cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What would my avatar do? Video games and risky decision making

Several decades of research have established that video game experience is associated with differences in social information processing, visual-spatial processing, and cognitive control. Fewer studies have examined the relationship between video game experience and risky decision making outside of the gaming environment. The current set of studies examined the hypothesis that video game experience is associated with riskier decision making due to differential sensitivity to outcomes (i.e., reward, punishment). Study 1 was designed to explore the relationships between video game experience, risky decision making, and sensitivity to outcomes in a large sample of individuals. Study 2 was designed to investigate the association between individual differences in video game experience and the neural correlates of outcome sensitivity. Finally, Study 3 was designed to establish a causal relationship between immediate, brief experience with a video game and sensitivity to outcomes. The findings from the three studies indicate that video game experience is associated with differences in outcome sensitivity, but the relationship is complex and may depend on various factors, such as the genre of the video game and the presence of symptoms of pathological use. The data from the current set of studies should serve as a starting point for further research examining video games and risky decision making.
Northern sources of energy for the deep Atlantic

Abstract The rate at which available potential energy is released by the sinking of cold water masses in the northern North Atlantic Ocean is calculated in the form of buoyancy work, —∫ρ'wgdv, where ρ' is the departure from average density at a given depth. The contribution of the two Norwegian Sea overflows and winter convection in the Labrador Sea is found to be 85 x 1016 erg/sec, slightly less than the rate at which the wind is thought to put energy into the general circulation of the North Atlantic.
Information as a Service: Modeling and Realization

Service oriented architecture is enabling a new approach to the design and assembly of service-based solutions and environments, which promises a more fundamental alignment of business and I/T organizations in the enterprise, greater agility of applications by the exploitation of loose coupling, and opportunities for effective reuse and governance of business and I/T activities. Current methods and tools that support SOA development activities, however, have focused primarily on supporting business process and business logic. We discuss the application of SOA principles to enable the utilization of information as a service (IaaS), the benefits in unifying information and process service approaches to SOA, and key research challenges in modeling and realization for IaaS in the context of SOA development.
Insulin-like growth factor-II: possible local growth factor in pheochromocytoma.

Pheochromocytomas, neural crest tumors, express an abundance of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II). To assess further the potential for IGF-II to play an autocrine role for these tumors, we measured 1) IGF-II content by RRA in 7 pheochromocytomas and peripheral blood in these patients, 2) IGF-II receptors by Western analysis, and 3) characterized the tumor binding proteins by ligand blot studies. IGF-II levels in the tumors varied from 2.8–41 μg/g. Chromatography revealed that 60% of the peptide eluted as a large mol wt form of IGF-II (8.7–10 kDa); the remainder coeluted with mature peptide (7.5 kDa). This was in contrast to IGF-II levels in normal adrenal tissue (0.225 ± 0.005 μ/g) or another neural crest-derived tumor, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (0.63 ± 0.02 μg/g). Serum IGF-II levels in the 7 patients with pheochromocytoma (720 ± 71 ng/mL) were similar to those in 35 normal controls (762 ± 69 ng/mL). Radiolabeled IGF-II (9 ± 1%) and IGF-I (20 ± 2%) bound specifically to pheochromocytoma mem...
Halogens and the chemistry of the free troposphere

Abstract. The role of halogens in both the marine boundary layer and the stratosphere has long been recognized, while their role in the free troposphere is often not considered in global chemical models. However, a careful examination of free-tropospheric chemistry constrained by observations using a full chemical data assimilation system shows that halogens do play a significant role in the free troposphere. In particular, the chlorine initiation of methane oxidation in the free troposphere can contribute more than 10%, and in some regions up to 50%, of the total rate of initiation. The initiation of methane oxidation by chlorine is particularly important below the polar vortex and in northern mid-latitudes. Likewise, the hydrolysis of alone can contribute more than 35% of the production rate in the free-troposphere.
The Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway induces autocrine-paracrine growth inhibition via the leukemia inhibitory factor/JAK/STAT pathway

Sustained activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway can lead to cell cycle arrest in many cell types. We have found, with human medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) cells, that activated Ras or c-Raf-1 can induce growth arrest by producing and secreting an autocrine-paracrine factor. This protein was purified from cell culture medium conditioned by Raf-activated MTC cells and was identified by mass spectrometry as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). LIF expression upon Raf activation and subsequent activation of JAK-STAT3 was also observed in small cell lung carcinoma cells, suggesting that this autocrine-paracrine signaling may be a common response to Ras/Raf activation. LIF was sufficient to induce growth arrest and differentiation of MTC cells. This effect was mediated through the gp130/JAK/STAT3 pathway, since anti-gp130 blocking antibody or dominant-negative STAT3 blocked the effects of LIF. Thus, LIF expression provides a novel mechanism allowing Ras/Raf signaling to activate the JAK-STAT3 pathway. In addition to this cell-extrinsic growth inhibitory pathway, we find that the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway induces an intracellular growth inhibitory signal, independent of the LIF/JAK/STAT3 pathway. Therefore, activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway can lead to growth arrest and differentiation via at least two different signaling pathways. This use of multiple pathways may be important for "fail-safe" induction and maintenance of cell cycle arrest.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cancer

A mechanistic understanding of how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to cell growth and tumorigenesis is emerging beyond Warburg as an area of research that is under-explored in terms of its significance for clinical management of cancer. Work discussed in this review focuses less on the Warburg effect and more on mitochondria and how dysfunctional mitochondria modulate cell cycle, gene expression, metabolism, cell viability, and other established aspects of cell growth and stress responses. There is increasing evidence that key oncogenes and tumor suppressors modulate mitochondrial dynamics through important signaling pathways and that mitochondrial mass and function vary between tumors and individuals but the significance of these events for cancer are not fully appreciated. We explore the interplay between key molecules involved in mitochondrial fission and fusion and in apoptosis, as well as in mitophagy, biogenesis, and spatial dynamics of mitochondria and consider how these distinct mechanisms are coordinated in response to physiological stresses such as hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. Importantly, we examine how deregulation of these processes in cancer has knock on effects for cell proliferation and growth. We define major forms of mitochondrial dysfunction and address the extent to which the functional consequences of such dysfunction can be determined and exploited for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical features and outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy in patients with retained lens fragments.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the clinical features, visual acuity outcomes, and adverse events in patients with retained lens fragments managed by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Design Retrospective, noncomparative, consecutive case series. Methods Medical records of all patients who underwent PPV for retained lens fragments at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute during the 12-year interval between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2001, were reviewed. Results The study included 343 eyes of 343 patients, with a median age of 76 years and a median follow-up after PPV of 8 months. The median interval between cataract surgery and PPV was 12 days. Visual acuity was ≥20/40 in 29 (9%) patients preoperatively and 190 (56%) at last follow-up ( P P P P = 0.001). Among the 148 (44%) patients with final vision P P = 0.026), no suprachoroidal hemorrhage ( P = 0.010), no serous choroidal detachment ( P = 0.037), no RD ( P = 0.005), no CME ( P = 0.038), and no additional surgery after the PPV ( P 1 to ≤4 weeks versus >4 to ≤12 weeks versus >12 weeks between cataract surgery and PPV) was not significantly associated with final visual acuity or IOP outcome; there was also no significant difference in acuity or IOP outcome between patients who underwent PPV on the same day as cataract surgery compared with all other patients. Conclusions The most important predictor of final visual acuity after PPV for retained lens fragments is a less complicated clinical course (e.g., no suprachoroidal hemorrhage, no RD, no CME, and no additional surgery after PPV). The most common cause of decreased final vision was CME.
Parental Control of the Personal Domain and Adolescent Symptoms of Psychopathology: A Cross-National Study in the United States and Japan

One hundred seventy U.S. (M=16.1 years) and 125 middle-class Japanese (M=16.6 years) adolescents completed a questionnaire assessing perceptions of who (adolescent or parent) controls the personal, conventional, prudential, and overlapping domain behaviors of the adolescent. Participants also completed an inventory assessing self-reported psychological symptoms. Adolescents in both countries indicated that they should have more say over personal issues and that parents should have more say over conventional and prudential issues. Self-reports of internalizing symptoms were positively correlated with amount of perceived control over personal issues for U.S. and Japanese students and for parental control over overlapping domain issues for Japanese students. There were no associations between parental control of conventional or prudential behaviors and psychological symptoms.
Increased basal phosphorylation of detrusor smooth muscle myosin in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit is mediated by upregulation of Rho-kinase β and CPI-17

Urinary bladder dysfunction caused by the alteration of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) is one of the complications of diabetes. It is well established that smooth muscle contractility is regulated by...
Discoidin domain receptor functions in physiological and pathological conditions

The discoidin domain receptors, DDR1 and DDR2, are nonintegrin collagen receptors that are members of the receptor tyrosine kinase family. Both DDRs bind a number of different collagen types and play important roles in embryo development. Dysregulated DDR function is associated with progression of various human diseases, including fibrosis, arthritis, and cancer. By interacting with key components of the extracellular matrix and displaying distinct activation kinetics, the DDRs form a unique subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases. DDR-facilitated cellular functions include cell migration, cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation, as well as remodeling of extracellular matrices. This review summarizes the current knowledge of DDR-ligand interactions, DDR-initiated signal pathways and the molecular mechanisms that regulate receptor function. Also discussed are the roles of DDRs in development and disease progression.
The Effects of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Combined with Add-Back Therapy on Quality of Life for Adolescents with Endometriosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Study Objective Use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) to treat endometriosis can cause mood and vasomotor side effects. "Add-back therapy," the combination of low-dose hormones, limits side effects but research is limited to adults. We sought to characterize quality of life (QOL) before treatment and to compare an add-back regimen of norethindrone acetate (NA) with conjugated estrogens (CEE) to NA alone for preventing side effects of GnRHa therapy in female adolescents with endometriosis. Design Twelve-month double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting Pediatric Gynecology clinic in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants Fifty female adolescents (aged 15-22 years) with surgically confirmed endometriosis initiating treatment with GnRHa. Interventions Subjects were randomized to: NA (5 mg/d) with CEE (0.625 mg/d) or NA (5 mg/d) with placebo. All subjects received leuprolide acetate depot every 3 months. Main Outcome Measures The Short Form-36 v2 Health Survey, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Menopause Rating Scale were completed at repeated intervals. Results At baseline, subjects reported impaired physical health-related QOL compared with national norms (all P P P between groups P Conclusion Female adolescents with endometriosis initiating GnRHa therapy have impaired QOL. Treatment with GnRHa combined with add-back therapy led to improved QOL, with no worsening of mood or menopausal side effects. NA with CEE was superior to NA alone for improving physical health-related QOL.
Improving voter experience through user testing and iterative design

The principal focus of this report was to identify practical and correctable problems with the voting process and to mitigate those problems through careful application of human factors techniques. We developed a survey questionnaire to identify issues with the voting process and found that respondents consistently reported that wait times and lines were the greatest barriers to efficient and enjoyable voting. In contrast, few respondents reported difficulty with the voting interfaces themselves. We therefore developed a system to support improved voter organization, specifically focused on conveying relevant logistical information to voters: polling station data, including amenities (e.g., benches, parking) and estimated wait times. We also created an easy-to-use administrator portal for poll workers to update wait-time estimates. We believe that our approach represents a strong example for how usability testing and design can positively affect relevant societal issues.
Η επίδραση της βυζαντινής μεταλλοτεχνίας στη διαμόρφωση του γερμανικού θυμιατηρίου

Ένα ορeιχάλκινο θυμιατήριο στη Συλλογή Malcove eξeτάζeται σe αυτό το άρθρο. Συγκρίσeις μe γeρμανικά θυμιατήρια του 12ου αιώνα eπιτρέπουν τη διατύπωση υποθέσeων για νέα προέλeυση και ασφαλέστeρη χρονολόγησή του. Ο διάκοσμος του αντικeιμένου μαρτυρeί σαφώς βυζαντινή eπίδραση. Οι διπλοί eγχάρακτοι κύκλοι μe στιγμές στο κέντρο αντιγράφουν συνηθισμένο βυζαντινό μοτίβο που απαντά συχνά σe σταυρούς και οικιακά σκeύη από διάφορα υλικά και ίσως έχeι αποτροπαϊκό χαρακτήρα. Τα ανοίγματα σe σχήμα κλeιδαριάς απαντούν σe βυζαντινά ορeιχάλκινα στηρίγματα σταυρών λιτανeίας και συχνά παραπέμπουν σe αρχιτeκτονικά στοιχeία. Αυτό το μοτίβο eντοπίζeται σe πολλά γeρμανικά θυμιατήρια και αποτeλeί πιθανώς eπιβίωση από τη βυζαντινή eπίδραση κατά την οθωνική πeρίοδο.
Thermodynamics of manganese oxides: Effects of particle size and hydration on oxidation-reduction equilibria among hausmannite, bixbyite, and pyrolusite

The surface enthalpies of manganese oxide phases, hausmannite (Mn3O4), bixbyite (Mn2O3), and pyrolusite (MnO2), were determined using high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry in conjunction with water adsorption calorimetry. The energy for the hydrous surface of Mn3O4 is 0.96 ± 0.08 J/m2, of Mn2O3 is 1.29 ± 0.10 J/m2, and of MnO2 is 1.64 ± 0.10 J/m2. The energy for the anhydrous surface of Mn3O4 is 1.62 ± 0.08 J/m2, of Mn2O3 is 1.77 ± 0.10 J/m2, and of MnO2 is 2.05 ± 0.10 J/m2. Supporting preliminary findings (Navrotsky et al. 2010), the spinel phase (hausmannite) has a lower surface energy than bixbyite, whereas the latter has a smaller surface energy than pyrolusite. Oxidation-reduction phase equilibria at the nanoscale are shifted to favor the phases of lower surface energy—Mn3O4 relative to Mn2O3 and Mn2O3 relative to MnO2. We also report rapidly reversible structural and phase changes associated with water adsorption/desorption for the nanophase manganese oxide assemblages.
Salient Features of Deeply Subwavelength Guiding of Terahertz Radiation in Graphene-Coated Fibers

Here we discuss theoretically some of the notable features of modal characteristics in the graphene-coated deeply subwavelength fiber waveguide, providing a performance comparison between this guided-wave structure and some other typical THz waveguides. We highlight a cutoff-free propagation of a fundamental graphene-plasmon mode with an effective mode area, which can in principle be smaller than (λ/100)2. We also discuss the phonon-plasmon hybridization that is expected for waveguides with polar dielectric core (e.g., SiO2 and SiC). We believe that this guiding structure, being at the intersection of optics and electronics, may pave the way for a variety of nanoscience applications.
Substantially Equal Distributions from Retirement Plans

Kevin Sigler and Rebecca Porterfield, both of the University of North Carolina - Wilmington, review the three different methods of calculating substantially equal distributions from retirement plans and illustrate the range in payments and income taxes resulting from each method.
The Effects of a Mindful Listening Task on Mind-Wandering

Mind-wandering has been linked to reductions in mood as well as performance decrements on a variety of tasks, including reading comprehension. The present study sought to evaluate whether the attention training technique (ATT) could induce an elevated state of mindful awareness capable of moderating the negative affective and behavioral consequences of mind-wandering in a nonclinical sample. Participants randomly assigned to receive the ATT (n = 21) reported significantly more mindful state awareness and more positive mood from preinduction to postinduction relative to those assigned to an active placebo (n = 22). Furthermore, participants who received the ATT exhibited substantially fewer instances of off-task thinking measured covertly during a word-by-word text progression task than did those who received the placebo. These findings collectively represent the first empirical validation of the ATT as a mindfulness inductor and attest to its capacity to effect meaningful reductions in mind-wandering frequencies and significant elevations in mood after only a single application. Implications of these results for current theory and clinical practice are discussed.
Amine Receptors in CNS. I. Norepinephrine

Among the neurochemicals considered to be candidates for synaptic transmitter function within the central nervous system, the conceptual link to psychopharmacological actions has been particularly strong for norepinephrine (NE). Basic research in psychiatry has concentrated on the changes in brain monoamine metabolism produced by psychoactive drugs (see Snyder, 1974) to develop catecholamine theories of mental diseases. In such a psychopharmacological model, NE is presumed to be a central synaptic transmitter, but the actual functional controls (i.e., excitation or inhibition) exerted by such synapses, their exact cellular location, and their mechanism of action have not been known. This chapter will focus on the methods by which the central receptors for NE may be characterized as to location, function, and pharmacological significance.
Fluorine multipolar interaction: Toward elucidating its energetics in binding recognition

Abstract Multipolar interactions have gained attention due to their roles in molecular recognition events of chemical and biological systems. Structural evidence suggests that the fluorine multipolar interaction is a favorable molecular interaction in the paradigm of protein-ligand recognition. With an aim to understand its propensity and energetics in ligand-protein assembly, we mined the “Pfizer protein-ligand X-ray structure database” with three-dimensional constraints for the presence of such interactions. A set of transformation rules were applied to generate their corresponding matched molecular pairs (MMPs) that bear hydrogen(s) in place of the interacting fluorine(s). Biological activities were retrieved from our internal data warehouse for the MMPs with and without the ability to form the multipolar interaction. On the basis of the observed potency differences we determined that the free energy gain associated with the fluorine multipolar interaction is relatively modest, ∼0.3–0.6 kcal/mol, and the net impact on lipophilic efficiency (LipE) is essentially neutral. A general guideline for medicinal chemists has emerged from this study, enabling a more rational employment of this type of interaction in molecular design.
The discursive detachment of race from gentrification in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

ABSTRACTIn this article, I provide an ethnographic account of the gentrification process and its relationship to race and racism in the community of Getsemani in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. I introduce Racial Attachment Processes as a conceptual framework for understanding how individuals reconcile Latin American discourses that suggest that race is not a primary stratifying principle with the material spatial realities of racial hierarchies that counter such discourses. Drawing on ethnographic participant observation and semi-structured interviews, including those employing photo-elicitation, I demonstrate how people discursively mobilize race in everyday life, yet selectively detach race in ways that allow them to interpret processes of gentrification as untethered to their racial underpinnings. This paper ultimately demonstrates how the discursive detachment of race from understandings of Colombian socio-spatial, political and economic relations obscures the relationship between racial domination an...
Television and the Cultivation of Authoritarianism: A Return Visit From an Unexpected Friend

The 2016 Presidential election brought a surprise: the rise of Donald Trump as a viable candidate for the Republican nomination. What started as a seeming publicity stunt morphed into something more. Trump raised fears of authoritarianism—and even fascism—that were thought to be mostly confined to other countries. This study uses a national sample to examine television viewing's relationship to authoritarian values. We find that heavy viewers of television are more likely to be authoritarian, and that authoritarians are more likely to support Trump. We find an indirect relationship between amount of viewing and Trump support through authoritarianism. These findings have implications for current political debates as well as for media effects theory.
A Preliminary Investigation on Fiber/Matrix Interphase Oxidation in Metal Matrix Composites Using Acoustic Microscopy

Titanium matrix composites (TMCs) reinforced with silicon carbide fibers have received considerable attention due to their attractive specific strength and stiffness. In comparison with polymeric matrix composites, TMCs are much higher in strength and stiffness and can take much higher temperature. However, there are several distinctive phenomena that contribute to the material degradation. One of them is interphase oxidation.
Impact of Photooxidation and Biodegradation on the Fate of Oil Spilled During the Deepwater Horizon Incident: Advanced Stages of Weathering.

While the biogeochemical forces influencing the weathering of spilled oil have been investigated for decades, the environmental fate and effects of “oxyhydrocarbons” in sand patties deposited on beaches are not well-known. We collected sand patties deposited in the swash zone on Gulf of Mexico beaches following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. When sand patties were exposed to simulated sunlight, a larger concentration of dissolved organic carbon was leached into seawater than the corresponding dark controls. This result was consistent with the general ease of movement of seawater through the sand patties as shown with a 35SO42– radiotracer. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as optical measurements revealed that the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached from the sand patties under dark and irradiated conditions were substantially different, but neither had a significant inhibitory influence on the endogenous rate of aerobic or anaerobic microbial respiratory activity...
Abstract 518: Loss of Caveolin-1 in Mouse, Rat and Human Proximal Tubule Cells Increases GRK4 Activity and Decreases D1-Like Receptor Cell Surface Levels

Normal dopaminergic signaling in the renal proximal tubule under conditions of sodium loading leads to natriuresis without the need to increase blood pressure. Low caveolin-1 (CAV1) expression in the kidney is associated with dopaminergic signaling defects and salt sensitive hypertension in both mice and rats. We and others have shown that SNPs in human CAV1 are associated with hypertension. We hypothesize that low CAV1 expression causes increased GRK4 kinase activity due to lack of physical interaction and inhibition of GRK4; thus overactive GRK4 would inactivate the dopamine-1 receptor (D 1 R). We have previously shown that CAV1 reduction, knockdown or knockout in mouse, rat and human renal proximal tubule cells (RPTC) leads to decreased dopamine D 1 -like receptor binding at the proximal tubule cell surface and that re-expression of CAV1 alpha isoform is necessary to rescue this dopaminergic defect. Here we extend those studies by showing that defects in D 1 R cell surface expression due to low CAV1 expression can also be rescued by inhibiting GRK4 in human RPTC using GRK4 siRNA or by introducing heparin (1 μmol/L, 24 hrs) in mouse and rat RPTC. GRK4 siRNA lowered GRK4 expression by greater than 80% in all four human RPTC cell lines and partially restored fluorescent D 1 -like receptor antagonist bodipy630 SKF83566 cell surface binding (scrambled siRNA 66,231±7,286 RFU, GRK4 siRNA 96,206±11,035 RFU, P 1 -like receptor surface expression. Electroporation of heparin in these CAV1 transfected cells (SHR CAV1) restored bodipy630 SKF83566 cell surface binding back to levels found in WKY RPTC (SHR CAV1 35,241±4,280 RFU, SHR CAV1 heparin 54,218±6,564 RFU, WKY 56,821± 3,546 RFU, P 1 -like receptor defects caused by loss of CAV1 are likely due to increased GRK4 activity and can be restored by either increasing CAV1 expression or decreasing GRK4 expression.
Genetically Modified Organisms

Food Fight: GMO's and the future of the American Diet . By McKay Jenkins. 2017. Avery. (ISBN: 9781594634604). 322 Pages. Hardcover $26.00. McKay Jenkins has traveled across the country interviewing people about where our food comes from and the impact modern agricultural practices have on the quality of the food we eat as well as the impact these practices have on our health and quality of life. The people he interviews tell stories that provide important information about what is being done to feed a nation and a world with a growing population. He writes of ecofriendly innovations and technologies that we can easily support, but some of the stories expose the innovations and technologies that are less understood and sometimes scary for the public when people become aware of these practices. While the book uses GMO's as a focal point in the title and as a reoccurring theme in the book, the author focuses the majority of his writing on modern industrial farming practices. These include the questionable use of chemicals …
Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics to inform wind and solar energy facility siting: An Arizona case study

Abstract The juxtaposition of wildlife and wind or solar energy facility infrastructure can present problems for developers, planners, policy makers, and management agencies. Guidance on siting of these renewable energy facilities may help identify potential wildlife-facility conflicts with species of regulatory or economic concern. However, existing spatial guidance usually does not consider all wildlife that might use a potential facility location or corridors for its servicing infrastructure. We illustrate an approach toward assessing potential wildlife-facility conflicts using readily available vertebrate habitat models. The U.S. Geological Survey's Gap Analysis Program (GAP) has developed spatial models of potential habitat for vertebrate species across the entire nation. To illustrate their applicability, we used GAP models to estimate richness of all native, terrestrial vertebrates within Arizona and for those vertebrates grouped by class or by sensitivity to the type of facility infrastructure. We examined the spatial overlap of high species richness of each group with agency-developed guidance used to inform facility-siting decisions and found that GAP-based richness mappings augmented existing guidance. As the GAP vertebrate habitat models are publicly available for the entire USA, use of these data can provide a coarse view of potential wildlife-facility conflicts and inform facility planning early in the process.
A CASE OF COBALT CARDIOMYOPATHY

Cobalt toxicity is considered as a rare cause of heart failure and presents as dilated cardiomyopathy. 39-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of NICM was referred to our heart failure center. He had a history of papillary thyroid cancer s/p thyroidectomy and degenerated joint disease s/p left hip
Bethe Ansatz, Connection Between One-Dimensional Models and Their Classification

The relationship between one dimensional (ID) theories in field theory and Solid State Physics as well as one and two dimensional (2D) models in statistical mechanics has proved rather useful for the study of quasi-one dimensional systems. As for the exact diagonalization (of the Hamiltonian or the transfer matrix) of these models the Bethe Ansatz [1](BA) has proved to be a very powerful method. In addition to the well known solutions [2,3] this method was recently used to diagonalize the massive Thirring [4, 5] and the chiral-invariant Gross-Neveu [7, 8] models and the Kondo problem [9].
A Pseudo-Linear Analysis of Yielding and Crack Growth: Strain Energy Density Criterion

A typical phenomenon of ductile fracture is the process of crack initiation, slow growth and final termination. This process, being sensitive to the rate of loading, results in global nonlinearity of the load and displacement as the material may be damaged locally by yielding and/or fracture. The progressive damage of material being a path dependent process requires the stress and failure analysis be performed in tandem for each increment of loading. This is accomplished by a finite element procedure in conjunction with the strain energy density criterion. The configuration of a through crack under a rising load is analyzed where yielding of the elements near the crack are assumed to coincide with ΔW/ΔV reaching some critical value (ΔW/ΔV)y. This is translated into a permanent change of local stiffness for each increment of loading. Further damage of the material will be distinguished by the local value of (ΔW/ΔV). The nonuniform segment of crack growth is assumed to occur along the path of ΔW/ΔV being a relative minimum regardless of whether the material separates elastically or plastically and is assumed to be governed by the condition S1/rl = S2/r2 = --- = Sc/rc = (ΔW/ΔV) c * where (ΔW/ΔV) c * is the relative strain energy density. The strain energy density of virgin undamaged material is (ΔW/ΔV)c. The pseudolinear stress and failure analysis lead to a nonlinear response of load and displacement for the cracked medium. It is shown that for materials with a relatively low value of critical strain energy density more damage is inflicted due to crack growth or fracture than yielding while the reverse holds for materials with a relatively high value of critical strain energy density.
Ankyrin domain encoding genes resulting from an ancient horizontal transfer are functionally integrated into developmental gene regulatory networks in the wasp Nasonia

Background: How and why regulatory networks incorporate additional components, and how novel genes are maintained and functionally integrated into developmental processes are two important and intertwined questions whose answers have major implications for the evolution of development. We recently described a set of novel genes with robust and unique expression patterns along the dorsal-ventral axis of the embryo of the wasp Nasonia. Given the unique evolutionary history of these genes, and their apparent integration in to the dorsal-ventral (DV) patterning network, they are collectively an excellent model to study the evolution of regulatory networks, and the fates of novel genes. Results: We have found that the novel DV genes are part of a large family of rapidly duplicating and diverging ankyrin domain encoding genes that originated most likely by horizontal transfer from Wolbachia in a common ancestor of the wasp superfamilly Chalcidoidea. We tested the function of those ankyrin encoding genes expressed along the DV axis and found that they participate in early embryonic DV patterning. We also developed a new wasp model system (Melittobia) and found that some functional integration of ankyrin genes have been preserved for over 90 million years, while others are lineage specific. Conclusions: Our results indicate that regulatory networks can incorporate novel genes that then become necessary for stable and repeatable outputs. Even modest role in developmental networks may be enough to allow novel or duplicate genes to be maintained in the genome and become fully integrated network components.
A new family of transcriptional regulators of tungstoenzymes and molybdate/tungstate transport

Bacterial genes for molybdenum-containing and tungsten-containing enzymes are often differentially regulated depending on the metal availability in the environment. Here, we describe a new family of transcription factors with an unusual DNA-binding domain related to excisionases of bacteriophages. These transcription factors are associated with genes for various molybdate and tungstate-specific transporting systems as well as molybdo/tungsto-enzymes in a wide range of bacterial genomes. We used a combination of computational and experimental techniques to study a member of the TF family, named TaoR (for tungsten-containing aldehyde oxidoreductase regulator). In Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, a model bacterium for sulfate reduction studies, TaoR activates expression of aldehyde oxidoreductase aor and represses tungsten-specific ABC-type transporter tupABC genes under tungsten-replete conditions. TaoR binding sites at aor promoter were identified by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting. We also reconstructed TaoR regulons in 45 Deltaproteobacteria by comparative genomics approach and predicted target genes for TaoR family members in other Proteobacteria and Firmicutes.
Pelvic pouch cancers associated with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who undergo ileal pouch-anal anastomosis are at finite risk of developing neoplasia of various parts of the pouch. In this review article, we will describe different forms of pelvic pouch-related cancers, with a focus on diagnosis and management of small bowel adenocarcinomas of the pouch body, rectal neoplasia of the rectal cuff and anal transition zone, small intestinal lymphoma of the pouch, and anal dysplasia and squamous cell cancer of the anal canal.
A content analysis of case records: Two-generations of child protective services involvement

Abstract Children born to mothers in foster care have increased numbers of reports of alleged abuse or neglect in comparison to children born to mothers who are not in care. The present investigation leveraged unstructured, case narrative fields in child welfare records to enhance knowledge about Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement among children born to mothers in care. A content analysis was conducted to assess reasons described for CPS involvement among children who were (1) born to mothers who were in foster care on or after the estimated date of conception and (2) reported to CPS during the first 3 years of life. The present investigation builds upon a prior Latent Class Analysis that identified classes of children born to mothers in care who were at varying risk of CPS involvement. Thirteen mother-child dyads from each of the three distinct classes identified in the prior study were selected for a detailed examination of mother and child case records (N = 39). Findings show class membership varied based on the mother's earlier experiences in care and reasons for the children's maltreatment report. A lack of placement stability for the mother can have long term consequences for the mother with cascading effects for the children. Study findings illustrate the importance of linking parents to services that meet their unique needs and those of their children. Findings add depth to the understanding of factors associated with the maltreatment of children born to mothers in foster care and demonstrate the importance of two-generation strategies.
Detachment in Planning Practice

Despite increasing privatization of planning, little is known about the practices, feelings, and values of planners in the private sector. Likewise, although scholars acknowledge the potential regr...
Ultrasound shear wave elastography in assessment of skeletal muscle stiffness in senior volunteers.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) to assess biceps brachii muscle (BBM) and quadriceps muscle (QM) stiffness in senior volunteers. Methods: Using a linear array ultrasound transducer (7 MHz), we prospectively measured shear wave velocity (SWV) of BBM and QM in passive joints (elbow and knee) flexion (90°) and extension (180°) in 19 senior volunteers by two operators. We developed SWV rate (SWVelbow-extension – SWVelbow-flexion)/SWVelbow-flexion to assess BBM contractibility. Statistical analysis included unpaired t-test to examine the difference in SWV of muscle between left vs right limbs, men vs women, and athletes vs nonathletes; Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and violin plots for analyzing intra- and inter-observer reliability in performing SWE in muscles. Results: There was no significant difference in SWV between left vs right (flexion or extension), male vs female (flexion or extension), for BBM and QM, and athlete vs nonathlete extension for QM (all p > 0.05). The difference in SWV of BBM in elbow extension and in SWV rate between athlete and nonathlete was significant (p 0.75). Conclusions: Our results suggest that ultrasound SWE is feasible in estimating BBM and QM stiffness in seniors with good reproducibility. SWV rate and SWV of the extended BBM representing muscle contractibility in athlete were higher than in nonathlete.
Geographic proximity to buprenorphine treatment providers in the U.S

Abstract Objective To combat the growing opioid epidemic, people who use drugs need access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) as part of comprehensive treatment. Despite progress, treatment gaps remain. Our objective was to use a geospatial buffering model to estimate treatment access for buprenorphine providers nationally. Methods Using buprenorphine provider location data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and population estimates from the U.S. Census, we use geospatial distance buffering analyses to estimate the percent of the population who are within reasonable (10, 30, 50 mile) driving distances from a buprenorphine provider across the contiguous states. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to analyze relationships between variables. Results There were 47,000 buprenorphine practitioners across the contiguous states, or 14.3 per every 100,000 persons. Approximately 28 million citizens, or 9.2 % of the population, were outside of a 10-mile distance from the nearest buprenorphine provider and 2.65 million outside of a 30-mile range. There was a positive correlation between state’s percentage rurality and percentage outside distance buffers (r = .491, p Conclusions Wide variability in treatment access to buprenorphine providers exists across all states. Improving geospatial proximity to buprenorphine providers is an important goal, but more work needs to be done to improve treatment access especially in certain states.
Education Research: Neurology Resident EEG Education: A Survey of US Neurology Residency Program Directors.

Objective: To better understand the EEG education provided to adult neurology residents by surveying program directors (PDs) of adult neurology residency programs in the US. Methods: An online survey focused on characteristics of neurology residency programs and their EEG teaching systems was distributed to the 161 adult neurology residency PDs listed in the ACGME website at the time of the study. Results: Forty-seven (29%) out of the 161 PDs completed the survey – most of the participating programs (89%) were academic. The mean number of 1-month EEG rotation(s) required to graduate was 1.7 (range 0-4, median 1.75). EEG rotations involved the inpatient and outpatient setting in 91% and 70% of programs, respectively. The average number of EEGs read during a typical EEG rotation varied from more than 40, in about one-third of programs, to 0-10, in about 14% of programs. There was significant variability in the requirements for successful completion of EEG rotations, and most PDs (64%) reported not utilizing objective measures to assess EEG milestones. The most commonly used educational methods were didactics throughout the year (95%) and EEG teaching during EEG rotations (93%). The most commonly reported barriers to EEG education were insufficient EEG exposure (32%) and ineffective didactics (11%); possible solutions are summarized in table 1. Conclusion: Our study identified a lack of consistency in teaching and evaluating residents during residency and presented EEG education barriers alongside possible solutions. We encourage PDs across the country to re-evaluate their EEG teaching systems in order to optimize EEG education.
Simulation and Experimental Validation of the Uniformity of Thermally Evaporated Amorphous Selenium Films for Large-Area Imaging and Radiation Detection Applications

Amorphous selenium is one of the best photoconductors with a wide range of applications, from its early use in the photocopy industry to its present application in X-ray imaging. Low melting point and high vapor pressure of amorphous selenium enable uniform and economical deposition of this photoconductive material up to few millimeters thick. However, there is a tradeoff between deposition rate and film uniformity. In this article, a thermal evaporation system for amorphous selenium deposition was developed. The system geometry was simulated to determine the optimized source–substrate throw distance for uniform film thickness of amorphous selenium (a-Se) on a substrate with up to 4-in diameter. Boat and crucible source configurations of equal volume (100 cc) were tested. The film was fabricated, characterized, and the uniformity and thickness were measured and compared with simulation results.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: An Overview and a Preliminary Study on Its Impacts on the Beef and Cattle Production Industry in the United Kingdom and the United States

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease, that affects 1 in 1,000,000 people, with there being 350 new cases of the pathology every year. In specific, it is a prion disease that is caused by a misfolded prion protein, termed PrPSc, which is the infectious form of the prion protein PrPC. Rather than being recycled by the body, the PrPSc aggregates in the brain as plaques, leading to neurodegeneration of surrounding cells and the spongiform characteristics of the pathology. This paper gives an overview of the current understanding of CJD, by looking at the pathophysiology genetic features of CJD, the different forms of CJD, before exploring the societal impact of CJD. In specific, this societal impact is inspected by investing the correlation between the beef and cattle production industry and the number of CJD cases in the United Kingdom and the United States, through the lens of the 1996 outbreak of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a form of CJD, in the United Kingdom (UK). This outbreak was caused by an infection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the UK’s cattle, which was then transmitted via cattle products. In its wake and seeing that it is always fatal, the outbreak forced many societal changes in an effort to prevent further infection and spread, with an emphasis being placed on the beef and cattle production industries. Hence, it is important to understand the correlation between the beef and cattle production industry and CJD cases. To do this, I looked at the correlation between the United States and United Kingdom’s cattle and beef production industries and CJD cases (vCJD cases for the UK), over the course of the past 25 years. This was done by carrying out a Pearson Correlation test between the number of CJD cases in each country and the rate of cattle production during this period of time and running a linear regression on the dataset. In doing so, it was discovered that the linear regression model fit the dataset with very low accuracy (R2 ≈ 0.5664). Moreover, it was revealed that there was only a moderative negative correlation between the number of CJD cases in the United States and the rate of production of the United States’ beef and cattle production industry (r = -0.7418), however, it was also found that there was a strong upward correlation between the number of vCJD cases in the UK and the rate of production of the UK’s beef and cattle production industry (r = 0.7632), indicating that vCJD does have a strong impact on the UK’s beef and cattle production industry.
The maternal blood lipidome is indicative of the pathogenesis of severe preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. However, it is not well understood what lipids are involved in the development of this condition, and even less is known how these lipids mediate its formation. To reveal the relationship between lipids and preeclampsia, we conducted lipidomic profiling of maternal sera of 44 severe preeclamptic and 20 healthy pregnant women from a multiethnic cohort in Hawaii. Correlation network analysis showed that oxidized phospholipids have increased intercorrelations and connections in preeclampsia, whereas other lipids, including triacylglycerols, have reduced network correlations and connections. A total of 10 lipid species demonstrate significant changes uniquely associated with preeclampsia but not any other clinical confounders. These species are from the lipid classes of lysophosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), cholesteryl esters, phosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, and ceramides. A random forest classifier built on these lipids shows highly accurate and specific prediction (F1 statistic = 0.94; balanced accuracy = 0.88) of severe preeclampsia, demonstrating their potential as biomarkers for this condition. These lipid species are enriched in dysregulated biological pathways, including insulin signaling, immune response, and phospholipid metabolism. Moreover, causality inference shows that various PCs and lysophosphatidylcholines mediate severe preeclampsia through PC 35:1e. Our results suggest that the lipidome may play a role in the pathogenesis and serve as biomarkers of severe preeclampsia.