cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exporting excellence for Whipple resection to refine the Leapfrog Initiative.

Background The Leapfrog Group is a consortium of Fortune 500 corporations and healthcare purchasers whose intent is to harness their purchasing power to improve the quality of care by regionalizing high complexity operations at high volume hospitals (HVH). The Whipple resection has been designated a “Leapfrog” procedure and the recommendation issued that it be performed at HVH. However, alternatives to the Leapfrog Initiative are likely necessary because regionalization has been difficult to implement, as the number of Leapfrog sites is low in rural areas, and the initiative’s relevance to facilities that care for the uninsured is unclear. We hypothesized that defining exportable elements of the Whipple resection could allow a low volume hospital (LVH) to improve upon its processes of care to safely attempt these procedures. Study design We describe the surgical experience of the University of California, San Francisco at the San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) from 2002 to 2004. A quality improvement program was introduced at this LVH, focusing on enhancing structure and processes of care. High-volume UCSF pancreas surgeons were polled to define exportable elements of Whipple resection. A senior pancreas consultant assisted in the perioperative preparation of SMMC. Results Of the nine patients who underwent exploratory surgery for an intended Whipple resection, four had a successful resection, and five were unresectable. Morbidity was minimal and 30-d mortality was zero. Conclusions Whipple resections can be safely performed at a LVH after exporting surgical excellence. The structure and process changes allowed the LVH to improve its quality of care. Alternatives to the Leapfrog Initiative are feasible and can extend its original intent.
Assessing the psychophysics of posture control and its physiological correlates

Graphical visualization methods are described that enable psychophysical detection data to be quantitatively correlated with underlying physiological data in postural control studies. Stitched, raster and ensemble averaged time-series plots are graphical tools that can guide later quantitative analysis. The examples presented point out the role that early Tibialis Anterior and later Gastrocnemius EMG activation might play in the 2-Alternative Forced Choice psychophysical detection of 16 mm horizontal anterior perturbations of a sliding platform on which a subject stands, and their linkage to AP and ML Center of Pressure changes brought about by a perturbation. These methods also give a preliminary indication that differing or no response patterns were seen at 4 and 1 mm.
Elementary education preservice teachers' understanding of biotechnology and its related processes

This study examined preservice teachers' understanding of biotechnology and its related processes. A sample comprised 88 elementary education preservice teachers at a large university in the Midwest of the USA. A total of 60 and 28 of the participants were enrolled in introductory and advanced science methods courses, respectively. Most participants had taken two integrated science courses at the college level. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which had open-ended items and which required participants to write the definitions and examples of the following terms: biotechnology, genetic engineering, cloning and genetically modified foods. The results indicate that preservice teachers had limited understanding of biotechnology and its related processes. The majority of the preservice teachers provided poor definitions, explanations, and examples of biotechnology, genetic engineering and genetically modified foods. Surprisingly, however, a moderate number of preservice teachers correctly defined cloning and provided correct examples of cloning. Implications for science teacher education, science curriculum, as well as recommendations for further research are discussed.
The effect of inflation on the natural rate of output: experimental evidence

We examine the inflation–output relationship in the USA for the period 1955–90. We start by replicating Smyth (1992) and subjecting his estimates to a series of diagnostic tests. The model is shown to satisfy conditions for valid inference (weak exogeneity) and policy analysis (super-exogeneity) (Engle, Hendry and Richard, 1983). These robustness checks allow us to study the out-of-sample consequences of the point estimates for various levels of inflation. One central experimental result is that for inflation rates exceeding 4% the natural rate of output is reduced to such an extent that it contributes to a reduction in the growth rate of real GNP that is below historical trend (3.1% in our sample).
Activation of Host Phospholipases C and D in Macrophages after Infection with Listeria monocytogenes

Infection of the J774 murine macrophage-derived cell line with Listeria monocytogenes results in several elevations of intracellular calcium during the first 15 min of infection. These appear to result from the actions of secreted bacterial proteins, including phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), a broad-range phospholipase C, and listeriolysin O (LLO) (S. J. Wadsworth and H. Goldfine, Infect. Immun. 67:1770–1778, 1999). We have measured hydrolysis of host PI and the activation of host polyphosphoinositide-specific PLC and host phospholipase D (PLD) during infection with wild-type and mutant L. monocytogenes. Elevated hydrolysis of host PI occurred within the first 10 min of infection and was dependent on both bacterial PI-PLC and LLO, both of which were required for the earliest elevations of intracellular calcium in the host cell. A more rapid hydrolysis of host PI was observed at 30 min after infection, at the time when wild-type bacteria have been internalized. Activation of host PLC, also occurred in the first 10 min of infection but was not dependent on the presence of bacterial PI-PLC. Similar observations were made in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages. In J774 cells, activation of host PLD was observed after 20 min of infection and was dependent on bacterial LLO. Mutants in the bacterial phospholipases produced levels of PLD activation similar to those produced by the wild type. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) also activated host PLD, while long-term treatment with PMA resulted in loss of the ability of L. monocytogenes to activate host PLD, suggesting an involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in the activation of PLD. Rottlerin, an inhibitor of PKC δ in J774 cells, also inhibited the activation of PLD, but hispidin, an inhibitor of PKC βI and βII, did not. Pretreatment of J774 cells with the PLD inhibitor, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate partially inhibited escape of the bacteria from the primary phagocytic vacuole.
Rising real wages, mechanization and growing advantage of large farms: Evidence from Indonesia

This paper examines dynamic patterns of land use, capital investments and wages in agriculture using farm panel data from Indonesia. The empirical analysis shows that with an increase in real wages that prevailed in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors in rural areas, relatively larger farmers increased the size of operational farm land by renting in land as well as used more hired-in machines through machine rental and/or service providers, which induces the substitution of labor by machines. Machines and land are complementary and, consistently, the inverse farm size-productivity relationship tends to be reversed among relatively large holders. The results support growing (diminishing) advantage of large (small) farms in the presence of rapidly rising real wages and have food security policy implications to many Asian countries where real wages are rapidly rising and small farms are predominant.
Effects of altered cytoplasmic domains on transport of the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein are transferable to other proteins.

Abstract Alterations of the cytoplasmic domain of the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (G protein) were shown previously to affect transport of the protein from the endoplasmic reticulum, and recent studies have shown that this occurs without detectable effects on G protein folding and trimerization (R. W. Doms et al., J. Cell Biol., in press). Deletions within this domain slowed exit of the mutant proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum, and replacement of this domain with a foreign 12-amino-acid sequence blocked all transport out of the endoplasmic reticulum. To extend these studies, we determined whether such effects of cytoplasmic domain changes were transferable to other proteins. Three different assays showed that the effects of the mutations on transport of two membrane-anchored secretory proteins were the same as those observed with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. In addition, possible effects on oligomerization were examined for both transported and nontransported forms of membrane-anchored human chorionic gonadotropin-alpha. These membrane-anchored forms, like the nonanchored human chorionic gonadotropin-alpha, had sedimentation coefficients consistent with a monomeric structure. Taken together, our results provide strong evidence that these cytoplasmic mutations affect transport by affecting interactions at or near the cytoplasmic side of the membrane.
High-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of pigments and support in paper and textiles

Abstract Historic works on paper, illuminated (painted) or unpainted manuscripts, and textiles are fragile and nearly impossible to sample. Non-invasive techniques such as visible microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, Raman, and reflectance spectroscopy are commonly used to determine the artist material present. Recently, nonlinear optical ultrafast pump-probe microscopy was shown to provide non-invasive, high-resolution mapping of pigments in historic paintings to investigate paint stratigraphy. In this paper, we combine our pump-probe contrast with nonlinear fluorescence and second-harmonic generation contrasts exhibited by fibrous supports composed of natural bio-materials (cellulose, collagen, or lignin). Hence, our multi-modal nonlinear microscope is able to simultaneously investigate pigments in conjunction with their support in three dimensions with micrometer-scale spatial resolution. Here we examine the utility of nonlinear pump-probe microscopy by studying a series of mock-up samples, including indigo-dyed cotton cloth, ultramarine blue painted on various types of paper, and papers painted with mixtures and layers of the two pigments. In each case we find that we can combine pump-probe pigment contrast with nonlinear optical fiber contrast to obtain spatial information that is otherwise unavailable to the conservator.
Trajectory-Based Theory for Hybrid Systems

This chapter presents a trajectory-based perspective in solving safety/ reachability analysis and synthesis problems and fault diagnosability analysis in hybrid systems. The main tool used in obtaining the results presented in this chapter is the concept of trajectory robustness, which is derived from the theory of approximate bisimulation. Trajectory robustness essentially provides a guarantee on how far the system’s state trajectories can deviate (in \(L_{\infty }\) norm) as a result of initial state variations. It further leads to the possibility of approximating the set of the system’s trajectories, which is infinite, with a finite set of trajectories. This fact, in turns, allows us to pose the above problems as finitely many finite problems that can be practically solved. In addition, these finite problems can be solved in parallel.
Abstract 19300: Drug Screening in Human Neutral Lipid Storage Disease iPSCells Identifies Modulators of Intracellular Lipid Metabolism That Reduce Disease Phenotype in vitro

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold great promise as in vitro disease models for pathway discovery and therapeutic drug screening. Here, we generated an in vitro model of neutral lipid storage disease, myopathy subtype (NLSD-M), a condition characterized by a marked elevation of lipid accumulation in cardiac and skeletal muscle due to the loss of functional adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), by reprogramming patient fibroblasts into iPSCs. These hiPSCs were confirmed of carrying mutations in exon 5and exon 7 of the ATGL gene and were shown to recapitulate the disease phenotype by the presence of Oil Red O positive lipid granules in cardiomyocytes. To corroborate this finding, expression of metabolic genes such as Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-a and PPAR-g) were significantly decreased in diseased cardiomyocytes compared to control. Furthermore, the down-regulation of PPAR-gamma coactivators (PGC-1a and PGC-1b) and PPAR target genes expression were associated with increased lipid accumulation in vitro. Utilizing the previously identified compounds that induces glycolysis and suppresses oxidative respiration, we found that the accumulation of intracellular lipids in cardiomyocytes was reduced in treated cells when compared with un-treated cells (0.041 ± 0.02 vs 0.186 ± 0.05). Strikingly, such a treatment effect was not observed when Wild Type iPSC derived cardiomyocytes was studied instead, suggesting a disease-specific effect of the identified drugs. Our results represent one of the first successful human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell validation of high throughput drug screening hits from murine iPSC lines. Given the increased prevalence of NLSD-Min the Japanese population, our findings raise the prospect that a treatment for this devastating disease using drug hits from in vitro iPSC screening may be feasible in the near future.
Chemical cleaning of thermodynamic system for 2×300MW gangue subcritical units in Guohua Ningdong Power Plant

Directing against the features of 300 MW subcritical unit in Guohua Ningdong Power Plant.The blast furnace system A5 efficient degreaser degreasing alkali wash and clean the furnace body system is hydrochloric acid,citric acid rinse and hydrogen passivation process.The results showed that the chemical cleaning of Guohua Ningdong power plant is reasonable,clean and excellent quality.
The role of statins for primary prevention in non-elderly colorectal cancer patients

BACKGROUND There is conflicting evidence for the role of statins in the primary prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). We conducted a case control study (N=357,702) in the non-elderly adult US population (age=18-64 years) with the primary objective to examine the association between CRC and statin use. PATIENTS AND METHODS MarketScan® databases were used to identify patients with CRC. A case was defined as having an incident diagnosis of CRC. Up to ten individually matched controls (age, sex, region and date of diagnosis) were selected per case. Statin exposure was assessed by prescription tracking in the 12 months prior to the index date. Conditional logistic regression was used to adjust for multiple potential confounders and calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR). RESULTS The mean age of participants was 54 years; 52% males and 48% females. In a multivariable model, any statin use was associated with 26% reduced odds of CRC (AOR, 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72-0.77, p<0.001). Age-stratified analyses showed a stronger effect of statins on CRC in participants aged 55 years or younger (AOR, 0.67, 95% CI, 0.63-0.71, p<0.001) than in participants aged above 55 years (AOR, 0.79, 95% CI, 0.76-0.82, p<0.001); the age-by-statin interaction was statistically significant (p<0.001). The dose-response analyses performed with simvastatin only showed a trend towards significance between the duration of simvastatin exposure and odds of developing CRC (p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS Statins appears to reduce the risk of CRC in non-elderly US population. Chemoprevention with statin might be more effective in non-elderly US population.
A resource allocation approach for managing critical network-based infrastructure systems

ABSTRACTIn recent years, many resource allocation models have been developed to protect critical infrastructure by maximizing system resiliency or minimizing its vulnerability to disasters or disruptions. However, these are often computationally intensive and require simplifying assumptions and approximations. In this study, we develop a robust and representative, yet tractable, model for optimizing maintenance planning of generic network-structured systems (transportation, water, power, communication). The proposed modeling framework examines models that consider both linear and nonlinear objective functions and enhances their structure through suitable manipulations. Moreover, the designed models inherently capture the network topography and the stochastic nature of disruptions and can be applied to network-structured systems where performance is assessed based on network flow efficiency and mobility. The developed models are applied to the Istanbul highway system in order to assess their relative compu...
Living with Dying in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Nursing Perspective

Background Despite reported challenges encountered by nurses who provide palliative care to children, few researchers have examined this phenomenon from the perspective of nurses who care for children with life-threatening illnesses in pediatric intensive care units. Objectives To describe and interpret the essence of the experiences of nurses in pediatric intensive care units who provide palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses and the children's families. Methods A hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted with 12 pediatric intensive care unit nurses in the northeastern United States. Face-to-face interviews and field notes were used to illuminate the experiences. Results Five major themes were detected: journey to death; a lifelong burden; and challenges delivering care, maintaining self, and crossing boundaries. These themes were illuminated by 12 subthemes: the emotional impact of the dying child, the emotional impact of the child's death, concurrent grieving, creating a peaceful ending, parental burden of care, maintaining hope for the family, pain, unclear communication by physicians, need to hear the voice of the child, remaining respectful of parental wishes, collegial camaraderie and support, and personal support. Conclusion Providing palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses was complex for the nurses. Findings revealed sometimes challenging intricacies involved in caring for dying children and the children's families. However, the nurses voiced professional satisfaction in providing palliative care and in support from colleagues. Although the nurses reported collegial camaraderie, future research is needed to identify additional supportive resources that may help staff process and cope with death and dying.
Stirring the sea of peasant stagnation

A chicken is not a bird and a baba is not a human being. Traditional peasant proverb It is necessary to say that a women's mind is exactly the same as a man's, that a baba is a human being. Pichurina , peasant delegate to the All-Union Congress of Women Workers and Peasants, Moscow, 1927. In the late 1920s, the overwhelming majority (84%) of Russians were peasants, living within an agricultural system that was centuries old. One historian observed that it was not unusual to see a peasant or even his wife dragging a wooden plough “dating back to the time of the flood” across the fields. Four of five Russians lived in villages; three of four employed people worked in agriculture. Urban life was concentrated in small industrialized islands around Moscow, Leningrad, the Urals, and parts of the Ukraine and Azerbaidjan. In the great majority of provinces, 85% to 95% of the people lived in the countryside. People lived in tiny, isolated hamlets with an average size of 200 people, thirty to forty households. And most of these settlements, in the words of the rural historian V. P. Danilov, “were truly God-forsaken places.” The Revolution had done little to improve the productive basis of agriculture, and in many ways it had actually undermined it. In redistributing the gentry's estates, the peasants eliminated large holdings and revived many age-old features of peasant life, like the village commune. Peasants still relied mainly on manual labor with primitive tools. Few owned machines and most survived with minimal dependence on the market. Only a tiny fraction of the rural population was employed in factories (1.1%) or cottage industry (1.6%).
A Brief History of the Mohave Indians Since 1850

AbstractDescriptions of Mohave culture in the middle of the nineteenth century are contained in such writings as Stratton’s account of the captivity of the Oatman girls, the reports of the railroad surveyors (Sitgreaves and Whipple) and accounts of the steamboat captains (Ives). The long period of intertribal warfare was ending, but the apprehensive Mohave fought the White intruders on several occasions before they were finally subdued. Reservations were established, but the Mohave had to undergo many hardships before making a better adjustment to changing times.
Transformation Methods for Slow-Growing Fungi

It is challenging to prepare protoplasts and establish a transformation system in any toxin that produces slow-growing fungus, like Undifilum oxytropis. This chapter describes a protocol to generate a nontransient transformation system with the help of introducing a foreign heterologous gene to a toxin producing slow-growing fungi. This system will be useful to study genes in metabolically important pathways.
Sex differences in subcellular distribution of delta opioid receptors in the rat hippocampus in response to acute and chronic stress.

Drug addiction requires associative learning processes that critically involve hippocampal circuits, including the opioid system. We recently found that acute and chronic stress, important regulators of addictive processes, affect hippocampal opioid levels and mu opioid receptor trafficking in a sexually dimorphic manner. Here, we examined whether acute and chronic stress similarly alters the levels and trafficking of hippocampal delta opioid receptors (DORs). Immediately after acute immobilization stress (AIS) or one-day after chronic immobilization stress (CIS), the brains of adult female and male rats were perfusion-fixed with aldehydes. The CA3b region and the dentate hilus of the dorsal hippocampus were quantitatively analyzed by light microscopy using DOR immunoperoxidase or dual label electron microscopy for DOR using silver intensified immunogold particles (SIG) and GABA using immunoperoxidase. At baseline, females compared to males had more DORs near the plasmalemma of pyramidal cell dendrites and about 3 times more DOR-labeled CA3 dendritic spines contacted by mossy fibers. In AIS females, near-plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs decreased in GABAergic hilar dendrites. However, in AIS males, near-plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs increased in CA3 pyramidal cell and hilar GABAergic dendrites and the percentage of CA3 dendritic spines contacted by mossy fibers increased to about half that seen in unstressed females. Conversely, after CIS, near-plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs increased in hilar GABA-labeled dendrites of females whereas in males plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs decreased in CA3 pyramidal cell dendrites and near-plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs decreased hilar GABA-labeled dendrites. As CIS in females, but not males, redistributed DOR-SIGs near the plasmalemmal of hilar GABAergic dendrites, a subsequent experiment examined the acute affect of oxycodone on the redistribution of DOR-SIGs in a separate cohort of CIS females. Plasmalemmal DOR-SIGs were significantly elevated on hilar interneuron dendrites one-hour after oxycodone (3 mg/kg, I.P.) administration compared to saline administration in CIS females. These data indicate that DORs redistribute within CA3 pyramidal cells and dentate hilar GABAergic interneurons in a sexually dimorphic manner that would promote activation and drug related learning in males after AIS and in females after CIS.
Zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) affects the feeding ecology of early stage striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ) in the Hudson River estuary

Variability in the feeding ecology of young fishes over short and long time scales in estuaries is likely to affect population dynamics. We studied 14 years of early stage Striped Bass feeding ecology in the Hudson River Estuary over a 25-year time span, including years in which invasive zebra mussels markedly altered energy flow within the estuary. We predicted that feeding success would be low and that diet composition would be altered during years of high zebra mussel impact, particularly in upriver locations where mussels occur. Feeding success in the short term was indicated by volume of gut contents and in the long term by dry mass at length, i.e. condition; these measures were positively intercorrelated and varied significantly year to year. We tested for associations between condition and multiple biotic and abiotic environmental variables. There was a strong negative effect of zebra mussel grazing rate on condition in upriver locations and a weak positive effect in downriver locations. In upriver locations, condition was 33% higher when local salinity was high and zebra mussel grazing rates were low, whereas in downriver locations, condition was 35% higher when zebra mussel grazing rates and copepod abundance were high and local dissolved oxygen was low. Copepods, amphipods, mysids, and Leptodora constituted the highest prey-specific index of relative importance throughout the estuary. There was no evident effect of the zebra mussel invasion on diet composition. This long-term study corroborates the inferences of earlier studies that zebra mussels reduced early-stage striped bass growth rate.
Thermal segregation drives patterns of alder and willow expansion in a montane ecosystem subject to climate warming

Summary Tall-shrub expansion into low-statured communities, a hallmark of recent vegetative change across tundra ecosystems, involves three major genera: Alnus, Betula and Salix. Which genus expands most into tundra landscapes will determine ecosystem properties. We show that Alnus and Salix shrubs segregate thermal space (elevation × insolation) and colonize tundra landscapes differently in response to climate warming, thereby replacing different tundra types. Vegetative change estimated from repeat photography should account for hill-slope. Methodologically, slope determines surface area estimated from orthophotos as projected pixel area times secant of pixel slope. Ecologically, the change in thermally responsive vegetative area is sensitive to terrain steepness, scaling as the cosecant of hill-slope, so that studies should expect more shrub expansion in areas of shallow slopes than steep slopes. Repeat aerial photography in Alaska's Chugach Mountains from 1972 to 2012 orthorectified on a high-resolution lidar digital elevation model indicated tall Salix was rare in 1972 and colonized warmer slopes by 2012. Tall Alnus colonized steeper, cooler slopes both by 2012 and by 1972. Salix and forest colonized similar thermal space. Colonization probability for both shrub genera was maximized at intermediate elevations. Alnus colonization adjacent to dwarf-shrub tundra was twenty times as likely as Salix colonization. Salix colonization adjacent to low-shrub/herbaceous tundra was three times as likely as Alnus colonization. Replacement of dwarf-shrub tundra by Alnus and of low-shrub/herbaceous communities by Salix will affect herbivores and soil properties. Good agreement between observations of plant functional type and multinomial predictions in a thermal space defined by elevation and insolation suggested that these two variables were sufficient for forecast modelling. Spatially explicit, climate-driven generalized linear multinomial and random forest classification models in available thermal space forecast surface areas of forest, Alnus, Salix and tundra over a range of warming, modelled as upward shifted isotherms, including expected IPCC scenarios. Both modelling approaches indicated that shrubs may respond nonlinearly to warming. Synthesis. The provision of taxon-specific coefficients for climate-driven, spatially explicit models using high-resolution digital elevation models is necessary for accurately forecasting vegetative change due to climate warming in montane and arctic regions.
A stretchable crumpled graphene photodetector with plasmonically enhanced photoresponsivity.

Graphene has been widely explored for flexible, high-performance photodetectors due to its exceptional mechanical strength, broadband absorption, and high carrier mobility. However, the low stretchability and limited photoabsorption of graphene have restricted its applications in flexible and highly sensitive photodetection systems. Various hybrid systems based on photonic or plasmonic nanostructures have been introduced to improve the limited photoresponsivity of graphene photodetectors. In most cases, the hybrid systems succeeded in the enhancement of photoresponsivity, but showed limited mechanical stretchability. Here, we demonstrate a stretchable photodetector based on a crumpled graphene–gold nanoparticle (AuNP) hybrid structure with ∼1200% enhanced photoresponsivity, compared to a conventional flat graphene-only photodetector, and exceptional mechanical stretchability up to a 200% tensile strain. We achieve plasmonically enhanced photoresponsivity by integrating AuNPs with graphene. By crumpling the hybrid structure, we realize mechanical stretchability and further enhancement of the optical absorption by densification. We also demonstrate that our highly stretchable photodetector with enhanced photoresponsivity can be integrated on a contact lens and a spring structure. We believe that our stretchable, high performance graphene photodetector can find broad applications for conformable and flexible optical sensors and dynamic mechanical strain sensors.
Regulation of CD4 T cells and their effects on immunopathological inflammation following viral infection.

CD4 T cells help immune responses, but knowledge of how memory CD4 T cells are regulated and how they regulate adaptive immune responses and induce immunopathology is limited. Using adoptive transfer of virus-specific CD4 T cells, we show that naive CD4 T cells undergo substantial expansion following infection, but can induce lethal TH1-driven inflammation. In contrast, memory CD4 T cells exhibit a biased proliferation of T follicular helper (Tfh) cell subsets and were able to improve adaptive immune responses in the context of minimal tissue damage. Our analyses revealed that type I interferon regulates the expansion of primary CD4 T cells, but does not seem to play a critical role in regulating the expansion of secondary CD4 T cells. Strikingly, blockade of type I interferon abrogated lethal inflammation by primary CD4 T cells following viral infection, despite that this treatment increased the numbers of primary CD4 T cell responses. Altogether, these data demonstrate important aspects of how primary and secondary CD4 T cells are regulated in vivo, and how they contribute to immune protection and immunopathology. These findings are important for rational vaccine design and for improving adoptive T cell therapies against persistent antigens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Why Social Science is Biological Science

The social sciences need to take seriously their status as divisions of biology. As such they need to recognize the central role of Darwinian processes in all the phenomena they seek to explain. An argument for this claim is formulated in terms of a small number of relatively precise premises that focus on the nature of the kinds and taxonomies of all the social sciences. The analytical taxonomies of all the social sciences are shown to require a Darwinian approach to human affairs, though not a nativist or genetically driven theory by any means. Non-genetic Darwinian processes have the fundamental role on all human affairs. I expound a general account of how Darwinian processes operate in human affairs by selecting for strategies and sets of strategies individuals and groups employ. I conclude by showing how a great deal of social science can be organized in accordance with Tinbergen’s approach to biological inquiry, an approach required by the fact that the social sciences are all divisions of biology, and in particular the studies of one particular biological species.
Milk fatty acid composition of perinatal and foraging steller sea lions: Examination from pup stomachs

To investigate the milk fatty acid composition of female Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776)) between and within maternal states (i.e., perinatal or foraging), milk samples were collected in 2010 and 2011 via gastric intubation from Steller sea lion pups on a small rookery in the central Gulf of Alaska. Maternal states of lactating females were determined upon reuniting with their sampled pups via remotely operated video cameras on the rookery. Milk fatty acid composition between Steller sea lion maternal states was significantly different, and thus can be utilized to distinguish between perinatal and foraging Steller sea lions of the same geographic region in the absence of direct observation. However, milk fatty acid composition remained relatively constant within perinatal Steller sea lions, suggesting steady mobilization of fatty acids from blubber to milk, and within foraging Steller sea lions, implying females forage on similar prey species within several days after their perinata...
An Analysis of Storytelling on Student Content Acquisition

Traditionally, science and art are not combined as an instructional method in the undergraduate biology laboratory. This research examined the differences in the construction of biology content knowledge in student work in an inquiry-based lab and in an inquiry- and arts-based lab. The qualitative research findings indicated that the students developed deeper understanding of the content knowledge when an arts-based instructional method (storytelling) was included as part of the inquiry-based instruction.
An Untethered Sensor Platform for Logging Vertical Wells

The measurement of fluid and rock properties within oil and gas wells is critical to efficient hydrocarbon production. These data are generally acquired by wireline logging, where sensors are lowered into the well at the end of a long cable. The handling of this cable adds significant cost to downhole data acquisition. In this paper, a proof of concept demonstration of an untethered sensor platform for logging vertical wells is presented. The platform is the size of a golf ball and works based on buoyancy change. The buoyant sensor housing and electronics initially holds a weight such that it sinks in the well. It releases the weight when it reaches a programmed depth and floats back up to the surface, logging data during the whole operation. The data are downloaded after retrieving the sensor. This miniaturized, tetherless platform can reduce the cost of logging operations and pave the way for semipermanent downhole sensors.
Safety Outcomes for Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Multiple Myeloma

Systems have been put in place in the Mayo Clinic Stem Cell Transplantation program to reduce day-100 all-cause mortality. Currently our mortality has been reduced to 0.3%. Patients can undergo transplant as an outpatient, with a median hospital duration of 0 days and only 25% of patients requiring a hospital stay of 5 days or greater. Outpatient transplantation is safe and reduces patient-incurred costs.
Location, location, location: Assessing the spatial patterning between marijuana licenses, alcohol outlets and neighborhood characteristics within Washington state

Abstract Background The availability of marijuana products is becoming increasingly prevalent across the United States (US), many states are allowing for the production, processing, and retailing of these products for medical and/or recreational use. The purpose of this study is to: (1) examine the spatial patterning of marijuana licenses, and (2) examine the impact of alcohol outlets in addition to other neighborhood characteristics on marijuana licenses within the state of Washington. Methods This cross-sectional observational study examined 1458 census tracts in Washington state from 2017, using marijuana and alcohol data from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board as well as neighborhood characteristics data from the American Community Survey 2011–2015 5-year estimates. We used exploratory and formal spatial regression methods, including integrated nested Laplace approximation within a Bayesian statistical framework, to address the study aims. Results Our results indicate there is significant spatial patterning of marijuana producers and processors across the state. We also found that all marijuana licenses are located in poorer census tracts, and marijuana retailers are co-located in census tracts with off-premises alcohol outlets. Conclusions Our study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between marijuana licenses, alcohol outlets, and neighborhood characteristics, and has important implications for policymakers in other states currently considering legalizing marijuana-products for medical and/or recreational use.
Pathways of Pain Perception and Modulation

Pain originates through signaling pathways which begin in the periphery, ascend in the spinal cord, and arrive in the thalamus before relaying to the brain. Peripheral nociceptors capable of sensing thermal, mechanical, or chemical insults relay to Aδ and C fibers. These neurons enter the central nervous system through the spinal dorsal horn and synapse with second-order neurons in a histologically discrete area called Rexed lamina. Somatotopically organized second-order neurons ascend in the spinal cord and travel to the thalamus where they synapse with third-order neurons. Third-order neurons project to the somatosensory cortex and enable perception on pain in discrete body areas. More than simple ascending circuits, pain pathways are redundant intricate systems which undergo modulation at peripheral, spinal cord, brainstem, and cortical sites. Because of connections with behavioral, arousal, and physiological centers, acute pain can enable an organism to survive, while chronic pain can lead to maladaptive behavior.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities as the Heart of Entrepreneurship Research: A Reflection on Venkataraman (1997)

In this chapter we review the seminal article of Venkataraman (Adv Entr Firm Emerg Growth 3:119–138, 1997), which clarified the role of entrepreneurial opportunities in entrepreneurship research. The article also offered a framework to identify the boundaries of entrepreneurship as a distinctive domain of research by explaining the processes evolving around opportunities. We start by summarizing the paper and by reviewing the core ideas in the article. We also explain why we believe the article is a classic. Then we review the opportunity research that appeared before Venkataraman as well as some of the research built upon Venkataraman’s argument. Finally, we discuss how future research can continue to build on the insights from the article and in ways that continue to resonate in the field.
Minimally Invasive Resection of Deep-seated High-grade Gliomas Using Tubular Retractors and Exoscopic Visualization.

Background and Study Aims/Objective Deep-seated high-grade gliomas (HGGs) represent a unique surgical challenge because they reside deep to critical cortical and subcortical structures and infiltrate functional areas of the brain. Therefore, accessing and resecting these tumors can often be challenging and associated with significant morbidity. We describe the use of minimally invasive approaches to access deep-seated HGGs to achieve extensive resections while minimizing surgical morbidity. Materials and Methods All patients who underwent resection of a deep-seated intraparenchymal HGG with the use of a tubular retractor with exoscopic visualization from January 2016 to May 2017 were identified prospectively at a single institution. Variables evaluated included tumor location, pre- and postoperative neurologic function, extent of resection, and length of hospital stay. Results Overall, 14 patients underwent resection of an HGG (11 glioblastomas, 3 anaplastic astrocytomas) with a tubular retractor under exoscopic visualization. Seven tumors (50%) involved the thalamus, three (21%) the motor corticospinal tract, two (14%) the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus, one (7%) each the basal ganglia and optic pathway. The median preoperative Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) was 70 (interquartile range: 55–80), where the major presenting symptom was motor weakness in seven (50%). The average plus or minus the standard error of the mean percentage resection was 97.0 ± 1.2%. The median hospital stay was 4 days (range: 2–7). At 1 month postoperatively, median postoperative KPS (within 30 days) was 87 (range: 77–90), where eight (57%) were improved, five (36%) were stable, and one (7%) was worse postoperatively. Conclusions Deep-seated HGGs can be accessed, visualized, and resected using tubular retractors and exoscopic visualization with minimal morbidity.
Gene Expression in Salt Tolerant Alfalfa Cell Cultures and the Salt Tolerant Plants Regenerated from These Cultures

Food demand for human and animal consumption is increasing with the worlds growing population. At the same time it is becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy these needs with existing crops and limited land, much of which is being eroded by salinization. Increased salt tolerance in crop plants therefore would provide yield increases in marginal lands and protect plants exposed to transient osmotic stress.
Closing the Marketing Strategy-Tactics Gap: An Institutional Theory Analysis of Pharmaceutical Value Chain

This chapter identifies a strategy-tactics gap in most previous studies of pharmaceutical marketing, and addresses it by systematically analyzing the marketing strategies used in practice with the help of a unique dataset of court discovery documents unsealed in a recent litigation. Adopting an institutional theory perspective, we examine the dominant logic that underlies pharmaceutical marketing strategies, and contrast it with the organizing logics of the value chain partners. Four distinct marketing strategies with carefully crafted interdependencies emerge from our analysis: (1) market penetration strategy involving a focus on segmentation and penetration, (2) evidence-based strategy involving production of science, (3) medical education strategy involving development and dissemination of standards of care, and (4) surrogate selling strategy involving leverage of peer-to-peer influence among target physicians. Together, the strategies uncovered in our analysis provide coherence to the observed marketing tactics and show that they are largely consistent with the logic of consequences which conflicts with the logic of appropriateness guiding the actions of the value chain partners. The institutional theory analysis shows that: (1) pharmaceutical value chain is characterized by conflicted logics, (2) that are amplified by pharmaceutical marketing strategies thereby, (3) inviting regulatory intervention to constrain and restrict pharmaceutical marketing efforts. We propose an open systems framework that elaborates on value chain interdependencies and compare it with the economic framework that characterizes most current research. We close the chapter with an agenda for future research into the theory and practice of pharmaceutical marketing.
Cerebral blood flow in acute concussion: preliminary ASL findings from the NCAA-DoD CARE consortium

Sport-related concussion (SRC) has become a major health problem, affecting millions of athletes each year. Despite the increasing occurrence and prevalence of SRC, its underlying mechanism and recovery course have yet to be fully elucidated. The National Collegiate Athletic Association–Department of Defense Grand Alliance: Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium is a large-scale, multisite study of the natural history of concussion across multiple sports. The Advanced Research Core (ARC) of CARE is focused on the advanced biomarker assessment of a reduced subject cohort. This paper reports findings from two ARC sites to evaluate cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in acute SRC, as measured using advanced arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We compared relative CBF maps assessed in 24 concussed contact sport athletes obtained at 24–48 h after injury to those of a control group of 24 matched contact sport players. Significantly less CBF was detected in several brain regions in concussed athletes, while clinical assessments also indicated clinical symptom and performance impairments in SRC patients. Correlations were found between decreased CBF in acute SRC and clinical assessments, including Balance Error Scoring System total score and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test memory composite and impulse control composite scores, as well as days from injury to asymptomatic. Although using different ASL MRI sequences, our preliminary results from two sites are consistent with previous reports and suggest that advanced ASL MRI methods might be useful for detecting acute neurobiological changes in acute SRC.
Autopsy in the Twenty-First Century: Looking Forward

The time has come to stop reexamining the past of the autopsy, cease ruminating on former glories, and look ahead to what hospital autopsy can become. Autopsy can remain a method for discovery of new disease entities, demonstrate its value in an increasingly outcome-based medical system, and become an essential part of cutting-edge molecular research. For these developments to take place, autopsy pathology as a field must grow to encompass measures such as prompt and electronically searchable synoptic reporting, standardized practice methods and teaching, and harnessing of centralized resources at regional centers. Autopsy practitioners must seek out and embrace new roles in informing public policy, assessing patient safety, and engaging in clinical trials. The editors hope this book imparts the best available knowledge, helps improve skills, and provides inspiration needed for the autopsy to reassert its vital presence in the heart of medicine, for the twenty-first century and beyond. The fate of this invaluable asset to clinical care, education, public policy, and research is up to all of us.
Proceedings of the 7th ACM SIGPLAN-SIGSOFT workshop on Program analysis for software tools and engineering

This volume contains the papers presented at the 7th ACM SIGPLAN-SIGSOFT Workshop on Program Analysis for Software Tools and Engineering. This edition of PASTE is co-located with PLDI, which in turn is part of FCRC 2007, held in San Diego, CA in June 2007. As in previous years, the goal of PASTE remains to bring together researchers and practitioners of program analysis techniques, with a particular eye on the application of these techniques to software engineering tasks. We received 35 submissions from around the world, of which we accepted 11. We rejected 2 papers that were well beyond the prescribed page limit; each remaining paper was reviewed by 3 PC members. In some cases we solicited additional reviews from independent experts. In particular, we would like to thank Jeffrey Foster, Ondrej Lhotak, Koushik Sen, Tim Sherwood, and Clark Verbrugge. We thank the PC for their diligence with the review process. This year, we chose to solicit proposals for one-hour research-group presentations in lieu of invited talks. Each presentation includes an overview of a research direction followed by a few short presentations on particular aspects of the work. We received 4 strong submissions, and the PC chose to accept all 4. We believe this format achieves many goals including fostering a workshop atmosphere aligned with the interests of the community, providing agenda-oriented talks typically seen only with invited speakers, and giving students an opportunity to present work as part of a larger research program. We thank the presenters for embracing this new format, and we look forward to their presentations at the workshop.