cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Habitat selection by endangered Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) and impacts of livestock grazing in Nepal Himalaya: implications for conservation.

Abstract Habitat management within and outside protected areas is a key to effective conservation of wildlife. This is particularly vital for declining wildlife populations within the boundary of conservation areas, while sharing their potential habitat range with foraging livestock. In an effort to understand the habitat selection by Himalayan musk deer ( Moschus chrysogaster ) and explore any potential impacts of livestock grazing, we conducted the present study in a conservation area of central Nepal Himalaya. We recorded data on musk deer and livestock presence and absence (based on signs of fecal pellet, footprint, and resting site) along the elevational transect with associated topographic features (elevation, slope, aspect, distance to water, and vantage point distance) and vegetation features (tree spp., shrub spp., herb spp., and canopy-cover). Using logistic regression model we found that elevation, aspect, canopy-cover, and tree spp. in the area significantly affect the likelihood of habitat selection by musk deer. In particular, they selected the southern aspect of the area with elevation ≥ 3529 m, canopy-cover ≥ 42%, and with stands of Pinus spp. and Abies spp. Slope and canopy-cover significantly affected the foraging area selection by livestock. They selected the gentler slopes in the northern aspect of the area with altitude
Heat shock inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-mediated tumor necrosis factor expression is associated with nuclear induction of MKP-1 and inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase activation.

Objective Application of heat shock before an inflammatory stimulus often results in an attenuated response to that stimulus. As a result, it has become increasingly appreciated that heat shock may induce cross-tolerance to a variety of stimuli based on in vitro and in vivo models. Circulating peripheral blood monocytes are key mediators of cytokine release following endotoxin challenge. The mitogen-activated protein kinases play a key role in the transcriptional regulation of this response including expression of tumor necrosis factor. As such, counterregulatory phosphatases that target mitogen-activated protein kinase may play a role in this heat shock-mediated effect. We hypothesized that prior heat shock to monocytes would induce a phosphatase, MKP-1, that regulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and subsequently conferred cross-tolerance to lipopolysaccharide stimulation. Design Experimental. Setting University research foundation laboratory. Subjects THP-1 human monocyte cell line. Interventions THP-1 cells were exposed to either heat shock (43 degrees C, 1 hr) or normothermia (37 degrees C, 1 hr) and allowed to recover before stimulation with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide). Measurements and main results Induction of a heat shock response was determined by heat shock protein-70 expression. Tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess heat shock inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced gene expression. The effect of heat shock on lipopolysaccharide-mediated activation of the p38 and ERK kinases was examined by measuring phospho-specific isoforms of p38 and ERK1/2 and correlated to in vitro kinase activity. Confirmatory data were generated from experiments employing either pharmacologic inhibition or genetic deletion of MKP-1. Heat shock induced the nuclear localized phosphatase, MKP-1, that attenuated p38 and ERK kinase activity resulting in significantly diminished tumor necrosis factor expression in response to lipopolysaccharide. Conclusions The effect of heat shock on decreasing the tumor necrosis factor response to lipopolysaccharide is conferred by induction of MKP-1, which negatively regulates p38 and ERK kinases. Modulation of phosphatase activity may be a potential strategy for attenuating acute inflammatory responses.
DECLINING EXERCISE CAPACITY AND INCREASING OBESITY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING STRESS TESTING: INSIGHTS FROM A 25 YEAR PROSPECTIVE REGISTRY

Physical inactivity and obesity are major public health problems. We sought to evaluate the temporal trends in obesity and exercise capacity among 223,707 patients referred fo stress testing over a 25 year period All patients referred to our lab for stress testing (exercise ECG, stress echo and
Histological changes in vocal fold growth and aging.

Purpose of review Sophisticated descriptions of the highly specialized vocal fold microarchitecture have been available for over three decades, but how this anatomy evolves with growth and aging remains an area of active investigation and, at times, a source of controversy. As our aging population expands and interest in pediatric voice disorders blossoms, it is timely to consider our contemporary understanding of evolving vocal fold histology and its implications for voice production. Recent findings Novel applications of existing and emerging biotechnology, development of animal models and skillful use of human specimens have afforded greater insights into the histologic vocal fold changes seen throughout the lifespan in health and disease. Summary Burgeoning knowledge has laid the foundation for more comprehensive models of vocal fold histology and has led to the development of innovative therapies for challenging voice disorders.
Ectopic jejunal pacemakers after jejunal transection and their relationship to transit.

The hypothesis was that orally moving pacesetter potentials distal to a site of jejunal transection and anastomosis would slow transit through jejunum containing them and that reoperation with excision of bowel containing these pacesetter potentials would restore transit to the control. In six conscious dogs with jejunal serosal electrodes for recording myoelectric activity and a jejunal perfusion/aspiration catheter for measuring transit, jejunal pacesetter potential frequency decreased distal to a midjejunal transection and anastomosis from 18.7 +/- 0.3 (SE) cycles/min (cpm) proximal to the site to 14.4 +/- 0.6 cpm distal to the site (P 25% of the time in a 37 +/- 7 cm length of bowel distal to the site during fasting and after feeding. Transit through the segment with the orally moving pacesetter potentials was slowed during feeding (half time before and after transection, 7.7 +/- 1.1 and 13 +/- 2.0 min, respectively, P 0.05) and restored transit to the control. In conclusion, orally moving pacesetter potentials distal to a canine jejunal transection and anastomosis slowed transit through the segment of bowel containing them. Resection of the segment restored transit to the control.
Effects of body size on respiration and excretion of Hong Kong oyster Crassostrea hongkongensis

The relationship of respiration and excretion to body size in Crassostrea hongkongensis was studied under controlled laboratory conditions,in hopes of providing some scientific data for assessing the carrying capacity of aquaculture,ecological and physiological studies of C.hongkongensis.The results showed that the oxygen consumption rate(RO) decreased significantly over the increase of dry tissue weight(W) among the groups of different body sizes(P0.01),and the ammonia excretion rate(RN),and phosphorus excretion rate(RP) of C.hongkongensis yielded significant variations among the groups of different sizes in terms of dry tissue weight(P 0.01).However,no significant difference of O/N and N/P ratio among these groups was detected(P0.05).The oxygen consumption rate,ammonia excretion rate,and phosphorus excretion rate of C.hongkongensis were correlated negatively with the dry tissue weight.The correlations were presented by the equations RO=1.8232W-0.7600(R2=0.8313,P0.01);RN = 0.0930W-0.6582(R2 = 0.7444,P0.01);and RP = 0.0126W-0.8874(R2 = 0.9224,P0.01).The values of O/N were high in all groups,and the N/P ratios showed incremental trend over the dry tissue weight increasing among the groups.
On-line Adaptive Contingency Screening for Early-warning of Transient Stability

The total number of contingencies needed by early-warning of transient stability is huge. In order to reduce the computation burden in every analysis cycle,an adaptive contingency screening method,which is designed to filter out slight cases as much as possible and keep all the severe ones for further detailed assessment,is presented. Based on the stability margins and dynamics modes of contingencies resulting from the last assessment cycle,the critical cases to system stability are firstly identified by using quantitative analysis method. Secondly,based on the changes in power flow on the critical elements,stability margin thresholds for contingency screening are identified. Finally,those contingencies need further detailed analysis for new cycles can be determined by comparing the prediction value and the relevant thresholds. Real engineering applications in actual power grid have fully confirmed the validity and practicability of this method.
Shared decision-making and decision support: their role in obstetrics and gynecology.

Purpose of reviewTo discuss the role for shared decision-making in obstetrics/gynecology and to review evidence on the impact of decision aids on reproductive health decision-making.Recent findingsAmong the 155 studies included in a 2014 Cochrane review of decision aids, 31 (29%) addressed reproduct
Two Theories of Responsibility for Past Emissions of Carbon Dioxide

We consider the claim that individuals or nations who emitted carbon dioxide in the past should be held responsible for those emissions. We examine two theories of responsibility for past emissions that are often conflated: (i) that emissions in the past by individuals in one nation have wrongfully harmed, or will wrongfully harm, individuals in other nations, and (ii) that individuals or nations who emitted in the past used more than their fair share of the limited ability of the atmosphere to absorb carbon dioxide. These two theories have distinct philosophical bases. A theory of responsibility for harm caused to others is based on conventional theories of corrective justice or efficiency, such as the Polluter Pays Principal. The difficulty with these theories is measuring relative harm. There are few estimates of the harms from the 1°C of temperature change experienced so far from past emissions because it is difficult to distinguish the resulting harms from normal variations in the climate. The second theory, a theory of responsibility for excess use, would require a level of compensation several orders of magnitude larger than a theory based on harm. Responsibility for excess use, however, is more difficult to ground in widely-accepted theories of justice. It is, we argue, a theory of equal ownership of all limited resources which few theories of justice would support.
The Experience and Meaning of God’s Caress

A constant theme in the history of Christianity has been the struggle between those who rely on divine inspiration to define the faith and those who argue that truth should be established by the institutional church. The chapter of the broader story that this book explores features the tension that shaped the faith and practices of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century puritanism between scripturally aware laymen and laywomen, who believed themselves to be inspired by the Spirit, and university-trained clergy. There was a long prelude to this story. In the earliest days of faith, groups such as the gnostics, who asserted the value of personal, intuitive means to discern truth, were gradually forced to the margins, and their writings excluded from the “canon” of acceptable beliefs.1 By the start of the third century there was a mainstream Catholic church in the west that asserted itself as the single authority able to “choose sacred texts for canonical status or compare the local creeds in Churches for a uniform direction in teaching.”2 The Nicene Creed was a major step in the process of defining orthodoxy, produced at the general council that the emperor Constantine called to meet in the city of Nicaea in 325, and modified at the First Council of Constantinople (381).
Carbon Nanotube Based Groundwater Remediation: The Case of Trichloroethylene

Adsorption of chlorinated organic contaminants (COCs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been gaining ground as a remedial platform for groundwater treatment. Applications depend on our mechanistic understanding of COC adsorption on CNTs. This paper lays out the nature of competing interactions at play in hybrid, membrane, and pure CNT based systems and presents results with the perspective of existing gaps in design strategies. First, current remediation approaches to trichloroethylene (TCE), the most ubiquitous of the COCs, is presented along with examination of forces contributing to adsorption of analogous contaminants at the molecular level. Second, we present results on TCE adsorption and remediation on pure and hybrid CNT systems with a stress on the specific nature of substrate and molecular architecture that would contribute to competitive adsorption. The delineation of intermolecular interactions that contribute to efficient remediation is needed for custom, scalable field design of purification systems for a wide range of contaminants.
Factors that encourage and discourage policy-making to prevent childhood obesity: Experience in the United States.

Policy-makers throughout the world seek to address childhood obesity prevention, yet little is known about factors that influence policy-makers’ decisions on this topic. From September 2014 to April 2015, we conducted 43 semi-structured interviews about factors that encourage and discourage policy-makers’ support for childhood obesity prevention policies. We interviewed policy-makers (n = 12) and two other groups engaged with childhood obesity prevention policies: representatives of non-governmental organizations (n = 24) and academics (n = 7). Factors that encourage policy-makers’ support for childhood obesity prevention policies included: positive impact on government finances, an existing evidence base, partnerships with community-based collaborators, and consistency with policy-makers’ priorities. Factors that discourage policy-makers’ support included the following: perceptions about government’s role, food and beverage industry opposition, and policy-makers’ beliefs about personal responsibility. As public health practitioners, advocates, and others seek to advance childhood obesity prevention in the U.S. and elsewhere, the factors we identified offer insights into ways to frame proposed policies and strategies to influence policy-makers.
9.6 New Technologies for Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is becoming an invaluable tool for studying biomolecular structure and dynamics, the relationship between which is central to understanding important cellular processes. This chapter surveys recent technological developments that have enabled all-atom MD simulation on timescales orders of magnitude longer than was previously possible, dramatically extending the range of problems to which the biophysicist can apply these methods. Advances covered include those in computer architectures, parallel algorithms, simulation accuracy, and data analysis methods. This chapter also highlights scientific results discovered through the application of these technologies to long-timescale MD simulation.
Angular viewing time optimization for slit-slat SPECT

In current SPECT systems, gamma cameras rotate around the subject sampling for the same fixed amount of time at each viewing angle. We suggest that adapting angular viewing time for specific tasks may help to maximize the instrument performance without increasing imaging time. Using a slit-slat collimator as an example, we tested a variety of angular viewing time settings and examined the contrast of hot lesions with various activity concentration at a few locations and proposed a linear model of the locations and angular viewing time near region of interest (ROI) for off-center lesion. Given a fixed scan time, viewing time t at a viewing angle φ can be adjusted as a function of φ for different phantom sizes and ROI locations. In our current framework, viewing time t at viewing angle φ is parameterized as: t(φ) = k(1 + ta cos(φ φo))n + Δt, where ta and n control the proportion of the viewing time at φo and the rate of change around it, φo is the viewing angle closest to the ROI so that viewing time peaks at this angle, k is a normalizer and Δt is the scout scan time per viewing angle. Scans using various parameters over 20 viewing angles of 200 and 600 second total scan time on 2 phantoms were simulated. Poisson noise was added to projection data to create 500 noisy realizations for every angular viewing time configuration. The performance was evaluated based on the average contrast at a matched noise ratio in reconstructions using a maximum likelihood expectation maximization algorithm. These preliminary results show that optimizing the viewing time in angles near the ROI location can increase detectability in off-center ROIs. Our preliminary investigation shows that the optimized viewing time near the ROI follows a linear trend with the location of the ROI. This simplified model can be easily used in SPECT applications.
Direct Deoxygenation of Phenylmethanol to Methylbenzene and Benzyl Radicals on Rutile TiO2(110)

Understanding the deoxygenation of biomass-derived alcohols is of great importance for the conversion of renewable biomass to energy carriers. In this work, we present unique reaction pathways for phenylmethanol on a rutile TiO2(110) by using a combination of molecular beam dosing and temperature-programmed desorption. The results from both regular and OD-labeled phenylmethanol demonstrate that hydroxyl hydrogen is transferred to the benzyl group to yield methylbenzene between 300 and 480 K. In the competing reaction, the hydroxyl hydrogen is also converted to water in the same temperature range. Once the hydroxyl hydrogen is depleted above 480 K, the remaining phenylmethoxy surface species undergo C–O bond cleavage yielding gas-phase benzyl radical species. These findings reveal the formation of free radical species from the interaction of phenylmethanol with TiO2(110) and demonstrate a direct mechanism for deoxygenation of lignin-derived benzylic alcohols to aromatics on TiO2.
Presbyopic and non-presbyopic contact lens opinions and vision correction preferences.

Abstract Purpose To compare vision correction preferences, refractive error, and gender of non-presbyopes and presbyopes. Methods Adults who wear spectacles or contact lenses completed a survey about refractive correction opinions and refractive error was measured. Results Of the 304 subjects, 38.2% were presbyopic (≥40 years) and 59.2% were female. Spectacles were the primary vision correction for 78.0% of subjects. Compared to contact lens wearers, the proportion of presbyopes was higher (p = 0.006) in spectacle wearers. There was no difference in the proportion of presbyopes and non-presbyopes who have tried contact lenses (p = 0.2) or who would prefer to wear contact lenses (p = 0.2). In contact lens wearers, there was no difference in the proportion of presbyopes and non-presbyopes with a history of temporary discontinuation (p = 0.9). Within the contact lens wearing group, there was no refractive error difference between presbyopes and non-presbyopes (spherical equivalent p = 0.6; power vector J0 p = 0.5; power vector J45 p = 0.4; anisometropia p = 0.2). Overall, contact lens wearers were more likely to be female (p = 0.004). There was no difference in gender in presbyopic and non-presbyopic contact lens wearers (p = 0.5). Conclusions Presbyopes and non-presbyopes have similar opinions about spectacles and contact lenses. Presbyopes of all refractive errors prefer contact lens correction when good vision and comfort can be achieved. Eye care providers should not assume that presbyopia, refractive error, or gender are factors that preclude a patient from being interested in contact lens wear.
Redefining success: the political ecology of genetically modified and organic cotton as solutions to agrarian crisis

The transnational spread of law and technology in Indian agricultural development has passed through three distinct phases since the mid-19th century. In each case, a narrative of agrarian crisis allowed for new state and corporate interventions, conceived by American and British agribusiness, within the existing logics of Indian smallholder agriculture. These begun with colonial British industrial cotton projects in the 1840s, continuing with Green Revolution agriculture, and on contemporary GM and organic cotton farms. In each case, farmers developed strategies through a frictive, contentious adoption of new technologies and built new avenues to success that worked for some farmers and failed for others. In this article I draw on ethnographic fieldwork and household surveys conducted in nine villages from 2012-2014 in Telangana, India. As with previous development initiatives, the US-born legal structures that defined high-tech GM and low-tech organic agriculture were adopted in India without major changes. I argue, however that their actual implementation by farmers has required a significant shift in the ways that people manage the agricultural economy.This paper was winner of the Eric Wolf Prize, Political Ecology Society, 2015.
LA EXPANSIÓN DE LA LENGUA EN LOS ANDES CENTRALES Y LA ESFERA DE INTERACCIÓN CHAVÍN

Este articulo considera la posibilidad que la expansion de Aymara fue un resultado de la emergencia y crecimiento del la esfera de interaccion Chavin durante el primer milenio antes de Cristo. Alternativas que plantean la expansion del Aymara antes de Chavin durante el Preceramico Tardio (o Arcaico), Periodo Inicial (o Formativo Inferior), o despues de Chavin durante el Intermedio Temprano son evaluados y rechazados. Tambien se explora los planteamientos recientes de Paul Heggarty y David Beresford-Jones de «explicaciones solidas» («strong hypotheses» que intentan de relacionar la expansion de idiomas con fuerzas de la historia como la conquista, migraciones, y expansion agricola (o de un cultivo clave como el maiz). Se sugiere que estas expliaciones no funcionan en el caso de Aymara, si esta expansion occurio durante el horizonte Chavin, y se ofrece otro modelo basado en la expansion del Sanskrit y la emergencia de la Cosmopolis Sanskrit descrito en los trabajos del linguista historica Sheldon Pollock.
Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Oil, Char, and Gas

Abstract Biomass pyrolysis is a very complex system, involving simultaneous solid heat transfer, solid phase chemical reactions, liquid evaporation and thermal ejection, liquid phase reactions, mass transfer of vapors through the solid matrix, and vapor phase reactions. The best place to begin understanding these interactions is to look at the structure and chemistry of lignocellulosic material. To truly understand pyrolysis, it is crucial to see that it is just one class of thermochemical conversion technologies. Thermochemical conversion is a term that means exactly what it sounds like: converting something by using the chemical reactions induced by heating.
Assessing Learning in a Peer-Driven Tutoring System

In many intelligent tutoring systems, a detailed model of the task domain is constructed and used to provide students with assistance and direction. Reciprocal tutoring systems, however, can be constructed without needing to codify a full-blown model for each new domain. This provides various advantages: these systems can be developed rapidly and can be applied to complex domains for which detailed models are not yet known. In systems built on the reciprocal tutoring model, detailed validation is needed to ensure that learning indeed occurs. Here, we provide such validation for SpellBEE, a reciprocal tutoring system for the complex task domain of American-English spelling. Using a granular definition of response accuracy, we present a statistical study designed to assess and characterize student learning from collected data. We find that students using this reciprocal tutoring system exhibit learning at the word, syllable, and grapheme levels of task granularity.
A Typology of Moral Positionality for Educational Administrators

AbstractThis qualitative study explored educational leaders’ conduct in self-reported critical incidents (n = 50). Incidents were analyzed for participants’ orientations to self or others and professional values, and assigned to one of four position types: authority, equity, compliance, or strategy. The typology categorizes participants’ ethical actions while attributing their conduct to moral courage. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Paint tubes: cinéma vérité as representation

This essay explores the gap separating early conceptions of cinema verite from the ones which circulated in the wake of Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin’s ground-breaking film Chronique d’un ete/Chronicl...
Eliminating Poisson's Spot with Linear Programming

A leading design concept for NASA's upcoming planet-finding space telescope involves placing an occulter 72,000 km in front of a 4-m telescope. The purpose of the occulter is to block the bright starlight thereby enabling the telescope to take pictures of planets orbiting the blocked star. Unfortunately, diffraction effects prevent a simple circular occulter from providing a sufficiently dark shadow—a specially shaped occulter is required. In this paper, I explain how to reduce this shape-optimization problem to a large-scale linear programming problem that can be solved with modern LP tools.
Comprehensive evaluation and parametric sensitivity of interatomic potential models for diffusion kinetics of Cr2O3 in molecular dynamics

While molecular dynamics (MD) has proven to be a promising approach to investigate the diffusion properties, the grand challenge resides in evaluating potential model parameters to accurately replicate experimentally measured properties. The Buckingham potential model with Columbic interaction is widely employed in MD simulations of chromia (Cr2O3) systems, as it allows for reasonable computational cost and accuracy. However, considering the well-known limitation of classical potential models in simultaneous reproduction of various physical phenomena, further comprehensive evaluation of the potential is required for calculation of diffusion properties. In this study, we benchmark the performance of three different Buckingham models with the experimental data by calculating structural, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties of defect-free Cr2O3, and diffusion properties of Cr2O3 with vacancy defects. Available Buckingham models display limited accuracies, consolidating the necessity of retraining the potential parameters for all properties impacting the diffusion dynamics. Oversimplification in parameterization procedures is suggested to impede the universal performance in property reproduction. This research also demonstrates effective guidelines for choosing a proper parameter set of current Buckingham potential for MD simulation with Cr2O3 depending on properties and for potential reparameterization.
Literal allegories: Queering the family-nation in contemporary Dominican diaspora fiction

As exemplified by Junot Diaz in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Angie Cruz in Let It Rain Coffee, Dominican diaspora authors grapple with the question of what happens when a central part of a people’s lived experience and embodiment is suppressed by hegemonic national discourses. I argue that in their novels they show that, when blackness is removed from Dominican national discourse and representation, what is left is not whiteness or mestizaje, but a “deracialized consciousness.” These authors subvert racial discourse by using the family-nation allegory in foundational romances in unintended ways, emptying the discourse of its rhetorical value, and make way for “rayano consciousness” and a queer futurity of dominicanidad.
Increased Dissemination of Dengue 2 Virus in Aedes aegypti Associated with Concurrent Ingestion of Microfilariae of Brugia malayi

Abstract : We investigated whether concurrent ingestion of dengue 2 virus and microfilariae of Brugia malayi would increase viral infection and dissemination rates in Aedes aegypti. Infection rates were similar in mosquitoes that ingested virus along or both virus and microfilariae concurrently. However, viral dissemination rates, as determined by recovery of dengue virus from both legs and bodies separately, were significantly greater in mosquitoes that ingested both agents concurrently than in those that ingested virus alone. This study confirms that vectorial capacity of a natural vector of an arbovirus may be enhanced by the concurrent ingestion of microfilariae.
Nonconscious Pain, Suffering, and Moral Status

Pain is an unwanted mental state that is often considered a sufficient ground for moral status. However, current science and philosophy of mind suggest that pains, like other perceptual states, might be nonconscious. This raises the questions of whether the notion of nonconscious pain is coherent and what its moral significance might be. In this paper I argue that the existence of nonconscious pain is conceptually coherent; however as a matter of fact our brains might always represent pains consciously. I then characterize the concept of suffering from a naturalistic perspective, distinguishing it from pain. I offer an account of suffering based on some current theories of consciousness, in which suffering consists in the global broadcasting of representations with overall net negative valence. I argue this can explain most of suffering’s properties, such as its wholeness, significance for welfare, and conscious character. Finally, I contend that suffering, but not pain, provides sufficient grounds for moral status.
Altered Gut Microbiota in Infants is Associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Severity

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the number one cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants. There are still no vaccines or specific antiviral therapies against RSV, mainly due to the inadequate understanding of RSV pathogenesis. Recent data suggest a role for gut microbiota community structure in determining RSV disease severity. Our objective was to determine the gut microbial profile associated with severe RSV patients, which could be used to help identify at-risk patients and develop therapeutically protective microbial assemblages that may stimulate immuno-protection. We enrolled 95 infants from Le Bonheur during the 2014 to 2016 RSV season. Of these, 37 were well-babies and 58 were hospitalized with RSV. Of the RSV infected babies, 53 remained in the pediatric ward (moderate) and 5 were moved to the pediatric intensive care unit at a later date (severe). Stool samples were collected within 72 h of admission; and the composition of gut microbiota was evaluated via 16S sequencing of fecal DNA. There was a significant enrichment in S24_7, Clostridiales, Odoribacteraceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Actinomyces in RSV (moderate and severe) vs. controls. Patients with severe RSV disease had slightly lower alpha diversity (richness and evenness of the bacterial community) of the gut microbiota compared to patients with moderate RSV and healthy controls. Beta diversity (overall microbial composition) was significantly different between all RSV patients (moderate and severe) compared to controls and had significant microbial composition separating all three groups (control, moderate RSV, and severe RSV). Collectively, these data demonstrate that a unique gut microbial profile is associated with RSV disease and with severe RSV disease with admission to the pediatric intensive care unit. More mechanistic experiments are needed to determine whether the differences observed in gut microbiota are the cause or consequences of severe RSV disease.
A Low-power Reconfigurable Readout Circuit with Large DC Offset Reduction for Neural Signal Recording Applications

This paper presents a fully reconfigurable readout circuit including a chopper-stabilized neural amplifier and a successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for neural signal recording applications. Since the target neural signals - action potentials (APs) and local field potentials (LFPs) differ in the peak amplitude while occupying different frequency bandwidths, gain, and bandwidth reconfigurability would be advantageous in improving power and noise performance. The readout circuit is designed in 180 nm standard CMOS technology. It achieves the mid-band gain of 50.3 dB in the frequency band of 0.1 Hz - 250 Hz to detect the LFPs, and 63.4 dB in 267 Hz - 20.8 kHz for detecting the APs. The neural amplifier consumes a total power of 1.54 µW and 1.94 µW for LFP and AP configurations, respectively. The input-referred noises have been achieved as 0.97 µV rms (0.1 Hz - 250 Hz), and 0.44 µV rms (250 Hz - 5 kHz), leading to a noise efficiency factor (NEF) of 1.27 and 1.21, for the two configurations, respectively. It rejects the generated large DC offset up to 40 mV at the electrode-tissue interface, by implementing a DC servo loop (DSL). The offset voltage with the DSL becomes 0.23 mV, which is acceptable for the neural experiments. Enabling the impedance boosting loop, the DC input impedance is found to be within the range of 1.77 - 2.27 GΩ, introducing the reconfigurability in impedance for matching with the electrode impedance. The SAR-ADC having a varying sampling frequency ranging from 10 - 40 ksamples/s demonstrates to digitize the APs and the LFPs with the resolution from 8 - 10 bits. The entire AFE provides good compatibility to record the neural signal while lowering the large DC offset down to 0.23 mV.
ENVIRONMENT-STRATEGY RELATIONSHIP AND ITS PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE CHINESE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

This study examined the strategy-environment-performance paradigm in a centrally plannedeconomy (People's Republic of China) in transition to a more market-driven economy. Based on a survey of top Chinese managers in the electronics industry, it was found that during this course of transformation, firms exhibited distinctive strategies despite a long tradition of central planning, and these strategies were signijcantly related to perceived environmental uncertainty. Specifically, managers perceptions of increased environmental uncertainty were found to be negatively related to proactive strategies and positively related to defensive strategies. Defensive strategies were also linked to higher performance.
Representation of Female Faculty at US Medical Schools and Success in Obtaining National Institutes of Health Funding, 2008-2018.

This cross-sectional study assesses the representation and success of female faculty at US medical schools and their success in obtaining funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) between 2008 and 2018.
The targeting rule does not increase the rate of lower extremity injuries in NFL players over two seasons.

Objectives: In 2018 the NFL instituted playing rule article 8, which aimed to help decrease sport related concussion (SRC) by broadening the helmet-hit rule, making it a foul when a player lowers his head to make contact with his helmet against an opponent. Previous studies have demonstrated that the rate of lower extremity injuries increased following the institution of the targeting rule in NCAA football. The objective of this study was to determine if playing rule article 8 unintentionally led to a significant increase in the rate of lower extremity injuries sustained by NFL players during regular season games.Methods: This study was a retrospective review of all NFL players who were placed on the publically available injury reports for a lower extremity injury from the 2016-2017 through 2019-2020 regular seasons. With article 8 taking effect starting with the 2018-2019 season, players were assigned to a pre- or post-rule cohort based on date of injury for purposes of injury rate comparison. Injury rates were calculated per 1000 athletic exposures (AE). Incidence rate ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) compared injury rates between the two cohorts.Results: There was a 3% decrease in the lower extremity injury rate in 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 compared with 2016-2017 to 2017-2018, however this was not statistically significant (33.6 versus 34.3/1000 AEs, respectively; RR, 0.97; 95% CI 0.92-1.04). There was a 40% decrease in the SRC rate when comparing the post- to the pre-article-8 cohort (3.3 vs. 5.5/1000 AEs, respectively; RR 0.60; 95% CI 0.50-0.73).Conclusions: The rate of lower extremity injuries and players placed on the injury reserve over the past two NFL seasons following the enactment of playing rule article 8 has not significantly increased. However, the average games missed due to lower extremity injuries significantly increased under playing rule article 8, which suggests that the severity of lower extremity injuries possibly increased.Level of evidence: IV Diagnostic.
Ureteral injury following anterior thoracolumbar spinal instrumented fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a case report with CT angiography analysis of surgically relevant anatomy

To report a rare ureteral injury following anterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) that resulted in complete nephrectomy and to delineate the anatomical relationship between the proximal ureter and the anterior lumbar spine based on CT angiography (CTA). Thoracolumbar spine CTAs of children with AIS were reviewed. We measured the following relationships to the ureters: lateral-most aspect of vertebral body, anterior psoas at intervertebral disc/vertebral body levels, and lateral psoas at vertebral body level. Spine level at which the renal arteries originated from the aorta was identified. Distance from origin to corresponding vertebral body/intervertebral disc also was measured. Forty-one girls and seven boys (mean age 12 years, range 7–18) were analyzed. Scoliosis lumbar convexity was left 94% and right 6%. From L1 to L4, ureter was identified within 1–2 cm of vertebral body. Distance between ureter and vertebral body and ureter and anterior psoas at intervertebral disc/vertebral body levels was less on left vs. right from L1 to L4 (p 50%. There was no difference in distance from renal artery origin to vertebral body/intervertebral disc (p = 0.4764). Ureteral injury is a potentially morbid complication of anterior spine surgery. Injury can occur secondary to disrupted blood supply and mechanical tissue damage. Surgeons must clearly understand the juxta-spinal anatomy to limit dissection and modify retraction to reduce risk. Level IV.
Crime and Political Effects of a Concealed Carry Ban in Brazil

This paper studies the effects of legislation in Brazil that banned concealed carry nationwide in 2003, and provided for a voter referendum 22 months later regarding whether to ban the sale of all firearms. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that gun-related homicides decreased by 12.2 percent, with the reduction especially pronounced in high-crime areas and among black males. Other crimes involving guns also declined. There is no evidence of substitution effect as non-gun-related homicides were not affected. Two pieces of evidence suggest that the mechanism explaining this result is a decrease in the number of people carrying gun in response to the legislation: first, the number of illegal gun carrying decreased and second, only gun-related homicides taking place outside the residence were reduced. Analysis of the subsequent voter referendum, which was defeated by a wide margin, shows stronger support for the complete weapons ban in the areas more affected by gun violence.
A prenatal group based phone counseling intervention to improve breastfeeding rates and complementary feeding: a randomized, controlled pilot and feasibility trial.

Despite numerous benefits for both mom and baby, few infants are exclusively breastfed for the recommended first six months. Additionally, infants are given solids too early. Prenatal education increases rates of breastfeeding initiation and we hypothesize it can also improve exclusive breastfeeding rates and prevent the early introduction of solids. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot and feasibility trial to understand the feasibility and maternal acceptance of a prenatal behavioral lifestyle intervention (PBLI) delivered via group based phone counseling (GBPC) and its effectiveness on rates of exclusive breastfeeding up to six months postpartum. Secondary aims included rates of any breastfeeding up to six months, rates of early introduction of solids, and infant feeding progression. Forty-one pregnant women were recruited from a Kansas City Metropolitan Obstetrics and Gynecology office and randomly assigned to a usual care group or a PBLI. Women in the PBLI participated in six GBPC sessions where they learned about breastfeeding and introducing solids. Feeding questionnaires to assess breastfeeding and introduction of solids were sent at two weeks, two months, four months, and six months postpartum. Structured interviews were also conducted after the intervention and at six months postpartum to assess maternal acceptance and intervention feasibility. Participants overwhelmingly found the intervention acceptable and beneficial. Rates of exclusive breastfeeding and any breastfeeding did not differ between groups at any time point. No between group differences were found for early introduction of solids or infant feeding progression. Mothers discontinue breastfeeding earlier than recommended despite high rates of initiation. A PBLI delivered via GBP is feasible, acceptable to participants, and showed positive impacts such as maternal empowerment for both breastfeeding and introducing solids. Future interventions should incorporate both prenatal and postpartum components. Study protocols were approved by the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Human Subjects Committee (STUDY00140506) and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 02/22/2018 ( NCT03442517 , retrospectively registered). All participants gave written informed consent prior to data collection.
Frame Evolution:Temporal Dynamics of TMT Frame, Adaptive Strategy & Technology Lifecycle at FUJIFILM

This article theorizes how top management’s strategic frame evolves over the lifespan of technology and how such frame evolution transforms the organization over time. Combining proprietary archiva...
Disparities in Disruptions to Postsecondary Education Plans During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines disruptions to postsecondary education plans in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using nationally representative data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Puls...
Thirty Years’ Peace

The Thirty Years' Peace, enacted by Sparta and Athens in 446/5 bce, concluded the First Peloponnesian War. Keywords: Greek history; military history
Teratology in the 20th century: environmental causes of congenital malformations in humans and how they were established.

In medicine, it was once customary to divide disease into two opposing classes: congenital and acquired. For teratology, however, these two terms need not be contrasting at all. The difficulties of discovering the causes of abnormal fetal development did not impede—perhaps stimulated—efforts to devise systems of etiological classification. Classification is done on the basis of cause, type, and pathogenesis. In all the annals of human teratology, the most notorious example of variable malformation frequency belongs to certain defects of the central nervous system (CNS). These comprise a set of malformations characterized by the failure in early embryogenesis of the neural tube to close. Additional to “inherent” or biological causes of variations are those of conventional ascertainment bases. A largely unavoidable source of faulty estimation of malformation frequency is incomplete or disinterested recording of information on hospital charts and birth and death and other registry certificates. The search for the causes of human congenital malformations has been the principal objective of teratologic investigation since the 20th century. Only through studies having this objective will malformations, to the extent possible, be prevented. The interests and professional backgrounds of investigators engaged in this quest have been varied—clinical, genetic, epidemiologic, experimental, ecologic, applied—but in this striving, they have often interacted and been mutually fruitful.
Multiobjective Hybrid Controller Synthesis

The problem of systematically synthesizing hybrid controllers that satisfy multiple requirements is considered. We present a technique, based on the principles of optimal control, for determining the class of least restrictive controllers that satisfy the most important requirement (which we refer to as safety). The system performance with respect to the lower priority requirement (which we refer to as efficiency) can then be optimized within this class. We motivate our approach by three examples, one purely discrete (the problem of reachability in finite automata) one hybrid (the steam boiler problem) and one primarily continuous (a flight vehicle management system).
The rate of entrance of amniotic fluid into the pulmonary alveoli during fetal respiration

Abstract From the foregoing experiments, it is evident that ink-stained amniotic fluid promptly enters the pulmonary alveoli of breathing fetuses but is not found in lungs of apneic ones. In the brief period of a minute of intrauterine respiratory activity, there is a striking flow into the pulmonary alveoli of the fluid in which the fetus is immersed. The presence of amniotic fluid in the lungs and its tidal flow during normal fetal life afford a basis for tracing the origin of damage to the future air passages. In so far as there is obscurity regarding the mechanism whereby extensive injury of the lungs occurs before birth, even resulting in intrauterine death associated with pneumonia, it is apparent that the present findings provide a new link in the chain of evidence, by which intrauterine pneumonia is connected with abnormality of the amniotic fluid.
Early ECG abnormalities associated with transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects using the Amplatzer septal occluder.

Conduction abnormalities and arrhythmias may occur in patients following secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) closure using the Amplatzer® septal occluder (ASO). Therefore, the aim of this study was to prospectively perform ambulatory ECG monitoring to assess the electrocardiographic effects of transcatheter closure (TCC) of ASD using the ASO device. From 5/97 to 3/99, 41 patients with secundum ASD, underwent TCC using the ASO device at a median age of 9.2[emsp4 ]y. (0.5–87[emsp4 ]y.) and median weight of 34[emsp4 ]kg (5.6–88[emsp4 ]kg.). Ambulatory Holter monitoring was performed pre- and immediately post TCC. Holter analysis included heart rate (HR), ECG intervals, supraventricular ectopy (SVE), ventricular ectopy (VE), and AV block. No change in baseline rhythm was noted in 37 patients (90%). Changes in AV conduction occurred in 3 patients (7%), including intermittent second degree AV block type II, and complete AV dissociation post closure. SVE was noted in 26 patients (63%) post closure, ranging from 5–2207 supraventricular premature beats (SVPB), including 9 patients (23%) with non-sustained supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), 3 of whom had short runs of SVT prior to closure. A significant increase in post-closure number of SVPB per hour (p=0.047) was noted. No significant difference was noted in PR interval, ventricular premature beats per hour, or QRS duration. Conclusions: Based on ambulatory ECG analysis, TCC of ASD with the ASO device is associated with an acute increase in SVE and a small risk of AV conduction abnormalities, including complete heart block. Long term follow-up studies will be necessary to determine late arrhythmia prevalence and relative frequency compared with standard surgical ASD repair.