cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacotherapeutic modulation of the endocannabinoid signalling system in psychiatric disorders: Drug-discovery strategies

Medicinal chemistry has produced small-molecule agents with drug-like character that potently and safely modulate the activity of discrete endocannabinoid system components as potential treatments for medical disorders, including various psychiatric conditions. Two cannabinoid (CB) receptors (CB1 and CB2) currently represent prime endocannabinoid-system therapeutic targets for ligands that either mimic endocannabinoid signalling processes and/or potentiate endocannabinoid-system activity (agonists) or attenuate pathologically heightened endocannabinoid-system transmission (antagonists). Two endocannabinoid deactivating enzymes, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and soluble monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), are increasingly prominent targets for inhibitors that indirectly potentiate endocannabinoid-system signalling. Continued profiling of drug candidates in relevant disease models, identification of additional cannabinoid-related therapeutic targets, and validation of new pharmacological modes of endocannabi...
An Examination of the Relationship between Corporate Spatial Organization, Restructuring, and External Contracting of Producer Services within a Metropolitan Region

Urban analysts contend that a key process underlying the extensive growth of producer services industries in U.S. metropolitan areas is the external contracting of producer services functions by corporations. This practice has been linked to changes in the geographic scope of corporate activity and to corporate restructuring. Using data collected from a sample of headquarters of service sector firms located in the northeast region of Ohio, the relationship between indicators of the geographic scope of corporate activity, corporate restructuring, and external contracting of producer services is examined. Reliance on international markets by corporate headquarters was found to be most extensively related to their use of external contracting for producer services.
Thermodynamic properties of polar gases in the dilute phase

A procedure is proposed, based in part on theory and in part on experimental data, for predicting the effect of polarity on the thermodynamic properties of polar, organic gases in the dilute phase. This correlation was used to predict compressibility factors Z, and the change of enthalpy with pressure, in the vapor phase. By use of this correlation the computed compressibilities indicated an average absolute deviation of 1.0% from available experimental data, which includes reduced pressures up to 0.9 and temperatures to 1.0. Similar comparisons were made for the effect of pressure on enthalpy.
Amine derivatives of cyanuric chloride. II. amino esters.

Abstract Cyanuric chloride has been condensed with glycine and 0-alanine esters to give a series of amino ester derivatives of the s-triazine ring. 2,4,6-Tris-(carbethoxyalkyl) derivatives could not be formed in aqueous media, nor could condensation with urethan be effected. Biological activities of these and other triazines are described.
Closed-form expressions for the design of microstrip lines with two substrate layers

A simple closed-form expression for the effective dielectric constant of a microstrip on a two-layer substrate is presented. Results for single-layer cases are incorporated in the formula to simplify it and increase the accuracy. The formula is curve-fitted from results computed with the spectral domain approach and is accurate to within 3% relative error over a wide range of parameters. >
Reduction of BiP Levels Decreases Heterologous Protein Secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Increased levels of the endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein folding chaperone BiP would be expected to either increase protein secretory capacity by improved solubilization of folding precursors or decrease secretory capacity by binding and retaining misfolded proteins. To address this question, the relationship between BiP levels and heterologous secretion in yeast was determined. A yeast strain was constructed in which BiP expression is tunable from 5 to 250% of wild-type levels, and this strain was used to explore the effect of varying BiP level on overall secretion of three heterologous proteins: human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, Schizosaccharomyces pombe acid phosphatase, and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. For all three proteins examined, reduction in BiP expression below wild-type level diminished overall secretion, whereas 5-fold BiP overexpression from a constitutive glycolytic promoter did not substantially increase or decrease secretion titers. These results are consistent with a positive role for BiP in promoting membrane translocation and solubilization of folding precursors but are inconsistent with a negative role in proofreading and improper retention of heterologous secreted proteins.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in Children and Young Adults

Abstract Objectives Thoracic outlet syndrome has been well described in the population between 25 and 40 years of age, and is less frequently reported in those in the first two decades of life. The objective of this study was to review results with onset of TOS in the first two decades of life to determine type of presentation and outcomes from surgical intervention. Methods and materials Charts of all patients in the first two decades of life, operated on for TOS between 1994 and 2006 were reviewed with follow-up by clinic visit and phone survey to assess the patients' current level of activity and relief from symptoms. Results Twelve patients were identified (13 operations), with a mean age of 16.8 years. Acute ischemic symptoms were the initial presentation for 38%, venous TOS in 24%, and neurogenic symptoms in 38%. All patients had symptom relief with surgery with a mean time to resolution of 10.9 weeks. All patients remained symptom free or improved at follow-up. Conclusions Vascular TOS is much more common in TOS presenting in the first two decades of life. Surgical intervention for TOS in this population results in long-lasting symptom relief and should be considered for all subtypes of patients.
Recursively indefinite databases

We define recursively indefinite databases, a new type of logical database in which indefinite information arises from partial knowledge of the fixpoint of a datalog program. Although, in general, query answering is undecidable, there exists a broad class of queries for which it is decidable, a result we establish by making connections with the theory of hypergraph edge replacement graph grammars. We analyze the complexity of query answering for this class of queries under various constraints and demonstrate a class of databases which generalizes disjunctive databases, but without increasing data complexity.
UV Absorption Hygrometer for Fast-Response Airborne Water Vapor Measurements

AbstractA next-generation vacuum-ultraviolet (Lyman-alpha) absorption hygrometer for high-rate research aircraft humidity measurements designed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research is described. It retains the high data rate, optical and mechanical simplicity, and low maintenance of previous Lyman-alpha hygrometers, while incorporating modern electronics and rugged, long-lived commercially available lamps and detectors. The mass of the sensing head is 2.0 kg in a volume of 3700 cm3, while the power supply is 1.3 kg mass in a volume of 1100 cm3. Power draw is 0.2 A at 120 V alternating current (AC). In bench and aircraft flight testing the prototype shows a bandwidth of 35 Hz and mixing ratio noise of ±0.5% over a water vapor mixing ratio range of 2–15 g kg−1. This range can be scaled to lower mixing ratios by increasing the pathlength. This performance enables measurements of water vapor concentration with high spatial resolution from research aircraft. The prototype instrument has flown over 3...
Design and fabrication of tunable MSM PD for analog optical links

An integrated tunable MSM PD based on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) that is fabricated on Si and InP. Tuning is achieved by thermally controlling the bandgap of the semiconductor using a Nickel Chromium (NiCr) microheater.
A Framework for Application: Three Concrete, Scalable Strategies to Accelerate Sustainability

This Chapter identifies some, but not all, concrete, scalable strategies that are embedded in the term “sustainability.” It looks across existing broadly-worded definitions of sustainability to extract themes that can provide practical advice, regardless of context, to facilitate a move beyond definitions toward application. The Chapter begins by recognizing that the existing definitions of sustainability are highly generalized, making their application to a specific context difficult. The Chapter continues by exploring how existing definitions can be made more useful to policymakers (public and private) and can help facilitate the implementation of sustainability initiatives to meet the climate change challenge. It explores three themes inherent in highly generalized definitions of sustainability that may provide useful guidance in achieving sustainability in a variety of contexts: i) integration of an ecosystem management approach to public and private governance, ii) implementation and identification of baselines and metrics, and iii) collaboration as a means of overcoming institutional obstacles. The focus is primarily on whether these themes can be translated into understandable principles that bridge the gap between a highly conceptual and, at times, theoretical concept, “sustainability,” and the need for applying it to real world solutions.
Is SEEG safe? A systematic review and meta-analysis of stereo-electroencephalography–related complications

SummaryObjective Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) is a procedure performed for patients with intractable epilepsy in order to anatomically define the epileptogenic zone (EZ) and the possible related functional cortical areas. By avoiding the need for large craniotomies and due to its intrinsic precision placement features, SEEG may be associated with fewer complications. Nevertheless, intracerebral electrodes have gained a reputation of excessive invasiveness, with a “relatively high morbidity” associated with their placement. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of SEEG complications has not been previously performed. The goal of this study is to quantitatively review the incidence of various surgical complications associated with SEEG electrode implantation in the literature and to provide a summary estimate. This will allow physicians to accurately counsel their patients about the potential complications related to this method of extraoperative invasive monitoring. Methods The systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We conducted MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science database searches with the search algorithm. We analyzed complication rates using a fixed-effects model with inverse variance weighting. Calculations for the meta-analysis and construction of forest plots were completed using an established spreadsheet. The principal summary measures were the effect summary value and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The initial 1,901 retrieved citations were reviewed. After removing 787 duplicates, the titles and abstracts of 1,114 publications were screened. At this stage, studies that did not mention the absence or presence of complications following SEEG or that did not fulfill the inclusion criteria in any manner were excluded. After excluding 1,057 citations, the full text was assessed in the resulting 57 articles for eligibility criteria. The most common complications were hemorrhagic (pooled prevalence 1.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6–1.4%) or infectious (pooled prevalence 0.8%, 95% CI 0.3–1.2%). Five mortalities were identified (pooled prevalence 0.3%, 95% CI −0.1–0.6%). Overall, our analysis identified 121 surgical complications related to SEEG insertion and monitoring (pooled prevalence 1.3%, 95% CI 0.9–1.7%). Significance This review represents a comprehensive estimation of the actual incidence of complications related to SEEG. We report a rate substantially lower than the complication rates reported for other methods of extraoperative invasive monitoring. These data should alleviate the concerns of some regarding the safety of the “stereotactic” method, allowing a better decision process among the different methods of invasive monitoring and ameliorating the fear associated with the placement of depth electrodes.
Regulation and function of extracellular matrix intestinal epithelial restitution in vitro

Repair of epithelial injury in the gastrointestinal tract is initially accomplished by migration of epithelial cells from the wound edge (“restitution”). To assess expression and function of the ex...
Effects of roaming trajectories on the transition state theory rates of a reduced-dimensional model of ketene isomerization.

The rates of chemical reactions (or any activated process) are by definition determined by the flux of reactants (or initial states) that end up as products (or final states). The forward flux through any surface that divides reactants from products is a constant as long as only those trajectories that were reactants in the infinite past and products in the infinite future are included in the flux once and only once. Transition state theory (TST) ignores this last clause, thereby overestimating the rate if any of the trajectories recross the dividing surface. However, its advantage is that it replaces a dynamical calculation with a statistical integral over the TST geometry. The recent identification of roaming trajectories—those that persist for a long time as neither reactant nor product without ever visiting near the col on the energy landscape—apparently challenges the dogma that TST’s only error lies in the omission of recrossing trajectories. This question is investigated using the isomerization rea...
A resume of roentgenology.

The development of radiologic diagnostic procedures in dentistry is discussed from an historical viewpoint, including the recognition of hazards and the institution of safety measures. (H.H.D.)
Relation of Park Size and Vegetation to Urban Bird Populations in Seattle, Washington

Most research directed toward determining the habitat needs of various birds has centered on natural ecosystems, while urban ecosystems have been largely ignored. However, with the rapid expansion of urban and suburban development and the associated modification of habitat, the importance of understanding the relationship of birdlife to urban habitats is evident. Urban parks, especially, provide much potential avian habitat, and offer an opportunity to study the relationships of bird communities to human-induced changes in habitat such as extensive vegetation modification, reduction in size of suitable habitats, disturbance associated with proximity to human populations, presence of buildings, etc. My purpose here is to examine some effects of changes in urban parks on bird populations in the Pacific northwest. The hypotheses to be tested are that 1) parks with large tracts of natural forest can support a diversity and abundance of birds comparable to those in natural forest areas, and that 2) modification of the forest and small size of parks are associated with reduced diversity and abundance of birds in urban parks.
Fractographic analysis of tensile failure of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene fabricated by fused deposition modeling

Abstract The aim of the present study is to utilize fractographic methods employing scanning electron microscope (SEM) images to investigate the effects of build direction and orientation on the mechanical response and failure mechanism for Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) specimens fabricated by fused deposited modeling (FDM). The material characterized here is ABS-M30 manufactured by Stratasys, Inc. Measurements of tensile strength, elongation-at-break and tensile modulus measurements along with the failure surfaces were characterized on a range of specimens at different build direction and raster orientation: ±45°, 0°, 0/90°, and 90°. The analysis of mechanical testing of the tensile specimens until failure will contribute to advances in creating stronger and more robust structure for various applications. Parameters, such as build direction and raster orientation, can be interdependent and exhibit varying effects on the properties of the ABS specimens. The ABS-M30 specimens were found to exhibit anisotropy in the mechanical response when exposed to axial tensile loading. The stress-strain data was characterized by a monotonic increase with an abrupt failure signifying brittle fracture. In certain combinations of build direction and raster orientation tensile failure was preceded by slight softening. The tensile strength and modulus, and elongation-at-break were found to be highly dependent upon the raster orientation and build direction. The relationship between the mechanical properties and failure was established by fractographic analysis. The fractographic analysis offers insight and provides valuable experimental data for the purpose of building structures in orientations tailored to their exemplified strength. For instance, specimens loaded such that bonds between adjacent rasters are the primary load bearing mechanism offer the least significant failure resistance. Other examples are shown where artifacts of the FDM fabrication process act to enhance tensile strength when configured properly with respect to the load. The results highlighted in this study are fundamental to the development of optimal design of complex ultra-light structure weight with increased structural efficiency. The study also presents a systematic scheme employing analogs to traditional fiber-reinforced polymer composites for the designation of build orientation and raster orientation parameters.
Androgen Receptor Signaling in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in the United States. Following androgen deprivation therapy, advanced PCa usually evolves into a refractory stage termed castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which is responsible for most mortality. Importantly, androgen receptor (AR) signaling is still active in CRPC. Therefore, next-generation drugs that inhibit AR signaling such as enzalutamide and abiraterone are used for therapy for many patients with CRPC. These drugs provide a survival benefit but are not curative. In this article, we review the mechanisms through which the AR signaling axis promotes resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy and drives progression of CRPC. There are a number of pathways that allow AR to escape androgen-deprivation therapy, including activation of glucocorticoid receptors, synthesis of androgens in CRPC tissues, AR mutations, AR amplification and AR splice variants. Although the AR appears to be involved in resistance to other therapeutics such as the taxanes, which disrupt normal microtubule function, this article will focus on the role of AR in resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy.
Managing Service Quality at the Platform and Application Levels with rSLa

Managing service quality in heterogeneous Cloud environments is complex: different providers expose different management interfaces for monitoring and configuration actions that can occur at the infrastructure, platform and application levels. To manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in this context, we have developed the rSLA Manager for enabling fast setup of SLA monitoring in dynamic, heterogeneous Cloud environments. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of the rSLA Manager to manage the response time behavior of an image scaling service on the IBM Blue mix platform. We show how the system enables SLA violation reduction by facilitating platform-level adaptation (e.g., adding application instances) and application-level behavior configuration (e.g., changing image scaling quality) based on different service level objectives as well as current application configuration and workload.
Anomalous Hall hysteresis in T m 3 F e 5 O 12 /Pt with strain-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We demonstrate robust interface strain-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in atomically flat ferrimagnetic insulator $\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{m}}_{3}\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ (TIG) films grown with pulsed laser deposition on a substituted $\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{d}}_{3}\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ substrate which maximizes the tensile strain at the interface. In bilayers consisting of Pt and TIG, we observe large squared Hall hysteresis loops over a wide range of thicknesses of Pt at room temperature. When a thin Cu layer is inserted between Pt and TIG, the Hall hysteresis magnitude decays but stays finite as the thickness of Cu increases up to 5 nm. However, if the Cu layer is placed atop Pt instead, the Hall hysteresis magnitude is consistently larger than when the Cu layer with the same thickness is inserted in between for all Cu thicknesses. These results suggest that both the proximity-induced ferromagnetism and spin current contribute to the anomalous Hall effect.
Protecting RF ICs: a new reliability challenge

The paper reviews current developments in designing and characterizing on-chip ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection circuits for RF ICs. ESD protection basics, key issues in RF ESD protection, design methods, RF ESD protection evaluation techniques and RF ESD protection solutions are discussed.
Mathematics teachers' motivations for, conceptions of, and experiences with flipped instruction

Abstract Flipped instruction in school mathematics has been occurring more frequently. This study investigated two teachers' motivations for, conceptions of, and experiences with flipped mathematics instruction. We found that the teachers were motivated to flip based on colleagues’ recommendations and potential benefits for students. The teachers discussed changes to their instruction as a result of transitioning to flipped instruction and we interpreted those changes in terms of how teachers perceived the interactions among students, mathematics content, and themselves. Although the teachers viewed many of these changes as beneficial, some presented new challenges as they navigated their changing role in the classroom.
SAR imaging using the sparse fourier transform

In wide-bandwidth high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR), high sampling rates generate big demands for computations and storage. This paper exploits the sparsity of the electromagnetic reflectivity of far-field targets in the range-azimuth domain to propose a sparse Fourier transform (SFT) based ranged Doppler (RD) algorithm for SAR imaging. The proposed algorithm ensures the same resolution as the RD algorithm with computational complexity O(K log 2 K), where K is of the order of the target scene sparsity, while employing only O(K log 2 N) samples in azimuth direction and O(K log 2 N t ) in range direction, where N and N t denote the number of Nyquist sampling points in azimuth and range direction, respectively.
PROLEARN: towards a prolog interpreter that learns

An adaptitle interpreter for a programming language adapts to particular applications by learning from execution experience. This paper describes PROLEARN, a prototype adaptive interpreter for a subset of Prolog. It uses two methods to speed up a given program: explanation-based generalization and partial evaluation. The generalization of computed results differentiates PROLEARN from programs that cache and reuse specilic values. We illustrate PROLEARN on several simple programs and evaluate its capabilities and limitations. The effects of adding a learning component to Prolog can be summarized as follows: the more search and subroutine calling in the original query, the more speedup after learning; a learned subroutine may slow down queries that match its head but fail its body.
Characterization of upgraded fast pyrolysis oak oil distillate fractions from sulfided and non-sulfided catalytic hydrotreating

Abstract Catalytic hydroprocessing of pyrolysis oils from biomass produces hydrocarbons that can be considered for liquid fuel production. This process requires removal of oxygen and cracking of the heavier molecular weight bio-oil constituents into smaller fragments at high temperatures and pressures under hydrogen. We present in this paper the characterization of a group of five distillate fractions from each of two types of hydroprocessed oils from oak pyrolysis oil: a low oxygen content (LOC, 1.8% O, wet basis) oil and a medium oxygen content (MOC, 6.4% O, wet basis) oil. The LOC oil was generated using a sulfided hydrotreating system consisting of RuS/C and xMoS/Al2O3 while the MOC was produced using non-sulfided catalysts, Ru/C and Pd/C. Elemental analysis and 13C NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) results suggest that the distillate fractions from both oils become more aromatic/unsaturated as they become heavier. Carbonyl and carboxylic groups were found in the MOC light fractions, while phenols were present in the heavier fractions for both MOC and LOC. Paraffin, iso-paraffin, olefin, naphthene, aromatic (PIONA) analysis of the light LOC fraction shows a predominance of paraffins with a minor amount of olefins. Sulfur analysis showed the comparative concentration of sulfur in the different fractions as well as the surprising similarity in content in some sulfided and non-sulfided fractions. These results can be used to direct future research on refinery integration and production of value-added product from specific upgraded oil streams.
Fluctuations and noise signatures of driven magnetic skyrmions

Magnetic skyrmions are particlelike objects with topologically protected stability which can be set into motion with an applied current. Using a particle-based model we simulate current-driven magnetic skyrmions interacting with random quenched disorder and examine the skyrmion velocity fluctuations parallel and perpendicular to the direction of motion as a function of increasing drive. We show that the Magnus force contribution to skyrmion dynamics combined with the random pinning produces an isotropic effective shaking temperature. As a result, the skyrmions form a moving crystal at large drives instead of the moving smectic state observed in systems with a negligible Magnus force where the effective shaking temperature is anisotropic. We demonstrate that spectral analysis of the velocity noise fluctuations can be used to identify dynamical phase transitions and to extract information about the different dynamic phases, and show how the velocity noise fluctuations are correlated with changes in the skyrmion Hall angle, transport features, and skyrmion lattice structure.
Political deliberation and democratic reversal in India: Indian coffee house during the emergency (1975–77) and the third world “totalitarian moment”

While the coffee house as a space of political deliberation has been a common feature across the globe, there are few historical cases in which one can analyze the role of such face-to-face political deliberation under totalitarian moments in heretofore democratic states. Of the analogous cases of democratic reversal, India is one of the most important and under-researched. In 1975, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was convicted of corrupt election practices. Rather than concede to the high court ruling, she suspended the constitution and installed herself as India’s sole political authority. The Indian Coffee House in New Delhi became the key site of resistance to the Emergency (1975–77). The totalitarian moment pushed contentious politics into the Coffee House, initially galvanizing it: even the older members of Indira Gandhi's Congress Party, who were active participants in India's Freedom Movement, were key participants in coffee house deliberations. Eventually, however, Indian Coffee House was bulldozed and political deliberation crushed. The space of the coffee house may foster political deliberation among different viewpoints, but when interaction is concentrated in one such space, it becomes easier for the state and its agents to suppress oppositional politics and more difficult for both establishment and oppositional politics themselves to retain a diversified public sphere character. While coffee houses and analogous institutions are not adequate substitutes for other forms of democratic politics, therefore, they can encourage expression when other avenues are closed off and nourish the memory of a democratic political culture for the future.
The DNDC Model

The denitrification-decomposition (DNDC) model is a process-oriented simulation model of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) biogeochemistry. The model is intended to be used for estimating effects of climate change, land use, agricultural management, soil properties, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition on soil C and N dynamics. DNDC is a site model with simulated time span from several days to centuries.
Experience-dependent translational state defined by cell type-specific ribosome profiling

Experience-dependent neuronal activity regulates the translation of mRNA, supporting memory formation. We have developed a new method termed translating ribosome affinity purification and ribosome profiling (TRiP) which allows us to determine cell type-specific ribosome occupancy of mRNA with nucleotide resolution. Using TRiP we show that a memory-inducing experience creates a distinct translational state in mouse CA1 pyramidal cells. The experience-dependent translation state is characterized by enhanced translation of protein-coding open reading frames (ORFs) including numerous components of the actin cytoskeleton and calcium/calmodulin binding proteins, and by decreased translation of a defined subset of genes containing upstream ORFs (uORFs). Using animals heterozygous for an unphosphorylatable allele of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), we show that dephosphorylation of eIF2α contributes significantly to the experience-dependent translation state. These observations demonstrate that TRiP is a valuable methodology for studying physiologically relevant changes in translational state in genetically defined cell types.
A novel animal model for neuroinflammation and white matter degeneration

Small interference RNA has been widely used to suppress gene expression. Three different short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) against dopamine D1 receptor (Drd1), driven by mouse U6 promoter in self-complementary AAV8 vector (scAAV8), were used to silence mouse striatal Drd1 expression. Transduction of mouse striatum with all three scAAV8-D1shRNA viruses, but not the control scAAV8 virus, causes extensive neuroinflammation, demyelination, and axon degeneration. RNA interference is known to be coupled to the innate immune system as a host cell defense against virus infection. Activation of the innate immune system may play a causal role in the development of neuroinflammation and white matter degeneration, providing a novel animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuroinflammatory diseases.
Stem Cell Migration: A Zebrafish Model

Compared with other vertebrate animal models, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has its superior advantages for studying stem cell migration. Zebrafish have similar tissues and organs as mammals, where tissue-specific stem cells reside in. Zebrafish eggs are externally fertilized and remain transparent until most of the organs are fully developed. This allows imaging stem cells in vivo very easily. Recently, a zebrafish double pigmentation mutant, casper, became a new popular imaging model in the zebrafish field due to its completely transparent bodies in adulthood. It has been used as an excellent model to study adult hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) in the transplantation setting. The unparalleled imaging power of zebrafish provides great opportunities of tracing stem cells in vivo in the developmental and regenerative context. In this chapter, we use HSC as an example and combine the powerful imaging techniques in zebrafish, to provide protocols for in vivo imaging fluorescence-labeled stem cell migration, stem cell fate tracing in zebrafish embryos, HSC transplantation, and in vivo imaging in both zebrafish embryos and adults. These techniques can also be applied to other types of stem cells in zebrafish embryos and adults.
Changes in marijuana use symptoms and emotional functioning over 28-days of monitored abstinence in adolescent marijuana users.

Advancing marijuana prevention and intervention efforts are important given the decreasing perception of harm among adolescents and increasing marijuana legalization. This study evaluates how a monitored abstinence protocol may contribute to emotional functioning and changes in marijuana problems that can enhance successful outcomes for non-treatment-seeking adolescent marijuana users. Adolescent marijuana users (n = 26) and demographically matched controls (n = 30) completed 28 days of monitored abstinence confirmed by biweekly urine toxicology. Participants were given measures of emotional functioning, marijuana use symptoms, and reward sensitivity during monitored abstinence. All participants (n = 56) completed the protocol, and 69% of marijuana users (n = 18 of 26) were confirmed abstinent for 28 days, with all users showing decreasing marijuana use. Reductions in subsyndromal depression, positive marijuana use expectancies, and poor sleep quality were observed by the end of the monitored abstinence period (n = 26, p values < .05). Marijuana users also reported more attentional impulsivity and less responsiveness to reward stimuli during the second week of abstinence compared to controls. Later age of onset of regular marijuana use and more cumulative lifetime use were associated with a greater degree of emotional change and increased recognition of the negative effects of marijuana use. Monitored abstinence programs may be beneficial in reducing marijuana use, subsyndromal emotional distress symptoms, and changing beliefs about marijuana use. Future prevention and intervention efforts may consider targeting reward sensitivity and impulsivity, in addition to marijuana use, expectancies, and emotional functioning.
Nobel Lecture: Topological defects and phase transitions

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics was shared by David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane, and John Michael Kosterlitz. These papers are the text of the address given in conjunction with the award.
Continuous Electroencephalography in the Critically Ill: Clinical and Continuous Electroencephalography Markers for Targeted Monitoring

Purpose Electrographic seizures detected by continuous electroencephalography (CEEG) in critically ill patients with altered mental status is becoming increasingly recognized. Data guiding the appropriate selection of patients to be monitored on CEEG are lacking. The aims of this article were to study the incidence of seizures in the critical care setting and to evaluate for clinical predictors to improve the efficiency of CEEG monitoring. Methods Retrospective review of the CEEG and clinical data on 1,123 consecutive patients who had continuous video EEG over a 24-month period. Results Seizures were recorded in 215 patients on CEEG monitoring (19.1%). In total, 89.3% of these seizures occurred without clinical signs. Patients who were in a coma were more likely to have EEG seizures (odds ratio, 3.64; 95% confidence interval, 2.23-5.95) compared with those awake. The incidence of seizures was overrepresented in patients with extra-axial tumors (41.9%), multiple sclerosis (35.7%), and intra-axial tumors (33.0%). Lateralized periodic discharges were predictive (odds ratio, 8.27; 95% confidence interval, 5.52-12.46) of seizure occurrence compared with those with no epileptiform patterns. Only generalized periodic discharges with triphasic morphology had no increased odds of seizure (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-3.03). When present, electroencephalography seizures were detected within 24 hours in 92% of monitored patients. Conclusions Continuous electroencephalography monitoring in the critical care setting demonstrates a linear increase in seizure incidence with declining mental status. Recognizing clinical conditions and electroencephalography markings may help in the appropriate selection of critically ill patients for CEEG monitoring.
Testing the performance of field calibration techniques for low-cost gas sensors in new deployment locations: across a county line and across Colorado

Abstract. We assessed the performance of ambient ozone ( O3 ) and carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) sensor field calibration techniques when they were generated using data from one location and then applied to data collected at a new location. This was motivated by a previous study (Casey et al., 2018), which highlighted the importance of determining the extent to which field calibration regression models could be aided by relationships among atmospheric trace gases at a given training location, which may not hold if a model is applied to data collected in a new location. We also explored the sensitivity of these methods in response to the timing of field calibrations relative to deployment periods. Employing data from a number of field deployments in Colorado and New Mexico that spanned several years, we tested and compared the performance of field-calibrated sensors using both linear models (LMs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) for regression. Sampling sites covered urban and rural–peri-urban areas and environments influenced by oil and gas production. We found that the best-performing model inputs and model type depended on circumstances associated with individual case studies, such as differing characteristics of local dominant emissions sources, relative timing of model training and application, and the extent of extrapolation outside of parameter space encompassed by model training. In agreement with findings from our previous study that was focused on data from a single location (Casey et al., 2018), ANNs remained more effective than LMs for a number of these case studies but there were some exceptions. For CO2 models, exceptions included case studies in which training data collection took place more than several months subsequent to the test data period. For O3 models, exceptions included case studies in which the characteristics of dominant local emissions sources (oil and gas vs. urban) were significantly different at model training and testing locations. Among models that were tailored to case studies on an individual basis, O3 ANNs performed better than O3 LMs in six out of seven case studies, while CO2 ANNs performed better than CO2 LMs in three out of five case studies. The performance of O3 models tended to be more sensitive to deployment location than to extrapolation in time, while the performance of CO2 models tended to be more sensitive to extrapolation in time than to deployment location. The performance of O3 ANN models benefited from the inclusion of several secondary metal-oxide-type sensors as inputs in five of seven case studies.
Aggressive phenotypic and genotypic features in pediatric and NF2-associated meningiomas: a clinicopathologic study of 53 cases.

Pediatric and NF2-associated meningiomas are uncommon and poorly characterized in comparison to sporadic adult cases. In order to elucidate their molecular features, we analyzed MIB-1, progesterone receptor (PR), NF2, merlin, DAL-1, DAL-1 protein, and chromosomal arms 1p and 14q in 53 meningiomas from 40 pediatric/NF2 patients using immunohistochemistry and dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Fourteen pediatric (42%) patients, including 5 previously undiagnosed patients, had NF2. The remaining 19 (58%) did not qualify. All 7 of the adult patients had NF2. Meningioma grading revealed 21 benign (40%), 26 atypical (49%), and 6 anaplastic (11%) examples. Other aggressive findings included high mitotic index (32%), high MIB-1 LI (37%), aggressive variant histology (e.g. papillary, clear cell) (25%), brain invasion (17%), recurrence (39%), and patient death (17%). FISH analysis demonstrated deletions of NF2 in 82%, DAL-1 in 82%, 1p in 60%, and 14q in 66%. NF2-associated meningiomas did not differ from sporadic pediatric tumors except for a higher frequency of merlin loss in the former (p = 0.020) and a higher frequency of brain invasion in the latter (p = 0.007). Thus, although pediatric and NF2-associated meningiomas share the common molecular alterations of their adult, sporadic counterparts, a higher fraction are genotypically and phenotypically aggressive. Given the high frequency of undiagnosed NF2 in the pediatric cases, a careful search for other features of this disease is warranted in any child presenting with a meningioma.
Challenging Dogma Concerning Biogeographic Patterns of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Antarctica is enormous, cold, remote, and particularly sensitive to climate change. Most biological research below 60°S has focused on the isolated nature of the biota and how organisms have adapte...
Absence de corrélation entre inégalité de longueur modérée des membres inférieurs et maladie dégénérative du rachis, de la hanche, du genou : étude cadavérique

Abstract Background Although asymptomatic mild limb length discrepancy (LLD) in children is generally treated non-operatively, there is limited high quality follow up data to support this recommendation. Hypothesis We hypothesized that there would be no association between LLD and arthritic changes with mild limb length discrepancy. Materials and methods We studied 576 well-preserved cadaveric skeletons ranging from 40 to 79 years of age. Limb length discrepancy was based on combined femoral and tibial lengths measured using digital calipers. Degenerative disease was hand graded in the spine, hips and knees using a previously described classification system. Power was set at 90%. Results Average age was 56 ± 10 years, and average LLD was 4.8 ± 4.0 mm. Multiple regression analysis did not demonstrate any correlation between LLD and degenerative disease. After screening to find 26 additional specimens with LLD 10 mm or greater, and assessing a potentially quadratic relationship, we still did not find any detrimental effects of LLD. Discussion Our data support the general clinical recommendation of observation for mild asymptomatic LLD. These results do not apply to larger LLD nor LLD associated with other deformities or clinical symptoms. Level of evidence Not applicable, anatomic basic science study.
Prevalence of Retinal Signs and Association With Cognitive Status: The ARIC Neurocognitive Study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of retinal microvascular signs and associations between retinal signs and cognitive status. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of visit 5 (2011-2013) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort. Data analysis took place November 30, 2017, to May 1, 2018. SETTING Biracial population-based cohort from four US communities. PARTICIPANTS A total of 2624 participants with a mean age of 76 years (SD = 5 years) (19% African American) with data on cognitive status and complete retinal examination. MEASUREMENTS Retinal signs measured with fundus photography. Cognitive status: normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia with a primary diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) without cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and MCI/dementia with a primary or secondary diagnosis of CVD (irrespective of AD). RESULTS Overall, 6% of the cohort had mild retinopathy and 2% had moderate/severe retinopathy. Of the cohort, 7% had microaneurysms, 6% had retinal hemorrhages, and 8% had arteriovenous (AV) nicking. There was a low prevalence of soft exudates (1%) and focal narrowing (1%). In weighted fully adjusted models, individuals with retinal hemorrhages had a two-fold higher odds of all-cause MCI/dementia (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-3.0; P = .001) and a 2.5-fold higher odds (95% CI = 1.6-3.9; P < .001) of MCI/dementia with CVD compared to individuals with no retinal hemorrhages. Individuals with AV nicking had a 1.6-fold higher odds of MCI/dementia with CVD (95% CI = 1.0-2.4) compared to individuals with no AV nicking (P < .05). There were no associations between retinal signs and MCI/dementia without CVD. CONCLUSION Our findings are confirmatory of recent research, and suggest that retinal microvascular signs may reflect microvascular pathology in the brain, potentially contributing to dementia and earlier MCI. The low prevalence of retinal signs and modest associations with cognitive status, however, limit the current clinical utility of these findings. Further work is needed to determine whether more sophisticated imaging may detect more subtle retinal signs with higher sensitivity to identify individuals at risk of dementia.
Parenting stress, well-being, and social support among kinship caregivers

Abstract Kinship caregivers are a large and growing population in the United States. It is therefore critical to understand this population and their unique challenges and needs. This study aims to add to existing knowledge by exploring the impact of caregiving on kinship caregivers, particularly the stress and social support they experience and the subsequent effect on their well-being. A sample of 152 kinship caregivers completed the Parental Stress Scale, as well as the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Assessment of Quality of Life via an online survey. Results indicate that parental stress is negatively associated with caregiver well-being. Social support is positively associated with well-being. Social support does not moderate the relationship between parental stress and well-being. This study adds to previous research on kinship caregiving by exploring these variables among a variety of kinship caregivers including, but not limited to, grandparents. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are proposed.
Difficulty Hearing Is Associated With Low Levels of Patient Activation.

Background/objectives Patient activation encompasses the knowledge, skills, and confidence that equip adults to participate actively in their healthcare. Patients with hearing loss may be less able to participate due to poor aural communication. We examined whether difficulty hearing is associated with lower patient activation. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting/participants A nationally representative sample of Americans aged 65 years and older (n = 13 940) who participated in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) during the years 2011 to 2013. Measurement Self-reported degree of difficulty hearing ("no trouble," "a little trouble," and "a lot of trouble") and overall activation based on aggregated scored responses to 16 questions from the MCBS Patient Activation Supplement: low activation (below the mean minus 0.5 SDs), high activation (above the mean plus 0.5 SDs), and medium activation (the remainder). Sociodemographic and self-reported clinical measures were also included. Results "A little trouble" hearing was reported by 5655 (40.6%) of respondents, and "a lot of trouble" hearing was reported by 893 (6.4%) of respondents. Difficulty hearing was significantly associated with low patient activation: in analyses using multivariable multinomial logistic regression, respondents with "a little trouble" hearing had 1.42 times the risk of low vs high activation (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27-1.58), and those with "a lot of trouble" hearing had 1.70 times the risk of low vs high activation (95% CI = 1.29-2.11), compared with those with "no trouble" hearing. Conclusions Nearly half of people aged 65 years and older reported difficulty hearing, and those reporting difficulty were at risk of low patient activation. That risk rose with increased difficulty hearing. Given the established link between activation and outcomes of care, and in view of the association between hearing loss and poor healthcare quality and outcomes, clinicians may be able to improve care for people with hearing loss by attending to aural communication barriers.