cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The C Terminus of Peripherin/rds Participates in Rod Outer Segment Targeting and Alignment of Disk Incisures

Protein targeting is essential for domain specialization in polarized cells. In photoreceptors, three distinct membrane domains exist in the outer segment: plasma membrane, disk lamella, and disk rim. Peripherin/retinal degeneration slow (rds) and rom-1 are photoreceptor-specific members of the transmembrane 4 superfamily of transmembrane proteins, which participate in disk morphogenesis and localize to rod outer segment (ROS) disk rims. We examined the role of their C termini in targeting by generating transgenic Xenopus laevis expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins. A GFP fusion containing residues 317-336 of peripherin/rds localized uniformly to disk membranes. A longer fusion (residues 307-346) also localized to the ROS but exhibited higher affinity for disk rims than disk lamella. In contrast, the rom-1 C terminus did not promote ROS localization. The GFP-peripherin/rds fusion proteins did not immunoprecipitate with peripherin/rds or rom-1, suggesting this region does not form intermolecular interactions and is not involved in subunit assembly. Presence of GFP-peripherin/rds fusions correlated with disrupted incisures, disordered ROS tips, and membrane whorls. These abnormalities may reflect competition of the fusion proteins for other proteins that interact with peripherin/rds. This work describes novel roles for the C terminus of peripherin/rds in targeting and maintaining ROS structure and its potential involvement in inherited retinal degenerations.
Observation of Metastable States in Spinor Bose-Einstein Condensates

Bose-Einstein condensates have been prepared in long-lived metastable excited states. Two complementary types of metastable states were observed. The first is due to the immiscibility of multiple components in the condensate, and the second to local suppression of spin-relaxation collisions. Relaxation via recondensation of noncondensed atoms, spin relaxation, and quantum tunneling was observed. These experiments were done with $F\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1$ spinor Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium confined in an optical dipole trap.
CDMA (IS-95A) access channel performance analysis

The CDMA access channel performance is studied in this paper. A new access channel traffic model, modified from the ALOHA model, is proposed which gives a closer approximation to the actual CDMA access channel. This model is compared with the traditional slotted ALOHA and the Erlang loss model, and validated with the simulation. The effects of the parameter settings, such as backoff delay and number of power increment steps, on channel capacity and channel traffic load as well as collision and blocking probabilities are also addressed based on the simulation.
Noninvasive transthoracic temporary cardiac pacing in dogs.

Temporary cardiac pacing is used in the emergency treatment of life-threatening bradyarrhythmias and for the support of heart rate and blood pressure of patients with sick sinus syndrome or high-grade atrioventricular (AV) block undergoing general anesthesia, typically for permanent pacemaker implantation. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of a noninvasive transthoracic external cardiac pacing system in 42 dogs treated for bradyarrhythmias. Optimal placement of the patch electrodes on the skin of the thorax was initially established on 2 anesthetized normal dogs. The optimal electrode placement was determined to be on the right and left hemithoraces, directly over the heart. Afterward, by means of this electrode placement, all 42 dogs treated for bradyarrhythmias in this study were successfully paced with the noninvasive transthoracic system. Dogs ranged in age from 1 to 15 years and weighed between 3.2 and 40 kg. Miniature Schnauzers, German Shepherds, and mixed breeds were most common in the study population. Indications for noninvasive transthoracic pacing included emergency treatment of hemodynamically unstable 3rd-degree AV block (2 dogs); support of heart rate during general anesthesia for permanent pacemaker implantation or lead-wire adjustment (38 dogs); and support of heart rate during general anesthesia for ophthalmologic surgery in dogs with sick sinus syndrome (2 dogs). Complications included pain and skeletal muscle stimulation, which required general anesthesia. We conclude that the noninvasive transthoracic pacing system evaluated is satisfactory for clinical veterinary use.
Purification and cDNA Cloning of Maize Poly(ADP)-Ribose Polymerase

Poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PADPRP) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from suspension cultures of the maize (Zea mays) callus line. The purified enzyme is a single polypeptide of approximately 115 kD, which appears to dimerize through an S-S linkage. The catalytic properties of the maize enzyme are very similar to those of its animal counterpart. The amino acid sequences of three tryptic peptides were obtained by microsequencing. Antibodies raised against peptides from maize PADPRP cross-reacted specifically with the maize enzyme but not with the enzyme from human cells, and vice versa. We have also characterized a 3.45-kb expressed-sequence-tag clone that contains a full-length cDNA for maize PADPRP. An open reading frame of 2943 bp within this clone encodes a protein of 980 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of the maize PADPRP shows 40% to 42% identity and about 50% similarity to the known vertebrate PADPRP sequences. All important features of the modular structure of the PADPRP molecule, such as two zinc fingers, a putative nuclear localization signal, the automodification domain, and the NAD+-binding domain, are conserved in the maize enzyme. Northern-blot analysis indicated that the cDNA probe hybridizes to a message of about 4 kb.
Arabidopsis SCARs Function Interchangeably to Meet Actin-Related Protein 2/3 Activation Thresholds during Morphogenesis

During polarized growth and tissue morphogenesis, cells must reorganize their cytoplasm and change shape in response to growth signals. Dynamic polymerization of actin filaments is one cellular component of polarized growth, and the actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex is an important actin filament nucleator in plants. ARP2/3 alone is inactive, and the Arabidopsis thaliana WAVE complex translates Rho-family small GTPase signals into an ARP2/3 activation response. The SCAR subunit of the WAVE complex is the primary activator of ARP2/3, and plant and vertebrate SCARs are encoded by a small gene family. However, it is unclear if SCAR isoforms function interchangeably or if they have unique properties that customize WAVE complex functions. We used the Arabidopsis distorted group mutants and an integrated analysis of SCAR gene and protein functions to address this question directly. Genetic results indicate that each of the four SCARs functions in the context of the WAVE-ARP2/3 pathway and together they define the lone mechanism for ARP2/3 activation. Genetic interactions among the scar mutants and transgene complementation studies show that the activators function interchangeably to meet the threshold for ARP2/3 activation in the cell. Interestingly, double, triple, and quadruple mutant analyses indicate that individual SCAR genes vary in their relative importance depending on the cell type, tissue, or organ that is analyzed. Differences among SCARs in mRNA levels and the biochemical efficiency of ARP2/3 activation may explain the functional contributions of individual genes.
AN IMPROVED STRIPPING TECHNIQUE FOR LIGHTLY ARMORED DINOFLAGELLATES1

Identification of armored heterotrophic dinoflagellates relies, in part, on plate tabulations obtained by SEM. Currently, two methods are used to visualize plate morphology and develop plate tabulations: swelling the sutures between the cellulose plates of intact organisms or stripping off the outer membranes with ethanol to expose the underlying cellulose plates. Both approaches are problematic with lightly armored dinoflagellates because sutures do not consistently swell to enable visualization, and the outer membranes are not consistently stripped. Further, generic and species differences necessitate frequent modification of these protocols to obtain reliable results. We describe an improved membrane stripping technique using the detergent Triton X-100. Our method provides a more consistent standardized approach to removing the outer membranes of lightly armored dinoflagellates, including Pfiesteria shumwayae Glasgow & Burkholder, a taxon that has, until now, proven very difficult to strip with currently published methods. This method allows visualization of the sulcus, a region previously difficult to observe, and will greatly facilitate taxonomic studies of the lightly armored forms.
Opportunities for nanotechnology-enabled bioactive bone implants

Until recently, traditional orthopedic implant materials termed “bioactive” have been engineered to actively promote integration with living bone. We propose to look beyond this traditional form of bioactivity (specifically for orthopedics, in which bioactivity refers to osseointegration), and introduce the use of nanoscale surface features, fabricated using various nanotechnology tools, to provide extended functionality to implants and thus create a new class of “smarter” bioactive implant materials.
DEAR DR. FREUD

Framed as a letter to Sigmund Freud, this text weaves precariously between psychoanalytic interpretations of mourning and laments sung during an epidemic of an unknown disease in the Delta Amacuro rain forest of Venezuela in 2008. This encounter extends reflection on the ways that Freud, Klein, Laplanche, Nasio, and other psychoanalysts have characterized “the work of mourning,” urging attention to the poetics, acoustics, and bodily materiality of lamentation. Focusing on a meeting that took place just before the burial of a young man, it explores claims made by lamenters on audiences, interpellating them into particular modes of listening and demanding attention to the politics of the circulation of images of lives and deaths. This intersection between psychoanalysis and lamentation provides a challenge to rethink the nature of anthropological research and writing.
Probing the Organic-Mineral Interface at the Molecular Level in Model Biominerals

It is widely known that macromolecules, such as proteins, can control the nucleation and growth of inorganic solids in biomineralizing organisms. However, what is not known are the complementary molecular interactions, organization, and rearrangements that occur when proteins interact with inorganic solids during the formation of biominerals. The organic-mineral interface (OMI) is expected to be the site for these phenomena, and is therefore extraordinarily interesting to investigate. In this report, we employ X-ray absorption near edge (XANES) spectromicroscopy to investigate the electronic structure of both calcium carbonate mineral crystals and polypeptides, and detect changing bonds at the OMI during crystal growth in the presence of polypeptides. We acquired XANES spectra from calcium carbonate crystals grown in the presence of three mollusk nacre-associated polypeptides (AP7N, AP24N, n16N) and in the presence of a sea urchin spicule matrix protein, LSM34. All these model biominerals gave similar results, including the disruption of CO bonds in calcite and enhancement of the peaks associated with C-H bonds and C-O bonds in peptides, indicating ordering of the amino acid side chains in the mineral-associated polypeptides and carboxylate binding. This is the first evidence of the mutual effect of calcite on peptide chain and peptide chain on calcite during biomineralization. We also show that these changes do not occur when Asp and Glu are replaced in the n16N sequence with Asn and Gln, respectively, demonstrating that carboxyl groups in Asp and Glu do participate in polypeptide-mineral molecular associations.
China: A Study of Dynamic Growth

China's rapid economic growth has been driven by high rates of investment, gains in productivity, and liberalized foreign trade and investment. China's growth is likely to continue, but the Chinese economy faces some possibly unsustainable pressures.
An Empirical Investigation of Knowledge, Skill, Self- Efficacy, and Computer Anxiety in Accounting Education

Accounting practitioners and academics are reexamining the core skills that are taught in undergraduate accounting education. We report the results of two studies that investigate the relationships among knowledge, skill, self- efficacy, and computer anxiety in an accounting education setting. In the first study, some participants received both software-specific training and accounting systems knowledge (SSTASK), while others received only accounting systems knowledge (ASK). In the second study, all participants received accounting systems knowledge (ASK) for eight weeks, followed by eight weeks that combined software-specific training and accounting systems knowledge (SSTASK). The results of both studies suggest that: (1) SSTASK generates larger increases in certain types of accounting-related self-efficacy than ASK, (2) self-efficacy measures (e.g., spreadsheet, database, and computer self-efficacy) may be more relevant to accounting education than computer anxiety measures, and (3) measures of self-efficacy may be increasingly useful as diagnostic tools as accounting education places more emphasis on skills relative to knowledge. We conclude by arguing that recent educational reforms in accounting suggest a need to more clearly delineate the relationships among accounting instruction, knowledge, skill, self-efficacy, and anxiety.
Meta-analysis of ionic liquid literature and toxicology

A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the total amount of ionic liquid (IL) literature (n = 39,036) to the body of publications dealing with IL toxicity (n = 213) with the goal of establishing the state of knowledge and existing information gaps. Additionally, patent literature pertaining to issued patents utilizing ILs (n = 3358) or dealing with IL toxicity (n = 112) were analyzed. Total publishing activity and patent count served to gauge research activity, industrial usage and toxicology knowledge of ILs. Five of the most commonly studied IL cations were identified and used to establish a relationship between toxicity data and potential of commercial use: imidazolium, ammonium, phosphonium, pyridinium, and pyrrolidinium. Toxicology publications for all IL cations represented 0.55% ± 0.27% of the total publishing activity; compared with other industrial chemicals, these numbers indicate that there is still a paucity of studies on the adverse effects of this class of chemical. Toxicity studies on ILs were dominated by the use of in vitro models (18%) and marine bacteria (15%) as studied biological systems. Whole animal studies (n = 87) comprised 31% of IL toxicity studies, with a subset of in vivo mammalian models consisting of 8%. Human toxicology data were found to be limited to in vitro analyses, indicating substantial knowledge gaps. Risks from long-term and chronic low-level exposure to ILs have not been established yet for any model organisms, reemphasizing the need to fill crucial knowledge gaps concerning human health effects and the environmental safety of ILs. Adding to the existing knowledge of the molecular toxicity characteristics of ILs can help inform the design of greener, less toxic and more benign IL technologies.
Frequency and Significance of Abnormal Pancreatic Imaging in Patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genetic Mutations

Objective. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is typically diagnosed in advanced stages resulting in a significant reduction in the number of patients who are candidates for surgical resection. Although the majority of cases are believed to occur sporadically, about 10% show familial clustering and studies have identified an increased frequency of BRCA germline mutations. The role of screening for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in these populations is unclear. Our study aims to identify the abnormal pancreatic imaging findings in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Methods. A retrospective review of patient medical records with known BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations was conducted. Data was collected and all available abdominal imaging studies were reviewed. Results. A total of 66 patients were identified, 36 with BRCA1 and 30 with BRCA2 mutations. Only 20/66 (30%) had abdominal imaging (14 BRCA1 and 6 BRCA2 patients). Of those patients with abdominal imaging, abnormal pancreatic imaging findings were detected in 7/20 (35%) cases. Conclusion. Our study shows a high incidence of abnormal pancreatic imaging findings in patients with BRCA genetic mutations (35%). Larger studies are needed to further define the role of pancreatic cancer screening and the significance of abnormal imaging findings in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.
Trajectories of PTSD Among Lower Manhattan Residents and Area Workers Following the 2001 World Trade Center Disaster, 2003–2012

Group-based trajectory modeling was used to explore empirical trajectories of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 17,062 adult area residents/workers (nonrescue/recovery workers) enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry using 3 administrations of the PTSD Checklist (PCL) over 9 years of observation. Six trajectories described PTSD over time: low-stable (48.9%), moderate-stable (28.3%), moderate-increasing (8.2%), high-stable (6.0%), high-decreasing (6.6 %), and very high-stable (2.0%). To examine factors associated with improving or worsening PTSD symptoms, groups with similar intercepts, but different trajectories were compared using bivariate analyses and logistic regression. The adjusted odds of being in the moderate-increasing relative to the moderate-stable group were significantly greater among enrollees reporting low social integration (OR = 2.18), WTC exposures (range = 1.34 to 1.53), job loss related to the September 11, 2001 disaster (OR = 1.41), or unmet mental health need/treatment (OR = 4.37). The odds of being in the high-stable relative to the high-decreasing group were significantly greater among enrollees reporting low social integration (OR = 2.23), WTC exposures (range = 1.39 to 1.45), or unmet mental health need/treatment (OR = 3.42). The influence of severe exposures, scarce personal/financial resources, and treatment barriers on PTSD trajectories suggest a need for early and ongoing PTSD screening postdisaster.
Lowered glucose tolerance in the sand rat (Psammonys obesus) resulting from esophageal intubation.

SummaryDextrose or saline was administered to sand rats by either intraperitoneal injection, esophageal intubation, or by a combination of these routes. Unlike Sprague-Dawley rats, sand rats responded to the stress of intubation with decreased tolerance to the glucose load.
Pixel-to-point Transfer: a Process for Integrating Individual GaN-based Light-emitting Devices in o Heterogeneous Microsystems

A novel ultra-low-thermal-budget pixel-to-point transfer process based on the excimer laser lift-off and Pd-In transient-liquid-phase bonding scheme was developed for flexible and precise placement of single pixels of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LED) on target substrates. The transfer was accomplished by (1) temporarily bonding the light-emitting diode (LED) pixel to a specially designed pick-up rod with sapphire substrates facing up using Super Glue., (2) removing the sapphire substrates using laser lift-off, and (3) registering and permanently bonding the LED pixel to the designated area in the target substrates using Pd-In transient-liquid-phase bonding. An oxygen plasma was employed to remove the Super Glue® residue before further microfabrication and system integration was performed. The capability of this technique was demonstrated in the integration of GaN-based LED pixels with pre-fabricated PIN photodiode chips and thin-film bandedge filters, which formed the non-disposable subsystems of a fluorescence-based lab-on-a-chip system. The performance of these integrated LED pixels and the integrated microsystems has been assessed by evaluating the fluorescence intensity as a function of equivalent fluorescein dye concentration using disposable polydimenthyl siloxane(PDMS) microfluidic channels. GaN LEDs with peak emission at 463 nm were used to excite 515nm fluorescence from FluoSpheres® carboxylate-modified fluorescent microspheres (40nm in diamters).
Link Between Clinical Predictors of Heterotopic Ossification and Histological Analysis in Combat-Injured Service Members

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a debilitating condition that occurs following traumatic injury and may restrict range of motion and delay rehabilitation. The timing and efficacy of surgical resection have varied widely, and there is a gap in knowledge between clinical predictors of HO recurrence and histological analysis. Methods: Thirty-three service members seen at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for symptomatic HO were enrolled in an institutional review board-approved study. Participants took oxytetracycline on four scheduled days prior to HO resection to determine the mineral apposition rate (bone growth rate). Results: Detailed histological analyses included scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron imaging and light microscopy. Data indicated that the mineral apposition rate of trauma-induced HO was approximately 1.7 μm/day at the time of operative intervention, which was 1.7 times higher than the rate in non-pathological human bone. The mineral apposition rate and postoperative alkaline phosphatase values were demonstrated to be positively and significantly related (ρ = 0.509, p = 0.026, n = 19). When the analysis was limited to patients with no more than a two-year period from injury to excision (thereby removing outliers who had a longer time period than their counterparts) and traumatic brain injury and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (known correlates with HO development) were controlled for in the statistical analysis, the mineral apposition rate and recurrence severity were significantly related (ρ = −0.572, p = 0.041, n = 11). Conclusions: Data demonstrated a link between benchtop research and bedside care, with the mineral apposition rate elevated in patients with HO and correlated with recurrence severity; however, a larger sample size and more clinical factors are needed to refine this model. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Urinary Cotinine Levels Among Latino Tobacco Farmworkers in North Carolina Compared to Latinos Not Employed in Agriculture.

INTRODUCTION This analysis describes urinary cotinine levels of North Carolina Latino farmworkers, compares cotinine levels of farmworkers to those of Latinos non-farmworkers, determines factors associated with farmworker cotinine levels, and determines if differences in farmworker and non-farmworker cotinine levels are associated with smoking. METHODS Data are from 63 farmworkers and 44 non-farmworkers who participated in a larger study of occupational exposures. Questionnaire data and urine samples collected in 2012 and 2013 are analyzed. RESULTS Farmworkers had urinary cotinine levels that were far greater than the non-farmworker group. Geometric mean (GM) urinary cotinine levels for farmworkers were 1808.22ng/ml in 2012, and 396.03ng/ml in 2013; corresponding GM levels for non-farmworkers were 4.68ng/ml and 9.03ng/ml. Farmworker GM cotinine levels were associated with harvesting tobacco (1242.77ng/ml vs. 471.26ng/ml; P = .0048), and working in wet shoes (1356.41ng/ml vs. 596.93ng/ml; P = .0148). Smoking did not account for cotinine level differences; the GM cotinine level for farmworkers who did not smoke was 541.31ng/ml; it was 199.40ng/ml for non-farmworkers who did smoke. CONCLUSION North Carolina farmworkers experience large nicotine doses. The long-term health effects of these doses are not known. Although procedures to reduce occupational nicotine exposure are known, no changes in work practices or in policies to protect workers have been implemented. Research on the health effects of occupational nicotine exposure must become a priority. Current knowledge of occupational transdermal nicotine exposure must be used to improve occupational safety practice and policy for tobacco workers. IMPLICATIONS This study documents the heavy burden of nicotine exposure and dose experienced by tobacco workers in North Carolina. Hundreds of thousands of farmworkers and farmers in the United States and Canada, as well as agricultural workers around the world, share this burden of nicotine exposure and dose. These results support the need to change work practices and regulations to protect workers. They also document the need to delineate the health effects of long-term exposure to high transdermal nicotine doses.
Optimal management with reversible regime shifts

Abstract In this paper we examine the management of a natural resource, a fishery, subject to regime shifting dynamics. A regime shift is defined as an episode in which the dynamics of the resource can switch between two alternative regimes at random times. Specifically, we study the impact of reversible regime switching, both observed and unobserved, on optimal harvesting policy. The case in which the regime is not directly observed, i.e., observational uncertainty, is addressed by using the extended POMDP approach developed in Fackler and Pacifici (2014). We illustrate the performance of the model under different assumptions on the underlying stochastic growth variability, the biological structure of the stock in different regimes, and the resilience of the regimes. When the regime is known optimal policies depend on the population level and which regime is currently active. When the regime is unobserved, on the other hand, the optimal policy depends on the population level and a belief distribution about the current regime. In general when the probability of regime change is fixed, and hence is not affected by harvesting policy, the optimal policy is of the constant-escapement variety. When the probability of switching regime is endogenous the optimal policy is no longer of the constant-escapement type. Optimal policies when the regime is uncertain are approximately equal to a weighted average of the policies when the regime is certain, with the weights equal to the beliefs in the associated regimes, but there are differences.
Transurethral Clot Evacuation from a Bladder with a Catheter Irrigating Syringe

AbstractAfter other methods of clot evacuation failed, transurethral insertion of the tip of a catheter irrigating syringe directly into the bladder of a female kidney transplant recipient resulted in the successful evacuation of an adherent hematoma.
Multi-cache: Dynamic, Efficient Partitioning for Multi-tier Caches in Consolidated VM Environments

Every physical machine in today's typical datacenter is backed by storage devices with hundreds of Gigabytes to Terabytes in size. Data center vendors usually use hard disk drives for their back-end storage as it is cheap and reliable. However, the increase in the I/O accesses to the back-end storage from one or many of the VMs hosted on a physical machine can reduce its overall accesses time significantly due to contention. This may not be suitable for interactive applications requiring low latency that might be co-located with other I/O intensive applications. In this paper we present Multi-Cache, a multi-layer cache management system that uses a combination of cache devices of varied speed and cost such as solid state drives, non-volatile memories, etc to mitigate this problem. Multi-Cache partitions each device dynamically at runtime according to the workload of each VM and its priority. We use a heuristic optimization technique that ensures maximum utilization of the caches resulting in a high hit rate. We use a weighted partitioning policy that improves latency by up to 72% for individual workloads, and a overall hit rate increase of up to 31% for host running several workloads together in comparison to standard LRU caching algorithms.
Electrophoretic Transport of Single DNA Nucleotides through Nanoslits: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

There is potential for flight time based DNA sequencing involving disassembly into individual nucleotides which would pass through a nanochannel with two or more detectors. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of electrophoretic motion of single DNA nucleotides through 3 nm wide hydrophobic slits with both smooth and rough walls. The electric field (E) varied from 0.0 to 0.6 V/nm. The nucleotides adsorb and desorb from walls multiple times during their transit through the slit. The nucleotide–wall interactions differed due to nucleotide hydrophobicities and wall roughness which determined duration and frequency of nucleotide adsorptions and their velocities while adsorbed. Transient association of nucleotides with one, two, or three sodium ions occurred, but the mean association numbers (ANs) were weak functions of nucleotide type. Nucleotide–wall interactions contributed more to separation of nucleotide flight time distributions than ion association and thus indicate that nucleotide–wall interacti...
TAVR IS SAFE AND IMPROVES CARDIAC FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH EXTREMELY LOW EJECTION FRACTIONS

Background: Patients with a very low ejection fraction (EF) have been excluded from major TAVR trials. As a consequence, the safety and efficacy of TAVR in this cohort remains uncertain. In this study, patients with pre-TAVR EF≤20% were analyzed to determine survival and effects on cardiac
Intralobar Pulmonary Sequestration and Increased Serum CA 19-9

Intralobar pulmonary sequestration is an uncommon congenital lung anomaly which consists of a mass of normal lung tissue not connected to the normal tracheobronchial tree and supplied by an anomalous systemic artery. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is widely accepted as a tumour marker for biliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer. However, CA 19-9 may also be increased in patients with benign disease. We describe the case of a 56-year-old woman with intralobar pulmonary sequestration who underwent unnecessary and extensive diagnostic abdominal examinations because of an increase in CA 19-9 serum levels.
A Pilot Study of Mindfulness Meditation for Pediatric Chronic Pain.

Despite advances in psychological interventions for pediatric chronic pain, there has been little research examining mindfulness meditation for these conditions. This study presents data from a pilot clinical trial of a six-week manualized mindfulness meditation intervention offered to 20 adolescents aged 13–17 years. Measures of pain intensity, functional disability, depression and parent worry about their child’s pain were obtained at baseline and post-treatment. Results indicated no significant changes in pain or depression, however functional disability and frequency of pain functioning complaints improved with small effect sizes. Parents’ worry about child’s pain significantly decreased with a large effect size. Participants rated intervention components positively and most teens suggested that the number of sessions be increased. Three case examples illustrate mindfulness meditation effects and precautions. Mindfulness meditation shows promise as a feasible and acceptable intervention for youth with chronic pain. Future research should optimize intervention components and determine treatment efficacy.
Towards single-tablet therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Rationale and recent developments.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus emerges as a result of multiple pathophysiologic changes. If the pharmacotherapy of type 2 diabetes should be tailored to the underlying pathophysiology, it would be necessary to use a combination of agents with complementary mechanisms of action. The two principal defects in type 2 diabetes are insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. Therefore, combining an insulin-providing agent with an insulin-sensitizing agent will augment the efficacy of current antihyperglycemic agents. This is the rationale for the development and marketing of sulfonylurea/metformin combination tablets.
Behavior Therapy: Psychological Perspectives

Behavior therapy has expanded from its original focus on applying the principles of classical and operant conditioning to the amelioration of psychological dysfunction and distress to an approach that encompasses cognitive processes. Conditioning procedures believed to be based on classical conditioning include Wolpe's systematic desensitization, whereby fearful people are taught to relax during graduated exposures to imagined scenes that depict what they are needlessly anxious about. Clinical outcomes from various exposure-based interventions are usually very positive. Operant conditioning techniques, whereby desired behavior is encouraged with rewards and undesired behavior discouraged by punishment or the withdrawal of positive reinforcers, have shown their utility in dealing with a wide range of behavioral problems, especially those found in children. Modeling procedures form a bridge between the conditioning and the more recent cognitive approaches by demonstrating that significant therapeutic learning can take place by observing others engaging in desired behavior. The newer cognitive interventions focus on thoughts, perceptions, and attitudes in teaching patients to construe their lives in ways that reduce emotional upset, as when a person overly sensitive to criticism is persuaded to regard his or her self-worth as not dependent on the evaluations of others.
Encephalopathy Due to Short- and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are hydrocarbon chains with a terminal carboxylate group. Carbon chain length varies from one (formic acid) to twenty-six (ximenic acid). Most are saturated straight-chain acids. Some are unsaturated, some branched-chain, and some hydroxylated. Fatty acids are in general hydrophobic and lipophilic. The very-short-chain fatty acids (≦ 5 carbons) are volatile and soluble in water. The medium-chain fatty acids (C6–C12) are slightly soluble in water except for hexanoic and lauric (dodecanoic) acids which are insoluble. The long-chain fatty acids (≧ 14 carbons) are insoluble in water. They also have melting points greater than 50 °C. The term “short-chain” fatty acids has been used loosely in many published papers to refer to non-long-chain fatty acids, encompassing the truly short- and some medium-chain fatty acids such as octanoic acid. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids, as defined herein, have been shown to have encephalopathic properties that will be discussed later.
Decentralized Provision of Public Infrastructure and Corruption

During the past three decades, a large number of countries have introduced reforms to decentralize public decision making. Such reforms have proved controversial. Critics of these reforms argue that decentralized provision of infrastructure enhances vulnerability to corruption. Proponents of these reforms counter that corruption arises from lack of people empowerment and decentralization by bringing decision making closer to people shines sunlight on government operations and empowers people to hold government to account and thereby offers potential for combating corruption in the long run. They further state that decentralized provision of infrastructure holds a great promise in upgrading infrastructure to underserviced especially rural areas with local self-government. In theory such decentralization is also expected to improve integrity of such operations especially in the event of local financing. These debates, nevertheless, remain unsettled as empirical evidence on the impact of decentralization on infrastructure provision is scant or non-existent. Empirical work is hampered by a lack of reliable data on the incidence of corruption. This paper presents conceptual underpinnings of the impact of decentralized provision of infrastructure on the incidence of corruption and synthesizes scant available empirical evidence to make a case for further empirical research to document the real world experiences to update our current state of knowledge on this subject. Much work lies ahead to limit our wide zone of ignorance in this area.
Deterministic and Probabilistic Approaches for Prediction of Two-Phase Turbulent Flow in Liquid-Fuel Combustors

This chapter analyzes the deterministic approach of direct numerical simulation (DNS) and the probabilistic approach of probability density function (PDF) modeling. These approaches are implemented for the prediction of droplet dispersion and polydispersity in liquid–fuel combustors. These modeling approaches are used for predicting two-phase turbulent flows. The DNS is focused on generating information useful in designing the experiment on the backward-facing step with countercurrent flow, which closely represents the dump combustor flow situation. DNS allows the quantification and visualization of various effects arising because of the different inlet flow conditions, Stokes number of the dispersed phase, and strength of the countercurrent flow. The DNS data are valuable in the development and assessment of predictive models. The chapter discusses the development of PDF model for a general situation of turbulent flow laden with evaporating droplets. This model is in the form of a closed equation, which governs the transport of the probability density of droplet position, velocity, temperature, and diameter.
Community clinic-based lifestyle change for prevention of metabolic syndrome: Rationale, design and methods of the ‘Vida Sana/healthy life’ program

Abstract Purpose and Objectives: The risk of diseases associated with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is higher for Hispanics living in the northeastern United States than for other racial and ethnic groups. Higher risk of diabetes, high blood lipids, obesity and limited access to continuity of care are all factors that also contribute to disproportionately poorer chronic disease outcomes for Hispanics. Intervention approach This article describes the planning and implementation of, and evaluation plans for the Vida Sana Program (VSP), a community-based group intervention created to address the identified MetS risks by encouraging healthier diet and physical activity behaviors among a low-income, largely Spanish speaking, and literacy limited uninsured population. Developed in response to recent calls for culturally-tailored interventions, VSP is conducted by trained bicultural/bilingual Navegantes, who deliver a culturally sensitive, fun and engaging eight-week, in-person educational series through group meetings. The intervention also includes a 40-page colorful, picture and graphic enhanced booklet to be used in the group setting and at home. The intervention focused on screening for MetS-associated disease risk factors, understanding chronic disease management, encouraging medication adherence, increasing physical activity, and healthful dietary changes such as limiting alcohol, sodium, unhealthy fats and excess carbohydrate intake, while emphasizing portion control, whole grains and healthy fats. Conclusions This creative, community-based approach fills an important gap in the community and in the public health literature, is well liked by health literacy limited patients, and will provide an important model of successfully engaging the Hispanic community on these important health issues.
An unnatural split: how ‘human interest’ sucks the life from significant news:

Human interest might be considered the earliest of the news values, and in the past century, it has been the most flexible, allowing journalists to report and present compelling stories that lie ou...
A Dynamic ReLU on Neural Network

In this paper we propose a dynamic Rectified Linear Unit (D-ReLU) activation function for a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) learning network. We also implement the forward propagation of 2- and 3-layer multi-layer perceptron (MLP) networks with this D-ReLU function on a Cyclone IVE field programmable gate array (FPGA) using 8-bit precision. When compared to networks that use the approximated Sigmoid activation function, our proposed D-ReLU function uses 18-23% less area with only a 0.7-2.9% loss in accuracy. Moreover, the simplified calculations of the D-ReLU function result in 14% and 57% decreases in software execution time than Sigmoid function. In the FPGA hardware implementation, the D-ReLU function uses two fewer clock cycles per layer than the approximated Sigmoid activation function. Thus, using the D-ReLU activation function in MLP networks results in reduced area on an FPGA and lower execution time in software. In addition, the FPGA implementation runs at a 60× lower clock rate than the software version with a 29× faster execution time, indicating a potential of over 1,700× power savings.
A Tandem Evolutionary Algorithm for Identifying Causal Rules from Complex Data

We propose a new evolutionary approach for discovering causal rules in complex classification problems from batch data. Key aspects include (a) the use of a hypergeometric probability mass function...
Predictors and Impact of Vasoplegia after Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Purpose We identified the impact of vasoplegia after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) on postoperative outcomes and predictors of postoperative vasoplegia. Methods Retrospective review of 624 patients who had continuous flow LVAD implantation from 2005-2017 at our institution. Mild, moderate, or severe vasoplegia was determined with the vasoactive score (VS) [dopamine+100 x epinephrine + 100 x norepinephrine + 10000 x vasopressin] (U/kg/min), with a VS of 28 being severe. Mean VS was calculated at 0-6 hrs, 6-12 hrs, and 12-24 hrs postoperatively. Results Mean age was similar for vasoplegic and non-vasoplgic patients (Table 1). Vasoplegia was observed in 134 (21.5%) patients. Reoperation for bleeding and 30-day mortality were higher in vasoplegic patients (Table 1). VS at 12-24 hrs had a greater association with 30-day mortality compared to VS at 0-6 or 6-12 hrs (AUC 0.72 vs 0.69 vs 0.65; p creatinine , prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, preoperative beta blocker use and preoperative mechanical circulatory support . Conclusion Moderate to severe vasoplegia at 12 to 24 hrs postoperatively is associated with significantly worse survival after CF-LVAD implantation. Modifiable risk factors identified in this study should be optimized to reduce risk of vasoplegia.
Arché-ic: Secularization in Giorgio Agamben’s “Homo Sacer” series

This paper puts Agamben in conversation with the topic of secularization. The fit between thinker and topic is quite natural, given that Agamben frequently approaches modernity through a theological archive, takes secularization narratives as the contrast space for his own account of intellectual history, and regularly discusses secularization through the lens of signatures. The result is that his work ends up revising secularization narratives by relocating the source of modernity in a deeper metaphysical regime rather than a past historical moment. The paper begins first by outlining Agamben’s engagement with secularization theorists and concepts throughout the Homo Sacer series. Next, I sketch Agamben’s ontological picture, exploring the “ arche ” as the backdrop for his analysis of secularization as a signature. I conclude with three ways Agamben’s work might reconfigure our conversations about the secular and allow engagement with new theoretical partners. By turning our attention away from the binaries of religious/secular to the third option represented by the messianic, Agamben revises traditional narratives about the decline of metaphysics, broadens our alternatives beyond the overly-narrow constraints represented by someone like Charles Taylor, and opens the beginnings of a possible rapprochement with postcolonial accounts of modernity.
Strategic Action for Affordable Housing: How Advocacy Organizations Accomplish Policy Change:

State retrenchment, public input requirements, and local budgetary constraints make advocacy organization’s (AO) work vital to the adoption and implementation of local plans. Yet, the strategies AO...
Effect of Microphone Location and Beamforming Technology on Speech Recognition in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients.

Background Despite improvements in cochlear implant (CI) technology, pediatric CI recipients continue to have more difficulty understanding speech than their typically hearing peers in background noise. A variety of strategies have been evaluated to help mitigate this disparity, such as signal processing, remote microphone technology, and microphone placement. Previous studies regarding microphone placement used speech processors that are now dated, and most studies investigating the improvement of speech recognition in background noise included adult listeners only. Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of microphone location and beamforming technology on speech understanding for pediatric CI recipients in noise. Research Design A prospective, repeated-measures, within-participant design was used to compare performance across listening conditions. Study Sample A total of nine children (aged 6.6 to 15.3 years) with at least one Advanced Bionics CI were recruited for this study. Data Collection and Analysis The Basic English Lexicon Sentences and AzBio Sentences were presented at 0o azimuth at 65-dB SPL in +5 signal-to-noise ratio noise presented from seven speakers using the R-SPACE system (Advanced Bionics, Valencia, CA). Performance was compared across three omnidirectional microphone configurations (processor microphone, T-Mic 2, and processor + T-Mic 2) and two directional microphone configurations (UltraZoom and auto UltraZoom). The two youngest participants were not tested in the directional microphone configurations. Results No significant differences were found between the various omnidirectional microphone configurations. UltraZoom provided significant benefit over all omnidirectional microphone configurations (T-Mic 2, p = 0.004, processor microphone, p Conclusions All omnidirectional microphone configurations yielded similar performance, suggesting that a child's listening performance in noise will not be compromised by choosing the microphone configuration best suited for the child. UltraZoom (adaptive beamformer) yielded higher performance than all omnidirectional microphones in moderate background noise for adolescents aged 9 to 15 years. The implications of these data suggest that for older children who are able to reliably use manual controls, UltraZoom will yield significantly higher performance in background noise when the target is in front of the listener.
Youth voice on climate change: using factor analysis to understand the intersection of science, politics, and emotion

A complex issue at the intersection of science, emotion, and politics, climate change is on the minds of young people across the globe, as evidenced through worldwide climate strikes. This manuscri...
Students' dementia experience, knowledge, and concern: An opportunity for Age-Friendly University (AFU) programming.

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative was established as a framework to guide higher education in the development of programs, practices, and partnerships that support aging populations. Thi...