cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Value of Additional Filtration for Reducing Radiation Dose in Digital Radiography of Infant Chest

Objective To study the application of additional filtration for reducing radiation dose in digital radiography of the infant chest.Methods 120 infant patients are divided into four equal groups according to the different thickness of copper additional filtration(0,0.1,0.2 and 0.3 mm),with parameters of 0~1 year old,70 kVp,1~2 years old,80 kVp,2~3 years old,90 kVp,SID=100 cm,speed=600.The image quality and the dose to body surface are analyzed with small focus-200 mA,automatic exposure control(AEC).Results Among four groups,there is a statistically significant difference(P0.01) in the incident dose to body surface.The dosage of 0.1 mm group with copper additional filtration reduces to 64.18% of that in no copper additional filtration group,51.12% in 0.2 mm group and 42.54% in 0.3 mm group respectively.No statistically difference is shown between any of the four groups in terms of image quality(P0.05).Conclusion The use of additional filtration and AEC may reduce radiation dose in digital radiography of the infant chest.
Mouse Model of Cervicovaginal Papillomavirus Infection

Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus infections. The efficient assembly of pseudovirus (PsV) particles incorporating a plasmid expressing a reporter gene has been an invaluable tool in the development of in vitro neutralization assays and in studies of the early mechanisms of viral entry in vitro. Here, we describe a mouse model of human papillomavirus PsV infection of the cervicovaginal epithelium that recapitulates the early events of papillomavirus infection in vivo.
CARDIOVASCULAR MR IMAGING OF CHILDREN

The role of MR imaging in the evaluation of congenital heart lesions is described. Emphasis is placed on those indications where MR imaging complements other imaging modalities, i.e., evaluation of the great vessels. Advantages and disadvantages of different MR imaging techniques (i.e., spin echo, segmented k-space acquisition, and gadolinium-enhanced angiography) are illustrated.
Embryonic axis orientation in the mouse and its correlation with blastocyst relationships to the uterus. Part 1. Relationships between 82 hours and 4 1/4 days.

Up until at least 7 1/4 days p.c., the orientation of all axes in the mouse conceptus, embryonic axis included, is directly correlated with two orientations of the 82 h blastocyst within the lumen. These two are: the almost horizontal position of the blastocyst's inner cell mass-abembryonic pole axis and the fixation of its abembryonic pole to either the right wall of the uterine horn (type-R orientation) or to the left (type-L orientation). At 88 h and at 4 1/4 and 6 3/4 - 7 1/4 days equal numbers of conceptuses are found in type R and L orientations. Axes of symmetry also are recognizable in some developmentally advanced 82 h blastocysts and in all older conceptuses. For example, when the inner cell mass-abembryonic axis has become vertically oriented within the lumen by 4 1/4 days, the inner cell mass is oblique to this axis. It is concluded that the 82 h blastocyst's orientation to the uterine walls and floor provides it with positional information used in the location of its axes.
Promise and limits of the CellSearch platform for evaluating pharmacodynamics in circulating tumor cells

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which are captured from blood with anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibodies, have established prognostic value in specific epithelial cancers, but less is known about their utility for assessing patient response to molecularly targeted agents via measurement of pharmacodynamic (PD) endpoints. We discuss the use of CellSearch (Janssen Diagnostics, LLC, Raritan, NJ) CTC isolation technology for monitoring PD response in early phase trials. We present representative data from three clinical trials with the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib (ABT-888) suggesting that CTCs can be used to measure PD effects. However, while often leading to hypothesis-generating information, our experience points to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient EpCAM-expressing CTCs from patients with advanced disease to reach statistically significant conclusions about PD effects from each trial. Overall, the level of phenotypic heterogeneity observed in specimens from patients with advanced carcinomas suggests caution in the use of cell-surface differentiation marker-based methods for isolating CTCs.
Waves in Synaptically Coupled Spiking Networks

In this chapter, we turn to neural network models of wave propagation in the cortex and other parts of the nervous system. There has been a rapid increase in the number of computational studies of network dynamics, which are based on biophysically detailed conductance-based models of synaptically (and possibly electrically) coupled neurons. These models provide considerable insights into the role of ionic currents, synaptic processing, and network structure on spatiotemporal dynamics, but they tend to be analytically intractable. This has motivated an alternative approach to network dynamics, involving simplified neuron models that hopefully capture important aspects of wave phenomena, while allowing a more concise mathematical treatment. In the case of oscillatory networks, such a simplification can be achieved by reducing a conductance-based neuron model to a phase model. Alternatively, one can use a simplified spiking neuron model such as integrate-and-fire in order to investigate waves in excitable and oscillatory neural media. Both of these approaches are considered in this chapter, which also provides a summary of various wave phenomena in cortical and subcortical structures.
The Effect of Grp78 Inhibition on Tissue Factor Gene Expression, Procoagulant Activity, and Factor Xa Generation.

Abstract In vivo biopanning with phage displayed peptide libraries has generated a group of peptide probes which bind selectively to the surface of atherosclerotic plaque endothelium. The highest affinity peptide, EKO130, binds to the 78 kDa glucose regulated protein (Grp78). Grp78 has been demonstrated to play a role in numerous pathological processes as well as a possible role in the local cell surface regulation of the coagulation cascade. The goal of this study is to determine the role of Grp78 in coagulation including plasma clotting, factor Xa (Xa) generation, and tissue factor (TF) gene expression. siRNA mediated inhibition of Grp78 results in a marked increase in TF gene expression in bEND.3 endothelial cells and RAW macrophage-like cells. Antibody mediated inhibition of cell surface Grp78 results in increased TF procoagulant activity and TF-dependent Xa generation in both the endothelial and macrophage cell types. These studies are consistent with results from another laboratory demonstrating that Grp78 over-expression inhibits TF mediated initiation and support of the coagulation protease cascade. Thus, our work indicates that Grp78 suppresses TF at both the functional and molecular level by inhibiting both its thrombogenic potential and gene expression.
Using behavioral and stable isotope data to quantify rare dietary plasticity in a temperate bat

Seasonal reliance on plant-based resources is very uncommon in temperate insectivorous bats. The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) is an exception and in the Sonoran Desert switches from an arthropod-based diet to one that includes cactus nectar during spring when columnar cacti bloom. Such cactophily is a common strategy among nectar-feeding phyllostomid bats, including migratory Leptonycteris species that consume nectar and fruit from columnar cacti. Spring nectarivory by A. pallidus begs the question of whether they also consume cactus fruit during the summer, despite lacking morphological and physiological adaptations for frugivory. We recorded foraging behavior of bats at 134 fruits of the cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and used stable isotope analysis to quantify incorporation of fruit into the summer diet of A. pallidus. We found that A. pallidus visited cardon fruits just as frequently as the lesser long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae (51.0% and 49.0% of total observed visits, respectively), and removed the same amount of fruit (t59 = –0.85, P = 0.40). Carbon isotopes in wing tissue (n = 37) and exhaled breath (n = 35) of A. pallidus were consistent with frugivory, although variability in the proportion of cactus-derived δ13C in A. pallidus was higher in summer than in spring. Our results confirm that nectarivory in A. pallidus extends to frugivory, highlighting remarkable dietary plasticity in a temperate bat. Moreover, these data suggest that A. pallidus may be an important mutualist to columnar cacti in parts of the Sonoran Desert.
Performing Prudence: Barack Obama’s Defense of NSA Surveillance Programs

ABSTRACTWith this essay, I present an argument about the performative and perceptual nature of prudence. I support my argument through a case study in which I examine Barack Obama’s response to Edward Snowden’s unauthorized disclosures about NSA surveillance programs as a way to observe prudence in practice. In my analysis, I identify three ways in which Obama performed prudence. First, he established his image as a prudent and informed leader. Second, he established surveillance as a prudent and historically effective practice ensuring national security. Third, he established the contemporary policy of surveillance as a prudent and deliberate choice reached through discussion and participation by all citizens.
On dis/possessive collectivism: Comments on Ananya Roy’s 2016 Geoforum Lecture

Abstract This paper critically examines the concepts of “dis/possessive collectivism,” “the politics of emplacement,” and “city's end” developed in Ananya Roy’s 2016 Geoforum Lecture. It does so by reflecting on global anti-eviction struggles, as well as theories of performative politics and racial capitalism, in order to develop—in line with the ethic of learning Roy articulates in her paper—how poor people's movements develop living critiques of property and liberal standards of propriety.
The Politics of Executive Nominations in the Post-Nuclear Senate

ABSTRACTIn response to an ever more inefficient, intrusive, partisan, and plodding executive nominations process, a variety of increasingly potent reform measures have been recently enacted within Congress. The solutions have ranged from cutting the number of appointments requiring Senate confirmation to reducing the power of the filibuster on most nominations. Although these reforms may speed the nominations process, they may also influence the balance of power between Congress and the presidency by allowing more unilateral and unrestricted appointments. Is Congress conceding confirmation for expediency? In this investigation, I explore recent reforms with respect to the speed and outcomes of the executive nominations process as well as the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.
Growth with Non-Unitary Elasticities of Substitution

Models of economic growth attempt to explain broad trends in economic development by the interaction and accumulation of inputs, subject to such basic principles as diminishing returns. In practice, a very large proportion of this literature, from Solow’s epochal paper (1956) to the 1990’s, has relied on the Cobb-Douglas production function, and the studies reported in the previous chapters have followed this tradition. The Cobb-Douglas schema combines power and simplicity in expressing the assumptions of input substitutability subject to diminishing returns, but its simplicity is also a limit. Because the Cobb-Douglas production function entails that the elasticities of substitution among inputs are unitary, there are certain hypotheses it excludes from the first. For example, Stokey argues (1996 p. 422-23) that capital and unskilled labor are highly substitutable, while skilled labor (or, we shall say, human capital) is less substitutable for both1. In a slightly different framework Johnson, following Griliches and Goldin and Katz, proposes a model in which skilled labor and capital are less substitutable than either is for unskilled labor. This sort of reasoning, too, is excluded by the assumption of a unitary elasticity of demand. Finally, Duffy and Papageorgiou observe that, with an elasticity of substitution greater than one, endogenous growth becomes a possibility in a two-factor growth model, and they provide some evidence from a cross-country study that the elasticity of substitution of capital for labor (with or without adjustment for human capital) is indeed greater than one.
Tracking Health Related Discussions on Reddit for Public Health Applications.

We use Reddit to demonstrate social media’s potential for public health applications. First, we employ a lexicon-based approach to track the prevalence of keywords indicating public interest in Ebola, electronic cigarette, influenza, and marijuana. Second, to better understand the public reactions, we use the Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm, to identify either the general themes or motivations for extreme changes in the volume of discussion over time. We observe that discussions related to Ebola and influenza, infectious diseases of public health interests, surged when the first case of Ebola was diagnosed and a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus was confirmed in the United States. We also observed that discussions of a controversial health topic like marijuana increased with the announcement of a major change in United States federal policy. Discussions of electronic cigarette highlighted opportunities for better health education. Lastly, we discuss the implications of our findings for utilizing Reddit data for public health applications.
Positive Effects of Work on Family Life: A Case for Self-Managed Work Teams

Self-managed work teams (SMWTs) redesign the workplace primarily to improve quality, productivity, and timeliness. A side effect of this redesign is that it involves skills, such as conflict resolution and listening, that can potentially spill over into..
Interactions of Animal Viruses with Cell Surface Receptors

Publisher Summary Viral infection is initiated by attachment of the virus to the host cell. Viral adsorption to cells is mediated by a viral attachment protein that binds to a specific cell surface receptor. The viral attachment protein has been identified for many animal viruses. It has been established that receptor recognition is specific and can influence the host range of a virus. Details of the virus–cell interaction at the molecular level are beginning to emerge for myxoviruses and paramyxoviruses. This is because of major advances in the elucidation of the structure of the viral hemagglutinin, especially for influenza virus, to improved methods for the analysis of receptor specificity and insights into the mechanisms of viral penetration of cellular membranes. The value of elucidating the details of virus–host recognition probably goes far beyond understanding the host–parasite relationship. The factors relevant to viral recognition, attachment, and penetration are similar to those of the ligand–receptor and cell–cell interactions of higher organisms. Thus, it is anticipated that in the future concepts evolving from the field of virus, receptors will merge with those from other types of receptor interactions represented in this treatise.
Long Pulse Fusion Physics Experiments without Superconducting Electromagnets

Long-pulse fusion physics experiments can be performed economically via resistive electromagnets designed for thermally steady-state operation. Possible fusion experiments using resistive electromagnets include long-pulse ignition with deuterium-tritium fuel. Long-pulse resistive electromagnets are alternatives to today's delicate and costly superconductors. At any rate, superconducting technology is now evolving independent of fusion, so near-term superconducting experience may not ultimately be useful.
Noradrenergic Function in Affective Illness

ABSTRACT The original formulation of the “norepinephrine hypothesis” of affective illness continues to undergo reevaluation. The purpose of this chapter is to review the current status of this hypothesis, emphasizing the impact of newer drugs and of direct clinical measures of amine function, taken together, the pharmacological evidence is consistent with the hypothesis associating increased norepinephrine (NE) function with the onset of mania; however, with regard to depression, the pharmacological evidence is not as consistent in supporting a primary etiologic role for decreased norepinephrine. On the other hand, the results of amine metabolite studies are suggestive of decreased functional norepinephrine in some forms of depression, whereas, in mania the metabolite results are not as clear. Further clarification of this paradox may come from studies that reflect the functional status of certain norepinephrine receptors, such as in the hypothalamus (i.e., the neuroendocrine strategies), and in the pineal gland (melatonin studies). The indirect and direct evidence that other neurotransmitter systems are involved in major affective illness raises the two important questions of specificity and of biochemical subgroups.
Toward a Roadmap for BIM Adoption and Implementation by Small-Sized Construction Companies

Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers a variety of tools to help a wide range of stakeholders in the construction industry. There has been substantial research on the advantages and challenges of implementing BIM for large-scale construction projects; however, there is a dearth of research on the benefits and challenges faced by smaller construction firms when adopting BIM. Thus, this paper focuses on the cause-and-effects of BIM adoption in the construction industry. To achieve this objective, first, a literature review covering different aspects of BIM adoption was conducted. Second, large-sized construction firms who already have implemented BIM in several of their projects were interviewed through questionnaires. Based on the findings from the interviews, a set of survey questions was prepared and distributed among all types of construction firms to identify their innovativeness and level of BIM adoption. The survey contains company and demographics, innovativeness, and BIM-specific questions. Survey results show that small-sized construction companies are indeed far behind large-sized companies in respect to BIM adoption. This paper highlights the findings from the literature review and survey. Future research will take place to dive further into the survey data results and develop a roadmap that identifies a BIM function that can be adopted easily by small-sized construction companies.
Enantioselective Organocatalytic Amine-Isocyanate Capture-Cyclization: Regioselective Alkene Iodoamination for the Synthesis of Chiral Cyclic Ureas.

Ureas of chiral diamines are prominent features of therapeutics, chiral auxiliaries, and intermediates in complex molecule synthesis. Although many methods for diamine synthesis are available, metal-free enantioselective alkene functionalizations to make protected 1,2- and 1,3-diamines from simple achiral starting materials are rare, and a single reagent that accesses a cross-section of each congener with high enantiomeric excess is not available. We describe a method to synthesize enantioenriched cyclic 5- and 6-membered ureas from allylic amines and an isocyanate using a C2-symmetric bis(amidine) (BAM) catalyst that delivers N-selectivity from an ambident sulfonyl imide intermediate, overcoming electronic and steric deactivation at nitrogen. The geometry of 1,2-disubstituted alkenes is correlated to 5-exo and 6-endo cyclizations without altering alkene face selectivity, which is unexpectedly opposite that observed with O-nucleophiles. Straightforward product manipulations to diamine and imidazolidinone ...
Redescription and phylogenetic reassessment of the enigmatic anuran Eorubeta nevadensis (Amphibia) based on new specimens from ?latest Cretaceous–Paleocene beds of the Sheep Pass Formation, Nevada

Eorubeta nevadensis was originally based on a poorly preserved specimen from a well core in Member B of the Late Cretaceous–Eocene Sheep Pass Formation, White Pine County, Nevada. Originally though...
Review and Comparison of Single-Phase Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Microinverters

The presence of the electrical isolation between the PV module and the grid is very crucial aspect in determining the performance requirement as well as the utility operator's specs of the PV microinverter design. The grid-connected PV microinverter design can be classified into transformer-less and transformer-based topologies in regard to the galvanic isolation. Typically, a microinverter's performance can be enhanced with the use of transformerless topologies to be more efficient, compact, less bulky, and costly than the transformer-based topologies. Whereas, the use of transformer in microinverter topologies provides high power quality as well as galvanic isolation to eliminate the safety issues which in return meet the grid standards. In this paper, to address the various challenges of microinverters, a number of experimentally verified non-isolated and isolated microinverters have been carefully reviewed and compared in terms of their corresponding efficiency, power density, reliability, and cost.
Application of a dry heat treatment to enhance the functionality of low-heat nonfat dry milk

Nonfat dry milk is a valuable food and ingredient because it contains proteins, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. When manufactured, this product is classified into high heat (HH) or low heat (LH) depending on the pre-heat treatment used in pasteurization. Radio frequency dielectric heating, if used alone or as part of a dry heat technology, may induce component interactions in milk powders, which could alter or improve functionality. To pursue this objective, LH was subjected to radio frequency dielectric heating to 80, 85, and 90°C with a subsequent hold period of 60 or 90 min in an oven, set at the designated temperature, 80, 85, or 90°C, assessed for functionality in liquid and gel systems, cooled, and subsequently compared with LH and HH. The functionality assessment included heat stability and foaming, emulsion, and gelling properties. For foaming, LH presented a statistically lower overrun and foam stability compared with all dry-heated LH. The LH dry-heated at ≥85°C exhibited significantly greater foaming capacity than did the LH. Emulsification properties were not significantly different as a function of dry heating compared with LH. As gels, water-holding capacity was greater and syneresis was significantly less for all gels made with the dry-heated LH at <85°C. Gel firmness and cohesiveness were not affected by dry heating. The heat coagulation time at native pH was significantly greater for LH that were dry-heated for 90 min compared with LH. At adjusted pH (6.4 to 7.2), the heat stability was improved if the LH was dry-heated. The dry-heated LH had significantly less foaming properties, but greater emulsion activity compared with the HH. Overall, the dry heat treatment conditions of this study did not result in acid-induced gels with equivalent properties as gels made with HH. Syneresis was similar for all gels except for those made from the dry-heated LH to 90°C and held for 60 min, as this gel had significantly more syneresis than did the gels made from HH. However, the heat stability of dry-heated LH at native, 6.8, 7.0, and 7.2 pH was greater compared with the heat stability of HH. The application of a dry heat treatment enhanced the functional properties of LH, opening the opportunity to develop food products that can use this modified nonfat dry milk such as ice cream, bakery, and meat products.
Detection and Calibration of Whisper for Speaker Recognition

Whisper is a commonly encountered form of speech that differs significantly from modal speech. As speaker recognition technology becomes more ubiquitous, it is important to assess the abilities and limitations of systems in the presence of variability such as whisper. In this paper, a comparative evaluation of whispered speaker recognition performance across two independent datasets is presented. Whisper-neutral speech comparisons are observed to consistently degrade performance relative to both neutral-neutral and whisper-whisper comparisons. An i-vector-based approach to whisper detection is introduced, and is shown to perform accurately across datasets even at short durations. The output of the whisper detector is subsequently used to select score calibration parameters for whispered speech comparisons, leading to a reduction in global calibration and discrimination error.
Cognitive Flexibility Training Improves Extinction Retention Memory and Enhances Cortical Dopamine With and Without Traumatic Stress Exposure

Stress exposure can cause lasting changes in cognition, but certain individual traits, such as cognitive flexibility, have been shown to reduce the degree, duration, or severity of cognitive changes following stress. Both stress and cognitive flexibility training affect decision making by modulating monoamine signaling. Here, we test the role cognitive flexibility training, and high vs. low cognitive flexibility at the individual level, in attenuating stress-induced changes in memory and monoamine levels using the single prolonged stress (SPS) rodent model of traumatic stress in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Exposure to SPS can heighten fear responses to conditioned cues (i.e., freezing) after a fear association has been extinguished, referred to as a deficit in extinction retention. This deficit is thought to reflect an impairment in context processing that is characteristic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During a cognitive flexibility training we assessed individual variability in cognitive skills and conditioned rats to discriminately use cues in their environment. We found that cognitive flexibility training, alone or followed by SPS exposure, accelerated extinction learning and decreased fear responses over time during extinction retention testing, compared with rats not given cognitive flexibility training. These findings suggest that cognitive flexibility training may improve context processing in individuals with and without traumatic stress exposure. Individual performance during the reversal phase of the cognitive flexibility training predicted subsequent context processing; individuals with high reversal performance exhibited a faster decrease in freezing responses during extinction retention testing. Thus, high reversal performance predicted enhanced retention of extinction learning over time and suggests that cognitive flexibility training may be a strategy to promote context processing. In a brain region vital for maintaining cognitive flexibility and fear suppression, the prelimbic cortex (PLC), cognitive flexibility training also lastingly enhanced dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels, in animals with and without traumatic stress exposure. In contrast, cognitive flexibility training prior to traumatic stress exposure decreased levels of DA and its metabolites in the striatum, a region mediating reflexive decision making. Overall, our results suggest that cognitive flexibility training can provide lasting benefits by enhancing extinction retention, a hallmark cognitive effect of trauma, and prelimbic DA, which can maintain flexibility across changing contexts.
Brachytherapy as an Adjuvant for Recurrent Atypical and Malignant Meningiomas.

BACKGROUND Recurrent atypical and malignant meningiomas have poor outcomes with surgical therapy alone. Neither adjuvant chemotherapy nor postoperative radiation therapy remedies this problem. OBJECTIVE To evaluate our experience with the treatment of 15 patients treated with I-125 or Cs-131 brachytherapy radiation seeds as an adjuvant in these difficult cases. METHODS Patients with high-grade recurrent meningioma who underwent resection and intraoperative placement of brachytherapy seeds at our institution from 2002 to 2014 were identified and studied by retrospective chart review. RESULTS Fifteen patients with median age of 68.8 yr were treated with I-125 (n = 13) or Cs-131 (n = 2) brachytherapy seeds for cases of recurrent, grade II (n = 8), or grade III (n = 7) meningioma at our institution from 2002 to 2014. These lesions originated from a variety of locations including, convexity (3), falcine (3), frontal (2), occipital (1), parietal (2), 2 sphenoid wing (2), and temporal (2), based recurrent meningiomas. Patients had a median of 2 prior open surgical interventions and received local radiation therapy with a median dose of 55 Gy prior to brachytherapy. Survival at 2.5 yr was 56% for grade II and 17% for grade III lesions. Survival was significantly associated with patient age but not tumoral pathology. Forty percent of patients required reoperations for wound complications following brachytherapy. CONCLUSION Brachytherapy with implantation of permanent radiation seeds provides a viable alternative treatment for recurrent meningioma while carrying a significant clinical risk of wound infection and need for reoperation.
Detrimental Effects of Psychotropic Medications Differ by Sex in Aging People With HIV.

Background:Mental health conditions are common among persons with HIV (PWH). An understanding of factors associated with prescription medication use for these conditions and clinical impact of the prescription medications may improve care of mental health disorders in PWH.Methods:Psychotropic medica
Retrospective evaluation of Micrurus fulvius (Eastern coral snake) envenomation and the use of mechanical ventilation in dogs and a cat (2011–2016): 8 cases

Objective To describe the use of mechanical ventilation (MV) in the management of Eastern coral snake envenomation in 7 dogs and a cat. Design Retrospective study (2011-2016). Setting University teaching hospital. Animals Seven dogs and 1 cat receiving MV for ventilatory failure secondary to Eastern coral snake envenomation. Interventions None. Measurement and main results The medical records of 8 animals that received MV following Eastern coral snake envenomation were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, time to veterinary assessment, physical and laboratory characteristics at arrival, clinical course during hospitalization, management including antivenom administration, MV settings, duration of ventilation, length of hospitalization, cost of care, and survival to discharge. The mean ± SD age was 4 ± 3.2 years. Median (range) time to onset of clinical signs was 30 (5-240) minutes. Coral snake antivenom was administered to 7 of the 8 animals following arrival at a median (range) of 30 (5-90) minutes. All animals had progressive hypoventilation and received MV, specifically volume controlled, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation with pressure support. The median (range) duration of MV was 58 (25-84) hours and the median (range) duration of hospitalization was 8.2 (6-11) days. Ventilator associated complications occurred in all animals, but overall outcome was excellent with 7 of 8 surviving to discharge. No dog, but the 1 cat, had an adverse reaction to antivenom. Conclusions Ventilatory failure secondary to Eastern coral snake envenomation necessitating MV carries an excellent prognosis and is better than reported for other causes of lower motor neuron disease. Successful response to ventilation was achieved even with associated complications being common in this cohort of animals.
Urine proteomics: Evaluation of different sample preparation workflows for quantitative, reproducible and improved depth of analysis.

The growing field of urinary proteomics shows promise to expand the number of biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of a number of human diseases. With the rapid developments in mass spectrome...
Scribble and Dlg organize a protection racket to ensure apical–basal polarity

In these interesting times, attention is being paid to borders, which regulate traffic into and out of our nations. Evolution long ago crafted a solution to a similar dilemma in the animal body, with epithelial tissues serving as barriers and regulating traffic. The skin, the lining of the gut, and the airways of the lungs separate one from the outside world. However, just as international borders need to open to allow import and export of goods, so the lining of one’s gut needs to organize itself to take up nutrients. To accomplish this task, epithelia are polarized, localizing particular proteins on their apical (top) or basolateral (bottom) surfaces. For example, glucose importers are positioned apically, facing the gut lumen, while glucose exporters are basal, delivering nutrients to the blood. Cell–cell junctions are localized at the interface of these two domains, and multiprotein apical and basolateral polarity complexes act in a mutually antagonistic way to establish and maintain polarity (reviewed in ref. 1). Two decades ago the Scribble (Scrib) module was identified as a major basolateral polarity regulator, but how it functions mechanistically remained in question (reviewed in ref. 2). In PNAS, Khoury and Bilder (3) provide important insights into the regulation and function of Scrib and its collaborators, Discs Large (Dlg) and Lethal Giant Larvae (Lgl), revealing how they regulate the key apical polarity determinant atypical protein kinase C (aPKC). Scrib, Dlg, and Lgl were originally identified in the fruit fly Drosophila . Dlg and Lgl were initially identified as tumor suppressor genes, because disrupting their roles in epithelial polarity leads to larval tissue overgrowth (4, 5). In 2000 Bilder and Perrimon (6) identified Scribble as an important regulator of polarity and went on to show it acts together with or in parallel to Dlg and Lgl in both … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: peifer{at}unc.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Can we evacuate from hurricanes with electric vehicles

Abstract The increasing usage of electrical vehicles (EVs) might not meet the safety requirement of massive hurricane evacuations, which may happen more frequently in the future climate. Here we investigate the challenge of widely using EVs for hurricane evacuation through analyzing the power demand during the vast historical evacuation before Hurricane Irma (2017). We find that, if the majority of the evacuating vehicles were EVs, Florida would face a serious challenge in power supply, with its six out of nine main power authorities, especially those in the mid-Florida, being short of power during the evacuation process. Also, the power outage in mid-Florida could induce cascading failure of the entire power network throughout Florida. We argue that policymakers need to consider the evacuation problem as EVs are increasingly adopted in disaster-prone regions. Potential solutions include developing centralized charging strategies, improving battery technology, and adopting hybrid vehicles in addition to EVs.
Identification of a differentiation stall in epithelial mesenchymal transition in histone H3–mutant diffuse midline glioma

Author(s): Sanders, Lauren M; Cheney, Allison; Seninge, Lucas; van den Bout, Anouk; Chen, Marissa; Beale, Holly C; Kephart, Ellen Towle; Pfeil, Jacob; Learned, Katrina; Lyle, A Geoffrey; Bjork, Isabel; Haussler, David; Salama, Sofie R; Vaske, Olena M | Abstract: BackgroundDiffuse midline gliomas with histone H3 K27M (H3K27M) mutations occur in early childhood and are marked by an invasive phenotype and global decrease in H3K27me3, an epigenetic mark that regulates differentiation and development. H3K27M mutation timing and effect on early embryonic brain development are not fully characterized.ResultsWe analyzed multiple publicly available RNA sequencing datasets to identify differentially expressed genes between H3K27M and non-K27M pediatric gliomas. We found that genes involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were significantly overrepresented among differentially expressed genes. Overall, the expression of pre-EMT genes was increased in the H3K27M tumors as compared to non-K27M tumors, while the expression of post-EMT genes was decreased. We hypothesized that H3K27M may contribute to gliomagenesis by stalling an EMT required for early brain development, and evaluated this hypothesis by using another publicly available dataset of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data from developing cerebral organoids. This analysis revealed similarities between H3K27M tumors and pre-EMT normal brain cells. Finally, a previously published single-cell RNA sequencing dataset of H3K27M and non-K27M gliomas revealed subgroups of cells at different stages of EMT. In particular, H3.1K27M tumors resemble a later EMT stage compared to H3.3K27M tumors.ConclusionsOur data analyses indicate that this mutation may be associated with a differentiation stall evident from the failure to proceed through the EMT-like developmental processes, and that H3K27M cells preferentially exist in a pre-EMT cell phenotype. This study demonstrates how novel biological insights could be derived from combined analysis of several previously published datasets, highlighting the importance of making genomic data available to the community in a timely manner.
The association of health insurance literacy and numeracy with financial toxicity and hardships among colorectal cancer survivors

In this study, we examined the association of financial hardship measured by material financial burden and financial toxicity with health insurance literacy and numeracy among colorectal cancer survivors. The lack of evidence on the impact of cost-related health literacy, specifically health insurance literacy and numeracy, on financial toxicity among cancer survivors warrants further research. Between January and November 2019, we used a cross-sectional research design to collect surveys from 104 colorectal cancer survivors (diagnosed within last 5 years) from the Kentucky Cancer Registry. Survey items assessed health insurance literacy (measured by confidence and behaviors in choosing and using health insurance), numeracy, material financial burden, and financial toxicity, in addition to socio-demographic variables. Survey data were subsequently linked to the participant’s cancer registry record. Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multiple linear regression analyses. The mean financial toxicity score was 24.5, with scores ranging from 3 to 43 (higher scores indicating greater financial toxicity). Eighty percent of participants indicated they had experienced one or more material burdens related to their cancer. The majority had adequate health insurance (79%); however, the majority also had low numeracy (84%). After controlling for socio-demographic covariates, significant predictors of greater financial toxicity were high material burden scores, low health insurance literacy, and low numeracy. Findings indicate the need to develop programs and interventions aimed at improving health insurance literacy and numeracy as a strategy for reducing financial toxicity and hardships among colorectal cancer survivors.
Toothpick-related injuries in the United States from 2001 to 2017.

Toothpicks have been widely used since patented in 1869 (Petroski, 2008). Toothpicks can be made of wood, metal, plastic, bamboo, ivory, bone or other substances, though wooden toothpicks are most ...
Sacred Violence: African Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine

1. This terrible custom 2. Church of the traitors 3. Poisonous brood of vipers 4. Archives of memory 5. City of denial 6. Ravens feeding on death 7. Little foxes, evil women 8. Guardians of the people 9. In the house of discipline 10. Sing a new song 11. Kings of our age 12. We choose to stand 13. Athletes of death 14. Bad boys 15. Men of blood 16. Divine winds Appendix A. Bishops and bishoprics in Africa: the numbers Appendix B. Origins of the division: chronology Appendix C. The Catholic conference of 348 Appendix D. The peasant jacquerie of Axido and Fasir Appendix E. The mission of Paul and Macarius Appendix F. Historical fictions: interpreting the circumcellions Appendix G. The archaeology of suicide Appendix H. African sermons.
AUP: Adaptive Change Propagation Across Data Model Boundaries

Although databases focus on the longevity of data, rarely is this data or its structure static. This is particularly true in some domains such as the protein databases that have seen and continue to see an exponential growth rate. Managing the effects of change on derived information (views, web pages) and on applications has been recognized as an important problem. Previous research efforts have developed techniques to both propagate sources changes to views as well as techniques to hide the change from the views and other dependent applications. While this continues to be an active area of research, the problem of management of the effects of change is further compounded by the semantic and the structural heterogeneity that in practice often exists between the source and the derived target information. In this work we now examine and address the problem of change propagation across these semantic and structural heterogeneity barriers. This work is based on our previous work Sangam, which provides explicit modeling of the mapping of one data model to another in the middle-layer. In this work, we now present an adaptive propagation algorithm that can incrementally propagate both schema and data changes from the source to the target in a data model independent manner using the Sangam framework as enabling technology. We present a case study of the maintenance of relational views of XML sources to illustrate our approach.
Electron-phonon superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric LaNiC 2 : First-principles calculations

We report first-principles calculations of the electronic structure and electron-phonon coupling in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor ${\text{LaNiC}}_{2}$. These show that the material is a conventional electron-phonon superconductor with intermediate coupling. There are large contributions to the coupling by two low-frequency C nonbond-stretching modes, one of which has strong Kohn anomalies. Since ${\text{LaNiC}}_{2}$ lacks inversion symmetry, the pairing is of dominant $s$-wave type with some mixture of $p$-wave character. This will give exponential decay in the specific heat.
Protein kinase C-θ-mediated signals enhance CD4+ T cell survival by up-regulating Bcl-xL

Productive engagement of TCR results in delivering signals required for T cell proliferation as well as T cell survival. Blocking TCR-mediated survival signals, T cells undergo apoptosis instead of proliferation upon TCR stimulation. During the activation process, T cells produce IL-2, which acts as an extrinsic survival factor. In addition, TCR stimulation results in up-regulation of Bcl-xL to enhance T cell survival intrinsically. We show in this study that protein kinase C (PKC)-θ is required for enhancing the survival of activated CD4+ T cells by up-regulating Bcl-xL. In response to TCR stimulation, CD4+ PKC-θ−/− T cells failed to up-regulate Bcl-xL, and underwent accelerated apoptosis via a caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathway. Similar to PKC-θ-deficient primary CD4+ T cells, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of PKC-θ in Jurkat cells also resulted in apoptosis upon TCR stimulation. Forced expression of Bcl-xL was sufficient to inhibit apoptosis observed in PKC-θ knockdown cells. Furthermore, ectopic expression of PKC-θ stimulated a reporter gene driven by a mouse Bcl-xL promoter. Whereas an inactive form of PKC-θ or knockdown of endogenous PKC-θ led to inhibition of Bcl-xL reporter. PKC-θ-mediated activation of Bcl-xL reporter was inhibited by dominant-negative IκB kinase β or dominant-negative AP-1. Thus, the PKC-θ-mediated signals may function not only in the initial activation of naive CD4+ T cells, but also in their survival during T cell activation by regulating Bcl-xL levels through NF-κB and AP-1 pathways.
Ranking Rates of Return to Education

Abstract Rankings of internal rates of return to education have significantly influenced education expenditures within developing countries and lending priorities of multilateral institutions. It is widely suspected, however, that estimated education returns are subject to systematic bias. The direction and magnitude of this bias are hotly contested. This paper demonstrates that in the presence of systematic bias, idiosyncratic properties of the internal-rate-of-return mapping may cause a ranking reversal. An explicit analytical test of return-ranking legitimacy is developed and applied to select African and Asian countries.
Organization and Structure of Precipitating Cloud Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the organization and structure of precipitating cloud systems. The emphasis is on precipitating cloud systems, which contribute the bulk of precipitation over the Earth. Most precipitation occurs in storms that are 20–2000 km in horizontal dimension. Small showers may greatly outnumber larger precipitating cloud systems, but these do not contribute significantly to total precipitation. The cloud systems considered in this chapter are all in the mesoscale size range. Precipitation occurs over the globe in three major latitude belts. The midlatitude maxima of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are essentially mirror images of each other and are accounted for by cloud systems associated with extratropical frontal cyclones and midlatitude thunderstorms. The equatorial maximum is accounted for mainly by rainfall from tropical cloud clusters and, to some extent, by hurricanes and smaller scale convection. This chapter explains the major precipitating cloud systems of each latitude belt and extratropical cyclones and describes midlatitude convective systems, and tropical cloud systems. Information about the mesoscale features is presented. Details are also provided about air motions within the rainband, the substructure of the rainband, the precipitation-producing mechanisms, and the dynamic processes responsible for the formation of the band.
Enhanced transmission in CO(2)-laser-aerosol interactions.

The transmission characteristics of a high-power CO2-laser beam through a single water aerosol particle are studied. It is found that before the onset of plasma formation there is a sizable range of laser intensity where the medium becomes almost totally transparent. A plausible argument for this induced transparency is given in terms of particle disintegration. This effect may have applications in laser atmospheric propagation.
An integrated web-based model for management, analysis and retrieval of EST biological information

In this work, an integrated Web-based model integrating a number of components has been proposed to analyze, manage and retrieve biological information. In particular, we deal with Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) data that is an important resource for gene identification, genome annotation and comparative genomics. A high-performance and user-friendly three-tier Web application consisting of EST modeling and database (ESTMD) has been developed to facilitate the retrieval and analysis of EST information. It provides a variety of Web services and tools for searching raw, cleaned and assembled EST sequences, genes and Gene Ontology, as well as pathway information. It can be accessed at http://129.130.115.72:8080/estweb/index.html.