cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nursing student and faculty perceptions of reciprocity during international clinical learning experiences: A qualitative descriptive study.

Abstract Background Exposure of nursing students to global health care systems and cultures that are vastly different from which they are accustomed allow them to gain a unique perspective of our global village. A plethora of research has studied the lived experiences of visiting students during international clinical placements. Many studies have noted a multitude of benefits for visiting students. However, very little research examined the perspectives of host participants. Objectives This study explores both visiting and host students and faculty's perceptions of reciprocity during international learning experiences. Design A qualitative descriptive design was utilised. Setting Intercultural collaboration between visiting and host participants occurred over a two week clinical learning experience in a regional hospital in Jamaica. Participants Ten third year undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students and two faculty from Canada engaged in clinical learning experiences with twelve fourth year host nursing students and three faculty from Jamaica. Method Visiting students submitted reflective papers, participated in interviews, and a focus group two months later. Two separate focus groups were held to gather data from the hosting students and faculty. All data was analysed using thematic analysis for recurring themes. Results The findings of this study show that both host and visiting students and faculty mutually gain benefits from intercultural exchange and collaboration. Reciprocity was noted in experiential knowledge acquisition, cultural awareness from educational and professional perspectives, and personal and professional transformative learning. Although notable differences from contrasting health care worlds were identified, the recognition of similarities and opportunities for transformative learning greatly outweighed the differences. Conclusion There are reciprocal benefits to be gained in nursing education for visiting and host participants through the development of collaborative international partnerships. More research is required to further explore mutuality for students and faculty from different countries.
Imaging Strategies and Outcomes in Children Hospitalized with Cervical Lymphadenitis.

Objectives This study aimed to describe variation in imaging practices and examine the association between early imaging and outcomes in children hospitalized with cervical lymphadenitis. Methods This multicenter cross-sectional study included children between two months and 18 years hospitalized with cervical lymphadenitis between 2013 and 2017. Children with complex chronic conditions, transferred from another institution, and with prior hospitalizations for lymphadenitis were excluded. To examine hospital-level variation, we calculated the proportion of children at each hospital who received any imaging study, early imaging (conducted on day 0 of hospitalization), multiple imaging studies, and CT imaging. Generalized linear or logistic mixed effects models examined the association between early imaging and outcomes (ie, multiple imaging studies, surgical drainage, 30-day readmission, and length of stay) while accounting for patient demographics, markers of illness duration and severity, and clustering by hospital. Results Among 10,014 children with cervical lymphadenitis, 61% received early imaging. There was hospital-level variation in imaging practices. Compared with children who did not receive early imaging, children who received early imaging presented increased odds of having multiple imaging studies (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.0; 95% CI: 2.6-3.6), surgical drainage (aOR 1.3, 95%CI: 1.1-1.4), and 30-day readmission for lymphadenitis (aOR 1.5, 95%CI: 1.2-1.9), as well as longer lengths of stay (adjusted rate ratio 1.2, 95%CI: 1.1-1.2). Conclusions Children receiving early imaging had more resource utilization and intervention than those without early imaging. Our findings may represent a cascade effect, in which routinely conducted early imaging prompts clinicians to pursue additional testing and interventions in this population.
P-022 Impact of WEB on procedure times, anesthesia and radiation for treatment of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms

Objective The approval of WEB adds another option for treatment of wide neck bifurcation (WNB) aneurysms. The objective of this study was to compare the procedure times and radiation dose when using WEB versus stent-coil for WNB aneurysms in our early experience. Methods Four procedure variables were analyzed Operating room (OR) time was the duration from patient room arrival to room exit. Anesthesia time was from intubation to extubation. Procedure time was from groin puncture to closure. Radiation exposure was the fluoroscopy time and radiation dose for each procedure. All these were obtained from the procedure logs for 22 patients treated with WEB and 21 patients consecutively treated prior to WEB with stent-coiling. Patients with aneurysms greater than 10 mm in average width were excluded to level the comparison as larger aneurysms requiring more coils could take longer and the upper width size limit for WEB is currently at 10 mm. Results The average width and height of the aneurysms in the two cohorts was similar (Width=5.9(±2.2)mm for the stent-coil versus 5.2(±1.6)mm for the WEB-group, p=0.2; Height=6.8(±3.1)mm for the stent-coil versus 5.8(±1.7)mm for the WEB-group, p=0.2). The OR, anesthesia and procedure times were significantly lower in the WEB-group compared to the stent-coil group (figure-1). The fluoroscopy time and the radiation dose was also significantly lower in the WEB-group versus the stent-coil group (figure-1). Conclusion The use of WEB in WNB aneurysms significantly reduced OR, anesthesia and procedure times versus stent-coiling for similar sized aneurysms. Radiation dose and fluoroscopy times were also significantly reduced. For the WEB group these times are expected to be independent of aneurysm size whereas stent-coiling may be associated with longer times for larger aneurysms. Disclosures A. Rai: 2; C; MicroVention, Stryker. R. Turner: None. S. Boo: 2; C; Stryker.
The Press for Technical Rationality & Dilemmas of Professional Practice: Managing Education in a Pluralistic Institutional Environment

This article explores principal sensemaking about their work in the U.S. education sector, as technical rationalization ideas about schooling increasingly inform and guide educational policy and school reform initiatives. Using a sensemaking framework, we explore the process of on the job professional socialization for two cohorts of new principals in one urban education system. Specifically, we examine the core challenges identified by principals over their first five years on the job, paying special attention to the salience and persistence of these challenges over time and surfacing a particular sort of challenge – dilemmas. Our analysis documents how these dilemmas of principals’ practice cannot be solved as they involve roughly equally desirable (or undesirable) alternatives so that choosing one over the other is difficult, if not impossible. Rather, because dilemmas require compromise among alternatives, they have to be managed rather than resolved. Based on our analysis, we argue for attention to dilemma management as a central, if mostly forgotten or ignored, aspect of school principal practice in an era when problem-solving and evidence-based decision-making have come to dominate the discourse about educational leadership.
Drug-resistant Cancer Treatment Strategies Based on the Dynamics of Clonal Evolution and PKPD Modeling of Drug Combinations.

A method for determining a dosage strategy is proposed to combat drug resistance in tumor progression. The method is based on a dynamic model for the clonal evolution of cancerous cells and considers the Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modeling of combination therapy. The proposed mathematical representation models the dynamic and kinetic effects of multiple drugs on the number of cells while considering potential mutations and assuming that no cross-resistance arises. An optimization problem is then proposed to minimize the total number of cancerous cells in a finite treatment period given a limited number of treatments. The dosage schedule, including the amount of each drug to be administered and the timing, is found by solving the optimization problem. This treatment schedule is constrained to achieve a target minimum effectiveness, while also ensuring that the concentration of the drugs, individually and totally, does not exceed a prescribed toxicity threshold. The proposed optimization problem is represented as a Complementary Geometric Programming (CGP) problem. The results show that the solution of the optimization problem for combination therapy is the dosing schedule that leads to tumor eradication at the end of the treatment period. The results also investigate the tumor dynamics for all mutation types when undergoing treatment, showing that single drug therapies can fail to combat the emergence of resistance, while optimized combination therapies can reduce the amount of all mutation types during the course of treatment, thereby combating resistance.
Abstract WP308: Role of Microthrombi and Vasospasm in the Development of Delayed Neurological Deficits After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice

Rationale: Microthrombosis has been suggested as a major factor contributing to delayed neurological deterioration in patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, experimental studies on ...
When the world laughs: film comedy east and west: by William V. Costanzo, 2020, New York, Oxford University Press, 360 pp., $35.00 (Paperback), ISBN 978-0-19092-500-0; $99.00 (Hardback), ISBN 978-0-19092-499-7

In his introduction to When the World Laughs: Film Comedy East and West, William V. Costanzo makes a convincing, appealing case for studying not only film comedy, but, more inclusively, internation...
Evolutionary Inference Predicts Novel ACE2 Protein Interactions Relevant to COVID-19 Pathologies

Abstract Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the cell receptor that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 binds to and uses to enter and infect human cells. COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by the coronavirus, involves diverse pathologies beyond those of a respiratory disease, including micro-thrombosis (micro-clotting), cytokine storms, and inflammatory responses affecting many organ systems. Longer-term chronic illness can persist for many months, often well after the pathogen is no longer detected. A better understanding of the proteins that ACE2 interacts with can reveal information relevant to these disease manifestations and possible avenues for treatment. We have undertaken an approach to predict candidate ACE2 interacting proteins which uses evolutionary inference to identify a set of mammalian proteins that “coevolve” with ACE2. The approach, called evolutionary rate correlation (ERC), detects proteins that show highly correlated evolutionary rates during mammalian evolution. Such proteins are candidates for biological interactions with the ACE2 receptor. The approach has uncovered a number of key ACE2 protein interactions of potential relevance to COVID-19 pathologies. Some proteins have previously been reported to be associated with severe COVID-19, but are not currently known to interact directly with ACE2, while additional predicted novel ACE2 interactors are of potential relevance to the disease. Using reciprocal rankings of protein ERCs, we have identified strongly interconnected ACE2 associated protein networks relevant to COVID-19 pathologies. ACE2 has clear connections to coagulation pathway proteins, such as Coagulation Factor V and fibrinogen components FGG, FGB, and FGA, the latter possibly mediated through ACE2 connections to Clusterin (which clears misfolded extracellular proteins) and GPR141 (whose functions are relatively unknown). ACE2 also connects to proteins involved in cytokine signaling and immune response (e.g. IFNAR2, XCR1, and TLR8), and to Androgen Receptor (AR). The ERC prescreening approach has also elucidated possible functions for previously uncharacterized proteins and possible new functions for well-characterized ones. Suggestions are made for the validation of ERC predicted ACE2 protein interactions. We propose that ACE2 has novel protein interactions that are disrupted during SARS-CoV-2 infection, contributing to the spectrum of COVID-19 pathologies.
A radiographic method for the measurement of soil core volume in shrinkage analysis

Abstract Modeling of soil shrink-swell requires accurate measurement of volume changes in soil samples during drying-wetting cycles. Soil core samples are needed if anisotropy in shrinkage behavior has to be evaluated. The widely used caliper method allows soil core volume measurements but shows difficulties in providing accurate evaluation of horizontal deformation and risk of sample disturbance, particularly in wet conditions. Most recently proposed techniques (e.g.: laser, paraffin) either exhibit limitations in terms of complexity and equipment costs or are long and laborious. In this work an alternative method for accurately determining soil core volume, which is faster and relatively more simple and cheaper, is proposed. This method is based on simple 2D image analysis of two radiographs of the sample, whose results allow applying Pappus’ 2nd centroid theorem to calculate the volume of the soil core. A validation test performed by comparison with the caliper method has shown an error in accuracy lower than 1% for the proposed method versus 5% for the caliper method. The radiographic method has been more precise on a reference sample (standard deviations about 1.0% versus 1.4% of the average volume value) and also on four repacked cores of natural soils with different shrink-swell potentials (standard deviations ranged from 0.39% to 1.15% and from 0.34% to 3.00% of the volume for the radiography and caliper methods, respectively). Application of the method to the same soil samples during a drying process has highlighted its greater accuracy and suitability in assessing anisotropy of shrinkage at any soil water content.
Laughing and Learning: An Alternative to Shut Up and Listen

Chapter 1 Laughing and Learning: Not Laughing OR Learning Chapter 2 Humor Builds Culture in Schools and Classrooms Chapter 3 Humor Improves Classroom Instruction Chapter 4 Humor Builds Relationships and Teamwork Chapter 5 Humor Improves Communication Chapter 6 Humor Reduces Tension and Stress Chapter 7 Humor Promotes Creativity and Divergent Thinking Chapter 8 Humor Can Help Adjust Student Behavior Chapter 9 Humor Helps teachers Maintain Interest at Work Chapter 10 Conclusion
Italian presence in tin glazed ceramics of Spanish America

Until recently the possibility of Italian wares present in archaeological sites in Spanish America was virtually overlooked. Perhaps such bias existed because far too often misleading statements about the exclusivity of Spanish overseas possessions have been accepted without question, when in fact non-Spaniards and non-Spanish goods were present from the very beginning of the occupation of the Americas. As the pace of historical archaeology in Latin America has quickened, it has become increasingly apparent that ceramics originating in Italy were commodities shipped to the Spanish colonies through fairly stable channels. However, their identification has been confounded by inadequate knowledge on the other side of the Atlantic of both Spanish and Italian sixteenth and seventeenth century common grade tablewares. Furthermore, as analysis has progressed, Italian presence amid New World ceramics can be detected on two distinct levels—the importation of actual pieces of pottery and the more amorphous but meaningful diffusion of Italian refinements in technology and ceramic art idioms. Not only is there abundant historical documentation keyed to events in Sevilla to explain the background for these developments, but the question now arises as to why more such intrusion cannot be ascertained.
Reflective Equilibrium and Archimedean Points

In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls defines a hypothetical contract situation and argues rational people will agree on reflection it is fair to contractors. He solves the rational choice problem it poses by deriving two lexically-ordered principles of justice and suggests the derivation justifies the principles.1 Its soundness aside, just what justificatory force does such a derivation have?
Missing Intersections: Contemporary Examinations of Sexuality and Disability

Though sexuality and disability studies have existed independently for some time, they have recently begun to merge together as the sexuality of disabled persons gains increased attention. Competing and conflicting definitions as well as diverse populations and research methods have presented a challenge to researchers in this nascent area of study. In this review, we discuss the foundational theoretical and methodical approaches of sexuality and disability studies and the contemporary state of the field, including discussions of research within the areas of sexual rights, attitudes toward the sexuality of disabled individuals, sexuality education, sexual facilitation and satisfaction. Finally, we conclude by discussing ways in which the field can continue to grow and expand.
Three amino acid substitutions in domain I of calmodulin prevent the activation of chicken smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase.

TaM-BMI is a genetically engineered chimeric protein consisting of the first 55 amino acids of cardiac troponin C (but with the normally inactive first Ca2+ binding domain reactivated by site- directed mutagenesis) ligated to the last three domains of chicken calmodulin (George, S.E., VanBerkum, M.F., Ono, T., Cook, R., Hanley, R.M., Putkey, J.A., and Means, A. R. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 9228-9235). This protein binds chicken smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (smMLCK) but fails to activate the enzyme, thus functioning as a potent competitive inhibitor (Ki = 66 nM). We have created 29 mutants of calmodulin designed to identify the minimal number of alterations which must be introduced in the first domain to convert the protein to a competitive inhibitor of smMLCK. Alterations of three amino acids predicted to lie on the external surface of calmodulin (E14A, T34K, S38M) recapitulated the phenotype of TaM-BMI and exhibited a Ki of 38 nM. Both the triple mutant and TaM-BMI activated phosphodiesterase and bound a synthetic peptide analog of the calmodulin binding region of smMLCK with an affinity similar to that of native calmodulin (Kact and Kd values of approximately 2 and 3 nM respectively). When a synthetic peptide analog of the myosin light chain phosphorylation site was used as substrate rather than the 20-kDa light chains, TaM-BMI and the triple mutant were partial agonists: the Km for peptide substrate was increased 100- and 60-fold, and catalytic activity was 45 and 60%, respectively, relative to calmodulin. These data suggest TaM-BMI and E14A/T34K/S38M may interact with the calmodulin binding domain of smMLCK in a manner similar to calmodulin. However, alterations in electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions created by the three amino acid substitutions prevent the conformational change in the enzyme usually produced by calmodulin binding. Lack of such changes results in loss of catalytic activity and light chain binding. Additionally, our results show that altering only 3 amino acids residues converts calmodulin to an enzyme-selective antagonist, thus demonstrating the ability to separate calmodulin binding to smMLCK from calmodulin-induced activation of the enzyme.
Selectivity and Specificity of a Chromogenic Medium for Detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar (TCBS) used in the most-probable-number method for detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus cannot differentiate growth of V. parahaemolyticus from Vibrio vulnificus or Vibrio mimicus. This study examined the selectivity and specificity of Bio-Chrome Vibrio medium (BCVM), a chromogenic medium that detects V. parahaemolyticus on the basis of the formation of distinct purple colonies on the medium. A panel consisting of 221 strains of bacteria, including 179 Vibrio spp. and 42 non-Vibrio spp., were examined for their ability to grow and produce colored colonies on BCVM. Growth of Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Aeromonas was inhibited by both BCVM and TCBS. All 148 strains of V. parahaemolyticus grew on BCVM, and 145 of them produced purple colonies. The remaining 31 Vibrio spp., except one strain of Vibrio fluvialis, were either unable to grow or produced blue-green or white colonies on BCVM. Bio-Chrome Vibrio medium was capable of differentiating V. parahaemolyticus from other species, including V. vulnificus and V. mimicus. Further studies are needed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of BCVM for detecting V. parahaemolyticus in foods.
Acute renal insufficiency; physiopathology and treatment, with presentation of cases occurring on an obstetric service.

Abstract 1.1. Maternal mortality rates are now so low that, for conservation of life, the fetus rather than the mother has become the primary concern of the obstetrician. 2.2. More deaths occur in the first month of life than during all other periods in the pediatric age group up to 15 years. 3.3. Of 150,000 fetal deaths each year, one-half are still births and one-half are neonatal deaths. 4.4. Ninety per cent of this fetal loss is attributed to prenatal and natal causes. 5.5. Pediatricians have requested and have been assigned the responsibility for the care of the newborn but they can function only as salvage officers whose results are limited by conditions already in effect. 6.6. Infants under 1,500 grams comprise only 1.4 per cent of deliveries, but 36.9 per cent of fetal and neonatal deaths are in this group. Over half of these infants die within 24 hours of delivery. Since the combined mortality rate in this weight group is 78 per cent, the only prospective method for reduction of fetal loss is the prevention of prematurity. 7.7. The infants who weigh between 1,500 and 2,500 grams comprise only 6.8 per cent of deliveries, but account for 29 per cent of the deaths. The combined stillbirth and neonatal mortality rate in this weight group has been reduced to 15 per cent and can probably be lowered further. 8.8. Ninety-three per cent of deliveries are at term but they account for only 33.6 per cent of fetal deaths. 9.9. Forty-seven per cent of stillbirths result from anoxia associated with premature separation of the placenta, placenta previa, or cord complications. An additional 10.4 per cent result from trauma. In 17.5 per cent stillbirth results from the fetal factors of congenital anomaly or erythroblastosis. In 16.8 per cent, the cause, other than prematurity alone, remains unknown. 10.10. In contrast to stillbirths, only 10.5 per cent of neonatal deaths are directly due to anoxia. About 19.1 per cent are due to trauma, chiefly intracranial hemorrhage discovered at autopsy. The remainder of neonatal deaths are explainable by congenital anomalies (20.4 per cent), infection (5.9 per cent), erythroblastosis or maternal diabetes (10.5 per cent), hyaline atelectasis (14.5 per cent), and prematurity or unknown (19.1 per cent). 11.11. In infants over 2,000 grams delivered by cesarean section the mortality rate is eight times that for those delivered by the vaginal route, and we are convinced that cesarean section should rarely be done in the primary interest of the fetus. 12.12. Toxemia of pregnancy is related to fetal and neonatal mortality only to the degree that it increases the absolute number of premature deliveries.
Predicting protein folding kinetics via temporal logic model checking

We present a novel approach for predicting protein folding kinetics using techniques from the field of model checking. This represents the first time model checking has been applied to a problem in the field of structural biology. The protein's energy landscape is encoded symbolically using Binary Decision Diagrams and related data structures. Questions regarding the kinetics of folding are encoded as formulas in the temporal logic CTL. Model checking algorithms are then used to make quantitative predictions about the kinetics of folding. We show that our approach scales to state spaces as large as 1023 when using exact algorithms for model checking. This is at least 14 orders of magnitude larger than the number of configurations considered by comparable techniques. Furthermore, our approach scales to state spaces at least as large as 1032 unique configurations when using approximation algorithms for model checking. We tested our method on 19 test proteins. The quantitative predictions regarding folding rates for these test proteins are in good agreement with experimentally measured values, achieving a correlation coefficient of 0.87.
An Open Architecture for Real-Time Audio Processing Software

OSW, or “Open Sound World,” allows development of audio applications using patching, C++, high-level specifications and scripting. In OSW, components called “transforms” are dynamically configured into larger units called “patches.” New components can be expressed using familiar mathematical definitions without deep knowledge of C++. High-level specifications of transforms are created using the “Externalizer,” and are compiled and loaded into a running OSW environment. The data used by transforms can have any valid C++ type. OSW uses a reactive real-time scheduler that safely and efficiently handles multiple processors, time sources and synchronous dataflows.
Hardening Microsoft SQL server 2000: patching vulnerabilites

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 has been used by many companies as a relational database server since its appearance on the relational database market in 1992. Like all other relational databases, it has vulnerabilities that can result in serious attacks and damage. The goal of the Microsoft SQL Server Hardening Project is to configure a test server, survey different tools that allow hackers easy access to the server, and to secure it from malicious attacks. Our motivation in testing the server was to gain a better understanding of relational database security risks and how database administrators can use commonly available hacker tools to their advantage.
Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics in Migrating Cells: A New Role for Rho GTPases

Rho GTPases, most notably RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42Hs, were described as major regulators of actin organization over 10 years ago, and thus have received extensive attention as regulators of cell motility. However, researchers have only recently begun to examine their effects on other components of the cytoskeleton. For example, the microtubule cytoskeleton, which also plays a central role in cell locomotion, displays a characteristic polarized organization in migrating cells. Here, we discuss recent findings on how microtubule organization and dynamics are regulated downstream of Rho GTPases in higher eukaryotic cells, and how this contributes to their function during cell migration. Cdc42 is responsible for the reorientation of the centrosome towards the direction of migration, activation of RhoA appears selectively to stabilize a subset of microtubules, and events downstream of Rac1 regulate microtubule plus end growth.
A distributed channel-sense non-preemptive static priority ring for local area computer networks and its performance

In a Local Area Computer Network (LAN), a set of independent distributed users compete for access to a single, shared resource which is the communication channel. Thus there arises the need for rules to control access to the communication channel. Such rules are generally called protocols or more specifically, Medium Access Control (MAC) procedures. This dissertation describes one such MAC procedure called the Distributed Channel-Sense Priority Ring (DCPR) which has been implemented on a ring topology. A formal protocol specification language called SAN (State Architecture Notation) is used for such a description. A performance model of DCPR is presented. Studies of it and suggestions of an improved DCPR protocol called IDCPR is provided. Performance comparison of DCPR and IDCPR with well-known medium access control protocols is further provided.
Learning to teach mathematics specialists in a synchronous online course: a self-study

This article uses a self-study research methodology to explore teaching an online course for mathematics specialists. The course included weekly videoconferencing sessions and focused on supporting their development as mathematics coaches working with K-8 teachers to enhance mathematics teaching and learning. The central question for the self-study was about the design of the course and the characteristics of the learning environment that resulted from the design. The study included journal reflections and survey data. Three themes emerged in the analysis of the instructional decision making for the course: student autonomy and engagement, authenticity and practicality, and fostering community.
Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook

Sanjay Datta, Bhavani Shankar Kodali, Scott Segal Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook Fifth Edition 2010 Springer, New York The field of obstetric anesthesia is constantly evolving. As highlighted in the 5th edition of Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook , advances in medicine have lead to a dramatic transformation in the demographics of obstetric patients. With recent improvements in assisted reproduction, anesthesiologists are encountering older parturients with significant coexisting disease. Similarly, surgical and medical innovations have increased the survival of women with life-threatening conditions, such as congenital heart disease, enabling them to reach childbearing age and become pregnant. In addition, obesity is rapidly approaching epidemic levels within the United States and frequently poses challenges for obstetric anesthesiologists (p. 399). Given the increasing complexity of the obstetric population, practitioners must be cognizant of recent developments and guidelines within the field of obstetric anesthesia. With numerous illustrations, graphs, and tables, the Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook provides an authoritative, succinct, and convenient reference for the busy practitioner encountering both conventional and challenging parturients. Sanjay Datta originally published his Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook almost 20 years ago. Since that time, his handbook has become a trusted …
Tissue-specific responses to aberrant FGF signaling in complex head phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: The role of fibroblast growth factor and receptor (FGF/FGFR) signaling in bone development is well studied, partly because mutations in FGFRs cause human diseases of achondroplasia and FGFR-related craniosynostosis syndromes including Crouzon syndrome. The FGFR2c C342Y mutation is a frequent cause of Crouzon syndrome, characterized by premature cranial vault suture closure, midfacial deficiency, and neurocranial dysmorphology. Here, using newborn Fgfr2cC342Y/+ Crouzon syndrome mice, we tested whether the phenotypic effects of this mutation go beyond the skeletal tissues of the skull, altering the development of other non-skeletal head tissues including the brain, the eyes, the nasopharynx, and the inner ears. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis of 3D multimodal imaging (high-resolution micro-computed tomography and magnetic resonance microscopy) revealed local differences in skull morphology and coronal suture patency between Fgfr2cC342Y/+ mice and unaffected littermates, as well as changes in brain shape but not brain size, significant reductions in nasopharyngeal and eye volumes, and no difference in inner ear volume in Fgfr2cC342Y/+ mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide an expanded catalogue of clinical phenotypes in Crouzon syndrome caused by aberrant FGF/FGFR signaling and evidence of the broad role for FGF/FGFR signaling in development and evolution of the vertebrate head. Developmental Dynamics 242:80–94, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Manipulating insulin signaling to enhance mosquito reproduction

In the mosquito Aedes aegypti the insulin/insulin growth factor I signaling (IIS) cascade is a key regulator of many physiological processes, including reproduction. Two important reproductive events, steroidogenesis in the ovary and yolk synthesis in the fat body, are regulated by the IIS cascade in mosquitoes. The signaling molecule phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a key inhibitor of the IIS cascade that helps modulate the activity of the IIS cascade. In Ae. aegypti, six unique splice variants of AaegPTEN were previously identified, but the role of these splice variants, particularly AaegPTEN3 and 6, were unknown. Knockdown of AaegPTEN or its specific splice variant AaegPTEN6 (the splice variant thought to regulate reproduction in the ovary and fat body) using RNAi led to a 15–63% increase in egg production with no adverse effects on egg viability during the first reproductive cycle. Knockdown of AaegPTEN3, expressed predominantly in the head, had no effect on reproduction. We also characterized the protein expression patterns of these two splice variants during development and in various tissues during a reproductive cycle. Previous studies in a range of organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, have demonstrated that disruption of the IIS cascade leads to decreased reproduction or sterility. In this study we demonstrate that knockdown of the IIS inhibitor PTEN can actually increase reproduction in the mosquito, at least during the first reproductive cycle.
Loss of consciousness, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicide risk among deployed military personnel with mild traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE:: To identify clinical variables associated with suicidality in military personnel with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) while deployed to Iraq. SETTING:: Outpatient TBI clinic on a US military base in Iraq. PARTICIPANTS:: Military personnel (N = 158) referred to an outpatient TBI clinic for a standardized intake evaluation, 135 (85.4%) who had a diagnosis of mTBI and 23 (14.6%) who did not meet criteria for TBI. MAIN MEASURES:: Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Depression subscale of the Behavioral Health Measure-20, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military Version, Insomnia Severity Index, self-report questionnaire, and clinical interview addressing TBI-related symptoms. RESULTS:: Among patients with mTBI, increased suicidality was significantly associated with depression and the interaction of depression with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Longer duration of loss of consciousness was associated with decreased likelihood for any suicidality. CONCLUSION:: Assessment after TBI in a combat zone may assist providers in identifying those at risk for suicidality and making treatment recommendations for service members with mTBI. Language: en
Cost considerations regarding the prospective surveillance model for breast cancer survivors

For this article, the authors examined the cost implications of the prospective surveillance model (PSM) for breast cancer (BC) survivors, a comprehensive framework designed to preemptively reduce the incidence and virulence of common impairments. The model clearly has the potential of providing significant benefits. However, its accompanying costs and resource requirements remain unclear and may be substantial. Thus, it is critical to examine which BC survivors may benefit from the PSM, how much they will benefit, and the costs of this benefit before its implementation. Because the PSM is not rigidly prescriptive, its examination must allow for different scenarios with emphasis on 4 critical determinants of cost--whether all or only high-risk BC survivors participate, assessment frequencies and locations, the credentials of the assessors, and requirements for supportive equipment. Another issue is the distribution of its cost: hypothetical implementation strategies vary widely in their distribution of fiscal burden across key stakeholders--survivors, providers, and payers--whose financial responsibilities will be an important factor in whether and how rapidly they adopt the PSM. Accurate valuation of the PSM will require capture of direct and indirect cost savings and benefits. Currently, a lack of data regarding these parameters, as well as outcomes that can be reliably attributed to the PSM, impedes cost-effectiveness analyses. Because the PSM may enhance many health state characteristics, assessments that integrate overall composite measures with evaluations of common, discrete impairments may be required to comprehensively assess its benefits.
Public Intellectuals as Propagandists

A frequently heard lament in recent years has been that the role of public intellectuals has declined because many who would have played that role have found comfortable niches in the academy. While this description of how public intellectuals these days make their livings is by and large accurate, what is missed by the usual bemoaning of the loss of the independent public intellectual is any perception of what has happened to the academy as a result. Far from losing their public forum, such intellectuals have instead extended their grasp by transforming the academy into a political staging ground for their concerns. The result is that higher education today is profoundly politicized. Not only is overt political propagandizing considered acceptable in education, it is even defined as inevitable. Such a view has undermined the pursuit of scholarly inquiry and the standards of professionalism in the classroom. Identity programs proliferate, and are typically staffed by professors who see themselves primarily not as educators but rather as propagandists for their particular views.
Measurements of Enthalpy in Low-Density Arc-Heated Flows

The thermochemical state and the total stream enthalpy of are-heated gases expanding from reservoir pressures less than 0.5 atm were investigated. The flow was found to be in equilibrium at the arc-heater exit, and the chemical composition was frozen in the reservoir and nozzle. The total enthalpy of the inviscid core of the freejet was determined by three independent methods, and the values obtained by each method are compared. It is shown that if the chemical state of the flow is known, the enthalpy can be determined quite easily by the frozen sonic flow method. The chemical composition of the frozen flow was determined with an energy balance on the arc heater. The total enthalpy was also determined with stream enthalpy profiles and convective heating-rate measurements. When the calorimeters used to measure the heating rate were assumed to be fully catalytic, the enthalpy determined from these measurements and a heat-transfer theory were low by about 40%. This difference can be accounted for with the nonequilibrium theory. However, because of the complex relationship between heating rate and enthalpy for the nonequilibrium flows, the uncertainty of the surface reactivity, and the unknown effects of vorticity interaction on heat transfer, the heating-rate method is not recommended for determining the stream enthalpy in low-density flow. A = area of test model surface on which heating rates were measured; also, cross-sectional area in nozzle, m2 A* = cross-sectional area of nozzle throat, m2 C = defined by Eq. (8) c = mass fraction of dissociated species Cp = total specific heat, Mjoule/kg °K E = voltage, V F(T) = defined by Eq. (7) H = total enthalpy, (u^/2) + h, Mjoule/kg H$_ = total enthalpy at stream centerline, Mjoule/kg #T° = heat content at temperature T, Mjoule/kg ~Hhr = defined by Eq. (2), Mjoule/kg Hne = defined by Eq. (4), Mjoule/kg Hrn = defined by Eq. (3), Mjoule/kg AHf,T° = standard heat of formation at temperature T, Mjoule/kg h = static enthalpy, Mjoule/kg h° = heat of recombination, Mjoule/kg I = current, amp K = constant in Eq. (14), kwkg/Mjoule-m3/2 atm 1/2
Critical media literacy is not an option

This article explores the theoretical underpinnings of critical media literacy and analyzes four different approaches to teaching it. Combining cultural studies with critical pedagogy, we argue that critical media literacy aims to expand the notion of literacy to include different forms of media culture, information and communication technologies and new media, as well as deepen the potential of literacy education to critically analyze relationships between media and audiences, information and power. A multiperspectival approach addressing issues of gender, race, class and power is used to explore the interconnections of media literacy, cultural studies and critical pedagogy. In the interest of a vibrant participatory democracy, educators need to move the discourse beyond the stage of debating whether or not critical media literacy should be taught, and instead focus energy and resources on exploring the best ways for implementing it.
MEMS-based adaptive impedance matching network

The architecture level design of an impedance matching network is presented for the global system for mobile communication radio frequency (GSM RF) power amplifier module used in a typical cellular handset. Designs for the low and high output impedance of the power amplifier and 50 Ω antenna impedance are considered. Impedance matching network design is presented for a typical low output impedance (Z = 2-j*0.4 Ω) of the power amplifier and 50 Ω antenna impedance and is made adaptive for high output impedance (Z = 7+j*2 Ω). It is shown that the network can be made adaptive to varying output requirements of the power amplifier by tuning the network capacitance toward the antenna end. The architecture level design of a 25 Ω antenna impedance is also presented and shown that that the impedance matching network can be made adaptive, which would require the use of MEMS switches. The adaptive impedance matching networks can be implemented in a passive integration technology with post-processing for MEMS components.
Cytoprotective induction of nitric oxide synthase in a cellular model of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) employs a photosensitizing agent, molecular oxygen, and visible light to generate reactive species that kill tumor and tumor vasculature cells. Nitric oxide produced by these cells could be procarcinogenic by inhibiting apoptosis or promoting angiogenesis and tumor growth. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tumor cells upregulate NO as a cytoprotective measure during PDT. Breast tumor COH-BR1 cells sensitized in their mitochondria with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-derived protoporphyrin IX died apoptotically after irradiation, ALA- and light-only controls showing no effect. Western analysis revealed that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was upregulated >3-fold within 4 h after ALA/light treatment, whereas other NOS isoforms were unaffected. Exposing cells to a NOS inhibitor (L-NAME or 1400W) during photochallenge enhanced caspase-3/7 activation and apoptotic killing up to 2- to 3-fold while substantially reducing chemiluminescence-assessed NO production, suggesting that this NO was cytoprotective. Consistently, the NO scavenger cPTIO enhanced ALA/light-induced caspase-3/7 activation and apoptotic kill by >2.5-fold. Of added significance, cells could be rescued from 1400W-exacerbated apoptosis by an exogenous NO donor, spermine-NONOate. This is the first reported evidence for increased tumor cell resistance due to iNOS upregulation in a PDT model. Our findings indicate that stress-elicited NO in PDT-treated tumors could compromise therapeutic efficacy and suggest NOS-based pharmacologic interventions for preventing this.
Thermal Aggregation of Soybean (Glycine max L.) Sulfur-rich Protein

The sulfur-rich protein (SRP) in soybeans aggregated at ≥ 70°C due to thermal denaturation of the protein and subsequent formation of soluble and insoluble aggregates. Aggregation was dependent on heating temperature, time, buffer composition, and the presence or absence of protein modifying agents in the heating buffer. Hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds helped stabilize the protein against thermal aggregation while hydrogen bonds and sulfhydryl exchange promoted it. At pH 7.6, 4.5 mg protein/mL, 70°C and 1.0M salt concentration, the rate of thermal aggregation was dependent on the anion type and followed lyotropic series SCN-> I-> Br-> Cl−
Macrophage Activation Redirects Yersinia-Infected Host Cell Death from Apoptosis to Caspase-1-Dependent Pyroptosis

Infection of macrophages by Yersinia species results in YopJ-dependent apoptosis, and naive macrophages are highly susceptible to this form of cell death. Previous studies have demonstrated that macrophages activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prior to infection are resistant to YopJ-dependent cell death; we found this simultaneously renders macrophages susceptible to killing by YopJ− Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Yptb). YopJ− Yptb-induced macrophage death was dependent on caspase-1 activation, resulting in rapid permeability to small molecules, followed by membrane breakdown and DNA damage, and accompanied by cleavage and release of proinflammatory interleukin-18. Induction of caspase-1-dependent death, or pyroptosis, required the bacterial type III translocon but none of its known translocated proteins. Wild-type Yptb infection also triggered pyroptosis: YopJ-dependent activation of proapoptotic caspase-3 was significantly delayed in activated macrophages and resulted in caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. The transition to susceptibility was not limited to LPS activation; it was also seen in macrophages activated with other Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and intact nonviable bacteria. Yptb infection triggered macrophage activation and activation of caspase-1 in vivo. Y. pestis infection of activated macrophages also stimulated caspase-1 activation. These results indicate that host signaling triggered by TLR and other activating ligands during the course of Yersinia infection redirects both the mechanism of host cell death and the downstream consequences of death by shifting from noninflammatory apoptosis to inflammatory pyroptosis.
Terrorism and Profiling

A key problem for counterterrorism is how large numbers of individuals can be screened most efficiently to discover terrorists. This question arises at security checkpoints of all kinds, from roadblocks to airline security counters. Some argue that certain categories of individuals, for instance, young Muslim men in the airline context, should be screened more heavily than others. Others deride this as racial profiling, and argue that any such scheme would be easily evaded. I examine a model of searching for terrorists among a population divided into categories that vary in their potential reliability or ease of recruitment as agents of terrorist attacks. The equilibria in the model feature profiling, in that different categories are searched with different intensities. Practical difficulties in implementing a rational profiling scheme are discussed.
Partial positive feedback for gain enhancement of low-power CMOS OTAs

Four circuit schemes that use partial positive feedback for gain enhancement in CMOS OTAs are examined. These circuit schemes are classified as type I and type II circuits. Type I circuits use a differential input pair with positive feedback and type II circuits use a active load with positive feedback. As the primary emphasis of these circuits is for micropower operation, the circuits have been examined in detail in the subthreshold region. A comparison of the primary characteristics of these circuits together with simulation results are presented. It is shown that partial positive feedback is a viable technique to increase the gain and the bandwidth of CMOS OTAs. Without any increase in power, a 20 dB increase in gain and a 5X improvement in bandwidth is feasible.