cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Mechanosensory Circuit that Mixes Opponent Channels to Produce Selectivity for Complex Stimulus Features

Johnston's organ is the largest mechanosensory organ in Drosophila; it analyzes movements of the antenna due to sound, wind, gravity, and touch. Different Johnston's organ neurons (JONs) encode distinct stimulus features. Certain JONs respond in a sustained manner to steady displacements, and these JONs subdivide into opponent populations that prefer push or pull displacements. Here, we describe neurons in the brain (aPN3 neurons) that combine excitation and inhibition from push/pull JONs in different ratios. Consequently, different aPN3 neurons are sensitive to movement in different parts of the antenna's range, at different frequencies, or at different amplitude modulation rates. We use a model to show how the tuning of aPN3 neurons can arise from rectification and temporal filtering in JONs, followed by mixing of JON signals in different proportions. These results illustrate how several canonical neural circuit components-rectification, opponency, and filtering-can combine to produce selectivity for complex stimulus features.
Diminished Vasculogenic Function of Bone Marrow-Derived CD133+ Endothelial Precursor Cells (EPC) Obtained from Advanced Aged Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Recent studies identify potential diminished number and function of CD133+ EPC with advancing age.. We performed in vitro and in vivo studies directly comparing bone marrow (BM)-derived CD133+ cells from patients with chronic coronary artery disease to those derived from both young adult, volunteer healthy controls and umbilical cord blood (UCB). Selected CD133+ cells from patient- and control-derived blood cells (mononuclear cells (MNC)) from peripheral blood (PB) and BM and from UCB cells were phenotyped and tested for their endothelial progenitor lineage potential by assessing early outgrowth endothelial cell colony formation (CFU-EC), tested functionally by an in vitro transmigration assay, and for their ability to effect neovascularization in a NOD. SCID hindlimb ischemia model. BM-derived EPCs obtained from advanced age cardiovascular patients produced significantly less colonies compared to those obtained from young adult healthy controls and CB: CB, 36/10 5 MNC plated, young adult PB, 80; young adult BM, 25; vs. patient PB, 6.9, and BM, 0.86/10 5 MNC. Surface expression of CXCR4 and VEGF-R2 was measured by FACS on normal young adult BM CD133+ cells (23.9 ± 6% and 49.8 ± 11.7%, respectively) and that expressed by patient-derived BM CD133+ cells was noted to be significantly lower (7.9 ± 1.6% and 3.6 ± 1.8%, respectively). UCB was 24.7 ± 3.1% and 11.3 ± 2.6%, respectively, for CXCR4 and VEGF-R2 expression. Transmigration of normal young adult versus advanced age patient-derived BM CD133+ cells was assessed and noted to be higher in response to 200 ng/ml SDF-1 (65% vs. 9.3%, respectively; p
Does scope of practice correlate with the outcomes of craniotomy for tumor resection in children

The relationship of scope of practice (predominantly adult, versus predominantly pediatric) with the outcomes of brain tumor surgery in children remains uncertain. We investigated the association of practice focus with the outcomes of neurosurgical oncology operations in pediatric patients. We performed a cohort study of all pediatric patients (younger than 18 years old) who underwent craniotomies for tumor resections from 2009 to 2013 and were registered in the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database. In order to control for confounding, we used propensity score conditioning with mixed effects analysis to account for clustering at the hospital level. During the study period, there were 770 pediatric patients who underwent craniotomy for tumor resection and met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 370 (48.1%) underwent treatment by providers with predominantly adult practices and 400 (51.9%) by physicians who operated predominantly on children. Mixed-effects multivariable regression analysis demonstrated lack of association of predominantly adult practice with inpatient mortality (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.48–2.58), and discharge to a facility (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.77–2.03). These associations persisted in propensity-adjusted models. In a cohort of pediatric patients undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection from a comprehensive all-payer database, we did not demonstrate a difference in mortality, and discharge to a facility between providers with predominantly adult and predominantly pediatric practices.
One Way Anova

Chapters 5– 9 consider experimental design models. These models are linear models, and many of the techniques used for multiple linear regression can be used for experimental design models. In particular, least squares, response plots, and residual plots will be important. These models have been used to greatly increase agricultural yield, greatly improve medicine, and greatly improve the quality of manufactured goods. The models are also good for screening out good ideas from bad ideas (e.g., for a medical treatment for heart disease or for improving the gas mileage of a car).
Manganese-induced magnetic symmetry breaking and its correlation with the metal-insulator transition in bilayered S r 3 ( R u 1 − x M n x ) 2 O 7

Bilayered $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}\mathrm{R}{\mathrm{u}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is an unusual metamagnetic metal with inherently antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) fluctuations. Partial substitution of Ru by Mn results in the establishment of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at ${T}_{\mathrm{MIT}}$ and AFM ordering at ${T}_{\mathrm{M}}$ in $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}{(\mathrm{R}{\mathrm{u}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{n}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$. Using elastic neutron scattering, we investigated the effect of Mn doping on the magnetic structure, in-plane magnetic correlation lengths and their correlation to the MIT in $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}{(\mathrm{R}{\mathrm{u}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{n}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ ($x=0.06$ and 0.12). With the increase of Mn doping ($x$) from 0.06 to 0.12 or the decrease of temperatures for $x=0.12$, an evolution from an in-plane short-range to long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state occurs. For both compounds, the magnetic ordering has a double-stripe configuration, and the onset of magnetic correlation with an anisotropic behavior coincides with the sharp rise in electrical resistivity and specific heat. Since it does not induce a measurable lattice distortion, the double-stripe antiferromagnetic order with anisotropic spin texture breaks symmetry from a ${C}_{4v}$ crystal lattice to a ${C}_{2v}$ magnetic sublattice. These observations shed light on an age-old question regarding the Slater versus Mott-type MIT.
Acute hepatitis associated with mouse leukemia. IV. The relationship of Eperythrozoon coccoides to the hepatitis virus of Princeton mice

The hepatitis of Princeton weanlings was not prevented by the prior injection of terramycin nor was the virus inactivated by exposure to room temperature. Eperythrozoon coccoides was not demonstrable in blood films from Swiss and Princeton mice infected with the corresponding type of hepatitis virus. Combined infection with this virus and eperythrozoa, originally obtained by Dr. R. B. McGhee from mice in association with Plasmodium berghei, was attended by the appearance of numerous organisms in the blood. The development of eperythrozoa in dually infected Princeton mice had no effect on the outcome of the hepatitis. In Swiss mice, animals with high natural resistance to hepatitis virus, the pathogenicity of this agent was markedly enhanced by combined infection with eperythrozoa. Eperythrozoa were maintained throughout 18 successive passages in normal Princeton and Swiss weanlings with intact spleens. The combined infection of Princeton mice with eperythrozoa and the virus component of Gledhill, Dick, and Andrewes, which is nearly inactive when injected alone, resulted in acute hepatitis with fatal outcome.
The epic chronicle of designing Cassini's Titan flyby altitudes

The selection and optimization of Titan flyby altitudes for NASA's Cassini mission at Saturn has traveled a long, fascinating, and often torturous sixteen-year path — starting in 2001, when pre-arrival trajectory design decisions had to be made, through April of 2017 when Cassini's last, and arguably most critical, low flyby takes place. The chronicle of designing and updating the Titan flyby altitudes have twists and turns enough to satisfy a full-length novel or feature film, including: critical design decision-making before arrival with multiple atmospheric models, high uncertainties, and limited data; early flybys that seemed to show trends that weren't there; use and misuse of statistical analysis; unexpected surprises with limited reaction time; navigation of a scientific, engineering, and management community with a wide array of inherent biases; and consideration of a variety of project risk postures in a high-scrutiny, high-impact, high-reward environment.
Fecundity of Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum adults after exposure to deltamethrin packaging

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, are capable of exploiting any rip, tear, or defect in packaged food and infest the contents. Incorporating packaging materials with insecticides is a novel technological approach that is gaining interest as a preventative measure to deter packaging infestations. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of deltamethrin-incorporated packaging on T. castaneum and T. confusum adult fecundity. Treatment arenas consisted of deltamethrin-incorporated packaging secured to ~ 62 cm2 plastic Petri dishes. Ten male or female adults of either species were exposed on treated or untreated packaging for time intervals ranging from 0.67 to 168 h. Males and females were then cross-mated: One exposed male paired with one exposed female; exposed male with unexposed female; unexposed male with exposed female; and unexposed male with unexposed female. Pairs were held in a 7-dram vial for 7 days, removed, and vials held for emergence of F 1 adults. There were no progeny when mating pairs of T. castaneum male were exposed for ≥ 48 h, while 168 h of exposure was necessary to prevent progeny production of T. confusum mated pairs. T. castaneum was more susceptible compared to T. confusum. This study showed adult beetles are capable of recovering from knockdown and produce progeny, but long-term exposure to treated material inhibited the F 1 generation. Integrating deltamethrin-incorporated packaging material into an existing integrated pest management program could provide additional protection of packaged food products.
Adrenocorticotropin Acutely Regulates Pregnenolone Sulfate Production by the Human Adrenal In Vivo and In Vitro.

Background Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is the most abundant steroid in human circulation, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is considered the major regulator of its synthesis. Pregnenolone sulfate (PregS) and 5-androstenediol-3-sulfate (AdiolS) have recently emerged as biomarkers of adrenal disorders. Objective To define the relative human adrenal production of Δ5-steroid sulfates under basal and cosyntropin-stimulated conditions. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify three unconjugated and four sulfated Δ5-steroids in (1) paired adrenal vein (AV) and mixed venous serum samples (21 patients) and (2) cultured human adrenal cells both before and after cosyntropin stimulation, (3) microdissected zona fasciculata (ZF) and zona reticularis (ZR) from five human adrenal glands, and (4) a reconstituted in vitro human 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase/(P450 17A1) system. Results Of the steroid sulfates, PregS had the greatest increase after cosyntropin stimulation in the AV (32-fold), whereas DHEAS responded modestly (1.8-fold). PregS attained concentrations comparable to those of DHEAS in the AV after cosyntropin stimulation (AV DHEAS/PregS, 24 and 1.3 before and after cosyntropin, respectively). In cultured adrenal cells, PregS demonstrated the sharpest response to cosyntropin, whereas DHEAS responded only modestly (21-fold vs 1.8-fold higher compared with unstimulated cells at 3 hours, respectively). Steroid analyses in isolated ZF and ZR showed similar amounts of PregS and 17α-hydroxypregnenolone in both zones, whereas DHEAS and AdiolS were higher in ZR (P Conclusion Our studies demonstrated that unlike DHEAS, PregS displayed a prominent acute response to cosyntropin. PregS could be used to interrogate the acute adrenal response to ACTH stimulation and as a biomarker in various adrenal disorders.
Do unto Others before They Do unto You

A little while ago, many readers might have questioned why a chronicle of Steve Bannon’s part in Trump’s storming of the presidency merited extensive review, particularly in the wake of his banishm...
Hollow Viscus Injury in Geriatric Trauma: Damage Control, Surgical Management, and Critical Care

Hollow viscus injuries (HVI) are the source of significant morbidity and mortality in trauma patients, especially in patients with poor physiologic reserve which is common in the extremes of age. Though HVI is more common in penetrating trauma, over 50% of hollow viscus injuries from blunt trauma are caused by motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). Because of seatbelt syndrome and improper belt placement, small bowel injuries are threefold more likely to occur than large bowel injuries in MVCs. Blunt traumatic injuries of the stomach and rectal injuries are even less common. Because of synergy between increased metabolic demands, age-related decline in end-organ function, comorbidities, and associated sequelae in frail patients, HVI leads to lower chances for survival compared to younger patients. Abdominal ultrasound and diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) are important adjuncts in the initial diagnosis and management of posttraumatic hemorrhage and HVI in hemodynamically unstable patients. Computed tomography (CT) scans are useful in the detection of HVI in stable trauma patients. Serial assessments of organ perfusion must be performed because occult hypoperfusion is common in advanced aged patients, especially those with frailty syndrome. Delay in operative management of HVI in the geriatric patient leads to more morbidity and mortality compared to younger patients. Massive transfusion protocols, damage control resuscitation, and staged surgical procedures are mission critical not only for survival of the hypothermic, acidotic, and coagulopathic patient, but also for successful management of HVI. Complex duodenal and rectal injuries are the most difficult to surgically repair and have higher rates of complications than other HVI. As is done in pediatric patients, to decrease preventable MVC-related HVI in the elderly, campaigns focused on the education of adult and older patients need to be created and implemented in the correct use and placement of lap and harness belts.
Dynamic pointer tracking and its applications

Due to the significant limitations of static analysis and the dynamic nature of pointers in weakly typed programming languages like C and C++, the points-to sets obtained at compile time are quite conservative. Most static pointer analysis methods trade the precision for the analysis speed. The methods that perform the analysis in a reasonable amount of time are often context and/or flow insensitive. Other methods that are context, flow, and field sensitive have to perform the whole program inter-procedural analysis, and do not scale with respect to the program size. A large class of problems involving optimizations such as instruction prefetching, control and data speculation, redundant load/store instructions removal, instruction scheduling, and memory disambiguation suffer due to the imprecise and conservative points-to sets computed statically. One could possibly live without optimizations, but in domains involving memory security and safety, lack of the precise points-to sets can jeopardize the security and safety. In particular, the lack of dynamic points-to sets drastically reduce the ability to reason about a program’s memory access behavior, and thus illegal memory accesses can go unchecked leading to bugs as well as security holes. On the other hand, the points-to sets can be very useful for other domains such as the heap shape analysis and garbage collection. The knowledge of precise points-to sets is therefore becoming very important, but has received little attention so far beyond a few studies, which have shown that the pointers exhibit very interesting behaviors during execution. How to track such behaviors dynamically and benefit from them is the topic covered by this research. In this work, we propose a technique to compute the precise points-to sets through dynamic pointer tracking. First, the compiler performs the pointer analysis to obtain the static points-to sets. Then, the compiler analyzes the program, and inserts the necessary instructions to refine the points-to sets. At runtime, the inserted instructions automatically update the points-to sets. Dynamic pointer tracking in software can be expensive and can be a barrier to the practicality of such methods. Several optimizations including removal of redundant update, post-loop update, special pattern driven update removal, pointer initialization update removal, update propagation, invariant removal, and on demand update optimization are proposed. Our experimental results demonstrate that our mechanism is able to compute the points-to sets dynamically with tolerable overheads. Finally, the memory protection and garbage collection work are presented as the consumers of dynamic pointer tracking to illustrate its importance. In particular, it is shown how different memory properties can be easily tracked using the dynamic points-to sets opening newer possibilities.
Full vectorial, intense ultrashort pulse propagators: Derivation and applications

Rapid progress in recent years in the development of high power ultra-short pulse laser systems has opened up a whole new vista of applications and computational challenges. New experimental developments in the field of extreme nonlinear optics will require more rigorous electromagnetic propagation models beyond those existing in the current literature. In this chapter, we derive a 3D time domain unidirectional vector Maxwell propagator that resolves the underlying optical carrier wave while allowing propagation over macroscopic many-meter distances. Our model allows for extreme focusing conditions down to the order of the wavelength in the material. A novel aspect of our approach is that the pulse propagator is designed to faithfully capture the light-material interaction over the broad spectral landscape of relevance to the interaction. Moreover the model provides a seamless and physically self-consistent means of deriving the many ultra-short pulse propagation equations presented in the literature. Amongst current applications that are most challenging from a computational point of view are those involving critical self-focusing with concomitant explosive growth in the generated light spectrum. Specific application areas chosen for illustration include multiple filament formation during propagation of ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulses in air and nonlinear self-trapping in condensed media. These examples exhibit rather different aspects of intense femtosecond pulse propagation and demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of our recently formulated unidirectional Maxwell propagator. A clear message to emerge from our study is the inadequacy of spectrally local light-material interaction models when nonlinear coupling exists over many hundreds of nanometer frequency bandwidths. More sophisticated, computationally feasible, models of nonlinear dispersion are needed.
Cognition and negative affectivity

Cognitive approaches to the conceptualization, empirical investigation, assessment, and treatment of behavioral dysfunction are both widespread and abundant (Ingram, Kendall, & Chen, 1991). Once considered a radical departure from empirical psychological science, the necessity of the “cognitive revolution” in clinical psychology currently only merits discussion from a historical standpoint (Ingram & Kendall, 1986). Now firmly acknowledged as a legitimate aspect of psychological science, cognitive perspectives assume that the fashion in which information is processed plays a significant role in the mediation of behavioral experience and contributes considerable variance to individual functioning.
Influences on, and Characteristics of, The ABC Development Teams

Katzenberg and Smith (1993) define a team as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” Teams are considered effective organizing units because of the flexibility they offer. Unlike large organizations, teams can be assembled quickly and can focus on performing specific tasks. Once tasks are completed, team members can return to their regular job responsibilities or be redeployed to another team. Teams can range from supervised workgroups that perform routine, repetitive tasks, to those that are self-managed and involved with high level decision responsibility. According to a survey done by Lawler, Mohrman and Ledford (1995) teams have proliferated to such an extent that 68% of the Fortune 1000 firms use self-managed teams as a work unit.
Control of electron transfer in nitrogenase

The bacterial enzyme nitrogenase achieves the reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) utilizing electrons, protons, and energy from the hydrolysis of ATP. Building on earlier foundational knowledge, recent studies provide molecular-level details on how the energy of ATP hydrolysis is utilized, the sequencing of multiple electron transfer events, and the nature of energy transduction across this large protein complex. Here, we review the state of knowledge about energy transduction in nitrogenase.
Role of Antimicrobial Stewardship

Frequent and often inappropriate prescribing and usage of antimicrobials in pediatrics has resulted in a significant increase in multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in the pediatric population. With dwindling antimicrobials in the pipeline and a rise in resistance, it is imperative to optimize the use of available antimicrobials. Antimicrobial stewardship is a coordinated effort to optimize antimicrobial choice, dose, route, and duration of therapy. The components of a successful antimicrobial stewardship program include leadership commitment, accountability, drug expertise, action, tracking/reporting, and education. Prospective audit with feedback and preauthorization are two strategies that have been shown to be effective to improve antimicrobial use. Additionally, development of clinical best practice guidelines, coupled with pharmacy-led antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, augments appropriate antimicrobial choices. Trending antimicrobial stewardship outcomes such as days of therapy, defined daily doses, and other outcome measures should be assessed on a regular basis to determine appropriate antimicrobial usage. Antimicrobial stewardship programs should aim to provide routine education via didactic lectures, flyers, or newsletters to targeted audiences on a regular basis to support appropriate prescribing.
Defense, Economics of

Economics can be defined as the science of allocating scarce resources, while political economy can be defined as the relationship between economics and institutions. War has been an applied branch of political economy since warfare ceased to be a form of disorganized conflict between tribes, and became an instrument of policy. At the level of microeconomics, military strategy is the art of allocating scarce resources in an optimal fashion. This article first discusses the role of the state in providing the resources to wage war. Second, it presents the Richardson arms race model that has been used to study the stability of arms races and whether they lead to war. Third, it considers the influence of nuclear proliferation on the probability of nuclear war. Fourth, it treats the economics of guerrilla warfare. Finally, it reflects on the changing nature of war in the twenty-first century.
Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathies: Adding More to the Classification

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSANs) are a clinically heterogeneous group of inherited neuropathies featuring prominent sensory and autonomic involvement. Classification of HSAN is based on mode of inheritance, genetic mutation, and phenotype. In this review, we discuss the recent additions to this classification and the important updates on management with a special focus on the recently investigated disease-modifying agents. In this past decade, three more HSAN types were added to the classification creating even more diversity in the genotype–phenotype. Clinical trials are underway for disease-modifying and symptomatic therapeutics, targeting mainly HSAN type III. Obtaining genetic testing leads to accurate diagnosis and guides focused management in the setting of such a diverse and continuously growing phenotype. It also increases the wealth of knowledge on HSAN pathophysiologies which paves the way toward development of targeted genetic treatments in the era of precision medicine.
Large-scale planting of North Carolina loblolly pine in Arkansas and Oklahoma: a case of gain versus risk.

Plantations established using 6 provenances and aged 5, 8, 9, or 25 years were measured in 1981. Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) were calculated for each test area using 1980 data. The fastest growing provenances were from E. of the Mississippi River, in particular those from coastal North Carolina and near the Gulf coast of Louisiana. There were only small differences in cold and drought resistance. No appreciable mortality was observed for stands with SMD of less than 32 cm. At higher SMDs, mortality and damage to needle tissues were greater, and always higher for North Carolina than for Arkansas or Oklahoma provenances. This indicates that coastal North Carolina pine, which evolved on poorly drained and deep soils, may experience greater mortality than the local sources under extreme drought, especially on the excessively drained and shallow soils in the Ouachita Mountains.
College Success Among Students From Disadvantaged Backgrounds: “Poor” and “Rural” Do Not Spell Failure:

The popular view of students reared in poverty is that they fall short across a wide range of domains relative to their more advantaged peers. In this ongoing longitudinal study, we follow a cohort...
Transcervical repair of Cricopharyngeal (Zenker's) Diverticulum

The history and evolution in management of cricopharyngeal diverticula have been well documented over time. Currently, endoscopic approaches to manage Zenker's diverticula have become increasingly utilized secondary to the aging population of patients who present with this disease and the minimally invasive nature of the operation. Despite the use of endoscopic myotomy with diverticulectomy or diverticulostomy, open transcervical cricopharyngeal myotomy and diverticulopexy/diverticulectomy are still indicated in select patients with good outcomes. This approach remains an important tool in the armamentarium of thoracic surgeons and it is therefore imperative to be able to offer this solution to patients who may benefit from an open repair.
Outcomes of percutaneous temporary biventricular mechanical support: a systematic review

Percutaneous biventricular assist devices (BiVAD) are a recently developed treatment option for severe cardiogenic shock. This systematic review sought to identify indications and outcomes of patients placed on percutaneous BiVAD support. An electronic search was performed to identify all appropriate studies utilizing a percutaneous BiVAD configuration. Fifteen studies comprising of 20 patients were identified. Individual patient survival and outcomes data were combined for statistical analysis. All 20 patients were supported with a microaxial LVAD, 12/20 (60%) of those patients were supported with a microaxial (RMA) right ventricular assist device (RVAD), and the remaining 8/20 (40%) patients were supported with a centrifugal extracorporeal RVAD (RCF). All patients presented with cardiogenic shock, and of these, 12/20 (60%) presented with a non-ischemic etiology vs 8/20 (40%) with ischemic disease. For the RMA group, RVAD support was significantly longer [RMA 5 (IQR 4–7) days vs RCF 1 (IQR 1–2) days, p = 0.03]. Intravascular hemolysis post-BiVAD occurred in three patients (27.3%) [RMA 3 (33.3%) vs RCF 0 (0%), p = 0.94]. Five patients received a durable left ventricular assist device, one patient received a total artificial heart, and one patient underwent a heart transplantation. Estimated 30-day mortality was 15.0%, and 78.6% were discharged alive. Both strategies for percutaneous BiVAD support appear to be viable options for severe cardiogenic shock.
Implementing a ride share program for patient transportation home from a hospital admission.

243Background: This quality improvement project takes place within a large hospital, on a team that manages about 1700 oncology discharges per year. The hospital emphasizes the importance of discha...
Evaluation of Reproducible and Transparent Research Practices in Pulmonology Publications

Abstract Rationale Study reproducibility is valuable for validating or refuting results. Provision of reproducibility indicators, such as materials, protocols, and raw data in a study to improve its potential for reproduction. Efforts to reproduce noteworthy studies in the biomedical sciences have resulted in an overwhelming majority of them being found to be unreplicable, causing concern for the integrity of research in other fields, including medical specialities. Objective Here, we analyzed the reproducibility of studies in the field of pulmonology. Methods 300 pulmonology articles were randomly selected from an initial PubMed search for data extraction. Two authors scoured these articles for reproducibility indicators including materials, protocols, raw data, analysis scripts, inclusion in systematic reviews, and citations by replication studies as well as other factors of research transparency including open accessibility, funding source and competing interest disclosures, and study preregistration. Main Results Few publications included statements regarding materials (11%), protocols (1%), data (21%), and analysis script (0%) availability. Less than 10% indicated preregistration. More than half of the publications analyzed failed to provide a funding statement. Conversely, 66% of the publications were open access and 70% included a conflict of interest statement. Conclusion Overall, our study indicates pulmonology research is currently lacking in efforts to increase replicability. Future studies should focus on providing sufficient information regarding materials, protocols, raw data, and analysis scripts, among other indicators, for the sake of clinical decisions that depend on replicable or refutable results from the primary literature.
A Downward Spiral: The Role of Hegemonic Masculinity in Lone Actor Terrorism

This article examines the intersection of grievances, identity threats, and gender-based violence in the radicalization and attacks of post-9/11 lone actor terrorists in the United States. Before t...
Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2018

The U.S. economy is in its 10th year of economic expansion, and state government budgets are benefiting from a solid growth in tax revenues. State general fund revenues have grown 40 percent since 2010. Many of the nation’s governors have used the growing revenues to expand spending programs, whereas others have pursued reductions in taxes. That is the backdrop to this year’s 14th biennial fiscal report card on the governors, which examines state budget actions since 2016. It uses statistical data to grade the governors on their taxing and spending records — governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades, whereas those who have increased taxes and spending the most receive the lowest grades. This report discusses these fiscal policy developments and examines the tax and spending actions of each governor in detail. The hope is that the report encourages more state policymakers to adopt the fiscal approaches of the top-scoring governors.
AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy for Galactosialidosis: A Long-term Safety and Efficacy Study

Abstract AAV-mediated gene therapy holds promise for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), some of which are already in clinical trials. Yet, ultra-rare subtypes of LSDs, like some of the glycoproteinoses, have lagged. Here, we report on a long-term, safety and efficacy pre-clinical study conducted in the murine model of galactosialidosis, a glycoproteinosis caused by deficiency of protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA). One-month-old Ctsa−/− mice were injected intravenously with a high dose of a self-complementary AAV2/8 vector, expressing human CTSA in the liver. Treated mice, examined up to 12 months post injection, appeared grossly indistinguishable from their wild-type littermates. Sustained expression of scAAV-CTSA in the liver resulted in the release of the therapeutic precursor protein in circulation and its widespread uptake by cells in visceral organs and the brain. Increased cathepsin A activity resolved lysosomal vacuolation throughout affected organs and sialyl-oligosacchariduria. No signs of hyperplasia or inflammation were detected in the liver up to a year of age. Clinical chemistry panels, blood cell counts, and T-cell immune responses were normal in all treated animals. These results warrant a close consideration of this gene therapy approach for the treatment of galactosialidosis, an orphan disease with no cure insight.
Studies in 85% H3PO4—II

Abstract The fate of the α-terpinyl cation ( 4 ) in 85% phosphoric acid has been examined. In this medium, no products formed by nucleophilic attack by the solvent on the intermediate carbocations were observed. In contrast to all other studies, geraniol ( 1 ), nerol ( 2 ), linalool ( 3 ), and their acetate and phosphate esters all produced cyclized material as the major products; these included limonene ( 17 ), isoterpinolene ( 18 ), α-terpinene ( 19 ), γ-terpinene ( 20 ), 3-p-menthene ( 26 ), and p-cymene ( 27 ), but no terpinolene ( 16 ), and no identifiable bicyclic material. Evidence is presented that 17 does not arise from 4 , which apparently is not the sole cationic intermediate formed during the cyclization process.
Long-Run Industry-Level Estimates of U.S. Armington Elasticities

A key relationship for trade policy analysis is the degree of substitution between imported and domestic goods due to changes in the relative price of those two goods, commonly known as the Armington elasticity. We estimate Armington elasticities for 312 industries at the 4-digit SIC level over the period 1989 to 1995. Our estimation results offer the most comprehensive, disaggregated, and up-to-date set of Armington elasticities. We report long-run estimates when possible, and find that long-run estimates are on average twice as large as the short-run estimates. This is important since the long-run estimates are more appropriate for most trade policy analysis than the short-run estimates. Further, it is shown that statistically significant differences exist within most 3-digit SIC industries, which highlights the importance of estimation at a disaggregated level since policy changes are typically focused on narrow product definitions.
Being “On Stage”: Improving Platform Presentation Skills with Microteaching Exercises and Feedback

ABSTRACT In just over 20 years, all 78 million baby boomers will have reached their “coming of age.” When this demographic milestone occurs, one in every five Americans will be at least 65 years old; millions will have comorbid and chronic conditions requiring better prepared health care providers and markedly improved services than are presently available. Thus, geroeducators must teach current and future practitioners what they need to know to help their patients have the best possible old age. To ensure that this outcome occurs, teachers must observe students and practitioners demonstrating their ability to perform taught skills competently. Using microteaching and feedback can help clinical educators be those better teachers of the caregivers of older people.
Multiscale 3D shape analysis using spherical wavelets

Shape priors attempt to represent biological variations within a population. When variations are global, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) can be used to learn major modes of variation, even from a limited training set. However, when significant local variations exist, PCA typically cannot represent such variations from a small training set. To address this issue, we present a novel algorithm that learns shape variations from data at multiple scales and locations using spherical wavelets and spectral graph partitioning. Our results show that when the training set is small, our algorithm significantly improves the approximation of shapes in a testing set over PCA, which tends to oversmooth data.
Aggregation of interacting criteria by means of the discrete Choquet integral

The most often used operator to aggregate criteria in decision making problems is the classical weighted arithmetic mean. In many problems however, the criteria considered interact, and a substitute to the weighted arithmetic mean has to be adopted. Under rather natural conditions, the discrete Choquet integral is proved to be an adequate aggregation operator that extends the weighted arithmetic mean by the taking into consideration of the interaction among criteria. The axiomatic that supports the Choquet integral is presented and some subfamilies are studied.
Effect of Lyophilized Water Extract of Urtica dioica L. on the Shelf Life of Vacuum‐Packaged Beef Steaks

In this research, the effects of lyophilized Urtica dioica L. water extract (LUDWE) on the shelf life of vacuum-packaged beef steaks were evaluated. For this purpose, beef steaks were arranged as control (vacuum packaging, VP), 150 ppm LUDWE + VP, 300 ppm LUDWE + VP and 450 ppm LUDWE + VP, and were stored at 2 ± 0.5C for 21 days. During storage, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae counts, pH, color and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of beef steaks were determined. By adding LUDWE in the beef steaks, TBARS values decreased (P < 0.01), and minimum values were determined in 450 ppm LUDWE + VP groups (P < 0.05). Depending on the increase in the LUDWE level, psychrotrophic (P < 0.01), Pseudomonas (P < 0.01), Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.01) and lactic acid bacteria (P < 0.01) counts decreased, and the highest counts of these parameters were determined in the control group. LUDWE also had significant effects on L* (P < 0.01), a* (P < 0.01) and b* (P < 0.01) values of vacuum-packaged beef steaks. Practical Applications Beef steak is more susceptible to microbial spoilage and lipolytic reactions; these can lead to a shorter shelf life with potential risks for human health during storage at low temperatures. In beef steaks, lipid oxidation can be decreased and spoilage bacterial counts can be suppressed using natural antioxidants and antimicrobials such as lyophilized Urtica dioica L. water extract (LUDWE). This work clearly showed that LUDWE could be used as a good natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent in fresh meat products such as beef steaks.
Effects of the electric field distribution on microchip valving performance

Valving characteristics on microfluidic devices were controlled through manipulation of the electric field strengths during both the sample loading and dispensing steps. Three sample loading profiles for the constant volume valve (pinched injection) in conjunction with four dispensing schemes were investigated to study valving performance. The sample confinement profiles for the sample loading step consisted of a weakly pinched sample, a medium pinched sample, and a strongly pinched sample. Four dispensing schemes varied the electric field strengths in the sample and sample waste channels relative to the analysis channel to control the volume of the sample dispensed from the valve. The axial extent of the sample plug decreased as the electric field strengths in the sample and sample waste channels were raised relative to the analysis channel. In addition, a trade-off existed between sample plug length and sensitivity.
Fyn tyrosine kinase regulates oligodendroglial cell development but is not required for morphological differentiation of oligodendrocytes

The non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase Fyn, which is a member of the Src family of kinases, has been shown to be essential for normal myelination and has been suggested to play a role in oligodendrocyte development. However, oligodendrocyte development has not been studied directly in cells lacking Fyn. Additionally, because Fyn is expressed in neurons as well as oligodendrocytes, it is possible that normal myelination requires Fyn expression in neurons but not in oligodendrocytes. To address these issues, we analyzed the development of oligodendrocytes in neuron-free glial cell cultures from fyn(-/-) mice that express no Fyn protein. We observed that oligodendrocytes develop to the stage where they elaborate an extensive network of membranous processes and express the antigenic components of mature oligodendrocytes in the complete absence of Fyn. However, as compared with fyn(+/+) controls, fewer oligodendroglia developed in fyn(-/-) cell cultures, and a smaller proportion of them matured to the stage characterized by a high degree of morphological complexity. In addition, we found that insulin-like growth factor-I, a potent stimulator of oligodendrocyte development, failed to stimulate morphological maturation of fyn(-/-) oligodendroglia. The pyrazolopyrimidine PP2, believed to be a selective inhibitor of Fyn, did not prevent the development of morphologically complex oligodendrocytes. Unexpectedly, however, it was toxic to both fyn(+/+) and fyn(-/-) glial cells, indicating that this class of inhibitors can have significant effects that are independent of Fyn.
Discovering New Light States at Neutrino Experiments

Experiments designed to measure neutrino oscillations also provide major opportunities for discovering very weakly coupled states. In order to produce neutrinos, experiments such as LSND collide thousands of Coulombs of protons into fixed targets, while MINOS and MiniBooNE also focus and then dump beams of muons. The neutrino detectors beyond these beam dumps are therefore an excellent arena in which to look for long-lived pseudoscalars or for vector bosons that kinetically mix with the photon. We show that these experiments have significant sensitivity beyond previous beam dumps, and are able to partially close the gap between laboratory experiments and supernovae constraints on pseudoscalars. Future upgrades to the NuMI beamline and Project X will lead to even greater opportunities for discovery. We also discuss thin target experiments with muon beams, such as those available in COMPASS, and show that they constitute a powerful probe for leptophilic PNGBs.
Gluonic interactions in the soliton bag model.

Gluonic effects are included to lowest order in calculations using the soliton bag model. The N-..delta.. splitting is calculated in the one-gluon-exchange approximation, using a gluon propagator which is confined by the sigma field. The string constant is obtained, in the Abelian approximation, from a self-consistent calculation for a cylindrical system of sigma and gluon fields. These results are used to fix the strong coupling constant ..cap alpha../sub s/. We obtain values for ..cap alpha../sub s/ which are approx.2, similar to those in the MIT bag model. Constraints are placed on both the model parameters and the dependence of the dielectric function on the sigma field.
Chemistry of Fischer-type rhenacyclobutadiene complexes. II. Reactions with alkynes and sulfonium ylides, and rearrangements induced by nitriles and pyridine

Abstract Further investigations into the chemistry of the rhenacyclobutadiene complexes (CO) 4 Re(η 2 -C(R)C(CO 2 Me)C(X)) ( 1 : R=Me, X=OEt ( 1a ), O(CH 2 ) 3 CCH ( 1b ), NEt 2 ( 1c ); R=CHEt 2 , X=OEt ( 1d ); R=Ph, X=OEt ( 1e )) are reported. Reactions of 1 with alkynes at reflux temperature of toluene and at ambient temperature either under photochemical conditions or in the presence of PdO yield ring-substituted η 5 -cyclopentadienylrhenium tricarbonyl complexes, 2 . The symmetrical alkynes R ′ CCR ′ (R ′ =Ph, Me, CO 2 Me) afford the pentasubstituted complexes (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(Ph)(Ph))Re(CO) 3 ( 2d ), (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(Me)(Me))Re(CO) 3 ( 2e ), (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(CO 2 Me)(CO 2 Me))Re(CO) 3 ( 2f ), and (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(NEt 2 )(CO 2 Me)(CO 2 Me))Re(CO) 3 ( 2i ) on reaction with the appropriate 1 , whereas the unsymmetrical alkynes R ′ CCR″ (R ′ =Ph; R″=H, Me) give either only one, (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(Ph)H)Re(CO) 3 ( 2a )), or both, (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me) (OEt)(Ph)(Me))Re(CO) 3 ( 2b ) and (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(Me)(Ph))Re(CO) 3 ( 2c ), (η 5 -C 5 (Ph)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(Ph)H)Re(CO) 3 ( 2g ) and (η 5 -C 5 (Ph)(CO 2 Me)(OEt)(H)(Ph))Re(CO) 3 ( 2h ), of the possible products of [3 + 2] cycloaddition of alkyne to η 2 -C(R)C(CO 2 Me)C(X). Thermolysis of (CO) 4 Re(η 2 -C(Me)C(CO 2 Me)C(O(CH 2 ) 3 CCH)) ( 1b ) containing a pendant alkynyl group proceeds to (η 5 -C 5 (Me)(CO 2 Me)(O(CH 2 ) 3 )H)Re(CO) 3 ( 2j ), a η 5 -cyclopentadienyl-dihydropyran fused-ring product. Competition experiments showed that each of PhCCH and MeO 2 CCCCO 2 Me reacts faster than PhCCPh with 1a . The results with unsymmetrical alkynes are rationalized by steric properties of substituents at the CC and ReC bonds and by a preference of ReC(Me) over ReC(OEt) to undergo alkyne insertion. A mechanism is proposed that involves substitution of a trans CO by alkyne in 1 , insertion of alkyne into ReC bond to give a rhenabenzene intermediate, and collapse of the latter to 2 . Complexes 1a and 1d undergo rearrangement in MeCN at reflux temperature to give rhenafuran-like products, (CO) 4 Re(κ 2 -OC(OMe)C(CHCR 2 )C(OEt)) (R=H ( 3a ) or Et ( 3b )). The reaction of 1d also proceeds in EtCN, PhCN, and t -BuCN at comparable temperature, but is slower (especially in t -BuCN) than in MeCN. In pyridine at reflux temperature, 1a undergoes a similar rearrangement, with CO substitution, to give (CO) 3 (py)Re(κ 2 -OC(OMe)C(CHCEt 2 )C(OEt)) ( 4 ). A mechanism is proposed for these reactions. The sulfonium ylides Me 2 SCHC(O)Ph and Me 2 SC(CN) 2 (Me 2 SCRR ′ ) react with 1a in acetonitrile at reflux temperature by nucleophilic addition of the ylide to the ReC(Me) carbon, loss of Me 2 S, and rearrangement to a rhenafuran-type structure to yield (CO) 4 Re(κ 2 -OC(OMe)C(C(Me)CRR ′ )C(OEt)) (R=H, R ′ =C(O)Ph ( 5a ); R=R ′ CN ( 5b )). All new compounds were characterized by a combination of elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and IR and NMR spectroscopy.
Estimating the Extent of Imperfect Competition in the Food Industry: What Have We Learned?

Since the late-1980s, empirical analysis has typically analysed the extent of market power in the food industry using structural econometric models drawing on an approach commonly termed the new empirical industrial organisation (NEIO). In this paper, we examine what has been learned from the use of this methodology, and consider whether it has relevance for empirical analysis of market power in food retailing, and the nature of vertical contractual arrangements between food manufacturers and retailers.
Finite automata based compression of bi-level and simple color images

Abstract We introduce generalized finite automata as a tool for specification of bi-level images. We describe an inference algorithm for generalized finite automata and a lossy compression system for bi-level and simple color images based on this algorithm and vector quantization.