cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants that govern the recognition and uptake of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 by Acanthamoeba castellanii.

Predation by phagocytic predators is a major source of bacterial mortality. The first steps in protozoan predation are recognition and consumption of their bacterial prey. However, the precise mechanisms governing prey recognition and phagocytosis by protists, and the identities of the molecular and cellular factors involved in these processes are, as yet, ill-characterized. Here, we show that that the ability of the phagocytic bacterivorous amoebae, Acanthamoeba castellanii, to recognize and internalize Escherichia coli, a bacterial prey, varies with LPS structure and composition. The presence of an O-antigen carbohydrate is not required for uptake of E. coli by A. castellanii. However, O1-antigen types, not O157 O-antigen types, inhibit recognition and uptake of bacteria by amoeba. This finding implies that O-antigen may function as an antipredator defence molecule. Recognition and uptake of E. coli by A. castellanii is mediated by the interaction of mannose-binding protein located on amoebae's surface with LPS carbohydrate. Phagocytic mammalian cells also use mannose-binding lectins to recognize and/or mediate phagocytosis of E. coli. Nonetheless, A. castellanii's mannose binding protein apparently displays no sequence similarity with any known metazoan mannose binding protein. Hence, the similarity in bacterial recognition mechanisms of amoebae and mammalian phagocytes may be a result of convergent evolution.
International Public Law and the Failure to Efficiently Manage Ocean Living Resources

ABSTRACT This article enquires into why the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Fish Stocks Agreement have failed to provide an adequate legal framework for effective management of high-seas living resources. This failure is due to the nature of the international legal framework that requires signatories only to “cooperate” but how to cooperate remains a choice variable. The result is that if it suits them, signatories take ‘reservations’ (e.g., on whether to abide by catch quotas in Regional Fisheries Management Organizations) with the effect that they continue to ‘play’ non-cooperatively. It is argued that environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, have an important role to play in aligning moral precepts and one day, perhaps, creating a coordination game between fishing nations in which ‘reservations’ are no longer taken. JEL Code: K3.
The privatization of neighborhood governance and the production of urban space

A pivotal innovation in the production of urban space has been the rise of privately governed neighborhoods overseen by homeowners associations (HOAs). One in every five American households resides...
Reducing sexual assault on campus: lessons from the movement to prevent drunk driving

I examined similarities and differences between the movement to prevent drunk driving of the 1980s, and current efforts to prevent and address campus sexual assault. As college and university administrators design policies and initiatives to reduce campus sexual assault in response to new federal legislation and regulation, they can apply lessons from successful public health initiatives to reduce drunk driving initiated more than 3 decades ago. I illustrate how interventions at the 5 levels of the social–ecological model, and messages that address entrenched cultural attitudes condoning sexual assault and blaming its victims can be used to combat campus sexual assault as a crime and a public health problem. I also show how efforts to promote community engagement can change behavioral norms and reduce offenses.
Hydrogen Dynamics and Tee Distribution of H Sites in Undoped a-Si:H and a-Ge:H

Secondary ion mass spectrometry and IR studies of long-range hydrogen motion in undoped a-Si:H and a-Ge:H of varying H content and microstructure are reviewed and discussed. In particular, their relation to the multiple trapping (MT) model, the role of microvoids, the significance of the Meyer- Neldel relation (MNR), and the nature of H sites is addressed. It is suggested that while the MT mechanism may be significant in a-Si:H of low H content CH, it is largely marginal in films where CH ≥ 10 at.% H and in a- Ge:H. Mono Si-H bonds on microvoid surfaces are apparently deep H trapping sites up to -400°C, but H is desorbed from such sites in a-Ge:H above 180°C. The MNR between the diffusional activation energy and prefactor is observed among the various a-Si:H and a-Ge:H, but its significance is questionable, and may be due to the MT mechanism only in low H content a- Si:H. The naturof the distribution of H sites is also discussed.
Research Note: Differences in Major Histocompatibility Complex Gene Frequencies Associated with Feed Efficiency and Laying Performance

Associations between egg production and feed efficiency and the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the chicken were investigated. Breeders were selected on the basis of indexes incorporating information on body weight and egg mass, with or without feed consumption information. Over 1,000 progeny were serotyped for the erythrocyte antigen B (Ea-B) after the 6th generation of selection. The B2 and B13 haplotypes accounted for over 75% of the Ea-B gene pool in all lines. Comparing each index-selected line with the control B2 significantly increased in frequency at the expense of B13. This study further implicates MHC-linked genes as important in the physiology of growth and reproduction in the chicken.
Molecular Actions of Prolactin in the Immune System

The immunoregulatory properties of prolactin, a pituitary peptide hormone, have received renewed attention. The prolactin receptor, a member of the hematopoietin/cytokine receptor superfamily, is ubiquitously expressed by cells in the immune system. Certain subpopulations of lymphocytes synthesize and secrete biologically active prolactin, which suggests that prolactin can act as an autocrine and/or paracrine factor to modulate the activities of cells of the immune system. This review focuses on the molecular actions of prolactin in the immune system. Emphasis is given to recent information about the molecular mechanisms of prolactin receptor signal transduction, and the signaling molecules and prolactin-inducible target genes that participate in these responses. In particular, the prolactin-inducible interferon regulatory factor-1 gene and its roles in mediating diverse immune responses are highlighted.
On finding appropriate reject region in serial fusion based biometric verification

We give the theoretical foundation for finding a reject region which gives the minimum equal error rate in serial fusion based biometric verification. Given a user-specified tolerance of x percent genuine score reject rate, we prove that there exists a unique reject region inside which the false alarm rate and impostor pass rate curves overlap, and this reject region gives the minimum equal error rate. Our theory leads to new algorithms for finding reject regions, which have two key advantages over the state-of-the-art: (1) the algorithms allow the system administrator to control the proportion of genuine scores that a reject region can erroneously reject and (2) the algorithms determine reject regions directly from the scores, without the need to estimate score distributions. Our proofs do not rely on data belonging to any particular distribution, which makes them applicable to a wide range of biometric modalities including face, finger, iris, speech, gait, and keystrokes.
Utilizing Geriatric Assessments to Fulfill the Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Considering that most older adult patients are medically complex with multiple chronic medical issues, an astute clinician needs to understand that there are key geriatric issues that are important. Identifying hearing loss can be life changing if identified and treated. Screening a patient’s balance and recommending physical therapy can potentially avoid a devastating fall with hip fracture and hospitalization. This chapter reviews the components of the comprehensive geriatric assessment, a mainstay of geriatrics, and also explores what aspects fit into the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.
A Flow Visualization Study of Chaotic Vortical Motion in the Near Field of a Planar Jet

A flow visualization-based investigation of the transition of planar submerged water jet shear layers at moderate Reynolds number is presented. The development of the free shear layers under low level artificial excitation was captured on video tape by dye injection flow visualization. Despite “clean” initial conditions and the imposition of periodic excitation, examination of vortex trajectories revealed that the flow structure was not strictly periodic but exhibited “jitter” in the vortex roll-up location and subsequent vortex interaction events. This study focuses on this non-periodic character of the flow. Since even very simple nonlinear systems can exhibit chaotic behavior, the flow visualization images were examined for evidence of whether the observed non-periodic behavior could be associated with chaos. The flow visualization frames were utilized to derive return maps enabling examination of the flow visualization images in pseudo phase space. Results indicate that many aspects of the non-periodic vortical motion show evidence of chaos similar to that exhibited by lower dimension nonlinear dynamical systems.
Virulence of Listeria monocytogenes , Listeria seeligeri , and Listeria innocua Assayed with In Vitro Murine Macrophagocytosis.

The survival of virulent and avirulent Listeria species internalized in cells of a murine macrophage-like cell line, RAW264.7, was monitored. Mouse macrophage cells (ca. 5 x 10 5 /ml ) suspended in fresh RPMI medium 1640 containing fetal bovine serum were mixed with 5 x 10 7 to 5 x 10 8 Listeria cells per ml and incubated I h at 37°C with CO 2 -enriched air. Gentamicin (10 μg/ml) was added to kill bacteria not internalized by the cells. At 2, 4, and 6 h postinfection, 10-μl amounts of the suspensions were lysed in microtiter plate wells during serial decimal dilution in water. Triplicate dilutions (10 μl each) were plated on trypticase soy agar, and colonies were counted after 48 h incubation at 35°C. About 0.1 to 1 % of the added hemolytic pathogen L. monocytogenes Scott A and the avirulent nonhemolytic L. innocua were internalized at 2 h. The number of internal L. monocytogenes cells increased significantly by 6 h, but L. innocua cells showed no significant change. A strain of the hemolytic species L. seeligeri behaved like the nonhemolytic L. innocua. This distinction between the intracellular behavior of pathogenic and nonpathogenic species, if a general phenomenon, may be useful as an in vitro virulence assessment parameter.
Attributes of the ubiquitous phased array radar

This paper reviews the concept and properties of a ubiquitous radar, one that looks everywhere all the time. The receiving antenna of a ubiquitous radar consists of contiguous directive beams covering the same region as the wide beam (quasi-isotropic) transmitting antenna. Such a radar has the important advantage of performing multiple radar functions simultaneously without the serious limitations of a conventional phased array radar that has to perform its multiples functions sequentially, one at a time. Briefly described are the general characteristics of such a radar, its advantages, and several of its potential applications. The digital beam-forming ubiquitous radar is a method for achieving significant radar capabilities not readily available with conventional radar architectures.
Examining the Relationship between Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Self-Efficacy, Attitudes, and Use of Technology to Support Communication and Mathematics Literacy.

The rich language surrounding mathematical concepts often is reduced in many classrooms to a narrow process of memorizing isolated procedures with little context. This approach has proven to be detrimental to students’ ability to understand mathematics at deeper levels and remain engaged with this content. The current generation of students values technology as a natural, and often preferred method, for communication. These preferences provide teachers a unique opportunity to extend mathematics communication beyond the classroom. This study sought to understand secondary mathematics teachers’ use of communication technology and the relationship between variables that may contribute to a teacher’s decision to integrate technology for this purpose. Using a descriptive quantitative approach, the research investigated the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy, attitudes, and the use of communication technology in secondary education mathematics classrooms. A total of 90 teachers in grades 7-12 participated. Results revealed a significant relationship between teachers’ attitudes toward using technology for communication and personal self-efficacy (p < .05), yet few reported using technology in this way. An important recommendation from this study is to investigate why teachers who demonstrate key positive indicators for technology integration are not capitalizing on the potential that communication technology provides to cultivate mathematics communication and literacy.
Epigenetics and the Regulation of Nitric Oxide

Epigenetic modifications to chromatin alter the accessibility of DNA to nuclear factors. These modifications can involve DNA methylation at cytosine residues in CpG dinucleotides or posttranslational modifications to the N-terminal regions of histone tails. In this chapter, we review how these modifications directly and indirectly regulate the expression of nitric oxide synthase genes, and discuss how pharmacological inhibitors of epigenetic modifications may alter the expression of these genes. Additionally, we discuss other known interactions between histone-modifying enzymes and nitric oxide pathways and their consequences for nitric oxide production and histone modification.
Cell Membrane Sulfatide Promotes Sickle Cell Adhesion to Endothelium.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects millions of people worldwide, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although the clinical manifestations of the disease are very complex, much of the cause can be ascribed to occlusion of small vessels by the sickle red blood cells (RBCs). More than 30% of all deaths in SCD are due to the vasoocclusion, which results in ischemia, multiorgan failure and strokes. The proximate cause for vasoocclusion appears to be an increased adhesiveness of sickle cells to the vessel wall, and we postulate that the exposure of sulfatide on sickle cells accounts for their adhesive phenotype. Sulfatide binds with high affinity to many of the adhesion proteins known to be involved in cell adhesion to subendothelium and endothelium, including von Willebrand factor (VWF), thrombospondin (TSP), laminin and P-selectin. We therefore compared the expression and distribution of sulfatide in sickle cells to that in normal RBCs. When examined by flow cytometry using a previously described Alexa fluor-conjugated single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody, PA38, we found that sickle cells displayed more sulfatide on surface than normal RBCs (mean fluorescence 1.6±0.5 Vs. 0.9±0.3, p 2 ) than the normal RBCs before detaching Greater than 50% of the initial adhesion was inhibited by treatment with the anti-sulfatide scFv, PA38. We obtained similar results in terms of the greater shear resistance of sickle cells and the ability of PA38 to inhibit adhesion when we compared the adhesion of sickle and normal RBCs to surfaces coated with the adhesive ligands such as VWF (the ultra-large form) and laminin. Thus, our study elucidates an important role of red cell membrane sulfatide in sickle cell adhesion to the endothelium and to adhesive ligands, and suggests that this mechanism is important pathophysiologically in the development of sickle vaso-occlusion. Sulfatide distribution into lipid rafts may allow the formation of adhesive patches that facilitate adhesion.
Contemporary Black Entrepreneurship in the Professional Service Sector of Chicago: Intersections of Race, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Transformation

Entrepreneurship could level the playing field between racial groups and decrease poverty through job creation. Growth in the U.S. professional services (PS) sector over the last several decades ha...
Evaluating the landscape of digital humanities librarianship

ABSTRACTAs academic librarians strive to meet the needs of their users, it is important to understand the current and constantly changing landscape of digital humanities librarianship. The author of this article investigated areas in which current LIS professionals working in digital humanities came into their various roles, how they have been trained, how they feel about their opportunities for training, and where improvements can be made. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the digital humanities librarian skill set and to explore what training and infrastructure are needed in the field. Rather than looking to define digital humanities as a discipline, this study provides a current profile of digital humanities librarians, allowing for the profession to align with this evolving field's scholars and practitioners.
Discovery and Characterization of Histidine Oxidation Initiated Cross-links in an IgG1 Monoclonal Antibody

Novel cross-links between an oxidized histidine and intact histidine, lysine, or cysteine residues were discovered and characterized from high-molecular weight (HMW) fractions of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The mAb HMW fractions were collected using preparative size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and extensively characterized to understand the mechanism of formation of the nonreducible and covalently linked portion of the HMWs. The HMW fractions were IdeS digested, reduced, and analyzed by size-exclusion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (SEC-MS). The nonreducible cross-links were found to be enriched in the fragment crystallizable (Fc) region of the heavy chain, with a net mass increase of 14 Da. Detailed peptide mapping revealed as many as seven covalent cross-links in the HMW fractions, where oxidized histidines react with intact histidine, lysine, and free cysteine to form cross-links. It is the first time that histidine–cysteine (His–Cys) and histidine–lysine (His–Lys) in addition ...
Single-grating Talbot imaging for wavefront sensing and x-ray metrology

Single-grating Talbot imaging relies on high-spatial-resolution detectors to perform accurate measurements of X-ray beam wavefronts. The wavefront can be retrieved with a single image, and a typical measurement and data analysis can be performed in few seconds. These qualities make it an ideal tool for synchrotron beamline diagnostics and in-situ metrology. The wavefront measurement can be used both to obtain a phase contrast image of an object and to characterize an X-ray beam. In this work, we explore the concept in two cases: at-wavelength metrology of 2D parabolic beryllium lenses and a wavefront sensor using a diamond crystal beam splitter.
Public Health Preparedness Funding: Key Programs and Trends From 2001 to 2017

Objectives. To evaluate trends in funding over the past 16 years for key federal public health preparedness and response programs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, to improve understanding of federal funding history in this area, and to provide context for future resource allocation decisions for public health preparedness.Methods. In this 2017 analysis, we examined the funding history of key federal programs critical to public health preparedness by reviewing program budget data collected for our annual examination of federal funding for biodefense and health security programs since fiscal year (FY) 2001.Results. State and local preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially received $940 million in FY2002 and resulted in significant preparedness gains, but funding levels have since decreased by 31%. Similarly, the Hospital Preparedness Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response was funded at a high of $515 million in FY20...
Recent Advances in Surface Analysis of Environmental Particles

ABSTRACT The use of electron microprobe X-ray spectrometry, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, Auger electron spectrometry, and secondary ion mass spectrometry for performing surface analyses is described. Several examples of applications of these techniques to surface studies of environmental and source particulates are presented. It is apparent that many potentially undesirable species are enriched at the surfaces of anthropogenic particles and that most of these species are readily soluble in aqueous solution even though the bulk particulate material is essentially insoluble. It is concluded that surface analysis can provide valuable insights into the processes of formation and transformation of environmental particles and into their potential environmental impact. Key words: Depth Profile, Flyash, Leaching, Particle, Surface Analysis
Optimal Scheduling for Resource-Constrained Multirobot Cooperative Localization

Typically, localization algorithms focus on maximizing estimation accuracy, often while neglecting some of the real-world costs of achieving such performance. In this letter, we formulate optimal scheduling problems of multirobot localization to investigate the tradeoff between estimate accuracy and its corresponding cost. We derive the continuous-time approximation to explicitly represent the rates of distinct operations in a multirobot localization scheme, which we then use to define the optimization problems for scheduling those operations. For a given accuracy requirement, we can solve the cost minimization problem to find the lowest cost schedule satisfying the prescribed error expectation; similarly, for a given cost budget, we can solve the trace minimization problem to find a schedule for the best achievable error performance. While the interplay between the localization error and the operation parameters is described by a Riccati equation, the Frechet derivative is applied to shed the light on their implicit relationship. In a localization example grounded in a realistic setting, we show that by solving these optimal scheduling problems, power consumption can be reduced by $64\%$ through cost minimization, or the bounding covariance trace can be reduced by $15\%$ through trace minimization.
LOCAL TRANSFER OF DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY TO DOGS BY HUMAN TRANSFER FACTOR

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the local transfer of delayed hypersensitivity to dogs by human transfer factor. The transfer of skin reactivity with a transfer factor preparation made from a dog sensitized to BCG is studied. The ability of dogs to develop a local delayed response after intradermal injection of a human transfer factor preparation is examined. It is found that in 10 of 15 experiments on 7 dogs, there have been successful transfers. Reactions are palpable and often visible. Only reactions of 3 mm. or more induration are counted as positive. It appears as if the local assay of human transfer factor in dogs may provide a convenient test for transfer factor activity.
Dexterous Control of Seven Functional Hand Movements Using Cortically-Controlled Transcutaneous Muscle Stimulation in a Person With Tetraplegia

Individuals with tetraplegia identify restoration of hand function as a critical, unmet need to regain their independence and improve quality of life. Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)-controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) technology addresses this need by reconnecting the brain with paralyzed limbs to restore function. In this study, we quantified performance of an intuitive, cortically-controlled, transcutaneous FES system on standardized object manipulation tasks from the Grasp and Release Test (GRT). We found that a tetraplegic individual could use the system to control up to seven functional hand movements, each with >95% individual accuracy. He was able to select one movement from the possible seven movements available to him and use it to appropriately manipulate all GRT objects in real-time using naturalistic grasps. With the use of the system, the participant not only improved his GRT performance over his baseline, demonstrating an increase in number of transfers for all objects except the Block, but also significantly improved transfer times for the heaviest objects (videocassette (VHS), Can). Analysis of underlying motor cortex neural representations associated with the hand grasp states revealed an overlap or non-separability in neural activation patterns for similarly shaped objects that affected BCI-FES performance. These results suggest that motor cortex neural representations for functional grips are likely more related to hand shape and force required to hold objects, rather than to the objects themselves. These results, demonstrating multiple, naturalistic functional hand movements with the BCI-FES, constitute a further step toward translating BCI-FES technologies from research devices to clinical neuroprosthetics.
Hormonal Influences on Aging and Lifespan

This chapter summarizes the present understanding of the role of IGF-1, insulin, and homologous signaling in the control of aging in a worm, C. elegans, a fly, Drosophila melanogaster, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in the mouse, and identifies some of the known or suspected mechanisms linking the actions of these hormones to longevity. The activities of these hormones and their receptors, and their various effects on metabolism and growth are covered. A discussion of the applicability of these findings among all species investigated, including the human, is also included.
Graphic Encoding of Macromolecules for Efficient High-Throughput Analysis

The function of a protein depends on its three-dimensional structure. Current approaches based on homology for predicting a given protein's function do not work well at scale. In this work, we propose a representation of proteins that explicitly encodes secondary and tertiary structure into fix-sized images. In addition, we present a neural network architecture that exploits our data representation to perform protein function prediction. We validate the effectiveness of our encoding method and the strength of our neural network architecture through a 5-fold cross validation over roughly 63 thousand images, achieving an accuracy of 80% across 8 distinct classes. Our novel approach of encoding and classifying proteins is suitable for real-time processing, leading to high-throughput analysis.
Graphical models for optimal power flow

Optimal power flow (OPF) is the central optimization problem in electric power grids. Although solved routinely in the course of power grid operations, it is known to be strongly NP-hard in general, and weakly NP-hard over tree networks. In this paper, we formulate the optimal power flow problem over tree networks as an inference problem over a tree-structured graphical model where the nodal variables are low-dimensional vectors. We adapt the standard dynamic programming algorithm for inference over a tree-structured graphical model to the OPF problem. Combining this with an interval discretization of the nodal variables, we develop an approximation algorithm for the OPF problem. Further, we use techniques from constraint programming (CP) to perform interval computations and adaptive bound propagation to obtain practically efficient algorithms. Compared to previous algorithms that solve OPF with optimality guarantees using convex relaxations, our approach is able to work for arbitrary tree-structured distribution networks and handle mixed-integer optimization problems. Further, it can be implemented in a distributed message-passing fashion that is scalable and is suitable for "smart grid" applications like control of distributed energy resources. Numerical evaluations on several benchmark networks show that practical OPF problems can be solved effectively using this approach.
Analysis of the deviation in properties of selective laser melted samples fabricated by varying process parameters

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing technique designed to use a high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powder to fabricate complex parts with high accuracy. The accuracy and the functional properties of the fabricated part are greatly dependent on the process parameters. Thus, depending on the desired properties and the material, the parameters need to be optimized before fabrication. The processing parameters that control the SLM process comprise of the laser power, scan speed, hatch spacing, layer thickness and scan strategy. These process parameters are dependent on each other and therefore make the task of optimizing the process parameters an important one. This research is concerned with the optimization of several process parameters as well as the development of a model to predict the best properties for Inconel 718 superalloy. This study uses the Design of Experiment (DOE) system coupled with the full factorial Composite Central Design (CCD) of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to perform the regression analysis on laser power, scanning speed, and hatch spacing in order to predict the CAD model deviation, hardness values, and, variation in the phase composition using X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The simulated models obtained using the RSM technique were then analyzed. These results provided valuable information and helped us in controlling the functional properties of the fabricated part.
Strong convergence to the homogenized limit of elliptic equations with random coefficients II

Consider a discrete uniformly elliptic divergence form equation on the d dimensional lattice Zd with random coefficients. It has previously been shown that if the random environment is translational invariant, then the averaged Green’s function together with its first and second differences, are bounded by the corresponding quantities for the constant coefficient discrete elliptic equation. It has also been shown that if the random environment is ergodic, then solutions of the random equation converge under diffusive scaling to solutions of a homogenized elliptic PDE on Rd. In this paper point-wise estimates are obtained on the difference between the averaged Green’s function and the homogenized Green’s function for certain random environments which are strongly mixing.
Philosophical Critique and Literary Criticism in German Romanticism

In the “Preface” to the first edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant declared his time to be “the genuine age of criticism.” Little did he know how much criticism would flourish in the decades that followed. This chapter argues that the early German Romantics were at the center of this development, making important contributions to debates about the nature of philosophical critique and literary criticism during the 1790s and early 1800s. It is through these new conceptions of philosophical critique and literary criticism that the early German Romantics were able to bridge the divide between history, philology philosophy, and poetry in the early nineteenth century.
Slide Tracheoplasty for Tracheal Cartilaginous Sleeve in a Patient With Apert Syndrome.

Abstract Apert syndrome is a form of acrocephalosyndactyly involving craniosynostosis, syndactyly, and less commonly tracheal cartilaginous sleeve (TCS), a potential cause of tracheal stenosis. Slide tracheoplasty is performed in children with tracheal stenosis. No reports exist for its application in stenosis related to TCS. We present a case in which slide tracheoplasty was utilized for expansion of long segment tracheal stenosis due to TCS in a newborn with Apert syndrome. Using this technique, a safe and durable airway was achieved without tracheostomy.
AZD2014, A Dual mTOR Inhibitor, Attenuates Cardiac Hypertrophy in Vitro and in Vivo

Cardiac hypertrophy is one of the most common genetic heart disorders and considered a risk factor for cardiac morbidity and mortality. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays a key regulatory function in cardiovascular physiology and pathology in hypertrophy. AZD2014 is a small-molecule ATP competitive mTOR inhibitor working on both mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes. Little is known about the therapeutic effects of AZD2014 in cardiac hypertrophy and its underlying mechanism. Here, AZD2014 is examined in in vitro model of phenylephrine (PE)-induced human cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and a myosin-binding protein-C (Mybpc3)-targeted knockout (KO) mouse model of cardiac hypertrophy. Our results demonstrate that cardiomyocytes treated with AZD2014 retain the normal phenotype and AZD2014 attenuates cardiac hypertrophy in the Mybpc3-KO mouse model through inhibition of dual mTORC1 and mTORC2, which in turn results in the down-regulation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
The effects of pulmonary hypertension on skeletal muscle oxygen pressures in contracting rat spinotrapezius muscle.

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Does impairment in the dynamics of O2 transport in skeletal muscle during a series of contractions constitute a potential mechanism underlying reduced exercise capacity in pulmonary hypertension? What is the main finding and its importance? Pulmonary hypertension compromises the dynamic matching of skeletal muscle O2 delivery-to-utilization following contraction onset in the rat spinotrapezius muscle. These results implicate a role for vascular dysfunction in the slow VO2 kinetics and exercise intolerance present in pulmonary hypertension. ABSTRACT Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular dysfunction and exercise intolerance due, in part, to compromised pulmonary and cardiac function. We tested the hypothesis that there are peripheral (i.e., skeletal muscle) aberrations in O2 delivery ( QO2 )-to-O2 utilization ( VO2 ) matching and vascular control that might help to explain poor exercise tolerance in PH. Furthermore, we investigated the peripheral effects of nitric oxide (NO) in attenuating these decrements. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 21) were administered monocrotaline (MCT; 50 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce PH. Disease progression was monitored via echocardiography. Phosphorescence quenching determined the O2 partial pressure in the interstitial space ( PO2is ) in the spinotrapezius muscle at rest and during contractions under control (SNP-) and NO-donor (sodium nitroprusside, SNP+) conditions. MCT rats displayed right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy (right ventricle/(left ventricle + septum): 0.44 (0.13) vs. 0.28 (0.05)), pulmonary congestion, increased RV systolic pressure (48 (18) vs. 20 (8) mmHg) and arterial hypoxaemia ( PaO2 : 64 (9) vs. 82 (9) mmHg) compared to healthy controls (HC) (P < 0.05). PO2is was significantly lower in MCT rats during the first 30 s of SNP- contractions. SNP superfusion elevated PO2is in both groups; however, MCT rats demonstrated a lower PO2is throughout SNP+ contractions versus HC (P < 0.05). Thus, for small muscle mass exercise in MCT rats, muscle oxygenation is impaired across the rest-to-contractions transition and exogenous NO does not raise the QO2 -to- VO2 ratio in contracting muscle to the same levels as HC. These data support muscle QO2 -to- VO2 mismatch as a potential contributor to slow VO2 kinetics and therefore exercise intolerance in PH and suggest peripheral vascular dysfunction or remodelling as a possible mechanism.
LIMITING LIFE HISTORY STAGES IN THE ENDANGERED WETLAND PLANT CIRSIUM HYDROPHILUM VAR. HYDROPHILUM (ASTERACEAE)

In addition to its high biodiversity, the California Floristic Province contains over 1600 rare taxa, including many endemics restricted to specific soil types and habitats. In the highly urbanized San Francisco Estuary, these narrow endemics face additional limitations from habitat destruction and modification, prompting an interest in their conservation and management. One such taxon, the Federally listed Cirsium hydrophilum (Greene) Jeps. var. hydrophilum (Suisun thistle), is restricted to two or three populations, and may face limitations beyond past habitat loss. In this study, we investigated life history limitations that may contribute to rarity in C. hydrophilum var. hydrophilum. We documented low seed set, high seed predation by beetle larvae, low localized wind dispersal of seeds, and possible inbreeding in smaller patches. Because seeds did not have a stringent germination requirement in the lab, however, restoration or introduction of new populations from seed is possible. Using seeds from larger source populations could increase success of reseeding, as could adding seeds to augment potentially low genetic diversity in existing smaller subpopulations. Further study is needed to understand the ecology of seed predators, the relative importance of seed set and seed germination in the field, and to confirm our potential finding of reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding. Though the causes and consequences of rarity may differ for each species, this study explores several research directions that could be productive for understanding other California endemic Cirsium and rare wetland endemics.
Implementing a Novel Interprofessional Caregiver Support Clinic: A Palliative Medicine and Social Work Collaboration.

BACKGROUND High levels of burden and, in more severe instances, burnout represents a significant issue for caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. Early identification and management of caregiver distress and cultivating caregiver resiliency are seldom considered elements of routine care. AIM To leverage the complementary expertise of palliative medicine and social work using an integrated model of care to assess and manage caregiver needs. METHODS This quality improvement initiative involved the design and implementation of a novel and collaborative Caregiver Support Clinic (CSC), providing joint palliative medicine-social work encounters to caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. RESULTS Caregivers felt the CSC provided a forum to discuss and review relevant, but previously neglected, care elements. The concerted collaborative efforts demonstrated by clinicians were found to be reassuring and comforting. Clinicians felt CSC visits prevented duplicative information gathering processes, enabled the ability to efficiently arrive at recommendations and both ensured continuity with, and avoided fragmentation of, care. CONCLUSIONS By addressing the needs of caregivers through a dyadic, joint encounter, fragmentation and duplication in care can be reduced and both integrated and coordinated management can be efficiently provided. Caregiver and clinician experiences confirm this model of care for caregivers is likely to be beneficial and feasible.
Adaptive fastest path computation on a road network: a traffic mining approach

Efficient fastest path computation in the presence of varying speed conditions on a large scale road network is an essential problem in modern navigation systems. Factors affecting road speed, such as weather, time of day, and vehicle type, need to be considered in order to select fast routes that match current driving conditions. Most existing systems compute fastest paths based on road Euclidean distance and a small set of predefined road speeds. However, "History is often the best teacher". Historical traffic data or driving patterns are often more useful than the simple Euclidean distance-based computation because people must have good reasons to choose these routes, e.g., they may want to avoid those that pass through high crime areas at night or that likely encounter accidents, road construction, or traffic jams. In this paper, we present an adaptive fastest path algorithm capable of efficiently accounting for important driving and speed patterns mined from a large set of traffic data. The algorithm is based on the following observations: (1) The hierarchy of roads can be used to partition the road network into areas, and different path pre-computation strategies can be used at the area level, (2) we can limit our route search strategy to edges and path segments that are actually frequently traveled in the data, and (3) drivers usually traverse the road network through the largest roads available given the distance of the trip, except if there are small roads with a significant speed advantage over the large ones. Through an extensive experimental evaluation on real road networks we show that our algorithm provides desirable (short and well-supported) routes, and that it is significantly faster than competing methods.
Cues resulting in desire for sexual activity in women.

Introduction A number of questionnaires have been created to assess levels of sexual desire in women, but to our knowledge, there are currently no validated measures for assessing cues that result in sexual desire. A questionnaire of this nature could be useful for both clinicians and researchers, because it considers the contextual nature of sexual desire and it draws attention to individual differences in factors that can contribute to sexual desire.
Leadership style, motivation and performance in international marketing channels

As firms seek to prosper in a fiercely competitive global economy, cooperative inter‐firm alliances among members of the value chain are increasingly being forged. In the area of marketing channels, strategic alliances among international channel partners have become the norm as well. Thus, identification of inter‐firm influence strategies – such as different leadership styles – used by the channel captain to motivate international channel partners becomes increasingly important. More specifically, in administering a firm’s marketing channels, participative, supportive, and directive leadership styles may be effective in eliciting channel partners to exert higher levels of motivation, which, in turn, may be associated with higher levels of performance. The linkages among leadership styles, motivation, and performance are empirically examined on data drawn from a sample of automobile distributors in the USA, Finland, and Poland. International channel management implications are discussed, limitations of the study are identified, and directions for future research are suggested.
Disruption and cancer narratives: from awareness to advocacy.

Since 1913, the American Society for the Control of Cancer and other health organizations have promoted early detection of breast cancer. The message of early detection has resonated for nearly a century and continues to have great traction in American culture. However, by mid-century, and particularly evident since the 1970s, women have written disruptive texts that have complicated the one-dimensional message of early detection. By analyzing the works of authors such as Terese Lasser, Rose Kushner, Audre Lorde, and Gabriela Arredondo, this article argues that "disruptive texts" have expanded the boundaries of breast cancer narrative to include such topics as pain, fear, identity, coping, family and community involvement, metastasis, and more. Although discourse of early detection remains a dominant trope in cancer narrative, disruptive texts reflect the voice of female patients and offer a critical and important insight about the limits of a contemporary cancer narrative that rests solely on a message of early detection.
Absence of Leukosis Virus Markers in Hamster Cells Transformed by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

Hamster cells which transformed after exposure to herpes simplex virus type 2 previously irradiated with ultraviolet light were tested for the presence of hamster leukosis viruses or their virus-specific antigens. Three techniques that were used did not detect the presence of either hamster C-type particles or antigens commonly associated with such structures. The implication of these findings to current concepts of virus oncology is discussed.
Water-soluble copolymers, 16. Studies of the behavior of acrylamide/N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide copolymers in aqueous salt solutions†

The behavior of N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide more commonly known as diacetone acrylamide (DAAM) polymers and acrylamide/diacetone acrylamide copolymers in aqueous and non-aqueous solutions has been examined. 13C NMR and IR studies do not support the formation of a six-membered hydrogen-bonded ring structure in the DAAM moiety as an explanation of the unusual increase in solution viscosity shown by these copolymers upon addition of salt. A 12-membered hydrogen-bonded structure involving the diacetone acrylamide side chain and an adjacent acrylamide unit is proposed which is consistent with the available data and which would explain the viscosity behavior. Another possible structure involves hydrogen bonding between adjacent comonomers through amide/imine resonance structures. Copolymer microstructure as indicated by calculated pentad and triad frequencies supports either of these proposed structures.
Identifying the barriers to use of standardized nursing language in the electronic health record by the ambulatory care nurse practitioner.

Purpose: This study identified the perceived user barriers to documentation of nursing practice utilizing standardized nursing language (SNL) in the electronic health record (EHR) by ambulatory care nurse practitioners (NPs). Data Sources: A researcher-developed survey was sent to a randomized sample of ambulatory care NPs in the United States who belonged to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (n= 1997). Conclusions: Surveyed ambulatory care NPs placed a higher value on documenting medical care versus nursing care. Only 17% of respondents currently use SNL and 30% believe that SNL is not important or appropriate to document NP practice. Barriers to using SNL in EHRs included lack of reimbursement for nursing documentation, lack of time to document, and lack of availability of SNL in electronic records. Implications for Practice: Respondents identified NP practice as a blend of medical as well as nursing care but NPs have not embraced the current SNLs as a vehicle to document the nursing component of their care, particularly in EHRs. Until these barriers are addressed and discreet data in the form of SNL are available and utilized in the EHR, the impact of the NPs care will be unidentifiable for outcomes reporting.
Territorial damselfishes facilitate survival of corals by providing an associational defense against predators

Territorial defense by the herbivorous damselfishes, Stegastes nigricans and S. lividus, benefits the hermatypic corals growing inside their territories. Coral diversity was significantly higher inside damselfish territories at 2 sites in Moorea, French Polynesia, and at 1 site in Guam, Mariana Islands. In Guam, this pattern was stable for at least 10 yr. Certain coral species, including Pocillopora damicornis, were found only inside damselfish territories at these sites. All fishes, including coral-feeding butterflyfishes, approaching territories of Stegastes spp. were vigorously chased. Colonies of P. damicornis inside territories were not preyed upon by any potential intruders. When transplanted outside of territories, colonies of P. damicornis were preyed upon rapidly by several species of butterflyfishes. Feeding rates of individual butterflyfishes on transplanted P. dami- cornis colonies were initially very high and decreased significantly over 30 min as accessible coral tissue was removed. In contrast, transplanted Porites rus, a major component of the reef outside of territories in Guam, attracted no predators. This study suggests that territorial damselfishes provide an associational defense for certain coral species that live inside their territories, whereas these species settling outside territories experience heavy predation, resulting in suppressed growth and negligible survival. This demonstrates the potential importance of this type of positive indirect interaction between species in structuring coral reef communities, that protection from predation by coral-feeding fishes is a mechanism by which damselfishes can enhance coral diversity on reefs, and that this association can remain stable for many years.