cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species

Mr Charles Darwin, well known to us all as the author of the delightful travel book Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries Visited by HMS Beagle (1839) (better known as The Voyage of the Beagle), has now produced an audacious work that will surely be the topic of much conversation for months if not years to come. In his newly published book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Existence, to give it the full title, Mr Darwin openly declares himself a Vestiginarian! Like the unknown author of the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844), Mr Darwin has embraced transmutationism, what Mr Herbert Spencer calls ‘‘evolution,’’ and what Mr Darwin himself calls ‘‘descent with modification.’’ In his new book—to which we will give the abbreviated title of the Origin—Mr Darwin openly declares that all living creatures (quick and dead) are the end results of a long process of natural development from (as he says) ‘‘one or a few forms.’’ And although his book says little about our own species, he makes very clear at the end that we too are part of the picture. ‘‘Light will be thrown on the origin of man and of his history.’’ Yes, indeed! So would open a review of the Origin written shortly after the book appeared in 1859. I am writing in 2006, close to the 150th anniversary of the publication, and (declaring an interest) I should tell you that I have just signed a contract with Cambridge University Press to co-edit (with the distinguished historian Robert J. Richards) a Companion to the Origin. So I take it without argument that as a historical work the Origin is of great significance. Goodness, the portrait of Darwin has even replaced Charles Dickens on the back of the English ten pound note, although rumor has it that the real reason for the shift is that Darwin had a fuller beard than Dickens and thus was less easy to forge! My mandate here is to assess the Origin from today’s perspective, considering its contemporary value as a work of scholarship, and in respects this is a lot less easy to do than from the perspective of say 1860. It would be all too easy simply to dismiss it as something irretrievably dated and to leave matters at that. Frankly, I would be worried if one could not dismiss it as dated, for that would suggest that Darwin’s ideas have so little interest or value that no one has bothered to try to critique them or to take the discussion further. So remember that here I am not so much suspending critical evaluation, as looking at what proved interesting and stimulating in the Origin, rather than ways to take cheap shots at the past from the present.
Modeling three‐dimensional hydraulic fracture propagation using virtual multidimensional internal bonds

SUMMARY Propagation of fractures, especially those emanating from wellbores and closed natural fractures, often involves Mode I and Mode II, and at times Mode III, posing significant challenges to its numerical simulation. When an embedded inclined fracture is subjected to compression, the fracture edge is constrained by the surrounding materials so that its true propagation pattern cannot be simulated by 2D models. In this article, a virtual multidimensional internal bond (VMIB) model is presented to simulate three-dimensional (3D) fracture propagation. The VMIB model bridges the processes of macro fracture and micro bond rupture. The macro 3D constitutive relation in VMIB is derived from the 1D bond in the micro scale and is implemented in a 3D finite element method. To represent the contact and friction between fracture surfaces, a 3D element partition method is employed. The model is applied to simulate fracture propagation and coalescence in typical laboratory experiments and is used to analyze the propagation of an embedded fracture. Simulation results for single and multiple fractures illustrate 3D features of the tensile and compressive fracture propagation, especially the propagation of a Mode III fracture. The results match well with the experimental observation, suggesting that the presented method can capture the main features of 3D fracture propagation and coalescence. Moreover, by developing an algorithm for applying pressure on the fracture surfaces, propagation of a natural fracture is also simulated. The result illustrates an interesting and important phenomenon of Mode III fracture propagation, namely the fracture front segmentation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Theory and operational characteristics of the magnetic valve for solids Part II: Collar design

This paper reports on the operating characteristics of the collar type MVS which uses either orifice plates or screens as supports for the solids. The optimum placement for the support (screens or orifice plates), the current needed to operate the valve as a function of vessel size (up to 0.55 m) and screen or orifice opening, and the response characteristics of the valve were all determined. These findings were then compared with theory. Finally, the operational characteristics of the MVS (magnetic valve for solids) when handling a mixture of magnetic and nonmagnetic solids were briefly examined.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery in China

The primary author is a 41-year-old oral and maxillofacial surgeon on the attending staff of the Stomatology Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China. He is currently a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan and has a wide variety of experience in medicine and dentistry, including 11 years of general surgery, plastic surgery, and tumor surgery training in addition to his stomatology education. His experiences during the past 20 years have prompted his American colleagues to encourage him to present his views with respect to oral and maxillofacial surgery in China today. The purpose of this article is to promote understanding among colleagues in China and in the West.
Chain effect of route recoveries and MAC layer collisions in wireless multi-hop networks

Routing protocols for mesh and ad-hoc networks are designed under the assumption that the underlying channel is unreliable and nodes may be mobile. Therefore, route failure detection and recovery are important components of the design. However, under high traffic scenarios, an aggressive route failure detection technique may create a chain of routing messages which interfere with the data communication triggering another route failure detection. This paper investigates the chain effect in two popular routing protocols, OLSR and AODV, with emphasis on cross layer feedback based route error detection mechanism. NS2 based simulations are performed in static and mobile scenarios. Random as well as group mobility scenarios were evaluated. Simulation results reveal that under high traffic load, a chain of route recoveries and MAC collisions are triggered due to localized MAC layer contention rather than mobility in AODV due to direct MAC feedback.
Construction and analysis of a database representing a neural map

We describe the development and analysis of a quantitative database representing the global structural and functional organization of an entire sensory map. The database was derived from measurements of anatomical characteristics of a statistical sample of typical mechanosensory afferents in the cricket cercal sensory system. Anatomical characteristics of the neurons were measured quantitatively in three dimensions using a computer reconstruction system. The reconstructions of all neurons were aligned and scaled to a common standard set of dimensions, according to a highly reproducible set of intrinsic fiducial marks. The database therefore preserves accurate information about spatial relationships between the neurons within the ensemble. Algorithms were implemented to allow the integration of electrophysiological data about the stimulus/response characteristics of the reconstructed neurons into the database. The algorithms essentially map a physiological function onto a "field" representing the continuous distribution of synaptic terminals throughout the neural structure. Subsequent analysis allowed quantitative predictions of several important functional characteristics of the sensory map that emerge from its global organization. First, quantitative and testable predictions were made about ensemble response patterns within the map. The predicted patterns are presented as graphical images, similar to images that might be observed with activity-dependent dyes in the real neural system. Second, the synaptic innervation patterns from the sensory afferent map onto the dendrites of a postsynaptic target interneuron were predicted by calculating the overlap between the interneuron's dendrites with the afferent map. By doing so, several aspects of the stimulus/response properties of the interneuron were accurately predicted.
Effect of nitric oxide synthase modulation on resuscitation success in a swine ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest model

Abstract Background: We have demonstrated previously that the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N G -nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA) decreases free radical generation and nitrosative injury via peroxynitrite formation after epicardial dc shocks. Objective: Our purpose was to explore the effects of NOS inhibition and NOS donation on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) success after cardiac arrest of variable duration. We used the non-selective NOS inhibitor l-NNA and the selective neuronal NOS inhibitor ARR-17477, the NOS donor S -nitroso- N -acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and the vasodilator Enalaprilat, which lowers arterial pressure via a non-NO mechanism. Methods: Part I: 17 pigs undergoing 4min supported (i.e. with closed-chest compression and ventilation) ventricular fibrillation (VF) were divided into two groups: a no-l-NNA group ( n =8) receiving IV saline and an l-NNA group ( n =9) receiving IV l-NNA (5mg/kg) for 8min before VF was induced. Part II: 35 pigs undergoing 6–8min VF were randomized to three groups: a no-l-NNA group ( n =13) receiving IV saline, an l-NNA group ( n =11) receiving IV l-NNA (5mg/kg) and an ARR17477 group ( n =11) receiving IV ARR17477 (5mg/kg) before VF. All animals in Part II underwent unsupported VF (no chest compression or ventilation) for 6min ( n =13) or 8min ( n =22); closed-chest compression, ventilation and epinephrine (adrenaline) were employed after defibrillation. Part III: 12 swine were divided into two groups: control ( n =6) receiving saline and an LNNA group ( n =6) receiving IV LNNA (5mg/kg). Swine underwent 6min unsupported VF and 2min supported VF before defibrillation. Part IV: 25 animals were studied to determine the effect of the NO donor SNAP and the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor Enalaprilat on coronary perfusion pressure (CPP). Results: In Part I, after defibrillation, with continued ventilation, chest compression and epinephrine, 8/9 l-NNA pigs achieved ROSC versus 4/8 control pigs ( p =0.11). After 60s of CPR, 7/9 pigs in the l-NNA group achieved ROSC versus 2/8 pigs in the no-l-NNA group ( p p p =0.01). Shorter chest compression was required in the l-NNA group (252±38s, p p Conclusion: NOS inhibition pre-arrest did not improve survival, but did reduce requirements for epinephrine and closed-chest compression in a swine resuscitation model.
Contingency management: an evidence-based component of methamphetamine use disorder treatments.

Aims To review briefly some of the available evidence regarding the utility of contingency management in treating methamphetamine use disorders. Design A literature review was conducted to locate relevant studies for the review. Findings The review suggests that contingency management is likely to be a useful component of treatment strategies designed to address methamphetamine use disorders. Results suggest that contingency management can increase the likelihood of providing methamphetamine-free urine samples during treatment. Conclusions Evidence suggests that contingency management is a good candidate for inclusion in treatment strategies for methamphetamine addiction.
Governing the Regimeless City The Frank Zeidler Administration in Milwaukee, 1948–1960

Recent literature on urban governance has focused predominantly on cities with effective partnerships between business and local government. Increased attention to the role played by such partnersh...
Zia Taqueria: Building a Local Supply Chain in Southwestern Colorado

Zia Taqueria is a full-service restaurant in Durango, Colorado whose owners have steadily increased the proportion of local vegetables, grains and meats they source and serve to their customers. They created new supply chains that add value to heritage products grown in the Four Corners area, invested in building capacity in local farming operations, and created a restaurant brand known for its commitment to serving high-quality, reasonably priced meals. In addition to operating a profitable and energy-efficient business, they support other local businesses and community events and have become leaders in developing a vibrant local food economy in Southwest Colorado.
Dignity and Discriminatory Intent: What the Marriage Equality Cases Tell Us About Voter ID

Two years after Shelby County v. Holder and United States v. Windsor, a good deal of litigation has addressed the legality of electoral restrictions like voter ID and bans on same-sex marriage. This Article examines the relationship between these two lines of cases. It argues that the greater deference accorded to state action in the voting cases is not simply the product of the familiar distinction between discriminatory intent and effect, but instead captures an emerging and troubling distinction within the category of intentional discrimination itself. This distinction separates conduct that targets members of a minority group for disfavored treatment based on animus from conduct that targets them for more particularized, instrumental reasons. The Article posits that this distinction is not only unwarranted, but that it also obscures a critical observation repeatedly made in the marriage cases that should have application in the voting disputes but has yet to find expression. Many of the voting restrictions challenged post-Shelby County might be understood to inflict a dignitary harm that resembles the dignitary injury same-sex marriage bans are now widely understood to inflict. The Article offers some preliminary thoughts on the contours of this injury and the challenges its recognition might present.
Polarization changes in light beams trespassing anisotropic turbulence.

The polarization properties of deterministic or random light with isotropic source correlations propagating in anisotropic turbulence along horizontal paths are considered for the first time and predicted to change on the basis of the second-order coherence theory of beam-like fields and the extended Huygens–Fresnel integral. Our examples illustrate that the beams whose degree of polarization is unaffected by free-space propagation or isotropic turbulence can either decrease or increase on traversing the anisotropic turbulence, depending on the polarization state of the source.
The Dysphoria Syndrome and its Relation to EPS

The measurement of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) is in a primitive state. Groves and Mandel,(1) for example, in a survey of the long-acting fluphenazine studies, found the reported incidence of EPS with the enanthate ester to range from 0% to 100%, and with the decanoate ester the reported incidence of EPS ranged from 10% to 83%. Since the dosages in these studies were conventional, these marked differences in the reporting of EPS indicate that physicians differ greatly in their ability to detect the EPS of akinesia and akathisia: presumably everybody would record such readily observed EPS as tremor, dyskinesia, or dystonia.
Abstract WP407: Physician Knowledge Regarding Transcranial Doppler Screening Recommendations Among Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening for stroke prevention among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) is recommended by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI); however, screening rates remain low. Little is known about provider knowledge of TCD recommendations. We explored knowledge of current TCD recommendations for children with SCD among pediatric hematologists and neurologists across the US, as well as pediatric primary care physicians (PCPs) of children with SCD in Michigan. Methods: Pediatric hematologists and neurologists (n=250 each) were sampled from the American Medical Association Masterfile, a listing of all US physicians. PCPs were pediatricians/family physicians treating children with SCD in Michigan identified through Medicaid claims 2008-2012 (n=206). A mailed survey was administered May 2012 with a 6 week follow-up to non-respondents. The survey included 6 questions regarding knowledge of TCD recommendations based on age and SC subtypes, as well as actions to take based on TCD results. The proportion of correct responses was classified based on NHLBI guidelines and compared across specialty using Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Among 638 deliverable surveys, 244 (38%) were returned (83 neurologists, 89 hematologists, 72 PCPs) and 103 indicated the respondent currently treats children with SCD and believes children with SCD should receive TCD screening. Among these respondents, 76% recommend TCD screening and 24% of the knowledge questions were answered correctly (Table 1). Differences in proportion correct overall and for specific questions were noted across specialty, with hematologists having the highest proportion correct. Conclusions: Although the majority of physicians recommend TCD screening, knowledge of specific TCD recommendations is low. Opportunities to improve knowledge of TCD recommendations span each physician specialty sampled, but are especially evident among PCPs and neurologists.
The Profitability and Returns-to-Scale of Expenditures on Intangibles Made by Publicly Traded U.S. Firms, 1980-2000

I estimate the ex-post NPV profitability and returns-to-scale of expenditures on R&D, advertising and personnel intangibles for the universe of publicly traded U.S. firms. I report four main findings. First, the NPVs of expenditures on R&D, advertising, and personnel activities have been consistently positive over the past 20 years. Second, the profitability of R&D increased more than threefold between 1980 and 2000, while the profitability of advertising, personnel and tangible assets either declined or remained unchanged. Third, the NPV profitability of R&D and advertising increases as the scale of the expenditures made on those intangibles increases, while the NPV on personnel activities decreases with scale. Finally, the increasing profitability returns-to-scale of expenditures on both R&D and advertising have become more pronounced over time. In all, my findings support the view that intangibles have steadily become a critical means by which firms today create value, particularly via the increasing profitability returns-to-scale inherent in successful R&D and advertising.
Time and Height of Flight of Adults of White Grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the Southwestern United States

Light-trap studies were conducted to determine the dominant scarab species collected from turf areas in West Texas, the time and height of adult flight, and the effect of trap orientation. Phyllophaga crinita Burmeister and Cyclocephala pasadenae (Casey) were the most abundant scarab species collected, comprising ca. 89 and 11% of the total beetles caught, respectively. The peak flight of P. crinita occurs 30 min earlier than C. pasadenae. Trap orientation had no significant effect on the number of beetles collected of either species. The proportion of males exceeded 75% in both species. Vertical stratification was found in both species, but was most pronounced in P. crinita. Collections of both species were greatest at heights close to soil level.
The Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 4 Positive Allosteric Modulator ADX88178 Inhibits Inflammatory Responses in Primary Microglia

While the specific trigger of Parkinson Disease (PD) in most patients is unknown, considerable evidence suggests that the neuroinflammatory response makes an essential contribution to the neurodegenerative process. Drugs targeting metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu receptors), 7 Transmembrane (7TM) spanning/G protein coupled receptors that bind glutamate, are emerging as therapeutic targets for PD and may have anti-inflammatory properties. ADX88178 is novel potent, selective, and brain-penetrant positive allosteric modulator of the mGlu4 which is under evaluation for treatment of PD and other neurological disorders. We used microglia cultured from mouse brain to determine if ADX88178 had direct effects on the inflammatory responses of these cells. We studied both microglia from wild type and Grm4 knock out mice. We found that activation of mGlu4 with ADX88178 attenuated LPS-induced inflammation in primary microglia, leading to a decrease in the expression of TNFα, MHCII, and iNOS, markers of pro-inflammatory responses. These effects were absent in microglia from mice lacking mGlu4. These results demonstrate a cell-autonomous anti-inflammatory effect of ADX88178 mediated mGlu4 activation on microglia, and suggest that this drug or similar activators or potentiators of mGlu4 may have disease-modifying as well as symptomatic effects in PD and other brain disorders with an inflammatory component.
Study on the acceptance test specification of the grid-connected microgrids

According to the current relevant standards and specifications at home and abroad, this paper studies the acceptance tests which must be performed to validate whether the grid-connection/splitting process and grid-connection operation of the Microgrids meet the relevant technical requirements or not. Combining the technical requirements of the Microgrids, this paper gives the conditions, measuring instruments, general process and acceptance standards of the acceptance tests, and focuses on the designing of acceptance tests of key operation, operation parameters and protection functions of the Microgrids, such as grid-connection/splitting process, power quality during the grid-connection operation and reverse power and short-circuit protection, etc. The relevant test methods, specific steps and acceptance standards are proposed. This paper can provide a good foundation and basis for designing the acceptance tests specification of the Microgrids.
Emergence of multidrug-resistant isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii

Patterns of antimicrobial resistance during an outbreak of nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii were studied. The medical records of all patients admitted to the hospital between February 1993 and February 1994 from whom A. baumannii was cultured were reviewed for demographic data, confirmation of the isolation report, admission date, date of first isolation of the organism, and antimicrobial use before and after the culture and susceptibility test results were obtained. The culture and susceptibility test data were reviewed for all specimens submitted to the laboratory during the review period. A total of 87 patients (mean +/- S.D. age, 37.9 +/- 8.7 years) with nosocomial infection or colonization with A. baumannii were identified. All the patients were surgical intensive care unit residents and had predisposing factors for acinetobacter infection. A total of 107 isolates of the organism were cultured from various sites; sputum was the most common source. The number of isolates per month increased steadily beginning in September 1993 and then declined over the winter. The median time between admission and first isolation of resistant A. baumannii was 11 days. Infections were manifested clinically as pneumonia (36 patients), bacteremia (8), wound infection (6), and urinary-tract infection (2). Of the 107 isolates, all were resistant to formulary cephalosporins, extended-spectrum penicillins, quinolones, and aztreonam. Only nine isolates were susceptible to one or more aminoglycosides. All the isolates were susceptible to imipenem-cilastatin. During an outbreak of nosocomial infections with A. baumannii, all or nearly all of the 107 isolates were resistant to a broad range of antimicrobials with the exception of imipenem-cilastatin, to which all the isolates were susceptible.
Abnormal Body Size and Proportion

Abstract Pathologic short and tall stature extends more than two standard deviations beyond the normal mean for age-appropriate human height (i.e., less than 3rd centile or greater than 97th centile). Identifying pathologic growth involves using growth curves appropriate for a person's ethnic and nutritional status. Allowances must also be made for parental height, the impact of chronic disease or medication, and the possibility of constitutional delay or acceleration of maturation. When it is established that a person is truly short or tall for age, considering all other relevant factors in the medical and social history, an accurate diagnosis of the cause is essential to providing good patient care: including prognosis, anticipating and treating complications, and providing accurate genetic counseling. The classification of the body habitus as proportionate or disproportionate, with the use of anthropometric measurements, and the recognition of the deficient or accelerated growth either prenatally or postnatally can help identify the cause of the pathology. Next-generation sequencing strategies have the potential to identify causes for pathologic short or tall stature in 40%–50% of syndromic cases, especially when associated with intellectual disability. The authors describe algorithms to recognize pathologic overgrowth or short stature and discuss some common examples of abnormal body size and proportion.
Purification of Intermediate-Containing Spliceosomes

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a procedure for isolating intact splicing complexes arrested between the first and the second chemical steps of splicing. The spliceosome is the dynamic macromolecular machine responsible for removing intervening sequences (introns) from pre-mRNA transcripts. Spliceosomes are assembled on an in vitro transcribed splicing substrate from components present in the nuclear extract of HeLa cells. Using a substrate with a mutation at the 3’ splice site, complex assembly is arrested by a block at the second step of splicing. The substrate also contains binding sites for an RNA-binding protein that serves as an affinity tag. At room temperature, pour 5 ml of S-400 resin equilibrated and re-suspended in an equal volume of SB-N into a 1.0 × 10-cm glass column. Allow the resin to settle by gravity flow until the buffer is near the top of the column bed. Run the sizing column by gravity flow until the buffer head just reaches the top of the resin bed. Pool the splicing reactions from the five tubes and carefully load onto the sizing column.
The Patient’s Guide to Psoriasis Treatment. Part 4: Goeckerman Therapy

Background The Goeckerman regimen remains one of the oldest, most reliable treatment options for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. Goeckerman therapy currently consists of exposure to ultraviolet B light and application of crude coal tar. The details of the procedure can be confusing and challenging to understand for the first-time patient or provider.
FEM Simulation with Realistic Sliding Effect to Improve Facial-Soft-Tissue-Change Prediction Accuracy for Orthognathic Surgery

It is clinically important to accurately predict facial soft tissue changes following bone movements in orthognathic surgical planning. However, the current simulation methods are still problematic, especially in clinically critical regions, e.g., the nose, lips and chin. In this study, finite element method (FEM) simulation model with realistic tissue sliding effects was developed to increase the prediction accuracy in critical regions. First, the facial soft-tissue-change following bone movements was simulated using FEM with sliding effect with nodal force constraint. Subsequently, sliding effect with a nodal displacement constraint was implemented by reassigning the bone-soft tissue mapping and boundary condition for realistic sliding movement simulation. Our method has been quantitatively evaluated using 30 patient datasets. The FEM simulation method with the realistic sliding effects showed significant accuracy improvement in the whole face and the critical areas (i.e., lips, nose and chin) in comparison with the traditional FEM method.
Assessing plant uptake and transport mechanisms of engineered nanomaterials from soil

Agricultural soils are among the depositories of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Soil exposure to ENMs occurs through the intentional use of nano-agrochemicals, as well as through incidental contamination from industrial-waste release, irrigation with wastewater or gray water, amendment with ENMs-loaded sludge (soil conditioning to stimulate plant growth), or atmospheric fallouts. Concerns about ENM interactions with plants raise two questions. (1) Are ENMs taken up from soil by plants? (2) If they are taken up, do they remain in the nanoform within plant tissues? Experiments with crop plants have demonstrated that some ENMs such as TiO2 are taken up by roots and translocated to aboveground tissues, including fruits, without biotransformation. CeO2 ENM is also taken up by the roots; however, although most of it remains as ENM, it releases cerium ions that are incorporated into organic compounds. CeO2 ENM has been shown to be translocated from roots to seeds in soybean grown in soil amended with such ENM. On the other hand, ZnO ENM is transformed at the soil/root interface, leading to tissue Zn enrichment. Overall, most ENMs are taken up by plants with either low or no transformation, and accumulate in tissues.
Anesthesia and Renal Disease

The kidneys receive about 20% of the cardiac output. This amount of flow is well in excess of that needed for renal perfusion and is utilized to provide energy for active renal tubular reabsorption of sodium. Renal oxygen consumption is high. The kidney has a low arteriovenous oxygen content difference even with a high oxygen consumption resulting from the excessive renal perfusion. Blood delivered to the kidneys passes through the glomeruli, and about 20% of it is filtered to form an ultrafiltrate of plasma. The ultrafiltrate is collected in Bowman’s space and then passes through the renal tubular system. The main driving force is the glomerular hydrostatic pressure, which is essentially the systemic arterial pressure modified by the renal vascular bed, so that glomerular capillary pressure is about two-thirds that of systemic pressure (23). Glomerular capillary pressure is modified by afferent and efferent arteriolar tone. The glomerular hydrostatic force is increased by dilatation of the afferent arteriole or constriction of the efferent arteriole (23). Arteriolar tone is influenced by sympathetic stimulation, catecholamines, prostaglandins, kinins, and other vasoactive substances. Filtration is also affected by the permeability of glomerular membrane and the total surface area available for filtration.
Estimating Poverty Rates in a Metropolis: The Example of Los Angeles/Long Beach

This study develops a technique to estimate and project annual rates of poverty for a large metropolitan area for various segments of its population. The annual estimates and projections are based upon the official rates compiled by the Bureau of the Census. Using Los Angeles/Long Beach as the site of the experimental example, the evidence reveals a substantially increasing trend in the incidence of poverty for the overall metropolitan population. This increase is caused by the dramatic rise in poverty within the Hispanic and children population groups. Trends in poverty are negative, however, for the elderly, Blacks, female family heads and Whites. Explanations are offered for the disparate trends in poverty among the various groups. These explanations may serve as an agenda for future research. The Appendix to the study provides the annual estimates and projections for each population segment for the years 1959 through 2000
Mycobacterial extracellular vesicles and host pathogen interactions

Mycobacteria, like other bacteria, archaea and eukaryotic cells, naturally release extracellular vesicles (EVs) to interact with their environment. EVs produced by pathogenic bacteria are involved in many activities including cell-cell communication, immunomodulation, virulence and cell survival. Although EVs released by thick cell wall microorganisms like mycobacteria were recognized only recently, studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis EVs already point to their important roles in host pathogen interactions, opening exciting new areas of investigation. This minireview will summarize the current understanding of mycobacterial EV biology and roles in pathogenesis and will discuss their potential therapeutic applications.
Transformative Organisationsforschung mit Gender und Diversity in Unternehmen

In diesem Beitrag wird uber das Drittmittelprojekt „Future is Female“ berichtet, das in 20 Unternehmen einen organisationalen Lernprozesses mit der „Genderund Diversity- Strategie“ durchfuhrt, um mehr Frauen als Fach- und Fuhrungskrafte zu gewinnen und an das Unternehmen zu binden. Gender und Diversity ist die Strategie, die den Auftrag des Europaischen Parlaments, Gleichstellung in allen Organisationen umzusetzen, neben dem Geschlecht auch auf die Diskriminierung von benachteiligten Gruppen wie Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund oder altere ArbeitnehmenrInnen ausdehnt. Vor dem Hintergrund des Fachkraftemangels in Klein- und Mittelstandischen Unternehmen (KMU) und im Wettbewerb um qualifiziertes Personal wird der Veranderungsdruck sehr stark (Bott u.a. 2008). Insbesondere die Unterreprasentation von Frauen in Fuhrungspositionen sowie haufige Verluste hochqualifizierter Potenzialtragerinnen durch Karriereabbruche bilden den Kontext fur notwendige gleichstellungspolitische Masnahmen. Dadurch lassen sich Unternehmen auf etwas Neues ein.
The Principles of "Smart" Encapsulation: Using Additive Printing Technology for the Realization of Intelligent Application-Specific Packages for IoT, 5G, and Automotive Radar Applications

This paper outlines the fundamental principles and processing characteristics of realizing application-specific "smart"' microelectronic packages utilizing fully-additive inkjet and 3D printing fabrication technologies. Standard square encapsulants are 3D-printed directly onto dies as a comparison to traditional transfer molding encapsulant techniques. This standard encapsulant is expanded through the integration of microfluidic channels directly within an encapsulant as a fully-printed solution for thermal management and fluid sensing applications with an embedded silicon die. The process flow of fully-printed partial encapsulants with subsequent capping is outlined for the realization of 3D TMV interconnects, where measurements demonstrate a low-loss versatile 3D interconnection method with adequate matching and line loss below 0.46 dB/mm up to 40 GHz. Finally, a fully-printed partial die encapsulant with TMV interconnection is presented as a proof-of-concept for process verification.
3D Micromolding of Small-Scale Biological Robots

Small-scale robots are widely applicable for use in biological environments. Robots operating in these workspaces require non-cytotoxic and biodegradable architectures. Traditional methods of manufacturing millimeter or micrometer scale robots inherently preclude the use of many naturally-derived biological materials which fulfill these requirements. Fabrication via micromolding presents a practical method to incorporate these materials into the small-scale robot design space. In this work, we investigate the development of helical-shaped soft, micro bio robots (SMBRs) which are composed of naturally-derived, water-based hydrogels infused with iron oxide and are propelled using uniform, rotating magnetic fields. By incorporating a humectant into the molding process, we are able to create robots that are $\pmb{3-10}\times\ \mathbf{smaller}$ in characteristic dimensions and more than $\pmb{50}\times$ smaller in volume from our previous work. We explore the limitations of using stereolithography and two-photon polymerization printing processes to create molds, and demonstrate that our method can be used across length scales. We demonstrate and characterize the swimming behavior of microscale molded robots at a range of applied magnetic field frequencies, and compare their swimming velocity to their millimeter-scale counterparts. This work enables robot fabrication using functional biological materials, such that these robots can be used for biomedical tasks such as cellular and chemical cargo delivery.
Regional Variation in Opioid Use After Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate regional variations in use of opioids after lumbar decompression and fusion surgery for patients with symptomatic lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis. Methods An insurance database, including private/commercially insured and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, was queried for patients undergoing 1-level, 2-level, or 3-level index lumbar decompression and fusion procedures between 2007 and 2016. Research records were searchable by International Classification of Diseases diagnosis and procedure codes, and generic drug codes specific to Humana. Opioid use 6 months before index surgery to 2 years after surgery was assessed. Results Of the 13,257 patients included in the study, 63.1% were from the South, 24.3% from the Midwest, 10.5% from the West, and 2.1% from the Northeast. Of patients, 57.8% had a history of opioid use before index surgery, of whom 64.4% were from the South and 23.0% from the Midwest. Over the 6-month preoperative period, 51.6 opioid pills were billed by opioid users monthly (Midwest, 52.7 pills/patient/month; Northeast, 64.9 pills/patient/month; South, 50.6 pills/patient/month; West, 52.2 pills/patient/month). During the 2-year period after surgery, an average of 33.6 opioid pills were billed by opioid users monthly (Midwest, 32.9 pills/patient/month; Northeast, 35.4 pills/patient/month; South, 33.9 pills/patient/month; West, 32.9 pills/patient/month). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, receiving treatment in the South (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.07–1.29) or West (odds ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.45) was independently associated with prolonged (>1 year) opioid use after index surgery. Conclusions Our study suggests that regional variations may exist in the use of opioids after lumbar decompression and fusion surgery for patients with symptomatic lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis.
The flaxseed lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside decreases local inflammation, suppresses NFκB signaling, and inhibits mammary tumor growth.

Exposure to the polyphenolic plant lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and its metabolite enterolactone (ENL) has been associated with reduced breast cancer progression, particularly for estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-negative disease, and decreased preclinical mammary tumor growth. However, while preclinical studies have established that SDG and ENL affect measures of progression in models of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC, a subset of ERα-negative disease), the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet (control, 10% kcal from fat) or control diet + SDG (SDG, 100 mg/kg diet) for 8 weeks, then orthotopically injected with syngeneic E0771 mammary tumor cells (a model of TNBC); tumor growth was monitored for 3 weeks. The role of reduced NF-κB signaling in SDG’s anti-tumor effects was explored in vitro via treatment with the bioactive SDG metabolite ENL. In addition to the murine E0771 cells, the in vitro studies utilized MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, two human cell lines which model the triple-negative and luminal A breast cancer subtypes, respectively. SDG supplementation in the mice significantly reduced tumor volume and expression of phospho-p65 and NF-κB target genes (P < 0.05). Markers of macrophage infiltration were decreased in the distal-to-tumor mammary fat pad of mice supplemented with SDG relative to control mice (P < 0.05). In vitro, ENL treatment inhibited viability, survival, and NF-κB activity and target gene expression in E0771, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 cells (P < 0.05). Overexpression of Rela attenuated ENL’s inhibition of E0771 cell viability and survival. SDG reduces tumor growth in the E0771 model of TNBC, likely via a mechanism involving inhibition of NF-κB activity. SDG could serve as a practical and effective adjuvant treatment to reduce recurrence, but greater understanding of its effects is needed to inform the development of more targeted recommendations for its use.
Osteoclast-like giant cell-rich carcinomas of the lung: a clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular study of 3 cases.

Summary Three cases of primary carcinomas of the lung each with an extensive osteoclast-like giant cell component are presented. The patients are 3 men between the ages of 58 and 67 years (average, 62.5 years) who presented with nonspecific symptoms. A history of malignancy, infectious, or granulomatous disease was negative in all the patients. Diagnostic imaging disclosed the presence of a large intrapulmonary mass; in 1 case in the right upper lobe and in 2 cases in the right lower lobe. Surgical resection via lobectomy was performed in the 3 patients. Grossly, the tumors were described as soft, friable intrapulmonary masses, reddish in color, and measuring from 6 to 13 cm in largest diameter. Histologically, the tumors were each characterized by the extensive presence of a multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cell component, which represented approximately 80% of the tumor mass. The osteoclast-like giant cell component was admixed with a sarcomatoid carcinoma in 2 cases and an adenocarcinoma in 1 case. Immunohistochemistry showed that the osteoclast-like giant cells were positive for CD-68, cathepsin K, and histone H3, whereas the carcinoma component was positive for keratin, thyroid transcription factor-1, and histone H3 (patchy). Molecular studies were performed in 2 patients with negative results. Clinical follow-up was obtained in 2 patients; 1 died 14 months after initial diagnosis, whereas 1 remains alive 6 months after initial diagnosis. One patient was lost to follow-up. The current neoplasms represent an unusual type of lung carcinoma that needs highlighting as a separate type from conventional giant cell carcinoma.
The first species of Scydmoraphes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae) in China.

Scydmoraphes Reitter, 1891 is a Palaearctic genus with 120 species (Schulke Smetana 2015; Jaloszynski 2015a); its morphological structures were illustrated by Jaloszynski (2015b, c). Distribution of over 90 species is restricted to one country in the western part of the region, the remaining species occur in a few countries each, also mainly in the western Palaearctic. Only three species have a broader distribution within Europe, each in about 20 countries. In Asia, most species are restricted to its western areas (mainly Turkey), with only two species recorded from South Asia (northern Pakistan), one broadly distributed Eurasian species (S. minutus Chaudoir, 1845) found in the Russian Far East, and one species inhabiting the Japanese mainland (Jaloszynski 2004; Schulke Smetana 2015). The first member of Scydmoraphes is here recorded from China.
Fluorescence in situ mRNA hybridization for gene expression detection in a wood decay fungus

Abstract Wood-degrading fungi efficiently decompose wood using a series of steps that are regulated across time and space. RNA sequencing with “bulk” sampling method has indicated processes controlled at the transcription level at different decay stages and locations along hyphal networks. To further understand these regulatory mechanisms, a high-resolution technique for gene expression determination is required. In this work, Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) of mRNA was tested and optimized in the ‘brown rot’-type (carbohydrate-selective; lignin-rich residues) model fungus Postia placenta to image gene expression at the hyphal scale, Tef1α and three wood-decaying genes Cel28a , Cel5b and Qrd1 were tested in hyphae grown in liquid nutrients and wood substrate. The 20 bp-long DNA probes were successfully delivered intracellularly to give sufficient hybridization signal for imaging. Ahead of hybridization, permeabilization by lyticase and proteinase K treatments proved to be the critical step to increase probe and mRNA accessibility. Tyramide signal amplification was used after hybridization to enhance signal. This gave qualitative measures of mRNA of the four target genes, which were generally in line with previous expression patterns generated from coarser-scale RNA-seq and qRT-PCR studies. These techniques developed here were not without challenges, and future optimization using multiple probe fragments for each mRNA molecule is proposed.
PROMIS correlation with NDI and VAS measurements of physical function and pain in surgical patients with cervical disc herniations and radiculopathy.

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the patient-reported outcome measures Neck Disability Index (NDI) and visual analog scale (VAS) with the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI) measures, respectively, and to determine their correlations in a surgical population longitudinally.Legacy outcome measures such as NDI and VAS are essential for analyzing treatments in spine surgery for cervical disc herniations with radiculopathy. Despite their usefulness, administrative burdens impose limits on completion of these measures. PROMIS was developed as a patient outcome measure in order to improve reporting of patient symptoms and function and to reduce administrative burden. Despite early positive results of PROMIS in orthopedics, NDI and VAS scores have not been compared with PROMIS scores in patients with cervical disc herniations with radiculopathy. Methods Eighty patients undergoing surgery for cervical disc herniations with radiculopathy were included. All patients were treated at the same tertiary spine center. Patients were seen and PROMIS PF and PI, NDI, and VAS arm and neck pain scores were collected preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. Correlations between NDI, VAS, and PROMIS PF and PI were quantified using Pearson correlation coefficients. Two-tailed Student t-tests were used to demonstrate correlation significance, with alpha = 0.05. Results All 80 (100%) patients completed all preoperative questionnaires. Fifty-seven (72%) and 75 (94%) patients completed all questionnaires at baseline and at the 6-month and 1-year follow-ups, respectively. PROMIS PF and NDI scores demonstrated a strong negative correlation, with Pearson r values of -0.81, -0.77, and -0.75 at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year. PROMIS PI and VAS neck pain scores demonstrated a moderately positive correlation, with Pearson r values of 0.51, 0.61, and 0.6. PROMIS PI and VAS arm pain scores demonstrated a moderately positive correlation, with Pearson r values of 0.46, 0.47, and 0.45. Conclusions PROMIS PF scores have a strong negative correlation with NDI scores at baseline and in the postoperative course in patients undergoing surgery for cervical disc herniations with radiculopathy. PROMIS PI scores have a moderately positive correlation with VAS neck and arm pain scores at baseline and in the postoperative course. Surgeons may factor these correlation results into the interpretation of patient-reported outcome measures in patients with cervical radiculopathy. Use of PROMIS PF and PI for this patient population may reduce administrative burden while providing reliable outcomes data.