cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training Bodies, Building Status: Negotiating Gender and Age Differences in the U.S. Fitness Industry

What role does the body play in facilitating interaction across status differences? Whereas previous scholarly work has focused on “roles” and “specialized knowledge,” I investigate how bodies, appearances, and physical abilities are also consequential in these exchanges through the concept of “bodily capital.” Coined by Bourdieu, bodily capital provides a way to understand why individuals invest time, energy, and resources into their bodies, and what they expect to receive in return. As a concept, bodily capital is necessarily broad as it encompasses a variety of forms, including athletic prowess, attractiveness, physique, muscle tone/strength, agility, and other modes of embodiment. Because the body is integral to a variety of status distinction-making processes, individuals invest in and exchange bodily capital to increase their relative status in specific fields. Drawing on interviews with 26 personal trainers and 25 clients, as well as more than one year of participant observation, I find that trainers and clients use bodily capital to negotiate gender and age differences, either by re-arranging interactional power dynamics or resisting stereotypes. The type of bodily capital that allows for such negotiations to take place, however, is the hegemonic thin-toned ideal—a classed and largely raced form of bodily capital that has purchase in the U.S. fitness industry. Although individuals in the study were able to use this form of capital to enable successful cross-status interactions, doing so reified the dominance of middle-class, white bodily aesthetics. Thus, while bodily capital may challenge some status hierarchies, it reinforces others.
Sensors, nano-electronics and photonics for the Army of 2030 and beyond

The US Army’s future operating concept will rely heavily on sensors, nano-electronics and photonics technologies to rapidly develop situational understanding in challenging and complex environments. Recent technology breakthroughs in integrated 3D multiscale semiconductor modeling (from atoms-to-sensors), combined with ARL’s Open Campus business model for collaborative research provide a unique opportunity to accelerate the adoption of new technology for reduced size, weight, power, and cost of Army equipment. This paper presents recent research efforts on multi-scale modeling at the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and proposes the establishment of a modeling consortium or center for semiconductor materials modeling. ARL’s proposed Center for Semiconductor Materials Modeling brings together government, academia, and industry in a collaborative fashion to continuously push semiconductor research forward for the mutual benefit of all Army partners.
Reconstruction of the forelimb musculature of the Cretaceous ornithopod dinosaur Oryctodromeus cubicularis: implications for digging

ABSTRACTTaphonomic and morphological evidence suggests that Oryctodromeus cubicularis, a basal ornithopod dinosaur from the mid-Cretaceous of Montana, constructed burrows by digging with its forelimbs. Reconstruction of the forelimb musculature of Oryctodromeus was carried out using the extant phylogenetic bracket method, with crocodilians and ratites as the extant analogues, aided by the presence of osteological correlates in Oryctodromeus and other ornithopods. Although reconstructions directly from the extant phylogenetic bracket are relatively conservative, the reconstruction elucidates several potential features related to burrowing. The prominent muscle groups used in burrowing in mammals are the deltoideus scapularis, teres major, latissimus dorsi, and triceps longus. In Oryctodromeus, the deltoideus scapularis, and equivocally the teres major, has broad origin on the strongly posteroventrally expanded distal scapular blade. Neither the origin of the deltoideus scapularis nor that of the teres majo...
Whose Responsibility Is It to Stop Bullying

In the last 20 years, public awareness of the problem of bullying has increased to the degree that legislation has been developed to protect youth in all 50 United States. Bullying is clearly harmful to students’ social, psychological, and academic functioning. Researchers are now challenged to prevent or reduce bullying and its negative effects. The potential that key stakeholders—peers, parents, schools, and new media—hold for stopping bullying is reviewed. The evidence from the large body of bullying research offers hope for many ways that stakeholders can produce meaningful reductions in bullying, when provided proper supports for their efforts.
Effects of Niacin and Aspirin on Performance Parameters in Heifers Fed Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue1

Abstract Cattle grazing endophyte-(Acremonium coenophialum) infected tall fescue perform poorly because of the adverse effects of endophyte toxicosis. One of the manifestations of this toxicosis is elevated body temperature caused by an inability to dissipate body heat Niacin has vasodilatory activity and has shown a beneficial heat dissipation effect in some animal species. Aspirin affects body temperature via prostaglandin synthesis and may be beneficial in alleviating high body temperature induced by consumption of endophyte-infected fescue. To evaluate these two compounds, 20 beef heifers, stratified by weight, were allotted to one of four treatments: LE: low-endophyte fescue hay HEC: endophyte-infected hay (70% infestation rate), HEN: endophyte-infected hay plus 2 g niacin/d, and HEA: endophyte-infected hay plus 200 mg aspirin/kg BW per d. Neither aspirin nor niacin was effective in lowering body temperatures vs HEC. Heifers fed HEA had maximum body temperatures that were higher (P 0.10) than HEC heifers. Heifers fed LE had higher (P 0.10). Dietary inclusion of aspirin had no beneficial effect on body temperature and prolactin levels in heifers fed high-endophyte fescue forage, whereas inclusion of niacin tended to increase serum prolactin levels.
Model for Effective Timing of an Insecticide

A model for estimating the crop protection afforded by an insecticide applied at different times during the seasonal cycle of an insect is presented. The model is based on the inclusion of the mortality from the insecticide in the normal increase and decrease of the insect numbers. Crop protection was measured as the reduction in insect-days obtained by the insecticide. Optimum timing of application was when the insect was starting its rapid increase and before much damage had been done. Percentage of insects controlled was a poor index of crop protection.
UTD-CRSS system for the NIST 2015 language recognition i-vector machine learning challenge

In this paper, we present the system developed by the Center for Robust Speech Systems (CRSS), University of Texas at Dallas, for the NIST 2015 language recognition i-vector machine learning challenge. Our system includes several subsystems, based on Linear Discriminant Analysis — Support Vector Machine (LDA-SVM) and deep neural network (DNN) approaches. An important feature of this challenge is the emphasis on out-of-set language detection. As a result, our system development focuses mainly on the evaluation and comparison of two different out-of-set language detection strategies: direct out-of-set detection and indirect out-of-set detection. These out-of-set detection strategies differ mainly on whether the unlabeled development data are used or not. The experimental results indicate that indirect out-of-set detection strategies used in our system could efficiently exploit the unlabeled development data, and therefore consistently outperform the direct out-of-set detection approach. Finally, by fusing four variants of indirect out-of-set detection based subsystems, our system achieves a relative performance gain of up to 45%, compared to the baseline cosine distance scoring (CDS) system provided by organizer.
The impact of patient protection and Affordable Care Act on trauma care: A step in the right direction.

INTRODUCTION The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented to guarantee financial coverage for health care for all Americans. The implementation of ACA is likely to influence the insurance status of Americans and reimbursement rates of trauma centers. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ACA on the patient insurance status, hospital reimbursements, and clinical outcomes at a Level I trauma center. We hypothesized that there would be a significant decrease in the proportion of uninsured trauma patients visiting our Level I trauma center following the ACA, and this is associated with improved reimbursement. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of the trauma registry and financial database at our Level I trauma center for a 27-month (July 2012 to September 2014) period by quarters. Our outcome measures were change in insurance status, hospital reimbursement rates (total payments/expected payments), and clinical outcomes before and after ACA (March 31, 2014). Trend analysis was performed to assess trends in outcomes over each quarter (3 months). RESULTS A total of 9,892 patients were included in the study. The overall uninsured rate during the study period was 20.3%. Post-ACA period was associated with significantly lower uninsured rate (p < 0.001). During the same time, there was as a significant increase in the Medicaid patients (p = 0.009). This was associated with significantly improved hospital reimbursements (p < 0.001).On assessing clinical outcomes, there was no change in hospitalization (p = 0.07), operating room procedures (p = 0.99), mortality (p = 0.88), or complications (p = 0.20). Post-ACA period was also not associated with any change in the hospital (p = 0.28) or length of stay at intensive care unit (p = 0.66). CONCLUSION The implementation of ACA has led to a decrease in the number of uninsured trauma patients. There was a significant increase in Medicaid trauma patients. This was associated with an increase in hospital reimbursements that substantially improved the financial revenues. Despite the controversies, implementation of ACA has the potential to substantially improve the financial outcomes of trauma centers through Medicaid expansion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Economic and value-based evaluation, level III.
Increased oxidative stress and hypertension in Snx1 knockout mice

Background: The relationship between heart and renal function is a precarious matter that has been investigated through the years. Lately many studies suggest that renal injury is associated with early stage heart dysfunction. The aim of the present study is to investigate the grade of renal deterioration according to heart function in non diabetic essential, never treated, hypertensive patients. Methods: We studied 7970 consecutive patients (4419 males, mean age 53 years) with uncomplicated essential hypertension and the correlation between cardiac function using the Tei index (defined as the sum of the isovolumetric relaxation and contraction time divided by the ejection time), transmitral blood flow velocities ratio (E/A), ejection fraction (EF) and kidney injury [eGFR( ml/min), ACR (urine albumin-creatinine ratio)]. Patients were grouped by ACR (ACR>30 and ACR90, eGFR 90-60, eGFR 60-40). Results: The model was adjusted for age, gender, blood pressure, lipid profile and smoking habit. EF was decreased with renal function deterioration as did the E/A ratio, while the Tei index increased (Table). Furthermore EF has higher normal levels in patients with ACR <30 as did the E/A ratio while Tei index present lower levels. Conclusions: We found that the Tei index and E/A was correlated with eGFR, and ACR. It seems that systolic and diastolic heart function indices can be used not only for the evaluation of the global myocardial performance of hypertensive patients but also for the assessment of the risk of kidney damage.
The effects of male competition on the expression and success of alternative mating tactics in the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata

Abstract Alternative mating tactics are often expressed differentially based on a variety of factors associated with each mating context in order to maximize a male's reproductive success. In particular, males of many species attempt to reduce competition with males in the surrounding environment by altering their mating behaviors. In the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata (Hentz, 1844), males exhibit two distinct mating tactics: 1) courtship—comprised of visual and seismic signals or 2) direct mount—involving males grappling with females for copulation. In natural environments, these spiders are relatively dense. Competing males are often close by and could potentially intercept courtship displays, locate the nearby female and steal the copulation. Here we investigate whether males adjust their mating tactic expression in response to indirect and directly competing males, and whether these decisions affect their likelihood to copulate. In both experiments, the actions of a competing male did not affect the ...
CS1: Computation & Cognition -- An Evidence-Based Course to Broaden Participation (Abstract Only)

This poster describes a new CS1 course on Computation & Cognition (C&C), targeted at students in psychology, neuroscience, and biology. In C&C, students learn to create and use software to imitate, model, or study processes in the brain. Topics include software development, control structures, data types, and testing, as well as key ideas in experimental design, stimulus presentation, searching, natural language processing, genetic algorithms, and neural networks. Thus, C&C enriches student understanding of content in their majors, and develops programming and computational skills in a relevant context, which should enhance subsequent research projects and career outcomes. C&C was developed with support from a 2015 Google CS Engagement grant, and incorporates research-based practices that improve student learning and help broaden participation in computing. In particular, C&C uses Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) (http://pogil.org), in which student teams work on classroom activities that are specifically designed to guide them to construct their own understanding of key concepts, and to develop process skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork. C&C also uses PsychoPy (http://psychopy.org), a FOSS tool to run psychology experiments with two interfaces -- the Builder GUI to design experiments, and the Coder IDE to write Python code. The first offering of C&C was small (3 female, 3 male) with strong ratings for the course overall, and for increasing student interest in the subject matter. In the future, we hope to add experimental paradigms and techniques, and engage more students from diverse backgrounds.
Health Trajectories of Older Americans and Medical Expenses: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study Data Over the 18 Year Period

This study investigates the long-term relationship between individuals’ health state changes over time and burdens due to out-of-pocket medical expenses (OOP) in later years. We kept track of 5540 individuals’ health trajectories and their accumulated OOP using the HRS data from 1992 to 2010. American adults between 50 and 70 years old spend on average $27,000 on OOP, and have five common health trajectory patterns (Multi-Morbidity, Co-Morbidity, Mild Disease, Late Event, and No Disease). However, their OOPs differed substantially depending on the pattern of health trajectory. The most costly pattern of Multi-Morbidity needed $18,823 more than the least costly No Disease pattern. Older adults with the most costly pattern spent most of OOP on either prescription drugs or doctor/dental visits. Additionally, we found that the OOP burden of prescription medications was substantially relieved by the Medicare Part D implementation. These findings have several important implications for individuals, financial educators, and policy makers.
A new robust MPC using an approximate convex hull

Abstract A robust Model Predictive Control (MPC) method with a new model uncertainty characterization technique is studied for linear systems. The goal is to reduce the computational complexity of robust MPC. The main element of this method is to trade off the complexity of the representation of the uncertainty set with its accuracy, while still guaranteeing that input, state, and output constraints are met. The mechanism for the trade off is the computation of an approximate convex hull of the model set. This method is an effective tool to eliminate redundancy in the model set and decrease the number of extreme models in robust MPC approaches, resulting in decreased computational complexity. Simulation results illustrate the proposed method.
Review: CHD is associated with markers of inflammation

Source Citation Danesh J, Collins R, Appleby P, Peto R. Association of fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, albumin, or leukocyte count with coronary heart disease. Meta-analyses of prospective studies....
Setting biomedical research priorities in the 21st century.

Physicians should encourage pharmaceutical companies to make socially responsible funding decisions and take an active role in setting biomedical research priorities by advocating for fair and effective allocations of public and private biomedical R & D investments. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
An Ethical and Sociological view on Women Engineers and on the Role Interdisciplinary Courses can Play in Attracting Young People, and Women, to Engineering Education

How can we make studying engineering and technology a more attractive option to young people? How can we attract more women and therefore improve the balance between male and female engineers in society? These are the two questions this conference intends to address. Among the solutions, the organizers of the Helena conference have chosen to focus on engineering education as a means of solving two “problems”: firstly the underrepresentation of women in engineering; and secondly the lack of interest expressed by young people in science and technology – and the shortage of graduate engineers for business companies in the future.
Implementation of a transformational plan of care at a Veterans Affairs medical center.

Purpose A quality of care–focused process improvement initiative undertaken by the pharmacy service at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center is described. Summary In September 2016, near the end of VA’s 2016 fiscal year (FY), pharmacy leaders at the medical center held a strategic planning retreat to develop goals and objectives for FY 2017. The retreat was facilitated through use of principles of lean methodology, including “A3 problem solving,” and resulted in development of a transformational plan of care (TPOC). After identifying process improvement projects with the highest value-adding potential, retreat participants prioritized those projects in accordance with targeted value streams encompassing 5 areas of pharmacy operations: United States Pharmacopeia chapter 800 compliance, standard work, physical space, technology, and people. Upon retreat completion, tasks were assigned to pharmacy service managers according to their respective areas of expertise. The status of each project and the projects’ impact on both pharmacy and facility outcome measures were continually assessed throughout FY 2017. Continuous reevaluation of projects within each value stream allowed for accurate outcome tracking and creation of a pharmacy dashboard. In the months after implementation of the pharmacy service TPOC, improvements in a number of performance metrics were documented. Conclusion Use of lean process improvement methodology and the A3 problem-solving process resulted in more efficient generation and implementation of ideas, consistent follow-up, and the ability to continuously reevaluate pharmacy service operations to ensure progress throughout the year.
Why Johnny Can't Make Money With His Contents: Pitfalls of Designing and Implementing Content Delivery Apps

Mobile devices are becoming the default platform for multimedia content consumption. Such a thriving business ecosystem has drawn interests from content distributors to develop apps that can reach a large number of audience. The business-edge of content delivery apps crucially relies on being able to effectively arbitrate the purchase and delivery of contents, and govern the access of contents with respect to usage control policies, on a plethora of consumer devices. Content protection on mobile platforms, especially in the absence of Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), is a challenging endeavor where developers often have to resort to ad-hoc deterrence-based defenses. This work evaluates the effectiveness of content protection mechanisms embraced by vendors of content delivery apps, with respect to a hierarchy of adversaries with varying real-world capabilities. Our analysis of 141 vulnerable apps uncovered that, in many cases, due to developers' unjustified trust assumptions about the underlying technologies, adversaries can obtain unauthorized and unrestricted access to contents of apps, sometimes without even needing to reverse engineer the deterrence-based defenses. Some weaknesses in the apps can also severely impact app users' security and privacy. All our findings have been responsibly disclosed to the corresponding app vendors.
The music and poetics of devotion in the Jain and Sikh traditions

This review essay is related to an independent analysis of the revised versions of five papers presented in the conference on The Music and Poetics of Devotion in the Jain and Sikh Traditions, orga...
MRI of the liver: choosing the right contrast agent

Contrast enhanced MRI of the liver provides valuable information in the evaluation of both chronic liver disease and focal liver lesions. Currently, two classes of MRI contrast agents are available for clinical use, namely the extracellular contrast agent (ECA) and the hepatobiliary agent (HBA). The use of appropriate contrast agents for liver MRI requires knowledge of the clinical situation and question to be answered. ECAs have been used for decades since their introduction into clinical practice and provide excellent dynamic phase information that is useful in characterizing focal liver lesions. In the last decade, HBAs, particularly Gadoxetate, have been found useful for characterizing lesions with functioning hepatocytes and more importantly in evaluating the biliary tree. Gadoxetate, however, provides less satisfactory dynamic phase images compared to ECAs, particularly during the arterial phase. In this perspective article, we will discuss the various intravenous contrast agents used for liver MRI and their ideal utilization.
Habit Expression and Disruption as a Function of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomology

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with neurobehavioral reward system dysfunctions that pose debilitating impairments in adaptive decision-making. A candidate mechanism for such anomalies in ADHD may be a compromise in the control of motivated behaviors. Thus, demonstrating and restoring potential motivational control irregularities may serve significant clinical benefit. The motivational control of action guides goal-directed behaviors that are driven by outcome value, and habits that are inflexibly cue-triggered. We examined whether ADHD symptomology within the general population is linked to habitual control, and whether a motivation-based manipulation can break well-learned habits. We obtained symptom severity scores from 106 participants and administered a Go/NoGo task that capitalizes on familiar, well-learned associations (green-Go and red-NoGo) to demonstrate outcome-insensitivity when compared to newly learned Go/NoGo associations. We tested for outcome-insensitive habits by changing the Go and NoGo contingencies, such that Go signals became NoGo signals and vice versa. We found that generally, participants responded less accurately when green and red stimuli were mapped to color-response contingencies that were incongruent with daily experiences, whereas novel Go/NoGo stimuli evoked similar accuracy regardless of color-response mappings. Thus, our Go/NoGo task successfully elicited outcome-insensitive habits (i.e., persistent responses to familiar stimuli without regard for consequences); however, this effect was independent of ADHD symptomology. Nevertheless, we found an association between hyperactivity and congruent Go response latency, suggesting heightened pre-potency to perform habitual Go actions as hyperactivity increases. To examine habit disruption, participants returned to the lab and underwent the familiar version of the Go/NoGo task, but were given mid-experiment performance tracking information and a monetary incentive prior to contingency change. We found that this motivational boost via dual feedback prevented the incongruency-related accuracy impairment, effectively breaking the habit, albeit independent of ADHD symptomology. Our findings present only a modest link between ADHD symptomology and motivational control, which may be due to compensatory mechanisms in ADHD driving goal-directed control, or our task's potential insensitivity to individual differences in ADHD symptomology. Further investigations may be crucial for determining whether ADHD is related to motivational impairments.
Response to insulin degludec and insulin glargine 300 U/mL: Which of these two insulins causes less hypoglycemia?

To minimize the influence of possible confounding factors, the study was carried out in a cross-over manner. Using flash glucose monitoring, insulin glargine 300 U/mL showed less nocturnal hypoglycemia than insulin degludec 100 U/mL . Examination of insulin degludec 100 U/mL nocturnal hypoglycemia by combined oral medications suggested that metformin combination might be the cause of nocturnal hypoglycemia.
Modern sensing and computerized data acquisition technology in high school physics labs

Under a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded GK±12 Fellows project, a solution to invigorate high school students' interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers is being examined and implemented. For an overview of our strategy and results from the first year of the project see below.
Salt sensitivity of wheat at various growth stages

The relative salt tolerance of two wheat species (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Probred and Triticum turgidum L., Durum Group, cv. Aldura) at different stages of growth was determined in a greenhouse experiment. Plants were grown in sand cultures that were irrigated four times daily with modified Hoagland's solution. Salinization with NaCl and CaCl2 (2:1 molar ratio) provided seven treatment solutions with osmotic potentials (Ψ s ) ranging from −0.05 to −1.25 MPa (electrical conductivities of 1.4 to 28 dS/m). Salt stress was imposed for 45 days beginning at either 10, 56, or 101 days after planting. The three 45-day stages are referred to here as the vegetative, reproductive, and maturation stages although the first stage included spikelet differentiation. In a separate experiment, seedling growth was measured after 21 days of salt stress (Ψ s = −0.05 to −0.85 MPa) initiated at 0, 7, 11, and 16 days after planting. Salt stress (Ψ s = −0.65 MPa) delayed germination by 4 days for both wheats but full emergence occurred. Relative growth response curves of the seedlings were alike regardless of whether salt stress was imposed at planting or at the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-leaf stage of growth. Salt stress also retarded leaf development and tillering but hastened plant maturity. Grain yields from plants stressed during either the vegetative, reproductive, or maturation stages indicated that both species became less sensitive to salinity the later plants were stressed. Grain yield was reduced 50% at Ψ s = −0.76, −1.53, and −1.58 MPa for Probred and −0.65, −1.08, and −1.34 MPa for Aldura when salinized during stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Salinity reduced grain yield by reducing seed number more than seed weight indicating that salt stress during stage 1 affected spikelet differentiation. Straw yield was significantly reduced by salt stress only during stage 1. Leaf mineral analyses revealed that Aldura readily accumulated Na whereas Probred did not. Both species accumulated Cl but the concentrations were much higher in Aldura. K uptake was severely inhibited by salt stress imposed during the first stage but not when imposed the second stage.
Modeling mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus in an enzootic host, the African green monkey

Mosquito-borne and sexual transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV), a TORCH pathogen, recently initiated a series of large epidemics throughout the Tropics. Animal models are necessary to determine transmission risk and study pathogenesis, as well screen antivirals and vaccine candidates. In this study, we modeled mosquito and sexual transmission of ZIKV in the African green monkey (AGM). Following subcutaneous, intravaginal or intrarectal inoculation of AGMs with ZIKV, we determined the transmission potential and infection dynamics of the virus. AGMs inoculated by all three transmission routes exhibited viremia and viral shedding followed by strong virus neutralizing antibody responses, in the absence of clinical illness. All four of the subcutaneously inoculated AGMs became infected (mean peak viremia: 2.9 log10 PFU/mL, mean duration: 4.3 days) and vRNA was detected in their oral swabs, with infectious virus being detected in a subset of these specimens. Although all four of the intravaginally inoculated AGMs developed virus neutralizing antibody responses, only three had detectable viremia (mean peak viremia: 4.0 log10 PFU/mL, mean duration: 3.0 days). These three AGMs also had vRNA and infectious virus detected in both oral and vaginal swabs. Two of the four intrarectally inoculated AGMs became infected (mean peak viremia: 3.8 log10 PFU/mL, mean duration: 3.5 days). vRNA was detected in oral swabs collected from both of these infected AGMs, and infectious virus was detected in an oral swab from one of these AGMs. Notably, vRNA and infectious virus were detected in vaginal swabs collected from the infected female AGM (peak viral load: 7.5 log10 copies/mL, peak titer: 3.8 log10 PFU/mL, range of detection: 5-21 days post infection). Abnormal clinical chemistry and hematology results were detected and acute lymphadenopathy was observed in some AGMs. Infection dynamics in all three AGM ZIKV models are similar to those reported in the majority of human ZIKV infections. Our results indicate that the AGM can be used as a surrogate to model mosquito or sexual ZIKV transmission and infection. Furthermore, our results suggest that AGMs are likely involved in the enzootic maintenance and amplification cycle of ZIKV.
People of Jewish Heritage

This chapter provides an overview of Jewish American heritage as a whole, but will focus on the specific needs of religiously observant people and families (referred throughout the chapter as Orthodox Jews). Readers should bear in mind that while all Orthodox Jews observe the same religious laws, there are many distinct sects within these communities, each of which follows its own customs, spiritual leaders, social norms, and political priorities. Therefore, an individual assessment is crucial to prevent stereotyping. This chapter follows the dominant values and beliefs according to the 12 domains of the Purnell Model of Cultural Competence: overview/heritage, communication, family roles and organization, workforce issues, biocultural ecology, high-risk behaviors, nutrition, pregnancy, death rituals, spirituality, health-care practices, and health-care practitioners.
The Natural History of Benign Bone Tumors of the Extremities in Asymptomatic Children: A Longitudinal Radiographic Study.

Background Benign bone tumors are common incidental findings in the pediatric population during radiographic evaluation. Counseling these patients requires reassurance and raises questions about the natural history of these tumors over time. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and observe the behavior of benign childhood bone tumors in an asymptomatic population. Methods A historical, longitudinal radiographic collection of healthy children was reviewed, which included comprehensive left-sided radiographs of the extremities at yearly intervals. In this study, 262 subjects with 25,555 radiographs were screened for benign bone tumors at a median age of 8 years (range, 0 to 18 years). All potential tumors were reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel, which confirmed the radiographic diagnosis of each lesion, the age at which the lesion first appeared, and the age at which it had resolved. Prevalence rates were calculated using the number of distinct subjects available for each radiographic location and age. Results Thirty-five tumors were identified in 33 subjects, including 19 nonossifying fibromas, 8 enostoses, 6 osteochondromas, and 2 enchondromas. The prevalence rate for all tumors combined increased with age and was 18.9% overall. The overall prevalence rates for specific tumor types were 7.5% for nonossifying fibromas, 5.2% for enostoses, 4.5% for osteochondromas, and 1.8% for enchondromas. Nonossifying fibromas demonstrated a bimodal distribution of prevalence, with a peak at 5 years (10.8%) and another after skeletal maturity (13.3%). The median age at the first appearance for all tumors combined was 9 years (range, 2 to 15 years), but varied by tumor type. Nonossifying fibromas often resolved (7 [37%] of 19), with further resolution possible beyond the last available radiograph. Enostoses, osteochondromas, and enchondromas persisted until the last available radiographs in all subjects. Conclusions The prevalence of benign childhood bone tumors of the extremities was 18.9% in a historical asymptomatic population. Longitudinal radiographs allowed observation of the timing of the first appearance and the potential for resolution for each tumor type. These findings provide unique evidence to answer many commonly encountered questions when counseling patients and their families on benign bone tumors. Level of evidence Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
GloVeNoR: GloVe for node representations with second order random walks

We study the community detection problem by embedding the nodes of a graph into a $n$ -dimensional space such that similar nodes remain close in their representations. There are many state-of-the-art methods, like node2vec and DeepWalk to compute node embeddings with the use of second order random walks. These techniques borrow methods like the Skip-Gram model, used in the domain of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to compute word embeddings. This paper explores the idea of porting the GloVe (Global Vectors for Word Representation) model, a popular technique for word embeddings, to a new method called GloVeNoR, to compute node embeddings in a graph, and creating a corpus with the use of second order random walks. We evaluate the model's quality by comparing it against node2vec and DeepWalk on the problem of community detection on five different data sets. We observe that GloVeNoR discovers similar or better communities than the other existing models on all the datasets based on the modularity score.
Crystal/cell interaction and nephrolithiasis.

Abstract Crystals of calcium oxalate (CaOx), the major constituents of most urinary stones, are injurious to cells, create oxidative stress and evoke an inflammatory response. Renal injury results in cell damage. The damaged and dead cells are released into the urine and are capable of promoting crystal nucleation at much lower supersaturations. Damaged cell membranes also provide sites for crystal attachment and eventual retention within the kidneys. Renal epithelial damage may assist in movement of crystals from the intratubular to interstitial location and perhaps in the formation of apatitic Randall's plaques. Inflammatory response may be responsible for Randall's plaques ulceration to the renal papillary surface.
Complicated Monochorionic-Diamniotic Twins in a Pregnant Woman with COVID-19 in the Second Trimester.

Objective A majority of studies evaluating the risk of vertical transmission and adverse outcomes in pregnancies with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are mostly based on third-trimester infections. There is limited data available on pregnancy sequelae of maternal infection in the first or second trimester. Study Design We present a patient with monochorionic–diamniotic twins that develops coronavirus disease 2019 infection at 15 weeks of gestation. The pregnancy is further complicated by stage II twin–twin transfusion syndrome. She undergoes laser ablation, which is complicated by development of a subchorionic hematoma. The patient then develops Escherichia coli bacteremia, resulting in septic shock and preterm labor followed by previable delivery at 21 weeks of gestation. Amniotic fluid and placenta were negative for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion This case of SARS-CoV-2 argues against transplacental transmission after a second-trimester infection but brings attention to the possible downstream complications that may arise following early infection. Key Points
Dual Roles for Nuclear RNAi Argonautes in C. elegans Dosage Compensation

ABSTRACT Dosage compensation involves chromosome-wide gene regulatory mechanisms which impact higher order chromatin structure and are crucial for organismal health. Using a genetic approach, we identified Argonaute genes which promote dosage compensation in C. elegans. Dosage compensation in C. elegans hermaphrodites is initiated by the silencing of xol-1 and subsequent activation of the Dosage Compensation Complex (DCC) which binds to both hermaphrodite X chromosomes and reduces transcriptional output by twofold. A hallmark phenotype of dosage compensation mutants is decondensation of the X chromosomes. We characterized this phenotype in Argonaute mutants using X chromosome paint probe and fluorescence microscopy. We found that while nuclear Argonaute mutants hrde-1 and nrde-3 exhibit de-repression of xol-1 transcripts, they also effect X chromosome condensation in a xol-1-independent manner. We also characterized the physiological contribution of Argonaute genes to dosage compensation using genetic assays and find that hrde-1 and nrde-3, together with the piRNA Argonaute prg-1, contribute to healthy dosage compensation both upstream and downstream of xol-1.
Incremental Influence of Betrayal Trauma and Personality Traits on PTSD Symptoms.

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common reactions to trauma. One factor that influences the manifestation of PTSD symptoms is the type of trauma experienced. Traumas perpetrated by someone on whom the trauma survivor trusts and relies on for support (i.e., betrayal traumas) are especially predictive of PTSD symptoms. However, the degree to which this is true differs somewhat across men and women. Another factor that influences PTSD symptoms is personality, which is most often operationalized in terms of discrete personality traits. Among these traits, Neuroticism (the tendency to experience negative affect) is linked to a wide range of psychological dysfunction in general and to PTSD symptoms in particular. However, there is little research on how trauma type and personality differentially influence PTSD symptoms. To address this gap, in this study we examined the incremental effects of traumas with varying degrees of betrayal and personality traits on PTSD symptoms in a sample of college students (N = 276) using a Bayesian approach to multiple regression. Results suggest that Neuroticism and trauma at all levels of betrayal were associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms, although this differed across sex. These results are consistent with previous research that identifies Neuroticism as a risk factor for a wide range of mental health problems and clarifies earlier findings on betrayal trauma.
Viral pathogens in urban stormwater runoff: Occurrence and removal via vegetated biochar-amended biofilters.

Abstract Urban runoff is one of the greatest sources of microbial pollution to surface waters. Biofilters can limit the impact of stormwater runoff on surface water quality by diverting runoff from receiving waters. However, our understanding of how biofilter design choices, including the addition of vegetation and geomedia, may impact the removal of pathogens is lacking. In this study, we characterized viruses (adenovirus, enterovirus, norovirus GII, crAssphage) in San Francisco Bay area urban runoff and assessed the removal of lab-cultured viruses (MS2, adenovirus 2, coxsackievirus B5) from biochar-amended biofilter mesocosms during challenge testing. We quantified viruses using (RT-)qPCR and F+ coliphage plaque assays. We found that all the pathogenic viruses targeted were found at low concentrations (adenovirus: all positive samples were
Behavioral Immunity Suppresses an Epizootic in Caribbean Spiny Lobsters.

Sociality has evolved in a wide range of animal taxa but infectious diseases spread rapidly in populations of aggregated individuals, potentially negating the advantages of their social interactions. To disengage from the coevolutionary struggle with pathogens, some hosts have evolved various forms of “behavioral immunity”; yet, the effectiveness of such behaviors in controlling epizootics in the wild is untested. Here we show how one form of behavioral immunity (i.e., the aversion of diseased conspecifics) practiced by Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) when subject to the socially transmitted PaV1 virus, appears to have prevented an epizootic over a large seascape. We capitalized on a "natural experiment" in which a die-off of sponges in the Florida Keys (USA) resulted in a loss of shelters for juvenile lobsters over a ~2500km2 region. Lobsters were thus concentrated in the few remaining shelters, presumably increasing their exposure to the contagious virus. Despite this spatial reorganization of the population, viral prevalence in lobsters remained unchanged after the sponge die-off and for years thereafter. A field experiment in which we introduced either a healthy or PaV1-infected lobster into lobster aggregations in natural dens confirmed that spiny lobsters practice behavioral immunity. Healthy lobsters vacated dens occupied by PaV1-infected lobsters despite the scarcity of alternative shelters and the higher risk of predation they faced when searching for a new den. Simulations from a spatially-explicit, individual-based model confirmed our empirical results, demonstrating the efficacy of behavioral immunity in preventing epizootics in this system.
Chapter 11 A Direct Method for Analyzing the Polymerization Kinetics at the Two Ends of a Microtubule

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the axoneme–subunit system in detail and describes three applications of the system that illustrate how it can be used for the study of microtubule polarity at the molecular level. Microtubules have an intrinsic structural polarity, which means that the two ends of a microtubule are physically and chemically distinct. This structural polarity is reflected in the polarity of microtubule growth. The axoneme–subunit system, although heterologous in nature, possesses two important advantages: It allows in vitro study of the polymerization properties of 13-protofilament microtubules and allows separate analyses of growth and depolymerization at the two ends. Another application of the axoneme–subunit system is its ability to test the polarity of drug–tubulin interaction. To illustrate this application, the effects of colchicine on growth and depolymerization of axoneme-nucleated microtubules have been tested. The axoneme–subunit system is a relatively simple technique that is well-suited for the in vitro study of several aspects of microtubule polarity. The main feature of this system is the direct visualization of changes in microtubule length that can be attributed to the sum of addition and loss of subunits at a defined end. There is an absolute identification of the two ends.
A Deweyan Approach to Integrity in an Age of Instrumental Rationality

Educators in the contemporary United States are increasingly faced with demands to teach prescribed curricula using scripted methods driven by standardized assessments — all grounded within an instrumental rationality that prizes use value over intellectual exploration. Such demands may conflict with the concomitant expectations to be nurturing, caring educators, conflicts that can pull at teachers’ senses of moral integrity. This moral tension is only exacerbated by the common linking of student test performance to teacher and administrator evaluation, creating conditions in which educators are asked to distance themselves from their students morally, to treat them as means to ends, not as ends in themselves. As one of my students, an elementary school principal, recently asked: When do we decide to stand up to these demands because it has become morally wrong to comply? Likewise, David Berliner and Sharon Nichols ask us: “Shouldn’t we be concerned about a law that turns too many of the country’s most morally admired citizens into morally compromised individuals?”
Tuberculosis complicated by pregnancy

Abstract Ten cases of tuberculosis during pregnancy are presented and discussed. The literature is reviewed and recommendations for therapy are presented.
Progesterone/Estradiol Ratios Predict Outcome in In Vitro Fertilization

Despite increasing experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF), there are few endocrinological markers which can serve as a prospective predictor of IVF success. An initial investigation utilized periovulatory estradiol (E2) levels after administration of low dose human menopausal gonadotropin followed by a coasting period before giving human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The levels of estradiol studied were lower than those typically seen in many IVF programs today.1 Others have studied post-transfer progesterone/E2 ratios and suggested a predictive value.2 This report summarizes our efforts to further elucidate endocrinological markers that can be used to predict success or potential success in IVF.
Citrulline Level Is a Potent Indicator of Acute Rejection in the Long Term Following Pediatric Intestinal/Multivisceral Transplantation

Citrulline has been advocated as a marker for acute cellular rejection (ACR) in intestinal transplantation; however, its significance as a forewarning in the long-term follow-up remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between citrulline levels and the grading of ACR to establish a cutoff point that accurately predicts ACR beyond 3 months posttransplant in the pediatric patient population. During a 16-year period (1995-2011), a total of 13 499 citrulline samples were prospectively collected from 111 consecutive pediatric intestinal/multivisceral transplant recipients: 2155 were obtained concurrently with intestinal biopsies. There were 185 ACR episodes observed among 74/111 (67%) patients (median follow-up: 4.4 years). Citrulline levels were inversely proportional to the severity of ACR. Negative predictive values for any type of ACR (cutoff, 20 μmol/L) and moderate/severe ACR (cutoff, 10 μmol/L) were 95% and 99%, respectively. When patients were divided according to graft size, diagnostic accuracy using the same cutoff was identical. Similarly, subgroup analysis by the timing of citrulline measurement prior to biopsy varying from 1 to 7 days demonstrated comparable results. Citrulline is a potent indicator as a danger signal for ACR, being an exclusionary, noninvasive biomarker with excellent negative predictive values in the long term after pediatric intestinal/multivisceral transplant.