cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Pharmacist and Physician Managed Annual Medicare Wellness Services

BACKGROUND: Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (AWV) are a benefit provided for Medicare beneficiaries to increase focus on wellness and preventive measures. Pharmacists can conduct AWVs, which offers a potential avenue for outpatient revenue generation. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: To compare a composite of interventions and screenings and revenue generated by a pharmacist with those made by a physician during a subsequent AWV. A report generated through the electronic health record was used to determine AWVs conducted by a pharmacist or 3 participating physicians from December 2013 to March 2016, including revenue generated. Through electronic chart review, documentation was accessed to quantify and categorize the number and types of referrals, health advice, laboratory tests, procedures, vaccinations, and screenings that were recommended during each patient’s AWV. OBSERVATIONS: The pharmacist performed 19 subsequent visits, and the 3 physicians performed 89 subsequent visits. Overall, the composite of interventio...
Discordance between original and central laboratories in ER and HER2 results in a diverse, population-based sample

To investigate the discordance between original and central laboratories in estrogen receptor (ER) status, in tumors originally deemed to be ER-negative, and in HER2 status in a diverse population-based sample. In a follow-up study of 1785 women with Stage I–III breast cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2007 in the Detroit and Los Angeles County SEER registry catchment areas, participants were asked to consent to reassessment of ER (in tumors originally deemed to be ER-negative) and HER2 status on archival tumor samples approximately four years after diagnosis. Blocks were centrally prepared and analyzed for ER and HER2 using standardized methods and the guidelines of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the College of American Pathologists. Analyses determined the discordance between original and central laboratories. 132 (31%) of those eligible for ER reassessment and 367 (21%) eligible for HER2 reassessment had archival blocks reassessed centrally. ER discordance was only 6%. HER2 discordance by immunohistochemistry (IHC) was 26%, but final HER2 results—employing FISH in tumors that were IHC 2+ at the central laboratory—were discordant in only 6%. Half of the original laboratories did not perform their own assays. Discordance between original and central laboratories in two large metropolitan areas was low in this population-based sample compared to previously reported patient samples. Centralization of testing for key pathology variables appears to be occurring in many hospitals. In addition, quality improvement efforts may have preceded the publication and dissemination of specialty society guidelines.
MEMBRANE LOCKING AND THE TOLERANT B CELL

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses membrane locking and the tolerant B cell. In a study described in the chapter, unimmunized mice and three other groups of CBA or BDF1 mice were examined. Immunized mice received intravenously 0.2 ml of 2% v/v TNP-conjugated sheep erythrocytes (TNP-S). Tolerized mice received 5 mg of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) intraperitoneally. The tolerized mice received TNBS 1 h before immunization with TNP-S. TNP-binding cells (TNP-ABC) were detected by centrifugation of 4 × 106 splenocytes in 100 μl with 100 μl of 2% v/v TNP-conjugated donkey erythrocytes (TNP-D) prepared. At 37°C, bound erythrocytes induce capping of receptors in about 30–40% of antigen binding cells if the convention is adopted that a cell that has shifted all bound antigen into 3/4 of its circumference or less is scored as having actively moved its receptors. It was found that colchicine at 10−4 M added to the rosette suspension prior to incubation at 37°C restores normal receptor movement in TNP-binding cells taken 4 days after TNBS alone or TNBS plus antigen challenge.
Linking chanelopathies with endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation

Bartter syndrome is caused by mutations in several salt-handling channels in the kidney, but the type II variety is particularly severe. The disease usually presents in utero with polyhydramnios, i...
An Initialization Process to Support Online Testing Based on Output Comparison for Identical Finite-State Machines

Identical instances of a logic block are included in a design to improve its performance or reliability. This allows instances at close proximity to be tested by comparing their output responses, alleviating the need to know which tests will be applied, or what the fault-free response is. This paper considers an approach to online testing where the primary output sequences of identical finite-state machines that receive the same primary input sequences are compared to detect faults. To address the hardware and delay overheads of bringing one of the machines to the same state as the other before starting the output comparison process, this paper describes an initialization process where only part of the state of one machine is loaded into the other, and subsequences of their common primary input sequences are used for completing the initialization process. A unique feature of this process is that it addresses the situation where the input sequences that are applied during online testing, and the initial state for output comparison, are unknown. With this initialization process it is possible to start the output comparison process at an arbitrary point during functional operation. Experimental results for benchmark circuits demonstrate the percentages of state variables who values need to be loaded from one machine to the other, the fault coverage that can be achieved by output comparison following initialization, and the occurrence of failures in the initialization process.
The spectrum of care for pediatric refugees and asylum seekers at a tertiary health care facility in Switzerland in 2015.

The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the epidemiology and spectrum of infections of admitted pediatric refugees and asylum seekers in a tertiary referral hospital in a high-income country in Europe. We identified recent refugees and asylum seekers < 18 years of age admitted to the University Children’s Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, in 2015. A retrospective analysis was performed using electronic patient records. We identified 105 admissions in 93 patients with a median age of 5.7 (IQR 2.6–14.5) years. Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan were the most frequent countries of origin. The median duration of admission was 4 (IQR 2–6) days with infections and elective surgical interventions being the most common reason (54.8 and 16.1%, respectively). Most infections were airway, skin, and gastrointestinal in 46.4, 20.2, and 11.9%, respectively. The prevalence of tropical infections was 11.9%. The main pathogens identified were influenza A virus (13.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (10.3%), and rhino/enterovirus (10.3%). Previous medical non-infectious conditions were recorded in 13%. Conclusion: The study revealed a high burden of infections in admitted patients mostly caused by well-known pathogens prevalent also in the local population. Both tropical infections and pre-existing non-infectious conditions are also important in admitted patients. Better epidemiological data is required to optimize health care for this medically most vulnerable population in refugee crises.
Programming Plus Subject Expertise: A Combined Approach for Approval Profile Modification

This article focused on the analysis of four years of circulation data from print monographs acquired through an approval plan and firm ordering and incorporated interlibrary loan data to compare p...
Non-toxic approach for treatment of breast cancer and its cutaneous metastasis: Capecitabine (Xeloda) enhanced photodynamic therapy in a murine tumor model

Breast cancer (BCA) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, with distant metastases to lung, liver, bone and skin occurring in approximately 40% of cases. Radiation therapy (RT) has been successfully employed for the treatment of BCA; however, multiple rounds of RT are associated with undesirable cutaneous side effects. This study explores PDT as a therapeutic alternative, to be given alone or in combination with RT and chemotherapy. Earlier, we had developed differentiation-enhanced combination photodynamic therapy (cPDT) using a neoadjuvant (5-fluorouracil; 5FU) prior to PDT. The neoadjuvant increases the levels of PpIX, leading to better efficacy following aminolevulinate (ALA)- based PDT. Here, to avoid the toxicity of systemic 5FU, we used a nontoxic 5FU precursor (Capecitabine; CPBN) in a new cPDT regimen. CBPN, a standard chemotherapeutic for BCA, is metabolized to 5FU specifically within tumor tissue. Murine (4T1) BCA cells were injected into breast fat pads of nude mice. CPBN was administered by oral gavage followed by intraperitoneal ALA and red light for PDT. CPBN pretreatment of 4T1 tumors led to increased tumor cell differentiation (3.5 fold), homogenous elevation of intratumoral PpIX levels (4.5 fold), and enhanced tumor cell death post-PDT (5 fold), relative to vehicle control. Using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS), a decline in tumor growth following CPBN-PDT was observed. Results showing the effect of CPBN-PDT on distant metastases of BCA to lung, lymph nodes and skin will be presented. In summary, CPBN-PDT, a novel combination approach, has a significant potential for translation into the clinic.
Unplanned pregnancies and contraceptive use among HIV- positive women in care.

Among 230,360 women with diagnosed HIV in the United States (U.S.), ~ 8,500 give birth annually, and unplanned pregnancies (as with HIV-negative women) are prevalent. However, unplanned pregnancies and contraceptive use among HIV-positive women have been understudied. To examine unplanned pregnancies and contraceptive use among HIV-positive women, we used 2013–2014 data from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), an HIV surveillance system that produces national estimates for HIV-positive adults in care in the U.S. (Pregnancy outcome dates were from years 1986–2015 for this cohort of women who were interviewed during 2013–2014; median year of reported pregnancy outcome was year 2003). Women in HIV care and diagnosed with HIV before age 45 (reproductive age) were included. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) of unplanned pregnancies with 95% confidence intervals (CI). For women who were aged 18–44 years at time of interview, we computed weighted prevalences of contraceptive use (previous 12 months) by method, including permanent (i.e., sterilization), short-acting (i.e., pills, depo-progesterone acetate (DMPA)), long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) (i.e., implants), and barriers (i.e., condoms). Six hundred seventy-one women met criteria for the unplanned pregnancy analysis; median age at HIV diagnosis = 24.6 years, and 78.1% (CI:74.5–81.7) reported ≥ 1 unplanned pregnancy. Women reporting unplanned pregnancies were more likely to be non-Hispanic white (aPR = 1.20; CI 1.05–1.38) or non-Hispanic black (aPR = 1.14; CI 1.01–1.28) than Hispanic, to be above the poverty level (aPR = 1.09; CI 1.01–1.18), and to have not received care from an OB/GYN in the year before interview (aPR = 1.13; CI 1.04–1.22). Among 1,142 total pregnancies, 795 (69.6%) were live births; 70 (7.8%) were born HIV-positive; 42 (60%) of those born HIV-positive were unplanned pregnancies. For the contraceptives analysis (n = 957 women who were aged 18–44 at time of interview), 90.5% reported using at least one contraceptive, including 59.7% reporting barrier methods, 29.9% reporting permanent sterilization, and 22.8% reporting short-term methods in the previous year. LARC was used by only 5.3% of women. Women who reported use of LARC or DMPA were more likely to be aged 18–29 years (aPR = 3.08; CI 1.61–5.89) or 30–39 years (aPR = 2.86; CI 1.76–4.63) compared with women aged 40–44 years. Unplanned pregnancies were prevalent and LARC use was low; prevention efforts should strengthen pregnancy planning and contraceptive awareness for HIV-positive women during clinical visits.
Adaptive K-means image segmentation based on meta heuristic algorithm

In the presented paper, image segmentation based on K-means techniques is improved. This technique is used for grouping an image depends on main characteristic or similarity regions of an image. Therefore each group represents each image segment. Segmentation is an unsupervised learning process that has many utilities in image processing and data mining; however it is affliction by centroid selection. This paper proposes a Meta heuristic algorithm for the centroid selection of K-mean segmentation. The proposed adaptive K-means image segmentation based on meta-heuristic algorithm is capable of segmenting the regions of image. The meta-heuristic algorithm used here is Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Global Optimum Determination by Linking and Interchanging Kindred Evaluators (GODLIKE) which are very fast and efficient. Moreover, in order to test the efficiency of the proposed method, the results of the K-means image segmentation based on proposed method, GA PSO and GODLIKE are compared. The simulation results showed that the proposed method provides better output.
Anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Cesarean sections are the most common surgery worldwide. Single shot spinal anesthesia is the most utilized method for providing anesthesia for scheduled cesarean sections. Epidural catheters are most commonly used for unplanned cesarean sections when patients present from the labor and delivery floor requiring an abdominal delivery. General anesthesia for cesarean sections may be necessary due to contraindications to neuraxial anesthesia, patient preference, or time constraints. Complications from regional anesthesia include: maternal hypotension, failed or total spinal, local anesthetic systemic toxicity, post dural puncture headache, and neurologic injury. Anesthesia related maternal mortality is highest during cesarean delivery under general anesthesia secondary to failed intubation, inadequate oxygenation, inadequate ventilation, or pulmonary aspiration. Cesarean delivery under general anesthesia also has a high risk for intraoperative awareness. Table 51.1 provides a summary of anesthesia considerations in patients undergoing cesarean delivery.
Urticarial Syndromes and Autoinflammation

Recent genetic studies of urticaria have revealed distinct molecular pathways underlying different types of urticaria, and have defined several urticarial syndromes associated with autoinflammation. Although the cutaneous presentation of urticarial syndromes is strikingly similar, many of these syndromes involve diverse features of systemic inflammation and multiorgan involvement. These autoinflammatory syndromes lack the typical autoreactive lymphocytes or autoantibodies seen in autoimmune disease, instead marked by aberrant cytokine regulation. To date, the genetic basis for six autoinflammatory syndromes with urticaria has been elucidated and are reviewed here. Therapies targeting cytokine pathways have provided promising treatment for many of these autoinflammatory diseases.
Swimming Upstream: Calculating Table Lookups and Piecewise Functions

Publisher Summary This chapter presents table lookups and piecewise functions. Designing algorithms for a vector processor, helps to exploit its increased competence in familiar mathematical operations, but the difficulties of an ordinary computer remain for table lookup. This is because a decision about what to do is being made in table lookup. Table lookup is a common calculational operation in modern computational physics. Table lookup means locating a given value in an increasing array or table. Table lookup means locating a given value in an increasing array or table. This is a part of the evaluation of a function that has been defined in a piecewise manner or tabulated at a finite set of values.
Funding of the Essential Synergy Between Small and Large Telescopes

Since the 1956 Flower and Cook Symposium on the future of moderate-sized telescopes, such telescopes have contributed a substantial fraction of the important scientific results in astronomy. In addition, some of the significant science and discoveries produced by astronomers at large telescopes could have been made at smaller instruments at that time. When considered on a per dollar basis, the scientific productivity of smaller telescopes dominates the field Some small telescope myths, such as “small telescopes are best dedicated to large survey projects” are examined If “goodness” of science is defined in any terms other than its cost, smaller telescopes easily hold their own. Astronomy has a history of an essential synergy between small and large telescopes. This synergy can be maintained only if there are a reasonable number of well-maintained, well-instrumented smaller-sized telescopes. Recommendations for a small telescope budget and a refurbishment of the Schmidt telescopes at the national observatories are made. Two percent of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee decadal budget would provide well-instrumented facilities to the same number of astronomers who use the existing or approved large ground-based optical and infrared telescopes and add 50% to the amount of quality astronomy produced.
Effect of Charcoal in Cigarette Filters on Free Radicals in Mainstream Smoke

The addition of charcoal in cigarette filters may be an effective means of reducing many toxicants from tobacco smoke. Free radicals are a highly reactive class of oxidants abundant in cigarette smoke, and here we evaluated the effectiveness of charcoal to reduce free radical delivery by comparing radical yields from commercially available cigarettes with charcoal-infused filters to those without and by examining the effects of incorporating charcoal into conventional cigarette filters on radical production. Commercial cigarettes containing charcoal filters produced 40% fewer gas-phase radicals than did regular cellulose acetate filter cigarettes when smoked using the International Organization of Standardization (ISO, p = 0.07) and Canadian Intense (CI, p < 0.01) smoking protocols. While mean-particulate-phase radicals were 25–27% lower in charcoal cigarettes, differences from noncharcoal products were not significant (p = 0.06–0.22). When cellulose acetate cigarette filters were modified to incorporate ...
Optimal Routing Problems (ORTE) G(E∗) in TND

This is the second chapter in our optimization finale. It concerns routing in queueing networks which is one of the most fundamental problems in topological network design. We illustrate optimal routing optimization in the design of queues, processes, and queueing networks where we examine blocking then transportation and loss networks. Figure 8.1 illustrates a general network topology where optimal routing is critical at many junctions. Access and egress problems are fundamental routing problems in most facilities and urban environments. We have already examined briefly the routing problem in product-form and non-product-form networks with infinite buffers in Chapters 5 and 6 We illustrate the problem with a number of applications and tie together the theory of queues and algorithms for the solution of a number of instances of optimal routing (ORTE) problems. Open image in new window Fig. 8.1 Routing problems
Early Hospital Readmission in Older and Younger Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND Up to 31% of kidney transplant (KT) recipients experience early hospital readmission (EHR). We hypothesized that EHR among older KT recipients is higher than younger recipients due to increased comorbidities and higher prevalence of frailty. METHODS We identified 22,458 older (age ≥65) and 86,372 younger (18 to < 65) first-time KT recipients (December 1, 1999 - December 31, 2014) using United States Renal Data System data. We estimated the association between patient-level characteristics and EHR (30 days post-KT discharge) with modified Poisson regression among older and younger KT recipients, separately. We estimated the association between graft loss and mortality and EHR using Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS EHR was more common in older KT recipients (30.1 vs. 27.6%; p < 0.001). Risk factors for EHR that differed by recipient age included female sex, African American race, diabetes, smoking, dialysis vintage, donor age, and length of stay. Risk of graft loss associated with EHR was greater among older KT recipients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.64, 95% CI 1.51-1.77, p < 0.001) than younger KT recipients (aHR 1.43, 95% CI 1.38-1.48, p < 0.001; interaction p < 0.01). However, the risk of mortality associated with EHR was greater among younger recipients (aHR 1.52, 95% CI 1.47-1.57, p < 0.001) than that in older -recipients (aHR 1.40, 95% CI 1.34-1.47, p < 0.001; interaction p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Older KT recipients are more likely to experience EHR and are at a higher risk of graft loss after EHR than younger recipients. Targeted interventions to prevent EHR and subsequent graft loss in this population should be identified.
Local DNA Base Conformations and Ligand Intercalation in DNA Constructs Containing Optical Probes.

Abstract Understanding local conformations of DNA at the level of individual nucleic acid bases and base pairs is important for elucidating molecular processes that depend on DNA sequence. Here, we apply linear absorption and circular dichroism measurements to the study of local DNA conformations, using the guanine base analog 6-methyl isoxanthopterin (6-MI) as a structural probe. We show that the spectroscopic properties of this probe can provide detailed information about the average local base and basepair conformations as a function of the surrounding DNA sequence. Based on these results we apply a simple theoretical model to calculate the circular dichroism spectra of 6-MI-substituted DNA constructs and show that our model can be used to extract information about how the local conformations of the 6-MI probe are influenced by the local base or basepair environment. We also use this probe to examine the pathway for the insertion (intercalation) of a tethered acridine ligand (9-amino-6-chloro methoxyacridine) into duplex DNA. We show that this model intercalator interacts with duplex DNA by a “displacement insertion intercalation” mechanism, whereby the acridine moiety is inserted into the DNA structure and displaces the base located opposite its attachment site. These findings suggest that site-specifically positioned base analog probes can be used to characterize the molecular and structural details of binding ligand effects on local base stacking and unstacking reactions in single- and double-stranded DNA and thus may help to define the molecular mechanisms of DNA-protein interactions that involve the site-specific intercalation of aromatic amino acid side chains into genomic DNA.
Radical “Boyhood” Futures for the Twenty-First Century, or, Pinocchio (Finally) Gets His Phallus

ABSTRACTThis article considers radical “boyhood” futures for the twenty-first century and the ways transmasculine subjects are creating exuberant, phallic subjectivities through working the gap bet...
Quality improvement: patient education for management of hypertension in pregnancy

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of interactive education tools for hypertension in pregnancy.Two interactive education tools were introduced.Methods: Pregnant women with hypertension completed questionnaires before (Pre-I) and after)Post-I) the intervention.Providers rated satisfaction and effectiveness of the education methods.Results: The Post-I group (N=45) showed slight improvement on both Perceived (4.5±0.7) and Actual knowledge (2.2 ± 1.0) compared to the Pre-I group (N=45; Perceived: 4.2±1.0; Actual: 1.7±1.3; p<.05) .Providers reported higher satisfaction after the intervention (2.6±1.1 vs 4.1±0.7; p <.001).iscussion: The intervention increased patients' knowledge and providers rating of patient knowledge, and decreased the time needed for patient education.
Medication adherence: Importance, issues and policy: A policy statement from the American Heart Association

Medications do not work in patients who do not take them. This true statement highlights the importance of medication adherence. Providers are often frustrated by the lack of consistent medication adherence in the patients they care for. Today with the time constraints that providers face, it becomes difficult to discover the extent of non-adherence. There are certainly many challenges in medication adherence not only at the patient-provider level but also within a healthy system and finally in insurers and payment systems. In a cross-sectional survey of unintentional nonadherence in over 24,000 adults with chronic illness, including hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, 62% forgot to take medications and 37% had run out of their medications within a year. These sobering data necessitate immediate policy and systems solutions to support patients in adherence. Medication adherence for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has the potential to change outcomes, such as blood pressure control and subsequent events. The American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) has a goal of improving medication adherence in CVD and stroke prevention and treatment. This paper will explore medication adherence with all its inherent issues and suggest policy and structural changes that must happen in order to transform medication adherence levels in the U.S. and achieve the AHA/ASA's health impact goals.
Subcutaneous nodules and dermatitis associated with non-immitis non-repens dirofilariosis morphologically consistent with Dirofilaria striata in a 2-year-old male domestic cat in Florida, USA

A 2-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat from Florida, USA, presented with a one-month history of multiple subcutaneous nodules affecting the entire body. Dermatohistopathology revealed nodular to diffuse, eosinophilic, histiocytic, and mastocytic dermatitis and panniculitis with collagen flame figures, and many nematode larvae and adults within nodules and migration tracts. The worms were morphologically consistent with Dirofilaria striata. The serum antibody test was positive for D. immitis with a negative antigen assay result (both with and without heat treatment), and microfilariae were not recovered by a modified Knott's test. PCR and sequencing of 18S rRNA and mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I genes confirmed the presence of a Dirofilaria spp. Unfortunately, there is no available reference sequence or material for D. striata for comparison. The cat was treated with monthly topical 10% imidacloprid/1% moxidectin. Lesions clinically resolved within one month, but new lesions appeared on different locations despite the monthly treatment. Resolution occurred without changing the treatment regimen, as no additional nodules were noted after 1 year. This Dirofilaria sp. may cause subcutaneous nodules in the domestic cat and should be included in the differential diagnosis for felines with nodular dermatitis, and is present in Florida.
Incomplete response to Anti-VEGF therapy in neovascular AMD: Exploring disease mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs have revolutionized the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). However, many patients suffer from incomplete response to anti-VEGF therapy (IRT), which is defined as (1) persistent (plasma) fluid exudation; (2) unresolved or new hemorrhage; (3) progressive lesion fibrosis; and/or (4) suboptimal vision recovery. The first three of these collectively comprise the problem of persistent disease activity (PDA) in spite of anti-VEGF therapy. Meanwhile, the problem of suboptimal vision recovery (SVR) is defined as a failure to achieve excellent functional visual acuity of 20/40 or better in spite of sufficient anti-VEGF treatment. Thus, incomplete response to anti-VEGF therapy, and specifically PDA and SVR, represent significant clinical unmet needs. In this review, we will explore PDA and SVR in NVAMD, characterizing the clinical manifestations and exploring the pathobiology of each. We will demonstrate that PDA occurs most frequently in NVAMD patients who develop high-flow CNV lesions with arteriolarization, in contrast to patients with capillary CNV who are highly responsive to anti-VEGF therapy. We will review investigations of experimental CNV and demonstrate that both types of CNV can be modeled in mice. We will present and consider a provocative hypothesis: formation of arteriolar CNV occurs via a distinct pathobiology, termed neovascular remodeling (NVR), wherein blood-derived macrophages infiltrate the incipient CNV lesion, recruit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) from the circulation, and activate MPCs to become vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and myofibroblasts, driving the development of high-flow CNV with arteriolarization and perivascular fibrosis. In considering SVR, we will discuss the concept that limited or poor vision in spite of anti-VEGF may not be caused simply by photoreceptor degeneration but instead may be associated with photoreceptor synaptic dysfunction in the neurosensory retina overlying CNV, triggered by infiltrating blood-derived macrophages and mediated by Muller cell activation Finally, for each of PDA and SVR, we will discuss current approaches to disease management and treatment and consider novel avenues for potential future therapies.
Black Soldiers, Public Memory, and the Recuperative Work of Historical Fiction in Alice Dunbar-Nelson’s “Esteve, the Soldier Boy”

In the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter in Jackson Square, Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), mounted on a battle horse and exuding confident resolve with hat in hand, acknowledges that he has led ...
The Role of College-Bound Friends in College Enrollment Decisions by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender:

This study examines the association between college-bound friends and college enrollment using restricted transcript data from the High School Longitudinal Study. Propensity score matching and scho...
On the existence of harmonic $Z_2$ spinors

We prove the existence of singular harmonic $\mathbf{Z}_2$ spinors on $3$‑manifolds with $b_1 \gt 1$. The proof relies on a wall-crossing formula for solutions to the Seiberg–Witten equation with two spinors. The existence of singular harmonic $\mathbf{Z}_2$ spinors and the shape of our wall-crossing formula shed new light on recent observations made by Joyce [Joy17] regarding Donaldson and Segal’s proposal for counting $G_2$-instantons [DS11].
A New People’s Press? Understanding Digital-Native News Sites in Latin America as Alternative Media

This triangulated study combines surveys of readers of digital-native news sites in Latin America with focus groups of journalists working at these sites to explore how the emerging media sphere of...
Cytosolic Calcium Transport During Myocardial Protection

Myocardial ischemia occurs as the result of attenuation or cessation of coronary blood flow such that oxygen delivery to the myocardium is insufficient to meet oxygen requirements (1,2). In global myocardial ischemia coronary blood flow is completely obstructed resulting in the termination of substrate delivery and the discontinuation of catabolite removal. While it is generally accepted that the cessation of coronary blood flow and thus, oxygen delivery is the initial step in the process leading to myocardial ischemic injury, the sequential progression of events following the initial insult remain controversial.
Librarians View Instruction as Integral to Their Professional Identities

Objective – To explore the ways that professional and non-professional library staff experience and relate to their instructional roles. Design – Online survey. Setting – All types of Canadian libraries, including public, school, post-secondary, medical, special, and other libraries. Subjects – A total of 788 library staff persons with instructional responsibilities. Methods – In 2009, the authors constructed a 20-minute anonymous survey that contained questions about the nature of librarians’ instructional work, their preparation for doing instruction, and their experiences as instructors. Subjects were recruited via several electronic mail lists. The authors used SPSS to analyze the quantitative data and NVivo to analyze the qualitative data. Main Results – The study found that the majority of subjects believed instruction to be integral to their professional identities, although some viewed it as an imposition. The nature of instructional work varied greatly, but included short presentations; a series of sessions; semester-length courses; and one-on-one instruction. Subjects prepared for instruction through on-the-job training; reading professional literature; attending workshops and conferences; taking a formal course in instruction; and other methods. On the whole, training helped library staff to feel more prepared for teaching and to embrace instructional work as integral to their professional identities. Study participants derived enjoyment from instruction in the form of satisfaction with facilitating student learning; relationship building; personal development; task variety; and appreciation of the heightened profile of library staff. Subjects also described several barriers to teaching, including administrative, technological, and logistical barriers; client and faculty interactions; and interpersonal challenges such as nervousness or lack of preparation. Finally, subjects described the ways that instruction has changed with the impact of new technologies, increased expectations, and changing pedagogical practices. Conclusion – Library administrators should support the teaching duties of librarians and library staff by helping to provide them with adequate preparation time, resources, emotional support, and training. In addition, formal preparation for instruction should be integrated into professional library training programs, including MLIS programs, to better prepare librarians and other library staff to participate in information literacy instruction.
Marine biodiversity of Costa Rica: Class Polychaeta (Annelida)

Three hundred and thirty two species of polychaetes belonging to 50 families are reported for Costa Rica based on previously published reports. In a few families, available material was re-examined and appropriate changes in species identifications were made. Only three species, (Glycera oxycephala Ehlers, 1887; Hemipodia pustulata (Friedrich 1956); and Scolepis (Scolepis) squamata (Muller, 1806)) have been reported from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and these three species have also been reported from the Pacific Coast. The families with more than 15 species are the Spionidae (26), Cirratulidae (24), Nereididae (21), Lumbrineridae (19) and Paraonidae (16). Despite extensive sampling on the Pacific coast over the last 25 years, the Costa Rican polychaete fauna, especially that of the Caribbean coast, remains poorly known.
Reading Between the Lies Empathic Accuracy and Deception Detection

The best way to understand what someone is thinking is usually to listen to what she is saying, but what if she is being dishonest? We examined how perceivers’ expectations of dishonesty moderated ...
Studies of the mechanism of demyelination. Regional differences in myelin stability in vitro.

—Incubation of slices of rat central nervous system in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer produced a lipoprotein fraction which floated on 10·5% sucrose after homogenization of the slices and centrifugation. This fraction was not found after homogenization and centrifugation of fresh tissue and appeared to depend upon incubation. The amount of the light fraction increased in the following order per 100-mg slice: cerebrum < thalamic area < cerebellum < brain stem < spinal cord. The lipid composition of this fraction was similar to that of myelin, but contained a lower protein content compared to myelin of the corresponding area. This fraction was termed ‘dissociated myelin’. Upon incubation of slices a portion of the basic protein was lost from myelin subsequently isolated, and the dissociated fraction was slightly enriched in basic protein. The distribution of myelin protein among the characteristic three groups (basic, proteolipid and high mol. wt.) was quite different in myelin from spinal cord compared to that from other CNS area. Spinal cord myelin contained about 17% protein compared to about 23% in cerebrum, with brain stem myelin intermediate (19%), and the difference appeared to be due to lesser amounts of proteolipid in the caudal areas. The amount of dissociation after incubation was about 3–5 per cent of the total myelin in the cerebral cortex, 10 per cent in the thalamic area, 20 per cent in cerebellum, 35 per cent in the brain stem, and around 45 per cent in spinal cord. The smaller amount of proteolipid protein in spinal cord myelin may result in a deficiency of cohesive forces holding lipids and proteins together, thus causing greater instability and dissociation. Myelin dissociation increased with time of incubation up to 3 h, was augmented by Ca2+, and was substantial at pH 11, reaching a peak at pH 7, then decreased in the acid range. A similar fraction has been isolated previously from fresh CNS tissue made edematous by chronic treatment of rats with triethyl tin. The possible relationship of swelling in the disease process and myelin dissociation are discussed.
A Pragmatic Response to an Unexpected Constraint: Problem Representation in a Complex Humanitarian Emergency

This paper elaborates a model of problem representation first presented by [Billings and Hermann (1998)][1]. The foreign policy process begins when decision-makers specify policy goals and identify relevant constraints in response to a perceived problem. Although this initial problem representation often sets the course for subsequent policy, unanticipated constraints can arise that catch decision makers off-guard. Finding themselves in a context they did not anticipate to be in, decision makers may choose to alter their representation of the problem and/or change the course of policy. Billings and Hermann offer one piece of this puzzle by examining how decision makers re-represent problems; this paper provides the second piece by assessing how policies, not representations, change in response to new constraints. A case study of the U.S. response to the Ethiopian famine in the mid 1980s demonstrates that policy does not always follow problem representation. [1]: #ref-14
COMPETING WITH THE MARKET: SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND FACULTY INPUT

It has been argued that one of the most pressing concerns for higher education during the next two decades is going to be the shortage of faculty. Unfortunately, there are also projections that institutions will continue to experience significant budget reductions. Current fiscal realities and projections of increasing faculty shortages suggest that in the short run market forces will be the predominant determinant of salary adjustments for many institutions. However, responding purely to market forces in an academic setting challenges fundamental values about equity and the merit of a given professor's work. This paper discusses how one major public university used faculty input in its process of distributing salary dollars specifically designated as “market adjustment monies.” Findings from an analysis of data on faculty perceptions about the process and its outcomes indicated that, net of receiving an adjustment, the more opportunity faculty members have had to be involved in the salary adjustment process, the greater their level of satisfaction with its outcomes.
A genome approach to mitochondrial-nuclear communicationin Arabidopsis

Abstract Mitochondria depend on the nuclear genome to encode the vast majority of their proteins; in turn they control the expression of certain nuclear genes to maintain proper functioning. In this work, Arabidopsis leaves were employed as a model to study nuclear gene expression in response to inhibition of the mitochondrial electron transport by antimycin A. Microarrays containing 11 514 Arabidopsis expressed sequence tags supplied through the Arabidopsis Functional Genomics Consortium (AFGC) were used. Transcript levels of 579 nuclear genes were increased ≥ 2-fold, and the levels of 584 nuclear genes were decreased ≥ 2-fold after antimycin A treatment. While functions of a large number of the gene products are unknown, others are involved in diverse metabolic activities such as phosphorylation, transcription, and energy metabolism. Data from microarray experiments were repeatable and were confirmed by northern hybridization for specific test genes. It was found through cluster analysis that plant cells show significant common response to chemical inhibition of mitochondrial function, aluminum stress, cadmium stress, hydrogen peroxide and virus infection. The results imply that these stresses may act on mitochondria and the responses are in part mediated by mitochondrial-nuclear communication. Most nuclear-encoded respiratory genes involved in the TCA cycle, electron transport and ATP synthesis did not respond to signals from the inhibited mitochondria, while genes for cytochrome c and alternative oxidase were induced. The result indicates that these two genes may be targets in the transcriptional regulation of the two respiratory pathways.
Development of a new method for obtaining osteoclasts from endosteal surfaces.

Techniques for the isolation of ahhighly pure population of viable osteoclasts are limited. For this reason, we developed an isolation procedure that results in a high yield of osteoclast-like cells, up to 92% pure, from 3-wk-old chicken tibias. The unique feature of the method is the migration of cells from marrow-free endosteal surfaces to vitronectin-coated plates. The cells retain the osteoclast phenotype and remain viable in culture for a minimum of 1 wk. The cells were characterized and compared to two populations of authentic avian osteoclasts, which were isolated on the basis of association with fibronectin-coated plates. The cells contained substantial amounts of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase. Alkaline phosphatase levels were negligible, suggesting little contamination by osteoblasts. Response to parathyroid hormone, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate, calcitonin, acetazolamide, 17β-estradiol, and prostaglandin E2 was evident, as detected by measuring acid production. The vitronectin-associating cells contained numerous mitochondria, had the ability to resorb bone in anin vitro bone slice assay, and specifically bound biotinylated vitronectin. At 5 d of culture, the cells demonstrated marginal multinuclearity, having two to three nuclei. A large number (∼1×106 cells/tibia) of viable cells that exhibit characteristics of authentic osteoclasts can be obtained by the method described. Potentially, this method could be applied to other species.
Lectin receptors in central nervous system myelin.

: Proteins from central nervous system myelin were separated by high-resolution, sodium dodecyl sulfate-pore gradient slab gel electrophoresis and the glycoproteins were detected by autoradiography after direct application of radioiodinated lectins. A surprising heterogeneity of lectin binding proteins was found associated with this highly purified membrane fraction. Iodinated wheat germ agglutinin, which has a monosaccharide specificity for N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid, revealed six major bands and two minor bands. By correlating the molecular weights (Mr) of radioiodinated protein standards with the gel concentration at the position reached by the protein (%T) using the relationship log(Mr) versus log(%T) for gradient gel systems, molecular weight estimates of 128, 300, 109, 800, 75, 300, 48, 800, 26, 100 and 23, 700 were obtained for the major glycoprotein bands and molecular weights of 98, 300 and 86, 600 for the minor bands. When the isolated myelin was extracted with chloroform-methanol-a procedure that removes the major myelin proteins, including the proteolipid protein and most of the basic proteins and hence concentrates the minor high molecular weight proteins-and analyzed after gradient gel electrophoresis, additional glycoproteins of molecular weights 607, 700, 196, 900, 175, 100, 61, 800, 52, 200 and 42, 600 were resolved with this lectin. Radioiodinated soybean agglutinin, which has a specificity for N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and D-galactose, revealed seven bands, three of which were unique to this lectin (19, 600, 19, 100 and 17,000). Iodinated concanavalin A (d-mannose, d-glucose) revealed bands similar to the wheat germ agglutinin as well as additional bands of 40, 300, 37, 300, 35, 700, 21, 800 and 20, 400. The glycoprotein specificity for these lectin binding components was demonstrated by hapten carbohydrate binding inhibition and by organic solvent extraction for removal of glycolipids. Based on these experiments using three lectins with different carbohydrate specificity, 22 lectin-reactive components were identified; however, six of these bands were removed by chloroform-methanol extraction. The variations observed in the lectin binding capacity for these different bands suggest possible carbohydrate heterogeneity for these individual glycoproteins. Although many of these bands may be dissociated subunits (monomeric polypeptides) of oligomeric complexes, the observed multiplicity of these quantitatively minor glycoproteins associated with the purified myelin membrane implies a more intricate molecular organization for the myelin sheath complex than previously believed.
Dissipative optical flow in a nonlinear Fabry-Pérot cavity.

We describe a classical nonlinear optical system that displays superfluidity and its breakdown. The system consists of a self-defocusing refractive medium inside a Fabry-P\'erot cavity with a cylindrical obstacle. We have numerically solved for the transmitted beam when an incident plane wave strikes the cavity at an oblique angle. The presence of the incident beam pins the steady-state phase of the output, preventing the formation of vortices or time-dependent flow. When the incident beam is switched off, a transient wake of moving optical vortices is produced. This is analogous to the breakdown of superfluidity above a critical velocity.
The Dynamic Phenomenon of Art in Heidegger's The Origin of the Work of Art

This paper provides an interpretation of Heidegger’s “The Origin of the Work of Art” (hereinafter cited as “the OWA”) that establishes the primacy of art as a dynamic phenomenon that provides the mode through which the Being of the world is revealed in its truth. For readers unfamiliar with Heidegger’s unusual methodology and usage of philosophic terminology, this sentence requires some preliminary unpacking. For this reason, I will first provide some definitional guidance about what Heidegger means by “art” and by “truth” in the OWA, although it is important to understand that for Heidegger, understanding involves not definition but “feeling one’s way along.” Second, I will discuss how art acts as the leading dynamic phenomenon as I critique the following two arguments: (1) John Bruin’s argument that Heidegger considers Van Gogh’s Old Shoes [link] painting to be merely high-quality rather than great art because it is representational; and (2) Abraham Mansbach’s assertion that Heidegger’s “turn” from Being and Time to the OWA involves a change in agency from the artist to the art work (rather than to the phenomenon of art). These two views will be evaluated and ultimately rejected because they do not adequately grasp that art is the originating agent. This interpretation is based on a close textual analysis of the OWA (with mention of other works that support this analysis) as if the OWA itself were a work of art standing entirely in the “open light of the truth.” For this reason, no reference will be made to the historical or sociopolitical context of the OWA or to Heidegger’s reprehensible involvement with the Nazi party. Let’s begin by unpacking the term “art.”