cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Childhood onset schizophrenia: familial neurocognitive measures

Objective: Early onset disorders may have more salient familial/genetic etiology. Neurocognitive deficits which are seen in families of adult onset schizophrenic patients were examined in healthy family members of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). Methods: Trail Making Tests (TMT) A and B, Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised Digit Span and Vocabulary subtests were administered to 67 parents and 24 siblings of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia and 114 healthy community controls (CC) comparable in sex, age, and educational level. Results: COS siblings performed significantly more poorly than did controls on Trails Making Test B with a trend for poorer performance evident on Trails Making Test A. COS parents performed more poorly than controls only on Trails Making Test A. Conclusions: Healthy first-degree relatives of COS probands have subtle deficits in tests involving oculomotor/psychomotor speed, working memory and executive function. This provides further support for continuity between COS and later onset schizophrenia and for a familial/genetic factor associated with the illness.
Maintenance-Efficient Erasure Coding for Distributed Archival Storage

Maintenance is an important issue in distributed storage systems. In many cases, such as in archival storage where data access is infrequent, the workload due to maintaining a system is dominant and much heavier than that to answering retrieval queries. Erasure coding, widely used in many distributed storage systems for its high reliability, is efficient for maintenance but not so efficient for access. In this paper, we investigate an extension of this method with the purpose of improving maintenance efficiency and provide an analysis on the tradeoff of this extension.
The Molecular Perspective: Ubiquitin and the Proteosome

The Oncologist 2003;8:293-294 www.TheOncologist.com The cell is a busy place, with thousands of processes occurring simultaneously. Cells coordinate this action, among other ways, by passing protein messages from site to site. These messages are part of a complex bureaucracy that controls day-to-day actions of the cell. When key messages that direct cellular growth are disrupted, cancer can be the result. As you might expect, these protein memos are delivered and read immediately, and then they quickly become obsolete. They must be destroyed, making ready for the next messenger, which often carries exactly opposite instructions. The proteosome has the job of destroying obsolete messages, as well as a host of other short-lived protein machinery. The proteosome is a protein shredder. At its heart is a tube of 28 proteins with protein-cutting machinery on the inside. Proteins are fed through the tube and cut into small peptides, which are then rapidly cut into individual amino acids by other peptidases and recycled to build new proteins. The presence of an efficient protein shredder in the cell is potentially disastrous. After all, the cell is filled with proteins. So, the proteosome must be carefully controlled. A selective doorway is placed at each end of the shredder, which only allows entry to those proteins that are ripe for destruction. It would be difficult, however, to design a doorway that correctly recognizes the hundreds of different proteins that are scrapped daily by the proteosome. So instead, the cell adds an intermediate step. First, obsolete proteins are identified and tagged, then these tagged proteins are shipped off to the proteosome. Fundamentals of Cancer Medicine The Oncologist
Middle Level Teacher Education and Certification.

Certification for middle level teachers is an imperative, according to this writer. America's middle level schools, he says, have too long been institutions in search of teachers trained for and dedicated to middle level education.
Preclinical evaluation of Mab CC188 for ovarian cancer imaging

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been successfully isolated from solid tumors and are believed to be initiating cells of primary, metastatic and recurrent tumors. Imaging and therapeutic reagents targeted to CSCs have potential to detect subclinical tumors and completely eradicate the disease. Previously, we have demonstrated that Mab CC188 binds to colon cancer CD133- and CD133+ (CSCs) cells. In this study, we examined the reactivity of Mab CC188 to ovarian cancer cells including CD133+ cells and primary tumor tissues using immunofluorescence staining methods and tissue microarray technique. We also explored the feasibility of using NIR dye-labeled Mab CC188 probe to image ovarian tumors in vivo. Mab CC188 stains both CD133- and CD133+ cells of ovarian cancer. Tissue microarray analysis reveals that 75% (92/123) of ovarian cancer cases are positively stained with Mab CC188. Weak positive (±), positive (+), strong positive (++) and very strong positive (+++) stains are 14.8, 3.7, 11 and 24.4%, respectively. In contrast, Mab CC188 staining is low in normal cells and tissues. In vivo study show that significant amounts of the probe accumulates in the excretion organs in the early period postinjection. At 24 hr, the imaging probes have largely accumulates in the tumor, while the intensity of the imaging probe decreases in the liver. The tumor uptake was still evident at 120-hr postinjection. Our work suggests that Mab CC188-based imaging and therapeutic reagents are capable of detecting early stage ovarian tumors and effectively treating the tumor.
Resistant Pathogens, Fungi, and Viruses

It is ironic that despite their ubiquity in our communities, there is seldom a second thought given to viral infections in patients with surgical illness. The extent of most surgeon’s interest in viral infections ends with hepatitis and HIV, no doubt related to transmissibility as well as the implications that these viruses might have in a patient’s hepatic or immune functions. There are chapters and even textbooks written about these viruses so these will not be considered here. Instead, we will present the growing body of knowledge of the herpes family viruses and their occurrence and consequences in patients with concomitant surgical disease or critical illness. We have also chosen to focus this chapter on previously immune competent patients, as the impact of herpes family viruses in immunosuppressed patients such as transplant or AIDS patients has received thorough treatment elsewhere.
Replication Factor C Complexes Play Unique Pro- and Anti-Establishment Roles in Sister Chromatid Cohesion

Recent studies have lead to a rapid expansion of sister chromatid cohesion pathways. Of particular interest is the growth in classifications of anti-establishment factors—now including those that are cohesin-associated (Rad61/WAPL and Pds5) or DNA replication fork-associated (Elg1-RFC). In this study, we show that the two classes of anti-establishment complexes are indistinguishable when challenged both genetically and functionally. These findings suggest that both classes function in a singular pathway that is centered on Ctf7/Eco1 (herein termed Ctf7) regulation. The anti-establishment activity of Elg1-RFC complex is particular intriguing given that an alternate Ctf18-RFC complex exhibits robust pro-establishment activity. Here, we provide several lines of evidence, including the use of Ctf7 bypass suppressors, indicating that these activities are not simply antagonistic. Moreover, the results suggest that Ctf18-RFC is capable of promoting sister chromatid pairing reactions independent of Ctf7. The combination of these studies suggest a new model of sister chromatid pairing regulation.
Revisiting the concept of ‘sharing’ for digital spaces: an analysis of reader comments to online news

ABSTRACT‘Sharing’ as it relates to the online environment is underconceptualized, and yet has been proposed as a means for understanding how individuals negotiate everyday privacy. To explore this possibility, we gather reader comments to online news accounts, as these offer an opportunity for observing everyday discourse. Using semantic network analysis, we map related concepts, and use these as a basis for revisiting the concept of ‘sharing' as it pertains to the digital sphere. We argue that while ‘sharing' continues to encompass traditional notions of communality and distribution, as practiced in digital spaces, it also takes on an added dimension of subjectivity. Consonant with Foucault's (1988) ‘technologies of the self’, sharing online becomes a reflexive mechanism to know and care for oneself. By considering ‘sharing' in this light, we aim to further the conversation of counter-posing sharing to privacy, especially when envisioned as a boundary management process.
Determinants of International Patenting: Evidence from the Agricultural Biotechnology Industry

Using a unique dataset of patent applications, I examine the importance of differences in patent laws, demand for the invention, and costs of patenting across countries on firms' propensity to pursue agricultural biotechnology patents in different countries. I isolate the propensity to patent, a potential negative side effect of instituting stronger patent policy, from the innovative effects of patent policy. I estimate a multivariate probit model and find that recent patent law changes in Brazil, China, and the European Patent Office do not have a significant impact on firms' propensity to patent. Rather, trade and invention-specific effects are important. However, the country fixed effects are the dominating factors in determining where firms decide to apply for a patent. The econometric model also allows exploration of changes in patent policies such as the removal of renewal fees and halving the maximum patent life. The model predicts that these changes will not have much influence in the distribution of firms' expected returns from patenting.
Central Auditory Processing Disorder Profile in Premature and Term Infants

Objective The aim of this study is to compare central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) profile between children born prematurely and at term. Methods A retrospective study involving children 7 to 13 years of age who were referred for CAPD evaluation over the past 3 years. Parental reports and medical records were used to collect information. Children with a score ≥ two standard deviations below the mean for at least one ear on at least two different CAPD tests were considered to have CAPD. Results A total of 82 children were evaluated for CAPD of which 22 met exclusion criteria, resulting in 60 children with CAPD (15 premature and 45 term). Premature children had higher prevalence of cesarean section delivery and neonatal jaundice compared with term children. Premature children had a higher total number of failed CAPD tests compared with the term children. Among CAPD tests, there was an increased frequency of abnormal Phonemic Synthesis test (PST) and decreased frequency of abnormal Staggered Spondaic Word test (SSW) among premature children compared with term children. Conclusion Premature children differ in CAPD profile compared with term children. Findings suggest possible etiological differences for CAPD such as jaundice or differential susceptibility of premature children for altered PST and SSW performance when compared with the term children.
A Rhetoric of Pornography: Private Style and Public Policy in “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon”

In 1885, William Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, printed an expose of child prostitution in London, “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon.” This incendiary article helped pass the Criminal Law Amendment bill, but also garnered accusations of pornography against the “Maiden Tribute.” Using Stead's four-part article as a case study, I develop a rhetorical understanding of pornography to account for the dynamic political energy and outrage generated by this text. I argue that the pornography of the “Maiden Tribute” managed to create a particular ignorance, one in which sexuality was isolated from material economic realities. Ultimately, Stead's mission proved politically deleterious to the very women he professed to help.
Enhancement of polio-RNA infectivity by dimethylsulfoxide.

SummaryDimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) has been shown to enhance infection by polio-RNA. This enhancement was present for all concentrations of DMSO from 5% to 80%. The enhancement was optimal at 40% DMSO with a 20-minute absorption period at room temperature. A significant percentage of the nucleic acid infectivity was absorbed in the first two minutes. Dimethylsulfoxide enhanced RNA infection to a greater degree than M MgSO4, protamine, his tone, and DEAE-dex-tran when tested under the same conditions. There was no enhancement of intact viral infectivity by either DMSO or DEAE-dextran. Addendum: Recently Koch et at(20) have shown an enhancement of polio-RNA infectivity using Poly-L-Ornithine which appears to be slightly greater than DEAE-dextran.The technical assistance of Mr. Bruce Mann is greatly appreciated.
Nonrepresentational Narrative in Fantasy Novels

Study the "fantasy novel"genre from traditional Chinese novel narrative,it is the the concept of fiction XiGui,is to present "text realistic" a narrative style.We should reflect on the past research and contemporary literature of modern especially in the field of the extreme attention to realistic novel and to the Nonrepresentational type of aphasia.Points out that the study of the 20 th century fiction fantasy resource conversion,narrative mode change,fantasy of concentration and rich content,can clearly show the Chinese novel to the transformation of modernity,can also change the hobbled footprint in the previous research on the character of the image is too entangled phenomenon,so as to facilitate the development of literature of the overall trend,to grasp the happening of the modern Chinese novel has an important significance to the development model.
Tensions of Health: Narratives of Employee Wellness Program Participants

This article examines dialectical tensions in the health narratives of participants of the Employee Wellness Program (EWP) of a large public university in the southeastern United States. Semi-structured interviews (n = 12) with team leaders in the program indicated that health is a multifaceted concept characterized by three pairs of dialectical tensions: autonomy versus connection, private versus public, and control versus lack of control. These findings suggest that to better promote health and wellness in the workplace, EWP staff should consider employees' unique experiences and beliefs about health when designing organization-wide programs and campaigns.
Headache and the Eye

Primary and secondary headache disorders often involve pain in or around the eye, as well as signs and symptoms involving the eye, orbit, and visual system. Differentiating the benign primary headache disorders from the potentially ominous secondary headache disorders can be accomplished by performing a thorough history and focused examination with the use of appropriate ancillary testing. Headache patients who present with papilledema, vision loss, double vision, pupillary abnormalities, or a red eye comprise a group of secondary headache disorders that need to be evaluated and triaged in an expeditious manner in order to prevent morbidity and mortality. Disorders such as stroke, pituitary apoplexy, giant cell arteritis, cervical arterial dissection, orbital cellulitis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and expanding aneurysm should not be missed. Migraine with aura is the most common visual disturbance associated with migraine, and needs to be differentiated from transient ischemic attack (TIA) and seizure.
Rotenone Decreases Hatching Success in Brine Shrimp Embryos by Blocking Development: Implications for Zooplankton Egg Banks.

While many zooplankton species recover quickly after the treatment of water resources with the piscicide, rotenone, some fail to reach pretreatment population density or, in rare cases, do not reappear at all. The variable impact of rotenone on zooplankton populations could stem from differences in the capacity of species to switch entirely to anaerobic catabolic pathways in the presence of rotenone, which blocks mitochondrial electron transport. Alternatively, variable responses among species could originate from differences in permeability of dormant life-stages to lipophilic chemicals like rotenone. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of rotenone on development, emergence and hatching of zooplankton embryos that lack both the anaerobic capacity to develop in the presence of rotenone and a permeability barrier to prevent the entry of rotenone during dormancy. Post-diapause embryos of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, were employed as a model system, because they are permeable to lipophilic compounds when dechorionated and require aerobic conditions to support development. Early development in this species is also well characterized in the literature. Brine shrimp embryos were exposed to rotenone while development was either slowed by chilling or suspended by anoxia. Development, emergence and hatching were then observed in rotenone-free artificial seawater. The data presented demonstrate that rotenone freely diffuses across the embryonic cuticle in a matter of hours, and prevents development and emergence after brief exposures to ecologically relevant concentrations (0.025–0.5 mg L-1) of the piscicide. Neither the removal of rotenone from the environment, nor the removal of embryonic water with a hypertonic solution, are sufficient to reverse this block on development and emergence. These data indicate that rotenone could impair recruitment from egg banks for species of zooplankton that lack both an embryonic barrier to the entry of lipophilic compounds and the anaerobic capacity to develop when NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity is inhibited by rotenone.
Sensitivity considerations and the impact of spatial scaling for storm surge modeling in wetlands of the Mid-Atlantic region

Abstract Among the many activities in the recent efforts to evaluate coastal resiliency is the study of the capacity of wetlands and coastal marshes to attenuate storm surge. The development of an acceptable index or attenuation rate for coastal flooding is complicated by the many factors that contribute to maximum surge elevation, inundation extent and duration, including storm characteristics (e.g. track, size, forward speed, duration, central low pressure) and local features including topo-bathymetry, land-cover, barrier islands, channels, lagoons and inlets. For this study, we investigated the impact of spatial scaling, mesh resolution, storm characteristics and bottom friction on storm surge in wetland areas in the barrier island system of the Delmarva Peninsula using the coupled hydrodynamic-wave model (ADCIRC + SWAN). Synthetic storms derived from hindcasts of historical storms affecting this region were used for model forcing through multi resolution meshes recreating the complex wetland areas exposed to varying degrees of ocean surge through natural breaks in the barrier islands. Sensitivity to mesh resolution and bottom friction were evaluated for regional attributes and storm characteristics, confirming the results of previous studies. Results suggest inlet configuration and exposure to ocean surge are dominant factors for surge propagation through small scale wetlands and barrier island systems for weak to moderate storms. Attenuation rates observed for weaker storms, were influenced secondarily by the complex geometry of channels, lagoons and the presence and continuity of marshes. Results evaluating greater surge produced by stronger storms, even of less than a meter of storm surge increase, indicate that the mitigating impacts of local features are greatly diminished. Our results indicate that although the back bays systems in the Delmarva Peninsula and similar ecosystems in the US East Coast could provide storm surge attenuation for annual storm events, its use in coastal engineering protection may require a case by case analysis due to the high dependence on local characteristics.
Membrane-induced interactions between curvature-generating protein domains: the role of area perturbation

Membrane deformation by asymmetric crescent-shaped proteins such as BAR-domains is calculated, using a mean field model that accounts for both bending and area stretch deformations. The penalties associated with membrane bending and area perturbation lead to moderately long-ranged (order 10 nm), non-monotonic, membrane-induced interactions between proteins that may prevent the formation of closely packed aggregates. As a result, BAR-domain proteins may favor the formation of an ordered array with a specific separation between domains whose spacing is set by the ratio between the bending and area stretch moduli.
Classification and Functional Characterization of Vasa Vasorum-Associated Perivascular Progenitor Cells in Human Aorta.

In the microcirculation, pericytes are believed to function as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). We hypothesized that the vasa vasorum harbor progenitor cells within the adventitia of human aorta. Pericytes, endothelial progenitor cells, and other cell subpopulations were detected among freshly isolated adventitial cells using flow cytometry. Purified cultured pericytes were enriched for the MSC markers CD105 and CD73 and depleted of the endothelial markers von Willebrand factor and CD31. Cultured pericytes were capable of smooth muscle lineage progression including inducible expression of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, calponin, and α-smooth muscle actin, and adopted a spindle shape. Pericytes formed spheroids when cultured on Matrigel substrates and peripherally localized with branching endothelial cells in vitro. Our results indicate that the vasa vasorum form a progenitor cell niche distinct from other previously described progenitor populations in human adventitia. These findings could have important implications for understanding the complex pathophysiology of human aortic disease.
Should Dementia Be Accepted as a Disability to Help Restore Hope during Cognitive Decline

Patients with dementia need social supports and opportunities and acceptance of their disability in order to feel hopeful despite their functional decline.
Cat heart muscle in vitro. I. Cell volumes and intracellular concentrations in papillary muscle.

Methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of total water, inulin space, and K and Na content in muscles of 0.5 to 10 mg. wet weight. These methods have been used to define steady state conditions with respect to intracellular K concentration in papillary muscles from cat hearts perfused and contracting isometrically at 27–28°C. and at 37–38°C. Cell volumes and intracellular ionic concentrations have been followed as a function of the external K concentration and compared with values predicted on the basis of electroneutrality and osmotic equilibrium.
Acidic corrosion of mild steel in the presence of acetic acid: Mechanism and prediction

Abstract The mechanism and the kinetics of mild steel corrosion in deaerated aqueous acetic acid solutions was investigated. The behavior of the steady state voltammograms, obtained at pH 3 to pH 5 and acetic acid concentrations up to 41.5 mM, showed that the direct reduction of undissociated acetic acid is not significant, in contrast to what is commonly reported in the literature. Nevertheless, acetic acid was shown to influence the corrosion process, first by increasing the cathodic limiting current through buffering the hydrogen ion concentration at the metal surface, and second by inhibiting the rates of both anodic and cathodic charge transfer reactions by chemically adsorbing onto the metal surface. Considering these mechanistic observations, a comprehensive mathematical model was developed and verified, using the experimental results. The counterpoising effect of acetic acid on the limiting current and the rate of electrochemical reactions was shown to be able to justify the inconsistent and sometimes contradictory behavior previously reported in the literature. Additionally, increasing the temperature was shown to have a synergistic effect with acetic acid concentration on the observed corrosion rates. This behavior is a result of shifting corrosion currents towards the mass transfer controlled range at elevated temperatures, where acetic acid has a determinant effect.
3-D-DATE: A Circuit-Level Three-Dimensional DRAM Area, Timing, and Energy Model

In this paper, we present 3-D-DATE, a circuit-level dynamic random access memory (DRAM) area, timing, and energy model that models both the front and back end of 3-D integrated DRAM designs from 90–16 nm, across a broader range of emerging transistor devices and through-silicon vias. This paper improves upon previous studies by providing detailed process models all the way down to the 16-nm technology node and incorporating DRAMs implemented with emerging gate transistor devices. Finally, we validate the model against both several commodity planar and 3-D DRAMs, from 80- to 30-nm process nodes, with the following metrics: energy with a mean error of 5%–1% and a standard deviation up to 9.8%, speed with a mean error of 13%–27%, and a standard deviation up to 24% and area within 3%–1% and a standard a standard deviation up to 4.2%.
Religiosity and Health: A Holistic Biopsychosocial Perspective

The resurgence of interest in the influence of religion and spirituality on health is examined within the context of the holistic paradigm and historical connection between nursing and spirituality. While nursing and spirituality often intersect with end-of-life considerations, this article presents findings from studies that demonstrate that religious involvement favors health and longevity across the life course. Examples include protective associations with stress, depression, self-rated health, and infant birth weight. Theoretical and empirical explanations for this relationship are offered, such as social and psychological resources and healthy behaviors. The effects of religion on biological functioning, including allostatic load and telomere length, are also discussed, although this area is understudied. Considerations for the "dark-side" of religious involvement are also offered. Suggestions for nurses wishing to protect and promote the health of their patients using a holistic approach include expanding knowledge of research on religion and health and advocating for patients' spiritual needs by conducting a comprehensive spiritual assessment in primary, secondary, and tertiary clinical settings.
Adolescence, Psychiatry of

Six areas of adolescent psychopathology are reviewed: anxiety disorders; mood disorders; eating disorders; psychotic disorders; disruptive behavior disorders; and substance use disorders. An overview of the major diagnoses in each category is offered, focusing on definitions, etiology, and treatment. Reading recommendations are made in the bibliography for those wishing to learn more about the topics covered.
Solitons and Long-Distance Fiber Communications

An optical fiber made of silica with a germanium core can support pulses, “solitons”, that propagate undistorted if the fiber has negative dispersion at the carrier frequency of the pulses. The self-phase modulation of the pulse by the Kerr effect balances the dispersion [4]. Solitons have been proposed for repeaterless digital communications over transoceanic distances [5]. Instead of a signal composed of pulses and blanks being detected and regenerated every so often, as is done in conventional transoceanic communications, a signal consisting of solitons and empty time intervals would only be amplified every 25 km or so, without regeneration. This revolutionary proposal has been explored in extensive laboratory experiments [7, 87], but the first repeaterless transoceanic fiber communication cable, laid in 1995, uses fiber with close to zero dispersion and functions in what may be called the “linear” regime (self-phase modulation is not utilized, but since it is not entirely avoided, it is combatted by proper dispersion management along the fiber). The operation is called non-return-to-zero, or NRZ for short, as a description of the signal format: if two pulses are adjacent to each other, the pulse amplitude does not return to zero; two rectangular pulses merge into one pulse of double length (see Fig. 10.1). Whereas excellent performance has been achieved with operation in the linear NRZ format, and the bare essentials of the scheme are easily understood, no analytic theory exists for the description of the subtle nonlinear effects and dispersion effects that affect this mode of communications. Much better understanding has been developed for soliton operation, largely owing to the new mathematical methods developed for the analysis of a class of integrable nonlinear partial differential equations derivable from a Hamiltonian [88,89]. In this chapter we shall study only repeaterless soliton fiber communications, in part since the theory is elegant and well developed and in part because soliton communications may still find implementation, but mainly as a preparation for the analysis of the generation of squeezed radiation using solitons. Further, solitons passing through an amplifier are an interesting example of nonadditive noise, a case that transcends the linear additive noise analyses of the preceding chapters.
Fermat, Euler, and Pseudoprimes

We have reduced the problem of finding even perfect numbers to deciding when M(p) = 2 P — 1 is prime. Algorithm 2.9 is a very recent development. In this chapter we will be starting with some progress made by Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665) in 1640.
Descriptive representation and political knowledge

Political knowledge is an incredible political resource for citizens, promoting informed voter decision-making and helping citizens hold their elected officials accountable. But it is a resource th...
Teaching excel shortcuts: A visualization and game-based approach

Abstract Excel skills are frequently identified as a core technology skill for accounting students. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a game-based approach to teaching Excel shortcuts. Using this classroom activity, students are first introduced in “small chunks” to various Excel shortcuts across multiple class meetings. After coverage of the shortcuts, students are grouped into three teams to play a Jeopardy!-style game as a class. Students are exposed to intermediate Excel features and improve their overall understanding of the use of Excel in the accounting profession.
Exploring Biased Probability Using Loaded Dice: An Active Learning Exercise with Analogy to Entropic and Energetic Determinants of Equilibria in Chemical Systems

The equilibrium position of a chemical system is based on two distinct considerations, namely, the entropy and enthalpy differences between the states. Loaded dice provide a physical system for exploring the probability of observing different interconverting states on the basis of two distinct factors: the number of sides of the die (entropy) and the asymmetric distribution of mass in the die (gravitational potential energy). Although potential energy analogies such as pushing a rock up a hill have often been used for teaching differences in energy in chemistry, and dice have likewise often been used to explain entropy, such analogies can be unsatisfactory when entropic and enthalpic considerations favor different states. We present an activity that allows students to explore how potential energy and entropy together contribute to observed probability and then draw parallels to chemical systems. Students collect statistics for observed rolls of loaded dice, rationalize the different patterns as distinct states, and determine the difference in entropy between the states. These observations are then related to chemical reactions and to the definition of entropy. The effect of varying the loaded mass within the dice is related to the role enthalpy plays in determining equilibrium. This analogy and associated active learning exercises are applicable to a wide variety of college chemistry and physics courses; provide a hands-on approach to introducing concepts such as probability, entropy, and energy differences; and can be used to draw parallels to chemical reactions, enthalpy, and Gibbs free energy.
Videogame play and events are related to unhealthy emotion regulation in the form of low fading affect bias in autobiographical memory.

Abstract The Fading Affect Bias (FAB) is faster fading of unpleasant affect than pleasant affect. The FAB is negatively related to unhealthy outcomes and positively related to healthy outcomes. As videogames elicit strong emotions in players, we used retrospective methodology to examine the relation of the FAB to healthy and unhealthy variables for videogame and non-videogame events. We found robust FAB effects that were negatively related to unhealthy variables, which supported contemporary emotion regulation theories. Furthermore, the FAB was larger for non-videogame events than for videogame events, and frequent videogame play related to low FAB for videogame events; these results connected videogame play with poor emotion regulation. Unexpectedly, high levels of both gaming addiction and depression yielded high FAB. The complex FAB effects and the fact that rehearsal mediated them replicated past FAB findings across various events, and they extended these results to the context of videogames.
The impact of hospital volume on patient safety indicators following post-mastectomy breast reconstruction in the US

Despite the growing spotlight on value-based care and patient safety, little is known about the influence of patient-, reconstruction-, and facility-level factors on safety events following breast reconstruction. The purpose of this study is to characterize postoperative complications in light of hospital-level risk factors. Using the National Inpatient Sample, all patients who underwent free flap and prosthetic breast reconstruction from 2012 to 2014 were identified. Predictor variables included patient demographic and clinical characteristics, type and timing of reconstruction, annual hospital reconstructive volume, hospital bed size, hospital setting (rural vs. urban), and length of stay. Patient safety indicators (PSIs) were based on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s designation of preventable hospital complications: venous thromboembolism, bleeding, wound complications, pneumonia, and sepsis. Logistic models were used to analyze outcomes. The sample included 103,301 women, of which 27,695 (26.8%) underwent free flap reconstruction. 3.6% of patients experienced ≥ 1 PSI, most commonly wound PSI (4.9% and 2.5% for free flap and prosthetic reconstruction, respectively). Significant predictors of PSIs included rural setting (p 0.05). PSIs were associated with rural hospitals and greater comorbidities for patients undergoing reconstruction with free flaps. Annual reconstructive facility volume was not associated with adverse inpatient outcomes with either method of reconstruction.
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (CSF) but not interleukin-1 (IL- 1), IL-3, and granulocyte-macrophage CSF protect bone marrow progenitor cells from suppression by allosensitized cytotoxic T cells

The major immunological reactions after an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) are graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD can be prevented by T-cell depletion of the allogeneic BM graft, but the beneficial effect of T-cell depletion on the incidence of GVHD is counterbalanced by a higher incidence of graft failure. One option for the prevention of graft rejection after T-cell-depleted BM grafts is the administration of cytokines. Before applying cytokines after an allogeneic BMT, we considered it desirable to learn whether cytokines would alter the susceptibility of donor BM cells to host T cells. An in vitro assay was developed to investigate the role of the cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-3, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) on the interaction between allosensitized, cytotoxic-T cells (CTLs) and T-cell- depleted BM cells. CTLs primed against the BM donor suppressed the formation of colonies consisting of granulocytes and macrophages (colony-forming unit GM). Colony formation was not inhibited by CTLs sensitized against a third party. Accordingly, the number of colonies scored in cocultures with CTLs sensitized to third party antigens were designated as 0% inhibition. A 66% inhibition of colony formation was observed for untreated BM cells at an effector:target (E:T) ratio of 1:1. Pretreatment of the BM cells with the cytokines G-CSF, GM-CSF, IL- 1, and IL-3 resulted in a 38% (P = .001), 53%, 66%, and 68% inhibition of colony formation, respectively, at E:T ratios of 1:1. G-CSF reduced the susceptibility of BM cells over a range from 4:1 to 1:16 (E:T ratios). GM-CSF had only significant influence at the lower E:T ratios (1:4 and 1:16). These in vitro data indicate that G-CSF could protect BM cells from killing by allosensitized CTLs and suggest that administration of these cytokines might potentially reduce the susceptibility of T-cell-depleted allogeneic BM grafts to host T-cell- mediated rejection.
Studying Natural Selection in the Era of Ubiquitous Genomes

A major goal of comparative genomics research is modeling changes in DNA sequences between species to understand the evolutionary forces acting on species differences. Application of these models to a number of species over the past decade has revealed some commonalities across organisms, most notably a consistent role of positive selection in shaping the molecular evolution of the immune system. However, models of DNA sequence evolution also have important limitations that are increasingly being recognized, including issues with data quality and biases caused by simplifying assumptions. While new approaches have begun to address these challenges, ultimately, additional data, such as resequencing data from populations, will provide more power to fully understand the unique evolutionary forces acting on different species. In this review, I summarize the conclusions of recent genome-wide studies of selection, highlight some important challenges to applying these methods to large data sets, and discuss ways forward for the field.
Metabolic drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Abstract Background The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly increasing worldwide parallel to the global obesity epidemic. NAFLD encompasses a range of liver pathologies and most often originates from metabolically driven accumulation of fat in the liver, or non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). In a subset of NAFL patients, the disease can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is a more severe form of liver disease characterized by hepatocyte injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Significant progress has been made over the past decade in our understanding of NASH pathogenesis, but gaps remain in our mechanistic knowledge of the precise metabolic triggers for disease worsening. Scope of review The transition from NAFL to NASH likely involves a complex constellation of multiple factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the liver. This review focuses on early metabolic events in the establishment of NAFL and initial stages of NASH. We discuss the association of NAFL with obesity as well as the role of adipose tissue in disease progression and highlight early metabolic drivers implicated in the pathological transition from hepatic fat accumulation to steatohepatitis. Major conclusions The close association of NAFL with features of metabolic syndrome highlight plausible mechanistic roles for adipose tissue health and the release of lipotoxic lipids, hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL), and disruption of the intestinal barrier in not only the initial establishment of hepatic steatosis, but also in mediating disease progression. Human genetic variants linked to NASH risk to date are heavily biased toward genes involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism, providing compelling support for the hypothesis that NASH is fundamentally a metabolic disease.
Intranasal Immunization with Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Results in Long-Term Immunity to Bordetella pertussis in Mice.

Bordetella pertussis colonizes the respiratory mucosa of humans, inducing an immune response seeded in the respiratory tract. An individual, once convalescent, exhibits long-term immunity to the pathogen. Current acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines do not induce the long-term immune response observed after natural infection in humans. In this study, we evaluated the durability of protection from intranasal (i.n.) pertussis vaccines in mice. Mice that convalesced from B. pertussis infection served as a control group. Mice were immunized with a mock vaccine (phosphate-buffered saline [PBS]), aP only, or an aP base vaccine combined with one of the following adjuvants: alum, curdlan, or purified whole glucan particles (IRI-1501). We utilized two study designs: short term (challenged 35 days after priming vaccination) and long term (challenged 6 months after boost). The short-term study demonstrated that immunization with i.n. vaccine candidates decreased the bacterial burden in the respiratory tract, reduced markers of inflammation, and induced significant serum and lung antibody titers. In the long-term study, protection from bacterial challenge mirrored the results observed in the short-term challenge study. Immunization with pertussis antigens alone was surprisingly protective in both models; however, the alum and IRI-1501 adjuvants induced significant B. pertussis-specific IgG antibodies in both the serum and lung and increased numbers of anti-B. pertussis IgG-secreting plasma cells in the bone marrow. Our data indicate that humoral responses induced by the i.n. vaccines correlated with protection, suggesting that long-term antibody responses can be protective.
Healthy Intestinal Function Relies on Coordinated Enteric Nervous System, Immune System, and Epithelium Responses.

During both health and disease, a coordinated response between the epithelium, immune system, and enteric nervous system is required for proper intestinal function. While each system responds to a ...
Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer: Data to Support Surgical Decision Making.

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is thought be a unique entity with higher rates of multifocal/multicentric and bilateral disease. This study aimed to evaluate the true extent of the disease, risk of bilaterality, lymph node involvement, and impact of preoperative imaging to help guide surgical decision making. A retrospective analysis identified patients treated for ILC between 2004 and 2017. Clinical staging and pathologic results were compared. Follow-up details including local recurrence, contralateral breast cancer (CBC), and survival outcomes were evaluated. The study identified 692 patients with ILC, including 43 patients (6%) with a diagnosis of CBC and 232 patients (33%) with a diagnosis of multifocal/multicentric disease at presentation. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) led to an identification of additional disease in 20% of the patients. Preoperative MRI resulted in a more accurate prediction of tumor size staging but did not improve the discordance between clinical and pathologic nodal staging. Overall, the rate of imaging occult lymph node disease was 24%. At the 6-year follow-up evaluation, a local recurrence had developed in 2.3%, a CBC in 2.3, and a distant metastasis in 9.4% of the patients. The overall survival rate was 96% at 3 years and 91% at 5 years. Invasive lobular carcinoma is a distinct subset of cancer that poses a diagnostic staging challenge. The results of this study favor MRI for accurate tumor staging and for improving detection of multicentricity and bilaterality. However, clinicians should be aware of the higher likelihood of occult lymph node involvement with ILC and subsequent early metastasis.
Deciding: how special is it?

To decide to A, as I conceive of it, is to perform a momentary mental action of forming an intention to A. I argue that ordinary instances of practical deciding, so conceived, falsify the following...
The influence of magnetic fields on dielectric surface flashover

The influence of low-amplitude magnetic fields, in a variety of configurations, on pulsed dielectric surface flashover has been investigated. These variations include DC magnetic fields; pulsed magnetic fields simulating conditions for magnetic self-insulation; and different environments (vacuum, ambient, gas, plasma), geometries, dielectric materials, and orientations of the magnetic field. For field amplitudes of 0.3 T, typically a doubling of the flashover voltage is observed, if the E*B drift is away from the surface. For flashover in vacuum, it is sufficient to place permanent magnets in the cathode vicinity to increase the flashover voltage. The observations are consistent with the saturated surface secondary avalanche model and electron-induced gas desorption. The pulse shape of light emission during the prebreakdown phase depends on the orientation and amplitude of the magnetic field and shows that the electron trajectories above the surface are altered by magnetic fields. >
Tracheotomy in the management of obstructive sleep apnea

The mainstay of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been tracheotomy until the introduction of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). At present, while tracheotomy remains as last resort, it is well documented that it improves survival rates. In patients who cannot tolerate CPAP, fail upper airway surgery and weight loss, it can be life saving. Still, tracheotomy is not a procedure without complications; and with the added medical complexity of the OSA patient, the care of these patients require a team approach and diligent patient education. Tracheotomy should remain in the armamentarium of the sleep apnea surgeon as a possible treatment option with significant benefits.
Crystalline electric field effects in Ce M In 5 ( M = Co , Rh , Ir ) : Superconductivity and the influence of Kondo spin fluctuations

We have measured the crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations of the $\mathrm{Ce}M{\mathrm{In}}_{5}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}(M=\mathrm{Co},\mathrm{Rh},\mathrm{Ir})$ series of heavy fermion superconductors by means of inelastic neutron scattering. In each case, the CEF excitations are considerably broadened, due to Kondo hybridization of the localized $f$-moments with the conduction electrons. Fits to a phenomenological CEF model reproduce the inelastic neutron scattering spectra and the high-temperature magnetic susceptibility. We also present calculations within the noncrossing approximation (NCA) to the Anderson impurity model, including the effect of CEF level-splitting for the inelastic neutron scattering spectra and the magnetic susceptibility. Our results indicate that the CEF level-splitting in all three materials is similar, and can be thought of as being derived from the cubic parent compound $\mathrm{Ce}{\mathrm{In}}_{3}$ in which an excited state quartet at $\ensuremath{\sim}12\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$ is split into two doublets by the lower symmetry of the tetragonal environment of the $\mathrm{Ce}M{\mathrm{In}}_{5}$ materials. The evolution of the superconducting transition temperatures in the different members of $\mathrm{Ce}M{\mathrm{In}}_{5}$ can be understood as a direct consequence of the strength of the $4f$\char21{}conduction electron hybridization.
The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900–1914 – By Philipp Blom

The author of this book asks his readers in the introduction to imagine the last years of Europe before World War I without the knowledge that the war was imminent. Thus Vertigo Years is clearly no...