cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tumor-Associated Endothelial Cells Promote Tumor Metastasis by Chaperoning Circulating Tumor Cells and Protecting Them from Anoikis

Tumor metastasis is a highly inefficient biological process as millions of tumor cells are released in circulation each day and only a few of them are able to successfully form distal metastatic nodules. This could be due to the fact that most of the epithelial origin cancer cells are anchorage-dependent and undergo rapid anoikis in harsh circulating conditions. A number of studies have shown that in addition to tumor cells, activated endothelial cells are also released into the blood circulation from the primary tumors. However, the precise role of these activated circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in tumor metastasis process is not known. Therefore, we performed a series of experiments to examine if CECs promoted tumor metastasis by chaperoning the tumor cells to distal sites. Our results demonstrate that blood samples from head and neck cancer patients contain significantly higher Bcl-2-positive CECs as compared to healthy volunteers. Technically, it is challenging to know the origin of CECs in patient blood samples, therefore we used an orthotopic SCID mouse model and co-implanted GFP-labeled endothelial cells along with tumor cells. Our results suggest that activated CECs (Bcl-2-positive) were released from primary tumors and they co-migrated with tumor cells to distal sites. Bcl-2 overexpression in endothelial cells (EC-Bcl-2) significantly enhanced adhesion molecule expression and tumor cell binding that was predominantly mediated by E-selectin. In addition, tumor cells bound to EC-Bcl-2 showed a significantly higher anoikis resistance via the activation of Src-FAK pathway. In our in vivo experiments, we observed significantly higher lung metastasis when tumor cells were co-injected with EC-Bcl-2 as compared to EC-VC. E-selectin knockdown in EC-Bcl-2 cells or FAK/FUT3 knockdown in tumor cells significantly reversed EC-Bcl-2-mediated tumor metastasis. Taken together, our results suggest a novel role for CECs in protecting the tumor cells in circulation and chaperoning them to distal sites.
Potenzial der V2X-Kommunikation für Verkehrssicherheit und Effizienz

Fahrzeuge, die mit einer V2V- beziehungsweise V2X-Kommunikation ausgestattet sind, bieten mehr Sicherheit, Effizienz und Fahrkomfort. Denn sie erkennen eigenstaendig und praeventiv Gefahrensituationen. Selbst, wenn diese ausser Sichtweite liegen, etwa aufgrund einer Kurve oder weil vorausfahrende Fahrzeuge die Sicht versperren. Zwei Beispiele fuer kooperative Fahrerassistenzsysteme sind das elektronische Bremslicht (EBL, Electronic Brake Light) und der Baustellenwarner (RWW, Road Works Warning). Das elektronische Bremslicht warnt den Fahrer vor der Vollbremsung eines weiter vorausfahrenden Fahrzeugs. Der Baustellenwarner (RWW) informiert den Fahrer darueber, dass er sich einer Strassenbaustelle naehert. Die potenziellen Vorteile dieser Funktionen im Zusammenspiel mit weiteren, kooperativen Fahrerassistenzfunktionen wurden im Rahmen von europaweiten Feldstudien erfolgreich nachgewiesen. Einige Studienergebnisse werden vorgestellt und das Potenzial der V2X-Kommunikation fuer die Verkehrssicherheit und die Verkehrseffizienz wird beschrieben. (A)
Psychiatric Diagnoses and Comorbidities in a Diverse, Multicity Cohort of Young Transgender Women: Baseline Findings From Project LifeSkills

Importance Transgender youth, including adolescent and young adult transgender women assigned a male sex at birth who identify as girls, women, transgender women, transfemale, male-to-female, or another diverse transfeminine gender identity, represent a vulnerable population at risk for negative mental health and substance use outcomes. Diagnostic clinical interviews to assess prevalence of mental health, substance dependence, and comorbid psychiatric disorders in young transgender women remain scarce. Objective To report the prevalence of mental health, substance dependence, and comorbid psychiatric disorders assessed via clinical diagnostic interview in a high-risk community-recruited sample of young transgender women. Design, Setting, and Participants Observational study reporting baseline finding from a diverse sample of 298 sexually active, young transgender women aged 16 through 29 years (mean age, 23.4 years; 49.0% black, 12.4% Latina, 25.5% white, and 13.1% other minority race/ethnicity) and enrolled in Project LifeSkills, an ongoing randomized controlled HIV prevention intervention efficacy trial in Chicago and Boston, between 2012 and 2015. Exposure Transfeminine gender identity. Main Outcomes and Measures Age- and site-adjusted prevalence and comorbidities of mental health and substance dependence disorders assessed via the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, including 1 or more diagnoses, 2 or more comorbid diagnoses, major depressive episode (current and lifetime), past 30-day suicidal risk (no/low risk vs moderate/high risk), past 6-month generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, and past 12-month alcohol dependence and nonalcohol psychoactive substance use dependence. Results Of the 298 transgender women, 41.5% of participants had 1 or more mental health or substance dependence diagnoses; 1 in 5 (20.1%) had 2 or more comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. Prevalence of specific disorders was as follows: lifetime and current major depressive episode, 35.4% and 14.7%, respectively; suicidality, 20.2%; generalized anxiety disorder, 7.9%; posttraumatic stress disorder, 9.8%; alcohol dependence, 11.2%; and nonalcohol psychoactive substance use dependence, 15.2%. Conclusions and Relevance Prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses was high in this community-recruited sample of young transgender women. Improving access to routine primary care, diagnostic screening, psychotherapy, and pharmacologic treatments, and retention in care in clinical community-based, pediatric, and adolescent medicine settings are urgently needed to address mental health and substance dependence disorders in this population. Further research will be critical, particularly longitudinal studies across development, to understand risk factors and identify optimal timing and targets for psychosocial interventions.
Does a preoperative bowel preparation reduce bowel morbidity and length of stay after scoliosis surgery? A randomized prospective study.

BACKGROUND Constipation is a common problem after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), with bowel morbidity being reported as high as 78%. The purpose of this study was to determine if a preoperative bowel preparation reduces the incidence of bowel morbidity after surgery for AIS. METHODS This is an IRB-approved randomized, prospective study of 60 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for AIS. After consent to participate was signed by the patients' family, patients were randomized to either a preoperative bowel preparation (group A) or no bowel preparation (group B). Bowel morbidity data were then collected and compared postoperatively. RESULTS Complete data were available for 27 patients in group A and 28 in group B. Postoperatively, we found that group A had less weight gain (P<0.09), fewer postoperative bowel medications (P<0.023), and a shorter time to first bowel movement (P<0.03) when compared with group B. Two patients in group B had persistent constipation after discharge, one requiring readmission to the hospital. One patient in group B developed a postoperative wound infection. There were no adverse events in group A postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS This study did show a modest reduction in some aspects of bowel morbidity when patients had a preoperative bowel preparation before scoliosis surgery. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Therefore, we do not recommend routine preoperative bowel preparations for AIS patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level II.
Automated Video Tracking To Assess Executive Aspects of Cancellation in Stroke (P02.031)

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of automated video-based tracking of pen movement by stroke patients during standard cancellation assessment. Background Although the cancellation test is widely used to assess unilateral spatial neglect, attempts to quantify the self-organization of visual search on cancellation (an executive function) are often frustrated either by the need for laborious monitoring by the examiner or technological limitations of touchscreen-based assessments due to limb apraxia. We evaluated whether automated video tracking of pen movements during pen-and-paper cancellation could overcome these difficulties. Design/Methods: Five stroke patients (4 left infarct, 1 right infarct) were video recorded on the Star Cancellation Test with a fluorescent marker at the pen tip. EthoVision XT 8.0 software was used to calculate the regression coefficient ( r ) of both the x - and y -coordinates of all sequential points of changes in pen direction during testing. The greater r- value from each patient was used to represent the extent of search organization. Results were compared to three healthy age-similar adults. Results: All subjects complied with testing. 4/5 patients9 r -values fell outside of control subject range ( r 9s r = 0.52 ). Conclusions: Results suggest that (1) video tracking software easily computes search organization on cancellation, (2) marked aphasia does not preclude test compliance, and (3) aphasic patients may be better organized than stroke patients with left spatial neglect, despite profound comprehension impairment. Video tracking of cancellation may afford a simple, non-intrusive way to assess executive aspects of visual search in stroke. In addition, because this method computes changes in pen movement including above the test array, this may constitute a new index of self-organization during search that may be relevant to functional outcomes. Disclosure: Dr. Mark has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chasan has nothing to disclose.
Paracacoxenus, new genus, with notes on Cacoxenus indagator Loew (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Cacoxenus Loew is redefined on the basis of the type species, C. indagator , which is redescribed (including characteristics of the genitalia) and for which a lectotype is selected. Paracacoxenus Hardy, type P. guttatus Hardy and Wheeler (Washington and Oregon), is allied to Cacoxenus, Gitona , and Gitonides .
The Lively Arts of the London Stage, 1675–1725

Eschewing conventional modes of periodization that take for granted clear boundaries between the Restoration and the eighteenth century, this engaging study imagines the lifespan of a London theatr...
Colonic absorption of unconjugated bile acids: perfusion studies in man.

Colonic absorption of three major unconjugated bile acids—cholate, chenodeoxycholate, and deoxycholate—was measured under steady-state conditions using a technique of colonic perfusion in healthy volunteers. Aqueous solutions at pH 8.0 and varying in concentration from 1 mM to 10 mM were used. The rate of chenodeoxycholate absorption averaged nine times that of cholate absorption; deoxycholate absorption was somewhat less than that of chenodeoxycholate absorption, averaging six times that of cholate. At concentrations below 5 mM, the rate of absorption of bile acids was directly proportional to concentration, so that “clearance” could be calculated. Clearance values for a 1-mM solution (ml/min/colon, mean ±se) were: chenodeoxycholate, 9.84±1.0; deoxycholate, 7.0±1; and cholate, 0.82±0.10. Since absorption was proportional to concentration in the lumen, and was more rapid for the dihydroxy acids, the major mechanism of absorption was thought to be passive nonionic diffusion. Maximal rates of bile acid absorption were calculated from a 1-mM solution and found to be as high as 4.2 g/day for chenodeoxycholate, 3.2 g/day for deoxycholate, and 0.5 g/day for cholate, and the rate would be still greater for more concentrated solutions. Colonic absorption may contribute significantly to conservation of the dihydroxy bile acid pool, especially in conditions of bile acid malabsorption.
435 EVIDENCE FOR AN IRON ABSORPTION REGULATOR INTRINSIC TO THE ENTEROCYTE AND INDEPENDENT OF IRON STORES OR ERYTHROPOIESIS.

Mammalian iron homeostasis is maintained at the level of absorption from the gut lumen. Iron absorption is known to respond to changes in iron stores, erythropoiesis, and hypoxia. Normal individuals absorb approximately 1 mg of dietary iron daily. In mild to moderate iron deficiency, this value increases to 3-5 mg/day. Estimates of iron absorption during severe iron deficiency or anemia range from 30-40 mg/day. Hypoxia response appears to be intermediate. We asked how mice respond to differences in dietary iron content. Groups of 8 mice were weaned onto diets containing 2, 35, 120, 350, and 2,000 mg/kg carbonyl iron for 4 wk, following which iron stores, hematological parameters, iron absorption, and expression of iron-related genes were compared. Mean hepatic iron content was 52.7 ± 3.7 μg/g (wet wt) in mice fed the 2 mg/kg diet and increased to 560 ± 23.7 μg/g in mice fed the 2,000 mg/kg diet. There was no difference in hepatic iron in mice fed 35-350 mg/kg diets and averaged 110 ± 3 μg/g. Mean spleen iron content was 132 ± 12.2 μg/g (wet wt) in mice maintained on 2 mg/kg and increased to 598 ± 49 μg/g in mice fed the 2,000 mg/kg diet. There was no difference in spleen iron in mice maintained on intermediate iron diets (mean 359 ± 10 μg/g). These data indicate that iron stores remained constant over a 10-fold range in dietary iron content and changed only at the extremes. Erythropoietic demand did not change over the entire range of dietary iron as no differences between groups were noted in hematocrit, hemoglobin, and MCV. Iron absorption was measured as percent of a measured dose of 59 Fe (5 μg total) remaining in the carcass (minus the GI tract) 24 h after administration by gavage. Absorption was inversely proportional to dietary iron content. Mean absorption was 86% ± 4, 42% ± 3, 26% ± 7, 19% ± 4 and 6% ± 1 on the 2, 35, 120, 350, and 2,000 mg/kg iron diets respectively. Real-time PCR was used to measure liver hepcidin mRNA. Hepcidin expression was 20-fold greater in mice on the 2,000 mg/kg diet than in mice on the 2 mg/kg diet (3,900 ± 1,021 vs 198 ± 47 copies/actin copy). Hepcidin expression did not differ in mice on intermediate diets (745 ± 147 copies). These data indicate that under conditions where iron stores are not changing and there is no evidence of altered erythropoiesis, iron absorption remained exquisitely sensitive to dietary iron content. This result suggests that over a broad range of dietary iron content, normal iron homeostasis is regulated by a factor(s) intrinsic to the enterocyte and not by “downstream” effects of iron stores and erythropoiesis.
A SEARCH-BASED APPROACH TO ANNEXATION AND MERGING IN WEIGHTED VOTING GAMES

Weighted voting games are classic cooperative games which provide a compact representation for coalition formation models in multiagent systems. We consider manipulation in weighted voting games via annexation and merging, which involves an agent or some agents misrepresenting their identities in anticipation of gaining more power at the expense of other agents in a game. We show that annexation and merging in weighted voting games can be more serious than as presented in the previous work. Specifically, using similar assumptions as employed in a previous work, we show that manipulators need to do only a polynomial amount of work to find a much improved power gain, and then present two search-based pseudo-polynomial algorithms that manipulators can use. We empirically evaluate our search-based method for annexation and merging. Our method is shown to achieve significant improvement in benefits for manipulating agents in several numerical experiments. While our search-based method achieves improvement in benefits of over 300% more than those of the previous work in annexation, the improvement in benefits is 28% to 45% more than those of the previous work in merging for all the weighted voting games we considered.
Agonist-induced translocation of Gq/11α immunoreactivity directly from plasma membrane in MDCK cells

Both Gsα and Gqα are palmitoylated and both can move from a crude membrane fraction to a soluble fraction in response to stimulation with agonists. This response may be mediated through depalmitoylation. Previous studies have not demonstrated that endogenous guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (G protein) α-subunits are released directly from the plasma membrane. We have examined the effect of agonist stimulation on the location of Gq/11α immunoreactivity in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Bradykinin (BK; 0.1 μM) caused Gq/11α, but not Giα, to rapidly translocate from purified plasma membranes to the supernatant. AlF and GTP also caused translocation of Gq/11α immunoreactivity from purified plasma membranes. BK caused translocation of Gq/11α immunoreactivity in intact cells from the basal and lateral plasma membranes to an intracellular compartment as assessed by confocal microscopy. Thus Gq/11α is released directly from the plasma membrane to an intracellular location in response to act...
Imaging Charge Transfer State Excitations in Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cells with Time-Resolved Electrostatic Force Microscopy.

We demonstrate nanoscale imaging of charge transfer state photoexcitations in polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells using time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy (trEFM). We compare local trEFM charging rates and external quantum efficiencies (EQE) for both above-gap and below-gap excitation of the model system poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). We show that the local trEFM charging rate correlates with device EQE for both above-gap and below-gap photoexcitation, demonstrating that EFM methods have sufficient sensitivity to detect the low EQEs associated with CT state formation, a result that could be useful for probing weak subgap excitations in nanostructured materials such as quantum dot and organometal halide perovskite solar cells. Further, we use trEFM to map spatial variations in EQE arising from subgap CT excitation in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and find that the local distribution of...
The Integrated Enforcement of Human Rights

The strengths and weaknesses of different human rights enforcement regimes are typically assessed from a vantage point that evaluates each type of mechanism in isolation from others. From this perspective, human rights courts are sometimes regarded as the “gold standard” in human rights enforcement because they possess what their far-more-common enforcement brothers — reporting and monitoring mechanisms — lack: The authority to impose sanctions on states that have violated their human rights obligations. When viewed side by side with human rights courts, reporting and monitoring mechanisms are frequently found wanting.In fact, however, reporting and monitoring mechanisms have strengths as well as weaknesses. Moreover, they support treaties that have substantive obligations that overlap those found in treaties that are enforced by human rights courts. Once the connections between the treaties are taken into account, it follows that the treaties’ enforcement mechanisms also may impact one another. Viewing enforcement as an integrated phenomenon reveals a much more nuanced and complicated picture of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of enforcement mechanisms than is typically depicted when they are viewed as acting in isolation from one another. Recognizing that different regimes of human rights treaty enforcement can be integrated requires re-conceiving the coercive and persuasive influence of mechanisms that have no direct sanctioning authority. Far from being “toothless,” these enforcement mechanisms have the potential to directly impact human rights courts with strong enforcement authority. Moreover, the ability of the courts to identify non-compliant behavior is strengthened through their interactions with other treaties’ reporting mechanisms.
Competition Heats Up in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Autoimmune Conditions.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, inflammatory form of arthritis that results in joint inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness.1 Although new treatment strategies that focus on early diagnosis, aggressive treatment, and consistent monitoring have helped many patients achieve their goals, RA continues to present clinical and economic challenges to patients, physicians, and payers. Clinically favorable and cost-effective treatments must focus on the prevention of disease progression and on improving patients’ quality of life and productivity. With the wide variety of treatment options currently available and more in the pipeline, payers are faced with the challenge of identifying the most clinically and economically effective allocation of treatments for RA.
Vasectomy and vasovasostomy.

The status of vasectomy is reviewed and updated. Approximately two requests for reversal are made for every 1000 vasectomies in the United States. Vasovasostomy can be a highly successful procedure, and fertility rates after this operation have shown a steady increase over the past three decades.
A Corpus-Assisted Investigation of Nonunderstanding in Outsourced Call Center Discourse

This study analyzes a corpus of call center interactions between Filipino call center agents and American callers engaged in a range of communicative tasks during a typical workday. Our primary focus is to contribute to the knowledge base surrounding miscommunication in intercultural interactions in Filipino–American customer service calls. Specifically, our study explores how instances of nonunderstanding are initiated and repaired in interactions supported by Filipino agents. As a corpus-assisted research, we analyze a large number of interactions in order to identify linguistic and communicative patterns and draw conclusions from a variety of examples. Qualitative coding of the interactions works to identify how instances of miscommunication occur, while quantitative analysis of these instances helps to visualize patterns and to provide suggestions as to what may be causing or resolving miscommunication between these interlocutors.
EHR-related medication errors in two ICUs

The objective of this study was to describe the frequency, potential harm, and nature of electronic health record (EHR)-related medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs). Using a secondary data analysis of a large database of medication safety events collected in a study on EHR technology in ICUs, we assessed the EHR relatedness of a total of 1622 potential preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) identified in a sample of 624 patients in 2 ICUs of a medical center. Thirty-four percent of the medication events were found to be EHR related. The EHR-related medication events had greater potential for more serious patient harm and occurred more frequently at the ordering stage as compared to non-EHR-related events. Examples of EHR-related events included orders with omitted information and duplicate orders. The list of EHR-related medication errors can be used by health care delivery organizations to monitor implementation and use of the technology and its impact on patient safety. Health information technology (IT) vendors can use the list to examine whether their technology can mitigate or reduce EHR-related medication errors.
The effect of Li0 on the corrosion of stainless steel alloy 316L exposed to molten LiCl-Li2O-Li

Abstract A knowledge gap exists in our understanding of corrosion of alloys in molten LiCl-Li2O-Li. Coupons of stainless steel alloy 316L were exposed to LiCl-Li2O solutions containing up to 1 wt%Li. A protective surface films of LiCrO2 forms in molten solutions containing up to 0.4 wt%Li. The surfaces of samples exposed to melts containing greater than 0.4 wt% Li were observed to be depleted of Cr and mostly devoid of oxides. Results indicate that material interactions with the LiCl-Li2O-Li system are governed by electrochemical oxidation phenomena when the Li concentration is low, while liquid metal effects dominate when the Li concentration is high.
Explaining attendance through the brand community triad: Integrating network theory and team identification

Abstract In this study, the authors empirically test a model of sport behaviour that integrates both team identification and a network theory approach to understand attendance at intercollegiate ice hockey games. Grounded within the brand community triad, ego network data were collected among attendees to measure the fan-to-fan connections that constitute the horizontal relationships of brand community participants. Additionally, a multidimensional team identification measure was used to illustrate the vertical relationship between individual and team. Both measures were included in a structural equation model to test how both fan-to-fan and fan-team relationships explain attendance. The results from the model support the salience of both dimensions of the brand community triad, suggesting that understanding sport fan behaviour necessitates including both psychological and structural elements of behaviour. Future suggestions for extending the study of sport fans through structural networks are discussed.
Is that social bot behaving unethically

A procedure for reflection and discourse on the behavior of bots in the context of law, deception, and societal norms.
Vowel dispersion and Kazakh labial harmony

This paper uses novel data showing gradient labial harmony in Kazakh to compare Kaun's (1995) feature-based analysis with a dispersion-based analysis in a Maximum Entropy Harmonic Grammar. The paper demonstrates that the dispersion-based analysis better fits the Kazakh data than Kaun's analysis, and then extends it to account for four languages with harmony patterns different from that in Kazakh. The paper also argues that the dispersion-based account provides a better analysis of the typology of labial harmony than Kaun's feature-based analysis.
Statins: pros and cons

Statins inhibit the critical step of cholesterol synthesis in which 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMGC) is transformed to mevalonate by the enzyme HMGC reductase. By doing so, they have a potent lipid-lowering effect that reduces cardiovascular risk and decreases mortality. Since the mevalonate pathway also influences endothelial function, the inflammatory response, and coagulation, the effects of statins reach well beyond their cholesterol lowering properties. As with all drugs, statins may have adverse effects; these include musculoskeletal symptoms, increased risk of diabetes, and higher rates of hemorrhagic stroke. However, the frequency of adverse effects is extremely low and, in selected patient populations, the benefits of statins considerably outweigh the potential risks.
Heterogeneous knowledge transfer via domain regularization for improving cross-domain collaborative filtering

Cross-Domain Collaborative Filtering(CDCF) methods transfer knowledge from auxiliary domains (e.g., books) to improve recommendation in a target domain (e.g. movies). Most CDCF methods exploit homogeneous user feedback, e.g. numeric ratings, from auxiliary domains as the knowledge source. However, in a typical recommender system, the usage data is usually heterogeneous and therefore is potential to better improve recommendation in other domains. In this paper, we propose a novel and generic CDCF solution called Heterogeneous Knowledge Transfer via Domain Regularization (HKT-DR). Our solution is able to mine high quality knowledge from heterogeneous knowledge sources, i.e. both explicit and implicit feedbacks from multiple auxiliary domains, by building a fused user similarity network, and to incorporate the knowledge by imposing domain regularization to constrain matrix factorization objective function. Extensive experiments on real world datasets show that the proposed HKT-DR model outperforms the state-of-the-art CDCF solutions.
Narcotic use and total hip arthroplasty.

Background:The purpose of this study is to: (1) characterise risk factors for prolonged narcotic use following total hip arthroplasty (THA); (2) examine preoperative and prolonged postoperative nar...
Meeting teachers in the middle: designing handheld computer-supported activities to improve student questioning

Promoting student questioning in science is integral to inquiry-oriented instruction and to conceptual understanding, but it is rare in most science classrooms. This paper describes the development of software for handheld computers that helps teachers capture and use student questions in science classrooms. The paper also analyzes teachers' use of the software to elicit prior knowledge, to engage students in reviewing concepts, and to structure student-led inquiry.
Autoimmune Response to Acetylcholine Receptors in Myasthenia Gravis and Its Animal Model

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the process of neurotransmission as well as acetylcholine receptors (AChR) structure and function to understand the pathological mechanisms involved in myasthenia gravis (MG) and experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). The studies of the autoimmune response to AChR in MG and its animal model are presented. MG is an autoimmune disease in which transmission is impaired by an autoimmune response to acetylcholine receptors in the postsynaptic membrane of the muscle. Biochemical study of pathological mechanisms in MG is dependent on development of methods for quantitating and purifying AChRs. The pathological mechanisms impairing neuromuscular transmission in MG and EAMG have turned out to be quite similar. In both cases, the primary effect of the immune response is not to produce antibodies to AChR that block AChR activity but rather to produce antibodies to AChR that cause a decrease in the amount of AChR. Patients with myasthenia gravis have similar antibodies that can be quantitated by radioimmune assays using labeled receptors obtained from human muscle.
Public Health Surveillance for Zika Virus: Data Interpretation and Report Validity

Zika virus provides an example for which public health surveillance is based primarily on health care provider notifications to health departments of potential cases. This case-based surveillance is commonly used to understand the spread of disease in a population. However, case-based surveillance is often biased-whether testing is done and which tests are used and the accuracy of the results depend on a variety of factors including test availability, patient demand, perceptions of transmission, and patient and provider awareness, leading to surveillance artifacts that can provide misleading information on the spread of a disease in a population and have significant public health practice implications. To better understand this challenge, we first summarize the process that health departments use to generate surveillance reports, then describe factors influencing testing and reporting patterns at the patient, provider, and contextual level. We then describe public health activities, including active surveillance, that influence both patient and provider behavior as well as surveillance reports, and conclude with a discussion about the interpretation of surveillance data and approaches that could improve the validity of surveillance reports.
Commissioning of the LaBr3(Ce) detector array at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory

Abstract The timing and energy resolution properties of LaBr 3 (Ce) scintillators are well suited for use in γ γ fast-timing experiments. Using standard 60Co, 88Y, and 152Eu sources, the 16-element array of 1.5 inch × 1.5 inch right-cylindrical LaBr 3 (Ce) detectors and the associated readout electronics at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory were commissioned by measuring the lifetimes of excited states and the angular correlations of γ rays emitted in cascade. Excited-state lifetimes in 152Sm and 152Gd were measured using the exponential slope of the decay and a method based on the centroids of time-difference spectra. Results for the lifetimes are consistent with the well-known literature values which cover a range from a few picoseconds to several nanoseconds. Furthermore, the γ γ angular correlations for the 4 + → 2 + → 0 + cascade in 60Ni and the 3 − → 2 + → 0 + cascade in 88Sr were measured and shown to agree with GEANT4 simulations that take into account the expected angular correlations within the cascades as well as the geometry of the array.
Tight binding model of induced band shift in CoO nanoparticles

Recently researchers have shown that water splitting occurs in 6 nm particles of Co-O, an effect not seen in the pure crystal, indicating that the band shift in these particles is probably due in p...
Changes in Spinal Height After Manual Axial Traction or Side Lying: A Clinical Measure of Intervertebral Disc Hydration Using Stadiometry

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of a manual therapy technique consisting of axial traction compared with side lying on increased spine height after sustained loading. Methods Twenty-one asymptomatic participants were included. Participants either received manual therapy technique consisting of manual axial traction force for 2 consecutive rounds of 3 minutes or sustained side lying for 10 minutes. Spine height was measured using a commercially available stadiometer. Spinal height change was determined from measurements taken after loaded walking and measurements taken after manual therapy. A paired t test was performed to determine if a manual therapy technique consisting of axial traction increased spinal height after a period of spinal loading. Results A significant increase in height was found after both manual therapy technique and sustained side lying (P Conclusion This study is an initial attempt at evaluating the biomechanical effects of manual therapy technique consisting of axial traction. Both manual axial traction force and sustained side-lying position were equally effective for short-term change in spine height after a loaded walking protocol among healthy asymptomatic individuals. This study protocol may help to inform future studies that evaluate spine height after loading.
Science Behind Cosmetics and Skin Care

Women and men worldwide use an abundance of skin care and cosmetic products, in pursuit of cleanliness with soaps and shampoos, or everlasting youth with creams and serums. No matter what age, location or socioeconomic background, we are all exposed to the widespread cosmetics industry. The global cosmetic market was worth $460 billion in 2014 and is estimated to reach $675 billion by 2020. While marketing and advertising efforts have forged a path for the industry’s continued growth, this momentum has not translated to equally refreshed regulatory practices in some parts of the world. This chapter reviews the regulatory status of cosmetics, adverse event reporting and studies attempting to link cosmetics with contact dermatitis. It aims to set the foundation for the emergence of nanocosmetics.
Coming-of-age in a coming-of-age: the collective individualism of podcasting’s intimate soundwork

Podcasting collectives – groups of independent producer-hosts invested in shared resources and “sound-rich storytelling” – emerged between 2014 and 2018. The models of four U.S.-based collectives d...
Solving Quantified Bit-Vectors Using Invertibility Conditions

We present a novel approach for solving quantified bit-vector formulas in Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) based on computing symbolic inverses of bit-vector operators. We derive conditions that precisely characterize when bit-vector constraints are invertible for a representative set of bit-vector operators commonly supported by SMT solvers. We utilize syntax-guided synthesis techniques to aid in establishing these conditions and verify them independently by using several SMT solvers. We show that invertibility conditions can be embedded into quantifier instantiations using Hilbert choice expressions, and give experimental evidence that a counterexample-guided approach for quantifier instantiation utilizing these techniques leads to performance improvements with respect to state-of-the-art solvers for quantified bit-vector constraints.
A compact plasmonic MOS-based electro-optic switch

We report on a three-waveguide electro-optic switch for ultra-compact photonic integrated circuits and data routing. The device features a plasmonic MOS mode for enhanced light-matter-interactions. The switching mechanism originates from a capacitor-like design where the refractive index of the active medium, Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO), is altered via shifting the plasma frequency due to carrier modulation inside this waveguide-based MOS design. This modulation controls the transmission direction of TM polarized light into either a CROSS or BAR waveguide port. For a tolerable insertion loss of 3 (8) dB, the switch provides a cross-to-bar state discrimination of 4 (10) times. The device can be integrated into a Silicon-on-Insulator platform to keep manufacturing costs low.
Neurocognitive Outcome After Treatment With(out) ECMO for Neonatal Critical Respiratory or Cardiac Failure

Over the years, it has become clear that children growing up after neonatal critical illness are at high risk of long-term neurocognitive deficits that impact their school performance and daily life activities. Although the pathophysiological mechanisms remain largely unknown, emerging evidence seems to suggest that long-term neuropsychological deficits following neonatal critical illness are not associated with the type of treatment, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), but rather with underlying disease processes. In this review, neurocognitive outcome and brain pathology following neonatal critical respiratory and cardiac illness, either treated with or without ECMO, are described and compared in order to gain insight into potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Putting these findings together, it becomes apparent that both children with complex congenital heart disease and children who survived severe respiratory failure are at risk of neurocognitive deficits later in life. Neurorehabilitation strategies, such as Cogmed working-memory training, are discussed. While prevention of neurocognitive deficits altogether should be strived for in the future, this is not realistic at this moment. It is therefore of great importance that children growing up after neonatal critical illness receive long-term care that includes psychoeducation and personalized practical tools that can be used to improve their daily life activities.
Emotion Recognition Using Fused Physiological Signals

In this paper, we propose a new representation of human emotion through the fusion of physiological signals. Using the variance of these signals, the proposed method increases the effect of signals that contribute to the recognition accuracy, while decreasing the effect of those that do not. The new representation is a powerful approach to recognizing emotions. We investigate this by comparing against emotion recognition results from non-fused physiological signals. Both the fused and non-fused signals are used to train feedforward neural networks to recognize a range of emotion. We show that the fused method outperforms each individual signal across all emotions tested. We test the efficacy of the proposed approach on two publicly available datasets, namely BP4D+ and DEAP, showing state-of-the-art results on both. To the best of our knowledge this is the first work to present emotion recognition results using physiological signals on all subjects from BP4D+.
BLAST-QC: automated analysis of BLAST results.

The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) from NCBI is the preferred utility for sequence alignment and identification for bioinformatics and genomics research. Among researchers using NCBI’s BLAST software, it is well known that analyzing the results of a large BLAST search can be tedious and time-consuming. Furthermore, with the recent discussions over the effects of parameters such as ‘-max_target_seqs’ on the BLAST heuristic search process, the use of these search options are questionable. This leaves using a stand-alone parser as one of the only options of condensing these large datasets, and with few available for download online, the task is left to the researcher to create a specialized piece of software anytime they need to analyze BLAST results. The need for a streamlined and fast script that solves these issues and can be easily implemented into a variety of bioinformatics and genomics workflows was the initial motivation for developing this software. In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of BLAST-QC for analysis of BLAST results and its desirability over the other available options. Applying genetic sequence data from our bioinformatic workflows, we establish BLAST_QC’s superior runtime when compared to existing parsers developed with commonly used BioPerl and BioPython modules, as well as C and Java implementations of the BLAST_QC program. We discuss the ‘max_target_seqs’ parameter, the usage of and controversy around the use of the parameter, and offer a solution by demonstrating the ability of our software to provide the functionality this parameter was assumed to produce, as well as a variety of other parsing options. Executions of the script on example datasets are given, demonstrating the implemented functionality and providing test-cases of the program. BLAST-QC is designed to be integrated into existing software, and we establish its effectiveness as a module of workflows or other processes. BLAST-QC provides the community with a simple, lightweight and portable Python script that allows for easy quality control of BLAST results while avoiding the drawbacks of other options. This includes the uncertain results of applying the -max_target_seqs parameter or relying on the cumbersome dependencies of other options like BioPerl, Java, etc. which add complexity and run time when running large data sets of sequences. BLAST-QC is ideal for use in high-throughput workflows and pipelines common in bioinformatic and genomic research, and the script has been designed for portability and easy integration into whatever type of processes the user may be running.
Local atmospheric factors that enhance air-borne dispersion of coronavirus - High-fidelity numerical simulation of COVID19 case study in real-time.

The spatial patterns of the spreading of the COVID19 indicate the possibility of airborne transmission of the coronavirus. As the cough-jet of an infected person is ejected as a plume of infected viral aerosols into the atmosphere, the conditions in the local atmospheric boundary layer together dictate the fate of the infected plume. For the first time - a high-fidelity numerical simulation study - using Weather-Research-Forecast model coupled with the Lagrangian Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (WRF-HYSPLIT) model has been conducted to track the infected aerosol plume in real-time during March 9-April 6, 2020, in New York City, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the USA for comparing the morning, afternoon and evening release. Atmospheric stability regimes that result in low wind speeds, low level turbulence and cool moist ground conditions favor the transmission of the disease through turbulence energy-containing large-scale horizontal "rolls" and vertical thermal "updrafts" and "downdrafts". Further, the wind direction is an important factor that dictates the direction of the transport. From the initial time of release, the virus can spread up to 30 min in the air, covering a 200-m radius at a time, moving 1-2 km from the original source.
Management and treatment of Aerococcus bacteremia and endocarditis.

Abstract Objectives We describe our multicenter experience on diagnosis and management of Aerococcus bacteremia including the susceptibility profile of Aerococcus species and a suggested algorithm for clinicians. Methods Retrospective study of all patients with positive blood cultures for Aerococcus species from January 2005 to July 2020 in our institution with clinical data and susceptibility profile. Data were collected from both electronic health record and clinical microbiology laboratory database. Results There were 219 unique isolates with only the susceptibility profiles available, while 81 patients had clinical information available. Forty-nine of those cases were deemed as true bloodstream infection and the rest were of unclear clinical significance. Cases of endocarditis (n = 7) were high-grade, monomicrobial bacteremia caused by Aerococcus urinae. Patients with endocarditis were younger (66 vs 80 p Conclusions Antibiotic regimen for aerococcal bloodstream infections and endocarditis should be guided by species identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. DENOVA scoring system’s performance in this study is more congruent to other studies. Hence, it can be used as an adjunctive tool in assessing the need for echocardiogram to rule out endocarditis. In our experience, two and four weeks of treatment for bloodstream infections and endocarditis, respectively, had good outcomes.
Solution of the time dependent Schr\"odinger equation leading to Fowler-Nordheim field emission

We solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation describing the emission of electrons from a metal surface by an external electric field $E$, turned on at $t=0$. Starting with a wave function $\psi(x,0)$, representing a generalized eigenfunction when $E=0$, we find $\psi(x,t)$ and show that it approaches, as $t\to\infty$, the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling wavefunction $\psi_E$. The deviation of $\psi$ from $\psi_E$ decays asymptotically as a power law $t^{-\frac32}$. The time scales involved for typical metals and fields of several V/nm are of the order of femtoseconds.
A Pilot Project Exploring Rural Classroom Music Teachers' Perceptions and Practices via an Online Professional Development Course.

Music teachers in urban, suburban, and rural communities face a multitude of challenges and opportunities. To identify and examine specific experiences that may be unique to rural general music tea...
GIS Fundamentals for Agriculture

GIS has been proved to be an effective technology for various agricultural applications, ranging from recording data, predicting crop growth, to supporting pesticide control and food safety regulations. As a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data, GIS has been motivated to become one of the most dynamic computer application systems. Due to its powerful capability in collecting and updating real-time data, GIS has been identified as a significant bridge between data and agriculture communities. This chapter summarized the major GIS applications in Agriculture, including mapping and analytical techniques, spatial database for agricultural systems, modeling function, and decision support system. These applications have benefited various GIS user as well as agriculture communities. New technologies such as emerging Machine Leaning and Artificial Intelligence provide more opportunities in promoting GIS in more Agriculture applications and meanwhile generate more challenges in understanding global food production and security issues in the future.