cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification and Characterization of Clostridium sordellii Toxin Gene Regulator

ABSTRACT Toxigenic Clostridium sordellii causes uncommon but highly lethal infections in humans and animals. Recently, an increased incidence of C. sordellii infections has been reported in women undergoing obstetric interventions. Pathogenic strains of C. sordellii produce numerous virulence factors, including sordellilysin, phospholipase, neuraminidase, and two large clostridial glucosylating toxins, TcsL and TcsH. Recent studies have demonstrated that TcsL toxin is an essential virulence factor for the pathogenicity of C. sordellii. In this study, we identified and characterized TcsR as the toxin gene ( tcsL ) regulator in C. sordellii. High-throughput sequencing of two C. sordellii strains revealed that tcsR lies within a genomic region that encodes TcsL, TcsH, and TcsE, a putative holin. By using ClosTron technology, we inactivated the tcsR gene in strain ATCC 9714. Toxin production and tcsL transcription were decreased in the tcsR mutant strain. However, the complemented tcsR mutant produced large amounts of toxins, similar to the parental strain. Expression of the Clostridium difficile toxin gene regulator tcdR also restored toxin production to the C. sordellii tcsR mutant, showing that these sigma factors are functionally interchangeable.
Thrombosis in the young: effect of atherosclerotic risk factors on the risk of myocardial infarction associated with prothrombotic factors

Myocardial infarction in the young provides a unique model for the investigation of potential interactions between atherosclerotic and prothrombotic risk factors. Because myocardial infarction reflects atherothrombotic disease, it is important to take into account factors related to atherosclerosis when examining prothrombotic factors as potential determinants of myocardial infarction. In Western societies, there are increases in both the prevalences of metabolic risk factors and atherosclerotic coronary disease with aging. The clinical expression of the thrombotic risk associated with heritable factors, such as factor V Leiden, as myocardial infarction appears to occur only in the presence of other risk factors, such as smoking and known metabolic risk factors related to atherosclerosis. If confirmed in other studies of factor V Leiden and with other mutations related to prothrombotic risk, these observations will likely have both etiologic and practical consequences. Finally, we suggest that efforts to determine whether a prothrombotic risk factor contributes "independently" to the risk of myocardial infarction may lead to a significant underestimation of the importance of the factor in the occurrence of myocardial infarction, particularly among clinically-important subsets of the population.
Geographic and Size-related Variation in the Diet of Insular Populations of the Northern Watersnake

I studied microgeographic and size-related variation in the diet composition of the Northern Watersnake Nerodia sipedon sipedon in the Beaver Archipelago of Lake Michigan. Snakes from Lake Michigan shoreline sites were piscivorous whereas snakes from interior sites on Beaver Island ate mostly amphibians. Sculpin (Cottus sp.) were the dominant prey of all size classes, but a gradual size-related shift in diet may be occurring in archipelago snakes. Large snakes tended to eat larger prey than small snakes and to drop the smallest prey from their diets, but overlap in prey size occurred among all size classes of snakes. The diet composition of snakes from different sites is likely a reflection of local differences in prey abundance, as found in several previous studies. The overlap in prey size and prey type among snake size classes contradicts the results of some previous studies of Nerodia sp. and merits further investigation.
Discover hidden splicing variations by mapping personal transcriptomes to personal genomes

RNA-seq has become a popular technology for studying genetic variation of pre-mRNA alternative splicing. Commonly used RNA-seq aligners rely on the consensus splice site dinucleotide motifs to map reads across splice junctions. Consequently, genomic variants that create novel splice site dinucleotides may produce splice junction RNA-seq reads that cannot be mapped to the reference genome. We developed and evaluated an approach to identify 'hidden' splicing variations in personal transcriptomes, by mapping personal RNA-seq data to personal genomes. Computational analysis and experimental validation indicate that this approach identifies personal specific splice junctions at a low false positive rate. Applying this approach to an RNA-seq data set of 75 individuals, we identified 506 personal specific splice junctions, among which 437 were novel splice junctions not documented in current human transcript annotations. 94 splice junctions had splice site SNPs associated with GWAS signals of human traits and diseases. These involve genes whose splicing variations have been implicated in diseases (such as OAS1), as well as novel associations between alternative splicing and diseases (such as ICA1). Collectively, our work demonstrates that the personal genome approach to RNA-seq read alignment enables the discovery of a large but previously unknown catalog of splicing variations in human populations.
Reader's Comments on "Practicing Medical Anthropology at a Veterans Administration Medical Center"

As an anthropologist in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the past 30 years, I read with some concern the article in the latest issue of Practicing Anthropology, "Practicing Medical Anthropology at a Veterans Administration Medical Center: An Investigation of the Health Care Experiences of WWII-Era Veterans" by Dr. Denver Lewellen (Practicing Anthropology 35[3]:44-48).
Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 with Re-Pyridyl-NHCs.

A series of Re(I) pyridyl N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have been synthesized and examined in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using a simulated solar spectrum. The catalysts were characterized through NMR, UV–vis, cyclic voltammetry under nitrogen, and cyclic voltammetry under carbon dioxide. The complexes were compared directly with a known benchmark catalyst, Re(bpy) (CO)3Br. An electron-deficient NHC substituent (PhCF3) was found to promote catalytic activity when compared with electron-neutral and -rich substituents. Re(PyNHC-PhCF3) (CO)3Br was found to exceed the CO production of the benchmark Re(bpy) (CO)3Br catalyst (51 vs 33 TON) in the presence of electron donor BIH and photosensitizer fac-Ir(ppy)3. Importantly, Re(PyNHC-PhCF3) (CO)3Br was found to function without a photosensitizer (32 TON) at substantially higher turnovers than the benchmark catalyst Re(bpy) (CO)3Br (14 TON) under a solar simulated spectrum.
Juergensmeyer and Brown's Sum and Substance Quick Review on Property, 5th Edition

The study guide offers a comprehensive look at the law of real property under our common law system. This paper includes chapters 2 and 5.
Investigating the relationship between an it project manager's emotional intelligence and the customer's perception of success

This research focuses on the intersections of Project Management, Information Technology (IT), and Emotional Intelligence. The Project Management Institute (PMI) created the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which is one of the most highly regarded and sought after professional certifications (Project Management Institute 2005, p. 15-18). This certification acknowledges the holder as a knowledgeable practitioner in Project Management. The purpose behind Project Management is to obtain requirements, sometimes fluid at best, and develop solutions that are traceable by schedule and cost controls. This approach allows a Project Manager to monitor and control the project through successful completion. However, the PMI also notes that the main aspects of the Project Manager's job are team leadership and communication. These aspects provide the art of Project Management. The Standish Group published an article noting that less than 20 percent of IT projects are successful. Some of this failure is due to the dynamic nature of IT projects. This research focuses on the question of whether or not an IT Project Manager's Emotional Intelligence influences the customer's perception of project success. In this research, ninety-two IT projects were evaluated. The evaluation included project demographics and the use of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) to assess the IT Project Manager's Emotional Quotient and the five subscales (Intra-Personal, Inter-Personal, Stress Management, Adaptability, and General Mood). A separate customer satisfaction survey was sent to the projects' customers. A total of fifty-six complete datasets were used in this research. The results showed no statistical correlation between the EQ-i scales Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Stress Management, and Adaptability scores and the customer's perception of project success. A marginal negative statistical correlation, at the 0.1 level, was discovered between an IT Project Manager's Total EQ score and the customer's perception of project success. A strong negative statistical correlation, at the 0.01 level, was discovered between the EQ-i scale General Mood and the customer's perception of project success. These findings are important to the practitioners of Project Management in the IT field because they help managers understand how customers' perceptions influence a project's success. Additional research opportunities are addressed in the final chapter.
The Day is at Hand...

In as much as the erudition and profundities of our annual meetings are adequately provided by the Founders Memorial Award Lecture, the symposia addresses, the special lectures, and the regular sessions, the presidential address now seems primarily to enjoy the comfortable status of serving as an introduction to the meetings. However, enough time is allowed for the incumbent to “get off his chest” at least one or two matters that may cause him concern. Accordingly, my intention this morning is to speak to you on a subject that is troubling me, and which, I believe, is of profound and enduring importance.
Dietary salt supplementation selectively downregulates NPR-C receptor expression in kidney independently of ANP.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has negative modulatory effects on a variety of pathophysiological mechanisms; i.e., it inhibits hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling ...
Locating POPs Sources with Tree Bark.

Locating sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to the atmosphere can sometimes be difficult. We suggest that tree bark makes an excellent passive atmospheric sampler and that spatial anal...
Survey of synthetic colors,preservatives in fresh milk tea in Xihu

Objective:To know using of artificial color,aseptic content in fresh milk tea in Hangzhou West Lake district by detection and analysis.Methods:To examine and analyze by National standard method.Results:The artificial color detected rate of 30 sample is 73.3%(22/30),and the preservatives detected rate of 30 sample is 53.3%(16/30),all of the detected of artificial color is from 24 fruit milk tea,and artificial color,aseptic is undetected in ceylon milk tea.Conclusion:The fresh milk tea is not yet appropriate health standards.The detected rate of synthetic colors,preservatives was higher by additive major human factors,should establish health standards for classification of tea beverages,for the development of quasi-administrative licensing into the conditions,standards provide a scientific basis,and fruit tea in the use of synthetic pigment superimposed serious,advised consumers to reduce consumption of flavored milk beverages.
Children's Expression of Emotional Meaning in Music Through Expressive Body Movement

Recent research has demonstrated that preschool children can decode emotional meaning in expressive body movement; however, to date, no research has considered preschool children's ability to encode emotional meaning in this media. The current study investigated 4- (N = 23) and 5- (N = 24) year-old children's ability to encode the emotional meaning of an accompanying music segment by moving a teddy bear using previously modeled expressive movements to indicate one of four target emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, or fear). Adult judges visually categorized the silent videotaped expressive movement performances by children of both ages with greater than chance level accuracy. In addition, accuracy in categorizing the emotion being expressed varied as a function of age of child and emotion. A subsequent cue analysis revealed that children as young as 4 years old were systematically varying their expressive movements with respect to force, rotation, shifts in movement pattern, tempo, and upward movement in the process of emotional communication. The theoretical significance of such encoding ability is discussed with respect to children's nonverbal skills and the communication of emotion.
Modes of action of low-dose cabazitaxel in combination with the antiangiogenic and antitumoral pigment epithelium-derived factor in prostate cancer.

275Background: Despite the approval of several new agents, taxanes remain the main alternative treatment for castration-refractory metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC). In a previous work, we have demonstrated that cabazitaxel is more efficient in a low-dose setting than docetaxel in inhibiting the proliferation and inducing apoptosis of CRPC cells in vitro, and delaying tumor growth in vivo. In the present study, we have investigated the efficacy of low-dose cabazitaxel when combined with the anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoral Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor (PEDF). Methods: CRPC CL1 cells (LNCaP-derivative) that express PEDF or control plasmid were used. Tumor cells were injected s.c. into C.B.17-SCID mice. After two weeks, mice were randomized into groups: 1) Placebo; 2) Docetaxel: 5mg/kg i.p. d4; and 3) Cabazitazel 5-1-0.5-0.1mg/kg i.p. d4, d1-7, d2, and daily. To investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-tumor effect of the combined treatment, tumor cell migration was measured using the...
Transgenic approaches to reintegration.

See article by Willems et al. [1] (pages 79–87) in this issue. The goal of physiology has always been to understand how organisms function. In a far-reaching field that encompasses aspects of biology, chemistry, and physics, the three mainstays of the physical sciences, terms such as homeostasis, or Claude Bernard's concept of the ‘milieu interior,’ have often been used to define the balance amongst many diverse processes that yield the net outcome determining health or disease, life or death. In our drive to understand these processes, we have taken a reductionist approach to increasingly smaller and more detailed avenues of inquiry. These avenues have led to fantastic discoveries and the development of entire disciplines, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and most recently (or, in the mind of some, a return to) metabolomics. Investigations in these realms have increased our understanding of the detailed components that comprise physiological processes, and undoubtedly will continue to … * Tel.: +1 215 596 8919; fax: +1 215 596 7443. Email address: w.law{at}usip.edu
Molecular Symmetry—Part I: Point Group Assignment

This chapter introduces molecular symmetry terminology which provides a methodical scheme for understanding symmetry point groups through an examination of the molecular geometry. Molecular symmetry is an important tool for understanding the structural aspects of molecules and their behavior. It is relevant to many areas of science including, but not limited to, quantum chemistry, force field analysis, and spectroscopy. Even though the notations related to molecular symmetry are typically not complicated, their application often requires the use of an extensive mathematics-based understanding known as “point group”. This chapter offers beginners the tools for dealing with diverse facets of this theory. It also provides examples of the application of this theory to specific molecules. The key areas covered include symmetry elements, symmetry operations, group properties, operation matrices, molecular structure, point groups, deduction of symmetry, and construction of symmetrical structures.
Social Media, Digital Technology, and Education: Personalized Learning and Questions of Autonomy, Authority, and Public/Community

In this chapter I foreground three key philosophical concepts that are of renewed interest in new (technology-enabled) schooling spaces: autonomy, authority, and the notion of a public or community. In order to give concrete examples of how these philosophical questions play out, I use personalized learning (PL) as an example where digital technology and social media have changed the ideologies, policies, and practices of education. I draw attention to the ways that autonomy, authority, and public/community emerge within PL contexts. I begin the chapter by defining PL and describing three key components of PL: data-driven instruction, student agency, and the use of social media sites (SMS) to create social connections. I then flesh out some of the questions that a philosophical orientation opens regarding autonomy, authority, and community in PL contexts.
Systems with Large Modeling Uncertainty

This chapter is devoted to control problems for uncertain systems. Modeling uncertainty is typically divided into structured uncertainty (unknown parameters ranging over a known set) and unstructured uncertainty (un-modeled dynamics). When we say that the uncertainty is “large,” we usually refer to the structured uncertainty. Informally, this means that the parametric uncertainty set is so large that robust control design tools are inapplicable and thus an adaptive control approach is required. It is probably impossible to formally distinguish between an adaptive control law and a nonadaptive dynamic control law. However, one can in principle draw such a distinction if one knows how the control law in question was designed. To this end, the following circular “definition” is sometimes given: a control law is adaptive if it involves adaptation.
A Comparison of Methods for Risk Assessment of Dams

Risk-based procedures for assessing appropriate safety levels for new and existing dams have been proposed for use in planning and design of dams and screening of unsafe dams. The risk assessment framework and its application to dams is presented. Approaches for estimating the various types of probabilities and consequences needed to perform a comprehensive dam risk assessment are described. Several methods for planning, screening, and design level risk assessment are summarized and compared. The lecture closes with a discussion of the advantages of, commonly stated objections to, and some unresolved issues related to, risk assessment of dams.
Use of a simulator and an assembler in teaching input-output processing and interrupt handling

A simulator and an assembler for a basic computer was developed and used in our Computer Systems course. It is a complete system with an input register, an output register, an input flag, an output flag, and an interrupt facility that can be triggered by the I/O flags. Therefore, input/output can be processed in two ways: checking the I/O flags repeatedly or using the interrupt facility. In this paper, brief information about the basic computer, the simulator, and the assembler are presented. Our experience in using them in teaching input-output processing, and benefits gained from using them are discussed.
Ventricular arrhythmia after cardiac surgery: incidence, predictors, and outcomes.

Objectives This study sought to investigate the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of patients with post-operative ventricular arrhythmia (POVA) in a large cohort of patients. Background New-onset POVA after cardiac surgery (CS) is uncommon and has controversial prognostic value. Methods A total of 14,720 consecutive patients undergoing CS at Emory University between January 2004 and July 2010 were included in the study. Data on all-cause mortality were obtained from Social Security Administration death records. Multivariable regression models were constructed to determine the risk factors for POVA and to estimate the independent impact of POVA on long-term survival after adjusting for 40 different covariates. Results POVA occurred in 248 patients (1.7%). Patients with POVA were older (63.5 vs. 61.6 years), had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (43.7 vs. 51.3), and had greater comorbidities (Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk score of 7.2% vs. 3.1%, p Conclusions POVA is associated with increased long-term mortality after CS. Older age, PVD, lower EF, and emergent surgery are associated with a higher risk of POVA, whereas off-pump surgery seems to be protective.
Sexual minority children: Mood disorders and suicidality disparities

Abstract Background Sexual minority (gay, lesbian, and bisexual) individuals experience elevated mood disorders and suicidality compared to their heterosexual counterparts. However, to date, these sexual orientation disparities have yet to be examined among middle childhood-aged participants. Methods Data were employed from the baseline wave of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a U.S. representative sample. Population-level weighting was utilized, resulting in an analytic sample of N = 8,204,013 (nunweighted = 4519) children between the ages of 9 and 10 years: with 70,952 (nunweighted = 43) identifying as sexual minories (0.9% of the population). Structured clinical interviews were used to assess mood disorders (i.e., depressive and bipolar disorders) and suicidality. Sexual orientation (sexual minority vs. heterosexual) was examined as the focal independent variable. Results The overall prevalence of mood disorders was 7.1%. Sexual minority children (22.5%) possessed a higher rate than heterosexual children (6.9%). The overall prevalence of suicidality was 4.8%; sexual minority children (19.1%) possessed a higher rate than heterosexual children (4.6%). Limitations Sexual orientation assessment did not include attraction, and thus, results may represent a lower bound estimate of sexual minorities. Conclusions Sexual orientation disparities in mood disorders and suicidality appear to develop as early as middle childhood. Clinicians are encouraged to assess sexual orientation among children as young as 9–10 years old, and provide appropriate normalization of sexual orientation, and referrals for mental health treatment, as indicated.
Giraff Meets KOaLa to Better Reason on Sensor Networks

Recent technological advancements in Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical systems are fostering the diffusion of smart environments relying on sensor networks. Indeed, large and heterogeneous amount of data can be provided by sensors deployed in user environments providing valuable knowledge to address different user needs and enabling more effective and reliable solutions as well as ensuring personalization and dynamic adaptation. This paper presents a recent research initiative whose aim is to realize autonomous and socially interacting robots by integrating sensor data representation and knowledge reasoning with decision making functionalities within a cognitive control architecture, called Knowledge-based cOntinuous Loop (KOaLa).
Abstract 109: Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Health Care Visits Among Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Ambulatory health care visits (HCVs) have substantial impact on heart failure (HF) outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that the number of HCVs vary by race, insurance status and other so...
Context-Based Visual Aids to Support the Situation Awareness of Field Engineers Conducting Windstorm Risk Surveys:

Insurance loss prevention survey, specifically windstorm risk inspection survey is the process of investigating potential damages associated with a building or structure in the event of an extreme ...
School-Based Accommodations and Supports for Anxious Youth: Benchmarking Reported Practices Against Expert Perspectives

Objective: Although research has examined negatively reinforcing patterns of parental accommodation of youth anxiety, limited research considers school staff-led accommodations for students with anxiety. Further, the extent to which patterns of school staff-led accommodations/supports for anxiety align with anxiety expert perspectives remains unclear.Method: School staff across elementary, middle, and high schools who identified anxiety as their top student concern (N = 134) were surveyed about their use of 23 anxiety-focused accommodations/supports, as well as their own mental health literacy and emotional exhaustion. A youth anxiety expert panel (N = 28) independently rated the extent to which each of the 23 school-based accommodations/supports could (1) promote youth avoidance of anxiety, and (2) promote youth approach toward anxiety-provoking situations/experiences.Results: School staff reported using a broad range of accommodations/supports to address student anxiety, but these accommodations were mixed in alignment with anxiety expert perspectives. Although the two most commonly endorsed school-based accommodations/supports were rated by the expert panel as highly approach-oriented, 92.5% of school staff reported using at least one accommodation or support rated by the expert panel as highly avoidance-oriented. Higher emotional exhaustion among school staff predicted greater use of avoidance-oriented supports whereas higher mental health literacy predicted greater use of approach-oriented supports.Conclusions: Strategies may be needed to reduce the use of avoidance-oriented accommodations/supports with anxious students in school settings. In addition to promoting school staff awareness of expert perspectives on anxiety-focused accommodations/supports, efforts to curb staff burnout may have indirect effects on the quality of anxiety-focused accommodations and supports in school settings.
Tetanus Toxin cis-Loop Contributes to Light-Chain Translocation.

ABSTRACT The clostridial neurotoxins (CNTs) comprise tetanus toxin (TT) and botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT [BT]) serotypes (A to G and X) and several recently identified CNT-like proteins, including BT/En and the mosquito BoNT-like toxin Pmp1. CNTs are produced as single proteins cleaved to a light chain (LC) and a heavy chain (HC) connected by an interchain disulfide bond. LC is a zinc metalloprotease (cleaving soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors [SNAREs]), while HC contains an N-terminal translocation domain (HCN) and a C-terminal receptor binding domain (HCC). HCN-mediated LC translocation is the least understood function of CNT action. Here, β-lactamase (βlac) was used as a reporter in discovery-based live-cell assays to characterize TT-mediated LC translocation. Directed mutagenesis identified a role for a charged loop (767DKE769) connecting α15 and α16 (cis-loop) within HCN in LC translocation; aliphatic substitution inhibited LC translocation but not other toxin functions such as cell binding, intracellular trafficking, or HCN-mediated pore formation. K768 was conserved among the CNTs. In molecular simulations of the HCN with a membrane, the cis-loop did not bind with the cell membrane. Taken together, the results of these studies implicate the cis-loop in LC translocation, independently of pore formation. IMPORTANCE How protein toxins translocate their catalytic domain across a cell membrane is the least understood step in toxin action. This study utilized a reporter, β-lactamase, that was genetically fused to full-length, nontoxic tetanus toxin (βlac-TT) in discovery-based live-cell assays to study LC translocation. Directed mutagenesis identified a role for K768 in LC translocation. K768 was located between α15 and α16 (termed the cis-loop). Cellular assays showed that K768 did not interfere with other toxin functions, including cell binding, intracellular trafficking, and pore formation. The equivalent K768 is conserved among the clostridial neurotoxin family of proteins as a conserved structural motif. The cis-loop appears to contribute to LC translocation.
Past Gaming Experience and Cognition as Selective Predictors of Novel Game Learning Across Different Gaming Genres

Past experience with video games and cognitive abilities have been hypothesized to independently facilitate a greater ability to learn new video games and other complex tasks. The present study was conducted to examine this "learning to learn" hypothesis. We examined the predictive effects of gaming habits (e.g., self-identification as a "gamer," hours spent gaming per week, weekly gaming frequency, relative preference for strategy over action games) and cognitive abilities (short-term memory, working memory, and processing speed) on learning of two novel video games in 107 participants (aged 18-77 years). One video game was from the action genre, and the other was from the strategy genre. Hours spent gaming per week and working memory were found to specifically predict learning of the novel strategy video game, after controlling for the effects of age, gender, and action game learning. In contrast, self-identification as a "gamer" was the only specific significant predictor of action game learning, after controlling for the effects of age, gender, and strategy game learning. Age of the participant negatively impacted learning of both games; however, the pattern of the predictive relationships on both action and strategy game learning was not moderated by age. Importantly, a preference for the action versus the strategy game genre had no differential effects on learning of the two novel games, nor were there any gender differences in identification as a gamer or genre preference. Findings from this study suggest that while past gaming experience and cognition do appear to influence the learning of novel video games, these effects are selective to the game genre studied and are not as broad as the "learning to learn" model suggests.
Diagnosis and management of systemic light chain AL amyloidosis

AL amyloidosis is a plasma cell disorder leading to the production and extracellular deposition of abnormal immunoglobulin light chains called amyloid. The pathogenesis of the disorder is driven by an abnormal plasma cell clone producing excessive monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains that undergo deposition in various organs of the body such as the heart, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. The outcome of the disease remains poor with significant morbidity and mortality associated with organ dysfunction. In this review, we describe the current standard diagnostic features, prognosis, and current treatment paradigm of the disease.
Factors Associated With Short Length of Stay After Long Fusions for Adult Spinal Deformity: Initial Steps Toward Developing an Enhanced Recovery Pathway:

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:The identification of case types and institutional factors associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) is a key initial step to inform the creati...
The "Double Washer" Technique Is an Effective Strategy for Bicortical Fixation in Periprosthetic Fractures About a Femoral Stem: A Technical Trick and Case Series.

SUMMARY Periprosthetic fractures about the hip and knee are challenging injuries to treat for the orthopaedic surgeon. The pre-existing femoral implant and poor bone quality provide for difficulties in achieving stable fixation. We present a surgical technique and clinical series of 5 patients describing the use and outcomes of a 3.5 screw with a "double washer" technique to achieve bicortical fixation around a femoral prosthesis.
Questions on Color-Critical Subgraphs

In our work, we define a k-tuple of positive integers $$(x_1, \ldots , x_k)$$ to be a $$\chi $$ -sequence if there exists a k-chromatic graph G such that for each $$i \in \{1, \ldots , k\}$$ , the order of a minimum i-chromatic subgraph of G is equal to $$x_i$$ . Denote by $$\mathcal {X}_k$$ the set of all $$\chi $$ -sequences of length k. A very difficult question is to determine, for a given $$(x_1, \ldots , x_k) \in \mathcal {X}_k$$ , the set of all integers y such that $$(x_1, \ldots , x_k, y) \in \mathcal {X}_{k+1}$$ . We propose a few variants of this question and elaborate upon a number of partial results along the way.
Free resolutions of fat point ideals onP2

Minimal free resolutions for homogeneous ideals corresponding to certain 0-dimensional subschemes ofP2 defined by sheaves of complete ideals are determined implicitly. All work is over an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic.
Dunn, Steve R., Battle in the Baltic: The Royal Navy and the Fight to Save Estonia & Latvia 1918–1920: Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 320 pp., $38.95, ISBN 978-1-5267-4273-5, Publication Date: February 2020

Although the guns did go silent on the Western Front in World War I with the armistice of November 11, 1918, peace did not come in the East. The collapse of imperial Germany and tsarist Russia open...
Non-dissecting large thoracic aortic aneurysm leading to chronic aortic insufficiency presenting as acute heart failure.

Large, non-dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) up to 13 cm in size are typically found in elderly patients with non-specific respiratory symptoms yet must be detected quickly due to their mortality risk. We present a 31-year-old man with exertional dyspnea secondary to aortic insufficiency from a 9.4 cm TAA.
Upper-Airway Emergencies

Acute upper-airway emergencies develop from mechanical obstruction of the airway which, if not reversed, leads to asphyxiation. The signs and symptoms of the obstruction are relative to the amount of the obstruction and the speed at which it occurs. Obstruction is caused by a wide variety of disorders, which have in common a local mechanical effect causing the symptoms of obstruction, but may, in addition, have other systemic effects that are more specific for the diagnosis.
CBF: A New Framework for Object Categorization in Cortex

Building on our recent hierarchical model of object recognition in cortex, we show how this model can be extended in a straightforward fashion to perform basic-level object categorization. We demonstrate the capability of our scheme, called "Categorical Basis Functions" (CBF) with the example domain of cat/dog categorization, using stimuli generated with a novel 3D morphing system.We also contrast CBF to other schemes for object categorization in cortex, and present preliminary results from a physiology experiment that support CBF.
Emotion in Organizations: A Review and Theoretical Integration in Stages

Emotion has become one of the most popular - and popularized - areas within organizational scholarship. This chapter attempts to review and bring together within a single framework the wide and often disjointed literature on emotion in organizations. The integrated framework includes processes detailed by previous theorists who have defined emotion as a sequence that unfolds chronologically. The emotion process begins with a focal individual who is exposed to an eliciting stimulus, registers the stimulus for its meaning, and experiences a feeling state and physiological changes, with downstream consequences for attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions, as well as facial expressions and other emotionally expressive cues. These downstream consequences can result in externally visible behaviors and cues that become, in turn, eliciting stimuli for interaction partners. For each stage of the emotion process there are distinct emotion regulation processes, that incorporate individual differences and group norms and that can become automatic with practice. Although research often examines these stages in relative isolation from each other, I argue that each matters largely due to its interconnectedness with the other stages. Incorporating intra-individual, individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels of analysis, this framework can be a starting point to situate, theorize and test explicit mechanisms for the influence of emotion on organizational life.
Small-sample blood culture method for identification of bacteria in central arterial and peripheral blood.

Abstract A blood culture technique that utilized small arterial blood samples or peripheral capillary blood was tested in beagle dogs and pig-tailed macaque monkeys. A bolus of 2.0 × 107 Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) was injected intravenously into five animals of each species. Blood samples were taken before injection of the organisms and 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, and 120 min after injection. Arterial blood samples (2.0 and 0.2 ml) and peripheral capillary samples (0.14 ml) were taken at each sampling time. Pour plates were prepared from arterial blood for colony counts. All three blood sampling methods were equally effective in detecting sepsis when 10 or more organisms per ml of blood were present. Below this level, the 2.0-ml sample was more effective. Contamination of the peripheral sample with air or skin contaminants was a problem.
Comparative Antigenicity and Immunogenicity of A/USSR/77 Influenza Vaccines in Normal and Primed Mice

In response to the threat of wide-spread epidemics of influenza in the United States due to the A/USSR/77 strain of virus, vaccines containing A/USSR/77 virus were prepared by four manufacturers. The vaccines were standardized by immunological measurements of viral hemagglutinin and were tested for their ability to induce serum hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies in mice and to protect the animals against challenge infection with A/USSR/77 virus. Whole-virus and subunit virus vaccines were found to be equally efficacious, in contrast to our previous findings with vaccines prepared from other influenza virus strains. The effect of priming animals by infection with representative viruses of earlier eras on their response to A/USSR/77 vaccines was also studied. Enhanced responses were noted to both subunit and whole-virus A/USSR/77 vaccines in animals primed with viruses prevalent before 1957; higher antibody titers were induced with the subunit vaccine. A high degree of heterologous protection to A/USSR/77 challenge infection was found in mice primed with virus strains having hemagglutinin antigens unlike those of A/USSR/77 virus. Comparison of the responses of mice with those of humans inoculated with the same vaccines showed a similarity in many instances, with higher responses in those individuals primed with H0N1 and H1N1 viruses than in younger vaccinees.
Testing the necessity of transient spikes in the storm time ring current drivers

[1] Inner magnetospheric numerical simulations of the 17 April 2002 storm are conducted to explore the importance of transient spikes in the driving parameters at controlling the strength of the storm time ring current. The two main factors considered in this study are convection electric field strength and nightside plasma boundary condition. These quantities were smoothed and/or despiked across intervals of 20–180 min. It is found that the spikes contribute linearly to the ring current total energy content. Exceptions to this finding include too much resulting ring current after despiking or smoothing (relative to a linear response). This indicates that at best the relationship is linear and, if the timing of transient spikes in one driving parameter is not coincident with high values in the other main driving parameter, then the response is sublinear (that is, the transient spikes could be less effective than long-time duration increases in the input parameters).
Relative Feeding and Development of Armyworm on Switchgrass and Corn, and Its Potential Effects on Switchgrass Grown for Biomass

ABSTRACT To help assess the potential for damage by armyworms [Mythimna (Pseudaletia) unipuncta (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)] to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and surrounding crops, survival and development were evaluated for larvae reared on leaves of switchgrass, corn (Zea mays L.), and miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef and Deuter ex Hodkinson and Renvoize). Additional tests assessed the relationship between leaf position and the concentration of saponins (plant compounds which can provide protection from insect herbivores) and examined the effect of defoliation on switchgrass dry mass. Survival to adulthood was similar when larvae were reared on field-grown leaves of switchgrass and corn. However, lower larval mass (10 d) and delayed development of M. unipuncta (to pupation, adult emergence) suggest switchgrass is an inferior host relative to corn. When fed field-grown miscanthus, no larvae survived 10 d. Few differences were noted between switchgrass and corn grown under controlled (l...
A numerical study of chaos in the one-dimensional ϕ4 model

We present the results of a preliminary numerical study of a high dimensional periodic lattice version of classical 4 theory. Using as a simple diagnostic for chaotic behaviour the rate of separation of neighbouring trajectories in phase space, we examine the existence of a stochasticity threshold that may vary with energy, initial conditions, lattice size, and the potential (single vs. double well). For an initial static gaussian, we find that the separation distance D(t) grows linearly for low energies and short times, corresponding to typical integrable behaviour, while log D(t) grows linearly for high energies, corresponding to chaotic behaviour. For moderate energies, we find that there can be a sudden onset of chaotic behaviour after long times. In the strongly chaotic cases, "saturation" is generally observed; i.e., log D reaches a maximum value at some t value and remains constant thereafter.
Convective heat transfer in a liquid saturated porous layer

The convective heat transfer in fluid-saturated porous beds either heated from below or heated by distributed sources is investigated for several bed thicknesses and permeabilities. For the case of heating from below, Rayleigh numbers range from about 10 to 10,000. For distributed heat sources, Rayleigh numbers range from about 10 to 1,000. Critical Rayleigh numbers for the onset of convection are estimated as 38 for heating from below and 31.8 for distributed heat sources. Heat transfer results for convection induced by heating from below are in good agreement with analytical upper bound estimates obtained by Gupta and Joseph. (12 refs.)
The effects of atomic rubidium vapor on the performance of optical windows in Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs)

Abstract Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs) suffers from damage to its optical windows due to atomic alkali exposure. DPALs are of great interest since they can combine multiple lasers to achieve higher laser output power, scalable to megawatts, with very high quantum efficiency. However before scaling to higher laser output beam power, damage to the optical windows from atomic alkali exposure in the gain medium has to be addressed. A DPAL emulator chamber was constructed for the purpose of evaluating different optical windows in a representative hot alkali rich environment typical of a DPAL gain cell. Sample optical windows of fused silica, alumina, magnesium fluoride and calcium fluoride were exposed in the DPAL emulator in order to qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate and assess the damaging effects of the atomic rubidium vapor on the optical windows. Methodologies to examine the damage were developed for comparing exposed and unexposed optical windows. We found that damage to the optical windows due to the atomic rubidium can be quantified by means of changes in laser energy transmission through the optical window after rubidium exposure.
Planning for Coordination and Coordination for Planning

Except in very controlled or fortuitous circumstances, good coordination between agents does not spontaneously occur. In general, agents need to plan for coordination, anticipating how their activities can affect each other and choosing actions that dovetail well together to achieve their separate and common goals. Of course, this is easier said than done, since the potential space of agents' action and interaction sequences to consider is intractable. I discuss some technologies that make it practical to plan for good coordination by exploiting algorithmic, representational, and problem-specific structure. Furthermore, when conducted by the involved agents, the processes for planning coordination need to be coordinated themselves. Toward this end, I also outline meta-level strategies for coordinating the agents' planning processes.
Explaining the Recent Employment Gap between Black and White Women

Abstract This paper examines the reversal in the black / white employment gap in weeks worked per year from 1975 to 1990 among women, focusing on the 1990 gap in which white women work more weeks per year than black women. Regression decompositions reveal that black women's lower levels of education and their steeper returns to education explain a sizeable portion of their 1990 employoment gap with white women. In addition, black women's greater likelihood of being never married with children explains over half of their employment gap with white women in 1990. The spatial-mismatch hypothesis receives limited support, and state welfare payment levels do not explain the black / white employment gap among women in 1990. I conclude with public policy implications of this research.
Localization and expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage and P450 17-α-hydroxylase/C17-20 lyase in developing swine follicles: in situ molecular hybridization and immunocytochemical studies.

Abstract The present study utilizes in situ molecular hybridization and immunocytochemistry to investigate the follicular localization and expression of four thematically related sterol-metabolizing genes; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage (CYP11A) enzyme, and cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/C 17–20 lyase (CYP17). To this end, semiquantitative analyses were applied to individual nonatretic follicles ( N =54) harvested from cycling gilts slaughtered on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 ( N =3 per day) following withdrawal of the progesterone agonist, altrenogest. In situ and immunocytochemical signal intensities were assigned numerical values of 0–3 corresponding to the degree of expression of each mRNA and its corresponding protein. LDL receptor mRNA and protein content was undectable in theca and granulosa cells on days 1, 3, and 5, and then increased to low levels in theca cells on day 7. StAR message rose progressively in theca cells with follicular maturation, reaching a maximum on day 5, and then declining slightly on day 7 after the LH surge. In granulosa cells, small amounts of StAR mRNA and protein were detected on days 5 and 7. The amounts of CYP11A mRNA and protein were high in theca cells, and increased at each time point studied. Granulosa cells exhibited minimal CYP11A message on days 3, 5, and 7, while protein became detectable at low levels on day 7 only. Expression of CYP17 was localized exclusively in theca cells with protein and message content increasing unidirectionally to maxima on days 5 (RNA) and 7 (protein), respectively. Follicular fluid concentrations of androstenedione, and progesterone in contralateral ovaries correlated strongly and positively with accumulation of CYP17, and CYP11A proteins. In summary, these analyses demonstrate that preovulatory follicular development proceeds with the coordinate induction of pivotal genes and proteins that mediate the selective uptake, delivery and utilization of sterol substrate in granulosa and theca-cell steroidogenesis.
A natural ribozyme with 3′,5′ RNA ligase activity

Using electrophoresis, sequencing and enzymatic digestion, we show that the group I intron from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 catalyzes phosphodiester bond formation using a triphosphate on the 5′-terminal nucleotide, much like protein polymerases and engineered ribozymes. In the process, this ribozyme forms a unique circular RNA that incorporates the exogenous guanosine cofactor added during self-splicing. This finding may have relevance to a prebiotic RNA world and to modern biology.