cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of a rat glomerular mesangial cell mitogenic 5-HT2A receptor

Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of mitogenic serotonin [i.e., 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] receptors on glomerular mesangial cells and have linked those receptors to a complicated array of intracellular and autocrine/paracrine signaling pathways [T. Knauss and H. E. Abboud. Am. J. Physiol. 251 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 20): F844-F850, 1986; and N. Takuwa, M. Ganz, Y. Takuwa, R. B. Sterzel, and H. Rasmussen. Am. J. Physiol. 257 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 26): F431-F439, 1989]. Those studies suggested that the mesangial subtype of 5-HT receptor is a member of the 5-HT2 receptor family, which consists of three known members, designated as subtypes A, B, and C. The purpose of the current study was to identify the subtype of 5-HT2 receptor present on mesangial cells. Northern blot showed detectable mRNA for a putative 5-HT2A receptor, but not for 5-HT1A or 5-HT2C receptors. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate oligonucleotides derived from the putative third and sixth transmembrane domains of cloned 5-HT2 receptors yielded a 580-nucleotide (nt) fragment. RT-PCR with primers highly specific for the 5-HT2A receptor and designed to amplify > 95% of its coding block yielded a product of 1,320 nt. Nested PCR reactions yielded products of the predicted sizes for the 5-HT2A receptor. Partial sequence information was obtained, and the sequence corresponded exactly (627/627 nt) to that published for the cloned rat brain 5-HT2A receptor. These studies identify the mesangial cell mitogenic 5-HT receptor as a 5-HT2A receptor subtype.
Effect of levorphanol on putrescine transport in Escherichia coli.

The disappearance of cellular putrescine observed when Escherichia coli cultures were treated with levorphanol was shown to be largely the result of an acceleration of putrescine efflux produced by the drug. The efflux of putrescine from E. coli exhibited a stringent requirement for metabolic energy. It was found to be greatly reduced by carbon source starvation, by treatment with metabolic inhibitors, or by low temperature. The efflux of putrescine stimulated by levorphanol was also virtually abolished by such treatments. Levorphanol also inhibited the uptake of putrescine by E. coli cells. Evidence is presented which indicates that the inhibition of uptake and the stimulation of efflux represent separate effects of levorphanol. Competition between levorphanol and putrescine for a carrier or binding site was ruled out by kinetic experiments, which showed that inhibition of putrescine uptake by levorphanol was not competitive. The effect of levorphanol on the putrescine pool was readily reversible. Replenishment began without measurable delay upon removal of the drug. Levorphanol also produced reversible alterations in the permeability of E. coli to most, if not all, amino acids, spermidine, and K+. Possible mechanisms of the effects of levorphanol on cell membranes are discussed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Dr. Federico Welsch, Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical College, for performing the ATP determinations. They also gratefully acknowledge the helpful discussions and critical reading of this manuscript by Dr. Peter Elsbach.
Medical therapy in Crohn's disease.

PreviewTraditionally, sulfasalazine and corticosteroids have been used to treat Crohn's disease. However, therapy has been expanded to include other drugs, and several newer agents show clinical promise. The authors discuss the therapeutic options now available and describe results of several drug trials. Despite the apparent benefits of newer therapies, caution must be used in choosing appropriate treatment.
Prediction of porosity in metal-based additive manufacturing using spatial Gaussian process models

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) is a set of emerging technologies that can produce physical objects with complex geometrical shapes directly from a digital model. With many unique capabilities, such as design freedom, it has recently gained increasing attention from researchers, practitioners, and public media. However, achieving the full potential of AM is hampered by many challenges, including the lack of predictive models that correlate processing parameters with the properties of the processed part. We develop a Gaussian process-based predictive model for the learning and prediction of the porosity in metallic parts produced using selective laser melting (SLM – a laser-based AM process). More specifically, a spatial Gaussian process regression model is first developed to model part porosity as a function of SLM process parameters. Next, a Bayesian inference framework is used to estimate the statistical model parameters, and the porosity of the part at any given setting is predicted using the Kriging method. A case study is conducted to validate this predictive framework through predicting the porosity of 17-4 PH stainless steel manufacturing on a ProX 100 selective laser melting system.
Tracking the will to attend: Cortical activity indexes self-generated, voluntary shifts of attention

The neural substrates of volition have long tantalized philosophers and scientists. Over the past few decades, researchers have employed increasingly sophisticated technology to investigate this issue, but many studies have been limited considerably by their reliance on intrusive experimental procedures (e.g., abrupt instructional cues), measures of brain activity contaminated by overt behavior, or introspective self-report techniques of questionable validity. Here, we used multivoxel pattern time-course analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to index voluntary, covert perceptual acts-shifts of visuospatial attention-in the absence of instructional cues, overt behavioral indices, and self-report. We found that these self-generated, voluntary attention shifts were time-locked to activity in the medial superior parietal lobule, supporting the hypothesis that this brain region is engaged in voluntary attentional reconfiguration. Self-generated attention shifts were also time-locked to activity in the basal ganglia, a novel finding that motivates further research into the role of the basal ganglia in acts of volition. Remarkably, prior to self-generated shifts of attention, we observed early and selective increases in the activation of medial frontal (dorsal anterior cingulate) and lateral prefrontal (right middle frontal gyrus) cortex-activity that likely reflects processing related to the intention or preparation to reorient attention. These findings, which extend recent evidence on freely chosen motor movements, suggest that dorsal anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortices play key roles in both overt and covert acts of volition, and may constitute core components of a brain network underlying the will to attend.
Biliary excretion of bile acids, lecithin, and cholesterol in hamsters with gallstones.

Young hamsters were fed an essential fatty acid-deficient diet. The incidence of cholesterol gallstones was 68%, 100% when 0.1% chenodeoxycholic acid was added, 40% with 2% ethyl linoleate, and zero with 0.1% hyodeoxycholic acid. Relative hepatic bile concentrations of cholesterol averaged 8.8 moles % in the lithogenic group and 3.6 moles % in controls. Both cholesterol to lecithin and lecithin to bile acid ratios were increased (means 0.573 and 0.216 compared with 0.280 and 0.164 in controls). Hyodeoxycholic acid caused extremely high concentrations of cholesterol and lecithin (25.8 and 21.3 moles % compared with 3.6 and 13.5 in controls). During intravenous sodium glycocholate infusion at both 0.02 and 0.2 μmole per min the lithogenic group had high lecithin to bile acid ratios (0.179 and 0.115 versus 0.102 and 0.069), but the highest ratios occurred after hyodeoxycholic acid (0.468 and 0.246). Cholesterol output in response to bile acid secretion was also increased in the lithogenic group and markedly increased after hyodeoxycholic acid. Acute infusion of sodium glycohyodeoxycholate in chow-fed animals caused a much greater increase in lipid output than infusion of glycocholate. The lithogenic diet appears to: (1) increase the availability of cholesterol, and (2) increase the amount of lecithin carried into the bile by bile acid secretion. Hyodeoxycholic acid causes extremely high biliary lipid output (possibly by a toxic effect on membranes), and thus may prevent solid gallstone formation by causing cholesterol to be excreted as a liquid crystal or gel.
Tumors of the Urinary Bladder

Nearly half of all bladder tumors are noninvasive (stage pTa) papillary neoplasms of urothelial origin. These tumors have been intensively investigated for many decades, and a number of concepts regarding their biologic behavior and prognosis have been well established. Prognosis for these tumors is influenced by tumor size, tumor multifocality, recurrence status, coexistence of carcinoma in situ, and histologic tumor grade [1–6]. The first four elements are straightforward. However, there has been a long-standing lack of agreement among pathologists concerning the ideal system for grading these tumors. A uniform grading system for bladder cancer will allow for valid comparison of treatment results among different centers. The 1973 WHO classification is preferred by some authors because it allows comparison of results between different clinical centers. It is a robust, time-tested, and reasonably reproducible method for pathologic reporting of bladder tumors. The 1998 WHO/ISUP classification of bladder tumors, and its adoption in the 2004 WHO classification, has been the subject of considerable controversy [3, 7–28]. In particular, there is poor interobserver agreement in the diagnostic categories of papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP) and low-grade urothelial carcinoma, two new categories in the 2004 WHO system [8, 9, 12, 29–34]. Use of both the 1973 and 2004 WHO classifications (former 1998 ISUP/WHO) has been recommended by some [3, 8, 11, 12, 35–37]. We recently introduced a new four-tiered grading system, which expands previous grading systems to include an additional category of noninvasive papillary carcinomas with exceptionally abnormal cytologic characteristics (Fig. 8.1, Table 8.1) [38]. This new grading system has the combined strengths of both 1973 WHO and 2004 WHO grading system [38].
Automated commanding of the SMAP spacecraft enables efficient, reliable, and responsive operations

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission developed and deployed a system to autonomously handle most routine commanding of the observatory. This system of ground software is able to build commands, validate them, and radiate the commands to the spacecraft, all without human interaction. In the case of an off-nominal scenario, the system will abort gracefully and notify the mission operations team of the problem. The system was phased into operations during the first three months of the SMAP mission and handles over 90% of the weekly commanding of the vehicle. The gradual introduction of the automation in flight, along with an extensive test campaign, was instrumental in the success of the software. The automation has enabled substantial efficiencies in operations team staffing and has improved reliability by removing the potentialfor human error. The system also allows the SMAP project to be more responsive which has shown significant benefits in areas of data latency and science accuracy.
“I Saw a Kingfisher”: Grace and Ruin in Golding's The Spire

William Golding, in The Spire , invites us to ask how we may know the will of God, and suggests that what we take to be the will of God is often simply the projection onto history of the disguised image of our private and self-absorbed desires. Though contemporary critics tend to interpret the novel as a sympathetic exploration of moral ambiguity rather than as a compelling condemnation of Jocelin's mortifying and death-dealing sin, the novel turns on the contrast between the drive toward dominion and the capacity for assent. The final salvific discovery, given form in Jocelin's mind by the experience of the apple tree and the kingfisher, is the overthrow of the will, its panicked drowning, in terrified apprehension of implacable glory and squandered gifts.
A Longitudinal Analysis of the T-Cell Receptor Vβ Repertoire in Aplastic Anemia Patients at Initial Presentation, Remission, and Relapse.

Aplastic anemia is a bone-marrow-failure syndrome characterized by low blood-cell counts and a fatty bone marrow. In most cases, no obvious etiological factor can be identified, but clinical responses to immunosuppressive treatment (IST) strongly suggest an immune pathophysiology. Our previous study of T-cell receptor (TCR) Vβ (variable region of β-chain) repertoire usage by flow cytometry suggested that aplastic anemia results from antigen-specific lymphocyte attack on hematopoietic progenitors (Risitano et al. Lancet2004; 364:355). In the current work, 7 patients were investigated for Vβ pattern expression before first immunosuppresive treatment, at the remission, and again on relapse. The TCR Vβ repertoire was analyzed for CD4+ and CD8+ subsets, separately, by flow cytometry, using a monoclonal antibody set of 22 different Vβ chains. Most patients had very different patterns of Vβ usage from healthy individuals, and all but one showed expansion of at least one Vβ family before immunosuppressive treatment (Vβ family expansions were defined as 2 standard deviations (SD) from the means in controls). The median number of expanded Vβ families was 4 per patient among CD8CD28 dim effector cells. At remission, almost all the initially expanded Vβ subfamilies decreased to less than 2SD of controls. At relapse, most of the expanded Vβ subsets were increased again. However, 5/7 patients showed new expanded Vβ subsets at recurrence of cytopenias, suggesting antigenic spread of new epitopes recognized by immune systems. Although no common pattern of specific expanded Vβ subsets could be identified among different patients, some Vβ subfamilies appeared to be more frequently involved (Vβ 5.1 and Vβ 5.2 were expanded in 4 of 7 patients both at initial presentation and relapse ). These data suggest that monitoring Vβ subsets in aplastic anemia, and potentially in other immune-mediated human diseases of a similar pathophysiology could be used to guide individual therapeutic decisions and in the development of new treatments.
Downlink Coverage Analysis for a Finite 3-D Wireless Network of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In this paper, we consider a finite network of unmanned aerial vehicles serving a given region. Modeling this network as a uniform binomial point process, we derive the downlink coverage probability of a reference receiver located at an arbitrary position on the ground assuming Nakagami- $m$ fading for all wireless links. The reference receiver is assumed to connect to its closest transmitting node as is usually the case in cellular systems. After deriving the distribution of distances from the reference receiver to the serving and interfering nodes, we derive an exact expression for downlink coverage probability in terms of the derivative of Laplace transform of interference power distribution. In the downlink of this system, it is not unusual to encounter scenarios in which the line-of-sight component is significantly stronger than the reflected multipath components. To emulate such scenarios, we also derive the coverage probability in the absence of fading from the results of Nakagami- $m$ fading by taking the limit $m \to \infty$ . Using asymptotic expansion of incomplete gamma function, we concretely show that this limit reduces to a redundant condition. Consequently, we derive an accurate coverage probability approximation for this case using dominant interferer-based approach in which the effect of dominant interferer is exactly captured and the residual interference from other interferers is carefully approximated. We then derive the bounds of the approximate coverage probability using Berry-Esseen theorem. Our analyses reveal several useful trends in coverage probability as a function of height of the transmitting nodes and the location of reference receiver on the ground.
Inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone as a postoperative complication in a child with a medulloblastoma

We report the case of a child with a medulloblastoma who developed inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone postoperatively. The etiology of this condition and the related literature are discussed.
Heterotopic Ossification of the Peroneus Brevis Tendon in a Pediatric Patient.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is abnormal formation of mature lamellar bone in soft tissues. HO is most commonly diagnosed in the setting of localized trauma, which results in improper differentiation of progenitor cells, leading to aberrant tissue formation. In the pediatric population, nongenetic causes of HO have rarely been reported, especially HO involving the tendons of the ankle. We present a case of HO of the peroneus brevis tendon without systemic disease in a pediatric patient. The patient was a 7-year-old female with a normal birth and developmental history who first presented 6 weeks after a right ankle sprain with pain localized to the lateral calcaneus. Prominent swelling and tenderness to palpation were noted over the peroneal tubercle. Radiographic imaging showed dystrophic calcification within the peroneus brevis tendon. After failed conservative management, the heterotopic ossified mass (1.5 × 0.3 cm) was excised from the peroneus brevis tendon. The tendon was primarily repaired. The patient was followed up for 12 weeks postoperatively and achieved full resolution of her pain with a return to normal activity. HO has been theorized to be the result of an imbalance between bone mineralization and demineralization. In the setting of localized trauma, inductive agents have been implicated in pathologic bone formation. In the pediatric population, HO has rarely been diagnosed in the absence of genetic causes. In patients presenting with lateral foot and ankle pain, HO of the peroneal tendons should be considered in the differential diagnosis. In a patient with pain secondary to HO, surgical excision of the heterotopic mass can achieve symptom resolution.
Didactic training vs. computer-based self-learning in the prediction of diminutive colon polyp histology by trainees: a randomized controlled study.

Background and study aim Experts can accurately predict diminutive polyp histology, but the ideal method to train nonexperts is not known. The aim of the study was to compare accuracy in diminutive polyp histology characterization using narrow-band imaging (NBI) between participants undergoing classroom didactic training vs. computer-based self-learning. Participants and methods Trainees at two institutions were randomized to classroom didactic training or computer-based self-learning. In didactic training, experienced endoscopists reviewed a presentation on NBI patterns for adenomatous and hyperplastic polyps and 40 NBI videos, along with interactive discussion. The self-learning group reviewed the same presentation of 40 teaching videos independently, without interactive discussion. A total of 40 testing videos of diminutive polyps under NBI were then evaluated by both groups. Performance characteristics were calculated by comparing predicted and actual histology. Fisher's exact test was used and P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results A total of 17 trainees participated (8 didactic training and 9 self-learning). A larger proportion of polyps were diagnosed with high confidence in the classroom group (66.5 % vs. 50.8 %; P < 0.01), although sensitivity (86.9 % vs. 95.0 %) and accuracy (85.7 % vs. 93.9 %) of high-confidence predictions were higher in the self-learning group. However, there was no difference in overall accuracy of histology characterization (83.4 % vs. 87.2 %; P = 0.19). Similar results were noted when comparing sensitivity and specificity between the groups. Conclusion The self-learning group showed results on a par with or, for high-confidence predictions, even slightly superior to classroom didactic training for predicting diminutive polyp histology. This approach can help in widespread training and clinical implementation of real-time polyp histology characterization.
Post discharge issues identified by a call-back program: identifying improvement opportunities.

Objectives: The period following discharge from the hospital is one of heightened vulnerability. Discharge instructions serve as a guide during this transition. Yet, clinicians receive little feedb...
Intergroup Contact Theory

Intergroup contact theory suggests that when members of different social groups come into contact with one another, attitudes toward their respective groups are changed. Work in this area has considered numerous different social groups communicating across a variety of media. Overall, the theory is strongly supported; however, numerous moderating and mediating variables come into play, and the theory remains the subject of rapid theoretical and conceptual development. In addition to studying the effects of contact, recent work examines when and how contact occurs, and how to encourage contact between groups as a means to reducing conflict and achieving intergroup harmony. Keywords: intergroup communication; social change; stereotyping
An initial experience with an Extraluminal EZ-Blocker® : A new alternative for 1-lung ventilation in pediatric patients.

SummaryBackground The need for 1-lung ventilation in school age, pediatric patients is uncommon and as a result there are relatively few devices available to facilitate lung isolation in this population. Furthermore, little is known about the efficacy and techniques of placement of the currently available devices. One of the newest devices available that may be appropriate in this age group is the EZ-Blocker. Aims We aimed to examine our initial experience with the EZ-Blocker to evaluate the performance of this device with respect to potential improvements in technique and patient selection going forward. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients who underwent 1-lung ventilation with an EZ-Blocker since the blocker became available at our institution. We recorded demographics, details of placement, intraoperative course, number of repositions, and any postoperative morbidity related to blocker placement or 1-lung ventilation. Results We were able to correctly place the EZ-Blocker and achieve lung isolation in 8 of 11 patients. There was a single episode of repositioning required during 1-lung ventilation with an EZ-Blocker. Conclusion The EZ-Blocker was successful in providing lung isolation for a majority of our school age patients. Size constraints in children <6 years of age, excessive secretions, and distortions of tracheal anatomy seemed to be the greatest hindrances to successful placement and positioning of the device. Once correctly positioned, however, the EZ-Blocker may be more stable than the Arndt endobronchial blocker.
Mediatization of Social Space and the Case of Uber Drivers

Digital data have become a form of “objectivation”, which affect how we construct social knowledge and organize social space (Couldry & Hepp, 2017). The workplace is one sphere that is increasingly datafied. This study explores how Uber drivers, a form of digitally-enabled service workers, contribute to the normalization of the social production of space through their interpretative practices of digital data in an online forum. Drawing on Uber’s corporate discourse and an Uber driver online forum, we analyze two facets of the Uber app and drivers’ mediated experiences: (1) the quantification and discipline of drivers’ performance through Uber’s rating system and (2) the coordination of spatial movement through location-related metrics. We argue that the underlying workings of the Uber app premediate expectations of service encounters and spatial movement. Uber drivers meanwhile develop practices which respond to and circumvent their own data contributions to the system. Drivers’ practices, we argue, are largely in compliance with the calculative logics set by Uber. The article addresses implications of Uber drivers’ practices for the reproduction of social space and power-relations in digitally-enabled service work and the gig economy.
Optimal bayesian control of a nonlinear regression process with unknown parameters

We have considered the decision problem facing an agent controlling a nonlinear regression process when parameters in the mean function and in the error distribution are unknown. The agent faces a tradeoff between accumulating information by varying the values of the regressors and accumulating one-period reward by following the one-period expected reward maximizing policy. We show that the problem can be brought into the dynamic programming framework and that the value function satisfies the usual functional equation. The sequence of beliefs about the unknown parameters is shown to converge almost surely. Further, the optimal action process converges to the one-period optimal action under limit beliefs.
Failed States and Nation-Building: A Cultural Evolutionary Perspective

This concluding article of the Special Issue on Failed States and Nation-Building argues that the science of social and cultural evolution can make valuable contributions to our collective capacity for peace- and state-building. It also reviews other papers in the Special Issue, and discusses how the different themes raised by the authors are tied together within the unifying theoretical framework of cultural evolution.
HPRT Gene Transfer as a Model for Gene Therapy

One of the most striking features of modern molecular biology and of much of current medical research is the degree to which many of their common interests and techniques have converged. More than ever before, the most advanced and current methods of the biological sciences are being used in directly applied medical studies, and the clinical problems of medicine are becoming research interests for the most rigorous and highly trained basic scientists. The result is the development of conceptually new and effective approaches to an understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and screening, prevention and therapy of the many human diseases that carry a genetic component (1). During the past several decades, techniques have become available to identify biochemical and metabolic defects responsible for many important disorders, to isolate and characterize the causative mutant genes and to identify genetic defects precisely at the level of the nucleotide sequence.
How Could Commercial Terms of Use and Privacy Policies Undermine Informed Consent in the Age of Mobile Health

Granular personal data generated by mobile health (mHealth) technologies coupled with the complexity of mHealth systems creates risks to privacy that are difficult to foresee, understand, and communicate, especially for purposes of informed consent. Moreover, commercial terms of use, to which users are almost always required to agree, depart significantly from standards of informed consent. As data use scandals increasingly surface in the news, the field of mHealth must advocate for user-centered privacy and informed consent practices that motivate patients' and research participants' trust. We review the challenges and relevance of informed consent and discuss opportunities for creating new standards for user-centered informed consent processes in the age of mHealth.
Pending Approval Patents, Proprietary Information, and Bank Loan Spread

This study examines a specific source of banks’ ex ante information advantage, i.e., the proprietary information about the borrowers’ patents pending approval at the loan initiation. We find that banks incorporate this favorable proprietary information in debt contracting and charge lower loan spreads for borrowers with greater numbers of patents pending approval, and borrowers whose patents pending approval have higher expected economic values. Consistent with private information transfer, our cross-sectional tests show that the reduction in loan spread in response to the favorable proprietary information is more pronounced for firms with high information asymmetry at the loan initiation, and firms borrowing from banks that are more willing to act on soft information; but less pronounced when more lenders participate in the loan syndicate driving up the risk of information leakage. Finally, we document that current market leaders obtain less loan spread reductions from the private information transfer, and that banks have non-linear price reactions to the favorable proprietary information depending on borrowers’ initial default risk.
Rey's Social World Understandings and Connections to a Short Story.

ABSTRACTThis paper highlights how the social world understandings of Rey, an 11th grade Latino student, supported his exploration into and insights of a short story. This work is grounded in the Cultural Modelling Framework. This framework provides students with the chance to acquire important comprehension strategies needed to interpret complex fiction through explicit instruction. The framing theory supports an understanding of the significance of Rey’s contributions informed by his perceptions of the social world and the expansion of literary inquiry practices. The findings centre on the importance of valuing experience and knowledge rooted in the reality of students’ lives and ideas about the social world.
First stage of labor progression in women with large-for-gestational age infants.

Background Women with suspected large-for-gestational age fetuses have higher rates of dysfunctional labor and labor arrest diagnoses and, consequently, higher rates of cesarean deliveries. The identification of the factors that significantly affect labor progression of women with large-for-gestational age infants may better inform expected duration of labor for certain subgroups of this population. Objective Because the standards for the first stage of labor when large-for-gestational age is present have not been defined clearly, the present study aims to evaluate labor progress of women with large-for-gestational age infants who complete the first stage of labor after 3-cm cervical dilation. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who were admitted for labor from 2004–2014 with a term vertex singleton who achieved 10-cm cervical dilation. Labor curves were constructed with repeated measures regression and were compared between patients who delivered large-for-gestational age infants (actual birthweight, >90th percentile for gestational age) and those who delivered appropriate-for-gestational age infants (actual birthweight, 10–90th percentile for gestational age). Interval-censored regression estimated median duration of labor after 3-cm cervical dilation stratified by actual infant birthweight and further stratified by parity (nulliparity vs multiparity), labor onset (spontaneous [augmented and not augmented] and induced labor), pregestational diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus status, and maternal body mass index (obese, ≥30 kg/m2 vs not obese, Results Among all 17,097 women who were included, 15,843 women (92.7%) had appropriate-for-gestational age infants; 1254 women (7.3%) had large-for-gestational age infants, of whom 387 (30.9%) were nulliparous; 464 women (37.0%) underwent induction of labor; 863 women (68.8%) were obese, and 158 women (12.6%) had diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus. Women with large-for-gestational age infants had a slower progression from 3- to 10-cm cervical dilation compared with those with appropriate-for-gestational age infants (median, 8.57 hours [5th, 95th percentile, 2.95, 24.86] vs 6.46 hours [5th, 95th percentile, 2.23, 18.74]; P Conclusion After 3-cm cervical dilation, the time required to reach the second stage of labor is greater in women with large-for-gestational age infants compared with those with appropriate-for-gestational age infants; these differences are most pronounced in nulliparous and obese women with large-for-gestational age infants in the active phase of labor (6–10 cm). Among women with large-for-gestational age infants, labor onset and presence of diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus have no apparent effect on the duration of the first stage of labor after 3-cm cervical dilation.
Pilot test of an educational intervention to improve self-management of diabetes in persons living with HIV

People living with a diagnosis of HIV (PLWH) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) can experience a synergistic negative impact on their vascular and immune systems if their conditions are poorly controlled. The purpose of this study was to adapt a community-based diabetes self-management intervention for people living with HIV and test the feasibility of administering the intervention with PLWH+T2DM who are low-income, predominantly minority, vulnerable population. The intervention was 12 weeks long with 6 h of educational instruction followed by 6 weekly support telephone calls to reinforce training and problem solve. The study used a one-group pretest–posttest design. Participants were a convenience sample of 25 adults diagnosed with HIV + T2DM. Diabetes knowledge, HIV knowledge, and self-management skills were measured. Analyses comprised descriptive statistics and correlations. Participants completed an average of 2.7 of 6 h of instruction and an average of 3 of 6 possible telephone calls. There was a 34% increase in diabetes self-management skills from pretest to posttest, but there were no changes in knowledge about HIV or diabetes. Based on this pilot study, next steps will include a multi-modal educational intervention, with in-person, at-home, and teleconference components. Blood sample collection procedure will be coordinated with study visits to decrease participants’ burden, and the updated diabetes knowledge instrument with a higher reported internal consistency will be used.
Energy efficient network path reconfiguration for industrial field data

Abstract Energy efficiency and reliability are vital design requirements of recent industrial networking solutions. Increased energy consumption, poor data access rates and unpredictable end-to-end data access latencies are catastrophic when transferring high volumes of critical industrial data in strict temporal deadlines. These requirements might become impossible to meet later on, due to node failures, or excessive degradation of the performance of wireless links. In this paper, we focus on maintaining the network functionality required by the industrial, best effort, low-latency applications after such events, by sacrificing latency guarantees to improve energy consumption and reliability. We avoid continuously recomputing the network configuration centrally, by designing an energy efficient, local and distributed path reconfiguration method. Specifically, given the operational parameters required by the applications, our method locally reconfigures the data distribution paths, when a network node fails. Additionally, our method also regulates the return to an operational state of nodes that have been offline in the past. We compare the performance of our method through simulations to the performance of other state of the art protocols and we demonstrate performance gains in terms of energy consumption, data delivery success rate, and in some cases, end-to-end data access latency. We conclude by providing some emerging key insights which can lead to further performance improvements.
Changing landscape of emergency management research: A systematic review with bibliometric analysis

Abstract This is a systematic review of emergency management publications using the bibliometric analysis. The authors addressed the questions of how emergency management research has evolved in connections to previous literature, what are the fundamental elements of effective strategies, and what topics emerged as new trends in adapting to changing environments. Findings reveal that topics of communication, collaboration, citizen participation, risk perception, and vulnerability have been addressed consistently over the last four decades. Findings also show that scholars have responded to emerging challenges by establishing emergency management systems, designing an international framework for climate change, and shifting focus from response to mitigation with special emphasis on community resilience and sustainability. The authors expect that this study lays a foundation for shaping future EM research.
Implementation of Collodion Bag Protocol to Improve Whole-slide Imaging of Scant Gynecologic Curettage Specimens.

Background: Digital pathology has been increasingly implemented for primary surgical pathology diagnosis. In our institution, digital pathology was recently deployed in the gynecologic (GYN) pathology practice. A notable challenge encountered in the digital evaluation of GYN specimens was high rates of scanning failure of specimens with fragmented as well as scant tissue. To improve tissue detection failure rates, we implemented a novel use of the collodion bag cell block preparation method. Materials and Methods: In this study, we reviewed 108 endocervical curettage (ECC) specimens, representing specimens processed with and without the collodion bag cell block method (n = 56 without collodion bag, n = 52 with collodion bag). Results: Tissue detection failure rates were reduced from 77% (43/56) in noncollodion bag cases to 23/52 (44%) of collodion bag cases, representing a 42% reduction. The median total area of tissue detection failure per level was 0.35 mm2 (interquartile range [IQR]: 0.14, 0.70 mm2) for noncollodion bag cases and 0.08 mm2 (IQR: 0.03, 0.20 mm2) for collodion bag cases. This represents a greater than fourfold reduction in the total area of tissue detection failure per level (P
Chicken noodle night: conviviality, resilience, and food at the Vinland Fair

This participant-observation study examines the intersection of food, community resilience, and conviviality in a tiny, aging, but vibrant fair in NE Kansas. Vinland Valley is a town halfway betwee...
Early life Western diet-induced memory impairments and gut microbiome changes in female rats are long-lasting despite healthy dietary intervention.

Western diet consumption during adolescence results in hippocampus (HPC)-dependent memory impairments and gut microbiome dysbiosis. Whether these adverse outcomes persist in adulthood following hea...
Peer review reduces spin in PCORI research reports.

BACKGROUND The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is obligated to peer review and to post publicly "Final Research Reports" of all funded projects. PCORI peer review emphasizes adherence to PCORI's Methodology Standards and principles of ethical scientific communication. During the peer review process, reviewers and editors seek to ensure that results are presented objectively and interpreted appropriately, e.g., free of spin. METHODS Two independent raters assessed PCORI peer review feedback sent to authors. We calculated the proportion of reports in which spin was identified during peer review, and the types of spin identified. We included reports submitted by April 2018 with at least one associated journal article. The same raters then assessed whether authors addressed reviewers' comments about spin. The raters also assessed whether spin identified during PCORI peer review was present in related journal articles. RESULTS We included 64 PCORI-funded projects. Peer reviewers or editors identified spin in 55/64 (86%) submitted research reports. Types of spin included reporting bias (46/55; 84%), inappropriate interpretation (40/55; 73%), inappropriate extrapolation of results (15/55; 27%), and inappropriate attribution of causality (5/55; 9%). Authors addressed comments about spin related to 47/55 (85%) of the reports. Of 110 associated journal articles, PCORI comments about spin were potentially applicable to 44/110 (40%) articles, of which 27/44 (61%) contained the same spin that was identified in the PCORI research report. The proportion of articles with spin was similar for articles accepted before and after PCORI peer review (63% vs 58%). DISCUSSION Just as spin is common in journal articles and press releases, we found that most reports submitted to PCORI included spin. While most spin was mitigated during the funder's peer review process, we found no evidence that review of PCORI reports influenced spin in journal articles. Funders could explore interventions aimed at reducing spin in published articles of studies they support.
The identification of cis-11,12-methylene-2-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid from Thiobacillus thiooxidans.

Abstract A polar fatty acid has been observed as a component of an ornithine-containing lipid of Thiobacillus thiooxidans. A comparison of thin layer chromatographic mobilities of reference compounds to those of the natural acid and its derivatives suggested that the acid was a 2-hydroxy fatty acid. The presence of a cyclopropane function in the acid was indicated by 14C-labeling experiments and infrared spectroscopy. Mass spectrometry of the methyl ester and the acetylated methyl ester of the natural acid provided a molecular weight for the acid. Equivalent chain lengths were determined for the natural acid, the acid obtained by oxidative decarboxylation of the natural acid with permanganate, and the acids derived through reductive ring cleavage of the cyclopropane group in the ester of the oxidatively decarboxylated natural acid. The mass spectral data, the equivalent chain length determinations, and the permanganate oxidation study clearly indicated that the acid possessed an 18-carbon chain with a methylene bridge and a 2-hydroxyl function. The equivalent chain length determinations further suggested that the cyclopropane group had the cis configuration. Mass spectrographic analysis of the branched chain esters obtained by reductive cleavage of the ester which was in turn derived through oxidative decarboxylation of the natural acid allowed the assignment of the 11,12 position for the cyclopropane group. Based on these data, the polar acid is proposed to be cis-11,12-methylene-2-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid.
Live Video Diet and Exercise Intervention in Overweight and Obese Youth: Adherence and Cardiovascular Health

Objective To evaluate adherence of overweight and obese adolescents to a live video lifestyle intervention. The impact on vascular and functional health was also assessed. Study design Twenty adolescents 14.5 ± 2.1 years of age with body mass index z-score 1.94 ± 0.43 were enrolled. The 12-week intervention included 3-times-weekly videoconference sessions with a trainer and weekly diet consultations. Adherence was evaluated by completion rate and percentage of sessions attended. Vascular health indices and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were obtained at baseline and study end. Results Seventeen participants (85%) completed the intervention. The participants attended 93 ± 11% of scheduled sessions. Reasons for absences included illness/injury (23%), school activities (21%), holidays (18%), forgetting the appointment (8%), Internet connectivity issues (7%), and family emergency (7%). Significant changes were observed in waist-hip ratio (0.87 ± 0.08 vs 0.84 ± 0.08, P = .03), total (159 ± 27 vs 147 ± 23 mg/dL, P = .004) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (91 ± 20 vs 81 ± 18 mg/dL, P = .004), volume of inspired oxygen per heartbeat at peak exercise (69 ± 16 vs 72 ± 15%, P = .01), and functional movement score (13 ± 2 vs 17 ± 1, P P = .01 and P = .04, respectively). Conclusions A 12-week live video intervention promotes adherence among overweight and obese adolescents and shows promise for improving vascular and functional health. Integrating telehealth into preventive care has the potential to improve cardiovascular health in the youth at risk.
Demographic, health, lifestyle, and blood vitamin determinants of serum total homocysteine concentrations in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994

BACKGROUND Elevated serum total homocysteine (tHcy) is an independent risk factor for vascular diseases. OBJECTIVE Associations between serum tHcy and demographics, health and lifestyle factors, and blood vitamin concentrations were investigated. DESIGN Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994 were used to examine associations in men (n = 2965) and women (n = 3580) between tHcy and age, sex, race-ethnicity, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, alcohol consumption, supplement use, red blood cell (RBC) folate, and serum creatinine, folate, vitamin B-12, and cotinine (a measure of cigarette smoking). RESULTS The unadjusted mean tHcy was 21.5% ( approximately 1.9 micro mol/L) higher in men than in women, 11.8% ( approximately 1.1 micro mol/L) higher in non-Hispanic whites than in Mexican Americans, 42% ( approximately 3.7 micro mol/L) higher in persons aged > or = 70 y than in persons aged < 30 y, and 10.9% ( approximately 1.0 micro mol/L) higher in supplement nonusers than in supplement users. The tHcy concentration was negatively associated with serum folate (P < 0.0001 for trend), RBC folate (P < 0.0001 for trend), and serum vitamin B-12 (P < 0.0036 for trend) and was positively associated with alcohol consumption (P < 0.0001 for trend), serum cotinine (P < 0.0001 for trend), and systolic blood pressure (P < 0.0001 for trend). Consumption of hard liquor (but not of beer or wine) was positively associated with tHcy concentration (P < 0.0001 for trend). CONCLUSIONS In this population-based study, the significant predictors of tHcy concentration were sex, age, race-ethnicity, serum creatinine, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, hard-liquor consumption, smoking, supplement use, serum folate, RBC folate, and serum vitamin B-12.
Recent advances in X-ray lasers at LLNL

Our studies of Ne-like X-ray lasers have focused on detailed measurements of the yttrium X-ray laser. This system is ideal for multilayer mirror applications because the spectrum is dominated by the short wavelength J=2-1 transition which operates at 154.98 /spl Aring/. At this wavelength multilayer mirrors with peak normal incidence reflectivities of 60 % can be produced. The high gain of this transition has allowed us to achieve saturated output with peak powers of 30 MW from a 3.8 cm long yttrium target irradiated by a 500 ps square 0.53 /spl mu/m optical laser pulse. >
Emotion induction moderates effects of anger management style on acute pain sensitivity

Anger management style (AMS) is related to both acute and chronic pain intensity. Recent work suggests that an anger expressive AMS in particular may influence acute pain, and that this effect may be most pronounced during anger provocation. The present study examined whether AMS was related to subsequent pain sensitivity without regard to prior emotion induction, only when a strong negative emotion was evoked, or only when anger was provoked. Sixty-four healthy normals partook in semi-structured interviews in which they recalled and verbally described an event in which either anger, sadness, or joy was elicited. They then underwent a cold pressor pain task. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions showed that an anger expressive AMS was related positively to pain threshold only for participants in the anger-recall condition, and that this effect was largely accounted for by their low SBP reactivity during emotion induction. An anger suppressive AMS was related positively to increases in self-reported pain severity, irrespective of emotion-induction condition, and this effect was not accounted for by reactivity in any cardiovascular index. Results extend those of previous studies by illuminating the potential importance of behavioral anger expression for individuals prone to express anger in modulating their reactivity and pain sensitivity. Findings suggest that the detrimental effects of an anger expressive style on pain sensitivity may be ameliorated under conditions in which behavioral anger expression occurs. Results are discussed in terms of recent work suggesting that an expressive AMS is associated with endogenous opioid dysfunction in the absence of behavioral anger expression.