cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mycological Survey of Chicken Feed and Some Feed Ingredients in Turkey.

Level of mold contamination and mycoflora were determined for 144 mixed feed and feed ingredients, including corn, sunflower cake, soja cake, meat and bone meal, and fish meal. Four samples were found to be free of mold. Among the feed samples examined, the mold count has been found to be low (10(2) to 10(3) colonies/g) for fish meal, high (10(4) to 10(5) colonies/g) for meat-bone meal and sunflower cake, and extremely high (more than 10(5) colonies/g) for soja cake, corn and mixed feed. The predominant flora in the feed samples consisted of Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor and Eurotium, respectively. The most frequently encountered species was found to be Penicillium aurantiogriseum, followed by Aspergillus flavus.
A Standardized Method to Quantify ER-Mitochondrial Interfaces in Electron Mircographs

The interaction sites between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria are signaling hubs in the cell implicated in calcium transfer, lipid metabolism, autophagy, and cell death among other functions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is commonly used to visualize the geometry of these interfaces, but metrics used to describe and compare between conditions, as well as the techniques of measurement are not standardized. Here we describe a pair of scripts for ImageJ that allow for rapid, reproducible and flexible quantification of interface geometries. One script is focused on measuring the physical apposition of the membranes while the other considers the potential exposure of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) to calcium released from the ER. In both cases, the user simply traces the OMM and nearby ER membranes; the script bins the interface distances and returns the length of the OMM that participates in an interface of a given gap width, as well as the total OMM and ER lengths. A ‘score’ based on the inverse-square of the distance is also generated as an attempt to make a single value representing ‘interface-ness’. The additive nature of these measures allows cell-wise totals to be calculated for a given TEM section. While this approach standardizes the measurement technique for a number of parameters of ER-mitochondrial interfaces, it remains to be seen which parameters best correspond with physiological changes in different models.
Antitumor activity of panRAF inhibition in BRAF V600E metastatic colorectal cancer.

616Background: BRAF V600E mutations, present in <10% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), are associated with low responses to chemotherapy and poor survival outcomes. Targeted therapies against BRAF and EGFR have shown promising clinical activity. The panRAF inhibitor (PRI) LSN3074753 inhibits dimerization of all RAF isoforms to impede downstream MEK activation, with no reflexive MAPK reactivation common with other BRAF inhibitors. Anti-tumor activity of PRI has not been compared to BRAF + EGFR inhibition in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of BRAF V600E mCRC. Methods: Two PDX models of BRAF V600E mCRC (B1003 and C0999) were generated. C0999 featured a concomitant KRAS G12D mutation following resistance to the BRAF V600E kinase inhibitor vemurafenib. Mice were treated daily with oral PRI or with the combination of vemurafenib + intraperitoneal cetuximab. Tumor volumes were measured twice weekly. B1003 and C0999 cell cultures were established to test the interaction between PRI and ...
Socioeconomic status and outcomes after sport-related concussion: a preliminary investigation

OBJECTIVE A significant proportion of patients experience long-term symptoms after sport-related concussion (SRC), and several factors have been associated with this protracted recovery. Limited data exist on the role of socioeconomic status (SES) on SRC outcomes. The objective in this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine the effect of SES on outcomes after SRC in student-athletes treated at a regional sports concussion center. METHODS A retrospective cohort study of 282 middle school, high school, and collegiate student-athletes was conducted. An attempt was made to contact all patients seen at a comprehensive SRC center between January 2012 and May 2015 for in-depth interviews. Subsequent demographic data were collected. The SES was defined as follows: cost of living percentile, median income percentile, percentage of college graduates, percentage of homeowners, county type, and insurance status. Outcomes after SRC were defined as follows: days of symptom duration, days of missed school, and days of missed practice. Statistically controlled covariates included sex, race, age, body mass index, concussion history, neuropsychiatric history, and type of sport. RESULTS A total of 282 student-athletes consented and were studied. The median age was 15.8 years (range 11.6-22.2 years) and 61.4% of student-athletes were male. A previous concussion was incurred by 34.0% of student-athletes. Football was the most common sport (32.3%), followed by soccer (16.3%), and basketball (15.6%). The median symptom duration was 21 days (range 1-365 days); the median missed school days was 2 (range 0-90 days); and median for days of missed practice was 10 (range 0-150 days). After multivariate Cox regression analysis, no relationship between any of the 6 SES variables and symptom duration or missed practice was seen. However, individuals with private insurance had more missed days of school than those with public insurance (hazard ratio 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.83, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS In a preliminary study of middle school, high school, and collegiate student-athletes, SES had no impact on the outcomes of symptom duration and missed practice. However, for individuals with private insurance, the return to school was slower than for those with public insurance. This pilot study reveals the complex relationship between SES and SRC recovery, which demands further study with more accurate and validated assessments of SES.
The Hückel Molecular Orbital Method

One of the early approaches to performing molecular orbital calculations was developed by Erich Huckel. In that approach, which is most often applied to organic structures where there is π bonding, it is assumed that the σ and π bonds can be considered separately. This severe approximation (and others) means that the method is not quantitative, but the results obtained do give some insight to the types of electronic transitions possible, resonance stabilization, and electron density on each atom. The method can be extended to include atoms other than carbon by adjusting the parameters used to represent the exchange energies. In addition to the application of the Huckel method to organic structures, potential applications to CN 2 and C 2 N molecules that have astrochemical significance are illustrated.
A Private vs. Community Aquatic Programming Comparison

The purpose of this study was to investigate if instructors in a private aquatic training program can advance students to the point of optimal readiness to achieve aquatic skills more quickly than instructors from a community aquatic training program. In this study, the Aquatic Readiness Assessment (ARA) was utilized for determining optimal readiness for advancement in aquatic education which potentially may lead to a safer aquatic experience. The students were divided into two groups and scored by five instructors designated by the aquatic training program they attended for lessons. The first sixty students who scored below twenty-seven on the ARA in each facility were assigned to stage one of the aquatic program. This assured that all students began at the same aquatic skill level. A pre-test and post-test were administered, with three weeks between each test. The private program advanced thirty-eight students to level two with an average score change of 6.82, while the community program advanced forty-seven students to level two with a score change of 7.13. The results were not significantly different in scores among advancing students to level two. The results did demonstrate an improvement among the students at both facilities and showed the value of aquatic training.
To amend or not to amend: A tax consulting case

Abstract This case requires you to assume the role of a tax professional advising clients who want to know if they should amend prior year tax returns because of the ruling on same sex marriage by the Supreme Court, United States v. Windsor . In order to develop a recommendation for the clients, you must consider various tax strategies and apply them to the provided fact pattern. This case furthers your understanding of the impact of changes in tax laws on tax return liabilities due to filing status, the marriage tax penalty, phase-outs, and the impact of community property laws. Additionally, this case requires you to improve their written communication skills using technical writing and developing a presentation designed to convey complex tax information to different audiences. The presentation requirement provides you with an opportunity to refine your oral presentation skills. We used the case in graduate-level tax courses, but it can be adapted for use in undergraduate individual tax courses.
Green's functions, including scatterers, for photonic crystals and metamaterials

The Green’s functions are physical responses due to a single point source in a periodic lattice. The single point source can also correspond to an impurity or a defect. In this paper, the Green’s functions, including the scatterers, for periodic structures such as in photonic crystals and metamaterials are calculated. The Green’s functions are in terms of the multiband solutions of the periodic structures. The Green’s functions are broadband solutions so that the frequency or wavelength dependences of the physical responses can be calculated readily. They are obtained by integrating the periodic Green’s function including the scatterers in the Brillouin zone. Low wavenumber extraction methods are used to accelerate the convergence rate of the multiband expansions. The low wavenumber component represents the reactive near field. The band solutions of the periodic structure are obtained from a surface integral equation solution, which is effectively converted to a linear eigenvalue problem, giving multiple band solutions simultaneously. Numerical results are illustrated for the band modal fields, the periodic Green’s functions, and the single point source Green’s functions for two-dimensional (2D) perfect-electric-conductor (PEC) scatterers in a 2D lattice.
Weather Studies in Outdoor Recreation and Nature-Based Tourism: A Research Synthesis and Gap Analysis

ABSTRACTThe impact of weather on outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism has received increasing attention from the research community during the past ten years. This article synthesizes the results of those inquiries, categorizing their predominant themes and identifying knowledge gaps. One hundred eighty-four weather-related articles drawn from a cross-section of international journals served as the foundation for this work. The research synthesis identified three recurring themes: weather-related variables that influence outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism, the importance of geographic research context, and prevailing activity types. A gap analysis indicated an abundance of underinvestigated topics in weather-related studies in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism. The article concludes with recommendations for future weather-related studies in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism developed from the predominant themes uncovered in the research synthesis and research needs disc...
Consumers' adoption of wearable technologies: literature review, synthesis, and future research agenda

Wearables devices have emerged as rapidly developing technologies that have the potential to change people's lifestyles and improve their wellbeing, decisions, and behaviours as well as enhance core business processes. However, the adoption of these devices has been relatively slow when compared to mainstream technologies such as smartphones. Hence, manufacturers and designers show a growing interest to understand the influential factors in adopting these technologies. This will help them improve the features and desirability of these devices in order to wow the consumers and win them over. Researchers in various disciplines have studied consumers' adoption of wearable technologies, such as smart glasses and smartwatches using different theories and methodologies. The goal of this paper is to review and synthesise the literature of consumers' adoption of wearable technologies, review the applied technology diffusion and adoption theories, identify the influential factors in the adoption decision, and suggest directions for future research.
Long ranging swept-source optical coherence tomography-based angiography outperforms its spectral-domain counterpart in imaging human skin microcirculations.

There is an increasing demand for imaging tools in clinical dermatology that can perform in vivo wide-field morphological and functional examination from surface to deep tissue regions at various skin sites of the human body. The conventional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography-based angiography (SD-OCTA) system is difficult to meet these requirements due to its fundamental limitations of the sensitivity roll-off, imaging range as well as imaging speed. To mitigate these issues, we demonstrate a swept-source OCTA (SS-OCTA) system by employing a swept source based on a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser. A series of comparisons between SS-OCTA and SD-OCTA are conducted. Benefiting from the high system sensitivity, long imaging range, and superior roll-off performance, the SS-OCTA system is demonstrated with better performance in imaging human skin than the SD-OCTA system. We show that the SS-OCTA permits remarkable deep visualization of both structure and vasculature (up to ∼2 mm penetration) with wide field of view capability (up to 18×18 mm2), enabling a more comprehensive assessment of the morphological features as well as functional blood vessel networks from the superficial epidermal to deep dermal layers. It is expected that the advantages of the SS-OCTA system will provide a ground for clinical translation, benefiting the existing dermatological practice.
Surfactant-Assisted Synthesis of Tetragonal Porphyrin Microparticles

In an effort to utilize their unique photoactive properties, porphyrin monomers were assembled into tetragonal microparticles by a surfactant-assisted neutralization method through the cooperative interactions between the porphyrin building blocks including π-π stacking, J-aggregation and metal-ligand coordination. Electron microscopy characterization in combination with x-ray diffraction confirmed the three-dimensional ordered tetragonal microstructures with stable crystalline frameworks and well defined external surface morphology. Optical absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy revealed enhanced absorbance properties as compared with the raw porphyrin material, favourable for chromophore excitation and energy transport. With active and responsive optical properties, these new porphyrin microparticles look to serve as promising components for a wide range of applications including sensing, diagnostics, solar cells, and optoelectronic devices.
The Food Metabolome and Novel Dietary Biomarkers Associated with Diseases

The food metabolome is an area of research that is of rising interest, particularly the association of chronic diseases to dietary biomarkers. This chapter will review and assess the current literature of the novel biomarkers used to track dietary intake of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamin C, and carotenoids, as well as to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and biomarkers associated with disease processes. There is good evidence for the use of certain novel biomarkers for each of the aforementioned dietary components. A review of the literature also reveals a relationship between a “Western” dietary pattern, characterized by higher intakes of red meat, processed meat, French fries, eggs, high-fat dairy products, sweets, and refined grains and that of increased risk for systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and diabetes. Contrasting this is the “prudent” dietary pattern characterized by increased fruit, vegetables, poultry, fish, whole grains, and legumes which had improved biomarker profiles of the aforementioned diseases. Similar to the “Western” pattern is a diet with high saturated fat/high simple carbohydrate that correlates with increased biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. There appears to be a large volume of literature investigating biomarkers of dietary intake and the relationship between dietary patterns and chronic diseases. However there is still need for literature looking into the relationship of novel biomarkers of fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C, and carotenoids and the biomarkers of chronic diseases.
Social Separation in Monkeys as Viewed from Several Motivational Perspectives

Consider the following cases of human and nonhuman primate behavior. (a) When Billy was first admitted to the hospital 4 days ago, he was excitable, alternatively bubbling and crying but seldom quiet, perhaps not unusual for a 4-year-old in his first long stay away from his home and his parents. In the last 2 days, however, Billy’s demeanor has changed considerably. He is no longer active; his behavior now ranges between silent pouts and quiet sobs. Once the darling of the nurses, he now refuses even ice cream. He spends most of his time lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. When his parents visit he becomes visibly sullen; tantrums often mar the visits. His parents are clearly worried as they contemplate the 8 weeks before Billy’s treatment will be finished. They wonder if he will be his normal, outgoing self when he comes home again (Robertson and Bowlby, 1952). (b) The widow’s children are worried. Since the death of her husband 7 months earlier, she has become more withdrawn, even though they now spend twice as much time with her as they did before their father’s passing. Yet her interest in the visits has been waning recently. She no longer cares if they bring their own children along— strange, since previously she had always taken a keen interest in her grandchildren. They fear that if her condition gets much worse she will have to be put in a nursing home. (c) A young chimpanzee, perhaps 2 or 3 years of age, remains at the periphery of a group of peers engaged in interactive play. The chimp is passive; he sits in a hunched-over posture.
After Dinners, in the Garage, Out of Doors, and Climbing on Rocks

My brother Zack and I had recently been displaced from life—out of school, out of work, out of romantic relationships. Seeking respite, we began staying with our mom and dad in our childhood home. It didn’t take much longer than a week of lazing around listening to sullen music and looping what we identified as keychildhood movies before our parents saw fit to tax the sanctuary we were taking with manual labor.
Ithaca Trust and Section 2053: Smith, McMorris, and O’Neal

Ithaca Trust Co. v. United States, a section 2055 case, held that the annuity tables had to be used to value the life estate of decedent’s wife, the non-charitable beneficiary, despite the death of his wife before the due date for filing the decedent’s estate tax return. Since that opinion, some courts have cited Ithaca Trust for the proposition that the facts subsequent to a decedent’s death are irrelevant to determining the date of death value of property and have extended that principle to apply to deductions under section 2053.
Potassium Effects on the Deactivation by Carbon of Ruthenium Catalysts

Summary Steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis of ruthenium-catalyzed CO hydrogenation revealed that potassium significantly decreased the size of the reactive carbidic adlayer and at the same time decreased its average “true” site turnover frequency by a factor of 6. The use of the ethane hydrogenolysis reaction as a structure-sensitive probe permitted a kinetic view of how potassium may influence the growth of its graphitic adlayer. It was found that at low potassium coverages the effect of potassium on the deactivation by inactive carbon of surface ruthenium not blocked by the modifier adspecies was minimal. In fact, under the prevailing reaction conditions, it was estimated that this part of the graphitic adlayer reached a steady-state coverage of about 10% of the Ru surface within the first 30 min of reaction for θ K
A Neurocomputational Approach to Abduction

Recent developments in the cognitive sciences and artificial intelligence suggest ways of answering the most serious challenge to Peirce‘s notion of abduction. Either there is no such logical process as abduction or, if abduction is a form of inference, it is essentially unconscious and therefore beyond rational control so that it lacks any normative significance. Peirce himself anticipates and attempts to answer this challenge. Peirce argues that abduction is both a source of creative insight and a form of logical inference subject to a degree of conscious control. In this paper I shall sketch a developing account of abduction that is suggested by the work of Paul Churchland, Paul Thagard, Chris Eliasmith, William Wimsatt, Owen Flanagan, and others. I shall argue that a credible account of abduction will require that we approach the phenomenon from both higher and lower levels as represented by these approaches.
A Comparison of the Separate and Concurrent Calibration Methods for the Full-Information Bifactor model:

When calibrating items using multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models, item response theory (IRT) calibration programs typically set the probability density of latent variables to a mult...
Identifying disaster-related tweets and their semantic, spatial and temporal context using deep learning, natural language processing and spatial analysis: a case study of Hurricane Irma

We introduce an analytical framework for analyzing tweets to (1) identify and categorize fine-grained details about a disaster such as affected individuals, damaged infrastructure and disrupted ser...
What Kind of Disclosure Adds Value to Investors? A Study of the Recent Pink Sheets Experiment

In November 2006, the Pink Sheets trading system announced the introduction of new disclosure "categories" for all of its companies, proclaiming that "categorizing securities by their level of disclosure will greatly enhance the capital formation process." The new system does not add new disclosure requirements; instead, it simply attaches an easy-to-read sign to each firm based on the existing level of disclosure (a "skull and bones" sign for firms investigated for fraud and spamming their stock; a "stop" sign for firms with no disclosures; a "premier" sign for highly-disclosing firms, and so forth). In the event study of stock market returns surrounding the announcement of the new categorization plan, I find that the "premier" (most-disclosing) category of firms experienced significant positive abnormal returns (24% increase) after the announcement; the category with only limited disclosures experienced significant negative abnormal returns (15% decline). The worst category, firms that have been investigated for fraud, experienced only insignificant declines. These results are consistent with the view that prominent displays of already-known information may affect stock prices, even when such displays add nothing substantively new to the information that is already released to the market. This adds to the growing body of literature studying investors' ability to understand publicly available information.
Intrathecal gadolinium: a fatal flaw.

The timely case report and review of the literature by Provenzano et al in this issue of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine illuminates the risks associated with the use of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) in neuraxial interventional pain procedures.[1][1] The rationale for the use of a
Effects of temperature on mean molt interval, molting and mortality of red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Abstract The operation of soft-shell crawfish culture is based upon crawfish molting behavior. Mean molt interval and molting percentage are the main factors determining the production rate of a culture facility. Effects of temperature on mean molt interval and molting percentage of red swamp crawfish ( Procambarus clarkii ) were investigated in laboratory-scale recirculating culture system in two seasons. In this study, higher temperatures resulted in shorter molt intervals. Corresponding to temperatures ranging from 15 to 30 °C, with a 3 °C increment, the molt interval decreased non-linearly from 71.2 to 22.6 days. However, lower temperatures seemed to mitigate crawfish mortality and resulted in higher molt percentages. Additionally, the major portion of the mortality occurred within the first 2 weeks of the tests. The results of this study provide a quantitative basis for recommending proper temperatures for a soft-shell crawfish operation. From the production perspective, the ideal temperature lies at the high end of the test temperature range.
Modeling the potential impact of abuse-deterrent opioids on medical resource utilization

Objectives: To extend a previously published manuscript on a model for estimating potential avoided medical events and cost savings in the US associated with the introduction of extended-release ab...
Environmental variability, historical contingency, and the structure of regional fish and macroinvertebrate faunas in Ouachita Mountain stream systems

In 1990–1992, the United States Forest Service sampled six hydrologically variable streams paired in three different drainage basins in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, U.S.A. Fishes, macroinvertebrates, and stream environmental variables were quantified for each stream. We used these data to examine the relationship between regional faunas (based on taxonomy and trophic affiliation of fishes and macroinvertebrates) and measured environmental variables. Because fishes are constrained to their historically defined drainage basins and many insect taxa are able to cross basin barriers, we anticipated that both groups would respond differently to environmental variability. Fishes were influenced more by environmental variability that was unique to their historical drainage basins, but macroinvertebrates were associated more strongly with environmental variability that was independent of drainage basins. Thus, the individual drainage basins represented a historical constraint on regional patterns of fish assembly. For both fishes and macroinvertebrates, groupings based on taxonomy and trophic affiliation showed a similar response to environmental variability and there was a high degree of association between taxonomic and trophic correlation matrices. Thus, trophic group structure was highly dependent on the taxonomic make-up of a given assemblage. At the basin-level, fish and macroinvertebrate taxa were associated more strongly with environmental variability than the trophic groups, and these results have implications for basin-level studies that use trophic groupings as a metric to assess ecological patterns. Trophic categories may not be a useful ecological measure for studies at large spatial scales.
Abstract P199: Improvements in Sleep Quality Following Moderate, but Not Light-Intensity Acute Aerobic Exercise in Older Women

Introduction: Sleep has profound effects on metabolism and health outcomes with poor sleep quality being associated with adverse outcomes. Less is known whether exercise can improve sleep quality a...
A systematic review of evidence based treatments for lichen simplex chronicus

Lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) is a disorder characterized by thickened areas of skin from repeated rubbing or scratching. The multifactorial nature of LSC makes management difficult and there are ...
Erratum for Townsend et al., “A Master Regulator of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Gut Colonization Controls Carbohydrate Utilization and an Alternative Protein Synthesis Factor”

Volume 11, no. 1, e03221-19, 2020. [https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.03221-19][1]. On PDF page 3, paragraph 3: “Fig. S2B” should be “Fig. S1B.” On PDF page 6, Fig. 3 legend: “ rnfABCDEF ” should be “ rnfABCDEG. ” On PDF page 8, 9th line from the bottom: “RS10900” should be “
A leaking spontaneous coronary artery pseudoaneurysm

A 78-year-old man presented with chest pain and ST segment elevation. Coronary angiography showed no significant coronary artery disease. A saccular pocket of contrast material was found outside of the distal right posterior descending coronary artery consistent with a pseudoaneurysm. Echocardiography showed a pocket of pericardial fluid behind the left atrium concerning for a hemopericardium. The pseudoaneurysm was treated urgently with two coils successfully deployed to obtain complete exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm sac and occlusion of the distal portion of the posterior descending coronary artery.
Machine Learning Model Comparisons of User Independent & Dependent Intent Recognition Systems for Powered Prostheses

Developing intelligent prosthetic controllers to recognize user intent across users is a challenge. Machine learning algorithms present an opportunity to develop methods for predicting user's locomotion mode. Currently, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) offers the standard solution in the state-of-the-art for subject dependent models and has been used in the development of subject independent applications. However, the performance of subject independent models differ radically from their dependent counterpart. Furthermore, most of the studies limit the evaluation to a fixed terrain with individual stair height and ramp inclination. In this study, we investigated the use of the XGBoost algorithm for developing a subject independent model across 8 individuals with transfemoral amputation. We evaluated the performance of XGBoost across different stair heights and inclination angles and found that it generalizes well across preset conditions. Our findings suggest that XGBoost offers a potential benefit for both subject independent and subject dependent algorithms outperforming LDA and NN (DEP SS Error: 2.93% ± 0.49%, DEP TS Error: 7.03% ± 0.74%, IND SS Error: 10.12% ± 3.16%, and IND TS Error: 15.78% ± 2.39%)(p <; 0.05). We were also able to show that with the inclusion of extra sensors the model performance could continually be improved in both user dependent and independent models (p <; 0.05). Our study provides valuable information for future intent recognition systems to make them more reliable across different users and common community ambulation modes.
Plotting disability in the nineteenth-century novel

“We Other Victorians,” Foucault calls us. We speak of the Victorians Or the body. Or even the disabled body. We assume we know what those words — Victorian, body, disability — mean and that they do...
Cervical Spine Alignment in the Sagittal Axis: A Review of the Best Validated Measures in Clinical Practice.

Study Design:Review of the best-validated measures of cervical spine alignment in the sagittal axis.Objective:Describe the C2-C7 Cobb Angle, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis, chin-brow to vertical angl...
Smell in eighteenth-century England: a social sense

One of the most common historical images during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 was that of the plague doctor. The iconic costume from seventeenth-century Italy featured a long black cloak, a wide-br...
A survey of lifestyle habits, physician counseling, and direct-to consumer genetic testing in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis.

Abstract Introduction and objectives The goal of this study was to assess lifestyle habits and physician counseling of patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), and determine the prevalence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. Materials and methods A 52-question survey was created to collect information on lifestyle habits and physician counseling among patients with HH, and the use of DTC genetic testing of patients referred to a clinic for evaluation of HH. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied to identify predictors of DTC genetic testing use. Results The survey was e-mailed to 379 patients, of which 101 responded (26.6%). Among patients with HH, 37% reported alcohol use more than once weekly and 50% reported red meat consumption. The use of a vitamin C supplement was reported by 38.9% of participants. Among patients with living children and siblings, physicians failed to recommend HH screening 15.3% and 21.2% of the time respectively. Thirty-one patients reported DTC genetic testing, of which 46.7% (14/31) reported their DTC genetic test screened for HH. Six (19%) of those patients were prompted to see a specialist in HH based on the results. Conclusions Among patients with HH, lifestyle habits that may impact iron stores are common, but not all receive appropriate counseling. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is common, and physicians should be aware of its limitations when patients seek further evaluation for HH based on their test results.
Value Chain Finance to Dairy Sector-A Case Study of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Background: Dairy sector has highly fragmented supply base and unique ecosystem of delivery resulting that a chain of value addition actors involved in its production and distribution. Value chain financing approach provides opportunities to develop equitable business models that better link all actors in the value chain. Accordingly, this study has carried out to assess the diversity of financial arrangements and the actors involved in dairy value chain in the Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The study also brings about the relatively prominent components/actors of the dairy value chain that could be emphasised while financing dairy value chain.Method: The value chain actors including milk producers have identified purposively and interviewed with well-constructed scheduled. The study has analysed on the data collected from 64 milk producers in 8 villages, 3 inputs suppliers, 8 milk collectors/assemblers, 4 milk transporters, 1 milk processor and 12 distributers for the year 2019-20.Result: The study observed that there is vast network of financing institutions have engaged in the financing of dairy value chain in the study area. Financing agencies have identified the set of activities associated with milk value chain and determine the structure of finance accordingly, in order to minimize costs, to maximize efficiency and to reduce risk. However, there are several informal mechanism of value chain financings also existed parallel to institutional finance due to informal sources are willing to lend money more easily without collateral. Relationships between actors in the value chain facilitate informal financial flows directly to his client actors is also observed in the study. The study has further inferred that among all the actors involved in milk value chains, the processor, producer and distributer have added greater value addition in comparison to other actors in the value chain.
Retinal hypoxia and angiogenesis with methamphetamine

Central retinal artery occlusion, retinopathy, and retinal neovascularization have been reported in methamphetamine (METH) abusers. In the current study, we investigated whether METH induces retinal neovascularization in a mouse model, and if so, whether the neovascularization is associated with increased hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Mice were administrated METH by intraperitoneal injection over a 26-day period, or injected with saline as a vehicle control. The number of retinal arterioles and venules were counted using in vivo live imaging following infusion with fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran. Excised retinas were stained with griffonia simplicifolia lectin I and flat mounted for a measurement of vascularity (length of vessels per tissue area) with AngioTool. Retinal hypoxia was examined by formation of pimonidazole adducts with an anti-pimonidazole antibody, and HIF-1α and VEGFa protein levels in the retina were detected by immunoblot. METH administration increased vascularity (including the number of arterioles) measured on Day 26. Retinal VEGFa protein level was not changed in METH-treated mice on Day 5, but was increased on Day 12 and Day 26. Hypoxia (pimonidazole adduct formation) was increased in retinas of METH-treated mice on Day 12 and Day 26, as were HIF-1α protein expression levels. These results indicate that METH administration induces hypoxia, HIF-1α, VEGFa, and angiogenesis in the retina.
Mycobacterium abscessus Strain Morphotype Determines Phage Susceptibility, the Repertoire of Therapeutically Useful Phages, and Phage Resistance.

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic pathogen whose treatment is confounded by widespread multidrug resistance. The therapeutic use of bacteriophages against Mycobacterium abscessus infections offers a potential alternative approach, although the spectrum of phage susceptibilities among M. abscessus isolates is not known. We determined the phage infection profiles of 82 M. abscessus recent clinical isolates and find that colony morphotype—rough or smooth—is a key indicator of phage susceptibility. None of the smooth strains are efficiently killed by any phages, whereas 80% of rough strains are infected and efficiently killed by at least one phage. The repertoire of phages available for potential therapy of rough morphotype infections includes those with relatively broad host ranges, host range mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis phages, and lytically propagated viruses derived from integrated prophages. The rough colony morphotype results from indels in the glycopeptidolipid synthesis genes mps1 and mps2, negating reversion to smooth as a common route to phage resistance. Resistance is thus rare, and although mutations in polyketide synthesis, uvrD2, and rpoZ can confer resistance, these likely also impair survival in vivo. The expanded therapeutic repertoire and the resistance profiles show that small cocktails or single phages could be suitable for controlling infections with rough strains. IMPORTANCEMycobacterium abscessus infections in cystic fibrosis patients are challenging to treat due to widespread antibiotic resistance. The therapeutic use of lytic bacteriophages presents a new potential strategy, but the great variation among clinical M. abscessus isolates demands determination of phage susceptibility prior to therapy. Elucidation of the variation in phage infection and factors determining it, expansion of the suite of therapeutic phage candidates, and a greater understanding of phage resistance mechanisms substantially advances the potential for broad implementation of new therapeutic options for M. abscessus infections.
Healthful plant-based dietary patterns, genetic risk of obesity, and cardiovascular risk in the UK biobank study.

Summary Background & aims People with a higher genetic risk for obesity are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), and healthy plant-based dietary patterns may be associated with decreased risks of obesity and cardiovascular events. We investigated whether adherence to healthy plant-foods-rich dietary patterns might attenuate risks of obesity and related cardiovascular abnormalities for people at genetically higher risk of obesity. Methods This study included 121,799 middle-aged adults in UK Biobank who were initially free of metabolic diseases and cancer. We calculated a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) based on 17 major food groups as well as a genetic risk score (GRS) for obesity consisting of body mass index (BMI)-associated variants. The incidence of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, MI, or stroke) was prospectively followed during a mean (SD) 5.1 (0.9) years. Results We found significant interactions between GRS and hPDI on adiposity (Pinteraction Conclusions Adherence to healthy plant-based dietary patterns significantly attenuated risks of cardiovascular abnormalities for people at genetically higher risk of obesity. Our results support the precision medicine strategies considering genetics and dietary habits to modify cardiovascular health for people at higher risk of genetically determined obesity.
Were It not for Tulsa: How the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Influenced the Desegregation of the American Educational System

The effects of the horrific 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre went far beyond the destruction of 36 blocks of Black-owned property in the Greenwood section of Tulsa. The Sipuel family, burned out of their Greenwood home, moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma. Mrs. Sipuel became a civil rights activist, and she and her husband told and retold the story of the Massacre to their daughter, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher. Fisher’s upbringing influenced her to become the test plaintiff in the lawsuit that forced the desegregation of the University of Oklahoma (“OU”). In Sipuel v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court held that under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Blacks had a personal right to legal education equivalent to the education states offered to students of other races. Courts throughout the south relied on Sipuel in ordering the admission of Blacks to graduate and professional schools. The Supreme Court cited Sipuel in Sweatt v. Painter, which ordered the desegregation of the University of Texas School of Law despite the state’s hasty creation of a separate Black law school. Ultimately, the Supreme Court built on Sipuel’s holding, ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that “separate but equal” has no place in public education. The Article begins with the Sipuel family’s experience in Tulsa and Fisher’s upbringing in Chickasha. It reviews the litigation to desegregate American education brought by the National Association of Colored People and Thurgood Marshall prior to the Sipuel case, including their legal strategy and careful selection of test plaintiffs. The Article details the Sipuel case, the legal machinations of the State of Oklahoma to prevent Sipuel from enrolling in OU’s College of Law, and George McLaurin’s suit to enroll in OU’s graduate school. It concludes that were it not for the Massacre, Fisher might never have stepped forward, and the desegregation of American education may have been significantly delayed.
Conceptualizing the SMEs' assimilation of internet-based technologies

This chapter conceptualizes a model for the assimilation of Internet-based technologies in small and medium euterprises (SMEs). The research examines the factors influencing the assimilation of Internet-based technologies and the penetration of these technologies in SMEs. Internet-based technologies are complex organizational technologies. The model uses the learning related scale, related knowledge and diversity, together with several control variables like host size, IT size, specialization and education. Several external factors, such as influence of customers, suppliers, vendors and competitors, that have been suggested in studies of SMEs have also been included to explain the assimilation and diffusion of innovation. The results of an exploratory survey are presented and future research is discussed.
Scattering from dielectric cylinders: E/sub s/ formulation, using a combination of FEM and integral equation approach

The E/sub s/ and H/sub s/ variational formulation together with the appropriate surface integral equations was used to solve for scattering from arbitrary anisotropic cylinders. The finite element method (FEM) is used on the scatterer and a small region enclosing it. At the boundary of this finite region the surface integral equation is used to impose boundary conditions on the electromagnetic field components. In the process of generating the FEM mesh a special scheme is used so that when integral equation boundary conditions are imposed the bandwidth of the matrix does not increase at random but leads to a well-structured matrix. This matrix is then solved using matrix partitioning techniques. Numerical results are presented; the E/sub /spl rho// and E/sub /spl phi// components of scattered field for a transverse electric (TE) wave incident at 45/spl deg/ to z-axis are shown. >
Active surveillance of birth defects among U.S. Department of Defense beneficiaries: a feasibility study.

Since the Vietnam War, concern regarding the association of military exposures and birth defects has grown. The possibility of such associations remains a source of unease. To determine if such an association exists, birth defects surveillance among military families must be conducted. This project compared health record abstraction (active surveillance) with screening of Department of Defense electronic medical data (passive surveillance) to detect birth defects among San Diego County military families during the period January 1, 1997, through June 30, 1998. A total of 171 of 5,351 infants (3.2%) were identified as having a major defect, consistent with national civilian rates. There was approximately 80% concurrence between passive and active surveillance birth defect data, suggesting that a hybrid system of electronic data, supplemented with active surveillance in a specific region, represents a feasible and cost-effective surveillance program for the geographically dispersed military population.
Introduction to programming with Mathematica

Starting from first principles, this book covers all of the foundational material needed to develop a clear understanding of the Mathematica language, with a practical emphasis on solving problems. Concrete examples throughout the text demonstrate how Mathematica can be used to solve problems in science, engineering, economics/finance, computational linguistics, geoscience, bioinformatics, and a range of other fields. The book will appeal to students, researchers and programmers wishing to further their understanding of Mathematica. Designed to suit users of any ability, it assumes no formal knowledge of programming so it is ideal for self-study. Over 290 exercises are provided to challenge the reader's understanding of the material covered and these provide ample opportunity to practice using the language. Mathematica notebooks containing examples, programs and solutions to exercises are available from www.cambridge.org/wellin.
Understanding the sensitivity of nucleation free energies: The role of supersaturation and temperature

Simulations are used to investigate the vapor-to-liquid nucleation of water for several different force fields at various sets of physical conditions. The nucleation free energy barrier is found to be extremely sensitive to the force field at the same absolute conditions. However, when the results are compared at the same supersaturation and reduced temperature or the same metastability parameter and reduced temperature, then the differences in the nucleation free energies of the different models are dramatically reduced. This finding suggests that comparisons of experimental data and computational predictions are most meaningful at the same relative conditions and emphasizes the importance of knowing the phase diagram of a given computational model, but such information is usually not available for models where the interaction energy is determined directly from electronic structure calculations.