cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behaviors of the Midge, Cricotopus (Diptera: Chironomidae) related to mutualism with Nostoc parmelioides (Cyanobacteria)

Behaviors of Cricotopus nostocicola (Wirth) related to its mutualistic interaction with Nostoc parmelioides Kutzing were explored. The late instars and pupae probably always remain inside their Nostoc colony until emergence. Laboratory observations of 4th instar larvae removed from Nostoc colonies showed that only 65% of the midges were able to re‐enter their colony after 20 hours in still water, although placed less than 5 cm away, and midge larvae could move at only 8.9 mm h‐1 in still water. This suggests larvae would not be able to survive if they left their colony. Midge larvae attached their colonies tightly to rocks and may use this ability to orient their colony with respect to flow. Pupation occurred at the same time host Nostoc colonies formed hormogonia (the dispersal stage of Nostoc) and at the same time many new, uninhabited colonies appeared. The replication of both taxa occurred simultaneously, and may have been beneficial to both.
Marks and Traces: Leibnizian Scholarship Past, Present, and Future

1. Books discussed in this essay include: Robert Merrihew Adams, Leibniz: Determinist, Theist, Idealist, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994; Philip Beeley, Kontinuitat und Mechanismus: Zur Philosophie des jungen Leibniz in ihrem ideengeschichtlichen Kontext, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1996; Hubertus Busche, Leibniz’ Weg ins perspektivische Universum: eine Harmonie im Zeitalter der Berechnung, Hamburg: Felix Meiner, 1997; J. A. Cover and John O’Leary-Hawthorne, Substance and Individuation in Leibniz, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999; Francois Duchesneau, Leibniz et la methode de la science, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1993; Michel Fichant, Science et metaphysique dans Descartes et Leibniz, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1998; Christia Mercer, Leibniz’s Metaphysics: Its Origins and Development, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001; Konrad Moll, Der junge Leibniz III: Eine Wissenschaft fur ein aufgeklartes Europa: Der Weltmechanismus dynamischer Monadenpunkte als Gegenentwurf zu den Lehren von Descartes und Hobbes, StuttgartBad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog, 1996; Massimo Mugnai, Leibniz’ Theory of Relations, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1992; Patrick Riley, Leibniz’ Universal Jurisprudence: Justice as the Charity of the Wise, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996; Andre Robinet, G. W. Leibniz: le meilleur des mondes par la balance de l’Europe, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1994 ; Donald Rutherford, Leibniz and the Rational Order of Nature, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. For references to Leibniz’s works, the following abbreviations will be used: A Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Samtliche Schriften und Briefe, ed. Akademie der Wissenschaften (Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1923ff.), followed by series, volume, and page number; AG G.W. Leibniz: Philosophical Papers and Letters, ed. and trans. Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989); G Die philosophischen Schriften von G. W. Leibniz, 7 vols., ed. Carl Gerhardt (Berlin: Weidemann, 1875–90; reprint Hildesheim: Olms, 1965), followed by volume and page number; L Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Philosophical Papers and Letters, ed. and trans. Leroy E. Loemker (2nd edition, Dordrecht: Reidel, 1969). References will be to both an original language text and, when possible, the English translation and have the form, for example, ‘A II, i, 118/L 147.’
Renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus extension into the proximal pulmonary artery.

A 61-year-old female with unremarkable medical history presented with right flank pain, 15-pound weight loss and gross hematuria 2 months in duration. The patient had exercised regularly until presentation. Physical examination revealed a right abdominal mass and cardiac rub. Blood tests were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a right renal tumor with thrombus extending from the renal vein to the right ventricle (fig. 1). Echocardiography showed a mobile thrombus extending from the inferior vena cava into the main pulmonary artery (fig. 2). Metastatic evaluation was unremarkable. At surgery the thrombus was monitored with transesophageal echocardiography. The right kidney was mobilized through a Mercedes incision (chevron incision with apex extended to the xiphoid), leaving only the vein tethering the kidney.2, 3 The liver was mobilized, and remained attached by only the hepatic veins and porta hepatis.2 The incision was extended from the xiphoid to the sternal notch. The sternum was divided. Cardiopulmonary bypass was achieved using the usual technique. Arterial and cardioplegia cannulas were placed in the ascending aorta. Venous cannulas were placed in the right atrial appendage and superior vena cava. After cardiopulmonary bypass was initiated the patient was cooled to 24C (rectal). Further cooling was planned for deep hypothermic circulatory arrest only if bleeding impaired visualization or if the thrombus was fixed. The aorta was cross clamped. Incisions in the right atrium and pulmonary artery revealed a free-floating thrombus, which was grasped through the right atrium and withdrawn intact. Echocardiography confirmed complete thrombus extraction from the heart and pulmonary artery. The thrombus was transected at the diaphragm level. The remaining thrombus was milked down below the liver. Vascular clamps were placed on the infrahepatic and infrarenal inferior vena cava, and left renal vein. An incision was made around the origin of the right renal vein and extended cephalad along the inferior vena cava. Gentle traction permitted en bloc removal of the kidney and remaining thrombus (fig. 1, C). After the inferior vena cava was closed, the patient was weaned from bypass and the cannulas were removed, the abdomen and chest were closed simultaneously. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 5. Pathological evaluation demonstrated a 10 cm. Fuhrman grade 2 papillary renal cell carcinoma extending into the perinephric fat, negative surgical margins and no lymph node involvement. At 6 months postoperatively the patient had resumed an active lifestyle.
CELLULAR REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REJECTION OF SKIN ALLOGRAFTS IN RATS

The role of bone marrow-derived cells in the rejection of skin allografts in rats was investigated. Lewis rats, rendered tolerant of BN antigens and bearing healthy grafts, were thymectomized, irradiated with 900 rad, and injected with varying doses of either normal isologous bone marrow, normal lymph node cells, and/or lymph node cells presensitized to BN antigens. In some experiments rats were also adoptively sensitized to tuberculin. Results showed that, although necessary for the elicitation of tuberculin skin reactions, bone marrow cells are not needed for the rejection of previously tolerated skin allografts. Rats receiving lymph node cells alone rejected their grafts in about 6–7 days. In addition, rats injected with bone marrow alone also rejected their grafts, although significantly later than did lymph node cell recipients, indicating that rat marrow contains a population of cells capable of reacting to transplantation antigens. These cells were found capable of reacting to major transplantation antigens but not minor as they were ineffective in causing the rejection of Ag-B compatible Fischer skin grafts. From experiments utilizing bone marrow from neonatally thymectomized donors and cells treated with an antiserum to rat T cells, these competent cells in the marrow were shown to be thymus derived.
Roles of endogenous gamma interferon and macrophage microbicidal mechanisms in host response to chemotherapy in experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

In experimental visceral leishmaniasis, in which the tissue macrophage is the target, in vivo responsiveness to conventional chemotherapy (pentavalent antimony [Sb]) requires a T-cell-dependent mechanism. To determine if this mechanism involves gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-induced activation and/or specific IFN-γ-regulated macrophage leishmanicidal mechanisms (generation of reactive nitrogen or oxygen intermediates, we treated gene-deficient mice infected with Leishmania donovani. In IFN-γ gene knockout (GKO) mice, Sb inhibited but did not kill intracellular L. donovani (2% killing versus 76% in controls). Sb was active (>94% killing), however, in both inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) knockout (KO) and respiratory burst (phagocyte oxidase)-deficient chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) mice. Sb's efficacy was also maintained in doubly deficient animals (X-CGD mice treated with an iNOS inhibitor). In contrast to Sb, amphotericin B (AmB) induced high-level killing in GKO mice; AmB was also fully active in iNOS KO and X-CGD animals. Although resolution of L. donovani infection requires iNOS, residual visceral infection remained largely suppressed in iNOS KO mice treated with Sb or AmB. These results indicate that endogenous IFN-γ regulates the leishmanicidal response to Sb and achieves this effect via a pathway unrelated to the macrophage's primary microbicidal mechanisms. The role of IFN-γ is selective, since it is not a cofactor in the response to AmB. Treatment with either Sb or AmB permits an iNOS-independent mechanism to emerge and control residual intracellular L. donovani infection.
Performance of reverse-link packet transmission in mobile cellular CDMA networks

Mobile CDMA cellular networks for tactical applications require base-station mobility in order to provide communications on the move. Because of the mobility of the base stations and the lack of a high-speed wire-line network between base stations, handoff of mobiles among base stations is more difficult than in a commercial CDMA cellular network. In this paper, we examine the performance of the reverse links in a tactical CDMA cellular network using continuous transmission for packet data communications. In particular, we consider the effect of limited handoff capability on the reverse-link capacity of the network.
How we danced: Anne Sexton on fathers and daughters

(1986). How we danced: Anne Sexton on fathers and daughters. Women's Studies: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 179-202.
Integumentary Essentials: Applying the Preferred Physical Therapist Practice PatternsSM

Moffatt M, ed; Biggs Harris K, associate ed. Thorofare, NJ 08086, Slack Inc, 2006, paperback, 160 pp, illus, ISBN: 1-55642-670-4; $50.95. This book is 1 of a series of 4 books ( Musculoskeletal Essentials, Neuromuscular Essentials, Cardiovascular Essentials, and Integumentary Essentials ) that are designed to help physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students use the American Physical Therapy Association's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice (Guide). Integumentary Essentials uses patient cases to illustrate the application of the patient/client management model to each of the 5 integumentary system practice patterns. The first chapter addresses the prevention and risk reduction for integumentary disorders practice pattern. Chapters 2 through 5 cover the other integumentary practice patterns that are based on depth of tissue loss. Each chapter begins with a …
VARIANCE ESTIMATION FOR THE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION UNDER LOG SYMMETRIC LOSS

For a normal sample with unknown mean, the almost universally used estimator of the variance, σ2, is “the sample variance.” This estimator is the minumum variance unbiased estimator of σ2, but it is inadmissible under square error loss. It is dominated by the maximum likelihood estimator, which is also inadmissible. We consider a class of estimators and compare these estimators under a class of loss functions which we call “log symmetric.”
Penetration of packaging films by the cowpea weevil (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Cowpeas infested with the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.), were sealed individually in small packets made of various packaging films. Also, other small packages of insect-free cowpeas ...
Insider Trading and Effectiveness of Chinese Walls in Securities Firms

This study investigates the profitability of insider trading around the times when investment bankers appoint their representatives to the board of directors. If Chinese Walls at security firms are somewhat porous, then the presence of investment bankers on the boards is expected to increase the information efficiency of the clients' stocks and reduce the profitability of insider trading. Consistent with expectations, arrival of investment bankers on the boards of directors eliminates the profitability of insider trading, and reduces both the bid-ask spreads and volatility. These effects are temporary and they are reversed when the representatives depart. The finding that Chinese Walls are porous has a number of important economic, legal, and regulatory implications.
Biomarkers to Diagnose Early Arthritis in Patients With Psoriasis.

BACKGROUND Psoriatic arthritis is a potentially destructive, inflammatory joint disease that affects 20% to 30% of patients with psoriasis. Psoriasis precedes the onset of joint inflammation by approximately 10 years, providing a unique opportunity to intervene and prevent or delay onset of musculoskeletal manifestations. The emergence of sensitive imaging modalities and cellular biomarkers may facilitate early identification of patients with psoriasis who have subclinical joint disease and might help stratify patients with an early onset of arthritis. METHODS The translational studies described herein are focused on the development of cellular biomarkers identified with flow cytometry and cell culture techniques in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION The combination of power Doppler ultrasound imaging and cellular biomarkers (ie, CD16 and dendritic cell specific transmembrane protein) to diagnose early psoriatic arthritis and to stratify patients with established psoriatic arthritis provides a new opportunity to optimize treatment outcomes in this potentially disabling disease.
Using contingency planning model to mitigate the impact of the inevitable disaster at the class level

This paper discusses the need to establish a contingency plan at the university class level to mitigate the impacts of a disaster. It places the class room plan in context of the contingency plans of higher organizational units. It related the authors' experience with multiple natural disasters and how those experiences can be used to establish a contingency plan that is appropriate to the reader's environment.
Surface modification of carbon black nanoparticles enhances photothermal separation and release of CO2

Abstract Carbon black nanoparticles (CB) were covalently modified to improve the photothermal regeneration of a CO2 capture nanofluid through decarboxylation. The photothermal release of CO2 addresses high energy costs associated with regenerating capture fluids. By incorporating sulfonamides on the surface of CB, we enhance the photothermal separation of CO2 from MEA by approximately 70% more than the unmodified CB. In contrast, with an anionic sulfonate on the surface, the total CO2 released fell by approximately 60%. We verified the chemical composition and structure of surface modification using complementary techniques including FT-IR, TGA, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy.
Children's Safety Knowledge

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which eight-year old children are aware of the dangers in several situations, including climbing a tree near an electric power line. Thirty-seven third-grade students were shown drawings of children engaged in ten activities. First, the students were asked what the children in the drawings were doing. Then, they were asked how the children in the drawings could get hurt. The results indicate 84% to 100% of the students appropriately identified activities depicted in the drawings, and 86% to 100% of the students identified significant dangers. In the power line situation 97% of the students identified the danger from electric shock.
Continuous carbon fiber polymer–matrix composites in unprecedented antiferroelectric coupling providing exceptionally high through-thickness electric permittivity

Continuous carbon fiber polymer–matrix composites in unprecedented antiferroelectric coupling, as enabled by stacking composites with positive value (up to 400) and negative value (down to −600) of the electric permittivity, provide exceptionally high through-thickness permittivity up to 78,000 (≤2.0 MHz), corresponding to a capacitance of 370 μF/m2. The high capacitance is consistent with the equation for negative and positive capacitors in series. The permittivity tailoring of the composites involves dielectric cellulosic tissue paper interlaminar interlayers. Negative permittivity (not previously reported for carbon fiber composites) requires the paper to be wet with tap water (resistivity 1.5 kΩ cm) during incorporation in the composite, though the water evaporates and leaves ions at very low concentrations during composite fabrication, and also requires optimum through-thickness resistivity (e.g., 1 kΩ cm, as given by paper thickness 35 μm); it is probably due to interactions between the functional groups on the carbon fiber surface and the residual ions (mainly chloride) left after tap water evaporation.
Fostering a Civically Engaged Society: The University and Service Learning

As public administration is faced with the challenge of making governance work, the university is being called upon to become more involved in the civic engagement movement. Increasing civic engagement requires addressing one of the core problems contributing to its decline: deteriorating community caused by a lack of social capital. Although there is debate about whether there has been a decline in civic engagement or simply a change in the ways citizens participate, there is agreement about the need to increase engagement and to include universities in this process. One of the proposed solutions, advocated by Barber and Battistoni (1993) and Putnam (2000), is service learning. Empirical data support a positive association between service learning and social capital (D'Agostino, 2006). This paper moves beyond theory to describe actual collaboration between universities and public administration to foster a
Obligatory associations: a function of dreaming

Some dream images are unequivocally linked to events experienced in the waking state but are not identical. The author refers to such alterations as "obligatory associations"; these serve varied psychical requirements, including cognitive transformation.
Free-Form Idiom Theory

In addition to their regular, fully compositional interpretation, negative sentences have a variety of syntactically irregular interpretations illustrated in Tables 1.1 and 1.2. In Chap. 3 we described the rules governing their use, identifying the propositions the negatives are conventionally used to express when they are irregular. The main question we have been investigating since Chap. 3 is the nature of these irregular interpretations. Are sentences of the form ‘Not-p’ semantically ambiguous, with as many as 11 distinct meanings in the language? Or are all but one of these interpretations implicatures or pragmatic explicatures? We saw in Sect. 4.2 that the implicature theory is plausible for evaluative-implicature denials and litotes. Since these display the indirection characteristic of implicature, I refer to them as indirect irregular negatives (Table 6.1).
Simultaneous imaging of tissue motion and flow velocity using 2D phase-coupled speckle tracking

We introduce a new method for simultaneous imaging of tissue motion and flow with subsample accuracy in both axial and lateral directions. The method utilizes a phase-coupled 2D speckle tracking approach, which employs the true 2D complex cross correlation to find subpixel displacements in both axial and lateral directions. We have also modified the imaging sequence on a Sonix RP scanner to allow high frame rate 2D data collection in a limited field of view covering the region of interest (M2D-mode). Together with the robust 2D speckle tracking method, M2D imaging allows for capturing the full dynamics of the flow and wall/tissue motion, even when the flow is primarily in the lateral direction (with respect to the imaging beam). The fine vector displacement estimates in both axial and lateral directions are shown to allow for smooth and contiguous strain and shear strain calculations with minimal filtering. The quality of the displacement and strain fields is demonstrated by experimental results from a flow phantom (ATS Model 524) and in vivo images of the carotid artery in a healthy volunteer. The results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous imaging of the vector flow field and the wall/tissue motion and the corresponding strains at high spatial and temporal sampling. This may provide an essential tool in modeling the fluid-solid interactions between the blood and blood vessel, a key challenge in vascular biomechanics.
‘Any friend of yours is a friend of mine’: investigating the utilization of an interpreter in an investigative interview

ABSTRACTPremised on a body of literature suggesting target-interviewer rapport is a critical component of successful interviews, we explored the effect of two interpreter-related variables – the physical placement of the interpreter in the room, and the nature of the relationship between the interpreter and the target – on target-interviewer rapport. A total of 125 bilingual (Spanish/English) participants viewed a mock crime video and were then interviewed, via an interpreter (or not). Interpreters either built rapport with the participant immediately prior to the interview or did not, and were either seated beside the interviewer or behind the target, commensurate with recommendations from training manuals. When the interpreter and target engaged in a short rapport-building session prior to an investigative interview, the target rated their interaction with the interviewer less negatively compared to when rapport building did not occur. Furthermore, when the interpreter sat behind the target, the target ...
Chemical variation for fiber cuticular wax levels in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) evaluated under contrasting irrigation regimes

Abstract The fiber from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) makes up approximately 90% of the global cotton produced each year. Fiber quality is important to textile mills for processing and factors into bulk cotton sales. Fiber quality can be affected by many environmental factors, including water deficit, which makes identifying major fiber characteristics an important focus for breeding programs. Cotton fibers are specialized trichomes that are primarily composed of cellulose but have a cuticle composed of free waxes and cutin. Total cuticular wax of cotton fiber has been shown to act as a lubricant during textile processing, but has also been negatively correlated with important quality traits. The objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the cuticular wax compounds of cotton fiber under water-limited (WL) and well-watered (WW) irrigation treatments and assess their relationship with fiber quality from seven upland cotton lines. Through the most detailed characterization of cotton fiber cuticular wax to date, 41 quantifiable compounds were identified including free fatty acids, primary alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, and tentatively identified alkanediols. Of these 41 compounds and their sum (total waxes), the abundance for nine were significantly different (α = 0.05) between WL and WW conditions. Total wax and 36 compounds were highly repeatable (r ≥ 0.60), indicating they will respond positively to selection in cotton breeding programs. Irrespective of irrigation regime, strong positive correlations (rp 0.64–0.80) were found for fiber length and uniformity with primary alcohols, fatty acids, and aldehydes. These findings suggest that the biosynthetic pathways associated with these compounds are contributing to the phenotypic variability of these two important fiber quality traits and thus the biochemical pathways associated with cuticular fiber wax are candidates for metabolic engineering via molecular breeding approaches.
Developing a High Impact Learning Environment: Bite Size is the Right Size

This project develop pedagogy and enhanced teaching resources for a high-enrollment required course at a major state university in the United States. Challenged by students' short attention spans and their preference to learn from multiple information sources, this project developed bite-sized, succinct course lectures combined with videos and/or in-class activities, to provide an engaging and interactive learning environment. This robust learning environment resulted in improved student performance, higher attendance rates as well as lower withdrawal and failure rates, indicating higher student success.
Environment, Behavior, and Design Research on Urban Forests

To many people the term urban forest seems incongruous and contradictory. But a look around any major city quickly reveals that trees and other vegetation are an important feature in many urban settings. For example, an aerial photo survey of Dayton, Ohio, showed that 22% of the city’s land area is covered with trees, and that 35% is covered with other kinds of vegetation (Sanders & Stevens, 1984). According to one overall estimate, 30% of the average city in the United States is covered with trees, a proportion larger than the average tree cover for countryside (Dwyer, Deneke, Grey, & Moeller, 1983).
Gangliocytoma, Pituitary Gland, Rat

Pituitary gland gangliocytomas may not be grossly visible. Larger tumors may appear as flesh colored or brown nodules up to 3 mm in diameter. The tumors are not known to infiltrate adjacent structures.
A Eutectic Mixture of Natural Fatty Acids Can Serve as the Gating Material for Near-Infrared-Triggered Drug Release

A smart release system responsive to near-infrared (NIR) light is developed for intracellular drug delivery. The concept is demonstrated by coencapsulating doxorubicin (DOX) (an anticancer drug) and IR780 iodide (IR780) (an NIR-absorbing dye) into nanoparticles made of a eutectic mixture of naturally occurring fatty acids. The eutectic mixture has a well-defined melting point at 39 °C, and can be used as a biocompatible phase-change material for NIR-triggered drug release. The resultant nanoparticles exhibit prominent photothermal effect and quick drug release in response to NIR irradiation. Fluorescence microscopy analysis indicates that the DOX trapped in the nanoparticles can be efficiently released into the cytosol under NIR irradiation, resulting in enhanced anticancer activity. A new platform is thus offered for designing effective intracellular drug-release systems, holding great promise for future cancer therapy.
Proterozoic Organic Carbon — Its Preservation and Isotopic Record

The carbon isotopic composition of Proterozoic organic matter has been studied as a function of elemental H/C ratio. Kerogen samples which have experienced various degrees of postdepositional thermal alteration show a correspondingly wide spread of δ13C values. Setting a minimum H/C threshold of 0.2 to eliminate the kerogens of highest rank immediately results in a marked contraction in the range of δ 13C. Analysis of the time-dependence of these data reveals a smooth trend of increasing δ13C from an Early Proterozoic average of — 34 %o PDB to about — 30.5%o for the Middle Proterozoic. This contrasts markedly with the record of Proterozoic carbonates, which typically average near 0%o PDB. Several explanations are offered for this trend. Firstly, a long-term decline occurred in the partial pressure of atmospheric CO2 during the Proterozoic. An accompanying development of biochemical pumps, which raise the internal CO2 concentrations of photoautotrophs and allow the maintenance of high levels of carbon fixation, would cause a partially closed system with respect to external CO2 and a reduction in 13C fractionation. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, evolutionary pressures toward optimizing the kinetic parameters of the major carboxylating enzyme RUBISCO may have been accompanied by a reduction in the enzymic discrimination against 13C. Late Proterozoic kerogens display substantial isotopic variability. This most likely reflects secular changes in the burial rates of organic versus carbonate carbon.
Soluble-Factor Induction of B-Cell Growth

Despite a detailed knowledge of the antigen-specific receptor expressed on the membrane of B lymphocytes, the precise mechanism by which B lymphocytes are activated during an antigenic encounter has remained an area of controversy. Contending viewpoints originally attributed induction of proliferation to the delivery of signals at membrane-bound immunoglobulin (Ig) itself, at membrane-bound Ia molecules, or at uncharacterized membrane-bound mitogen receptors. However, the recent discovery of soluble factors specifically involved in B-cell proliferation has undermined such simplistic models. Now a more tenable hypothesis would seem to be that occupancy of membrane Ig (or mitogen receptors) by antigen andJor cognate T-cell interactions involving the Ia antigens of resting B cells results in functional expression of receptors for soluble proliferation cofactors and that it is these factors that in turn stimulate B cells to replicate. This chapter discusses the biological and biochemical nature of such B-cell pecific proliferation cofactors (B-cell growth factors) and considers what is currently known of their role in B-cell activation and development.
Tunable topology of photonic systems based on transparent conducting oxides

Precise control over topology of a photonic system is highly important for a number of applications, such as topologically protected memory/logic devices and quantum communication applications. Within this work, we show that by integrating new transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) material platforms with a photonic waveguide system it is possible to realize ultrafast optical control over topologically nontrivial photonic states.
Mechanism Underlying the Effects of Estrogen Deficiency on Otoconia

Otoconia-related vertigo and balance deficits, particularly benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), are common. Our recent studies in humans show that, while BPPV prevalence greatly increases with age in both genders, peri-menopausal women are especially susceptible. In the present study, we show that bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) mice have significant balance behavioral deficits, and that estrogen deficiency compromises otoconia maintenance and anchoring by reducing the expression of otoconial component and anchoring proteins. There is ectopic debris formation in the ampulla under estrogen deficiency due to aberrant matrix protein expression. Furthermore, phytoestrogen is effective in rescuing the otoconia abnormalities. By comparing the expression levels of known estrogen receptor (Esr) subtypes, and by examining the otoconia phenotypes of null mice for selected receptors, we postulate that Esr2 may be critical in mediating the effects of estrogen in otoconia maintenance.
Can Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors Palliate Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients With Cancer?

Background:Paclitaxel-treated patients can suffer from years of peripheral neuropathy with pain, numbness, and tingling. Promising preclinical data with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibito...
User-interface design for air-travel booking: A case study of Sabre

The paper explains the development of the Sabre air travel booking user-interface design during 1994–2000, which transformed a text-based, frame-oriented legacy system into a graphical version used by one-third of the worlds travel agents. The text comments on design explorations, issues, and resolutions.
Right Triangle Trigonometry

This chapter defines the trigonometric functions in terms of the sides and angles of a right triangle. According to Cofunction theorem, a trigonometric function of an angle is always equal to the cofunction of the complement of the angle, that is is, if x is an acute angle, then, as x and 90° − x are complementary angles, it must be true that sin x = cos (90° — x ), cos x = sin (90° − x ), tan x = cot (90° − x ), cot x = tan (90° − x ), sec x = csc(90° − x ) and csc x = sec(90° − x ). The chapter explains the process of converting decimal degrees and degrees and minutes back and forth, and presents a list of the most common conversions between decimal degrees and minutes.
Old Problem, New Solution

What procedure is being performed in Video 1? Select one of the following responses: Video 1. Click here to view the video. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common complication of prematurity. Video 1 is from the cardiac catheterization of a 3-week-old female infant born at 28 weeks’ gestation with a birthweight of 960 g (27th percentile), length of 36 cm (39th percentile), and head circumference of 25.5 cm (42nd percentile). The infant had a hemodynamically significant PDA that did not respond to acetaminophen therapy. Echocardiography showed a moderate to large PDA with left heart dilation, and hence, at 23 days of age (weight 1,160 g), she met the indications for intervention. Hemodynamically significant PDAs that are unresponsive to medical treatment have, until recently, required surgical ligation via lateral thoracotomy. The associated morbidity for surgical ligation includes pneumothorax, bleeding, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and postoperative pain. (1) In an effort to minimize morbidity, Zahn et al reported a case series in 2015 of 6 extremely preterm infants undergoing catheter-based closure of the PDA at a median weight of 1,180 g. (2) Their novel technique minimized contrast dose and radiation exposure by using intraprocedural echocardiography as the primary imaging modality. Since their initial report in 2015, multiple centers across the United States have …
Electoral Contestation: A Comprehensive Polity-Level Analysis

The study of electoral contestation generally focuses on districts or regions rather than polities. We present a new dataset that measures electoral contestation through historical records of elections in sovereign and semi-sovereign polities throughout the world from 1789 to the present. We also offer a new index of contestation intended to capture multiple dimensions of this complex concept. Our second objective is to explain variation across polities and through time in electoral contestation. We argue that the degree of contestation in a polity is affected by demography, with larger polities fostering greater electoral contestation. This hypothesis is tested with a series of cross-national regression tests that employ a variety of specifications and estimators – crosssectional, fixed-effect, and instrumental variable. We find a robust association between population and contestation extending throughout the modern era.
A mathematical model of synaptotagmin 7 revealing functional importance of short-term synaptic plasticity

Synaptotagmin 7 (Syt7), a presynaptic calcium sensor, has a significant role in the facilitation in short-term synaptic plasticity: Syt7 knock out mice show a significant reduction in the facilitation. The functional importance of short-term synaptic plasticity such as facilitation is not well understood. In this study, we attempt to investigate the potential functional relationship between the short-term synaptic plasticity and postsynaptic response by developing a mathematical model that captures the responses of both wild-type and Syt7 knock-out mice. We then studied the model behaviours of wild-type and Syt7 knock-out mice in response to multiple input action potentials. These behaviors could establish functional importance of short-term plasticity in regulating the postsynaptic response and related synaptic properties. In agreement with previous modeling studies, we show that release sites are governed by non-uniform release probabilities of neurotransmitters. The structure of non-uniform release of neurotransmitters makes short-term synaptic plasticity to act as a high-pass filter. We also propose that Syt7 may be a modulator for the long-term changes of postsynaptic response that helps to train the target frequency of the filter. We have developed a mathematical model of short-term plasticity which explains the experimental data.
MANAGEMENT OF EISENMENGER SYNDROME SECONDARY TO UNREPAIRED SINUS VENOSUS ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT WITH PARTIAL ANOMALOUS PULMONARY VENOUS CONNECTION

Patients with both ASD and partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC) are at increased risk for developing right to left shunting due to excess right heart volume overload. Treatment options are guided by degree and reversibility of shunt. A 29 year old female with no significant medical
Endoscopic management of postcholecystectomy biliary leak: When and how? A nationwide study.

Background and Aims ERCP is considered the first-line therapy for biliary duct leaks (BDLs). However, the optimal ERCP timing and endotherapy methods remain controversial. Our aim was to evaluate these factors as predictors of poor clinical outcomes after BDLs. Methods Adults who underwent ERCP for BDLs after cholecystectomy were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2014. ERCP was classified as emergent, urgent, and expectant if it was done within 1 day, after 2 to 3 days, or >3 days after BDLs, respectively. Endotherapy was classified into sphincterotomy, stent, or combination. Post-ERCP adverse events (AEs) were defined as requiring pressor infusion, endotracheal intubation, invasive monitoring, or hemodialysis. Early endotherapy failure was defined as the need for salvage surgical or radiology-percutaneous biliary intervention after ERCP. Results A total of 1028 patients with a median age of 56 years were included. ERCP was done emergently (19%), urgently (30%), and expectantly (51%). Endotherapy procedures were sphincterotomy (24%), biliary stent (24%), and combination (52%). Post-ERCP AEs were 11%, 10%, and 9% for emergent, urgent, and expectant ERCP, respectively (P = .577). In-hospital mortality showed a U-shape trend of 5%, 0%, and 2% for emergent, urgent, and expectant ERCP, respectively (P Conclusions Although limited by retrospective design and the possibility of selection bias, this analysis suggests that the timing of ERCP is not a significant predictor of post-ERCP AEs after BDLs. Furthermore, combination or stent monotherapy had lower failure rates as compared with sphincterotomy monotherapy.
Medical Therapy for Fluctuations in Parkinson’s Disease

Motor/non-motor fluctuations and dyskinesia are common serious late effects of dopaminergic therapy in PD. Risk factors for these complications include age of onset and dose of levodopa. The initial fluctuating pattern is a predictable end-of-dose wearing off, but, with time, variations in response become less predictable. There are many medical options to treat these fluctuations including monoamine oxidase B inhibitors, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors, dopamine agonists (including oral, patch, and injectable forms), amantadine, and several formulations of carbidopa/levodopa (extended release, capsules, intrajejunal gel). I will discuss how these agents can be used to treat the varied forms of response fluctuations and dyskinesia.
User Level Multi-feed Weighted Topic Embeddings for Studying Network Interaction in Twitter

Over half a billion tweets on a wide range of topics are posted daily by hundreds of millions of Twitter users. Insights of user behavior and network interactions can be applied to practical applications like targeted advertising, viral marketing, political campaigns, etc. In this paper, we propose a Multi-Feed Weighted Topic Embeddings (MFWTE) model to study user network interaction and topic diffusion patterns on Twitter. Our method extracts topic embeddings from multiple views of a Twitter user feed and weights them according to their content authoring roles, where the authored tweets, replied tweets, retweeted tweets, and favorited tweets are the views we separate for constructing the embeddings. We test the proposed method using two different topic modeling algorithms: (i) Latent Dirichlet Allocation (ii) Twitter-Latent Dirichlet Allocation. The users in our study are divided into multiple hierarchies based on their activity composition regarding individual topics, and the effectiveness of MFWTE is evaluated in the multi-hierarchical setting. The performance of our method on friendship recommendation and retweet behavior prediction task is evaluated using various ranked retrieval measures. The results indicate that our MFWTE method for topic modeling of Twitter users improves over various previous baselines. We conclude our work by applying the proposed model, MFWTE to discover various information diffusion patterns on Twitter.
Three-Dimensional Model Based on Hotine’s “Mathematical Geodesy”

Three-dimensional model in essence means employing all possible observables within a unified solution. However, in the context of application to the redefinition of North American networks, we are ...
Schema Development in Individuals with Autism: A Review of the Literature

The purpose of this article was to synthesize the available research regarding the development of complex schemata in individuals with autism across its entire developmental process beginning with prototype formation, followed by categorization, and finally the development of schema. Specific research questions addressed the quality of research across all available studies, characteristics of participants, and whether a difference exists in the ability of individuals with autism to form schema as it relates to all three steps of the developmental process. Through a search of articles published between 1980 and 2018, 23 articles were identified, and results indicated a difference in individuals with autism as compared to typically developing controls, with the most mixed results occurring in prototype research. Implications for future research are discussed.
A Case of Neonatal Seizures With an Unusual Electroclinical Pattern

Benign familial neonatal epilepsy is a syndrome characterized by recurrent seizures occurring in the neonatal period. Seizures commonly begin at day 3 of life and usually abate by 1 to 4 months of ...
Towards the Automatic Assessment of Student Teamwork

Teamwork skills are crucial for college students, both at university and afterwards. At many universities, teams are increasingly using discussion platforms such as GroupMe and Slack to work virtually. However, little has been done so far to understand how to use the data these platforms generate to analyze student teamwork behaviors, and so to support or improve those behaviors. Furthermore, these data have not been exploited to determine whether effective student team members share any other traits. This project therefore attempts to determine (a) whether there are any characteristics common to the online discussion behaviors displayed by high-performing vs non high-performing student team members and (b) whether high-performing vs non high-performing student team members share any apparently teamwork-exogenous attributes. We find that the features of team member communication that best predict team member performance are sentence length and the number of words contributed to the team's discussion, with a range of other features playing a smaller role. We also find that teamwork-exogenous factors (such as pre-college ACT score, and number of credits attempted during the semester) were only moderately predictive of team member performance.
Moral Majority redivivus: Assertive religious politics and the threat to religious freedom and citizenship in Malawi

John de Gruchy’s 1995 work Christianity and Democracy: Theology for a Just World Order was published at a heady time, not only in society but in the ecumenical churches, who were prominent as “midwives of democracy.” While the changes in Eastern Europe and South Africa were in the foreground, the book also covered emerging movements for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa. Sadly, De Gruchy’s optimism was not borne out in the decades that followed. Partly, this was due to internal problems within the movements themselves; partly, it was a transformation in the identity of Christianity away from the role of an enabling midwife to that theocratic master. A new kind of Christian politics asserted itself, modelled on and enabled by conservative Christianity in the United States. Moreover, it asserted itself in rivalry to a new “other”: fundamentalist Islam, which succeeded communism as America’s global enemy. This article traces the emergence of this new assertive religious politics, criticizing both its theologically problematic “Christian nationalism” and its lack of concern for sustaining the human rights gains of the early 1990s.
Chapter 69 – Dengue

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses dengue, which is a human disease caused by a virus that is transmitted from one person to another by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue fever (DF), DHF, and DSS are caused by four closely related but antigenically distinct single-stranded RNA viruses (DEN 1, 2, 3, and 4) in the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviridae. All four serotypes cause a range of human disease, including asymptomatic infections; undifferentiated fever; classic DF: an acute febrile illness with headache, body aches, and rash; DHF; and DSS. Sequential infections with different serotypes are possible because infection with one serotype provides lifelong protection from a homologous infection but is only briefly cross-protective against heterologous serotypes. Aedes aegypti appears the most important dengue vector. Other mosquitoes in the subgenus Stegomyia, including Aedes albopictus and Ae. polynesiensis, have been implicated as vectors in jungles and rural habitats. Prevention of dengue is presently dependent on control of Ae. aegypti. Although progress is being made developing dengue vaccines and anti-viral drugs, none are licensed and commercially available, and a vaccine will need to be tetravalent to avoid adverse consequences from immune enhancement.
The Safety and Efficacy of Verapamil Versus Diltiazem Continuous Infusion for Acute Rate Control of Atrial Fibrillation at an Academic Medical Center

Purpose: Due to critical shortages of intravenous diltiazem in 2018, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) adopted intravenous verapamil as an alternative. However, there is a pa...
Formic Acid: A Hydrogen-Bonding Cocatalyst for Formate Decomposition

Hydrogen bonding accelerates many catalytic reactions by orienting intermediates, stabilizing transition states, and even opening reaction pathways. However, most mechanistic studies regarding the ...
Honey Bee Proteome Responses to Plant and Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) Diets

Malnutrition is an increasing threat to honey bees that can be mitigated by feeding artificial pollen substitute diets; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying their impa...