cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreak Increased Resource Levels and Seedling Growth in a Northern Hardwood Forest

In closed-canopy forests, gap formation and closure are thought to be major drivers of forest dynamics. Crown defoliation by insects, however, may also influence understory resource levels and thus forest dynamics. We evaluate the effect of a forest tent caterpillar outbreak on understory light availability, soil nutrient levels and tree seedling height growth in six sites with contrasting levels of canopy defoliation in a hardwood forest in northern lower Michigan. We compared resource levels and seedling growth of six hardwood species before, during and in the three years after the outbreak (2008-2012). Canopy openness increased strongly during the forest tent caterpillar outbreak in the four moderately and severely defoliated sites, but not in lightly defoliated sites. Total inorganic soil nitrogen concentrations increased in response to the outbreak in moderately and severely defoliated sites. The increase in total inorganic soil nitrogen was driven by a strong increase in soil nitrate, and tended to become stronger with increasing site defoliation. Seedling height growth increased for all species in the moderately and severely defoliated sites, but not in lightly defoliated sites, either during the outbreak year or in the year after the outbreak. Growth increases did not become stronger with increasing site defoliation, but were strongest in a moderately defoliated site with high soil nutrient levels. Growth increases tended to be strongest for the shade intolerant species Fraxinus americana and Prunus serotina, and the shade tolerant species Ostrya virginiana. The strong growth response of F. americana and P. serotina suggests that recurring forest tent caterpillar outbreaks may facilitate the persistence of shade intolerant species in the understory in the absence of canopy gaps. Overall, our results suggest that recurrent canopy defoliation resulting from cyclical forest insect outbreaks may be an additional driver of dynamics in temperate closed-canopy forests.
Pharmacodynamics of Platelet Inhibition with Aspirin: Feasibility for Detection of Suboptimal Platelet Inhibition

Abstract Abstract 4361 Introduction: Patients with diabetes mellitus and or metabolic syndrome may or may not be maximally protected from future vascular events with aspirin. To be maximally protected at least 90% of platelets should be inhibited by aspirin (aspirinated). Since platelet acetylation by aspirin is limited to the first 30 minutes after ingestion, in conditions associated with increased platelet production the percentage of aspirinated platelets could be diluted to less than 90% with the usual daily dosing. We studied the pharmacodynamics of aspirin inhibition of platelets to evaluate the feasibility of developing a metric that would detect suboptimal aspirin inhibition of platelets. Methods: The slope of the platelet prostaglandin agonist (PPA) stimulated light aggregometry curve was used to gage the degree of platelet inhibition with aspirin.(Schwartz J. Lab Clin Med 2002; 139:227) Seven normal subjects were studied. After observed ingestion of 325mg of aspirin, the degree of platelet inhibition was studied at the following post aspirin time points; 0, 8hrs, 24hrs and 48hrs. Ex-vivo dilution curves were constructed using time 0 as 100% non-aspirinated and 1hr post aspirin as 100% aspirinated under the assumption that over 24hrs 10% of platelets are newly formed and non-aspirinated. Statistical evaluations were performed for each subject studied using both within subject comparisons and considering the group as a whole, between-subject comparisons. Results: Within group comparisons: A linear regression analysis comparing the in-vivo PPA aggregometry slopes with the PPA slopes obtained via ex-vivo dilutions demonstrated that the ex-vivo dilution curves for a particular subject reliably predicted the degree of aspirin inhibition observed in-vivo for that subject at the following time points with their corresponding percentages of aspirinated platelets; 8hrs (97% aspirinated) 24hrs (90% aspirinated) and 48hrs (80% aspirinated) (r2=0.6, p Conclusions: 1. In normal subjects the ex-vivo dilution curve for a particular subject reliably predicts the degree of platelet inhibition observed in-vivo for that subject. 2. The variation in aspirin inhibition among subjects is large and suggests that the development of a metric to detect suboptimal platelet inhibition with aspirin is only possible if the individual subjects serve as their own control. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Maximum likelihood geolocation in LTE cellular networks using the timing advance parameter

Wireless geo location is an increasingly relevant area of research as cellular technology becomes ever more ubiquitous. In this work we consider the timing advance parameter in Long Term Evolution cellular networks to this end. We also evaluate a previously introduced method of position estimation augmentation called Cellular Synchronization Assisted Refinement (CeSAR). We first develop the concept of geometric dilution of precision and the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) to motivate an intuition for positioning accuracy. We then derive an exact maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for TA-specific position estimation. While the exact MLE proves to be computationally difficult, it is shown to be equivalent to the MLE in the general case of Gaussian noise. This equivalency is then used to propose an approximate MLE (AMLE). Through simulation, the AMLE is shown to meet the CRLB. Real-world data that includes urban, suburban, line-of-sight, and non-line-of-sight channels are also presented and used to build a realistic model of the TA-specific channel. This model is then used to evaluate the performance of the AMLE and CeSAR in non-line-of-sight and line-of-sight conditions. Our results suggest that the proposed method may be appropriate for meeting the Federal Communication Commission's E-911 requirements.
A Framework to Automatically Monitor the Position of Site Resources with Low-Accuracy Estimates

Large productivity drawbacks have been historically related to the inefficient flow of site resources. Increments in accrued costs and time and safety incidents result from the flow or movement of resources across the job sites. Even though the importance of this problem, there is not data to characterize the unnecessary movement of site resources. This fact is a consequence of the overwhelming burden that such characterization would give rise to with traditional control techniques based on human observations and paper based records. Currently, though, large contractor organizations have started to take slow but seemingly decided steps towards a more visible control of their site resources with infrastructure-less tracking approaches that result in low-accuracy locations. Efficiently identifying the movement of site resources throughout the job site with low-accuracy location estimates results in a non-trivial problem that cannot be properly solved using deterministic or classic probabilistic approaches. Instead, the author proposes an innovative approach based on the adoption of belief reasoning functions. In this approach, a resource is believed to actually be in a new set coordinates if and only if t he sum of conflicting values as a result of intersecting pairs of confidence circles centered in the last and predecessor coordinated estimates exceeds a pre-defined threshold of uncertainty. The quantitative approach is validated against empirical observations. The results indicate that the proposed method efficiently detects the actual movement of resources on the job site and correctly filters location uncertainties.
Clinical Phenomenology of 25 Children and Adolescents with Dissociative Disorders

Of 25 consecutive children and adolescents referred for evaluation to a dissociative disorders clinic, there were 11 with multiple personality disorder, 13 with dissociative disorder not otherwise specified, and one with psychogenic amnesia. Data are presented on the psychiatric history, clinical phenomenology, DSM-IIIR diagnoses, psychological testing, and dissociation measures in the four children and 21 adolescents with dissociative disorders. Four case vignettes are described. Severe dissociative disorders appear to be related to childhood trauma and develop increasing complexity as the child matures.
Parathyroid radionuclide imaging: update

Parathyroid scintigraphy is a well established and effective imaging technique for preoperative detection and localization of parathyroid adenoma. This functional type of imaging has very high specificity for parathyroid adenoma identification with only a small number of reported false results. In clinical practice today, there are many different methodologies used in parathyroid scintigraphy. This article discusses the current role and limitations of scintigraphic imaging, with a focus on different imaging protocols in the evaluation of patients with hyperparathyroidism. In addition, the value of this imaging procedure in the different clinical settings and the role of radio-guided parathyroidectomy are reviewed in this article.
Grief Experience Inventory

(1988). Grief Experience Inventory. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 91-93.
Assurance Case Considerations for Interoperable Medical Systems

Modern medical devices are increasingly developed by composing a variety of interoperable elements such as medical devices, services, and platform infrastructures. In many scenarios, multi-vendor consortia are organized to support the development and deployment of interoperable medical systems, in which safety-critical element implementations, risk management results, and safety assurance are reused across organizational boundaries. This reality calls for an assurance case approach that supports interfacing, refinement, and composition of distributed, component-level claims and evidences to construct system-level assurance argumentation. We present a collection of objectives and top-level safety claims towards the development of such an approach for interoperable systems built using medical application platforms.
Myeloperoxidase deficiency attenuates systemic and dietary iron-induced adverse effects

Iron deficiency is routinely treated with oral or systemic iron supplements, which are highly reactive and could induce oxidative stress via augmenting the activity of proinflammatory enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO). To investigate the extent to which MPO is involved in iron-induced toxicity, acute (24 h) iron toxicity was induced by intraperitoneal administration of FeSO4 (25 mg/kg body weight) to MPO-deficient (MpoKO) mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. Acute iron toxicity was also assessed in WT mice pretreated with an MPO inhibitor, 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide. Systemic iron administration up-regulated circulating MPO and neutrophil elastase and elevated systemic inflammatory and organ damage markers in WT mice. However, genetic deletion of MPO or its inhibition significantly reduced iron-induced organ damage and systemic inflammatory responses. In contrast to the acute model, 8 weeks of 2% carbonyl iron diet feeding to WT mice did not change the levels of circulating MPO and neutrophil elastase but promoted their accumulation in the liver. Even though both MpoKO and WT mice displayed similar levels of diet-induced hyperferremia, MpoKO mice showed significantly reduced inflammatory response and oxidative stress than the WT mice. In addition, WT bone-marrow-derived neutrophils (BMDN) generated more reactive oxygen species than MPO-deficient BMDN upon iron stimulation. Altogether, genetic deficiency or pharmacologic inhibition of MPO substantially attenuated acute and chronic iron-induced toxicity. Our results suggest that targeting MPO during iron supplementation is a promising approach to reduce iron-induced toxicity/side effects in vulnerable population.
Predicting ocean waves along the US east coast during energetic winter storms: sensitivity to whitecapping parameterizations

Abstract. The performance of two methods for quantifying whitecapping dissipation incorporated in the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) wave model is evaluated for waves generated along and off the US east coast under energetic winter storms with a predominantly westerly wind. Parameterizing the whitecapping effect can be done using the Komen-type schemes, which are based on mean spectral parameters, or the saturation-based (SB) approach of van der Westhuysen (2007), which is based on local wave parameters and the saturation level concept of the wave spectrum (we use “Komen” and “Westhuysen” to denote these two approaches). Observations of wave parameters and frequency spectra at four National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoys are used to evaluate simulation results. Model–data comparisons show that when using the default parameters in SWAN, both Komen and Westhuysen methods underestimate wave height. Simulations of mean wave period using the Komen method agree with observations, but those using the Westhuysen method are substantially lower. Examination of source terms shows that the Westhuysen method underestimates the total energy transferred into the wave action equations, especially in the lower frequency bands that contain higher spectral energy. Several causes for this underestimation are identified. The primary reason is the difference between the wave growth conditions along the east coast during winter storms and the conditions used for the original whitecapping formula calibration. In addition, some deficiencies in simulation results are caused along the coast by the “slanting fetch” effect that adds low-frequency components to the 2-D wave spectra. These components cannot be simulated partly or entirely by available source terms (wind input, whitecapping, and quadruplet) in models and their interaction. Further, the effect of boundary layer instability that is not considered in the Komen and Westhuysen whitecapping wind input formulas may cause additional underestimation.
Actions speak louder than outcomes in judgments of prosocial behavior

Recently proposed models of moral cognition suggest that people's judgments of harmful acts are influenced by their consideration both of those acts' consequences ("outcome value"), and of the feeling associated with their enactment ("action value"). Here we apply this framework to judgments of prosocial behavior, suggesting that people's judgments of the praiseworthiness of good deeds are determined both by the benefit those deeds confer to others and by how good they feel to perform. Three experiments confirm this prediction. After developing a new measure to assess the extent to which praiseworthiness is influenced by action and outcome values, we show how these factors make significant and independent contributions to praiseworthiness. We also find that people are consistently more sensitive to action than to outcome value in judging the praiseworthiness of good deeds, but not harmful deeds. This observation echoes the finding that people are often insensitive to outcomes in their giving behavior. Overall, this research tests and validates a novel framework for understanding moral judgment, with implications for the motivations that underlie human altruism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Green space and serious psychological distress among adults and teens: A population-based study in California.

Abstract There has been mounting evidence for the beneficial effect of green space on mental health among adults, but studies on the same topics are lacking for teens in the US. This study aimed to fill in this research gap by utilizing data from California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2011–2014. A total of 81,102 households (composed of 4538 teens and 81,102 adults) were retained for main analyses. Surrounding greenness was assessed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within varying buffers of home residence. Survey logistic regressions accounted for sampling weights and design were conducted to examine the effects of greenness on serious psychological distress (SPD), adjusted for major socio-demographic factors, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and co-respondent's psychological distress level within the same household. An inter-quartile increment of NDVI in 350 m buffer predicted decreased odds of SPDs by 36% in teens (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = [0.46, 0.91]). Mediation analyses revealed that this association remained almost unchanged even after adjusting for social cohesion. The NDVI-SPD association of adults was found to be significant only in the older group (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = [0.68, 0.95]). This study is one of the first population-based US studies extending the epidemiological evidence for benefits of green space on mental health from adults to teens.
Bayesian Longitudinal Modeling of Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease Using DaTscan Images

This paper proposes a disease progression model for early stage Parkinson’s Disease (PD) based on DaTscan images. The model has two novel aspects: first, the model is fully coupled across the two caudates and putamina. Second, the model uses a new constraint called model mirror symmetry (MMS). A full Bayesian analysis, with collapsed Gibbs sampling using conjugate priors, is used to obtain posterior samples of the model parameters. The model identifies PD progression subtypes and reveals novel fast modes of PD progression.
Influence of daily injections of porcine somatotropin on growth, puberty, and reproduction in gilts.

To determine whether recombinant porcine somatotropin (rpST) alters reproduction, 40 crossbred gilts weighing 59.1 +/- .5 kg at 125 +/- 1 d of age were assigned randomly to an experiment arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial. Eight gilts were given daily injections of diluent until they reached 104 kg BW (DW), and eight received diluent injections until puberty (DP). Twelve gilts were given rpST (4 mg/d) until 104 kg BW (PW) and 12 were given rpST injections until puberty (PP). All gilts were individually fed on an ad libitum basis an 18% CP corn-soybean meal diet (1.2% lysine and 3.1 Mcal/kg of ME). Beginning at 5 mo of age, gilts were exposed 20 min daily to mature boars. Serum concentrations of progesterone were measured weekly from 5 to 8 mo of age to verify age of puberty. Gilts observed in pubertal estrus were mated to two different boars 10 h apart. At 47 +/- 1 d of gestation, gilts were slaughtered to assess fetal development. After 60 d of treatment, serum LH and FSH profiles were determined in blood samples drawn at 20-min intervals for 4 h from eight diluent- and eight rpST-treated gilts fitted with indwelling jugular catheters. By 28 d, feed intake, feed/gain, and blood urea nitrogen were decreased (P less than .005) by rpST. Treatments did not affect (P greater than .05) the proportion of gilts attaining first ovulation (DW = 6/6; DP = 10/10; PW = 7/9; PP = 14/14) or conception rate (DW = 5/6; DP = 7/10; PW = 4/6; PP = 11/12).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Validation of Heart Failure Risk Equations in a Large, Contemporary Electronic Health Record Cohort

Introduction Prevention of heart failure (HF) is achievable with aggressive risk factor management. While the updated 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA guidelines recommend identification of individuals at risk for HF to target with intensive risk factor modification, recommended strategies for quantitative risk assessment of HF are lacking. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the performance of the recently developed the Pooled Cohort equations to Prevent Heart Failure (PCP-HF) within a large, contemporary, electronic health record (EHR) based cohort to support rapid translation into clinical practice. Hypothesis The sex- and race-specific PCP-HF tool will have good discrimination and calibration when applied within a “real-world” clinical cohort derived in the EHR. Methods In this observational longitudinal study, patients were identified between January 2005 and October 2018 using the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse, an integrated health care system with over 200 care locations. Patients included were between 30-79 years of age, free of cardiovascular disease at baseline, had available data on HF risk factors (age, sex, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, hypertension treatment, body mass index, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and diabetes treatment), and at least 5 years of follow-up. We applied the PCP-HF model to estimate 10-year risk of incident HF. We assessed model performance comparing predicted and observed rates for incident HF defined by established criteria using International Classification of Diseases codes. Results Among 31,256 eligible adults, mean age was 51.4 years, 57% were women, and 11% black. Incident HF occurred in 568 patients (1.8%) with 161 cases in white males (1.5%), 186 cases in white females (1.4%), 58 cases in black males (6.9%), and 106 cases in black females (4.3%). The PCP-HF tool had excellent discrimination in white men (c-statistics 0.82) and women (0.82) and modest discrimination in black men (0.69) and women (0.69). Calibration of the model was reasonable with a χ2 value less than 20 in all race-sex subgroups (Figure 1). Conclusions A novel risk score predicts incident HF in a “real-world” EHR-based cohort. Integration of HF risk into the EHR may allow for risk-based discussion and opportunities for sequential screening (biomarkers, echocardiography) and targeted preventive intervention to reduce HF risk.
Alternaria induces airway epithelial cytokine expression independent of protease‐activated receptor

Background and objective A novel fungal allergen, Alternaria (Alt), has been previously shown to associate with the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Airway epithelial cells are among the first to encounter Alt, and epithelial cytokine production and subsequent airway inflammation are early events in the response to Alt exposure. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. As protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) has been implicated in most of the Alt-induced biological events, we investigated the regulation of airway inflammation and epithelial cytokine expression by PAR2. Methods Wild-type (WT) and Par2 knockout (Par2-KO) mice were used to evaluate the in vivo role of PAR2. Primary human and mouse airway epithelial cells were used to examine the mechanistic basis of epithelial cytokine regulation in vitro. Results Surprisingly, Par2 deficiency had no negative impact on the change of lung function, inflammation and cytokine production in the mouse model of Alt-induced asthma. Alt-induced cytokine production in murine airway epithelial cells from Par2-KO mice was not significantly different from the WT cells. Consistently, PAR2 knockdown in human cells also had no effect on cytokine expression. In contrast, the cytokine expressions induced by synthetic PAR2 agonist or other asthma-related allergens (e.g. cockroach extracts) were indeed mediated via a PAR2-dependent mechanism. Finally, we found that EGFR pathway was responsible for Alt-induced epithelial cytokine expression. Conclusion The activation of EGFR, but not PAR2, was likely to drive the airway inflammation and epithelial cytokine production induced by Alt.
Binding kinetics of blueberry pectin-anthocyanins and stabilization by non-covalent interactions

Abstract The effect of pectin composition on the binding selectivity to anthocyanins was investigated by Langmuir isotherms with two blueberry pectins, water soluble fraction (WSF) and chelator soluble fraction (CSF). Adsorption was four times higher between CSF and anthocyanins, than WSF and anthocyanins. Higher adsorption was attributed to the more linear, more negatively charged homogalacturonan region of CSF, compared to the more branched, neutral sugar rich WSF. The CSF binding sites ( q m a x ) to anthocyanins were estimated at 1413–1904 μg/mg pectin, which was about eight times higher than WSF binding sites. No difference was observed in binding affinity ( K L ) among blueberry pectins. WSF, rich in neutral sugar side chains, showed lower and more variable interaction with anthocyanins. Binding studies also showed that blueberry pectin-anthocyanins adsorption was highest at pH 3.0 and lowest at pH 4.0. Increasing concentration from 25 to 200 mM citrate-phosphate (CP) weakened the pectin-anthocyanins interaction between pH values 3.0 and 4.0. However, no significant difference in binding was observed at pH 2.6 with increasing CP. As pH values changed from 4.0 to more acidic pH, electrostatic interaction decreased while hydrophobic interactions increased between blueberry pectin and anthocyanins, and hydrogen bond likely remained constant. Putative health benefits of anthocyanins are probably influenced by small pH and ionic strength changes in food matrixes.
An absence of lamin B1 in migrating neurons causes nuclear membrane ruptures and cell death.

Deficiencies in either lamin B1 or lamin B2 cause both defective migration of cortical neurons in the developing brain and reduced neuronal survival. The neuronal migration abnormality is explained by a weakened nuclear lamina that interferes with nucleokinesis, a nuclear translocation process required for neuronal migration. In contrast, the explanation for impaired neuronal survival is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the forces imparted on the nucleus during neuronal migration result in nuclear membrane (NM) ruptures, causing interspersion of nuclear and cytoplasmic contents—and ultimately cell death. To test this hypothesis, we bred Lmnb1-deficient mice that express a nuclear-localized fluorescent Cre reporter. Migrating neurons within the cortical plate of E18.5 Lmnb1-deficient embryos exhibited NM ruptures, evident by the escape of the nuclear-localized reporter into the cytoplasm and NM discontinuities by electron microscopy. The NM ruptures were accompanied by DNA damage and cell death. The NM ruptures were not observed in nonmigrating cells within the ventricular zone. NM ruptures, DNA damage, and cell death were also observed in cultured Lmnb1−/− and Lmnb2−/− neurons as they migrated away from neurospheres. To test whether mechanical forces on the cell nucleus are relevant to NM ruptures in migrating neurons, we examined cultured Lmnb1−/− neurons when exposed to external constrictive forces (migration into a field of tightly spaced silicon pillars). As the cells entered the field of pillars, there were frequent NM ruptures, accompanied by DNA damage and cell death.
Bilingualism and The Psychology of Colors

The reality of humans spans beyond spoken language into varieties of extra linguistic avenues such as colors, clothing, pictures and inscriptions through which they express themselves. Color system is a general concept across cultures even though distinction through names and ascribed meaning(s) to each color vary per culture. This research investigated the strong statements about identity and attitude that bilinguals can make through their choice of colors depending on how conducive they find their linguistic community. Comparison was made between Chinese-English bilinguals in the US and Yoruba-English bilinguals in Nigeria using Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory of sociolinguistics (EVT). Findings revealed that Chinese-English bilinguals had an overwhelming positive evaluation of their native language while Yoruba-English bilinguals had a more positive evaluation of English. Also, the importance of an individual’s language within their immediate environment can influence their evaluation of such language. Respondents utilized colors, as a universal concept, to reveal implicit information such as attitude and perception. The study concludes that language attitude can be largely presumed upon cognitive perception of a language based on influencing societal factors, and that EVT is very much applicable to beyond ordinary spoken utterance analysis of language.
Pobreza, género y diferencias en la participación y ocupación en el sector informal en México

Recent literature on the informal sector incorporates the notion of heterogeneity and argues that the peculiarities of its subdivisions should not be ignored. Analyzing the interactive effects of gender, poverty level, and occupation, the empirical evidence presented in this paper confirms the importance of incorporating this notion in empirical studies focused on Mexico. The results show a positive and significant relationship between the level of poverty and the difference in the probability of women and men to participate in the informal sector as self-employed and subordinate workers.
Virtual Synchronous Generator with Limited Current – Impact on System Transient Stability and Its Mitigation

Virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control allows renewable energy sources to behave like traditional synchronous generators under grid disturbances. Under large disturbances, due to the limitation of output current from grid interfacing power electronic converters, VSG controlled sources may output less active power than the emulated SG. Analysis of a single machine infinite bus system shows that the limited current would impair the system transient stability by increasing the acceleration area during a short circuit fault, and decreasing the deceleration area after it. A mitigation method is then proposed to compensate the negative impacts. Experiments with an emulated downscaled multiple machine system are shown to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.
Policy, Advocacy and Leadership Column: Lessons Learned from COVID-19: A Leadership and Advocacy Perspective

The Policy–Advocacy–Leadership (PAL) column is developed to initiate and facilitate important dialog about health care and educational policy, and develop and share the knowledge, tools, and resour...
Reinforcing and Stimulant-Like Effects of Methamphetamine Isomers in Rhesus Macaques

Monoamine releasers such as d-methamphetamine (d-MA) can reduce cocaine use in laboratory studies and have been forwarded for the management of cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, the proven abuse liability of d-MA has limited enthusiasm for clinical use. The levorotatory isomer of MA, l-MA, appears to have lesser stimulant effects, possibly due to its preferential norepinephrine-releasing properties compared with dopamine. The present study evaluated the abuse potential of l-MA by comparing its reinforcing effects with known stimulant drugs of abuse in nonhuman primates. Adult rhesus macaques (N = 4) responded for intravenous injections of cocaine, d-MA, methcathinone (MCAT), or l-MA under a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement; reinforcing effectiveness was evaluated using behavioral economic demand procedures. In a separate cohort (N = 9), daily activity and food-reinforced responding were assessed during 100 days of treatment with daily dosages of l-MA (2.3 mg/kg per day, i.v.) or d-MA (0.74 mg/kg per day, i.v.) previously shown to decrease cocaine self-administration. Results show that all drugs maintained self-administration, with peak injections reaching ∼100 inj per session for cocaine, MCAT, and d-MA and ∼50 inj per session for l-MA . In demand studies, self-administration of each drug gradually decreased as FR size increased. The exponential model of demand indicated that the reinforcing effectiveness of l-MA was significantly less than the other drugs studied. Chronic l-MA treatment did not appreciably alter daily activity and only transiently suppressed food-reinforced responding. These data, coupled with previous findings that l-MA effectively reduces stimulant self-administration, suggest that l-MA, or other norepinephrine-preferring releasers, may serve as agonist medication for CUD with lesser abuse liability than common psychostimulants. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Development of pharmacotherapies for cocaine use disorder remains a formidable challenge. Agonist-based therapies show promise, but enthusiasm is tempered by the abuse liability of previously proposed medications. This study evaluated the abuse liability and chronic treatment effects of methamphetamine's levorotatory isomer (l-MA). l-MA demonstrated lower abuse liability compared with commonly abused stimulants and produced few untoward effects. In the context of recent studies demonstrating that l-MA attenuates stimulant self-administration, these findings support l-MA's potential as a pharmacotherapy for stimulant addiction.
African-lineage Zika virus replication dynamics and maternal-fetal interface infection in pregnant rhesus macaques.

Following the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas, ZIKV was causally associated with microcephaly and a range of neurological and developmental symptoms, termed congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). The viruses responsible for this outbreak belonged to the Asian lineage of ZIKV. However, in vitro and in vivo studies assessing the pathogenesis of African-lineage ZIKV demonstrated that African-lineage isolates often replicated to high titers and caused more-severe pathology than Asian-lineage isolates. To date, the pathogenesis of African-lineage ZIKV in a translational model, particularly during pregnancy, has not been rigorously characterized. Here, we infected four pregnant rhesus macaques with a low-passage-number strain of African-lineage ZIKV and compared its pathogenesis to those for a cohort of four pregnant rhesus macaques infected with an Asian-lineage isolate and a cohort of mock-inoculated controls. The viral replication kinetics for the two experimental groups were not significantly different, and both groups developed robust neutralizing antibody titers above levels considered to be protective. There was no evidence of significant fetal head growth restriction or gross fetal harm at delivery (1 to 1.5 weeks prior to full term) in either group. However, a significantly higher burden of ZIKV viral RNA (vRNA) was found in the maternal-fetal interface tissues of the macaques exposed to an African-lineage isolate. Our findings suggest that ZIKV of any genetic lineage poses a threat to pregnant individuals and their infants. IMPORTANCE ZIKV was first identified in 1947 in Africa, but most of our knowledge of ZIKV is based on studies of the distinct Asian genetic lineage, which caused the outbreak in the Americas in 2015 to 2016. In its most recent update, the WHO stated that improved understanding of African-lineage ZIKV pathogenesis during pregnancy must be a priority. The recent detection of African-lineage isolates in Brazil underscores the need to understand the impact of these viruses. Here, we provide the first comprehensive assessment of African-lineage ZIKV infection during pregnancy in a translational nonhuman primate model. We show that African-lineage isolates replicate with kinetics similar to those of Asian-lineage isolates and can infect the placenta. However, there was no evidence of more-severe outcomes with African-lineage isolates. Our results highlight both the threat that African-lineage ZIKV poses to pregnant individuals and their infants and the need for epidemiological and translational in vivo studies with African-lineage ZIKV.
Beach Chair Versus Lateral Decubitus Positioning for Primary Arthroscopic Anterior Shoulder Stabilization: A consecutive series of 641 shoulders:

Objectives:There are no studies that directly compare beach chair (BC) versus lateral decubitus (LD) position for anterior instability. In the only systematic review evaluating BC vs LD, bone loss ...
Fictive Kin, Families We Choose, and Voluntary Kin: What Does the Discourse Tell Us?

Scholarship on fictive kinship has relied on many different terminologies. I argue for a new precision. I review existing discussions and draw on those to suggest a new, experimental typology. I suggest that the typology illuminates a variety of issues, including the aspects of family that are accomplished through fictive kin. I also discuss issues surrounding fictive kinship for which no information exists but about which the typology might help make predictions.
Trials and Tribulations: Authors' Responses to Censorship in Imperial Germany, 1885-1914

In Thomas Mann's famous short story of 1903 about the artist's problematic relation to bourgeois society, the aspiring young writer Tonio Krfiger, after an absence of thirteen years, returns to his hometown for a brief visit. There he is confronted by a policeman who, suspecting Kifiger to be a swindler wanted by the law, questions him about his identity and occupation. Kr6ger, although recognizing that this guardian of civic order is within his rights, is nevertheless reluctant to reveal who he is. Unable to provide the requisite identity papers, he finally shows the policeman proofsheets of a story of his that is about to be published. The officer is not entirely convinced the young writer is not the wanted criminal, but in the end he lets the matter drop and allows Kr6iger to leave the country. This unsettling confrontation with a representative of the German state drives home to Kroger his social isolation, his uneasy existence between two seemingly incompatible worlds: that of his bohemian artist friends, who regard him as a bourgeois, and that of the bourgeois, who try to arrest him. It also reinforces his long-standing aversion to his hometown and his eagerness to return soon to his self-imposed exile in the more hospitable south. Tonio Kr6ger's situation is symbolic of that of many fin de sikcle German writers. As numerous scholars have noted, many late nineteenth and early twentieth century German literati shared three distinct but interrelated characteristics: an acute self-consciousness; a sense of alienation from bourgeois society; and an "unpolitical" withdrawal from the pressing social and political problems of the day. During the nineteenth century, but especially since Nietzsche, German writers became increasingly conscious of their existence as ,a distinct, semi-independent social group and were increasingly preoccupied with questions about the role of art in the modern world, the unique nature of
A Companion to "The Origin and Diffusion of Shocks to Regional Interest Rates in the United States, 1880-2002"

This paper is the online companion to “The Origin and Diffusion of Shocks to Regional Interest Rates in the United States, 1880-2002.” Included in this paper are all the econometric results and analysis that were not included in the original paper due to space constraints. This paper also includes the data and a description of how the data was constructed.
Re-Framing US Labour’s Crisis: Reconsidering Structure, Strategy, and Vision

THERE CAN BE LITTLE DOUBT that the US labour movement is in the midst of its most profound crisis in a century. Private sector unionization rates have dipped below 10 per cent, to levels not seen since the early 1900s. Once-strong unions such as the United Automobile Workers have been forced by employers into a never-ending string of concessions. And in 2005, US labour witnessed a serious rupture, as several of the largest US unions, led by the Service Employees and the Teamsters, disaffiliated from the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations [AFL-CIO] to form a new federation called Change to Win [CTW]. Critical of the AFL-CIO for failing to persuade many of its unions to devote more resources to recruiting new members, the CTW promised to wage more vigorous organizing campaigns. Whether the CTW can revive US labour’s fortunes remains to be seen. But one year after the birth of the new federation, there has been no appreciable turnaround in labour’s situation. And no great breakthroughs seem to be in the offing. At this point it may be fruitful to step back from the debates that swirled around the labour schism in order to ask some questions about the nature of labour’s current problems, the strategies that have been advanced by the rival federations to deal with those problems, and the way labour is framing its vision for its members and other workers.
System reliability models for bridge structures

An important problem in the developed part of the world concerns the state of repair of society’s technology infrastructure, of which highway bridges are an important part. According to a recent survey by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration more than 200,000 bridges in the U.S.A are considered deficient because they do not satisfy the requirements of current design specifications. On the other hand, bridge tests often reveal that the actual strengths exceed the calculated values considerably. This points to a need for a different approach to the evaluation of existing structures.
Recovery of Soft Tissue Object Deformation from 3D Image Sequences Using Biomechanical Models

The estimation of soft tissue deformation from 3D image sequences is an important problem in a number of fields such as diagnosis of heart disease and image guided surgery. In this paper we describe a methodology for using biomechanical material models, within a Bayesian framework which allows for proper modeling of image noise, in order to estimate these deformations. The resulting partial differential equations are discretized and solved using the finite element method. We demonstrate the application of this method to estimating strains from sequences of in-vivo left ventricular MR images, where we incorporate information about the fibrous structure of the ventricle. The deformation estimates obtained exhibit similar patterns with measurements obtained from more invasive techniques, used as a gold standard.
Teaching in Small Groups

There are many unique benefits to teaching and learning in small groups. Recognizing this, many medical schools have increased the amount of time devoted to small group learning. Very few faculty members, however, have received instruction for leading small groups. This has contributed to misperceptions about the value of small group learning. It also explains why many faculty members do not feel confident teaching in this setting. Teaching in small groups can be satisfying and even inspiring, but it can also be time consuming and dispiriting when difficulties arise. To ensure effective small group teaching, you must first understand the purpose for the small group and then select activities for the group that will enable learners to achieve the learning objectives. Understanding both your role as the teacher and the dynamics of the group will help you foster participation among group members.
Cross‐language correlates in phonological awareness and naming speed: evidence from deep and shallow orthographies

Phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatised naming (RAN) skills in relation to reading acquisition were examined using two languages, one with a deep orthography (English) and the other with a shallow orthography (Korean). Participants were 50 Korean American children who spoke English as a dominant language (DL) and were learning to read Korean as a sequential language (SL). Parallel measures in English and Korean assessed PA, RAN and reading skills. The results showed the similarities and differences between the DL and SL acquisition patterns for PA and RAN. While PA skills of the DL were a dominant predictor in SL reading achievement, RAN became important for the children with the higher level of SL reading performance. This cross-sectional study indicates that proficiencies of PA and RAN in the DL are the pathway to reading success in an SL. This suggests that a universal thread exists in learning dual languages, despite dissimilar orthography, phonology and writing systems.
Search for cosmic-ray antimatter

It appears probable that some fraction of the cosmic rays has extragalactic origin. A search for antimatter nuclei was conducted with the aid of a balloon-borne superconducting magnetic spectrometer. The investigation made use of the fact that matter and antimatter nuclei, because of their opposite signs of charge, would be deflected in opposite directions when passing through a magnetic field. The antimatter flux limits set by the experiments are discussed.
An Intrinsic Pathogenicity Index for Microorganisms Causing Infection in a Neonatal Surgical Unit

The intrinsic pathogenicity index (IPI) for a particular microorganism is defined as the ratio of the number of patients infected by the microorganism to the number of patients colonised in the digestive tract by identical microorganisms. A microorganism with an IPI of 1 will practically always cause infection following colonisation (‘high’ pathogen), whilst a microorganism with an IPI of 0 is unlikely to be involved in infection (‘low’ pathogen). IPIs were calculated for microorganisms causing infection in 40 neonates admitted to a neonatal surgical unit. The indices of the predominant organisms involved in infectious problems in this group, Pseudomonas and Candida species, were 0.38 and 0.31 respectively, whilst those for coagulase-negative staphylococci and enterococci were respectively 0.03 and 0. Possible applications of the IPI are in further assessment of the value of surveillance cultures and as the basis of antibiotic policies in populations with a high risk of infection. Keywords: Colonisation; Infection; Pathogenicity index; Neonate; Surgical unit.
Pes anserinus transfer: an in vivo biomechanical analysis:

Fifteen patients who had undergone pes anserinus transfer for anteromedial rotary instability were tested for peak internal rotation torque at three stations of knee flexion. Despite the fact that all patients had apparently benefited from surgery, from a strict analytical standpoint the conclusions of this study do not support the contentions of previous authors, who suggest that pes anserinus transfer results in enhanced stability by increasing rotary effectiveness; nor do they demonstrate a consequential decrease in knee flexion power.
Multidomain WDM network structures for large-scale reconfigurable partitionable parallel computer architecture

Multi-domain wavelength-division multiplexing (M-WDM) is proposed as a generalization of single star-coupled WDM networks. The objective is to provide scalable interconnection schemes for different parallel computer architectures that utilize the multi-channel and tunability characteristics of photonic network devices, given their existing limitations. Device tunability results in reconfigurable and partitionable interconnection. The multi-domain structure results in scalable networks due to the spatial re-use of the available wavelength band. This paper identifies the variables involved in the design of (M-WDM) networks according to arbitrary interconnection schemes. A framework for network specification and parameter trade-off is presented. The introduced network structures are potentially applied to both synchronous and asynchronous parallel computing environments. Topologically reconfigurable architectures are presented for both single-stage and multi-stage (pipelined) parallel machines executing synchronous algorithms. M-WDM structures are compared for distributed shared memory, multiple-instruction multiple-data (MIMD), parallel architectures.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Advances in safety by design

New technologies that are used on remediation sites rarely undergo testing for safety and health-related impacts on the workforce and the community. A user friendly safety and health assessment tool for design evaluation can help assure the safety for operators and the public. The system involves identifying a number of technology elements, the hazards associated with them, potential human injuries associated with the technologies, and the way they were designed. The system suggests recommendations for controlling the hazards and evaluates the interaction of technology elements. During the first year, the system was prototyped to a small existing technology of very limited scope. It showed that design for safety can indeed be possible using computer-systems. The focus of the second year has been to expand the system to accommodate 10 commonly used pieces of technologies. The system was developed to be a work-in-progress design aid.