cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intrathoracic organ injury associated with photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy has been proposed as a new modality for the local treatment of neoplasms limited to the pleural surface. Clinical use of photodynamic therapy will involve exposure of large surface areas of normal intrathoracic organs to tumoricidal doses of photodynamic therapy. This study details the pathologic changes that occur within the lung, heart, trachea, and diaphragm of Sprague-Dawley rats after administration of tumoricidal photodynamic therapy. Animals were injected with the photosensitizer Photofrin-II (Quadralogic Technologies, Vancouver, B.C., Canada), 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally, 24 hours before surface illumination of a portion of the target organ with gold vapor laser light (628 nm) (124 joules/cm2). Control animals were treated with light alone. After endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, the lung and heart were exposed via left thoracotomy. The trachea was dissected in the neck, and the diaphragm was visualized via celiotomy. One site was treated per animal. Animals were killed at 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 1 week, 1 months, and 6 months after therapy. Histologic injury was numerically assessed by a single observer blinded to treatment and time of organ harvest. The Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test was used to determine the statistical significance of differences between treated and control groups. Twenty-four hours after treatment the lung, heart, and trachea of rats subjected to photodynamic therapy demonstrated parenchymal injury (p horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;103:1218-23)
“For Learning and Culture”: The History of Early Art Training at the University of Ife (1969–1975)

This study addresses the early history of art training in the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ife (1969–1975). The Institute's predilection for research on Yoruba studies carried over to courses, including art and art history courses for education students in the Faculty of Education. These students found inspiration in the surrounding Yoruba city of Ile-Ife, along with Institute-sponsored cultural programs, and they began to develop postcolonial art practices in which Yoruba cultural production provided the primary conceptual framework. Their works served as models for subsequent fine arts students, and in the Department of Fine Arts, established in 1976, experiments with Yoruba aesthetics became increasingly widespread and nuanced.
4-H “Survivor” Camp: A Real-to-Life Experience in Living on Your Own

In recent years many school district budgets have been reduced. Essential life skill classes, such as home economics and personal finance, have been eliminated leaving youth unprepared to live on their own. 4-H Survivor Camp was developed to meet this need. Survivor Camp provides the opportunity for youth to learn and practice basic life skills needed to make a successful transition from high school to young adulthood. The camp is based on seven core lessons: Living on a Budget, Renting an Apartment, Living with a Roommate, Food Preparation, Career Preparation, Self Awareness and Personal Reflection. Evaluation results show that youth who have participated in the program feel more prepared to face the realities of living on their own. The value of this curriculum is that it is adaptable for youth anywhere and in a variety of settings. This article discusses the real-to-life experiences taught at the camp and the related life skills reinforced.
“Change Happens Beyond the Comfort Zone”*: Bringing Undergraduate Teacher-Candidates Into Activist Teacher Communities

This article shares findings from a qualitative study of an undergraduate urban education fellowship designed to connect teacher-candidates with activist teacher communities and explore questions o...
Performance evaluation of network productivity for LTE heterogeneous networks with reward-penalty weights assessment

LTE Femtocells are designed to increase capacity and coverage especially for the indoor and cell-edge mobile users. Typically, they are deployed to offload the macrocell users. However, due to co-location of femtocells in macrocell coverage, the co-tier and cross-tier interferences are high. The interference levels are different for each femtocell access mode. In this paper, we conduct experiment and study the network performance of LTE network with femtocells operating in three access modes. We define network productivity which measures the network performance based on reward associated with new call arrivals and penalty accounted for forced termination due to handoff failure. We conclude with specific parameter setup for reward and penalty weights for each network deployment and determine the desired network performance for each femtocell deployment.
Diagnostic approach to constipation impacts pediatric emergency department disposition

Abstract Objectives Constipation is a common cause of abdominal pain in children presenting to the emergency department (ED). The objectives of this study were to determine the diagnostic evaluation undertaken for constipation and to assess the association of the evaluation with final ED disposition. Methods A retrospective chart review of children presenting to the pediatric ED of a quaternary care children's hospital with abdominal pain that received a soap suds enema therapy. Results A total of 512 children were included, 270 (52.7%) were female, and the median age was 8.0 (IQR: 4.0–11.0). One hundred and thirty eight patients (27%) had a digital rectal exam (DRE), 120 (22.8%) had bloodwork performed, 218 (43%) had urinalysis obtained, 397 (77.5%) had abdominal radiographs, 120 (23.4%) had abdominal ultrasounds, and 18 (3.5%) had computed tomography scans. Children who had a DRE had a younger median age (6.0, IQR: 3.0–9.25 vs. 8.0, IQR: 4.0–12.0; p Conclusions The diagnostic evaluation of children diagnosed with fecal impaction in the ED varied. Abdominal imaging may be avoided if children receive a DRE. When children presenting to the ED with abdominal pain had an abdominal radiograph, they were more likely to be admitted.
Traumatic Brain Injury Occludes Training-Dependent Cortical Reorganization in the Contralesional Hemisphere

Abstract Rehabilitative training drives plasticity in the ipsilesional (injured) motor cortex that is believed to support recovery of motor function after either stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, adaptive plasticity in the contralesional (uninjured) motor cortex has been well-characterized in the context of stroke. While similar rehabilitation-dependent plasticity in the intact hemisphere may occur after TBI, this has yet to be thoroughly explored. In this study, we investigated the effects of TBI and forelimb training on reorganization of movement representations in the intact motor cortex. Rats were trained to proficiency on the isometric pull task and then received a controlled cortical impact (CCI) in the left motor cortex to impair function of the trained right forelimb. After TBI, animals underwent forelimb training on the pull task for 2 months. At the end of training, intracortical microstimulation was used to document the organization of the intact motor cortex (the contralesio...
Interventional Closure of a Patent Ductus Arteriosus Using an Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder in an Alpaca Cria

A 6-month old female alpaca cria presented to The Ohio State University for evaluation of a cardiac murmur. Echocardiography revealed a left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus, a restrictive left-to-right shunting perimembranous ventricular septal defect, and secondary moderate left atrial and ventricular dilation. Aortic root angiography demonstrated a type IIA patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Interventional closure of the PDA was successfully performed, without complication, using an Amplatz canine duct occluder. This case report describes the materials and methods used for interventional closure of a PDA in an alpaca cria.
Understanding Data Literacy Requirements for Assignments: A Business School Syllabus Study

Syllabus studies have been used to inform librarians’ work in collection development, instruction and information literacy. Syllabi also provide an opportunity to understand course requirements for data literacy. In this study, syllabi from Eastern Michigan University’s College of Business were analyzed to determine which courses require data literacy for the completion of assignments or projects. The author tested several hypotheses to identify where data literacy instruction would be most needed: Data use in online and hybrid class assignments is greater than for in-person class assignments Graduate students have greater data requirements than undergraduate students Different business school disciplines have different data needs (i.e., marketing has more, accounting has less) Though this was not a scientific study, analyzing syllabi and assignments can reveal both stated and implied data literacy competencies. Surfacing these competencies and making them explicit gives the librarian and the teaching faculty the opportunity to co-design relevant teaching and learning activities. Since data literacy instruction is a new initiative at the Eastern Michigan University Library, the author also used this study to bring attention to this capacity.
Applications of Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices in AC electric drives: A technology status review

This paper is an effort to put together all the potential applications of Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices in AC electric drives. Low inductance motors, high speed motors, and electric drives operating in a high temperature environment are the main application areas of WBG devices. Low voltage permanent magnet motors and slotless motors have a low inductance and require a stringent high-bandwidth current regulation strategy to obtain an acceptable current ripple. Silicon (Si) devices cannot be used in this case due to their limited switching frequency. MW-level high speed motors have devices operating at high voltage and current levels and a high fundamental frequency (600–1200 Hz) that cause very high switching losses in Si IGBT devices. SiC devices have enabled the use of power electronic converters for MW-level high speed motors. Integrated motor drives (IMDs) are also benefitted by WBG devices as they reduce the size of the power converter and allow operation at a high junction temperature. Therefore, the inverter can be mounted on the motor itself which can be a significant heat source due to motor losses. Cooling requirements in high temperature environment applications such as hybrid Electric Vehicle (EV), ground vehicles in combat zones, and power converters used in space technology like land rovers etc., are greatly reduced due to low losses and high junction temperatures. Operation at high frequencies and high temperatures reduces the size of electric drive significantly.
Regulation of gene expression by translation factor eIF5A: Hypusine-modified eIF5A enhances nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in human cells

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) couples protein synthesis to mRNA turnover. It eliminates defective transcripts and controls the abundance of certain normal mRNAs. Our study establishes a connection between NMD and the translation factor eIF5A (eukaryotic initiation factor 5A) in human cells. eIF5A modulates the synthesis of groups of proteins (the eIF5A regulon), and undergoes a distinctive two-step post-translational modification (hypusination) catalyzed by deoxyhypusine synthase and deoxyhypusine hydroxylase. We show that expression of NMD-susceptible constructs was increased by depletion of the major eIF5A isoform, eIF5A1. NMD was also attenuated when hypusination was inhibited by RNA interference with either of the two eIF5A modifying enzymes, or by treatment with the drugs ciclopirox or deferiprone which inhibit deoxyhypusine hydroxylase. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-Seq identified human genes whose expression is coordinately regulated by eIF5A1, its modifying enzymes, and the pivotal NMD factor, Upf1. Transcripts encoding components of the translation system were highly represented, including some encoding ribosomal proteins controlled by alternative splicing coupled to NMD (AS-NMD). Our findings extend and strengthen the association of eIF5A with NMD, previously inferred in yeast, and show that hypusination is important for this function of human eIF5A. In addition, they advance drug-mediated NMD suppression as a therapeutic opportunity for nonsense-associated diseases. We propose that regulation of mRNA stability contributes to eIF5A's role in selective gene expression.
TRANSCATHETER VALVE-IN-VALVE IMPLANTATION OF AN EDWARDS-SAPIEN 3 IN THE TRICUSPID POSITION FOR SEVERE BIOPROSTHETIC TRICUSPID STENOSIS

Transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation has become a reasonable alternative for patients who are at increased risk for repeat surgery. A 45-year-old woman presented with shortness of breath and palpitations. Her medical history included intravenous drug abuse and subsequent methicillin-resistant
Gentamicin and tobramycin dosing guidelines: an evaluation.

The provision of pharmacokinetic dosing services has become a cornerstone of clinical pharmacy practice in many institutions. As these services expand, more pharmacists will become involved, and the need for a structured, uniform approach to the provision of these services may be necessary. Therefore, this article discusses specific approaches (i.e., guidelines) to the most common clinical conditions that the pharmacist may encounter. The goal is to promote consistent interpretation and application of clinical and kinetic data by the members of our aminoglycoside dosing service. The guidelines provide a structured yet adaptive approach to the clinical use of gentamicin and tobramycin. The major areas of controversy that were encountered in developing these guidelines are discussed, and the guidelines are presented. These guidelines currently are used to standardize our pharmacokinetic dosing service and as a tool for educating new pharmacists to their role and responsibilities as members of the pharmacoki...
You Are What You Tweet: A Divergence in Code-Switching Practices in Cebuano and English Speakers in Philippines

In Cebuano-speaking communities in the Central Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines, speakers exhibit differences in the frequency of code-switching on Twitter. Geographic and historic factors drive cultural and linguistic diversification on Mindanao, which Twitter data shows to have drifted farthest from Cebu in terms of code-switching frequency. An isolating geography, a conflict-filled history between the islands, and cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity on Mindanao provide the basis for the claim that the divergence in code-switching practices may truly reflect an underlying divergence in cultural identity in Cebuano speaking communities in these areas.
Childhood Aggression in the Context of Family Interaction

This chapter unfolds on the premise that the family system is the initial, if not primary, context in which childhood aggression can best be understood. Three basic features of family living will be reflected here. First, the family is an arena in which the young infant is inducted into social life and is taught, intentionally or accidentally, a range of social influence strategies, ways in which to influence the enveloping environment—that is, the family. Aggression is one of these modes of social influence. Second, the family is also an arena of conflict, or competing needs and desires, as well as finite resources. Construed in this sense, family members exist in a give-and-take economy wherein they must strike a bargain, each with every other member, about what they are exchanging, what the fair rate of exchange is to be, and how interdependent their existence shall be. This bargaining process thus inherently entails conflict and sometimes also aggression. Third, the family operates as a system; the aggregate of individuals must stay together and yet permit change in individual members and their interdependent relationships.
IN VITRO INDUCTION OF NITRIC OXIDE BY FRUCTOSE-1,6-DIPHOSPHATE IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM OF RATS

Nitric oxide (NO) functions as a cellular messenger in a number of organs and cell systems in the cardiovascular system (CVS); it is a significant determinant of basal vascular tone and regulates myocardial contractility and platelet aggregation. The present study focused upon understanding the in vitro effects of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) on the rat cellular NO pathway. The iNOS activity was measured by monitoring the formation of (3H)-citrulline in 50,000 g soluble fractions of crude homogenates of endothelial (ET) and smooth muscle cells (SMC) from the arteries of rats, and macrophages (MAC) and lymphocytes (LYM) from rat blood. FDP in concentrations of 10-1000 μM stimulated rat cellular iNOS activity in a concentration-dependent manner. FDP-stimulated rat cellular iNOS was found to be completely reversed by 5 μM concentration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L- NMMA), the potent mammalian NOS inhibitor. These studies demonstrated that FDP may induce the formation of NO by stimulating rat cardiovascular iNOS activity.
New theoretical formulation for the determination of radiance transmittance at the water-air interface: comment

We challenge a recent paper in this journal suggesting that the well-established formula governing the transmittance of radiance across a refracting interface needs revision [Optics Express, 25(22) 27086 (2017)]. We provide a simple example of radiative transfer across an interface showing that the accepted formula is correct.
Cardiac autonomic dysfunction in breast cancer survivors.

10057Background: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (AD) has been associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality in several diseases. We evaluated the prevalence, functional and p...
PDL-Induced Entanglement Degradation in Fibers with PMD

We experimentally investigate the entanglement quality of polarization-entangled photon pairs transmitted through two fibers with PDL. We compensate for entanglement loss due to PDL despite the presence of significant PMD. A theory supports our observations and provides insight into the conditions necessary for complete compensation.
Towards Understanding the Dynamics of Adversarial Attacks

An intriguing property of deep neural networks (DNNs) is their inherent vulnerability to adversarial inputs, which significantly hinder the application of DNNs in security-critical domains. Despite the plethora of work on adversarial attacks and defenses, many important questions regarding the inference behaviors of adversarial inputs remain mysterious. This work represents a solid step towards answering those questions by investigating the information flows of normal and adversarial inputs within various DNN models and conducting in-depth comparative analysis of their discriminative patterns. Our work points to several promising directions for designing more effective defense mechanisms.
Sensory, Affective, and Catastrophizing Reactions to Multiple Stimulus Modalities: Results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Abstract Native Americans (NAs) have a higher prevalence of chronic pain than any other U.S. racial/ethnic group; however, little is known about the mechanisms for this pain disparity. This study used quantitative sensory testing to assess pain experience in healthy, pain-free adults (n = 137 NAs (87 female), n = 145 non-Hispanic whites (NHW; 68 female)) after painful electric, heat, cold, ischemic, and pressure stimuli. After each stimulus, ratings of pain intensity, sensory pain, affective pain, pain-related anxiety, and situation-specific pain catastrophizing were assessed. The results suggested that NAs reported greater sensory pain in response to suprathreshold electric and heat stimuli, greater pain-related anxiety to heat and ischemic stimuli, and more catastrophic thoughts in response to electric and heat stimuli. Sex differences were also noted; however, with the exception of catastrophic thoughts to cold, these finding were not moderated by race/ethnicity. Together, findings suggest NAs experience heightened sensory, anxiety, and catastrophizing reactions to painful stimuli. This could place NAs at risk for future chronic pain and could ultimately lead to a vicious cycle that maintains pain (eg, pain → anxiety/catastrophizing → pain). Perspective NAs experienced heightened sensory, anxiety, and catastrophizing reactions in response to multiple pain stimuli. Given the potential for anxiety and catastrophic thoughts to amplify pain, this characteristic may place them at risk for pain disorders and could lead to a vicious cycle that maintains pain.
Introduction: Intimate Lies and the Law

Intimacy and deception are often entangled. People deceive to lure someone into a relationship or to keep her there, to drain an intimate’s bank account or to use her to acquire government benefits, to control an intimate or to resist domination, or to capture myriad other advantages. No subject is immune from deception in dating, sex, marriage, and family life. Intimates can lie or otherwise intentionally mislead each other about anything and everything. Suppose you discover that an intimate has deceived you and inflicted severe—even life-altering—financial, physical, or emotional harm. After the initial shock and sadness, you might wonder whether the law will help you secure redress. But the legal system refuses to help most people deceived within an intimate relationship. Courts and legislatures have shielded this persistent and pervasive source of injury, routinely denying deceived intimates access to the remedies that are available for deceit in other contexts. Jill Elaine Hasday’s Intimate Lies and the Law is the first book that systematically examines deception in intimate relationships and uncovers the hidden body of law governing this duplicity. Hasday argues that the law has placed too much emphasis on protecting intimate deceivers and too little importance on helping the people they deceive. The law can and should do more to recognize, prevent, and redress the injuries that intimate deception can inflict. Entering an intimate relationship should not mean losing the law’s protection from deceit.
Abstract LB-180: Underreporting of race in genomic sequencing studies increases cancer health information disparities

Purpose: Minorities are often underrepresented in clinical cancer research and the frequency of reporting of race in genomic sequencing studies of cancer is unknown. Disproportionate reporting of race can widen health information disparities and impair clinical decision-making in the underrepresented minority populations in whom cancer disease burden is greatest. This study determined the extent to which race is reported as a clinical variable in sequencing studies of cancer in the United States, the factors associated with reporting of race, and the participation rates of minority populations. Methods: PubMed was systematically searched from January 1, 2010 through November 15, 2018 and a total of 9,410 non-duplicated studies were assessed for eligibility. Publications reporting whole genome or exome sequencing data for patients with one of the ten most common cancers in the United States at sufficient depth to identify rare variants were included in this study. Results: 234 publications containing sequencing data from 16,358 unique patients met inclusion criteria. 36% of studies reported race as a clinical variable compared to 84% of studies reporting age and 83% of studies reporting gender. Reporting of race was associated with cancer type, cohort size, sequencing method, and tissue acquisition date. Minority populations were significantly underpowered to detect recurrent mutations in the majority of cancer types due to small sample size. Conclusion: Race is underreported as a clinical variable in whole genome and exome sequencing studies of cancer in the United States. As the patient populations represented in research studies directly inform clinical decision-making and outcomes, substantially increased efforts are needed to sequence patients from underrepresented populations in order to reduce health disparities in patients of non-European ancestry. Citation Format: Adrienne Nugent, Kelly R. Conatser, Llaran L. Turner, James T. Nugent, Esther May Sarino, Luisel J. Ricks-Santi. Underreporting of race in genomic sequencing studies increases cancer health information disparities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-180.
An Approach to Component Testing: An Analytical Study

Component testing is a standard process across many industries for multiple decades. A specification is typically derived from empirical data collected during a system-level test where input levels (usually in terms of acceleration) are prescribed at the mounting interface of the component. The component is then typically mounted to a rigid fixture for testing where fixture modes are designed to not interact with the structural modes of the component. An acknowledged shortcoming of a test of this type is that the rigid fixture does not represent the dynamics of the final integrated system. This shortcoming is typically referred to as the “impedance mis-match problem.”
Developing methods of assisted natural regeneration for restoring foundational desert plants

AbstractAssisted natural regeneration (ANR) is a restoration and management technique for enhancing the natural recruitment of desired species. To test ANR strategies in an arid environment, we app...
Access to Primary, Mental Health, and Specialty Care: a Comparison of Medicaid and Commercially Insured Populations in Oregon

To describe how access to primary and specialty care differs for Medicaid patients relative to commercially insured patients, and how these differences vary across rural and urban counties, using comprehensive claims data from Oregon. Cross-sectional study of risk-adjusted access rates for two types of primary care providers (physicians; nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs)); four types of mental health providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, advanced practice NPs or PAs specializing in mental health care, behavioral specialists); and four physician specialties (obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, gastroenterology, dermatology). 420,947 Medicaid and 638,980 commercially insured adults in Oregon, October 2014–September 2015. Presence of any visit with each provider type, risk-adjusted for sex, age, and health conditions. Relative to commercially insured individuals, Medicaid enrollees had lower rates of access to primary care physicians (− 11.82%; CI − 12.01 to − 11.63%) and to some specialists (e.g., obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology), but had equivalent or higher rates of access to NPs and PAs providing primary care (4.33%; CI 4.15 to 4.52%) and a variety of mental health providers (including psychiatrists, NPs and PAs, and other behavioral specialists). Across all providers, the largest gaps in Medicaid-commercial access rates were observed in rural counties. The Medicaid-commercial patient mix was evenly distributed across primary care physicians, suggesting that access for Medicaid patients was not limited to a small subset of primary care providers. This cross-sectional study found lower rates of access to primary care physicians for Medicaid enrollees, but Medicaid-commercial differences in access rates were not present across all provider types and displayed substantial variability across counties. Policies that address rural-urban differences as well as Medicaid-commercial differences—such as expansions of telemedicine or changes in the workforce mix—may have the largest impact on improving access to care across a wide range of populations.
Augustine and corruption

Augustine's political thought or, as it is often called, political theology is a matter of considerable dispute. 'Augustine and Corruption' approaches that dispute by examining the evidence that Ramsay MacMullen presented to substantiate his observation that Augustine 'approved of' corruption. I read that evidence differently and use Augustine's remarks about bribes paid to court clerks, schemes to defraud philanthropists, and tax evasion to support what has been aptly called 'a minimalist' interpretation of his political expectations.
Business Students' Perceptions of Faculty Attributes: A Two-Country Cross-Cultural Comparison.

This study examines business students’ perceptions of the importance of faculty attributes classified by teaching, experience, research, service, and degree affiliation. Evidence from the United St...
Voltage dependent allosteric modulation of IPSCs by benzodiazepines.

Abstract GABAA receptors (GABAAR) are inhibitory ion channels ubiquitously expressed in the central nervous system and play critical roles in brain development and function. Benzodiazepines are positive allosteric modulators of GABAAR, enhancing channel opening frequency when GABA is bound to the receptor. Midazolam is a commonly used benzodiazepine. It is frequently used for premature infants, but the long-term consequences of its use in this patient population are not well established. Here, we studied the acute effects of midazolam on immature synapses. Using a rodent organotypic hippocampal slice preparation, we evaluated how midazolam affects inhibitory synaptic transmission onto CA1 pyramidal neurons. We found that 1 μM midazolam enhances evoked inhibitory post synaptic currents (eIPSCs) at a holding potential of −60 mV. Similarly, 1 μM midazolam enhances miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) in CA1 pyramidal neurons at holding potentials of −60 mV and −30 mV. At depolarized holding potentials, however, midazolam no longer enhances mIPSCs. Depolarization of the postsynaptic cell by itself increases mIPSC decay, which occludes the allosteric effects of midazolam. These results provide insight into how a benzodiazepine and membrane voltage may modulate GABAAR function in developing circuits.
Gasless endoscopic surgery through chest for parathyroid tumor

Objective To investigate the possibility of chest approach gasless endoscopic surgery for the parathy-roid tumor. Methods Through a 2 cm incision on the surface of chest bone, a gasless procedure was developed to management of parathyroid tumor in our department. There were 2 cases of the parathyroid cyst-adenoma were dis-sected. Results 2 cases were successfully performed, and there were no paralyze of the revers laryngeal nerve and hypofunction of parathyroid could be observed. The cosmic and mini-invasive results were obtained. Conclusion Chest approach gasless endoscopic surgery for parathyroid tumor is a safe, mini-invasive, and cosmic procedure for selected patients. Key words: endoscope; parathyroid; tumor; surgery
“I paid my income tax today”: How the U.S. government used public relations to persuade its citizens to accept a mass tax during World War II

Abstract This case study will show how U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) and U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) officials used public relations strategies and techniques during World War II to ensure public acceptance of the installation of a personal income tax on most Americans, not just the wealthy. To prevent this change from appearing as coercion, U.S. government officials used sacrifice as an overriding message to help persuade Americans to join the taxpayer ranks. Patriotic Americans, the government told the public, would choose to do their part in the war effort by buying victory with their tax dollars. And, it was not just Uncle Sam saying this but popular entertainment figures ranging from singer Danny Kaye to animated character Donald Duck as well.
Mothers’ Interpretations of the Behavior of Their Infants with Visual and Other Impairments during Interactions:

In this study, seven mothers of infants with visual and other impairments identified behaviors that they considered meaningful and interpreted these behaviors. The mothers identified 14 of 22 subca...
Global transcriptomic profiling of microcystin-LR or -RR treated hepatocytes (HepaRG)

The canonical mode of action (MOA) of microcystins (MC) is the inhibition of protein phosphatases, but complete characterization of toxicity pathways is lacking. The existence of over 200 MC congeners complicates risk estimates worldwide. This work employed RNA-seq to provide an unbiased and comprehensive characterization of cellular targets and impacted cellular processes of hepatocytes exposed to either MC-LR or MC-RR congeners. The human hepatocyte cell line, HepaRG, was treated with three concentrations of MC-LR or -RR for 2 h. Significant reduction in cell survival was observed in LR1000 and LR100 treatments whereas no acute toxicity was observed in any MR-RR treatment. RNA-seq was performed on all treatments of MC-LR and -RR. Differentially expressed genes and pathways associated with oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the unfolded protein response (UPR) were highly enriched by both congeners as were inflammatory pathways. Genes associated with both apoptotic and inflammatory pathways were enriched in LR1000. We present a model of MC toxicity that immediately causes oxidative stress and leads to ER stress and the activation of the UPR. Differential activation of the three arms of the UPR and the kinetics of JNK activation ultimately determine whether cell survival or apoptosis is favored. Extracellular exosomes were enrichment of by both congeners, suggesting a previously unidentified mechanism for MC-dependent extracellular signaling. The complement system was enriched only in MC-RR treatments, suggesting congener-specific differences in cellular effects. This study provided an unbiased snapshot of the early systemic hepatocyte response to MC-LR and MC-RR congeners and may explain differences in toxicity among MC congeners.
Social media engagement tactics in U.S. community policing: Potential privacy and security concerns:

Despite law enforcement’s best efforts to use social media as a means of community policing, some engagement tactics may lead citizens to disclose personally identifiable information (PII). We code...
Fabrication of flame-retardant and superhydrophobic electrospun nanofibers

ABSTRACT The high demand for polystyrene that is used in various commercial and household applications results in pollution of the marine environment and its accumulation in landfills. To tackle these global environmental issues, relentless efforts are required to recycle polystyrene waste into a new functional polymer, which can then be used for some applications such as flame retardancy and water repellency, by adding certain micro- and nanoinclusions. Hence, this research focuses on fabricating novel flame-retardant and superhydrophobic nanofibers through the electrospinning of a polymeric solution consisting of recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and boric acid (BA). Several characterizations were done to study the surface chemistry, morphology, thermal decomposition, wettability, and fire retardancy of the prepared nanofibers. From this research, it can be concluded that the incorporation of both 10 wt% of SiO2 and BA inclusions in EPS gave the best results: a water contact angle of 156.98°, a total burning time of 25 s in the flammability test, and 83.75% weight loss of residue compared to 98.34% weight loss of pure EPS. The fabricated nanofibers could be used as protective layers in the electronics and packaging industries.
Considerations for Payment Bundling in Cleft Care.

SUMMARY Since the introduction of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative, progress has been made in piloting bundled payment models to improve care coordination and curtail health care expenditures. In light of improvements in patient outcomes and the concomitant reduction in health care spending for certain high-volume and high-cost procedures, such as total joint arthroplasty and breast reconstruction, the authors discuss theoretical considerations for bundling payments for the care of patients with orofacial clefts. The reasons for and against adopting such a payment model to consolidate cleft care, as well as the challenges to implementation, are discussed. The authors purport that bundled payments can centralize components of cleft care and offer financial incentives to reduce costs and improve the value of care provided, but that risk adjustment based on the longitudinal nature of care, disease severity, etiologic heterogeneity, variations in outcomes reporting, and varying definitions of the episode of care remain significant barriers to implementation.
Faith and Disability: Engaging Theologically

One feature that often marks conversations about faith and disability is the wide variety of stakeholders involved. It is not uncommon for theologians and academics, pastors and clergy, special edu...
What if ideal advice conflicts? A dilemma for idealizing accounts of normative practical reasons

One of the deepest and longest-lasting debates in ethics concerns a version of the Euthyphro question: are choiceworthy things choiceworthy because agents have certain attitudes toward them or are they choiceworthy independent of any agents’ attitudes? Reasons internalists, such as Bernard Williams, Michael Smith, Mark Schroeder, Sharon Street, Kate Manne, Julia Markovits, and David Sobel answer in the first way. They think that all of an agent’s normative reasons for action are grounded in facts about that agent’s pro-attitudes (e.g., her desires, valuing states, normative judgments). According to the most popular brand of internalism, idealizing internalism, an agent’s reasons are grounded, not in her actual pro-attitudes, but rather in what her pro-attitudes would be in suitably idealized conditions. Idealizing internalists presuppose that, for any agent with an irrational set of attitudes, there is one uniquely rational set that that agent would have if she were to undergo the relevant idealizing process. I argue that this assumption is false and that it raises two puzzles for idealizing internalism: one about the existence of practical reasons and another about their normative weight. I argue that idealizing internalists have an adequate solution to the first puzzle but not the second. Indeed, when they try to solve the second puzzle, they confront a dilemma. This second puzzle and the associated dilemma thus constitutes a powerful, but so far unnoticed, difficulty for idealizing internalism.
Interrater and Intrarater Reliability of the Vertebral Bone Quality Score.

Background Vertebral bone quality had a significant impact on postoperative outcomes in spinal fusion surgery. New magnetic resonance imaging−based measures, such as the Vertebral Bone Quality (VBQ) score, may allow for bone quality assessment without the radiation associated with conventional testing. In the present study, we sought to assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of VBQ scores calculated by medical professionals and trainees. Methods Thirteen reviewers of various specialties and levels of training were recruited and asked to calculate VBQ scores for 30 patients at 2 time points separated by 2 months. Scored volumes were acquired from patients treated for both degenerative and oncologic indications. Intrarater and interrater agreement, quantified by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was assessed using 2-way random effects modeling. Square-weight Cohen κ and Kendall Tau-b were used to determine whether raters assigned similar scores during both evaluations. Results All raters showed moderate to excellent reliability for VBQ score (ICC 0.667−0.957; κ0.648−0.921) and excellent reliability for all constituent components used to calculate VBQ score (ICC all ≥0.97). Interrater reliability was also found to be good for VBQ score on both the first (ICC = 0.818) and second (ICC = 0.800) rounds of assessment; scores for the constituent component all had ICC values ≥0.97 for the constituent components. Conclusions The VBQ score appears to have both good intrarater and interrater reliability. In addition, there appeared to be no correlation between score reliability and level of training. External validation and further investigations of its ability to accurately model bone biomechanical properties are necessary.
Predicting the impact of low influenza activity in 2020 on population immunity and future influenza season in the United States

Abstract Backgrounds The influenza season of 2020-21 was remarkably low, likely due to implementation of public health preventive measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and school closure and due to decreased international travel. This leads to a key public health question: what will happen in the 2021-22 influenza season? To answer this, we developed a multi-season influenza model that accounted for residual immunity from prior infection. Method We built a multi-strain, non-age structured compartmental model that captures immunity over multiple influenza seasons. By the end of the influenza season, we sorted the population based on their experience of natural infection and/or vaccination, which determines the susceptibility to influenza infection in the following season. Because the exact parameters of transmission rates and immunity are unknown, we implemented Bayesian calibration against the observed influenza epidemics (influenza hospitalization rates from 2012 to 2020 in the US) to estimate those parameters. In forward projections, we simulated low influenza activity in 2020-21 season by lowering transmission rate by 20%. Compared to the counterfactual case, in which influenza activity remained at the normal level in 2020-21, we estimated the change in the number of hospitalizations in the following seasons with varying level of vaccine uptake and effectiveness. We measured the change in population immunity over time by varying the number of seasons with low influenza activity. Result With the low influenza activity in 2020-21, the model estimated 102,000 [95% CI: 57,000-152,000] additional hospitalizations in 2021-22, without change in vaccine uptake and effectiveness. The expected change in hospitalization varied depending on the level of vaccine uptake and effectiveness in the following year. Achieving 50% increase in one of two measures (1.5X vaccine uptake with 1X vaccine efficacy or 1.5X vaccine efficacy with 1X vaccine uptake) was necessary to avert the expected increase in hospitalization in the next influenza season. Otherwise, increases in both measures by 25% averted the expected increase in influenza-hospitalization. If the low influenza activity seasons continue, population immunity would remain low during those seasons, with 48% the population susceptible to influneza infection. Conclusion We predicted a large compensatory influenza season in 2021-2 due to a light season in 2020-21. However, higher influenza vaccine uptake would reduce this projected increase in influenza.
Iodide intoxication: Report of a case

Abstract Iodide sensitivity or intoxication is infrequently encountered in clinical procedure. The following is a brief report of a case of iodide sensitivity, including signs, symptoms, and treatment. The similarity of iodide intoxication and other clinical entities such as Mikulicz's disease, Mikulicz's syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, malignant lymphomas, and uveoparotitis is mentioned. The importance of taking a thorough history is emphasized.
Dynamic feature selectivity in the thalamus of the rat whisker system.

As information progresses along the sensory pathway, it is transformed from physical attributes of a stimulus at the periphery to complex representations at the level of cortex that ultimately give rise to perception. Neurons at each stage in the sensory pathway are commonly characterized by simple linear models that describe the physical attribute of the stimulus that maximally excites the cell. However, neurons, even early stages of processing, can have strongly nonlinear characteristics that give sensory systems the remarkable capability to extract relevant information (features) from noisy environments (context conditions). In this work, we explored the bottom-up effect of stimulus context on the encoding of features in the whisker thalamocortical circuit of the anesthetized rat. The feature selectivity of thalamic neurons was quantified using spike triggered analysis techniques under three different stimulus context conditions (low, medium, and high amplitude Gaussian distributed white noise mechanical stimulation). After characterizing each cell, the response to three features (position, velocity, and acceleration) embedded in each context condition were recorded, and ROC analysis was utilized to quantify the detectability of the stimulus in the presence of increasing levels of background noise. Neural responses to features embedded in each context condition were then analyzed as a function of the similarity between the embedded feature and the estimated feature selectivity of the cell to assess the discriminability of the feature from the background. Preliminary findings suggest that while the estimated feature selectivity is generally predictive of the thalamic response to presentation of isolated features, the linear models alone are not predictive of the thalamic response to features in different noise contexts. We hypothesize that this is due to a recruitment of nonlinear circuit properties by the higher amplitude noise stimuli. This hypothesis is supported by the reduction of spike timing reliability in the thalamic neurons as the noise amplitude increases, a finding that mirrors results in the visual thalamus and has been attributed to nonlinear circuit mechanisms [1]. Future work is aimed at elucidating the effect of stimulus context on feature encoding in varying signal-to-noise ratio conditions in the thalamocortical circuit and ultimately the effect on perception.
A Review of “Transfrontier Conservation in Africa: At the Confluence of Capital, Politics and Nature”

Recent scientific reports attest to the alarming possibility that this century will be marked by a dramatic loss of biodiversity. Driven by several factors, including human population growth, econo...
Crystal structures of restrictocin–inhibitor complexes with implications for RNA recognition and base flipping

The cytotoxin sarcin disrupts elongation factor binding and protein synthesis by specifically cleaving one phosphodiester bond in ribosomes. To elucidate the molecular basis of toxin action, we determined three cocrystal structures of the sarcin homolog restrictocin bound to different analogs that mimic the target sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) structure of the rat 28S rRNA. In these structures, restrictocin contacts the bulged-G motif and an unfolded form of the tetraloop of the SRL RNA. In one structure, toxin loops guide selection of the target site by contacting the base critical for recognition (G4319) and the surrounding S-shaped backbone. In another structure, base flipping of the tetraloop enables cleavage by placing the target nucleotide in the active site with the nucleophile nearly inline for attack on the scissile bond. These structures provide the first views of how a site-specific protein endonuclease recognizes and cleaves a folded RNA substrate.
Indiana's Statewide Distance Education Library Services Task Force: Past, Present, and Future

The authors present a case study in statewide cooperation in the delivery of library services to distance students throughout Indiana. This paper is the first to tie together all efforts of Indiana academic librarians, since 1994, to create an academic library services consortium focused on services to distance learners. Indiana has a history of interest in libraries serving distance students, but organizing activity in that area was not sustainable until recently when an organization was formed, under the Academic Libraries of Indiana, that shows promise of supporting distance education library services throughout the state.