cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of (3R)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-7-hydroxy-N-[(1S)-1-[[(3R,4R)-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dimethyl-1-piperidinyl]methyl]-2-methylpropyl]-3-isoquinolinecarboxamide (JDTic) analogues: in vitro pharmacology and ADME profile.

JDTic analogues 4–15 which have the hydroxyl groups replaced with other groups were synthesized and their in vitro efficacy at the μ, δ, and κ opioid receptors determined and compared to JDTic using [35S]GTPγS assays. Compounds 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, and 15 had Ke = 0.024, 0.01, 0.039, 0.02, 0.11, and 0.041 nM compared to the Ke = 0.02 nM for JDTic at the κ receptor and were highly selective for the κ receptor relative to the μ and δ opioid receptors. Unexpectedly, replacement of the 3-hydroxyl substituent of the 4-(3-hydroxyphenyl) group of JDTic with a H, F, or Cl substituent leads to potent and selective KOR antagonists. In vitro studies to determine various ADME properties combined with calculated TPSA, clogP, and logBB values suggests that the potent and selective κ opioid receptors 4, 5, 13, and 14 deserve consideration for further development toward potential drugs for CNS disorders.
The Rational Canonical Form of a Matrix II

(1942). The Rational Canonical form of a Matrix. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 49, No. 7, pp. 451-454.
What we have learned about quality measures for intrapartum obstetrical care.

One of the most important purposes of measuring the quality of care is to improve the quality of care. Without measurement, it is not possible to determine whether changes in medical care delivery are helping patients. This article reviews important concepts in the measurement of quality obstetrical care, and demonstrates how these concepts have been informed by the Assessment of Perinatal Excellence (APEX) study performed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal–Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network.
Chapter 7 – Gene delivery using herpes simplex virus type 1 plasmid vectors

Publisher Summary Vector systems that have been used to deliver genes into cells in the nervous system include retroviruses, adenovirus vectors, defective herpes simplex virus type l (HSV-I) vectors, recombinant HSV-I vectors, and adeno-associated virus vectors. The prototype HSV-1 vector, pHSVlac, contains three kinds of genetic elements. These include sequences for the propagation of pHSVlac in Escherichia coli, HSV-1 sequences for the propagation of pHSVlac in an HSV-1 virus stock, and a transcription unit consisting of the HSV-1 immediate early (IE) 4/5 promoter, the intervening sequence following the promoter, the E. coli lacZ gene, and the SV40 early region polyadenylation site. The development of efficient gene transfer techniques has led to strategies for gene therapy whereby in vitro modification of candidate cells with subsequent reimplantation into specific brain regions is combined. An alternative therapeutic strategy is to convert a fraction of the striatal cells into L-dopa-producing cells by direct gene transfer of TH using a defective HSV-1 vector. A genetic intervention strategy, using HSV-1 vectors, to analyze neuronal physiology in vivo is also elaborated.
Hemolytic-Uremic Encephalopathy

Twenty-seven children, ages 6 months - 13 years, with encephalopathy complicating hemolytic-uremic syndrome are reported from The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Hot-carrier effects in fully-depleted SOI nMOSFETs

Hot-electron gate current in SOI nMOSFETs has been measured as a function of back-gate bias, silicon film thickness, and substrate doping. Gate currents are reduced in fully-depleted SOI and in thinner silicon films, indicating a reduction in drain electric field, as compared to partially-depleted and bulk devices. Hot-electron degradation confirms some of the trends observed in gate current, however, additional degradation mechanisms in SOI complicate the evaluation of device lifetime. >
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate for Bone Healing in Foot and Ankle Surgery

Autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) has become a popular orthobiologic to augment bone healing. The potential benefit comes from osteoprogenitor cells and growth factors that can lead to new bone formation in the setting of foot and ankle arthrodesis procedures. BMAC has an excellent safety record and has demonstrated efficacy in animal models of bone healing. Although scant, the literature on the use of BMAC in foot and ankle surgery does demonstrate promise for this orthobiologic adjuvant.
Taurine and Its Neuroprotective Role

Taurine plays multiple roles in the CNS including acting as a ­neuro-modulator, an osmoregulator, a regulator of cytoplasmic calcium levels, a trophic factor in development, and a neuroprotectant. In neurons taurine has been shown to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and to protect against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress associated with neurological disorders. In cortical neurons in culture taurine protects against excitotoxicity through reversing an increase in levels of key ER signaling components including eIF-2-alpha and cleaved ATF6. The role of communication between the ER and mitochondrion is also important and examples are presented of protection by taurine against ER stress together with prevention of subsequent mitochondrial initiated apoptosis.
On-device STDP and synaptic normalization for neuromemristive spiking neural network

Spiking Neural Networks offer low precision communication, robustness, and low power consumption and are attractive for autonomous applications. One of the well accepted learning rules for these networks is spike time dependent plasticity which is governed by the pre- and postsynaptic spike timings. To stabilize the plasticity and avoid saturation in these learning rules, synaptic normalization is used. In this work, we propose a circuit to efficiently realize synaptic normalization in a neuromemristive system and show how it improves the plasticity for unsupervised on-device learning. High-level modeling shows the efficacy of synaptic normalization in pattern recognition and feature extraction.
Building Dimorphic Forms: The Intersection of Sex Determination and Embryonic Patterning

Abstract Although sexual reproduction is fundamental to most animals, the mechanisms that determine sexual forms are highly variable. In Drosophila, alternative RNA splicing and translational control are two primary mechanisms involved in sex determination and dimorphic development. In mammals, transcription regulators and extracellular signaling direct the developmental trajectory of the bi-potential rudimentary gonads. Primary determination of gonadal sex requires both the activation and suppression of sex-specific genetic programs. At the cellular level, most animals are likely mosaics with regard to sexual identity; some cells “know” their sex and respond to sex-specific gene activity whereas other cells may be considered sex “neutral”, demonstrating monomorphic development in both sexes. In the adult gonads, differentiated sexual fates can be labile at the cellular level. Maintenance of determination likely requires the continual activities of sex-determining mechanisms. The olfactory system of Drosophila offers a useful model system for studying how the sex determination pathway influences the dimorphic development of sex-specific neural circuitry. Dimorphic development requires the integration of sex-determining gene activities with embryonic programs that determine cell fate identity and function. Such integration can regulate processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell differentiation. Competency to respond to sex-inducing mechanisms can influence the developmental potential of embryonic and stem cell populations.
Multivariate Relationships Between Cognition and Brain Anatomy Across the Psychosis Spectrum.

Abstract Background Cognitive and structural brain abnormalities range from mild to severe in psychosis. The relation of specific cognitive functions to specific brain structures across the psychosis spectrum is less certain. Methods Participants (n=678) with bipolar, schizoaffective, or schizophrenia psychoses, and healthy controls, were recruited via the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network for Intermediate Phenotypes. The Schizo-Bipolar Scale was used to create a psychosis continuum (from purely affective to purely nonaffective). Canonical correlation between 14 cognitive measures and structural brain measures (volume, thickness, surface area, and local gyrification indices) for 68 neocortical regions yielded constructs that defined shared cognition-brain structure relationships. Canonical discriminant analysis was used to integrate these constructs and efficiently summarize cognition-brain structure relationships across the psychosis continuum. Results General cognition was associated with larger volumes and thicker cortices, but smaller surface area, in frontal/parietal regions. Working memory was associated with larger volume and surface area in frontal/temporal regions. Faster response speed was associated with thicker frontal cortices. Constructs that captured general cognitive ability and working memory and their relationship to cortical volumes primarily defined an ordered psychosis spectrum (purely affective, least abnormal through purely nonaffective, most abnormal). A construct that captured general cognitive ability and its relationship to cortical surface area differentiated purely affective cases from other groups. Discussion General cognition and working memory with cortical volume deviations characterized more nonaffective psychoses. Alternatively, affective psychosis cases with general cognitive deficits had deviations in cortical surface area, perhaps accounting for heterogeneous findings across previous studies.
The Chemical Bond and the Distribution of Electrons in Molecules

We should not ridicule the ancients for supposing that atoms could be rough or smooth or could have hooks connecting them to each other. The facts of fluidity and rigidity and the characteristic crystal forms of different substances, which require to be explained by some such suppositions, are still the same. These facts were then and are now as obvious to the curious layman or philosopher as to the laboratory scientist. If by “hooks” we mean a small integral number of potentially strong and reproducible linkages around an atom, pointing in particular characteristic directions and resistant to disruption, we are close to the expression in common language of the idea of directed valence or the chemical bond. If by a “smooth” atom—without hooks—we mean one that can be gripped only by weak and non-directional forces, we are close to the idea of a rare-gas atom or any stable uncharged closed-shell electronic configuration.
Introduction to Hájek (1970) A Characterization of Limiting Distributions of Regular Estimates

Hajek’s paper combined disparate ideas to reach surprising and forceful conclusions for estimation in large samples. In the paper itself, the convolu­tion theorem emerged as structure hidden behind the asymptotic informa­tion bound. In recent work, the convolution theorem has re-emerged as structure underlying correct convergence of bootstrap distributions. Both bootstrapping and the information inequality deceive naive users at the superefficiency points characteristic of sophisticated estimators.
Integrated nuclear medicine imaging of medullary thyroid cancer

745 Learning Objectives: 1. Provide an overview of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) biology and of procedures for staging MTC. 2. Show the benefits of integrated nuclear medicine imaging in the evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors. Abstract Body: MTC has favorable prognosis if locally confined at diagnosis, but survival decreases dramatically in case of distant metastases. Early recognition of foci of recurrent/metastatic disease allows potentially curative surgery. Nuclear medicine may play an important role when after the initial surgery, tumor recurrence/metastasis is suspected on the basis of elevated tumor markers and the initial radiological evaluation is inconclusive. We present three cases that illustrate the complementary role of somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI), bone scans and PET-FDG in the evaluation of suspected recurrent/metastatic MTC. Because they target different biological characteristics, the combination of these three modalities may yield the best accuracy for detection of residual/metastatic disease. Case 1: 71 yo female with incidental finding of right upper lung nodule found to be MTC. Octreotide scan shows faint uptake in right upper lung. FDG PET/CT found metastasis in a right 7th rib metastasis and a thyroid nodule. Case 2: 64 YOM with history of left MTC with metastases in left cervical lymph nodes presents with elevated calcitonin after surgery. FDG PET/CT shows metastatic cervical lymph nodes. Bone scan shows rib and sternal metastases not appreciated on SRI or PET/CT imaging. Case 3: 51 YOM with history of MTC and elevated calcitonin after surgery. On follow-up, CT reveals liver metastases which are positive on SRI. FDG PET/CT shows hypometabolic liver lesions and no additional sites of disease. The literature on the role and accuracy of nuclear medicine imaging in MTC is reviewed in comparison to other radiologic modalities.
Assessing the Impact of Conflicting Health Warning Information on Intentions to Use E-Cigarettes -An Application of the Heuristic-Systematic Model.

The purpose of this study is to determine how nonsmokers perceive conflicting information when a modified risk statement is included along with a warning label on e-cigarette packages. We propose a...
Abstract A14: Therapeutic targeting of KDM1A/LSD1 in Ewing sarcoma

Objective: Multiagent chemotherapeutic regimes remain the cornerstone treatment for Ewing sarcoma, the second most common solid bone malignancy diagnosed in pediatric and young adolescent populations. We have reached a therapeutic ceiling with conventional cytotoxic agents, highlighting the need to adopt novel approaches that specifically target the drivers of Ewing sarcoma oncogenesis. As KDM1A/LSD1 (Lysine Specific Demethylase 1) is highly expressed in Ewing sarcoma cell lines and tumors, with elevated expression levels associated with worse overall survival (P=0.033), this study has examined biomarkers of sensitivity and mechanisms of cytotoxicity to targeted KDM1A inhibition using SP-2509 (reversible KDM1A inhibitor). Methods: The antiproliferative effects of SP-2509 was determined through Cell Titre Glo assays following 72 hours of treatment in a comprehensive panel of 17 Ewing sarcoma cell lines with varying STAG2/TP53 mutational status and basal KDM1A expression levels. RNA-seq analysis of six Ewing sarcoma cell lines -/+ SP-2509 treatment (2μM) was also conducted. Results: We report that innate resistance to SP-2509 was not observed in our Ewing sarcoma cell line cohort (72hr IC50 range 81nM-1593nM); in contrast, resistance to the next-generation KDM1A irreversible inhibitor GSK-LSD1 was observed across multiple cell lines (144hr IC50>300μM). Although TP53/STAG2 mutational status and basal KDM1A mRNA and protein levels did not correlate with SP-2509 response, induction of KDM1B (mammalian homologue of KDM1A) following SP-2509 treatment was strongly associated with SP-2509 hypersensitivity (R2=0.562). Indeed, shRNA-mediated knockdown of KDM1B significantly reduced the cytotoxic effects of SP-2509 (4.3-fold IC50 increase) only in hypersensitive cell lines. Mechanistically, RNA-seq analysis revealed that SP-2509 imparts robust apoptosis through engagement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway, and that hypersensitive cell lines (IC50 Conclusion: Together, our findings provide key insights into the mechanisms of SP-2509 cytotoxicity as well as biomarkers that can be used to predict KDM1A inhibitor sensitivity in Ewing sarcoma. Citation Format: Kathleen I. Pishas, Sunil Sharma, Stephen L. Lessnick. Therapeutic targeting of KDM1A/LSD1 in Ewing sarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Pediatric Cancer Research: From Basic Science to the Clinic; 2017 Dec 3-6; Atlanta, Georgia. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(19 Suppl):Abstract nr A14.
Donor Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: Over-Rated or Does Donor History of Hypertension Make a Difference for Post-Heart Transplant Outcome?

Purpose Donor left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) defined as either the interventricular septum (IVS) or posterior wall (PW) > 1.2 cm has been a concern for donor heart acceptance for transplantation. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compressions may also cause edema within the IVS and PW. It is not clear whether LVH due to a history of hypertension (HTN) in the donor or LVH due to edema from CPR have the same outcome after heart transplantation. Methods Between 2014 and 2017, we assessed 54 heart donors with LVH > 1.2 cm. We divided these donor hearts into those with a history of HTN (n=19) and those without (n=35). Post-operatively, we assessed for the presence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD), 1-year freedom from any-treated rejection (ATR), acute cellular rejection (ACR), and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), 1-year freedom from cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) as defined by stenosis ≥ 30% by angiography, and 1-year survival. We also assessed for the persistence of LVH at 6 and 12 months post-transplantation. Results There was no significant difference between LVH donors with and without a history of HTN in PGD, 1-year survival and 1-year freedom from CAV, ATR, ACR and AMR. LVH donors with HTN were older than those without HTN. LVH in donors with and without a history of HTN resulted in similar rates of LVH persistence at 6 and 12 months after transplantation. The persistence of LVH at 1 year was similar between the groups. (see table) Conclusion Donor heart LVH and history of HTN does not increase the risk of poor outcome after heart transplantation. Acceptable survival and resolution of LVH (occurs in most patients) indicates that LVH is well tolerated and may not be a concern in donor heart selection. Larger studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
Racial/Ethnic variations in morbidity and mortality in Adult Onset Still's Disease: An analysis of national dataset.

Abstract Objectives Adult Onset Still's Disease (AOSD) is a rare autoinflammatory disorder. There is relatively little known about the impact of social determinants of health on its outcomes. Our goal is to describe the racial/ethnic variations, morbidity and mortality of AOSD hospitalized patients in the US. Materials and Methods Adult US hospitalized patients between 2009–13 from a nationwide inpatient sample (NIS) database with AOSD were identified using ICD-9 code 714.2. NIS is the largest all-payer US inpatient database with approximately 8 million hospitalizations yearly. Patients with other autoimmune diseases were excluded. We used descriptive statistics to summarize patient and hospital characteristics. We performed survey-weighted logistic regression models adjusting for confounders to study our primary outcome: in-hospital mortality. Results Between 2009–13, 5,820 AOSD patients were hospitalized with a mean age of 53.6 (SE–0.61) years. 3817 (65.6%) were female, 56% white and 3% Asian. Macrophage Activating Syndrome (1.7%), Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC-1.1%) and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (0.4%), respectively, complicated the hospital course. There were 154 inpatient deaths in study period (mortality 2.6%). Mean age of patients who died in hospital was higher (62.4 years ± 3.1) and 13.9% were Asians. Patients of Asian origin had significantly higher odds of in-hospital death compared to whites (aOR = 6.39, 95% CI 1.77–23.1, p = 0.005). Mortality was significantly higher for patients whose hospital course was complicated by DIC (aOR = 29.69, 95% CI 5.5–160.41, p = 0.006). Conclusions In this national sample of patients hospitalized for AOSD, we found significant variations in In-hospital mortality.
Improving Mental Health Practices in Primary Health Care

Concern with understanding and improving the mental health role of primary care clinicians has been a research interest in the United Kingdom, the United States, and for the World Health Organization, for nearly 20 years. Michael Shepherd and colleagues (1966) led the way with research which combined an epidemiological approach to a patient population with examination of clinical practices. Subsequent research demonstrated a serious gap between the high prevalence of mental disorders among primary care patients and the concommitant low recognition, diagnosis, treatment or referral by primary care clinicians (Regier et al., 1978; Hooper et al., 1979).
Abstract 608: Examining H. pylori core genes for epidemiological typing

H. pylori is the major causative risk factor of a serious of diseases including gastric cancer. It is highly diverse. Conventional method of typing H. pylori has been based on seven MLST loci, which however are not sufficient to distinguish closely-related strains. High diverse core genes that are present in all H. pylori strains are potential good candidates for investigating genomic variation within closely-related strains, therefore improving our understanding of H. pylori -related disease epidemiology. In this study, we investigated the variation of the H. pylori genome, especially its core genes. We downloaded 80 H. pylori whole genome from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and identified core genes (99% Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Guoqin Yu. Examining H. pylori core genes for epidemiological typing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 608.
Function of BACH1 as a key target of RKIP in breast cancer

Abstract Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP; PEBP1) is a metastasis suppressor. Understanding the mechanism by which RKIP inhibits metastasis reveals key pro-metastatic genes. One of these, the transcription factor BACH1, is negatively regulated by RKIP and itself has multiple functions that promote invasion and metastasis as well as aerobic glycolysis, a characteristic of tumor cell metabolism. Here we summarize some of the pro-metastatic properties of BACH1 and a new therapeutic strategy targeting BACH1 involving repurposing of metabolic inhibitors.
Cigarette Pack Prices and Sales Following Policy Changes in California, 2011–2018

Objectives. To estimate the combined effect of California's Tobacco 21 law (enacted June 2016) and $2-per-pack cigarette excise tax increase (enacted April 2017) on cigarette prices and sales, compared with matched comparator states.Methods. We used synthetic control methods to compare cigarette prices and sales after the policies were enacted, relative to what we would have expected without the policy reforms. To estimate the counterfactual, we matched pre-reform covariate and outcome trends between California and control states to construct a "synthetic" California.Results. Compared with the synthetic control in 2018, cigarette prices in California were $1.89 higher ($7.86 vs $5.97; P < .001), and cigarette sales were 16.6% lower (19.9 vs 16.6 packs per capita; P < .001). This reduction in sales equates to 153.9 million fewer packs being sold between 2017 and 2018.Conclusions. California's new cigarette tax was largely passed on to consumers. The new cigarette tax, combined with the Tobacco 21 law, have contributed to a rapid and substantial reduction in cigarette consumption in California.
Clinical outcomes of modified Bristow operation with mini-open incision in treatment of recurrent anteroinferior shoulder dislocation

Objective To introduce a new modified Bristow operation with mini-open incision and evaluate jts clinical outcomes in treatment of recurrent anteroinferior shoulder dislocation. Methods A total of 11 patients with recurrent anteroinferior shoulder dislocation were treated with modified Bristow op-eration with mini-open incision.The anterior skin incision with 3-5 mm was made to explore the coracoid process with"moving window"technique.Then.the coracoid process and its short head of biceps were os-teotornjed.transferred and fixed on the anteroinferior potion of scapular neck through the rotator cuff inter-space.All patients were followed up for an average period of 15.8 months(6-48 months)by using modified Rowe score. Results The average operation time was 45 minutes(40-65 minutes).The modified Rowe 8core ranged from 80 to 95 points.excellent in all patients, with SUCCESS rate of 100% and without any re-currence or complication. Conclusions Compared with traditional operation.the modified Bristow oper-ation has smaller incision,less trauma.shorter operation duration and better clinical results. Key words: Shoulder joint; Shoulder dislocation; Surgical procedures,operative
Effects of curvature on the propagation of undulatory waves in lower dimensional elastic materials.

The mechanics of lower dimensional elastic structures depends strongly on the geometry of their stress-free state. Elastic deformations separate into in-plane stretching and lower energy out-of-plane bending deformations. For elastic structures with a curved stress-free state, these two elastic modes are coupled within linear elasticity. We investigate the effect of that curvature-induced coupling on wave propagation in lower dimensional elastic structures, focusing on the simplest example---a curved elastic rod in two dimensions. We focus only on the geometry-induced coupling between bending and longitudinal (in-plane) strain that is common to both rods in two dimensions and to elastic shells. We find that the dispersion relation of the waves becomes gapped in the presence of finite curvature; bending modes are absent below a frequency proportional to the curvature of the rod. By studying the scattering of undulatory waves off regions of uniform curvature, we find that undulatory waves with frequencies in the gap associated with the curved region tunnel through that curved region via conversion into compression waves. These results should be directly applicable to the spectrum and spatial distribution of phonon modes in a number of curved rod-like elastic solids, including carbon nanotubes and biopolymer filaments.
A citation study of earth science projects in citizen science.

A citation study of a sample of earth science projects in citizen science from the FedCats Catalog was undertaken to assess whether citizen science projects are as productive and as impactful as conventional research that does not employ volunteer participation as a part of their data gathering and analysis protocols. From the 783 peer-reviewed papers produced by 48 projects identified from project bibliographies, 12,380 citations were identified using the Web of Science archive and their citation search engine to the end of 2018. Various conventional productivity and impact measures were applied including the Impact Factor, H and M-indices, and entry into the Top-1000 papers in cited research. The earth science projects tend to under-perform in terms of Impact Factor (IF = 14-20) and the M-index (M = 23. When compared to non-citizen science research in general, there is a ten-fold higher probability of the earth science papers reaching the Top-1000 threshold of most-cited papers in natural science research. Some of the reasons for the lower performance by some indicators may have to do with the down-turn in published papers after 2010 for the majority of the earth science projects, which itself could be related to the fact that 52% of these projects only became operational after 2010 compared to the more successful 'Top-3' projects, whose impacts resemble the general population of non-citizen science research.
Effect of chitosan on adult longevity when fed, in no-choice experiments, to Musca domestica L., Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart, and Phormia regina (Meigen) adults and its consumption in adult Musca domestica L.

BACKGROUND The literature reports that more research needs to be done on using chitosan as an environmentally friendly bioinsecticide, especially against dipterans. Thus, we examined the effect of chitosan when fed, in no-choice experiments, to adult Musca domestica, Tabanus nigrovittatus, and Phormia regina. RESULTS A 2% chitosan solution was fed, in no-choice experiments, to adults of Musca domestica, Tabanus nigrovittatus, and Phormia regina to study the effects on survivorship. In all species, the uptake of chitosan caused a significant decrease in survivorship. Examination of the digestive tract of house flies showed a thick material within the midgut, plus a shriveling of the midgut only in chitosan-treated flies. A survivorship curve of adult house flies fed a 10% sucrose and 2% w/v ascorbic acid-only solution showed that the effect of the chitosan solution was due to the chitosan and not the ascorbic acid. Intake experiments revealed that by day 2, chitosan treated house flies consumed significantly less of the diet compared to controls. CONCLUSION Chitosan, a biopesticide, when fed in no-choice experiments to three species of adult flies produced severe mortality within 4-6 days of ingestion. A working hypothesis suggests that by day 2 of the chitosan diet there appears to be a malfunction of the digestive tract and possibly the midgut microbiome. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
Production of Tropane Alkaloids (TAs) in Plants and In Vitro Cultures of Different Ploidy Levels

Owning multiple pharmaceutical functions, plant-derived tropane alkaloids, especially scopolamine, have been widely used in medicine. Significant progress has been made in the production of tropane alkaloids during the past decades via breeding and cultivation of Duboisia cultivates, which are rich in scopolamine. However, unpredicted effects of environmental conditions and the progressive impact of global climate change are two major challenges for sustainable production of these compounds in the near future. In vitro cultures offer a powerful alternative source of TA production which address the uncontrolled effects of environmental variables under field cultivation and most importantly ease manipulation of the culture systems to maximize productivity. However, low quality or quantity of certain TA is still one of the biggest challenges that limit applicability of in vitro cultures. As an evolutionary phenomenon, polyploidy has been known to impact almost all characteristics of a plant species including pharmaceutically important traits such as biomass production and secondary metabolism. However, application of polyploidy has been underestimated and unexplored in production of tropane alkaloids. Here, we review recent progresses in the application of polyploidy in improving the quantity and quality of TA production in plants and in vitro cultures of TA-producing plant species. We also discuss the future directions of the polyploidy research in this field.
Concentric Spherical GNN for 3D Representation Learning

Learning 3D representations that generalize well to arbitrarily oriented inputs is a challenge of practical importance in applications varying from computer vision to physics and chemistry. We propose a novel multi-resolution convolutional architecture for learning over concentric spherical feature maps, of which the single sphere representation is a special case. Our hierarchical architecture is based on alternatively learning to incorporate both intra-sphere and inter-sphere information. We show the applicability of our method for two different types of 3D inputs, mesh objects, which can be regularly sampled, and point clouds, which are irregularly distributed. We also propose an efficient mapping of point clouds to concentric spherical images using radial basis functions, thereby bridging spherical convolutions on grids with general point clouds. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in achieving state-of-the-art performance on 3D classification tasks with rotated data.
The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World

In this volume, T.C. Schmidt offers a new perspective on the formation of the New Testament by examining it simply as a Greco-Roman 'testament', a legal document of great authority in the ancient world. His work considers previously unexamined parallels between Greco-Roman juristic standards and the authorization of Christianity's holy texts. Recapitulating how Greco-Roman testaments were created and certified, he argues that the book of Revelation possessed many testamentary characteristics that were crucial for lending validity to the New Testament. Even so, Schmidt shows how Revelation fell out of favor amongst most Eastern Christian communities for over a thousand years until commentators rehabilitated its status and reintegrated it into the New Testament. Schmidt uncovers why so many Eastern churches neglected Revelation during this period, and then draws from Greco-Roman legal practice to describe how Eastern commentators successfully argued for Revelation's inclusion in the New Testaments of their Churches.
Analytical Treatment Interruption in HIV Trials: Statistical and Study Design Considerations.

Analytical treatment interruption (ATI) remains an essential component in clinical studies investigating novel agents or combination treatment strategies aiming to induce HIV treatment-free remission or long-term viral control. We provide an overview on key study design aspects of ATI trials from the perspective of statisticians. ATI trial designs have evolved towards shorter treatment interruption phases and more frequent viral load monitoring aiming to reduce prolonged viremia risks. Criteria for ART resumption have evolved as well. Common outcome measures in modern ATI trials include time to viral rebound, viral control, and viral set point. Design of the ATI component in HIV clinical trials is driven by the scientific question and the mechanism of action of the intervention being investigated.
Using Standardized Videos to Examine the Validity of the Shared Decision Making Process Scale: Results of a Randomized Online Experiment.

BackgroundThe Shared Decision Making (SDM) Process scale is a brief, patient-reported measure of SDM with demonstrated validity in surgical decision making studies. Herein we examine the validity o...
No Team is an Island: How Leaders Shape Networked Ecosystems for Team Success:

Today’s organizations rely on networks of dynamic systems of “agile” teams to get work done. Teams are distributed, transient, and loosely bounded in service of responsiveness and innovation. The k...
Evaluation of Postoperative Pain Management Using an Opioid-Sparing Protocol in Pediatric Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND Since the 1990s, the U.S. has faced increasing rates of opioid overuse, misuse, and overdose deaths. To combat the opioid epidemic, there have been national initiatives to limit prescribing of opioids. At our institution, we implemented an opioid-sparing protocol in pediatric surgical patients and sought to evaluate its impact on postoperative opioid prescribing patterns. METHODS A retrospective chart review of the electronic medical record was performed for 9- to 18-year-old patients who underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy or cholecystectomy before and after the implementation of an opioid-sparing protocol. Data on postoperative opioids administered during the hospitalization and prescribed at discharge, postoperative pain control, use of non-opioid analgesics, and safety were collected. RESULTS A total of 81 patient charts were analyzed. The median amount of opioids administered during hospitalization was 8 MMEs and 15 MMEs in the pre-implementation and post-implementation, respectively (P = 0.310). The median amount of opioids prescribed at discharge was 150 MMEs and 60 MMEs in the pre-implementation and post-implementation, respectively (P = 0.006). Patients reported mild pain scores throughout the hospitalization in both groups. DISCUSSION Among young patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy or cholecystectomy, the administration of opioids during hospitalization for postoperative pain was minimal. The opioid sparing protocol did not reduce the amount of inpatient postoperative opioids administered but found a decrease in the amount of opioids prescribed at discharge. The study findings identified further areas of intervention and education to optimize postoperative opioid prescribing after these common pediatric surgical procedures.
(Re)Defining Freedom of Speech : Language Policy, Education, and Linguistic Rights in the United States

In the United States, the current sociopolitical environment has produced a barrage of policies aimed at curbing the use of languages other than English. From a language ideologies perspective (Schieffelin et al. 1998), this discussion outlines the political architecture of anti-immigrant policies as they are realized in public classrooms. Schools are readily accessible to policymakers and effectively used in the process of instilling socially desired qualities while simultaneously filtering out unwelcome characteristics. As the largest minority group in the United States, the children of Latino immigrants have been especially affected by educational language policies. By tracing out the underlying impetus behind federal and state language policies, I demonstrate how immigration, language, and ethnicity are conflated in the process of developing policies that aim to homogenize and repress cultural diversity. Focusing on language policies across multiple levels of government demonstrates the complexity involved the development and implementation of programs that service immigrant and language-minority communities. It is argued that the fundamental lack of cultural and linguistic sensitivity that spans English-only policies constitutes a coherent effort to interrupt the processes of heritage-culture transmission to language-minority students. In this context, the adverse effects of subtractive language policies targeted at minority communities become apparent as they extend from the classroom to a variety of other social contexts.
Systemic Risk and Network Formation in Social-Ecological Systems

In the last few decades, there have been great advances in the study of how the structure of policy networks affect performance at a systemic level, but more recently public policy and management scholars have begun exploring in more detail how networks form and evolve. In an article published in 2010, Berardo and Scholz (2010) advanced the so-called “risk hypothesis”, which claims that perceptions of high risk members of a network lead to the formation of bonding structures that favor the transmission of overlapping information that solve cooperation problems, while low risk leads to the formation of bridging structures that produce non-redundant information needed to solve coordination problems. The authors found a tendency to the formation of bridging structures in the networks they analyzed, but their work had an important limitation: all the networks were embedded in newly-formed policy arenas where risk is in general low. This leaves the risk hypothesis in need of further testing. In this paper I use a case study approach to empirically test whether high-risk situations lead in fact to the formation of bonding structures, as predicted by Berardo and Scholz. To do this, I study the configuration of the communication network among relevant stakeholders in a portion of a reservoir basin in Argentina that can be considered a social-ecological system under a great deal of environmental and social risk. Findings show that, in fact, there is a higher tendency to the endogenous formation of bonding structures, which provides further support for Berardo and Scholz’s ideas. Additionally, I discussed complementary results that create a more nuanced picture of how networks look like in highly-risky social-ecological systems.
Proboscidean DNA from Museum and Fossil Specimens: An Assessment of Ancient DNA Extraction and Amplification Techniques

Applications of reliable DNA extraction and amplification techniques to postmortem samples are critical to ancient DNA research. Commonly used methods for isolating DNA from ancient material were tested and compared using both soft tissue and bones from fossil and contemporary museum proboscideans. DNAs isolated using three principal methods served as templates in subsequent PCR amplifications, and the PCR products were directly sequenced. Authentication of the ancient origin of obtained nucleotide sequences was established by demonstrating reproducibility under a blind testing system and by phylogenetic analysis. Our results indicate that ancient samples may respond differently to extraction buffers or purification procedures, and no single method was universally successful. A CTAB buffer method, modified from plant DNA extraction protocols, was found to have the highest success rate. Nested PCR was shown to be a reliable approach to amplify ancient DNA templates that failed in primary amplification.
Applying CVD Diamond and Particulate Nanodiamond

Nanometer scale diamond tip emitters for cold cathodes are being developed as (a) vertical and (b) lateral diamond vacuum field emission devices. These diamond field emission devices, diode and triode, were fabricated with a self-aligning gate formation technique from silicon-on-insulator wafers using variations of silicon micropatterning techniques. High emission current, > 0.1A was achieved from the vertical diamond field emission diode with an indented anode design. The gated diamond triode in vertical configuration displayed excellent transistor characteristics with high DC gain of ∼ 800 and large AC output voltage of ∼ 100 V p-p. Lateral diamond field emission diodes with cathode-anode spacing less than 2 μm were fabricated. The lateral diamond emitter exhibited a low turn-on voltage of ∼ 5 V and a high emission current of 6 μA. The low turn-on voltage (field ∼ 3 V/μm) and high emission characteristics are the best of reported lateral field emitter structures. We are also examining particulate nanodiamond for thermal conductivity enhancement of dielectric oils. We have observed that a dispersion of nanodiamond (particle size circa < 5 nm) can increase the overall thermal conductivity of cooling oils such as used in power transformers by over 25%.
What Do We Talk about When We Talk About Animation

What if performance is no longer the dominant trope for understanding the mediated self? What if animation is as or more important as a trope? This essay explores what questions scholars would ask ...
Electronic and Ionic Conductivity in Polyiodine Complexes of Benzophenones and Coumarin

Abstract Complexes of benzophenone, benzophenone derivatives, or coumarin with alkali or ammonium iodides and iodine have been prepared and their conductivities studied. The organic sub-lattices involve six- or four-coordinate cation clathrated by the carbonyl compounds. The iodine sub-lattices consist of In chains in which I3 − and I5 − ions can be identified. AC (1 KHz) conductivities at room temperature vary from 10−1 to 10−6 Ω−1 cm−1, and are of a mixed ionic and electronic type. The most likely transport mechanism involves hopping processes in the polyiodine sub-lattice.
Perceptual grouping, input variability, and recall

This experiment examined the role of internal group structure on recall of letter sequences under conditions of variable and constant stimulus input. Internal group structure is defined as the structure contained in each group of letters that results from the spatial grouping of letter sequences and is distinguished from overall stimulus structure, which refers to the structure contained in the intact letter sequence. While constant input led to better recall performance than did variable input when the internal group structure was high, the reverse was true when internal group structure was low. This was a different pattern of results than had been obtained previously with manipulations of external stimulus structure and suggested that internal group structure plays a qualitatively different role than does overall stimulus structure under conditions of variable stimulus input.
Influence of polymeric excipients on crystal hydrate formation kinetics in aqueous slurries

Crystalline anhydrous active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can potentially transform to the hydrate form during manufacturing processes involving water. The ability to understand and manipulate these transformations is important to maintain control of the solid state form of the API. The influence of various polymeric excipients on the anhydrate to hydrate transformation of caffeine, carbamazepine, and sulfaguanidine was investigated in this study. The transformation of the APIs in aqueous slurries was monitored using in-line Raman measurements and the resultant kinetic profiles provided insight into the inhibitory ability of the polymers investigated. The results showed that cross-linked poly(acrylic acid) inhibited the caffeine transformation and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose inhibited the carbamazepine transformation. None of the polymers tested were able to inhibit the sulfaguanidine transformation although some polymers were able to reduce the rate of the transformation with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) showing the greatest effect. It was found that the inhibitory polymers were able to either reduce crystal growth rates and/or increase the induction time preceding the nucleation event.
Optimal Pricing and Rebate Strategies in a Two‐Level Supply Chain

For many product categories, manufacturers and retailers often offer rebates to stimulate sales. Due to certain adverse effects, however, some manufacturers and retailers are contemplating the elimination of their rebate programs. This paper sheds light on the debate about the value of rebate programs by presenting a model for evaluating the conditions under which a firm should offer rebates in a competitive environment. Specifically, we consider a two-level supply chain comprising one manufacturer and one retailer. Each firm makes three decisions: the regular (wholesale or retail) price, whether or not to offer rebates, and the rebate value should the firm decide to launch a rebate program. We determine the equilibrium of a vertical competition game between the manufacturer (leader) and the retailer (follower), and we provide insights about how competition affects the conditions under which a firm should offer rebates in equilibrium.
Building Small City and Town Sams and CGE Models

In this paper we attempt to describe both the data sources and organizational methods that allow for effective and easily created SAMs and regional computable general equilibrium (CGE) models. Small cities of around 100,000 people will face very different constraints than a town of 2000 people. Unfortunately, most CGE models typically describe relatively large geographical areas and are therefore not able to capture the uniqueness of individual cities within the region. An illustrative example using these methods demonstrates that the economic impacts vary substantially over different municipalities to the same economic shock.
A Chemo‐Mechanical Tweezer for Single‐Molecular Characterization of Soft Materials

A new atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based chemo-mechanical tweezer has been developed that can measure mechanical properties of individual macromolecules in supramolecular assembly and reveal positions of azide-containing polymers. A key feature of the new technology is the use of an AFM tip densely modified with 4-dibenzocyclooctynols (chemo-mechanical tweezer) that can react with multiple azide containing macromolecules of micelles to give triazole “clicked” compounds, which during retracting phases of AFM imaging are removed from the macromolecular assembly thereby providing a surface topographical image and positions of azide-containing polymers. The force–distance curves gave mechanical properties of removal of individual molecules from a supramolecular assembly. The new chemo-mechanical tweezer will make it possible to characterize molecular details of macromolecular assemblies thereby offering new avenues to tailor properties of such assemblies.