cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lung and Mediastinum

Fine needle aspiration and small tissue biopsies have become a primary modality to achieve a definitive diagnosis of a mass-like lesion of the lung and mediastinum. This chapter delineated cytologic and histologic features of common and rare neoplastic and nonneoplastic mass-like lesions of the lung and mediastinum. The utilities and pitfalls of commonly used diagnostic immunohistochemical (IHC) stains, such as TTF1, Napsin A, p40 and CK5/6, and small diagnostic IHC panels, were described. Multiple challenging and yet practical cases at the end of the chapter were used to reemphasize important points illustrated throughout the chapter.
The Production of Black Ph.D.’s in Economics at Harvard University, 1905–1955

Harvard University’s Economics Department produced some of the leading African American economists between World War I and the Korean War. This essay explores the factors that contributed to this accomplishment and documents the career trajectories of the six blacks who obtained the Doctorate in Economics from Harvard University during the period 1905–1955. The analysis reveals the pivotal roles of the Rosenwald Fund, Classical High Schools, Black Fraternal Organizations and former University of Minnesota Applied Economics Professor, John D. Black. A common outcome of the careers of these six pioneers was a commitment to black economic empowerment.
Does capitated managed care affect budget predictability? Evidence from Medicaid programs

As the second largest item in the budget of every US state, Medicaid budget stability and financial transparency have significance for every state. This study is the first to test whether managed care enrollment reduces the variance of Medicaid spending, in contrast to the focus of the existing literature on spending levels. This variance bears directly on whether budget constrained states whether budget constrained states benefit from managed care in the form of stabilized spending, leading to improved budget predictability. Capitated payments stabilize spending at the margin, but the effects may be unobservable in aggregate due to variation in enrollment, which is directly measured in the analysis, or selection bias, which is unobserved. Although the majority of Medicaid enrollees are in managed care, the study shows that managed care use has been concentrated among the enrollees with the most stable spending, resulting in only small gains to budget predictability. This finding is robust to the exclusion of the claims expenditures that exhibit the most variance.
Larry: Practical Network Reconfigurability in the Data Center

Modern data center (DC) applications require high cross-rack network bandwidth and ultra-low, predictable end-to-end latency. It is hard to meet these requirements in traditional DC networks where the bandwidth between a Top-of-Rack (ToR) switch and the rest of the DC is typically oversubscribed. Larry is a network design that allows racks to dynamically adapt their bandwidth to the aggregation switches as a function of the traffic demand. Larry reconfigures the network topology to enable racks with high demand to use underutilized uplinks from their neighbors. Operating at the physical layer, Larry has a predictably low traffic forwarding overhead that is adapted to latency sensitive applications. Larry is effective even when deployed on a small set of racks (e.g., 4) because rack traffic demand is not correlated in many DC workloads. It can be deployed incrementally and transparently co-exist with existing non-reconfigurable racks. Our prototype uses a 40 Gbps electrical circuit switch we have built, with a simply local control plane. Using multiple workloads, we show that Larry improves tail latency by to 2.3x for the same network cost.
Using natural language processing for identification of herpes zoster ophthalmicus cases to support population-based study.

Importance Diagnosis codes are inadequate for accurately identifying herpes zoster (HZ) ophthalmicus (HZO). There is significant lack of population-based studies on HZO due to the high expense of manual review of medical records. Background To assess whether HZO can be identified from the clinical notes using natural language processing (NLP). To investigate the epidemiology of HZO among HZ population based on the developed approach. Design A retrospective cohort analysis. Participants A total of 49 914 southern California residents aged over 18 years, who had a new diagnosis of HZ. Methods An NLP-based algorithm was developed and validated with the manually curated validation data set (n = 461). The algorithm was applied on over 1 million clinical notes associated with the study population. HZO versus non-HZO cases were compared by age, sex, race and co-morbidities. Main outcome measures We measured the accuracy of NLP algorithm. Results NLP algorithm achieved 95.6% sensitivity and 99.3% specificity. Compared to the diagnosis codes, NLP identified significant more HZO cases among HZ population (13.9% vs. 1.7%). Compared to the non-HZO group, the HZO group was older, had more males, had more Whites and had more outpatient visits. Conclusions and relevance We developed and validated an automatic method to identify HZO cases with high accuracy. As one of the largest studies on HZO, our finding emphasizes the importance of preventing HZ in the elderly population. This method can be a valuable tool to support population-based studies and clinical care of HZO in the era of big data.
Hansen’s Disease

Hansen’s disease or leprosy is a chronic infection that has a predilection for the skin and peripheral nerves. A wide range of clinical presentations occur depending on the host’s response to the organism. Treatment is for at least 6 months to a year depending on the number of clinical lesions and bacilli at presentation. This chapter will review the pathogenesis, clinical presentations, histopathology, leprosy host reactions, treatments, and case management.
A Contrast of “Accepted” Concepts of Organic Reactivity and the Present Work

The statement, “entities are not to be multiplied without necessity”, has often been ascribed to William of Ockham and has become known as Ockham’s razor. It is a statement about overcompleteness and its applicability to science has been recognized. Accordingly, in submitting this work to public scrutiny, we have to defend the position that it does not constitute a restatement of accepted ideas. One operational test of novelty is the disparity between the overview developed on the basis of the allegedly novel contribution and the overview which is accepted by the majority. Hence, what follows is a presentation of examples of the differences between our approach and what I perceive to be the “accepted viewpoint”. A complete list cannot be presented due to space limitations.
Stochastic Analysis of Solute Transport in Saturated and Unsaturated Porous Media

The application of stochastic methods to the analysis and prediction of the large-scale behavior of heterogeneous natural porous earth materials is reviewed emphasizing recent results for solute transport in saturated and unsaturated media. A stochastic methodology based on the representation of natural heterogeneity as a three dimensional statistically anisotropic homogeneous random field is developed. This approach makes use of spectral representation and a pertubation approximation to solve the stochastic partial differential equations governing flow and solute transport under the assumption of local statistical homogeneity. This approach leads to solutions for the large-scale mean behavior in terms of effective parameters such as hydraulic conductivities and macrodispersivities, and for the variance of the dependent variables, head and concentration. Results for the case of saturated solute transport demonstrate especially the near source developing dispersion characteristics that are reflected by the mean behavior, as well as the concentration variance as a measure of the reliability of predictions from the classical transport equation. It is found that the concentration variance is very large near sources of contamination, indicating the large uncertainty that is to be anticipated in classical transport models under those conditions. Field observations of large-scale solute transport in aquifers are also discussed. In the case of unsaturated flow the occurrence of large-scale tension-dependent hydraulic anisotropy and large-scale hysteresis is illustrated, and predictions of macrodispersivity under unsaturated conditions are also presented. Discussions focus on research needs and future directions, emphasizing the need for carefully designed numerical experimentation and large-scale controlled field experiments.
Multi-frequency differential absorption LIDAR system for remote sensing of CO 2 and H 2 O near 1.6 µm

The specifications and performance of a ground-based differential absorption LIDAR (light detection and ranging) system (DIAL) using an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) are presented. The OPO is injection-seeded with the output of a confocal filter cavity at frequencies generated by an electro-optic phase modulator (EOM) from a fixed-frequency external cavity diode laser (ECDL). The number of seed frequencies, frequency spacings, and duration is controlled with an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) driving the EOM. Range resolved data are acquired using both photon current and photon counts from a hybrid detection system. The DIAL measurements are performed using a repeating sequence of 10 frequencies spanning a range of 37.5 GHz near 1602.2 nm to sequentially sample CO2 and H2O at 10 Hz. Dry air mixing ratios of CO2 and H2O with a resolution of 250 m and an averaging time of 10 min resulted in uncertainties as low as 6 µmol/mol (ppm) and 0.44 g/kg, respectively. Simultaneous measurements using an integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) LIDAR system and in situ point sensor calibrated to WMO (World Meteorological Organization) gas standards are conducted over two 10 hr nighttime periods to support traceability of the DIAL results. The column averaged DIAL mixing ratios agree with the IPDA LIDAR results to within the measured uncertainties for much of two measurement periods. Some of the discrepancies with the in situ point sensor results are revealed through trends observed in the gradients of the range resolved DIAL data.
Cu(II) EPR Reveals Two Distinct Binding Sites and Oligomerization of Innate Immune Protein Calgranulin C

S100A12 or Calgranulin C is a homodimeric antimicrobial protein of the S100 family of EF-hand calcium-modulated proteins. S100A12 is involved in many diseases such as inflammation, tumor invasion, cancer and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The binding of transition metal ions to the protein is important as the sequestering of the metal ion induces conformational changes in the protein, inhibiting the growth of various pathogenic microorganisms. In this work, we probe the Cu2+ binding properties of Calgranulin C. We demonstrate that the two Cu2+ binding sites in Calgranulin C show different coordination environments in solution. Continuous wave-electron spin resonance (CW-ESR) spectra of Cu2+-bound protein clearly show two distinct components at higher Cu2+:protein ratios, which is indicative of the two different binding environments for the Cu2+ ions. The g|| and A|| values are also different for the two components, indicating that the number of directly coordinated nitrogen in each site differs. Furthermore, we perform CW-ESR titrations to obtain the binding affinity of the Ca2+-loaded protein to Cu2+ ions. We observe a positive cooperativity in binding of the two Cu2+ ions. To further probe the Cu2+ coordination, we also perform electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) experiment. We perform ESEEM at two different fields where one Cu2+ binding site dominates the other. At both sites we see distinct signatures of Cu2+–histidine coordination. However, we clearly see that the ESEEM spectra corresponding to the two Cu2+ binding sites are significantly different. There is clear change in the intensity of the double quantum peak with respect to the nuclear quadrupole interaction peak at the two different fields. Furthermore, ESEEM along with hyperfine sublevel correlation show that only one of the two Cu2+ binding sites has backbone coordination, confirming our previous observation. Finally, we perform double electron–electron resonance spectroscopy to probe if the difference in binding environment is due to the Cu2+ binding to different sites in the protein. We obtain a distance distribution with a sharp peak at ~ 3 nm and a broad peak at ~ 4 nm. The shorter distance agrees with the Cu2+–Cu2+ distance expected for a dimer from the crystal structure. The longer distance is consistent with the Cu2+–Cu2+ distance when oligomerization occurs.
Effect of risk communication on anxiety, breast cancer worry and risk perception in women at high risk of breast cancer.

e22129Background: Breast cancer risk assessment models and guidelines are designed to prevent breast cancer in high risk women. However, the effect of communicating a high risk status on the psycho...
Understanding Film-To-Stripe Transition of Conjugated Polymers Driven by Meniscus Instability

Meniscus instability during meniscus-guided solution coating and printing of conjugated polymers has a significant impact on the deposit morphology and the charge-transport characteristics. The lac...
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY CALCIFICATIONS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING DENTAL IMPLANT THERAPY

Background Vascular calcifications are often carefully assessed by oral and maxillofacial (OMF) radiologists on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. This is done because of the risk for cerebral ischemia and legal liabilities. Scans with a large field of view (FOV) often depict both extra- and intracranial carotid calcifications. Because of radiation dose concerns, the FOV is often reduced in certain examinations that tend to show extracranial carotid calcifications more often than intracranial vessels. It is valuable to predict the presence of intracranial carotid calcifications, which often pose a higher risk for cerebral ischemia in the presence of extracranial carotid calcification. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the association between extra- and intracranial carotid calcifications. Materials and Methods Retrospective evaluation of 1000 CBCT scans of patients referred for dental implant therapy was done, and on the basis of FOV, 450 CBCT scans that included both the intra- and extracranial carotid calcifications were chosen for evaluation. The scans were evaluated for the presence/absence of vascular calcifications. The association between intra- and extracranial carotid calcifications was evaluated by using the χ2 test. Results Overall, 171 (38%) extracranial and 172 (38.2%) intracranial calcifications were detected. Of the 171 extracranial findings, 74 were bilateral, 45 were on the left, and 52 were on the right. Of the 172 intracranial findings, 112 were bilateral, 29 were on the left, and 31 were on the right. When extracranial calcification was present, intracranial calcifications were also noted in 61.9% cases. There was a strong association between extra- and intracranial calcifications (Pearson χ2 107.643; P Conclusions In this patient population, there is a significant association between extra- and intracranial carotid artery calcifications. Future studies should be performed on a larger patient population to better understand this association.
Nanoscale Subsynaptic Domains Underlie the Organization of the Inhibitory Synapse

Inhibitory synapses mediate the majority of synaptic inhibition in the brain, thereby controlling neuronal excitability, firing, and plasticity. Although essential for neuronal function, the central question of how these synapses are organized at the subsynaptic level remains unanswered. Here, we use three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution microscopy to image key components of the inhibitory postsynaptic domain and presynaptic terminal, revealing that inhibitory synapses are organized into nanoscale subsynaptic domains (SSDs) of the gephyrin scaffold, GABAARs and the active-zone protein Rab3-interacting molecule (RIM). Gephyrin SSDs cluster GABAAR SSDs, demonstrating nanoscale architectural interdependence between scaffold and receptor. GABAAR SSDs strongly associate with active-zone RIM SSDs, indicating an important role for GABAAR nanoscale organization near sites of GABA release. Finally, we find that in response to elevated activity, synapse growth is mediated by an increase in the number of postsynaptic SSDs, suggesting a modular mechanism for increasing inhibitory synaptic strength.
Evolutionary biology. Dirty eating for healthy living.

Geophagy is the regular and intentional consumption of soil, and proposals as to its purpose have been many and varied. A spectacular example of geophagy is the highly selective consumption of earth — clay in particular — by flocks of certain parrots in the Amazonian rainforest. The reason, as reported in a new study, is that in the birds' stomachs the clay detoxifies foods that the parrots would otherwise be unable to consume.
Design and development of novel high-resolution monochromators and analyzers for inelastic x-ray scattering and other applications at APS (Conference Presentation)

Continued advances of modern synchrotron light sources are pushing crystal-based X-ray optics, mainly monochromators and analyzers, to have unprecedented high resolution, with resolution towards sub-meV for inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and sub-10-meV for resonant IXS (RIXS) as examples, for spectroscopy and other applications. The Advanced Photon Source (APS) has been the center in the USA for designing, fabrication, and implementation of state-of-the-art crystal optics. In this presentation, we will introduce our recent pioneering work on: (1) Design and development of new non-dispersive nested channel-cut monochromators that are completely in-line monochromators with resolution from sub-meV to ~10 meV based on silicon, quartz and sapphire crystals in the medium-energy range, (2) development and deployment of novel flat quartz-based RIXS analyzers (combined with Motel mirrors) to achieve unprecedented resolution of ~3.9 meV at the Ir-L3 absorption edge (11.215 keV) with the unique capability of efficient polarization analyses, and (3) successful dicing and assembling of spherical quartz analyzers that also achieved sub-10-meV resolution for RIXS. We will particularly emphasize the applications of “unconventional” quartz and sapphire crystals in developing these optics. Compared with silicon or germanium that has only a few tens of Bragg reflections in the medium energy range (<16 keV), quartz and sapphire can provide hundreds to thousands of different Bragg reflections for making near-back-reflection analyzers with energies virtually at any atomic absorption edges or emission lines. The guidelines for dynamical-theory modeling, orienting, fabrication and characterization of quartz and sapphire will also be presented.
Solitary fibrous tumor of the conjunctiva.

A 20-year-old male with no past ocular history presented with a five-month history of an enlarging painless lesion in the right lower eyelid (Figure 1a). Ophthalmic examination demonstrated a 9 × 8...
Figuras da mundivisão masculina em Clarice Lispector

Um dos aspectos mais trabalhados pela critica na obra de Clarice Lispector diz respeito as representacoes da feminilidade e do genero feminino. Por essa razao, os personagens femininos tem sido objeto de estudos frequentes. Neste trabalho proponho uma abordagem que, tanto quanto sei, ainda nao foi feita: procuro estudar os personagens masculinos em alguns romances e contos, concentrando-me nas suas caracteristicas recorrentes. A minha orientacao teorica consiste numa subdivisao particular dos estudos do genero: os ‘estudos da masculinidade’, uma area interdisciplinar que procura entender o homem como um ser definido em parte pelos codigos de genero masculino (um ser gendered ) e nao um ser neutro ou simbolo e representante da humanidade inteira. Acredito que este tipo de abordagem podera lancar luz sobre aspectos menos visiveis nao so da psicologia das personagens femininas, mas da dinâmica das relacoes entre o homem e a mulher, tao importantes em Clarice Lispector.
Cybernetics for the command economy: Foregrounding entropy in late Soviet planning:

The Soviet Union had a long and complex relationship with cybernetics, especially in the domain of planning. This article looks at Soviet postwar efforts to draw up plans for the rapidly developing...
PH domain and leucine rich repeat phosphatase 1 (Phlpp1) suppresses parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (Pth1r) expression and signaling during bone growth

Endochondral ossification is tightly controlled by a coordinated network of signaling cascades including parathyroid hormone (PTH). PH domain and leucine rich repeat phosphatase (Phlpp1) affects endochondral ossification by suppressing chondrocyte proliferation in the growth plate, longitudinal bone growth, and bone mineralization. As such, Phlpp1-/- mice have shorter long bones, thicker growth plates, and proportionally larger growth plate proliferative zones. The goal of this study was to determine how Phlpp1 deficiency affects PTH signaling during bone growth. Transcriptomic analysis revealed greater Pth1r expression and H3K27ac enrichment at the Pth1r promoter in Phlpp1-deficient chondrocytes. PTH(1-34) enhanced and PTH(7-34) attenuated cell proliferation, cAMP signaling, CREB phosphorylation, and cell metabolic activity in Phlpp1-inhibited chondrocytes. To understand the role of Pth1r action in the endochondral phenotypes of Phlpp1-deficient mice, Phlpp1-/- mice were injected with Pth1r ligand PTH(7-34) daily for the first four weeks of life. PTH(7-34) reversed the abnormal growth plate and long bone growth phenotypes of Phlpp1-/- mice but did not rescue deficits in bone mineral density or trabecular number. These results demonstrate that elevated Pth1r expression and signaling contributes to increased proliferation in Phlpp1-/- chondrocytes and shorter bones in Phlpp1-deficient mice. Our data reveal a novel molecular relationship between Phlpp1 and Pth1r in chondrocytes during growth plate development and longitudinal bone growth.
Shedding of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli during outpatient appointments and procedures outside hospital rooms.

Background Limited information is available on the frequency of and risk factors for shedding of health care-associated pathogens in settings outside patient rooms. Methods We conducted a cohort study of hospitalized or recently discharged patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (N = 39) or multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) (N = 11) colonization to determine the frequency of environmental shedding during appointments outside hospital rooms or during outpatient clinic visits. Chi-square tests were performed to identify patient-level factors associated with environmental shedding. Spa typing was performed for environmental and nasal MRSA isolates. Results Of 50 patients enrolled, 39 were colonized with MRSA and 11 with MDR-GNB. Shedding during 1 or more appointments occurred more often for patients colonized with MRSA versus MDR-GNB (15 of 39, 38.5% versus 0 of 11, 0%; P = .02). The presence of a wound with a positive culture for MRSA was associated with shedding of MRSA during appointments (11 of 15, 73.3% with shedding versus 4 of 24, 16.7% with no shedding; P = .008). Eighty percent of environmental MRSA isolates were genetically related to concurrent nasal isolates based on spa typing. Conclusions Environmental shedding of MRSA occurs frequently during appointments outside hospital rooms or during outpatient clinic visits. Decontamination of surfaces and strategies that reduce shedding of MRSA could reduce the risk for transmission in these settings.
Joint assortment and inventory planning for heavy tailed demand

We study a joint assortment and inventory optimization problem faced by an online retailer who needs to decide on both the assortment along with the inventories of a set of N substitutable products before the start of the selling season to maximize the expected profit. The problem raises both algorithmic and modeling challenges. One of the main challenges is to tractably model dynamic stock-out based substitution where a customer may substitute to the most preferred product that is available if their first choice is not offered or stocked-out. We first consider the joint assortment and inventory optimization problem for a Markov Chain choice model and present a near-optimal algorithm for the problem. Our results significantly improve over the results in Gallego and Kim (2020) where the regret can be linear in T (where T is the number of customers) in the worst case. We build upon their approach and give an algorithm with regret O(\sqrt{NT}) with respect to an LP upper bound. Our algorithm achieves a good balance between expected revenue and inventory costs by identifying a subset of products that can pool demand from the universe of substitutable products without significantly cannibalizing the revenue in the presence of dynamic substitution behavior of customers. We also present a multi-step choice model that captures the complex choice process in an online retail setting characterized by a large universe of products and a heavy-tailed distribution of mean demands. Our model captures different steps of the choice process including search, formation of a consideration set and eventual purchase. We conduct computational experiments that show that our algorithm empirically outperforms previous approaches both on synthetic and realistic instances.
Reducing Ambiguity in Json Schema Discovery

Ad-hoc data models like Json simplify schema evolution and enable multiplexing various data sources into a single stream. While useful when writing data, this flexibility makes Json harder to validate and query, forcing such tasks to rely on automated schema discovery techniques. Unfortunately, ambiguity in the schema design space forces existing schema discovery systems to make simplifying, data-independent assumptions about schema structure. When these assumptions are violated, most notably by APIs, the generated schemas are imprecise, creating numerous opportunities for false positives during validation. In this paper, we propose Jxplain, a Json schema discovery algorithm with heuristics that mitigate common forms of ambiguity. Although Jxplain is slightly slower than state of the art schema extractors, we show that it produces significantly more precise schemas.
Combined Impact of Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination on Antibody Presence

As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly and vaccine uptake stagnates, questions remain about the amount of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in the population induced by either SARS-CoV-2 infection, by a COVID-19 vaccine, or both. The TEXAS Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (CARES) is a statewide seroprevalence program which utilizes the Roche S-test to detect antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the Roche N-test to detect antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, to monitor the combined impact of prior infection and the COVID-19 vaccine. The current sample size having both S- and N-test data and reported vaccination status is 8,846. Participants with prior infection (i.e. N+) and with either partial or full vaccination have the highest proportion of those showing the maximum value of the S-test (80.95% and 83.07%, respectively). Using a permutation test, there is no statistically significant difference between the median S-test value for those that have had prior infection and are partially vaccinated versus those that have had prior infection and are fully vaccinated. These groups both show significantly higher median amount compared to the other three groups: N+/not vaccinated, N-/partially vaccinated, and N-/fully vaccinated (all p-values < 0.0001). Unvaccinated individuals with prior infection have one of the lowest median S-test values. For participants with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and a COVID-19 vaccine, the median S-test value is high and is not statistically different between those who are partially vaccinated and those who are fully vaccinated.
Applying MMD Data Mining to Match Network Traffic for Stepping-Stone Intrusion Detection.

A long interactive TCP connection chain has been widely used by attackers to launch their attacks and thus avoid detection. The longer a connection chain, the higher the probability the chain is exploited by attackers. Round-trip Time (RTT) can represent the length of a connection chain. In order to obtain the RTTs from the sniffed Send and Echo packets in a connection chain, matching the Sends and Echoes is required. In this paper, we first model a network traffic as the collection of RTTs and present the rationale of using the RTTs of a connection chain to represent the length of the chain. Second, we propose applying MMD data mining algorithm to match TCP Send and Echo packets collected from a connection. We found that the MMD data mining packet-matching algorithm outperforms all the existing packet-matching algorithms in terms of packet-matching rate including sequence number-based algorithm, Yang’s approach, Step-function, Packet-matching conservative algorithm and packet-matching greedy algorithm. The experimental results from our local area networks showed that the packet-matching accuracy of the MMD algorithm is 100%. The average packet-matching rate of the MMD algorithm obtained from the experiments conducted under the Internet context can reach around 94%. The MMD data mining packet-matching algorithm can fix the issue of low packet-matching rate faced by all the existing packet-matching algorithms including the state-of-the-art algorithm. It is applicable to network-based stepping-stone intrusion detection.
Off-Grid Downhole Video Recording System to Monitor Burrowing Owls

Studying species that nest underground, such as the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is challenging. Ecological and behavioral information about Burrowing Owls is often limited to activities occurring aboveground or to insights gained from live viewing using downhole cameras and burrow scopes with limited recording capacity. Although automated monitoring systems may enhance underground observations, such systems need to be self-powered to support research conducted in remote areas. We describe a self-powered (off-grid) digital video recording system developed in 2014 to monitor nesting Burrowing Owls at Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in El Paso, Texas, USA. We used solar panels, infrared cameras, and digital video recorders to create a self-contained system for monitoring two artificial Burrowing Owl nest sites. From 2014 to 2018, we collected high-resolution video recordings of Burrowing Owl nesting ecology and behavior in their underground artificial burrows and nest boxes in remote areas. We provide detailed instructions and recommendations for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of this system. Although our system required some initial material and labor costs, it required less on-site work than traditional behavioral observations, while also providing high-quality video images of an understudied aspect of Burrowing Owl ecology. Key ecological insight gained included nest initiation dates, clutch sizes, incubation dates, hatching sequences, prey items delivered to the nest, and predators of Burrowing Owls in the El Paso area. We encountered substantial technical problems but recommend the overall design of our system.
New low noise FET structure

A novel topology for the FET that has demonstrated better minimum noise figure than the conventional pi-gate low-noise FET is presented. This topology can be incorporated into monolithic circuits and allows easy implementation of feedback and self-bias networks. The Spider FET topology is ideally suited for the 0.25- mu m gate processes and HEMT (high-electron mobility transistor) technology to achieve improved minimum-noise figures. The Spider FET is described, its underlying theory is explained, and the results of a comparison to a standard process, 0.5- mu m pi-gate FET and a commercial 0.35- mu m pi-gate HEMT are presented. >
The cytophysiology of mammalian adipose cells.

Publisher Summary The physiological capacity of typical mammalian adipose cells appears to be 3-fold: (1) the mobilization of stored lipid in the form of fatty acids and glycerol; (2) the uptake of substrates, for example—glucose, fatty acids, amino acids—for energy purposes, lipogenesis, and lipid deposition; and (3) the maintenance of the stored bulk of lipid (triglyceride) by a delicate balance between lipid synthesis and degradation. The mechanisms controlling this balance are now known to be directly related to endocrine and neuroendocrine secretions as well as to the nutritional status of the organism. Such information was gleaned from the data of many investigators, beginning with the studies of Wertheimer and Shapiro who initiated a vast burst of activity concerning the physiological role of adipose tissue in mammals. Before 1940, most investigators considered adipose tissue metabolically inactive, functioning mainly as a supportive material and releasing lipid in a passive manner during a fasting state or absorbing lipid during a refeeding period following a fast. While extensive studies exist in the biochemical and physiological literature concerning the metabolism of adipose cells and tissue, there is an obvious lack of investigations correlating the function of adipose cells with concomitant cytological changes occurring therein. This chapter reports on the present state of knowledge dealing with the purported role of cytoplasmic organelles in the processes of lipid synthesis and mobilization, as well as the role played by other aspects of adipose cell fine structure during these physiological states.
Response of fetal adrenal cortex to congenital infections.

Abstract Plasma corticoid levels and changes in adrenocortical morphology were studied in fetal and neonatal lambs infected with one of 3 agents capable of causing congenital infection. The agents, Brucella ovis , Border disease, and/or rubella vaccine virus, were introduced by intrafetal inoculations at different stages of fetal development. Heparinized blood was collected from fetal and neonatal lambs and their ewes prior to the time they were killed, and adrenals were then saved for histologic evaluation. Values obtained from infected lambs were compared to those of heparinized samples collected daily for 3 weeks prior to birth via a catheter from 3 control lambs. Precocious adrenocortical activity measured by both morphologic and physiologic parameters was observed in lambs infected with these agents after 130 days of the 148 day gestation period. In 2 instances, the increased adrenocortical activity was associated with premature delivery. Congenital infection with these 3 agents appears to result in fetal stress.
Abstract 856: Combination of crizotinib and radiation in the treatment of ALK-positive and cetuximab-resistant lung cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Approximately 4% of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) carry the EML4-ALK chromosomal rearrangement. Crizotinib, a c-MET and ALK inhibitor, has shown significant therapeutic benefit as a single agent with FDA approval for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive NSCLC. Since radiation commonly plays a key role in lung cancer treatment, we sought to evaluate the potential of crizotinib as a radiation sensitizer and the role of ALK in cellular radiation sensitivity. We examined the effect of crizotinib in combination with radiation on ALK signaling, cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution and radiosensitivity in ALK-positive NSCLC cell lines H3122 and H2228 in vitro. We also examined the in-vivo effects of crizotinib in combination with radiation in H3122 and H2228 xenograft models. Crizotinib blocked phosphorylation of ALK and its downstream effectors and inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The combination of crizotinib and radiation resulted in increased inhibition of cell growth. Although cells were sensitized to radiation by crizotinib, molecular knockdown of ALK by siRNA had only modest impact on cell radiosensitivity. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry showed that ALK-siRNA induced G1 arrest. Interestingly, low dose crizotinib induced G1 arrest, while doses above 2µM induced G2 arrest. Combination treatment induced arrest in G1 and G2 phases and decreased the cell population in S-phase. Moreover, in xenograft tumor models, we observed combined treatment to produce additive tumor growth inhibition over that observed with either drug or radiation alone. We further examined the capacity of crizotinib overcome cetuximab resistance in our established in vitro resistance models. Compared with parental cells, cetuximab-resistant cells showed cross-resistance to radiation. Crizotinib inhibited the growth of cetuximab-resistant cells and resensitized cells to radiation. Compared with single-agent treatment, the combination of crizotinib and erlotinib resulted in increased growth inhibition and further re-sensitization to radiation. These data suggest that crizotinib in combination with radiation can enhance the inhibitory effect on ALK-positive tumor cell growth in vitro and in-vivo and also suggest the potential value of using crizotinib in combination with other EGFR-targeting therapeutics. Ultimately however, the potential value of crizotinib as a radiation sensitizer requires systematic clinical investigation. Citation Format: Chunrong Li, Shyhmin Huang, Noah Walters, Eric A. Armstrong, Paul M. Harari. Combination of crizotinib and radiation in the treatment of ALK-positive and cetuximab-resistant lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 856. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-856
Voltage-dependent ionic conductances of type I spiral ganglion cells from the guinea pig inner ear

Type I spiral ganglion cells provide the afferent innervation to the inner hair cells of the mammalian organ of Corti and project centrally to the cochlear nucleus. While single-unit studies conducted over the past several decades have provided a wealth of information concerning the response characteristics of these neurons and, to some extent, their receptor targets, little is known about the neuron's intrinsic electrical properties. These properties undeniably will contribute to the firing patterns induced by acoustic stimuli. Type I spiral ganglion cell somata from the guinea pig inner ear were acutely isolated and the voltage-dependent conductances were analyzed with the whole-cell voltage clamp. Under conditions that mimic the normal intra- and extracellular ionic environments, type I spiral ganglion cells demonstrate fast inward TTX-sensitive Na currents (whose current density varied markedly among cells) and somewhat more slowly developing outward K currents. Resting potentials averaged -67.3 mV. Under current clamp, no spontaneous spike activity was noted, but short current injections produced graded action potentials with after hyperpolarizations lasting several milliseconds. The nondecaying outward K current activated at potentials near rest and was characterized by a pronounced rectification. The kinetics of the Na and K currents were rapid. Maximum peak inward Na currents occurred within 400 microseconds, between a voltage range of -10 and 0 mV, and inactivated within 4 msec. Recovery from inactivation was also rapid. At a holding potential of -80 mV, the time constant for recovery from an inactivating voltage step to -10 mV was 2.16 msec. Above -50 mV outward K currents reach half-maximal amplitude within 1.5 msec. In addition to these currents, a slow noninactivating TTX-sensitive inward current was observed that was blockable with Cd2+ or Gd3+. Problems encountered with blocking the tremendous outward K current hampered the characterization of this inward current. Similarities between the kinetics of ganglion cell currents and some of the rapid temporal characteristics of eighth nerve single-unit activity confirm the notion that intrinsic membrane properties help shape auditory neuron responses to sound.
Microbial Reduction of Iodate

The different oxidation species of iodine have markedly different sorption properties. Hence, changes in iodine redox states can greatly affect the mobility of iodine in the environment. Although a major microbial role has been suggested in the past to account for these redox changes, little has been done to elucidate the responsible microorganisms or the mechanisms involved. In the work presented here, direct microbial reduction of iodate was demonstrated with anaerobic cell suspensions of the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans which reduced 96% of an initial 100 µM iodate to iodide at pH 7 in 30 mM NaHCO3 buffer, whereas anaerobic cell suspensions of the dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens were unable to reduce iodate in 30 mM NaHCO3 buffer (pH 7). Both D. desulfuricans and S. putrefaciens were able to reduce iodate at pH 7 in 10 mM HEPES buffer. Both soluble ferrous iron and sulfide, as well as iron monosulfide (FeS) were shown to abiologically reduce iodate to iodide. These results indicate that ferric iron and/or sulfate reducing bacteria are capable of mediating both direct, enzymatic, as well as abiotic reduction of iodate in natural anaerobic environments. These microbially mediated reactions may be important factors in the fate and transport of129 I in natural systems.
Funeral Festivals in America: Rituals for the Living

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Jacqueline S. Thursby Year: 2006 Pages: 168 Publisher: University Press of Kentucky ISBN: 0813123801 (hard cover). Prices: $35.00 US(hard cover).
ACUTE TUBULAR NEPHROSIS IN THE NEWBORN INFANT, A MANIFESTATION OF ANOXIA.

The presence of cellular renal casts in the newborn infant is considered evidence of renal tubular injury. A cause-and-effect relationship between anoxia and these renal lesions is suggested by this study. The histopathologic manifestations of tubular disease best demonstrated in sections stained for fat and with the periodic acid-Schiff routine are dependent not only upon the severity and duration of anoxia, but also upon the length of survival after injury. In this regard, the finding of urinary cellular casts in the newborn infant may suggest to the clinician an early and vigorous approach against the pathologic effects of anoxia.
Making Sense of Active Galaxies

Active galaxies are unusual in their structure and brightness. The general consensus is that active galaxies are powered by matter falling into black holes, but questions remain about the precise mechanism of the infall and how the very bright luminosity is produced. In his Perspective, Weedman reports on a recent symposium on active galaxies held at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, Armenia.
Microphacoemulsification with WhiteStar. A wound-temperature study.

Abstract Purpose: To verify the temperature-induction effect of bimanual ultrasound-based phacoemulsification through 2 stab incisions with a bare aspiration needle and new proprietary technology. Setting: In vitro laboratory. Methods: The Sovereign® phacoemulsification unit and the WhiteStar system (Allergan) were used in conjunction with the Olson irrigating chopper (ASICO) and a 19-gauge bare phaco needle in 2 human cadaver eye-bank eyes at 100% power unoccluded, 100% power with aspiration completely occluded, and 100% power with aspiration and flow completely occluded. Temperature data were monitored throughout the experiment. Any sign of a wound burn, defined as temperature exceeding 45°C, whitening around the wound, or wound contraction, was the end point. Results: At 100% continuous phacoemulsification power, the temperature did not rise above 27.3°C. When the aspiration line was totally occluded at 100% continuous power, the temperature did not rise above 32.5°C. When flow into the eye and aspiration were completely occluded at 100% power, a wound change and temperature of 45°C occurred in 45 seconds in the first eye and in 29 seconds in the second eye. Conclusions: Using the Sovereign phacoemulsification unit with the WhiteStar system during 2-stab-incision bimanual microphacoemulsification with a bare 19-gauge aspiration needle in human cadaver eyes, a wound burn could not be produced at the highest energy settings unless all flow into the eye and all aspiration were occluded. These settings were well beyond clinically applicable conditions and provide evidence that microphacoemulsification can be performed safely with the WhiteStar system.
Studies of esterase 6 in Drosophila melanogaster. VI. ejaculate competitive abilities of males having null or active alleles.

Recent studies of the function of the polymorphic seminal fluid enzyme, esterase 6, of Drosophila melanogaster suggested that it may act in the process of sperm displacement (Gilbert, Richmond and Sheehan, 1981a). This report examines the competitive ability of ejaculates from males homozygous for null or active alleles of esterase 6 under three experimental conditions that model aspects of sexual selection affecting males. The results demonstrate no significant difference in ejaculate competition between esterase 6 null or active male types, but marker males used for paternity identification had poorly competitive ejaculates. The proportion of second-male progeny, P2, used as an index of competition is primarily influenced by second-male genotype and uninfluenced by female genotype. P2 can change with time from remating and be unaffected by different intensities of competition, which suggests a complex ejaculate competition mechanism.
Spectrum and Mechanisms of Inflammasome Activation by Chitosan

Chitosan, the deacetylated derivative of chitin, can be found in the cell wall of some fungi and is used in translational applications. We have shown that highly purified preparations of chitosan, but not chitin, activate the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in primed mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMΦ), inducing a robust IL-1β response. In this article, we further define specific cell types that are activated and delineate mechanisms of activation. BMMΦ differentiated to promote a classically activated (M1) phenotype released more IL-1β in response to chitosan than intermediate or alternatively activated macrophages (M2). Chitosan, but not chitin, induced a robust IL-1β response in mouse dendritic cells, peritoneal macrophages, and human PBMCs. Three mechanisms for NLRP3 inflammasome activation may contribute: K(+) efflux, reactive oxygen species, and lysosomal destabilization. The contributions of these mechanisms were tested using a K(+) efflux inhibitor, high extracellular potassium, a mitochondrial reactive oxygen species inhibitor, lysosomal acidification inhibitors, and a cathepsin B inhibitor. These studies revealed that each of these pathways participated in optimal NLRP3 inflammasome activation by chitosan. Finally, neither chitosan nor chitin stimulated significant release from unprimed BMMΦ of any of 22 cytokines and chemokines assayed. This study has the following conclusions: 1) chitosan, but not chitin, stimulates IL-1β release from multiple murine and human cell types; 2) multiple nonredundant mechanisms appear to participate in inflammasome activation by chitosan; and 3) chitin and chitosan are relatively weak stimulators of inflammatory mediators from unprimed BMMΦ. These data have implications for understanding the nature of the immune response to microbes and biomaterials that contain chitin and chitosan.