cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal Dependence of Locomotory Energetics and Aerobic Capacity of the Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)

The thermal dependencies of sustainable locomotion and aerobic energetics were determined in the Gila monster, a lizard of relatively low thermal preference. Maximal aerobic speed (MAS) is 0.70 km/h at 25°C and 1.03 km/h at 35°C (Q10=1.5). Endurance declines as speed is increased above MAS, and Gila monsters are unusual in being unable to engage in brief periods of high-speed burst locomotion. The rate of O2 consumption (\(\dot V_{O_2 } \)) during locomotion has the same thermal dependence as that of MAS. Maximal\(\dot V_{O_2 } \)'s are 0.594 ml O2/(g·h) at 25°C and 0.896 ml O2/(g·h) at 35°C (Q10=1.5). The masscorrected\(\dot V_{O_2 } \) max of the Gila monsters is highest among lizards at 25°C and is relatively high, consistent with other platynotans, among lizards at 35°C. Net cost of locomotion is temperature independent and is relatively low among lizards. Low net cost of locomotion together with high\(\dot V_{O_2 } \) max's lead to Gila monsters having high MAS's at both 25°C and 35°C. Gila monsters thus appear to be well adapted for aerobic, sustainable activity. The total cost of locomotion shows a positive thermal dependence. However, the minimum cost of transport, attained at the highest sustainable speed, is temperature independent. Locomotion at MAS becomes faster with increasing body temperature with no obligatory increase in total cost of locomotion.
Rule Based Programming

This chapter addresses the most important and widely used paradigm of expert systems: rule-based programming. Some practitioners identify rule-based systems with expert systems, because the most visible industrial successes of expert systems (and artificial intelligence) involve rule-based systems.
Stuart Hall's pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will: reflections on an intellectual life

Stuart Hall was a seminal figure in the development of cultural studies and his death in 2014 has left an intellectual and political void. This article, based on a memorial talk, offers a number of perspectives on Hall’s life and work: the relationship between his speeches/interviews and his written work; the cultural and political context of cultural studies’ emergence; the contradictory and productive relationship between cultural studies and Marxism; the centrality of ‘conjunctural analysis’ to the project of cultural studies; the continuing relevance of the recently republished book Policing the Crisis; the responsibilities of intellectuals to make ideas matter in the world beyond the academy, and the political nature of Hall’s version of cultural studies.
Low risk of electromagnetic interference between smartphones and contemporary implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Aims Manufacturers of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) recommend that cell phones be maintained at a distance of ∼15 cm from the implanted device in order to avoid risk of dysfunction due to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Data relating to this issue are outdated and do not reflect modern technology. Our aim was to evaluate whether EMI is still an issue with contemporary ICDs and smartphones. Methods and results Consecutive patients implanted with a wireless-enabled ICD were tested for potential interference with two models of recent 4G smartphones in conditions intended to maximize risk of EMI. A magnet effect (due to the phone speakers) was tested by placing the smartphones in the standby mode directly over the ICD generator. The presence of EMI artefacts on the real-time electrograms was evaluated by placing the smartphones in the standby, dialling, and operating modes directly over the generator casing and over the parasternal region in the vicinity of the ventricular lead. A total of 63 patients equipped with 29 different models of single, dual, or biventricular ICDs from five major manufacturers were included. None of the patients showed any evidence of interference with the smartphones during any of the 882 tests. Conclusion The risk of EMI between modern smartphones and contemporary ICDs is low. This is probably due to the filters incorporated in the ICDs and low emission by the phones, as well as the small size of the magnets in the smartphones tested. Study registration NCT02330900 ( ).
An Approach to Optimize the Coding of a Formant Synthesizer Parameters

On presente un codage optimal des parametres d'un synthetiseur de parole a formants. L'optimisation de ces parametres de commande est basee sur des criteres statistiques et subjectifs. Le synthetiseur utilise est un synthetiseur parallele comprenant 19 parametres independants
Repair of Injury to Articular Cartilage with Chondrocyte Progenitor Cells

were found in the synovial fluid of OA patients [15] and these proinflammatory cytokines promote matrix metalloproteinase gene up-regulation [16] and apoptosis [17] to name only two of the many cellular events relevant to the progression of OA. Despite these findings, only an IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) [18] has been rigorously assessed in a phase II double-blinded non-controlled clinical trial of 13 patients with knee OA. In this study [19] patients received intraarticular injections of 150 mg of a recombinant form of human IL-1Ra. The results indicated a significant improvement in pain (using a visual analog scale) and in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) OA index over a 3-month period. However, assessments relative to the extent to which IL-1Ra altered the pathology of OA remain to be fully evaluated. Recently, anti-Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) receptor monoclonal antibodies were evaluated for their capacity to reduce pain in clinical trials involving patients with advanced hip and knee OA and in patients with chronic back pain [reviewed in 20]. These NGF receptor antagonists were efficacious for reducing pain, but these agents were also associated with serious adverse effects including the development of osteonecrosis in some patients treated with anti-NGF and NSAIDs. NGF is a neurotrophin having strong regulatory activity towards peripheral nocioception. In that regard, the expression of Substance P, calcium-related peptide and serotonin are the expected targets for NGF-receptor blockade. However, it remains to be determined whether the blocking of metabolic pathways by these anti-NGF receptor monoclonal antibodies can alter the progression of OA pathology. Importantly, the number of recent studies focused on testing antiNGF receptor antagonists in OA pale by comparison with the targeted approaches employed by the biopharmaceutical industry in developing and successfully marketing for use in the clinic a multitude of biological agents designed to block the immune-mediated inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis [21,22]. In view of the relative paucity of drug development strategies
The Double Standard at Sexual Debut: Gender, Sexual Behavior and Adolescent Peer Acceptance.

A sexual double standard in adolescence has important implications for sexual development and gender inequality. The present study uses longitudinal social network data (N = 914; 11–16 years of age) to test if gender moderates associations between adolescents’ sexual behaviors and peer acceptance. Consistent with a traditional sexual double standard, female adolescents who reported having sex had significant decreases in peer acceptance over time, whereas male adolescents reporting the same behavior had significant increases in peer acceptance. This pattern was observed net of respondents’ own perceived friendships, further suggesting that the social responses to sex vary by gender of the sexual actor. However, findings for “making out” showed a reverse double standard, such that female adolescents reporting this behavior had increases in peer acceptance and male adolescents reporting the same behavior had decreases in peer acceptance over time. Results thus suggest that peers enforce traditional sexual scripts for both “heavy” and “light” sexual behaviors during adolescence. These findings have important implications for sexual health education, encouraging educators to develop curricula that emphasize the gendered social construction of sexuality and to combat inequitable and stigmatizing peer responses to real or perceived deviations from traditional sexual scripts.
Chronic Hepatitis B Is Associated with Higher Inpatient Resource Utilization and Mortality Versus Chronic Hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections remain one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Healthcare initiatives for chronic viral hepatitis to facilitate early diagnosis and linkage to care in an effort to reduce inpatient resource utilization associated with late diagnosis and end-stage liver disease have been partially successful. Our objective was to determine the impact of liver-related complications from chronic HBV and HCV infections on inpatient cost of care, length of stay, and mortality. Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, National Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS), we studied the impact of chronic HBV and HCV infections on inpatient healthcare system following hospitalizations from 2003 to 2012. Of the 79,185,729 million hospitalizations among adult patients in the USA from 2003 to 2012, 143,896 (0.18 %) hospitalizations were HBV related and 1,073,269 (1.36 %) hospitalizations HCV related. HBV hospitalizations had a higher inpatient mortality (OR 1.34; 95 % CI 1.30, 1.38), median cost of care per hospitalization (+$2100.33; 95 % CI 1982.53, 2217.53), and increased length of hospitalization stay (+0.64 days; 95 % CI 0.60, 0.68; p < 0.01) compared to HCV. Despite higher per case resource utilization following hospitalization, HBV-infected patients demonstrate a lower inpatient survival in comparison with chronic HCV infection. These disparate observations underscore the need for early diagnosis of chronic HBV infection in at-risk population and prompt linkage to care.
Analysis of chemical compositions of individual atmospheric aerosol collected in Arctic and Antarctic area

A quantitative single particle analytical technique,low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis(EPMA) was used to characterize 2821 individual particles in 16 sets of aerosol samples collected on July 25~31,2007 at Ny-lesund,Svalbard(78 55′N,11 56′E) and 1460 individual particles in 5 sets of aerosol samples collected on March 12~16,2009 at King George Island(62 13′S,58 47′W).There was great difference in chemical compositions between the atmospheric particles of the two sites.For the Arctic samples,aged sea salt,fresh(or genuine) sea salt,and mineral dust particles accounted for 44%,9%,and 27%,respectively,in the examined particles(their aerodynamic diameters were in the range of 0.5~8μm).Whereas for the Antarctic samples,fresh sea salt particles accounted for 74% and aged sea salt particles containing sulfate accounted for 19% in the examined particles(their aerodynamic diameters were in the range of 1~10μm).The majority of aged sea salt particles at Ny-lesund contained nitrate,indicating that the atmosphere was disturbed by anthropogenic air pollutants.On the contrary,all of the aged sea salt particles contained sulfate in the samples at King George Island,none of them containing nitrate.It was likely that the oxidation of dimethylsulfide(DMS) emitted from phytoplanktons in the ocean rather than anthropogenic sulfur emission was responsible for the formation of sulfate-containing aged sea salt particles,implying that the air in the Antarctic area was relatively clean,without being polluted by anthropogenic pollutants.
Accumulations of fat in the brains of mice affected with scrapie.

SUMMARY Accumulations of neutral fat were found, especially in the grey matter, in the brains of all of 18 mice affected with scrapie; their nature and distribution were fundamentally different from lesions previously reported. Certain areas of the brain were consistently affected, particularly the caudal region o f the hippocampus, the anterior group of thalamic nuclei, the substantia nigra and the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex. The fatty lesions, in common with other changes in scrapie, showed pronounced bilateral symmetry. They were not apparently accompanied by any specific cellular or tissue response in the same foci and were not shown to be dependent on myelin degeneration. Fifteen control mice not affected with scrapie did not contain fat in the areas considered to be predilection sites in affected animals.
An accurate and efficient tau-leaping procedure for the simulation of chemical reaction systems

Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wi 53706(Dated: August 18, 2008)By explicitly representing the reaction times of discrete chemical systems as theﬁring times of independent, unit rate Poisson processes we develop a new adaptivetau-leaping procedure. The procedure developed is novel in that accuracy is guar-anteed by performing post-leap checks. Because the representation we use separatesthe randomness of the model from the state of the system, we are able to performthe post-leap checks in such a way that the statistics of the sample paths generatedwill not be skewed by the rejections of leaps. Further, since any leap condition isensured with a probability of one, the simulation method naturally avoids negativepopulation values.I. INTRODUCTION
Temporal relation of meniscal tear incidence, severity, and outcome scores in adolescents undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is increasingly common in adolescents. Time between ACL rupture and surgical reconstruction, surgical wait time, is related to concurrent meniscal tear incidence and possibly tear pattern. This study defines the relationship between meniscal tear characteristics and surgical wait time in adolescents with ACL rupture. One-hundred and twenty-one consecutive adolescent (median age 16.1 years, range 9–19 years) ACL rupture patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction were studied. All had documented surgical wait time, preoperative and 6-month post-operative outcome (Lysholm and pedi-IKDC) scores, and intraoperative meniscus tear characteristics. Meniscal tear severity was graded according to the Lawrence and Anderson system: non-surgical: grade 1; reparable: grade 2–3; irreparable: grade 4–5. Significant tears were defined as at least grade 2. Average age at surgery was 16.1 years. 48.7 % had surgical wait time greater than 6 months. 42.5 % of menisci were torn. With surgical wait time 6 months, medial tear incidence increased (50 vs 21 %, p 6 months. Public insurance was a risk factor for longer surgical wait time and meniscus tear.
义县组同位素年代新证据及土城子组 40 Ar/ 39 Ar年龄测定

重新采集了中国辽宁北票地区四合屯和恒道子义县组下部的火山灰样品以及下伏土城子组上部的火山灰样品, 分别对样品中的透长石和黑云母单晶进行了 40 Ar/ 39 Ar全熔融分析和阶段加热分析, 结果显示: 四合屯和恒道子的义县组与四家子的土城子组3组透长石单晶样品的平均年龄分别为(125.0±0.18 (1SD)±0.04 (SE)), (125.0±0.19 (1SD)±0.04 (SE))和(139.4±0.19 (1SD)±0.05 (SE)) Ma, 都显示义县组(还包括土城子组上部)时代为早白垩世; 3组黑云母单晶样品的阶段加热分析和等时线对比作图都显示Ar体系受到了明显的干扰, 含有被捕获的过剩Ar成分, 反映其年龄比义县组的实际年龄偏老. 四合屯和恒道子透长石 40 Ar/ 39 Ar全熔融年龄和四合屯相同地点锆石U-Pb年龄(125 Ma)的吻合进一步证 明, 四合屯火山灰样品没有受到后期热事件的扰动, 义县组时代为早白垩世中期. 土城子组的时代可能不早于晚侏罗世, 至少其上部可归于早白垩世.
Global Diversity and Academic Success of Foreign-Trained Academic Neurosurgeons in the United States.

Objective To quantify the proportion of academic neurosurgeons practicing in the United States who acquired residency training outside of the United States and compare their training backgrounds and academic success with those who received their residency training in the United States. Methods We identified 1338 clinically active academic neurosurgeons from 104 programs that participated in the neurosurgery residency match in the United States in January–February 2015. Their training backgrounds, current academic positions, and history of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards between 2005 and 2014 were retrieved from publicly accessible sources. Results Eighty-four U.S. academic neurosurgeons (6.3%) received their residency training in 20 different countries outside of the United States/Puerto Rico, representing all major regions of the world. The majority trained in Canada (n = 48). We found no major differences between the foreign-trained and U.S.-trained neurosurgeons in male:female ratio, year of starting residency, proportion with positions in medical schools ranked in the top 15 by the U.S. News and World Report, general distribution of academic positions, and proportion with an NIH grant. Compared with U.S.-trained academic neurosurgeons, foreign-trained academic neurosurgeons had a significantly higher proportion of Ph.D. degrees (32.1% vs. 12.3%; P Conclusions A small group of U.S. academic neurosurgeons (6.3%) have acquired residency training outside of the United States, representing all major regions of the world. Their general demographic data and academic accomplishments are comparable to those of U.S.-trained neurosurgeons.
Speech understanding and sound source localization by cochlear implant listeners using a pinna-effect imitating microphone and an adaptive beamformer

Background Sentence understanding scores for patients with cochlear implants (CIs) when tested in quiet are relatively high. However, sentence understanding scores for patients with CIs plummet with the addition of noise. Purpose To assess, for patients with CIs (MED-EL), (1) the value to speech understanding of two new, noise-reducing microphone settings and (2) the effect of the microphone settings on sound source localization. Research design Single-subject, repeated measures design. For tests of speech understanding, repeated measures on (1) number of CIs (one, two), (2) microphone type (omni, natural, adaptive beamformer), and (3) type of noise (restaurant, cocktail party). For sound source localization, repeated measures on type of signal (low-pass [LP], high-pass [HP], broadband noise). Study sample Ten listeners, ranging in age from 48 to 83 yr (mean = 57 yr), participated in this prospective study. Intervention Speech understanding was assessed in two noise environments using monaural and bilateral CIs fit with three microphone types. Sound source localization was assessed using three microphone types. Data collection and analysis In Experiment 1, sentence understanding scores (in terms of percent words correct) were obtained in quiet and in noise. For each patient, noise was first added to the signal to drive performance off of the ceiling in the bilateral CI-omni microphone condition. The other conditions were then administered at that signal-to-noise ratio in quasi-random order. In Experiment 2, sound source localization accuracy was assessed for three signal types using a 13-loudspeaker array over a 180° arc. The dependent measure was root-mean-score error. Results Both the natural and adaptive microphone settings significantly improved speech understanding in the two noise environments. The magnitude of the improvement varied between 16 and 19 percentage points for tests conducted in the restaurant environment and between 19 and 36 percentage points for tests conducted in the cocktail party environment. In the restaurant and cocktail party environments, both the natural and adaptive settings, when implemented on a single CI, allowed scores that were as good as, or better, than scores in the bilateral omni test condition. Sound source localization accuracy was unaltered by either the natural or adaptive settings for LP, HP, or wideband noise stimuli. Conclusion The data support the use of the natural microphone setting as a default setting. The natural setting (1) provides better speech understanding in noise than the omni setting, (2) does not impair sound source localization, and (3) retains low-frequency sensitivity to signals from the rear. Moreover, bilateral CIs equipped with adaptive beamforming technology can engender speech understanding scores in noise that fall only a little short of scores for a single CI in quiet.
Changing Juvenile Wood

Numerous examples confirm the utility, and even the desirability of juvenile wood. However, in general, it is considered to be undesirable, especially in the conifers, due to its low specific gravity, short cells, adverse spiral grain and large microfibril angles. Many suggestions have been made on how to reduce the amount of juvenile wood, or to produce juvenile wood with characteristics more similar to those of mature wood; some are covered below.
Online dosimetric evaluation of larynx SBRT: A pilot study to assess the necessity of adaptive replanning.

Purpose We have initiated a multi-institutional phase I trial of 5-fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for Stage III–IVa laryngeal cancer. We conducted this pilot dosimetric study to confirm potential utility of online adaptive replanning to preserve treatment quality. Methods We evaluated ten cases: five patients enrolled onto the current trial and five patients enrolled onto a separate phase I SBRT trial for early-stage glottic larynx cancer. Baseline SBRT treatment plans were generated per protocol. Daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) or diagnostic CT images were acquired prior to each treatment fraction. Simulation CT images and target volumes were deformably registered to daily volumetric images, the original SBRT plan was copied to the deformed images and contours, delivered dose distributions were re-calculated on the deformed CT images. All of these were performed on a commercial treatment planning system. In-house software was developed to propagate the delivered dose distribution back to reference CT images using the deformation information exported from the treatment planning system. Dosimetric differences were evaluated via dose-volume histograms. Results We could evaluate dose within 10 minutes in all cases. Prescribed coverage to gross tumor volume (GTV) and clinical target volume (CTV) was uniformly preserved; however, intended prescription dose coverage of planning treatment volume (PTV) was lost in 53% of daily treatments (mean: 93.9%, range: 83.9–97.9%). Maximum bystander point dose limits to arytenoids, parotids, and spinal cord remained respected in all cases, although variances in carotid artery doses were observed in a minority of cases. Conclusions Although GTV and CTV SBRT dose coverage is preserved with in-room three-dimensional image guidance, PTV coverage can vary significantly from intended plans and dose to critical structures may exceed tolerances. Online adaptive treatment re-planning is potentially necessary and clinically applicable to fully preserve treatment quality. Confirmatory trial accrual and analysis remains ongoing.
Evaluating the effects of temperature on larval Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) consumption

The blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are responsible for more cases of myiasis than any other arthropods. Several species, including Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cocholiomya macellaria, parasitize living organisms by feeding on healthy tissues. Medical professionals have taken advantage of myiatic flies, Lucillia sericata, through debridement or maggot therapy in patients with necrotic tissue. This experiment analyzes how temperature influences blue bottle fly, Calliphora vomitoria. consumption of beef liver. After rearing an egg mass into first larval instars, ten maggots each were placed into four containers. One container was exposed to a range of temperatures between 18°C and 25°C at varying intervals. The remaining three containers were placed into homemade incubators at constant temperatures: 21°C, 27°C and 33°C. Beef liver was placed into each container and weighed after each group pupation. The mass of liver consumed and the time until pupation was recorded. Three trials revealed as temperature increased, the average rate of consumption per larva also increased. The larval group maintained at 33°C had the highest consumption with the shortest feeding duration, while the group at 21°C had lower liver consumption in the longest feeding period. The research in this experiment was conducted to understand the optimal temperature at which larval consumption is maximized whether in clinical instances for debridement or in myiasis cases.
One Size Fits All: The United States Supreme Court's Interpretation of Ne Exeat Rights for Purposes of the Hague Convention

With wrongful child abductions occurring worldwide, the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was drafted for the purpose of protecting children from its harmful effects. In 1988, the United States implemented provisions of the Hague Convention into the International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA) to aid in furthering the Convention's purpose. Drafters drew a distinction between "rights of custody" and "rights of access" the determination of which ultimately establishes a parent’s right to a return remedy granted under the Convention. Specifically, if a parent has "rights of custody" the return remedy would allow for return of the wrongfully abducted child back to the country of his/her abduction. A parent who merely has "rights of access" is entitled to no such remedy.In Spring 2010, the United States Supreme Court was handed the task of interpreting rights of custody and rights of access for purposes of the Hague Convention in Abbott v. Abbott. In Abbott, a Chilean custody ordered granted a father "access rights" coupled with a ne exeat clause which prevents a custodial parent from leaving the country without permission. The issue to determine was whether the rights coupled together amounted to "rights of custody" which would entitle the father to the return remedy warranting the child's return to Chile. With facts and circumstances unique to Abbott, the United States Supreme Court held that ne exeat rights do confer rights of custody for purposes of the Convention. This paper examines case law which also involved the interpretation of such rights and the danger and negative long lasting effects that the Court’s ruling is likely to have on nation and international court decisions.
Homing receptor expression in grafts of purified thymic epithelium.

Grafts of purified thymic epithelium have been used to study the role of the thymic microenvironment in T cell differentiation1–6. The ability of such grafts to immunologically reconstitute either nude mice or thymectomized, irradiated and hematopoietically reconstituted hosts has demonstrated that they are only partially able to reconstitute the host animal, as neither lymphocyte phenotype frequencies nor functional responsiveness of the graft derived peripheral (splenic) T cell population reaches normal (intact) levels2,3,6. More recently it has been suggested that the expression of lymphocyte homing receptors may be important in the selection of thymocytes destined to emigrate from the thymus, as well as their localization in the periphery7–9. In the studies reported here, we have examined homing receptor expression in grafts of purified thymic epithelium and in the peripheral lymphoid organs of grafted nude mice. Results showed that, although incomplete, T cell reconstitution did take place in these animals. The presence of MEL-14 positive cells in the graft suggests that the presence or absence of homing receptor expression in these grafts was not solely responsible for the incomplete T cell emigration and peripheralization seen in these animals.
Older, Seriously Ill Veterans’ Views on the Role of Religion and Spirituality in Health-Care Delivery:

Objectives:To describe older Veteran’s perspectives on the current delivery of religious or spiritual (R/S) care.Methods:Semi-structured interviews with older veterans with advanced stage cancer, heart failure, or pulmonary disease to elicit views on when, how, and by whom religious and spiritual care is preferred.Results:The sample (n = 17) was largely male (94%), non-Hispanic white (52.9%), Christian (82.3%), and most had at least some college education (64.7%). Participants shared diagnoses of cancer (47%), heart failure (35.2%), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (17.6%). As a group, participants had moderate religiosity. Themes relevant to the study goal of improving VA care delivery are as follows: (1) process of R/S engagement, (2) timing of R/S engagement, and (3) awareness of services. Veterans discussed the need for VA providers to accommodate diverse spiritual beliefs, importance of screening for spiritual needs, inclusion of family spiritual support, need for higher visibility of service...
Endothelium‐dependent responses in the microcirculation observed in vivo

Endothelium-dependent responses were first demonstrated 40 years ago in the aorta. Since then, extensive research has been conducted in vitro using conductance vessels and materials derived from them. However, the microcirculation controls blood flow to vital organs and has been the focus of in vivo studies of endothelium-dependent dilation beginning immediately after the first in vitro report. Initial in vivo studies employed a light/dye technique for selectively damaging the endothelium to unequivocally prove, in vivo, the existence of endothelium-dependent dilation and in the microvasculature. Endothelium-dependent constriction was similarly proven. Endothelium-dependent agonists include acetylcholine (ACh), bradykinin, arachidonic acid, calcium ionophore A-23187, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), serotonin, histamine and endothelin-1. Normal and disease states have been studied. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase and cytochrome P450 have been shown to generate the mediators of the responses. Some of the key enzyme systems generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide which may prevent EDR. However, one ROS, namely H2 O2 , is one of a number of hyperpolarizing factors that cause dilation initiated by endothelium. Depending upon microvascular bed, a single agonist may use different pathways to elicit an endothelium-dependent response. Interpretation of studies using inhibitors of eNOS is complicated by the fact that these inhibitors may also inhibit ATP-sensitive potassium channels. Other in vivo observations of brain arterioles failed to establish nitric oxide as the mediator of responses elicited by CGRP or by ACh and suggest that a nitrosothiol may be a better fit for the latter.
Overview: Enterohepatic Circulation of Bile Acids — a Topic in Molecular Physiology

In principle, the scope of physiology should begin where cell biology ends. Physiology deals with the orchestration of functions of multiple cells in different organs, the end results of which are co-ordinated physiological processes such as digestion and absorption or glucose homoeostasis. A triumph of cell biology has been the elucidation of cellular regulatory circuits, and the limiting case is that in which cells regulate their own activities so reliably that there is no need for regulatory circuits involving many organs. In a sense, by analogy, the governance of a university faculty usually uses a tiny proportion of total energy expenditure at the university because most facilities govern themselves effectively, at least most of the time.
A Novel Depth Image Analysis Method to Calculate the Anterior Reach of the Modified Star Excursion Balance Test

In this paper, we present a novel method to measure the anterior (ANT) reach distance of the modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT). Using depth images obtained from the Microsoft KinectTM V2 sensor, we compared our results against a "gold standard" marker-based Vicon motion capture system. Seven healthy subjects participated in the study and were asked to perform five ANT reach trials of mSEBT bilaterally. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and smallest detectable distance (SDD) values were calculated. The Kinect demonstrated good reliability (0.7-0.9) against the Vicon in estimating absolute ANT reach and ANT reach normalized to leg length. The ICC (2,1) measurements were 0.75, 0.81 for absolute ANT reach distances and 0.81, 0.84 for normalized ANT reach measures, for the left and right foot, respectively. The SEM and SDD values of the Kinect were similar to previously reported normalized ANT reach manual measurements at 3.65, 10.11 for the left foot and 3.98, 11.04 for the right foot, respectively. For absolute ANT reach distances, the SEM and SDD values were 3.19cm, 8.85cm and 3.75cm, 10.41cm for the left and right foot, respectively. These results show potential capabilities of the depth image analysis method to provide reasonable accuracy in measuring ANT reach performance during the mSEBT.
Using Static Hardware Wrappers to Thwart Hardware Trojans and Code Bugs at Runtime

In the modern information age, security is a basic requirement. In this paper, we address security vulnerabilities that can occur at the lowest levels of computing due to code bugs and hardware Trojans. Some of these vulnerabilities can be detected using modern verification tools. However, more effort is needed to address vulnerabilities which occur at run-time. To this end, we propose a static, stand-alone hardware wrapper that is independent of the attack mechanism. The wrapper is integrated at the register transfer level (RTL) during the pre-silicon stage of integrated circuit (IC) design and provides security protections during use by the end-consumer. The proposed hardware wrapper will not remove or detect these vulnerabilities, but, it can enforce correct behavior by assuming control of external signals during run-time.
Perception of Human–Elephant Conflict and Conservation Attitudes of Affected Communities in Myanmar:

Myanmar is an ideal location for Asian elephant (Elephas maximus L.) conservation because it still contains large expanses of elephant habitat. However, increasing human–elephant conflict (HEC) thr...
Book Review: Sefer Yeṣirah and Its Contexts: Other Jewish Voices by Tzahi Weiss

Tzahi Weiss. Sefer Yeṣirah and Its Contexts: Other Jewish Voices , Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018. Pp. ix, 196. $59.95. ISBN: 9780812249903. The Hebrew text known as the Sefer Yeṣirah , or Book of Formation , has piqued the interest of scholars of early medieval Jewish philosophy and those of central- to late-medieval Jewish mysticism and magic for centuries. In Sefer Yeṣirah and Its Contexts: Other Jewish Voices , Tzahi Weiss extends interest in this text to scholars of early medieval Jewish mysticism, magical praxis, and Jewish-Christian relations. Through an exploration of Sefer Yeṣirah ’s specific methods of letter speculation, grammar, and textual reception, Weiss presents a two-pronged argument. First, he contends that the much-debated compositional context of the Sefer Yeṣirah was most likely 7th-century Christian Syria. And, second, that early readers of the Sefer Yeṣirah understood it as a mystical and magical treatise long before the late 12th century, as is commonly assumed. Weiss divides his slim volume into an introduction, five chapters, an epilogue, and two appendices. The first appendix addresses scholarly arguments that the Sefer Yeṣirah originated in the Abbasid world and was influenced by Arabic grammar; the second appendix provides a Hebrew transcription of an 11th-century recension of the Sefer Yeṣirah (Ms. Vatican 299/4) that Weiss bases his arguments on, accompanied by Peter A. Hayman’s English translation. Along with a review of scholarship treating the text and a statement of Weiss’ departure from, indebtedness to, and contributions to the field, the Introduction provides a quick summary of the contents of the Sefer Yeṣirah as a treatise describing God’s formation of the world from numbers …
Technology of Dairy-Based Beverages

Abstract Increasing consumers’ demand for healthy foods has triggered the efforts to develop novel foods with defined health effects. Today, a great number of novel functional foods are available in the markets, and dairy foods and beverages have a distinct place in this market. The first commercial functional dairy products were kefir, probiotic/synbiotic milks and yogurts, and vitamin/mineral-enriched milks. These product categories were followed by milks enriched with conjugated linoleic acids, peptides, sterols/stanols, etc. and whey-based functional products. Since 1990s, nutritional properties of cheese whey have been well documented. Whey is also a suitable medium for fermentation and/or tailor-made modifications (i.e., membrane separations) for development of health-specific nonalcoholic beverages. These factors have made cheese whey popular for beverage industry. The market share of whey-based beverages is increasing year by year. Although intensive efforts have been made to develop novel functional dairy- and whey-based products (especially beverages) during the last 10 years or so, the proper scientific validation of functional claims still remains the critical issue for the functional foods field. Especially safety, biocompatibility, and health claim issues of functional dairy- and/or whey-based beverages are often ignored or evaluated with improper/insufficient methodologies. An interdisciplinary approach should be followed to build up a strong scientific background for functionality of beverages under question. This chapter deals with the recent scientific, technological, and commercial developments in the dairy −/whey-based beverage sector as well as models for interdisciplinary approaches for justification of health claims and biocompatibility of such products.
Wealth and Well-being in the United States

With growing wealth inequality in the United States, understanding the implications on individual well-being becomes increasingly important. Prior research has found that economic well-being has a small but significant effect on well-being; however, much of the literature has used income as a proxy for economic well-being. This is a narrow measure of the resources that might influence an individual’s overall well-being, and does not capture an individual’s overall economic security. From a theoretical perspective, wealth is a better indication of life-time financial resources, as compared to income which is recorded at a point in time. More recent research has indicated that wealth, or income and wealth taken together, explain more of the variance in SWB than does income alone. I use the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) from 1984 to 2015 and the PSID “Well-being and Daily Life” supplement collected in 2016 to examine the relationship between well-being and several types of financial resources to determine which resources matter, and whether they matter separately or in combination. My findings indicate that well-being is associated with both income and wealth, controlling for other known correlates with well-being. When included in the same model both remain statistically significant and comparable in both magnitude and direction. Further, housing wealth itself matters for an individual’s reported satisfaction with overall life, even controlling for income and other assets. These findings further confirm the importance of accounting for the complex financial circumstances when trying to understand the implications of social inequalities on overall well-being.
Elucidating Mechanisms of Drug-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum

Summary Intensified treatment and control efforts since the early 2000s have dramatically reduced the burden of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, drug resistance threatens to derail this progress. In this review, we present four antimalarial resistance case studies that differ in timeline, technical approaches, mechanisms of action, and categories of resistance: chloroquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, artemisinin, and piperaquine. Lessons learned from prior losses of treatment efficacy, drug combinations, and control strategies will help advance mechanistic research into how P. falciparum parasites acquire resistance to current first-line artemisinin-based combination therapies. Understanding resistance in the clinic and laboratory is essential to prolong the effectiveness of current antimalarial drugs and to optimize the pipeline of future medicines.
Thread-Lift Sutures: Anatomy, Technique, and Review of Current Literature.

The use of thread-lift sutures as an alternative to traditional surgical rhytidectomy or neck lifting is becoming a more common practice among surgeons. The Silhouette InstaLift (Sinclair Pharma, London, UK) is marketed as a minimally invasive procedure that immediately lifts and tightens the skin while stimulating fibroblast activation and collagen production. The evidence in the literature to support thread-lift sutures for facial augmentation is limited, with many studies having various degrees of bias. Our intention is to educate the oral and maxillofacial surgeon on the thread-lift suture materials, techniques, and relevant facial anatomy, as well as review the current limited data available. Using thread-lift sutures for facial augmentation is a relatively low-risk procedure that surgeons familiar with facial anatomy can offer patients either as an alternative to or in conjunction with other facial esthetic procedures such as facial filler treatment, neuromodulator treatment, or surgical procedures.
Modeling the temporal network dynamics of neuronal cultures

Neurons form complex networks that evolve over multiple time scales. In order to thoroughly characterize these networks, time dependencies must be explicitly modeled. Here, we present a statistical model that captures both the underlying structural and temporal dynamics of neuronal networks. Our model combines the class of Stochastic Block Models for community formation with Gaussian processes to model changes in the community structure as a smooth function of time. We validate our model on synthetic data and demonstrate its utility on three different studies using in vitro cultures of dissociated neurons.
The anaesthetic management of patients with thoracic ascending aortic aneurysms: A review

Thoracic aortic aneurysms present significant challenges to clinicians, especially due to their complex nature and an evolving understanding of the safest and most effective ways to manage this condition in the perioperative setting. Thoracic aortic aneurysms have a prevalence rate of 1.3-8.9% in men and 1.0-2.2% in women, and they are estimated to affect more than five per 100,000 person-years. This is notable because the complications of thoracic aortic aneurysms can be catastrophic. The current understanding of the optimal intraoperative management of thoracic aortic aneurysms is changing, as more evidence becomes available regarding lung protective ventilation and its role in enhancing patient safety and wellbeing. This review strives to provide a brief historical understanding of thoracic aortic aneurysms and highlight some of the key discoveries and advances in the management of this condition. This review then describes an overview of the general anaesthetic principles associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, including ventilatory modalities and how these impact a patient's physiology and intraoperative haemodynamics. A brief discussion on one-lung ventilation is then provided, drawing from current literature in the field, to describe the most up-to-date management of thoracic aortic aneurysms.
Antifungal Liposomes Directed by Dectin-2 Offer a Promising Therapeutic Option for Pulmonary Aspergillosis

ABSTRACT Invasive fungal diseases cause millions of deaths each year. There are currently approximately 300,000 acute cases of aspergillosis, most of which result from a pulmonary infection of immunocompromised patients by the common soil organism and opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Patients are treated with antifungal drugs, such as amphotericin B (AmB). However, AmB has serious limitations due to human organ toxicity. AmB is slightly less toxic if loaded in liposomes, such as AmBisome or AmB-loaded liposomes (AmB-LLs). Even with antifungal therapy, recurrent infections are common, and 1-year fatality rates may exceed 50%. We have previously shown that coating AmB-LLs with the extracellular oligomannan-binding domain of the C-type lectin receptor Dectin-2 (DEC2-AmB-LLs) effectively targets DEC2-AmB-LLs to cell walls, exopolysaccharide matrices, and biofilms of fungal pathogens in vitro. In vitro, DEC2-AmB-LLs reduce the effective dose of AmB for 95% inhibition and killing of A. fumigatus 10-fold compared to that of untargeted AmB-LLs. Herein we tested the antifungal activity of DEC2-AmB-LLs relative to that of untargeted AmB-LLs in immunosuppressed mice with pulmonary aspergillosis. Remarkably, DEC2-AmB-LLs bound 30-fold more efficiently to A. fumigatus at sites of infection in the lungs. Furthermore, Dectin-2-targeted liposomes delivering AmB at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg of body weight significantly reduced the fungal burden in lungs compared to results with untargeted AmB-LLs at 0.2 mg/kg and micellar voriconazole at 20 mg/kg and prolonged mouse survival. By dramatically increasing the efficacy of antifungal drugs at low doses, targeted liposomes have the potential to create a new clinical paradigm to treat diverse fungal diseases. IMPORTANCE Invasive aspergillosis (IA) generally results from a pulmonary infection of immunocompromised patients by the common soil organism and opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. The susceptible population has expanded rapidly due to the increased number of cancer patients with immunocompromising chemotherapy and transplant patients taking immunosuppressants. Patients are treated with antifungals, such as liposomal amphotericin B, with per-patient costs exceeding $50,000 in the United States. However, AmB has serious side effects due to host toxicity, which limits its usage and contributes to the lack of fungal clearance in patients at safe doses. Fifty percent of IA patients die within a year. Herein, we employed liposomal amphotericin B coated with the innate immune receptor Dectin-2 to direct antifungals specifically to the fungal pathogen. Using two mouse models of pulmonary aspergillosis, we demonstrate that Dectin-2-targeted delivery of amphotericin B to A. fumigatus resulted in remarkably higher efficacy than that of the untargeted antifungal formulations.
Effective Goals-of-Care Conversations: From Skills Training to Bedside

Introduction Goals-of-care (GOC) conversations are essential to ensure high-quality care for people with serious illness. We developed a simulation experience to train internal medicine residents i...
Disparities among Racially/Ethnically Marginalized Groups in the COVID-19 Pandemic Persist Regardless of Statewide Shelter-in-Place Policies: An Analysis from Northern California.

To measure disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) transfer among racially/ethnically marginalized groups before and after implementation of the California statewide shelter-in-place (SIP) policy, we conducted a retrospective cohort study within a health-care system in California. COVID-19 patients diagnosed from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, were identified from electronic health records. We examined hospitalizations and ICU transfers by race/ethnicity and pandemic period using logistic regression. Among 16,520 people with COVID-19 (mean age = 46.6 (standard deviation, 18.4) years; 54.2% women), during the post-SIP period, patients were on average younger and a larger proportion were Hispanic. In adjusted models, odds of hospitalization were 20% lower post-SIP as compared with the SIP period, yet all non-White groups had higher odds (odds ratios = 1.6-2.1) than non-Hispanic White individuals, regardless of period. Among hospitalized patients, odds of ICU transfer were 33% lower post-SIP than during SIP. Hispanic and Asian patients had higher odds than non-Hispanics. Disparities in hospitalization persisted and ICU risk became more pronounced for Asian and Hispanic patients post-SIP. Policy-makers should consider ways to proactively address racial/ethnic inequities in risk when considering future population-level policy interventions for public health crises.