cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does pregnancy accelerate the rate of progression of diabetic retinopathy

Pregnancy may be associated with a number of ocular changes, including the development of new ocular conditions or modifications of existing conditions. The most common ocular condition modified by pregnancy is diabetic retinopathy. Pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of development and progression of diabetic retinopathy. The factors associated with its progression include the pregnant state itself, duration of diabetes, amount of retinopathy at conception, blood glucose control, and the presence of coexisting vascular disease. Although the rate of regression of diabetic retinopathy at the end of pregnancy or the postpartum period is high, careful monitoring of these patients is necessary to optimize both the vision and pregnancy outcomes.
Sex and Attitudes toward Eight Major Disabilities

Although all disabilities may produce or be accompanied by varying degrees of emotional impact, some disabilities may have more disturbing effects than others. It is important, therefore, for individuals preparing for a career in rehabilitation counseling to become sensitized to the psychological and emotional impact of the various major disabilities, that is, to determine their perception of the severity of various disabling conditions. At Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 32 graduate students preparing for a career in rehabilitation counseling were asked to rank eight major disabilities in the order such disabilities might be felt to be disturbing to them if they had them. There were 15 men and 17 women in this group. The results were as follows:
Racism in Black and White

Racism is an elusive, emotional, and historically pervasive fact of American society. In contemporary society, the problems heretofore viewed in the context of a historical legacy that includes involuntary slavery, constitutional denial of equal rights, legal support of second-class citizenship, and ubiquitous and various forms of physical, emotional, social, economic, and psychological exploitation and oppression of black Americans of African descent are now normalized as problems of equal opportunity for minorities. The use of the term minority denotes an expansive confluence of disadvantage associated with being different in any of numerous ways, including physical or mental disability, nonnormative sexual preference, the status of being an immigrant or refugee, aged, chronic poverty, and ethnicity characterized by color. In addition, being female, although not a condition of minority status, does often qualify for being included among the less advantaged.
Combustion of Methane over Palladium-Based Catalysts: Support Interactions

Palladium-based catalysts are attractive for methane combustion at low temperatures, although deactivation is an issue, making it important to understand the mechanism for the catalytic combustion reaction. Support effects on the catalytic combustion reaction were investigated at temperatures below 450 °C using continuous flow of CH4 plus 16O2 or 18O2 over various combinations of isotopically labeled PdO/metal oxide catalysts. Our experimental results are consistent with a PdO/Pd redox combustion mechanism. However, the oxide supports are also shown to provide oxygen for the catalytic combustion reaction. Pd/PdO serves as a porthole for gas phase oxygen to dissociate, migrate to the oxide support, and exchange with oxygen from the oxide support. The migration and exchange process allows oxygen that was originally bonded to the support to participate in the catalytic combustion reaction. Water, a reaction product, inhibits the exchange of oxygen between the support and PdO. The rate of oxygen exchange is t...
Nanoscale spatial distribution of thiolated DNA on model nucleic acid sensor surfaces.

The nanoscale arrangement of the DNA probe molecules on sensor surfaces has a profound impact on molecular recognition and signaling reactions on DNA biosensors and microarrays. Using electrochemic...
Abstract 4911: Aggressive variants isolated from human pancreatic cancer passaging in mice are enriched in stem cell markers and PEAK1 expression.

A more aggressive variants of the human pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC-3 were generated by serially passaging primary pancreatic tumors in nude mice. Changes in tumorigenicity, proliferation, stem cell markers, PEAK1 expression and survival were determined. Orthotopic mouse models of human pancreatic cancer were established by injecting 1x10 6 BxPC-3-RFP pancreatic cancer cells into the pancreas of nude mice. Primary pancreatic tumors were harvested from premorbid mice to establish cell lines. The established cell line (10 6 ) was orthotopically injected into another set of mice. This cycle was repeated five times. Cells (10 6 ) of the sixth serially passaged cell line (P6) were orthotopically implanted into mice and monitored with weekly whole body fluorescence imaging. FACS and qPCR analysis were performed on primary and metastatic lesions for stem cell markers and PEAK1 expression. In a second group of mice, the parental (P0) and P6 cell lines were injected subcutaneously at different cell numbers (10 2 , 5 x 10 2 , 10 3 , 10 4 , 10 5 cells) to determine the minimum cell number that would produce a tumor. At 6 weeks, the tumors were harvested and weighed. The BxPC-3-RFP P6 variant had more rapid primary tumor growth and shortened overall survival in mice compared to the parental cell line (52.2±SE3.1 days vs 115.4±SE10.2 days, respectively, p 2 cells had tumor growth at 6 weeks compared to 0/5 mice injected with 10 2 cells of the P0 cell line (p=0.025). The P6 cell line also resulted in larger tumors at 6 weeks compared to the P0 cell line (102.2±28.5 mg vs 11.0±4.1 mg, respectively, p=0.002). qPCR evaluation demonstrated enrichment of stem cell markers (CD24, CD44, EpCAM) and PEAK1 expression in the P6 cell line compared to P0 cell line, by 4.6-, 15-, 4.2- and 16.3-fold, respectively. FACS demonstrated an increase in CD24+/CD44+/EpCAM+ cells from 69% in the parental cell line to 97.1% in the P6 cell line. In conclusion, serial passaging of tumor allows for in vivo selection of a more aggressive variant of the human pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC-3 associated with an enrichment in stem cell markers and an increase in PEAK1 expression. Citation Format: Cristina A. Metildi, Sharmeela Kaushal, Jan Strnadel, Tracy Wright, Jonathan A. Kelber, Richard L. Klemke, Robert M. Hoffman, Michael Bouvet. Aggressive variants isolated from human pancreatic cancer passaging in mice are enriched in stem cell markers and PEAK1 expression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4911. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4911
The Phytophagous Insect Fauna of the Ragweed, Ambrosia acanthicarpa , in Southern California

Phytophagous insects representing 7 orders, 31 families, and 87 species are reported as comprising the insect fauna of Ambrosia acanthicarpa Hooker (Compositae) in southern California. Most insects found attacking this native ragweed were euryphagous, ectophagous, sap– and foliage-feeding species. About a third reproduced on this plant. Fourteen (19%) of the 73 identified associates were stenophagous species, their host plants apparently confined to the tribe Heliantheae. About a third of these identified associates were minor or major pests of cultivars.
Cementing the evidence: time for a randomized trial of vertebroplasty.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a technique for treating low back pain that appears to be rapidly disseminating throughout the United States, and now O’Brien et al (page 1555) add their series of six patients to the literature in this issue of the AJNR. Yet, there are still no randomized,
HYALURONIC ACID TREATMENT FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a leading cause of chronic disability in the United States. It is a heterogeneous condition that causes pathogenic changes that are presumably irreversible. In many cases, knee pain is often progressive and leads the patient to seek medical attention. Pharmacologic and nonmedicinal treatments are, in most cases, only modestly successful in relieving pain. Hyaluronic acid (HA) functions as the backbone of the proteoglycan aggregates necessary for the functional integrity of articular cartilage of the knee. Two drugs made up of HA derivatives have recently become available for patients in whom simple analgesics and conservative non-pharmacologic therapy have failed. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and medical management of osteoarthritis of the knee, with an emphasis on the physiologic and pharmacologic mechanisms of HA. Health care providers may administer HA via intra-articular injection in primary care, rheumatologic or orthopedic settings, or they may refer their patients to specialists for consultation.
Arnauld's Verbal Distinction between Ideas and Perceptions

In his dispute with Malebranche about the nature of ideas, Arnauld endorses a form of direct realism. This appears to conflict with views put forward by Arnauld and his collaborators in the Port-Royal Grammar and Logic where ideas are treated as objects in the mind. This tension can be resolved by a careful examination of Arnauld's remarks on the semantics of ‘perception’ and ‘idea’ in light of the Port-Royal theory of language. This examination leads to the conclusion that Arnauld's ideas really are objects in the mind, and not perceptual acts as many commentators hold. What Arnauld denies is that these mental objects are really distinct from the external objects they represent. Instead, Arnauld holds that, by the act of conception, the external objects themselves—not copies—come to be present in the mind and are therefore called ‘ideas’.
Model development for the dynamic analysis of the OSU inherently safe reactor. Part 1

Faculty and students in the Nuclear Engineering Program at the Ohio State University (OSU) have proposed a conceptual design for an inherently safe 340 MWe power reactor. The design is based on the state-of-the-art technology of LWRs and the High Temperature Gas- cooled Reactors (HTGRs). The OSU Inherently Safe Reactor (OSU-ISR) concept uses shorter than standard BWR fuel elements in the reactor core. All the fluid on the primary side is contained within a Prestressed Concrete Reactor Vessel (PCRV). This important feature significantly reduces the probability of a LOCA. A new feature of the OSU-ISR is an operator independent steam driven Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) housed within the PCRV. In accident conditions where the steam generators are incapacitated, steam from the core drives a jet injector, which takes water from the suppression pool and pumps it into the core cavity to maintain core coverability. The preliminary analysis of the concept was performed as a design project in the Nuclear Engineering Program at the OSU during the Spring of 1985, and published in ``Nuclear Technology.`` The use of a PCRV for ducting and containment and the replacement of forced recirculation with natural circulation on the primary side significantly improve themore » inherent safety of the plant. Currently, work is in progress for the refinement of the OSU-ISR concept, partially supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.« less
Does the Urinary Microbiome Play a Role in Urgency Urinary Incontinence and Its Severity

Objectives: Traditionally, the urinary tract has been thought to be sterile in the absence of a clinically identifiable infection. However, recent evidence suggests that the urinary tract harbors a variety of bacterial species, known collectively as the urinary microbiome, even when clinical cultures are negative. Whether these bacteria promote urinary health or contribute to urinary tract disease remains unknown. Emerging evidence indicates that a shift in the urinary microbiome may play an important role in urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). The goal of this prospective pilot study was to determine how the urinary microbiome is different between women with and without UUI. We also sought to identify if characteristics of the urinary microbiome are associated with UUI severity. Methods: We collected urine from clinically well-characterized women with UUI (n=10) and normal bladder function (n=10) using a transurethral catheter to avoid bacterial contamination from external tissue. To characterize the resident microbial community, we amplified the bacterial 16S rRNA gene by PCR and performed sequencing using Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were processed using the workflow package QIIME. We identified bacteria that had differential relative abundance between UUI and controls using DESeq2 to fit generalized linear models based on the negative binomial distribution. We also identified relationships between the diversity of the urinary microbiome and severity of UUI symptoms with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: We successfully extracted and sequenced bacterial DNA from 95% of the urine samples and identified that there is a polymicrobial community in the female bladder in both healthy controls and women with UUI. We found the relative abundance of 14 bacteria significantly differed between control and UUI samples. Furthermore, we established that an increase in UUI symptom severity is associated with a decrease in microbial diversity in women with UUI. Conclusions: Our study provides further characterization of the urinary microbiome in both healthy controls and extensively phenotyped women with UUI. Our results also suggest that the urinary microbiome may play an important role in the pathophysiology of UUI and that the loss of microbial diversity may be associated with clinical severity.
Nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling in cardiovascular therapeutics

A promotes accumulation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in cardiomyocytes leading to contractile dysfunction and cardiac abnormalities, which increases cardiovascular diseases in the elderly. Inducible antioxidant pathways are regulated by nuclear erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) through antioxidant response cis-elements (AREs) and are impaired in the aging heart. Acute exercise stress (AES) activates Nrf2 signaling and promotes myocardial antioxidant function in young mice (~2 months), but aging mouse (>23 months) hearts exhibit significant oxidative stress and cardiac hypertrophy due to impaired Nrf2 signaling. Under basal physiological conditions, disruption of Nrf2 showed minimal effects on antioxidant defenses in young Nrf2-/mice. Interestingly, mRNA and protein levels of antioxidants were dramatically (*p<0.001) decreased in Nrf2-/when compared to WT at 2 months of age, suggesting central regulation of defense mechanisms occurs through Nrf2. Further analyses showed that the aged mice had a significant increase in ROS along with a decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels and impaired antioxidants in Nrf2-/when compared to WT. Disruption of Nrf2 appears to induce oxidative stress (increased ROS, HNE-positive proteins), ubiquitination and pro-apoptotic signals in the heart of aging mice. Subsequent pharmacological induction/activation of Nrf2 prevented the deleterious effects of oxidative stress and aging. Our findings conclude that though the loss of Nrf2 is not amenable at younger age; it could severely affect the myocardial antioxidant defenses upon aging. Thus, Nrf2 signaling might be a potential therapeutic target to protect the heart from age-dependent accumulation of ROS by rescuing redox homeostasis to prevent age-related cardiac disorders. Namakkal S. Rajasekaran, Clinic Pharmacol Biopharmaceut 2013, 2:3 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2167-065X.S1.002
Prevalence of calcified carotid artery atheromas on panoramic images of older men with gout: a descriptive retrospective study.

Objectives:Given the enhanced risk of ischaemic stroke resulting from the direct effects of hyperuricaemia on vascular plaque formation seen among older males with gout, we sought to determine the prevalence of calcified carotid artery atheromas (CCAAs) on their panoramic images (PIs).Methods:Medical record librarians identified all male patients over 45 years, who had a diagnosis of gout and a PI incidentally obtained between 2000 and 2015. The prevalence rate of CCAA on technically appropriate images was determined, as were these patients' atherogenic risk profiles including: age, body mass index, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Comparisons of atherogenic risk factors were made between this cohort and those without CCAA.Results:Of the 531 patients with gout, 163 patients were adjudicated to be CCAA+ (the panoramic image demonstrates a calcified carotid artery atheroma). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that a comorbid diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or dyslipidaemia, or advancing age was determi...
Pumpless Extracorporeal Support of the Preterm Infant: Bridging Fetal and Postnatal Physiology

Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal mortality and childhood morbidity and remains an unsolved clinical challenge despite advances in neonatal care. The preterm infant needs to be supported in an extracorporeal system physiologically analogous to the sterile fluid intrauterine environment. This would support ongoing growth and organ maturation with the potential to substantially improve survival and reduce morbidity. A physiologic system would require the ability to achieve gas exchange via the umbilical circulation, with the fetal heart acting as the pump that drives circuit flow. Previous efforts at developing such a system have borrowed from conventional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation technology, with the application of external pump-driven circuits to support fetal perfusion. These have demonstrated proof in principle of extracorporeal maintenance of fetal survival but have failed to achieve physiologic homeostasis or the long-term stability required for clinical application. Our laboratory has developed a system for extracorporeal support of the preterm infant, which we call EXtracorporeal Transitional Environment for Neonatal Development (EXTEND). Using this system, we have now achieved stable support of fetal lambs that are developmentally equivalent to the 22- to 24-week gestational age human infant for up to 4 weeks with stable hemodynamics, growth, and development. The achievement of long-term physiologic extracorporeal support of the extremely preterm infant has the potential to fundamentally change the management and clinical outcomes of this population.
Effect of Incident Light Direction and Metallic Reflector Layer on Light Sensing of Amorphous Silicon Pin Diodes

The performance of the amorphous silicon a-Si:H pin diode with respect to the wavelength, the incident direction, and the absorption of the light has been studied. Three types of LED lights, i.e., red, green, and blue, were used as the incident lights. The aluminum film was deposited above or below of the ITO electrode as the light reflector. The diode was exposed to the illumination light through the p+ or n+ layer. The external quantum efficiency was used as the reference to discuss the device performance.
Modification of the Poly(bisdodecylquaterthiophene) Structure for High and Predominantly Nonionic Conductivity with Matched Dopants

Four p-type polymers were synthesized by modifying poly(bisdodecylquaterthiophene) (PQT12) to increase oxidizability by p-dopants. A sulfur atom is inserted between the thiophene rings and dodecyl chains, and/or 3,4-ethylenedioxy groups are appended to thiophene rings of PQT12. Doped with NOBF4, PQTS12 (with sulfur in side chains) shows a conductivity of 350 S cm–1, the highest reported nonionic conductivity among films made from dopant–polymer solutions. Doped with tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ), PDTDE12 (with 3,4-ethylenedioxy groups on thiophene rings) shows a conductivity of 140 S cm–1. The converse combinations of polymer and dopant and formulations using a polymer with both the sulfur and ethylenedioxy modifications showed lower conductivities. The conductivities are stable in air without extrinsic ion contributions associated with PEDOT:PSS that cannot support sustained current or thermoelectric voltage. Efficient charge transfer, tighter π–π stacking, and strong intermolecular coupli...
Choosing Malpractice: A New Narrative for Limiting Physician Liability

Modern principles of patient autonomy and health care consumerism are at odds with medical malpractice law’s traditional skepticism towards the defenses of waiver and assumption of risk. Many American courts follow a patient-protective view, exemplified by the reasoning in the seminal Tunkl case, rejecting any attempts by physicians to relieve themselves of liability on the grounds of a patient’s agreement to assume the risk of malpractice. However, where patients pursue unconventional treatments that satisfy their personal preferences but that arguably fall outside the standard of care, courts have good reason to be more receptive to such defenses. This Article fills an important gap in the scholarly debate about whether patients and physicians should be able to contractually modify their default duties under tort law, demonstrating that two lines of rarely-acknowledged cases – dealing with experimental medical treatment and Jehovah’s Witness blood refusals – lend support to the principle that patients who choose malpractice should be limited in their right to tort recovery.
Attempting to change behaviors and aspirations in a HOPE VI neighborhood through a phantom homeowners’ association

The goals of Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (HOPE VI) housing virtually mandate that property managers attempt to change the norms and behaviors of residents, but most studies ...
Angels, Ghosts, and Cannibals: Essays on Art Education and Visual Culture

“Tavin’s most pressing concern is to challenge the field’s practices and advance art education, with the intent to problematize and revisit our own beliefs and foundations.”Angels, Ghosts, and Cann...
“Fighting and Cutting and Shooting, and Carrying On”: Saloons, Dives, and the Black “Tough” in Manhattan’s Tenderloin, 1890-1917:

Most historical studies of early twentieth-century American saloons focus on white ethnic immigrants and largely neglect black drinking dives. To understand the significance of saloons to African A...
The Importance of Blowing Snow to Antarctic Aerosols: Number Distribution and more than Source-Dependent Composition – results from the 2ODIAC campaign

Abstract. A fundamental understanding of the processes that control Antarctic aerosols is necessary in determining the aerosol impacts on climate-relevant processes from Antarctic ice cores to clouds. The first in situ observational online composition measurements by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) of Antarctic aerosols were only recently performed during the 2-Season Ozone Depletion and Interaction with Aerosols Campaign (2ODIAC) field campaign. 2ODIAC was deployed to sea ice on the Ross Sea near McMurdo Station over two field seasons: Austral spring-summer 2014 and winter-spring 2015. The results presented here focus on the overall trends in aerosol composition primarily as functions of air masses and local meteorological conditions. The results suggest that air mass back trajectories have little impact on either the absolute or relative concentrations of the aerosol constituents measured by (and inferred from) an AMS at a coastal location. However, when the data is parsed by wind speed, two observations become clear. First, a critical wind speed is required to loft snow from the surface, which, in turn, increases particle counts in all measured size bins. Second, this lofted (blowing) snow significantly increases both aerosol chloride and sodium. Further inspection of the AMS data shows that the increased chloride concentrations have distinctive signatures that differ from chloride measured at low wind speed. Also presented are the Cl:Na ratios of snow samples, aerosol filter samples, and non-chloride aerosol constituents measured by the AMS. Additionally, submicron aerosol iodine and bromine concentrations as functions of wind speed are also presented. The results presented here suggest that aerosol composition in coastal Antarctica is a strong function of wind speed and that the mechanisms determining aerosol composition are likely linked to blowing snow.
Extending deep structure

In a previous paper we defined the "deep structure" of a constraint satisfaction problem to be that set system produced by collecting the nogood ground instances of each constraint and keeping only those that are not supersets of any other. We then showed how to use such deep structure to predict where, in a space of problem instances, an abrupt transition in computational cost is to be expected. This paper explains how to augment this model with enough extra details to make more accurate estimates of the location of these phase transitions. We also show that the phase transition phenomenon exists for a much wider class of search algorithms than had hitherto been thought and explain theoretically why this is the case.
Word n-gram probability estimation from a Japanese raw corpus.

Statistical language modeling plays an important role in a state-of-the-art speech recognizer. The most used language model (LM) is word -grammodel, which is based on the frequency of words and word sequences in a corpus. In various Asian languages, however, words are not delimited by whitespace, so we need to annotate sentences with word boundary information to prepare a statistically reliable large corpus. In this paper, we propose a method for building an LM directly from a raw corpus. In this method, sentences in the raw corpus are regarded as sentences annotated with stochastic word boundary information. In the experiments, we compared the predictive powers of an LM built only from a segmented coprus and an LM built from the segmented corpus and a raw corpus. The result showed that we succeeded in reducing the perplexity by 42.9% using a raw corpus by our method.
Spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen cycling in northern Lower Michigan.

La variabilite dans l'espace et dans le temps, de la mineralisation et de la nitrification de l'azote a ete etudiee dans trois ecosystemes forestiers (deux erablieres differant par le sous-etage et la vegetation herbacee, et une chenaie), afin de determiner la possibilite d'extrapoler des informations ponctuelles sur le cycle de l'azote a une region geographique. La biomasse de l'etape dominant et l'accroissement annuel sont estimes a l'aide d'equations allometriques specifiques a chaque espece. La relation entre la composition en especes et le cycle de l'azote peut-etre etendue dans l'espace et fournir un modele general de la dynamique spatiale et temporelle des transformations de l'azote
The history of professionalism in anesthesiology.

Anesthesiology developed into a profession in the first third of the twentieth century with the establishment of professorships, training programs, board certification, and journals in anesthesiology and advances in delivering and in understanding the effects of anesthesia.
Fair Reliable Essay Examinations for a Problem Based Curriculum

We describe a process for a fair, modified, modified essay examination for first and second year problem based curriculum students. Students were required to submit lists of all learning issues studied. Learning issues shared by all students were used by faculty as a guide to constructing mandatory questions. Learning issues shared by some but not all students were used to construct optional questions. This process gave students control over a large but finite range of topics from which the faculty could chose a much smaller list of mandatory or optional questions. Faculty comprising the examination committee were all deeply involved in both curricular and evaluation development including grading of the examination questions. This arrangement yielded three outcomes: information based matching reform of both curriculum and evaluations; ownership of the scope and depth of examinations by students and of academic standards by faculty; reliability coefficients in the range 0.82 to 0.91. These results probably derived from a process that promoted a high level of congruence between faculty expectations and student scholarship.
Looking at Population Health Beyond "Male" and "Female": Implications of Transgender Identity and Gender Nonconformity for Population Health.

Looking beyond binary measurements of “male” or “female” can illuminate health inequality patterns that correspond to gender identity rather than biological sex. This study examines disparities in overall health among transgender men, transgender women, gender-nonconforming adults, and cisgender (nontransgender) men and women in the U.S. population. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 32 U.S. states and territories between 2014 and 2016 yield an analytic sample that identifies 2,229 transgender and gender-nonconforming adults and 516,753 cisgender adults. Estimates from logistic regression models, using cisgender men as a reference group, show that gender-nonconforming respondents have significantly higher odds of reporting poor self-rated health than any other gender identity group. Transgender men also display higher odds of reporting poor health in some models, corresponding to their relative socioeconomic disadvantage. I find no apparent health disadvantage among transgender women and a persistent, if slight, disadvantage among cisgender women. Gender-nonconforming respondents’ predicted probabilities of reporting poor health remain nearly twice as high as those of cisgender men after adjustments for demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors. Their persistent patterns of health-related disadvantage underscore the need for higher-quality data on gender-nonconforming respondents that account for sex assigned at birth.
Functional loss of Ccdc1 51 leads to hydrocephalus in a mouse model of primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder affecting normal structure and function of motile cilia, phenotypically manifested as chronic respiratory infections, laterality defects and infertility. Autosomal recessive mutations in genes encoding for different components of the ciliary axoneme have been associated with PCD in humans and in model organisms. The CCDC151 gene encodes for a coiled-coil axonemal protein that ensures correct attachment of outer dynein arm (ODA) complexes to microtubules. A correct arrangement of dynein arm complexes is required to provide the proper mechanical force necessary for cilia beat. Loss-of-function mutations in CCDC151 in humans leads to PCD disease with respiratory distress and defective left-right body asymmetry. In mice with the Ccdc151Snbl loss-of-function mutation (Snowball mutant), left-right body asymmetry with heart defects have been observed. Here, we demonstrate that loss of Ccdc151 gene function via targeted gene deletion in mice leads to perinatal lethality and congenital hydrocephalus. Microcomputed tomography (microCT) X-ray imaging of Ccdc151-β-galactosidase reporter expression in whole-mount brain and histological analysis show that Ccdc151 is expressed in ependymal cells lining the ventricular brain system, further confirming the role of Ccdc151 dysfunction in hydrocephalus development. Analyzing the features of hydrocephalus in the Ccdc151-knockout animals by microCT volumetric imaging, we observe continuity of the aqueduct of Sylvius, indicating the communicating nature of hydrocephalus in the Ccdc151-knockout animals. Congenital defects in left-right asymmetry and male infertility have been also observed in Ccdc151-null animals. Ccdc151 gene deletion in adult animals results in abnormal sperm counts and defective sperm motility.This article has an associated First Person interview with the joint first authors of the paper.
Data Dependencies Preserving Shuffle in Relational Database

This paper addresses the problem that database shuffling algorithms do not preserve data dependencies. We introduce an approach for preserving functional dependencies and data-driven associations during database shuffle. We use Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) decomposition for preserving functional dependencies. Given a relation R that is not in BCNF form, we recommend to decompose R into BCNF relations R1, ..., Rn. Each Ri (i = 1, ...,n) is shuffled then rejoined to create the shuffled relation. Our approach guarantees losslessness and preserves functional dependencies. Data-driven associations may also be lost during database shuffling. For this, we generate the transitive closure of attributes that are associated. We require that the associated attributed are shuffled together. We also present our theoretical and empirical results.
Investigation of the Dynamics of Liquid Cooling of 3D ICs

Although 3D IC technology can provide very high integration density, they suffer from having hotspots that may reach thousands of degrees. To manage this heat, it is necessary to study the dynamics of cooling and thermal behavior of the ICs. In this study, we report on the dynamics of microchannel liquid cooling using water, R22, and liquid nitrogen. The study shows that using diamond cooling blocks ensures normal operating temperature of 60 degrees centigrade or less, using any of the above coolants. Using SiO2 blocks, only liquid nitrogen can provide acceptable operating temperatures. The study shows also that liquid latent energy and inlet velocity play a major role in the cooling dynamics.
Scaling Effects on Ice Kinematics from Remote Sensing Data

It has been demonstrated that ice rheology may depend strongly on the ice concentration, thickness distribution, and the rate of deformation. To study ice rheology, the kinematics of the ice cover must first be determined. In this study, satellite imagery obtained from the NOAA AVHRR instrument is utilized to investigate the velocity field and the rate of deformation at different scales. The study region is the Sea of the Okhotsk. The results indicate that although the general trend of velocity field remains similar between scales, details of the velocity field are observed to be sensitive to scale. The derived strain-rate fields also show some dependence on the scale of observation. These results indicate that constitutive laws could be scale sensitive.
Evolution of care pathways for babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: integrating mechanistic and clinical process investigation, standardization, and collaborative study

Since initial descriptions of staged palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in the 1980's, much has been learned about the pathophysiology of the single ventricle circulation. New therapies that leverage systems biology and clinical derivatives have been developed. While in-hospital mortality and morbidity for babies with HLHS have continued to improve, there remains a long (and daresay winding) road ahead to achieve ideal outcomes. Important variation in even these abbreviated in-hospital metrics persists among institutions and currently utilized prediction models explain only a small amount of this variation. Moreover, long-term survival and neurodevelopmental health for patients with HLHS are infrequently reported and remain suboptimal despite improved in-hospital outcomes. This focused review will describe the evolution of national outcomes for HLHS over time and the potential factors motivating improved time-related mortality. Emerging modifiable risk-factors that hold promise in terms of moving the needle for long-term success, including social determinants of health and the delineation of genetic profiles, will be discussed. Specifically, this review will integrate contemporary data based on the first murine HLHS models that suggest a genetically elicited modular phenotype with environmental factors known to impact the initial durability of surgical therapies. A comprehensive approach to the management of HLHS, which leverages both proactive transplantation and hybrid palliation, in addition to traditional Norwood palliation, will be emphasized to extend and match management to the complete spectrum of patient risk-profiles. Finally, we will explore the critical role that national collaboratives and quality reporting initiatives have played in improving outcomes and shifting the focus to more meaningful long-term survival and neurodevelopment.
Smoking Is Associated with Sex-Specific Effects on Bone Microstructure in Older Men and Women.

Abstract Background: Smoking is a risk factor for fracture, but the mechanism by which smoking increases fracture risk is unclear. Methods: Musculoskeletal health was compared with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), trabecular bone score, and vertebral fracture assessment in current and past smokers and nonsmokers from a multiethnic study of adults ≥ age 65. Skeletal indices were adjusted for age and weight. Results: Participants (n = 311) were mean age (±SD) 76.1 ± 6.5 years, mostly female (66.0%) and non-white (32.7% black/39.4% mixed race/26.3% white). Mean pack-years was 34.6 ± 20.4. In men (n = 106), weight and BMI were lower (both p
Review of nuclear techniques for planetary science

Spaceflight instruments that measure the energy and intensity of gamma rays and neutrons emitted by the surfaces of planetary bodies have been included in planetary science missions since 1966. The...
Mechanical Unloading is Associated with Decreased DNA Content in Cardiomyocytes Independent of Nucleation State

ABSTRACT Background Cardiomyocytes increase DNA content in response to stress in humans. Proliferation has been reported in cardiomyocytes in failing hearts and following LVAD unloading which may represent a resolution of this process through cell division. However, cardiac recovery from LVAD is rare. Methods We quantified cardiomyocyte nuclear number, cell size, DNA content and the frequency of cell cycling markers by imaging flow cytometry from human subjects undergoing LVAD implantation or primary transplantation. Results Cardiomyocyte size was 15 percent smaller in unloaded versus loaded samples without differences in the percentage of mono-, bi, or multi-nuclear cells. DNA content per nucleus was significantly decreased in unloaded hearts versus loaded controls. Cell cycle markers, Ki67 and phosphohistone H3 (H3P) were not increased in unloaded versus failing samples. Conclusions Unloading of failing hearts is associated with decreased DNA content of nuclei independent of nucleation state within the cell. As these changes were associated with a trend to decreased cell size but not increased cell cycle markers, they may represent a regression of hypertrophic nuclear remodeling and not proliferation.
The Influence of Consumer Price Information on Retail Pricing and Consumer Behavior: Comment

that improved retail food price information during a five-week experimental period in Ottawa-Hull in 1974 caused (in relation to the control market) a reduction in price dispersion among the reported stores, a decline in the average level of prices, and an increase in consumer satisfaction (pp. 230-35). These conclusions, if substantiated, have considerable significance for public policy, especially during periods like the current one of rapidly rising food prices. We believe that the results reported in this study warrant a reappraisal because (a) the control in this study (Winnipeg) does not fulfill the statistical conditions normally required for a control, and (b) causality between price information and price movements is established through what we consider to be inadequate statistical procedures. We believe also that there are valid alternative explanations for the pricing behavior observed during the experiment and that causality cannot be inferred from the results presented by Devine and Marion (DM). The authors principally based their conclusions concerning the causal relationship between price information and average price levels on the following observed factors; prices declined more in the test area than in the "control" area (pp. 232-3), and price declines were greater during the six weeks after the beginning of the public price reporting project than occurred during the pre-information period, followed by an increase of 8.8% by the end of the research period (pp. 230, 232). The use of Winnipeg as a control is questionable because of notable differences in basic characteristics such as the four organization concentration ratio [84.2 in Winnipeg and 71.0 in Ottawa in 1973 (Mallen, table 3-5B)]. Additionally as Blake et al. state in relation to a project designed to replicate the DM study, "spurious effects could readily lead to mistaken conclusions if a single test market were compared with a single control market" (p. 27). A likely explanation for the observed decline in the DM index during the publication period is the coincidence of the reporting period with seasonal price declines in Ottawa-Hull. Seasonal declines are a common occurrence in Ottawa in October
Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Race in Dermatology

Coronavirus Disease 2019 disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic/Latino populations. Racial disparities inherently exist in dermatology because of underrepresentation of skin of color populations in literature, reduced access to care for minority populations, and low diversity within the specialty of dermatology itself. Lack of imagery in dermatology can have detrimental consequences for patients of color. Dermatologists should note and disseminate cutaneous manifestations of patients of color to combat current racial imbalances.
PLANT CELL MECHANOBIOLOGY: GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

The ability to sense and respond to physical forces is critical for the proper function of cells, tissues, and organisms across the evolutionary tree. Plants sense gravity, osmotic conditions, pathogen invasion, wind, and the presence of barriers in the soil, and dynamically integrate internal and external stimuli during every stage of growth and development. While the field of plant mechanobiology is growing, much is still poorly understood-including the interplay between mechanical and biochemical information at the single-cell level. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanical properties of three main components of the plant cell and the mechanoperceptive pathways that link them, with an emphasis on areas of complexity and interaction. We discuss the concept of mechanical homeostasis, or "mechanostasis", and examine the ways in which cellular structures and pathways serve to maintain it. We argue that viewing mechanics and mechanotransduction as emergent properties of the plant cell can be a useful conceptual framework for synthesizing current knowledge and driving future research.
Agency Costs and the Underlying Causes of Mispricing

We investigate the link between agency costs and equity mispricing. We find that mispricing is positively related with agency costs caused by divergent objectives between agents and owners in the presence of information asymmetry where managers discriminately have better/more information than owners. Our investigation extends previous studies arguing that information asymmetry is simply a key determinant of mispricing. We show that, for a given level of information asymmetry, conflicts of interest can substantially exacerbate mispricing. Furthermore, we find that stock option grants, originally intended to resolve conflicts of interest, actually exaggerate this problem, and thus lead to greater mispricing.
The axostat. II. Tests of underlying physical principles and results of preliminary clinical applications.

Abstract 1. 1. The axostat is a relatively simple instrument for rotating vector loops with respect to the “viewing” device. 2. 2. Experiments on an electrical model confirm the correctness of the underlying physical principles of the instrument. 3. 3. Methods are described whereby the axostat may be employed to determine the orientation of mean spatial vectors without the necessity of measuring the areas under electrocardiographic waves and complexes. 4. 4. The exceptional sensitivity of transition-point electrocardiograms to alterative factors, particularly rotatory, gives promise of one type of clinical application. 5. 5. Another form of clinical application may be the exploration in various pathologic conditions of “uncharted” areas in the Burger triangle.
Scalability of multi-junction organic solar cells for large area organic solar modules

We investigate the scalability of multi-junction organic photovoltaic cells (OPV) with device areas ranging from 1 mm2 to 1 cm2, as well as 25 cm2 active area solar modules. We find that the series resistance losses in 1 cm2 vs. 1 mm2 OPV cell efficiencies are significantly higher in single junction cells than tandem, triple, and four junction cells due to the lower operating voltage and higher current of the former. Using sub-electrodes to reduce series resistance, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of multi-junction cells is almost independent of area from 1 mm2 to 1 cm2. Twenty-five, 1 cm2 multi-junction cell arrays are integrated in a module and connected in a series-parallel circuit configuration. A yield of 100% with a deviation of PCE from cell to cell of <10% is achieved. The module generates an output power of 162 ± 9 mW under simulated AM1.5G illumination at one sun intensity, corresponding to PCE = 6.5 ± 0.1%, slightly lower than PCE of discrete cells ranging from 6.7% to 7.2%.
Removal of organic sulphur from bituminous coal: Use of the thermophilic organism Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

It has been shown that part of the organic sulphur from inorganic-sulphur-free bituminous coal samples can be removed by the thermophilic, facultative autotrophic, sulphur oxidizing organism Sulfolobus acidocal-darius. Nearly 44% of initial organic sulphur was removed from 10% coal slurries at 70 °C in about four weeks. The organism also oxidized dibenzothiophene (a refractory cyclic organic sulphur compound present in coal) and released sulphate ions into the medium.
Next-gen tissue: preservation of molecular and morphological fidelity in prostate tissue

Background: Personalization of cancer therapy requires molecular evaluation of tumor tissue. Traditional tissue preservation involves formalin fixation, which degrades the quality of nucleic acids. Strategies to bank frozen prostate tissue can interfere with diagnostic studies. PAXgene is an alternative fixative that preserves protein and nucleic acid quality. Methods: Portions of prostates obtained from autopsy specimens were fixed in either 10% buffered formalin or PAXgene, and processed and embedded in paraffin. Additional sections were immediately embedded in OCT and frozen. DNA and RNA were extracted from the formalin-fixed, PAXgene-fixed, or frozen tissue. Quantitative PCR was used to compare the quality of DNA and RNA obtained from all three tissue types. In addition, 5 μm sections were cut from specimens devoid of cancer and from prostate cancer specimens obtained at prostatectomy and fixed in PAXgene. They were either stained with hematoxylin and eosin or interrogated with antibodies for p63, PSA and p504. Results: Comparable tissue morphology was observed in both the formalin and PAXgene-fixed specimens. Similarly, immunohistochemical expression of the P63, PSA and P504 proteins was comparable between formalin and PAXgene fixation techniques. DNA from the PAXgene-fixed tissue was of similar quality to that from frozen tissue. RNA was also amplified with up to 8-fold greater efficiency in the PAXgene fixed tissue compared to the formalin-fixed tissue. Conclusions: Prostate specimens fixed with PAXgene have preserved histologic morphology, stain appropriately, and have preserved quality of nucleic acids. PAXgene fixation facilitates the use of prostatectomy tissue for molecular biology techniques such as next-generation sequencing.