cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Citric acid-enhanced Helicobacter pylori urease activity in vivo is unrelated to gastric emptying.

Background: In a previous study, the use of a citric acid test meal produced a rapid dose-dependent increase in urease activity that was significantly greater than that resulting from a pudding meal, ascorbic acid or sodium citrate. The mechanism was hypothesized to be related to the ability of citric acid to delay gastric emptying and possibly to enhance intragastric distribution of the urea. Objective: To compare the effects of sodium citrate, two doses of citric acid and a pudding meal on gastric motor function. Method: Eleven normal healthy volunteers were investigated using non-invasive techniques to measure gastric emptying and gastric motility. We evaluated gastric emptying using the Meretek 13Ceebiscuit solid phase gastric emptying breath test, which employs a 340-calorie biscuit containing 200 mg of the edible 13C-blue–green alga Spirulina platensis, after the administration of test meals of pudding, 2 g and 4 g of citric acid and 2 g of sodium citrate. Electrogastrograms (Digitrapper EGG) were also recorded for 30 min before and 180 min after the test meal. Results: Gastric emptying, as assessed by the half-time (T1/2), was delayed similarly with the pudding (136.8 ± 9 min) and with 4 g of citric acid (144.5 ± 7 min) (P > 0.7). Sodium citrate (108.7 ± 6 min) and 2 g of citric acid (110.1 ± 6 min) had similar effects on gastric emptying (P=0.986), and were significantly less effective in delaying gastric emptying (P < 0.01) compared to pudding or 4 g of citric acid. The electrogastrograms remained normal and there were no differences among meals and no relation with the gastric emptying results. Conclusions: The increased intragastric urea hydrolysis associated with citric acid test meals cannot be attributed to delayed gastric emptying. Changes in the intragastric distribution of urea or a direct effect of citric acid on the bacteria (e.g. via the cytoplasmic protein, UreI) are more likely to be responsible.
A stochastic model for cancer risk

We propose a simple stochastic model based on the two successive mutations hypothesis to compute cancer risks. Assume that only stem cells are susceptible to the first mutation and that there are a total of D stem cell divisions over the lifetime of the tissue with a first mutation probability μ1 per division. Our model predicts that cancer risk will be low if m = μ1D is low even in the case of very advantageous mutations. Moreover, if μ1D is low the mutation probability of the second mutation is practically irrelevant to the cancer risk. These results are in contrast with existing models but in agreement with a conjecture of Cairns. In the case where m is large our model predicts that the cancer risk depends crucially on whether the first mutation is advantageous or not. A disadvantageous or neutral mutation makes the risk of cancer drop dramatically.
Virtual glioblastoma: growth, migration and treatment in a three-dimensional mathematical model.

Objectives : Glioblastomas are aggressive primary brain cancers that are characterized by extensive infiltration into the brain and are highly resistant to treatment. Through mathematical modelling, we model the process of invasion and predict the relative importance of mechanisms contributing to malignant invasion. Clinically, we predict patterns of tumour recurrence following various modes of therapeutic intervention. Materials and methods : Our mathematical model uses a realistic three-dimensional brain geometry and considers migrating and proliferating cells as separate classes. Several mechanisms for infiltrative migration are considered. Methods are developed for simulating surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Results : The model provides clinically realistic predictions of tumour growth and recurrence following therapeutic intervention. Specific results include (i) invasiveness is governed largely by the ability of glioblastoma cells to degrade and migrate through the extracellular matrix and the ability of single migrating cells to form colonies; (ii) tumours originating deeper in the brain generally grow more quickly than those of superficial origin; (iii) upon surgery, the margins and geometry of resection significantly determine the extent and pattern of postoperative recurrence; (iv) radiotherapy works synergistically with greater resection margins to reduce recurrence; (v) simulations in both two- and three-dimensional geometries give qualitatively similar results; and (vi) in an actual clinical case comprising several surgical interventions, the model provides good qualitative agreement between the simulated and observed course of the disease. Conclusions : The model provides a useful initial framework by which biological mechanisms of invasion and efficacy of potential treatment regimens may be assessed.
Light and electron microscopic cytochemistry of glycoconjugates in the rectosigmoid colonic epithelium of the mouse and rat

The several cell types in mouse and rat rectosigmoid colon have been examined with light and electron microscopic methods for localizing and characterizing complex carbohydrates. Mucous cells, also termed vacuolated cells, and goblet cells comprised most of the deep crypt epithelium in both species, and absorptive columnar cells and goblet cells mainly populated the more superficial epithelium of the upper crypts and main lumen. Occasional tuft cells and enteroendocrine cells were also encountered. Transitional cells structurally intermediate between mucous cells and absorptive cells contained granules characteristic of mucous cells and vesicles like those of columnar absorptive cells. These intermediate cells supported the concept of replacement of mucous by absorptive cells through transformation of mucous into absorptive cells. The intermediate cells also contained numerous lysosomes often in apparent fusion with mucous granules, indicating crinophagic disposal of mucous granules as a mechanism in the cell transformation. Glycoconjugate in absorptive cell vesicles resembled that coating the apical plasmalemma and appeared to represent the source of the glycocalyx of the brush border. Complex carbohydrate in these vesicles differed cytochemically from that of the mucous cell granules, which release their content into the crypt lumen. The absorptive cell vesicles, therefore, constitute an organelle distinct from the mucous cell granules rather than an atrophic form of the latter in a more mature cell. Goblet cells differed in failing to transform morphologically with age but changed in the cytochemical characteristic of their secretion during migration up the crypts. Terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues diminished, while terminal sialic acid-galactose dimers increased during the upward migration, indicating activation of glycosyl transferase synthesis in relation to goblet cell maturation. Glycoconjugate in secretion of mucous cell granules differed markedly from that in goblet cell granules, and content of both organelles differed from that of absorptive cell vesicles. However, secretion in mucous cell granules appeared generally similar for mice and rats with minor exceptions, and secretion in goblets of mice generally resembled that in goblets of rats. Cells interpreted tentatively as Kulchitsky cells stained for high content of fucose with the Ulex europeus I lectin. Globoid leukocytes infiltrating the epithelium of the rat but not the mouse rectosigmoid colon resembled globoid leukocytes in rat tracheal epithelium and, like the latter, appeared to derive from mast cells.
School Tobacco Control Policies Related to Students’ Smoking and Attitudes Toward Smoking: National Survey Results, 1999-2000:

The belief that schools can play a powerful role in preventing tobacco use among adolescents has led to the implementation of various tobacco-related polices and practices. This study examines the association between school policies regarding monitoring student behavior, severity of action taken for infraction of policies, and tobacco use by staff, and student smoking behavior and attitudes. Data on students’ smoking behavior and attitudes were obtained from the 1999 and 2000 Monitoring the Future surveys of nationally representative samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students. Data on school policies and practices were obtained from administrators in those same schools. Hierarchical analyses using HLM5 were conducted. Strictness of monitoring was significantly negatively associated with daily cigarette use by middle school students. Permitting staff to smoke was significantly positively associated with students’ daily cigarette use and negatively with their disapproval of cigarette use. Policy implic...
A real-time multiple target detecting scheme based on microwave metamaterials

In this paper, we present a novel real-time multiple target detecting scheme using microwave metamaterials (MTMs). By utilizing the frequency-space mapping characteristic of microwave MTMs, we are able to detect multiple targets in real time by simply reading the received spectral components with minimum post-processing that is usually required in conventional radar or imaging systems. The proposed scheme demonstrates an ultrafast, simple, low cost, and low latency architecture for target detection and is very promising to be adapted into any real time radar systems.
Acquisition of diabetes-related biological associations using a motif based network: Preliminary results

Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the US in 2010. There is an urgent need to find effective solutions to prevent and treat diabetes. With the advance in computational technology, computer-aided approaches has attracted much interest given the promising findings been generated accordingly. In this study, we introduced an approach that applied network analysis to reveal novel biological associations for diabetes from a large biological interaction network. In particular, network motif discovery has been performed to identify diabetes relevant motif-based network, from where the diabetes relevant biological associations can be detected via perturbation. The associations identified from this study will not only illustrate possible biological mechanism for diabetes, but also support biomedical application development ultimately, such as drug repositioning.
Application of a methodology to estimate carbon credits for GHG emissions from the processing of biosolids generated at wastewater treatment plant

This paper presents a methodology to estimate carbon credits from greenhouse gas emissions associated with biosolids management activities and applies it to Stickney Water Reclamation Plant (SWRP) in Chicago, USA. Application of the methodology requires the measurement or selection of typical parameters for the organic composition of the biosolids. Anaerobic digestion is commonly used to partially convert biosolids to biogas. Conversion of biosolids to biogas to produce energy is important because it provides the opportunity to gain carbon credits by replacement of energy produced from fossil fuels. Alternately, carbon credits can be gained for land application options that increase soil carbon. Application of this methodology at the SWRP has the potential to generate carbon credits equivalent to approximately 1 M ton [US] of CO2 per year which amounts to a monetary value of 5.4 M US$ at median price of 6 US$ per metric tonne of CO2 for US carbon credits scenario.
The Geography of Currency Consolidation

Like Caesar’s Gaul, the landscape of theoretical approaches to the study of international monetary relations can be divided into three parts. Top-down explanations emphasize the rational choices of state officials seeking to maximize national welfare in the face of varying macroeconomic conditions. Bottom-up explanations emphasize the role of domestic interests as mediated by state institutions in generating national policy preferences. Horizontal explanations generally take the existence of differences in state preferences for granted and focus instead on the relative autonomy of states to act on those interests.
Association Between Symptom Burden and Time to Hospitalization, Nursing Home Placement, and Death Among the Chronically Ill Urban Homebound.

Abstract Context Homebound adults experience significant symptom burden. Objectives To examine demographic and clinical characteristics associated with high symptom burden in the homebound, and to examine associations between symptom burden and time to hospitalization, nursing home placement, and death. Methods Three hundred eighteen patients newly enrolled in the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program, an urban home-based primary care program, were studied. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, symptom burden (measured via the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale), and incidents of hospitalization, nursing home placement, and death were collected via medical chart review. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the effect of high symptom burden on time to first hospitalization, nursing home placement, and death. Results Of the study sample, 45% had severe symptom burden (i.e., Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale score >6 on at least one symptom). Patients with severe symptom burden were younger (82.0 vs. 85.5 years, P P P P P Conclusion The homebound with severe symptom burden represents a unique cohort of patients who are at increased risk of hospitalization. Tailored symptom management via home-based primary and palliative care programs may prevent unnecessary health care utilization in this population.
Serum amylase changes due to antipancreas serum.

SummaryAs determined by an in vitro and an in vivo test, guinea pig pancreas has been found to be antigenic. Its antiserum produced pancreas pathology and serum amylase increases when administered passively to normal guinea pigs.
Conversion of Glycine to Fatty Acids by Adipose Tissue.

SummaryEpididymal adipose tissue was incubated with glycine-1-C14, glycine-2-C14, glyoxylate-1,2-C14, sarcosine-1-C14 and malate-1-C14; CO2 and fatty acids were isolated and analyzed for radioactivity. Glycine-1-C14 was converted to labeled fatty acids to a greater extent than glycine-2-C14. Radioactive acetate, propionate, glyoxylate and succinate were recovered as intermediate products of glycine metabolism. Addition of unlabeled acetate, propionate and glyoxylate reduced conversion of C14-glycine to fatty acids. Results show that glycine can be a precursor in the biosynthesis of fatty acids in adipose tissue. The path of conversion of glycine to fatty acids is discussed.
Pricing an Inflation Swap

An inflation swap is a contract between two counterparties where at maturity sides exchange a pre-specified payment determined by the the inflation rate at inception for a payment determined by the simple rate of return of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from inception to maturity.
Research on the growth and decay of mosquito density and its species forming by two methods

Objective To study the growth and decay of mosquitoes density and the species forming in Nanchang city.Methods Man-attracting and lamp baited trap method.Results It showed that the mosquitoes found belonged to 4 genera 11 species,6 species were of Culex,3 species were of Anopheles,1 species was of Aedes and Armigeres respectively.The Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the predominant species.The average density of the mosquitoes was 38.65 pieces per hour and 1.29 pieces per hour for every yerar by man-attracting and lamp baited trap method respectively.There were two peaks of the density decay,June and November by the man-attracting method.The highest density was appeared in July by the lamp baited trap method.The Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the main species in the difference kinds of environment and there were no significant difference among three difference enviroments.The ratio of the species composition were different in different environment.The Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the predominant species in residuals,parks,hospitals.The Culex tritaeniorhynchus was the predominant species in the farmer house and livestock shed.The density of mosquitoes of livestock shed was the highest among the five kinds of environments.The kind of the species of the mosquitoes caught by the man-attracting method was more than caught by the lamp baited trap method.Conclusion The geographical environment and climatic condition of Nanchang were suitable for the growth of mosquitoes.The peaks of the density of mosquitoes were appeared in June and July.Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the predominant species in Nanchang.
Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Mobilization with Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide Chemotherapy versus Plerixafor-Based Strategies in Patients with Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Abstract Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of chemo-mobilization with ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) ± rituximab with plerixafor-based approaches in lymphoma patients have not been performed. We analyzed hematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization outcomes in lymphoma patients undergoing chemo-mobilization with ICE (n = 35) compared with either routine plerixafor (n = 30) or "just in time" (JIT) plerixafor-based mobilization (n = 33). Chemo-mobilization provided a significantly higher total CD34+ cell yield (median collection, 5.35 × 106 cells/kg for ICE versus 3.15 × 106 cells/kg for routine plerixafor and 3.6 × 106 cells/kg for JIT plerixafor, P
Rab and Arf G proteins in endosomal trafficking and cell surface homeostasis

The dynamics of membrane fusion, fission, cargo sorting and organelle maturation in endosomal membrane systems is regulated by Rab and Arf small G proteins. Defining the regulators, effectors and sites of action for each Rab and Arf will enhance our understanding of how endocytic membrane traffic is orchestrated and functions in differentiated cell types. Recent work has also shown how Rab35 and Arf6 might serve as input sensors for 2 forms of endocytosis to balance membrane trafficking to preserve cell surface homeostasis.
Climate Change and Food Situation

In the face of climate and environmental change, the food sufficiency challenge is more than ever an important issue. This article provides an assessment of the food situation, how it has evolved in recent decades, and how it is likely to change in the future. We provide an overview of how climate and extreme weather events are predicted to change in the future, and summarize the estimated impact of these changes on agriculture. To do so, we first detail the different methods employed by climate change impact assessments, and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. We then review the findings from this literature and provide a range of predicted impacts on agriculture. This article also discusses how the food sector will be affected by climate change mitigation policies, such as clean-energy mandates, agriculture management improvements, carbon pricing, and carbon sequestration measures.
William Scruton, ‘A “Stroller’s” Interview with Charlotte Brontë’ (1851) and ‘Martha Brown’ (1898), in Thornton and the Brontës (Bradford: John Dale, 1898), pp. 124–34, 138

About the middle of April 1851, I found myself one evening at Keighley, without money or friends. The factory I worked at had broken down, and, like most lads, I wandered purposelessly about to kill time. After rambling about the town till nine o’clock at night, the question where should I sleep forced itself upon my attention. Now, I had had at the Mechanics’ Institute of a neighbouring town instruction and practice in reciting pieces, and, spurred on by hunger and the night air, I resolved to turn my abilities in that way to account by going into the various public-houses and offering to recite to the companies I found there, and then going round with the hat. The first house I went into I got sixpence for once reciting, with an offer that if I would stand on my head and sing a song they would double it. I pocketed the copper and the insult and decamped. Yet, fearing I had not enough to pay for a bed, I plucked up courage and tried in another hotel with more success, for one or two of the company assured me that if I waited upon Mr Sam Wild, whose company was then in the town, I should be able to do better than pitching in ‘pubs’. I then sought out lodgings in a common lodging-house. Being well dressed — that is for such lodgings — the inmates treated me very respectfully; and one, a travelling glazier, paid for my supper. In doing this he asked me what I was doing there. I told him, and also the advice I had been given about applying to Wild, and then went to bed. In the morning I found a sad mishap had befallen me — someone had gone off with my boots.
Prosocial behavior increases perceptions of meaning in life

Finding meaning in life is a fundamental personal need, and motivating prosocial behavior is a fundamental societal need. The present research tests whether the two are connected – whether helping ...
Phase-only control of an array pattern: beam shaping and monopulse nulling

Two antenna array phase-only control problems are addressed: the synthesis of a given amplitude pattern and placing deep nulls on all patterns of a monopulse array. The problems are formulated as minimization of multidimensional functionals. Fast iterative numerical methods are reported.
4 anticonvulsant drug regimens had similar efficacies for generalized convulsive status epilepticus

Source Citation Treiman DM, Meyers PD, Walton NY, et al., for the Veterans Affairs Status Epilepticus Cooperative Study Group. A comparison of four treatments for generalized convulsive status epil...
The genome of the cotton bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum strain MSCT1

Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum is a major pathogen of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.. In this study we report the complete genome of the X. citri pv. malvacearum strain MSCT1 assembled from long read DNA sequencing technology. The MSCT1 genome is the first X. citri pv. malvacearum genome with complete coding regions for X. citri pv. malvacearum transcriptional activator-like effectors. In addition functional and structural annotations are presented in this study that will provide a foundation for future pathogenesis studies with MSCT1.
Electrolyte dynamics in reversible metal electrodeposition for dynamic windows

Dynamic windows based on the reversible electrodeposition of metals are the promising alternatives to those based on other technologies such as electrochromic materials. In this article, we use spectroelectrochemistry to study Cu and Pb electrodeposition and dissolution as related to dynamic window electrolytes. The presence of Cl− in the aqueous electrolyte accelerates the deposition and dissolution processes, and leads to the formation of Cu–Cl equilibria that evolve during electrode cycling. The electrolyte only supports reversible metal deposition after cycling, a process known as electrolytic conditioning. We demonstrate that the conditioning process increases the concentration of Cu–Cl complexes in the electrolyte, which facilitates reversible and kinetically facile electrodeposition. The conditioned electrolyte enables the construction of 25 cm2 dynamic windows harnessing reversible metal electrodeposition that exhibit uniform tinting, minute-order switching times, and high optical contrast. Understanding electrolyte dynamics is key to constructing 25 cm2 dynamics windows with electronically controlled transparency based on the reversible metal electrodeposition of Pb and Cu.
Defining the Learner Feedback Experience

A surge in the proliferation of educational technology tools and models means that postsecondary learners and instructional designers have more options than ever before. Selecting the most appropriate tool for a given learner-centered instructional situation is challenging. The construct of feedback is central to an effective learner-centered instructional design. The present summary of the research on feedback in learner-centered instructional design models provides a rationale for the value of defining the dimensions of a high-quality learner feedback experience. Six dimensions of feedback are proposed; namely, timeliness, frequency, distribution, source, individualization, and content. Key questions posed include whether an analysis of the learner’s feedback experience is a better proxy for measuring the quality in postsecondary online learning than grades, satisfaction, or regular and substantive contact.
Facilitating Self-learning in Behavior Change Through Long-term Intelligent Conversational Assistance

Despite much recent progress in conversational systems, the vision of a truly "intelligent" agent is still far from being realized. Part of the reason is that current applications focus on offering conversational alternatives to GUI supported tasks. In my research I am focusing on application of dialogue-based interaction in area of self-learning in health behavior change, domain in which conversation can offer unique value. Yet, to be effective in this domain a conversational system needs to be "intelligent". In my research I define aspects of intelligence crucial for supporting long-term self-learning in behavior change through conversation and address the technical as well as design challenges of enabling such intelligent applications.
Resonance analysis of a high temperature piezoelectric disc for sensitivity characterization

Abstract Ultrasonic transducers for high temperature (200 °C+) applications are a key enabling technology for advanced nuclear power systems and in a range of chemical and petro-chemical industries. Design, fabrication and optimization of such transducers using piezoelectric materials remains a challenge. In this work, experimental data-based analysis is performed to investigate the fundamental causal factors for the resonance characteristics of a piezoelectric disc at elevated temperatures. The effect of all ten temperature-dependent piezoelectric constants (e33, e11, d33, d31, d15, s11, s12, s13, s33, s44) is studied numerically on both the radial and thickness mode resonances of a piezoelectric disc. A sensitivity index is defined to quantify the effect of each of the temperature-dependent coefficients on the resonance modes of the modified lead zirconium titanate disc. The temperature dependence of s33 showed highest sensitivity towards the thickness resonance mode followed by e33, s11, s13, s12, d31, d33, s44, e11, and d15 in the decreasing order of the sensitivity index. For radial resonance modes, the temperature dependence of e33 showed highest sensitivity index followed by s11, s12 and d31 coefficient. This numerical study demonstrates that the magnitude of d33 is not the sole factor that affects the resonance characteristics of the piezoelectric disc at high temperatures. It appears that there exists a complex interplay between various temperature dependent piezoelectric coefficients that causes reduction in the thickness mode resonance frequencies which is found to be agreement in with the experimental data at an elevated temperature.
Motivational Impairments in Psychotic and Depressive Pathology: Psychological and Neural Mechanisms

Abstract The Research Domain Criteria initiative has recognized the importance of studying motivation and hedonic processing in psychopathology and includes a “positive valence” system (PVS) domain. Here, we review behavioral and neuroimaging studies examining impairments in these constructs in individuals with psychosis versus depressive pathology. This review indicates that in depression, impairments in the experience of pleasure may propagate forward and lead to impairments in other aspects of the PVS that are reliant on hedonic responses, such as anticipation, learning, effort, and action selection. The existing data indicate relatively intact in-the-moment pleasure experience in psychosis, but disruptions in other components involved in the PVS. Specifically, individuals with schizophrenia exhibit altered reward prediction and associated striatal and prefrontal activation, impaired reward learning, and impaired reward-modulated action selection, which may combine together to disrupt goal-directed behavior and function in everyday life.
From weakling to superhero : The economics of Captain America

In this chapter, we examine economic themes surrounding the superhero Captain America. When Steve Rogers became a super soldier, his production and consumption opportunities were expanded greatly, and yet the effect on his lifetime realized utility seems ambiguous. We explore the possibility that Captain America became wealthy through the power of compound return on investment during his stay of nearly 70 years under the Arctic ice. The society and economy that he returned to were much different from what he left behind, and these differences are used to illustrate the nature of economic growth and dynamism. We also show how Captain America’s story illustrates the nature of inflation and major themes in the provision of public goods. He may not be the richest superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but through the power of compound interest, he might just be pretty well off.
Integrating Data and Task Parallelism in Scientific Programs

Functional languages attract the attention of developers of parallelizing compilers because of the implicit parallelism of functional programs and the simplified data dependence analysis of functional statements. A major drawback of functional languages is that naive translation of functional programs results in code that requires excessive memory. In this paper we explore the connection between the memory optimization and communication optimization of parallel codes generated from functional languages. We also show how a functional language can be used as an intermediate form in the translation from FORTRAN to customized, architecture-specific parallel code.
Quantitative study of lymphoreticular infiltration into canine transmissible venereal sarcoma

Lymphoreticular cell (LRC) infiltration into tumour masses at different stages of growth after transplantation was studied in canine transmissible venereal sarcoma (CTVS). The percent viable LRC of total viable cells in tumour suspensions shows an inverse correlation with the logs of tumour mass of adult dogs (R=−0.475, Φ=28,P<0.01), which suggests that the degree of LRC infiltration is a measure of the host immune response.
Service Learning and Developmental Education: The Need for an Applied Theory of Role-Taking and Reflection

This article examines service learning through the lens of cognitive-developmental psychology and developmental education. Recent interest in service learning as a means of encouraging further learning and growth is commendable; however, the goals need to be linked to relevant research and theory. Such theory is lacking. The theories of Kohlberg, Hunt, and Loevinger, as well as recent research on social role-taking and guided reflection interventions are reviewed. The goal is to build a developmentally based theory of service learning that provides conditions (e.g., action, reflection, balance, support and challenge, continuity) to promote guiding programs and to explain how persons construct meaning as they engage in problem solving and reflection on complex new roles and encounter social-ethical issues. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed.
The clash in titin

The gigantic muscle protein titin is a scaffold upon which the contractile units of striated muscle are assembled. Its catalytic domain is a protein kinase, and this region has now been crystallized. The structure reveals several surprises about the function of the titin kinase, and should help us to work out how this enzyme is regulated.
A role for G-proteins in directing G-protein-coupled receptor-caveolae localization.

Caveolae are membrane domains that may influence cell signaling by sequestering specific proteins such as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). While previous reports largely show that Gαq subunits,...
Effects of Storage Time on Properties of Soybean Protein-Based Plastics

Soybean protein has been considered as a potential biodegradable polymer in the manufacture of plastics. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the effect of storage time on thermal and mechanical properties of soybean protein isolate (SPI) plastics. SPI was separated from defatted soy flour, modified with 1M or 2M urea, or plasticized with glycerol, and compression molded into plastics. Plastic made from SPI alone was used as a control. For all SPI plastics, glass transition temperatures and dynamic storage modulus increased and loss tangent decreased during storage. Excess enthalpy of relaxation of all SPI plastics had an exponential relationship with storage time, indicating a fast aging rate at the beginning of storage. All SPI plastics tended to be stiff and brittle during storage. The plastics with glycerol had the slowest aging rate and were fairly stable after 60 days, with about 8.8 MPa tensile strength and 168% strain at break. Plastics with the 2M urea-modification SPI also had a slow aging rate and became relative stable after 60 days, with about 10 MPa tensile strength and 72% elongation.
Takotsubo Syndrome After Surgical and Nonsurgical Oral and Maxillofacial Events: Review of Published Cases.

Purpose Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is an acute and potentially serious cardiac disorder that is often attributed to an exuberant catecholaminergic response to a severely physical or emotional event. As there is a paucity of information in the dental literature on TS, this article will provide an overview of this uncommon syndrome, including clinical presentation, demographic characteristics, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, management, and recovery, particularly emphasizing its occurrence with oral and maxillofacial procedures. Patients and Methods A PubMed search with the keyword “takotsubo” for publications from 1991 through May 2018 yielded 3,778 articles. Case reports and case series of TS associated with surgical and nonsurgical procedures in the oral and maxillofacial region were reviewed. Other cases were identified using a defined search strategy. Results The literature search identified 28 documented episodes of TS that occurred with head and neck surgical procedures, mostly sinus, carotid, nasal, and cancer reconstruction surgical procedures, and notably, 3 cases occurred concurrently with dental extractions. In all of the featured patients, some degree of cardiovascular impairment developed and phenotypic overlap with acute occlusive coronary disease was shown. Most patients recovered within 2 weeks, and recovery in the remainder extended up to 3 months. Conclusions On rare occasions, TS has been reported in association with oral and maxillofacial procedures. As stress appears to be a precipitating factor in the development of TS, perioperative efforts should be instituted to reduce an adrenergic cascade.
Drawing inferences for high‐dimensional linear models: A selection‐assisted partial regression and smoothing approach

Drawing inferences for high-dimensional models is challenging as regular asymptotic theories are not applicable. This article proposes a new framework of simultaneous estimation and inferences for high-dimensional linear models. By smoothing over partial regression estimates based on a given variable selection scheme, we reduce the problem to low-dimensional least squares estimations. The procedure, termed as Selection-assisted Partial Regression and Smoothing (SPARES), utilizes data splitting along with variable selection and partial regression. We show that the SPARES estimator is asymptotically unbiased and normal, and derive its variance via a nonparametric delta method. The utility of the procedure is evaluated under various simulation scenarios and via comparisons with the de-biased LASSO estimators, a major competitor. We apply the method to analyze two genomic datasets and obtain biologically meaningful results.
Obstetric Management of High-Risk Asthmatic, Allergic Patients and Anaphylaxis

In general, data are lacking to guide the optimal obstetric management of asthma, and recommendations are based on extrapolation of data from other clinical settings and expert opinion. Gravida should be offered influenza vaccination as appropriate. Those with persistent asthma are at risk for pregnancy complications and may benefit from increased fetal surveillance, including fetal nonstress testing and estimation of fetal growth by ultrasound. Adverse outcomes may be more common if asthma severity is underestimated and the asthma undertreated. Stopping asthma medications in the first trimester can cause exacerbations resulting in an increased risk of fetal malformations. It is safer for pregnant women to be treated with asthma medications than it is for them to have asthma symptoms and exacerbations. Identifying and controlling or avoiding triggering factors such as allergens and irritants, particularly tobacco smoke, can lead to improved maternal well-being with less need for medication. The goal of asthma therapy is maintenance of near normal pulmonary function. Women with significant allergic disease should be evaluated prior to pregnancy, so that skin testing, challenge procedures, or other exposures that might be necessary for definitive diagnosis can be safely performed. A plan for management during pregnancy can then be formulated. Anaphylaxis is a rare but potentially deadly complication for both mother and baby. The prognosis is dependent upon early diagnosis and rapid medical management. Cesarean delivery can be life-saving for the fetus and may enhance maternal survival. In the case of perimortem anaphylaxis, fetal outcome is optimized if emergent cesarean delivery can be accomplished within 5 min and can also increase maternal survival due to reduced aortocaval compression by the uterus and increased maternal cardiac output. Anaphylaxis remote from term can cause difficult management and ethical decisions regarding early delivery.
NON-TRANSFEMORAL TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT APPROACH IS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER RISK OF NEW-ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) is a frequent complication of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Choice of access routes for TAVR could be a factor that determines the risk of NOAF although the data is not well-characterized. We aimed to assess the association between different
Tourists’ Perceptions of Destination Image, Safety, and Aggressive Street Behavior

Concerns about Aggressive Street Behavior (ASB) and Safety-and-Security (SS) are hitting home with local tourism officials and hotel operators in San Francisco, despite strong market performance. T...
Reconceiving Infertility: Biblical Perspectives on Procreation and Childlessness

Although not all work on disability by biblical scholars is informed by or engages critical disability theory, Reconceiving Infertility contributes not only to biblical studies but to the wider cro...
Budgetary Consequences of High Medical Spending Across Age and Social Status: Evidence from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study examines high medical spending among younger, midlife, and older households. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We investigate high medical spending using data from the 2010 through March 2018 Consumer Expenditures Surveys (n = 92,951). We classify and describe high medical spenders relative to others within three age groups (household heads age 25-44, 45-64, and 65+) using finite mixture models and multinomial logistic regression, respectively. We then use hierarchical linear models to estimate the effects of high medical spending on nonmedical spending. RESULTS Among younger households, high medical spending is positively associated with higher education and increased spending on housing and food. Among older households, high medical spending is associated with lower education and decreased nonmedical spending. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Earlier in the life course, high medical spending is more likely to indicate an investment in future household well-being, while at older ages, high medical spending is likely to indicate medical consumption.
Inadequate Metadiaphyseal Fill of a Modern Taper-Wedge Stem Increases Subsidence and Risk of Aseptic Loosening: Technique and Distal Canal Fill Matter!

Abstract Background Adequate interference fit and mechanical stability through optimal surgical technique are essential to prevent subsidence and loosening in cementless total hip arthroplasty. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of surgical technique on radiographic subsidence and subsequent stability of a modern taper-wedge cementless stem. Methods A retrospective review of 250 consecutive cementless primary total hip arthroplasties performed by 2 surgeons was completed. Surgeon A vigorously broached, maximizing the mediolateral stem dimension and confirmed final broach stability with a torsional test, whereas Surgeon B did not. All patients received identical taper-wedge stems. Preoperative bone morphology (canal flare index), postoperative subsidence, and canal fill were radiographically assessed. Results Canal flare index was not different between groups (P = .747). There was significantly less subsidence at 1 month for Surgeon A (0.3 vs 1.3 mm, P Conclusion These observations support that maximizing mediolateral canal fill and avoiding under-sizing the femoral implant with meticulous broaching technique minimizes subsidence and optimizes stability of modern cementless taper-wedge stems. Failure to optimize canal fill with appropriate broaching and surgical technique may predispose femoral components to failure from aseptic loosening.
The emergence of ceramics in Southwest Asia: Early pottery in farming communities

Abstract In Southwest Asia, early ceramics are generally associated with sedentary farming communities. This is unlike many other parts of Asia, where ceramics were first manufactured by hunter-gatherers. Radiocarbon evidence indicates that sustained production of ceramic containers (pottery) began at several sites in Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and the northern Levant around 7000 BC or slightly later, although there are indications that very small-scale production of pottery sometimes occurred at even earlier dates. In other regions (e.g. the southern Levant, Cyprus) pottery does not become common until centuries later. This paper examines Southwest Asian ceramic production in terms of its timing, technology and use, as well as its social and economic contexts. It also considers the legacy of early archaeological studies of Southwest Asian pottery for our general understanding of the emergence of ceramics. For example, Gordon Childe's concept of a ‘Neolithic package’ promoted a close association between the emergence of farming and pottery, which cannot be supported for many parts of Asia.
Low-Cost Radiant Heater for Rapid Response, High-Temperature Heating

High temperature processing has an irreplaceable role in many research and industrial applications. Despite remarkable development over a century, the pursuit of even higher thermal flux density and more rapid thermal transients has not slowed down. As part of the ongoing energy evolution, many industrial applications are transitioning from direct combustion of fossil fuels as primary energy sources to increasing electrification, capable of adapting to renewable power grids. Thus, there is an emerging need for electrical heaters that can replace burners and supply the heat de-mand, especially at the highest temperatures. Here, we report on a radiant heater design that can achieve cyclic heating/cooling rates of up to 400 K min-1 and a temperature range in excess of 1800 K, comparable to those of commercial infrared gold image furnaces, at high surface and volumetric power densities. The heater consists of a modular unit of incandescent tungsten fila-ment, enclosed in an evacuated ceramic envelope, chemically inert, tolerant of thermal shock, and impervious to gasses. The material and manufacture cost of such heaters, at an estimated ~ $0.05/W, is less than 0.03% of that for infrared gold image furnaces, at > $2/W. Tests of more than 10,000 demanding cycles (high temperature and high heating/cooling rate) over 350 hours of total operational time, and in different temperature ranges confirm the robust performance of ra-diant heater prototypes. The design is widely applicable to high-temperature reactor and furnace designs. In thermochemistry research and practice, these radiant heaters could offer multiple ben-efits compared to solar simulators, lasers, infrared gold furnaces, ceramic heaters, or direct con-centrating solar input.
High-Performance Allosteric Conditional Guide RNAs for Mammalian Cell-Selective Regulation of CRISPR/Cas

The activity of a conditional guide RNA (cgRNA) is dependent on the presence or absence of an RNA trigger, enabling cell-selective regulation of CRISPR/Cas function. cgRNAs are programmable at two levels, with the target-binding sequence controlling the target of Cas activity (edit, silence, or induce a gene of choice) and the trigger-binding sequence controlling the scope of Cas activity (subset of cells expressing the trigger RNA). Allosteric cgRNA mechanisms enable independent design of the target and trigger sequences, providing the flexibility to select the regulatory target and scope independently. Building on prior advances in dynamic RNA nanotechnology that demonstrated the cgRNA concept, here we set the goal of engineering high-performance allosteric cgRNA mechanisms for the mammalian setting, pursuing both ON → OFF logic (conditional inactivation by an RNA trigger) and OFF → ON logic (conditional activation by an RNA trigger). For each mechanism, libraries of orthogonal cgRNA/trigger pairs were designed using NUPACK. In HEK 293T cells expressing cgRNAs, triggers, and inducing dCas9: (1) a library of four ON → OFF "terminator switch" cgRNAs exhibit a median fold-change of ≈50×, a median fractional dynamic range of ≈20%, and a median crosstalk modulus of ≈9%; (2) a library of three OFF → ON "split-terminator switch" cgRNAs exhibit a median fold-change of ≈150×, a median fractional dynamic range of ≈50%, and a median crosstalk modulus of ≈4%. Further, we demonstrate that xrRNA elements that protect viral RNAs from degradation by exoribonucleases can dramatically enhance the performance of RNA synthetic biology. The high-performance allosteric cgRNAs demonstrated here for ON → OFF and OFF → ON logic in mammalian cells provide a foundation for pursuing applications of programmable cell-selective regulation.
Non-Gaussian estimates of tensions in cosmological parameters

We discuss how to efficiently and reliably estimate the level of agreement and disagreement on parameter determinations from different experiments, fully taking into account non-Gaussianities in the parameter posteriors. We develop two families of scalable algorithms that allow us to perform this type of calculations in an increasing number of dimensions and for different levels of tensions. One family of algorithms rely on kernel density estimates of posterior distributions while the other relies on machine learning modeling of the posterior distribution with normalizing flows. We showcase their effectiveness and accuracy with a set of benchmark examples and find both methods agree with each other and the true tension within $0.5\ensuremath{\sigma}$ in difficult cases and generally to $0.2\ensuremath{\sigma}$ or better. This allows us to study the level of internal agreement between different measurements of the clustering of cosmological structures from the Dark Energy Survey and their agreement with measurements of the cosmic microwave background from the Planck satellite.