cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resistance to Women's Ethnic Narratives in Tanzania: Two Perspectives on Identity

Two Tanzanian activists, Ruth Meena and Elieshi Lema, resist identification with their local ethnic groups in deference to their identity formation with nationalism and feminism. Both maintain that ethnicity is a politically charged term based on a colonial construct that favors patriarchy and describes all women’s ethnicity generically without questioning their positionality. Meena as a political scientist at the University of Dar es Salaam and Lema as a writer and editor of E & D Publishing, provide evidence for their professional roles having moved beyond ethnic boundaries due to their educational opportunities and the influence of feminist thinking. In the construction of their culture, as activists, scholars, teachers, and writers, they have re-imagined how to live their lives, so that they could actively participate in the struggle for nationhood, gender equality, educational access, economic independence and community development. Meena and Lema have also demonstrated through their writing of books and articles, the possibility for women to rewrite history with a different emphasis and orientation.
Exceptional Scope as Discourse Reference to Quantificational Dependencies

The paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of exceptional scope (ES) of (in)definites, exemplified by the widest and intermediate scope readings of the sentence Every student of mine read every poem that a famous Romanian poet wrote . We propose that the ES readings have two sources: (i ) discourse anaphora to particular sets of entities and quantificational dependencies between these entities that restrict the domain of quantification of the two universal determiners and the indefinite article; (ii ) non-local accommodation of the discourse referent that restricts the quantificational domain of the indefinite article. Our account, formulated within a compositional dynamic system couched in classical type logic, relies on two independently motivated assumptions: (a ) the discourse context stores not only (sets of) individuals, but also quantificational dependencies between them, and (b ) quantifier domains are always contextually restricted. Under this analysis, (in)definites are unambiguous and there is no need for special choice-functional variables to derive exceptional scope readings.
Habitat use by mountain quail in Northern California

We studied habitat use by Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) at four sites in northern California. Vegetative cover types (macrohabitats) were used in proportion to availability. Significant microhabitat variables which distinguished used from available microhabitat structure included proximity to water and tall, dense shrubs. Mountain Quail population densities ranged from 9 to 30 birds per 100 ha; populations with greater densities used a larger range of the available microhabitat structure.
Surface Morphology of Gallium Phosphide Deposited by Chemical Beam Epitaxy and Interrupted Cycle Chemical Beam Epitaxy

In this paper, we describe the relation of the surface morphology of GaP grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) and interrupted cycle chemical beam epitaxy (ICCBE) to the deposition conditions on (001) Si. The films were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Initial stages of the films grown by CBE using triethylgallium (TEG) and tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP) examined by SEM reveals in addition to GaP nuclei at 10–100 nm scale, whiskers of typically 100 nm diameter at their bases. AFM measurements yield an average height of these whiskers of 50 nm that self-terminate and are incorporated into the GaP film upon further growth without loss of epitaxy as determined by x-ray diffraction. Nevertheless, the whiskers are a possible source for defects and surface roughness in thicker films. Whisker formation can be suppressed under conditions of ICCBE by the addition of hydrogen flow, sealing the silicon surface by a smooth thin film of GaP.
Comparative enzyme patterns in Thamnidium elegans and T. anomalum.

Mycelial extracts from five isolates of Thamnidium elegans and two isolates of T. anomalum were examined by starch gel zymography for ten different enzyme activities. Although enzyme patterns were found to be essentially identical for all isolates within a species, marked interspecific differences were observed. These findings provide additional insight into the nature of interand intraspecific genetic relationships among fungi. Further, their agreement with the current separation of these species suggests that starch gel zymography can provide the mycologist with new and more quantitative taxonomic criteria.
Boundary-layer bleed through micro holes

Computations were performed to investigate the effects of bleeding a supersonic-boundary-layer flow into a plenum through four rows of micro holes that are arranged in a staggered fashion. The diameter of each hole (D) is l/100 of the approaching boundary-layer thickness. Two di.&erent spacings between bleed holes were studied, one with longer streamwise distance (1.78D) and shorter spanwise distance (D) and another with shorter streamwise distance (D) and longer spanwise distance (1.78D). Results obtained show that bleed through the flrstand second-row holes trigger a “barrier” shock in those holes. Bleed through downstream thirdand fourth-row holes do not. The pressure drop in the firstand secondrow holes because of expansion waves propagates upstream through the subsonic part of the boundary layer. Though Mach numbers downstream of the “barrier” shocks are lower than that upstream, the velocity and xmomentum profiles are fuller because of bleed. Bleed rate was found to be significantly affected by spanwise distance between holes.
Rapid identification of an arbovirus by observation of its morphogenesis in the electron microscope.

A major outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), which occurred in Houston, Texas in 1964 [1], led to the establishment of the Harris County Mosquito Control District and to a system of surveillance for encephalitis in the geographical area of Houston-Harris County. Surveillance for encephalitis consists of collecting and testing mosquitoes, avian blood, and paired human sera in suspected cases of encephalitis. Since the 1964 epidemic of SLE, Flanders virus [2] has been isolated from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Say) mosquitoes collected in 1964 (strain TH447f) and 1969 (strain AR 209) in Houston. The purpose of the surveillance program is the early detection of mosquitoes that carry viruses and the identification of the viruses, particularly as regards their pathogenic potential for human beings in the community. Early identification of SLE virus would immediately call into play more active programs to control mosquitoes. After a community has had a major epidemic of SLE [1], every viral isolation from mosquitoes causes apprehension about the health of the community until the virus is identified. The early identification of any virus carried by mosquitoes is an essential public health measure. Six pools of mosquitoes collected between May 8 and June 20, 1970, caused encephalitis and death in newborn mice 4-6 days after intracerebral inoculation. The pools contained C. pipiens quinquefasciatus. Brains of encephalitic mice that had received inoculations from pool no. 2690 were examined by electron microscopy;
Ethnocracy, Israel and India

This articles examines majoritarianism, democracy and the status of minorities in Israel and India comparatively, using the concept of ethnocracy as an analytical frame. It argues that whereas the ...
Child Passenger Safety Training for Pediatric Interns: Does it Work?

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy of a child passenger safety (CPS) educational intervention on the CPS-related knowledge, attitude and anticipatory guidance behaviors of pediatric interns. METHODS: All subjects were surveyed at baseline and 6 months. Intervention interns attended a CPS training module which included viewing an educational video, observing a car seat inspection appointment, hands-on practice and completion of a post-intervention survey. RESULTS: All 16 intervention interns completed the initial survey, the intervention and the immediate-post questionnaire. Thirteen (81%) completed the 6-month follow-up. The baseline survey was completed by 27/40 (67%) of control interns, 28/40 (70%) submitted a follow-up. The proportion of intervention interns who self-reported giving CPS guidance at all well-child visits increased by 31.3% (95% CI 6.1,56.5%); the control group had no change. Similar results were seen with self-reported knowledge and attitude. CONCLUSIONS: A CPS training module increases pediatric interns’ knowledge, improves attitudes, and self-reported behaviors regarding CPS-related anticipatory guidance.
Tuning the CO-Reduction Product Distribution by Structural Modification of the Cu Electrode Surface

The electrochemical reduction of CO_2 on copper electrodes is known to generate a wide variety of products that include low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons and oxygenates. The product distribution can be regulated to yield a single liquid fuel by the control, at the atomic level, of the structure of the electrode surface. The reaction of interest was the selective CO-to-C_2H_5OH reduction at low potential in alkaline solution. The seriatim or sequential use of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry allowed the identification of a particular surface structure responsible for a specific product selectivity. Monolayer-limited Cu ↔ Cu_2O oxidation-reduction cycles (ORC) in 0.1 M KOH transformed the reconstructed Cu(pc)-[Cu(100)] surface to an ordered stepped surface, Cu(S)-[3(100)×(111)], or Cu(511) that led to the exclusive production of ethanol. Despite the potential cycles, Cu(111) and (110) surfaces did not produce ethanol. The Cu(111) surface retained its pristine arrangement after a potential hold at -0.9 V and subsequent ORC. Under similar potentiostatic conditions, the Cu(110) surface became Cu(110)-[Cu(100)]; ORC of the reconstructed surface ultimately formed Cu(110)-[Cu(111)].
FIR polarimetry on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

A three-chord FIR Polarimeter has been in operation since 2012 on Alcator C-Mod. It has been used to study changes in plasma current density profiles and magnetic and density fluctuations 1,2. Two 200 mW lasers operating near 2.55 THz, but with a frequency offset, are combined to generate a beam with a rotating polarization. Phase comparisons of signals from before and after transmission through the plasma allow the Faraday Effect, which is proportional to the line integral of the product of the magnetic field component along the beam and the electron density, to be measured. The lasers and control electronics, detectors and amplifiers, and the optical layout will be described. Sources of system noise will be discussed. Data from C-Mod plasmas showing the effects of lower hybrid current drive and ICRF heating, and both narrow-band and turbulent fluctuation spectra will be presented.
Discriminable stimuli produced by alcohol and other CNS depressants.

Discriminability from the nondrug condition constitutes a recently discovered attribute of drugs. One of the early findings (Overton, 1966) was that rats trained to discriminate pentobarbital from the nondrug condition chose the drug response in tests with several other sedative-hypnotic drugs (phenobarbital, ethyl alcohol, ethyl carbamate) and also with anti-anxiety agents (chlordiazepoxide, meprobamate). This indicated similarity among these drugs with respect to stimulus attributes.
Role of Homeobox Genes in Normal Mammary Gland Development and Breast Tumorigenesis

The role of homeobox-containing genes in embryogenesis and organogenesis is well documented. Also, a sizeable body of evidence has accumulated and supports the fact that homeobox genes, when dysregulated, are involved in tumorigenesis. However, the precise mechanisms of homeobox gene functions are largely unknown. The mammary gland, in which most maturation occurs postnatally, provides an ideal model for studying the functions of homeobox genes in both development and tumorigenesis. The expression of many homeobox genes has been detected in both normal mammary gland and neoplastic breast tissues. In the normal mammary gland, the expression of homeobox genes is coordinately regulated by hormone and extracellular matrix (ECM) and other unknown factors in a spatial and temporal manner in both stromal and epithelial cells. Animals with misexpressed homeobox genes displayed different extents of defects in ductal proliferation, side branching, and alveoli formation, implying that homeobox genes are important for normal mammary gland development. Recent studies of homeobox genes in breast cancer cells and primary tumors indicate that they may also play a contributory or causal role in tumorigenesis by regulating the cell cycle, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and/or metastasis.
Infusing creativity into crisis management: An essential approach today.

No organization is immune to crises. From the global financial debacle, record-setting bankruptcies and hostile takeovers, to H1N1 and the international reach of contaminated milk, crises challenge leaders in extraordinary ways. If you have ever been involved in an organizational crisis, you know first-hand that resolution requires creative thinking. If you have managed crises, you have probably experienced a sense of confusion or seizing up just when open, creative thinking and action are needed most. By definition, crisis conditions present unforeseen or unmet challenges that can only be addressed by innovative responses. Tried and trusted methods fall short when a crisis hits, whether the pressing situations involve product defects, environmental contamination, consumer injury, threats to brand integrity or some other calamity.
A descriptive analysis of programs serving foster care alumni in higher education: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract Foster care alumni experience a number of challenges related to accessing and completing postsecondary education, however little is known about the programs that currently exist in the United States that support this group of students in college. This study sought to build on previous work that calls for the need to develop programs to support foster care alumni in higher education and to obtain a better understanding of the characteristics of existing programs and the perceived programmatic and student challenges as reported by program directors and staff, faculty, and researchers. Eight-one program directors, staff, and researchers in 22 states participated in an online survey about their perceptions of challenges related to programs supporting foster care alumni in college and challenges students experienced. The survey also elicited information about program and student characteristics. Results indicate several challenges related to financial support, student engagement, student housing, and helping students manage family and personal issues. This information created the foundation for a discussion about implications for future research, programs, practice, and policy related to foster care alumni in higher education.
Rethinking Connections between Research and Practice in Education: A Conceptual Framework.

Recent efforts to improve the quality and availability of scientific research in education, coupled with increased expectations for the use of research in practice, demand new ways of thinking abou...
A Pan-Cancer Analysis of Enhancer Expression in Nearly 9000 Patient Samples.

The role of enhancers, a key class of non-coding regulatory DNA elements, in cancer development has increasingly been appreciated. Here, we present the detection and characterization of a large number of expressed enhancers in a genome-wide analysis of 8928 tumor samples across 33 cancer types using TCGA RNA-seq data. Compared with matched normal tissues, global enhancer activation was observed in most cancers. Across cancer types, global enhancer activity was positively associated with aneuploidy, but not mutation load, suggesting a hypothesis centered on “chromatin-state” to explain their interplay. Integrating eQTL, mRNA co-expression, and Hi-C data analysis, we developed a computational method to infer causal enhancer-gene interactions, revealing enhancers of clinically actionable genes. Having identified an enhancer ∼140 kb downstream of PD-L1, a major immunotherapy target, we validated it experimentally. This study provides a systematic view of enhancer activity in diverse tumor contexts and suggests the clinical implications of enhancers. Causal enhancer-target-gene relationships are inferred from a systematic analysis of 33 cancer types.
Energy Assimilation in a Polymorphic Salamander, Plethodon angusticlavius

Abstract Several species within the terrestrial salamander genus Plethodon exhibit color polymorphisms consisting of individuals with a dorsal stripe (striped) and individuals lacking this feature ...
Metabolomic analysis of mammalian cells and human tissue through one-pot two stage derivatizations using sheathless capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry.

Abstract Analysis of metabolites is often performed using separations coupled to mass spectrometry which is challenging due to their vast structural heterogeneity and variable charge states. Metabolites are often separated based on their class/functional group which in large part determine their acidity or basicity. This charge state dictates the ionization mode and efficiency of the molecule. To improve the sensitivity and expand the coverage of the mammalian metabolome, multifunctional derivatization with sheathless CE-ESI-MS was undertaken. In this work, amines, hydroxyls and carboxylates were labeled with tertiary amines tags. This derivatization was performed in under 100 min and resulted in high positive charge states for all analytes investigated. Amino acids and organic acids showed average limits of detection of 76 nM with good linearity of 0.96 and 10% RSD for peak area. Applying this metabolomic profiling system to bovine aortic endothelial cells showed changes in 15 metabolites after treatment with high glucose. The sample injection volume on-capillary was
Maintenance Testing of Stray Current Control Equipment on DC Transit Systems - Present and Future

Traditional tests to ascertain the effectiveness of stray current control usually are time-consuming, expensive, and must be conducted in the predawn hours during train downtime. These tests are critical to both the transit company and adjacent utility operators to warn of impending stray current problems. This article discusses traditional as well as new, indirect methods of obtaining stray current data to ascertain if follow-up, detailed, tradiational tests are required. It presents practical examples that have provided reliable results on actual operating systems. Indirect tests reduce costs and time usage but still provide accurate data.
Generalized Transforms and Functions

In Chapter 2 the basic definitions of Fourier transforms were introduced along with sufficient conditions for the transforms to exist. In this chapter we extend the Fourier transform definitions to include some important signals violating the sufficient conditions seen thus far. We shall see that in some cases the extension is straightforward and simply replaces the basic definitions by a limiting form. In other cases the definitions cannot be patched up so easily and we need to introduce more general ideas of functions or signals in order to construct useful Fourier transform pairs. The emphasis in this chapter is on continuous time, since that is where most of the difficulties arise.
Evaluation of hot water and electron beam irradiation for reducing Fusarium infection in malting barley.

The use of Fusarium-infected barley for malting may lead to mycotoxin production and decreased product quality. Physical methods for the treatment of Fusarium-infected barley may prevent these safety and quality defects and allow the use of otherwise good quality barley. Hot water and electron beam irradiation were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing Fusarium infection while maintaining germinative energy in barley samples. Hot-water treatments involved temperatures of 45, 50, 55, and 60°C and treatment times of 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 min. Electron beam irradiation involved doses ranging from 0 to 11.4 kGy. Treatment with water at 45°C for 15 min resulted in a reduction in Fusarium infection from 32 to 1% after 15 min, with only a very slight reduction in germination. Treatment with water at 50°C for 1 min resulted in a reduction in Fusarium infection from 32 to 2%, and no effect on germination was observed for up to 5 min of treatment. At higher water temperatures, Fusarium infection was essential...
A novel depth-of-interaction rebinning strategy for ultrahigh resolution PET

Small animal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging often requires high resolution (∼few hundred microns) to enable accurate quantitation in small structures such as animal brains. Recently, we have developed a prototype ultrahigh resolution depth-of-interaction (DOI) PET system that uses CdZnTe detectors with a detector pixel size of 350 μm and eight DOI layers with a 250 μm depth resolution. Due to the large number of line-of-response (LOR) combinations of DOIs, the system matrix for reconstruction is 64 times larger than that without DOI. While a high resolution virtual ring geometry can be employed to simplify the system matrix and create a sinogram, the LORs in such a sinogram tend to be sparse and irregular, leading to potential degradation of the reconstructed image quality. In this paper, we propose a novel high resolution sinogram rebinning method in which a uniform sub-sampling DOI strategy is employed. However, even with the high resolution rebinning strategy, the reconstructed image tends to be very noisy due to insufficient photon counts in many high resolution sinogram pixels. To reduce noise effects, we developed a penalized maximum likelihood reconstruction framework with the Poisson log-likelihood and a non-convex total variation penalty. Here, an ordered subsets separable quadratic surrogate and alternating direction method of multipliers are utilized to solve the optimization. To evaluate the performance of the proposed sub-sampling method and the penalized maximum likelihood reconstruction technique, we perform simulations and preliminary point source experiments. By comparing the reconstructed images and profiles based on sinograms without DOI, with rebinned DOI and with sub-sampled DOI, we demonstrate that the proposed method with sub-sampled DOIs can significantly improve the image quality with lower dose and yield a high resolution of <300 μm.
A longitudinal study of work-related injuries: comparisons of health and work-related consequences between injured and uninjured aging United States adults

Age may affect one’s susceptibility to the myriad physical hazards that may pose risks for work-related injuries. Aging workers are not only at risk for work-related injuries but, also, at even higher risk for more severe health and work-related consequences. However, limited longitudinal research efforts have focused on such injuries among the aging workforce. This study aimed to investigate the association between physical work-related factors and injuries among United States (U.S.) workers, and then compare the injured and uninjured workers with regard to consequences including, functional limitations, and reduced working hours post injury. A cohort of 7212 U.S. workers aged 50 years and above from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study were retrospectively followed from 2004 to 2014. Data on exposures were lagged by one survey wave prior to the outcome of work-related injuries and consequences, respectively. Crude and adjusted incident rate ratios, and hazard ratios were estimated using generalized estimating equations and Cox models. Risk of experiencing a work-related injury event was over two times greater among those whose job had work requirements for physical effort, lifting heavy loads, and stooping/kneeling/crouching, compared to those who did not. Over time, injured compared to uninjured workers had higher risks of functional limitations and working reduced hours. The aging workforce is at a high risk of experiencing injuries. Further, injured adults were not only more likely to incur a disability prohibiting daily life-related activities, over time, but, also, were more likely to work reduced hours. It will be important to consider accommodations to minimize functional limitations that may impair resulting productivity.
Servitization meets sustainability

Companies that have traditionally sold physical products have begun to increase “services” offered alongside the product. Sometimes businesses have even gone to the extreme of selling only the “benefit” of the physical good as a service, while retaining ownership of the service-supporting good, such as the Xerox copier in your office. This movement is frequently referred to as “servitization” (Baines et al. 2009), which is sometimes illustrated by the popular saying: “people don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.” We argue that, with servitization, because the supplying company retain ownership of the physical good supporting the service provided, the company is incentivized to put increased efforts, from design to disposal of the physical good, into designing in processes that will maximize the value that can be recouped from the good after the end of its economic life. This would be consistent with efforts toward increased sustainability in supply chains. In the traditional transactional sale of physical goods companies does not have an incentive to make decisions aimed at keeping the value of the product throughout its economic life. Companies would not be interested in extending its economic life either, or even being concerned about how reusable, remanufacture-able, refurbish-able or recyclable the product is. This has implications for the level of environmental sustainability achieved.
Parenteral Support and Central Venous Access Overview

Abstract Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapy requiring careful monitoring in the hospital and home settings. While PN has been a life-sustaining therapy for many patients with short bowel syndrome and other conditions causing gastrointestinal dysfunction, it is not without potential for complications. Diligent selection of appropriate patients, practice-based clinical monitoring, and vascular access selection require the nutrition support clinician to oversee many facets in developing an individualized nutrition care plan.
Heritability, stability, and prevalence of tonic and phasic irritability as indicators of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Background Little is known about genetic and environmental influences on the components of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), tonic irritability (i.e., irritable mood) and phasic irritability (i.e., temper outbursts). This study examined prevalence, stability, and heritability of tonic irritability, phasic irritability, and a DMDD proxy (pDMDD) based on DSM-5 criteria. Methods pDMDD was derived using data from clinical interviews of parents and their twins (N = 1,431 twin pairs), ages 8-17, participating in Waves 1 and 2 of the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development. Biometrical modeling was used to compare a common pathway model (CPM) and an independent pathway model (IPM), and heritability estimates were obtained for pDMDD using the symptoms of irritable mood (tonic irritability; DMDD Criterion D), intense temper outbursts (phasic irritability; DMDD Criterion A), and frequent temper outbursts (phasic irritability; DMDD Criterion C). Results Lifetime prevalence of pDMDD was 7.46%. The stability of DMDD symptoms and the pDMDD phenotype across approximately one year were moderate (.30-.69). A CPM was a better fit to the data than an IPM. Phasic irritability loaded strongly onto the pDMDD latent factor (.89-.96) whereas tonic irritability did not (.28). Genetic influences accounted for approximately 59% of the variance in the latent pDMDD phenotype, with the remaining 41% of the variance due to unique environmental effects. The heritability of tonic irritability (54%) was slightly lower than that of frequent and intense temper (components of phasic irritability; 61% and 63%, respectively). Conclusions Compared to tonic irritability, phasic irritability appears to be slightly more stable and heritable, as well as a stronger indicator of the latent factor. Furthermore, environmental experiences appear to play a substantial role in the development of irritability and DMDD, and researchers should seek to elucidate these mechanisms in future work.
Information Gaps in Newborn Care and Their Potential for Harm

Article-at-a-Glance Background Access to complete and correct patient information is vital for physicians to make appropriate patient care decisions and to avoid medical errors. However, the perinatal period represents a unique situation in which care of the fetus is initiated by an obstetrician and then assumed by either a pediatrician or a family practice physician after birth. This often abrupt handoff of care has the potential to result in an inadequate transfer of information and significant gaps in care. A study was conducted to determine the presence and extent of information gaps in newborn care. Methods Maternal demographics and history, and results of all prenatal laboratory tests, were obtained from maternal interviews and medical records. The collected data were compared with information in infant medical records. A positive maternal history not documented in the infant medical record was counted as an information gap. Results Of 72 enrolled mother-infant dyads, nearly all (71 [99%]) of mothers had at least one positive history in the areas reviewed, and 59 (82%) newborn charts had one or more information gaps. Thirty-eight (53%) newborn charts had one of two or fewer information gaps, and 17 (24%) had four or more information gaps. None of the infants with a maternal history of depression, positive family history of an infectious disease, potentially inheritable genetic disorder, or family history of phototherapy or exchange transfusion had these documented in their medical records. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that significant information gaps are common in newborn care at birth and may have the potential for an adverse impact on the care and outcomes of the newborn. Obtaining a history directly from the parents rather than relying on maternal medical records may minimize or eliminate these information gaps and thus improve newborn care.
Was Jesus of Nazareth a Monotheist? Conversation with Cultural Studies:

Did Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman and born under the law, confess the Shema like all other Israelites? Was he a monotheist? Although scholarship argues that there were many types of monotheism...
Resting-State Structure and Gating Mechanism of a Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel

Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels initiate action potentials in nerve, muscle, and other electrically excitable cells. The structural basis of voltage gating is uncertain because the resting state exists only at deeply negative membrane potentials. To stabilize the resting conformation, we inserted voltage-shifting mutations and introduced a disulfide crosslink in the VS of the ancestral bacterial sodium channel NaVAb. Here, we present a cryo-EM structure of the resting state and a complete voltage-dependent gating mechanism. The S4 segment of the VS is drawn intracellularly, with three gating charges passing through the transmembrane electric field. This movement forms an elbow connecting S4 to the S4-S5 linker, tightens the collar around the S6 activation gate, and prevents its opening. Our structure supports the classical "sliding helix" mechanism of voltage sensing and provides a complete gating mechanism for voltage sensor function, pore opening, and activation-gate closure based on high-resolution structures of a single sodium channel protein.
CORRELATED LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDIES OF THE CELL WALLS OF FUCUS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses correlated light and electron microscope studies of the cell walls of Fucus. New fixation and embedding techniques have allowed the study of 1 μ sections of the cell walls of Fucus tissues, and these observations have been extended by electron microscopy of adjacent sections. The mature thallus of Fucus contains four cell types, namely, a single layer of polarized epidermal cells, several underlying layers of parenchyma, and an interior reticulum of branched primary filaments and secondary intrusive fibers, which are embedded in a mucilaginous matrix. All of these cell types have thick fibrillar walls. An amorphous layer covers the outer wall of the epidermis. The walls of these cells and the parenchyma cell walls are fibrillar with narrow, nonfibrillar middle lamellae. The thick walls of the primary filaments have a fringe of microfibrils that project into the surrounding matrix; the secondary fiber walls are also densely fibrillar but lack this fringe.
Gemcitabine-containing regimens vs others in first-line treatment of NSCLC.

Standard first-line chemotherapy regimens in advanced non-smallcell lung cancer (NSCLC) include carboplatin (Paraplatin)/paclitaxel, cisplatin/docetaxel (Taxotere), cisplatin/gemcitabine (Gemzar), and cisplatin/vinorelbine (Navelbine). An informal meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials of these regimens in NSCLC indicates no marked differences in terms of response rates or survival, but toxicity advantages with cisplatin/gemcitabine and cisplatin/vinorelbine regimens. An informal meta-analysis to assess the feasibility of substituting carboplatin for cisplatin in combination with gemcitabine or docetaxel shows no marked differences in efficacy between cisplatin- and carboplatincontaining regimens, although a slight trend favoring carboplatin/ gemcitabine treatment may be observed; comparison of toxicity profiles among carboplatin-based regimens suggests advantages for carboplatin/gemcitabine treatment. A formal meta-analysis of 13 trials comparing gemcitabine/platinum combinations with other platinumbased regimens in NSCLC indicates significant improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival with gemcitabine/ platinum treatment. On balance, available data suggest that carboplatin/ gemcitabine may be the first-line option with the best therapeutic index.
Flexible and Linker-Free Enzymatic Sensors Based on Zinc Oxide Nanoflakes for Noninvasive L-Lactate Sensing in Sweat

We report on a highly sensitive, selective, and flexible enzymatic sensor based on Zinc oxide nanoflakes (ZnO NFs) for noninvasive L-lactate sensing in sweat. A single step sonochemical process was used to synthesize ZnO NFs on gold-coated flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The lactate oxidase enzyme (LOx) immobilized on the as-synthesized ZnO-NFs-based sensing electrode provided a high level of selectivity for lactate sensing. The sensor was tested in the range of 10 pM–20 mM, which covers the entire physiological range and demonstrated the sensitivity of $11.76~\mu \text{A}$ /decade/cm2 and the limit of detection (LoD) of 1.26 nM. The presented sensor does not require a linker due to the high isoelectric point of ZnO-NFs yet demonstrated ~55 times better response compared to conventional gold electrodes with a linker. Our statistical analysis showed that the sensor also has high reproducibility.
Book Review: “Indebted: How Families Make College Work at Any Cost”

In _Indebted: How Families Make College Work at Any Cost_, Caitlin Zaloom gives a compelling anthropological vision of the struggles that families face in providing financial support to their undergraduates. But even more astounding than these heart-wrenching stories is Zaloom's lack of economic understanding of both the causes and solutions to the difficulties that families face in funding the higher education of their children. The systems that caused the increase in prices of tuition, room and board, and textbooks--including government-backed loans and aid for higher education--need sound economic assessment.
Clinical Outcomes With the Use of Prophylactic Versus Therapeutic Anticoagulation in COVID-19

Background: This study is the first of its kind to assess the impact of preemptive therapeutic dose anticoagulation on mortality compared to prophylactic anticoagulation among COVID-19 patients. Its findings provide insight to clinicians regarding the management of COVID-19, particularly with the known prothrombotic state. Research Question: To determine the impact of anticoagulation on in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 positive patients with the a priori hypothesis that there would be a lower risk of in-hospital mortality with use of preemptive therapeutic over prophylactic dose enoxaparin or heparin. Study Design and Methods: Study Design: Retrospective cohort study from April 1 - April 25, 2020. The date of final follow-up was June 12, 2020. Setting: Two large, acute care hospitals in Western Connecticut. Participants: Five hundred and one inpatients were identified after discharge as 18 years or older and positive for SARS-CoV-2. The final sample size included 374 patients after applying exclusion criteria. Demographic variables were collected via hospital billing inquiries, while the clinical variables were abstracted from patients medical records. Exposure: Preemptive enoxaparin or heparin at a therapeutic or prophylactic dose. Main Outcome: In-hospital mortality. Results: When comparing preemptive therapeutic to prophylactic anticoagulation through multi-variable analysis, risk of in-hospital mortality was 2.3 times greater in patients receiving preemptive therapeutic anticoagulation (95% CI = 1.0, 4.9; p = 0.04). Interpretation: An increase in in-hospital mortality was observed with preemptive therapeutic anticoagulation. Thus, in the management of COVID-19 and its complications, we recommend further research and cautious use of preemptive therapeutic over prophylactic anticoagulation.
Postdischarge Opioid Use after Lower Extremity Bypass Surgery.

Background Opioid overprescription for acute postoperative pain is an inadvertent contributor to the opioid epidemic via pill diversion and misuse. In response, the surgical community advocates for evidence-based postoperative opioid prescribing guidelines. The objective of this study is to evaluate patient-reported opioid consumption after lower extremity bypass surgery. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of infrainguinal bypass operations from 2016 to 2019. For patients receiving an opioid prescription at discharge, a telephone survey was administered questioning the percentage of pills used. Exclusion criteria included chronic opioid use and reoperations or amputations within 30 days. The primary outcome was the difference in opioids prescribed versus opioids consumed. Results Forty-nine patients met inclusion criteria. Forty-one (84%) were prescribed opioids at discharge, and 27 (65.9%) completed the survey. The average age was 65.8 ± 7.7 years; 29.6% were women. Oxycodone immediate-release was most commonly prescribed (78%). On average, patients received 318 ± 156 morphine milligram equivalent. A total of 940 opioid pills were prescribed (36.0 ± 11.3 per patient), but only 37% were consumed. This difference resulted in 568 unused pills. Conclusions This is the first study to specifically evaluate opioid use in a strictly lower extremity bypass population. Over 60% of pills were unused, which poses significant societal risk for misuse. Our findings contribute to knowledge of operation-specific opioid use, which may shape practice recommendations and reduce opioid overprescription after vascular surgery.
Perinatal outcomes in women with elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension.

Background Hypertension was redefined in 2017 with lower diagnostic thresholds; elevated blood pressure is defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 129 mm Hg with diastolic blood pressure of Objective This study aimed to determine whether elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension as newly defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association guidelines are associated with an increased risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and other adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Study Design In this retrospective cohort study, 18,801 women with singletons from 2013 to 2019 were categorized as normotensive, prehypertensive (elevated blood pressure), stage 1 hypertensive, or chronic hypertensive. Women with ≥2 systolic blood pressures of 120 to 129 mm Hg before 20 weeks’ gestation were classified into the elevated blood pressure group. Women with ≥2 systolic blood pressures of 130 to 139 mm Hg or ≥2 diastolic blood pressures of 80 to 89 mm Hg before 20 weeks’ gestation were assigned to the stage 1 hypertension group. Women were classified as chronic hypertensives if they had any of the following: ≥2 systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mm Hg or ≥2 diastolic blood pressure of ≥90 mm Hg before 20 weeks’ gestation, a history of chronic hypertension, or antihypertensive medication use before 20 weeks’ gestation. Women with pregestational diabetes, lupus, or Results Of the 18,801 women, 13,478 (71.7%) were normotensive, 2659 (14.1%) had elevated blood pressure, 1384 (7.4%) were stage 1 hypertensive, and 1280 (6.8%) were chronic hypertensive. A dose-response relationship was observed: the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increased from 4.2% in normotensive women to 6.7% (adjusted odds ratio, 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–1.79) in women with elevated blood pressure, to 10.9% (adjusted odds ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.09–3.08) in women with stage 1 hypertension, and 28.4% (adjusted odds ratio, 7.14; 95% confidence interval, 6.06–8.40) in women with chronic hypertension. Compared with normotensive women, women with stage 1 hypertension had an increased risk of neonatal intensive care unit admissions (15.8% vs 13.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.42), preterm birth at Conclusion Our study demonstrates that elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension, using the 2017 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association guideline definition, are associated with increased maternal and neonatal risk. This group of women warrants further investigation to determine whether pregnancy management can be altered to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity.
Surgical Residents' Perceptions of the Impact of Productivity-Based Faculty Compensation at an Academic Medical Center.

Abstract Background Academic medical centers have increasingly adopted productivity-based compensation models for faculty. The potential exists for conflict between financial incentives and the quality of surgical resident education. This study aims to examine surgical residents’ perceptions regarding the impact of productivity-based compensation on education. Methods Following implementation of a productivity-based compensation plan, a survey of surgical residents (general surgery, plastic surgery, otolaryngology, urology, orthopedic surgery, and neurosurgery) was conducted to examine perceptions of its impact on didactics, patient care, surgical technique, teaching in the operating room, and financial considerations. Survey data were prospectively collected and analyzed. A retrospective analysis of relative value units (RVUs) was also performed. Results Following implementation of the productivity-based compensation plan, annual work RVUs increased by 8.9% in surgery as a whole, with increases observed within all surgical subspecialties. A total of 100 surveys were sent and 35 were completed (35% response rate and at least 30% within each surgical subspecialty). Forty-nine percent of participants perceived an increased focus on clinical productivity by faculty. Thirty-seven percent reported learning more about RVUs and Current Procedural Terminology coding. Most residents reported that the compensation plan did not have an impact on their education with respect to didactics (77%), patient care (94%), surgical technique (97%), and teaching in the operating room (83%). Conclusions Increased clinical productivity in the setting of an RVU-based compensation plan was not perceived by most surgical residents to have impacted their education. In some cases, this model may enhance education in relation to RVUs, Current Procedural Terminology coding, and the financial aspects of surgery.
Association of Comorbid Diabetes With Clinical Outcomes and Healthcare Utilization in Colorectal Cancer Survivors.

Objectives To compare clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors with and without diabetes. Sample & setting CRC survivors (N = 3,287) were identified from a statewide electronic health record database using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Data were extracted on adults aged 21 years or older with an initial diagnosis of stage II or III CRC with diabetes present before CRC diagnosis or no diagnosis of diabetes (control). Methods & variables ICD codes were used to extract diabetes diagnosis and clinical outcome variables. Healthcare utilization was determined by encounter type. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariable logistic, and Cox regression. Results CRC survivors with diabetes were more likely to develop anemia and infection than CRC survivors without diabetes. In addition, CRC survivors with diabetes were more likely to utilize emergency resources sooner than CRC survivors without diabetes. Implications for nursing Oncology nurses can facilitate the early identification of high-risk survivor groups, reducing negative clinical outcomes and unnecessarily high healthcare resource utilization in CRC survivors with diabetes.
Using interdisciplinary, phylogeny-guided approaches to understand the evolution of plant metabolism.

To cope with relentless environmental pressures, plants produce an arsenal of structurally diverse chemicals, often called specialized metabolites. These lineage-specific compounds are derived from the simple building blocks made by ubiquitous core metabolic pathways. Although the structures of many specialized metabolites are known, the underlying metabolic pathways and the evolutionary events that have shaped the plant chemical diversity landscape are only beginning to be understood. However, with the advent of multi-omics data sets and the relative ease of studying pathways in previously intractable non-model species, plant specialized metabolic pathways are now being systematically identified. These large datasets also provide a foundation for comparative, phylogeny-guided studies of plant metabolism. Comparisons of metabolic traits and features like chemical abundances, enzyme activities, or gene sequences from phylogenetically diverse plants provide insights into how metabolic pathways evolved. This review highlights the power of studying evolution through the lens of comparative biochemistry, particularly how placing metabolism into a phylogenetic context can help a researcher identify the metabolic innovations enabling the evolution of structurally diverse plant metabolites.
The Titration of the Cardiac Glycoside Binding Site of the (Na+ + K+)-Adenosine Triphosphatase

Abstract N-(4'-Amino-n-butyl)-3-aminoacetylstrophanthidin is a potent inhibitor of the (Na+ + K+)-adenosine triphosphatase, with a dissociation constant two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the parent compound, strophanthidin. The kinetics of inhibition of this new compound is qualitatively similar to that of strophanthidin. The difference in free energy of binding of the new inhibitor to the form of the enzyme present at saturating concentrations of sodium and MgATP and no potassium and the form present at saturating concentrations of potassium and MgATP and no sodium has been calculated. A kinetic titration of the cardiac glycoside binding sites of several preparations of the enzyme demonstrates that there is one cardiac glycoside binding site for each molecule of the polypeptide chain which is phosphorylated during turnover of the enzyme.