cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Institutions, information, and commitment: the role of democracy in conflict

This paper explores the hypothesis that both the preexisting quality of democracy in a polity at the onset of conflict and the quality of democracy expected to emerge in the aftermath influence the likelihood of civil war. An empirical investigation of the hypothesis presents a challenge due to concerns of endogeneity and selection: the post-conflict level of democracy is endogenous to the pre-conflict level. Further, for a given time period, either a number of countries have not experienced civil war; or if they did, did not resolve the conflict. We overcome this selection bias by implementing a three-step extension to the Heckman procedure using an unbalanced cross-country panel of 77 countries over the period 1971–2005. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find that a standard deviation improvement in the existing level of democracy reduces the probability of civil war by approximately 9 percentage points and a corresponding improvement in expected post-conflict democratization increases the probability ...
Investigation of Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonism as a Novel Treatment for Chronic Bronchitis in Dogs.

Background Canine chronic bronchitis (CCB) results in cough lasting ≥2 months and airway inflammation. Adverse effects include risk of secondary infection associated with lifelong corticosteroid administration and prompt investigation into alternative therapies. Neurogenic pathways mediated by tachykinins that bind neurokinin (NK) 1 receptors may induce cough and airway inflammation. Maropitant,1 a NK-1 receptor antagonist, has been advocated for treatment of CCB based on anecdotal improvement, but without scientific evidence. Hypothesis/Objectives Maropitant1 will blunt clinical signs and airway inflammation associated with CCB. Animals Client-owned dogs (n = 8) with cough >2 months, thoracic radiographic evidence of airway disease and sterile airway inflammation (>7% non-degenerate neutrophils, >7% eosinophils or both) on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) enrolled. Methods Maropitant1 (2 mg/kg) administered q48h for 14 days. Study endpoints included client perception of clinical signs (surveys at baseline and 14 days, and visual analogue scale [VAS] at baseline, 7, and 14 days), and BAL % neutrophils and eosinophils (baseline and 14 days). One-way repeated measures ANOVA (VAS) and Wilcoxon-signed rank-sum tests (BAL cells, cough frequency) used with P < .05 considered significant. Results Maropitant1 significantly decreased cough frequency (P < .001) and VAS scores (P = .005). No differences in BAL % neutrophils or % eosinophils noted with treatment (P = .279 and P = .382, respectively). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Preliminary results suggest that although maropitant1 may have antitussive properties leading to perceived clinical improvement, its failure to diminish airway inflammation makes it unsuitable for treatment of CCB. Future studies could evaluate maropitant1 as a cough suppressant for other respiratory disorders in dogs.
Medication usage and additional esophageal procedures after antireflux surgery.

Summary: One of the goals of antireflux surgery (ARS) is to lower medications usage for heartburn symptoms. There has been some controversy as to whether this is accomplished by surgery. In addition, there is little comparative data of medical usage in patients suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treated nonoperatively with those treated with surgery, and no data on additional esophageal procedures, such as upper endoscopy or dilation. The purpose of this study was to determine these differences in a matched group of medically and surgically treated patients with at least 1 year of follow-up. All patients who underwent ARS with at least 1 year of follow-up were included. These patients were matched to a group of medically treated patients for gender, age, and month of surgery to month of gastroenterologic clinic visit. Information was gathered through the medical record or direct contact for the present use of medications and additional esophageal procedures related to GERD. One hundred twenty-two patients in each group were studied. Medication usage consisted of 13% of ARS patients versus 95% of medical patients (P < 0.0001). ARS patients had used 359 patient-months of medications versus 3578 in the medical group (P < 0.0001). Only 25% of ARS patients prescribe medications actually responded to their use. Additional procedures consisted of 9% of ARS patients versus 64% of medical patients (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, ARS leads to decreased medication use and to decreased use of subsequent esophageal procedures. In addition, most postoperative ARS patients placed on medications do not respond, and therefore require an objective evaluation for their symptoms.
The limits of patterning in X-ray lithography

We show how the imaging process in proximity X-ray lithography is capable of reaching the sub-100 nm range. However, The use of proximity X-ray lithography is dependent on the mask to form the correct image of the pattern. The joint development of electron beam lithography patterning tools with high-placement accuracy, of a better understanding of the mask mechanical response and of new aligners, clearly indicates that the goal of using X-ray lithography for nanolithography applications is reachable.
Disruption of Pheromone Communication of the Tobacco Budworm in Tobacco Fields Treated with Pheromone Components

Two tobacco fields were treated throughout the growing season with a blend of three aldehydes and one alcohol, components of the sex pheromone of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.). Captures of tobacco budworm males in pheromonebaited cone traps were greatly reduced in the pheromone-treated fields compared with the control field under conventional insecticide treatment. Moreover, mating of laboratory-reared females confined on mating tables in the pheromone-treated fields was reduced 88 to 98%. However, it was necessary to spray the pheromone-treated fields to control the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (L.), and green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare (Say). Because these insecticide treatments also killed tobacco budworm larvae, it was impossible to assess the full impact of the pheromone treatment on control of this species. Nevertheless, these results indicate that the air permeation technique will not be adaptable for control of the tobacco budworm in tobacco until similar remedies are available for control of the tobacco hornworm and possibly other pest species.
Effect of Sulfate on Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium-bearing Blast Furnace Slag

Perovskite type sulfuric acid-modified titanium-bearing blast furnace slag(STBBFS) photocatalysts are prepared by the high energy ball milling method at 400℃ for 2h.STBBFS photocatalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),thermogravimetric(TG),UV-vis absorption spectra and scanning electronic microscopy(SEM) measurements.Their photocatalytic activity is checked through the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(Ⅵ) as a model compound under UV-vis light irradiation.The results show that the STBBFS photocatalysts have a higher photo catalytic activity when the optimum addition proportion of sulfate is 5%;the potocatalytic reduction efficiency of Cr(Ⅵ) reaches 100% after 8h.
Congenital Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus Presenting in Premature Neonate

A male infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for respiratory distress and prematurity was noted to have persistent polyuria and hypernatremia. Peak urine output was 7mL/kg/hour. Initial sodium was 134 mEq/L with progressive increase to 160 mEq/L by the 9th day of life. Initial creatinine of 1.11 mg/dL suggested possible acute kidney injury secondary to dehydration, which resolved as fluids were increased. Family history was significant for multiple maternal relatives with diabetes …
Association of passive and active smoking with pre-diabetes risk in a predominantly Hispanic population

Smoking is the leading cause of avoidable death and is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. Previous studies on the impact of passive smoking have not been applied to a Hispanic-majority population. We investigated the association between active smoking, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and pre-diabetes risk in a New Mexico population. We hypothesized that pre-diabetes risk increases with increasing smoking status after adjustment for important covariates. We screened 219 adults from an ongoing study who were categorized according to their smoking status (never smoker, current smoker, previous smoker) and their exposure to ETS (exposed or unexposed). Glucose homeostasis status was assigned using A1c: no diabetes (A1c 6.4%). Among 160 patients with complete data, 51.6% had no diabetes and 48.4% had pre-diabetes. The mean age was 44.8±13.5 years. The study population was predominantly female (64.4%), and the ethnic composition was 44.4% Hispanic, 39.4% non-Hispanic White (NHW), 10.6% American Indian, 2.5% African-American, and 3.1% other. Using a logistic model with 2-way interactions, all predicted probabilities for being at risk for pre-diabetes were significant at the 0.001 level for smoking status and ETS exposure after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, family history of diabetes, alcohol consumption, BMI, and blood pressure. Active or passive smoking is independently associated with pre-diabetes risk.
Double injection into a trap-free insulator with blocking electrodes

The problem of double injection into an insulator having ohmic contacts and a finite electron-hole recombination rate has been studied by Parmenter and Ruppel,1 who have given an exact solution, and also by Lampert,2 who has used physical ideas to develop flexible approximate methods that can be applied to this problem.
Discontinuation of Therapy in Hypertension Research: Value, Ethics, Risk, and Role in Renal Denervation Trials.

See related article, pp 927–932 Less than 60 years ago, 2 studies were published that when read together constitute a surrogate for the first clinical trial in hypertension research. In the first, Priscilla Kincaid-Smith et al1 described the fate of untreated malignant hypertension in 197 subjects. In the second,2 the same group reported their experience with results of treatment in 94 subjects over 7 years. The first series was not an intentional placebo-control group but simply the reflection of lack of provision of treatment at that time because epidemiological evidence about the risks of hypertension was in its infancy, and documentation that reducing blood pressure would produce any benefit was nonexistent. Experts even argued whether fibrinoid necrosis, the hallmark pathology for malignant hypertension, was caused by blood pressure elevation or by a toxic factor.3 The second series subjected patients to therapy with ganglionic blocking agents without a comparison group. Therapy produced side effects that we would call horrendous nowadays, particularly, paralysis of parasympathetic ganglia, which required additional pharmacological therapy. Medical students and trainees with the mindset and knowledge of 2017 are astonished by both aspects of this history: the lack of use of therapy for a rapidly fatal disease and the uncontrolled nature of the first intervention. However, in the context of the evidence at the time (total uncertainty about the benefit of therapy and lack of solid knowledge about risk), it is unquestionable that there was no ethical breach. Further, taking into consideration that 1-year mortality was reduced from 90% to 50% from the first series to the second, the results of these studies were instrumental for all future developments in the field of hypertension. When research on benefit of reducing blood pressure was extended to patients with nonmalignant hypertension, a proactive decision was made to …
Drug-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: The First 50 Years

Drug-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (D-PAH) is a form of World Health Organization Group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by severe small vessel loss and obstructive vasculopathy, which leads to progressive right heart failure and death. To date, 16 different compounds have been associated with D-PAH, including anorexinogens, recreational stimulants, and more recently, several Food and Drug Administration-approved medications. While the clinical manifestations, pathology, and hemodynamic profile of D-PAH are indistinguishable from other forms of PAH, its clinical course can be unpredictable and largely dependent on removal of the offending agent. Since only a subset of individuals develop D-PAH, it is likely that genetic susceptibility plays a role in pathogenesis, but characterization of the genetic factors responsible for disease susceptibility remains incomplete. Besides aggressive treatment with PH-specific therapies, the major challenge in the management of D-PAH remains the early identification of compounds capable of injuring the pulmonary circulation in susceptible individuals. Institution of pharmacovigilance, precision medicine strategies, and global warning systems will help facilitate identification of high-risk drugs and institute regulation strategies to prevent further outbreaks of D-PAH.
A new hybrid approach for feature selection and support vector machine model selection based on self-adaptive cohort intelligence

Abstract This research proposes a new hybrid approach for feature selection and Support Vector Machine (SVM) model selection based on a new variation of Cohort Intelligence (CI) algorithm. Feature selection can improve the accuracy of classification algorithms and reduce their computation complexity by removing the irrelevant and redundant features. SVM is a classification algorithm that has been used in many areas, such as bioinformatics and pattern recognition. However, the classification accuracy of SVM depends mainly on tuning its hyperparameters (i.e., SVM model selection). This paper presents a framework that is comprised of the following two major components. First, Self-Adaptive Cohort Intelligence (SACI) algorithm is proposed, which is a new variation of the emerging metaheuristic algorithm, Cohort Intelligence (CI). Second, SACI is integrated with SVM resulting in a new hybrid approach referred to as SVM–SACI for simultaneous feature selection and SVM model selection. SACI differs from CI by employing tournament-based mutation and self-adaptive scheme for sampling interval and mutation rate. Furthermore, SACI is both real-coded and binary-coded, which makes it directly applicable to both binary and continuous domains. The performance of SACI for feature selection and SVM model selection was examined using ten benchmark datasets from the literature and compared with those of CI and five well-known metaheuristics, namely, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Differential Evolution (DE) and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC). The comparative results demonstrate that SACI outperformed CI and comparable to or better than the other compared metaheuristics in terms of the SVM classification accuracy and dimensionality reduction. In addition, SACI requires less tuning efforts as the number of its control parameters is less than those of the other compared metaheuristics due to adopting the self-adaptive scheme in SACI. Finally, this research suggests employing more efficient methods for high-dimensional or large datasets due to the relatively high training time required by search strategies based on metaheuristics when applied to such datasets.
Using computer animation for emergency medicine education

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of animation for emergency medicine education. Two groups of participants were assessed on their ability to respond to three medical emergency situations in simulated test scenarios. The control group received instruction in traditional lecture/demo format, whereas the experimental group received instruction from a computer animation. Participants' knowledge of the medical emergencies response procedures was assessed according to speed and accuracy of the treatment, and ability to complete every step and execute the steps in the correct order. Results revealed no statistically significant difference in procedural knowledge between the control and experimental groups.
Echocardiographic parameters to identify sickle cell patients with cardio-pathology.

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects millions of people and causes chronic hemolytic anemia leading to vasculopathies such as pulmonary hypertension and abnormalities in cardiac function that increase complications and mortality. It is therefore crucial to identify cardiac abnormalities in SCD. We aimed to assess the prevalence of echocardiographic parameters in SCD to help identify cardiopulmonary risk. Methods Ninety-one patients (53% male), median age of 30, body surface area (BSA) of 1.79 m2 , hemoglobin of 8.8 g/dL, and creatinine of 0.7 mg/dL identified. We retrospectively measured laboratory and echocardiographic parameters in patients with SCD : left ventricular (LV) dimensions, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV Myocardial Performance Index (MPI), LV Mass Index (MI), Left Atrial Volume Index (LAVI), Tricuspid Regurgitation Velocity (TRV), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right heart dimensions. Results Prevalence of left heart abnormalities was 32%: increased LV end-diastolic diameter (EDD), 78%: LV MPI, 21%: diastolic dysfunction, 38%: decreased LVEF, 24%: increased LVMI, and 47%: increased LAVI. Right heart abnormalities were 39%: TAPSE, 38%: increased TRV, and 59%: increased pulmonary systolic pressure (PASP). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was significant for increased LVMI and LAVI in those with hemoglobin ≤8 g/dL (odds ratio (OR) 7.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.23-24.6, P = .001) and (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.18-9.33, P = .023). Conclusions We confirmed increased prevalence of abnormal LVEDD, LVMI, diastolic function, LAVI, and PASP in SCD. In addition, we identified abnormal LV MPI (78%), TAPSE (29%). These parameters may be useful and readily accessible echocardiographic prognostic tools in this population.
Biochemical and genetic mechanisms for bacteria to acquire aminoglycoside antibiotic resistance

Aminoglycoside (AG)-modifying enzymes are the major biochemical basis for the AG resistance of clinically-occurring bacteria. Recent AG resistance profiles can be characterized by the involvement of AAC(6') in combination with other modifying enzymes in Gram negative bacteria. AAC(6')/APH(2") in Staphylococcus aureus is also remarkable. Genetic basis for the emergence or alteration of AG resistance profiles includes point mutations in the regulatory region or specific sites of the coding region of AG-modifying enzyme genes, and rearrangement of the genes caused by transposon and/or integron. In addition, semisynthetic AG antibiotics such as amikacin, arbekacin (ABK) and isepamicin were also reviewed for their stability to AG-modifying enzymes. ABK that has been widely used as an anti-MRSA drug in Japan is distinct from the other AGs because its monoacetylated derivatives (3"-N-acetylABK and 2'-N-acetylABK) by AG acetyltransferases, AAC(3) and AAC(2'), respectively, retain clear antibiotic activities. Based on this novel aspect and the lack of modification sites for APH(3') and ANT(4'), ABK should be regarded as the most refractory AG for bacteria to acquire resistance.
Ausgewählte Themen der Mathematik

Das Herz der mathematischen Erfahrung ist naturlich die Mathematik selber. Das ist das Material, das sich in Fachzeitschriften und Monographien findet und das, wenn es interessant und wichtig genug ist, auch gelehrt wird. Wahrend es nicht der Zweck dieses Buches ist, irgendein mathematisches Gebiet systematisch darzustellen, ware es eine schwerwiegende Unterlassung, wenn wir uns nicht mit einer Reihe spezieller Themen befasten. Wir haben sechs solche Themen ausgewahlt.
Fiber Optic Sensor Installation for Monitoring of 4 Span Model Bridge in UCF

Fiber optic sensors can give us valuable data to assess the health of a structure, known as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Bridges, being critical structures, are monitored with different sensors such as strain measurements mostly at discrete locations with resistive based sensors. Fiber optic sensors can be used to sense the strain status by using one sensing optical fiber line. Recently, fiber optic Bragg grating sensors are a representative of point sensing technique, and also fiber optic BOTDR or BOTDA sensor is a unique measurement technique to sense fully distributed strain through the sensing optical fiber. Therefore, in this paper, fiber optic Bragg grating(FBG) sensor, fiber optic BOTDR(Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry) sensor, fiber optic BOTDA(Brillouin optical time domain analysis) sensor are installed on 4 span model bridge to study distributed sensing and data analysis to acquire some useful data to identify bridge condition assessment.
Effects of Steroid Hormones in the Neonate

Estradiol, or testosterone, and a variety of C-19 and C-18 synthetic steroids with androgen- or estrogen-like biological activity given to the neonate induce sterility in the adult. Pregnanes are not active in this respect. Those competing with estrogens and androgens (progesterone) protect the neonate against the deleterious effect. These compounds are active in the neonate whether injected repeatedly or given only in one injection (Table 4.1). In most studies rodents (rats or mice) were the test animal of choice, but other mammals and even birds are sensitive.
Collecting, Processing, Banking, and Using Cord Blood Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

It is estimated that almost one in three individuals in the United States might benefit from regenerative medicine. Embryonic stem (ES) cell therapies have been most often touted as the optimal stem cell source for such applications due to their ability to become any tissue in the body that might need therapy. Unfortunately, ES cell applications are currently limited by ethical, political, biologic, and regulatory hurdles. Thus, for the foreseeable future, translation of regenerative medicine to the clinic will depend upon the development of non–ES cell therapies. Over the last decade the collection and banking of cord blood has become the focus of many medical centers in the United States, as cord blood provides a virtually unlimited source of ethnically diverse stem cell donors for a variety of clinical transplant applications. In addition, the recent use of cord blood in regenerative medicine clinical trials has demonstrated therapeutic flexibility of cord blood and has further spurred the collection and banking of these stem cells. This chapter reviews the latest developments in cord blood collection, processing, and banking, as well as the recent use of cord blood stem cells in transplant and regenerative medicine.
Spearman’s g Found in 31 Non-Western Nations: Strong Evidence that g is a Universal Phenomenon

Spearman's g is the name for the shared variance across a set of intercorrelating cognitive tasks. For some-but not all-theorists, g is defined as general intelligence. While g is robustly observed in Western populations, it is questionable whether g is manifested in cognitive data from other cultural groups. To test whether g is a cross-cultural phenomenon, we searched for correlation matrices or data files containing cognitive variables collected from individuals in non-Western, nonindustrialized nations. We subjected these data to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using promax rotation and 2 modern methods of selecting the number of factors. Samples that produced more than 1 factor were then subjected to a second-order EFA using the same procedures and a Schmid-Leiman solution. Across 97 samples from 31 countries totaling 52,340 individuals, we found that a single factor emerged unambiguously from 71 samples (73.2%) and that 23 of the remaining 26 samples (88.5%) produced a single second-order factor. The first factor in the initial EFA explained an average of 45.9% of observed variable variance (SD = 12.9%), which is similar to what is seen in Western samples. One sample that produced multiple second-order factors only did so with 1 method of selecting the number of factors in the initial EFA; the alternate method of selecting the number of factors produced a single higher-order factor. Factor extraction in a higher-order EFA was not possible in 2 samples. These results show that g appears in many cultures and is likely a universal phenomenon in humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Phoenix: A Substrate for Resilient Distributed Graph Analytics

This paper presents Phoenix, a communication and synchronization substrate that implements a novel protocol for recovering from fail-stop faults when executing graph analytics applications on distributed-memory machines. The standard recovery technique in this space is checkpointing, which rolls back the state of the entire computation to a state that existed before the fault occurred. The insight behind Phoenix is that this is not necessary since it is sufficient to continue the computation from a state that will ultimately produce the correct result. We show that for graph analytics applications, the necessary state adjustment can be specified easily by the programmer using a thin API supported by Phoenix. Phoenix has no observable overhead during fault-free execution, and it is resilient to any number of faults while guaranteeing that the correct answer will be produced at the end of the computation. This is in contrast to other systems in this space which may either have overheads even during fault-free execution or produce only approximate answers when faults occur during execution. We incorporated Phoenix into D-Galois, the state-of-the-art distributed graph analytics system, and evaluated it on two production clusters. Our evaluation shows that in the absence of faults, Phoenix is ~24x faster than GraphX, which provides fault tolerance using the Spark system. Phoenix also outperforms the traditional checkpoint-restart technique implemented in D-Galois: in fault-free execution, Phoenix has no observable overhead, while the checkpointing technique has 31% overhead. Furthermore, Phoenix mostly outperforms checkpointing when faults occur, particularly in the common case when only a small number of hosts fail simultaneously.
Cardiovascular System Model-Based Phenotyping of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Introduction Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a major public health threat that remains without evidence-based therapy. Many advocate phenotype-based treatment, yet model-based strategies to identify the predominant mechanisms in individual patients with HFpEF are lacking. Hypothesis Analysis of clinical data with mechanistic computational models of cardiovascular function has the potential to uncover multiple underlying patterns of dysfunction associated with HFpEF. Methods We analyzed clinically obtained echocardiograms and right heart catheterizations from 12 patients [6 HFpEF and 6 heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)]. We used a closed loop cardiovascular system model to identify key parameters including aortic stiffness and ventricular contractility, diastolic relaxation, and filling. Model simulations were tuned to match systolic and diastolic pressures in the right ventricle, pulmonary artery, and aorta as well as cardiac output, wedge pressure, and left ventricular volumes to 3.9 ±1.8 % in each patient. Selected parameters of these 12 tuned models were then plotted, normalized by parameter values associated with healthy cardiovascular function. Results See Figure showing ejection fraction (upper left panel) and model parameter values, with model-based norms at 1.0 (remaining panels). Individual HFrEF patients are numbered 1-6 and HFpEF patients are numbered 7-12. In each panel, the dashed line represents the mean, dotted line represents the standard deviation and grey shading represent the region between the first and third quartile for each group. Left ventricle passive stiffness is the model estimated slope of the end diastolic pressure volume curve at maximal filling for the patient. Note that there are no consistent trends across these three parameter values for the individual HFpEF patients suggesting HFpEF can result from multiple combinations of cardiovascular dysfunction. Conclusions Patient-specific modeling demonstrated increased aortic stiffness and impaired diastolic filling in both HFrEF and HFpEF and confirmed between-group differences in contractility. The wide variance of parameter values across HFpEF patients supports the observed clinical heterogeneity and suggests that cardiovascular system modeling may help phenotype HFpEF.
Pyriform Costal Cartilage Graft Improves Cleft-Side Alar Asymmetry in Secondary Cleft Rhinoplasty:

Objective:The asymmetry of a retrusive cleft-side ala positioned posterior, lateral, and inferior relative to the noncleft ala is exacerbated by ipsilateral deficiency of the pyriform aperture. We ...
Insects and mites in turfgrass

Abstract Turfgrass arthropod diversity is made of pests that utilize different habitats within the stand of grass. Insects and mites in turfgrass are adapted to use grasses or grassy habitats for food or development. The biology and management of turfgrass insects has been covered extensively in books and reviews. These sources comprehensively review turfgrass pest biology and management. This chapter will not be a comprehensive treatment of turf insect biology, but will highlight the key points of plant and pest diagnostics, and management approaches.
Thermal and Rheological Analysis of Polystyrene-Grafted Silica Nanocomposites

Two matrix-free polystyrene-grafted silica nanocomposite samples with graft chain lengths of 35 and 112 kg/mol are characterized by calorimetry and rheometry, and results are compared to neat polys...
Age and environmental exposures influence the fecal bacteriome of young children with cystic fibrosis.

Background Mechanisms that facilitate early infection and inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF) are unclear. We previously showed that young CF children with secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) have increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. We aimed to define the impact of SHSe and other external factors upon the fecal bacteriome in early CF. Methods Twenty CF infants and children were enrolled, clinical data recorded, and hair nicotine measured as an objective surrogate of SHSe. Fecal samples were collected at clinic visits and bacteriome 16S rRNA gene sequencing performed. Results SHSe was associated with increased alpha diversity and increased relative abundance of Acinetobacter and Akkermansia, along with decreased Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Recent antibiotic exposure predicted bacterial population structure in children less than 2 years of age and was associated with decreased Bacteroides relative abundance. Age was the strongest predictor of overall fecal bacterial composition and positively associated with Blautia and Parabacteroides. Weight for length was negatively associated with Staphylococcus relative abundance. Conclusions SHSe and other external factors such as antibiotics appear to alter fecal bacterial composition in young CF children, but the strongest predictor of overall composition was age. These findings have implications for understanding the intestinal microbiome in young CF children.
Pretreatment nutritional status and response to checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer

Background Checkpoint inhibitors are integral to non-small-cell lung cancer treatment. Existing data suggests that nutritional status may play a role in antitumor immunity. Materials & methods This retrospective study of 106 non-small-cell lung cancer patients who started checkpoint inhibitors between 2014 and 2017 at our institution assessed relationship of nutritional parameters to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. Results Mean age was 68.7 ± 9.2 years and 59.4% patients were male. On multivariate analysis for OS, hypoalbuminemia and significant weight loss were prognostic at p-values of 0.0005 and 0.0052, respectively. We noted a parabolic association between age and OS (p = 0.026, 0.0025). Conclusion In our study, some malnutrition parameters were associated with decreased OS. U-shape relationship between age and OS noted here warrants further evaluation.
Virtual versus In-Person Presentation as a Project Deliverable Differentially Impacts Student Engaged-Learning Outcomes in a Chemical Engineering Core Course

Over the past decade, the increasingly globalized society has continually redefined the qualities and skills of an ideal engineering graduate for industry and academic careers, and, more recently, in light of a global pandemic in 2020, the pedagogical environment has shifted toward a virtual classroom setting. Because the engineering and social challenges of the modern world are rapidly evolving, it is important to adapt teaching methods that reflect these changing times. An increasingly attractive teaching method in the engineering classroom is project-based learning (PBL), which is known to improve engaged-learning outcomes, such as creativity, risk taking, social responsibility, teamwork, self-confidence, and communication. However, it is still unclear how various PBL practices differentially impact these engaged-learning outcomes. Toward the goal of elucidating this, the impact of two different project formats, a virtual presentation versus an in-person presentation, was evaluated for a junior-level chemical engineering core course, Mass and Heat Transfer, over 2 years (248 students total). In surveys conducted after the projects were completed, students were asked to what degree the project improved each of the learning outcomes on a scale of 0 (no impact) to 10 (great impact). Data from these postproject surveys showed no statistically significant differences in impact on teamwork, self-confidence, and communication skills between the two groups. However, the virtual presentation had statistically significant greater positive impacts on student creativity [mean score: 8.9/10 (virtual) vs 7.7/10 (in-person); p < 0.001] and risk taking [mean score: 7.7/10 (virtual) vs 6.1/10 (in-person); p < 0.001], whereas the in-person presentation had a significantly more positive impact on social responsibility [mean score: 6.5/10 (in-person) vs 5.5/10 (virtual); p < 0.05]. Qualitative insights into these results were gathered from discussions with students in focus groups. The results of this study underscore the unique advantages associated with different presentation formats. From the perspective of the current transitions to online learning, the results suggest that changing project deliverables from an in-person to a virtual format may actually yield net gains in engaged-learning outcomes.
Basic emotion theory, social constructionism, and the universal ethogram:

While emotion researchers with an evolutionary and biological orientation increasingly agree that small sets of discrete emotions are basic or primary, other researchers – particularly social const...
Fibroadenomas in patients receiving oral contraceptives: a clinical and pathologic study.

54 fibroadenomas excised from women receiving oral contraceptives were compared with 54 fibroadenomas removed from other women before the availability of the pill. The specific pill preparations for 24 of the patients who used oral contraception were known: 21 combination formulas and 3 sequential formulas. The ratio of fibroadenomas to other lesions of the breast has been nearly the same in the oral contraceptive era (17.1%) as it was in the 5-year control period immediately preceding the availability of oral contraceptives (17.4%). Except for 4 tumors with acinar proliferation similar to that seen in fibroadenomas removed during pregnancy or lactation (rarely in nonpregnant patients) the gross and microscopic features of the fibroadenomas from contraceptive patients were qualitatively indistinguishable from those of control tumors. It is suggested that the patient with a fibroadenoma which appears during contraceptive use is the patient already predisposed to this condition and who might develop the condition without the pill. It is possible that the pill stimulates a preexisting lesion to grow and become clinically detectable earlier.
Sjögren's Syndrome in Children

Sjogren9s syndrome is a relatively uncommon condition in the pediatric age group. The clinical and immunological features of this disease in childhood have not been adequately described in the literature. Herein, we present details of the clinical features and results of laboratory investigations including minor salivary gland biopsy, parotid scintigraphy, and renal biopsy on two children with Sjogren9s syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Mapping of the carboxyl terminus within the tertiary structure of transducin's alpha subunit using the heterobifunctional cross-linking reagent, 125I-N-(3-iodo-4-azidophenylpropionamido-S-(2-thiopyridyl) cysteine.

Abstract A heterobifunctional cross-linking reagent, 125I-N-(3-iodo-4-azidophenylpropionamido-S-(2-thiopyridyl) cysteine (125-ACTP), has been synthesized. 125I-ACTP has been used to derivative reduced sulfhydryls of the retinal G protein, transducin (Gt), to form a mixed disulfide bond under mild, nondenaturing conditions (pH 7.4, 4 degrees C). The resulting disulfide was easily cleaved using reducing reagents. A 200-fold molar excess of 125I-ACTP relative to Gt resulted in the incorporation of 1-1.3 mol of the 125I-N-(3-iodo-4-azidophenylpropionamido)cysteine moiety of ACTP into Gt alpha. In contrast to 125I-ACTP, dithionitrobenzoate and dithiopyridone derivatized six sulfhydryls in native Gt. Incubation of a 10-fold molar excess of 125I-ACTP relative to Gt resulted in the derivatization of 0.75-0.9 and 0.1 mol of reduced sulfhydryls/mol Gt alpha and beta, respectively. Gt gamma was not derivatized by 125I-ACTP. Thus, Gt alpha was preferentially derivatized by 125I-ACTP. Tryptic digestion and amino acid sequencing of Gt alpha indicated that both Cys-347 near the carboxyl terminus and Cys-210 between the second and third consensus sequences forming the GTP-binding site were derivatized by 125I-ACTP in a ratio of approximately 70 and 30%, respectively. Thus, both Cys-210 and Cys-347 are labeled, even though derivatization by 125I-ACTP does not exceed 1 mol of SH/mol Gt alpha. It appears that derivatization of one sulfhydryl, either Cys-210 or Cys-347, excludes labeling of the second cysteine either by steric hindrance or induced conformational change making the second cysteine inaccessible to 125I-ACTP. Consistent with this finding was the observation that pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of Cys-347 inhibited 125I-ACTP derivatization of Cys-210. Derivatization of Gt alpha at either Cys-210 or Cys-347 by 125I-ACTP inhibited rhodopsin-catalyzed guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate binding to Gt, mimicking the effect of ADP-ribosylation of Cys-347 by pertussis toxin. ACTP contains a radioiodinated phenylazide moiety which, upon activation, can cross-link the derivatized cysteine to an adjacent polypeptide domain. Following reduction of the disulfide, the [125I] iodophenyl moiety will be transferred to the azide-inserted polypeptide. When photoactivation of the phenylazide moiety of 125I-ACTP after sulfhydryl derivatization was performed, insertion of the Cys-347 which contains Cys-210, was found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Personal Reflections in Transplantation

The distortions produced by personalized versions of events are well known and particularly well illustrated by a number of articles in both the older and more recent transplantation literature. Consequently, the student of history will be well advised to consult less biased accounts by younger workers such as the catalogue of landmarks in renal transplantation provided by Groth of Stockholm after his study of the written record and after discussions with most of the workers actually involved in the work done from 1950 onward.14 Nevertheless, it may be interesting to describe some of the problems of human organ transplantation as they were perceived at the time of our first clinical trials 15 years ago and subsequently. This has been done first by briefly and incompletely sketching the background that had evolved to 1961, the year before the first consistent successes began to be obtained with kidney transplantation. Second, the great advances starting in 1962 are described in the second section. Finally, unsolved or incompletely resolved problems that still exist 15 years later make up the final section.
An explanatory model of medical practice variation: a physician resource demand perspective

Practice style variation, or variation in the manner in which physicians treat patients with a similar disease condition, has been the focus of attention for many years. The research agenda is further intensified by the unrealistic assumption that by reducing variation, quality will be improved, costs will be reduced, or both. There is a wealth of literature that identifies differences in health care use of many kinds, in apparently similar communities. Attempts have been made by many scholars to identify the determinants of variation in terms of differences in the population characteristics (e.g. age, sex, insurance, etc.) and geographical characteristics (e.g. distance to provider, number of physicians, number of hospital beds, etc.). When significant differences in use rates prevail after controlling for differences in population characteristics, it is often attributed to ‘uncertainty’, or the fact that there is no consensus on what constitutes the optimum treatment process. It is suggested by this literature that the greatest variation can be found in the circumstances where there is the most ‘uncertainty’. In this work, a physician resource demand model is proposed in which it is suggested that, during the diagnosis and treatment process, physicians demand resources consistent with the clinical needs of the patients, modified by the intervening forces under which they practice. These intervening forces, or constraints, are categorized as patient agency constraints, organizational constraints and environmental constraints, which are characterized as ‘induced variation’. It is suggested that when all of the variables that constitute these constraints are identified, the remaining variance represents ‘innate variance’, or practice style differences. It is further suggested that the more completely this model is specified, the more likely area differences will be attenuated and the smaller will be the residual variance.
Signaling mechanisms that regulate saliva formation.

The precipitating event in the formation of saliva is the binding of neurotransmitter molecules to cell surface receptor proteins. The principal neurotransmitters involved are acetylcholine and norepinephrine that bind, respectively, to muscarinic-cholinergic, and a- and β-adrenergic receptors. The transduction of the extracellular signal requires an integral membrane protein capable of binding GTP, a G protein, that specifically interacts with the receptor. The components of G protein transduction systems are fairly well studied, but the pathways by which signals are routed are just being recognized. Delineation of such routing pathways is essential to understanding the regulation of saliva formation.
Proximal Gastric Vagotomy

As mentioned in Chap. 18, proximal gastric vagotomy without a drainage procedure has the smallest number of undesirable postoperative sequelae and the lowest mortality rate of any operation for duodenal ulcer. On the other hand, the incidence of recurrent ulcer after this procedure may reach 10% over the course of a 10-year follow-up period. Because many of the complications following drainage procedures and gastric resection can be extremely unpleasant — such as dumping, weight loss, and malabsorption — it may prove worthwhile to assume the risk of a 10% recurrence rate to avert all these complications.
Autogenous immunity to endogenous rna tumor virus. Differential reactivities of immunoglobulins m and g to virus envelope antigens.

The autogenous humoral immune response of mice to their endogenous leukemia virus has been examined in terms of the reactivities of individual classes of antibody present in normal B6C3F(1) serum. Whole serum and the immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG fractions of serum from animals of different age groups were compared by radioimmune precipitation assays and viral infectivity neutralization assays. Both IgM and IgG fractions were able to precipitate virus, although not as effectively as whole serum. Virus-specific antibody levels, as well as total antibody concentrations in whole serum, appeared to increase with age. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis analysis was performed with immune precipitates obtained when whole serum or 19 or 7S fractions from animals of different age groups were reacted with disrupted virus. The 19S antibody fraction reacted with three antigenic determinants on the viral envelope. These antigens have apparent molecular weights of 17,000, 43,000, and 68,000. The last two appear to be glycoproteins and may correspond to the M(2) and M(1) antigens. In contrast, the 7S component reacted only with the 17,000-molecular-weight protein. Neutralization assays against BALB:virus-2, a xenotropic endogenous mouse type C virus, revealed that 19S and whole serum but not the 7S fraction possessed neutralizing activity. These findings indicate that there are differential reactivities of IgM and IgG antibodies in normal serum of B6C3F(1) mice, with respect to both recognition of viral envelope antigens and neutralization of endogenous MuLV. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the autogenous humoral immune response is a systemic host function that may be important in the regulation of endogenous type C virus expression in vivo.
Comparisons of the effects of anesthesia and stress on release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, leptin, and nitric oxide in adult male rats.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates massive release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) together with nitric oxide (NO) and a lessor release of leptin. We hypothesized that other types of stress such as that of surgery might also release these cytokines and NO. Adult male rats were anesthetized with ketamine/acepromazine/xylazine anesthesia (9 0+2+6m g/ml, respectively) and an external jugular catheter was inserted for removal of blood samples (0.6 ml) at various times postoperatively. Plasma TNF- was almost undetectable in decapitated rats and was near zero immediately following the placement of the jugular catheter (time zero [t0]). As the rats awakened from anesthesia, there was a rise in TNF- at 30 min that peaked at 2 hr with a 400-fold increase and then precipitously declined 40-fold to a level still greater than zero at 3 hr. At 6 hr on the following morning, TNF- values were near zero, but following connection of tubing and withdrawal of the initial blood sample, there was a 100-fold increase 1 hr later, followed by a decline over the next 3 hr. In contrast, plasma [NO3/NO2] from decapitated rats was 117 µM. Values at t0 were decreased and plummeted 4-fold within 30 min, then rose slightly in the ensuing 3 hr. At 6 hr on the next day [NO3/NO2] values were lower than at t0 and declined gradually during the next 4 hr. Leptin gradually declined from pre-operative concentrations, reaching a minimum at 3 hr and its concentration was unaffected by the bleeding stress of the second day. We conclude that release of TNF- ,[ NO 3/NO2], and leptin are neurally controlled since plasma levels of all three declined as a result of anesthesia. TNF- secretion was remarkably stress responsive, whereas NO release appeared to be suppressed by the combined operative and bleeding stress, and leptin was stress unresponsive.