cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advantages of fluorescence-mediated tomography, a prelude to molecular interrogations in deep tissues.

We present certain experimental advantages of fluorescence measurements versus intrinsic contrast measurements pertaining to imaging the distribution of fluorochromes in tissue by means of a normalized Born expansion. Based on these observations we derive an appropriate reconstruction algorithm that concurrently uses intrinsic and fluorescence contrast that facilitates fluorescence-mediated molecular tomography in tissues in-vivo. In contrast to the standard Born approximation, the proposed algorithm does not require instrument calibration or absolute photon fluence measurements. Therefore it is ideally suited for experimental tomographic investigations of tissue in the near-infrared region. We have used this algorithm to image and quantify cancer associated cathepsin B expression in cancer animal models.
The ‘first’ surge: the repulse of the Easter Invasion in South Vietnam, 1972 – implications for Iraq and Afghanistan

AbstractIn a military intervention, do surges work? I compare the failed ‘surge’ in Vietnam, the repulse of the Easter Invasion in 1972, as a means of assessing the more ambiguous surges in Iraq and Afghanistan. I identify four features of a surge for this analysis: the military dimensions and strategy of the surging forces, the military capabilities of the host forces, the political vitality and will of the host country, and the political commitment in the domestic politics of the intervener. I find that the last feature is the most critical; and, in all three surges, the American political commitment was lacking.
Violence and intelligence: Answers to the Irish question

The I.R.A. By Tim Pat Coogan. Isle of Man: Fontana Books, 1970, revised and enlarged 1980. 620 pages. £2.50. On the Blanket: The H Block Story. By Tim Pat Coogan. Dublin: Ward River Press, 1980. 271 pages. £2.50.
Abstract T P95: Stroke Physical Rehabilitation: Impact on Motor Functional Recovery in Drug Treated versus Vehicle Treated Rats

Background: Post-stroke physical rehabilitation has been considered essential for enhancing sensorimotor functional recovery. We assessed the hypothesis that physical rehabilitation would improve functional task performance in drug-treated rats compared to vehicle-treated ones. Methods: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats, which have previously been trained on Montoya Staircase and Forelimb Asymmetry tasks, were subjected to endothelin-1-induced middle cerebral artery occlusion. The rats were treated daily using either a drug combination of 5 mg/kg Fluoxetine and 1 mg/kg Simvastatin or a vehicle control beginning 6-12 hours after stroke. On post-stroke day 8, the rats were underwent voluntary rehabilitation every other day for a period of five and half weeks. Behavioral tests were performed to assess motor functional recovery after stroke induction. Results: In drug-treated rats, both rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated groups showed a 34% recovery in contralateral limb function; whereas, in vehicle-treated rats, animals that underwent physical rehabilitation showed a mean of 26% recovery in contralateral limb function versus 8.6% recovery in non-rehabilitated ones. The ipsilateral limb of non-rehabilitated (control and drug-treated) rats showed a significant (~23% versus -0.1%) difference in functional recovery from rehabilitated rats. There was also significance difference in the baseline ipsilateral deficit between rehabilitation and non-rehabilitation groups which may help explain this statistical difference in the ipsilateral limb performance. The starting time for drug delivery may have negatively influenced the functional recovery. The early delivery (6-12 hours after stroke induction) of this drug combination resulted in a larger infarct size than had previously been seen when this drug treatment was delivered beginning 20-26 hours after stroke induction. Early delivery of the drug combination may result in secondary hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusion: This study proves that our drug combination treatment allows for sensorimotor functional recovery after ischemic stroke in those individuals for whom physical rehabilitation may not be possible, giving slightly better motor functional recovery in grasping.
Der weiterentwickelte Phaeton von Volkswagen

Im Herbst 2008 wurde fur den Phaeton von Volkswagen ein substantieller Entwicklungsschub umgesetzt. Wesentliche Bausteine sind ein komplett uberarbeitetes Infotainmentsystem, verschiedene Masnahmen an der Motorenpalette sowie neue Akzente im Interieur.
Impaired cyclic nucleotide-dependent vasorelaxation in human umbilical artery smooth muscle.

Activation of either the adenylate cyclase pathway with forskolin or the guanylate cyclase pathway with sodium nitroprusside fails to induce active relaxation of serotonin-precontracted human umbil...
Quantitative Assay of Insulin Effect

In the post-absorptive state the constancy of the blood sugar level is an expression of a well-maintained balance between glycogenolysis and the withdrawal of sugar from the blood stream. The fall of the blood sugar level subsequent to an injection of insulin is regarded as the result of an inhibition of the glycogenolytic process, the withdrawal of blood sugar going on unaltered.1,2,3 The degree to which the blood sugar is lowered is not in direct proportion to the insulin dosage.4 One may increase the insulin dosage considerably in the lower and higher ranges with little or no increase in the degree of blood sugar depression. The effect of the larger dose expresses itself in a maintenance of the maximum depression for a longer time period and in a slowing of the rate of return to the initial level. It follows that the effect of injected insulin lasts as long as the blood sugar is below the post-absorptive level. The quantitative determination of insulin action must, therefore, involve the measurement of...
Black feminist theory and the politics of irreverence: The case of women's rap

Black feminist theory has shown how respectability politics shape cultural discourses about African American women's sexuality. Responding to ‘silent’ depictions resulting from racial uplift strategies among turn-of-the-century middle-class black women, subsequent work theorises alternative discourses that portray a desiring and agentic black female sexual subject. Locating these alternative discourses in a ‘politics of irreverence’, I argue that respectability/irreverence oppositional logic narrowly frames theorising of black female sexuality. Although recent work emphasises dialectical – rather than oppositional – dynamics, this analytic approach is unevenly applied. Binary frameworks continue to shape analyses of women's rap. Drawing upon lyrics of rappers Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, I highlight three discursive strategies whereby women rappers render the respectability/irreverence binary problematic: (1) using irreverence to claim respectability, (2) ‘claiming both’ or, embracing contradiction, and (3) b...
Empirical Analysis of the Linder Hypothesis: The Case of Germany's Trade Within Europe:

This paper uses panel data with country- and time- fixed-effects to examine the empirical validity of the Linder hypothesis for Germany's international trade within Europe. My results imply that Germany trades more intensively with countries with similar per capita income levels, which reaffirms the Linder hypothesis. This paper has two further contributions. First, the estimation of Germany's exports in addition to its imports empirically confirms the economy's orientation towards exports. Second, the analysis of an EU-membership variable suggests that Germany primarily caters its exports towards European countries with similar demand structures.
The Restructured Landscape of Economic Development: Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Workforce Development Collaborations

Regional workforce development collaborations have emerged as a notable approach to tackle complex problems within workforce development systems. While much of the existing research on workforce development documents the importance of promoting regional workforce development collaborations, little research exists that adequately identifies the specific barriers that organizations encounter in establishing and maintaining these collaborations. Through several sets of interviews over a 10-year period, this article examines the experiences of three detailed case studies of regions—Greater North Bay area, CA; Greater Fort Wayne/Northeastern IN; and Greater Pittsburgh/Southwestern PA—to identify the barriers and emerging strategies for creating regional workforce development systems. The authors identify three primary barriers: high initial upfront costs, competition, and fragmentation. They also find that an effective regional workforce development system is promoted primarily through an anchor organization that possesses programmatic and jurisdictional authority throughout a region.
Multiplexing Racial and Ethnic Planes: Chinese American Politics in Globalized Immigrant Suburbs

Contemporary American suburbs offer critical insights into the multiple planes of racial and ethnic consciousness and community formations that shape new Chinese American political agendas. In a 2009 Amerasia Journal article entitled "A New Gateway: Asian American Political Power in the 21st Century," I examined the importance of location for understanding the ability of Asian American communities to attain and sustain elected representation. Like real estate, location matters in explaining the political question of "where" Asian Americans are winning elected representation in American politics. That article's thesis was that, rather than focusing solely on metropolitan gateways that had been central to the twentieth-century experiences of Asian Americans, we need also to focus on the small- to medium-sized twenty-firstcentury gateway suburbs with total populations between 30,000 to 110,000. These locations are where the pathways to political incorporation are happening more rapidly and dramatically, as A...
Development and psychometric evaluation of the Children's Sleep-Wake Scale .

Abstract Objective To describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Children's Sleep-Wake Scale (CSWS), a caregiver-report measure of behavioral sleep quality in 2- to 8-year-old children. Design Five studies using independent samples were completed to generate, refine, and finalize the item pool, as well as to confirm the factor structure and to assess the reliability and validity of the CSWS. Setting Field. Measures CSWS, sleep diary, and actigraphy. Results Confirmatory factor analysis supported the theoretically proposed 5-factor structure (Going to Bed, Falling Asleep, Maintaining Sleep, Reinitiating Sleep, Returning to Wakefulness). The final questionnaire included 25 items, with items rated on a 6-point scale (Never, Once in Awhile, Sometimes, Quite Often, Frequently-if not Always, and Always); higher scores indicate better sleep quality. We found excellent internal consistency reliability for subscales and the total scale ( α = .81– α = .91), strong test-retest reliability ( r = 0.67– r = 0.84; all P values r = 0.58– r = 0.72; all P values r = 0.38– r = 0.61; all P values Conclusion These collective findings indicate that the CSWS has adequate reliability and validity for research instruments and suggest that it is a convenient tool for assessing behavioral sleep quality in preschool-aged and school-aged children.
Emergency abdominal ultrasound in children: current concepts.

Abstract As equipment and techniques in ultrasonography improve, its role in the evaluation of infants and children has increased. Besides the traditional uses in the solid viscera and biliary tract, US can be a primary modality in the workup of pediatric gastrointestinal disease.
An Edge Selection Mechanism for Chirally Selective Solubilization of Binaphthyl Atropisomeric Guests by Cholate and Deoxycholate Micelles

Combining micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimentation, we shed light on the structural basis for the chirally selective solubilization of atropisomeric binaphthyl compounds by bile salt micelles comprised of cholate (NaC) or deoxycholate (NaDC). The model binaphthyl analyte R,S-BNDHP exhibits chirally selective interactions with primary micellar aggregates of cholate and deoxycholate, as does the closely related analyte binaphthol (R,S-BN). Chiral selectivity was localized, by NMR chemical shift analysis, to the proton at the C12 position of these bile acids. Correspondingly, MEKC results show that the 12α-OH group of either NaC or NaDC is necessary for chirally selective resolution of these model binaphthyl analytes by bile micelles, and the S isomer is more highly retained by the micelles. With NMR, the chemical shift of 12β-H was perturbed more strongly in the presence of S-BNDHP than R-BNDHP. Intermolecular NOEs demonstrate that R,S-BNDHP and R,S-BN interact with a similar hydrophobic planar pocket lined with the methyl groups of the bile salts, and are best explained by the existence of an antiparallel dimeric unit of bile salts. Finally, chemical shift data and intermolecular NOEs support different interactions of the enantiomers with the edges of dimeric bile units, indicating that R,S-BNDHP enantiomers sample the same binding site preferentially from opposite edges of the dimeric bile unit. Chirality 28:525-533, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Circoviruses of Crustaceans

Abstract Circoviruses are a group of circular, single-stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses that are among the smallest known viruses infecting metazoans. In crustaceans, CRESS-DNA viruses are mostly known from metaviromic surveys and field observations, and at present, there have been no pathology studies of crustacean-associated circoviruses. Nevertheless, there is evidence linking CRESS-DNA prevalence and load and mortality in Daphnia, and observation of CRESS-DNA viruses in declining populations of amphipods suggests that they may play a role in crustacean population biology.
Bundling of Reimbursement for Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement Resulted in Significantly Decreased Utilization between 2012 and 2014

Background On January 1, 2012, reimbursement for inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) became bundled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This resulted in ICVF placement (CPT code 37191) now yielding 4.71 relative value units (RVUs), a decrease from 15.6 RVUs for placement and associated procedures (CPT codes 37620, 36010, 75825–26, 75940–26). Our hypothesis was that IVCF utilization would decrease in response to this change as other procedures had done once they had become bundled. Methods Including data from 2010 to 2011 (before bundling) and 2012 to 2014 (after bundling), we utilized 5% inpatient, outpatient, and carrier files of Medicare limited data sets and analyzed IVCF utilization before and after bundling across specialty types, controlling for total diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) (ICD-9 codes 453.xx and 415.xx, respectively) and placement location. Results In 2010 and 2011, the rates/10,000 DVT/PE diagnoses were 918 and 1,052, respectively (average 985). In 2012, 2013, and 2014, rates were 987, 877, and 605, respectively (average 823). Comparing each year individually, there is a significant difference (P Conclusions Following the bundling of reimbursement for IVCF placement, procedural utilization decreased significantly. More data from subsequent years will be needed to show if this decrease utilization continues to persist.
Angels in America: The Transformation of Maternal Plotting and the Transformation of the Family

This chapter focuses on Tony Kushner’s radical re-imagination of the dead and living mother plots. Rose’s analysis explores the ways in which the figure of the Mormon mother, Hannah, embodies Kushner’s vision of a potentially more inclusive, less hurtful world. Hannah’s trajectory in the play becomes the metaphor for both the burdens and promises of the new. Writing in a culture self-consciously enmeshed in struggling to transform gender politics, Kushner makes visible components of the mother plots that previously have remained unexploited. Hannah’s physical body articulates both loss and hope. She neither dies nor disrupts her culture. A new, non-biologically based community in which she is an active agent forms around the figure of the mother at its center at the end of the play.
The Mapmakers’ World: The Cultural History of the European World Map

The Mapmakers’ World is a coffee-table–style book that aims for an educated readership seeking a condensed, color-image–filled complement to various volumes of The History of Cartography by the Uni...
3.28 – Episodic Memory Decline and Healthy Aging

One of the functions most affected by the aging process is our memory for personally experienced past events, or episodic memory. The advent of human brain imaging techniques has greatly advanced our knowledge of the neural basis of episodic memory and its decline with age. Both structural and functional neuroimaging studies indicate important roles for medial temporal and prefrontal regions in age-related memory decline. Intriguingly, recent findings indicate that aging is not exclusively associated with decline. In fact, some older adults seem to cope with brain decline by shifting to alternative brain resources that can compensate for their memory deficits.
Single cell RNAseq uncovers a robust transcriptional response to morphine by oligodendrocytes

Molecular and behavioral responses to opioids are thought to be primarily mediated by neurons, although there is accumulating evidence that other cell types also play a role in drug addiction. To investigate cell-type-specific opioid responses, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of the nucleus accumbens of mice following acute morphine treatment. Differential expression analysis uncovered robust morphine-dependent changes in gene expression in oligodendrocytes. We examined the expression of selected genes, including Cdkn1a and Sgk1, by FISH, confirming their induction by morphine in oligodendrocytes. Further analysis using RNAseq of FACS-purified oligodendrocytes revealed a large cohort of morphine-regulated genes. Importantly, the affected genes are enriched for roles in cellular pathways intimately linked to oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, including the unfolded protein response. Altogether, our data shed light on a novel, morphine-dependent transcriptional response by oligodendrocytes that may contribute to the myelination defects observed in human opioid addicts.
Importance of Topology in Materials Science

We underscore the substantial need for understanding a wide range of multifunctional materials through the notions of topology-geometry interrelationships such as genus, Euler characteristic and network connectivity. After introducing the basic concepts of topology we first illustrate these notions on nanocarbon allotropes as a case study. Next, we consider the growing class of emergent topological materials that encompass both real-space and k-space topological materials including Dirac materials, topological insulators, Weyl semimetals as well as soft and polymeric matter, supramacromolecular assemblies and biophotonic materials. Finally, we emphasize and evaluate metrics to quantify topology in order to study and classify materials properties relevant for wide ranging modern and future technologies.
Galvani, Luigi (Aloisio)

Italian physician, anatomist, and physiologist Luigi Galvani (1737–98) established the existence of what he called ‘animal electricity.’ Galvani described his experimental results initially in De Viribus Electricitatis in Motu Musculari Commentarius (1791) after more than a decade of research. Although various individuals had previously suggested a role of electricity in nervous action, Galvani's experimental results garnered international attention and were considered by many to have proven both the existence of animal electricity and the operation of animal electricity through nerves to produce muscular contractions. Although Galvani had many supporters, his results were repeatedly attacked by adherents to Albrecht von Haller's concept of irritability and also particularly by the often abrasive Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. In the end, Galvani and Volta both made significant contributions. Galvani demonstrated that there is an intrinsic form of ‘animal electricity’ that is responsible for neuromuscular transmission, and Volta developed the first practical battery from Galvani's observations that interactions of dissimilar metals can produce a muscular contraction. Galvani's work, in particular, was fundamentally important in moving the neurosciences beyond previous vague notions of ‘animal spirits’ and in laying the foundation of the new science of electrophysiology.
Antral Follicular and Interstitial Contributions to Progesterone Secretion in the Proestrous Hamster

In the proestrous hamster the LH surge is usually initiated by 1500 h, preceding by one hour the increase in serum FSH (1, 2). Concomitant with the onset of the LH surge, an equally prompt and sustained rise in serum progesterone is observed (3). Previous experiments indicate that there is a causal relationship between LH and progesterone secretion (4).
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Genes Involved in Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis

The surfaces of the aerial parts of plants are coated with a layer of lipids collectively known as the cuticular waxes (1,2). This first, outer barrier to the environment is thought to play an important, but as yet undefined role in the survival of the organism. The cuticular waxes are a complex mixture of very long chain (20 – 36 carbons) aliphatic compounds, including fatty acids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, and alkanes, which are biosynthetically derived from palmitic acid (2). We are taking a molecular genetic approach to clone genes involved in the biosynthesis and/or deposition of these compounds. In maize, mutants have defined 17 loci that affect the appearance of seedling cuticular waxes (the glossy loci) (3). In Arabidopsis, a total of 21 loci that affect cuticular wax accumulation on the stems and siliques have been defined genetically (the cer loci) (4).
Open label placebo: can honestly prescribed placebos evoke meaningful therapeutic benefits?

Results from small clinical trials suggesting that placebos can be ethically and effectively used in clinical practice warrant further study, argue Ted Kaptchuk and Franklin Miller
Review: Landscapes of Exclusion: State Parks and Jim Crow in the American South, by William E. O'Brien, and What Can and Can't Be Said: Race, Uplift, and Monument Building in the Contemporary South, by Dell Upton

William E. O'Brien Landscapes of Exclusion: State Parks and Jim Crow in the American South Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2016, 208 pp., 50 b/w illus. $39.95 (cloth), ISBN 9781625341556 Dell Upton What Can and Can't Be Said: Race, Uplift, and Monument Building in the Contemporary South New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2015, 280 pp., 59 b/w illus. $35 (cloth), ISBN 9780300211757 In late July 2018, someone shot at a historic marker commemorating the place along Mississippi's Tallahatchie River where Emmett Till's mutilated, bullet-riddled corpse was found. Till, a fourteen-year-old African American boy, was abducted and viciously murdered by two white vigilantes in the summer of 1955. Vandals stole the site's first sign and then shot up a second one. A third marker had been erected and dedicated only five weeks before the 2018 incident by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, located in the nearby Sumner, Mississippi, courthouse where Till's murderers were put on trial. A similar spate of vandalism befell a marker sponsored by the Mississippi Freedom Trail, a historical initiative dedicated to marking important sites of civil rights struggles in the state. That marker is located at the former site of Bryant's Grocery in Money, Mississippi, where Carolyn Jones, a white woman, falsely claimed that Till made sexually explicit gestures toward her while he was visiting the store to purchase candy. Incensed by the child's alleged behavior, which transgressed the code of racial apartheid that kept black residents in fear and poverty—and, more important, separate and in their place—Bryant's husband and brother-in-law kidnapped Till, who was in the area visiting family while on holiday from his Chicago home. The two men beat and shot the teenager, then threw his weighted-down body into the river. Till's killing made national headlines when his mother, Mamie Till Bradley, requested an open casket at his funeral to expose the barbaric treatment of her son. The haunting photographs of Till and his grieving mother stunned the nation. Equally incomprehensible were the acquittals of his murderers four months later by an all-white, all-male jury following a five-day trial. These events proved that racial violence had not abated since the Civil War and the end of slavery, …
Sexual cues influence cocaine-induced locomotion, anxiety and the immunoreactivity of oestrogen receptor alpha and tyrosine hydroxylase in both sexes.

Dyadic physical social interaction influences cocaine-seeking behaviour, although whether limited sexual cues (LSC) from an opposite-sex partner influence the behavioural responses to cocaine is unclear. We investigated this issue using a cylindrical wire cage containing a stimulus mouse; the subject mouse (of the opposite sex) had access to this stimulus mouse during a "binge" injection pattern (injected with cocaine or saline vehicle twice a day at 6-hour intervals). Following the second injection, locomotion and anxiety-like behaviours were examined using the open-field and elevated plus maze test, at the same time as oestrogen receptor (ER)α and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivities were also examined. The data indicate that LSC enhanced cocaine-stimulated locomotion in both sexes and inhibited the levels of anxiety caused by cocaine in males only. Accompanying these changes, the interaction between LSC and cocaine altered ERα immunoreactivity in the ventral medial nuclei of the hypothalamus (VMH) and medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA) of males, whereas such interaction effects occurred in the VMH, MeA, arcuate nucleus (AR), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and lateral septum (LS) of females. LSC increased cocaine-induced ERα immunoreactivity in the VMH in males and reduced cocaine-induced ERα immunoreactivity in the AR and LS in females. LSC up-regulated cocaine-induced increases in ventral tegmental area (VTA) TH immunoreactivity in females only. Our present data suggest that interactions between LSC and cocaine led to changes in ERα and TH immunoreactivity in a brain region-specific manner, which showed subtle differences in both sexes. The effects of LSC-mediated cocaine-induced locomotion and anxiety may be associated with alterations in ERα and dopamine activation.
Sex Trafficking: A Concept Analysis for Health Care Providers

As the ever-increasing demands of health care evolve in their complexities, so too shall the role of health care providers. In 2016, the International Labour Organization announced that there were approximately 40.3 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, with 4.8 million enslaved in sexual exploitation and 15.4 million in forced marriages (). Human trafficking has rapidly proliferated in recent years and is now considered the second most lucrative criminal activity in the world, with sex trafficking accounting for approximately 80 percent of this industry (UNODC, 2009). Recent data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (2017) estimates that one out of every seven runaways reported in 2017 was likely a victim of child sex trafficking, with the average age of victimization being fifteen years of age. According to , an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 youths are at risk for sex trafficking annually within the United States alone. Sadly, found that approximately 87 percent of sex trafficking victims had sought care during their captivity, predominantly in emergency departments. This data has been corroborated by several other researchers, prompting proposals for the introduction of human trafficking education among emergency medicine providers. The concept and operational definition of sex trafficking however remains ambiguous and unclear, with some apparent variation among professions. This article is intended to provide clarification on the concept distinctly specific to victims of sex trafficking.
Hydrologic Modifications Challenge Bottomland Hardwood Forest Management

Bottomland hardwoods are floodplain forests along rivers and streams throughout the southeastern United States. The interrelations among hydrology, soils, geomorphic landforms, and tree species composition are the foundation of forest management in bottomland hardwoods, and historically their correspondence has allowed for somewhat predictable forest responses based upon the hydrogeomorphic setting. However, extensive hydrologic and geomorphic modifications in floodplains have disrupted these interrelations and, on many sites, have created novel disturbance regimes resulting in unpredictable forest responses. Reduced or altered timing of surface flooding and groundwater declines are common in the region and have favored increases in stem densities, particularly of species less tolerant of flooding and more tolerant of shade. In these highly modified systems, more process-level understanding of floodplain hydrology, soil moisture dynamics, interspecific tree competition, and regeneration is needed to develop more effective management prescriptions and for forestry to be represented in integrated water-resource management decisions.
Esophagitis After Bariatric Surgery: Large Cross-sectional Assessment of an Endoscopic Database

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are common bariatric surgeries that can alter physiological barriers against gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We investigated the prevalence and potential physiologic underpinnings of erosive esophagitis (EE) after bariatric surgery in a large cohort with long-term follow-up. This is a retrospective analysis of 517 patients who underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy after SG or RYGB. A matched case-control sub-study was conducted to compare physiologic contributors of GERD after SG with a pre-operative cohort using high-resolution manometry. Consecutive post-SG and post-RYGB patients (body mass index (BMI) 34 ± 9.1 kg/m2, age 49 ± 12.4 years, 83% female) were included. EE was more prevalent after SG than RYGB (37.9% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.0001), including severe EE (10.7% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.0007). Post-SG EE remained more prevalent after adjusting for multiple confounders (OR = 2.47, p = 0.0012). In a matched case-control analysis, prevalence of EE was 31% in 39 SG patients compared with 13% in 40 pre-bariatric surgery patients with GERD and obesity (p = 0.044). Significant physiologic changes conducive to GERD was observed after SG including (1) decrease resting lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (mmHg) pressure (21.3 ± 14.1 vs. 39.8 ± 35.6, p = 0.004), and (2) lower maximal distal contractile integral (DCI) (mmHg-s-cm) (3814.8 ± 2684.8 vs. 5111.8 ± 7713, p = 0.034). EE is more prevalent after SG compared with RYGB in a pre-bariatric surgery cohort with GERD. SG is associated with significant esophageal physiologic changes conducive to GERD and its clinical consequences.
Microbial communities in bioswale soils and their relationships to soil properties, plant species, and plant physiology

Bioswales and other forms of green infrastructure can be effective means to reduce environmental stresses in urban ecosystems; however, few studies have evaluated the ecology of these systems, or the role that plant selection and microbial assembly play in their function. For the current study, we examined the relationship between plant transpiration rates for five commonly planted herbaceous species in three bioswales in New York City, as well as bioswale soil microbial composition and soil chemistry. Soils were sampled near individual plants, with distinction made between upper (bioswale inlet) and lower slopes (bioswale outlet). We found high variation in transpiration rates across species, and that Nepeta × faassenii was the highest conductor (13.65 mmol H2O m-2s-1), while Panicum virgatum was the lowest conductor (2.67 mmol H2O m-2s-1) (p < 0.001). There was significant variation in percent N of leaves and soil, which did not relate to the higher water conductance in bioswales. Significantly higher C, N, and water content on the high end of bioswale slopes suggest storm water run-off is mostly absorbed on the inlet side. Bacterial and fungal communities were significantly clustered by bioswale and by plant species within each bioswale implying there are micro-environmental controls on the soil microbial composition, and that plant composition matters for microbial assemblages within bioswales. Plants with higher transpiration rates were associated with greater fungal and bacterial diversity at the level of the bioswale and at scale of the individual plant, suggesting a possible link between plant physiological traits and soil microbial communities. These data suggest that the specific plant palette selected for planting bioswales can have deterministic effects on the surrounding microbial communities which may further influence functions such as transpiration and nutrient cycling. These results may have implications for bioswale management to improve urban water quality and reduce stress on sewage systems after storm events by revising plant species palette selection based on the functional consequences of plant-microbial associations in engineered green infrastructure.
Unique Neurosurgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference Characteristics: A Comprehensive Literature Review of Neurosurgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference Practices with Proposed Recommendations.

Objective The aim of the present study was to review the reported data for neurosurgical complication definitions, report the current scales used to classify these complications, and discuss their limitations. Methods A systematic review was performed through a PubMed search using predetermined MeSH terms and inclusion criteria. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were specific to the field of neurosurgery and had presented a unique complication grading scale. Results A total of 2156 PubMed results matched our predetermined MeSH terms. Of those, 7 met our inclusion criteria. These 7 studies were reported from 2001 to 2019. Of the 7 studies, 4 were applicable to general neurosurgery, 2 to spine surgery, and 1 to neuroendovascular surgery. The scales were based on the therapy needed, predictability and avoidability, survey/consensus of expert judgment, and the underlying cause of an adverse event. None of these studies had considered the complexity of the surgery or the frailty of the patient in the final grading score. Conclusions No current standardized neurosurgical complication grade has been used throughout morbidity and mortality conferences. Although scales have been proposed in reported studies, each with their strengths and limitations, none of these has considered surgery complexity or patient frailty and comorbidities. We believe a comprehensive scale is required that includes a preoperative grading system that factors in baseline surgical complexity and patient frailty.
Abstract 5790: An epigenome-wide gene-age interaction analysis reveals opposite effects of PRODH DNA methylation on survival between young and elderly early-stage NSCLC patients

Introduction: Aging has become a global public health concern. The number of elderly lung cancer patients increased and elderly comprise the majority (81%) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. DNA methylation is a potential prognostic biomarker for NSCLC, while it is also associated with aging. However, whether the association between DNA methylation and NSCLC survival is modified by aging is not known. Methods: After quality control procedures, we used a two-stage study design to identify DNA methylation-age interaction that associated with overall survival (OS) for early-stage adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) patients from four international collaborating study centers. In the discovery phase, we investigated the interaction effect in LUAD and LUSC using Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for covariates. We confirmed the significant interactions with Bonferroni adjusted P ≤ 0.05 were further confirmed in the validation phase using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Results: A total of 1,230 LUAD and LUSC patients were eligible for the study and 311,981 DNA methylation loci were evaluated. There were 613 (NLUAD = 492 and NLUSC = 121) patients in the discovery phase, and 617 (NLUAD = 332 and NLUSC = 285) patients in the validation phase, respectively. We identified one LUAD-specific CpG probe cg14326354PRODH, the effect on OS was significantly modified by age (HRinteraction = 0.989; 95% CI: 0.986-0.994; P = 9.18 × 10−7). The effect of DNA methylation on OS was different in young and elderly patients (young: HR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.26-4.72; P = 8.34 × 10−3; elderly: HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.42-0.82; P = 1.67 × 10−3). Low methylation level benefited elderly LUAD patients. Moreover, there was an antagonistic interaction between low methylation of cg14326354PRODH and elder age (HRinteraction = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.11-0.40; P = 2.20 × 10−6). Conclusion: Low methylation of cg14326354PRODH may benefit the survival of elderly LUAD patients, providing new insight into only age-specific prediction, but also potential methylation-specific drug targeting. Citation Format: Li Su. An epigenome-wide gene-age interaction analysis reveals opposite effects of PRODH DNA methylation on survival between young and elderly early-stage NSCLC patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5790.
Epigenetic Regulation of Wnt Signaling by Carboxamide-Substituted Benzhydryl Amines that Function as Histone Demethylase Inhibitors.

Summary Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling triggered by mutations in either Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) or CTNNB1 (β-catenin) is a hallmark of colorectal cancers (CRC). As part of a program to develop epigenetic regulators for cancer therapy, we developed carboxamide-substituted benzhydryl amines (CBAs) bearing either aryl or heteroaryl groups that selectively targeted histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) and functioned as inhibitors of the Wnt pathway. A biotinylated variant of N-((5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl) (4-(diethylamino)phenyl)-methyl)butyramide (CBA-1) identified KDM3A as a binding partner. KDM3A is a Jumonji (JmjC) domain-containing demethylase that is significantly upregulated in CRC. KDM3A regulates the demethylation of histone H3's lysine 9 (H3K9Me2), a repressive marker for transcription. Inhibiting KDM3 increased H3K9Me2 levels, repressed Wnt target genes, and curtailed in vitro CRC cell proliferation. CBA-1 also exhibited in vivo inhibition of Wnt signaling in a zebrafish model without displaying in vivo toxicity.
Autonomous Discovery of Battery Electrolytes with Robotic Experimentation and Machine Learning

Summary Innovations in batteries can require years of experimentation for design and optimization. We report an autonomous approach to the optimization of a battery electrolyte that uses machine learning coupled to a robotic test-stand to perform hundreds of sequential experiments. We search for mixtures of salts in aqueous electrolytes with high electrochemical stability using Bayesian optimization. In 40 hours of experimentation testing for 140 electrolyte formulas, we converge on a non-intuitive optimal electrolyte. The optimum is a mixed-anion sodium electrolyte that is more stable than a benchmark electrolyte, despite lower salt content, contrary to the known design principle. The precision and repeatability of the robotic test-stand distinguishes formulations that human-guided design may have missed. Our result demonstrates the possibility of integrating robotics with machine learning to discover novel battery materials. We provide a dataset characterizing 251 aqueous electrolytes containing LiNO3, LiClO4, Li2SO4, NaNO3, NaClO4, and Na2SO4 that includes conductivities, pHs, and electrochemical responses on platinum.
Shining Light on Retroreflectivity: Perceived Brightness of Surfaces with Varying Reflective Properties:

Typical road users appear not to understand retroreflectivity despite nightly exposure to retroreflective materials like road signs. A critical benefit of retroreflective materials is a robustness ...
Variable Order General Fractional Integral Inequalities

Here are introduced abstract left and right Riemann-Liouville generalized fractional Bochner integral operators of variable order acting over Banach space valued functions. Also are introduced abstract weighted Caputo type left and right fractional derivatives of variable order.
Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Transfer

Publisher Summary Owing to its diverse biological effects, nitric oxide (NO) was one of the most studied molecules in the 1980s and 1990s. NO has complex functions and is a potential mediator in many disease processes. It has been linked to the development of vasomotor dysfunction, intimal hyperplasia, impotence, wound healing, and tumors. With the advent of recombinant DNA and gene transfer technologies, delivery of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) gene makes local overexpression of NO feasible. This is potentially therapeutic in a variety of diseases where additional NO may be beneficial. This chapter discusses the merits and drawbacks of different gene-transfer vectors including retrovirus, adenovirus, and adeno-associated virus as well as other nonviral gene-transfer methods such as the use of cationic liposomes and the hemagglutinating virus of Japan. A detailed review of the role of NO in the pathophysiology of the aforementioned diseases and the benefits of NOS gene transfer is provided.
A fault slip model to study earthquakes due to pore pressure perturbations

The burgeoning need to sequester anthropogenic CO$_2$ for climate mitigation and the need for energy sustenance leading upto enhanced geothermal energy production has made it incredibly critical to study potential earthquakes due to fluid activity in the subsurface. These earthquakes result from reactivation of faults in the subsurface due to pore pressure perturbations. In this work, we provide a framework to model fault slip due to pore pressure change leading upto quantifying the earthquake magnitude.
The Isolation of Envelopes of Escherichia coli Spheroplasts in the Zonal Ultracentrifuge

Relatively large amounts of cell envelopes from Escherichia coli spheroplasts have been isolated in the zonal ultracentrifuge after deoxyribonuclease treatment of the disrupted spheroplasts. The Anderson B-IV zonal rotor was adapted to this isolation. After isopycnic zonal centrifugation through a 34 to 77% sucrose density gradient, the center of the zone containing the cell wall-cell membrane material positions at 58.9% (w/v) sucrose, corresponding to a density of 1.220 g per ml. Such material was further purified by a washing procedure. Electron micrographs indicate that very little material other than envelopes is present in this fraction. The preparation contained fewer than 0.1% intact spheroplasts. The cell envelope fraction contains 6.6 ± 0.3% of the protein, 0.5 ± 0.2% of the DNA, 2.7 ± 0.3% of the RNA, and 92 ± 2% of the phospholipid of the cell. Variable amounts of putrescine and spermidine are found in this fraction. The content of spermidine was particularly high, amounting to 4 to 10% of the cell spermidine. However, the spermidine on the envelopes was shown to be exchangeable during isolation and was not shown to have been a characteristic membrane component. Most of the receptor sites for bacteriophage T6 seem to have been retained on the isolated envelopes. These envelopes contain less than 4% of the diaminopimelic acid of the cell, indicating that most of the material of the rigid layer had been removed.
Reported Occurrence and Perceptions of Violence in Middle and High Schools

The purpose of this study was to document and compare rates of reported and perceived crime and violence within schools. With highly publicized acts of school violence prevalent in the minds of the American public, there is a perception that schools are unsafe. Reports of school crime and violence from teachers, administrators, and students differ in severity and in nature from what is perceived by the public. Few studies are available on the frequency of these or other types of reported violence or the relationship between actual and perceived violence in schools. Extant data on reported violence in schools from the database of North Carolina were analyzed and compared to data reflecting perceptions of violence. The public perceptions of the types of school crime and violent acts differed greatly from actual occurrences reported by school administrators. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.
Accountability and evidence-based approaches: theory and research for juvenile justice

As part of the ‘accountability movement’ in juvenile justice, policy-makers, funding agencies, and the general public have called for greater accountability from agencies and organizations involved with youthful offenders. Within this context, performance measurement and monitoring, and use of evidence-based programs and practices, have emerged as recommended aspects of juvenile justice system operations nationwide. Little is known empirically, however, about the actual performance of juvenile justice systems or the real changes brought by contemporary reforms, and theory and research on the implementation and sustainability of evidence-based approaches have been slow to emerge. This paper will review the key aspects of the modern accountability movement in juvenile justice, and then discuss a recently proposed theory that may be useful in future examinations of juvenile justice system improvement efforts. A suggested research agenda also is presented.
Flowthrough reactor flasks for study of microbial metabolism in sediments.

Flowthrough reactor flasks are described that allow continuous low-level nutrient input to mixed anoxic sediments without dilution of the sediment. The flasks were tested by simulating sulfate inputs into sediments collected from a freshwater eutrophic lake. After an initial 2-day adaptation within the reactor system, rates of methane production and sulfate consumption were constant for the duration of a 12-day incubation. A sulfate input rate of 0.15 mmol liter of sediment−1 day−1 resulted in an equivalent rate of sulfate removal, which was unaffected by inputs of acetate (1.0 mmol liter of sediment−1 day−1). The rate of methane production in control reactors, 0.18 mmol liter of sediment−1 day−1, was doubled by the addition of acetate, whereas sulfate consumption was only stimulated by additions of high concentrations of sulfate plus acetate (1.5 and 1.0 mmol liter of sediment−1 day−1, respectively). The reactor system appears to be effective in maintaining the balance between sulfate reduction and methane production in freshwater sediments and is potentially useful for study of the response of sediment populations to varying inputs of naturally occurring substrates, selected inhibitors, or xenobiotic compounds.