cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parvalbumin fast-spiking interneurons are selectively altered by paediatric traumatic brain injury.

Key points Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children remains a leading cause of death and disability and it remains poorly understood why children have worse outcomes and longer recover times. TBI has shown to alter cortical excitability and inhibitory drive onto excitatory neurons, yet few studies have directly examined changes to cortical interneurons. This is addressed in the present study using a clinically relevant model of severe TBI (controlled cortical impact) in interneuron cell type specific Cre-dependent mice. Mice subjected to controlled cortical impact exhibit specific loss of parvalbumin (PV) but not somatostatin immunoreactivity and cell density in the peri-injury zone. PV interneurons are primarily of a fast-spiking (FS) phenotype that persisted in the peri-injury zone but received less frequent inhibitory and stronger excitatory post-synaptic currents. The targeted loss of PV-FS interneurons appears to be distinct from previous reports in adult mice suggesting that TBI-induced pathophysiology is dependent on the age at time of impact. Abstract Paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children. Traditionally, ongoing neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity have been considered to confer children with an advantage following TBI. However, recent findings indicate that the paediatric brain may be more sensitive to brain injury. Inhibitory interneurons are essential for proper cortical function and are implicated in the pathophysiology of TBI, yet few studies have directly investigated TBI-induced changes to interneurons themselves. Accordingly, in the present study, we examine how inhibitory neurons are altered following controlled cortical impact (CCI) in juvenile mice with targeted Cre-dependent fluorescence labelling of interneurons (Vgat:Cre/Ai9 and PV:Cre/Ai6). Although CCI failed to alter the number of excitatory neurons or somatostatin-expressing interneurons in the peri-injury zone, it significantly decreased the density of parvalbumin (PV) immunoreactive cells by 71%. However, PV:Cre/Ai6 mice subjected to CCI showed a lower extent of fluorescence labelled cell loss. PV interneurons are predominantly of a fast-spiking (FS) phenotype and, when recorded electrophysiologically from the peri-injury zone, exhibited intrinsic properties similar to those of control neurons. Synaptically, CCI induced a decrease in inhibitory drive onto FS interneurons combined with an increase in the strength of excitatory events. The results of the present study indicate that CCI induced both a loss of PV interneurons and an even greater loss of PV expression. This suggests caution is required when interpreting changes in PV immunoreactivity alone as direct evidence of interneuronal loss. Furthermore, in contrast to reports in adults, TBI in the paediatric brain selectively alters PV-FS interneurons, primarily resulting in a loss of interneuronal inhibition.
Impact of a Structured Reporting Template on Adherence to Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2 and on the Diagnostic Performance of Prostate MRI for Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a structured reporting template on adherence to the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2 lexicon and on the diagnostic performance of prostate MRI to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (CS-PCa). Methods An imaging database was searched for consecutive patients who underwent prostate MRI followed by MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy from October 2015 through October 2017. The initial MRI reporting template used included only subheadings. In July 2016, the template was changed to a standardized PI-RADS-compliant structured template incorporating dropdown menus. Lesion, patient characteristics, pathology, and adherence to the PI-RADS lexicon were extracted from MRI reports and patient charts. Diagnostic performance of prostate MRI to detect CS-PCa using combined ultrasound-MRI fusion and systematic biopsy as a reference standard was assessed. Results Three hundred twenty-four lesions in 202 patients (average age, 67 years; average prostate-specific antigen level, 5.9 ng/mL) were analyzed, including 217 MRI peripheral zone (PZ) lesions, 84 MRI non-PZ lesions, and 23 additional PZ lesions found on systematic biopsy but missed on MRI. Thirty-three percent (106 of 324) were CS-PCa. Adherence to the PI-RADS lexicon improved from 32.9% (50 of 152) to 88.4% (152 of 172) ( P P = .011). There was no significant change in specificity (60% versus 55%, P = .458). Conclusions A structured template with dropdown menus incorporating the PI-RADS lexicon and classification rules improves adherence to PI-RADS and may increase the diagnostic performance of prostate MRI for CS-PCa.
The effects of cellulose nitrate treatment and organic solvent removal on δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O values of collagen and bioapatite in modern mammal bone

This study examines the effects of cellulose nitrate application and subsequent removal on stable isotope values in modern mammal bone which may be altered by addition of the consolidant in older museum archaeological and paleontological collections. Cellulose nitrate in the form of Duco cement was applied to modern whale and seal bones. Both treated bone and untreated controls were soaked in 100% acetone to remove cellulose nitrate and test effects of acetone on stable isotope values. Stable isotope values were measured in bone collagen (δ13Ccollagen, δ15Ncollagen) and bioapatite (δ13Cstructural carbonate, δ18Ostructural carbonate, δ18Ophosphate). The δ13Ccollagen, δ15Ncollagen, δ13Cstructural carbonate, and δ18Ophosphate values were unaltered by application of cellulose nitrate or exposure to acetone. The δ18Ostructural carbonate values were altered by exposure to cellulose nitrate in an unpredictable manner, most likely due to exchange of hydroxyl groups with differing isotope values. Care should be taken when using δ18Ostructural carbonate values from cellulose nitrate-treated bones as they may not represent an original isotope signature. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy detected cellulose nitrate in all samples treated with the consolidant, including traces in bones soaked in 100% acetone (48 h) to remove it. This indicates that our procedure was not entirely adequate to fully remove cellulose nitrate. Although remnants of cellulose nitrate in treated bones apparently did not alter the isotope values, it is hereby suggested that future attempts to remove cellulose nitrate from bone include additional soaks or possibly sonication.
Efficacy and tolerability of a cosmetically acceptable coal tar solution in the treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis: a controlled comparison with calcipotriene (calcipotriol) cream.

Background: Topical coal tar is awell known and effective treatment for psoriasis, but the messiness, staining, odor, and inconvenience associated with its use make patient satisfaction and compliance a challenge. Objective: To determine the efficacy, patient tolerability, and cosmetic acceptability of a new topical liquor carbonis distillate (LCD) 15% solution compared with calcipotriene (calcipotriol) cream in patients with moderate, chronic plaque psoriasis. Study Design: A randomized, single-blind, active-controlled, parallel-group, clinical trial consisting of a 12-week treatment phase and a 6-week post-treatment follow-up phase. Setting: Outpatient dermatology research unit in an academic hospital. Patients: Sixty adults with moderate, chronic plaque psoriasis (3–15% body surface area affected) not receiving other psoriasis therapies. Intervention: Patients were randomized to apply either an LCD 15% solution (Psorent®) or a commercially available calcipotriene 0.005% cream (Dovonex®) to their psoriasis areas (excluding the head) twice daily at home for 12 weeks. Assessments: A blinded investigator evaluated the patients’ psoriasis using a modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) that excluded the head, and a Physician’s Global Assessment (PGA) scale at weeks 0 (baseline), 2, 4, 8, and 12 (end of treatment), and 18 (6 weeks after treatment was withdrawn). Patients assessed their psoriasis symptoms and quality of life and completed a cosmetic acceptability survey about their medication. Outcome Measures: The changes in the baseline PASI scores after 12 weeks of treatment were compared between LCD and calcipotriene groups. Additional comparisons were performed for success rates during treatment (PASI 75 and PASI 50), changes in PGA scores, patient-reported psoriasis symptom scores, patients’ quality-of-life scores, and recurrence rates during post-treatment follow-up. Results: Both treatment groups showed improvement in psoriasis severity and quality of life. However, the LCD group had greater mean reductions in PASI scores: 58% vs 37% in the calcipotriene group (p < 0.05) at week 12. Additionally, the LCD group had more patients (14/27) with absent or minimal psoriasis on the PGA scale than the calcipotriene group (6/28) by the end of treatment (p < 0.05). LCD-treated patients also maintained their improvement better than calcipotriene-treated patients through week 18 after treatment was withdrawn for 6 weeks. Both treatments were well tolerated and cosmetically acceptable to patients. Conclusion: The newly formulated LCD solution, applied twice daily at home for 12 weeks, was more effective and as well tolerated and cosmetically acceptable as the calcipotriene cream over 12 weeks of treatment and 6 weeks of follow-up. The LCD solution is a patient-accepted and effective corticosteroid-sparing treatment alternative for psoriasis patients. Clinical Trial Registration Identifier: NCT00705900
Drosophila : An Invertebrate Model of NF1

NF1 is a highly variable and unpredictable disease. Symptom-specific genetic modifiers have been implicated as important determinants of disease development and progression. The identification of genes that affect NF1 outcome continues to be an important research goal, in part because improving the predictability of NF1 might allow stratification of patients for clinical trials as well as reducing patient anxiety. Additionally, knowing the identity of modifier genes might reveal mechanisms responsible for NF1 symptoms and identify novel therapeutic targets. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a genetic model for over a century, and the functions of many evolutionarily conserved genes were first defined in this species. The Drosophila genome includes a single highly conserved dNF1 gene, and loss-of-function mutants have several phenotypes, including an overall growth deficiency and learning/memory defects, both of which resemble human NF1 symptoms. In this chapter, we review what has been learned in 15 years of Drosophila NF1 research, how recent work has identified at least one promising new therapeutic target, and how other knowledge obtained in Drosophila might be relevant to those interested in human NF1.
Accelerating crack in a viscoelastic solid subject to subcritical stress intensity

Kinetics of a crack moving through a dissipative medium is discussed for the sub-critical range of the imposed stress intensity, K < K c . Both viscous and plastic deformations are accounted for by requiring that the Tresca yielding condition is satisfied in the high stress regions. Several criteria of failure (1) constant specific fracture energy (Cherepanov), (2) crack opening displacement (Wells, Leonov and Panasyuk), (3) final stretch condition (Wnuk), (4) critical strain attained at the microstructural distance ahead of the crack front (McClintock),
In Praise of Loving: Reflections on the 'Loving Analogy' for Same-Sex Marriage

The article reviews the extensive effort (and little judicial success) of advocates of same-sex marriage to invoke the "Loving analogy" to support their claims for same-sex marriage. The precedents are examined, noting that U.S. Supreme Court explicitly considered and rejected the "Loving" analogy just five years after it decided Loving v. Virginia. There is extensive literature from African-American leaders, scholars, and commentators who reject on eight different grounds the "Loving analogy" to same-sex marriage. African-American voters have similarly rejected the analogy as they have voted against same-sex marriage overwhelmingly in proportions exceeding that of other groups of Americans generally. Our article argues that the "Loving" analogy for same-sex marriage misapplies Loving and infringes upon the fundamental principles of Loving v. Virginia. Three appendices and five maps are included to illustrate our assertions. We conclude that the sooner the Loving analogy for same-sex marriage is buried, "the better it will be for the legacy of Loving."
Recent Advances in IR Laser Diodes with High Power, High WPE, Single Mode, CW Operation at RT

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are important practical sources for infrared spectroscopy. Recent research in mid-IR QCLs has resulted in record high wallplug efficiency, output power, single mode operation and wide tunability. The spectroscopic range of QCL has been extended to as short as 3 μm, opening up possibility of detection of a wide range of molecules. Wide tuning based on dual section sampled grating distributed feedback QCLs has resulted in individual tuning of 50 cm−1 and 24 dB side mode suppression ratio with continuous wave operation greater than 100 mW. Need for compact, room temperature sources, in spectral range constituting the THz gap, has led to QCL based THz sources by difference frequency generation with modal or Cherenkov phase matching schemes. Single mode emission from 1 to 4.6 THz with side mode suppression ratio up to 40 dB and THz power of 65 μW at 4 THz are demonstrated.
ENERGY CONSCIOUS DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING

ABSTRACT The product of this study demonstrates the feasibility of using innovative Energy Conscious Design in constructing low income dwellings within the budget limitations of public housing. The Energy Conscious Design is defined and the Climatic Characteristics of Montgomery County in Maryland are identified. These characteristics form the basis for the Energy Conscious Design Criteria. An Energy Conscious Design Checklist, intended for use in evaluating proposals for public housing is a key feature of the document. Prototypical Concepts sited in Montgomery County demonstrate application of the Energy Conscious Design Strategies and the economics of these designs are enumerated in comparison to conventional plans.
Cell Preservation Technology

The demand for optimal cell preservation techniques is at an all-time high. Advances in interconnected fields, which rely on effective preservation of biologics, have pushed the need for technologies that are tailored to their specific requirements. While biopreservation techniques have proved to be successful since their initial inception, they are increasingly reaching their limitations, as advances in these related fields outpace advances in preservation technology. Recent advances in cell preservation technology have been through alterations in preservation solution formulation and the addition of agents such as antioxidants and protease inhibitors in an effort to control molecular-based cell death associated with preservation failure. To this end, more in-depth studies concerning the molecular mechanisms behind preservation-induced cell death have begun in an effort to stem the negative repercussions of cold stress associated with the techniques. The targeted control of these molecular events is important for many of the complex and sensitive cell systems utilized by other fields, which yield poor results following the preservation process. This article thus serves to outline the current state of cell preservation technology through a review of past literature and an examination of current reports that continue to elucidate the mechanisms of preservation failure.
DeepSort: deep convolutional networks for sorting haploid maize seeds

Maize is a leading crop in the modern agricultural industry that accounts for more than 40% grain production worldwide. THe double haploid technique that uses fewer breeding generations for generating a maize line has accelerated the pace of development of superior commercial seed varieties and has been transforming the agricultural industry. In this technique the chromosomes of the haploid seeds are doubled and taken forward in the process while the diploids marked for elimination. Traditionally, selective visual expression of a molecular marker within the embryo region of a maize seed has been used to manually discriminate diploids from haploids. Large scale production of inbred maize lines within the agricultural industry would benefit from the development of computer vision methods for this discriminatory task. However the variability in the phenotypic expression of the molecular marker system and the heterogeneity arising out of the maize genotypes and image acquisition have been an enduring challenge towards such efforts. In this work, we propose a novel application of a deep convolutional network (DeepSort) for the sorting of haploid seeds in these realistic settings. Our proposed approach outperforms existing state-of-the-art machine learning classifiers that uses features based on color, texture and morphology. We demonstrate the network derives features that can discriminate the embryo regions using the activations of the neurons in the convolutional layers. Our experiments with different architectures show that the performance decreases with the decrease in the depth of the layers. Our proposed method DeepSort based on the convolutional network is robust to the variation in the phenotypic expression, shape of the corn seeds, and the embryo pose with respect to the camera. In the era of modern digital agriculture, deep learning and convolutional networks will continue to play an important role in advancing research and product development within the agricultural industry.
Venture Philanthropy: A Case Study of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Advances in biomedical research have created significant opportunities to bring to market a new generation of therapeutics. However, early-stage assets often face a dearth of funding, as they have a high risk of failure and significant development costs. Historically, this has been particularly true for assets intended to treat rare diseases, where market sizes are often too small to attract much attention and funding. Venture philanthropy (VP) — which, for the purpose of this paper, is defined as a model in which nonprofit, mission-driven organizations fund initiatives to advance their objectives and potentially achieve returns that can be reinvested toward their mission — offers an alternative to traditional funding sources like venture capital or the public markets. Here we highlight the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation, widely considered to be the leading VP organization in biotech, which facilitated the development of Kalydeco, the first disease-modifying therapy approved to treat cystic fibrosis. We evaluate the CF Foundation’s example, including its agreement structures and strategy, explore the challenges that other nonprofits may have in adopting this strategy, and draw lessons from the CF Foundation for other applications of VP financing.
Effects of Refolding on Large-Scale RNA Structure

Understanding RNA-mediated functions requires a detailed characterization of the underlying RNA structure. In many cases, structure probing experiments are performed on RNA that has been "refolded" in some way, which may cause the conformation to differ from that of the native RNA. We used SHAPE-MaP (selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension, read out by mutational profiling), to probe the structure of the Dengue virus (DENV) RNA genome after gentle extraction of the native RNA from intact virions (ex virion) and after heat denaturation and refolding. Comparison of mutiple SHAPE-informed structural features revealed that refolded RNA is more highly structured and samples fewer conformations than the ex virion RNA. Regions with similar structural features are generally those with low SHAPE reactivity and low Shannon entropy (lowSS regions), which correspond to elements with high levels of well-determined structure. This high-structure and low-entropy analysis framework, previously shown to make possible discovery of functional RNA structures, is thus now shown to allow de novo identification of structural elements in a refolded RNA that are likely to recapitulate RNA structures in the ex virion RNA state. Regions with less well-defined structures, which occurred more frequently in the more native-like ex virion RNA and may contain RNA switches, are challenging to recapitulate using refolded RNA.
Development of an Air Drying Index for Lumber

Lumber is often air dried in an air drying yard prior to being placed in a dry kiln for final moisture content removal. The rate of the air drying process is dependent on local weather conditions and wood moisture content. Introduced more than 30 years ago, the Drying Index is a method to estimate the relative drying time using the difference in vapor pressures between the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures. This paper extends its application and describes the development and use of an Air Drying Index to estimate the relative potential of a geographic location to air dry lumber based on the average monthly climate conditions for that location. The monthly Air Drying Index for 252 US locations is presented, and the annual mean for each location was used to develop an air drying map.
Contrasting demographic responses of toad populations to regionally synchronous pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics

Abstract Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen that causes amphibian chytridiomycosis, has been implicated in population declines globally. To better understand how Bd affects survival and how threats vary spatially and temporally, we conducted long-term (range: 9–13 yrs) capture-recapture studies of boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) from three similar communities in western Montana. We also estimated temporal and spatial variation in population-level Bd prevalence among populations and the potential role of co-occurring Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) in driving infection dynamics. Hierarchical models that accounted for detection uncertainty revealed Bd reduced apparent survival in one population that declined, was unassociated with survival in one stationary population, and was associated with increased survival in one population that is near extirpation. Despite different effects of Bd on hosts, pathogen prevalence was similar and synchronous across the populations separated by 111–176 km. Variation in Bd prevalence was driven partly by seasonal temperatures, but opposite the direction expected. Bd prevalence also decreased sharply over time across all populations, unrelated to trends in temperature, boreal toad survival, or infection dynamics of co-occurring Columbia spotted frogs. Toad Bd prevalence increased when frog abundance was high, consistent with an amplification effect. However, Bd prevalence of toads decreased as Bd prevalence of spotted frogs increased, consistent with a dilution effect. Our results reveal surprising variation in responses to Bd and show pathogen prevalence is not predictive of survival or population risk, and they illustrate the complexity in understanding disease dynamics across multiple populations.
The unusual symmetry of hexafluoro-o-xylene—A microwave spectroscopy and computational study

The rotational constants and quartic centrifugal distortion coefficients of hexafluoro-o-xylene were precisely derived from the 8 GHz to 18 GHz gas phase microwave spectrum. In addition, the rotational constants of all singly substituted 13C isotopologues were determined. Instead of the intuitively expected symmetry of C2v, as in o-xylene, calculations with a variety of methods (B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, ωB97XD, MP2, and coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples) predict a C2 symmetry structure in which the two CF3 groups rotate in opposite directions by about 16°. While the experimental results in this study are not capable of proving this unusual symmetry, they can support future microwave, gas phase electron diffraction or nuclear magnetic resonance studies. From the presented data, a preliminary r0 structure was determined, reproducing the experimental rotational constants with deviations of no more than 15 kHz. Analysis of the interactions between the two CF3 groups using an effective fragment potential approach identifies two major contributions to their interaction, due to exchange-repulsion and electrostatic repulsion, with electrostatic repulsion responsible for the barrier at the C2v geometry.
OUTCOMES OF OBESE PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) RECEIVING DIRECT ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS

Data are limited on the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in obese patients (BMI > 30 kg/m2) with atrial fibrillation (AF). We analyzed a cohort of obese patients from the Veterans Administration (VA) health system with AF who initiated apixaban (APIX), rivaroxaban (RIVA),
Feeding Low-Income Children during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Feeding Low-Income Children during the Pandemic U.S. government programs serve nearly 35 million children daily, delivering vital nutrition and financial assistance to families in need. With such p...
CHURCH CORPORATIONS AND THE CONFLICT OF LAWS IN ANTEBELLUM AMERICA

Scholars frequently describe American religious disestablishment using commercial analogies, reckoning that states “privatized” religion or subjected churches to “free-market competition” by making them more like commercial businesses, yet this article demonstrates in part how churches pioneered many of the corporate devices that came to define American enterprise after the Civil War. Such descriptions are thus anachronistic. Antebellum jurists were not concerned about the similarity of churches to businesses, but rather their similarity to states, and the republican fear that churches could be rival sovereign states at first structured the law of disestablishment and incorporation. In most states, churches gained rights of general incorporation but faced significant limitations on their corporate governance and property holdings. In Dartmouth College, the Marshall Court reimagined religious societies as private owners who, instead of governing as rival sovereignties, administered property in trust under their charters. But with the vague charters of general incorporation, state judges were left without a definite source of law to adjudicate church disputes. This article argues that courts thus allowed trust law to function as a conflict of laws analysis: Judges treated religious doctrine as a foreign legal system with rules that could be ascertained and accorded respect in American courts. Such a move created a positive, corporate right of religious liberty that becomes obscured if one conceives of religious freedom only as an individual right to be asserted against the state.
Biocompatibility and thermoplastic formability of Pt-based metallic glasses

Abstract Pt-based metallic glasses are considered for biomedical applications, but the presence of Ni poses the cytotoxicity concerns. Here, we compare the in vitro cell response and thermoplastic formability of Ni-free and Ni-containing Pt-based metallic glasses. Three glass forming compositions, Pt57.5Cu14.7Ni5.3P22.5, Pt58.7Cu20.3Ag1P20, and Pt57Cu23P20 were investigated. The Ni-free Pt-Cu-Ag-P metallic glass combines the best combination of biocompatibility and thermoplastic forming.
Tree resistance and recovery from drought mediated by multiple abiotic and biotic processes across a large geographic gradient.

Abstract Worldwide, increasing severity of droughts threatens to change forest ecosystem functioning and community structure. Understanding how forest resilience is determined by its two underlying components, resistance and recovery, will help elucidate the mechanisms of drought responses and help inform management strategies. However, drought responses are shaped by complex processes across different scales, including species-specific drought strategies, tree size, competition, local environmental conditions, and the intensity of the drought event. Here, we quantified the reduction in tree growth during drought (an inverse measure of drought resistance) and post-drought recovery for three montane conifers (Abies concolor, Pinus jeffreyi, and Pinus lambertiana) in California. We used tree ring analysis to quantify responses to drought events of varying intensity between 1895 and 2018 across a geographic climatic gradient, to examine the roles of tree size (DBH) and competition (tree density) in mediating drought responses. We found that years of more intense drought corresponded with larger growth reductions and recovery rates were lower following drought years where trees suffered larger reductions. We found little variation among species in their growth reductions during drought events, but significant differences among species in their recovery post-drought. Across the geographic gradient, trees in the driest locations were susceptible to large growth reductions, signaling either strong sensitivity to drought intensity or exposure to the most extreme drought conditions. These growth reductions were not always compensated for by higher recovery rates. We also found that larger trees were more susceptible to drought due to a steeper negative relationship between recovery rates and the intensity of growth reduction during the drought. Contrary to expectations, recovery rates following the most detrimental drought years were higher in denser forests. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering how factors at various spatial and temporal scales affect the different components of drought responses.
Mathematical Rigor in Applied Mathematics Based on the Nonstandard Analysis

This article contains an extended exposition of my talk “Yu. I. Neimark and mathematical rigor” at the special session of the conference MMCT-2020. It discusses the role of mathematical rigor in applied mathematics. The discussion focuses on the question of relationship between continuous processes and their computer modeling. The question of mathematically rigorous formalization of physical theories, which goes back to Hilbert’s 6th problem and the widespread the point of view that continuous mathematics is an approximation of the discrete one, and not vice versa are also discussed. A new axiomatic of set theory is introduced that includes vague definitions and concepts at the same level of rigor as in modern classical mathematics, which operates only with well-defined objects. This allows to consider some non-rigorous arguments of applied mathematics as rigorous ones and, thus, to be sure that they are consistent.
Embedded Palliative Care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Program and Lessons Learned

Abstract Background: Palliative care (PC) is recommended for people with amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but there is scant literature about how to best provide this care. We describe the structure and impact of a pilot program that integrates longitudinal, interdisciplinary PC into the care of patients with ALS. Methods: Observational cohort study of patients with ALS referred to outpatient PC and seen for at least three PC visits October 2017-July 2020. Results: Fifty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Three-quarters (74.5%) were Caucasian and 78.2% spoke English. Patients were referred for advance care planning (58.2%), support for patient/family (52.7%), and symptoms other than pain (50.9%). Patients had a mean of five scheduled PC visits, the majority occurred by video. A PC physician, nurse, social worker, and chaplain addressed pain (for 43.6% of patients), non-pain symptoms (94.5%), psychosocial distress (78.2%), spiritual concerns (29.1%), care planning (96.4%), and supported family caregivers (96.4%). With PC, the rate of completion of advance directives increased from 16.4% to 36.4% (p=0.001) and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms from 10.9% to 63.6% (p Conclusions: Integrating longitudinal, interdisciplinary PC into the care of patients with ALS is feasible, addresses needs in multiple domains, and is associated with increased rates of advance care planning. Controlled studies are needed to further elucidate the impact of PC on ALS patients, families, and clinicians.
Design of a Broadband High-Gain End-Fed Coaxial Collinear Antenna

Omnidirectional antennas are widely used for mobile communications in the base transceiver station. This letter introduces a high-gain coaxial collinear (CoCo) antenna with a stable radiation pattern. To design a wideband end-fed CoCo antenna, we modify the classic center-fed CoCo antenna structure with an appending wire-mesh structure. The proposed CoCo antenna’s $-$ 10 dB impedance bandwidth and gain bandwidth (1 dB variation of maximum gain versus frequency) at a center frequency of 900 MHz is three times higher than the classical center-fed CoCo’s equivalent bandwidth, thus retaining 9 dB gain. The unique feeding configuration is designed to create the broadband end-fed antenna and minimize the feeding cable effect on the omnidirectional radiation pattern. We prototype an antenna to evaluate the design performance and confirm the simulation results. The measured results show 8.5 dBi directivity and 125.5 MHz bandwidth at 900 MHz center frequency.
U.S. Adults' Attitudes toward Gay Individuals' Civil Liberties, Moral Judgments of Homosexuality, Support for Same-sex Marriage, and Pornography Consumption, Revisited.

Approximately a decade ago, Wright and colleagues published three studies probing the nature of the relationship between heterosexual U.S. adults’ attitudes toward homosexuality and pornography con...
Husserl and Heidegger on human experience

Introduction 1. Experience and intentionality 2. Husserl's methodologically solipsistic perspective 3. Husserl's theory of time-consciousness 4. Between Husserl, Kierkegaard and Aristotle 5. Heidegger's critique of Husserl's methodological solipsism 6. Heidegger on the nature of significance 7. Temporality as the source of intelligibility 8. Heidegger's theory of time 9. Spatiality and human identity 10. 'Dasein' and the forensic notion of a person Select bibliography Index.
Setting sail for glucose homeostasis with the AKAP150-PP2B-anchor

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, controlled by multiple protein phosphorylation events, is critical for the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Protein kinase A (PKA) is known to play a role in b cell physiology, but the role of its anchoring protein is not fully understood. Hinke et al (2012) illustrate the significance of A-kinase anchoring protein 150 in tethering protein phosphatase 2B to mediate nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion and thus modulate glucose homeostasis. Insulin secretion is a key component in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The initiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is coordinated by numerous protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events in the b cell (Jones and Persaud, 1998). PKA and protein phosphatase 2B
Spectroscopic studies of protein folding: Linear and nonlinear methods

Although protein folding is a simple outcome of the underlying thermodynamics, arriving at a quantitative and predictive understanding of how proteins fold nevertheless poses huge challenges. Therefore, both advanced experimental and computational methods are continuously being developed and refined to probe and reveal the atomistic details of protein folding dynamics and mechanisms. Herein, we provide a concise review of recent developments in spectroscopic studies of protein folding, with a focus on new triggering and probing methods. In particular, we describe several laser-based techniques for triggering protein folding/unfolding on the picosecond and/or nanosecond timescales and various linear and nonlinear spectroscopic techniques for interrogating protein conformations, conformational transitions, and dynamics.
Thoughts on Hiring New Law Professors

The paper describes and critiques the Association of American Law Schools hiring process, the means by which a significant portion of law school professors are hired. It argues that the process focuses on certain narrow criteria and works against intellectual diversity in law school faculty.
Staphylococcal Enterotoxins A and B: Solid-Phase Radioimmunoassay in Food

An immunoassay employing 125I labeled enterotoxins A and B and polystyrene tubes coated with specific antibodies was used for detection and quantitation of enterotoxin in food. Ham salad, cheddar cheese, custard, condensed milk, and salami were studied. Enterotoxin was successfully determined in all the foods by simple extraction procedures. The assay was sensitive to 1 to 10 ng of toxin per g of food; nonspecific inhibitions were 15% or less.
The Digital Divide : Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth?

From the Publisher: "The digital divide refers to the perceived gap between those who have access to the latest information technologies and those who do not. If we are indeed in an Information Age, then not having access to this information is an economic and social handicap. Some people consider the digital divide to be a national crisis, while others consider it an over-hyped nonissue. This book presents data supporting the existence of such a divide in the 1990s along racial, economic, ethnic, and educational lines. But it also presents evidence that by 2000 the gaps were rapidly closing without substantive public policy initiatives and spending. Together, the contributions serve as a sourcebook on this controversial issue."--BOOK JACKET.
Reactions Involved in the Conversion of Ornithine to Proline in Clostridia

An enzyme system which converts ornithine to proline was partially purified from extracts of cells of Clostridium botulinum and of Clostridium PA 3670 by fractionation with ammonium sulfate and by dialysis in the presence of 0.01 m ornithine. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) was the only cofactor required for maximal activity of the partially purified system. A possible intermediate in the conversion was accumulated when a high concentration of proline was used as substrate and the NAD was maintained in the oxidized state by adding lactic dehydrogenase. Small but significant amounts of this or a similar compound were trapped with either ornithine or proline as substrate when o-aminobenzaldehyde was added to reaction mixtures. The accumulation of the o-aminobenzaldehyde reaction product was NAD-dependent with both substrates. The compound accumulated from proline was identified as Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid on the basis of the melting point of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone, and by paper chromatography of the reaction product formed with o-aminobenzaldehyde. Also, extracts of C. botulinum cells oxidized reduced NAD (NADH) in the presence of the product from proline or in the presence of Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid, but did not do so in the presence of the other possible intermediate, Delta(1)-pyrroline-2-carboxylic acid. (14)C-Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid was reduced to (14)C-proline by these extracts in the presence of NADH. These data indicate that the conversion of ornithine to proline by C. botulinum and Clostridium PA 3679 cells involves an oxidation of ornithine to glutamic-gamma-semialdehyde which undergoes ring closure to Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid. The latter compound is then reduced to proline.
Segment-Specific c-ErbB2 Expression in Human Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abstract . c-ErbB2 (also referred to as Neu or HER2), a transmembrane glycoprotein with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, is structurally related to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and forms active heterodimers with EGFR as well as other members of the EGFR family. c-ErbB2 is reported to mediate differentiation and proliferation in epithelial cells and is expressed in a tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific manner. Given the role of EGFR in cystic renal epithelial hyperplasia and the immature phenotype of cystic renal epithelial cells, the segment-specific expression pattern of c-ErbB2 in human autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) was examined in nine ARPKD kidney specimens ranging from gestational age 17 wk through postnatal age 4 wk. c-ErbB2 staining of human ARPKD samples showed increased expression with increasing gestational age compared with normal human fetal and postnatal kidneys. This increased c-ErbB2 expression was primarily localized to the apical surfaces of cystic collecting tubule cells, similar to the pattern of EGFR expression, and paralleled collecting tubular cyst formation and growth.
JACS-Pak/sup TM/ flip-chip chip scale package development and characterization

As the drive towards smaller portable communication products continues, conventional, peripheral leaded surface mount packaging technologies are beginning to reach their practical limits. Ongoing technology development and deployment activities in the area of direct chip attach and fine pitch ball grid array packaging have been underway within Motorola for the last decade. More recently, these two core competencies have been effectively leveraged leading to the development of a robust flip chip based Chip Scale Packaging technology dubbed JACS-Pak/sup TM/ CSP. The mix of technological capabilities that enabled this rapid development and qualification are discussed in this paper. To achieve the rapid deployment goal this program has used simulations extensively from the very onset of the program. A detailed cost modeling simulation identified the three major cost contributors to the overall package costs as wafer bumping costs, interposer substrate cost and manufacturing throughput. This focused the development effort on a low cost solution. Nonlinear finite element modeling and simulation was used at every stage of package development for design evaluation, design directions and design space determination. Finite element predictions at component level and board level were validated using micro moire laser interferometry for in-plane deformation measurement and Twyman-Green interferometry for out of plane deformation measurements. A detailed reliability testing program enabled confidence in the package performance and provided validation of the finite element based life time prediction capability.
Neuromuscular blocking effects of certain antibacterial agents in pigs and lambs

The neuromuscular blocking effects of several antibacterial agents were examined in young pigs and lambs using a sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius muscle preparation. Intravenous administration of streptomycin, neomycin or tetracycline produced a decrease in indirectly stimulated contractions of the gastrocnemius muscle; whereas, chloramphenicol, sulphadiazine and penicillin-G had no discernible neuromuscular blocking effects. Present findings confirm the neuromuscular blocking activity of certain antibiotic agents, and indicate the potential for this adverse side effect in food-producing animal species.
Spacing and the retention of synonyms

Two experiments investigated the retention of word pairs as a joint function of synonymity and of Word 1/Word 2 spacings. Word 1 and Word 2 were adjectives or adverbs, presented in identical sentence contexts, for either intentional (Experiment 1) or incidental (Experiment 2) learning. In both experiments, it was found that as the spacing between the first and second members of the high-similarity pairs increased, recognition of the word pairs decreased (i.e., a reverse spacing effect). For low-similarity pairs, only incidental learning instructions led to a reverse spacing effect. A positive, rather than reverse, spacing effect had been predicted for high-similarity word pairs. Implications of the unexpected finding are discussed.
Electrical properties of carbon black-polyimide thick films

Abstract The electrical resistivities of composite films of lamp blacks in polyimide were measured as a function of proportion by volume of carbon in the mixture. The resistivities of the carbon blacks were calculated using Scarisbrisk's model of the resistivity of mixtures.
A Prediction Technique for Immiscible Processes Using Field Performance Data (includes associated papers 13392, 13793, 15146 and 19506 )

A prediction method based on the use of performance history of a waterflood proposed in 1978 by Ershaghi and Omoregie is scrutinized here. Using a reservoir simulation approach, performance data for some hypothetical waterfloods are generated to test the application of the proposed technique to various flood patterns, reservoir properties, and field operating conditions. Recently published results on the behavior of relative permeability curves for immiscible processes are used to substantiate the assumptions inherent in the proposed technique. The limitations of the technique are discussed and applications to some actual case studies are presented.
Marangoni effects on evaporative lithographic patterning of colloidal films

We investigate the effects of Marangoni stresses on the evaporative lithographic patterning of colloidal films (Harris, D. J.; Hu, H.; Conrad, J. C.; Lewis, J. A. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2007, 98 (14), 148301). Films are dried beneath a mask that induces periodically varying regions of free and hindered evaporation. Direct imaging reveals that silica microspheres suspended within an organic solvent exhibit recirculating flows induced by temperature and surface tension gradients that arise during drying. The films display remarkable pattern formation with a majority of the particles deposited in the masked regions. Above a critical colloid volume fraction, recirculating flows are suppressed, leading to particle deposition in unmasked regions of high evaporative flux.
Ability and responsibility for omissions

L'A. montre que l'agent responsable d'une action peut egalement etre tenu pour responsable d'un oubli (meme s'il n'a pas eu la possibilite d'agir) en distinguant la responsabilite doublement indirecte de la responsabilite simplement indirecte, et conjointe
Effect of pump signal on self lensing in semiconductor doped glass

When two beams that are different colors are propagating in a nonlinear medium the refractive index for one beam can be changed by the intensity of the other beam. This effect falls under the general category known as cross phase modulation, which is a mutual coupling between the two beams. This coupling does not necessarily involve power transfer but can cause a redistribution of energy between the two beams. The effect of this induced change in the index of refraction has been called induced focusing, thermal lensing and induced waveguiding. But it all amounts to the same thing, the index of refraction is changed by a pumping beam causing a probe beam propagates differently. Table 1 is a short list of some of the work previously done with this effect. The remainder of this paper consists of a series of experiments demonstrating the effects of pumping beams upon probe beams in semiconductor and semiconductor doped glasses.