cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mucosal Immunity to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection in the Mouse Vagina Is Impaired by In Vivo Depletion of T Lymphocytes

Intravaginal (IVAG) inoculation of wild-type herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in mice causes epithelial infection followed by lethal neurological illness, while IVAG inoculation of attenuated HSV-2 causes epithelial infection followed by development of protective immunity against subsequent IVAG challenge with wild-type virus. The role of T cells in this immunity was studied by in vivo depletion of these cells with monoclonal antibodies. Three groups of mice were used for each experiment: nonimmune/challenged mice, immune/challenged mice, and immune depleted mice [immune mice depleted of a T-cell subset(s) shortly before challenge with HSV-2]. Mice were assessed for epithelial infection 24 h after challenge, virus protein in the vaginal lumen 3 days after challenge, and neurological illness 8 to 14 days after challenge. Monoclonal antibodies to CD4, CD8, or Thy-1 markedly reduced T cells in blood, spleen, and vagina, but major histocompatibility complex class II antigens were still partially upregulated in the vaginal epithelium after virus challenge, indicating that virus-specific memory T-cell function was not entirely eliminated from the vagina. Nevertheless, immune mice depleted of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, Thy-1+ T cells, or CD8+ T cells alone had greater viral infection in the vaginal epithelium than nondepleted immune mice, indicating that T cells contribute to immunity against vaginal HSV-2 infection. All immune depleted mice retained substantial immunity to epithelial infection and were immune to neurological illness, suggesting that other immune mechanisms such as virus-specific antibody may also contribute to immunity.
New Therapies in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Systemic therapy for breast cancer is undergoing many interesting advances. In recent years, a better understanding of the underlying biology of cancer has led to the identification of several opportunities to target cellular pathways for therapeutic advantage. Hormonal therapy is often chosen as the first line of therapy because it is generally very well tolerated. However, most patients eventually become unresponsive to endocrine manipulation. Improved understanding of the mechanisms of hormonal resistance, and of the interplay between hormone receptors and cellular growth pathways, provides the rationale for combining signal transduction inhibitors and hormonal agents to overcome resistance. Emerging data from preclinical studies suggest that this goal might be achievable in the clinic. Antiangiogenic therapy has shown efficacy in colorectal and lung cancer and appears promising in breast cancer, although improved overall survival has not yet been shown. There have also been advances in cytotoxic chemotherapy. Reformulation of paclitaxel in polyoxy-castor-oil-free albumin nanoparticles (ABI-007) has allowed more convenient, safer, and enhanced drug delivery with associated improvement in outcomes. New agents with novel mechanisms of action are also in development and appear to have activity in cancer cells that are resistant to currently available agents.
A distributed services medical imaging network

We examine some of the issues surrounding the development of distributed services medical imaging network (DSMIN). The system described is an agent-enabled, dynamic environment which supports the distribution of image data and code within a network cloud of cooperating agencies. The foundations of the DSMIN include code migration and load-balancing using agents and dynamic discovery of services using both the DII/Trader facilities of CORBA as well as more direct client-creation via Java applets. The paper provides an overview of the role of these technologies in the DSMIN.
Qualitative analysis of MOS circuits

Abstract With the push towards submicron technology, transistor models have become increasingly complex. The number of components in integrated circuits has forced designers' efforts and skills towards higher levels of design. This has created a gap between design expertise and the performance demands increasingly imposed by the technology. To alleviate this problem, software tools must be developed that provide the designer with expert advice on circuit performance and design. This requires a theory that links the intuitions of an expert circuit analyst with the corresponding principles of formal theory (i.e., algebra, calculus, feedback analysis, network theory, and electrodynamics), and that makes each underlying assumption explicit. Temporal qualitative analysis is a technique for analyzing the qualitative large signal behavior of MOS circuits that straddle the line between the digital and analog domains. Temporal qualitative analysis is based on the following four components: First, a qualitative representation is composed of a set of open regions separated by boundaries. These boundaries are chosen at the appropriate level of detail for the analysis. This concept is used in modeling time, space, circuit state variables, and device operating regions. Second, constraints between circuit state variables are established by circuit theory. At a finer time scale, the designer's intuition of electrodynamics is used to impose a causal relationship among these constraints. Third, large signal behavior is modeled by transition analysis, using continuity and theorems of calculus to determine how quantities pass between regions over time. Finally, feedback analysis uses knowledge about the structure of equations and the properties of structure classes to resolve ambiguities.
Comparison of Bee Diversity in Upland and Wet Flatwood Longleaf Pine Savannas in Louisiana (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

Abstract Two longleaf pine savanna communities, upland woodlands and wet pine flatwoods, occur in Louisiana. Because these communities differ in soil profiles, hydrology, topography, and floral composition and diversity, the objective of this study was to determine how bee diversity and composition differed between them. We surveyed three upland woodlands and one flatwood site over a four year period. Our results indicated higher richness and abundance of bees in uplands compared to the wet flatwood. Upland sites consistently contained about 10 more species and 2.5 times as many individuals. Rarefaction curves indicated similar to higher rates of species accumulation of upland sites compared to the wet site. Similarity in species composition was higher between upland sites than between uplands and the wet site. Differences in diversity are discussed in relation to differences between savanna types, age and size of preserves, and fire management. Size of the preserve appeared to be less important than flor...
Decline as a Phenomenon in Forests: Pathological and Ecological Considerations

Forest decline is a popular topic of the 1980s. Forest and tree decline was likewise a popular topic 20 to 30 years ago. What is forest decline and what makes it a popular topic at certain points in time and a neglected topic at others? This paper will attempt to provide some perspective on the decline topic by comparing and contrasting various concepts of decline. Forest decline and acidic deposition are often drawn together. An understanding of the possible role of acidic deposition as a causal factor in forest decline can only come from consideration of the interactions of acidic deposition with other biotic and environmental factors on tree health.
Gene activation of alcohol dehydrogenase in danio hybrids

The regulation of alleles encoding the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was investigated in F1Brachydanio hybrids (zebra danio female x spotted danio male) by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both parental species showed a single, cathodal band of species-specific ADH. During development at 26 degrees C, hybrid fry showed a preferential activation of the maternally derived Adh allele. It is suggested that the low activity of the paternally derived allele may result from an incompatibility between maternal regulatory factors and the paternal regulative element controlling gene expression.
Optimal solar radiation sensor network design using spatial and geostatistical analyses

A methodology for optimal ground-based sensor network design for an evapotranspiration (ET) estimation method which uses solar radiation as the only parameter is developed and evaluated in this study. The methodology employs geospatial analyses and a geostatistical approach, and data from ground-based sensors and satellite-based estimates of solar insolation (i.e. total amount of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area during a given time) considering the spatial variability of the data. The applicability of the methodology is demonstrated by using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-estimated and 29 ground sensor-based observed solar insolation data in the South Florida region of the USA. Results indicate that the optimal design of network depends on the spatial variability of insolation, analysis block size defined based on region-specific radiation characteristics, and the standard error used as a metric of network estimation accuracy.
Nest Site Selection by Northern Goshawks in Northern New Jersey and Southeastern New York

Vegetational and topographical factors of22 nest sites of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) were compared to random forest plots. Goshawks selected sites with greater basal area, fewer saplings, and significantly greater numbers of trees 20 to 40 cm in diameter. The relative dominance and relative density of oak (Quercus spp.) was significantly less at nest sites whereas that of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) was significantly greater. Goshawks did not use southern slopes for nesting and nests were often found at higher elevations than random sites. Nest sites were significantly further from human habitation, but were significantly closer to swamps and woods roads (or discernable trails) than random sites. Despite the significant preference for conifers in the nest sites, deciduous hardwoods were more often used as nest trees (82%) with American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and black birch (Betula lenta) being used more than expected.
Spacecraft State-of-health (SOH) Analysis via Data Mining.

Spacecraft state-of-health (SOH) analysis typically consists of limit-checking to compare incoming measurand values against their predetermined limits. While useful, this approach requires significant engineering insight along with the ability to evolve limit values over time as components degrade and their operating environment changes. In addition, it fails to take into account the effects of measurand combinations, as multiple values together could signify an imminent problem. A more powerful approach is to apply data mining techniques to uncover hidden trends and patterns as well as interactions among groups of measurands. In an internal research and development effort, software engineers at Sandia National Laboratories explored ways to mine SOH data from a remote sensing spacecraft. Because our spacecraft uses variable sample rates and packetized telemetry to transmit values for 30,000 measurands across 700 unique packet IDs, our data is characterized by a wide disparity of time and value pairs. We discuss how we summarized and aligned this data to be efficiently applied to data mining algorithms. We apply supervised learning including decision tree and principal component analysis and unsupervised learning including kmeans and orthogonal partitioning clustering and one-class support vector machine to four different spacecraft SOH scenarios after the data preprocessing step. Our experiment results show that data mining is a very good low-cost and high-payoff approach to SOH analysis and provides an excellent way to exploit vast quantities of time-series data among groups of measurands in different scenarios. Our scenarios show that the supervised cases were particularly useful in identifying key contributors to anomalous events, and the unsupervised cases were well-suited for automated analysis of the system as a whole. The developed underlying models can be updated over time to accurately represent a changing operating environment and ultimately to extend the mission lifetime of our valuable space assets.
Arylsilanated SiOx Surfaces for Mild and Simple Two-Step Click Functionalization with Small Molecules and Oligonucleotides

The conversion of surface-bound aminophenyl groups to azidophenyl moieties on SiOx surfaces was investigated as part of a mild, simple two-step strategy for “click”-based” surface functionalization with acetylene-functionalized reagents. Small terminal alkynes (phenylacetylene, 1-hexyne) and acetylene-modified single-stranded DNA 20-mers (T20) were then used as model compounds to test the efficiency of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. The identities of surface species were verified, and their coverages were quantified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the C 1s, N 1s, F 1s, Cl 2p, and P 2p regions. Depending on conditions, the yield of the azidification was in the 30–90% range, and the efficiency of triazole formation depended significantly on the rigidity of the acetylene reactant. Vibrational sum frequency generation was applied to probe the C–H stretching region and test the platform’s viability for minimizing spectral interference in the C–H stretching region. Fluorescence spectroscopy w...
Maturity Enhancements for Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research

Efforts directed at enhancing and maturing NASA Langley Research Center's Airspace and Traffic Operations Simulation (ATOS) and Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research (ASTOR) software frameworks are described. ATOS and ASTOR were created to explore future concepts for air traffic management in the national airspace, commonly referred to as Next Generation Air Transportation Systems (NextGen). This software allows for multiple aircraft, both manually controlled and autonomously controlled, to be simulated during airport operations including phases such as approach and departure, landing and takeoff, and taxi and ground movement. This simulation can be used to study the effects of modification to traffic patterns, runway usage, separation constraints, traffic management strategy, technology infusion, and uninhabited air vehicle integration. Specific enhancements addressed development of a dual-crew research station, increased surface operation capability, expanded cockpit view scenery, and improved ground handling model characteristics. The goal is to develop NextGen concepts that will provide high capacity and efficient air operations with enhanced safety and reduced risk in the national airspace system.
Who Punishes Whom? Bifurcation of Private and Public Responsibilities in Criminal Punishment

AbstractWho holds the legitimate right to punish criminals? While previous work has identified several factors that influence states’ decisions to delegate punishment duties to the private sector, it has not considered variation in the level of security required to implement the punishment. Delegating coercive power challenges commonly held assumptions about the appropriate locus of coercive power, and resistance is likely to be strongest when delegating highly secure services that require the greatest levels of physical coercion. Using data on American adult correctional facilities from 1990 to 2005, this article describes the current bifurcation of correctional contracting, wherein private contractors house increasing numbers of inmates in less secure correctional settings (e.g., low-security, community-based facilities) and public authorities retain near-monopoly control over inmates in highly secure settings (i.e., medium- and maximum-security prisons). Multinomial regression analyses reveal that stat...
Calcium-Induced Molecular and Structural Signaling in Striated Muscle Contraction

Regulation of contraction in vertebrate striated muscle is linked to the thin filament. The initial and critical step in activation is the binding of regulatory Ca2+ to specific sites in troponin. This binding triggers a series of protein-protein interactions which in turn induce structural changes in the proteins and lead to a cyclic interaction between actin and force-generating myosin crossbridge. These molecular interactions are dependent upon transduction of the initial Ca2+ signal along the thin filament. The transduction mechanism is viewed as a component of the overall contractile mechanism.
Tuberculosis infection after humanitarian assistance, Guantanamo Bay, 1995.

Upon redeployment to Fort Lewis, Washington, from Operation Sea Signal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 5% of a military police unit was identified as positive for purified protein derivative (PPD). A case-control study was conducted to document the number of converters and to identify risk factors among the soldiers for PPD conversion while in Cuba. Forty-six of the soldiers (3.7% of the unit) met the criteria for PPD conversion as a result of deployment. Forty-four converters and 84 controls completed surveys. Logistic regression showed that statistically significant independent risk factors for PPD conversion included working around coughing migrants (odds ratio [OR] = 6.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2-20.4) and birthplace outside the United States (OR = 4.89, CI = 1.3-18.5). Contact in the psychiatric hospital (OR = 0.22, CI = 0.05-0.90) and contact with migrants with known tuberculosis (OR = 0.16, CI = 0.05-0.54) appeared to be protective factors, possibly because known tuberculosis patients and hospitalized patients most likely would be on treatment and rendered noninfectious. With the U.S. military's involvement in humanitarian and refugee operations in countries highly endemic for tuberculosis, service members are at increased risk of acquiring tuberculosis infection. Detection of tuberculosis infection and appropriate treatment should become a higher priority within the U.S. military.
Undergraduate Mathematics for the Life Sciences: Planning for the Long Term

Bates College offered its first mathematical biology course in 1995. Over time, the student population and involvement of faculty have changed. Our recent redesign process yields suggestions for any mathematical biology course in its early years. We share those suggestions with you in this essay.
The Science of Implicit Bias and Implications for Policing

Through implicit biases, we link individuals to the stereotypes associated with their group(s); this can occur automatically and outside conscious awareness. A subset of the voluminous body of research on implicit biases looks at which groups that society links to street crime, aggression, and violence. The implicit association between African Americans and crime—the “Black-Crime implicit bias”—can lead individuals to be more likely to perceive ambiguous actions on the part of African Americans, versus Caucasians, as threatening. Such an association could lead to over-vigilance with racial/ethnic minorities on the part of police. Society links other groups—such as women, Asians, the elderly—to noncrime, nonviolence; such associations could lead to under-vigilance on the part of police. Some laboratory research, including some using police as subjects, has affirmed over-vigilance with racial/ethnic minorities, men and Muslims and under-vigilance with groups, such as Caucasians and women. Although researchers have affirmed over and over again, the widespread existence of implicit biases in modern humans, those same researchers have also identified ways that individuals can reduce and manage their biases. As examples, positive contact with individuals who are different from us, as well as exposure to counterstereotypes, can reduce our biases. The counter-stereotype debiasing mechanism has important implications for how use-of-force training can reduce manifestation of human biases in those often split-second use-of-force decisions.
A ferroelectric loop tracer and its applications

In the usual technique for the display of ferroelectric hysteresis loops, the specimen is excited from a sinusoidal a.c. voltage source, signals proportional to D and E are derived and these are respectively applied to the vertical and horizontal deflection plates of a cathode ray oscilloscope. Ordinarily, the frequency of excitation is 60 c.p.s., the choice being purely one of convenience. Actually, it would be preferable to obtain a plot of the quasi-static loop except where one is specifically interested in frequency dependent hysteresis effects. Quasi-static loops can be obtained by a point by point ballistic method, but this is a tedious procedure and there is always the uncertainty in distinguishing between the effects of the polarization current and the conduction current.
The Role of Risk in Strategy

The previous chapters have examined the ways in which risk management can go wrong, often under the influence of human factors that overwhelm procedural approaches to risk. What remains is to discuss potential solutions—ways of approaching risk that offer better opportunities to deal with the potential dangers.
Assessing high school students’ understanding of geometric proof

Abstract Although proof and reasoning are seen as fundamental components of learning mathematics, research shows that students continue to struggle with understanding geometric proofs. In an exploratory study, we investigated two components of students’ understanding—their agreement with principles of proof understanding and their ability to construct proofs. This study focused on the development of two instruments for gathering information regarding these two components. Outcomes of the study include a ‘Proof Principles Questionnaire’ and a ‘Proof Construction Assessment.’ Data generated by these instruments indicate that students may not be well aware of the internal logic requirements of formal proofs. Although students agree that proofs must be general, they are easily swayed by arguments based on a finite number of examples. Some students claim that a prototypical example is sufficient for satisfying generality requirements. In terms of proof‐construction ability, students performed best on fill‐in t...
Impedance-to-scattering matrix method for large silencer analysis using direct collocation

Abstract Large silencers used in industry usually have a very large cross section at the inlet and outlet. Higher-order modes will populate the inlet and outlet even at very low frequencies. A three-dimensional analysis tool, such as the finite element method or the boundary element method, must incorporate certain forms of modal expansion in order to consider the higher-order modes in the transmission loss computation. In this paper, the impedance matrix obtained from the sub-structured boundary element method is converted into the scattering matrix that relates the higher-order modes. Since there are always more boundary elements at the inlet and outlet than the total number of propagating modes, a least-squares procedure is used to convert the element-based impedance matrix into the modal expansion-based scattering matrix. The transmission loss of the silencer can then be computed from the scattering matrix if a certain form of the incident wave is assumed. Furthermore, a slightly rearranged form of the scattering matrix may also be used to combine subsystems in series connection.
Preliminary efficacy of a brief family intervention to prevent declining quality of life secondary to parental bone marrow transplantation

The primary purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a brief, cost-effective family-focused intervention to promote adaptive coping and quality of life throughout a parent's bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Targeted outcomes were cohesion, decreased use of avoidance coping, open communication and effective management of emotional distress. Participants included an intervention group of 31 families and 29 families in a control group who received usual care. Each family included the BMT recipient, a partner/caregiver and children 10-18 years old. The intervention included two dyadic sessions for the BMT recipient and the partner/caregiver, one individual session for the caregiver and two digital video discs (DVDs) for children. Statistical analyses indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on at least one aspect of the adaptation of each family member. Caregivers reported the most distress but benefitted least from the intervention, whereas recipients and children reported improvement in distress. Ratings of satisfaction/acceptability were high, with 97% responding that they would recommend the intervention to others. Plans for future research include increased intervention intensity for the caregiver, a larger more diverse sample and implementation over an extended period post BMT.
Analysis of multisource data establishes wide-ranging antecedents of youth suicide in England

ABSTRACT FROM: Rodway C, Tham S, Ibrahim S, et al . Suicide in children and young people in England: a consecutive case series. Lancet Psychiatry 2016;3:751–59. Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people worldwide and an international public health concern.1 While research has established common risk factors that may serve as key components of suicide prevention strategies (eg, past suicidal behaviour, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse), little is known about specific antecedents of youth suicide. Knowing what factors precede youth suicide can help frame targets for intervention and identify promising sites for suicide prevention. The authors collected data from the Office for National Statistics about people aged 10–19 years who died by suicide in England or were a resident of England. The researchers took a novel approach in analyzing suicide deaths reported between 1 January 2014 and 30 April 2015 by multiagency sources such as coroners, police and …
Hospital readmissions in decompensated cirrhotics: Factors pointing toward a prevention strategy.

Hospital readmissions in decompensated cirrhotics: Factors pointing toward a prevention strategy
Oil-paper insulation characteristic and maintenance measures of oil-immersed transformer in cold environment

This paper highlights the operating performance of oil-immersed transformer in extreme cold environment along with the researches on the moisture variations in oil-paper insulation system and its effects on transformer caused by ambient temperature. As one of the main factors that affect the electric strength of oil-paper insulation, the effects of moisture on electric strength for oil and oil immersed paperboard are experimental studied, as well as the researches of moisture transfer rule between oil and paperboard caused by the variation in temperature. The experimental results showed that along with the decreasing of operating temperature, the electric strength of oil-paper insulation reduces first and then increase, with an extreme value occurs at the temperature between −10 °C and −0 °C and so as to the low temperature breakdown characteristics or partial discharge (PD) inception voltage characteristics is generally changing as a U-shaped curve. Moreover, the water solubility in transformer oil decreases and the precipitated water unevenly distributed in transformer oil which lead to the dispensability of insulation strength. After the investigating on the problem may appear while transformer operating in an extreme cold environment, maintenance measures are proposed aim to method of cold start, and avoiding oil spills, oil plug, stop of moving components at low temperature.
Kinetics of CO+ and CO2+ with N and O atoms

We have measured reaction rate constants for CO+ and CO2+ reacting with N and O atoms using a selected ion flow tube apparatus equipped with a microwave discharge atom source. Experimental work was supplemented by molecular structure calculations. Calculated pathways show the sensitivity of kinetic barriers to theoretical methods and imply that high-level ab initio methods are required for accurate energetics. We report room-temperature rate constants of 1.0 ± 0.4 × 10−11 cm3 s−1 and 4.0 ± 1.6 × 10−11 cm3 s−1 for the reactions of CO+ with N and O atoms, respectively, and 8.0 ± 3.0 × 10−12 cm3 s−1 and 2.0 ± 0.8 × 10−11 cm3 s−1 for the reactions of CO2+ with N and O atoms, respectively. The reaction of CO2+ + O is observed to yield O2+ exclusively. These values help resolve discrepancies in the literature and are important for modeling of the Martian atmosphere.
Double Carina: A Novel Tracheo-Bronchial Anomaly Found During a Pediatric Airway Evaluation:

Objectives:To present a novel pediatric airway anomaly encountered on direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy, further characterized with computed tomography imaging of the chest.Study Design:Case rep...
THE AER2 RECEPTOR FROM VIBRIO CHOLERAE IS A DUAL PAS-HEME OXYGEN SENSOR.

The diarrheal pathogen Vibrio cholerae navigates complex environments using three chemosensory systems and 44-45 chemoreceptors. Chemosensory cluster II modulates chemotaxis, whereas clusters I and III have unknown functions. Ligands have been identified for only five V. cholerae chemoreceptors. Here we report that the cluster III receptor, VcAer2, binds and responds to O2 . VcAer2 is an ortholog of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aer2 (PaAer2), but differs in that VcAer2 has two, rather than one, N-terminal PAS domain. We have determined that both PAS1 and PAS2 form homodimers and bind penta-coordinate b-type heme via an Eη-His residue. Heme binding to PAS1 required the entire PAS core, but receptor function also required the N-terminal cap. PAS2 functioned as an O2 -sensor [Kd(O2) , 19 μM], utilizing the same Iβ Trp (W276) as PaAer2 to stabilize O2 . The crystal structure of PAS2-W276L was similar to that of PaAer2-PAS, but resided in an active conformation mimicking the ligand-bound state, consistent with its signal-on phenotype. PAS1 also bound O2 [Kd(O2), 12 μM], although O2 binding was stabilized by either a Trp or Tyr residue. Moreover, PAS1 appeared to function as a signal modulator, regulating O2 -mediated signaling from PAS2, and resulting in activation of the cluster III chemosensory pathway. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Pulmonary Decision Rules and COPD

Evidence-based algorithms for the evaluation of pulmonary embolism, community-acquired pneumonia, and more!
Life Detection-Past and Present

In this chapter we go beyond the search for geoindicators and biosignatures that might point to the presence of life, with the specific aim of detecting and confirming the presence of life. First, we review the results and interpretations of the Viking mission—the only life detection experiment ever conducted on another planetary body to date. We also examine the claim of fossilized life in the Martian meteorite ALH84001, which is instructive for the problematic issue of what evidence constitutes a positive detection of extraterrestrial life. Finally, we will provide a brief overview on the development of current life detection methods and their likely implementation.
Stability of DDT in foods and feeds, transformation in cooking and food processing, removal during food and feed processing

Since pesticides are widely used during the production of raw agricultural commodities, it is evident that pesticide residues may exist on these products at the time of harvest. Continuous surveillance of these residues is ongoing in the United States and throughout the world for the protection of the public health.
Racial and social disparities on aggressiveness of end-of-life cancer care in a rural academic center.

e18063Background: Aggressive cancer care at the end of life (EOL) can impact quality of life and have major economic burden. The purpose of this study was to determine the aggressiveness of EOL can...
From Intention to Action: Nurses as Policy Advocates for Asthma Care in Schools:

Nurses are familiar with policy at the federal, state, local, and institutional levels, but drafting a policy memo might be new to some. School nurses may have an interest in writing a health policy memo on their own, with colleagues, as part of a nursing organization, or with students who are interested in learning about policy development, school health, and safety. The intention of writing a policy memo is to offer a concisely written analysis of an issue, including background, landscape, and available options, along with recommendations for action to persons in authority, such as congressmen, senators, local officials, or school boards. The first section of this article serves as an exemplar of a policy memo, using the public health topic of asthma. Next, the article focuses on barriers to policy development for this condition in schools and offers selected strategies to address those barriers. While a discourse concerning barriers is not a typical component of a policy memo, this section shows how school nurses can draw on evidence to consider the best way to make positive change. To construct a sturdy argument for change, school nurses need to appreciate potential counterarguments, which is why this exemplar is included.
Rational Inattention as an Empirical Framework: Application to the Welfare Effects of New-Product Introduction

Conventional discrete-choice models of demand with fully informed consumers mechanically predict an increase in consumer welfare whenever more alternatives are added to the choice set. When consumers face incomplete information about choice alternatives, the addition of a new alternative could reduce the chance of selecting a superior option, creating ambiguous ex post welfare implications. This paper develops a novel empirical framework of discrete choice and consumer-welfare evaluation based on rational inattention, in which consumers form subjective prior beliefs about products and engage in costly product research to resolve some of the uncertainty prior to purchase. A case study on the introduction of Tide Pods laundry detergent into the market finds the launch of the new product reduced average consumer welfare. Counterfactual experiments suggest Tide would need to lower its Pods price by 6%-7% to restore the average consumer’s pre-launch welfare, and lowering the cost of acquiring information would lead consumers to switch away from choosing the highly priced new Pods products.
Treatment patterns and survival outcomes for patients receiving second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in the USA

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the USA. It is important to identify patients who may experience poor outcomes from available treatments. In this retrospective observational study, treatment patterns and survival outcomes were described among adult patients from the Flatiron Health electronic medical records database who were treated with at least two lines of therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer in the USA between January 2013 and May 2018. Patients with rapid progression were defined as those whose time from start of first- to second-line therapy was ≤ 183 days. A total of 14,315 patients formed the study cohort. The most common first-line treatments were FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) plus bevacizumab, received by 34.7% (n = 4962) of patients, followed by FOLFOX alone (17.1%, n = 2445). Of all patients, 6991 (48.9%) also received second-line anti-cancer therapy and of those, 3338 (47.7%) had rapid progression and 3653 (52.3%) did not. Median overall survival from the start of first- and second-line therapy was 20.8 months (95% CI 20.2–21.3) and 14.5 months (95% CI 13.9–15.0) for the entire study population, respectively. Median overall survival from the start of second-line therapy was 14.1 (95% CI 13.2–14.8) for patients with rapid progression and 14.6 months (95% CI 13.8–15.4) for patients without rapid progression. Patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer lived less than 2 years in this real-world database. While the time to initiation of second-line therapy was by definition longer among patients without rapidly progressing disease, survival outcomes were comparable from initiation of second-line therapy.
Psychiatric Manifestations With Sacubitril/Valsartan: A Case Report

Sacubitril/valsartan is an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor approved for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Valsartan is well studied, but sacubitril has much left to understand. This report describes a 31-year-old African American female diagnosed with HFrEF who presented with a 7-day history of psychiatric symptoms following a dose increase in sacubitril/valsartan. Prior to the dose increase, the patient had no history of psychiatric diagnoses, but upon hospital presentation, family described instances of confabulation, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, and sleep disturbances. Laboratory tests were unremarkable, ruling out infectious processes and illicit substance use. However, cranial computed tomography scans depicted intracranial volume loss abnormal for age with commensurate mild ventricular enlargement. Sacubitril/valsartan was discontinued inpatient, symptoms resolved, and the medication intolerance was documented. Clinical trials involving sacubitril/valsartan lack systematic documentation of cognitive symptoms, but active studies exploring the role of neprilysin inhibition may expand knowledge of possible psychiatric adverse effects.
Managing Exploratory Units in Academic Libraries

This article describes the role of exploratory teams in leading radical innovation within academic libraries, empirically expanding on Jantz’s research on the managerial and environmental condition...
Beyond geometric complexity: a critical review of complexity theory and how it relates to architecture engineering and construction

The wide application of digital design, the advances of digital fabrication and robotic processes have facilitated the materialization of bespoke geometries. In turn it has raised the issue of how ...
Behavioral Tolerance (Contingent Tolerance) isMediated in Part by Variations in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow

Concepts and experimental results taken frombehavioral pharmacology, functional brain imaging,brain physiology, and behavioral neuroscience, wereused to develop the hypothesis that behavioraltolerance can, in part, be attributed to cellulartolerance. It is argued that task specific activationof circumscribed neuronal populations gives rise tocorresponding increases in regional cerebral bloodflow such that neurons related to task performance areexposed to higher effective doses of blood-borne drugthan neuronal groups not highly activated by thebehavioral task. Through this cerebral hemodynamicregulatory mechanism cellular tolerance phenomena canat least partially account for behavioral tolerance(i.e., tolerance conferred through drugged practice).
Rab27a plays a dual role in metastatic propensity of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy, often diagnosed at metastatic stages. Several studies have implicated systemic factors, such as extracellular vesicle release and myeloid cell expansion, in the establishment of pre-metastatic niches in cancer. The Rab27a GTPase is overexpressed in advanced cancers, can regulate vesicle trafficking, and has been previously linked to non-cell autonomous control of tumor growth and metastasis, however, the role of Rab27a itself in the metastatic propensity of pancreatic cancer is not well understood. Here, we have established a model to study how Rab27a directs formation of the pre-metastatic niche. Loss of Rab27a in pancreatic cancer cells did not decrease tumor growth in vivo, but resulted in altered systemic myeloid cell expansion, both in the primary tumors and at the distant organ sites. In metastasis assays, loss of Rab27a expression in tumor cells injected into circulation compromised efficient outgrowth of metastatic lesions. However, Rab27a knockdown cells had an unexpected advantage at initial steps of metastatic seeding, suggesting that Rab27a may alter cell-autonomous invasive properties of the tumor cells. Gene expression analysis of gene expression revealed that downregulation of Rab27a increased expression of genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition pathways, consistent with our findings that primary tumors arising from Rab27a knockdown cells were more invasive. Overall, these data reveal that Rab27a can play divergent roles in regulating pro-metastatic propensity of pancreatic cancer cells: by generating pro-metastatic environment at the distant organ sites, and by suppressing invasive properties of the cancer cells.
Criteria for Determining District Boundaries

The technical processes of redrawing districts or reallocating seats among districts has always been relatively simple, but it has become even easier in most nations because of technological advances and improved data. The greatest difficulty, however, is political. Even the simplest change necessarily affects two or more districts, meaning two or more incumbents and potential election outcomes.
Synthetic cannabinoids induce acute lung inflammation via cannabinoid receptor 1 activation.

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) induce a pro-inflammatory condition by activating cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in the lungs of mice, which raises a potential therapeutic use of CB1R antagonists in SC-induced lung disease resulting in hospitalisation https://bit.ly/31bWw4Q.
Discovering plasmids in metagenomes based on genetic architecture

Plasmids play a critical role in rapid bacterial adaptation by encoding accessory functions that may increase the host9s fitness. However, the diversity and ecology of plasmids is poorly understood due to computational and experimental challenges in plasmid identification. Here, we report the Plasmid Classification System (PCS), a machine learning classifier that recognizes plasmid sequences based on gene functions. To train PCS, we performed a large-scale discovery and comparison of gene functions in a reference set of >16,000 plasmids and >14,000 chromosomes. PCS accurately recognizes a diverse range of plasmid subtypes, and it outperforms the previous state-of-the-art approach based on k-mer decomposition of sequences. Armed with this model, we conducted, to our knowledge, the largest search for naturally occurring human gut plasmids in 406 publicly available metagenomes representing 5 countries. This search yielded 6,257 high-confidence predicted plasmids, of which 576 had evidence of a circular conformation based on pair-end mapping. These predicted plasmids were found to be highly prevalent across the metagenomes compared to the reference set of known plasmids, suggesting there is extensive and uncharacterized plasmid diversity in the human gut microbiome.
Black women and COVID-19: The need for targeted mental health research and practice

COVID-19 has significantly impacted a substantial number of Black Americans. Black women, in particular, are facing challenges financially, physically, and mentally during this unprecedented time. Between serving as frontline workers, being concerned about contracting the virus, contributing to their families financially, and worrying about their loved ones' health, Black women are experiencing great strain on their mental health and well-being. These stressors illustrate the need for social work researchers and practitioners to address Black women's mental health. This paper presents our reflections, experiences, and response to COVID-19 as Black women and scholars. Guided by our reflections and personal experiences, we put forth suggestions and reflexive thoughts for social work researchers and practitioners to prioritize Black women's mental health during and after these unprecedented times.
Ansatz zur Festigkeitsbewertung von Großmotorventilen durch Simulation der Ventilsekundärdynamik

Ladungswechselventile von Grosmotoren konnen eine stark ausgepragte Sekundardynamik in Form einer Biegeschwingung des Ventilschaftes wahrend der Offnungsphase aufweisen. Experimentelle Befunde zeigen, dass die Biegung der Ventile aus einer erheblichen Krafteinwirkung auf diese resultiert. Aus den grosen Auslenkungen des Ventils resultiert ein unsymmetrisches Aufsetzen der Ventile auf dem Ventilsitzring. Dies fuhrt zu grosen Lasten in der Ventilhohlkehle. Bisherige Mehrkorpersimulationsmodelle des Ventiltriebs zur Auslegung der Nockenkontur beinhalten lediglich eine axiale Steifigkeit des Ventils. Dem gegenuber liegt der Fokus in der vorgestellten Arbeit auf der Abbildung der Sekundardynamik der Ventile um die vorliegenden Lasten fur die nachfolgende Festigkeitsbewertung bestimmen zu konnen. Dazu wird ein Einzelventilmodell mit einer umfassenderen Modellierungstiefe aufgebaut.
WITNESSING LIKE A USER: MOBILE NOTIFICATIONS AND THE LAYERED CONSTRUCTION OF MEDIATIZED TERRORISM

This paper study the imbrication of data-driven devices and platform infrastructures and the mediatized construction of terrorist attacks. It analyzes the role of smartphone push notifications and technical affordances of “layering” media across diverse media devices and platforms in users’ mediatized life (e.g. screenshotting a tweet, posting it to Facebook, and users’ commenting on the post), and these platform and device features role in co-constructing terrorist attacks as datafied media events along with mobile media posts and reactions by users and formal news accounts and aggregations by media outlets. Using a data collection framework that logs screenshots of participants’ mobile media devices every five seconds over the course of longitudinal studies, I qualitatively observe screenshots capturing the mobile media usage of 16 subjects from late May to late June 2017, including media relating to two terrorist attacks in the UK. This paper illustrates the role of mobile device and datafied platform features in the sparking of mediatized microrituals and the broader construction of terrorist attacks as datafied media events. It also highlights the layering of mediatization, wherein the above-mentioned interface elements often migrate with a given media object across platforms within a single mobile environment on the user-end, and as it is layered with the users’ in-person contexts beyond the screen. The study of mediatized terrorism, therefore, must be understood across these layers, necessitating further empirical exploration and conceptual development.