cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The current status of hypolipidemic drugs.

Dietary counseling is recommended as the first step in management of the patient with an abnormally high plasma cholesterol or triglyceride level. If diet alone does not bring about a satisfactory reduction, addition of a lipid-lowering drug should be considered.
Die Beziehungen von Kalium und Hämoglobin im Verlauf der osmotischen Hämolyse

Venoses, mit Heparin ungerinnbar gemachtes Blut (Vollblut oder Erythrocyten) von 22 Kindern wurde durch Zusatz ansteigender Mengen Aqua bidest stufenweise hamolysiert. Aus dem Hamolysat wurden Kalium- und Hamoglobinkonzentrationen zueinander in Beziehung gesetzt. Es ergab sich eine typische sigmaformige Hamolysekurve mit engen Beziehungen zwischen Kalium und Hamoglobin. Die Beziehung des prozentualen Anstiegs von Kalium und Hamoglobin wurde durch Anwendung quadratischer Funktionen untersucht. Zu Beginn der Hamolyse ist der Anstieg der Kaliumkonzentration groser als der der Hamoglobinkonzentration. Diese Differenz nimmt mit zunehmender Hamolyse ab. Diese Ergebnisse stimmen mit der Vorstellung eines „prolytischen” Kaliumverlusts bei der osmotischen Hamolyse uberein. Die Erythrocytenmembran wird fur Kationen bereits durchgangig, bevor Hamoglobin austreten kann. Mit Hilfe der quadratischen Funktion y=a+bx+cx 2 lassen sich die Beziehungen zwischen Kalium und Hamoglobin in jedem Stadium der Hamolyse beschreiben. Damit ist eine Methode angegeben, mit deren Hilfe eine erhohte Kaliumkonzentration im hamolytischen Serum korrigiert werden kann. Hierzu ist die Bestimmung von Kalium- und Hamoglobinkonzentration sowohl der Erythrocyten oder des Vollbluts als auch des hamolytischen Serums erforderlich. Ein solcher Aufwand wird sich jedoch nur in wenigen Situationen lohnen. Im allgemeinen wird es einfacher sein, die Serum-Kalium-Bestimmung zu wiederholen.
The Problem of Bolza with Equality Constraints

We shall state, here, some theorems that characterize solutions to the problem of Bolza in the calculus of variations. The proofs of some of these theorems will only be briefly outlined. The reader may refer to Bliss (1930), (1938), and (1946) and to Pars (1962) for a more detailed presentation. By way of introduction we discuss an unconstrained problem in the calculus variation, in section 1. In section 2, we state the problem of Bolza. In section 3 we discuss first order necessary conditions and in section 4 we state the necessary conditions of Weierstrass, Clebsch, and Mayer. In section 5, we state second order sufficient conditions. In section 6, we characterize solutions to problem A’.
Counting with Nonstandard Bases

Generalizing the relationship between the elementary and power symmetric functions, we define a new basis for the ring of symmetric functions which has an expansion in terms of specially weighted brick tabloids. This allows us even more versatility when using symmetric functions in enumerating permutations and words. We show how this new basis can be used to find generating functions for various refinements of permutations and words, recurrence relations, and objects counted by the exponential formula.
Allergic contact cheilitis in children and improvement with patch testing

Pediatric cheilitis can be a debilitating condition for the child and parents. Patch testing can help isolate allergens to avoid. Here we describe a 2-year-old boy with allergic contact cheilitis improving remarkably after prudent avoidance of contactants and food avoidance.
Immunotherapy of Murine Bladder Cancer by Irradiated Tumor Vaccine

This investigation explored the efficacy of irradiated autologous mouse bladder tumor (Ir-MBT2) as an active specific immunotherapeutic agent and as adjuvant therapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) against a subcutaneously transplanted murine bladder tumor. Tumor incidence was significantly reduced in groups receiving BCG (27%, p less than 0.005) or Ir-MBT2 with BCG (53%, p less than 0.025), compared to control (93%). Survival was significantly improved in groups treated with BCG (100%, p less than 0.005), 10(5) Ir-MBT2 with BCG (53%, p less than 0.01), or 10(7) Ir-MBT2 with BCG (47%, p less than 0.025) compared with control (13%). Surprisingly, Ir-MBT2 consistently reduced the efficacy of BCG alone. Ir-MBT2 alone (10(7)) appeared to enhance tumor growth. Autologous irradiated bladder tumor vaccine, alone or in combination with BCG, displayed no immunotherapeutic advantage. The use of irradiated tumor cell vaccine for bladder cancer therapy may reduce the results achievable with BCG alone.
Approximations of distributions of scan statistics of inhomogeneous Poisson processes

Abstract In this paper, the distributions of scan statistics of inhomogeneous Poisson processes are studied. First, the distribution of the continuous scan statistic of an inhomogeneous Poisson process is approximated by the distribution of the discrete scan statistic for a sequence of Bernoulli trials with unequal probabilities of success. Next, we introduce a weighted scan statistic to adjust the inhomogeneity and the weighted continuous scan statistic is also approximated by the weighted discrete scan statistic. The finite Markov chain imbedding technique is used to obtain the exact distributions of weighted discrete scan statistics. An example using the weighted scan statistic of an inhomogeneous Poisson process for detecting DNA copy number variation is given. Numerical results and simulations are also given to illustrate our theoretical results.
The Potential Role of Polymerase Chain Reaction in Diagnosis of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection: Is Viral Culture Outdated?

Abstract Even in the era of effective antiviral therapy, neonatal herpes simplex viral infection causes significant morbidity and mortality in newborns. Prompt diagnosis is the cornerstone of treatment of these infants. Outside and inside the neonatal clinical practice, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is replacing culture as a method of facilitating a speedy diagnosis of herpes simplex virus infection. New pediatric guidelines call for testing of high-risk asymptomatic infants, and thus, many more surface cultures and PCRs are being performed. This review aims to comprehensively describe the perinatal transmission of herpes simplex virus infection and the clinical presentation of neonatal herpes simplex disease, as well as to discuss whether PCR remains superior to culture methods.
The convection heat transfer rate evaluation of a 6-cylinder in-line turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine

The in-cylinder convective heat transfer from the combustion gas to the cylinder wall of the combustion chamber has a strong effect on the diesel engine performances. This study contribute to the knowing in this area for the event of the convective heat transfer from fluid to the cylinder wall of a turbocharged diesel engine with six-cylinder direct injection operating under steady-state conditions. An optimized choice of correlation was applied for the evaluation of heat transfer coefficient, which is the Hohenberg's correlation. We developed a computer program for simulating the operation of a six-cylinder direct injection turbocharged diesel engine, and using a commercial GT-Power software to validate the simulation results. The influence of certain engine parameters (thermodynamic and geometric) on the convective heat flux and its maximum value are studied in the present paper. The results show that the convective heat transfer characteristics as a function of crank angle of the six cylinder turbocharged diesel engine strongly depend on the engine injection timing, the cylinder wall temperature and load for the both softwares; FORTRAN and GT-Power. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.4.14898
PCSK9 Inhibitors: Economics and Policy.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors substantially reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but it is presently unclear whether they also reduce mortality. The list prices of PCSK9 inhibitors in the United States (>$14,500 per year) are >100× higher than generic statins, and only a small fraction of their higher cost is likely to be recovered by prevention of cardiovascular events. The projected cost effectiveness of PCSK9 inhibitors does not meet generally accepted benchmarks for good value in the United States, but their value would be improved by substantial price reductions. For individual patients, the high out-of-pocket costs of PCSK9 inhibitors may impede access and reduce long-term adherence. The budgetary impact of PCSK9 inhibitors would be very large if all potentially eligible patients were treated, which poses dilemmas for policymakers, payers, and society.
Disruption of Southern Pine Beetle Infestations with Attractants and Inhibitors

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), is the most destructive insect pest of pine forests in the southern and southeastern United States and in parts of Mexico and Central America. Historically, efforts to control the beetle have been remedial in nature and primarily included the use of insecticides and salvage. In general, these methods have not been greatly successful, as evidenced by the continuing epidemics of the pest. Salvage is still practiced, but in the last decade cost and government restrictions have all but eliminated the operational use of insecticides in the forest. As a result, the forest manager is greatly limited in the choice of methods with which to attempt to deal with the beetle.
Employee Poaching, Predatory Hiring, and Covenants Not to Compete

Poaching key employees from close competitors has become a prevalent and controversial issue. This paper examines the condition under which employee poaching can be either predatory or competitive, and discusses its implications for the enforcement of post-employment non-compete agreements. When poaching sufficiently injures the entrant’s ability to compete, predatory hiring can occur in the sense that the incumbent would have been unprofitable in the absence of the entrant’s exit. Some antitrust implications are discussed.
Masters Program Bariatric Pathway: Adjustable Gastric Band

Every year, tens of thousands of patients worldwide undergo laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) for treatment of morbid obesity. With standard surgical technique, and under the auspices of an intensive postoperative follow-up program, LAGB can be a lifesaving companion for those suffering the physical, psychosocial, and economic effects of morbid obesity. Multiple studies have shown the safety and efficacy of this procedure. Long-term successful outcomes are dependent on frequent adjustments and close clinical and behavioral support from a dedicated bariatric surgical practice. This chapter reviews the accepted surgical technique for placement of the adjustable gastric band, as well as outcomes.
Dopa-decarboxylase Inhibitors

Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitors (AAADIs), including carbidopa and benserazide, are competitive inhibitors of aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) that do not penetrate brain. They have become a mainstay for anti-Parkinsonian therapy with levodopa. Prior to the advent of AAADIs, levodopa monotherapy was fraught with peripheral side effects due to peripheral conversion of levodopa to dopamine. Formulations of levodopa with AAADIs dramatically reduced these peripheral side effects without interfering with CNS efficacy, because the AAADIs do not penetrate the blood brain barrier at doses used clinically. The end-result was an increase in plasma levels and an increased entry of levodopa into brain, producing greater central efficacy with reduced peripheral side effects.
A new approach to differentiate states of mind wandering: Effects of working memory capacity

Although widely studied, the process of how mind wandering occurs and is subsequently sustained still remains unclear. Moreover, the traditional concept of mind wandering tendency/frequency based on the self- or probe-caught methods alone is incoherent and problematic. We developed a new approach to characterize the mind wandering process by combining the self-caught and probe-caught methods to estimate the time of focus and time of mind wandering separately, and examined their relationship to working memory capacity. Participants performed an OSPAN task and subsequently a basic Mindfulness Meditation Task (focus on breath). During the meditation task, participants indicated when they became aware that they were mind wandering (self-caught method), or were asked if they were mind wandering when probed (probe-caught method). Results showed that time of focus but not time of mind wandering increased with greater working memory capacity. This suggests that individuals with higher working memory capacity were able to focus on the current task longer, but had little effect on the ability to monitor and terminate mind wandering once it occurred. The theoretical and methodological implications of this new approach are discussed.
External Microwave Hyperthermia Combined with Radiation Therapy for Extensive Superficial Chest Wall Recurrences

Extensive superficial chest wall malignancies after surgery, full-dose radiation and/or chemotherapy cause significant morbidity with impaired quality of life. Local tumor control at the chest wall is important for those patients, even if no survival benefit is achieved.
Coulthard, Malcolm (b.1943)

Richard Malcolm Coulthard, Professor of English language and linguistics at the University of Birmingham, is a distinguished linguist and scholar. His work in spoken and written discourse analysis has been essential to the establishment of this line of research and study. His founding leadership in the field of forensic linguistics has indelibly shaped the relationship of the study of language and the law for the future.
Innate and Adaptive Immune Response to a Virus: An Integrated Learning Module.

Introduction Medical schools must expand their teaching strategies to address a new generation of medical students and ensure their growth into lifelong, self-directed learners. Integration across ...
Speaker Hand-Offs in Collaborative Human-Agent Oral Presentations

Prior studies of public speaking behavior have demonstrated that public speaking anxiety monotonically decreases with the number of co-presenters giving an oral presentation and increases with the size of the audience. However, speaker "hand off" behavior---the verbal and nonverbal cues used to transition from one speaker to another---and its effect on speaker anxiety and presentation quality has not been systematically studied. In this work we report on two empirical studies of speaker hand-off behavior used during human co-presentations. We find that the cues used for hand-offs during prepared and rehearsed presentations differ significantly from the cues observed in face-to-face conversational turn-taking. We describe two systems that leverage automatic recognition of these verbal and nonverbal cues to drive hand-offs during co-presentations with a life-sized virtual agent.
Schizosaccharomyces pombe contains separate CC- and A-adding tRNA nucleotidyltransferases.

Abstract A specific cytidine-cytidine-adenosine (CCA) sequence is required at the 3′-terminus of all functional tRNAs. This sequence is added during tRNA maturation or repair by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase enzymes. While most eukaryotes have a single enzyme responsible for CCA addition, some bacteria have separate CC- and A-adding activities. The fungus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has two genes (cca1 and cca2) that are thought, based on predicted amino acid sequences, to encode tRNA nucleotidyltransferases. Here, we show that both genes together are required to complement a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain bearing a null mutation in the single gene encoding its tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. Using enzyme assays we show further that the purified S. pombe cca1 gene product specifically adds two cytidine residues to a tRNA substrate lacking this sequence while the cca2 gene product specifically adds the terminal adenosine residue thereby completing the CCA sequence. These data indicate that S. pombe represents the first eukaryote known to have separate CC- and A-adding activities for tRNA maturation and repair. In addition, we propose that a novel structural change in a tRNA nucleotidyltransferase is responsible for defining a CC-adding enzyme.
TeeGolf Company: To Exit or Not to Exit—Team 1

Kris Alexander is a newly appointed partner at the private equity firm Kohlberg & Co. Alexander is preparing an exit proposal for one of Kohlberg's portfolio companies, the TeeGolf Company. Alexander believes that TeeGolf has a great opportunity of selling for a purchase price that would achieve a return equal to or greater than the firm's target IRR of 25%. However, Alexander was concerned about the viability of the sale. Specifically, he wondered: would strategic buyers, who would pay premiums to financial sponsors, actually be interested in this business? How would the firm negotiate amongst potential buyers if several submitted bids? What if there was only one buyer interested? Had Kohlberg's valuation accounted for a potential recession? How should he account for the investment banking adviser fees in his recommendation to sell? To answer these questions, students will be required to evaluate different exit strategies from multiple perspectives, understand how to work with a leveraged buyout analysis, a discounted cash flow, and how to add in the effects of synergies. A negotiation exercise between Kohlberg and two potential buyers, private equity firm Leonard Green Partners and a strategic buyer GoGolf, can support the learnings around asymmetric information, ZOPA, and BATNA.This case works well in a module covering firm valuations and financial negotiations. It would complement the HBS note on negotiations and cases such as Kelly Solar and Wrigley/Mars. Excerpt UVA-QA-0894 Rev. Aug. 23, 2018 TeeGolf Company: To Exit or Not To Exit Team 1 As Kris Alexander, a newly appointed partner at the private equity (PE) firm Kohlberg & Co. (Kohlberg), walked out of the firm's Q4 2016 Investment Committee (IC) meeting, he pondered which Kohlberg portfolio company would be best to sell in the upcoming year. The Kohlberg IC members were pleased with the performance of the acquisitions they had made over the last few years—many of which had two or more years remaining before the firm's planned exit. However, the IC agreed that there was a potential opportunity now to sell some of its investments as the markets were riding at historic highs and the US economy was nearing its longest recession-free streak. The IC had tasked Alexander with presenting an exit proposal for one of its portfolio companies. Specifically, the IC was seeking a company that: (1) had the most to gain in an inflated market (or the most to lose in a recession), (2) had already fully realized any strategic changes or synergies Kohlberg had planned, (3)could be sold in an expedited sales process, and (4) could garner quick interest from strategic and financial buyers. These were all required conditions in order to make an early exit from a portfolio company at this stage. Alexander and his team analyzed their current portfolio companies against the IC criteria and presented their choice, TeeGolf Company (TeeGolf). Alexander strongly believed that TeeGolf had the greatest probability of meeting all four conditions, although it would not be certain until initiating the sales process. . . .
Pitch discrimination with mixtures of three concurrent harmonic complexes

In natural listening contexts, especially in music, it is common to hear three or more simultaneous pitches, but few empirical or theoretical studies have addressed how this is achieved. Place and pattern-recognition theories of pitch require at least some harmonics to be spectrally resolved for pitch to be extracted, but it is unclear how often such conditions exist when multiple complex tones are presented together. In three behavioral experiments, mixtures of three concurrent complexes were filtered into a single bandpass spectral region, and the relationship between the fundamental frequencies and spectral region was varied in order to manipulate the extent to which harmonics were resolved either before or after mixing. In experiment 1, listeners discriminated major from minor triads (a difference of 1 semitone in one note of the triad). In experiments 2 and 3, listeners compared the pitch of a probe tone with that of a subsequent target, embedded within two other tones. All three experiments demonstrated above-chance performance, even in conditions where the combinations of harmonic components were unlikely to be resolved after mixing, suggesting that fully resolved harmonics may not be necessary to extract the pitch from multiple simultaneous complexes.
Morals in the United States of America: Are they in their death throes?

This article explores the ethics of large complex systems in the United States of America in three major case studies: the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the political/governmental institutions. Using the simple Aristotelian heuristic of good sense, good character and good will, the conclusion is that ethics is not a high priority due in large part to the relentless pursuit of large sums of money at any cost.
Historical Perspectives on the Study of Lying and Deception

Academic studies of lie detection and the interpersonal behavior of liars have proliferated over the last 60 years. We offer a brief history of the field’s emergence and progress. We begin with a review of the various cultural, philosophical, scientific, and technological milestones from antiquity through the twentieth century that shaped the formation of lying and deception as a topic of intellectual inquiry. Subsequently, we consider advances in research and theory in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries that have spurred the topic area’s growth from a modest academic specialty into a major multidisciplinary field.
A robotic forearm orthosis using soft fabric-based helical actuators

This article outlines the design, construction, and preliminary human-subject evaluation of a robotic forearm orthosis. The robotic forearm orthosis integrates an antagonistic pair of soft fabric-based helical actuators, which provide active pronation and supination torques. The pneumatic fabric-based helical actuators are fabricated with a knit elastic band, strain limiting nylon fabric, and internal bladder. Empirical isometric loading characteristics show that the actuators can provide up to 1.7 Nm of torque when inflated to an internal pressure of 690 kPa (100 psi). The effectiveness of torque assistance provided by the robotic forearm orthosis was assessed during a preliminary $(N=6)$ human-subjects evaluation. Subjects completed pronation and supination reaching tasks, while varying levels of assistive torque were applied to the users. Subject effort was evaluated with surface electromyography. Results indicate that the assistive torques provided by the proposed robotic orthosis significantly decreased subjects' efforts during both reaching tasks. On average, the proposed robotic orthosis reduced the effort by 59% and 24%, for supination and pronation respectively. This work demonstrates the practical implementation of a tunable fabric-based robotic forearm orthosis, that can reduce user effort during a manipulation task.
Incidence and predictors of incisional hernia after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

AbstractBackground and objectives: The incidence of incisional hernia (IH) after cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) is largely unknown.Methods: We cond...
Commoning the Classroom

This paper provides details for and commentary on two semester-long point-sharing activities I include in my Sustainable Development class, an undergraduate-level course cross-listed in Anthropology and Environmental Studies. In a course that deals with finding solutions to the issue of resource scarcity, both absolute scarcity and distributional inequity, I ask students to think about the possibilities for significant cultural shifts in values and norms rather than only technological fixes and “green consumerism.” Using class points as a resource, these activities challenge students to consider making sacrifices of time for future generations of students and to work together to conserve a communal pool of points. Combined with ethnographic case studies of the diversity of resource management strategies in the world, putting alternative ways of thinking about resource use into practice helps “decolonize our imaginaries,” making neoliberal ideology and its effects on our values and behaviors more visible and open to critical reflection.
Social Studies Teacher Perceptions of News Source Credibility

Politically tumultuous times have created a problematic space for teachers who include the news in their classrooms. Few studies have explored perceptions of news credibility among secondary social...
Peritoneal tuberculosis: the great mimicker

An 84-year-old woman presented to an outside institution with a 1-month history of generalized malaise, anorexia, abdominal distension, shortness of breath, and unintentional 20-pound weight loss. She had a past medical history of JAK2-positive polycythemia rubra vera, stage 4 chronic kidney disease
Cropland Carbon Uptake Delayed and Reduced by 2019 Midwest Floods

While large‐scale floods directly impact human lives and infrastructures, they also profoundly impact agricultural productivity. New satellite observations of vegetation activity and atmospheric CO₂ offer the opportunity to quantify the effects of such extreme events on cropland carbon sequestration. Widespread flooding during spring and early summer 2019 induced conditions that delayed crop planting across the U.S. Midwest. As a result, satellite observations of solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence from TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument and Orbiting Carbon Observatory reveal a 16‐day shift in the seasonal cycle of photosynthesis relative to 2018, along with a 15% lower peak value. We estimate a reduction of 0.21 PgC in cropland gross primary productivity in June and July, partially compensated in August and September (+0.14 PgC). The extension of the 2019 growing season into late September is likely to have benefited from increased water availability and late‐season temperature. Ultimately, this change is predicted to reduce the crop productivity in the Midwest Corn/Soy belt by ~15% compared to 2018. Using an atmospheric transport model, we show that a decline of ~0.1 PgC in the net carbon uptake during June and July is consistent with observed CO₂ enhancements of up to 10 ppm in the midday boundary layer from Atmospheric Carbon and Transport‐America aircraft and over 3 ppm in column‐averaged dry‐air mole fractions from Orbiting Carbon Observatory. This study quantifies the impact of floods on cropland productivity and demonstrates the potential of combining solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence with atmospheric CO₂ observations to monitor regional carbon flux anomalies.
Providing effective inpatient care for cirrhosis by improving utilization of national guidelines.

BACKGROUND Over the past 10 years, cirrhosis incidence has increased dramatically, with a 59% increase in the need for treatment of disease complications. Cirrhosis treatment complexity and cost have increased substantially, and cirrhosis deaths are increasing by 10.5% yearly. LOCAL PROBLEM A review of 29 cirrhosis admissions revealed that guideline criteria were only addressed 66% of the time on 10 key cirrhosis issues. After identifying gaps in care, the project aimed to improve right care for cirrhosis by 20% within 90 days by using a guideline-based checklist and chart audit process. METHODS The quality improvement (QI) initiative used four Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Cycles included tests of change for the checklist, patient engagement, chart audit, and team participation. INTERVENTIONS A guideline-based cirrhosis checklist focused on providing right care for cirrhosis patient admissions. Patient engagement was addressed with a shared decision-making tool. To monitor data, a chart audit was created. Team engagement included biweekly QI meetings with an agenda and a postmeeting survey. RESULTS The project aim was achieved, improving cirrhosis guideline-based care by 22%, while utilization of the guideline-based checklist rose to 100%. Moreover, 96% of patients approached for shared decision making agreed to participate, and the chart audit was completed on all patients. Team engagement and satisfaction remained high throughout the cycles. CONCLUSIONS The project team used an evidence-based approach to effectively improve inpatient care for cirrhosis. Engaging providers and patients with this approach led to high patient and team participation and improved project outcomes.
Oscillation of higher order functional differential equations with an advanced argument

Abstract This paper is concerned with the oscillatory behavior of solutions of the n th-order nonlinear differential equations with an advanced argument x ( n ) ( t ) + δ q ( t ) x λ ( g ( t ) ) = 0 , t ≥ t 0 > 0 , where n ≥ 2 is even or odd and δ = ± 1 . Here q ( t ) > 0 , g ( t ) ≥ t , and λ is the ratio of odd positive integers. The results are illustrated with an example.
Synthesis and X-ray crystallographic characterization of [Cd(NO3)2(15-crown-5)] and [Cd(NO3)2(18-crown-6)]

Reaction of 15-crown-5 or 18-crown-6 in 3:1 (v/v) CH3CN:CH3OH with Cd(NO3)2·4H2O followed by slow evaporation produces [Cd(NO3)2(15-crown-5)] or [Cd(NO3)2(18-crown-6)]. Crystals of [Cd(NO3)2(15-crown-5)] are orthorhombic with space group Pbca and cell parameters a = 13.562(5), b = 15.941(9), and c = 15.011(7) A at 295 K. [Cd(NO3)2(18-crown-6)] crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 11.235(2), b = 11.196(5), c = 15.385(3) A, and β = 99.89(2)° at 295 K. The metal center in [Cd(NO3)2(15-crown-5)] rests atop the macrocyclic donor array with two cis-bound nitrate anions and adopts a distorted tricapped trigonal prismatic geometry. [Cd(NO3)2(18-crown-6)] resides on an equatorial two-fold rotation axis with Cd2+ coordinated in the 18-crown-6 cavity and the nitrate anions oriented in twisted trans positions.
Shifts in the wintering distribution and abundance of Emperor Geese in Alaska

Abstract For wildlife species that winter at northern latitudes, harsh overwinter conditions can play an important role in population dynamics. Recent changes in global temperatures have resulted in distributional shifts of wildlife species, as well as amelioration of winter climates in northern landscapes. The emperor goose (Anser canagicus), an endemic migratory bird of the Bering Sea region, winters across a large area of the subarctic, with potential differences in migration strategies and costs among individuals. As a long-standing species of conservation concern due to decreased population size, understanding the response of emperor geese to changing conditions has become critical to on-going management. We sought to evaluate changes in wintering distribution and arrival/departure dates over time, by comparing spatial and temporal patterns of wintering emperor geese from 2015 to 2017 (using geolocator data) to satellite telemetry data collected from 1999 to 2004. Further, we quantified changes in spatial patterns of winter abundance by comparing historical and contemporary aerial and ground surveys at three island complexes encompassing most of their winter distribution. Our results indicate that emperor geese are arriving at wintering areas earlier and spending more time at these areas than in the past. Our comparisons among historical aerial and ground surveys suggests that increasing numbers of emperor geese are wintering closer to breeding areas in western Alaska; a change likely related to increasing habitat availability due to shifting environmental conditions. Our results also showed that fewer emperor geese are using an area in the core of their wintering range, suggesting either decreased habitat quality or a reduction in migration distance via alternative wintering locations. Overall, our study highlights a rapid response to apparent habitat change likely due to warming temperatures and a reduction in ice cover and emphasizes the importance of understanding complex interactions among migration distance, the environment, and habitat in interpreting site selection.
Toying with the periodic table: using everyday items to investigate classification and properties of matter

The Periodic Table of Elements is a valuable resource for chemists and all kinds of STEM professionals. However, it can be initially overwhelming and intimidating to some students. This hands-on le...
DeepGLEAM: a hybrid mechanistic and deep learning model for COVID-19 forecasting

We introduce DeepGLEAM, a hybrid model for COVID-19 forecasting. DeepGLEAM combines a mechanistic stochastic simulation model GLEAM with deep learning. It uses deep learning to learn the correction terms from GLEAM, which leads to improved performance. We further integrate various uncertainty quantification methods to generate confidence intervals. We demonstrate DeepGLEAM on real-world COVID-19 mortality forecasting tasks.
Validation of Prognostic Stage and Anatomic Stage in the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th Edition for Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Purpose: The American Joint Committee on Cancer recently updated its breast cancer staging system to incorporate biological factors in the “prognostic stage.” We undertook this study to validate the clinical prognostic and anatomic stages for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Methods: We established two cohorts of IBC diagnosed without distant metastasis: (1) patients treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1991 and 2017 (MDA cohort) and (2) patients registered in the SEER database between 2010 and 2015 (SEER cohort). For clinical anatomic staging, all IBCs were classified as T4d; N0-2 was staged as IIIB; and N3 was staged as IIIC. For clinical prognostic staging, estrogen receptor (ER)+/ progesterone receptor (PR)+/HER2+/grade 1-2 was staged as IIIA; ER+/PR-/HER2-/grade 3, ER-/PR+/HER2-/grade 3, and all triple-negative cancers were staged as IIIC; and all others as IIIB. Survival endpoints were breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The Harrell concordance index (C index) was used to quantify staging models’ predictive performance. Results: We studied 885 patients in the MDA cohort and 338 in the SEER cohort. In the MDA cohort, the prognostic stage showed significant predictive power for BCSS, OS, and DFS (all P <0.0001), although the anatomic stage did not. In both cohorts, C index was significantly higher in the prognostic stage than the anatomic stage for all endpoints. Prognostic stage IIIA patients had the best survival rates with the 5-year BCSS of 83% in the MDA cohort and 100% in the SEER cohort. Conclusions: The prognostic stage incorporating biological factors provided more accurate prognostication for IBC than the anatomic stage. Our results show that the prognostic staging system is applicable in IBC. Funding Statement: This research was supported by the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program, State of Texas Rare and Aggressive Breast Cancer Research Program Grant, and NIH/NCI grant P30 CA016672 (Cancer Center Support Grant– Bioinformatics Shared Resource, Sequencing and Microarray Facility). Declaration of Interests: The authors stated there were no disclaimers. Ethics Approval Statement: The institutional review board approved this study (protocol number PA18-0455). Informed consent was waived for this retrospective analysis.
Wie soep eet met de duivel

De relatie tussen de medische professie en de farmaceutische industrie is een relatie onder spanning. Beide bewegen zich in het veld van de gezondheidszorg, en beide met legitieme doelen. Maar die doelen zijn niet hetzelfde en lopen ook niet altijd synchroon. Er gaat daar iets niet helemaal goed. Hoe gaan dokters vandaag de dag om met (afgevaardigden van) de farmaceutische industrie? En hoe zouden ze dat het beste kunnen doen? Waarom is het nodig het er uberhaupt over te hebben?
Female Community College STEM Student-Parent-Researchers Living in Poverty: Fear, Fulfillment, and Family

Community College student-parents shared their personal, academic, and career experiences in association with conducting and presenting psychological science (STEM) research. Raelynn began, I never...
The Synthesis and Testing of Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Nanodevices

Nanotechnology provides the sized materials that can be synthesized and function in the same general size range and Biologic structures. We have attempted to develop forms of anticancer therapeutics based on nanomaterials. Our project seeks to develop dendritic polymer nanodevices that serve as a means for the detection of cancer cells, the identification of cancer signatures, and the targeted delivery of anti-cancer therapeutics (cis-platin, methotrexate, and taxol) and contrast agents to tumor cells. Initial studies documented the synthesis and function of a targeting module, several drug delivery components, and two imaging/contrast agents. Analytical techniques have been developed and used to confirm the structure of the device. Progress has been made on the specifically triggered release of the therapeutic agent within a tumor using high-energy lasers. The work to date has demonstrated the feasibility of the nano-device concept in actual cancer cells in vitro.
Is fertility-problem stress different? The dynamics of stress in fertile and infertile couples

Objective To compare the dynamics of fertility-problem stress experienced by wives and husbands in infertile couples with the dynamics of stress from other sources experienced by members of couples presumed to be fertile. Design Relationships of stress to four marriage factors and four aspects of life quality (subjective well-being) are examined within a causal modeling framework using data from structured interviews. Setting Face-to-face interviews were conducted in study participants' homes. Participants Wives and husbands from 157 couples with primary infertility and from 82 presumed-fertile couples were studied. Main Outcome Measures Final outcome measures were four multi-item scales assessing life quality with regard to the marriage, own self-efficacy, own health and appearance, and life as a whole. Intervening outcome scales measured four marriage factors: marital conflict, sexual self-esteem, sexual dissatisfaction, and frequency of intercourse. Results and Conclusions Higher levels of stress, regardless of whether that stress was from attempting to solve a fertility problem or another problem, were related to reduced marital functioning and decreased life quality. For husbands, the strengths of the linkages did not depend on the source of the stress. For wives, however, the causal model suggested that fertility-problem stress had stronger negative impacts on sense of sexual identity and self-efficacy than did stress from other problems (P
Primary structure and functional expression of human Glycyl-tRNA synthetase, an autoantigen in myositis.

Abstract Two identical cDNAs encoding human glycyl-tRNA synthetase were isolated from K562 and HEL cell lambda gt11 libraries by screening with "anti-EJ" autoantibodies from a patient with dermatomyositis, previously shown to specifically inhibit this enzyme. The sequenced cDNA had 2,385 base pairs, with a predicted protein of 685 amino acids and M(r) 77,500. The antigen reactive with anti-EJ was immunoaffinity-purified from HeLa cells, and two proteolytic peptides matched areas of the predicted amino acid sequence. The sequence was 61.6% identical with that of silk moth glycyl-tRNA synthetase. Several very highly conserved regions were identified, including the single class II synthetase motif region and an N-terminal region similar to one found in at least three other synthetases. Near identity in other regions suggested that they also had important functions. Expression of the cDNA in Escherichia coli yielded a protein of expected size that reacted with the autoantibodies and was active as glycyl-tRNA synthetase.
An experimental investigation of interfacial instabilities in multilayer flow of viscoelastic fluids: Part I. Incompatible polymer systems

Abstract The interfacial stability of coextruded polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has been examined experimentally in a slit-die geometry. Our experimental apparatus makes use of a novel system for introducing temporally regular disturbances with a controllable amplitude and frequency. The growth or decay of the disturbance can be observed via optical windows mounted in the test die and characterized with the aid of digital image-processing techniques. This approach has allowed us to construct experimentally determined stability and growth-rate plots as a function of disturbance wavenumber and layer-depth ratio. Our experimental results are compared to theoretical results based on the linear stability analysis using a modified Oldroyd-B equation. We have found this model to be quantitatively correct in its prediction of the critical layer-depth ratio and the existence of a maximum spatial growth rate in the vicinity of a dimensionless wavenumber of one. The theoretically predicted growth rates agree with our experimental data at low wavenumbers but fail to agree at higher wavenumbers. Overall, our findings provide evidence that in order to achieve quantitative agreement between theoretical and experimental results, a constitutive model should be utilized that accounts for the shear-rate dependence of first and second normal stresses and a spectrum of relaxation times.
Induction of Urea Cycle Enzymes of Rat Liver by Amino Acids

To determine which amino acids in a high casein diet are responsible for induction of the five urea cycle enzyme activities in rat liver, we tube-fed 21 L-amino acids singly to rats over 2 days at maximum doses which did not cause toxicity. The results were compared with the 1.3- to 1.9-fold increases (units/100 g rat) obtained by tube-feeding 2 g N/kg for 2 days as casein hydrolysate. Ala (2 g N/kg), Gly /2 g N/kg), Met (0.2--0.4 g N/kg) and Cys (0.4 g N/kg) were the only amino acids which increased all five activities. Moreover, Met. Ala, Gly and casein hydrolysate in these doses increased immuno-precipitable arginase as much as they increased its activity. A combination of Met, Ala and Gly (2 g N/kg) increased all five activities more than 2 g N/kg of casein hydrolysate. Met (0.05 g N/kg) + Ala (0.08 g N/kg) + Gly (0.1 g N/kg), the amounts of these contained in 2 g N/kg of casein, increased all five enzymes in 2 days as much as this dose of casein hydrolysate. Met (0.06 g N/kg) alone increased all five activities (units/100 g rat) 1.2 to 1.4-fold over controls by increasing g liver/100 g rat. Ammonium citrate or acetate tube-feedings over 8 days at 2 g N/kg increased only AS. The keto-acid of alanine, pyruvate, or the alpha-hydroxy acid of methionine did not increase any enzyme whereas the same molar dose of their amino acids increased all five activities. Thus three amino acids of casein, Ala, Gly and especially Met, account for the enzyme adaptation of the urea cycle on a high casein diet.
SFAS 121 Asset Write-Down: EARLY vs. LATE Firms

Previous research shows that capital market positively values firms whose motivation is to gain production efficiency by streamlining their assets as part of their restructuring campaign. In this study, we examine 47 firms that voluntarily disclosed asset write-down information in either 10-K or ARS one year prior to the mandatory adoption of SFAS No. 121. We document the following empirical evidence: firstly, EARLY firms, pursuing production efficiency through restructuring efforts, experience more positive market reaction than LATE firms at the disclosure of asset write-down decisions, consistent with efficiency enhancement arguments. This evidence is robust to the selection of an alternative control group, matched in terms of asset size and industry classification codes. Secondly, EARLY firms incur more capital expenditures, acquire less intangibles, and exhibit lower asset turnover ratios and a shorter asset age than LATE firms. Finally, EARLY firms exhibit higher profitability, and higher effective tax-brackets than LATE firms when the voluntary decision of asset write-down is made. Previous studies that have examined the issue of asset write-down cross-sectionally aggregate the sample firms, and thus fail to recognize the different motivations behind different firms. In this paper, we enhance our analysis by employing a voluntary disclosure sample, a control sample of companies that made their asset write-down disclosures in the first fiscal year of mandatory adoption, and another control sample (MATCHED CONTROL), which did not make any asset write-down disclosures in either the voluntary year (1995) or the mandatory year (1996). We hope that this paper sheds light on the determinants that motivate firms to voluntarily disclose the asset write-down information in their 10-K reports or annual reports to shareholders one year prior to the mandatory adoption of SFAS No. 121.
miR-9 mediates Nox4-dependent regulation of myocardin and serum response factor in human smooth muscle cells (866.6)

Myocardin is a transcriptional coactivator of serum response factor (SRF) responsible for vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation. Changes in Nox4 NADPH oxidase expression are associated with changes in myocardin and SRF levels and have been implicated in the phenotypic switching of SMCs. However, the mechanisms underlying this molecular switch in response to vascular injury are poorly understood. We examined the role of microRNAs (miR) in the expression of Nox4, SRF and myocardin in human SMCs. Analysis of the 3’UTR of Nox4 revealed a single binding site for miR-25, and two putative miR-9 binding sites in the 5’ region of the 3’UTR. Treatment of human SMCs with a miR-25 or a miR-9 mimic suppressed mRNA expression of Nox4. We created a Nox4 3’UTR luciferase construct and found that the miR-25 mimic decreased relative light units (RLU) by 40% which was prevented with mutation of the single miR-25 site. The miR-9 mimic decreased Nox4 3’UTR RLU by 60% and mutation of the two miR-9 sites had a syner...
Democracy, Autocracy and the Urban Bias: Evidence from Petroleum Subsidies:

Petroleum subsidies are economically costly and environmentally destructive. Autocracies tend to offer higher subsidies for petroleum products than do democracies. Why? This study uses a global dataset of gasoline prices in developing countries for the years 2003–9 to show that the autocratic subsidy premium stems from countries where much of the population lives in small cities. Urban riots are a major threat to autocratic political survival, and high fuel prices cause social unrest. In large cities, autocrats can use public transportation to mitigate the effects of high fuel prices, but this strategy is not practical in small cities. Therefore, autocratic rulers offer high petroleum subsidies if they have large urban populations living in small cities. These findings suggest that the exact nature of urbanization has a critical effect on the political calculus of leaders and on policy outcomes.