cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
YAP IS A CRITICAL AND NOVEL REGULATOR OF MIGRATION AND INVASION AND PREDICTS POOR OUTCOME IN GLIOBLASTOMA

BACKGROUND: Cell migration plays a pivotal role during tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis in multi-cellular organisms. By integrating extracellular cues and intracellular signaling, migration ensures the organized spatial distribution of cells. One of the hallmarks of tumor malignancy is the ability of cells to not only locally invade its surrounding parenchyma but also distally metastasize. Thus, tumors often display a collective sheet of migrating cells which may eventually disseminate and migrate in a single cell manner. To model this phenomenon, we studied the underlying mechanism controlling collective and single cell migration. METHODS: We studied collective and single cell migration in a nanogrooved substratum which mimics reorganized fibrous structures of extracellular matrix. We used our in vivo murine intracranial xenograft model using human GBM cells to study the role of YAP in driving invasive tumor growth. We studied if the YAP-driven cell dispersal mechanisms confer poor patient prognosis in the TCGA and REMBRANDT GBM databases. RESULTS: Using a nanogrooved substratum we observed an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-like (EMT-like) behavior with formation of finger-like structures with faster moving marginal cells at the sheet edge. Cells at the tip of these structures frequently lost contact with neighboring cells and disseminated from the original collective cell sheet, which was accompanied by the expression of EMT markers (vimentin and the nuclear translocation of β-catenin). Recently, Yes-associated protein (YAP), a mechanosensor and transcriptional regulator, has been implicated in potentiating migration, invasion, and metastasis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We observed that YAP is activated in these finger-like projections. We explored mechanisms of YAP-mediated migration and invasion in normal cells and cancer cells where YAP is hyperactive. We found that YAP plays a pivotal role in regulation of this complex migratory and invasive behavior through a novel small Rho-GTPase-dependent signaling mechanism. As with glioblastoma (GBM), metastatic cancers often evade detection because individual cells spread from the primary bulk tumor; thus, making complete resection and treatment impossible. Congruent with our in vitro studies, our in vivo murine model demonstrates the role of YAP in driving invasive tumor growth. We show that these YAP-driven cell dispersal mechanisms confer poor patient prognosis in the TCGA and REMBRANDT GBM databases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide new insights into the biology of aggressive cancers with particular prognostic relevance of this YAP-driven pro-migration and invasion cascade in glioblastoma. In addition, our studies suggest these YAP-dependent mechanisms are evolutionary conserved during development and regeneration and are co-opted by pathological diseases. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Neuropathology & Tumor Biomarkers.
Large scale fingerprint mining

Support Vector Machines (SVM) project feature vectors into a linear or non-linear state space using kernel function(s) and attempts to maximize the margin between classes. The projection of feature vectors into a high dimensional hyperspace structure helps to provide sparse separable clusters of data. Biometric data such as fingerprints transformed into feature vectors are candidates for support vector machine sparse classification. Fingerprint position and ridge flow pattern classification provide a feature vector for a kernel function(s). As samples are projected into a hyperspace construct, fingerprint identification velocity will improve while performance will increase or remain constant. This paper discusses and shows the results of a fingerprint identification support vector machine within a novel hyperspace structure. The support vector machine is formalized with a high dimensional hyperspace structure with an internal bootstrapped c-means clustering algorithm and probabilistic neural network (PNN). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provided data set Special Database 14 for all experiments.
Personality and the Preference for Modes of Conflict Resolution

This article reports the research findings of the relationships of personality variables and preferences for modes of conflict resolution. Eleven hypotheses were developed relating nine personality variables-achievement, dominance, aggression, affiliation, deference, succorance, nurturance, dogmatism, and Machiavellianism-to the preference for smoothing, forcing and confronting. These hypotheses were tested using a sample of 136 MBA students and support was found for eight hypotheses. As hypothesized positive correlations were found between the following variables: affiliation-smoothing, deference-forcing, succorance-smoothing, nurturance-smoothing, dogmatism-confronting, and Machiavellianism-confronting. Support was also found for two hypothesized negative correlations: affiliation-forcing and Machiavellianism-smoothing. No support was found for the hypotheses relating achievement to confronting, dominance to forcing, and aggression to forcing.
Enhancing the Efficacy of Radiation Therapy: Premises, Promises, and Practicality

This special series of Journal of Clinical Oncology focuses on innovative approaches to enhancing the outcome of patients treated with radiation therapy. Articles by outstanding leaders in the field are included: Morris and Harari1 address molecular targeted therapy plus radiation; Wang and Tepper2 describe uses of nanotechnology for enhancing diagnosis, radiation targeting, and radiation cell killing; and Giaccia3 analyzes how molecular radiation biology can be applied in the clinic.
Effect of Cupric Sulfate on the Prophylactic Efficacy of 2-Acetylamino-5-Nitrothiazole, Nifursol and Ipronidazole against Histomoniasis in Turkeys,

Abstract BOWEN and Sullivan (1971) and Bowen et al. (1971) reported certain effects of dietary cupric sulfate (0.025, 0.05 or 0.10%) in young turkeys. Body weight gain was decreased when cupric sulfate was added to diets containing 22 parts per million (p.p.m.) of penicillinstreptomycin, 1:3. It would appear that high levels of cupric sulfate interfered with the growth promoting activity of penicillin and/or streptomycin. In another study, dietary cupric sulfate additions significantly (P Several non-arsonic acid compounds have proven effective for prevention and treatment of histomoniasis. Nifursol, 2-acetylamino-5-nitrothiazole and ipronidazole are three such compounds. Jungherr and Winn (1950), McGregor (1952) and Grumbles et al. (1952) have shown that 0.05 to 0.10 percent of 2-acetylamino-5-nitrothiazole in the diet would in most instances prevent histomoniasis lesions and mortality. The recommended level of 2-acetylamino-5-nitrothiazole for the prevention of…
A variation on the hypercube with lower diameter

A new interconnection structure is proposed as a basis for distributed-memory parallel computer architectures. The network is a variation of the hypercube and preserves many of its desirable properties, including regularity and large vertex connectivity. It has the same node and link complexity, but has a diameter only about half of the hypercube's. Some of the basic properties of this topology are discussed. Efficient routing and broadcasting algorithms are presented. >
Does maximum earthquake size depend on focal depth

Abstract While the Gutenberg-Richter “law” (GR) with b -value of 1.0 is an inexact description of the earthquake frequency-magnitude distribution, it does provide a convenient statistical basis for identifying when the largest earthquakes in a catalog are either anomalously large or anomalously small. When the largest earthquakes are as predicted by the GR distribution, it is inappropriate to infer that the largest historically known earthquake is the largest possible. Only when the largest observed earthquakes are significantly smaller than predicted can we infer that the largest possible earthquakes have occurred. Analysis of the global historical catalog demonstrates that at nearly all depths, the largest deep and intermediate earthquakes have sizes close to those predicted by a GR distribution with b of 1.0. Only between about 300 to 450 km and beneath 600 km are the largest known earthquakes somewhat larger than predicted. However, when geographically isolatable subgroups within catalogs are considered separately, largest earthquakes that are either anomalously large or small are quite common. Often this is because individual regions have b -values much different than 1.0; alternatively, sometimes there appear to be physical constraints limiting the size of the largest possible earthquake. As examples illustrating these assertions, this article evaluates two subgroups—deep-focus earthquakes occurring beneath Spain and intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Bucaramanga, Colombia, “nest.”
TENDENCIES IN THE FRENCH LITERATURE OF TO-DAY

Author's Summary.— The purpose of the following article is to explain and to coordinate the manifold tendencies of the modern French literature by showing the influence of the psychological and philosophical conditions of the time, particularly the anxiety of men and the unrest of the world, on the writings of to-day.
Effect of organic carbon on the uptake of benzene vapor by soil

Abstract Batch experiments were conducted to determine the uptake of benzene vapor by soils with difierent organic carbon content (foc), under benzene vapor concentration equal to that of vapor pressure. The time required to reach equilibrium increased with increasing foc and the sorbed equilibrium concentrations (qobs) were 0.44±0.2, 7.1±0.6, 12.3±0.8, 14.8±1.2, and 25.2±1.8 mg g‐1 for sand and soils with foc of 0.39%, 1.54%, 2.09%, and 4.15%, respectively. Vapor uptake due to mono‐layer surface coverage (qm) was less than 4% of qobs. The difference qobg‐qm normalized with respect to foc was several orders of magnitude higher than 20.2 mg g‐l reported for benzene vapor partitioning into soil humic acid, indicating that benzene uptake at saturated vapor pressure was mostly due to condensation rather than partitioning or monolayer sorption. These data would be applicable to soil in close proximity to liquid benzene, such as a spill or a leak.
Failure Rates for Interconnect Dielectric Breakdown: Trends Determining Technology Reliability Scaling Limits

In this paper, the dielectric properties [dielectric constant κ and thickness d (in nanometers)] that are necessary for the reliable operation of interline dielectrics used for passivation of copper interconnects in integrated circuits are determined. By relating the field acceleration factor to the dielectric constant, the optimum dielectric properties needed for meeting industrial reliability targets are estimated. This fundamental analysis offers a method of rationally introducing new materials to meet technology performance goals while maintaining reliability targets.
Tutorial on modeling parasitic coupling effects in reliability verification

Summary form only given. As technology scaling continues in the deep sub-micron domain, interconnect parasitics have become dominant in determining chip performance and functionality. R(L)C parasitics play a major role in chip performance, functionality and signal integrity. In addition, parasitics have significant impact on chip reliability due to electromigration (EM), timing dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and channel hot carrier (CHC) effects. This tutorial covers several aspects of interconnect modeling from chip reliability perspective. Special emphasis is made on importance of modeling parasitic coupling in reliability analysis. A comparative study of coupled and decoupled interconnect modeling is discussed with simple examples and real life circuits.
Great Lakes nearshore–offshore: Distinct water quality regions

We compared water quality of nearshore regions in the Laurentian Great Lakes to water quality in offshore regions. Sample sites for the nearshore region were from the US EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment and based on a criteria or sample-frame of within the 30-m depth contour or 5-km distance from the shoreline, whichever occurred first. The offshore sites were composed of US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) annual monitoring sites. There was a contrast in both variability and mean values of water quality values between the nearshore and the offshore regions. Lake-by-lake the nearshore was more variable and had higher average parameter values than the offshore, except for NO2/3 which was lower in mean value. A subset of all sites was re-visited in supplemental years to explore temporal effects (57 nearshore sites in Lake Erie 2009 and for 67 nearshore sites in Lake Huron 2012). The operational sample-frame for nearshore water provided a reliable means for separating the lakes into two distinct and persistent water quality regions across years.
The Environment for Litigation: The Sea of Okhotsk Bowhead Fishery and the Collapse of Whaling Dispute Resolution Customs

Far from formal legal institutions, the international cast of whalemen created their own rules governing property disputes at sea. The dispute resolution techniques of American whalemen were, in particular, so successful that only four cases were tried in American courts during the nineteenth century. A fifth matter – involving an American and a German ship – was heard before the Supreme Court of Hawaii. What the Hawaiian and American cases share is that all were generated between 1852 and 1867 from disputes in the bowhead fishery of the Sea of Okhotsk. That the small and relatively unimportant grounds, situated between the Siberian coast and the Kamchatka Peninsula and hunted only from 1848 to 1870, should loom so large in the history of whaling property law is, indeed, curious. Scholars have struggled to understand why whalemen hunting bowheads in the Sea of Okhotsk fishery suddenly lost the ability to settle disputes that had effectively served their close knit community for generations.The answer is not that with whale stocks plummeting and the industry in economic decline, whalemen in the Sea of Okhotsk decided after 1850 to defect from community norms in the belief that the established customs were no longer in their best financial interests. The suggestion that the transition by midcentury from ferocious sperm whales targeted off the coast of South America to the reputedly slow and docile bowheads necessitated different customs which whalemen were slow to adopt is also erroneous. The answer can, instead, be found in the icy waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. A confluence of bowhead biology and the gravitational circulation, tides, river inflow, shallow depth, and ice melt patterns of the Sea of Okhotsk created – even by the standards of an unpredictable industry – a fishery marked by inconsistent seasons of feast or famine which overwhelmed the ability of whalemen to resolve their disputes over contested whales short of the courthouse. Yearly variations in Sea of Okhotsk conditions, the paucity of bowheads in the fishery, and the distance to other desirable hunting grounds also served to disrupt dispute resolution customs. The conditions in the western Arctic bowhead grounds which were hunted in the same time period by many of the same whalemen produced – by way of comparison – relatively consistent returns and did not, as a result, generate disputes that required litigation.
Endometrial Stromal Tumors of Extra-uterine Tissue

Three extra-uterine tumors, unassociated with endometriosis, had light microscopic features of endometrial stromatosis (low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma). Two tumors occurred in the retroperitoneum and one adjacent to the vagina. Distinctive features identifying these neoplasms as ectopic growths of endometrial stroma included prominent vessels with concentric whorls of tumor cells, foam cells, eosinophilic hyaline globules, bland cytologic features, and rare mitoses. The ultrastructure of one of the tumors was typical of endometrial stroma. Infiltrative margins and analogy with endometrial stromatosis make late recurrence likely unless excision margins are adequate. The postulated histogenesis of the tumors is mesothelial and mesenchymal cells of pelvis and retroperitoneum. Pre-existing endometriosis of ectopic ovary is possible but unnecessary. Recognition of the distinctive pattern of these slow-growing tumors should prevent confusion with more aggressive sarcomas.
A Simultaneous Dual Capillary Column GC/MS Technique for the Identification of Positional and Geometrical Isomers of Aliphatic Compounds

La technique est testee sur des melanges d'alcenes et d'alcenals et appliquee a des pheromones sexuelles
Impact of Rhinocyllus conicus on Thistles in Southwestern Montana

Rhinocyllus conicus (Froelich), a weevil introduced into the Gallatin Valley for biocontrol of musk thistle, was found to also infest 3 related species, Canada, bull, and wavy-leaved thistles. High weevil infestations within seed heads, reduced seed production, and reduced seedling density all indicated a strong suppressing effect on the musk thistle population.
Serological Epidemiology Investigation of Enterovirus Type 71 Infection in Shenzhen

Objective To study serological epidemiology of EV71 infection in Shenzhen. Methods 584 healthy people of all age were tested for anti-EV71 antibody from 1999-2003 using ELISA. Results 35.4% of all samples were anti-EV71 positive. The seropositive rate for EV71 of the age group of 5～ years old was the highest, 50%; the rates of age groups 15～ years old and 30 years old were 47.7% and 39.8%, respectively; the rates of age group 0～ year old and 1～ years old were the lowest, 20%. Conclusion Children under five are susceptible to EV71 infection.
Effects of varying obliquity on Martian sublimation thermokarst landforms

Abstract Scalloped depressions in the Martian mid-latitudes are likely formed by sublimation of ice-rich ground. The stability of subsurface ice changes with the planetary obliquity, generally becoming less stable at lower axial tilt. As a result, the relative rates of sublimation and creep change over time. A landscape evolution model shows that these variations produce internal structure in scalloped depressions, commonly in the form of arcuate ridges, which emerge as depressions resume growth after pausing or slowing. In other scenarios, the formation of internal structure is minimal. Significant uncertainties in past climate and model parameters permit a range of scenarios. Ridges observed in some Martian scalloped depressions could date from obliquity lows or periods of low ice stability occurring
Data, Data, Data

Although law students and lawyers may joke that they chose law school because they're no good at math, legal professionals often hunger for data. Numbers can help us understand the world and can inform policy arguments. In this brief essay, I share some favorite sources and reflect on some of the challenges of finding and evaluating statistics.
Visual Graph Query Construction and Refinement

Locating and extracting subgraphs from large network datasets is a challenge in many domains, one that often requires learning new querying languages. We will present the first demonstration of VISAGE, an interactive visual graph querying approach that empowers analysts to construct expressive queries, without writing complex code (see our video: https://youtu.be/l2L7Y5mCh1s). VISAGE guides the construction of graph queries using a data-driven approach, enabling analysts to specify queries with varying levels of specificity, by sampling matches to a query during the analyst's interaction. We will demonstrate and invite the audience to try VISAGE on a popular film-actor-director graph from Rotten Tomatoes.
How Complex Contagions Spread Quickly in Preferential Attachment Models and Other Time-Evolving Networks

The $k$ -complex contagion model is a social contagion model which describes the diffusion of behaviors in networks where the successful adoption of a behavior requires influence from multiple contacts. It has been argued that complex contagions better model behavioral changes such as adoption of new beliefs, fashion trends or expensive technology innovations. A contagion in this model starts from a set of initially infected seeds and progresses in rounds. In any round any node with at least $k>1$ infected neighbors becomes infected. Previous work on $k$ -complex contagions was focused on networks with uniform degree distributions. However, many real-world network topologies have non-uniform degree distribution and evolve over time. We analyze the spreading rate of a $k$ -complex contagion in a general family of time-evolving networks which includes the preferential attachment (PA) model. We prove that if the initial seeds are chosen as the $k$ earliest nodes in a network of this family, a $k$ -complex contagion covers the entire network of $n$ nodes in $O(\log n)$ rounds with high probability (w.h.p). We prove that the choice of the seeds is crucial: in the PA model, even if a much larger number of seeds are chosen uniformly randomly , the contagion stops prematurely w.h.p. Although the earliest nodes in a PA model are likely to have high degrees, it is actually the evolutionary graph structure of such models that facilitates fast spreading of complex contagions. The general family of time-evolving graphs with this property even contains networks without a power law degree distribution. Finally, we prove that when a $k$ -complex contagion starts from an arbitrary set of initial seeds on a general graph, determining if the number of infected vertices is above a given threshold is ${\mathbf {P}}$ -complete. Thus, one cannot hope to categorize all the settings in which $k$ -complex contagions percolate in a graph.
Temporal bone histopathology of furosemide ototoxicity.

Objectives To describe the human temporal bone pathology in two patients who incurred furosemide induced ototoxicity. Patients 1) A 46-year-old woman in acute liver and renal failure treated with high doses of furosemide for anasarca who developed a rapidly progressive severe-to-profound asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss. 2) A 65-year-old woman with undifferentiated small cell carcinoma of the lung who received intravenous furosemide 1 day prior to death for pulmonary edema. Interventions Removal of temporal bones, histologic processing, and light microscopy of temporal bones. Main Outcome Measures Temporal bone histopathology and correlation with clinical and audiometric data. Results All three temporal bones demonstrated edema and cystic changes in the stria vascularis. In the first case the furosemide exposure was associated with hearing loss and the pathological changes were more extensive including cystic changes in the Hensen's cells, collapse of Reissner's membrane and the tectorial membrane and diffuse loss of inner and outer hair cells with only modest reduction in the spiral ganglion cell population. In the second case, without attributable hearing loss, there was only modest reduction in hair cell and spiral ganglion cell counts. Pathological changes were not observed in the ampullae of the semicircular canals or epithelium of the saccular or utricular maculae in either case. Conclusions The temporal bone pathologic correlate for furosemide-induced ototoxicity is edema and cystic degeneration of the stria vascularis. The degree of degenerative change appears dose-dependent. We infer that pathological changes may occur in the absence of a measurable immediate clinical effect. Level of Evidence N/A
The impact of peer mentor communication with older adults on depressive symptoms and working alliance: A pilot study

Abstract Objective The objective of this pilot study was to describe peer communication in meetings with depressed elders, associate their relationship with working alliance and depression and assess congruence of communication with training. Methods Three peers with a history of depression, in recovery, received 20 h of training in peer mentoring for depression as part of an 8-week pilot program for 23 depressed older adults. Each peer-client meeting was recorded; a sample of 69 recorded meetings were chosen across the program period and coded with the Roter Interaction Analysis System, a validated medical interaction analysis system. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine peer talk during meetings in relation to working alliance and client depression. Results Peers used a variety of skills congruent with their training including client-centered talk, positive rapport building and emotional responsiveness that remained consistent or increased over time. Client-centered communication and positive rapport were associated with increased working alliance and decreased depressive symptoms (all p Conclusion Trained peer mentors can use communication behaviors useful to older adults with depression. Specifically, client-centered talk may be important to include in peer training. Practice implications Peer mentors can be a valuable resource in providing depression counseling to older adults.
“Next-Generation” Accountability? Evidence From Three School Districts:

Educational accountability is dominated by a focus on test scores to assess academic achievement. An emerging trend toward “next-generation” accountability includes a broader conception of student ...
Chemically Induced Branching of Vinca minor

Abstract Application of Pro-Shear (BA), Accel (PBA), Promalin (BA + GA4+7) or Atrimmec (dikegulac) was tested for its ability to induce branching of Vinca minor L. ‘Alba.’ In the first experiment, ...
Integrating Primary Research into the Teaching Lab: Benefits and Impacts of a One-Semester CURE for Physical Chemistry

Many chemistry laboratory exercises follow a given protocol with known results. Such traditional laboratories rarely give students an accurate representation of how research is conducted, the scientific practices involved in research, and the ownership that accompanies developing and carrying out an independent project. Several laboratory reforms have sought to overcome these limitations, including the creation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). The CURE design is meant to emulate authentic research in the teaching laboratory by having students perform novel experiments with unknown results. In this article, we describe our implementation of a CURE for an upper-level physical chemistry laboratory course. Our students carried out novel research using molecular dynamics simulations, isothermal titration calorimetry, and stopped-flow kinetics to study ligand binding to the protein human serum albumin. We studied the effects of the CURE laboratory redesign via a mixed-methods approach...
Disciplinamiento vs. reinvención del espacio americano: teorías de lo costero/insular en José Lezama Lima

El articulo explora una historia de la mitologia insular en la ensayistica del escritor cubano Jose Lezama Lima. Para documentar esa historia el texto se remonta al trabajo del tambien ensayista y profesor cubano Jose Juan Arrom. Se analiza la enunciacion de una teoria de lo costero/insular en la entrevista sostenida entre Lezama Lima y Juan Ramon Jimenez, recogida en Coloquio con Juan Ramon Jimenez (1938). De igual modo se estudian los planteamientos de Friedrich Hegel sobre una supuesta relacion entre geografia e historia y la recepcion de Lezama Lima de esos planteamientos.
Mechanism of Site-Specific Recombination: The Flp Paradigm

Exchange of genetic information is the hallmark of life. During meiosis of a diploid organism, recombination between parental chromosome homologues reshuffles their informational content before transmission to haploid gametes. In haploid and diploid organisms, recombination takes place during mitotic growth as well, albeit less dramatically than during meiosis. In addition, genetic rearrangements — insertions, translocations, inversions, and deletions — can be mediated via mobile genetic elements including phage, viruses, insertion sequences and transposons (Adhya et al. 1977). Finally, expressed genetic information can be reorganized via RNA or protein splicing (Cech 1990; Shub and Goodrich-Blair 1992).
Prediction of Ω M and Estimate of Ω Λ

We predict that the baryon/photon ratio at the time of nucleogenesis is η = 1/2564, Ω DM /Ω B = 12.7 and (for a cosmological constant of ΩΛ = 0.6) that 0.325 > Ω M > 0,183. The predictions of Ω M and estimate of Ω Λ were in excellent agreement with Glanz’ analysis in 1998, and are still in excellent agreement with Lineweaver’s recent analysis.
Demographic Patterns of Blood Donors and Donations in a Large Metropolitan Area

Background : Nationally, minorities are underrepresented in community blood donation programs. The reason for this disparity is poorly understood. To better understand why minorities do not donate, first, accurate blood donor and donation data are needed. Methods : Donor and donation demographic data were collected for 2004–2007 from a single blood collection agency in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area. Population data from the same area were acquired from the US Census. Donor and donation rates per 1000 population were calculated by race/ethnicity, gender, and age. Results : Of the 389340 blood donations reported by donors aged 16 to 69 years (98.7% of all donations), the collections were from white (77.7%), African American (16.3%), Hispanic (2.3%), Asian (2.2%), and other (1.6%) donors. Forty- to 49-year-olds (26.8%) donated the highest percentage of units. The blood donor rates were 11 perl 000 population for whites, 6 per 1000 for African Americans and 3 per 1000 population for Hispanics. The blood donation rates were 77 donations per 1000 population for whites, 22 per 1000 population for African Americans and 10 per 1000 population for Hispanics. Conclusion : Minorities are underrepresented in the blood donor pool. New recruitment strategies are needed to increase minority blood donor and donation rates.
Photonically tunable MIR epsilon-near zero modes in CdO thin films

We propose a novel way of tuning plasmonic absorption of light. By photoexciting electrons from platinum to a CdO film, we are able to control of the ENZ resonance frequency of the film.
Smoking is associated with increased complications and readmission following extensor mechanism repair

Extensor mechanism injuries are disabling injuries that require prompt evaluation and treatment and complications are often devastating. While smoking has been shown to increase complications following total joint arthroplasty, this relationship has not yet been established in those undergoing extensor mechanism repair. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of smoking on postoperative complications following extensor mechanism repair. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was used to identify patients who underwent an extensor mechanism repair from 2005 to 2016. Patients were stratified by tobacco use, as either “current” or “nonsmokers.” A multivariate logistic regression was used to control for demographic and comorbid factors while assessing perioperative complications. 5208 patients were identified, and of these, 843 (16.2%) were current smokers. Smokers were younger, male, and with lower BMIs compared to nonsmokers (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.002, respectively). They had a higher rate of surgical complications (OR 1.61, CI 1.02–2.52), including deep surgical site infections (OR 3.27, CI 1.03–10.43) and unplanned return to the operating room (OR 2.001, 1.24–3.23). Smokers were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days of surgery (OR 1.78, OR 1.09–2.90). Tobacco use is associated with a 1–2% increase in surgical, but not medical, complications following repair of extensor mechanism injuries. Smokers are at higher risk for deep infections, unplanned return to the OR, and hospital readmission. Identifying these patients preoperatively will allow surgeons to accurately counsel patients on perioperative risks. Counseling in preoperative smoking cessation is valuable for optimizing patient outcomes following extensor mechanism repair. Retrospective comparative study, Level III.
Neuromyelitis optica after splenectomy: A secondary autoimmune phenomenon.

Abstract We describe the case of a 53-year-old woman who undergoes total splenectomy and later presents with aquaporin-4 antibody positive neuromyelitis optica (NMO). The occurrence of NMO after acquired immunosuppression raises the possibility of NMO as a form of secondary autoimmunity.
Structure and Dynamics of Populations of Japanese Barberry (Berberis Thunbergii DC.) in Deciduous Forests of New Jersey

Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii DC., has become a prominent exotic species in deciduous forests throughout the eastern and midwestern US. Populations range from small plants occurring at low densities to dense, impenetrable thickets of plants with up to 40 stems/individual. A study was undertaken at Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey to document plant densities, plant size, recruitment through vegetative processes of new shoot initiation and clonal spread and recruitment from seedling establishment, and mortality of stems and plants. Nearly 2000 shoots on 370 plants were individually marked and followed for two growing seasons, and over 1000 seedlings were also individually marked and followed. Populations vary much more in total shoots/area than they do in plant individuals/area, or in mean plant size (shoots/plant), as even the sparse populations have a few large individuals. Shoot mortality is less than new shoot initiation, but most plants do not change in size or change by small numbers of stems. However, the number of new shoots per plant increases as plant size increases. Once plants have three stems, they suffer little or no mortality. Seedling establishment is proportional to the density of shoots, so that as plants grow in size, local recruitment from seed increases. Large numbers of seedlings, and a survival rate of 10%, combine to make seedling recruitment a major component of population increase. The combination of multiple forms of vegetative and seed-based population growth, and the very low rates of plant mortality due to the multi-stemmed growth form explains the ability of this invasive species to rapidly produce dense, persistent populations.
Ethical complexities of responding to bystander risk in HIV prevention trials

Till Barnighausen points out the medical risks that two categories of contemporary HIV prevention trials, for “treatment-as-prevention” and for “pre-exposure prophylaxis,” pose to people who are no...
Utility of catastrophizing, body symptom diagram score and history of opioid use to predict future health care utilization after a primary care visit for musculoskeletal pain

Background Self-report information about pain and pain beliefs are often collected during initial consultation for musculoskeletal pain. These data may provide utility beyond the initial encounter, helping provide further insight into prognosis and long-term interactions of the patient with the health system. Objective The aim of this study was to determine if pain catastrophizing and pain-related body symptoms can predict future health care utilization. Methods This was a longitudinal cohort study. Baseline data were collected after receiving initial care for a musculoskeletal disorder in a multidisciplinary clinic within a large military hospital. Subjects completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, a region-specific disability measure, numeric pain rating scale and a body symptom diagram. Health care utilization data for 1 year prior and after the visit were extracted from the Military Health System Data Repository. Multivariable regression models appropriate for skewed and count data were developed to predict (i) musculoskeletal-specific medical visits, (ii) 12-month opioid use, (iii) musculoskeletal-specific medical costs and (iv) total medical costs. We investigated whether a pain catastrophizing × body symptom diagram interaction improved prediction, and developed separate models for opioid-naive individuals and those with a history of opioid use in an exploratory analysis. Results Pain catastrophizing but not body symptom diagram was a significant predictor of musculoskeletal visits, musculoskeletal costs and total medical costs. Exploratory analyses suggest these relationships are most robust for patients with a history of opioid use. Conclusions Pain catastrophizing can identify risk of high health care utilization and costs, even after controlling for common clinical variables. Addressing pain catastrophizing in the primary care setting may help to mitigate future health care utilization and costs, while improving clinical outcomes. These results provide direction for future validation studies in larger and more traditional primary care settings.
Denervation and senescence markers data from old rats with intrinsic differences in responsiveness to aerobic training.

Abstract The data described below is related to the manuscript “Late life maintenance and enhancement of functional exercise capacity in low and high responding rats after low intensity treadmill training” [1]. Rodents exhibit age-related declines in skeletal muscle function that is associated with muscle denervation and cellular senescence. Exercise training is a proven method to delay or even reverse some aging phenotypes, thus improving healthspan in the elderly. The beneficial effects of exercise to preserve muscle may be reliant on an individual's innate ability to adapt to aerobic training. To examine this question, we assessed aged rats that were selectively bred to be either minimally or highly responsive to aerobic exercise training. We specifically asked whether mild treadmill training initiated late in life would be beneficial to preserve muscle function in high response and low response trainer rats. We examined gene expression data on markers of denervation and senescence. We also evaluated measures of aerobic training and neuromuscular muscle function through work capacity, contractile properties, and endplate fragmentation for further analysis of the aging phenotype in older rodents.
In vivo assessment of gonad status, secondary sex characteristics and spawning in transparent Casper zebrafish

Important aspects of vertebrate reproduction, such as gametogenesis, involve changes in organs found deep internally and thus not easily studied directly in most living vertebrates due to obscuring pigment and overlying tissues. Transparent lines of zebrafish, especially the Casper double mutant, allow direct observation and analysis of reproductive events in the gonads in vivo. The natural production of fertilized eggs in zebrafish is a complex process involving oogenesis, spermatogenesis, mating behavior, endocrine and neurological processes with inputs from the environment including light, temperature and nutrition. While these factors play important roles, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) is central in the regulation of embryo output. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) include a variety of pollutants often present in the environment. EDCs may have direct effects on the HPGA or indirect effects through toxic action on supporting organs such as the liver or kidney. Estrogenic compounds such as diethylstilbestrol (DES) have been reported to affect reproduction in a variety of species including man. In this study, the effects of DES on reproduction were determined in a novel way by using transparent Casper zebrafish that allow direct visualization of gonad status over time. Changes in gonad status with DES treatment were correlated with effects on secondary sex characteristics (i.e., genital vent size and breeding tubercles) spawning and embryo production. The results suggest that the Casper zebrafish is a useful model for studying dynamics of reproductive events in vertebrate gonads in vivo and for determining effects of EDCs on zebrafish reproduction.
FDL Specifically Controls SoxS-Like Activation of NADPH: Ferredoxin Reductase in A. vinelandii

Previous studies have established that disruption of the fdxA gene that encodes A. vinelandii ferredoxin I (AvFdI) leads to overexpression of a small acidic protein. That protein has been purified, its gene has been cloned and sequenced and it has been identified as a NADPH: ferredoxin reductase, homologous to the fpr gene product from E. coli (J.M. Isas, B.K.Burgess 1994, J.M. Isas et al. 1995). We have now shown that A. vinelandii FPR forms a very specific 1:1 cross-linking complex with FdI suggesting that the two proteins are likely to be redox partners in vivo. Investigation of the mechanism of the regulatory system has shown that in response to fdxA disruption, FPR levels are increased due to transcriptional activation in a manner dependent upon a specific palindromic sequence (S.M. Yannone, B.K.Burgess 1997). In E. coli fpr expression is controlled by a SoxRS regulatory cascade that activates a number of genes (e. g. sodA, fpr) in response to Superoxide or NO stress. The identified A. vinelandii fpr palindrome is homologous to the defined E. coli SoxS binding site and our results show that when introduced into E. coli, the A. vinelandii fpr is controlled by SoxRS, and that in A. vinelandii fpr is activated in response to Superoxide stress. The results suggest that in A. vinelandii the specific function of FdI is to serve as a redox sensor that inactivates a SoxRS-like regulatory cascade and that other organisms (e. g. Pseudomonas, Caulobacter) that have homologous ferredoxins might have similar regulatory systems.
Cervical Radicular Pain

Cervical radicular pain or radiculopathy refers to injury at the cervical nerve root. The mechanistic cause of this common injury is usually related to degenerative changes narrowing the neuro-foramina, central stenosis, or from direct disk compression (Boswell MV, Trescot AM, Datta S, et al. American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Interventional techniques: evidence-based practice guidelines in the management of chronic spinal pain. Pain Physician. 2007;10(1):7–111). Degeneration between uncinate processes at the joints of Luschka as well as intervertebral (facet) joints are the most common cause of cervical nerve root pressure symptoms. The characteristic radicular pain commonly includes paresthesias and/or numbness along a dermatomal distribution. Depending on severity and nerve affected, certain patients will experience weakness along a myotomal distribution and even may have reflex changes. Often, symptoms can be exacerbated with the Spurling’s maneuver (cervical extension and ipsilateral rotation). This exam maneuver is highly specific but carries a low sensitivity. Neuroimaging or electromyography (EMG) can be confirmatory but not diagnostic. The EMG can confirm location and timing of the radiculopathy. An MRI or CT myelogram can confirm compression or central stenosis.
Stress and coping among pregnant black women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored stress and coping among pregnant Black women prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal, cohort study. SAMPLE: Thirty-three women enrolled in the Biosocial Impact on Black Births study prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and who were still pregnant during the pandemic. MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaires included the Perceived Stress Scale, Prenatal Coping Inventory, and questions related to sociodemographic characteristics, worry about COVID-19, and coping strategies used during the pandemic. RESULTS: Women reported very much being worried about my child getting COVID-19 (46%) and my family member getting COVID-19 (46%). Women reported specific active coping strategies very much reduced their feelings of discomfort during COVID-19: God, religion, or spirituality (24%), social media (24%), and following government advice (24%). Higher use of avoidance coping prior to the pandemic was associated with higher levels of stress both prior to (r = 0.60, p < .001) and during (r = 0.47, p < .01) the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Women reported worries about COVID-19 and used various strategies to cope with feelings of discomfort due to the pandemic. Nurses should assess the stress level of pregnant Black women and recommend active coping strategies during the pandemic.
Revisiting group contribution theory for estimating fractional free volume of microporous polymer membranes

Abstract Fractional free volume (FFV) is a commonly used metric for the development of structure–property relationships for polymer membranes. The most common method to calculate FFV uses Bondi's group contribution method, first introduced in 1964. While updated in 1997, there has not been a significant compilation of new structural motifs since the advent of linear microporous polymers. In this study, we critically examined the assumptions in Bondi's original method and provide four recommendations to streamline and improve the accuracy of calculating van der Waals volume ( V W ) for any group. Using these recommendations, we created an updated list of V W values for structural groups commonly present in microporous polymers. The V W and FFV values were then calculated for a database of 123 microporous and high free volume polymers from the literature, showing an average 7% decrease in V W and corresponding increase in FFV by a factor of 24% when compared to prior group contribution correlations in the literature. The significant apparent increase in estimated FFV provides a new perspective to understand and interpret the role of free volume on the separation performance of linear microporous polymers. Additionally, standardization of the group contribution method allows for the direct comparison of FFV values across studies.
Galactosaminoglycan Uronyl 2-Sulfotransferase

The glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains of proteoglycans exhibit structural diversity that allows participation in numerous biologic functions. Structural diversity is in part dependent on the abundance and placement of 2-sulfated uronyl residues. These components are highly abundant in the GAGs heparan sulfate and heparin but are infrequent in the galactosaminoglycans. For example, dermatan sulfate is predominantly composed of IdoA→GalNAc-4S and to a lesser extent GlcA→GalNAc-4. However, the 2-sulfated unit IdoA-2S→GalNAc-4S can also occur in minor amounts (5%–10% of total disaccharides) (Maimone and Tollefsen 1991). Similarly, chon- droitin sulfate principally contains GlcA→GalNAc-4S, GlcA→GalNAc-6S, or both; low amounts of GlcA-2S→GalNAc-6S may also be present (Cheng et al. 1994). Such paucity makes 2-sulfated uronyl residues ideal candidates for regulating selected biologic activities of dermatan sulfate/chondroitin sulfate. This chapter describes the recent isolation and characterization of the enzyme galactosaminoglycan uronyl 2- sulfotransferase, which is capable of adding this rare substituent to dermatan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate (Kobayashi et al. 1999).