cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The AP2 binding site of synaptotagmin 1 is not an internalization signal but a regulator of endocytosis.

One characteristic linking members of the synaptotagmin family to endocytosis is their ability to bind the heterotetrameric AP2 complex via their C2B domain. By using CD4/synaptotagmin 1 chimeras, we found that the internalization signal of synaptotagmin 1 lies at the extreme COOH-terminus of the protein and can function in the absence of the C2B domain that contains the AP2 binding site. However, although not essential for internalization, the C2B domain of synaptotagmin 1 appeared to control the recognition of the internalization motif. By mutagenesis, two sites have been identified that modify regulation by the C2B domain in the neuroendocrine PC12 cell line. Mutation of a dilysine motif in the β sandwich core of the domain eliminates endocytosis. This site is known to be a site of protein–protein interaction. Mutations in the calcium binding region, or in its close proximity, also affect internalization in PC12 cells. In fibroblasts, the C2B domain inhibits the COOH-terminal internalization signal, resulting in an absence of internalization in those cells. Thus, internalization of synaptotagmin 1 is controlled by the presence of a latent internalization signal in the COOH-terminal region and a regulatory region in the C2B domain. We propose that internalization of synaptotagmin 1 is regulated in this way to allow it to couple the processes of endocytosis and calcium-mediated exocytosis in cells of the neuroendocrine lineage.
Opioid Prescribing at Hospital Discharge Contributes to Chronic Opioid Use

Chronic opioid therapy for chronic pain treatment has increased. Hospital physicians, including hospitalists and medical/surgical resident physicians, care for many hospitalized patients, yet little is known about opioid prescribing at hospital discharge and future chronic opioid use. We aimed to characterize opioid prescribing at hospital discharge among ‘opioid naive’ patients. Opioid naive patients had not filled an opioid prescription at an affiliated pharmacy 1 year preceding their hospital discharge. We also set out to quantify the risk of chronic opioid use and opioid refills 1 year post discharge among opioid naive patients with and without opioid receipt at discharge. This was a retrospective cohort study. From 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011, 6,689 opioid naive patients were discharged from a safety-net hospital. Chronic opioid use 1 year post discharge. Twenty-five percent of opioid naive patients (n = 1,688) had opioid receipt within 72 hours of discharge. Patients with opioid receipt were more likely to have diagnoses including neoplasm (6.3 % versus 3.5 %, p < 0.001), acute pain (2.7 % versus 1.0 %, p < 0.001), chronic pain at admission (12.1 % versus 3.3 %, p < 0.001) or surgery during their hospitalization (65.1 % versus 18.4 %, p < 0.001) compared to patients without opioid receipt. Patients with opioid receipt were less likely to have alcohol use disorders (15.7 % versus 20.7 %, p < 0.001) and mental health disorders (23.9 % versus 31.4 %, p < 0.001) compared to patients without opioid receipt. Chronic opioid use 1 year post discharge was more common among patients with opioid receipt (4.1 % versus 1.3 %, p < 0.0001) compared to patients without opioid receipt. Opioid receipt was associated with increased odds of chronic opioid use (AOR = 4.90, 95 % CI 3.22-7.45) and greater subsequent opioid refills (AOR = 2.67, 95 % CI 2.29-3.13) 1 year post discharge compared to no opioid receipt. Opioid receipt at hospital discharge among opioid naive patients increased future chronic opioid use. Physicians should inform patients of this risk prior to prescribing opioids at discharge.
A High-Throughput Screening Assay for Small Molecules That Disrupt Yeast Cell Integrity

Lead compounds for antifungal drug development are urgently needed because invasive fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Here, a high-throughput screening assay for small molecules that cause yeast cell lysis is described. The assay is based on the detection of the intracellular enzyme adenylate kinase in the culture medium as a reporter of yeast cell lysis. Features of the assay protocol include 1) the ability to detect cell lysis at drug concentrations that cause no apparent growth defect, 2) specificity for fungicidal molecules, 3) a simple 1-plate, add-and-read protocol using a commercially available adenylate kinase assay kit, 4) short, 5-h incubation time, and 5) low cost. The assay is applicable to the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to Candida albicans, the most common human fungal pathogen. The adenylate kinase assay is validated in a pilot screen of 4505 compounds. Consistent with its specificity for fungicidal molecules, the largest class of molecules identified in 2 libraries of known bioactive molecules targeted the plasma membrane. Fungistatic compounds are not detected by the assay. Adenylate kinase-based screening appears to be a useful approach to the direct identification of small molecules that kill yeast cells.
Mass spectrometry of proteins of known mass

Few measurements in biochemistry are as fundamental as mass. Whereas the mass of a macromolecule is often inferred by its migration through polymer gels, direct measure may only be determined by mass spectrometry. Most scientists' expectation of mass spectrometry is that of determining the mass of an unknown. In the postgenomic era, this has resulted in a fundamental shift in our ability to approach biological investigation. Consider the problem of elucidating the identity of a protein resolved on a two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel. What was once a dissertation project is now a service in which protein is extracted from the gel and proteolysed, and the fragment masses determined by mass spectrometry. Given the specificity of the protease and the organism's genome, the identity of the protein is determined by a database search (1). Historically, most mass spectrometry is conducted by first ionizing molecules from harsh conditions, e.g., desiccated in the case of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization, or heated and acidified aqueous/organic mixtures in the case of electrospray ionization. It is, however, possible to ionize biomolecules from aqueous buffers at neutral pH and room temperature. This is done with some difficulty using conventional electrospray ionization, and with relative ease using nano-electrospray ionization (2, 3). As a result, a great many biochemists are finding novel applications of mass spectrometry in instances where the mass is already known (4).
Emerging Adulthood: Understanding the New Way of Coming of Age.

• See the world. It's much easier to do when you're 22 and footloose than 35 with two bawling babies in your backpack. • If you're going to drink a lot, do it when you're young. Get this experimentation out of your system. • Take risks with your job. Aim for the career you've dreamed of doing. Or just have fun for now. Later, when you've got the mortgage and 2.3 kids and a time share in Cocoa Beach, fun will be the last thing on your mind. • Do volunteer work. You may be broke, but you can give your sweat and earnestness to a cause in which you believe. • Use this decade to go to extremes. Climb the tallest mountain you can find. Learn to sail. Road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. [By age 30] people will really be expecting you to act like a grown up. So, you will need some experiences to teach you how to get there.
Electron tunneling through molecule–electrode contacts of single alkane molecular junctions: experimental determination and a practical barrier model

An advanced understanding of the molecule–electrode contact interfaces of single-molecule junctions is a necessity for real world application of future single-molecule devices. This study aims to elucidate the change in the contact tunnelling barrier induced by junction extension and how this change affects the resulting junction conductance. The contact barrier of Au–octanedithiol/octanediamine–Au junctions was studied under triangle (TRI) mechanical modulations using the modified scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) break junction technique. The experimental results reveal that as the junction separation extends, the contact barrier of octanedithiol follows a unique trend, a linear increase followed by a plateau in barrier height, which is in contrast to that of octanediamine, a nearly rectangle barrier. We propose a modified contact barrier model for the unique barrier shape of octanedithiol, based on which the calculation agrees well with the experimental data. This study shows unprecedented experimental features of the molecule–electrode contact barrier of single-molecule junctions and provides new insights into the nature of contact effect in determining electron transport through single-molecule junctions.
Analysis of budget for interdiction on multicommodity network flows

In this paper, we concentrate on computing several critical budgets for interdiction of the multicommodity network flows, and studying the interdiction effects of the changes on budget. More specifically, we first propose general interdiction models of the multicommodity flow problem, with consideration of both node and arc removals and decrease of their capacities. Then, to perform the vulnerability analysis of networks, we define the function F(R) as the minimum amount of unsatisfied demands in the resulted network after worst-case interdiction with budget R. Specifically, we study the properties of function F(R), and find the critical budget values, such as $$R_a$$Ra, the largest value under which all demands can still be satisfied in the resulted network even under the worst-case interdiction, and $$R_b$$Rb, the least value under which the worst-case interdiction can make none of the demands be satisfied. We prove that the critical budget $$R_b$$Rb for completely destroying the network is not related to arc or node capacities, and supply or demand amounts, but it is related to the network topology, the sets of source and destination nodes, and interdiction costs on each node and arc. We also observe that the critical budget $$R_a$$Ra is related to all of these parameters of the network. Additionally, we present formulations to estimate both $$R_a$$Ra and $$R_b$$Rb. For the effects of budget increasing, we present the conditions under which there would be extra capabilities to interdict more arcs or nodes with increased budget, and also under which the increased budget has no effects for the interdictor. To verify these results and conclusions, numerical experiments on 12 networks with different numbers of commodities are performed.
Hybrid minimally invasive extraction of atrial clot avoids redo sternotomy in Jehovah's Witness.

We report the novel use of the AngioVac device in a percutaneous hybrid approach to remove a large right atrial clot as an effective and potentially lifesaving alternative to a very high-risk redo-...
Epidemiological Analysis on Mumps in Changshu City From 2010-2014

Objective To understand the incidence and prevalence of mumps Changshu features provide the basis for the development of effective prevention and control plan mumps. Methods Use descriptive epidemiology of 2010-2014 "Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System" direct reporting network information and clusters of disease outbreaks registration data for analysis. Results 2010—2014 CHANGSHU CITY local cases of mumps reported a total of 680 cases, the average annual reported incidence of 12.74/100,000, according to the year the difference was statistically significant incidence(P0.01); Onset time showed a more significant seasonal, spring and winter the number of cases increased significantly; disease was sporadic state, the incidence of different distribution of different towns;Cases are mainly concentrated in the 3~16 year-old student-oriented, males than in females, the average annual reported incidence of gender differences was statistically significant(P0.01); Clusters of disease occurs mainly in middle schools.Conclusion Promotion of MMR vaccination in children and adults,In mumps epidemic season, to strengthen the schools, preschools and other key places and people monitoring and health education, the right to take effective and comprehensive prevention and control measures as soon as possible.
Fair QoS Multicast Routing Mechanism in Mobile Wireless Internet

A fair QoS multicast routing mechanism is presented.It is consisted of initial QoS multicast routing tree setup algorithm,node joining/leaving/handover and tree reconstruction mechanisms,it supports fairness from routing viewpoint.Simulations show that the proposed mechanism is feasible and effective.
Independent Domestication of Two Old World Cotton Species

Domesticated cotton species provide raw material for the majority of the world's textile industry. Two independent domestication events have been identified in allopolyploid cotton, one in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and the other to Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.). However, two diploid cotton species, Gossypium arboreum L. and Gossypium herbaceum L., have been cultivated for several millennia, but their status as independent domesticates has long been in question. Using genome resequencing data, we estimated the global abundance of various repetitive DNAs. We demonstrate that, despite negligible divergence in genome size, the two domesticated diploid cotton species contain different, but compensatory, repeat content and have thus experienced cryptic alterations in repeat abundance despite equivalence in genome size. Evidence of independent origin is bolstered by estimates of divergence times based on molecular evolutionary analysis of f7,000 orthologous genes, for which synonymous substitution rates suggest that G. arboreum and G. herbaceum last shared a common ancestor approximately 0.4-2.5 Ma. These data are incompatible with a shared domestication history during the emergence of agriculture and lead to the conclusion that G. arboreum and G. herbaceum were each domesticated independently.
Classifying ReachOut posts with a radial basis function SVM

The ReachOut clinical psychology shared task challenge addresses the problem of providing an automatic triage for posts to a support forum for people with a history of mental health issues. Posts are classified into green, amber, red and crisis. The non-green categories correspond to increasing levels of urgency for some form of intervention. The Thomson Reuters submissions arose from an idea about self-training and ensemble learning. The available labeled training set is small (947 examples) and the class distribution unbalanced. It was therefore hoped to develop a method that would make use of the larger dataset of unlabeled posts provided by the organisers. This did not work, but the performance of a radial basis function SVM intended as a baseline was relatively good. Therefore, the report focuses on the latter, aiming to understand the reasons for its performance.
Identification of Residues in the Lipopolysaccharide ABC Transporter That Coordinate ATPase Activity with Extractor Function

ABSTRACT The surface of most Gram-negative bacteria is covered with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), creating a permeability barrier against toxic molecules, including many antimicrobials. To assemble LPS on their surface, Gram-negative bacteria must extract newly synthesized LPS from the inner membrane, transport it across the aqueous periplasm, and translocate it across the outer membrane. The LptA to -G proteins assemble into a transenvelope complex that transports LPS from the inner membrane to the cell surface. The Lpt system powers LPS transport from the inner membrane by using a poorly characterized ATP-binding cassette system composed of the ATPase LptB and the transmembrane domains LptFG. Here, we characterize a cluster of residues in the groove region of LptB that is important for controlling LPS transport. We also provide the first functional characterization of LptFG and identify their coupling helices that interact with the LptB groove. Substitutions at conserved residues in these coupling helices compromise both the assembly and function of the LptB2FG complex. Defects in LPS transport conferred by alterations in the LptFG coupling helices can be rescued by changing a residue in LptB that is adjacent to functionally important residues in the groove region. This suppression is achieved by increasing the ATPase activity of the LptB2FG complex. Taken together, these data identify a specific binding site in LptB for the coupling helices of LptFG that is responsible for coupling of ATP hydrolysis by LptB with LptFG function to achieve LPS extraction. IMPORTANCE Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is synthesized at the cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and transported across several compartments to the cell surface, where it forms a barrier that protects these organisms from antibiotics. The LptB2FG proteins form an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter that uses energy from ATP hydrolysis in the cytoplasm to facilitate extraction of LPS from the outer face of the cytoplasmic membrane prior to transport to the cell surface. How ATP hydrolysis is coupled with LPS release from the membrane is not understood. We have identified residues at the interface between the ATPase and the transmembrane domains of this heteromeric ABC complex that are important for LPS transport, some of which coordinate ATPase activity with LPS release.
Optimization of Personalized Learning Pathways Based on Competencies and Outcome

Personalized learning that is tailored to individual needs, preference, and interests may improve student learning experience and outcome. With the aid of computing technology, it is becoming possible to deliver personalized learning to a large and diverse student population. One of the key problems involved is the determination of the pathway which each learner follows to complete a learning program. Existing methods generally rely on a priori knowledge of subject content prerequisite relationship or constraint to determine the sequencing of instructional materials without any consideration of student learning outcome. In this paper, we formulate the selection of learning pathways as an optimization problem based on competencies and student learning outcome. We show that the resulting pathway selection problem can be modeled as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Decision rules can thus be defined and applied to select personalized learning pathways to optimize student learning outcome according to desired performance criteria.
Diet and physical activity in lung cancer risk prediction for current, former, and never smokers.

B143 The potential public health benefits of individualized estimates of the probability of developing lung cancer are large. Using data from an ongoing case-control study, we recently developed separate epidemiologic risk assessment models for lung cancer in current, former, and never smokers. Exposures to second-hand smoke and to dust, family history of cancer, history of respiratory disease in the index patient, and smoking history were strong risk factors. These models had only modest discriminatory power and did not include data on diet or physical activity. We have therefore expanded the model to evaluate the added benefit of incorporating these variables. Lung cancer patients were recruited from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, while healthy controls, who were matched on cases by age, gender, ethnicity and smoking status, were recruited at the Kelsey Seybold Clinics, the largest private physician group in the greater Houston area. Dietary data were collected on patients for the year prior to diagnosis and on controls for the year prior to interview using a 129-item modified National Cancer Institute -Block food frequency questionnaire, and responses were categorized according to the 2006 USDA guideline for pyramid food groups. Physical activity was reported for sports and other forms throughout adult years. We developed multiple variable models using backward elimination (P
Preventing Coups d’état: How Counterbalancing Works

Although coups remain a pressing concern for rulers across the globe, the mechanisms through which common coup-prevention strategies operate have not been well theorized or rigorously tested. This ...
Comparison of the Lupus Foundation of America-Rapid Evaluation of Activity in Lupus to More Complex Disease Activity Instruments As Evaluated by Clinical Investigators or Real-World Clinicians.

Lupus disease measures such as the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) Index are challenging to interpret. The Lupus Foundation of America–Rapid Evaluation of Activity in Lupus (LFA-REAL) is intended to provide an efficient application of anchored visual analogue scores, each representing the individual severity of active symptoms, with the sum of individual scores deriving an overall disease activity assessment. Objectives To compare the performance of LFA-REAL to SLE disease activity assessments and compare scores between trained lupus clinical investigators and clinicians. Methods Investigators scored the SLEDAI, BILAG, PGA, and LFA-REAL, while the clinicians scored the LFA-REAL. The level of agreement between physicians and instruments was determined. Results The study included 99 patients, 93% women, 31% Caucasian, 43.4 (±13.2) years old. At the first visit, the SLEDAI was 5.5 (±4.5), BILAG 6.7 (±7.8), and PGA 33.6 (±24.5). The investigator REAL was 46.2 (±42.9), and clinician REAL 56.1 (±53.6). At the second visit, the investigator REAL was 41.3 (±36.7), and clinician REAL 48.3 (±42.6). Total REAL scores correlated positively with PGA, SLEDAI, and BILAG (ρ 0.58-0.88, p 0.7 for musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, and renal BILAG domains. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the REAL scores of investigators and clinicians was 0.79 for Visit1 (p < 0.001) and 0.86 for Visit2 (p < 0.001). Conclusion The LFA-REAL provides a reliable surrogate for more complicated disease activity measures when used by lupus clinical investigators or clinicians. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A Strong Entropy Power Inequality

When one of the random summands is Gaussian, we sharpen the entropy power inequality (EPI) in terms of the strong data processing function for Gaussian channels. Among other consequences, this ‘strong’ EPI generalizes the vector extension of Costa’s EPI to non-Gaussian channels in a precise sense. This leads to a new reverse EPI and, as a corollary, sharpens Stam’s uncertainty principle relating entropy power and Fisher information (or, equivalently, Gross’ logarithmic Sobolev inequality). Applications to network information theory are also given, including a short self-contained proof of the rate region for the two-encoder quadratic Gaussian source coding problem and a new outer bound for the one-sided Gaussian interference channel.
Sex Offender Stigma: An Exploration of Vigilantism against Sex Offenders

The current study compiles open-source news reports involving vigilantes who targeted individuals because of their status as a sex offender (SO) or their suspected involvement in a sex offense. The...
Differenzierungsaspekte in der Geschichte des „Wolfsmannes“

Freuds Verstandnis der psychischen Dynamik des „Wolfsmannes“ konzentriert sich auf die Komplexitat der Reaktionen, die die Erkenntnis der Geschlechterdifferenz beim Jungen auslost. Aus diesem Grund und weil die meisten Menschen, die mit psychoanalytischer Literatur vertraut sind, den Fall gut kennen, stellt die Krankengeschichte eine gute Moglichkeit dar, um zu demonstrieren, auf welche Weise ein Differenzierungsmodell in einem bestimmten Fall zusatzliche oder auch andere Untersuchungsrichtungen nahelegen konnte.
On the Foundation of the ”V. M. Bekhterev Friends’ International Society”

The article presents information about the foundation of a new public organization, the “V. M. Bekhterev Friends’ International Society”, at the V.M. Bekhterev National Research Medical Center for Psychiatry and Neurology with the aim to further extend the study of V.M. Bekhterev’s scientific legacy and to create, on the basis of the Society, the V. M. Bekhterev Encyclopedia.
ApoE-2 Brain-Targeted Gene Therapy Through Transferrin and Penetratin Tagged Liposomal Nanoparticles.

Apolipoprotein E2 (ApoE2) gene therapy is a potential disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated the potential of plasmid encoding ApoE2 loaded brain-targeted functionalized-liposomes for treatment of AD. This was achieved via systemic administration of liposomes entrapping therapeutic gene targeting the brain of mice. Targeting and transfection efficiency of designed liposomes were determined in bEnd.3, primary glial and primary neuronal cells. The ability of liposomal formulations to translocate across in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) and, thereafter, transfect primary neuronal cells was investigated using in vitro triple co-culture BBB model. We quantified ApoE expression in the brain of mice after single intravenous injection of brain-targeted liposomes loaded with plasmid ApoE2. Dual surface modification enhanced the in vitro transfection efficiency of designed liposomes. Successful delivery of therapeutic gene overcoming BBB by Transferrin-Penetratin- modified liposomes was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Significant (p < 0.05) increase in ApoE levels in the brain of mice was observed after intravenous administration of Tf-Pen-liposomes encasing plasmid ApoE2. The results indicate that dual-ligand based liposomal gene delivery systems had both enhanced brain targeting and gene delivery efficiencies. Transferrin-Penetratin modified liposomes for delivery of plasmid ApoE2 has great potential for AD treatment.
A Study of Delamination in Asymmetric Laminates

Delamination is one of the most severe and common forms of damage in composite components. In general, composite components have symmetric layups, however, due to delamination, surface damage and subsequent repair, the original symmetry is lost. The present work focuses on the assesment of delamination behavior of unsymmetric laminates.
Critical Rows of Almost-Factorable Matrices

An almost-factorable matrix is a matrix that has a k-rank nonnegative factorization after deleting a single row. We call such a row a critical row. In graph optimization, a critical edge is an edge which can be deleted to reduce a graph measure, such as the size of the minimum vertex cover. We prove a reduction between critical rows in matrices and critical edges in graphs. Additionally, we describe and experimentally test an algorithm to identify the critical row of a matrix.
Alcohol demand assessed daily: validity, variability, and the influence of drinking-related consequences

Abstract Background Alcohol demand, typically assessed at the trait-level, via single administration, reflects individualized alcohol value. We examined correspondence between baseline trait-level and daily brief measures of alcohol demand, and whether demand changes day-to-day in response to recent drinking-related consequences. Understanding whether consequences influence demand fluctuations may provide insight into when demand can be reduced in the context of intervention. Methods Heavy drinking college students (n = 95, age 18–20, 52% female) completed a baseline 14-item alcohol purchase task (APT). Observed demand indices were: intensity (consumption at zero cost), Omax (maximum expenditure), and breakpoint (cost whereby consumption is suppressed to zero). Participants subsequently completed 28 daily reports including a 3-item APT (one item corresponding to each baseline index) and prior day drinking and consequences. Results Intraclass correlations revealed within-person variability (i.e., day-to-day change) across daily demand indices. In hierarchical linear models (HLM), each daily demand index was significantly predicted by its corresponding baseline full APT index, when all three baseline indices were entered, suggesting convergent validity of the daily measure. Lower day-level intensity was predicted by more prior day negative consequences, controlling for several day- and person-level variables in HLM. Recent positive consequences did not impact intensity, and daily Omax and breakpoint were not predicted by any tested day- or person-level variables. Conclusions APT indices collected daily map on well to traditional single-administration APT metrics and change in response to recent consequences. Intensity demonstrated the greatest within-person variability, the strongest association with its corresponding full APT index, and theoretically-consistent prediction by negative consequences of drinking.
Prevalence of asthma at a school-based health clinic in Nicaragua.

Background Worldwide, it is estimated that 235-334 million people have been diagnosed with asthma. In Nicaragua, the current asthma rate for children 13-14 years of age was 15.2%. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma at this school-based health clinic in Managua, Nicaragua, associated symptoms or diseases, determine asthma classification, medications, and hospitalization rates. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on all pediatric patient's medical records seen in the clinic during a 5-day period (n = 105). Results A total of 23 patients (21.9%) had asthma documented in the medical chart and were included in the analysis. Of the 23 patients, 3 (13%) patients were classified with intermittent asthma while the rest of the patients (87%) were not classified. Albuterol was prescribed for 19 (86%) of the patients with two patients who had both albuterol and QVAR® prescribed. Six (26%) patients had a family history of asthma. Discussion This study demonstrated the prevalence of asthma in school-aged children in Nicaragua is significant and higher than previously reported. The lack of a classification of asthma prevents patients from potentially being treated appropriately.
A Case Report: Using Multimodalities to Examine a Professional Pianist with Focal Dystonia

Task-specific dystonia is characterized by excessive muscle contractions producing abnormal postures. These structural and functional changes are known to be a result of maladaptive neuroplasticity to prolonged, intense, repetitive movement. While some factors of neuropathology of focal dystonia are known, the etiology of task-induced focal dystonia and effective treatments are unknown. We examined hand biomechanics, neurophysiology, and music performance outcomes in a 53-year-old male pianist with dystonic extension of the left third digit while playing the piano. We aimed to gain information that can help develop a holistic rehabilitation strategy. The pianist led a life with constricted work patterns leaving little time to recharge or relax. He had large hands with a hypermobile structure. Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data showed the lack of fine digital touch control required for skilled music playing. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) demonstrated enhanced activity in contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex, supplementary motor area, and parietal-occipital regions during simulated left-hand scale playing. Intramuscular needle EMG analysis demonstrated hyperactivation of the left extensor digitorum communis (EDC) with a distinct periodic oscillatory pattern during and persisting after playing, which was not as prominent in the unaffected extensor indicis proprius (EIP), thus demonstrating that pianist’s focal dystonia was associated with increased activity in the contralateral motor cortex area and a distinct oscillatory EMG activity. Video recording of retraining sessions using a vibrotactile sensor showed progress. A complete recovery of the affected finger deficit remains elusive after the 8-week retraining.
Chapter 15 – Cancer Vaccines

The development of cancer immunotherapies has been a clinical exercise spanning nearly two decades with only one success to date, Dendreon’s Provenge® approval for prostate cancer. Although the path has been long, clinical challenges have been defined and resolutions have been proposed. This chapter aims to provide an understanding of cancer antigens, vaccine immune potentiators, and vaccine adjuvant systems currently under clinical development; new paradigms in clinical development; and biomarker discovery for vaccine development. Future trends in therapeutic vaccine strategies including the development of novel adjuvant systems, the utilization of oncolytic viruses as a means to “self-vaccinate,” and advances and hurdles of future prophylactic vaccines strategies are also described and assessed.
Importance of Multiple Reinforcing Comments and Areas for Change in Optimizing Dietary and Exercise Self-Monitoring Feedback in Behavioral Weight Loss Programs: Factorial Design.

Background: Individualized dietary and physical activity self-monitoring feedback is a core element of behavioral weight loss interventions and is associated with clinically significant weight loss. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated individuals’ perspectives on the composition of feedback messages or the effect of feedback composition on the motivation to self-monitor. Objective: This study aims to assess the perceptions of feedback emails as a function of the number of comments that reinforce healthy behavior and the number of areas for change (ie, behavioral changes that the individual might make to have an impact on weight) identified. Methods: Emailed feedback followed a factorial design with 2 factors (ie, reinforcing comments and areas for change), each with 3 levels (ie, 1, 4, or 8 comments). A total of 250 adults with overweight or obesity who were interested in weight loss were recruited from the Qualtrics research panel. Participants read 9 emails presented in a random order. For each email, respondents answered 8 questions about the likelihood to self-monitor in the future, motivation for behavioral change, and perceptions of the counselor and the email. A mixed effects ordinal logistic model was used to compute conditional odds ratios and predictive margins (ie, average predicted probability) on a 5-point Likert response scale to investigate the optimal combination level of the 2 factors. Results: Emails with more reinforcing comments or areas for change were better received, with small incremental benefits for 8 reinforcing comments or areas for change versus 4 reinforcing comments or areas for change. Interactions indicated that the best combination for 3 of 8 outcomes assessed (ie, motivation to make behavioral changes, counselor’s concern for their welfare, and the perception that the counselor likes them) was the email with 8 reinforcing comments and 4 areas for change. Emails with 4 reinforcing comments and 4 areas for change resulted in the highest average probability of individuals who reported being very likely to self-monitor in the future. Conclusions: The study findings suggest how feedback might be optimized for efficacy. Future studies should explore whether the composition of feedback email affects actual self-monitoring performance.
Group A streptococcal primary peritonitis in an otherwise healthy adolescent female

Abstract Group A streptococcal (GAS) primary peritonitis is a rare clinical entity, particularly in the pediatric population. Traditionally patients with primary peritonitis, particularly those with underlying medical conditions such as nephrotic syndrome and liver disease, are managed non-operatively with antibiotics. However, most patients presenting with GAS primary peritonitis undergo operative intervention as it is difficult to exclude an intra-abdominal source in an otherwise healthy child with clinical evidence of peritonitis. We present a case of a 16-year-old female with GAS primary peritonitis following a previous hospitalization for GAS pyelonephritis. We additionally review the recent pediatric literature on GAS primary peritonitis and discuss options for diagnosis and management.
Prevention of spinal fusion post-operative wound infections in pediatric patients with scoliosis: a quality improvement initiative.

Post-operative wound infections increase patient morbidity and mortality as well as the length of hospital stay, with a profound personal and institutional cost. The aim of this study was to decrease post-operative infections through development of a surgical antibiotic prophylaxis policy based on institution-specific risk factors and microbiology data. We conducted a retrospective review of deep wound infections at our institution over a 5-year period (2014–2018). 399 spinal fusion procedures were performed with a 2.5% post-operative infection rate. Patients with neuromuscular scoliosis were six times more likely to develop deep wound infections (7.6%) compared to patients with congenital and idiopathic scoliosis (combined rate of 1.25%). The microbiology data revealed that polymicrobial, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) gram negative organisms predominated in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis. Based on these findings, we implemented an evidence-based quality improvement intervention: all patients with neuromuscular scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion were given a single 15 mg/kg dose of amikacin, in addition to our standard practice of perioperative cefazolin plus vancomycin with intra-operative betadine wash and vancomycin powder application. This intervention was put into practice in January 2019. Since the implementation of our quality improvement initiative, the overall post-operative infection rate decreased to 1.1% (2 infections in 176 cases). Ninety-eight percent of the 43 neuromuscular scoliosis patients who underwent spinal fusion in the post-intervention time frame have remained infection free. Examination of post-operative infection and microbiology data at the institution level can guide the development of institution specific, evidence-based quality improvement initiatives that reduce post-operative wound infections.
Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus detection results from food and beverage in Changde city

Objective To understand the situation of food contamination by Staphylococcus aureus(SA) in food and beverage in Changde city. Methods Totally 13 categories and 473 batches of food beverage were sampled in 330 catering enterprises in Changde to detect SA. Results The qualified rate of the detection of SA in food and beverage was 99.2%, and SA was found in the cold food, non-fermented bean products and rice flour. The qualified rates of 13 categories of food beverage differed significantly(X2=23.88, P0.05) and the qualified rates of SA from 2011 to 2013 had no significant difference(X2=3.03, P0.05). The contamination rates of SA in 6 kinds of catering industries also showed no significant difference(X2=6.36, P0.05). Conclusion The contamination of SA exists in food beverage in Changde and the supervision on the key varieties susceptible to SA such as rice flour and cold food should be strengthened.
Teen reactions to a self-representational avatar: A qualitative exploration.

Abstract Purpose This research presents findings from a qualitative exploration of the reactions of adolescents (12–14 years old) to navigating an exergame with an avatar created from multiple scans of the player (referred to as a self-representational avatar). Methods Post-gameplay interviews were conducted with adolescents following participation in a 20-min laboratory session (21.2 ± 0.8 min, mean ± SD) where the self-representational avatar was navigated through an exergame. Verbatim transcripts (n = 40) were coded and analyzed by 2 independent coders using hybrid thematic analysis for this secondary data analysis. Codes were reviewed to identify themes representing adolescents’ reactions. Results Four themes emerged. Adolescents connected with their avatars and felt protective toward them, which influenced their actions in the exergame and contributed to their overall game enjoyment. Conclusion Creating exergames navigated by a self-representational avatar was an enjoyable experience and influenced gameplay. Future research should explore the effect of this approach on gameplay frequency and intensity over time.
Malting and Water

Brewing beer requires that we convert starches into sugars in order to ferment them. In this chapter, we’ll uncover the conversion of starches into sugars. This requires the modification of barley (primarily) into malt. The step is very important, because unmodified barley hinders our ability to make sugars later in the process. We’ll explore the actual processes that make malt and the equipment that is used in the process. In this chapter, we’ll also take a look at what some brewers consider to be the most important ingredient in making beer: water. We’ll examine the makeup of water and how its quality impacts the brewing process.
THE EFFECT OF MUSIC GENRE AND MUSIC-PREFERENCE DIMENSION ON ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVELS IN LISTENERS WITH NORMAL HEARING.

ABSTRACT Background: The acceptable noise level (ANL) is the maximum level of background noise that an individual is willing to accept while listening to speech. The type of background noise does not affect ANL results except for music (Gordon-Hickey & Moore, 2007; Nabĕlek et al, 1991). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if ANL differed due to music genre or music genre preference. Research Design: A repeated-measures experimental design was employed. Study Sample: Thirty-three young adults with normal hearing served as listeners. Data Collection and Analysis: MCL and BNL were measured to twelve-talker babble and 5 music samples from different genres: blues, classical, country, jazz, and rock. Additionally, music preference was evaluated via rank ordering of genre and by completion of the STOMP questionnaire. Results: Results indicated that ANL for music differed based on music genre; however, the difference was unrelated to music genre preference. Also, those with low ANLs tended to prefer the Intense and Rebellious music-preference dimension compared to those with high ANLs. Conclusions: For instrumental music, ANL was lower for blues and rock music compared to classical, country, and jazz. The differences identified were not related to music genre preference; however, this finding may be related to the music preference dimension of Intense and Rebellious music. Future work should evaluate the psychological variables that make up music-preference dimension to determine if these relate to our ANL.
From Content to Representational Content

Part One is an account of the range of contents which human thoughts can have. This is not the only way to focus a theory of content, and it is not unproblematic. It is not unproblematic even if our human form is relevant to what we can think. Even if there is some single paradigm of normal adult human neurophysiology, still other humans differ from that paradigm in relevant ways. At best, we can hope only to provide an account of content for “normal” adult humans. And even “normal” adult humans may relevantly differ, so that some idealization unavoidably infects our account. Also, any biological constraints we humans now suffer may one day be broken by technological advance, which will allow us to alter our form. Despite the legitimacy of these worries, the account which follows will show that normal adult human capacities are, at least for now, at least enough alike to make a focus on “human” content reasonable.
Does Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Predict Levels of Depressive Symptoms during Emerging Adulthood?

Little is known about the development and course of depressive symptoms through emerging adulthood among individuals with a childhood history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to examine if a history of ADHD in childhood significantly predicted depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood (i.e., ages 18-25 years), including the initial level of depressive symptoms, continued levels of depressive symptoms at each age year, and the rate of change in depressive symptoms over time. 394 participants (205 with ADHD and 189 without ADHD; 348 males and 46 females) drawn from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) completed annual self-ratings of depressive symptoms between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Childhood history of ADHD significantly predicted a higher initial level of depressive symptoms at age 18, and higher levels of depressive symptoms at every age year during emerging adulthood. ADHD did not significantly predict the rate of change in depressive symptoms from age 18 to age 25. Childhood history of ADHD remained a significant predictor of initial level of depressive symptoms at age 18 after controlling for comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, but not after controlling for concurrent ADHD symptoms and psychosocial impairment. Participants with childhood histories of ADHD experienced significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than non-ADHD comparison participants by age 18 and continued to experience higher, although not increasing, levels of depressive symptoms through emerging adulthood. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Comparison of Cultureset to a Conventional Tissue Culture—Fluorescent-Antibody Technique for Isolation and Identification of Herpes Simplex Virus

The isolation and identification of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 from clinical specimens with a 48-h system was compared with a conventional tissue culture detection method.
An alternative technique to Perfectly Matched Layers to model anchor losses in MEMS resonators with undercut suspensions

This paper presents and experimentally validates a new numerical approach to accurately model anchor losses in MEMS resonators with undercut suspensions. This method is an alternative to the use of Perfectly Matched Layers (PMLs) and excels at predicting Q for those cases in which highly reflective boundaries are present. The proposed finite element method (FEM) imposes fixed-constraints (FC) at the edges of the released regions and the Q is calculated as the ratio of strain energy in both resonator and anchors and the total acoustic energy transferred to the substrate. This new approach is compared to the results obtained by using PML conditions and validated experimentally through measurement of 216 AlN resonators with resonance frequencies (f r ) around 60 MHz. The comparison shows that the proposed numerical technique has a similar accuracy to PML in predicting Q, but it is superior to it when reflections from the boundaries become relevant.
A MULTI-LEVEL ITERATIVE METHOD FOR NONLINEAR ELLIPTIC EQUATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the multilevel iterative method for nonlinear elliptic equations. It describes the solution of the quasilinear elliptic boundary value problem. The smoothing equation represents the use of some iterative method that can rapidly damp components of the error that oscillate on the order of hJ. It is found that if the problem has severe singularities, the procedure may result in the refinement of relatively few triangles. It is found that because one want the dimension of the spaces T, to increase geometrically, this adaptive procedure may be invoked several times to compute a single triangulation. The adaptive procedure is likely to produce triangulations that are highly nonuniform. For such triangulations, the convergence of the multilevel iterative method can still be proven, but the proof of the asymptotic optimal order work estimate may no longer hold. The function f(x,y) = 0 along the P − N junction is positive in the N-region and is negative in the P-region.