cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modal Personality in the Bahamas

Modal personality of a colonial people evolving toward independence was investigated. The research was presented as Phase I of a longitudinal study of behavioral adaptation to sociopolitical change. A questionnaire and 40-item Sentence Completion Test, tapping aggression, anxiety, authority relations, dependency, interpersonal attitudes, values, and aspirations were administered to a representative sample of 160 Bahamian adults. Passivity, hostility/acquiescence toward authority, internalization of anger, lack of achievement orientation, and a strong emphasis on interpersonal relations and psychological equilibrium, with a concurrent de-emphasis of economics, were modal characteristics. Despite significant differences in percentage response, groups differentiated by age, sex, SES, education, and father-absence were alike in central tendency. Comparative data from Thailand and the Philippines were presented. The relationship of modal personality to historical factors, and its implications for sociocultural...
Chicken Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Definition Using Antisera Induced by Cloned Class I Sequences

Alloantisera directed against chicken class I MHC (BFIV) antigens were produced by using transfected cell lines expressing cloned BFIV sequences. The cloned BFIV sequences were from haplotypes *12, *13, and *21. Two laboratory-derived class I mutant sequences (BFIV13m126 and BFIV21m78) were developed to analyze cross-reactive epitopes and to induce specific alloantisera. Antisera were tested in hemagglutination and flow cytometry assays. The antisera produced were highly specific and had minimal cross-reactivity. The antisera induced by the BF1V21m78 mutant confirmed the significance of amino acids 78 and 81 in cross-reactivity between haplotypes B*21 and B*5. The highly specific antisera were tested by hemagglutination on red blood cells of 31 different MHC haplotypes. The consistency of hemagglutination patterns and minimal cross-reactivity demonstrated that these BFIV antisera are extremely valuable in defining MHC haplotype in various chicken lines. Because of the extreme low level of recombination between the chicken class I and class II loci, identification of BFIV allele can be used to define MHC haplotype within a line. Complete identity between the transfected cell line and the chicken used to produce the antiserum is required to ensure the monospecificity.
Influence of nuclear spin polarization on quantum wire conductance

In this study, we study a possibility to measure the transverse and longitudinal relaxation times of a collection of polarized nuclear spins located in the region of a quantum wire via its conductance. The interplay of an external in-plane magnetic field, spin-orbit interaction, and the changing field of the spin-polarized nuclei cause the conductance of the quantum wire to evolve in time. We show that it is possible to extract the transverse and longitudinal relaxation times of the spin-polarized nuclei from the time dependence of the conductance.
Diagnosis of paradoxic embolism by transesophageal echocardiography

6. Chen CC, Hsiung MC, Chiang BN. Variable diastolic murmur caused by floating left atria1 thrombus. Br Heart J 1983;50: 190-2. Sunagawa K, Orita Y, Tanaka S, Kikuchi Y, Nakamura M, Hirata T. Left atria1 ball thrombus diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography. AM HEART J 1980;100:89-94. Furukawa K, Katsume H, Matsukubo H, Inoue D. Echocardiographic findings of floating thrombus in left atrium. Br Heart J 1980;44:599-601. Warda M, Garcia J, Pechacek LW, Massumkhani A, Hall RJ. Auscultatory and echocardiographic features of mobile left atrial thrombus. J Am Co11 Cardiol 1985;5:379-82. Hsu TL, Chen CC, Chen CY, Hsiung MC, Chiang BN. Twodimensional echocardiographic features of floating left atria1 thrombus. Am J Cardiol 1986;57:701-2. Lie JT, Entman ML. “Hole-in-one” sudden death: mitral stenosis and left atria1 ball thrombus. AM HEART J 1976;91: 798404. May 1991 American Heart Journal
Clinical efficacy of clopidogrel across the whole spectrum of indications: percutaneous coronary intervention

Over the past few decades, the interventional cardiology field has witnessed remarkable progress that demanded an evolution in the adjunctive antithrombotic therapy. Antiplatelet therapy has evolved from simply aspirin into the current use of dual- or even triple-antiplatelet therapy to attenuate the periprocedural ischemic events. Our knowledge and understanding of the use of the current antiplatelet therapy has been further refined with recent landmark trials involving clopidogrel. Dual antiplatelet therapy, with aspirin and clopidogrel, has become standard of care following PCI with stenting. Several trials including PCI-CURE, CREDO and the ISAR trials have established the benefit of pretreatment with clopidogrel in PCI. Although the use of a prolonged course of dual antiplatelet therapy is currently driven primarily by the wide use of drug-eluting stents, it also has been proven to significantly decrease recurrent thrombotic events in the year following PCI unrelated to the target lesion. In this paper we review some of the recent information on the early and long-term use of clopidogrel in the percutaneous coronary intervention patient.
Testing the depth-differentiation hypothesis in a deepwater octocoral

The depth-differentiation hypothesis proposes that the bathyal region is a source of genetic diversity and an area where there is a high rate of species formation. Genetic differentiation should thus occur over relatively small vertical distances, particularly along the upper continental slope (200-1000 m) where oceanography varies greatly over small differences in depth. To test whether genetic differentiation within deepwater octocorals is greater over vertical rather than geographical distances, Callogorgia delta was targeted. This species commonly occurs throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico at depths ranging from 400 to 900 m. We found significant genetic differentiation (FST = 0.042) across seven sites spanning 400 km of distance and 400 m of depth. A pattern of isolation by depth emerged, but geographical distance between sites may further limit gene flow. Water mass boundaries may serve to isolate populations across depth; however, adaptive divergence with depth is also a possible scenario. Microsatellite markers also revealed significant genetic differentiation (FST = 0.434) between C. delta and a closely related species, Callogorgia americana, demonstrating the utility of microsatellites in species delimitation of octocorals. Results provided support for the depth-differentiation hypothesis, strengthening the notion that factors covarying with depth serve as isolation mechanisms in deep-sea populations.
BRAIN MATTERS : NEUROSCIENCE, EMPATHY, AND PASTORAL THEOLOGY

Abstract“Effective pastoral care, that is, meeting a person at the point of his [sic] need, demands that the pastor become involved in the very existence and predicament of the person, his [sic] tensions, sufferings, meanings, values, joys. This involvement can take place only through a deeply empathie experience” (Carroll Wise, 1966, p. 14)“Our bodies and minds are made for social life, and we become hopelessly depressed in its absence. This is why next to death, solitary confinement is our worst punishment.” (Frans de Waal, 2009, p. 10)
Phase I study of weekly topotecan and gefitinib in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer

5090 Background: To determine the dose limiting toxicity and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of weekly topotecan in combination with standard dose gefitinib in patients with relapsed, platinum-res...
Effects of melt aging and off-stoichiometric melts on CsSrI3:Eu2+ single crystal scintillators

Ternary halide scintillators are commonly prepared from a mixture of commercially available binary halides. The initial binary halides may contain excess halogen ions or have different volatilities, which could lead to loss of stoichiometry of the resulting ternary halide crystals and potentially negatively affect optical and scintillation properties. In this work, the effects of vacuum aging of the melt (melt aging) and use of off-stoichiometric melts via introduction of excess CsI on the crystal quality and scintillation properties of CsSrI3:Eu2+, a promising scintillator for gamma-ray detection applications, are investigated. The phase purity of the grown samples was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimeter measurements, and the existence of matrix composition variations is revealed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses. An abnormal relationship between the full energy peak and the shaping time, i.e. full energy peak broadening or existence of two full energy peaks, in the melt-aged and off-stoichiometric samples is observed. It is ascribed to a slow scintillation decay event in a time scale between 15 and 50 μs. For the CsSrI3:Eu2+ single crystal grown from a stoichiometric melt without melt aging treatment, an energy resolution of 5.0% at 662 keV and a light yield of 48 000 ± 2000 photons per MeV can be achieved at a size of 1.4 cm3.
A statistical approach to the representation of uncertainty in beliefs using spread of opinions

Reasoning with uncertainty is a field with many different approaches and viewpoints, with important applications to sensor design and autonomous system development. It is important to have calculi for propagating measures of "probability" or "likelihood" even in cases of subjective information, and it is just as important to be able to propagate the "certitude" of this information. By choosing the semantics properly, this information can be handled by keeping track of certain statistics on a different probability space, (which we call the opinion space). The semantics assume that the "likelihood" or "probability numbers" are in fact averages over many (perhaps subjective) opinions and that uncertainty is represented by the spread in these opinions, which can be technically maintained by a covariance matrix. Different calculi result from different design choices consistent with this choice of semantics. It also turns out that certain mechanisms that are frequently considered "non-Bayesian", result from specific choices for representing the statistics and dependency assumptions.
Social Justice and the Work of Celia Genishi: The Power of One-on-One.

This article explores the way in which Professor Celia Genishi structured her expansive scholarship on her fundamental commitment to social justice. Written from the perspective of the author's long collegial relationship and deep regard for the creative dynamics of Genishi's research and writing, the article is based on an interview with Genishi as well as an exploration of varied publications between 1981 and 2011. The article gives special recognition to the Advocates for Justice Award received by Dr Genishi from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) in 1998 as well as her career-long focus on a ‘one-on-one’ approach to the individual within the context of educational change. It concludes with recommendations from Genishi for continued resilience and application of hopeful imagination to the education of the teachers of the future.
‘Faith’, ‘Gratitude’, ‘Hope’, and ‘Joy’ Seedless Table Grapes

‘Faith’, ‘Gratitude’, ‘Hope’, and ‘Joy’ seedless table grapes are new cultivars (Vitis hybrid) developed by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, bringing to 12 the total number of releases from the program. These releases expand options for table grape growers for local markets in the United States. All four cultivars have nonslipskin flesh with good skin quality, fruit cracking resistance, good vine health, and winterhardiness. ‘Faith’ is blue-fruited, slight fruity to neutral in flavor, semicrisp, and ripens in late July to early August, the earliest of the four. ‘Gratitude’ berries are green with exceptional flesh crispness and neutral flavor, ripening usually in late August at this same location. ‘Hope’ is green-fruited, has a fruity flavor, is rather soft in texture, has high production potential, and ripens near 19 Aug. ‘Joy’ is blue-fruited with exceptional fruity flavor but very soft texture and ripens the first or second week of August. All ripening dates are for west–central Arkansas. All of the cultivars exhibit stenospermocarpic seedlessness. These cultivars, in addition to prior releases from the program (including ‘Mars’, ‘Jupiter’, and ‘Neptune’) (Clark, 2010), provide for a range of dates of harvest along with choices of fruit colors, shapes, textures, and flavors. These should be adapted in the midSouth and Pacific Northwest of the United States but should be further evaluated for adaptation and hardiness in the Midwest. It is envisioned that these cultivars will be best used by local-market growers, because they differ from commercial table grapes commonly found in retail markets in the United States in that these new releases tend to be smaller-fruited, softer in texture, and can vary in seed remnant size compared with most commercial cultivars. Origin
Effect of lycopene on DNA oxidative damage of forestomach carcinoma cells in mice

[Objective] Using the benzo(a)pyrene-induced forestomach carcinoma model in mice,to study the protective effect of lycopene on the oxidative damage of forestomach carcinoma in mice.[Methods]120 Kunming mice were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups: normal group,injury group [B(a)P group],high-dose lycopene group [20 mg/kg + B(a)P ] and low-dose lycopene group [5mg/kg + B(a)P].The lycopene group and the injury group were given the B(a)P to establish the forestomach carcinoma model,and observe the effect of different concentrations of lycopene on the formation of forestomach carcinoma in mice.After 24 weeks,the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in serum and liver homogenate were detected,as well as the DNA oxidative damage in lymphocytes was tested.[Results]Lycopene showed strongly inhibitory effect on forestomach tumor formation.It reduced the diameter of forestomach carcinoma [(0.33±0.20) cm in the model group and(0.12±0.04) cm in high-dose lycopene group],increased the activities of SOD[serum(47.18±3.27)U/ml and liver homogenate(39.83±6.63) U/mg·Pro in the injury group,serum(67.27±9.38) U/ml and liver homogenate(54.49±4.86) U/mg·Pro in high-dose lycopene group]and GSH-Px [serum(170.63±15.25) U/ml and liver homogenate(54.60±5.19) U/mg·Pro in the injury group,serum(184.22±13.81) U/ml and liver homogenate(66.78±11.97) U/mg·Pro in high-dose lycopene group],reduced the level of MDA [ serum(11.08±1.82) nmol/ml and liver homogenate(12.47±2.62) nmol/mg·Pro in the model group,serum(7.63±0.85) nmol/ml and liver homogenate(8.28±1.74) nmol/mg·Pro in high-dose lycopene group],and decreased the DNA oxidative damage in lymphocytes(all P0.05).[Conclusion]Lycopene can inhibit B(a)P-induced forestomach carcinoma model in mice,and has a protective effect on DNA oxidative damage in cells.
Gas Dynamics in Thermal Nonequilibrium¶and General Hyperbolic Systems¶with Relaxation

We study gas flow in vibrational nonequilibrium. The model is a 4×4 nonlinear hyperbolic system with relaxation. Under physical assumptions, properties of thermodynamic variables relevant to stability are obtained, global existence for Cauchy problems with smooth and small data is established, and large time behavior is studied in the pointwise sense. We formulate the fundamental solution in a systematic way for a general linear system with relaxation. The fundamental solution provides insights to the behavior of the nonlinear system, and is crucial to obtain our pointwise asymptotic picture for the nonequilibrium flow. We also clarify in a general setting the relation between subcharacteristic conditions and a dissipative criterion that was originally proposed for hyperbolic-parabolic systems and has now proved to be important also for hyperbolic systems with relaxation.
Detection of Primary Malignancy and Metastases with FDG PET/CT in Patients with Cholangiocarcinomas: Lesion-based Comparison with Contrast Enhanced CT

The current National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines consider the role of 2-deoxy-2-(18)F-fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography (FDG PET/CT) in the evaluation of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) as "uncertain," and have recommended contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) but not FDG PET/CT as a routine imaging test for CCA workup. We set out to compare the diagnostic performance of FDG PET/CT and CECT in patients with CCA. The retrospective study included patients with CCA who underwent FDG PET/CT and CECT within 2-month interval between 2011 and 2013 in our hospital. Lesion-based comparison was conducted. Final diagnoses were made based on the composite clinical and imaging data with minimal 6-month follow-up. A total of 18 patients with 28-paired tests were included. There is a total of 142 true malignant lesions as revealed by the 6-paired pre-treatment and 22-paired post-treatment tests. On a lesion-based analysis, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPVs), negative predictive values (NPVs), and accuracies of PET/CT and CECT for detection of CCA were 96.5%, 55.5%, 97.2%, 50.0%, 94.1% and 62.2%, 66.7%, 96.7%, 10.0%, 62.5%, respectively. FDG PET/CT detected more intrahepatic malignant and extrahepatic metastases; and had significant higher sensitivity, NPV, and accuracy than CECT, while similar in specificity and PPV. No true positive lesion detected on CECT that was missed on PET/CT, and none of the false negative lesions on PET/CT were detected on CECT. Six patients had paired pretreatment tests, and FDG PET/CT results changed planned management in three patients. Our data suggest that FDG PET/CT detect more primary and metastatic lesions and lead to considerable changes in treatment plan in comparison with CECT.
Preparing undergraduate students for the Major Field Test in Business

ABSTRACTMany business programs address the learning of undergraduate students with an exit exam. A reference librarian and the business school faculty created an online test preparation study guide (or LibGuide) which included no-cost resources that were readily available yet academically authoritative to aid students in studying for the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test in Business at an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business–accredited college in northwest Georgia. The findings indicated that while some graduating business seniors did use the LibGuide materials, many were overwhelmed with the amount of material available and believed studying would not be beneficial to their performance on the exit exam. Discussion and areas for future research are presented.
Accuracy evaluation of a six-degree-of-freedom couch using cone beam CT and IsoCal phantom with an in-house algorithm

Purpose The accuracy of a Six Degree of Freedom (6DoF) couch was evaluated using a novel method. Methods Cone beam CT (CBCT) images of a 3D phantom (IsoCal) were acquired with different, known combinations of couch pitch and roll angles. Pitch and roll angles between the maximum allowable values of 357 and 3 degrees were tested in one degree increments. A total of 49 combinations were tested at zero degrees of yaw (couch rotation angle). The 3D positions of 16 tungsten carbide BBs, each 4 mm in diameter and arranged in a known geometry within the IsoCal phantom, were determined in the 49 image sets with in-house software. The BB positions at different rotation angles were determined using a rotation matrix from the original BB positions at zero pitch and roll angles. A linear least squares fit method estimated the rotation angles and differences between detected and nominal rotation angles were calculated. This study was conducted for the case with and without extra weight on the couch. Couch walk shifts for the system were investigated using 8 combinations of rotation, roll and pitch. Results A total of 49 CBCT images with voxel sizes 0.5x0.5x1.0 mm3 were taken for the case without extra weight on the couch. The 16 BBs were determined to evaluate the isocenter translation and rotation differences between the calculated and nominal couch values. Among all 49 calculations, the maximum rotation angle differences were 0.10 degrees for pitch, 0.15 degrees for roll and 0.09 degrees for yaw. The corresponding mean and standard deviation values were 0.028±0.032, -0.043±0.058 and -0.009±0.033 degrees. The maximum translation differences were 0.3 mm in the left-right direction, 0.5 mm in the anterior-posterior direction and 0.4 mm in the superior-inferior direction. The mean values and corresponding standard deviations were 0.07±0.12, -0.05±0.25 and -0.12±0.14 mm for the planes described above. With an 80 kg phantom on the couch, the maximum translation shift was 0.69 mm. The couch walk translation shifts were less than 0.1mm and rotation shifts were less than 0.1 degree. Conclusions Errors of a new 6DoF couch were tested using CBCT images of a 3D phantom. The rotation errors were less than 0.3 degree and the translation errors were less than or equal to 0.8 mm in each direction. This level of accuracy is warranted for clinical radiotherapy utilization including stereotactic radiosurgery. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Modeling Augmentative Communication with Amazon Lex and Polly

We present LEXY, a framework for developing multi-actor, natural language, augmentative communication chatbots. The LEXY framework is unique in that it allows for the building of conversational chatbots whose model of the world is constructed conversationally by a caregiver. The resulting chatbot can then conversationally interact with persons with special needs, such as persons on the autism spectrum or with cognitive disabilities. The framework utilizes Amazon’s Lex and Poly allowing for spoken as well as typed conversations.
Recent Developments in Control Chart Techniques

In the last three decades several control chart procedures were developed. Prominent among these, are the Cumulative Sum, Economic design of X-bar control charts, Acceptance and Multi-Characteristic charts. This article presents description and analysis..
A descriptive analysis of family discussions about everyday problems and decisions.

Skinner’s Verbal Behavior (1957) and “An operant analysis of problem solving” (1966) were used to develop a coding system to analyze the relationships between verbal behaviors in family problem solving discussions. Taking solution statements as a target behavior, sequential relationships were examined with both subsequent and antecedent verbal behaviors, comparing families with higher and lower rates of solution statements. Results indicated that two categories of verbal behavior occurred both subsequent and antecedent to solution statements more frequently in families with higher frequencies of solution statements: Agreements and contingency statements. Results are discussed in terms of an operant theory of problem solving in which agreements may serve as reinforcers for solutions and contingency statements may serve as discriminative stimuli.
Tribological Issues in the Implementation of a MEMS-Based Torpedo Safety and Arming Device

NSWC-Indian Head Division is designing and prototyping a MEMS-based Safety and Arming device for deployment in the next generation of small, multi-platform torpedoes. Designs under consideration utilize either LIGA-Nickel, deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) or thin optical lithography nickel barriers, actuators and other moveable, spring supported structures. Critical issues for these devices will be sticking and sliding friction, wear during use, and surface morphology induced “snagging” and friction. In both the nickelbased and the silicon-based structures, there will be a need to characterize and quantify surface roughness and surface films (both intentional films deposited during fabrication and unintentional films resulting from environmental exposure). Another issue will be the long term effects of transportation and storage on the these structures, such as how they might suffer from vibration-induced fretting corrosion or surface wear, and how these tribological phenomena might degrade performance when the time comes for the device to be put to use.
Propylene Glycol in Free-Ranging Green Sea Turtle Plasma

Abstract Metabolomics is the study of metabolites, the small-molecular-weight end products of metabolism. Propylene glycol is a synthetic diol commonly used as antifreeze, as a humectant, and in the production of polyester compounds. In otherwise healthy animals, propylene glycol has generally been considered a contaminant, iatrogenic, or unexplained. We demonstrate the presence of propylene glycol in plasma of free-ranging apparently healthy green sea turtles Chelonia mydas and individuals impacted by cold stun syndrome, without iatrogenic administration or known sample processing contamination, using one- and two-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques. There was not a statistically significant difference in relative propylene glycol concentration between the two cohorts (two-sided random sampling two-sample permutation test, P = 0.842, R = 1,000). The presence of this metabolite raises important questions about sea turtle physiology and potential latent environmental conta...
Study of the Endogenous CRAC Channel Using shRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing

The Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) current is a major signaling event in non-excitable cells whereby Ca2+ store depletion activates Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane from the extracellular space. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and Orai1 proteins are the key molecular players of the CRAC channel. Previous studies have linked activity of this channel to many physiological functions, and dysregulation of the CRAC channel has been associated with various diseases. In the absence of inducible tissue-specific knockout mice, in vivo knockdown studies examining the endogenous function of CRAC channel proteins, STIM1 and Orai1, are a challenge. In this chapter, we describe a lentiviral delivery system of shRNA-mediated gene silencing that has proven successful in studying the endogenous CRAC channel in vivo.
Like It Is: Thoughts on the Career of Lewis Polsgrove

Special education as it relates to students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) is still relatively new. Even so, the complex nature of the problems manifested by students so identified has generated widespread dis-agreement and often contentious debate over both etiology and intervention. And, at times, a mix of social, political, and economic forces have converged to paint an uncertain future for the field. In the face of these challenges, a handful of individuals have afforded the profession unfaltering leadership and clear direction. Lewis Polsgrove is among them. Lew's career is punctuated by a commitment to removing barriers to achieving successful outcomes for students with E/BD. He has worked tirelessly to rid the field of flawed conceptual frameworks (e.g., Nelson & Polsgrove, 1984), bureaucratic constraints (Skiba, Polsgrove, & Nasstrom, 1996), and ineffective or harmful intervention strategies (Nelson, Scott, & Polsgrove, 1999). He has done so with compassion, humor, and humility.Lew's career has closely paralleled changes that have occurred in the field of special education. Early on, Lew worked as a counselor in a residential facility serving adjudicated delinquents. Fortunately for the field, he rebounded from any initial intoxication with that experience and any lingering psychodynamic hangover. Thereafter, his work has reflected an unwavering commitment to science over ideology and a positivistic perspective on special education.As I read Lew's thoughts about the field of special education, it seems clear that he sees too little consensus regarding what constitutes high-quality research; he also expresses consternation over the absence of a common perspective on research-based practices. Mir-roring his own actions, Lew urges us to be more vociferous about our position on issues that impact the lives of children and youths with E/BD. I concur. Given the current political scene, the stakes may never be higher or the consequences of inaction more harmful to students with E/BD. In addition, Lew voices dissatisfaction with our teacher preparation efforts. He expresses concern over the fact that beginning teachers often succumb to cultural norms of the workplace and embrace the ineffective practices of others. Most of us would concede that these issues pose enormous challenges to our teacher preparation efforts.Anyone familiar with Lew's work knows that he staunchly supports the process of scientific inquiry. We can infer that our ethical responsibility to ensure students with E/BD the most efficacious academic and behavioral supports demands that we squelch the growth of nonscientific paradigms and the promulgation of unsubstantiated practices. …
Abstract 079: Elevated Fructose Intake Induces Hypertension in Dahl Salt Sensitive (SS) Rats on a Normal Na Diet: Role of SPAK (STK39) and NKCC2

Increased fructose consumption in sweetened beverages is associated to increased cardiovascular events and hypertension in patients. We found that in normal, salt resistant, Sprague Dawley (SD) rat...
Natura: Towards Conversational Analytics for Comparing and Contrasting Time Series

Comparing and contrasting two things is one of the most basic ideas in science. While existing tools allow such comparisons for pairs (e.g. texts, trees, graphs, histograms), there are currently no such tools for time series data. This is somewhat surprising, given the ubiquity of time series data in modern life. One could imagine a tool for comparing and contrasting two time series by reporting various summary statistics. However, scientists, engineers, and physicians typically communicate such findings in natural language. In this work we present Natura, a domain agnostic natural language framework for comparing and contrasting two time series, that aims to duplicate this human skill. Through case study, we demonstrate the effectiveness and utility of our framework.
Metro and Non-Metro Variation in Postsecondary Enrollment: The Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Residential Location in Texas

This study used a spatial approach to explore metropolitan and nonmetropolitan variation of college enrollment at the interplay of place and race within the state of Texas. Analyzing Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS-USA) data and using population proportions as well as regression methods, we pay particular attention to the racial/ethnic diversity in non-metro (i.e., rural) areas and its relationship with college enrollment. We find geography is a mediating factor in the college enrollment racial/ethnic gaps for rural Texans, but there are considerable regional disparities. These disparities show diverse trends among rural regions where large proportions of Latinxs reside. This indicates a need for more research to explore geographic post-secondary opportunity and college access practices and policy with the racial/ethnic diversity of place in mind, especially regarding rural communities of Color. The data and code for the analysis can be found here on a GitHub repository.
Underlayer effect on the soft magnetic, high frequency, and magnetostrictive properties of FeGa thin films

The soft magnetic, microstructural, and magnetostrictive properties of Fe81Ga19 (FeGa) film sputter deposited onto 2.5-nm Ta, Cu, and Ni80Fe20 (NiFe) underlayers were investigated. The films deposited with an underlayer showed increased in-plane uniaxial anisotropy and a decrease in in-plane coercivity. The smallest coercivity was observed in FeGa deposited with a NiFe underlayer at 15 Oe, compared to 84 Oe for films deposited directly on Si. In addition, an effective Gilbert damping coefficient (αeff) as low as 0.044 was achieved for a 100-nm FeGa film with a NiFe underlayer. The coercivity and αeff were shown to decrease further as a function of FeGa film thickness. The FeGa films were also able to retain or increase their saturation magnetostriction when deposited on an underlayer. This enhancement is attributable to the impact of the underlayer to promote an increased (110) film texture and smaller grain size, which is correlated to the lattice match of the underlayer of the sputtered FeGa film. Among the underlayers studied, NiFe promoted the best enhancement in the soft magnetic properties for FeGa thin films, making it an attractive material for both strain-mediated magnetoelectric and microwave device applications.
Trends in Living Donation by Race and Ethnicity Among Children With End-stage Renal Disease in the United States, 1995-2015.

Author(s): Amaral, Sandra; McCulloch, Charles E; Black, Elizabeth; Winnicki, Erica; Lee, Brian; Roll, Garret R; Grimes, Barbara; Ku, Elaine | Abstract: BackgroundLiving donor kidney transplants have declined among adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), with increases in racial/ethnic disparities over time. Secular trends in racial/ethnic disparities in living donor kidney transplantation have not been well studied in children.MethodsUsing multivariable Cox modeling, we examined changes in living donor kidney transplant rates over time and probability of receiving living donor kidney transplantation within 2 years of incident ESRD by race/ethnicity among 19 772 children in the US Renal Data System, 1995-2015. We also examined racial/ethnic concordance between donors and recipients.ResultsOverall, living donor kidney transplant rates declined by 3% annually since 1995 for all racial/ethnic groups except Asians for whom living donor kidney transplant rates remained stable; however, disparities persist. Compared with non-Hispanic white children, Hispanics were 42% less likely (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.58; 95% confidence interval: 0.49-0.67), Asians 39% less likely (0.61; 0.47-0.79), and blacks 66% less likely (0.34; 0.28-0.42) to receive living kidney donor transplantation within 2 years, even when accounting for deceased donor transplantation as a competing risk. Additionally, while 95% of non-Hispanic white children had non-Hispanic white donors, only 56% of Asian recipients had Asian donors (P l 0.001). Asian recipients were more likely to have nonrelated donors (P l 0.001).ConclusionsThere are ongoing declines in living donation for children with ESRD for uncertain reasons, and minority populations experience significantly reduced access to timely living donor transplant, even when accounting for changes in deceased donation and donor-recipient relationships.
MCL-075: Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL): Outcomes with Haploidentical Donors at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC)

Background: MCL is an incurable, aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is often reserved for relapsed/refractory patients, but upfront allo-SCT transplant in younger patients is feasible and produces durable remissions in high-risk disease. Objective: To describe the SKCC experience with allo-SCT transplantation in MCL. Design: Retrospective data review of all consecutive MCL patients who underwent allo-SCT at SKCC between 1999 and 2019. Results: We identified 16 patients with MCL who underwent allo-SCT. Indications: blastoid variant (N=5), physician preference (n=5), relapse after auto-SCT (N=3), high-risk MIPI (N=2), inadequate autologous stem cell collection (N=1). The majority of patients were male (n=11, 69%) and Caucasian (n=14, 88%) with a median age at transplant of 50 years (range 40-69). Donor source was HLA haploidentical (n=8), matched-related (n=4), and matched-unrelated (n=4). The majority of haploidentical recipients were transplanted on our two-step T-cell tolerization approach. Conditioning was chemotherapy-based myeloablative (n=7) and reduced intensity (n=9); 69% were treated on clinical trial. Pretransplant induction regimens were heterogeneous over this span of time. Disease status at transplant: first complete remission (n=5), second complete remission (n=3), first relapse with chemosensitive disease (n=2), first relapse with chemoresistant disease (n=1), primary induction failure with chemosensitive disease (n=2), not evaluated (n=3). Median follow-up of surviving patients is 104 months (range 11-253). At 5 years, probability of overall survival is 52.5% and in haploidentical vs matched recipients is 73% vs 31%, respectively. Transplant-related mortality was 25% in the total cohort, all of which occurred in patients treated >15 years ago. Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 10/16 (63%) patients, with no GVHD-related death. Conclusions: For patients with aggressive MCL treated at SKCC on or off clinical trial, allo-SCT is feasible and effective, with evidence of a graft-vs-lymphoma effect. The increased tolerability of allo-SCT with recent approaches and the favorable outcomes with haploidentical donor source support the use of allo-SCT in high-risk MCL patients. TP53 gene status in this patient cohort is being evaluated to assess the effect of allo-SCT on outcomes and will be reported.
Three Sticks Wines: Digital Marketing, Branding, and Hospitality During a Crisis

This study examines a luxury winery located in Sonoma County, Three Sticks Wines, as it navigated a novel crisis-laden market created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The drastic effects on the industry as a whole and those specific to the premium segment are explored. Strategy to mitigate business displacement is analyzed and developed by the author to present a multi-faceted augmentation of marketing tactics. Areas of focus include digital marketing, co-branding, co-promoting, vineyards as marketing entities and wholesale allocation strategy. The case draws from leading academic research in strategy, consumer behavior, and digital marketing. A conclusion is reached that the winery should consider the range of tactics individually or jointly to maximize its marketing effort commensurate to business needs and shifting market conditions.
3-Manifolds and Links of Singularities

This chapter gives a brief overview of general 3-manifold topology, and its implications for links of isolated complex surface singularities. It does not discuss Lipschitz geometry, but it provides many examples of isolated complex surface singularities on which one can work to find their Lipschitz geometry (e.g., thick-thin decompositions and inner and/or outer bilipschitz classifications).
Two new species of Cephennomicrus in the Ryūkyū Archipelago (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae).

Ten species of Cephennomicrus are currently known to occur in Japan, predominantly in the Ryūkyū Archipelago. These extremely small beetles (adults of Japanese species do not exceed 1.2 mm) are rarely collected, and their true diversity may be in fact much greater. Two more species are described in the present study: C. aji sp. n. inhabiting Okinawa island, and C. ushimanus sp. n. found on Amami Oshima island. Cephennomicrus aji has the smallest adults of all Japanese Scydmaeninae; the holotype male measures merely 0.66 mm of body length. The distribution of Japanese Cephennomicrus species is summarized, with the aedeagus of each species illustrated on the distribution map, to facilitate identifications and further study on this broadly distributed but poorly known cephenniine genus.
In-silico performance, validation, and modeling of the Nanostring Banff Human Organ transplant gene panel using archival data from human kidney transplants

RNA gene expression of renal transplantation biopsies is commonly used to identify the immunological patterns of graft rejection. Mostly done with microarrays, seminal findings defined the patterns of gene sets associated with rejection and non-rejection kidney allograft diagnoses. To make gene expression more accessible, the Molecular Diagnostics Working Group of the Banff Foundation for Allograft Pathology and NanoString Technologies partnered to create the Banff Human Organ Transplant Panel (BHOT), a gene panel set of 770 genes as a surrogate for microarrays (~ 50,000 genes). The advantage of this platform is that gene expressions are quantifiable on formalin fixed and paraffin embedded archival tissue samples, making gene expression analyses more accessible. The purpose of this report is to test in silico the utility of the BHOT panel as a surrogate for microarrays on archival microarray data and test the performance of the modelled BHOT data. BHOT genes as a subset of genes from downloaded archival public microarray data on human renal allograft gene expression were analyzed and modelled by a variety of statistical methods. Three methods of parsing genes verify that the BHOT panel readily identifies renal rejection and non-rejection diagnoses using in silico statistical analyses of seminal archival databases. Multiple modelling algorithms show a highly variable pattern of misclassifications per sample, either between differently constructed principal components or between modelling algorithms. The misclassifications are related to the gene expression heterogeneity within a given diagnosis because clustering the data into 9 groups modelled with fewer misclassifications. This report supports using the Banff Human Organ Transplant Panel for gene expression of human renal allografts as a surrogate for microarrays on archival tissue. The data modelled satisfactorily with aggregate diagnoses although with limited per sample accuracy and, thereby, reflects and confirms the modelling complexity and the challenges of modelling gene expression as previously reported.
AGO HITS-CLIP reveals distinct miRNA regulation of white and brown adipose tissue identity

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, noncoding RNAs that associate with Argonaute (AGO) to influence mRNA stability and translation, thereby regulating cellular determination and phenotype. While several individual miRNAs have been shown to control adipocyte function, including energy storage in white fat and energy dissipation in brown fat, a comprehensive analysis of miRNA activity in these tissues has not been performed. We used high-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by cross-linking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) to comprehensively characterize the network of high-confidence, in vivo mRNA:miRNA interactions across white and brown fat, revealing >20,000 unique AGO binding sites. When coupled with miRNA and mRNA sequencing, we found an inverse correlation between depot-enriched miRNAs and their targets. To illustrate the functionality of our HITS-CLIP data set in identifying specific miRNA:mRNA interactions, we show that miR-29 is a novel regulator of leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone that coordinates food intake and energy homeostasis. Two independent miR-29 binding sites in the leptin 3' UTR were validated using luciferase assays, and miR-29 gain and loss of function modulated leptin mRNA and protein secretion in primary adipocytes. This work represents the only experimentally generated miRNA targetome in adipose tissue and identifies multiple regulatory pathways that may specify the unique identities of white and brown fat.
Association of colon adenocarcinoma in situ in polyp with subsequent colon cancer: A population-based retrospective study.

e15605Background: Adenocarcinoma in situ (pTis) of the colon is defined as malignant cells confined within epithelium or mucosa. Since pTis is not invasive, polypectomy alone is usually adequate, e...
Molecular insights into deuterostome evolution from hemichordate developmental biology.

Abstract Hemichordates, along with echinoderms and chordates, belong to the lineage of bilaterians called the deuterostomes. Their phylogenetic position as an outgroup to chordates provides an opportunity to investigate the evolutionary origins of the chordate body plan and reconstruct ancestral deuterostome characters. The body plans of the hemichordates and chordates are organizationally divergent making anatomical comparisons very challenging. The developmental underpinnings of animal body plans are often more conservative than the body plans they regulate, and offer a novel data set for making comparisons between morphologically divergent body architectures. Here I review the hemichordate developmental data generated over the past 20 years that further test hypotheses of proposed morphological affinities between the two taxa, but also compare the conserved anteroposterior, dorsoventral axial patterning programs and germ layer specification programs. These data provide an opportunity to determine which developmental programs are ancestral deuterostome or bilaterian innovations, and which ones occurred in stem chordates or vertebrates representing developmental novelties of the chordate body plan.
Justice Kennedy, Natural Liberty, and Classical Stasis Theory: Advancing Free Speech with Rhetorical Knowledge and Interpretive Argumentation

This chapter will appear in a volume titled Justice Anthony Kennedy: The Rhetoric of Liberty, to be published in 2022 by Penn State University Press. The book investigates whether Kennedy’s conception of liberty meets the aims of “judging well,” defined as using rhetorical knowledge to advance the rule of law. My chapter examines this question in the context of Kennedy’s free speech jurisprudence. Specifically, I analyze whether Kennedy judged well in this arena under an argumentation model I developed with Professor Brian Larson of Texas A&M University School of Law. This chapter extends our “critical discussion-stasis model” from argumentative systems to argumentative texts. I argue that Kennedy judged relatively well in the free speech arena, using Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez as an exemplar. Velazquez struck down as viewpoint discrimination a Legal Services Corporation Act provision that barred lawyers from challenging state welfare laws on pain of losing their organizations’ funding. Writing for the majority, Kennedy reasoned that it was viewpoint discrimination to limit lawyers and clients to legal status quo positions. He also conceived of welfare advocacy as a private speech space analogous to a limited public forum—a space whose functioning the government cannot manipulate or distort by defunding a disfavored viewpoint. Neither was a conventional characterization—and in fact Kennedy’s opinion ran up against a hard rule that government funding is not speech regulation. I conclude that Kennedy’s rhetorical moves to get beyond the law’s “funding” classification to reach its speech-restricting function, and to draw the broader public forum analogy, meet two “judging well” benchmarks. The first is treating Constitutional text as the product of rhetorical knowledge developed over time, with the goal of reaching a “reasonable” resolution rather than aiming for a “correct” one. The second is Kennedy’s dexterous and diverse use of legal topoi, a key measure of argument quality under the critical discussion-stasis model.