cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid Remnant Radioiodine Ablation with Recombinant Human Thyrotropin

Initial treatment for most patients with differentiated thyroid cancer seeks to eliminate the entire primary tumor, to obtain sufficient material to properly stage the tumor, and to prepare the patient for a comprehensive surveillance program [1]. This often includes a total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (RAI) remnant ablation (RRA). The goal of RRA is to eliminate not only normal thyroid cells but also to destroy any residual microscopic thyroid carcinoma that may remain following total thyroidectomy and appropriate lymph node dissection. RAI uptake into thyroid cells is enhanced by a preparatory low-iodine diet and elevated levels of thyrotropin (TSH). For the past 40–50 years, endogenous TSH production was stimulated by several weeks of a hypothyroid state induced by thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) prior to RAI. However, moderate to severe hypothyroid symptoms significantly reduce the quality of life for many patients and delay the clearance of radioiodine from the whole body.
The Internal Revenue Code and Automobiles: A Case Study of Taxpayer Noncompliance

Over the last decade, the tax gap — the difference between what taxpayers owe in taxes and what they actually pay — has remained significantly large. A contributory factor to the tax gap’s size is the fact that many taxpayers mischaracterize the tax treatment of their automobile expenses and the receipt of other employer-provided fringe benefits. This analysis explores the reasons for this phenomenon and then proposes reforms that will make taxpayers more compliant, helping to reduce the tax gap’s size. Although these reforms admittedly would not solve all of the nation’s tax noncompliance woes, they would help preserve the income tax base and minimize economic distortions.
Fat Emboli Syndrome in a Child with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy After Minor Trauma.

Abstract Background Fat embolism syndrome is the result of systemic manifestations of fat emboli in the microcirculation. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a condition that increases the risk of fracture resulting in fat emboli. Case Report We describe a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who exhibited cardiopulmonary, neurologic, and ophthalmologic sequelae consistent with fat emboli syndrome after minor trauma. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Fat embolism syndrome is a rare but important consideration with significant morbidity and risk of mortality in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy after even minor trauma. Early recognition and aggressive resuscitation are crucial to positive clinical outcomes.
Money Trees: The Douglas Fir and American Forestry, 1900–1944 . By Emily K. Brock.

Money Trees: The Douglas Fir and American Forestry, 1900–1944 . By Emily K. Brock. (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2015. 272 pp. Illustrations, map, notes, bibliography, index. $27.95, paper.) In Money Trees , Emily K. Brock identifies the need for a history of the profession of American forestry. While other historians, such as Char Miller, with his biography of Gifford Pinchot (2001), and Michael Williams, with his opus, Americans and their Forests (1988), have broached the subject, Brock focuses on the bifurcation between wilderness advocates and industrial foresters in the first half of the twentieth century. Much of the split in forestry lay in the nature of the profession itself. As Brock notes, ecology … gordong{at}gonzaga.edu
CERCLA's Contribution Protection Guidances: A Problematic Policy that May Violate Due Process

This article describes how the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice ended up advocating what appears to be an unconstitutional policy. Professor Light traces the government’s position, expressed in “internal policy guidances” as well as legal briefs, in interpreting a statutory term in CERCLA: “contribution.” This term appears in a jurisdictional provision of the statute, which reads, “A person who has resolved its liability to the United States or a state in an administrative or judicially approved settlement shall not be liable for claims for contribution regarding matters addressed in the settlement. Such settlement does not discharge any of the other potentially liable persons unless its terms so provide, but it reduces the potential liability of the others by the amount of the settlement.” CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601–9675 (2014). In effect, the EPA has been trying over the years to tell the courts when a potentially responsible party’s (PRP’s) claim under CERCLA is a claim for contribution. The government’s definition of “contribution” set forth in its most recent guidance documents is, however, too broad — so broad in fact as to make the statute, if its definition were correct, to present constitutional difficulties. The courts should not follow the government’s definition.
The noradrenergic system of aged GDNF heterozygous mice.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a trophic factor for noradrenergic (NE) neurons of the pontine nucleus locus coeruleus (LC). Decreased function of the LC-NE neurons has been f...
Impact of oral Lactobacillus acidophilus gavage on rooster seminal and cloacal Lactobacilli concentrations

The use of antibiotics in poultry is being heavily scrutinized, therefore alternatives such as probiotics are being investigated. Lactobacilli spp. are a commonly used bacteria in formulating probiotics, and the addition of Lactobacilli to broiler diets has demonstrated increased growth rates, stimulated immune systems, and reduced pathogen loads in the gastro-intestinal tract ( GI: ) tract. However, previous research has shown that when rooster semen is directly exposed to Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) sperm quality is reduced. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to determine if oral administration of L. acidophilus increases the concentration of Lactobacilli in semen as well as the cloaca. A total of 30 roosters were used: 15 roosters were gavaged with 1X PBS (Control) and 15 roosters were gavaged with 10(7) cfu/mL of L. acidophilus (Treated). All roosters were gavaged for 14 consecutive days. Semen was collected on a 3 d interval, and cloacal swabs were collected on a 2 d interval, beginning on the first day prior to oral administration. Semen and cloacal swabs were serial diluted, and 100 μL of each dilution was then plated on Man, Rogosa, Sharpe ( MRS: ) agar plates. All plates were incubated for 48 h at 37°C under anaerobic conditions and counted. All Lactobacilli counts were first log transformed, then log transformed (day 0) pre-counts were subtracted from the log transformed day counts providing log differences for the analysis. Seminal Lactobacilli counts were not altered by treatments. However, the main effect of treatment (P = 0.026) for cloacal counts indicated that roosters gavaged with Lactobacilli yielded higher counts than the controls. Additionally, cloaca samples also demonstrated a treatment by day interaction trend (P = 0.082), where Lactobacilli was higher in the L. acidophilus gavaged roosters than the controls only on days 3, 5, 13, and 15. In conclusion, the addition of L. acidophilus to the male breeder diet over extended periods may increase concentrations of Lactobacilli in the cloaca even higher than the concentrations observed in this study. If Lactobacilli reaches high enough concentrations in the cloaca, then sperm quality may be impacted which could lead to poor fertility within the breeder flock.
S02.3 Extra-Genital CT/GC Testing by NAATS: Use in Screening and Prevalence of Infection in MSM, Issues in Validation

Most Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) infections in men who have sex with men (MSM) are not in the urethra. This has been confirmed often since it was shown by Kent and colleagues, in 2 clinics in San Francisco, ( J. Infect. Dis. 2003). All of these studies have been made possible by the use of highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) that are currently recommended for routine diagnosis of CT/GC infections. The increment in sensitivity for NAATs compared to culture is greater with pharyngeal and rectal specimens than with cervical and urethral specimens; doubling the number of rectal or pharyngeal infections detected. In MSM attending STD clinics the prevalence of rectal or urethral CT and GC is often in the 7–10% range. GC is found in the oropharynx at about the same level, but CT is less common there, typically 1–2%. Most STD clinics’ routine has been to test urethral specimens when evaluating males, with rectal or oropharyngeal specimens tested in symptomatic MSM. We need a paradigm shift: in MSM routine testing of oropharyngeal and rectal sites, as well as urethra, must become the norm. Whether testing should be based on a history of sex practises needs more research. Unfortunately, no NAATs have received FDA clearance for pharyngeal or rectal specimens. But CDC, recognising the superior performance of NAATs with these specimens, took an unusual step recommending NAATs for diagnosing CT/GC in oropharynx and rectum, despite absence of FDA clearance. It is possible to use tests that have not received FDA clearance for patient management. Large laboratories can verify use of NAATs for rectal and pharyngeal specimens by following Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) guidelines. We need NAATs with FDA clearance for use on oropharyngeal and rectal specimens to further expand clinical access to these tests.
Dissociation of conditioned emotional and avoidance responses due to ECS: A cautionary note

Because of the measures of conditioned emotional response (CER) used by Gerbrandt (1965) and certain other methodological difficulties, his results are not considered crucial to the hypothesis that the impairment by ECS of previously learned responses may be due to some competing response conditioned to cues associated with the ECS coma.
Democracy, Equal Citizenship, and Education.

Two appealing principles of educational distribution – equality and sufficiency – are comparatively assessed. The initial point of comparison is the distribution of civic educational goods. One reason to favor equality in educational distribution rather than sufficiency is the elimination of undeserved positional advantage in access to labor markets. But civic educational aims of the kind that sustain equal citizenship do not have positional value. Furthermore, such aims intersect with those that augment labor market competitiveness. That seems to pose a dilemma: within the intersection of aims, we have moral grounds to eliminate unfair positional advantage in access to labor markets but also reason to forgo such efforts as repugnant to the civic goods that education properly confers. The dilemma is escaped if positional inequality is not addressed through equalization of educational opportunity but by pursuing what Lesley Jacobs calls ‘stakes fairness’ in the distribution of social goods that are now too...
Nationality and Citizenship in the “New Sudan”: A Legal or Moral Issue?

When South Sudan separated from Sudan in 2011, the two countries faced difficult issues related to the division of assets, security of the borders, sharing of oil resources, and the transition from a history of acrimony to coexistence and harmony. But one of the most daunting matters presented by separation was the question of nationality and citizenship. This paper explores the concept of citizenship, what the constitutions of the two countries stipulate about how it is acquired or lost, and whether the constitutional stipulation dovetails with how citizenship is granted or denied by the two states. The paper shows that belonging to a physical entity by birth, which many respondents thought would suffice as the foundation for legal citizenship, has left many people in the two Sudans and across Africa exposed to arbitrary citizenship decisions by both governments that are based on how state authorities perceive that decision to serve a particular agenda. The paper concludes that, despite the wrangling over citizenship and nationality between the governments of the two countries, the social and family connections that have been forged over many generations between North and South Sudanese, especially those living in the 12 border states, will be more important in determining population movement across borders than any rigid policies the governments might put in place.
Symbolic Biomedical Knowledge

This chapter focuses on the development of ideas, methods, and formalisms for biomedical theories. Biomedical knowledge involves cataloging and describing relations between categories, and so systems for representing categories and relations come next, in particular semantic nets, frame formalisms, and description logics. Exploring a variety of formal systems for representing biomedical knowledge as categorical assertions needs a general theme such as formal systems to automate both reasoning and knowledge retrieval, range of choices regarding how much reasoning is put into procedures, and how much can be made implicit as part of a declarative formalism. The biological processes require different kinds of formalisms. Furthermore, in biology, the relations are much more shallow and less uniform. The name used for a particular vessel in the lymphatic system of a human, representing an element of a theory of human anatomy, does not matter to the reasoning system, but that name must be unique in the context of the anatomic theory and any other knowledge structures used with it. When such an entity name is used in multiple places in the theory, it has to mean the same thing everywhere; otherwise the reasoner will infer false conclusions. This is why so much effort seems to be expended on terminology and on terminology management systems.
Resurgence as Choice

Resurgence is typically defined as an increase in a previously extinguished target behavior when a more recently reinforced alternative behavior is later extinguished. Some treatments of the phenomenon have suggested that it might also extend to circumstances where either the historic or more recently reinforced behavior is reduced by other non-extinction related means (e.g., punishment, decreases in reinforcement rate, satiation, etc.). Here we present a theory of resurgence suggesting that the phenomenon results from the same basic processes governing choice. In its most general form, the theory suggests that resurgence results from changes in the allocation of target behavior driven by changes in the values of the target and alternative options across time. Specifically, resurgence occurs when there is an increase in the relative value of an historically effective target option as a result of a subsequent devaluation of a more recently effective alternative option. We develop a more specific quantitative model of how extinction of the target and alternative responses in a typical resurgence paradigm might produce such changes in relative value across time using a temporal weighting rule. The example model does a good job in accounting for the effects of reinforcement rate and related manipulations on resurgence in simple schedules where Behavioral Momentum Theory has failed. We also discuss how the general theory might be extended to other parameters of reinforcement (e.g., magnitude, quality), other means to suppress target or alternative behavior (e.g., satiation, punishment, differential reinforcement of other behavior), and other factors (e.g., non- contingent versus contingent alternative reinforcement, serial alternative reinforcement, and multiple schedules).
Communication versus Information Transparency in One-Shot Interactions: A Labor Market Experiment: Communication vs. Information Transparency

This is an experimental study of communication and information transparency in one‐shot labor market relations with incomplete contracts. We find that communication in the form of non‐binding broadcast chat messages increases wages, effort levels, and overall efficiency regardless of the information regime. It serves as a negotiation platform and helps workers and firms learn how to cooperate. Communication outperforms information transparency in motivating trust and cooperative behavior in one‐shot interactions. Although transparency might be important in the long term, it does not improve any of the market outcomes in short‐term relations unless it is combined with communication. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polyphosphoramidates That Undergo Acid-Triggered Backbone Degradation

The direct and facile synthesis of polyphosphoramidates (PPAs) with acid-labile phosphoramidate backbone linkages are reported, together with demonstration of their hydrolytic degradability, evaluated under acidic conditions. The introduction of acid-labile linkages along the polymer backbone led to rapid degradation of the polymer backbone dependent upon the environmental stimuli. An oxazaphospholidine monomer bearing a phosphoramidate linkage was designed and synthesized to afford the PPAs via organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization in a controlled manner. The hydrolytic degradation of the PPAs was studied, revealing breakdown of the polymer backbone through cleavage of the phosphoramidate linkages under acidic conditions.
High Definition Live Interactive and Store and Forward Teledermatology: A Comparison of Concordance, Confidence, and Satisfaction with In-person Exams

210 patients were examined in-person by two dermatologists (a resident and attending) and by residents using store and forward and live interactive teledermatology. Store and forward images were 10 megapixel 24 bit color JPEGs. Live interactive video was either compressed H.264 high definition 720p resolution transmitted at 2 mbps or uncompressed high definition 1080i transmitted at 1.5 gbps. Patients were examined 3 times, once by each method in special weekend clinics and the type of video alternated between clinics. Diagnostic concordance and confidence was significantly higher for in-person exams than remote methods. Store and forward and uncompressed video concordance and confidence were about the same and significantly better than compressed video. Patients and dermatologists were significantly more satisfied with in-person consultations than remote ones. Patients were evenly divided on store and forward and live interactive methods. Dermatologists had a slight preference for uncompressed video over store and forward and were uniformly dissatisfied with compressed video.
Interaction Between Compliant Structures and Boundary-Layer Transition in Hypersonic Flow

The inherent relationship between boundary-layer stability, aerodynamic heating, and surface conditions makes the potential for interaction between the structural response and boundary-layer transi...
Foucault sobre ética y subjetividad: 'cuidado de sí' y 'estética de la existencia'

This paper considers the structure of the ethical subject found in Foucault’s late works on ethics, and gives an account of his two major ethical concepts: “care of the self” and “aesthetics of existence.” The “care of the self,” it is argued, gives Fou-cault a way of conceptualising ethics which does not rely on juridical categories, and which does not conceive the ethical subject on the model of substance. The “care of the self” entails an understanding of the ethical subject as a process which is always in a relation, specifically in a relation to itself. Using his essay “What is an Author,” it is ar-gued that the subject of the “aesthetics of existence,” like the author of a text, is under-stood to be fully immanent to the “object” which it is usually considered to be opposed to and separated from. Rather than aiming at a true expression of an “authentic” inner substance, Foucault’s “aesthetics of existence” leads instead to practices of “creativity,” whose form cannot be given in advance.
FLOODSS: Iowa flood information system as a generalized flood cyberinfrastructure

This article presents the vision, implementation, and case studies of the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS) towards the vision for next-generation decision support systems for flooding. The IFIS...
Materials and ISRU

The severe lunar environment not only causes concerns about human survivability, but also about material degradation. Issues include thermal stability, fatigue resistance, ultraviolet radiation effects, solar flare protons, galactic cosmic rays, high charge and high-energy particles, vacuum stability, and interior humidity gradients. (1) Materials at particular risk are composites, those fabricated by merging a suite of materials, each of which addresses part of the spectrum of strength or durability needed in a modern structure.
Evidence for cis Amide Bonds in Peptoid Nanosheets.

Peptoid nanosheets are supramolecular protein-mimetic materials that form from amphiphilic polypeptoids with aromatic and ionic side chains. Nanosheets have been studied at the nanometer scale, but the molecular structure has been difficult to probe. We report the use of 13C–13C dipolar recoupling solid-state NMR measurements to reveal the configuration of backbone amide bonds selected by 13C isotopic labeling of adjacent α-carbons. Measurements on the same molecules in the amorphous state and in nanosheets revealed that amide bonds in the center of the amino block of peptoid (NaeNpe)7–(NceNpe)7 (B28) favor the trans configuration in the amorphous state and the cis configuration in the nanosheet. This unexpected result contrasts with previous NMR and theoretical studies of short solvated peptoids. Furthermore, examination of the amide bond at the junction of the two charged blocks within B28 revealed a mixture of both cis and trans configurational states, consistent with the previously predicted brickwork...
Hypertension — Diagnosis And Treatment

The appropriate utilization of resources in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension may appear deceptively easy - establish that the blood pressure is elevated, and treat it with nutritional-hygienic intervention augmented, if necessary, by appropriate antihypertensive therapy, and bolstered by very few laboratory examinations such as serum electrolytes, glucose, creatinine, an electrocardiogram, and rarely an echocardiogram. The establishment of periodic guidelines, most recently the Joint National Committee (JNC) VI guidelines, provides a framework which can be easily utilized by the physician caring for a broad range of patients with hypertension(1,2)
Pathogenic microorganisms in thermally altered reservoirs and other waters

A variety of naturally and artificially heated waters were studied for the presence of the causative agent of Legionnaires’ Disease, i.e. Legionella and the encephalitic free-living amoebae Naegleria fowleri. In addition to temperature effects, a variety of other physical and chemical parameters were also analyzed for possible correlation with the presence of Legionella and N. fowleri. Results of these various analyses showed a statistically significant correlation between thermal additions and the presence of Legionella and N. fowleri. To date, two species of Legionella,i.e. L. oakridgensis and L. cherrii have only been isolated from thermally altered waters. No correlation has yet been consistently found between the presence of Legionella and N. fowleri and various other physical/chemical parameters.
The Plant Microbiome

Abstract How do we define the ‘plant microbiome’ and what is its significance to the plant genome? Before addressing what the microbiome is in relation to plants, it is important to first understand the concept of the microbiome; what this means in relation to the host becomes an extension of this working concept. Conceptualizing the microbiome requires a fusion of microbial ecology and bioinformatics, integrated with an understanding of both host biology and ecology. The analysis of microbiome structure and function was pioneered in studies of human hosts and has become widely recognized as essential to understanding genetic and functional capacity otherwise attributed to the host, including important aspects of metabolism and physiology. Plants are teeming with microbial organisms, including those that colonize internal tissues, in addition to those that adhere to external surfaces. Combined with the vast diversity of microorganisms in the soil rhizosphere, these plant–soil-associated microbes comprise the plant microbiome. The microbiome is intricately involved in plant health and serves as a reservoir of additional genes that plants can access when needed. Understanding the regulation of plant trait expression, hence plant performance and how this in turn impacts ecosystem function, requires that we study the impacts of the plant microbiome. Herein, the importance of the plant microbiome to plant genomics is addressed by defining the plant microbiome in relation to the ecology of the system with emphasis on habitats occurring belowground at the plant–soil interface, where focus is on the role of exudates as currency in this system.
A Comparative Analysis of Fishing Rights From a Transaction Cost Perspective

Abstract Different types of fishing rights are used to address the problem of overfishing. The three most commonly used are limited entry system, individual quotas and territorial use rights in fisheries. Substantial transaction costs can be involved in the establishment and maintenance of fishing rights, including definition costs, enforcement costs and coordination costs. This paper compares these fishing rights by examining the three types of transaction costs they may incur. The comparison is conducted through an analysis of the success and failure of their applications in different regions (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and South Africa). The main findings of this research suggest that, firstly, there is no panacea for fishery problems and the three types of fishing rights have different advantages and disadvantages in reducing transaction costs. Secondly, sometimes a mixture of the different fishing rights has the potential to create better protection than a pure regime. Thirdly, governmental intervention is crucial for overcoming residual externalities of fishing rights. This paper synthesises the literature which examines fishing rights individually by providing a comparison between these fishing rights. An analytical framework for comparison is established by linking the discussion of fishing rights with the transaction costs literature.
Managerial Diversion, Regulation and Internal Control Mechanism

The paper examines costs and benefits of managerial diversion along with monitoring costs to control diversion and incentive costs to substiture for diversion. The paper finds that managers will put out more effort when they are allowed to divert firm resources. Managerial diversion may exist in the equilibrium. In particular, when regulation is loose, or monitoring is inefficient, or managerial discretion is high, allowing managerial diversion is a less costly second best choice for shareholders than imposing a diversion-free governance design. Finally, the paper shows that managerial types influence the magnitude of diversion and the effectiveness of control mechanisms. There is no best way of governance mechanisms for all types of managers.
Educating the World

In our times globalization and cosmopolitanism are terms that speak to the intensification of border-crossing, and in connection to education, to the global conditions and possibilities that are directing change in learning and teaching. Much of this change demands a rethinking of the identity of the teacher and a re-envisioning of the work of teaching (Luke, 2004, Tierney, 2006).
Exploring the analytics for linking consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and financial-based brand equity (FBBE) of destination or place brands

Brand equity, both with a financial and perceptual focus, has preoccupied researchers for about four decades. Since financial equity is assumed to depend on perceptual equity, more attention has recently been diverted to perceptual equity indicators. Despite the increasing focus on consumer-based brand equity (CBBE), its assumed relationship with the financial-based brand equity (FBBE) has not been substantiated with empirical evidence. This relationship is especially critical for place management authorities such as municipalities, councils, and destination marketing organizations, whose functions are under scrutiny for justifying their budgets that are usually supported with public taxes. The current study investigates this relationship by measuring and ranking the CBBE and FBBE of destination brands. Analysis included consumer data on CBBE components of familiarity, image, quality, consumer value, brand value, quality, and loyalty besides public data on financial equity for destinations, including the number of visitors, market share, tourist spending, tourism taxes, and tourism jobs. CBBE rankings and FBBE rankings did not match for any destination included in the study. Keeping in mind the lack of time series data in both CBBE and FBBE indicators, future research suggestions are provided for progress in understanding the link between CBBE and FBBE.
Children's Exposure to Violence across Contexts in Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms.

Objective Children in low-income, urban neighborhoods are at high risk of exposure to violence (ETV) across settings and subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Little research has examined how multiple forms of ETV co-occur and relate to variations in children's posttraumatic responses. Furthermore, previous research primarily uses variable-centered methods, which can obscure person-level differences. The current study used person-centered methods to derive commonly occurring patterns of ETV by examining frequency of witnessing and victimization across family, school, and community contexts. The current study related profiles of ETV to demographic variables and PTSS, with the goal of obtaining nuanced representations of urban children's experiences of, risk factors for, and responses to violence. Method Patterns of ETV were examined in a sample of 239 African American 7th grade youth using latent profile analysis. Profiles were related to demographic variables and PTSS using logistic regression. Results Results showed three profiles: Low (N = 130, 54.4%), Moderate (N = 87; 36.4%), and High (N = 22; 9.2%) Exposure groups. The High Exposure group showed the highest levels of PTSS. The Moderate group showed the lowest levels of all PTSS, except dissociation. In contrast, the Low Exposure group showed significantly higher numbing and hypervigilance than the Moderate Exposure group. Conclusions Results support a dose-response model of ETV and PTSS, but implicate situational factors (e.g., setting) as important in understanding posttraumatic responses. The systematic variation in ETV and subsequent differences in PTSS expression illustrate the need for individualized trauma-informed intervention and thorough screenings in low-income, urban neighborhoods.
Mammalian Cardiac Ganglia as Local Integration Centers: Histochemical and Electrophysiological Evidence

The mammalian parasympathetic cardiac ganglia form a complex intrinsic cardiac nervous system composed of parasympathetic postganglionic projection neurons, local interneurons and possibly afferent neurons with central projections. In addition to the preganglionic parasympathetic cholinergic excitatory innervation, the cardiac ganglia are innervated by sympathetic postganglionic fibers and afferent fibers derived from both the spinal dorsal root ganglia and the vagal sensory ganglia. Thus, multiple neurotransmitters can potentially modulate activity of the cardiac neurons. Results discussed here identify the neurochemically-coded fiber inputs and summarize the neuronal response to some of these transmitters in a model system, the guinea pig cardiac ganglia. The diverse functional and neurochemical properties of cardiac neurons and their strategic location position them to mediate local reflex mechanisms initiated by changes in cardiac performance or by changes in the local environment within the myocardium. Thus, it is critical to better understand the integrative mechanisms within the cardiac ganglia.
Structural Characterization of Protein-Polymer Conjugates for Biomedical Applications with Small-Angle Scattering

Abstract Protein–polymer conjugates, typically consisting of one or more polymers covalently attached to a protein, are an increasingly common component in biotechnology. Polymers can increase circulation time, alter immune responses, and influence the self-assembly of proteins to which they are attached. To understand and take full advantage of the benefits that protein–polymer conjugates provide, there is a strong need for structural characterization of both the conjugates and their self-assembled structures. Although X-ray crystallography is suitable for determining protein structure, protein–polymer conjugates do not generally crystallize, requiring the use of alternative techniques. Small-angle scattering, with neutrons in particular, is one such technique. In this article, we review recent work in the area of protein–polymer conjugates and highlight the important role that structure plays. We then highlight shape-dependent and shape-independent approaches for structural characterization of protein–polymer conjugates and future directions in small-angle scattering interpretation. We conclude by introducing a new model that we suggest may be useful in the future to acquire more detailed structural properties.
A rapid approach to profiling diverse fungal communities using the MinION™ nanopore sequencer.

The Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION™ sequencer holds the capability to generate long amplicon reads; however, only a small amount of information is available regarding methodological approaches...
A Real Neglected Problem With a Grave Prognosis: Nephrogenic Ascites

Nephrogenic ascites is described as a clinical condition of refractory ascites in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on renal replacement therapy. This entity was first described in 1970. Many nephrologists do not believe in nephrogenic ascites. The underlying etiologies can be multifactorial including a combination of poor nutrition, inadequate dialysis and ultrafiltration, increased peritoneal membrane permeability, and overall uremia. The nephrogenic ascites is a rare syndrome and is often associated with a grave prognosis especially if it is not diagnosed early and treated. In the present study, we report a 27-year-old woman with past medical history of diabetes type 1 (diagnosed at age 11), ESRD secondary to diabetic nephropathy on hemodialysis (diagnosis in December 2017), bilateral diabetic retinopathy, ovarian cyst, hypertension, and anxiety who presented to the emergency department for evaluation of intractable abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting for 2-day duration. She was found to have large ascites. Diagnostic paracentesis was done and found to be exudative with serum ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) of 0.7. After detailed workup, hepatic, cardiac, infectious and malignant causes for ascites were ruled out. The diagnosis of ascites of nephrogenic origin was made. Given the patient’s situation and her inability of self-care, she is not a good candidate for intra-abdominal dialysis. The patient has been treated conservatively with salt/fluid restriction and intensive hemodialysis with ultrafiltration. J Med Cases. 2020;11(1):26-29 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3413
Treatment of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis with apixaban and rivaroxaban.

Randomized controlled trials leading to the approval of apixaban and rivaroxaban for venous thromboembolism (VTE) did not include patients with upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UE-DVT). We sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban and apixaban for the treatment of acute UE-DVT. Consecutive patients with VTE enrolled into the Mayo Clinic VTE Registry, between March 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019, were followed prospectively. Clinical, demographic and imaging data were collected at the time of study recruitment. Patients with a diagnosis of acute UE-DVT who received rivaroxaban, apixaban, LMWH or warfarin were included. Recurrent VTE, major bleeding, clinical-relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB), and death were assessed at 3-month intervals. During the study period, 210 patients with acute UE-DVT were included; 63 were treated with apixaban, 39 with rivaroxaban, and 108 with LWMH and/or warfarin. Overall 51% had catheter-associated UE-DVT, 60% had a diagnosis of malignancy, and 14% had concurrent pulmonary embolism. Malignancy was more common in patients treated with LMWH/warfarin (67% vs 52%, P = .03). At 3 months of follow up, one (0.9%) recurrent VTE occurred in a patient treated with LMWH/warfarin and one (1.0%) patient treated with apixaban or rivaroxaban (P = .97). Major bleeding occurred in three patients treated with LMWH/warfarin, and in none of those treated with apixaban or rivaroxaban (P = .09). Clinical-relevant non-major bleeding occurred in one patient (0.9%) treated with LWMH/warfarin and two patients (2.0%) treated with apixaban or rivaroxaban (P = .53). Treatment of UE-DVT with apixaban or rivaroxaban appears to be as safe and effective as LMWH/warfarin.
Caries-Associated Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in Streptococcus mutans:

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic disease affecting the oral health of children globally. This disease is multifactorial, but a primary factor is cariogenic microorganisms such as Streptoco...
Simultaneous voltammetric detection of cadmium(II), arsenic(III), and selenium(IV) using gold nanostar-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes and modified Britton-Robinson buffer.

The present work reports a newly developed square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) methodology using novel gold nanostar–modified screen-printed carbon electrodes (AuNS/SPCE) and modified Britton-Robinson buffer (mBRB) for simultaneous detection of trace cadmium(II), arsenic(III), and selenium(IV). During individual and simultaneous detection, Cd2+, As3+, and Se4+ exhibited well-separated SWASV peaks at approximately − 0.48, − 0.09, and 0.65 V, respectively (versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode), which enabled a highly selective detection of the three analytes. Electrochemical impedance spectrum tests showed a significant decrease in charge transfer resistance with the AuNS/SPCE (0.8 kΩ) compared with bare SPCE (2.4 kΩ). Cyclic voltammetry experiments showed a significant increase in electroactive surface area with electrode modification. The low charge transfer resistance and high electroactive surface area contributed to the high sensitivity for Cd2+ (0.0767 μA (0.225 μg L−1)−1), As3+ (0.2213 μA (μg L−1)−1), and Se4+ (μA (μg L−1)−1). The three analytes had linear stripping responses over the concentration range of 0 to 100 μg L−1, with the obtained LoD for Cd2+, As3+, and Se4+ of 1.6, 0.8, and 1.6 μg L−1, respectively. In comparison with individual detection, the simultaneous detection of As3+ and Se4+ showed peak height reductions of 40.8% and 42.7%, respectively. This result was associated with the possible formation of electrochemically inactive arsenic triselenide (As2Se3) during the preconcentration step. Surface water analysis resulted in average percent recoveries of 109% for Cd2+, 93% for As3+, and 92% for Se4+, indicating the proposed method is accurate and reliable for the simultaneous detection of Cd2+, As3+, and Se4+ in real water samples.
Adenine Nucleotide Translocase regulates the airway epithelium, mitochondrial metabolism and ciliary function

Airway hydration and ciliary function are critical to airway homeostasis and dysregulated in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the US and is impacted by cigarette smoking with no therapeutic options. We utilized a genetic selection approach in the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum as a comparative discovery tool in lung biology to identify genetic protectors from cigarette smoke (CS). Adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT), a mitochondrial ADP/ATP transporter, was protective against CS in Dictyostelium and human bronchial epithelial cells. ANT2 gene expression is reduced in lung tissue from COPD patients and in a mouse smoking model. ANT1 and ANT2 overexpression resulted in enhanced oxidative respiration and ATP flux. In addition to ANT presence in the mitochondria, ANT1 and ANT2 reside at the plasma membrane in airway epithelial cells and this localization impacts how ANTs regulate airway homeostasis. ANT2 overexpression stimulates airway surface liquid hydration by ATP and maintains ciliary beating after CS exposure, which are key functions of the airway. Our study highlights the potential of ANT modulation in protecting from dysfunctional mitochondrial metabolism, airway hydration, and ciliary motility in COPD.
Highly Reactive Isolevuglandins Promote Atrial Fibrillation Caused by Hypertension

Oxidative damage is implicated in atrial fibrillation (AF), but antioxidants are ineffective therapeutically. The authors tested the hypothesis that highly reactive lipid dicarbonyl metabolites, or isolevuglandins (IsoLGs), are principal drivers of AF during hypertension. In a hypertensive murine model and stretched atriomyocytes, the dicarbonyl scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) prevented IsoLG adducts and preamyloid oligomers (PAOs), and AF susceptibility, whereas the ineffective analog 4-hydroxybenzylamine (4-HOBA) had minimal effect. Natriuretic peptides generated cytotoxic oligomers, a process accelerated by IsoLGs, contributing to atrial PAO formation. These findings support the concept of pre-emptively scavenging reactive downstream oxidative stress mediators as a potential therapeutic approach to prevent AF.
The Time-Consciousness of T. S. Eliot and Edmund Husserl

In T. S. Eliot’s Fourth Quartet, Little Gidding, Part Five, the fragmentation of history is reconciled in an engagement with the meaning of time: What we call the beginning is often the end And to make an end is to make a beginning.1 (115–116)
Focal Nodular Hyperplasia

Focal nodular hyperplasia is a focal proliferation of benign hepatocytes within the liver. These primary liver masses are relatively common and are often discovered incidentally in asymptomatic patients. Comprehensive radiologic evaluation will provide a confident diagnosis of this benign entity in most patients. When radiologic evaluation is inconclusive, characteristic histopathologic findings at biopsy can confirm the diagnosis. No treatment is needed for the vast majority of cases. In a symptomatic patient, surgical resection and percutaneous ablation are both viable options for therapy.
Analysis and estimation of natural processes with nonhomogeneous spatial variation using secondary information

Natural processes encountered in mining, hydrogeologic, environmental, etc. applications usually are poorly known because of scarcity of data over the area of interest. Therefore, stochastic estimation techniques are the tool of choice for a careful accounting of the heterogeneity and uncertainty involved. Within such a framework, a better utilization of all available data concerning the process of interest and all other natural processes related to it, is of primary importance. Because many natural processes show complicated spatial trends, the hypothesis of spatial homogeneity cannot be invoked always, and the more general theory of intrinsic spatial random fields should be employed. Efficient use of secondary information in terms of the intrinsic model requires that suitable permissibility criteria for the generalized covariances and cross-covariances are satisfied. A set of permissibility criteria are presented for the situation of two intrinsic random fields. These criteria are more general and comprehensive than the ones currently available in the geostatistical literature. A constrained least-square technique is implemented for the inference of the generalized covariance and cross-covariance parameters, and a synthetic example is used to illustrate the methodology. The numerical results show that the use of secondary information can lead to significant reductions in the estimation errors.
Entomopathogenic nematode dispensing robot: NEMABOT

Abstract Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are obligate endoparasites of many insect species and they are important biocontrol agents. Application strategies that improve precision and reduce labor would increase their potential in many cropping systems. We developed a unique robotic system to apply EPNs to a surface area precisely. The robotic system picks up EPNs from a suspension in a reservoir with a peristaltic pump and transfers them to an exact point with an exact amount. Four suspensions were prepared with four concentrations of EPNs; 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g of commercial EPN product per 2 L of water. All suspensions were applied in three different amounts of water (25, 50 and 100 mL per application). In total, 12 different applications were conducted with the robot. Conical falcon centrifuge tubes were used to collect applied EPNs. Five samples (10 µl) were taken from collected 25, 50 and 100 mL EPN suspensions and the average nematode number in the samples were scaled to the whole suspension. Results of the experiments showed that all robot applications, except 25 mL–0.1 g dose, were not significantly different from those of the control treatment, application with a pipette.. Thus, the robotic system has been found to make consistent applications.
Human iPSC-engineered cardiac tissue platform faithfully models important cardiac physiology.

This study seeks to provide an in-depth assessment of contractile performance of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes cultured together with fibroblasts in a 3-dimensional-engineered tissue strip and ...
Analysis of tin and tin oxide by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Thin film of tin (about 15 nm) was deposited on a silicon ⟨100⟩ substrate by the e-beam evaporation technique. The sample was oxidized in an oxygen atmosphere. Both the elemental tin and the oxidized sample were characterized in situ by the technique of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Magnesium Kα radiation (energy = 1253.6 eV) was used as the source of x-ray excitation. The data in the tin 3d, 3p, 4p, 4d, Auger MNN regions, and the oxygen 1s region were recorded with a pass energy of 35.75 eV. The oxidized tin was found to form the SnO2 phase. The data will serve as a comparison for the study in this field.
Racial disparity in KRAS mutation frequency and outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC): A U.S. population based study.

18Background: Racial disparity in CRC survival outcome is well documented. Although the reasons for disparity are unclear, a combination of differences in access to care, quality of care, different...