inhibitors, must eventually predict respiration rates.
Immunoregulation by Neuropeptides Other than Corticotropin and Melanotropin

This chapter reviews current information on the participation of neuropeptides other than the pro-opiomelanocortin peptides in immunoregulatory processes. These activities include the transmission of signals via the neuroendocrine system to the immune system and of other, directly or indirectly acting signals addressed by various neuropeptides to the immune system. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and the other mediators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, i.e., thyrotropin (TSH), prolactin, and the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine, are discussed in some detail. In addition, the effects of certain hypophysiotropins other than TRH, of the hypothalamic nonapeptides vasopressin and oxytocin, and of several extrahypothalamic neuropeptides are reviewed.
The 1968 Merger Guidelines: Editor’s Introduction

This portion of the Review celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Department of Justice Merger Guidelines. We feature articles from Donald Baker, Gregory Werden, Kenneth Elzinga and Vandy Howell, and Peter Carstensen.
The Citable Opinion: A Quantitative Analysis of the Style and Impact of Judicial Decisions

Many commentators surmise a relationship between the style of judicial opinions and their legal impact or precedential power. However, little empirical work has been done to explore this relationship quantitatively. If writing style matters legally, we should expect elements of style to vary systematically with a given decision’s uptake in subsequent decisions. I employ computational and quantitative methods of analysis to uncover patterns between legal impact and stylistic features such as certainty, informality, and suspense. I derived my stylistic features of interest from the literature on judicial writing and measured their frequency or density in a sample of U.S. federal appellate opinions. I then investigated the relationship between these features and the number of cases that cite the decision. My results, generated from a series of regression analyses, suggest that readily measurable elements of style have strong associations with a decision’s precedential power. In general, opinions that defy the prevailing legal writing advice are more likely to be cited than opinions that conform to that advice.
Frequency Regulation Strategy for Modular Two-Stage Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

With the increasing penetration of Photovoltaic (PV) systems there is an increase in the variability of power generation. Grid operators tackle this problem by implementing advanced control functions such as frequency regulation. The focus of this paper is to develop a new control strategy that provides frequency regulation in a modular single-phase string configured two-stage grid-connected PV inverter. The control strategy is implemented for the PV systems without the use of energy storage. This frequency control is performed by regulating grid current based on droop curve control for PV
Preferential suppression of myelopoiesis in normal human bone marrow cells after in vitro challenge with human cytomegalovirus

The pathogenic effects of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in vitro on hematopoiesis were investigated. Normal human bone marrow cells from both seronegative and seropositive donors were challenged with CMV (Towne or wild-type strain) and tested for their responsiveness to the recombinant hematopoietic growth factors granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF), respectively. Regardless of the serostatus of the donor, infection with CMV resulted in a significant decrease in the proliferation and colony formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells in response to both growth factors, with more pronounced suppression in response to G-CSF being observed. Evaluation of the colony composition revealed a profound decrease in colonies of the granulocytic (CFU-G), or granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) lineages, while suppression of multipotential (CFU-GEMM) and erythroid (BFU-E) colony-forming cells occurred after infection with wild-type but not the laboratory strain of CMV. Although no evidence of productive virus infection could be seen in colony-forming cells, in situ hybridization studies and immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of CMV-specific mRNA and immediate-early antigens, demonstrating that a small proportion of cells were abortively infected. These studies demonstrate that CMV can infect bone marrow progenitor cells and interfere with normal hematopoiesis in vitro, which may help to explain the hematologic defects seen during acute infections with CMV in vivo.
Finding the Father: Autobiography as Bureau of Missing Persons

(2004). Finding the Father: Autobiography as Bureau of Missing Persons. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 19, Life Writing and the Generations, pp. 100-117.
Design, fabrication, and metrology of 10 × 100 multi-planar integrated photonic routing manifolds for neural networks

We design, fabricate, and characterize integrated photonic routing manifolds with 10 inputs and 100 outputs using two vertically integrated planes of silicon nitride waveguides. We analyze manifolds via top-view camera imaging. This measurement technique allows the rapid acquisition of hundreds of precise transmission measurements. We demonstrate manifolds with uniform and Gaussian power distribution patterns with mean power output errors (averaged over 10 sets of 10 inputs) of 0.7 and 0.9 dB, respectively, establishing this as a viable architecture for precision light distribution on-chip. We also assess the performance of the passive photonic elements comprising the system via self-referenced test structures, including high-dynamic-range beam taps, waveguide cutback structures, and waveguide crossing arrays.
Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Multi-model Gaussian Process

This paper presents a multi-model Gaussian process (MMGP) approach for predicting the RUL of lithium-ion batteries. The proposed MMGP approach incorporates multiple candidate capacity fade models, as the trend functions of a Gaussian process (GP) model, to capture the multi-stage capacity fade trend of the batteries. First, the hypothetical capacities at a predefined number of future cycles are predicted at the current cycle based on the offline data using similarity-based extrapolation. Then, the active fade model is selected by comparing the hypothetical capacities with the GP model-projected capacities using each candidate fade model and the active model is employed as the trend function of the GP model. Finally, the distribution of the RUL is estimated by determining when the projected capacity curves using the GP model down-cross a pre-defined capacity threshold. The MMGP approach was used for the RUL prediction of eight lithiumion battery cells that show multi-stage capacity fade behavior when cycled with a daily current rate (i.e., C/24). The capacities of these cells initially degrade rapidly, followed by a reduced fade rate and then a faster linear fade rate. The RUL prediction results suggest that the proposed MMGP approach can adaptively select proper trend functions for the GP model at different capacity fade stages throughout the lifetime, as well as adapting the models to accommodate variations in the capacity fade performance among different cells.
Effect of Routine Sport Participation on Short-Term Clinical Neurological Outcomes: A Comparison of Non-Contact, Contact, and Collision Sport Athletes

To compare pre-season to post-season changes on a battery of clinical neurological outcome measures between non-contact, contact, and collision sport athletes over multiple seasons of play. 244 high school and collegiate athletes participating in multiple non-contact, contact, and collision sports completed standardized annual pre-season and post-season assessments over 1–4 years. Pre/post-season changes in 10 outcome measures assessing concussion symptoms, neurocognitive performance, and balance were compared between the groups using linear mixed models. Small, but statistically significant overall pre/post-season change differences were present between the groups for Axon computerized neurocognitive test processing speed, attention, and working memory speed scores (Axon-PS, Axon-Att, Axon-WMS), as well as Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) total score. Small seasonal declines not exceeding reliable-change thresholds were observed in the collision sport group relative to the contact and non-contact groups for Axon-PS and Axon-Att scores. The collision and contact sport groups demonstrated less pre-/post-season improvement than the non-contact sport group for Axon-WMA and BESS, with less BESS improvement also observed in the collision sport group relative to the contact sport group. Overall, longitudinal performance on all 10 outcome measures remained stable in all 3 groups over 4 years. Our findings do not necessarily support the notion that participation in sports associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts has clinically meaningful cumulative effects over the course of a season, nor over four consecutive seasons in high school and collegiate athletes.
Modifications produced on a large magnetized plasma column by a floating end-plate that is partially emissive: Experiment and theory

An experiment is performed on a large plasma device operated by the Basic Plasma Science Facility at the University of California, Los Angeles, in which an electrically floating structure is placed near the end of the 18-m magnetized plasma column. The structure consists of a flat carbon plate that acts as a mask for a smaller, ring-shaped LaB6 emissive surface whose temperature can be externally controlled. This configuration has been previously used to study electron heat transport and pressure-driven avalanches [B. Van Compernolle and G. J. Morales, Phys. Plasmas 24, 112302 (2017)] by biasing the LaB6 ring-cathode with respect to a distant anode in a cold afterglow plasma. In contrast, the present study is performed during the active portion of the steady-state discharge in which the nominal plasma parameters are determined by the injection of an electron beam from a BaO cathode at the opposite end. It is found that, even without an applied bias on the LaB6 cathode, the self-consistent potential and current profiles are modified near the end plate as the LaB6 temperature is increased, resulting in density increases on the field lines in contact with the ring-cathode. In the absence of enhanced ionization, at the largest cathode temperatures, the ambient density can be doubled. A theoretical model is presented that provides a quantitative explanation for the experimental observations.An experiment is performed on a large plasma device operated by the Basic Plasma Science Facility at the University of California, Los Angeles, in which an electrically floating structure is placed near the end of the 18-m magnetized plasma column. The structure consists of a flat carbon plate that acts as a mask for a smaller, ring-shaped LaB6 emissive surface whose temperature can be externally controlled. This configuration has been previously used to study electron heat transport and pressure-driven avalanches [B. Van Compernolle and G. J. Morales, Phys. Plasmas 24, 112302 (2017)] by biasing the LaB6 ring-cathode with respect to a distant anode in a cold afterglow plasma. In contrast, the present study is performed during the active portion of the steady-state discharge in which the nominal plasma parameters are determined by the injection of an electron beam from a BaO cathode at the opposite end. It is found that, even without an applied bias on the LaB6 cathode, the self-consistent potential and cu...
The Aminoalkylindole BML-190 Negatively Regulates Chitosan Synthesis via the Cyclic AMP/Protein Kinase A1 Pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans can cause fatal meningoencephalitis in patients with AIDS or other immunocompromising conditions. Current antifungals are suboptimal to treat this disease; therefore, novel targets and new therapies are needed. Previously, we have shown that chitosan is a critical component of the cryptococcal cell wall and is required for survival in the mammalian host and that chitosan deficiency results in rapid clearance from the mammalian host. We had also identified several specific proteins that were required for chitosan biosynthesis, and we hypothesize that screening for compounds that inhibit chitosan biosynthesis would identify additional genes/proteins that influence chitosan biosynthesis. To identify these compounds, we developed a robust and novel cell-based flow cytometry screening method to identify small-molecule inhibitors of chitosan production. We screened the ICCB Known Bioactives library and identified 8 compounds that reduced chitosan in C. neoformans. We used flow cytometry-based counterscreens and confirmatory screens, followed by a biochemical secondary screen to refine our primary screening hits to 2 confirmed hits. One of the confirmed hits that reduced chitosan content was the aminoalkylindole BML-190, a known inverse agonist of mammalian cannabinoid receptors. We demonstrated that BML-190 likely targets the C. neoformans G-protein-coupled receptor Gpr4 and, via the cyclic AMP (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway, contributes to an intracellular accumulation of cAMP that results in decreased chitosan. Our discovery suggests that this approach could be used to identify additional compounds and pathways that reduce chitosan biosynthesis and could lead to potential novel therapeutics against C. neoformans. IMPORTANCECryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that kills ∼200,000 people every year. The cell wall is an essential organelle that protects fungi from the environment. Chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin, has been shown to be an essential component of the cryptococcal cell wall during infection of a mammalian host. In this study, we screened a set of 480 compounds, which are known to have defined biological activities, for activity that reduced chitosan production in C. neoformans. Two of these compounds were confirmed using an alternative method of measuring chitosan, and one of these was demonstrated to impact the cAMP signal transduction pathway. This work demonstrates that the cAMP pathway regulates chitosan biosynthesis in C. neoformans and validates that this screening approach could be used to find potential antifungal agents.
Approaching Acute Vertigo With Diplopia: A Rare Skew Deviation in Vestibular Neuritis

Evaluating the patient with acute constant vertigo or diplopia can be a daunting task for clinicians, who recognize that such symptoms can be the manifestation of potentially devastating disorders like stroke but may be uncomfortable eliciting and interpreting the key symptoms and subtle signs that distinguish dangerous from benign causes. We present a novel and highly instructive case of a patient with acute vertigo and binocular diplopia from a large skew deviation due to vestibular neuritis. As the case unfolds, text and video commentary guide the clinician through the important elements of the history, bedside examination, and laboratory evaluation necessary for accurate diagnosis in the acute vestibular syndrome. We demonstrate how to interpret nystagmus and properly perform the head impulse test and test of skew deviation and discuss the pitfalls of overreliance on imaging when evaluating patients with acute vertigo.
IN-HOSPITAL ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE FOLLOWING ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

In-hospital ischemic stroke following acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been evaluated on a national scale in the United States and was the focus of this investigation. We used the 2003 to 2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database to identify adults ≥ 18 years old with a
The GTOSat CubeSat: scientific objectives and instrumentation

GTOSat is a 6U CubeSat mission that will pave the way for highly reliable, capable CubeSat constellations and missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). GTOSat will study Earth’s dynamic radiation belts, acting as a follow-on to NASA’s Van Allen Probe mission and demonstrating the potential utility of SmallSats for both science and space weather monitoring. While a number of previous CubeSats have studied the radiation belts from LEO, GTOSat will launch into a low inclination geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to directly sample the core trapped particle population. From this orbit, it will measure energy spectra and pitch angles of ~hundreds keV - few MeV electrons and ions, with the primary science goal of advancing our quantitative understanding of particle acceleration and loss in the outer radiation belt. High-heritage instrumentation includes the Relativistic Electron Magnetic Spectrometer (REMS), measuring energetic electrons and ions, and a boom-mounted fluxgate magnetometer (MAG) to provide 3-axis knowledge of the local ambient magnetic field. The GTOSat bus consists of a 6U spin-stabilized structure with a Sun-pointing spin axis. Mitigation of radiation effects is accomplished through a multi-pronged systems approach including parts selection and shielding to reduce the total dose for 1 year on orbit to less than ~30 krad. Communication is achieved via an S-band transceiver, enabling high data throughput through the Near-Earth Network (NEN) and low-latency radiation belt monitoring via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS).
Long-term adverse effects of preeclampsia on offspring

An adverse intrauterine environment due to preeclampsia can not only lead to premature birth, low birth weight and fetal intrauterine distress, but also have long-term impacts on the fetus, such as increasing their susceptibility to metabolic, cardiovascular and neurological disorders. It also increases the risk of preeclampsia in female offspring. Researches focusing on the long-term effects of preeclampsia on the future generation is helpful to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of preeclampsia and to provide timely interventions in early life to reduce the occurrence of chronic diseases in later life. Key words: Pre-eclampsia; Metabolic diseases; Cardiovascular diseases; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Disease susceptibility
Four distinct patient-reported outcome (PRO) trajectories in longitudinal responses collected before, during, and after chemotherapy.

2012Background: Cancer chemotherapy, whether given with curative or palliative intent, is toxic. Toxicity is routinely captured in clinical trials by investigator observation and increasingly by PR...
Effects of sample size and network depth on a deep learning approach to species distribution modeling

Abstract Deep learning algorithms have improved predictive model performance in a variety of disciplines because of their ability to approximate complex functions. However, the amount of data and depth of the neural network needed to improve model performance is not well understood and may depend on many factors associated with the specific field of research. In ecology, ecologists rely on accurate species distribution models to inform conservation and management efforts. Here, we present the first study to systematically examine the effects of sample size and network depth on the performance of species distribution models built with artificial neural networks. We found that one or several deeper network architectures (>1 hidden layer) consistently led to slightly higher model performance than a shallow neural network on validation data when trained with a large sample size (10,000 sites). However, comparing deep network model performance with random forest model performance showed that random forest generally performed as well or slightly better. There was no clear or consistent benefit of using deep neural networks with smaller sample sizes (100 and 1000 sites). Our results suggest that, given sufficiently big data, increasing the number of hidden layers in a neural network can potentially improve species distribution model performance. As datasets become larger and high performance computing resources become more available, a deep learning approach to species distribution modeling is likely to be used more frequently.
The effect of mobbing vocalizations on risk perception in common mynas (Acridotheres tristis)

Animals emit predator-elicited calls in response to potential predation threats. These vocalizations induce a variety of anti-predator behaviors in conspecific receivers ranging from moving away from predators (alarm calls) to rallying conspecifics to fend them off (mobbing calls). While much is known about the immediate response to alarm calls, less is known about how mobbing calls influence subsequent antipredator decisions. Mobbing calls stimulate harassment of a potential predator. Therefore we predicted that hearing a mobbing call would make animals less likely to immediately flee an approaching threat. To study the potential effect of mobbing vocalizations on risk assessment, we primed common mynas (Acridotheres tristis) with a series of different stimuli and studied the variation in their subsequent decisions to flee an approaching human by quantifying flight initiation distance (FID). We found that although mynas increased their rate of locomotion after hearing mobbing calls, their subsequent decision to flee was not influenced. We also found that an individual’s propensity to move and look explained some variation in FID. This suggests that while mobbing calls do not influence subsequent decisions to flee, they do affect subsequent behavior.
An improved method for 21‐cm foreground removal

21-cm tomography is expected to be difficult in part because of serious foreground contamination. Previous studies have found that line-of-sight approaches are capable of cleaning foregrounds to an acceptable level on large spatial scales, but not on small spatial scales. In this paper, we introduce a Fourier space formalism for describing the line-of-sight methods, and use it to introduce an improved new method for 21-cm foreground cleaning. Heuristically, this method involves fitting foregrounds in Fourier space using weighted polynomial fits, with each pixel weighted according to its information content. We show that the new method reproduces the old one on large angular scales, and gives marked improvements on small scales at essentially no extra computational cost.
Balancing Approaches towards ML for IDS: A Survey for the CSE-CIC IDS Dataset

Balanced datasets play a key role in the bias observed in machine learning algorithms towards classification and prediction. The CSE-CIC IDS datasets published in 2017 and 2018 have both attracted considerable scholarly attention towards research in intrusion detection systems. Recent work published using this dataset indicates little attention paid to the imbalance of the dataset. The study presented in this paper sets out to explore the degree to which imbalance has been treated and provide a taxonomy of the machine learning approaches developed using these datasets. A survey of published works related to these datasets was done to deliver a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach for our analysis towards deriving a taxonomy. The research presented here confirms that the impact of bias due to the imbalance datasets is rarely addressed. This data supports further research and development of supervised machine learning techniques which reduce the impact of bias in classification or prediction due to these imbalance datasets.
Viewpoint: New Approaches and Protocols for Grazing Management Research

Viewpoint: New Approaches and Protocols for Grazing Management Research DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v31i5_kothmann
Extending the "Worst of Both Worlds" hypothesis to the developmental antecedents of crime and substance use: school bullying and alcohol experimentation.

The “Worst of Both Worlds” (WBW) hypothesis holds that individuals who both commit crime and misuse drugs are at significantly greater risk for future crime and drug problems than individuals who only commit crime or only misuse drugs. In the current investigation, two developmental antecedents of crime and substance use—school bullying and alcohol experimentation—were used to form four WBW conditions (no bullying or alcohol experimentation, alcohol experimentation without bullying, bullying without alcohol experimentation, and bullying with alcohol experimentation). Analyzing data from 3837 (1951 boys, 1886 girls) early adolescents from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (mean age = 12.4 years at baseline), it was noted that children who engaged in bullying and had experimented with alcohol by age 12/13 were significantly more likely to increase their involvement in delinquency and substance use by age 16/17 compared to children who did not engage in bullying and had not experimented with alcohol, children who bullied but had not experimented with alcohol, and children who experimented with alcohol but had not bullied. These results not only support the WBW hypothesis, they also suggest that the effect may have developmental origins beyond similarities in externalizing symptomatology.
Developing real-time digital audio effects for electric guitar in an introductory digital signal processing class

This paper describes the innovative challenges of including the development of real-time digital audio effect algorithms in an existing introductory digital signal processing lecture class. The basic course structure is discussed and the software, hardware and two audio effect algorithms are described. The quality of the effect algorithms are compared with a commercially available effects unit at auditions during a student project demonstration day.
The Effect of Disclosures by Management, Analysts, and Business Press on Cost of Capital, Return Volatility, and Analyst Forecasts: A Study Using Content Analysis

ABSTRACT: We document systematic evidence of risk effects of disclosures culled from a virtually exhaustive set of sources from the print medium. We content analyze more than 100,000 disclosure reports by management, analysts, and news reporters (i.e., business press) in constructing firm‐specific disclosure measures that are quantitative and amenable to replication. We expect credibility and timeliness differences in the disclosures by source, which would translate into differential cost of capital effects. We find that when content analysis indicates favorable disclosures, the firm's risk, as proxied by the cost of capital, stock return volatility, and analyst forecast dispersion, declines significantly. In contrast, unfavorable disclosures are accompanied by significant increases in risk measures. Analysis of disclosures by source—corporations, analysts, and the business press—reveals that negative disclosures from business press sources result in increased cost of capital and return volatility, and fa...
Librarians in the LaunchPad: Building partnerships for entrepreneurial information literacy

This case-study describes the development of cross-disciplinary instruction for entrepreneurial information literacy. Growing out of a developing relationship between an academic library and Blacks...
Anatomical site-specific carbohydrate availability impacts Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence and fitness during colonization and disease.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) colonizes the nasopharynx asymptomatically but can also cause severe life-threatening disease. Importantly, stark differences in carbohydrate availability exist between the nasopharynx and invasive disease sites, such as the bloodstream, which most likely impact Spn's behavior. Herein, using chemically-defined media (CDM) supplemented with physiological levels of carbohydrates, we examined how anatomical-site specific carbohydrate availability impacted Spn physiology and virulence. Spn grown in CDM modeling the nasopharynx (CDM-N) had reduced metabolic activity, slower growth rate, demonstrated mixed acid fermentation with marked H2O2 production, and were in a carbon-catabolite repression (CCR)-derepressed state versus Spn grown in CDM modeling blood (CDM-B). Using RNA-seq, we determined the transcriptome for Spn WT and its isogenic CCR deficient mutant in CDM-N and CDM-B. Genes with altered expression as a result of changes in carbohydrate availability or catabolite control protein deficiency, respectively, were primarily involved in carbohydrate metabolism, but also encoded for established virulence determinants such polysaccharide capsule and surface adhesins. We confirmed that anatomical site-specific carbohydrate availability directly influenced established Spn virulence traits. Spn grown in CDM-B formed shorter chains, produced more capsule, were less adhesive, and were more resistant to macrophage killing in an opsonophagocytosis assay. Moreover, growth of Spn in CDM-N or CDM-B prior to the challenge of mice impacted relative fitness in a colonization and invasive disease model, respectively. Thus, anatomical site-specific carbohydrate availability alters Spn physiology and virulence, in turn promoting anatomical-site specific fitness.
Disorders of Language Development

Children with average intelligence and without any auditory defects are expected to have a small vocabulary of 15–20 meaningful words by 18–20 months of age. By 2 years, most normal children can and do communicate their needs and wants. Speech development occurs earlier in girls than in boys, although boys show a greater rate of progress later on and catch up with the girls. Physical maturation influences language development by providing the child with a variety of experiences that stimulate his desire and ability to talk. Furthermore, fine motor coordination of the muscles of articulation is a prerequisite for speech development. The emotional atmosphere of the home and the amount of verbal interaction between the parents and the child and the child and his sibs are all instrumental in the child’s rate of language acquisition and ability to communicate. The impersonal exposure to the language emanating from communications media such as television and radio has not proved to be a helpful model for language enrichment, although television sets and/or radios are found in the majority of American homes. The failure to acquire speech by 2–21/2 years of age calls for an investigation into etiology and the initiation of a treatment program for the child.
Parasomnias associated with sleep-disordered breathing and its therapy, including sexsomnia as a recently recognized parasomnia

Parasomnias are defined in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2nd Edition (ICSD-2) as undesirable physical events or experiences that occur during entry into sleep, within sleep, or during arousals from sleep. Instinctual behaviors can inappropriately emerge with the parasomnias, including appetite behaviors (feeding, sex), locomotion, aggression, and violence. Sleep disorders and their therapies carry their own risk for parasomnias, including sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and its therapy with nCPAP. A Pub Med literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed journal articles with key words "parasomnia" (and other specific parasomnias) linked with "sleep apnea" or "sleep disordered breathing." Eight of the 12 parasomnias found in the ICSD-2 are associated with SDB, along with 3 of the 4 parasomnia variants in ICSD-2, for a total of 11 of 16 (68.7 %) parasomnias and their variants being associated with SDB. The list of parasomnias includes confusional arousals (and its variants, severe morning sleep inertia, and sleep related abnormal sexual behaviors [sexsomnia, sleepsex]); sleepwalking; sleep terrors; sleep related eating disorder; REM sleep behavior disorder (and "OSA pseudo RBD"); parasomnia overlap disorder (RBD combined with a disorder of arousal); nightmare disorder; sleep related groaning (catathrenia); and sleep enuresis. Sleep Related Movement Disorders include sleep related bruxism and sleep related rhythmic movement disorder. Other conditions include gastrooesophageal reflux disorder with sleep related laryngospasm; cerebral anoxic attacks; nocturnal seizures (Complex Partial Seizures; Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy); sleep related anxiety reactions and panic attacks; chronic hiccups; and sleep choking syndrome. A case report is included of a man with moderately severe OSA and with recurrent, unconscious sexsomnia with his wife, who fully responded to nCPAP therapy that normalized his SDB and complete ly eliminated the sexsomnia, which presumably had emerged during OSA confusional arousals. A current classification of sexsomnia, a recently recognized parasomnia variant, is reviewed, along with comments on OSA-sexsomnia.
Putting Prisoners to Work

Abstract Recently, the issue of work by prisoners has been discussed as u major policy concern for correctional administrators. This article outlines the history of prison work programs, the policy implications of such endeavors, and advocates the creation of an opportunity structure for inmates within prison work programs.