cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSES TO MECHOLYL AND PERSONALITY VARIABLES.

This study was designed to investigate the interrelationships betwen personility variables measured by both the Blacky Pictures and the Defense Preference Inquiry, and epinephrine-like and norepinephrine-like blood pressure reactions to intramuscular Mecholyl. Thirty hospitalized, open ward, male, acute, psychiatric patients were used as subjects. To evaluate the degree of relationship, phe coefficients were computed betwen the two blood pressure categories and the twenty-two personality dimensions. A norepinephrine-like blood pressure reaction to Mecholyl was associated with a rether primitive and infantile personality constellation, characterized by a tendency to utilize regression and projection as preferred ego defences. The epinephrine-like blood pressure to Mecholyl was related to a strong attachment to mother, a lesser tendency toward regression, and the utilization of reaction formation as the preferred ago defense. The results of this study were quite similar to that previously reported by Funkenstein. Thus, the present data give further support to the hypothesis that the way an individual characteristically adjusts at the physiological level to a chemical stres is related to his underlying personality structure, and to his characteristic way of handling psychological stress.
Protection against Chromium (VI)–Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis by Nrf2. Recruiting Nrf2 into the Nucleus and Disrupting the Nuclear Nrf2/Keap1 Association

Chromium (Cr) (VI) is a major environmental toxic metal and a human carcinogen. The molecular events mediating cellular responses to Cr(VI) are not clear at present. We show that Cr(VI) potently induced apoptosis and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mouse hepa1c1c7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Mouse embryonic fibroblast cells lacking Nrf2 exhibited elevated ROS production and apoptosis, which were markedly further increased by Cr(VI), suggesting a protective role of Nrf2 against Cr(VI) toxicity. Protection by Nrf2 correlated with induction of cytoprotective genes Ho-1 and Nqo1. Induction of the genes by Cr(VI) involved inhibition of ubiquitination of Nrf2 and accumulation of Nrf2 into the nucleus. In the nucleus, treatment with Cr(VI), but not phenolic antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone, librates Nrf2 from the Nrf2/Keap1 association and recruits Nrf2 to the antioxidant response elements (ARE) located in the enhancers of Ho-1 and Nqo1. Activation of Nrf2 by Cr(VI) was accompanied by the nuclear translocation and deubiquitination of Keap1 implicating recycling of Keap1 in Nrf2 signaling. Thus, protection against Cr(VI) toxicity involves a transcriptional signaling loop that includes activation of Nrf2 by the toxic metal, transcription of ARE-driven genes, and reduction of ROS production.
Outcomes following surgical intervention for impending and gross instability caused by multiple myeloma in the spinal column.

OBJECT Multiple myeloma is the most common primary tumor of the spine and is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone. Although spinal myeloma is classically a radiosensitive lesion, clinical or radiographic signs of instability merit surgical intervention. The authors present the epidemiology, surgical indications, and outcome data of a series of consecutive cases involving 31 surgically treated patients with diagnoses of multiple myeloma and plasmacytoma of the spine (the largest such series reported to date). METHODS Surgical instability was the criterion for operative intervention in this patient cohort. The Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) was used to make this assessment of instability. The cases were analyzed using location of the lesion, spinal levels involved, Frankel score, adjuvant therapy, functional outcome, and patient survival. RESULTS All patients undergoing surgical intervention were determined to have indeterminate or gross spinal column instability according to SINS cri...
Sepsis-induced diastolic dysfunction in chronic canine peritonitis

A chronic canine model of hyperdynamic sepsis was achieved by cecal ligation and puncture (SEP) in conjunction with continuous high-volume fluid resuscitation. Cardiac function was evaluated using ultrasonic cardiac crystals placed across the major, minor, and wall thickness axes of the left ventricle, together with simultaneous arterial and ventricular pressure measurement. Seven to 10 days after crystal implantation, animals were randomized to either SEP (n = 10) or sham laparotomy control (n = 7). SEP dogs became febrile and lethargic, with elevated leukocyte counts and positive blood cultures for enteric organisms. They were also hyperdynamic, with significant increases in heart rate and cardiac output and a fall in systemic vascular resistance. Systolic blood pressure, stroke volume, and ejection fraction remained stable. Relative to control, the SEP group demonstrated a significant reduction in intrinsic contractility during systole, as measured by the heart rate and load-independent index of left ventricular performance Emax (P less than 0.01), confirming the observations of others. In addition, however, diastolic function also became markedly abnormal with a progressive increase in unstressed and end-diastolic ventricular volumes (P less than 0.05) and a significant decrease in myocardial compliance as quantitated by transmural pressure vs. volume-strain analysis. It is hypothesized that this increase in diastolic volume helps to maintain global cardiac performance during the hyperdynamic response to sepsis in the presence of adequate volume support.
FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF HYDROLYZED LACTOSE: CRYSTALLIZATION

The crystallization habit of simulated hydrolyzed lactosc syrups containing 40–80% total solids was studied at 25°C and 40°C. At 25°C, crystallization did not become a problem until total solids were 70% or above, thereby greatly exceeding the solubility of the constituent sugars. Hydrolyzed products reduced crystal growth as did elevation of temperature. In syrups hydrolyzed 100%, galactosc was the predominant crystalline sugar, whereas lactose predominated in the crystals recovered from syrups hydrolyzed 70% and 90%. Syrups were still stable after storage for 6 months.
Development of a Luminex Bead Based Assay for Diagnosis of Toxocariasis Using Recombinant Antigens Tc-CTL-1 and Tc-TES-26

The clinical spectrum of human disease caused by the roundworms Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati ranges from visceral and ocular larva migrans to covert toxocariasis. The parasite is not typically recovered in affected tissues, so detection of parasite-specific antibodies is usually necessary for establishing a diagnosis. The most reliable immunodiagnostic methods use the Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES-Ag) in ELISA formats to detect Toxocara-specific antibodies. To eliminate the need for native parasite materials, we identified and purified immunodiagnostic antigens using 2D gel electrophoresis followed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Three predominant immunoreactive proteins were found in the TES; all three had been previously described in the literature: Tc-CTL-1, Tc-TES-26, and Tc-MUC-3. We generated Escherichia coli expressed recombinant proteins for evaluation in Luminex based immunoassays. We were unable to produce a functional assay with the Tc-MUC-3 recombinant protein. Tc-CTL-1 and Tc-TES-26 were successfully coupled and tested using defined serum batteries. The use of both proteins together generated better results than if the proteins were used individually. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for detecting visceral larval migrans using Tc-CTL-1 plus Tc-TES-26 was 99% and 94%, respectively; the sensitivity for detecting ocular larval migrans was 64%. The combined performance of the new assay was superior to the currently available EIA and could potentially be employed to replace current assays that rely on native TES-Ag.
Na+/Ca2+ exchange currents and SR Ca2+ contents in postinfarction myocytes

Myocytes isolated from rat hearts 3 wk after myocardial infarction (MI) had lower peak cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and reduced maximal extent of cell shortening during contraction, but Ca2+ entry via L-type Ca2+ channels was normal. In the current study using whole cell patch-clamp technique, reverse Na+/Ca2+ exchange current (INa/Ca; 3 Na+ out:1 Ca2+ in) was measured in myocytes in which Na+, K+, and Ca2+ currents were blocked or minimized. Steady-state outward currents measured under these conditions increased with depolarization or with elevation of extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o) from 1.8 to 5.0 mM, but were inhibited by 5 mM Ni2+ or by reduction of [Ca2+]i to near zero. In addition, reduction of cytosolic free Na+ concentration or of [Ca2+]i also decreased the amplitude of the outward current. These characteristics indicate the outward current was INa/Ca operating in reverse mode. Reverse INa/Ca was significantly lower in MI myocytes, especially at more positive voltages. In addition, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-releasable Ca2+ content as estimated by integrating forward INa/Ca during caffeine-induced SR Ca2+ release was also significantly lower in MI myocytes. Depressed Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity may contribute to abnormal [Ca2+]i dynamics in MI myocytes.
Design of Introspective Circuits for Analysis of Cell-Level Dis-orientation in Self-Assembled Cellular Systems

This paper discusses a novel approach to managing complexity in a large self-assembled system, by employing the self-assembling components themselves to address the complexity. Challenges are discussed, including the question of how to deal with elements that are assembled in different orientations from each other, and a solution based on the idea of introspective circuits is described. A methodology for determining a single cell’s orientation from an adjacent cell is given. An algorithm is then described for using such re-oriented edge cells to determine orientation of more-interior cells, thus allowing re-orientation of an entire 2D region of cells. Test procedures are described, and results are presented to show better-than-linear time performance (O(sqrt(n))). The significance of this work is discussed, not only in terms of managing arrays of dis-oriented cells, but more importantly as an example of the usefulness of local, distributed self-configuration to create and use introspective circuitry. Finally, future work is discussed, including extension to 3D collections of cells.
On the Nature of the Oxygen Linkage in Oxyhemoglobin

In order to test Haldane's hypothesis that oxygen exists in oxyhemoglobin as a peroxide compound, an attempt was made to identify hydrogen peroxide in solutions of the blood pigment which had been denatured by acid. If oxyhemoglobin is an iron peroxide, we should expect it to behave as do other metallic peroxides, by reacting with acids to form hydrogen peroxide. Inasmuch as the acid hematin resulting from such denaturation has little, if any, catalase activity, any hydrogen peroxide formed should persist in solution.Solutions of 10 millimolar human oxyhemoglobin were treated with 8 volumes of .04 molar sulphuric acid and then precipitated with 5 volumes of 2% phosphovanadic acid, the latter serving the double purpose of precipitating the protein and of indicating the presence of any peroxide that might be liberated. In every instance the test was negative. Using chromic acid in acetone solution as a test for hydrogen peroxide, none of the latter could be detected in the ordinary Folin-Wu filtrate from bl...
Ramifications of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as a Modality to Obtain Research Data

Copyright: © 2012 Monico E. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Scientists who conduct medical research funded by federal grants or contracts are increasingly subjected to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for their research material. The Act compels federal agencies to provide copies of nonexempt documents in their possession upon request. The research community has expressed concern over the potential for disclosure legislation like the FOIA to threaten research privacy. While, disclosure exemptions maintain research privacy, other unanticipated threats may pose greater concerns for the research community.
Pharmacological interventions of the aging process.

Empirically speaking, chicken soup may be one of the best drugs on the market. It’s relatively inexpensive; no prescription is required to obtain it; and it makes many people feel better. So I thought I would come up here today with an explanation of the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of chicken soup.
In Vitro Fertilization of Rabbit Eggs in Oviduct Secretions from Different Days Before and After Ovulation

In vitro fertilization of rabbit eggs in oviduct secretions has been studied through different days of the psudopregnant cycle. The appearance of the pronuclei and cleavage into two cells, which were the criteria of fertilization, occurred significantly less frequently when in vitro fertilization was attempted in the oviduct secretions obtained during the estrous (preovulatory) period of the cycle than it was in the secretions obtained during pseudopregnancy or in Brackett's medium plus 20% heated rabbit blood serum. Whether fertilization was attempted in ampulla secretions or in whole oviduct secretions had no effect on the success rate. The effects of oviduct secretions from the estrous period of the cycle is probably due mainly to an effect on the egg, involving the very first development processes during and after fertilization.
In vivo Characterization of Epileptic Tissue with Time-Dependent, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about 45,000 children under the age of 15 develop epilepsy each year. One of the long-standing challenges in the field of pediatric epilepsy research is to differentiate between normal and epileptic brain areas. This problem is especially important for children with intractable epilepsy, because surgical intervention must be used to alleviate their epileptic symptoms. Optical spectroscopy may be used to assess the pathophysiological characteristics of the epileptic brain tissue intraoperatively in a non-destructive manner, which, in turn, allows surgeons to plan an epilepsy surgery. Herein, the study is focused on demonstrating the feasibility of using time-dependent, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy specifically to detect pathophysiological characteristics associated with epileptic brain tissue. In a pediatric patient undergoing epilepsy surgery, time-dependent, diffuse reflectance spectra were measured from the epileptic cortex and the surrounding tissue using a fiber-optic spectroscopy system. The system was designed to acquire diffuse reflectance spectra from 300 - 1100 nm at a maximum acquisition rate of 33 Hz. Spectral and temporal variations in the acquired spectral sequences were compared to the corresponding electrocorticographic results, and thosevariations unique to the epileptic cortex were identified using statistical methods. Furthermore, these spectral variations were related to the physiological and morphological characteristics of the brain tissue. The preliminary results obtained from this in vivo study demonstrate the feasibility of differentiating epileptic cortex tissue from normal tissue using time-dependent, diffuse reflectance data.
Racial and Sociodemographic Disparities in Internet Access and eHealth Intervention Utilization Among Veteran Smokers.

Access to the internet at home may be an important barrier to electronic health (eHealth) smoking cessation interventions. The current study explored possible sociodemographic disparities in access to the internet at home among veteran smokers. Data from participants proactively recruited and enrolled in a randomized smoking cessation effectiveness trial (N = 408) that compared a web-based smoking cessation intervention to Veterans Affairs (VA) usual care were used to examine the demographic attributes of smokers with and without internet access at home. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between demographic factors and home internet access. Data from patients randomized to the internet arm of the study (N = 205) were used to ascertain correlates of utilization of the intervention website. While the majority of the sample (82 %) endorsed access to the internet at home, veterans who were African-American, older, and not married were significantly less likely to have home internet access. Veterans who were African-American, older, less educated, had longer travel times to the nearest VA facility, and increased nicotine dependence were less likely to access the internet on a daily basis. While several sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, race, education, employment) were related to utilization of a free membership to a commercial, web-based smoking cessation intervention in bivariate analyses, only access to the internet at home was related to use of the smoking cessation site in adjusted results. These results highlight gaps in internet access and use among veterans and additionally underscore the importance of improving accessibility of eHealth interventions for low-income, minority, and socially disadvantaged veteran populations.
Experimental validation of a numerical model for ventilated wall cavity with spray evaporative cooling systems for hot and dry climates

Abstract This paper describes an experimental set-up used to validate predictions from a numerical model for ventilated wall cavity with spray evaporative cooling systems. The validation analysis results have indicated that the numerical model, developed and described in a companion paper, can accurately predict the outlet air temperatures and relative humidity levels achieved by a ventilated wall cavity with a spray evaporative cooling system utilized to air condition buildings in hot and dry climates. Air velocity predictions of the ventilated cavity have been also verified against results obtained from a detailed CFD analysis. Moreover, the experimental testing results indicate that the ventilated wall cavity with an evaporative cooling with 5 μm spray droplets can significantly reduce outdoor air temperatures. Specifically, the system was able to reduce air temperature from 45 °C to 25.5 °C. Moreover, the results of a parametric analysis obtained using the validated numerical solution suggest that there is a significant reduction potential in heat transfer through cavity walls while providing acceptable supply air temperature capable of maintaining indoor thermal comfort. In addition, the parametric analysis has evaluated the effect of climatic conditions (temperature and humidity) on the required distances for spray droplets to fully evaporate. The presented results could help in designing effective and energy efficient ventilated wall cavity with spray evaporative cooling systems to condition buildings in hot and dry climates.
Femtosecond Near-Field Imaging with Plasmonic Nanofocused Four-Wave Mixing

Combining broadband plasmonic nano-focusing and femtosecond pulse-shaping we demonstrate spatio-temporal nano-imaging based on four-wave mixing, resolving the coherent electron dynamics at a rough Au edge with few-fs temporal and 10’s nm spatial resolution.
Lymphangiography for Thoracic Duct Interventions

Lymph leaks resulting in chylous pleural effusions can be life-threatening. Minimally invasive thoracic duct embolization and disruption have been gaining acceptance as first-line treatment for these leaks. This review discusses the techniques for both pedal and intranodal lymphangiography in detail. It also discusses the use of lymphangiography as a means of targeting a retroperitoneal lymphatic to facilitate thoracic duct interventions for chyle leaks. Finally, outcomes and adverse events pertaining to these thoracic duct interventions are discussed.
Conclusion: The Inviability of Analytic Philosophy, as well as Bad and False Infinities

With analytic philosophers unable to account for the key elements of human existence: consciousness, language, happiness (laughter), etc.—as well as their ignoring of history/time—the fear of error need not concern us in contemplating such metaphysical concepts as justice and authenticity. Put differently, analytic philosophers’ profound fear of error has not yielded any significant insights into human existence, nor into the existence of humans. Hence, we are free to speculate about the movement of history and how justice as well as authenticity shape that history.
Idiopathic Retroperitoneal Fibrosis

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a pathological condition, in which fibrotic tissue is formed in the retroperitoneal space leading to compression of various organs in that space. In most cases there is no detectable cause and is therefore termed idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (IRPF).
Empathy-Focused Learning: Teaching Criminal Justice Students to Care

Today’s students show very little appreciation for the importance of empathy in community-based correctional treatment. This descriptive mixed-method study reports on a pilot program designed to examine how and to what extent a criminal justice education program enhanced or fostered empathy. Over a period of 7 years (2007–2014), 52 students participated in an intervention class, while 97 attended a controlled course. The study utilized a two-stage measurement technique involving a pencil and paper test of empathy and actual interviews with students. A phenomenological analysis was conducted to investigate how students understand and transform experiences into perceptions both individually and as shared meaning. A Paired Two Sample for Means t-test was computed on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) pre- and posttest data to analyze change in the students’ perceived empathy. The intervention group scores from pretest to posttest indicated a statistically significant change in students’ empathy levels in all seven subscales. This program should serve as a model curriculum for criminal justice students.
Single Arm Phase I/II Study of Everolimus and Intravesical Gemcitabine in Patients with Primary or Secondary Carcinoma In Situ of the Bladder who failed Bacillus Calmette Guerin (NCT01259063)

Background: Standard treatment for BCG-refractory urothelial cancer is radical cystectomy. Identification of active agents is clearly warranted. Objective: To determine a safe dose of oral everolimus in combination with standard intravesical gemcitabine and to evaluate the efficacy of this combination. Methods: Patients with carcinoma in situ refractory to intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin and refusing cystectomy were eligible. Patients in the phase I part of the trial received one of three dose levels of oral everolimus. Patients also received a fixed dose of intravesical gemcitabine. Maintenance everolimus was given for 12 months in patients achieving a complete response confirmed by cystoscopy and cytology. Patients in phase II received continuous everolimus administered at 10 mg daily with intravesical gemcitabine followed by everolimus maintenance for 12 months of total therapy. The enrollment goal for the phase II was 33 patients. Results: 14 patients were enrolled in phase I of the trial. 23 patients were enrolled in phase II of the trial and 19 were evaluable for primary and secondary endpoints. Four patients withdrew consent prior to treatment initiation. Of the 19 patients evaluable for response, 3 (16%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3% - 40%) were disease free at 1 yr. The probability of RFS was 20% (95% CI 5% - 42%) at 12 months. Ten patients out of 19 had grade 3 or greater toxicity events. Seven withdrew consent or were taken off study. Conclusions: Many patients withdrew, and enrollment was halted. Continuous oral everolimus plus intravesical gemcitabine was not well tolerated in this patient population where the threshold for tolerability is low.
The Influence of Nozzle Type on Peanut Weed Control Programs

ABSTRACT The increase in herbicide-resistant weeds over the past decade has led to the introduction of crops that are resistant to auxin herbicides. Strict application procedures are required for the use of auxin herbicides in auxin-resistant crops to minimize off-target movement. One requirement for application is the use of nozzles that will minimize drift by producing coarse droplets. Generally, an increase in droplet size can lead to a reduction in coverage and efficacy depending upon the herbicide and weed species. In studies conducted in 2015 and 2016, two of the potential required auxin nozzle types [(AIXR11002 (coarse) and TTI11002 (ultra-coarse)] were compared to a conventional flat-fan drift guard nozzles [DG11002 (medium)] for weed control in peanut herbicide systems. Nozzle type did not influence annual grass or Palmer amaranth control in non-crop tests. Results from in-crop tests indicated that annual grass control was 5% to 6% lower when herbicides were applied with the TTI nozzle when compa...
The Importance of Collagen Fibers in Vertebrate Biology

Collagen fibers form the basic structural components of extracellular matrix (ECM) of vertebrates that serve to: (1) store elastic energy during muscular deformation, (2) transmit stored energy into joint movement, and (3) transfer excess energy from the joint back to the attached muscles for dissipation. They also act as mechanotransducers by transferring stress borne by the musculoskeleton to the attached cells in order to either up - or down - regulate tissue metabolism as a result of changes in mechanical loading. Finally, they prevent premature mechanical failure of tissues by limiting deformation of most ECMs and organs.
ASElux: an ultra-fast and accurate allelic reads counter.

Motivation Mapping bias causes preferential alignment to the reference allele, forming a major obstacle in allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis. The existing methods, such as simulation and SNP-aware alignment, are either inaccurate or relatively slow. To fast and accurately count allelic reads for ASE analysis, we developed a novel approach, ASElux, which utilizes the personal SNP information and counts allelic reads directly from unmapped RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) data. ASElux significantly reduces runtime by disregarding reads outside single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) during the alignment. Results When compared to other tools on simulated and experimental data, ASElux achieves a higher accuracy on ASE estimation than non-SNP-aware aligners and requires a much shorter time than the benchmark SNP-aware aligner, GSNAP with just a slight loss in performance. ASElux can process 40 million read-pairs from an RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) sample and count allelic reads within 10 min, which is comparable to directly counting the allelic reads from alignments based on other tools. Furthermore, processing an RNA-seq sample using ASElux in conjunction with a general aligner, such as STAR, is more accurate and still ∼4× faster than STAR + WASP, and ∼33× faster than the lead SNP-aware aligner, GSNAP, making ASElux ideal for ASE analysis of large-scale transcriptomic studies. We applied ASElux to 273 lung RNA-seq samples from GTEx and identified a splice-QTL rs11078928 in lung which explains the mechanism underlying an asthma GWAS SNP rs11078927. Thus, our analysis demonstrated ASE as a highly powerful complementary tool to cis-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis. Availability and implementation The software can be downloaded from https://github.com/abl0719/ASElux. Contact zmiao@ucla.edu or a5ko@ucla.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Back to the basics: Read critically, reflect prudently and write analytically

Over the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous progress in Computer Science education research, techniques and new pedagogies. Although, such research shows an increase in student learning, retention and engagement; recently, we have been seeing students struggling with basic skills, such as critical reading and analytical writing. This problem is exacerbated, when faculty skip certain course content because of time limit or lack of student preparation or to satisfy other student learning outcomes. Therefore, students are not exposed to content which may expose them to higher order thinking as required by critical reading and analytical writing. This paper presents a technique that addresses both of these issues by creating reflective writing assignments, which attempts to improve students' fundamental skills along with exposing them to more advanced topics.
The Relationship between Social Dominance Orientation and Religiosity mediated by Political Orientation and Race

Abstract Political orientation and race have consistently found to be associated with social dominance orientation (SDO) and religiosity. This study explores the degree of influence that political orientation and race has on SDO and religiosity. The research participants consisted of 245 undergraduate and graduate students at an ethnically diverse regional university in the southeastern United States. As expected, Republican participants scored higher in SDO than Democrats, as White participants scored higher in SDO than did Non-White participants. Additionally, Republican participants scored higher in religiosity than did Democrats. As hypothesized, Non-Whites scored higher in religiosity than did Whites. Implications for future research on political orientation, race and other factors associated with SDO and religiosity.
Crossing Disciplines: Beyond Religious Studies and the Health Sciences

In this chapter, the author narrates her personal story of how Judith Berling’s model of teaching and learning helped her cross disciplines from religious studies to health sciences at a time when the Humanities (under which religious studies is classified) are under siege. It also gives an example from the author’s professional life as a community-based participatory health researcher on how Berling’s conceptualization of the learning process can be applied equally to a non-religious context as in the author’s qualitative participatory action research project. The author concludes that Berling’s mentorship and articulation of the learning process make it possible to “enter other worlds through engaging and crossing boundaries of significant difference” and, along the way, develop one’s own voice and that of others.
Hybrid econometric/input-output modeling of the cumulative economic impact of national forest harvest levels.

Econometric and input-output methods are combined to assess the multiforest personal income impacts of timber harvesting activities on regional economies in Northern California. The importance of a combined assessment is demonstrated using data from the El Dorado and Shasta-Trinity national forests. Depending upon the timber harvest levels of other national forests in the area, projected changes in personal income resulting from a change in harvest level on either forest varied by as much as 27%
The Family: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

The lives and personal experiences of the authors reflect the key focus of this book: the relation between family diversity and family policy. Each of the three authors of this book are of different racial backgrounds and of different religions. Both genders are represented in the authorship team, and across the team there exist age differences of more than a generation. In turn, while all authors have immediate and extended families that span multiple generations, our locations in these generational groups vary. For instance, one author is a member of the youngest generation in her family constellation whereas another author is the parent of several teenagers and, at the same time, contributes to the support of an aged mother. Add to this diversity the fact that across their respective lives the authors have had experiences with their immediate and extended families that pertained to both normative life events such as births, deaths, marriages and divorces, and to non-normative life events such as unexpected illnesses, changes in family structure, financial calamities, and severe accidents.
Time-dependent wave forcing in computational nearshore hydrodynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the computational near-shore wave transformation and wave-induced currents, concentrating on phase-averaged wave drivers and time-domain circulation models. The chapter focuses on the effects of unsteady wave forcing. The neglection of unsteady forcing is shown to lead to an incorrect representation of slow time scale Reynolds stresses, with resulting errors in circulation. Finally, closure problems are introduced in the chapter that will become important in future work. Water waves in the near-shore transform considerably from deep-water: refracting and diffracting under the influence of bottom topography and nearshore currents; change height and shape as they approach the shoreline; and finally break and dissipate most of their energy near the shoreline. In particular, the chapter discusses the differences between time-dependent and time-independent wave forcing. For the rip current example illustrated in the chapter, response times are on the order of wave group time scales, but the other classes of flows—such as longshore currents—have significantly longer response time scales.
Shared Success: The Challenge of Caring for Today's Health Education Educators

Caring has been identified as one of the normative values of nursing and health care. In many ways, caring is seen as being at the core of the profession. Although defined in various ways by numerous scholars (Gaut, 1983;Leininger, 1988;Parse, Coyne, & Smith, 1985;Roach, 1984;Watson, 1979), caring is generally recognized as a "mutual human process with identifiable behaviors" (Hanson & Smith, 1996, p. 105).Leininger (1981)suggests that caring be examined by identifying specific activities that are aimed at assisting, supporting, or enabling another person. Watson, whose name is most associated with the concept of caring in nursing, has developed a list of carative factors based upon the caring behaviors that can be observed between nurses and their patients.
In Vivo Studies of Epstein-Barr Virus and Other Lymphotropic Herpesviruses of Primates

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) of man is a member of a large group of lymphotropic herpesviruses of primates. These viruses have been isolated from prosimians, New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and man. The isolates fall into three groups. The first group includes EBV and related viruses of Old World monkeys and apes. The DNAs of EBV and these viruses of higher primates show a substantial degree of sequence homology (∼ 40%). Moreover, their genomes share a common structure, and are colinear with each other. Their proteins show extensive antigenic cross-reactivity but differences among them can be observed especially in the case of their nuclear antigens. These viruses are B cell tropic and can immortalize B lymphocytes in tissue culture. The viruses of New World monkeys form a second distinct group. These viruses are not related to EBV and the EBV-like viruses but are related to each other an-tigenically and by DNA homology. They have a common genome structure, which is different from that of EBV, and are T cell tropic. These viruses are cytolytic for nonlymphoid cells in vitro and are also capable of immortalizing T cells in tissue culture. Isolation of a third group of primate herpesviruses has been reported from tree shrews, Tupaia glis belangen, a prosimian species. These viruses are differentiated by their characteristic genome structure.
The Use of Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Unexplained Biliary Dilation

Isolated biliary dilation, as an incidental diagnosis, is increasing owing to an increase in the use of noninvasive abdominal imaging and poses a diagnostic challenge to physicians especially when further noninvasive diagnostic testing fails to reveal an etiology. This article reviews available data describing the natural history of this clinical scenario and the impact of endoscopic ultrasound examination in the evaluation of unexplained dilation of the common bile duct.
Circatidal activity rhythms in ovigerous blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus: implications for ebb-tide transport during the spawning migration

Female blue crabs (Callinectessapidus Rathbun) with mature embryos have a spawning migration in which they: (1) undergo ebb-tide transport for movement seaward from estuaries, (2) release their larvae, and (3) reverse direction by undergoing flood-tide transport for up-estuary movement. The study determined whether ebb-tide transport during the spawning migration is based upon an endogenous rhythm in vertical migration. Under constant conditions in a rectangular container, which limited horizontal and vertical movements, females with young and mature embryos had circatidal rhythms (periods=12.11–12.95 h) in migratory restlessness (swimming activity) and egg maintenance behavior (abdominal pumping). However, the rhythms were out of phase, as migratory restlessness occurred during the expected time of ebb tide in the field, and egg maintenance behavior, during the time of flood tide. Under constant conditions in vertical columns (1.32 m high), crabs with mature embryos had a circatidal rhythm (periods=12.2–13.7 h) in which they had frequent bouts of swimming to the surface of the column during the expected time of ebb tide in the field and remained on the bottom during the time of flood tide. This rhythm was not present in crabs with young embryos and disappeared after larval release. Thus, an endogenous rhythm in vertical migration does underlie the ebb-tide transport behavior of ovigerous blue crabs with mature embryos during their spawning migration.
An in vitro analysis of the PediMag and CentriMag for right-sided failing Fontan support.

Abstract Objective Right-sided mechanical circulatory support for failing Fontan physiology has been largely unsuccessful due to inherent hemodynamic differences between these patients and the target populations for most assist devices. This study uses advanced benchtop modeling of Fontan physiology to examine the use of PediMag and CentriMag to improve failing Fontan hemodynamics. Methods Each device was attached to a compliance-matched, patient-specific total cavopulmonary connection in vitro model that used resistances, compliances, and programmable waveforms to establish "failing Fontan" baseline hemodynamics (cardiac output [CO] = 3.5 L/min and central venous pressure ∼17 mm Hg). The ability of the assist devices to improve failing Fontan hemodynamics (reduce inferior vena cava pressure and augment CO) was investigated. Results Requiring complete Fontan pathway restriction, PediMag reduced inferior vena cava pressure by ∼10 mm Hg and supported CO augmentation up to 5 L/min. This was accompanied by an increase in superior vena cava pressure of ∼6 mm Hg. CentriMag produced similar hemodynamic changes without the need for pathway restriction or an increase in superior vena cava pressure. Conclusions PediMag and CentriMag right-sided support led to a decrease in inferior vena cava pressure and augmentation of cardiac output. In the case of CentriMag, this is accomplished without an increase in superior vena cava pressure or the need for restrictive banding. This work provides further data to help with the optimal design of a Fontan assist device to ameliorate the growing need.
El "clave bien temperado" de Felisberto Hernández

El interes de los criticos e investigadores en la obra de Felisberto Hernandez se ha incrementado desde su insercion en el campo cultural a traves de las valoraciones de Italo Calvino y de Julio Cortazar. No obstante, la interseccion entre la literatura y la musica en la obra de Felisberto Hernandez no ha sido suficientemente atendido a pesar de la evidente amalgama entre ambos campos. Esta investigacion intenta saldar ese adeudo mediante un analisis interdisciplinario que permita decodificar la presencia de la musica en la obra de Felisberto Hernandez y su contribucion a la narrativa de este autor. El conocimiento musical y la experiencia como interprete de Felisberto Hernandez se traducen en su obra no solo a traves del empleo de un imaginario musical, sino tambien a partir de la presencia de estructuras propias del discurso musical entre las cuales sobresale la organizacion del relato a partir de macroformas y de microformas, del uso de la dinamica – tanto por planos sonoros como por reguladores –, de la agogica y de los silencios como ejes del discurso narrativo.
Motivational Model of Social Entrepreneurship: Exploring the Shaping of Engagement of Social Entrepreneur

Value creation and capture connect the economy and society. Examining the relationship between them, this paper identified three types of social entrepreneurs. Further, I identified exemplar belonging to each type and analysed their motivational aspects. Here, Stimulus → Organism → Response (SOR) framework was used to develop a motivational model of social entrepreneurship. The findings elaborated that family and society are the two main sources of motivation. Both of them contribute differently and synergistically and facilitate the integration of ‘social’ and ‘entrepreneurial’ part of social entrepreneurship at the level of the organism and hence challenging the much-discussed integration of these two at the outcome level. Initially, negative emotion brought them in the process, but positive emotions kept them engaged. This transition of negative emotion to positive emotion created a self-perpetuating cycle of action–emotion sequence. Continued stimuli from society and family strengthen the process which resulted in expansion of ways of value creation.
Emotion, affectus, and occupation: A scoping review

ABSTRACTThis article reports a review of the research and scholarship investigating the concepts of affectus and emotion within occupational science. A scoping study method was used to explore how ...
Role of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with kidney disease

The anticoagulation field is experiencing a renaissance that began with regulatory approval of the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), in 2010. The DOAC medication class has rapidly evolved to include the additional approval of 4 direct factor Xa inhibitors. Commensurately, DOAC use has increased and collectively account for the majority of new anticoagulant prescriptions. Despite exclusion of patients with moderate-to-severe kidney disease from most pivotal DOAC trials, DOACs are increasingly used in this setting. An advantage of DOACs is similar or improved antithrombotic efficacy with less bleeding risk when compared with traditional agents. Several post hoc analyses, retrospective studies, claims data studies, and meta-analyses suggest that these benefits extend to patients with kidney disease. However, the lack of randomized controlled trial data in specific kidney disease settings, with their unique pathophysiology, should be a call to action for the kidney community to systematically study these agents, especially because early data suggest that DOACs may pose less risk of anticoagulant-related nephropathy than do vitamin K antagonists. Most DOACs are renally cleared and are significantly protein bound in circulation; thus, the pharmacokinetics of these drugs are influenced by reduced renal function and proteinuria. DOACs are susceptible to altered metabolism by P-glycoprotein inhibitors and inducers, including drugs commonly used for the management of kidney disease comorbidities. We summarize the currently available literature on DOAC use in kidney disease and illustrate knowledge gaps that represent important opportunities for prospective investigation.
Overconstrained gravitational lens models and the Hubble constant

It is well known that measurements of H0 from gravitational lens time delays scale as H0~1-k_E where k_E is the mean convergence at the Einstein radius R_E but that all available lens data other than the delays provide no direct constraints on k_E. The properties of the radial mass distribution constrained by lens data are R_E and the dimensionless quantity x=R_E a''(R_E)/(1-k_E)$ where a''(R_E) is the second derivative of the deflection profile at R_E. Lens models with too few degrees of freedom, like power law models with densities ~r^(-n), have a one-to-one correspondence between x and k_E (for a power law model, x=2(n-2) and k_E=(3-n)/2=(2-x)/4). This means that highly constrained lens models with few parameters quickly lead to very precise but inaccurate estimates of k_E and hence H0. Based on experiments with a broad range of plausible dark matter halo models, it is unlikely that any current estimates of H0 from gravitational lens time delays are more accurate than ~10%, regardless of the reported precision.
Response to COVID-19 in Taiwan: Big Data Analytics, New Technology, and Proactive Testing.

COVID-19 occurred just before the Lunar New Year during which time millions of Chinese and Taiwanese were expected to travel for the holidays Taiwan quickly mobilized and instituted specific approaches for case identification, containment, and resource allocation to protect the public health Taiwan enhanced COVID-19 case finding by proactively seeking out patients with severe respiratory symptoms (based on information from the National Health Insurance [NHI] database) who had tested negative for influenza and retested them for COVID-19;1 was found of 113 cases The toll-free number 1922 served as a hotline for citizens to report suspicious symptoms or cases in themselves or others;as the disease progressed, this hotline has reached full capacity, so each major city was asked to create its own hotline as an alternative It is not known how often this hotline has been used The government addressed the issue of disease stigma and compassion for those affected by providing food, frequent health checks, and encouragement for those under quarantine This rapid response included hundreds of action items Taiwan's government learned from its 2003 SARS experience and established a public health response mechanism for enabling rapid actions for the next crisis Well-trained and experienced teams of officials were quick to recognize the crisis and activated emergency management structures to address the emerging outbreak In a crisis, governments often make difficult decisions under uncertainty and time constraints These decisions must be both culturally appropriate and sensitive to the population Through early recognition of the crisis, daily briefings to the public, and simple health messaging, the government was able to reassure the public by delivering timely, accurate, and transparent information regarding the evolving epidemic Taiwan is an example of how a society can respond quickly to a crisis and protect the interests of its citizens
Pleural Effusions Following Liver Transplantation: A Single-Center Experience.

Introduction:This was a single-center retrospective study to evaluate incidence, prognosis, and risk factors in patients with postoperative pleural effusions, a common pulmonary complication follow...