cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using palaeontological data to assess mammalian community structure: Potential aid in conservation planning

Abstract Taxon-free metrics of biodiversity health are crucial for present and future conservation efforts in the face of current global change. We investigated the distribution of species in combined diet and body size functional groups over the past 16 Ma in the Northern Great Plains to establish a pre-Holocene (before 11,000 ya, when humans arrived in North America) and pre-industrial baseline (11,000–500 ya) of this measure of community structure. Functional group distributions were compared on two scales to gauge the impact of time-averaging on patterns of community structure change: 1) North American Land Mammal Ages (NALMAs), and 2) individual diverse localities. Distributions were statistically compared using pairwise Fisher's exact tests with Monte Carlo P-value simulations and Holm P-value adjustment, and qualitatively assessed using correspondence analysis. When averaged over entire NALMAs, major changes in functional group distribution only take place in the Hemphillian, and at the start of the Holocene. Locality-level patterns also indicate long periods of stasis in the metric (Barstovian–Clarendonian and Hemphillian–Holocene). A threshold of global climate change is one possible explanation for the change that began in the Hemphillian, but further study is needed in that regard. Extinction of megaherbivores (> 44 kg) is the primary driver of apparent differences between the Holocene and previous time periods. Although the extent of time-averaging and other taphonomic biases affect the details of observable patterns per time period, overall, proportional diversity of functional groups is a promising metric for assessing mammalian community health because it is remarkably stable through time and changes only with major external perturbations to ecosystems.
Antibodies against human putamen in children with Tourette syndrome

Background Similar to the model for Sydenham9s chorea, antineuronal antibodies, which develop in response to a preceding streptococcal infection, have been speculated to have a role in the development of Tourette syndrome (TS). Methods Serum antibodies against human caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus (interna and externa) were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot techniques and results were correlated with clinical characteristics and markers of streptococcal infection. Subjects A total of 41 children with TS (mean age, 11.3 years) and 39 controls (mean age, 12.1 years) were included. Results Compared with controls, TS subjects had a significant increase in the mean ( p = 0.006) and median ( p = 0.002) ELISA optical density (OD) levels of serum antibodies against putamen, but not caudate or globus pallidus. Western blots on 20 control and 20 TS serum samples showed that specific antibodies to caudatelputamen occurred more frequently in TS subjects at 83, 67, and 60 kDa; antigens were present in a synaptosomal fraction. TS subjects with a positive family history of tics had higher OD values ( p ≤ 0.04), but no association was shown with age of tic onset, tic severity, sudden onset of tics, or presence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Risk ratio calculations in TS and control groups and in study subjects dichotomized for high and low putamen OD values were similar for titers of antistreptolysin O ≥166 or antideoxyribonuclease B ≥ 170. A subgroup analysis limited to subjects with elevated streptococcal titers, however, showed a significantly ( p ≥ 0.004) larger number of TS subjects with elevated OD levels. Conclusion Children and adolescents with TS had significantly higher serum levels of antineuronal antibodies against putamen than did controls, but their relation to clinical characteristics and markers for streptococcal infection remains equivocal.
Leading Lyapunov Vectors of a Turbulent Baroclinic Jet in a Quasigeostrophic Model

Leading Lyapunov exponents and vectors are calculated for a turbulent baroclinic jet in a quasigeostrophic model with O(105) degrees of freedom. The leading exponent is close to 0.4 day 21, and the unstable subspace has dimension between 30 and 40. The leading Lyapunov vectors exhibit a strong correlation of their potential vorticity (PV) with the PV gradients of the unperturbed flow. These perturbations do not, however, appear to be instabilities of smaller scale on the turbulent flow. Instead, they share the scales of the flow itself (at least if measured along PV contours) and often simply represent local phase shifts or displacements of existing features in the flow. Singular vectors constrained to the subspace of Lyapunov vectors are also calculated. Maximum amplification factors over 2 days are, on average, about 6, 7.5, and 9 (compared to the factor of 2 implied by the leading exponent) for subspaces of the leading 20, 35, and 60 Lyapunov vectors, respectively.
Supertagging with Factorial Hidden Markov Models

Factorial Hidden Markov Models (FHMM) support joint inference for multiple sequence prediction tasks. Here, we use them to jointly predict part-of-speech tag and supertag sequences with varying levels of supervision. We show that supervised training of FHMM models improves performance compared to standard HMMs, especially when labeled training data is scarce. Secondly, we show that an FHMM and a maximum entropy Markov model in a single step co-training setup improves the performance of both models when there is limited labeled training data. Finally, we find that FHMMs trained from tag dictionaries rather than labeled examples also perform better than a standard HMM.
Chemical Applications of Low Temperature Infrared Spectroscopy — An Overview

The effect of low temperatures an infrared spectra have been investigated for nearly 4o years, but only in the last few years has it become a common technique. Although many of the effects noted are well-understood, it has become apparent recently, that there remain many unexplained phenomena which occur in various compounds. These appear to be related to the dynamics of crystalline state, another field which is just beginning to be understood.
Radiation Hormesis: Historical and Current Perspectives

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a better understanding of radiation hormesis, the investigational research that supports or does not support the theory, and the relationship between the theory and current radiation safety guidelines and practices. The concept of radiation hormesis is known to nuclear medicine technologists, but understanding its complexities and the historical development of the theory may bring about a better understanding of radiation safety and regulations.
The Activity of Escherichia coli Chaperone SurA Is Regulated by Conformational Changes Involving a Parvulin Domain

ABSTRACT The periplasmic chaperone SurA is critical for the biogenesis of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and, thus, the maintenance of membrane integrity in Escherichia coli. The activity of this modular chaperone has been attributed to a core chaperone module, with only minor importance assigned to the two SurA peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) domains. In this work, we used synthetic phenotypes and covalent tethering to demonstrate that the activity of SurA is regulated by its PPIase domains and, furthermore, that its activity is correlated with the conformational state of the chaperone. When combined with mutations in the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM), SurA mutations resulting in deletion of the second parvulin domain (P2) inhibit OMP assembly, suggesting that P2 is involved in the regulation of SurA. The first parvulin domain (P1) potentiates this autoinhibition, as mutations that covalently tether the P1 domain to the core chaperone module severely impair OMP assembly. Furthermore, these inhibitory mutations negate the suppression of and biochemically stabilize the protein specified by a well-characterized gain-of-function mutation in P1, demonstrating that SurA cycles between distinct conformational and functional states during the OMP assembly process. IMPORTANCE This work reveals the reversible autoinhibition of the SurA chaperone imposed by a heretofore underappreciated parvulin domain. Many β-barrel-associated outer membrane (OM) virulence factors, including the P-pilus and type I fimbriae, rely on SurA for proper assembly; thus, a mechanistic understanding of SurA function and inhibition may facilitate antibiotic intervention against Gram-negative pathogens, such as uropathogenic Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Shigella, and Salmonella. In addition, SurA is important for the assembly of critical OM biogenesis factors, such as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) transport machine, suggesting that specific targeting of SurA may provide a useful means to subvert the OM barrier.
Differential methylation analysis for BS-seq data under general experimental design

MOTIVATION DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification with important roles in many biological processes and diseases. Bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) has emerged recently as the technology of choice to profile DNA methylation because of its accuracy, genome coverage and higher resolution. Current statistical methods to identify differential methylation mainly focus on comparing two treatment groups. With an increasing number of experiments performed under a general and multiple-factor design, particularly in reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, there is a need to develop more flexible, powerful and computationally efficient methods. RESULTS We present a novel statistical model to detect differentially methylated loci from BS-seq data under general experimental design, based on a beta-binomial regression model with 'arcsine' link function. Parameter estimation is based on transformed data with generalized least square approach without relying on iterative algorithm. Simulation and real data analyses demonstrate that our method is accurate, powerful, robust and computationally efficient. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION It is available as Bioconductor package DSS. CONTACT yongpark@pitt.edu or hao.wu@emory.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Infraspecific Relationships of Bats of the Species Myotis Austroriparius

Variation in color and mensural characters, ascribed as diagnostic in the original descriptions of the subspecies of Myotis austroriparius, are of no value in assigning specimens to infraspecific taxa. Variation in this species is non-clinal; the species appears to be comprised of a mosaic of demes. Therefore, it should be considered monotypic.
College Readiness and College Completion at Broad Access Four-Year Institutions:

Many students arrive at college unprepared to do college-level work, facing a host of college readiness assessments and developmental education coursework. In this article, we examine how a student’s readiness to take college classes upon entry to the university is related to four longer term postsecondary outcomes. We utilize a unique longitudinal dataset of the census of first-time freshmen at the nation’s largest public 4-year state postsecondary system to describe differences by campus and across college majors. In addition we explore the use of one measure that the system does not currently use to determine readiness—high school grade point average—and its relationship with both the existing readiness measure and postsecondary outcomes. Our results indicate that grade point average can be a useful predictor of college success above and beyond the readiness measure.
Serum lactic dehydrogenase activity in experimental endotoxic shock.

Summary1. Marked elevations of serum LDH activity are described in rabbits given Escherichia coli endotoxin intravenously. Elevations reached 6 to 50 times the initial values. 2. Alterations in LDH activity of rabbits in endotoxic shock resemble those seen in hemorrhagic shock.
Tactical Maneuvering on Omnibus Bills in Congress

Omnibus legislating is a standard part of the congressional landscape altering traditional lawmaking in important ways. Yet we know little about it. Omnibus bills are almost always enacted into law. An important question, therefore, is, Why do leaders attach some bills to these measures and not others? I examine this question by developing and testing three sets of plausible explanations of omnibus packaging (one based on the leader-member relationship, a second based on the Congresspresident relationship, and a third based on environmental factors). I present an original definition of omnibus legislation and analyze the omnibus attachment process from 1979 to 1994. I find that leaders, members, and the president all accrue benefits from omnibus legislation. Consistent with the arguments of legislative scholars and political observers, a tough budgetary situation and divided government increase the likelihood of omnibus usage. Issue fragmentation within the committee system, however, provides the strongest contextual impact. C ongressional leaders employ a number of tactics to assemble legislative coalitions in the face of legislators' multidimensional preferences. Three key tactics utilized are (1) the ordering of alternatives in committee and on the floor (e.g., Baron and Ferejohn 1989; Denzau and Mackay 1983; Romer and Rosenthal 1978; McKelvey 1976); (2) the use of closed rules in the House limiting the acceptance of amendments once the legislation leaves the committee (e.g., Bach and Smith 1988; Binder 1997; Dion 1997; Fiorina 1987); and (3) the unification of diverse measures within a single large bill, or omnibus legislating. Much legislative research addresses the ordering of alternatives and the use of the closed rule. In contrast, the omnibus tactic is less intensely scrutinized. Several scholars conclude that an important recent change in the legislative process is the move to omnibus legislating (Baumgartner et al. 1997; Mayhew 1991; Oleszek 1996; Sinclair 1995, 1997; Smith 1989).1 This institutional change is important for two main reasons. First, when leaders utilize the omnibus tactic, they alter the time-honored legislative process. Omnibus packages are often fast-tracked through committees with less consideration than typical bills. Once assembled by leaders, omnibus packages are treated as one piece of legislation, seriously restricting the choices available to members on the floor. Members must "take-it-or-leave-it" and are seldom aware of the details contained in omnibus bills (Sinclair 1997; Smith 1989). Second, omnibus packages present a viable alternative legislative route for policy entrepreneurs pushing legislation. Legislative leaders behave strategically and attempt to assemble omnibus bills that will succeed. Evidence suggests that they are successful; over 98 percent of the omnibus bills identified in this study were enacted. Hence, omnibus attachments almost al-
CLOZAPINE TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS RESISTANT TO NEUROLEPTIC TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HUNTINGTON'S CHOREA

We report here a patient with HD and secondary psychotic depression who failed to respond to conventional treatments and was treated with clozapine, with modest but definite clinical improvement in both psychotic and depressive symptoms but without effect on the abnormal movements
Ultraviolet spectrophotometric analysis of barbiturates: evaluation of potential interferences.

Twenty drugs, including salicylic acid and sulfonamides, were studied to determine whether they interfered with the ultraviolet spectrophotometric analysis of barbiturates. These were drugs which have been cited as possibly or probably interfering with this type of analysis. Only p-aminophenol, which would not be expected in blood in the free form, interfered. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry is suitable for the emergency analysis of barbiturates in the hospital laboratory. It is recommended that the method selected utilize extraction at neutral pH, and differential spectrophotometry in which equal concentrations of drugs at pH 13 and pH 10 are compared directly with a single scan. The net difference between the absorbances measured at wavelengths of 260 nm. and 240 nm. is least subject to interference and can be used for quantification. At these wavelengths interference from other drugs is rare.
The use of cholesterol-4-C14-labeled lipoproteins as a tracer for plasma cholesterol in the dog

A method is described for labeling lipoprotein cholesterol with cholesterol-4-C14. The specific activity of the labeled cholesterol is equal in low and high density lipoproteins, and none of the label is associated with other serum proteins. Lipoproteins labeled in this manner were used to define the quantity of cholesterol that exchanges with plasma free cholesterol in 30 hours. This quantity is approximately three times the amount of cholesterol contained in blood plasma, red blood cells, and liver.
A case of Acute Myocarditis from Campylobacter Jejuni Enterocolitis

Dear Editor, Campylobacter Jejuni (C. Jejuni) is the most common cause of infectious enterocolitis in the developed world, with an annual incidence as high as 1 in 1000 in the developed world and about 2.5 million cases per year in the United States with male gender predominance (1-4). Campylobacter-associated myocarditis (CAM) is a very rare and potentially life-threatening complication of C. Jejuni enterocolitis (CEC). The majority of cases include a subtle history of abdominal pain and diarrhea that progressively worsens. Chest pain and shortness of breath follow in most cases of myocarditis5,6. We present a case of CAM mimicking acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and treated successfully with antibiotic and supportive care. We hope to increase awareness of this rare, but potentially fatal complication.
Towns and Patriarchal Qans in Huizhou During the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Most previous researches on towns that existed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties concentrate on the economically advanced plain areas in the Lower Changjiang Delta, with less attention paid to such mountainous towns as those in Huizhou. The writer of this paper has noticed that after the middle period of the Ming Dynasty the gradual prosperity of Yan Town, a representative town in Huizhou, was most likely related to the growth of a powerful branch of a patriarchal clan which was based in Yan Town. Thus, unlike plain - based towns, the towns in Huizhou became a miniature of Huizhou rural society in terms of patriarchal culture, showing their own characteristics. Researches into towns and patriarchal clans in Huizhou contribute to the deepening of researches on the histories of metropolitan cities in China, thus expanding the scope of researches into towns.
Ultrasonographic assessment on cardiovascular function in donor fetus of twin-twin transfusion syndrome

Objective To observe the value of 2D and color Doppler ultrasonography in assessing cardiac function of donor fetus in twin-twin transfusion syndrome(TTTS) pregnancies.Methods Seventeen TTTS pregnancies and 19 normal monochorionic diamniotic pregnancies(controls) were enrolled.Cardiac function of donor fetus and Doppler patterns of the umbilical artery,umbilical vein,ductus venosus and myocardial performance index of both ventricles were assessed.Results Absent or reversed diastolic blood flow in umbilical artery was found in 7 donor fetus.One donor fetus showed increased cardiothoracic ratio and pericardial effusion.Pulsatility index of the ductus venosus in donor fetus was significant higher than that of controls.Conclusion Mild cardiovascular abnormalities were found in donor fetus,and follow-up examination were helpful to the assessment of severity of this disease.
Differential effects of WEB 2086 and SRI 63-441 on TNF-alpha-induced alterations in cardiopulmonary function.

We hypothesized that platelet-activating factor (PAF) and cyclooxygenase products might be important mediators of the cardiopulmonary effects induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) in anesthe...
A program to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and promote health in nursing students

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in health care are estimated to cost between $24 billion and $64 billion each year. Nurses and nursing students are prone to occupational injuries because of repetitive movements and poor biomechanics. Recent data from the CDC indicates that such injuries are contributing to the ongoing nursing shortage, as well as, the 260,000 vacancies in the profession projected by 2025. Objective : This project has the potential to increase knowledge regarding prevention of injuries, decreasing stress on the body, maintaining muscular strength, and avoidance of physical pain related to MSDs. Purpose: To address the informational gap in nursing education concerning musculoskeletal injuries. Aims: 1) Offer educational modules for implementation into nursing curricula; 2) Provide examples of primary prevention interventions for nursing students to avoid MSDs; 3) Offer “correct vs. incorrect” body mechanics exemplars with a tool to evaluate mastery. Nursing education implications: This self-learning curriculum has the potential to fill the gap related to prevention of MSDs for students in nursing school and for practitioners in clinical settings.
The April Theses and The State and Revolution

Lenin arrived in Petrograd from political exile in Switzerland on April 3 (16), 1917. In the Bolshevik organ of Pravda on April 7 (20), 1917, he published his Bolshevik Party program for a revolutionary strategy that was to prevail until the Bolshevik seizure of political power on October 25 (November 7), 1917. Formally published as The Tasks of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution, the program is popularly known as Lenin’s April Theses (henceforth referred to as the April Theses).In Thesis (1) Lenin declared that “without overthrowing capital it is impossible to end the war by a truly democratic peace, a peace not imposed by violence.” 1 This first thesis has reference to the shift in emphasis from Great Russian chauvinism as the Tsarist motivation for Russia’s participation in the war to the Kadet capitalist profits as a bourgeois partner in Anglo-French imperialist capital. In Thesis (3) Lenin added that Bolsheviks must expose the “illusion-breeding ‘demand’ that this government, a government of capitalists, should cease to be an imperialist government.” 2 From this, Lenin argued that the Provisional Revolutionary Government must be completely deposed with the call of: “All Power to the Soviets.”
Synthesis of porous yttria-stabilized zirconia microspheres by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Abstract High yield synthesis of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) porous microspheres can enable application in advanced thermal barrier coatings, exploiting reflective properties originated from high temperature photonics. The complexity of typical wet-chemistry processes utilized in microspheres manufacturing limits yield and can hardly deliver stable porous structures. Here, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis was utilized to produce high quantities of porous YSZ. Droplets of an aqueous precursor solution were dragged with continuous air flow into a furnace kept at temperatures varying from 700 to 1200 °C. Spherical fully cubic zirconia particles were obtained in all processing conditions, and the sizes of the spheres decreased as a function of the processing temperature, ranging from 484 to 373 nm (average diameters), while their crystallite sizes had an inverse trend, ranging from 4.9 to 25.2 nm. This was attributed to higher temperatures activating coarsening of the spheres.
Introduction: Chinese-language ecocinema

This article is a short introduction to the genealogy, theory and practice of Chinese ecocinema. It situates Chinese ecocinema in the broad context of a general ecological and environmental turn in...
Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic and Absorption Modeling for Osmotic Pump Products

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and absorption modeling approaches were employed for oral extended-release (ER) drug products based on an osmotic drug delivery system (osmotic pumps). The purpose was to systemically evaluate the in vivo relevance of in vitro dissolution for this type of formulation. As expected, in vitro dissolution appeared to be generally predictive of in vivo PK profiles, because of the unique feature of this delivery system that the in vitro and in vivo release of osmotic pump drug products is less susceptible to surrounding environment in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract such as pH, hydrodynamic, and food effects. The present study considered BCS (Biopharmaceutics Classification System) class 1, 2, and 3 drug products with half-lives ranging from 2 to greater than 24 h. In some cases, the colonic absorption models needed to be adjusted to account for absorption in the colon. C max (maximum plasma concentration) and AUCt (area under the concentration curve) of the studied drug products were sensitive to changes in colon permeability and segmental GI transit times in a drug product-dependent manner. While improvement of the methodology is still warranted for more precise prediction (e.g., colonic absorption and dynamic movement in the GI tract), the results from the present study further emphasized the advantage of using PBPK modeling in addressing product-specific questions arising from regulatory review and drug development.
Do Pertussis Vaccines Protect Against Bordetella parapertussis

We calculated the effectiveness of pertussis vaccine in preventing parapertussis among Oregon children 2 months to 10 years of age using 2 methods. During 2011-2016, the 2 VE methods found 66% (95% CI, 59-75%) and 82% (95% CI, 69-90%) effectiveness against parapertussis. Pertussis vaccine may induce cross-immunity.
Bond Portfolio Holding Period Return Decomposition

Bond portfolio holding period returns are decomposed into four macro components: horizon, spot rate, spread, and interaction. The spot rate and spread could be decomposed further based on modified duration, convexity, and cross-convexity, each of which could be further decomposed into three subcomponents tied to level, slope, and curvature. Applying a parsimonious version of this model to the Morningstar universe of bond funds explains approximately 56% of the variability of the returns. Thus, we provide a powerful approach to attribution of bond fund performance, aiding the many different stakeholders in their efforts to improve their decision-making process.
Characteristics of inner reading voices

This study examined the phenomenological characteristics of inner speech during silent reading (inner reading voices or IRVs), a type of inner speech that may be particularly amenable to empirical study. A survey was conducted in the general population to assess IRV frequency, location, number, identity, and controllability, and auditory qualities of IRVs. Of 570 survey respondents, 80.7% reported sometimes or always hearing an inner voice during silent reading, and the remaining 19.3% reported always understanding words being read without hearing an inner voice. Results indicated that IRVs are a routine experience for many, with 34.2% of respondents with IRVs hearing an IRV every time something was read, and 45% reporting an IRV often. Most respondents reported IRVs with specific auditory qualities such as gender, accent, pitch, loudness, and emotional tone. IRVs were reported in participants' own voices, as well as in the voices of other people. Some respondents reported being unable to control any aspect of their IRVs, while others could control one or several aspects. These results indicate that there is considerable individual variation in inner speech during silent reading.
Evaluation of the incorporation of lignocellulose nanofibrils as sustainable adhesive replacement in medium density fiberboards

Abstract Lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) were used as a resin adhesive replacement in fiberboards. The physico-mechanical properties of the panels were affected by the LCNF content and the press temperature. At any given temperature, modulus of rupture (MOR) and internal bond strength (IB) showed a linear relationship with increasing LCNF. A temperature of 180 °C and 20% LCNF content were the optimum processing conditions giving MOR value of 12.1 MPa, close to the minimal recommended for commercial fiberboards. The IB, the thickness swelling, and modulus of elasticity met the standard values. The boards containing thermomechanical pulp (TMP), LCNF and borate minerals showed densities varying between 550 and 610 kg/m 3 . However, the differential density between the core and surface was reduced as LCNF content increased. The three-dimensional LCNF network with an average particle diameter of 12 ± 3 nm promoted fibers bonding and allowed inter-fiber voids filling, as observed in SEM images. Press-temperatures greater than 180 °C could cause material degradation that lowered the mechanical properties of the fiberboards. LCNF displayed a good bonding ability and showed a promising perspective for adhesive replacement in fiberboards.
Activation of thrombin receptor increases intracellular Na+ during myocardial ischemia.

Recent evidence indicates that factors involved in the activation of the coagulation system eliciting an intracoronary thrombus may contribute importantly to arrhythmogenesis during acute myocardial ischemia. In the present study, the influence of the thrombin receptor activating peptide, SFLLRNPNDKYEPF (SFLL), on intracellular Na+ ([Na+]i) and tissue lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) content during ischemia was investigated in an isolated, blood-perfused rabbit papillary muscle preparation. During normoxic perfusion, [Na+]i, determined by an intracellular Na(+)-selective electrode, was 11.6 +/- 0.2 mM (n = 14) in the presence of a physiological concentration of LPC (125 microM) bound to albumin (control group). The addition of SFLL (100 microM, n = 12) to the LPC-containing perfusate had no significant additional effects on [Na+]i, twitch tension, action potential duration, or tissue LPC content. During zero flow ischemia, [Na+]i in the control group rose to 15.5 +/- 1.4 mM (P < 0.05) at 6 min, whereas [Na+]...
Cognition in Aging and Age-Related Disease

The ways in which cognition changes with aging can vary widely from person to person and from task to task. For many people, aging is associated with relatively little cognitive decline (“healthy” or “successful” aging). For some, memory declines significantly with age but does not prevent performance of daily activities (mild cognitive impairment (MCI)). For others, aging is associated with severe cognitive deficits that impede the ability to live independently (dementia). This article discusses the cognitive changes that accompany healthy aging and the theories put forth to explain them. These age-related declines are then contrasted with the ones that characterize MCI and dementia of the Alzheimer's type.
Food Security Improved Following the 2009 ARRA Increase in SNAP Benefits

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 increased benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) and expanded SNAP eligibility for jobless adults without children. One goal of the program changes was to improve the food security of low-income households. We find that food expenditures by low-income households increased by about 5.4 percent and their food insecurity declined by 2.2 percentage points from 2008 to 2009. Food security did not improve for households with incomes somewhat above the SNAP eligibility range. These findings, based on data from the nationally representative Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, suggest that the ARRA SNAP enhancements contributed substantially to improvements for low-income households.
Itch in Psoriasis: From Basic Mechanisms to Practical Treatments:

Itch is a common symptom among psoriasis patients, affecting up to 80% of patients. This article reviews recent advances in the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment options for pso...
Long-term consequences of maternal smoking and developmental chronic nicotine exposure.

Abstract Every year, a large number of children are exposed to smoking during pregnancy which increases the risk of decreased birth weight, fetal morbidity and behavioral abnormalities. Therefore, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is often considered as a treatment option. Despite a large number of epidemiological studies, there are conflicting reports about the long-term consequences of maternal smoking on cognitive function, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavioral abnormalities. Animal studies are also often contradicting with respect to the effects of developmental nicotine, the psychoactive ingredient in tobacco. After a critical review of the literature, it appears that 1) maternal smoking causes low birth weight and nicotine, seems play a significant role in reducing body weight; 2) maternal smoking and developmental nicotine exposure have only minor effects on cognitive functions in children or animals, respectively; 3) maternal smoking is a risk factor for ADHD, but a causal link between nicotine and hyperactivity is not well established; 4) developmental nicotine increases anxiety-like behavior in animals but it remains to be seen if maternal smoking or NRT, would have similar long-term effects in children. Future studies should address if nicotine is involved in the increased risk to develop ADHD and how developmental nicotine leads to increased anxiety.
Protecting the Rights of All Children: Using What We Know

The unanimous adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the UN General Assembly on November 1989, followed by its entry into force on September 2, 1990, wrote into law internationally recognized standards for children’s rights and protection. As the 20th anniversary of the almost wholesale international ratification of CRC approaches (the United States alone continues to withhold its endorsement), we can see that writing a commitment into law and upholding and enacting law are not always synonymous. The care and protection of children remains a global imperative and their welfare is, if anything, more precarious than ever. Using the four key principles of CRC—Non-discrimination; Best interests of the child; Right to life, survival and development; Views of the child;—as analytic lenses, this concluding chapter reflects upon each essay in this volume to render visible the multiple meanings, as well as the power, of each principle in the lives of children, and illuminate possible actions adults—parents, families, teachers, educators, citizens—might take to uphold these principles in their struggle to preserve children’s rights.
Scanning Technique for Cardiac CTA in Infants and Small Children

To fully utilize the advantages of cardiac CTA, it is important to consider radiation exposure and to optimize scanning techniques. Recent advances in multidetector CT (MDCT) technology have revolutionized cardiovascular imaging in children with complex congenital heart disease. For infants with congenital heart disease, ECG-gated cardiac CTA is the modality of choice for imaging the coronary arteries, airway, and extracardiac vascular structures. Fast scanning times and high-quality evaluation of both complex cardiac and coronary anatomy have enabled CTA to aid in patient management and treatment planning. Currently, there are two accepted cardiac CTA scanning techniques for infants with congenital heart disease: retrospective and prospective ECG-gated scanning.
Axel Honneth and the Tradition of Radical Reformism

In response to critics who have taken issue with what they understand as a turn away from the radical political potential of the early Frankfurt School in his critical theory of recognition, Axel Honneth’s The Idea of Socialism continues the tradition of “radical reformism” established by Jurgen Habermas in his early work, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and, more extensively, in his writings on the German student movement of the 1960s. In this chapter, I explore their ideas and contrast them with Andre Gorz’s A Strategy for Labour. I then move on to two theorists whose work has strongly influenced Honneth’s variant of socialism: John Dewey’s Liberalism and Social Action and T. H. Marshall’s evolving narrative of the relationship between capitalism and the welfare state. I posit that Honneth’s “socialism” remains constricted by a theoretical framework inherited by Habermas, suggesting that the “emancipatory intent” of the Frankfurt School and its current methodological paradigm(s) are difficult to reconcile and highlight the importance of the individual theorist’s pre-scientific commitment.
Slenderness in abelian categories

In our paper [2] we have characterized slender torsion free modules over domains, by means of their submodules and certain Hom-sets. This note extends many of those results to arbitrary abelian categories with products and coproducts.
The Impact of the Revised WIC Food Package on Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Postpartum

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutritional support for pregnant and postpartum women and young children. The typical food package provided to recipient families was revised in October 2009 to include more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk. Little is known about whether these revisions improved nutrition among women during this critical period of the life course. We conducted a quasiexperimental difference-in-differences analysis, comparing WIC recipients ("treatment" group) before and after the WIC policy change, while accounting for temporal trends among nonrecipients ("control" group). We examined nutritional outcomes among a cohort of 1,454 women recruited during pregnancy in 2006-2011 in Memphis and surrounding Shelby County, Tennessee. We found improvements in several measures of dietary quality and nutrient intake during pregnancy, although these did not persist into the postpartum period. Results were robust to numerous sensitivity analyses. At a time when federal WIC funding is threatened, this study provides some of the first evidence of the benefits of recent WIC revisions among low-income women.
Hybrid minimally invasive/open approach versus total minimally invasive approach for rectal cancer resection: short- and long-term results

To reduce the technical challenges of a totally minimally invasive approach (TMA) and to decrease the morbidity associated with open surgery, a hybrid minimally invasive/open approach (HMOA) has been introduced as a surgical technique for rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative results and long-term oncologic outcomes between hybrid minimally invasive/open approach and totally minimally invasive approach in patients who underwent rectal resection for cancer. All patients with rectal cancer undergoing a totally minimally invasive approach or hybrid minimally invasive/open approach proctectomy between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative outcomes were collected from a prospectively maintained institutional database. Among 283 patients, 138 (48.8%) underwent a hybrid minimally invasive/open approach and 145 (51.2%) a totally minimally invasive approach. Preoperative characteristics were similar between groups except for distance from the anal verge, which was lower in totally minimally invasive approach group (50.7% vs 29%; p = 0.0008). Length of stay (LOS) was significantly longer in the hybrid minimally invasive/open approach group (6.4 vs 4.3; p = < 0.0001). The median follow-up was 29.6 (14–40.6) months. Overall survival and disease-free survival were not significantly different between groups. Compared with a hybrid minimally invasive/open approach, a totally minimally invasive approach has a shorter length of stay and may improve short-term outcomes in patients undergoing proctectomy for cancer.
The Assessment Process

The clinical skill required to properly administer an intelligence test cannot be overemphasized. Clinical skill is especially needed when assessing children, since they are highly influenced by adult behavior. The psychologist who acquires the necessary knowledge to use intelligence tests but not the requisite clinical skill is ill prepared. This individual will find intelligence testing to be arduous, unrewarding, and perhaps punishing. The clinician who is skilled in interacting with children will be capable of making the often stilted test directions used by some intelligence tests seem like ordinary conversation to a child. She will make the intellectual evaluation a pleasant experience for the child rather than an onerous one.
Placing skin cells on the assembly line for cardiac repair

Human skin fibroblasts engineered to enhance β-catenin and Gata4 expression secrete vesicles that repair cardiac and skeletal muscle injuries in mice.
Research progress on microRNA in pediatric B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma

microRNA (miRNA) is a recently discovered class of new noncoding small RNA molecules,they play key regulatory roles in the genesis,development and prognosis of lymphatic and hematopoietic tumours.This review presents the update on miRNA biogenesis,functionary mechanism and their.role in pediatric B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma. Key words: MicroRNAs; Leukemia; Lymphoma
Time for sperm eg(g)alitarianism

The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice —Bertrand Russell
Synergistic induction of IL-23 by TNFα, IL-17A, and EGF in keratinocytes

IL-23 is an inflammatory cytokine that plays an essential role in Th17 immunity by enhancing Th17 cell proliferation and survival, and Th17 cytokine production. IL-23 has pathogenic roles in the development of Th17-mediated inflammatory diseases including psoriasis. Despite successful treatment of psoriasis by blocking IL-23, the regulation of IL-23 expression in psoriasis patients is largely unknown. Dendritic cells are generally considered to be the primary source of IL-23 in psoriasis. While high levels of IL-23 are found in psoriatic epidermis, IL-23 expression in psoriatic keratinoctyes remains a controversial issue. In this study, we demonstrated that IL-23 production is induced by a combination of TNFα and IL-17A in human keratinocytes. Additionally, this IL-23 induction by TNFα and IL-17A is further increased in psoriatic keratinocytes and is enhanced by EGFR signaling. Although IL-23 is also robustly induced by toll-like receptor agonists in dendritic cells and macrophages, IL-23 expression in these cell types is not regulated by TNFα, IL-17A, and EGFR signaling. Given that IL-23 is essential for maintaining Th17 activation, IL-23 induction by TNFα, IL-17A, and EGF in keratinocytes could play an important pathological role in psoriasis pathogenesis as well as the cutaneous rash associated with EGFR inhibition therapy.
The Effects of Fraud and Going-Concern Risk on Auditor’s Assessments of Material Misstatement and Resulting Audit Procedures

This study uses audit file data to analyze the association between the auditors' preliminary assessments of going-concern and fraud risk and the planning and performance of the financial statement audit. We analyze the association between the above risks and the auditor's assessment of the risk of material misstatement (RMM) within the revenue cycle, and examine whether going-concern and fraud risk assessments have an effect on the persuasiveness, timing and extent of audit evidence gathered. Our results indicate that both fraud risk and going-concern risk are significantly related to RMM. Our results also indicate that although the effect of fraud risk is fully mediated by the RMM, moderate going-concern risk remains significantly related to our proxies for the persuasiveness and timing of audit evidence, even after controlling for RMM.
Elevated glucosylsphingosine in Gaucher disease induced pluripotent stem cell neurons deregulates lysosomal compartment through mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in GBA1, the gene that encodes lysosomal β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase). Mild mutations in GBA1 cause type 1 non-neuronopathic GD, whereas severe mutations cause types 2 and 3 neuronopathic GD (nGD). GCase deficiency results in the accumulation of glucosylceramide (GlcCer) and glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph). GlcSph is formed by deacylation of GlcCer by the lysosomal enzyme acid ceramidase. Brains from patients with nGD have high levels of GlcSph, a lipid believed to play an important role in nGD, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. To identify these mechanisms, we used human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from nGD patients. We found that elevated levels of GlcSph activate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1), interfering with lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy, which were restored by incubation of nGD neurons with mTOR inhibitors. We also found that inhibition of acid ceramidase prevented both, mTOR hyperactivity and lysosomal dysfunction, suggesting that these alterations were caused by GlcSph accumulation in the mutant neurons. To directly determine whether GlcSph can cause mTOR hyperactivation, we incubated wild-type neurons with exogenous GlcSph. Remarkably, GlcSph treatment recapitulated the mTOR hyperactivation and lysosomal abnormalities in mutant neurons, which were prevented by coincubation of GlcSph with mTOR inhibitors. We conclude that elevated GlcSph activates an mTORC1-dependent pathogenic mechanism that is responsible for the lysosomal abnormalities of nGD neurons. We also identify acid ceramidase as essential to the pathogenesis of nGD, providing a new therapeutic target for treating GBA1-associated neurodegeneration.
Enhanced fin-effectiveness of micro-scale concentric-shape roughened target surface subjected to array jet impingement

Abstract Array jet impingement when combined with strategically placed short height ( 95%) without much penalty on pumping power. Advances in metal-powder-based additive manufacturing enables the printing of roughness scales (
An Electrochemical Study of the Effect of High Salt Concentration on Uniform Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Aqueous CO2 Solutions

Uniform CO2 corrosion of carbon steel facilities is often a major problem when handling produced water in the oil and gas fields. High amounts of dissolved salts are often present in produced water. A limited number of research studies has been conducted on the effect of salt concentration on uniform CO2 corrosion. In this study, the effect of NaCl concentration on uniform CO2 corrosion of X65 carbon steel was investigated in CO2 saturated aqueous solutions using a rotating cylinder system at 30oC, autogenous pH, and 1 bar total pressure in an NaCl concentration range of 0‒4.27 molality (m) (0‒20 wt.%). With increasing NaCl concentration, the corrosion rate increased sharply and reached its maximum value at ~ 0.17 m (1 wt.%) NaCl and then decreased with further increase in NaCl concentration. The observed trend in the corrosion rate with increasing NaCl concentration was primarily a consequence of the change in the cathodic limiting current density, which was the main factor controlling the rate of the overall corrosion process. The additional factor was the change in the rate of the anodic reaction with salt concentration.