cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of thymic extracts on restoration of immunologic competence in thymectomized mice.

SummaryExtracts of thymic tissue from syngeneic donors restored the immunologic capacity of neonatally thymectomized C57BL mice. Dissociated spleen cells of thymic-extract treated mice evoked a GVH reaction in newborn BALB/c mice. In contrast, splenic extracts were ineffective. Thymic extracts, however failed to lower the frequency of “wasting” with consequent death; neither did overt lymphoid regeneration occur in these treated mice thymectomized at birth.
Gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with HLA-DQ beta-chain DNA endonuclease fragments.

Abstract DNA from Caucasian normal healthy control subjects, non-gravid patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and gravida with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were analyzed with DNA probes for HLA markers associated with HLA-DR and HLA-DQ to compare the hybridization patterns of their DNA after digestion with restriction endonucleases. We report HLA-DQ beta restriction endonuclease fragments to be presented with increased frequency in Caucasian gravida with GDM as well as in subjects with IDDM. These findings provide further evidence for genetic heterogeneity in GDM and are compatible with the presence of slowly evolving IDDM in some women with "carbohydrate intolerance of variable severity with onset or first recognition during pregnancy".
Research progress of Bacillus cereus foodborne diseases

Bacillus cereus is a member of genus Bacillus,and is closely associated with human because it can cause foodborne diseases.This article overviews the pathogenic characteristics and pathogenicity oi Bacillus cereus,and the epidemiological characteristics oi Bacillus cereus foodbome diseases,so as to put forward suggestions on scientific measures to prevent and control food contamination with Bacillus cereus and to protect public health.
Drug substitution and rational therapeutics. Old problems and new challenges.

PreviewPrescriptions written by physicians are nearly always filled with a drug of the same chemical entity and same strength as the drug prescribed. But now a relatively new practice—therapeutic substitution—allows nonphysicians to substitute another drug for the one prescribed by the examining physician. Dr Nelson reviews this concept, as well as other common methods of drug substitution, and explains why therapeutic substitution represents a threat to the patient-physician relationship.
Factors Associated with Stress Fracture in Young Army Women: Indications for Further Research

Several factors which affect bone density and predict risk of osteoporosis (e.g., ethnic origin, amenorrhea) are reportedly associated with a higher incidence of stress fracture in active premenopausal women. The authors surveyed 2,312 active duty Army women for the prevalence of ever having been diagnosed ("told by a doctor") with a stress fracture (16.1% of respondents) and examined the relationship between surveyable risk factors for low bone density and this self-reported stress fracture history (self-reported SF). Current smoking, previous history of amenorrhea (menses absent greater than 6 months), and known family history of osteoporosis were significantly associated with self-reported SF, while black ethnic origin was a protective factor. These data suggest hypotheses of stress fracture pathogenesis in Army women which bear further testing.
Multi-scale reference conditions in an interior pine-dominated landscape in northeastern California

Abstract A plot-based census was conducted of trees >8.9 cm in breast height diameter in a 4000 ha forest in northeastern California in 1933 and 1934, prior to any harvest activity. The trees were tallied by size class and species on contiguous plots specified to be 1.01 ha in size, although some plots had a forested area less than this specification due to natural openings in the forest. In general, variability in all metrics declined as scale increased across a range from 1 ha to 244 ha, although much of this variability was in the tails; the inner quartile range appeared to be more stable, particularly so for crown area. Although metrics were derived at a smaller scale (
Fibronectin and Cyclic Strain Improve Cardiac Progenitor Cell Regenerative Potential In Vitro

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have rapidly advanced to clinical trials, yet little is known regarding their interaction with the microenvironment. Signaling cues present in the microenvironment change with development and disease. This work aims to assess the influence of two distinct signaling moieties on CPCs: cyclic biaxial strain and extracellular matrix. We evaluate four endpoints for improving CPC therapy: paracrine signaling, proliferation, connexin43 expression, and alignment. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (about 900 pg/mL) was secreted by CPCs cultured on fibronectin and collagen I. The application of mechanical strain increased vascular endothelial growth factor A secretion 2–4-fold for CPCs cultured on poly-L-lysine, laminin, or a naturally derived cardiac extracellular matrix. CPC proliferation was at least 25% higher on fibronectin than that on other matrices, especially for lower strain magnitudes. At 5% strain, connexin43 expression was highest on fibronectin. With increasing strain magnitude, connexin43 expression decreased by as much as 60% in CPCs cultured on collagen I and a naturally derived cardiac extracellular matrix. Cyclic mechanical strain induced the strongest CPC alignment when cultured on fibronectin or collagen I. This study demonstrates that culturing CPCs on fibronectin with 5% strain magnitude is optimal for their vascular endothelial growth factor A secretion, proliferation, connexin43 expression, and alignment.
Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering on Bulk MoS2Substrate

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has many applications in nanotechnology, biophotonics, and sensing. Conventional SERS is based on surface plasmon resonances of noble metal nanostructures that enhance molecular Raman signals via electromagnetic mechanism and on molecule-substrate interaction via chemical mechanism. Recent studies used 2-D materials as atomically flat SERS substrates based on the chemical mechanism. Here, we use tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) to enhance Raman signals from copper phthalocyanine molecules deposited on a bulk MoS 2 substrate by a nanosized gold tip via electromagnetic enhancement. We present a comparative study of MoS2, gold, and SiO2 substrates. MoS2 changes relative intensities of molecular vibrations and provides additional gap-mode enhancement of TERS via interaction with the gold tip. Our results can be used to improve sensitivity and resolution in single molecule detection and imaging on flat substrates.
Low Dose Subcutaneous Alemtuzumab and Prophylactic Donor Lymphocyte Infusion Results in Favorable Outcomes for High Risk Recipients of Unrelated Donor Allogeneic Transplants.

Abstract Abstract 2272 Poster Board II-249 Non-relapse mortality (NRM) remains a major obstacle to success of unrelated donor (UD) allogeneic transplantation, mostly due to the increased morbidity from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Unfortunately, efforts to reduce GVHD mortality with ex vivo or in vivo T cell depletion techniques have often been associated with increased risk of relapse and infectious complications. We hypothesized that pre-transplant low-dose Alemtuzumab would reduce early NRM following UD transplantation, coupled with the early use of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) to correct incomplete donor chimerism (DC) to improve disease control. We targeted a high risk patient population (age>40 years or prior transplant) to test this hypothesis. Twenty-seven patients (median age 56 years) received PBSC (n=25) or BM (n=2) allografts from matched (n=25) or one-antigen mismatched (n=2) unrelated donors for high-risk hematologic malignancies (CIBMTR disease risk high [n=14], intermediate [n=6], low [n=7]). Conditioning included Fludarabine and Busulfan (myeloid) or Cyclophosphamide ± Rituximab (lymphoid). Subcutaneous Alemtuzumab was administered at a dose of 43mg over 3 days, day -11, -10, and -9. Twenty-six patients (96%) achieved sustained engraftment. With a median follow-up of 1.6 years, the estimated 2-year overall survival is 73.5%. NRM at 100 days and 2 years is 0% and 4.2%, respectively. Twenty-two patients received early prophylactic DLI for incomplete DC, while 7 received ≥2 DLI. Risk of Grade II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD is estimated to be 48% and 11%, respectively, with chronic GVHD occurring in 78%. Relapse/progression was documented in 41.9% of patients with current disease-free survival (DFS) estimated to be 65.2%. Compared to contemporaneously treated UD transplant recipients not receiving pre-transplant Alemtuzumab, study patients demonstrated delayed achievement of complete DC (median 148 vs. 61 days, p=0.002), delayed acute GVHD onset (median 113 vs. 30 days, p=001), and increased requirement for DLI (81% vs. 10%, p figure ). Low dose subcutaneous Alemtuzumab with prophylactic DLI results in favorable transplant outcomes and modest rates of NRM in an older patient population with high-risk hematologic malignancies receiving UD transplantation. Download : Download high-res image (60KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: Off Label Use: Alemtuzumab is being used off-label as part of the preparative regimen for unrelated donor allogeneic transplantation..
Preparation of Organic Metals and Insulators: Some Ideas and Guidelines

Organic π-molecular donors and acceptors have been found to form a wide variety of charge transfer salts, with a wide variety of physical properties. Historically, interest has been sharply focused on those few which have a high d.c. electrical conductivity at room temperature and on how to design new organic metals. In the future, however, we anticipate that interest will broaden to include the understanding of how to make the various types of nonconducting salts. Considering the difficulty of making predictions for any material, any discussion of how to prepare an organic material with a particular property must be regarded as speculative, particularly in such a new and complex field as organic charge transfer salts. Thus, the ideas presented here should be regarded as a crude basis or starting point which must be tested, modified and improved.
Frictionless contact of a rigid stamp with a semi-plane in the presence of surface elasticity in the Steigmann–Ogden form

In this paper, the surface elasticity in the form proposed by Steigmann and Ogden is applied to study a plane problem of frictionless contact of a rigid stamp with an elastic upper semi-plane. The ...
Rapid pre-filtering of amphetamine and derivatives by direct analysis in real time (DART)-differential mobility spectrometry (DMS)

The synthesis of ‘designer drugs’ and derivatives has recently proliferated in the illicit drug market. For forensic drug analysis, conventional sample preparation and chromatographic separation techniques may be laborious and time-consuming. The characterization of these controlled substances may benefit from more rapid and high-throughput techniques. DMS (Differential Mobility Spectrometry), a variant of ion mobility spectrometry, is an emerging technology for post-ionization differentiation and filtration of isobaric interferences. When used before mass spectrometric analysis, DMS provides ion filtration on the order of milliseconds. Electro-sprayed DMS-MS studies have been implemented by various researchers for forensic studies. A complication associated with the introduction of sprayed ionization techniques is that the mechanism of solvent–ion interactions in DMS separation still remains unclear. In this study, we employ DART ionization as a robust solvent-less ionization technique coupled to DMS to demonstrate their combined utility and compatibility. Herein, amphetamine and derivatives were analyzed suggesting a promising alternative for rapid separation and characterization of new psychoactive substances.
Sales team formation: The right team member helps performance

Abstract This research uses quasi-experimental, control group design to examine the performance and behavioral impact of team design on sales performance. We assess team versus individual performance and team composition. Drawing on motivation gain literature, we evaluate the impact of team composition based on the relative ability of the team members. The research is in a field sales setting in collaboration with a major insurance provider, providing the first example of assessing Group Motivation Gain (GMG) in a sales setting through a field experiment. Our paper extends previous research in this domain by considering outcome interdependence, not merely task interdependence, evaluating the performance of both team members, assessing motivation gain in the context of a task over a longer duration, and building the related nomological network. The findings demonstrate improved overall performance for the team and the individual members of the team, the gains were particularly pronounced when members have moderate levels of difference in ability, rather than small or large differences in ability. We discuss managerial implications of our findings and suggest further research directions.
ISLET CELL TRANSPLANT: SUCCESSFUL SURVIVAL THROUGH TWO PREGNANCIES

ABSTRACT Objective: To review the clinical course of a woman who, after islet cell transplant, successfully carried 2 pregnancies to term. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data are presented. Results: This is the first report of a woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus who received an islet cell transplant and then successfully carried 2 pregnancies to term. Hemoglobin A1c levels were within the goal range for both pregnancies. Only the administration of basal insulin was required with each pregnancy. Basal insulin requirements increased from the first to second pregnancy (from 0.42 U/kg to 0.70 U/kg). There were no major congenital malformations, macrosomia, or neonatal hypoglycemia. Conclusion: Excellent glycemic control was maintained with basal insulin therapy during both pregnancies. The significance of the increased basal insulin requirements during the second pregnancy in regards to islet cell function and future islet cell viability is currently unknown.
Walking speed differentially alters spinal loads in persons with traumatic lower limb amputation

Abstract Persons with lower limb amputation (LLA) perceive altered motions of the trunk/pelvis during activities of daily living as contributing factors for low back pain. When walking (at a singular speed), larger trunk motions among persons with vs. without LLA are associated with larger spinal loads; however, modulating walking speed is necessary in daily life and thus understanding the influences of walking speed on spinal loads in persons with LLA is of particular interest here. Three-dimensional trunk-pelvic kinematics, collected during level-ground walking at self-selected (SSW) and two controlled speeds (∼1.0 and ∼1.4 m/s), were obtained for seventy-eight participants: 26 with transfemoral and 26 with transtibial amputation, and 26 uninjured controls (CTR). Using a kinematics-driven, non-linear finite element model of the lower back, the resultant compressive and mediolateral/anteroposterior shear loads at the L5/S1 spinal level were estimated. Peak values were extracted and compiled. Despite walking slower at SSW speeds (∼0.21 m/s), spinal loads were 8–14% larger among persons with transfemoral amputation vs. CTR. Across all participants, peak compressive, mediolateral, and anteroposterior shear loads increased with increasing walking speed. At the fastest (vs. slowest) controlled speed, these increases were respectively 24–84% and 29–77% larger among persons with LLA relative to CTR. Over time, repeated exposures to these increased spinal loads, particularly at faster walking speeds, may contribute to the elevated risk for low back pain among persons with LLA. Future work should more completely characterize relative risk in daily life between persons with vs. without LLA by analyzing additional activities and tissue-level responses.
Automation for the Citrus Industry

With the ever-increasing necessity of economy of processing and uniformity of product, automation becomes more and more vital to the citrus industry. Our present purpose is to define the subject, briefly describe its functions, and discuss, as time will allow, its pertinent applications.Paper published with permission.Compilation Copyright © 2018 ASME
Anesthesia for Nuss Procedures (Pectus Deformity)

Pectus excavatum, one of the most common chest wall deformities, is typically repaired via the Nuss repair, a minimally invasive technique that is associated with significant postoperative pain. Although somewhat controversial, this surgery has generally been found to result in improved cardiopulmonary function and body image in patients undergoing repair. Preoperatively, understanding the degree of cardiopulmonary compromise related to the pectus deformity to properly prepare for surgery is key. Intraoperatively, general endotracheal anesthesia with double lung ventilation is most commonly used. Although rare, the most serious complication is serious cardiovascular injury resulting in significant hemorrhage; careful attention must be paid intra-operatively to monitor for such complications. Post-operatively, patients routinely experience significant postoperative pain. Analgesic modalities used to manage this pain include any combination of the following: patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), epidural, paravertebral blocks, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), ketamine, intercostal blocks, acetaminophen and muscle relaxants. Patient generally keep the bar in place for 2–4 years, with removal occurring on an outpatient basis. Table 46.2 provides a summary of anesthesia considerations for the repair of pectus excavatum.
Developing Institutional Policies to Obviate Agonizing Over Complex Ethical, Dilemmas

On can hardly pick up a newspaper or magazine without seeing something starting off like “one of the most complex and wrenching problems we face... or technology has created problems which will became increasingly complex and force difficult and agonizing decisions to be made in the future”. Ethical dilemmas cause us to scrutinize and test our own values, our moral stances, our senses of professionalism, our sense of duty, our fear of exposure to liability and may shape the way in which we care for our patients in a dramatic way. When you put all these concerns together, no wonder it appears so difficult and even mystifying to address these ethical issues.
Nature tourism constraints - a cross-activity comparison.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons that keep individuals from participating in three nature-based tourism activities registering limited growth in contrast with the increasing popularity of tourism in general. The three-dimensional leisure constraints model was used as the theoretical framework for the study. The sample consisted of nature enthusiasts from several US states who showed an interest in nature tourism but did not participate in the selected activities during the last two years. Confirmatory factor analysis partially supported the three-dimensional model across the activities. Repeated measures comparisons showed that the importance of leisure constraints varied across them within the same group of individuals.
Effect of intravenous glucose and lipid on proteolysis and glucose production in normal newborns

To determine whether nonprotein substrate can suppress proteolysis in normal newborns and to assess the effect of this substrate on glucose production, the rates of appearance (Ra) of leucine (reflecting proteolysis) and glucose were measured in healthy 2-day-old full-term newborns during fasting, an intravenous glucose infusion (5.5 mg.kg-1.min-1), an intravenous lipid infusion (2.5 mg.kg-1.min-1), and a combined glucose plus lipid infusion (5.5 mg.kg-1.min-1 glucose + 2.5 mg.kg-1.min-1 lipid). Leucine RA was not reduced from fasting values during any of the substrate infusions. Intravenous lipid infusion alone neither suppressed nor increased glucose production. In contrast, glucose production was nearly completely suppressed (approximately 90%) during intravenous infusions of glucose provided either alone or in combination with lipid; this suppression was achieved at glucose concentrations of approximately 90 mg/dl and insulin concentrations of approximately 6 microU/ml. Thus normal newborns respond to intravenous glucose with sustained nearly complete suppression of glucose production, even at moderate levels of glycemia and at low insulin concentrations; however, nonprotein substrate infusion does not result in suppression of proteolysis. It remains unclear to what extent any potential regulator can suppress proteolysis in this population.
Arterial Aging, Metalloproteinase Regulation, and the Potential of Resistance Exercise.

BACKGROUND Aging is a process that affects all living organisms. The transition through life elicits tissue specific alterations in the functional and structural capabilities of all physiological systems. In particular, the vasculature is vulnerable to aging specific adaptations which induces morphological changes and ultimately increases the risk of pathological states. Matrix metalloproteinases are a group of extremely active enzymes that regulate the age-associated structural changes of the vasculature which has been regarded as the hallmark of arterial aging. Although this process in unavoidable, the structural and functional changes to the vasculature that occur as a result of advancing age can be positively or negatively influenced by our lifestyle choices. CONCLUSION Exercise training has profound effects on the age-associated changes of the arteries which have been shown to be beneficial in offsetting the detrimental responses of aging. This review provides a brief synopsis of the matrix metalloproteinase induced alterations of the arteria during aging and highlights the potential of resistance exercise to influence such changes.
Tuning thermoresponsive network materials through macromolecular architecture and dynamic thiol-Michael chemistry

This work reports synthesis of dynamic materials crosslinked with thiol-Michael linkages with distinct primary polymer architectures. RAFT polymerization allows control over degree of polymerization and macromolecular architecture. Well-defined branched and linear polythiol polymers were synthesized by RAFT and crosslinked using thiol-Michael chemistry. Branched and linear polymeric materials with different crosslink densities were evaluated by size exclusion chromatography, tensile testing, rheology, and differential scanning calorimetry. These materials are elastic and show dynamic behavior (e.g. healing ability and malleability) in response to thermal stimulus (90 °C) due to the presence of the stimulus responsive thiol-maleimide linkages as crosslinkers along the polymer backbone. The data suggest that materials synthesised by RAFT healed faster than materials of similar weight average chain length and crosslink density synthesized by conventional free radical polymerization. Healing ability and malleability properties of these dynamic materials are dramatically higher than materials crosslinked with static crosslinkers. Small molecular studies of thiol-maleimide adducts indicate the potential of using thiol-Michael linkages in dynamically crosslinked materials. In addition to significant re-healing and malleability properties, these materials showed mechanical stability in creep deformation, stress relaxation, and creep recovery experiments under ambient conditions due to their essentially static nature under these conditions.
Inflammation in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Renal Damage.

Low-grade inflammation drives elevations in blood pressure (BP) and consequent target organ damage in diverse experimental models of hypertension. Here, we discuss recent advances elucidating immune-mediated mechanisms of BP elevation and associated target organ damage. Inflammatory mediators produced by immune cells or target organs act on the kidney, vasculature, skin, and nervous system to modulate hypertension. For example, cells of the innate immune system, including monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells (DCs), can all promote BP elevation via actions in the vasculature and kidney. Macrophages expressing VEGF-C impact non-osmotic sodium storage in the skin that in turn regulates salt sensitivity. Within the adaptive immune system, activated T cells can secrete tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-17a (IL-17a), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), each of which has augmented BP and renal damage in pre-clinical models. Inversely, deficiency of IL-17a in mice blunts the hypertensive response and attenuates renal sodium retention via a serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1)–dependent pathway. Linking innate and adaptive immune responses, dendritic cells activated by augmented extracellular sodium concentrations stimulate T lymphocytes to produce pro-hypertensive cytokines. By contrast, regulatory T cells (Tregs) can protect against hypertension and associated kidney injury. Rodent studies reveal diverse mechanisms via which cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems drive blood pressure elevation by altering the inflammatory milieu in the kidney, vasculature, and brain.
Childhood adversity, externalizing behavior, and substance use in adolescence: Mediating effects of anterior cingulate cortex activation during inhibitory errors

Childhood adversity can negatively impact development across various domains, including physical and mental health. Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to aggression and substance use; however, developmental pathways to explain these associations are not well characterized. Understanding early precursors to later problem behavior and substance use can inform preventive interventions. The aim of the current study was to examine neurobiological pathways through which childhood adversity may lead to early adolescent problem behavior and substance use in late adolescence by testing two prospective models. Our first model found that early adolescent externalizing behavior mediates the association between childhood adversity and alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use in late adolescence. Our second model found that activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during an inhibitory control task mediates the association between childhood adversity and early adolescent externalizing behavior, with lower ACC activation associated with higher levels of adversity and more externalizing behavior. Together these findings indicate that the path to substance use in late adolescence from childhood adversity may operate through lower functioning in the ACC related to inhibitory control and externalizing behavior. Early life stressors should be considered an integral component in the etiology and prevention of early and problematic substance use.
Are we validly assessing major depression disorder risk and associated factors among mothers of young children? A cross-sectional study involving home visitation programs.

Failure to account for misclassification error accruing from imperfect case-finding instruments can produce biased estimates of suspected major depression disorder (MDD) risk factor associations. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of misclassification error on the magnitude of measures of association between suspected risk factors and MDD assessed using the Center of Epidemiological Studies on Depression—Short Form during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Baseline data were collected from 520 mothers participating in two home visitation studies in Oklahoma City between 2010 and 2014. A Bayesian binomial latent class model was used to compare the prevalence proportion ratio (PPR) between suspected risk factors and MDD with and without adjustment for misclassification error and confounding by period of MDD symptom on-set. Adjustment for misclassification error and confounding by period of MDD on-set (prenatal vs postnatal) showed that the association between suspected risk factors and MDD is underestimated (-) and overestimated (+) differentially in different source populations of low-income mothers. The median bias in the magnitude of PPR estimates ranged between -.47 (95% Bayesian Credible Intervals [BCI]: -10.67, 1.90) for intimate partner violence to +.06 (95%BCI: -0.37, 0.47) for race/ethnicity among native-born US residents. Among recent Hispanic immigrants, bias ranged from -.77 (95%BCI: -15.31, 0.96) for history of childhood maltreatment to +.10 (95%BCI: -0.17, 0.39) for adequacy of family resources. Overall, the extent of bias on measures of association between maternal MDD and suspected risk factors is considerable without adjustment for misclassification error and is even higher for confounding by period of MDD assessment. Consideration of these biases in MDD prevention research is warranted.
Review of George O. Liber. Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine, 1914-1954.

Book review of George O. Liber. Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine, 1914-1954 . U of Toronto P, 2016. xxxiv, 454 pp. Maps. Tables. Notes. Index. $41.95, paper.
Tubular Injury and Dendritic Cell Activation Are Integral Components of Light Chain-Associated Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis.

Context.— Light chain–associated acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (LC-ATIN) is a variant of light chain proximal tubulopathy (LCPT). It is characterized by interstitial inflammation with tubuliti...
Mogamulizumab-Associated Cutaneous Granulomatous Drug Eruption Mimicking Mycosis Fungoides but Possibly Indicating Durable Clinical Response

This case series report of mogamulizumab-associated cutaneous granulomatous drug eruption (CGDE) describes 12 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) whose CGDE mimicked the MF but was followed by durable clinical MF response.
Making Research More Diverse: How Peripheral Members Join a Scientific Community

Against the background of the current drive toward diversity in modern scientific communities, this paper explores how a scientific practice might become more diverse by the inclusion of peripheral members. To demonstrate how peripheral members gain contributory expertise in the sciences in the absence of mentors and a readymade community, I present a case study of the Indian physicist C. V. Raman and his early self-training in the analysis of wave phenomena, especially in musical acoustics. Evaluating Raman’s example, I suggest that such peripheral agents might give us helpful pointers about our modern project of bringing diversity into a scientific community.
Explaining Vote Choice in 2016: How the Attitudinal Characteristics of Iowans Shaped the Vote for Donald Trump

In this chapter, I present a discussion of the academic literature oriented toward presidential elections, Iowa elections, and the 2016 election. The literature is used to theoretically develop models of vote choice using individual-level data. The individual-level findings demonstrate that the 2016 election was not driven solely by white, working-class support. Rather, support for Donald Trump was driven by partisanship, attitudes regarding President Obama’s performance, and hardline positions on immigration. Additionally, educational attainment did not drive vote switching in 2016 either. Vote switching—casting a vote for Obama or a third-party candidate in 2012 and then for Trump in 2016—was both a function of voters’ approval of Obama’s performance as president and their attitudes about race.
Trends in Analysis of Cortisol and Its Derivatives.

Determination of concentration of cortisol in various biological fluids can provide extensive information about a person’s health. Historically, cortisol and its derivatives were (and still are) determined using immunoaffinity-based methods such as colorimetric ELISA assay, chemiluminescent immunoassay, fluorescence assays, radioimmunoassay, electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, immunochromatographic test, or sensors and immunosensors. Recently, mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods started to be used in determination of cortisol and its derivatives. These MS methods are net superior to immunoaffinity-based assays, but are not easily applicable and are also time-consuming and price prohibitive. Furthermore the standard MS instruments used are triple quadrupole instruments. Here we review the literature on the MS and non-MS based methods for determination of cortisol and its derivatives and also explore the use of a less used quadrupole-time of flight instrument in determination of these compounds.
Material Consequences of Hydrogen Dissolution in Palladium AlloysObserved from First Principles

Hydrogen embrittlement is one of the fundamental material science challenges to be faced under a potential “hydrogen economy”, as hydrogen will interact with the infrastructure for hydrogen product...
Blood Culture Utilization in Hospitalized Infants with First Febrile Uti: Baseline Data from an Aap Quiin Vip Quality Improvement Initiative

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common serious bacterial infections in infants and young children, with low rates of bacteremia. The 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) UTI Clinical Practice Guideline doesn’t address blood cultures. The utility of blood cultures has come under scrutiny and scarce quality improvement work has been published in this area for UTI. The Value in Inpatient Pediatrics (VIP) network, of the AAP’s Quality Improvement through Innovations …
Extracellular Vesicles in ARDS: New Insights into Pathogenesis with Novel Clinical Applications

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a major cause of acute respiratory failure that develops following several clinical disorders, including pneumonia, sepsis, aspiration and major trauma. Despite numerous clinical trials, there is still no effective pharmacotherapy available for ARDS patients. However, recent research on extracellular vesicles provides new insights into pathogenesis, prognosis, and potential therapeutic options for ARDS. Extracellular vesicles are membrane-bound anuclear structures which constitute a recently recognized and important intercellular communication mechanism, allowing targeted transfer of diverse biologic cargo between different cell types. There is new evidence that extracellular vesicles play an important role in the pathogenesis of ARDS and also potentially a protective role. In this chapter, we highlight recent translational and clinical studies that have advanced our understanding of the critical role extracellular vesicles play in both inducing and attenuating inflammatory lung injury in ARDS. This review also considers the wide range of potential clinical applications for extracellular vesicles, ranging from use as biomarkers of lung injury to therapeutic agents for ARDS. Extracellular vesicles represent a new frontier for research in ARDS.
A Manet-Based Emergency Communication System for Environmental Hazards Using Opportunistic Routing

Environmental hazard is very challenging when it comes to providing support to the affected areas due to the lack of effective communication. Communication infrastructures such as cellular networks might be destroyed, disabled, partially accessible, or deliberately shut down during environmental hazards. As a result, hundreds of people die before they have a chance to be saved. This paper proposes an emergency management system using a network of mobile devices that can be implemented in areas affected by disasters. Both stranded survivors and rescue teams can use this technology. The proposed system provides an emergency communication network when all modes of communication infrastructure are broken down. For path discovery and message transmission, a wireless self-organized, opportunistic routing protocol is also proposed.
The realms of space

Before humans commit either their robot emissaries or themselves to voyages deep into the abyss, it is worthwhile for them to review what is known about their home Solar System. Even though each set of stellar worlds we encounter will be unique and individual in some respects, the same laws apply throughout the cosmos. What we know of the Sun’s retinue of worlds, satellites, asteroids, comets, fields and particles can serve as a model for what we encounter orbiting other stars.
The role of consultative alliance in infant and early childhood mental health consultation: Child, teacher, and classroom outcomes

Young children's social-emotional development is powerfully shaped by their early environments, which for many includes early childhood education (ECE). Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) pairs teachers and infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultants to promote teachers' capacity to foster positive social-emotional development in ECE. Although the outcomes of IECMHC have been well studied, little research has investigated how this model leads to changes for teachers and children. According to theory, the quality of the relationship between teachers and IECMH consultants, termed consultative alliance (CA), is a key mechanism of change. This study analyzed the role of CA on 6-month outcomes of IECMHC in a sample of 316 children, 289 teachers, and 62 IECMH consultants. Results from multilevel models suggested that stronger CA predicted greater improvements in teacher-child closeness and teacher-rated child attachment behaviors. In addition, a strong CA was related to greater improvement in classroom climate, teachers' self-efficacy, and teachers' perceptions of their jobs. This study upholds the centrality of relationship-building and parallel process in mental health consultation, and by advancing understanding of the mechanisms of change for IECMHC may provide salient implications for policy and practice.
Structures of mouse DUOX1-DUOXA1 provide mechanistic insights into enzyme activation and regulation.

DUOX1, an NADPH oxidase family member, catalyzes the production of hydrogen peroxide. DUOX1 is expressed in various tissues, including the thyroid and respiratory tract, and plays a crucial role in processes such as thyroid hormone biosynthesis and innate host defense. DUOX1 co-assembles with its maturation factor DUOXA1 to form an active enzyme complex. However, the molecular mechanisms for activation and regulation of DUOX1 remain mostly unclear. Here, I present cryo-EM structures of the mammalian DUOX1–DUOXA1 complex, in the absence and presence of substrate NADPH, as well as DUOX1–DUOXA1 in an unexpected dimer-of-dimers configuration. These structures reveal atomic details of the DUOX1-DUOXA1 interaction, a lipid-mediated NADPH-binding pocket and the electron transfer path. Furthermore, biochemical and structural analyses indicate that the dimer-of-dimers configuration represents an inactive state of DUOX1–DUOXA1, suggesting an oligomerization-dependent regulatory mechanism. Together, my work provides structural bases for DUOX1–DUOXA1 activation and regulation. DUOX1 is an NADPH oxidase involved in thyroid hormone production and innate host defense. Cryo-EM structures of murine DUOX1 bound to maturation factor DUOXA1 provide insights into regulation and activation of this enzyme.
Correlation between fusion of spheno-occipital synchondrosis and cervical vertebral maturation: A CBCT and cephalometric assessment

Summary Objective The aim of this study was to determine among young orthodontic patients the relation between the spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) fusion and the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) and to look for an eventual impact of gender, skeletal class and vertical pattern on their association. Material and methods CBCT scans and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 117 patients, aged between 8 and 18 years, were selected. SOS fusion was assessed on a mid-sagittal cut of the CBCT scans. CVM was evaluated on the lateral cephalograms as well as ANB and GoGn-SN angles. Spearman correlation test was used to assess the relationship between SOS and CVM. Fisher's exact test was performed at every CVM stage to analyse the association between SOS and other variables (gender, skeletal class, and vertical pattern). Cohen's kappa analysis was used for reliability. Results A strong correlation was found between SOS maturation and CVM (r = 0.852, P Conclusions SOS fusion correlates well with CVM and might be a reliable tool for skeletal maturation assessment. Girls seem to have an earlier fusion of SOS in relation to their respective CVM compared to boys, and the vertical pattern could influence the association between SOS and CVM stages.
Financial Contracts, Opportunism and Disclosure Management

This paper shows that if all variables that determine a firm's future cash flows are not contractible, it can be ex-ante optimal to design a financial contract that admits debtholders waiving debt covenants on a discretionary basis and firms investing opportunistically subsequent to contracting. Further, as the contractible variable becomes less informative, the contract attaches greater significance to it. Finally, uncertainty in the magnitude of reporting latitude induces aggressive reporting by the firm to avoid violating the covenant or to enhance the changes of a waiver. The debtholders respond by sometimes not allowing the firm to implement mutually beneficial projects.
Non-Hodgkin's Plasmablastic Lymphoma as Initial Presentation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that manifests in patients with the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), more prominently in the head, neck, and oral...
Introduction: Performing in Mediated Networks in the Digital Age

The framework presented in the Introduction raises the question: What does conflict look like on digital media platforms? Based on cyberconflict theory and the associated theory of connective action, this chapter defines conflict as a performance with the accompaniment of dramatic conventions that play out as posts or comments, tweets or retweets, videos and images, among other forms evident in mediated social networks. The dynamic process of “playing out” is based on Goffman’s concept of performance, in this instance performing the self on social media platforms that serve as the stage where acts of complicity, coherence or resistance can take place. The stage most certainly can be the actual streets of Minneapolis or Paris. But the stage could traverse the offline world to play out on social media platforms where text and image perform the task of disseminating news and information but, moreover, they serve to align one’s self with an issue or cause and help shape one’s identity as a requirement of membership in a social movement. Conflict is always going to involve drama, and a heightened sense of emotions associated with social, economic, political or environmental issues. Performing media activism, therefore, becomes a framework for understanding social movements in the digital age.
Practice guidelines as legal standards governing physician liability.

Practice guidelines-systematic, scientifically derived statements of appropriate measures to be taken by physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of disease-are widely viewed as a potential panacea for many of the health care industry's most pressing problems.' In addition to helping physicians obtain better medical results for their patients, practice guidelines are expected to give public and private financers of health services better tools with which to resist paying for, and thus discourage, inappropriate care. They are also being viewed hopefully as a way to ameliorate the problems associated with the law governing medical malpractice. In addition to reducing both the number of iatrogenic injuries that might become the subject of malpractice litigation2 and the pressure on physicians to practice defensive medicine,3 the availability of practice guidelines should somewhat
Enhancing documents with embedded programs: how Ness extends insets in the Andrew ToolKit

The problems of embedding programs in documents are sketched and the solutions adopted in the Ness component of the Andrew ToolKit are reviewed. A key question is the connection from user actions to program functions. Other questions include the appropriate level of programming language, its string-processing capabilities, and security. >
Urinary constituents of infants of diabetic and nondiabetic mothers

Urinary total chloroform-extractable 17-hydroxycorticosteroids were measured serially during the first week of life in 41 premature infants. Well premature infants of nondiabetic and diabetic mothers had lower excretion values of urinary 17-hydroxycorticoids than normal full-term infants. These two groups of premature infants responded differently to the respiratory distress syndrome; infants of diabetic mothers had a significant increase in urinary 17-OHCS, whereas infants of nondiabetic mothers did not. Several possible explanations for these observations are discussed.
FRACTIONATION OF INDIAN COBRA VENOM BY COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY. I. DEXTRAN GELS.

Abstract Lyophilized Indian cobra venom (Naja naja) was fractionated by gel filtration on columns of dextran polymers with three different degrees of cross-linkage. The eluants used were water, acetic and hydrochloric acid. The best resolution—five components—was obtained from the dextran gel with medium cross-linkage. Two of the components had toxic activity and were found to be heterogeneous by zone electrophoresis. Two of the nontoxic components appeared to contain nucleic acid. Several experimental parameters were tested; of these the ratio of gel volume to sample size was most critical. Highest yields and best resolution were obtained with minimal amounts of gel for a given amount of sample. This approach favored molecular-sieve action instead of adsorption. The use of mixed columns of two gels with different cross-linkage to utilize the selectivity in fractionation offered by each was not successful. Successive fractionations from the same column were not as reproducible as those from freshyl packed columns.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

In this essay I argue the thesis that, although the field of SoTL has changed and grown somewhat over time, many issues, concerns, and practices remain stagnant and unresolved. I reflect on this thesis based on my SoTL career experiences, observations, and writings. Finally, I urge IJSOTL readers to question and address this thesis, and any implications.
The role of Abcg2 expression in hematopoietic stem cells

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 SY31-2 The Side Population (SP) assay is used for the enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), however this assay is not specific for HSCs and causes toxicity when cells are exposed to Hoechst dye. The SP phenotype has been associated with expression of the Abcg2 transporter, which is expressed in HSCs and mediates Hoechst dye efflux. To explore the functional effects of Abcg2 expression in HSCs, we have generated Abcg2 knockout mice and shown that Abcg2 null HSCs are dramatically sensitized to mitoxantrone, suggesting that the function of Abcg2 in HSCs is to protect from naturally occurring toxic substrates and mutagens. These data have relevance to AML, where malignant HSCs may co-opt resistance mechanisms present in normal HSCs. In our most recent work, we have asked whether expression of Abcg2 would allow for prospective isolation of HSCs. Mice were generated with a GFP reporter gene inserted into the Abcg2 locus. Bone marrow cells that expressed GFP and lacked expression of lineage-specific markers (Lin-) were isolated by flow cytometry and tested for HSC activity. Irradiated recipient mice were reconstituted with as little as 10 cells, while as many as 60,000 Lin-, GFP- cells gave no reconstitution. Secondary transplant studies confirmed that the Lin-, GFP+ cells were indeed long term repopulating, self-renewing HSCs. These results show that essentially all murine HSCs express Abcg2, and that Abcg2 expression provides a new and simple purification strategy for HSCs. Furthermore, we have identified populations of Abcg2-expressing cells in the skeletal muscle that may represent non-hematopoietic stem cells.