cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cog3p depletion blocks vesicle-mediated Golgi retrograde trafficking in HeLa cells

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex is an evolutionarily conserved multi-subunit protein complex that regulates membrane trafficking in eukaryotic cells. In this work we used short interfering RNA strategy to achieve an efficient knockdown (KD) of Cog3p in HeLa cells. For the first time, we have demonstrated that Cog3p depletion is accompanied by reduction in Cog1, 2, and 4 protein levels and by accumulation of COG complex-dependent (CCD) vesicles carrying v-SNAREs GS15 and GS28 and cis-Golgi glycoprotein GPP130. Some of these CCD vesicles appeared to be vesicular coat complex I (COPI) coated. A prolonged block in CCD vesicles tethering is accompanied by extensive fragmentation of the Golgi ribbon. Fragmented Golgi membranes maintained their juxtanuclear localization, cisternal organization and are competent for the anterograde trafficking of vesicular stomatitis virus G protein to the plasma membrane. In a contrast, Cog3p KD resulted in inhibition of retrograde trafficking of the Shiga toxin. Furthermore, the mammalian COG complex physically interacts with GS28 and COPI and specifically binds to isolated CCD vesicles.
A point process approach to assess dynamic baroreflex gain

Evaluation of arterial baroreflex in cardiovascular control is an important topic in cardiology and clinical medicine. In this paper, we present a point process approach to estimate the dynamic baroreflex gain in a closed-loop model of the cardiovascular system. Specifically, the inverse Gaussian probability distribution is used to model the heartbeat interval, whereas the instantaneous mean is modulated by a bivariate autoregressive model that contains the previous R-R intervals and systolic blood pressure (SBP) measures. The instantaneous baroreflex gain is estimated in the feedback loop with a point process filter, while the RRrarrSBP feedforward frequency response gain can be estimated by a Kalman filter. The proposed estimation approach provides a quantitative assessment of interacting heartbeat dynamics and hemodynamics. We validate our approach with real physiological signals and evaluate the proposed model with established goodness-of-fit tests.
The impact of implementing selected CBPR strategies to address disparities in urban Atlanta: a retrospective case study

In 2005, the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University (GSU) received a 3-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) grant from the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities entitled Accountable Communities: Healthy Together (ACHT). Because urban health disparities result from complex interactions among social, economic and environmental factors, ACHT used specific CBPR strategies to engage residents, and promote the participation of community organizations serving, a low-income community in urban Atlanta to: (i) identify priority health and social or environmental problems and (ii) undertake actions to mitigate those problems. Three years after funding ended, a retrospective case study, using semi-structured, taped interviews was carried out to determine what impacts, if any, specific CBPR strategies had on: (i) eliciting resident input into the identification of priority problems and (ii) prompting actions by community organizations to address those problems. Results suggest that the CBPR strategies used were associated with changes that were supported and sustained after grant funding ended. Insights were also gained on the longer term impacts of ACHT on community health workers. Implications for future CBPR efforts, for researchers and for funders, are discussed.
A prospective comparison of continuous wave versus high pulse repetition frequency Doppler echocardiography for quantifying transvalvular pressure gradients in adults with aortic stenosis.

Abstract To evaluate the relative accuracy of continous wave (CW) and high pulse repetition frequency (HPRF) Doppler for estimating aortic transvalvular pressure gradients, Doppler examinations with both devices were obtained in 87 consecutive patients with aortic valve disease. Thirty-seven (43%) also underwent catheterization and direct determination of the pressure gradient. The correlation between CW Doppler and catheterization measurements was high ( r = 0.91) and significantly superior to HPRF Doppler ( r = 0.72; p
Upscaling matrix diffusion coefficients for heterogeneous fractured rocks

[1] The scale dependence of the matrix diffusion coefficient (Dm) for fractured media has been observed at variable scales from column experiments to field tracer tests. In this paper, we derive an effective Dm for multimodal heterogeneous fractured rocks using characteristic distributions of matrix properties and volume averaging of the mass transfer coefficient. The effective field-scale Dm is dependent on the statistics (geometric mean, variance, and integral scale) of laboratory-scale ln(Dm) and on the domain size. The effective Dm increases with the integral scales and is larger than the geometric mean of ln(Dm). Monte Carlo simulations with 1000 realizations of heterogeneous Dm fields were conducted to assess the accuracy of the derived effective Dm.
Quantitative assessment of ratiometric bimolecular beacons as a tool for imaging single engineered RNA transcripts and measuring gene expression in living cells

Recently, we developed an oligonucleotide-based probe, ratiometric bimolecular beacon (RBMB), which generates a detectable fluorescent signal in living cells that express the target RNA. Here, we show that RBMBs can also be used to image single RNA transcripts in living cells, when the target RNA is engineered to contain as few as four hybridization sites. Moreover, comparison with single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed that RBMBs could be used to accurately quantify the number of RNA transcripts within individual cells. Measurements of gene expression could be acquired within 30 min and using a wide range of RBMB concentrations. The ability to acquire accurate measurements of RNA copy number in both HT-1080 cells and CHO cells also suggests that RBMBs can be used to image and quantify single RNA transcripts in a wide range of cell lines. Overall, these findings highlight the robustness and versatility of RBMBs as a tool for imaging RNA in live cells. We envision that the unique capabilities of RBMBs will open up new avenues for RNA research.
Are Small Business Owners Using Performance Appraisals to Their Full Potential? An Exploratory Study

Recent articles have discussed the importance of the effective use of performance appraisals and creative ways that corporate America is using these tools to increase their managerial effectiveness. However, the study of the actual use of performance appraisals in small businesses has received little attention. This exploratory study examines the appraisal process within these organizations. Small business owners were randomly surveyed to discover who did the appraisals, how frequently they were done, what dimensions were deemed important, and what corrective actions were taken by the employer. Findings suggest that while small business owners realize that they should conduct some type of employee evaluation, they do not see the importance of incorporating a formal evaluation process into their management strategy. Guidelines are proposed for small business owners for the effective use of performance appraisals.
Brain size is correlated with endangerment status in mammals

Increases in relative encephalization (RE), brain size after controlling for body size, comes at a great metabolic cost and is correlated with a host of cognitive traits, from the ability to count objects to higher rates of innovation. Despite many studies examining the implications and trade-offs accompanying increased RE, the relationship between mammalian extinction risk and RE is unknown. I examine whether mammals with larger levels of RE are more or less likely to be at risk of endangerment than less-encephalized species. I find that extant species with large levels of encephalization are at greater risk of endangerment, with this effect being strongest in species with small body sizes. These results suggest that RE could be a valuable asset in estimating extinction vulnerability. Additionally, these findings suggest that the cost-benefit trade-off of RE is different in large-bodied species when compared with small-bodied species.
Phase I/II study of the combination of 5-azacytidine(5-AC), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and valproic Acid (VPA) in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia

6563 Background: The combination of a hypomethylating agent with a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) has synergistic activity. The combination of ATRA with either a hypomethylating agent or a H...
Intravenous immune globulin and thromboembolic adverse events: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of RCTs

Prior case reports and observational studies indicate that intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) products may cause thromboembolic events (TEEs), leading the FDA to require a boxed warning in 2013. The effect of IVIg treatment on the risk of serious TEEs (acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or venous thromboembolism) was assessed using adverse event data reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of IVIg. RCTs of IVIg in adult patients from 1995 to 2015 were identified from Pubmed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.Gov, and two large prior reviews of IVIg's therapeutic applications. Trials at high risk of detection or reporting bias for serious adverse events were excluded. 31 RCTs with a total of 4,129 participants (2,318 IVIg-treated, 1,811 control) were eligible for quantitative synthesis. No evidence was found of increased TEE risk among IVIg-treated patients compared with control patients (odds ratio = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.44, 2.88; risk difference = 0.0%, 95% CI: -0.7%, 0.7%, I(2) = 0%). No significant increase in risk was found when arterial and venous TEEs were analyzed as separate endpoints. Trial publications provided little specific information concerning the methods used to ascertain potential adverse events. Care should be taken in extrapolating the results to patients with higher baseline risks of TEE. Am. J. Hematol. 91:594-605, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Transport Aft-Turbofan

This paper presents the technical status of a new type aft-turbofan aircraft powerplant, designated as the General Electric CJ805-21. The successful development to date of this aft-fan engine has amply demonstrated the feasibility of a major increase in power rating and a significant improvement in altitude cruise fuel economy by converting the CJ805-3 commercial turbojet to an aft-turbofan engine. The advanced technology, performance capabilities, development and maintenance factors emphasize the importance of the CJ805-21.Copyright © 1959 by ASME
Fast Wind Turbine Design via Geometric Programming

Over the past two decades, applied mathematicians in the field of convex optimization have developed powerful new tools for solving certain classes of constrained optimization problems extremely reliably and efficiently. This paper introduces the (perhaps surprising) discovery that a number of prevailing physics-based models for wind turbine aerodynamics have an underlying convex mathematical structure that these new methods can exploit. In particular, they can be expressed via the functional forms that define Geometric Programs (GPs). Modern GP solvers are extremely fast even on large problems, require no initial guesses or tuning of solver parameters, and guarantee globally optimal solutions. In addition, for various models that cannot be manipulated into the forms required by GP, it is often possible to fit compact GP models which accurately approximate the original models. The combination of 1) fast solution methods, 2) GP-compatible aerodynamic models (presented herein), and 3) GP-compatibility of structural models (well established) makes the application of GP to large wind turbine design problems a promising approach.
Explaining Variance in Comprehension for Students in a High-Poverty Setting

This study examined the contributions of decoding, language, spelling, and motivation to the reading comprehension of elementary school readers in a high-poverty setting. Specifically, the research questions addressed whether and how the influences of word reading efficiency, semantic knowledge, reading self-concept, and spelling on reading comprehension varied based on 2 different measures of comprehension. The sample included 52 elementary-age participants from 1 high-poverty school. Multiple regression analyses revealed that factors were related differently to comprehension depending on the measures used. Specifically, fluency accounted for most of the variance in silent reading comprehension but a smaller proportion of the variance in oral reading comprehension. For the oral reading comprehension measure, semantic knowledge was the most influential predictor.
High Pressure Liquid Chromatographic Determinaticn of Cyclosporin-A in Human Plasma

Periodic monitoring of plasma drug concentrations has been suggested as a means whereby the toxicity of Cyclosporin A (CyA) can be reduced in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. We have developed a sensitive and specific method for the determination of CyA in plasma using reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cyclosporin D was used as the internal standard. The lower limits of detection are 100 ng/ml in biological fluids and 20 ng per injection onto the column. We have analyzed plasma samples from patients who received CyA at doses which ranged from 8 to 15 mg/kg/day. Although all patients experienced toxic or therapeutic effects, plasma concentrations of CyA were consistently less than 100 ng/ml when analyzed by this method. We conclude that analytical methods currently available for the detection of CyA are unsuitable for the monitoring of patients who receive this agent.
Animal model for disk displacement.

Abstract This paper describes the soft-tissue changes associated with surgically created, nonreducing disk displacements in the New Zealand white rabbit. Four rabbits, one control and three experimental, were used. The disk of the control animal had thick posterior and anterior bands separated by a thinner intermediate zone. The disk in the one animal sacrificed immediately after surgical disk displacement was buckled downward at the intermediate zone, with the posterior band lying inferior to the anterior band. The disks in the two animals sacrificed 2 months after surgical disk displacement were grossly deformed and clearly had abnormal internal architecture. Tissue reactions seem to be similar to those observed in human disk displacement specimens, namely disk remodeling and degenerative joint disease. This animal model will aid in the understanding of the progression of this disorder.
Effect of inhalate thermal conductivity and high O2 in producing hypothermia

The effect of an increase in inhalate thermal conductivity and the fraction of inspiratory O2 (FIO2) on the rate of cooling and rewarming using a surface-inhalate heat exchange method was evaluated. Male New Zealand White rabbits were divided into three groups: those ventilated with air, those with 20% O2 + 80% He, and those with 100% O2. All animals were cooled to an esophageal temperature of 22.5 degrees C (or for 180 min maximum). Following a 15-min exposure to room air, the animals were connected to the humidifying and warming system. He-O2 had the highest thermal conductivity and the animals ventilated with it had the fastest cooling rate. One hundred percent O2 and room air had similar thermal conductivities, but the animals ventilated with 100% O2 had significantly lower cooling rates. These data indicate that, while maintaining a constant surface heart exchange, the rate of heat exchange across the lung can be modified by altering the thermal conductivity of the inhalate gas mixture. Total heat exchange can also be modified by hyperoxemia-induced hemodynamic changes.
Reciprocity in Aegean Palatial Societies: Gifts, Debt, and the Foundations of Economic Exchange

This collection of papers is the third and final installment in a series meant to update the archaeological study of Aegean Bronze Age economies based on current research in economic anthropology and new archaeological and textual data from Minoan and Mycenaean states. The first collection, titled ‘Redistribution in Aegean Palatial Societies’, was published in the American Journal of Archaeology in 2011 (volume 115.2). The second, titled ‘Crafts, Specialists, and Markets in Mycenaean Greece,’ was published in the American Journal of Archaeology in 2013 (volume 117.3). In these first two collections, we argued that studies of ‘redistribution’ in Aegean palatial societies, whether archaeological, textual, or both, fail to capture the totality of economic activity that must have occurred in Late Bronze Age states and largely ignore the social implications of such activity. Rather, in order to explain the regional distribution of artifacts, some form of ‘market’-based exchange must have occurred. In this introduction we suggest that systems of ‘reciprocity’ preceded and underpinned modes of redistribution and market exchange, and also served to integrate Bronze Age social structures.
QUALITATIVE DYNAMICS FROM ASYMPTOTIC EXPANSIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on qualitative dynamics from asymptotic expansions. It discusses all that can be said about the qualitative features of the exact solutions given an asymptotic expansion of the general solution of a differential equation, calculated, say, to m terms in a small parameter. It is general practice in applied mathematics to assume that the exact solution shows the same behavior as the approximation, at least when this is not obviously unrealistic. It is possible to pose the problem locally or globally. The chapter presents local results and also presents an approach to the global problem. It chapter also focuses on a nonlinear oscillation problem.
Modeling the proximal tubule: complications of the paracellular pathway

When the proximal tubule epithelium is represented as cellular and lateral intercellular (LIS) compartments, the presence of a paracellular pathway can render the overall phenomenologic equations quite an indirect representation of intraepithelial transport processes. 1) Active sodium transport into the LIS may create a hypertonic region that drives water movement from lumen to peritubular blood, i.e., a term for active water transport may appear in the overall transport equations. The correlate of this uphill water flux is a solute polarization effect, such that the measured epithelial water permeability is less than that of the cell membranes. 2) Basolateral uptake of potassium by the cell may lower the LIS concentration and promote diffusive entry of K across the tight junction. Even without cellular uptake of K from the lumen, the epithelial transport equations may contain a term for active K reabsorption. The solute polarization correlate is a low epithelial reflection coefficient that does not represent a convective flux of K through a specific channel. 3) When there is convective flux of Na and Cl through the tight junction but none through the cell, then a fluid circuit around junction and cell may be present, even when net epithelial volume flux is absent. In this case, part of the net epithelial Cl flux must be represented in the overall transport equations as electroneutral Na-Cl cotransport.
Interaction of 1-β-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine with Lipid Metabolism

We have studied the effects of 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) and other deoxycytidine analogs on lipid metabolism and cell death. The hypothesis is that ara-C affects lipid metabolism and causes cellular differentiation and/or apoptosis. Ara-CDP-choline is an ara-C metabolite that has been identified in ara-C-treated cells. Two possible pathways for ara-CDP-choline formation are through the catalytic activity of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase or CDP-choline: 1,2-diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase, two enzymes in the CDP-choline pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. The ara-C metabolite, araCMP, is a substrate for cholinephosphotransferase, Km = 1.4 mM. However, ara-CTP is not a substrate for the cytidylyltransferase in the same biosynthetic pathway. In vitro, ara-CMP reverses the activity of cholinephosphotransferase catalyzing the conversion of ara-CMP and phosphatidylcholine to ara-CDP-choline and diglyceride. Ara-CDP-choline has no known function while diglyceride activates protein kinase C leading to downstream signaling events. These downstream events include the phosphorylation and activation of deoxycytidine kinase, the rate limiting step in the conversion of ara-C from a prodrug to its active form, ara-CTP. The activation of protein kinase C also induces cellular differentiation. Furthermore, ara-C increases the intracellular levels of ceramide through the action of a neutral sphingomyelinase. The increase in ceramide is an intracellular signal for the cell to undergo differentiation and apoptosis. Ara-C-induced diglyceride and ceramide signaling pathways are complementary or converging with respect to cellular differentiation and possibly antagonistic with respect to apoptosis. In conclusion, the effects of ara-C on lipid metabolism appear to be through two mechanisms; 1. the activation of PKC and subsequent cellular differentiation and 2. the formation of ceramide and subsequent initiation of apoptosis.
Fiber Optic Timeline

Fiber optics has been regarded as a recent development because of its role in the backbone of the Internet. The concept of a global communications network, with all the associated concerns about privacy, security, taxation, and electronic marketing scams, dates back to the development of telegraph networks in the 1800s. The notion of using light as a communication medium have been adapted from earlier signaling methods using bonfires, smoke signals, mirrors, or telegraphs with movable arms. Following the development of the telephone in 1880, Alexander Graham Bell proposed a wireless communications technology using modulated sunlightthat he dubbed the photophone. All of the basic concepts for optical fiber communication were outlines by C.W. Hansell as early as 1927, in a patent designed to transmit images over bundles of glass fiber from remote locations. The concept of transmitting multiple wavelengths is also nothing new, having its origins as early as the 1930s in a series of experiments by a French scientist dealing with propagation of light through mirrored tubes. The basic idea of transmitting multiple colors of light appears obvious to anyone observing rainbows; modem wavelength multiplexing has an analogy in the form of rainbows of infrared light that not only exist in nature but also can be made visible and photographed using various techniques. With the development of low loss, single-mode optical fibers in the late 1970s, the potential for applying this scheme to practical communication systems began to emerge. Today, of course, this technology has become a reality, which is used in every major telecommunication and data communication network worldwide.
Wideband slope of interference channel: Finite bandwidth case

This paper studies the low-SNR regime performance of a scalar complex K-user interference channel with Gaussian noises under the assumption that the low-SNR regime is approached by letting input power P → 0 while bandwidth is fixed. First, a generalized Z-channel type of upper bound is derived. Using this bound, we show that for any δ > 0, there exists a set of channels U δ with non-zero probability whose sum slope S is bounded by S TDMA + δ, which means that TDMA is nearly optimal. On the other hand, we develop an interference alignment scheme utilizing the differences between the phases of channel coefficients and show that for channels in a subset of Uc δ with non-zero probability, this achievable scheme performs noticeably better than TDMA. And for both the upper bound and the lower bound, we allow circularly asymmetric inputs. This paper studies the low-SNR regime performance of a scalar complex K-user interference channel with Gaussian noises under the assumption that the low-SNR regime is approached by letting input power P → 0 while bandwidth is fixed. First, a generalized Z-channel type of upper bound is derived. Using this bound, we show that for any δ > 0, there exists a set of channels U δ with non-zero probability whose sum slope S is bounded by S TDMA + δ, which means that TDMA is nearly optimal. On the other hand, we develop an interference alignment scheme utilizing the differences between the phases of channel coefficients and show that for channels in a subset of Uc δ with non-zero probability, this achievable scheme performs noticeably better than TDMA. And for both the upper bound and the lower bound, we allow circularly asymmetric inputs.
Robot Remote Control Using Bluetooth and a Smartphone Augmented System

In this paper, we present an innovative robotic system with augmented smartphones. We propose a smartphone accelerometer controlled differential steering algorithm and implement it on a two-motor driven robotic vehicle with real-time videorendering. In the system design, we create two self-validating protocolsthat build upon our Bluetooth communication network. The overall performance is evaluated by two projects, MOCOVE and RIZZY. The proposed system can be used in robotic remote control, autonomy, robotic localization and human-robot interaction.
Experimental and Molecular Modeling Study of Bubble Points of Hydrocarbon Mixtures in Nanoporous Media

The shale play resources have played a key role in increasing oil production in the past decade in the United States. The sizes of pores in shales storing the oil are believed to be on the order of nanometers. It is believed that the fluids present in such small nanometer-scale pores have different properties compared to properties measured in the bulk. Fluid saturation pressures at given temperatures, bubble points for oils and dew points for condensates, in the nanopores are affected by the influence of pore walls in the vicinity of the fluid molecules. An approach to bubble point or dew point influences the proportion of liquid or gas produced from a given well and, thus, impacts the economic viability. Hence, an accurate measure of saturation pressures is important. In this paper, we describe experiments in well-characterized synthesized mesoporous materials and present Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo (GEMC) simulations for understanding the possible reason(s) for observations made in the experiments. The ...
Invisible Work of the Invisible Half: Women and “Work” in the Middle East and North Africa

An in-depth survey of literature in different fields of the social sciences on women’s participation in the informal sector and unpaid work in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) reveals that women participate in a variety of economic activities. Many women, however, have to choose working in the informal sector (or work without pay) because they live in deep-rooted patriarchal societies. Two important aspects of patriarchy in MENA play major roles in this regard: first, the rigid separation between public spheres (which are the domain of men) and the private spheres; second, the ideal model of male breadwinner/female homemaker-caregiver. Patriarchal beliefs and practices tend to devalue the contribution of women to the economic well-being of their families which consequently makes women’s work invisible to labor statistics.
Three novels of terrorism: explorations in the politics of literature

This article explores the political role of literature through the medium of three novels of terrorism: Francesca Marciano’s Casa Rossa, Nicholas Shakespeare’s The Dancer Upstairs and Ann Patchett’...
Consuming the Wiindigoo : Native Figurations of Hunger and Food Bureaucracy

This chapter provides an exploration of popular images of Indigenous hunger and settler-bureaucratic management in the U.S. and Canada. By analyzing literary and cinematic texts that hinge on food management and cannibal figures like the Algonquian wiindigoo, Miner argues that contemporary Native/First Nations writers invert colonial constructions of hunger in order to indict the instrumentalist ideology of federal Indian policy—casting bureaucrat, rather than Indian, as savage cannibal. He begins with official records of “ration policy” and demonstrates how texts like Louise Erdrich’s The Round House and Stephen Graham Jones’ Ledfeather critique this history of bureaucratic coercion that still serves to materially and representationally consume Indigenous bodies and lands. Miner concludes by examining these authors’ reclamation of food-sharing and other Native practices of cooperative management.
Deoxycholic Acid and the Marginal Mandibular Nerve: A Cadaver Study

One of the rare but serious complications observed with deoxycholic acid administration is damage to the marginal mandibular nerve. In this study, we evaluated if deoxycholic acid directly induces histologic damage to fresh cadaveric marginal mandibular nerve. A segment of marginal mandibular nerve was harvested from 12 hemifaces of 6 fresh cadavers. The nerve specimen was exposed to either 0.9% sterile saline for 24 h, deoxycholic acid (10 mg/ml) for 20 min, or deoxycholic acid (10 mg/ml) for 24 h. The nerve specimens were then fixed in glutaraldehyde for a minimum of 24 h. Toluidine blue stained sections were evaluated for stain intensity using light microscopy and color deconvolution image analysis. Supraplatysmal fat was harvested as a positive control and exposed to the same treatments as the marginal mandibular nerve specimens, then evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. Toluidine blue staining was less in the marginal mandibular nerve exposed to deoxycholic acid when compared to saline. The specimen exposed to deoxycholic acid for 24 h showed less toluidine blue staining than that of the nerve exposed to deoxycholic acid for 20 min. Transmission electron microscopy of submental fat exposed to deoxycholic acid revealed disruption of adipocyte cell membrane integrity and loss of cellular organelles when compared to specimens only exposed to saline. Deoxycholic acid (10 mg/ml) damages the marginal mandibular nerve myelin sheath in fresh human cadaver specimens. Direct deoxycholic acid neurotoxicity may cause marginal mandibular nerve injury clinically. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Exploring Trust in Digital Civics

Digital civics research seeks to understand how technology can create new forms of relationships and services between public officials and citizens in governance. To accomplish this, design in digital civics emphasizes the importance of relationships based on dialogue, empowerment, and participation; all of which are contingent upon the existence of trust. Currently, however, these relationships are most often characterized by entrenched distrust which problematizes opportunities for dialogue and participation. In this paper, we explore how design might support trust in the relational aims of digital civics. To do so, we led 13 public officials in a large US city through a design-based inquiry centered around the role of trust in their various efforts to engage communities. In our findings, we discuss four strategies for supporting trust in digital civics.
Schwann Cells and Axon Relationship

Schwann cells myelinate large-diameter axons to enable high-speed impulse conduction, organize the macromolecular structure of the axon into nodal and internodal domains, engulf small-diameter axons in bundles, secrete growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins to sustain damaged axons and guide their growth to reestablish proper connections, and envelope the neuromuscular junction to regulate neurotransmission. All of these vital functions depend on complex systems of two-way communication between axons and Schwann cells. Both axons and Schwann cells are sustained by this relationship of mutual interdependence.
Modulation of μ-mediated antinociception by δ agonists: characterization with antagonists

The functional interactions between supraspinal μ and δ receptors were characterized in the mouse using μ receptor-selective antagonists. The effects of pretreatment with the μ opioid antagonists, β-funaltrexamine (β-FNA) and naloxonazine on the modulation of morphine antinociception by the δ agonists [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE) and [D-Ala2, Met5]enkephalinamide (DAMA) were studied. When co-administered in the same i.c.v. injection, a sub-antinociceptive dose of DPDPE consistently and significantly increased the antinociceptive potency of morphine in control animals, while a sub-effective dose of DAMA decreased morphine antinociception; both the respective increase and the decrease of morphine potency by DPDPE and DAMA had been previously shown to be blocked by ICI 174,864, a δ antagonist. Pretreatment of mice with the non-equilibrium μ antagonist β-FNA 4 h prior to testing, a pretreatment which had no effect on i.c.v. DPDPE or DAMA antinociception, prevented the modulation of morphine antinociception by both DPDPE and DAMA. Pretreatment with the long acting μ1 antagonist naloxonazine, 24 h prior to testing, failed to affect the modulation of morphine antinociception by either DPDPE or DAMA; such a pretreatment had no effect on the antinociceptive effects of DPDPE or DAMA when given alone. These results provide further support for the concept of a functionally coupled μ-δ receptor complex which is sensitive to antagonism by β-FNA, but not naloxonazine, and support the notion that subtypes of opioid μ and δ (i.e. complexed and non-complexed) receptors may exist.
A Survey of Clinical Approaches to Suicide Risk Assessment for Patients Intoxicated on Alcohol.

Background Suicidal ideation and alcohol use are common among emergency department patients. It is unclear at what point a suicide risk assessment should occur among patients who present with acute alcohol intoxication. Objective This study aims to describe practice patterns among expert practitioners for timing the suicide risk assessment for an intoxicated patient. Methods An online survey was sent to emergency psychiatrists and behavioral health specialists on 2 national listserves including that of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry's Emergency Psychiatry Special Interest Group. Results Sixty respondents had a mean of 16 ± 12years (mean ± standard deviation) out of specialty training and had extensive experience and comfort in managing this patient presentation. All respondents were board-certified and most (68%) practiced in academic settings. The most common practice for conducting a safety risk assessment in alcohol-intoxicated patients was to proceed once the patient was clinically sober (58%). Other practices included retesting the patient until a specific blood alcohol concentration was reached (19%) or waiting a certain time after presentation based on the initial blood alcohol concentration (15%). Some (8%) evaluated actively-intoxicated patients for suicide risk. Practice varied slightly based on the location of practice,type of practice, and where the clinician trained. Discussion Expert clinicians most often describe using a clinical assessment to determine sobriety before completing a suicidal risk assessment, although alternative practices remain common. While advantages and disadvantages vary among different approaches, the quality and evidence base underlying these practices are questioned.
A Nonparametric Degradation-Based Method for Modeling Reliability Growth

The competitiveness of the modern business environment creates a need for shortening the development time while assuring high product reliability. In addition, recent technological advancements in sensor technology and data acquisition have made it possible to continuously monitor the health status or performance of a product during testing. Using such condition monitoring data, the designer can model the degradation process of this product and provides an informative and accurate tool for failure analysis and reliability estimation. Recently, much attention has been focused on developing new reliability growth methods in hopes of speeding up product development in a cost-effective way. To this end, accelerated testing can be conducted in a reliability growth program. One way to take advantage of both accelerated testing and degradation analysis for reliability growth is to conduct accelerated degradation testing (ADT).
Transformation of UML class diagram into OWL Ontology

UML class diagrams are used in order to demonstrate the model information systems. Most of the former systems were previously framed by applying UML class diagrams. Besides, the current trend has a...
The Extended Geske Model and its Consistency with Reduced Form Models

Pioneered by Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1974), structural credit models have gained significant attention in recent years. Among the many structural models, the Geske model (1977) maintains the most structure in the original Black-Scholes-Merton model, including endogenously determined default and recovery. It also allows for modeling multiple debts with different seniorities. In this paper, we extend the Geske model to incorporate random interest rates. We derive similar quasi closed form solutions to the ones in Geske. Furthermore, we show that an externally specified default barrier can potentially generate internal inconsistency. Finally, we show that the extended Geske model can be compared with reduced form models in a discretized, binomial framework. This result makes comparison of various models empirically possible. We demonstrate, with a credit derivative example, how different recovery assumptions impact the derivative prices.
Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference of EZH2 inhibits proliferation, invasion, and decreases aneuploidy in breast cancer cells

5802 Background: Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been shown to be overexpressed in breast carcinomas with high propensity to metastasize. EZH2 is an oncogene essential to promote proliferation and capable to trigger neoplastic conversion in the breast. Invasive carcinomas with high EZH2 are often hormone receptor negative and have a worse prognosis than tumors with low EZH2. We hypothesized that inhibition of EZH2 may decrease the tumorigenicity especially of triple negative breast cancer cells. Methods: EZH2 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry on 10 triple negative hereditary invasive breast carcinomas from women carrying BRCA1 mutations. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference targeting EZH2 was performed on MDA-MB-231, CAL51, and SUM149 breast cancer cells. Western blots, invasion, proliferation, and FACS analyses were performed. Results: EZH2 protein was highly expressed in all triple negative BRCA1-associated invasive carcinomas. Inhibition of EZH2 in a triple negative cancer cell increases BRCA1 protein level in the nucleus. shRNA knock-down of EZH2 in breast cancer cells including the triple negative CAL51 cells, reduced invasion and proliferation (p
Systematic Errors in Video Analysis

Video analysis helps students to connect physical, mathematical, and graphical models with the phenomena that the models represent and improves student kinematic graph interpretation skills. The wide-spread availability of easy to use software packages like Logger Pro (Vernier), Capstone (PASCO), and Tracker have led to many introductory physics courses adopting video analysis techniques in the classroom. Such uses include high-speed cameras to study rocket launches and other innovative applications. In this paper, we will look at ways in which some common systematic errors can affect outcomes.
Characterizing protein G B1 orientation and its effect on immunoglobulin G antibody binding using XPS, ToF-SIMS, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring.

Controlling how proteins are immobilized (e.g., controlling their orientation and conformation) is essential for developing and optimizing the performance of in vitro protein-binding devices, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Characterizing the identity, orientation, etc., of proteins in complex mixtures of immobilized proteins requires a multitechnique approach. The focus of this work was to control and characterize the orientation of protein G B1, an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody-binding domain of protein G, on well-defined surfaces and to measure the effect of protein G B1 orientation on IgG antibody binding. The surface sensitivity of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was used to distinguish between different proteins and their orientation on both flat and nanoparticle gold surfaces by monitoring intensity changes of characteristic amino acid mass fragments. Amino acids distributed asymmetrically were used to calculate peak intensity ratios from ToF-SIMS data to determine the orientation of protein G B1 cysteine mutants covalently attached to a maleimide surface. To study the effect of protein orientation on antibody binding, multilayer protein films on flat gold surfaces were formed by binding IgG to the immobilized protein G B1 films. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that coverage and orientation affected the antibody-binding process. At high protein G B1 coverage, the cysteine mutant immobilized in an end-on orientation with the C-terminus exposed bound 443 ng/cm2 of whole IgG (H + L) antibodies. In comparison, the high coverage cysteine mutant immobilized in an end-on orientation with the N-terminus exposed did not bind detectable amounts of whole IgG (H + L) antibodies.
In AF, DOACs were linked to lower risk for osteoporotic fractures at 2 years compared with VKAs.

Source Citation Binding C, Bjerring Olesen J, Abrahamsen B, et al. Osteoporotic fractures in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with conventional versus direct anticoagulants. J Am Coll Card...
Chapter 2 – Water and membrane treatment

Publisher Summary Water is the world's most valuable and wasted resource. With growing demand outstripping supply in many regions of the world, the situation is likely to get exasperated soon. Less than 3% of the world's water is considered safe for human consumption. It is estimated that less than 1.0% of the world's water supply is easily accessible and has acceptable water quality. According to the National Council Research Report, the principal water problem in the early 21st century will be inadequate and uncertain supplies. Because water availability includes both water quality and quantity, reduction in water quality due to water pollution further diminishes the available water. World's water needs can be met by better water management, that is, by reducing losses using micro-irrigation techniques, most of the 66% water lost during irrigation can be recovered by using advanced water treatment technologies for treating polluted water and for reclaiming water, and by conservation.
Virtues and Limitations of Risk Analysis.

A significant step forward in the assurance of reactor safety, but an imperfect measure of actual reactor risk
Difficult Ablation for Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Ablation attempt made to the slow pathway in a 45-year-old woman with recurrent SVT and reproducibly inducible typical AV nodal reentry. Various approaches are discussed.
Defining the impact of deep brain stimulation contact size and shape on neural selectivity

Abstract Background Understanding neural selectivity is essential for optimizing medical applications of deep brain stimulation (DBS). We previously showed that modulation of the DBS waveform can induce changes in orientation-based selectivity, and that lengthening of DBS pulses or directional segmentation can reduce preferential selectivity for large axons. In this work, we sought to answer a simple, but important question: how do the size and shape of the contact influence neural selectivity? Methods We created multicompartment neuron models for several axon diameters and used finite element modeling with standard-sized cylindrical leads to determine the effects on changing contact size and shape on axon activation profiles and volumes of tissue activated. Contacts ranged in size from 0.04 to 16 mm2, compared with a standard size of 6 mm2. Results We found that changes in contact size induce substantial changes in orientation-based selectivity in the context of a cylindrical lead, and rectangular shaping of the contact can alter this selectivity. Smaller contact sizes were more effective in constraining neural activation to small, nearby axons representative of grey matter. However, micro-scale contacts enable only limited spread of neural activation before exceeding standard charge density limitations; further, energetic efficiency is optimized by somewhat larger contacts. Interpretations Small-scale contacts are optimal for constraining stimulation in nearby grey matter and avoiding orientation-selective activation. However, given charge density limitations and energy inefficiency of micro-scale contacts, our results suggest that contacts about half the size of those on segmented clinical leads may optimize efficiency and charge density limitation avoidance.
Deep In-Memory Architectures in SRAM: An Analog Approach to Approximate Computing

This article provides an overview of recently proposed deep in-memory architectures (DIMAs) in SRAM for energy- and latency-efficient hardware realization of machine learning (ML) algorithms. DIMA tackles the data movement problem in von Neumann architectures head-on by deeply embedding mixed-signal computations into a conventional memory array. In doing so, it trades off its computational signal-to-noise ratio (compute SNR) with energy and latency, and therefore, it represents an analog form of approximate computing. DIMA exploits the inherent error immunity of ML algorithms and SNR budgeting methods to operate its analog circuitry in a low-swing/low-compute SNR regime, thereby achieving $> 100\times $ reduction in the energy-delay product (EDP) over an equivalent von Neumann architecture with no loss in inference accuracy. This article describes DIMA’s computational pipeline and provides a Shannon-inspired rationale for its robustness to process, temperature, and voltage variations and design guidelines to manage its analog nonidealities. DIMA’s versatility, effectiveness, and practicality demonstrated via multiple silicon IC prototypes in a 65-nm CMOS process are described. A DIMA-based instruction set architecture (ISA) to realize an end-to-end application-to-architecture mapping for the accelerating diverse ML algorithms is also presented. Finally, DIMA’s fundamental tradeoff between energy and accuracy in the low-compute SNR regime is analyzed to determine energy-optimum design parameters.
Xan Arch and Isaac Gilman. Academic Library Services for First Generation Students. New York, NY: Libraries Unlimited, 2020. 149p. Paper.

Xan Arch and Isaac Gilman create a necessary, at times difficult to discuss, piece of writing that should be used by academic libraries across the nation. Academic Library Services for First Generation Students brings forth the question of how to address best librarian practices for first-generation students. They argue that current practices cater to middle-class white students. The academic setting is shaped in such a way that first-generation students are viewed as needing “assistance” when the actual problem lies within the institution and its support systems. This book’s structure facilitates a rich understanding of the problems within these institutions while also offering concrete examples for academic libraries that want to do better. The book begins by describing the social context of first-generation students in higher education generally and then addresses academic libraries in particular. It finishes with examples of how to adapt institutions to better support these students.