cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of time on liver clearance of technetium-99m-tetrofosmin in patients with acute chest pain: when should imaging begin?

Objective: Due to stable myocardial retention and technetium imaging characteristics, 99mTc-tetrofosmin has been considered potentially useful for acute chest pain imaging. Tetrofosmin also has favorable biokinetics with reported rapid liver clearance, 5 min poststress and 30–45 min postrest injection. Since comparable data are not available, the effect of time on liver clearance was evaluated in patients with acute chest pain. Methods: One hundred six patients received an intravenous injection of 25–30 mCi 99mTc-tetrofosmin to evaluate acute chest pain. SPECT imaging was performed 15–120 min after injection of the tracer. Patient images were grouped according to the time of acquisition after acute injection: 15–30 min, 31–45 min, 46–60 min, 61–90 min and >90 min. Quantitative analysis was performed on a similar anterior projection for each patient consisting of a 6 × 6-pixel region of interest over the myocardium and adjacent liver. Average counts per pixel were determined and a heart/liver (H/Li) ratio was calculated. Results: The mean H/Li ratio was 1.0 for patient images acquired after 45 min. The difference was statistically significant (p Conclusion: Quantitative analysis suggests that the optimal imaging time should be at least 45 min after the injection of 99mTc-tetrofosmin to allow adequate liver clearance before image acquisition of acute chest pain syndromes.
Nautilocalyx erytranthus (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Northwestern Amazonia

A new species from western Amazonia is described and illustrated. Nautilocalyx erytranthus (Gesneriaceae) is characterized by an obligate terrestrial habit; leaf blades that are cuneate to attenuate at the base; and red funnelform corolla with an oblique limb and reflexed petal lobes with glandular trichomes clustered on the lateral and lower inner surfaces of the throat.
EFFECTS OF HALOTHANE AND SODIUM NITROPRUSSIDE ON RENAL FUNCTION AND AUTOREGULATION

SUMMARY The effects of sodium nitroprusside and halothane on renal autoregulation and kidney function were studied in 14 mongrel dogs at mean arterial pressures of 120, 100, 80, 60 and 40mm Hg. In group 1, stepwise decreases in mean arterial pressure were achieved by increasing the halothane concentration In group II, mean arterial pressure was decreased by infusing sodium nitroprusside during halothane anaesthesia. In group I, renal blood flow decreased significantly at mean arterial pressures of 100, 80, 60 and 40mmHg. In group II, renal blood flow was well maintained at mean arterial pressures of 100 and 80 mm Hg, but decreased significantly at 60 and 40 mm Hg; at these low pressures flow was greater in group II than in group I. There were no significant differences between two groups in inulin clearance, inulin clearance/renal plasma flow, urine output, urine osmolanty and sodium excretion rate. Significantly larger fractions of cardiac output were distributed to the kidneys in group I.
Laboratory Detection of the C9H Radical

The linear carbon chain radical C9H in its 2Π1/2 electronic ground state has been detected in a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer with a supersonic pulsed-jet discharge nozzle. The frequencies of 44 rotational transitions between 5.4 and 16.1 GHz have been measured to a few parts in 107, from which precise values for the rotational, centrifugal distortion, lambda doubling, and hyperfine constants have been determined. These allow calculation of the entire radio spectrum of the ground state of C9H to a fraction of 1 km s-1 in equivalent radial velocity.
Key issues in building a continuum of care.

The recognition of the effects of a failure to attain continuity of care is driving many of the changes in U.S. health care. This article explores the relationship of continuity of care and the broader concept of a continuum of care. Actions that advanced practice nurses, educators, and organizations can take to influence its developmental are described within the context of three issues: (1) recognition of continuity of care myths, (2) the use of financial mechanisms to promote the construction of a continuum of care, and (3) the development of continuum of care building skills of advanced practice nurses.
Seismic Characterization of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs by Double Focusing Gaussian Beams With Limited Seismic Acquisition

Fractured reservoirs represent important hydrocarbon reserves but are often associated with low recovery rate. The goal of increasing extraction of oil and gas from such reservoirs will be greatly increased by having information about subsurface fractures such as fracture orientation, fracture spacing, and fracture compliances. We have previously shown that, when seismic acquisition has full azimuth, a double focusing Gaussian beams (DFGB) method is effective at determining fracture orientations for multiple fracture sets, the fracture spacing of each fracture set (even if the fractures are irregularly spaced), and the relative fracture compliance of each fracture set as a function of position in the reservoir. This information can be used to build reservoir fluid flow models for enhanced oil recovery. Here, we investigate the resolving power of the DFGB method for the case of limited azimuth seismic acquisition. A numerical example shows that our method can provide spatially dependent information on fracture parameters using data collected in current marine seismic streamer surveys.
The natural history of invasive bladder cancer and the case against definitive radiation therapy

Recent reports of the radiosensitivity of some muscle-invasive transitional cell cancers in the bladder and the reluctance in many quarters to perform radical cystectomy with its oft-seen therapeutic failure rate have prompted the suggestion that definitive radiation be administered to all patients. Monitoring for tumor persistence or recurrence would then permit salvage cystectomy with therapeutic results approximating those seen with planned preoperative radiation and cystectomy or cystectomy alone. The fallacies of this approach, however, are that in most instances tumor will persist or recur, radiation may compromise the suitability of such patients for appropriate surgery, and a delay in such surgery may permit tumor to progress or may render such patients ineligible for additional treatment. In addition, it is entirely possible that the natural history of particular tumors may have biased results in those instances in which radiation was thought to be successful in eradicating disease. The only predictably definitive therapy for transitional cell cancer when it is truly confined to the bladder is surgery. The adjunctive role of radiation in this setting is controversial. However, the “definitive” role of radiation is not, since it can be expected to fail in most patients, and may seriously limit options for additional treatment in such patients when failure is diagnosed.
Epidemiological analysis of HIV/AIDS cases between 1998 and 2009 in Hepu county

Objective To study epidemic characteristics of HIV/AIDS infections and its related determinants in Hepu county,and to provide scientific support for developing HIV/AIDS prevention,control and intervention policies.Method The descriptive epidemiology method was used to analyze HIV/AIDS data reported between 1998 and 2009.Results Among 192 cases of HIV infections,57 cases were AIDS patients,and 10 cases were died.In gender distribution,male cases numbered 153,and females 39.The data showed even geographical distribution.Farmers and less-educated people were the high-risk groups.Heterosexual HIV accounted for 54.17%.Conclusion HIV/AIDS propagation has progressed from high-risk groups to the general population,and has shown rapid growth.AIDS epidemic risk factors still exist.Providing AIDS prevention knowledge and health education to the public,as well as intervention in the dangerous behaviors of high-risk groups are crucial and practical solutions to the pandemic.
Structural Heterogeneity in the Localized Excited States of Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Transient hole-burning and resonantly enhanced Raman spectroscopies are used to probe heterogeneities among localized singlet excitons of poly(3-hexylthiophene) in solution. Transient hole-burning spectroscopy facilitated by population dumping through wavelength-selective stimulated emission exposes inhomogeneous broadening of the exciton absorption band in the near-infrared, as reflected by correlations between stimulated emission and excited-state absorption transition energies. Dump-induced spectral diffusion of the exciton absorption band reflects structural fluctuations in the locally excited polymer. This diffusion is observed to occur slightly faster or slower than the nonequilibrium relaxation that follows direct excitation of the polymer (8–9 ps), with the time scale for diffusion varying with subpopulation: dumping across small vs large band gaps results in diffusion over 5 vs 35 ps, respectively. Furthermore, incomplete spectral relaxation of transient holes reflects that subsets of locally exc...
Parent health literacy, depression, and risk for pediatric injury

BACKGROUND: Population-wide research on the impact of parent health literacy to children’s health outcomes is limited. We assessed the relationship of low parent health literacy to a range of pediatric health risks within a large cohort of primary care patients. METHODS: Data were from 17 845 English- and Spanish-speaking parents of children aged ≤7 years presenting for well-child care. We used a 3-item screener to measure health literacy. Outcomes included secondhand smoke exposure, asthma treatment nonadherence, parent depression, child-rearing practices, injury prevention, and parent first-aid knowledge. We summarized study variables with descriptive statistics and then performed multivariable logistic regression to identify associations between low parent literacy and our dependent measures. RESULTS: Mean child age was 4.8 years (SD 3.7); 36.5% of parent respondents had low health literacy. In models adjusted for child gender, race/ethnicity, insurance, age, and parent language preference, low parent health literacy was related to a range of pediatric health risks, including parent depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.32; 95% confidence interval 1.18–1.48), firearm access (AOR 1.68; 1.49–1.89), not having a working smoke detector (AOR 3.54; 2.74–4.58), and lack of first-aid knowledge about choking (AOR 1.67; 1.44–1.93) and burns (AOR 1.45; 1.29–1.63). Children of parents with low health literacy were also more likely to watch >2 hours of television per day (AOR 1.27; 1.17–1.36). CONCLUSIONS: Low parent health literacy is independently and significantly related to parent depression, child television viewing, and at-risk family behaviors associated with child injury. Use of low-literacy approaches to health-behavior interventions may be essential to address common child morbidities.
Microsurgical Treatment of Infratentorial Malformations

The brain stem has long lost the designation of "no-man's land." Armed with a detailed knowledge of skull base and parenchymal neuroanatomy, coupled with the advances in intraoperative mapping and monitoring, most intrinsic brain stem cavernous malformations can be resected microsurgically. Success continues to depend on proper patient selection, optimal timing, thorough planning, meticulous technique, and completeness of the resection.
Future healthy life expectancy among older adults in the US: a forecast based on cohort smoking and obesity history

In the past three decades, the elderly population in the United States experienced increase in life expectancy (LE) and disability-free life expectancy (LEND), but decrease in life expectancy with disability (LED). Smoking and obesity are two major risk factors that had negative impacts on these trends. While smoking prevalence continues to decline in recent decades, obesity prevalence has been growing and is currently at a high level. This study aims to forecast the healthy life expectancy for older adults aged 55 to 85 in the US from 2011 to 2040, in relation to their smoking and obesity history. First, population-level mortality data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD) and individual-level disability data from the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to estimate the transition rates between different health states from 1982 to 2010, using a multi-state life table (MSLT) model. Second, the estimated transition rates were fitted and projected up to 2040, using a modified Lee-Carter model that incorporates cohort smoking and obesity history from NHIS. Mortality and morbidity for both sexes will continue to decline in the next decades. Relative to 2010, men are expected to have 3.2 years gain in LEND and 0.8 years loss in LED. For women, there will be 1.8 years gain in LEND and 0.8 years loss in LED. By 2040, men and women are expected to spend respectively 80 % and 75 % of their remaining life expectancy between 55 and 85 disability-free. Smoking and obesity have independent negative impacts on both the survival and disability of the US older population in the coming decades, and are responsible for the present and future gender disparity in mortality and morbidity. Overall, the US older population is expected to enjoy sustained health improvements and compression of disability, largely due to decline in smoking.
Approach to Suspected Small Intestinal Bleeding

Small intestinal bleeding is uncommon and can present as overt or occult hemorrhage. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is recommended as the third diagnostic test after a repeat negative upper and lower endoscopic examination in a patient presenting with overt hemorrhage. Given miss rates of 20–30 % for standard endoscopic examinations, consideration should be made for repeating these procedures, particularly in the setting of suboptimal visualization. In patients who undergo VCE and have abnormal findings detected, deep enteroscopy can be performed with the intent to provide therapy. However, the rebleeding rate for small bowel vascular lesions is significant. In the scenario where the VCE examination is normal, options include repeating the VCE study if the patient rebleeds or consideration for a radiologic examination, such as CT enterography with bleeding protocol. Angiography is generally reserved for patients with suspected small intestinal massive acute bleeding and hemodynamic instability.
Rapid room temperature solubilization and depolymerization of polymeric lignin at high loadings

The relatively poor solubility of lignin in most pretreatment solvents remains one of the biggest challenges in lignin valorization to improve overall biorefinery economics. In this work, rapid room temperature solubilization of lignin at high solid loadings (>30 wt%) can be easily achieved in a single step using ethylene glycol (EG). The solubilized lignin can be rapidly and quantitatively recovered with the addition of ethanol. The computational and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies confirm that strong hydrogen bond interactions between EG and the free hydroxyl groups present in lignin contribute to the lignin dissolution. In addition, hydrogen peroxide mediated depolymerization of the dissolved lignin at a low temperature (80 °C) was tested and the effect of EG molecules on depolymerization of lignin was also theoretically studied. The findings of this work provide mechanistic insights of hydrogen bond interactions in high lignin solubilization and valorization.
SOLAR HYBRID DESICCANT COOLING SYSTEMS IN SUPERMARKET APPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT The use of standard vapor compression cycles for air conditioning supermarkets is inefficient due to the cooling provided by the open refrigerated food cases. The high latent load ratios found in supermarkets provide an ideal application for hybrid desiccant cooling systems. Such systems can reduce air conditioning energy costs between 50% and 70%. Solar collectors with no storage capacity can reduce the auxiliary heat requirements of hybrid desiccant cycles by another 50%, and further reductions occur with the use of storage. The value of the savings do not offset the additional cost of the solar system. The required installed capacity of the vapor compression unit is decreased 80% with the use of hybrid systems. This results in reduced peak demands charges and lower initial costs. The reduction in initial cost offsets the additional cost of the desiccant equipment and may produce immediate paybacks.
Understanding Organizational and Public Perspectives on Stadium Redevelopment Through Social Media: A Case Study of Georgia State University’s “New” Stadium

Stadium-construction projects are costly and affect the community—positively and negatively. At urban universities, these impacts extend beyond campuses into the broader community. Thus, athletic-d...
Adapting Convolutional Neural Networks for Indoor Localization with Smart Mobile Devices

Indoor localization is emerging as an important application domain for enhanced navigation (or tracking) of people and assets in indoor locales such as buildings, malls, and underground mines. Most indoor localization solutions proposed in prior work do not deliver good accuracy without expensive infrastructure (and even then, the results may lack consistency). Ambient wireless received signal strength indication (RSSI) based fingerprinting using smart mobile devices is a low-cost approach to the problem. However, creating an accurate 'fingerprinting-only' solution remains a challenge. This paper presents a novel approach to transform Wi-Fi signatures into images, to create a scalable fingerprinting framework based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Our proposed CNN based indoor localization framework (CNN-LOC) is validated across several indoor environments and shows improvements over the best known prior works, with an average localization error of
Regime Agenda, Elite Views and Youth Voices in a Polarized HKSAR’s Mainland Interface

The Hong Kong political landscape has been increasingly characterized by widening partisan gaps and sharpening socio-economic cleavages that pit regime against society, as well as factional groups ...
Incentivizing Blockchain Miners to Avoid Dishonest Mining Strategies by a Reputation-Based Paradigm

The mining process in the Blockchain is very resource intensive, therefore, miners form coalitions to verify each block of transactions in return for a reward where only the first coalition that accomplishes the proof-of-work will be rewarded. This leads to intense competitions among miners and consequently dishonest mining strategies, such as block withholding attack, selfish mining, eclipse attack and stubborn mining, to name a few. As a result, it is necessary to regulate the mining process to make miners accountable for any dishonest mining behavior. We therefore propose a new reputation-based framework for the proof-of-work computation in the Blockchain in which miners not only are incentivized to conduct honest mining but also disincentivized to commit to any malicious activities against other mining pools. We first illustrate the architecture of our reputation-based paradigm, explain how the miners are rewarded or penalized in our model, and subsequently, we provide game theoretical analyses to show how this new framework encourages the miners to avoid dishonest mining strategies. In our setting, a mining game is repeatedly played among a set of pool managers and miners where the reputation of each miner or mining ally is continuously measured. At each round of the game, the pool managers send invitations only to a subset of miners based on a non-uniform probability distribution defined by the miners’ reputation values. We show that by using our proposed solution concept, honest mining becomes Nash Equilibrium in our setting. In other words, it will not be in the best interest of the miners to employ dishonest mining strategies even by gaining a short-term utility. This is due to the consideration of a long-term utility in our model and its impact on the miners’ utilities overtime.
Novel inverse agonists for the orphan G protein-coupled receptor 6

Abstract The orphan G protein-coupled receptor 6 (GPR6) displays unique promise as a therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders due to its high expression in the striatopallidal neurons of the basal ganglia. GPR6, along with closely related orphan receptors GPR3 and GPR12, are phylogenetically related to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. In the current study, we performed concentration-response studies on the effects of three different classes of cannabinoids: endogenous, phyto-, and synthetic, on both GPR6-mediated cAMP accumulation and β-arrestin2 recruitment. In addition, structure-activity relationship studies were conducted on cannabidiol (CBD), a recently discovered inverse agonist for GPR6. We have identified four additional cannabinoids, cannabidavarin (CBDV), WIN55212-2, SR141716A and SR144528, that exert inverse agonism on GPR6. Furthermore, we have discovered that these cannabinoids exhibit functional selectivity toward the β-arrestin2 recruitment pathway. These novel, functionally selective inverse agonists for GPR6 can be used as research tools and potentially developed into therapeutic agents.
Abstract B060: Commensal bacteria Bifidobacterium stimulates an antitumor response via cross-reactivity

While recent studies have shown an important role of the microbiome in modulating anti-tumor immune responses, its mechanism remains unclear. One proposed mechanism is due to cross-reactivity between antigens expressed in commensal bacteria and neoepitopes found in tumors. We have identified a cross-reactive antigen expressed in commensal bacteria Bifidobacterium (Bifido.) “SVYRYYGL” (henceforth called SVY) and show that it conveys a neoantigen-specific cross-reactivity to the classic neoantigen “SIY.” The SVY-specific response was analyzed through biophysical experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, which showed that the SVY peptide bound the H2-Kb MHC (Kb) with an altered peptide configuration leading to a cross-reactivity but at a lower overall affinity for the transgenic, SIY-specific 2C T-cell receptor (TCR). By T-cell expansion studies, commensal bacteria SVY-specific T-cells populations have a cross-reactive SIY specific T-cell response and those T-cell populations can recognize tumors expressing the “SIY” antigen. Mice lacking Bifido. have a decreased commensal bacteria specific T-cell response and an altered TCR repertoire compared to Bifido. colonized animals. Moreover, Bifido. colonization not only shapes the SVY commensal bacteria-specific T-cell repertoire but selects for clones that are represented in the SIY T-cell repertoire. Cross-reactive SVY-specific T-cells recognize tumors bearing SIY in vivo in an adoptive T-cell transfer model and a murine melanoma model. Animals treated with cross-reactive SVY-specific T-cells had decreased tumor growth and extended survival. Our work demonstrates that commensal bacteria can directly stimulate antitumor immune responses via T-cell cross-reactivity and provides a proof of principle for how bacterial antigens can shape the T-cell landscape. Citation Format: Catherine Ami Bessell. Commensal bacteria Bifidobacterium stimulates an antitumor response via cross-reactivity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B060.
Neural Approaches to Conversational AI: Question Answering, Task-oriented Dialogues and Social Chatbots

This monograph is the first survey of neural approaches to conversational AI that targets Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval audiences. It provides a comprehensive survey of the neural approaches to conversational AI that have been developed in the last few years, covering QA, task-oriented and social bots with a unified view of optimal decision making. The authors draw connections between modern neural approaches and traditional approaches, allowing readers to better understand why and how the research has evolved and to shed light on how they can move forward. They also present state-of-the-art approaches to training dialogue agents using both supervised and reinforcement learning. Finally, the authors sketch out the landscape of conversational systems developed in the research community and released in industry, demonstrating via case studies the progress that has been made and the challenges that are still being faced. Neural Approaches to Conversational AI is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and software developers. It provides a unified view, as well as a detailed presentation of the important ideas and insights needed to understand and create modern dialogue agents that will be instrumental to making world knowledge and services accessible to millions of users in ways that seem natural and intuitive.
Bots By Topic: Exploring Differences in Bot Activity by Conversation Topic

This study introduces a new tool to compare bot levels in real-time across conversation topics or hashtags. With the data collected, we measured higher levels of bot activity in some topics of conversation as compared to others and propose a novel application of bot detection analysis to advance research in this fast-changing field.
Maximizing the microscope: Instrument design and data processing strategies for hyperspectral imaging of cross-sectional cultural heritage samples

The use of non-invasive hyperspectral imaging techniques has become standard practice in the materials analysis and study of precious cultural heritage objects such as drawings, paintings, murals and more. However, the non-linear mixing of spectral signatures from complex and heterogenous objects with multiple colorants present below the resolution limits of the camera can complicate material identification. Consequently, ground truth measurements are still usually obtained from microscopic samples removed and embedded to expose stratigraphy and obtain sub-surface information about the artist’s material choices and technique. This work considers a microscopic spectral imaging technique capable of mapping molecular information in such micro samples at high spatial and spectral resolution while avoiding some of the challenges of complimentary techniques, such as swamping fluorescence in Raman spectroscopy or long integration times using FT-IR spectroscopy. Construction of a dark field hyperspectral microscope for cultural heritage samples is described using a tunable light source to illuminate the sample monochromatically from the visible to near infrared wavelengths, with the diffusely reflected light collected from the specimen with a long working distance, 20x objective. The illumination and detection arms were decoupled to better focus the power of the tunable light source across the tunable range through Kohler illumination optics. By mounting the optical train on a rotating arm, we can achieve multiple angles of illumination and optimize lighting conditions. The sample is also rotated in order to reconstruct an even distribution of light across the field of view. This multi-axis movement capability also provides exciting opportunities to leverage more than simple spectral information from an image series such as surface topography and differential phase contrast information. The developed microscope was used create a library of spectral signatures for comparison to painting cross sections, and the ability of the microscope to identify and examine individual pigment particles was tested.
Combination of cel ecoxib derivative OSU03012 and EGFR inhibitors enhances cell death in gefitinib/erlotinib-resistant lung cancer cells through induction of ER stress-related apoptosis and suppression of Akt signaling

5419 Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the US. Although recent advances in the treatment of NSCLC have been realized through the development of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK)-targeted agents, namely gefitinib and erlotinib, resistance to these drugs is common and precludes a substantial anticancer effect. In light of the need to understand and overcome this resistance to EGFR inhibitors, we evaluated the sensitizing activity of OSU03012, a celecoxib derivative developed in our laboratory, in combination with gefitinib or erlotinib in NSCLC cells. As determined by annexin V/PI counterstaining with flow cytometric analysis, 24-h co-treatment of OSU03012 with gefitinib or erlotinib significantly enhances apoptosis in H1155 and H23, but not A549 cells. Immunoblotting shows that the basal level of phospho-Akt is relatively higher in H1155 and H23 cells, and is dose-dependently suppressed by OSU03012 in combination with gefitinib or erlotinib. Transfection of constitutively active Akt partially rescues H1155 cells exposed to the combination treatments. The combination treatment also induces upregulation of GADD153, an ER stress-associated transcriptional factor, accompanied by elevated expression of DR5 gene and activation of extrinsic signaling of apoptosis in H1155 cells. Moreover, RNAi-suppression of GADD153 diminishes the apoptosis elicited by the combination of OSU03012 and gefitinib. The in vivo efficacy of this combination strategy is evidenced by a significant delay of tumor progression in xenograft-bearing mice treated orally with OSU03012 and erlotinib. Upregulation of GADD153 and suppression of phospho-Akt are also detected in the tumors resected from the mice, which correlates well with the in vitro data. Our data suggest that OSU03012 combined with the EGFR inhibitors is a promising approach to clinically treat resistant NSCLC through suppression of Akt signaling and induction of ER stress-associated apoptosis.
The Future of Cabeza Prieta and Significance for Global Conservation

This chapter explores what lessons can be learned from the story of Cabeza Prieta and applied globally to better understand the social and political process of environmental conservation in borderlands. We can understand conservation as a web of relations among a variety of different actors and stakeholders. In border conservation, actors at times may share symbiotic aspirations for border control. However, sometimes there are conflicts or competing agendas. This can be seen at Cabeza Prieta in the increasing impact of off-road vehicle travel on fragile desert wilderness lands. The chapter ends with a discussion on alternative approaches to border conservation, especially transboundary conservation and international peace parks.
The Impact of One-week Dietary Supplementation with Kava on Biomarkers of Tobacco Use and Nitrosamine-based Carcinogenesis Risk among Active Smokers

Tobacco smoking is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, driven by the addictive nature of nicotine and the indisputable carcinogenicity of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) as well as other compounds. The integration of lung cancer chemoprevention with smoking cessation is one potential approach to reduce this risk and mitigate lung cancer mortality. Experimental data from our group suggest that kava, commonly consumed in the South Pacific Islands as a beverage to promote relaxation, may reduce lung cancer risk by enhancing NNK detoxification and reducing NNK-derived DNA damage. Building upon these observations, we conducted a pilot clinical trial to evaluate the effects of a 7-day course of kava on NNK metabolism in active smokers. The primary objective was to compare urinary total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL plus its glucuronides, major metabolites of NNK) before and after kava administration as an indicator of NNK detoxification. Secondary objectives included determining kava's safety, its effects on DNA damage, tobacco use, and cortisol (a biomarker of stress). Kava increased urinary excretion of total NNAL and reduced urinary 3-methyladenine in participants, suggestive of its ability to reduce the carcinogenicity of NNK. Kava also reduced urinary total nicotine equivalents, indicative of its potential to facilitate tobacco cessation. Plasma cortisol and urinary total cortisol equivalents were reduced upon kava use, which may contribute to reductions in tobacco use. These results demonstrate the potential of kava intake to reduce lung cancer risk among smokers.
Acute Posttraumatic Symptoms Are Associated With Multimodal Neuroimaging Structural Covariance Patterns: A Possible Role for the Neural Substrates of Visual Processing in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Abstract Background Although aspects of brain morphology have been associated with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), limited work has investigated multimodal patterns in brain morphology that are linked to acute posttraumatic stress severity. In the present study, we utilized multimodal magnetic resonance imaging to investigate if structural covariance networks (SCNs) assessed acutely following trauma were linked to acute posttraumatic stress severity. Methods Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were collected around 1 month after civilian trauma exposure in 78 participants. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data fusion was completed to identify combinations of SCNs, termed structural covariance profiles (SCPs), related to acute posttraumatic stress severity collected at 1 month. Analyses assessed the relationship between participant SCP loadings, acute posttraumatic stress severity, the change in posttraumatic stress severity from 1 to 12 months, and depressive symptoms. Results We identified an SCP that reflected greater gray matter properties of the anterior temporal lobe, fusiform face area, and visual cortex (i.e., the ventral visual stream) that varied curvilinearly with acute posttraumatic stress severity and the change in PTSD symptom severity from 1 to 12 months. The SCP was not associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions We identified combinations of multimodal SCNs that are related to variability in PTSD symptoms in the early aftermath of trauma. The identified SCNs may reflect patterns of neuroanatomical organization that provide unique insight into acute posttraumatic stress. Furthermore, these multimodal SCNs may be potential candidates for neural markers of susceptibility to both acute posttraumatic stress and the future development of PTSD.
Estimating the location of individual livestock holdings and their populations in two developing countries for use in spatial disease spread models

Abstract Infectious diseases of food animals, such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), pose severe impacts on animal trade, animal products and subsequently endanger global food security. FMD is endemic in many parts of the world and is associated with substantial economic losses, which require risk assessments, preparedness planning, and evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigation strategies that fit within a country’s sociopolitical and socioeconomic constraints. Spatially-explicit stochastic simulation models (SESS) have become a common tool for estimating the spread and impact of FMD. SESS models incorporate uncertainty in the input and output parameters, heterogeneity in disease processes, and integrate geographic locations and spatial proximity of holdings that affect their relative exposure and transmission risk. An essential input to these models is locational data for holdings of animals and associated animal populations in each holding. Several efforts have been made to predict the location and population of livestock holdings or population density at different spatial resolutions. These methods or data cannot be used in developing countries because either the data is too coarse, or the inputs required for the methods are not available in resource-limited countries. As such, there is a need to adapt the practical and reliable existing methods to generate simulated datasets depicting the location and population of individual livestock holdings in developing countries for use in SESS models. We generated spatially-resolved simulated datasets for the location and population density of individual livestock holdings in Pakistan and Thailand. Firstly, we microsimulated and downscaled the census data to individual holdings based on statistical distributions. Second, geospatial probability surfaces were created based on a survey of expert veterinarians and empirical holding locations. Third, holdings were randomly placed on the probability surface based on a set of rules. These holdings were assigned population of livestock by joining downscaled data and random holdings. The combined dataset on the location and population of individual livestock holdings was, finally, used to generate the density of holdings. To our knowledge, this was the first attempt to estimate the locations and populations of individual livestock holdings in developing countries. These data pave the way for the application of SESS models in developing countries to understand the spread of FMD and evaluate mitigation strategies. The control of such an important animal disease would improve livestock health, improve economic gains for producers, and help alleviate poverty and hunger, which will complement efforts to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
A place of darkness: the rhetoric of horror in early American cinema: by Kendall R. Phillips, Austin, The University of Texas Press, 2018, 235 pp., $29.95 ISBN: 978-1477315514 29.95 paperback and $73.57 hardcover

A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema tells – to use today’s popular phrase – the “origin story” of a simultaneously reviled and beloved genre. Like his previous work...
Sri Sabhapati Swami: The Forgotten Yogi of Western Esotericism

The Tamil Śaiva yogi Sri Sabhapati Swami (b. 1828) has had a substantial impact on nineteenth- and twentieth-century South Asian and Western occult movements, yet with a few exceptions he has been overlooked by authors writing on modern yoga. His writings survive in multiple languages, including English as well as highly Sanskritised dialects of Tamil, Hindustani, and Bengali, and also include elaborate visual diagrams. This chapter first summarises Sabhapati’s relevance to the field of Yoga Studies. It then offers an overview of Sabhapati’s life based on North American and European archival sources as well as new textual and ethnographic sources from the author’s field work in Tamil Nadu. Finally, the chapter analyses the cross-fertilisation of Sabhapati’s teachings in the Theosophical Society and Aleister Crowley’s (1875–1947) Thelema.
Emission Implications of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Through an Empirical Exploration of Engine Starts

This paper aims to characterize the engine start activity profiles and emission potential of various plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models by examining the characteristics associated with e...
Foreword to the 60th Sanibel Proceedings

Sanibel has supplied the forum for presenting, discussing, educating, criticising, and inspiring the development of the electronic structure and dynamics of atoms, molecules, and solids since 1961. Later, major developments presented at Sanibel included the density matrix renormalisation group approach (DMRG) and the introduction of explicit R12 and F12 interaction terms to correct for the failure of basis sets to better describe the critical correlation cusp in WFT calculations. These were the first hints that non-variational, "linked" diagram methods that guaranteed size-extensivity would eventually largely displace variational methods like CI in treating the correlation problem in WFT. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Molecular Physics is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Real-world safety of nusinersen in Japan: results from an interim analysis of a post-marketing surveillance and safety database.

Purpose Nusinersen is the first disease-modifying therapy to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This report describes the safety and effectiveness of nusinersen in Japanese clinical use using two data sources: an ongoing Japanese post-marketing surveillance (PMS) and the safety database of the marketing authorisation holder, Biogen . Materials and methods The PMS is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of nusinersen in all patients treated with nusinersen in Japan between August 2017 and August 2025; this interim analysis included data up to May 30, 2019. Biogen safety database data up to June 30, 2019 were also included to capture adverse events (AEs) from after the interim analysis cutoff date. Collected data included medical history, dosage and administration, and AEs. Safety assessment included AEs and serious AEs (SAEs). Effectiveness analyses included motor function assessments and clinical global impressions of improvement. Results Of 271 patients in the PMS population, 94 had SMA type I (34.7%), and 177 had SMA types II-IV (65.3%). AEs occurred in 67 patients (24.7%) and SAEs in 23 patients (8.5%). The Biogen safety database contained reports of 345 AEs; the most common were pneumonia, headache, and pyrexia, consistent with symptoms of SMA and lumbar puncture. In the analysis set, 26.2% of patients receiving nusinersen showed motor function improvements and 99.6-100.0% showed overall improvement. Conclusion In this interim analysis of the PMS and Biogen safety database, nusinersen had a favourable benefit-risk profile in Japanese patients with SMA.
The effects of parietal cortex lesions on an object/spatial location paired-associate task in rats

The present experiment was conducted in order to test the hypotheses (1) that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) serves as a neural system that is critical for binding spatial location and object information in long-term memory and (2) that even restricted lesions of the PPC would result in similar deficits. Long-Evans rats were given either a large or a small PPC lesion or a control surgery under Nembutal anesthesia. After a 1-week recovery period, the rats were tested on either an object or a spatial location go/no-go successive discrimination task. After reaching criterion (a minimum of a 5 sec difference between reward and nonreward trials), they were trained on the other discrimination. After reaching criterion on the second discrimination, all of the rats were trained on a successive discrimination go/no-go task in which they had to remember which object/spatial location pairs had been associated with reward. As compared with controls, neither the small nor the large PPC lesion impaired object or spatial location discrimination. In the paired-associate object/spatial location task, both large and small PPC lesioned rats were impaired, relative to controls. These data suggest that the rodent PPC is not involved in object or spatial location discrimination but rather is involved in discrimination and long-term memory for the combination of object and spatial location information.
The Effect of Compression Stockings on Cerebral Desaturation Events in Obese Patients Undergoing Shoulder Arthroscopy in the Beach-Chair Position.

Purpose To determine if the use of thigh-high compression stockings could decrease the incidence of cerebral desaturation events (CDEs) in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m 2 or greater undergoing shoulder arthroscopy in the beach-chair position (BCP). Methods Between December 2013 and May 2014, 23 patients aged 18 years or older with a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 or greater undergoing shoulder arthroscopy in the BCP were monitored intraoperatively using near-infrared spectroscopy while wearing thigh-high compression stockings. Data obtained on these patients were compared with data from a previous cohort at our institution comprising 24 patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 or greater who underwent elective shoulder arthroscopy in the BCP with the same monitoring but without wearing compression stockings. The incidence of CDEs was identified in each group. Results The incidence of CDEs in the group with compression stockings was 4% (1 of 23) compared with 18% (7 of 24) in the group without compression stockings ( P = .048). There were no statistically significant differences in mean age (53.0 years v 53.3 years, P = .91), mean BMI (34.5 kg/m 2 v 36.2 kg/m 2 , P = .21), or various medical comorbidities between the treatment group and control group. There was a significant difference in the operative time between the treatment group (156.6 minutes) and control group (94.1 minutes) ( P Conclusions The use of thigh-high compression stockings may decrease the incidence of CDEs in obese patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy in the BCP. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic case series.
Avatar: A Marxist Saga on the Far Distant Planet

72 1024x768 Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:宋体; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} This article presents a critical and cultural study on Avatar, the Hollywood science fiction blockbuster. After using classical and current Marxist theories to examine James Cameron’s major films and using textual analysis to explore Chinese bloggers’ comments on the film Avatar, the paper argues that, like Cameron’s other major films, Avatar is a cinematographic manifesto of Marxism. The class struggle between capitalists and proletarians is evident throughout the movie’s whole narrative structure. Cameron is not neutral in his approach to cinematic worldview. Like in his previous films, also this time Cameron expresses solidarity with poor people and struggles against the rich. The confrontational nature of the worldview embedded in the movie has been used by audiences in China, Brazil, Palestine and elsewhere as a weapon to fight against social oppression.
Aspirin-induced oral bleeding: Correction with platelet transfusion: A reminder

Abstract Significant hemorrhage following aspirin ingestion may occur in patients without a pre-existing bleeding disorder. In the patient presented here, extensive dental extractions, superimposed on a probable aspirin-induced bleeding diathesis, resulted in prolonged hemorrhage. Bleeding was controlled with platelet transfusion. Patients should be advised to abstain from aspirin for a week prior to operation, and aspirincontaining compounds should not be prescribed postoperatively for analgesia. Two aspirin tablets may impair platelet function for up to one week.
The Status of Tritium Technology Development for Magnetic Fusion Energy

The development of tritium technology for the magnetic fusion energy program has progressed at a rapid rate over the past two years. The focal points for this development in the United States have ...
Crime and the Life Course

The introduction of the life-course perspective to criminology brought about a conceptual realignment of the field. After recounting this history, we describe emerging research in criminology, point to some nagging unanswered questions, and suggest some new avenues for future research. Keywords: crime; criminality; life course; biography; longitudinal data; prospective research; aging; desistance from crime