cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transplacental congenital human herpesvirus 6 infection caused by maternal chromosomally integrated virus

Congenital human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection results from germline passage of chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (CI-HHV-6) and from transplacental passage of maternal HHV-6 infection. We aimed to determine whether CI-HHV-6 could replicate and cause transplacentally acquired HHV-6 infection. HHV-6 DNA, variant type, and viral loads were determined with samples (cord blood, peripheral blood, saliva, urine, and hair) obtained from 6 infants with transplacentally acquired HHV-6 and with samples of their parents' hair. No fathers but all mothers of infants with transplacentally acquired HHV-6 had CI-HHV-6, and the mother's CI-HHV-6 variant was the same variant causing the transplacentally acquired congenital HHV-6 infection. This suggests the possibility that CI-HHV-6 replicates and may cause most, if not all, congenital HHV-6 infections.
Sister species: women, animals and social justice

Sister species: women, animals and social justice, edited by Lisa Kemmerer, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 2011, 190 pp., $21.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-252-07811-8 Early in my career, I wor...
DISPUTE MEDIATION: A COMPUTER MODEL

This paper integrates Artificial Intelligence techniques with decision theoretic methods to address the problem of finding compromise solutions to multi-agent conflicts through mediation/negotiation. This is a difficult problem since conflict resolution is an ill-defined and complex process, the compromise choices that a problem solver has for continuum-valued issues are infinite, and the agents need to be persuaded to shift their positions during problem solving. Previous approaches have been based on quantitive models that are inflexible and inaccesible to the practitioners. The proposed conflict resolution model integrates reasoning from past cases similar to the current conflict, the use of multi-attribute utility theory, and reasoning to accomodate idiosyncratic behavior of the agents. The model has been implemented in a computer program, the PERSUADER, that functions as mediator in hypothetical labor negotiations. It suggests appropriate settlements to this disputants. If a suggested compromise is rejected, the PERSUADER either improves the compromise or generates persuasive arguments to change the opposing party’s “view” of the settlement.
Effects of Parathyroid Hormone Like Hormone (PTHLH) Antagonist, PTHLH7–34, on Fetoplacental Development and Growth During Midgestation in Rats

Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) secretion has been reported in human amnion, chorion, decidual cytotrophoblast, syncytiotrophoblast, endometrium, and myometrium; however, the functions of PTHLH during pregnancy, particularly during placenta formation and fetal development, are not well understood. We examined whether neutralization of PTHLH action using PTHLH antagonist, PTHLH(7-34), in rats during early gestation affects fetal and placental growth. Rats received s.c. a daily dose of either 0, 4, 12, or 36 microg of PTHLH(7-34) infused continuously through mini-osmotic pumps from Day 8 through Day 15 of pregnancy. Fetal weights measured on Day 15 were significantly decreased in rats treated with all the doses of PTHLH(7-34) compared to controls, and decreases in placental weights were significant at the 12-microg dose. TUNEL assay demonstrated an increased number of apoptotic cells in placenta of treated rats, including rats treated with the 4-microg dose. Cleaved caspase 3 (CASP3), caspase 9 (CASP9) (P < 0.05) and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP1) (P < 0.01) expression was increased and BCL2 (P < 0.01) expression was decreased in rats treated with 4 microg PTHLH(7-34) compared to that in control. Placental cytochrome c expression was increased (P < 0.01) in cytosolic and decreased (P < 0.01) in mitochondrial fraction in PTHLH(7-34)-treated rats. Caspase 8 expression was not affected by the treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM1) showed higher staining intensity in control than in treated rats. In conclusion, these results suggests that PTHLH plays a role in early pregnancy, and that antagonization of PTHLH action causes fetoplacental growth restriction through activation of mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in the placenta and through decreased expression of PECAM1.
Two new Eastern North American species of the Aleiodes coxalis (Spinola) species-group (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Rogadinae) reared from Geometridae

Two new species in the Aleiodes coxalis species-group are described from eastern North America: Aleiodes itamevorus and Aleiodes maritimus. Both are primary koinobiont parasitoids of Geometridae caterpillars, utilizing hosts from the genera Itame and Semiothisa.
Cone-spheres

A cone-sphere consists of two spheres, together with the part of the cylinder or cone tangent to the two spheres and lying between them. Cone-spheres can be rapidly rendered with shading, highlights, texture, or bump maps, and composited to create twisted or branched tubular structures.
Parenting and Preschool Self-Regulation as Predictors of Social Emotional Competence in 1st Grade

The current longitudinal study used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to examine a model of development that emphasizes early caregiving environments as predictors of social emotional competence (including classroom competence). This path analysis model included features of parenting, emotion regulation, preschool language skills, and attention to predict child outcomes in 1st grade. Early caregiving environments were directly predictive of peer relationship satisfaction, oppositional behavior, social skills, and classroom competence over and above significant mediated effects through preschool self regulation (language, inattention, and anger/frustration). These results suggest that the characteristics of supportive and stimulating caregiving shift in valence over time, such that qualities of the infant-child relationship that are significant in predicting early childhood outcomes are not the same as the caregiving qualities that move to the foreground in predicting primary school outcomes. Implications for school-readiness programming are discussed, including interventions in the early caregiving system to encourage sensitive and supportive parent child interactions to bolster school readiness via the development of social-emotional competence.
The Conduct of Inquiry in Social Science History

My purpose here is simple—if not particularly lofty. I intend to characterize in general terms the activities that we engage in when we do social science history research, to describe somewhat abstractly how we conduct inquiry in social science history. This examination of our scholarly activities is provoked by several convictions: First, the philosophy of science—even an epistemology of social science history to the extent that there is one—is by and large not helpful to the conduct of inquiry. Second, the efforts in philosophy (and elsewhere) to conceptualize the conduct of inquiry in philosophy using examples from the physical sciences seem especially inapplicable to social science history. Third, when we do become self-conscious about what we are doing, we concentrate on methods and techniques of data collection and analysis and we create the impression that our scholarly research is fully described by technical decisions and activities.
Maximum Work Output for Gas Cycles with Constraint

Simple equations for the thermodynamic efficiencies of ideal Otto, Diesel and Brayton cycles are derived for cycles with fixed ambient and upper temperatures, all resulting in equations containing the difference of the square roots of these temperatures.
Cavity Flow Characterization of the Bristled Shark Skin Microgeometry

An experimental study was carried out to discern the flow field induced inside a model consisting of bristled shark skin denticles. When bristled, a system of interlocking cavities is formed within the shark skin, and it was hypothesized that this microgeometry may be used by the shark as a means of controlling the boundary layer. The flow field induced inside a simplified, staggered square-cavity model was also studied for comparison; measurements were obtained using a DPIV system. Results showed that the shark skin, with both ribs on the backward face of the cavities and its v-shaped tips protruding into the boundary layer, induced a coherent system of interlocking embedded vortices. These vortices resulted in a partial slip condition felt by the outer boundary layer flow, which is indicative of a possible separation control mechanism.
Operative laparoscopy and postoperative pain relief

Objective To evaluate the immediate postoperative pain and discomfort in patients who underwent operative laparoscopy under general anesthesia with or without peritoneal lidocaine and incisional bupivacaine instillations. Design Fifty-four participants were prospectively randomized to three groups: group I, intraperitoneal (IP) lidocaine+intraincisional bupivacaine; group II, intraincisional bupivacaine; and group III, no additional drugs after general anesthesia (controls). Setting University Hospital, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Clinics. Patients Private patients needing operative laparoscopy. Interventions One hundred milligrams of lidocaine were instilled with the irrigation device into the peritoneal cavity at the completion of surgery. Twenty-five milligrams of bupivacaine were injected into infraumbilical and suprapubic incisions. Main Outcome Measures The analgesic use and modified McGill Present Pain Intensity scores were used for pain evaluation. Results McGill Present Pain Intensity scores for pain, and narcotic use in the recovery room were less in IP lidocaine-instilled group of patients ( P μ g/mL. Conclusions Peritoneal lidocaine and incisional bupivacaine use in operative laparoscopy as described after general anesthesia is safe and effective in reducing postoperative pain in the recovery room.
Angiotensin type 2 receptor null mice express reduced levels of renal angiotensin II type 2 receptor/angiotensin (1-7)/Mas receptor and exhibit greater high-fat diet-induced kidney injury.

Introduction:Renin–angiotensin system (RAS) components exert diverse physiological functions and have been sub-grouped into deleterious angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/a...
Real Effects of Financial Distress of Workers: Evidence from Teacher Spillovers

This paper studies the effects of financial distress on the productivity of workers. Using detailed data from the public school system in Texas, which allows us to exploit within-teacher variation and to control for a student's economic environment, we show that student performance decreases by 1.6% following a declaration of bankruptcy by their teacher. The effect of financial distress increases with the complexity of the task: Students designated as "at-risk" experience a 5.7% decrease in performance after their teacher files for bankruptcy. Overall, our results indicate that household financial distress can have important consequences for the economy.
Post Processing Strategies in EPR Spin-Trapping Studies

Collection of EPR spectra in digital format permits post processing that can be more meaningful than multiple-scan averaging, especially for spectra that are overlapping and changing with time, as is characteristic of spectra acquired in spin-trapping studies. It is demonstrated that multiple linear regression analysis of multiple spectra acquired in time-sequence can provide kinetic information even when the signal-to-noise of a single scan is poor.
Connectivity network breakdown predicts imminent volumetric atrophy in early mild cognitive impairment

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized both by cortical atrophy and disrupted connectivity, resulting in abnormal interactions between neural systems. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and graph theory can be used to evaluate major brain networks, and detect signs of abnormal breakdown in network connectivity. In a longitudinal study using both DWI and standard MRI, we assessed baseline white matter connectivity patterns in 24 early mild cognitive impairment (eMCI) subjects (mean age: 74.5 +/- 8.3 yrs). Using both standard MRI-based cortical parcellations and whole-brain tractography, we computed baseline connectivity maps from which we calculated global "small-world" architecture measures. We evaluated whether these network measures predicted future volumetric brain atrophy in eMCI subjects, who are at risk for developing AD, as determined by 3D Jacobian "expansion factor maps" between baseline and 6-month follow-up scans. This study suggests that DWI-based network measures may be a novel predictor of AD progression.
Abstract TP309: The Role of Teleconsultation in Acute Stroke Trial Enrollment

Background: A major barrier to enrollment into acute stroke clinical trials is timely access to a tertiary care center conducting the study. Tertiary centers often receive the majority of their pat...
Pharmacotherapy Management of Obesity

In 2007, the FDA defined its criteria for approving any new weight loss medication. In order for a new weight loss drug to be considered effective, at least one of the following must be true after 1 year of treatment: the difference in mean weight loss between the active-product and placebo-treated groups is at least 5 % and is statistically significant or the proportion of subjects who lose greater than or equal to 5 % of baseline body weight in the active-product group is at least 35 %, is approximately double the proportion in the placebo-treated group, and is statistically significant. Until recently, there were only two classes of drugs approved for the treatment of obesity: pancreatic and gastric lipase inhibitors including orlistat and sympathomimetic agents, including phentermine. However, in 2012, two new drugs have been approved by the FDA for the first time in 13 years, and optimism is reinstituted for the future of pharmacotherapy for obesity. This chapter will (1) define the indications for using pharmacotherapy to treat obesity; (2) identify the medications available for the treatment of obesity and understand which patients are candidates for each type of treatment; and (3) explain the risks, benefits, and side effects of each of the treatment options.
Patient and Provider Perspectives on a Mind-Body Program for Grieving Older Adults

Background Spousal bereavement in older age is a major stressor associated with an increase in both mental and physical problems. The Stress Management and Resiliency Training: Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (SMART-3RP) is an 8-week multimodal mind-body program that targets stress and has been found efficacious in decreasing the mental and physical manifestations of stress in varied populations. This qualitative study sought to investigate the relevance, credibility, and feasibility of the SMART-3RP in the community. Methods Focus groups were conducted among both older widowed adults and providers who support them in the community (eg, chaplains, hospice bereavement coordinators). Transcripts were coded independently by coders trained in qualitative research. Codebooks were created based on both general themes and detailed subthemes present in the transcripts. Results Findings from 4 focus groups revealed a general convergence between the needs of recently widowed older adults reported by widow(er)s and community providers alike and needs identified in the literature. Several components of the SMART-3RP target many of these needs (eg, social support, stress awareness, coping skills), making both community providers and widow(er)s report that the SMART-3RP is logical (89%) and would be helpful (100%) and successful in reducing symptoms (78%). Additionally, all widow(er)s reported a willingness to participate (100%). Feedback from the focus groups was used to adapt the SMART-3RP to improve its relevance to grief-related stress. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the SMART-3RP may be helpful in decreasing somatic and psychological distress in older adults who have lost a spouse.
Contrasting lengths of Pelargonium floral nectar tubes result from late differences in rate and duration of growth

Background and Aims Much of morphological evolution in flowers has arisen from pollinator-mediated selection, often manifest as a match between the length of the pollinator's proboscis and the depth of tubular corollas or spurs. We investigate development, growth and homology of the unique nectar tube of Pelargonium, frequently described as 'a spur adnate to the pedicel'. Methods We focused on two species. The nectar tube of P. ionidiflorum is three times longer than that of P. odoratissimum. Light and scanning electron microscopy were carried out, and daily growth measurements were used to compare nectar tube development and vascular patterns. Key Results Nectar tubes in both species are initiated centripetally to the dorsal sepal in a space created by lateral displacement of two antepetalous stamens. The cavity deepens through subsequent intercalary growth of the receptacle that proceeds at the same rate in both species until tubes reach approx. 10 mm in length. Differences in final nectar tube lengths arise via an increase in the rate and duration of growth of the receptacle that begins just before anthesis (floral opening) and continues for several days past anthesis in P. ionidiflorum but does not occur in P. odoratissimum. Epidermal cells of the dorsal surface of the nectar tube in P. ionidiflorum are approx. 1.6 times longer than those in P. odoratissimum. Histological sections show no evidence that the nectar tube is a spur that became evolutionarily fused to the pedicel. Conclusions Nectar tubes in Pelargonium are localized cavities that form in the receptacle via intercalary growth. Differences in the rate and duration of growth just prior to and following anthesis underlie differences in final tube lengths. Because differences in cell lengths do not fully account for differences in nectar tube lengths, evolutionary diversification must involve changes in both cell cycle and cell expansion.
Parent and teacher effects on academic coping and classroom engagement: Testing a motivational model

Little is known about the contextual antecedents and consequences of children’s academic coping. One hundred and eighty-three-sixth grade students participated in a study that examined a process model whereby children’s perceptions of parent and teacher behaviors were associated with children’s coping strategies through children’s appraisals of failure. It also examined whether these coping strategies were then associated with students’ classroom engagement. Results revealed that parent autonomy support was indirectly associated with defensive coping through its effects on children’s appraisals of failure. There was also some support that cognitive appraisals, particularly threat appraisals were indirectly associated with child reported engagement through coping, suggesting that coping appraisals impact children’s engagement and participation in the classroom through their effects on coping behavior/strategy use. The findings underscore the importance of parent autonomy support for children’s appraisals of failure, coping, and engagement.
Head and Neck Cancer Evaluation via Transoral Robotic Surgery with Augmented Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) was integrated with a da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc.) for exploration of head and neck cancer (N=25 patients). In vivo results showed FLIm distinguished between tumor and healthy tissue.
Fast and efficient genotype encoding using sparse 2D bitmaps for database-driven genomics applications

Data management is a main challenge facing many genomics applications. A central target for genomic research is identifying and storing genetic variants present in human populations. Recently, there has been increasing interest in adopting a database representation for variant information. However, the massive scale of variant data pose many storage and access time challenges for database-driven genomic applications. Efficient database-driven variant encoding techniques need to be developed to address this problem. In this paper we propose a variant encoding technique for Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) based on 2D sparse bitmaps. The proposed encoding technique was designed to achieve high compressibility while minimizing access time. Using this approach, we were able to reduce the database storage space of the 1000 Genome dataset pilot data to 4.75GB from the 45.24GB required in a basic implementation. Our approach achieved this reduction while reducing database access time by around 100 times. Furthermore, we compared our approach to the popular Ensembl Variant Database and achieved database size reductions reaching up to 47.33% without compromising access time.
Media Representations of Popular Culture Figures and the Construction of Black Masculinities

The present study explores the construction of masculinity among young Black men. Of central concern is young Black men’s subjective reflections on the role that popular culture and media have in informing how they understand and define their ideas of masculinity. The study uses interview data from
Cultural Values of Indian Managers: An Exploration through Unstructured Interviews

The present research addressed and explored the cultural values that Indian managers may apply in their business activities. Criticisms of research in this area include the use of Western theories and methods that may ignore cultural factors. The present study sought to overcome this concern by using unstructured interviews to collect qualitative data. This approach allowed for exploration of value diversity and contextual influences, which both tend to characterize Indian organizational behavior. Results suggested evidence of cultural values such as yogic spirituality, non-attachment, interconnectedness with others, nonviolence, tolerance, and a sense of duty. Some respondents however espoused values in direct opposition to the traditional culture. The managers in this sample also largely espoused the use of participative management and employee empowerment. Results are discussed with regard to current literature.
Trichloroethylene and Autoimmunity in Human and Animal Models

Based on likelihood of exposure and potential health impact trichloroethylene (TCE) is consistently ranked 16th out of 275 chemicals on the annual CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) list of hazardous substances. Although environmental contact with TCE in the water, air or soil, is generally thought to be risk-free, there is evidence that chronic exposure to TCE at levels too low to be overtly toxic can generate autoimmune diseases including lupus, scleroderma, and autoimmune liver disease. This chapter examines human exposure data. It also discusses the mechanistic information that has been provided by animal studies, and identifies some important gaps in our understanding. Since human exposure to TCE will continue for the foreseeable future, we need to understand and prevent the autoimmune-promoting effects of this toxicant.
Lessons from deforming volcanoes

Whereas previous chapters are focused primarily on geodetic techniques, this one addresses specific applications of those techniques at a few well-studied volcanoes. Mount St. Helens, KTlauea, Yellowstone, and Long Valley illustrate the tremendous diversity in terms of style, duration, dimensions, and mechanisms of ground movements. That is not to say that these four examples encompass the full range of deformation observed at volcanoes worldwide, or that other examples would not serve equally well. Rather, I chose these four because I know them personally, having worked at each for at least several years, and because they have been studied thoroughly with a variety of monitoring techniques, including geodesy. Therefore, the geodetic results can be placed in a rich context of other information to help interpret the processes responsible for ground deformation and other symptoms of unrest.
Die chemische Gleichung

Die Berechnung der quantitativen Verhaltnisse metallurgischer Prozesse setzt ein richtiges Verstandnis der chemischen Gleichungen voraus. Jede chemische Gleichung ist imstande, drei sehr wichtige Seiten des betreffenden Vorganges zu beleuchten: erstens die Gewichtsverhaltnisse der reagierenden Stoffe, dann — wenn gasformige Stoffe in Betracht kommen — auch die Volumverhaltnisse und endlich drittens den Betrag an Energie, der bei der Reaktion abgegeben oder aufgenommen wird, falls die Bildungswarmen aller beteiligten Stoffe bekannt sind.
Contemporary outcomes of isolated bioprothestic mitral valve replacement for mitral regurgitation

Background Early experience with transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) highlighted several investigational challenges related to this novel therapy. Conclusive randomised clinical trials in the field may, therefore, be years ahead. In the interim, contemporary outcomes of isolated surgical bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement (MVR) can be used as a benchmark for the emerging TMVR therapies. Methods We used the nationwide inpatient sample to examine recent trends and outcomes of surgical bioprosthetic MVR for mitral regurgitation (isolated and combined). Results 21 007 patients who had bioprosthetic MVR between 2003 and 2014 were included. Of those, 30% had isolated MVR and 70% had concomitant cardiac surgical procedure(s). In patients who underwent isolated bioprothestic MVR, mean age was 68±13, and females were the majority (58.4%). Most of these procedures were performed at teaching institutions (71.3%) and during an elective admission (64%). In-hospital mortality improved during the study period (7.8% in 2003 to 4.7% in 2014, p trend=0.016). Postoperative morbidities were common; permanent pacemaker 11.7%, stroke 2.4%, new dialysis 4.9% and blood transfusion 41.6%. Mean length of stay was 13±12 days, and 27.2% of patients were discharged to an intermediate care of rehabilitation facility. Cost of hospitalisation was $62 443±50 997. Conclusions Isolated bioprosthetic MVR for mitral regurgitation is performed infrequently but is associated with significant in-hospital morbidity and mortality and cost in contemporary practice. These data are useful as benchmarks for the evolving TMVR therapies.
Integrating Structural Information to Study the Dynamics of Protein-Protein Interactions in Cells.

Summary The information of how two proteins interact is embedded in the atomic details of their binding interfaces. These interactions, spatial-temporally coordinating each other as a network in a variable cytoplasmic environment, dominate almost all biological functions. A feasible and reliable computational model is highly demanded to realistically simulate these cellular processes and unravel the complexities beneath them. We therefore present a multiscale framework that integrates simulations on two different scales. The higher-resolution model incorporates structural information of proteins and energetics of their binding, while the lower-resolution model uses a highly simplified representation of proteins to capture the long-time-scale dynamics of a system with multiple proteins. Through a systematic benchmark test and two practical applications of biomolecular systems with specific cellular functions, we demonstrated that this method could be a powerful approach to understand molecular mechanisms of dynamic interactions between biomolecules and their functional impacts with high computational efficiency.
Commitment to Nursing Excellence: Bmtcn Specialty Certification

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale In 2015, a large Midwest Bone Marrow Transplantation and Immune Deficiency 36 bed unit implemented a Bone Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse (BMTCN) Review Course in an effort to increase the nurse specialty certification. BMTCN certification offers bone marrow transplant (BMT) Registered Nurses (RN) the opportunity to validate their BMT knowledge, promote their professional credibility, and further their clinical advancement. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis The two-day course reviewed the material offered by the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses (APHON). The percentage of RNs with BMTCN certification increased from 24% in 2016 to 59% in 2017. As BMTCN certifications increased, the course was modified to include more adult BMT content to align with the certification requirements which include adult and pediatric BMT care. Information was also added to include exam preparation content as requested by the RN team. In August 2018, the review course was redesigned to correlate with the BMTCN test content outline and focus on test taking preparation and skills. In May 2018, the BMTCN Review Course began offering continuing education hours which correlated with the BMTCN renewal requirements. Two review courses have been offered in 2018 which included RN compensation of time and attendance. Findings & Interpretation Plans for 2019 include having quarterly four hours BMTCN Lecture Series which will be videotaped so RNs can access on own time if they are unable to attend the lecture series in-person. As of September 2018, 72% of BMT RNs have acquired BMTCN certification. Discussion & Implications The competency standards that are promoted by the BMTCN certification promotes safety on the BMT specialty nursing units. The BMTCN Lecture Series encourages clinical education on the most up to date innovative changes in clinical practice, presented by all members of the collaborative team.
When to outsource the sales force for new products

Abstract Executives and researchers continue to seek factors that lead to new product success. While prior research has suggested that outsourcing the selling function can help make the innovation process leaner and limit future liability, outsourcing can also pose risks in terms of safeguarding both customer relationships and confidential innovation capabilities. Moreover, examining the effects of outsourcing has been identified as a key research priority in recent marketing literature. Thus, using privileged access to managers in the biochemical industry, we employed a multi-group analysis of 229 new products to investigate the effect of outsourcing the sales force on new product success. Our empirical results demonstrate that outsourcing the sales force moderates the relationship between new product superiority and customer meaningfulness such that the relationship is stronger when outsourcing is employed; however, outsourcing the sales force moderates the relationship between new product good value and customer meaningfulness such that it is weaker when outsourcing is employed. These findings suggest that outsourcing may serve as a signal of added risk for customers. Thus, the decision to outsource the sales force should be made based upon customer needs and the characteristics of the new product.
Cryopreservation of Brain Endothelial Cells Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Is Enhanced by Rho-Associated Coiled Coil-Containing Kinase Inhibition

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains brain homeostasis but also presents a major obstacle to brain drug delivery. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) form the principal barrier and therefore represent the major cellular component of in vitro BBB models. Such models are often used for mechanistic studies of the BBB in health and disease and for drug screening. Recently, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a new source for generating BMEC-like cells for use in in vitro human BBB studies. However, the inability to cryopreserve iPSC-BMECs has impeded implementation of this model by requiring a fresh differentiation to generate cells for each experiment. Cryopreservation of differentiated iPSC-BMECs would have a number of distinct advantages, including enabling production of larger scale lots, decreasing lead time to generate purified iPSC-BMEC cultures, and facilitating use of iPSC-BMECs in large-scale screening. In this study, we demonstrate that iPSC-BMECs can be successfully cryopreserved at multiple differentiation stages. Cryopreserved iPSC-BMECs retain high viability, express standard endothelial and BBB markers, and reach a high transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) of ∼3000 Ω·cm2, equivalent to nonfrozen controls. Rho-associated coiled coil-containing kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 substantially increased survival and attachment of cryopreserved iPSC-BMECs, as well as stabilized TEER above 800 Ω·cm2 out to 7 days post-thaw. Overall, cryopreservation will ease handling and storage of high-quality iPSC-BMECs, reducing a key barrier to greater implementation of these cells in modeling the human BBB.
Maternal elevated salt consumption and the development of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition with no known etiology or cure. Several possible contributing factors, both genetic and environmental, are being actively investigated. Amongst these, maternal immune dysregulation has been identified as potentially involved in promoting ASD in the offspring. Indeed, ASD-like behaviors have been observed in studies using the maternal immune activation mouse model. Furthermore, recent studies have shed light on maternal dietary habits and their impact on the gut microbiome as factors possibly facilitating ASD. However, most of these studies have been limited to the effects of high fat and/or high sugar. More recent data, however, have shown that elevated salt consumption has a significant effect on the immune system and gut microbiome, often resulting in gut dysbiosis and induction of pro-inflammatory pathways. Specifically, high salt alters the gut microbiome and induces the differentiation of T helper-17 cells that produce pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-17 and interleukin-23. Moreover, elevated salt can also reduce the differentiation of regulatory T cells that help maintaining a balanced immune system. While in the innate immune system, high salt can cause over activation of M1 pro-inflammatory macrophages and downregulation of M2 regulatory macrophages. These changes to the immune system are alarming because excessive consumption of salt is a documented worldwide problem. Thus, in this review, we discuss recent findings on high salt intake, gut microbiome, and immune system dysregulation while proposing a hypothesis to link maternal overconsumption of salt and children’s ASD.
Solving high-dimensional eigenvalue problems using deep neural networks: A diffusion Monte Carlo like approach

Abstract We propose a new method to solve eigenvalue problems for linear and semilinear second order differential operators in high dimensions based on deep neural networks. The eigenvalue problem is reformulated as a fixed point problem of the semigroup flow induced by the operator, whose solution can be represented by Feynman-Kac formula in terms of forward-backward stochastic differential equations. The method shares a similar spirit with diffusion Monte Carlo but augments a direct approximation to the eigenfunction through neural-network ansatz. The criterion of fixed point provides a natural loss function to search for parameters via optimization. Our approach is able to provide accurate eigenvalue and eigenfunction approximations in several numerical examples, including Fokker-Planck operator and the linear and nonlinear Schrodinger operators in high dimensions.
The Use of Dress in Objectification Research

To objectify another person is to dehumanize and treat that person as an object. Objectification has interested dress scholars, and some objectification scholars have acknowledged that clothing and...
Optimal Evasion Against Dual Pure Pursuit

The Pure Pursuit strategy is ubiquitous both in the control literature but also in real-world implementation. In this paper, we pose and solve a variant of Isaacs' Two Cutters and Fugitive Ship problem wherein the Pursuers' strategy is fixed to Pure Pursuit, thus making it an optimal control problem. The Pursuers are faster than the Evader and are endowed with a finite capture radius. All agents move with constant velocity and can change heading instantaneously. Although capture is inevitable, the Evader wishes to delay capture as long as possible. The optimal trajectories cover the entire state space. Regions corresponding to either solo capture or isochronous (dual) capture are computed and both types of maximal time-to-capture optimal trajectories are characterized.
Artificial lift system optimization using machine learning applications

Abstract Currently, in the oil industry, Artificial Lift Optimization (ALO) systems are dealing with different applications including well monitor and control, reservoir management, production optimization, predictive maintenance, artificial lift, and flow assurance, multiphase pumping systems, etc. The scope of this article is to provide a detailed analysis of ALO and predictive pump maintenance applications using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The oil and gas industry has experienced a lot of improvements that have impacted the businesses and economies associated with the market in recent times. Issues such as unplanned shutdown time and failure of equipment cause a huge impact on many corporations especially with the current fluctuations in hydrocarbon prices. Similarly, advanced modern technologies such as real-time analysis and predictive maintenance are designed to drive ALO systems. This paper covers several applications and techniques in which ML and AI have been applied to optimize hydrocarbon withdrawal from potentially depleted reservoirs that require some external support to uplift the reservoir fluid from sub surface to surface using artificial lift system. In a nutshell, the applications of AI and ML for the artificial lift selection, their predictive maintenance, equipment malfunctioning detection, etc. using a self-trained system are the main topics of this paper. While reviewing each of these techniques, their workflow is also explained along with the effectiveness of utilizing each application to the current operations.
Engineering Materials at the Nanoscale for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Summary Taking advantage of the coupling effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, triboelectric nanogenerators can effectively convert various forms of ambient mechanical energy into electricity, and therefore have attracted much attention, with broad applications in energy harvesting, active sensing, and biomedical therapy, which are anticipated to be an indispensable component in the era of the Internet of things. To improve the mechanical-to-electrical conversion, various strategies have been reported to engineer the materials used at the nanoscale with physical, chemical, biological, and hybrid approaches. These strategies to enhance the output performance and extend the applications of triboelectric nanogenerators are comprehensively reviewed and summarized in this article. Furthermore, perspectives are also discussed in depth, with an emphasis on future research directions to further advance developments within the field.
Danto on Censorship and Subsidy of the Arts

In an important series of essays published in his early years as an art critic, the philosopher of art Arthur Danto seemingly claimed: 1) that art should be subsidized but not censored; 2) that refusing to subsidize art constitutes censorship; 3) that public art is subsidized, not least by its placement in public spaces; and 4) that public art can be removed from those spaces when the public doesn’t like it. Yet these claims seem inconsistent. This paper tries to solve this puzzle, addressing along the way important questions about the relationship of non-subsidy and censorship and the distinct nature of public art as opposed to art in public spaces.
Management of Biliary Stricture in Pediatric Liver Transplantation Patients: Long-Term Outcomes.

Background Post-operative biliary complications have been reported to occur in 10-33% of pediatric liver transplantation (LTx) recipients. (2-10) Percutaneous intervention has become the primary treatment method for these complications; however, efficacy and outcomes of these patients have not been well studied. Methods Institutional pediatric LTx from 1998 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the patients referred for percutaneous treatment of post-LTx biliary strictures. Clinical parameters, percutaneous transhepatic biliary cholangiograms (PTC), biliary catheter placement, cholangioplasty, and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Results Of the 396 consecutive pediatric LTx recipients during our study period, 50 (12.6%) were diagnosed with biliary strictures on PTC. LTx biliary reconstruction was Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) in 28 (56%), choledochojejunostomy (CJ) in 11 (22%), and choledochocholedochostomy (CC) in 11 (22%). Median age at LTx was 23.2 months (IQR, 10.9-90.6) and 14 (28%) patients developed hepatic artery thrombosis. Forty-four (88%) patients were treated with internal/external biliary catheters, of whom 38 (76%) underwent balloon cholangioplasty. By 12 months, 84% of patients had complete stricture resolution and catheter removal. Median total duration of catheter drainage was 152 days (IQR, 76-308). Eight patients required additional surgery (biliary reconstruction or re-LTx) or died with drainage catheter in place from complications unrelated to PTC intervention. Amongst the six (12%) treated with unilateral external biliary drainage catheters, two had catheters removed for inadequate drainage but then had spontaneous biliary obstruction resolution, one underwent duct reconstruction, and three required long-term catheterization. Conclusions Biliary strictures following pediatric LTx can be successfully treated with internal/external biliary drainage catheters and cholangioplasty if the stricture can be crossed. However, patients with isolated strictured ducts may require long-term external catheter drainage until re-LTx or percutaneous obliteration of isolated ducts.
Mosaic de novo SNRPN gene variant associated with Prader-Willi syndrome

Background Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is an imprinting disorder caused by the absence of paternal expressed genes in the Prader-Willi critical region (PWCR) on chromosome 15q11.2-q13. Three molecular mechanisms have been known to cause PWS, including a deletion in the PWCR, uniparental disomy 15 and imprinting defects. Results We report the first case of PWS associated with a single-nucleotide SNRPN variant in a 10-year-old girl presenting with clinical features consistent with PWS, including infantile hypotonia and feeding difficulty, developmental delay with cognitive impairment, excessive eating with central obesity, sleep disturbances, skin picking and related behaviour issues. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a de novo mosaic nonsense variant of the SNRPN gene (c.73C>T, p.R25X) in 10% of DNA isolated from buccal cells and 19% of DNA from patient-derived lymphoblast cells. DNA methylation study did not detect an abnormal methylation pattern in the SNRPN locus. Parental origin studies showed a paternal source of an intronic single-nucleotide polymorphism within the locus in proximity to the SNRPN variant. Conclusions This is the first report that provides evidence of a de novo point mutation of paternal origin in SNRPN as a new disease-causing mechanism for PWS. This finding suggests that gene sequencing should be considered as part of the diagnostic workup in patients with clinical suspicion of PWS.
Validating species distribution models to illuminate coastal fireflies in the South Pacific (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

The coastal areas of Vanuatu are under a multitude of threats stemming from commercialization, human development, and climate change. Atyphella Olliff is a genus of firefly that includes species endemic to these coastal areas and will need protection. The research that has already been conducted was affected by accessibility due to the remote nature of the islands which left numerous knowledge gaps caused by a lack of distributional data (e.g., Wallacean shortfall). Species distribution models (SDM) are a powerful tool that allow for the modeling of the broader distribution of a taxon, even with limited distributional data available. SDMs assist in filling the knowledge gap by predicting potential areas that could contain the species of interest, making targeted collecting and conservation efforts more feasible when time, resources, and accessibility are major limiting factors. Here a MaxEnt prediction was used to direct field collecting and we now provide an updated predictive distribution for this endemic firefly genus. The original model was validated with additional fieldwork, ultimately expanding the known range with additional locations first identified using MaxEnt. A bias analysis was also conducted, providing insight into the effect that developments such as roads and settlements have on collecting and therefore the SDM, ultimately allowing for a more critical assessment of the overall model. After demonstrating the accuracy of the original model, this new updated SDM can be used to identify specific areas that will need to be the target of future conservation efforts by local government officials.
Serotonin immunoreactivity is contained in one physiological cell class in the rat rostral ventromedial medulla

Neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) are the major source of serotonergic projections to the dorsal horn. A large body of evidence implicates RVM serotonergic neurons in the modulation of spinal nociceptive transmission. Three physiological classes of RVM neurons, on, off, and neutral cells, are postulated to have different nociceptive modulatory effects on spinal nocifensor reflexes. This study was undertaken to determine which RVM cell class(es) contains 5-HT. In anesthetized rats, RVM neurons were identified by their responses to noxious cutaneous stimuli, intracellularly labeled, and processed for 5-HT immunocytochemistry. Labeled neurons were examined with epifluorescence and imaged using a confocal laser microscope. A total of 25 RVM neurons were intracellularly labeled. No off (n = 9) or on (n = 8) cells were serotonergic. Half of the neutral cells (4 of 8) demonstrated 5-HT immunoreactivity. These results call for a reevaluation of the mechanisms of RVM modulatory influence on spinal cord nociceptive transmission. The finding that some neutral cells are serotonergic strongly suggests that serotonergic neutral cells are involved in the modulation of spinal nociceptive transmission. Additionally, inhibition of spinal nociceptive transmission by off cells is unlikely to involve 5-HT release. Finally, since opioid administration does not alter the firing of RVM neutral cells, the results of the present study indicate that serotonergic RVM neurons do not directly mediate the effects of supraspinal opioids in the rat.
An empirical study of non-binary genetic algorithm-based neural approaches for classification

In this paper, we describe a genetic algorithm (GA) based approach for learning connection weights for an artificial neural network (ANN). We use simulated data sets to compare the GA based approach for learning connection weights against the traditional back-propagation algorithm. Our results indicate that GA based training of ANN has a higher reliability (in terms of over-fitting the training data set) and predictive power than the traditional back-propagation algorithm.
From Stop to Go: role of the specialized elongation factor eEFSec in recoding UGA for selenocysteine incorporation (566.3)

The incorporation of the 21st amino acid selenocysteine (Sec) into proteins requires the recoding of an in-frame UGA, usually a termination codon, to a Sec codon. While it is known that Sec incorpo...