cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Imprinting: Comparative Analysis Between Plants and Mammals

Genetic imprinting: the parent of origin‐specific biased expression of alleles is an important type of epigenetic gene regulation in flowering plants and mammals. All imprinted genes show either maternal ‐ or paternal‐specific mono‐allelic expression. Considering that plants and mammals shared a common ancestor more than one billion years ago, significant overlap and potentially equally significant differences in the genomic imprinting mechanisms in these two taxa are emerging. In plants, the imprinted genes are primarily imprinted in the ephemeral endosperm tissues of the seeds which do not contribute any genome to future generations, while in mammals, the imprinted genes are located in embryo, placenta, and the adult body. Though both kingdoms silence imprinted genes using DNA methylation, imprinted alleles in mammals are targeted for silencing while in plants preexisting methylation is specifically removed from the allele destined to be active in maternally expressed genes in the endosperm. It is now accepted that imprinting evolved in both taxa due to competition between parental genomes over resource allocation to offspring. Moreover, the distinct life cycle stages between the taxa may account for the different strategies used by plants and mammals to regulate parent‐specific gene expression. The elucidation of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms responsible for genetic imprinting have provided answers to various crucial questions arising in biological sciences Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 26(2): 267-284, 2016 (December)
Traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst: An underreported entity.

Abstract Background Traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts (TPP) are underreported cavitary lesions of the pulmonary parenchyma that can develop following blunt chest trauma. Although the occurrence of traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is rare, this condition should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any cavitary lesion. Awareness of this injury and its clinical significance is important for successful management in order to avoid medical errors in the course of treatment. Methods A literature search was conducted through Medline using the key phrases “traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst” and “traumatic pneumatocele.” Relevant articles, especially those with focus on diagnosis and management of traumatic pneumatocele in adults, were selected. Due to the scarcity of literature and lack of Level I evidence on this subject, studies published in any year were considered. Results A search of “traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst” and “traumatic pneumatocele” yielded 114 studies. Most of these were excluded based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-five articles were reviewed. The majority of these were individual case studies; only eight articles were considered large case studies (greater than eight patients). Conclusion Traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts are lesions that occur secondary to blunt chest trauma. Diagnosis is based on a history of trauma and appearance of a cystic lesion on CT. Accurate diagnosis of traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is imperative to achieve successful outcomes. Failure to do so may lead to unnecessary procedures and complications.
Embryonic Origin of Primary Colon Cancer Predicts Pathologic Response and Survival in Patients Undergoing Resection for Colon Cancer Liver Metastases

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of embryonic origin in patients undergoing resection after chemotherapy for colon cancer liver metastases (CCLM). METHODS We identified 725 patients with primary colon cancer and known RAS mutation status who underwent hepatic resection after preoperative chemotherapy for CCLM (1990 to 2015). Survival after resection of CCLM from midgut origin (n = 238) and hindgut origin (n = 487) was analyzed. Predictors of pathologic response and survival were determined. Prognostic value of embryonic origin was validated with a separate cohort of 252 patients with primary colon cancer who underwent resection of CCLM without preoperative chemotherapy. RESULTS Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after hepatic resection were worse in patients with midgut origin tumors (RFS rate at 3 years: 15% vs 27%, P < 0.001; OS rate at 3 years: 46% vs 68%, P < 0.001). Independent factors associated with minor pathologic response were midgut embryonic origin [odds ratio (OR) 1.55, P = 0.010], absence of bevacizumab (OR 1.42, P = 0.034), and mutant RAS (OR 1.41, P = 0.043). Independent factors associated with worse OS were midgut embryonic origin [hazard ratio (HR) 2.04, P < 0.001], carcinoembryonic antigen value ≥5 ng/mL at hepatic resection (HR 1.46, P = 0.0021), synchronous CCLM (HR 1.45, P = 0.012), and mutant RAS (HR 1.43, P = 0.0040). In the validation cohort, patients with CCLM of midgut origin had a worse 3-year OS rate (55% vs 78%, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Compared with CCLM from hindgut origin, CCLM from midgut origin are associated with worse pathologic response to chemotherapy and worse survival after resection. This effect appears to be independent of RAS mutation status.
Large electric arc furnaces. Power and Furnace Characteristics

There is considerably more that could be said about the furnace circuit. It has been the intention of this paper to touch on the aspects most vital at this present stage of development of large arc furnace circuits.
Going general as a resource for doing advising in post-observation conferences in teacher training

Abstract In mentor–teacher conversations, mentors routinely engage in the work of advising that entails pointing out problems and proposing solutions, both of which can suggest negative attributions to the teacher's competence, and by extension, encounter various forms of less-than-aligning responses. Based on 50 video-recorded post-observation meetings, this conversation analytic study details one specific resource— going general —mobilized by the mentors to handle the delicate work of critiques and suggestions without compromising the task of mentoring. As will be shown, going general entails depersonalizing the advice and invoking larger disciplinary or pedagogical principles. While depersonalization removes the relevance of any defensive next act and opens up a space for the possibility of achieving a collaborative understanding of a problem or solution, invoking a larger principle cements that understanding with its apparent irrefutability. Through such depersonalization and principle invocation, going general can effectively promote teacher alignment, and as such, facilitate professional socialization. Findings of this study contribute to the existing literature on advising and that on mentor–teacher conversations.
Association between Systemic Diseases and Endodontic Outcome: A Systematic Review.

Abstract Introduction To date, the relationships between systemic diseases and endodontic treatment outcomes remain poorly studied. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between host-modifying factors and their association with endodontic outcomes. Methods Two reviewers independently conducted a comprehensive literature search. The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed databases were searched. In addition, the bibliographies and gray literature of all relevant articles and textbooks were manually searched. There was no disagreement between the 2 reviewers. Results Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria with moderate to high risk of bias. There was no article with low risk of bias. Available scientific evidence remains inconclusive as to whether diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease(s) may be associated with endodontic outcomes. Human immunodeficiency virus and oral bisphosphonate did not appear to be associated with endodontic outcomes. Conclusions Although additional well-designed longitudinal clinical studies are needed, the results of this systematic review suggest that some systemic diseases may be correlated with endodontic outcomes.
Escherichia coli isolates from commercial chicken meat and eggs cause sepsis, meningitis and urinary tract infection in rodent models of human infections.

Summary The zoonotic potential of Escherichia coli from chicken-source food products is important to define for public health purposes. Previously, genotypic and phenotypic screening of E. coli isolates from commercial chicken meat and shell eggs identified some E. coli strains that by molecular criteria resembled human-source extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Here, to clarify the zoonotic risk of such chicken-source E. coli, we compared selected E. coli isolates from chicken meat and eggs, stratified by molecularly defined ExPEC status, to human-source ExPEC and to laboratory E. coli for virulence in rodent models of sepsis, meningitis and UTI, and evaluated whether specific bacterial characteristics predict experimental virulence. Multiple chicken-source E. coli resembled human-source ExPEC in their ability to cause one or multiple different ExPEC-associated infections. Swimming ability corresponded with urovirulence, K1 capsule corresponded with ability to cause neonatal meningitis, and biofilm formation in urine corresponded with ability to cause sepsis. In contrast, molecularly defined ExPEC status and individual genotypic traits were uncorrelated with ability to cause sepsis, and neither complement sensitivity nor growth in human urine corresponded with virulence in any infection model. These findings establish that chicken-derived food products contain E. coli strains that, in rodent models of multiple human-associated ExPEC infections, are able to cause disease comparably to human-source E. coli clinical isolates, which suggests that they may pose a significant food safety threat. Further study is needed to define the level of risk they pose to human health, which if appreciable would justify efforts to monitor for and reduce or eliminate them.
On the elastic far-field response of a two-dimensional coated circular inhomogeneity: Analysis and applications

Abstract The paper studies the conditions under which the far-field response of a two-dimensional coated circular inhomogeneity embedded into an infinite matrix and subjected to uniform stresses at infinity is identical to that of a perfectly bonded inhomogeneity. The problem is considered in plane strain and antiplane settings. All constituents of the composite systems are assumed to be isotropic or transversely isotropic (with the axis Oz in longitudinal direction) and linearly elastic. For the plane strain problem and hydrostatic load or antiplane problem, it is shown that there always exists an equivalent inhomogeneity of the radius equal to the external radius of the coating that produces the elastic fields inside the matrix that are identical to those of the original coated inhomogeneity. For the plane strain and deviatoric load, the elastic fields in the matrix due to these two composite systems are always different, except for the equal shear moduli case. However, it is rigorously proved here that, for the deviatoric load and any combination of the material parameters, there exists the equivalent inhomogeneity of the radius equal to the external radius of the coating that induces the same dipole moments as those induced by the coated inhomogeneity. The existence of the equivalent inhomogeneities whose radius is different from the external radius of the coating is also investigated. The application of the proposed procedure to the homogenization problems leads to the new closed-form expression for the effective transverse shear modulus of transversely isotropic unidirectional composites. The findings presented here provide an insight on the influence of the interphases that could be useful in the analysis of some types of inverse problems.
Coverage of the population in Census 2000: Results from Demographic Analysis

Since the 1960 Census, Demographic Analysis (DA) has been used by the Census Bureau to evaluate the coverage of the population. Administrative statistics on births, deaths, immigration and Medicare enrollments as well as estimates of legal emigration and net undocumented immigration are used to produce demographic analysis estimates of the population for the census date. These estimates are compared to the Census 2000 data to evaluate coverage in the census. The results are also compared to measures of undercount obtained from dual system estimation. The DA measures substantial reduction in net undercount in Census 2000 compared to 1990. The reductions occur among all demographic categories: all broad age groups, males and females, Blacks and Non-Blacks.
Gallbladder Scalloping, Mammillated Caudate Lobe, and Inferior Vena Cava Scalloping: Three Novel Ultrasound Signs of Cirrhosis

Purpose We aimed to present three new ultrasound signs—gallbladder scalloping, mammillated caudate lobe, and inferior vena cava scalloping—and determine their accuracy in diagnosing liver cirrhosis. Materials and Methods A total of 201 consecutive patients with a history of chronic liver disease who had undergone ultrasound imaging and liver biopsy were identified. A senior ultrasound radiologist blindly reviewed the ultrasound examinations. Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of diagnosing cirrhosis were calculated for all evaluated ultrasound signs and selected combinations of signs, using the liver biopsy results as the reference standard. Results Of the 201 patients, 152 (76%) had either pathology-proven cirrhosis or significant fibrosis. Caudate lobe hypertrophy was the most specific (88%) and most positive predictor (90%) for cirrhosis, whereas mammillated caudate lobe was the most sensitive (78%). Inferior vena cava scalloping was the most specific (78%) of the three proposed ultrasound signs. When signs were combined, the presence of either gallbladder scalloping or liver surface nodularity was highly sensitive for cirrhosis (87%), whereas the presence of either gallbladder scalloping or inferior vena cava scalloping with caudate lobe hypertrophy was highly specific (93%). Conclusions Gallbladder scalloping, mammillated caudate lobe, and inferior vena cava scalloping are three novel signs that improve the accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing cirrhosis.
Climatic variation across a latitudinal gradient affect phenology and group size, but not social complexity in small carpenter bees

Greater social complexity at lower latitudes has been observed in a variety of arthropods from termites to spiders. Social behavior in the small carpenter bees, Ceratina, has been shown to vary widely both between species and across geographic range. Our goal was to determine how social plasticity of three populations of Ceratina species, C. calcarata and C. strenua, vary across a latitudinal gradient. The longer rearing season in the south did not result in two separate brood rearing periods, but instead increased brood production of a single brood with a higher female sex bias. The social structure of nests remained stable across both species’ ranges: mothers exhibit prolonged parental care and worker dwarf eldest daughters occur among populations and species. This is the first report of worker daughters in C. strenua. The ubiquity of worker daughter production in eastern North American Ceratina suggests that factors outside of climate underlie the early division of labor between the reproductive mother and worker dwarf eldest daughter.
Phase transitions and domain structures in ester and acid monolayers

Fluorescence microscopic studies of ester and acid monolayers show the existence of several condensed phases, in accord with recent diffraction measurements. Studies with polarized excitation reveal "star defects," i.e., organized domains of uniform tilt similar to those seen in smectic liquid crystals. The observation of chiral patterns in monolayers composed of achiral molecules is in accord with the proposal that one of the phases is the analog of the smectic L liquid crystal. Monolayers of pentadecanoic acid develop large-scale chiral defect structures.
Implementing universal genetic counseling (GC) and multigene germline testing (MGT) for pancreatic cancer (PC) patients (pts).

1512Background: MGT will identify cancer susceptibility gene variants in 4-10% of unselected PC pts. Such data have prompted calls for universal GC and MGT of all PC pts, but the real-world benefit...
Suicide risk among cancer survivors: Head and neck versus other cancers.

Background Cancer survivors face psychosocial issues that increase their risk of suicide. This study examined the risk of suicide across cancer sites, with a focus on survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18-registry database (from 2000 to 2014) was queried for the top 20 cancer sites in the database, including HNC. The outcome of interest was suicide as a cause of death. The mortality rate from suicide was estimated for HNC sites and was compared with rates for 19 other cancer sites that were included in the study. Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 1) HNC versus non-HNC sites (the other 19 cancer sites combined), and 2) HNC versus each individual cancer site. Models were stratified by sex, controlling for race, marital status, age, year, and stage at diagnosis. Results There were 404 suicides among 151,167 HNC survivors from 2000 to 2014, yielding a suicide rate of 63.4 suicides per 100,000 person-years. In this timeframe, there were 4493 suicides observed among 4219,097 cancer survivors in the study sample, yielding an incidence rate of 23.6 suicides per 100,000 person-years. Compared with survivors of other cancers, survivors of HNC were almost 2 times more likely to die from suicide (aRR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.77-2.19). There was a 27% increase in the risk of suicide among HNC survivors during the period from 2010 to 2014 (aRR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.16-1.38) compared with the period from 2000 to 2004. Conclusions Although survival rates in cancer have improved because of improved treatments, the risk of death by suicide remains a problem for cancer survivors, particularly those with HNC.
Evaluating the Intel Skylake Xeon Processor for HPC Workloads

Despite significant advances in the porting of scientific applications to novel architectures such as compute-optimized graphics processors, many-core processor/accelerators and, even special-purpose function units, the vast majority of scientific calculations are still performed on high-performance, commodity server processors. Even in the cases of applications which have been ported to new architectures, frequent serial sections still require strong server-class processor cores to compute as fast as possible. In this paper we report on a set of benchmark studies which evaluate Intel's latest Skylake Xeon server processor. Skylake represents a significant change in the Xeon product line with wider SIMD vector units, a redesigned cache architecture, and, an increased number of memory channels. The wider vector units provide 2x improvement for some compute-intensive applications and the combined memory changes can provide close to 2x the memory bandwidth. We evaluate these new hardware features on several HPC-relevant mini-applications and benchmarks, including, STREAM, LULESH, XSBench, HPCG and SW4Lite. Together, the new hardware functions provide up to 1.8x speedup on HPC benchmark codes when compared with the previous generation Haswell processor core, providing much greater utility to a broader range of HPC applications that rely on this class of compute node.
High energy density and high efficiency all-organic polymers with enhanced dipolar polarization

Advanced polymers with high energy density and high efficiency are urgently needed in pulse power capacitor applications. Here, we present a practical design approach towards all-organic polymers with high energy density and high efficiency by enhancing dipolar polarization at the molecular level. Flexible segments were introduced into the backbones of rigid polar aromatic polymers to increase the flexibility of dipoles. Dielectric spectroscopy measurements of designed polymers revealed multiple strong sub-glass transition (sub-Tg) relaxation peaks with low activation energies, which indicated the enhanced movement freedom of dipoles below the glass transition temperature. As a result, dielectric constants were increased up to 46% when compared with their base polymers and D–E loop measurements showed that all these designed polymers had high energy densities above 11 J cm−3 with efficiencies above 90%. These results unveiled a novel approach towards high dielectric constant organic polymers for electrical energy storage.
Encrustation in Continuous Pharmaceutical Crystallization Processes—A Review

Encrustation is a risk factor that can cause product and process failure in continuous crystallization processes. Mitigation, prevention, and control of encrustation have been extensively researche...
Novel amorphous SiOC dispersion-strengthened austenitic steels

Abstract A novel amorphous silicon oxycarbide dispersion-strengthened (SiOC-DS) austenitic steel has been fabricated via a powder metallurgy process. The microstructure of dispersion particles has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), revealing that amorphous SiOC nanoparticles with an average particle size of 30 nm were homogeneously distributed in the austenite grains with a sub-micrometer grain size. The high strength and hardness of SiOC-DS may be attributed to grain boundary strengthening, as well as dispersion strengthening via dislocation–particle interactions that were revealed by TEM investigations. In situ ion irradiation experiments showed that amorphous SiOC particles were stable after irradiation of 3.7 dpa, and the SiOC/steel interface can be an effective sink for the annihilation of irradiation defects. The excellent mechanical and irradiation properties of SiOC-DS austenitic steel make it a promising structural material for nuclear applications.
Therapeutic Recreation Outcomes during Inpatient SCI Rehabilitation: Propensity Score Analysis of SCIRehab Data

SCIRehab public use datasets were used to compare outcomes based on time spent in therapeutic recreation (TR) during inpatient rehabilitation for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) (n = 1376). The treatment group consisted of SCIRehab participants who received significant (>20 hours) inpatient TR, n = 476. Propensity score 1-to-1 matching constructed the control group (n = 476) from the remaining SCIRehab participants. Independent means tests were used to identify significant differences in characteristics and outcomes between groups at one and five years post injury; matched pairs means tests compared differences within groups. At one and five years post injury, the treatment group had significantly higher rates of employment/ school, community participation (CHART scores), life satisfaction (satisfaction with life scale score), and greater recreation participation. At one year post injury, the treatment group exhibited more residing at home, less depression (PHQ-9), and less rehospitalization; these differences were neutralized by five years post injury. Both groups saw improvement in most outcomes from one to five years post injury; however, percentage of patients or item scores for treatment group were consistently higher. More time spent in TR during inpatient rehabilitation is associated strongly with improved community participation, health and function, and recreational participation post injury for persons with SCI. Subscribe to TRJ
A search for integrable four-dimensional nonlinear accelerator lattices

Integrable nonlinear motion in accelerators has the potential to introduce a large betatron tune spread to suppress instabilities and to mitigate the effects of space charge and magnetic field errors. To create such an accelerator lattice one has to find magnetic and/or electric field combinations leading to a stable integrable motion. This paper presents families of lattices with one invariant where bounded motion can be easily created in large volumes of the phase space. In addition, it presents two examples of integrable nonlinear accelerator lattices, realizable with longitudinal-coordinate-dependent magnetic or electric fields with the stable nonlinear motion, which can be solved in terms of separable variables.
Chronic postthoracotomy pain in transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Objective: Chronic postthoracotomy pain (CPTP) is a persistent, occasionally debilitating pain lasting >2 months following thoracic surgery. This study investigates for the first time the prevalence and clinical impact of CPTP in patients who have undergone a transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR). Design: This was a single-institution, prospective observational survey and a retrospective chart review. Setting: The study was conducted in the University Hospital. Participants: Patients. Materials and Methods: A survey of 131 participants with either a previous TA TAVR or transfemoral (TF) TAVR procedure was completed. A telephone interview was conducted at least 2 months following TAVR; participants were asked to describe their pain using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Measurements and Main Results: Odds ratio (OR) was calculated using the proportions of questionnaire responders reporting “sensory” descriptors in the TA-TAVR versus the TF-TAVR groups. Results were then compared to individual Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ12) scores and 5-min walk test (5MWT) distances. A total of 119 participants were reviewed (63 TF, 56 TA). Among TA-TAVR questionnaire responders (n = 16), CPTP was found in 64.3% of participants for an average duration of 20.5-month postprocedure (OR = 10, [confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.91–52.5];P = 0.003). TA-TAVR patients identified with CPTP had significant reductions in 5MWT distances (−2.22 m vs. 0.92 m [P = 0.04]) as well as trend toward significance in negative change of KCCQ12 scores OR = 18.82 (CI 95% 0.85–414.99;P = 0.06) compared to those without CPTP. Conclusions: CPTP occurs in patients undergoing TA-TAVR and is possibly associated with a decline quality of life and overall function.
Reorganization of paclitaxel-stabilized microtubule arrays at mitotic entry: roles of depolymerizing kinesins and severing proteins

Paclitaxel is a widely used anti-cancer treatment that disrupts cell cycle progression by blocking cells in mitosis. The block at mitosis, with spindles assembled from short microtubules, is surpri...
Renormalized broken-symmetry Schwinger-Dyson equations and the two-particle irreducible 1/N expansion for the O(N) model

We derive the renormalized Schwinger-Dyson equations for the one- and two-point functions in the auxiliary field formulation of Coleman, Jackiw, and Politzer [S. Coleman, R. Jackiw, and H. D. Politzer, Phys. Rev. D 10, 2491 (1974).] for {lambda}{phi}{sup 4} field theory, to order 1/N, in the 2PI-1/N expansion. We show that the renormalization of the broken-symmetry theory depends only on the counter terms of the symmetric theory with {phi}=0, as discussed in our previous paper [F. Cooper, B. Mihaila, and J. F.Dawson, Phys. Rev. D 70, 105008 (2004).]. We find that the 2PI-1/N expansion violates the Goldstone theorem at order 1/N. In using the O(4) model as a low energy effective field theory of pions to study the time evolution of disoriented chiral condensates one has to explicitly break the O(4) symmetry to give the physical pions a nonzero mass. In this effective theory, we expect that the additional small contribution to the pion mass due to the violation of the Goldstone theorem in the 2PI-1/N equations to be unimportant for an adequate description of the phenomenology.
A1 adenosine receptor antagonists block ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart

Background It has been reported that A 1 adenosine receptor antagonists are highly effective for the prevention and early treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury of isolated perfused cat lung, which suggests that activation of A 1 adenosine receptors is important in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the lung. In addition, preconditioning ischemia reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury of the lung and heart. Moreover, activation of A 1 adenosine receptors by adenosine and selective A 1 adenosine receptor agonists mimics the protective effects of preconditioning ischemia in the heart. It has been reported that prior treatment with selective A 1 adenosine receptor agonists results in a rapid uncoupling of A 1 adenosine receptors from signal transduction mechanisms. In the heart. these effects of A 1 adenosine receptor agonists have not been reported. However, if prior treatment of ischemia of the heart with adenosine or A 1 adenosine receptor agonists results in uncoupling of A 1 adenosine receptors from signal transduction mechanisms that produce injury after prolonged ischemia and reperfusion, A 1 adenosine receptor antagonists should provide a protective effect similar to these treatments for ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart. Therefore, it was the purpose of these experiments to investigate the effect of selective A 1 adenosine receptor antagonists on ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart. Methods and Results With the use of a regional infarct model in open-chest cats, the left anterior descending artery or first diagonal branch was occluded for I hour followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. Infarct size (area of necrosis/area at risk ; AN/AR) was estimated with the use of nitroblue tetrazolium staining. The selective A 1 adenosine receptor antagonists xanthine amine congener (XAC ; 0.1 mg.kg -1 .h -1 ), bamifylline (BAM ; 10 mg.kg -1 .h -1 ), 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX ; 10 μg.kg -1 .min -1 ) administered as continuous intravenous infusions for 1 hour before ischemia [DPCPX (I)], or DPCPX 30 μg.kg -1 .min -1 administered intravenously during 30 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion [DPCPX (I/R)] significantly (P<.05) reduced AN/AR from 52.2±3.8% (control, n=5) to 23.4±6.6% (XAC, n=5), 34.9±3.6% (BAM, n=5), 15.9±2.9% [DPCPX(I), n=5], or 13±3.2% [DPCPX (I/R), n=5]. Conclusions A, adenosine receptor antagonists significantly reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart. A, adenosine receptor antagonists may be useful for the prevention or early treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart after coronary artery bypass graft surgery or cardiac transplant surgery and during or after angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy of the heart.
Traditional Risk Factors and Logistic Regression Failed to Reliably Predict a "Bundle Buster" After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine if we could identify patient factors that were predictive of Medicare and privately insured patients being "high-cost." METHODS Ninety-day episode-of-care insurance company payments along with collected demographics, comorbidities, and readmissions were reviewed for a consecutive series of primary total joint arthroplasty patients from 2015 to 2016 at our institution. High-cost patients were identified by determining those patients above the cutoff, where the cost data became demonstrably nonparametric and both univariate analysis and logistical regressions were performed to identify risk factors that lead to increased costs. Receiver operator curves were created to determine the predictive nature of these risk factors. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that high-cost privately insured patients were significantly older, more likely to be readmitted and less likely to be discharged to home (P < .001) whereas high-cost Medicare total knee/total hip arthroplasty patients were more likely to have many of the comorbidities analyzed. Logistical regression did not find any predictive factors for privately insured patients and found that diabetes (OR 1.47 and 1.75, respectively), congestive heart failure (OR 1.94 and 3.46, respectively), cerebrovascular event (OR 2.20 and 2.20, respectively) and rheumatic disease (OR 1.78 and 1.78, respectively) were all predictive of being a high-cost Medicare patient. CONCLUSION Traditional risk factors for postoperative complications are not reliably associated with increased patient costs after total hip and total knee arthroplasty. Furthermore, the risk factors associated with increased costs vary greatly between privately insured and Medicare-insured patients. Further investigation is necessary to identify cost drivers in this patient subset to preventive higher costs.
South Korea’s Watergate Moment: How a Media Coalition Brought Down the Park Geun-hye Government

South Korea had a Watergate moment in 2016, when a corruption scandal led to an impeachment of the president. Two media outlets in particular, the progressive newspaper Hankyoreh and JTBC, a TV sta...
Identity and function of an essential nitrogen ligand of the nitrogenase cofactor biosynthesis protein NifB.

NifB is a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzyme that is essential for nitrogenase cofactor assembly. Previously, a nitrogen ligand was shown to be involved in coupling a pair of [Fe4S4] clusters (designated K1 and K2) concomitant with carbide insertion into an [Fe8S9C] cofactor core (designated L) on NifB. However, the identity and function of this ligand remain elusive. Here, we use combined mutagenesis and pulse electron paramagnetic resonance analyses to establish histidine-43 of Methanosarcina acetivorans NifB (MaNifB) as the nitrogen ligand for K1. Biochemical and continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance data demonstrate the inability of MaNifB to serve as a source for cofactor maturation upon substitution of histidine-43 with alanine; whereas x-ray absorption spectroscopy/extended x-ray fine structure experiments further suggest formation of an intermediate that lacks the cofactor core arrangement in this MaNifB variant. These results point to dual functions of histidine-43 in structurally assisting the proper coupling between K1 and K2 and concurrently facilitating carbide formation via deprotonation of the initial carbon radical.
Swallow Safety is Determined by Bolus Volume During Infant Feeding in an Animal Model

Feeding difficulties are especially prevalent in preterm infants, although the mechanisms driving these difficulties are poorly understood due to a lack of data on healthy infants. One potential mechanism of dysphagia in adults is correlated with bolus volume. Yet, whether and how bolus volume impacts swallow safety in infant feeding is unknown. A further complication for safe infant swallowing is recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury due to patent ductus arteriosus surgery, which exacerbates the issues that preterm infants face and can increase the risk of dysphagia. Here, we used a validated animal model feeding freely to test the effect of preterm birth, postnatal maturation and RLN lesion and their interactions on swallow safety. We also tested whether bolus size differed with lesion or birth status, and the relationship between bolus size and swallow safety. We found very little effect of lesion on swallow safety, and preterm infants did not experience more penetration or aspiration than term infants. However, term infants swallowed larger boluses than preterm infants, even after correcting for body size. Bolus size was the primary predictor of penetration or aspiration, with larger boluses being more likely to result in greater degrees of dysphagia irrespective of age or lesion status. These results highlight that penetration and aspiration are likely normal occurrences in infant feeding. Further, when comorbidities, such as RLN lesion or preterm birth are present, limiting bolus size may be an effective means to reduce incidences of penetration and aspiration.
Chapter 13 – Nuclear Rockets

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the concept of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) for rockets keeping in view deep space exploration as its target. The high thrust level achievable with NTP translates into more reasonable interplanetary trip times, thus reducing one of the major dangers of deep space flight, cosmic radiation exposure. Another significant advantage is the best potential it has for using in situational planetary propellant resources. The nuclear rocket operates in the same fashion as a liquid rocket engine in that it adds energy to the propellant gas as it passes over the hot reactor core so that heat is transferred to the gas. The hot gas is then accelerated to high speed through an accelerating nozzle, thereby producing thrust. It also briefly explains the principles of nuclear reactors and nuclear fission which in turn leads to the explanation of fissionable materials. Security concepts are also discussed by exploring radiation shields, reflectors, moderator's fuel, and control rods. Nuclear fuels are generally based on uranium oxide, nitride, or carbide. It also throws light on rocket performance by analyzing solid core reactors, particle bed reactors, and propellant feed systems. Gas core nuclear rockets and nuclear ramjets are also discussed in brief.
Application of different pretreatment methods in the determination of aluminum in reference substances

Objective The pretreatment method was studied to solve the disagreement of aluminum in the reference substances between detection and the value of the certificate. Methods The pretreatment method of wet digestion with nitric acid, microwave digestion of hydrogen fluoride and dry ashing at different temperatures were used to determine aluminum in the reference substances by plasma emission spectrometry. Results Pretreatment method affected the test result of aluminum in reference substances directly. The result showed that wet digestion with nitric acid and dry ashing at 500-550 ℃ could not reach the value of the certificate of reference substances, meanwhile microwave digestion of hydrogen fluoride( HNO_3-HF-H_2O_2= 8 : 1 : 1, V/V/V) and dry ashing at more higher temperature( 800-950 ℃) could meet the testing requirements. Conclusion The determination of aluminum in reference substances is recommended by hydrofluoric acid system digestion or higher temperature ashing method to ensure the accuracy of the test result.
Nature and the supernatural in African literature

This essay examines the relationship between literary naturalism and supernaturalism, with an emphasis on the latter. The supernatural genre, a common avenue of representation in African cultural p...
Plankton in a hamster wheel

Plankton regularly travel vast distances up and down in the ocean. A water-filled hamster wheel with glass windows now enables detailed microscopic lab observations of individual aquatic microorganisms during their vertical migrations.
Decoding and modulating multiregional communication in the mood processing network

Neural decoding and neuromodulation technologies hold great promise for treating mood and other disorders of brain networks in next-generation therapies that manipulate functional brain networks. Here, we perform a causal network analysis to decode multiregional communication in the primate mood processing network and determine how neuromodulation, short-burst tetanic microstimulation (SB-TetMS), alters multiregional network communication. The causal network analysis revealed a mechanism of network excitability that regulates when a sender stimulation site communicates with receiver sites. Decoding network excitability from neural activity at modulator sites predicted sender-receiver communication while SB-TetMS neuromodulation specifically disrupted sender-receiver communication. These results reveal specific network mechanisms of multiregional communication and suggest a new generation of brain therapies that combine neural decoding to predict multiregional communication with neuromodulation to disrupt multiregional communication.
Travelling water waves with compactly supported vorticity

In this paper, we prove the existence of two-dimensional, travelling, capillary-gravity, water waves with compactly supported vorticity. Specifically, we consider the cases where the vorticity is a δ-function (a point vortex), or has small compact support (a vortex patch). Using a global bifurcation theoretic argument, we construct a continuum of finite-amplitude, finite-vorticity solutions for the periodic point vortex problem. For the non-periodic case, with either a vortex point or patch, we prove the existence of a continuum of small-amplitude, small-vorticity solutions.
A machine learning approach for estimating surface tension based on pendant drop images

Abstract An image-based machine learning (ML) method is introduced to predict the surface tension of an ethanol-water pendant drop made of unknown ethanol-water composition. In contrast to previous neural-network based surface tension predictors that rely on using either the simplified molecular-input line-entry system or experimentally measured surface tension values, the present image-based deep neural network model directly predicts surface tensions based on arbitrary pendant drop shapes at any stage before breakup. Using convolutional neural networks (CNNs), surface tension values are accurately obtained independent of the drop size and liquid properties. Two CNN architectures are presented that accurately predict the surface tension of a pendant drop for three different ML models. To improve the generality of the ML models, image data augmentation technique is used to generate more representatives from available data. Approximating the surface tension for unknown pendant drops outside the range of the given classes has also been demonstrated. The trained machine learning models have an overall accuracy of about 98% in predicting the surface tension of a pendant drop containing an unknown ethanol-water composition. Additionally, the ML models are tested on unknown methanol-water mixtures to demonstrate the generality and the results show good predicting accuracy. Besides the accuracy of CNN models, performance measures including Precision, Recall and F1-score are reported for each surface tension value in the dataset. Compared with the physics-based axisymmetric drop shape analysis techniques, the present method is not limited to equilibrium pendant drop images and is much faster and more versatile. This image-based ML method shows great promise in directly predicting the surface tension values based on vastly available pendant drop images.
This is what innovation looks like.

History tells us that the Wright brothers flew the world’s first successful controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on 17 December 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This event is typically presented as a neat and tidy singular event with the implication that the
Outcomes and Surgical Considerations for Neurosurgical Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19-A Multicenter Case Series.

Objective Neurosurgical patients are at a higher risk of having a severe course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to determine morbidity, hospital course, and mortality of neurosurgical patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in a multicenter health care system. Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted to identify all hospitalized neurosurgical patients positive for COVID-19 from March 11, 2020 to November 2, 2020 at Mayo Clinic and the Mayo Clinic Health System. Results Eleven hospitalized neurosurgical patients (0.68%) were positive for COVID-19. Four patients (36.6%) were men and 7 (63.3%) were women. The mean age was 65.7 years (range, 35–81 years). All patients had comorbidities. The mean length of stay was 13.4 days (range, 4–30 days). Seven patients had a central nervous system malignancy (4 metastases, 1 meningioma, 1 glioblastoma, and 1 schwannoma). Three patients presented with cerebrovascular complications, comprising 2 spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhages and 1 ischemic large-vessel stroke. One patient presented with an unstable traumatic spinal burst fracture. Four patients underwent neurosurgical/neuroendovascular interventions. Discharge disposition was to home in 5 patients, rehabilitation facility in 3, and hospice in 3. Five patients had died at follow-up, 3 within 30 days from COVID-19 complications and 2 from progression of their metastatic cancer. Conclusions COVID-19 is rare among the inpatient neurosurgical population. In all cases, patients had multiple comorbidities. All symptomatic patients from the respiratory standpoint had complications during their hospitalization. Deaths of 3 patients who died within 30 days of hospitalization were all related to COVID-19 complications. Neurosurgical procedures were performed only if deemed emergent.
Subspace Differential Privacy.

Many data applications have certain invariant constraints due to practical needs. Data curators who employ differential privacy need to respect such constraints on the sanitized data product as a primary utility requirement. Invariants challenge the formulation, implementation, and interpretation of privacy guarantees. We propose subspace differential privacy, to honestly characterize the dependence of the sanitized output on confidential aspects of the data. We discuss two design frameworks that convert well-known differentially private mechanisms, such as the Gaussian and the Laplace mechanisms, to subspace differentially private ones that respect the invariants specified by the curator. For linear queries, we discuss the design of near-optimal mechanisms that minimize the mean squared error. Subspace differentially private mechanisms rid the need for post-processing due to invariants, preserve transparency and statistical intelligibility of the output, and can be suitable for distributed implementation. We showcase the proposed mechanisms on the 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance demonstration data, and a spatio-temporal dataset of mobile access point connections on a large university campus.
The Multi-method Comprehensive Review: Synthesis and Analysis when Scholarship is International, Interdisciplinary, and Immense

This article presents a new strategy for reviewing large, multidisciplinary academic literatures: a multi-method comprehensive review (MCR). We present this approach and demonstrate its use by the NGO Knowledge Collective, which aims to aggregate knowledge on NGOs in international development. We explain the process by which scholars can identify, analyze, and synthesize a population of hundreds or thousands of articles. MCRs facilitate cross-disciplinary synthesis, systematically identify gaps in a literature, and can create data for further scholarly use. The main drawback is the significant resources needed to manage the volume of text to review, although such obstacles may be mitigated through advances in “big data” methodologies over time.