cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emergence of chronic Lyme arthritis: Putting the breaks on CD28 costimulation

Lyme disease is a debilitating infection that is caused upon a bite of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb)-infected ticks. One of the most prominent clinical manifestations is the development of chronic Lyme arthritis. Months after Bb infection, approximately 60% of untreated Lyme patients experience intermittent arthritic attacks that may last for years. The use of the CD28(-/-) mouse in Bb infection has helped to shed light into the mechanisms that govern this inflammatory process, which seems to be tightly regulated. In this current review, the effect of immunoregulation, as well as CD28 deficiency in the development of chronic Lyme arthritis is discussed.
The spatial pattern of aggregation centres in the cellular slime mould

The spatial pattern of aggregation centres of the slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum was analysed by using nearest-neighbour distributions. Both undisturbed cultures, and cultures that were initiated from cells dissociated from cultures that had already aggregated, formed non-randomly spaced patterns. However, the minimal distance between aggregates in undisturbed cultures was approximately ten times that observed in dissociated cultures. In undisturbed cultures the aggregate size is regulated as a function of cell density (Bonner & Hoffman, 1963): As cell density increases aggregate density decreases and the aggregate size consequently increases. At the same cell density more and smaller aggregates were formed by dissociated cultures than by undisturbed cultures. Nevertheless, the same cell-densitydependent regulation of aggregate density existed in the dissociated cultures. Here a model is developed to account for both the non-random spacing and the celldensity- dependant regulation of aggregate density. In this model, distance-dependent competition occurs betweenpoints in a random prepattern to generate patterns very similar to those observed in experiments. The cell-density-dependent regulation of the aggregate density can be explained by assuming that a constant fraction of the cell population has the capacity to initiate centres at the time of pattern determination regardless of the cell density. As the cell density is increased the fraction of potential centres that survive distance-dependent competition decreases and hence the aggregate size increases. These results suggest that distance-dependent competition may be a mechanism that evolved to control aggregate size at high cell densities. Results obtained with this model indicate that the decrease in aggregate size in dissociated cultures is due primarily to an increase in the fraction of the cell population capable of initiating centres. This implies that as morphogenesis progresses a greater fraction of the cell population acquire a capacity which they will not normally express. Although this increase may have a function in later stages of morphogenesis, it may also provide a way to ensure aggregation in small populations of amoebae and at low cell densities.
Chondromyxoid Fibroma of the Scapula

A white man, thirty-eight years old, had a chondromyxoid fibroma of the right scapula curretted about fourteen months after onset of pain. In the four years since operation these has ben no recurrence.
A Letter About Investing to a New Foundation Trustee, with Some Focus on Socially Responsible Investing

Cast in the form of an e-mail, this article provides investment guidance to a new board member of a private foundation. Included in the advice offered is a discussion of socially responsible investing and its various subcategories.
STRUCTURE AND TOXICITY OF LIPID A FROM VIBRIO CHOLERAE

ABSTRACT Lipid A moiety of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) represent the endotoxic principle of the Gram-negative bacteria. The significance of lipid A for the functional and structural integrity of the bacterial cell membrane and the central role it plays in the endotoxicity of endotoxins prompted studies on structure, biological and immunological activities from various antigenically different strains of Vibrio Cholerae . Structural studies revealed that lipid A from V. cholerae 569 B (Inaba) contains a glucoasamine backbone, and the fatty acids are bound to the hydroxyl and amino groups of glucoasamine residues. Approximately, equal amounts of palmitic, oleic and 3-hydroxy lauric acids were involved in ester linkages, and 3-hydroxymyristic acid was the only amide-linked fatty acid in this lipid A molecule. The LPS of V. cholerae do not contain 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (KDO), the typical linking sugar of lipid A and polysaccharide moiety of LPS from entero-bacteriaceae. The de-O-acylated lipid A (water soluble product of lipid A) obtained as a result of mild alkaline methanolysis was proved to be a mixture of phosphorylated oligosaccharides. De-o-acylated lipid A on fractionation using Sephadex G-25 gave three major fractions, F1, F2 and F3. These fractions of lipid A, the intact purified LPS and lipid A/BSA have been studied for various biological activities. It was noted that LPS, lipid/BSA and F1 fractions exhibited local Shwartzman reaction in rabbits, gelated the limulus lysate, were lethal to chick embryos and were pyrogenic in rabbits. The results of these tests showed that LPS from these bacteria were toxic but high doses were required to exhibit these toxic effects. The structural part responsible for various biological activities of LPS was its lipid A moiety. The alkaline digestion (0.3 N NaOH, 105 C, 30 min) of lipid A which cleaves the ester linked fatty acids from it resulted in complete loss in toxicity of the lipid A from V. cholerae . These results reveal that ester-linked fatty acids in lipid A plays a central role in toxicity of LPS and lipid A's. Antiserum prepared against the lipid A of V. cholerae prevented the local Shwartzman reaction in rabbits. In all rabbits treated with lipid A antiserum, lipid A/BSA did not provoke a positive reaction.
Significant returns in engagement and performance with a free teaching app

AbstractPedagogical research shows that teaching methods other than traditional lectures may result in better outcomes. However, lecture remains the dominant method in economics, likely due to high implementation costs of methods shown to be effective in the literature. In this article, the author shows significant benefits of using a teaching app for clicker questions and exit tickets (a digital one-minute paper) in lectures with minimal time commitment and outside preparation. The use of the teaching app improved exam performance by over 8 percent, on average, compared to a control section of traditional lecture and discussion in principles classes.
Price Differentials among Grocery Stores in Bloomington, Indiana:

I. Because of the difficulty of comparing the qualities of goods of different brands, and 2. Because price is affected by the presence or absence of "service," which is defined as "the performance of labor for the benefit of another or at another's command." In the grocery business "service" includes the granting of credit, delivery of goods without extra charge, taking orders over the telephone, the privilege of returning goods, and often special favors to retain the good will of the customer.
Studies on cyclic polyols

Abstract The configurations of five cyclopentanetetrols and both 3,5-cyclopentenediols have been established by examination of their n.m.r. spectra. The configurational assignments are based to a large extent on the nature of the methylene signals (A 2 X 2 , ABX 2 or ABXY), and in one case the magnitude of the vicinal coupling constant is used as the basis of assigning the 1, sol4 2 ,3 structure in preference to the all- cis configuration. The present conclusions confirm earlier assignments based on purely chemical grounds. Spectral data for the ring protons of the tetrol tetrabenzoates, diols, epoxydiols and corresponding dibenzoates, a dibromoglycol and several O -isopropylidene derivatives of cyclopentanepolyols are presented. The internal chemical shifts between the A, B and X protons of the ABX 2 system observed in many of these compounds have been studied. The internal shifts δ x δ a and δ x δ b agree well with the internal shifts reported for the ABX system in two series of substituted bicyclo[2.2.1]heptenes. The linear variation of internal chemical shift with electronegativity of the substituent and the angular dependence of deshielding found in the bicycloheptenes is thus also found in the cyclopentanes. Unlike the case of the bicycloheptenes, which are rigid, the coupling constants J ax , J bx and J ab do not vary linearly with the electronegativity of the substituents, presumably because of the additional factor of variability of the dihedral angles in the various cyclopentanes, due to the greater flexibility of these molecules.
Military Views of Morality and War: An Empirical Study of the Attitudes of Retired American Officers

While philosophers and religious leaders have long discussed the ethical issues involved in war, we know little about the attitudes of the military who must face these issues daily. A factor analysis reveals three organizing principles that appear to be prior to more complex traditional belief systems. The empirical analysis also reveals that a common approach to conflict among the military has largely been overlooked in the literature. We call this framework “better safe than sorry.” Its fundamental characteristics are a defensive posture and risk aversion.
Voluntary Associations Under Conditions of Competition and Conflict

likely that relatively more men from lower economic and from nonwhite groups volunteer for service with the armed forces. Hence, one should expect that there would be more casualties from these overrepresented groups. But this higher volunteer rate and the relatively low educational status of such men are themselves products of social stratification, so that the realities of stratification remain the same. These realities, according to the findings of this study, mean that the lower the relative economic standing of a man's home area, or the greater the number of nonwhites in his area, the more likely it was that he would be a war casualty. In addition to contributing particular concrete information to our knowledge of the workings of American social stratification, this study may have some methodological value. It develops and demonstrates a technique for determining, on a probability basis, the racial composition of a group when nothing is known about members of the group beyond their home addresses. The method used may be valuable and appropriate for other studies having comparable information.
Structures Education within the Penn State Flight Vehicle Design and Fabrication Course

For the past twenty years the Department of Aerospace Engineering of The Pennsylvania State University has been offering a project-centered undergraduate course focusing on “hands-on” aircraft design and fabrication. The course is unique in that students typically enroll as freshman and remain in the class until they graduate. While in the class, students work on projects in both laboratory groups and design groups. Group work is supported by in-class lectures ranging from technical topics to managerial and interpersonal skills. The course is particularly well suited to teach structures because of the long duration of student involvement, multidisciplinary approach, and hands-on opportunities. Currently, the class is working on the design and fabrication of an entry into the Human-Powered Aircraft Kremer Competition, administrated by the Royal Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. In addition, for the past several years, a subgroup of the class has competed in the AIAA Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) competition. Through participation in the course, students experience a deeper understanding in the theoretical constructs of aerospace engineering, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and gain invaluable hands-on experience.
A Bidirectional Neural Interface Circuit With Active Stimulation Artifact Cancellation and Cross-Channel Common-Mode Noise Suppression

This work presents a bidirectional neural interface circuit that enables simultaneous recording and stimulation with a stimulation artifact cancellation circuit. The system employs a common average referencing (CAR) front-end circuit to suppress cross-channel environmental noise to further facilitate use in clinical environment. This paper also introduces a new range-adapting (RA) SAR ADC to lower the system power consumption. A prototype is fabricated in $0.18\;\mu {\rm{m}}$ CMOS and characterized and tested in vivo in an epileptic rat model. The prototype attenuates stimulation artifacts by up to 42 dB and suppresses cross-channel noise by up to 39.8 dB. The measured power consumption per channel is 330 nW, while the area per channel is 0.17 mm $^2$ .
The Choline-Methionine Interrelationship for Growth of the Chick

Three experiments involving 1230 battery-reared crossbred chicks were conducted to evaluate the potential sparing effect of choline on methionine and vice versa. Experiment 1 employed a crystalline amino acid diet to establish the sulfur-amino acid (SAA) and choline requirement for maximal feed efficiency of chicks during the period 8 to 18 days posthatching. Six graded levels of DL-methionine (.20 to .45% in the presence of .20% L-cystine) and five of choline (0 to 1216 mg/kg) were employed in a 6 X 5 factorial treatment arrangement. Gain/feed ratio was maximized at 608 mg/kg choline at all levels of methionine and at .30 to .35% methionine at all levels of choline. Two identical experiments (8 to 25 days posthatching) with a corn-soybean meal diet were carried out to explore the relationship between supplemental methionine (0 to .20% in five equal increments) and supplemental choline (0, 217, and 434 mg/kg). Optimal performance occurred at .10% supplemental methionine regardless of choline level and at 217 mg/kg choline at supplemental methionine levels of 0 and .05%. At .10, .15, and .20% supplemental methionine, no gain or gain/feed response to supplemental choline was observed. It was thus apparent that excess levels of choline had minimal capacity to reduce the dietary requirement for methionine. Excess levels of methionine, however, seemed to have a consistent, although small, effect on the chick's dietary need for choline.
3D Printed Modeling for Patient-Specific Mitral Valve Intervention: Repair With a Clip and a Plug

A 62-year-old man with peripheral vascular disease, chronic kidney disease (glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min), previous coronary artery bypass grafting, and recent treatment for bacterial endocarditis was referred for refractory decompensated congestive heart failure (New York Heart
Game-based Learning and 21st century skills

Game-based learning and 21st century skills have been gaining an enormous amount of attention from researchers and practitioners. Given numerous studies support the positive effects of games on learning, a growing number of researchers are committed to developing educational games to promote students' 21st century skill development in schools. However, little is known regarding how games may influence student acquisition of 21st century skills. This paper examines the most recent literature in regard to game-based learning and identified 29 studies which targeted 21st century skills as outcomes. The range of game genres and game design elements as well as learning theories used in these studies are discussed, together with the range of indicators, measures and outcomes for impacts on 21st century skills. The findings suggest that a game-based learning approach might be effective in facilitating students' 21st century skill development. The paper also provides valuable insights for researchers, game designers, and educators in issues related to educational game design and implementation in general. One hundred and thirty seven papers were included in the review.Twenty nine papers reported the impacts of games on 21st century skills development.Effect sizes were reported for 37% of the empirical findings.A number of learning theories were referenced in the 29 papers.Effective game design elements were identified.
Research and Application of the Deviation Control and Drilling Fast Technology in Haita Basin

Several common packed hole and well straightening assemblies are introduced.According to the geological features in Haita Basin,corresponding kinds of drilling technologies have been researched. Field tests show that they can obviously improve the penetration rate and resolve the problem of increasing drilling rate effectively in high dipping formation.Finally,in order to improve the penetration rate at lower cost,it points out that Haita Basin should hasten the development of mechanical survey steering tool and vertical drilling tool in the future.
Epidemiological analysis of hand-food-mouth disease in Wuhai City(2008-2011)

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) in Wuhai city from 2008 to 2011,to explore feasible measures to prevent and control HFMD.Methods Severe cases and death cases of HFMD from 2008 to 2011 were collected from the "China diseases information reporting system",descriptive epidemiology analysis was used.Results 198,355,1 152 and 2 479 cases of HFMD were reported respectively in Wuhai city from 2008 to 2011.Incidence rate was 45.6/100,000,81.8/100,000,165.5/100,000 and 465.2/100,000 respectively,one death case was reported in 2010 and 2011.There were case reports in the 4 years except in January,February and March in 2009.Seasonal peak was clear,most cases occurred during the period from May to July.Children under 5 years old accounted for 88.17% of the total reported cases.The incidence of male was higher than female.High incidence was also found in the Kindergarten's children and scattered-living children,accounted for 54.30%(2 272/4 184) and 39.17%(1 639/4 184) respectively.HFMD was mainly caused by CoxA16 in 2010 and by EV71 in 2011.Conclusions There was significant seasonal and age difference in the incidence of HFMD,therefore,focus should be put on the key population and epidemic surveillance should be strengthened,so as to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Contamination of handpieces during pulpotomy therapy on primary teeth.

Purpose The purpose of this in vivo study was to determine the potential for internal bacteriol contamination of low-speed handpiece/ contraangle systems. Methods Clinical contamination was measured for 24 pulpotomies on primary first or second molar teeth from 20 subjects. The investigators used microbiologic analysis to determine the extent of bacterial contamination from the patient's saliva using enriched trypticase soy agar (ETSA) plates. Analysis for the presence of blood also occurred. Results Microbial analysis indicated aerobic and anaerobic bacterial contamination at all 3 culturing sites from all 24 handpieces (100% contamination, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 86%-100%). Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria levels (CFU/mL) were not significantly different (P = .43 overall, P > .25 for each of the 3 evaluated sites). The sites also did not have significantly different CFU/mL levels (P = .13 overall, P = .63 for aerobic, P = .14 for anaerobic). The analysis showed no blood contamination at any of the 3 culturing sites for any of the 24 handpieces (0% contamination, 95% CI = 0%-14%). Conclusions The in vivo data suggest that low-speed handpiece/contraangle systems can become bacterially contaminated during the performance of pulpotomies and, unless properly sterilized between patients, there is the potential for pathogenic micro-organisms to enter, adhere, and then emit during use on subsequent patients.
The power of student empowerment: Measuring classroom predictors and individual indicators

ABSTRACTDespite spending more money per student than almost all developed nations, the United States lags behind in educational indicators with persistent disparities between privileged and marginalized students. Most approaches have ignored the role of power dynamics in predicting student performance. Building on the existing literature in school climate and empowering settings, this study explored the construct of student empowerment to identify both environmental factors that predict increased empowerment and outcomes associated with empowerment. A survey was administered to 381 students from five urban high schools. Results suggest that intrapersonal student empowerment is predicted by equitable power use by teachers, positive teacher–student relationships and a sense of community in the classroom. Highly empowered students reported better grades, fewer behavioral incidents, increased extracurricular participation and higher educational aspirations than students who were less empowered. Limitations ar...
Establishing a Deictic Relational Repertoire in Young Children

Perspective-taking skills have been shown to be pivotal in a variety of social and interpersonal interactions. A better understanding of the process involved in building such a repertoire could be beneficial in a wide variety of language and social skills training programs. A relational frame theory approach to perspective taking involves a focus on deictic relations, such as I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then. The present study examined the effect of operant contingencies on deictic relational responding in 3 normally developing young (57 to 68 months old) children. In a multiple baseline across persons and tasks format, I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then deictic relational frames were successfully shaped as operant behavior. As the children acquired deictic relational frames at the Reversed and Double-Reversed levels, the children’s performance on traditional perspective-taking measures generally increased.
The Impact of Board Size on Firm-Level Capital Investment Efficiency

The study aims to examine whether and how board structure is associated with firm-level capital investment efficiency. Specifically, I investigate whether the size of a firm’s board is associated with the sensitivity of investments to the availability of internal funds. I hypothesize and find that board size is inversely related to investment-cash flow sensitivity. Larger boards seem to mitigate investment-cash flow sensitivity by reducing information asymmetry between managers and external capital providers. The study is important as it reveals that board structure influences the corporate investment policy, which is one of the most important firm economic decisions.
Bureaucratic expertise, overconfidence, and policy choice

Classic theory on bureaucracy suggests that one primary source of bureaucratic power in public administration and the policy-making process derives from bureaucratic issue-specific expertise. Studies in psychology and behavioral economics suggest that experienced experts tend to be overconfident in estimating their expertise, but few researchers have examined whether experienced bureaucrats are prone to overconfidence and, if so, how overconfidence may correlate with their policy choice. Drawing on past theoretical and empirical literature, this study is the first to investigate these questions by using survey data collected from 579 officials in various agencies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our analyses demonstrate that (a) the level of issue-specific expertise perceived by individual bureaucrats is positively associated with their work experience/job relevance to climate change, (b) more experienced bureaucrats tend to be more overconfident in assessing their expertise, and (c) overconfidence, independently of sociodemographic characteristics, attitudinal factors and political ideology, correlates positively with bureaucrats’ risk-taking policy choices.
Zintl layer formation during perovskite atomic layer deposition on Ge (001)

Using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory, we analyzed the surface core level shifts and surface structure during the initial growth of ABO3 perovskites on Ge (001) by atomic layer deposition, where A = Ba, Sr and B = Ti, Hf, Zr. We find that the initial dosing of the barium- or strontium-bis(triisopropylcyclopentadienyl) precursors on a clean Ge surface produces a surface phase that has the same chemical and structural properties as the 0.5-monolayer Ba Zintl layer formed when depositing Ba by molecular beam epitaxy. Similar binding energy shifts are found for Ba, Sr, and Ge when using either chemical or elemental metal sources. The observed germanium surface core level shifts are consistent with the flattening of the initially tilted Ge surface dimers using both molecular and atomic metal sources. Similar binding energy shifts and changes in dimer tilting with alkaline earth metal adsorption are found with density functional theory calculations. High angle angular dark field scanning transmission microscopy images of BaTiO3, SrZrO3, SrHfO3, and SrHf0.55Ti0.45O3 reveal the location of the Ba (or Sr) atomic columns between the Ge dimers. The results imply that the organic ligands dissociate from the precursor after precursor adsorption on the Ge surface, producing the same Zintl template critical for perovskite growth on Group IV semiconductors during molecular beam epitaxy.
Colonial Rule: Missionaries and “Mercenaries” of Fortune and the Health of Africans

Colonial authorities deliberately relied on the Church to make the imposed colonial system more acceptable to Africans by entrusting them with the educational system and the health care of the Africans through the introduction of biomedical practices as a hook to religious conversion, especially in the case of the Catholic missions in the Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian colonies, as well as the Anglican and the various other Christian denominations. France also used the Catholic institutions in this strategy but to a much lesser degree, along with the Alliance Francaise (Gifford and Weiskell 1971: 673–674), given the anti-clerical and anti-Catholic (and Protestant denomination sentiment), manifested against the Huguenot or Calvinist tradition in the country since the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, which clearly came to the fore during the French Revolution in 1789. However, the benefits of using the Church with caution, especially in the Muslim territories of the empire, in such territories as Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Algeria, all of North Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, and Madagascar, were not entirely ignored or minimized in the realm of education and health. The following section briefly examines the role of the colonial Church, especially in health.
Shades of the Secular

This chapter discusses the concept of secularity in all of its complexity. Secularity is situated along a continuum and discussed in terms of belief, behavior, belonging and benefitting. The chapter then turns to a review of major theorists of secularization and what they have in common. The chapter closes with a proposed interdisciplinary and integrative theory of secularization which emphasizes subcultural tightening and self-dimensionality.
Open-Circuit IGBT Fault Detection and Location Isolation for Cascaded Multilevel Converters

An open-circuit insulated-gate bipolar transistor fault detection technique for cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel converters is presented in this paper. This technique, designed to be implemented independently for each CHB leg, utilizes one current sensor and one voltage sensor to monitor a leg's current and output voltage. Measured voltages are compared to expected voltages, and deviations are used to determine open-circuit fault locations based on the deviation's magnitude and current flow direction. Once potential fault locations have been identified, the fault location is systematically isolated and then verified, reducing the possibility of unnecessary corrective actions due to fault misidentification, e.g., an intermittent gate-misfiring fault being classified as an open-circuit fault. The proposed technique can be implemented for any number of cells, is independent of the pulse width modulation strategy used, and can be applied to symmetric and asymmetric CHB converters regardless of the cell input dc-source magnitudes utilized, i.e., cell input voltages are not required to be equal or to exist in specific ratios. For a CHB leg with $M$ cells, the proposed technique identifies and isolates open-circuit switch faults in less than $2M$ measurement (sampling) cycles, and verification is completed in less than one full fundamental cycle. Experimentally obtained data demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed fault detection and isolation technique.
Spread, then target, and advertise in waves: Optimal capital allocation across advertising channels

We obtain optimal strategies for the allocation of influence budget across multiple channels and across time for an external influencer, e.g., a political campaign, seeking to maximize its effect on an election given a network of agents with linear consensus-seeking opinion dynamics. We show that for a general set of objective functions, the optimal influence strategy at every time uses all channels at either their maximum rate or not at all. Furthermore, we prove that the number of switches between these extremes is bounded above both by a term that is typically much smaller than the number of agents. This means that the optimal influence strategy is to exert maximum effort in waves for every channel, and then cease effort and let the effects propagate. We also show that at the beginning, the total cost-adjusted reach of a channel determines its relative value, while targeting matters more closer to election time. We demonstrate that the optimal influence structures are easily computable in several practical cases. We explicitly characterize the optimal controls for the case of linear objective functions via a closed form. Finally, we see that in the canonical election example, identifying late-deciders approximately determines the optimal campaign resource allocation strategy.
Multivariable Controller Design for Stability Under Real Parameter Variations

Abstract This paper deals with the design of a stabilizing compensetar which is robut against physial parameter perturbations of a given multivariable plant. The results extend previous treatments which dealt with the case where the characteristic polynomial coefficients are linear functions of plant and controller parameters. Thease where the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial are nonlinear functions of the parameters is practically important and frequently occurs when physical parameters are of interest. For this problem, we propose a definition of stability margin that measures the robustness of a controller. A design procedure is given that iterativcly increases this margin. Examples are given and directions of future research indicated.
Geographic Distribution of the African Weaver Ant, Oecophylla longinoda

Abstract African weaver ants, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille, 1802), are conspicuous arboreal ants, well known in the humid tropics of Africa. Weaver ants build large distinctive nest structures in trees by binding together clusters of leaves using a silk-like substance. Although many regard weaver ants as pests due to their bite, local people also use weaver ants for food, medicine, and as biological control agents. Here, I mapped the geographic distribution of O. longinoda based on >500 site records from 34 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The documented range of O. longinoda is confined almost entirely within areas with Tropical (Group A) climates a...
Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain

Opening Up by Writing It Down is Pennebaker's and Smyth's updated and timely review of the importance of expressive writing and the benefits to both physical and psychological health derived by “wr...
Addressing Host Factors: Overview of Dependence and Addiction

The prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) continues to increase, and at the heart of this epidemic lies loss of control. Success in reversing the crisis will require cultivation of “resistance” to misuse and abuse vulnerability analogous to immunity within a host population. The grim statistics on relapse bear witness to the power of both initial hedonic motivation and the subsequent inevitable withdrawal avoidance drive. Whether choice or compulsion mediates the development and maintenance of OUD comprises the main philosophical watershed whereby most addiction theories may be categorized, with the currently popular biologic/disease model leaning strongly toward the latter pole. Moral and spiritual, biologic/disease, learned behavior, and social models have all yielded valuable contributions into our understanding of the complex behavioral disorder, that is, substance abuse; social models provide population-level insights that are highly relevant to a public health perspective.
Clinical, Radiographic, and Microbiologic Features of Infective Endocarditis in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection of the inner lining of the heart with high morbidity and mortality despite medical and surgical advancements in recent decades. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) is one of several medical conditions that have been linked to an increased risk of IE, but there is a paucity of data on this association. We therefore sought to define the clinical phenotype of IE in patients with HC at a single tertiary care center. A retrospective cohort of 30 adult patients with HC diagnosed with IE between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2016 at Mayo Clinic Rochester were identified. Similar rates of aortic (n = 14) and mitral (n = 16) valve involvement by IE were noted (47% vs 53%). This finding persisted even in patients with left-ventricular outflow tract obstruction and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. Symptomatic embolic complications occurred in 10 cases (33%). Surgical intervention was performed in 11 cases (37%). One-year mortality was remarkably low at 7%. In conclusion, in the largest single-center cohort of IE complicating HC, there were similar rates of both mitral and aortic valve involvement regardless of the presence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, which is contrary to a long-standing tenet regarding the association of HC and IE. Moreover, no “high risk” IE subset was identified based on HC-related parameters.
Coronary Artery Disease: Diagnosis and Management

This review focuses on the outpatient assessment and management of coronary artery disease based on current guidelines and recommendations. The management of acute coronary syndrome and unstable angina is not included. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacotherapy options, including lifestyle modifications, are discussed with evidence to support recommendations and suggested management.
Bioderived DNA Nanomachines for Potential Uses in Biosensing, Diagnostics, and Therapeutic Applications

Beside its genomic properties, DNA is also recognized as a novel material in the field of nanoengineering. The specific bonding of base pairs can be used to direct the assembly of highly structured materials with specific nanoscale features such as periodic 2D arrays, 3D nanostructures, assembly of nanomaterials, and DNA nanomachines. In recent years, a variety of DNA nanomachines are developed because of their many potential applications in biosensing, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications. In this review, the fuel-powered motors and secondary structure motors, whose working mechanisms are inspired or derived from natural phenomena and nanomachines, are discussed. The combination of DNA motors with other platforms is then discussed. In each section of these motors, their mechanisms and their usage in the biomedical field are described. Finally, it is believed that these DNA-based nanomachines and hybrid motifs will become an integral point-of-care diagnostics and smart, site-specific therapeutic delivery.
A DISCRETE MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR SINGLE AND COLLECTIVE MOVEMENT IN AMOEBOID CELLS

In this paper, we develop a new discrete mathematical model for individual and collective cell motility. We introduce a mechanical model for the movement of a cell on a two-dimensional rigid surfac...
Coherent Gradient Sensing Microscopy: Microinterferometric Technique for Quantitative Cell Detection

Micro-CGS, an integration of the interferometric optical method Coherent Gradient Sensing (CGS) [1-3] with an inverted microscope, is introduced. Micro-CGS extends the capabilities of Classical CGS into the cellular level. As such, it provides full-field, real-time, micro-interferometric quantitative imaging. Micro-CGS is based on the introduction of a microscope objective into the classical CGS setup. An experimental setup is detailed and resulting interferograms are shown. A digital image processing program is created to compute specimen curvature from the given fringe patterns. The experimental method is validated by the successful measurement of the curvature of 30-micron glass microspheres.
XPS Study of Hot Spots and Sensitization Centers in Energetic Materials

The physical and chemical nature of hot spots and sensitization centers caused by shock, impact or rapid shear in explosives have been investigated by using an SEM and XPS analysis. Micron size reaction sites in the crystallites were identified as hot spot remnants. Surrounding these reaction sites, deposits of new products containing altered molecules of the explosive were observed. Some products are more sensitive than the original explosive. This lends chemical basis to sensitization. Other products were from reactions involving the formation of water molecules, which would be associated with release of energy. Thus two major steps, one causing sensitization, the other providing energy for self-sustained reaction have been identified in the ignition process. This pattern of reaction is not confined to early stage only, it continues even when the parent explosive is appreciably consumed. The reaction products agree with the prominent products from slow thermal decomposition reported by earlier workers.
The Role of One-to-One Computing in the Education of at-Risk High-School Students

In recent years, there has been a movement in many districts and schools towards one-to-one laptop programs, where all students are provided with a laptop computer. This chapter summarizes the evidence base on the ways in which laptops can change traditional learning environments in K-12 schools. Subsequently, we provide examples that illustrate ways in which teachers and students use laptops to alter teaching and learning processes, transform the quality of instruction, and improve student outcomes. These examples are generated from a 3-year longitudinal investigation focusing on the design, implementation, and outcomes of a laptop initiative for students with learning disabilities in a career and technical education high school in the U.S. We analyze and discuss these examples using learning sciences principles on the design of effective learning environments.
Frequency of Complications Including Death from Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Hepatic Cirrhosis

Advanced liver disease is a risk factor for cardiac surgery. However, liver dysfunction is not included in cardiac risk assessment models. We sought to identify trends in utilization, complications, and outcomes of patients with cirrhosis who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Using the National Inpatient Sample database, we identified patients with cirrhosis who underwent CABG from 2002 to 2014. Propensity-score matching was used to identify differences in in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications in cirrhosis and noncirrhosis patients. We identified a total of 698,799 CABG admissions of which 2,231 (0.3%) had cirrhosis (mean age 63.6 ± 9.6 years, 74% men, 63% white, mean Charlson co-morbidity index 3.3 ± 1.8). Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in 71% of patients. Mean length of stay was 13.7 ± 11.4 days and hospitalization cost $67,744.6 ± 58,320.4. One or more complications occurred in 44% of cases. After propensity-score matching, patients with cirrhosis had a higher rate of complications (43.9% vs 38.93%; p < 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (7.2% vs 4.07%; p < 0.001) than noncirrhosis patients. On multivariate analysis, cirrhosis and ascites were associated with increased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 2.87; 95% confidence intervals 2.37 to 3.48) and postoperative complications (odds ratio 5.11; 95% confidence intervals 3.88 to 6.72). In conclusion, patients with cirrhosis constitute a small portion of patients who underwent CABG in the United States but have a higher rate of complications and in-hospital mortality compared with noncirrhosis patients. In-hospital mortality remains high for this subset of patients but has decreased in recent years.
Dual-process theories of memory in old age: An update

Contemporary dual-process models of memory posit two processes-recollection and familiarity-that underlie both recall and recognition (e.g., Atkinson & Juola, 1974; Jacoby, 1991; Mandler, 1980; see Diana, Reder, Arndt, & Park, 2006; Malmberg, 2008; and Yonelinas, 2002, for reviews). Particular dual-process models differ in various ways (e.g., whether they explicitly elaborate ways to deal with false memory, whether they incorporate assumptions about the architecture of memory representations, whether recollection and familiarity are viewed as independent processes, or whether recollection is treated as a discrete or a continuous variable). Nevertheless, they have much in common.
Thermophysical properties of U3Si5 to 1773 K

Abstract Possible use of U 3 Si 5 as a nuclear reactor fuel requires knowledge of its thermophysical properties as a function of temperature. While limited data is available for U–Si compounds containing higher uranium densities, no investigations of U 3 Si 5 have been presented in the literature to date. High purity U 3 Si 5 was fabricated to facilitate a set of experiments to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion, heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity from room temperature to 1773 K. Each measurement on nearly stoichiometric U 3 Si 5 showed the existence of a phase transformation at 723 K, which is not consistent with the most recently published phase diagram.
B Cells Carrying Antigen Receptors Against Microbes as Tools for Vaccine Discovery and Design

Can basic science improve the art of vaccinology? Here, we review efforts to understand immune responses with the aim to improve vaccine design and, eventually, to predict the efficacy of human vaccine candidates using the tools of transformed B cells and targeted transgenic mice carrying B cells with antigen receptors specific for microbes of interest.
Influence of diameter on the degradation profile of multiwall carbon nanotubes

Ten multiwall carbon nanotubes purchased from two companies with diameters ranging from 7 to 100 nm with tapped bulk densities from 57 to 250 kg m−3 and with similar lengths and powder sizes were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis in dynamic and isothermal mode to investigate the importance of the diameter size and tapped bulk density on the degradation behavior of carbon nanotubes. In the case where mass/heat transfer effects were eliminated, results showed that the oxidation temperature depends on diameter only at sufficiently small diameters. The number of surface defects as measured from the ID/IG ratio obtained from Raman spectroscopy was not correlated with degradation stability. The tapped bulk density, on the other hand, dominated the pattern of degradation at high enough heating rates where mass/heat transfer effects become appreciable. As found in previous work which examined nanotubes with roughly constant diameter, tapped bulk density linearly correlated with the ending oxidation temperature at sufficiently high heating rates.
A Potentially Volatile Situation.

A 28-year-old man whose relationship with his girlfriend and job both ended abruptly was found unconscious on the kitchen floor of his apartment by the landlord. He had a medical history of diabetes mellitus (type I) and multiple hospitalizations for depression and chronic alcohol abuse. EMS (emergency medical services) was called and he was transferred to the emergency department. On arrival, the following laboratory test results were obtained (Table 1). View this table: Table 1. Laboratory test results obtained on arrival. Owing to the increased osmotic gap, serum volatile alcohol analysis by head-space gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID)2 was also performed (Table 2). View this table: Table 2. Results of GC-FID. 1. What is the clinical significance of and the potential sources of …
Identifying the translational complexity of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in neonates and infants.

Little attention has been paid to relating MRS outputs of vendor‐supplied platforms to those from research software. This comparison is crucial to advance MRS as a clinical prognostic tool for disease or injury, recovery, and outcome. The work presented here investigates the agreement between metabolic ratios reported from vendor‐provided and LCModel fitting algorithms using MRS data obtained on Siemens 3 T TIM Trio and 3 T Skyra MRI scanners in a total of 55 premature infants and term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). We compared peak area ratios in single voxels placed in basal ganglia (BG) and frontal white matter (WM) using standard PRESS (TE = 30 ms and 270 ms) and STEAM (TE = 20 ms) MRS sequences at multiple times after birth from 5 to 60 days. A total of 74 scans met quality standards for inclusion, reflecting a spectrum of neonatal disease and several months of early infant development. For the long TE PRESS sequence, N‐acetylaspartate (NAA) and Choline (Cho) ratios to Creatine (Cr) correlated strongly between LCModel and vendor‐supplied software in the BG. For shorter TEs, the ratios of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr were more closely related using STEAM at TE = 20 ms in BG and WM, which was significantly better than using PRESS at TE = 30 ms in the BG of HIE infants. At short TEs, however, it is still unclear which MRS sequence, STEAM or PRESS, is superior and thus more work is required in this regard for translating research‐generated MRS ratios to clinical diagnosis and prognostication, and unlocking the potential of MRS for in vivo metabolomics. MRS at both long and short TEs is desirable for standard metabolites such as NAA, Cho and Cr, along with important lower concentration metabolites such as myo‐inositol and glutathione.
Bistable switches as integrators and actuators during cell cycle progression

Progression through the cell cycle is driven by bistable switches-specialized molecular circuits that govern transitions from one cellular state to another. Although the mechanics of bistable switches are relatively well understood, it is less clear how cells integrate multiple sources of molecular information to engage these switches. Here, we describe how bistable switches act as hubs of information processing and examine how variability, competition, and inheritance of molecular signals determine the timing of the Rb-E2F bistable switch that controls cell cycle entry. Bistable switches confer both robustness and plasticity to cell cycle progression, ensuring that cell cycle events are performed completely and in the correct order, while still allowing flexibility to cope with ongoing stress and changing environmental conditions.
Blurred boundaries between Pro-Anorexia and Fitspiration media? Diverging cognitive and emotional effects.

Social media is an emerging source of body-focused messages affecting young women. This research investigated the diverging cognitive and emotional effects of Pro-Anorexia (Pro-Ana) and Fitspiratio...