cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soft tissue pigments of the Upper Mississippian chondrenchelyid, Harpagofututor volsellorhinus (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali) from the Bear Gulch Limestone, Montana, USA

Reexamination of the chondrenchelyid Harpagofututor volsellorhinus from the Bear Gulch Limestone (Health Formation, Upper Chesterian, Mississippian), has revealed that the preserved fossil pigments are those originally associated with particular, well-vascularized abdominal organs (liver, spleen, and gonads) and major venous sinuses (orbital, gonadal, pelvic). The pattern of pigment localization reflects circulatory pathways of fossilized vessels. This determination was confirmed by comparison of fossil patterns to the visceral and circulatory anatomy of extant chondrichthyans. The arrangement of these pigments conveys strong, and otherwise unavailable, evidence for the internal reproductive features of these sexually mature, Paleozoic chondrichthyans. Under the appropriate preservational conditions the pigments also reveal asphyxia as the cause of death. Thus, the value of these pigments cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, they are prone to spontaneous and progressive degradation that starts immediately upon excavation. Consequently, it is imperative to record data accurately and in a timely fashion. This report thus introduces the use of a color flatbed scanner as a particularly effective laboratory research tool for the collection and archiving of ephemeral fossil data.
Digitally programmable universal active filter for bio signal processing

A digitally programmable active filter circuit which can function as a low-pass filter, high-pass filter, bandpass filter, band-reject filter, all-pass filter or a phase shifter network with a direct interface to a microprocessor is presented. The hardware and software details of the filter configuration are presented, and the filter response is discussed. A typical microprocessor interface is shown. >
Clinical morbidities, trends, and demographics of eclampsia: a population-based study.

Objective We sought to identify trends, demographics, and prepregnancy and peripartum morbidities of eclampsia in California. Study Design We identified cases of eclampsia by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code using California health discharge data from 2001 through 2007. Cases with missing race/ethnicity as well as age 55 years were excluded. Among the remaining cases, patients with eclampsia (n = 1888) were compared against those without (n = 2,768,983). Adjustments were performed for potential confounding variables using logistic regression. Significance was set at P Results The incidence of eclampsia decreased over time, from 8.0 cases per 10,000 deliveries in 2001, to 5.6 cases per 10,000 deliveries in 2007 ( P Conclusion This large population database confirms that there is a decline in eclampsia over time. However, there are extremely morbid complications associated with eclampsia, emphasizing the need for its close monitoring and prevention.
Carrier dynamics investigation in a quantum cascade laser using Mid-IR femtosecond pulses

In a room temperature 4.5 μm QCL resonantly pumped with fs Mid-IR pulses, we observe an ultrafast gain recovery within the first 200 fs, gain oscillation within the 1 ps and a slower gain recovery of lifetime ∼2–3 ps.
Rapid Mass Screening and Confirmation of Urinary Amphetamine and Methamphetamine by Gas Chromatography

A rapid and simple procedure is described for the mass screening and confirmation of amphetamine and methamphetamine in urine using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The amphetamine drugs are screened as free drugs on a 10% Apiezon L-10% KOH column and confirmed as their trifluoroacetamide derivatives on a 3% OV-17 column. This dual approach eliminates false positives and interfering substances that may be present in the urine and is, therefore, specific for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Unusual space-time patterning of the Fallon, Nevada leukemia cluster: Evidence of an infectious etiology

The town of Fallon within Churchill County, Nevada exhibited an unusually high incidence of childhood leukemia during the years 1997–2003. We examined the temporal and spatial patterning of the leukemia case homes in comparison to the distribution of the general population at risk, other cancer incidence, and features of land use. Leukemia cases were predominantly diagnosed during the early to mid summer, exhibiting a seasonal bias. Leukemia cases lived outside of the “developed/urban” area of Fallon, predominantly in the “agriculture/pasture” region of Churchill County, circumscribing downtown Fallon. This pattern was different from the distribution of the underlying population (p-value < 0.01) and different from the distribution of other cancers, which were evenly distributed when compared to the population (p-value = 0.74). The unusual space-time patterning of childhood leukemia is consistent with the involvement of an infectious disease. A possible mode of transmission for such an infectious disease is by means of a vector, and mosquitoes are abundant in Churchill County outside of the urban area of Fallon. This region harbors a US Navy base, and a temporally concordant increase in military wide childhood leukemia rates suggests the base a possible source of the virus. Taken together, our current understanding of the etiology of childhood leukemia, the rural structure combined with temporal and geospatial patterning of these leukemia cases, and the high degree of population mixing in Fallon, suggest a possible infectious cause.
A further comparison of pathologies after thoracic irradiation among different mouse strains: finding the best preclinical model for evaluating therapies directed against radiation-induced lung damage.

The human lung is among the most sensitive and critical tissues of concern in localized and systemic radiation exposures, and it is a subject of active preclinical research for evaluating mitigating therapies within the radiation countermeasures program. Our previous study comparing C57BL/6, CBA and C57L mice after whole-thorax irradiation pointed to the problems of late pleural effusions that prevented the full development of lung injury in C57BL/6 mice and suggested that the CBA and C57L strains are more favorable for modeling lung injury in humans (Jackson et al., Radiat. Res. 173, 10–20, 2010). We extended these comparisons to include three other mouse strains (BALB/c, C57BR/J and A/J mice) irradiated with 10, 12.5 or 15 Gy. Most of these mice were unable to survive the first 6 months and presented with a mixture of lung injury and pleural effusions as determined from gross pathology, histology and micro-CT. The independent and varying development of compressive pleural effusions of ill-defined etiolo...
Requiring influenza vaccination for health care workers: seven truths we must accept

In this paper we outline the seven primary truths supporting the call for requiring influenza immunization of all health care workers. We view this as a serious patient safety issue, given the clear and compelling data regarding the frequency and severity of influenza infection. In addition, clear-cut safety, efficacy, economic, legal, and ethical platforms support the use of influenza vaccine. Unfortunately health care workers have demonstrated, over almost 25 years that they are unwilling to comply with voluntary influenza immunization programs utilizing a variety of education and incentive programs, at rates sufficient to protect the patients in their care. We suggest that an annual influenza immunization should be required for every health care worker with direct patient contact, unless a medical contraindication or religious objection exists, or an informed declination is signed by the health care worker. High rates of health care worker immunization will benefit patients, health care workers, their families and employers, and the communities within which they work and live.
Computer-Aided Design Tools and Systems

Creating large, complex systems is one of the most demanding tasks undertaken by humankind. To design a state-of-the-art microcomputer, a high performance computer system, a modern petroleum refinery, or a supersonic jetliner requires the talents of a large number of individuals (e.g., engineers, managers, technicians), coordinated into a team, making extensive use of sophisticated tools to complete the job. Much of what is designed today could not even be attempted without the pervasive use of computers. Computers automatically generate portions of the design, check the correctness of hand generated portions, and keep track of the data describing the design, especially as it evolves over time.
Transport of microorganisms into cellulose nanofiber mats

Nanofiber mats hold potential in numerous applications that interface with microorganisms. However, a fundamental study that quantifies the transport of microorganisms into three-dimensional microenvironments, such as nanofiber mats, has not yet been conducted. Here, we evaluate the microbial uptake capacity of three hydrophilic cellulose sorbents, a high surface area electrospun nanofiber mat, as well as two commercial products, a macrofibrous Fisherbrand fabric and an adsorptive Sartorius membrane. The small average fiber diameter (∼1.0 μm) and large porosity of the nanofiber mats enabled a 21 times greater collection of Escherichia coli K12 per milligram of material than the macrofibrous Fisherbrand controls and 220 times more than the Sartorius controls. In most cases, the exposure time of the nanofiber mats to the microorganisms was sufficient to reach a quasi-equilibrium state of microbial uptake, allowing the calculation of an adsorption coefficient (Keq) that relates the concentration of cells in the sorbent to the concentration of cells remaining in solution. The Keq of the nanofiber mats was 420, compared to 9.2 and 0.67 for the Fisherbrand and Sartorius controls, respectively. In addition to E. coli, we studied the cellulose nanofiber mat uptake of two additional medically relevant and distinct microorganisms, Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus MW2, to probe whether microorganism removal is bacteria-specific. The high uptake capacity of all three bacteria by the nanofiber mats indicates that microbial uptake is independent of the microorganism's adhesion mechanism. This work suggests that cellulose nanofiber mat “sponges” are a green platform technology that has the potential to remove detrimental microorganisms from wounds, trap bacteria within a protective military textile, or remediate contaminated water.
Compressed Downlink Channel Estimation Based on Dictionary Learning in FDD Massive MIMO Systems

We address the problem of downlink channel estimation in frequency division duplex (FDD) Massive MIMO system when downlink training duration is limited. Leveraging the concept of Compressive Sensing (CS), downlink channel could be estimated with limited training duration if channel can be sparsely represented. In this paper, we develop a better dictionary under which the downlink channel can be more sparsely represented, thus improving the performance of recovery in the compressive sensing process. We develop a method for learning such a dictionary from channel measurements, which capture information about communication environment as well as the property of antennas. We develop methods to learn the dictionary that best models the data, thus adapting to the environment and antenna property, while simultaneously inducing sparsity. Also we compare different dictionaries and provide insights into reasons why a learned dictionary outperforms others.
Food, supplements, and fortified foods: Scientific evaluations in regard to toxicology and nutrient bioavailability

Food, supplements, and fortified foods can all be appropriate sources of nutrients. It is the responsibility of nutrition educators to help consumers use those nutrient sources appropriately. Consumers should consider at least six factors when they select foods, supplements, and fortified foods: flavor, convenience, cost, nutrient content, toxic factors, and bioavailability of nutrients. Consumers are often less concerned about the latter two factors than they should be. For example, many case histories have been published on the symptoms caused by overconsumption of vitamins A, B-6, C, and D and nicotinic acid. Generally those toxic symptoms were caused by the ingestion of supplements, not foods. Current widespread use of supplements containing one or two nutrients may not only cause overt toxicity symptoms but also adversely affect the bioavailability of other nutrients. For example, ingestion of excessive amounts of vitamin C appears to interfere with copper metabolism in human subjects; ingestion of high levels of zinc impairs immune function, depresses copper absorption, and induces anemia; consumption of supplemental calcium as calcium phosphate dibasic is associated with renal calcification in rats; and ingestion of supplemental magnesium depresses the apparent absorption of calcium and retention of calcium in bone by rats.
Infrared rectification in a nanoantenna-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor tunnel diode

Direct rectification of electromagnetic radiation is a well-established method for wireless power conversion in the microwave region of the spectrum, for which conversion efficiencies in excess of 84% have been demonstrated. Scaling to the infrared or optical part of the spectrum requires ultrafast rectification that can only be obtained by direct tunnelling. Many research groups have looked to plasmonics to overcome antenna-scaling limits and to increase the confinement. Recently, surface plasmons on heavily doped Si surfaces were investigated as a way of extending surface-mode confinement to the thermal infrared region. Here we combine a nanostructured metallic surface with a heavily doped Si infrared-reflective ground plane designed to confine infrared radiation in an active electronic direct-conversion device. The interplay of strong infrared photon-phonon coupling and electromagnetic confinement in nanoscale devices is demonstrated to have a large impact on ultrafast electronic tunnelling in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. Infrared dispersion of SiO2 near a longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode gives large transverse-field confinement in a nanometre-scale oxide-tunnel gap as the wavelength-dependent permittivity changes from 1 to 0, which leads to enhanced electromagnetic fields at material interfaces and a rectified displacement current that provides a direct conversion of infrared radiation into electric current. The spectral and electrical signatures of the nanoantenna-coupled tunnel diodes are examined under broadband blackbody and quantum-cascade laser (QCL) illumination. In the region near the LO phonon resonance, we obtained a measured photoresponsivity of 2.7 mA W(-1) cm(-2) at -0.1 V.
Removal of Pyrethroid Insecticides from Agricultural Products by Washing and Boiling

The effects of washing and boiling on pyrethroid insecticides (Allethrin, Resmethrin, Phthalthrin, Permethrin and Pyrethrin) applied to the surfaces of agricultural products were studied. Pyrethroid insecticides were removed most effectively by using liquid detergent for kitchen use, but were scarcely removed by washing with water alone. Pyrethroid insecticides decreased by 80 to 90% after boiling of spinach treated with them. Pyrethrin II was most stable to boiling among the isomers of Pyrethrin.
Multiscale Investigation of Oxidative Aging in Biomodified Asphalt Binder

Oxidative aging causes major changes in asphalt binder’s physiochemical and rheological properties, giving rise to pavement distress and failure. Asphalt aging occurs due to two main processes: a loss of volatile components and a reduction of the malthene phase and oxidation of certain functional groups in asphalt, increasing the concentration of asphalt’s polar components. Performing SARA (saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene) analysis and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy on the crude oil shows that the ratio of polar components to nonpolar ones is higher in oxidized asphalt compared to virgin asphalt. However, when a biomodifier is introduced to virgin asphalt, the rate of carbonyl (as a polar functional) formation is reduced, which may indicate a delayed oxidation due to the presence of biomodifier molecules in the asphalt. To understand the fundamental origin of oxidative aging at the molecular level, this paper provides a comprehensive computational chemistry analysis conducted in ...
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Apoptosis

Genetically-encoded fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporters are powerful tools to analyze cell signaling and function at single cell resolution in standard two-dimensional cell cultures, but these reporters rarely have been applied to three-dimensional environments. FRET interactions between donor and acceptor molecules typically are determined by changes in relative fluorescence intensities, but wavelength-dependent differences in absorption of light complicate this analysis method in three-dimensional settings. Here we report fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) with phasor analysis, a method that displays fluorescence lifetimes on a pixel-wise basis in real time, to quantify apoptosis in breast cancer cells stably expressing a genetically encoded FRET reporter. This microscopic imaging technology allowed us to identify treatment-induced apoptosis in single breast cancer cells in environments ranging from two-dimensional cell culture, spheroids with cancer and bone marrow stromal cells, and living mice with orthotopic human breast cancer xenografts. Using this imaging strategy, we showed that combined metabolic therapy targeting glycolysis and glutamine pathways significantly reduced overall breast cancer metabolism and induced apoptosis. We also determined that distinct subpopulations of bone marrow stromal cells control resistance of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy, suggesting heterogeneity of treatment responses of malignant cells in different bone marrow niches. Overall, this study establishes FLIM with phasor analysis as an imaging tool for apoptosis in cell-based assays and living mice, enabling real-time, cellular-level assessment of treatment efficacy and heterogeneity.
Traumatic Terroir: Food, Memory, and the Cultural Revolution in Hunan, China

AbstractTerroir is a term used for foods with unique tastes, properties, and values based on their origins in particular landscapes and production methods. Contrary to the usual marketing of terroir based on idyllic images of peasant life, constructions of terroir in contemporary Hunan, China, make reference to the traumas of the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and to the unforgiving landscape of the region. The collective identity and consumerist ideology of modern Hunanese terroir is expressed through culinary tourism in communal canteen-themed restaurants, literary works by Han Shaogong, a noted survivor of the Cultural Revolution, and everyday food practices among peasants. The essay uses the methodologies of history, ethnography, and literary criticism to contribute to debates on historical memory in modern China by showing how the identities of this “traumatic terroir” seek not a nostalgic return to a better past but rather help people navigate the challenges of contemporary market society and anxie...
Reverse Engineering the Vision System

The vision system is perhaps the most well understood part of the neocortex. The input from the eyes consists of a set of images made up of pixels that are densely packed in the fovea and less so in the periphery. Each pixel is represented by a vector of attributes such as color, brightness, spatial and temporal derivatives. Pixels from each eye are registered in the lateral geniculate nucleus and projected to the cortex where they are processed by a hierarchy of array processors that detect features and patterns and compute their attributes, state, and relationships. These array processors consist of Cortical Computational Units (CCUs) made up of cortical hypercolumns and their underlying thalamic and other subcortical nuclei. Each CCU is capable of performing complex computational functions and communicating with other CCUs at the same and higher and lower levels. The entire visual processing hierarchy generates a rich, colorful, dynamic internal representation that is consciously perceived to be external reality. It is suggested that it may be possible to reverse engineer the human vision system in the near future [1].
Convergence Acceleration of Iterative Methods for Inverting Real Matrices Using Frobenius Norm Minimization

The Schulz-type methods for computing generalizedmatrix inverses are a family of iterative methods that are popular for their high order of convergence (≥ 2). We propose two new scaled acceleration techniques for such type of iterative methods for real matrices (based on Frobenius norm minimization) andlay out efficient algorithms to implement these techniques. Testresults show one of our techniques to be most effective for densematrices but also works for sparse cases as well.
Bureaucrat-Bashing in the Galactic Senate: George Lukas and Public Administration

Attending the movie can be a pleasant and entertaining experience until, suddenly, the movie starts bashing bureaucrats. That certainly can make us squirm in our seats.
Stability Issues for Dynamic Traffic Assignment

Abstract This paper focuses on using a dynamical systems framework to represent a dynamic traffic network equipped with advanced information systems. Based on this dynamical systems model, two common assignment criteria, system optimal (SO) and user equilibrium (UE), are used to construct associated route switching control strategies. Classical techniques from non-linear dynamical systems are used to analyze the global behavior vis-a-vis stability of the solutions prescribed by the assignment strategies for dynamic traffic networks with time-dependent demand. The stability analysis focuses on demonstrating that the proposed control strategies move the system towards the corresponding time-dependent stable desirable states rather than focusing on a specific stable state. An important insight from the study is that the Lyapunov functions for the SO and UE objectives are their corresponding objective functions under dynamic traffic assignment (DTA). This overcomes the key difficulty of constructing a meaningful Lyapunov function for such systems, and provides a general framework for the stability analysis of DTA problems.
TPACK and Teachers of Spanish: Development of a Theory-Based Joint Display in a Mixed Methods Research Case Study:

This article describes the development of a joint display in a mixed methods research case study, using a theoretical framework as the start point. A case study of professional development on Web 2...
The Effects of Interfirm Ties on Illegal Corporate Behavior

Although numerous benefits are associated with interfirm ties, these external relationships can also have negative consequences. Theoretically based in the relational component of social capital, we identify one potentially serious consequence of interfirm ties, propensity of firms engaging in illegal behavior. Results of our study of S&P 500 firms suggest that companies benefit from a lower likelihood of illegal behavior when they have numerous weak ties to other firms. Conversely, when they become overly embedded in a network of strong ties, they are more likely to engage in illegal behavior. We also found evidence that reciprocity and status similarity influence firms’ propensity to engage in illegal behavior.
Species boundaries in the Astragalus cusickii complex delimited using molecular phylogenetic techniques

Abstract Understanding the source of phenotypic variability is a challenge in the biological sciences. Variation in phenotypes is the result of variation in the genetics and environment the organism experiences, but elucidating the relative contribution of these two parameters can pose problems, especially in the field of systematics. Systematists are challenged to classify biological diversity into groups that share common ancestry. Phenotypic variation can be useful to demonstrate common ancestry, but only when the primary contributor to the variation is under strong genetic control, and thus heritable. Cusick’s milkvetch (Astragalus cusickii) is a perennial forb endemic to the northwestern intermountain region of the United States. The species currently comprises four varieties based on subtle morphological dissimilarities, such as leaf size and density, and the size and shape of the seed pods. The taxonomic organization of the varieties of A. cusickii and related species of Astragalus were reexamined through phylogenetic analysis of low copy nuclear, nuclear-ribosomal, and chloroplast gene regions. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, the genealogical sorting index, and an approximately unbiased test were used to determine appropriate species boundaries under the phylogenetic species concept. The results support reclassification of A. cusickii var. packardiae and A. cusickii var. sterilis as separate species. Additionally, evidence suggests a chloroplast capture event may have occurred in one population of A. cusickii var. packardiae.
A Gadamerian Perspective on Teaching the Humanities: Students, Teachers, and the Unmethodical Questioning of Truth

Post-structural theory has markedly altered the way scholars read texts. Central to post-structural thinking are the premises that truth and the author are absent from these texts. Though scholars can argue cogently for these positions, students frequently find these premises counter-intuitive, often silencing their responses to texts. Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics, a strand of post-structural theory, can productively be applied to the classroom. Philosophical hermeneutics also questions notions of transcendent truth and foregrounds dialogue over authorial intent. Key to encouraging fertile student responses to humanities texts are the following Gadamerian terms treated in Truth and Method and in Gadamer's later works: 1) dialogue, 2) prejudice, 3) phronesis, 4) recognition, and 5) truth. For Gadamer, author and reader are subsumed in the play of dialogue. This dialogue elicits statements and counterstatements, questions and counter-questions where both teacher and student are recognized as they respond to the text. These texts are written within the discipline of the human sciences (phronesis) where human questions, not predetermined methods, are examined. What emerges are truths or enabling prejudices, none of which are transcendent, but nonetheless are experienced as true. Such a classroom scene is both liberating and challenging both for the student and the teacher.
Homophily, echo chambers, & selective exposure in social networks: What should civic educators do?

Abstract Experts in civic education and social media used the "Delphi Method" to address countering social media's "echo chamber" effect. Analyses revealed relative agreement, with required civics courses emerging as the most recommended solution. The need for well-prepared teachers, a coordinated curriculum, and appropriate materials and methods were major considerations.
A novel approach for correction of crosstalk effects in pathway analysis and its application in osteoporosis research.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent bone metabolic disease and peripheral blood monocytes represent a major systemic cell type for bone metabolism. To identify the key dysfunctional pathways in osteoporosis, we performed pathway analyses on microarray data of monocytes from subjects with extremely high/low hip bone mineral density. We first performed a traditional pathway analysis for which different pathways were treated as independent. However, genes overlap among pathways will lead to “crosstalk” phenomenon, which may lead to false positive/negative results. Therefore, we applied correction techniques including a novel approach that considers the correlation among genes to adjust the crosstalk effects in the analysis. In traditional analysis, 10 pathways were found to be significantly associated with BMD variation. After correction for crosstalk effects, three of them remained significant. Moreover, the MAPK signaling pathway, which has been shown to be important for osteoclastogenesis, became significant only after the correction for crosstalk effects. We also identified a new module mainly consisting of genes present in mitochondria to be significant. In summary, we describe a novel method to correct the crosstalk effect in pathway analysis and found five key independent pathways involved in BMD regulation, which may provide a better understanding of biological functional networks in osteoporosis.
PBRpredict-Suite: a suite of models to predict peptide-recognition domain residues from protein sequence

Motivation Machine learning plays a substantial role in bioscience owing to the explosive growth in sequence data and the challenging application of computational methods. Peptide-recognition domains (PRDs) are critical as they promote coupled-binding with short peptide-motifs of functional importance through transient interactions. It is challenging to build a reliable predictor of peptide-binding residue in proteins with diverse types of PRDs from protein sequence alone. On the other hand, it is vital to cope up with the sequencing speed and to broaden the scope of study. Results In this paper, we propose a machine-learning-based tool, named PBRpredict, to predict residues in peptide-binding domains from protein sequence alone. To develop a generic predictor, we train the models on peptide-binding residues of diverse types of domains. As inputs to the models, we use a high-dimensional feature set of chemical, structural and evolutionary information extracted from protein sequence. We carefully investigate six different state-of-the-art classification algorithms for this application. Finally, we use the stacked generalization approach to non-linearly combine a set of complementary base-level learners using a meta-level learner which outperformed the winner-takes-all approach. The proposed predictor is found competitive based on statistical evaluation. Availability and implementation PBRpredict-Suite software: http://cs.uno.edu/~tamjid/Software/PBRpredict/pbrpredict-suite.zip. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Metallography of aluminum powder extrusions

Electron micrographs were prepared of extrusions consisting of a dispersion of aluminum oxide in aluminum. In experimental extrusions of this type the oxide particles appear as platelets approximately 100A thick. In the commercial SAP (sintered aluminum powder) and APM (aluminum powder metallurgy) extrusions, the platelets appear to be partially or completely spheroidized.
Two-edged sword: how activation of the "proto-oncogene" yes-associated protein 1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma can surprisingly inhibit tumor growth.

The Hippo signaling pathway is a highly conserved pathway that regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis. The core components of the pathway, a cascade of protein serine kinases, are commonly present in most eukaryotic organisms (1).
‘Why do we need a policy?’ Administrators’ perceptions on breast-feeding-friendly childcare

Objective Mothers' return to work and childcare providers' support for feeding expressed human milk are associated with breast-feeding duration rates in the USA, where most infants are regularly under non-parental care. The objective of the present study was to explore Florida-based childcare centre administrators' awareness and perceptions of the Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Initiative. Design Semi-structured interviews were based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and analysed using applied thematic analysis. Setting Childcare centre administrators in Tampa Bay, FL, USA, interviewed in 2015.ParticipantsTwenty-eight childcare centre administrators: female (100 %) and Non-Hispanic White (61 %) with mean age of 50 years and 13 years of experience. Results Most administrators perceived potential implementation of the Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Initiative as simple and beneficial. Tension for change and a related construct (perceived consumer need for the initiative) were low, seemingly due to formula-feeding being normative. Perceived financial costs and relative priority varied. Some centres had facilitating structural characteristics, but none had formal breast-feeding policies. Conclusions A cultural shift, facilitated by state and national breast-feeding-friendly childcare policies and regulations, may be important for increasing tension for change and thereby increasing access to breast-feeding-friendly childcare. Similar to efforts surrounding the rapid growth of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, national comprehensive evidence-based policies, regulations, metrics and technical assistance are needed to strengthen state-level breast-feeding-friendly childcare initiatives.
Modulation of emotion perception and memory via sub-threshold amygdala stimulation in humans

Abstract A common human experience is noticing that emotional life events are more vividly remembered than dull ones. Studies show that the amygdala plays a central role in such emotionally driven enhancement of memory. With this in mind, we investigated the effect of electrical brain stimulation of the left human amygdala on performance on an emotional perception and emotional memory task. We randomly applied sub-threshold 50 Hz stimulation to the left amygdala in 10 patients (5 female and 5 male) with intracranial electrodes during the encoding portion of an emotional valence perception and emotional memory task. We found that amygdala stimulation did not affect reported valence for neutral stimuli (non-stimulated group average valence 5.34, stimulated 5.38, p=0.68) but it did affect positively (non-stimulated group average valence 7.31, stimulated 6.70, p=0.004) and negatively (non-stimulated group average valence 2.79, stimulated 3.55, p=0.0002) valenced stimuli in effect reporting both valence categories as more neutral. Furthermore, we found that stimulation did not significantly disrupt memory for neutral stimuli (68% vs. 61% correctly remembered p=0.48) or positive stimuli (87% vs. 70% correct, trend towards significant difference p=0.09) but did for negative stimuli (83% vs. 67% correct, p=0.03). These results suggest that electrical brain stimulation by our parameters likely reversibly inhibits amygdala function disrupting neural networks responsible for emotional perception and memory. This effect may have clinical implications in treatment of certain neuropsychiatric disorders, such as emotional dysregulation and post-traumatic stress disorder. Statement of significance The current study builds and expands on extensive prior research into the function of the human amygdala. It provides the first systematic description in humans of a cognitive change brought about by direct electrical stimulation of the amygdala on perception of emotional valence and emotional memory. The results provide further evidence on the importance of the amygdala in human cognition. Likewise, out method utilized to study the function of the amygdala can be extended to study the function of other brain regions in humans, such as the cingulate. While these results are preliminary and need to be duplicated, we aim to further study the effects of amygdala stimulation on emotional processing including possible therapeutic application for diverse group of neuropsychiatric conditions.
Evolution of structure and magnetism across the metal-insulator transition in the pyrochlore iridate ( Nd 1 − x Ca x ) 2 Ir 2 O 7

This study explores a filling-controlled metal-insulator transition in the pyrochlore-based iridium oxide Nd${}_{2}$Ir${}_{2}$O${}_{7}$. Through measurements of the local site symmetry, average structure, and electronic properties, the authors comment on the interplay of the lattice, charge gap, and magnetism in this material. The work holds important implications for tuning this compound toward its anticipated quantum critical regime, which has been predicted to host a Weyl semimetal state.
Buyer Power Today

Buyer power has long been a neglected issue in antitrust law. Thanks to Bert Foer and others, however, that has changed. In the last two decades, studies have shown that monopsony power is a widespread problem, particularly in labor markets, and challenges to anticompetitive conduct by buyers have increased sharply. Monopsony power is now on the antitrust agenda. At the same time, interest in the other form of buyer power, countervailing power, has also increased. In two high-profile merger cases, Anthem/Cigna and Aetna/Humana, the parties claimed they could save billions of dollars of medical costs by reducing their payments to hospitals, doctors, and other providers. These cases might have marked the first time that countervailing power had justified an otherwise anticompetitive merger. But the parties refused to assert that they would use their post-merger purchasing power to extract bigger discounts from providers. Instead, they would take a variety of less muscular steps. These steps were fraught with practical difficulties, however, and the savings claims were rejected. In the end, the procompetitive benefits of countervailing power were never determined.
Characterizing Non-Gaussian Diffusion in Heterogeneously Oriented Tissue Microenvironments.

Complex tissue microstructure involving various types of cells and their membranes can deviate the movement of water molecules from the typical Gaussian diffusion. This deviation can be quantified using excess kurtosis to characterize tissue structural complexity. However, true kurtosis measurements can be obscured by complex white matter configurations such as fiber crossing, bending, and branching, which are ubiquitous in the brain. In this paper, we extend diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to allow characterization of diffusional kurtosis in microstructural environments that are oriented heterogeneously. Our method, called microscopic DKI (\(\mu \)DKI), fits a cylindrically symmetric kurtosis model to the spherical mean of the diffusion signal as a function of diffusion weighting. The spherical mean, computed for each b-shell, is invariant to the fiber orientation distribution and is a function of per-axon microstructural properties. Experimental results indicate that \(\mu \)DKI yields significantly higher consistency in quantifying microstructure than the conventional DKI in the presence of orientation heterogeneity.
Automated Volcano Monitoring Using Multiple Space and Ground Sensors

From 2004 to 2017, an effort was undertaken to integrate space-borne sensing and in situ sensing in an automated system to improve global volcano activity monitoring. This paper reviews a sensor we...
The sixth of February 1934: the press against the historians?

A succession of historians, many of them British or American, have understood the riot outside the Chamber of Deputies in Paris on 6 February 1934 in European terms. Initially tending to associate ...
2246-PUB: "There’s a Disconnect Here": A Study Evaluating Blood Glucose Trends at a Youth Diabetes Camp

Introduction: Camp Midicha is an American Diabetes Association summer camp for children aged 8-17 with type 1 diabetes mellitus located in Fenton, Michigan. Blood glucose (BG) levels of campers are closely monitored so that hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia can be treated and ideally prevented. Hyperglycemia is a particular concern for campers who use insulin pumps because of an increased risk for ketoacidosis. It has been previously observed that campers who disconnect their pumps for swimming have higher BG levels later in the day. Swimming occurs for approximately 1.5 hours between lunch and dinner for all campers daily. This study aims to compare trends in BG for campers who wear insulin pumps that are removed prior to afternoon swimming versus those who do not. Methods: This study was conducted as a retrospective review of the camp’s medical records. Trends in BG at lunch and dinner were compared between campers who A) wear a removable insulin pump and B) wear a non-removable pump or utilize insulin injections. This study included all campers at Camp Midicha from 2017 and 2018, encompassing 862 campers. Multivariate linear regression was used to compare the two groups. Results: The average change in BG from lunch to dinner was 38.13 mg/dL for campers who removed their insulin pumps (174.62 to 212.75 mg/dL) and 16.42 mg/dL for campers who did not (177.14 to 193.59 mg/dL). The difference in BG change between the groups was 21.68 mg/dL (P Conclusion: This study showed a significant difference in the change in BG from lunch to dinner between the two groups despite insulin pumps being disconnected for only 1.5 hours. While the magnitude of this difference may not necessitate follow-up studies to assess potential interventions, further analysis to evaluate differences in BG change between days could be valuable for insulin dosing at future camps. Disclosure M. Randall: None. B.M. Degnan: None.
Book Review: Writing Analytically

This work addresses a review of a book Writing Analytically. The book presents a number of issues related to improving the writing of scientific research and academic work in light of the requirements of academic stages and various fields of scientific publishing. This book is primarily concerned with providing rich material for academic writing in English.
Harmonic Generation in the Near-Millimeter-Wave Range by Thin MOS-Structures

Concepts for frequency multiplication into the range of 200 - 600 GHz are described. They are based on MOS-diodes with extremely thin oxide- and Si-epi-layers. While the goal is planar integrated arrays, the first experiments are done with individual whisker-coupled diodes.
Development and External Validation of the KIIDS-TBI Tool for Managing Children with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Intracranial Injuries.

Background Clinical decision support (CDS) may improve the postneuroimaging management of children with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) and intracranial injuries. While the CHIIDA score has been proposed for this purpose, a more sensitive risk model may have broader use. Consequently, this study's objectives were to: (1) develop a new risk model with improved sensitivity compared to the CHIIDA model and (2) externally validate the new model and CHIIDA model in a multicenter data set. Methods We analyzed children ≤18 years old with mTBI and intracranial injuries included in the PECARN head injury data set (2004-2006). We used binary recursive partitioning to predict the composite outcome of neurosurgical intervention, intubation for > 24 h due to TBI, or death due to TBI. The new model was externally validated in a separate data set that included children treated at any one of six centers from 2006 to 2019. Results Based on 839 patients from the PECARN data set, a new risk model, the KIIDS-TBI model, was developed that incorporated imaging (e.g., midline shift) and clinical (e.g., Glasgow Coma Scale score) findings. Based on the model-predicted probability of the composite outcome, three cutoffs were evaluated to classify patients as "high risk" for level of care decisions. In the external validation data set consisting of 1,630 patients, the most conservative cutoff (i.e., any predictor present) identified 119 of 119 children with the composite outcome (sensitivity = 100%), but had the lowest specificity (26.3%). The other two decision-making cutoffs had worse sensitivity (94.1%-96.6%) but improved specificity (67.4%-81.3%). The CHIIDA model lacked the most conservative cutoff and otherwise showed the same or slightly worse performance compared to the other two cutoffs. Conclusions The KIIDS-TBI model has high sensitivity and moderate specificity for risk stratifying children with mTBI and intracranial injuries. Use of this CDS tool may help improve the safe, resource-efficient management of this important patient population.
Design, Testing and Feasibility Analysis of an Oil-Free Twin Screw Compressor with In-Chamber Flash Cooling

With the current aim of reducing CO2 emissions worldwide compressor efficiency is more in focus than ever before. An estimated 20% of all electricity generated worldwide is used for compressing air. Oil injected twin screw compressors form a large percentage of the total. The injected oil is used for cooling, as well as for sealing and lubrication of the rotors. Typical pressure ratios lie between 8:1 and 16:1. There are many investigations being conducted into oil-free screw technology for specific applications requiring no oil carry over. In this presentation we will take a close look into the possibility of producing a single stage oil-free twin-screw compressor operating at a pressure ratio of 8:1 and using evaporated water for cooling. The main objective in this case is to improve compressor efficiency. Additionally, we will compare efficiency results with a state-of-the-art single stage oil injected twin screw compressor. Previous results from an earlier paper by the author and team from City University of London on CFD analysis of a similar system are taken as the basis. Further simulated calculations using SCORG for the actual case in question allow preliminary performance analysis using the multi-domain chamber model. From simulation we can see that the oil drag force acting on the rotors forms a significant part of the total power requirement. It is therefore suggested that an oil-free solution will achieve improved specific power. To confirm this concept, verify the simulated calculations and understand the heat transfer process in the compression chamber more fully, experimental analysis was undertaken.
Sexual Maturation and Differentiation: The Role of the Gonadal Steroids

Publisher Summary The development of the neuroendocrine system involves not only the maturation of the individual components and their abilities to produce hormones but also the acquisition of the functional capacity of the brain and pituitary to be influenced by target gland hormones. During development, target gland hormones may exert permanent organizational effects on the development of brain function, besides exerting their reversible activational actions on neuroendocrine function and behavior. These multiple actions of target gland hormones are illustrated by the gonadal steroids. This chapter examines the ontogeny of hypothalamo-hypophyseal-gonadal function in the laboratory rat in relation to the development of sexual behavior, neuroendocrine feedback systems, and the process of sexual differentiation. During the development of the rat brain in late fetal and early postnatal life, two major events occur with respect to reproductive function—sexual maturation and sexual differentiation. Sexual maturation is a result not only of neurological maturation, and of growth and maturation of the reproductive tract, gonads, pituitary, hypothalamic neurosecretory cells and hypothalamohypophyseal portal circulation, but also of acquisition of the competence of brain and pituitary to respond to the activating effects of gonadal steroids.
DIFFERENT SURGICAL THERAPIES IN IDENTICAL TWINS WITH DUODENAL ULCERS

Summary Identical twins are presented who had similar complications of duodenal ulcer and calculous gall bladder disease. One subject was treated with vagotomy and pyloro plasty while the other was treated with subtotal gastric resection. Cholecystectomy was performed in each patient at the time of surgical treatment of duodenal ulcer. Metabolic balance studies showed a defect in fat absorption in the patient with subtotal gastrectomy. The latter patient was followed for 5 years until his death, which was attributed to coronary thrombosis. The patient subjected to vagotomy is alive 10 years following vagotomy and pyloroplasty.