cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selectivity of attenuation (i.e., gating) of somatosensory potentials during voluntary movement in humans.

Attenuation of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPS) recorded from the scalp during voluntary movement occurs for specific combinations of the finger moved and the peripheral nerve stimulated. The cerebral potential component occurring at a latency of 27 msec (P27) evoked either by stimulation of median nerve at the wrist or by stimulation of 1st and 2nd digit nerves in the fingers were selectively attenuated during movement of 1st digit but were not altered during movement of 5th digit. By contrast, the cerebral P27 component evoked by stimulation of ulnar nerve at the wrist or by stimulation of 5th digital nerve were attenuated during movement of that digit but were not altered during movement of 1st digit. Gating of somatosensory activity is a selective phenomenon occurring when movement involves the areas being stimulated.
Effects of repeated questionnaire administration in longitudinal studies of adolescent males' sexual behavior

By comparing four similar groups of young adolescent males who completed questionnaires about their sexual behavior different numbers of times at various intervals, we explore the hypothesis that repeated questionnaire completion will affect sexual behavior. We find little support for the hypothesis even when the number of questionnaire administrations is very high.
Analysis of cd45- [cd34+/kdr+] Endothelial Progenitor Cells as Juvenile Protective Factors in a Rat Model of Ischemic-Hemorrhagic Stroke

Background Identification of juvenile protective factors (JPFs) which are altered with age and contribute to adult-onset diseases could identify novel pathways for reversing the effects of age, an accepted non-modifiable risk factor to adult-onset diseases. Since endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been observed to be altered in stroke, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, said EPCs are candidate JPFs for adult-onset stroke. A priori, if EPC aging plays a ‘master-switch JPF-role’ in stroke pathogenesis, juvenile EPC therapy alone should delay stroke-onset. Using a hypertensive, transgenic-hyperlipidemic rat model of spontaneous ischemic-hemorrhagic stroke, spTg25, we tested the hypothesis that freshly isolated juvenile EPCs are JPFs that can attenuate stroke progression and delay stroke onset.
Land-based Nutrient Loading to LMEs: A Global Watershed Perspective on Magnitudes and Sources

Abstract Coastal resource management initiatives in recent years have moved towards ecosystem approaches such as embodied by Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). In this study, land-based dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loading to LMEs was evaluated using a spatially-explicit river export model (Global NEWS 2) for the year 2000 conditions and for a current trends analysis for the year 2050. Watershed export was aggregated by LME to estimate total DIN load and attribution to diffuse and point sources including natural biological fixation, agricultural biological fixation, fertilizer, manure, atmospheric deposition and sewage. Biological fixation in natural landscapes was the primary source of DIN to many LMEs, but in most (73%) LMEs, over half of the total DIN load was related to anthropogenic sources. Most of the anthropogenic DIN load across LMEs was related to agricultural sources especially fertilizer and manure. Fertilizer was the primary source of DIN to LMEs in most of Europe and Asia, while manure was the primary source in most of Central and South America. Agricultural biological fixation, sewage and atmospheric deposition in general supported a minor fraction of the DIN exported to LMEs although each was a dominant source to a few LMEs. If current trends continue, DIN export to coastal systems by 2050 relative to 2000 is predicted to increase by approximately 40–45% from Africa, South America, South Asia and Oceania. Almost half of the total global increase in DIN is from South Asia. Relatively smaller increases are predicted for North America, with slight decreases in Australia and Europe.
Knockdown of duplicated zebrafish hoxb1 genes reveals distinct roles in hindbrain patterning and a novel mechanism of duplicate gene retention

We have used a morpholino-based knockdown approach to investigate the functions of a pair of zebrafish Hox gene duplicates, hoxb1a and hoxb1b, which are expressed during development of the hindbrain. We find that the zebrafish hoxb1 duplicates have equivalent functions to mouse Hoxb1 and its paralogue Hoxa1. Thus, we have revealed a 'function shuffling' among genes of paralogue group 1 during the evolution of vertebrates. Like mouse Hoxb1, zebrafish hoxb1a is required for migration of the VIIth cranial nerve branchiomotor neurons from their point of origin in hindbrain rhombomere 4 towards the posterior. By contrast, zebrafish hoxb1b, like mouse Hoxa1, is required for proper segmental organization of rhombomere 4 and the posterior hindbrain. Double knockdown experiments demonstrate that the zebrafish hoxb1 duplicates have partially redundant functions. However, using an RNA rescue approach, we reveal that these duplicated genes do not have interchangeable biochemical functions: only hoxb1a can properly pattern the VIIth cranial nerve. Despite this difference in protein function, we provide evidence that the hoxb1 duplicate genes were initially maintained in the genome because of complementary degenerative mutations in defined cis-regulatory elements.
Folivory, Frugivory, and Postcanine Size in the Cercopithecoidea Revisited

At a given body mass, folivorous colo- bines have smaller postcanine teeth than frugivorous cercopithecines. This distinction is a notable exception to the general tendency for folivorous primates to have rel- atively larger postcanine tooth rows than closely related frugivores. The reason for this anomalous pattern is unclear, but one potential explanation is that the differ- ence in facial size between these two subfamilies con- founds the comparison—i.e., it may be that the large postcanine teeth of cercopithecines are a consequence of their large faces. The goal of this study was to test this hypothesis. Phylogenetic comparative methods were used to examine the relationships among postcanine area, facial size, and body mass in 29 anthropoid prima- tes, including eight colobines and eight cercopithecines. Results indicate that there is a strong and highly signifi- cant partial correlation between postcanine area and fa- cial size when body mass is held constant, which sup- ports the hypothesis that facial size has an important influence on postcanine size. Moreover, colobines have larger postcanine teeth relative to facial size than cerco- pithecines. Surprisingly, when facial size is held con- stant, the partial correlation between postcanine area and body mass is weak and nonsignificant. These results suggest that facial size may be more appropriate than body mass for size-adjusting postcanine measurements in some contexts. A phylogenetic comparative test of the association between diet and relative postcanine size (scaled using facial size) confirms that folivorous anthro- poids are characterized by relatively large postcanine teeth in comparison to closely related nonfolivores. Am J Phys Anthropol 146:20-27, 2011. V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Time–temperature–transformation (TTT) cure diagram: Modeling the cure behavior of thermosets

The times to gelation and to vitrification for the isothermal cure of an amine-cured epoxy (Epon 828/PACM-20) have been measured on macroscopic and molecular levels by dynamic mechanical spectrometry (torsional braid analysis and Rheometrics dynamic spectrometer), infrared spectroscopy, and gel fraction experiments. The relationships between the extents of conversion at gelation and at vitrification and the isothermal cure temperature form the basis of a theoretical model of the time–temperature–transformation (TTT) cure diagram, in which the times to gelation and to vitrification during isothermal cure versus temperature are predicted. The model demonstrates that the “S” shape of the vitrification curve depends on the reaction kinetics, as well as on the physical parameters of the system, i.e., the glass transition temperatures of the uncured resin (Tg0), the fully cured resin (Tg∞), and the gel (gelTg). The bulk viscosity of a reactive system prior to gelation and/or vitrification is also described.
Multi‐Reservoir Bioadhesive Microdevices for Independent Rate‐Controlled Delivery of Multiple Drugs

A variety of oral administrative systems such as enterically coated tablets, capsules, particles, and liposomes have been developed to improve oral bioavailability of drugs. However, they suffer from poor intestinal localization and therapeutic efficacy due to the various physiological conditions and high shear fluid flow. Fabrication of novel microdevices combined with the introduction of controlled release, improved adhesion, selective targeting, and tissue permeation may overcome these issues and potentially diminish the toxicity and high frequency of conventional oral administration. Herein, thin, asymmetric, poly(methyl methacrylate); PMMA microdevices were fabricated with multiple reservoirs using photolithography and reactive ion etching. They were loaded with different individual model drug in each reservoir. Enhanced bioadhesion of the microdevices was observed in the presence of a conjugated of targeting protein; tomato lectin to the PMMA surface. As compared to drug encompassing hydrogels, an increase in drug permeation across the caco-2 monolayer was noticed in the presence of a microdevice loaded with the same drug-hydrogel system. Also, the release of multiple drugs from their respective reservoirs was found to be independent from each other. The use of different hydrogel systems in each reservoir showed differences in the controlled release of the respective drugs over the same period of release. These results suggest that in the future, the microfabricated unidirectional multi-drug releasing devices will have an impact over the oral administration of a broad range of therapeutics.
Intrafamilial Organ Donation Is Often an Altruistic Act

In their recent article, Glannon and Ross remind us that family members have obligations to help each other that strangers do not have. They argue, I believe correctly, that what creates moral obligations within families is not genetic relationship but rather a sharing of intimacy. For no one are these obligations stronger than they are for parents of young children. This observation leads the authors to the logical conclusion that organ donation by a parent to her child is not optional but rather a prima facie duty. However, Glannon and Ross go a step further by suggesting that because parent-to-child organ donation is a duty, it cannot be altruistic. They assert that “altruistic acts are optional, nonobligatory…supererogatory…. Given that altruism consists in purely optional actions presupposing no duty to aid others, any parental act that counts as meeting a child's needs cannot be altruistic.” Here I think the authors go too far.
Wave scattering by small particles in a medium

Wave scattering is considered in a medium in which many small particles are embedded. Equations for the effective field in the medium are derived when the number of particles tends to infinity.
EVALUATING PLANT INVASIONS FROM BOTH HABITAT AND SPECIES PERSPECTIVES

We present an approach to quantitatively assess nonnative plant invasions at landscape scales from both habitat and species perspectives. Our case study included 34 nonnative species found in 142 plots (0.1 ha) in 14 vegeta- tion types within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. A plot invasion index, based on nonnative species richness and cover, showed that only 16 of 142 plots were heavily invaded. A species invasive index, based on frequency, cover, and number of vegetation types invaded, showed that only 7 of 34 plant species were highly invasive. Multiple regressions using habitat characteristics (moisture index, elevation, soil P, native species richness, maximum crust development class, bare ground, and rock) explained 60% of variation in nonnative species richness and 46% of variation in nonnative species cover. Three mesic habitats (aspen, wet meadow, and perennial riparian types) were par- ticularly invaded (31 of 34 nonnative species studied were found in these types). Species-specific logistic regression models for the 7 most invasive species correctly predicted occurrence 89% of the time on average (from 80% for Bromus tectorum, a habitat generalist, to 93% for Tamarix spp., a habitat specialist). Even with such a modest sampling intensity (<0.1% of the landscape), this multiscale sampling scheme was effective at evaluating habitat vulnerability to invasion and the occurrence of the 7 most invasive nonnative species. This approach could be applied in other natural areas to develop strategies to document invasive species and invaded habitats.
Duplication 8p Syndrome: Studies in a Family With a Reciprocal Translocation Between Chromosomes 8 and 12

We report a family in which six individuals were carriers of a translocation between chromosomes 8 and 12. The balanced carriers had a chromosome constitution: 46,XX or 46,XY,t(8;12)(021 ;pl3). Six individuals in five generations were mentally retarded. Three of them were examined; their chromosome constitution was 46,XX or 46,XY,der( 12),t(8;12)(p21;pl3); thus they had a duplication of 8pte1-4~21 and possible deficiency of 12pter+12p 13. The activities of the enzymes that are coded by genes on 8p (glutathione reductase, GSR, E.C. 1.6.4.2.) and 12p (triosephosphate isomerase, TPI, E.C. 5.3.1.1.; lactate dehydrogenase-B, LDH-B, E.C. 1.1.1.27.; and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, G3PD, E.C. 1.2.1.12.) were normal in these individuals. These findings helped in interpreting the position of the break points in the respective chromosomes. The phenotypic findings in our patients are discussed. Segregation analysis indicates no significant variation from a 25% recurrence risk for each of the possible genotypes in the offspring of balanced carriers.
Cross-Reactivity of Cefotetan and Ceftriaxone Antibodies, Associated With Hemolytic Anemia, With Other Cephalosporins and Penicillin

Most drug-induced immune hemolytic anemias since the late 1980s have been caused by the second- and third-generation cephalosporins, cefotetan and ceftriaxone, respectively. Cross-reactivity of cefotetan and ceftriaxone antibodies with other cephalosporins or penicillin has been studied only minimally. We tested 7 serum samples previously identified to contain cefotetan antibodies and one serum sample previously identified to contain ceftriaxone antibodies against 9 other cephalosporins, penicillin, and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid in the presence of RBCs and also used hapten inhibition to indicate cross-reactivity. Serum samples containing cefotetan antibodies showed some cross-reactivity with cephalothin and cefoxitin (and to a much lesser extent with penicillin and ceftazidime). The ceftriaxone antibodies showed very weak cross-reactivity with cefotaxime, cefamandole, and cefoperazone. There was very little cross-reactivity between cefotetan antibodies and the drugs tested in the present study. We have no data to determine whether the in vitro data relate to in vivo reactivity.
Echocardiographic Diagnosis of a Stuck Bjork-Shiley Aortic Valve Prosthesis

A 55-year-old man who had been asymptomatic after replacement of his aortic valve with a Bjork-Shiley prosthesis, suddenly developed heart failure. The clinical suspicion of prosthetic malfunction was not only confirmed, but specified as being a stuck disc secondary to a large thrombus. Surgical removal of the clot resulted in restoration of normal function and return to the expected findings on echocardiogram. The value of echocardiography in such instances, as well as in routinely following-up patients with prostheses postoperatively, is emphasized.
Pan Evaporation Trends in Dry and Humid Regions of the United States

Abstract Decreasing pan evaporation trends in many regions of the world have been viewed as evidence of a decrease in the terrestrial evaporation component of the hydrologic cycle. However, some researchers suggest that the relationship between pan evaporation and terrestrial evaporation depends on the environment in which the measurements are recorded and that pan evaporation trends run counter to trends in terrestrial evaporation in some climates. To determine whether evidence of this kind of relationship exists in the observational record, pan evaporation trends were compared with precipitation trends in eight regions within the United States. To the extent that warm-season precipitation can be used as an indicator of surface evaporation, these results support the view that pan evaporation and actual evaporation can be inversely related.
Absence of a relationship between umbilical cord thickness and coiling patterns.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate a relationship between the umbilical cord thickness and cord coiling patterns during the fetal sonographic anatomic survey in the second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS This was a prospective study of 470 patients with singleton pregnancies who had a fetal anatomic survey with recorded umbilical coiling patterns between 18 and 23 weeks' gestation. The umbilical cord thickness was assessed as an umbilical diameter at the level of the fetal abdominal cord insertion and compared with the antenatal umbilical coiling index (aUCI), calculated as a reciprocal value of the distance between a pair of umbilical cord coils. RESULTS Three hundred twenty-one patients had adequate sonographic umbilical cord images and maternal demographic, antenatal, and labor data to meet inclusion criteria. The mean aUCI was 0.41 with 10th and 90th percentiles of 0.21 and 0.60, respectively. A total of 10.6% (34/321) and 9.3% (30/321) of patients were categorized as having hypocoiled and hypercoiled umbilical cords, respectively. The mean cord diameter +/- SD was 9.48 +/- 0.97 mm (range 7.0-12.5 mm). There was no statistically significant correlation between aUCI and umbilical cord thickness (P = .1164). CONCLUSIONS An aUCI, or umbilical coiling pattern, does not correlate with umbilical cord thickness. It appears that a lesser amount of the umbilical supportive tissue, mainly Wharton jelly, is not related to an increased umbilical cord coiling pattern.
Expression of the Wilms' tumor suppressor gene Wt1 during mouse embryogenesis

WT1 is a Wilms' tumor suppressor gene that maps to human chromosome 11p13 and encodes a putative transcription factor implicated in controlling normal urogenital development. Sporadic homozygous mutations in WT1 result in the development of Wilms' tumor (nephroblastoma), and heterozygous germline mutations can give rise to a phenotype which includes nephropathy and urogenital abnormalities (the Denys-Drash syndrome). Thus, inappropriate expression of WT1 results in developmental abnormalities affecting the urogenital system. To better define the temporal and spatial distribution of WT1 expression during embryogenesis, we have used in situ mRNA hybridization and immunohistochemistry to examine WT1 expression in murine embryos during the period prior to and throughout active organogenesis. Prior to embryological day 9.5 (E9.5), WT1 mRNA expression is absent in the embryo proper but is strongly expressed in the maternal uterus. During the initiation of organogenesis on E10.5, WT1 mRNA is localized within the pronephric and mesonephric tissues. By E11.5, the nephrogenic cord, urogenital ridge, and condensing metanephric tissue show intense WT1 hybridization signals, and increasingly centripetal expression of WT1 in the kidney correlates with renal differentiation from days E11.5 through E16.5. The stromal cell components in the developing gonad show expression of WT1 by E10.5, whereas in the remaining organs examined, WT1 expression is restricted to the uterus, spleen, abdominal wall musculature, and mesothelial lining of organs within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Interestingly, there is also WT1 expression in the central nervous system which localizes to the ependymal layer of the ventral aspect of the spinal cord.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A method to analyze shear cell data of powders measured under different initial consolidation stresses

Abstract Purpose The shear cell test has been widely used to characterize flow properties of powders and granular materials. The purpose of this study is to address the gap between the extensive usage of the test and the limited methods available to analyze the data, and to introduce methodologies for comparing results for different initial consolidation stresses, materials, and testing devices. Method A library of shear cell data was established. Forty-one powders were included, and each material was tested under four different initial consolidation stresses. For each initial consolidation stress, 3 sampling replicates were performed. Results A dimensionless cohesion, C*, was defined as the cohesion divided by the initial consolidation stress. By identifying a correlation between the flow function coefficient (ffc) and C*, the effects of the initial consolidation stress and the testing device were separated. In addition, by identifying a mathematical correlation between the unconfined yield strength and the cohesion, the yield loci from different initial consolidation stresses could be collapsed into a single material characteristic line, enabling one to characterize each material by a single number (the characteristic slope). This approach can be used to economically compare different materials, or different testing devices. Conclusion The proposed method augments shear cell data analysis and significantly reduces the complexity of the shear cell data.
Overview: Oncologic, Endocrine & Metabolic Antisense oligonucleotides for the treatment of cancer

Conventional chemotherapeutic agents which either block enzymatic pathways or randomly interact with DNA irrespective of the cell phenotype, lack specificity for killing neoplastic cells. Growing evidence indicates that antisense oligodeoxynucleotides can be used to control cancer cell growth by specific targeting of cancer-specific genes. The mRNAs of several oncogenes, growth factors or cytokines have been chosen as targets for antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Discrimination between the protooncogene and the oncogene can be achieved in the case of ras oncogene, of which activation occurs through point mutation in the coding sequence. Targeting at the mRNA of the RIα subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the positive intracellular regulator of cell growth, with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide has also shown arrest of cancer cell growth. Synthetic oligonucleotides, thus, provide the potential biological tool for cancer chemotherapy.
Validating studies for panic disorder in patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries

This article describes validating studies for diagnosing panic disorder in some patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries (NCA) and chest pain. Psychiatric interviews of 94 such patients showed that 34% met the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder. Further studies showed that NCA patients with panic disorder were more disabled at 3.5-year follow-up, had more relatives with panic disorder, were more likely to suffer from major depression, and were more likely to respond to 35% CO2 challenge with panic symptoms. Because panic disorder is highly disabling but responds well to psychological and pharmacologic treatments, screening NCA patients in the cardiology population for this disorder is recommended.
Teach by Zooming Visual Servo Control for an Uncalibrated Camera System

The teach by showing approach is formulated as the desire to position/orient a camera based on a reference image obtained by a priori positioning the same camera in the desired location. A new strategy is required for applications where the camera can not be a priori positioned to the desired position/orientation. In this paper, a “teach by zooming” approach is proposed where the objective is to position/orient a camera based on a reference image obtained by another camera. For example, a fixed camera providing a global view of an object can zoom in on an object and record a desired image for an on-board camera (e.g., a satellite providing a goal image for an image-guided unmanned vehicle). A controller is designed to regulate the image features acquired by an on-board camera to the corresponding image feature coordinates in the desired image acquired by the fixed camera. The controller is developed based on the assumption that parametric uncertainty exists in the camera calibration since precise values for these parameters are difficult to obtain in practice. Simulation results demonstrate the performance of the developed controller.
The 'Strict Liability' of Direct Patent Infringement

In 1995, the Federal Circuit summarily attached the label of “strict liability” to direct patent infringement, even though that term does not appear in any U.S. Patent Act of the past two centuries. The catechism of “strict” direct patent infringement liability is now so well-engrained in patent doctrine that it is easy to lose sight of how recent the advent of this terminology is in the case law, and how troublesome application of this standard has proven, even to the Federal Circuit, which created it. The first patent act (1790) preceded the emergence of tort law as a distinct field of U.S. common law (mid-1800s) by a half-century or more, and the products liability explosion of the mid-twentieth century radically altered our understanding of strict liability. The implications of this forgotten timeline are profound. “Strict liability,” particularly in its modern formulation, is not a neutral, descriptive term. Rather, the term evokes social policy choices and balancing considerations that may be appropriate within the case law context of products liability or abnormally dangerous activities, but which are incongruous and inapposite in the statutory context of patent law. Deeming direct patent infringement to be a strict liability leads to two unanticipated and unwelcome effects. First, the adoption of the “strict liability” label for direct patent infringement liability improperly inflates the courts’ role in setting direct patent infringement liability standards and suggests — incorrectly — that patent liability is a case law construct, when in fact it is a statutory construct. Second, the “strict liability” label improperly shifts the focus of the patent infringement inquiry from the Patent Act’s protection of the plaintiff’s exclusive property interest in its patent right toward a value-laden examination of the social utility of the defendant’s conduct vis-a-vis the injury to the patent holder. Jettisoning the “strict liability” label for direct patent infringement would reframe the analysis and debate, moving direct patent infringement liability out of a policy framework and back toward its proper statutory setting.
Artist-neighbours: the role of artists in place-based communities

Front Porch Arts Collective was founded after a long lunch with three other theatre artists the day after Christmas in 2013, in my hometown of Greenville (South Carolina, USA). The lack of local ar...
Vibration Characteristic of a Rotor-Bearing System with Pedestal Looseness and Rub-Impact

Simulations show that the bifurcation and chaotic behavior of the looseness-rubbing rotor system vary with the rotating angular speed under different maximum loosed inter-space values by using unsteady oil film forces based on the nonlinear dynamic model of a rotor-bearing system with pedestal looseness and rub-impact. The simulation results were compared with those of looseness rotor-bearing system and those of rub-impact rotor-bearing system separately with the same parameters. The comparison results show that the rubbing and looseness mainly occurred within the critical speed region, oil whip region, and the high speed rigion such as Ω3.4. The chaotic motion can be observed when the rub -impact fault took place. As the maximum loosed inter-space value decreases, the rubbing speed region becomes wider and the loosed speed region becomes narrower than those when the maximum loosed inter-space value is large. The two faults are independent of each other.
Dietary supplementation with ipriflavone decreases hepatic iron stores in wild type mice

Hepcidin, a peptide produced in the liver, decreases intestinal iron absorption and macrophage iron release by causing degradation of the iron exporter, ferroportin. Because its levels are inappropriately low in patients with iron overload syndromes, hepcidin is a potential drug target. We previously conducted a chemical screen that revealed ipriflavone, an orally available small molecule, as a potent inducer of hepcidin expression. To evaluate ipriflavone's effect on iron homeostasis, we placed groups of 5-week old wild type or thalassemia intermedia (Hbb(Th3+/-)) mice on a soy-free, iron-sufficient diet, AIN-93G containing 220mg iron and 0-750mgipriflavone/kg of food for 50days. Ipriflavone 500mg/kg significantly reduced liver iron stores and intestinal ferroportin expression in WT mice, while increasing the ratio of hepcidin transcript levels to liver iron stores. Ipriflavone supplementation in Hbb(Th3+/-) mice failed to alleviate iron overload and was associated with a milder reduction in intestinal ferroportin and a failure to alter the ratio of hepcidin transcript levels to liver iron stores or splenic expression of the hepcidin-regulatory hormone, erythroferrone. These data suggest that dietary supplementation with ipriflavone alone would not be sufficient to treat iron overload in thalassemia intermedia.
Effectiveness of an interprofessional workshop on pain management for medical and nursing students

Interprofessional (IP) care is critical for effective pain management, but evidence is lacking about the best way to teach pain management skills to medical and nursing students using IP strategies. In 2013 and 2014, 307 medical and 169 nursing students participated in an IP case-based pain management workshop. The aims of this study were to determine (1) if students who participate in IP case-based learning groups will have improved pain management skills compared to students who participate in uniprofessional case-based learning groups, and (2) if students mentored by faculty with IP training will have improved pain management skills compared to students who are not mentored by IP-trained faculty. Student learning was assessed and compared using scored checklists for each group's pain management plans. Findings show that IP mentorship and IP group participation improved medical students' pain management skills but did not have the same effect on nursing student performance. Continued work is needed to develop, refine, and integrate innovative and tailored IP strategies into the curricula of medical and nursing schools to advance the pain management competencies of students before they enter clinical practice.
Expanding the Democratic Base

Despite the party's persistent troubles, in 1932 the Democratic New Deal coalition emerged. The party, long reliant on a Southern base, gained votes and seats outside the South, and gained a majority that persisted for some years. Although there was considerable change in where the party won votes, the relationship between presidential and House vote percentages remained remarkably stable from the 1920s through 1944. As indicated earlier in Figure 3.4, the correlation had fluctuated between .90 and .70 (excluding 1912) between 1900 and 1928. It was .81 in 1932 and 1936, and .83 in 1940 and 1944. This era is often described as one of realignment, which presumably means a significant shift in electoral alignments. Yet the correlation between voting for presidential and House candidates did not change. How does a party expand its base and bring in a significantly new electoral base while this association does not change? Analyzing 1928–1932 Gains The question facing Democrats in the 1920s was how to expand their base beyond the South, and to do so on a consistent basis. The issue within the party was whether to run presidential candidates who would appeal to northern urban constituencies and attract enduring support in those areas. Although in retrospect it appears clear which way the party should and would move, there was little clarity during the 1920s. The battle over what direction to take consumed the party during the 1920s, until the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 gave the party electoral gains in 1930 and 1932 it had not been able to achieve before. The challenge then became how to retain the newly acquired support.
SnapShot: Neuronal Regulation of Aging

Aging is characterized by loss of homeostasis across multiple tissues. The nervous system governs whole-body homeostasis by communicating external and internal signals to peripheral tissues. Here, we highlight neuronal mechanisms and downstream outputs that regulate aging and longevity. Targeting these neuronal pathways may be a novel strategy to promote healthy aging. To view this SnapShot, open or download the PDF.
Heart disease: Death-defying plaque cells.

Dead cells are usually removed through their ingestion and destruction by other cells. A study of plaque deposits in arteries shows that dying cells in plaques display a 'don't-eat-me' signal that blocks their removal. See Letter p.86 Nicholas Leeper and colleagues demonstrate that atherosclerotic lesions in mice and humans switch on a 'don't eat me' signal — in the form of expression of the anti-phagocytic transmembrane protein CD47 — that prevents effective removal of diseased tissue. They show that administration of anti-CD47 antibodies can normalize this defective phagocytic clearance (or ‘efferocytosis’) with beneficial results in several mouse models of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that targeted pro-efferocytic therapies could have potential in cardiovascular diseases.
Qualitative Analysis of Starpower

The ideal role for the researcher in a gamed simulation is that of a quantitative field worker, and as such, the understanding of the game from the perspectives of the players is the most important goal of research. Since these perspectives develop as play progresses, subsequent quantitative data analysis necessarily must follow them. In order to place this discussion in the frame of reference of a player, observations by a fictitious player are presented below.
Impact of Left Atrial Appendage Closure During Cardiac Surgery on the Occurrence of Early Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation, Stroke, and Mortality: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of 10 633 Patients.

Background:Prophylactic exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is often performed during cardiac surgery ostensibly to reduce the risk of stroke. However, the clinical impact of LAA closure i...
Social Work Grand Challenges and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: Linking Social Work and Women’s Health

The health of women is a crucial component to family and community wellbeing. However, social work scholars have not been very engaged in research pertaining to the health needs of women. With the Grand Challenges of Social Work becoming a major element for national discussion and with the revision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) in 2015, we wondered how connected the 12 Grand Challenges and the 17 SDGs were. We searched the social work literature from 2005 to present to identify what salient publications were available about women’s health and then connected them to the current themes of the Grand Challenges and SDGs. There are no more articles to review in the social work literature. Using a feminist social work framework, we summarize the topics covered in these articles and define a call to action for more scholarly work on women’s health in the context of current national and global conversations about this social justice issue.
ACM SIGGRAPH 2007 courses

Instruction, insight, and inspiration from academic and industry experts. SIGGRAPH 2007 Courses deliver invaluable learning opportunities in three formats (tutorials, half-day classes, and full-day classes) and three levels of difficulty (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Attendees learn principles and techniques that shape software evolution, hardware systems, feature-film production, and future research directions.
Impact of electronic clinical decision support on adherence to guideline-recommended treatment for hyperlipidaemia, atrial fibrillation and heart failure: protocol for a cluster randomised trial.

Introduction Clinical practice guidelines facilitate optimal clinical practice. Point of care access, interpretation and application of such guidelines, however, is inconsistent. Informatics-based tools may help clinicians apply guidelines more consistently. We have developed a novel clinical decision support tool that presents guideline-relevant information and actionable items to clinicians at the point of care. We aim to test whether this tool improves the management of hyperlipidaemia, atrial fibrillation and heart failure by primary care clinicians. Methods/analysis Clinician care teams were cluster randomised to receive access to the clinical decision support tool or passive access to institutional guidelines on 16 May 2016. The trial began on 1 June 2016 when access to the tool was granted to the intervention clinicians. The trial will be run for 6 months to ensure a sufficient number of patient encounters to achieve 80% power to detect a twofold increase in the primary outcome at the 0.05 level of significance. The primary outcome measure will be the percentage of guideline-based recommendations acted on by clinicians for hyperlipidaemia, atrial fibrillation and heart failure. We hypothesise care teams with access to the clinical decision support tool will act on recommendations at a higher rate than care teams in the standard of care arm. Ethics and dissemination The Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board approved all study procedures. Informed consent was obtained from clinicians. A waiver of informed consent and of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorisation for patients managed by clinicians in the study was granted. In addition to publication, results will be disseminated via meetings and newsletters. Trial registration number NCT02742545.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Advanced Cancer Patients Who Received Palliative Care at a Public Hospital Compared with Those at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Abstract Background: Patients with advanced cancer experience severe physical, psychosocial, and spiritual distress requiring palliative care (PC). There are limited literature regarding characteristics and outcomes of patients evaluated by PC services at public hospitals (PHs). Objective, Design, Setting/Subjects, and Measurements: To compare the outcomes of advanced cancer patients undergoing PC at a PH and those at a comprehensive cancer center (CCC). We reviewed 359 consecutive advanced cancer patients (PH, 180; CCC, 179) undergoing PC. Symptoms and outcomes at consultation and first follow-up visit were assessed. Summary statistics were used to describe patient characteristics and outcomes. Results: The PH and CCC patients differed significantly according to race: 23% white, 39% black, and 36% Hispanic patients at the PH versus 66% white, 17% black, and 11% Hispanic patients at the CCC (p < 0.0001). Ninety-six (53%) patients at PH and 178 (99%) at the CCC had health insurance (p < 0.0001). Symptoms a...
Comprehensive Sexuality Education vs. Abstinence-Only Sexuality Education: The Need for Evidence-Based Research and Practice.

increases in contraceptive use. Still, between 800,000 and 900,000 adolescents become pregnant each year in America. Many who become parents during adolescence are unable to achieve positive health, economic, and social well-being outcomes, particularly around educational success. This article reviews the empirical literature regarding the effectiveness of comprehensive and abstinence-only sexuality education, which heavily supports the provision of comprehensive sexuality education. It also examines the essential role that Title X, the national family planning policy, can play in increasing implementation of comprehensive sexuality education programs both within schools and in the community. School social workers can better serve the individuals and the communities they work with by increasing their knowledge of effective prevention programs and advocating policies that support such programs.
Towards Identifying Peer Expertise in Online Health Forums

Online health forums have become increasingly popular over the past several years. Patients are able to seek answers to queries regarding their health or solicit opinions about a particular treatment through such community forums. Such forums also provide users with a platform to network with peers and share information, experiential advice, and support. Although some forums include doctors as members, there exists another set of lay users who we call peer experts, who have gained expertise on the particular health topic through experience, and have garnered credibility in responding to queries in a particular area of medicine over time. These users are highly knowledgeable about a particular disease and are able to provide valuable information to other users. This paper aims to motivate the need to identify peer experts in health forums and study their characteristics.
Invisible Hawkeyes: African Americans at the University of Iowa during the Long Civil Rights Era.

Review of: Invisible Hawkeyes: African Americans at the University of Iowa during the Long Civil Rights Era, edited by Lena M. Hill and Michael D. Hill
Ion partitioning between brines and ion exchange polymers

Abstract Quantitative failure of the ideal Donnan model to predict ion partitioning between relatively dilute electrolyte aqueous solutions and ion exchange polymers arises from neglecting non-ideal behavior of ions. Hypothetically, when a water swollen, charged polymer is equilibrated with concentrated salt solutions, most of the fixed charge groups are neutralized by sorbed counter-ions, which can screen electrostatic effects and create, in the membrane, an environment thermodynamically similar to that experienced by ions in the external electrolyte solution. In this study, a combined experimental and theoretical approach was used to test this hypothesis. A fundamental study of ion partitioning between a cation exchange membrane based on cross-linked poly(p-styrene sulfonate-co-divinylbenzene) and NaCl and CaCl2 concentrated brines is presented. At high electrolyte concentrations, the experimentally measured ion activity coefficients in the membrane match those in the contiguous external solution, and the ideal Donnan model provides an accurate prediction of co-ion and counter-ion concentrations in the polymer. This physical picture was further confirmed by the recently developed Manning-Donnan model.
Boom times for technocrats? How environmental consulting companies shape mining governance

Abstract Scholarship has begun to acknowledge the environmental impact assessment as a key phenomenon in the mineral production process, but little literature has paid attention to the environmental consulting companies that produce these studies. This paper, based on semi-structured interviews in Guatemala with environmental consultants, representatives of the mining industry, and state functionaries, develops an ethnographic portrait of these consulting firms and their workers. Mining companies and environmental consulting firms, I argue, are structurally dependent on one another. Beyond their surface role as independent technicians, environmental consultants serve as facilitators for mining firms, helping them navigate the state bureaucracy and streamline the approval of their production licenses. These consultants further serve the mining industry by absorbing risk that corresponds with miners. As mining expanded between 2002 and 2012, the environmental consulting industry experienced a corresponding spike. This upstream boom in environmental consulting drove down the price of impact assessments, diluted their quality and rendered their role in environmental governance largely symbolic. Their roles as mining boosters traps environmental consultants between competing motivations—the drive of their expertise and training to act as competent and transparent technicians—and the flush of boom times which produces an inverse relationship between competence and lucre.
Does plant allometry predict biased sex allocation in Triadica sebifera (L.) small (Euphorbiaceae)

Early seed production by non-native plants may be important to their successful establishment and spread. Understanding the mechanisms underlying age- or size-biased seed production in introduced plants may also identify factors that contribute to propagule pressure and their success as invaders. Here, we asked whether differences in male and female reproductive allocation among individuals of the invasive woody plant species Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae), a monoecious prolific seed producer, were consistent with a life-history trade-off involving sex allocation. We also asked if the quality of seeds produced by trees of different size differed in terms of seed size and germinability. We found no evidence that biomass allocation to either male or female function was related to plant size. Trees varied in ratio of female:male investment from 0.6 to 15.8, but investment ratio was also unrelated to plant size. We also found no relationship between plant size and seed size or mean germination time, and a weak negative relationship between percent seed germination and plant size. Overall, the results do not support the idea that patterns of reproductive sex allocation are the result of a life-history trade-off and are instead most consistent with local resource tracking by individual trees.
Demonstration of the presence of beryllium in pulmonary granulomas.

Abstract : Chronic beryllium disease was induced experimentally in dogs, and the presence of beryllium was demonstrated in specific histologic structures (pulmonary granulomas) by means of a laser microprobe and emission spectroscopy. The ability to detect minute amounts of beryllium in tissue sections of necropsy and biopsy material can be a significant aid in the diagnosis of both acute and chronic forms of beryllium disease. The detection of beryllium in histologic structures represents an important advance in the study of the pathogenesis of this disease.
Reconstitution of the Ventricular Endocardium Within Acellular Hearts

There is a need for developing a living tissue-engineered whole heart for transplantation. One solution is to create acellular myocardial tissue scaffolds and seed them with autologous cells for full reconstitution. Our goal was to reconstitute the endocardial layer of both ventricular cavities and the septum surfaces of decellularized hearts. Whole rabbit hearts were decellularized using a biventricular perfusion system. We designed a rotational support system for the scaffolds and seeded the two cardiac cavities with human fibroblasts, collagen hydrogels, fibrin hydrogel, and human endothelial cells in a layer-by-layer fashion. Afterwards, the scaffold was subjected to in vitro conditioning in a purpose-designed bioreactor. Results showed that hydrogels infused onto most surfaces and pores of the scaffold. Seeded cells effectively adhered to many areas of the two ventricles while remaining active by secreting new matrix proteins. These results indicate that layer-by-layer deposition can aid in the reconstitution of the cardiac endocardium. There is a need for developing a living whole heart for transplantation. In this study, we developed a perfusion system to remove all cells from rabbit hearts, while leaving the connective tissue collagen fibers intact. We then developed a rotational bioreactor system to seed the hearts with human cells in a layer-by-layer fashion by suspending human fibroblasts and endothelial cells in fibrin and collagen gels as carriers. Using these systems, we successfully reconstituted an important internal layer of the heart, the endocardium, lining the cavities of the heart, with most cells remaining alive and active.