cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
POWER training in chronic stroke individuals: differences between responders and nonresponders

AbstractBackground: Lower extremity muscle weakness is a primary contributor to post-stroke dysfunction. Resistance training is an effective treatment for hemiparetic weakness and improves walking performance. Post-stroke subject characteristics that do or do not improve walking speed following resistance training are unknown.Objective: The purpose of this paper was to describe baseline characteristics, as well as responses to training, associated with achieving a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in walking speed (≥0.16 m/s) following Post-stroke Optimization of Walking Using Explosive Resistance (POWER) training.Methods: Seventeen participants completed 24 sessions of POWER training, which included intensive progressive leg presses, jump training, calf raises, sit-to-stands, step-ups, and over ground fast walking. Outcomes included SSWS, FCWS, DGI, FMA-LE, 6-MWT, paretic knee power, non-paretic knee power, and paretic step ratio.Results: Specific to those who reached MCID in SSWS (e.g. “res...
Religious involvement and self-forgiveness

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to examine the interface between involvement in religion and self-forgiveness. The data come from a recent nationwide survey of adults age 18 and older (N = 1774). A conceptual model was developed that contains the following hypotheses: (1) Evangelicals will attend worship services more frequently than members of other faith traditions; (2) people who go to church services more often will be more likely to get spiritual support from fellow church members; (3) individuals who receive more spiritual support from religious others will be more likely to believe that they have been forgiven by God; (4) people who believe that they have been forgiven by God will have a greater sense of self-worth; and (5) individuals who have a stronger sense of self-worth will be more likely to forgive themselves for the things they have done wrong. The data provide support for each hypothesis.
Quality Metrics and Systems Transformation: Are We Advancing Alcohol and Drug Screening in Primary Care?

Objective To examine the influence of Oregon's coordinated care organizations (CCOs) and pay-for-performance incentive model on completion of screening and brief intervention (SBI) and utilization of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services. Data Sources/Study Setting Secondary analysis of Medicaid encounter data from 2012 to 2015 and semiannual qualitative interviews with stakeholders in CCOs. Study Design Longitudinal mixed-methods design with simultaneous data collection with equal importance. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded in ATLAS.ti. Quantitative data included Medicaid encounters 30 months prior to CCO implementation, a 6-month transition period, and 30 months following CCO implementation. Data were aggregated by half-year with analyses restricted to Medicaid recipients 18–64 years of age enrolled in a CCO, not eligible for Medicare coverage or Medicaid expansion. Principal Findings Quantitative analysis documented a significant increase in SBI rates coinciding with CCO implementation (0.1 to 4.6 percent). Completed SBI was not associated with increased initiation in treatment for SUD diagnoses. Qualitative analysis highlighted importance of aligning incentives, workflow redesign, and leadership to facilitate statewide SBI. Conclusions Results provide modest support for use of a performance metric to expand SBI in primary care. Future research should examine health reform efforts that increase initiation and engagement in SUD treatment.
Reconstructing sociolinguistic variation

In this paper we illustrate a methodology for reconstructing language in interaction from literary texts, demonstrating how they can serve as documentation of speech when primary linguistic material is unavailable. A careful incorporation of facts from literary dialect not only informs grammatical reconstruction in situations with little to no documentation, but also allows for the reconstruction of the sociolinguistic use of a language, an oft-overlooked aspect of linguistic reconstruction. Literary dialogue is often one of the only attestations of regional varieties of a language with a very salient standard dialect, where no primary sources are available. Odessan Russian (OdR), a moribund dialect of Russian, serves as a case study. OdR grew out of intensive language contact and differs from most other varieties of Russian, with substrate influences from Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Polish, and lexical borrowing from other languages. The only records of "spoken" OdR are found in fctional narrative. An analysis of works from several prominent Odessan writers, including Isaak Babel and Ze'ev Jabotinsky, reveals considerable variation among speakers of OdR; careful tracking of this variation shows how it was distributed among different social groups, and suggests how it may have beenÂ deployed to index and acknowledge different social roles.
Dementia severity, wandering and falling, and behavioral problems were associated with shorter survival in Alzheimer disease

Source Citation Walsh JS, Welch G, Larson EB. Survival of outpatients with Alzheimer-type dementia. Ann Intern Med. 1990;113:429-34.
Incorporation of PCSK9 inhibitors into prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has become recently more complex than ever, leaving the clinicians perplexed with outdated guidelines and emerging evidence about new LDL-C lowering therapies. 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines have focused on high intensity statin therapy for specific groups of patients, while abandoning long established LDL-C goals, a strategy which no longer seems valid. PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) inhibitors have emerged as the add-on therapy on top of statins and/or ezetimibe for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and ASCVD prevention. In several clinical trials, PCSK9 inhibitors have demonstrated their safety and robust LDL-C-lowering power. One completed cardiovascular (CV) outcomes trial (FOURIER; Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research with PCSK9 Inhibitions in Subjects with Elevated Risk) has demonstrated that PCSK9 inhibition reduces rates of CV death as well as non-fatal stroke and MI, while another major CV outcome trial is under way (ODYSSEY-OUTCOMES). Several trials studying CV benefits of novel LDL-C-lowering therapies are also being conducted. Prompt revision of ACC/AHA guidelines is necessary. In the meantime, physicians need to use clinical judgment integrating the most recent evidence into their practice.
SCORE Allocations for Bi-objective Ranking and Selection

The bi-objective ranking and selection (R8S) problem is a special case of the multi-objective simulation optimization problem in which two conflicting objectives are known only through dependent Monte Carlo estimators, the decision space or number of systems is finite, and each system can be sampled to some extent. The solution to the bi-objective R8S problem is a set of systems with non-dominated objective vectors, called the set of Pareto systems. We exploit the special structure of the bi-objective problem to characterize the asymptotically optimal simulation budget allocation, which accounts for dependence between the objectives and balances the probabilities associated with two types of misclassification error. Like much of the R8S literature, our focus is on the case in which the simulation observations are bivariate normal. Assuming normality, we then use a certain asymptotic limit to derive an easily-implementable Sampling Criteria for Optimization using Rate Estimators (SCORE) sampling framework that approximates the optimal allocation and accounts for correlation between the objectives. Perhaps surprisingly, the limiting SCORE allocation exclusively controls for misclassification-by-inclusion events, in which non-Pareto systems are falsely estimated as Pareto. We also provide an iterative algorithm for implementation. Our numerical experience with the resulting SCORE framework indicates that it is fast and accurate for problems having up to ten thousand systems.
Single-dose administration of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist, Nal-Lys (antide) to healthy men *

Objective To evaluate the ability the Nal-Lys GnRH antagonist ([N-Ac-Nal (2) 1 , 4ClDPhe 2 , D 3 Pal 3 , Lys (Nic) 5 , D-Lys(Nic) 6 , Lys (iPr) 8 , D-Ala 10 ] to suppress gonadotropins and T n humans and to assess its duration of action and its local effects. Design Placebo-controlled clinical study. Setting A university community. Subjects Seven normal male volunteers. Interventions We administered single injections of Nal-Lys (0, 10, 25, and 50μ/kgbody weight). Blood samples were collected before and at frequent time intervals after injection. Results Nal-Lys caused only minor local effects. At the higher doses (25 and 50 μ/kg), serum LH and T levels were suppressed to 50% to 70% of baseline; serum FSH levels were suppressed to 70% to 80% of baseline, and levels of all three hormones returned to basal values within 24 hours after injection. Conclusions In humans, Nal-Lys has similar potency and duration of action to other antagonists and produces fewer local side effects. However, the utility of Nal-Lys is limited by formulation difficulties; current efforts are directed at improving the formulation in order to explore the potential clinical uses of this peptide.
Verbal Priming and Semantic Memory in Alzheimer’s Disease

A major emphasis of Nelson Butters’ research has been the application of the concepts and methodology of cognitive psychology to the cognitive and memory impairments seen in patients with different forms of dementia. These studies have had tremendous clinical impact, serving to more accurately characterize the nature and progression of the deficits displayed by different patient populations. These studies have also been instrumental in demonstrating that ‘dementia’ is not a homogenous entity, but rather that patients with different dementing illnesses display distinct neuropsychological profiles of preserved and impaired abilities which correspond to the distinctive neuropathology associated with each disorder. While these studies have largely supported, at a general level, the distinction between ‘cortical’ and ‘subcortical’ dementia (as typified by patients with Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, respectively), they have also emphasized the uniqueness of each patient’s cognitive and neurologic dysfunction.
Mechanical properties of P-selectin PSGL-1 bonds.

Abstract The accurate determination of the mechanical properties of P-selectin and PSGL-1 is crucial for design and optimization of applications utilizing such bonds, e.g. biosensors and targeted drug delivery systems, as adhesion and mechanical interactions play a critical role in several key functions of biological cells. In current work, the spring constant and rupture force of a single P-selectin PSGL-1 ligand receptor bond and the Young’s modulus of a layer made of these ligand receptors are reported. The work-of-adhesion of the P-selectin PSGL-1 interface is also characterized. In the reported experiments, PSGL-1 coated particles are deposited on a P-selectin coated substrate and their transient nanometer scale out-of-plane displacements are acquired employing a laser Doppler vibrometer as they are excited by an ultrasonic field. From the spectral response of a single particle, the resonance frequencies of its vibrational motion are identified, and with help of a particle adhesion model, the average rupture force and stiffness of a single P-selectin PSGL-1 ligand receptor are determined as F r u p t = 171 ± 56 pN and k b = 0.56 ± 0.04 mN/m, respectively. Furthermore, the Young’s modulus and work-of-adhesion of a layer of P-selectin PSGL-1 ligand receptors are extracted as E = 28.74 ± 3.96 MPa and W A = 70.0 ± 8.0 mJ/m2, respectively. Unlike Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and other probe-based techniques, the reported approach eliminates the need for direct contact with the sample, which could compromise the accuracy of the results by imposing unspecified additional contact interactions. Further, the current technique can be employed for measurements under various fluid flow conditions.
Entomosporium Leaf Spot Control on Red-tip Photinia in the Landscape

Abstract In 2006, 2007, and 2008, efficacy of the soil-applied fungicide drench All-In-One Rose & Flower Care [All-In-One] (tebuconazole) was compared with the foliar-applied fungicides Daconil Weather Stik (chlorothalonil), Immunox Multipurpose Fungicide (myclobutanil), RosePride Disease Control Concentrate (triforine), and Disease Control for Roses, Flowers & Shrub Concentrate (tebuconazole) for the control of Entomosporium leaf spot on field-grown red-tip photinia (Photinia × fraseri ‘Birmingham’). While the label rate of All-In-One drench was poured over the soil surface around the base of each plant at monthly intervals, the foliar applied-fungicides were applied at label rates at 2-week intervals to runoff. Over the study period, drenches of All-In-One failed to protect photinia from Entomosporium leaf spot, while the foliar-applied fungicides significantly reduced disease levels. Defoliation on the non-fungicide treated controls was similar to the All-In-One drench and ranged over the study period ...
Chapter 4 – Counting Techniques

We present an extensive study of the fundamental principles of some of the popular and important counting techniques that are useful in solving real world problems. Another learning objective for counting techniques is learning probabilities. The abilities to count events occurring in succession (multiplication principle), to count the number of ways to permute objects (permutations), or merely combine them (combinations) are introduced. For example, given an alphabet, how many distinct orderings can be created? When we use sets to describe groups of objects, how do we deal with overlap when counting the number of objects in various groupings? When given only two possible outcomes, what is the number of outcomes when this event is done repeatedly? This is the binomial theorem and Pascal's triangle. All these questions and more are addressed in this chapter.
Exploring Mechanisms of Communication Switching in the Hsp90-Cdc37 Regulatory Complexes with Client Kinases through Allosteric Coupling of Phosphorylation Sites: Perturbation-Based Modeling and Hierarchical Community Analysis of Residue Interaction Networks

Understanding molecular principles underlying chaperone-based modulation of kinase client activity is critically important to dissect functions and activation mechanisms of many oncogenic proteins. The recent experimental studies have suggested that phosphorylation sites in the Hsp90 and Cdc37 proteins can serve as conformational communication switches of chaperone regulation and kinase interactions. However, a mechanism of allosteric coupling between phosphorylation sites in the Hsp90 and Cdc37 during client binding is poorly understood, and the molecular signatures underpinning specific roles of phosphorylation sites in the Hsp90 regulation remain unknown. In this work, we employed a combination of evolutionary analysis, coarse-grained molecular simulations together with perturbation-based network modeling and scanning of the unbound and bound Hsp90 and Cdc37 structures to quantify allosteric effects of phosphorylation sites and identify unique signatures that are characteristic for communication switches of kinase-specific client binding. By using network-based metrics of the dynamic intercommunity bridgeness and community centrality, we characterize specific signatures of phosphorylation switches involved in allosteric regulation. Through perturbation-based analysis of the dynamic residue interaction networks, we show that mutations of kinase-specific phosphorylation switches can induce long-range effects and lead to a global rewiring of the allosteric network and signal transmission in the Hsp90-Cdc37-kinase complex. We determine a specific group of phosphorylation sites in the Hsp90 where mutations may have a strong detrimental effect on allosteric interaction network, providing insight into the mechanism of phosphorylation-induced communication switching. The results demonstrate that kinase-specific phosphorylation switches of communications in the Hsp90 may be partly predisposed for their regulatory role based on preexisting allosteric propensities.
The effects of nanoscale confinement on the behavior of metal laminates

Abstract By reducing the layer thickness, h, in metal multilayers from micrometer- to nanometer-levels, scale-dependent transitions in behavior are observed. The role of interface properties in these transitions has been extensively investigated. However, reducing h to the nanoscale regime also imposes a physical geometric confinement on defect-related processes occurring within the layers, an effect that is less explored. We present illustrative examples of the influence of nanoconfinement on the strength, structure, and radiation response of multilayers. These examples show that nanoconfinement and interface structure and topology act cooperatively in the nanoscale limit, affecting behaviors that cannot be explained based on either factor alone.
Metallic nanoparticle production and exposure/deposition system for toxicological research applications using zebrafish

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have been accepted for various applications ranging from cosmetics to medicine. However, no method has been established in the scientific community that is capable of analyzing various metals, sizes, and levels of exposures without the concern of background chemical contaminations. We present here a system utilizing soft-landing ion mobility (SLIM) exposures of laser ablated metallic clusters capable of operating pressures of reduced vacuum (1 Torr) up to ambient (760 Torr) in the presence of a buffer gas. Clusters experience kinetic energies of less than 1 eV upon exiting the SLIM, allowing for the exposure of NPs to take place in a passive manner. While there is no mass-selection of cluster sizes in this work, it does show for the first time the creation and soft-landing of nanoclusters at ambient pressures. Factors such as area coverage and percentage distribution were studied, as well as the different effects that varying surfaces may cause in the agglomeration of the clusters. Furthermore, the system was successfully used to study the effects of silver nanoparticle exposure and determine the specific organs the NPs accumulate in using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism. This method provides a novel way to synthesize NPs and expose biological organisms for various toxicological analysis.
The impact of sectoral shocks on an efficiency wage equilibrium

Abstract This paper analyzes a two-good economy wherein an efficiency wage is paid. Our objective is to determine how outputs, employment, and unemployment will change in response to both exogenous demand and supply shocks. Our principal conclusion is that demand shocks cannot explain decreases in production in both sectors of such an economy. The driver of this and our other conclusions is the role of relative prices in determining supply, and the labor market linkages between sectors.
Review of The Quest for Attention and Hashtag Activism

Two new books, The Quest for Attention and Hashtag Activism, examine the use of social media among advocacy organizations and activists. While social media is a relatively new medium, the challenges for organizations and individuals mirror those in the offline world, including how to garner attention and promote their message. Similarly, researchers must confront familiar challenges of measuring influence and access in this online space.
Fabrication of Ti3C2@MoO3 nanocomposite as an electrode material for highly efficient and durable water splitting system

Abstract Electrocatalytic water splitting is an environmentally benign technique for hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) production. Here, synthesis of Ti3C2@MoO3 nanocomposite by hydrothermal method with improved electrocatalytic activity and stability for overall water splitting is reported. In Ti3C2@MoO3 nanocomposite, Ti3C2 acts as a conductive material to facilitate rapid electron transfer whereas; MoO3 provides long-term stability and prevents Ti3C2 nanosheets from restacking. These combined properties of Ti3C2 nanosheets and MoO3 nanobelts exhibited improved HER and OER performance at a low overpotential of 91 mV and 190 mV at a current density of 10 mAcm−2 with long term durability for 50 h. The strong electronic coupling effect between Ti3C2 MXene and MoO3 nanobelts can accelerate HER/OER kinetics. This study opens new avenues for developing efficient and durable electrocatalytic systems for water splitting.
Avascular Necrosis of the Talus After Subchondroplasty

Background:Subchondroplasty (SCP) is a relatively new procedure, developed in 2007 for the treatment of bone marrow lesions (BMLs), that has shown promising results in the knee through several diff...
The Osmolyte Ties That Bind: Genomic Insights Into Synthesis and Breakdown of Organic Osmolytes in Marine Microbes

The production and consumption of organic matter by marine organisms plays a central role in the marine carbon cycle. Labile organic compounds (metabolites) are the major currency of energetic demands and organismal interaction, but these compounds remain elusive because of their rapid turnover and concomitant minuscule concentrations in the dissolved organic matter pool. Organic osmolytes are a group of small metabolites synthesized at high intracellular concentrations (mM) to regulate cellular osmolarity and have the potential to be released as abundant dissolved substrates. Osmolytes may represent an essential currency of exchange among heterotrophic prokaryotes and primary and secondary producers in marine food webs. For example, the well-known metabolite dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is used as an osmolyte by some phytoplankton and can be subsequently metabolized by 60\% of the marine bacterial community, supplying up to 13\% of the bacterial carbon demand and 100\% of the bacterial sulfur demand. While marine osmolytes have been studied for decades, our understanding of their cycling and significance within microbial communities is still far from comprehensive. Here, we surveyed the genes responsible for synthesis, breakdown, and transport of 14 key osmolytes. We systematically searched for these genes across marine bacterial genomes (n = 897) and protistan transcriptomes (n = 652) using homologous protein profiles to investigate the potential for osmolyte metabolisms. Using the pattern of gene presence and absence, we infer the metabolic potential of surveyed microbes to interact with each osmolyte. Specifically, we identify: 1) complete pathways for osmolyte synthesis in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic marine microbes, 2) microbes capable of transporting osmolytes but lacking complete synthesis and/or breakdown pathways, and 3) osmolytes whose synthesis and/or breakdown appears to be specialized and is limited to a subset of organisms. The analysis clearly demonstrates that the marine microbial loop has the genetic potential to actively recycle osmolytes and that this abundant group of small metabolites may function as a significant source of nutrients through exchange among diverse microbial groups that significantly contribute to the cycling of labile carbon.
J. M. Keynes (D. Ellsberg) versus Ramsey (L. J. Savage –B. de Finetti): The Role of Interval Valued Probability and the Weight of the Evidence (Ambiguity)

It is mathematically impossible to integrate a concept like Keynes’s weight of the evidence variable, w, or Ellsberg’s rho, ρ, into a subjective theory of probability explicitly because of the definitions of probability given by de Finetti, Ramsey and Savage. The Ramsey –de Finetti–Savage definition of probability identifies the subjective estimate of probability itself to be the degree of confidence or doubt a decision maker has in the outcome. This directly conflicts with Keynes’s view that the degree of confidence can never have anything to do with the logical probability estimate, which is a degree of rational belief. The degree of confidence estimate that a decision maker has in his estimate of logical probability is entirely separate from the probability estimate. They are completely independent from each other as explicitly stated by Keynes in chapter 6 of the A Treatise on Probability. The exact same type of analysis holds in the General Theory. The entire Liquidity Preference theory of the rate of interest erected by Keynes in the General Theory in chapters 13-17 is based on the definition of Liquidity Preference. Liquidity Preference is defined as a function of uncertainty. Uncertainty is then defined as a function of the weight of the evidence. Liquidity Preference is not a function of probability. Therefore, the confidence one has in one’s expectations of future outcomes, when the expectations are based on the estimated probabilities, is a conclusion that makes no sense in the subjective theories of Ramsey, de Finetti, Savage and of de Finetti and Savage. It is impossible to talk about the confidence one has in one’s probability estimate because the subjective probability estimate IS the decision maker’s degree of confidence. Ellsberg’s attempt to convince Savage to change his mind about the nature of and concept of subjective probability, as defined by Savage, was thus doomed to failure from the very beginning. A new definition of subjective probability from Savage (de Finetti or Ramsey) would have been required in order to deal with Ellsberg’s concerns. Savage (de Finetti or Ramsey) would have been forced to abandon their own definition of what subjective probability meant. It was impossible for Savage, de Finetti, Ramsey, or any advocate of the subjective theory of probability, to accept Ellsberg’s rho or Keynes’s w, as a measure of the confidence a decision maker has in his estimate of a probability, without completely changing their definition of what subjective probability means.
Operative Approach Does Not Impact Radial Margin Positivity in Distal Rectal Cancer

Robotic surgery is attractive for resection of low rectal cancer due to greater dexterity and visualization, but its benefit is poorly understood. We aimed to determine if operative approach impacts radial margin positivity (RMP) and postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection (APR). This was a retrospective cohort study of patients from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program who underwent APR for low rectal cancer from 2016 to 2019. Patients were stratified by operative approach: robotic, laparoscopic, and open APR (R-APR, L-APR, and O-APR). Emergent cases were excluded. The primary outcome was RMP. 30-day postoperative outcomes were also evaluated, using logistic regression analysis. Among 1,807 patients, 452 (25.0%) underwent R-APR, 474 (26.2%) L-APR, and 881 (48.8%) O-APR. No differences regarding RMP (13.5% R-APR vs. 10.8% L-APR vs. 12.3% O-APR, p = 0.44), distal margin positivity, positive nodes, readmission, or operative time were observed between operative approaches. Adjusted analysis confirmed that operative approach did not predict RMP (p > 0.05 for all). Risk factors for RMP included American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification III (ASA I-II ref; OR 1.46, p = 0.039), pT3-4 stage (T0-2 ref, OR 4.02, p < 0.001), pN2 stage (OR 1.98, p = 0.004), disseminated cancer (OR 1.90, p = 0.002), and lack of preoperative radiation (OR 1.98, p < 0.01). No difference in RMP was observed among R-APR, L-APR, and O-APR. Postoperatively, R-APR yielded greater benefit when compared to O-APR, but was comparable to that of L-APR. Minimally invasive surgery may be an appropriate option and worthy consideration for patients with distal rectal cancer requiring APR.
Targeting the T-type calcium channel Cav3.2 in GABAergic arcuate nucleus neurons to treat obesity.

Objective Cav3.2, a T-type low voltage-activated calcium channel widely expressed throughout the central nervous system, plays a vital role in neuronal excitability and various physiological functions. However, the effects of Cav3.2 on energy homeostasis remain unclear. Here we examined the role of Cav3.2 expressed by hypothalamic GABAergic neurons in the regulation of food intake and body weight in mice and explored the underlying mechanisms. Methods Male congenital Cana1h (the gene coding for Cav3.2) global knockout (Cav3.2KO) mice and their wild type (WT) littermates were first used for metabolic phenotyping studies. Subsequently, with the help of the CRISPR-Cas9 technique, Cav3.2 was selectively deleted from GABAergic neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) by specifically overexpressing Cas9 protein and Cav3.2-targeting sgRNAs in ARH Vgat (VgatARH) neurons. These male mutants (Cav3.2KO-VgatARH) were used to determine whether Cav3.2 expressed by VgatARH neurons is required for the proper regulation of energy balance. Finally, we employed electrophysiological patch-clamp recording in ex vivo brain slices to explore the impact of Cav3.2KO on the cellular excitability of VgatARH neurons. Results Male Cav3.2KO mice had significantly lower food intake than their WT littermate controls when fed with either a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD). This hypophagia phenotype was associated with increased energy expenditure and decreased fat mass, lean mass, and total body weight. Additionally, selective deletion of Cav3.2 in VgatARH neurons resulted in similar feeding inhibition and lean phenotype without changing energy expenditure. This data provides an intrinsic mechanism to support the previous finding on ARH non-AgRP GABA neurons in regulating diet-induced obesity. Lastly, we found that naringenin extract, a predominant flavanone found in various fruits and herbs and known to act on Cav3.2, decreased the firing activity of VgatARH neurons and reduced food intake and body weight. These naringenin-induced inhibitions were fully blocked in Cav3.2KO-VgatARH mice. Conclusion Our results identified Cav3.2 expressed by VgatARH neurons as an important intrinsic modulator for food intake and energy homeostasis, which is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity.
A Semi-Automated Term Harmonization Pipeline Applied to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Clinical Trials.

Objective Data harmonization is essential to integrate individual participant data from multiple sites, time periods, and trials for meta-analysis. The process of mapping terms and phrases to an ontology is complicated by typographic errors, abbreviations, truncation, and plurality. We sought to harmonize medical history (MH) and adverse events (AE) term records across 21 randomized clinical trials in pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Methods We developed and applied a semi-automated harmonization pipeline for use with domain-expert annotators to resolve ambiguous term mappings using exact and fuzzy matching. We summarized MH and AE term mapping success, including map quality measures, and imputation of a generalizing term hierarchy as defined by the applied Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) ontology standard. Results Over 99.6% of both MH (N = 37,105) and AE (N = 58,170) records were successfully mapped to MedDRA low-level terms. Automated exact matching accounted for 74.9% of MH and 85.5% of AE mappings. Term recommendations from fuzzy matching in the pipeline facilitated annotator mapping of the remaining 24.9% of MH and 13.8% of AE records. Imputation of the generalized MedDRA term hierarchy was unambiguous in 85.2% of high-level terms, 99.4% of high-level group terms, and 99.5% of system organ class in MH, and 75% of high-level terms, 98.3% of high-level group terms, and 98.4% of system organ class in AE. Conclusion This pipeline dramatically reduced the burden of manual annotation for MH and AE term harmonization and could be adapted to other data integration efforts.
Liver Metabolism and Energy Production in Staphylococcus aureus Septic Shock in Mice

In 5–28% of septic shock patients in different series, infections with gram-positive organisms were responsible for the sepsis. Most were caused by Staphylococcus aureus (5, 15). Extensive studies have been made of the many toxins produced by staphylococcal cells. Experimental studies have also been made of infections in animals, but the subtle biochemical interactions between host metabolism and a challenging infection with S. aureus have received scant attention (6). We have felt that nothing less than whole bacteria, with their many chemical products, and the whole living animal should be the objects of study initially. Our experiments have demonstrated the importance of hepatic metabolism, particularly in relation to glycolysis and mitochondrial function (36).
Grape Extract, Resveratrol, and Its Analogs: A Review.

The recent and essential reports on the biological activity of the principal phytophenols of Vitis vinifera and wine, with special attention to resveratrol, are reviewed. The phytophenols are arbitrarily divisible into single-ring phenolic acids, bisphenols including stilbenes, tricyclic phenols (flavonoids) and their subclasses, and oligomeric and polymeric species, the proanthocyanidins and anthocyanidins. Their precursors and the stilbenes, including resveratrol with its analogs and conjugates, appear to be of preventative and possibly therapeutic value in atherosclerosis and certain neoplastic and inflammatory afflictions. The probable mechanisms are free radical scavenging and selective interference with a multitude of factors affecting the division cycle of rapidly and abnormally proliferating mammalian cells. Reviewed are studies of natural occurrence, extraction methods, bioavailability, analytical detection, and metabolism of resveratrol, as well as its effects on cancer and inflammation, atheros...
There Are Diachronic Norms of Rationality

Some philosophers have recently argued that there are no diachronic norms of epistemic rationality, that is, that there are no norms regarding how you should change your attitudes over time. I argue that this is wrong on the grounds that there are norms governing reasoning.
Lymphocyte and polymorphonuclear enzymes in stress. II. Effect of the stress of restraint on rabbit leukocyte protein, aldolase, and lactate dehydrogenases.

Abstract Rabbits were stressed by restraint in the supine position. The buoyantdensity characteristics, protein, aldolase, LDH and LDH isozyme contents of their differentially separated leukocytes after this stress were compared with leukocytes of normal rabbits bled only once and with leukocytes of unstressed rabbits bled according to the schedule set for the stressed rabbits. The separation into cell types was reproducible. An increase in PMN after restraint was reflected in an increase in the cells of the heaviest density layer (sp gr 1.090). Lymphocytes from the top layer showed increments in protein and LDH, but no change in aldolase, immediately after a 4- to 6-hour period of restraint. These changes were not demonstrated by lymphocytes from the lower layer. The stress of restraint caused a greater increase in LDH of PMN from the bottom gradient than it did in PMN from the gradient above it. These changes were not paralleled by total protein changes. Protein, aldolase, and LDH were increased in the mixed population of cells obtained from gradient layer 3 sp gr 1.068) immediately after restraint. Some enzyme and protein changes in leukocytes were demonstrable 24 hours after the applied stress. Differences in the quantitative distribution of LDH isozymes in repeatedly bled and restrained rabbits were noted.
An algorithm for piecewise-constant velocity estimation and application to particle trajectories in microscopy

We describe a new method for the analysis of spatio-temporal trajectories consisting of the automated identification of periods of constant velocity. Our jump-sparse formalism has critical advantages: (1) it is invariant to trajectory translation, rotation or scaling, (2) it does not rely on a sliding time-window of fixed width, (3) it is robust to random-walk processes, (4) it does not require known number of states and their velocity values. We devise fast algorithms for solving the velocity estimation problem using a combination of convex trajectory regularization and graph cuts optimization techniques and show its accuracy for time-lapse microscopy data.
Statin Therapy Decreases Myocardial Function as Evaluated via Strain Imaging

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of statin therapy on myocardial function as measured with echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and strain imaging (SI) independent of its lipid-lowering effect. Background Statin use is known to improve outcomes in the primary and secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease, but their use is also associated with myopathy, muscle weakness and in rare cases, rhabdomyolysis. We sought to evaluate whether TDI and SI is able to identify changes in myocardial function associated with statin use. Methods Myocardial function was evaluated in 28 patients via echocardiography with TDI and SI. We identified 12 patients (5 females) without overt cardiovascular disease (including hypertension, smoking, and diabetes) that were on statin therapy and compared their echocardiographic findings with 16 (12 females) age, sex, and cholesterol–profile-matched controls. Tissue Doppler imaging parameters of diastolic (E′/A′ and E/E′) and systolic (S′) function were measured. Regional systolic function was obtained by SI in 4-chamber, 2-chamber, long axis, and average global views. Results There was no significant difference in myocardial function as measured by Doppler and minor differences as measured via TDI among the 2 groups. There was significantly better function noted with SI in the control group vs the statin group in the 4-chamber (−19.05% ± 2.45% vs −16.47% ± 2.37% P = 0.009), 2-chamber (−20.30% ± 2.66% vs −17.45% ± 4.29% P = 0.03), long axis (−17.63% ± 3.79% vs −13.83% ± 3.74% P = 0.01), and average global (−19.0% ± 2.07% vs −15.91% ± 2.81% P = 0.004) views. Conclusion Statin therapy is associated with decreased myocardial function as evaluated with SI. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
One-For-All: Visualization of the Information Visualization Symposia

We developed our own tool to visualize the history of the Infovis Symposiums. We call our tool “One-For-All”, because we want to generate one image to at once answer all four tasks of the contest effectively (though not necessarily optimally). Furthermore, we designed the tool to be intuitive, that is, we would like the user to immediately make sense of the visualization, even without a legend or a user guide. These are ambitious goals, but we believe that a good visualization should meet these criteria. Much preprocessing was needed before visualization. First, we have to coalesce the keywords, for example, we manually group “hierarchy” and “hierarchies” as the same keyword. Next, we find the most important keywords, with the most number of papers. We use these keywords as research areas within information visualization. We also notice that many of the 2002 papers do not have keywords, so we have to manually insert keywords according to their titles. We are not allowed to look up external information, that is, we cannot find their actual keywords from the publication. Next, we re-arrange the areas using MDS such that those areas with the most cross-references are placed near to one another. Since there is so much data, we find the important papers/authors, according to how much they are cited, and we emphasize them in our visualization. In the overview visualization of Figure 2, we show a lot of information, for example, (1) important keywords and all the papers under them, (2) related research areas (eg. graph is next to hierarchies), (3) citations, (4) important authors, (5) important papers, and (6) important external papers. A key design feature is that all these very different information can be visualized clearly in one single display. The way this is achieved is through color-coding, so that if any user is interested in any particular information, he/she just has to focus attention on that color. For example, if you focus on the cyan words, you see all the first authors, and everything else fades away (try it out yourself!). The important papers are represented by bigger circles according to how many citations they have within Infovis. Their titles are also labelled. The two most important papers also have their citations highlighted. In this way, the important papers are immediately visible. We can see that the top two papers are both in the earliest year (1995), and they are also in two very different topics, since they only have two common papers refer to them. The layout consists of vertical grey columns of research areas within Infovis. The areas that contain more papers are thicker and are labelled with darker text. We can clearly see that the most important area is “hierarchies” and this area contains many recent papers. “Graph drawing” particularly has many papers in 2001. “Information retrieval” has many papers early in 1995, but no papers in recent years. Adjactent to “Information retrieval” is “Information analysis”, which has many papers from 1996 to 1999. This is interesting because analyisis logically follows retrieval, so it makes sense.
Dedicated Perioperative Hip Fracture Comanagement Programs are Cost-effective in High-volume Centers: An Economic Analysis

Background Osteoporotic hip fractures are common injuries typically occurring in patients who are older and medically frail. Studies have suggested that creation of a multidisciplinary team including orthopaedic surgeons, internal medicine physicians, social workers, and specialized physical therapists, to comanage these patients can decrease complication rates, improve time to surgery, and reduce hospital length of stay; however, they have yet to achieve widespread implementation, partly owing to concerns regarding resource requirements necessary for a comanagement program.
Hearing the light: neural and perceptual encoding of optogenetic stimulation in the central auditory pathway

Optogenetics provides a means to dissect the organization and function of neural circuits. Optogenetics also offers the translational promise of restoring sensation, enabling movement or supplanting abnormal activity patterns in pathological brain circuits. However, the inherent sluggishness of evoked photocurrents in conventional channelrhodopsins has hampered the development of optoprostheses that adequately mimic the rate and timing of natural spike patterning. Here, we explore the feasibility and limitations of a central auditory optoprosthesis by photoactivating mouse auditory midbrain neurons that either express channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) or Chronos, a channelrhodopsin with ultra-fast channel kinetics. Chronos-mediated spike fidelity surpassed ChR2 and natural acoustic stimulation to support a superior code for the detection and discrimination of rapid pulse trains. Interestingly, this midbrain coding advantage did not translate to a perceptual advantage, as behavioral detection of midbrain activation was equivalent with both opsins. Auditory cortex recordings revealed that the precisely synchronized midbrain responses had been converted to a simplified rate code that was indistinguishable between opsins and less robust overall than acoustic stimulation. These findings demonstrate the temporal coding benefits that can be realized with next-generation channelrhodopsins, but also highlight the challenge of inducing variegated patterns of forebrain spiking activity that support adaptive perception and behavior.
Child Sexual Assault as a Risk Factor for Mental Disorders among Women: A Community Survey.

A community sample of 391 adult women was screened for a history of sexual assault during childhood and assessed for lifetime and current mental disorders using a structured victimization history interview and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. One third of the women had been victims of rape, molestation, or sexual assault not involving physical contact prior to the age of 18 years. Child rape victims were more likely than nonvictims to have ever met DSM-III diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and sexual disorders. Molestation victims were overrepresented on major depressive episode, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sexual disorders. Noncontact child sexual assault was not a significant risk factor for any disorder. Child rape and molestation victims were more likely than victims of noncontact assault to have had crime-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Mental disorder lifetime prevalence risk ratios for child rape and molest...
Use of chaotic excitation and attractor property analysis in structural health monitoring

This work explores the utility of attractor-based approaches in the field of vibration-based structural health monitoring. The technique utilizes the unique properties of chaotic signals by driving the structure directly with the output of a chaotic oscillator. Using the Kaplan-Yorke conjecture, the Lyapunov exponents of the driving signal may be tuned to the dominant eigenvalues of the structure, thus controlling the dimension of the structural response. Data are collected at various stages of structural degradation and a simple nonlinear model, constructed from the undamaged data, is used to make predictions for the damaged response data. Prediction error is then introduced as a "feature" for classifying the magnitude of the damage. Results are presented for an experimental cantilevered beam instrumented with fiber-optic strain sensors.
XPS study of XeCl excimer-laser-etched InP

Abstract X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been applied to investigate the surface chemistry and morphology of InP wafers photochemically etched under 308 nm illumination from a XeCl excimer laser. The etching experiments were carried out at ambient temperature and in a low-pressure (1 μ bar) atmosphere of Cl 2 (10%) diluted in He. During the process, the samples were exposed to laser radiation with fluences of 73 mJ/cm 2 or 114 mJ/cm 2 . Both fluence values are below the ablation threshold of 140 mJ/cm 2 for InP. The mapping of the photoelectron spectral line intensities of In (3d 5/2 ), Cl (2p 3/2 ), and P (2p 3/2 ) displayed the distribution of In–Cl and In–P compounds on the surface of the wafer. The chemical composition and morphology of the etched surface were found to be dependent on laser fluence. Surfaces with a fine granular structure were observed at a lower fluence, while at higher fluences, surfaces with a linear grating-like structure were formed. More chlorine is bound to the surface prepared at a higher fluence.
A skew-symmetric formulation of the algebraic Riccati equation problem

By introducing a set of matrix transformations a new canonical representation in the field of real skew-symmetric matrices is obtained for the algebraic Riccati equation. As a consequence of this reformulation closed-form analytical solutions are derived in R^{2 \times 2} or when some special commutativity conditions are fulfilled in the transformed space. The formulation extends the results of [6] to a wider class of Riccati equations.