cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combining the hok/sok, parDE, and pnd postsegregational killer loci to enhance plasmid stability

To enhance plasmid segregational stability in bacterial cells, two pairs of independent postsegregational killing loci (genes which induce host killing upon plasmid loss) isolated from plasmids R1, R483, or RP4 (hok+/sok+ pnd+ or hok+/sok+ parDE+) were cloned into a common site of the beta-galactosidase expression vector pMJR1750 (ptac::lacZ+) to form a series of plasmids in which the effect of one or two stability loci on segregational plasmid stability could be discerned. Adding two antisense killer loci (hok+/sok+ pnd+) decreased the specific growth rate by 50% though they were more effective at reducing segregational instability than hok+/sok+ alone. With the ptac promoter induced fully (2.0 mM isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside) and no antibiotic selection pressure, the combination of a proteic killer locus (parDE+) with antisense killer loci (hok+/sok+) had a negligible impact on specific growth rate, maintained high beta-galactosidase expression, and led to a 30 and 190% increase in segregational stability (based on stable generations) as compared to plasmids containing either hok+/sok+ or parDE+ alone, respectively. Use of hok+/sok+ or parDE+ alone with high cloned-gene expression led to ninefold and fourfold increases in the number of stable generations, respectively. Two convenient cloning cassettes have been constructed to facilitate cloning the dual hok+/sok+ parDE+ and hok+/sok+ pnd+ killer systems.
Simultaneous gas‐liquid interfacial mass transfer and uptake by small particles

The presence of active small particles, such as bacterial cells, in a liquid will affect the rate of gas-liquid interfacial mass transfer. A theoretical analysis of the situation is presented in this article.
Histochemical Observations on the Cortical Region of the Oocytes of Rana pipiens

]SUMMARY The cortical cytoplasm of the developing oocyte of Rana pipiens has been investigated by cytochemical means. Particular emphasis is placed on the nature and distribution of polysaccharide protein complexes. With toluidine blue O, both living and fixed mature oocytes were found to possess a distinct metachromatic region just under the developing vitelline membrane. Younger oocytes, at the previtelline-stage, did not exhibit metachromasia in this region. Comparative studies suggested a similarity of oocyte cortical metachromasia to that of mucoitin sulphuric acid. Oxidation by periodic acid and staining with the Schiff reagent or 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine or both, demonstrated reactive granules located in the cortex of both young and mature oocytes. The presence of more than one polysaccharide component was suggested. Hydrolysis with trypsin and chymotrypsin indicated that the proteins in the ectoplasmic region were more readily digestible than those in the endoplasm.
Non-Validity of the Genus Asporomyces

The imperfect yeast genus Asporomyces includes a single species, A. asporus described by Chaborski (1919). The essential points of the generic description given by Chaborski are as follows: The cells attempt conjugation by the formation of abortive conjugation tubes although ascospores are not formed. The species is characterized by fermenting glucose, sucrose, raffinose, maltose and inulin but not galactose, lactose, dextrin or soluble starch. This organism unfortunately was lost and hence has not been available for comparison with subsequently isolated cultures. In view of this Ciferri and Redaelli (1929) tentatively retained the genus in their treatment of the family Torulopsidaceae. They stated, "We reserve our final judgment until such time as we shall have been able to study this species directly in culture. Until then, we think it best to include it among the Torulopsidaceae, subfamily Torulopsideae because normally it has no mycelium." Lodder (1934) also retained the genus tentatively and made provision for it in her key of genera of the subfamily Torulopsoideae as follows:
Abstract 405: HTLV-1 infection of humanized SCID mice recapitulates adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) development

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent of Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), an aggressive CD4+/CD25+ T cell malignancy. The early molecular events induced by HTLV-1 infection as well as the role of various viral genes in the induction of leukemia remain unclear, predominantly due to the lack of an animal model that recapitulates ATLL development. We have previously demonstrated that HTLV-1 is capable of infecting human hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells (CD34+ HP/HSCs) and that infection of CD34+ HPCs has dramatically different biological effects in comparison to infection of mature T lymphocytes. To determine if HTLV-1 infection of CD34+ HP/HSCs recapitulates leukemogenesis in vivo, human hematopoiesis was reconstituted in NOD/SCID mice by injection of human CD34+ HPCs infected ex vivo with HTLV-1. Humanized NOD/SCID (HU-SCID) mice infected with HTLV-1 (HTLV-1-HU-SCID) consistently developed CD4+CD25+ T cell lymphomas with clinical characteristics associated with ATLL at ∼10 weeks post-reconstitution and show significantly elevated levels of HTLV-1 infected human CD4+ T cells in the thymus, mesenteric lymph node, spleen and peripheral blood. Lymphoma cells successfully engrafted in naive NOD/SCID mice when injected into the peritoneal cavity and maintain the expression of viral proteins, gp46env and p19gag. Moreover these infected mice showed hyperproliferation of infected human stem cells (CD34+CD38−) in the bone marrow suggesting that HP/HSCs represents viral reservoir target cells which maintain HTLV-1 infection for extended periods of time in vivo. We speculate that HTLV-1 infection of hematopoietic stem cells establishes a virally-infected “cancer stem cell” which subsequently gives rise ATL in patients. Notably, CD34+ HPCs isolated from HTLV-1 infected patient PBL demonstrate proviral integrations, suggesting that these cells harbor infection in humans. CD34+ HPCs transduced with a lentivirus vector expressing the HTLV-1 Tax gene (Tax1) also results in CD4+/CD25+ T cell leukemia/lymphoma in HU-SCID mice, suggesting that Tax1 expression is sufficient for lymphomagenesis. HTLV-1 infection of humanized NOD/SCID mice represents a novel in vivo model which recapitulates viral lymphomagenesis and provides a compelling system to investigate and characterize molecular events in human stem cells in the initiation and progression to ATLL. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 405.
Estimated Daily Protein Requirements of Laying Hens

Abstract Six experimental diets varying in protein content from 10.0 to 19.5% were fed to pullets in colony cages for a period of 36 weeks. The data were divided into three phases of 12 weeks for the purpose of evaluating the protein requirements. During each of the three phases a diet containing 14.6% protein was calculated to produce the optimum response in egg production and egg output. The calculated daily protein needs of the laying hens in this study was found to be 17.05, 17.84 and 14.94 gm. per day for the three phases to support egg production levels of 83.6, 78.1 and 69.3%, respectively. For the entire 36 weeks of the experiment 14.6% dietary protein was adequate to support an egg production rate of 77% at an average protein intake of 16.54 gm. per hen per day.
Dilate or debulk

In this first in a new series of informal dialogues on controversial and emerging topics in cardiac diagnosis and therapy, two internationally known investigators tally the relative merits of atherectomy and angioplasty for percutaneous therapy of coronary artery disease.
Repressive coping, stigmatization, psychological distress, and quality of life among behavioral weight management participants

Repressive coping has been associated with elevated risk of disease and negative health outcomes in past studies. Although a prior study of healthy men found that repression was associated with lower body mass index (BMI), no study has examined repressive coping among obese individuals. This study examined the relationship of repressive coping with BMI and obesity-relevant psychosocial factors among 104 overweight and obese participants in a behavioral weight management program. Participants completed questionnaires assessing repressive coping, stigmatization, psychological distress, and quality of life. BMI was objectively measured. Repressors reported lower stigmatization, anxiety, and depression as well as higher emotional and weight-related quality of life. Repressors and non-repressors had equivalent BMI and reported similar impairment in physical quality of life, but stigmatization moderated the relationship between repressive coping and physical quality of life (b=0.31, p=0.039), reflecting better physical quality of life among non-repressors with lower stigmatization. Obese individuals who engage in repressive coping may tend to underreport psychological symptoms, social difficulties, and impairments in quality of life. Higher physical quality of life among non-repressors with lower stigmatization may reflect a combined influence of coping and social processes in physical quality of life among obese individuals.
Bamboo Extract in the Prevention of Diabetes and Breast Cancer

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the property of bamboo extract (BEX) in preventing diabetes and breast cancer and its potential as a complementary and alternative therapeutic agent. The study was carried out with ethanol/water extract of bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) and it reports that the extract significantly reduced fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity and high fat diet-induced adiposity as well as hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia. It highlights the role of obesity in development of diabetes and shows the protective effect of BEX on palmitic acid induced lipotoxicity in mouse myoblast cells and confirms its lipo-detoxification function. Environmental pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are stated to be risk factors for breast cancer and the effect of BEX in PAHs induced breast cancer is investigated. The link between obesity and breast cancer is further analyzed and involvement of estrogen is stated. The pathways and molecular links between obesity and breast cancer are elaborated. The extract of bamboo is stated to be a highly promising anti-diabetic and anti-breast cancer nutraceutical.
The transferrin receptor

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure and function of transferrin receptor (TfR). It also discusses the role of TfR in cell proliferation, TfR as a diagnostic marker of disease, and heterogeneity of the TfR and TfR in other organisms. The transferrin receptor (TfR) is an excellent model system to study ligand–receptor interactions and receptor-mediated endocytosis, as well as being important in the delivery of iron to cells. Iron is essential to many processes within the cell. Transferrin (Tf) is the major iron-transport protein in the blood of a wide variety of vertebrates and invertebrates. The uptake of Tf into cells that are rapidly proliferating or that have a specialized requirement for iron is mediated by a specific plasma membrane receptor—the TfR. The TfR gene is 31 Kb and contains at least 19 introns. The mRNA is 4.9 Kb, 2.3 Kb of which codes for the TfR and the remaining 2.5 Kb is the 3' untranslated region. Chromosome mapping of the TfR revealed that it is located on human chromosome 3. More detailed mapping indicated that it is located on q26.2→qter. Two other iron proteins, Tf and p97, are also located on chromosome 3 in the same region.
The recovery index: A novel approach to measuring recovery and predicting remission in major depressive disorder.

Abstract Background Clinicians view “recovery” as the reduction in severity of symptoms over time, whereas patients view it as the restoration of premorbid functioning level and quality of life (QOL). The main purpose of this study is to incorporate patient-reported measures of functioning and QOL into the assessment of patient outcomes in MDD and to use this data to define recovery. Method Using the STAR*D study of patients diagnosed with MDD, this present analysis grades patients' MDD severity, functioning level, and QOL at exit from each level of the study, as well as at follow-up. Using Item Response Theory, we combined patient data from functioning and QOL measures (WSAS, Q-LES-Q) in order to form a single latent dimension named the Recovery Index. Results Recovery Index – a latent measure assessing impact of illness on functioning and QOL – is able to predict remission of MDD in patients who participated in the STAR*D study. Conclusions By incorporating functioning and quality of life, the Recovery index creates a new dimension towards measuring restoration of health, in order to move beyond basic symptom measurement.
Lichen elemental content bioindicators for air quality in upper Midwest, USA: A model for large-scale monitoring

Abstract Our development of lichen elemental bioindicators for a United States of America (USA) national monitoring program is a useful model for other large-scale programs. Concentrations of 20 elements were measured, validated, and analyzed for 203 samples of five common lichen species. Collections were made by trained non-specialists near 75 permanent plots and an expert near nine air monitoring sites. Flavoparmelia caperata (most frequent) and Physcia aipolia/stellaris between them represented the full range of local forest cover and pollution load. Evernia mesomorpha (values saturated at intermediate pollution), Parmelia sulcata , and Punctelia rudecta (both difficult for non-specialists) were less useful. Conversion models (GLM or regression) rendered elemental data equivalent between species. Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, N, and S, plus composite indexes from them, were linked with local air pollution based on correlations with directly measured N and particulate matter as well as from PCA; elements were weakly correlated with modeled pollution estimates. Lichen Hg had no other useful surrogates. Invoking multiple causation and scale-dependence helped address several issues of interpretation, for instance conflicting bioindicator value of Al and Fe from literature.
Penetrance of symbiont-mediated parthenogenesis is driven by reproductive rate in a parasitoid wasp

Trichogramma wasps are tiny parasitoids of lepidopteran eggs, used extensively for biological control. They are often infected with the bacterial symbiont Wolbachia, which converts Trichogramma to an asexual mode of reproduction, whereby females develop from unfertilized eggs. However, this Wolbachia-induced parthenogenesis is not always complete, and previous studies have noted that infected females will produce occasional males in the lab. The conditions that reduce penetrance of the parthenogenesis phenotype are not well understood. We hypothesized that more ecologically relevant conditions of limited host access will sustain female-biased sex ratios. After restricting access to host eggs, we found a strong relationship between reproductive rate and sex ratio. By limiting reproduction to one hour a day, wasps could sustain up to 100% effective parthenogenesis for one week, with no significant impact on total fecundity. Reproductive output in the first 24-hours appears to be critical to the total sex ratio of the entire brood. Limiting oviposition in that period resulted in more effective parthenogenesis after one week, again without any significant impact on total fecundity. Our data suggest that this phenomenon may be due to the depletion of Wolbachia when oviposition occurs continuously, whereas Wolbachia titers may recover when offspring production is limited. In addition to the potential to improve mass rearing of Trichogramma for biological control, findings from this study help elucidate the context-dependent nature of a pervasive symbiotic relationship.
Infinity-Rényi entropy power inequalities

An optimal ∞-Renyi entropy power inequality is derived for d-dimensional random vectors. In fact, the authors establish a matrix ∞-EPI analogous to the generalization of the classical EPI established by Zamir and Feder. The result is achieved by demonstrating uniform distributions as extremizers of a certain class of ∞-Renyi entropy inequalities, and then putting forth a new rearrangement inequality for the ∞-Renyi entropy. Quantitative results are then derived as consequences of a new geometric inequality for uniform distributions on Euclidean balls.
Variability in Weight Change Early in Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment: Theoretical and Clinical Implications

Objective Response early in weight loss treatment predicts long-term weight change. Weight variability, independent of absolute early weight change, may also relate to long-term outcomes. This study examined whether weight variability early in treatment predicted later weight loss and maintenance. Methods Participants were 183 completers of a yearlong behavioral weight loss program (mean age = 51, 81% female, 69% white, mean BMI = 35 kg/m2). Weight variability was calculated using weights from the first 6 and 12 weekly treatment sessions. Multiple linear regressions examined whether weight variability predicted subsequent weight change 6, 12, and 24 months later. Results Weight variability over 6- and 12-week periods predicted less subsequent weight loss at 12 months (6-week: β = 0.18, P = 0.02; 12-week: β = 0.33, P < 0.01) and 24 months (6-week: β = 0.17, P = 0.03; 12-week: β = 0.15, P = 0.05). Relationships held when adjusting for covariates. Weight variability was more strongly associated with 6-month weight change in men than women (β = 0.27, P = 0.01). Conclusions Elevated weight variability early in a weight loss program predicted poor long-term outcomes, possibly reflecting inconsistent weight control behaviors. Tracking weight variability could prove useful for improving treatment outcomes.
GENETICS OF ACYCLOGUANOSINE RESISTANCE AND THE THYMIDINE KINASE GENE IN HSV-1

ABSTRACT We have identified a locus of HSV-1 which, when mutated, confers resistance to acycloguanosine (ACG); this locus corresponds to the HSV thymidine kinase (TK) gene. ACG-resistant mutants exhibit reduced levels of HSV-specific TK activity, and the lower the TK activity, the greater the degree of ACG-resi stance. Moreover, in a conditionally resistant mutant, KG-111, resistance to ACG at 39° and sensitivity at 34° is associated with thermolabile TK activity. Eleven TK-, ACG-resistant mutants behaved in genetic crosses as alleles of a single locus mapping between the A and G loci on the HSV-1 strain KOS genetic map. Analysis of the fine structure of this locus in now possible with the aid of a recombinant plasmid bearing the KOS TK gene.
Alternatives to Hysterectomy: The Burden of Fibroids and the Quality of Life

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumor in reproductive-aged women. While the majority of women are asymptomatic, those with symptoms may suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding, infertility, pelvic pain or pressure, and urinary dysfunction. Fibroids represent a significant healthcare burden for women and society as a whole. Women with fibroids have compromised overall quality of life and impairment in many specific domains including work productivity, sexuality, self-image, relationships, and social emotional and physical well-being. Many women are reluctant to ask for help and delay seeking treatment. To date, myomectomy remains the gold standard for treating fibroid-related symptoms in reproductive-aged women. However, many less invasive uterine preserving approaches have been developed. Quality of life is improved in many women following treatment for fibroids. This article aims to provide an overview of the substantial impact of fibroids on health-related quality of life.
Fostering Impactful Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States funds Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs) for K-12 science teachers. The RET program seeks to provide science teachers with research experiences so they can provide enhanced science or engineering inquiry experiences for their students. One form of RET that focuses on science pedagogy has resulted in some promising changes in teachers’ thinking and lesson design. This case study examines how a cohort of ten secondary science teachers’ inquiry conceptions and lesson design changed after participating in a science pedagogy RET, and analyzes the relationship between the components of the program and changes seen in teachers’ inquiry conceptions and lessons. Significant changes in teachers’ inquiry conceptions and particularly their lessons were a result of teacher adoption of the inquiry-based instructional modeled during the science pedagogy RET. A theory of action is proposed for RET design that would better promote and support teacher learning and foster changes in classroom instruction.
Using Corpus‐Based Register Analysis to Explore the Authenticity of High‐Stakes Language Exams: A Register Comparison of TOEFL iBT and Disciplinary Writing Tasks

One of the central considerations in the validity argument for the TOEFL iBT is the relationship between the language on the exam and the language required for university courses. Corpus linguistics has recently been shown to be an effective way to explore this relationship, which can also be considered as an aspect of authenticity. Applying Multi‐Dimensional Analysis, our study is the first to directly compare the lexico‐grammatical characteristics of texts produced by second language writers on a high‐stakes standardized exam (the TOEFL iBT) to the characteristics of texts produced by the same writers for disciplinary writing tasks required as part of their academic career (e.g., lab reports, argumentative essays). Our findings show that the language of TOEFL iBT tasks have patterns of both similarity and difference from disciplinary tasks with respect to four linguistic dimensions of language use: (a) Compressed Procedural Information versus Stance toward the Work of Others, (b) Personal Stance, (c) Possible versus Completed Events, and (d) Information Density. Integrated iBT tasks show similarities to certain kinds of disciplinary tasks, while independent iBT tasks differ linguistically from almost all disciplinary writing tasks. These general patterns hold regardless of the score levels of test takers. We discuss the implications of these findings for language teaching and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Insulin therapy, weight gain and prognosis

Insulin therapy is mainly used by people with type 2 diabetes who have failed other therapies and have become insulin-deficient. This group represents about a quarter of all people with type 2 diabetes. Almost all those with type 2 diabetes who start insulin therapy or intensify it gain weight, which may potentially diminish the prognostic advantage of improved glycaemia. To date, all available guidelines emphasize both the attainment of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) goals and weight control, without directing the clinician as to which element is of a higher priority. The following review attempts to clarify the issue using the available literature. The body of evidence presented in this review indicates that glycaemic management with exogenous insulin replacement is of a much higher priority than weight gain. Lower weight or weight loss do not show prognostic benefit in advanced stages of diabetes; therefore, weight gain should not discourage providers from achieving and maintaining HbA1c goals with insulin therapy, regardless of insulin dosage or other medications.
Transcarotid artery revascularization versus transfemoral carotid artery stenting in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative.

Abstract Background Recent evidence from the Safety and Efficacy Study for Reverse Flow Used During Carotid Artery Stenting Procedure (ROADSTER) multicenter trial in high-risk patients undergoing transcarotid artery stenting with dynamic flow reversal reported the lowest stroke rate compared with any prospective trial of carotid artery stenting. However, clinical trials have selection criteria that exclude many patients from enrollment and are highly selective of operators performing the procedures, which limit generalizability. The aim of this study was to compare in-hospital outcomes after transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) and transfemoral carotid artery stenting (TFCAS) as reported in the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI). Methods The Society for Vascular Surgery VQI TCAR Surveillance Project (TSP) was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of TCAR in real-world practice. Data from the initial 646 patients enrolled in the TSP from March 2016 to December 2017 were analyzed and compared with those of patients who underwent TFCAS between 2005 and 2017. Patients with tandem, traumatic, or dissection lesions were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression and 1:1 coarsened exact matching were used to analyze neurologic adverse events (stroke and transient ischemic attacks [TIAs]) and in-hospital mortality. Patients in the two procedures were matched on age, ethnicity, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, prior coronary artery bypass graft or percutaneous coronary intervention, chronic kidney disease, degree of ipsilateral stenosis, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, symptomatic status, restenosis, anatomic and medical risk, and urgency of the procedure. Results Compared with patients undergoing TFCAS (n = 10,136), those undergoing TCAR (n = 638) were significantly older, had more cardiac comorbidities, were more likely to be asymptomatic, and were less likely to have a recurrent stenosis. The rates of in-hospital TIA/stroke as well as of TIA/stroke/death were significantly higher in TFCAS compared with TCAR (3.3% vs 1.9% [P = .04] and 3.8% vs 2.2% [P = .04], respectively). In both procedures, symptomatic patients had higher rates of TIA/stroke/death compared with asymptomatic patients (TCAR, 3.7% vs 1.4% [P = .06]; TFCAS, 5.3% vs 2.7% [P Conclusions Compared with patients undergoing TFCAS, patients undergoing TCAR had significantly more medical comorbidities but similar stroke/death rates and half the risk of in-hospital TIA/stroke/death. These results persisted despite rigorous adjustment and matching of potential confounders. This initial evaluation of the VQI TSP demonstrates the ability to rapidly monitor new devices and procedures using the VQI. Although it is preliminary, this is the first study to demonstrate the benefit of TCAR compared with TFCAS in real-world practice. These results need to be confirmed by a clinical trial.
Diffusion-driven fluid dynamics in ideal gases and plasmas

The classical transport theory based on Chapman-Enskog methods provides self-consistent approximations for the kinetic flux of mass, heat, and momentum in a fluid limit characterized with a small Knudsen number. The species mass fluxes relative to the center of mass, or “diffusive fluxes,” are expressed as functions of known gradient quantities with kinetic coefficients evaluated using similar analyses for mixtures of gases or plasma components. The sum over species of the diffusive mass fluxes is constrained to be zero in the Lagrange frame, and thus results in a non-zero molar flux leading to a pressure perturbation. At an interface between two species initially in pressure equilibrium, the pressure perturbation driven by the diffusive molar flux induces a center of mass velocity directed from the species of greater atomic mass towards the lighter atomic mass species. As the ratio of the species particle masses increases, this center of mass velocity carries an increasingly greater portion of the mass across the interface and for a particle mass ratio greater than about two, the center of mass velocity carries more mass than the gradient driven diffusion flux. Early time transients across an interface between two species in a 1D plasma regime and initially in equilibrium are compared using three methods; a fluid code with closure in a classical transport approximation, a particle in cell simulation, and an implicit Fokker-Planck solver for the particle distribution functions. The early time transient phenomenology is shown to be similar in each of the computational simulation methods, including a pressure perturbation associated with the stationary “induced” component of the center of mass velocity which decays to pressure equilibrium during diffusion. At early times, the diffusive process generates pressure and velocity waves which propagate outward from the interface and are required to maintain momentum conservation. The energy in the outgoing waves dissipates as heat in viscous regions, and it is hypothesized that these diffusion driven waves may sustain fluctuations in less viscid finite domains after reflections from the boundaries. These fluid dynamic phenomena are similar in gases or plasmas and occur in flow transients with a moderate Knudsen number. The analysis and simulation results show how the kinetic flux, represented in the fluid transport closure, directly modifies the mass averaged flow described with the Euler equations.
Eyelid Laceration and Lid Defects

Eyelid reconstruction is a common challenge that ophthalmic and plastic surgeons encounter. Facial trauma, tumors, and congenital colobomas are examples of instances when such procedures are required. Knowledge of the anatomy of the periorbital tissues is crucial for the precise repair of the involved structures to ensure proper lid function and to prevent excessive cicatrix formation. The surgeon should be able to choose the appropriate technique and should be familiar with the step-by-step plan in order to prevent loss of excessive tissue. Different approaches will be discussed with emphasis on eyelid trauma. However, all these can be applied to periocular tumor excision and reconstruction as well.
Development of an ACT prototype for therapeutic skill assessment

Abstract Research on therapist training requires efficient therapist skill assessments. One skill is the ability to identify clinically relevant processes and their effective targeting in therapy. This can be tested by tasks that involve participant coding of simulated therapy sessions. One such task was developed for this study using the process model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This measure showed sensitivity to therapy training histories of participants both by moving with ACT training workshops, and by differentiating undergraduates and therapists. Limitations included lack of a randomized control condition and high drop-out. Further assessment refinement may support process-focused psychotherapy training.
Food Safety Implications of Prion Disease

In the last decade of the twentieth century, a new degenerative neurological disease in humans was linked to the consumption of bovine products derived from cattle suffering from a prion disease. Prions are a unique class of infectious agents, as they are resistant to most disinfection procedures that eliminate viral and bacterial contamination and may effectively cross species barriers. The prion agent consists of a conformationally distinct form of a normal cellular protein, which is capable of converting the normal protein into the diseased form. Studies on the pathogenesis of the bovine prion disease called bovine spongiform encephalopathy have demonstrated that certain cattle tissues represent a greater risk for infection of food products and feed materials, and removal of these tissues from bovine products destined for the human food chain has greatly reduced the risk of human infection. A current challenge is to further limit disease through development of live animal diagnostics capable of detecting disease prior to appearance of clinical signs.
Pharmacological models of amnesia: A reexamination of the effects of cholinergic muscarinic antagonist scopolamine and NMDA-receptor antagonist MK-801 on delayed nonmatching-to-position in rats

Cholinergic muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine and glutamatergic NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 have been used as pharmacological agents to assess the contributions of their respective neurotransmitter systems to memory processing, but they produce sedative and motor disruption that may mask effects on memory measures. To explore the influence of these nonspecific effects on delayed nonmatching-to-position (DNMTP), the effects of scopolamine were compared with those of MK-801 on a DNMTP paradigm modified to simultaneously assess discrimination and working memory. Both scopolamine and MK-801 produced significant reductions in rate at which trials were completed, largely accounted for in the case of scopolamine by a failure in responding to the sample stimulus. Scopolamine also produced an increase in position bias and increased responding on a random-ratio schedule during the retention interval. MK-801 produced no effects on these measures. Neither drug produced significant effects on DNMTP choice accuracy, the measure of working memory. These results suggest that effects on nonmnemonic behavioral parameters may have contributed to previously reported working memory disruptions.
Economic issues impacting surgical care delivery

The economics of modern healthcare are at tremendous crossroads. Historically, our profession has focused primarily on caring for the patient; however, surgeons must now learn to balance the cost/quality ratio. Careful assessment of new technologies is required to reduce escalating cost, while avoiding the unnecessary waste of precious medical resources. Importantly, we must define complications not thru the impossible prism of a “never event,” but rather via implementation of proven advancements in clinical care and the appropriate management of complications when they do occur. In this paradigm, a global reduction in total cost of care achieved by safe earlier discharge would not be punished by the minimal impact of an unanticipated (and unavoidable) readmission. Unfortunately, in the face of this paradigm shift, many (if not most) surgeons lack a clear understanding of even the basics of financial structure as it relates to themselves, their local healthcare system, or the nation. My goal is to provide an overview of the topic of cost structure related to surgical practice and provide insight into how individual surgeon decision-making will ultimately impact the probability of success in both the clinical and financial arenas.
Encouragement of Numinous Enrichment

There is little question that today a serious erosion has taken place in Western culture’s faith or belief in the existence of either a theistic or deistic creator in his or her universe. Just what have been the major causes of this decline in the belief of a warm, guiding, protective, prayer-amenable deity are debatable. But there is little question that scientific inventions have played a significant role in this widespread decline in religious belief. Scientists insist that no agency can change the immutable play and interplay of chemical and physical reactions. Thus, there can be no miracles in our universe, and stripped of its miracles, Western religions lose their plinths of belief.
Wood Chip Gasification in a Commercial Downdraft Gasifier

Fixed bed and moving bed gasifiers for the production of low Btu gas from wood and charcoal were widely used in Sweden and other countries during the World War II era. The Swedish experience was compiled by the Swedish Academy of Engineering, and this work was recently translated by Reed and Jantzen.1 After the war, the need for gasifiers dwindled although the Swedes continued their development efforts.
The Ontological Body

This chapter takes up Genesis as the locus of foundations of Western political thought generally and in particular the creation of types of Beings that are produced from a generic materiality that then produces a generic form of being. This formation allows reconsideration of Jean-Luc Nancy’s assertion that the “ontological body (as a form) has yet to be thought.” The abstract being that is derived here is essential for exploring this thinking in that it is an account of the type of stripped down subjectivity that Fanon remarks upon in the introduction of Black Skin, White Masks that exists in his reformulation of the “zone of non-being” as proposed by Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. This abstraction and emptiness, both a space and a subject, are constitutional of the title of the text, the homo liminalis. This chapter also examines panels of the Sistine Chapel as foundational to the Western imaginary of the human as ideally white and European.
Ungroundedness in Tarskian Languages

Several writers have assumed that when in “Outline of a Theory of Truth” I wrote that “the orthodox approach” – that is, Tarski’s account of the truth definition – admits descending chains, I was relying on a simple compactness theorem argument, and that non-standard models must result. However, I was actually relying on a paper on ‘pseudo-well-orderings’ by Harrison (Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 131, 527–543 1968). The descending hierarchy of languages I define is a standard model. Yablo’s Paradox later emerged as a key to interpreting the result.
Politics of exclusion and institutional transformation in Ethiopia

Ethiopia experienced a critical juncture in 1991 with the defeat of the military dictatorship, opening up the possibilities of a new political order. Since then the country underwent social enginee...
Role of Toll-like receptor 4 signaling in mast cell-mediated migraine pain pathway.

Degranulation of meningeal mast cells leading to the sensitization of trigeminal vascular afferent processing is believed to be one of the mechanisms underlying the migraine pain pathway. Recent wo...
Sequentially additive nonignorable missing data modelling using auxiliary marginal information

SummaryWe study a class of missingness mechanisms, referred to as sequentially additive nonignorable, for modelling multivariate data with item nonresponse. These mechanisms explicitly allow the probability of nonresponse for each variable to depend on the value of that variable, thereby representing nonignorable missingness mechanisms. These missing data models are identified by making use of auxiliary information on marginal distributions, such as marginal probabilities for multivariate categorical variables or moments for numeric variables. We prove identification results and illustrate the use of these mechanisms in an application.
Tuning the melting point of selected ionic liquids through adjustment of the cation's dipole moment.

In previous work with thermally robust salts [Cassity et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 31560] it was noted that an increase in the dipole moment of the cation generally led to a decrease in the melting point. Molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid state revealed that an increased dipole moment reduces cation–cation repulsions through dipole–dipole alignment. This was believed to reduce the liquid phase enthalpy, which would tend to lower the melting point of the IL. In this work we further test this principle by replacing hydrogen atoms with fluorine atoms at selected positions within the cation. This allows us to alter the electrostatics of the cation without substantially affecting the sterics. Furthermore, the strength of the dipole moment can be controlled by choosing different positions within the cation for replacement. We studied variants of four different parent cations paired with bistriflimide and determined their melting points, and enthalpies and entropies of fusion through DSC experiments. The decreases in the melting point were determined to be enthalpically driven. We found that the dipole moment of the cation, as determined by quantum chemical calculations, is inversely correlated with the melting point of the given compound. Molecular dynamics simulations of the crystalline and solid states of two isomers showed differences in their enthalpies of fusion that closely matched those seen experimentally. Moreover, this reduction in the enthalpy of fusion was determined to be caused by an increase in the enthalpy of the crystalline state. We provide evidence that dipole–dipole interactions between cations leads to the formation of cationic domains in the crystalline state. These cationic associations partially block favourable cation–anion interactions, which are recovered upon melting. If, however, the dipole–dipole interactions between cations is too strong they have a tendency to form glasses. This study provides a design rule for lowering the melting point of structurally similar ILs by altering their dipole moment.
Hypermobility Syndromes in Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is a common problem in adolescent females with disease manifestations that range from benign and asymptomatic presentations to potentially life-threatening inherited conditions. Of the inherited conditions, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is by far the most common. Despite a diverse genetic basis for the variety of diseases associated with GJH, many of these conditions are associated with an increased risk of bleeding, and many adolescents, particularly those without other associated structural co-morbidities, may have mucosal or abnormal uterine bleeding as a presenting symptom. It is important that primary care and subspecialty services performing evaluations for these symptoms know to consider a diagnosis of GJH and its associated conditions, particularly when another overt bleeding disorder is not apparent, as establishing a diagnosis may not only provide answers to the patients but also an opportunity for early screening and physical interventions aimed at reducing long-term complications of disease. Unfortunately, at the current time, there is very little published data addressing the optimal management of adolescent girls with GJH and abnormal bleeding and even less data related to the management of heavy menstrual bleeding. Moving forward, hematologists and gynecologists should set their sights on closing the knowledge gaps that exist when it comes to the identification and management of heavy menstrual bleeding in girls with GJH.
Sensory Particles with Optical Telemetry

Current retinal prostheses provide electrical stimulation without feedback from the stimulated neurons. Incorporation of multichannel recording electronics would typically require trans-scleral cables for power supply and data transmission. In this work, we explore a wireless, optoelectronic, miniature, modular, and distributed electro-neural interface for recording, which we call Sensory Particles with Optical Telemetry (SPOT). It can be used in an advanced, bi-directional retinal prosthesis and other sensory applications. Emphasis is placed on the novel telemetry stage. SPOTs are powered by near-infrared light and transmit information by light. As a proof of concept, we designed and built a low-power, small-footprint linear transconductance circuit utilizing chopper stabilization in 130nm CMOS. Our design achieved 57 mS transconductance within 3.5 kHz bandwidth, and a near-infrared (NIR) power density of 0.5 mW/mm2, well within the ocular and thermal safety limits. The telemetry circuit consumes 0.015 mm2 area, and each SPOT can be powered by a single photovoltaic (PV) supply of area 0.0056 mm2. Electrical spikes transmitted by an 850nm LED were detected with 15 dB SNR, at the output of the optical link.
Latent Evolutionary Signatures: A General Framework for Analyzing Music and Cultural Evolution

Cultural processes of change bear many resemblances to biological evolution. Identifying underlying units of evolution, however, has remained elusive in non-biological domains, especially in music, where music evolution is often considered to be a loose metaphor. Here we introduce a general framework to jointly identify underlying units and their associated evolutionary processes using a latent modeling approach. Musical styles and principles of organization in dimensions such as harmony, melody and rhythm can be modeled as partly following an evolutionary process. Furthermore, we propose that such processes can be identified by extracting latent evolutionary signatures from musical corpora, analogous to the analysis of mutational signatures in evolutionary genomics, particularly in cancer. These latent signatures provide a generative code for each song, which allows us to identify broad trends and associations between songs and genres. To provide a test case, we analyze songs from the McGill Billboard dataset, in order to find popular chord transitions (k-mers), associate them with music genres and identify latent evolutionary signatures related to these transitions. First, we use a generalized singular value decomposition to identify associations between songs, motifs and genres, and then we use a deep generative model based on a Variational Autoencoder (VAE) framework to extract a latent code for each song. We tie these latent representations together across the dataset by incorporating an energy-based prior, which encourages songs close in evolutionary space to share similar codes. Using this framework, we are able to identify broad trends and genre-specific features of the dataset. Further, our evolutionary model outperforms non-evolutionary models in tasks such as period and genre prediction. To our knowledge, ours is the first computational approach to identify and quantify patterns of music evolution de novo.
Central Bank Digital Currencies and Law

This policy paper examines the legal issues surrounding a “retail” central-bank-issued digital currency (“CBDC”)—one that is used by consumers on a day-to-day basis as an alternative to cash. Most discussions about CBDC focus on its purported benefits and initial design questions. Little is written about how existing laws and regulations will extend to CBDCs or what new regulations will have to be implemented. This paper engages in that analysis.
An in-depth analysis of logarithmic data transformation and per-class normalization in machine learning: Application to unsupervised classification of a turbidite system in the Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, and supervised classification of salt in the Eugene Island minibasin, Gulf of Mexico

AbstractIn a machine-learning workflow, data normalization is a crucial step that compensates for the large variation in data ranges and averages associated with different types of input measured w...