cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peritraumatic Tonic Immobility and Trauma-Related Symptoms in Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Role of Posttrauma Cognitions

Tonic immobility is a set of involuntary motor responses elicited under conditions of extreme fear and perceived inescapability, and it is one type of peritraumatic distress reported by survivors of child sexual abuse. Experiencing tonic immobility during child sexual abuse is associated with increased risk for developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, although less is known about relations between tonic immobility and other established risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder. We investigated posttraumatic cognitions as a potential mediator of the relations between peritraumatic fear, perceptions of inescapability, tonic immobility, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Specifically, we tested posttraumatic negative beliefs about the self, the world, and self-blame as pathways that might increase risk for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in child sexual abuse survivors who had experienced tonic immobility. Forty-six women with a history of unwanted childhood sexual contact completed questionnaires measuring peritraumatic tonic immobility, posttraumatic cognitions, and current posttraumatic stress symptoms. Negative beliefs about the self independently mediated the relation between peritraumatic perceptions of inescapability and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, but the data did not support similar path model for the physical symptoms of tonic immobility and post-traumatic stress disorder. We discuss ways in which treatment of survivors and future research on CSA can benefit from attention to the impact of peritraumatic distress on posttraumatic beliefs.
Performing nature's value: software and the making of Oregon's ecosystem services markets

Geographers of technology illustrate software code's contexts, effects, and agencies as they shape urban space and everyday life, but the consequences of code for nature remain understudied. Politi...
Effect of direct injection of neutrophils from uterine horns of rats containing intrauterine devices into recipient pregnant uteri.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not neutrophils from uterine horns containing an intruterine device (IUD) inhibit implantation of rat blastocysts. On day 4 (6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.) of gestation the uterine horns of the recipient rats were exposed and injected with neutrophils, supernatant luminal fluid, or Hanks' solution. The total volume injected was 30 mul. All of the rats were killed on day 12 of pregnancy, and the number of fetuses and resorption sites was determined. The data show that, in rats injected with neutrophils on day 4 of gestation, implantation was significantly increased as compared with controls injected with Hanks' (vehicle) solution. Whether the supernatant fluid had an effect in suppression of implantation could not be determined, since the effect was not statistically different from that observed in either the vehicle- or neutrophil-injected groups. However, the responses observed with the supernatant-injected groups. However, the responses observed with the supernatant-injected group were intermediate between those of the control horns and those of the neutrophil-injected horns. The finding supports the concept that in IUD-bearing animals in which there is a rapid influx of neutrophils the cells play a major role in suppressing implantation.
The evolution of heat shock protein sequences, cis-regulatory elements, and expression profiles in the eusocial Hymenoptera

The eusocial Hymenoptera have radiated across a wide range of thermal environments, exposing them to significant physiological stressors. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of three families of Heat Shock Proteins (Hsp90, Hsp70, Hsp40), the primary molecular chaperones protecting against thermal damage, across 12 Hymenopteran species and four other insect orders. We also predicted and tested for thermal inducibility of eight Hsps from the presence of cis-regulatory heat shock elements (HSEs). We tested whether Hsp induction patterns in ants were associated with different thermal environments. We found evidence for duplications, losses, and cis-regulatory changes in two of the three gene families. One member of the Hsp90 gene family, hsp83, duplicated basally in the Hymenoptera, with shifts in HSE motifs in the novel copy. Both copies were retained in bees, but ants retained only the novel HSE copy. For Hsp70, Hymenoptera lack the primary heat-inducible orthologue from Drosophila melanogaster and instead induce the cognate form, hsc70-4, which also underwent an early duplication. Episodic diversifying selection was detected along the branch predating the duplication of hsc70-4 and continued along one of the paralogue branches after duplication. Four out of eight Hsp genes were heat-inducible and matched the predictions based on presence of conserved HSEs. For the inducible homologues, the more thermally tolerant species, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, had greater Hsp basal expression and induction in response to heat stress than did the less thermally tolerant species, Aphaenogaster picea. Furthermore, there was no trade-off between basal expression and induction. Our results highlight the unique evolutionary history of Hsps in eusocial Hymenoptera, which has been shaped by gains, losses, and changes in cis-regulation. Ants, and most likely other Hymenoptera, utilize lineage-specific heat inducible Hsps, whose expression patterns are associated with adaptive variation in thermal tolerance between two ant species. Collectively, our analyses suggest that Hsp sequence and expression patterns may reflect the forces of selection acting on thermal tolerance in ants and other social Hymenoptera.
Rest intervals reduce the number of loading bouts required to enhance bone formation.

AB Purpose: As our society becomes increasingly sedentary, compliance with exercise regimens that require numerous high-energy activities each week become less likely. Alternatively, given an osteogenic exercise intervention that required minimal effort, it is reasonable to presume that participation would be enhanced. Insertion of brief rest intervals between each cycle of mechanical loading holds potential to achieve this result because substantial osteoblast function is activated by many fewer loading repetitions within each loading bout. Here, we examined the complementary hypothesis that the number of bouts per week of rest-inserted loading could be reduced from three bouts per week without loss of osteogenic efficacy. Methods: We conducted a series of 3-wk in vivo experiments that noninvasively exposed the right tibiae of mice to either cyclic (1 Hz) or rest-inserted loading interventions and quantified osteoblast function via dynamic histomorphometry. Results: Although reducing loading bouts from three bouts per week (i.e., nine total bouts) to one bout per week (i.e., three total bouts) effectively mitigated the osteogenic benefit of cyclic loading, the same reduction did not significantly reduce periosteal bone formation parameters induced by rest-inserted loading. The osteogenic response was robust to the timing of the rest-inserted loading bouts (three bouts in the first week vs one bout per week for 3 wk). However, elimination of any single bout of the three one-bout-per-week bouts mitigated the osteogenic response to rest-inserted loading. Finally, periosteal osteoblast function assessed after the 3-wk intervention was not sensitive to the timing or number of rest-inserted loading bouts. Conclusions: We conclude that rest-inserted loading holds potential to retain the osteogenic benefits of mechanical loading with significantly reduced frequency of bouts of activity while also enabling greater flexibility in the timing of the activity.
Interfacial Properties of Oxidized Polystyrene and Its Interaction with Water

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to study the wetting of atactic polystyrene (aPS) thin films by water droplets. The effect of oxidation of the aPS surface on the conta...
Retest Reliability of Rod-and-Frame Scores during Early Adulthood

As part of an ongoing investigation of relationships between perceptual mode and physiological reactivity, 92 randomly chosen male college freshmen (age range 17 to 25) were tested for field-independence-dependence on the rod-and-frame test (Witkin, 1954) and assessed physiologically in response to such stressors as the cold pressor, a test dose of mecholyl, and a test dose of adrenaline. Many Ss whose rod-and-frame scores had been determined as entering freshmen were still completing their physiological testing during their junior and senior years. It, therefore, became important to find out how stable a measure the rod-and-frame score was for a given individual over time. The undergraduate period is an eventful one, productive of many crucial changes in the lives of young adults, and this in itself might militate against the stability of rod-and-frame scores obtained at the start of the freshman year. Therefore, a random group of 50 Ss from the original 92 were contacted for rod-andframe testing approximately 4 yr, after their first testing. For 36 of the 50 Ss test and retest data were available on the standard t 28" deviations were used throughout (Adevai, et al., 1968). There was no significant difference between the mean error score in 1964 (n = 36, 4.66") and that in 1968 (4.41"). The product-moment correlation between the two sets of scores was .86 ( p < ,001). Of those 11 people in the group of 36 who had been classified in 1964 as "extreme scorers" (average error less than 2.0" or greater than 7.9"), only one S moved out of his original group (first testing, 1.9"; second testing, 7" ) . N o reason for the change seemed clear. These findings agree closely with those of Bauman (1951) who obtained a correlation of .84 between test and re-test scores, 3 yr. apart, for 32 males. The results indicate that the trait (field-dependence) measured by the rod-and-frame is stable over time and that the rod-and-frame performance is reliable.
Why ℓ p -methods in signal and image processing: A fuzzy-based explanation

In signal and image processing, it is often beneficial to use semi-heuristic l p -methods, i.e., methods that minimize the sum of the p-th powers of the discrepancies. In this paper, we show that a fuzzy-based analysis of the corresponding intuitive idea leads exactly to the l p -methods.
Improvement in Frailty Is Associated with Improved Disability in Lung Transplantation

s S31 aims of this study were to investigate: 1) the changes in pectoralis muscle area (PMA) after lung transplant, and 2) the association between PMA and other anthropomorphic and clinical variables. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients undergoing lung transplantation at a single center between January 2009 and December 2014. Utilizing TomoVision Slice-O-Matic software, two independent examiners measured PMA on a single slice at the carina from CT scans of the thorax obtained pre-transplant and 6 and 12 months post-transplant. Single variable regression and Pearson’s correlations were performed to assess the relationship between PMA and clinical variables. Results: Of the 73 patients who underwent lung transplantation, the most common indications were interstitial lung disease (ILD, 60.3%), followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 24.7%) and cystic fibrosis (9.6%). Twenty-four patients (33%) underwent single lung transplant, while 49 (67%) had double lung transplant. Overall, neither body mass index (BMI) nor PMA changed at 6 or 12 months post-transplant (p= 0.89 and 0.08 respectively by repeated measures ANOVA). Pre-transplant diagnosis significantly influenced change in PMA. In patients with ILD, there was a decrease in PMA compared with those without ILD (-13.7±3.7% vs. 14.8±8.9%, p= 0.001). However, patients with COPD had increased PMA compared with those without COPD (15.4±11.3% vs. -10.5±3.8%, p= 0.008). In addition, single lung transplant patients showed an 8.4±8.3% increase in PMA, while double lung recipients had an 11.3±4.4% decrease (p= 0.03). Finally, % change in PMA at 12 months correlated with pre-transplant weight (ρ = -0.306, p= 0.04), pre-transplant BMI (ρ = -0.309, p= 0.04), and % change in BMI at 12 months (ρ = 0.625, p< 0.0001). Conclusion: Analysis of thoracic CT scans provides a convenient, accurate measure of changes in muscle mass in the post-lung transplant population and correlates with changes in BMI. Patients with COPD gain muscle mass following lung transplantation while patients with ILD lose muscle mass. The mechanisms underlying these changes need to be further investigated.
n-Butyrate Mediation of Ganglioside Expression of Human and Murine Cancer Cells Demonstrates Relative Cell Specificity

1. n-Butyrate, a short chain fatty acid produced by colonic fermentation, induces differentiation in human neoplastic cell lines, and reduces expression in vitro of a sialyltransferase that glycosylates N-linked glycoproteins in hepatoblastoma cells. Gangliosides are amphipathic, sialylated glycosphingolipids that undergo profound changes in many transformed cells and may protect neoplastic cells from host immune surveillance. Colonic mucosal cells are exposed to luminal short-chain fatty acid concentrations of up to 80 mmol/l, and there is some evidence that short-chain fatty acids may alter ganglioside expression in colon cancer cells. 2. Because of the importance of gangliosides in cancer pathogenesis, we investigated the effects of n-butyrate on ganglioside expression of colonic (human and murine) and non-colonic cancer cells. 3. Three separate colon cancer cell lines (LS174T, T84 and MCA-38), when butyrate treated, demonstrated striking amplification of specific individual gangliosides. However, the total lipid-bound sialic acid content of gangliosides of butyrate-treated LS174T cells diminished. In contrast to earlier reports, n-butyrate did not mediate expression of all gangliosides and specifically did not mediate expression of G M3 . This effect persisted even after removal of butyrate. 4. In contrast, exposure of extracolonic cells to butyrate, including cervical cancer (HeLa) and laryngeal cancer (HEp-2) cell lines in this study and hepatoblastoma cells (Hep G2) in our previous work, caused no detectable changes in ganglioside expression. 5. In conclusion, our results indicate a relative tissue specificity of butyrate-mediated alterations in ganglioside expression that is not universal but is limited to specific gangliosides.
A case series of patients with HER2-overexpressed primary metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND Overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) is associated with an aggressive metastatic phenotype in patients with breast cancer but its prognostic impact is not well-characterized in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a retrospective series of three cases of HER2-positive gastroesophageal cancer. RESULTS In this case series, we describe three patients presenting with widespread metastatic disease prior to development of symptoms from the primary tumor. Two patients presented with brain metastases, while one demonstrated lymphangitic spread to lungs. CONCLUSION Pooled analyses of outcomes among sub-populations of contemporary trials are needed to better understand the natural history and prognostic impact of HER2 over-expression in patients with gastroesophageal cancers.
Do Employers' Responses to Crises Impact Men and Women Differently? Firm-level Evidence from Indonesia

Do employers' responses to crises impact men and women differently? Using manufacturing census data from Indonesia this paper assesses gender differences in the impact of the East Asian crisis and to what extent these were due to differential treatment of men and women within firms and gender sorting across firms that varied in their exposure to the crisis. On average, women experienced higher job losses than their male colleagues within the same firm. However, the aggregate adverse effect of such differential treatment was more than offset by women being disproportionately employed in firms hit relatively less hard by the crisis. The null hypothesis that there were no gender differences in wage adjustment is not rejected.
Lactation and Progression to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus After Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Whether lactation prevents diabetes mellitus in women after a pregnancy with gestational diabetes is unclear. Investigators classified baseline glucose tolerance of postpartum women with recent ges...
World Population Trends and Issues

This chapter covers the period from 1950 to 2010, with projections of demographic trends to 2050. It describes the diversity of the world demographic landscape, outlines future population trends, and analyzes present and future population issues. It intends to highlight the fact that population issues matter, and so do population policies.
An Evaluation of Stimulus Sampling Theory: COMMENTS ON PROFESSOR ESTES' PAPER11This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant, G-12986.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an evaluation of stimulus sampling theory. The evaluation of any theory has two aspects, one concerning its present state, and the other regarding its possible elaboration and development. These two aspects present unequal difficulty to a discussant, but both are needed for a balanced view. As is well known, much of the interest in stimulus sampling theory arose from the predictions of matching behavior in the two-choice, Humphreys' task, and much of the support for the theory resides in the generally good agreement found in numerous studies. As Professor Estes has noted, nonmatching occurs under certain conditions and much of the work critical of the theory is oriented toward demonstrating this fact. However, for various reasons, tests of the matching prediction have somewhat limited theoretical relevance. The stimulus sampling theory is a general rather than a situational theory. The application of a general theory to a given situation usually rests on certain simplifying assumptions to the neglect of certain variables.
Optimization of Native and Formaldehyde iPOND Techniques for Use in Suspension Cells

The isolation of proteins on nascent DNA (iPOND) technique developed by the Cortez laboratory allows a previously unparalleled ability to examine proteins associated with replicating and newly synthesized DNA in mammalian cells. Both the original, formaldehyde-based iPOND technique and a more recent derivative, accelerated native iPOND (aniPOND), have mostly been performed in adherent cell lines. Here, we describe modifications to both protocols for use with suspension cell lines. These include cell culture, pulse, and chase conditions that optimize sample recovery in both protocols using suspension cells and several key improvements to the published aniPOND technique that reduce sample loss, increase signal to noise, and maximize sample recovery. Additionally, we directly and quantitatively compare the iPOND and aniPOND protocols to test the strengths and limitations of both. Finally, we present a detailed protocol to perform the optimized aniPOND protocol in suspension cell lines.
Family Characteristics Associated With Child Maltreatment Across the Deployment Cycle of U.S. Army Soldiers

ABSTRACT Objective: Soldier deployment can create a stressful environment for U.S. Army families with young children. Prior research has identified elevated rates of child maltreatment in the 6 months immediately following a soldier's return home from deployment. In this study, we longitudinally examine how other child- and family-level characteristics influence the relationship of deployment to risk for maltreatment of dependent children of U.S. Army soldiers. Methods: We conducted a person-time analysis of substantiated reports and medical diagnoses of maltreatment among the 73,404 children of 56,087 U.S. Army soldiers with a single deployment between 2001 and 2007. Cox proportional hazard models estimated hazard rates of maltreatment across deployment periods and simultaneously considered main effects for other child- and family-level characteristics across periods. Results: In adjusted models, maltreatment hazard was highest in the 6 months following deployment (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.63, p < 0.001). C...
Winning a De Novo Appeal: Explaining the Success of Criminal Appellants in New South Wales

While society’s most pressing socio-legal questions may be addressed mostly at the high court levels, the decisions of lower court judges are also important – especially if you happen to be a criminal defendant. Lower court judges are at least partially unconstrained by law and precedent (Mather 1991). Thus, there may be non-legal considerations that combine with matters of fact and law to help shape the decisions of lower court judges in a given set of circumstances (Jacob 1991). There is currently very little research on the influence of such factors on lower courts in Australia. Using a logistic regression technique, the nature of these considerations in state district court de novo criminal appeals is analyzed. The results show that both legal and demographic factors help to explain the outcomes on appeal for particular criminal defendants in the New South Wales District Court.
Bone Grafting for Scaphoid Nonunions: Is Free Vascularized Bone Grafting Superior for Scaphoid Nonunion?

Background: Nonvascularized bone grafting (NVBG) and vascularized bone grafts (VBGs) have been used to treat scaphoid nonunions. A comparison of a single institution’ s experience using structural ...
Nonintrusive Gas-Turbine Engine-Exhaust Characterization Using Acoustic Measurements

This paper reports exhaust measurements performed using a nonintrusive acoustic technique on a JT15D-1A turbofan research engine. Using multiple streamwise displaced microphones, the integrated exh...
A Domain-Specific Web Document Re-ranking Algorithm

In order to build a domain-specific knowledge hub for learning on the web, the web resources crawled by generic search engines will need to be sifted and sorted before use. We propose a re-ranking algorithm that recognizes the highly domain relevant web data to feed in the domain knowledge learning hub. The algorithm studies the structure and semantics of the domain ontology (graph) and constructs computational relations among nodes. Through mining matching terms between ontology dictionary and the textual content (text, metadata) of the retrieved documents crawled by some credited web search engines, we calculate three-dimensional information scores - distance, direction, and attributes of each document and subsequently re-rank the retrieved documents to provide learners with more meaningful knowledge in the domain space they embrace.
Selective Vulnerability of the Foramen Magnum in a Rat Blast Traumatic Brain Injury Model

Abstract Primary blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) accounts for a significant proportion of wartime trauma. Previous studies have demonstrated direct brain injury by blast waves, but the effect o...
Governing the Rio Grande: Challenges and Opportunities for New Mexico’s Water Supply

The Rio Grande in New Mexico provides water to the urban environments of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, as well as surrounding small towns and rural agricultural communities. Long-term climate change projections suggest that New Mexico will experience ongoing drought in the coming decades, placing stress on a system already struggling to meet increasing water demands. Resilience theory provides a lens through which the governance challenges associated with climate change and other factors can be examined. The construction and operation of the many dams, reservoirs, and levees, along with channelization activities, have lowered the overall functional diversity of the river system through channel simplification and bed degradation, with implications for both riverine and riparian habitats. The earlier peak will require more nuanced and intensive water management, including more management flexibility. Changes in water governance strategies will be needed in order to adapt to increased temperatures and other challenges the future will bring. New strategies will include more aggressive management of the upland forest system to decrease the risk of wildfire in the watershed, more operational flexibility for dams and reservoirs, and a new approach to water storage and allocation.
Hybrid simulation for cyber physical systems: state of the art and a literature review

This paper evaluates the state of the art of hybrid simulation support for cyber physical systems. The traditional definition for hybrid simulation is expanded to include recent research on multi-paradigm and other multi-faceted modeling approaches. Based on the review of current approaches, the focus of simulation support lies first in providing a virtual environment supporting development and testing, and second on utilizing simulation as part of the cyber physical system. A literature research on support of cyber physical systems within the simulation community shows common trends towards a common formalism, but an aligned research agenda has not been established.
Patients with disorders of sex development and proximal hypospadias are at high risk for reoperation.

Surgical repair for proximal hypospadias has been associated with long-term success rates of 32–68%. In a prior study, outcomes for proximal hypospadias in patients with a diagnosis of disorders of sex development (DSD) were no different than those of patients without DSD. The objective of our study is to report our experience with proximal hypospadias repair in patients with and without DSD. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent repair of proximal hypospadias between 2005 and 2016. Data collected included patient and disease characteristics, operative details, complications, and follow-up. The primary outcome was unplanned reoperation. Sixty seven patients were identified; 30 (44.8%) with DSD and 37 (55.2%) without DSD. Median follow-up was 28.3 months (IQR 18.9–45.7). 41 patients (61.2%) underwent at least one unplanned reoperation, median time to unplanned reoperation 10.3 months. More patients with DSD needed an unplanned reoperation (80 vs. 45.9%, p = 0.024). During the first 12 months after initial repair, there was no difference in unplanned reoperation rates (40 vs. 32.4%, p = 0.611), but there was a difference in the first 24 months post-operatively (76.7 vs. 43.2%, p = 0.007). On multivariate logistic regression, older age at initial repair (OR 1.144) and two stage repair (OR 7.644) were positively associated with unplanned reoperation in the first 2 years after repair. Proximal hypospadias repair is associated with an overall 61.2% reoperation rate regardless of associated DSD diagnosis. Patients with DSD are more likely to undergo an unplanned reoperation in the first 2 years after repair.
The Best Clitic: Constraint Conflict in Morphosyntax

This paper illustrates the application of Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993) to the domain of morphosyntax. It deals with a strictly delineated set of data, concerning the behavior of clitic combinations in the Romance languages, and draws very heavily on research presented in Bonet (1991, 1995).
Unicellular or multicellular origin of human granulocyte-macrophage colonies in vitro

The assumption that human granulocyte-macrophage colonies have a unicellular origin and thus are true clones has been directly tested. Cells from seven females heterozygous for the common glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) gene (GdB) and the variant GdA were cultured in semisolid medium for granulocyte-macrophage colony growth and the enzyme type of individual colonies was determined. When the colony density was less than 20/dish, more than 95% of colonies had either type A or type B G-6-PD, but not both. At colony densities greater than 30/dish, between 15% and 75% of colonies had both enzyme types and therefore arose from more than one cell. These results are consistent with a unicellular origin for the colonies only when they are cultured at low densities. With increasing colony density, there was a greater frequency of colonies with both type A and type B activity, suggesting that accurate enumeration of committed stem cells can only be performed at low colony concentrations.
A Multilevel Exploration of the Effects of the Nursing Work Index on Nursing Outcomes

The Nursing Work Index (NWI; Aiken & Patrician, 2000; Lake, 2002) has become an important instrument for assessing key aspects of the nursing work environment. However, the most appropriate level o...
Steroid-Free Immune Suppression Impairs Glycemic Control in a Healthy Cynomolgus Monkey:

The need for chronic immune suppression (IS) is one of the hurdles precluding widespread use of islet cell transplantation to restore glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes. We report the case of a healthy nonhuman primate (NHP) treated on and off for over 2.5 years with steroid-free IS, consisting of daclizumab induction and maintenance therapy with rapamycin and low dose tacrolimus. Treatment for 1 year resulted in a striking destabilization of glycemic control, with concomitant decreases in fasting c-peptide and insulin levels. Although these changes gradually reversed during a wash out period of 7 months, retreatment with the same therapy led to accelerated deterioration in glycemic control. Intravenous glucose tolerance and percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin testing further supported a dramatic effect on metabolic control. IS also led to decreases in weight during treatment. Histological evaluation of the pancreas revealed islet hyperplasia, with varying sizes and endocrine cell ratios that differed from normal islet composition, and parenchymal infiltration with adipose tissue. These deleterious effects of IS on glucose control and endocrine components in the native pancreas of a healthy NHP suggest that IS agents commonly utilized for islet transplantation may contribute to failure in islet allograft function in long-term transplant patients.
“Happy Birthday” and Other Awkward Sentiments: Nixon’s Social Interactions as Part of Congressional Relationship Building

Presidential persuasion is one of the most investigated soft-power interactions between the president and members of Congress. However, presidents are often as interested in long-term relationship ...
Bilateral Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation Reveals New Insights Into the Interhemispheric Competition Model in Chronic Stroke

Background. Upper-limb chronic stroke hemiplegia was once thought to persist because of disproportionate amounts of inhibition imposed from the contralesional on the ipsilesional hemisphere. Thus, one rehabilitation strategy involves discouraging engagement of the contralesional hemisphere by only engaging the impaired upper limb with intensive unilateral activities. However, this premise has recently been debated and has been shown to be task specific and/or apply only to a subset of the stroke population. Bilateral rehabilitation, conversely, engages both hemispheres and has been shown to benefit motor recovery. To determine what neurophysiological strategies bilateral therapies may engage, we compared the effects of a bilateral and unilateral based therapy using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Methods. We adopted a peripheral electrical stimulation paradigm where participants received 1 session of bilateral contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation (CCFES) and 1 session of unilateral cyclic neuromuscular electrical stimulation (cNMES) in a repeated-measures design. In all, 15 chronic stroke participants with a wide range of motor impairments (upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score: 15 [severe] to 63 [mild]) underwent single 1-hour sessions of CCFES and cNMES. We measured whether CCFES and cNMES produced different effects on interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) to the ipsilesional hemisphere, ipsilesional corticospinal output, and ipsilateral corticospinal output originating from the contralesional hemisphere. Results. CCFES reduced IHI and maintained ipsilesional output when compared with cNMES. We found no effect on ipsilateral output for either condition. Finally, the less-impaired participants demonstrated a greater increase in ipsilesional output following CCFES. Conclusions. Our results suggest that bilateral therapies are capable of alleviating inhibition on the ipsilesional hemisphere and enhancing output to the paretic limb.
Management of Mineral and Bone Disorders in Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract The pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD), a common clinical syndrome in patients with CKD with consequences affecting mineral metabolism, bone mineralization, and extracellular calcification, is complex. Diagnosis and management of CKD-MBD requires particular attention to the biochemical/hormonal factors affecting calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and fibroblast growth factor-23 metabolism, as well as consideration of bone and vascular calcification. Nephrologists, patients, and the public need future well-designed randomized trials to further guide the diagnosis and management of CKD-MBD.
Mutant BRAF and MEK inhibitors regulate the tumor immune microenvironment via pyroptosis

Combinations of BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors (BRAFi + MEKi) are FDA-approved to treat BRAFV600E/K-mutant melanoma. Efficacy of BRAFi + MEKi associates with cancer cell death and alterations in the tumor immune microenvironment; however, the links are poorly understood. We show that BRAFi + MEKi caused durable melanoma regression in an immune-mediated manner. BRAFi + MEKi treatment promoted cleavage of gasdermin E (GSDME) and release of HMGB1, markers of pyroptotic cell death. GSDME-deficient melanoma showed defective HMGB1 release, reduced tumor-associated T cell and activated dendritic cell infiltrates in response to BRAFi + MEKi, and more frequent tumor regrowth after drug removal. Importantly, BRAFi + MEKi–resistant disease lacked pyroptosis markers and showed decreased intratumoral T-cell infiltration but was sensitive to pyroptosis-inducing chemotherapy. These data implicate BRAFi + MEKi–induced pyroptosis in antitumor immune responses and highlight new therapeutic strategies for resistant melanoma. Significance: Targeted inhibitors and immune checkpoint agents have advanced the care of patients with melanoma; however, detailed knowledge of the intersection between these two research areas is lacking. We describe a molecular mechanism of targeted inhibitor regulation of an immune-stimulatory form of cell death and provide a proof-of-principle salvage therapy concept for inhibitor-resistant melanoma. See related commentary by Smalley, p. 176. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 161
Regulation of heterotopic ossification by monocytes in a mouse model of aberrant wound healing

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is an aberrant regenerative process with ectopic bone induction in response to musculoskeletal trauma, in which mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) differentiate into osteochondrogenic cells instead of myocytes or tenocytes. Despite frequent cases of hospitalized musculoskeletal trauma, the inflammatory responses and cell population dynamics that regulate subsequent wound healing and tissue regeneration are still unclear. Here we examine, using a mouse model of trauma-induced HO, the local microenvironment of the initial post-injury inflammatory response. Single cell transcriptome analyses identify distinct monocyte/macrophage populations at the injury site, with their dynamic changes over time elucidated using trajectory analyses. Mechanistically, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ1)-producing monocytes/macrophages are associated with HO and aberrant chondrogenic progenitor cell differentiation, while CD47-activating peptides that reduce systemic macrophage TGFβ levels and help ameliorate HO. Our data thus implicate CD47 activation as a therapeutic approach for modulating monocyte/macrophage phenotypes, MSC differentiation and HO formation during wound healing. Aberrant tissue repair may result in heterotopic ossification (HO), but how this process is regulated by local inflammatory responses is still unclear. Here the authors show, using a mouse burn/trauma model, that TGFβ-producing monocytes/macrophages at the injury site contribute to HO induction, while CD47 activation helps antagonize this process.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder. It is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, especially in women of childbearing age. The condition manifests with musculoskeletal, neuropsychiatric, renal, ocular, cardiovascular and pulmonary involvement. Because of the basic defects in immune cell function, there is underlying immune dysregulation that may predispose the individual to infection and might possibly increase the risk for cancer.
Real-time prediction of projectile penetration to laminates by training machine learning models with finite element solver as the trainer

Abstract Studies on ballistic penetration to laminates is complicated, but important for design effective protection of structures. Experimental means of study is expensive and can often be dangerous. Numerical simulation has been an excellent supplement, but the computation is time-consuming. Main aim of this thesis was to develop and test an effective tool for real-time prediction of projectile penetrations to laminates by training a neural network and a decision tree regression model. A large number of finite element models were developed; the residual velocities of projectiles from finite element simulations were used as the target data and processed to produce sufficient number of training samples. Study focused on steel 4340+polyurea laminates with various configurations. Four different 3D shapes of the projectiles were modeled and used in the training. The trained neural network and decision tree model was tested using independently generated test samples using finite element models. The predicted projectile velocity values using the trained machine learning models are then compared with the finite element simulation to verify the effectiveness of the models. Additionally, both models were trained using a published experimental data of projectile impacts to predict residual velocity of projectiles for the unseen samples. Performance of both the models was evaluated and compared. Models trained with Finite element simulation data samples were found capable to give more accurate predication, compared to the models trained with experimental data, because finite element modeling can generate much larger training set, and thus finite element solvers can serve as an excellent teacher. This study also showed that neural network model performs better with small experimental dataset compared to decision tree regression model.
Tidally-Triggered Star Formation in Close Pairs of Galaxies 2: Constraints on Burst Strengths and Ages

Galaxy-galaxy interactions rearrange the baryons in galaxies and trigger substantial star formation; the aggregate effects of these interactions on the evolutionary histories of galaxies in the Universe are poorly understood. We combine B and R-band photometry and optical spectroscopy to estimate the strengths and timescales of bursts of triggered star formation in the centers of 190 galaxies in pairs and compact groups. Based on an analysis of the measured colors and EW(H-alpha), we characterize the pre-existing and triggered populations separately. The best-fitting burst scenarios assume stronger reddening corrections for line emission than for the continuum and continuous star formation lasting for \gtrsim a hundred Myr. The most realistic scenarios require an initial mass function that is deficient in the highest-mass stars. The color of the pre-existing stellar population is the most significant source of uncertainty. Triggered star formation contributes substantially (probably >= 50%) to the R-band flux in the central regions of several galaxies; tidal tails do not necessarily accompany this star formation. Many of the galaxies in our sample have bluer centers than outskirts, suggesting that pre- or non-merger interactions may lead to evolution along the Hubble sequence. These objects would appear blue and compact at higher redshifts; the older, redder outskirts of the disks would be difficult to detect. Our data indicate that galaxies with larger separations on the sky contain weaker, and probably older, bursts of star formation on average. However, confirmation of these trends requires further constraints on the colors of the older stellar populations and on the reddening for individual galaxies.
The impact of income level on childhood asthma in the USA: a secondary analysis study during 2011-2012

Despite the abundance of researches relating children and asthma, the racial/ethnic influence on asthma threat have not been fully explained. The aim was to conduct a consistent and new study on a large-scale nationally representative data, including a minority group that has been usually eliminated from racial/ethnic literature. The 2011-2012 National Survey of Children Health (NSCH) dataset was utilised. Asthma was more prevalent among African-American children (22.9%) more than white American children 13.1% (p ≤ .0001). Analysis of the multivariate model revealed a greater risk of asthma for the black African American children comparatively to white American children (adjusted OR 0.522, 95% CI 0.459-0.595). Our findings indicated that childhood asthma was associated with racial/ethnic status, especially with children with low income level.
Clinical and Histopathological Features of Corneal Primary Acquired Melanosis and Melanoma.

Aim The aim of this study is to describe the clinical and pathologic features of corneal primary acquired melanosis (PAM) and melanoma. Methods We describe 3 cases in total: two cases of corneal melanomas and 1 case of corneal PAM. The eyes were processed routinely for histopathological examination. Clinical histories, treatments, and outcomes were reviewed. Results Corneal melanomas arose from recurrence of conjunctival melanoma or conjunctival PAM at the limbus. One patient had a recurrence after excision of a limbal melanoma, another had a de novo corneal melanoma, and the last patient had corneal PAM in the setting of conjunctival PAM with atypia. All lesions were excised with adjuvant alcohol debridement and cryotherapy with no recurrence ranging from 1 week to 8 years. Conclusions Corneal melanomas arise at the limbus from corneal PAM or conjunctival atypia. They can appear after excisional removal of a conjunctival melanoma. Surgical excision with alcohol debridement and adjuvant cryotherapy is successful.
Discussion of “Conditional and UnconditionalConservatism: Concepts and Modeling”

Beaver and Ryan (Beaver, W. H., Ryan S. G. (2005). Review of Accounting Studies 10: (2/3)) algebraically model, simulate and graph the effects of various factors on the nonlinear earnings-return relation induced by conditional conservatism. Their analysis clarifies how conditional and unconditional conservatism are inter-related. I discuss why unconditional and conditional conservatism are more than mere substitutes, and provide evidence from the historical record. I then highlight a few areas for future modeling, before moving on to discuss potential empirical tests of their predicted relations. I identify some research questions and opportunities for future investigation.
Toward a heuristic for teaching the visual rhetoric of pitch decks: a pedagogical approach in entrepreneurship communication

This study examined how three successful entrepreneurs/investors assessed the visual rhetoric of actual pitch decks from novice entrepreneurs. We compare their evaluations to the result of a heuristic for assessing visual rhetoric, Color CRAYONTIP. While the pitch deck is recognized as a key artifact in entrepreneurship, no studies have specifically addressed the visual design of the deck nor the key design skills novice entrepreneurs should implement to effectively persuade potential investors of the idea's promise. This preliminary and exploratory case study begins a dialogue on this topic by performing a visual analysis of seven novice decks which were deemed successful by experienced angel investors. The analysis revealed five key skills that appear to account for the success of these decks with the reviewers: rhetorical awareness, typography, color, photography, and contrast.
Testing for coefficient differences across nested linear regression specifications

Abstract Statistical applications often involve a comparison of coefficients across two different nested linear regression specifications. However, these comparisons are rarely accompanied by a hypothesis test for the coefficients being equal. Standard specification tests from econometrics, while easy to apply, are not useful in this case. Generalized versions of these tests can be seen as essentially applying the delta method to the omitted-variable-bias formula, but have a tendency to over-reject, especially in small samples when errors are heteroskedastic. Resampling procedures can be helpful in this case, with approaches associated with the jackknife performing particularly well in conducting this test.
Interferon-Gamma Pathway Regulates Emergence of Engraftable Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract Derivation of functional human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from autologous human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has been an elusive goal in hematology research. Building upon recent evidence that HSCs are derived from definitive hemogenic endothelium (HE), we identified 7TFs (ERG, HOXA5, HOXA9, HOXA10, LCOR, RUNX1, SPI1) that were sufficient to convert human PSC-derived HE into engraftable hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) with long-term and multilineage capacity (HE-7TF cells, Sugimura et al, Nature 2017). In the current study, we attempted to define signaling pathways that further enhance engraftment of HE-7TF cells. We investigated the source of our long-term engraftable cells by sorting CD34+CD43+CD45+ triple positive cells and CD34+CD43-CD45- single positive cells from HE-7TF cells. We transplanted these two cell populations into non-irradiated c-Kit deficient immune-deficient recipients, and monitored engraftment capacity after 8 weeks of transplantation. 2 out of 5 mice transplanted with triple positive cells showed multi-lineage engraftment, whereas 5 mice transplanted with single positive cells did not, suggesting that CD34+CD43+CD45+ triple positive cells are the source of long-term engraftment in our system. We then investigated what signaling pathways regulate the emergence of CD34+CD43+CD45+ triple positive cells from HE. From high-throughput screening of 2,000 receptor ligands, cytokines/morphogens, hormone, and chemical compounds, we observed that interferon-gamma (IFNγ) increased CD34+CD43+CD45+ triple positive cells 6 to 8-fold in 5 independent experiments. The effect was abrogated by the addition of IFNα. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the IFNγ pathway promotes the emergence of engraftable HSPCs from human PSC-derived HE. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.