cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
G107(P) The development of a consultant paediatrician phone-line for general practitioners

Aims Ambulatory paediatric services have changed significantly over the last year at our hospital. One of these changes has been the development of a consultant-manned phone line, whereby general practitioners (GPs) can speak directly to a consultant paediatrician between 0800–2300 on weekdays and 0800–2000 at weekends. The aim was to optimise patient care by facilitating timely communication with the most appropriate hospital based paediatrician. This enables acutely unwell children and outpatient referrals to be directed appropriately, reducing paediatric emergency department (PED) attendances and it also serves to strengthen links between primary and secondary care. Methods Activity data for the first five months was analysed. The consultants complete a proforma for each phone call with a predefined data set. This includes the general demographics of the caller and the patient in question, as well as information about the outcomes of calls. Results 167 calls from GPs have been taken since the phone-line began and 59 of these have been recorded onto proformas. 29% were from GPs asking for management advice and potential referral of outpatient problems, whereas 68% were from GPs asking about the acute management of an unwell child in the GP surgery. There were a variety of different outcomes from the calls, directing the unwell child to the most appropriate practitioner (Figure 1). Consultants taking the phone calls recorded that 33 ED attendances and 2 admissions had been prevented following calls from GPs. Conclusion The phone-line has been very successful, reducing PED attendances and improving pathways of outpatient referrals. Not only does this service comply with ‘Facing the Future’ standards, as it is consultant delivered and available at times of peak activity, but it is also in accordance with the NHS Mandate, keeping children out of hospital, in the community wherever possible. The service is in its infancy, but thus far has been instrumental in the development of ambulatory paediatric services at our hospital. It provides excellent quality of care for local children and enhances our links with local GPs.
The Effects of Vertical Individualism on Status Consumer Orientations and Behaviors

Values have been shown to explain advertising response and consumer behavior. Expanding the individualism–collectivism cultural framework, this research primarily focuses on the vertical individualism (VI: emphasizing independence and competition) value given its prevalence in the U.S. culture. Results of a survey among a national U.S. sample (a pilot study) showed that VI values were positively related to status consumer orientations, including tendencies to be brand conscious, buy branded products, and shop at upscale retail establishments. Moreover, in two experiments, the causal impact of VI values on status consumer orientations and behavior was demonstrated. Specifically, Study 1 showed that participants who were primed with VI values via a campus scenario (vs. control) indicated higher ratings of status consumption, brand-buying behavior, and brand consciousness. Study 2 revealed further that an incidental exposure to a news story reflecting VI values (vs. horizontal collectivism values emphasizing cooperation and interdependence) influenced participants’ choices of a pen. Theoretical contributions to the study of values, advertising, and consumer orientations and practical implications for marketing are discussed.
Tumor necrosis factor activity of pancreatic islets.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is involved in the pathogenesis of acute sepsis-induced organ injury and has been implicated as a mediator of metabolic alterations observed during sepsis. Pancreatic islet cell function may be significantly compromised during sepsis or endotoxemia, and sepsis also increases plasma levels of epinephrine, a modifier of islet insulin secretion. We proposed that islets exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produce TNF and that epinephrine attenuates islet secretory activity. We monitored the effects of LPS and epinephrine on TNF and insulin activity of isolated Wistar-Furth rat islets (pancreas digested with collagenase, islets isolated using Ficoll gradients; n = 4 islet populations, each with 632 +/- 11 islets/2.5 ml culture medium). Islets were incubated (37 degrees C, 5% CO2) 3 days. LPS (Escherichia coli, 1 microgram/ml) and epinephrine (14 micrograms/ml) were added to the islets, and incubations were continued for 1-4 h. Glucose (Beckman Glucose Analyzer), insulin (radioimmunoassay), and TNF (L929 cytotoxicity assay) were measured in the islet medium samples at 1- to 4-h time points. In the conditioned medium, glucose decreased (P
Generic torus canards

Abstract Torus canards are special solutions of fast/slow systems that alternate between attracting and repelling manifolds of limit cycles of the fast subsystem. A relatively new dynamic phenomenon, torus canards have been found in neural applications to mediate the transition from tonic spiking to bursting via amplitude-modulated spiking. In R 3 , torus canards are degenerate: they require one-parameter families of 2-fast/1-slow systems in order to be observed and even then, they only occur on exponentially thin parameter intervals. The addition of a second slow variable unfolds the torus canard phenomenon, making it generic and robust. That is, torus canards in fast/slow systems with (at least) two slow variables occur on open parameter sets. So far, generic torus canards have only been studied numerically, and their behaviour has been inferred based on averaging and canard theory. This approach, however, has not been rigorously justified since the averaging method breaks down near a fold of periodics, which is exactly where torus canards originate. In this work, we combine techniques from Floquet theory, averaging theory, and geometric singular perturbation theory to show that the average of a torus canard is a folded singularity canard. In so doing, we devise an analytic scheme for the identification and topological classification of torus canards in fast/slow systems with two fast variables and k slow variables, for any positive integer k . We demonstrate the predictive power of our results in a model for intracellular calcium dynamics, where we explain the mechanisms underlying a novel class of elliptic bursting rhythms, called amplitude-modulated bursting, by constructing the torus canard analogues of mixed-mode oscillations. We also make explicit the connection between our results here with prior studies of torus canards and torus canard explosion in R 3 , and discuss how our methods can be extended to fast/slow systems of arbitrary (finite) dimension.
Fire regimes in Amazonia: The relative roles of policy and precipitation

Abstract Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is now a vital component in climate change mitigation strategies. Global initiatives such as REDD+ are receiving growing investments, and in-country policy makers are under pressure to protect intact forests. In 2008, Brazil met these pressures by making deforestation reduction a central piece of its climate change policy. Although previous research found that this policy led to reduced deforestation, decreases in fire–another significant factor in carbon emissions–were not observed. Here we revisit Amazonia, the target location of Brazil’s anti-deforestation policies, to determine how precipitation may be affecting forest fires in the area while controlling for other potential biophysical, economic, and institutional correlates. Using data on precipitation and deforestation alongside MODIS active fire and burned area data, this article examines the general spatial-temporal trends of fire in the region between 2001 and 2013. We then implements statistical models to measure the relative impact of precipitation and anti-deforestation policies on both fire events and burned area over the time period. The analysis shows that while deforestation decreased under policy treatment, forest fires were less responsive to policies. Furthermore, the analysis provides strong evidence for the existence of a precipitation effect on both fire events and burned area. Results indicate that a one standard deviation decrease in precipitation from its normal could increase fire events by 11–15% and burned area by 18–27%. The article concludes by addressing the challenges in controlling fire in Amazonia under drier climatic conditions in the presence of abundant fuel and ignition sources.
Language Ideologies at Oak

Building upon the observations and the assertions made in these previous chapters, this chapter examines the standard English language ideology the immigrant students had to negotiate at Oak. The chapter starts with an investigation of the linguistic practices that were valued and denigrated at Oak and the language ideologies which were embedded in them. These ideologies, as I will illustrate, were sustained through a tight language management policy that favored standard English. Following this discussion, I examine the investments of my focal students in learning English and explore how they negotiated the school’s monoglot standard English ideology (Silverstein, Monoglot ‘standard’ in America: Standardization and metaphors of linguistic hegemony. In D. Brennis & R. H. S. Macaulay (Eds.), The matrix of language: Contemporary linguistic anthropology (pp. 284–306). Boulder: Westview Press, 1998). The chapter closes with a call to view these students as social actors who had to balance structural language ideological forces while attempting to exercise a sense of agency.
Clinical ethics : theory or practice?

This article starts with a brief historical account of the ongoing debate about the status of clinical ethics: theory of practice. The author goes on to argue that clinical ethics is best understood as a practice. However, its practicality should not be measured by the extent to which clinical-ethical consultants manage to mediate or negotiate resolutions to ethical conflicts. Rather, clinical ethics is practical because it is characterized by a profound concern for the well-being of individual patients as well as the moral parameters of swift and urgent medical action in the face of limited supportive information.
COMPUTING BOUNDS FOR FOCAL POINTS AND FOR σ-POINTS FOR SECOND-ORDER LINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS*

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the computing bounds for focal points and for σ-points for differentialequations. To develop the method, one considers an equation where p(x) is a step-functionconstant on subintervals. Specifically, let the intervalI: [a,b] be divided into n subintervals I 1 , I 2 , …, I n , where p(x) = on I i, c i . ≥ 0. A solution of the equation forsuch a function p(x) must be of class C’. The present objective is the approximation of σ-points when p(x) is continuous and nonnegative. The method will involve approximating p(x) by step-functions. For simplicity, one shall assume p(x) > 0. The process that one proposes involves subdividing an interval containing a σ-point into n equal subintervals and employing two step-functions. It should be pointed out that if the following subsequence of the process is employed, σ 0 → σ and σ 1 → σ, monotonely. The first step is the subdivision of the original interval into m 1 equal sub-intervals and the second be the subdivision of each of these subintervals into m 2 equal parts, and so on.
Global atmospheric response to emissions from a proposed reusable space launch system

Modern reusable launch vehicle technology may allow high flight rate space transportation at low cost. Emissions associated with a hydrogen fueled reusable rocket system are modeled based on the launch requirements of developing a space-based solar power system that generates present-day global electric energy demand. Flight rates from 104 to 106 per year are simulated and sustained to a quasisteady state. For the assumed rocket engine, H2O and NOX are the primary emission products; this also includes NOX produced during reentry heating. For a base case of 105 flights per year, global stratospheric and mesospheric water vapor increase by approximately 10 and 100%, respectively. As a result, high-latitude cloudiness increases in the lower stratosphere and near the mesopause by as much as 20%. Increased water vapor also results in global effective radiative forcing of about 0.03 W/m2. NOX produced during reentry exceeds meteoritic production by more than an order of magnitude, and along with in situ stratospheric emissions, results in a 0.5% loss of the globally averaged ozone column, with column losses in the polar regions exceeding 2%.
Research and Teaching on Social Issues: Some Accomplishments and Future Challenges:

This essay comments on some accomplishments and future challenges concerning research and teaching in social issues. The author chaired the All-Academy of Management Task Force on Ethics. The SIM D...
Oncolytic Viruses: Treatment and Implications for Patients With Gliomas .

BACKGROUND Oncolytic viral therapies are increasingly being explored for the treatment of diverse cancer types, most notably melanoma. However, advances in the treatment of high-grade gliomas, and specifically glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), are the result of novel oncolytic viral therapies. Delta-24-RGD is one such therapy that has demonstrated promising results in phase 1 trials. . OBJECTIVES The objective of this article is to provide an overview of Delta-24-RGD, highlighting considerations for nurses in diverse clinical, research, and advanced practice roles. . METHODS A high-level overview of the pathophysiology of the Delta-24-RGD virus as it relates to GBM is presented. A case study is used to illustrate the course of care for a patient receiving this therapy. . FINDINGS Delta-24-RGD has demonstrated remarkable clinical efficacy in the near to complete regression of GBM activity. Nurses may increasingly be caring for patients who are undergoing such therapy or have received it in the past. Understanding the mechanism of action, safe-handling implications, and expected patient care needs and treatment sequelae is important.
Childhood Maltreatment and Health Impact: The Examples of Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults

Child maltreatment is associated with increased risk for an array of mental and physical health problems. We reviewed studies examining associations of child maltreatment, assessed either alone or in combination with other adversities, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Type 2 Diabetes. PubMed was searched for relevant studies until December, 2015. Forty publications met inclusion criteria. Consistent positive associations were noted across a range of childhood adversities. Child maltreatment was associated with CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, ischemic heart disease, coronary heart disease) in 91.7% of studies, with diabetes in 88.2% of studies, and with blood pressure/hypertension in 61.5% of studies. Inclusion of mental disorders tended to attenuate associations. Sex-related differences were under-examined. Implications for future research and intervention efforts are discussed.
Quantifying Negative Affect

Humans sometimes experience negative emotions caused by electronic devices that impede their task(s). User experience researchers have examined technology-caused negative affect by collecting task performance metrics, user feedback, and/or human physiological data like skin temperature or blood pressure for more insight. Much research has been done to determine the amount of negative affect produced by the humans during these events. However, these methods usually require the user to self-report their negative feelings through Likert scales, pressure-sensitive devices or other manual methods. Task performance measures have also been used in lieu of asking a user what they feel. In this research, we adapt OCC Theory for use with physiological data for quantifying negative affect in human-computer interactions, along with asking a person how they feel about an application. In addition, we observe how negative affect amounts impact task performance measures in a usability study by adding random system delays into an application to induce negative feelings. Results from this work showed productivity does not always degrade when negative feelings are experienced by a user. In addition, some types of negative affect may have the opposite effect and allow a user to increase their performance under the right conditions.
Strategy and Two-Level Games: U.S. Domestic Politics and the Road to a Separate Peace, 1977–1978

How and to what extent do domestic political considerations influence U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East? This article addresses that question by drawing on declassified records that enable scholars to reevaluate the Carter administration's search for an Arab-Israeli settlement. Politics at home greatly affected U.S. policy. Moreover, the way such factors affected Carter's Middle East diplomacy was largely a function of the type of domestic political strategy the president chose to rely on. Had Carter and his advisers been more skilled as political operatives, the outcome of the peace negotiations might have been fundamentally different, especially on the issue of Israeli settlements policy. Thus, this article highlights the crucial importance of playing the “two-level game” for effective statecraft, a concept that has not been given adequate attention in the scholarly literature on the subject.
Evaluating the relationship between white matter integrity, cognition, and varieties of video game learning

Background Many studies are currently researching the effects of video games, particularly in the domain of cognitive training. Great variability exists among video games however, and few studies have attempted to compare different types of video games. Little is known, for instance, about the cognitive processes or brain structures that underlie learning of different genres of video games. Objective To examine the cognitive and neural underpinnings of two different types of game learning in order to evaluate their common and separate correlates, with the hopes of informing future intervention research. Methods Participants (31 younger adults and 31 older adults) completed an extensive cognitive battery and played two different genres of video games, one action game and one strategy game, for 1.5 hours each. DTI scans were acquired for each participant, and regional fractional anisotropy (FA) values were extracted using the JHU atlas. Results Behavioral results indicated that better performance on tasks of working memory and perceptual discrimination was related to enhanced learning in both games, even after controlling for age, whereas better performance on a perceptual speed task was uniquely related with enhanced learning of the strategy game. DTI results indicated that white matter FA in the right fornix/stria terminalis was correlated with action game learning, whereas white matter FA in the left cingulum/hippocampus was correlated with strategy game learning, even after controlling for age. Conclusion Although cognition, to a large extent, was a common predictor of both types of game learning, regional white matter FA could separately predict action and strategy game learning. Given the neural and cognitive correlates of strategy game learning, strategy games may provide a more beneficial training tool for adults suffering from memory-related disorders or declines in processing speed, particularly older adults.
Real-time classification of auditory sentences using evoked cortical activity in humans

Objective. Recent research has characterized the anatomical and functional basis of speech perception in the human auditory cortex. These advances have made it possible to decode speech information from activity in brain regions like the superior temporal gyrus, but no published work has demonstrated this ability in real-time, which is necessary for neuroprosthetic brain–computer interfaces. Approach. Here, we introduce a real-time neural speech recognition (rtNSR) software package, which was used to classify spoken input from high-resolution electrocorticography signals in real-time. We tested the system with two human subjects implanted with electrode arrays over the lateral brain surface. Subjects listened to multiple repetitions of ten sentences, and rtNSR classified what was heard in real-time from neural activity patterns using direct sentence-level and HMM-based phoneme-level classification schemes. Main results. We observed single-trial sentence classification accuracies of or higher for each subject with less than 7 minutes of training data, demonstrating the ability of rtNSR to use cortical recordings to perform accurate real-time speech decoding in a limited vocabulary setting. Significance. Further development and testing of the package with different speech paradigms could influence the design of future speech neuroprosthetic applications.
Reply to Commentary on 'HER2 immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization discordances in invasive breast carcinoma with micropapillary features'.

Reply to Commentary on ‘HER2 immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization discordances in invasive breast carcinoma with micropapillary features’
Rescue procedure for left main bronchus obstruction after patent ductus arteriosus clipping: a case report

Obstruction of the left main bronchus is a rare but life-threatening complication following the closure of patent ductus arteriosus by surgical clips. We report a successful rescue procedure for this complication in a premature infant. A 24-week gestational age premature girl weighing 903 g underwent surgical clipping for patent ductus arteriosus at the age of 24 days after birth. Bronchoscopy revealed the left main bronchus obstruction due to the clip compression at 6 h later after the surgery. The patient underwent a rescue re-exploration for this serious complication. New clips were applied to both the intrapericardial and the aortic ends of the patent ductus arteriosus respectively. And then the previous clips, compressing the left main bronchus, were gently removed from the ductus without ductus injury through a re-thoracotomy. Surgeons should be aware of the possible complication and take care not to place patent ductus arteriosus clips obliquely toward the bronchus.
Drugs, Hormones, and Endotoxin Effects: Speculations on the Molecular Biology of Ureteral Peristalsis

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the effects of drugs, hormones, and endotoxin on the molecular biology of ureteral peristalsis. Histamine, many histamine analogs, certain antihistaminic drugs, and even the histamine releasers have been demonstrated to accelerate ureteral peristalsis under most circumstances, or to decelerate it for certain molecular species or under other conditions. The effect of endotoxin on the ureter has been attributed, in part, to histamine release. The effect of deceleration of peristalsis has been reported for isoproterenol, isoprophenamine, and dichloroisoproterenol. Diazoxide, a thiazide, decelerates and stops ureteral peristalsis, which may be because of the inhibition of certain enzymes in the carbohydrate metabolic cycles, the phosphodiesterases. Ureteral smooth muscle is also influenced by changes in serum potassium and calcium concentrations. In vitro, it shows efflux of sodium, and its membrane voltage is analogous to that of other smooth muscle, although it is sensitive to fewer hormones.
Personality Disorders in Older Adult Inpatients with Chronic Mental Illness

It has been hypothesized that some types of personality disorders tend to remit with age whereas others may become more prominent. The present study determined the prevalence and nature of 13 personality disorders with a self-report inventory (Coolidge Axis II Inventory) in an older group of chronically mentally ill inpatients (N = 30, mean age = 63 years) and a younger group of similar patients (N = 30, mean age = 39 years). All patients met DSM-IV criteria for either Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or recurrent severe Major Depression with psychotic features. The prevalence rate of personality disorders was high for both groups: 58% for the older sample and 66% for the younger group. The younger group was more likely to be diagnosed Antisocial, Borderline, Passive-Aggressive, Sadistic, and Schizotypal, but the groups were not different in the rates of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. This study supports the hypothesis that some personality disorders remit with age. However, no evidence was found to suggest that other personality disorders become more prominent in older adult psychiatric populations. Suggestions for future research are offered.
Anatomy of the Lumbar Sympathetic Chain

Background and Objectives To acquire an accurate knowledge of the relationship of the sympathetic chain to the vertebral column. Methods In dissections on 65 cadavers the authors located the sympathetic chain and its ganglia in three dimensions with respect to the vertebral column: cephalad-caudad in the sagittal plane; ventrally and laterally in the horizontal (axial) plane. The relationship of the sympathetic chain to the psoas muscle and that of the psoas muscle to the vertebral column was also established. Transparent markers were placed at each disk space and colored markers at each grossly recognizable ganglion. Photographs and measurements were then made. Results In the sagittal plane, the lumbar ganglia were most often present opposite the middle of the body of the third vertebra and at the disks above and below. In the horizontal plane, the ganglia lay from 0 to 0.5 cm posterior to the anterior border of the third lumbar vertebra and 1.8 to 3.0 cm laterally from the center of the third lumbar vertebra. The sympathetic chain always lay anterior to the psoas muscle. Conclusions Although the location of the ganglia is quite variable, the best approach for sympathetic block is to advance the needle paravertebrally through the fascia of the psoas muscle slightly cephalad to the midpoint of the body of L3.
A Sentry on the Universe

This chapter introduces the Argus radio telescope concept, a radically new approach to radio telescope design (not to be confused with The SETI League’s Project Argus, a linked global array of fairly conventional radio telescopes). It represents a complete departure from designs that have been used ever since the invention of the first telescope by Galileo in 1609. It starts over from the beginning, and in doing so overcomes the legacy of Galileo. Argus can do things that are amazing and even hard to believe, when viewed in the context of previous telescopes. Here are some examples.
Stereospecific Hydration of cis- and trans-9,10-Epoxyoctadecanoic Acids

Abstract A soluble (105,000 x g supernatant) enzyme preparation from a pseudomonad which catalyzes the stereospecific hydration of the double bond of a number of cis-Δ9-olefinic fatty acids has been shown to catalyze the stereospecific conversion of cis- and trans-9,10-epoxystearic acids to threo- and erythro-9,10-dihydroxystearic acids, respectively. In both cases only one isomer of each of the incubated racemic substrates was utilized by the enzyme and only one isomer of each of the threo- or erythro-9,10-dihydroxystearates was formed. The results of incubations of the cis- and trans-9,10-epoxystearic acids in water enriched with respect to 18O indicated that the enzyme-catalyzed hydration of the epoxide functions occurred with stereospecific incorporation of the oxygen of water at carbon atom 10. The bacterial enzyme also catalyzed the conversion of cis-9,10-epoxypalmitic acid to 9,10-dihydroxypalmitic acid.
Atmospheric Solid Analysis Probe and Modified Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Screening and Semi-Quantification of Zilpaterol in Urine and Tissues of Sheep

Ambient ionization mass spectrometric methods including desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and atmospheric solid analysis probe (ASAP) have great potential for applications requiring real-time screening of target molecules in complex matrixes. Such techniques can also rapidly produce repeatable semiquantitative data, with minimal sample preparation, relative to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In this study, a commercial ASAP probe was used to conduct both ASAP-MS and modified DESI (MDESI) MS analyses. We conducted real-time qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of the leanness-enhancing agent zilpaterol in incurred sheep urine, kidney, muscle, liver, and lung samples using ASAP-MS and MDESI MS. Using ASAP, limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) in urine were 1.1 and 3.7 ng/mL, respectively, while for MDESI MS they were 1.3 and 4.4 ng/mL, respectively. The LODs for tissues were 0.1-0.4 ng/g using ASAP, and 0.2-0.6 ng/g with MDESI MS. The LOQs of the tissues in ASAP were 0.4-1.2 ng/g and 0.5-2.1 ng/g in MDESI MS. Trace levels of zilpaterol were accurately analyzed in urine and tissues of sheep treated with dietary zilpaterol HCl. The correlation coefficient ( R2) between semiquantitative ASAP-MS and MDESI MS results of urine samples was 0.872. The data from ASAP and MDESI MS were validated using LC-MS/MS; urinary zilpaterol concentrations ≥5.0 ng/mL or tissue zilpaterol concentrations ≥1.5 ng/g were detected by ASAP and MDESI MS, respectively, 100% of the time. Forty samples could be analyzed in triplicate, directly from biological matrixes in under an hour.
Pulsatile flow through idealized renal tubules: Fluid-structure interaction and dynamic pathologies

Kidney tubules are lined with flow-sensing structures, yet information about the flow itself is not easily obtained. We aim to generate a multiscale biomechanical model for analyzing fluid flow and fluid-structure interactions within an elastic kidney tubule when the driving pressure is pulsatile. We developed a two-dimensional macroscopic mathematical model of a single fluid-filled tubule corresponding to a distal nephron segment and determined both flow dynamics and wall strains over a range of driving frequencies and wall compliances using finite-element analysis. The results presented here demonstrate good agreement with available analytical solutions and form a foundation for future inclusion of elastohydrodynamic coupling by neighboring tubules. Overall, we are interested in exploring the idea of dynamic pathology to better understand the progression of chronic kidney diseases such as Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Reducing Medical Malpractice Loss Reserve Volatility Through Tort Reform

This study examines how tort reform affects uncertainty in insurance markets by testing whether noneconomic damage caps influence reserving volatility for medical malpractice insurers. Using a pane...
COVID-19 and the Future of the United States as a World Leader

Much of the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on how the US government manages the disruption this pandemic causes to Americans’ way of life. The long-term lessons and policies resulting from this experience will reshape the country’s future. In this brief, I will address two major issues: (1) long-term demographic impacts, especially regarding health and immigration policies, and (2) the US sphere of influence and standing among the nations of the world.
Why Do They Stay? Factors Associated With Special Education Teachers’ Persistence:

Special education teacher (SET) persistence and attrition have been investigated for several decades. However, there are several predictors for SETs’ intent to stay or leave that are yet to be inve...
Molecular Targeted Therapy for Brain Metastatic Breast Cancers: Current Updates

Metastatic breast cancers are difficult to manage, and brain metastatic breast cancers are particularly lethal with poor overall survival and outcomes. Our understanding of factors that facilitate brain metastasis of breast cancers is very poor. However, a number of studies in the last few years have focused on brain metastatic breast cancers; a number of therapeutic targets have been tested, and few therapeutic regimes have also been evaluated in phase I/II settings. We discuss here some of the most recent developments in the field. We will limit our discussion to the reports from past one year only to make this article most up-to-date with no repetition of information that has already been reviewed in the available literature.
Circular Dichroism of Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions

This chapter will treat the intrinsic ultraviolet CD spectra of interacting nucleic acids and proteins. The CD spectra to be discussed will be restricted to the ultraviolet wavelength region below 320 nm, where nucleic acids and proteins have optical activity as a result of their secondary structures. Since protein secondary structures generally dominate CD spectra at wavelengths below 250 nm, the region from about 250 to 320 nm provides a valuable spectral “window” for detecting the secondary structures of nucleic acids that are complexed with proteins. Of course, aromatic amino acid side chains contribute to the CD in the wavelength region from 250 to 320 nm, but this contribution is usually small relative to the CD of polymeric nucleic acids. Moreover, CD difference spectra (of complexes minus components) in this wavelength region do not generally exhibit the complex features that can be attributed to the transitions of the aromatic amino acids. Therefore, the CD effects observed above 250 nm on forming proteinnucleic acid complexes are usually considered to be reflective of changes in the nucleic acid secondary structure. Likewise, the CD contributions of individual amino acid side chains are often, but not always, less than those of peptide secondary structures at wavelengths below 250 nm. Exceptions to these generalities will be seen in the CD spectra of some filamentous phages, for which the DNA signal above 250 nm can be essentially absent, and in the CD spectra of the fd gene 5 protein, where tyrosines dominate the CD of a s-structure protein below 250 nm.
Ribosome Subunit Joining Frozen in Time

In this issue of Structure, Chen et al. (2015) report the use of a mixing-spraying method of time-resolved cryogenic electron microscopy, which allowed the progression of ribosomal subunit association to be visualized on the millisecond timescale.
Data Space Randomization

Over the past several years, US-CERT advisories, as well as most critical updates from software vendors, have been due to memory corruption vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows, heap overflows, etc. Several techniques have been developed to defend against the exploitation of these vulnerabilities, with the most promising defenses being based on randomization. Two randomization techniques have been explored so far: address space randomization (ASR) that randomizes the location of objects in virtual memory, and instruction set randomization (ISR) that randomizes the representation of code. We explore a third form of randomization called data space randomization (DSR) that randomizes the representation of data stored in program memory. Unlike ISR, DSR is effective against non-control data attacks as well as code injection attacks. Unlike ASR, it can protect against corruption of non-pointer data as well as pointer-valued data. Moreover, DSR provides a much higher range of randomization (typically 232for 32-bit data) as compared to ASR. Other interesting aspects of DSR include (a) it does not share a weakness common to randomization-based defenses, namely, susceptibility to information leakage attacks, and (b) it is capable of detecting some exploits that are missed by full bounds-checking techniques, e.g., some of the overflows from one field of a structure to the next field. Our implementation results show that with appropriate design choices, DSR can achieve a performance overhead in the range of 5% to 30% for a range of programs.
ACP modification to understand protein-protein interactions in fatty acid biosynthesis (768.6)

In order to investigate protein-protein interactions, we have developed a suite of tools to modify the ACP with substrate analogs and reactive probes. These ACP conjugates are used to study the str...
Turning Adam's Disobedience into Opportunity: The Acquisition of Property and Identity in Sir John Fortescue's Theory of Natural Law

Waged by Lancastrian and Yorldst dynasties in the second half of the fifteenth century, the English civil wars blown as the Wars of the Roses counterposed two royal lines of succession. Through a statute enacted decades before the outbreak of civil strife, Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, sought to guarantee the English throne for his heirs. This 1406 statute "ordained and established, That the inheritance of the Crown, and of the Realms of England and France, and of all other Dominions of our Lord the King beyond the Sea, with all the Appurtenances, shall be settled and remain in the Person of the same our Lord the King, and in the Heirs of his Body begotten...." The statute was eventually challenged during the reign of Henry VI, the grandson of Henry IV
Judgment in a social context: Biases, shortcomings, and the logic of conversation.

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on the contribution of conversational processes to the emergence of biases and shortcomings in human judgment, drawing on research in judgment and decision making, attitude measurement, and questionnaire construction. The chapter discusses the logic of conversation in everyday life and in research settings. One of the key assumptions underlying the conduct of conversation holds that all information contributed by participants is relevant to the goal of the ongoing conversation. The chapter illustrates that the biasing effects of questions are mediated by researchers' violations of conversational norms and respondents' erroneous assumption that the questioner is a cooperative communicator. The chapter discusses the formal features of questionnaire construction, such as the specific numeric values presented as part of a rating scale or the range of response alternatives presented as part of a behavioral frequency question, may strongly influence the obtained responses. Experimental studies on the impact of open- and closed-response formats have consistently demonstrated that open- and closed-response formats, yielding considerable differences in the marginal distribution as well as the ranking of items. Unless there is reason to believe that the questioner did not understand the answer already given, the person asked is likely to interpret the second question as a request for new information. =
Patient attributions for cardiac events: predictors of physical and psychological recovery

This study examined cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients' causal attributions for their cardiac events, and used those attributions as predictors of cross-sectional and prospective health status. Data were collected from 163 participants at the beginning and end of their CR programs. Results showed that patients' attributions can be categorized into controllable ones that are behavioral in nature, uncontrollable ones that are biological in nature, and a separate category for stress-related causes. Findings showed that stress attributions at the beginning of CR were associated with engaging in healthy behaviors in the last month of CR, which, in turn, were positively associated with metabolic equivalence levels at the end of CR. Results imply a motivational component to believing that cardiac events are caused by stress.
An adaptive optimal controller for non-intrusive performance differentiation in computing services

Shared computing services must control resource usage to meet contractual performance goals for hosted customers. They must ensure performance isolation among the workloads of different customers and enforce prioritization when the service is overloaded. Existing solutions are domain-specific and require modifications to the service. We propose a generic, non-intrusive approach that uses a fair scheduler to intercept incoming requests and enforce proportional sharing of the service resources among workloads. The relation between workload shares and obtained performance varies over time depending on system dynamics. We design an adaptive optimal MIMO controller that dynamically sets the workload shares based on the observed performance. Experimental results from an NFS server and a 3-tier e-commerce site demonstrate that the controller achieves effective performance differentiation, even when the system state or the performance goals change significantly.
Seizures induced by fluoroacetic acid and fluorocitric acid may involve chelation of divalent cations in the spinal cord

Abstract Fluoroacetic and fluorocitric acid toxicity is often characterized by seizures, however the mechanism of this activity is unknown. Intrathecal (i.t.) injection of fluorocitrate in mice resulted in seizures after an average latency of 15 s, while intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection produced seizures after 36.5 min, and required higher doses to achieve this effect. This indicates the probable site of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate neurotoxicity is the spinal cord. To mimic citrate accumulation, characteristic of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate poisoning, critic acid was injected i.t. and also found to produce seizures. The structurally unrelated compounds EDTA, EGTA, glutamic acid and lactic acid also produced seizures identical to fluorocitrate. The ability of these compounds to chelate Ca 2+ correlates well with their ability to cause seizures when administered i.t. and coadministration of calcium greatly attenuated the neurotoxicity of these compounds as well as fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate. In contrast, Ca 2+ was unable to inhibit seizures elicited by strychnine, suggesting calcium's ability to inhibit chelators of divalent cations is not due to a general anticonvulsant effect. These results suggest that changes in Ca 2+ concentration in the spinal cord may be responsible for some forms of seizure activity.
A survey of applications systems prototyping in industry

Abstract Managers of information systems development are faced with a substantial backlog of development projects. Traditional approaches to developing systems can not keep pace with new application demand. New methods must be found to develop systems. This study investigates prototyping, an approach that promises order-of-magnitude reductions in the time and effort required to implement satisfactory information systems. A mail survey was used to collect information about systems development and prototyping in Fortune 500 firms. Data was collected on methodologies, tools, and practices from the Directors of Information Systems. The findings suggest that a large number of organizations are prototyping and consider it successful. Generic high level prototyping tools are rated and the reasons for replacing prototypes with conventionally developed systems are explored.
Analgesia induced by isolated bovine chromaffin cells implanted in rat spinal cord

Chromaffin cells synthesize and secrete several neuroactive substances, including catecholamines and opioid peptides, that, when injected into the spinal cord, induce analgesia. Moreover, the release of these substances from the cells can be stimulated by nicotine. Since chromaffin cells from one species have been shown to survive when transplanted to the central nervous system of another species, these cells are ideal candidates for transplantation to alter pain sensitivity. Bovine chromaffin cells were implanted into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar spinal region in adult rats. Pain sensitivity and response to nicotine stimulation was determined at various intervals following cell implantation. Low doses of nicotine were able to induce potent analgesia in implanted animals as early as one day following their introduction into the host spinal cord. This response could be elicited at least through the 4 months the animals were tested. The induction of analgesia by nicotine in implanted animals was dose related. This analgesia was blocked by the opiate antagonist naloxone and partially attenuated by the adrenergic antagonist phentolamine. These results suggest that the analgesia is due to the stimulated release of opioid peptides and catecholamines from the implanted bovine chromaffin cells and may provide a new therapeutic approach for the relief of pain.
Hemodynamic studies after total correction of tetralogy of Fallot.

Abstract Twenty patients were studied by right heart catheterization 5 to 23 months after complete surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot. The ventricular septal defects had been closed with a polyvinyl sponge and a Teflon prosthesis had been used to widen the right ventricular outflow tract in each case. Residual systolic gradients between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery were small. Fifteen patients had gradients of 15 mm. or less, and the highest found was 34 mm. Arterial oxygen saturation was normal at rest or with exercise, or both, in nearly all cases. Two patients had definite evidence of a persistent ventricular septal defect with a left-to-right shunt. Pulmonic regurgitation was present in 13 patients. Despite elevated right ventricular end diastolic and right atrial pressures in some patients, clinical evidence of heart failure was absent in all at the time of catheterization. A comparison was made of the right ventricular and pulmonary arterial pressure measurements obtained in the operating room upon completion of the cardiac repair with those made at catheterization. It was found that pressure measurements at surgery give a reliable indication of the effectiveness of relief of the right ventricular outflow stenosis. The operation employed in these patients has relieved the physiologic abnormalities of tetralogy of Fallot. Pulmonic regurgitation is present in many of the patients but is tolerated well at present. The long-term effects of this new abnormality will become clear only after extended observation.
Discovery of a novel series of inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus primase

Infection by human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) remains a potent threat to susceptible people throughout the world. We have discovered a series of imidazolyl-pyrimidine compounds, which were found to be irreversible inhibitors of the hCMV UL70 primase based on results from radiolabeling and SAR studies. Two promising analogs are described that rival ganciclovir and cidofovir in antiviral potency and possess improved cytotoxicity profiles.
The Sézary syndrome lymphoid cell: abnormal surface properties and mitogen responsiveness.

Summary. The peripheral blood lymphoid cells of five patients with Sezary syndrome (SS) were examined with respect to their surface membrane characteristics and their response to mitogens. These cells showed markedly defective mitogenic responses to a broad dose range of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A, and a rabbit antihuman lymphocyte antiserum (ATS), when compared with normal human lymphocytes. SS lymphoid cells (three patients studied) also displayed diminished or nearly absent capacity to form rosettes with unsensitized sheep erythrocytes (E-rosettes), and lacked surface immunoglobulin determinants. Despite their poor mitogenic response to ATS, they were as susceptible as normal lymphocytes to ATS-induced, complement mediated cytotoxicity. By comparison with lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, however, SS lymphoid cells showed decreased susceptibility to leukoagglutination by PHA. By way of contrast, three patients with mycosis fungoides having normal-appearing peripheral blood lymphocytes showed normal lymphocyte responses to mitogens, as well as normal proportions of E-rosette forming and surface immuno-globulin-bearing lymphocytes. These studies demonstrate that the SS lymphoid cell may, in some cases, lack surface properties and mitogen response characteristics of both B- and T-lymphocytes.
Giant moment of Mn in dilute Pd(Mn) alloys

Abstract Mn in Pd has a “giant” moment ≈ 7.5μ B /Mn-atom. For concentratios c 5 2 (from the measured entropy) and consequently a large g -factor ≈ 3. For c > 0.5 at %Mn, saturation of the giant moment at 4.2 K is not achieved at 210 kG.