cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sterile Pink Bollworm: Field Releases for Population Suppression123

Releases of sterile adult Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) at a supposedly isolated planting of cotton did not suppress native populations. Immigration of moths from the Imperial Valley, 30 miles away, may explain the failure. Such immigration should be considered by investigators who are currently planning a large-scale effort to suppress the pink bollworm.
An Investigation of Medical Decision Making BIAS Using Patient Penal Status

When providing medical care, doctors are constantly required to make complex decisions based on a wide variety of information sources. As the US health care system becomes more complex with managed care, new regulations for prescription drugs, and other factors, it will become easier for bias to be introduced into the decision making process. This study investigates medical treatment decisions and seeks to identify paths through which bias can be introduced. Patient penal status was used as a proxy for patient variables that in theory should not affect care decisions but in practice often do. The results of the study show that penal patients are less likely to receive required and recommended treatments and that these differences are not due to differences in race, age, or gender of the prisoner population. Additional research is needed to identify the organizational or contextual factors that lead to differences in the provision of medical care.
DISTRIBUTION AND PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF CORONARY ARTERY CALCIFICATION IN A HIGH RISK DIABETIC POPULATION: A SUB-ANALYSIS OF THE FACTOR64 STUDY

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is pathognomonic for atherosclerosis and has been demonstrated to be associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. Diabetes (DM) is considered a “coronary equivalent” suggesting a risk of a first CV event comparable to that in those who have had
Programme implementation in social and emotional learning: basic issues and research findings

AbstractThis paper discusses the fundamental importance of achieving quality implementation when assessing the impact of social and emotional learning interventions. Recent findings in implementation science are reviewed that include a definition of implementation, its relation to programme outcomes, current research on the factors that affect implementation, and a framework for understanding the steps, actions and challenges involved in achieving quality implementation. Examples from the social and emotional learning literature are used to illustrate different issues.
NIRS Determination of Hydroxyl Value of PET

A method of NIRS for the determination of hydroxyl value of hydroxyl-terminated ethylene oxide and tetrahydrofuran copolymer(PET) was proposed.Based on the spectral data of PET and by the application of principal component regression(PCR) and partial least square(PLS),a calibration model relating the hydroxyl value of PET to the respective NIR spectra was established.It was found that the results obtained by the present method were in consistency with those obtained by the chemical method.The relative error of results of hydroxyl value obtained by NIRS was within 5%.Error of prediction of the calibration model was reduced by selecting part of wavelengths by the genetic algorithm(GA).
Fabrication and Application of Embedded Microball Lens Fabricated With Femtosecond Fiber Laser

Two types of embedded microball lenses namely convex microball lens(VMBL) and concave microball lens(CMBL) with outstanding optical properties were successfully fabricated inside a polymethethyl methacrylate(PMMA) substrate by utilizing a high repetition rate femtosecond fiber laser.The fabricating mechanism of the VMBL was refractive index change induced by femtosecond laser,and the CMBL was fabricated due to the multiphoton absorption and the heat accumulation effect of the successive laser pulses irradiation at a high repetition rate.As an example,the CMBL fabrication efficiency with 20 × and 50 × microscopic objectives was compared.The principles for choosing a proper objective when fabricating customized embedded lens were also discussed.Additionally,these lenses can be used as powerful tools in constructing specific micro-optic systems towards various applications.This technology also allows the direct fabrication of microlens inside microfluidic devices to enhance the ability of gathering fluorescence signals and optical imaging.It is very possible to fabricate a function-integrated microfluidic chip in one-step by utilizing this technology in the near future.
Mescaline-induced changes of brain-cortex ribosomes. Effect of mescaline on the stability of brain-cortex ribosomes.

1. During the action of mescaline sulphate on goat brain-cortex slices the ribosomal particles become susceptible to breakdown, releasing protein, RNA, acidsoluble nucleotides and ninhydrin-positive materials, resulting in loss of ribosomal enzyme activities. 2. Ribosomes of the mescaline-treated cortex slices undergo rapid degradation in the presence of trypsin and ribonuclease. 3. Mescaline does not alter the chemical and nucleotide compositions or the u.v.-absorption characteristics of ribosomal particles, however.
Evaluating the nutritional status of beef cattle herds from four soil order regions of Florida. II. Trace minerals.

An experiment was conducted to determine the trace mineral status of grazing cattle from four selected soil type regions in Florida. Animal tissue, forage and soil samples were collected during the wet (September-October) and dry (February-March) seasons from nine ranches located in four different regions. On the basis of reported critical forage levels, mean forage Co (less than .1 ppm), Zn (less than 30 ppm) and Se (less than .1 ppm) and liver and hair Se (less than .25 ppm), were low during both seasons. Soil Se (less than .50 ppm) and extractable soil Zn (less than 1.5 ppm) were low in all regions except the southeast. Mean forage Se was low in all regions. Of all animals studied in the wet season, 36 and 32% had low liver Cu (less than 75 ppm) and Se (less than .25 ppm) concentrations, respectively. In the dry season, 20 and 39% of the animals had low liver Cu and Se concentrations, respectively. Hair Se was low (less than .25 ppm) in 90% of the samples during the wet season and in 100% during the dry season. During the wet season, forage Zn, Mn, Co and Se were low in 89, 26, 63 and 84% of the samples, respectively, while extractable (double acid) Zn, Mn, Co and total Se were low in 57, 79, 63 and 100% of the soils, respectively. In the dry season, 80, 20, 40 and 80% of forages were low in Zn, Mn, Co and Se, respectively. Of the seven trace minerals studied, Se and Zn are most likely to be deficient, with Co and Cu insufficiency probable in selected areas.
Standing rectal and tail surgery.

Rectal prolapses, perirectal abscesses, and selected injuries of the tail are amenable to surgical management in the standing horse. Grade IV rectal tears and prolapses may require additional procedures performed through a flank laparotomy or midline celiotomy. Execution of most standing perineal surgical procedures is facilitated by adequate patient sedation and effective physical restraint. To be optimally effective, adequate regional anesthesia must be achieved. Special perioperative concerns for rectal surgeries include the management of tenesmus, maintenance of a loose fecal consistency, and reduction in fecal bulk.
Repeatability and reproducibility estimates from collaborative studies based on total concentration of trace analytes

In the process of validating a given analytical method for the total concentration of a trace analyte, the precision indicators, repeatability and reproducibility, are obtained from a collaborative study of the method based on a standard one-way completely randomized model. This report discusses the shortcomings of the statistical models used in such studies, defines the component makeup for estimates of the repeatability and reproducibility variances based on these models, and considers suggestions offered as new policy regarding method performance based on total concentration.
The role of wild type RAS isoforms in cancer

Mutationally activated RAS proteins are critical oncogenic drivers in nearly 30% of all human cancers. As with mutant RAS, the role of wild type RAS proteins in oncogenesis, tumour maintenance and metastasis is context-dependent. Complexity is introduced by the existence of multiple RAS genes (HRAS, KRAS, NRAS) and protein "isoforms" (KRAS4A, KRAS4B), by the ever more complicated network of RAS signaling, and by the increasing identification of numerous genetic aberrations in cancers that do and do not harbour mutant RAS. Numerous mouse model carcinogenesis studies and examination of patient tumours reveal that, in RAS-mutant cancers, wild type RAS proteins are likely to serve as tumour suppressors when the mutant RAS is of the same isoform. This evidence is particularly robust in KRAS mutant cancers, which often display suppression or loss of wild type KRAS, but is not as strong for NRAS. In contrast, although not yet fully elucidated, the preponderance of evidence indicates that wild type RAS proteins play a tumour promoting role when the mutant RAS is of a different isoform. In non-RAS mutant cancers, wild type RAS is recognized as a mediator of oncogenic signaling due to chronic activation of upstream receptor tyrosine kinases that feed through RAS. Additionally, in the absence of mutant RAS, activation of wild type RAS may drive cancer upon the loss of negative RAS regulators such as NF1 GAP or SPRY proteins. Here we explore the current state of knowledge with respect to the roles of wild type RAS proteins in human cancers.
American Indian Studies Center Fortieth Anniversary

I am glad to contribute some comments on the past, present, and future of the American Indian Studies Center (AISC). Little did I know when coming to UCLA in 1966 that within several years the seeds for AISC would be planted. But I was eager to participate, something of an activist inside and outside of my department. It did not surprise me that the Department of History offered no courses in Native American history (or in women’s history, African American history, Chicano history, or Asian American history). No major university listed such courses, and none had a PhD program in these fields. But while in graduate school at Princeton University I had admired the work of a few pioneers of Native American history such as Angie Debo’s And Still the Waters Run: The Removal of the Five Civilized Tribes (1940) and Randolph Downes’s Council Fires on the Upper Ohio: A Narrative of Indian Affairs in the Upper Ohio Valley until 1795 (1940). Both books were written during the Great Depression, and both had been published on the eve of World War II. In graduate school my interest in American Indian history had been kindled when Wesley Frank Craven asked me to give a seminar report on Douglas Leach’s Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip’s War (1958). I do not remember my high school history book recounting this bloody conflict in 1675 and 1676, in which the casualties, proportionate to population, were greater than any war in US history. But now, I read it eagerly, all the more
Rumen Bacterial Community Composition in Holstein and Jersey Cows Is Different under Same Dietary Condition and Is Not Affected by Sampling Method.

The rumen microbial community in dairy cows plays a critical role in efficient milk production. However, there is a lack of data comparing the composition of the rumen bacterial community of the main dairy breeds. This study utilizes 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the rumen bacterial community composition in Holstein and Jersey cows fed the same diet by sampling the rumen microbiota via the rumen cannula (Holstein cows) or esophageal tubing (both Holstein and Jersey cows). After collection of the rumen sample via esophageal tubing, particles attached to the strainer were added to the sample to ensure representative sampling of both the liquid and solid fraction of the rumen contents. Alpha diversity metrics, Chao1 and observed OTUs estimates, displayed higher (P = 0.02) bacterial richness in Holstein compared to Jersey cows and no difference (P > 0.70) in bacterial community richness due to sampling method. The principal coordinate analysis displayed distinct clustering of bacterial communities by breed suggesting that Holstein and Jersey cows harbor different rumen bacterial communities. Family level classification of most abundant (> 1%) differential OTUs displayed that OTUs from the bacterial families Lachnospiraceae and p-2534-18B5 to be predominant in Holstein cows compared to Jersey cows. Additionally, OTUs belonging to family Prevotellaceae were deferentially abundant in the two breeds. Overall, the results from this study suggest that the bacterial community between Holstein and Jersey cows differ and that esophageal tubing with collection of feed particles associated with the strainer provides a representative rumen sample similar to a sample collected via the rumen cannula. Thus, in future studies esophageal tubing with addition of retained particles can be used to collect rumen samples reducing the cost of cannulation and increasing the number of animals used in microbiome investigations, thus increasing the statistical power of rumen microbial community evaluations.
Automation on the Shopfloor: Machinists

Machining has been described as ‘part science and part magic’.1 It is a craft not easily understood by strangers to the occupation and not easily described by those who practice it. The machine shop at UFC’s Pine Hill plant is a complete floor of conventional machines which, at first glance, look like huge abstract industrial art pieces with levers, spindles and handles extending from their frames. The larger, numerical control machines are in a room separate from the rest of the machine shop and resemble conveyors of different sized and shaped tools which, on command from a computerized program, spin around, choose the correct tool and carry out drilling and milling processes. There are a few smaller and much quieter machines — whose trade name is Hurco. They are the most advanced CNC equipment UFC has purchased. The men operating them appear to be somewhat more relaxed than those who work in the NC room — although just as alert.
Hyperfine-induced quadrupole moments of alkali-metal-atom ground states and their implications for atomic clocks

Spherically symmetric ground states of alkali-metal atoms do not posses electric quadrupole moments. However, the hyperfine interaction between nuclear moments and atomic electrons distorts the spherical symmetry of electronic clouds and leads to nonvanishing atomic quadrupole moments. We evaluate these hyperfine-induced quadrupole moments using techniques of relativistic many-body theory and compile results for Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs atoms. For heavy atoms we find that the hyperfine-induced quadrupole moments are strongly (two orders of magnitude) enhanced by correlation effects. We further apply the results of the calculation to microwave atomic clocks where the coupling of atomic quadrupole moments to gradients of electric fields leads to clock frequency uncertainties. We show that for $^{133}\text{Cs}$ atomic clocks, the spatial gradients of electric fields must be smaller than $30\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{V}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ to guarantee fractional inaccuracies below ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}$.
V1 Receptive Fields Reflect the Statistical Structure of Natural Scenes

The strategy by which the visual system encodes our environment has long been a topic of debate. One compelling hypothesis is that the tuning characteristics of cells in the visual system provide a sparse representation of natural scenes (Barlow, 1972; Field, 1994). While recent work by Olshausen and Field (1996) supports this hypothesis, other studies suggest alternate explanations (Law and Cooper, 1994; Fyfe and Baddeley, 1995). To address this question, we employ exploratory projection pursuit to investigate the statistical structure of natural scenes—the images the visual system evolved to represent.
Review of Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals

The design of tundishes inherently involves fluid mechanics, because the motion of the melt in the tundish, the behavior of the entrained gases, and the behavior of the inclusion particles are all governed by the laws of fluid flow.
Properties of healthcare teaming networks as a function of network construction algorithms

Network models of healthcare systems can be used to examine how providers collaborate, communicate, refer patients to each other, and to map how patients traverse the network of providers. Most healthcare service network models have been constructed from patient claims data, using billing claims to link a patient with a specific provider in time. The data sets can be quite large (106-108 individual claims per year), making standard methods for network construction computationally challenging and thus requiring the use of alternate construction algorithms. While these alternate methods have seen increasing use in generating healthcare networks, there is little to no literature comparing the differences in the structural properties of the generated networks, which as we demonstrate, can be dramatically different. To address this issue, we compared the properties of healthcare networks constructed using different algorithms from 2013 Medicare Part B outpatient claims data. Three different algorithms were compared: binning, sliding frame, and trace-route. Unipartite networks linking either providers or healthcare organizations by shared patients were built using each method. We find that each algorithm produced networks with substantially different topological properties, as reflected by numbers of edges, network density, assortativity, clustering coefficients and other structural measures. Provider networks adhered to a power law, while organization networks were best fit by a power law with exponential cutoff. Censoring networks to exclude edges with less than 11 shared patients, a common de-identification practice for healthcare network data, markedly reduced edge numbers and network density, and greatly altered measures of vertex prominence such as the betweenness centrality. Data analysis identified patterns in the distance patients travel between network providers, and a striking set of teaming relationships between providers in the Northeast United States and Florida, likely due to seasonal residence patterns of Medicare beneficiaries. We conclude that the choice of network construction algorithm is critical for healthcare network analysis, and discuss the implications of our findings for selecting the algorithm best suited to the type of analysis to be performed.
Impact of Depression on the Treatment of Adult Lumbar Scoliosis

The lifetime prevalence of major depressive episodes is 14.6 % among adults from high-income countries according to a large cross-national study [1]. Women are nearly twice as likely to have major depressive episodes compared to men. Among developed countries, a significant undertreatment of mental disorders exists compared to physical disorders [2]. These findings are important to consider when evaluating patients in a surgical spine practice. In this chapter, we will review the prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms in a spinal deformity population. We will discuss the tools used to identify depression and present studies that evaluate the effect of depression on the results of surgical treatment of lumbar deformity patients.
The Complex Nature of Parental Substance Use: Examining Past Year and Prior Use Behaviors as Correlates of Child Maltreatment Frequency

ABSTRACTBackground: Child maltreatment studies predominantly have operationalized parental substance use as dichotomous variables for any use, any harmful/risky use, or any substance use disorder (SUD). This limits our understanding about how a range of use behaviors may contribute to child maltreatment. Objective: Build upon prior studies by incorporating a multi-faceted approach to operationalizing parental substance use. Methods: Cross-sectional, secondary data analyses were conducted using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW I). The study used weighted negative binomial regression to examine relationships between annual child maltreatment frequency and different ways of operationalizing substance use among 2,100 parents. Results: Several, inter-related behaviors (i.e., heavy drinking, illicit drug use, polysubstance use, SUD, and prior SUD < 4 years) appeared to be relevant for understanding differences in child maltreatment frequencies. A gradient effect was detected across ...
Excitation and inhibition in epilepsy

The term epileptic seizures is used to describe a variety of paroxysmal signs and symptoms resulting from a large number of underlying pathological processes. Generalized tonicclonic convulsions, therefore, reflect entirely different basic neuronal mechanisms than those of typical absences. Animal research suggests that the former result from disturbances that involve disinhibition, whereas the abnormality giving rise to the latter requires intact, if not enhanced, inhibition in order to sustain hypersynchronous neuronal discharges. Investigations in human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and chronic experimental animal models indicate that partial seizures can also reflect multiple underlying mechanisms, with some disinhibitory in type, while others appear to be hypersynchronous and associated with enhanced inhibition. Just as more than one epileptogenic disturbance can result in transition to ictus, it is likely that more than one mechanism can be engaged to terminate epileptic seizures, that these diverse processes could result in different postictal manifestations, and that they could conceivably contribute differently to the development of interictal behavioral disturbances. An appreciation for the fact that epilepsy is not merely an increase in excitation and/or a decrease in inhibition, but a variety of complicated neuronal interactions in different patients, or even at different times in the same patient or same seizure, is essential to the development of effective treatments to control epileptic seizures and prevent their consequences.
A study on online travel reviews through intelligent data analysis

The purpose of this paper is to show the application of a set of intelligent data analysis techniques to about 7 million of online travel reviews, with the aim of automatically extracting useful information. The reviews, collected from two popular online tourism-related review platforms, are all those posted by reviewers about one specific Italian location, from 2010 to 2017. To carry out the study, the following methodology is applied: a preliminary statistical analysis is performed to acquire general knowledge about the datasets, such as the geographical distribution of reviewers, their activities, and a comparison among the time of visits and the average scores of the reviews. Then, Natural Language Processing techniques are applied to extract and compare the most frequent words used in the two platforms. Finally, an Association Rule Learning algorithm is applied, to extract preferred destinations for distinct groups of reviewers, by mining interesting associations among the countries of origin of the reviewers and the most frequent destinations visited. By elaborating the available data, it is possible to automatically disclose valuable information for consumers and providers. The information automatically extracted can be exploited, for example, to build a recommender system for customers or a market analysis tool for service providers.
Resonance Spin Transfer Torque Magnetoresistive Memory.

Spin transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM) has shown a great promise to be a main stream novel nonvolatile memory technology. Reduction of state switching current still remains to be a continued research focus for scaling down the size of the addressing transistors. One of the switching characteristics attributing to the relatively high power consumption is the asymmetry of switching current threshold: switching from parallel (P) to antiparallel (AP) state requires more than twice as much current as switching from antiparallel to parallel state. In this paper, we present a design that can significant reduce the switching current threshold for switching from P to AP state to substantially reduce or eliminate the switching asymmetry. By incorporating an antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic stack to provide a rotating spin transfer torque that matches with the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of the free layer, switching threshold can be significantly reduced.
Disparate Impact and Voting Rights: How Objections to Impact-Based Claims Prevent Plaintiffs from Prevailing in Cases Challenging New Forms of Disenfranchisement

This article documents the spillover effects of the politics of disparate impact in cases challenging new forms of vote denial under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The paper argues that within the vote denial context, these spillover effects have heightened the evidentiary burdens for plaintiffs. In particular, judicial consternation over the constitutionality of claims based in part on disparate impact — given, for example, express statutory mandates against entitlements to proportional racial representation — have both resulted in a confused and disorganized body of case law and have, most troublingly, increased the plaintiffs’ burden under Section 2’s results-based test. These spillover effects have impeded the ability of plaintiffs to challenge new forms of vote denial — a legal claim that does not involve the constitutional and statutory objections to impact-based claims that arise in vote dilution cases. These protections are even more important after the Supreme Court invalidated Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act — the coverage formula underlying Section 5’s preclearance requirements in Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. ___ (2013). Building on existing scholarship calling for a distinct test for Section 2 vote denial claims, this paper develops a new test that more adequately captures the nature of the interests at stake in these challenges to new forms of exclusion from, or inequalities of opportunity within, the political process. By enabling plaintiffs to challenge new forms of exclusion and inequality in the political process, yet recognizing the interest of government in managing elections in an era characterized by huge advances in racial progress, the after establishes a framework to aid plaintiffs in challenging discriminatory policies and practices that threaten to forestall or rollback the progress made under the Voting Rights Act in a post-Shelby County world.
Abstract B68: Targeted inhibition of Tgfβr2 reduces IL-6 production from cancer-associated fibroblasts, suppresses Stat3 activation in pancreatic cancer cells and reverses immunosuppression

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by dense stroma consisting of myofibroblasts, abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) and inflammatory/immune cells. Elevated levels of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), a prominent driver of stromal accumulation, is a negative prognostic indicator for pancreatic cancer patients. However, inhibition of TGFβ has been challenging due to the context-dependent tumor suppressor function of TGFβ in pancreatic cancer. We reported previously that neutralizing the activity of murine TGFβ receptor 2 (Tgfβr2) using a monoclonal antibody (2G8), has potent antitumor activity in orthotopic human pancreatic tumor xenografts. The findings in xenografts highlight that TGFβ induction of stromal cell function is critical for its impact on tumor cell behavior and PDA progression and supports that inhibition of TGFβ-dependent effector functions on stromal cells has potential efficacy in PDA. Herein we demonstrate that inhibition of murine Tgfβr2 reduces IL-6 production from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), resulting in a reduction of Stat3 activation in tumor cells and reversion of the immunosuppressive landscape of murine models of PDA. Moreover, the reduction of stromal IL-6 results in activation of NK cells. In summary, we found TGFβ induced IL-6 secretion from CAFs in PDA contributes to tumorigenesis and immunosuppression and can be abrogated by inhibition of stromal Tgfβr2. Citation Format: Huocong Huang, Moriah Hagopian, Wenting Du, Yuqing Zhang, Kyla E. Driscoll, Rolf A. Brekken. Targeted inhibition of Tgfβr2 reduces IL-6 production from cancer-associated fibroblasts, suppresses Stat3 activation in pancreatic cancer cells and reverses immunosuppression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B68.
Preconditioning in an Inflammatory Milieu Augments the Immunotherapeutic Function of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have emerged as potent therapeutic agents for multiple indications. However, recent evidence indicates that MSC function is compromised in the physiological post-injury milieu. In this study, bone marrow (BM)- and adipose-derived (AD)-MSCs were preconditioned in hypoxia with or without inflammatory mediators to potentiate their immunotherapeutic function in preparation for in vivo delivery. Human MSCs were cultured for 48 h in either normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (2% O2) with or without the addition of Cytomix, thus creating 4 groups: (1) normoxia (21%); (2) Cytomix-normoxia (+21%); (3) hypoxia (2%); and (4) Cytomix-hypoxia (+2%). The 4 MSC groups were subjected to comprehensive evaluation of their characteristics and function. Preconditioning did not alter common MSC surface markers; nonetheless, Cytomix treatment triggered an increase in tissue factor (TF) expression. Moreover, the BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs from the +2% group were not able to differentiate to chondrocytes and osteoblasts, respectively. Following Cytomix preconditioning, the metabolism of MSCs was significantly increased while viability was decreased in AD-MSCs, but not in BM-MSCs. MSCs from both tissues showed a significant upregulation of key anti-inflammatory genes, increased secretion of IL-1 receptor antagonist (RA), and enhanced suppression of T-cell proliferation following the Cytomix treatment. Similarly, following a lipopolysaccharide challenge, the Cytomix-treated MSCs suppressed TNF-α secretion, while promoting the production of IL-10 and IL-1RA. These preconditioning approaches facilitate the production of MSCs with robust anti-inflammatory properties. AD-MSCs preconditioned with Cytomix under normoxia appear to be the most promising therapeutic candidates; however, safety concerns, such as thrombogenic disposition of cells due to TF expression, should be carefully considered prior to clinical translation.
Happy Children: A Modern Emotional Commitment

American parents greatly value children’s happiness, citing it well above other possible priorities. This commitment to happiness, shared with parents in other Western societies but not elsewhere, is an important feature of popular emotional culture. But the commitment is also the product of modern history, emerging clearly only in the 19th century. This article explains the contrast between more traditional and modern views, and explains the origins but also the evolution of the idea of a happy childhood. Early outcomes, for example, included the novel practice of hosting parties for children’s birthdays, another mid-19th-century innovation that has expanded over time. Explaining the intensification of the happiness commitment also reveals some of the downsides of this aspect of popular emotional culture, for example in measurably complicating reactions to childish unhappiness. The basic goal of the essay is to use this important facet of modern emotional history to evaluate a commitment that many modern parents assume is simply natural.
The Nesting Doll of Cutibacterium acnes Clonality

ABSTRACT In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, R. E. Bumgarner, D. Harrison, and J. E. Hsu (J Clin Microbiol 58:e00121-19, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00121-19) address in a retrospective analysis that clonality of Cutibacterium acnes isolates from deep tissue specimens obtained from patients during revision shoulder arthroplasty cannot be assumed. Given that multiple subtypes of C. acnes isolates are present on and around the skin pilosebaceous follicles, the finding of multiple subtypes in deep tissues around a single patient’s infected joint is not entirely surprising. However, the authors also challenge laboratorians to consider whether further assessment of C. acnes isolates from the same joint should be performed and, if so, what testing should be undertaken.
Factors influencing public perceptions of hydropower projects: A systematic literature review

Abstract Public opinion is a key factor in the development and deployment of energy systems. The perspectives of those living near current or proposed energy developments are particularly critical because these residents may have a strong interest in the project and their opinions could influence the siting of the technology. A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative empirical research published between 1980 and 2018 was conducted to synthesize and consolidate the results of studies that examined the factors that affected local residents’ perceptions of hydropower projects. The review involved searching databases and journals using multiple keywords and synonyms for hydropower and public perceptions. The initial search yielded 21,171 articles. Forty-nine of these articles met the criteria for inclusion and were examined further to assess the factors associated with the support for or opposition to hydropower developments. The primary factors that influenced locally affected public perceptions of hydropower projects included: (1) environmental and ecological impacts of the development; (2) local socio-economic impacts associated with the hydropower project; and (3) public participation and consultation practices associated with the development including availability of information. Differences in factors that influence public perceptions between developed and developing economies are also examined. The findings from this review provide insight into future research that may guide the development of more effective communication strategies and hydropower policy development.
Hydrocortisone/cyclodextrin complex electrospun nanofibers for a fast-dissolving oral drug delivery system

The electrospinning of hydrocortisone/cyclodextrin complex nanofibers was performed in order to develop a fast-dissolving oral drug delivery system. Hydrocortisone is a water-insoluble hydrophobic drug, yet, the water solubility of hydrocortisone was significantly enhanced by inclusion complexation with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD). In this study, hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD complexes were prepared in aqueous solutions having molar ratios of 1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2 (hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD). Highly concentrated aqueous solutions of HP-β-CyD (180%, w/v) were used for hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD systems (1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2) in order to perform electrospinning without the use of an additional polymer matrix. The turbidity of hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/1 and 1/1.5) aqueous solutions indicated the presence of some uncomplexed crystals of hydrocortisone whereas the aqueous solution of hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/2) was homogeneous indicating that hydrocortisone becomes totally water-soluble by inclusion complexation with HP-β-CyD. Nonetheless, the electrospinning of hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD systems (1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2) successfully yielded defect-free uniform nanofibrous structures. Moreover, the electrospinning process was quite efficient that hydrocortisone was completely preserved without any loss yielding hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD nanofibers having the initial molar ratios (1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2). The structural and thermal characterization of the hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD nanofibers revealed that hydrocortisone was totally inclusion complexed with HP-β-CyD and was in the amorphous state in hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/2) nanofibers whereas some uncomplexed crystalline hydrocortisone was present in hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/1 and 1/1.5) nanofibers. Nevertheless, hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2) complex aqueous systems were electrospun in the form of nanofibrous webs having a free-standing and flexible nature. The hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/1, 1/1.5 and 1/2) nanofibrous webs have shown fast-dissolving behavior in water or when they were in contact with artificial saliva. Yet, the hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/2) nanofibrous web dissolved more quickly than the hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD (1/1 and 1/1.5) nanofibrous webs due to the full inclusion complexation and the amorphous state of hydrocortisone in this sample. In short, the results suggest that polymer-free electrospun nanofibrous webs produced from hydrocortisone/HP-β-CyD could be quite applicable for fast-dissolving oral drug delivery systems.
Nobleman Incognito: Byron’s Albanian Dress

This chapter looks at how Regency fashion, authorial celebrity, and national identity coalesce in an iconic painting of Lord Byron, Portrait of a Nobleman in Albanian Dress, as it is publicly unveiled at London’s Royal Academy Exhibition of 1814. Byron’s conspicuously anonymous portrait is a fashion statement best understood in the context of the Academy’s Exhibition Hall, a public space which, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, teems with “everyone from great aristocrats to the lowest ranks.” On the walls of the Exhibition Hall, Byron’s Albanian portrait competes for attention with paintings of British military heroes and aristocrats in full state dress. Like all successful fashion statements, the poet’s exotic dress deftly provokes and even courts outrage while foregrounding his controversial “foreignness.”
Neuropathologists play a key role in establishing the extent of COVID-19 in human patients

SARS-CoV2 infection causes COVID-19, and represents the most emergent health care crisis of our generation. Ample evidence in the scientific literature suggests that SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and endemic human coronaviruses infect brain cells. We delineate a rationale for encouraging evaluation of the brain, and in particular the brainstem, in COVID-19 so that potential neuropathological mechanisms can be delineated.
BLOCKCHAIN: A NEW DATA STANDARD IN ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL RADIOLOGY?

Background Despite the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) efforts, protected health information (PHI) and patient’s privacy and safety are still under risk. With exposure of greater than 200 million patients’ records for the period 2009–2019, the U.S. government is wondering if enough is being done to keep data safe. Blockchain is becoming a gold standard in health care data management because of its trusted, autonomous, immutable, and secured distributed ledger properties. Objective The goals of this retrospective, randomized, double-blind study were to assess (1) the effectiveness of Blockchain patient data conversion, (2) backup storage requirements, and (3) HIPAA compliance, compared with the current data storing and sharing methods and the feasibility of the use of Blockchain in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (OMR). Materials and Methods Head and neck computed tomography (CT) scans (n = 92,903 files) from the Cancer Imaging Archive (Blockchain folder n = 46,465 and Monitoring folder n = 46,438) and deidentified PHI were randomly assigned by 1 operator. Data were then converted into cryptographic Blockchain hashes via syncing the CBCT scans database folder with the DDSBlockchain (Charlotte, NC, 28,277) folder into the Hyperledger private Blockchain platform by a second operator. Data conversion percentage was assessed, and an F-test Two-Samples for Variances was conducted to quantify data upload speed (P Results One hundred percent of data uploaded were converted into Blockchain. Blockchain conversion had an average speed of 0.617 files per second. No statistical difference (P = .562) was found when comparing the 2 folders upload speed (average 26 hours, 11 minutes, and 5 seconds). The Blockchain data report storage size was 1.22 MB, whereas the original data folder storage size was 5.36 GB. No HIPAA breach was found during the data upload, conversion, sharing, and storage processes. Discussion The Blockchain private platform promises to become a gold standard in OMR PHI data backup because of its data conversion effectiveness, low storage requirements, and trusted, autonomous, immutable, and secured distributed ledger capabilities for keeping data private and safe. Preliminary study results indicated the feasibility of adopting Blockchain in OMR as a new data backup management method.
Age-related changes in appendicular lean mass in males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A retrospective review.

BACKGROUND Appendicular lean mass (ALM) trajectory in males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has potential applicability for treatment and research and has not been characterized. METHODS This chart review included longitudinal data on 499 males with DMD receiving glucocorticoids and 693 controls, ages 5 to 22.9 y. ALM (kg) was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Appendicular lean mass index (ALMI, kg/m2 ) was calculated for height adjustment. Reference centiles were generated using data from healthy controls, and ALM and ALMI Z-scores were calculated for patients with DMD. Generalized linear models were used to estimate median Z-scores by age and functional mobility status (FMS) score. ALM velocity by age was modeled using superimposition, translation and rotation (SITAR). RESULTS Compared to controls, males with DMD had lower ALM from an early age. ALMI Z-scores dropped below 0 at age 8 y or FMS of 2, and below -2.0 at age 13 y or FMS of 3 (P < .05). Age at peak ALM velocity was similar in both groups, but the magnitude was higher in controls (3.5 vs. 0.7 kg/y, P < .0001). Patients with DMD had a transient loss of ALM around age 12 y, an increase at age 14 y, then a further decline at age 16 y, remaining low thereafter. CONCLUSIONS Males with DMD have progressive decline in lean mass with age and worsening functional mobility. DXA measurement of ALM may be useful for monitoring lean mass status in patients with DMD, providing valuable information for individual treatment plans and research endeavors.
Root and crown rot pathogens found on dry beans grown in Mozambique

Dry edible beans are a vital food source in Mozambique, East Africa—one that alleviates hunger and malnutrition and adds value to the economy. In recent years, root/crown rot (RCR) pathogens have emerged as limiting constraints in dry bean production. Not much has been characterized concerning the causal agents of RCR in Mozambique. The purpose of this study was to identify the primary pathogen(s) associated with RCR dry bean samples collected at breeder nursery sites and farmer fields in Mozambique using molecular sequencing and culture-based methods. Sequencing revealed, not surprisingly, an increased diversity of fungal/oomycete operational taxonomic units when compared to culture-based methods oof diversity. Species of Fusarium, mainly F. oxysporum, were the dominant taxa detected in RCR dry beans through sequencing the ITS rDNA region and partial EF-1α gene. Collectively, 333 fungi and/or Oomycetes were isolated in culture during the 2014–2015 growing seasons and tested for pathogenicity on healthy bean seedlings. Fusarium species were identified by both morphological and molecular characters. At least 60% of the isolates inoculated on common bean were recognized as potentially pathogenic. From both isolation frequency and pathogenicity testing, F. oxysporum and related species play an important role in the bean RCR complex. We found similar results from dry beans grown in the two main bean-growing regions of Mozambique. These findings will allow breeders to screen for resistance to F. oxysporum in greenhouse grown bean plants as well as within field grown bean cultivars.
Management of uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty chronic pain and stiffness utilizing cooled radiofrequency ablation: a single institution pilot study.

The objective of this study is to introduce cooled radiofrequency ablation technical feasibility as an alternative percutaneous image-guided treatment of chronic pain and stiffness in the setting of uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty. This retrospective pilot study includes a total of 19 consecutive patients experiencing persistent chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty, without underlying hardware complications who had failed conservative care. Patients initially underwent anesthetic blocks of the genicular nerve branches to determine C-RFA candidacy. After adequate response to the anesthetic blocks (> 50% immediate pain relief), patients were subjected to cooled radiofrequency ablations 2–3 weeks later. Treatment response was evaluated utilizing clinically validated questionnaires (KOOS, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) and visual analog scale (VAS) to assess pain severity, stiffness, functional activities of daily living, and use of pain medication. Follow-up outcome scores were collected up to 1 year after C-RFA procedure. A total of 21 knees were treated consecutively between 4/2019 and 1/2020 (mean age 70.5 years; 5 M:14F). The mean total KOOS score improved significantly from baseline at 35.0 ± 14.0 to 64.2 ± 14.7 at a mean of 10.2 months after treatment (p < 0.0001), with significant improvement in mean stiffness score from 44.8 ± 16.7 to 68.8 ± 20 (p < 0.0001). The mean VAS score improved significantly from baseline at 8.30 ± 1.1 to 2.45 ± 1.8 (p < 0.0001). No major complications were encountered. No patients went on to receive re-treatment, surgical revision, or other intervention. Image-guided genicular nerve cooled radiofrequency ablation offers a promising alternative in treating chronic pain/stiffness in the setting of uncomplicated TKA.
Epidermal growth factor receptor family tyrosine kinases as signal integrators and therapeutic targets

Activating mutations, gene amplification and overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (erbB or HER) family kinases have been implicated as integral contributors to a variety of cancers. However, there is increasing evidence that the HER family receptors propagate not only signals initiated by their own ligands but also those initiated by multiple other signaling pathways. Attenuation of HER family signaling is a developing strategy for the management of human malignancies and is the subject of a number of ongoing clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to provide a timely update of recent reports in the rapidly evolving area of HER family biology and the emerging integral role of these receptors in malignant transformation and as targets of cancer therapy.
A Review of: “Colin S. Gray, Another Bloody Century: Future Warfare”

One can hardly imagine a more challenging and dangerous topic for any writer than “future warfare.” Warfare in the past and present has proved sufficiently controversial. Colin Gray's exploration o...